By Ron Uncapher

The Tellico village Computer User Club continues to grow. The leadership will attempt to fill the needs of all members, new and old. To do that, we must know what you want. Please send me, or other Board members or officers, your suggestions, likes or dislikes. Only with your comments can we know what kind of job we are or should be doing.

The next meeting will be held at the Yacht Club on Tuesday, September 7, 2004. The Q & A session will begin at 6:30 PM followed by the business meeting at 7:30 PM. The meeting will feature two presentations. Howard Jones will reprise his past presentation on "How to Tune Up Your Computer" with some updates. Jim Peterson will follow with "Instant Messaging". Both should be very informative and timely.

In the meantime, you may be experiencing some problems with your computer. Occasionally, you will be faced with an error message. You may know why and what to do about it, but often you may be clueless. What to do! First, look under the Troubleshooting section of your programs Help menu. You will be surprised what it can tell you. Failing there, you might call the Club’s First Level Support Team, but that takes time. Another way to clarify the problem and find a potential solution is to "Google" it. Copy the error message and paste it into Google’s search window. You can do the same with other search engines. Yahoo! is good one (www.yahoo.com). The search results will lead you to a number of web pages with potential solutions. By looking at the list of sites, you may deduce which might be the best. If one fails to solve the problem, go to another.

Another, sometimes forgotten, solution to a troublesome problem is the System Restore function that comes with Windows ME and XP. This is a feature that allows you to restore the settings of your system to those of a previous point in time when your computer was working properly. I encourage you, if you have Win ME or XP, to read up on it. It will not save newly loaded programs, but settings, drivers and other important operational features will be restored. Your data files, made since the restore point, will not be lost. This is your primary disaster recovery tool.

Access the System Restore function by going to Start, Programs (All Programs), Accessories, System Tools, System Restore. When the System Restore window opens, you will see an explanation panel on the left. On the right side of the window are two selections: Restore my computer to an earlier time and Create a Restore Point. Select the Restore option and click Next. Another window will open with a calendar which will tell you when system restore points were taken. Browse the calendar to get a feel for when it has been done. Use the arrow on the panel at the right of the calendar. There should be a number of points set at relatively regular intervals. If you were to have a system problem, you would be able to select one of the points and take your system back to its condition at that time.

In the event that there are no set restore points, and that has happened, go back to the System Restore Home window by clicking Back. Select Create a Restore Point. Type a name or description of your point in the window and click Next. A window will open to confirm the name, date, and time of your new restore point.

It is a good idea to create a restore point whenever you make a change to your system; for example before you install a new program, or make a major networking change. If done, you have a way to go back and undo any problems created by the installation or change.

In the event that you ever need to shut off System Restore, and I would do it advisedly, be aware that you will loose all of your restore points. Re-enabling System Restore will not bring them back. You will have to start over.

If you have another Windows version that does not include System Restore, there is another program called Go Back that does essentially the same thing as the ME or XP System Restore does. I have seen Go Back work as well as System Restore. There are other ways to restore your computer that involve making a drive image using Symantec Ghost or Drive Image, but System Restore is much easier.

You can find more detailed information on this feature by typing System Restore into Google.

I would be remise if I did not remind you to do a Windows System Update and to update your anti virus program. Incidentally XP users, I would hold off on updating to Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Give it a few weeks to make sure there are no major bugs (there frequently are). That said, SP2 has undergone more testing than any other Microsoft release.

Good bye for now and safe computing.