e-Tip #86 - March 2009 - Text-Only Version


<> Keith Vincent - Installing Eclipse on a 2nd Computer? Copy the Users Folder

I’m seeing more and more court reporters loading CAT software on small, inexpensive netbooks. Just this week I helped my sister load Eclipse onto a Samsung NC10. Then I purchased an Asus Eee PC 1000HE to use as a backup computer and as something that I could loan to realtime clients  interested in trying out Bridge or TeleView.  That prompted this tip to help you copy from an old computer to a new one.

Netbooks do not have built-in CD/DVD drives, but there are lots of external drives that you can plug into a USB port of your computer.  Don’t have an external unit? Put your Eclipse installation disk in the CD drive of a regular computer, then plug in a USB flash drive. Click on “My Computer.” Right-click on the drive with the Eclipse disk and pick “Copy.”  Then right-click on the USB flash drive and pick “Paste.”  That copies the whole installer.  Next, plug the flash drive into a USB port of the new computer, then find and run “Install.”

Once installed, run Eclipse on the new computer for the first time and the “Create new user” wizard opens.  Obviously I’m not a new Eclipse user, but I still used the wizard so that Eclipse would automatically add “Keith” as a destination that appears when I right-click on a file and choose “Send to.” After this “new” user is created, turn off the Eclipse program.  You’re ready to copy files from your old computer to your new one.

On your old computer, plug in a flash drive that has several gigabytes of storage space.  Click on My Computer, then Program Files, then Advantage Software, then EclipseNT.  Select the “Users” folder and right-click to “Send to” the flash drive.

Finally, plug the flash drive into the new computer, browsing to My Computer, Program Files, Advantage Software, EclipseNT.  You’ll then click-drag the Users folder from the flash drive to the EclipseNT folder of the new computer.  Pick “Yes” when asked to overwrite.  Once the copy process is complete, open Eclipse and all your user settings, dictionaries, and even your old jobs will be in their familiar places.


<> Wil Wilcox:  Norton 360, Version 3.0

Symantec has released Version 3.0 of Norton 360.  (Price: $79.99 for 3 licenses, $99.99 for the Premier Edition with 25GB of online storage).  In addition to the typical features of other antivirus programs, Norton 360 has a PC tune-up module and a full-scale backup utility.  This is a program that’s so easy to install and use that you can just about forget it's there once you've installed it.

If you've had a previous version of Norton 360 or Norton Antivirus, run the Norton Removal Tool first.  You can download that at symantec.com/norton/downloads. Having done that, the installation of the update takes just a minute of your time.  If you haven't tried Norton 360 yet, you also may download a 30-day free trial version.  It’s a great way to make sure that there are no incompatibilities with your computer. Also, it’s not a good idea to have more than one antivirus program installed at a time.  One of the main ways to tell if an antivirus program is not for you is if your computer runs noticeably slower after installing it. If you experience any problems with realtime, try running Norton 360 in Silent Mode, found on the Settings screen. That stops any popups and background scans and activities for a specified period of time.

Norton 360 has been specifically designed not to be a drain on system resources and performance.  It even has a meter on its Tasks screen that shows CPU Usage, both overall and just for Norton 360. Clicking a link in the meter will give you a graph of memory and CPU usage as well as a list of the product's background jobs.  Symantec's antivirus engine gets very high scores from all the independent testing labs.  It's the same security protection as with Norton Internet Security 2009, another very good antivirus software suite which caters to the geeks among us who want to be more hands-on.

Norton 360 automatically blocks spyware, but it doesn't require much user intervention. If you ever wonder what's been going on, you can check the history. You'll also get a monthly report detailing everything Norton 360 did for you. The Norton 360 firewall offers excellent protection as well. One of the things I like is that you're not bombarded with popups asking you irritating questions.

Norton 360's backup system is one of the main reasons that I love this program. In Version 3 you still get 2GB of online space with the Basic version, but the $99.99 per year Premier Edition raises that to 25GB. You can get more online storage in increments of 5GB, 10GB, and 25GB.  However, the 25GB of online storage would cost $69.99 per year if you’ve bought the Basic version, so I’d just buy the Premier Edition.  If you need a very large amount of online storage, you'll get a better deal with MozyHome Online Backup, which offers unlimited storage for $4.95 per month. You may also prefer the deluxe SugarSync for online backup, but that costs more.  The ease of having online backup integrated with your antivirus software makes going with Norton 360 Premium something to really consider.

For each of the backup sets you configure, you also select a backup destination.  While you do get 2GB of online backup with your Basic subscription, that's not really enough for all the files a court reporter needs to back up. Many of us back up to external USB hard drives or CDs, DVDs or even USB keys. You will have the option of "both" online backup and backing up to disks or USB keys.  By default, the system will back up changed files during system idle time, unless you have selected CDs, DVDs or a USB key that is required to be inserted before performing the backup.  You can even have it run online backups to any files that get changed while continuing to work at the computer. The backup feature is one of the latest trends in security suite software.  Norton 360's backup seems to offer the most options of any of the others I've seen such as McAfee and ZoneAlarm Extreme.  It is also very easy to work with.  FYI, if you need to renew your antivirus subscription, you may upgade to the Premier Edition at that time to take advantage of the 25 GB of online backup included. 

Symantec’s website includes the Norton User Forum, where you can ask questions of other users and company representatives.  I’ve found it very helpful.  Wanting a free update from Norton 360 Version 2.0 to 3.0, I found help in the forum almost immediately. Just look for "Community" on the Norton 360 website or go to:  community.norton.com/norton/. 

As with any antivirus program, you may run into incompatibilities with Norton 360 and software installed on a particular computer. If this happens, use the Removal Tool to uninstall Norton 360, then try other antivirus software to see if it does better.  There are other very good antivirus programs available; but, in general, I don't think you can go wrong with Norton 360.


<> Keith Vincent:  New Product - The StenoCast Edge

Add great new features to your exising steno machine: Wireless realtime plus Smart Audio HD plus dual backups.  Announcing the StenoCast Edge.

The Edge attaches to your steno machine and plugs in just like the popular StenoCast X1 units. It has a built-in lithium battery that charges fully in just 3 hours and then runs for 25 hours.

Got multiple writers (Smartwriter, Stentura, Mira, Flash, StenoRam)? The Edge lets you quickly switch from one type to another.

The Edge has a convenient built-in microphone.  It also has an audio input jack that you can use to plug in an external mic or to connect to a videographer’s audio feed. A headset jack lets you plug in earphones to listen to the audio that is being recorded.

The Edge is just a bit larger than the StenoCast X1  units, but it does a lot more.  The X1 just transmitted steno.  The Edge certainly does that, but it also records audio and it backs up both sound and steno.

StenoCast will unveil the Edge at NCRA’s mid-year convention in New Orleans.  Price: $1295.  Convention pricing ($1095) is available until April 19th. An extra $200 discount is offered for existing StenoCast customers who want to trade in their X1-Lithium units.
For more info, visit StenoCast.com or KVincent.com.