by Bob Click
Greater Orlando Computer User Group
From the December, 2005 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter
I can't emphasize enough the value of users group help and here is an example:
The other day while preparing to drive over to our beach condo for a couple of
days, I wanted to copy a floppy disk containing some important files not backed
up. When I attempted to copy it, the process stopped in the middle telling me my
second disk was corrupted. I tried to stop the process so I could use another
disk, but couldn't get the procedure to go away. Even when I killed Windows
Explorer, then restarted it, and was ready with a new disk, it tried
unsuccessfully to resume the process. Finally, I decided to reboot the computer
in an effort to clear it, and when it tried to restart, all I got was the
opening Intel screen and nothing more. After forcing the machine to shut down,
and a brief pause, I tried to start the computer again and it would not go past
the startup Intel screen.
Horror set in and I wondered what I might have done to screw it up, and what to
do next. I was lost! All of a sudden I remembered something I had read only a
couple days before in a users group newsletter while browsing a write-up about
their Q & A session. A member reported that they could not get their computer to
boot and finally removed a USB Flash Drive they had been using before they shut
it off. It booted up just fine with the flash drive removed. Since I was using a
USB Flash Drive while trying a new backup program, I removed it, tried to boot
again, and was very relieved when the computer booted normally. I am running
Windows XP Professional.
I can't remember which newsletter I read that in, but my thanks to the user
group community and the newsletters I receive from them. I read them from cover
to cover, especially about their Q & A sessions and sometimes find good
information that I think my readers might use. It was interesting that when I
tried rebooting again with a 256 Meg USB Flash Drive plugged in; it booted just
fine, but would not boot with the one gig USB drive plugged in. I would never
have thought to remove that flash drive so I hope my experience was useful to my
readers.
Problems in Dell Land
I read in Ed Foster's Gripe Line about a company that had bought almost 200 Dell
Optiplex GX270 PCs, and when a known defect arose concerning a capacitor on the
motherboard that tended to swell and cause problems, it should have been covered
by their support contract, but Dell didn't live up to their agreement. They
started to replace them, but after more problem boards were found, they stopped
and instead wanted the company to trade them in. For financial reasons the
customer didn't want to do that and eventually any negotiations stopped. It was
known that some larger companies with the same problem had gotten it resolved,
but nobody knows why. Up until now, I had thought Dell had a good name in the
industry and I don't know the outcome. Ed Foster's Gripe Line URL is
[http://www.gripe2ed.com], but I couldn't find this story posted at this writing
since I read it in an August issue. You need to set up a password to access the
Gripe Line Web site. For other information about the problem, check
[http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13709831].
For the folks who ask me about the trade shows, we recently worked the National
Safety Council Show [http://www.safety2005.org] that was very interesting. It
used about 500,000 square feet of exhibit space and had over 20,000 attendees
from around the globe. You wouldn't think so, but I saw some cutting-edge
technology featured there. Like many trade shows here, they had an evening party
for attendees at Universal Studios.
We also worked the interesting Bank Administration Industry show.
[http://www.bai.org] You would have easily recognized many names exhibiting
there, which included well known ATM machines, security names and software
companies like Microsoft, Adobe, Oracle USA and many others well known to users
group people. The exhibit area was about 400,000 sq. ft. of area. Free food for
the attendees too. Attendance was about 12,000. Central Florida is a hotbed of
trade show activity, but we only work a few of them.
Still Good
Don't forget the deal is still good for the WebBuild Express software for
creating your Web site. To download it at
[http://store.esellerate.net/nfti/store], use the coupon code CPN8348901136,
when it calls for it, to receive your 25% discount. I have a trial version but I
have not tried it out yet. Between health problems and laziness, I don't have
much for you this month, but I hope you took advantage of the APCUG
announcements for deals.
The Lost Can Often Be Found
Have you ever deleted a file and later found you should not have done that? No
problem, just go to the Recycle Bin and get it back. Come to find out though, it
has been dumped by the Recycle Bin. Now you have another problem; but not if you
have PC Inspector, which can do unbelievable things when it comes to recovering
deleted files from your hard drive. Of course, your hard drive has to be working
properly for it to work.
Best of all, PC Inspector is Freeware and it can be downloaded at
[http://www.pcinspector.de/file_recovery/uK/welcome.htm]. However, if you have
used Secure Clean or Wipe Drive, forget about it. I found this in a newsletter,
but have not tried it personally.
An Announcement For NeoDownloader (Edited to shorten)
We offer a special. User group people get a 25% discount on the new version of
NeoDownloader by email request..
September 27, 2005
Neowise Software, the leading developer of task automation tools, announces the
newest major version of their NeoDownloader. This powerful multithreaded tool
for automatic downloading of pictures, audio and video files now features the
unique Web Spider technology that guarantees a fast and steady download for both
high and low bandwidth. With its improved interface, new image viewer and media
player, NeoDownloader expands the horizons of your web experience by improving
your Internet browsing habits.
Each download job you trust to NeoDownloader starts with a profile where you can
set file types, size limits, resolution, and scanning depth. The program scans
the site of your interest and picks out only the files that match your profile.
The download is fully automated but you can control it through the download
progress window and fine-tune its performance. The download can run
simultaneously with scanning, or after full scanning of the site is completed.
Downloaded files become instantly available in the image preview zone of the
program window.
The new version includes a collection of project templates and sample projects
to get started fast. The built-in image viewer and media player provide instant
access to downloaded files. A Drop basket and a set of hotkeys help you to
launch a project from any application. The download library replicates source
sites and organizes files in an easy-to-use way. The password list secures
automatic login to password-protected websites.
NeoDownloader v2.0 Features at the Glance
Downloads pictures, audio and video that match user preferences
Filters for file type, size, resolution and URL keywords
Settings for the scanning depth for internal and external links
Up to 10 simultaneous connections
Support for password protected sites
New project profile settings
Drop basket facility to download from other applications
Built-in image viewer featuring slideshow and wallpaper setting support
Built-in media player
NeoDownloader runs under Windows 98, NT 4.0, Me, 2000, XP platforms and costs
$39.95 (USD) for a single-user license. Free lifetime technical support and
minor upgrades are extended to all registered users. A fully functional
evaluation version is available as a free download free download.
That's it for this month. Meet me here again next month if your editor permits.
Be sure to check the new announcement pages on my Web site. This column is
written to make user group members aware of special offers or freebies I have
found or arranged, and my comments should not be interpreted to encourage, or
discourage, the purchase of any products, no matter how enthused I might sound.
Bob (The Cheapskate) Click [bobclick@mindspring.com]. Visit my Web
site at [http://www.dealsguy.com].
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