Announcements

This One's Gonna Be HUGE!

Wait till you see the deal we have on this one!

We have an AWESOME new utility program available called Check It! Suite. This set of programs does it all. Take a look at just a few of its features:

- Find hardware problems quickly and easily with the strongest diagnostic tests available.
- Optimize and speed up your internet connection (see our results below).
- Benchmarks let you see how your computer stacks up to similar machines.
- Tests hardware to see if it can handle heavy multi-tasking.
- Backs up internet connection settings.
- Speeds up system performance.
- Tune up your system.
- Speed up program launches and Windows load time.
- Protects against crashes.
- Helps you find problems when you can't get Windows to run.
- Helps you transfer and synchronize files - quickly, and easily.
- Includes automatic synchronization between computers
- Removes old, unused leftover files
- Can compress infrequently used files
- Compress and password protect sensitive files

And that's just a taste! The description page for this program is one of the biggest on the site due to all the features listed! (So, give it a minute to load when you take a look).

We tried this out and were VERY IMPRESSED with it. It has all kind of useful features and can help just about anyone get more out of their computer. It even has tons of stuff Norton doesn't offer (and ya know I like them)!

Just to give you an idea of what this may be able to do for you, we tried the Net Optimizer on our cranky Win 98 machine. Using a dial-up connection, it tried 3 different sets of settings that gave us increases of 67%, 102 %, and 16% to pick from (we took the 102% choice of course). Your results may vary, but it did take care of that computer's chronically slow connections. And that's only one of the dozens of components included!

The price? The retail on this is $69.95, most web stores are a little lower (CDW has it for $51.33, Micro Warehouse is $49.95, but that doesn't include shipping).

Our price for the same exact product? Only $24.97 with FREE US Shipping! This is the current version of the program and does come in the retail box. It's one of the best deals we've ever been able to offer. Note that this runs on all versions of Windows EXCEPT XP.

Get to the site ASAP for this one. Here's the link:

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

Quantities are limited, so don't miss out. Remember, we do run out sometimes (MS PictureIt Gold, Quicken 2002 just in the last month) and this is one heck of a deal! Get to the site before they're gone!

Computers 101

Q:
I'm having a hard time with my word processor. When I go to highlight a large section of text with my mouse (more than what's currently shown on the screen), I zip right past the point where I want to stop. So, I keep my mouse button down, and go back up only to zip by my stopping point again. This can go on and on in a vicious circle. How can I fix this?

A:
The best way I know of is to lay off the mouse a little (they can get wild, ya know). First, put your cursor at the point where you want to start highlighting (selecting) the text.

OK, now (keep your hands off that mouse) hold down your SHIFT key and use your up / down arrows. You'll find when you hold down an arrow that the text scrolls (and highlights) by at a much more manageable rate.

Oh, if the section is really big, tap your Page Up and Page Down keys till you get close to where you need to stop.

Who knew it could be so easy?

Tip of the Day

Home Page Hijacking

Web link - http://www.worldstart.com/tips/homepagehijacking.htm

We get e-mail from people all the time telling us that their homepage has been changed without their permission (Internet Explorer). Most of the time, a quick trip to the Tools menu, Internet Options will let you reset the page.

However, sometimes it's an even bigger problem. Some folks find that each time they re-boot their computer, their homepage switches back to the unwanted one and no amount of screaming seems to help. What's going on? How did their web browser get hijacked?

There are several ways this can happen, both for a simple homepage change and the nastier, seemingly permanent change.

First, some web pages will ask you if you want to make them your homepage. If you hit Yes, then it's a done deal. After all, you can't be too surprised that your homepage was changed after you told your browser it was OK.

However -

Some will modify this question to something like "Do you like freebies?". When you hit Yes, it secretly changes your homepage on you.

Most of the time, the same dialog box that's asking you if you like freebies (or whatever) will also say something to the effect that it's going to reset your homepage. They try to distract you from that message and just get you to click "Yes". So, be careful.

Fortunately, when your homepage is switched in the ways outlined above, going to the Tools Menu, Internet Options will let you set your page back to whatever you want (of course, you'll need to know the address of your homepage). Normally, that takes care of the problem and you're back to normal again.

Another way your homepage can get switched is through a security hole in IE5 (yeah, I know, imagine that). As long as you keep your browser up to date, this shouldn't be a problem though. If it does get switched through this security hole, it's my understanding that generally a script is placed in the Startup menu (Start button, Programs, Startup) that will reset the homepage each time Windows loads. Deleting it should let you switch back your homepage permanently. Oh, and make sure you update IE if you aren't in the habit of doing it. That's one nasty little security hole!

Finally, software can even be a problem. Some programs will load automatically when you start windows and the first thing they do is to reset your homepage. You may be able to disable this though their options area (don't hold your breath though). Best bet is to disable or get rid of any program you catch doing this.

OK, but if it is a program that's switching your homepage, how do you figure out which one it is? Well, if your browser's homepage was reset to the homepage of a particular software company (who's software you just installed), you probably aren't going to expend too much mental energy figuring out who done it.

(Believe it or not, UPS had a program that reset their customer's homepage to UPS's homepage - it's not just little guys doing this. Of course, it was "on accident", which begs the question, "How do you accidentally stick a code in that manipulates the end user's homepage?").

Anyhow -

If you have no clue where the homepage in question came from, then look back on recently installed programs. Did your homepage change right after you installed a particular program? If so, you may have a place to start looking.

Seems that most of the time, these type of programs run from the Startup folder (mentioned above). So, if you see something in there that shouldn't be (or you're not sure), you may want to remove the item, reset your homepage back to one you actually want (like www.worldstart.com :-), then see if it stays.

Oh, one last thing - watch out for install programs too. Some of them have an option for resetting your homepage that's checked or selected by default (you know, for your convenience).

Whew, that's enough of that. Be careful out there - everyone wants you to use their homepage for your homepage and they'll go to just about any length to make it happen.

Amanda's Cool Site of the Day

MuseArts Cartoons

In the mood for a rendition of your favorite play? Interested in seeing Waiting for Godot, Sound of Music, Romeo and Juliet but with a twist? Well then these cartoons are for you! See Guinea Pigs perform your favorites or play The Great Guinea Pig Race. Are you curious to just see what the heck I’m talking about? Then check it out.

http://www.musearts.com/cartoons/list.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.