Hi Folks,

be on the lookout for the fool this weekend!  Here are a couple of clippings for you.  No news next weekend though, we will be away for the ester holiday.  Have a Safe and Happy Easter. 

Scan Dog II

by Connie Devine on March 27, 2007 at 12:45 pm · Comments
Categorized by Housekeeping / Related Information

After my Scan Dog article ran in Windows Fanatics, I heard from some of you out there that were in the same boat as I was and had older Epson scanners that did not, and would NEVER have, drivers to use the scanner while using Windows Vista as the operating system. One comment that could potentially help many of you out there was sent to me by Lockergnome reader Doug McRae (Mac). He spoke to Epson and sent me the following:

I downloaded the XP driver to my desktop in Vista and followed the directions from Epson (I’ll copy and paste the directions below my sig). It did error during the install, but Vista popped up a window about did I want to install in compatibility mode, and I clicked “yes,“ and away it went. Vista warned me about the unsigned driver and I told it to go ahead anyway. After rebooting, I turned on the scanner and Vista told me it had found new hardware - an Epson Perfection 1200U Scanner - and proceeded to install the hardware. I opened the Vista Fax & Scan program (I have Vista Business Edition), put a document on the flatbed of the scanner, pressed the Scan button, and it scanned perfectly. I haven’t tried scanning any pictures, but I assume that if it will scan a doc properly, it should also handle pictures.

Hope this helps you get your older scanner working in Vista!

Mac

From Epson tech support:

1. Go to Epson and click CANADA AND UNITED STATES
2. Click on DRIVER AND FILE DOWNLOADS.
3. Select your product type (ie: ALL IN ONE OR INKJET)
4. Select your product from the list.
5. Select the most current version of the driver for your operating system.
6. Respond to the Download Survey and click SUBMIT.
7. Click ACCEPT on the END USER SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT.
8. Make a note of the file name and save the downloaded file to DESKTOP in order to easily retrieve it.

Once you have the file on your desktop right click it and select properties, select COMPATIBILITY then check the run this program in compatibility mode for. Now select Windows XP SP2. Select APPLY then OK.

Locate and double click on the downloaded driver installation file. If at any point in the installation you see a screen that says User Account Control select CONTINUE.

1. Click on OK at the first WinZip screen.
2. Click on UNZIP at the second WinZip screen.
3. Click on OK when WinZip is finished extracting files.
4. At the SCANNER SETUP screen, click on OK.
5. The installer will now copy files to the computer. When this step is complete, it will tell you to attach the cable and power on the scanner. Please connect the USB cable and turn on the scanner.
6. The computer will install the new hardware.
7. Click on OK when the driver installation is completed.

Other options suggested were VMware and a product called Vue Scan. Of course there is always the option of purchasing a new scanner…

Q:
Just wondering if you have any updated news about Windows Vista. I'm just curious to know how it's doing so far. Thanks!

A:
I actually do have some information, so I'm very glad you asked! A really interesting article was released the other day about how the new operating system of Windows Vista is really doing. I was pretty intrigued by some of the information, so once I saw this question, I just had to share it with all of you as well. Get ready to be blown away! (Okay, maybe not, but keep reading anyway!)

Alright, it basically goes like this: Microsoft has sold approximately 20 million copies of Windows Vista since its release at the end of January 2007. This means that Vista has found a new home on at least 20 million computers, both home and office. Now, this 20 million marker is an estimate for Vista licenses sold to PC manufacturers, upgrade copies from the upgrade option offered up until the middle of March and the full packaged version.

So, as you can see, Vista has been sold to a wide variety of people so far and it doesn't really seem like it's going to end any time soon. Yes, 20 million is a good rate to be at in just two months time and I don't know about you, but it just makes me wonder what sales will be like from here on out.

Corporate VP of the Windows Business Group Bill Veghte commented on the whole situation. "We are encouraged to see such a positive consumer response to Windows Vista right out of the gate. While it's very early in the product life cycle, we are setting a foundation for Windows Vista to become the fastest adopted version of Windows ever." Yep, you heard it right!

It was also pointed out that the sales for Vista so far have exceeded that of when Windows XP first came out. XP was released in January 2002 and after two months of that, only 17 million copies had been sold. That's a three million difference and although it may not seem like a huge one, it is if you really think about it. Three million is quite a lot!

So, it seems Windows Vista is really taking off. Yes, Vista has its ups and downs and turns along the way, but all in all, it's a well designed operating system and once you get used to it, it's actually kind of fun to use. Of course, it still has some bugs in it, but so far, it's proven pretty satisfactory for us here at WorldStart. Have you made the upgrade yet?!

Share a printer or files in Vista

We have a Windows Vista laptop and a Vista desktop. How do we share files, printers, etc. over our network? I read your tip online, but it is for XP. Will it work for Vista?

Windows XP definitely makes networking easier than earlier versions of Windows. Although XP's sharing is simplified, it still isn't quite intuitive. I detailed steps for XP network shares in a previous tip.

Like XP, Windows Vista makes networking easier than its predecessors. However, that means the steps for setting up network shares are a bit different.

Share a folder

In Vista, right-click the folder that you want to share. Then select Share from the menu that pops up. You'll be prompted to specify the computer with which you want to share. Click the arrow in the upper box to see a list of computers on your network. After you've selected one, click the Add button.

The computers that have access to the folder are listed in the lower box. Under Permission Level, you can set permissions for specific computers. Click the arrow on a computer's listing to change that computer's permissions.

Permission options include Reader, Contributor and Co-owner. A Reader can open the folder's files, but cannot edit them or add new files. A Contributor can open files and add new files to the folder. A Co-owner gets the additional privilege of editing the files.

Share a printer

If one of your networked computers has a printer, you can share the printer. Start with the computer that's directly connected to the printer. Click Start>>Control Panel. Click Network and Internet. Then click Network and Sharing Center.

In the lower half of the window is a "Printer sharing" listing. Click the arrow to the right of the listing. Select "Turn on printer sharing." Then click the Apply button. If Windows prompts you for confirmation, just click Continue or Allow.

That's it for the PC connected to the printer. However, you must prepare your other computers to use the shared printer. Do the following at each of your other networked computers.

Click Start>>Control Panel. Click Hardware and Sound. Under Printers, click "Add a printer." Then select "Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer."

Windows will list printers available on your network. It may take a minute or two for your shared printer to appear. To show in the list, your shared printer should be powered on. Likewise, its directly connected computer should be on.

Select the shared printer and click Next. Windows will alert you if you need a driver for the printer. If Windows can't install the driver automatically, you may have to do so yourself. Use the printer's install disc if you have it. Otherwise, check the printer manufacturer's Web site for the driver.

If you're using XP computers, set them up using the steps from my XP sharing tip. With multiple computer connections, your printer may be used more often. Check out my tip on saving money with ink cartridge refills.

Coming up in Monday's Tip: Cellular Internet for your laptop.

Most people search the Web for entertainment and information. But did you know Web sites are collecting information on you? On this weekend’s Kim Komando Show, I’ll tell you what the data sites retrieve from you. Visit my site to find out how you can listen to my three-hour radio show or my Digital Minute, which airs Monday through Friday.

Q:
You mentioned Vista Mail in one of your tips the other day, but you didn't go into too much detail about it. Is it different than XP's mail? If so, how? Please explain!

A:
It's a little funny that you ask this, because our other mentioning of Vista Mail was in reference to a security issue that may be on the rise with the new operating system's mail client. Well, I want to clear things up once and for all today, because Vista Mail really isn't all that bad. And if you're just new to Vista, you'll definitely want to check it out!

In the last few minutes, I have been racking my brain, trying to think of the best way to present this new e-mail program to you all. The most useful thing I came up with is to just show you how to set up your Vista Mail account to get it going so you can actually start to use it for all your e-mail needs. I have a feeling that some of you have probably been looking around on your new Vista computer for Outlook Express. Well, you're not going to find that, but do look for something called Windows Mail. That is what Vista calls its new e-mail program.

To get there, go to Start and click on Windows Mail. Now, if you have not set up your account yet, you will see a wizard pop up that will take you through all the steps. Here they are in a nutshell.

1.) Type in your name (or at least the name you want all of your receivers to see when you send them mail). Click Next when you've decided.

2.) Enter in your e-mail address. This can be the same one you've used for years or if you'd like to create a new one (in Yahoo!, Hotmail, etc.), you can do so. Click Next again when you're done.

3.) The next step asks you for your Incoming and Outgoing names. This is actually information that you will need to get from your ISP. If you used Outlook Express on your other computer, you can use the same information, but if you don't remember it, contact your ISP to get it. That's the only way you'll get past this part of the setup. Click Next when you're finished.

4.) Next, you'll need to choose a username and password for your e-mail account. At this stage, you can click the "Remember" checkbox, so you won't have to type it in each time you open your Windows Mail. Then click Next.

5.) If you're all set, you can click the Finish button and your account will automatically be set up.

Yep, it's as easy as that! A little less confusing than setting up an Outlook Express account, but it still asks for all the important information needed. So, once you have your account all ready, you can start to look through it and figure out how to use it. But, don't worry too much, because it's very similar to OE, version 6. So, if you used that before, you should be just fine.

The first thing I noticed with Windows Mail was that the views were pretty much the same. There's the box on the top and the box on the bottom. The top shows your received e-mails in a list and the bottom shows the actual e-mail content. I also noticed that the folders on the left hand side were exactly the same, including Inbox, Outbox, Sent Items, Deleted Items, Drafts and Junk E-mail. The menus along the top were fairly similar as well. I'm sure you'll see that they are no longer icon type buttons, but a bit of a smaller version. You'll see Create Mail, Reply, Reply All, Forward and Send/Receive. All of those work just like OE.

A couple things that were different are the Print and Delete buttons. In Windows Mail, the print button is an actual icon of a printer and the delete button is just a big red X. You just have to click on those to print or delete your e-mails. I guess they weren't good enough to get their own buttons this time around. : ) After those, there is a series of new icons. If you hover your mouse over them, you'll see that one is Contacts, the second is Windows Calendar and the third is Find.

With Contacts, you can click on that to add people to your address book. It's a very convenient way of accessing the e-mail addresses and names you need. Just a quick click and there they are. The Windows Calendar is another very cool feature. Click on that button and a calendar will pop up for you. You can go from month to month, making notes of your appointments, etc. It's very easy to use and great for keeping track of your daily activities. The Find button is where you can either search for a particular message, a certain person or for text in a certain message. That way, if you lose an e-mail, you can search by any of these items to retrieve it much faster.

There is also a Search box at the top of the window and you can use that to search for e-mail messages as well. Just type in a few keywords that you know were used in the e-mail you're looking for and it should come right up in the window for you. It's as easy as pie!

Everything else with Windows Mail is pretty much the same as what you're probably used to. The menus along the very top are the same, including File, Edit, View, etc. You can still access your preferences through the Tools, Options menu as well. All of those tabs are the same too, so you can set up your account just the way you want it. Windows Mail does have some new stationery options to choose from. You can get those by going under the Message menu. My favorite is the green bubbles choice. It gives the e-mails I send out some real jazz!

So, as you can see, everything is still pretty much the same as Outlook Express 6, but be sure to browse through Windows Mail and familiarize yourself with everything. I'm sure a lot of you will get the hang of things right away, but at least you now have a small guide to go by for now. And you know, there's always the Help menu if you need extra help. Now, go on and enjoy your new Vista e-mail program. Yes, yes, yes!

~ Erin

More Next Friday,
Chuckstr
----My Web Site----

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