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LangaList 2006-06-15 Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free! --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- Speed up your Computer, Free
Performance Scan! http://www.pcpitstop.com/tinylink.asp?id=211487 --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 1) As Win98 (Finally) Fades Into The Sunset...
Microsoft has actually been quite gentle with Win98 users; extending the scheduled end-of-support date for that OS numerous times. But the safe thing to do is to assume that this time they really mean it. <g> If that's the case, no new patches or updates will be available; and Microsoft will most likely turn off access to WindowsUpdate for Win98 machines. They've already done that with the early versions of XP--- you have to be running a ServicePack version of XP to use the Update site now. If you want to continue running Win98, the safest thing is to download all the Win98 patches and updates now (I'll tell you how in a moment) and save them on your hard drive or burn them to a CD. Later, if or when you need the patches, you'd use the locally-saved versions of the update files, rather than going to WindowsUpdate. To download all Win98 updates (or, for that matter, updates for any MS operating system): Go here: http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/catalog Click the "Find updates for Microsoft Windows operating systems" link. Scroll down to "Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition." Click the "Search" button. Click "Critical Updates and Service Packs" (there are 77 as I write this, and that may be the final count). Scroll through the listbox of Critical Updates and click the "Add" button for each one. When all critical updates have been added, go back to the search-result list at the top of the page and repeat the same process for all the updates in the other categories, one by one: Additional Windows Downloads When you're done, you'll have a pile of software in your "download basket." Click "Go to Download Basket" (the green arrow) and let the data flow: The download tool will create a "WU" folder ("Windows Updates") in whatever location you designate, and populate subfolders within WU with locally-runnable copies of the Update files you selected. If any files fail to download on the first try, they'll remain in your "Download basket" so you can retry. Don't close your browser though; the download basket goes away when you do, and you'd have to start over. If the above doesn't work for you, try the official instructions from Microsoft: "How to download updates and drivers from the Windows Update Catalog," http://support.microsoft.com/kb/323166 In any case, I think all Win98 users should be prepared to go it alone by the end of June. Don't count on Microsoft continuing to make patches and updates available; grab 'em for yourself, now, and then you'll be sure to have what you need. And when your Win98 is fully patched and up to date: Use a disk-imaging tool to preserve that perfect setup, and burn the image to CD. In the future, if you need to reinstall Win98, you'd simply restore the image, and be back to perfection in one step. (P.S. and BTW: The total download size for all major Win98 patch and update files (not counting multi-language features) is a tad over 300MB. That's larger than the original Win98 operating system itself! <g>) Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) --- --------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 2) Free Windows Vista Beta Now AvailableAs one OS fades away (see #1, above) another emerges: Reader Gene Lynch was first to send in email about the new Vista beta available for public download. (Thanks, Gene, and everyone else who wrote in!) It's a *huge* ISO download--- 3.5GB--- so you need a *lot* of temporary disk space, and a DVD burner to burn the ISO files to. If you prefer, you can pay $10 shipping and handling and Microsoft will send you a DVD instead. (In the past this kind of offer has been open only to US residents, or to US/Canada residents. Similar restrictions may be in effect here.) What you get is Beta 2, a late beta, The software's not finished yet, but it's getting close, and the broad beta 2 test will help Microsoft uncover the many real-world glitches that no doubt still remain. Usually, by the time software reaches late beta, few major changes are anticipated; usually, only "show stoppers"--- major flaws that might affect large numbers of users--- get fixed from here on out. Other, lesser flaws are usually noted for a fix in a later service pack. On the other hand, it *is* a beta, and Microsoft can make whatever changes it wants, large or small. If you have a pressing need to prepare yourself for Vista, or if you're very curious about it, it might be worthwhile playing with the beta. But you absolutely, positively must not trust the beta for serious, for-real work. It's for test-driving; that's all. The safest way to test it is on a separate machine that contains no sensitive files; or perhaps in a safely-walled-off virtual PC. Don't just install it on your main PC; not even as a dual boot. Beta operating systems should not and cannot be trusted. OS betas are usually time-limited, and will expire after a set timeframe, after which the for-real, finished software should be available. You usually can't grab a beta and use it forever. And to tell the truth, you probably wouldn't want to: It's beta for a reason! All the gory details are here: The servers have been very slow; and you may get all the way through the sign in process only to find you get bumped out due to high demand. Then, you have to start over; but you're only given two shots at completing the download before your email address is locked out. This is to prevent people from hogging too many downloads for themselves; but has the nasty side effect of locking out valid users who get bumped off the queue due to server overload. Please also note that the beta OS comes with no tech support, and no recourse if it rears up and devours your hard drive. You're on your own. Now go ahead and download it--- I know you want to! <g> Click to email this item to a
friend 3) OS Plays Hide-And-Seek
Sometimes, especially as a system ages, the hard drive may not spin up fast enough, and the BIOS ends up looking for the operating system before the drive is ready to deliver it. Once the drive is up to speed, everything works normally. This sounds like what your friend is experiencing. Some BIOSes let you insert a delay into the startup sequence specifically to overcome this kind of problem, but it's really a band-aid fix. If a drive is no longer able to spin up in time to avoid a boot delay, it's a pretty clear sign that the drive is wearing out: the bearings may be going, the lubrication may have thickened, or whatnot. Usually, when a drive starts behaving this way, it's a clear signal that it's time for a new drive. Once a drive has trouble starting, it's only a matter of time before it may not spin up at all. Alas, this may already have happened to your friend--- the drive may not be able to start; or may be unable to reach operating speed; or may have some other major problem. You can check in the BIOS to see if the PC "sees" the drive and knows it's there; but to me, the symptoms sound like a dead or dying drive, not a BIOS problem. Fortunately, drives are amazingly inexpensive these days, so it's not the pain-in-the-wallet it once was. <g> Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( 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. --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 4) Networking XP With Older Windows
Let's start with the general question first: What many of us did back then was to set up two separate networking protocols: TCP/IP for internet access, and "NetBEUI," the NetBIOS Extended User Interface, for LAN access. NetBEUI is a non-routable protocol--- its packets can't move over the internet--- so confining local network communications to NetBEUI helped keep things secure back in the early days when security tools were less sophisticated and less readily available. Windows XP doesn't speak NetBEUI by default, but you can optionally add it--- Microsoft does supply an official NetBEUI protocol for XP. Then, with your Windows PCs using NetBEUI for local communications, and TCP/IP for internet communications, both older and newer PCs can be made to easily talk with each other *and* to the outside world. OTOH, you can set things up just with TCP/IP, but you'll have to place a lot more faith in your firewalls and other security tools; you'll be pairing new tech with old tech, and that sometimes yields uncertain results. On the other hand, simply adding NetBEUI to XP pretty much solves the problem, with no loss of security for the XP box. NetBEUI is an old technology... but it works. Now, it's possible you already did some of the above, and that brings us back to the specifics of your case: If all the software stuff is OK, then it's hardware. I'd suggest looking at the crossover cable. Better still, buy a simple networking hub. (They only cost $10 or so.) The hub lets you use normal cables, and simplify setup because the indicator lights show you when there's a connection, and when there's activity. Anyway, you have lots of choices, and lots of help available: XP-ME Networking: Cables and Hubs: Click to email this item to a
friend 5) Divide And Conquer
The trick is to partition your drive and segregate files according to backup priority. Example: Put your OS and all your most-important, hard-to-replace files on a modestly-sized C: partition. Back that up every day; or at least frequently. Put somewhat-important files, and files that can be replaced (albeit with a hassle), on D:. Back that up once, and then don't back it up again until the D: drive has changed significantly. Put the junk/toy/garbage and easily-replaced files on E:. Don't worry about them, because they have intrinsically low value. And so on; the basic concept is "divide and conquer." Even on a 1TB system (1,000 GB), the OS and most important, must-save files aren't likely to be more than 8-10GB or so. In fact, my C: drive is currently using only 7.5GB--- that's my OS and most-essential, must-have files. With the data compression used by a good imaging utility, I can squeeze that onto a single DVD. If your C: drive is still too much to back up every day, at least back up the "My Documents" folder tree every day, and back up the rest of C: only when you've added software or made other significant changes to the setup. In short, I agree with you completely: Backing up a giant drive can seem daunting. But not all files have equal value or importance: Chop your giant drive into smaller subsections and sort your files by backup priority. This lets you focus your efforts only where they're really needed, and thus the task becomes much more manageable! Click to email this item to a
friend 6) Is This Newsletter Interesting? Useful?If you think the LangaList is a worthwhile read, maybe a friend would find it
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friend 7) Google Earth, Without the Huge Download
Thanks, Fran. Looks like they got permission; the disclaimer has changed, and there seems to be no legal problem clouding its future. It's not as flexible as Google Earth--- no tilt and pan, for example; no route-plotting; etc. But those things may be in the works. And in any case, the zoom images are way cool. <g> (BTW, Cambridge, Massachusetts--just northwest of central Boston, on the other side of the Charles River--- has some of the highest-resolution public imagery available anywhere. Check out some of the sidewalk scenes there, such as around Harvard and MIT.) Click to email this item to a
friend 8) Still *Another* Code Load Success StoryAfter his site was listed in the last "Load The Code" section, this reader
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 ) Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At SecurityCadets Beer Can Collecting Self-Catering In Capetown Microfiber Cleaning Kuzmeskus Computer Consulting Squabbies Parts Chris Recommends Puerto Vallarta Mexico Condo Rental Computer Repair (AU) Imaginary Subway Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) --- --------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 9) 8-bit Colors In A 32-Bit World
Hmmm. XP's Compatibility Mode explicitly allows for 256 color limitations. Let's do a quick review: Right click on the program you want to run in compatibility mode, select Properties, then Compatibility. Select the OS that the software was designed for--- say, Win95--- then select the display settings. For software with severe graphics limitations, check all three "display settings" options. If that doesn't work, try turning off "advanced text services" too. Run that way, the program will think it's on, say, a Win95 machine with a 256-color display. XP will handle the translation from 256 colors up to whatever your system setting now is, and feed that to the monitors. The graphics card and monitors never "see" the original 256-color signal, and so can't be affected by it. What the above does, in effect, is create a walled-off area in which the old software can run; a sort of lightweight virtual PC. If the software still won't work, then a full-blown virtual PC may be the answer; one in which you can install whatever the native OS for your software was. By configuring the virtual PC to reproduce the limitations of the day when the software was new, things should work. More: Compatibility Mode: Virtual PCs: Color Depth On PCs: Click to email this item to a
friend 10, 11, 12 , 13, 14) Plus! Edition Only:Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains about 40% more content including:
Plus! Edition info: http://langa.com/plus.htm Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) --- --------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 15) Just For Grins
I love it! I keep picturing a bunch of programmers sitting in office cubicles, all wearing Viking hats.... Click to email this item to a
friend (Give a gift subscription to
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