Announcements

New Stuff!

Amanda and I are busy upgrading the navigation bar for the WorldStart website. We just finished the online store. It's much easier to navigate, looks better, and wait till you see how fun it is to use (well, I think it's fun). We hope to have the whole site looking similar by the end of December.

Also, we've added a bunch of new software to our super-popular Bargain Bin. Again, all the software listed on that page is between $3.97 and $7.97 and those prices include FREE Shipping if you live in the US!

Check it out and take a look at the improvements:

http://www.worldstart.com/store/bargainbin.htm

Computers 101

Q:
I have two computers but only one printer. Is there a way to connect the printer to both ?

A:

If the computers are networked together, enable printer sharing on the computer with the printer. This is done under the Network icon in the Control Panel.

Then, install the networked printer you created above on the second computer. You do this from the Printers folder in My Computer (XP users, head to the Control Panel). Just click "install Printer" and when asked, tell it you're installing a network printer. There's a handy little wizard to guide you through the process (it's actually very easy). That should get you printing.

The only potential problem I can see is if the printer is not able to be used on a network. Most can be, but there are some that will refuse to run.

OK, but what if the computers aren't networked together?

If they're not networked, you still have an option. Most computer stores sell a switch box device that can be used to connect a single printer to several computers. Although this doesn't work everytime (some printers are funny about switchboxes), most of the time it does the trick. You should be able to get these switch boxes for under $30.00.

A word of caution - you may want to check your printer documentation to make sure that the switch box is safe for the printer in question. I've never really seen a problem with using a switchbox, but it never hurts to check.

Tip of the Day

Is Your E-mail Stuck?
(note that this tip is mainly for Outlook / Outlook Express)

Web Link - http://www.worldstart.com/tips/emailstuck.htm

If this hasn't already happened to you, it probably will (it's happening a lot, judging by all the questions I've been getting lately).

You have a piece of e-mail ready to go out, you try to send it, and it won't go. All you get is an error message during every send cycle. The e-mail seems like it's "stuck" in your outbox.

Sometimes it can get even worse (especially with Outlook / Outlook Express). You may have a piece of e-mail come in that causes your computer or e-mail client to lock up when you select (click) it.

What can you do?

The first thing to try is going to the e-mail in question and deleting it. If it's in your outbox, go to your outbox, highlight the e-mail, and hit your Delete key.

What if that piece of e-mail is causing your e-mail program to lock up? Well, don't worry, there's still hope.

Most of the time those lockups are due to something in the e-mail itself. It could be a bad script, corrupt sound, errant piece of coding, or any number of other problems. When you click the e-mail, it automatically opens in the preview pane and locks things up before you can get to the Delete key.

The solution is to temporarily close that preview pane, then select and delete the e-mail. I've never seen that little trick not work.

So, how do you close the preview pane? Easy! (instructions below are for Outlook Express)

1. Click the View menu, Layout.

2. Uncheck the "Preview Pane" checkbox (check out all the other options too :-).

Hit OK and you should be able to go in and get rid of that problematic e-mail. Once it's history, just follow the steps above, but this time check the preview pane box.

Back to normal again!

Cool Site of the Day

A View Now Lost….

Have you ever wondered what it looked like from the top of the World Trade Center?

With the loss of the Towers on September 11th, you can no longer go experience it.

But with this panoramic view you can experience what it was like. So go ahead try the world from a Bird's Eye View.

http://topoftheworld.citysearch.com/3.html