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The
LangaList
Standard Edition
2003-07-28
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!
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1) System Setup Secrets For XP
New PCs usually arrive in a generic state designed to suit the lowest common
denominator among buyers. This almost always means that a new PC will be
configured with safe, conservative settings designed more to minimize product
returns and tech support calls than to deliver all the performance of which the
new machine is capable. It also almost always means that the system, as
delivered, is unlikely to be a good fit to your own specific needs or
preferences.
This is especially true when the PC arrives chock-full of preinstalled software.
Instead of being a lean, clean new machine, your just-bought PC is probably
burdened with all manner of built-in software complexities, none of which you
specifically chose or set up yourself.
This initial complexity may create conflicts and problems from the start---
problems that the new system otherwise would not have. And at the very least,
this initial complexity will make later troubleshooting much harder. After all,
the best troubleshooting techniques involve a stepwise simplification of your
system setup until the troublesome element is revealed. But if your system is
highly complex from day one, you may already have too many variables at play for
efficient troubleshooting.
And then there's the branding that's common to new PCs: You'll see logos (ads,
really) on a new PC's desktop, system tray, boot screens--- everywhere. Maybe
some don't mind paying for the privilege of being a marketing target, but it
bothers me: I consider it system-level spam.
So, over the years, I've developed a setup routine that ensures that any new
system I get runs right from the start, stays right for as long as possible, and
can be made right with a minimum of fuss if or when things go awry. My technique
lets you strip away unneeded complexity and lets you get your new PC working
just the way you want it to--- rather than the way some marketing department
thought you'd want it.
Some or all of these tips--- learned the hard way from painful experience in
literally hundreds and hundreds of PC setups over the years-- may help you. Yes,
a few of them may be overkill for normal users who don't stress their PCs the
way I do (in heavy, almost daily testing of new software, for example), but others are universal and can
help anyone.
We previously covered "Setup Secrets" for Win9x and ME in
http://content.techweb.com/winmag/columns/explorer/1999/0831.htm (see
also "Ten Ways to make Windows 98 Run Better"
http://content.techweb.com/winmag/windows/features/98runbetter/default.htm
and "Ten Ways to make Windows ME Run Better"
http://content.techweb.com/winmag/windows/features/merunbetter/default.htm
). We then revised that original setup information in "System Setup Secrets
Updated for 2001"
http://www.informationweek.com/LP/columnists/langa/2001/03.htm . If you're
still using Win9x or ME, those articles are still completely valid.
But with the growth of XP, it's time to focus on that OS. Coupled with a
previously-published companion article, "Ten Ways to make Windows XP Run Better"
http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20011204S0009 , a brand new article
just posted at InformationWeek.Com will
give you the full outline of the steps I take when I get a new XP-based PC or
when I want to recondition an in-use XP box.
The new article is called "System Setup Secrets For XP,"
and it's at
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=12803122 .
Please click over to
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=12803122 and then join in the
discussion: What tricks or techniques do you use to get your PC set up properly?
What tips can you share? What steps do you take to get your system running
smoothly after initial setup? Join in!
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Need Answers about
Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP?
Check out computer-related books personally recommended
by Fred Langa and available at Amazon.Com's deepest discounts!
<a href="
http://www.langa.com/books.htm ">Click!</a>
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2) JV16 Tools Go
Commercial
Fred, A few people have inquired about a good
program for cleaning up and/or uninstalling programs from the Add/Remove list
in Windows. jv16 PowerTools is, in my opinion, by far the best all-around
program for this and many other uses. It has the best registry cleaner I've
ever used.
Up until now, it has been freeware, but the author
just released version 1.4 as a paid offering ($29.95 US
http://www.macecraft.com/ ) - even so,
I intend to purchase it; it's well worth the money.
I think you've mentioned it before (I believe
that's why I have it), but it wouldn't hurt to mention it again...
By the way, BootItNG is OUTSTANDING! [See
http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-07-03.htm ] It definitely isn't
for beginners, but after reading the documentation about seventy times, it's
not so bad... :-)
Keep up the great work... Robby Workman, Plus
member
Indeed, we've discussed JV16 PowerTools many times. (
http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=jv16&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 ). I
fully understand Jouni Vuorio's need to get something back for his enormous
investment of time and effort, but I have to say I think the new version is
somewhat overpriced, especially as it comes with only the most basic, limited
and nonspecific tech support.
And I think tech support will be needed: The previous
versions of the PowerTools worked pretty well, but not flawlessly: For example,
the Power Tools Registry Cleaner sometimes removed settings on my systems that
it shouldn't have, causing various problems. Unless the new version is
perfect--- and I don't see how it can be--- I think they're going to alienate a
lot of customers whose systems get broken by the software, and who then discover
that they're basically on their own, unless they pay an additional and rather
steep $20 per month for support. It all just seems too pricey to me.
Be that as it may: The new release is available as a
free trial. If you're interested in it, I recommend that you make a complete
image or backup before using this (or any similar) software, and thoroughly test
the free trial version before making a purchase.
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"Fred, Thank you for all the articles and especially for the
LangaList Archives... I had a virus that just kept coming back, even though it
was supposedly eradicated. I was pulling my hair out for a solution. I didn't
want to re-format and start over, as even a back-up may have had the virus!!
[The article with the fix] was found with a quick archives search and the
words of wisdom cured my computer headache. Regards, Dave Fullerton"
Glad you found it useful,
Dave. The Plus! Archives are offered free
to Plus! subscribers; the archives place the full content
of every LangaList ever published--- Standard and Plus! editions---
right on your local hard drive.
It gives nearly instant
answers to any question
we've ever covered in the last five years!
Get all the details on The LangaList Plus! Edition, (and the Archives!):
<a href=" http://www.langa.com/plus.htm
">Click!</a>
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3) Update On
Ranganath
Last month, we added another child--- the ninth--- to
the group of kids sponsored on an ongoing basis by LangaList Plus! subscribers:
The local aid project in Ranganath's village
just sent a new note (written on strange magenta paper) with some additional
detail on Ranganath's life, a brief note from Ranganath himself, and a little
drawing he made.
Our previous introductory info and a photo or
Ranganath appear here:
For Plus! Subscribers:
http://www.langalist.com/plus/extras/meet_ranganath.asp
Public site:
http://www.freetune.com/newsletters/2002/meet_ranganath.htm
The new note and drawing are here:
For Plus! Subscribers:
http://www.langalist.com/plus/ranganath_update.htm
Public site:
http://www.freetune.com/july_2003_update_on_ranganath.htm
Here's what this is all about: Those of us with
computers and Internet access are vastly better off than most of the world's
population. Because of this, I decided that a portion of the LangaList Plus!
subscription fees would be donated to registered/legitimate charities helping
the underprivileged around the world. The contribution does not increase the
cost of a Plus! subscription in any way; the donation is taken "off the top" of
any profits. (This is described in the pages at
http://www.langa.com/plus.htm )
Ranganath is the ninth child sponsored on an ongoing basis--- week in, week
out--- by the collective generosity of LangaList subscribers. LangaList Plus!
subscribers also have collectively contributed to emergency earthquake relief
efforts in India and to funds to help the victims of the Sept 11th attacks in
the US. (To see all the donations so far, click to
http://www.langa.com/plus2.htm#kids )
As the year goes on, and as more readers sign up for Plus! subscriptions, I hope
we'll be able to sponsor more children and assist other charities around the
world.
Graham Greene once said, "There is always a moment in
childhood when the door opens and lets the future in...." If you're already a
LangaList Plus! subscriber, thank you! You can feel good about giving back a
little to those less fortunate, and opening "a door to the future" for a child
in otherwise-desperate circumstances.
If you're not yet a Plus! subscriber check it out: With a Plus! subscription,
you can not only help yourself make the most of your hardware, software and time
online--- but you also can help those less fortunate (like Ranganath) make the
most of their very lives. Thanks for your help!
<a href="
http://www.langa.com/plus.htm ">Please Click!</a>
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4) "The Ultimate
CD/DVD Data Recovery Tool"
Reader George Davis found an interesting tool with
several uses--- including digging files off CDs you might not otherwise be able
to read!
Hi Fred, All of this talk of backups made me wonder why I'd never seen a mention of
this tool. Maybe I'd just missed it, so I searched my updated LL Archives, and
it didn't come up there either.
Background: I suspected my old Win95 machine was getting ready to die, so I
made plenty of backups, right onto CD-RWs (so easy to drag-n-drop, dontcha
know?). I admit it I don't know much about CDs, they're just big backup media,
with lots of quirks compared to floppies and Zip Disks. So, here I am safe in
the knowledge that I have plenty of backups.
I also had some regular CD-Rs, but 1 out of 2 turned out bad, still don't
know why (I suspect software/hardware conflicts w/ that old machine).
So I get me a fancy-schmancy new WinXP system.... And you guessed it---
that new computer doesn't read UDF-whatever CD-RWs. On a
chance, I went googling, and stumbled upon IsoBuster. Pure serendipity.
Google took me to good ol' Shell Extension City, where I found the following
description:
"IsoBuster
: The Ultimate CD/DVD data recovery tool! Rescue lost files from CD or
DVD! Save important documents, precious pictures from the family, your only
system backup, ... IsoBuster can do it all !.... IsoBuster lets you explore a CD's File System while
by-passing Windows. This way you get better Error handling and several
retry-mechanisms to aid you in getting the data anyway. More CDs stay 'readable'
after problems (such as Buffer Underrun). Read and extraction of files, tracks
and sessions from CD-i, VCD, SVCD, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, DVD, DVCD. Mpg (*.dat)
Extraction and dat2mpg 'in one'. ISO9660, Joliet, Romeo (Short File-names <->
Long File-names on mastered CDs). Big Endian (Motorola), Little Endian (Intel)
(The File System Windows sees vs. what Unix, Mac and other systems see). UDF
2.01 but also UDF 1.02 (e.g DVDs), UDF 1.5 (e.g. Packet writing on CD-R and CD-RW).
Rock Ridge Support (e.g. for Commodore users). Single sector extraction. File
system properties (must for FS developers). Neat features the OS doesn't offer.
CD-Text support.....(free)"
Unfortunately, what the above system doesn't say is that the UDF support is
activated only by a $20 registration, but as far as I can tell, everything else
is free. But that $20 was the 2nd best money I've spent for my computer (LangaList
Plus being #1, of course! <g>).
And it also read my previously unreadable CR-R's, not 100% recovery, but
close enough (with redundancy, I have 100%, just have to sort it all out).
I highly recommend IsoBuster in the free version. If the paid features are
needed, registration, in my case, took less that 15 minutes.
Give it a look, and if you agree it's a keeper, pass it along to everyone
else.
Thanks for keeping us well-informed. ---[<G>eorge]
Nice find, George, thanks! It's an unusual tool that
started as freeware, and so all the original features are still available for
free. But the later features are shareware; you do have to pay to use them.
A full description and download link is available at
http://www.smart-projects.net/isobuster/
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5) USB For DOS
It's coming up on a year since we last discussed USB
in detail: Then, in "USB-To-Whatever" (
http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20021003S0007 ) we ran through many
options to let you connect USB devices to PCs that lack USB support, and vice
versa; and also looked at ways to gain access to USB devices from non-USB
operating systems, such as old-style DOS.
A lot has changed in a
year. For example, USB memory sticks and external drives are more popular than
ever. And while these devices work great within the OS for which they were
designed, getting them to work outside that environment can still be sticky. For
example, if you make backups on a USB-based drive, how will you restore the files
from non-USB-aware DOS?
Well, some solutions are
emerging:
Hello Fred: Always happy to receive your newsletter and look forward to reading it. In my opinion, you're right on the dot with your view regarding low level DOS access to make back-ups in your recent article The Perfect Rescue Tool, Parts I and II.
(
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=10818064 )
As for me, I'm still sort of old school I just 'don't' trust Windows with doing anything for me when it comes to my back-ups. I've been burned more than once. ;-/
With the recent appearance of the ever elusive USB 1.1/2.0 drivers for DOS, I can now use a 40Gb 2.5" HDD inside a portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive enclosure, of which there are many models in the market these days.
For a list of some of the available resources for USB drivers, see
http://www.stefan2000.com/darkehorse/PC/DOS/Drivers/USB
For a small review of one of the available USB drivers, see
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=10215
Of course this is not the same as burning a CD (long term data storage) and these 2.5" 4200/5400 RPM (laptop) drives can be seen as rather slow when compared to the faster 3.5" drives which spin at 7200 RPM and come in ATA 100 and now SATA versions.
But it's convenient portability, USB 2.0's 480M bit/sec (max) data transfer and a hard drive's high storage capacity (now up to 100Gb and more) make this type of setup a very interesting choice for everyday work.
I can keep many gigs of the most varied installation and support software in this drive, as well as a good number of backed up partition images which I (sometimes) burn to a CD for long term storage. Best regards, Carlos Izzo Videla
Relatedly, reader Jon Sykes offers this:
These actually work: http://www.datoptic.com/Drivers/DAT.exe Allows you to make a boot floppy which allows you to see USB 2.0 devices connected to your PC. Works great! Awesome for backups, rescues, etc.
Thanks Carlos and Jon!
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6)
Last Week To "Recommend And Win"
In just a few days, on July 31, I'll choose another
monthly winner of one of three FREE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTIONS to the LangaList
Plus! edition given each month. (If your name is drawn and you're already a
Plus! subscriber, your current subscription will be extended by a full year.)
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 FREE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION! (Full details also available via this link):
http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm
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7) Lightning
Follow-Up
Many readers sent in emails like this one, from Doug
V.:
Fred, Keep up the good work on your news letter. I have my PCs plugged into
a UPS. But when there are thunderstorms in the area I will shutdown my systems
and unplug them, as you suggest in your article (
http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-07-24.htm#1 ]. One thing I tell
those that I help is that when there is a thunderstorm in the area unplug the
PC AND the phone line from the PC. I have seen many a modem 'well done' by
lightning but still able to talk to the PC and unable to find a dial tone. You
only briefly covered that when talking about a UPS / Surge arrestor that can
also protect the phone or LAN. You are correct in stating that a surge
arrestor will not even slow down a direct (or near) strike and that the only
sure way to protect one's PC is to unplug it. Just don't forget to unplug the
phone line from your modem (Dialup or DSL) or your coax cable from your Cable
Modem. ---Doug
Thanks, Doug, and all who wrote in. Yes, "unplug" doesn't just mean the power
cord: It applies to anything that connects your PC to the outside electrical
environment, including telephone wires, cable modem connections, and the like. A
good surge arrestor will have phone/modem and cable connectors on it, so you can
provide routine protection against spikes and surges for these potential
entry points, along with the normal power line protection. But when severe storms
are in the area, the safest thing is to unplug 'em all!
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friend
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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
Free Information Library
http://www.mindconnection.com/library/index.htm
Larry & Marsha's Site
http://www.geocities.com/alsupld/
Books by Beverlee
http://booksbybeverlee.homestead.com/Introduction.html
Multimedia Turbo Search Engine
http://www.geocities.com/gettitle/index.html
Hilton Head Condo
http://www.hhbeachandtenniscondo.com/pages/1/index.htm
Ali Ismail Abbas
http://www.aliabbas.net/
Purrs' Page
http://www.purrskitty.com/PurrsKitty/index.html
HGB ASSOCIATES
http://www.hgb-associates.com
Ivan Rebroff Fan Page
http://home.san.rr.com/vanpelt92117/
Caroline
http://www.arches.uga.edu/~themuse/index.html
Firewall Log Reporting Utilities
http://www.clariondeveloper.com/firewallreporting/
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9) A True NTFS Boot
Disk
Several readers have asked about creating a boot disk
(floppy or CD) that natively "knows" NTFS, and that can let you access an NTFS
hard drive without having to resort to an NTFS driver on a DOS disk.
It can be done, although its utility is limited
because there aren't many command-line utilities for (say) XP that will be happy
running on a boot floppy or CD. (That's why we focused on DOS, which has tens of
thousands of utilities available.)
But still, if you want to produce a native
boot-to-NTFS floppy or CD, here's the scoop:
http://langa.com/u/1b.htm
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friend
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10) Just For Grins
This must be making the rounds on some lists, as
several readers sent it in almost at the same time; and Google shows it on about
6000 sites. It's a groaner!
A woman brought a very limp parrot into the
Veterinarian's office. As she lay her pet on the table, the Vet pulled out his
stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest.
After a moment or two, the Vet shook his head sadly
and said; "I'm so sorry, but Polly has passed away".
The distressed owner wailed; "Are you sure? I mean,
you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or
something?"
The Vet rolled his eyes, shrugged, turned and left
the room returning a few moments later with a beautiful black Labrador dog.
As the bird's owner looked on in amazement, the dog
stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and
sniffed the dead parrot from top to bottom. He then looked at the Vet with his
sad, brown eyes and shook his head. The Vet patted the dog and took it out of
the office, but returned a few moments later with a cat!
The cat jumped up and also sniffed delicately at
the bird. The cat sat back, shook its head, meowed and ran out of the room.
The Vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry.
But like I said, your parrot is most definitely, 100% certifiably, dead."
He then turned to his computer terminal, hit a few
keys and produced a bill which he handed to the woman. The parrot's owner,
still in shock, took the bill.
"What's this!" she cried. "$150 just to tell me my
bird is dead?"
The vet shrugged. "If you'd taken my word for it
the bill would only have been $20, but with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan
..."
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11) Plus! Edition Highlights:
- Cleanup Your "StartUp"
Tab
(wipe out
bogus/duplicate/defunct entries)
- Where to Complain Re:
Spam, Website Frauds, Scams...
(tons of
resources!)
- Acrobat Reader 6
Annoyance
(it's
bigger and more invasive; but here's a solution!)
Plus! edition subscribers not only get much more
content in every issue (like the above), but 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; along with dozens of private downloads and much more---
all for just $1 per month!
Check out:
http://www.langa.com/plus.htm
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(Want to give a gift
subscription to the LangaList Plus edition?
Click <a href= "
http://www.langa.com/plus_gift.htm ">here</a>)
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
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(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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