Micro2000 Tech Tips - Some Useful Tips!:
Some Useful Tips!
Compact Your Outlook Data Files
Even after deleting old and unnecessary e-mail from the Delete Items folder, the file size may still stay the same. This means that you need to manually compact the file. Because of the many different versions of Outlook, these instructions may vary, but this will work for the latest versions.
1. Make sure the Folder List showing. If it's not, from the View menu, click Folder List
2. From the Folders list in the left pane, right-click on Personal Folders toward the top
3. Select Properties For Personal Folders
4. Click the Advanced button
5. Then click Compact Now
Doing this helps eliminate deleted item space and recover space on your hard drive.
Reducing Viruses in E-Mail
Did you know that you can greatly reduce the amount of viruses you might get through e-mail attachments by simply installing the free Outlook Email Attachment Security Update from Microsoft? Since most viruses come through email, doing this will just about eliminate them. Of course, this should not take the place of having a good anti-virus program installed on your system.
This update strips out any attachments that automatically run on their own when you click on them.
Examples of restricted extensions are: .exe, .com, .bat, .vbs, .scr
This works for Outlook 98 and 2000. Outlook XP and 2003 already has this feature built in as part of the product.
Before you download the update, get more info.
Download from Microsoft
Before you do this, think about the types of attachments you receive that are legitimate. If you actually want to receive files with the restricted extensions, keep in mind that this tool will block those items as well.
Quick Favourites
I do a lot of research on the Internet and save quite a fe"
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Sep 24, 2005
Micro2000 Tech Tips - Windows Media Center
Micro2000 Tech Tips - Windows Media Center: "What�s All The Hubbub?
The Hubbub
By now, most all of us are familiar with, or have at least heard of, Microsoft�s Windows XP operating system, right? But did you know about XP MCE 2005 - their Media Center Edition? If you�ve been thinking about getting a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) or TiVo, you may want to check this out.
Media Center Edition, or MCE as we'll call it, is still your basic Windows XP Professional version, but with a few really cool bells and whistles like Multi-tuner support, built-in DVD and CD burning, support for digital and high definition television programming, and personal video recording.
Aesthetically Speaking...
The main Media Center menu, or start page, is logically laid out with options for My Music, My Pictures, My Videos, Online Spotlight, Play DVD, and More Programs. You'll also find buttons for logging out, minimizing, restoring, and closing the Media Center application window.
The Requirements
The usual Multimedia PC will have the necessary TV tuner card(s) for interacting with your cable or satellite signal, DVI/S-Video/component out video card to plug into your TV, and an audio card (5.1; 6.1; or 7.1). To give your PC the capabilities of a complete multimedia entertainment system, it is recommended that you have two (2) TV tuner cards and an audio card with surround sound capabilities. Dual tuner cards will enable you to record one thing while watching something else.
And The Features?
MCE has a number of features you may find useful. Visit Microsoft's web site for a full list. Today, we will just focus on the DVR function.
In the My TV module, the Recorded TV section lets you manage your recorded television shows. Here, you can view programs already recorded, r"
The Hubbub
By now, most all of us are familiar with, or have at least heard of, Microsoft�s Windows XP operating system, right? But did you know about XP MCE 2005 - their Media Center Edition? If you�ve been thinking about getting a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) or TiVo, you may want to check this out.
Media Center Edition, or MCE as we'll call it, is still your basic Windows XP Professional version, but with a few really cool bells and whistles like Multi-tuner support, built-in DVD and CD burning, support for digital and high definition television programming, and personal video recording.
Aesthetically Speaking...
The main Media Center menu, or start page, is logically laid out with options for My Music, My Pictures, My Videos, Online Spotlight, Play DVD, and More Programs. You'll also find buttons for logging out, minimizing, restoring, and closing the Media Center application window.
The Requirements
The usual Multimedia PC will have the necessary TV tuner card(s) for interacting with your cable or satellite signal, DVI/S-Video/component out video card to plug into your TV, and an audio card (5.1; 6.1; or 7.1). To give your PC the capabilities of a complete multimedia entertainment system, it is recommended that you have two (2) TV tuner cards and an audio card with surround sound capabilities. Dual tuner cards will enable you to record one thing while watching something else.
And The Features?
MCE has a number of features you may find useful. Visit Microsoft's web site for a full list. Today, we will just focus on the DVR function.
In the My TV module, the Recorded TV section lets you manage your recorded television shows. Here, you can view programs already recorded, r"
Micro2000 Tech Tips - Internet Tricks
Micro2000 Tech Tips - Internet Tricks: "Internet Tricks
Do A Site Search
Not all web sites have their own search feature that allows you to search only that particular web site. So what do you do? Easy. Most search engines have a nifty little feature that allows you to do a search and restrict it to only one web site. Here's what you do:
Go to your favourite search engine.
Enter your search term, then enter site:www.sitename.com, where 'sitename' is the name of the web site you wish to search.
Example:
Let's say you wanted to refer back to a previous Tech Tip and find information about the Windows key. You remember getting that tip in your email, but when you go to www.micro2000.co.uk you can't find it or you have to search through each tip, one-by-one. An easier and faster way to find the information you're looking for is to open your favourite search engine. Then type in the following:
windows site:www.micro2000.co.uk
Using Google to restrict the search to www.micro2000.co.uk only, you find exactly what you're looking for.
So the next time you come across a site where the webmaster thought a search feature wasn't necessary or the one that's there doesn't work, you can use this trick to get around that little problem.
Change Your Default Web Browser
If you use Windows as your operating system, then you know that Internet Explorer comes integrated with the software. Fortunately, you're not stuck with it. You can download other browsers like Firefox, Opera, or even Netscape. Why would you want to change the default, you ask? Well, mostly because whenever you click a link within a program or in email, whatever default you have set up is the program that will open. Here's what you do:
Change to:
Netscape or Firefox - Go to Edit > Preferences. Then click "
Do A Site Search
Not all web sites have their own search feature that allows you to search only that particular web site. So what do you do? Easy. Most search engines have a nifty little feature that allows you to do a search and restrict it to only one web site. Here's what you do:
Go to your favourite search engine.
Enter your search term, then enter site:www.sitename.com, where 'sitename' is the name of the web site you wish to search.
Example:
Let's say you wanted to refer back to a previous Tech Tip and find information about the Windows key. You remember getting that tip in your email, but when you go to www.micro2000.co.uk you can't find it or you have to search through each tip, one-by-one. An easier and faster way to find the information you're looking for is to open your favourite search engine. Then type in the following:
windows site:www.micro2000.co.uk
Using Google to restrict the search to www.micro2000.co.uk only, you find exactly what you're looking for.
So the next time you come across a site where the webmaster thought a search feature wasn't necessary or the one that's there doesn't work, you can use this trick to get around that little problem.
Change Your Default Web Browser
If you use Windows as your operating system, then you know that Internet Explorer comes integrated with the software. Fortunately, you're not stuck with it. You can download other browsers like Firefox, Opera, or even Netscape. Why would you want to change the default, you ask? Well, mostly because whenever you click a link within a program or in email, whatever default you have set up is the program that will open. Here's what you do:
Change to:
Netscape or Firefox - Go to Edit > Preferences. Then click "
Micro 2000 Tech Tips - Building your image
Micro 2000 Tech Tips - Building your image: "Building Your Image
Today's tip comes to you courtesy of one of our readers, Mike. He wrote in asking us to talk about how to use Ghost Imaging with an external USB device. Thanks for the request and we hope this helps!
Why Create An Image?
An image is a compressed file that contains a complete copy of your hard drive including operating system, applications, and data files. These days, it�s become a necessity to religiously create a back-up of not only your data, but your entire hard drive as well. Why would you need to do this?
The answer is two fold. One, there will come a time when something goes wrong with your PC and you will need to restore your system back to a point where it was working properly. While your OS (Operating System) features different ways to restore your system �to the last known good point�, like a restore point built into XP, in many cases a simple restore is not enough. Two, you may need to upgrade to a bigger hard drive or replace a drive that's dying.
In either case, an image file comes in quite handy for restoring your system.
What To Use
One of the most common utility programs used to do this is Norton Ghost. Symantec's Norton Ghost is currently on version 9.0 (or 2003), upgraded from version 2002, and incorporates expanded capabilities for handling a number of scenarios. The program can send drive images across a network or copy images to an external drive using a parallel or USB cable. The latest version also allows you to burn images to CD-R or CD-RW discs.
The program also offers a wide range of compression and security settings, including an option that permits images to be cloned only to machines whose BIOS includes a specified text string, such as a product name.
Getting Started
To build an image using an extern"
Today's tip comes to you courtesy of one of our readers, Mike. He wrote in asking us to talk about how to use Ghost Imaging with an external USB device. Thanks for the request and we hope this helps!
Why Create An Image?
An image is a compressed file that contains a complete copy of your hard drive including operating system, applications, and data files. These days, it�s become a necessity to religiously create a back-up of not only your data, but your entire hard drive as well. Why would you need to do this?
The answer is two fold. One, there will come a time when something goes wrong with your PC and you will need to restore your system back to a point where it was working properly. While your OS (Operating System) features different ways to restore your system �to the last known good point�, like a restore point built into XP, in many cases a simple restore is not enough. Two, you may need to upgrade to a bigger hard drive or replace a drive that's dying.
In either case, an image file comes in quite handy for restoring your system.
What To Use
One of the most common utility programs used to do this is Norton Ghost. Symantec's Norton Ghost is currently on version 9.0 (or 2003), upgraded from version 2002, and incorporates expanded capabilities for handling a number of scenarios. The program can send drive images across a network or copy images to an external drive using a parallel or USB cable. The latest version also allows you to burn images to CD-R or CD-RW discs.
The program also offers a wide range of compression and security settings, including an option that permits images to be cloned only to machines whose BIOS includes a specified text string, such as a product name.
Getting Started
To build an image using an extern"
Tech TIPs from Micro 2000 - Building your image
Tech TIPs from Micro 2000 - Building your image: "Part II: Building Your Image
A Little Review
In our last tip, we discussed creating an image of your system (a complete copy of your hard drive including the OS and applications) using Norton Ghost and an external USB drive. Norton Ghost is the most widely used program for backing up your system and/or building a new one. In most cases, a secondary/external hard drive, CD-R, or DVD-R is used to store the image because of their convenience and affordability. Which one you choose will depend on the size of the image you are storing.
Last week you learned how to create a bootable floppy supporting different devices. This week we want to show you how to clone a drive or partition, not with the use of a bootable floppy, but by using the Windows wizard, which will walk you through the entire process.
Get To The Cloning
First, let's create the back-up.
Start Norton Ghost.
Go to Ghost Basic and click Backup. The Backup Wizard window will prompt you through the process.
Click Next to continue.
Select the source drive or partition you would like to back-up (like your hard drive, usually C:) from the Source box.
Select the media you wish to use (CD-R, DVD-R, external drive, etc) to save the image to in the Destination section, then click Next.
You have the option to put your own description in the Image description box, then click Next. There are Advance settings you can also configure, however using Norton Ghost�s default settings should work.
The wizard will continue explaining what to expect when your system reboots and also displays the configuration setting it will be using. Make sure you save and close any other programs that may be open.
At this point, you will be given the option to create a Disaster Recovery disk in the ca"
A Little Review
In our last tip, we discussed creating an image of your system (a complete copy of your hard drive including the OS and applications) using Norton Ghost and an external USB drive. Norton Ghost is the most widely used program for backing up your system and/or building a new one. In most cases, a secondary/external hard drive, CD-R, or DVD-R is used to store the image because of their convenience and affordability. Which one you choose will depend on the size of the image you are storing.
Last week you learned how to create a bootable floppy supporting different devices. This week we want to show you how to clone a drive or partition, not with the use of a bootable floppy, but by using the Windows wizard, which will walk you through the entire process.
Get To The Cloning
First, let's create the back-up.
Start Norton Ghost.
Go to Ghost Basic and click Backup. The Backup Wizard window will prompt you through the process.
Click Next to continue.
Select the source drive or partition you would like to back-up (like your hard drive, usually C:) from the Source box.
Select the media you wish to use (CD-R, DVD-R, external drive, etc) to save the image to in the Destination section, then click Next.
You have the option to put your own description in the Image description box, then click Next. There are Advance settings you can also configure, however using Norton Ghost�s default settings should work.
The wizard will continue explaining what to expect when your system reboots and also displays the configuration setting it will be using. Make sure you save and close any other programs that may be open.
At this point, you will be given the option to create a Disaster Recovery disk in the ca"
Tech Tips - Internet Voice Technology (VoIP)
Tech Tips - Internet Voice Technology (VoIP): "A Look at Internet Voice Technology (VoIP) for Residential
Looking Back
Remember back about 10 years ago when the Video Phone and Internet Phone were introduced to the commercial market? Perhaps you were one of those who tried it and found yourself disappointed. The audio seemed only to work well when set to simplex, which is like a 2-way radio where only one person can speak at a time, instead of full-duplex, which is more like a regular phone.
Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, was a little ahead of its time with limits to the capabilities. For instance, not only could you talk only to people who had the same software, but they also had to be logged in or connected to the internet in order to call them.
Today's Technology
Over the years, the technology has made remarkable progress. Telephony�s improved data compression rate, better sound quality, and the availability of residential broadband has given consumers more affordable solutions with even more features than you might have currently. Today, there are a number of available service providers with most offering the equipment for free along with pricing packages that can reduce your phone bills by up to 50% or more.
How It Works
Internet Voice, commonly known as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), uses your broadband Internet connection to make and receive phone calls instead of your regular phone line. It works by converting your phone calls to data packets and sends the information over your Internet connection, like email, and is received on the other end just like a regular phone call.
Source: Vonage.com
What's the advantage? Using your Internet connection instead of your phone line is less expensive. You can call anywhere, anytime for less and still get features like Call "
Looking Back
Remember back about 10 years ago when the Video Phone and Internet Phone were introduced to the commercial market? Perhaps you were one of those who tried it and found yourself disappointed. The audio seemed only to work well when set to simplex, which is like a 2-way radio where only one person can speak at a time, instead of full-duplex, which is more like a regular phone.
Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, was a little ahead of its time with limits to the capabilities. For instance, not only could you talk only to people who had the same software, but they also had to be logged in or connected to the internet in order to call them.
Today's Technology
Over the years, the technology has made remarkable progress. Telephony�s improved data compression rate, better sound quality, and the availability of residential broadband has given consumers more affordable solutions with even more features than you might have currently. Today, there are a number of available service providers with most offering the equipment for free along with pricing packages that can reduce your phone bills by up to 50% or more.
How It Works
Internet Voice, commonly known as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), uses your broadband Internet connection to make and receive phone calls instead of your regular phone line. It works by converting your phone calls to data packets and sends the information over your Internet connection, like email, and is received on the other end just like a regular phone call.
Source: Vonage.com
What's the advantage? Using your Internet connection instead of your phone line is less expensive. You can call anywhere, anytime for less and still get features like Call "
Technical Tips from Micro2000 - Google on the Go
Technical Tips from Micro2000 - Google on the Go: "Google On The Go
What is Google SMS? I'm glad you asked. Google SMS, or Short Message Service, enables anyone with a cell phone or mobile device to get answers to specialized queries like residential and business listings, dictionary definitions, product pricing and more. The best part is you don't need one of those swanky new phones with web access. All you need is a cell phone or mobile device with text messaging or SMS capabilities.
How It Works
Enter your query as a text message. Click here for sample queries.
Send your message to the US shortcode 46645 or GOOGL on most phones.
You'll then receive a text message (or messages) with your results.
You can query for phone book listings, the definitions of words, or get answers for mathematical equations. Google determines what information you are looking for based on your query, then sends you the top results. Now the difference with using Google SMS versus Google.com is when you search on Google.com your results generally include links to various websites. With Google SMS the results are text-only.
Putting It To Use
Looking for a place to eat while on the road?
Get business listings:
Just type in what you are looking for. You can search for either a specific business like Pizza Hut or for a general service like pizza.
Make sure to include both a city and state, or a zip code with your search terms.
To get local results, put a period between the business name and the location.
Examples:
pizza 91205 or pizza.91205 to ensure local results
pizza hut.glendale ca
Want to compare prices on that new laptop you're looking at while shopping at your local computer store?
Get prices:
Enter a product name. You can search for either a specific product like sony vaio notebo"
What is Google SMS? I'm glad you asked. Google SMS, or Short Message Service, enables anyone with a cell phone or mobile device to get answers to specialized queries like residential and business listings, dictionary definitions, product pricing and more. The best part is you don't need one of those swanky new phones with web access. All you need is a cell phone or mobile device with text messaging or SMS capabilities.
How It Works
Enter your query as a text message. Click here for sample queries.
Send your message to the US shortcode 46645 or GOOGL on most phones.
You'll then receive a text message (or messages) with your results.
You can query for phone book listings, the definitions of words, or get answers for mathematical equations. Google determines what information you are looking for based on your query, then sends you the top results. Now the difference with using Google SMS versus Google.com is when you search on Google.com your results generally include links to various websites. With Google SMS the results are text-only.
Putting It To Use
Looking for a place to eat while on the road?
Get business listings:
Just type in what you are looking for. You can search for either a specific business like Pizza Hut or for a general service like pizza.
Make sure to include both a city and state, or a zip code with your search terms.
To get local results, put a period between the business name and the location.
Examples:
pizza 91205 or pizza.91205 to ensure local results
pizza hut.glendale ca
Want to compare prices on that new laptop you're looking at while shopping at your local computer store?
Get prices:
Enter a product name. You can search for either a specific product like sony vaio notebo"
Technical Tips Trouble-shooting Hard Drive Problems
Technical Tips Trouble-shooting Hard Drive Problems: "Trouble-shooting Hard Drive Problems -
Part 1
The following article is the first in a series that helps solve many of the common boot problems with hard drives. The article explains how to verify the drive functionality, determine the correct setup for the drive, and repair problems with the Master Boot Sector once the drive is verified to be functional. This information will help solve some very common problems encountered in a computer service department. This article is designed to work with a system that has a single drive with one bootable partition using a FAT 16 structure (all DOS and older Windows systems), and no drive overlay.
It is extremely important not to make or write any changes to data on the hard drive without first verifying the hard drive configuration. Therefore, the first priority when unable to access information on a hard drive is to verify all of the configuration information dealing with the suspect hard drive.
Partition ParameterValue or Equation
Partition StatusBootable
Starting Head1
Starting Sector1
Starting Cylinder0
Partition TypeBigdos (drives greater than 30 MB), otherwise DOS 12
Ending HeadTotal Number of Heads -1
Ending SectorSectors per Track displayed in Volume Boot Sector
Ending CylinderNumber of Cylinders set in CMOS - 2
Total # of SectorsNumber of Sectors displayed in Volume Boot Sector
Start Absolute SectorNumber of Sectors per Track in Volume Boot Sector
Boot Signature55AA
Step One: Make sure that Micro-Scope detects the hard drive
In Micro-Scope, System Configuration, Compare Settings - check to make sure that there is not an asterisk beside the number of hard drives detected value. If there is an asterisk, either the CMOS is set incorrectly, or there is an ele"
Part 1
The following article is the first in a series that helps solve many of the common boot problems with hard drives. The article explains how to verify the drive functionality, determine the correct setup for the drive, and repair problems with the Master Boot Sector once the drive is verified to be functional. This information will help solve some very common problems encountered in a computer service department. This article is designed to work with a system that has a single drive with one bootable partition using a FAT 16 structure (all DOS and older Windows systems), and no drive overlay.
It is extremely important not to make or write any changes to data on the hard drive without first verifying the hard drive configuration. Therefore, the first priority when unable to access information on a hard drive is to verify all of the configuration information dealing with the suspect hard drive.
Partition ParameterValue or Equation
Partition StatusBootable
Starting Head1
Starting Sector1
Starting Cylinder0
Partition TypeBigdos (drives greater than 30 MB), otherwise DOS 12
Ending HeadTotal Number of Heads -1
Ending SectorSectors per Track displayed in Volume Boot Sector
Ending CylinderNumber of Cylinders set in CMOS - 2
Total # of SectorsNumber of Sectors displayed in Volume Boot Sector
Start Absolute SectorNumber of Sectors per Track in Volume Boot Sector
Boot Signature55AA
Step One: Make sure that Micro-Scope detects the hard drive
In Micro-Scope, System Configuration, Compare Settings - check to make sure that there is not an asterisk beside the number of hard drives detected value. If there is an asterisk, either the CMOS is set incorrectly, or there is an ele"
Micro 2000 Tech Tips - Trouble-shooting hard drive problems
Micro 2000 Tech Tips - Trouble-shooting hard drive problems: "Trouble-shooting Hard Drive Problems -
Part 2
The following article is the second in a series that helps solve many of the common boot problems with hard drives. (To read the first in article in the series click here).
The article explains how to reconstruct the Volume Boot Record and will touch briefly on multiple-partition drives. This information will help solve some very common problems encountered in a computer service department. This article is designed to work with a system that has a single drive using a FAT 16 structure (all DOS and older Windows systems, some Windows NT), and no drive overlay.
A common problem with hard drives is the error message 'MISSING OPERATING SYSTEM.'
Typically what this means is that critical data is missing or damaged in two possible locations. The first is the Master Boot Record (MBR). This data area contains error messages and pointer information that specifies the location of the second critical data area, the Volume Boot Record (VBR). The VBR contains the operating system specific data for the format of that particular partition on the drive. If either of these two critical data areas is damaged, by a virus, controller failure, etc., then the drive will not be accessible through the operating system.
The normal response to this error message is to boot to a floppy disk and to re-partition the drive (probably using FDISK) and thereby totally removing any possibility for recovery of the data on that drive, except by dedicated data recovery software or a data recovery facility. If applicable, the following technique will help save time, money, and frustration.
The first step to data recovery (covered in great detail in the first article of this series) is to verify the location of the existing par"
Part 2
The following article is the second in a series that helps solve many of the common boot problems with hard drives. (To read the first in article in the series click here).
The article explains how to reconstruct the Volume Boot Record and will touch briefly on multiple-partition drives. This information will help solve some very common problems encountered in a computer service department. This article is designed to work with a system that has a single drive using a FAT 16 structure (all DOS and older Windows systems, some Windows NT), and no drive overlay.
A common problem with hard drives is the error message 'MISSING OPERATING SYSTEM.'
Typically what this means is that critical data is missing or damaged in two possible locations. The first is the Master Boot Record (MBR). This data area contains error messages and pointer information that specifies the location of the second critical data area, the Volume Boot Record (VBR). The VBR contains the operating system specific data for the format of that particular partition on the drive. If either of these two critical data areas is damaged, by a virus, controller failure, etc., then the drive will not be accessible through the operating system.
The normal response to this error message is to boot to a floppy disk and to re-partition the drive (probably using FDISK) and thereby totally removing any possibility for recovery of the data on that drive, except by dedicated data recovery software or a data recovery facility. If applicable, the following technique will help save time, money, and frustration.
The first step to data recovery (covered in great detail in the first article of this series) is to verify the location of the existing par"
Technical Tips from Micro2000 - Backing up drivers
Technical Tips from Micro2000 - Backing up drivers:
Backing Up Drivers
Why Back up Device Drivers?
If you find yourself in the situation of having to reformat your drive and install a new operating system, you will find that some of your hardware devices won't work because the device drivers for those devices are no longer there.
Your only choice at that point is to reinstall the drivers from the CD or floppy that came with the device, or, if you don't have it or can't find it, go out on the web to find drivers. It's an extra and time-consuming step that, with a little preparation, can be completely avoided.
The preparation is simple: Before you reformat your drive, back up your device drivers so they can be restored after your new OS installation.
Backup and Restore of Drivers
There are two ways to do this:
1. Locate every single file associated with every single driver, and back it up manually. If you go to Device Manager (in Windows XP, located in the Control Panel under Administrative Tools and Computer Management), you can right-click on each hardware device, go to the �drivers� tab, and see all the files associated with that driver. The number of files average 2 to 8, depending on the driver. You then have to go to these files (you can't actually access them from Device Manager), and back each of them up. You have to make sure you get all of the files for each driver; otherwise the driver won't function when you restore it.
This is obviously a painstaking process, and subject to many errors. So many, in fact, that we can't recommend it as a solution.
As you might guess, there are far easier methods!
2. Use a software product designed to easily back up your drivers. There are a number of them out there, but one which we have found to be especia"
Backing Up Drivers
Why Back up Device Drivers?
If you find yourself in the situation of having to reformat your drive and install a new operating system, you will find that some of your hardware devices won't work because the device drivers for those devices are no longer there.
Your only choice at that point is to reinstall the drivers from the CD or floppy that came with the device, or, if you don't have it or can't find it, go out on the web to find drivers. It's an extra and time-consuming step that, with a little preparation, can be completely avoided.
The preparation is simple: Before you reformat your drive, back up your device drivers so they can be restored after your new OS installation.
Backup and Restore of Drivers
There are two ways to do this:
1. Locate every single file associated with every single driver, and back it up manually. If you go to Device Manager (in Windows XP, located in the Control Panel under Administrative Tools and Computer Management), you can right-click on each hardware device, go to the �drivers� tab, and see all the files associated with that driver. The number of files average 2 to 8, depending on the driver. You then have to go to these files (you can't actually access them from Device Manager), and back each of them up. You have to make sure you get all of the files for each driver; otherwise the driver won't function when you restore it.
This is obviously a painstaking process, and subject to many errors. So many, in fact, that we can't recommend it as a solution.
As you might guess, there are far easier methods!
2. Use a software product designed to easily back up your drivers. There are a number of them out there, but one which we have found to be especia"
Technical Tips from Micro2000 - File Fragmentation and Computer Performance
Technical Tips from Micro2000 - File Fragmentation and Computer Performance
File Fragmentation and Computer Performance
Depending on when you arrived on the computing scene, and also depending on your level of technical involvement in computing, you may or may not have heard of file fragmentation and its effect on computer performance.
For those that don’t know what it is, a quick primer: Over time, files saved on a hard drive become split into parts, or fragments. In later Windows operating systems, this can get fairly drastic – a single file can be split into hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of fragments. This condition can cause file access to slow dramatically, and of course overall performance will slow down accordingly.
If you go back fifteen years or so, file fragmentation was a serious problem for all computers, mainly due to the smaller sizes of hard drives and the fact of trying to store as much data on them as possible. They tended to fill up fast, and file fragmentation would slow them to a crawl. Hence, defragmenting became an importance for many of the top operating systems, including DOS and Windows.
When hard drives began to get gigantic, fragmentation became less of a problem on machines that weren’t constantly accessing their local drives. For example, a user in a corporate network environment who stored most of their working files on a server would not greatly benefit from defragmentation of their local hard drive. And many home users, when drive sizes regularly exceeded 1 gig, would see little to no benefit from it, either, unless they ran applications which created and/or deleted files quite a lot, or for some reason had overly-full hard drives.
For a home user, or for anyone who wishes to see if fragmentation is a problem on a single machine, it’s simple enough to find out: Run the defragmenter and see if there’s a performance difference. Since Windows 2000, Microsoft has included a disk defragmenter as part of the operating system, and it can be found in Windows XP by accessing Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools (for earlier Windows versions, such as 9x and NT, you have to obtain a third-party defragmenter. The same is true for Linux and Macintosh). It’s best to run the defragmenter when you’re not using the computer. Although you can use your computer while running the defragmenter, it does slow down performance considerably. Easier just to go do something else while it’s running.
In Windows XP, you can also schedule defragmentation to run when by adding it to Scheduled Tasks. You do this by going to Control Panel, then Scheduled Tasks, and using the wizard to schedule the task. When the wizard prompts you for the task to be scheduled, click “browse”, and go to WINDOWS/system32/defrag.exe. You can then set the defragmenter to run daily, weekly, monthly, when you log on, one time only, or when the computer starts up. If you wish a more precise schedule, you’ll need a third-party tool or script.
When you move into a corporate environment, fragmentation’s effects present more of a problem, especially on servers which are constantly accessed. File servers especially benefit from regular defragmentation, and it should be scheduled to run when users are not accessing the system. This is normally scheduled and done off-hours. Depending on your server operating system, the defrag utility included in Windows may not be able to be readily scheduled. You can script a schedule – you can do an online search, and many people have posted scripts to use to schedule defragmentation. You may also wish to purchase a third-party defragmenter for this purpose – there are several available which can be easily scheduled and run. Most of these defragmenters are also available in home versions.
NOTE: If you’re trying to improve the performance on a database server, you may find that defragmentation doesn’t cut it. This is because the operating system sees the database as one large file instead of many records included in the database. The condition of database record fragmentation is known as internal fragmentation, and some database vendors provide a defragmenter for this purpose. If you want to defragment your database server disk, make sure you try one of the free methods above, or a trial version of a defragmenter before you spend money and find out you get little to no performance gain.
And for Linux and Macintosh: You can search the internet and find free defragmenters for Linux. You can also search for Mac, but Mac defragmenters aren’t free, at least as I was able to find. As someone who has used a Mac in the past, I can say they definitely benefit from regular defragmentation.
Automating Scheduled Tasks
As mentioned above, there are a number of ways you can schedule defragmentation of remote machines on a network. Interestingly, automating such tasks is included as one of many remote desktop management features in RemoteScope, Micro2000’s powerful remote desktop management product.
In addition to saving time running around to defragment remote computers, it also saves having to travel to monitor users, install updates and patches or update or install new software. In addition, it keeps track of all your installed hardware and software and what you have installed on which machines.
There are numerous products on the market to assist you in performing these functions, but very few perform them all – simply, affordably, and from one location.
Find out how RemoteScope's simple, inexpensive remote desktop management can ease your remote management headaches: http://www.micro2000.co.uk/
Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.
File Fragmentation and Computer Performance
Depending on when you arrived on the computing scene, and also depending on your level of technical involvement in computing, you may or may not have heard of file fragmentation and its effect on computer performance.
For those that don’t know what it is, a quick primer: Over time, files saved on a hard drive become split into parts, or fragments. In later Windows operating systems, this can get fairly drastic – a single file can be split into hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of fragments. This condition can cause file access to slow dramatically, and of course overall performance will slow down accordingly.
If you go back fifteen years or so, file fragmentation was a serious problem for all computers, mainly due to the smaller sizes of hard drives and the fact of trying to store as much data on them as possible. They tended to fill up fast, and file fragmentation would slow them to a crawl. Hence, defragmenting became an importance for many of the top operating systems, including DOS and Windows.
When hard drives began to get gigantic, fragmentation became less of a problem on machines that weren’t constantly accessing their local drives. For example, a user in a corporate network environment who stored most of their working files on a server would not greatly benefit from defragmentation of their local hard drive. And many home users, when drive sizes regularly exceeded 1 gig, would see little to no benefit from it, either, unless they ran applications which created and/or deleted files quite a lot, or for some reason had overly-full hard drives.
For a home user, or for anyone who wishes to see if fragmentation is a problem on a single machine, it’s simple enough to find out: Run the defragmenter and see if there’s a performance difference. Since Windows 2000, Microsoft has included a disk defragmenter as part of the operating system, and it can be found in Windows XP by accessing Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools (for earlier Windows versions, such as 9x and NT, you have to obtain a third-party defragmenter. The same is true for Linux and Macintosh). It’s best to run the defragmenter when you’re not using the computer. Although you can use your computer while running the defragmenter, it does slow down performance considerably. Easier just to go do something else while it’s running.
In Windows XP, you can also schedule defragmentation to run when by adding it to Scheduled Tasks. You do this by going to Control Panel, then Scheduled Tasks, and using the wizard to schedule the task. When the wizard prompts you for the task to be scheduled, click “browse”, and go to WINDOWS/system32/defrag.exe. You can then set the defragmenter to run daily, weekly, monthly, when you log on, one time only, or when the computer starts up. If you wish a more precise schedule, you’ll need a third-party tool or script.
When you move into a corporate environment, fragmentation’s effects present more of a problem, especially on servers which are constantly accessed. File servers especially benefit from regular defragmentation, and it should be scheduled to run when users are not accessing the system. This is normally scheduled and done off-hours. Depending on your server operating system, the defrag utility included in Windows may not be able to be readily scheduled. You can script a schedule – you can do an online search, and many people have posted scripts to use to schedule defragmentation. You may also wish to purchase a third-party defragmenter for this purpose – there are several available which can be easily scheduled and run. Most of these defragmenters are also available in home versions.
NOTE: If you’re trying to improve the performance on a database server, you may find that defragmentation doesn’t cut it. This is because the operating system sees the database as one large file instead of many records included in the database. The condition of database record fragmentation is known as internal fragmentation, and some database vendors provide a defragmenter for this purpose. If you want to defragment your database server disk, make sure you try one of the free methods above, or a trial version of a defragmenter before you spend money and find out you get little to no performance gain.
And for Linux and Macintosh: You can search the internet and find free defragmenters for Linux. You can also search for Mac, but Mac defragmenters aren’t free, at least as I was able to find. As someone who has used a Mac in the past, I can say they definitely benefit from regular defragmentation.
Automating Scheduled Tasks
As mentioned above, there are a number of ways you can schedule defragmentation of remote machines on a network. Interestingly, automating such tasks is included as one of many remote desktop management features in RemoteScope, Micro2000’s powerful remote desktop management product.
In addition to saving time running around to defragment remote computers, it also saves having to travel to monitor users, install updates and patches or update or install new software. In addition, it keeps track of all your installed hardware and software and what you have installed on which machines.
There are numerous products on the market to assist you in performing these functions, but very few perform them all – simply, affordably, and from one location.
Find out how RemoteScope's simple, inexpensive remote desktop management can ease your remote management headaches: http://www.micro2000.co.uk/
Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.
Tech Tip - Free Utilities and Data Protections
Tech Tip - Free Utilities and Data Protections
SECURE YOUR DESKTOP COMPUTERS
According to the latest Maritz® Poll of IT managers in small to medium sized companies, 92% of businesses surveyed reported that computer performance levels were affected by up to 50% due to security issues:
75% of those surveyed were hit by at least one virus, with some affected over 100 times, in the past year.
40% of respondents have been hit by hackers at least once, with some targeted more than 200 times, in the past year.
Application-level threats are by far the most significant emerging threat for large companies this year. RemoteScope's™ centralized client systems management tools deliver high level productivity, security, and IT control.
Know exactly what anti-virus, spam, spyware and adware programs are installed on every system across your network, instantly.
Remotely deploy updates and patches to quickly protect your network from hackers and down time.
Set automated tasks to ensure every PC on the network complies to your latest IT security policies.
Get a dashboard view of all your client systems.
Contact us to learn how we can help your business operate beyond the
walls of traditional security and reduce your total cost of ownership.
Try RemoteScope Risk Free!
CLICK HERE
___________________________
126 x FREE Utilities!
Fixing computer problems is a time consuming task and any tool, which makes my life
easier is very welcome indeed.
Today I want to share with you a resource, which not everybody knows of.
If you have to fix a problem with your Active Directory, if you need help with network and security setup or with automation and application deployment, you will find these 126 free tools very handy.
The Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools - the System Requirements are:
Supported Operating Systems: Windows Server 2003, Windows XP
30 MB free disk space
Windows XP
Windows XP SP1
Windows Server 2003 Family
The Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools are not compatible with 64-bit versions of Windows.
Here's what you get:
Acctinfo.dll (documented in Readme.htm)
Adlb.exe: Active Directory Load Balancing Tool
Admx.msi: ADM File Parser
Atmarp.exe: Windows ATM ARP Server Information Tool
Atmlane.exe: Windows ATM LAN Emulation Client Information
Autoexnt.exe: AutoExNT Service
Cdburn.exe: ISO CD-ROM Burner Tool
Checkrepl.vbs: Check Replication
Chklnks.exe: Link Check Wizard
Chknic.exe: Network Interface Card Compliance Tool for Network Load Balancing
Cleanspl.exe: Spooler Cleaner
Clearmem.exe: Clear Memory
Clusdiag.msi: Cluster Diagnostics and Verification Tool
Clusfileport.dll: Cluster Print File Port
Clusterrecovery.exe: Server Cluster Recovery Utility
Cmdhere.inf: Command Here
Cmgetcer.dll: Connection Manager Certificate Deployment Tool
Compress.exe: Compress Files
Confdisk.exe: Disk Configuration Tool
Consume.exe: Memory Consumers Tool
Creatfil.exe: Create File
Csccmd.exe: Client-Side Caching Command-Line Options
Custreasonedit.exe: Custom Reason Editor (documented in )Readme.htm)
Delprof.exe: User Profile Deletion Utility
Dh.exe: Display Heap
Diskraid.exe: RAID Configuration Tool
Diskuse.exe: User Disk Usage Tool
Dnsdiag.exe: SMTP DNS Diagnostic Tool (documented in Readme.htm)
Dumpfsmos.cmd: Dump FSMO Roles
Dvdburn.exe: ISO DVD Burner Tool
Empty.exe: Free Working Set Tool
Eventcombmt.exe: Check Replication
Fcopy.exe: File Copy Utility for Message Queuing
Frsflags.vbs
Getcm.exe: Connection Manager Profile Update
Gpmonitor.exe: Group Policy Monitor
Gpotool.exe: Group Policy Objects
Hlscan.exe: Hard Link Display Tool
Ifilttst.exe: IFilter Test Suite
Ifmember.exe: User Membership Tool
Inetesc.adm: Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration
Iniman.exe: Initialization Files Manipulation Tool
Instcm.exe: Install Connection Manager Profile
Instsrv.exe: Service Installer
Intfiltr.exe: Interrupt Affinity Tool
Kerbtray.exe: Kerberos Tray
Kernrate.exe: Kernel Profiling Tool
Klist.exe: Kerberos List
Krt.exe: Certification Authority Key Recovery
Lbridge.cmd: L-Bridge
Linkd.exe
Linkspeed.exe: Link Speed
List.exe: List Text File Tool
Lockoutstatus.exe: Account Lockout Status (documented in Readme.htm)
Logtime.exe
Lsreport.exe: Terminal Services Licensing Reporter
Lsview.exe: Terminal Services License Server Viewer
Mcast.exe: Multicast Packet Tool
Memmonitor.exe: Memory Monitor
Memtriage.exe: Resource Leak Triage Tool
Mibcc.exe: SNMP MIB Compiler
Moveuser.exe: Move Users
Mscep.dll: Certificate Services Add-on for Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol
Nlsinfo.exe: Locale Information Tool
Now.exe: STDOUT Current Date and Time
Ntimer.exe: Windows Program Timer
Ntrights.exe
Oh.exe: Open Handles
Oleview.exe: OLE/COM Object Viewer
Pathman.exe: Path Manager
Permcopy.exe: Share Permissions Copy
Perms.exe: User File Permissions Tool
Pfmon.exe: Page Fault Monitor
Pkiview.msc: PKI Health Tool
Pmon.exe: Process Resource Monitor
Printdriverinfo.exe: Drivers Source
Prnadmin.dll: Printer Administration Objects
Qgrep.exe
Qtcp.exe: QoS Time Stamp
Queryad.vbs: Query Active Directory
Rassrvmon.exe: RAS Server Monitor
Rcontrolad.exe: Active Directory Remote Control Add-On
Regini.exe: Registry Change by Script
Regview.exe (documented in Readme.htm)
Remapkey.exe: Remap Windows Keyboard Layout
Robocopy.exe: Robust File Copy Utility
Rpccfg.exe: RPC Configuration Tool
Rpcdump.exe
Rpcping.exe
RPing: RPC Connectivity Verification Tool
Rqc.exe: Remote Access Quarantine Client
Rqs.exe: Remote Access Quarantine Agent
Setprinter.exe: Spooler Configuration Tool
Showacls.exe
Showperf.exe: Performance Data Block Dump Utility
Showpriv.exe: Show Privilege
Sleep.exe: Batch File Wait
Sonar.exe: FRS Status Viewer
Splinfo.exe: Print Spooler Information
Srvany.exe: Applications as Services Utility
Srvcheck.exe: Server Share Check
Srvinfo.exe: Remote Server Information
Srvmgr.exe: Server Manager
Ssdformat.exe: System State Data Formatter
Subinacl.exe
Tail.exe
Tcmon.exe: Traffic Control Monitor
Timeit.exe (documented in Readme.htm)
Timezone.exe: Daylight Saving Time Update Utility
Tsctst.exe: Terminal Server Client License Dump Tool
Tsscalling.exe: Terminal Services Scalability Planning Tools
Uddicatschemeeditor.exe: UDDI Services Categorization Scheme Editor
Uddiconfig.exe: UDDI Services Command-line Configuration Utility
Uddidataexport.exe: UDDI Data Export Wizard
Usrmgr.exe: User Manager for Domains
Vadump.exe: Virtual Address Dump
Vfi.exe: Visual File Information
Volperf.exe: Shadow Copy Performance Counters
Volrest.exe: Shadow Copies for Shared Folders Restore Tool
Vrfydsk.exe: Verify Disk
Winexit.scr: Windows Exit Screen Saver
Winhttpcertcfg.exe: WinHTTP Certificate Configuration Tool
Winhttptracecfg.exe: WinHTTP Tracing Facility Configuration Tool
Winpolicies.exe: Policy Spy
Wins.dll: WINS Replication Network Monitor Parser
Wlbs_hb.dll & Wlbs_rc.dll: Windows Load Balancing Server Network Monitor Parsers
CLICK HERE
Happy troubleshooting!
Karlheinz Schneider
The Virtual Workforce Company Ltd.
http://www.thevirtualworkforce.co.uk
Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.
* You have permission to reprint the above article, or any of our other articles. Use it in your ezine, on your website or in your newsletter. The only requirement is including the following footer with it;
* Article by Micro 2000 Inc. Visit our Tech Tips Database Website for more original content like this. Reprinting this article is permitted with this footer included.
SECURE YOUR DESKTOP COMPUTERS
According to the latest Maritz® Poll of IT managers in small to medium sized companies, 92% of businesses surveyed reported that computer performance levels were affected by up to 50% due to security issues:
75% of those surveyed were hit by at least one virus, with some affected over 100 times, in the past year.
40% of respondents have been hit by hackers at least once, with some targeted more than 200 times, in the past year.
Application-level threats are by far the most significant emerging threat for large companies this year. RemoteScope's™ centralized client systems management tools deliver high level productivity, security, and IT control.
Know exactly what anti-virus, spam, spyware and adware programs are installed on every system across your network, instantly.
Remotely deploy updates and patches to quickly protect your network from hackers and down time.
Set automated tasks to ensure every PC on the network complies to your latest IT security policies.
Get a dashboard view of all your client systems.
Contact us to learn how we can help your business operate beyond the
walls of traditional security and reduce your total cost of ownership.
Try RemoteScope Risk Free!
CLICK HERE
___________________________
126 x FREE Utilities!
Fixing computer problems is a time consuming task and any tool, which makes my life
easier is very welcome indeed.
Today I want to share with you a resource, which not everybody knows of.
If you have to fix a problem with your Active Directory, if you need help with network and security setup or with automation and application deployment, you will find these 126 free tools very handy.
The Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools - the System Requirements are:
Supported Operating Systems: Windows Server 2003, Windows XP
30 MB free disk space
Windows XP
Windows XP SP1
Windows Server 2003 Family
The Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools are not compatible with 64-bit versions of Windows.
Here's what you get:
Acctinfo.dll (documented in Readme.htm)
Adlb.exe: Active Directory Load Balancing Tool
Admx.msi: ADM File Parser
Atmarp.exe: Windows ATM ARP Server Information Tool
Atmlane.exe: Windows ATM LAN Emulation Client Information
Autoexnt.exe: AutoExNT Service
Cdburn.exe: ISO CD-ROM Burner Tool
Checkrepl.vbs: Check Replication
Chklnks.exe: Link Check Wizard
Chknic.exe: Network Interface Card Compliance Tool for Network Load Balancing
Cleanspl.exe: Spooler Cleaner
Clearmem.exe: Clear Memory
Clusdiag.msi: Cluster Diagnostics and Verification Tool
Clusfileport.dll: Cluster Print File Port
Clusterrecovery.exe: Server Cluster Recovery Utility
Cmdhere.inf: Command Here
Cmgetcer.dll: Connection Manager Certificate Deployment Tool
Compress.exe: Compress Files
Confdisk.exe: Disk Configuration Tool
Consume.exe: Memory Consumers Tool
Creatfil.exe: Create File
Csccmd.exe: Client-Side Caching Command-Line Options
Custreasonedit.exe: Custom Reason Editor (documented in )Readme.htm)
Delprof.exe: User Profile Deletion Utility
Dh.exe: Display Heap
Diskraid.exe: RAID Configuration Tool
Diskuse.exe: User Disk Usage Tool
Dnsdiag.exe: SMTP DNS Diagnostic Tool (documented in Readme.htm)
Dumpfsmos.cmd: Dump FSMO Roles
Dvdburn.exe: ISO DVD Burner Tool
Empty.exe: Free Working Set Tool
Eventcombmt.exe: Check Replication
Fcopy.exe: File Copy Utility for Message Queuing
Frsflags.vbs
Getcm.exe: Connection Manager Profile Update
Gpmonitor.exe: Group Policy Monitor
Gpotool.exe: Group Policy Objects
Hlscan.exe: Hard Link Display Tool
Ifilttst.exe: IFilter Test Suite
Ifmember.exe: User Membership Tool
Inetesc.adm: Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration
Iniman.exe: Initialization Files Manipulation Tool
Instcm.exe: Install Connection Manager Profile
Instsrv.exe: Service Installer
Intfiltr.exe: Interrupt Affinity Tool
Kerbtray.exe: Kerberos Tray
Kernrate.exe: Kernel Profiling Tool
Klist.exe: Kerberos List
Krt.exe: Certification Authority Key Recovery
Lbridge.cmd: L-Bridge
Linkd.exe
Linkspeed.exe: Link Speed
List.exe: List Text File Tool
Lockoutstatus.exe: Account Lockout Status (documented in Readme.htm)
Logtime.exe
Lsreport.exe: Terminal Services Licensing Reporter
Lsview.exe: Terminal Services License Server Viewer
Mcast.exe: Multicast Packet Tool
Memmonitor.exe: Memory Monitor
Memtriage.exe: Resource Leak Triage Tool
Mibcc.exe: SNMP MIB Compiler
Moveuser.exe: Move Users
Mscep.dll: Certificate Services Add-on for Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol
Nlsinfo.exe: Locale Information Tool
Now.exe: STDOUT Current Date and Time
Ntimer.exe: Windows Program Timer
Ntrights.exe
Oh.exe: Open Handles
Oleview.exe: OLE/COM Object Viewer
Pathman.exe: Path Manager
Permcopy.exe: Share Permissions Copy
Perms.exe: User File Permissions Tool
Pfmon.exe: Page Fault Monitor
Pkiview.msc: PKI Health Tool
Pmon.exe: Process Resource Monitor
Printdriverinfo.exe: Drivers Source
Prnadmin.dll: Printer Administration Objects
Qgrep.exe
Qtcp.exe: QoS Time Stamp
Queryad.vbs: Query Active Directory
Rassrvmon.exe: RAS Server Monitor
Rcontrolad.exe: Active Directory Remote Control Add-On
Regini.exe: Registry Change by Script
Regview.exe (documented in Readme.htm)
Remapkey.exe: Remap Windows Keyboard Layout
Robocopy.exe: Robust File Copy Utility
Rpccfg.exe: RPC Configuration Tool
Rpcdump.exe
Rpcping.exe
RPing: RPC Connectivity Verification Tool
Rqc.exe: Remote Access Quarantine Client
Rqs.exe: Remote Access Quarantine Agent
Setprinter.exe: Spooler Configuration Tool
Showacls.exe
Showperf.exe: Performance Data Block Dump Utility
Showpriv.exe: Show Privilege
Sleep.exe: Batch File Wait
Sonar.exe: FRS Status Viewer
Splinfo.exe: Print Spooler Information
Srvany.exe: Applications as Services Utility
Srvcheck.exe: Server Share Check
Srvinfo.exe: Remote Server Information
Srvmgr.exe: Server Manager
Ssdformat.exe: System State Data Formatter
Subinacl.exe
Tail.exe
Tcmon.exe: Traffic Control Monitor
Timeit.exe (documented in Readme.htm)
Timezone.exe: Daylight Saving Time Update Utility
Tsctst.exe: Terminal Server Client License Dump Tool
Tsscalling.exe: Terminal Services Scalability Planning Tools
Uddicatschemeeditor.exe: UDDI Services Categorization Scheme Editor
Uddiconfig.exe: UDDI Services Command-line Configuration Utility
Uddidataexport.exe: UDDI Data Export Wizard
Usrmgr.exe: User Manager for Domains
Vadump.exe: Virtual Address Dump
Vfi.exe: Visual File Information
Volperf.exe: Shadow Copy Performance Counters
Volrest.exe: Shadow Copies for Shared Folders Restore Tool
Vrfydsk.exe: Verify Disk
Winexit.scr: Windows Exit Screen Saver
Winhttpcertcfg.exe: WinHTTP Certificate Configuration Tool
Winhttptracecfg.exe: WinHTTP Tracing Facility Configuration Tool
Winpolicies.exe: Policy Spy
Wins.dll: WINS Replication Network Monitor Parser
Wlbs_hb.dll & Wlbs_rc.dll: Windows Load Balancing Server Network Monitor Parsers
CLICK HERE
Happy troubleshooting!
Karlheinz Schneider
The Virtual Workforce Company Ltd.
http://www.thevirtualworkforce.co.uk
Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.
* You have permission to reprint the above article, or any of our other articles. Use it in your ezine, on your website or in your newsletter. The only requirement is including the following footer with it;
* Article by Micro 2000 Inc. Visit our Tech Tips Database Website for more original content like this. Reprinting this article is permitted with this footer included.
Technical Tips from Micro2000 - Backup Strategies
Technical Tips from Micro2000 - Backup Strategies
Backup Strategies
There’s always some humorous audio or video file circulating around the Internet, and a few years back there was one that tech support reps got great chortles out of. It was supposedly a tech support call to a computer repair shop, from an individual who had brought his computer in to be repaired and had picked it up. The call began with an obviously anguished customer saying, “What have you done with all my writing?” When the customer had got his computer home, he had booted it up, and found all his user data gone. The support rep taking the call explained that in order to fix the computer, they had needed to reformat the drive and reinstall all applications.
This apparently had been explained to the gentleman beforehand, but it was now obvious he hadn’t understood it. As the call went on, the customer got more and more upset, finally screaming that he had lost three years of his creative writing and was going to sue them.
Of course, anyone listening to this usually had this to say: “Has the guy never heard of BACK UPS?”
Anyone who has been around computers for very long at all has at least heard horror stories of not backing up data. It’s a given. Hard drives are not immortal – they can become corrupt, they can crash, they can die. There are data recovery services which can recover almost anything from a hard drive, but most home users, and many companies, could not afford these services. Best to just spend the minimal extra time and back it up in the first place.
For a home user, the easiest way to back up data these days is onto a CD. Most computers these days come with CD drives, and to take the extra step to copy or “save as” data onto a writeable CD is well worth the effort. It pays for itself the first time you have a hard drive go corrupt or crash. If you want to get more fancy, you can hook up an external hard drive to your computer, and simply back up all your data to it daily or weekly, or you can install another hard drive internally and do the same thing. Instructions for doing so can be found at many sites all over the web.
When you get into a networking situation, such as that found in a company, the importance of backing up of course becomes more vital. You can lose valuable company records, transaction data, customer data and more, just by being careless and not backing up.
Many companies still use the old tried-and-true method of backing up to tape, and storing the tapes somewhere off-site where it is safe should something happen to the building. The larger the site, usually the more complicated the backup scheme. Really big companies have separate networks dedicated to data storage and backup, and some even have robots which will load up backups when requested so older data can be quickly accessed.
Some companies also have a backup server, a server which literally duplicates the company’s main server. If the main server for some reason goes down, the backup server can be made the main server and the company can stay up and running.
Another method for both home and corporate sites which has evolved over the years is backing up to a Web site. The data is encrypted is such a way as it is not accessible by anyone except the user, and there are numerous sites out there which will back up your data for a small fee.
Now, what data should be backed up?
For an individual user, the answer is simple: Anything you care about! The way to judge is, how would you feel if whatever-it-is is lost? If you feel that twinge of grief just thinking about it, you should back it up.
For a company, the answer is a little more complex, but still runs along the same lines: What information, if lost to the company, would put that company at risk? Transactions are obviously important, as are customer records, financial data, contracts, and possibly quotes. Much of the time this type of information is contained in a database, and the data from the database is normally backed up daily.
Interestingly, though, I’ve run across a few companies that only backed up the “bare minimum” without considering the consequences, and worse yet, not informing the users that their data is at risk and how to fix it so it isn’t. For example, I’ve worked a couple places where users were saving their data onto their local drives, and these drives never got backed up. The server, containing the company database and some other important records, did get backed up, but the user data didn’t. Most system administrators don’t have the time or the personnel to back up each individual local drive in the company.
How important is that user data? More important than one might at first think. Again the obvious yardstick: Could the person do his or her job without that data? Probably not. Lost time and lost productivity, the bugaboos of any corporate CFO, should themselves motivate companies into seeing that users can back up their data. Unfortunately, though, this usually doesn’t become an issue until such data is lost and has to be recreated at great expense.
I’ve seen two solutions to this problem which made it easy:
The first was, a routine was set up on off-hours to backup any data stored in the “My Documents” folder on local drives. Users were informed that any data stored elsewhere would not be backed up, so any important data should be placed in that folder.
The second, more common and to me, the more sensible method is to create a network drive on which all user data is automatically saved. Each user has a folder on this drive, and within that folder they can create all the folders they want, as they can with their local drive. Then backup becomes a snap: Each night that network drive is backed up. End of problem, end of story.
What backup schemes have you found successful and cost-effective? Share them with us. We’ll publish the more worthy ones.
Backups as part of a total network solution
As mentioned above, there are numerous backup schemes you can choose from. Interestingly, backups is included as one of many remote desktop management features in RemoteScope, Micro2000’s powerful remote desktop management product. This feature will allow you to back up data from any computer on a network on which RemoteScope is installed.
In addition to saving time and worry about backing up user data, RemoteScope also saves having to travel to monitor users, install updates and patches or update or install new software. In addition, it keeps track of all your installed hardware and software and what you have installed on which machines.
There are numerous products on the market to assist you in performing these functions, but very few perform them all – simply, affordably, and from one location.
Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.
Backup Strategies
There’s always some humorous audio or video file circulating around the Internet, and a few years back there was one that tech support reps got great chortles out of. It was supposedly a tech support call to a computer repair shop, from an individual who had brought his computer in to be repaired and had picked it up. The call began with an obviously anguished customer saying, “What have you done with all my writing?” When the customer had got his computer home, he had booted it up, and found all his user data gone. The support rep taking the call explained that in order to fix the computer, they had needed to reformat the drive and reinstall all applications.
This apparently had been explained to the gentleman beforehand, but it was now obvious he hadn’t understood it. As the call went on, the customer got more and more upset, finally screaming that he had lost three years of his creative writing and was going to sue them.
Of course, anyone listening to this usually had this to say: “Has the guy never heard of BACK UPS?”
Anyone who has been around computers for very long at all has at least heard horror stories of not backing up data. It’s a given. Hard drives are not immortal – they can become corrupt, they can crash, they can die. There are data recovery services which can recover almost anything from a hard drive, but most home users, and many companies, could not afford these services. Best to just spend the minimal extra time and back it up in the first place.
For a home user, the easiest way to back up data these days is onto a CD. Most computers these days come with CD drives, and to take the extra step to copy or “save as” data onto a writeable CD is well worth the effort. It pays for itself the first time you have a hard drive go corrupt or crash. If you want to get more fancy, you can hook up an external hard drive to your computer, and simply back up all your data to it daily or weekly, or you can install another hard drive internally and do the same thing. Instructions for doing so can be found at many sites all over the web.
When you get into a networking situation, such as that found in a company, the importance of backing up of course becomes more vital. You can lose valuable company records, transaction data, customer data and more, just by being careless and not backing up.
Many companies still use the old tried-and-true method of backing up to tape, and storing the tapes somewhere off-site where it is safe should something happen to the building. The larger the site, usually the more complicated the backup scheme. Really big companies have separate networks dedicated to data storage and backup, and some even have robots which will load up backups when requested so older data can be quickly accessed.
Some companies also have a backup server, a server which literally duplicates the company’s main server. If the main server for some reason goes down, the backup server can be made the main server and the company can stay up and running.
Another method for both home and corporate sites which has evolved over the years is backing up to a Web site. The data is encrypted is such a way as it is not accessible by anyone except the user, and there are numerous sites out there which will back up your data for a small fee.
Now, what data should be backed up?
For an individual user, the answer is simple: Anything you care about! The way to judge is, how would you feel if whatever-it-is is lost? If you feel that twinge of grief just thinking about it, you should back it up.
For a company, the answer is a little more complex, but still runs along the same lines: What information, if lost to the company, would put that company at risk? Transactions are obviously important, as are customer records, financial data, contracts, and possibly quotes. Much of the time this type of information is contained in a database, and the data from the database is normally backed up daily.
Interestingly, though, I’ve run across a few companies that only backed up the “bare minimum” without considering the consequences, and worse yet, not informing the users that their data is at risk and how to fix it so it isn’t. For example, I’ve worked a couple places where users were saving their data onto their local drives, and these drives never got backed up. The server, containing the company database and some other important records, did get backed up, but the user data didn’t. Most system administrators don’t have the time or the personnel to back up each individual local drive in the company.
How important is that user data? More important than one might at first think. Again the obvious yardstick: Could the person do his or her job without that data? Probably not. Lost time and lost productivity, the bugaboos of any corporate CFO, should themselves motivate companies into seeing that users can back up their data. Unfortunately, though, this usually doesn’t become an issue until such data is lost and has to be recreated at great expense.
I’ve seen two solutions to this problem which made it easy:
The first was, a routine was set up on off-hours to backup any data stored in the “My Documents” folder on local drives. Users were informed that any data stored elsewhere would not be backed up, so any important data should be placed in that folder.
The second, more common and to me, the more sensible method is to create a network drive on which all user data is automatically saved. Each user has a folder on this drive, and within that folder they can create all the folders they want, as they can with their local drive. Then backup becomes a snap: Each night that network drive is backed up. End of problem, end of story.
What backup schemes have you found successful and cost-effective? Share them with us. We’ll publish the more worthy ones.
Backups as part of a total network solution
As mentioned above, there are numerous backup schemes you can choose from. Interestingly, backups is included as one of many remote desktop management features in RemoteScope, Micro2000’s powerful remote desktop management product. This feature will allow you to back up data from any computer on a network on which RemoteScope is installed.
In addition to saving time and worry about backing up user data, RemoteScope also saves having to travel to monitor users, install updates and patches or update or install new software. In addition, it keeps track of all your installed hardware and software and what you have installed on which machines.
There are numerous products on the market to assist you in performing these functions, but very few perform them all – simply, affordably, and from one location.
Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.
Technical Tips from Micro2000 - Controlling Pop-Ups and Spyware
Technical Tips from Micro2000 - Controlling Pop-Ups and Spyware
Controlling Pop-Ups and Spyware
If you are getting pop-ups, especially at random when you are not surfing the web, then you are one of about 500 million people infected with spyware. Spyware is software that covertly gathers information about you through your internet connection without your knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even your passwords and credit card numbers. These evil programs get on your computer by being "bundled" with free things like screen savers, password keeping utilities, music swapping programs, clip-art, and others. Some of these programs will stop working when you remove their advertising spyware, and some must be removed themselves before you can remove their spyware.
The Solution:
1. The first thing to do is to go to Start - Control Panel - Add/Remove Programs and one-at-a-time highlight & remove anything that says: Web Search, Rebates, Browser enhancement, Ebates, Shopper, GAIN, New.net, Moe Money Maker, or IE Enhancement. This is only a partial list because it grows more every day, but this will give you a good start, and the remaining steps below should clean up the rest.
2. Reboot. If it asks you to reboot after each one, you don't have to - you can wait till the end and do it once.
3. Then, you need to go get a free spyware remover. If your computer has Windows 2000 Pro or Windows XP, go to Microsoft.com, download the "Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta" right from their homepage, install it, click File - Update, then run a "FULL" search. Make sure to set to "Remove" or "Quarantine" anything it finds unless you recognize it. It will remove nearly all of the programs causing the pop-ups. The Microsoft one is free, excellent, and is always running to stop more programs from getting in.
If you have Windows 98 or Windows ME, please upgrade :).
There are two other decent programs that you can use: Spyware Doctor and Ad-Aware. The free download versions are only cleaners - you must pay for them if you want the monitoring protection.
Link to Ad-Aware:
http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition/3000-8022_4-10319876.html?tag=lst-4-1
Link to Spyware Doctor:
http://www.download.com/Spyware-Doctor/3000-8022_4-10377263.html
Install one or both, update them first, then run a full scan. Select and remove anything the program finds.
4. The last thing to do is to go to Internet Explorer, then Tools - Options. Go to the Security tab and select Default level and OK. This should keep most things from getting in. Your best bet would be to download Mozilla Firefox, which is another web browser which has less security problems.
The above bit of effort is really worth it in terms of a faster, less “crashy”, more secure computer. Simply turning on a pop-up blocker is only masking the symptom, not curing it.
Editor’s Note: This tip was contributed by Brian Wallace, Computer, Networking & Security Consultant, and we thank him! You can reach Brian at his company Effective Consulting, LLC: EffCon@snappydsl.net
And, if you have any further tips on removing spyware, send them in!
Tips and Tricks Links
ServerFiles.com is a Server software directory for Network administrators & IT professionals. They list networking & server software for both Windows-based systems including Windows 2003, Windows 2000 & NT and also Linux-based systems. ServerFiles.com is significantly different from other download/software sites in that it does not focus on single user software.
Find it at: http://www.serverfiles.com/
In the above and other articles, we’ve recommended Mozilla Firefox as a browser. If you’re already using it, here’s a great tips and tricks site for that browser:
http://www.mozilla.org/support/firefox/tips
If you’re a Linux user, you will find the Linux-Tip site extremely helpful.
Find it at: http://www.linux-tip.net/cms/
Keeping Up with Installed Applications
Obviously spyware is the type of application you do not want on any computer in your network. So if you’re running a network, how do you keep track of all the installed applications out there?
You probably find yourself having to do a lot of running around to keep up your software inventory – if you even have time to do that. There’s also monitoring computers, installing updates and patches and updating or installing new software. On top of software inventory, you also probably have a bit of a time keeping track of all your hardware.
There are numerous products on the market to assist you in performing these functions, but very few perform them all – simply, affordably, and from one location.
Micro2000’s RemoteScope™ Remote Desktop Management Software allows you to:
- Monitor remote desktops
- Keep an up-to-date inventory of all your software and hardware
- Track your software licensing, to keep it current, accurate and legal
- Remotely install patches, updates, and even full applications right from your desktop
And much more!
Find out how RemoteScope’s simple, inexpensive remote desktop management can ease your remote management headaches:
http://www.micro2000.co.uk/products/remotescope/remotescope_steps.html
Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.
Controlling Pop-Ups and Spyware
If you are getting pop-ups, especially at random when you are not surfing the web, then you are one of about 500 million people infected with spyware. Spyware is software that covertly gathers information about you through your internet connection without your knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even your passwords and credit card numbers. These evil programs get on your computer by being "bundled" with free things like screen savers, password keeping utilities, music swapping programs, clip-art, and others. Some of these programs will stop working when you remove their advertising spyware, and some must be removed themselves before you can remove their spyware.
The Solution:
1. The first thing to do is to go to Start - Control Panel - Add/Remove Programs and one-at-a-time highlight & remove anything that says: Web Search, Rebates, Browser enhancement, Ebates, Shopper, GAIN, New.net, Moe Money Maker, or IE Enhancement. This is only a partial list because it grows more every day, but this will give you a good start, and the remaining steps below should clean up the rest.
2. Reboot. If it asks you to reboot after each one, you don't have to - you can wait till the end and do it once.
3. Then, you need to go get a free spyware remover. If your computer has Windows 2000 Pro or Windows XP, go to Microsoft.com, download the "Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta" right from their homepage, install it, click File - Update, then run a "FULL" search. Make sure to set to "Remove" or "Quarantine" anything it finds unless you recognize it. It will remove nearly all of the programs causing the pop-ups. The Microsoft one is free, excellent, and is always running to stop more programs from getting in.
If you have Windows 98 or Windows ME, please upgrade :).
There are two other decent programs that you can use: Spyware Doctor and Ad-Aware. The free download versions are only cleaners - you must pay for them if you want the monitoring protection.
Link to Ad-Aware:
http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition/3000-8022_4-10319876.html?tag=lst-4-1
Link to Spyware Doctor:
http://www.download.com/Spyware-Doctor/3000-8022_4-10377263.html
Install one or both, update them first, then run a full scan. Select and remove anything the program finds.
4. The last thing to do is to go to Internet Explorer, then Tools - Options. Go to the Security tab and select Default level and OK. This should keep most things from getting in. Your best bet would be to download Mozilla Firefox, which is another web browser which has less security problems.
The above bit of effort is really worth it in terms of a faster, less “crashy”, more secure computer. Simply turning on a pop-up blocker is only masking the symptom, not curing it.
Editor’s Note: This tip was contributed by Brian Wallace, Computer, Networking & Security Consultant, and we thank him! You can reach Brian at his company Effective Consulting, LLC: EffCon@snappydsl.net
And, if you have any further tips on removing spyware, send them in!
Tips and Tricks Links
ServerFiles.com is a Server software directory for Network administrators & IT professionals. They list networking & server software for both Windows-based systems including Windows 2003, Windows 2000 & NT and also Linux-based systems. ServerFiles.com is significantly different from other download/software sites in that it does not focus on single user software.
Find it at: http://www.serverfiles.com/
In the above and other articles, we’ve recommended Mozilla Firefox as a browser. If you’re already using it, here’s a great tips and tricks site for that browser:
http://www.mozilla.org/support/firefox/tips
If you’re a Linux user, you will find the Linux-Tip site extremely helpful.
Find it at: http://www.linux-tip.net/cms/
Keeping Up with Installed Applications
Obviously spyware is the type of application you do not want on any computer in your network. So if you’re running a network, how do you keep track of all the installed applications out there?
You probably find yourself having to do a lot of running around to keep up your software inventory – if you even have time to do that. There’s also monitoring computers, installing updates and patches and updating or installing new software. On top of software inventory, you also probably have a bit of a time keeping track of all your hardware.
There are numerous products on the market to assist you in performing these functions, but very few perform them all – simply, affordably, and from one location.
Micro2000’s RemoteScope™ Remote Desktop Management Software allows you to:
- Monitor remote desktops
- Keep an up-to-date inventory of all your software and hardware
- Track your software licensing, to keep it current, accurate and legal
- Remotely install patches, updates, and even full applications right from your desktop
And much more!
Find out how RemoteScope’s simple, inexpensive remote desktop management can ease your remote management headaches:
http://www.micro2000.co.uk/products/remotescope/remotescope_steps.html
Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.
Technical Tips from Micro2000 - Why Suffer With Old Hardware
Technical Tips from Micro2000 - Why Suffer With Old Hardware
Why Suffer With Old Hardware
Hanging onto old computer hardware can become a habit, stemming either from laziness (that would be me) or from the misguided conception that it's going to cost a lot of money to replace it. The truth is, it's very easy these days to keep your hardware current, and greatly beneficial.
A good many of the bugs you may be trying to solve can come from aging hardware. For example, a power supply degrades over time, causing "dirty power" (power fluctuating as it comes into the computer), causing all kinds of random problems such as the computer inexplicably slowing down or freezing up. Your hard drive, as it ages, can get bad sectors and become less useful.
There are other problems which can stem from older hardware that have nothing to do with the hardware wearing out or going bad. New programs are built to utilize the latest hardware, and when running them on older hardware you won't get the most out of them. A great example is video cards; a new program, such as a game, will not be fully utilized by an older video card, and you can get problems ranging from shaky or stop-and-start video to no video at all. More broadly, you can have a problem where newer software is unable to utilize older hardware drivers.
How cheap is it these days to replace hardware?
Less than 5 years ago you could easily pay $2,000 for a good pre-built system -- you can now get a decent pre-built system for $500. 5 or 6 years ago memory was $3.00 to $4.00 per megabyte and it's now less than a dollar a meg. The size of your hard drive can be quadrupled for $100 or less, and the latest and greatest video card which used to cost upwards of $600 can now be had for $300.
Peripherals have come way down in price, too. Probably the greatest example is, a few years back you would have paid around $5,000 for a color laser printer. Now you can stroll out and get one for $500.
Home networks have now become more common, due in a large part on heavier reliance on computers by individual family members; one computer just isn't enough any more. Networking them together means being able to share resources such as DSL or cable internet access and printing. And like other hardware, networking hardware such as routers, hubs and cable have become much more affordable.
More affordable networking hardware also means that businesses can easily take advantage of the latest networking technology, and it's very worthwhile to do so with the strengthened security and speed of current networks.
So you don't have to be satisfied with that old computer or its components! You can keep everything up and running smoothly - and affordably.
More Defragmentation
Regarding our tip on defragmentation a couple of issues ago, several astute readers wrote in to correct my misinformation that 9x operating systems shipped without a defragmenter. In fact, they did ship with a defragmenter. When Microsoft introduced Windows NT, it did not have a defragmenter and a flurry of third-party defragmenters began. Microsoft then began once again including a basic defragmenter in Windows 2000, and have ever since. Please forgive my faulty memory.
One reader also pointed out that, with the increased activity associated with larger disks, that defragmentation is even more needed than with smaller disks. Let me clarify the point I was attempting to make on this issue: With a large disk, utilized normally, certainly this reader is correct. My point was that with a large disk less than a third full, something I discovered is often the case especially with home users, my experience has been that the performance gain from defragmentation is negligible. But as I said in the article, if there's any doubt about potential gain on your own system, either run the free defragmenter included in the operating system or download and run trialware of one of several more full-featured defragmenters. If performance increases, you know you should defragment on a regular basis.
Diagnosing Hardware Problems
In our earlier article, we went over how inexpensive it is these days to replace hardware. But how will you know what hardware to replace? Sometimes it's obvious…but sometimes it isn't. Enter Micro2000's Micro-Scope, the premier hardware diagnostic software preferred by technicians worldwide. Because it's operating-system-independent, Micro-Scope communicates directly with your hardware, making for the fastest and most accurate troubleshooting possible.
Find out what Micro-Scope can do for you!
Go to;
http://www.micro2000.co.uk/products/microscope/microscope.html
Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.
Why Suffer With Old Hardware
Hanging onto old computer hardware can become a habit, stemming either from laziness (that would be me) or from the misguided conception that it's going to cost a lot of money to replace it. The truth is, it's very easy these days to keep your hardware current, and greatly beneficial.
A good many of the bugs you may be trying to solve can come from aging hardware. For example, a power supply degrades over time, causing "dirty power" (power fluctuating as it comes into the computer), causing all kinds of random problems such as the computer inexplicably slowing down or freezing up. Your hard drive, as it ages, can get bad sectors and become less useful.
There are other problems which can stem from older hardware that have nothing to do with the hardware wearing out or going bad. New programs are built to utilize the latest hardware, and when running them on older hardware you won't get the most out of them. A great example is video cards; a new program, such as a game, will not be fully utilized by an older video card, and you can get problems ranging from shaky or stop-and-start video to no video at all. More broadly, you can have a problem where newer software is unable to utilize older hardware drivers.
How cheap is it these days to replace hardware?
Less than 5 years ago you could easily pay $2,000 for a good pre-built system -- you can now get a decent pre-built system for $500. 5 or 6 years ago memory was $3.00 to $4.00 per megabyte and it's now less than a dollar a meg. The size of your hard drive can be quadrupled for $100 or less, and the latest and greatest video card which used to cost upwards of $600 can now be had for $300.
Peripherals have come way down in price, too. Probably the greatest example is, a few years back you would have paid around $5,000 for a color laser printer. Now you can stroll out and get one for $500.
Home networks have now become more common, due in a large part on heavier reliance on computers by individual family members; one computer just isn't enough any more. Networking them together means being able to share resources such as DSL or cable internet access and printing. And like other hardware, networking hardware such as routers, hubs and cable have become much more affordable.
More affordable networking hardware also means that businesses can easily take advantage of the latest networking technology, and it's very worthwhile to do so with the strengthened security and speed of current networks.
So you don't have to be satisfied with that old computer or its components! You can keep everything up and running smoothly - and affordably.
More Defragmentation
Regarding our tip on defragmentation a couple of issues ago, several astute readers wrote in to correct my misinformation that 9x operating systems shipped without a defragmenter. In fact, they did ship with a defragmenter. When Microsoft introduced Windows NT, it did not have a defragmenter and a flurry of third-party defragmenters began. Microsoft then began once again including a basic defragmenter in Windows 2000, and have ever since. Please forgive my faulty memory.
One reader also pointed out that, with the increased activity associated with larger disks, that defragmentation is even more needed than with smaller disks. Let me clarify the point I was attempting to make on this issue: With a large disk, utilized normally, certainly this reader is correct. My point was that with a large disk less than a third full, something I discovered is often the case especially with home users, my experience has been that the performance gain from defragmentation is negligible. But as I said in the article, if there's any doubt about potential gain on your own system, either run the free defragmenter included in the operating system or download and run trialware of one of several more full-featured defragmenters. If performance increases, you know you should defragment on a regular basis.
Diagnosing Hardware Problems
In our earlier article, we went over how inexpensive it is these days to replace hardware. But how will you know what hardware to replace? Sometimes it's obvious…but sometimes it isn't. Enter Micro2000's Micro-Scope, the premier hardware diagnostic software preferred by technicians worldwide. Because it's operating-system-independent, Micro-Scope communicates directly with your hardware, making for the fastest and most accurate troubleshooting possible.
Find out what Micro-Scope can do for you!
Go to;
http://www.micro2000.co.uk/products/microscope/microscope.html
Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.
Micro2000 Tech Tips - Local vs. Network Diagnostics
Micro2000 Tech Tips - Local vs. Network Diagnostics
PRINT VERSION
Local vs. Network Diagnostics
Obviously anyone who maintains PCs, whether local or on a network, is bound to be familiar with the demands of getting the offending machine back up and running as quickly as possible!
Most have experienced the frustration of trying to pin point the problem, which could even boil down to being simply a faulty component.
Some of you may even have used diagnostic software to help locate the problem, saving in some cases hours of time.
Of course the accuracy of the many diagnostics software and tools available on the market varies, depending on just how in depth their tests are, and just how thoroughly they interrogate the system.
Sometimes people ask us why they can’t run our diagnostic software, MicroScope, over a network. Most of the reasons for this are related to OS independence, so this article should be read after finishing The Importance of OS Independence.
One reason though is that hardware problems of any consequence will normally interfere with network communications. If you can even talk to another system over the network, you have just checked out about 95% of what you can check out over a network. Any testing more thorough than that will require local access.
Not being able to do in-depth hardware testing over a network is just an extreme case of the truism that you can’t do accurate hardware testing under a general-purpose OS such as Windows, DOS or Linux, because these programs are designed to run the hardware in the background, insulated from the user and applications.
The bootable operating system that comes with MicroScope bypasses all of that OS interference, but it also bypasses the network configuration, protocols, NIC drivers and other parameters that are unique to each networked system. It’s easy to forget that Windows or Linux on that system originally had to be configured for proper network operation, and that had to be done at the system itself.
It is technically possible to make the MicroScope operating system network-capable, but it would have to be set up on each machine being diagnosed, just as the resident OS had to be set up. Then, the system would have to be re-configured for the resident OS after MicroScope had done its job in pin pointing the hardware error. As a practical matter, nobody is going to do that when they can just boot up MicroScope and find the problem in a minute or two.
Of course, many competing products avoid the reconfiguration problem by running under Windows, and these diagnostics can theoretically be executed over a network using Windows’ own network configuration. The price they pay is that they cannot directly access the hardware and get the same accurate information available to MicroScope, and if used over a network they are even further removed from every piece of hardware, with the possible exception of the network card.
The short answer is that it is not possible to get accurate hardware diagnostic results over a network. There is just no substitute for sitting down at the ailing machine, and running the best diagnostic program available.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And while we’re on the subject of networks ………
The lot of the network manager is not always and easy one. Demands for more and faster and now are just part of the day to day.
Keeping track of who’s using what, who needs what, software patches and roll outs, upgrading, virus updates, asset management, software compliance, tech support and help desk functions, are all part of keeping the users happy and the network ‘working’!
By having a network management tool that allows you to handle all the above demands, from a single location, you are going to save the company a considerable amount of money, and save yourself a lot of shoe leather!
Remotescope, our network management tool gives you all this and more – right at your fingertips.
DOWNLOAD YOUR UNRESTRICTED 30 DAY TRIAL VERSION OF REMOTESCOPE OUR NETWORK MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.
Read the previous Tech Tips provided by Micro 2000 go to;
www.micro2000.co.uk
PRINT VERSION
Local vs. Network Diagnostics
Obviously anyone who maintains PCs, whether local or on a network, is bound to be familiar with the demands of getting the offending machine back up and running as quickly as possible!
Most have experienced the frustration of trying to pin point the problem, which could even boil down to being simply a faulty component.
Some of you may even have used diagnostic software to help locate the problem, saving in some cases hours of time.
Of course the accuracy of the many diagnostics software and tools available on the market varies, depending on just how in depth their tests are, and just how thoroughly they interrogate the system.
Sometimes people ask us why they can’t run our diagnostic software, MicroScope, over a network. Most of the reasons for this are related to OS independence, so this article should be read after finishing The Importance of OS Independence.
One reason though is that hardware problems of any consequence will normally interfere with network communications. If you can even talk to another system over the network, you have just checked out about 95% of what you can check out over a network. Any testing more thorough than that will require local access.
Not being able to do in-depth hardware testing over a network is just an extreme case of the truism that you can’t do accurate hardware testing under a general-purpose OS such as Windows, DOS or Linux, because these programs are designed to run the hardware in the background, insulated from the user and applications.
The bootable operating system that comes with MicroScope bypasses all of that OS interference, but it also bypasses the network configuration, protocols, NIC drivers and other parameters that are unique to each networked system. It’s easy to forget that Windows or Linux on that system originally had to be configured for proper network operation, and that had to be done at the system itself.
It is technically possible to make the MicroScope operating system network-capable, but it would have to be set up on each machine being diagnosed, just as the resident OS had to be set up. Then, the system would have to be re-configured for the resident OS after MicroScope had done its job in pin pointing the hardware error. As a practical matter, nobody is going to do that when they can just boot up MicroScope and find the problem in a minute or two.
Of course, many competing products avoid the reconfiguration problem by running under Windows, and these diagnostics can theoretically be executed over a network using Windows’ own network configuration. The price they pay is that they cannot directly access the hardware and get the same accurate information available to MicroScope, and if used over a network they are even further removed from every piece of hardware, with the possible exception of the network card.
The short answer is that it is not possible to get accurate hardware diagnostic results over a network. There is just no substitute for sitting down at the ailing machine, and running the best diagnostic program available.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And while we’re on the subject of networks ………
The lot of the network manager is not always and easy one. Demands for more and faster and now are just part of the day to day.
Keeping track of who’s using what, who needs what, software patches and roll outs, upgrading, virus updates, asset management, software compliance, tech support and help desk functions, are all part of keeping the users happy and the network ‘working’!
By having a network management tool that allows you to handle all the above demands, from a single location, you are going to save the company a considerable amount of money, and save yourself a lot of shoe leather!
Remotescope, our network management tool gives you all this and more – right at your fingertips.
DOWNLOAD YOUR UNRESTRICTED 30 DAY TRIAL VERSION OF REMOTESCOPE OUR NETWORK MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.
Read the previous Tech Tips provided by Micro 2000 go to;
www.micro2000.co.uk
Technical Tips - Data Recovery and Data Protection
Technical Tips - Data Recovery and Data Protection
Data Recovery and Data Protection!
Most of us have, at some point or other, accidentally deleted a file which we've later regret! Most of the time this isn't that big a deal because the deleted file can be easily recreated or is still in the Windows Recycle Bin.
But what if you've deleted important files which are not in the Recycle Bin (if they are too large or deleted on a network drive, etc.)?
Last weekend I sat down to write a new article for one of our clients. It was about re-installing Windows XP and how to prepare for this, without losing data.
Normally I do a new install of the operating system on a new hard drive, just to be 100% sure that I don't loose any of my data and copy all the required files to the new drive afterwards. Not this time, as I wanted to take the risk in a real life scenario (I assume most users don't use a new hard disk for what I was about to do).
I took one of our desktops used for daily work and not for testing purposes. I copied all the needed files on to the server for backup and inserted the Windows installation CD, installed XP Pro and all the Updates, which I downloaded from the Microsoft website. In total I did this 4 times and formatted the hard disk twice during this process.
Finally I found myself in a position which I shouldn't be in, as the whole purpose of this job was to write down exactly what to do to prevent loss of data. I had a list of files, which I needed to back up, I saved the folder with all the drivers for the machine and thought that there was nothing missing. I ticked each one of the items on my checklist to make sure that I hadn't forgotten anything.
I wish!
When I came to copy the Outlook PST file back to the new installation, it had disappeared. For some reason, this PST file "was not any longer" in my backup folder. There was a file with the same icon, but it was too small to be the PST file. I had been tricked. I'd copied the wrong file and the actual PST file was gone. I couldn't believe it! With all the care I had taken to make sure that nothing went wrong - I could have kicked myself in the butt.
Frustrated with such a situation on a Sunday evening I had one last hope - my GetDataBack CD. I loaded the programme and started scanning my disk.
The chances seemed to be very small as I defragment my machines regularly, and had formatted the disk twice, but it was a last resort! I had very little hope of finding the lost PST file again, at least unharmed. GetDataBack showed 1 1/2 hours needed for the scan and we decided to get out of the house to and left it running!
Back from a walk the scan was finished and a lot of deleted files had been found. An almost unbelievable amount of files actually. Hope was restored when I saw that the PST file was under the deleted files with a chance of recovery.
I was just a few mouse clicks away from a happy ending, if the file was not corrupt!
And what do you know - it worked!
After installing Windows XP Pro 4 times, and all the Windows Updates downloaded and installed 4 time, and then formatting the hard disk TWICE and 1 installation of Office 2003 Professional, the Outlook PST file was back where it belonged. Unharmed and fully functional, my Sunday evening was saved!
Summary:
You may have a good chance to recover lost files. 'Deleted' does not mean gone from the disk.
My "experiment" shows that deleted files remain on the hard disk and can be recovered, even after plenty of read/write activities. This might not be of concern, if you just use your computer for gaming, but for a business machine it should concern you, as your PC, sold as a second hand machine for some cash, can deliver your data, even if it has been deleted. The only safe solution to deleting data forever from you disk is by using software such as 'Secure Wipe' just one of the utilities found in Microscope.
Product Links:
For more information about Microscope click here
For more information about GetDataBack in English
For more information about GetDataBack in German
Karlheinz Schneider
The Virtual Workforce Company Ltd.
http://www.thevirtualworkforce.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Data Theft - Have YOU Got it Covered?
How are you going to solve the problem of 'data theft' when you're maintaining a PC network?
The system administrator is the ultimately responsible for ensuring that all the data is secure and cannot be accessed by unauthorised users, or worse still, taken off the systems and out of the company! The buck stops with you!
Get yourself covered!
Remotescope is a network management tool that SENDS YOU AN ALERT when anything is taken off (OR put on) any PC on the network!
DOWNLOAD YOUR UNRESTRICTED 30 DAY TRIAL VERSION OF REMOTESCOPE OUR NETWORK MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
CLICK HERE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.
Read the previous Tech Tips provided by Micro 2000 – go to
www.micro2000.co.uk
Data Recovery and Data Protection!
Most of us have, at some point or other, accidentally deleted a file which we've later regret! Most of the time this isn't that big a deal because the deleted file can be easily recreated or is still in the Windows Recycle Bin.
But what if you've deleted important files which are not in the Recycle Bin (if they are too large or deleted on a network drive, etc.)?
Last weekend I sat down to write a new article for one of our clients. It was about re-installing Windows XP and how to prepare for this, without losing data.
Normally I do a new install of the operating system on a new hard drive, just to be 100% sure that I don't loose any of my data and copy all the required files to the new drive afterwards. Not this time, as I wanted to take the risk in a real life scenario (I assume most users don't use a new hard disk for what I was about to do).
I took one of our desktops used for daily work and not for testing purposes. I copied all the needed files on to the server for backup and inserted the Windows installation CD, installed XP Pro and all the Updates, which I downloaded from the Microsoft website. In total I did this 4 times and formatted the hard disk twice during this process.
Finally I found myself in a position which I shouldn't be in, as the whole purpose of this job was to write down exactly what to do to prevent loss of data. I had a list of files, which I needed to back up, I saved the folder with all the drivers for the machine and thought that there was nothing missing. I ticked each one of the items on my checklist to make sure that I hadn't forgotten anything.
I wish!
When I came to copy the Outlook PST file back to the new installation, it had disappeared. For some reason, this PST file "was not any longer" in my backup folder. There was a file with the same icon, but it was too small to be the PST file. I had been tricked. I'd copied the wrong file and the actual PST file was gone. I couldn't believe it! With all the care I had taken to make sure that nothing went wrong - I could have kicked myself in the butt.
Frustrated with such a situation on a Sunday evening I had one last hope - my GetDataBack CD. I loaded the programme and started scanning my disk.
The chances seemed to be very small as I defragment my machines regularly, and had formatted the disk twice, but it was a last resort! I had very little hope of finding the lost PST file again, at least unharmed. GetDataBack showed 1 1/2 hours needed for the scan and we decided to get out of the house to and left it running!
Back from a walk the scan was finished and a lot of deleted files had been found. An almost unbelievable amount of files actually. Hope was restored when I saw that the PST file was under the deleted files with a chance of recovery.
I was just a few mouse clicks away from a happy ending, if the file was not corrupt!
And what do you know - it worked!
After installing Windows XP Pro 4 times, and all the Windows Updates downloaded and installed 4 time, and then formatting the hard disk TWICE and 1 installation of Office 2003 Professional, the Outlook PST file was back where it belonged. Unharmed and fully functional, my Sunday evening was saved!
Summary:
You may have a good chance to recover lost files. 'Deleted' does not mean gone from the disk.
My "experiment" shows that deleted files remain on the hard disk and can be recovered, even after plenty of read/write activities. This might not be of concern, if you just use your computer for gaming, but for a business machine it should concern you, as your PC, sold as a second hand machine for some cash, can deliver your data, even if it has been deleted. The only safe solution to deleting data forever from you disk is by using software such as 'Secure Wipe' just one of the utilities found in Microscope.
Product Links:
For more information about Microscope click here
For more information about GetDataBack in English
For more information about GetDataBack in German
Karlheinz Schneider
The Virtual Workforce Company Ltd.
http://www.thevirtualworkforce.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Data Theft - Have YOU Got it Covered?
How are you going to solve the problem of 'data theft' when you're maintaining a PC network?
The system administrator is the ultimately responsible for ensuring that all the data is secure and cannot be accessed by unauthorised users, or worse still, taken off the systems and out of the company! The buck stops with you!
Get yourself covered!
Remotescope is a network management tool that SENDS YOU AN ALERT when anything is taken off (OR put on) any PC on the network!
DOWNLOAD YOUR UNRESTRICTED 30 DAY TRIAL VERSION OF REMOTESCOPE OUR NETWORK MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
CLICK HERE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.
Read the previous Tech Tips provided by Micro 2000 – go to
www.micro2000.co.uk
Micro 2000 Tech Tips - Look - don't Listen - Software or Hardware?!
Micro 2000 Tech Tips - Look - don't Listen - Software or Hardware?!
Look - don't Listen - Software or Hardware?!
When I first read an article called "Look Don't Listen", I thought that it was too obvious, and just basic common sense, that everyone knows. However, when I put it into practice, I found that it is a real skill which has to be learned and applied.
Observing what is really there, observing what is obvious and not taking anything for granted or making any assumptions, will save you time and can prevent costly errors. If you are an IT Administrator you might have experienced what I mean, while trying to help one of your users.
To give you a better idea of what I am talking about and which way this article is heading, allow me to tell you a story, a real instance, which happened a few weeks ago.
I got a call from one of our clients who had a problem with a printer. The printer wouldn't print anymore and the user came up with the idea of reformatting the hard drive and re-installing Windows and all other applications (probably nothing you would consider). As I needed to see them anyway I got them to wait "fixing the problem" until my arrival.
As I had adapted for life this little sentence "Look Don't Listen", I just started to look. Is the computer turned on? - OK. Is the printer turned on? - OK. Is paper in the printer? - OK. It almost sounds too easy, as the next step already showed the problem and was fixed within a second. You may not believe this, but it really happened. Is the printer connected to the PC? - NO!!
The printer was not connected to the PC. That was all that was wrong and after plugging the printers USB connection into the USB port of the PC, printing was no longer a problem. For the user and the other staff around it looked like a miracle and nobody could believe that the printer was not connected to the PC. But nobody had checked that before, you see what I mean?
Look Don't Listen! Observe the obvious. Like a pilot, you could write yourself a checklist, which you can follow in order to locate and handle any problem or situation. Start with the obvious. Has the PC got power? Is the PC switched on? Things like that take only seconds and can save you hours.
Unfortunately when it comes to fixing a computer hardware problem most tasks are not as obvious. You can't look into a memory chip or you can't look into a graphics card or the processor. Those inabilities of the human perceptions can make these tasks more difficult and will lead, at least in many cases, to assumptions and actions of trial and error. Take the RAM out and replace it. If it works fine, great, if not try something else. This approach is very time consuming and may not find all of the PCs problems in one go.
It would be great if we could get a special type of glasses, which allowed you to look into the computer's hardware - if only they existed! To get an aid which enables you to see and find exactly what is wrong with the machine. Something like 'X-Ray specs' for PC hardware would probably be of help.
Luckily for us though, there is help of this kind available and I wouldn't want to be without it anymore. The "glasses" and X-Ray for fixing your computer or even to validate a new build as fully functional is called "Micro-Scope". As the name already implies it provides you with in-depth information about your computers hardware. MicroScope or its bigger brother Universal Toolkit, have been developed to do exactly that for you - to help you to look into your hardware and end the guessing game. Do yourself a favour - Look Don't Listen! Use the Toolkit and start saving your valuable time and money.
Karlheinz Schneider
The Virtual Workforce Company Ltd.
www.thevirtualworkforce.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Software or Hardware?
When faced with a computer problem, the first thing to determine is whether we actually need to solve the problem, or just get the system going again. This may sound like a cop-out, but the fact is many times the best handling for a computer failure is just to reboot and forget about it.
For instance, many soft errors are caused by cosmic rays. These are completely random, and that same exact error will probably never occur again. Trying to pinpoint the error is fruitless, because the memory will test 'good'. The best course of action is to reboot and get on with the show. Of course there are such things as intermittent errors, so if it happens repeatedly you will want to track down the source of it.
Once you've decided that there really is a problem, you've reached a fork in the road. Is it a hardware problem or a software problem? If you knew exactly what was causing the problem this would be an easy question to answer, but usually at this stage you won't know. However, you must decide what to pursue first, and if you guess wrong the result at best will be a lot of wasted time.
This is where a good diagnostic program like Micro-Scope really comes into its own. In just a couple of minutes you can test all of the major hardware components and either narrow the problem down to one of them for further testing, or eliminate hardware as the source of the problem. If you have eliminated hardware as the cause, then the problem must be software. Elementary, my Dear Watson!
One thing to be aware of when running a diagnostic program is that most of them are loaded under either the DOS or Windows operating system. As you will see in Volume 3, these operating systems are designed to handle all sorts of hardware management details in the background so that the user and the application do not have to deal with them directly. This is normally very convenient, but not exactly what you want when trying to test the hardware. And if the problem lies with the operating system itself, one of these diagnostics may have a very difficult time sorting out whether it's really a hardware or software problem, if indeed the diagnostic will run at all.
The answer to eliminating interference from the operating system is to use a diagnostic that is Operating System Independent. Such a diagnostic actually has its own operating system just to run the diagnostic, and this operating system will be designed to give the user and the diagnostic application direct access to the hardware, rather than trying to shield them from it.
To load an OS-independent diagnostic, you will need to turn off the system, put the diagnostic CD/diskette in the CD/floppy drive, and then turn the system back on. It will boot up with the diagnostic's OS in charge rather than DOS or Windows.
By the way, there is one pattern that is usually hardware-related, and that is a system that boots up just fine in the morning and works for a few minutes before crashing. Then it must be turned off for a while before it can boot up and run for a few more minutes. The problem here is probably heat, and the most likely culprit is a failing CPU fan. If the fan checks OK then make sure the vents are not blocked, either from something next to the cabinet or internally from dust.
OUR GUARANTEE <- Click Here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* You have permission to reprint the above article, or any of our other articles. Use it in your ezine, on your website or in your newsletter. The only requirement is including the following footer with it;
* Article by Micro 2000 Inc. Visit our Tech Tips Database Website for more original content like this. Reprinting this article is permitted with this footer included.
Look - don't Listen - Software or Hardware?!
When I first read an article called "Look Don't Listen", I thought that it was too obvious, and just basic common sense, that everyone knows. However, when I put it into practice, I found that it is a real skill which has to be learned and applied.
Observing what is really there, observing what is obvious and not taking anything for granted or making any assumptions, will save you time and can prevent costly errors. If you are an IT Administrator you might have experienced what I mean, while trying to help one of your users.
To give you a better idea of what I am talking about and which way this article is heading, allow me to tell you a story, a real instance, which happened a few weeks ago.
I got a call from one of our clients who had a problem with a printer. The printer wouldn't print anymore and the user came up with the idea of reformatting the hard drive and re-installing Windows and all other applications (probably nothing you would consider). As I needed to see them anyway I got them to wait "fixing the problem" until my arrival.
As I had adapted for life this little sentence "Look Don't Listen", I just started to look. Is the computer turned on? - OK. Is the printer turned on? - OK. Is paper in the printer? - OK. It almost sounds too easy, as the next step already showed the problem and was fixed within a second. You may not believe this, but it really happened. Is the printer connected to the PC? - NO!!
The printer was not connected to the PC. That was all that was wrong and after plugging the printers USB connection into the USB port of the PC, printing was no longer a problem. For the user and the other staff around it looked like a miracle and nobody could believe that the printer was not connected to the PC. But nobody had checked that before, you see what I mean?
Look Don't Listen! Observe the obvious. Like a pilot, you could write yourself a checklist, which you can follow in order to locate and handle any problem or situation. Start with the obvious. Has the PC got power? Is the PC switched on? Things like that take only seconds and can save you hours.
Unfortunately when it comes to fixing a computer hardware problem most tasks are not as obvious. You can't look into a memory chip or you can't look into a graphics card or the processor. Those inabilities of the human perceptions can make these tasks more difficult and will lead, at least in many cases, to assumptions and actions of trial and error. Take the RAM out and replace it. If it works fine, great, if not try something else. This approach is very time consuming and may not find all of the PCs problems in one go.
It would be great if we could get a special type of glasses, which allowed you to look into the computer's hardware - if only they existed! To get an aid which enables you to see and find exactly what is wrong with the machine. Something like 'X-Ray specs' for PC hardware would probably be of help.
Luckily for us though, there is help of this kind available and I wouldn't want to be without it anymore. The "glasses" and X-Ray for fixing your computer or even to validate a new build as fully functional is called "Micro-Scope". As the name already implies it provides you with in-depth information about your computers hardware. MicroScope or its bigger brother Universal Toolkit, have been developed to do exactly that for you - to help you to look into your hardware and end the guessing game. Do yourself a favour - Look Don't Listen! Use the Toolkit and start saving your valuable time and money.
Karlheinz Schneider
The Virtual Workforce Company Ltd.
www.thevirtualworkforce.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Software or Hardware?
When faced with a computer problem, the first thing to determine is whether we actually need to solve the problem, or just get the system going again. This may sound like a cop-out, but the fact is many times the best handling for a computer failure is just to reboot and forget about it.
For instance, many soft errors are caused by cosmic rays. These are completely random, and that same exact error will probably never occur again. Trying to pinpoint the error is fruitless, because the memory will test 'good'. The best course of action is to reboot and get on with the show. Of course there are such things as intermittent errors, so if it happens repeatedly you will want to track down the source of it.
Once you've decided that there really is a problem, you've reached a fork in the road. Is it a hardware problem or a software problem? If you knew exactly what was causing the problem this would be an easy question to answer, but usually at this stage you won't know. However, you must decide what to pursue first, and if you guess wrong the result at best will be a lot of wasted time.
This is where a good diagnostic program like Micro-Scope really comes into its own. In just a couple of minutes you can test all of the major hardware components and either narrow the problem down to one of them for further testing, or eliminate hardware as the source of the problem. If you have eliminated hardware as the cause, then the problem must be software. Elementary, my Dear Watson!
One thing to be aware of when running a diagnostic program is that most of them are loaded under either the DOS or Windows operating system. As you will see in Volume 3, these operating systems are designed to handle all sorts of hardware management details in the background so that the user and the application do not have to deal with them directly. This is normally very convenient, but not exactly what you want when trying to test the hardware. And if the problem lies with the operating system itself, one of these diagnostics may have a very difficult time sorting out whether it's really a hardware or software problem, if indeed the diagnostic will run at all.
The answer to eliminating interference from the operating system is to use a diagnostic that is Operating System Independent. Such a diagnostic actually has its own operating system just to run the diagnostic, and this operating system will be designed to give the user and the diagnostic application direct access to the hardware, rather than trying to shield them from it.
To load an OS-independent diagnostic, you will need to turn off the system, put the diagnostic CD/diskette in the CD/floppy drive, and then turn the system back on. It will boot up with the diagnostic's OS in charge rather than DOS or Windows.
By the way, there is one pattern that is usually hardware-related, and that is a system that boots up just fine in the morning and works for a few minutes before crashing. Then it must be turned off for a while before it can boot up and run for a few more minutes. The problem here is probably heat, and the most likely culprit is a failing CPU fan. If the fan checks OK then make sure the vents are not blocked, either from something next to the cabinet or internally from dust.
OUR GUARANTEE <- Click Here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* You have permission to reprint the above article, or any of our other articles. Use it in your ezine, on your website or in your newsletter. The only requirement is including the following footer with it;
* Article by Micro 2000 Inc. Visit our Tech Tips Database Website for more original content like this. Reprinting this article is permitted with this footer included.
Sep 1, 2005
Website or Ezine Content
Are you looking for articles or content for your ezine or website?
Take a look at our Tech Tips - great advice and tips on a variety of different topics such as computer repair, fault finding PCs, the internet, Windows, networking and more.
http://www.micro2000uk.co.uk/techtips/techtips.htm
Take a look at our Tech Tips - great advice and tips on a variety of different topics such as computer repair, fault finding PCs, the internet, Windows, networking and more.
http://www.micro2000uk.co.uk/techtips/techtips.htm
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