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and Unsubscribe is at the end of this note. Mailing List Trouble? See http://www.langa.com/help.txt Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win $10,000 !) An easier-to
read formatted HTML version of this newsletter is available on line at The LangaList 2000-06-15 A Free Email
Newsletter from Fred
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I'm almost done with "Resource Leaks, Part Three." It will be
posted next Monday (June 19) on the WinMag site. Meanwhile, the great comments, questions, observations (and the occasional
brickbat) still are being posted in the discussion area ( http://content.techweb.com/winmag//columns/explorer/2000/12.htm
), or emailed to me directly. For example, reader Gus Bell had a couple of very pertinent questions: Hi Fred, I've been following your System resource articles and from
previous articles, had taken your suggestions on minimizing the number of apps
that start up using MSCONFIG. I have it down to what I feel is the minimum for the apps I
utilize most but have two questions. 1) Is there anything I can do to increase the resources
available (not %, actual amounts) or is every system given the same amount?
Would a better video card help or some other upgrade. 2) Are some application types worse hogs than others (games,
instant message services, etc.)? 1) No. The only way to increase the size is to change to WinNT or Win2000,
which have no set size for these areas. See http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-06-12.htm#3
for more info. 2) Yes; you'll have to experiment to see which ones are hogs and which ones
have leaks. Graphics programs and instant-messaging apps also are the two
most-often-mentioned types of applications that cause serious problems. And reader Rich found a nice freeware replacement for Resource Meter: Hi Fred, I posted this to the Resource Discussion.... A
resource meter that I think is worth looking at. It's called "Quick
Resource" freeware, no setup, no changes to registry, 7K download, and
allows you to set a threshold resource level that will trigger a dialog box.
I've used version 1.0 for many months with no problems. A new version 1.22 is
now available for download at http://am-productions.8m.com
. Love your column----Rich Thanks for the tip, Rich. Actually "Quick Resource" is evolving
fast; it's already up to version 2, and has grown to all of 8K <g>. It's a
lot like the standard Resource Meter, but does have some nice add-ons such as
alerts, alarms, and more configurable display options. And you can't beat the
price! Join in the discussion, and stay tuned for Part Three, coming Monday! Click to email this item to a friend --------------( Please Visit This LangaList
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Call it a senior moment. (No, I'm not a senior yet--- but I'm, er, in
training.) I recently suggested you find a friend or coworker who has an older version
of DOS installed so you can access the old-style DOS help system (see http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-06-08.htm#4
). But I completely and totally forgot what Steven Foust and several other
writers were so kind as to remind me: Fred, if you scan your W95 or W98 CDs, you'll find that they
contain a directory entitled OLDMSDOS that contains DOS programs not installed
by default. Programs in the \tools\oldmsdos directory under W98SE are: DELTREE.EXE, DOSKEY.COM, EMM386.EXE, EXT.EXE,EXTRACT.EXE,
FC.EXE, HELP.COM, HELP.HLP, MEM.EXE, MOVE.EXE, MSD.EXE, QBASIC.EXE,
QBASIC.HLP, SMARTDRV.EXE, XCOPY.EXE, XCOPY32.EXE, XCOPY32.MOD Programs in the \other\oldmsdos directory under W95 Upgrade
are: MSBACKUP, APPEND.EXE, EXPAND.EXE, GRAPHICS.COM, HELP.COM,
INTERLNK.EXE, INTERSRV.EXE, LOADFIX.COM, MEMMAKER.EXE, MONOUMB.386,
PRINT.EXE, QBASIC.EXE, REPLACE.EXE, RESTORE.EXE, SIZER.EXE, TREE.COM,
UNDELETE.EXE Programs in the \other\oldmsdos directory under W95B are: HELP.COM, QBASIC.EXE (Nb: MSD is also on the CD, located at \other\msd.) So, you may have all the old DOS apps you need after all. (My feeble defense
for forgetting: I have all this stuff on my hard drive, and thus never go back
to the CDs.) Thanks, all. Now: Anyone see where I put my keyboard? Click to email this item to a friend I recently told you how you can read and reply to your essential email and
conduct business even if your regular PC or laptop is dead, stolen, or otherwise
out of commission. I put the details in a three-part column for Portable Life
that explains (1) where you can get FREE or low-cost hardware and internet
access in almost any city and most larger towns in the US and in many other
countries; (2) how you can access your normal POP-based ISP email (again, for
free) from *any* PC, anywhere; and (3) how you can access your essential files
and documents, even if your PC is totally dead. Parts One and Two were out before; I gave those URLs previously (see http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-05-29.htm#2
). But Part Three was a little delayed in appearing. Here's a URL that brings you to all three parts, in sequence: Click to email this item to a friend -------------( Please Visit This LangaList
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Reader Joseph Goldman asked a question to which I only had a partial answer: The information about sys mem is very good as is the way that
you explained the diff between ram usage and sys resources. Are there any good
programs (freeware is preferable) that will tell me which programs are using how
much ram and sys resources. Thanks for your help. You can always see what's running on your system by typing MSINFO32.EXE in
the Start/Run box, or by clicking to Start/Programs/Accessories/System
Tools/System Information. (Both ways run the same program--- the system
information applet.) Look in the left hand pane for the item called "software
environment." Click on the plus signs to expand the view, and pay
particular attention to the 16- and 32-bit "Modules Loaded." That, and
"Running Tasks," will tell you everything that's going on inside your
PC. But it won't tell you how much memory and resources each item uses. For
memory use, I use the "System Information" applet that's part of the
Norton Utilities: It shows you the size (in memory) of each loaded/running
software element, and lets you drill down to quite deep a level of detail. It
can even show you exactly which general memory blocks each process and dll is
using--- but not how much User and GDI memory each uses. So it's time to call upon the collective wisdom of the LangaList readers:
what apps do you know of that will do what Joseph wants? Please let me know at fred@langa.com
. Thanks! Click to email this item to a friend When we began the recent discussion of all things DOS (see http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-06-05.htm#3
), I used Xcopy as my working example. "Xcopy" stands for
"Extended Copy;" it's a handy tool for moving entire chunks of your
hard drive to new locations: With one command, you can (for example) Xcopy not
only the contents of any given directory, but also the contents of any and all
subdirectories and their contents, too. For a DOS app, it ain't bad. <g> But it can be made better. Reader Donovan Hargan writes: I just read your last newsletter and wanted to
tell you about a little program called xxcopy. It's basically and enhanced
version of xcopy (which I use regularly). Here's the application's home page - The app will soon be appearing on my freeware
site - Enjoy!---Don. Thanks, Don. Xxcopy is an extended/extended copy, I guess: it does all that
Xcopy does, and more. And, it's freeware. If you poke around in DOS, or even use the Xcopy command, Xxcopy might be
worth a look. Click to email this item to a friend -------------( Please Visit This LangaList
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If you think the LangaList is a worthwhile read, just use the
following link to recommend the LangaList to a friend. Your friend just may find
a new source of useful information; I just may gain a new subscriber; and you
just may win $10,000 for your trouble (full details also available via this
link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#1 Or, win a copy of "Poor Richard's E-Mail Publishing:
Creating Newsletters, Bulletins, Discussion Groups and Other Powerful
Communications Tools." This book has been described as "An excellent,
straightforward manual onemail publishing, banner ads, driving traffic and
especially ethics." (Full details also available via this link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2 Either way, thank you, and good luck! Click to email this item to a friend We recently discussed troubles at HotMail (and by extension, other free email
services; see http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-06-05.htm#5
) Here are two easy workarounds for HotMail's "There was an error
displaying this link" problem. Hi, love the newsletter. As a follow up to your discussion of
user problems with Hotmail, I also have the problem of clicking a link and
getting a "There was an error displaying this link. " message.
However, I've found that for me it is related to a timeout issue. If I start
reading Langalist and click on links relatively quickly, I have no problems. But
if I wait a few minutes, which I usually do because it is interesting reading, I
get the error. Hitting refresh on the browser always seems to fix it for me. I
don't know if this is a Hotmail "feature" for security or a bug, but I
just wanted to pass on my experience.Thanks, Sean Selin Hello Fred, I just thought I would add my two cents worth to
solve the annoyances those particular Java Scripts can create when clicking a
link. It's a simple quick way around... right click and open the link (or
frame) in a new browser window. I prefer this route personally in order to not
loose track of sidebar interests or the primary article.--- Elizabeth Williams Thanks to all who wrote in! It's also worth noting that if you read
your HotMail from inside Outlook, you likewise can avoid the "dead link:
problem. However, Hotmail adds a little ad windows to the bottom of your Outlook
display.... Click to email this item to a friend Do you have a home page or website? (It doesn't matter what size.) Please
click over to http://www.langa.com/code.htm,
and maybe you can join the hundreds and hundreds of LangaList readers who have
"Loaded the Code!" (If you've already "Loaded The Code" and
are wondering if your site will appear here or on the Langa.Com web site, please
see http://www.langa.com/link.txt
) Speaking of which: Here's another eclectic sample of reader sites--- some
professional, some very personal: View A Randomly-Chosen Reader Site Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At Aussie Humor Broo's Imaging and Graphics Infotainment Resources for Teachers André van Die Stamford Ct Red Cross Alf Stockton (South Africa) Logistix Performance Sync Kit (Freeware) Click to email this item to a friend Jonas Skov Madsen provides these answers to the eternal question of
"Where do the characters go when I use my backspace or delete them on my
PC?" ANSWER: The characters go to different places, depending on
whom you ask: The Catholic Church's approach to characters: The nice
characters go to Heaven, where they are bathed in the light of happiness. The
naughty characters are punished for their sins. Naughty characters are those
involved in the creation of naughty words, such as "breast",
"sex", and "contraception". Some Protestant sects believe that the characters'
destinations are predestined; and that it's therefore not worth worrying
about--- they'll go where they're supposed to go, according to the unknowable
plans of the OEM. The Buddhist explanation: If a character has lived rightly,
and its karma is good, then after it has been deleted it will be reincarnated as
a different, higher character. Those funny characters above the numbers on your
keyboard will become numbers, numbers will become letters, and lower-case
letters will become upper-case. The 20th-century bitter cynical nihilist explanation: Who
cares? It doesn't really matter if they're on the page, deleted, undeleted,
underlined, etc. It's all the same. The Mac user's explanation: All the characters written on a PC
and then deleted go to straight to PC hell. If you're using a PC, you can
probably see the deleted characters, because you're in PC hell also. Stephen King's explanation: Every time you hit the (Del) key
you unleash a tiny monster inside the cursor, who tears the poor unsuspecting
characters to shreds, drinks their blood, then eats them, bones and all. Hah,
hah, hah! IBM's explanation: The characters are not real. They exist
only on the screen when they are needed, as concepts, so to delete them is
merely to de-conceptualize them. Get a life. PETA's (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)
explanation: You've been DELETING them??? Can't you hear them SCREAMING??? Why
don't you go CLUB some BABY SEALS while wearing a MINK, you pig!!!! Click to
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