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P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK Computer Corner

THOSE SILVER DISKS

I made another sighting the other day. And I'm not going crazy. While gazing through a window I saw several of those silver disks one sometimes hears about.

No, they weren't flying saucers. They were palm-sized silver disks that can be inserted into a computer disk drive--"CD-ROMS," in other words. Some of them could even play music, just like your music CD's; (Brittney Spears tunes as I recall.) In this case, several CD's, including "free" Internet hours from America Online, had been attached to invisible threads and made into an attractive windowsill mobile that prismatically reflected the blue sky, clouds, and sunlight. Not being an America Online fan, I felt a certain self-satisfaction.

But computer CD's can do much more than just play music, or act as attractive mobiles. The letters in "CD-ROM" stand for "Compact Disk Read Only Memory." That's quite a mouthful. So let's break it down.

A Compact Disk is a special kind of information storage medium. But whereas a floppy disk can "only" store about 1,000 double-spaced typed pages, a Compact Disk can store hundreds of times more information. Computer programs that previously came on a dozen or more floppy disks, now come on a single CD-ROM. These programs install faster, and are easier to store. Some programs can even be run directly off the CD-ROM without taking up hard disk drive space. Most importantly, CD's can store hundreds of pictures and sound clips that couldn't fit on a floppy disk drive. That makes them excellent for multi-media presentations such as multimedia encyclopedias.

The "ROM" in "CD-ROM" stands for "Read Only Memory." That means that unless you have a special read-write device called a CD Burner, you can't record or erase information on a CD-ROM like you can with a floppy disk.

Unlike floppy disks where the information is stored magnetically, the information on a CD-ROM has been engraved by a laser. Another laser in the CD-ROM drive reads the information. That's why, unlike a record player, you can play a CD-ROM upside down. It's also why you don't have to protect your CD's from magnets and magnetic interference, as you do your floppy disks. They're quite flexible too, so you don't have to worry about bending them.

But there are some CD-ROM do's and don'ts. When you buy a CD, realize that you will need a CD-ROM drive on your computer to play it. Check the spine of the box the CD came in to find out how much of its contents, if any, will need to be copied to your hard drive, and then make sure you have enough space. Make sure that your CD-ROM drive is fast enough to play the particular CD in question. A 12X CD-ROM drive will play most CD's, but some may require a faster speed. Most CD's drop drastically in price within a year of their first release; so wait to buy them if you can.

Some CD's need to be placed in a special caddie before they are inserted into the CD-ROM drive. Most simply need to be placed into an ejectable tray, silver side down. Make sure that the CD is properly centered, so that it is not damaged when you close the drive door. On most computers, the CD-ROM drive is the D:\ drive. When you press the button to eject the tray you may need to wait a moment. Don't press it twice, or it won't eject at all. Keep the tray closed when not in use, so you don't accidentally break it off with your hand. Close it by pressing the eject button again, rather than pushing the CD in. And never use the CD-ROM tray as a coffee cup holder, even though it looks a lot like one, and this has been done!

If you need to set a CD on a desk, place it with the silver side up, so that it doesn't become scratched. Handle it by its edges as you would a record. Use a lens cleaning cloth and some distilled water to remove any thumbprints on the silver side that may block the light from the laser. Make sure you wipe toward the edges of the disk and not in circles, which might scratch the disk. If the disk does become scratched, you can buy a special acrylic wax kit at a record or computer store to polish the plastic surface. You wouldn't do that with a phonograph record, but the hills and valleys on the CD are on the silver beneath the acrylic. They're like the letters beneath the ice on a hockey rink, that become visible once the ice is polished by the zamboni driver.

That's all I think you really need to know about those silver disks. And if you need to know more--Watch the skies!

SPRING WINDOWS CLEANING

Some of you might recall the CD-ROM mobile I described, in an earlier article, as hanging in someone's window. Even if you don't recall it, you can picture its location if I tell you that it was hanging in a ground-floor bedroom window to your right when you face the front door. You understand what sort of window I mean, and where it was located. The same cannot always be said of the later editions of Microsoft Windows that have a Start Menu in the bottom left of their screen.

Most people, even with a new computer, have so many Windows folders branching off of their Start Menu that they can't find, remember, or manoeuvre to them all. And even if they can, who can say whether a program icon is to be found in Main, Programs, Utilities, or Accessories. It's all Greek to most of us.

Now imagine a Windows system with meaningful folders such as Internet, Writing, Games, or Tutorials that branch right off of the Start Menu, without confusing sub-branches. If you have a version of Windows with a Start Menu, that's the sort of spring cleaning that I suggest you undertake today on your personal Windows system.

Using your mouse, move your on-screen pointer to the Start button of your Windows screen, and click once by pressing your right mouse button. Now, click once on the word Open at the top of the pop-up menu, this time using your left mouse button. A special Start Menu Window will now be open on your screen.

Using your left mouse button, click once on the word File at the beginning of your menu bar; slide your mouse toward you a fraction to highlight the word New, then sweep to the right and left-click on the word Folder. Immediately type the word Internet (don't worry where the typing is going) and press the ENTER key. Then click once on the neutral white background of the Start Menu window. You have just created a new Start Menu Folder called Internet, though you might not be able to see it yet.

Repeat this process to create other folders such as Writing, Day timer, Accessibility, System Tools, Games, and File Management. You will see them all when you return to your Start Menu.

Now, it's time to move your program icons to these new Windows showcases. Find an Internet program such as Procomm, Dialer, or Terminal on one of your Start Menu branches. Highlight it with your mouse pointer, right-click once, then left-click on the word Cut in the middle of the pop-up menu. Immediately move your mouse pointer to highlight your new Internet Folder, right-click once, highlight the word paste in the middle of the pop-up menu, and left-click once to paste the program into your Internet Folder. (If you did not see the word paste, you will have to repeat the cut process.)

Once you have moved all your program shortcuts into their new folders, you can delete the old folders by right-clicking on them, and then left-clicking on the word delete.

It's a bit of work, but good practice. And when you are finished, you will have primary Folders branching from your Windows Start menu that are easy to access, and that actually mean something to you. Who knew a mouse could be so useful for cleaning house and windows?

WHAT WORD PROCESSOR ARE YOU USING?

A "word processor" is a software program that turns your computer into a machine that can be used to type documents, files, and letters. If you have been editing, printing, or saving any documents, you have been using a word processing program. Word processing is one of the first things that we teach our P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK students.

What word processor are you using? If you don't know, it is time to find out. If you answered "Windows", you are confusing your word processor with your computer's operating system. The operating system or "windows" is important—it's a master program that has to be on your computer before you add anything else, including a word processor—but it's not your word processor.

It's not enough to know that your word processor is called "word something or other." "Word Perfect", "Microsoft Word", "Word Pad", and "Corel WordPerfect" are all Word Processing programs. In fact, most word processors have "word" in their names. However, word processors are not created equal. The similarity in names might actually lead you to buy one company's word processor, when you really thought you were buying a superior product.

Furthermore, we need to know the name of your word processor whenever we provide you with technical help over the phone, or when you bring us a disk from home that you would like to work on here. It is also important to know what word processor you are using whenever you give someone a document to view on their machine, or whenever you send a document as an e-mail attachment, or whenever you receive the same from someone else.

Word processors are frequently incompatible with each other. Their commands and menus are different, just as the dials and buttons are different on different VCR machines. And there is no guarantee that simply double-clicking on the name of a file in a list will bring it up with the correct word processor.

Even more important, just as you cannot view "beta" video cassette tapes on a "vhs" machine, you cannot always use one word processor to view and edit a document that has been created with another word processor. It may not come up at all, or it may come up distorted, fragmented, or full of a jumble of codes.

Usually the name of your word processor will show up briefly on your screen when you first start the program. Sometimes the name of the word processor will appear in a blue title bar that runs across the top of your screen after you have started the program.

If you click on Help menu in the Menu Bar, and then on "About...", you will get a message telling you not only the name of your word processor, but its version number as well. The version number of the word processor is just as important as the name of the word processor, because an earlier version of a word processor cannot usually open a document that was created with a later version. In other words, it is not "upwardly compatible."

If you have not yet learned word processing, try to learn on the word processor that you intend to use. If possible, use the same word processor for all your documents. If you are already word processing, find out the name and version number of your word processor, and keep them in mind. Try to open a document with the same word processor and version number as it was originally created with.

If necessary, you may have some success opening your document with another word processor. However, if the document opens distorted or with formatting codes at the top, you are advised to simply read it, but not to save it. If you reformat the document on the new machine and save it, be aware that it may appear just as distorted or may not be viewable at all when you take it back to the original machine.

When you save a document, make sure that you do not save it as a higher version than what you originally created it in, or you may not be able to view it on the original machine. Use Save As for all your saving on the new machine, and pick the same word processor and version number as the original file in the "Save File As Type" field of the dialogue box.

Where possible, save documents for friends as the same word processor and version type as they have. If you cannot do this, save them in "plain text" or "ASCII" format. The document may lose some of its formatting, but they should still be able to read it.

Remember too, as Joyce points out in her article this month, that "newer is not always better." Do your homework before you upgrade to a new word processor or a higher version number, and know what you are buying.

Asking why there is not just one type of Word Processor, is like asking why there is not just one type of car. In a market economy it is competition among companies that has given us the diverse products that we have. Things are getting better as companies move toward a common platform. In the meantime, though, know your word processor.

A CORNUCOPIA OF QUICK COMPUTER CURES

Sometimes your Personal Computer can seem to have a personality of its own; a schizophrenic one at that! Here are some quick fixes for-some common problems you might be experiencing: And remember, if everything else fails, make sure the machine is plugged in. I've forgotten to check the plug too. But only once.

SAVING YOUR COMPUTER'S LIFE

Have you ever wondered how your computer keeps track of the current date and time, even when it is unplugged?

Well, your computer has a special type of capacitor or battery-powered memory called the "CMOS" that tracks and remembers all sorts of information, including the current date and time, even when your machine is turned off or unplugged. (CMOS is simply an acronym for Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, the material from which this special type of memory is made).

To start up properly, your computer needs to know not only the current date and time, but also how much temporary (RAM) memory it has, as well as the number and type of disk drives installed. Unfortunately, when you turn off your computer, any unsaved information in your computer's RAM memory loses power and is lost, and consequently your computer may not even know that it has any RAM memory, let alone permanent disk drives! Fortunately, that's where your computer's battery powered CMOS comes to the rescue.

Like a life-preserver, your CMOS battery can last many years. But, like all batteries, eventually it will fail—probably at the most inopportune time. Your computer will display an error message such as "Invalid System Settings-Run Setup", and all the important information in your CMOS memory will be lost. Your computer will be dead in the water. So, you should write down your CMOS settings now, so that someone can get your computer working again later.

Turn your computer on, and wait for the on-screen memory "number count" to finish. An on-screen message may tell you what keys to press to enter Setup. If not, try either DEL, ESC, or F1. (Or hold down the CTRL and ALT keys and simultaneously press ESC.) You have to be fast though, or you might have to turn your machine on again. Don't change anything, but write down all the information you can, especially information about the c: hard drive, and then turn off your machine. When you need to have your original settings restored, you will be very glad you took the time to record them. You may have just saved your computer's life!

COMPUTER VIRUSES

Computer viruses don't just happen. They are created by people with time on their hands, and a deportment ranging from a strange sense of humour to a malicious streak.

A computer virus is a miniature computer program. Some viruses are comparatively harmless. They might, for example, put a smiley face on your screen the next time you turn on your computer. Other viruses can wipe out the entire contents of your hard drive.

We compare these destructive programs to viruses because of the number of characteristics they share in common. For example, viruses can be passed from computer to computer, just as a cold can be passed from person to person. And like some human viruses, we don't always know that we have one. Some viruses can be programmed to activate on a certain date, such as Friday the 13th.

At one time computer viruses could only infect computer programs, though they could destroy both documents and programs. Now computer viruses can hide in document files as well.

Because there are thousands of viruses, and new viruses every day, it is important to have an up to date virus checker. You can download one such as F-Prot from the Internet, or bring in two blank disks, and we will make a copy of the program for you and provide you with an information sheet on how to use it. You can then periodically check your hard drive and disks for viruses. The F-Prot computer program errs on the side of caution and checks for anything that remotely looks like a virus.

Remember to print out a hard copy of an infected file before disinfecting it. Sometimes the disinfection process destroys much of the contents of the file itself. If you use computer disks in more than one machine, always check your disk for a virus before and after you use it. Get permission before bringing disks from home into P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK, and have the P.H.I.R.S.T. LINK Manager screen them for you.

There's no need to panic about computer viruses. But it is important to use common sense.

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