| This
Month's Topic
Useful
Websites
Future Meetings
Below is a list of dates for 2008, these dates have been confirmed.
May 7th
June 4th
July 2nd
August 20th
September 17th
October 15th
November 12th
December 10th
Last
Month….
We
had one of our very popular Problem Solving evenings. As always
the meeting was well attended and very soon we were into trying
to solve some of our member’s computer niggles. There were
issues regarding video editing through to computers running at
snail pace.
As
usual our resident hardware and software gurus around the table
were able to offer tips and solutions to the various problems
and now that we have access to an internet link, we were able
to look up some of the problems through a Google search to see
if anybody else had experienced them and had a solution.
For
more in-depth problems with the registry the program “HiJack
This” was recommended. This little program will scan your
browser and Windows registry folders and lists them in a log file.
Any unwanted items can then be highlighted for deletion. The log
can be a powerful tool for an expert to identify browser problems
and other nasty add-ons hiding on your computer. There are user
groups on the web who will even do a log diagnostic for you and
point out potential issues
This is a freeware package that can be readily accessed from the
net. Just type in the title and you should be able to find a link.
Lots
of positive interaction made for a pleasant and interesting evening
and I hope those of you who shared their problems went home a
little more enlightened.
Dave
Robb
Last
month’s Follow Up
One of the topics that was discussed at length at last months
meeting was a long standing problem that David & Wendy Arkell
have had. They have wanted to transfer some video footage onto
their computer but have always had problems. I had the following
note the other day.
As a follow-up to the last meeting on Problem Solving, the problem
we were having was trying to transfer analogue video-tape to DVD.
We were using a gadget called Video Xpress bought at a cost of
£38.99, from Melton Computers which did not work...Firstly
we had a problem with a clicking sound every few seconds, so I
took it back to the shop and they said that there was nothing
wrong with it, but, having tried again recently we could not capture
anything at all.
Dave took the gadget home to see if he & Derek could repair
anything as it did not even register as “Found new hardware”,
but was unsuccessful.
At the meeting it was suggested that Dazzle was an alternative,
and having purchased this at a cost of £49.98 from Amazon
(full price £69.99) everything seems to be fine. We can
upload onto the computer, edit and make DVDs
We should like to thank Dave & Derek very much for their assistance.
David
& Wendy Arkell
Another
Word Tip…
Need
to see the formatting marks within a document?
From the Word Menu Bar, select Tools / Options; then select the
View tab from the dialog.
The section ‘Formatting Marks’ contains a number of
check boxes which control which ‘marks’ are displayed
in the actual document.
If
you switch them all on, the document can be a little tricky to
read!
These
marks can help identify the differences between a hard and soft
carriage return – which can affect the formatting.
A ‘hard’ carriage return (represented as ¶) starts
a new paragraph, whereas a ‘soft’ carriage return
(use shift-return ) looks like a new paragraph, but actually just
starts a new line.
This
Month ….
This
month we were planning on having an evening on the Ultimate Boot
CD.
Due to unforeseen circumstances we have had to cancel this topic,
we hope to return to this in the near future. We will therefore
bring forward the topic we had planned for next month.
We briefly mentioned last month that we would like to look at
your favourite or useful Website. It does not have to be a computer
or technical related Website. All you need is the Web address
and then we can discuss what each site has to offer.
Tricks & Tips
Bored with the desktop icons available? Unable to find an icon
that fits the bill? There is a large range of alternative icons
available for your use hidden in your operating system that can
easily be substituted for the regular ones that appear on your
desktop. Many packages come with their own icons that will be
unique to their particular product, but often you may need to
create a folder or shortcut that needs a more meaningful status
to you.
In Windows XP and Windows 2000 there are hidden caches of icons
that can be used to change any icon on the desktop. To access
these, all you have to do is right click on the programme icon
you wish to change and selecting Properties, then the Shortcut
tab and then the Change Icon button which will display all the
standard and default icons available. All you have to do then
is select the icon of your choice. You may find that commercial
icons may be protected and the Change Icon setting will be greyed
out. Other Windows icons are also protected – so don’t
expect to change you’re My Computer icon. To change a folder
icon in XP, again right click the folder and after selecting Properties
then Customise to access the Change Icon button. On Windows 2000
to change the folder icon it is the same as changing a programme
icon.
That’s all very nice and I suspect most of you knew all
this already. But what if there isn’t anything that quite
fits the bill. How about customising your own icons? One way of
course is to search the web for icons, where I am sure there are
thousands available. Here is a nice and simple way to reproduce
your own. Find yourself a suitable graphic or image – if
you have a scanner then the world is your oyster. Download the
file into Windows Paint which appears in the accessories folder,
do whatever modifications you want to it and then to save it you
must select 24-bit Bitmap in the drop-down menu and give the file
a name and a .ico extension. Don’t forget to remember where
you saved it for future reference.
If you want to create folders to lump programmes together on your
Windows 2000 desktop and keep it relatively clutter free then
the folder icon must be created in C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Start menu\Programs and then sent to the desktop as a shortcut.
Programme icons can then be stored within it. On XP all you have
to do is create the folder on the desktop and change the icon
in the usual way. I hope you found this technique useful.
Dave
Robb
MS
pulls the plug on XP SP3 mass launch
Microsoft has pulled the general release of Windows XP service
pack three (SP3) at the last minute, blaming a “compatibility
issue” for the problem.
Microsoft said later it was suspending mass download of the long-awaited
service pack while it investigates the problem between its point-of-sale
app – Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) – and
both XP SP3 and Vista SP1.
However, the firm hasn’t announced when XP SP3 will be available,
much to the annoyance of Vista-shy customers who have been patiently
waiting for the update to land.
More details when then become available.
Atari
Many of you will remember the good days for Atari and many of
you will think that Atari disappeared long ago. But Infogrames
Entertainment plans to buy the rest of beleaguered video games
pioneer Atari for £5.5 million.
Infogrames, based in Lyon, France, owns 51.4 percent of Atari's
stock. The merger will give Atari shareholders £0.88 per
share in cash.
The deal must be approved by shareholders. Atari plans to call
a special meeting on the merger after July. However, since Infogrames
owns a majority of shares, it could push the deal forward without
the approval of Atari's current shareholders.
Infogrames said the merger will allow it to have more control
over restructuring Atari to become a bigger player in the North
American market. It will also loan Atari £10 million to
keep its operations going until the deal is complete.
Atari dominated the video game console market in the late 1970s
and early 1980s with classic games such as Pong, Asteroids and
Space Invaders. But game and console makers such as Nintendo and
Sega later stole Atari's crown. The company never fully recovered.
In May 2007, Atari said it would cut its workforce by 20 percent
and spend between £400,000 and £550,000 on restructuring
the company.
Since last October, Infogrames has been working with Atari to
stabilize and focus its distribution efforts. The Atari Group,
which operates in the U.S., Europe and Asia, produces games such
as Alone in the Dark, V-Rally, Test Drive, Backyard and licenses
others such as Dragon Ball Z.
Those games are produced for a variety of platforms, including
Sony's PSP and PlayStations 2 and 3, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and
Nintendo's DS, Wii and GameBoy Advance.
In March, Jim Wilson, a video-game industry veteran, was appointed
as Atari's CEO. Wilson most recently worked as executive vice
president and general manager of Sony Wonder, part of Sony BMG's
home entertainment business.
Infogrames has owned the Atari name since 2001, and it has been
releasing games under the Atari moniker since then.
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