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News!

10/27/2001 THE END OF PUTERGEEK.COM!  It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that PuterGeek.Com is closing it's doors forever.

I simply no longer have the time, inclination, or funds to keep the site going.  While I am still a geek (at least in my own mind), I find that I wish to use my limited free time for purposes other than maintaining this website.  I wish to thank all of you for your kind offers of webspace and/or funds to help keep the site going, but in all fairness...I really don't know when I'll feel like devoting the time and energy the site needs and deserves.

The site will go offline sometime in the next 30-45 days.  All of you are welcome to grab all the files on the download page just in case you may need them at a later date.  While I have been looking for someone to take over the entire site, I have yet to get any offers.  If any of you wish to purchase PuterGeek.Com and the entire contents please email me at webmaster@putergeek.com .  If you wish to setup a mirror or simply put some of my pages on your website please do.  All that I ask is that you leave the page(s) intact and give credit for their content.

I am working on making a PDF file of the website.  It *may* be put on the download page if I have time prior to the site going down....warning, the PDF will be in excess of 16 megs in size.  As an alterative, you may wish to download the entire site to your 'puter.  There are many fine shareware and freeware programs that can do this for you.

Parting Comments

The following is not sour grapes on my part.  It is simply stuff that I have learned/noticed over the 2+ years maintaining this website.  I hope that future webmasters will read the following so that they may have some ideas of what they can expect from the viewers of their website.

When I started this website, I pictured myself giving to the internet which would then accept me with open arms and give back to me in the same fashion...I was WRONG!

I have found most users of my website to be very selfish people who can not be bothered with pushing a button, voting in a poll, or simply saying a quick thank you.  Case in point... I have some basic boot disks available for download free of charge.  I can't even count then number of times they have been downloaded.  Yet, only 37 people ever bothered to email me with thanks (or other comments).

Let's talk about the Helpme requests:  From the beginning, I have offered to answer email requests for help, sometimes even offering free phone help.  For every one thousand helpme requests I've answered not even 50 people have even bothered to reply...whether to thank me, tell me I didn't help, or whatever...how RUDE!  My mother taught me to always thank people for trying to help me.  Yes, while many of you think of this as normal, or acceptable...I do NOT!  I have had people demand that I call them on my own dime, people get mad at me for not answering their email quickly enough, and have even been accused of trying to trash people's 'puters with my "lame" advice.

Let's talk about the PuterGeek.Com Newsletter (PGCN):  This started out as an email to friends with info that I had gathered from many sources on the web.  Then I decided to offer it to the public.  I would then spend anywhere from 5 hours to 8 or 9 hours creating an issue of the newsletter.  Yet, if I asked subscribers of this FREE newsletter to do ANYTHING...usually less than 5% would ever respond.  Again, people have tried to tell me that it was OK, normal, acceptable....but not to me...doesn't this all sound just a bit one-sided to you?  And again, I received complaints, flames and even a couple of threats for my efforts.  Out of the 1700+ subscribers, there was a core of about 150 loyal people that would take the time to give me feedback, thanks, suggestions, and take the time to click an occasional link or three.

I can not even be bothered to count the number of people who have complained about my website.  What it doesn't have, what is wrong with it, what it needs, what it has too much of, and more crap along those lines.  The fact is...PuterGeek.Com is MY website...I decide what it does and does not have, or how it's laid out, or what colors it uses.

After re-reading the above...I find that it does sound like sour grapes...so be it.  The above is just a small part of the reasons for killing the newsletter and the website.  A number of wise visitors have told me ... "Do it as long as it's fun, then quit" and "Either accept it the way it is or get out."  So, I'm getting out!  The is no such thing as a free ride, and while my website, the newsletter, and my help has always been free ($$$-wise) there has always been an expectation of a thank you, an atta-boy, a smile....and 8 times out of 10, I NEVER got them.

I'm not talking about thanking the webmaster of every site you visit or anything stupid, simply that if you find anything on the web that really helps you, brightens your day, or solves a problem...I feel that taking 30-90 seconds of your valuable time to email a thank you is reasonable.  I do it, my wife does it, and you who read this should do it as well.

All of the email addresses on this website will be killed within the next couple of weeks.  I have saved the email addresses of those people whom have ever subscribed to one of my lists.  If I ever start a new website I will send out a mailing advising you of such.

To all of you who have thanked me (in so many ways), I tip my hat to you.  To those of you who have helped me to create this website, I thank you.  I wish to give a special thanks to the following people:

Old News!

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A quick note about the layout of PuterGeek.Com.  The website is laid out in a hierarchical format.  Think of a tree with branches and sub-branches.

For instance, "White Papers" is at the top of a tree.  Under "White Papers" we have "Dos", "Linux", "Win95", "Win98", and "WinME".  Then under say," Win95" we have "How to Reinstall Win95", "Making a Win95 Bootdisk", and so on.  Get the picture?

Allow me to explain what you'll find in some of the main sections of PuterGeek.Com;

• White Papers:  Here's where you'll find step-by-step instructions on how to do things like making a boot disk, or re-installing Win9x.

• Resources:  This section is kind of a catch-all.  You'll find the Chat page, Downloads page, Links page, and so on.

• Peter's Place:  This is my personal section of the website.  You'll find stuff like the PeterCam, the "My Thoughts" (rants) section, info about me, and all the less serious stuff on the website.

• Life On The Road: Amy and I talk about our life as a husband/wife long-haul trucking team.  Come on in and see what truckers think out on the road.  WARNING: This section is for adults only, due to mild profanity.

• Amy's Corner:  This is where all the web pages that Amy (my wife) writes will be.  You never really know what you'll find in this section...hehe

• Howie's Corner:  Howie is the Editor of The Funnies, a very cool newsletter.  he brings his special sense of humor to PuterGeek.Com.

• PuterGeek.Com's Message Board:  This is a user-to-user message board.  It's very easy to use, and you're more than welcome to post messages on most any topic.

• Horror Stories:  Here you'll find horror stories from people I know, newsletter subscribers, and anyone else that would like to contribute.  These stories are all about 'puter problems, plus they are quite entertaining as well!

A few points to remember when moving around the website;

1. There are links at the top and bottom of every page that will take you one of four places, "Home" (this page), "Site Map", "Site Search", and "Back to Last Page".

2. The "Site Map" is the key to the whole website!  By using the "Site Map" you are only one click from anywhere on the entire site!  Hence, from any page on the website, you are only two clicks from any other page.

3. The "Site Search" page works really well.  Besides being able to search the whole website, you can also search only the newsletter archives.  I use PicoSearch for PuterGeek.Com, it works very well, it's easy to setup, and it's free!  I've also put some query boxes for a few other search engines so that you can do searches of the internet as well.  For convenience, I've added a PicoSearch search box at the bottom of almost every page.

4. And finally, while I try very hard to avoid it, broken links will sometimes happen.  PuterGeek.Com has 200+ pages as of the time of this writing, so please, if you happen to find a broken link, take a moment and email me.  You will find an email link to me at the bottom of every page on the website.

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Last Revised: 07/01/2001

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Thanks for the help Thomas!