The meeting discussed the following topics:

1. DVD Player - Graham Mc

Graham wrote:
The increasing practice of including software on the DVD disc (as
opposed to the CD ROM disc) for some of the computer magazine cover
discs meant I had to replace my perfectly serviceable CD ROM drive for
a DVD drive so I could access the programs when they were included on
a DVD cover disc.

PC Connections at Weston provided a Sony DVD drive (16 speed DVD, 40
speed CD ROM) installed and with the packaged software (Power DVD)
installed and all tested, at a very good price.

2. C&C3 - Gloria

3. (a) nostalgia - good news

    (b) lists - last pc repair

   (c) demo - XP

       -  John S

On the above topics, John wrote:
(a) I have been wallowing in nostalgia. Who remembers - Flanders &
Swann, Peggy Lee, Joan Baez, Miriam Makeba etc? I've been transferring
late 50s, early 60s 45 rpm records to CD. Started this after buying a
nice LAB-1100 belt drive semi-auto turntable from Tandy for $129. This
is great as it includes a pre-amplifier so it can plug directly into
the line input connector on the P.C. sound card without having to
bring the whole Hi-Fi system into the computer room. Now all I have to
do (after finishing the records) is to scan all the family photos &
transparencies and edit miles of video footage etc......

(b) Lists - Distributed latest CnC Web database and mailing lists.
Quite a few changes - will do this at each meeting...

(c) Last PC fix.
Fault described as "when I turn it on - I briefly see "stuff" on the
screen then it goes all white". Took a look and symptoms were exactly
as described!

A few characters of POST test results then fade to all white!. Never
seen this in a video card - must be the monitor. Turned out that
brilliance control was fully clockwise.... The brief display was the
monitor warm up...

But when the brilliance was turned down - the display showed "CMOS
Battery failed - press F1 to continue" - good boot to Windows after F1
press.

Took off the case to check type of battery - unfortunately one of the
combination Real time clock calendar chip with integrated battery
(Dallas chip) - do they still sell those? But two Hard disks were just
resting on the mother board (an attempt had been made to secure one
with a curtain rail bracket), and there was no back of case bracket to
secure plug-in cards!

Good thing it was a "static" installation.......

(d) Gave a short "demo" of a couple of WINXP features on the
big-screen. The new improved Task Manager (looks suspiciously like
"TaskInfo" W9x program), and the single tick built-in Internet
"atomic" time synch. As the only visible screen was the projection one
(Problems selecting the Laptop screen to both LCD and external VGA) -
I was later chastised for "Talking to the screen" not the audience.

Tricky under the circumstances - but why didn't someone say something
at the time? Real-time feedback is vital {:-))

4. Transact Connection - Peter H

5. (a) drive letter

    (b) DU meter with Transact

   - Mike D

6. CD R/W "Packet Mode" - Rick

7. WWW or not - Rod S

8. Computer freezes - Paul H

I suggested that a shareware program called MemTurbo is very good in
recovering memory leakages which cause a lot of the computer freezes.

Check out:
http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/3000-2086-5067117.html?tag=lst-0-1

9. Used Video Cards - Emil

I asked where I could find obselete but better-than-average video
cards preferably with video capture, such as ASUS AGP-V3800 or later.
Members suggested a check with system sellers such 'PC Connections' at
Woden Creek.

Emil




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