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 | Message Board Stickies Just out of curiosity, how many of you use WorldStart's message board? I know there are quite a few of you out there, because a lot of you e-mail me and tell me how much the message board has helped you with your computer problems and I know several of you use it by referral from me as well. So, when you're using it, do you ever run into a sticky message? If you're not sure what I'm talking about, keep reading and you'll find out! A lot of message boards these days use a configuration where the last message posted or the one that was most recently responded to is automatically placed at the top of the list. While that method is good in some ways, if there are a lot of people posting new threads every few seconds, the messages can get moved around rather quickly. As a result, a lot of the posts are pushed down to the bottom of the page or taken off the front page completely. Therefore, a lot of the important messages are missed. That's when a sticky comes in handy! Message board stickies are used to keep the most important posts organized and easily accessible. If there's a message that everyone needs to see, the poster can pin it to the top of the page so that it doesn't get moved around. Most stickies are posted by the administrator of the message board for special announcements, forum rules and FAQs. So, if you're a new message board user, you should check out the stickies first. They're always located at the top of the page and they always contain very important information. Steve posts stickies on our message board all the time, so be on the look out for them. You never know what he might have to say! ~ Erin Love this tip? Hate it? Let us know by rating it here: Don't stop now! Keep reading to learn how you can easily test your microphone to ensure it's working properly, find out how you can make your object selection easy in MS PowerPoint 2007 and learn all about the firewall found in Windows Vista. Also, find out how you can lighten up with today's video tip and of course, don't miss out on Amanda's Cool Site of the Day! WOW! This was HUGE in our Software Deals newsletter yesterday, so we decided to give you a chance at this 10% off deal! Coupon expires first thing tomorrow, so don't wait - grab something in the newsletter, something on the site, or both and save 10% today!
10% Off EVERYTHING In Our Online Store! And Everything In This Newsletter!! The Amazing Blowouts Start NOW!! Newsletter Subscribers Only! Today ONLY!!! (02-16-2009) RUN To The Site - Grab What You Can - 10% OFF! WOW!! I was looking around the warehouse and, yup, it's time to get rid of some excess - and give YOU some outstanding deals in the process! We're having a rare ONE-DAY 10% Off Sale! You know we already have some just KILLER deals - well, now's your chance to make 'em even better! We have around 1500 items in our store right now! You just KNOW there's something there you gotta have! Well, with this offer, there's never been a better time! Use the coupon code shown below and you'll be able to get a whopping 10% off of EVERY item in our online store - software OR hardware! This discount is ONLY good today (01-16-2009) ~ so get to the site right away (sorry, no exceptions)! 95888 Add an item to your cart and scroll down - you'll see where to enter this code. YOU MUST enter the code above to get your discount!! No minimum order and everything has a 60 day satisfaction guarantee, toll free help, and regular US shipping is FREE!! You can't beat that! - Head to the store right now!! Here's the main store page: WorldStart Software Store - Check It Out! Here are some of the "hot spots" on the site - check 'em out!
Software Deals Newsletter Extended Sale! Since yesterday went so well, we decided to keep the sale going today! If you missed the newsletter yesterday, be sure to head to the site and check out the deals! We have some amazing anti-virus, an awesome wireless keyboard, a killer deal on a 8GB mini HD, a USB adapter you have to see to believe, a UV light that kills germs, a HUGE 16' USB extension cable, and TONS MORE! You've gotta see what you've been missing - and take an extra 10% off today too! http://www.worldstart.com/php/newsletters.php?sd&02-15-2009 HEY!! Save Your Money! The Fun Way! Cool Jar Counts Your Spare Change! Really! Hey! We just got the coolest little gadget in! I absolutely love it! It's called The Money Machine and it's an electronic change jar that actually counts the money that's put into it! Told ya it was cool! After you pop in a set of "AA" batteries, you screw the lid on and drop your change in. Each time you pop a coin in, it shows the amount you added and more importantly, the total amount you've saved in your jar! It actually remembers this tally so each day when you drop your spare change into the jar, you'll be able to see at a glance how much you have saved! Once the jar is full, just take your change out and hit the reset button to start it over! It's fantastic! If you save your change for certain "goals" - like it goes towards spending money on a trip or maybe you're saving for a night out - whatever it is - this makes setting and getting that goal a lot of fun! To me, this alone is worth the price! I'm saving up for a fun date with my wife (psst - don't tell her :-) - what are you going to save for? I really like this item, but I think my kids are in love! I got them each one and they are always putting any spare change they get into it - way better than having them spend it on candy or something! It actually makes saving money fun! OK, it's cool - and ya gotta have it - but how much? Well, you're gonna love this! For a limited time, you can get it from us for Just $11.97 and US shipping is FREE! (hey - remember to get an extra 10% off by using the coupon at the beginning of this newsletter!) It's a great deal and makes keeping track of how much you have saved sooo easy - and a lot of fun! Check it out: http://store.worldstart.com/ PS. These machines are going really fast, and for just $11.97 it is a deal you can't beat. Hurry!! Why Pay $45.00 Retail? Our Price Is Unreal! AMAZING DEAL!!! Super SanDisk 4GB SD Card One Extraordinary Low Price of $14.97!!! On Sale Today Only!!! OK, who couldn't use a little more memory in their digital cameras or MP3 players? Alright, who couldn't use a LOT more memory?!?! Well, we just stumbled across an absolutely outstanding deal on some 4GB SD cards! Just like it says above - this is a HUGE 4GB SD card for just $14.97! No typos, that's the real price!!! Hey, if you're sick and tired of always seeing those annoying "card full" errors come up right when you're trying to take that important shot, then it's time to grab one of these! Can't go wrong for the price! So, exactly how much can one of these babies hold? We're talking a whoppin' 1000 photos from your typical 8MP camera (more if your camera is less than 8MP, less if it's over 8MP - still a ton of picts)! Think about that - you could pop one of these into your camera when you leave for your next vacation and never have to worry about changing the card or running out of memory! How cool is THAT gonna be for ya? These are also built to last! Not only can you use them over and over again without worrying about a failure, but they're tough as well! Get this - these are rated to survive a 10 foot drop onto concrete! Hey, small little cards like these are easy to drop, and you'd sure hate to be taking the card out to transfer the files, only to drop it and lose all your photos! Not gonna happen with this little guy! Oh, and the price is killer! I saw the same card over at a local store the other day for $45! That's crazy! We have 'em for just $14.97 and US shipping is FREE! (Psst - remember to get an extra 10% off by using the coupon at the beginning of this newsletter!) Talk about a mind-blowin' deal! Your family and friends aren't gonna believe you got 'em so cheap! Only a limited quantity available so RUN to the site and grab 'em today! http://store.worldstart.com/ PS: Unfortunately, this deal can't go on forever and the price will increase to $28.97 soon. So order now!!! Put Light Exactly Where You Need It! Super Blindin' Bright Motion Sensor Light!!! No Wires, No Installation! Automatically Turns On When You Walk By! Wait until you see this awesome motion sensored light!! It definitely is a must have for every household! Why? Well keep reading!!! Smartly engineered, this motion sensor light is perfect for both indoors and outdoors! Hang it with two screws, and it automatically will turn on as you walk by it! On those dark winter days, you have to admit that having a light that automatically turns on right outside your door will be really nice as you are trying to figure out which key is your house key! A great indoor place for one of these lights is in a closet. I don't know how many times I wished I had a bright light in there so I could tell the difference between my black shoes and my brown shoes! And guess what? This light is sooo bright that it lights up my entire closet, and I don't have to worry about messing with wires to install it! I am tellin' ya- this light is perfect! Just click on the "on" switch, and whenever it detects motion, the 7 LEDs click on and really brighten up your path! Better yet, these lights seem even brighter because of the mirror in the background that reflects even more light! How cool is that? This automatic motion senor light is fabulous! Oh, and I just gotta tell ya about more more feature that I just adore! The light folds in half. This is really cool. Say I need my light to point more downward than out, all I have to do is bend the light to a 90 degree angle and the light will reflect straight down. But if I want the light to shine outward, all I have to do is push the light up and it really reflects outward, lightening up soooo much space! Check out this pic to get a better idea of what I am talkin' about! See how it is folded at a 90 degree angle? isn't that cool! Oh, and I have to mention it one more time- this cool light is battery operated! So I didn't have try to mess with my house's wiring! Plus, I can hang this awesome light in places wires are unavailable- for example, in a kitchen cabinet! Now how cool is that!!! :-) I just picked up 3 of these lights- one for my closet, one for a cabinet under my sink, and one for my backdoor! I am just sooo impressed with this light, and I know you will be too! Want one? Sure ya do! Order today and your cost is just $16.97 and US Shipping is FREE! (Psst - remember to get an extra 10% off by using the coupon at the beginning of this newsletter!) I am tellin' ya what- to not deal with wires and that mess, and to have amazing light, this $16.97 is definitely money well spent! Order now while our supplies last! http://store.worldstart.com/ PS: We only have a few of these available!!!! Get to the site now and order yours before they are gone!! Q: A: Okay, let's get started! For Windows XP, make sure your external microphone is plugged in and ready to go (if you have an internal one, you should be set to go). When you're ready, click on Start, All Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, Volume Control. The Master Volume box will come up and you will want to go to the Options menu at the top and choose Properties. Now, choose the radio button that says Recording and click OK. Another window will appear and you'll just want to make sure the Microphone channel is selected. Go ahead and move the mic volume slider to around the middle section, just so it's placed in that general area. Now, just leave that box open. Next, we're going to need to go into the Control Panel, so click on Start, Control Panel and click on the Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices link. Choose Sounds and Audio Devices and click on the Voice tab. Now, under the Voice recording area, click on the Test Hardware button and the testing will begin. The Sound Hardware Test Wizard will then come up. Just click on the Next button and wait for the wizard to complete the tests of the sound hardware. This could take a couple minutes or so. When that is done, the Microphone Test window will come up on your screen. Now, go ahead and speak into your mic or you can just tap it lightly if you wish. The Recording Volume slider should move up and down in response to the sound you are making through your microphone. When you're all done testing your mic, just click on Finish and the wizard will close. Just in case this happens to you, while you're using the wizard, an alert box may pop up telling you that the "Run a DLL as an App" program is blocked and it will ask you if you want to unblock it. You can if you want, but it's not necessary to unblock it for the mic test to function correctly. Also, just in case you were wondering, you can follow similar instructions for older versions of Windows as well. The only difference may be that you'll go to Start, Programs, Accessories, Entertainment and choose Sound Recorder instead of Volume Control. From there on out, the above directions are very similar and you will be fine if you just follow them. Happy mic testing! ~ Erin Was this tip helpful? Give us your opinion by rating it here: Have a question for the newsletter? Submit it at the link below: Object Selection Made Easy in PowerPoint 2007 If you're anything like me, your MS PowerPoint slides are sometimes loaded with different items, especially when you start layering objects. That can make for some very "slick" presentations, but it can also cause some major headaches when it comes time to do your editing. There's always one thing in front of another and you're constantly trying to select one thing, but getting another. If you're frustrated with that situation and you have PowerPoint 2007, this just may be your lucky day! In PowerPoint 2007, you now have a Selection and Visibility Pane that can completely eliminate your editing blues. The added feature allows you to select items from a list instead of on the slide, rename objects (allowing for them to have meaningful names), hide an object without actually deleting it and to move objects forward and backward through the layers. To get to the Selection and Visibility Pane, you need to start under the Home tab on the ribbon, Editing section (far right), Select button, Selection Pane choice. When the pane opens, you'll find a list of all the objects on the currently selected slide. To select an object on the slide, simply select it from the list. With it selected, you can easily edit, reposition, etc. As you can see, the names aren't all that meaningful, so if you have a long list, you may want to consider naming at least some of them something useful. You can rename any item by double clicking on it. That will place a cursor in the name, allowing you to edit it as you please. Now, let's talk about the eye icon to the right of the object name. That icon indicates the object should be shown on the slide. If you click on the eye icon, it will disappear and so will the object on the slide. (In my example above, Bevel 94 is currently hidden and the rest are visible). The cool part is all you've done is hide the object. It's not deleted, it's just hidden. Displaying the object again is as simple as clicking on the empty icon. Finally, I'd like to point out the two arrow buttons at the bottom of the Selection and Visibility Pane. With an object selected, clicking on either button will move the object either forward or backward through the layers. While I can't say I would need this one for every presentation I create, I can say it's a definite "must have" for many of them! ~ April How'd you like this tip? Tell us how you feel by rating it right here: Still Using A Keyboard??? It's Time To Use Your Voice, Not Your Fingers! Amazing Program Types What You Say! You Talk -- It Types! We have an awesome deal for you today! We're FINALLY able to feature an easy-to-use voice recognition software package for you! It's called Talk It, Type It 2 Ultra and it's absolutely fantastic for either home or office! If you're tired of typing all the time, you've gotta check this out! Time to get into the 21st century! How's it work? EASY!! You just talk into the headset and it types the words you're speaking onto the page (up to 150 of 'em a minute). It works with ANY windows application (word processors, spreadsheets, e-mail, instant messengers, web browsers - you name it), and is really easy to use. If it takes you forever to type an e-mail or letter, - or if you have problems with your hands (arthritis, carpel tunnel) you can imagine how handy this software could be! Of course in order for any voice recognition software to work well, you have to "train" it. It's so EASY! All you do is read the words on your screen - takes minutes to do! Once trained, these programs will save you so much time at the keyboard. Plus this new version is better than ever - just wait till you try it! Check out these incredible features:
Oh, and this is the Ultra Edition, so you're getting the best of the best! Look what else this can do!
Your cost for this incredible software is just $16.97 and US shipping is FREE! (Psst - remember to get an extra 10% off by using the coupon at the beginning of this newsletter!) WOW, that's less than what the headset retails for! These have a retail price of $70 so this really is an incredible deal :-) http://store.worldstart.com/ FREE BONUS!! - Buy now and we'll even throw in a FREE earbud microphone! This has a retail value of $19.99 -->$3 more than what we're asking for the software! It's yours free if you order NOW.
Fantastic New Super-Grip Handle! Attaches To ANY Smooth Surface! Grabs Like CRAZY! I Almost Tore Down My Shower Surround Testing It! WOW!! WOW! This is so cool! We just received a shipment of Super Grip Handles! Oh, just wait till I tell you my story! When I first saw these, I just didn't know how well they would work, so we brought in a sample to try out. So, I took it home and stuck it to my shower surround. WOW! I pulled and pulled and it wouldn't BUDGE! In fact, I pulled so hard my shower surround was bulging out (a lot) where I was pulling! I was afraid if I was able to pull hard enough, I could take the entire surround down with this thing! That's how aggressively it sticks to the wall! Now, suction cups sticking good when you first stick 'em on the wall is no surprise, but what about after it's been hanging there for awhile? Well, we got the sample about two months ago, and this is still stuck in my shower! My 7 year old son literally hangs off it! This is one items that works EXACTLY like they show you on TV! OK, so it's stuck to your wall and now you want to take it down. No problem! Just flip the release levers by each suction cup and it comes off as easily as it sticks! Blew me away! Just wait till you try it! If you could use an extra handle when you're getting in or out of your slippery shower or tub, I can't recommend this highly enough! These things work GREAT and are really built well. Simply pick a secure, smooth place to put it and once it's set, you'll be amazed too! It's much safer than trying to use a towel rack, a wall mounted soap dish, or even leaning over precariously holding onto just out of reach grab handle! Injuries in the home are the most common type, and the bathroom is about the most dangerous place! Everything is slippery, why take a chance? Hey - you don't want to be lying on the bottom of the tub wishing you had grabbed one of these, ya know :-) Why didn't we sell this sooner? Well, they've been next to impossible to get ahold of! This is one of our suppliers best sellers and it took two months just to get in the limited quantity we have today! Your price? Get this - just $14.97 and US shipping is FREE! (Psst - remember to get an extra 10% off by using the coupon at the beginning of this newsletter!) You've gotta try this one! Don't take a chance on a slippery shower - this is one everyone should have! Take a look: http://store.worldstart.com/ PS - Again, I want to stress that this was a VERY limited quantity item and with the amount of orders, PLEASE hurry to the site before they sell out! Proper Shut Down So, tell me, what all do you do when you're shutting down your computer? Do you just go to the Start menu and turn it off or do you take some other steps first? For example, do you close out all of the programs you were using or do you just leave them running? Do you save all your documents or do you think your computer will handle that for you? Well, either way, there is a right and wrong way to shut down your computer and if you read today's tip on our homepage, you will learn all about the right one! American Red Cross Museum The American Red Cross is an awesome organization, isn't it?! I mean, they're always there to help when disaster strikes and you can find them just about anywhere help is needed. And that's precisely why we thought we'd feature a Web site about them on our homepage today. It's called the American Red Cross Museum and when you visit it, you'll learn all about them, you can read through fun little facts about them, check out some of their memorabilia and much, much more. Check it out ASAP! Here's the link you need: http://www.worldstart.com/ Enjoy! Vista's Firewall Another reader asks: Is there anything you can tell me about the Windows Vista Firewall? I just started using Vista and I'd like to use its firewall too, but I'm not sure how to access it or how to set it up right. Please help! Excellent question! This is one that will surely help all you Windows Vista users out there. If you're fairly new to the Vista operating system, you might not even know about the firewall that comes with it. Of course, if you know anything about Windows at all, you know that previous versions have always come with a firewall, so it should come as no surprise that Vista is equipped with one too. Now, just in case you're not sure what a firewall is for, allow me to start with an explanation of that. A firewall's main purpose is to protect your computer from the outside world of viruses, spyware and other types of awful malware. It's put in place to block all the "bad" stuff from your computer. (We have several tips on firewalls in our archives, so if you're interested in learning more about them, you can always go and do a keyword search for them there). Along with having a firewall on your computer, you should also have an antivirus program and maybe even an anti-spyware application as well. Those programs and your firewall can then work together to keep your computer completely protected. Now, you can get a firewall from other sources, but Microsoft makes it much more convenient by already including one with the Vista operating system. In order to use the Vista Firewall to its best ability, you need to make sure it is set up correctly. Once you do that, you'll be well on your way to full protection. So, without further ado, let's get your firewall up and running! First, go to Start, Control Panel and click on the option that says "Check This Computer's Security Status." That will then bring up the Windows Security Center. The Vista Firewall is the first choice you'll see in that list. Check to make sure the firewall is set to On. If it's in the Off position, just click on the Windows Firewall link and then go to Change Settings. From there, select the On option and then press OK. Alright, you now have your firewall turned on, which is the most important thing! Now, as things stand right now, the firewall is blocking all of your programs, which I'm sure is not the way you want to keep things. So, the next thing you'll want to do is create some exceptions for the programs you want to allow through to your network. These can include any of the applications you use on a regular basis or any Web sites, etc. you like to visit when you're connected to the Internet. Here's how you can create the exceptions you want. There are actually two good ways you can do this. First, whenever the Vista Firewall blocks one of your programs, Web sites, etc., you can just hit the Unblock option from the pop up menu. Second, you can go to the Exceptions tab in the Vista Firewall dialogue box and set up a program exception from there. The easiest way to do this is to just let the program ask you what you want to do with it, but there may be times when you'll need to go in and manually make some exceptions yourself. So, if that ever happens to you, here's some more detail on how to get that done. Go to Start, Control Panel and then choose the Security section. From there, click on the option that says "Allow a program through Windows Firewall." Next, click on the Exceptions tab and then the Add Program button. Once that window comes up, select the program you want to allow. You can click on the Browse button to search through them if you need to as well. Once you have the program selected, click Change Scope and then choose the settings you'd like to have for that particular program. You can then go and make exceptions for your other programs if you need to as well. There are the basics for you! Now, there's always been some debate about how secure the Windows Firewall really is and of course, there are other firewall programs you can use to protect your computer, but if you're just getting started with Vista, this firewall will do just fine. It will at least get you up and going and once you learn more about the different firewalls that are available, you can make your decision from there. Either way you go, just make sure you do have a firewall enabled on your computer. It's there to protect you and you can't argue with that. Check it out! ~ Erin Did you find this tip to be useful? Give us your opinion by rating it here: If you enjoy our tips, tell your friends. That's what keeps this newsletter growing.
Lighten Up - Video Tip Have you ever gone to a Web site that has a dark colored background and dark colored text? What sense does that make, right? It makes it pretty hard to see what's actually written there, doesn't it? Well, if you're interested in a way to lighten all that up, I've got just the thing for you today! It's so easy to change the background color and even the text color on Web pages, you'll be amazed at what you can do! To get started, just click on the link below. http://imgsrv.worldstart.com/videotips/index.htm Or, if you would just like to read today's tip, you can do that as well, here: For stories, jokes, quotes and cartoons every day, sign up for our Just for Grins newsletter. You love your car, but you can’t ever remember when it needs to be serviced. Am I right? That happens to my roommate all the time. She's never able to remember when she had the oil changed last or the tires rotated or the brakes checked, etc. So, I went hunting for a Web site to help her out and I found Service Beacon! I started my visit here by taking the tour. It will walk you through the features of Service Beacon and it allows you to decide if you want to sign up for its service or not. After the tour, I decided to go for it! I am a very online oriented person and it will help me keep track of my car (and even my roommate's!) If after the tour, you still have questions, head on over to the FAQ section. All the questions I had were answered there. It covers questions that may arise about your car, where you have it serviced, transferring, log in issues and more. My question was about the dealership aspect of the process. I don’t have my car serviced at the dealership, but that doesn’t mean I can’t use this service. I thought that was excellent! Signing Up – This is really easy to do! Just click on the New User? Sign Up button and create a username and password for this site. Fill out the personal information form and then click on the Sign Up button. They’ll then send you a confirmation e-mail, which could take up to 15 minutes to receive. When you log in, you will start the process of adding your car to the site. I got my car from one of my roommate’s family members, so I just checked the box that read “I can’t find my dealer.” You can check off whichever dealer yours came from though. Then just fill in the rest of the required fields and you'll be on your way! The next step will show you all of the things that should have been serviced on your model car in correspondence with its current mileage. I can see there was a recall on a door hinge in 2005 for my car and I'm overdue on a lot of the basic services my car needs. For example, oil change, filter change, brake check, etc. Check the boxes next to the services you’d like to have done on your car and then click Add Selected Services. It’s just that easy to get started! You’ll then start receiving reminders for your car almost instantly. They even estimate from your mileage when you’ll reach another service point. For example, they estimate 30,000 miles on my car to hit in July 2008. Cool, huh?! You can really take care of your car with the help of this Web site. Check it out today! ~ Amanda Like this Web site? No? Let us know by rating it right here: Do you have a cool, non-commercial site that you want to share?
February Wallpaper Here's February's wallpaper. It's all free, so enjoy!
All can be found here: http://www.worldstart.com/ Enjoy!
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| If this part of the newsletter is all you see, take it up with your ISP. We've been seeing a lot of interference from filters and such lately. We now offer an RSS feed. Click for details Another great way to get your WorldStart newsletters is by downloading the Newsletter Reader. It's the next step in newsletter evolution! And it's FREE! You can also view the current newsletter and archives online at Copyright, Disclaimer, and Removal ISSN: 1529-336X You are welcome to reproduce this newsletter (i.e. print it, store it) for your own personal use. You are also welcome to forward it, in its entirety, to friends and family. If you would like to reproduce this publication, or any part of it, in any other publication, be it web based or otherwise, you must contact us for permission. Any unauthorized re-distribution will be considered a copyright infringement and grounds for a lawsuit. Finally, you agree to try any advice contained or suggested in this newsletter at your own risk. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation (duh!) Did someone forward this to you? Get your free subscription here: If daily newsletters are too much to handle, then change your subscription to our Weekly Edition... If you need to change your email address, go here... "I don't want yer stinkin' email!" http://www.worldstart.com/newsletterunsub.htm WorldStart, Inc. — 2620 Centennial Rd, Suite C / Toledo, OH 43617 — Phone: 1-800-915-2088 You are receiving this daily newsletter because you requested it either at Worldstart.com or one of our affiliates. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sunday, February 15, 2009
Computer Tips [ Are You Letting Hackers In? + Mic Setup And Testing + Cool Website Helps With Car Maintenance ] 02/16/09
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Thanks for understanding that we need to prevent the nasties.