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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2006-06-19

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!

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1) XP's No-Reformat, Nondestructive Total-Rebuild Option

It's one of those software design decisions that makes you scratch your head and wonder, "What were they thinking?"

The "it" in this case is XP's most powerful rebuild/repair option; and yet Microsoft chose to hide it behind seeming dead ends, red herrings, and a recycled interface that makes it hard to find and (at first) somewhat confusing to use.

But it's worth exploring because this option lets you completely and nondestructively rebuild, repair or refresh an existing XP installation while leaving already-installed software alone (no reinstallation needed!). It also leaves user accounts, names, and passwords untouched; and also takes only a fraction of the time a full, from-scratch reinstall does. And unlike a traditional full reinstall, this option doesn't leave you with two copies of XP on your hard drive. Instead, you end up with just the original installation, but repaired, refreshed, and ready to go.

We've saved this technique for last in our discussion of the various XP's repair/rebuild options because the fixes we've previously discussed are like first aid--- the things you try first. For instance, see this discussion on removing limitations on XP's Recovery Console (
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=187000225 ), turning it into a more complete repair tool; or this discussion on the Recovery Console's little known boot data "Rebuild" command ( http://www.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=185301251 ) that can cure many boot-related problems. (There's also lots more on the Recovery Console here: http://tinyurl.com/p7fnr )

But when the Recovery Console techniques don't work and you're facing the prospects of a total reformat/reinstall, STOP! Try this no-reformat reinstall technique, and you just may get your XP setup back running in a fraction of the time and with a fraction of the hassle of a grand mal wipe-and-restore.

You'll find complete, step-by-step instructions  with abundant screen shots waiting for you here:
http://www.informationweek.com/windows/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189400897

With this information, you should almost never have to face a dreaded start-over, from-scratch reformat/reinstall of XP!

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Here's where the Langa.Com site is hosted!

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with plans available to suit all sites
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2) Annual Update on Macy-Jean

Remember Macy-Jean Calinawan, from the Philippines? We first met her here ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2002/meet_macy_jean.htm ), and a while later saw how much she's been growing. ( http://www.freetune.com/images/macy_jean200210a.jpg  ). We also got a handprint painting from her here: http://langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-05-19.htm#3

Macy Jean was the sixth child (of 13, so far, all around the world) sponsored on an ongoing basis by LangaList Plus! subscribers. With 13 kids in the mix, I thought it would be easier to keep track of what's happening with each child by focusing on one per month; gathering all the correspondence from the previous 12 months and presenting it all at once, rather than dribbling it out in the scattershot and irregular fashion in which the mail arrives.

With the political turmoil in the Philippines, communication has been very spotty, even for this kind of thing, so we haven't heard a lot. But here's the most recent info I have--- including photos:

Private server (Plus! subscribers only):
http://langalist.com/Plus/kids/macy_jean/macy_jean_2006.asp

Public server:
http://www.freetune.com/kids/macy_jean/macy_jean_2006.htm

What's this 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 )

Macy-Jean is one of 13 kids sponsored on an ongoing basis (via an international relief agencies) by the collective generosity of LangaList subscribers. LangaList Plus! subscribers also have collectively contributed to emergency earthquake relief efforts in India and to funds to assist those hurt in the Sept 11th terrorist attacks on the US, and to many other relief efforts. (To see all the donations so far, click to http://langa.com/plus2.htm#kids )

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 with expanded content and no advertising--- but you also can help those less fortunate (like Macy-Jean) make the most of their very lives. Thanks for your help!

http://langa.com/plus.htm

or give a GIFT SUBSCRIPTION to the Plus edition:
http://langa.com/plus_gift.htm

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3) Windows Vista Preflight Checks

Following our discussion of the free Vista beta ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2006/2006-06-15.htm#2 ):

Fred, Along with Microsoft's Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor, PC Pitstop also has a "readiness" test that some may want to try before taking the plunge.

It's located here: http://www.pcpitstop.com/vistaready/

Bob Sanger

Thanks, Bob. And for those who may not have seen it, the official Microsoft "Vista Upgrade Advisor" is available at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeadvisor/default.mspx . It "will scan your computer and generate an easy-to-understand report of any known system and device compatibility issues, along with recommendations on how you can get your PC ready for Windows Vista." The MS Advisor is in beta, but it's a benign one with low risks. It does, however, require the .Net framework.

The PC Pitstop tool also isn't quite finished yet (remember that Vista is at least half a year out...); but it runs without requiring the .Net framework.

Either or both can give you a preliminary idea of whether or not your present system will meet the anticipated minimum and/or recommended requirements for Vista. And when both tools are finished, some time from now, you'll be able to get an accurate answer. Worth a bookmark!

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"I have learned so much from your newsletter, I felt like I was stealing your brains without saying thanks. Please accept my apology and allow me to subscribe to your Plus! newsletter. I have recommended your newsletter to several friends, and will continue to do so, only I'll extol the virtues of the paid version. Thanks again. Dave Rosenthal"

Thanks, David!

The Plus! edition is just pennies an issue--- about $1 a month--- but that
small amount gets you a boatload of benefits. Get all the details:

http://langa.com/plus.htm

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4) Another Concern Re: Win98

Fred: Thanks for a newsletter that is the only thing of its type that I always find time to read and never, ever delete! But a couple of things you've said lately have given me food for thought, and I think I need some sensible advice...

I have an aging (500MHz) Win98SE PC that, much though I'd like to, I really can't afford to upgrade.

Its performance has been a concern for a while, and I've been trying to get shot of as many bits of permanently-running software as I can.

One of the busiest bits of software was my firewall, Agnitum's Outpost. While it's very good and very capable and I /know/ I'd rather keep using it, I've instead replaced my ADSL modem with a modem/router combo and disabled Outpost. (I'd uninstall it completely, but it's licensed for another few months and I can re-enable it quickly if I need it!)

Now: you recently said that a router's good security against incoming threats (and it is: the first thing I did was let Steve Gibson's ShieldsUp test on www.grc.com see if it could do anything to sneak past it, and it couldn't) but will provide no protection against stuff that originates on the PC in question. Fair enough.

So I run spyware scans (using Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D) anytime I think I should, I use SpyBot's Immunisation BHO to keep Internet Explorer safe, and most of my web browsing is with Firefox. I don't use Outlook for email (The Bat! is my "proper" email client, but I'm increasingly using webmail -- mostly fastmail.fm with a little bit of Google and Yahoo on the side, all configured with virus scans and all other useful security measures in place.)

And although I'm reasonably confident in this (and my PC's definitely happier as a result!) I'm a natural pessimist, I've seen too many nasty things happen to computers since my first meeting with Brain in theearly 1990s to be anything else. So what would really cheer me up is a half-firewall: something that keeps an eye on outgoing network requests made by various bits of a system but knows that inbound traffic is
handled by Something Else. And, of course, has a miniscule footprint and demands next to nothing of the host cpu. :-)

Two questions, then. First, and given the above, is there anything else I should be doing now, in terms of specific things I can test for periodically? And second, if I should really reconsider the firewall issue, is there anything that's specifically tailored to an environment that already includes a router that protects a PC from everything
www.grc.com can find to invade it?

Best, and thanks again, Tim Parsons

Because you have a very specific requirement in mind--- protection plus a small system impact---  I suggest some trial and error: Download a bunch of free and free-to-try firewalls and try them, one by one, until you find something that works but that doesn't eat too much of your CPU and system resources.

I wouldn't bother trying to find an "outbound-only" tool, as I'll bet you'll be able to find a complete, normal firewall that will meet your needs. And having a complete desktop firewall *plus* a firewalling router is better than either by itself; you'll be better off with a normal desktop firewall in use.

When I ran Win98, I used to use the basic version of ZoneAlarm with good results; and ZoneAlarm is still one of the best for letting you see what's leaving your PC as well as what's coming in. Although ZA has inflated somewhat over the years, the basic, free firewall still works with Win98, and may be parsimonious enough with your system to pass muster.

But if not, there are plenty of other choices:
http://www.google.com/search?q=free+firewall
http://www.google.com/search?as_q=free+firewall&as_sitesearch=langa.com

As for testing whatever you eventually set up, see "How To Test And Tune Your Online Connection" at
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=160500660 .

(Item #9, below, also deals with a free firewall; but it's for Win2K and XP only...)

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5) More Dividing, More Conquering

In "Divide And Conquer" ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2006/2006-06-15.htm#5 ) we discussed several partitioning strategies that can make huge disks more manageable. Here's a follow-on question:

Hi Fred - great newsletter. Have been a Plus subscriber for a few years now and found it the best PC deal around. Praise over - a question on your answer to the backup question. I like the solution, and it would work well for a lot of my stuff but... what about when a lot of data is involved that needs to backed up? I'm thinking digital images and such. It's good practice to keep the RAW file untouched, and then work on copies or conversions. It's be handy to have a all of the image's siblings and different formats all stored together, and that means things change a lot all over the place every time PhotoShop is opened. My thinking is that a RAID solution is the best option, but is there something that will do the job without all that cost? Cheers, Gary Bowering 

I also have a ton of digital pictures, Gary. And I often share them with others by turning them into slideshows and movies, which also are huge.

Here's what I do to back them up:

I have an entire large partition on my hard drive labeled "PIX;" inside that partition are annual folders (one folder per year; 2000, 2001, 2002, etc). Within each annual folder, I have subfolders: Some are by month, some by event (a vacation, a wedding, etc; whatever's convenient). After each new vacation or event where I've used a camera, I'll copy the raw files from the camera to a new, appropriately named subfolder of the current year's folder on the PIX partition. Right away, I'll burn these new photos and movies to CD or DVD. That way, I have working copies of the photos or videos on the hard drive, and a "master" copy on CD or DVD that I can tuck away for safekeeping. Each major event thus gets its own folder on the hard drive, and its own CD or DVD. They're backed up from the day they come out of the camera.

With two copies already in hand before I even start working on the photos, I don't put the PIX partition into my normal backup schedule. If or when I edit the photos or create a slideshow or movie, I'll copy the end result to a CD or DVD and put that away with the original; this gives me three copies of everything--- two external to the hard drive, and one on the hard drive.

Because each event gets handled separately, there's no need to include the entire collection as part of my routine backups. In fact, taking the extra step of burning the photos to CD or DVD as soon as I pull them out of the camera takes just a couple minutes extra, and then I don't have to think about backing up the photos again.

Once more: You can make even a gigantic, onerous task much more palatable by breaking it into painlessly smaller ones. <g>

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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) "May Your Life Be Filled With Lawyers..."

That's supposedly an old Mexican curse, although I suspect the sentiment may be cross-cultural. I mention it here because a recent item raised the tricky issue of software licensing (see http://langa.com/newsletters/2006/2006-06-08.htm#1 ) and also gave this reader pause:

Hi Fred... The "Server vs PC Software" item has triggered (again) concerns over
something I do. Maybe you might comment on it.

I dual-boot my computer. Well, dual is an understatement. Presently I can boot into ME or XP-pro, as well as MS-DOS 6.22, and several versions of Linux. I used to also use 98se, until I added too much memory for it.

When I take a program that is licensed for use on a single computer -- and the license specifies I may have it installed on only one computer, and maybe make only one copy for archival purposes -- and I install it under more than one operating system one the same computer, am I violating the license agreement?

Obviously, I can only use one copy at a time, and can have whatever copy is running share my data files, etc. But, probably there are more than one copy floating around on the hard drives. As far as copies go, every time I make a complete system backup, I generate another copy of tons of stuff. Even that violates what most license agreements say.

Sincerely, Bob Kester

I'm not a lawyer. But let's work backwards from the similar issue of backup copies: Many software licenses allow you to make a backup copy. This is usually meant in the sense of making one safekeeping duplicate of the original setup CD. But the way some licenses are worded, a strict reading could be seen as applying to all kinds of backups. If you back up your PC every night, then after a year you'll have 366 copies of the software; one live on the PC and 365 in backups. Again, by the strictest-possible reading of some licenses, that's illegal. But I've never heard of anyone getting into trouble due to backed-up copies of licensed software. The backup copies are out there and some may even be stored on the in-use PC; but at any given time, there's only one copy in use on one PC by the one legitimate owner. The backups exist for the convenience of the legitimate owner, and don't cost the company any sales. Therefore, no harm, no foul.

I think dual-boot is conceptually similar: Assuming you start with your own legitimate, paid-for copy of the software, it'd be hard for a software company to argue they'd been meaningfully harmed by a multi-boot, one-use-at-a-time-on-one-PC-by-the-legitimate-original-purchaser setup. Yes, your PC has several copies of the software on it, but only one can be used at a time by the one legitimate original purchaser on the one original installation PC.

It's hard to see any harm in that; it's very different from the clearly-wrong act of taking one copy and installing it on many different PCs.

In short: I doubt the Software Police will come pounding on your door in the middle of the night. <g>

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8) They Just Keep Coming And Coming...

Well over 4,000 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

personal blog
http://www.augalinfp.blogspot.com/

Sarah's Surprises
http://etailersmall.blogspot.com/

Harrisburg Tech Solutions
http://larrysingleton.biz/

Used Comics For Sale
http://www.mycomicsite.com/

Sport Court Alberta
http://www.sportcourtalberta.com/

Act Knowledge
http://www.actknowledge.com/

Laura's Web
http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~lmezirka/ccsf_links.html

Industrial Hygiene Services
http://www.alara.ca/

Motorcycle T-Shirts
http://stanman52.googlepages.com/motorcyclet-shirts

mypersonalsafe
http://www.mypersonalsafe.com/

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9) Comodo

Item #4, above, deals with free firewalls in general, and Win98 firewalls in particular. Here's info on another relatively new firewall that's for Win2K and XP boxes:

Fred, This just in from the good folks (Neil Rubenking in particular) at PCMag.com: among all free firewall programs, they give top marks to a new one: Comodo. Check out the review at http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1969225,00.asp.
The program itself is available at http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/ . ---Bruce Fraser

Thanks, Bruce!

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10, 11, 12, 13, 14) Plus! Edition Only:

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

• Password Issues
     (reader may be opening his PC to all!)
• More Fixes For Hard Drive "Inconsistencies"
     (little-known commands can help)
• RAID Ate His Data
     (RAID made his data *less* secure!)
• Bogus Tip Making The Rounds
     (don't be taken in!)
• Optional Links
     (just for Plus! subscribers)

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

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

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15) Just For Grins

A long time ago, we ran a JFG item about "10 Dumbest Questions Asked By Cruise Ship Passengers" ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-04-01.htm#10 ) and followed up with a few more here: http://langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-04-26.htm#11

Rummaging in an old mail folder, I found an additional item that never got published--- until now <g>:

Fred, your on-going 10 Dumbest Questions asked by Cruise Passenger Liners struck a familiar note. Here in Nerja (50 km east of Malaga in southern Spain), friends and I continue to collect the dumb things holiday-makers (mainly from the UK) say when they're here. We believe there's a department at Malaga airport where they can leave their brains for a fortnight. Our favourites are :
 
How much of the Nerja caves is underground?
 
(Overheard on a beach lapped by the Mediterranean)  How high above sea level are we?
 
What flavours does sangria come in?
 
(Frequently asked to resident British people)  Do you live here?  (Usually followed by)  Do you like it?
 
There's a lot of Spanish people here, aren't there?
 
(And our all time favourite)  What day is the Tuesday market on?
 
We love the Langalist - thanks for the hard work.
 
---Dave Jamieson

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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, 2006-06-22!

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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