Minutes of the October 3, 2008 meeting of the Sioux Falls Seniors Computer Club:
President Norm Knox called the meeting to order in room 204. The minutes of the September business meeting were read and approved. There was no old business. There was also no new business. During the classroom part of the meeting, Linda Bauer proposed "Organizing Files and Folders" as the topic for the November meeting. The club accepted this suggestion.
In the computer classroom, Vice President Bill Goebel described and demonstrated Photo Story 3, a free application program for processing and displaying digital photographs. Google can find various copies of this program for downloading, but it is best to download the copy that comes from Microsoft.com. The customary first step after starting Photo Story 3 is to import images. These images usually come from the My Pictures folder in My Documents. The user can key control-A to highlight and import all images at once, or individual images can be highlighted and imported separately. Photo Story 3 provides a thumbnail display of all imported images in the lower part of its window. These images can be rearranged by using the mouse to drag and drop them. Unwanted images can be deleted without affecting the originals in the folder they come from. The second step in processing the images is the collective removal of black borders. However, the user may want to skip over this step. Dealing with black borders when the pictures are edited individually may give better results. The third step begins the individual editing of images. Each image can be cropped as needed. Photo Story 3 has some of the same editing options as PhotoShop, but PhotoShop can do many things that Photo Story 3 cannot. On the other hand, Photo Story 3 can zoom in or zoom out or sweep within a picture to create movement that suggests the operation of a video camera even though the picture is really a still photo. Bill considers this to be one of the best features of the program. Titles can be added to images during editing. If the PC has a microphone, voice comments can be supplied for pictures. The duration of the display of each picture can be an automatic value, or a particular time in seconds can be specified. Many kinds of transitions between pictures are available. The program has a selection of different kinds of background music that can be added. It is desirable to save the work being done frequently during editing. When the current project is saved, it goes into a file with extension WP3. The customary folder for storing this file is My Videos in My Documents. This is also the usual folder for storing the end result. When the project is complete, it should be saved as actual video in a WMV file. The program has to go through several steps to make this file. When the WMV file is completed, it can be viewed with Windows Media Player, or it may be an input to Windows Movie Maker. If there is a possibility that further editing may be needed, theWP3 file should be saved together with the WMV file. If a PC user runs Photo Story 3 on very many digital images, the resulting output files can take up a lot of hard drive space. Moving the files to CDs or DVDs will solve this problem. When Photo Story 3 is in use, it needs a recent version of Windows Media Player on hand to show the results of editing individual pictures. This happens while Photo Story 3 itself is running. Either Version 10 or Version 11 of Windows Media Player will support Photo Story 3 properly, but an earlier version may not work right.
Respectfully submitted by Garth Peterson, Secretary.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Minutes - September 5, 2008
Minutes of the September 5, 2008 meeting of the Sioux Falls Seniors Computer Club:
In the absence of President Norm Knox, Vice President Bill Goebel called the meeting to order in room 204.The minutes of the August meeting were read and approved. Bill mentioned that Moviemaker and Photostory can be used to assemble pictures to use in family histories. New members and old members introduced themselves around room 204.
In answer to a question about Open Office from Ray Vaughn, Bill recommended that material from Open Office be saved as files in DOC format to get around problems of incompatibility. Some club members might be interested in setting up personal Websites. At present the Center has no course for this. Jeanette Stadtfeld mentioned a need to be able to set up a password for a PC. According to Bill, if a PC is given a password in preparation for the visit of a grandchild, the password should not be the name of the family dog.
The secretary mentioned that recent minutes are available in the club's blog, which is maintained by Glenn Johnson. The blog is at http://sfscc2007.blogspot.com/ or http://www.sfscc2007.blogspot.com/ .
In the computer classroom, Bill Goebel led a discussion of several computer topics. Some computer problems can be resolved by using the System Restore facility of Windows XP. Information about this can be found by searching for the words "System Restore" at Microsoft's Help and Support Center (http://support.microsoft.center/). Bill described how multiple user accounts with passwords can be setup on a PC. Look for User Accounts in the Control Panel to set these up. A new account starts with access to basic Windows XP. Permissions to use other things on the computer can then be added.
Windows Defender from Microsoft protects well against spyware. It is a free add-on for Windows XP and is included in Windows Vista. A computer can have multiple anti-spyware programs, but some of these programs tie up memory. Keeping Windows Defender alone for spyware protection is a good policy. AVG Free is a good antivirus program to go with Windows Defender but finding it to download from the AVG Web site (http://www.grisoft.com/) requires looking carefully for "AVG Free". The version of AVG with a price is naturally much easier to find.
Bill demonstrated functions of MovieMaker. Movies that it makes can be saved to a CD or DVD. A DVD has the advantage of more room. Photos can be organized with Photostory and then brought into MovieMaker. A Google search at Wikipedia showed the difference between a podcast and a webcast. Setting up a free account at Yahoo gives access to video feeds and other things like articles and Yahoo's webmail. Open Office is an office and productivity suite. It is a free alternative to Microsoft Office, and can be downloaded from http://www.openoffice.org/ .
Bob Black teaches the Center's course on Powerpoint 2003. This should be similar to any Powerpoint that someone has at home.When downloading a program from the Internet, it is better to choose the Save option than the Run option. The program that is downloaded this way can then be run as a program to install the actual working program. When the installation process is complete, the new program will be listed under Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel. An install program can be downloaded temporarily to the desktop if that is convenient, but it should not be left in that location permanently because it ties up memory there. It is a good idea to save install programs in a special folder with some name such as Download. Then they will be available later if something needs to be uninstalled and reinstalled.A heavy spam load on an e-mail address may make it necessary to setup a new e-mail address. Getting the address book associated with the old e-mail address to work with the new e-mail address is likely to be the hardest part of setting up the new address. The Web site for the Center for Active Generations is at http://www.cfag.org/ and is maintained by Bev Johnson. In Internet Explorer Version 7, the bar at the top of the window that has buttons marked File, Edit, View, and so on may not always be visible. Pressing the Alt key will bring it out of hiding. (This part of the window is called the menu bar. You can keep it permanently visible or not by clicking on View, Toolbars, and MenuBar.)
The club welcomes new members Cheri L. Lehmann and Hoi Tran.
Respectfully submitted by Garth Peterson, Secretary.
In the absence of President Norm Knox, Vice President Bill Goebel called the meeting to order in room 204.The minutes of the August meeting were read and approved. Bill mentioned that Moviemaker and Photostory can be used to assemble pictures to use in family histories. New members and old members introduced themselves around room 204.
In answer to a question about Open Office from Ray Vaughn, Bill recommended that material from Open Office be saved as files in DOC format to get around problems of incompatibility. Some club members might be interested in setting up personal Websites. At present the Center has no course for this. Jeanette Stadtfeld mentioned a need to be able to set up a password for a PC. According to Bill, if a PC is given a password in preparation for the visit of a grandchild, the password should not be the name of the family dog.
The secretary mentioned that recent minutes are available in the club's blog, which is maintained by Glenn Johnson. The blog is at http://sfscc2007.blogspot.com/ or http://www.sfscc2007.blogspot.com/ .
In the computer classroom, Bill Goebel led a discussion of several computer topics. Some computer problems can be resolved by using the System Restore facility of Windows XP. Information about this can be found by searching for the words "System Restore" at Microsoft's Help and Support Center (http://support.microsoft.center/). Bill described how multiple user accounts with passwords can be setup on a PC. Look for User Accounts in the Control Panel to set these up. A new account starts with access to basic Windows XP. Permissions to use other things on the computer can then be added.
Windows Defender from Microsoft protects well against spyware. It is a free add-on for Windows XP and is included in Windows Vista. A computer can have multiple anti-spyware programs, but some of these programs tie up memory. Keeping Windows Defender alone for spyware protection is a good policy. AVG Free is a good antivirus program to go with Windows Defender but finding it to download from the AVG Web site (http://www.grisoft.com/) requires looking carefully for "AVG Free". The version of AVG with a price is naturally much easier to find.
Bill demonstrated functions of MovieMaker. Movies that it makes can be saved to a CD or DVD. A DVD has the advantage of more room. Photos can be organized with Photostory and then brought into MovieMaker. A Google search at Wikipedia showed the difference between a podcast and a webcast. Setting up a free account at Yahoo gives access to video feeds and other things like articles and Yahoo's webmail. Open Office is an office and productivity suite. It is a free alternative to Microsoft Office, and can be downloaded from http://www.openoffice.org/ .
Bob Black teaches the Center's course on Powerpoint 2003. This should be similar to any Powerpoint that someone has at home.When downloading a program from the Internet, it is better to choose the Save option than the Run option. The program that is downloaded this way can then be run as a program to install the actual working program. When the installation process is complete, the new program will be listed under Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel. An install program can be downloaded temporarily to the desktop if that is convenient, but it should not be left in that location permanently because it ties up memory there. It is a good idea to save install programs in a special folder with some name such as Download. Then they will be available later if something needs to be uninstalled and reinstalled.A heavy spam load on an e-mail address may make it necessary to setup a new e-mail address. Getting the address book associated with the old e-mail address to work with the new e-mail address is likely to be the hardest part of setting up the new address. The Web site for the Center for Active Generations is at http://www.cfag.org/ and is maintained by Bev Johnson. In Internet Explorer Version 7, the bar at the top of the window that has buttons marked File, Edit, View, and so on may not always be visible. Pressing the Alt key will bring it out of hiding. (This part of the window is called the menu bar. You can keep it permanently visible or not by clicking on View, Toolbars, and MenuBar.)
The club welcomes new members Cheri L. Lehmann and Hoi Tran.
Respectfully submitted by Garth Peterson, Secretary.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Minutes - August 1, 2008
Minutes of the August 1, 2008 meeting of the Sioux Falls Seniors Computer Club:
President Norm Knox called the meeting to order in room 204. The minutes of the July meeting were read and approved. Nellie Reeves informed the club that the ECHO symposium will run from 8:30 to 3:00 on September 30. This symposium will include break-out sessions from 11:00 to 12:00. For attendees with computer interests, there will be a break-out entitled, "Preserving Family History Digital Style," which will be led by Alice Lance and Asella Crum. Norm asked club members to tell their friends about computer classes at the Center. He reported that there were a few class enrollments arising from the Computer Learning Center Open House that was held on July 29. Norm also reported that customers of Midco (midco.net) have been receiving bogus e-mails asking for information about their accounts with Midco.
In the computer classroom, Vice President Bill Goebel described three World Wide Web sites that provide free off-site data backup for computer users. Yahoo Briefcase (briefcase.yahoo.com) is available to anyone who has a Yahoo e-mail account. Anyone can setup a Yahoo e-mail account as a way to use Yahoo Briefcase without bothering to use the account for e-mail. However, setting up the account will include reading an image with distorted letters and keying the letters into a box in a form. Sometimes the letters are too distorted to read, but one can get a new image and try again with different letters. Yahoo Briefcase is being superseded by a similar but newer free service at http://www.box.net/. HP's Snapfish (http://www.snapfish.com/) is a free data storage service that specializes in images. It lets the user save private copies of images or share them with others. Bill noted that computer users should choose carefully in deciding what to back up. For most computer users the thing that most needs to be protected is the address book. George Lair described his use of the Carbonite backup service. For $50 per year this service maintains a complete backup copy of his hard drive automatically. Nellie called attention to the weather service at Yahoo's home page. This weather service provides the local weather report, as well as the report for any other area in the country by means of its ZIP code. Bill warned that circulating e-mails may contain wrong information about politics and politicians. Claims in such e-mails can be checked at http://www.snopes.com/. This site has a search facility which can look for key words in an e-mail to show what http://www.snopes.com/ says about the e-mail's claims. The programs msconfig and msinfo32 can provide information about whether a computer has too many programs running or not enough memory. (To run msconfig or msinfo32, click on the Start button, click on Run, enter the program's name in the Run window, and finally press Enter or click on OK.) The important lines in msinfo32's display are marked Total Physical Memory and Available Physical Memory. To get more available memory, you can uninstall unneeded programs through the control panel, or buy more memory, which is usually not very expensive. Bev Johnson was briefly present and was naturally unable to escape without answering some questions. She recommends that anyone who installs Java on a PC should watch for and reject the option of installing a Google toolbar in Internet Explorer. She also recommends Windows Defender (free) as an anti-spyware program. Windows Defender contains Software Explorer, which can help to identify programs that can be removed. George observed that Adobe and Picasa are programs that can be unchecked so that they are loaded only when needed.
Respectfully submitted by Garth Peterson, Secretary.
Added notes about data storage: Snapfish is basically a free service, but it has fees for scanning photographs that are mailed in and for making hard copies of stored images. These fees are based on use and are not very high. Briefase and Box from Yahoo are similar services, but Box allows file sharing with its free service, while Briefase does not. Box allows more data storage with its free service. Both free services come with advertisements. Box indicates that its monthly paid services that allow more saved data leave out the ads.
President Norm Knox called the meeting to order in room 204. The minutes of the July meeting were read and approved. Nellie Reeves informed the club that the ECHO symposium will run from 8:30 to 3:00 on September 30. This symposium will include break-out sessions from 11:00 to 12:00. For attendees with computer interests, there will be a break-out entitled, "Preserving Family History Digital Style," which will be led by Alice Lance and Asella Crum. Norm asked club members to tell their friends about computer classes at the Center. He reported that there were a few class enrollments arising from the Computer Learning Center Open House that was held on July 29. Norm also reported that customers of Midco (midco.net) have been receiving bogus e-mails asking for information about their accounts with Midco.
In the computer classroom, Vice President Bill Goebel described three World Wide Web sites that provide free off-site data backup for computer users. Yahoo Briefcase (briefcase.yahoo.com) is available to anyone who has a Yahoo e-mail account. Anyone can setup a Yahoo e-mail account as a way to use Yahoo Briefcase without bothering to use the account for e-mail. However, setting up the account will include reading an image with distorted letters and keying the letters into a box in a form. Sometimes the letters are too distorted to read, but one can get a new image and try again with different letters. Yahoo Briefcase is being superseded by a similar but newer free service at http://www.box.net/. HP's Snapfish (http://www.snapfish.com/) is a free data storage service that specializes in images. It lets the user save private copies of images or share them with others. Bill noted that computer users should choose carefully in deciding what to back up. For most computer users the thing that most needs to be protected is the address book. George Lair described his use of the Carbonite backup service. For $50 per year this service maintains a complete backup copy of his hard drive automatically. Nellie called attention to the weather service at Yahoo's home page. This weather service provides the local weather report, as well as the report for any other area in the country by means of its ZIP code. Bill warned that circulating e-mails may contain wrong information about politics and politicians. Claims in such e-mails can be checked at http://www.snopes.com/. This site has a search facility which can look for key words in an e-mail to show what http://www.snopes.com/ says about the e-mail's claims. The programs msconfig and msinfo32 can provide information about whether a computer has too many programs running or not enough memory. (To run msconfig or msinfo32, click on the Start button, click on Run, enter the program's name in the Run window, and finally press Enter or click on OK.) The important lines in msinfo32's display are marked Total Physical Memory and Available Physical Memory. To get more available memory, you can uninstall unneeded programs through the control panel, or buy more memory, which is usually not very expensive. Bev Johnson was briefly present and was naturally unable to escape without answering some questions. She recommends that anyone who installs Java on a PC should watch for and reject the option of installing a Google toolbar in Internet Explorer. She also recommends Windows Defender (free) as an anti-spyware program. Windows Defender contains Software Explorer, which can help to identify programs that can be removed. George observed that Adobe and Picasa are programs that can be unchecked so that they are loaded only when needed.
Respectfully submitted by Garth Peterson, Secretary.
Added notes about data storage: Snapfish is basically a free service, but it has fees for scanning photographs that are mailed in and for making hard copies of stored images. These fees are based on use and are not very high. Briefase and Box from Yahoo are similar services, but Box allows file sharing with its free service, while Briefase does not. Box allows more data storage with its free service. Both free services come with advertisements. Box indicates that its monthly paid services that allow more saved data leave out the ads.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Minutes - 11 July 2008
Minutes of the July 11, 2008 meeting of the Sioux Falls Seniors Computer Club:
President Norm Knox called the meeting to order in room 204, and expressed pleasure at the number of members attending. The minutes of the June meeting were read and approved with one revision: The coming ECHO Symposium at the Center will be held on September 30. Actions by the club in connection with the ECHO Symposium are presently pending. There was no old business. Under new business, Vice President Bill Goebel announced the topic of the next meeting will be "off-site Internet storage".
Following the business part of the meeting, the club members moved to the Sertoma B room. In Sertoma B, Garth Peterson ran a demonstration of wireless access from the club's notebook computer to the Center's wireless router. Sertoma B is close enough to the router for successful wireless access while the computer classroom and room 204 are not. Following this demonstration, the meeting continued in the same room. Club members discussed security concerns and various technical problems, led by Bill Goebel. Bill mentioned that while flash drives are very useful, they are not immune to failure. Also,the program msinfo32 which can be run from the run box available on the Start Menu, can give information about memory usage or overloading Windows.
Respectfully submitted by Garth Peterson, Secretary.
NOTES OF INTEREST
Computer Learning Center Open House Tuesday, July 29 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. Bring a friend! Spread the news! The Center will host a Computer Learning Center Open House. This is an opportunity for current students to expand their knowledge and learn more about our new end-of-summer and fall class schedules. Current Computer Learning Center students who bring a friend to this open house will receive a $5 coupon for their next computer class. Free Seminars include: MS Office Programs 9 Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher), New Computer Classes in Spanish, Photo Shop Elements, and Q & A. Computer instructors will be available to answer questions and help guide you on your learning process through the computer world. For more information, contact Lisa Howard at 333-3307.
Free Computer Seminar Wednesday, July 30th. The Sioux Falls Computer Learning Center has another free computer seminar scheduled for Wednesday, July 30th, at 12:00 noon. This is an opportunity to learn more about the VISTA operating system, Word(2003), Internet surfing and e-mail. Bring your questions for our very knowledgable instructors. Class schedules will be available for August through October. Seats are limited; call 336-6722.
Membership Listing: A listing of members as of July 11, 2008, can be seen by clicking "membership" in the Label section on your right.
The email that was sent out with the minutes had two attachments that showed the club's membership list in July. E-mail addresses are not included. The first attachment (DOC file) can be opened with Word, and the second (TXT file) can be opened with Notepad. The second attachment can be opened and then copied and pasted into a spreadsheet, or it can be opened and searched for a house number or phone number if necessary. Refer to those documents in your email if you so desire.
President Norm Knox called the meeting to order in room 204, and expressed pleasure at the number of members attending. The minutes of the June meeting were read and approved with one revision: The coming ECHO Symposium at the Center will be held on September 30. Actions by the club in connection with the ECHO Symposium are presently pending. There was no old business. Under new business, Vice President Bill Goebel announced the topic of the next meeting will be "off-site Internet storage".
Following the business part of the meeting, the club members moved to the Sertoma B room. In Sertoma B, Garth Peterson ran a demonstration of wireless access from the club's notebook computer to the Center's wireless router. Sertoma B is close enough to the router for successful wireless access while the computer classroom and room 204 are not. Following this demonstration, the meeting continued in the same room. Club members discussed security concerns and various technical problems, led by Bill Goebel. Bill mentioned that while flash drives are very useful, they are not immune to failure. Also,the program msinfo32 which can be run from the run box available on the Start Menu, can give information about memory usage or overloading Windows.
Respectfully submitted by Garth Peterson, Secretary.
NOTES OF INTEREST
Computer Learning Center Open House Tuesday, July 29 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. Bring a friend! Spread the news! The Center will host a Computer Learning Center Open House. This is an opportunity for current students to expand their knowledge and learn more about our new end-of-summer and fall class schedules. Current Computer Learning Center students who bring a friend to this open house will receive a $5 coupon for their next computer class. Free Seminars include: MS Office Programs 9 Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher), New Computer Classes in Spanish, Photo Shop Elements, and Q & A. Computer instructors will be available to answer questions and help guide you on your learning process through the computer world. For more information, contact Lisa Howard at 333-3307.
Free Computer Seminar Wednesday, July 30th. The Sioux Falls Computer Learning Center has another free computer seminar scheduled for Wednesday, July 30th, at 12:00 noon. This is an opportunity to learn more about the VISTA operating system, Word(2003), Internet surfing and e-mail. Bring your questions for our very knowledgable instructors. Class schedules will be available for August through October. Seats are limited; call 336-6722.
Membership Listing: A listing of members as of July 11, 2008, can be seen by clicking "membership" in the Label section on your right.
The email that was sent out with the minutes had two attachments that showed the club's membership list in July. E-mail addresses are not included. The first attachment (DOC file) can be opened with Word, and the second (TXT file) can be opened with Notepad. The second attachment can be opened and then copied and pasted into a spreadsheet, or it can be opened and searched for a house number or phone number if necessary. Refer to those documents in your email if you so desire.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Minutes - 6 June 2008
Minutes
Center for Active Generations Computer Club
6 June 2008
The CFAG Computer Club met Friday, June 6, 2008 at
10:00 a.m. at the Center for Active Generations.
Norm Knox, President presided; Nellie Reeves read the
minutes of the May meeting. They were approved as
read. Garth Peterson was out of town, so Bob Black
filled in to record minutes.
Old Business:
President Knox reminded the members that the Computer
Club had a laptop computer that could be used by
members. It has a wireless card. Contact Norm Knox
if you desire to borrow it. Nellie Reeves suggested
that the club have a demonstration of its capabilities
at the next meeting since many of the members do not
have laptops.
The July meeting will be on July 11 instead of July 4,
due to the holiday (and the Center will be closed.)
New Business:
Nellie Reeves mentioned a meeting to occur on
September 23rd at the Center. It is the ECHO
Symposium. The primary topic will be "Preserving your
story." The Club members have an opportunity to
provide information to the symposium on the use of
computers in arranging photographs, preserving
stories, and filing information on CD and DVDs.
The meeting adjourned to the computer room for
questions and answers by Bill Goebel. Topics covered
included the importance of backups to your computer's
hard drive and flash drives. Bill provided a
demonstration of the use of a flash drive.
The meeting adjourned at 11:25.
Respectfully submitted
Robert E. Black
Center for Active Generations Computer Club
6 June 2008
The CFAG Computer Club met Friday, June 6, 2008 at
10:00 a.m. at the Center for Active Generations.
Norm Knox, President presided; Nellie Reeves read the
minutes of the May meeting. They were approved as
read. Garth Peterson was out of town, so Bob Black
filled in to record minutes.
Old Business:
President Knox reminded the members that the Computer
Club had a laptop computer that could be used by
members. It has a wireless card. Contact Norm Knox
if you desire to borrow it. Nellie Reeves suggested
that the club have a demonstration of its capabilities
at the next meeting since many of the members do not
have laptops.
The July meeting will be on July 11 instead of July 4,
due to the holiday (and the Center will be closed.)
New Business:
Nellie Reeves mentioned a meeting to occur on
September 23rd at the Center. It is the ECHO
Symposium. The primary topic will be "Preserving your
story." The Club members have an opportunity to
provide information to the symposium on the use of
computers in arranging photographs, preserving
stories, and filing information on CD and DVDs.
The meeting adjourned to the computer room for
questions and answers by Bill Goebel. Topics covered
included the importance of backups to your computer's
hard drive and flash drives. Bill provided a
demonstration of the use of a flash drive.
The meeting adjourned at 11:25.
Respectfully submitted
Robert E. Black
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Minutes - 2 May 2008
Minutes of the May 2, 2008 meeting of the
Sioux Falls Seniors Computer Club:
President Norm Knox called the meeting to order in
room 204.
Nellie Reeves reported that software trouble in her
computer was fixed by Scott Cook, who does evening
(after 4 pm) and weekend work on computers for a $40
minimum when computers are brought to him. (His
address and phone number are 6005 W. 52nd Street and
361-6954.)
Nellie also brought name tags for the members to wear
during the meeting.
The rest of the business part of the meeting was
deferred until after a talk by Matt Woolridge from
Staples. Notes on his talk appear below.
After Matt's talk, the club proceeded to the annual
election of officers.
Bill Goebel was absent from this meeting, but was
provisionally re-elected as Vice President and
Advisor. (He has since agreed to serve again.)
Norm Knox agreed to be a candidate for President again
and was re-elected to that position.
Garth Peterson was re-elected as Secretary.
The club welcomed Ginny and Ralph Iverson as new
members.
Nellie will bring name tags again to the next meeting.
The minutes of the April meeting were read and
approved.
Respectfully submitted by Garth Peterson, Secretary.
------------------------------------------------------
Matt Woolridge brought a handout to go with his talk.
A copy of this handout is attached to this e-mail
message. He also brought two wireless routers in
their boxes. They were small enough to let a person
carry both boxes under one arm.
Now that it is common for a household to have more
than one computer, while at the same time dial-up
Internet access is becoming uncommon, a router
provides a way for all computers in a household to
have Internet access. If the computers are not close
to one another, a wireless router makes long cables
unnecessary.
Wireless routers for home use vary from about $50 to
$100 in prices. A higher price gives more speed and
greater range. The greater range of a higher priced
router is usually more valuable than the faster speed
because even the lower priced router is likely to be
as fast as the fastest available home Internet
connection.
A household with a regular desktop computer and a
notebook computer can benefit from a wireless router.
The router goes between the desktop computer and the
modem that connects to whatever Internet access is
used. The notebook computer needs a wireless access
card, but newer notebook computers are likely to have
this built in. (According to later information from
Staples, it is even possible to have a local network
that is all wireless.)
A wireless router also has connectors that allow it to
act as wired router for computers and devices that are
close to it. A printer connected to the router
becomes available to all computers that have access to
the router. However, if you want, your printer can
have its own wireless access box to communicate with
the router.
Setting up a router at home means setting up a local
network, and this is likely to need technical
assistance. The Staples store has a department called
EasyTech that provides PC and network assistance for
home computer users. EasyTech includes on-site
assistance at home for setting up a network. The
current price for this is $70, but this is a temporary
special offer. Before long, the regular higher price
will be in effect.
It is best for a local wireless network to be set up
with the router and computers where they will actually
be used in order to be sure they all work in their
intended locations. This work is done by
subcontractors for EasyTech, but the work comes with
Staples' own thirty-day guarantee.
Because having a router creates a local network, it
not only allows different computers to share Internet
access or share a printer, it can also give the
different computers access to one another.
A home network should usually have a password. This
keeps different local networks that are close together
from interacting. If a local wireless network does
not have a password, someone close by with a notebook
computer may be able to exploit it for Internet
access, but will not still not be able to get into the
network's computers. An intruder with specialized
equipment that could access the computers in a
wireless network is not likely to be interested in
anyone's home network.
------------------------------------------------------
Here is an update about wireless operation of the
club's notebook computer.
Todd has removed the password from the wireless router
at the Center for Active Generations. This allows the
notebook computer with its wireless adapter card to
access the Internet when it is close enough to the
router. The handiest place for club members to try
this out is in the computer lab. There is an open
spot to the right of the lab's computer #4 where our
computer can sit, and for juice there is a power strip
with some open outlets next to the wall. Other places
where wireless access works are the central area of
the lounge and room 128 (the conference room). My
first test in the conference room did not go well, but
two later tests gave satisfactory operation. In the
lounge the computer needs to be close to a wall in
order not to have an extension cord running across the
floor. A more convenient place for the club to see a
demonstration of wireless operation would be either
room 204 or the computer classroom (room 133), but
both of these rooms are too far away from the router
to pick up the signal.
Sioux Falls Seniors Computer Club:
President Norm Knox called the meeting to order in
room 204.
Nellie Reeves reported that software trouble in her
computer was fixed by Scott Cook, who does evening
(after 4 pm) and weekend work on computers for a $40
minimum when computers are brought to him. (His
address and phone number are 6005 W. 52nd Street and
361-6954.)
Nellie also brought name tags for the members to wear
during the meeting.
The rest of the business part of the meeting was
deferred until after a talk by Matt Woolridge from
Staples. Notes on his talk appear below.
After Matt's talk, the club proceeded to the annual
election of officers.
Bill Goebel was absent from this meeting, but was
provisionally re-elected as Vice President and
Advisor. (He has since agreed to serve again.)
Norm Knox agreed to be a candidate for President again
and was re-elected to that position.
Garth Peterson was re-elected as Secretary.
The club welcomed Ginny and Ralph Iverson as new
members.
Nellie will bring name tags again to the next meeting.
The minutes of the April meeting were read and
approved.
Respectfully submitted by Garth Peterson, Secretary.
------------------------------------------------------
Matt Woolridge brought a handout to go with his talk.
A copy of this handout is attached to this e-mail
message. He also brought two wireless routers in
their boxes. They were small enough to let a person
carry both boxes under one arm.
Now that it is common for a household to have more
than one computer, while at the same time dial-up
Internet access is becoming uncommon, a router
provides a way for all computers in a household to
have Internet access. If the computers are not close
to one another, a wireless router makes long cables
unnecessary.
Wireless routers for home use vary from about $50 to
$100 in prices. A higher price gives more speed and
greater range. The greater range of a higher priced
router is usually more valuable than the faster speed
because even the lower priced router is likely to be
as fast as the fastest available home Internet
connection.
A household with a regular desktop computer and a
notebook computer can benefit from a wireless router.
The router goes between the desktop computer and the
modem that connects to whatever Internet access is
used. The notebook computer needs a wireless access
card, but newer notebook computers are likely to have
this built in. (According to later information from
Staples, it is even possible to have a local network
that is all wireless.)
A wireless router also has connectors that allow it to
act as wired router for computers and devices that are
close to it. A printer connected to the router
becomes available to all computers that have access to
the router. However, if you want, your printer can
have its own wireless access box to communicate with
the router.
Setting up a router at home means setting up a local
network, and this is likely to need technical
assistance. The Staples store has a department called
EasyTech that provides PC and network assistance for
home computer users. EasyTech includes on-site
assistance at home for setting up a network. The
current price for this is $70, but this is a temporary
special offer. Before long, the regular higher price
will be in effect.
It is best for a local wireless network to be set up
with the router and computers where they will actually
be used in order to be sure they all work in their
intended locations. This work is done by
subcontractors for EasyTech, but the work comes with
Staples' own thirty-day guarantee.
Because having a router creates a local network, it
not only allows different computers to share Internet
access or share a printer, it can also give the
different computers access to one another.
A home network should usually have a password. This
keeps different local networks that are close together
from interacting. If a local wireless network does
not have a password, someone close by with a notebook
computer may be able to exploit it for Internet
access, but will not still not be able to get into the
network's computers. An intruder with specialized
equipment that could access the computers in a
wireless network is not likely to be interested in
anyone's home network.
------------------------------------------------------
Here is an update about wireless operation of the
club's notebook computer.
Todd has removed the password from the wireless router
at the Center for Active Generations. This allows the
notebook computer with its wireless adapter card to
access the Internet when it is close enough to the
router. The handiest place for club members to try
this out is in the computer lab. There is an open
spot to the right of the lab's computer #4 where our
computer can sit, and for juice there is a power strip
with some open outlets next to the wall. Other places
where wireless access works are the central area of
the lounge and room 128 (the conference room). My
first test in the conference room did not go well, but
two later tests gave satisfactory operation. In the
lounge the computer needs to be close to a wall in
order not to have an extension cord running across the
floor. A more convenient place for the club to see a
demonstration of wireless operation would be either
room 204 or the computer classroom (room 133), but
both of these rooms are too far away from the router
to pick up the signal.
Minutes - 4 April 2008
Minutes of the April 4, 2008 meeting of the
Sioux Falls Seniors Computer Club:
President Norm Knox called the meeting to order in
room 204. He announced that our scheduled speaker was
again unable to attend, this time because of problems
at work. The business portion of the March minutes
was read and approved.
Because the first Friday in July will be Independence
Day, the club voted to meet on the second Friday in
July, which is July 11.
The club voted for quarterly distribution of the
club's mailing list to the members. The mailing list
as sent will show member's names, street addresses,
and phone numbers, but not e-mail addresses. The list
will be in word processing format readable by
Microsoft Word.
The possibility of stick-on labels for members to wear
at meetings was discussed. A problem with this is
that some fabrics are too soft for these labels.
The next meeting is the date for the club's annual
election of officers. Norm announced that he is not a
candidate for re-election.
The minutes of the March meeting mention the donation
of a carrying case with handle and wheels, for the
club's notebook computer. The club thanks member
Linda Bauer for this carrying case.
Lois Rasmussen expressed appreciation for assistance
at the previous meeting with regard to trouble using a
mouse. Lois reported that a new mouse solved the
problem.
The club then adjourned to the computer classroom for
a session of questions, answers, and discussion led by
Vice President Bill Goebel.
Respectfully submitted by Garth Peterson, Secretary.
Sioux Falls Seniors Computer Club:
President Norm Knox called the meeting to order in
room 204. He announced that our scheduled speaker was
again unable to attend, this time because of problems
at work. The business portion of the March minutes
was read and approved.
Because the first Friday in July will be Independence
Day, the club voted to meet on the second Friday in
July, which is July 11.
The club voted for quarterly distribution of the
club's mailing list to the members. The mailing list
as sent will show member's names, street addresses,
and phone numbers, but not e-mail addresses. The list
will be in word processing format readable by
Microsoft Word.
The possibility of stick-on labels for members to wear
at meetings was discussed. A problem with this is
that some fabrics are too soft for these labels.
The next meeting is the date for the club's annual
election of officers. Norm announced that he is not a
candidate for re-election.
The minutes of the March meeting mention the donation
of a carrying case with handle and wheels, for the
club's notebook computer. The club thanks member
Linda Bauer for this carrying case.
Lois Rasmussen expressed appreciation for assistance
at the previous meeting with regard to trouble using a
mouse. Lois reported that a new mouse solved the
problem.
The club then adjourned to the computer classroom for
a session of questions, answers, and discussion led by
Vice President Bill Goebel.
Respectfully submitted by Garth Peterson, Secretary.
Friday, January 4, 2008
A New Year!!!! 2-0-0-8.........HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Happy New Year, Everybody! I hope you got everything you wanted for Christmas!! An upgrade to Vista, maybe, or a new laptop. Maybe it was a digital camera. If you got "nutting' for Christmas", maybe you're just satisfied with what you already have.
It would be interesting to hear what New Year's resolutions you may have made.
On the top of my list, as far as computer-ing goes, is to try harder to get more of you interested in this blogging experience. It's fun, you know, and I certainly don't want to be a pest and "bug" you all the time about it. But I do wish you would give it a try.
Secondly, and this is almost contradictory, but I hope not to spend so much time on the computer and other indoor activities. I want to get outside in the fresh air, walk more or do some type of exercise, and just "smell the roses."
It would be interesting to hear what New Year's resolutions you may have made.
On the top of my list, as far as computer-ing goes, is to try harder to get more of you interested in this blogging experience. It's fun, you know, and I certainly don't want to be a pest and "bug" you all the time about it. But I do wish you would give it a try.
Secondly, and this is almost contradictory, but I hope not to spend so much time on the computer and other indoor activities. I want to get outside in the fresh air, walk more or do some type of exercise, and just "smell the roses."
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Holidays Are A'Coming
'Tis the season to be jolly! and thankful!What are your plans for this season? Are you going out of town? Are the kids coming to see you and bringing along the grandkids, and their dogs and cats? Do you attend any of the many programs put on at this time of year?
Is there anything special you'd like to get as a gift? We're not Santa Claus so you won't get it from us, but maybe someone will be looking in and surprise you.
Let us know here. We'd like to hear how you spend your holidays!! (11/10/2007)
Friday, October 12, 2007
Links Of Interest
This area will list some links of interest to the computer user, provided by the person listed in parentheses.
AbiWord - free word processor (Bill Goebel)
http://www.abisource.com/
Ad-Aware - free anti-spyware (Bill Goebel)
http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10045910.html
AVG Anti-Virus - free AVG anti-virus detection program (Bill Goebel)
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/Get+AVG+FREE/lng/us/tpl/v5
Bill Goebel Genealogy - invitation to view personal genealogy (Bill Goebel)
http://www.geocities.com/bill_goebel/
File Saver - this program will recover deleted files (Bill Goebel)
http://www.file-saver.com/undelete/
Grisoft AVG Virus Removal Utility - free virus removal (Bill Goebel)
http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/8/lng/us/tpl/v5/nid/3001
Mayo Clinic - health information, archive of previous editions (Bill Goebel)
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=C81FF3D8-C9AC-4505-ABA3031F205506728si=2796
Senior Net - website for seniors (Bill Goebel)
http://www.seniornet.org/
AbiWord - free word processor (Bill Goebel)
http://www.abisource.com/
Ad-Aware - free anti-spyware (Bill Goebel)
http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10045910.html
AVG Anti-Virus - free AVG anti-virus detection program (Bill Goebel)
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/Get+AVG+FREE/lng/us/tpl/v5
Bill Goebel Genealogy - invitation to view personal genealogy (Bill Goebel)
http://www.geocities.com/bill_goebel/
File Saver - this program will recover deleted files (Bill Goebel)
http://www.file-saver.com/undelete/
Grisoft AVG Virus Removal Utility - free virus removal (Bill Goebel)
http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/8/lng/us/tpl/v5/nid/3001
Mayo Clinic - health information, archive of previous editions (Bill Goebel)
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=C81FF3D8-C9AC-4505-ABA3031F205506728si=2796
Senior Net - website for seniors (Bill Goebel)
http://www.seniornet.org/
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Minutes of Meeting - March 7, 2008
Minutes of the March 7, 2008 meeting of the Sioux Falls Seniors Computer Club:
President Norm Knox called the meeting to order in room 204. The minutes of the February meeting were approved, with a correction. One sentence needed to say: Vista needs a new version of MicrosoftWord, and does *not* accept a too old version of Office. Norm announced that our speaker had to cancel because of flu in his family. Matt Woolridge, Assistant Manager at Staples, will speak to the club instead in April. Under old business, Norm reported that Lisa Howard was using the club's laptop computer, but it would be available to the club again by Wednesday, March 12. The computer now has a donated carrying case with wheels and a handle. Norm read a message from Asella Crum about Family Tree Maker, the Genealogy Class for Computers, starting on March 13 at 9-11 a.m. for eight weeks. (The price is $45.)
The club members then moved to the computer classroom, where Bill Goebel conducted a question and answer session. Bill recommends against using Outlook Express to save e-mails for very long. E-mails that need to be saved should be copied and pasted into word processing files. Norm reported that the Web browser Netscape, once widely used, is now going off the market. Hazel Johnson is back after having "been through the mill" because of health problems. Hazel brought to the meeting a very interesting e-mail that she recently received that officially informed her that ATM card number such and such had been credited in her favor in the amount of $6.8 million. Unfortunately, Hazel is still waiting for the money. Norm reported the case of a neighbor who got a telephone call that led her to believe that she would receive a large sum of money, to be delivered in person. The neighbor then got a later call in which the caller said that the personal delivery had been delayed and asked the neighbor for her bank account number. Bill described software clean-up work that he recently did during a house call. A computer had a program that needed to be removed, but it would not go away. The uninstall operation for the program would not work, and the program's files located under "Program Files"could not be removed. Bill rebooted the computer in Safe Mode and tried to repeat these two methods of removal without any better success. The solution that worked was to use System Recovery to roll the computer back to a checkpoint taken at a time before the bad program was ever on the computer. This operation was performed in Safe Mode. Bill then did a disk cleanup and ran a registry cleaner that he carries with him on visits like this. His registry cleaner is PC OnPoint. (The troublesome program was a trial version of a different registry cleaner.) Bill recommends creating a system checkpoint before making any substantial change in a computer. For help and useful information about personal computers, visit http://www.komando.com/ or do a Google search for Kim Komando. Her site also provides downloads, including programs for security. When a Web site offers both a paid version and a free version of a useful program, finding the free version usually takes more looking at the site than finding the paid version.
The program msconfig controls what programs are allowed to run in background. Some programs listed by msconfig can be disabled but others should not be. A Google search on the name of a program listed by msconfig can often find out what a program does. Bill conducted a demonstration of using function key F8 during reboot to get to Safe Mode on the classroom's main computer.If a traditional mouse with a ball is sticky and unpredictable, it may work better after cleaning. However, if cleaning dust out of the inside of a mouse does not make it work better, it is probably time to get a replacement. The speed of a mouse when it reacts to double-clicking is determined by a setting that is reached through the Control Panel. Computers in the classroom are set for the slowest available speed of doubleclicking, but club members may prefer a faster speed on their own computers at home.
Helen Tieszen raised a question about how to have one's address book available when using webmail during travel. To do this, two steps are needed. First, the address book in Outlook Express must be exported to a text file, and second the text file must be imported into webmail. The procedure for importing depends on what kind of webmail is provided by one's Internet service provider.In Outlook Express, the procedure for exporting the address book is:Click on File, Export, Address Book, "Text File (Comma Separated Values)", and Export. Enter a filename for the address book in the box and click on Next. Under "Select the fields you wish to export"click on First Name and Last Name, and leave Name and E-mail Address checked. You may want to uncheck any checked squares below the E-mail Address for the sake of privacy. Then click on Finish and Close. The exported file will probably be in My Documents. Copy it or move it to the Desktop. If goes somewhere else, it may be necessary to search for it. Most Internet service providers have some kind of webmail software. However, not all webmail software can import address books. Midco and Yahoo both have webmail that can. For help with importing to Midco, contact Bill Goebel at goebel33@sio.midco.net. To import to Yahoo, direct your browser to http://www.yahoo.com/ and sign in. Then click on Mail, Contacts, Import/Export, and Browse. Find and click on the file you exported, and click on Open and Import Now. To review or edit your address book in Yahoo, click on Address Book in the upper right corner.Respectfully submitted by Garth Peterson, Secretary.
President Norm Knox called the meeting to order in room 204. The minutes of the February meeting were approved, with a correction. One sentence needed to say: Vista needs a new version of MicrosoftWord, and does *not* accept a too old version of Office. Norm announced that our speaker had to cancel because of flu in his family. Matt Woolridge, Assistant Manager at Staples, will speak to the club instead in April. Under old business, Norm reported that Lisa Howard was using the club's laptop computer, but it would be available to the club again by Wednesday, March 12. The computer now has a donated carrying case with wheels and a handle. Norm read a message from Asella Crum about Family Tree Maker, the Genealogy Class for Computers, starting on March 13 at 9-11 a.m. for eight weeks. (The price is $45.)
The club members then moved to the computer classroom, where Bill Goebel conducted a question and answer session. Bill recommends against using Outlook Express to save e-mails for very long. E-mails that need to be saved should be copied and pasted into word processing files. Norm reported that the Web browser Netscape, once widely used, is now going off the market. Hazel Johnson is back after having "been through the mill" because of health problems. Hazel brought to the meeting a very interesting e-mail that she recently received that officially informed her that ATM card number such and such had been credited in her favor in the amount of $6.8 million. Unfortunately, Hazel is still waiting for the money. Norm reported the case of a neighbor who got a telephone call that led her to believe that she would receive a large sum of money, to be delivered in person. The neighbor then got a later call in which the caller said that the personal delivery had been delayed and asked the neighbor for her bank account number. Bill described software clean-up work that he recently did during a house call. A computer had a program that needed to be removed, but it would not go away. The uninstall operation for the program would not work, and the program's files located under "Program Files"could not be removed. Bill rebooted the computer in Safe Mode and tried to repeat these two methods of removal without any better success. The solution that worked was to use System Recovery to roll the computer back to a checkpoint taken at a time before the bad program was ever on the computer. This operation was performed in Safe Mode. Bill then did a disk cleanup and ran a registry cleaner that he carries with him on visits like this. His registry cleaner is PC OnPoint. (The troublesome program was a trial version of a different registry cleaner.) Bill recommends creating a system checkpoint before making any substantial change in a computer. For help and useful information about personal computers, visit http://www.komando.com/ or do a Google search for Kim Komando. Her site also provides downloads, including programs for security. When a Web site offers both a paid version and a free version of a useful program, finding the free version usually takes more looking at the site than finding the paid version.
The program msconfig controls what programs are allowed to run in background. Some programs listed by msconfig can be disabled but others should not be. A Google search on the name of a program listed by msconfig can often find out what a program does. Bill conducted a demonstration of using function key F8 during reboot to get to Safe Mode on the classroom's main computer.If a traditional mouse with a ball is sticky and unpredictable, it may work better after cleaning. However, if cleaning dust out of the inside of a mouse does not make it work better, it is probably time to get a replacement. The speed of a mouse when it reacts to double-clicking is determined by a setting that is reached through the Control Panel. Computers in the classroom are set for the slowest available speed of doubleclicking, but club members may prefer a faster speed on their own computers at home.
Helen Tieszen raised a question about how to have one's address book available when using webmail during travel. To do this, two steps are needed. First, the address book in Outlook Express must be exported to a text file, and second the text file must be imported into webmail. The procedure for importing depends on what kind of webmail is provided by one's Internet service provider.In Outlook Express, the procedure for exporting the address book is:Click on File, Export, Address Book, "Text File (Comma Separated Values)", and Export. Enter a filename for the address book in the box and click on Next. Under "Select the fields you wish to export"click on First Name and Last Name, and leave Name and E-mail Address checked. You may want to uncheck any checked squares below the E-mail Address for the sake of privacy. Then click on Finish and Close. The exported file will probably be in My Documents. Copy it or move it to the Desktop. If goes somewhere else, it may be necessary to search for it. Most Internet service providers have some kind of webmail software. However, not all webmail software can import address books. Midco and Yahoo both have webmail that can. For help with importing to Midco, contact Bill Goebel at goebel33@sio.midco.net. To import to Yahoo, direct your browser to http://www.yahoo.com/ and sign in. Then click on Mail, Contacts, Import/Export, and Browse. Find and click on the file you exported, and click on Open and Import Now. To review or edit your address book in Yahoo, click on Address Book in the upper right corner.Respectfully submitted by Garth Peterson, Secretary.
Minutes of Meeting - February 1, 2008
Minutes of the February 1, 2008 meeting of the Sioux Falls Seniors Computer Club:
President Norm Knox called the meeting to order in room 204, and announced that Susan Niemeck would be our speaker, replacing Bev Johnson. Under old business, the club discussed what to do with the club's laptop computer. Bill Goebel reported that he has done software cleanup work on it, and it also now has new power cord. The club decided that the computer will reside in a locker at the Center when no member has it checked out, that Norm will keep the key to the locker, and that a member who currently has the laptop checked out on the day of a meeting should bring it to the meeting. Norm will put instructions for borrowers with the laptop. Norm lives close to the Center and is often at the Center itself during the day.
The minutes of the January meeting were approved after being viewed in hard copy.
In the computer classroom Bill introduced Susan Niemeck, who gave the club a first look at Windows Vista. Susan started with the sign-on procedure. One PC with Vista can have multiple users. Visitors, such as grandchildren, can have their own user-IDs without changing the rest of the system. Different users can have their own desktops, with choices of plain or fancy wallpapers. The Vista desktop has some parts that are similar to the XP desktop, but some parts and new features are quite different. A whole new feature is the sidebar on the right side, which contains new things called gadgets. These gadgets need to remain unchanged on the computers in the classroom, but home users can remove some of them or add to them. Special gadgets are available from software vendors outside Microsoft. New users of Vista may want to leave gadgets alone at first in order to become familiar with features that are not so different from XP.
There are several versions of Vista available, including Home, Home Premium, and Business. Susan has Home Premium. (Norm says the premium version is worth the extra cost.) Computer hardware must match the requirements of the version of Vista. In any case, higher computer power is needed for Vista than for XP. When Susan gets a new version of Windows, she studies its new features not only to understand the changes Microsoft has made, but also to understand why these changes have been made. This is her philosophy for studying new versions of Windows.
The start button in Vista is in the familiar place in the lower left corner, but is now an icon without the word "Start". The start button provides access to recently used programs, and to All Programs. Under All Programs there are folders as before, but as the user navigates through the folders, they do not spread all over the desktop. Instead all folders are opened within the same window. Another change is that folders within folders are shown after programs rather than ahead of them. Individual programs within folders can be started with one click. A brand new feature of the start button is that its display shows an icon that represents the current user. Any action on the computer that affects security brings up a small security warning window. This is useful when a PC accepts remote log-ins, but this window also pops up whenever the User Accounts icon is selected in the Control Panel.
Vista has an improved search facility that can search by context, but this searching requires a fast computer. "My Documents" has been renamed as "Documents" and is also reorganized. Folders for pictures and music and such have been moved out to become folders beside Documents rather than being folders within it. Functions of Microsoft Outlook are now in Vista. These functions are more powerful than Outlook Express. The calendar function of Outlook is a significant new feature. E-mail is now handled by Windows Mail, which is more like mail in Outlook than mail in Outlook Express. "My Computer" is now called "Computer", but it still opens a window to give the usual access to different drives. This window gives a choice of opening a drive with one click on the left side of the window, or with two clicks on the right side. Any programs presently on a older machine should be freshly installed on a Vista machine. Copying program files across from the older machine is not advisable. Data can be brought across by means of export and import. Documents can be written to a CD and copied into a folder on the new machine. All open programs in Vista are shown on the taskbar. Hovering over a button on the taskbar creates a miniature display of the button's window. In the quick launch part of the taskbar there is a button that activates a 3-D display of current windows. This display is radically different from anything in any previous version of Windows and made a strong impression on the club members. It is very demanding of a computer's hardware, and needs the premium version of Vista or higher. Vista needs at least 1 gigabyte of main memory, but 3 gigabytes is a desirable number. The hard drive should provide 250 gigabytes of storage or more. If a printer from an older computer is installed on a Vista machine, it may need a driver. The computer's manufacturer should be able to provide the driver.
The Center for Active Generations will have an introductory course in Vista soon. The first offering of this course will begin on March 18.
Vista needs a new version of Microsoft Word, and does accept a too old version of Office. Office 2003 and Office 2007 will work in Vista, but Office 2000 does not. Microsoft Word has a Save-As option for compatibility with older kinds of formats. Older formats may be needed in e-mail attachments for recipients who have older computers. It is now possible to get a CD that installs Vista on a computer that is currently running Windows XP, provided the computer hardware is suitable for Vista. Before any installation of a new system, back up all data. When you put in the Vista CD and run the install program, you will have a choice of installing Vista over XP, or creating a new partition on the hard drive so that it will contain both XP and Vista. Information about Vista can be found in books at Barnes and Noble or in the very good help screens that come with Vista. Click on the start button and then on Help and Support to get to the help in Vista.
The club welcomes new members Don H. Platt, Patricia A. Powell, and Tom VandenBosch.
Respectfully submitted by Garth Peterson, Secretary
President Norm Knox called the meeting to order in room 204, and announced that Susan Niemeck would be our speaker, replacing Bev Johnson. Under old business, the club discussed what to do with the club's laptop computer. Bill Goebel reported that he has done software cleanup work on it, and it also now has new power cord. The club decided that the computer will reside in a locker at the Center when no member has it checked out, that Norm will keep the key to the locker, and that a member who currently has the laptop checked out on the day of a meeting should bring it to the meeting. Norm will put instructions for borrowers with the laptop. Norm lives close to the Center and is often at the Center itself during the day.
The minutes of the January meeting were approved after being viewed in hard copy.
In the computer classroom Bill introduced Susan Niemeck, who gave the club a first look at Windows Vista. Susan started with the sign-on procedure. One PC with Vista can have multiple users. Visitors, such as grandchildren, can have their own user-IDs without changing the rest of the system. Different users can have their own desktops, with choices of plain or fancy wallpapers. The Vista desktop has some parts that are similar to the XP desktop, but some parts and new features are quite different. A whole new feature is the sidebar on the right side, which contains new things called gadgets. These gadgets need to remain unchanged on the computers in the classroom, but home users can remove some of them or add to them. Special gadgets are available from software vendors outside Microsoft. New users of Vista may want to leave gadgets alone at first in order to become familiar with features that are not so different from XP.
There are several versions of Vista available, including Home, Home Premium, and Business. Susan has Home Premium. (Norm says the premium version is worth the extra cost.) Computer hardware must match the requirements of the version of Vista. In any case, higher computer power is needed for Vista than for XP. When Susan gets a new version of Windows, she studies its new features not only to understand the changes Microsoft has made, but also to understand why these changes have been made. This is her philosophy for studying new versions of Windows.
The start button in Vista is in the familiar place in the lower left corner, but is now an icon without the word "Start". The start button provides access to recently used programs, and to All Programs. Under All Programs there are folders as before, but as the user navigates through the folders, they do not spread all over the desktop. Instead all folders are opened within the same window. Another change is that folders within folders are shown after programs rather than ahead of them. Individual programs within folders can be started with one click. A brand new feature of the start button is that its display shows an icon that represents the current user. Any action on the computer that affects security brings up a small security warning window. This is useful when a PC accepts remote log-ins, but this window also pops up whenever the User Accounts icon is selected in the Control Panel.
Vista has an improved search facility that can search by context, but this searching requires a fast computer. "My Documents" has been renamed as "Documents" and is also reorganized. Folders for pictures and music and such have been moved out to become folders beside Documents rather than being folders within it. Functions of Microsoft Outlook are now in Vista. These functions are more powerful than Outlook Express. The calendar function of Outlook is a significant new feature. E-mail is now handled by Windows Mail, which is more like mail in Outlook than mail in Outlook Express. "My Computer" is now called "Computer", but it still opens a window to give the usual access to different drives. This window gives a choice of opening a drive with one click on the left side of the window, or with two clicks on the right side. Any programs presently on a older machine should be freshly installed on a Vista machine. Copying program files across from the older machine is not advisable. Data can be brought across by means of export and import. Documents can be written to a CD and copied into a folder on the new machine. All open programs in Vista are shown on the taskbar. Hovering over a button on the taskbar creates a miniature display of the button's window. In the quick launch part of the taskbar there is a button that activates a 3-D display of current windows. This display is radically different from anything in any previous version of Windows and made a strong impression on the club members. It is very demanding of a computer's hardware, and needs the premium version of Vista or higher. Vista needs at least 1 gigabyte of main memory, but 3 gigabytes is a desirable number. The hard drive should provide 250 gigabytes of storage or more. If a printer from an older computer is installed on a Vista machine, it may need a driver. The computer's manufacturer should be able to provide the driver.
The Center for Active Generations will have an introductory course in Vista soon. The first offering of this course will begin on March 18.
Vista needs a new version of Microsoft Word, and does accept a too old version of Office. Office 2003 and Office 2007 will work in Vista, but Office 2000 does not. Microsoft Word has a Save-As option for compatibility with older kinds of formats. Older formats may be needed in e-mail attachments for recipients who have older computers. It is now possible to get a CD that installs Vista on a computer that is currently running Windows XP, provided the computer hardware is suitable for Vista. Before any installation of a new system, back up all data. When you put in the Vista CD and run the install program, you will have a choice of installing Vista over XP, or creating a new partition on the hard drive so that it will contain both XP and Vista. Information about Vista can be found in books at Barnes and Noble or in the very good help screens that come with Vista. Click on the start button and then on Help and Support to get to the help in Vista.
The club welcomes new members Don H. Platt, Patricia A. Powell, and Tom VandenBosch.
Respectfully submitted by Garth Peterson, Secretary
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