icicles newsletter december 2008

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PATRON: Sharon Bird MP, Member for Cunningham REGULAR FEATURES ELWYNS VIEW 2 CARTOON 9 HINTS & TIPS 11, 12, 13 QUOTABLE QUOTES 4 ONE LINERS 4 ROUND AND ABOUT ICE 3 STOP ME IF ... 16 ADD A POPUP WINDOW TO A POWERPOINT SLIDE 12 ANATOMY OF AN ALERT 10 AVG 8 – INVALID UPDATE CONTROL CTF FILE 16 FINDING AN ISP OR A BROADBAND PLAN 4 GOOGLING GOOD FOR GERIATRICS: STUDY 11 PRINT SELECTED PAGES FROM DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF A DOCUMENT 10 PIVOT TABLES IN EXCEL 6 REMOVE UNWANTED BLANK PAGES INSERTED AFTER A WORD TABLE 5 LETTERS 9 AVG ANTIVIRUS AND SECURITY SOFTWARE TOP THREATS 14 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS 15 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Illawarra Computer Enthusiasts Newsletter “Information, Computer Literacy, Education.” Affiliated with the Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association (ASCCA) December 2008 ® Illawarra PC Users Group $2.00 ICICLES A Printer Cartridge Recycling Station is now located in the foyer of the small hall of the Unanderra Community Centre for your convenience with the compliments of South Coast Ink & Toner Supplies. FRIDAY, 12 DECEMBER, 7:30 PM F or our final meeting of the year you are requested to bring a plate of munchies, so we all can mingle and socialise after the night’s official business has been dealt with. The planned sequence of events are: Be entertained by Keith Brooks and Pamela Partridge. Then the ‘Quickie’ raffle, ‘Lucky Door’ and ‘Badge’ draw. After the ‘draws’ we set the room up into ‘social mode’. Your help is needed. After that's completed, it is ‘munch and mingle’ time. Pack up. Your assistance will be appreciated.

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  • DECEMBER 2008 PAGE 1 I C I CLES

    PATRON: Sharon Bird MP, Member for Cunningham

    REGULAR FEATURES ELWYNS VIEW 2

    CARTOON 9

    HINTS & TIPS 11, 12, 13

    QUOTABLE QUOTES 4

    ONE LINERS 4

    ROUND AND ABOUT ICE 3

    STOP ME IF ... 16

    ADD A POPUP WINDOW TO A POWERPOINT SLIDE 12

    ANATOMY OF AN ALERT 10

    AVG 8 INVALID UPDATE CONTROL CTF FILE 16

    FINDING AN ISP OR A BROADBAND PLAN 4

    GOOGLING GOOD FOR GERIATRICS: STUDY 11

    PRINT SELECTED PAGES FROM DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF A DOCUMENT 10

    PIVOT TABLES IN EXCEL 6

    REMOVE UNWANTED BLANK PAGES INSERTED AFTER A WORD TABLE 5

    LETTERS 9

    AVG ANTIVIRUS AND SECURITY SOFTWARE TOP THREATS 14

    QUESTIONS & ANSWERS 15

    INSIDE THIS ISSUE

    Illawarra Computer Enthusiasts Newsletter Information, Computer Literacy, Education.

    Affiliated with the Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association (ASCCA) December 2008 Illawarra PC Users Group $2.00

    I C I C L E S

    A Printer Cartridge Recycling Station is now located in the foyer of the small hall of the Unanderra Community Centre for your convenience with the compliments of South Coast Ink & Toner Supplies.

    FRIDAY, 12 DECEMBER, 7:30 PM

    F or our final meeting of the year you are requested to bring a plate of munchies, so we all can mingle and socialise after the nights official business has been dealt with.

    The planned sequence of events are: Be entertained by Keith Brooks and

    Pamela Partridge. Then the Quickie raffle, Lucky Door

    and Badge draw. After the draws we set the room up into

    social mode. Your help is needed. After that's completed, it is munch and

    mingle time. Pack up. Your assistance will

    be appreciated.

  • I C I CLES PAGE 2 DECEMBER 2008

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    ELWYNS VIEW LONG LIVE THE SPECIALIST SHOP

    By Elwyn Jordan, ICE

    R ecently a friend of mine bought a laptop. Like me, (you might recall me writing about buying a laptop a few months ago), he didnt really need one. But, again like me, he could see the advantages in having some portability in his computing. For example, taking it out to the dining-room or lounge room etc rather than having to be restricted to one room. And taking it on holidays, or using it to show people photos etc. In fact it was probably me showing him some photos that formed part of the inspiration for him deciding to buy a laptop. Having photos displayed on a crystal-clear 15 screen in the middle of the table is better than passing around the 6 x 4s. So there are, as I said when I bought mine, advantages and reasons for having one. My wife just called it, Boys and their toys! (Referring to both my purchase and my friends).

    What he bought was a little bit better than mine, but still pretty much an entry-level machine; with a basic dual-core processor, and a couple of extras like a web-cam and a card-reader. But he paid a lot more than I did. And my initial reaction was that I thought what he paid was perhaps a bit excessive for what he got. I asked him where he bought it from, and he told me he got it from his usual computer-shop. Since I stopped dealing in computers, hes been buying his computer equipment from a little suburban computer shop. Hes got to know the owner pretty well, and gets a good deal and good service. The guy is pretty good with software problems too.

    Did you try Harvey Norman, Domayne, or Dick Smiths? I asked; implying that if hed shopped around he could probably have got a better deal. No, I just went straight there. I always deal there, he replied.

    Later I did some checking. For the same sort of machine I reckoned he couldve saved himself around $150, or more; especially with the cash-back schemes some of the larger shops were offering.

    So, did he buy from the wrong place? Not necessarily. True, the smaller shops dont have the same buying power as the major chains, so their wholesale price is higher, and their selling price has to be correspondingly higher. But, as hes a regular customer, they do give him pretty good prices on what he buys. And even if he did pay a bit more, its actually worth it. You see, the reason he bought from there was that he always goes there, he knows the owner well, and gets a good product and personal, very efficient, after-sales service. And thats something thats often missing from some of the larger chains. They sell you the product, but if you have a problem using it theyre too busy (or in many cases unable!) to help. Once you walk out the door, in many cases they dont want to know you! True, when I did have a question about software, I contacted the same salesman I bought it from and got an immediate efficient answer. Problem solved. But you dont always get that; even, so Ive

    (Continued on page 3)

    EDITORIAL TEAM AND CONTRIBUTORS

    Editor, Production, Advertising: Bodo Schwarz [email protected] Assistant Editor, Research: Robert Castles [email protected] Distribution: Robert Parsons [email protected]

    Contributors: Lynnette Armour, Robert Castles, Pat Colby, Keith Daniels, Robert Davidson, Penny Ferguson, Elwyn Jordan, Olav Lehmann, Michael McKeen, Isabel Pauza.

    Vol. 26, No. 11, December 2008

    I C I C L E S Official Journal of

    The Illawarra PC User Group Inc. ABN: 81 127 508 207

    4284 8754 - [email protected] - www.illawarrapcug.org.au Correspondence to: Illawarra Computer Enthusiasts, 9 Ursula Road, Bulli, NSW 2516

  • DECEMBER 2008 PAGE 3 I C I CLES

    This page is sponsored by Bodo Schwarz

    been told, from that same store.

    When I was dealing in computers, one of the things that I prided myself on and one of the reasons my customers kept coming back was personalised service; both at the time of the sale and afterwards as well. I never claimed to be the cheapest, but what I sold was always good quality. And the customer knew I was there to help if they did have a problem. If I could anyway. (Software was never a specialty, but I helped where I could!). You dont get very much these days. The retail computer business has moved away from the small specialty shops. Prices might be cheaper, but the sales and service is much more impersonal. And the advice is not always very good. Remember the advice I was given by that certain major retailer where I first when to buy my laptop? The guy was just trying to talk me into buying something more up-market and wasnt even listening to my intended use of the system. Today, you really need to make your choice based on your own research, not the in-store advice; because its often too unreliable! Weve all heard the stories of pimply-faced young sales people who dont have the experience, or even the product knowledge, to be able to assist in your purchase; let alone help with any questions you might have after the purchase. Of course they arent all like that; but the stories of buyers

    ELWYNS VIEW (Continued from page 2)

    encountering such people are pretty common.

    It wasnt like that when we all bought from the small computer-specialist stores. Those specialty shops where the service is more professional and helpful, both at the time of purchase and after. Thats what I used to try to provide my customers; and thats what this shop where my friend goes provides their customers. Yes, you might pay a bit extra, but its worth it!

    An example of this came when he got tangled up with user-profiles. He called me, but Im still feeling my way with Vista, so I wasnt much help. So he called the shop. They immediately helped. Problem solved. The shop also set up his internet connection for him. At no extra charge. Try getting that sort of service from your major retailer!

    Now, Im not saying that you dont get good service from larger retailers. But what I am saying is that its sad that these smaller specialist computer shops are dying out. There arent many now, because people ignore them to buy on price alone. Computers are a commodity; people buy them like theyd buy a refrigerator wherever they can get the best price! But there was a time and still is if you search out those little shops where computers were much more than that; and they were sold by people who regarded them as much more than that! And if the price was a little higher; well, it was and still is worth it! So long may they live and prosper!

    ROUND AND ABOUT ICE in February 2009. The contribution deadline is 15 January 2009.

    NEXT MEETINGS The next meeting will be held 15 January 2009, 7:30 pm

    DAY MEETINGS There will be no day meetings in the months of December and January.

    The first day meeting is on 28 February 2009, 1:00 pm.

    2008 ICICLES YEARBOOK The Yearbook can be ordered by interested members by pre-payment of $15.00

    Again as last year, the yearbook will be produced in colour.

    You can place your order at the reception desk at our meetings.

    (Continued on page 8)

    WELCOME It gives us great pleasure to welcome Norah Alexander and James Hall as members of the Illawarra Computer

    Enthusiasts and we hope that their association with ICE will be a long and happy one.

    VOTE OF THANKS It is a pleasure to once again to acknowledge the donations, monetary or in kind, by

    Sharon Bird MP, Robert Castles, Eve Green, George Hood, Michael Haane, Cablelink Australia and ITSA.

    GOING FISHING Our Editor has decided, after a two year break, to go fishing again this year.

    The next issue of ICICLES will be published

  • I C I CLES PAGE 4 DECEMBER 2008

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    FINDING AN ISP OR A BROADBAND PLAN By Isabel Pauza, ICE

    W e discussed this briefly at our meeting on 26 October but for those who were perhaps not quick enough to take notes or those who may want to investigate a bit further here is a step by step guide for you to follow:

    1. Type in the web address http://whirlpool.net.au/ 2. Select Broadband Choice 3. Type in your telephone number and click OK

    Summary area

    Use the drop-downs to make alterations

    4. A screen appears giving you details of your exchange; whether the exchange supports ADSL and the Region (used for pricing). It also advises of ADSL2 providers.

    5. You now have the choice to search for a Plan or show a list of ISPs. I suggest you click on Plan Search.

    6. Answer the questions by clicking on the option buttons when you have completed the page click on FIND ALL SUITABLE PLANS.

    7. A page similar to the following will appear giving a summary of your answers to your questions at the top [you can make changes here by using the drop down arrows] and a list of potential ISPs above.

    (Continued on page 5)

    QUOTE OF THE DAY "As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday, and employees will receive their cards in two weeks." Fred Dales, Microsoft Submitted by Michael McKeen, ICE

    YOU KNOW YOU'RE AUSTRALIAN IF You get choked up with emotion by the first verse of the national anthem and then have trouble remembering the second. Submitted by Robert Davidson, ICE

    A job is for somebody thats not on the Internet.

  • DECEMBER 2008 PAGE 5 I C I CLES

    This page is sponsored by Robert Parsons

    List of ISPs

    Your sort by area choose your field (e.g. sort by Cost) then click on Filter

    Is there a cost???

    8. When choosing a plan, check if the Uploads [Upstream] are FREE or is there a charge?

    Paying for excess usage Many people seem to be paying a considerable sum for excess usage especially on plans that only give for example only 200 or 400 Mb/month.

    To prevent the extra surprises at the end of the month look for a SHAPED plan the advantages of a shaped plan are that you should never be charged for excess usage. If you reach your limit for the month then rather than pay more money your delivery will slow down.

    Just be aware that on some shaped plans you can select the EXCESS USAGE box on the application form in which case you may be charged for excess usage.

    FINDING AN ISP OR A BROADBAND PLAN (Continued from page 4)

    REMOVE UNWANTED BLANK PAGES INSERTED AFTER A WORD TABLE

    W hen you create a table that ends at the bottom margin, Word automatically inserts a new blank page. If you turn on the Show/Hide button, it reveals a paragraph mark after the table.

    If you dont need the extra page, your first instinct may be to delete the paragraph mark, but Word prevents you from doing so because the mark is part of the documents table format. Your next step may be to reformat the page so the paragraph mark fits on the page, but there is a third solution. Follow these steps to eliminate the extra page:

    1. Select the paragraph mark on the second page.

    2. Click in the Font size box in the Formatting toolbar. (In Word 2007, click in the Font size box in the Font group in the Home tab.)

    3. Replace the font size with 1. Press [Enter].

    If the paragraph mark is still on the blank page, follow these steps: 1. Select the paragraph mark. 2. Go to Format | Paragraph.

    3. Click the Indents And Spacing tab. 4. In the Spacing section, change any spacing

    before or after the paragraph to 0. 5. Click in the Line Spacing box, select Single

    and then click OK. The paragraph mark should now be almost invisible, but positioned on the same page as the table.

  • I C I CLES PAGE 6 DECEMBER 2008

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    A pivot table is a great reporting tool that sorts and sums independently of the original spreadsheet data layout. If you have never used one, this demo may be of interest.

    PIVOT TABLES IN EXCEL By Olav Lehmann, ICE

    Date Account Payee Memo Category Expenditure 7/01/2008 4691 Mcafee Virus Software Computer 100.00 8/01/2008 EFT Newsagency Newspaper Newspaper 35.00 9/01/2008 4692 Colour Fencing Deposit for Fencing Home Repair 200.00

    10/01/2008 ATM Auto Teller Cash 100.00 11/01/2008 4693 Guide Dogs Charity 50.00 12/01/2008 4694 ICE XPPro Computer 125.00 13/01/2008 Bpay Optus Mobile Utilities 19.50 14/01/2008 EFT Ozemail Computer 49.50

    F irst, create some data, with 4 or 5 Payees, 8 or so different Categories and a little variety of expenses: Date, Account and Memo can be left out. Add as many rows as you can around 50 will do. The advantages of Pivot Tables increase in proportion to the amount of data.

    Now select any cell in this table and choose Pivot Table in the Data menu. Excel asks for the data source and suggests this table. Click OK

    Next question is the data range. Excel suggests the table. If you expect to add data in the future, set the data range to include as many rows as you think you will need. Rather than A1:F50, you may want to specify $A$1:$F$200. Note: All columns must have a header even though you dont intend to use them.

    Now Excel asks where you would like your Pivot Table. Note that at the bottom left of this information box there is a button marked Layout. Click this button to get the dialogue box shown on the right (Figure 1).

    Drag the header Payee into the ROW area, the Category header into the COLUMN area

    and the Amount header into the DATA area. If the Amount tag does not show "Sum of Amount", double-click it and choose the Sum option.

    Note: Insertion of Amount into the Data area automatically finishes this step so make sure this is the last header added.

    Finally Excel asks if the table should be placed in a new worksheet. Click OK

    Now you have your Pivot table, sorted and with subtotals (Figure 2):

    (Continued on page 11)

    Figure 1

    Figure 2

  • DECEMBER 2008 PAGE 7 I C I CLES

    This page is sponsored by George Hood

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    [email protected] www.unitech.com.au

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    370-372 Princes Highway, Woonona NSW 2517 4285 6248 4285 6251

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    German Club

    AGA Club Germania Ltd 636A Northcliffe Drive

    KEMBLA GRANGE, NSW 2506 4271 5011 4271 5884

    [email protected] www.germanclub.net.au

    Robert Castles Special Event Videos 4267 3232 0409 902 838 Don't Trash It!

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  • I C I CLES PAGE 8 DECEMBER 2008

    itsa Illawarra TAFE Student Association

    Inc Bookshop Textbooks, software and

    technical equipment "Serving the students of the

    Illawarra Institute" 4229 0529 4226 4285

    [email protected] www.itsa.asn.au

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    Computers, Parts, Repairs & Service

    Ink Cartridges

    Zoom Computers & Services Pty Ltd ABN 90 575 997 191

    Shop1/263 Princess Highway Corrimal NSW 2518

    4283 3323 4283 3367 [email protected] www.zoomcomputers.com.au

    2009 CALENDAR The 2009 Calendar can be collected at any of our activities. Please note that the calendar will not be mailed out. COMPUTER FAIRS ICE wont be manning a stall at Computer Fair at Unanderra, 21 December.

    The Unanderra Fair on 14 December will be manned as usual. Helpers are needed.

    QUICKIE RAFFLE The results of the raffles were: October Day meeting Judy Gombera 1 GB Flash Drive donated

    by ITSA George Hood 50 x CD-R pack donated

    by Eve Green Don Estell Microsoft Digital Image Suite November Night meeting Allen Chaplin 1 GB Flash Drive donated

    by ITSA

    ROUND AND ABOUT ICE (Continued from page 3)

    Call Goran or Adrian on

    4229 9333 : 4229 9966

    WOLLONGONG DRAWING & OFFICE EQUIPMENT

    Incorporating PRESENTATION PRODUCTS

    Sales - Rental - Service

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    ABN: 82 119 434 623

    CNR KEMBLA & BEACH STREETS, WOLLONGONG, NSW 2500

    YOUR HOME THEATRE

    & PRESENTATION SPECIALIST

    John Churchill AFL Premiership 2005 PC game

    Robert Parsons Copy paper LUCKY DOOR DRAW October Day meeting Eugene Keenan Optical mouses &

    mouse mat Fred James PC-cillin Internet Security

    Suite donated by Robert Castles

    November Night meeting Arline Kime Optical mouse & mouse mat Suzanne Marsh PC-cillin Internet Security

    Suite donated by Robert Castles

    BADGE DRAW October Day meeting Karin Schmidbauer CD marker pen Don Estell Lanyard & 30 cm rule

    (Continued on page 9)

    ABN 32 114 315 123

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    02 9740 8833 02 9740 8866 0433 766 127

    [email protected] www.cablelinkaustralia.com.au

    Wholesalers &

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  • DECEMBER 2008 PAGE 9 I C I CLES

    This page is sponsored by Norm Gadsby

    LETTERS Subject: Return Thanks

    To all my friends at ICE A word of thanks can hardly say How much your kind thoughts of sympathy on the passing of my mother meant to me and family. To be succinct, I must conclude, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude. Bodo Schwarz

    November Night meeting Pat Colby Photo paper donated by

    Bodo Schwarz Suzanne Marsh Lanyard, pen &

    30 cm rule

    EDUCATION In order to plan better, all training courses have been allocated dates for 2009.

    Enrolments close 14 days before the commencement date of each course. Access 1 4, 11, 18, 25 May Access 2 19, 26 Oct, 2, 9 Nov Burning CDs 4 Apr 4 Jul Computer Basics 16, 23 Feb2, 9 Mar 27 Jul, 3, 10, 17 Jun Create-A-Card 14 Mar 11 Jul Envelopes & Labels 9, 16 May Excel 1 18, 25 Feb, 4, 11 Mar Excel 2 29 Jul, 5, 12, 19 Aug File Management 29 Apr 8 Jul 16 Nov Internet 25 Mar, 1, 8, 15 Apr Outlook Express 2 May 1 Aug Picasa 22 Apr 21 Oct Photoshop Elements 3, 10, 17, 24 Jun 4, 11, 18, 25 Nov PowerPoint 2, 9, 16, 23 Sep

    ROUND AND ABOUT ICE (Continued from page 8)

    Photostory 3 30 May 5 Sep Publisher 6, 13, 20, 27 May Printing (Excel) 1 Jul Tables 1 Jun Train the Trainer 7, 14, 21 Mar, 7 Apr 15, 22, 29 Jun, 6 Jul Word 1 23, 30 Mar, 6, 20 Apr Word 2 7, 14, 21, 28 Sep Detailed information is available at the education table.

    All courses take place in the UFARA computer lab, which can be accessed through the Community Centres front office from Factory Road. You need to bring with you the following: A pen, Notebook, A flash drive Additional items you will be advised of on

    enrolment for some courses, And the joining instructions given to you

    on enrolment. (Continued on page 15)

  • I C I CLES PAGE 10 DECEMBER 2008

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    S oon after you install ZoneAlarm, you may see Program or Firewall alerts. This is normal alerts let you know you're protected

    ANATOMY OF AN ALERT and help you set up the right permissions for your network connections and programs. If you do not recognise the program name, click More Info, which will guide you to the ZoneAlarm Web site. The site provides descriptions for many programs in order to help the users make safe decisions. Remember to check the box next to Remember this setting so that you give permanent permission to programs you trust. This will reduce the number of pop-ups you receive.

    PRINT SELECTED PAGES FROM DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF A DOCUMENT

    By Mary Ann Richardson Choosing which pages you send to the printer is normally a straightforward process, thanks to Words Page Range options. But if those pages belong to different document sections, youll need to give Word a little extra guidance.

    T he Page Range section of Words Print dialog box lets you print only the pages you need. For example, if you needed to print pages 1, 10, and 100 of a 100-page document, you would enter 1,10,100 in the Pages text box. That works as long as your document is not made up of more than one section.

    For example, say you have a document that is divided into 10 chapters, each in a separate section of the document, and each numbered separately starting with 1. Thus, Chapter One is numbered 1-1 through 1-10; Chapter 2 is numbered 2-1 through 2-20; and so on. To print Chapters 1 and 4, you would enter the following in the Pages text box: s1,s4

    To print Chapters 2 through 4, you would enter: s2-s4

    To print individual pages within each

    section, you would add p and the page number to the section number. For instance, to print pages 1-1 and 2-2, you would enter p1s1,p2s2 as shown in the figure below.

    Source: TechRepublic, 14 October 2008

  • DECEMBER 2008 PAGE 11 I C I CLES

    This page is sponsored by Fred and Lorna James

    T he study was carried out by scientists at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and published in the latest edition of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

    The UCLA scientists found that searching the web triggers key centres in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning and may help stimulate and possibly improve brain function.

    "The study results are encouraging, that emerging computerised technologies may have physiological effects and potential benefits for middle-aged and older adults," said Dr Gary Small, the principal investigator of the study.

    "Internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function," said Small, a professor at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour.

    The study's authors noted that their findings are the latest to suggest that complex activity that keeps the mind engaged, such as crossword puzzles, may help keep the brain healthy.

    The UCLA researchers said they tested 24 neurologically normal research volunteers between the ages of 55 and 76, half with experience searching the internet and half with no experience.

    The study participants performed web searches and book-reading tasks while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans, which record brain-circuitry changes.

    They all showed significant brain activity during book reading and web searching, but the internet-savvy group registered a twofold increase in brain activation during web use when compared with those with little Internet experience.

    They said the web-savvy group also registered greater activity in the frontal, temporal and cingulated areas of the brain, which control decision-making and complex reasoning.

    "Our most striking finding was that internet searching appears to engage a greater extent of neural circuitry that is not activated during reading - but only in those with prior internet experience," said Small.

    "A simple, everyday task like searching the web appears to enhance brain circuitry in older adults, demonstrating that our brains are sensitive and can continue to learn as we grow older," he added. Source: Sydney Morning Herald, 16 October 2008 Submitted by Lynnette Armour, ICE

    Submitted by Robert Castles, ICE

    The buttons on the toolbars toggle on and off. That is, when you click a button, you turn on the attribute.

    When you click the button again, you turn off the attribute.

    The little down arrows next to Payee and Category. Clicking on either of these will hide selected Payee or Category items.

    General Notes Pivot tables is known as Data Pilot in

    Open Office Calc (Open Office 3.0 is now available).

    Excel 2000 and 2003 allow you to take further steps in arranging data which doesnt appear to be available in Excel 2007 and is not included in Open Office Calc

    Its desirable not to have variations in spellings of category names and to this end its useful to set up dropdown lists for the Category column. Dropdown list in Excel come under the term Transcribe.

    PIVOT TABLES IN EXCEL (Continued from page 6)

    GOOGLING GOOD FOR GERIATRICS: STUDY AFP

    Googling is good for you. No, really. A team of US researchers has found that searching the internet stimulates brain activity in the elderly and middle-aged and may help keep their minds sharp.

  • I C I CLES PAGE 12 DECEMBER 2008

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    ADD A POPUP WINDOW TO A POWERPOINT SLIDE By Susan Harkins

    Sometimes you want to display additional information thats not a permanent element on a slide similar to a popup window. In other words, the information is hidden until you want to display it. For instance, you might want to display quarterly bonuses to build excitement. Or you might want to share a contact phone number or e-mail address if asked. Theres no built-in feature that does this, but you can still get PowerPoint to display a pseudo popup window by adding a trigger that displays a callout.

    A trigger is an object that executes an action or animation when clicked. This technique requires a graphic for you to click. If youre lucky, your slide will have an appropriate graphic to use as a trigger. If not, you can create one by inserting and then hiding an AutoShape. For the popup window, you can use a callout AutoShape. By using a trigger and a little animation, you can get PowerPoint to display the callout with a quick click.

    There are several ways to arrange these items: You can use two separate objects: a trigger

    and a callout.

    You can use the same object for both purposes by adding a trigger to the callout.

    You can use an existing graphic in the slide to trigger the callout.

    The following example uses both a trigger and a callout, as follows: 1. In Normal view, with the slide current,

    choose Basic Shapes from the AutoShapes control on the Drawing toolbar.

    2. Select and insert a shape. How big the shape is depends on how much coverage you want. The advantage to using an additional object as the trigger is that you control the trigger area. Callouts can be small and might be difficult to hit during a busy presentation (Figure 1).

    3. Next, add the callout AutoShape by choosing Callouts from the AutoShapes control, selecting and inserting a specific callout shape, and then entering the appropriate text (Figure 2).

    To animate the callout, do the following: 1. Right-click the callout AutoShape and

    choose Custom Animation. 2. In the resulting Custom Animation pane,

    choose Entrance from the Add Effects control, and then select More Effects.

    3. From the resulting list of effects, click Faded Zoom (at the bottom) and click OK. PowerPoint will add the animated callout to the effects list.

    4. To set the trigger, choose Timing from the effects drop-down list (Figure 3).

    5. In the Faded Zoom dialogue box, click Triggers.

    (Continued on page 13)

    Figure 1

    Figure 2

    You enter the formulas exactly as given for them to be effective. Remember, formulas ALWAYS with an equal (=) sign.

    PRINT A GROUP Just select the worksheets you want to print as a group before choosing File > Print.

  • DECEMBER 2008 PAGE 13 I C I CLES

    This page is sponsored by Lorraine and Lynnette

    7. Click OK to close the dialogue box. To complete the effect, hide the trigger graphic (if you include one) as follows (Figure 5): 1. Right-click the trigger graphic (the

    rectangular AutoShape) and choose Format AutoShape.

    2. Choose 100% from the Transparency control in the Fill section.

    3. Then, choose No Line from the Colour drop-down list in the Line section.

    Figure 3

    4. Click OK and save the presentation. To preview the slide, press [F5]. Click the trigger object to display the callout.

    Clicking the hidden trigger object again will redisplay the callout rather than jumping to the next slide. To continue the slide show, click anywhere in the slide other than on the trigger object. Experiment with the shapes and timing once youre comfortable with the technique to get the most efficient and effective results. You might want to add an exit animation as well. That way you can hide the callout if you want to continue to view the slide without the callout.

    Remember, you might not need a trigger graphic. You might use an existing graphic or even the callout itself. Source: TechRepublic, 18 October 2008

    6. Click (Figure 4) the Start Effect On Click Of option and then select the object that when clicked will display the callout. In this case, thats the rectangular AutoShape you added in the first set of instructions. (When applying this to your own slides, give the trigger graphics meaningful names; matching the callout to the triggering object will be much easier that way.)

    Figure 4

    Figure 5

    ADD A POPUP WINDOW TO A POWERPOINT SLIDE (Continued from page 12)

    Find Out Which Updates Have Been Installed

    Go to Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs. Click the checkbox next to Show Updates and scroll down to find the 'Windows XP Software Updates' list with all the installed updates.

  • I C I CLES PAGE 14 DECEMBER 2008

    AVG ANTIVIRUS AND SECURITY SOFTWARE TOP THREATS

    I-Worm/Nuwar Propagation method of new Nuwar variant is still similar to its predecessors. A spammed mail with link in IP format directs users to the worm web pages where the users are prompted to download one of the worm files with the name funny.exe. Names of other downloadable files are kickme.exe and foolsday.exe. AVG detects this threat as I-Worm/Nuwar.R. 31 March 2008

    I-Worm/Nuwar New Nuwar variant spreading method is similar to Nuwar.L last month propagation. Spammed e-mails are brief containing link in IP format to currently working pages with worm. Compromised page code is changed and as a result user is prompted to download file with worm. Downloaded filename is valentine.exe it's about 110 - 130kB long and it's detected by AVG as I-Worm/Nuwar.N 14 February 2008

    I-Worm/Nuwar We have a new wave of spammed mail messages containing link directing users to website where the worm could be downloaded. An e-mail contains short text and IP address of currently working pages with worm. In this case downloaded filename is withlove.exe and it's about 115kB in size. Websites and worm files changes every few minutes. AVG detects withlove.exe as I-Worm/Nuwar.L. 14 February 2008

    Win32/Mabezat.A In last few days weve registered a larger amount of PE files infected by this virus. Win32/Mabezat is polymorphic file infector which infects PE files. More information could be found in our Virus Encyclopaedia. (http://www.avg.com/virbase) 14 November 2007

    Downloader.Tibs A new Downloader.Tibs variant is spreading today thanks to massive spamming. Infected e-mails contains about 130-140kB long attachment, usually with name happy2008.exe, which is Trojan horse itself. There are also e-mails with links directing users to a malicious web page. The files are already detected as Downloader.Tibs. 14 February 2008

    Trojan Downloader.Agent.UZM A new Trojan Downloader was spammed today. Trojan is attached in zip archive to e-mails in HTML format with subject "Hot game" and body text that claims some Angelina Jolie or Lara Croft undressing game; xgame.zip attachment contains xgame.exe (20992B) which drops executes and deletes kernel driver C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\runtime.sys and downloads another downloader smartdrv.exe. runtime.sys runs injects and hides Iexplore.exe process and downloads another components. xgame.exe is detected as Trojan Downloader.Agent.UZM, smartdrv.exe is detected as Trojan Downloader.Agent.UZN, runtime.sys is detected as Trojan Downloader.Agent.THW and other downloaded components are detected as several variants of Trojan Backdoor.Ntrootkit. 10 November 2007

    I-Worm/Stration downloader Next Stration downloader variant spreads by e-mail in messages with randomly generated subject and body with two attachments. PDF attachment is harmless but EXE attachment which is 18708B long is downloader itself and AVG detects it as I-Worm/Stration.

    More information about Stration worm family can be found in the Virus Encyclopaedia. (http://www.avg.com/virbase) 5 November 2007

    I-Worm/Stration downloader Latest Stration downloader spreads by e-mail in messages with randomly generated subject and body with one EXE and one PDF file attached. EXE file is 20992B in size and its downloader itself which is detected by AVG as I-Worm/Stration.FJA. The file downloader tries to download is already detected as I-Worm/Stration.

    More information about Stration worm family can be found in the Virus Encyclopaedia. (http://www.avg.com/virbase) 1 November 2007

    Stration downloader A new Stration downloader was seeded during todays morning using mail messages where subject and body are

    (Continued on page 15)

  • DECEMBER 2008 PAGE 15 I C I CLES

    Q External Hard Drives My query is to do with external hard drives, particularly those classified as portable. I previously installed a 320 gig drive powered with adaptor from a power point. This has worked successfully but I was tempted by an ad from Officeworks to purchase another, classified as portable and cost $69 for 160 gigs. It was powered and connected via USB. As I was unsuccessful in installing this drive (Western Digital) I returned it to O/W. They offered me a Maxtor, also 160 gigs to try. This also didn't want to be installed. I suspected some sort of conflict and I managed to get some help from the Maxtor site, their trouble shooter. The problem was resolved by dismantling all USB ports and installing the HD first before reinstalling the other hardware. I might add that the Maxtor HD had an unusual set-up, requiring twin USB connections. One covers data and power requirements and the other appears to be just to give an additional power boost.

    I am raising this as I do not understand the configuration of this type of HD. Although I have managed to copy some photos onto the drive some other files have also been transferred but are not recognised. (What program has raised them?)

    Perhaps some knowledgeable person can provide a simple explanation of how they work etc.

    Keith Daniels

    A This hard drive is a laptop hard drive and is powered by 5 volt power source of the USB

    QUESTIONS & ANSWERS port. As drives get faster and larger they often draw more power this could be a source of this problem.

    You always must make sure that the drive is connected to a genuine USB 2.0 otherwise the transfer rate will be very slow and this can cause errors. I have noticed that some of these drives are format in FAT32 it is useful to reformat these as NTFS drives as this is a better and more efficient file structure for a large drives e.g. over 8 gig.

    I have seen these drive work on computers quite well as long as they were properly connected - even a Athlone 1700 quite an old machine now.

    Another thing to check is the power supply itself. It may work but not deliver enough power to support the additional USB devices connected. A larger capacity power supply could be helpful particularly one that has a large fan to keep everything cool.

    Pat Colby

    variable and which contains two attachments, one with pdf extension and second with exe extension which is 4096B in size and its downloader itself. AVG detect this threat as Trojan horse Downloader.Generic6.PFM. Downloader tries to download and install Stration to affect system, but Stration download link is no longer active.

    More information about Stration worm family can be found in the Virus Encyclopaedia. (http://www.avg.com/virbase) 19 October 2007

    Source: http://www.avg.com/top-threats Submitted by Penny Ferguson, ICE

    AVG ANTIVIRUS AND SECURITY SOFTWARE TOP THREATS (Continued from page 14)

    Note: Ownership of the relevant application is necessary to gain the full benefit from the courses offered.

    By enrolling in a course you agree to the following conditions: 1. You will receive a full refund if the course

    is cancelled. 2. A minimum of 3 enrolments must be

    received before a course commences. 3. All fees are not refundable except in very

    extenuating circumstances to be dealt with by committee on a case by case basis.

    4. Failure to attend will result in forfeiture of fees paid. This may be appealed in writing to the committee.

    BOOKS Titles of the popular in easy steps series are available to members for $25, plus $10 postage.

    Place your order with the Treasurer. Full payment must accompany order.

    To eliminate the postage, we wont place the order with the publishers until a minimum of 5 books have been received by members.

    For more details see the Secretary at any of our activities.

    ROUND AND ABOUT ICE (Continued from page 9)

  • I C I CLES PAGE 16 DECEMBER 2008

    Meetings are held every second Friday, 7:30 pm, and fourth Saturday, 1:00 pm (February to November), of the month at the Unanderra Community Hall (Rear Hall), corner of Factory Road & Princes Highway, Unanderra.

    If undeliverable return to: Illawarra Computer Enthusiasts 9 Ursula Road, Bulli, NSW 2516

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    Disclaimer: The Illawarra PC Users Group Inc. disclaim all responsibility for any losses or damage which may be attributed to the use or misuse of any material published in this Newsletter. The ILLAWARRA COMPUTER ENTHUSIASTS NEWSLETTER ICICLES is published by the Illawarra PC Users Group Inc., 9 Ursula Road, Bulli, NSW 2516

    AVG 8 INVALID UPDATE CONTROL CTF FILE By Gary James, StrategyOnline

    will fix this problem for you. Simply download and run AVG Mechanic. It will detect where AVG stores those CTF files on your computer, and then tells you how many CTF files it found, and offers to delete them for you!

    You can download AvgMechanic.exe (321 Kb) from this link: http://www.strategyonline.co.za/ftp/public/AvgMechanic.exe Source: http://www.strategyonline.co.za/blog/?p=876

    E rror message: Update failed. Invalid Update Control CTF File. For the past two days my AVG Anti-Virus

    hasnt been downloading its definition updates. Instead its been telling me that I have an Invalid Update Control CTF File. I assumed this was Windows Firewall (which I have turned off) or Windows Defender (which I have throttled down), but apparently it wasnt

    I eventually deleted all the *.CTF files in my C:\Users\All Users\avg8\update\download directory.

    Because this post has received so much interest I decided to create a little program that

    How do hens encourage their football team? They egg them on

    STOP ME IF ...