Diablo Blue

The Newsletter of the Diablo Valley PC Users Group

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APRIL 1, 2010 MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT

Social Networking: Posting Videos and More
Presenter: Rebecca Mildwurm, Barry Brown, and Nick Chase, DVPC

YouTube. Facebook. MySpace. Friendster. Twitter. Social networking seems to be taking over the internet. Certainly young people, from pre-teens through young adults, are involved in this phenomenon. And now it's spreading to adults and seniors at a much faster rate than its current growth in the youth markets. Of course, that's due to the relative numbers of participants in each age group. But it shows that adults and seniors are attracted to the method of communication and community that social networking sites provide.

The topic of this month's DVPC meeting is Social Networking: Posting Videos and More. This is something we're all accustomed to; everyone seems to watch YouTube videos on a wide range of subjects, from singing cats through political bombast. What's interesting about YouTube and other social networking sites is that it's easy to post a video. Anyone can do it. And at our April 1 meeting we're going to show you exactly how to do it, from tips about the best way to take the video, showing how to edit it so it's ready for posting, and then actually posting it on YouTube. Then we'll show how you can track how many YouTube visitors view your video, and describe ways about how you can attract visitors to view what you've posted.

This month's meeting will be particularly fun, interesting, and informative. We'll see you on April 1, 2010 at Diablo Valley College. And this is NOT going to be an April Fool meeting!

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 H107 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

For the first time in several months I am writing a president's  newsletter. in actuality I'm not even writing this I am dictating it to my iPhone and it is being transcribed by the Dragon voice recognition app As I speak. I am going to upload this directly to Ron to insert into the newsletter so that you can see how well this application does without any editing or training whatsoever. obviously as you read this you will see some errors but when you think about how easy it is to use and how accurately it transcribes my voice without any training it is actually an excellent piece of software. our April meeting will be a how to use Facebook and twitter and the discussion of some of the other social networking programs that are available.

It should be a very interesting meeting and we look forward to seeing you this coming Thursday

Sent from my iPhone
Alan Mildwurm

Links to Interesting Online Articles
by Ron Ogg, DVPC

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

Computerworld — FCC's national broadband plan: What's next?
When the U.S. Federal Communications Commission officially releases the nation's first national broadband plan Tuesday, the document will be just the start of a long process to extend broadband service to millions of U.S. residents...
Read more

NetworkWorld — Facebook's most wanted
Social networking has a dark and hilarious side of ill-conceived criminality. Here are some of Facebook's dimmest crooks (and smartest detectives)...
Read more

SitePoint Tech Times — What Makes a Good “404 Not Found” Page?
This time we're not going to take you to an article to read. Instead, we've found this item on SitePoint's Tech Times and we're going to let you have a little fun. If you have either the Safari or Chrome browser when you click the link below you'll see what can be done with that old, boring 404 error. If you don't have one of those browsers, go ahead and click to see the amusing 404 message without its animated graphic background...
Read more

ZDNet Asia — Bad security update brings down PCs worldwide
A number of BitDefender users, whose 64-bit Windows systems stopped working or were unable to be rebooted after updating their security programs, vented their frustration by flooding the antivirus (AV) vendor's forum pages over the weekend...
Read more

InfoWorld —Beware: The social networking cops are here
Think you're safe if you post from home? Think again: Social Sentry alerts your boss to tweets and posts he might not like, even if you're outside the corporate network...
Read more

AVG — AVG Rescue CD
This is something a little different, it isn't a link to an article. It's a link to a free software utility for rescuing your PC. It seems to be oriented to IT professionals, but hey, we're members of DVPC so that makes us sort of IT professionals, right? The AVG Rescue CD is a powerful must-have toolkit for the rescue and repair of infected machines...
Read more

PC World — What to Do When You Lose Your Tech Gear
When your cell phone, laptop, or other gear goes missing, these essential tips will improve your odds of recovering it ­— or ensure that the lost item won’t come back to haunt you...
Read more

Nybbles and Bits
by John Pearce, Pikes Peak Computer Application Society

Last month, I mentioned an article in TechRepublic regarding removing old drivers from your system. Little did I know that issue was going surface in my notebook computer that I upgraded to Win 7. The touchpad on my notebook computer has a vertical scroll area at the right side of the pad. I had no problems using the vertical scroll until I upgraded to Win 7 at which point, it stopped working.

I ignored the problem until just after the January Pikes Peak Computer Application Society meeting. When I started to investigate and tried to access the settings for the touchpad, there was a pop-up dialogue box telling me that IntelliPoint was blocked from running because of known incompatibilities with Win 7. It took me a few minutes to remember that I had bought a USB mouse and installed Microsoft IntelliPoint software shortly after purchasing the notebook. I had used the USB mouse until I bought a Logitech wireless mouse a year or so ago.

My first thought was to just remove the offending software. Good idea except there was nothing shown for IntelliPoint in the Programs and Features list and nothing for the USB mouse in the Mice section of Device Manager. Connecting the USB mouse made it appear in Device Manager and caused IntelliPoint to appear in the Programs list. I thought I was close to being done. Surprise, surprise! Trying to perform an uninstall of
the software produced the pop-up about IntelliPoint being blocked. I wondered how you could uninstall it if it was blocked from running. This time the pop-up dialogue box provided a link to an update and I performed the update. After the IntelliPoint update completed, the vertical scroll on the touchpad worked correctly. However, I decided to remove IntelliPoint because I no longer use the USB mouse and could not think of a
good reason to leave the software installed.

This is the first time I can remember where it was necessary to upgrade software just to remove it. I expect the Win 7 upgrade did not upgrade the IntelliPoint software because the USB mouse was not connected at the time the upgrade was performed. Maybe next time I will remember that USB devices should be plugged in during an upgrade and to make the related software and drivers visible. Even better would be to remove old drivers as TechRepublic suggests.

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 (Glenihan (at) comcast.net).

This and That, or Things that May Interest You
by Lynn Page, Crystal River Users Group

Windows 7 

Shake
Minimize all windows but one whit shake, click and hold down on the title bar and shake to maximize that windows and minimize all others. Shake again to restore all.

Snap
Snap can display two windows side by side with each filling half of the screen. With one window active press and hold the Windows key while hitting the left or right arrow key. The window snaps to that side. Do the same with the other window but press the other arrow key while holding the Windows key down.

Maximize/Restore Windows
To maximize a window with press and hold down the Windows key while hitting the up arrow key. To restore the window hold the Windows key and hit the down arrow button.

Snipping Tool
The snipping tool has been improved in Windows 7. You can snip a whole window, a rectangular section of the screen, or draw a freehand outline with your mouse or tablet pen. You can save it as a graphic file or annotate with basic drawing tools. And you no longer have the red snipping border.

Windows Mail 

Windows Mail can handle a variety of different accounts. So you can set up a single personal email account, or add a work or other personal accounts and even newsgroups. With multiple accounts I like to put each account in a separate folder.

Add a New Account
In Windows Mail click Accounts in the Tools drop down menu. Click the Add button select the type of account to add, click Next, and then follow the instructions inputting the logon and server information for the email account. 

Delete an Account
In Windows Mail click Accounts in the Tools drop down menu. Select the account to remove and then click Remove.

Blocked Email Attachments
To protect your computer from file attachments that are commonly used to spread email viruses Windows Mail blocks certain types of files, like: .exe, .pif, and .scr files. When Windows Mail blocks an attachment, the Information bar displays a message notifying you and listing the attachment that was blocked.

To access blocked attachments close the message with the attachment. Then in the Tools drop down menu select Options. Click the Security tab and clear the Do not allow Attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus check box. Next reopen the message. Once you access the attachment it is better to repeat the process and block the attachments again.

Junk Mail Folder
Windows Mail’s junk email filter is designed to catch obvious spam and move them to the Junk e‑mail folder. helps manage your Inbox to keep it free of unwanted email.

Change the Junk Email Protection Level 
In the Tools drop down menu click Junk e‑mail Options and set the protection level you want:

Move a Message from the Junk Email Folder to the Inbox 
Open the Junk email folder and select the message to move to the Inbox. In the toolbar  point to Junk email and click Mark as Not Junk in the drop down menu. The message is moved to your Inbox.

Add Sender to the Blocked Senders List 
Select a message from the sender to add to the Blocked Senders list. On the toolbar point to Junk email and then click Add Sender to Blocked Senders List. This blocks all future messages from that specific sender.

Add Sender to the Safe Senders List 
Select a message from the sender to add to the Safe Senders list. On the toolbar point to Junk email, and then click Add Sender to Safe Senders List. This allows all future messages from that specific sender.

Correct File Associations
If files are opening in the wrong application find one of the files and right clip it. Then in Windows Vista, select Open With and then Choose Default Program. From the list of programs select the program to use. Or Browse to add a program to the list. Click to check the Always use the selected program to open this kind of file box and then click OK. In Windows XP, after right clicking the file select Open With. Then find the program to use. or Browse to find another program. Again, check Always use the selected program to open this kind of file and click OK.

Remove Your Phone Number from Searches 

Google
Search to find your listing in Google's PhoneBook. Then go to Google's online PhoneBook Name Removal form and enter the information as it appeared in the Google listing.

WhitePages.com
Find your listing on WhitePages.com. and at the bottom of your listing click the small link that for "Is this you? Remove your listing." Confirm the remove request.

Yahoo
Find your listing using Yahoo!'s People Search. Then use the online Remove Phone Listing form and enter your name as it appears in the listing.

Switchboard.com
Find your listing by searching Switchboard. Click the Remove this listing link beside the listing and provide your email address. 

Office 2007 

Format Painter
The Format Painter is an easy way to copy formatting you want to duplicate on other text. Select the text to copy the format from, click the Format Painter button and then select the text to format. To apply the same formatting to more than one item, select the text with the formatting, double-click Format Painter, and then select each word, phrase, or paragraph you want to apply formatting to. When finished, click the Format Painter again or press ESC. Format Painter is available in most Office programs.

Create a Theme from a Document
Themes are a valuable asset in Word and other Office files. A theme is a combination of theme colors, theme fonts, and theme effects. When you have generated a document with just the perfect formatting you may want to use it again. So save the formatting as a custom theme. With the document open on the Page Layout tab, in the Themes group, click Themes. At the bottom of the menu, click Save Current Theme. Provide a file name and click save.

Use a Theme from another Document
If you didn’t create a theme from a document you can still use it as a theme for a new document. Open the document that you want to apply a different theme to and on the Page Layout tab, in the Themes group, click Themes. At the bottom of the menu, click Browse for Themes. In the Choose Theme or Themed Document dialog box, select the 2007 Office document that contains the theme to apply, and click Open. 

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 (newsletter (at) crug.com).

BeWARES!
by Berry F. Phillips, Computer Club of Oklahoma City

The wares have often perplexed computer users with numerous decisions regarding software. The multitude of wares have been even more confusing. Comware is commercial software which generally has more "bells and whistles" but requires the highest financial expenditure without the option to try the software in advance. Trialware is usually characterized on the Internet as a free download for a limited time but requires a purchase to continue using the software. Shareware is also free to download but often has features turned off or has an expiration date unless you purchase the software. Trialware and Shareware do offer an opportunity to use the software before making the decision to purchase. Freeware is free for personal use on the Internet but it may contain adware, viruses, or be poor software. Further, the marketing promotion of the wares can be even more misleading, causing you to download and then delete software that you thought was freeware when you discover it is, in fact, pay ware.

The world of wares can be very frustrating a well as expensive to the computer user. One can spend considerable time, frustration, and even expense downloading and deleting various wares on the Internet. Beware, retailers will not accept returned comware after it has been opened for a money back guarantee. Relax, my holiday gift to my readers is a solution to the problem that I have used for several years, saving me considerable time and money!  However, I have had to endure personal comments from some of my fellow computer users that I am "cheap!"  Since my ancestry is Scottish who are known for being thrifty, I do not consider that comment an insult. However,  I do prefer the use of the word "conservative" to the rather blunt, "cheap."

Excluding my operating system, I have nothing but freeware downloaded from the Internet on my system!  Aha, you are thinking, but what about adware, viruses, or poor freeware, and the considerable time in downloading and deleting it takes to find the best freeware on the Internet? There are several sites that contain only freeware. However,  I  recommend Gizmo's Freeware site because I have used it for several years and found it to be very effective in reviewing freeware and efficient to use in going quickly via links to safe and secure freeware sites for downloading. I am reluctant to recommend other sites that I have not used for purposes of this article.

Gizmo's Freeware is easy to use and makes it very simple to locate the best freeware on the Internet because it is extensively reviewed before it is recommended. Until July 2008 Gizmo was the editor of "Support Alert", a highly recommended technical newsletter that was distributed to over 150,000 subscribers. The site evolved from his highly popular list of the "46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities."  The site grew well beyond 46 and reached the point that it could not be maintained by one person. Today, the site has grown into a kind of Wikipedia for Freeware utilizing contributions of dozens of volunteer editors who edit and moderate suggestions from thousands of site visitors. As a result, the range of free software covered by the site is ever increasing and the quality of the reviews are ever improving. Gizmo's Freeware has, in a real sense, become the "Wikipedia for Freeware."  I strongly suggest you check your freeware on your system against the recommendations of the best and consider downloading the best.

The primary purpose of Gizmo's Freeware is to make it easy to select the best freeware product for your particular needs. The best freeware programs are as good  or better than their commercial counterparts but finding the most appropriate programs can be challenging. There are dozens of freeware download sites but few of these actually help you select the best program for your needs. The site has no downloads just honest advice and useful guidance. Links are provided where you can safely and securely download the product you want. Furthermore, you will know that what you have selected is the best available. Gizmo's Freeware is easy to use and will save you time, money, and lots of frustration!

BE SURE TO BOOKMARK GIZMO'S FREEWARE  BECAUSE YOU WILL USE IT
FREQUENTLY TO SOLVE PROBLEMS -- SAVING YOU MONEY, TIME, AND LOTS OF STRESS:  http://www.techsupportalert.com/ 

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 (wijames (at) sbcglobal.net).

Neat Things You can do with a Flash Drive
by Vinny La Bash, Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group

By now you’re probably tired of reading about how much better Windows 7 is than Vista. Me too, so let’s spend some time examining some of the things you can do with a flash drive other than mere data storage. A USB flash drive consists of a flash memory data storage device integrated with a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface. USB flash drives are easily removable, and much smaller than a floppy disk. They are rewritable, and usually weigh less than an ounce. There is a wide range of storage capacities with the most common being from 2 GB to 32 GB. Higher capacities up to 256 GB tend to be pricey.

One of the most useful things you can do with a flash drive is to run portable applications. Open Office, for example, is a free suite of programs that includes a word processor, spreadsheet, data manager, presentation tool, and drawing package. You can store the suite as a portable application, and run it on any computer that supports Windows. Firefox and Thunderbird are also available as mobile applications.

Having office applications, email, and an internet browser all pooled in a portable drive you can carry on a key chain is a powerful combination. If you want more go to www.portableapps.com for an open source platform that works with iPods and portable hard drives in addition to flash drives. The platform is not only free, but it’s a full function site. You are not limited to a trial period or a limited function subset. There is no sign in requirement, and no necessity to provide even an email address. Go for it.

Everyone wants a faster system. With either Windows Vista or Windows 7, the built-in ReadyBoost feature can speed up your computer with a USB flash drive. ReadyBoost takes the storage space on a USB flash drive and converts it into an additional memory cache that supplements the main memory cache on your primary disk drive. It can do this because flash memory is faster than regular disk drives. It’s faster because it has no moving parts, and you can get a noticeable improvement in response time. Implementing ReadyBoost is simplicity itself. Insert the USB flash drive into the USB slot on your computer and follow the configuration prompts.

If you work or live in an environment where other folks have physical access to your computer you can use your flash drive to lock everyone else out of your PC. There is no built-in utility like ReadyBoost for this, but you can download a free tool called Predator from www.brothersoft.com that provides this function. Predator uses a standard USB flash drive as an access control device. After performing a short installation and configuration process, your flash disk becomes a key that will lock and unlock your PC. When you leave your PC remove the USB flash drive. This causes the screen to go blank while disabling the mouse and keyboard. When you ready to resume, put the flash drive back, and everything returns to normal. Move over, Mr. Bond, Predator is here.

All the preceding capabilities are very convenient, but how would you like to carry around a portable operating system? If you are willing to expend a little time and energy you can configure a USB flash drive to be a bootable Windows 7 drive. You will need a flash drive with a capacity of al least 8 gigabytes, and of course a Windows 7 installation disk. Start out by inserting your flash drive into its USB socket and inserting the Windows 7 installation disk in the optical drive. Please make a note of the drive letters. This is essential for successful installation.

Preparing the flash drive is the next step. Click on the Start orb and type: Diskpart

Pressing Enter opens a command window. (After typing a command at the command prompt always press Enter to execute the command.) At the prompt type: List Disk

You will see a list of all your hard drives, partitions, optical drives, card reader drives, and flash drives. Identify the optical drive that contains the Windows 7 installation disk and the flash drive you’re working with. For this example we’ll assume the flash drive is disk #4, also designated as G and the optical drive is disk #2, also designated as D.

At the command prompt type: Select Disk 4

Run the following commands:

Clean
Create
Primary
Partition Select Partition 1
Active Format FS=FAT32
Assign
Exit

This series of commands erased extraneous material from the flash drive, created an active primary partition, and formatted it with the FAT32 file system. The next step is to copy the Windows 7 installation files to the flash drive.

At the command prompt type:  Xcopy D:*.* /S/E/F G

In this example D is the drive housing the Windows 7 installation disk and G is the USB flash drive. The command copies the installation files to the flash drive, and when it finishes you have a bootable Windows 7 flash drive. The last thing you need to do to make this work is go into the BIOS and make the first bootable device the flash drive.

Carrying a flash drive around is obviously far more convenient than carrying a DVD, and has the additional advantage of being faster than a DVD. This procedure also works for Windows Vista, but why bother when Windows 7 is here?

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 (vlabash (at) comcast.net).

Backing Up and Restoring Files
By Ron Hirsch, Boca Raton Computer Society

If I had to pick a single area where most computer users are extremely lacking, it's in the area of backing up and preserving the documents and other items that they generate during the course of their computer activities. Most people just dismiss the subject with “Oh I don't really have anything of importance, and even if I do, I can always redo it easily.” These people may only use their computer for the Internet and e-mail. But, redoing your address book and bookmark listing can be a task in itself.

And, if you use a program such as Quicken or Money, you have lots of financial info that would be a real job to rebuild if all your files were lost. I reminded a friend about backing up his Quicken stuff, and he said that he really didn't have to, as Quicken always backs things up automatically, which it does. But it backs things up onto the same hard drive, into a different folder. So, about 6 months later when his hard drive failed, his backup was worthless, and he was a very unhappy person.

WHAT DOES BACKUP REALLY MEAN?

Backup is the generation of duplicate files, often onto a removable medium, for all the things that you have generated on your machine. Generally, these are files that you have produced, not the program files which came on the CD. These duplicate files must be stored on something which can be separated from your machine, and definitely separated from your internal system hard drive.

Since most people have only one hard drive, it does not make good sense to backup onto that same drive. And, if you have your main drive partitioned into say a C and D drive, you will still lose your backup if the drive fails. If however, you have a second hard drive on your computer, you are much safer storing your backups there.

There are online services which offer “online backup” at a small cost, or no cost. This can offer access from another computer, when you might need that data. But I personally don't want my private data et al on an online computer, where it is possibly subject to being hacked or having that operation go out of business.

NOTE: This article is only discussing backup of your personal files and data - it is not addressing a complete backup of your system drive, including your operating system (probably Windows). That is a separate topic which will be covered in another article.

The backup media should be stored in a place where they it will not become lost, stolen, or damaged. When I was in business (many years ago), we backed up all our files every day, with a rotating system of seven tapes. Copies were stored in a fireproof safe, and periodically, we placed a current copy in our safety deposit box at the bank. Just putting copies on the shelf doesn't protect against their loss in case of a fire. Obviously, most users don't have to go to such extremes. But, for important information, it's a good idea to periodically put a backup copy into a secure and fireproof place, such as a home safe, or your safety deposit box.

In order to be able to follow and use the material in this article, you must be conversant with using Windows Explorer, or a similar file manager. Earlier this year, I presented several articles on this activity, with several exercises on the subject. If you are not familiar with using a file manager to copy files and add new folders and subfolders, I would suggest that you bone up on this subject first, and then get back to this article.

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO FIRST

First of all, the typical user who has programs in which files are saved, generally has no idea where they are. So, the first thing to learn is just that. When you are in a program such as Quicken, your files are generally saved in the same folder as the Quicken program. Other programs may use the My Documents folder, My Files folder, the Documents and Settings folder, or a special folder that the program has set up to store things.

I personally set my own folders for storing things. And, fortunately, most programs allow the user to specify where things are stored. In WordPerfect, I have a master folder set up, name WPWIN. Under that I have about 56 subfolders for all the categories that I have defined. There is a folder named “BocaBits”, which holds all the articles I've written for this publication. One of the main advantages of having your personal files organized in a master folder is that they are easier to copy to a backup medium. Just copy the main folder, specify to include the subfolders (if that is needed), and everything underneath will be copied. This is far easier than having to locate many different folders, and copy from each one individually.

Remember, using subfolders is a must. Some years back, one of my friends stored all his files for all his programs in the same folder, with no subfolders. Finding a file to use was almost like looking for a needle in a haystack. And, name your files using descriptive long filenames which all operating systems since Windows 95 can use. Which is easier to find “Letter to Jack re the new building.doc” or “let2jreb.doc”? 
Here are some steps that I would suggest users consider - change the names to suite your desires.

1. Add a new folder on your C: drive, and call it “All My Stuff” (without the quotes.)
2. Add as many subfolders under it as you need. For example, (assuming you have these programs) add one for Word, Quicken, Money, Excel, etc.. Then, add as many subfolders under each of the  main subfolders you've added. For example, the “Word” folder can have subfolders named “Letters”, “Faxes”, “IRS correspondence”, etc.. (Don't use the quote marks - they are used here for clarity.)
3. Then in each of those programs go into “preferences” or “settings”, or wherever is appropriate, and set your new path and folder name there as the place to keep stuff. In something like Quicken, it wants its files where it specifies, but when you call for a backup in Quicken, you can specify the path/folder. So this folder you set up will always have duplicates of Quicken's files, ready to be copied out to the removable media you choose.
4. For programs such as Outlook Express or AOL, it's a good idea to save your address book, and your bookmarks. Finding the names of these files, and where they are located will be a good exercise for you in using Windows Explorer, and learning more about your browser.

NOTE: It is not absolutely necessary to do all of these previous steps if you're willing to do your backup work with all your files where they are now. These steps are just offered to make your job of backing up easier. If this is the case, you can skip to the section entitled “WHAT MEDIUM SHOULD I USE TO BACK THINGS UP.”

HOW DO I GET MY EXISTING FILES INTO THESE NEW FOLDERS

If you don't know or can't find where the program stores the files you create, go into the program, generate a new document, and do a save on it. When the “save” window comes up, it may well show you the path/folder that the program uses. So you can now go to that folder, and find all the stuff you have done previously. While you're in the “save” window, you can now specify your new repository for your files in this program, assuming it will cooperate.

If this does not happen, do a search in Windows (START>SEARCH) to find that file, and the location path will be available there.

Rather than move the existing files, I'd copy them into the new folder you set up. That way, if there are any “goofs” (perish forbid), nothing has really been lost. In the case of a program like Quicken, just open Quicken, and press CTRL+B. This should open the backup window, and you can type in the path/folder you've just made.

Later on, when you know that everything has been safely copied into your new folder tree, you can safely delete the files in their original locations if you want to do so.

When you've done this for all your important stuff, you will now have a new “filing cabinet” with “drawers” for all your important files.

WHAT MEDIUM SHOULD I USE TO BACK THINGS UP?

In the “olden days”, the choices were fairly limited. Floppy disks and tapes were about it. These days, those two media are not the ones of choice. Floppies have limited storage space, and most people don't have a tape drive, nor should they bother to get one these days.

The two choices that I would recommend are external USB drives, which many people have or flash drives which many people also may have. If you're not familiar with these devices, you should become familiar - they are very inexpensive now and are the perfect media for backing up purposes, transporting, and archiving files.. Or you can use a ZIP disk, if you have a ZIP drive, or use a CD rewritable disk.

To “burn” a CD, you must be familiar with this process. If you have a recordable or rewriteable drive on your machine, there should be a software utility to handle copying files. Usually this utility is on the CD that came with your hardware. But, it's possible that the utility wasn't loaded on at the factory. Check through the manual or help files to learn more about this.

Remember, once you get into the habit of backing things up, you can feel more comfortable about not losing lots of time and effort trying to reconstruct things. And, when you get a new computer, your new machine can take the backup medium you used, and copy it all (as desired) onto the hard drive of the new machine.

ONE FURTHER RECOMMENDATION TO SAVE YOUR “STUFF”

One area that most users don't bother to consider, is the use of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). These units plug into your wall outlet, and then the computer and monitor plug into it. Many don't feel that this is of any value to them, but I'll bet that they've had a crash during a power blink. The primary use of such a device is to keep your computer and monitor running when there is a power failure, either an extended one, or momentary power blink. The purpose of a UPS is not to allow you to keep working for an extended period when the power goes off, but to allow you to save your work, and shut down in an orderly fashion. Or, when the power “blinks”, your system doesn't crash, and you lose the work that you have on screen. Even a one tenth of a second blink can wipe out what you're working on. And, if you haven't just saved it, you've lost it.

Furthermore, all computers should be connected via a high end surge protector to protect against line fluctuations and power surges. A UPS is also just about the best protection that you can use here. And, these days, UPS units are available for not much more than the cost of a good surge protector. Check Costo for some good values here. A capacity of 300-500 VA is a reasonable range for most home computers. Remember, as a minimum, you need to have your computer and monitor connected via the UPS. Without a monitor, your computer isn't good for much.

So, HAPPY backing up - try it. The day will definitely come when you'll be glad you did. And once you get to be an expert at it, you can impress your friends by teaching them.

If you find this material useful, you may want to download this article in PDF format, from our web site www.brcs.org. This allows readers to keep the material either as a PDF file, and/or print it out, and place it in a looseleaf notebook for future reference.

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 (Ronhirsch1439 (at) comcast.net).

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

Specialty Batteries
Call(2)Recycle
www.call2recycle.org/drop-off-your-old-batteries.php?c=1&d=213&e=85&f=142&w=9100&r=Y

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 will not have a meeting this month. We'll see you at the May 27, 2010 meeting. See you then!

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 usually meets on the 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, April 5, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. We'll have an assortment of new utilities to demonstrate.

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