Open Access Help and PC/Internet Web Links

Quick links

• DISPI maintains a list of OA suppliers and  FAQ
• German OA Forum.
• Tips for converting data from OA4 to Microsoft Access (see half down page) - freeware if you don't have OA4.
• Open Access Tips and Tricks
• Tips for running OA under Windows.

Software consultants (circa 2000!)

Key to notes: Prog=OA Programmer language, Apps=Application development, Db=OA Database, SS=OA Spreadsheet

For a free listing on this page email Michael Paine.

Note: Inclusion on this list does not imply endorsement by the Australian Open Access User Group. The Group is not responsible for the quality of work performed by these consultants. 

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Open Access, DOS & PC Links

[Open Access] [Microsoft Products] [Operating Systems & Hardware] [Virus Detection] [File/Disk Management] [Y2K] [Graphics & Utilities] [Shareware & Downloads] [Internet]
 

Open Access

• OA Dealer in Australia - Marc Sapper - contact him for the Y2K patch
• Open Access Tips and Tricks (book) - PLEASE READ BEFORE ASKING FOR HELP
• Running OA under Windows NT.
• DISPI Netherlands - OA technical support and products - lots of goodies! Contribute to their FAQ.
• SPI-GmbH Germany for Open Access, Windowbase and World Doc. Check out the C-calls
• Huff Communications supports OA4 in the US, and does OA4 software development.
• German Open Access web page is at http://www.klahold.com/oa/. There is also a noticeboard.
• Open Access Online Support Forum (German)
• Waldbauer Buerotechnik (forum) Austria.
• UK website dedicated to Open Access


• Click on this icon to download it for use in WIN95 (the one that worked fine under Windows 3.x doesn't work in WIN95 of course):

Microsoft Products

• Access 97 tips from MS
• Access Tips
• Barcodes in Access
• Getting them to work the way you want
• Creating a report from an existing form (Access 2) and Access 97
• Visual Basic Guide tip: to open a local HTML file using the FollowHyperlink Method specify the address with a prefix of "file://" for example: file://c:\my documents\test.htm
• Excel tips from Computer Consulting
• Power Utility Pack for Excel. Great add-ons and functions. Includes utilities for producing JPG/GIF files from charts and labelling data points on charts. Tip - change the page size of your chart if the JPG is too large.

Operating Systems & Hardware

• Windows 95 Annoyances and sites with similar sentiments
• Do find the Office Assistant (paperclip animation) in Office 97 intrusive, unhelpful and annoying? See how to get the old help system back with these tips (one way is to rename the /Program Files/MSOffice/Actors sub-directory to, say, ACTORSX)
• WIN95/98 Networks and printing: Helmig,Glencove,
• One page intro to HTML, with links. More good tips about the Internet
• Want a DOS WWW Browser? Try Arachne (a Czech site).
• The latest incarnation of DR DOS.
• Larry's World - PC Consumer tips
• PC FAQs
• Iomega Zip Drives - now 250Mb on one disk (not backdateable)
• Ricoh CD Writer tips - faster is not always better!
• More CD Writer tips
• History of computers.
• Winguides - tips for tweaking Windows.
• If you really find Windows annoying - switch to Mac OS X!
  

Internet

• Netscape Unofficial FAQs - hundreds of tips for using Netscape Communicator.
• Netscape 7.0 - tips and release notes.
• Escape from pop-up hell (links) - ZNet - includes Pop-up Killer freeware! Also StartSurfing.

Virus Detection/Internet Security

• Datafellows
• Commandcom for Command Antivirus.
• McAfee
• Norton
• ZoneAlarm firewall software (free for personal use - you will be amazed at how many attempts there are to breach your PC each hour!)
• CERT Home security tips. (CERT is a virus information cooperative that is worth adding to your regular bookmarks).
• Scientific American: When did the term 'computer virus' arise?
• VMyths.com

File/Disk Management

• Ztree is a 32bit file manager that is very similar to Xtree but without the memory limitations.
• Tips and tricks for using Xtree Gold.
• Calypso is a 32bit file manager with an Xtree "feel".
• CuteFTP for transfering files over the Internet
• Active Folder creates a manageable list of popular folders for use with File Manager and some other Windows applications (similar to the Open Access Searching Order that we take for granted). Also downloadable from this shareware site
• A better explorer for Windows? - tip from John Wheeler.
• Partition Manager - divide a large partition into more manageable sizes
• DFSee disk management and data recovery tools.
  

Graphics

• PEERNET.DRV BMP is a universal file (printer) driver that converts Windows documents into high quality, serialized BMP files. It adds a new driver to your WIN95/98 list of printers and, if you choose to print any document or report with this "printer", it creates BMP files on disk (1 for each page of printout). Great for distributing fancy coloured reports from MS Access or Excel. Why did MS provide a (tedious) fax driver in WIN95 but not this sensible/useful utility?
• Acrobat 4.0 (around AU$500!) also provides virtual printer drivers to create PDF or Postscript  files from any printed output.
• GIF Construction Set for creating animated GIFs
• Graphic Workshop for converting between picture formats and managing image files
• Mapedit is a simple shareware program to create image maps on web pages
• Barcode software - Omnibar is a neat TSR which works under DOS and Windows 3.1 (Win95 with difficulty).
• Another comprehensive site for bar codes is Bear Rock.
• For tips on digital video try ZDNet (maybe also  Raley Communications)
• Capture stills off video with Snappy Video Snapshot
• Dazzle (Snazzi?) digital video package works via parallel or USB port. Available in Australia from GDB International.
• Quick reference guide for JVC DVL series digital video cameras.(16K PDF)

Shareware & Downloads

Caution: Microsoft keeps changes its web page addresses and now has a tedious registration system so be prepared to spend ages trying to find what you want!
• Runtime version of Open Access allows you to convert OA databases to dBase format without needing the full version of Open Access.
• ShutDownPlus allows you to run programs before Windows shuts down. Tip: for DOS programs create a PIF (shortcut) that closes the window when the program finishes and call the PIF from ShutDown Plus otherwise the DOS window will stay open. This is a good time to make a backup copy of you Registry files:
xcopy c:\windows\*.dat  d:\backup\*.* /h
• FontLister displays all the fonts installed on your PC.
• Winsite - thousands of shareware programs in a well-organised retrieval system
• MEGA 16-BIT FREEWARE
• Microsoft's WIN95 download page has dozens of "security updates" to try and plug the holes.
• Microsoft have a conversion program for opening Word 97 (Office 97) documents in Word 6
• Microsoft site for tips on Word Viewer
• None of the utilities that come with WIN95 seem to have a facility to search for text within a file. Use the NWDOS FIND command  The file and tips are in FINDTEXT.ZIP.
• LINKDATE program for working with dates in OA Database (written at an OA workshop in 1991) updated to cope with Year 2000+
• GEMFIND shareware for locating gemstones in Australia. Visual Basic program.
• Some WAV files from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
• My Favorites - browse multiple web pages with IE. Plus several other web utilities.
• TaskInfo - Memory and task manager. Shut down troublesome programs without rebooting.
• DriverFiles.net - source of free device drivers
  
See also Web Tour for computing links

Suggest a link to Michael Paine.

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