CompuNotes Notes from The Cutting Edge of Personal Computing February 28, 1999 Issue 144 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= To subscribe, send an e-mail to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com SUBSCRIBE COMPUNOTES-L FirstName LastName To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com SIGNOFF COMPUNOTES-L For Contact and Other Information See Bottom of Publication! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= PC Week - Free!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A complimentary one-year subscription to the print edition of PC Week will be sent to applicants who qualify. Be one of the first 10,000 people to submit this subscription form and we'll reserve a copy of PC WEEK's 15th Anniversary Issue for you! Please click Below to reserve your copy. Click On Me: http://www.pub-serv.com/sf/zp/add/default.asp?url=zpa083 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CONTENTS My Notes: 1=> CompuNotes Notes, I Need Your Help! , mailto:pgrote@i1.net 2=> This Issue's Winner! News: 3=> News of the Week, mailto:pgrote@i1.net -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= FREE NEWSLETTERS!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Get Free Newsletters delivered to your inbox. Check out this FREE service NOW! Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/nl.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Columns: 4=> The Well-Tempered Palm: New Kids on the Block! By Alex Lane, mailto:alex@galexi.com Reviews: 5=> Product: Air Warrior III, game Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dmha@on.aibn.com 6=> Product: Web Design in a Nutshell, a Desktop Quick Reference, by Jennifer Niederst, Book Reviewed By: Robin Nobles, mailto:robin@robinsnest.com 7=> Product: Power Boot 3 & PDISK V0.99 - Partition Utility, utility Reviewed By: Howard Carson, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com 8=> Product: Quake: The Offering, game Reviewed By: Andrew Giesler, mailto:akg1385@hotmail.com -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= FREE! Internet World Magazine| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Internet World Magazine is The only source you'll need for your Internet business and enterprise activities...sign up for FREE right here! Internet World puts all the news into perspective -- and that saves you valuable time and gives you an edge on breaking trends and technologies. Regular features include: E-Commerce, Infrastructure, Web Development, and Industry, Plus columns from leading reporters and journalists. Don't miss it...sign up today! It's FREE for EVERYONE!!! Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/iw.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 1=> CompuNotes Notes, mailto:pgrote@i1.net Need Some Help from the Readers! Can you believe March is upon us already? I can't! >From time to time I need help from the CompuNotes' readers to find certain items on the net. I keep a running list of things I need and when it gets to five or so I post it here. I turn to you all, because I have been unable to find or figure out these things. I know one or maybe most of you know these answers. Please take a moment and point me in the right direction. You can e-mail me at mailto:pgrote@i1.net with your answers! As always, I appreciate your help and guidance! 1) Dungeons and Dragons play on the web. I just received Baldur's Gate, the wonderful RPG from Interplay. I'll have a review coming up in a future edition of CompuNotes. When I received this it lit the old Dungeons and Dragons fire in me again. I am looking for a place where I can join a campaign and really enjoy myself. Is there such a place? I found WebRPG (http://www.webrpg.com), but am having trouble getting into a campaign. 2) Windows NT 4.0 Server Statistics. Is there a package that I can run on my Windows NT Server to grab and report on various system statistics. Yes, I know Performance Monitor will do this, but I am looking for an easier interface with some intelligent reporting built in. I'd like to be able to come in in the morning and see a report from the previous night or examine results over a monthly period. 3) Windows NT Workstation Scanner? I just bought a new PC, more news about that coming in an upcoming issue of CompuNotes, and would like suggestions from users on what scanner they are using with Windows NT. I don't mind SCSI or parallel. I am interested in OCR and light color scanning for my website. Any comments from people who are using scanners they like? Remember, USB isn't an option for us Windows NT Workstation users. 4) Collection of system WAV files. I am looking for a collection of system wav files (you have mail, minimize, maximize, attention, etc.) that comes with a program that automatically installs the files and associates them with the proper system events. 5) Digital video editing. Is anyone doing this? I want to suck in my team's games and grab clips here and there. Add music and titles and output to videotape. I have looked at a couple of products, but want to hear from real live people who are doing it. 6) Anyone like Anthony Robbins? I'd like to hear some opinions on what you think, particularly concerning his Personal Power II system. I saw an A&E Biography of him and am intrigued. Did you like his program? Did it work? 7) Plastic file folders. I used to buy 8.5x11 folders for filing that we plastic. I can't find them anymore. Have you seen them? 8) Encouragement. We have a new writer joining us this issue. His name is Andrew Giesler. What makes Andrew unique is he is an eighth grader writing his first review. Quake, The Offering is his first review. Why not send him a letter encouraging him to continue his perspective in future CompuNotes. Send him a note at mailto:akg1385@hotmail.com. Thanks again for any and all help you can provide! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Real Coupons from the Internet - Cool Savings| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Print real coupons from your own computer. Free Membership Today! CLICK below to enroll for BIG savings from your favorite stores, restaurants, and travel companies. It's FREE and your privacy is guaranteed! Join over a million other smart shoppers and print real coupons from your own computer. New companies and new offers show up all the time. Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/cool.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2=> Winner! This week's winner: kolb@UCLA.EDU. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Get Paid to Surf the Net!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= THE MOST REWARDING PAGE ON THE WEB. LITERALLY. Prolaunch launches you to a different web site which matches your interests PLUS you can earn "Launch Points" which are redeemable for frequent flyer miles, gift certificates and many other rewards. It's free. It's easy. It's private. And it pays...you! Sign up today at.... Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/plaunch.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 3=> News and Game Bits, mailto:pgrote@i1.net or mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com So Much for my "No Support" Theory about Linux . . . http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,32988,00.html?st.ne.ni.lh 3D Without the Glasses . . . http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/18115.html eBay and Microsoft? http://www.wired.com/news/news/business/story/18165.html Today your Domain ... Tomorrow my Domain . . . http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2217614,00.html Music Industry Finally Moves on Internet . . . http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/reuters/REU19990226S0003 AMD Beats Intel in Sales . . . http://www.zdnet.com/pcweek/stories/news/0,4153,1014020,00.html -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= WorldPrints - Free Wallpaper!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Register Now and get one year of FREE Wallpaper for your Computer. We'll e-mail you Weekly with New Images. Choose From... o National Geographic o Life Magazine o Museum Collections and Much More!! Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/wprints.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 4=> The Well-Tempered Palm: New Kids on the Block! by Alex Lane, mailto:alex@galexi.com As anyone who has visited a corporate conference room lately can tell you, handheld devices are selling pretty well. According to Dataquest Inc., a unit of Gartner Group, Inc., shipments of handheld computers grew over 60% last year, to nearly 4 million units. Just over 40% of those units, or about 1.6 million, were Palms from 3Com, say the Dataquest information technology gurus, who were impressed with the fact that most of 3Com's sales were to new users, which nearly doubled the Palm computing platform's 1997 installed base. Clearly, this is good news for 3Com, which embarked last week on a path toward making even larger inroads in the handheld market with the release of two new Palm computing devices: the Palm IIIx and the Palm V. This brings the available number of Palm models to four, as the two new kids on the block join the well-established PalmPilot Professional and Palm III product line You can get all of the official skinny on the new units from the 3Com URLs at the end of this column, but in brief, the big news about the new Palm devices is new, advanced LCD screens that are sharper and provide better visibility in dim room light and in sunlight. And those of us wedded (for better or worse) to Microsoft Outlook can rejoice, as the new Palms provide what is described as a "seamless link" to Outlook, though as I understand it, you must load a software module into your unit to implement that functionality. The Palm V is at the high end of the product line ($449 SRP), featuring a wraparound aluminum case that makes the unit half as thin as a Palm III, weighing in at only four ounces. To conserve bulk and accommodate left-handed users, the unit features stylus slots on the left and right sides of the body. One slot is intended for the unit's stylus, while the other holds a stylus-shaped assembly that acts as a hinge for a flip-open cover. The Palm V runs on a long-life lithium-ion battery that recharges while the unit is in its cradle, and offers 2 MB of storage. By the way, the old PalmPilot modem will not work with the new unit, which accepts a 33.6 kbps modem that attaches to the back of the Palm V and connects to the HotSync port. The "x" in Palm IIIx stands, apparently, for "expandable," as the unit features an open connector for add-on hardware. The Palm IIIx ($369 SRP) comes with Palm OS 3.1, which sounds like - but really isn't - a revision of the OS 3.0 version that ships with the Palm III. The upgraded OS takes account of a newer, slightly different microprocessor called the "Dragonball EZ" embedded in the Palm IIIx, and is not intended for current Palm devices running Palm OS 3.0. The Palm IIIx comes standard with 4 MB of memory, which is twice what is packaged in a Palm III. All this is well and good, and should result in some good earnings numbers at 3Com (at least from the Palm division). What has some current Palm owners upset, however, is how both new units effectively obsolete a lot of "legacy" hardware, particularly expansion memory boards. Permit me to digress... The leading purveyor of PalmPilot expansion memory boards is Technology Resource Group (TRG), of Des Moines, Iowa. Their top-of-the-line product has been the SuperPilot-II XL expansion board, which offers 8 MB of dynamic RAM (DRAM) and 2 MB of Flash memory. The DRAM, of course, provides the same kind of storage offered by memory shipped with Palm units, while Flash memory stores the Palm OS and the standard Palm applications, which leaves something like 800 KB of Flash memory left over and available for storing applications (those that work despite being stored in what amounts to read-only memory) as well as read-only data. I bought one of these boards for my Professional a few months ago, and aside from the extra storage (hooray!), I find the device pretty unremarkable. I experienced no degradation in performance or significantly shorter battery life, as had been rumored on the edges of some Internet discussion groups. At $300 ($250 now that the new Palm models are out), it was a sizeable investment but one I felt was worth the cost, as it allows me to walk around with a lot of reference data in my pocket, including a Russian-English aerospace dictionary. The board, by the way, comes with a program called FlashBuilder III, which sells for $50 separately and which helps load applications and data into Flash memory. But now, I'm *really* digressing, so to get back to what I was saying... What galls some Palm users is the fact that SuperPilot boards are incompatible with the Palm IIIx. To add insult to this imagined injury, TRG's new 8-MB "xtra xtra" board for the Palm IIIx ($149.95 SRP) doesn't add 8 MB of RAM (thus tripling the factory-installed 4 MB), but only 4 MB (doubling it) owing to an apparent design quirk that disables the factory-installed RAM. The last straw for these Palm users is the fact that the other newcomer, the Palm V, is essentially "sealed" and can't have its 2 MB of memory upgraded at all (according to 3Com), and that modems, cases, and other accessories for older Palm devices aren't suitable for use with it. In short, say the disgruntled, their investments - which they say helped make Palm computing devices the success they are today - have been all but made obsolete This is a pretty narrow view, in my opinion. Admittedly, I am not deliriously happy over not being able to install my old (expensive) TRG card in a new Palm, and I'll probably think longer and harder before upgrading my unit. But after all is said and done, it is unreasonable to expect hardware designs to be forever backward-compatible. My desktop, for example, no longer sports a 5.25-inch floppy drive, and I long ago made my peace with having thrown out around 30 MB of 16-pin RAM chips I paid a small fortune for and used on memory cards that are no longer manufactured because (among other reasons) they no longer even fit in new motherboards. The fact is that, up to now, Palm devices have been remarkably backward-compatible. Furthermore, upgrading hardware is always hard, especially for early adopters and "power" users (examples are legion), and especially when as yet so few of the new units are actually Out There being poked and prodded. As far as Palm devices are concerned, early adopters and "power" users form a pretty small group when compared to some 3 million other Palm users, most of whom have opened their Palms only to replace batteries, and for whom the Palm IIIx or Palm V will be a welcome upgrade. For info on the Palm V: http://palm.com/iso/u.cgi?n=1 For info on the Palm IIIx: http://palm.com/iso/u.cgi?n=2 For the TRG home page: http://www.superpilot.com/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Catholic Digest - Family Magazine| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Want a close family? Plenty of good friends? Good health? Happiness? Laughter? Joy? Inspiration? Catholic Digest will enrich your life. Try a FREE ISSUE of Catholic Digest, plus reserve your FREE gift, "All About Angels". Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/catholic.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 5=> Product: Air Warrior III, game Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dmha@on.aibn.com Hardware requirements: Minimum Pentium 90 MHz, Pentium 133 required for 3D accelerated mode, 16 Meg of RAM, 24 Meg for accelerated mode 70 MB of hard drive space, Direct X compatible video card capable of 640 X 480 resolution and 512 K memory. 3D cards require 2 MB minimum memory, Mouse or joystick (joystick recommended), Recommended Optional Equipment, SoundBlaster compatible sound card, Dedicated game port Throttle and rudder controls, Multi-function joystick, such as Thrust master. The test system used for Air Warrior III, was a Pentium 166 MMX, 64 MB RAM, ATI 3D Xpression graphics card 4 MB RAM, Logitech Wingman Interceptor Joystick. The game came on one CD-ROM disk, making the installation and set-up easy. Also included is a very in depth one hundred and sixty page manual detailing the various game functions. It is a good idea to read the book a few sections in the guide before heading off into a theater of war. During the installation, the program asks if you wish to install the Game storm Software for on-line play. The game opens at the World War II era Main Airfield screen with various options the user can select. Here you can chose a campaign, theater of war, fly for the Allies or Axis sides, and chose your type of aircraft. After I installed Air Warrior, I visited Interactive Magic's web site and checked their tech support. They listed a 7.6 MB patch for the game, which I download and applied the patch before playing the game. The game has various theaters of operations allowing for various rolls of Allies or Axis forces. You can choose World War I & Two in Europe, WWII in the Pacific, or the Korean conflict. All selections are made at the "Main Airfield" where you can chose to fly various Allies or Axis forces or you can select instant action and be transported right into the middle of an air battle. In the Mission hanger, you can choose: the theater of operations, Aircraft information/check ride, Vehicle information/test drive, Select a mission, and Select a Campaign. The Aircraft and vehicle manuals give 3D picture views and detailed information on a particular plane or vehicle. Air Warrior III has almost as many play modes as it does theaters of War. A player can select stand-alone play, modem play or on-line competition. These modes offer a user many hours of intense game play were you can go one on one with the enemy, command a group of pilots, or join other on-line gamers. The main action that takes place in Air Warrior III is dog fighting between various aircraft types. As an arm chair warrior the player must develop flying skills if they are to survive. The game has various checkout rides and the manual gives a good explanation in the many aircraft controls and the related functions. While Air Warrior III does have new and improved features such as: texture mapped aircraft exteriors, improved land terrain for mountains & farms & tress, and good special effect like fog, clouds, and bursts of sunlight. The visual detail is not up to the caliber of other flight simulators I have used on the same test computer. In addition, when you crash a screen appears stating, "At least they found enough of you to bury." In all fairness to Interactive Magic, they are not the only company using this kind of "you crashed and your dead imagery." The commentary may amuse some game players, but as a private pilot, I find this style of crash or shot down "commentary" in very poor taste. The games graphics are fair and the action fast paced to keep any armchair warrior happy in the wild blue yonder. You need a good joystick and throttle and rudder pedal controls will aid you in combat when you need to make tight turns. One feature I liked in Air Warrior III is the games response to joystick control, which is fast and almost like the real thing. A main problem with Air Warrior III is that it does not have the best graphics when compared to other combat flight simulators; however, the game is one of the most joystick controls responsive I have used. Nevertheless, the game will give any fly-by-the-seat-of- your-pants, computer pilot's hours of enjoyment and a worthy addition to anyone's flight simulator collection. Air Warrior III http://www.imagicgames.com/aw3.dir/aw3.html -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Lands' End Gift Certificate Sweepstakes| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Enter to Win a $500 Lands' End Gift Certificate and get ready to shop on-line! Over 1000 items are in THE STORE, so there's something for everyone. Enter to Win today! Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/landend.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6=> Product: Web Design in a Nutshell, a Desktop Quick Reference, by Jennifer Niederst, Book Reviewed By: Robin Nobles, mailto:robin@robinsnest.com MSRP: $19.95 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Buy Web Design in a Nutshell, A Desktop Quick Reference at Amazon.Com Now and Support CompuNotes! Amazon.Com - $15.96 -- Click Here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1565925157/compunotes/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Though today's fancy HTML editors make designing a web page a fairly simple process, if you're going to do much more than have a basic shell of a site, you need some fundamental knowledge of HTML. The software programs rarely have information to adequately explain a concept, which is where a top-notch HTML reference book comes in. Web Design in a Nutshell, a Desktop Quick Reference, is just that--a quick reference to any and everything associated with HTML 4.0. And, it explains each concept in a way that beginners as well as advanced web designers could benefit. The book features six parts and 27 chapters as well as an extensive appendix. Let's take a brief look at some of the chapters presented in the book, to give you an idea of the wide variety of available information at your fingertips. Part I discusses the Web Environment itself, with chapters such as Designing for a Variety of Browsers and Web Design Principles for Print Designers. In Part II, featuring HTML, you'll find chapters such as an HTML Overview, Structural HTML Tags, Tables, Frames, Forms, and even Server Side Includes. Part III discusses Graphics, where you'll discover chapters on GIF, JPEG, and PNG. Part IV deals with Multimedia and Interactivity, and it includes chapters on Animated Gifs, Audio and Video on the Web, and an Introduction to JavaScript. If you're interested in emerging technologies, Part V is the place for you. You'll learn about Cascading Style Sheets, an Introduction to DHTML, an Introduction to XML, Embedded Font Technology, and Internationalization. Finally, the appendix section includes an extremely helpful master list of HTML tags, a list of attributes, deprecated tags, and proprietary tags, and even a comprehensive guide as to how the browsers have implemented support for CSS. Let's dissect Chapter 21, Interactivity, to show you how each chapter is laid out. The Interactivity chapter explains different ways to make a web page less like a printed page and more like a CD-ROM, by including features such as: motion; integrated sound files; elements that respond to the position of the cursor; the ability for the user to manipulate what's on the screen; and animation and video. One of the subcategories of the chapter is on Flash, which gives you the ability to create full-screen animation, interactive graphics, and integrated sound clips. The chapter discusses the advantages and disadvantages to using Flash, then explains how to create Flash content for the Web. Another subcategory is Shockwave, and the same outline is available, where you'll learn the advantages and disadvantages to using Shockwave, as well as how to create Shockwave movies and add those files to an HTML document. Java applets are also discussed in Chapter 21. You'll learn what applets can do, where to get them, and how to add them to a web page. You'll even find a troubleshooting section. The last subcategory in our example chapter is interactive buttons with JavaScript, where you'll learn how to create simple and multiple rollovers. The book is a comprehensive resource guide that will walk you through designing a web page from beginning concepts to more complicated ones. It's easy to understand and full of valuable information. For anyone who works with or designs web pages, it would be an invaluable reference book. O'Reilly & Associates Web Design in a Nutshell, a Desktop Quick Reference, by Jennifer Niederst Product Website: http://www.oreilly.com ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Buy Web Design in a Nutshell, A Desktop Quick Reference at Amazon.Com Now and Support CompuNotes! Amazon.Com - $15.96 -- Click Here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1565925157/compunotes/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Money Magazine for Free!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Worried about the markets? Concerned about your retirement? Why not listen to the experts? Why not secure professional advice for free? FREE TRIAL ISSUE of Money Magazine! Your personal guide to a great future of Financial Success! Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/money.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 7=> Product: Power Boot 3 & PDISK V0.99 - Partition Utility, utility Reviewed By: Howard Carson, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com Requires: 386 or higher processor, DOS, Windows(R) 95, 98, NT and hard disk(s) with 33 sectors/track or more. MSRP: US$25.00 Power Boot allows you to boot multiple Operating Systems on your PC. It provides a simple selection screen during boot up, which allows you to select from any operating system you've pre-installed. Power Boot is designed to accommodate the needs of PC users who require access to different operating systems on the same computer. In order to test Power Boot, I obtained copies of BeOS(R) R4 (Be Inc. was kind enough to supply a test copy), OS/2 Warp(R), and MS-DOS 6.0. The test machine we used was a Intel Pentium(R) 166-based clone sporting an Asus(R) motherboard, 128MB of RAM, an ATI PC2 Pro Turbo(R) video card, Adaptec(R) 2940 SCSI card, and two, 8GB Seagate(R) SCSI hard drives. Each hard drive was divided into two partitions registered as drives 'C', 'D' (1st hard drive), and 'E', 'F', and 'G' (2nd hard drive). The computer was already running Windows 98, Windows NT4.0 (SR3) on the 'C' partition (using Microsoft's built-in OS boot selector), and the most recent Caldera Linux release on the 'E' partition. We installed BeOS on the 'F' partition, but did not install the BeOS boot utility (the utility does essentially the same thing as Power Boot, but is designed for Windows, MacOS, and BeOS). Note that all Windows products can share the same partition as long as they're all configured for the same file system (FAT16 or FAT32 - Windows 95 and 98 do not understand NTFS). OS/2, BeOS and Linux (or native Unix), must each have their own partition or their own hard drive. Power Boot has two swap modes for booting MS-DOS and Windows 9x from any hard drive in your system. Power Boot installs in the Master Boot Record (MBR) of your normal boot partition. The hard drive on which your normal boot partition is located, must have a specification of 33 sectors per track or greater. Without this extra room, the MBR will not provide enough space for Power Boot to install itself and record the necessary drive and partition data. Before you install Power Boot, use the best anti-virus software you can get your hands on to make sure you don't have any boot sector viruses hanging around. The so-called Stealth series of viruses are brutal, tenacious and very difficult to kill. The actual installation process is simple. First, make sure you do not have a boot sector or Stealth virus. Then, create a Windows Startup Disk and use it to boot into DOS. Third, replace the Startup Disk with the Power Boot disk. Fourth, locate drive 'A' (floppy drive), locate 'Install.exe' on the disk in drive 'A', and run the installer. The installation screen provides the option to create a Power Boot Rescue Diskette - I recommend you do that as soon as you've installed Power Boot. Rebooting after installation allows Power Boot to run and automatically detect partitions. No configuration was necessary, and as I installed successive operating systems, Power Boot detected them all successfully. That's about it. Power Boot does a few other things in addition to manipulating partition information. You can set a default boot partition, show or ignore partitions, create boot profiles which specify different conditions for different operating systems, choose boot drive letters for OS/2, hide or show partitions, on-the-fly, as you boot up, apply a password to your boot settings, adjust the boot delay timeout, and applies custom names to partitions. Because Power Boot resides in the MBR it is also comparatively file system resistant (you can go from FAT 16 to FAT 32 without creating problems with the booter). Cons: Anything that installs itself in your MBR carries a certain risk. There's really no other way to do this sort of thing though, and Power Boot seems to work properly. Still, you've got to wonder. So to be on the safe side, always create a fresh emergency boot disk before doing anything to your MBR. If you're using EZ-Drive, you'll have to replace it with a free copy of Power Bios Lite (obtain it via e-mail from BlueSky Innovations). Pros: How else can you experiment easily with different operating systems? One touch option to configure your system for installation of an OEM version of an operating system (very often, OEM versions of popular operating systems will not install if they detect another operating system). Power Boot looks safe, so if you really have a need to fiddle with multiple operating systems, check it out. Power Boot 3.0 BlueSky Innovations LLC Web site: http://www.blueskyinnovations.com/pboot.html -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= All Kinds of Catalogs for You! Free!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Do you shop by mail? Looking for that hard to find item? Just like unique products? Then you need the Catalog Request Center! You'll find over 300 FREE catalogs! Use this FREE service to quickly locate the catalogs that have the products you want. Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/catalogs.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 8=> Product: Quake: The Offering, game Reviewed By: Andrew Giesler, mailto:akg1385@hotmail.com MSRP: $49.95 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Buy Quake, The Offering Now and Support CompuNotes! Beyond.Com - $42.45 -- Click Here: http://www.beyond.com/AF2541/PKIN317030/prod.htm ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I don't think there is one PC gamer out there who has never heard of Quake. Quake is a first person perspective shooter where you are a marine that is suddenly pulled into a top-secret mission to destroy the alien menace "Quake." Quake has a new type of technology called a "slip gate." The slip gate is a portal device that can transport any object to another place instantly. Quake is planning to send all of his evil alien armies through his slip gates to destroy the Earth. Your Mission: Go through a slip gate to the alien's dimension and destroy Quake. But this isn't just only the great game Quake. Quake: The offering is a game package that includes Quake, Mission pack 1: Scourge of Armagon, and Mission pack 2: Dissolution of Eternity. What is a mission pack? A mission pack is an add-on to an actual game that usually includes new levels, weapons, enemies, and gameplay options. Most mission packs take place after the original game. You cannot play a mission pack unless you have the actual game. I think that mission packs are a great concept so that if you can beat a game that you really like, you still can have more stuff to do instead of just have it sitting on your shelf. Mission pack 1: Scourge of Armagon actually takes place after the game when you return home after defeating Quake just to find that after all of your hard work that more alien armies have infiltrated the weapons storage facility. Now you have to defeat a new minion called "Armagon." This mission pack adds a lot to the already lengthy and full game. First, it adds around 4 new levels for you to conquer. Second, it adds 3 new weapons. The "proximity mine launcher", "laser cannon", and "Mjolnir". The proximity mine launcher is a new weapon that fires mines that stick walls and ceilings. The mines are motion-sensitive which means if your opponent gets too close, boom. Be warned though, you can be blown to pieces by your own mines as well so be careful. This weapon actually adds a new strategic thought process to the game. With this weapon, you need to take aim, and location into consideration. The laser cannon fires continuous laser blasts that will destroy everything in there path. Another interesting aspect of the laser cannon is it's ability to ricochet of walls and such which will, as the proximity mine launcher, add more strategic gameplay. Finally there is the Mjolnir. This weapon is actually Thor's war hammer. When used the hammer smashes the ground and sends out an electrical current along the ground. When it hits it's target, you will know because you will hear a tremendous clap of thunder. Another addition that the first mission pack adds is 3 new powerups to pick up. The first is the "Horn of Conjurning." This powerup will make a random creature help you kill enemies and fight by your side. The creature will continually fight with you until it is killed, but be careful not to attack your servant because you can kill him as well as your enemies can. Another powerup is the "Empathy Shield." This nifty little item will actually take half of the damage inflicted on you and take it away from your opponent. And the last new powerup would be the wetsuit. This nice pickup not only let's you swim underwater without worrying about breath, but it also actually lets you fire electrical weapons underwater without causing you any damage. Another thing it does is make you invulnerable to all lightning attacks. Yet another new feature is the 2 new creatures for your disposal. They are the "Gremlin" and "Centroid". The Gremlins travel in packs and feast on the dead corpses of your enemies. The Centroids are scorpions with double nailguns for claws. To go with there nice artillery for claws they are also heavily armored and will give you a lethal sting if you get too close. Another new feature in mission pack 1 is the new hazards to obliterate you. There are spike mines, Lightning traps, and falling rocks. The spike mines are floating proximity mines that shower you with spikes if you get too close. The lightning traps are short bursts of lightning that will cook you like a turkey of Thanksgiving. And falling rocks are fairly obvious. Yes, they are rocks that fall. Mission Pack 2: Dissolution of Eternity takes place after mission pack 1: Scourge of Armagon. This mission pack takes place years after Armagon. After Armagon you are placed in Command Central. Your HQ and it is too quiet for comfort. You walk out of your office to see a dead alien fiend. One of the alien troopers on the ground, mangled, and attached to his body is a note. The note states the uprising of your thought to be dead enemy, Quake. This pack adds 4 new levels as the first pack did. Instead of new weapons you can get new weapon powerups. The lava nails go to the lava gun. They are red- hot nails that inflict more damage than regular nails. Another new weapon powerup would be the multi-grenades. This powerup is for the grenade launcher. It fires one grenade that splits into fire 5 different grenades. while in flight. Another is the multi-rocket. Same basic idea as the multi-grenades except these special rockets only divide into 4 separate pieces. The last power up is the plasma cells. These charge the thunderbolt weapon. With this ammunition the thunderbolt fires a plasma ball that is very powerful and creates a burst of lightning when it comes into contact with its target. The next new feature with this mission pack is new regular powerups in the game. You can get an anti-grav belt which renders the user almost resistant to gravity. This gives you tremendous height in jumps for those hard to reach places. The other powerup is the power shield. This item reduces the damage from your opponent. It is very useful in multiplayer. There are a lot of new creatures in the game. First there is the phantom swordsmen, a ghost with a sword would be a pretty accurate summary of this enemy. Next, there is the electric eels. These little punks stick around in the water will send an electric current if you are too close so be careful. Another new creature is the statue. At first it seems to be a harmless little statue. But be careful, these statues will come to life and do not want to make friends. Another new creature is the hell spawn. Which is nonetheless a beefed up spawn from the actual game. Yet another new creature is the multi-grenade ogre. Just a plain old ogre but with a new weapon instead of a grenade launcher. Yep, you guessed it, a multi-grenade launcher. Finally, there is the Overlord. This is a floating skeleton that has a very powerful weapon. it fires a ball of energy that actually tracks it's target and detonates on impact. And his target is, of course, you. If you think that sounds bad he has little minions to attack you also. They are smaller than him but just as powerful. Another last new feature in mission pack 2 is some deadly hazards placed throughout the levels. First, there is the pendulums. These a razor sharp, swing pendulums that will cut you in two. Second, there are lightning shooters. They are stationary machinery that fire lightning at any angle. Third there are the buzz saws. These are razor-sharp saws that will easily shred right through you skin, armor, and what ever else is near it. Finally there is the earthquake. These are ground shaking tremors that will trough you off guard, and balance!!! Does that sound like enough to satisfy your gaming pleasures? Well it satisfies mine. If this still isn't enough to satisfy your Quake craving, you might also want to check out Quake 2, The newly released sequel to Quake. Also by the makers of Quake, check out DOOM, DOOM 2, ULTIMATE DOOM, or FINAL DOOM. All great games in there own way. Quake, The Offering Product Info: http://www.activision.com ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Buy Quake, The Offering Now and Support CompuNotes! 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