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Windows Vista Search

Vista SearchThis is the third or fourth installment of my peek at Windows Vista which I have been beta testing for about a month now. Although, I don't think there is any Earth shattering changes in the function of Vista, one feature stands out as being well integrated. That feature is Windows Search. Microsoft did not get a chance to totally revamp the way we save and retrieve files as they had hoped with Vista, but they did integrate the Search function in every aspect of the operating system. And I do mean every aspect. All program and operating system windows have a search box in the upper right hand corner. Even the revamped Start menu has a Search box integrated into it.

“We had a computer glitch”

I often try to remember what life was like before computers. I can barely remember what I did with my time before email, web surfing, word processing, digital photography, PowerPoint presentations, MP3 players, YouTube.com, and all the rest. I also find myself longing for the times that businesses couldn't use the excuse, "our computers are down" or "our computer had a glitch".

As much as I enjoy technology and of course make my living from it, I think that we too often use it as a crutch to either procrastinate or an excuse that we hide behind when others ask questions or request information. After all, we all know how frustrating and unpredictable computers can be so questioning the "glitch defense" is futile. We have all thought it, and I will document here and now that I think way more than half of these tech excuses are bogus. Excuses made by lazy or unqualified people buying time or passing the buck.

Splogs?

Spam. It's not just for email anymore.

I often get the question of why people send spam. Money is the simple answer. As spam fighting software slowly matures and gets better and email users slowly (how dense or desperate can some people be) stop buying stuff from spam, the purveyors of spam look elsewhere. One profitable place they have utilized lately is blog's comments. Many web sites (including ours) encourage readers to leave comments. Spammers figured out a way to program Internet bots to automatically find these types of sites and pummel them with 'comment spam'. They leave links to all kinds of sites from porn to real estate and sell everything from Viagra to cell phone batteries. Again, some crazy people actually click on these links and buy the products or services. Cha-ching!

Even newer than comment spam is a phenomenon known as splogs. These are sites that pose as real sites, but are nothing more than a site full of links to other sites or more splogs. The sole purpose of these types of sites is to generate revenue. You may have run across one of these sites and not even known it. After doing a search, you click a resulting link and end up on a page full of advertising and links to sites with the topic you searched for but no actual information on the topic…that's a splog.

We can all combat spam in any of its forms by never clicking the links and for sure never buying the products or services they sell. It will never disappear, but we can slow it down and make it less profitable for these mud-dwellers.

New ways to get more junk email

My comments today are directed toward those who are looking for more ways to get on junk email lists. Some common ways that we talk about on the show include the following:

  • Register any new project you buy.
  • Ask your friends to add you to their forwarded joke list (spammers love to harvest from forwarded email).
  • Reply to junk email asking that the sender take you off their list (spammers interpret this as "Thank you for the junk mail, I just wanted you to know that this is a valid address and I read anything you send me).
  • Post your email address all over Internet forums, web pages and other public Internet sites.

Now, there are some new ways or variations of the old ways to get added to junk mail lists, give these a try if you want more spam:

Never assume a problem is on YOUR end

Specifically, I'm talking about the Internet. If you have been working along merrily on the Internet for weeks, months, or years and all of the sudden you aren't able to get email or connect to the Internet, DON'T PANIC. Instead, calmly turn off your computer, shut off your computer and if you have high speed Internet, shut off your high speed modem and router if you have one. Then slowly walk away from the computer and have a nice cool or warm beverage of your choice, take a nap and or a walk.

After about an hour or two, walk back to  your computer, turn on the high speed modem and router (if you have one), wait a few moments, then turn on your computer. If the Internet is working, great. If it isn't working, then repeat the steps above and try again.

Quick Access to Outlook Express Addresses

Outlook Express users can quickly access their address books by enabling the Contact view. Here's how:

 

  1. In Outlook Express, click View from the menus

     

  2. Click Layout
  3. Check the "Contacts" box
  4. Click OK

Now with this mode enabled, you can simply double-click on an address book entry to pull up a new email addressed to that person.

Remember that you can also quickly get to your address book in the new email composition window by clicking on the TO button (see picture).

Why you shouldn’t use the same username and password for everything

I have had several clients tell me that they use the same username and password for everything so they don't forget.

While this is a personal decision, I just thought I would provide one good reason why it's not a good idea to only use one username and password.

Let's say that somehow a bad guy gets a job working for your ISP (Internet Service Provider) or perhaps he gets a job working for your newsletter about singles who collect stamps.

Typically these kinds of sites can't see your password, but they can reset your password. If this particular shady individual resets your password then you won't be able to get into the stuff related to that site that you want.

Save yourself some grief…

And money and time.

We have many tips on our web site concerning passwords . The number one issue with passwords is remembering them. It's crazy how many computer users I help that tell me, "I don't have a password.", when I query them about their email or Internet password to troubleshoot a problem or setup a new computer. ANY OF US WHO HAVE EMAIL ADDRESSES HAVE TO HAVE A PASSWORD. It may have been years since you had to remember what it is, but at some point you will be asked for it. Use some of the great (and free) software packages available to manage your passwords. Or at the least write them down in a central location; small address books work well, post-it notes, not so much.

Fix a slow loading Thunderbird (email) program

This happens when an e-mail file that gets built each time you open e-mail gets corrupted. It is: {inbox.msf}. Here's how to fix it:

  1. Close Thunderbird.
  2. Click Start –> Search (or Find –> Files and Folders in Windows 98/Me).
  3. Type: inbox.msf in the search box.
  4. Make sure you have the box checked to search hidden and system files.
  5. When it finds it, click one time on in and then delete it.
  6. Start Thunderbird again and a new, uncorrupted inbox.msf file will be created.

This may take a little while the first time. To test all is well, close Thunderbird and re-open it and it should open quickly

Windows 95 lives!

Before I moved here to Colorado in 1995, I visited a large circus tent in a Seattle suburb parking lot. The tent said, "Start" in large letters at the entrance. Once inside, I was greeted by extremely cheerful, almost giddy, representatives from Microsoft. I estimated about 30-35 computers were setup with twice that many Microsoft reps showing curious visitors to the tent what Windows 95 was and how it would change the world of computing. One enthusiastic rep gleefully showed me some shortcuts with the Windows key that did impress me and stuck with me from that day until I purchased my first Windows 95 machine nearly a year later.