CCOKC General Meeting Review - February 2005

      by Elizabeth Wright

Aaron Coldiron, Manager of the Mindshare offerings from Microsoft was our speaker in February. He presented a double-barreled program on the latest from Microsoft for users such as ourselves. The opening segment was devoted to showing us how to get the most out of Windows XP Service Pack 2. He emphasized the importance of protecting our computers while using the internet and how this software can help us achieve better security. Three steps he strongly emphasized were:

ALWAYS have your firewall turned on.

Have “Auto Updates” turned on in order to receive updates for the highest risk problems.

Keep your virus protection up-to-date and ALWAYS have it turned on.

Mr. Coldiron gave tips on installing SP2, including advice on what to do before installation. These tips included running spyware search software, running a complete virus check on you computer and UNPLUGGING from your computer the internet connection cable. With the cable disconnected, there is no possibility of anything coming into your computer during the installation. This is especially necessary for those who have 24/7 connection to the “great out there”.

The second part featured a presentation of the new Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.

This new package from Microsoft is very impressive. It provides the means to get the most enjoyment from your photos, music, television, movies and more. The speaker, as expected, was dynamic and informative, something we have come to expect from Microsoft and Mindshare over the years.

And there were door prizes. We had one for the oldest audience member, that being Joy Melton, one for the youngest, a 10 year old visitor whose older brother, 13 years I think, was tapped to help him use the copy of Digital Imaging Pro. And Hubert Doke won the Pro version of MS Office by guessing the presenters age. Congratulations to all.