Diablo Blue

The Newsletter of the Diablo Valley PC Users Group

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NOVEMBER 5, 2009 MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT

Windows 7: A Demonstration and Discussion
Presenters: Ron Ogg and Alan Mildwurm, DVPC

Windows 7 is here. So, what is it like? Is the installation easy? What does Windows 7 look like? How similar is it to Vista? How different is it from Vista? Is it worth the upgrade effort from Vista? Is it worth the much more complex upgrade effort from XP? What about clean installs? What about the 64 bit version? What about performance? What about application compatibility? Is it worth what it costs? And perhaps the most important question of all: should you upgrade?

All this and more will be discussed at our November 5 DVPC meeting. You'll be able to meet and greet Windows 7, and hopefully have enough information from what's discussed at this meeting and from Gene Barlow's Moving to Windows 7 presentation that was at our October meeting to make your own decision.

This month's meeting will be fun, interesting, and informative. We'll see you on Thursday, November 5, 2009 at Diablo Valley College.

NOTE: Diablo Valley College has parking permit dispensers that take dollar bills as well as nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollar coins, and will at some time in the future take credit cards. Note that these parking permit dispensers do not make change.

Where and When We Meet

DVPC monthly meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at Diablo Valley College In Pleasant Hill, California, on the Main Campus located at 321 Golf Club Road. We meet in room H109 in the Humanities Building. See the campus map on the About DVPC page for driving directions, parking information, and how to get to room H107. Remember: there's a $2.00 parking fee, payable at the ticket machines in each lot. These ticket machines take dollar bills and quarters, but do not give change so be sure to bring correct bills and/or quarters to buy your parking ticket. Place the ticket face up on the driver's side of your dashboard.

We have a Networking Table from 6:30 to 7:00; if you have something to sell or trade, need technical help, or just want to exchange views, visit the Networking Table. The regular monthly meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. with Random Access where you can ask questions or report on technical problems, followed by a presentation by our guest speaker. Also, as usual, we'll have SIG news and some of our usual great door prizes.

Driving Directions:
680 Northbound:
Exit at Willow Pass Road
At the end of the exit ramp turn left onto Willow Pass Road
Continue on Willow Pass Road to the second signal and
turn right onto Contra Costa Blvd.

680 Southbound:
Exit at Concord Ave.
At the end of the exit ramp turn left on Contra Costa Blvd.

Direction into the Campus:
Continue on Contra Costa Blvd. to the signal at Golf Club Road and turn into Golf Club Road. At the second entrance into the campus turn left then immediately right to parking lot 7. Turn left into lot 7. Park (but don't use parking spaces that are reserved for faculty and staff only), then purchase a parking permit (see Parking Fees below) and put it on your dashboard. Click on this link (www.dvpc.org/about.html) to see:
> a detailed DVC map showing parking and our meeting room
> a map for driving to DVC
> an aerial view of the DVC campus

Parking fees:
On the Pleasant Hill campus parking permits are $2.00 per day. You can purchase permits at the parking permit machines marked with a red star on the maps on the DVPC website. Parking permit machines take nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollar coins. Note that these parking permit dispensers do not make change. DVC parking permits are required Monday through Friday at all times that classes are in session. That includes the times that DVPC meetings are held! Do not park in metered or faculty/staff spaces.

You need to purchase a parking permit and place it face up on your dashboard so it is clearly visible through the windshield. If you attend classes at DVC and have a campus parking permit, you can use it when you attend DVPC meetings.

Some members park (for free) in the College Park High School lot across Viking Drive from the DVC campus. Do so at your own risk!

Parking violations:
Be sure to purchase a parking permit! Fines range from $35 for parking in a regular space without a permit, to over $275 for illegally parking in a space reserved for the handicapped.

Parking alternatives:
Some members carpool and share the parking fee; they park at Sun Valley Mall, have dinner at one of the many restaurants in the mall, then take one car to the meeting. Some members park in the lots in front of College Park High School, which is across Viking Drive from DVC. Remember: if you decide to use any of these parking alternatives, you do so at your own risk!

Diablo Blue Password Access
by Ron Ogg, DVPC

You will need the monthly password to access the current issue of the newsletter. If you are a paid-up member of DVPC you'll receive an email message, usually on the Weekend prior to the meeting, with the password.

As each month's issue is uploaded, it's placed in a password protected folder on dvpc.org. When you click on the link to go to the newsletter, a dialog box will be displayed asking for the password from the email message. The password is case-sensitive; either copy it from the email message or make sure you type it correctly.

As we add the current month's newsletter, the password on the prior month's newsletter will be removed so anyone coming to the DVPC website can access older issues of Diablo Blue.

If you have any problems accessing a password protected newsletter, please email webbie@dvpc.org.

Watch for Updates!
by Ron Ogg, DVPC

With our new method of producing and publishing the monthly Diablo Blue newsletter, we can easily add updates to each month's issue. If an article is updated,the word Updated will be added in red

When we add a new article "mid-month" the entire entry will be shown in red in the Table of Contents.

President's Message
by Alan Mildwurm, DVPC

I write this just as Windows 7 makes its debut. I must admit, it seems a little anticlimactic. I recall being on the Microsoft Campus when Windows 95 was released and many of you probably remember DVPC as a host club when Windows 98 was rolled out. Those were definitely different times. Looking back, those operating systems seem woefully underpowered. USB was itself just being rolled out as Windows 95 released. Now we are looking at USB 3 — faster, more reliable, and able to connect certain devices directly together (without a computer). Our machines are vastly more powerful and amazingly cheaper. For the most part, things work — out of the box.

I must admit I have not yet installed my copy. (I will just as soon as things settle down around here!) From everything I have seen — including many demos at CES almost 1 year ago — it looks good and has the feel of a mature operating system. Hopefully, the driver morass which tainted Vista will not reoccur.

This month, Ron will demo Windows 7 — come give it a look. In December, Barry will demo Photoshop Elements 8 and show you a legal way to get rid of someone! If only it was that easy!

DVPC Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
by Tom Krauss, DVPC

The meeting got off to a relatively slow start. This has been the case with at least the last two Board meetings. I’ve been thinking about this for a while and the reason just dawned on me. Mel has not attended the past few meetings. I guess it’s true: you just don’t appreciate what you’ve got till it’s gone.

Mel is a veritable fountain of excitement and enthusiasm and her attitude is infectious. She delights in learning the arcane intricacies of digital and analogue communication. When Charlie or Nick start expounding on bandwidth, asynchronous communications, digital encryption, standards and technologies with names that are all consonants and numbers, it isn’t very long, you can be sure, until Mel’s head starts nodding in boredom enthusiastic agreement, her eyes glaze blaze over and her snoring boundless enthusiasm can be sensed throughout the room. I, too, experience much the same feelings during these technical dissertations.

Anyway, without Mel to ramp up the excitement level, the last few meetings have been pretty sedate affairs.

Now that I think about this some more (it’s a slow day here in the office), I suspect Mel has just discovered an effective way to avoid being drafted to make a presentation. We have been rather demanding of her over the past few months. I don’t think Mel’s preferences lie in making presentations. Fortunately, her passion for technology has allowed her to overcome her reservations and thus provided the club with some very interesting demonstrations in recent meetings. And it doesn’t hurt that most of the audience has trouble staying awake past 7:00 pm.

By now you’re probably wondering if I was really at the meeting myself, as these minutes have been rather thin on details. Well, I was there and the meeting itself was rather thin on details, at least those details pertaining to club business. Despite that fact, I took copious notes as always. Unfortunately I do not have them with me.

So let’s talk very briefly about Windows 7, which has been released this week. Vista was touted as replete with must-have new functions and features. Windows 7 is usually praised for being an improvement over Vista. I think the best comment on Vista is that last month most computers on Dell’s website came with Vista but were being optionally offered with XP, a non-supported operating system, at an additional cost. Apparently people were buying. Today a cursory survey found only references to Windows 7.

Nuts! I missed my chance to go with Vista.

My son is building a new computer for me. He has been running the pre-release Windows 7 for several months, and told me to hold off on a new machine until the release of Windows 7. So this time, in a few weeks and for a change, I will be running Windows 7 and will be on the cutting edge of Microsoft technology. A scary place to be….

Links to Interesting Online Articles
by Ron Ogg, DVPC

Here are links to some interesting articles I've found online. Check them out!

PCWorld.com — Windows 7 Review
Windows 7 gets the basics right. Here's what you need to know about the new OS...
Read more

PCWorld.com — How to Upgrade to Windows 7
Whether you're moving from Vista or from XP, we'll help you get up and running on Windows 7 without headaches...
Read more

ZDNet — Ed Bott's Microsoft Report: What Microsoft won't tell you about Windows 7 licensing — Upgrade versions and a BIG surprise
Let’s assume you have a machine with Windows installed on it. Maybe you bought it preinstalled from a PC maker. Maybe you upgraded a previous version (like XP to Vista or Vista to Windows 7). Maybe you built it yourself with a full retail license. Whatever. Now you want to upgrade. You have two options...
Read more

Microsoft — Continual reboot after attempting to upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7
When attempting to upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7 the upgrade attempt may fail with the message “This version of Windows could not be installed, Your previous version of Windows has been restored, and you can continue to use it." However, the next reboot of the machine will launch the upgrade process again only to fail with the same message... To resolve these issues...
Read more

cnet download.com — Quick Tip: Closing pop-ups the safe way — Video
Confronting a pop-up is one of those times when your gut reaction might lead you down the path of frustration and tears. If the "X" is spring-loaded with malware, anywhere you click on the pop-up could trigger that virus...
Read more

Computerworld Online — Gmail, Yahoo Mail join Hotmail; passwords exposed
BBC reports Gmail, Yahoo Mail, AOL and others targeted by 'industry-wide' attack...
Read more

PCMag.com — 2010 Security Suites: The Best and Worst
[PC Magazine] reviewed nearly a dozen 2010 security suites-find out which will keep you safe and which you should avoid...
Read more

Computerworld Operating Systems Newsletter — Windows 7 Install Trick Saves up to $100
Users can do a "clean" installation of Windows 7 using an upgrade license to save $80-$100 over the price of a "full" edition, a popular blog reported today...
Read more

infopackets — Report: Win7 Uses 20% Less Power; Extends Battery
Windows 7 is now available. And, of course, everyone is asking the question, "is it worth the upgrade?" For those of you who frequently rely on your laptop battery, the answer might be yes...
Read more

APCUG — Reports October-December 2009 Member Newsletter
APCUG REPORTS is published quarterly by the Association of Personal Computer User Groups...
Read more

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Nasty Outlook Web Access Malware
by Doug Spindler, Pacific IT Professionals

If you use Outlook Web Access (OWA), then over the past week or two you may have received telling you that you need to reconfigure your OWA settings by clicking on a link. The link they are given looks EXACTLY like a Microsoft OWA screen. (It would be hard for you to tell it's a fake page.) Once you enter your login info into the page the attackers have your login info, and your PC becomes infected with malware.

Be on the lookout for these fake OWA pages, do not click on the link, and delete the message immediately. This is a clever vector that's being reported by many. Warn whomever you know who uses OWA and always keep your computers patched.

Microsoft Support for Windows Update Problems
by Ron Ogg, DVPC

I was reading the latest CNet Community Help & How To email newsletter and it led me to a Microsoft support telephone number for Windows update problems. PCSafety is a toll-free telephone number to Microsoft technical support, and is for home users only, not business users.

PCSafety provides technical support for users who are having problems with Windows updates that won't install, crashed during installation, or are causing problems once they are installed. They also provide support for for users who are having problems upgrading Windows, like Windows 7 over Vista. They also provide support for users who have problems removing virus, malware, and spyware that's infecting their PCs.

You can contact Microsoft PCSafety at 1-866-727-2338 (866-PC-SAFETY).

Beneath the Surface: DeepPeeping the Web
by Jerry Goldstein, The PCUG of Connecticut

Last summer Google announced it had passed the one trillionth mark in its list of known and searchable Web pages.

If you think Google does the best job of searching the World Wide Web you will be in for a big surprise. By ‘big’ I mean a search engine that goes way beyond standard search engines like Google, which only look at the surface of the Web compared to the vast, deep, and so far uncharted depths of the Web. I say “you will be in for a big surprise” because a deeper search engine is only in it’s initial research stages.

Standard search engines only skim the surface of the Web. Kind of like you’re looking over the surface of the ocean, instead of looking into its vast undersea life. The plan is to create a search engine that will open 90% of the Web to searches.

A study at the University of Utah is trying to find a way. The study searches typed text rather than the hyperlinks that the present search engines use. A beta version of DeepPeep is available at: http://www.deeppeep.org/.

We have a long way to go but eventually almost the entirety of the Web will be searchable. Web pages exist already that tell you the best taxi fare, flight schedules, and shopping catalogs. DeepPeep wants to give you access to this information. A whole new way of searching has to be worked out first.

Scientists have said that 90% of what we know was discovered in the last 50 years. DeepPeep is working out a way to get that knowledge to you.

This article has been obtained from APCUG with the author’s permission for publication by APCUG member groups; all other uses require the permission of the author (jerryg (at) attygoldstein.com).

Net Neutrality
by Ira Wilsker, APCUG

I have taken pride over the years that I have written this column to offer my readers a non-political and non-partisan break from the political tribulations of the day. Unfortunately, sometimes politics and technology clash, with each side having an argument supporting its opinions, and expressing why the other side is wrong. A long standing dispute rages in the technology world about the internet, and who should control the access to it. This is not some type of political censorship like what we often see in totalitarian regimes, but an economic issue where strong powers on both sides of the issue are taking a stance on the future of the internet. This is not a classical Democrat versus Republican, or liberal versus conservative squabble, but a dispute about the potential revenue streams and the use and control of the bandwidth that we have available. This often heated discussion has made it to the halls of Congress and to the bowels of the regulatory agencies, with heavy input from the participants, all of whom are trying to protect their turf. While the issues are complex, and I will try to explain both sides of the issue in an impartial manner, the name of the controversy carries the simple moniker of “Net Neutrality”.

According to Wikipedia, “At its simplest, network neutrality is the principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally. Net neutrality advocates have established three principal definitions of network neutrality: Absolute non-discrimination; Limited discrimination without QoS (Quality of Service) tiering; and Limited discrimination and tiering.” The expression “Absolute non-discrimination” was defined by Columbia Law School professor Tim Wu as “The idea is that a maximally useful public information network aspires to treat all content, sites, and platforms equally.” The part about limited discrimination without quality of service tiering basically means that while internet services providers can offer different levels of service (speed and volume) to their customers at different prices, they should not charge special fees for a higher quality of service, or priority in delivering information. University of Michigan Law School professor Susan P. Crawford "believes that a neutral Internet must forward packets on a first-come, first served basis, without regard for quality-of-service considerations." “Limited discrimination and tiering” means that there can be no exclusivity in service contracts, and that internet service providers and carriers cannot charge users for exclusive access to another’s content. This concept is not some new creation of the internet age, but a well established 150 year old legal principal. Again, according to Wikipedia, “In 1860, a US federal law was passed to subsidize a telegraph line, stating that messages received from any individual, company, or corporation, or from any telegraph lines connecting with this line at either of its termini, shall be impartially transmitted in the order of their reception, excepting that the dispatches of the government shall have priority... An act to facilitate communication between the Atlantic and Pacific states by electric telegraph, June 16, 1860.”

Google has published a policy statement (google.com/help/netneutrality.html) that says, “Network neutrality is the principle that Internet users should be in control of what content they view and what applications they use on the Internet. The Internet has operated according to this neutrality principle since its earliest days... Fundamentally, net neutrality is about equal access to the Internet. In our view, the broadband carriers should not be permitted to use their market power to discriminate against competing applications or content. Just as telephone companies are not permitted to tell consumers who they can call or what they can say, broadband carriers should not be allowed to use their market power to control activity online.” Google is not alone with this concept, and has been joined by many large content providers, including Yahoo!, Vonage, eBay, Amazon, EarthLink, and others

What is happening today is that some internet service providers (ISPs) are either hindering access to popular online video and audio services, or implementing a special fee or charge to the user in order to be able to access these services at the users’ normal access speeds. Some of the carriers engaged in these practices cite the infrastructure cost that this high bandwidth usage incurs, and that it is only fair to charge a premium price to those who are taxing the capacity of the systems. According to the website SaveTheInternet.com, “…cable and telecommunications companies such as AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner of wanting "to be Internet gatekeepers, deciding which Web sites go fast or slow and which won't load at all. These companies want to tax content providers to guarantee speedy delivery of their data ... to discriminate in favor of their own search engines, Internet phone services, and streaming video while slowing down or blocking their competitors."

The cable and telecommunications companies are represented by the US Telecom Broadband Association (www.ustelecom.org) and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, (www.ncta.com), which have aptly presented the side of the big carriers. The design, construction, maintenance, and upgrading of the intranet infrastructure are very capital intensive, and the demands on the networks are increasing dramatically. As stated by Wikipedia, “…telecom providers should have the ability to provide preferential treatment in the form of a tiered services, for example by giving online companies willing to pay the ability to transfer their data packages faster than other Internet traffic. The added revenue from such services could be used to pay for the building of increased broadband access to more consumers.”

The NCTA, on its webpage (www.ncta.com) says, “There is no evidence that consumers are being prevented from accessing any lawful content on the Internet, nor are broadband providers impeding customers from subscribing to broadband applications that don’t harm the network. The best consumer protection is a vibrant marketplace in which choice for providers exists and allows subscribers to switch if they're not satisfied with the current service. The biggest risk of Internet Regulation is that it will freeze investment and innovation in further broadband deployment and development.” USTelecom, representing the broadband providers, states on its webpage (www.ustelecom.org), “This unnecessary intervention would slow broadband deployment and the arrival of a wide variety of pro-consumer advances. Regulating the Internet would delay the arrival of life-enhancing technological advances in health care, education, the economy and beyond by sending a distinct chill through the investment climate. This ‘about face’ for U.S. innovation policy would undermine the critical progress being made in today’s competitive Internet marketplace, where adoption is accelerating across demographic groups and nearly 1,400 companies are racing to extend broadband’s capacity and reach throughout our country. Instead of slamming on the brakes of our information economy and slowing the arrival of new innovations in our lives, our government should stay focused on broadband deployment and pro-investment policies that bring the high-speed Internet and its many possibilities to all Americans.” According to Wikipedia, “John Thorne, senior vice president and deputy general counsel of Verizon, …has argued that they will have no incentive to make large investments to develop advanced fibre-optic networks if they are prohibited from charging higher preferred access fees to companies that wish to take advantage of the expanded capabilities of such networks. Thorne and other ISPs have accused Google and Skype of freeloading or free riding for using a network of lines and cables the phone company spent billions of dollars to build.”

None of the combatants in this battle are claiming that the internet should be fiscally free, or that it is wrong for the ISPs to charge different rates for different speeds and bandwidth limits. What is in dispute is whether all content should be treated (and charged) equally in terms of bandwidth and speed used, and whether the users of heavy content providers (such as streaming DVDs by Netflix) get equal access to the capacity the internet. Hypothetically, an ISP could charge a user a premium price for priority access to streaming DVDs, and thus transmit that data ahead of his neighbors’ email, or offer faster speeds to users of its own content than it does to other providers. Another consideration under dispute is whether an ISP should be able to provide a higher quality of service and speed to its own digital phone service than it does another digital phone service, such as Vonage or Skype. Discrimination of these types is contrary to the concept of “net neutrality”.

This is a tough issue with valid points made by both sides. Hopefully the above content and links will provide the reader with adequate information and resources on both sides of the debate such that he can make his own decision. As the technology advances, and our demands on the internet infrastructure increases, we as a society must come up with some viable way to ensure that the capacity is there when and where we need it.

Websites for information about Net Neutrality:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_neutrality
www.google.com/help/netneutrality.html
www.savetheinternet.com
www.ncta.com/IssueBriefs/Network-Management.aspx?view=2
www.ustelecom.org
www.ustelecom.org/Issues/PreventingInternetRegulation/
PreventingInternetRegulation.html

How Can I Tell if My PC is 32 bit or 64 bit?
By Ron Ogg, DVPC

At the November Windows SIG meeting Art Bonwell asked "How can I tell if my PC is 32 bit or 64 bit?" We fumbled around a bit, but weren't real sure that we'd come up with a definitive answer to his question.

Well, as will happen in this Internet Age, the next day I was going through my ever-expanding collection of email newsletters and found that definitive answer Art was seeking. Actually there are two definitive answers. The first answers his PC-related question; the second answers a question he didn't ask: "How can I tell if my OS is 32 bit or 64 bit." Both answers are from the Ask Leo email newsletter. It's free and filled with useful tips and tricks; go to http://ask-leo.com/ and sign up.

You can read both answers to Art's question yourself by going to this page on the Ask Leo website right now:
http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_tell_if_i_have_32_bit_or_64.html.

TweakNow PowerPack 2009
by Ira Wilsker, APCUG

A Comprehensive Free Utility for Windows

Regular readers of this column are well aware that I am a utility junkie. I like downloading PC utilities in the never-ending saga of trying to improve PC performance and reliability. There are many very good performance utilities out there, both free and commercial, which will likely improve the functioning of the PC. Sadly, there are also some utilities that are downright dangerous or are scams that try to separate the desperate computer user from his money. Still, I have this insatiable desire to try these utilities and see what they can do. For safety and security reasons, I always have a current backup of my critical files just in case something goes wrong, which has inevitably happened to me more times than I am comfortable to admit.

I subscribe to several software email lists and RSS feeds where I get the latest software news and information on new releases and updates. One British list that I subscribe to via RSS is Download Reviews (www.v3.co.uk/downloads), and its sister site Download Junkie (www.downloadjunkie.co.uk). These websites are excellent sources of software news, including occasional announcements about some prominent commercial software publishers that sometimes release full versions of their commercial software at no charge, but which are only available free for a very limited time.

I recently read a review of a free utility that piqued my curiosity, TweakNow PowerPack 2009 (www.tweaknow.com). Being the skeptic that I am, I had this inner drive (addiction) to download it and try it. The reviews about it were very positive, and I searched several of the independent computer magazines’ online editions, and found some complimentary reviews of TweakNow products. Verifying that my backups and security software were in order, I installed TweakNow PowerPack 2009 on my Vista 64 machine, as it is more software finicky than my XP machine when it comes to software utilities. I was pleasantly surprised to have TweakNow install smoothly and quickly on the 64-bit machine. The version that I downloaded and installed was 1.6.0000 Beta 2 which appears to be stable and fully functional. It is explicitly written for Windows XP, Vista (32 and 64), and Windows 7 (32 and 64). The interface is clean and intuitive with an even dozen menu items listed on the left side under the heading “System Tools”. Clicking on an item in the left menu opens the main window with a more detailed selection of functions.

At the top of the list is “Disk Cleaner” which selectively searches all attached drives for obsolete and useless files, freeing up space on the hard drive. It has never failed to amaze me how much clutter I often find when I work on others’ computers, and this utility is good at finding that clutter. The “Disk Usage Analyzer” graphically displays the makeup of the directories on the hard drive along with information on the directories. “Miscellaneous Tools” has six tools which can be used to control the processes running on the computer, optimize the memory (many pundits claim that this function is unnecessary), and control how CDs autorun.

As we install and uninstall software and hardware, the Windows registry becomes bloated with outdated and obsolete entries, which at worst can lead to substantial degradation of performance, conflicts between components, and other maladies. Some self-proclaimed computer experts tout that the registry should be cleaned periodically, or at least monthly, to remove the debris and outmoded entries that may be the source of many computing problems. As a safety precaution, it is good practice to create a system restore point or otherwise backup the registry before doing anything to the registry, just in case something goes wrong. The “Registry Cleaner” integrated with the TweakNow PowerPack is also available as a freestanding utility from the tweaknow.com website. Scanning the registry for errors may take a few minutes, and this software uses a green shield icon with a white checkmark to indicate those registry items that are likely safe to delete. As items are written to and deleted from the registry, gaps are created in the file structure which waste space, and may lead to slower booting and shutdown. Included with TweakNow is a Registry Defragmenter which will remove the gaps from the “hives” or sections of the registry, making it smaller and more efficient.

Many computers are slow booting and sluggishly running because too many items are loaded when the computer is turned on, and this consumes system resources. While Windows has a “geekish” MSCONFIG utility that can be used to control what loads when the computer is booted, the Startup Manager in PowerPack makes the process easy by simply unchecking the box adjacent to an unwanted item. If the user changes his mind later, or finds that an item unchecked is desired, simple re-checking the item will load that item at the next boot.

Sometimes it is necessary to know explicitly what is in your computer in terms hardware and the operating system. The “System Information” component displays the hardware components model numbers, firmware versions, driver builds, and other technical information that may be critical to have when repairing, updating, or upgrading the computer, as well as details about the build and version of Windows.

Personal privacy is an issue that many of us are concerned with, and the PowerPack has a “Track Cleaner” which will delete temporary internet files, cookies, cache, and other internet tracks left on the computer. PowerPack can clean tracks left on Internet Explorer up to version 8, and Firefox up to version 3.5, as well as those tracks left by Windows itself. While somewhat redundant with Window’s own Add/Remove utility, PowerPack has a capable “Uninstall Program” function that can be used to uninstall any no longer wanted programs.

One of my favorite features in TweakNow PowerPack 2009 is the “Windows Secret” utility which has eleven sections each containing tweaks that can be used to improve the performance of Windows, enhance the appearance of the desktop, secure the control panel, customize the start menu, and control the way that the Windows Explorer file manager appears and functions. Well over 100 tweaks are available with this “Secret” utility. For those who just want to improve performance with minimal effort, the “Quick TuneUp” offers a single click way to perform the basic tune-up functions, such as cleaning the registry and removing hard drive clutter.

I will be the first to admit that I have made many mistakes when fooling around with computer settings. What is nice about TweakNow is that it automatically makes a backup of whatever was changed, enabling the user to restore or un-do what was done. This is accessed by clicking on “Restore Backup” which shows a directory of the changes implemented, and a single click will restore the selected changes.

TweakNow PowerPack 2009 is a very capable free utility that can do much to enhance the performance of a PC. TweakNow is about to release a low-cost “professional” version with even more features for XP, Vista and “7”, but with a bargain price of only $10. The free version of PowerPack 2009 is quite capable; I eagerly look forward to see what TweakNow can add to a professional version.

Announcing Acronis True Image Home 2010
by Gene Barlow, User Group Relations

Copyrighted October 2009.

Acronis recently announced a significant new release of their top rated backup utility, Acronis True Image Home 2010. This new release adds many practical new features to a product already packed with excellent function. The product may be ordered now on our secure web site at www.ugr.com/TrueImage.html for only $29 (as a download) or $29 plus shipping (on a CD).

Here are a few of the new features included:

• Support for Microsoft® Windows 7 – Thoroughly tested to run on the new Windows 7 operating system. It also delivers more comprehensive functionality over Microsoft Windows 7 backup capabilities. So, if you are planning a move to Windows 7 in the future, you need to backup first with True Image 2010.
  
  
• Acronis Nonstop Backup – Near-CDP (Continuous Data Protection) is now available to Acronis True Image Home users. You will be able to revert your documents to previous states in time. This may come in handy when you accidentally deleted an important document or made some corrections that turned out to be wrong and you need to return the document to the state in which it was, for example, two weeks ago. When you need to recover a file, a Windows Explorer-like browser with integrated search makes searching for a file you need to recover very easy. But Acronis Nonstop Backup is much more than a versioning tool. It also provides for recovering your system if you ever need that.
  
  
• Online backup – you can make your critically important data much more secure by storing it off-site. Because files are stored on a remote storage, they are protected even if your computer gets stolen or your house burns down. So the risk of data loss as a result of fire, theft, or other natural disasters is practically eliminated. And you can safely recover any corrupted, lost or deleted files on your computer. Integrating online backup into Acronis True Image Home provides a single solution for all your data backup needs.
  
  
• Powerful scheduler - The scheduler became more powerful and flexible. We expanded the set of already existing scheduling options. The new scheduler allows you to specify the date when a scheduled task should run for the first time. While scheduling a monthly task, you can use a month calendar for specifying the date (e.g. 1st day of the month) or dates for running the task (e.g. on 10th, 20th, Last day of the month). If you do not need to run a scheduled task for some time, but intend to use it again in the future, you can disable the task for the time being and then re-enable it when required. So it is not necessary to recreate the task from scratch. You can clone a scheduled task and then introduce some minor changes into the duplicate. This may be useful when creating several similar tasks. In combination with a selected backup method and automatic consolidation rules, the scheduler allows implementing various backup strategies.
  
  
• Selective validation – Earlier versions of Acronis True Image Home could validate only a whole backup archive. Sometimes this may be inconvenient. Suppose, you have a full backup archive with a size of 20GB and a longish chain of differential backups having sizes of several gigabytes each and amounting to 100GB. In this case Acronis True Image Home validated the whole 120GB archive and this could take quite a long time. Now the program will validate just a single selected differential backup and the full one.
  
  
• VHD format support – Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) is a file format containing the complete contents and structure representing a hard disk drive. Furthermore, Windows Backup utility included into Windows Vista (except Home editions) and Windows 7 operating systems now uses this format for backing up an image of the system hard drive when users select the "Complete PC Backup" option. Acronis True Image Home can convert vhd files into tib files and vice versa, recover operating system from vhd files, and even boot from vhd images of Windows 7.
  
  
• Booting from tib images containing Windows 7 – Users of the Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 7 Ultimate can boot from a tib image containing a backup of their system partition. This will allow testing the bootability of the backed up system without actual recovery. If the operating system boots from the tib file, then it will definitely boot after recovery from that tib file.
  
  
• Try & Decide New features -- Try & Decide now can protect your system not only to Acronis Secure Zone, but to the protected volume itself, or any other volume. Now users can protect not only a single system partition during Try & Decide session, but as many volumes as needed. This is very handy when the applications being installed make changes on two volumes and in many other cases.
  

Acronis True Image Home 2010 is available from us for only $29 (as a download) or $29 plus shipping (on a CD) and you get a full new license of the product and not an upgrade license. If you order the product on a CD, you also get our Perfect Backup Approach tutorial to help you understand the best way to do backups. There is also a step by step Starter Guide for installing and using the product for the first few times. The full Acronis User Guide is also on the CD for your use. In addition, I try to help my customers when they have questions about True Image. You also have the normal (first 30-days free) technical support through Acronis to assist you. You can order your copy of Acronis True Image Home 2010 from us at www.ugr.com/TrueImage.html. Make sure you use the order code of UGTIH2010 when placing your order.

If you are a current user of Acronis True Image, then you will want to get this new release and put all of the new features to work for you. If you have not started a backup plan for your computer, then this is the best product to accomplish this important task on your computer. In either case, place your order today so that you can enjoy this new product soon. If you have any questions about this article or Acronis True Image Home 2010, please send them to support@ugr.com. I look forward to helping you if I can. 

Gene Barlow
User Group Relations             gene@ugr.com
PO Box 911600                       www.ugr.com
St George, UT 84791-1600    

This is one of a series of technical articles that I distribute to those that have subscribed to this newsletter. You can subscribe at www.ugr.com/NewsletterRegistration.html.  Watch for them and learn more about your computer and its hard drive. If you do not want to receive these newsletters, simply reply and ask to have your name removed from the list and I will do so immediately. User group newsletter editors may print this article in their monthly newsletter as long as the article is printed in its entirety and not cut or edited. Please send me a copy of the newsletter containing the article so that I can see what groups are running the articles.

Electronic Waste — Where to Dispose of It
by Peggy Johnson, DVPC

Here's a list of ewaste donation sites in Central Contra County County. We've included sites where you can recycle single-use and rechargeable batteries, and to dispose of unneeded pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter medications. Be sure to check the websites to determine what they will accept. If you know or learn of others, please let me know with the location, hours, and website URL.

Computers and Electronics

Hauling Pros Recycling Center
www.dumpmytv.com
73A South Buchanan Circle
(on the left behind S&S Roofing)
Pacheco, CA 94553
925-682-8987
Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Rapid Recycle
www.rapidrecycle.net
110 Second Ave., South B-1
Pacheco, CA 94553
925-671-8008
Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Recycle for Breast Cancer
www.recycleforbreastcancer.org/dropoffanytime.htm
31 Beta Court, Suite C
San Ramon, CA 94583
800-315-9580
7 days a week excluding holidays 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
A completed donation form is requested at the time of donation; this form can be downloaded from their website

e-Recycle OnUs
www.erecycleonus.com
1271 Boulevard Way
(at back left corner past East Bay Art and CTA)
Walnut Creek, CA 94595
925-934-1515
Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Electronic Waste Management
www.noewaste.com
E-Waste recycling events at Diablo Valley College
321 Golf Club Road
(in DVC overflow parking lot across from north side of main campus)
Pleasant Hill, CA
866-335-3373
First Saturday of every month (except holidays)
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where to recycle Batteries

Single-Use Household Batteries
CVS/Longs Drugs
www.longs.com
Alamo, Blackhawk, Danville, Lafayette,
Moraga, Orinda, Walnut Creek, San Ramon
Right Aid Drugstores
www.rightaid.com
Orinda, Walnut Creek
Radio Shack
www.radioshack.com
Danville, Walnut Creek
Check websites for store hours

Rechargeable Batteries
Right Aid Drugstores
www.rightaid.com
Check website for store hours

Where to Dispose of Unneeded Pharmaceutical and Over-the-Counter Medications
Walnut Creek City Hall
www.walnut-creek.org
1666 North Main Street, Walnut Creek
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Look for the green Pharmaceutical Disposal bin
Please don't flush your drugs!

How and Where to Recycle or Dispose of Other Household Waste Items
Central Contra Costa Sanitary District
The CCCSD has a two-page Disposal Guide for Central Contra Costa County brochure that can be viewed online or printed. This handy guide tells how to dispose of common household waste in safe, simple, and environmentally healthy ways. Click on the link below to access the brochure.
www.centralsan.org/documents/Brochure_Disposal_Guide.pdf

This brochure requires Adobe Acrobat Reader; you can download and install the latest version of Acrobat Reader by clicking this icon.

Photoshop Elements SIG Meeting Program
by Peggy Johnson, DVPC

The Adobe Photoshop Elements SIG meeting will be held on Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the home of Peggy Johnson in Concord, CA.

We cover and discuss the Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements software programs, along with other photo and video manipulation programs. As usual, check out the Elements SIG pages at www.bkbrown.net for all the latest news, information and tutorials.

The Photoshop Elements SIG meets on the third or fourth Thursday of each month; be sure to check Peggy's email notice for the topic and meeting date!

Please email Peggy for further information and/or directions.

Windows SIG Meeting Program
by Walt Parsons, DVPC

The Windows SIG meeting will be held on Monday, December 7, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. We'll discuss toys and software you can get for your computer this holiday season.

Note: Last month's Windows SIG meeting was held on November 2, prior to the publication date for this month's Diablo Blue newsletter.

The Windows SIG meetings are held in the Community Room at the Concord Police Station. See the detailed directions on the DVPC SIG News page.

The Daily Dilbert Cartoon
by Scott Adams