Announcements

A couple things today...

Got A Question?

Do you have a computer question? Post it at our free message board:

http://www.worldstart.com/ctmb.htm

We have been getting lots of questions lately and just can't handle them all (we usually get around 100 a day). So, I just wanted to put in a reminder to try the board - that's usually the best way to get an answer. If you do send us a question, remember that we normally can't send personal replies, but we do consider all questions for the Q&A section below.

Oh, one more thing. We have something like 25,000 posts at our message board, and it's searchable. So, before you post, try a search. You may discover the answer you need is just sitting there waiting for you.

As always, thanks to everyone who helps out by answering questions. We appreciate both your efforts and advice.

Hot Item, Great Gift

Note - We ran this back in September and it sold like crazy! In fact, not only did it sell, we had a ton of repeat sales from people ordering it for their friends after they tried it! Check this out:

Do you, or someone you know, cross-stitch? If so, here's a program that's perfect!

We have found a deal on a super little program called PC Stitch. With this software, you can make your own cross-stitch patterns using your scanned photographs, clipart, text, and more. In addition, it allows you to create designs from scratch using its wide selection of drawing tools.

The program has a lot of flexibility and has been a hit with all the cross-stitchers we've shown it to. You can size your patterns up to 500x500, use full, quarter, and half stitches, use up to 100 different colors in your patterns, and tons more.

Here's the deal - We have this for only $9.97 with FREE US SHIPPING. This one is hard to keep in stock and is extremely popular. Here's the info link:

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

PS - I almost forgot. Quantities are limited, so if you're interested, get to the site as soon as you can! After all, how often do you find software that lets you make a cross-stitch out of a picture of your kids?

Enjoy the newsletter and have a great day!

Computers 101

Q:
What's the difference between Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer?

A:
Actually, nothing. It's a program with a split-personality. The Internet Explorer side of the program is for surfing the web. The Windows Explorer side is used for exploring the files, folders, drives, and directories on your computer.

What's cool about it is they work very much the same manner. For example, click the Back button on Internet Explorer and you go back to the previous web page. Click the Back button on Windows Explorer and you go back to the previous folder (or wherever you just were).

In fact, try this. Open Internet Explorer and type:

C:\My Documents

Since I have XP, I need to type in:

See? You can use the Internet Explorer side of Explorer to sort through files.

Oh, and yes, you guessed it. You can also type a web URL into the Windows Explorer address box and hit Enter to go there. You know, just in case you're busy looking at files and feel the need to get on the web really quick.

Yeah, it's a little confusing, but then it wouldn't be a Microsoft product if it wasn't...

Tip of the Day

Open With?

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

Have you ever downloaded a file, went to open it, and ended up with a dialog box asking you what program you want to open the file with? What does it all mean? Glad you asked :-)

When this screen presents itself, it normally means one of three things (none of them particularly good).

1. You don't have a program on your computer to open up the file in question. Most programs automatically set up file associations when they are installed, so if you're getting this error, you may not have the software that is required to open the file. If that is the case, your next step is to figure out what kind of program you need to open the file then download / purchase it.

2. The file isn't meant to be opened. The majority of the files that live on our computers are either program files or files that support programs. So if you're just hunting around with Windows Explorer to see what you can open (mess up, play with, etc), you're probably going to be disappointed. Most of these type of files aren't really meant to be opened. In fact, if you do find a way to open them, they would probably look like gibberish.

3. The last possibility is that you do have a program on your machine that is capable of opening the file in question. Unfortunately, with all the different file formats floating around out there, it will be a guessing game trying to figure out what program can open a particular file. Normally I start with Windows Notepad. Many of the files on your computer are little more than text files that don't use the "txt" extension. So, I scroll down the list on the Open With screen until I see NotePad.exe. I click that, hit Open, and see what happens.

OK, so what can you do?

If you get a file from someplace and aren't able to open it, your best bet is to contact the people who you received the file from and ask them what application (program) is used to open that type of file.

If that fails, try this site (click here). They have an enormous list of files and the type of program you need to open them.

Tomorrow - more on file associations.

Cool Site of the Day

Free Translations

"Have you ever wanted to know how to say your favorite phrase in another language? Well, now you can! Choose from six different languages: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, and Portuguese! This is a really cool site and will help you impress your friends!"
-Jason

I checked it out and this little translator is wonderful:

http://www.freetranslation.com

Do you have a cool site that you want to share? Send it to Amanda! Here's her address:

amanda@worldstart.com

Oh, and we're looking for non-commercial sites. We generally don't run sites that are strictly for shopping.