Troubleshooting nVidia and Windows 98 LockupsWritten by Ron Merts
Troubleshooting nVidia/Windows 98/VIA boot-screen lockup:There are times with some older nVidia video cards (i.e. TNT2, Vanta, Vanta-LT and M64) video cards installed on certain VIA chipset motherboards (particularly KT266 and before) with Windows 98 that system will halt either at or just before logon screen or desktop with lots of small green lines at top of screen (looks sort of like grass). This is caused by a conflict between Windows Plug-n-Play tape drive detection, VIA driver and nVidia driver. We have not experienced this with GeForce video cards or with newer KT400 and later motherboards; however, it seems particularly prevalent in KT133 and KT266 boards with TNT2 and Vanta video cards. The solution to this is to remove offending INF and virtual device driver (.VXD) files from Windows. We recommend renaming them as opposed to removing them entirely just in case you ever need them in future – they are only needed if you have or are planning to use a tape- backup device. First make sure you are able to view invisible files and folders: Open My Computer then Hard Drive Select “Folder Options” in View menu Click on “View” tab at top of window Check radio button next to “Show hidden files and folders” Uncheck checkbox labeled “Hide extensions for known file types” Click Apply button then close window
| | PC Doctor+ Guide 20 How To Make Money From Your Web Site (Part3) AffiliatesWritten by Steve Latimer
How To Make Money from Your Website (3) Let's deal now with Affiliate advertisements. What Is An Affiliate Program? In part 1, we discussed how a web site that is popular and has lots of visitors has an important asset - attention of people. Companies will pay to have people's attention because they can then show them advertisements. Even largest of companies have recognised opportunities Internet presents for advertising. So how does a large company feed advertisements to other people's web sites? It could maintain a dedicated section or department whose sole function was to promote and maintain accounts for individual web site owners who had signed up with them as affiliates and indeed some companies do just that. The administration costs to themselves though are quite high. The more common approach is to use a third party Affiliate Company to administer process such as Commission Junction. This is a sensible approach. The third party company can then work on developing efficiency of process itself while advertising company can concentrate on actual marketing of their products. They do this by producing eye-catching ads which are fresh and keep pace with product cycles, promotions and like. The range of companies using Affiliate programs is extensive and includes everyone from high street banks and retailers to specialist web-based companies who have no traditional high street presence. I can think of few high street retailers in UK who are not also running concurrent affiliate programs on Internet. There are quite a few Affiliate Companies. The majority have an American slant. It's easy enough to search for Affiliate Companies on Internet but make a large cup of coffee before hand as you may be there for some time! Why Become An Affiliate? At simplest level it is an additional source of advertisement revenue. The advertisement banners and links produced by advertisers are almost invariably of very good quality. Their presence on your site actually adds to professional look and overall feel of it. By using advertisements from well known companies you become associated, albeit in a small way, with quality brands. Remember if an advertiser accepts you as an affiliate they are giving a stamp of approval to your site - always reassuring! So How Do Affiliate Programs Work? In essence there are three parties involved: The Advertiser who supplies graphics to Affiliate Company and determines commission rate policy. The Web Site Owner who adds HTML code to his site which will display ads. He also looks after site content. The Affiliate Company who administers everything collecting payments from advertisers and collating them into web site owner accounts. Each party has specific roles in relationship and if everyone does their bit effectively everyone benefits. Register Firstly, you need to register with Affiliate Company and create an account. To do this simply visit appropriate web site. (listed below) The registration procedure seems to vary little between Affiliate Companies. The details you need to supply are: Your name and address Other contact details The URL of your web site Details of your bank The Affiliate Company looks after collecting payments from advertisers and collating these to your account. When amount in your account reaches a threshold level it is transferred into your bank account. Select Your Advertisers To select advertisers scan through those available. It's best to pick only those that comply with overall context of your web site. So for example, if you run a site providing DIY tips and instructions you may sign up with B & Q or on-line Garden Centres. You can sign up for more general advertisers but keep those to a minimum. Be smart. In our DIY example, site will attract visitors interested in that subject so DIY advertisements will work best for both you and advertising company. Apply Once you have selected your advertiser you will have to apply to that company’s individual program. Some advertisers are more picky than others and some are so restrictive in who they accept you are left wondering why they bother at all. These tend to be long established, more traditional high street companies to whom whole concept of Internet probably came as rather an unwelcome shock! The acceptance process is usually done by e-mail with administration of process being fairly automatic. Don't be too disappointed if you are declined by certain advertisers. By declining they are not necessarily saying that your site is of poor quality. It's just as likely that it simply doesn't fit in with their current marketing approach. They are entitled to decide their own marketing strategy.
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