|
Please visit the LangaList Home Page 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 2004-07-12 Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free!
--- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- Ink Doesn't Have To Be Expensive! --------------( the above is an advertisement )--------------
1) The Promise--- And Problems--- Of The New Windows UpdateA new version of Windows Update is about
to debut. It first appeared as part of the prerelease versions of Service
Pack 2 for XP, still in beta as of this writing. But the Update software was
separately released on its own in a free public beta ( http://langa.com/u/5i.htm
) about two weeks ago. The new Update process (comprising both the new Update
site and a new software applet that resides on your PC) has different
defaults and behaves differently from the Update you're probably used to: I
suggest you read all the way through this coverage before deciding whether or
not to try the beta on your system. Take a look: The new article at Click on over to Click to email this item to a friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- CyberGuys! --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 2) Readers Experiment With PC Noise ReductionI'm very glad to see how many of you have tried--- and still are exploring--- some of the noise-reduction techniques we discussed in the "Cool and Quiet" series ( http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=21401323 ). Some of you are trying a few very different approaches, too. For example: Hi Fred, Of course, first--LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your
newsletter. A gold mine! Thanks Di! Without being able to hear the sounds, before and after, I can only guess at the cause. But because backups and a Registry cleaning both made things quieter, it suggests to me that the noise was mostly coming from your hard drive. Perhaps improving/compressing/moving large files (like the Registry) reduced the amount of head movement inside the drives, and thus reduced the noise. Head movement is often a chattering sound, sometimes with some accompanying high-pitched squeaks and sibilants; these sounds come and go, and happen only when the system is actively reading or writing files. Drive bearings also can make quite a racket, but this noise often happens independently of drive access: You may hear the noise all the time, whenever the drive is spinning; or it may be temperature-dependent--- more pronounced when the drive is cold, for example, such as at start-up. If you're hearing noise from routine head movement, it's probably not something to worry about; it rarely signals an imminent mechanical problem, and can even be controlled somewhat through the S.M.A.R.T. interface in many newer drives. ( http://langa.com/u/5j.htm ) . It also can be reduced through housecleaning (reducing junk files) and defragging. Drive isolators (soft plastic mounts or O-rings that isolate the drive from the case) and even soundproofed drive enclosures also can help. Of course, if a once-quiet drive's heads suddenly start making a racket, that's different, and you should prepare for the worst. Likewise, any unusual bearing noise is almost always a bad sign: Rhythmic squeaks, rattles or--- worst of all--- grinding sounds all can be audible signs that a drive is heading for major trouble. Finally, some simple problems, like loose bolts and screws, can allow parts to vibrate and make noise. Although this is mostly harmless (unless the bolts back themselves completely out!), it can sound very bad. Sometimes, just touching the case, using the CD, and such can temporarily stop the noise. This may be all that happened in your case--- something worked loose, until your use of the system temporarily made the loose part stop vibrating. But this kind of noise usually comes back until and unless you track down the loose parts and tighten their fasteners. Still, although we we can't say for sure what caused your noises, you did the right thing my making a full backup. Now, even if the drive dies, you're OK! Click to email this item to a friend 3) "Spoolsv" Eats 99% Of CPU TimeHi Fred, Thank you for maintaining your list. I eagerly
read new issues and have learned amazing things about my PC from you and your
subscribers. A lot of people are having this problem Bob: It appears to be related to printer services in the beta Service Pack 2 for XP. Alas, it's just one more example of why you should never try beta software on a PC you depend on. Beta software has bugs--- that's why it's still beta! So, if SP2 was the last update you tried, that could explain the whole problem right there. Also, SP2 isn't uninstallable, so really can't undo it in the normal way: Instead, you either have to roll the system back to a pre-SP2 state (eg by restoring a previous drive image); or by a reformat/reinstall of the original OS. It may be possible--- not likely, but possible--- to find a workaround by getting new drivers from your printer manufacturer; or by adjusting the existing drivers to print directly to the printer, instead of spooling the print job (saving it to disk) first. You usually can do this in the Control Panel printer applet, and/or the printer properties dialog. By bypassing the spool services, you may --- may--- also bypass the Spoolsv problem. Lots more good info: 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 --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 4) Make Icons Transparent (More, Too.)Fred, As you know I just love your newsletter and have been reading it since the beginning. I have this great desktop picture and also lots o icons. I
arrange the icons in groups that I use, graphics, utilities, registry tools,
etc. And so I have all these blue rectangles (the icons themselves I don't
mind) that I just hate, they block so much of my desktop background. So I
found a pgm that will manage the icons. In fact it does much more than just
make the text background transparent. And it is SillyWare, but what is
Sillyware you ask - all the author wants is something silly and completely
devoid of value sent to him. Check it out at http://www.sillysot.com/ Thanks, Rush. The site's motto is "Freeware by people with too much time on their hands," which ought to tell you something... 8-) Click to email this item to a friend 5) Huge USB Keychain Drive? (And An Audio Tip)Fred: I have been on the computer for over 6 hours looking
for a 5 gig USB key and have not been able to locate one. I know they exist
as a friend of mine that lives 20 miles from me has one! I have tried Tiger
Direct-Pricewatch-Overstocked.com-Geektools.com-Thinkgeek.com and a host of
others to try and locate this little beauty. Help? Thanks Daniel! I've never seen a 5GB flash unit. Closest I've seen is a 4GB device--- but it's an expensive gimmick: a 2GB flash unit with built-in compression. It costs $1600.. For $200, you can take a 2.2 GB microdrive ( http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=22100588 ) and add your own compression (via something like Zip; or by NTFS compression) to hold well over 4GB.... As for the tape-to-MP3, many sound cards have line-in jacks. If your tape player has a line-out jack, then a simple patch cord (available at any audio/video/computer store) should let you connect them, with no other hardware needed. But by whatever means, it's good to get old analog tapes, records, movies, etc. converted to a digital medium: they're easier to manage and edit, and won't deteriorate with time! 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.) Click to email this item to a friend 7) WebStriderHi Mr. Langa, This is along the same general idea as Anne Nolen's recommended site ( "Many Useful Items" http://langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-06-21.htm#9 ) except its not cluttered and it is much easier to use. Webstrider has so much information I think it's worth a look at. http://www.webstrider.com/ Thanks, Gaston Potvin Thank you, Gaston! 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://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 Manually Browse All
Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At CompuHelp Mark Arnold Creations Lawns bowls in New
Zealand Sell or Buy Anything NJ Web Hosting DanBot USS Casa Grande LSD-13 Surfing Wenches A Wailing Archives of Resource List Click to email this item to a friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- Need To Become Self-Sufficient About Win98? --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 9) Win98's 2GB/4GB File Size LimitSir: I just got myself a Fire HD external 40 GBHD drive. I have been wanting to use it to backup my C drive, that is in my desktop computer. I have a put together computer it is a 1.3 GB with 256 k, 40 GBHD the OS is 98SE. using Netscape Communicator 7.1 as the Browser Now I'm trying to use the Backup program that Microsoft has on the Windows program. But I can't get it to work right. C Drive has 6,233,248,616 Bytes, 38,863 Files. Ok so I start the backup and it stops and gives [an error] message after processing this much stuff: 4,275,359,351 Bytes... I have experienced trouble before with Microsoft software.
Is there another program that I can use that may work. Most of the copy
programs I have are ones to copy to a CD not to another HD. I have Nero and
some other backup copy programs, If they do work to copy to a HD, I guess I'm
just not experienced enough to figure it out. Well, this isn't really a Windows or Microsoft issue per se, but rather a limit for file sizes in Fat32: Fat32 maxes out at 4GB for any single file. Fat16 is even worse: It maxes out at 2GB. You can easily bump into these limits when making backups, ripping MP3s, capturing video and the like--- large-scale file operations that these older file systems never were designed to handle. These older formats also have some severe limits on things like the number of files that can be in a partition, or in a folder; Fat16 may allow as few as just 512 files in a folder! Again, it's because today's larger hard drives weren't even on the horizon when these older file systems were created. The only real fix is to move to a more modern file system that's designed for larger drives. For example, NTFS (used by XP and Win2K, for example) can have over four billion (as in "four thousand million") files on a partition, and supports files as large as 16 terabytes (that's 2 to the 44th power!). More info: http://langa.com/u/5k.htm Linux users face similar issues, too. Older Linux formats have severe caps, but the newer ones provide ample space: http://langa.com/u/5l.htm So there's no simple answer for you, I'm sorry to say: You can't get around the fundamental limits of whatever file system you're using. About all you can do is break the backup into smaller chunks, so each separate piece of the backup stays small enough for the file system to handle. Click to email this item to a friend 10) Just For GrinsWe recently talked about cleaning the guts of your PC (see http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-07-01.htm#1 ). I've seen some dirty PCs, but not like this: I used to work for a state agency that had field offices that were really field offices: One of our employees complained that his CD drive wasn't working. I had to pry it open, and found it full of sticky red dirt. When I cracked the computer case, I found not just dirt, but chicken feathers. He had been using his computer out in his chicken coop. No, I didn't ask why. Keep up the great work! ---Dennis Bagenstos Click to email this item to a friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- RAM Shortage Coming! --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 11) Plus! Edition Highlights:
|
|
Please visit the LangaList Home Page |