Announcements

Here's one you've gotta have!!

The American Heritage Talking Dictionary - A Dictionary that *talks* to you! We've featured this in the past and have always had a tremendous response, so I thought I'd give all the new subscribers a shot at it too (as well as those who missed out the first time).

Let me tell ya, these are *really* cool. You type in the word you're looking for and the dictionary pronounces it with a real human voice. If you've ever had a problem figuring out the pronunciation of a word, you can already see how cool it would be to own one of these CDs.

In addition, it also features a thesaurus, maps, and pictures to go along with the definitions - all fully integrated.

What if you don't know the correct spelling of a word? Don't worry, this has several features to help you find the word you're looking for.

For example, let's say you don't have the correct spelling of a word and your word processing software catches it. However, the word processing software doesn't suggest the correct word as a replacement (yeah, we've all been there). Normally, when I can't get the correct spelling of a word through my word processor, I can get it through this program.

I've been using mine for over a year now and I don't think I could get along without it. This is especially handy if you have kids going back to school this fall.

We normally sell these for $12.95, but we got another really great deal (Summer is slow for most of our suppliers) and we can sell this batch for only $8.97!! And yes, you still get FREE US Shipping!. Normally these retail for $39.95, so this is really a heck of a deal. Check out the link below for more *lots* more info and / or to order:

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

Don't miss out on this one! I can't recommend it highly enough!

Computers 101

Q:
What are pros and cons of getting a "business workstation" vs. the "home systems"? They look about the same, but are the "business" computers better for business?

A:
In my opinion, most of that stuff is just marketing. Sometimes the business versions include more office oriented software, but for the most part, they're pretty much the same in quality (unless the manufacturer actually states that the business machines are built better - in that case you may be better off with a business version). Sometimes, labeling a computer as designed for "business" does nothing more than increase its price.

My opinion is to look for the best deal you can find and ignore whether it's designed for business or personal use.

Oh, and note that the best deal doesn't necessarily mean the cheapest machine. Always buy a good machine form a quality manufacturer (or have a quality machine custom built by a reputable computer shop).

--Steve

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

Tip of the Day

Old Data Recovery

Do you have old disks laying around with important stuff on them?

In many cases, the info on the disk(s) seems like it's inaccessible with newer machines. Maybe the software that created it is no longer in existence, or it's just an odd ball format.

So, is there any way to transfer your files from old floppies to your new machine?

Well, maybe.

The first thing I try with an old, unknown file format is to open it with Notepad (assuming it's a document and not a picture or something). You'd be surprised how often that little trick works.

If that doesn't work, sometimes MS Word or Corel WordPerfect may have the ability to open the file.

Note that with both of the above document opening tricks, you'll need to select "All files" from the File of type drop box on the Open screen. If you don't, you probably won't be able to access the file you're trying to open at all.

If the file is a database, this can be harder. Your best bet, believe it or not, may be a spreadsheet program like Excel (or some similar program).

You see, most older (and many newer) databases are in a basic text separated format (the values between fields are separated by commas, spaces or tabs with one record per line). Excel and most other spreadsheet programs can handle these types of files with ease. Again, you'll need to select "All files" from the Open screen's Files of type drop box in order to try this.

Of course, if you have a good database program, it may be able to open the file for you. MS Access can open just about any database file, if you're lucky enough to have access to Access.

Note that if you are successful in getting your file to open, you will probably have to "clean" it up a bit before it's useful again (sometimes the formatting is not quite what it should be). Once it's set though, be sure to re-save it in a current format :-)

Finally, if all else fails, you may need to figure out exactly what type of program you'll need to find in order to open the file. Check out this site for a little help in that dept: http://whatis.techtarget.com/fileFormatA/

--Steve

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

Amanda's Cool Site of the Day

Debbie's Themes

Do you need a new theme for your desktop? A new background image? A new skin for your messenger? Well, give Debbie's Themes a try. There are many marvelous, free themes and lots of other cool things there.

http://www.debbiesthemes.com

Do you have a cool, non-commercial site that you want to share?
Send it to Amanda at amanda@worldstart.com