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Newsletter from Fred
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Thweeeet! Everybody out of the pool!
8-) I've been getting a *lot* of email
along the lines of: "I tried to run the cleanup batch files, but they
wouldn't work in WinME." Or: "Gosh, these files don't work in
Win2k!" Or: "The instructions say to click on the batch file to run
it, but also that the batch file must run from DOS; how can I click it from
DOS?" I believe these questions are due
mainly to two factors: (1)There's a boatload of new LangaList readers
(10,000 in just the last month alone) who weren't subscribers when the batch
files were originally explained; and (2) almost no one reads the
documentation(!). The cleanup batch files are actually
part of a detailed series of articles on the use of DOS in an increasingly
DOS-less world. The files began as teaching tools so people unfamiliar with DOS
could learn to understand and work with it--- even in DOS-less Win2K and
reduced-DOS Windows ME. The
batch files were never intended to stand alone as "black box" fixit
tools that you'd click on with no idea what they were doing. (Yes, you can use
the CleanUp files that way, but the larger purpose was to use these files as
learning tools so you can modify and adapt them any way you want or need so
you're in control of your own system, no matter what OS or version you're
running.) Newer readers arrived midway through
the series on DOS, and so missed this important contextual information. Although
I provided links to all the necessary background information and documentation
on the batch file download pages--- and urged people to check those links before
running the batch files--- many, many people skipped the links and just grabbed
the files. And *that's* what led to some
confusion: People were seeing the files without a clear idea of what they are or
why they're the way they are, or how they work. So, if you're new to the LangaList
and have been wondering what all this Cleanup stuff is about, or if you're
having trouble, please check the following links. 2) "Save Your Butt With DOS, Part Two" details how to create a custom boot or "emergency" disk -- a better boot disk than the one that may have come with your copy of Windows, or that you can make via the Control Panel "Add/Remove Software" applet. This boot disk will let you start and control *any* PC--- even those with "DOS-free" versions of Windows such as WinME and Win2K, and even those with non-Microsoft operating systems on them: http://content.techweb.com/winmag//columns/explorer/2000/16.htm 3) "Save Your Butt
With DOS, Part Three" gives you links to a ton of great tools and utilities
to finish stocking your DOS toolkit, and almost all the listed items are free! 4) One of the free tools discussed was the original, basic version of CleanUp.Bat; offered simply as a plain-vanilla example of the power of DOS. But even in its basic form, Cleanup.bat was a huge hit. So big, in fact, it demanded a detour in our planned coverage of DOS and batch files; so we temporarily shifted to focus on disk cleanup techniques. "Scrub Your Hard Disk Clean, Part One" was the first such column: http://content.techweb.com/winmag//columns/explorer/2000/18.htm 5) "Scrub Your Hard Disk Clean, Part Two" extended and expanded on the concepts in part one, adding more power and versatility: http://content.techweb.com/winmag//columns/explorer/2000/19.htm This article also explains things such as what the PIF file is and how it works to take you automatically to "pure DOS" when you click on the batch file from inside Windows. OK, with one exception (covered in the next item in this newsletter) we're now all caught up and on the same page. Documentation is a wonderful thing! <g> Next Monday, we'll start to wrap up all this DOS coverage with a column on how you can build your own batch files--- or alter those of others--- such as Cleanup.Bat! Stay tuned! Click to
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One particular batch file issue that
many people wrote about was the "ScanReg /OPT" command that
automatically compacts your registry. I added ScanReg /OPT to the last version
of CleanAll.Bat. (See http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-10-02.htm#2
) Microsoft ships a two-part Registry
maintenance tool with Windows 98. (If you're not running Win98, see the next
item in this newsletter for an alternative to ScanReg.) The two parts of ScanReg are called
ScanReg and ScanRegW. They have similar names because the files perform related,
complementary functions in helping to maintain the Registry. But they are
entirely different files: ScanRegW can ONLY run from inside Windows and ScanReg
can ONLY properly run from outside Windows, in pure DOS. "Pure DOS" means DOS
without Windows. It doesn't mean "inside a DOS window when Windows is still
running and active." If you try to run ScanReg from Windows (or from a DOS
window) you'll either get an error message, or ScanRegW will silently take over
and run instead. CleanAll.Bat also must run only from
pure DOS; this is stated in the documentation, within the comments and in the
opening screen of the batch file itself. Also, if you follow the instructions on
the download page and load both CleanAll.bat and CleanAll.Pif to C:\, and then
double click on CleanAll.Bat, the PIF file will automatically and correctly
switch you into pure DOS and back again. But, as alluded to in item #1 (I
want to say this as gently as possible), many people don't follow instructions
or read documentation. In this case, if someone disregards the directions and
runs CleanAll from Windows (that is, in a DOS window while Windows itself is
still running) he or she will get an error message: ScanReg /OPT can't run from
inside Windows. The solution to this problem is
simple: Just follow the CleanAll directions. 8-) When you run CleanAll the right
way, from pure DOS, this particular problem with ScanReg goes away. The second problem is that /OPT is a
hidden command. Some readers dropped to pure DOS and typed SCANREG /? to see a
list of all available commands. "OPT" was not listed, and so these
readers assumed that OPT was not a valid command. That's a reasonable assumption,
but--- due to a very weird decision on Microsoft's part--- it's an erroneous
one: OPT *is* a valid command for the Win98 versions of ScanReg. For example, in
one KnowledgeBase article ( http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q201/6/55.ASP
) Microsoft specifically states, "The /opt command-line switch causes the
Registry Checker tool to optimize the registry by removing unused space."
But for reasons known only to Microsoft, they hid the OPT command. (Duh!) It's
there and it works, but it's not listed as part of the command set. And while we're on the subject:
ScanReg actually does a lot more than compact your Registry: If you're curious
about learning more of ScanReg's tricks, here are some links to get you going: How to Customize Registry
Checker Tool Settings: Description of the Windows
Registry Checker Tool (Scanreg.exe): Diagnosing and Resolving
Hardware and Hardware Driver Problems with ScanReg and ScanRegW: Windows 98 Advanced Tips
for Maintaining Your Computer: Click to
email this item to a friend Users who can't use ScanReg /OPT may
wish to look at other free registry-maintenance tools, such as Microsoft's
RegClean: It runs on Windows 95 and 98; NT workstation and Server versions 3.51,
4.0; and Windows 2000 Professional. You can download (again, for free!) from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=18924 You can find lots of information
about using RegClean at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/support/kb.asp?ID=147769 No single Registry tool does it
all--- but RegClean (and ScanReg, if you have it) cover a lot of ground
and will help keep your Registry running lean and mean. Check 'em out! Click to
email this item to a friend Some readers wondered if I was being
a mite, er, harsh about Digital Convergence using CueCat to monitor its user's
buying patterns. (See http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-10-02.htm#1
) Well, here are some clues as to what kind of a company Digital Convergence
is--- draw your own conclusions: Since CueCat first appeared, many,
many code-warriors have figured out how it works and wrote software that either
let CueCat work on systems Digital Convergence didn't support, or that let
CueCat do things its makers never intended. Even though these uses take nothing
away from Digital Convergence, the company was not happy, and has sicced its
lawyers on the highest-profile hackers. For example, see http://slashdot.org/features/00/09/01/149223.shtml
and http://slashdot.org/articles/00/09/05/0548211.shtml
. (Thanks to Dave Methvin of http://www.pcpitstop.com
for those URLs.) Apparently, DC wants to control any
use the CueCat might ever be put to: Even when they give a CueCat to you, they
*don't* want you to do anything with it other than what they want you to. In
fact, the user agreements now state that when you get a CueCat, it isn't really
yours; it's theirs; and, essentially, you can only use it in the way they want
you to. Reader "Tom" also was
unhappy with the CueCat for another reason: Not only does it keep a
record of what you visited, but when you scan a code that it doesn't know, it
asks YOU to tell them what product you scanned and asks if you know a URL for
that company. They not only want to snoop on you, they want you to help them
build their database. Finally, reader Brad Loomis shot
down the last quasi-legitimate argument in favor of the CueCat--- the one that
goes, "Well, at least it's handy to be able to decode bar codes and go
straight to a product vendor's site." Brad knows an easier, safer, free way
to do exactly what the CueCat does: Hi Fred: Who needs CueCat
when there is http://www.debarcode.com/deBarcode/html/index.html
? If I ever want to find a company's web site, I just type in the UPC here and I
find out if they do or don't have a web presence. No hardware, no privacy
concerns. Just thought you might like to know. DeBarCode is cool, and works because
a bar code is usually just a representation the Universal Product Code, or UPC;
the UPC numbers themselves are usually printed in standard numerals just below
the bar code. Those numbers are what you type into the DeBarCode site. For example, I picked up an Epson
inkjet cartridge box (it was the closest thing to my desk that had a bar code on
it). Under the Bar Code were the numbers "0 1034381232 1." I typed
them into the DeBarCode site, and it told me the "maker ID" was
010343, the company was "Epson America, Inc.," and that the web site
was at http://www.epson.com .
Slick! Using the UPC this way is fast and
easy--- and there's no scanner, no software, no privacy-risking registration
required; and no Digital Convergence peering over your shoulder. Thanks Brad, and all who wrote in! Click to
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It's too soon to say if it's a
trend, but I've started getting letters from readers who are suffering from
undue noise from their PC cooling fans. Perhaps fan quality is on the decline. For example, reader Mark Labella
writes: Do you know if they make a
cooling fan for the CPU (SOCKET7) AMD 500mhz which doesn't make noise--For some
reason after about 3 weeks of using a new fan, I start to hear it...Thanks Other readers wrote to say their
brand-new systems are very noisy--- so noisy it's hard to tolerate. With a new system, I'd regard an
obnoxiously loud fan as a justifiable reason for returning the system or calling
for a warranty repair: All fans make some noise, but very loud fan noises are a
sign of trouble: a bad or imbalanced or mismounted rotor, for example. Plus, too many PC vendors use really
cheesy fans that wear out fast: They may die prematurely (and the resultant
overheating can destroy your CPU or even your entire system!), or they may just
get really loud. For older systems, one possible fix
is simply to clean the fan, if it's accessible. (For example, a simple box fan
inside the case is easy to get at; but you shouldn't try to clean the fan
inside, say, the power supply.) Getting the accumulated crud off the fan blades
and perhaps adding a tiny drop of light machine oil to the fan bearing might
quiet things back down. Or: Replace the fan with a newer,
quieter one. (You also can replace your entire power supply with a better supply
that also includes a quiet fan.) When you're buying a replacement fan, look for
ball-bearing units; the sleeve-bearing type are the cheaper, noisier, and
shorter-lived variety. PC Power and Cooling ( http://www.pcpowercooling.com/
) is one of the industry leaders in quiet, effective cooling. Another source of
a variety of fan types is Cyberguys ( http://cyberguys.com/
) Look under their "System hardware" heading for case fans and CPU
fans. Click to
email this item to a friend If you think the LangaList is a
worthwhile read, maybe a friend would find it useful too! Just use the following
link to recommend the LangaList---your friend may find a new source of useful
information and you just may win $10,000 for your trouble (full details also
available via this link): Click to
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We've discussed many ways to
"bullet proof" your system using drive imaging (see http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-09-28.htm#1
). But you folks are a resourceful bunch, and the tips keep rolling in. For
example, reader Paul Wells suggests: Fred: Your Langalist is the
best newsletter going and I look forward to it every week. As for bullet
proofing, I have been a user of Partition Magic for a long time. I keep a fresh
copy of my C (System) partition on a second hard drive simply by copying it
using PM. I figure if my system goes south, I'll boot with the PM boot disk and
delete the C partition entirely, then copy the fresh one on the second drive
back to where the "old" C was. Will that work, or am I missing
something? It seems that is what "Drive Image" would be doing. Plus,
with PM Ver 4.0, it is quite easy to go in once a week, delete the backup and
copy a new one. PM does it all and reboots to Windows with minimal action on my
part. What do you think? It sounds fine, Paul, for basic
backups. But note that by omitting the Drive Image step, you're missing out on
data compression of the backups and the ability to store it all on a CD that can
be dropped into any system; and perhaps more seriously, you're vulnerable to any
problem that takes out your entire drive or system. (If your drive goes bad, you
loose both your main system *and* your backups all at once...) But again, as basic backup, it's
fine, and infinitely better than the "no backups, ever" strategy that
far too many people employ! <g> 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: Click to
email this item to a friend LangaList reader "Obbop"
got a surprise the other day: To fred@langa.com " destroy
the great satan " I typed the
above into the Google ( http://www.google.com
) search engine and this was the 1st result........ Welcome to
Microsoft's Homepage: ( http://www.microsoft.com/
)The entry page to Microsoft's Web site. Find software, solutions and answers.
Support, Description Official homepage of Microsoft Corporation... Wow indeed. 8-) (If you want to know why the
Microsoft page comes up in a search for "destroy the great satan,"
you'll find one clue in the particular Google category the search results are
part of. Remember, Microsoft makes more than OSes and business tools. 8-) ) Click to
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