E-MAIL TIP

If you use any e-mail software other than Pine you may want to make a backup copy of the e-mail messages you have stored on your PC. (If you use Pine, all messages are stored on the server rather than on your local PC.) If your PC's hard drive fails or crashes, you're in danger of losing all the e-mail messages you've stored on your computer.

If you use Netscape Communicator 4.x, start by double-clicking on the My Computer icon on your Desktop: 1) double-click on C: , then double-click on 2) Program Files, 3) Netscape, 4) Users, 5) and you'll see a folder named "default." (Exception: if you share the PC with co-workers and have Netscape 4.x set up with multiple profiles there may be more than one folder in Users, and the folders may be named for you and your co-workers.) Now you'll make a shortcut to this folder by 1) right-dragging an icon -- with the right mouse button pressed as you drag the folder onto any empty spot on your Desktop -- and 2) choose "Create Shortcut Here."

If you want to rename the folder from "Shortcut to default", just 1) right mouse-click on the shortcut, 2) choose "Rename" from the menu, 3) type in the new name for the folder, and 4) press the Return/Enter key.

Now, where do you put this backup? You may copy the folder to a floppy disk (the A: drive). If your PC is networked on the WALS NT server you can copy the folder to the U: drive folder that has been set up for you. Now that you've decided where you'll store the backup copy, double-click on My Computer and create a shortcut to the A: drive or your folder on the U: drive, and put that on your Desktop too, right next to the shortcut to your backup folder.

To store the backup copy, 1) right-drag the backup folder to the shortcut for A: or U: , 2) choose "Copy Here" from the menu. Now the backup copy of your e-mail messages (and coincidentally, your Bookmarks) are safely stored in a second location.

Now all that's left is to remember to refresh your backup on a regular basis!

If you're using Netscape 3.x the folder you're looking for is
c:\program files\netscape\navigator\mail\ .

And now that you have 5 windows open that you're finished with, follow these instructions to learn a shortcut to closing them all!

INTERNET TIP

Occasionally as one surfs the Web, one encounters confusing error messages such as "404 - Page Not Found." Fortunately for us, The 404 Research Lab is "committed to improving the internet experience through the systematic eradication of ugly and confusing '404 Not Found' errors." Take a tour of:

• Area 404, filled with "Great 404s of the Web." Visit 404s that are funny, interactive, strange, informative and stupid.
• "The strange and sometimes scandalous history of 404 Not Found. What you see here will shock and amaze you."
• Yikes! 404!", a helpful 6-step guide to finding an errant page.

I like the attitude in The Loving Tribute to 404 Not Found:

But why leave 404 so quickly? Why not stay a while and have a drink? 404 is an oasis on the web. It's like a rest stop with clean bathrooms on the interstate. 404 doesn't ask you to 'Click Here' or 'Visit our Sponsor'. It's perfectly satisfied if you just sit there and do nothing. 404 doesn't care how many visitors it's had since 8/1/96, and it's not tracking your click-through rate. So consider just hanging out for a while and relaxing. 404 is easy to get along with.

And visit the randomly generated Error Haiku for more like

Server's poor response
Not quick enough for browser.
Timed out, plum blossom.
-- Rik Jespersen

WINDOWS TIP

When you're ready to turn off your PC, always make sure to shut down Windows instead of simply turning off your computer with the on/off button.

Windows performs a lot of "housekeeping" functions during the proper shutdown sequence, to ensure that all the settings are preserved, and to make sure your PC will function properly the next time you start it.

The correct procedure for turning off your PC is:
1. Click the Start button .
2. Click Shut Down.
3. Make sure there's a dot in the circle next to "Shut down the computer?"
4. Click the Yes button.
5. Wait until the message "It's now safe to turn off your computer" appears on the screen.
6. Press the off button on your PC or power strip.

If your PC's mouse has frozen and you're unable to click on the Start button, if you have a Windows keyboard you may instead 1) press the special Windows key, 2) press the U key, and 3) press the Enter/Return key in order to shut down your PC properly.

USEFUL URL O' THE MONTH

As we take our hard-won vacations this summer, or just escape Up Nort' for the weekend, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's Detour & Construction Information Web site can come in handy when planning a getaway. This Web site lists the highways affected by road construction, and the route of the detour. They also offer a Wisconsin Highway Work Zone brochure that is an interactive map of major construction projects in Wisconsin. In addition, they offer the Milwaukee Area Lane and Ramp Closures page.

If your trip takes you out of Wisconsin, visit the U.S. DOT Federal Highway Administration National Traffic and Road Closure Information Web site. It offers a clickable U.S. map that leads to traffic information links for all 50 states.

And we're not endorsing it, but some of you may find the U.S. Speed Traps site to be of help, too!

FUN URL O' THE MONTH

Visit IFLANET Library Humour from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions to see Reveyrand's Library Laws ("If everything's fine you're probably in the wrong library"); find out how many reference librarians it takes to change a light-bulb; find out why the chicken crossed the road to get to the library; and read the Library Principles for Students, from the Old Testament ("Of the beasts of the field, and of the fishes of the sea, and of all foods that are acceptable in my sight you may eat, but not in the Library.")

 RECIPE O' THE MONTH

is Vegetable Sauté with 2 Cheeses because fresh garden veggies are beginning to ripen!

back to the Ides Archive

This page was last updated July 15, 1999

The Ides is written by Joy Schwarz.
Please direct any questions, comments or recipes to schwarz@winnefox.org

URL: http://www.winnefox.org/ides/idesjul99.html