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Dave Needs Your Opinion

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:37:35 -0500

Hey guys, I have a situation brought about by the need to distribute genealogy articles to our SIG group members on the Internet rather than produce paper copies for them - a more expensive option. You probably remember our discussion on the topic at a recent CUE Board meeting, right?

Mark, this dialogue may provide a nifty article for the Newsletter, too.

Current situation:

I have a 5-year-old Intel Pent 4, 2 GHz Dell Inspiron laptop with 640 MG RAM and a 20 GB hard drive about 85% full. It has Win XP with Service Pack 3. I use a WD external 160GB hard drive to automatically back up the laptop's HD. This is the unit that is used for my Genealogy SIG meetings and contains all the humongous peripheral software programs and data files for this application.

I also have an 8-year-old Pent 3, 1 GHz desktop with 640 MB RAM and two 20GB hard drives about 20% full. The OS is Win 98 (FE). I have an older but fully functional HP scanner connected to a SCSI card in this desktop. This is not a USB scanner and cannot be used with my laptop. Besides, the laptop hasn't enough hard drive capacity for the scanner and the PaperPort OCR software.

The HP scanner and the current version (6) of the PaperPort OCR software proved to be an inadequate solution to scanning articles for distribution on the Internet. So, I purchased the latest version of PaperPort (11) and an Epson V500 PHOTO USB scanner both on sale, of course, at deep discounts. I knew ahead of time that neither item would work with Windows 98FE. Both will work on my laptop but the laptop doesn't have enough hard drive space.

Both the desktop and the laptop are connected to cable broadband.

Bill Ellis gave me a copy of Win 98 SE but it turned out to be another copy of 98 FE and would not install in my desktop. The response was that I needed an upgrade version of WIN 98.

So, I've got several options here:

1. Although the desktop works far faster than my laptop and has greater capacity, I could purchase a new desktop, or

2. I could purchase a new laptop with greater RAM and storage capacity, or

3. Save the PaperPort database on CDs and on the 2nd desktop hard drive (both of which I already did), wipe out hard drive C, and install a new unused Win XP I purchased not too long ago. (I was hoping to use the new WIN XP for a new computer if I couldn't find what I wanted without VISTA.)

I would like to avoid numbers 1 and 2 above due to the effects on my wallet. But, if I had to go that route, purchasing a new laptop may be the better "permanent" solution and forget about doing anything more with the desktop. However, this option may put all my eggs in one basket with no back-up system if something should go wrong the new laptop.

The first question I have is - which of the above 3 options makes the best sense?

The second question is - what are the best sites to find a copy of Win 98SE, a copy of MS Works, and a SATA to EIDE hard drive adapter? I don't relish having to go to two or more sites to order this stuff and pay the extra shipping charges.

What do you guys think about the first question - am I missing something here?

Dave

Please Click on COMMENT below and help Dave by leaving your opinion.

Genealogy in a Computer Club?

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:33:32 -0500

The family is your link to the past -

It is also your bridge to the future.

Twelve years ago, 5 CUE members started meeting at Dave Howell's house to form a Special Interest Group (SIG) focusing on how computing can assist those researching their family ancestors. None of us possessed expertise in genealogical research. One might say we were driving by the "seat of our collective pants" in our quest for the right tools to do the job.

We decided that we first needed a quick, convenient means to record, organize, store, and print out family trees and narratives in book form. The group reviewed several software packages, rating each one using criteria such as ease of use, breadth of functions, charting ability, price, etc. And the winner was, Legacy 3.0, and still is today - only it's now up to Legacy 7.0. This software is so vast with a plethora of features to meet just about all the needs we can ask of it. It does not disappoint even the most experienced genealogist.

From this point one, we set out to explore the immensely expanding sources of genealogical data. At the time, we estimated about 70,000 websites containing ancestral data. Today, the number of sites is well into the hundreds of thousands! We quickly learned that we needed to zero in on the more useful search engines that can do a decent job of getting the information we need. Sure, we can "Google" it. And we were surprised at how effective it can be under certain circumstances.

Using a list of features we felt important for a website to possess, we did come up with and published a list of about 70 useful websites. In the process of searching out the more prominent research engines, we were able to secure a "group subscription" to Ancestry.com. Through our SIG, most of our members subscribe to, and use, Ancestry.com from the comfort of their homes anytime of the day or night!

While achieving these milestones over the years, we have vastly improved our collective (and individual) knowledge on the "how to's" and "whereabouts" of genealogical research. The group has available to it many articles specializing in many different areas of genealogy that help members do their research. This dedication to genealogical research is largely responsible for our current status as the largest SIG in C.U.E.

Currently, we are viewing a series of tutorials on how to use Legacy 7.0. We also entertain problems anyone is having with their personal research and discuss tips and the latest in genealogical research.

Dave Howell, SIG Coordinator (by default!)

dhowell63@neo.rr.com

814-866-7308

Regular meetings held:

7 PM, the first Tuesday of the month

usually at 3904 Myrtle Street

Erie, PA 16508

RSVPs are appreciated.

Vista Naughty or Nice

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:06:18 -0500

VISTA – NAUGHTY or NICE

This is the season that you must come to truth with yourself. Have you been Naughty or Nice this year? Will Santa give you what you wish for or will you get a piece of coal? I know what Microsoft's VISTA will be getting this year and it might surprise you.

How has Vista been doing in sales this year? Microsoft will tell you that Vista Sales are exceeding XP sales based upon the same time frame from launch date. It that really the truth? I decided to check on this myself. Today is December 6^th, 2008. I went to www.amazon.com. This is one of the largest internet dealers in the world.

I then started a search for Computers & PC Hardware. Then I refined my search to Laptop Computers. Then I sorted that list based on BESTSELLERS. Viola. There is a list of top selling Laptop computers. Only ONE of the top 25 sellers was running Microsoft's Vista. I was shocked!

Another interesting statistic in the 25 BEST SELLING Laptops is that XP HOME and LINUX was installed in the majority of these. Sixteen of the Best Sellers were Microsoft XP HOME. Two were Linux and SIX were Apple's Mac OS-X. Only ONE Laptop of the BEST SELLING was running Microsoft's VISTA

CUERIE BLOG

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:41:13 -0400

I hope you find this web site enjoyable and informative to use.

CUE provides a forum to learn about computers.

The internet is a great way to learn and entertain. CUE is no exception. It is vital for CUE to have a presence that appeals to the internet user. It must be attractive, fun to use and informative. I hope that you find this web site to your liking.

However, one persons opinion is not always the same as another persons opinion. That is why I am making an appeal that you consider this web site YOUR own personal web site.

As a member of CUE or as a visitor to this web site, I am making an appeal to you. Please leave here contributing a little something that will make this site a better place to be at and a site you will look forward to visiting again. So here are some ideas to ponder.

Do you have a favorite web site (other than this one) that you use? Share it with us.

Do you have some tips about Computers, Hardware or Software? Share that with us.

Do you know of an event concerning computers? Radio shows, swap meets, classes or meetings? Share that with us.