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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2004-12-16

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

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1) Moving Windows; And A Dual-Boot Problem

Hello, Fred. I just set up a computer for my daughter after the system board in her old one stopped working. I transferred her old HDD over to save her files.  It was running Windows Me. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way that you cannot do this and expect that OS to successfully boot in the new environment. I had a lot of error messages, etc., so finally decided to upgrade the computer to Windows 2000. That worked fine, but for one remaining minor annoyance.
 
Now, on boot, there is a start-up message asking for a selection of which OS to load: Windows 2000 or "Microsoft Windows." If no answer is given in 30 seconds, the computer boots to Windows 2000, the only OS installed.
 
I've been trying to find out how to eliminate this screen as it is a needless delay in the initial boot. I have finally deduced that it is caused by the former existence of Windows Me on that computer.... Can you guide me as to what to eliminate so as to kill the OS choice on boot?  I hesitate to "experiment" until I get it right lest I harm something that is really needed.  Also, it would be a tedious and long exercise that might not work if a combination of factors are at play.
 
Any help will be appreciated. Gordon Totty

In XP and Win2K, the boot process is controlled by the "boot.ini" file in the root directory, usually C:\ . If your problem is just that the boot menu itself is incorrect or working in a way you don't like, it's easy to fix or change:

Boot.ini is normally a hidden file, so you may have to set Windows Explorer to show you *all* files, and not to "hide the file extension of known types." (See item "Improve XP's Folder Views" http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20011204S0009 for detailed info on making these changes. The info there is specific to XP and 2K; but Win98 and ME are almost the same.)

Open Notepad, then use its File/Open menu to open boot.ini and edit the file: You can control the default 30-second boot menu delay by changing the "timeout=30" to a different value. You can also edit which OSes are presented to you by editing the "[operating systems]" item, and change the default OS via the "default=..." item.

When you're done, save the edited copy of boot.ini. If you have trouble saving it, then boot.ini may be set as "read-only" on your system. That's easily remedied: In Windows Explorer, right click on boot.ini and select Properties. Uncheck the "read only" attribute box. You now can save the edited file.

Naturally, as with any system change, it makes sense to make a backup first; at the very least, make a backup copy of the original boot.ini so you can restore things to the way they were if you encounter a problem with your changes.

Lots more on editing boot.ini:
http://www.google.com/search?q=edit+%22boot%2Eini%22+windows

Note #1: If the problem isn't just the boot menu itself, but rather a problem with an incomplete or failed removal of WinME from a dual boot setup, then this might help:
http://www.google.com/search?q=remove+dual+boot+windows

Note #2: A Windows installation usually *can* be picked up and moved bodily to an entirely new PC either via a drive image or by physically moving the hard drive: To its credit, Windows will strive mightily to boot on the unfamiliar hardware (although it probably will need to load a ton of new drivers; you'll have to have the setup CD handy). But as Gordon found, the resulting setup will be a mess of old and new files: This technique is really only good for emergency recovery of files from a totally dead system, but it's good to know that it's there and available for such emergencies.

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2) "Memory Optimizer" Confusion

Dear Fred From a very grateful subscriber to your Plus edition...

I refer to your http://langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-11-29.htm#9 edition and the subject of Memory Optimizers, which you suggest are scams etc.  I use FreeRam XP Pro - which is a totally free utility - hardly a scam to start with !  I have a full 1024 MB of ram fitted and when I first start using the computer daily, it usually shows between 695 and 710 MB i.e. 68% Ram free.

After two or three hours of general use, with regular software such as Word, Paint Shop Pro and the like, and especially after I use the "torrent" system to download a file, my available Ram drops right down to well below 300 MB.

Running FreeRam XP Pro indicates that it is fixing this, and brings it back up to the usual level. Does this indicate that my system has a major fault, or that my software is somehow "faulty" or that using torrents is bad for my system?

Needless to say, after running FreeRam XP Pro, my system runs like a bird, and all the software seems to work just fine.  So WHY exactly do you say Ram optimizers are a scam - with my lack of knowledge then the only way I know of to bring my available Ram up to par would be to re-boot.

I would really appreciate your comments. Regards, Geoff Lacey

It's a confusing subject, Geoff--- one made more so by the purveyors of "memory optimizers," some of whom are themselves confused, and others of whom *want* you to be confused so you'll use their products.

Here's the problem: With most computer things that can be "used up" (hard drive space, bandwidth, etc.) you want as much to be *un*used as possible. But it's just the opposite with RAM, because unused RAM is wasted RAM.

That's worth repeating, because it's the central point: Unused RAM is wasted RAM.

Thus, any tool that "frees up" RAM or "creates holes in RAM" or any similar thing is really creating a pool of unused--- wasted!--- RAM.

You see, your RAM is the fastest memory your PC has. Memory operations in RAM operate at nanosecond speeds (billionths of a second), six orders of magnitude faster than the millisecond speeds (thousandths of a second) of memory operations written to a hard drive, as "virtual memory" in the PC's swapfile.

"Freeing RAM" means you're taking data and code out of the fastest memory your system has and transferring it to the swapfile on disk, which is the *slowest* memory your system normally has. That doesn't help you. In fact, it slows you down!

Windows does a pretty good job of keeping your RAM more or less optimally full, *which is the way you want it* because you WANT as much stuff as possible kept in the fastest-available storage. When RAM gets too full, Windows correctly dribbles out the least-used and least-important code and data to the slower hard-drive storage of virtual memory; and that too is just what you want.

"Memory optimizers" can actually reverse this process so that you end up with unused areas in your best and fastest memory; and tons of code and data shifted to your worst and slowest memory (on the hard drive). In other words, they can do the exact opposite of what they claim; slowing you down, not speeding you up!

There's still more to the topic, but to save space, let me point you to a fuller explanation, including the possible rare exceptions to the above: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=17200583

But for the overwhelming majority of users, for the overwhelming majority of the time, memory optimizers are junk.

Just remember: Empty RAM is wasted RAM. Any tool that promises to keep areas of your RAM empty is working *against* you!

(The next item covers a related, but slightly different issue.)

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3) Add More RAM?

I have 512MB in my system... With memory as cheap as it is I'm tempted to add another 512MB for an even gigabyte of ram.  Would I see any benefit?  ---Brett Schulte

As we discussed in the previous item (above), RAM is enormously faster than hard drive storage, so by having a lot of RAM, and letting Windows use it, you can see better system performance.

But some of this depends on how you use your system: A person who runs one modest app at a time, or opens one window at a time (don't laugh--- millions do just that) probably would see little benefit from having a ton of RAM. They're not doing anything that needs much RAM in the first place.

On the other hand, a power-user who routinely has multiple mainline apps open--- especially graphics- or video-intense apps--- has myriad tasks bubbling in the background, who does a lot of task-switching, and whose screen is plastered with overlapping windows may very well benefit from more RAM.

(I fall closer to the latter category; I've put a gig of RAM in all my newer systems; and I'll probably go for 2GB with my next major PC purchase, sometime next year.)

But once you have a lot of RAM, you want to ensure it gets used (see previous item). Windows actually has decent default settings for RAM, but there's a tweak for WinME/98 systems that you may want to experiment with.

In WinME/98, the key setting is "conservativeswapfile," which (as you might guess) tells Windows to be conservative in its use of the swap file. This has the effect of making Windows be *more* aggressive in its use of RAM; letting RAM "fill up" more before anything is swapped out to the hard drive. With more code and data in your system's fast RAM, memory performance may improve. Naturally, the more RAM you have, the greater the potential difference.

But it is only a *potential* difference: The exact results will depend on a host of factors, with no good way to predict in advance whether your specific system will benefit. You just have to try it and see. Plus, there's a potential downside: while RAM-intense activity may improve, overall system performance may actually decrease because of the way Win98 handles swap file writes. There's lots more info and how-to for WinME/98 users on "conservativeswapfile" and other tweaks:

http://aumha.org/win4/a/memmgmt.htm
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,735738;root=winme;mode=flat
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q223294/
http://www.google.com/search?q=conservativeswapfile

You can try the "conservativeswapfile" tweak on *any* Windows system, but it has no effect in XP and 2K. For good advice on what memory tweaks really do work in XP/2K, see:
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.htm

And: If you're looking for a "bottom line," it's this: (1) In general, more RAM is better; and the harder you push your system, the more benefit you'll see. (2) Most memory-use tweaks have the biggest impact only in special cases. For ordinary use, you'll probably do just fine by letting Windows handle your system RAM on its own.

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4) "Shared" System Memory

Reader Brett Schulte sent in a note with two separate questions. We answered one in the previous item; here's the second:

My laptop uses shared memory which I can set in the bios anywhere from 8MB to 128MB.  For normal Windows applications what's the best setting?  I'm guessing the bare minimum of 8MB is enough... Windows doesn't seem any faster with 128MB than with 8MB! --- ---Brett Schulte

Usually, "shared" memory is used in PCs where the video system is built right onto the motherboard, sometimes called "on-board" or "embedded" video. This is common in laptops (to save space) and in lower-end desktop PCs (to save money). Instead of having a separate graphics/video card with its own special-purpose video RAM, these systems "share" the normal system RAM, reserving some for the use of the built-on video system, and the rest for use by the operating system, applications, utilities, etc., as standard RAM. (These systems may also use the PC's own CPU for processing the video, instead of having a dedicated graphics co-processor; but that's another issue.)

As Brett found, there's usually a setting in the BIOS that lets you determine how much RAM should be set aside for sharing by the video system. The more RAM you set aside for video, the better the video performance may be in graphics-intensive applications--- photo editing or viewing, streaming video, games, etc. But it's a trade-off because every megabyte you set aside for the video system is a megabyte that's not available to the OS.

In standard office-type PC uses--- email, word processing, etc--- you usually do better by giving the video system less RAM, and leaving as much as possible for use as normal system RAM. But if you find screen redraws taking too long, or run into obvious video-related problems (color problems, inability to run at a high resolution, etc.), you can try bumping up the amount of RAM assigned to the video pool until the problems go away.

Shared-RAM video systems are usually never as fast as the better dedicated video cards: the latter almost always have dedicated coprocessors and special high-speed RAM that's not shared with anything else. If you need maximum video/graphics performance, a separate video card is usually the way to go.

More info:
"OnBoard" Video OK?
http://langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-09-09.htm#4

Fresh Look At On-Board Video:
http://langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-10-03.htm#3

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5) Reader Says: "Huh?"

Fred, I enjoy the contents of your Plus list, but often you seem to talk in riddles -- for instance, in one of the latest lists there's a section on avoiding having to reinstall all apps after a new OS install. But talk of "Then I installed all my apps and utilities; and then imaged that fully-installed, fully-patched, perfect setup to CD (actually, to DVD-R, but the medium doesn't matter) as a new "master" install. If or when I need to roll my system all the way back to "like new" condition, I'll simply use that image to get back to a perfect setup, with everything installed, patched and running perfectly, in one giant step" leaves me cross-eyed, scratching my head, and saying "Huh?" I wonder, "imaged (?) what "fully-installed, fully-patched" setup?  What does "imaged" mean, and what is a "master install", and what does it mean to "use that image to get back to a perfect setup"? I maintain my own desktop, my wife's networked desktop, my laptop, the neighbors' machines and the one at work, so I'm not a complete novice, but evidently I'm not nerdy enough to understand what you're talking about some of the time... Could you maybe sometimes come down one step and let us intermediate users catch up? Thanks for listening to me vent, Phil Hooper

Each issue is a balancing act, Phil, and it sounds like I fell off the high-wire for you. Sorry!

The problem is that if I explain every topic "from scratch" every time, there'll be tons of repetition, and long-time readers will go to sleep. On the other hand, if I go too fast, newer readers may feel left behind.

That's why I include so many links to past articles: My hope is you'll use the links to catch up in subjects that might not yet be familiar. This also lets you skip the links if you already are up to speed.

For times when I don't include a link, you can use the fully-searchable back-issue archives. They're available in two forms, so you can dig up additional info on any subject you wish:

All readers can search the public archives of the Standard Edition via the forms at http://langa.com/search.htm ; and the full text of all Standard Edition past issues is available at http://langa.com/archives.htm .

Plus! Edition readers get all that and more: The full text of all Plus! Edition past issues is available at http://langalist.com/plus/plus_issues.asp , and the complete LangaList archives--- all content, all editions--- is available for free download at http://langalist.com/plus/archives/archives.asp . That latter version of the archives resides on your own hard drive, so it works at top speed, with no internet connection needed.

Now, to specifically address your concerns, *everything* you need to know about backups, disk imaging, and the like, is available via the article at http://langa.com/backups/backups.htm . Follow the many links in the article to learn more about any unfamiliar terms or topics; or use the search links above for the same purpose. If you'll do that *once,* you'll forever be up to speed whenever we discuss backups, imaging, and such in future issues--- and I won't have to put you to sleep by repeating the basics from scratch each time! 8-)

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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) Synchronizing Folders

First, thanks for the very informative newsletter.  I learn something with every issue.

To synchronize directories, I've been using a combination of xxcopy and Replicator, one of Karen's Powertools.  It takes a little finagling since these programs essentially copy or move (I'll admit not knowing all the secrets of xxcopy's switches) and don't really synchronize. Just ran across a program called SyncBack ( http://www.2brightsparks.com/syncback ) that looks as if it will make synchronizing much simpler.  The software will also "backup" files (not a true backup but a file copy).  Sync is a two-way operation.  The sync mode places the newest file from the source folder into the destination then checks for anything not in the source but in the destination and copies that back to the source. Backup copies files to another location. SyncBack can be set to zip the backups and has a scheduler built in. There are a number of settings to control how everything works including exclusions. The standard version has the right price too - free, donations accepted. As with some other freeware, a "pro version" is offered at a cost. Install and non-install versions are also available. I haven't tried it but the non-install version might be a good addition to a rescue CD/DVD. ---Ron

Thanks, Ron. I also use Karen Kenworthy's "Replicator" ( http://www.karenware.com/powertools/powertools.asp ); and you're right--- it's not intended as a two-way synching tool. For that purpose, "SyncBack" could come in handy!

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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

Chef Bill's Cajun Country
http://www.chefbillskitchen.net/dancingmudbugs.html

EddieLand
http://www.edjerome.com/

Mike Stahl
http://mikestahl.org/

Spyware Delenda Est
http://www.geocities.com/kenkoz8688/SpywareDelendaEst.html

terry stockdale
http://www.terrystockdale.com/

Faerie Realm
http://spritefae.com/links/links.htm

DIVX CODECS, CD/DVD BURNERS, more...
http://www.divxcodecs.com/

John Brown
http://www.jb144.btinternet.co.uk/

DeltaGang Blog
http://countcol.blogspot.com/

SlackerManager
http://slackermanager.com/

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9) Shrunken Screens On Laptop

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10) Just For Grins

It's a little roundabout, but reader Guy Lefrancois sent in this quote--- funny, albeit slightly insulting to us end users!--- from one Rich Cook:

"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs and the universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the universe is winning." - Rich Cook
 

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11) Plus! Edition Highlights:

• Huge Freeware Resource
    (almost 300 items!)
• Free "NetStat"
    (see what's "phoning home" and more)
• Three Informative Reader-Written Articles
    (security, graphics, and using "Wikipedia")

Plus! edition subscribers not only get much more content in every issue (like the above), but also have access to a private web site with over 100,000 words of special content and features not found in *any* issue of the newsletter; along with dozens of private downloads and much more---all for just $1 per month!

Check out: http://langa.com/sendit.htm/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>)

See you next issue, 2004-12-20!

Best,

Fred
( Editor@Langa.Com )

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

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