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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2005-04-14

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) The Best Connection-Test And Tuning Sites

As part of the article "Test And Tune Your Online Connection" ( http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=160500660 ), I've posted a list of the best test and tuning sites I know of for diagnosing and correcting problems--- even subtle ones--- with dial-up, cable, DSL, LAN or other connection types.

Combined with a detailed step-by-step article showing how to refresh your entire online connection subsystem without having to tear down the entire operating system, the article has a ton of info I think you'll find useful.

Please click on over to
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=160500660  and check it out. With a little luck, you'll be on your way to a faster, better online experience!

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

"Fred - The Plus! Edition has been the best value I have EVER received.
I provide support for home and business users. I only subscribe to a
single newsletter! YOURS! I can attest to the fact, that every single
issue has had at least 1 (usually 2) items which are related to specific
issues that I am working on for my clients. Thank you."
---'Desktop David' Rubenstein

Thanks, David. At around just $1 per month,
I try to make the Plus! edition a good value for everyone! <g>

The LangaList Plus! Edition is ad-free, spam-proof,
and contains even more content--- tips, tricks, advice, downloads....---
than the Standard Edition you're now reading.

Get all the details:
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2) Reader's Setup / Mix-Match Format Types

Hi Fred, Always lots to learn from your newsletter. Thanks much.

I take a belt and suspenders approach to backups. As the old saying goes: "There are only two kinds of people--those who have already lost data, and those who are gonna!" I can't say I have NEVER lost data, but my track record is quite good.

My OS on my desktop is Windows 2K, and as long as the Evil Empire continues to support it I will continue to use it. When it is no longer supported, hopefully there will be a version of Linux which is user-friendly enough and advanced enough that I can be completely comfortable switching.

I have two 80GB hard drives, with several partitions on each. Everything except one NTFS partition for the swap file and one NTFS partition on the second drive for large files is formatted Fat32, which means good old DOS can see them. Data is on a separate partition from the OS and programs, with not one but TWO backups--one to a third partition on the first drive and one to the second drive. Critical data is also on my laptop, which I can network. Also, I keep installation files for every program the same way--two copies. As I say, belt and suspenders.

I have a bootable CD with DOS and the Dos versions of Partition Magic and Drive Image. Every time I make any changes to my c drive either critical updates or new programs, I make a new image. Again two copies of this image on two different drives, and a copy of the last previous image as well. Can't tell you how many times I have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by simply booting from the CD and restoring the latest good image.

The only time this procedure failed was when I attempted to repartition the c drive. Partition Magic hosed the OS, and refused to restore the image because of the new partition size, so I was faced with a total reinstall. But only programs--I didn't lose any data.

I realize there are lots of different methods, but for me this one works, and works well. ---Dick Bellin

Sounds like a good setup, Dick. The one catch is that anything bad that happens to one drive can also affect the other, so storing a copy of your image files/backups someplace outside of the system (say, on a CDR) is safer than relying only on inside-the-system storage.

Separately, as you're already mixing drive format types--- which is perfectly OK with Win2k and XP--- you might want to consider making the swapfile partition FAT32 instead of NTFS. That's what I do, anyway: FAT32 is marginally faster than NTFS, so putting the swapfile (which is always heavily accessed throughout the day) on the fastest-possible type of disk format may speed things a bit. On the other hand, I leave my main C:\ partition as NTFS so I can benefit from that format's file-integrity strengths, plus the built-in compression and security tools. That's one of the nice things about 2K/XP--- you can pick and choose and mix and match partition types in any way you desire!

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3) SETI Worries

Fred: I was reading "Feel The Burn" ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2005/2005-04-07.htm#7 ) and noticed that you say running cpu at max for half an hour should give you results for a worst case scenario. What about programs that are specifically designed to use all your unused cpu such seti@home and the one I use folding@home. Could they be over heating my computer? I know that all the time my computer is at max cpu so could this cause problems with my computer? Thanx Heaps, Ben Buchanan

Could SETI and FOLDING be overheating your PC? Yes, but if you've experienced no problems so far, then odds are there's nothing imminently dangerous going on. But there could be a long-term problem because some kinds of heat damage in chips is cumulative.

Think of it this way: In theory, you could run your car's engine right at the redline all day. As long as you don't exceed the redline speed, the engine should stay within its design specs for internal stresses. But you know it wouldn't be good for the engine to do that; it'd wear faster and need attention sooner than an engine that's allowed to operate at more moderate speeds.

Same with a PC: The CPU, system and hard drives all have maximum design temperatures--- redlines, so to speak. In theory, you can run right up to those temps and be OK. But you probably don't want to: The system will last longer if you don't let it cook quite so much. In PCs, the cooler, the better!

The only way to really *know* what's going on is to visit your chip, motherboard, or PC vendor's site and look up what the design temperatures are for your particular CPU and system. (Examples: Intel: http://langa.com/u/8t.htm   AMD: http://langa.com/u/8u.htm ). Once you know what the temps should be, you then use a monitoring tool to see what temps your system actually is generating under normal and maximum loads.

As long as your system stays below the maximum design temperature, you're not in immediate trouble. But if you want to get the longest possible life and stability from your system, you'll want to keep the temps as far below the max as possible. My PC (3.2GHz P4) has a max design temp of 158F/70C ; right now, as I write this, with email, two instances of FrontPage, and a bunch of other tasks bubbling along, my CPU is at 95F/35C . When I max things out (100% CPU use) for an extended period, the temps stabilize at 128F/53C --- way below the allowable max. It's a cool-running PC; heat simply isn't a problem.

It's not hard to set things up so that your PC runs cool no matter what task you throw at it. Check out the info in these articles:
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=17701645
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=18201756
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=18400732
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=21401323

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4) Amazing Tech Demo, Free!

Hi Fred: I recently came across a very impressive technological advance and tool, which can bring panoramic photography within reach of anyone with a digital camera.

The tool is called AutoStitch and can be found at  http://www.cs.ubc.ca/~mbrown/autostitch/autostitch.html

Actually, the download is a development prototype demo, not a finished product by any means, but to the extent that I've used it, it works as described on the website.  The program automatically discovers and 'stitches' together overlapping photos from a group of photos, and creates a panoramic output file.  It can combine photos horizontally and vertically. 
It requires no installation, and the single executable is quite small (~700kb), considering what it does.

The demo has a very simple user interface (except for the options, which can be ignored).  It has three basic steps, select the input file group, display the options from the initial calculations, and calculate and produce the output image (pano.jpg in the same directory as the input).  It takes only a few minutes to execute on a 300MHz CPU.  The options screen is mainly for development, but one option which might be useful controls the output file size.

As a test, I stood against one wall of a room and photographed the other three walls in a group of eight photos, four including part of the ceiling and four including part of the floor.  The program stitched these photos together seamlessly, and the result had surprisingly little barrel distortion.

Check out the web site, but those with a dial-up connection should be prepared to spend a lot of time there - it's mostly all graphics.  The Research page provides more technical details, and points to two documentation downloads - a slide presentation and a technical paper, both of which require a degree in advanced mathematics to understand.

There seems to be only two major requirements in taking the photos - they must overlap and they must be taken from a single point of view.  The process will even work if some of the photos were taken with slightly different zoom settings!

I find it all rather amazing, and  I'd like to see this functionality included in every digital photo workbench out there.

Looking forward to the next issue.--Tom Mighill

Wow--- you're right, Tom, this is impressive. This tool lets your PC do what used to take a supercomputer and a roomful of highly-skilled technicians. Amazing!

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5) Free "WhoLockMe" Tool

Hi Fred -- re "WormForts Lockup?" ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2005/2005-04-07.htm#1 ) a utility that I found might be of help.  The utility is called WhoLockMe, a shell extension.  Right click the problem file, choose WhoLockMe and it will give you info about the file and what might be "locking it".  Once you determine the process, you can end the process via Task Manager and then try to delete it.
http://www.dr-hoiby.com/WhoLockMe/index.php
---Mark Rapp

Excellent, Mark. That could come in handy for solving a whole raft of locked-file problems. Thanks!

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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!

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7) Recovery Console Mismatch

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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

Happiness Gym
http://www.freewebs.com/scienceofhappiness/

Market Plan
http://www.marketplan.net/index.html

website van degunne
http://www.degunne.be/

Joe Frontiero's Web Page
http://community.adlandpro.com/go/MrPalm3c/myWebPage.aspx

Proofreading Services
http://sheknitz.tripod.com/

A Nigerian Family on the Web
http://oloruntobafamily.net/

henry's media
http://www.urdomain.us/scuffling.htm

Luchon Family Farms
http://www.luchonfarms.com/index.htm

The Saltspring Lavender Company
http://www.saltspringlavender.com

SuperComputer Tech
http://www.supercomputertech.com/

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9) Update Runs Same Patch Every Time

Hi Fred, My problem is with a Windows 98 laptop I recently acquired when my office was consolidating and getting rid of old equipment.  One of the first things I did with it was run Windows Update and install all critical updates.  Now every time I boot the laptop I get a message saying that setup is completing an installation before while Windows loads (between the DOS stuff and the Windows UI).  When I run Windows Update again it says I need to install update number 823559.  No matter how many times I try to install this update the problem persists.  Any ideas what's going on here? Thanks, Dave G

The huge page at http://members.bellatlantic.net/~mrscary/winupfaq.htm has an enormous number of tips relating to Update problems; the specific info is at the top of the page, but the more general info, which I find more useful, is way down at the bottom (scroll!). Try the steps listed as Roman Numerals I-V; I'll bet that will fix what's blocking your update.

If not, try cleaning out any reference to the failed install in the C:\WUtemp folder, and then manually download and install the troublesome file from the Update "Catalog:" http://support.microsoft.com/?­kbid=323166

You can also try the "Windows Update Troubleshooter" at 
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/troubleshoot/ ; especially if you have a specific error message to look up.

Finally, if you're using AOL, see this:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;8112­69 ; there's a known issue with some AOL software and browsers that gets in the way of Updates.

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10) Just For Grins

Just in case you missed this year's April Fool's spoof at Google:

Fred - Google is at it again!
http://www.google.com/googlegulp/index.html
Enjoy! --- Keith Nelson -Plus Subscriber

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11) Plus! Edition Highlights:

• Easily Control "Data Execution Prevention"
    (little-known software switch is the key)
• Software Fix For DVD Errors
    (free diagnostic tool, free drivers...)
• "Delayed Write" Failures
    (what they are, plus causes and cures)

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

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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, 2005-04-18!

Best,

Fred
( Editor@Langa.Com )

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

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