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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2004-05-06

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) More On Safe (and FREE) Password Storage

We're getting more great suggestions on safe, free, and easy password management. (See
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=19202221 )

For example, check this out--- a free Excel spreadsheet that uses a little script to encrypt and decrypt a group of passwords using any key you specify. Once encrypted, you can store the passwords even as plain text, and they'll be safe from most casual prying. Or, for more security, password-protect the Excel spreadsheet itself, and you'll have two layers of protection guarding your passwords....

Fred: Attached is an Excel file that could be used to store encrypted passwords without running a [separate] program. I wrote this after I read your last newsletter. It contains macros to encrypt a password or decrypt the encrypted password. This is not a finished spreadsheet, but an example of an approach to take. The functions use a simple method that XOR's a string with a key. When the result is XORed against the key, you get the original value back. It starts at A4 and loops down the column until a blank cell is found. You could add additional info in the other columns.

You would want to blank out the key after encrypting before saving the file.

Do not hit the Encrypt button right away so you can look at the source code [of the macro/script] before testing....

I used this simple technique in the 70's to encrypt mag stripe badges that were used in a security system that I wrote on the IBM XT PC. I used the clock interrupt for the PC to create a task scheduler to allow the background parsing of data collected from badge readers connected via a current loop to RS232 interface on the PC. I also wrote the interrupt handler for the RS232 to collect the data from up to 64 badge readers per RS232 port....

I currently develop apps using .NET, Powerbuilder, and VB6. I have created apps for courts that integrate office to vb apps using OLE.

Joe Sherrill, President
Joe Sherrill Consulting, Inc.
http://www.joesherrill.com/

Thanks, Joe! I've ZIPped Joe's sample spreadsheet--- it compresses down to a tiny 13.5K---- and have posted it in two places:

Plus! Subscriber Private Download Area:
http://langalist.com/plus/extras/encrypt.asp

Public Download:
http://freetune.com/extras/encrypt.zip

You can use Joe's spreadsheet as-is, or play with it to add whatever enhancements you want. As Joe's work shows, basic password security doesn't have to be exotic, difficult, or expensive!

And it's also neither hard nor expensive--- in fact. many tools are free!--- to go way beyond the basics. You easily can download and use free and low-cost tools that will make your passwords essentially unguessable and un-snoopable to all but supercomputer-level cracking.

Click on over to
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=19202221
for the full scoop!

Click to email this item to a friend
http://www.langa.com/sendit2.htm

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2) Finding The Worst Space-Hogs

Dear Fred, Your newsletter continues to be a source of great information.

Years ago, you mentioned a program called Scanner that would display really
great "pie chart" displays of the contents of one's computer.  I downloaded
it and used it often.

I have now migrated to a new computer and would like to download Scanner
again, but I can't find the website.  Do you recall the URL? Many thanks, Dal

Sure Dal, it was http://www.steffengerlach.de/freeware/, as discussed in "Find Those Space-Hogging Files And Folders" in http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-10-28.htm#2

Tools to help you identify and manage the worst space-hogs have been a recurring theme in the Plus! edition, too. Plus! subscribers can see additional info in #13 in http://www.langalist.com/plus/newsletters/2002/2002-07-01plus.asp , in #13 in http://www.langalist.com/plus/newsletters/2001/2001-04-19plus.asp , and in #11 in http://www.langalist.com/plus/newsletters/2002/2002-06-24plus.asp

Click to email this item to a friend
http://www.langa.com/sendit2.htm

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3) Looking for Help With PageFile/Swapfile Sizes

Hello, I've been trying to figure out the best size for a page file and if I should use more then one on different drives.  I currently have 512MB RAM but I'm a bit confused as to what size I should make the initial size and what should be the max size and how is the size calculated.  I've heard that Microsoft calculates it at 1.5 times the amount of RAM so if I'm figuring this properly then my current size should be 512 times 1.5 equaling 768 and my Max size should be 768 times 1.5 equaling 1152.  Is this proper or should it be different. 

Thanks for any thoughts in this area of gray since my gray matter isn't handling it well. ---Dave

It's not you, Dave--- it's an area rife with confusion.

You didn't say which OS you're using. That's important because, with XP, Microsoft actually got it mostly right: You usually can just accept the system recommendations, which are pretty good. You can lock them in as fixed sizes if you wish, but the actual recommended and max sizes will be OK for most mainstream systems. The automatic suggestions do work less well on systems with large amounts of RAM--- say, over 1 GB. In those cases, you may want to rein in the size of the swapfile a bit. But for most normal systems, accepting the automatic sizing usually produces decent results. Also, see #7 in http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20011204S0009 for more info on XP's pagefile/swapfile options, including using multiple drives.

For other Windows, swapfile management gets somewhat fuzzier, but Dave's rule-of-thumb approach is probably fine.

Lots more info:
XP: http://www.google.com/search?q=page+swap+file+xp
2000: http://www.google.com/search?q=page+swap+file+2000
WinME: http://www.google.com/search?q=page+swap+file+me+millennium
Win98: http://www.google.com/search?q=page+swap+file+98

"Hi Fred, I'm very happy to have upgraded to the Plus edition of the LangaList.
In just the past couple of months, I've stored and used more
of your tips and tweaks than anything else I've ever found on the internet.
Thanks for the help! I look forward to your next newsletter,
and hope that you may dig out some tips for those of us
with some hair left to pull!" ---Frank DC

Thanks, Frank!

The LangaList Plus! Edition is ad-free, spam-proof,
and contains even more content--- tips, tricks, advice, downloads....---
than the Standard Edition you're now reading--- for just 14 cents an issue!

Get all the details:
http://www.langa.com/plus.htm

Dear Fred; In Explorer when you click on "Windows" I get a lot of folders that are Blue". What are these folders? Thanks, John

P.S. I am glad I upgraded to "LangaList Plus." I didn't know what I was missing.  I really enjoy it.

Fred, I have been watching and reading your woes with Linux with a feeling of deja vu...been there, done that and didn't even get the T Shirt. The best one of the current crop of distros is Mandrake. I also have a feeling that this is really a major issue with debian based distributions like Lindows--or should I say Linspire [Lindows had to change its name to avoid a drawn-out lawsuit with Microsoft]---,Xandros, knoppix, morphix etc... they seem to be getting worse supporting hardware instead of better.  I have a machine that knoppix used to work perfectly on, that doesn't work with the newer detect versions.  So I think that something in the newer versions of hardware detection in the debian world is broken badly. That said, Suse, has always been a pain to me. Mandrake, however, has usually worked fine. RH and Fedora however, have never been good for my equipment, both old and new.
 
I finally gave up and blew away xandros 2 off my main machine to get my space back.  I just could not justify the time it was taking to make it work.  Same with Lindows/Linspire.  Now I have them on test machines only.  I was searching for a way to stop using windows...no such luck here.
 
So I guess the bottom line is that Linux providers have more work to do.  To be fair, they will claim that bad hardware support is NOT their problem because vendors don't typically write Linux drivers or give them access to the specs..but that doesn't explain why knoppix used to work on my machine and the newer versions do not.
 
Keep up the good work. ---Lynn Parkin

Trying to put windows for workgroups 3.1 on cd to be able to install from cd instead of the 8 disks. only don't know how to and make it work. How would I go about it. Also have the 23 disks for windows 95 and would like to setup from cd instead of the lengthy process of installing from floppies. And the reason for doing this is so I can try Microsoft's virtual pc [See "Microsoft's 'Virtual PC' Is Too Good Not To Check Out" at http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=18600449 ]. Still trying to figure how to install windows 3.1 from floppies into virtual pc and try out multiple operating systems in a virtual pc form, instead of multiple partitions on my pc. Any help In these two matters would be highly appreciated. Loyal member for approx 2 years. Sincerely Tony

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

• AVG Update Update

   (no, I'm not stuttering... <g>)
• Free Hard Drive Tools
     (test, install, repair, maintain...)
• Another Good Font Fix
     (oddly-placed setting makes the difference)

You can't lose! The Plus! edition is only pennies per issue, and comes with a MONEY BACK GUARANTEE from Fred.

Check out the details: http://www.langa.com/plus.htm

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See you next issue, 2004-05-17!