| Community Center Reservations | 610.436.6019 | answering service (was Winfield Hall) |
| Hershey’s Mill Golf Club | 610.431.1600 | |
| HM Golf Pro Shop | 610.692.6592 | |
| Hershey’s Mill Landscaping | 610.692.2649 | hmland@comcast.net |
| Hershey’s Mill Security Center | 610.436.6403 | |
| HM Security Director | 610.431.4006 | |
| Hershey’s Mill Pool | 610.692.8473 | |
| Hershey’s Mill Wood Shop | 610.431.4248 | |
| HMCTV | 610.436.5922 | |
| Sullivan House Reservations | 610.696.0541 | answering service |
Just copy and paste email address into your email.
For residents with a security or an emergency issue dial 610-436-6403.
Dial 911 for Fire, Ambulance, Police.
by Don Trauger – Kennett (Updated 2-11-21)
Channel 20 began in 1993 founded by Milton Brown then a resident of Newbury Village. He felt this community needed a presence on cable TV to provide communications and entertainment to the residents of Hershey’s Mill. He and a retired KYW cameraman, also a resident, would shoot videos in Milt’s basement. Shortly after, $5,000 “seed” money was borrowed from the HOA to buy an Amiga computer for the TV bulletin board system.
This basic concept has not changed but it has been greatly expanded to fill the needs for this present day community. Along with the TV presence our first TV-Guide was published in April of 1997. It consisted of only 4 pages, 2 of them in black and white. The inside pages showed the grid for the Happenings program times, movies, and tee times. We only had 3 print ads in that issue out of a total of 7 advertisers. Obviously it was a small start but it was the beginning of better things to come.
We started our operation by sharing office space with the Community Center (Winfield Hall) staff. We outgrew the space and moved to the Paoli room. Our on-air equipment was located in a shack where Suburban Cable’s service was connected. Suburban Cable was bought out by Comcast but the shack and equipment remained. Changing our programming required a trip by car to the shack which was located on Greenhill Rd. toward Rt 352 just above our Security building. As we expanded our needs outgrew our facilities of the Paoli room in the Community Center. Wooldridge Construction built our present facility and we moved in 2000. This provided additional office space, a studio and a video editing room.
In Winter the ground around the shack often was a sheet of ice. I was very happy to move our on-air equipment into our present facility. In 2010 we added additional office space a conference room and storage. Our growth and operation of Ch. 20 (now HMCTV) is completely paid for by the advertising revenue we receive from our advertisers. Residents do not pay anything toward the operation of HMCTV. All monies that were either borrowed or received via a bank loan to fund the expansions were paid back quickly.
At the present time the Guide & Digest has been expanded to 72 color pages/issue including numerous articles of community interest. Our advertising now includes over 40 advertisers that have joined us. All of this would not have been possible without our dedicated volunteer staff which has been instrumental in the ongoing success of our station.
Another HMCTV event is our summer concert series which is a big favorite. We try to book the bands that play the songs we all remember. It’s a great summer party!
We also have our own web site at https://hersheysmill.org.This community web site provides residents access to the latest Activities Calendar which is updated weekly, some village events, and many other interesting links. Of course Tech Tips is also there which has past articles that have appeared in Guide & Digest. In February 2010 we put HMCTV on the Internet with the ability to stream our Happenings program. To view Happenings on your computer go to our web site and move your mouse to TV & Digest, then move it to HMCTV and click Original Programming. Finally, click HMC-TV’s Happenings Programs. If you have missed a show or you vacation in Florida in the winter and want to stay in touch, Channel 970 is at your fingertips.
For most of Hershey’s Mill’s history HMCTV was Channel 20. Now that we have moved to Verizon FIOS, it is now at channels 970 (Happenings, Movies and TV Bulletin Board) and 971 (TV Bulletin Board).
HMCTV is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that operates 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, 365 days/year community TV station. It offers our own Happenings program, popular movies, a computerized bulletin board and summer concerts. We also publish the monthly Guide & Digest and a yearly Resident Directory. HMCTV is a separate entity and is not part of the HM Administration
Don Trauger – Kennett
No, I’m not turning this into a financial advice column. But reducing costs may be prudent advice particularly when it comes
to dealing with utility companies. Peco will remove their price caps in January of 2011. Look for a 10-20% increase in electricity
costs. Homeowners that qualify can ask for assistance by calling Peco at 1-800-774-7040. There are several plans available. Also
“smart meters” and radio controlled thermostats can be installed to help lower costs. In 1997 Peco offered us a chance to select
a different supplier for our electricity needs. Look for that program to be revitalized again. Alternative suppliers will offer
rates that may be 10% less expensive. Over a third of PP&L customers have switched as their caps have already expired.
Peco and PP&L are not exactly the target within this article. However, I am going to focus on Comcast and what you can do to lower
your entertainment costs. If you subscribe to any of their services that are above and beyond what the Hershey’s Mill contract
provides, you can save substantially. Verizon is a different story but I’m willing to bet if you called them they would also offer
their lowest competitive rate.
I recently found out that Hershey’s Mill, being a “bulk” customer of Comcast, can avail itself of any current ongoing promotional
program that Comcast offers. What this means that you can call Comcast Customer Service at 215-992-2712 and ask them to review your
account to take advantage of any promotional offering that will lower your current bill. If you don’t receive a monthly bill from
Comcast that means you don’t have any additional Comcast services and you will not be able to benefit from any cost reduction.
Furthermore if your account is adjusted to reflect any current promotions you can call them again after the promotions expire and
renew them again! This way you can jump from promotion to promotion as long as there is one available.
Giving an example, my home savings based on Internet, telephone, HD TV, plus DVR, amounted to over 35%. The same promotional plan
utilized at Channel 20 reduced telephone costs by 65% helped by switching from Verizon to Comcast.
I know some of you haven’t been too thrilled in the way Comcast implemented the switch to digital. The fact that a converter box is
needed to see the channels that we used to have with the old analog system, and also the fact that the digital channels that were
available without a box have disappeared. Welcome to digital. It’s not that Comcast operates differently from other cable companies
in this regard but this is what they are allowed to do under the current FCC rules. Maybe by offering a discount from their normal
rates may make acceptance of Comcast a tad easier.
Discussion of this topic and of course your computer concerns can be addressed when you attend the PC Computer Club meeting. It’s
held the second Tuesday of every month upstairs in the Community Center in the Ardmore Room at 7:00 PM.
Don Trauger – Kennett
Residents that still have Verizon telephone service may have experienced prolonged outages and other varying problems recently.
Basically, most of the problems are related to the deterioration of wiring and delayed maintenance on the main junction boxes.
This situation can also affect Internet service from Verizon. Contrary to popular belief Verizon telephone service is NOT required
to operate our alarm systems. Instead, switching to Comcast Digital Voice and Comcast Internet service can and will eliminate the
insecurity of depending on Verizon not only for phone and Internet service, but for our alarm systems as well.
How would this work in Hershey’s Mill, considering we must maintain full use of our alarm systems? Actually, perfectly well, but read on.
I’ve been using Comcast’s Digital Voice for 3 years after experiencing intermittent noise and static with Verizon’s telephone services.
Verizon tried unsuccessfully to find the problem. A call to the Comcast Customer Service Center at 215-992-2712 set up a mutually agreed
upon installation date. Make sure you ask for any promotional pricing that is available. The unit is a combination cable modem for
high speed Internet service and a telephone adapter for telephone service. It has a battery which acts as a substitute power source for
the telephone adapter in case of a power failure. It will provide power for up to 4 hours of continuous talk and up to 12 hours in
standby mode. You will need to have a TV cable wall jack nearby.
The installer wanted to open up the telephone wall connection to “hard wire” the unit. I convinced him that was unnecessary and to
use the plug-in modular wall jack. He agreed. This avoids any chance of miswiring and causing potential alarm system problems. He used
his cell phone to “port” my phone number from Verizon to the new Comcast service. Outside the house, in the NID (Network Interface Device)
or Demarc connection box, he disconnected the Verizon lines coming into my home. This prevents any voltages from the Verizon system entering
and possibly damaging the Comcast unit. This action isolates the home telephone wiring and makes it possible for all the phones in the home,
including the alarm system, to function on the Comcast system. After some test calls the new Comcast telephone system worked fine. Now, would
the alarm system work? A call to HM Security to notify them of an alarm system test was next. After the call I pushed the panic alarm button
and it sounded for a few minutes. During the alarm test I tried to pick up the phone and was unable to place a call. This is normal during
emergencies as the alarm system seizes the telephone lines so it can send its signal to the Security Office. The alarm system functioned as
it was designed to do. After the alarm automatically stopped I called Security and they verified the alarm test signal was detected. That
basically ended the installation. It took less than an hour. With Comcast Digital Voice all of the calling features, about a dozen total,
such as caller ID, call waiting, 911 emergency calling, are available. You can still use your own personal greeting if desired. Another
Comcast advantage is that if you are traveling and have access to a computer you can log into your Comcast Voice Mail account and actually
listen to your home telephone messages. Turn off your home answering machine and after half a dozen rings or so, all unanswered calls are
forwarded to Comcast. Welcome to this world of digital communications!
Comcast telephone service, which includes all local, regional, and long distance calling, can be as low as $19.99/M. Some additional charges
such as taxes and fees, modem rental, etc. add around $10.00/M to the bill. A one time activation charge of $29.95 also applies. Since I’ve
added Comcast telephone service the monthly cost of my Internet service dropped $10.00/M to $33.00/M. I’m a “Triple Play” customer
(phone, Internet, and HD cable TV) so multiple promotional discounts are available.
As of this writing I’ve been very pleased with the quality, reliability, and cost of the Comcast phone service. Of course the noise and
static from the old Verizon lines are gone. If you decide to join the ranks of digital telephone service just make sure your alarm system
works properly after installation. It is possible that if you have an old style alarm system it may not work with Comcast Digital Voice.
Important note: Comcast phone service also works fine with the visitor’s gate.
Check the Hershey’s Mill website at www.hersheysmill.org and click on Tech Tips. Here you will find previously categorized articles that
have appeared in the TV-Guide that cover many subjects about computers.
To get answers to your questions about computers, please come to the PC Club meeting. The computer club
meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in Hershey’s Mill Community Center.
Last month I wrote about reducing the number of programs that start up with your
computer. This month follows that theme only it is narrower in scope. It involves
only your Web browser, typically Internet Explorer, and the various installed
toolbars.
There are well over a dozen popular toolbars that are available for download or
come as part of other programs that are installed on your computer. To name a few
there is the Yahoo toolbar, AOL toolbar, MSN toolbar, Comcast toolbar, and of course
the very popular Google toolbar. Basically these toolbars are convenient entry points
for searching the Internet for almost anything you can think of plus a myriad of other
buttons that whisk you off to specialized locations. They occupy a location in Internet
Explorer near the top of the window you are viewing. I’ve seen computers that have
at least three of these toolbars installed. This reduces the ability of Internet
Explorer to display the full height of the Web page. Although you can move the vertical
scroll bar to the right of the window to see the full page, it requires you to
manipulate the mouse more than you should. This of course is user preference but it
can be annoying too.
The problem with multiple toolbars is that they have their own behind-the-scene agenda.
Many of them offer anti-phishing, anti-spam, anti-spyware, and a pop-up blocker.
This built-in protection scheme often conflicts with your own installed security
software.
My advice is to uninstall all toolbars. To do this click Start, click Control Panel,
click Add or Remove Programs, click the toolbar you want to remove, then click on
Change/Remove or Remove. For Vista users, in the Control Panel under Programs, click
Uninstall a Program, click the unneeded toolbar, then click Uninstall. I can hear you
now – “I really use my toolbar”. I understand, however Internet Explorer can be
configured to use any search engine you wish without using a toolbar. Open Internet
Explorer and click the tiny down arrow under the “X” in the upper right corner of the
window. Click Find More Providers. Under Web Search are the popular search engine
providers. Google is the preferred choice. Click Google if it is not installed and
click the Add Provider button in the pop-up window. By clicking that same down arrow
again you should now see Google has been added. To make Google the default search
engine for Internet Explorer click that down arrow again and click Change Search
Defaults. Next click Google and click Set Default and OK the window. You should now
see Google in the grayed out search field of Internet Explorer. Type a search request
in this field then click the magnifying icon next to the search field and you will
automatically be taken to Google. The first ten search results will show in the
opening window.
If you insist on having a toolbar make sure only one is installed to avoid conflicts.
Look for where the Preferences or Options are in the toolbar and turn off or disable
all the extra and unneeded security functions it offers. The Comcast toolbar can be a
troublesome toolbar so that one should be uninstalled as described earlier.
I find the pop-up blocker built into Windows to be more than adequate. To use Window’s
pop-up blocker open Internet Explorer, click on Tools, move to Pop-Up Blocker and turn
it on if necessary. Also under Tools is a Phishing Filter. If your security software
provides this function do not use Internet Explorer’s Phishing Filter.
The basic rule is to not run your computer with multiple security programs of the same
type at the same time. Only one anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, phishing filter,
or pop-up blocker should be operational at a given time.
More information about this and other subjects can be obtained if you attend our monthly PC Club meetings. They
are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM upstairs in the Community Center.
Don Trauger
Don Trauger – Kennett
What is a rogue anti-virus? On the computer screen it looks like an anti-virus scan of your computer but it displays
fake infection results. It’s a scam and they want your money to remove it. These nasty pieces of malware can infect
your computer so suddenly that you have no chance to stop them. In fact just about all legitimate anti-virus programs
can’t stop them. “Why is that?” you ask. First of all, these “rogues” are designed to defeat normal anti-virus program
protection. Secondly, the anti-virus definitions are not programmed to look for rogues. In the last few months this has
been the most common type of infection in the Mill. You may wonder how you got this infection. It’s nothing you did wrong.
You simply went to a legitimate web site that has been hacked by one of these perpetrators.
You may have seen the Allstate ad on TV with the actor portraying “mayhem.” Well, that’s exactly what takes place in your
computer when you get attacked by one of these rogue programs. They attack your anti-virus program, often disabling it. They
block Window’s Updates, prevent the start of any program you have installed, and disable many other Windows features. By the
time it’s over, usually within a few seconds, your computer is just about worthless.
All is not lost, however. But the time to do something is NOW while your computer is working normally. Download and install
a free detection and removal program called MALWAREBYTES. This excellent program can be downloaded from www.download.com. Just
type Malwarebytes in the search field and click the little magnifying glass icon. Next, click on MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE. On
the next page, click on Download Now which is on the left side. OK the download by paying attention to a pop-up bar just beneath
the browser’s tool bar. Click on the bar to permit the download to continue. Save the download to your Desktop then double click
it to install Malwarebytes on your computer. As I said previously, if you are already infected you can’t easily install or run
Malwarebytes because the infection has taken over your computer.
Malwarebytes is easy to understand. During installation it will download the current definitions. Double click the
new Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware Desktop icon and it opens in the Scanner mode. Click the Update tab then click the Check for
Updates button to obtain the latest definitions before doing a scan. Click the Scanner tab and choose Perform a quick scan or
Perform a full scan and click the Scan button. Follow any screen prompts.
In some cases it may be desirable, even necessary, to operate the computer in Safe-Mode to run Malwarebytes to remove the infection.
Safe-Mode is a troubleshooting mode that can be utilized by restarting the computer and pressing the F8 key for a second then
releasing it for a second and then repeating the sequence until you see the Startup Menu. Using your keyboard choose Safe Mode and
press the Enter key. Run Malwarebytes as usual.
I consider Malwarebytes an important safety net for anti-virus programs. I urge you to add this program to your computer before
it’s too late because your anti-virus program probably can’t prevent an infection of a rogue anti-virus.
Help with downloading, installing, and running Malwarebytes can be found by attending our PC Club meetings. They are held on the
second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in the Ardmore room of the Community Center.
To get answers to your questions about computers, please come to the PC Club meeting. The computer club
meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in Hershey’s Mill Community Center.
Don Trauger – Kennett
Antivirus software is essential on any computer that is connected to the internet. While most antivirus software is not
really all that complicated, it certainly can’t hurt to have a clearer understanding of how it works, and what it does for
you behind the scenes to keep your PC clean and safe.
Antivirus software works by checking files, programs, emails and disks for viruses, worms and Trojans, and more recently,
spyware. What it is actually doing is comparing what it finds with a list of known viruses – this list is a virus file or
virus definitions file. The software will unpack files to look at and check them, and it then repacks them if they are safe.
If the files contain viruses they will be destroyed or placed in a quarantine zone. Most antivirus software will also attempt
to repair any files that have been damaged by a virus.
If you have antivirus software, you will (hopefully) keep it updated, or set the program to auto-update. When the update
takes place what it’s actually doing is updating the virus file so it knows what to look for when scanning. This is why the
update is essential – without it the antivirus software won’t be sure what it’s looking at! Some of the best anti-virus
programs also look for the suspicious behavior that’s associated with viruses, so there is some additional protection against
unknown viruses.
Most antivirus software works in the background (i.e. you barely notice it when you’re using your computer). What it’s doing
however is scanning all the activity on your computer. Some anti-virus programs also automatically check downloaded files for
viruses, and virus-check your incoming and outgoing E-mail. When a virus is found, it is often removed automatically, without
interrupting your work.
There are a number of companies that provide software solutions to virus, Trojan, and internet worm attacks. It can be really
confusing when you compare different software packages trying to find the one that is right for you. With that in mind, there
are several very important things that you need to consider when choosing antivirus software:
1) How often and how fast are the virus definitions updated. You want the answer to be “As soon as a new threat is found”.
2) Are the virus definitions updated automatically? You want the answer to be “YES”.
3) Can you configure the software to check for updates every time you go online? You want the answer to be “YES”.
4) Is the software “smart” so that it can find viruses it doesn’t even know about yet? You want the answer to be “YES”.
5) Can it scan incoming and outgoing email automatically? You want the answer to be “YES”
6) Can you configure it once to perform automatic scans of your entire computer on a regular schedule? You want the answer to
be “YES” providing the computer is turned on so the automated scan can perform its task.
7) Does it provide a way to ‘clean out’ any viruses etc. that are found? You want the answer to be “YES”.
8) Are upgrades to the anti-virus program performed automatically, regularly, and at no cost? You want the answer to be “YES”.
Understanding the basics of antivirus software should help you understand why you need it, why you need it kept up to date
and give you some clues about how to check if you are considering updating or changing your anti-virus program. You probably
want something that makes the whole task as easy as possible – that usually means automating almost everything. It’s usually a
good idea to add a bit of personal knowledge to the mix. Knowing what your software does helps you know what you should do!
Please come to our PC club meeting to learn about computer security and also get answers to any of your computer questions.
It starts at 7:00 PM in the Ardmore room upstairs in the Community Center on the second Tuesday of each month.
To get answers to your questions about computers, please come to the PC Club meeting. The computer club
meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in the Community Center.
Don Trauger – Kennett
Many people simply use the anti-virus program that came with their computer then forget about it. When the subscription runs out
both Windows and the anti-virus program will warn you that your program is out of date. Hopefully, you won’t renew the subscription
but will look to other sources for protection.
“Why not renew it?” you may ask.
Here are my feelings on the subject. Some assume if you don’t pay for an anti-virus program subscription how good can it be. I can
assure you that assumption is incorrect. Some of the best programs are free. Unfortunately some users have found free programs but
these programs often have other faults such as slow scanning, annoying pop-up windows that display ads to upgrade to a paid version,
or in the worst case, slowing the computer to a virtual crawl.
Two years ago Comcast introduced Norton Internet Security. I tested it and found it to be decent but not great. Recently Comcast has
added more features to Norton Internet Security under Xfinity branding such as Constant Guard, which includes Secure Backup & Share,
Identity Guard, and an Xfinity toolbar. I’m sure this effort is well intentioned, but it appears to me to come at a great sacrifice
to your computer’s ability to function at a reasonable speed. In addition I have found Verizon’s security software, supplied to DSL
customers, slows the computer and it’s not free.
McAfee and Norton are the two most popular anti-virus programs that come with new computers. My advice is not to subscribe to either
of these and instead download Avast Free Anti-Virus and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. These two free programs, in combination, will provide
more than adequate protection. If you wish, both are upgradeable to provide even more protection. Avast Internet Security adds shopping,
banking, anti-spam, and phishing security. Malwarebytes provides real time blocking in the paid version. Real time blocking blocks threats
before they can enter your computer. The cost for Avast Internet Security is $29.99 for 1 year but it also covers 3 PC’s. At this writing,
this is the best price available when you install the free version first then upgrade to the Internet Security version. Malwarebytes paid
version has a one time fee of $24.95.
These 2 programs can be downloaded from www.download.com. Insert the names in the Search field and download the version of your choice.
Since there is other advertising on this site’s Web page to distract you, be careful to only download the programs that you want. Save
them to your Desktop screen to make it easier to find and install. Next step is to uninstall your present security program. For XP users,
go to the Control Panel and click Add/Remove Programs. Highlight the security program you want to remove and click Change/Remove or
just Remove. If you are uninstalling Norton, remove any references to Live Update and Symantec if you see those names. For Vista and Windows 7 users, the procedure is almost the same
except Add/Remove Programs is named Programs and Features.
In summary, I recommend both free programs. Personally, I run both with the exception that I have upgraded Malwarebytes to the paid version.
My reasoning for this is that Malwarebytes with its real time blocking can supplement Avast’s real time blocking. By having 2 capable
programs blocking Internet threats, if one misses a threat, the other should catch it. Also, be sure to register Avast so you get 1 year of
free updates. The free updates will continue as long as you re-register on a yearly basis. Malwarebytes does not require that you register.
Here’s one last tip. Don’t let well-meaning family members change programs or settings on your computer without you personally having
requested them to do so.
To get answers to your questions about computers, please come to the PC Club meeting. The computer club
meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in Hershey’s Mill Community Center.