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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2004-11-18

A Free Email Newsletter from Fred Langa
That Helps You Get More From Your Hardware, 
Software, and Time Online

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1) EverNote

Long ago, when I was the Editor-In-Chief of Byte magazine, I had the opportunity to visit Russia--- it was still the USSR then--- at the dawn of perestroika. I went a couple times, and both trips were amazing not only to observe the birth of the local PC industry there, but more so to see an entire culture opening to the outside world. It was fascinating, exhilarating--- and at times a little scary. 8-) (Remember the Russian Parliament building that Boris Yeltsin shelled with tank fire? I stayed in a hotel about a five minute walk from there...)

I met some wonderful folks in Russia; people active in one way or another in the fledgling consumer PC world there. Soviet-era computer hardware was truly awful, but the software was something else: Often elegant, unusual, and unfettered by the material constraints of a hobbled and inefficient Soviet economy.

One of the friends I made in Moscow was Stepan Pachikov, whose energetic and wide-ranging intellect kept him involved with many products and projects, ranging from founding a computer club for Russian kids who otherwise might never see a PC; to selling advanced handwriting-recognition software to Microsoft and other Western high-tech companies.

We visited each other's homes several times; and Stepan eventually moved his family to San Jose. Over the years, we drifted out of touch--- until last week, when this arrived in my email from a PR person in Stepan's newest company:

Hello Fred,  Back at Byte, you had covered Stepan Pachikov, CEO of ParaGraph and his team's pen computing product, Calligrapher.

It's been many moons since then, but with your interest in emerging technology products, I wanted to let you know that Stepan and his team are at it again with a new product, EverNote 1.0. EverNote lets you put all your notes and content (text, web clips, images, etc.) on an endless, electronic roll of paper and makes them instantly accessible anytime, any place. 

You can download your own free beta copy of EverNote at http://www.evernote.com/en/downloads .

We plan to ship smartphone and PDA versions by the end of the year, complete with the ability to take a digital snapshot from your mobile device and have it appear automatically in EverNote. Linux, Symbian, Palm, Mac versions are in our to-do list....

EverNote takes some getting used to, but is an interesting idea:

EverNote is a new software product that gives you a single place for all of your notes. With EverNote, you can capture and easily find all kinds of notes: text, Web, email, handwriting, image clips and more. EverNote innovates by storing content on an endless, virtual, time-stamped roll of paper so you can quickly jump to any date and scroll chronologically through your notes, without having to open them individually.

The beta's free to try: Give it a look!

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2) Last Suggestion Re: "Magic Fix"

In "Magic Fix Sought" ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-10-28.htm#9 ) and in subsequent items ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-11-04.htm#1 and http://langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-11-04.htm#2 ) we discussed numerous ways of rescuing data from a hard drive that had become inaccessible or unbootable.

As a kind of last word on the subject, reader George C. Tullius suggests this *preventive* measure:

"I am, once again, trying to repair a damaged system without my friend having to reinstall all his software and possibly lose data in 'My Documents' etc."  Fred: Therein lies most user's problems, they use the Windows default folders to save their files. Upon reinstall the My Documents folder gets replaced. therefore I have suggested to all of those I have helped since windows 3.1x, to make a folder on the Harddrive named My Files, or for different users their name plus files IE: Freds Files, and Freds Pictures, Freds Downloads, Etc, Etc.. Upon a reinstall, and or upgrade these files are not replaced as is the My Documents Folder. All you have to do within your applications is go to the preferences and select the folder to save the created files into and apply it, from then on they will automatically save in that folder per user sign on.
 
I always suggest using a separate partition, on the hard drive for these files, and or a separate hard drive, so you can do a format and reinstall of windows, without losing any of your data. Note on a partitioned HD you will lose the files if you do a low-level format which also removes the partition, and you have to repartition it with fdisk [or any similar tool].
 
Also you can before formatting backup your registry to this partition, and after all is installed you can import that registry again and have all your settings back, if you have installed the programs on the same partition they were originally installed on. Or if programs are installed on the partition or separate HD, reinstall those programs to the original folders/partition/HD, and all that will be added is the registry links in windows, and the files windows requires to be installed in the system and system32 folder.
 
Not a Magic Fix, but a guaranteed way to prevent data loss in a corrupted system forcing a reinstall of the OS.---George C. Tullius

Thanks, George. There are many other tools and techniques that can help change the default folders used by Windows, too. See, for example http://www.google.com/search?q=change+default+folder+windows

And: This technique of moving files out of harm's way also can work even as an emergency measure, as long as you have *some* kind of access to a drive. For example, if you have a system that's badly hosed and needs to be rebuilt, but you can access the hard drive with a boot disk, Recovery Console, or something similar, you can temporarily copy the contents of vital folders (such as My Documents) to a safe location prior to reinstalling the OS. After reinstall, just copy the files back.

Of course all these tricks become largely unnecessary if you regularly back up at least your key folders, wherever they are and no matter what they're named. Then, you're essentially immune to major data loss, regardless of what happens on the hard drive!

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3) SP1 Needed Before SP2?

Hello, Fred: Mostly because of your newsletter (Plus! edition), I've become the local guru--do I say 'Thanks'? ;-) It's a chuckle, actually. I'm a blacksmith, by trade, and yet the local computer-folks come to me to make their machines behave. Your answers bump me up in their estimation.

A question has reared its head: When re-installing XP, is it necessary to install SP1 before installing SP2? After 6 months of abuse, my IBM ThinkPad 1200/1300 starts to get a bit sluggish and I set aside a couple of days to run the 'Recovery Disc' and start from scratch. I'm always amazed at the amount of 'crap' that builds up. I have all my 'stuff' backed up, so there's no problem losing things, at least so far. ;-) It seems to me that if I install XP then SP2, a lot of time will be saved, but are there some bits and pieces in SP1 that are needed? I'd like to be able to do this once and be done with it. Your answer will not only speed me up but make me more able to sort out the local computer dead-heads. I'm already preaching 'back-up', 'update', 'anti-spyware', 'back-up', etc.Thanks for the terrific news-letter. Cheers, Bryan.

Of course, you'll need to install any post-SP2 patches that may appear as time goes on, but you'll get all the way to SP2 in one, giant step.

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4) Missed It By Just Hours

Some readers seem to think that I bang out this newsletter and then hit "send;" with a gap of only minutes between my writing and your reading. <g> The reality is that there's usually a day or two in between.

For example, it takes about a full day to write and rough-format each issue (not counting any special research); I'm writing these words on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I'll prep the issue for mailing (in five versions) and for posting on the web (in two versions). The Plus! edition issues will start going out Wednesday night (the Plus! edition gets delivered early); the Standard edition will go out Thursday, and most of you will read this item on Thursday, two full days after I wrote it.

The Monday issues take a little longer, because of the weekends: I usually write the Monday issues on Thursdays, post it on Fridays, and you read it on Sunday (Plus! Edition) or Monday (Standard Edition).

Compared to a medium like print, where monthly magazines can have a three month (!) "lead time," this is a reasonably compressed schedule, but it's not instantaneous. After all, this is a researched and formatted e-newsletter; not an off-the-cuff opinion blog or a quick-and-dirty email.

All of which is by way of context for this: Last Thursday, when I was writing the http://langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-11-15.htm issue, Grisoft had not yet released the new replacement for their free version of AVG 6. I correctly quoted the then-current statement from their web site that, "...the next generation of AVG Free will be available soon!"

As luck would have it, "soon" meant that night: After I'd finished the issue, Grisoft took the new, free AVG 7 out of beta and made it a shipping product. That's good news.

But (bizarrely) many readers were angry at me--- I got a *flood* of mail from irate people who thought I was trying to discredit Grisoft or mislead readers or was working some secret agenda to lure people away from AVG. The volume of mail was surprising, and the vehemence was, well, quite unpleasant.

AVG fans: Take a deep breath. I've recommended AVG many times in the past ( http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=avg&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 ) and, if the new version proves as good as the old, I expect I'll continue to recommend it. Anyone who wants to try the new version can now find it at http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5 (This link is correct as I write this, but it could change.)

Obviously, all I can do is report what's known at the time I write each issue. Sometimes, despite the best intentions, that information will get overtaken by events. Even now, as I write this (on Nov 16) Grisoft's own site still contains pages showing the now-outdated information about a "new version coming soon." (Example: http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/5443/lng/us/tpl/v5 ; although the page will no doubt eventually be taken down or corrected.) If a software publisher's site can't be 100% current about its own products, I'm not sure how anyone else can be, either.

Until I can figure out how to travel through time, I can't and don't promise perfect and permanent accuracy in this newsletter. <g> Things change; sites come and go; products evolve on their own schedule; etc. But I can and do promise you I'll always try to make sure the information here is good at the time it's written. That's all I can do.

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5) Safer Surfing

Hello Fred: In order to help the students in my SeniorNet classes protect their computers from malware and all the other Internet hazards, I have created a Web site http://surfthenetsafely.com. It includes discussion of viruses, worms, Trojans, cookies, email attachments, phishing, and spam. It also goes into detail on how to configure Outlook Express and Internet Explorer for greater security. Maybe some of your readers would also find it useful. Very best regards, Vic Laurie

Thanks, Vic!

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6) Recommend This Newsletter And Win!

If you think the LangaList is a worthwhile read, maybe a friend would find it useful too! Just use the following link to recommend the LangaList---your friend 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://langa.com/recommend.htm . Thanks for recommending the LangaList--- and good luck!

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7) External Drive Disappears

Hi Fred, First off, thank you for a fabulous newsletter!  I have learned so much in the months since a friend recommended your list.
 
I have read your entries on drive imaging and purchased a copy of Norton Ghost 9.0, along with an 80GB USB 2.0 external hard drive to store drive images.  I discovered a flaw in Ghost entirely by accident; I decided to test the drive restore function and booted into the Norton Recovery Environment.... The drive is not visible within the Recovery Environment, which means I could not restore my images in the event of a catastrophic crash.
 
Since Symantec does not provide free telephone support for their products (don't even get me started!), I was forced to use their e-mail support.  3 weeks later, I have still not found a resolution.
 
So on to my question:  have you heard of this problem with Ghost 9.0 before?  If not, my package also came with a Ghost 2003 CD.  I'd prefer not to resort to installing the older version, but short of asking for a refund and recommendation from you for other imaging programs, I am at a loss (and who's to say that Ghost 2003 won't have the same issues).
 
Thank you and keep up the outstanding work! ---Marc Teitelbaum

I haven't had time to try the newer versions of Ghost yet, but the problem sounds more general--- not necessarily a Ghost problem per se.

First, and again in general: There are several reasons why a drive may not be visible. One is format type: For example, without special drivers, a DOS-based environment won't be able to see an NTFS drive or partition. ( http://www.google.com/search?q=dos+ntfs ) Similarly, Windows won't normally see or recognize Linux-type partitions; etc.

There also can be problems with the way some vendors set up hard drives with hidden partitions or nonstandard boot processes, which can confuse third-party software. (I usually wipe out all such hidden partitions and boot managers just to prevent such weirdness. See http://langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-02-06.htm#1 )

There also can be a common problem with external drives, which are usually USB-based: Without special USB drivers, software can't see or access the USB devices.

Windows has USB drivers, so software working in Windows can see and use USB devices while Windows is running. But when Windows isn't running (or when you're running a limited subset of Windows), you may be out of luck.

There are some DOS-level drivers available for more or less generic USB devices: http://www.google.com/search?q=dos+usb+driver  But to use them, you may have to create your own custom restore environment in which to use Ghost and similar tools (eg a DOS boot disk or CD, with the USB drivers on it).

This is one of the reasons why I normally don't recommend external drives as a backup medium. CDs are safer, as almost all OSes--- even ancient, 15-year-old copies of DOS--- can handle CDs just fine. If you back up to an external device, you may have trouble restoring your data.

Or, to wrap up all the above: If you use a backup medium (1) you *know* you can access from just about any PC; (2) is set up with a format your backup and restore  tools can handle; and (3) won't be impeded by weird hidden partition structures, unusual boot managers, etc.; then your backups and restores should be smooth sailing.

It's mostly just a matter of getting the weird stuff out of your way!

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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://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 )

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://langa.com/randomlink.htm

Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At
http://langa.com/readersites.htm

WinXP Help Site
http://info.rainrain.com/

personal/techie/humor site
http://www.sillyeagle.com/

Settlers of Catan
http://www.browan.org/

somebody you can call
http://www.somebodyyoucancall.com/

Lozian's Luxury Links
http://www.lozian.co.uk/

Industrial Supplies
http://www.allied-controls.com

DotHQ
http://www.dothq.com/

Fractal Whimsey
http://home.cfl.rr.com/rdill/

User Friendly Computers of Royal Oak, Michigan
http://www.wowway.com/~mooreman/index.html

Adaptive tech and more (UK)
http://www.moving-mountains.com

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9) "Registry Access Denied"

Fred, I am having a problem that the technicians at Microsoft Canada haven't been able to solve.
 
I am using Windows XP (home edition) and have been unable to install the WindowsXP Service Pack2.  I have tried from both the downloaded file and from the CD. All of the files install, and then when it comes to accessing the registry the message comes up: "Access Denied".  The program then informs me that SP2 wasn't installed correctly and the uninstall wizard takes over, removing all of the files, etc.
 
I have tried to install  from the "Administrator" in safe mode, etc., but nothing has helped. I have disabled all of my startup programs, no difference.
 
I am able to access the registry from "regedit" and I can install new programs which I assume access the registry to add information.  I cannot understand why the Windows SP2 can't access the registry.  The MS technician has reached the point of recommending I reformat the hard disk, install WindowsXP and then  the SP2 and then all of my programs. As I have  a computer full of programs I would prefer avoiding this option.
 
Can you shed any light on this problem? Thanks, Walt

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10) Just For Grins

Hey Fred! Check this out for the Grins section.

The new Homeland Security Bill has passed. Things will be different now. Internet surfing will be tracked by the FBI with a nonintrusive method.  The FBI says you will not notice anything different.  Click below for a demonstration.

 http://users.chartertn.net/tonytemplin/FBI_eyes

Best, Rich S

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11) Plus! Edition Highlights:

• Huge Anti-Malware Resource--- Free!
     (find new tools; get more from your current tools)
• Free High-Quality Digital Photo Tool
     (as good as pricey commercial software)
• More Wireless LAN Snoops
     (protect your WLAN, PC, and data!)

The Plus! edition is only pennies per issue, and comes with a MONEY BACK GUARANTEE from Fred. How can you lose? Check out the details:

http://langa.com/plus.htm

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