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The
LangaList
Standard
Edition
2001-03-05
A Free Email Newsletter from Fred
Langa
That Helps You Get More From Your Hardware,
Software, and Time Online
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Contents: 1) 10 Ways To Make Windows ME
Run Better For even more
content, downloads and special services, |
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1) 10 Ways To Make Windows ME Run Better
If you're using Windows Millennium Edition and aren't completely happy with it, the article at http://content.techweb.com/winmag//windows/features/merunbetter/02.htm just might show you what you need to unlock WinME's potential.
I wrote that "10 Ways" article after weeks of experimentation with a copy of WinME that I received on a new PC (there was no other OS choice for that model). Although the new system was supposed to be very fast, it didn't feel that way, and careful benchmarks proved that WinME was not, in fact, delivering all the hardware's potential. I set out to find ways to speed things up--- and the article was the result.
It's a companion article to a similar piece called "10 Ways To Make Windows 98 Run Better" ( http://content.techweb.com/winmag//windows/features/98runbetter/default.htm ). In fact, because WinME is essentially just a modified version of Win98SE, almost all the tips in the Win98 article apply to WinME too. But the WinME article doesn't repeat the Win98 tips, and instead focuses on additional steps WinME users can take.
But there's a catch: WinMe is an OS designed for relative novices; however
some of the steps required to make it fly are probably beyond the safe reach
of novices. Other steps involve turning off or removing some of the
"safety net" features built into the OS. And even experts may balk
at some of the more extreme steps I'll suggest. So let's start with some
general advice:
First, if you're using WinMe and you like it, leave it alone. Don't make
needless changes to your OS, especially as some of the changes I suggest in
the article are hard to undo. Likewise, weigh each of my suggestions against
the likely benefit you'll gain: Don't tear apart a working OS or subsystem
unless you believe the results will truly be worth it.
And before doing any significant work on any PC running *any* operating system, always make a full backup. In addition, with WinME, you also can make a "Restore Point" (click Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Restore; or click \windows\system\restore\rstrui.exe; and select "Create a restore point") before each and every minor change. That way, you can get back to where you were before if something goes wrong, or if you don't like the results.
In any case, if you're using ME either by choice or because it came with a new PC-- and if you're not fully happy with it--- please click on over to http://content.techweb.com/winmag//windows/features/merunbetter/02.htm and check out the tips waiting for you there.
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2) Juno Replies
The recent coverage of Juno's plan to take over the spare CPU cycles of its users' PCs finally got a reply from Juno itself in the form of a "Dear Juno Member" letter from Charles Ardai, the President and CEO of Juno Online Services, Inc.
Reader Richard A. Levin was one of many (millions?) to get that letter, and he wrote:
Today I got Juno's announcement of the Virtual Supercomputer. You probably will get 1,000 copies of this so I won't forward it but I was going to comment anyway.... When you read the announcement it is painted as much more benign. They specifically say they aren't going to do things the terms of service allow. Well, we both know which is the ruling legal authority....Your warnings about this proposal are all on target.
Indeed, the letter intends to be very reassuring: The "Virtual Supercomputing project" is all voluntary, it's all up-and-up, no one has participate, the project is only beneficial, etc etc etc.
But let's be real: As Richard says, the letter is not legally binding. (In fact, it's based on a *press release* from some time ago: http://www.juno.com/corp/news/supercomputer.html )
The only language that matters, legally, is in the Terms of Service contract. According to that, the only element of being voluntary is that you have a choice to use Juno or not. According to utterly-clear language in the TOS (and contrary to the happy-talk President's letter) if you use Juno, they can take over your system, period.
For citations from the TOS, or links to everything you need to know about Juno's plan, click on over to http://www.byte.com/column/BYT20010222S0004 .
I was skeptical about Juno before. But now--- seeing a happy-talk and legally worthless letter that is directly contradicted by the legally binding Terms Of Service--- my skepticism has vanished. Until and unless Juno changes its TOS to match the kinder, gentler, noninvasive tone of the president's letter, I have to conclude that Juno is consciously trying to obscure what they're really doing.
Perhaps there's another explanation for why the TOS would say one thing while the promotional materials say something else. But I can't think of one.
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3) 9,000 Ways To Back Up Your Registry <g>
Uncle! I give up! 8-)
In the last issue, I wrote about 'A Free "Go Back" or "System Restore" Tool' ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2001/2001-03-01.htm#3 ) which was a pair of simple, infinitely modifiable, and extremely clear batch files that could backup and restore the Win9X registry and other important system files.
Many, many (did I mention "many?" <g>) readers sent in their own favorite Registry backup tools. Thank you!
My needs were very specific to the task I was trying to accomplish. I had mentioned that was I was looking for something fast and easy to implement; and for something I could dissect and modify and thus be 100% sure of *exactly* what system components I was and was not backing up. So, I wasn't looking for a typical EXE-based program whose internal operation is opaque to casual inspection; nor for tools with .Cab-file outputs where you can't easily see and verify what's in the backup.
There are other times when using other backup methods would be fine. And when that's the case, there's a world of choice: Just pop over to your favorite download spot and search for "registry backup" and you'll find an amazing number of choices of varying complexity.
As just one example of many, John Berger sends this along:
Thanks for another great letter. I took a great interest in the 'GoBack and System Restore' section. While looking around on the 'net for DOS help, I somehow ran across this little program called COP 2.2. It does exactly what those others do, but it seemed to me it was a bit simpler, and it did a little more. I'm not putting anything down, but even a novice can use this program, because its instructions and interface are very simple and well thought out, at least to 'me' it is <g>.Here's where it can be downloaded: http://www.bootdisk.com/cop.htm
Thanks, John.
In fact, Cop is a series of small executable and batch files that interact thusly:
- Backs up your Windows registry and system files
- Has RESTORE, VERIFY, and UNDO functions
- Includes FIX and OPTIMIZE Registry functions for Win98
- MRCLEAN removes temporary/internet/cache files and cookies
- Includes useful batch files to make editing system files easy
- Reports all actions as they happen | Gives you chance to abort
And it's free.
But again, this is just one of literally hundreds---possibly thousands--- of similar programs. Just poke around the net a bit, and you're sure to find a Registry backup solution that's just the right mix for *your* specific needs.
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4) Heads Up: New Site Opening Soon!
I've opened a third(!) web site to run alongside the other two that support this newsletter: You probably already know about Langa.Com, and if you've downloaded the free files there, you may have noticed that the downloads were handled by a mirror site I maintain at Freetune.Com. But even splitting the files across two sites wasn't enough to keep Langa.Com within its already-high bandwidth allocation (it's already a "platinum level" site, in Verio-speak, but still routinely blows through the data-transfer limits there). So I've recently launched a brand-new "LangaList.Com" to help share the load.
(Yes, I know about "unlimited traffic" web hosts, but none I've tried has been up to the demands you people put on a site. <g> Also, "unlimited traffic" is not the same as "unlimited bandwidth;" and despite claims to the contrary, no host really has or offers the latter--- it doesn't exist. Plus, many "unlimited traffic" hosts severely constrain their actual delivered bandwidth, so the "unlimited traffic" sites actually offer very poor performance. It's that old thing again: No such thing as a free lunch.)
Over the next few days and weeks, I'll be relocating some of the most heavily-accessed files and sections of Langa.Com to the LangaList.Com site. If you navigate directly from links in this newsletter and on the Langa.Com site, everything should happen smoothly and transparently.
But if you've hard-wired sub-sections or pages of Langa.Com into your Favorites or Bookmarks, or if you use a web-accelerator or other tool that employs a Hosts file (or similar technique) to hardwire specific IP addresses for sites and pages, some Langa.Com and Freetune.Com links may falsely *appear* to be broken when the pages move to a new IP address.
I'll have specific information as the move progresses, but I wanted to make sure you knew in advance about the pending changes so you won't think that Langa.Com is broken, when in fact, it's simply growing (again!).
Also: Langa.Com and Freetune are both hosted on Unix/Apache servers, but LangaList.Com is hosted on a Win2K server, which affords some additional options and benefits I'll be rolling out over the next few weeks and months.
Stay tuned for more info!
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5) "Joey" Got His $30 Gift Certificate. Want One?
A reader who calls himself "Joeymacaroni" (!)
just got his no-strings $30 Gift Certificate for any item
at Amazon.Com--- books, software, hardware, kitchenware, toys, and more. He got it by using the "Recommend" link at
http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2
.
If you use that link to recommend the LangaList to a friend, your friend may find a new source of useful information, I may gain a new
subscriber; and you just may win a gift certificate, just as Joey did. (Full details are available via that link.) The more times you
make a recommendation, the greater your chances are of winning!
Or, if you'd like to try to win $10,000 (really!), try this link (full
details also available here): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#1
Either way, thank you, and good luck!
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6) More CDR Backup Questions
In recent issues, we've gone over many options of creating stand-alone, self-contained backups on inexpensive burn-it-yourself CDs: See http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=%22drive+image%22&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 for example.
The 10-second description: I make a "image" of my C: drive on my D: drive, and then "burn" that image to a CD for long-term storage; I also add the DOS restore files to the CD so everything I may need to restore the image is right there on the CD.
But questions keep coming up. For example, Patty MacDuffie asks:
I'm not sure why you're going through all those steps to get a self-contained bootable, restorable backup on CD. The DI manual is quite confusing on this point, but if you simply create your image on a blank CD, DI automatically puts all the DOS files on it and makes the CD bootable, no other steps are required. I've done it that way and restored a partition into unpartitioned free space on my drive without a hitch. I simply put the CD with the image on it and booted the machine. DI starts up, I chose restore and that was essentially it.
This is true: If you opt for this one-step method, DI will try to cover your buns and add DOS boot files and a DOS "packet driver" so the CD can self-restore.
The problem with this approach is that you *don't* have a local copy on the hard drive. Those local copies increase redundancy and also make it easy to selectively restore single files from the image (you can't do that from a CD-based image until you copy it to your hard drive first anyway). It's also much faster to do a restore from a hard drive than from a CD.
If you don't want the extra redundancy or speed and don't need an easy way to pull a particular file from a recent backup, then my method is needlessly complex. If those things do matter to you, then DI's direct, one-step method may be over-simplified. As with most things we discuss here, there are few absolute answers: I can tell you what works for me, and other readers share what works for them, but ultimately we all have to call our own shots, creating methods and practices that suit our own particular situation.
And that's when things work best--- when it's just the way *you* want it to be. 8-)
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7) They Loaded The Code
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
http://www.langa.com/cgi-local/rand_link.plManually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At
http://www.langa.com/readersites.htmPrivacy and Spying on the Internnet
http://www.isn.net/~deighanj/privacy-examples4.htmlBluegrass Festival Millbrook, Alabama
http://www.wrygrass.com/Sierra Scenes
http://www.sierrascenesmag.com/"Roman (Motion) Pictures"
http://www.roman-pictures.com/Martee's Corner of the Web
http://martee.home.netcom.com/The Quarterdeck
http://hawkeye.canada.webjump.com/Intro To The Internet (Seniors-Oriented)
http://www.homestead.com/markborison/web.htmlRich and Tim; An Acoustic Duo.
http://pages.zdnet.com:8083/beers66/richandtim/Computer Tamer
http://www.acscomputertamer.com/Visual Intensity
http://visualintensity.com/
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8) Netscape 6.01 and WinME
I haven't tried the above combination yet, but reader Lawrence Golodner has:
Following an article in the Wall Street Journal, I again installed Netscape 6.01 (was previously 6.0). After a full installation, it still caused an error in "xpcom.dll" and crashed. The crash was repeated each time I tried to openNetscape 6.01. I have a new computer (Micron) with Millennium. Thus the new version of Netscape still is not compatible with Millennium. I used Norton Clean Sweep, the ADD/Remove control panel, and direct deletion of the Netscape 6 Registry entry. In Windows, Clean Sweep could not delete the file "A0031524.CPY" which was protected even though I deleted it from the Registry. However I went into Safe Mode and Norton Clean Sweep completed the deletion of the last 23,232,512 bytes including the "A0031524.CPY" file. I am going to stick with Norton Communicator 4.76 which crashes now and then. When I have to complete [forms on a certain web site] , I use Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 which has no trouble going through the questions and answers whereas Netscape 4.76 most times gets stuck by question five of ten...
Anyone else having WinME/Netscape issues?
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9) Just For Grins
Kevin Buchman sends along this boomer-oriented riff on "WHAT A DIFFERENCE 30 YEARS CAN MAKE:"
1970 Long Hair
2000 Longing for hair1970 The perfect high
2000 The perfect high yield mutual fund1970 KEG
2000 EKG1970 Acid Rock
2000 Acid Reflux1970 Moving to California because it's cool
2000 Moving to California because it's warm1970 Growing pot
2000 Growing pot belly1970 Watching John Glenn's historic flight with your parents
2000 Watching John Glenn's historic flight with your children1970 Trying to look like Marlon Brando or Elizabeth Taylor
2000 Trying NOT to look like Marlon Brando or Elizabeth Taylor1970 Seeds and stems
2000 Roughage1970 Our president's struggle with Fidel
2000 Our president's struggle with fidelity1970 Paar
2000 AARP1970 Killer weed
2000 Weed killer1970 The Grateful Dead
2000 Dr. Kevorkian1970 Getting out to a new, hip joint
2000 Getting a new hip joint1970 Rolling Stones
2000 Kidney stones1970 Being called into the principal's office
2000 Calling the principal's office1970 Peace sign
2000 Mercedes logo1970 Parents begging you to get your hair cut
2000 Children begging you to get their heads shaved1970 Take acid
2000 Take antacid1970 Passing the driver's test
2000 Passing the vision test1970 "Whatever"
2000 "Depends"
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10) Plus! Edition Highlights:
Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains all the above, plus information about how to consolidate 20+ system items into a single tool bar; eight reader-recommended "cool tool" downloads (7 of them free); a free tool to give you one-click instant access to Win98's hidden utilities; and several ways to customize your desktop with unique tool bars and cascading menus that contain only what you want, in just the way you want.
Plus! Edition info: http://www.langa.com/plus.htm
See you next issue!
Best,
Fred
(fred@langa.com)
Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win $10,000!I)
An easier-to read formatted HTML version is available in the "Current Issue" section of http://www.langa.com. (The HTML version of each issue normally is available by 9AM EST [UT-5] of the issue date.) All past LangaList issues are also available at the Langa.Com site.
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Disclaimer: (Please see full disclaimer here: http://www.langa.com/legal.htm.) Abbreviated version: The tips and other information given in the newsletter are researched and are believed to be accurate, but we cannot and do not guarantee that all the information here will work on all systems, for all users, all the time. All information herein is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind. Neither Langa Consulting LLC, nor its employees nor contributors are responsible for any loss, injury, or damage, direct or consequential, resulting from application of any information presented here.
This newsletter is a service of Langa Consulting LLC and is Copyright © 1997-2005Langa Consulting LLC. All rights reserved. LangaList: ISSN 1533-1156