Hello!

I am so very happy to say I have not had one problem with my cable modem since the last time I wrote. (Knocking on wood here!) I would, however, like to share information sent to me regarding the DHCP/Cable modems...

Xavier7913@aol.com wrote:
"I feel as if I've traveled the sameroad as you have trying to get my cable modem up and running. I ordered it as soon as it came to my area and it was nothing but trouble for the first couple of months."

"I had the same trouble with DCP and my Mac. A couple of months ago I had my first experience with building a Linux box for a mobile MP3 player and the tech guy talked me into building a Linux-based router/file server/print server to act as my gateway for the network of computers in my house. After the initial difficulties in setting it up, I have been amazed on how well this solution has worked for me. It has been two weeks since I got everything up and running and the Linux box has yet to crash or fail in any measurable way."

Wrynn@esatclear.ie informed me of the following:
"I read about your DHCP problem in My Mac Magazine and saw recently that Apple had released an update to Open Transport which brings Open Transport up to version 2.6. It apparently improves support for DHCP. This might help."

To both Xavier and Jonathan, thank you! As I always say, knowledge is power. If anyone else has stories to share, please send them in. That's what My Mac and the Starting Line is all about--helping other Mac users.

For you Stephen King fans, March saw the issue of the first online digital book by our favorite horror/fantasy author. I impatiently waited for the initial furor to die down. I then went to the Barnes & Noble site http://barnes-noble.com and entered my order. Nothing happened. I thought, okay, maybe they will email an URL to me so I can download my book. Instead, I got a cancellation notice!

It seems that in this particular instance, I needed a piece of hardware that enabled me to read digital books. Well, that got my blood boiling. I wrote emails to Stephen King, Barnes & Noble, and anyone else I could think of. What I found was in some cases you needed this hardware or you had to have a PC. There was nothing available for Macintosh!!! The book publisher ignored the largest-selling home personal computer for the last, what, 2 years?! Is it that difficult to do a PDF file??

Once I was over my initial writing frenzy, the replies started coming in. Barnes & Noble informed me that I needed to write SoftLock. Okay, I did. SoftLock kindly informed me that while PDF files and Softlock are compatible with Macs, the download and installation interface was not. They are working on a resolution.

The best reply was from Marsha DeFilippo, Assistant to Stephen King. She let me know that Mr. King was a loyal Mac user (which I think I knew) and they were not aware that Mac users would not be able to download the book. She then kept my email address on file for further information as it developed. A couple of days later she wrote me telling me that Simon and Schuster now has a Mac version and it was free. I won't tell you how many screens I had to go through. Just click on http://www.simonsays.com/book/book_0743204670.html to get started. You'll miss a few screens that way. I have my copy!!!! Whoo hoo!!!!!

And, my little Mac collection has just expanded. A friend gave me a little Mac SE/30. Gosh, remember when they were state-of-the-art??? I can't do anything except run an old version of After Dark on it, in black and white, no less. But it's just so darn cute!

Now, on to the Helpful Hints! And then, back to the book!

Finding Original Files
Okay, you've got your nifty aliases all over the place on your Mac. You have it set up so you just double-click on the convenient alias and your Mac springs into action. But wait--something's come up for which you need the original file. The alias, for whatever reason, just won't do. But, it's been so long that that your already failing memory just can't remember where it is and a few fast searches haven't helped.

Well, I have the solution for you... click once on your alias, then Command I for Information. And, it will tell you exactly where the original file is. Simple!

Personalize Your Desktop
Who doesn't want their Mac to reflect their very own personality? That's half the fun--and so much more easier and versatile than doing it on a PC. Let's look at desktop patterns first:

Okay, say you are upgrading your Mac and you want to keep some of those desktop patterns that are on your older system. (Notice, I didn't say taking patterns from someone else's desktop. We don't want to run the risk of any copyright issues!) You open your Desktop Patterns as normal (Apple Menu > Control Panels > Appearance or Desktop Patterns depending on which version of the OS you have), click on the desktop pattern you want and drag it to the fresh floppy diskette you just put in (iMac users: store the file on removeable media, a networked machine, or even the Internet in the form of an email attachment).

Then, when on your new computer, open your Desktop Patterns, open the floppy, click the pattern and drag the pattern to your new Desktop Patterns. It's that easy! I was so excited when I discovered this. I was able to move several Desktop Patterns I had from an old Performa to my iMac.

Under Control Panels > Appearance, there are several options to let you further customize your desktop. Themes has a series of preset color schemes to use. Appearance lets you create your own color scheme. Fonts allows you to use your preference of fonts on the desktop. Sound lets you decide what actions you want sound attached to and Options gives you the option of Smart Scrolling and collapsing windows by double-clicking the title bar.

This all applies to OS 8.5.1. There may be more customizable features on OS 9 and I'm sure OS X. Any folks that care to share, write on in!

Internet Site of the Month: Download Stephen King's new ebook, "Riding the Bullet" at http://www.simonsays.com/book/book_0743204670.html.

Barbara Bell
pr@mymac.com