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Computers 101

Q:
I've heard that some programs have "shared" files. What are those?

A:
Shared files are "general purpose" files more than one program can use. They usually come in the form of DLL files, and should be automatically installed with the software that needs them (assuming the setup program for the software includes them, most good setups will).

You can have problems if you run an uninstall program and it deletes out a shared file that other programs use. So, if you are asked if you want to remove a shared program file, it's probably best to say no - unless you know for sure that it's not needed by any other programs.

What happens if one of those shared files gets deleted or corrupted and one of your other programs will no longer run? Easy - just re-install the program in question and you'll be back in business. No big deal.

Tip of the Day

Faster Browser Starts

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

Do you hate waiting for your homepage to load when you really need to go somewhere else anyway? Sure, you can hit the Stop button or start typing the web address (usually to have it overwritten during said typing), but there has to be a better way, right?

Well, you could set your browser to start with a blank page, but then you kiss your regular homepage goodbye. That's no good.

A better way is to make a blank web page that sits on your desktop. When you click your blank page, your default browser will launch and load the page. Since the page has nothing on it, there is no waiting involved - it loads almost instantly. From your blank page, you can go to the site you *really* needed by selecting it from your Favorites menu or typing in the URL.

So, how do you set this up? Easy:

1. First, you need to make a blank page. The best way to do this is to open Windows Notepad (Start button, Programs, Accessories, Notepad).

OR -

You can download a blank page I made. Right-click the link below and select Save Target As from the resulting menu. When prompted, save the page to your Desktop. If you just click it with your left mouse button, you'll end up going to a blank page, but it won't get downloaded. If you decide to download this page, skip to step 3. .

Download the blank page - Right-click here

2. Next, click the File menu, Save as. Navigate to your C:\Windows\Desktop and save the file as "blank.htm" (no quotes). To get to your Desktop folder quickly, click the little desktop icon on the Save As dialog box.

3. That's it. The file should now be on your desktop. Anytime you want to bypass your regular homepage and just get the browser running, click it. In fact, I've even dragged it to my quick-launch toolbar for easier access.

Oh, here's a bonus idea for our more advanced users who know how to program in HTML or have access to some kind of web page creation software. If that's yo,u try making a page similar to the one above, but with links to your most frequently accessed sites.

A page with 20 or so of your favorite links won't make this page load that much slower (we're talking 10ths of a second), but it will make getting to your favorite sites much easier.

Amanda's Cool Site of the Day

First -

About the Gender Test: Having received a lot of e-mail I wanted to address the issue of the offensive content on the border around the gender test. I was not aware it was there. I only read the test questions. Sorry to those of you who were offended.

Now for the cool site of the day:

Not for the Faint of Heart…..

The Unnatural Enquirer

An online humor magazine that I found absolutely hysterical. Mostly a lot of parodies, and fake scientific findings. The Visible Barbie Project was hilarious. In the project the cut up a Barbie doll to expose the insides and real workings. As well as the NSS (Nocturnal Sleepiness Syndrome) which lists the ten warning signs, including "Inability to concentrate on coding, debugging, or homework assignments for more than twenty or thirty hours at a time." Check it out.

http://www.trygve.com/enquirer.html

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.