Dennis Faas

Yesterday's newsletter was a real whopper; I must have spent over 6 hours writing it. Incase you missed it, yesterday's article was about WinRAR, WinZIP, and WinACE. I briefly overviewed how archiving software can be used to compress multiple files ... into a single large file, and then split (if necessary) into pieces to be stored on smaller-sized media for backup purposes. The truth is, knowing how to extract (or compress) an archived file is essential, especially in today's world of online computing. WinRAR, WinZIP, and WinACE are not freeware, which is why I asked Infopackets Readers to send ... (view more)

Last week, Rose J. asked how she could to back up the "How to Install / Reinstall Windows" video tutorial and eBook on floppy disk: " I need to [copy your] video on to a [floppy] disk, and I can't seem to do that. Can you explain the procedure in ... detail? " I mentioned in the previous newsletter that this would be a time-consuming task and that backing up files to a floppy disk is generally not a good idea. In brief, here are a few reasons why: 14 floppies would be required to complete the task, since the video and eBook have a combined size of 19 megabytes. The time to ... (view more)

Robert G. sent me this question: " There appears to be a limit to the number of programs that can be listed in the Windows XP Start Menu [start button] when using Classic View. Is there a way to increase the number of programs that can be displayed ... at one time, without having to click that double arrow at the bottom of the Window? " My response:I also use the Classic View for my Start Menu ... and it bugs me when I have to constantly click on that double arrow to show all contents. As far as I know, the Expand [Documents, Pictures, ... Printers] option allows you to view all ... (view more)

Today I received an email from Rose J. who recently downloaded my video tutorial and eBook on How to Install / Reinstall Windows: " I need to [copy your] video on to a disk, and I can't seem to do that. Can you explain the procedure in detail? " At ... first, I thought Rose was asking about how to burn the files to a CD Recordable. I later out found that she doesn't have a CD recorder, and she wanted to use her floppy disk drive to back up the files. That makes things a bit difficult, since the tutorial is almost 19 megabytes in size. Before I go into instruction on how this would be ... (view more)

How do you record audio from a tape cassette to the computer, and finally, to a CD recordable disc? That was the question I asked Infopackets Readers in yesterday's visitor feedback section of the Gazett e. Before I get into the reader's ... submissions, let me first point out that a few users recommended using the Line In port instead instead of the MIC port (as I suggested yesterday), for clarity reasons. Chris M. and Kooby both write: " It is better to use the Line Out or Aux RCA output on the stereo receiver rather than the tape player, because now you could record LP's, radio, or ... (view more)

Tom S. asks: " I have some old cassette tapes I would like to put on CD using my computer's CD burner. How do I hook the cassette player to the CD burner to get the best audio quality? " My Response: Audio quality with respect to a cassette tape ... recorded to a CD will only be as good as the source (tape) and the equipment used to read the tape and input it to the computer ... and of course, the ability to modify the digital recording in order to improve sound. Two great reasons for recording your analog tapes to digital might include: a) wear and tear: digital media doesn't lose its ... (view more)

I sure am keeping busy! With the weather as bad as it's been, there really is no reason for me to leave my comfortable computer chair ... other than to sleep, eat, and use the bathroom. Today I spent 12 hours marathon-programming multiple web ... scripts to help automate things, in lieu of the many changes happening to the web site. The newsletter subscriber base has now been reconfigured to accept 2 new fields of data: newsletter frequency (2 or 3 times a week), and the choice of a text or HTML newsletter. Now that this portion is complete, I'll be updating the web site to accept both requests ... (view more)

Wouldn't it be great if you could visually trace back the path of a hacker? A little while back I received an email from Infopackets Reader, J. Noway with a freebee software title that does just that. VisualZone and VisualIce analyze log files from ... Zone Alarm and Black Ice (two popular anti-hacker firewall programs) and give users the option of finding out more about any PC intruder. J. Noway writes: " The software interprets firewall log files by date and gives the user an idea of whom and what time someone is pinging them or attempting access. It is designed specifically to work with ... (view more)