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LangaList 2003-11-13 Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free!
--- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- "Mr. Langa, Your 'Plus' is
the ONLY newsletter that I have found to be Thank you, Michael! --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 1) Don't Waste Your Money On Bogus "Speed Up" ToolsThis letter mentions XP, but it actually applies to *all* operating systems:
To address your questions in reverse order: I have never seen any "speed up" tools like that--- ever!--- that at best didn't merely duplicate what you can do entirely on your own, for free. And some of the speed up tools I looked at in the past were actual ripoffs that didn't do much of anything at all. Granted, there may be cases where you simply don't have the time to fool around with complex tweaks. In cases like that, it might seem to make sense to pay for a tool that makes an otherwise-manual task easier to accomplish. But often, even the more complex speedup tweaks can be accomplished with 100% free tools that work just as well, if not better, than the commercial offerings. Two quick examples: For general tweaking/speedup tools, take a look at what's available for free (although they accept--- and deserve!--- donations) at http://www.xteq.com/ . For totally free "speed up my connection" information and tools, see http://www.broadbandreports.com (yes, it says "broadband" but there's information there for every kind of connection.) Those FREE sites, either alone or combined, easily do as much or more than hundreds of dollars worth of questionable commercial "speed up your PC/connection" tools. There are many other free sites and tools, too---- and we've discussed many of them in this newsletter. Now to address Sandy's specific issues: XP isn't slow at all *if* it's set up properly. But many default/OEM installations are set up in a very generic way for mythical "average" users. And, as in Sandy's case, many vendors ship new PCs totally bogged down with custom apps and unasked-for bundles and tools that (1) may not do you much good at all and (2) may actually get in the way of your smooth use of the new system. The latter certainly seems to be the case with Sandy's PC--- "it takes a total of five minutes to load everything, including the Compaq Organize screen." Five minutes is nuts, especially on a new PC. (One minute or so for a new-PC XP cold boot is more like it; 30-45 seconds or so for a restart or wake up.) The likely culprit is that "Compaq Organize" stuff, and the software that rides along with it. Therefore, the likely solution is to remove all the unwanted, excess software, and either pare down the OS to a rational size, or reinstall it "clean," putting back only the OS itself, without any excess Compaq-provided stuff that you really don't need or want. We covered that here: http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-02-06.htm#1 And we covered general XP setup/tuneup tips in http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20011204S0009 Cleaning up/streamlining your system--- removing all the extraneous junk that Compaq loaded in--- probably will in itself give you the kind of performance you should be seeing in a new PC. If not, then the free tune-up/speed-up sites and tools mentioned earlier almost surely will do the trick. So, my guess is that that $30 piece of software either wouldn't do much of anything for you; or at best would do only what you can do just as easily, and for free, using other tools. Save your money! Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 2) Free Virtual CD Drives, From Microsoft
Nice find Dan! Thanks!
3) Nice Software, Nasty Actions
I'm not a lawyer, and don't know exactly what's going on in this case, but it sure looks like Mike was ripped off. Alas, this kind of thing is sadly common. For example, I recently had a run-in with some guy running a web site out of Las Vegas who lifted huge amounts of content from this newsletter and ran it as his own. He simply changed every reference to "Fred" to his name and to the names of imaginary staff members on his site. He'd then run the pieces so it would look like he and his make-believe staff were getting and replying to lots of reader mail. But it all was just a cut-and-paste operation, ripping off the stuff you read here. The web makes it *very* easy to steal content--- and software. In any case, do take a look at http://www.halfdone.com . "Unknown Devices" could be very handy indeed. There's more on the site, too, including a very amusing series of photos of some of the, um, less-than-stellar hardware installations Mike's seen in the PCs he's repaired. Click to email this item to a
friend 4) More Free Connection-Sharing ToolsInternet connection sharing tools--- a kind of software router--- let more than one PC go online simultaneously via just one connection (modem, dsl, cable, etc).
Thanks, Angus. The "Linux Router Project" actually has spun off many similar tools: http://www.google.com/search?q=linux+router Some of them are very easy to set up--- others less so. They offer varying degrees of security, too, as well as different levels of support (like most Linux tools). If you're totally new to connection-sharing, a commercial tool might be a better place to start because it should have better documentation, better support, and so on. But if you already know something about sharing one internet connection among several machines, then a free Linux router may be just the ticket. See also http://langa.com/u/1q.htm Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 5) Offbeat Topic: Web Weather
Well, I admit to being something of a meteorology buff, too. For example, I have several remote-reading instruments, including an anemometer and wind vane on my roof; and a rain gauge, thermometer and hygrometer on my deck: They're all solar-powered and report in by radio data links to a desktop display unit next to my monitor that also shows barometric pressure and some indoor readings. I've tried a variety of web-related weather sites, but the one I find best is http://www.wunderground.com ; it has a lot of free features, and for $5/yr, you can turn off all the ads, and get some neat extras too. The radar has a 'friendly' mode and several scientific views; and paid members can get near-real-time radar movies, often with the most-recent radar image just minutes old. It's kind of cool to watch storms develop and move through the area, and to match the professionally-gathered information with my little home weather station. <g> The storms are quite different here from where Bill lives, though. We hardly ever see flying monkeys! Click to email this item to a
friend 6) Recommend This Newsletter And Win!If you think the LangaList is a worthwhile read, maybe a friend would find it useful too! Just use the following link to recommend the LangaList---your friend may find a new source of useful information and you just may win 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.) Check out the details at http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm . Thanks for recommending the LangaList--- and good luck! Click to email this item to a
friend 7) Refurbished OK?
Reconditioned/refurbished/remanufactured hardware is usually stuff that was returned to the vendor by the original purchaser. Sometimes, the reasons for the return are trivial. For example, the hardware may have been the wrong color, or may have a small cosmetic defect that doesn't affect operation at all. Or, the original owner may simply have decided that it wasn't what he or she needed, even though nothing was actually wrong with the unit. Other times, devices may be returned because they arrived dead, or died in initial use. Sometimes these problems amount to just a loose wire or something equally trivial. Other times, there's a truly major problem--- a blown power supply, for example. Trouble is, you have no way of telling whether the original problem was trivial or major. Sometimes, these units may be sold with exactly the same warranties and return policies as brand-new units; or very nearly so. In cases like that, there's almost zero additional risk in buying a reconditioned/refurbished/remanufactured unit. In other cases, the units may be sold as "final sales," with no returns possible. That's sometimes a clue that the hardware is in rough shape. In cases like this, you'd need an *extremely* aggressive sales price to make this kind of purchase worth the risk because--- like it or hate it--- it's yours once you buy it. You also need to watch out for undefined terms. For example, what is "cosmetic damage?" If it's scratched paint, that's one thing. If it's dead pixels in the center of an LCD screen, that's quite another. Who gets to decide if any given defect is serious or not? If it's you, the buyer, great! If it's the vendor, then you need to be very careful. They key is to read the fine print--- all of it!--- to be sure you know exactly what you're getting, and what your rights are for returns and refunds. Print out descriptions of any items you buy online (so you'll have a case if what you get isn't what you ordered), and, as always, use a credit card for your purchases, so the issuing bank can intervene in the event of a bum deal. You do need to be careful. The price and the seller's warranty and return policies determine whether or not reconditioned/refurbished/remanufactured devices are a good deal. But if you *are*careful, you can get some great gear at amazing prices. I've bought some reconditioned equipment (including a multifunction scanner/printer/fax) in the recent past and gotten some truly great deals with absolutely no hassles or trouble whatsoever! Click to email this item to a
friend 8) 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 ) Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At Windows Help Board
Computer Talk Audio Links
http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/moodyblues100/index.html Rowantreebank B&B (Scotland) Tommy3D Designs Tri-Hart Enterprises Fight Breast Cancer AllTXinsurance Connie's Creations TIME MACHINE KARAOKE & SOUND Virtual Assistant Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 9) More Reader-Recommended Office Alternatives
Thanks, SR. The "Ability Office" home page is at http://www.ability.com/ and there's a free trial available at http://www.ability.com/sales/products/office.php. It's for sale in the UK now, with more US sites opening soon. (Several US sites already sell last year's version of Ability Office.) The new version should cost around $50
Thanks, Jerome. "Ragtime Solo" is free for private use, and comes in Windows and Mac flavors; the standard Ragtime (same features) is a commercial offering for business use. BTW, one of Google's lesser-known features is its
"directory." For example, here's the Google Directory for "Office Software"
which contains some products you may not already know about: Click to email this item to a
friend 10) Just For GrinsReader Bob Thrasher sent this along--- a "Grin" that's literally out of this world:
Thanks Bob. Yes, it's cool, and completely for-real: It's a comet-study mission that includes a main flyby spacecraft and a smaller impactor that will steer itself into the comet to help see exactly what a comet is made of, and to learn about the mechanical properties of the nucleus. And your name can be included on the impact body! <g>
Adding your name is free, and open to all. NASA will stop taking names in January of next year, as the spacecraft goes into final assembly. Late next year, the comet mission will launch, with the actual impact slated for July of 2005. And you can be there, at least in name. Cool indeed! Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 11) Plus! Edition Highlights:
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