How To Subscribe and Unsubscribe is at the end of this note. Mailing List Trouble? See http://langa.com/help.htm
Questions about the advertisers? See the end of this note. Please also see legal notices at the end of this note. LangaList: ISSN 1533-1156

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

An easier-to read formatted HTML version of this newsletter is available
<a href=" http://langa.com/newsletters/2005/2005-09-12.htm ">here</a>

The LangaList
Standard Edition

2005-09-12

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) GPS Update

Remember when cellphones went from fat, bulky, exotic devices to slim, must-have, everyday tools? That's what's happening to GPS--- the Global Positioning System--- technology right now.

It's something we started covering in 2002 with "Error-Free Business Travel" http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020425S0004 . We came back to the subject about a year later in "A Real-Life GPS Road Test" http://www.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml;?articleID=6502601 , which let you ride along on a two-week, GPS-guided driving tour of the Alps, using an early-model GPS mapping device for all the navigation. And then, last year, in "GPS Advances" http://www.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml;?articleID=49400016 we discussed some of the many options becoming available in this fast moving field. (If you're not familiar with the basics of GPS, or why a GPS can be far better than Web-based mapping or other tools for travel, please refer to the above articles for a quick refresher.)

I'm totally sold on the benefits of GPS technology, and have added relatively inexpensive portable and handheld GPS units to all my family's vehicles. (These units are often more capable than dealer-installed navigation systems; and they're *much* less expensive than typical OEM gear.) I use GPS for all my travel--- business and pleasure--- and find it's reduced the stress and hassle of driving significantly. As we said in our original article on this technology, "Traveling with GPS is like having a live expert navigator in the seat beside you, letting you drive through an unfamiliar area with the accuracy and confidence of a local taxi driver. GPS can make missed turns--and missed meetings--a thing of the past."

And the newest GPS gear is fantastic. For example, I recently used a brand-new GPS that's roughly half the weight and bulk of my original GPS unit. I used it to navigate for 3500 miles (5600km) through the nether reaches of Atlantic Canada, including the back roads of far northern Newfoundland. Through rain, shine, hot, cold, light and dark, the GPS's voice prompts let me get to where I wanted to go without even having to look at the on-screen moving-map display. The unit's memory was sufficient to hold highly-detail maps for the entire trip, including street-level information such as the location of gas stations, places to eat, and points of interest. Wonderful stuff!

It's amazing how fast GPS hardware has evolved in the last few years. A new article, live now at http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=170701704 , will bring you up to speed on the current crop of systems, including a $65 unit with features that would have cost around $500 just three years ago!

Click on over to
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=170701704
and check it out!

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

return to top of page

2) New Freebie From Steve Gibson

You probably know of Steve Gibson, creator of Spinrite and many free tools, including  "ShieldsUp," "UnPlug n' Pray," "DCOMbobulator," and others, all at his site: http://grc.com .

There's something new there, as this note explains:

Hi Fred, You were quite correct about the trouble with overheating in many consumer PCs.  People are adding jumbo high-speed 7200 RPM drives to cases and power supplies that were never designed to supply that much power of remove that much heat.  Since overheating is a leading cause of premature hard drive troubles, I'm glad you're raising awareness of this important issue.  SpinRite surprises many people when it reports that their drives are running WAY too hot.

The reason I'm writing is to share the news with you and your readers of a terrific and important new service which I and TechTV's Leo Laporte are offering: Every Thursday afternoon we spend 20 to 25 minutes creating an audio column about personal computer security called "Security Now!".

http://www.GRC.com/securitynow.htm

The audio columns can be automatically downloaded through an standard RSS feed "podcast" (for podcast people) or downloaded in two sizes directly from the Security Now! page on my site.

I wanted to wait until I had a few samples before bringing the growing series to your readers' attention. Yesterday we added episode #3 to the collection -- an interesting piece (I think) about how NAT routers work, why they are inherently good hardware firewalls, what configuration setting MUST to changed to prevent them from being taken over by malware (disable the router's UPnP) and how TWO NAT routers can be used to create ever greater security.

In our two previous episodes we talked about the recent Zotob worms enabled by the Windows Internet Plug and Play vulnerability and then Microsoft's new "HoneyMonkey" project to seek out and monitor malicious web sites which deliberately exploit known and unknown IE vulnerabilities.

Thanks Fred, as always, and all the best, Steve

Thanks, Steve.

There's tons of good stuff at GRC.Com--- check it out!

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

return to top of page

3) OS-Moving; and NTFS "Convert" Tool OK?

Fred: I bought a new notebook computer to replace my old notebook -- a Compaq Evo N1000v -- that came with Win XP Pro pre-installed. Win XP Home was pre-installed on my new notebook. I want to transfer the OS from my old notebook to my new notebook, an Acer Aspire 3502WLCi. (Incidentally, the old laptop uses, of course, the NTFS file system, while my new laptop, surprisingly -- at least to me -- employs the FAT32 file system.)

I've heard from one source that the Windows XP Pro license, as it applies to pre-installed systems, prohibits transferring it to another computer, even though the original computer on which it was installed is no longer in use. Is this true?

If so and if I am stuck with the Win XP Home edition on my new laptop, would it be beneficial to convert its FAT32 file system to NTFS using the Command Prompt and executing the command: C:\> CONVERT C: /fs:ntfs, where C: is a name of the drive I want to convert?

Thank you very, very much. ---Jeffrey W. Frazier

Two very different questions there, Jeff. You probably won't like one of the answers, but the other one may be what you want to hear. <g>

First, yes, most OEM-installed operating systems are keyed to the system they're installed on. It could be a relatively minor "speedbump" kind of thing, such as "Windows Product Activation;" or it could be a much more deeply-rooted tie in, where the OS or the ancillary software simply will not install or run on a different machine. But either way, the license is probably written so that moving the OS is illegal, even if it's technically feasible.

That aside, trying to run an old Compaq setup on a new Acer also is likely to cause a lot of heartburn in its own right due to driver mismatches; and you'll probably find it difficult to get any needed hardware-related updates for the new machine if you're running a setup from a completely different brand and model. I'll also bet that moving a Compaq setup to an Acer also will void at least some of the warranty coverage. (That's not a slam at either Compaq or Acer: Most warranty support, at least for software, is voided if you strip out the OEM-supplied system and drivers, for example.)

Rather than trying to create a Frankensteinian Compaq+Acer--- Comcer? Acaq?--- I suggest you use the new system's "Files and Settings Transfer Wizard" to pull your data files and the transportable parts of your old setup to the new system. ( http://langa.com/u/r.htm ) The Wizard will try to preserve as much of your current (old) setup as possible, but without messing with the new system's drivers, etc. Your final system should be intact, legit, and working fine; but with all your old files in place, and with the "soft" settings (desktop, etc) the way you're used to.

Now, as for the disk: FAT32 is an older technology, but it has two main strengths: It can be a little faster than NTFS, and it's a little easier to access with simple disk tools. In fact, even ancient, DOS-based repair tools can usually access FAT-based disks. (If the new Acer has a DOS-based recovery tool, that could explain why the disk is FAT-formatted....)

But NTFS is more "robust" (it's harder to mess up; and harder to lose information due to file-scrambling); it can deal with much larger disk sizes; and it offers options such as built-in encryption or file compression.

Lots more on FAT vs NTFS:
http://www.google.com/search?as_q=FAT+NTFS&as_sitesearch=langa.com

I generally recommend FAT-based formatting only on older, smaller PCs. For the most part, if your PC is able to run Windows 2000 or XP, you'll probably do a little better overall with NTFS.

XP built-in conversion tool works well, and does a decent job of converting an in-use FAT-based disk to NTFS without having to take everything off the drive and start from scratch. But it's not 100% risk-free--- nothing is! As with any tool that's going to perform heavy work on your hard drive, make a full backup first. Odds are, you won't need the backup. But you'll be awfully glad you have it in the unlikely event that something *does* go wrong!

BTW: All disk maintenance work, including converting from FAT to NTFS, goes faster and better if the files are in good shape to begin with: For example, clean up the drive first, deleting any junk files; run a scandisk to catch and correct any errors; and defrag the disk. *Then* run the conversion tool, and things should go faster, better, and with less risk of trouble than otherwise.

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

return to top of page

--- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) ---

"Hi, Fred: Just a line to say a great news letter, the best investment
I've made for some time. I always get a great deal out of each new arrival.
My best regards, John McCrea"

Thank you, John.

The LangaList Plus! Edition contains even *more* content---
tips, tricks, advice, downloads....---
than the Standard Edition you're now reading.

Get all the details:

http://langa.com/plus.htm

--------------( the above is an advertisement )--------------

4) Swimming In Synchs

Hi Fred I have been a Plus subscriber for a few years now and really look forward to your news letters. In the news letter you mentioned Synch Toy ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2005/2005-08-25.htm#7 ), I have been using another fantastic program of the same type called SyncBack Freeware. http://www.2brightsparks.com/downloads.html  I look after the PC in our club and need to make daily data backups for each day of the week. This program will let me backup folders on a daily basis. This is done using a hard to find VBS script in the programs folder, great once you know it is available! I have set it up to back up into separate day of the week folders, this means that if the club secretary buggers up a word doc on Monday and it is saved in Mondays backup I can still retrieve Sundays backup so all that would be lost would be the data input from Monday. With other backup programs it would save the corrupt/messed up file as your only backup. I have set the PC up with two 160GB HDD's and use one just for backups. Weekly images and daily backups. I also copy the daily data to a USB pen drive. It really is a great program and you do not need to install it. Regards, Nigel

Thanks, Nigel!

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

return to top of page

5) "Chassis Intrusion?"

Fred – if you get a chance maybe you could answer this question. A friend bought a used Gateway and asked me to put Windows XP Pro on it. I did that and noticed [after the fact] that there was a small switch on the rear apron that was activated if the side cover was installed – and the two wire connection led to a un-labeled jumper on the mother board. Even though the label on the jumper connector was "rinter" [I assumed it to mean "Printer"] But after I was able to get a description of the motherboard I determined the jumper to be associated with a "chassis intrusion" feature. (I wonder if that feature required a program on the computer or is activated via the Bios?) Finally, my question is: Because I have installed a new OS can I ignore the connection – either leave it there or disconnect it? It doesn't seem to do anything now. ---biagio presti

Some PCs--- most notably servers and systems designed for corporate ownership--- have intrusion-detection switches to detect tampering with the hardware (stealing a component; or adding an unauthorized component, etc.). Some BIOSes can monitor the intrusion switch, locking down the PC and requiring a "Hardware Administrator" password at next boot. Other times, it's a purely software thing, recording the event in a log file, or sending a network message or email to the IT department at next boot.

If the system in question starts and runs fine with the switch as-is, I'd just ignore it: It's probably vestigial, and no longer doing anything.

But, if you're nervous about the switch, start the system and enter the BIOS setup. You've already tracked down motherboard info online, so if you run into a "password required" situation, you can use that same source to determine how to reset the BIOS password functions. And in any case, once inside, you can then explore the BIOS to see if there's a "chassis intrusion," "intrusion detection" or some related setting you can adjust.

Here's more info on Gateway-specific intrusion detection:
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22chassis+intrusion%22+gateway

And here's general info, including intrusion-detection software:
http://www.google.com/search?q=chassis+intrusion

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

return to top of page

6) Don't Make Me Beg! :-)

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 away 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!

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

return to top of page

7) Pesky Oleaut32.DLL File

Fred, I've had a problem that was not able to get resolved for well over 3 months.  I had a system crash and since that time, when on the internet and using Internet Explorer or Outlook Express, every time a new window was requested to be opened, the window would just hang indefinitely and tie up my system until I viewed the partially opened window (address bar, etc., but no address shown) and then either minimized or closed it.  I could copy and paste the needed address (when possible) from the previous window into the hung window and it would then function fine until another window was requested to opened.  I contacted numerous "geeks" in an effort to get it resolved with absolutely no luck.  Most all tried to blame my problem on a possible virus, spyware, etc., and I did make numerous checks and found nothing suspicious.  I also tried several on-line problem solver sites you've recommended with the same suggestions and non-results.
 
Through a quirk of fate perhaps, I had ordered some new software from a vendor during this time period, and I had problems getting it installed.  After many weeks of email correspondence and failures trying to resolve the installation, the tech people finally emailed me the following yesterday:
 
"The corruption of the oleaut32.dll file appears to be your problem cause, which also stops new windows opening within an existing Internet Explorer window.  If you have any doubt about the Windows/System/oleaut32.dll file being the problem, check the properties on the file.  If it is a new file, replace it.

To replace it run your System File Checker (Start>Run>type in sfc) and prompt it to replace a specific file from the Windows CD.  If the Windows CD is not available, use the Find option in the Start Menu and locate a different version of the oleaut32.dll file in another place other than C:\windows/system."
 
I did finally replace the existing oleaut32.dll file using SFC (a program I never knew about) with one from my original system disk, even though the time stamp date was over 2 years old on the existing file, and all my problems disappeared.  I now have all my windows opening the way they're supposed to and no more hang ups, and I was also able to install the new software.   The price of the software alone was worth it to me just to get my very frustrating problem resolved in a round about way.
 
I thought this may be of some interest to your other readers who may have similar problems.  I look forward to reading your LangaList Plus newsletter and almost always find some tid-bit (tips and software) worth pursuing. ---Rich Weil

Thanks for sharing the info, Rich. Indeed, the oleaut32.dll exists in different forms in all versions of Windows--- Win98/ME/2000/XP. It's a basic part of the OS, and any problem with that DLL can cause trouble in a variety of areas.

There's plenty of version-specific info out there:
http://www.google.com/search?q=oleaut32+98
http://www.google.com/search?q=oleaut32+millennium
http://www.google.com/search?q=oleaut32+2000
http://www.google.com/search?q=oleaut32+xp

And there's good general info, too, including places where you can download a clean copy of oleaut32.dll, if you no longer have access to a copy:
http://www.google.com/search?q=oleaut32%2Edll

The System File Checker is another useful thing, especially if you can use it on a new, or clean install. See our past coverage of SFC at http://langa.com/u/s.htm and more general info at
http://www.google.com/search?q=sfc+system+file+checker

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

return to top of page

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

Computer Clinic (Washington, USA)
http://www.computerclinic-oh.com/

Computer Aid (Australia)
http://www.computer-aid.com.au/

Enchanted Thingamajig
http://members.fortunecity.com/khorah/

Mighty Might Computers
http://mmcomputersystems.biz/index.cfm/Home

Mike Reisman, Real Estate
http://www.reismanltd.com/

Susan D. Leonard
http://susan.sdlsworld.net/

The Dragons Lair
http://www.valkcruiser.zoomshare.com/

Email Circuit
http://emailcircuit.blogspot.com/

Murrow Family Web
http://www.murrow.com/

Mark Kamensek - Web Designer
http://www.kamensek.com/

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

return to top of page

9) Awesome Web Video

Mike Elgan sent along this clip from the JPL site:

The Mercury-bound MESSENGER spacecraft captured several stunning images of Earth during a gravity assist swingby of its home planet on Aug. 2, 2005. Several hundred images, taken with the wide-angle camera in MESSENGER's Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS), were sequenced into a movie documenting the view from MESSENGER as it departed Earth.

Comprising 358 frames taken over 24 hours, the movie follows Earth through one complete rotation. The spacecraft was 40,761 miles (65,598 kilometers) above South America when the camera started rolling on Aug. 2. It was 270,847 miles (435,885 kilometers) away from Earth (farther than the Moon's orbit) when it snapped the last image on Aug. 3.

http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/the_mission/images/flyby_images/mdis_depart.mpeg

The clip looks like a special-effect--- like a "Warp departure" in Star Trek, or some such--- except that it's for real!

(BTW: Mike has resurrected his long-dormant "Mike's List" newsletter. Check it out: http://www.mikeslist.com/ )

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

return to top of page

10) Just For Grins

It's "maim that tune!"

Hello Fred- Thought this would make a good "Just for Grins" entry. Thanks for letting me give some back. Longtime reader, Chris A.

"Are you plagued by Stuck Tune Syndrome? Do you have a tune stuck in your head you just can't get out? Take heart friend, for your suffering is over. The Maimograph Machine, through complex analysis and calculation, will find an even catchier tune to counter-act the one you already have: http://prettypictures.com/maim/ "

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

return to top of page

11) Plus! Edition Highlights:

Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains all ten items above, plus about 40% more content including:

• Hard, Soft, And Other Drive Errors
     (telling them apart; what can and can't be fixed; and how)
• Drive Letter Weirdness W/ USB
     (correcting strange drive-letter assignments)
• DMA Feedback, And A Tip...
     (40% drive speed improvement!)
• ... And A More General Hardware Troubleshooting Tip
     (full article on hardware problem sleuthing)

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:

Plus! Edition info: http://langa.com/plus.htm 

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

return to top of page

(Give a gift subscription to the LangaList Plus edition!
Click <a href= " http://langa.com/plus_gift.htm ">here</a>)

The LangaList is published about 72 times a year, or about 6 times a month. See you next issue, 2005-09-15!

Best,

Fred
( Editor@Langa.Com )

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.

return to top of page

Administrivia:

UNSUBSCRIBE (instant removal!): http://langa.com/leave_langalist.htm

SUBSCRIBE (it's free!): http://langa.com/join_langalist.htm

CHANGE ADDRESS? LIST TROUBLE? HAVE QUESTIONS? OTHER PROBLEM? NEED HELP? See http://langa.com/help.htm

This newsletter is SPAM PROOF and requires two levels of subscriber confirmation before delivery begins: See http://langa.com/info.htm

About the advertisers: http://langa.com/privacy.htm#ads

Disclaimer: http://langa.com/legal.htm  In brief: All information herein is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind. Neither Langa Consulting LLC, nor its employees nor contributors are responsible for any loss, injury, or damage, direct or consequential, resulting from your choosing to use any information presented here.

This newsletter is a service of Langa Consulting LLC and is Copyright © 2005 Fred Langa / Langa Consulting LLC. All worldwide rights reserved. LangaList: ISSN 1533-1156

return to top of page