• WScpusrvc

    WScpusrvc

    @wscpusrvc

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    • in reply to: Eudora 7.1.0.9 behaving badly #1475979

      I have Eudora 7.1.0.9 Sponsored mode (but I believe when they closed shop, all versions included all features of “paid” mode) running on Win 7 Pro. My Eudora is well-behaved. I wonder if your problem could be caused by antivirus software? All AV software inserts itself into the communication chain to scan mail and wonder if that can cause a problem. I also run Eudora in window mode, not full screen. Perhaps that makes a difference.

      I’m still on Eudora because I heavily use Eudora’s filter system, which is far superior to any other I’ve ever found. Mail formatting isn’t great, but it improved drastically when I switched to Microsoft’s viewer (Tools > Options > Viewing Mail).

    • in reply to: Office Outlook 2003 help #1473100

      Each ping produces four lines of good results, so these are both good results and show that there is a good Internet connection in both directions. I have run this test just about every time I start up the new PC since I was told about it, and always get the same results.

      OK … here is (probably too much) information to understand why you can PING a port and get a reply but a mail request is denied. Maybe it will help solve the problem, eventually. I include it mainly for others who may find the information interesting and provide a better understanding of the operation of the internet.

      PING is a special protocol. It sends out a packet of data and servers are programmed (though the option can be turned off) to reply to a PING. If you don’t get a reply, either the server is down, or it’s configured to not reply to PING’s (sometimes used to prevent hackers from finding a site).

      Email uses the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which is one of the core protocols of the Internet Protocol suite (IP) (aka TCP/IP) which also uses “port numbers”. Port numbers (0-65536) are an imaginary system for software to filter for specific requests. (For a list of typical port usage, see http://www.iana.org/assignments/protocol-numbers/protocol-numbers.xml). For example, if you type into your browser http://www.comcast.net it will lookup comcast.net for it’s IP address (69.252.80.75) just as you would do with a telephone directory. This is called DNS (Domain Name Service). Web sites are actually numbers only, like telephones. It then requests the page at that IP address at port 80 (standard for web page services). This is the same as typing http://comcast.net:80 or http://69.252.80.75:80. The HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is optional, as it defaults to it just as it does using port 80. “WWW” may not be optional … domain services acutally have entries with and without “WWW” in the address (sometimes, a site will not come up using just its name, but requires “WWW” because their domain service isn’t set up properly. This will get you to comcast.net’s home page. If you typed http://comcast.net:81 you should not get a reply because port 81 not a typical web page service and the server will receive, but ignore it. This is why the port information for email must be specific for the provider … whichever ports they use, though they are standardized for ordinary users.

      To your problem: SOMEONE CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG but according to MS Outlook send/receive settings are stored in a .SRS file. The normal location for Outlook’s files can be found at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/outlook-file-locations-HP003082210.aspx. If you have Outlook mail working on another computer, you might try copying the file to the non-working one. You will need to close Outlook first. I suggest you rename your current file on the system you’re trying to fix, then copy the working file to the same location as the saved one. Start up Outlook, and see if that works.

    • in reply to: Office Outlook 2003 help #1472592

      It seems to be the opinion of the skilled that adding a router without fully setting several security features is tantamount to insanity.

      That is absolutely not correct. Cable modems,WITHOUT A ROUTER ALLOW TOTAL ACCESS by anyone on the internet. AT&T DSL (home) modems have a one-port router built-in to their modem so they are secure (and, technically, are a modem and router in the same case). Comcast Cable does NOT. Home routers come preconfigured for restricted access so users from the outside cannot get thru the router. Do not operate a cable modem for more than a few minutes without a router because your computer is totally bare on the web. Setting up your router could go as quickly as 5-10 minutes. Almost all have wizards to take you thru the simple process.

    • in reply to: Office Outlook 2003 help #1472555

      Try turning off your antivirus software, usually clicking the icon in the tray. Because a/v software installs itself between your mail software and the communications, it can sometime cause your problem.

      Make sure Outlook is configured properly as described at http://customer.comcast.com/help-and-support/internet/configure-outlook-2003-xfinity-email. Double check every screen. Run the TEST, and all the items should check as satisfactory / completed. Any errors shown in the test are probably in your configuration / system.

      You can also test your connection to a server. Open a CMD prompt (in the start menu, type CMD, and start it). Type ping [servername]smtp.comcast.net (outbound server) or mail.comcast.net (inbound server). Your computer will make 4 attempts to connect to the server. Timeouts means it failed. If there are a significant number of failures, tell Comcast.

      38241-temp

      Modems: Set up just the new one. Comcast has been sending mails and automated calling saying they have up’d the network speeds and the older modems (DOCSIS 2.0) can’t run the fastest speeds, and recommend DOCSIS 3.0 modems. 2.0 is fine .. you just won’t connect much faster then 20 mbps (down speed). Invest the time and set up your router so both computers can be online at the same time. It’s crazy (and a waste of time) to keep connecting and disconnecting modems. ALSO, running without a router puts you on the public internet … just like Google, Yahoo, etc. That subjects you to increased attempted attacks on your computer. Once you get the router installed, you can look at the log file and see dozens of attempted intrusions a day.

      When you have a router installed, you can also disable your firewall (and antivirus) temporarily and not have any significant risk of infection. This will remove additional elements that can get in the way.

      Yes, you can have pop email installed on multiple computers for the same email acct., but once one computer downloads new messages, the mail server will not normally send them to another computer. I also suggest on the last configuration screen, you can specify how the server handles downloaded emails. I always keep messages on the server at least 15 days, in case my email program crashes and I lose my recent emails. You can usually access your emails again thru web access.

      Good luck.

    • in reply to: Eudora 7.1: Close replacement for Outlook Express? #1412486

      If you don’t like T’bird you might not find much more in Eudora to like as it is based on Thunderbird.

      https://wiki.mozilla.org/Eudora_OSE

      Not true. 7.1 and earlier was a Qualcomm product. Subsequent development as done by Mozilla spinoff. 7.1 always had great reviews, and if you needed a powerful email program, Eudora was an excellent choice.

    • in reply to: Eudora 7.1: Close replacement for Outlook Express? #1412485

      Having tried Outlook and Outlook Express and a couple of others, and always finding some limitations, I started using Eudora since version 3 or 4, now on 7.1. I love it because it has more capabilities. As I recall (it’s been along time since I started with it) I like:

      * Its super-flexible filtering capabilities
      * The ability for a filter to trigger an action, like sending a specific file back, running a program (and much more)
      * Emails are stored in text format so recovery is far easier than packed files that can be corrupted and lose everything. In Eudora, just skip over copying the corrupted section.
      * Tabbed & windowed mailboxes
      * Configurable toolbars

      You can read more features here: http://www.eudora.com/email/features/windows/

      Mail server setup is a little convoluted to me, but other than that, all is good.
      I’ve used it on everything thru Win7. Haven’t tried it on Win8, but I haven’t started using my Win8 machine. I have worked a fair amount on Win8, and I think you should have not problem running it.

      If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at richard (at) mail-xpress (.com). I’m pretty demanding in my needs because I’ve been a system admin for 20 years.

      Edit: HTML coming in reads fine, and pasting good HTML into an email works too. The problem is when you forward, the new message elements look like a list, rather than preserviing the original layout.

    • in reply to: Do surge protectors slow down Internet speeds? #1402377

      First, one must know normal peak voltage for 120 VAC is 185 volts. Even electricians must know that. A 160 volt protector would burn up or disconnect immediately. Second, protectors specs define its let-through voltage. Typically 330 volts (not 160). That 330 volt spec numbers is printed on every protector box.

      Is it a protector? Then it must have a UL 1449 listing – to define human safety; not transistor safety.

      A ‘whole house’ protector does not work as only assumed. It works completely differently due to something that does not exist with the other and completely different protector (ie the APC) – ‘single point earth ground’.

      A ‘whole house’ protector is called ‘secondary’ protection. Is protection from all types of surges – including a typically destructive type sometimes created by a stray squirrel.

      Only a few really know this stuff. Homeowners are strongly advised to inspect their ‘primary’ surge protection. What defines each protection layer? A picture demonstrates what to inspect in your ‘primary’ surge protection:
      http://www.tvtower.com/fpl.html

      Westom, thank you for correcting my mistake about the voltage and the whole house protection. It’s been 25 years since I worked on this stuff, and I forgot some all-important details.

    • in reply to: Do surge protectors slow down Internet speeds? #1402366

      About the initial question: Do surge suppressors affect download speed. I know of no reason a surge suppressor would slow down speed. However, if there is the unlikely situation where there is a filter circuit (see my description above) involved that your signal goes thru, that will affect the speed.

    • in reply to: Do surge protectors slow down Internet speeds? #1402349

      Oh man, do I ever remember the old days of antennae leads and corresponding adapters. Yeah, my antennae is up on the rooftop, feeding a coax line to my TV– I do not have cable, just over-the-air broadcast. But I did get to thinking about the connection on the back of my beloved TV/monitor. The SP I recently ordered and get to pick up tomorrow features such a coax input. Unfortunately, I can’t practically test what kind of effect my data lines might have their internet speeds compromised or not, as my current system is really squirrelly right now, until I get my new system up and running.

      And yes, it is the power to and within my house that most concerns me. Thanks for the house suppressor idea. I have lost too many telephone answering machines and monitors, all because silly me mistakenly thought I was plugging into an SP, which was actually nothing more than a power strip. Oh, it’s embarrassing to reveal that. I have had great luck this past year after installing a real SP.

      If a power strip is not labeled with the # of joules, assume it is not a surge protector. Also, look at different units and compare the joule rating. I have been surprised that some lower priced, plain strips have better ratings that more expensive, more sophisticated looking units. The 2 main things to consider: clamping voltage (point at which it kicks in, usually about 160v I think) and joules (amount of energy it can dissipate). If you are having problems with your power line, definitely use surge protectors with filters that smooth the power to the electronic devices. I believe the unit of measure for noise level is dB. I don’t remember if a higher or lower number is better.

      A system wide surge protector for a house would run you a few hundred bucks, at the very least, and would be installed just upstream from the junction box.
      I don’t imagine it would be cheap because, one, it would have to handle the total current of the house, and two, an electrician would almost certainly have to install it.
      That makes no mention of the inspection that would need to be done with most of the codes & standards around these days.

      I’ve been looking into one for the TT, I found one for about 60 dollars, but most of the decently rated ones will run you a few hundred dollars easily.
      And these are just plug in types at the power source (pedestal).

      The house surge protector doesn’t handle the total current of the house. Because the surge protector is connected across the lines, nothing goes thru it except when the line voltage exceeds the clamping voltage. When that happens, only the excess power goes thru it, just as it would with a power strip. Because its being used to protect all devices in the entire house, it should have a high joule rating. I saw prices from $60-$250 for the device. If you are handy at all, it may be a self-install project. Just Google it.

    • in reply to: Do surge protectors slow down Internet speeds? #1402298

      Why is it that I find you easier to understand, Cpusrvc? Thanks for the explain.

      Would that coax cable also apply to say an over-the-air broadcast antenna which runs a coax cable???

      Its easier to understand because I know what I’m talking about :rolleyes:, and not trying to assemble pieces of information that may or may not fit together. Coax suppressors are not easy to find. They used to be more common, but no one seemed to know about them so I guess it wasn’t profitable to handle them. You know the RF TV adapters of olden days, that had a 2″ L x 1/2″ dia black cylinder with a coax thread on one end and two-wire pigtail with 2 spade connectors that were held by screws onto the back of TV sets (still on cheap stereos for speakers)? It’s just like that, without the pigtail wire, and instead has coax threads on both ends. You might find them in electronics stores, like Bestbuy, Tiger Direct, etc. or Ebay. I know after I lost a VCR and a TV to lightning hits, it sold me on their value.

      If you are using an indoor antenna, you don’t need one, because the lightning isn’t (hopefully) likely to come into your house. If it does, you’ll have more problems than just your equipment! For people with cable service, don’t think that because the cable is underground you’re protected. There is the neighborhood junction box where your cable comes out. If it gets hit, it will travel thru the underground cable.

      If you are not worried about lightning much, then it must be the power to your house that concerns you. I’d seriously consider a whole house suppressor. They are not very expensive, but it might take an electrician an hour. These devices are often used in the commercial environment for small buildings, with their own power feed. I don’t know if a residential electrician would know about them, you’d have to ask and how many they have done. It’s not hard though, and I’m sure they come with simple instructions. If you install a whole-house unit, you should still have protected power strips. The house unit will have a little higher rating to absorb big hits, rather than getting “used up” on little spikes. It will stop a strong strike at the house, and leave a little for the power strips to handle.

    • in reply to: Do surge protectors slow down Internet speeds? #1402297

      electronics can be damage by 40 volts. And that same electronic part is designed to withstand 15,000 volts. How can two so contradictory facts be correct? ‘Devil is in the details’. http://datasheets.maxim-ic.com/en/ds…7E-MAX491E.pdf

      That datasheet is for an electronic transceiver line driver (the little chip that sends/receives the data signal on your ethernet cable to your modem/router). Like most electronic parts, they run on low voltages. Their datasheets may specify thousands of volts for certain parts, like the insulation, which has nothing to do with the operating voltage of the part. The spec you read of 15k volt is ESD (Electro Static Discharge) rating for the device CASE that protects the electronics on the inside.

      Other hazards on power lines are:
      *Brown-outs: lower voltages than needed, sometimes during heavy loads like heat waves causing high power consumption, often causing data corruption and lock-ups. Most computers will run on sub-100 volt power (I think it can cause power supply overheating)
      *Spikes: inconsistent power from the outlet with short-duration increases in voltage (similar to weak lightning, or turning off a circuit breaker, Of course if you turn off a breaker, there is no power to the device so spiking should be very weak)
      *Over-voltage: Power company is failing to regulate their power properly, generating too high a voltage, potentially weakening MOV’s in surge protectors and the user not being aware

    • in reply to: Do surge protectors slow down Internet speeds? #1402295

      Surge suppression is handled by MOV’s (Metal Oxide Varistor) in consumer power strips and UPS’s. A MOV normally has near “infinite” resistance and is connected across two power lines. It is rated in “clamping” volts. When the voltage on the line exceeds the clamping voltage, the MOV’s resistance goes to near zero, effectively causing a temporary short circuit in the power supply line, preventing the voltage on the line from spiking and continuing down the wire to the device being protected. It is common for a lightning strike to hit and burn out or seriously degrade MOV’s without the user knowing it, leaving useless or weakened for the next strike. If you’ve been hit by lightning, it is suggested you replace your power strips. MOV’s respond in a few microseconds. They (and therefore the power strips they are in) are rated in joules, which is the amount of energy they can absorb before their destruction. Multiple MOV’s increase protection proportionally. Avalanche diodes act similarly, but are less likely to degrade on small stirkes, but more likely to suffer total destruction on stronger ones. You can also have an electrician install a suppressor for your entire house, remembering that the more protection the less likely the lightning strike will get to your equipment.

      Note that this has nothing to do with filtering, which smooths and stabilizes the incoming power. Filtering can help suppress electrical “noise” (like static in a radio). Noise often comes in from certain nearby electrical devices on the same circuit, such as power tools that have “brush” type motors. “Noise” symptoms are typically computer lock-up or freezing (not the same as a computer that has a program taking all the cpu power for itself thereby making the rest of the computer appear frozen).

      Don’t forget your cable inputs to your TV’s. They make in-line suppressors for coax cable. I’ve personally lost equipment from cable coax hits.

    • in reply to: QBasic program problem #1398961

      I just fired up QB and right on the menu line is a debug menu. You can have it stop on any line (breakpoint) just before execution, trace 1 line at a time, set a watchpoint that when a variable changes to a specified criteria (including greater than (+or equal to), less than (+or equal to), equal to, not equal to), the program will stop. If you use the HELP > Contents > Run & Debug Keys, it lists all the debug tools and shortcut keys.

    • in reply to: FYI – When doing remote work #1817920

      I have used TeamViewer only a few times. If it doesn’t have a file transfer function, then you can’t do it with that program. I use UltraVNC. It has everything you could want, except for printing at the remote location. Setup is more difficult because you have to open 2 forwarding port on the router (5900, 5500). They also have a standalone program the you can create, then the other user can run that program to bring you in when they want. UltraVNC may be more complicated that you want, unless you plan on doing it on a regular basis for a few people.

      An alternative is to keep using TeamViewer and use something like dropbox to transfer files.

    • in reply to: Need Web hosting with good spam filtering #1343820

      I’ve used Google Apps for maybe 5 years and get about 100 emails per day in my inbox for my domain with catchall, and I use a lot of different usernames@mydomain.com for everything I do online. One or 2 spam messages / day get thru, and maybe 1-2 good emails, usually from big direct marketers, end up in spam each week. In part, Google tracks what their users mark as spam or mark as not spam and apply it to their filter, so spam you’ve never gotten before is filtered out and you don’t have to teach your filter. To keep my spam folder smaller, for easier review looking for good emails, I do add some custom filters for certain high-spam domains so they are deleted when received.

    Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 20 total)