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The
LangaList
Standard Edition
2003-04-28
A Free Email Newsletter from
Fred Langa
That Helps You Get More From Your Hardware,
Software, and Time Online
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1) Alternative to
RealPlayer
I recently exchanged mail with reader Phil Freed, who
was having trouble with RealPlayer:
Hi, Fred. Love the newsletter--- not to
mention that the Plus edition is the best bargain in town (but don't tell your
accountants!).
I have a question about audio players. I'm hoping that you or your readers can
give me a hand. Before I reloaded my laptop, I used to play RealAudio songs on
it for my daughters. When I went to download the latest free version (RealOne),
the license agreement made me stop. In part, it says:
"Once you log into the Software, user information including your user id will be
sent in communications with RN's servers. This information is used to access
your regular account, premium content, non-premium content, services, features,
and other personalized services. RN may match the user id to personally
identifiable information in order to provide you with products, services, and
software that you're entitled to and to provide you with relevant information."
Good gracious. All I want to do is play some music for my daughters! I don't
mind trading usage information for free software, but the phrase "user
information including your user id will be sent" is a little too broad. Given
Real's less than stellar privacy record, I'm disinclined to install their
software.
I'm willing to pay for a product that protects my privacy, but I have been
unable to find any Windows-based alternatives for playing RealAudio. I know that
past versions of the Real player have allowed users to disable most of the more
intrusive "features" of the software, but it's not clear whether this is still
true. So:
1) Are there alternatives to RealOne for playing RealAudio files? I've found
WinAmp and Innover, but this combination no longer seems to be supported.
2) Can the spyware aspects of RealOne be effectively disabled?...
I agree that RealPlayer has become obnoxiously
aggressive in their marketing. In fact, I'm amazed that we don't hear more about
it from the privacy mavens who love to pillory (say) Microsoft for even minor
infractions. RealPlayer---like AOL/Netscape--- is, if anything, much worse than
Microsoft in aggressively scooping user data, yet few seem at all alarmed about
it. Makes no sense.
Anyway, I simply avoid using RealPlayer, so I didn't
have a good answer for Phil. But he kept digging:
Usenet comes to the rescue once again!
I would have tried there first, but I hadn't yet reinstalled my newsreader.
There's a freeware product called JetAudio that seems to fit the bill perfectly:
http://www.jetaudio.com
It plays .RA, .RAM, and .RMI files
(which isn't all RealAudio content, but it meets my simple needs.) It appears to
be free of spy-, ad- or nag-ware, and (outside of some initial twiddling with
the file associations) it appears to work perfectly. I tested the software on
Real's test site:
http://service.real.com/test/index.html
It even supports ripping and burning
audio CDs, with some extra MP3 features in the non-free "Plus" version.
For a bit more info, see the discussion in "alt.comp.freeware" with the subject
line "Real Audio Codecs". It began on 4/15/2003. This link might get you there:
http://tinyurl.com/a8un
Thanks again for your wonderful newsletter.
Excellent detective work, Phil. Thanks!
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2) Bloatware or Fun
Tools? You decide!
Frequent contributor "CptSiskoX" was first
(as is often the case) to mention a new package of freebies from Microsoft,
called "Fun Packs" for XP. (Who names these things, anyway? <g>) They're all at
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/experiences/create/
There's actually a ton of stuff available, including
Digital Photography and
Browsing Fun Pack
Windows Movie Maker 2 Fun Pack
Windows Media Player 9 Series Fun Pack
Windows XP PowerToys
... and more
None of it's unique--- a Google search
will turn up many alternatives. But they're free, and should work on most XP
systems.
Thanks, CptSiskoX!
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3) A New Tool from
Bart Lagerweij
We've talked about several free tools from Bart Lagerweij
in the past (see http://tinyurl.com/a8y5
). Now, he has a new one:
Hi Fred: I've written a program called Bart's Stuff
Test v5 (bst5). It's a small win32 application for heavily stress testing storage devices. Bst5 supports testing at file and device level.
File level support enables you to test any local or remote volume by file access. This makes it possible to test almost any storage device. As long as the operating system can write or read files from it, you can use bst5 to test it. In bst5 this is seen as a "high" level test, you write/read data to/from a file using the file system support from your operating system.
Device level support enables you to test local devices directly block-by-block. You can use this to test any removable or fixed logical drive, physical hard disk, or tape device. In bst5 this is seen as a "low" level test, bst5 writes/reads data directly to/from the storage device without the use of any file system. In other word, the storage device or media does not need to be partitioned or formatted before testing. If any file systems exists on a storage device or media, a non-read only test will overwrite any data on it. Bst5 supports very large volumes, up to 16 exabyte (17.179.869.184 Gigabyte) enough to last for at least 30 years.
Bst5 runs on Windows 95, 98 ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP,
or the Windows Preinstalled Environment (booted from CD-Rom) or the ERD Commander 2002 (booted from CD-Rom).
The free edition can be found/downloaded here:
http://www.nu2.nu/bst/
Regards, Bart.
This could be a good tool for a number of uses. One that immediately
comes to mind is for stress-testing one of today's huge, hard-to-back-up hard
drives before it's put into full-time use. While the drive is new, under full
warranty, and not yet full of vital data, you could use Bart's tool to exercise
it thoroughly and to ensure that it has no factory defects. The site lists other
possible uses, too. Thanks, Bart!
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4) Better Than
Rogaine
Ever have one of those "pull your hair out" problems
that seemingly defies solution? Reader George Fotion sure did:
Hi ya Fred, I had a HORRIBLE time solving a IE6 problem. For some reason, certain
websites, including but not limited to even
http://support.microsoft.com/
would result in dns errors or take literally 30 minutes or more to load & and
even then, would load incompletely. I searched and searched for solutions & here s a list of some of the things I
tried.
1. conducted five or six repair installs of Windows XP Pro
2. gone into the registry, changed isinstall key from 1 to 0 in order to "trick" XP into thinking IE6 was not installed, so that I could install again
3. uninstalled and reinstalled IE6 through the add/remove windows components routine
4. ran lavasoft's adaware program a number of times to see if any spybot was mucking up my system
5. flushed the cache, deleted cookies
6. deleted index.dat files
7. uninstalled my network card (via device manager) and rebooted
8. booted clean using msconfig to remove all non microsoft services
9. booted in safe mode with networking to access web
10. uninstalled and reinstalled Java.
11. uninstalled java and just used microsoft VM
12. i've done SFC /scannow about 3 times
13. the problem occurs no matter which of any 3 ISPs I use, and therefore is not specific to any one ISP
14. the problem occurs with IE6, Mozilla, Netscape and Opera
15. i've done ipconfig /flushdns and the problem remains
16. i've done ipconfig /releaseall and ipconfig /renewal
17. expanded mshtml.dll and wsock32.dll from the Windows XP CD to replace
those files on my computer
Finally after reading literally hundreds of posts on the IE6 newsgroup, I
found a post by a mvps.org tech who was replying to another person s problem
that sounded somewhat similar to the problem I had. Their solution was to search
for the file named Hosts (no extension, just Hosts) and rename it to Hosts.txt
I did this, and as is so often the case with other computer problems, while
the search for the solution may take literally hours upon hours, the
implementation of the fix, took mere seconds.
Anyway, it would be interesting if you would write about this file called
Hosts, what it does, how it can become corrupted, why it can be corrupted and
the positives and negatives about having this file active on ones system. Thanks!!!
---George
Actually, the Hosts file is one of my pet peeves---
several badly-done "internet accelerator" tools and ad- and pop-up blockers
actively misuse it. As George found--- despite his heroic troubleshooting
efforts--- misuse of the Hosts file can be *extremely* difficult to track down.
I strongly recommend NOT using the Hosts file for any
internet-related purposes; and to avoid using any tools that make use of the
Hosts file. They almost always end up causing more trouble than they solve.
How strongly do I recommend this? Well, we've even
called it the "Evil Hosts File" in the past. <g> Lots more info:
http://www.google.com/search?as_q=evil+hosts&as_sitesearch=langa.com
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5) One More Twist To
Fast User Switching
Reader Gary Walter found a strange quirk in XP's
"Fast User Switching:"
Hi Fred, This KB article showed up in my last KBAlertZ from Dave Wanta
( http://www.kbalertz.com/ ) and I wanted to pass it along
in case no one else has pointed it out:
"Q331841 Fast User Switching May Be Unavailable on Systems That Use Shared
Video Memory
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q331841
SYMPTOMS: Fast User Switching is not available.
CAUSE: Fast User Switching is not enabled if the available RAM is less than 120
megabytes (MB).
Systems that have Shared Video Memory (where a portion of the system's RAM is
used for video display memory) may reserve 8 MB or more for use as video RAM. If the system has a total of 128 MB of RAM
installed, the total available RAM may be 120 MB or less after video memory is reserved. This will cause Fast User Switching to be disabled.
RESOLUTION: Install additional RAM in the computer.
[Also see 'A Discussion About the
Availability of the Fast User Switching Feature'
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;294739
"]
---Gary Walter
Thanks, Gary. This is yet another reason to be wary
of PCs with on-board video (video built into the motherboard instead of on a
separate card). On-board video can cause problems in a number of areas, if
you're not careful: See
http://tinyurl.com/a91f or
http://snurl.com/1853 for prior discussions.
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6) Last Chance To
Enter April's FREE Drawing
On April 30, I'll choose another monthly winner of a
no-strings $30 Gift Certificate for any item at Amazon.Com--- books, software,
hardware, kitchenware, toys... To have a shot at winning, 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 $30 shopping spree! (Full details also available via this link):
http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm
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(!), 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) OK To Delete
WinME's "PC Health" Files?
Fred, In "C:\WINDOWS\PCHEALTH\HELPCTR\DataColl" are added files such as "CollectedData_94.xml." I keep deleting these .xml files as they come up, but what use are they and why do they mysteriously appear even if no "help" was called on? Regards; Frank Thurber
That's data collected as part of the "PC Health"
system in ME. You may not need the files at all; and you almost certainly don't
need the oldest files. The data is collected as part of the "System Restore"
feature, which I've previously recommended that you either rein in to its
minimum settings, or disable altogether. (See
http://content.techweb.com/winmag/windows/features/merunbetter/default.htm )
There's lots more info to help you decide how you
want to handle this:
Description of PC Health in Windows Millennium
Edition
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;267952
Description of the System Restore Utility in Windows
Millennium Edition
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;267951
Description of the System File Protection Feature
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;253571
PC Health Files In General
http://www.google.com/search?q=PCHEALTH
And there's lots more in the usenet
"microsoft.public.windowsme.general" newsgroup, including this specific
discussion on the "Collected Data" files:
http://tinyurl.com/a92m
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8) Still More Reader
Sites!
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 From Among All Listed
http://www.langa.com/randomlink.htm
Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At
http://www.langa.com/readersites.htm
Trekking in Nepal
http://www.geocities.com/woodman_j/index.html
AeroKnow Base
http://www.aeroknow.com/
Office Navigator
http://www.soldaat.com/msnavigator/
powermechanics.com
http://www.powermechanics.com/computers_software.html
Ricky Web Zone
http://www.rickytan.com/
Havenoclue.com
http://www.havenoclue.com/
Stanley Park (Vancouver BC)
http://www3.telus.net/public/jkbarr/
Travel Journal
http://www.geocities.com/opspec22/
"MY COMPUTER SHOW"
http://www.mycomputershow.com/
Parrot Head Club of Connecticut
http://www.phcoct.org/
Swirsky Shareware
http://www.screaminet.com/~tswirsky/c
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9) Missing Your
"Show Desktop" Shortcut Icon?
I sure was. I routinely work with a *lot* of open
windows. On days when I'm adding new readers to the Plus! edition, for example,
I'll typically have roughly 20 separate windows going, to track orders, get people registered
and signed up for the correct version (formatted HTML, plain text, or compact
"digest.") and such.
Having a fast way to clear the decks and get to the
desktop is very, very handy--- and that's just what the "Show Desktop" shortcut
does, instantly minimizing all open windows at once.
I have no clue how, but I managed to delete the "Show
Desktop" shortcut completely from my system, and couldn't bring it back. Man, I
missed it. Yes, I could still "show desktop" via menus, but that wasn't the same
as the one-click wonder of the iconized shortcut.
I could have restored the system to an earlier state,
but that seemed like overkill--- using a nuke to swat a fly. So, I went looking,
and found that the missing shortcut is actually a common problem affecting
systems all the way back to Windows 95!
The fix is a little clunky, but not too hard. It's
too long to print here because the exact steps depend on a host of variables.
But you can get it all at
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;190355
If you're missing your "Show Desktop" shortcut icon,
relax--- with the above link, you'll have it back about two minutes from now.
<g>
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10) Just For Grins
"Nick" sends along these "excuses for children
missing school." There's too many for one issue, so here's part one:
These are actual excuse notes from parents (including original spellings)
collected by Nisheeth Parekh, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
My son is under a doctors care and should not take P.E. today. Please
execute him.
Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.
Dear School Please ekscuse John being absent on Jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32,
and also 33.
Please excuse Gloria from Jim today. She is administrating.
Please excuse Roland from P.E. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a
tree and misplaced his hip.
John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face.
Carlos was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in
the growing part.
Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very
close veins.
Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side.
Please excuse Ray Friday from school. He has very loose vowels.
Please excuse Pedro from being absent yesterday. He had (diahre) (dyrea)
(direathe) the sh*ts. [words in the ( )'s were crossed out]
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Fred's Reference Shelf---
And Up To 20% Discounts!
Check out computer-related books
personally selected and recommended by Fred Langa
and available at Amazon.COM's deepest discounts!
<a href="
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11) Plus! Edition Highlights:
-
FTP Clients
(free tools to speed and ease loooong downloads)
-
Date-Naming
Improvement for Free "ZipIt"
(simplify backups even on nonstandard systems)
-
Partial Workaround For
Product Activation
(... and it's 100% legitimate!)
DID YOU KNOW that Plus! subscribers have
access to over 100,000 additional words
in special features, extra content and private links, all on a private web site?
All that, plus 30% more content in every issue, for just a dollar a month!
Full
Plus! Edition info:
http://www.langa.com/plus.htm
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See you next issue!
Best,
Fred
( Editor@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
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