President's Message

May 2008 (v2.2)
Rob Limbaugh - President

May is officially here! Mid-April ushered in some favorable weather mid-month, so I hope that continues. It's time to break out the lawn and gardening tools, open up swimming pools, and clean out the garage. Summer is just around the corner!

Keep It Clean
Jeff Setaro gave us great tips and information on keeping our machines running junk-ware free. In addition to the software, we also need to give attention to the hardware routinely. If you haven't done so already, this is a great time to clean out the cob-webs in your computer(s) before summer hits full swing. Proactive maintenance is better than reactive! Lately I favor using a small shop-vac, detailing brush, and an air-compressor. The compressor obliterates whatever the shop-vac misses.

No Noise is the Best Noise
While the case is open, listen for excessive noise. Grinding sounds from fans or hard drives is cause for concern. Usually a dust build-up on fans is the culprit and is easily remedied. If dust removal doesn't dirt the trick, then replace if necessary. Note that some processor fans may require changing the entire heat sink assembly. Some video cards have fans, so double-check your video card. The fan inside a power supply is usually inaccessible so if that's bad it may be cheaper and easier to get a replacement power supply.

If you happen to hear any excessive noise from the hard drive, then be sure to assess the situation accordingly—starting with a good backup of your data. If you're unsure how to tackle any issues that are uncovered just seek out some expertise, opinions, and recommendations from your fellow members. Or, even better yet, check out Charlie's PC Maintenance SIG!

Disappearing Act
Unfortunately my schedule will prevent me from attending the May General Meeting. This happens to be a meeting I am deeply interested in, so if anyone could record it, that would be fabulous!

If anyone would like to test-drive a Pinnacle Video Transfer (http://tinyurl.com/3afctu) to facilitate this, then please let me know by May 3rd. The PVT allows one to capture analog video directly to H.264 digital format without the need for a separate computer.

Know A Leader?
At the beginning of this year we re-kindled the Windows SIG because it made sense to do so—It is an important SIG in that it compliments the "Mac" and "Linux" groups. I also was willing to run it for three to four months to see how it goes. It's been a fairly steady group. We've touched on topics such as tweaking settings in XP/Vista, installing Vista Ultimate, tested video editing programs, data encryption, and using a 'personal' computer for 'work'.
As predicted, my schedule is prohibiting me from giving this SIG the attention it deserves and it's time for another leader to fill in the gaps. All a candidate needs to possess is a willingness to show how to do things with Windows. I'd be willing to co-lead, if desired, but I cannot sustain the SIG on a monthly basis. Please send any inquiries and recommendations to me at relimbaugh@dacs.org.

Well, that's all for now… See you at the next SIG!

 - Rob

ROB LIMBAUGH
relimbaugh@dacs.org