Number 209 - October 2000

UPDATE
Website Counter Misleading     Ray Mills reports each month on the number of visitors to the website. It is up in the thousands. Clearly, most of the traffic on the toggle.org web site is not recorded on the home page counter because, it seems, most visitors have bookmarked favorite areas of the web site and come in through one of the many "back doors". Whether or not you come in through the front door, we hope you check out more than just the newsletter. There are lots of interesting items to find under the other tabs on the home page---including little squibs that are too short, or more detailed discussions on specific subjects that are too long, for the newsletter. Also check out the other links. Don't miss this good stuff. Take a look. Fixing TODAY in SuperCalc     A fix to make SuperCalc's TODAY function Y2k compatible will be printed in the November TOGGLE. If you can't wait, call or E-mail Bob Thomson who fixed his copy of SC 4 which he uses daily. System File Checker     by Bob Thomson, Tacoma Open Group for Microcomputers     Recently when Windows 98 restarted it presented a black screen and reported that it could not update one of its files (which it did not name) and suggested that if Win98 didn't start when I pressed a key that I re-run Setup. Win98 started okay when I pressed a key but it was worrisome.     A friend suggested running System File Checker. I had never heard of it, but he said to click Start, then Run, enter SFC, and click OK.     SFC brought up a screen which said "System File Checker verifes the integrity of your system files. Select an option and click Start." Two options were presented:      Scan for altered files, and      Extract one file from installation disk.	I chose the option to scan for altered files and it found one, setupx.dll, which it said had been corrupted. Iwas then given the option to copy the file from some where else. Normally it would be from the Win98 CD but when I tried that it didn't find it on either the Win98 or the Win98 SE disk. So I need to pursue this further. I tried restoring it from the directories on the C drive and SFC didn't list it as corrupted anymore, but I still got the black screen on startup.     My failure to find an immediate fix shouldn't discourage you from using this useful utility. By the way, it takes several minutes to check all your files. The Perfect Gift     Looking for a last-minute gift that's quick, easy and keeps on giving the entire year? With the gift-giving season approaching, consider giving a membership in Tacoma Open Group for Microcomputers, which comes with an automatic one-year subscription to the TOGGLE newsletter.     In an era of flight from printed to on-line electronic newsletters, TOGGLE is one of the few hard copy newsletters still delivered to your mailbox--to be read and re-read to glean the most from the computer-related articles. This is an especially appropriate gift for a friend or relative who is new to computing and interested in learning how to use and enjoy the PC. It is also appropriate for the more experienced user who gains by association with, and discussion of software and hardware of common interest with other users sharing similar experiences.     Point out to them that our meeting discussions, Q&A periods, and newsletter subjects range from that for absolute beginners to esoterica fit for the expert with twenty years of computing experience.     If you have a friend or relative who constantly "borrows" your copy of the latest TOGGLE, a gift membership might be especially welcome.     Idea copied from North Texas PC News.
Number 209 - October 2000