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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2005-11-28

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) Readers' PC Maintenance Tips

Fred, A quick thought about your last newsletter's item, "A Complete PC Maintenance Checklist "
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=174300458

Although Spybot Search & Destroy doesn't have an automatic update feature, you can accomplish the same thing with the command line options.

I created a shortcut in my StartUp folder with the following command:

"C:\Program Files\Spybot - Search & Destroy\SpybotSD.exe" /taskbarhide /minimized /autoupdate /autocheck /autofix /autoclose /autoimmunize

Each time I log onto my system, Spybot Search & Destroy checks for updates, and then runs a scan of my system in the background.

You could also create a scheduled task with a similar command. ---Bill Hoelzer

Thanks, Bill; that's very handy!

I found the "/autocheck" command really slowed down the PC (because there's so much scanning going on), so I prefer not to do that at startup. But you're right: the command-line method does let you automate the tasks, and you can set them to run whenever it's most convenient, via Task Scheduler.

And there are many more tips for daily, weekly, monthly, semiannual, and annual PC maintenance over at
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=174300458 . You can cherry pick the list for those tips and adapt and modify them as you wish until you have a maintenance schedule that fits your needs perfectly.

But please don't keep your alterations private--- just as Bill did, let us know! What do *you* think is the right amount of maintenance? How much--- or how little--- maintenance do you think really is necessary? What steps do you take, and which do you skip?

Click on over to
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=174300458 and join the discussion!

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That lasts All Year!

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to the LangaList Plus!
and help your PC-using coworkers, friends and relatives become
more knowledgeable about their PCs. They'll get more
from their hardware, software, and time online---
and they'll think of you all year long as every new issue arrives! <g>

http://langa.com/plus_gift.htm

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2) Backing Up/Archiving Email

Fred, Thanks for your newsletter. I look forward to when it arrives and your advice and expertise have saved me hours of struggle. 

I have been using Eudora 6.2 and now 7.0.0.16 versions.  All is working well.  I would like to know how you archive your old email.  I have imported from Outlook 2003 from both the Outlook.pst and Archive.pst.  I have used the search function in Eudora to find and xfer old emails to the sub-folders under Archive Folder.  I am using win-zip to then zip the entire Eudora directory to another hard drive as a backup.  Is this a good practice or should I do individual folders?.  Will having all my emails available cause systems problems?  Any help or direction is most appreciated.

Thanks for your newsletter---Bill Bendorf

I'm still using Eudora 6.2; but the way I archive old mail has been the same ever since I first started using Eudora: Its mail is stored in plain text files with an "mbx" (mailbox) extension. Each mailbox also has a separate "toc" file (table of contents) associated with it. Thus, the inbox mails are in "inbox.mbx" and are cataloged in "inbox.toc" If you're looking at folders rather than mailboxes, they'll have the "fol" extension. All Eudora mail files and folders are in whatever location you specified when you set up Eudora: Mine are in C:\Documents and Settings\[user]\My Documents\Eudora but they can be anywhere you specified.

Archiving can be as simple as shutting down Eudora and moving the mbx file of whatever mailbox you're done with. You can put the mbx file anywhere you want, including compressed inside a ZIP file, if you wish. You then delete the associated TOC file, and that's that.

If you're not really done with the mailbox as a whole, but only want to move some old emails out of it, you can create a new mailbox or folder inside Eudora--- perhaps one with a date-related name, such as 2005NovArchive or some such--- and move all the emails or mailboxes you wish to archive into that mailbox or folder. Delete the originals from their original locations, and then store the archive folder or mailbox as described in the previous paragraph.

To restore archived mail or folders, just access the archived fol or mbx file (e.g. remove it from its ZIP file), and click on the file--- you don't even have to move it back to the Eudora folder. Eudora will build a new TOC file, and give you completely normal access to all the mail in the archive. Piece o' cake!

But your way can work too, Bill; or just keep all your mail files on whatever partition you backup the most, and archive 'em that way, as part of a routine, general backup--- whatever works!

My main reason for moving my old mails out of Eudora is simple bulk, to prevent the mail folders from getting huge. Any mail client will eventually slow down and maybe even choke if you stuff it full of enormous quantities of email. But your mail volume will determine how aggressively (or not) you'll want to clean things up. There's no set rule or absolute limit: I find archiving every 2-4 weeks works fine for my heavy mail volume. Your mileage may vary.

BTW, for those using the far more common Outlook Express mail client, full instructions and automation tools for backing up/archiving your emails may be found here: http://www.google.com/search?q=archive+outlook+express

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3) Annual Report: Yasmin Idania

Remember Yasmin Idania, in Guatemala? She's one of the group of 13 kids sponsored on an ongoing basis by LangaList Plus! subscribers:

Idania comes from a Latino family that speaks the Spanish language. She wears simple westernized clothes. They are Protestants. Idania has one sibling. The father abandoned them. The mother works as a secretary. The family's monthly income is below US$100 and is not enough to provide their basic needs. They own a three-room dwelling built of metal sheets roof, cement block walls and brick floor. They have electricity, running water and a toilet. Their meals are cooked on a rustic stove. Idania's health and nutritional status are normal.

We met Idania just about exactly a year ago: "Meet Idania, Newest Member Of The LangaList Family"
http://langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-11-22.htm#3

In the months since, I've collected the various progress reports and photos sent by the aid agency there, as well as letters and handicrafts from Idania herself. You can see them all here:

Plus! Subscribers click here:
http://www.langalist.com/Plus/kids/idania/idania200511.asp

Standard Edition Subscribers click here:
http://www.freetune.com/kids/idania/idania200511.htm

And here's what this is all about: Those of us with computers and Internet access are vastly better off than most of the world's population. Because of this, I decided that a portion of the LangaList Plus! subscription fees would be donated to registered/legitimate charities helping the underprivileged around the world. The contribution does not increase the cost of a Plus! subscription in any way; the donation is taken "off the top" of any profits. (This is described in the pages at http://langa.com/plus.htm  )

Idania is one of 13 children sponsored on an ongoing basis--- week in, week out--- by the collective generosity of LangaList Plus! subscribers. LangaList Plus! subscribers also have collectively contributed to emergency relief efforts for earthquakes, tsunami, hurricanes; and more. (To see all the donations so far, click to http://langa.com/plus2.htm#kids )

As the year goes on, and as more readers sign up for Plus! subscriptions, I hope we'll be able to sponsor more children and assist other charities around the world.

Graham Greene once said, "There is always a moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in...." If you're already a LangaList Plus subscriber, thank you! You can feel good about giving back a little to those less fortunate, and opening "a door to the future" for a child in otherwise-desperate circumstances.

If you're not yet a Plus! subscriber check it out: With a Plus! subscription, you can not only help yourself make the most of your hardware, software and time online--- but you also can help those less fortunate (like Idania) make the most of their very lives. Thanks for your help!

http://langa.com/plus.htm

or: give a gift subscription:
http://langa.com/plus_gift.htm

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4) Dead Zip Drive

The "Zip Drive" (having nothing to do with "Zip files" or "Zip compression") is a removable drive with higher capacity than a standard floppy but lower capacity than a hard drive. Zip Drives were once fairly popular as an in-between sized medium, back when CD burners cost thousands of dollars each (yes, they really did cost that much, once!) Zip Drives are still around, but have pretty much fallen by the wayside, replaced first by cheap CDRs and more recently by inexpensive thumb drives.

But many people who used Zip drives in the past may be facing something like this:

Fred: ! have a friend who wrote a book a few years ago to his grandchildren and it is stored on a Zip Drive Floppy. He wrote this on the Windows OS before 95 which I think was 3.1. That computer is history. Is there a way that he can transfer his story to a computer running XP?  He has the Iomega Zip Drive.  Thank you. ---Bill

There are many variables, but yes, he probably will be able to get the old zip drive working with XP. There's lots of info and help available:

http://langa.com/u/ad.htm
http://langa.com/u/ae.htm
http://www.google.com/search?q=zip+drive+xp

But if there's a hardware problem--- if the old Zip Drive itself won't come to life---  then he can pick up a new or reconditioned drive:

http://tinyurl.com/94l2l
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=zip%20drive%20xp&tab=wf&scoring=p
http://langa.com/u/af.htm

As Zip Drives are no longer mainstream hardware, I would recommend getting a used or reconditioned unit, if he has to go this route, and spending as little as possible; as long as the drive supports whatever sized disks your friend has (Zip Drives can in many different flavors and capacities over the years). The drive only needs to work long enough to pull the files off the old disks, so it's just not worth spending a lot of money in the process, IMO.

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5) Data Stuck On Minidiscs

This problem is roughly parallel to the one above, but with a newer form of removable disk storage:

hello, I have a sony 403 camcorder, i also have a lot of little mini dvd discs, would you know of any software that would let me put all the little discs on one large dvd cd? thank you sir.---tizz

Most newer DVD burners and their associated software can and will read 3.5" DVD minidisks, just as most newer CD burners can read CD minidisks. So, you might not need anything more than a reasonably current DVD burner and software.

If it's an older model camera, Sony may have included a physical adapter that holds and centers a minidisk in the tray of a full-sized (5.25") burner that otherwise isn't designed to accept minidiscs. (I have an older CDR-based Sony Mavica; and had to use the adapter disc for a generation or two of CD burners, until they all started shipping ready to read both standard and mini CDRs.)

You'd use the CDR drive to pull files off your minidiscs and to store them on your hard drive in a convenient spot. Once you have a full-sized DVD's worth of files on the hard drive, you'd just burn them to a new, full-sized DVD, delete the interim files stored on the hard drive, and then do the next batch.

BTW, this would also give you the opportunity of editing the files; you even could create a single new video file (rather than a collection of many small files).

If that won't work for some reason, and if the camera has USB, Firewire, or other kind of data-transfer cables, you can put the mini-DVDs in the camera, one by one, and squirt the files to your PC's hard drive via the cable. then, as above, once you have a full-sized DVD's worth of files on the hard drive, you'd just burn them to a new, full-sized DVD, delete the interim files stored on the hard drive, and then do the next batch. This may be slower than reading in the minidisks directly, but still should get the job done.

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6) Last Days To "Recommend And Win"

On Nov 30, I'll choose three more monthly winners who each will get a FREE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to the LangaList Plus! edition. (If your name is drawn and you're already a Plus! subscriber, your current subscription will be extended by a full year.)

To have a shot at winning, just use the following link to recommend the LangaList to a friend. Your friend just may find a new source of useful information; I just may gain a new subscriber; and you just may win a FREE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION! (Full details also available via this link): http://langa.com/recommend.htm

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7) Can't Get At "Admin" Login

Fred, When SAFE mode starts, there is an Administrative Log on option available, but this Administrative option disappears in STANDARD mode startup; why and is there a trick to get the Administrator login box on standard startup? ---Jacques Trudeau

Sure. There are several options:

In theory, you can hit Ctrl-Alt-Del  at the graphical "Welcome" logon screen, and you'll revert to the classic, textual login, which lets you type any valid user name (including "Administrator") and its associated password to log in. Trouble is, this sometimes is a little funky to get to work: More than once, I've ended up having to beat on the keyboard like some crazed percussionist to get it to work. <g>

Or: You can make Ctrl-Alt-Del work more easily by requiring it as part of the login (this is sometimes recommended as a security technique in its own right, to prevent hijacking programs from presenting users with a false login screen): Open "User Accounts" in Control Panel, click the Advanced tab, and in "Secure logon," select the "Require users to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete" check box.

Or: To completely bypass the graphical "Welcome" logon, open "User Accounts," click on "change the way users log on or off" and then uncheck "Use the Welcome Screen."

The above, singly, or in concert, should let you get at the Admin login no matter what.

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8) And *Another* Code Load Success Story

After his site was listed in the last "Load The Code" section, code-loader Ian wrote:

Hi Fred, I have been a subscriber to your excellent newsletter for some years now. I recently "Loaded the Code" for my home grown website www.tourofkeith.co.uk and waited for results. ...The site received an astounding 38,000 hits in one day and numerous Emails were received from all around the world. Various Emails are still being received a month on. This has certainly boosted my enthusiasm to continue expanding the site and shows the enormous power of the "Internet" as a communication medium. Thanks Fred. Ian, Scotland

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 thousands 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
http://langa.com/randomlink.htm

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

help and support site for computer problems
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/forum/

ResponsibleConsumer.net
http://www.responsibleconsumer.net/index.htm

sudoku hints
http://www.sudokuhints.com/

Texins Dive Club
http://texinsdiveclub.com/

save your nails
http://www.saveyournails.com/

Charly Urban's Web
http://spaces.msn.com/members/acurban/

Doug Brubacher
http://www.thedougsite.ca/

koala computing
http://www.koalacomputing.com/

slovenly artist
http://www.slovenly-artist.net/

Top Freeware
http://www.topfreeware.net/

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9) Google Overdose?

Fred, Just wanted to comment on the many references to Google in your newsletter. I notice after you give a reply to many inquiries, you provide a Google query link to look up results yourself, which I think pushes people to be more self-sufficient.  I have found more and more that the difference between my technical knowledge and someone that doesn't know computers that well is being able to search Google more effectively. Oftentimes someone will come to me and say they are having a computer problem and give me the error message. So right in front of them, I'll put in a portion of the error message and put quotes around it, and usually come up with a solution to their problem. I'm also hoping that by me doing it in front of them, they'll learn that they can do this themselves.... Thanks for a great newsletter! ---Matt Baucom

That's exactly it, Matt--- I'm trying not only to answer specific questions, but also to do things in a  template kind of way so readers can extend the answers in whatever other directions they might need. It's like that old adage: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, and he'll be on the lake every weekend, getting drunk with his buddies." No, wait: Wrong adage. <g>

Kidding aside, it's my hope that when we discuss a specific problem, it can also help others to solve similar problems, even if the specific issues they face are somewhat different.

To that end, Google is a great tool: I still think it's the best general search engine out there. I didn't always feel that way. Once, years ago,  I was a huge fan of Altavista when it was at the top of its game. But Altavista (like many other search engines of that era) lost its way when it tried to become a general purpose start page "portal" instead of an outstanding search engine.

Google may be surpassed by a different tool, one day, and I'll then recommend whatever that new tool is. But for now, Google is still top dog, and it's what I'll continue to use for most answers that are 'templatable."

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10) Just For Grins

Hi Fred, Thanks for your great newsletter. I suggest this site for your "Just for grins" section.  http://web2.airmail.net/gandolf/you.htm   ---Paul

Well, at least he's up-front about it. <g>

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11) Plus! Edition Highlights:

Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains all ten items above, plus about 30% more content including:

• Special Report: WinZip
     WinZip's move to a no-free-upgrade policy, and with higher initial pricing,
      forced Fred to re-think his longstanding recommendations about WinZip.
      Here's the outcome:
• Pro-WinZip Reader Comments
• Anti-WinZip Reader Comments
• WinZip Alternatives And Conclusion

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

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

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(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, 2005-12-05!

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.

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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

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