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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2004-12-02

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

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1) Older System Hardware Woes

Fred, Long time reader, new Plus subscriber with a strange one...
 
A couple of weeks ago my trusty 5 year-old Gateway Performance 450, running W98SE started running about half-speed during the BIOS phase of reboot. The progress bar moves slowly, sometimes pauses a while, and when it's at the end the "beep" is now a "be-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-p". Once Windows launches, things run about the same as always. No other symptoms are apparent. I've tried doing everything right to keep the old girl healthy, but she's got me a little scared now! I've always trusted your help inside Windows.  Can you imagine what's going on here outside?
Thanks, Ron

My guess is that it's at least partly a problem with the BIOS not retaining the Extended System Configuration Data--- or "ESCD." This is information about the interrupts and memory assignments required by various devices built into the motherboard or added via "plug and play" cards. Normally, once a PC figures out the right settings (this takes some time), it stores them as Extended System Configuration Data. Then, during future boots, the PC saves time by referring to the ESCD and using the data stored there. But if the hardware configuration has changed (eg if you add a new plug-in card) or if the ESCD data is lost, the PC must laboriously "discover" the hardware configuration from scratch at each boot. This always takes longer than an ESCD-assisted boot, and can take *much* longer if the setup is complex. (See http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci213947,00.html )

That might explain the slow boot, but may not explain the long beep. Most BIOSes use some kind of audible tones (so called "beep codes") to indicate the system's basic health or status at boot. Usually, one short beep means "all is well." Longer beeps and patterns of beeps carry different meanings, depending on the BIOS. Most of the major vendor beep codes are documented at sites like http://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm and http://www.google.com/search?q=beep+codes .You usually can also find beep code information at you PC vendor's site.

If the beep code resources don't help, then my guess is you have a hardware problem that might include a fried BIOS chip, dying battery on the motherboard, or something similar. Actually, given that your system is already five years old, a dying battery might be a good guess. Fortunately, most PC's use inexpensive button-type cells (the same kind found in watches and calculators) that you can buy almost anywhere. It takes only a couple minutes to open the case, remove the old battery, pop in the new one, and close the case. ( http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=replace+battery&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 )

Beyond that, the only other things that come to mind would be very weird problems with the motherboard's clock speed settings--- or, more remotely, its timing crystal or circuits--- that would make things run at partial speed. But this sort of timing problem is rare, and would be unlikely to go away when the OS woke up; so I doubt that's what's happening. Most likely, it's one of the problems outlined earlier.

If you need to dig in further, this might help:
http://www.google.com/search?&q=hardware+slow+boot+problem

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2) Missing "Add/Remove" Menu Items

Fred, After being a long-time reader of the LangaList Standard version, I recently became a Plus member.  I greatly enjoy the newsletter, and learn something new with each issue.  You also helped me out with a tough problem I had a while ago, trying to uninstall a stubborn piece of software...

Now, I have a problem I've not encountered before.   My OS is XP Home, SP1.  When I uninstall software, I routinely use the Add/Remove Programs applet in Control Panel. A few days ago, I noticed that the list of installed software in Add/Remove is incomplete.  That is, only *some* of the files on my computer show up on the list.  I do not know why the list isn't complete, nor do I know how to get the entire list to display as it once did.  I have needed to uninstall software that did not show on the list by going to Start/Programs, then selecting the program's uninstall from there.

How can I get my Add/Remove Programs list restored? Everything else seems to be working normally. Thanks! ---Karen Carter

Let's attack this from the general to the more specific:

First, not all programs end up on the add/remove list. Some programs have their own uninstaller (although that's becoming rarer); these programs must be uninstalled via their own "Remove" or "Uninstall" applet that may appear on the program's own menus or may exist as a separate file in the program's own folder.

Other simple and completely self-contained programs--- ones that don't need Registry entries, component sharing and such--- may not need any formal installation or uninstallation at all. To use this kind of program, you don't "install" it--- you just run it directly. To remove this kind of program, you just delete the program's folder and/or files, simple as that. There's no need to "uninstall" because nothing was formally installed in the first place.

So, in and of itself, a program's not showing up in the Add/Remove list isn't necessarily a sign of major trouble, especially if the missing uninstall entry is something like the above. But it *would* signal trouble if a program that previously appeared on the list disappeared; or if you installed a large, complex program that you *know* should show up in the Add/Remove list (say, something like Word or Excel); and it doesn't.

Often, the simplest remedy for this is a reinstall of the missing program. This usually preserves all your settings and customizations for the software, so you don't lose anything. But the reinstall refreshes the Registry and other settings, restores broken links, replaces missing components, and makes the installation complete once more. Some software also offers a "repair" option, which also is worth trying.

Of course, if you have a disk image or full system backup ( http://langa.com/backups/backups.htm ) you can roll your system back to a previous state when everything was working OK. In cases where a *lot* of things have gone wrong with a system, this is often the best, fastest, and simplest way to set things right.

There's lots more, but the waters get deep awfully fast. <g> Let's hope the above simple steps work for you, but if they don't, try the info here:
http://www.google.com/search?q=repair+add+remove+control+panel

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3) Picking An OS

This is a question that crops up regularly, especially as people consider holiday PC purchases:

Fred, I am a regular reader of your newsletter - and quite like it. I have a question:
For desktop, which is more recommended among the two - XP or Win2Kpro. I have win2kpro on my laptop and am inclined to shift to XP (looks, frequency of updates). Should I (/not)? Please advise. Best regards, Pradeep Sanyal

For a general purpose OS, XP Pro is probably the best-available choice: it's powerful, configurable, and offers the widest hardware support (more so than Win2K, Linux or the Mac). There's also more software available for it than for any other platform.

If your hardware is *known* to be supported by Win2K or Linux, and if all the software you want to run also runs on Win2K or Linux, then they can be fine choices. Similarly, if Mac software fully meets your needs, and you don't mind the more limited choices and higher prices of the Apple world, a Mac can be a fine machine.

But XP keeps more options open for you than any alternative. It runs on more hardware, from inexpensive no-name PCs to top-of-the-line boxes. It also will be supported by Microsoft longer than Win2K; which will matter more in future years. For all its warts--- and it does have them, as do all operating systems--- I think XP is currently the best-available general purpose OS.

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4) The VM Way To A Pre-Installed OS

Hi Fred, Virtual PC is just one of the many useful programs that I have first learned about from The Langa List. ( http://www.google.com/search?as_q=virtual+pc&as_sitesearch=langa.com )

I use it to try out software that I am not sure I want to permanently install, rather than run different OS. After a while, each Virtual Machine gets cluttered with the garbage created by installing and uninstalling software, and it's great to be able to just wipe it out and start with a clean version.

Creating a new Virtual Machine is relatively quick, what takes the time is installing the OS (XPPro in my case). So I experimented to find a better way. It seems to be surprisingly simple.

First create a new Virtual Machine and give it a name. Then install the operating system of your choice. Run any service packs and patches, load any utilities etc and customize it any way you want. Then turn off the new Virtual Machine and close the VPC console.

Using the host PC find the .vhd file you have just created, which will be called whatever you named the Virtual Machine followed by the words "Hard Disk". If you have difficulty you can search for *.vhd. Copy this hard disk.vhd file to some convenient location for safe keeping, a separate partition or drive than the one the Virtual Machine is on obviously makes sense. Then to avoid confusion in future rename this copy something like BasicOS_VM

When you need to set up a new Virtual Machine just create one using the "New" box in the VPC console and name it whatever you want, say NextVM as an example. This will set up a new NextVM Hard Disk.vhd file. Find that, and make sure you know exactly what it is called and where it is located. Then delete it.

Copy your BasicOS_VM.vhd file from wherever you stored it to the location of the file you have just deleted and rename it with the name of the deleted file. Keeping to our example this would be NextVM Hard Disk Then start "NextVM" or whatever you called it from the VPC console and you should find you have a pre-installed OS ready to go.

Regards, Peter Brown

I do something similar here, Peter, creating new VPCs to experiment with. Sometimes I'll use a technique like the one you describe; other times, I'll use the technique built into VPC, which is to create a new virtual machine with a "differencing" hard disk:  The new secondary machine starts with the settings (and hard drive) of an existing virtual machine that you specify, but then records only the changes or differences between the new and old virtual PCs. This leaves the original VPC alone, and may consume less disk space than completely duplicating the original to serve as a new VPC. For more info, look up "differencing" in the VPC help file.

But either way--- simply cloning am existing virtual machine, or using a differencing disk--- its remarkably fast (minutes!) and easy to set up a new virtual PC with everything preinstalled, preconfigured and fully ready-to go!

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5) Testing PC Memory

Fred, Have you ever reviewed this Memtest86?  If so, is it worthwhile? ---Duane Howe

Yes, and yes, Duane. <g> In fact, in http://langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-04-01.htm#3 we discussed MemTest86 ( http://www.google.com/search?q=memtest86 ) and a conceptually similar free tool from Microsoft ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-08-21.htm#2 and http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp )

Physical memory (RAM) tends to be very reliable; and these days, it's relatively inexpensive. But some years ago, RAM was in short supply and almost unbelievably expensive. As a cost-cutting measure, some RAM makers started offering RAM with no error-correcting circuitry built in. At the time, it was a controversial move.

Today, such RAM is common, and usually works fine. But when it doesn't, there's no built-in mechanism to catch and correct the errors, and you can end up with very strange, hard-to-diagnose effects in your PC.

Software-based RAM-testing tools can help by exercising every address in a RAM bank, making sure that what comes out is the same as what goes in; and helping you to identify any bad RAM modules. You usually can't repair RAM; you can only replace it. But a RAM tester helps you replace only what's truly broken.

RAM testers aren't the sort of tool you need often, but when you're dealing with a malfunctioning PC that defies normal diagnostics or that seems to be possessed, sometimes a RAM test will let you find and fix an otherwise hard-to-trace problem.

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6) Is This Newsletter Interesting? Useful?

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) Malware Info Site

Hiya, Fred. I've got a website up to do with internet parasites (the things and the
people involved)  at http://www.celticsurf.net/internet/abuse.html  ---Richy Roberts

Thanks, Richy!

Richy's site was a bit slow to load when I went there; as the hordes of LangaList readers arrive, things may bog down a bit further. Please be patient, and if things are too slow, just wait a bit and try again later.

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8) They Just Keep Coming And Coming...

Well over 3,500 of your fellow readers have "loaded the code." Have you? Check out http://langa.com/code.htm for the details. Here's another eclectic sample of reader sites--- some professional, some very personal:

View A Randomly-Chosen Reader Site
http://langa.com/randomlink.htm

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

Don't Panic, Inc.
http://www.dontpanicinc.com/

EFT4Everyone
http://www.eft4everyone.com/id16.htm

Efragments
http://www.efragments.com/

ComputerTechRx
http://www.computechrx.com/

Mike Harms
http://webpages.charter.net/mjharms/index.html

Macwebsites
http://www.maccwebsites.net/

Isle of Skye Cuillin Marbles
http://www.skyecuillinmarbles.co.uk/index.htm

Best of the web
http://www.geocities.com/irfan633/fav.htm

Information Plus
http://www.webspawner.com/users/theresumeshop/

Out of the Blue (Canadian Band)
http://www.ootb.ca/

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9) More On Recovering/Bypassing Admin Passwords

Fred, Your response to Paul DeLeeuw who was forced to reinstall XP because he did not know the Administrator password (see " When The Admin Account Is Invisible Or Locked" http://langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-04-22.htm#2 ) referred to Microsoft's instructions for creating a Password Reset Disk.  While this is  a useful tool it does nothing for the user who doesn't know the password in the first place.
 
The Administrator password problem (at least on Dell systems with which I am familiar) result from the use of Sysprep which sets a password other than the default blank.  Users who need to access Recovery Console in Windows XP Professional can bypass the password requirement by enabling "Recovery Console: Allow automatic administrator logon" in Start|Control Panel|Administrative Tools|Local Security Policy|Local Policies (under Security Settings)|User Rights Assignments|Security Options.  XP Home users can boot to Recovery Console without using the password using the floppy diskettes available at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q308402 .
 
An easier solution is to simply set an Administrative password when the computer is first set up.  See http://www.djdenham.com/New%20user%20questions.htm#Pwdchk .
 ---Denny Denham

Thanks, Denny. There's lots more info available too--- it's actually not that hard to break into the Admin account in any copy of XP to which you have physical access; which is something to think about if you're *not* encrypting your sensitive material.

Password recovery/bypass/management info:
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=13100343
http://langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-08-18.htm#1
http://langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-11-14.htm#5
http://www.google.com/search?q=reset+xp+password

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10) Just For Grins

Fred: First, thanks for a great newsletter!  Just upgraded [to the Plus! edition] and it was worth every penny.

I've been trying out the new Firefox 1.0 and absolutely love it.  One of the plugins is called "stumbleupon."  It's a toolbar that lets you rank pages as you surf the web and then compiles the rankings across interest groups.  When you click the stumbleupon button, you get taken to sites that other folks with similar interests have found and enjoyed.  It's addictive!

My favorite stumble-upon item so far is this one:  things to make and do, by a Scottish electrician.  It shows you how to make LED illuminated "toitles" (turtles), blow up rolo candies, and generally play with matches and run while carrying scissors.  Great fun!

http://www.emanator.demon.co.uk/bigclive/makendo.htm

Enjoy- Jason Turgeon

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11) Plus! Edition Highlights:

• Problems With 8.3 Filename Support
     (...easily resolved!)
• Automatic One-Step Installation-Shrinker
     (and it's free!)
• Free Tool Solves Audio/Video Problems
     ("codec" problems diagnosed automatically!)

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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An Inexpensive Gift That Lasts A Full Year!
Give a gift subscription to the LangaList Plus edition!
Click <a href= " http://langa.com/plus_gift.htm ">here</a>

See you next issue, 2004-12-06!

Best,

Fred
( Editor@Langa.Com )

Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win a prize!)

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