Hampton Roads User Group (HUG)
Bob Ennis, President; email bennis@exis.net

HUG Happenings

Our normal schedule for January 2003 would be:
January   6th   Windows 98x/XP, Internet, Anti-Virus, Utilities, Excel, Word
January 20th   Windows 98x/XP, Internet, Anti-Virus, Utilities, Excel, Word

However, the building may not be available for us then. I'm due to check back there on January 2nd to see if it will be ready. I'll let you know what I find out.

The latest version of the great F-Prot for DOS anti-virus program is now v3.12c, available through:
www.frisk.is/f-prot/download/getfpdosfree.html
or via ftp://ftp.f-prot.com/pub/dos/fp-312c.zip.
Here is what the 312c.new file had to say about it:

"Changes in version 3.12c

Version 3.12c has some new code for detecting certain "difficult" viruses. This code is implemented in the .DEF files, so in the future viruses of this kind should hopefully not require a program update for detection as in the past, but only a .DEF file update.

The total number of viruses and Trojans that are detected with version 3.12c is somewhere over 73400."

In case you are wondering why I keep talking about this F-Prot program, it is because it is considered by many experts to be one of the best anti-virus programs in the world. Another great one is Kaspersky Anti-Virus (Formerly AVP). Another very good one is NOD32. Best of all, F-Prot is completely FREE to individuals. What could be better?

I had been using InoculateIT PE as my on access virus scanner for some time now but their support for that excellent program ended on May 15th. In the end, I decided to buy the eTrust EZ Antivirus program which replaced the InoculateIT PE program. The cost to me was a very small and reasonable initial cost of $10 plus $10/yr thereafter. I highly recommend this eTrust EZ Antivirus program to everyone. It uses the same highly rated Vet engine as the Vet Anti-Virus program. Here is a quote from the company that appeared in a news group article recently: "Thank you for your query. Yes, EZ AV is Vet anti virus, the only difference is the EZ AV is for home use only, and it does not scan network files or drives." It is updated frequently and is said to have excellent support. You can read more about it at: http://www1.my-trust.com/ under Products.

For those of you using this excellent eTrust EZ Antivirus program, there is a new version 6.0.125 available at eTrust EZ Antivirus program. The name of the file is EZAntivirus.exe. I haven't noticed much difference in this new version.

Also, I had been using the ZoneAlarm firewall program but I became disenchanted after trying the new version 3 which I really despised! I tried another program called Sygate Personal Firewall version 5.0 build 1113 for a while, but I didn't like it either so I have gone back to ZoneAlarm free version 2.6.362.

We now meet twice a month, on the first and third Mondays. We will be discussing Windows 98x/XP and their applications on both the first and third Mondays, as well as anything else, like Internet, Anti-Virus, Utilities, DOS etc., that there might be a special request for. We will mainly concentrate on the Windows 98x/XP, Internet and Anti-Virus stuff.

I will try to reserve a room for us beforehand and let you know by email, so check your email before you come in. If there is any doubt about where we'll meet, call me that afternoon at 497-2462.

In case you hadn't noticed, your old 5 1/4" floppy disk cases are almost exactly the right size to hold your CD-ROMS. You'll probably never use the 5 1/4" disks for anything, so you might as well get some use out of the cases that held them. Save you from having to buy new cases. I also notice that the old 5 1/4" Tyvek sleeves are very good for holding a single CD.

When you come to the meetings, it would be a good idea for you to always bring several 3 1/2" blank, formatted, virus free diskettes, of the 1.44 MB capacity that is. Or better yet, a writable CD-R or CD-RW disk. Reason is, I frequently bring in some freeware/shareware programs that I think will benefit you, and I will make you copies of same. For example, at our last meeting, I was making copies of version 3.12c of the great F-Prot for DOS anti-virus program. If you need something else, don't hesitate to ask. It may be on our hard disk, or I may have it at home, or I may be able to download it from the Internet for you. But, if you don't ask, you will never know.

If any member has a new email address that I do not know about, please send me an email message so that I may get that address. I mail out some material, from time to time, and you might be missing something of interest. Also, if you change your email address, please let me know.

If you know of anyone who might benefit from our group, please tell them about us and urge them to join us. Check your own expiration date, and if you plan to renew, please do so promptly. Make checks payable to HUG, for $25.00, and mail to me, Bob Ennis, 637 South Westgrove Rd., Virginia Beach, VA 23455-5737.

In case you did not know, your $25 membership fee entitles you to a limited amount of telephone assistance from me. If you have a problem with your computer, please do not hesitate to call me, and I will try to help you. As long as you do not abuse the privilege, I am glad to help. But, if the help requires over an hours time, you really need to get me out there for some private assistance and/or tutoring. Also, you are welcome to bring your computer into the meeting for troubleshooting, if you have a problem you can't resolve. Just let me know beforehand, to avoid conflicts.

For further information, contact either of the following Officers. Members are encouraged to submit ideas or material for this column.

Bob Ennis    Pres/Treas   497-2462 or email  Bob Ennis
Bob Fred       Vice Pres   855-7595 or email  Bob Fred

For those of you who might not know, I am available for assistance and private tutoring on Windows 95x/98x, or any of the other applications mentioned previously. Call me at 497-2462 for information regarding fees, times available, etc