May = 2004

Volume=20 8, Issue 5 - May=20 2004
www.suncitycc.org

Please = submit any=20 comment or suggestion for the June issue to Sandy Tucker (5085 or = sandy1959@davtv.com) no = later than=20 May 22. Remember that articles should be submitted by e-mail or = placed on=20 disk and delivered to Sandy=92s lower box at = 2 Coburn Dr.=20 E.

Index
COMPUTER CLASSES
COMPUTER CLUB=20 SOFTWARE/HARDWARE
Review = of=20 Microsoft Office
Outlook 2003
SPECIAL=20 INTEREST GROUPS
   =20 = DIGITAL IMAGING
    GENEALOGY
    MUSIC
    MAC
HIGHLIGHTS OF APRIL MEETING
KOFFEELESS KLATCH
MEMBERSHIP/NEW MEMBERS
NEXT MEETING
NOTES FROM THE EDUCATION = CHAIR
PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS
PROGRAMS
SURGE_PROTECTORS

=20

Memorial Day=20 =20

May 31=20

=20

NEXT=20 MEETING
Pinckney=20 Hall
7pm
May=20 10, 2004

=93Internet Explorer=20 Tips and Tricks=94
with = David=20 Clayton of Chaos Designs
for both = the beginner and experienced internet=20 surfer

Pre-Meeting=20 6:30pm

Questions=20 and Answers

Index<= /SPAN>

Click = Classes = This=20 Month
or Classes Next Month

Sign=20 up
Monday,=20 May 3=20 from 1-3pm
May and June classes remaining for sale = will then be=20 available in the Class Sales Black=20 Box during Computer Room open hours beginning Tuesday, May = 4.
No=20 Classes in July or August.

Index<= /SPAN>

=0A=

=0A= =0A= =0A= =0A=

=0A=

Index<= /SPAN>

Allyn Perdue =96 President
Dan = McGuire =96 Vice=20 President
Michael De Rosa =96 Treasurer
Elsie Doherty =96 = Secretary

PRESIDENT'S=20 MESSAGE
BY
Allyn = Perdue

Greetings to you all! This is my first letter = as your=20 new Club President and I thought it might be good to tell you a = little bit=20 about myself, how I got into personal computing, and share with = you some=20 of the goals I=92ve set during my term.

My wife, Judy, and I moved to Sun = City last=20 year from Locust=20 Grove, Georgia, looking for = a less=20 hectic way of life with more personal free time. We found that here in = Sun City. Of course, there is US = 278 and=20 increasing traffic. But there is much to do here without venturing = outside=20 of our immediate community.

How I met the Personal = Computer

My introduction to the personal = computer was in=20 April of 1980 while attending an eight-day course for the = ATP/Learjet Type=20 Rating. The school = used a=20 Radio Shack TRS-80 as a ground school teaching aid. The =93Trash 80=94 (as = it was=20 affectionately known) did quite well. Though it used a slow = cassette=20 tape deck to load programs, the TRS-80 could handle text and = mathematical=20 formulas with ease.

The TRS-80 featured a ROM (read only = memory)=20 program called BASIC, a product of a very small company called=20 Microsoft. I had = never heard=20 of them at the time but was nonetheless mildly impressed by the=20 capabilities of BASIC. = Using=20 their instruction manual, I later wrote a BASIC program that could = calculate distances between airports and factor other variables = into=20 Learjet trip costs.

Marriage and our first = PC

In 1989, I met Judy, my = wife-to-be. Widowed, her employer = had=20 previously given her a 286AT computer for home use during her late = husband=92s end-stages of liver cancer. I became fascinated with = this=20 reliable machine=92s Microsoft MS-DOS operating system and = WordPerfect=20 Library file manager. = With=20 Judy=92s help, I even learned many commands for WordPerfect=20 5.1.

In early 1996, Judy and I bought our = first new=20 computer together. = From a=20 Best Buy in Atlanta, we purchased an Acer brand computer (over = $2000)=20 featuring an Intel Pentium 150 processor with 16 megabytes of = memory, a=20 2.1 gigabyte hard drive, a 14=94 monitor, and preloaded with = Windows 95 and=20 a few bundled applications. I=20 had high hopes for this machine, but it proved to be a=20 disappointment. = Even after=20 doubling onboard system memory, the Acer was still slow and = required=20 frequent reboots. =20 Additionally, much of its touted capabilities were pure = hype. Compared to the old = 286AT, which=20 ran perfectly and misbehaved not once during its lifetime, the new = Acer=20 was a real lemon.

After nearly two years of struggling = with the=20 Acer, I decided to try a different route. In 1998, I purchased a = custom=20 built Pentium II 300 assembled by a friend and co-worker, Mark=20 Barnes. This = computer=20 featured Windows 98 and was much faster than the Acer though not = as=20 reliable as I hoped. =20 Microsoft still had a ways to go to improve Windows=92=20 reliability.

Building my own=20 computer

In late1999, with Mark=92s = encouragement, I=20 assembled, on my own, my next custom computer. It featured an Intel = Pentium=20 III 600 megahertz = processor=20 married to the renowned Intel 440BX chipset, famous for its = performance,=20 scalability, and reliability. =20 Originally built with Windows 98 Second Edition, I later = installed=20 Windows 2000 Professional in a dual-boot configuration. Windows 2000 = Professional was=20 delightfully stable and served as my primary operating system = until early=20 2003, when once again I started looking for a new=20 computer.

My wife and I now have our own = homebuilt=20 desktop computers (for far less monies than the old Acer) and an = aging=20 Toshiba laptop that still serves me well. Either desktop system = can handle=20 photo and movie editing, creating a webpage, or flying a Concorde = SST=20 simulation. For our = new=20 computers, I did not go with Intel, instead choosing competing=20 processor/chipset platforms for Advanced Micro Devices=92 = (AMD) Athlon XP series of = processors. Chipset support for=20 AMD is now = outstanding with=20 many reliable vendors in the market. For those of you interested = in our=20 computers=92 specifications, click here.=

Rest &=20 Relaxation

So what do we use our computers for = and what do=20 we really enjoy doing for fun?

Judy uses her computer largely for = church=20 related work, online research, and of course, email. For fun, she likes = playing=20 Hardwood Euchre and other games from Silver Creek = Entertainment. Their games are = graphically rich=20 and quite fun to play. = I=20 encourage you to visit their website and download trial=20 versions.

I like helping computer users solve = problems=20 and I like learning new things. =20 One source of learning for me has been from help forums on = the=20 Internet. The two = websites=20 where I mainly post for help and offer it are PCQ&A and Broadband = Reports Security=20 Forum. The = online=20 community associated with these forums is quite diverse. Though most users are = from the=20 U.S. and=20 Canada, = it=92s not=20 unusual to converse with people from Australia, the = United Kingdom, = Israel, or Egypt, among other=20 countries.

My other hobbies include amateur = astronomy,=20 photography, raising butterflies, and flight simulation. All have taken a distant = back seat=20 to other priorities. = As for=20 flying, I now do my flying on the computer, and not as much as I = would=20 like. Microsoft = Flight=20 Simulator 2004 is enjoyable, particularly the Boeing = jets. I find the 737 actually = easier to=20 fly than the Cessnas or the Learjet. =20 But for a real challenge, go here and = download a freeware Concorde. =20 Oh, skip the big panel file and go for the 8.5 megabyte = panel; it=92s=20 better.

Trouble in Computer = Land

How many of you have purchased a = computer and=20 then find out the hard way that the antivirus you thought was = up-to-date,=20 actually isn=92t? = Vendors such=20 as Dell will pre-install Norton or McAfee and not clearly inform = new users=20 that the software must be registered and updated. If you=92re savvy enough = to=20 understand that the software is not current, you then try to = register and=20 you find the entire process a confusing exercise in = frustration. Additionally, automatic = updating=20 may not work. I = know, because=20 I=92ve encountered all of that with some new Dell computers on=20 occasion. No doubt, = Dell is=20 not alone.

My=20 Goals

During my term, we plan to expand the = club=92s=20 website and create frequently asked questions (FAQs) pages that = can help=20 you with your computer questions and to solve problems such as = discussed=20 in the previous paragraph. = We=20 initially want to cover areas such as how to navigate and use the = Windows = Update website,=20 understand and monitor Norton and McAfee Antivirus and security=20 applications, and show you how to use and update the free AVG=20 Antivirus. More = will come=20 later.

By now, you=92ve hopefully tried some = of the=20 links I=92ve provided and experienced part of what I want to do = for you=20 during my term: = secure your=20 computer from Internet threats, get help, and find fun things to=20 do.

See you at the next meeting! = J

Index<= /SPAN>

MAC = SPECIAL=20 INTEREST GROUP

The Mac group will meet on Monday, = May 3 at=20 7 pm in = the Computer=20 Room. Our topic will be a look at creating note cards, postcards, = business=20 cards and the like using your own photos or clipart and Mac = software. Any=20 computer club member is welcome to come.

For more=20 information about the Mac Special Interest Group, call Lynn Conley = at=20 (3906.

Index<= /SPAN>

GENEALOGY=20 SPECIAL INTEREST = GROUP

The=20 Genealogy Group will meet in the computer room on Wednesday, May 5 = at=20 7pm. = Sharon Ede will=20 present an overview of the Family Tree Maker program.

For more=20 information about the Genealogy Group, contact Gail Boggs at = (7932 or = kaila5@davtv.com.<= /P>

Index<= /SPAN>

MUSIC = SPECIAL=20 INTEREST GROUP

The Music = SIG will=20 be on hiatus until October. =20 Low attendance does not support the amount of time to = prepare a=20 presentation. We = plan to=20 start again in October with the basics of building a music = library. Diane Hutchings will = continue to=20 be available for music help.

Watch the = monitor=20 schedule for music help or e-mail at dianeh@alum.bu.edu for=20 assistance.

Index<= /SPAN>

DIGITAL=20 IMAGING SPECIAL=20 INTEREST GROUP

We=20 meet the third Thursday of the month from 4-5:30pm in the Computer Room and are open = to=20 members of the Computer Club OR the Photography Club. At = our May 20=20 meeting, Corky Burt will present a tutorial on printers and = printer=20 consumables, inks and paper. If you print photographs or cards on = your=20 inkjet at home, you will not want to miss this=20 presentation.

For more=20 information about the Digital Imaging Group, contact Vicki Levy at = (6580 or = Robin=20 Seaver at http://www.suncitycc.org/newsletter%20template%20March%20working.htm= .

Index<= /SPAN>

Sorry,=20 no coffee allowed in Computer Room!

KOFFEELESS=20 KLATCH

Do you = have=20 computer related questions or problems? If so, the Koffeeless = Klatch is=20 the place for you. = We meet=20 Friday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 in the Computer Room. The meetings are = informal. Feel free to come late = or leave=20 early. We know you = are=20 busy. Each week, we = do a=20 short presentation on topic of general interest and then handle = questions=20 and answers.

Topics = are=20 announced weekly via e-mail. =20 If you wish to be notified of upcoming topics, send your = e-mail=20 address to Diane Hutchings: =20 dianeh@alum.bu.edu.

Index<= /SPAN>

PROGRAMS

MAY = PROGRAM
=93Internet Explorer Tips and=20 Tricks=94
David=20 Clayton of Chaos Designs will be giving us lots of Internet = Explorer tips=20 and tricks to make our internet browsing experience more efficient = and=20 more enjoyable. = This will be=20 a very interesting presentation for both the beginner and = experienced=20 internet surfer.

JUNE=20 PROGRAM
=94Preparing=20 Your Computer for Summer and the Arrival of Your=20 Grandchildren=94

Our=20 Computer Club President, Allyn Perdue, and the Computer Club = Newsletter=20 Editor, Sandy Tucker, will be showing us how to prepare our = computers for=20 young users. Allyn will help us with guarding our computers = against=20 problems that young users might cause and Sandy will be showing us things = that=20 young users might enjoy doing with the computer.

Who = knows, you may=20 pick up some things you want to try yourself!

For more=20 information about programs, contact Marge Simms (margerys@davtv.com).

Index<= /SPAN>

NOTES=20 FROM THE EDUCATION CHAIR

First=20 sales of June=20 classes will be Monday, May=20 3 from=20 1-3pm in=20 the Computer Room. May and June classes remaining for sale will = then be=20 available in the Class Sales Black Box during Computer Room open = hours=20 beginning Tuesday, May 4. Use checks only, please, made out to=20 SCHHCC. = Instructions are in=20 the front of the Black Box or you may ask the Computer Room = monitor for=20 assistance.

There=20 will be NO computer classes in July and August, when our excellent = volunteer instructors have well-deserved vacations. Classes will = start=20 again the week of September 20, with first class sales for = September and=20 October on Tuesday,=20 September=20 7 from=20 1-3pm in = the Computer=20 Room. The June and September newsletters will have more = information about=20 this. Fall classes traditionally fill quickly, so you may want to = take=20 advantage of classes available now.

If=20 you have comments, questions or suggestions for the Education = chair,=20 please contact Robin Seaver (http://www.suncitycc.org/newsletter%20template%20March%20working.htm= )=20 or=20 Diane Hutchings (dianeh@alum.bu.edu). We look forward to = hearing from=20 you.

Index<= /SPAN>

MEMBERSHIP

Aal

Jack

Belote

Bob

Belote

Carmel

Brown

Babette

Kittner

Larry

Kundrat

Sarah=20 Ann

Kundrat

Steve

McCrumb

Nancy

Nash

Bernie