Internet

I recently upgraded to MSN Messenger version 6, only to find it still lacking in features that I find useful in other chat clients (like ICQ). "Surely there must be an alternative," I thought to myself. I decided to search Google for "MSN messenger ... replacement" and found a piece of software called dMSN, which was created by a fellow named Danny in the Netherlands. In short, "dMSN is a JAVA-based Instant Messaging program for the MSN protocol. It's just like MSN Messenger, only with more functions." ( http://www.dmsn.nl/ ) From the jvdam.nl web site, I found 11 ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Temple D. writes: " I have just bought a new Dell computer that has Windows XP and I use dial-up Internet. Every time I disconnect from the Internet, my computer defaults back to 'Never Dial a Connection'. I've reset it to 'always ... dial my default connection', hit 'Apply', and 'OK' -- but, when I try to connect again, I get an error message which reads 'No Connection Available.' Subsequently, when I go into Tools -> Internet Options -> Connections, the option 'Never Dial a Connection' has been re-enabled (again!). What do I have to do to keep this from happening? ... (view more)

I am in aw e. Yesterday, I asked Infopackets Readers to visit freetechmail.org and submit comments about this newsletter. There were a number of entries, but one comment in particular caught my eye (especially the last line). Douwe F. from Kuala ... Lumpur, Malaysia writes: " [What I really like about] The Infopackets Gazette [are the newsletter topics, which are] explained in clear language. Although I am an IT professional, I enjoy reading all the various articles [written by Dennis, and I especially enjoy the] different perspective on issues [which are presented to readers]. I find this ... (view more)

RE: search engines and algorithms One of the determining factors in the way that Google ranks a web site depends on something called link popularity. In fact, Google has patented technology known as "Page Rank", which lists sites based on how many ... other web sites are pointing to it (by the use of web links). For example: Lockergnome has very high link popularity because many other web sites on the Internet are linked to Lockergnome. Essentially, Google considers that: if a web page / site (such as Lockergnome) is regarded by a large number of other web sites, it increases the ... (view more)

Recall -- Last week, my mother asked me if there was a safe alternative to using Real One Player. She writes: " My church offers previously-recorded sermons in the .RM format, and I use Real One Player to play these files. Regrettably, the free ... version of Real One Player comes bundled with adware, and now my computer has advertisements and 'suggestions' popping up on my desktop! Is there a freeware alternative to Real One Player? " Unfortunately, I didn't know the answer ... so, I asked Infopackets Readers for help. Below are some of the suggestions I received. Jeff 'the pianist' ... (view more)

Over the weekend, my mother asked me the following question: " My church offers previously-recorded sermons in the .RM format, and I use Real One Player to play these files. Regrettably, the free version of Real One Player comes bundled with adware, ... and now my computer has advertisements and 'suggestions' popping up on my desktop! I would like to know if there is a freeware alternative to Real One Player, which can handle the .RM and other Real Media formats. What can you suggest? " My Response: Unfortunately, I don't use Real Player and refuse to install it on my machine (for ... (view more)

Last week, I asked Infopackets Readers if there was a way to make Explorer Windows always maximize when launched. Recall: " While flipping through emails and web pages in a fiendish learning frenzy, I offset an Explorer window to one side in order ... to get to another. When I finished what I was working on, I closed all Windows and shut the computer down. Since then, all Explorer windows I launch are opening in an offset position. Why does this happen and how can it be fixed? " Explorer Windows won't open maximized when launched? Since then, I received over 50 suggestions from ... (view more)

A little while back, a reader named Larry K. asked me if it was possible to answer phone calls while still maintaining a dial-up Internet connection. Receive phone calls while using dial-up Internet connection? Recall: " I use dial-up Internet, ... which is the *only* service available in my remote location. I am on call at my work, and my son will be home from University soon. Is there software / hardware / or some type of service available which can alert me of an incoming phone call when I'm online? I really don't want to purchase another phone line. " When I initially published this ... (view more)

... Continued . The following companies offer Internet Call Waiting Phone Alert Services. These services allow Dial-up / Cable / Broadband users to receive and manage phone calls while still connected to the Internet. Below is a cost and Feature ... comparison breakdown. BuzzMe / RingCentral 1 million subscribers world-wide Online Answering Machine with Caller ID Accept Call, Ignore, Reply (text-to-speech messaging), or Send to Voicemail Voicemail with Online/Offline option Toll-Free Access to Messages Accept Call, Call Forwarding, Callback Cell Phone & Pager Notifications Get messages by ... (view more)

Jay29 writes: " After a normal morning boot, the line at the bottom of Internet Explorer disappeared from my screen. This is the line that shows the URL status, the SSL lock, what's being retrieved, privacy icon, and other useful information. I've ... tried many approaches, including the Microsoft Support web site to reinstate the line, but with no luck. How can I reinstate this line? " My Response: The line at the very bottom of an Internet Explorer window is actually called the Status Bar. As Jay29 stated, the Status Bar is a very useful part of Internet Explorer: especially the lock ... (view more)