I. CALL FOR HELP LINKS

CLEAN YOUR PC Add years to your computer's life with a little TLC. http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/howto/story/0,23008,10542,00.html

CREATE CD LABELS Design a customized label for every CD you burn. http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/howto/story/0,23008,2130682,00.html

COLOR THE WEB Add color to every aspect of your website http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/webworkshop/story/0,23008,1672,00.html

SPY ON CALL FOR HELP Get a sneak peak of the Gnome's desk and the rest of the staff. http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/aboutus/story/0,23008,3338787,00.html

QUICK LAUNCH PROGRAMS launch programs with the push of a button. http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/answerstips/story/0,23008,2563408,00.html

ALL THE LINKS FOR TODAY'S SHOW http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/shownotes/story/0,23008,3338693,00.html -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

II. TODAY'S TECH LIVE HEADLINES

COVER STORY: MISSILE SHIELD TECH 'Tech Live' looks at the technology behind the missile defense shield. http://www.techtv.com/news/culture/story/0,24195,3338758,00.html

POLL: MONEY FOR MILITARY? Should development of military technology be a top US priority? Vote in our poll and tell us what you think! http://www.techlive.com

PRODUCTS: I-CYBIE ROBOTIC DOG A breed apart from Aibo, i-Cybie gives Sony's robotic dog a run for the money. http://www.techtv.com/news/story/0,24195,3338851,00.html

EXTENDED PLAY: FINAL FANTASY X (PS2) PREVIEW Find out what to expect from the upcoming Final Fantasy game. http://www.techtv.com/news/story/0,24195,3325363,00.html

ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE TO MICROSOFT BEGINS Analysts looking for insight on DOJ negotiations, Windows XP security issues. http://www.techtv.com/money/businessnews/story/0,23008,3338698,00.html

SEC FILE: AOL COULD MAKE OFFER TO AMAZON Company can privately proposition online retailer as part of its $100M investment. http://www.techtv.com/money/businessnews/story/0,23008,3338834,00.html

LAYOFFS HIT INFINEON, CNET, NYSE Weak demand and a slowing economy are causing tough times. http://www.techtv.com/money/businessnews/story/0,23008,3338837,00.html

COMING UP JULY 26, 2001... Visit http://www.techlive.com tomorrow to get next year's forecast for the PC industry, a cover story on solar power, and much more.

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III. CALL FOR HELP SHOW NOTES

*****POWER PROBLEMS*****

Mark from Branford, Florida has power problems in his house. Surge protectors don't seem to work. He unplugs his monitor and PC every night. Will this hurt the monitor or tower?

Mark, you will not hurt the computer, but it's best to find adequate surge protection. First, make sure your outlets are grounded. You can do this by purchasing a "tester" from your local hardware store.

Next, buy a surge protector that can withstand a large amount of electrical current as well as regulate it. We recommend an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) from APC.

http://www.apcc.com/

*****VIRUS PROTECTION*****

Roy from Dodge City, Kansas has a computer virus that killed his JPEGs.

His virus scanner detected Kak -- one of those "worm" things everybody keeps talking about. Download the removal tool from Symantec Security Updates.

http://www.sarc.com/avcenter/venc/data/wscript.kakworm.html

Since it's not an incredibly destructive infection, we believe that Roy has been hit with yet another worm or virus. Becky's suggestion was to be sure that his JPEGs weren't hidden somewhere on his drive(s).

Remember, never open attachments. Read more on how to protect yourself here:

http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/answerstips/story/0,23008,3007129,00. html

*****COLOR THE WEB*****

Ed from Okeechobee, Florida wants to get a full list of HTML color codes.

Find a list of non-dithering colors in hexadecimal and RGB code at:

http://www.lynda.com/hexh.html

Confused? Read our full story on adding color to your website here:

http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/webworkshop/story/0,23008,1672,00.htm l

Chris says: "I'd just like to add that you can also use the English translation for basic colors -- if you want to do a quick and dirty job with coloring your page(s)."

COLOR="#FFFFFF" is the same as COLOR="WHITE"

Actually, there are English counterparts for hundreds of Hexidecimal HTML color codes. But... I think Lynda will take care of you for the time being. Stay tuned -- if there's enough interest, we'll outline them in a future show!

*****UPGRADE WINDOWS*****

Darin from Absarokee, Montana wants to know if he should upgrade to Windows ME.

We highly recommend waiting to upgrade to Windows XP. Ya know, if it comes out in the next few months. Just do yourself a favor and stick with Windows 98 SE for the time being.

******HOME NETWORKING*****

John from Conroe, Texas has a computer with a DSL connection and a four port router in one room and two computers connected with a hub in a different room. He wants to connect the two systems.

John, use an 802.11b-compliant router to create a wireless local area network in your home -- and beyond. Linksys makes one that is absolutely wonderful. I recommend it. No, seriously... I do. I haven't actually USED it yet, but I plan on getting one when I finally find a place to live. By the way, this is Chris writing right now. ;)

******ARE YOU BEING WATCHED?*****

Mike from Grand Rapids, Michigan wants to know how to tell if his boss is monitoring his computer.

Spycop -- http://www.spycop.com/ -- is a program that detects and disables spyware running on your PC. If the monitoring is network-based, you (most likely) won't be able to tell.

Also, look over your shoulder every so often. Ya know, he or she could be perched behind you. This tactic would be employed via the Sneakernet.

Okay, folks... I gotta go. Becky had to bail out early and I have some house shopping to do. Be sure to tune in on Friday to meet my wife, Gretchen! She's flying in from Des Moines, Iowa, and will be here throughout the weekend.

Your personal computer dummy,

Chris Pirillo mailto:gnome@techtv.com -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

***************************************************************** JOIN US! Sign up now! Don't miss out on riveting conversations in chat, answers to your help questions on the message boards, special offers, and more! Join us now, its free! http://www.techtv.com/interact/ ***************************************************************** That's all for now, folks. Keep watching Tech Live every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern, and visit our websites: http://www.techlive.com and http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp

-- Anonymous, July 26, 2001