May 16, 2009 mtg., Presentation: Downloading from the Internet

At the Computer Club meeting for May, Don Columbo suggested that the members think of a favorite “toy” they use related to the computer which could be a subject for a future presentation or a part of a presentation.  Some of us have different items that can be plugged into the computer that are interesting and novel and perhaps you can share that information with the rest of us.  Contact Don Columbo with any ideas.
 

Lon Hosford, President of the club, mentioned that Google had a server failure this past week and email was down for a long time.  Also there are many companies that use other types of software developed by Google and this caused problems on various web sites.  It took a while to resolve, but to those of us that were affected, this may be a sign of things to come.
 

Q&A
 

Q.  My computer uses Vista and I have been experiencing too many reconfigurations and updates.  It takes too much time for updates.
A:  Change from Automatic Updates to Manual updates.  Go to Control Panel, Windows Update, Change Settings, and uncheck Updates.  Change to “Check for Updates but let me choose whether to download and install them”.  Since you are using a dial up connection to the internet, updates will take a long time to download.  Try to download the updates at night before you go to bed so it will not interfere with your using the computer during the day.
 

Q.  My Dell computer goes back to a previous screen in a series of flashes and then comes back to the current screen. 
A.  Bring it in for others to look at to resolve.  It could possibly be a stuck key. 
 

Q.  I use Firefox and I have a plug in to view IE.  When viewing IE it comes up with a Java script error.
A.  Maybe Java script is set to show errors.  Try the same page on IE to see if the Java script errors appear.  It may be set to show the Java script errors for web developers.
 

Q.  I am using AVG ver. 8 and it is constantly showing updates.
A.  Set AVG to do upgrades automatically.  Move the cursor over the AVG icon to check if it needs to be updated.
 

A member commented if something pops up on your screen that says “You may be infected.  Do you want to run a scan?”, close your computer immediately.  Use Alt-Ctrl-Delete.  This message is a come-on from an infected web site and by clicking on it, the virus will download to your computer.  Do NOT run a scan.

Presentation: Downloading from the Internet, John Warsinski
There is so much information available to us through the Internet and many times we need to research it and download it to our computer to take advantage of it.  John said if we have a problem, almost any problem, Google it. For this presentation, John chose to research information on a way to create PDF files. After putting our research subject into Google search, check the options that come up and choose an appropriate title.  Check for options that are free. 

Freeware is software for which there is absolutely no payment.  Shareware is software for which no payment is required, but the developers expect a nominal fee if you continue to use it.  Trialware is software that you are allowed to use for a short period of time before payment is requested.  Open Source is software developed by volunteers for which there is usually no charge.  

The search topic selected was Cute PDF, which offered free downloads and a free converter.  Click on the line selected to go to the appropriate web site. Once at the web site, locate the Download link.  Click and select Save so you’ll have the software for future use.  If you select Run to download, it installs to a Temp file. When downloading you may want to change the file name so you can recognize it in the future.  If you download the file as a Zip file, it is not blocked by your anti-virus software.  
 

To install the software, right click on it and scan it with your AVG or other security software.  If no infection is found, install the software by clicking on the file name.  You will be directed to a software installer page.  Follow the instructions to install.  Say Yes to the license agreement.
 

After the software is installed, test its operation.  In this case the software will be saved as a printer.  Use the PDF files to send to others or to print for your own use.  .
 

Thanks, John, for making this so easy to understand.