Dennis Faas

The Moving Picture Experts Group ( MPEG ) is a working group of ISO/IEC charged with the development of video and audio encoding standards. Since its first meeting in 1988, MPEG has grown to include approximately 350 members from various industries ... and universities. MPEG's official designation is ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29 WG11. MPEG (pronounced EM-peg) has standardized the following compression formats and ancillary standards: MPEG-1: Initial video and audio compression standard. Later used as the standard for Video CD, and includes the popular Layer 3 (MP3) audio compression format. MPEG-2: ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Al D. writes: " Dear Dennis, A little while back, I wrote to you about a problem I had not being able to view my thumbnail pictures when browsing my video files. Normally the thumbnail view provides a still photo for each file, so ... that I can preview and identify the proper video. At any rate: I have hundreds of video clips on my computer (mostly in .mpeg video format). Shortly after I installed Nero Vision Express 3 (a CD / DVD burning software program), I lost the ability to preview my thumbnails. Now when I use the thumbnail view, I get a standard Windows Media ... (view more)

Synopsis: What do you get when you mix a cute and fuzzy Hamster, a plastic ball, and a whacky obstacle course? Answser: Hamster Ball -- the 3D puzzle game, of course! Take control of Hammy and his plastic ball of death and go a-rollin' through the ... craziest maze of courses you've ever seen! But be careful, because the clock is ticking and everything is out to stop you! Download Hamster Ball now and see why it was voted the Downloadable Game of the Year by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences! Hamster Ball Gold: Screenshots Click to view: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3. Hamster Ball Gold: ... (view more)

Malware Malware , or "malicious software" is a generic term used to describe various types of malevolent programs. Below are some of the most common forms of malware. Virus Viruses have used many sorts of hosts. When computer viruses first ... originated, common targets were executable files that are part of application programs and the boot sectors of floppy disks. More recently, most viruses have embedded themselves in e-mail as Email attachments, depending on a curious user opening the viral attachment. In the case of executable files, the infection routine of the virus arranges that ... (view more)

Synopsis: Got a bunch of pictures that need to be converted into another graphic format? AutoImager is a full-featured batch image converter and editor software application. AutoImage is very user friendly because it's completely 'interface-driven' ... -- simply pick the files you wish to convert or process, choose the options for the conversion or processing task, and you're ready to begin! All operations can be performed in batch mode for an entire list of selected images, and multiple filters can be applied to a single image in one batch conversion! This makes AutoImager a unique and a very ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Joe B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've been desperately trying to clean my computer of a nasty Malware / Spyware infection for the last 5 days. A characteristic of something that is going on is that while I'm typing along in a window, ... the window is suddenly de-activated and I have to mouse back to the window to activate it and continue typing. It's most irritating! I believe I have resolved the majority of the Spyware infection, however there are 4 files that keep reappearing even after I delete them. I can't seem to find instructions on the web, either. I'm not sure what ... (view more)

A Service Pack (more commonly known as "SP") is a software program that corrects known bugs, problems, or adds new features (and/or both). Companies that produce large applications such as Microsoft and their Windows NT-based operating systems ... typically release a service pack when the number of individual patches to the application becomes too large. Service Packs are easier to install than groups of patches, especially with multiple computers that need to be updated over a network. Windows NT 4.0 currently has 6 Service Packs. Windows 2000 currently has 4 Service Packs. Windows XP ... (view more)

Synopsis: Say goodbye to big, clumsy attachments when emailing your photos! SendPhotos can easily insert digital photos and captions right into your emails -- eliminating the struggle with oversized files, cumbersome attachments, slow downloads, and ... frustrated friends who can't open your pictures. And now take those same fun photo emails you've designed and easily publish them online in your own personalized photo albums, or photoblogs. You can also upload your images so that friends and family can purchase 1-hour prints from their favorite local store with the simple click of a button! ... (view more)

" Dear Dennis, My PC with Windows XP is getting slower and slower. I need to do some spring cleaning and I think the best way is to reinstall the Operating System. My question is: how can I reinstall Windows XP with all the latest updates at the ... same time? You answered a similar question like this before, but didn't give any details or refer the reader to a location to get the information. I think this procedure is called 'Slipstreaming'. Thanks. " My response: Just to recap: slipstreaming means to integrate the latest Service Pack into the Windows installation CD. Service Packs are ... (view more)

Internet radio is a broadcasting service transmitted via the Internet. Not every internet "radio station" has a corresponding traditional radio station. Many internet radio stations are completely independent from traditional ("terrestrial") radio ... stations and broadcast only on the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as streaming. Because the radio signal is relayed over the Internet, it is possible to access the stations from anywhere in the world -- for example, to listen to an Australian radio station from Europe or America. This makes it a popular service for ... (view more)