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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2006-03-02

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) Windows' Free Disk Management Tool

I referred to Windows' free Disk Management tool as a "hidden gem" in the current (free) Information article at http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=180207718 , and many of you agreed, as shown by letters like this:

Fred: Just read your latest on Disk Management. If I had been dressed when I read it it would have blown my socks off. That's hard to do when barefooted though. Thanks for the heads-up to a "get-by for free" tool. ---Gary

Windows' little-known, built-in Disk Management tool lets you create, format or delete partitions or drives; change drive letter assignments and paths; set up disk mirroring and RAID; and so on. This free tool lets you do most of the basic tasks that many people buy third-party tools for--- software like Partition Magic, BootitNG, and Acronis Disk Director. The Windows Disk Management tool even gives you one-click access to defrag and chkdsk for all the drives or partitions on your system, without having to use Windows Explorer to open each one in sequence.

And it's available in all normal versions of XP (and a very similar tool is available in Win2K).

Hi Fred, I can usually understand most of the instructions you pass out, but.... I am using Win XP Home edition - is it included there? I am using a German-language OS - would they have left it out? I went to Control Panel (on my machine "Start/Settings/Control Panel") but there is nothing there that says "Performance" (in German or English). Any suggestions please? Sounds like a good deal but I have never seen it, yet! ---John

Yes, The Disk Management tool is normally part of a full install of XP Home, and can be accessed from Admin-level accounts there. I can't tell you the exact nomenclature in the German variants, though; I have no German-language copy to play with here. Also, some OEM custom distributions may not have all the system tools installed; I have no way of telling what you have from here. But again, the Disk Management tool is normally part of a full install of all versions of XP.

But to clarify how to access it, note that I often use a common shorthand when I describe a series of clicks. For example, by "click Start/Control Panel/Performance and Maintenance/Administrative Tools/Computer Management." I mean: click the Start button. Then click Control Panel. Then click "Performance and Maintenance," which in a default US-English setup is the lower-leftmost item; shown by a pie chart icon. Then click "Administrative Tools," labeled with an icon of a PC with a hammer and wrench alongside it. Then click "Computer Management," tagged with a PC/monitor icon. You're there!

For step-by-step instructions on using the Disk Management Tool, illustrated with many screen-shots, click over to
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=180207718 .

The free tool just may be able to take care of all your basic disk management needs! And remember--- you've already paid for it! <g> Check out the article at http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=180207718 for full details!

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most of the issues that you have sent but since downloading the archives
for the first time today, I have deleted them all.
I must say that this will be an invaluable resource for me.
Thanks for doing this for us. It's simply fantastic! Best regards, ---Rob Byron

Glad to hear that, Rob. That's the whole idea of the Archives;
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2) Dominoes Still Falling

A while ago, we discussed "domino effects," where a seemingly small initial problem grows and spreads and seems to cause consequential problems in other areas until you're left with a real mess. <g> The original item is here:
http://langa.com/newsletters/2005/2005-10-27.htm#1Item

But here are some follow-on comments:

Fred, I just read your art. on the Domino Effect, and I have found that in the past when users try to use a pencil eraser, that they left pieces of rubber in the slots that actually acted as insulators to the contact that they were wedged against. Causing more bizarre behavior than before. So a word of caution gently is the key and verify that no traces of cleaning materials remain behind to cause further problems. I like denatured alcohol and wood stick q-tips very hard to find these days. For the most part I have had sound problems when I've updated a machine with Windows Update drivers and rolling back is the best answer but you gotta catch it early. You have got a great column I've been a reader for several years keep up the good info and work. Thanks, John

Yes, a too-vigorous cleaning can cause as many problems as it cures. <g> A soft touch is all that's needed--- we're talking about a gentle cleaning, not scrubbing or heavy abrasion!

BTW, you can find computer cleaning supplies at local office-supply stores, computer and electronics specialty stores (such as the venerable Radio Shack here in the US), and online, as these searches show:
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=pc%20cleaning%20supplies&sa=N&tab=wf
http://www.google.com/search?q=pc+cleaning+supplies

LangaList advertisers TigerDirect and Cyberguys also sell cleaning supplies, and purchases made via their ad links here help keep the lights lit here:
http://langa.com/sponsors/tigerdirect.htm
http://langa.com/sponsors/cyberguys.htm

Hi Fred, Speaking of dirty electrical contacts and such, I had a problem this morning before I had the chance to read your newsletter. When I booted up this morning, my monitor, a Sony Triniton Multiscan 300sf 21" CRT, (which I've been very happy with) was not good, everything from print to icons had this wide streaking about a half an inch coming from left to right, and getting worse as each minute passed. Unfortunately there is no degauss, so I tried resetting with no luck, then updating the video driver, still no luck. Not wanting or ready to buy another monitor, I decided to turn off, unplug everything and open up the case. It was a bit dusty, so armed with canned air, no-lint swabs and a small soft brush I went to work. After plugging everything back in and booting up, voila! monitor is great once again! Best Regards, C. Chadwick

It's not clear if you were inside the PC or inside the monitor case. If the latter, you need to be careful because some of the CRT circuits act as a large capacitor, and can store a (ahem) shockingly large charge for a long time, even when they're turned off. It's usually the stuff at the narrow end of the tube that needs the most caution. It's fine to blow the dust off there, but I wouldn't grab the tube with one hand and start manually brushing it with the other! <g>

Usually, however, PC mechanical problems reside inside the PC case. Most PC circuits run at low voltages (usually the main circuits are 12volts [yellow wires] and 5v [red wires], with other circuits even lower: typically 3.3v, 1.5v and 1.2v); and with no large capacitances. If the PC's powered fully off, there's usually very little to no risk of electrical shock. In fact, the major problem with electrical shocks in PC is from simple static electricity, usually from the human to the PC, with the PC coming out on the losing end of the deal. That's why it's always smart to touch some part of a PC's metal case before touching any electrical components. That way, any differential charge between you and the PC will be equalized, and you won't be able to shock the PC's components, nor vice versa.

The warnings and precautions can make all this stuff sound scary, but it's really quite a straightforward and common-sense sort of thing. Honest!

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3) Mirror, Mirror On The Drive...

Fred as a Plus subscriber I appreciate the newsletter.

I am horrible at backing up. What I have come up with I don't know if it can be done. I would like to install an external hard drive. When I save a file whether a document, jpeg, web page etc. All the things I should back up daily, is there a way to write to both hard drives simultaneously, without having to save the item twice? So the external always gets the same data as the internal but without the programs? Thanks, Jeff Grigg

Yes; it's a form of what's called "data mirroring," and there's lots of software that can help: http://www.google.com/search?q=mirroring+software
http://www.google.com/search?q=mirror+software

You also can use simple scripts or scheduled jobs to do a simpler kind of mirroring, from time to time. For example, you could use the NTbackup tool built into XP and Win2K to find all files that have been added or altered, and copy them to a backup file on the external drive every so often--- every hour, half day, full day, etc.

The trouble with all forms of local mirroring is that anything that takes out the primary copy probably also will eat the backup copy. Say, you get a nasty virus that wipes your drives: The backup/mirror drive is just another drive, and it'll get wiped, too. Or, say a power surge fries your PC's guts: Kiss the mirror drive goodbye, too. Lose the PC to fire, flood, theft, whatever, and there goes the backup as well.

A mirror is better than nothing, but it still doesn't substitute for backups that store the data safely offline. And that kind of backup can be automated too, so you hardly even have to think about it: http://langa.com/backups/backups.htm

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4) Gmail As An Antispam Tool

Dear Fred, The easy and effective answer to the anti-spam bushwah [see "Perfect AntiSpam Storm" http://langa.com/newsletters/2006/2006-02-27.htm#9 ] for people who aren't afraid to change their addresses, is to go with Gmail instead of the ISP's native webmail, using the ISP for a connection only.  Gmail uses Bayesean filters that are extremely effective, easy to train, and spot on for accuracy in my experience.  Because I write for several sites, I have addresses specific to the sites that forward to my "real" email address.  At any given time there will be one to three thousand spam messages in those accounts (deleted automatically in 30 days).  Maybe a half-dozen a day make it to the main account. 

I used to check the other accounts to see if I was losing stuff, but finally quit because I never found anything worth worrying about.  If I ever do miss anything, Gmail's excellent search capability will allow me to go to the other site and pull it right up.

Having one account would work just as well in terms of spam, but one might get tired of looking at the spam folder constantly indicating new arrivals.  I prefer to have the mess out of sight.  This has worked for me since I migrated all my mail to Google about 18 months ago. Regards, Bill Webb

Gmail is OK, but is still in beta. Currently, you can only get an account two ways: You have to be "invited" by someone who already has one. Or, you can sign up for an account using a mobile phone. (Info: http://mail.google.com/mail/help/about.html )

My concerns with Gmail involve having all my mail on their servers, where it's out of my control. That's not OK for running an email-based business, or for handling anything sensitive or private, IMO. Google also makes money by selling context-sensitive ads, so there may be issues with Google's software parsing your email for keywords and such--- software robots reading over your shoulder, as it were.

But for casual mail, or for instances where no sensitive emails are involved, Gmail can be a real boon.

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5) Lower-Cost Motherboard Repair Options

The item "New Motherboard Needed?" ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2006/2006-02-23.htm#9 ) generated some excellent comments, and-- as so often happens--- also produced some information that was brand-new to me:

Fred, A couple of comments on item #9 ("New Motherboard Needed?") in today's newsletter: You suggested it's simple to just replace the motherboard rather than repair it. I agree - IF (and that's a big IF with older motherboards) you can find an identical motherboard. If you use a newer motherboard it's very likely that you will also have to replace both the CPU and the memory -- and even if you don't, then unless the new motherboard uses the same chipset as the old one it's likely that XP will require either a repair install or (preferably) a new install. If the system is otherwise running smoothly, it's not necessarily a bad idea to repair a motherboard that shows signs of capacitor damage (leaking or bulging capacitors) -- which is the most common cause of motherboard failure.   This avoids both the additional hardware purchases and the software reload requirement, and it's relatively inexpensive to have repaired (about $45 at http://www.badcaps.com/).  Caveat:  I've not used these folks, but have recommended them to others and have had excellent feedback on their service). Regards, Gary Case

Well, at a flat fee of $45, that sure changes the lower end of the equation: Many repair shops charge that, or nearly so, just to open the case and take a look. But if a motherboard's capacitors can be replaced for $45, that could be a great deal, assuming nothing else is wrong with the system. Thanks for the pointer, Gary!

Fred: Awesome newsletter and all that stuff... <g> As a traveling IT tech for households I have quite often met computers that have blasted their motherboard capacitors. As a rule the blown up ones are all of the same type, and every one of that type is damaged. It is usually very easy to see, if that is the problem: At least the cap of a capacitor has puffed out a bit, usually cracking the gap or cross on it. Some may also have leak marks of some brown liquid. The symptoms are very similar of those of an old standard round battery. Capacitors are cheap and they aren't too difficult to change. A skilled electronics repairman can change a bunch of them in 15 minutes or even less, if the motherboard has been taken off the computer case. I prefer repairing motherboards simply because getting a similar new one for an older computer is always difficult if not impossible. Replacing with an even slightly different type would almost certainly lead into reinstalling Windows not to mention all other programs and all the data that has never been backed up. Many times even the installation disks are lost or otherwise missing. From that point of view repairing can be the most cost effective and time sparing way. Just some dis- and reassembling in case the operating system is OK. BTW a fellow electronics repairman told me,  that a 10 degrees increase in computer case temperature will cut the life span of the capacitors to half! That should be another reason to dig for the Cool And Quiet articles [ http://www.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml;?articleID=18400732 ]. Best regards, Petri Laubert, Finland

Thanks, Petri. Like the service mentioned in Gary's note, it seems that a good tech experienced in low-cost diagnosing and replacing capacitor problems makes keeping the old, repaired motherboard more viable an option than I first thought. Interesting!

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6) Three More Winners!

"Donmon33" "luiluiely" and "melhenzler" each won a FREE full one-year subscription to the LangaList Plus! edition by using the "Recommend To A Friend" form at http://langa.com/recommend.htm .

You see, each month I choose three winners of a new FREE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to the LangaList Plus! edition. (Existing Plus! subscribers get their current subscription 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! (Full details also available via this link): http://langa.com/recommend.htm

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7) Ghost Busted

Hi Fred! I recently had to do a complete restore of my C: drive using Ghost 10 and thought it went fine. Now I've run into a problem I can't figure out. I keep getting the following sporadic warnings:

        <application filename> - Corrupt File
        The file or directory C: is corrupt and
        Unreadable. Please run the Chkdsk utility.

I've run Chkdsk and it says there is no problem. The system seems to be running OK except every now and then I get one of these warnings about various applications. The applications seem to be working though.

I did some research and found out the problem is a potentially corrupt Master File Table (MFT). But so far I can't figure out what to do about it.

Do you know if I can fix this problem easily or am I in big trouble? Thank You for your time! ---Mark H. Jessen

I'm guessing that it will be fixable.

First, just in case, make a new backup of any data you need to save from the PC. I would not suggest an image at this point, as an Image file will try to copy everything; and that can include disk errors, unless the imaging utility's internal checks find them first. In instances where you're trying to save data on a damaged or suspect drive, a simple, file-by-file copy of backup is safer.

You don't say what version of Windows you're running. But:

If it's XP, try the Recovery Console. Ideally, run it from your XP setup CD, so the hard drive installation isn't active and in use.
http://www.google.com/search?q=recovery+console

In the Recovery Console, run   CHKDSK C: /R   This forces a thorough test of the C: drive, repair of correctable data errors, and recovery of bad sectors, if possible. It'll take a while to run...

If that doesn't fix the problem, try FIXMBR (
http://tinyurl.com/s4z6o ) and FIXBOOT ( http://www.google.com/search?q=fixboot )

If you're running Win9x, reboot and start DOS (the "Command Only" option off the Win9x start menu), and run    SCANDISK C: /SURFACE    for a thorough repair/recovery scan.

If that doesn't find and fix the problem, try  FDISK /MBR   for a nondestructive refresh of the master boot record ( http://tinyurl.com/o5883 )

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8) Still *Another* Code Load Success Story

After his site was listed in the last "Load The Code" section, this reader wrote:

Hi Fred, I really want to express my appreciation for the opportunity to "Load the Code" and reap the benefits of being mentioned in your newsletter.  The number of hits on our site, Rings-4-U ( http://www.rings-4-u.com ), was more than triple the normal level, and the effect lasted more than a week.  I want to encourage all of your readers who have thought of doing this to take the plunge and "Load the Code!"  It's easy, and the rewards are enormous. Regards, Clint

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

BoardSmith
http://www.theboardsmith.com/

Information and products
http://www.goldkeyselect.com/

Computer Guides
http://www.jvmt-marketing.co.uk/

Dale Johnson
http://www.dalejohnson.net/

Ibike Cultural Tours
http://www.ibike.org/ibike

Westminster Technologies
http://www.westminstertech.com/

jordans pharmacy (ie)
http://www.jordanspharmacy.ie/index.html

Mark Perlstein
http://www.perlstein.us/index.html

Phoebe Moon - Free Web Design Resource
http://www.phoebemoon.com/

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9) Spin, Spin, Spin...

Hi Fred: This is inspired by 'Handy Wattage Estimator' ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2006/2006-02-27.htm#7 ) I run a home built system consisting of a SOYO K7 motherboard, a 4X video card, 2 DVD-RW drives, and 3 HDs. ( 1 HD as primary master and 2 are RAID as JBOD) Everything worked well until I added a third RAID HD. When I added the third drive my system began to lock up during the bootup process, and would only start if I hit the reset button at that time. It would then re-start the bootup process and open Windows. I had no other problems until I shut down, and tried to re-start.
 
I checked for malfunctions for the next six months, including the 350W power supply, and found no problems. Finally I changed out the 350W power supply for a 550W supply and the problem stopped.
 
I suspect that the 350W supply was sturdy enough to run the system, but not big enough to handle the surge of power required for startup. Could I be on the right track? Thanks for a great newsletter. ---Jerry

Yes, I suspect that's exactly right. Spinning up the drives is the thing that produces the maximum current draw. If you're spinning up a bunch of drives all at once, the draw may well momentarily exceed the capacity of a relatively modest power supply.

BTW, this was an item of some musing on my part in building my terabyte server. Although it has a 450w power supply, I wondered if the drives--- 1,000 gigabytes worth--- might still be an issue. But the BIOS of the new machine actually seems to be quite intelligent: It seems to spin (and de-spin) the drives one at a time, in sequence! That means the startup loads are applied (and removed) serially, over time, rather than all at once. Excellent!

Aside from helping to ensure that there's plenty of power for each drive as it comes online; and helping to prevent sudden load changes on the power supply; it also provides some minor geeky acoustic amusement as the drives spin up one after another. They're not loud at all, but you do hear a faint turbine-like whine, like some Lilliputian four-engine jet spooling up.

OK, I told you it was geeky. <g>

I'll have full info on the system in an upcoming InformationWeek column. Stay tuned!

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10, 11, 12, 13) Plus! Edition Only:

You can't lose! The Plus! edition is only pennies per issue, and comes
with a MONEY BACK GUARANTEE from Fred.

Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains about 40% more content including:

• Lean, Clean Networking Restart
     (two ways to repair seemingly hopeless problems)
• Time Running Out For Win98
     (what to do to get ready for end-of-support)
• "Make Your Own" Anything!
     (amazing web resources)
• Missing "View" Tab in Folder Options
     (easy fix for surprisingly common problem)

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

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14) Just For Grins

In the last issue, I wrote about how boneheaded anti-spam tools are seeing wider and wider use, despite my quixotic protests. Of my futile anti-anti-spam efforts, I wrote: "Vir prudens non contra ventum mingit." That led to this:

Darn it Fred! I wrestled with this bit of Latin for several minutes before it dawned on me that Google is my friend. I Googled it accordingly, and when I saw the translation I laughed out loud. Well said, and may your shoes long remain wet my friend! Kind regards, Pastor Peter Ballantyne, NZ

I wondered if anyone would look it up. <g> As a victim of four years of high school Latin, I tend to think thus: "Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes."

And if you want a shortcut way to translate either of those, this page can help: http://www.leasticoulddo.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t13912.html

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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, 2006-03-06!

Best,

Fred
( Editor@Langa.Com )

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