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LangaList 2003-02-13 Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free!
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1) Best Low-Cost Systems Ever?When you buy a new PC, you need to look at the total bundle--- hardware, software, service and support--- to see whether a given system makes sense for you. A low-cost system may look great on paper, but require so much tinkering, additional software, and hair-pulling that it's just not worthwhile. On the other hand, sometimes--- sometimes--- a low-cost system can be an *incredible* bargain, working just as it should, and with huge savings over equivalent name-brand hardware. In the article currently posted at http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20030206S0014, I'll tell you my first-hand experiences with two different $200 PCs--- one from Microtel (as sold by Wal-Mart) and one from Wintergreen (as sold by TigerDirect and other outlets). I'll give you all the details on what these two systems offer, and then compare them to some similar name-brand units. We'll go over these low-end systems point by point, so you'll see exactly what you do and don't get; I'll also tell you what worked--- and didn't--- when I set these systems up. Come see all the pros and cons, and see how these half-price boxes compare to full-price, name brand systems from Dell and Gateway. See you at http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20030206S0014 ! Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- CyberGuys! --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 2) "ESCD" Problems
Most PCs (except really old ones) have an ESCD---an "Extended System Configuration Data"--- area in the BIOS. The ESCD remembers information about your hardware (especially Plug and Play devices) from boot to boot so your system doesn't have to sniff out and allocate resources for each device from scratch--- thus speeding boot time. If the ESCD area fails, the system may still boot, but more slowly because each piece of hardware has to be re-identified and re-set up. You also may get odd behavior because the hardware resource allocations (IRQs, etc.) can change from boot to boot. (See http://www.pcguide.com/ref/mbsys/res/pnpESCD-c.html ) "Flashing" a BIOS--- running a special program to update the software and data electrically "burned" into the BIOS chip--- can sometimes fail. As you say your BIOS has been flashed, my guess is that something didn't "take" during that process, and that your ESCD area or subsystem is scrambled. I'd suggest you try re-flashing your BIOS with freshly-downloaded files from either the BIOS maker or motherboard vendor site. That will probably fix things, but if not, it may mean that your BIOS chip itself has developed a problem. In that case, I'd consider getting a new BIOS chip. They're not very expensive: See http://www.google.com/search?q=replacement+bios Click to email this item to a
friend 3) Free NetPerSec ToolIn response to the item in "Dial-Up Networking Monitor" ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-01-27.htm#7 , reader Paul Gadebusch sent this:
Thanks, Paul! Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- Batteries.Com: --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 4) More Explorer Shortcut TricksWe've covered this topic a bit in recent issues, but it's worth one more iteration because (judging by the email I'm getting) some readers are confused between "Explorer" and "Internet Explorer." It's understandable, as Microsoft has blurred the line between its folder/file viewer and its browser: The Windows folder/file viewer (what used to be called "File Manager" in older versions of Windows) is called "Explorer" or "Windows Explorer;" the web browser is called "Internet Explorer." The naming is confusing enough, but it gets even funkier because they share some features and functions, and can encroach on the other's turf: For example, Explorer normally views local files and folders, but also can access and display pages on the web. Conversely, Internet Explorer is mainly intended to view web pages, but also can and will display local folder and files on your system, if you ask it to. Despite these overlapping functions and features, for clarity, we'll continue to refer to the tool whose primary job is to display files and folders as "Explorer," and the tool whose primary job is to view web pages as "Internet Explorer." That said, there are many ways to make Explorer open up to a predefined view with just one click. We've covered several in recent issues ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-01-23.htm#3 and item #12 in http://www.langalist.com/plus/newsletters/2003/2003-01-30plus.asp ); here's another:
Thanks, Ed. We'll let this be the last word on this subject for a while. <g> If you wish to explore more, please see the link above for lots more info. Click to email this item to a
friend 5) Local Hard-Drive Search AlternativesAlthough this next letter specifically refers to XP, if you read to the end, you'll find info of use in *all* Windows versions.
Thanks, Joseph. I actually gave up on Windows' built-in indexing tools long ago for that reason, and more: Windows' background re-indexing can be extremely slow and inefficient, eating up huge amounts of CPU cycles, and keeping your hard drive busy for ridiculously long periods. We've discussed several alternatives, including: A "Wow" Utility: Boolean Searches Of Your Hard Drive More Boolean Searches (Some FREE)! "Wilbur" Indexes Your Hard Drive For Free For searching local content--- your own data--- any of the above is better than Windows own search/index tool. For searching with the ability to replace any given search term with any other term of your choosing, I especially recommend "Advanced Find and Replace," a $30 tool I use literally almost every single day: http://www.vknoware.com/afr/index.htm Click to email this item to a
friend 6) "Tourbus" Picks LangaListEver hear of the "Internet Tourbus?" If not, you're missing something good:
A recent issue (Jan 14 03) added five new entries to their list of "top sites," and I was honored that their number-one addition was this:
The folks producing Tourbus have been online a long time and have seen a lot of sites, so it means something to get the nod from them. (Thanks, Bob and Patrick!) But it also means a lot to get the nod from *you,* when you recommend the LangaList to your friends. That's because--- as long-time readers know--- this newsletter is a one-person private project of mine: It's not part of some publishing empire's stable of publications. There's no budget, staff or facility to handle outreach and promotions. The newsletter depends on word of mouth to grow. If you think the LangaList is a worthwhile read, Please use either of the
following links 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 the
links):
http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#1 Either way, thank you for helping to spread the word about the LangaList! Click to email this item to a
friend 7) Delete Even Stubborn PartitionsOur recent discussion on "Wiping Out Special Recovery Partitions" (see items #1 and #2 in http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-02-06.htm ) prompted this interesting tidbit:
Thanks, Dennis. Yes, caution is the watchword with any tool like this. That's why it's so important to make a total drive backup first, before you do any kind of significant work on your system. With good backups, you can tweak without worry (because you always can get back to where you were before). Without a backup, one mistake, and you're toast! 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 "Weird Sites" Masonic Homes Patton School Alumni Tangleworld.com Networks4now The Fishers Home! MOBILE COMPUTER SERVICES Suzi's Fun Pages ONE4-U2.COM U of Mn 1917 Personal Page From Brazil Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- Over 100,000 Brand-Name Computer Products... ... at No-Name Prices! --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 9) Security Problems In Opera
Thanks, Bob. As Opera has become more popular, it too (like Linux) has come under the scrutiny of both black-hat (bad guy) and white-hat (good guy) hackers. For example, see the following "white hat" posts: Opera's Security Model is Highly Vulnerable: Phantom of the Opera: Opera Images: Opera 7: Sniffing Opera's Tracks: Just as Bob says, *all* software contains flaws; it's inevitable. And once *any* software becomes popular enough to attract the attention of both good and bad hackers, those flaws will come to light. Relatedly: A lack of security announcements for a little-used program does not necessarily mean that the software has no flaws--- although some partisan users of such software will take it that way. 8-) Click to email this item to a
friend 10) Just For GrinsReader "Charles" took me to task for my use of a certain word in a recent issue:
Ahem. While I admit to a weakness for colorful colloquialisms and neologisms, this isn't one of them. I'm actually on linguistically solid ground<g>: "Doh" (or alternately, "D'oh!") has been accepted into the Oxford English Dictionary, the definitive arbiter of English Language usage. "D'oh!" is pronounced like an emphatic, chopped-off "Doe!" and its origins apparently trace back to WWII-era radio shows in England. But the current and certainly most common use is as an expression of surprise, embarrassment and regret--- usually occasioned by an act of utter stupidity--- by the cartoon character Homer Simpson. After 14 years on the air, that little bit of Simpson-speak has pervaded the language enough to become enshrined in the OED. Honest!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1387335.stm And, not to fan the flames, but FYI: Eczema: Karaoke: Caribbean: Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- Incredibly Cheap Backups! --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 11) Plus! Edition Highlights:
Plus subscribers also have access to a private web site with over 100,000 words of special content and features not found in *any* issue of the newsletter, dozens of downloads, and much more. Get it all for just a buck a month! Check out: http://www.langa.com/plus.htm Click to email this item to a
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