Andromeda43

A Hosts file give information to Internet Explorer as to what URL's are safe to visit and what ones are NOT. Monthly I download a custom hosts file and install it in windows. It contains url's for many porn sites and virus and spyware sites. It just adds one more layer of protection against viruses and spyware. It's very easy to just download and install it. Both Spybot S&D and Spyware Blaster perform a similar function. Cheers, Andromeda43

The difference between Mp7.1 and Mp9 is like the difference between a VW Beetle and a Caddy Coupe De Ville. Many or even most of the old Windows 98 machines don't have the horsepower to drive MP9. I've seen music CD's skip badly and I've even seen 'puters lock up when trying to play CD's with MP9. MP 7.1 is the largest Media Player that really runs good on Windows 98. Sometimes when MPxx gets screwed up, the only quick fix is WinAmp. I've had to use that fix many times myself. Uninstalling MP9 is sometimes just not possible. Cheers, Andromeda43

vando, that's the trick....you don't really Buy the OS. What you buy is a packaged system with an OEM version of the OS already installed on it. Along with an assortment of spyware, and endless trial versions of this and that. Sometimes you get a restore CD with the system and sometimes you have to make your own from files stored on a D: partition on the HD. If you ever have to use the restore CD, you get back all the junk software that came on the system when it was new. I was installing a Gateway laptop for one of my lady customers one day, and I was doing her restore CD's for her. There was going to be four CD's to do the job. Well, about half way through disk 3, the system died. It never booted up again. She had to take it back to the store and exchange it for a new one. I had worked for almost an hour getting all the junk software off of the PC. That's the computer business in the US. Cheers, Andromeda43

Because Firefox is "SAFE" and I.E Isn't!!!! It's just that simple. NO BS! Besides, that little red fox is 'cuter' than a big blue "E". She needs, at the least, AdAware SE/Personal, Spybot Search & Destroy 1.4 and Spyware Blaster. If you have access to her 'puter, you should have no problem installing those for her. Then she needs a good, user friendly, AV program like AVG 7 FREE. It can easily be set to update and scan once every day. Then she needs to be taught how to get her updates on a regular (daily, if possible) basis. With all the really good (FREE) security software that's easily available, there's no reason in the world for someone to have a computer screwed up by viruses or spyware. Well, actually there are two reasons....ignorance or lazyness. Cheers, Andromeda43

I've been told by 'users' that have installed the "adjusted" versions of XP-Pro that they have none of the problems of the 'out of box' versions. And, of course, they can always reinstall it if they have a problem, without having to go through all the hassle of dealing with MS. Personally, whenever I install a new PC with XP-Home, it takes me over an hour to get the computer running right. This is on 'name brand' PC's. Just getting all the spyware off of the new PC can take a half hour. I've seen them come out of the box with Backweb, WildTangent, WeatherBug, Wintools and what-have-you preinstalled at the factory. Cheeeeesh!

How about a version for the under 25 crowd....heck lets make it under 15. Home is just a stripped down, crippled up version of Pro, designed to sell for less money to those who couldn't otherwise afford anything but a pirated version. It's so crippled in fact that it needs a walker. The best fix for a screwed up install of Home is an overlay of Pro. That solves a multitude of problems. Is that easy enough to understand? Cheers,

Of course....did you really think it was going to be any different? And some people actually wonder why so many folks are running "unofficial" versions of Windows xx and don't give a hoot about what brother Bill thinks. I've already bought enough versions of MS/OS's to keep Bill in plaid shirts and sneakers for life, and put his kids through school. I won't sit here and advocate "piracy", (that's against all forum rules) but I will say that I do understand why it exists. And, BOY, does it ever exist! Every one who regularly comes to this and many other forums knows darn'd well that there are many 'copies' of Windows XP running around out there in cyberspace that require NO registration or Activation. They've been "adjusted" for easy install, by anyone, anywhere, anytime on any PC. We all know this. Yet so many of us dance around this topic like it was something "Holy". Ya'all come on.....lets be adult enough to admit that 'adjusted' software exists and is in popular use. To use it or not use it is as much of a personal choice as 'boxer' or 'brief'. Or none at all. Keep it Real, Boys and Girls, Andromeda

What an amazing system.....but 65,000 pounds? Heck, that's more than most people spend to have their home pools installed and filled. S'pose there's a cheaper version for the home pool or Hotel/Motel pool? More than a dozen children die in home pools here in the Sun State every year. Many of those pools didn't even have a fence around them,,,,let alone a system like Poseidon. People really need to WATCH their kids. Thanks, AtOmic, for the post, Andromeda43

Appologies,,,,, I mistakenly mentioned "Mystery on Planet X", when I meant to say "Forbidden Planet". It had the biggest computer ever conceived, that had so much power it could even create matter out of its own energy. (the Monster of the ID) This one's a keeper. Sorry to mislead anyone. Andromeda43

I'm still waiting for a new, updated, version of Solitaire!

The print screen button is a throw back to the DOS days, when you could rap on that key and all the text on the screen would be output on LPT1 to your dot matrix printer. Well those days are pretty much gone. But the key of course is still there on our keyboards. Instead of sending the screen to the printer port, in Windows it sends the screen to the Windows Clipboard. Neat eh? Then to print it, all you have to do is paste that image into any word processor and print it, or save it....or whatever. A handy little thing to have hanging around is a shortcut to Wordpad. I put mine on the start Menu where its always easy to get to. There are quite a few Screen Print programs out there floating around too. Most are freeware. Good Luck, Andromeda43 B)

Unfortunately, Google will become a well known verb instead of a proper name. Sort of like Xerox and Kleenex, being synonymous with all products of the same type. All copies have been called Xerox's. and all nose-wipers have been called Kleenex, at least a million times or so. So just,,,, "Google" IT! B)

99.9% of the computers sold in this world for the past ten years have some version of Windows on them. (It was a real God-send when the companies started adding that Windows key.) And in each version there have been a pot full of windows shortcuts, using that infamous Windows Key. Anyone with even half a brain has learned at least one shortcut that they can use on a regular basis. Geeks, nerds and tech's however use many of those shortcuts. I personally use the Windows/E combination every day to open up Windows Explorer. I hate the little laptop keyboards that don't have any windows key at all. You then have to go to START/Programs to find Windows Explorer. I've heard a lot of very lame complaints about one thing or another,,,,but this one is just plain "Portugese".

Before Google, we searched and searched and didn't know we were ever missing anything. There was a whole gang of Search Engines and we always seemed to find what we were looking for. At least I did! Like they used to tell us in the Army, "no-one is indispensable." If Google went away today, by tomorrow there would be another search engine ready and willing to step up and take up the slack. Don't get me wrong though,,,,I use Google and share it with all my customers. But if it just went away, I'd use something else. Happy Browsing, Andromeda43 B)

For years, we here in the US have had a very close personal relationship with our Automobiles. I've seen grown men cry like babies when something happened to their Ride. We're used to just jumping in the car to run to the store, later run to WallMart, later run out for an evening meal, later run out for another six pack. We can save a bunch of gas, by just batching our trips together into just one trip a day instead of three or four. I've started doing this and it Works! Going into town, I've got a ten mile run down the interstate. I used to romp along with the guys in the fast lane at 80+. Now I cruise easy in the slow lane at 65. I just set the cruise control at 65mph and enjoy the ride. A dirty air cleaner robs power because it takes horespower to pull the air through a dirty filter. But once the filter's replaced, the engine control computer will keep the air to fuel ratio the same during all driving conditions. That's what it's designed to do. So whether you're in Miami or Denver, the engine should run the same. NOT so with the old carbureted engines. They could really starve for air. If O2 sensors could still be had for $25, I'd have mine changed in a heartbeat,,,,,,but, mine cost over $125 ea. and I think I will need three of them. I'd never see the savings on gas offset that high cost. So, I guess my O2 Sensors will just not get changed unless one fails completely. Any novel ideas would be greatly appreciated. And, walking just isn't an option for many of us who live many miles away from just the most basic services. Happy Motoring! Andromeda43 B)

As a tech, working on every make of computer you can imagin, I hear all the complaints. The biggest complaint that I hear (daily) is that the caller in the US can't understand the support person on the other end of the line. (usually in the far east) There are just certain word-sounds in our language that they just can't make, because those sounds just aren't in their native language. Lollypop can come out sounding like "rorrypop"... Combine that with an elderly person who doesn't hear very well anyway and put him/her on a cheap K-Mart phone and you have a combination for disaster. I've been at customers' homes when they called for Tech Support. After just so many "HuH? HuH? HuH?" they would just hang up the phone in a rage. It was great, years ago when most major corps had their help lines answered by "Ruppman Marketing, Inc." in Peoria Illinois. Many of those girls answering the phones were bi or even tri lingual. But they all spoke flawless English. Well, that's my 2 cents worth for a Sunday morning. Cheers! Andromeda43 B)

After testing many different Anti-Spyware programs and even buying a few in the process, I've come to the only logical conclusion....... that is, that there is NO one program that does the whole job. Like it takes many different tradesmen to build a house,,,,it takes several different Anti-Spyware programs to clean up and then keep-clean any computer. So, anyone trusting just one program,,,,ANY one program is headed for a disaster. Every week, I find hundreds of pieces of spyware on computers that have only one Anti-Spyware program installed. On my own computer, I use these: AdAware SE/Personal Spybot S&D Spyware Blaster MS Anti-Spy Trojan Hunter and,,,,,AVG 7 FREE for my anti-virus protection. Good Luck, Andromeda43 B)

I have several Registry Cleaning programs that I use at least once a week. (names deleted) Each one has its own idea of what constitutes Junk. As I run each one ,,,, one after another,,, each one finds something that the others missed. So just like I won't trust my Anti-Spyware security to just one program....I don't trust my Registry to just one program either. I even use a Registry compactor. I also run a VB-Script to force a new Registry Restore Point every time I reboot my system. So, if I screw something up.....I can always back up a few hours, instead of days. Cheers, Andromeda43 B)

I've built computers for myself and my customers since the days of the old IBM XT Clone. Since I recently retired, I've stopped building PC's for others. I suggest to my customers to go to Circuit City and look for a good deal. I've found that the new eMachines are excellent and have far less "Garbage" software installed than the HP's or Compaq's. And you can still get them with AMD processors. Dell, however is putting out some real c.r.a.p.......Genuine Intel Celeron Processors, weak power supplies, win modems and drives mounted in plastic where there is absolutely NO heat sinking possible. Their 'thin line' model is a total "throw away" computer. That's just the opinion of a Computer Service Tech that has to deal with this stuff on a daily basis. I'm at the point of refusing to take a call on a Dell. Cheers, Andromeda43 B)

Looses something in the translation. there are jokes in foreign languages that have no humor at all when translated into English. B)

Please define "Live"..... What do you really want? Andromeda43 B)

Except for the newest computers that came out of the box with Xp installed,,,,,98/SE rules! Between 95 and XP, 98/SE is the finest OS of them all. I've had real success in tweaking it to perform very well indeed. Give it enough RAM to use and tweak it to use that ram most efficiently and you have a nice running little system. Out of my six computers (that still run) I have Windows 98/SE running on five. Anyone who thinks that 98/SE is dead,,,,,just isn't living in the REAL world. Cheers! Andromeda43 B)

Does your laptop have a USB 2 port.....or is it just a USB 1 port? Windows 98/SE doesn't have enough USB support for a Flash Drive. You must, in most cases, download the special drivers for 98/SE from the Drives web site. I had to do this for my SanDisk Micro Cruiser 512 meg flash drive. The drivers fit nicely on a Floppy Disk. I've found very few computers running win 98/SE that would not recognize my Cruiser Micro after I'd installed the drivers and rebooted the system. Try it after loading the drivers and rebooting your laptop. Good Luck, Andromeda43 B)

#1 In Spyware proliferation. If you love spyware and want more and more of it......hang out in Yahoo for a while. B)

The title of the poll was (is) "Spyware Blocker" and AdAware is in the poll. However, AdAware SE/Personal is NOT a spyware blocker. Sybot S&D IS a spyware blocker and Spyware Blaster IS a blocker. And a darn'd good one I might add. AdAware is however a very good Spyware finder and remover.(but not a blocker). Just a thought, Andromeda43