Clear DayICUFR JULY Newsletter

CONTENTS: >From the Chairman >From the Editor Overheard on the Taranto Rotary Mail List Technical Tips >From Our Treasurer ====================================================

The Beautiful Website Version is now available at: Click to Open Web Page ====================================================

>From the Chairman: | Tentative ICUFR Conference Schedule October 5th - 8th, Ithaca, New York, USA

Here is the planned activity schedule for the 4 days of the upcoming ICUFR Conference, along with the costs involved.

Thursday Reception 5:30-7, includes one complimentary drink. $15.00 Friday Winery Tour, 9-2 (approx.), includes box lunch. Limited to the first 30 people to sign up. $30.00 Friday Walking Tour of the Ithaca Commons, with particular emphasis on Craft Shops. This will be organized and held after return from the Winery Tour and will be free. Friday Dinner: informal fellowship at 6, with dinner following at 7; no program. $30.00 Saturday Conference 9-4, includes buffet lunch. $40.00 Saturday Banquet: informal fellowship starting at 5:30, with dinner following at 7; includes Cash Bar, with formal program and presentation of awards. $40.00 Sunday Meetings 9-12, includes Coffee and buffet brunch. $15.00

Total package price $170.00. We are considering a $10.00 discount for registrations prior to a certain cut-off date, which hasn't been decided yet (Ideas??)

The Saturday program has not been firmed up, at this point, but I am tentatively planning three one-hour sessions in the morning, with a break in between each one; an hour and fifteen minutes for lunch; two one-hour sessions in the afternoon, with a break between.

It is my intent that each session will be repeated (with the exception of the planned teleconference with the Bosnia club), so that everyone can attend all sessions. This is all subject to change, as I actually develop the program and presenters, however.

Anyone who wants to come early and/or stay late is, of course, welcome. Be sure to make your hotel reservations on line at Click to Open Web Page and be sure to use the booking code IFR. Also you can check out www.visitithaca.com to see what else is going on in the area.

Unfortunately, the only one of our three Rotary clubs that will be meeting during the official days of the Conference is the Ithaca Sunrise Club, which meets Thursday morning at the Royal Court Restaurant at 7:30. This location is a pretty good trek from our hotel, and I suggest anyone wishing to attend arrange a ride (taxis are available).

Pre-Registration for the Conference can now be made at Irwin’s secure site: https://www.taranto.com/conference/register.html

Dave Flynn, Chairman ====================================================

>From the Editor

REMINDER, After the August NL it will be only be emailed to Paid-Up members. Full details are in the June NL at: Click to Open Web Page ====================================================

Overheard on the Taranto Rotary Mailing List

The strength of the Fellowship came to the fore again in May when Ugur in Turkey let it be known that he was looking for re-cycled dental equipment for a project and an RIBI Club responded with an offer of help. Sadly their good intentions were defeated by Turkish import controls. Ugur also raised the question of his Club changing from lunch-time to early evening meetings - this provoked a lively discussion about attendances and how to encourage higher attendance.

An enquiry about Matching Grants revealed that D-5340 maintains a worldwide list of projects that are seeking partners and told readers a lot about the continuing post-Tsunami efforts of Clubs around the world. A question about Rotary acronyms opened a thread on the official and unofficial abbreviations used in the world of Rotary. Is the Australian Campaign for Rabbit Eradication (ACRE) really a Rotary activity?

The longest running topic of the month began when two recent recipients of PHF queried the size of their gongs and when it is appropriate to use them. As usual the advice was as diverse as the correspondents. It seems that most PHF recipients prefer a modest pin, rather than the gong-on-a-ribbon. A related topic teased out the reasons for wearing a PHF, multiple PHF or a standard Club badge on different occasions.

Another thoughtful discussion followed a list-users plea for guidance as to how best to respond to a ?Club member who was trying to blackmail his Club into changing its meeting time 'or else I leave'. RI has introduced an optional new structure for Club Committees. The mixed response included the views of Clubs that had tried the new structure and then reverted to the traditional structure.

Irwin was getting into hot water over the apparent mis-use of his garden hot-tub and sought advice on security. The answers ranged from video cameras to electrocution and painting the nocturnal miscreants with coloured dye.

The month would not be complete if the age old debate about awarding or buying PHF's did not rumble on. In some of the 100% PHF clubs, members are expected to donated US$1000 per year to The Rotary Foundation. Interesting the conversation turned to the way some Clubs charge for meals monthly or quarterly, whether the member is present or absent and to the overall cost of membership.

And finally, some readers were shocked to learn that some Clubs tolerated 'dining only' members who played little part in the projects run by their Clubs. This turned into a chat about how to motivate RINOS' (Rotarians In Name Only) and this in turn brought us back to Rotary acronyms. Peter Sotheran ==================================================== >From the Treasurer

My thanks to all of you who paid dues for the coming Rotary year. The response was great, and many of you paid for multiple years.

For those of you who haven't yet renewed, please do it now.

To pay by credit card: Log into our secure site at https://www.taranto.com/form.html

By US dollar check for $10 to: ICUFR, c/o Taranto, 144 Duran Dr., San Rafael, CA 94903

By British pound cheque for 7 pounds to:

Stella Russell Norton 2 Cyprus Rd. Lower Edmonton LONDON N9 9PG UK

Questions? irwin@taranto.com

Thanks. Irwin Taranto, Treasurer ==================================================== Technical Tips

1. Back up the activation number in XP

>From Cloudeight came:

Is there is a way to back up the activation number in XP pro so you don't have to reactivate it if you have to format the hard drive

Answer:

It's easy to back up your Windows XP activation files (assuming you've already activated Windows XP once): Go to your C:\WINDOWS\System32\ folder and find a file called "wpa.dbl" and "wpa.bak". Now back those files up to a floppy, flash drive or CD-ROM. If you have a computer with more than one hard drive you can save those files to any drive but the drive to which you install Windows. When you want to restore these files go into safe mode and put them into your windows\system32 directory. When you reboot you should be activated without actually going through Microsoft. This also works with Windows XP Home and Windows XP Media Edition.

2. Delete: The Permanent Way

In Outlook Express, when deleting old messages, if you hold down the shift key and the delete key together, a box pops up asking, "Are you sure you want to permanently delete this message(s)"? Just click on the Yes button and your message is gone. This keeps the Deleted Items folder clean.

Thanks Anna. That's one we use everyday and forget to tell our readers about. So, thanks for submitting your tip. You can also hold down the Shift Key when deleting other types of files too, this will keep them from making the trip to the recycle bin and delete them straightaway.

3. To Buy or Not To Buy - That Is The Question

All Computer Users Planning On Buying A New PC

Exploring New "Vistas"

Buying A New Computer Soon? Read This Tip Before You Do- Windows Vista, the next version of Windows, due out early in 2007 will come in a variety of flavors. While some current systems will be able to run Vista, most will only be able to run limited versions of Vista. Our tip is that you wait to purchase a new computer.

This summer and autumn you'll seeing many computer manufacturers adverstising "Windows Vista Ready". Make sure you check it out well. A lot of computers can be called "Windows Vista Ready" but just running the basic Windows Vista might not be exactly what you had in mind. After all, if you're going to plunk down the bling for a new computer you ought to be able to run Windows Vista with all its new features. So, what you want to look for is "Windows Vista Premium Ready".

Here are the minimum requirements to run Windows Vista and all its features:

A Windows Vista Premium Ready PC includes at least:

1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor (Processor speed is specified as the nominal operational processor frequency for the device. Some processors have power management which allows the processor to run at lower rate to save power.) 1 GB of system memory A graphics processor that runs Windows Aero. Windows Aero requires a DirectX 9 class graphics processor that supports a WDDM Driver and Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware; and supports 32 bits per pixel. 128 MB of dedicated graphics memory (No shared memory) 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space. DVD-ROM Drive (Windows Vista comes on DVD not CD - it's too large). Audio output capability. Internet access capability.

Keep in mind these are the minimum requirements to run Windows Vista Premium. In other words if you're going to buy a new PC before Windows Vista comes out in early in 2007, make sure it meets or preferably exceeds these requirements if you're planning on upgrading from Windows XP to Windows Vista. Also, shop for a PC that includes a certificate for a free or low-cost upgrade coupon for Windows Vista, so when Windows Vista comes out, you won't have to shell out a lot more money. Upgrade coupons and coupons for free upgrades to Windows Vista will become common this fall and winter as we get closer to the Windows Vista debut.

4. Cleaning House:

How To Remove Old System Restore Points

Windows XP Home, Media, and Professional Editions

It's easy to remove old system restore points! This is an especially good tip if you are conscientious about creating a restore point before you install software or make any changes to your system (if you don't do this, you should!).

To remove old restore points Do this: Click Start Click "All Programs" Click Accessories Click System Tools Select Disk Cleanup Select the drive on which Windows XP is installed (normally "C") and click OK Now click the More Options tab In the System Restore section, click the Clean up button Click "Yes" There you go. All clean and sparkly!

5. High Fonts

OK so we're in love with fonts. We have a lot of them. We're sure some of you love fonts too. The trouble is, finding free fonts is not so easy these days. Some free font sites are smothered in popup ads, flashing and blinking ads, and questionable ads for spyware and badware. So what's a font lover to do? Well, thanks to our love of fonts we've found a site without all the garbage where you can go grab what you like in peace and quiet. This site is supported by sales of professional type fonts, but don't let that scare you - there are plenty of nice free fonts here. So go ahead, satisfy your craving for fonts - indulge yourself by visiting this week's Site Of The Week - High Fonts:

Click to Open Web Page

Many Thanks to: Eightball & Thundercloud Cloudeight InfoAve Premium Edition

6. I just have to give Cloudeight an extra thumbs up as I have gotten so much from their newsletters and website. They have a really neat homepage that I use as my default startpage: Click to Open Web Page

And they have this really great Premium Edition weekly newsletter that I subscribe to. “Our Information Avenue" newsletter is published once a week. Each week we answer reader's questions, include useful tips and tricks and other information to help you get more from your computer. Our tips, tricks, and answers are written in plain English, without technical language, so everyone can benefit and quickly learn more about their computer and the programs they use most. Information Avenue newsletter is completely free and your privacy is guaranteed.

Open Click to Open Web Page and insert your email address in the proper box to receive a free subscription to Information Avenue.

In addition to that they have a Premium edition which is so inexpensive that I subscribe: $11.95 Per Year for an Annual Subscription of 52 issues. Most Major Credit Cards Accepted “Here is what you'll get when you subscribe to our new Information Avenue Premium Edition Newsletter!” No 3rd Party Advertising More Content (Site of the Week, Reader's Comments, more!) New Features (Our popular "Thundercloud & Eightball's Rant", Internet News, Instant Alerts, More!) More Tips & Tricks (over twice as many tips and tricks than the Free Edition) More Of Your Questions Answered (over twice as many as free edition) Immediate Notification of Serious New Internet Threats Such As Viruses and Worms 50% off all Future Cloudeight Downloadable E-Books Special Subscriber Discounts on Selected Cloudeight Endorsed Software Products Receive Priority Notification of New Cloudeight Software Products Special Review Editions on major holiday weekends Annual subscription* to InfoAve Premium Edition is only $11.95. It's a great bargain, and it helps Cloudeight!

Cloudeight takes a firm stance against spyware and adware. We guarantee that none of our software contains any spyware or adware.

7. WARNING: Microsoft Will Not Fix a Critical Hole in Windows 98 and ME

Risk Level: High

Microsoft has announced the discovery of a critical problem with Windows Explorer running on Windows 98 and ME. Because of the files this threat targets, Microsoft will not release any updates to fix the problem.

More Information:

The security bug relates to Windows Explorer and could let an intruder take control of a vulnerable PC. Microsoft has already fixed this problem in Windows 2000, XP and Windows Server 2003, but will not repair the issue in Windows 98 or ME. In Microsoft’s security bulletin MS06-015, they said:

“To do so would require re-engineering a significant amount of a critical core component of the operating system. After such a re-engineering effort, there would be no assurance that applications designed to run on these platforms would continue to operate.”

Microsoft has already stopped supporting Windows 98 and ME and only provides fixes for critical flaws. As of July 11, 2006 they will be ending all forms of support and will not offer any patches to these older operating systems.

Not providing fixes leaves users vulnerable, but software can't be supported forever, said Michael Sutton, a director at security intelligence company iDefense, a part of VeriSign. "At some point, any vendor has to make a business decision to cease product support, and these products are now 7 to 8 years old," he said.

"With the upcoming end (of) support for these products, we strongly recommend that those of you who are still running these older versions of Windows upgrade to a newer, more secure version, such as Windows XP SP2, as soon as possible," Christopher Budd, a staffer in Microsoft's' security response center, wrote on the team's blog.

If you are running Windows 98 or ME, we highly recommend upgrading to a newer operating system that is more secure and still supported by Microsoft.

Thanks to INVISUS, Security Threat Advisory INVISUS Computer Security June 23, 2006 ====================================================

REMEMBER, the NL is only as good as you make it. Reporters/Article writers are needed to keep the information flow coming constantly. Send comments, ideas, dislikes to ccardey@verizon.net

Thanks, The Editor, Carl P Cardey