Announcements

 Stop Pop Up Windows - And More!

We get tons of requests every week for a good pop up window stopper. Seems like half the sites out there toss a pop up window in your face.

Well, we found a bundle that not only includes a fantastic pop up stopper, but several other awesome programs. Look at this:

iClean - This is the pop up stopper program (and I love it :-). It not only kills all those annoying pop up windows, but also does a lot more. Take a look:

• Stop pop up windows
• Remove internet temp files and save space
• Remove cookies placed by "spam" web servers
• Surf the web anonymously
• Easily manage internet cookies from sites you trust
• Delete history automatically
• Clear browser drop down address bar (very handy)
• Delete recent documents
• Clear AutoComplete
• And Tons More!!

In short, it allows you to surf the web without pop up windows and to cover your tracks so no one can tell where you've been. All of this is completely customizable through check boxes, so you can use only the features you want. It works with both Internet Explorer and Netscape.

I've been using this for a week or so now and can report that it's very effective at killing pop up windows. They just don't get by this program. I'm very happy with it and highly recommend this one. It's the best I've used so far (and I've tried a lot).

In addition to the pop up stopper, you also get everything listed below! Note that each program installs separately, so you can install just what you want.

Stuff-It Standard - This program is for working with compressed files (including the popular "zip" format). It allows you to work with and create compressed files quickly and easily. It even protects against file corruption and can use encryption to protect your privacy. I started using this one over a year ago and it's been really great.

Open Office - This program is a full featured office suite. It includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager, drawing program, HTML editor, a calculator, and more. It supports (and can save as) MS Office files (Word Docs, Excel Spreadsheets, etc). It has a super layout and really does a great job.

Lots of Games - This bundle also has 2 Game collections, one from AfterDark and one called "Groovy Bunch of Games". Dozens of games, hours of fun :-)

Whew, that's it. If purchased separately, the programs included add up to $115.00 or so. The pop up stopper alone sells for $29.95! Your price for the whole thing is only $12.97 and US shipping is FREE! Even if you're only getting it for the pop up stopper, this is a heck of a deal! Here's the link for more info:

http://www.worldstart.com/store/super-10-plus-CD.htm

PS - This was a special purchase and I only have a limited quantity to deal with. Once these are gone, that's the end of it. Based on how many requests we get for pop up stoppers, I think this is going to sell out quickly.

Computers 101

Q:
When I try to run Scan Disk it keeps resetting. How can I get it to run?

A:
For anyone out there unfamiliar with Scan Disk, I will begin by explaining what it is and how to run it.

Scan Disk will keep resetting if Windows is performing background tasks. Many times you are not even aware that these are happening, nevertheless they are there and can get in the way of a good scan.

There is a way to get around this: just as your computer starts to boot up (before the Windows "splash screen" appears), keep hitting F8 on your keyboard. A menu should come up. Choose the SAFE MODE option then run Scan Disk following the normal procedure and it should work just fine.

Windows 95/98/ME Users:
Click on the Start Menu then select Programs, Accessories, System Tools, then Scan Disk. Select the drive you would like to check, then select the type of test you would like to run (standard or thorough). Finally, click Start.

WindowsNT/2000/XP Users:
Double click your My Computer icon. Right click on the C: drive. Select Properties then choose the Tools tab. Under Error Checking, click the Check Now button. A dialog box will pop up, check both check boxes and click Start.

A dialog box will pop up telling you, "The disk check could not be performed because exclusive access to the drive could not be obtained. Do you want this disk check to be scheduled the next time you restart the computer?" (I don't know why you would go through all of this if you didn't want to click ‘yes’ and why Microsoft held this over with 2000 and XP, but in their infinite wisdom they did! There may be good reasons to back down now but I can't think of any, so…)

Boldly click the Yes button! I guarantee it won't hurt a bit.

P.S: While in Safe Mode, you may want to run defragment as well.

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

Tip of the Day

Too Much Security?

Constant bombardment from spammers and hackers makes me wonder if WWW actually stands for "Wild, Wild West"! We yearn for safe browsing. We long to send and receive email without being harassed. That's why we install anti-virus software. That's why browsers and email programs have security settings.

But sometimes, too much security can cause other problems. Anyone who has upgraded to Outlook Express 6 recently may be experiencing an error message like this:

"Outlook Express removed access to the following unsafe attachments in your mail..."

Why is this happening? When faced with mysterious problems, blame it on Microsoft!

By default, the "Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus" option (hereafter called DNAATBSOOTCPBAV) is enabled in OE 6. When this virus-protection feature is on, OE uses Explorer's unsafe file list to determine if a file is safe. Any e-mail attachment with a file type that is considered "unsafe" is not downloaded, and access to the attachment is removed.

The unsafe file list includes any file types that may have script or code associated with them. Thus, you may find that you can't receive the pictures from your cousin's wedding, or the mp3 of your grandson's first words. All is not lost...you can avoid this problem by turning off the DNAATBSOOTCPBAV option.

Start Outlook Express. On the Tools menu, click Options.

Click the "Security" tab, click to clear the DNAATBSOOTCPBAV check box under "Virus Protection", and then click OK.

You should, of course, be scanning all attachments with anti-virus software anyway, which makes the extra OE6 security unnecessary. Netscape Mail 7 does not have any similar security features that could cause a problem like this. Most web-based email (such as Yahoo or Hotmail) allow you to scan for viruses before you download attachments.

~ David

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http://www.worldstart.com/writers-guidelines/index.htm

Amanda's Cool Site of the Day

Internet Pizza Server

Order and view a Pizza over the web. Just choose your toppings! The "renderpie" program, written by a professional with years of experience in both the software and pizza food-service industries, converts your text pizza orders into fairly realistic graphical pies. It supports half and half pizzas, as well as extra toppings such as Beetles, Golfballs, Bolts, and Legos. All Internet Pizza Server pies are made with 100% recycled electrons. Enjoy!

http://www.ecst.csuchico.edu/~pizza

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