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LangaList 2002-07-25 Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free!
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1) Tame System Restore's Big AppetiteIf you use WinXP or WinME, the default settings of System Restore are probably eating a gig or more of your disk space. If System Restore were a full-fledged backup/recovery solution, that might be fine--- but it's not. Instead, you may burn that much disk space without doing much good at all. Even if you don't mind losing the disk space, that extra gig still gets in the way of backups, defrags, file searches, and all other similar activities. It's just so much needless baggage. You can do better--- perhaps much better. In the current InformationWeek column (online now, for free, at http://www.informationweek.com/897/langa.htm ), I'll show you how to overcome the four main limitations of System Restore. We'll also discuss the biggest misconceptions about what System Restore can and cannot do. I'll then give you click-by-click instructions on how
to take full control of System Restore, and illustrate three different usage
plans, all of which are much more efficient than Microsoft's sloppy default
settings. One of these three plans will be right for you, letting you tap into
only exactly as much of System Restore as you really need, without the waste and
inefficiencies of the default settings. Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 2) New Firewall Leak TestsA year and a half ago, we first discussed a "Fascinating Free Firewall Testing Tool" ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-12-11.htm#1 ) from Steve Gibson: The then-new tool was unique in that it harmlessly simulated the actions of a Trojan/Virus/Spyware program by attempting to "phone home" from your computer in a safe and controlled way. This let you see if your firewall or other security tools can detect and block such actions. That original "LeakTest" changed the way firewalls were tested, and caused several major firewall products to be hastily rewritten---when LeakTest proved they left their "back doors" wide open! Over time, other leak tests arrived, including some very clever ones that use real but low-probability techniques that circumvent the normal TCP stack (see "Firewall Flaws" at http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-06-10.htm#1 ). Now, a number of readers have alerted us to head-to-head leak tests of 13 (!) firewalls at http://www.pcflank.com/art21.htm , a site we've covered before. These tests show that while no firewall can stop every kind of leak (as we discussed in "Firewall Flaws," above) some are better than others. In fact, some well-known firewalls fail even the simplest kinds of leak tests! Interesting Sidelight #1: The tests will show you (and give links to) five different firewall leak testers. This in itself is valuable stuff. Interesting Sidelight #2: The tests mention a firewall I'd never heard of before: Look 'n' Stop ( http://www.soft4ever.com ). It doesn't appear to be better than the firewalls I personally regard as the top 2--- Sygate ( http://www.sygate.com ) and ZoneAlarm ( http://www.zonealarm.com ), but it's always good to learn of new options. BTW, don't be unduly alarmed by the fact that none of the firewalls passed all the leak tests. No security tool is 100% secure, or ever can be. (Again, see "Firewall Flaws" above.) But if you use a rational multi-layer defense, the strengths of one layer can buttress the weaknesses in another, leading to an overall high level security. (See "How Much Protection Is Enough?" at http://www.informationweek.com/840/langa.htm for an example of a rational security plan for your PC.) With such a plan, your system will be very, *very* hard to get into, and that's exactly what you want. Thanks to all who wrote in! Click to email this item to a
friend 3) Free: Automatic Copy/Move/Delete On Next Boot
Nice! This could be great for deleting any type of file--- like IE's infamous DAT file--- that's normally in-use when Windows is running. Plus, there's lots more freeware on the page too. Thanks, Gordy! But please note: Although I hope it's not the case with the link above, some sites can't handle the sudden influx of LangaList subscribers. That happened a few issues back with a site I mentioned for automated driver backups: The site was pulled by its web host when tens of thousands of your fellow readers all went to the site within a short time. Some readers ended up being redirected to some weird Chinese, password-protected site; others to an obsolete version of the software. I do check all links before I publish them. If a site is slow, or if I can tell that it's bandwidth-constrained, I'll either not post it at all, or publish it only to the much smaller Plus! Edition subscriber list. But many times, I can't predict how much bandwidth a site has available, and a URL will go bad some hours *after* I've published the newsletter. I'm sorry if you tried to get the driver backup software and weren't able to, but there's absolutely nothing I can do about links that go bad *after* I publish them. All you can do is try again later to see if the link resurrects; or search for an alternate download site. Readers who did that discovered an alternate freeware site at http://site.voila.fr/magitran/windrvexpert.zip and a slightly different shareware version of the program ("WinDriver Ghost") at http://drv.n3.net . If you have trouble with any downloads like these, please realize it's the site--- and usually not I--- that's causing the problem.<g> This is, incidentally, another of the Plus! edition benefits: The Plus! edition is mailed earlier than the Standard Edition, and to a much smaller number of readers. Thus, Plus! subscribers have the first crack at any published sites. Even if there are site bandwidth limits, Plus! readers often can get in before those limits are reached. (See http://www.langa.com/plus.htm ) Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 4) Cheap ISPsAlthough the following letter was prompted by one reader's dislike for AOL, it applies to ANYONE using ANY dial-up ISP: There may well be *much* less-expensive alternatives available to you!
Thanks, Paul. Other ISP-lookup resources
include: There are some remote locations with only one choice, but almost everyone has at least a couple ISPs to choose from. If you're unhappy with your ISP for any reason--- high prices, in-your-face ads, bad service, whatever--- you can usually find another service to try. Click to email this item to a
friend 5) Oversimplified BIOS Explanation?OK, I blew it. In addressing tech issues, I try to strike a balance between providing enough detail to be reasonably complete for advanced users, but not to give so much detail as to make less-experienced readers' eyes glaze over. Sometimes, alas, I screw up. From the mail I've gotten, it appears I oversimplified the "scrambled BIOS" discussion ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-07-01.htm#5 ). I was trying to reinforce the idea that a PC's BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is--- as the name implies--- not a single thing, but a *system* of interconnected parts, usually including a battery. But a number of readers were annoyed that I ended up blurring the distinction between the EEPROM chip (which holds the semi-permanent code of the BIOS) and the low-power memory where variable settings are stored. Other readers thought I glossed over the Real Time Clock issue too quickly. Mea culpa. All I can say is I was trying not to get into details that didn't relate to the problem we were trying to solve. (A likely bad-battery situation.) For your PC to work properly, all the components of the BIOS--- the entire Basic Input/Output System--- have to work properly: That's why it's a system, and not a pile of independent parts. But the BIOS as a whole *is* made up of separate components or subsystems that work together, and my explanation incorrectly muddled this. My apologies for creating confusion. I try for the right balance in each article, but I do sometimes err in over-compressing or over-expanding information. Your emails help me know how I'm doing; thanks for writing! And note: The bottom line advice remains unchanged. If you have a BIOS problem, there's not a lot you can do except for the three steps which we did correctly cover: Replace the external battery, reprogram ("reflash") the firmware, or simply replace some or all of the BIOS hardware which (depending on how your system is made) may be a single programmable chip, or an assembly or IC that includes chip-plus-CMOS-memory, or an assembly or IC that includes, chip, memory, and the real-time clock. And: speaking of re-flashing a BIOS:
Thanks, Joe! Click to email this item to a
friend 6) Larry Braud Got A $30 Gift Certificate. Want One?Reader Larry Braud just got a no-strings $30 Gift
Certificate for any item at Amazon.Com--- books, software, hardware,
kitchenware, toys, and
Larry got the certificate by using the "Recommend" link at http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm . 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 Larry did.
(Full details are available via that link.) The more times you make a
recommendation, the greater your chances are of winning! Either way, thank you, and good luck! Click to email this item to a
friend 7) Excellent Reader-Recommended Mozilla Resource
Thanks, Claire! The whole BBS site at http://www.windowsbbs.com is worth checking out, too. Click to email this item to a
friend 8) They Loaded The CodeDo 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 Learn C (the programming language) And More Brian Hayes' Blog Confidential consulting to senior executives Born In The USA Pennsylvania Jazz Shadow Lords PC Medics NewsHarem (headlines) By Design Outsmart Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 9) Awesome CollectionFrequent writer Chet Kolar suggested an amazing personal site specifically for some of its links relating to cosmology. While it's good for that, I was absolutely floored by the number and range of links on almost *all* topics that this person has assembled. Amazing!
Thanks, Chet. There are hours and hours of good browsing on Jim Loy's site, covering a huge and gloriously eclectic range of topics. <g> Click to email this item to a
friend 10) (Not) Just For GrinsAs you may have noted, I recently took an unusual two-week vacation (or "holiday," as my non-American friends call it). Usually, I only take one week at a time every few months, but this was special: My wife and I were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary, and we wanted a little extra uninterrupted time together. So, we decided to use up our frequent-flier miles and spend a couple weeks exploring the back roads and mountain passes of the Alps, via a self-guided GPS-based driving tour. (See http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020425S0004 for basic GPS info.) It was a great trip! Some tech details: My Garmin V GPS came with a US "basemap" ( http://www.garmin.com/outdoor/ ). On its own, it knew nothing of Europe except for crude, approximate political boundaries. But the Garmin software arm, "MapSource," sells a CD with European road data that you can download into the GPS. I bought a copy of the CD. ( http://www.garmin.com/cartography/mapSource ) Alas, although the MapSource European software is quite complete in containing road and other travel information (restaurants, gas stations, etc.), it's not a "routing" product: You can't input start and end points, and have it automatically calculate a route for you. So, I also bought European routing software from "Route 66." ( http://www.66.com/route66/index.php ) Route 66 generates not only point-to-point driving instructions, but also some wonderfully-detailed maps that include basic topographical information missing from the "flat maps" of the Garmin products. Route 66 also allows for easy programming of arbitrarily complex routes--- even if you're deliberately choosing slower, less-direct, twisting mountain roads. <g> As we planned the trip, I used Route 66 to explore many driving options, and manually input the generated routes into the GPS via the MapSource software. We eventually ended up with a 2100 mile/3400 km route that was mostly on secondary and local roads and away from autobahns and superstradas as much as possible. It took us from as far west as France near Lake Geneva/Lac Leman; to as far east as Innsbruck, Austria; from as far south as Milano; to as far north as Germany's Black Forest. It included a long drive through Alpine Italy (and some gorgeous Tirol national parks); a long loop that circumnavigated Mt. Blanc; numerous high mountain roads and passes (some 8000+ feet/2500+ meters) way above the treelines and where snow was still abundant; and much more--- all by GPS. Yes, there were snags: Neither software package was 100% accurate (none ever is): Some turns and intersections were wrong, mostly due to construction changes that happened after the electronic mapping software was finished. (There's a similar problem with paper maps, of course. It's hard to keep any road map totally current with road conditions.) Ongoing construction detours were also an issue, although this varied hugely country to country. For example, we were surprised to find that the Swiss highway department does not live up to the vaunted national reputation for efficiency. Although Swiss drivers were excellent, highway detours and temporary construction rerouting was often very poorly marked. In some cases, we found the signage on Swiss hiking trails to be better than the signage on some numbered highways! In contrast, the Italian drivers were insane <g>, but their roads---including detours and construction rerouting--- were usually very clearly marked and easy to follow. French, Austrian and especially the German roads also were excellent. But even when the signage was poor or detours and road changes threw us off our planned track, the GPS let us know when we went astray, and helped us navigate back to our planned route. We even used the GPS to Geocache along the way ( http://www.geocaching.com ). From our experiences Geocaching in the US, we knew that caches are frequently placed in unusually scenic--- and often relatively untrafficked--- areas. So, we let the locations of some caches steer our final routing, so we'd be sure to see some out-of-the-way spots that the local inhabitants had selected as especially noteworthy. No, the trip wasn't all high tech and driving. <g> We scheduled "down days" with little or no driving at all in several gorgeous locales; took a number of hikes and side trips to various mountain tops; explored ancient Roman ruins in a several towns; and so on. In all, it was a helluva trip! Part of the reason for the trip's success was that I had a delightful traveling companion. I can't help you on that score, other than to suggest you pick the right one, as I was lucky to do. <g> But the part of it that makes it appropriate for this techie newsletter is the extensive use of GPS technology: Having the GPS gave us the confidence to strike off into totally unfamiliar areas, sometimes even onto tiny rural dirt roads *way* off the normal tourist routes, with no local guide and with no professionally-planned itinerary. Yet we always ended up where we wanted to be without going seriously astray--- and (I know; it's a guy thing) without having to stop and ask for help. <g> Traveling with the GPS was empowering--- which is how technology should be. (BTW: If there's interest, I can post more info, such as photos, screen shots from the two software packages I used, and the Route 66 and MapSource files of our trip routing. It can be interesting to see how the two products cover the same road sections. It also might be useful to anyone else odd enough to want to try all or some of the same kind of trip for themselves<g>. If you'd like me to post photos and files, drop a note to GPS@langa.com so I can gauge the level of interest.) Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 11) Plus! Edition Highlights
Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains all ten items above, plus about 30% more content including: A detailed description and links to more info on exactly what maintenance tools you should have on a floppy or a bootable CD to help rescue your PC if you have trouble; a reader's simple, effective trick for restoring a lost QuickLaunch icon; and a cool $10 gizmo I'd never heard of that lets you use a normal PC to access and work on tiny, miniaturized laptop hard drives. The Plus! Edition costs just $1 a month! Full info: http://www.langa.com/plus.htm Click to email this item to a
friend See you next issue! Best, 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. UNSUBSCRIBE: From the same email account you
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