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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2004-04-05

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!

1) Virtual Excellence

Late last year, Microsoft quietly rolled out its entry into the "virtual PC" arena---Microsoft Virtual PC 2004--- and delivered its software at about half the price of competing commercial products. What's more, Microsoft even offers a 100% free 45-day trial of the software.

I've recently experimented with Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 and think it deserves a close look by anyone seeking an alternative to dual-booting (say, to run Linux on a Windows PC); as well as by those involved in the traditional uses of virtual PCs, including software testing, evaluation and support. Even a casual user who likes to download new software to try, or who likes to tinker with system settings, can benefit from a virtual PC.

A "virtual PC" lets you experiment with software and system settings in a nearly 100% safe way, without affecting your current setup--- and without even having to reboot or leave your main OS. Everything about your current setup--- your OS, your apps, everything--- stays up and running normally while the virtual PC is in operation.

You see, a virtual PC is a standard desktop computer completely emulated in software. You can install an operating system, applications, or utilities on a virtual PC and use it exactly the same way you do on a standard PC. The installed software thinks it's running on a normal, stand-alone physical system, but it's not: Instead, it's running inside a protected memory space on a host system, with special emulation software masquerading as a separate and standalone BIOS, motherboard, hard drive, floppy, CD drive, display adapter, network card, and so on. A virtual PC provides all the normal hardware of a standard PC, created entirely in software.

It's almost like a Matrioshka---  those Russian nesting dolls, one inside another: Your PC runs its OS, which runs the virtual PC software, which creates a secondary, entirely emulated PC inside the main OS, which in turn separately runs whatever software you choose!

As far as the emulated PC is concerned, it's alone. Its OS and applications are normally prevented from seeing the host OS, or the host OS's files. That means the secondary OS normally can't affect or crash the host OS. Whatever happens inside the virtual space stays there.

But even though the VPC is safely isolated, all the normal PC functions are emulated, so the secondary OS can use the network, can access printers, can go online, and so on: It's a fully functional PC in essentially every way--- but safely isolated inside your main OS!

Obviously, a VPC is a wonderful testing tool because any OS, application or utility crashes that occur in the VPC will be safely contained, and won't affect the main OS. You can even reboot the VPC and watch it go through what appears to be a complete "hardware" shutdown and restart while you continue to use the real, physical PC and its main OS, uninterrupted.

There are other benefits, too--- too many to spell out here. So, I've put together a feature-length article that explores the concepts of virtual PCs; takes a close look at Microsoft Virtual PC; and also points you to other VPC software--- some free! (And remember: Even the Microsoft software is free to try for 45 days. This gives you a way to explore a polished, commercial offering at zero cost!)

If you have an interest in running more than one OS on your system; or if you need a safe way to test and explore new software, or if you need to run multiple OSes, or multiple copies of the same OS, for testing, support, or evaluation purposes, a virtual PC solution deserves a look. It just might change the way you use your PC!

Click on over to
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=18600449
for the full story!

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2) XP Service Packs

There's been some confusion lately caused by Microsoft's clumsy use of "XP" in both an operating system (Windows XP) and a productivity suite (Office XP). Service packs for both have recently come out, but they're in very, very different states of readiness--- and both cause problems.

I'd actually hoped to avoid talking about both these Service Packs until the worst of the problems had been resolved, but a *lot* of you have written to ask about one or the other. So:

Office XP Service Pack 3 is out for real at
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;832671 . If you're running XP Office you might want to look at it, but note the "known issues" on the Microsoft page (above) and check out the write-up at Woody's Office Watch ( http://www.woodyswatch.com/office/archtemplate.asp?v9-n07 ) and Brian's Buzz http://www.briansbuzz.com , as well as elsewhere. I'm personally staying away from this one, at least for now, as there're too few benefits and too many gotchas.

Windows XP SP2 Beta--- this for the OS, not the Office suite--- is also out for public testing at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/sp2preview.mspx . But this *is* a beta--- an unfinished prototype. All betas carry risks, and can be hard to undo if or when they cause problems. But operating system betas are even riskier because they change the very foundation of your system software. Unless you have a safe test environment such as a second PC; and/or unless you have a complete image-based backup of your entire system and are prepared to use it; don't fool around with OS betas. (I'll be trying SP2 on both a second PC, and on a virtual PC (as in #1 in this issue); but even then, I'll also have image-based backups of both systems before I start.)

So: Office XP Service Pack 3 may be useful if it addresses a problem you have, and if you're aware of the potential problems and limitations. Windows XP SP2 Beta is really only--- only!--- for hard-core testers who use totally bulletproof backup/recovery tools and practices. For now, my advice on both for most users is simply to stay away.

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3) Most Exotic Cooling Solution Ever?

I'd thought I'd seen some exotic PC cooling solutions, including mineral-oil motherboard baths, and even the use of liquid nitrogen! (See http://www.octools.com/index.cgi?caller=articles/submersion/submersion.html ) But reader Joe Davis flagged something completely new:

Fred, A timely article on a totally new way to cool chips with "nanolightning." ---Joe
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994816

(BTW, New Scientist is a great magazine; IMHO the best English-language science weekly there is. It has more depth than the bulletin-like Science News, which I've subscribed to literally for decades ( http://www.sciencenews.org/ ); and it's livelier and less stodgy than Scientific American ( http://www.sciam.com/ ). SciAm has much improved under its new editor, but still lacks the personality, energy and sense of intellectual fun that pervades New Scientist. Alas, it's expensive to get NS delivered stateside, but I think it's worth it.)

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--- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) ---

$12 Saves $150!

"Hi Fred, I just wanted to tell you that I love the Plus! site and the help.
It's well worth the price. More to the point, I figure that this year alone
 you have saved me about $150 in tech support calls and solved problems.
I WILL be Renewing my subscription! Thanks, Jay Koenig"

 Thank *you,* Jay. <g>

The LangaList Plus! Edition--- just $1 per month--- is ad-free, spam-proof,
and contains even more tips, tricks, advice, and downloads
than the Standard Edition you're now reading.

Get all the details:

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4) Free "Taskbar Commander"

Good morning, I've just finished reading your newsletter and it is time for me to begin work. Because of what I had open yesterday at quitting time I did not do my daily reboot. So, here I am with some programs already opened and having opened what I need to get started, I have 6 buttons on my taskbar. Call me odd if you will but I have become accustomed to having these buttons in a certain order and that is how I wish to work.

I can organize these buttons using Mike Lin's "Taskbar Commander". Mike must have had me in mind when he wrote this as he describes the program as "Only for the most eccentric of windows users ..." By using this nifty little program I can put the buttons in any order I like.

I did a search on the Langa site, standard, and got 11 hits on mlin so your readers are aware of the site. Of the 11 hits though, 9 were for the start up monitor, 1 for the tray saver and 1 for a site update (2000-10-16).

You may wish to encourage your readers to explore Mike's site. When I read the LangaList I can get lost for hours wandering about the links and following suggestion. I hope others do as well. Regards, James Dougherty

Thanks, James. Indeed, Mike Lin's stuff is great. He's a Boston, Mass., teen with a ton of talent: Check out all his stuff! (BTW: Taskbar Commander is listed under "Miscellaneous" on his site: http://mlin.net/ .)

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5) Low-Tech, High-Efficiency

Hi Fred, In a past issue, you discussed ways to destroy CDs that contained sensitive data. I recently had need to destroy a few CDs that contained old financial data. A shredder seemed expensive, bulky and noisy, so I got a pair of compound leverage tin snips out of my tool box and tried them. They cut a CD with ease. I simply cut each CD into 8 pie shaped pieces, then cut each of those in half, crosswise. That left 16 small pieces that someone would have to glue back together. As the tin snips seemed to disrupt the layers at the cut, I think it would be pretty difficult to do. The tin snips are easy, quiet, fit in a desk drawer, are relatively in-expensive and can be purchased at any hardware store. ---John Keeling

You're right, John, sometimes the simple methods are best.

I usually do something even simpler: Using the point of a letter opener or scissors (whatever's handy), I'll deeply scratch the label or foil side of the CD. Five or six seconds of vigorous scratching, all over the surface of the disk, and enough foil will come off (in tiny, impossible to piece-together flakes and slivers) to render the disk essentially useless. A very determined snoop with exotic equipment might be able to read fragmentary data off the undamaged portions of the CD, but that's a low-probability thing in the first place, and can be made even less likely with a little extra scratching. <g>

If I had many CDs to dispose of, and needed them to be totally trashed, I'd buy a CD shredder. But a little vigorous wrist action with a letter opener takes care of almost all my CD-destroying needs.

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6) Three More Winners!

"Mslewis," "bethandjoe" and "lockmaster" each won a FREE full one-year subscription to the LangaList Plus! edition by using the "Recommend To A Friend" form at http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm .

You see, each month I choose three winners of a new FREE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to the LangaList Plus! edition. (Existing Plus! subscribers get their current subscription 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! (Full details also available via this link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm

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7) Knoppix-Specific Newbie Help

In the last issue, we listed several general Linux help sites that can reduce one's learning curve. ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-04-01.htm#7 ) Any of those can help with almost any distribution of Linux.

Working it the other way, this reader found a site specific to Knoppix--- perhaps the #1 all-on-one-CD, no-installation-needed version of Linux. ( http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=knoppix&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 ) The site helps a lot with Knoppix, but also may be useful for other Linux versions, too.

When I played around with Knoppix, I found this site (http://www.shockfamily.net/cedric/knoppix/) to have the simplest instructions for setting up, dial up, printers, networks and all the other basic stuff under Knoppix. The information is particularly aimed at using Knoppix for first aid and data recovery if Windows crashes and burns, so a printout of the article with a copy of Knoppix is a handy item in the back of a drawer somewhere. All the best, Tim Morrison

Thanks, Tim!

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8) 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

BillJak
http://www.billjak.com/

PTR Scene
http://ptrscene.blogspot.com/

HomesDatabase (MidAtlantic)
http://www.homesdatabase.com/bjstamm

PACT
http://hometown.aol.com/rstarst/myhomepage/pact.html

JungleGirl (not for the easily-offended)
http://www.sitecenter.dk/junglegirls/linksamling/

Nico Cuppen Software
http://www.nicocuppen.com/links.php

RaceCapper
http://racecapper.com/

Rainbow
http://www.twospirit.net/

eklektiks
http://denis.gagnon.tripod.com/eklektiks/index.html

Nascar Fan
http://hometown.aol.com/packratds/nascar.html

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9) Dell Laptop Software

Dell hardware is often slightly different from standard stuff. Dell PCs, for example may require special, nonstandard power supplies, while most of the other desktop PCs in the world can use interchangeable, standardized parts. (See http://63.240.93.134/articles/upgrade3_01_01.asp )

Same with Dell laptops, although (to be fair) it's far more common for laptop parts to be customized and nonstandard.

But sometimes that's a benefit, because special software can take advantage of specialized features:

Hi Fred, For the past 8 years I've used a laptop as my main computer, docking it at work and "lapping" it at home. The last two models, both "loaded" Dell models, have proven to generate more than a little heat.

For selected Dell laptops, a "must have" is I8kfanGUI, an excellent utility available free, here: http://www.diefer.de/i8kfan/index.html This little marvel was written for the Inspiron 8000, which I used it with first. Subsequently it's worked great on my wife's Inspiron 4000 and my current Latitude D800. The program is a system tray application that monitors the computer's temperature sensors, and controls the fans independently from the BIOS. Typically my computer runs a good 20 degrees Celsius lower than the temperature at which the BIOS turns on the fans. Not only does this make it more comfortable to use, but I'm sure it helps to prolong the life of the computer as well.

I8kfanGUI is compatible with a lot of Dell Inspiron, Latitude and Precision models. The author, Christian Diefer, has been stellar in keeping it updated and providing support. If you own a Dell laptop, you should have this program installed in it!  ---Jim Stutsman

Thanks, Jim!

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10) Just For Grins

Reader Bob Schaefer found a wonderful April Fool's prank item for sale online:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/ezbake.shtml?cpg=edm8H

Best of all, it comes with a mix for Caffeinated Meatloaf!

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11) Plus! Edition Highlights:

• Automatically Remove System Restore, Other Tools
     (get rid of space-hogging functions you don't need)
• Two Powerful, Free Security/Maintenance Utilities
     (block trojans, backup drivers, tweak, much more)
• Free Indexed Searching
     (open source tool searches your hard drive)

DID YOU KNOW--- that Plus! subscribers have access to additional special features, extra content and links on a private web site? All that, plus 30% more content in every issue, for just $1 a month!

Full Plus! Edition info: http://www.langa.com/plus.htm

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(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 a prize!)

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.

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This newsletter is a service of Langa Consulting LLC and is Copyright © 2004 Fred Langa / Langa Consulting LLC. All worldwide rights reserved. LangaList: ISSN 1533-1156

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