|
Please visit the LangaList Home Page Please note: Older issues may contain information that is now out of date How To
Subscribe and Unsubscribe is at the end of this
note. Mailing List Trouble? See
http://langa.com/help.htm Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win a prize!) An easier-to read formatted
HTML version of this newsletter is available The
LangaList 2004-06-28 Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free!
--- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- "Dear Fred, first let me
say that originally a friend introduced me to --------------( the above is an advertisement )--------------
1) Dust And Laptop FansDear Fred, As a long time Langa List subscriber your letters have, on countless occasions, come to my rescue. Now, I am wondering about the possibility of dust buildup inside my Toshiba Satellite P25-S507 laptop. My Toshiba has three cooling fans on the bottom and I vacuum their grills every so often to remove any dust buildup. My question: is this enough or should I attempt to take my laptop apart to do a more thorough job of dust removal? I have taken my desktop computer apart several times to clean out the dust and reseat the circuit boards but my laptop looks like it will be much more challenging to get apart. Yours, Allan R. EricksonVacuuming the air intakes is a good idea; but opening the case is a whole different animal: As you surmise, some laptops are (ahem) difficult to reassemble once you've opened them up. Before you try hardware surgery, I suggest you run a thermal-monitoring tool. (See the suggestions here: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=21401323 ) Compare your system's actual, in-use temperatures to what the laptop vendor and/or the CPU maker recommends. (You'll find listings of allowable temperature ranges in the vendor's technical documentation.) If the laptop is staying within normal temps, I'd leave well enough alone. But if the temps run high, and the unit is still under warranty, then I'd suggest professional or factory service. If the unit is out of warranty, then you might try a very slow and careful exploration of how your laptop's case goes together. If the case assembly is straightforward and you can get it open without encountering hidden or exotic fasteners or other difficulty, then by all means do so, and then carefully blow out any accumulated dust. But if you run into laptop parts that just don't want to separate, or that seem to require some special trick or tool to get apart, your best bet is to stop. A Google search might help you find information aimed at repair techs that will reveal what's needed to access the laptop's interior. Lacking that, then professional help may again be your best bet, unless you're willing to risk damage to the laptop. I don't mean to make this sound worse than it is. As you've seen in other articles, I have no qualms at all about recommending that people poke around in the inside of standard PCs--- that's actually far simpler than most users think; an environment that only requires a minimal level of screwdriver skill. But laptops/notebooks are densely-packed devices with less room to maneuver and smaller margins for error; and they're usually more expensive than similarly-powered desktop PCs; so extra caution is necessary. Working the problem from the other direction, here's a very simple trick you can use to help keep your laptop's interior from clogging with dust in the first place: Use a lapdesk http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=lapdesk&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 . The one I use only cost $10, but it keeps the laptop from sucking in dust and lint by preventing direct contact between the laptop and any surface--- cloth or otherwise--- it would normally rest on. It also keeps both the laptop and my thighs a lot cooler. <g> Highly recommended! Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) ---
--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 2) More On Drive Letter "Mapping"
Thanks for the drive mapping info, Steve, and please apologize to your wife for me about the hardware. <g> (But she should see what my wife has to put up with!) I've been using my VPC setup ( http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=18600449 ) more and more--- I currently have *16* virtual PCs set up on my one main system--- everything from old DOS setups to Win3.x, Win9x, ME, 2K, XP Home and Pro, and a selection of Linuxes too. I've actually mothballed three separate multiboot test PCs I used to have beside my desk: Now, the OSes that used to be on those test PCs are just a click away inside my regular, main work PC. And I don't even have to leave my work or shut down XP or reboot: I can start, run, pause, stop or shutdown any of the Virtual PCs at will, without affecting my normal desktop at all. Man, it's wonderfully convenient. See next item for more info. Click to email this item to a
friend 3) Excellent VPC ResourcesAs mentioned in the previous item, a Virtual PC makes it incredibly easy to pop in and out of different OSes for testing or exploration; without having to shut down, reboot, or alter your main desktop in any way: Each of the other OSes runs in its own private, protected memory space *inside* your regular OS. In my case, VPCs have become a mainstay of my everyday work environment. ( http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=18600449 ) You can still get a free trial copy of Microsoft's VPC at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/default.mspx , or an open-source VPC at http://bochs.sourceforge.net/ ; and there are others around too. If you haven't played with one yet, I urge you to give it a go. It's not hard at all to get a VPC up and running, but to get it running really well, or to unleash its full potential, takes a bit of investigation: These were originally developer tools, and the learning curve has some odd speedbumps scattered about that may take you by surprise. But there's plenty of help available. These are the sites I found most useful in getting the most from my VPCs. Maybe they'll help you, too: Independent VPC FAQ and Link Collection: Unofficial "What Works in VPC" Site: Virtual PC Downloads: Virtualization (general): Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) ---
--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 4) Wrong-Way Default Settings For Small LANsHello Fred, I've been a Plus subscriber for a couple of years and have really learned a lot from your newsletters. I'm having an issue with the Windows Explorer and have googled to no end without finding any solution. The issue is with the "Other Places" section of "My Computer". If I click on "My Documents" (or any icon in the section, like "Control Panel"), the application hangs (not responding) and I eventually have to kill it manually. When I do, the desktop and taskbar blank out for a moment and then refresh. If I select the "My Documents" from the address bar or navigate to it through the folders then it works fine. It's only with the "Other Places" icons. It also happens when I start in the "My Documents" folder and click on "My Computer". The funny thing is it doesn't happen all the time, but most of the time (like 90%). It seems as if it's looking for something, but doesn't time out (or I haven't had the patience to see if it will). I think the key is that this happens when you're not connected to the network. XP networking has a number of built-in defaults that lean in the direction of larger networks; the defaults can actually work against you on a small LAN or when you're not on a LAN at all. In my office here, with a dozen or so PCs on a small peer-LAN, I routinely have to change certain XP network settings every time I set up an XP box, and every time I overhaul a PC's network settings.For people who are never on a LAN, or almost always on a small LAN, the solution is pretty simple: You change the two networking settings that most often cause problems (LM Announce and LM Hosts): See http://langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-01-16.htm#4 It's a little more complex for cases like Dave's, which really require two separate settings--- one for when he's on a larger LAN, and one for when he's not. This can be hard to set up in older versions of Windows (simplest thing is to use a third-party network configuration tool that can make all the changes at once), but XP makes it a lot easier with it's built-in "alternate configuration" networking tool. Easiest way to learn about it: Open XP's Help Center and search for "alternate configuration" (with the quotes). When you're done, you'll have two separate network configurations you can easily switch between, as needed. This great networking site also has additional info on alternate networking configurations, and separately, on dealing with Novell networking, too: http://www.wown.com See also: Click to email this item to a
friend 5) Free USB Thumb Drives?
Thanks, Richard. I've seen some "free after rebate" deals, too, but they're unpredictable. All you can do is keep your eyes open. Perhaps USB drives will replace blank CDRs as the preferred "free after rebate" giveaway item at geek stores. Wouldn't that be nice? <g> On the other hand, the units (up to about 256MB in size) don't cost that much in the first place--- that's why some vendors can afford to give them away. When you're talking about a piece of hardware that only costs as much as a few Happy Meals, it may not make sense to wait indefinitely for a free offer to come along. <g> As for size, yes some of the older units were indeed a bit chunky and couldn't fit in tight spaces. That's one of the reasons why some vendors included extension cables with their USB drives: The slim cable plug could fit where the actual thumb drive could not. But the new generation of USB drives is even smaller than before. So small, in fact, that "thumb" drive may no longer be appropriate--- they're more the size of your fifth finger; the smallest. For example, just as InformationWeek posted my USB Drive article ( http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=22100588 ), memory vendor Crucial came out with a line of second generation USB drives that are smaller, faster, and lighter weight than their previous generation: In fact, the entire Version 2 drive is no wider than a normal USB plug by itself! See what I mean in this side-by-side comparison photo: Main image site:
http://freetune.com/extras/old_new_gizmos.jpg And, yes, that's a full 1GB flash drive on the bottom, even though it's physically way smaller than the 256MB drive above it. (I bought the 256MB drive a while ago. Crucial sent me a 1GB drive so I could see the new size, and so I could experiment with it.) You can see all the Crucial drives here, although their photos make them all look about the same size, when they're emphatically not the same at all: http://www.crucial.com/store/listmfgr.asp?cat=drives+storage In any case, many vendors are paying more attention to size so their drives can fit into a USB socket without blocking the adjacent socket(s). That's a good thing! Click to email this item to a
friend 6) Last Day To "Recommend And Win"At the end of the day, June 30, 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.) Click to email this item to a
friend 7) When You Need *Exact* CPU Info...Fred: I liked your advice about installing Intel's Active Monitor ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-03-04.htm#1 ), but it seems I have to know my chipset's "full name", i.e., letters and exact model number, not just the family, e.g. "845" using Intel's id utility. I've downloaded the monitor and tried to install, but it hangs.... Golly, it sounded so simple, download and install...but.. Help! Many thanks. ---Ted The de facto standard for CPU identification is the free tool called wcpuid.exe, available from: http://www.h-oda.com/ (Your browser may ask if you want to install various Asian character sets to view the pages; you can say no; the download link, and the actual software, is in English.) It's incredibly thorough and will probably tell you more than you'll ever need to know about your CPU, chipset and system memory. <g> But don't worry: It's all laid out in easy-to-understand format. There's also a similarly-named tool available from http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php , but it's not nearly as good as H-Oda's software. Click to email this item to a
friend 8) They Loaded The CodeDo you have a home page or website? (It doesn't matter what size.)
Please click over to http://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://langa.com/link.txt ) Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At Computer Coach Peer to Peer Networking Tips and Tricks Shopping Info Antique Furniture Gallery of Art WebMax Design Crown Hill Farm (Tx) Mary Clark Chihuahua Fanciers Switchfoot Trades Texas Places Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) ---
--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 9) Take "Command" (All Versions Of Windows)
Well, in my specific case, I've been playing with PCs for 25 years; I was bound to pick up a few tidbits along the way. 8-) But more generally, yes, the Help files are a good place to start. And when they fail, Google can pick up the slack. For example, in any version of Windows. you can go to Start/Run, type the word "command" (without the quotes), hit enter or click OK, and a "command window" (a.k.a. DOS box) will open. In WinMe and earlier, it's a window to true DOS. In NT/2K/XP, it's not really DOS (there is no true DOS in those OSes) but rather a command interpreter that acts in a DOS-like way. Oddly, in the older Windows with true DOS, you may not have general DOS help available. Some versions of DOS did ship with a general Help command for DOS; many did not. You can try: In the DOS box, type the word "help" without the quotes and then hit enter. You'll probably just get an error message, but if you're lucky, you'll get a basic text-based help file. The newer Windows, despite not having true DOS, do have abundant DOS-like help built in: In the command window, type the word "help" without the quotes and then hit enter, and you'll see a list of all the valid commands that are available to you. In all Windows, once you know the name of a specific command that you want to know more about, you can type the command followed by a " /?" (without the quotes) for specific help on that command. For example, to learn about the ATTRIB command in any version of Windows, you'd open a command window and type attrib /? and then hit enter. You'll then see basic textual info on the Attrib command and how to use it. Again, " /?" works for any valid command. You also can explore the Windows help file itself, searching on any specific command you want to know more about. In particular, the XP help file is very, very good--- by far the best built-in help Windows has ever had. But if the above doesn't help, try: http://www.google.com/search?q=dos+commands or search using the actual command you're interested in (eg "attrib") as the search term. Click to email this item to a
friend 10) Just For Grins
It probably is the keyboard buffer--- a small bit of memory where keystrokes are stored before they're processed. If you try to fill the buffer with more keystrokes than it can hold, it generates an error beep. But, oddly, that four-key combo only generates the rhythmic beeps on some of the PCs here. On some others--- including PCs where I can make the keyboard buffer overflow by other means--- the four-key combo does exactly nothing. In all, a strange bit of harmless weirdness. 8-) Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) ---
--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 11) Plus! Edition Highlights:
DID YOU KNOW that Plus! subscribers have access to over
100,000 additional words in special features, extra content and private links,
all on a private web site? All that, plus 30% more content in every issue, for
just a dollar a month! Click to email this item to a
friend (Give a gift subscription to the
LangaList Plus edition! See you next issue, 2004-07-01! Best, 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://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!):
http://langa.com/leave_langalist.htm This newsletter is SPAM PROOF and requires two levels of subscriber confirmation
before delivery begins: See
http://langa.com/info.htm |
|
|
Please visit the LangaList Home Page |