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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2006-10-23

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) Waaaaay Too Much Background Activity

Fred: You recently listed the new I tunes 7 as a resource hog.  I don't have much of a problem with that as I do with the new version 2007 of trend micro internet security.  as I write this e mail, I am getting a lag of several second between typing and display, the program is taking as much as 50% of my cpu & 85,000k of memory just to run in the background. I have contacted them, I have received no response other than their canned text. It is also causing my hard drive to spin up steadily for 10 minutes after the computer boots.  I have a p-4 HT 2.6 with 512 megs of ram, not a screaming powerhouse by today's standards but it should be able to run a anti virus program and e mail at the same time. ---Bob & Paul Hadley

Wow! Heavy background activity--- especially of unknown cause--- is annoying, but "a lag of several second between typing and display" would drive me up the wall. Intolerable!

It may indeed be a problem with Trend Micro's AV. Some security tools--- especially suites that have several tools on guard and running in the background all the time--- can be real oinkers. But a lot has to do with what else is on your system, because the interactions between and among software can be complex and hard to predict.

To troubleshoot this, try removing or disabling any/all other security tools you have active. Antivirus tools, in particular, can and often do fight with each other if more than one is installed and active on a PC because they can compete for control of the files that are being scanned for malware.

Running more than one firewall can also cause problems; each one wants to "own" the internet connection, with poor results.

And anytime you have two or more tools simultaneously running whole-disk scans, system performance will usually tank.

So: Simplify your setup so that only the Trend Micro security package is running, and see if that helps. If not, then your system just isn't going to do well with Trend Micro's package; and your only real choice is to try another security suite.

But if performance is OK when Trend Micro's suite is the only security tool running, then you'll have to weigh the tradeoff between performance and security to come up with an acceptable mix of tools that not only protects your PC, but that also doesn't drag performance down to intolerable levels.

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2) Bring Order To Start Menu Mayhem

Dear Fred, Thanks for a great newsletter. I wonder if you can suggest an answer to this problem which I think many people must have. When I go to Start-Programs (I am running XP SP2) the programs are displayed but as I have quite a lot of programs many of them are out of sight to the right of the screen. I'm sure there must be a way to overcome this but I have been unable to find it. There does not seem to be a way to scroll through the programs to see the ones out of sight. I have searched the Help and looked on the Internet and on the Microsoft site but no success. Can you please tell us how to overcome this problem which I think must affect many people? Thanks and kind regards, ---Mark Digby

We've covered this before, but it comes up often enough in reader mail that it bears a fresh take. Let's start by referring you to two of the most recent LangaList items that directly address what you're trying to do:
http://langa.com/newsletters/2006/2006-06-22.htm#7
http://langa.com/newsletters/2006/2006-03-30.htm#5

The root cause of this problem is the inconsistent way Microsoft and other companies design software install programs, and the near-universal result is that we all end up with Start menus that are disorganized and bloated. Rather than--- or in addition to--- configuring the menu to scroll through all this stuff, why not clean house?

A typical Start menu is a nightmare of inconsistent categorization and needless bloat. Looking at just the Start/Programs menu, some items are organized by software type--- "Accessories," "Administrative Tools," "Games," etc. Most are listed by software company name, often with submenus organized around specific products. Some installation programs place the executable right there on the Programs menu.

Installation programs are also inconsistent about what kinds of files they place on the Start menu. Some add only, say, the main program executable, while others include uninstall programs, read-me files, Help files or others.

Some installation routines place items on the Start menu of the user account active during installation, while others place them on the Start menu for all users.

Rather than accepting the disorganized mess that Windows and third-party software has created on your Start menu, it makes sense to choose an organizational schema meaningful to you, and impose order on your Start menu. For example, you could organize according to application type. You might simply place links to all the executables you use right there on the Programs menu. The important thing is to customize and streamline the Start menu for maximum speed and ease of use.

Each Start/Programs menu is nothing more than a collection of shortcuts. You can access these shortcuts through the Windows Explorer.

To get started, find your Documents and Settings folder. Inside, you'll likely find a folder for each user, plus an "All Users" folder and an "admin" folder. Each of these has a Start Menu folder inside and each of those has a Programs folder. By changing the nested folders and shortcuts in the Programs folders, you'll change the Start/Programs menu.

Note that the Start/Programs menu you see is probably a combination of the Start menus in the "All Users" folder and the specific user you're currently logged in as. If you're the only user of a specific PC, you might choose to centralize Start menu items in the "All Users" Start menu to keep future Start menu maintenance simpler.

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3) Links That Launch Both Site *And* Browser

On my desktop I have several short cuts to web sites - who doesn't? But they all go via the default web browser--- and sometimes I would prefer to go via a different browser. How might I force such a shortcut to go through the browser of my choice? Hope you can help, ---Vaughan Mitchell

Simply create a link to the browser executable of your choice (for example, to firefox.exe or iexplore.exe) by dragging and dropping with the right mouse button and choosing "Create Shortcuts Here" from the context menu. Then right-click on the shortcut and choose Properties. In the Target box, you'll see the path and executable filename for the browser in quotation marks. Simply type the full URL of the site you'd like to open after the path. It should look something like this:

"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" http://langa.com

Click OK. The shortcut will now work, but you'll probably want to change the name of the shortcut, and possibly the icon as well.

Note that in the new Internet Explorer 7 (which shipped October 18), associating a single Web site like this overrides any multiple Start pages you may have set up.

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"Dear Fred, Recently when I subscribed to your "Plus" edition I explained to you that I was subscribing not because I felt I needed the "Plus" edition but just to show my appreciation for the Standard edition which I have been receiving for years. Boy was I wrong! I had no idea as to how much I was missing and I have to believe that there are many other subscribers of the Standard edition that would feel the same. If you have the space perhaps you would like to post my comments so that subscribers of the Standard edition will give serious thought to subscribing to the Plus edition. Sincerely, Dave Harris "

Thanks, Dave!

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.

And it's only around $1 a month!

http://langa.com/plus.htm

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4) Great Backup Scheme, With One Catch

A concern I have with Spafford's backup scheme (#14 in http://langalist.com/plus/newsletters/2006/2006-10-09plus.asp ): The connectors. The ThumbDrive connector may break, in which case it's probably a goner. Don't recall where I saw the advice, but I use a short USB extension cable for my Corsair Flash Voyager 2GB. That spares the USB connector on the Flash media from RSI (of a sort ;)

As to the docking bays, some locales are very environmentally (such as dust or high humidity) challenging for connectors. For that, a cleaner/(electrical) lubricant may help. Stabilant-22 was recommended long ago by Jerry Pournelle in Byte magazine. As cheap as those docking bays are, it would be a very good idea to have a spare on hand, in unopened packaging. Connectors can get bent, or broken. At only $8, I doubt those Docking bays have a strong enough alignment mechanism to avert damage... --Scott Maley, Ret. aerospace engineer

Thanks, Scott! And BTW, that place where you saw the advice on USB connectors was right here! <g> See "USB Connector Gremlins" here: http://langa.com/newsletters/2005/2005-12-19.htm#5 .

It's always a good idea to be prepared for the worst!

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5) How To Get Langa Blog Via E-Mail

Hi, Mr. Langa: I am a plus subscriber but need ask about your blog: I picked up valuable tip from your blog about likely Microsoft promotion probably starting for Oct. 26 purchase of any vista-capable computer. Based on this I deferred purchase until that time. Your tip will save me some money--- always welcome. Other than going to your site daily or whatever, is there some way to subscribe to the blog for email delivery? Thank you. ---Oers kelemen

The answer is yes! A smattering of free, Web-based services will send any RSS feed to you via e-mail. You provide only the URL for the RSS feed of your choice and your e-mail address. Once you provide that information, they'll send you a confirmation e-mail requesting that you click on a link. After that, you'll get updates as soon as new items are posted.

There are several such services available. Here are three of the better known offerings:

R|Mail
http://www.r-mail.org/

RSSFWD
http://rssfwd.com

Feedblitz
https://www.feedblitz.com

In the case of the Langa Blog, please use the following RSS feed URL:
http://langa.com/blog/rss.xml

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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) Another Great Fax Alternative

You certainly have the best newsletter in this field. Keep up the good work! Re the issue of receiving and (especially!) sending Faxes via a broadband Internet connection ("Just the Fax, Ma'am" http://langa.com/newsletters/2006/2006-10-16.htm#5 ): I've been using Net2Phone's CommCenter (and its predecessors) for several years now. This utility appears to the OS as just another printer; "printing" a document to this "printer" results in the document being Faxed to a specified recipient. The software is free; the usage is not, but it is quite reasonable, and I have been very satisfied with this utility. Tony Chariott ought to try it, too. With many thanks for all the useful stuff! ---Arye.

Thanks for the recommendation, Arye. There's a whole new world of broadband-Internet fax options out there. For most users, they need only select the one that best matches their needs and pocketbooks. Increasingly, actual fax machines are obsolete for many small companies.

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8) Still Another Code-Load Success

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

Fred - I just wanted to thank you for putting my site ( http://www.amazingmultimedia.net ) in They Loaded the Code. More than 7,000 new visitors came through the door in a 3 day period. For small, boutique operations like ours, this is godsend to introduce ourselves to the world at large. We spent a lot of time on the site, putting in audio restoration information that we hope is helpful to people who want to do it themselves. There's a great feeling to look at the logs and see how many stuck around to read over the material we prepared. As a long-time Plus subscriber and fan of your work, our deepest appreciation for sharing your readers with those of us that Load the Code! Aloha from Hawaii, Courtney Harrington

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 readersites--- 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

Dave's Computer Tips
http://www.davescomputertips.com/

Mike Gericke's Blog
http://mikeygottawa.spaces.live.com/blog/

Singapore Tutor
http://www.artc.netfirms.com/

169th Wardogs (gaming)
http://www.freewebs.com/bun169th/

Photo Panorama Service
http://www.lamardavis.com/

Pets Lost and Found (UK)
http://www.geocities.com/pet-search/index.html

Personal Computer Security
http://www.personal-computer-security.com/

WOFTBO Data Recovery
http://www.woftbo.com/

Brake Cylinder Sleeving
http://www.brakecylinder.com/

Earthquake Engineering
http://geocities.com/gsti90/Earthquake_Engineering.html

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9) Software Reads EULAs (So You Don't Have To)

Hello again, Fred! A recent article entitled "X1 Search Utility Phones Home" from the 2006-10-16 edition prompted me to write in about "EULAlyzer". I searched back-issues and couldn't find a reference to the program although I was sure that you did cover it a few months back.

For those of your readers who aren't familiar with EULAlyzer, it is a nifty little program (both free and Pro) that can analyze the EULA (End User License Agreement) that most of us tend to skip reading when installing software, specifically adware and spyware masquerading as freeware.

In the words of the EULAlyzer author, "it can be dangerous not to read license agreements" and goes on to say that:

"License agreements can provide information about the intentions of software, and other bundled components. Have you ever installed a program, only to have your desktop taken over by advertising? It may have been noted in the license agreement that you simply clicked past. If you aren't reading the license agreements, you have no idea what you could be agreeing to."

Now, EULAlyzer is not as popular as its better-known older sibling "SpywareBlaster", but EULAlyzer is coming on its first anniversary and deserves a worthy mention in your column! Anyone interested in EULAlyzer can download it at: http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/eulalyzer.html

On a separate note, Fred, I think your decision to include extra content over the last few editions to make up for your unforeseen *extended* absence over the summer was a very professional one. Also, the addition of Mike Elgan as a contributor to the newsletter was certainly "icing on the cake" (welcome, Mike!). In my opinion, it is actions like these that continue to make the LangaList the premier IT newsletter on the Internet. Thank-you for such a wonderful resource! Sincerely, ---Greg Rajewski

Thanks, Greg. EULAlyzer is a better alternative to simply ignoring EULAs, as many users do. It's not perfect. Like a grammar checker, it can "read" but can't "understand" English (or what passes for English in a typical software EULA). Instead, EULAlyzer looks for words and phrases that its creators know to be associated with less-than-user-friendly terms and conditions, then flags them for your review.

EULAlyzer is free. The upgrade, EULAlyzer Pro, costs $19.95 for a one-year license, and adds a feature called "EULA-Watch," which automatically pops up an analysis of EULAs whenever you install software.

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10) Plus! Edition Highlights:

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

• Google's Free Office Apps
     (need a basic word processor or spreadsheet in a hurry?)
• Problems Averted With Partitioning
     (reader's informative experience)
• The "Poor Man's Spectrum Analyzer"
     (solve your Wi-Fi troubles)
• Media Player Feature Not Too Bright
     (video settings info)
• Optional Links
     (just for Plus! subscribers)

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

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"Thanks for the running the ad for Mr InkMan.Net. I bought 3 cartridges
for a very reasonable price compared to OEM or local merchant's generic.
Arrived in just a few days with no hassle via USPS and work fine.--- Carl"

Quality Ink, Cheap!

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15) Just For Grins

Google, the world's most popular Internet search engine, is famously minimalist, functional and professional. A new search engine, called Ms. Dewey ( http://www.msdewey.com/ ), is the opposite of Google: It's minimally functional and unprofessional. The main search page is dominated by "Ms. Dewey," a lifelike avatar that makes comments and jokes about your searches. She drinks booze, shoots rubber bands at you and generally entertains you while you're searching.

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(Give a gift subscription to the LangaList Plus edition!
Click <a href= " http://langa.com/plus_gift.htm ">here</a>)

Most months, the LangaList is is published about 6 times. See you next issue, 2006-10-30!

Best,

Fred & Mike
( 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 © 2006 Fred Langa / Langa Consulting LLC. All worldwide rights reserved. LangaList: ISSN 1533-1156

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