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LangaList 2004-04-12 Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free! --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) ---
--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 1) Copies Of Old Dos Files/Boot DisksThis is a delicate subject because it ventures into a grey area: What happens if you need one or more files to boot an old copy of DOS? Is it a form of illegal file sharing to download replacement files from sources other than the original vendor? This came up as part of our recent discussion of Virtual PCs ( http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=18600449 ). For example, say you dig out an old copy of DOS and find that one of the floppies or one of the files has become unreadable or corrupted. This software is no longer sold or supported, so there's no official avenue through which to obtain a replacement. It's actually a more widespread problem than you might think, and a loose confederation of web sites has sprung up to provide these old files and boot disk images. But--- and this is the grey part--- many of the files they offer are still copyrighted; they are not intended for public distribution. Many vendors turn a blind eye to such file swapping of truly obsolete and unsupported software; as I believe they should. I'm not a lawyer, but my layman's general rule of thumb is: If an action costs a software company a sale, then it's wrong. If it truly doesn't cost them anything, then no harm is done and the action isn't wrong. Trouble is, things aren't always clear cut in real life: Let's say I need some files to repair a legitimate but damaged copy of (say) DOS3.3. Microsoft no longer sells or supports DOS3.3, so my downloading of files from a third-party website to repair my legitimate copy doesn't hurt anyone or anything. In fact, I'd merely be restoring functionality to software that I have a full legal right to own and use. It's hard to imagine even the most straight-laced lawyer getting upset at this kind of file-sharing activity. But things get greyer when the software in question isn't a replacement. For example, let's say I have no copy of DOS 3.3 at all, but I want to download a copy. Microsoft doesn't sell it any more--- they don't sell any stand-alone DOS at all---- so I might argue that there's no harm in the download: My actions aren't costing anyone a sale. But it's less clear because I'm not starting with any legal right to own or use that software, which is indeed still copyrighted and not in the public domain. That's why this is a grey area; and the safest, surest, guaranteed-legal approach is not to download the copyrighted software in this case, and to use an alternative DOS instead. I mention this to put the following in context, and to help you decide which of these are OK to use: Free-To-Share DOS (open source, no restrictions at all): Maybe OK DOSes (depending on licenses you hold; local
laws; etc.) Lots More DOS Stuff: Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- "Dear Fred, I want to
thank you for your data base of all your past (see also item #11, today!) --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 2) New Publication Schedule PostingBlame it on the earth's orbit. 8-) If each month had exactly four weeks, figuring out a 6, 7, or 8 times a month publication schedule would be a snap. But even discounting Leap Years, an average month is 4.34 weeks long. Likewise, an average year is 52.14 weeks long. The unevenness shows up a lot in months like this April, which spans across five weeks on the calendar and has a combined total of nine Thursdays and Mondays. And then, more generally, there are holidays and such that crop up from time to time, plus the need to skip an issue every month or so I can work on the infrastructure that keeps this whole operation going.... At times, scheduling gets messy. <g> So here's a permanent solution: In every issue--- not just the once-a-month "system maintenance" issue--- I'll publish a "Next Issue:" notice in the table of contents, and again at the close of the newsletter. (You can see it in this issue, the next newsletter will be out in a week, on April 19th.) With the "Next Issue" posted in every issue of the newsletter, you'll always know when the next newsletter is due, and you'll never have to wonder if something's gone wrong with your subscription. (If you don't have a current issue handy, just pop over to Langa.Com and select "current issue" to read the "next issue" date there.) I hope this will help avoid any confusion, and relieve any worries you have about missed issues--- at least, until I figure out a way to adjust the earth's orbit! Click to email this item to a
friend 3) Easy OpenWe've discussed various "open a command window/dos box here" tools and scripts in past issues, but reader Eran Rosenmann found a variation I hadn't seen before:
Thanks, Eran! Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 4) Multi-OS Restore Via DVDDVD Rs are becoming widespread enough, and the blank discs are finally getting inexpensive enough ( <$1 each; about the same per-meg cost as blank CDRs) that they're worth a serious look as a routine backup/restore/toolkit medium. I'm burning my way through my last spindle of bulk-purchased blank CDRs, and will most likely make the move to DVD when it's time to restock. But some readers have already made the jump. Frequent contributor CptSiskoX, for example, recently tried this all-in-one OS installation toolkit:
Thanks, Cpt! Click to email this item to a
friend 5) Everything About Linux Printing
Wow--- that sites lets you troubleshoot a printing problem either generally; or by starting at your specific brand and model of printer and working back to the OS; or by starting at the OS and working out to the printer; and even has human help available in the forum area. Excellent! Click to email this item to a
friend 6) Recommend It!If you think the LangaList is a worthwhile read, just use the following link to recommend the LangaList to a friend. Your friend just 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) Security Settings Gumming Up The Works?
You're not alone, Ken: a lot of sites and software offer security "enhancements" of questionable value that end up getting in the way of valid/useful web features. It's analogous to spam filters that throw out legitimate mail. For example, one of the most common "security" tweaks is to try to prevent popups by disabling or limiting scripting. The popups go away all right--- but so do all but the simplest web sites. My guess is that your problem lies in this area because your browser is currently showing you the JavaScript code instead of acting on it. The fix may involve either removing the overzealous security tool(s), and/or adjusting your browser security settings yourself. For the former, you might start by removing or uninstalling all your security add-ons; then set all IE security settings to default, and then restore just the firewall. You're using ZA, which is fine: Let it set itself up from scratch, and let it automatically preconfigure what it can. Try some known-safe test sites: Walmart should be OK; likewise try Microsoft's update pages, and a few other sites that are not likely to harbor hacker code. If your browser is now OK (my guess is it will be) you then can improve on the default IE security settings: http://langa.com/u/3z.htm Return to your test sites to make sure that each change you make doesn't break your browser again; undo any change that does. PC Pitstop has some free one-click fixes for IE--- little scripts that can adjust many security options at once into "known safe" settings. It's definitely worth taking the diagnostic test there, and checking any suggestions the site makes: http://www.pcpitstop.com When everything's working again, carefully restore any other security-add ons you want one by one. Again visit the test sites to see what effect each add-on has, and rein in or remove any too-aggressive tool that breaks your browser. If any deleterious browser changes can't be undone, or if things are too badly messed up for the above to help, try: http://www.google.com/search?q=ie+repair Click to email this item to a
friend 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 ) Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting
At Dinosaur-era Plants Maui Condo uss casa grande Cars and Internet Total Engraving Joshua Chan Iroquois Community School Computer Educator Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 9) Bypassing XP's Logon Screen
XP is a multiuser system, even when only one person is using the
machine. Ideally, you're supposed to create an "everyday" account with limited permissions,
and use an Admin-level account only for system maintenance. That way, viruses,
worms, and whatnot that may foul up the limited, everyday user account will be
less likely to cause system-wide damage. So, even with just one person using the
system, you get better safety and security by having two accounts. In any case, if you want to auto-login, bypassing the "click on your name"
and going straight to your account: Click to email this item to a
friend 10) Just For GrinsDave McHenry sends along this item:
Thanks, Dave. I hope their servers have a lot of bandwidth, because that file's about to get pounded on by LangaList readers... <g> Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 11) Plus! Edition Highlights:
All the LangaLists ever published (from 1997 through March 2004) are now available for you right at your fingertips, packaged as a space-saving highly-compressed Windows Help File that can be self-searched using the Windows Help Engine's standard (and familiar) interface. No more going online for partial searches of the LangaList's past content: Instead, with the Archives right on your hard drive, it'll take only seconds to find whatever you're looking for, no matter how long ago it was published in any version of the LangaList! And again, unlike the online search tools at Langa.Com, the Helpfile Archives contains both the standard and Plus content--- everything--- all in one place! These archives are available FREE to Plus! edition subscribers, and are updated every 90 days or so--- just one of the many benefits of subscribing. It's not too late to get your own copy of the archives. And it costs only pennies per issue to join! Sign up today! http://www.langa.com/plus.htm Click to email this item to a
friend (Give a gift subscription to
the LangaList Plus edition! See you next issue, 2004-04-19! 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. UNSUBSCRIBE (instant removal!):
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