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Tuesday, 25th March, 2008 MEETING

Our Website is: http://brightoncomputerclub.org
Our e-mail address for Meeting Questions is contact@brightoncomputerclub.org

Questions and Answers.

Moderated by Frank Myers

Frank showed the software on the new club CD. There are many new programs. You can see what is on the CD by looking at our website, Software page. NOTE: There is a caution. Open Office is a very large download, about 125MB, so if you have a dialup internet service you will not want to download this. Try the club CD instead for $1.00

  1. What is a codec?

      Answer:

    • A codec is a device or program capable of performing encoding and decoding on a digital data stream or signal.
    • It is a property that every channel on a server has.
    • It's a technical word that describes what technique is used to compress the voice/video data before transporting it over the internet
    • The word codec may be a combination of any of the following: 'Compressor-Decompressor', 'Coder-Decoder', or 'Compression/Decompression algorithm'.
    • Examples are: MP3 (music) or WMA (video)

  2. Where do you get codecs and where do you put them?

      Answer:

    • Most "Codecs" are included with media programs such as Microsoft Media Player.
    • You will know you need one when a small window pops up when you are trying to access a file that needs a codec.
    • Enter the name shown into Google and download it.
    • When you install the codec, it ends up in the system areas on your HD.

  3. I have a dial internet service. I cannot get DSL. Can I speed up the downloads?

      Answer:

    • You can not make downloads speedup significantly.
    • Some programs remove or resize the graphics but it will still be slow.
    • Try a wireless service like Xplornet.

  4. Explain MP3, what is it?

      Answer:

    • They are condensed audio files.
    • They play on your computer but may not play on an old CD player.
    • You can Google it and get a free converter MP3 to WMA.
    • Then burn to a CD so they will play on your CD player.
    • Some new CD/DVD players will play MP3.

  5. How can I edit the programs in the program list after clicking on Start?

      Answer:

    • You cannot edit this list except to right click on one and click on Sort by Name or Delete.
    • You can right click in the Taskbar and click on Lock the Taskbar to unlock it.
    • Then drag your icon on the desktop to the Quick Start area, the left side of your task bar, and drop it there.
    • Right click again in the Task Bar area and click on Lock the Taskbar to lock it up.

  6. I get a message saying that I am running out of virtual memory. What do I do?

      Answer:

    • You could require more RAM.
    • Windows XP users should have a minimum or 512MB or better still 1GB of RAM.
    • Your hard drive may be out of space.
    • To check, click on My Computer and right click on Drive C.
    • Click properties.
    • You should have 25% free space on your hard drive.
    • If you do not, try removing data and programs you do not need.
    • Try burning your photos to a CD or DVD and deleting them from your hard drive.

  7. How do I remove some of the programs that I see running in the Taskbar?

      Answer:

    • Click on Start
    • Click Run and type in "msconfig" (without quotes)
    • Click on "Startup" tab
    • To remove an item, click on the green check mark
    • Click "Apply"
    • When you close the window, another window pops up with a choice - If you only want the program to not automatically install on the next startup, then click "Exit Without Restart".
    • If you find that you removed a startup item by mistake, Then just repeat the above and add the green check mark, and Click "Apply" and it will reload when the computer is restarted.
    • If you don't recognize the names of programs in that startup area, just ask Google.....

  8. What program is good for a full image backup of my hard drive?

      Answer:

    • Currently Acronis True Image is a good bet.
    • You create a bootable CD and then you boot up your computer with it.
    • You then copy every file on the hard drive to another storage medium.
    • An external hard drive is good for this.
    • If you have a major problem then you can restore your hard drive to exactly where it was when you did the backup.

  9. I am being asked to update to MS Player 10 and Adobe has Flash Player. What is this about?

      Answer:

    • The present version of MS Player is 11 and it is about 25MB.
    • Software occasionally needs upgrades to stay current.
    • The new version may contain new or improved features.

  10. How can I make my printer print in black only?

      Answer:

    • Next meeting I will show you how to do it.
    • You set up a shortcut on your desktop to make the different printing options handy.
    • Before you print you choose print option default and it will stay that way until you change it.

  11. NOTE: There is a large update coming soon for Windows XP. Service Pack 3, SP3, is about 400MB in size. This is too large for downloading on a dialup line. Frank will make this available on a CD for those members interested in saving time. There is already SP1 out for Vista. The two CDs will be available or both available on one DVD. An email to all members will be sent out soon with details on how to reserve a copy.

Frank Myers

With thanks to Marg Whittaker who assisted in the recording of the questions and answers.