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Old Site Updates - July 1998

July 30, 1998:

• New PC Guide Sponsor: Please join me in welcoming Crucial Technology, the newest sponsor of The PC Guide. Crucial is a division of Micron Technology, which is of course a manufacturer of top quality memory modules and a big name in the computer field in general. If you are in the market for hardware or software, please consider buying from a PC Guide sponsor; you get great value for your money, and you help support the site!

July 26, 1998:

• I'm Back! OK, the summer hiatus is over, at least mostly. I am back to updating the site. I have plans to add content to many areas that need updates based on technology released in the last several months. I have quite a few summer guests still due in August, so I expect that the updates will be every two or three weeks until the fall. I am also working on a few items "in the background" that will delight and amaze you. (OK, maybe not, but hopefully you'll like them.)
• Facelift: This site is in need of a facelift. I am currently looking for a good graphics designer who can provide me with a high-quality, good-looking but fast-loading graphical "scheme" for The PC Guide. If you know of anyone who fits the bill, please let me know. I have some limited funds available for this project, and there is the possibility of a link from my (pretty high volume) front page to that of the designer I choose to work with. I require someone who has experience doing this type of work.
• Virus Warning: Apparently a new and surprisingly virulent virus is spreading quickly on Windows 95/98 machines. Unlike standard viruses that target your hard disk, these go after your flash BIOS code and can theoretically disable your PC. Various strains are programmed to activate on the 26th day of different months. Dubbed "Win95.CIH", you can read more about this virus here.  I have also updated several pages on viruses, the BIOS, and troubleshooting, to reflect this new, unfortunate reality.
• IDE on Macintoshes: I updated the IDE/ATA vs. SCSI Interface Comparison to reflect the fact that Apple is now shipping machines with IDE storage devices.
• New Hardware Review Site Link: I added a link to Hardware World. This is another really good hardware review site, also featuring articles on performance and building cost-effective systems.
• New Hardware Performance Site Link: I added a link to The High-Performance PC Guide. This is a good general hardware site, including reviews on and explanations of various components. Il y a aussi une version fran�aise.
• Additions to BIOS Reference and Troubleshooting Pages: I added content to pages relating to BIOS flashing, in both the Reference Guide and Troubleshooting Guide. These changes cover dealing with failed BIOS flashing, and also describe the "boot block" recovery feature found on some newer motherboards.
• BIOS Beep Code Updates: I updated several pages related to troubleshooting BIOS beep codes.
• DOSKEY on the Boot Disk: Based on feedback from a reader, I updated the page discussing boot disk contents to reflect the fact that DOSKEY is a very useful utility to have there. I actually use it all the time, but I never thought about including it on a boot disk.
• Miscellaneous Changes and Fixes: Updated a few problems and errors that needed fixin'.

July 6, 1998:

• PC Hardware Chat Thursday: Sunil Singh of CPU Central has organized a chat session this Thursday, July 9, at 8:00 pm EST. Webmasters of several of the popular hardware sites will be present, and I may be there as well. :^) The chat can be accessed via your IRC client on server irc.hardware.pairnet.com, port:6667, channel #PCHardware. Those of you without an IRC client, but with a Java-capable browser, can access the chat through Sunil's site at http://www.cpu-central.com/chat.

Next: Old Site Updates - June 1998

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