Tips from the Internet: May 2006

Create a slide show to share your digital photos

Remember when people would gather around and watch vacation slides from a projector? You can do the same with your digital images the hi-tech way. Specialized software helps you create slide shows ready for play on a computer or on a TV.

There are many software programs that get the job done. Here's a look at three free slide show creation programs for Windows. If you're using a Mac, you also have the ability, using iPhoto.

Microsoft's Photo Story http://tinyurl.com/4f869 (Windows XP only) walks you through the process of creating your slide show. It's easy to add special effects such as transitions, panning and sounds. Photo Story saves your slide show as a Windows Media video file. To use Photo Story, you need Microsoft XP.

To create a slide show, open the program and select "Begin a new story." Click Next. Click Import Pictures. Select your pictures and click OK.

Use the controls to reorient and edit the pictures. Click Next. Add titles and transition effects for each photo and then click Next

To change pan effects, click Customize Motion. You can also record Audio for the individual pictures. Click Next twice. Then click Save Project so you can edit the slide show later. Enter a name and click save.

To finalize the slide show, select "Save your story for playback on your computer.

Specify a name and location for your file and click Next. Use your CD burning software to copy it to CD. This CD will only play on your computer.

You can buy an add-in to create discs playable in a DVD player for television. Sonic's DVD for Photo Story 3 for Windows (http://www.sonic.com ) will do the trick. It's $19.99.

If you don't have a DVD burner, you can create a VCD (video CD). This is a CD that plays in most DVD players. Microsoft recommends Sonic's MyDVD Studio ($69.99) to create VCDs.

Google's Picasa 2 (http://www.picasa.com ) is a handy program for any Photo aficionado. It helps you organize your photos. That makes it easy When it comes time to create your slide show. Picasa 2 works with Windows 98 or later.

You can add entire folders or photos grouped under a label. If you don't want to include everything in a folder, give the photos a label. Photos can have numerous labels, and labels can be deleted.

Right-click on a photo and select Add Label>>New Label. Type Slide Show and click OK. Highlight the rest of the photos and right-click on them. Select Add Label>>Slide Show. They will appear in their own section. Use the rotate buttons to orient them correctly.

Click Gift CD. Under Selection and Settings, make sure there's a green check beside Include Slideshow. Type a name for the CD. Make sure there's a green check beside Include Picasa. Then, click Burn Disc. You're prompted to insert a blank CD.

To run the slide show, recipients must install Picasa. The installation files are included on the gift CD. This CD will only work in a computer.

To create a VCD or DVD, you must create a movie, not a slide show. (Select your files, click Create>>movie).

Then, the movie must be converted for use on a VCD/DVD. Nero 6 (http://ww2.nero.com ) will do this for you. You must use the full version ($80).

IrfanView (http://www.irfanview.com ) also creates slide shows. It runs on Windows 95 systems and newer. First, use Filmstrip view (View>> Filmstrip) in Windows Explorer to orient your pictures correctly.

In IrfanView, click File>>Slideshow. Select your photos and click Add. Use the "Move up" and "Move down" controls to change the order. If you want, change the slide advancement options or add a title. When you're done, select Save as EXE/SCR file. Select Create EXE file. Specify the save location and file name. Then click Create.

IrfanView's slide shows only play on computers. To create a VCD or DVD, you need the full version of Nero 6. Additionally, a free plug-in, available from IrfanView, is required.

You can use iPhoto to create slide shows if you have a Mac. First, select the album you want to use for your slide show. Then click the Slideshow button.

You can add music by clicking the Music button. The Settings button gives you other options. Here, you can change the duration of slides and add transitions.

You can turn your slide show into a QuickTime movie. Just click File>>Export. Click on the QuickTime tab and specify your options. Then click Export. The QuickTime movie can then be burned to CD. You can use iDVD, part of iLife, to burn your slide show to a DVD playable on standalone players.

eBay Insider

Problem: I enjoy eBay, but I wish I had some more info about the value of certain things before I set a reserve or clicked Buy Now.

Solution: Experienced eBayers know that it’s easy to look up the prices on completed items (both ones that sold and didn’t sell) to get a feel for what the market can currently bear. Those folks looking for data that’s a little more in depth might want to plunk down a couple bucks for eBay’s new Marketplace Research http://pages.ebay.com/marketplace%5Fresearch/ This service, which starts at $2.99 for a two-day pass, allows you to “gather critical intelligence on buying and selling trends in the eBay marketplace.” Such detailed charts and graphs might be too much for most people, but it’s bound to be a welcome tool for high-volume buyers and sellers.

Get ready for Windows Vista

Jennifer, is getting ready to purchase a new computer. She called to ask what she should buy to handle Vista, the upcoming version of Windows.

Well, Jennifer, I bet a lot of readers are in the same boat. Vista won't be available until late 2006. But with the holidays around the corner, many people will be buying computers. So it makes sense to think ahead.

First, I recommend a 64-bit microprocessor. In the past, I've advised people not to jump on the 64-bit bandwagon. But, if you're looking ahead to Vista, go for it. Vista will be able to take advantage of these advanced chips. And by next year, your other software will, too.

Don't skimp on RAM. I recommend 1 gigabyte. A DVD drive is also essential. Buy one that records discs compatible with your home entertainment center.

Finally, you need a strong video card. I'd get one with 128 megabytes of RAM.

I've seen a test version of Windows Vista. Trust me, you'll want it!

Keep your family secret

Shirley called from Roanoke, VA to ask how to remove e-mail addresses when forwarding messages.

Shirley, I appreciate the fact that you're thoughtful enough to want to remove addresses from forwarded messages. Many people don't. They forward e-mail without regard for the privacy of others.

Why is it important to remove e-mail addresses from forwarded messages? If an e-mail containing a long list of e-mail addresses is intercepted, it's a gold mine for spammers. Secondly, many people, myself included, like to keep their address private. Plus, who wants to scroll through those addresses to get to the good stuff.

When you forward a message, forward it as inline text, not as an attachment. The original e-mail is included in the body of your e-mail. Then you can highlight the addresses in the body of the e-mail. Click delete, and they're gone. You can also remove subject lines and the like.

You may need to set your software to forward messages as inline text. To do that in Outlook:

--Click Tools>>Options.

--On the Preferences tab, click E-Mail Options

--Click Advanced E-Mail Options

--In the box beneath "When forwarding a message," select "Include original message text." Click OK>>OK.

In Thunderbird:

--Click Tools>>Options

--Click Composition

--Under Forwarding Messages, select Inline

--Click OK.

Outlook Express automatically forwards messages as inline text.

Organizing Outlook Express Inbox by Scott Johnson

Sometimes when I visit a client, one of the things with which they want help is organizing their email messages. Sometimes I see an Outlook Express inbox with hundreds or even thousands of messages. This not only slows down the email program, but it makes it difficult if you need to locate one of those emails.

The key to email organization is the use of folders. You can make a folder to store any type of email. I have a folder for emails regarding online purchases, a folder for eBay transactions, a folder for customer testimonials, etc. When you get an email that you want to keep, instead of saying, "Well, I don't want to delete that one", just put it in the proper folder.

In Outlook Express, here is how you make a folder:

1. Click File - New - Folder

2. In the new window, you have to do two things:

a. Give the folder a name, such as "business", "family", "jokes", etc.

b. Click once on "Local Folders" to highlight it, then click OK

Now you have a new folder for a specific type of email message. When you are viewing your Inbox, just drag the email over to its folder and let go. Your inbox has one less email now, and if you ever need to see that email, just click on the folder and you can see all of them displayed there.

The instructions are almost the same for MS Outlook. The difference is instead of clicking on "Local Folders" (step 2b), you would click on "Personal Folders".

You just took the first step toward organizing your email. That's the easy part. The challenge is to get in the habit of moving the emails to their proper folders as soon as they come in, so that they don't just continue to accumulate in your Inbox. You can do it!

Putting the oomph back in Wi-Fi

Mary is having problems with her wireless network. It seems that her signal is low in certain parts of her house. When she surfs the Web, the connection is often dropped.

This is a common problem. But there are several things you can do to improve signal strength. First, place the wireless router at the center of the house. This should even out coverage.

Next, watch for things that might interfere with the signal. Wi-Fi gear uses radio signals to transmit data. The 802.11b and 802.11g protocols operate on the 2.4GHz band. Many other gadgets and appliances, like microwaves, baby monitors and some cordless phones, use the same band. So keep your Wi-Fi gear away from things that emit radio signals.

If you still experience low signal strength after these changes, consider purchasing an antenna. You can probably pick one up for about $20 or $30. Simply unscrew the antenna currently attached to the router and replace it with the new one. Look for these on the Web site of your router’s manufacturer.

The easy & fun way to check for errors in XP

John, had a question about error checking in Windows XP. He recently purchased a computer with Windows XP and hasn't been able to find ScanDisk. Well, John, there's a good reason. With Windows XP, Microsoft did away with ScanDisk.

Although ScanDisk is gone, Windows XP includes an error-checking feature called Check Disk. It's just difficult to find. But I can help!

In My Computer, right-click the hard drive name and select Properties. On the Tools tab, click Check Now. Select "Automatically fix file system errors." Also select "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors." Click Start. Run this regularly to keep your computer in tip-top shape.

What is my IP number

The IP number is a computer's address. It stands for "Internet Protocol." Now, that's a tidbit you can use to impress your family and friends. Anyway, every computer has one. To find out what it is on your PC, go to a command prompt:

Windows XP--Start>>All Programs>>Accessories>>Command Prompt

Windows 2000--Start>>Programs>>Accessories>>Command Prompt

Windows ME--Start>>Programs>>Accessories>>MS-DOS Prompt

Windows 98--Start>>Programs>>MS-DOS Prompt

Once at the prompt, enter the word "ipconfig" without the quotes. In the information that follows, there's the IP number for the machine.

Or do it the easy way! Just visit the following Web site. That's what I do!

http://www.whatismyip.com

Yahoo! Computers and Internet

Perhaps the best known portal site on the Internet today, Yahoo! offers a plethora of categories to explore within its Computers and Internet section. Click any of the approximately four-dozen categories to find relevant sites with hyperlinks and brief descriptions of what to expect when you arrive. You can also use this page to search for specific keywords within the Computers and Internet section or anywhere on the Web. http://dir.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet

You can always uninstall IE7 Beta 2 and revert to IE6

While IE7 features maybe tough to give up, our guess is that once you’ve had a look, you may want to switch back to IE6 and wait for the final product. If this is the case, click Start, choose Control Panel, and click Add Or Remove Programs. Select Show Updates and then scroll to the very bottom; under Windows XP – Software Updates, click Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Preview and click Remove. You’ll be returned to the IE you remember, as uninstalling IE7 will automatically bring back IE6.