Announcements

Steve's Issues

Yes, I have issues. In fact, you probably saw I sent you two of them yesterday :-) One with the wrong subject line, one with the correct one.

Sorry for the extra, but I know that many of you file these tips away and use the subject line to figure out which issue is which. So, I wanted you to have the correct one.

Thanks for your understanding.

Anti-virus VS Firewall - Do you need both?

We had a number of questions from people yesterday asking what the difference was between anti-virus software and firewall software. Many seemed to think it was the same thing and that if they had anti-virus software that a firewall was unnecessary.

So, I thought I'd try to clear up the confusion a little. Here's what both do:

Anti-virus - This protects your computer from viruses. Most AV software runs in the background and looks for virus activity (it also normally scans e-mail, downloads, etc).

It's purpose is to keep malicious programs (viruses) from infecting or doing harm to your computer.

Firewall - This software protects your computer from hackers. If a hacker gets access to your machine, your anti-virus software is NOT going to help.

I read an article about two months ago where a lady had just disconnected from the internet only to find a strange text file on her desktop.

She opened the text file and there was a message from a hacker that told her he had been in her computer. It basically told her that this time he didn't do anything, but that she had better get protected or next time he was going to do some real damage.

And they can.

So, in my opinion, you really need both.

OK, now remember that little special we were running yesterday? You know, Norton System Works 2002 Pro for $34.95 after the mail in upgrade rebate? Well, if you buy that package, you'll get a FREE Norton Personal Firewall.

System Works Pro retails for $99.95 (if you purchased each piece in this deal separately, you're looking at over $350.00). So, $34.95 (after rebate) is a super price.

Again, this includes:

Norton Anti-virus - Keeps your computer virus free
Norton Personal Firewall (FREE) - Keeps hackers out
Norton Utilities - Makes your PC run better and faster
Norton CleanSweep - Gets rid of excess files (and internet files)
Roxio GoBack - Lets you go back in time if you mess your system up.
Norton Ghost - Make complete backups of your computer
WinFax Basic - Send and receive faxes from your computer

It really does a super job. I have been running it for several years now and I really like it. Whenever I do a re-install or get a new computer, it's one of the first things I put back on. It does a great job of keeping your computer running smoothly (and that's something we all need ;-)

Again, this is only $34.95 after rebate and the shipping is FREE if you live in the US! Most retailers are charging $85-$99 for this and they're not giving you a free firewall!

So, if you missed out yesterday, join the hundreds who already grabbed this one. We are starting to run low, so no promises about availability (just get yours ordered fast :-)

http://www.worldstart.com/store/nortonsyspro&firewall.htm

Oh, by the way, Norton gives you a 60 day money-back guarantee on this. Of course, we have our 30 day guarantee, but theirs is even better! So, you risk nothing, and get what I consider to be one of the best utility packages on the market (it's on my computer right now).

Just need Firewall?

We sell it for only $19.97. SystemWorks Pro is a lot (actually, a whole lot) better deal, but here's the link for just the firewall:

http://www.worldstart.com/store/nortonfirewall2002.htm

Computers 101

Q:
How do I use newsgroups?

A:
Yesterday I gave you some basic background information about newsgroups and a sample of what they're good for.

In my opinion, the best program to use for using newsgroups is Outlook Express. Below I’ll show you how to set up newsgroups in Outlook Express and provide you with some screen shots to lessen the surprise factor.

1) Open Outlook Express. On the “Tools” Menu, select “Accounts.” Click the “Add” button to your right and choose the “News” option.

2) The connection wizard that you’re presented with is simple and to the point. When you get to the Internet News Server Name screen, you'll need to enter your ISP's news server address.

Most ISPs (not all, but most) give you access to newsgroups. If you’re not sure what your ISPs newsgroup server address is, contact them and ask. If your ISP doesn’t offer newsgroup access, you may be stuck using web based services. Yeah.. It’s not the best, but it works.

BIG TIP TIME! Say your ISP is “Bobs ISP” and the companies’ website address is bobsisp.com. The chance of this company using news.bobsisp.com for their newsgroup server is extremely high. So, before calling them, you might want to give that a shot. If it doesn't work, then you'll be forced to contact them (and likely spend half your afternoon on hold...).

3) So you’ve followed the steps above and your newsgroup account is set up. Congrats! Now it’s time to let Outlook Express download the most current listing of newsgroups. This may take a while depending on your connection speed due to the massive amount of newsgroup topics. Let’s face it. There needs to be at least 3 or 4 topics for people to talk about peanut butter and how it’s a government conspiracy! (Sarcasm Inserted Here)

Once the list of newsgroups is done you can now search for your favorite topics. If you’re interested in rodeo, just pull up a search for rodeo. From there Outlook will show you the results of your search. If you find a specific topic you’d like to subscribe to, select the newsgroup name and hit the “Subscribe” button. Don’t worry; Newsgroups are free so you won’t find a mysterious bill in the mail after doing this.

4) Once you’re subscribed, you’ll see to your left a special section for newsgroups along with a listing of newsgroups that you’re subscribed to. To view a certain newsgroup, just click on the newsgroup name and Outlook Express will download those messages.

From there it’s very similar to writing, sending, and using email.

If you run into any problems while setting up newsgroups, refer to the following link to Microsoft’s Website that can give you more detailed information:

http://support.microsoft.com/search/preview.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q171164

Another option you have to view newsgroups is doing it through your browser. If you’ve used the Worldstart.com Message Board, then you’ll be familiar on how to post and use newsgroups. I’ve done some researching, and after the smoke cleared out of the room from all the hard work, I ran into a website which seems to be the best out there for using newsgroups:

http://www.News2Web.com

There’s no setup involved and it’s extremely simple to use.

If you’d like more information on newsgroups, here's an excellent resource for you:

http://www.geocities.com/ski_usenet

Have a question for the newsletter? Submit it at the link below:
http://www.worldstart.com/submitquestion.htm

Tip of the Day

"New" Menu Trick

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

You know how when you right-click inside a folder or on your Desktop you get a menu with an item labeled "New"? If you highlight it, you'll get a sub menu that lets you create all kinds of new documents.

Well, it seems that every piece of software you install wants to stick an item on that menu. If you're finding the menu is getting a little too long, you can get rid of some of those extra items with Tweak UI. If you don't have Tweak UI installed on your system, follow the link below to find out how to do it:

http://www.worldstart.com/tips/tweakui.htm

Note that Tweak UI is not rated for win XP. However, I tried it on my machine and it seems OK.

Here's my New menu before I Tweak UI'd it:

To modify the items in the "New" menu, hit the Start button, Settings, Control Panel. XP users, just hit the Start button, Control Panel.

Open Tweak UI and click the tab labeled "New".

Just uncheck the items you don't want to appear. Almost too easy, huh?

Here's my new and improved New menu:

Have a tip for the newsletter? Submit it below:
http://www.worldstart.com/submitatip.htm

Cool Site of the Day

On This Day...

I thought this website was cool (worthless, but cool). You can enter your birth date and find out how old you are compared to famous people. It also will tell you about how old you were when certain world events were going on.

For example, I’m only 2 months younger than our Current Presidents daughters, and I was only about a year old when Apple introduced the Macintosh computer. Oops, I think my age is showing...

http://www.frontiernet.net/~cdm/age1.html

~Jonathon

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

jonathon@worldstart.com

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