December 17
@Tysons-Pimmit Library

Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Kirby Thornton will give a presentation on virtual private networks (VPN), which allow remote access to home networks not otherwise reachable over the Internet. He will demonstrate OpenVPN software and discuss basic functions and the steps used to deploy this VPN solution.

November 19
@Tysons-Pimmit Library

Generic Top Level Domains
Fellow Virginia SIG member Daniel Fisher will give a presentation on the latest changes to Generic Top Level Domains (ie. .com, .org, .info, etc.) being considered by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

ICANN established a single, authoritative public root to anchor the Internet Domain Name System (DNS), and today manages that unique root in the public interest according to policies developed with technical and other advice received through a community process. The DNS is a globally distributed database of domain name (and other) information intended to provide a convenient means to refer to all sites available on the Internet. The DNS offers an easy-to-use means to unambiguously refer to web sites, e-mail servers, and the Internet's other services. With the DNS the Internet achieves a global communications medium for commerce and other expressive activities. One of its design goals is to reliably provides the same answers to the same queries from any source on the public Internet to support predictable routing of Internet communications. This design goal requires a globally unique public name space derived from a single, globally unique DNS root.

ICANN manages the DNS root of names by defining plural Top Level Domains (TLDs), the subordinate levels of which are managed by respective TLD registers. After initial solicitations, ICANN received over 1400 applied for new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) and plans to delegate up to 1,000 new gTLDs per year to respective domain name registers to issue unique names assigned to numbers. Such a dramatic change may threaten existing brands and businesses or may provide additional opportunities to existing brands and businesses. Internet users will begin to see this change in late or.

October 22 (4th Monday)
@Richard Byrd Library

Windows Search
Come to this presentation by fellow SIG member, Mark Mabee, as he shows how to fully utilize Windows Search. Mark will use basic searches, advance search techniques, queries, filters, and references, and show how to costumize Search. He will also discuss a few shareware applications that can be used as alternatives to Windows Search.

September 24 (4th Monday)

DIY HOME SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS
After a recent incident at my Florida property, I decided to personally install a Home Surveillance System complete with CCTV camera system that could be monitored remotely on a PC. This month I will discuss the process of selecting, installing, and using such a system. Come and join in on the discussion.

August 20

Home Theater PC (HTPC)
In the continued search for add-ons and/or alternatives to cable television, this month we will discuss the process of building a Home Theater PC (HTPC). Come and join in on the discussion.

July 16

Windows 8
Curious about the upcoming release of Windows 8 and its new Metro interface? Windows 8 is said to represent the most radical change to Microsoft’s operating system in nearly twenty years. Then come join Mark Mabee as he explores the Windows 8 Release Preview.

June 18

OOMA, SLINGBOX AND STREAMING MEDIA PLAYER
I might be cheap, but I was tired of paying for TV/Internet/Phone bundles at two homes, especially when the rates kept going up. So what I did to cut my expenses by a third was to keep my high-speed broadband service in one home and "piggybacked" the other services I needed onto it. At this meeting, I will discuss the approach I took to reduce my monthly costs and, if the library connection allows it, demo some of the products.

May 21

APPLE IPAD
My wife is a technophobe. So, I got her an Apple iPad. Now she complains that I use it more than she does! Come and find out why. At this meeting I will present the iPad, cover its features and discuss its use from the perspective of a longtime Windows user

April 16

INTERNET BROWSERS TIPS AND TRICKS II
Last month we had just too much material to cover. So this month's presentation will focus on the other two major Windows browsers: Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Come learn about their often unused features and how to make your surfing safer and easier.

March 19

Internet Browsers Tips and Tricks
Are you fully utilizing your browser? Come to this presentation and learn about the often unused features of your browser and how to make your surfing safer and easier. For this presentation, we will cover Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome.

February 20 Presidents' Holiday

NO MEETING

January 16 Martin Luther King's Holiday

NO MEETING

December 19

Holiday Best Buys
Join us for our annual presentation on computer related "best buys" for the Holiday season.

November 21

Linux
Fellow Virginia SIG member, Mark Mabee will give a presentation on the Linux operation system. After providing a brief history of its development, Mark will focus on the Ubuntu version of Linux. His presentation will cover the platform's strengths/attractions, versions, releases, availability, support, and co-existence with Windows. He will include demos of the operating system and its environment, as well as the software products that come bundled with it or are available as free downloads.

October 17

Intellectual Property Protection with Copyrights and Patents
Fellow Virginia SIG member Daniel Fisher will give a presentation on what is intellectual property and then provide details on copyrights and patents with an example of the software patenting process.

September 19

Meeting Canceled

August 15

PLANNING TRAVEL ONLINE
Last year, we gave two presentations on using the internet to arrange your travel needs. At this meeting, I will update those tips and share experience from extended trips. Come on out and share your own travel tips with us!

July 18

Meeting Canceled

June 20

Microsoft Windows 7 Tips and Tricks II (Hardware)
Last March, we gave a presentation on the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system and showed numerous tips to optimize your use of its many features. We will continue providing tips at this month's presentation, but with emphasis on hardware specific tips. Got your own tips? Then come and share them with us!

May 16

Shareware
As follow-up to April's presentation, fellow Virginia SIG member Mark Mabee will provide a presentation on shareware and freeware products that can be downloaded via the Ninite site. Mark will focus his presentation on several applications from four groups: media, imaging, security and utilities.

April 18

How to tweak your relatives' computers
Fellow Virginia SIG member Mark Mabee will give a presentation on how to tweak your own, err, your relatives' computers. Mark will discuss PC maintenance techniques and how to utilize easily available software toolkits to make PC support, whether yours or others, much easier.

March 21

Microsoft Windows 7 Tips and Tricks
At this month's presentation, we will tour the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system and show you numerous tips to optimize your use of its many features. Got your own tips? Then come and share them with us!

February 21 Presidents' Holiday

NO MEETING

January 17

PC Hardware Overview
This presentation will cover the major computer technologies and components. We will identify and give examples of the components and functions of computer systems.

December 20

MEETING CANCELED
-- No meeting room.

November 15

Holiday Best Buys
Join us for our annual presentation on computer related "best buys" for the Holiday season. Presentation here.

October 18

INTERNET+ SERVICE PROVIDERS
Join us as we review current offers from service providers in Northern Virginia. We will look at service and cost, as well as various bundling option packages of TV, phone and internet.

September 20

MEETING CANCELED
...

August 16

MEETING CANCELED
.

July 19

DATA BACKUP AND RESTORE
Fellow Virginia SIG member Fred Holmes will discuss and demonstrate the process of creating a backup image of a drive and restoring from the image in order to restore a system to a prior configuration. Fred will also discuss a few not-so-well-known utilities he uses for system restore and management.

June 21

DATA BACKUP OPTIONS
Backing up system and data files is a necessity in computing. The causes for data loss include hardware and system crashes, viruses, and simple user error. This presentation will provide an overview of various backup methods and tools.

May 17

INTRODUCTION TO MICROSOFT PROJECT
Ever wonder what MS Project would be good for in your world? MS Project is a tool designed to assist one in developing plans, assigning resources, tracking progress, managing budgets and analyzing workloads. Come to our presentation and see ways that MS Project can be used to plan for home, as well as office projects.

April 19

BOOKING TRAVEL ONLINE Part 2
Join us for Part Two of our presentation on using the internet for travel planning. This month will focus on accommodations, ground transportation and traveling at the destination.

March 15

BOOKING TRAVEL ONLINE
Join us for our presentation on using the internet to shop for airline tickets and accomodateions. Using our recommended sites will simplify this difficult task, provide more travel options and might actually save you a few bucks. Presentation here.

February 15 Presidents' Holiday

NO MEETING

January 18 ML King's Holiday

PC TROUBLESHOOTING AND SHAREWARE
Come join us for this two-part session. For part one, learn a few tips you can use to troubleshoot and repair your own PC. We will look at common repair issues and how to resolve them. Bring in your own problems (and hardware!) for us to tackle. For part two, we will discuss some reputable sources for shareware.

December 21

Meeting Cancelled
The Virginia SIG follows Fairfax County Public Schools emergency schedule for meetings. Since there will be no classes on Monday December 21, the meeting is cancelled. See CPCUG.org Inclement Weather Policy for further details.

November 16

Holiday Best Buys
Join us for our annual presentation on computer related "best buys" for the Holiday season. Presentation here.

October 19

Managing Your Mailbox
At this month's presentation, we look on how to manage an Outlook mailbox. Specifically, we will look at using RULES to accomplish that.

September 21

Microsoft Access Tips and Tricks
At this month's presentation, we'll tour Microsoft Access and show you numerous tips to optimize your use of its many features. Got your own tips? Then come and share them with us! Time permitting will will also show tips for other MS Office Suite applications.

August 17

Microsoft OUTLOOK Tips and Tricks
At this month's presentation, we will take a tour of Microsoft Outlook and show you numerous tips to optimize your use of its many features. Got your own tips? Then come and share them with us!

July 20

NO MEETING

June 15

MICROSOFT WINDOWS 7
Curious about what Windows 7 will look like? Its features? Then come join Mark Mabee as he leads us to explore the 'release candidate' and investigate the capabilities of the soon to be released Windows 7.

May 18

Users Helping Users
Long time fellow SIG member, Fred Holmes, will share with us some of the software and shareware he uses to be productive. If you also have interesting products that you find to be productive, come join us and share them with the rest of the members of the SIG.

April 20

Q & A meeting
This meeting is set aside to answer general technology based questions that users may have.

March 16

Microsoft Powertoys for Windows XP
This presentation will cover the free set of Microsoft 'PowerToys' applets and applications that expand the capabilities of Windows XP. PowerToys include tools to configure the Windows GUI, manage the desktop, generate slideshow, and view images. We will demonstration and discussion each application.

February 16 Presidents' Holiday

NO MEETING

January 19 ML King's Holiday

NO MEETING (due to Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday and Inauguration Day Holidays)

December 15

Holiday Best Buys
Join us for our annual presentation on computer related "best buys" for the Holiday season. Get presentation here.

November 17

NO MEETING

October 20

Free/Shareware Utilities and Tools
This presentation will include demonstration and discussion on free/shareware I have found useful, such as, GPS positioning, games, anti-virus, registry cleaner, numerous file management utilities, and other must have utilities. Most have not been presented before to the SIG. If you know an interesting products, come and share them with the rest of the members of the SIG

September 15

Microsoft Office Tips and Tricks
At this month's presentation, we'll tour the Microsoft Office Suite of application programs and show you numerous tips to optimize your use of their many features. Got your own tips? Then come and share them with us!

August 18

RAID for SOHO / Shareware
At this meeting, we will discuss the various types of RAID available for use with computers, spotlighting inexpensive products affordable for use in the Small Office / Home Office (SOHO) or in just the home. If time permits, we will also discuss some useful shareware products and some reputable sources of shareware.

July 21

Bootable USB Flash Drive
As this meeting, we will discuss the benefits of creating a bootable operating system (OS) on USB flash drive (or CD/DVD). We will walk through the process of creating an OS image, boot directly from the USB drive and then take it on a test spin.

June 16

PROBLEM RESOLUTION AND Q&A DISCUSSION
Bring your computer problems to this meeting and let us assist you with resolving them. We'll also provide you a tour of valuable sources for help, most of them right on the internet.

May 19

WINDOWS CONTROL PANEL TOUR
Come join us as we tour the Windows Control Panel. The Control Panel applets allow you to customize Windows to meet your needs and preferences. We will install hardware, change folder options, update/remove programs, and perform routine computer maintenance. Got a couple of great tips? Then come and share your tips with the group.

April 21

Meeting Cancelled (no confirmed meeting room reservation)
This issue has been resolved for the rest of.

March 17

INTERNET ADVENTURE NIGHT
Come join us for another night of adventure on the Internet. Just as we have done in prior years, we'll cruise through the latest discoveries! Among other things, we'll check search engines, news, finance, career, and, of course, shopping sites. If you know any interesting sites, come and share them with the rest of the members of the SIG. Presentation here.

February 18 Presidents' Holiday

NO MEETING

January 21 ML King's Holiday

Meeting Cancelled (no confirmed meeting room reservation)

December 17

Gabe's Gadgets Galore & Holiday Best Buys
Join us for our annual presentation on computer related "best buys" for the Holiday season and for a presentation by Gabe Goldberg titled "Gabe's Gadgets Galore". Technology changes so fast that this talk is never the same twice in a row. You'll see an assortment of interesting, useful, entertaining, and surprising gadgets, most priced quite low. The assortment will include multiple USB-pluggable devices, security and safety tools, a nostalgic and amazing electronic game, computer usability enhancements, and who-knows-what else.

November 19

Whittle's Picks for the Digital Home – Only the Best, Not All the Rest.
Technology expert David B. Whittle, author of "Cyberspace: The Human Dimension" and named by Working Woman Magazine as "one of America's most original technological thinkers," will be speaking on his Picks for the Digital Home. Mr. Whittle will demonstrate or introduce products of general appeal to computer users, including hidden gems from companies around the world with outstanding, innovative technologies, including muvee™ and Invisus. We will be holding our regular question and answer period as well a door prize and special product offers. Non-members are invited to attend and take advantage of this special opportunity.

October 15

Microsoft Windows and Office Tips and Tricks
At this month's presentation, we'll tour the Microsoft Windows operating system and the Office Suite and show you numerous tips to optimize your use of their many features. Got your own tips? Then come and share them with us!

September 17

Safe Surfing
Surfing on the Internet can be dangerous. Come join us while we cruise the Internet using freeware and shareware products that provide protection and reduce our vulnerability. We will look on how to practice safe surfing, avoid and eliminate infection, identify and block phishing sites, and block the download of malicious code.

August 20

Windows Networking Interference and General Wireless Q&A
This month we will have a short presentation from a CPCUG.org Science Fair winner. Brian Ohlhausen of Bishop O'Connell High School will present his findings on Networking Interference. Certain household appliances use the same radio frequency as wireless routers and reduce the strength of the signal sent by the router to the laptop. Mr. Ohlhausen looked at the effects caused by common household appliances electromagnetic interference on Wireless-G networks. Using the information gathered by Mr. Ohlhausen, one can limit the effects of this interference on their wireless networks. The rest of the period will be dedicated to answering your questions on wireless WI-FI networking.

At this meeting Walt Houser will also recognize some deserving young computer scientists for their outstanding science fair projects. CPCUG.org Science Fair Awards

July 16

Windows Networking and Wi-Fi Security II -- continued
Since there was so much left incomplete from last May's meeting, we will continue and finish off with more tips on how to set up your home and home-office network. We'll look closer at the requirements, installation and setup for networking Windows computers, and how to secure your wireless Wi-FI network.

June18

Networking Q & A
Last minute difficulties caused this meeting to be changed to a question and answer period on networking issues. Meeting chaired by Mark Mabee.

May 21

Windows Networking and Wi-Fi Security
This presentation is geared for the home and home-office user. It covers the requirements, installation and setup for networking Windows computers, as well as, how to secure your wireless Wi-FI network. Get presentation here.

April 16

Genealogy Software and Internet Research
Carol Whitton, Program chair of the ROOTS Users Group of Arlington, VA will provide the SIG with an overview on the process of researching one's 'roots'. Her presentation will include an overview of the sites considered the most important in genealogy. She will also provide a short tour of one of the more popular and versatile of the genealogy packages, TMG (The Master Genealogist).
-- This is our 10th anniversary! --

March 19

Problem Resolution and Q & A Discussion
Bring your computer problems to this meeting and let us assist you with resolving them. Also we'll provide you a tour of value sources for help, most of them right on the internet.

February 19
Presidents' Day

NO MEETING

January 15
ML King's Day

Shopping for Real Estate via the Internet
Join us for our presentation on using the internet to shop for real estate. Using these sites will simplify this difficult task and might actually make your home shopping a pleasure. Get presentation here

December 18

Q & A meeting
The December meeting is set aside to answer general technology based questions that users may have. We will tour web sites fellow SIG users have found useful.

November 20

Holiday Best Buys
Join us for our annual presentation on computer related "best buys" for the Holiday season. Get presentation here

October 16

Internet Adventure Night
Come join us for another night of adventure on the Internet. Just as we have done in prior years, we'll cruise through many old and new worthwhile Internet sites. Among other things, we'll check the job and careers services, play games (!), and even try to tickle your funny bone. If you know an interesting site, come and share it with the rest of the members of the SIG. Get presentation here

September 18

Searching the Web with MASHUPS
CPCUG.org member Nancy Blissett will give a presentation and demo on what may be a passing fad or a new, for real way to search the web: Mashups. From a practice in the hip-hop music culture where two or more songs are mixed for an unusual listening experience, search engine websites are cropping up to offer a more stylized ways to search the web. Tired of Googling? Try Mashups! Find out more with this entertaining presentation.

August 21

NAS - Network-attached storage
Network-attached storage, introduced in 1983, is today becoming popular for Home and Small Business use. Small-footprint appliances that excel at low-power, low-noise, and low-cost are available from commercial vendors. The price of NAS appliances has plummeted in recent years, offering flexible network based storage to the home consumer market for little more than the cost of a regular USB or FireWire external hard disk. This presentation will focus on NAS devices that can be purchased for around $400 down to possibly as little as under $100.

July 17

Used Car Shopping Via the Internet
So, you have decided to purchase a used car because you did not want to give up your first born in order to buy a new one! Where do you start your search? What are the risks of buying a used car, be it from a private individual or a dealer? In this presentation we will provide tips on the process of looking for a used car via the internet and how to avoid many possible pitfalls. Get presentation here

June 19

INTEL BUILD-YOUR-OWN COMPUTER Pseudo-Workshop I
So you now have purchased your PC component and parts. What do you do now? In this presentation we will cover the steps that you will need to go through in putting your PC components together.

May 15

INTEL BUILD-YOUR-OWN COMPUTER SEMINAR I
Why build your own computer?  Where can you buy parts?   Swing by and attend this presentation   where we will address these and other questions that you may have on what’s involved in choosing the various components and technologies.  You’ll be introduced to the opportunity to customize and build a state-of-the-art, high-performance, high-value PC.

April 17

***The BUILD-YOUR-OWN COMPUTER SEMINAR postponed until MAY***
Instead at this meeting we will discuss building your own computer. Fellow VA SIG member, Mark Mabee, will discuss his experience with building PCs and answer your questions on the process.

March 20

Problem Resolution and Q & A Discussion
Bring your computer problems to this meeting and let fellow CPCUG.org experts assist you with resolving them. Also we'll provide you a tour of other value sources for help, most of them right on the internet.

February 20
Presidents' Day

NO MEETING

January 16
ML King's Day

NO MEETING

February 19
Presidents' Day

NO MEETING

January 15
ML King's Day

Shopping for Real Estate via the Internet
Join us for our presentation on using the internet to shop for real estate. Using these sites will simplify this difficult task and might actually make your home shopping a pleasure. Get presentation here

December 19

Setting up a network server to share files and resources
At this meeting we will go through the steps of setting up an old PC as a network server. Why would you want to do that? Well, for one you could centralize and share all sorts of files, such as document, graphic, music, and video. For another, you could share resources, such as, printers, CD drives, media readers, etc. Lastly, in an emergency you would have access to a spare PC.

November 21

Holiday Best Buys
Join us for our annual presentation on computer related "best buys" for the Holiday season. Best Buys Presentation

October 17

Internet Adventure Night
Come join us for another night of adventure on the Internet. Just as we did over 3 years ago, we'll cruise through many old and new worthwhile Internet sites. Among other things, we'll check the real speed of our internet connection, inspect email services, play games (!), and even try to tickle your funny bone. If you know an interesting site, come and share it with the rest of the members of the SIG. Get presentation here

September 19

Keeping Your PC Clean
Have you been keeping up with your housekeeking chores? More specifically, your PC housekeeping chores? Besides dusting, we will discuss file clutter, desktop cleanup and some virus/spyware prevention and removal techniques. So come on by and join us, and learn a few tips on how to keep your PC running like it just came right out of the box!

August 15

Smart shopping at Ebay
So, you know how to shop on Ebay! Or do you? Join us as fellow CPCUG.org member Nancy Blissett shows you the basics and some tips to make your shopping experience pleasant and successful!

July 18

(1) pdf w/GSView & (2) BartPE Bootable Windows CD
Fellow Virginia SIG member Mark Mabee will present two products, GSView and BartPE. Continuing on the CPCUG.org general meeting's theme of creating pdf files, Mark will first demo the use of the GSView freeware product to create pdf files. The second product is Bart Preinstalled Environment (BartPE). BartPE is used to create a bootable Windows CD-ROM or DVD suitable for PC maintenance tasks. It provides a complete Win32 environment with network support, a graphical user interface and FAT/NTFS/CD file system support. Very handy for testing systems with no OS, rescuing files, scanning for viruses, and so on. A likely replacement for your DOS boot diskette. Mark will also cover "slipstreaming" service packs with Windows.

June 20

WINDOWS XP TIPS II
There were so many great tips left over from last month's presentation on Windows XP, we just had to continue this month. Come and learn how to take advantage of the many features available in XP. If you've got your own tips, then come and share them with us.

May 16

WINDOWS XP TIPS
Think you're fully utilizing Windows XP? Come and find out. At this month's presentation we'll tour XP and show you numerous tips to optimize your use of its many features. Got your own tips? Then come and share them with us!

April 18

MICROSOFT EXCEL III
Join us for part 3 of a presentation on Microsoft Excel by fellow SIG member Mark Mabee. In his previous two presentations in April and August of. Mark covered the basics of Excel formulas and functions. At this meeting, he will expand on the use of Array Functions, Special Functions, Names & Labels, and how to locate errors.

March 21

Converting video formats -- tape to DVD
What have you done with all those old family videos? Waiting for the tapes to deteriorate to the point where your memories are lost? You should be looking at transferring those precious images to the latest media. Come to our presentation and let Dennis Courtney show you how you can store your videos on DVD. Dennis will explain and show the process of capturing images from VHS tape or digital camera to your computer hard drive. From there it's a simple process to record onto DVD recordable media. He will discuss the hardware and software requirements, as well as explain the recording options.
Dennis is past-president of CPCUG. He currently holds the positions of treasurer and membership director of CPCUG.

February 21
Presidents' Day

NO MEETING

January 17
ML King's Day

MEETING CANCELLED

December 20

Flash Delight!
CPCUG.org member Nancy Blissett, a novice Macromedia Flash MX enthusiast, will tell us what Flash is, where it came from, where it's going, and show some of the top sites created with Flash. Closer to home, Nancy will show us "inside" her slide show Flash presentation and how she created it. If time permits, she will show us some of her other Flash creations and that of other students. Nancy is an active member of the International Web Masters Association. She is an avid equestrian and Flash ad promoter for the stallion Norfleets Imprint, otherwise known as "Spud."

November 15

Holiday Best Buys
Join us for our annual presentation on computer related "best buys" for the Holiday season.

October 18

HTML AND WEB PAGE DEVELOPMENT -Part 2
Last month fellow SIG member Neal Grotenstein demonstrated how to get started with Web page development by providing us with a tutorial on the basics of HTML. So now, how do we continue to grow in our knowledge of HTML and web development? At this month's presentation, Neal will highlight some resources he has found useful that should help us to proceed on our own.

September 20

Basics of HTML - Part 1
Join us for a presentation on Web page development by fellow SIG member Neal Grotenstein. In his presentation Neal will provide a tutorial on the basics of HTML. Starting with a minimal web page, he will show how to use HTML features, such as fonts and links, to further enhance and format your web page.

August 16

Microsoft Excel Formulas - Part 2
Join us for a continuation of the presentation on Microsoft Excel Formulae by fellow SIG member Mark Mabee.

July 19

Shareware
Come join us while we cruise the Internet looking for worthwhile software and sites. Sites abound with useful software on such things as games, music, security, and must have utilities. If you know an interesting site or software, come and share it with the rest of the members of the Virginia SIG

June 21

Managing your PC security
Join us for a presentation on managing security of your PC by Robert Simanski. Robert will provide a multifaceted approach to managing your PC and protecting your data.

May 17

Microsoft Excel Formulas
Join us for a presentation on Microsoft Excel Formulae by fellow SIG member Mark Mabee. Mark will provide a tutorial on writing formulae for Excel, plus a tour of the Excel help facility.

April 19

Microsoft Excel Macros
Join us for a presentation on Microsoft Excel Macros by fellow SIG member Fred Holmes. Fred will provide a tutorial on writing macros for Excel (or other Microsoft Office Suite applications), demonstrating some of the power of VBA (Visual Basic for Applications).

March 15

Intel Centrino Processor
Join us for a presentation on the Intel Centrino processor. This new technology is designed specifically for mobile computing with built-in wireless LAN capability and mobile performance. It also enables extended battery life.

February 16
Presidents' Day

NO MEETING

January 19
ML King's Day

MEETING CANCELLED

December 15

Holiday Event -- PC Best Buy Shopping Presentation 
Join us for our annual holiday presentation of the "best buys" on PCs and related electronics, components, and software in the Washington Metro area and on the Web. We will also discuss current market trends, and "how to" shop via the Web and at the local computer shows.

November 17

PC Hardware Troubleshooting
Come learn from us a few tips you can use to troubleshoot and repair your own PC. We will also look at common repair issues, problem areas, and how to resolve them. Bring in your own problems for us to tackle.

October 20

Microsoft Office Tricks and Tips - 4th edition
There was so much left from out last meeting we will continue and finish off with a fourth presentation showing you numerous tips to optimize your use of the office suite products: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.

September 15

Microsoft Office Tricks and Tips - 3rd edition
This was the third presentation showing numerous tips to optimize use of the office suite products: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.

March 17 through August 18

Meetings cancelled due to lack of meeting space

February 17 
(Presidents' Holiday)

No meeting held

January 20 
(M.L. King Jr. Holiday)

No meeting held

December 16

Holiday Event -- PC Best Buy Shopping Presentation 
Join us for our annual holiday presentation of the "best buys" on PCs and related electronics, components, and software in the Washington Metro area and on the Web. We will also discuss current market trends, and "how to" shop via the Web and at the local computer shows. Sites visited, Pricewatch, Froogle, BargainPDA.

November 18

CD/DVD formats and standards & recording data/music/video on CD and DVDs
Oliver Slattery of the Convergent Information Systems Division (CISD) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), as well as a member of the DVD Association will give a presentation on the different CD and DVD standards and formats available including: read-only (ROM), recordable (CD-R, DVD-R, DVD+R), and rewritable (CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM). A second presentation will also be provided showing software applicatons which utilize the media for storing data, music, and video.

October 21

A look at the "other" Operating Systems -- Linux and Apple
After that last system crash, did you think (even for a moment) of trashing your Windows PC? Well then, this presentation is for you! Come out and see a couple of alternatives, Linux and Apple. A representative from Northern Virginia's Linux Users Group (NOVALUG) will present Linux, and Pat Fauquet, President of the Washington Apple Pi User Group, will present the new Macintoshes using the OS X operating system. The presentation will cover the platforms' strengths/attractions, versions, availability, local support, and will include demos of the operating systems and some software products.

September 16

EUDORA Email Software
The Eudora email program has been around for many years, and the client and server versions run on a multitude of computer platforms. Join us as long time CPCUG.org member Fred Holmes show us some of the advanced features that folks frequently ask for in other mail clients.

August 19

Internet Shareware/Tools
Come join us while we cruise the Internet looking for worthwhile software sites. Sites abound with useful software on such things as games, music, security, and must have utilities. If you know an interesting site or software, come and share it with the rest of the members of the SIG.

July 15

Internet Adventure Night
Come join us for a night of adventure on the Internet. We'll cruise through many worthwhile Internet sites. We'll check the real speed of our internet connection, newly spawn viruses, services for forwarding eMail and controlling spam, as well as, track rebates, and even play games [ :-( ]. If times permits, we might even tickle your funny bone. If you know an interesting site, come and share it with the rest of the members of the SIG. Presentation

June 17

Overview Benefits of CPCUG.org Membership / CPCUG.org Offerings
Are you taking full advantage of your membership in CPCUG? Among the many topics we'll cover at this meeting are: the training options currently available and under development; getting technical assistance; Special Interest Groups (SIG); cpcuganizational structure; web services; and future plans for the organization.

May 20

Computer Security
What should you consider to properly secure your PC? Using some of the knowledge you will gain from this presentation, common sense, and a little bit of caution, you can keep your home computer safe and almost impervious to attack. Among the topics we'll cover are physical security, software settings, passwords, antivirus software, firewalls, and E-mail concerns.

April 15

Maximizing your use of Microsoft Outlook
While many of our fellow citizens are out completing and mailing their income tax return, we'll be working on lighter matters. The CPCUG.org Virginia SIG will be giving a presentation on optimizing your use of Microsoft Outlook.

March 18

PC Hardware and Peripheral Upgrades & Clinic
Okay. So you purchased a great new video card to upgrade that clunker in your current PC! Now, what do you do? How do you go about installing it? Come and learn a few tips on the approach that you should use when upgrading PC hardware and peripherals, and how to troubleshoot problems. Bring in your problems for us to tackle and let your fellow PC "medics" of the Virginia SIG help resolve your problems.

February 18 
(Presidents' Holiday)

NO MEETING

January 21 
(M.L. King Jr. Holiday)

Microsoft Office Tricks and Tips -- Continued
Continuation of last November's presentation.

Think you're fully utilizing the products that make up the Microsoft Office Suite?  Come and find out.  At our presentation we'll show you numerous tips to optimize your use of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

December 17

Holiday Event -- PC Best Buy Shopping Presentation 
Join us for our annual presentation of the "best buys" in PC, components and software in the Washington Metro area for the days prior to Christmas. 

November 19

Microsoft Office Tricks and Tips
Think you're fully utilizing the products that make up the Microsoft Office Suite?  Come and find out.  At our presentation we'll show you numerous tips to optimize your use of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

October 15

From Finance to Refinance
Been watching the interest rates go through the floor lately? Interested in buying a home and considering the finance options? Should you refinance? But, where do you start? What options are worthwhile? At this month's presentation we will look at internet sites that will help you in your search and tools that will help you make better, informed decisions.

September 17

Desktop and Laptop Hardware Selection
Lately, have you been eyeing the incredibly low hardware prices and are about ready to buy your next computer? But, what do you buy? The prices are temptingly low, but you still want the best value for your money. Should you buy a AMD Athlon processor or an Intel Pentium-4? What options are really worthwhile? At this month's presentation we will discuss price/performance issues, as well as the important, and not so important, options offered on today's computers. 

August 20

Desktop Doomsday Recovery
You've sent hours, perhaps days, getting your Windows system and applications installed.You finally have everything working the way you want it! Should you relax and wait for problems to creep up, or should you plan for the worst?  At this month’s presentation we will discuss basic back up issues, as well as how to store and restore an image of your working system.

July 16

Stuff you gotta (well, oughtta) have!
From browser add-ins, to audio software, to compression utilities, join us for our presentation about the software, utilities and tools that you should be using on you Windows PC.  List of web sites.

June 18

Setting up your own personal web domain (www.myname.com)
You've made up your mind. You want to set up your own personal domain on the web. You've decided on a name, but are unsure of the steps to get one up and going. Where do you start? Is it something you can tackle, or should you leave it to the pros?  Come join us and hear fellow CPCUG.org member Nancy Blissett present her step-by-step experience in getting a web presence up on the internet.  Suggested reference: Web by Design, The Complete Guide. Molly E. Holzschlag. ISBN# 0-7821-2201-9

May 21

Quicken Personal Financial Management Software
Come and attend our presentation on Quicken and how to use it to manage your finance. From Checkbook to investment to 401(k) tracking,  Quicken is the software of choice for many. Come and see why. 

April 16

Software and Hardware Clinic
While many of our fellow citizens are out completing and mailing their income tax return, the CPCUG.org VIrginia SIG we will be holding a clinic to answer your hardware and software issues. Bring us you problems and let the PC "medics" of the Virginia SIG help resolve your problems. 

March 19

Preparing and Filing Your Income Taxes
Come and attend our presentation on preparing and filing your state and federal income taxes. The presentation will focus on different software tools you can use to prepare your income taxes. We'll also discuss the different methods available for filing, i.e., mail, touchtone telephone, and electronic filing. 

February 19 
(Presidents' Holiday)

NO MEETING

January 15 
(M.L. King Jr. Holiday)

PC Hardware Troubleshooting 
Come learn from us a few tips you can use to troubleshoot and repair your own PC.  We will also look at common repair issues, problem areas, and how to resolve them.  Bring in your own problems for us to tackle. 

December 18

Holiday Event --  PC Shopping Presentation
Join us for our annual presentation on the "best buys" in PC components and software for Christmas holidays.

November 20

Windows Maintenance
Come learn a few maintenance tips you can use to keep the Microsoft family of Windows operation systems performing at their "Tip Top" level.  We'll also look at performance issues, problem areas, and how to resolve them.

October 16

Windows Tour
Come take our tour of the Microsoft Windows Operating System.
Fellow SIG member Mark Mabee will give us a tour and highlight some of the features of Windows.

September 18

Internet Tour of Online Banking and Financial Services Sites
Come take our tour of banking and financial services available right from your desktop via the internet. We'll check on our credit card accounts, pay our bills and check our account balance (hopefully there are no overdrafts!)

August 21

Internet Tour of Health Related Sites
Is that breathing difficulty you are having caused by anxiety, asthma or TB?  Does your child have the symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder Syndrome (ADDS)?  Is your child's development within the normal range?  Come and take our tour of useful websites that can answer this and other questions you have about your health. Links of health sites presented

July 17

Meeting Cancelled
No Meeting in July. Meeting topic has been moved to August.

June 19

Internet Tour of Home Repairs Sites
How do I maintain that air conditioning unit?  If you need a new AC, how many BTUs will the unit require for my size home?  What will it cost?  What is a BTU?  What is the best house paint?  Come and take our tour of useful websites that can answer these and many other questions you have about home issues.
Below is a list of start reference sites presented at meeting:
iHomeline ,-- Home Improvement, Repair and Decorating Tips for Do It Yourselfers ,-- Remodeling - Building -Interior Design - Home Repairs - Gilroy - Hollister - Morgan Hill ,-- [ 100hot Home & Gardening ] ,-- How-To - 4Hardware ,-- 101 Home Improvement Links ,-- HVAC in the U.P. Links ,-- MichaelHoligan: Home ,-- Paul and Ginger's Home Improvement Links ,-- Home improvement stores: We pick the best sites! , -- BEST SITES FOR HOME IMPROVEMENT and the BEST HOME RESOURCES

May 15

Investing via the Internet
Fellow CPCUG.org member and investor Doug Boulter will share his experience, as well as investment strategies and research tips with our SIG.  His presentation will cover 

• Sites for understanding general economic conditions

• Sites for researching specific stocks

• Sites for getting real-time quotes

• Sites for getting ideas for investment

April 17

Microsoft Access
Most of us are aware of the major applications that make up the Microsoft Office Pro suite of applications, i.e.., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. While the other applications included in this suite can be mastered with a little motivation and some training, the Access relational database application takes much more time and effort to master. Come to our presentation where we will explore the power and easy of using Access. We will also explore the use of Access objects, i.e.., tables, queries, forms, and reports, and briefly look at the underlying programming language, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).

March 20

Microsoft PowerPoint
Don't want your PowerPoint presentation to look like everyone else's? Fellow CPCUG.org member and trainer, Susan Kousek, will show us how to customize and enhance your presentation -- change to a textured background; use photos and clip art; create your own template; animate text, graphics, column charts in your slide show; create hyperlinks to a document, a hidden slide, another slide show, a Web site.

February 21
(Presidents' Holiday)

NO MEETING

January 17
(M.L. King Jr. Holiday)

Washington Traffic
Are you using the Internet before venturing out into traffic? If not, let us show you why you should be. Our presentation will look at the many traffic information sites available today that can make you commute to and from work/home much less hectic.
Time permitting, we will look at other useful traffic commuting aid sites.

December 20

Holiday Event -- PC Shopping Presentation
Join us for our annual presentation on the "best buys" in PC components and software for the week of Christmas.

November 15

Automated Software Testing
The book "Automated Software Testing" has been developed by three software industry professionals. The authors (Dustin, Paul and Rashka) have applied their software engineering and management background to develop a book, which addresses the pragmatic concerns and information needed by the software test engineer, faced with the need to perform testing more thoroughly and quickly. Elfriede Dustin, will give a high level overview of their book.

October 18

The Internet
What is the INTERNET? Our presentaion will cover the structure, protocols and hardware of the internet. Join us as we learn, among other things, how data is routed and addresses resolved.

September 20

SmartDebugging for Faster Development - Postponed from earlier date due to weather
NuMega Lab/Compuware Corporation will present their line of Visual Basic tool products. Their VB tools are used for debugging, static source code analysis, automated error detection, performance profiling and analysis, and advanced error handling and recovery. The demonstrates uses a sample order entry application written in Visual Basic to show how various areas of software design, implementation, and debugging can be accelerated through new Visual Basic development and debugging tools.

August 16

Plug-and-Play
Plug and Play (PnP) is a combination of hardware and software support that enables a computer system to recognize and adapt to hardware configuration changes with little or no intervention by the user. A user can add devices to, and remove devices from, a computer system without manual configuration and without intricate knowledge of computer hardware. Kevin McCrory, computer systems engineer, will give a presentation on:

• what is PnP

• how PnP works and allocates resources such as:
  . I/O addresses, IRQ's, DMA channels, & memory regions

• PnP limitations

• how to resolve problems

July 19

Cruising the Internet
Join us as we cruise some of the best and most interesting sites available on the internet. We will get a chance to stop and savor the offering of a few of these sites. We'll even take an 'automatic' tour of sites where you can sit back, watch the sites go by, and stop when one appeals to you.

June 21

Safe Surfing - What you need to know about computer viruses and the Internet
At this meeting, President of CPCUG.org and President of Millkern Communications, an Internet Service Provider, will give a presentation about the reality of computer viruses, how best to make sure your computer doesn't get infected, and how to make sure you don't infect others. Virus detection software, safe computing practices, and other important information will be discussed.

May 17

How to Sell Yourself (Job Application)
, Eastern Division Manager for, will talk about the process of approaching your next job application. The Jaeger Group specializes in rapid-response staffing of high tech professionals in temporary, and regular, full-time positions. Topics to include:

• 1) You as the marketing "product"

• 2) Importance of customized cover letter

• 3) Resume development

  • -layout/format, use of white space

  • -sections of resume, use of active voice

  • -what experience is appropriate/relevant to include

• 4) Interviewing - Do's and Don'ts

• 5) Other uses of resume (job fairs, annual reviews)

• 6) Thank you's

April 19

Genealogy - Research and Software
Theresa Green Reed, President of the ROOTS Users Group of Arlington, VA (RUG) will provide the SIG with an overview on the process of researching one's 'roots'. We will also include a short tour of one of the more popular and versatile of the genealogy packages, Ultimate Family Tree by Palladium Interactive.

March 15

SmartDebugging for Faster Development
NuMega Lab/Compuware Corporation presentation/meeting postponed to September date because of the closing of Fairfax County Schools due to bad weather.

February 15

*** NO MEETING ***
Meeting Canceled due to President's Day Holiday closure of Washington Gas Facility.

January 18

Windows 95/98 Tips III & PC Hardware * NOTE CHANGE *
Think you understand Windows 95/98 and are utilizing it efficiently? If not, come and join us as we present Windows 95/98 Tips and Tricks. Also, CPCUG.org member Ann Dorsey will continue her presentation on PC hardware.

December 21

Holiday Event -- PC Hardware Presentation
By membership request, VA SIG member Ann Dorsey will give a presentation on PC hardware, i.e., installing a hard disk drive, installing expansion cards, etc. Also, don't miss out on the presentation on the Best Buys in PC components for the week of Christmas.

November 16

Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0
Visual Basic developer Thomas Ondra will present Micorsoft Corporation Visual Basic 6.0. VB, as is it known to most developers, allows one to learn Windows-based programming quickly and easily with its complete and easy to use development environment. VB developers can create powerful applications right away using features such as drag-and-drop programming, wizards, IntelliSense and ActiveX controls.

October 19

Buying Right at local weekend Computer Shows
Fellow SIG members will give a one-hour presentation of benefits and pitfalls of buying at the area computers shows. A panel of experts will also be available after the presentation for a question and answer period. Come early for a chance at the early bird door prizes.

September 23
***Wednesday***

Introduction to Building a Web Page
Steve Heckler, Vice President of Training at WestLake Solutions, presented a one-hour seminar on the basics of Web development. In addition to teaching the basics of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the language in which pages are written, he demonstrated and compared the latest HTML tools, including Microsoft FrontPage, Allaire HomeSite, and Cold Fusion. Among the door prizes were a 200 MHz IDT Winchip Pentium-compatible microprocessor and 2 network interface cards!

August 17

Internet Explorer Tips and Tricks
Are you fully utilizing Microsoft's Internet Explorer? Come to this presentation and learn how to make you surfing easier. One year ago, we had a Tips and Tricks presentation for both Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Most of the time was spent on Navigator. This meeting, we will work exclusively on IE. Want tips? Check out TipZone

July 20

Compact Disk (CD) Technology Overview
presented by Leo F. Pozo , member of board of SIGCAT Foundation (Special Interest Group on CD Applications and Technology). Topics covered the different formats available including: CD-ROM, recordable CD (CD-R), rewritable CD (CD-RW) and the latest DVD technology. Among the door prizes was a 200 MHz IDT Winchip!

June 15

Networking Your Windows 95 PCs (continued)
Mark Mabee, Windows NT and network specialist, gave an excellent presentation/demo.

May 18

*** SIG Elections ***

Networking Your Windows 95 PCs
Geared for the home and small office user, this presentation covered the PC hardware requirements and software installation and setup for peer-to-peer networking. Check out these sites:
1) Windows95 Peer-to-Peer Networking, 2) Build a Windows 95 Network, 3) Setting up a Peer to Peer Network, 4) Do it yourself: Building your network. 5) ComputerLife: Network Your Home

April 20

Meeting Canceled due to room unavailability.

March 16

PartitionMagic by PowerQuest Inc.
Fellow SIG member, Mark Mabee, presented PowerQuest's PartitionMagic 3.0 which easily and visually creates, formats, shrinks, expands, copies and moves hard disk partitions in minutes without destroying data.

February 16

Membership Benefits and Services Provided by CPCUG*** Presidents Day Meeting ***
During the open forum of Millkern Communications talked about the CPCUG.org upgrade.

January 19

Microsoft Presentation
of Microsoft presented Home Essential98 and Encarta98.

December 15

PC related Chrismas Shopping Buys
presentation on PC hardware and software best buys in the DC area.

November 17

Thomas Guide CD-ROM
of Thomas Bros. Maps, Inc., presented their computerized street mapping packages.

October 20

Microcomputer Hardware Overview

September 15

Continuous Speech Dictation software
of Satcom, Inc. presented NaturallySpeaking

August 18

Internet Browsers Tips and Tricks

July 21

WordPerfect 6+ Tips and Tricks
, CPCUG.org President and past Chairperson of WordPerfect SIG, gave presentation on using WordPerfect efficiently.

June 16

Windows 95 Tips II

May 19

Windows 95 Tips

April 21

Adobe PhotoShop, Acrobat, PageMill, and PhotoDeluxe
of Adobe, Inc. presented Adobe's Web site development tools.