Announcements

WOW! Awesome Speakers!

I love digital music, don't you? You can take a bunch of different CDs, copy your favorite tracks to your hard drive, then listen to the whole slew of them - right through your computer. It's all great, until you to turn on those speakers...

Most of the computer speakers I've seen are the chintzy, tinny-sounding things that are included when you purchase the computer. (They have to include speakers, so why get by as cheap as possible, huh?) They sound like a 1940s radio if you ask me.

Sure, you can go out and buy better computer speakers, but you're going to part with $50-$100 for a good set. Unless you subscribe to this newsletter :-)

We just came across a fantastic deal on some higher-end Polk Audio speakers. Before we decided to sell these, we - as always - had to test them. So, we hook up the speakers, pop in a CD, and WOW!

All jaws were dropped (wish I had a picture :-). We couldn't believe how good these sounded! We expected they would be better than standard computer speakers, but these were way better than what any of us had anticipated. They sounded as good as my stereo back home (and way better than my car)! In short, we were all blown away by the full, rich sound that was being produced. I know they are some of the best sounding computer speakers I've ever heard.

Your price on these is fantastic - just $29.97, free US shipping. For a comparison, our Cindy went to one of the big chain stores (you know, "Best ***" or something like that ;-) with our description in hand. She went to the computer dept, showed our printout, and asked if they had something similar.

The guy looked at the specs and said he couldn't even get close to the price for that caliber of speaker. He had some that were almost as good for $50. Then he told her to be careful ordering on the internet, since you'll probably get charged $20 in shipping. That's when Cindy pointed out the "Free US Shipping" note on the page. The guy saw that and said she'd probably be better off buying from WorldStart.

I couldn't agree more ;-)

Anyhow, here's the link for more info:

http://www.worldstart.com/store/polk-audio-speaker.htm

PS - Two things. First, remember that if you don't absolutely love the sound from these (don't worry, you'll love 'em), you can return them for a refund within 30 days - nothing to lose. Second, quantities are limited and this is an incredible price. Be sure to get to the site quickly.

Computers 101

Q:
I was trying to play an old game on Windows XP, but it won't work. I hear sound, but the screen is blank. Why can't I see the graphics?

A:
I ran into this the other day with an old program that my kids love. It turns out that we had to change the screen resolution to 256 colors.

What you could do is look for the monitor icon in the system tray. It probably looks like a computer screen. Double click and you should get some options for screen resolution and size (mine said "Display Modes").

Once you get that set to 256 colors and the correct screen size, everything should be fine. After your done with the game, just set it back to your original setting.

A better way with Windows XP and 2000, however, is our old pal Compatibility Mode (more about that below). Not only can you make XP/2000 think it is an older version of Windows, you can also specify the display settings, so every time you use that program it will automatically change to 256 colors.

Right-click the program icon and choose Properties (or hold down ALT and double left-click). Select the "Compatibility" tab and look for "Display Settings". Check "Run in 256 Colors", then OK.

You should be able to see the program correctly. When you close out, your display settings will go back to normal.

~ David

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

Tip of the Day

Windows XP Compatibility

So, you've upgraded to Windows XP or 2000 and now some of your old programs don't work. I hate that! It's been our experience that most older programs designed for Windows 95/98/ME will run on XP, regardless of what previous version of Windows they were originally designed for. The only ones that refuse to run are the ones you really, really need :-)

If you can't get a program to run on XP/2000, try this:

1. Right click its icon under the Programs menu, then select Properties from the resulting menu,

2. Now, click the Compatibility tab. You can choose what version of Windows you want XP to pretend to be.

For example, let's say you have a program that installs but refuses to run. If you set its compatibility for Win 98, you may find that it's now perfectly happy doing it's thing on XP (of course, it's blissfully ignorant of the fact it's been tricked).

This usually works about 50% of the time, so don't bet the preverbal farm on it.

Windows XP also has a "Program Compatibility Wizard" that will search for the best version of Windows to run a program under. To get there, click Start, Help and Support, then "Find compatible hardware and software for Windows XP", and finally, under "See Also" in the navigation pane, click Program Compatibility Wizard. You will be given instructions on what to do.

Another suggestion is to update your program. How often do you go to the website of a software manufacturer and look for program updates? What about updated drivers for your sound card? Most of the time you can download update patches for free!

With some luck, you will be playing your favorite old games or using that older software in no time.

~ Steve

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

Amanda's Cool Site of the Day

World Flag Database

Well it's hard to push this as anything than what it is, a humongous flag database. It's alphabetized for your easy browsing, click on the letter of the country's flag you want to view. So if you wanted to see Germany, you'd click G.

The flags are full color, and you get several. Using Germany as our example, you get the German flag, the German State flag, and the Naval Ensign. If you were to pull up the United States you will look in U, it gives you our stars and stripes, then you can browse by state. Spiffy, huh?

And you can also drop into the "Flags from History" section where you'll find flags from WWII and Viet Nam. There is also the "What’s New" section, which gives you updates and let you know when maps are updated.

http://www.flags.net/

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