Computers totally refurbished or "in the works"                          22

Computers installed:                                                                  26
    Private homes -- 12
    Retsil and Sheridan Retirement Ctr -- 13

Total expenditures                                                          $2089.78

Fern Whalen

     Newsletter Deadline 22 of this month

     New Business - The Financial Audit Committee; Nick Tomassi, Dorothy Rassmussen, and Dennis Osborn, will do the audit at a scheduled February 2 meeting.

     The meeting adjourned at 12:47 PM.

Clint Geiger-Secretary

     Twenty-five KCS members attended the Lab  Class at Mountain View Middle School on Tuesday, January 25th where Jack Roudebush taught a special class on Flash Drives. 

     The KCS Bremerton Lab meets every Tuesday at Mountain View Middle School, on Perry Avenue in East Bremerton, while school is in session.  You must sign in at the office and get a visitor's pass.  The library is on the second floor at the head of the stairs.

     A special class about Windows 7, Vista, and XP is held on the third Saturday of each month at the A-frame in the Silverdale Community Center.  If you have a laptop, bring it.  If not, just bring yourself and you will surely learn something new. 

     The next class will be held on February 19^th.

     Keeping your computer up-to-date is extremely important for your computer's protection.

Microsoft Updates (Windows 7, Vista, XP, office programs, internet explorer, etc.)
Java Updates (used in your internet browser)
Adobe Updates (Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash, etc.)
QuickTime (from apple used in your internet browser)
Firefox Browser, Chrome, etc updates.
Quicken, Dragon Naturally Speaking etc.
Computer and Printer Manufacture Updates from (Dell, Toshiba, Compaq, Acer, Sony, Gateway, HP, Canon, E-machine, Epson, Kodak, Etc.)
Your anti-virus program (updates automatically)

     Updates do not normally add new features but most are to patch your computer to keep out the BAD GUYS!

     Your operating system, office program, supporting programs all have vulnerabilities that the BAD GUY figures out and starts using to attack your computer. The updates are Band-Aids or patches that are sent to fix your programs vulnerabilities.

     Microsoft update will show up in the lower right hand corner of your computer screen:
XP updates have a yellow shield with a black exclamation mark in it.

     Vista and Windows 7 is a blue square inside an orange ring .

Most Microsoft Updates are sent on the 2^nd Tuesday of the month, but some are sent as soon as they are programmed because they are repairing major problems!

     Please DO NOT wait to install these updates because the BAD GUYS take advantage of your delays!

     Definition: The BAD GUYS are the Viruses, Trojans, Spyware, Adware, and various other Malicious Software's designed to attack your computer!

     BEWARE; BE-SAFE; BE-SECURE; please apply your updates as soon as possible.

     Note: Microsoft also provides updates from other companies but label them as OPTIONAL and they will not be applied to your computer unless you view and accept them separately. (Called Optional or Custom updates!)

HAPPY COMPUTING - Larry DuSavage

The problem:

     You belong to this thing called a List and after an initial exchange of comments you would like to send your comments directly to the sender of a message; however, every time you send a reply you get back a message with your comments (and 200+ others get them, too!).

     Some List messages contain a hyperlink address and the sender asks you to click on it to send a reply directly to them. That works for some folks - it doesn't work for those who use a web mail program (Yahoo, GMail, Hotmail, etc.) to send email.

     You are thinking: "How can I get the sender's email address?" If I had the sender's address, I could just put it in the address box of my email message and send it directly to them - and only to them.

Why not add the Sender's address to your Address Book and then delete it when you have completed your correspondence.

     Here's a procedure to get the sender's address into your Address Book:

If you are using Outlook Express (XP), Windows Mail (Vista) or Windows Live Mail (Win 7)

     Open the message, right-click the From name, and then click Add to Address Book.

     Now you can send your response to the KCS Tech List posting directly to the person -- not to all the members of the List -- by choosing Forward and placing the person's address from your Address Book into the message To box.

     After you have completed your response and sent your reply, just go to your address book and delete this temporary entry.

To Delete the entry?
Open Outlook Express, click on Addresses, scroll to find the address you want to delete, right-click on the address and click Delete from the drop down list.   Click Yes and continue with your other projects.

If you are using Outlook

     Open the message, right-click the From name, and then click Add to Address Book.

To Delete the entry?
Open Outlook, click on Contacts, scroll to find the address you want to delete, right-click on the address and click Delete from the drop down list.   Click Yes and continue with your other projects.

If you are using YAHOO CLASSIC MAIL

     Open the message and click on the Index Card icon at the right of the From address.

     Click on the Add to Address Book button.

     Click Forward.   Address the message using the Address/Contacts file just as you would normally address a message.

     Add your comments to the message area and click Send.

To Delete the entry?
To delete an entry in your address book, click Contacts tab, select (in the left hand panel) the entry you want to delete and click the Delete button.

     Another window opens to make sure you really want to delete the entry:

     Click Delete button and continue with your other projects.

     Wasn't that easy?

     It does take some time but your fellow List members will appreciate the fact that you took the time to spare them those personal messages.

     Cable Internet is one of the most popular ways of obtaining a broadband connection. Cable broadband Internet allows you to have an always-on connection that delivers considerably faster speeds than dial-up without interfering with your ability to make and receive telephone calls.

     Many users prefer Cable Internet to other broadband options, such as DSL, because it utilizes the same wiring already used to provide cable television in their homes. This typically makes installation faster. It also means that broadband users are working with their local cable provider, a company that they already trust.

     Cable internet service providers are currently increasing connection speeds at a pace faster than DSL and Satellite. Upload speeds of up to 768 Kbps, and download speeds, the more important number, can be as fast as 8 Mbps from providers such as Comcast. Because of this speed, Cable Internet is especially useful for people who enjoy playing on-line games, downloading music, sending instant messages, and surfing graphic-intensive web sites.

     One drawback to cable is, the more people using cable, the slower the service. When stated download speeds exceed 2 Mbps this drawback is less noticeable.

     DSL stands for digital subscriber line. It involves the use of regular phone lines to provide high-speed Internet service. There are several variations of DSL, but each works on the same principle.

     It is medium for transferring data over regular phone lines and can be used to connect to the Internet. However, like a cable modem, a DSL circuit is much faster than a regular phone connection, even though the wires it uses are copper like a typical phone line.

     An asymmetric DSL (ADSL) connection allows download speeds of up to about 1.5 megabits (not megabytes) per second, and upload speeds of 128 kilobits per second. That is why it is called ADSL and not just DSL (because of the asymmetric speeds). There is also a "Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line" (SDSL) which is similar to ADSL, but allows data transfer speeds of 384 Kilobits per second in both directions. Theoretically, this type of connection allows download speeds of up to 9 megabits per second and upload speeds of up to 640 kilobits per second. The difficult part in establishing an DSL circuit is that it must be configured to connect two specific locations, unlike a regular phone line or cable modem. DSL is often seen as the new, better alternative to the older ISDN standard.

     Dial-up refers to an Internet connection that is established using a modem. The modem connects the computer to standard phone lines, which serve as the data transfer medium. When a user initiates a dial-up connection, the modem dials a phone number of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that is designated to receive dial-up calls. The ISP then establishes the connection, which usually takes about ten seconds and is accompanied by several beeping and buzzing sounds.

     After the dial-up connection has been established, it is active until the user disconnects from the ISP. Typically, this is done by selecting the "Disconnect" option using the ISP's software or a modem utility program. However, if a dial-up connection is interrupted by an incoming phone call or someone picking up a phone in the house, the service may also be disconnected.

     In the early years of the Internet, especially in the 1990s, a dial-up connection was the standard way to connect to the Internet. Companies like AOL, Prodigy, and EarthLink offered dial-up service across the U.S., while several smaller companies offered local dial-up Internet connections. However, due to slow speeds (a maximum of 56 Kbps), and the hassle of constantly disconnecting and reconnecting to the ISP, dial-up service was eventually replaced by DSL and cable modem connections. Both DSL and cable lines, known as "broadband" connections, offer speeds that are over 100 times faster than dial-up and provide an "always on" connection. While we don't get to listen to the fun buzzing and beeping noises of older modems anymore, it certainly is nice to download data in a fraction of the time.

     While dial-up and DSL both use a phone line to connect to the Internet, a DSL connection is digital, while a dial-up connection is analog. This means DSL connections are generally faster than dial-up, and also means if you have a DSL connection, you can still use the phone while connected to the Internet.

Operating System Choices:

Windows XP (2001) (Service Pack's 1, 2, 3)
Windows Vista (2006) (Service Pack's 1, 2)
Window 7 (2009) (Service Pack 1 due in mid 2011)
Others (Windows 98 (1998), Windows ME (2000), Microsoft no longer supports)

Note: various versions of operating systems (i.e. Windows 7 Basic (notebooks only), Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate)

Office Suite Choices:

Microsoft Office: (All can be used on Windows's 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP)
1997 Microsoft Office
2000 Microsoft Office
2002 Microsoft Office (Also called Office XP)
2003 Microsoft Office
2007 (Started the Ribbon)
2010 (Also uses the Ribbon)
(Most Future products will use the Ribbon)
Microsoft Works (Free with XP, Vista)
Microsoft Windows Home and Student Starter edition (Replaces Works on new computers)

Note 1: Microsoft Office Programs have various versions (i.e. Starter Home and Student (very limited), Home and Student, Home and Business, Professional)

Note 2: All newer versions of office programs will read and convert older version of office documents!

Other office programs:
Open Office (Free Office Program)
WordPad (include with Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP Free)
Notepad (include with Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP Free)

Local Email Systems Choices:
(Your email client/program)

(Download your internet mail to your local computer)
Outlook Express (part of Windows XP)
Windows Mail (part of Windows Vista)
Windows Live Mail
                     (Windows 7, Vista (optional), XP (optional))
Microsoft Outlook (Part of Microsoft Office Suite)
Thunderbird (Mozilla Free Product)
IncrediMail
Plus Others

On-line Email Systems (Called Webmail):

AOL (Free and Paid, @AOL.com)
Gmail (Google Mail Free, @gmail.com)
Yahoo Mail (Free and Paid, @yahoo.com)