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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2002-06-03

A Free Email Newsletter from Fred Langa
That Helps You Get More From Your Hardware, 
Software, and Time Online

Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free!

1) "Magic" Fixes

It's a fact of life in computer maintenance: Sometimes, even when you do everything right, an unknown factor can ruin your work and cause trouble. Circumventing that unknown factor can take a bit of, well, let's call it "magic."

Sometimes, the fixes are small: I recall one time when an office mate complained of a weird pulsation in her monitor: The screen image jiggle just enough to give her a headache. She'd tried adjusting the settings on both the monitor itself and on the video driver control panel. In fact, she tried everything she knew, without success.

The "magic" fix turned out to be simply moving her desk fan away from her monitor. The fan's poorly-shielded motor was creating a moving magnetic field that interfered with the monitor's own electromagnetic imaging system. It simply hadn't occurred to her that an air-moving device could somehow affect the image quality of her monitor.

And that's the case with most nonstandard fixes: What may seem obvious to one person may be very obscure to another.

I recently needed a bit of "magic" myself. I'd bought a new laptop with 128MB of RAM, but I wanted 256MB. The manufacturer charged a truly usurious price for a memory upgrade, so I purchased the additional 128MB of RAM from a respectable third-party vendor.

This upgrade truly should not have been a big deal--- I've added RAM to dozens of PCs over the years, and know all the precautions--- but one of those "unknown factors" was hiding in the weeds, and the system simply refused to make use of the new RAM until I used a nonstandard fix that was truly bizarre and almost nonsensical: You won't find it in user documentation or how-to manuals. Call it "magic," "lore," or whatever... this kind of nonstandard information can be very handy to know.

I'll go through all the details of my nonstandard RAM fix, and an entirely separate software-installation fix you also won't find in most user manuals, in the current InformationWeek.Com column, online now at http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020530S0002

Those items may help you out if or when you encounter problems similar to mine. But collectively, we *all* probably have encountered one or more "magic" fixes, some large, some small. If we pool our knowledge, we all just may learn useful techniques and lore we'd never otherwise encounter--- or even dream of!

Please check out the column, and then join in: What fixes, tricks, tips or techniques have you used that aren't found in normal owner's manuals and how-to texts? What strange, nonstandard, or--- if I may use the word--- "magical" fixes do you know of? See you at http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020530S0002 !

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2) Combating SPAM, Revisited...

Fred: Speaking of combating SPAM, someone pointed me at http://combat.uxn.com/ which has more ways to trace various sources of internet data than I'll ever know how to use! Care to comment on this for us Langa List subscribers? --- R. Dan Park

Thanks for the reminder. We first covered that site almost a year ago ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2001/2001-07-16.htm#1 ) but it's too good to let fade from memory. That page has a variety of WhoIs tools, TraceRoute and DNS lookups, tools to un-obfuscate a disguised URL, ways to see if a site has been blacklisted by various blocking services, and more. Outstanding resource!

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3) More On Too-Large Start Menus

A number of readers had excellent insights into additional ways you may encounter--- and work around--- the "Not All Startup Items Can Be Displayed..." problem. (See http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-05-30.htm#6 ) For example:

I ran into that problem on XP a month or two ago... however my resolution was running at 1024x768, and there was plenty of extra space for the Start menu to be displayed - I was even running with small icons on the Start menu. It happened after I had pinned a bunch of frequently-used programs onto my Start menu - I'd say around 20 or so. As long as I kept the pinned items below that mark, everything was fine - however, anything over would generate the error, even though there was plenty of space left on Start. Everything was where it should be on the Start menu; nothing was missing at any time. Perhaps there's something buggy about the interaction between the Start menu and extreme amounts of pinned items? ---Scott McNair

And this was the first of many emails that pointed to what may be the ultimate fix:

Hi Fred, In the last LangaList, you ran a letter from a reader (Jonny Lieberman) having problems with his WinXP start menu. I think that when StuffIt was installed, it placed a new shortcut in the "root" of the Start Menu. I also had this problem a while back. Jonny Lieberman needs to right click on the taskbar, click on properties, and then click into the Start Menu properties tab. Mr. Lieberman should be able to change the number of "Recently launched Programs" that are displayed on the Menu. He also could remove the StuffIt icon from the Start Menu. Hope this helps! ---Adam Ross

Thanks to all who wrote in!

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4) Open Office, And Software Testing In General

I've gotten a number of emails from people who tried Open Office ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-05-23.htm#2 ), but were surprised when it "took over" office-type file extensions for itself:

While OpenOffice is very nice, I don't like it as much as Office. My question is, how on earth do you disassociate the OpenOffice program from all of my office files? I keep having mini heart attacks whenever I can't see a file. I guess I have to retrain my eyes.

There are two parts to this. Let's start by looking at the installation portion:

If you install almost ANY office suite, it will want to take over office-type file extensions. The software assumes that because you are installing it, you want it to be your office suite and to do all the normal things that office suites do. This is normal behavior---not a bug.

Likewise, if you install almost any graphics program, it will want to take over all your graphics files. If you install a new browser, it will want to take over all your web-related file types, etc. This is normal behavior.

It would be nice if all software asked before taking over any file types--- and some well-behaved software does just that. You may have seen this if you've installed a second browser on your system: Browser makers usually include a startup dialog that asks if you want to "Make this browser my default for Web activities," or something similar. If you say Yes, the browser takes over HTM, HTML, and all similar file types for itself. If you say No, it leaves them alone.

But this is a relatively new thing: When the web first became popular, browsers didn't ask. They just took over web files types. Netscape users went ballistic when they thought Microsoft was hijacking their Netscape file associations; Microsoft users screamed when they thought Netscape was stealing file types for itself.

Because so many people ended up using more than one browser, the software makers eventually wised up and added the "Make this browser my default" dialog to avoid the perception of "stealing" file types.

But most people only have one office suite on their systems, and so most office suites don't ask. They assume you want them to take over all office-type files: DOC, RTF, etc., and so they do.

OK, but what about restoring file associations after you've removed a program? Note that this is not an "uninstall." Uninstalling software does NOT normally restore file associations (or anything else) to the way things were before. It just uninstalls the software in question, period. This too is normal behavior; not a bug.

To roll your system back to the way it was before you installed any new piece of software, you need a "System Restore" function (as in WinME and XP), or a "CleanUp" or  "Registry Tracker" or "GoBack" type application; or (best of all) a system backup. Those tools--- and only those tools--- will put your system back exactly the way it was before, with all files and associations in their original state. A simple uninstall will NOT do this--- it's not designed to.

This is one of the reasons why I'm so fanatical about backups. (See http://www.langa.com/backups/backups.htm ) With good backups, you can safely experiment with ANY software, and be 100% assured you can get your system back to exactly the way you want it.

What do you do if you don't have good backups, or some kind of roll-back software? Well, it's possible to edit file associations manually (via Windows Explorer's Tools/Folder Options/ File Types menu), but it's a bear, and is impractical if you need to change many file types.

For something like an office suite--- which affects many file types--- the only practical thing you can do to restore mangled file associations (absent a backup, or a roll-back tool) is to reinstall your original software. Many newer suites also have a "repair" function that's offered when you start a reinstall: The repair function may get things correctly associated again.

But nothing beats having a good, complete backup: It fixes *everything,* for certain. To me, operating without a good backup is like tightrope-walking without a net, especially if you're going to experiment with new software.

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5) Another Way To Revert To An Old Version

While backups are the best way to revert to an earlier version of software, especially for complex suites of software (see item #4, above), there's another option for some simpler kinds of programs--- especially some componentized freeware/adware tools:

Have you ever downloaded a new version of a software program and, after using it for a while, figured out you didn't like it and wanted to go back to the old version? Old versions of software can be extremely difficult to find. That's where OldVersion.com comes in.

The site has multiple versions of 24 software titles, including AOL Instant Messenger, GoZilla, and several file-sharing apps such as Morpheus and LimeWire.

Old versions of software are especially great when a new version contains spyware. Older software is also helpful for people who have old computers that aren't powerful enough to run the latest version of a particular program.  ---Timothy Jordan

Thanks, Timothy! The site at http://oldversion.com/ currently contains 215 versions of 26 different programs, including:

Ad-aware
Adobe Acrobat
America Online
AOL Instant Messenger
BulletProof FTP
CuteMX
Eudora
GetRight
GoZilla
ICQ
Internet Explorer
LimeWire
mIRC
Morpheus
MSN Messenger
Napster
PowerArchiver
QuickTime
RealPlayer
Scour Exchange
Winamp
Windows Media Player
WinRAR
WinZip
Yahoo Messenger
ZoneAlarm

Cool!

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6) New Month, New Chances!

It's a new month, and right now your chances are the best they'll ever be! To have a shot at winning a no-strings $30 Gift Certificate for any item at Amazon.Com--- books, software, hardware, kitchenware, toys, and more--- 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 a mini-shopping spree! (Full details also available via this link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2

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.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=143182

Either way, thank you, and good luck!

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7) Free "Registry Robot"

Frequent contributor George C. Tullius writes:

REF: Old IE4 Speedup Tip Still Works On IE6 ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-05-30.htm#2 )

Fred: A utility from PCMagazine will actually do this for you, and works in all IE version and all OS's, it will not apply tweaks that that are not applicable to your system and or browser.

PC Magazine's popular User to User column publishes numerous tips for improving system performance or correcting problems. Frequently these involve tweaking the Windows Registry, which is potentially dangerous. If you make a mistake in applying a tweak, or apply one that's not relevant to your Windows platform, you can cause problems instead of solving them. And unless you remembered to back up the branch of the Registry that you're editing, you may not be able to undo the tweak. Because of these dangers, some readers are afraid to take advantage of Solutions items that involve tweaking the Registry.

RegistryRobot applies specific Registry tweaks safely, with the built-in ability to undo any tweak if you don't like the result. It comes with a database containing dozens of popular tweaks. Only tweaks that relate to your operating system or Internet Explorer version are displayed - if it's not relevant, you never see it.

RegistryRobot runs under Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT4, Windows 2000, and Windows XP, and includes tweaks related to Internet Explorer versions 4, 5, and 6. Under Windows NT4, 2000, and XP, some of the tweaks require Administrator privileges. The Delphi 6 source code is provided with the utility for those interested in seeing how it works.

Thanks, George.

The utility is at http://www.pcmag.com/article/0,2997,s=1479&a=26474,00.asp ; you have to register before downloading (it's free). Some of the Registry Robot's available functions let you specify values for various Registry settings; others are hard-coded in "take it or leave it" form, where you have to accept or reject an entire group of related adjustments, as-is.

The "MaxConnections" tweak is found under Network/Performance/"Increase simultaneous HTTP 1.0 sessions."

While that setting is user-adjustable, note that many other networking variables that the Robot offers (in other sections) are NOT user-adjustable. These include important settings such as RcvWindow (or "TcpWindowSize"), TTL and MTU.

In my case, I've laboriously hand-tuned those settings using the free tools at http://www.dslreports.com , and know that the values I have are better (for my specific setup) than the generic settings offered by the Registry Robot.

To me, this suggests that you should use the Registry Robot with great caution, because the settings it offers--- while simple to invoke---  may not be optimal. On the other hand, if the built-in settings work for you, you'll find the Robot fabulously simple to use.

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8) 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/randomlink.htm

Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At
http://www.langa.com/readersites.htm

Hats For A Good Cause
http://www.hatsoff-to-chemo.org/

Structured Wiring
http://www.swhowto.com/

Barbeque's Gate
http://barbeque4.tripod.com/

CA Lending
http://www.ca-lending.com/

Baker's Keyboard Lounge
http://www.bakerskeyboard.com/

Todd's Home on the 'Net
http://home.insightbb.com/~toddmeuth/index.html

Kettle River, BC
http://www.kettleriverrv.com/

Online architectural design/drafting
http://www.petersenonline.biz/index.htm

Gourockpark.co.uk
http://gourockpark.homestead.com/gourockparkbc.html

Mike Tech
http://www.michaelhibbs.co.uk/

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9) Restore A Mangled Partition Table

Hi Fred: The inevitable happened. My luck ran out. While in the process of trying to act like a responsible adult by making a good backup of my system, one of the partitions on my hardrive went POOF!! After the trauma subsided I began searching the Internet for the utility that we all hope we will never need. I found it at http://www.partition-recovery.com/partition.htm . I was able to recover the partition for a very reasonable price. The utility works on both FAT and NTFS partions, and fits on a bootable floppy disk.

Thanks for a great newsletter, Tom Kifer

Thanks, Tom. That's a $30 tool. There are other tools in that price range, and commercial-quality software may be the best choice when your data's at stake. But there's some good disk-repair freeware out there too. See: http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,6170,00.asp
http://windows.about.com/cs/diskpartitionsw/
http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Utilities/Disk_Maintenance_and_Repair_Utilities/indext.html
http://www.diydatarecovery.nl/~tkuurstra/other.htm

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10) Just For Grins

Karl Decker sends along these "TODDLER PROPERTY LAWS:"

1. If I like it, it's mine.
2. If it's in my hand, it's mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
4. If I used it a while ago, it's mine.
5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
6. If I was thinking about using it in the future, it's mine
7. If I am doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.
8. If it looks like mine, it's mine.
9. If I think it's mine, it's mine
10. If I.....Oops! I am sorry, I goofed! Instead of listing Toddler Property Laws
I have been quoting Bill Gates' primary Business Plan!

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11) Plus! Edition Reader Reaction and Highlights

Fred: I am an IDIOT! Have been receiving the standard edition of Fred's "Langalist" for about a year now. Turned a good friend onto to it also. Decided to find out about the "Plus" edition and discovered it's only 12 bucks a year. It's certainly worth that and more for all the great stuff I've received under the *standard* banner. I've now subscribed to the Plus edition and given a gift subscription to my friend. What a dope I've been! Fred, you really need to let people know how ridiculously inexpensive this newsletter is... beat them over the head with the price (wish I'd known sooner).---Phil M

Thanks, Phil. Consider it done. <g>

Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains all ten items above, plus about 30% more content including:

• New Free Driver Download Site
• Reader's Real-Life Linux Distro/Tool/Apps Report
• Excellent Third-Party XP Info Site

And yes, a subscription costs just $1/month, or $12 for a full year's subscription. <g> Plus! Edition info: http://www.langa.com/plus.htm 

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See you next issue!

Best,

Fred

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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