Mitch's Corner  - September 2002

Don't you hate when you try to install a program and the installation fails and you have no clue why?   Out of luck?  Not as long as the program uses Windows Installer.  For any program that uses Windows Installer, you can turn on logging through the Registry.

***ALWAYS BACK UP YOU REGISTRY FIRST***

Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Policies \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Installer.  Add a new String value, name it "Logging" (NO quotes), double-click it, and enter the following Value data: "voicewarmup" (NO quotes).
These letters can be entered in any order:
v = Verbose output;
o = Out-of-disk-space messages;
i = Status messages;
c = Initial UI parameters;
e = All error messages;
w = Non-fatal warnings;
a = Start up of actions;
r = Action-specific records;
m = Out-of- memory or fatal exit information;
u = User requests;
p = Terminal properties.
If you add a plus, the existing file will be appended.
If you add an exclamation mark, each line is flushed.
Now, when something fails, just have to check in the "Temp" directory and
look for your log files. They'll always start with "Msi" and end
with the .LOG extension. 

*********************************************
HOMESCHOOLERS NOTE:  Pay special attention to GREEN titles

               USEFUL  APPS

WMATCH2                                                                  FREE
http://eletters1.ziffdavis.com/cgi-bin10/flo?y=eRqO0Eyw150HX60qBZ0At
There are many reasons for comparing or synchronizing the contents of  two folders. Perhaps you want to compare a newly installed program with a previous installation, or perhaps you're moving files between two computers. You could open each folder in an Explorer window and compare the files one by one, but this approach is prone to error. WMatch 2 lets you compare and synchronize folders easily. It displays two folders side by side and highlights the differences using special  colors and font styles. You can then use this information to decide what files to copy, move, or delete.

ESBCalc  Scientific Calculator                                        FREE
Download: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=download&program=3457
Screenshot: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=screenshot&program=3457
Homepage: http://www.esbconsult.com.au/esbcalc/
ESBCalc is a scientific calculator with infix notation, brackets, scientific functions, memory, optional paper trail, result history list, color and fonts customization, and more. Functions include trigonometric, hyperbolic, logarithmic and more.

Re-route E-mail Forwarding Service                    FREE  for some
 http://www.re-route.com/
You probably knew that your USPS mail could be forwarded, but what about your e-mail? Sign up for the service, and they will take any e-mail sent to your old account and forward it to your new e-mail address. After that, Re-Route e-mails the sender to notify them of your new address. If you are with AOL, MSN, or any of their featured partners, then the first month is free. If not, then Re-Route charges ten bucks for the one month and 25 for 3 months.



                COLLECTIONS
       (FREE stuff from generous programers)

LOTS O' FREEWARE, 

                  WebDEV & ART
 

Web Calendar                  W2k/XP                       FREE
 http://members.lycos.co.uk/bleucanard/WebCalendar.htm
Web page reminder; handy app remind you to check any page again. Use Web Calendar to remind you to check out the Digital Media newsletter every morning, or to check Amazon for a CD.

Context Thumbview            W9x/2K/XP               FREE
 http://contextmagic.netfirms.com/image-viewer/
Right-click the image, choose "View Thumbnail," and there is the image... all without my having to open up any programs! "As Express ThumbView is an Explorer extension, it is always ready and available for use. Moreover, it is available in any Explorer window, including Open and Save As... dialog boxes."

Directory Lister                      W9x/2k/XP                    FREE
 http://freeware.prv.pl/
Directory Lister displays the contents of your chosen directories It will also let you save the output to an HTML file. It is useful  for web developers who want a quick way to list the contents of a ZIP file before archiving it and uploading it to their website. Directory Lister also shows the date, time, and attributes of the files in your directory, making it easier than ever to compare the differences in files between two directories.

                USEFUL SITES
 
TEACHERS CHECK OUT THIS ONE!!!
Just click the links at the bottom of the page;
Try  Astronomy  or  Atomic Structure  Home page http://www.grauhall.com/home.php

              UTILITIES/FIXES
  

Starter                         W9x/2k/XP                    FREE
 http://codestuff.tripod.com/
"Yet Another Startup Manager"... this does more! Starter lets you import and export registry keys or add a new task to be processed.

LANguard Network Scanner                                              FREE
Download: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=download&program=3231
Homepage: http://www.gfisoftware.com/lannetscan/
LANguard Network Scanner is a freeware security & port scanner to audit your network security. It scans entire networks and provides NETBIOS information for each computer such as hostname, shares, logged on user name. It does OS detection, password strength testing, detects registry issues and more.

DeadAIM                                                                 FREE
Download: http://www.jdennis.net/DeadAIM/DeadAIM.zip
Homepage: http://www.jdennis.net
DeadAIM was written to remove those annoying adverts from AOL's Instant Messenger Version 4 and higher. DeadAIM is not effected by the resizing of the AIM window. The ads stay removed. 

Avita Net Meter                                                          FREE
Download: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=download&program=1852
Homepage: http://www.softsol.cx/ativa/
Ativa Net Meter is the ultimate in versatile internet meters for Windows 95/98/NT/ME and Windows 2000. View   your computer's connection performance. Ativa supports most connection types, including Dialup, DSL, LAN, ISDN, Cable and Satellite. Visualize your bandwidth

A_dailyBackUp                                                               FREE
Download: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=download&program=3870
Homepage: http://members.aon.at/dfg/products/a_backup_e.htm
This program is a professional back up and restore utility-the most effective you can get today - it's free. It supports unlimited backup profiles. It can be configured to start the backup automatically (powerful scheduler using command line options (switches) and to exit when the backup is finished. The files or complete directories will be stored in ZIP compatible archives using a very fast compression procedure.

           Patches, We Got Patches...
 
Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 2
Download: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=download&program=3890
Homepage: http://www.microsoft.com/office/
Office XP Update: Service Pack 2 (SP2) provides the latest updates to Microsoft Office XP. Office XP SP2 contains significant security enhancements, as well as stability and performance improvements. Some of the fixes included with SP2 have been previously released as separate updates. This service pack combines them into one update. PLEASE READ THE ARTICLE BELOW Bill Gates 001 - "License To Kill"

                  JUST  FOR  FUN

Electricon Land                                         FREE
 http://www.electriconland.com/
Icons for your machine 

Pixel Toolbox                  W9x/2k/XP              FREE
 http://www.axiomx.com/PixelToolbox/
PixelToolbox allows you to import an image that you already have, and work from there. If that isn't enough, you can fashion your own tiled desktop or share your creation with friends by exporting your masterpiece as a .jpg, .png, .tga, or .tif file.

Zoom Player                                                            FREE
Download: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=download&program=2770
Homepage: http://www.inmatrix.com/files/zoomplayer_download.html
Zoom Player is a Media Player replacement. Zoom Player provides special zooming functions to improve TV-Output quality by eliminating overscan. Zoom Player's scaling system allows you to exactly match the video area to your screen's dimensions in real-time with adjustable background color in order to test for brightness bleeds. You can also fast forwarding (even on MPEG4 type formats such as DivX), 10 Keyboard accessible presets to automatically adjust the video area to pre-defined settings, customizable control bar with graphical time-seek controls, keyboard mapped controls, aspect ratio support for correct playback of anamorphic video and out of aspect-ratio content.

  SHORTCUTS, TIPS n' TWEAKS 

Your're surfin away and 'POW', this pops up...

     "Your computer is currently broadcasting the following Internet
     Address: [your IP address is shown here]. Every time you
     connect to the Internet, send email or submit a private
     information to a web site, you are broadcasting this unique
     address. With this address, someone can immediately begin
     attacking your computer. Download Internet Alert to protect
     yourself now!..."

OK, your computer is "broadcasting" your IP address--- and it shouldn't alarm you at all.
When you click on any link, the server you're contacting has to be able to respond to your 
specific PC out of all the millions of PCs online 
so it can send you--- and just you--- the web page, the graphic, the download, 
(or whatever) that you clicked to see. So, any HTML "transaction"-- a click on a link, 
for example--- MUST of necessity tell the server your return address, so it can send you the
page/file/image/etc. you asked for. It's not a breach of privacy; it's
how the web works. If you don't send it out you ain't gettin' nuthin' back....

OPT FOR PLAIN. 
Save yourself some ink and choose to print the simple stuff rather than all the razzle dazzle featured on many Web sites.  If you use Internet Explorer as your browser, select Internet Options from the Tools menu and go to the Advanced tab. Scroll down to Printing and uncheck Print background colors and images and press Apply and OK.  With Netscape/MOZILLA, select Page Setup in the File menu, uncheck Print Background, and press OK. An even quicker approach is to highlight (select) the desired text to be printed, click on File, Print, and select and click on Selection and OK to print the desired portion of the page.

           For PROPHEADS & UBERGEEKS
 
Traces Viewer                    W9x/2k/XP                 FREE
 http://www.surfpilot.net/tracesviewer.html
Find website remnants This app lets you see what your PC acquires from every website you visit. You can see what files come from each site, and also if  the site contained any cookies.    

 3d Traceroute                                                         FREE
3d Traceroute is a full blown three dimensional trace route program.
Download: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=download&program=2629
Screenshot: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=screenshot&program=2629
Homepage: http://www.hlembke.de/prod/3dtraceroute/

Cpu-Z                                                                      FREE
Download: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=download&program=686
Homepage: http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.ht
A program that provides some information about your CPU. Some of the details shown include:
  Processor name and vendor
  Core stepping and process
  Processor package
  Internal and external clocks, clock multiplier
  Partial overclock detection
  Processor features, including supported instructions sets.
  L1 and L2 cache information: location, size, speed, technology.

jv16 PowerTools                                                     FREE
Download: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=download&program=2330
Homepage: http://www.jv16.org/
jv16 PowerTools is the next generation of RegCleaner. A full set of tools to keep your computer and your LAN up and running. jv16 PowerTools is basically the Tool to control your computer. Until now your computer might had been the one who is in charge, but with jv16 PowerTools you can take the control. The program contains all the tools needed for monitoring and cleaning the Registry and the file system. And you can control all the computers in your LAN.

SQLView              W9x/2k/XP                FREE
 http://mywebpages.comcast.net/fredbubbers/software/
SQLView is "A SQL Database viewing utility. It automatically detects all available ODBC data sources and displays them in an explorer-like tree. Users may double-click on data sources to access the databases, browse tables, execute custom queries and export the data to .CSV or .XML files."

*** SPECIAL   FEATURE ***

      BUSINESS & PRODUCTIVITY

TimeCalendar LE
http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Reviews/r429.html
Do you show up late for important appointments, forget about deadlines and miss out on lunch because you've suddenly discovered some urgent job to do?  Now you can lead a steady and effective career with a detailed planner, calendar and alarm clock in one. TimeCalendar LE is an all-in one organizer tool based on calendar view.  You can view a whole year or part of the day with intervals as short as one minute - in total, twenty different views.  You can add and edit single and recurring events and set alarms for them (but you will have to have the program running for the alarms to work). This program introduces the idea of layers - each member of your family, ideally, can have its own layer with their own special events.  You can create separate layers with TV show schedule or sports events, for example, and load it when you need it.  In the Light Edition the number of available layers is restricted to two.

Rainlendar
Download: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=download&program=249
Homepage: http://gamma.nic.fi/%7Erainy/Rainlendar.html
Rainlendar is a very customizable calendar-application which shows the current month on your desktop.

 A_StockAlert                     98/ME/NT4/2000/XP         FREE
 http://www.filebasket.com/astockalert.html
"Receive free of charge real time data from stocks you are interested in.  (Unlimited number). Set limits to the stock price and you will receive an alert  message (eMail, SMS on the cellular/handy phone) when the value exceeds or  drops below the limits. A_StockAlert notifies you when you need to be informed  of market movements at any time, around the globe. Using today's top  communication channels, investors can be updated via cellular phones  (SMS) and eMails. A_StockAlert is an innovative tool that makes stock trading  more convenient and functional for today's investors. A_StockAlert gives you the  flexibility to keep abreast of the rapidly changing exchange market." 

Medved QuoteTracker                                         FREE
QuoteTracker provides streaming real-time quotes, live intra-day charts with technical indicators, level II quotes, time and sales, alerts, news monitoring, integrated trading, and more. You can trade through your own broker using QuoteTracker's direct access interface.
Download: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=download&program=278
Homepage: http://www.quotetracker.com/

 Atlantis Nova                                                            FREE
 http://www.filebasket.com/atlantisnova.html
"Atlantis is designed to provide the power and functionality to satisfy the most  demanding word processing tasks with the greatest of ease. With its small size and  memory footprint, Atlantis will easily launch from a floppy for maximum portability  if necessary. A whole array of functions give you complete control over the  handling and viewing of documents. Wheel mouse fans will be delighted to find  support for their mouse advanced functions. The Zoom function will provide  instant adequate magnification. A comprehensive innovative dual set of standard  toolbar commands (Main & Alternative) provides instant access to most Atlantis  commands. In addition to the usual text editing facilities (Column Block selection,  Drag & Drop editing), a whole array of formatting commands are available, whole  files and pictures can be inserted, allowing you perfect control over the layout and   style of your documents. Support for Styles is comprehensive. The 200 Hot Keys  will give power users all the instant control they require from the keyboard.  Atlantis provides a special facility for storing clipboard items, the Clippy Bank.  Correction is always possible. All editing can be undone or redone. Atlantis will  create backup files of original versions of your documents."

  A GOOD IDEA for Working at Home
 Phone Line Secrets
Unwanted phone calls;   The telephone company offers a feature that allows you to have three different phone numbers with three different rings - on the same line. You still have just one phone line, and the number for that is the one printed in the phone book, but you have two additional numbers you can give out to people, which produce distinct rings when anyone uses them. Give one of the extra numbers (the three-ring number) only to people we actually want to talk to, and we use the two-ring number in situations where we have to supply a phone number (as in filling out forms) but don't necessarily want to talk to whoever it is. We never give anybody our main number - the one in the phone book. Thus, when the main number rings, you know the call is coming from someone who looked it up or called information. You can ignore these calls completely, unless the caller leaves a message that makes you want to call back. When the two-ring number rings, you know it's from somebody you gave the number to, but not necessarily somebody you want to talk to. In this case, you look at the Caller ID, but most of the time you don't answer these calls, either. You always answer the three-ring calls. Using this system, you will find that you answer the phone less than 10 percent of the times it rings.

  Rules identify a message according to your criteria, then does one of these  actions: 
    Play different notification sound
    Delete from the server
    Ignore (don't notify)
    Run any EXE file
    Wildcard support in Rule criteria
    System wide hot-keys for most functions
    Rotating Tray Icon to show number of messages in each account
    Sort messages in any order
    Optional password protection to view messages
    Different message icons to quickly identify new messages
    Reply using your default e-mail client
    Complete Install / Uninstall


POP Peeper W9x/2k/XP                                      FREE
http://home.attbi.com/~meierj/software/PopPeeper/
POP Peeper checks any number of POP3 and Hotmail e-mail accounts, displaying each of their contents in a different color. The little mailbox icon in the system tray lets you know when you have a new message (you can set the message check interval), you can configure the application to play a tune or put a notification on the Desktop when you get email. POP Peeper also has support for HTML.

Shortcut Organizer for Microsoft Word                                   FREE
 http://www.chriswoodman.co.uk/Shortcut%20Organizer.htm
Shortcut Organizer adds a feature that Microsoft forgot in Word! Word contains a built-in Organizer that allows you to view, rename, copy and move four of the features that are held in Word templates - styles, autotexts, toolbars and macros (in Word 97 and 2000, complete modules of macros). But templates contain other things besides - customization of the built-in menu bar and toolbars, and keyboard assignments. Shortcut Organizer provides a user interface, as similar to the built-in Organizer as possible, that allows you to see and manipulate all the keyboard assignments held in a template.

Microsoft Word add in Utilities                                   FREE
 http://www.cdev.co.uk/utils.htm
          Show detail - toggles 3 ways to show paragraphs marks, text boundaries or nothing -
          works for document in Page Layout view
          Update fields - updates all the fields in a document
          Toggle Field codes - toggles Field codes on/off
          Make Pic Inline - changes pictures from ‘floating’ to inline. Select picture first then press
          this button
          Page Width - in Page Layout view makes the document Page Width
          Whole Page - in Page Layout view makes the document Whole Page
          Toggle Normal/Page view -
          Cell Reference - displays the Cell reference of the current table cell - information
          displayed in the Status bar
          Easy Find is the quick way to search for text in the active Word document. The search is
          conducted as you type into a small popup box, with the document automatically scrolling to
          the progressively matching text.
          Run the macro (use the hotkey Ctrl+PgDn) and the following pop-up is displayed in the
          bottom right-hand corner of your screen.
          Start to type in the text that you wish to locate. As you type, EasyFind searches for the
          text. When you have typed enough to locate the required text then you can:
            ·   Quit macro: press ESC key
            ·   Search Forwards/Backwards: press PgDn/PgUp
          You can move the pop-up to a preferred location which will be remembered for future use.
          ToggleBookmark - set/delete a Flag bookmark in the document - these ‘Flag’ tools are to
          help navigation around a large document
          Next Bookmark - move to next Flag bookmark in the document
          Previous Boomark - move to previous Flag bookmark in the document
          Clear All Bookmarks - delete all Flag bookmarks in the document
          Go Back – move insertion point to previous position
          Get Address - allows you to select an address from your address book and insert the
          information into the active document
          Database Retriever - a general purpose database reading application enabling you to insert
          data from any (simple) Access database. You need Access installed (or at least the DAO
          database engine) for this to work.
          Random text - Insert dummy text into the Active Document.
          Multi Close - a quick way to close all open documents

CASH safety here and on the road:
Some credit cards, such as Discover and cards issued by MBNA offer a free service that allows you to request a "one- time" card number that only works once. Thus, after you have used it to make a purchase, it can't be used again... ever! Your request only takes a couple of minutes to process and some even do auto-fill when you are entering the card number to pay for your purchase. I've been using this for about 6 months, and it's easy and apparently safe. You even have the ability to put a maximum $ (dollar amount) limit on the single purchase card and even a time limit. You can, of course, use it over the telephone as well.

Company Overview               W9x/2k/XP              FREE
 http://www.toteboard.net/Models/company_overview.htm
 Check your stocks; This Excel spreadsheet and add-in is a way to check stocks and save the data into a separate Excel spreadsheet.  "E*TRADE doesn't give half the information that Company Overview does, such as insider trades and financial trends, along with many other tid bits of information."

Hotkeycontrol XP                         W9x/2k/XP                                FREE
 http://www.digital-miner.com/software/hkcontrol.zip  
 http://www.digital-miner.com/hkconintro.html
HotKeyControl XP can greatly reduce the amount of typing and clicking you have to do to get your computer to do what you want. 
  It can send keystrokes which may be used to type in frequently used text.
  It can run programs with optional command-line parameters.
  It can open folders and Web pages. 
HotKeyControl XP can control your browser or any media player. it works in games also.
You can use the same hotkeys for different features by setting function key combinations. It will run up to 8 programs. 

PDF-Creator v1.5                                                      FREE
Download: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=download&program=3759
Homepage: http://www.cadkas.com
With PDF-Creator you can create PDF files from each application, which is able to produce a printer output. The program converts PostScript files into PDF files. If you redirect the printer output to a file you can create PostScript files with ease.

ESBCalc
Download: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=download&program=3457
Screenshot: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=screenshot&program=3457
Homepage: http://www.esbconsult.com.au/esbcalc/
ESBCalc is a scientific calculator with infix notation, brackets, scientific functions, memory, optional paper trail, result history list, color and fonts customization, and more. Functions include trigonometric, hyperbolic, logarithmic and more. 

ESB Unit Conversion Utility
Download: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=download&program=3533
Screenshot: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=screenshot&program=3533
Homepage: http://www.esbconsult.com.au/esbcalc
ESB Unit Conversion Utility lets you convert between units such as temperature, distance, mass, area, volume, pressure, velocity, acceleration, time and more.

JCB Credit Card Validator
Download: http://www.fileflash.com/?action=download&program=3883
Homepage: http://jcbs.newphp.com
JCB Credit Card Validator is an ActiveX DLL that returns "true" or "false" according to the validity and name of the card

GigAlarm                                   W9x/2k/XP                    FREE
 http://users.bigpond.net.au/glina/GigAlarm.htm
GigAlarm can setup whatever reminders/alarms you need. GigAlarm can play a WAV file (random, or your selection), change your background, start a program, or use one of the many Windows shutdown options.

  Form Pilot                                                                     FREE
  http://www.colorpilot.com/typewriter.html

  Create Web/CD catalog                                             FREE
  http://www.hyperpublish.com/create_a_catalog_000018.htm

                 TRAVEL HELPERS                              
 

PACK LIKE A PRO.                                                     FREE
http://www.bhg.com/bhg/category.jhtml?catref=C29
Peak travel season is approaching so take a look where Better Homes & Gardens gives advice on lots of things to make your trip preparation more complete and enjoyable.  There's even an interactive packing list to help you decide what to take along.

MY-CAST.                                                                         FREE
A free service at http://www.my-cast.com provides personal weather forecasts by Web and email (HTML or text) within the 48 contiguous states.  These are created every three hours within a four-mile grid, more specific and frequent than information received from the National Weather Service. You identify those indoor and outdoor activities that are important to you, and the service reports the affect the weather will have on those activities.

 EmailAnywhere                                                                FREE
 http://www.e-mailanywhere.com/
Using this Web site, you can access messages in your Inbox instantly, from anywhere. There are no lengthy registration forms or surveys to fill out. To try our free service simply login now.  This sure seems better than lugging a laptop with you.
 
FIND ACCESS.  http://conectado.org/english/
When you're on the road and need to get to a convenient computer, just enter your current ZIP code at or call the toll-free number provided.  Chances are, there's a library just around the corner. 

Freeware Currency Converter             W9x/2k/XP               FREE
 http://www.belgraver.demon.nl/currconv2/currconv2-setup.exe
 http://www.belgraver.demon.nl/currconv2/
Freeware Currency Converter handles all the popular currencies, as well as a few minor ones. You can customize its listing to suit your preferences. Penny for your thoughts? The Currency Converter 2 is a freeware program to convert between over 200 currencies. You can keep all the exchange rates up-to-date by using the one- button Internet Update-function (with proxy support) to load the Exchange Rates from the Internet.

ROADSIDE AMERICA.  http://www.roadsideamerica.com          FREE
Well if you're stuck driving on a long trip you might want to break up the monotony by visiting the Toilet seat museum or one of this nations other lesser known attractions "Online Guide to Offbeat Tourist Attractions.