Houston Area League of PC Users and HALNet Internet Service

SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 1:00 PM - BASICS 101 SEMINAR: CD/DVD MUSIC BASICS (DETAILS BELOW)

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April 12, 2007

A -- HAL-PC

1 About HAL-PC
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6 HAL-PC HQ
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B -- Member Services

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21 February Magazine
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C -- HALNet

24 User Support
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28 My Account Info
29 ADSL FAQ
30 Virus Information
31 Microsoft Updates
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33 Filter Q&A
34 Web based Email
35 HALNet Staff
36 User Home Pages

D -- What's Hot

37 Online Resources
38 Search Engines
39 Tech Companies
40 Other User Groups
41 Houston Weather
42 Houston Traffic
43 Houston News
44 Market Watch

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Welcome! HAL-PC is home to HALNet, an award winning internet service provided at low cost to our members since 1994, exciting technology presentations, over 70 different Special Interest Groups, hands-on computer classes and much much more. Browse our site, join the group and become one of thousands of computer users helping other computer users since 1982.

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Microsoft Security Updates May 2008 CRITICAL

DUE TO NUMEROUS REPORTED PROBLEMS,
HALNet TECHNICAL SUPPORT STRONGLY RECOMMENDS
NOT INSTALLING WINDOWS XP SERVICE PACK 3 AT THIS TIME!!!

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TODAY AT HAL-PC Friday, May 16, 2008 9:30 - PC Upgrade & Troubleshooting 10:00 - Computer Investing SIG 6:30 - MCSE Certification Lab 7:00 - New Member Orientation April Magazine Articles May eBulletin Past eBulletins SUMMER GENERAL MEETING Our next HAL-PC General Meeting will be Saturday, June 21 at 10:00 am. Tired of high phone bills? Want to chat with distant family members FREE? Robert Gunn, president of HAL-PC and system administrator for HALNet will speak on how to get free long distance and cheap phone service via computer! We've all heard the hype about Voice Over IP technology. Robert has extensive personal experience with various services and will sort it all out for you. Learn the ins and outs of Skype and OneSuite services and a new service that provides free long distance! He will demonstrate all these technologies and answer your questions. After this meeting you should be able to make a confident choice and start saving money!! Suite doors open at 9:00 am for coffee and pastry. Lunch from Antones will be available after the presentation for anyone who orders by 10:00. Open to the public - door prizes for members only! NEW HAL-PC MERCHANDISE Support your User Group in style with HAL-PC merchandise. We have limited quantities of logo lunch bags, shoulder bags, golf shirts, cotton oxford shirts and LED flashlights for sale at Headquarters. Buy a lunch bag or LED flashlight and get $$ off other logo merchandise! See the Merchandise Page for photos, descriptions and size availability. For more merchandise (including mugs, mousepads and tshirts for the whole family!) visit our online store at Cafe Press. BOD ELECTION 2008 The annual election of members of the HAL-PC Board of Directors will be held in June. Online voting will be available from June 1 - June 21 at 5:00 pm. In person voting at Headquarters will be 2:00 - 5:00 pm June 21. Candidate information and statements will be available shortly. COMING EVENTS BASICS 101 SEMINARS Bob DuVernay presents what you need to know about a variety of subjects on the first Saturday of the month from 1:00 - 3:30. No registration fee is required; first come - first seated. BASICS 101: CD/DVD MUSIC BASICS Saturday, June 7, 1:00 pm: It's HOT; don't leave those expensive CD's in the truck! Put 5 hrs quality music on one CD, for that long drive into West Texas. UPCOMING CLASSES AT HAL-PC See the Class Calendar for scheduled classes and check the Classes Information Page for a list of course offerings and registration information. To register for any of our class offerings, e-mail classes@hal-pc.org. You may also call 713-341-8102 between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. All classes held at HAL-PC headquarters unless otherwise specified. HANDOUTS FROM PAST PRESENTATIONS Preventing, Recognizing and Recovering From Identity Theft as presented Saturday, January 26, 2008 Instructor's PowerPoint Presentation and List of resources Creating a PowerPoint Presentation as presented Wednesday, October 17, 2007 Instructor's handout and Handout on PowerPoint with Music Home Networking for Everyone as presented Saturday, July 15, 2006 Instructor's PowerPoint Presentation and Course Handout from this event. Win2k PowerPoint viewer available on Microsoft website. NEW FTP SETTINGS FOR HALNet HOME PAGES Have you put your ow1n personal home page on HALNet? In the coming weeks, HALNet will be moving all its user accounts to a new web server. IF YOU HAVE YOUR OWN WEB PAGE ON THE HALNet SERVER, your personal web page URL will remain the same (http://www.hal-pc.org/~username), but the ftp server address will change. To prepare for this move, we ask you to please change the settings in your FTP program (i.e., WS-FTP, Cute FTP, LeapFTP, FrontPage, Dreamweaver) from www.hal-pc.org to users.hal-pc.org. If you do not have a HALNet based personal web page, you don't need to change anything. Thank you for your cooperation!! ONLINE IT CERTIFICATION COURSES Starting at $29.95 HAL-PC announces great IT training service for HAL-PC members, their friends and family: End-User topics for just $29.95. Technical topics for just $59.95. Or, buy a suite of courses covering dozens of topics starting as low as $89.95. And with the "Instant Mentoring" feature it's like having a live instructor on call 24x7. Check out this outstanding curriculum and you take a FREE TRIAL. PROTECT YOUR DATA WITH BOOMERANG HAL-PC is offering a service to help protect your computer from the harmful effects of viruses and worms. The Boomerang card takes a 'snapshot' of your data, monitors changes made to your hard drive and eliminates unwanted changes with just a reboot. You can purchase the card from HAL, and our upgrade SIG will clean your computer of viruses, worms and spyware and install the card, all for one low price. See the Boomerang page for detailed information and look for a review of the card in the December HAL-PC magazine. MAY VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH May's HAL-PC Volunteer of the Month is Beverly Rosenbaum. Beverly is a long-time dedicated member of HAL-PC who works primarily on the magazine. She takes your email questions, researches them and publishes the answers in her 'Email Bag' column to help us all. Her editing talents are a gift to the magazine staff. And on a personal note, Beverly was the first HAL-PC member I met in 1994 when I wandered into the software library at the old offices on Post Oak. She was warm, gracious and helpful then and she continues to be now. Thank you, Beverly, for being such an asset to HAL-PC! CONTACTING HAL-PC You can reach HAL-PC information at 713-993-3300 during regular business hours (9:00 am - 9:00 pm Mon-Fri, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Sat.). General information is available 24 hrs a day via automated voice menus. Questions and comments regarding the website may be directed to the webmaster. HALNet account information is accessible online - see User Support. For other HALNet questions, please contact the appropriate staff member. You may reach the Member Services Coordinator at 713-341-8102 and the Staff Accountant at mariej@hal-pc.org, 713-341-8103. You may communicate with the Officers and Board of Directors via their email addresses. PLEASE send text messages only - no HTML formatting. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE COMPUTER LITERATE? HAL-PC and Leisure Learning's Computer Center are working together to heighten awareness of the need for true computer literacy. Visit the joint website for more information and take the brief Computer Literacy Self-Test.		HALNet ADSL - LIGHTNING FAST, LOCAL SUPPORT! Want the speed and convenience of an always-on broadband connection without the hassles of foreign call centers or notoriously poor customer service? HALNet has an ADSL plan for every user! Upgrade your connection now - call 713-993-3300 and ask for the ADSL tech to see if your phone line qualifies for ADSL. ADSL TROUBLE? If your ADSL seems sluggish, is not connecting, web pages fail to load or email fails, do the following BEFORE calling HAL-PC. Shut down the computer. Shut down (turn off) any routers/hubs/switches between the computer and ADSL Modem. Shut down the modem (unplug the power cord if it does not have a power button). Wait about 15 seconds. Turn on the ADSL modem FIRST (or plug the power cord back in), wait 60 seconds. Turn on any routers/hubs/switches between the PC and ADSL Modem SECOND, wait 60 seconds. Turn on the computer LAST. If you still cannot bring up web pages or the ADSL light is NOT a steady green, then call HAL-PC. Please have your ADSL phone number ready to give the tech - it will make your service call faster! AVG 8.0 RELEASED Version 8.0 of the popular AVG anti-virus software has been released. Please note: Windows 9x, ME and NT 4.0 operating systems are no longer supported under AVG version 8. This AVG is still free for home use. According to AVG, the free version has "limited features, ... [and is] for private and non-commercial use only." The HAL help desk will provide phone support for this version, but you must purchase the full version to get tech support from AVG. Click this link to download the free version. Save the AVG_Free file to a place on your hard drive such as a "Download" Subdirectory (folder) or "My Documents" or even to "The Desktop". The downloading on a dial-up may take 90 to 120 minutes (it is a 46 meg file). On HAL-PC/HALNet ADSL, it should take about 5 minutes. Once downloaded, double-click the AVG file to install it. For Questions and Answers concerning AVG Anti-Virus see: AVG 7.5 & AVG 8.0 Free Edition FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) How to install AVG 8.0 over AVG 7.x or AVG Free POSTINI SPAM & VIRUS FILTERS According to Postini statistics, 10 of every 12 email messages is spam, and 1 in 4 is virus-infected. Postini stops these messages before they reach (and clog) the HALNet mail server. HALNet subscribers can get a 30-day free trial of the Postini mail filtering progam by contacting the office at 713-993-3300. The $2.00 per month fee will be added to your automatic charge after the trial period. To cancel, call the office at (713) 993-3300. For more information on this service, see the Filter Question and Answer page. HALNet NATIONAL DIALUP With HALNet's Nationwide Dial-Up you can access the internet across the US and parts of Canada for only $10.00/month! Use our simple web-based location finder to find the access number and take HALNet with you on your business trip or vacation! And all your out-of-town friends and family can now have HALNet accounts - no membership required! See the National Dial-Up information page for details! HALNet ahora ofrece servicio de conexi�n por acceso telef�nico a redes a nivel nacional e ISDN a $10.00. Por favor d�gale a sus amigos, compa�eros de trabajo y aquellos seres queridos de todos los Estados Unidos de Norteam�rica que visiten http://www.hal-pc.org/national.html para mayor informaci�n. HALNet NOW OFFERS HAL-PC MEMBER SUBSCRIBERS A SECURE VPN CLIENT You've all read and heard about the dangers of transmitting your information over an insecure wireless network - now HALNet offers a solution. Take your laptop to Starbucks and access the web with confidence! Download our Windows Open VPN client today! See the Open VPN Information Page for details. HAL-PC MEMBER SUBSCRIBERS ONLY. Do you want that secure remote connection, but you're not a HAL-PC member? Join HAL-PC Now! HOW TO REPORT SPAM THAT GETS THROUGH POSTINI FILTERS HAL-PC/HALNet Spam and Virus Filter Service (POSTINI) Users: Spammers are constantly developing new tricks to slip through even the best of spam filters. If you are a HALNet Postini Filter System user and receive a spam message that has slipped through the filters, forward it, intact and without comment, to spam@postini.com. You will be doing your part to help keep spam out of your own and your fellow users' mail boxes! *(Note: this only applies if you are a current* Postini Spam Filter user) See: Submitting Spam to Postini using MS Outlook, and for those not using Postini, see: General Questions - Junk Email Assistant. Preview the HAL-PC/HALNet (Postini) Spam and Virus Filtering. HALNet USER SUPPORT Your premier source of information about your HALNet account is the User Support Section! How to configure your browser or email program, check your account information, current system status, forwarding your mail, putting up a website . . . it's all there! Having connection problems? They may be modem related. See the What Modem Should I Buy page for important information. WHAT'S HAPPENING AT CLEAR LAKE General Computer SIG** - Saturday, June 28 - 9:30 am: Steve Kennedy, HAL-PC SIG Leader, "Computer Gaming: From Pong to Portal" Only a few games reach Hall of Fame status. We'll take a look at some: Sim City, Flight Simulator, StarCraft, Grand Theft Auto, etc. Even "Pong", which arguably started the whole thing in 1972, is still fun to play. As is "Portal", the current mind bending game from Valve. Related topics include magazines, websites, free games and even when a console like the Wii makes sense. Steve played the first "Pong" machine at Kay's Lounge in the Rice Village in the early 70's, and actually bought IBM's "101 Monochrome Mazes" in the early 80's, He has spent more than a few quarters on games. Bring a friend! Clear Lake Medical Tower - 4th Floor - 450 Medical Center Blvd. Digital Photography SIG - Saturday, May 17th - 9:30 am: Carl Farley, HAL-PC Clear Lake SIG Leader, "Cruising China's Yangtze River and the Three Gorges Dam." Carl will just be returning from a three-week trip-of-a-lifetime to Central China where a lot of interesting sights will be experienced. Selected photos and videos of the Yangtze River will be shared because of its enormous size and importance to the people and their land. Come join us for a relaxing, enjoyable meeting. Of course, we'll have our usual show-and-tell and Q & A periods. Open to the public. Clear Lake Medical Tower - 4th Floor - 450 Medical Center Blvd. Computer Investing SIG Friday, June 6 - 1:00 pm: Richard Keller, HAL-PC Clear Lake SIG Member, "Investing in Mutual Funds" Like many of us, Richard has been investing in mutual funds and has lots of experiences to share. Com find out how he does it and what his favorite web sites are. 400 Medical Center Blvd - Suite 210. Open to the public. Camcorder & Video SIG Saturday, June 7 - 9:30 am: Carl Farley, HAL-PC Member, "Open Video Forum" Our open video forums are going so well that we're continuing this format until we need to change. Everybody should bring in something to talk or learn more about or show-and-tell. Or, just sit back and enjoy some video work that one our members, Indu, said he'd bring in and talk about. This meeting will be very easy-going, so come on out if you'd like to learn more about the flow of camcorder and video work. Here's a chance to learn from a wide range of people with different interests and skill sets. 400 Medical Center Blvd - Suite 210. Open to the public. Mini-Course "Photo Editing - Beyond the Basics" Saturday, May 17th - 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm: HAL-PC Clear Lake Staff. This mini-course takes up where our basic photo editing course lets off. Learn how to make selections, use layers, clone out imperfections, adjust gamma, and add fun effects. Common photo editing software will be used. Call the office at 281-316-0768 to register. Fee payable at the door ($5.00 members/$10.00 public) For information on Clear Lake Mini-Courses, see the Clear Lake Mini-Course web page.