About
Windows Assistance |
November
15, 2000 |
Who Am I?
I started in the computer business in 1973.
Yea right, old. I was trained at Control Data
Institute. Hardware Technician. My first job was
maintaining an IBM 360/50. The story Computers Ain't
No Fun No More is about some of my
experiences with the 360/50. I think a 486
micro-computer has more power than the 360/50 but
not the fun. After the 360/50 I spent 5 years
working with DEC PDP11/45 and 11/70s. From there
systems got smaller and smaller.
Troubleshooting computers has greatly changed.
In the beginning I needed to find a circuit board
that maybe held a flipflop or two and
gates. Now you take out the entire system board.
The challenge is not repairing the hardware but
in maintaining operating systems and computer
networks.
What About This Site?
This site was originally setup to give me
someplace to put all the articles I have written
for the Orange Bytes. The Orange
Bytes is the newsletter of the North Orange County
Computer Club. From 1991 to 1995 I created an
electronic version of the Orange Bytes
using MS Windows Help. With the rise of the Web I
quit that project and took over as the SIG Leader
of the Windows SIG. In early 1995 it was still
Windows 3.1. I quit as a SIG Leader in early
1998. Throughout this time I wrote articles for the Orange
Bytes, primarily about MS Windows. I still
do.
My main goal with this site is to discuss the
Windows interface and how the user interacts with
it. The majority of the problems I see with users
of Windows or any graphical user interface, is
getting familiar with navigating the various
tools available to the user. The button may say
START, but the question is: START WHAT?
The areas of Windows that will be covered at
Windows Assistance will be the operating
system, Internet Explorer, and Outlook Express.
The operating system, OS, has many parts. One
part is the Shell which includes the Tasbar,
Start menu, the Desktop. Another area are the
utilities that support the OS. Many of these
utilities are in the Programs/Accessories/System
Tools folder. Also those utilities found in
the Control Panel will be covered.
Another area that will be covered will be
networking. Primarily connecting Windows 98 to a
network.
This Site is a Daily
I plan to update the site each weekday. Weekends and
holidays I take off. The first update for the day is at 6am or
as close to that as I can get. I may make further updates
during the day. Any security bulletins received will be posted
asap.
New url http://www.windowsassistance.com.
Even with the new URL I still use the same free web site
service from Netscape. This means that the actual address of the
site hasn't changed. One thing at a time. This is a one-person
operation and can only do so much.
AOL Instant Messenger
My AIM name is winassist. If I am online I will
be glad to try and answer your questions.
Just Ask
You have a problem. Let me know. Either by e-mail or
the message
page. Ask anything. When I gave seminars on using
Windows 95 I used to say there wasn't a question
I knew the answer to. I learned a lot from all
those questions I couldn't answer. I'm still
learning.
Search Me
You can search this site using Atomz.com.
There is a search field on the home page (and most major pages
such as this one) and a
link to the advanced search page. You can also search the Web
using Google.com.
What Changes?
Let me hear from you if you have complaints,
problems, or suggestions. I really want to hear
from you if you have ideas on how to improve the
Windows interface.
What Would You Like From This Site?
Give me some ideas. I'll see what I can do.
Lessons?
Is there a part of Windows that you do not
understand, such as the files system or
shortcuts? Let me know.
How The Site Is Designed
Windows Assistance
is designed to be seen at a resolution of at least 800x600. Any
browser that supports tables will do. I don't use
anything fancy. I recently upgraded from Frontpage 97 to
Frontpage 2000. I encourage comments on the design of the site.
Let me know what you think. Ideas are welcome.
see ya!
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