NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article
March 2001 Meeting Follow-up
by Dale Oliver, President, April 2001
d_oliver@swbell.net
(click to email author)


We had another good presentation this past month thanks to Randy Roberts and Bob Brake from our local Gateway Country store. Especially appreciated was their professional, helpful method of presenting. If you haven't stopped by the local Gateway store yet, it's definitely worth seeing. It is nicely laid out, you can play with all the latest gadgets, and I have personally found the staff to be courteous and helpful.

After the main presentation was over, some additional questions were fielded from the floor. The specific questions-and the answers to them-follow.

Q: James McDonald asked if Windows 95 has the disk cleanup utility software like Windows 98.

A: Apparently not. Bill Shook fired up his test system, which uses the most recent Windows 95 release, and reported that it was nowhere to be found. It appears that you will have to do some manual cleanup if you're using Windows 95. For maximum space savings while investing a minimum amount of time, concentrate on cleaning up the \Windows\Temp\ and \Windows\Temporary Internet Files\ folders. Also be sure to check your Recycle Bin for deleted files that no longer need to be kept. Items sitting in your Recycle Bin take up disk space until you delete them from the Recycle Bin. Just remember, however, when you delete something from the Recycle Bin you can't get it back.

Q: Is a cheap discount store surge suppressor/power strip sufficient protection for a personal computer?

A: No. Sometimes cheap surge suppressors can be worse than using nothing at all. By far the best strategy is to use a quality uninterruptible power supply like those made by APC and found on the web at http://www.apc.com. Remember that the telephone connection is often the most vulnerable in an electrical storm, so it is a good idea to purchase a unit that also offers telephone protection. APC uninterruptible power supplies and other quality brands also come with excellent warranties that cover products plugged into them.

Some members also mentioned that cheap power strips/surge suppressors connected in parallel with an uninterruptible power supply, or on the same circuit as an uninterruptible power supply, can cause problems. John Clark seemed to have some additional input on this, so you may want to ask him if you have questions about this.

Q: Where is a good place to donate used computer equipment?

A: Charles Blanchard suggested St. Vincent's De Paul church in Rogers, 501- 636-4020. They are located one block south of Walnut Avenue near St. Mary's Hospital.

Q: What is the best way to get rid of useless electronics, computers, monitors, etc?

A: Contact the Four County Solid Waste District at 1-888-4CO-WASTE (1-888- 426-9278). They can do amazing things with old electronics, including recycling, salvaging parts and precious metals, etc. There is a nominal charge of $5.00 for dropping off electrical appliances. Remember that most municipal curbside surfaces will not take old monitors, and that the landfill is no place for these objects. They contain substances that are terrible for the environment, and we definitely don't want these compounds making their way into our drinking water supply.

Q: How can I find out what my used computer is worth?

A: Thanks to Randy Roberts' input at the last meeting, we now know that you can find out the value of computers, electronics, copiers, power tools, and more from Orion Bluebook. See them on the Web at http://www.bluebook.com

Q: How can I manually back up the Windows registry?

A: Very briefly, the registry files are named System.dat and User.dat. They are hidden files stored in your default Windows directory, which is usually C:\Windows\. You can manually back these files up, but keep in mind that the System.dat file can grow to be many megabytes in size. You can also use the registry editor, Regedit.exe which is also found in the default Windows directory, to export your registry to a *.reg file for quickly restoring later.

Also, the October 2000 NWA-PCUG newsletter article on CAB files mentions how Windows automatically makes multiple backup copies of your registry for you. A quick excerpt from that article says, "By default, these backup files are stored in the \Windows\Sysbckup\ folder. Windows keeps five separate copies of your registry here, using the file names RB001.CAB through RB005.CAB. More advanced users can modify the ScanReg.INI file located in the \Windows\ folder to configure a number of specific features relating to registry backups, including the number of backup registry copies to keep." If you want to read more, pull out your paper copy of the October 2000 newsletter or read the article online at http://pcgroup.nwark.com/vpres- a0.htm.

Keep those questions and answers coming! I look forward to seeing you at the meeting again this month.

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