Treeman

Ah Dell & the restore CD . . . well if you post what the file is that's missing, someone here may be able to help you out. Also which version of XP are you using SP-1 or SP-2? Treeman

Oops, I forgot to mention Simply Accounting. I tried that one also, but It too was overkill for my modest needs. I think I'll look at some shareware versions at tucows.com Thanks Sven. Treeman

A better description of the actual card would help find a driver, ie; model # Pinnacle has a users forum at: Pinnacle You may want to post there. Treeman

O.K., Here's my finance software needs: 1. The application must not feel it's more important than my operating system. 2. I don't want an invasive web-hooked application like the big guys; ie: Microsoft Money, Quickbooks, Peachtree. (although updates to the software is allowed) 3. I want some password security for the application. I used to use Kiplinger's Simply Money, and that fit my needs: Tracking Income vs Expenses. The ability to have a couple of seperate accounts. Some simple charting or graphs. I do not balance my checkbook, my online bank does that. (I just round-up to the nearest dollar in my checkbook, drives my wife nuts!) So, if you know of a financial application that just simply does it's job, without push technology form the internet, please let me know about what you use. Thanks, Treeman

The drive is the Maxtor 3000DV, Firewire only. Thanks for the tech support though. B) Treeman

After SP2 dorked Firewire 1394 with the "certified" drivers they knew I just had to have for security reasons, my external firewire drive went dead. I fixed the problem myself by renaming the SP2.cab files to SP2_dead.cab and reinstalling the SP1 drivers for my firewire pci card. (if you don't rename the SP2 folder in Windows, it will autmatically re-install the SP2 drivers . . . more security) The files I changed to SP1 were; 1394bus.sys, ohci1394.sys, arp1394.sys, & nic1394.sys. After I did that, I was able to access the external drive through Windows Explorer. I can format/write/read/and use a 3rd. party backup utility to backup to the drive. But Wait! When you fix something, the rule is: something else will break. MMC/Disk Management. If I use this utility, it hangs, then reports that Drive E: Maxtor is unreadable; 0 bytes/ 0 data / this drive is working properly! No help from Maxtor or MS support. So I'm stumped. The hint is that SP2 really looks at firewire 1394 as a network device, and yes you can network computers with it. But what is blocking the MMC Console from seeing my #@%*#$ external drive? Thanks, Treeman

Yup, I don't get how it was a "security," update. I do know it kills 1394a (400mbs) and the new 1394b (800mbs.) I'm slowly fixing this mess on 3 computers, all have firewire. The Computer Management Console > Disk Management, ala new SP2 drivers, (signed) is still showing my external drive as "unreadable." I wonder if it's a group policy that's protecting me from the dangers of an external "networked," drive? Just a thought. Jump in anytime. Treeman

I had no idea why my firewire bus got dorked by updating to SP2, and MS couldn't figure it out either. (external Maxtor HD, DV Camcorder not working, computer hangs on shut-down) I did find the fix at this web site: Firewire I followed the instructions and now I can write, read, format, and defrag this external drive. It involved setting back the system drivers for ohci1394 to Sp-1 drivers. The only fly in my soup now is in Computer Management, Disk Manager. It says the external drive is, "unreadable, this device is working properly." I hope the link provided helps out folks with firewire, to get it back to a normal state. Maybe someone could shed some light on the disk management problem! Thanks, Treeman

Posted twice for some reason! Sorry Treeman

Well I found out the problem! XP SP2 nukes Firewire devices on your computer, thanks MS. Seems that the firewire drivers for both 1394a & 1394b get's dorked by SP2. An 800mbs. 1394b firewire transfer rate now runs at 100mbs. The suggested fix is to replace SP2 firewire drivers with SP1 drivers. The effect this had on my computer was to make my external Maxtor firewire hard drive unusable. It messed up the bridgeing on the drive so it's unreadable but working properly according to disk management. I have heard that firewire camcorders will no longer work under SP2 because of the system file changes as well. I will get back to you in a new post when I get the definative hack to fix this problem. Oh yeah, when I disconnected the external drive, the system now shuts down normally. 1 step forward, 2 steps back! Treeman

Hi Folks, Thanks for your tips! The "Hive," fix didn't change anything & I've tried the registry tweak in the past. The only problem with forcing XP to timeout faster is that some programs and services don't get enough time to end properly. Yes I do have SP2 installed, along with updated Nero, Nod32, and Audigy files needed to run in XP SP2. Still no luck! I'll keep tinkering away to see what is slowing this critter down. I know it's not a critical problem, but you get used to something working a certain way, add a little patch from MS, and things get dorked. Thanks for the feedback so far. Treeman

I guess I have the opposite problem of folks that have a slow boot-up of XP SP2. Mine boots normally, but on shut down you could hear my two Raptor HD's "park," and the computer would shut down immediatly. Now it goes past that point and takes an extra 10-15 seconds to shut down. One of my friends said he thinks it's SP2 clearing cached data in memory after the drives stop spinning. Me, I'm not so sure. There is no pronounced router activity, spyware, viruses, etc. Maybe it's a bug! Any theories will be entertained. Treeman

Thanks prathapml, I prefer stand alone products since I use Nod32, Spybot, Pest Patrol, well you get the picture. Spy Sweeper seems to have the goods I'm looking for so far. I just contacted thier tech support to see if XP SP2 has been giving them any problems. We'll see how long it takes them to get back to me. (one day and counting) Treeman

Coolsites2000, Thanks for the review & suggestion. I run Spybot & Ad-Aware also. I don't go to very many off world sites, mostly mainstream stuff. The only problem I've found with the blocking software ie; Spybot, is too much interaction, especially when the wife is using the computer. (grin) I'll get, "Honey, a screen just popped up and it's asking me to allow something, what do I do?" That usually means a trek upstairs to discover that Spybot didn't like an active X control or some other silly nonsense. I'd like to find a spyware/malware program that is smart enough to block spyware, keyloggers, etc., update it's sig files, and be able to scan multiple drives, without asking for validation every time I click on website. Now SP2 is dorking around asking me stupid questions too! If you know of such an animal please provide a link. Thanks, Treeman

Thanks Folks, I went with Any Password. It was indeed the simple solution. Password Manager XP was o.k., but I didn't like the way it interfaced with IE. That browser has enough problems as it is! Thanks for your help, Treeman

ISLANDIA, N.Y., August 16, 2004 - Computer Associates International, Inc. (NYSE: CA) today announced the acquisition of PestPatrol, a privately held provider of anti-spyware solutions, in an all-cash transaction. Financial details were not disclosed. Great! I guess us folks that ponied up $39.95 for Pest Patrol will end up with the short end of the stick. No notification from Pest Patrol, so I guess it's "buyer beware." Just thought forum readers should know. Treeman

Try the research page at: Pest Patrol Treeman

Seems like I get this one about every two weeks. Pest Patrol is reviewing a log file I downloaded to them, I'll post back what they find. Just curiuos if anyone else has had a problem with this one? Treeman

Thanks Gamehead, But I need a database that will let me view / customise passwords for dozens of online websites. Something like this: Password Manager XP Treeman

Hi Folks, After finding two keystroke loggers and other pests with Pest Patrol this week, I figure it's time to quit using the same password everywhere! Just wondering, 'cause I'm looking for a good password generator / database application, that uses high encryption, is easy to use, and doesn't contain spyware. (some websites boast about spyware not being included!) Thanks! What do MSFN users use & recommend? Treeman

Hey, I think I found what I was looking for: SmartDraw Treeman

Thanks Jaclaz, I downloaded the trial and will check it out. Treeman P.S. What's Latex

Try this out: Casper XP™ makes it a snap to keep a bootable backup of your Windows XP system. Just use Casper XP to copy your system hard disk to another hard disk. If your system hard disk fails or becomes corrupted, simply boot your computer directly from your other hard disk (i.e. your backup hard disk) and you're up and running again in a matter of minutes. It really is that simple. Casper XP I use it . . . going from my raid /0 sata (C:/ drive) and saving the entire disk to an ide drive (removable) It takes 7 minutes to format & copy to the ide drive. Treeman

Thanks Finrod, I already have Office XP installed on this machine. I was looking for a stand-alone application. One that has the look and feel of a Windows User Interface. I'll keep looking though, and thanks for your feedback! Treeman

I used to have Visio before MS bought the program, & I really liked its simplicity. Now I'm not a cheapskate, but $499 bucks seems a little steep for Visio! Is there a CAD like program that works well with XP, and has the basics? For me, it's akin to needing a publishing program like MS Publisher. The program does all you need for making flyers, brochures, etc., it's simple to learn and has some templates you can use if needed. I want to be able to draw lines and have the measurements show while drawing. Have some basic shapes that can be dragged & dropped, and file formats that can be used to save my drawings too, so other programs can use them. Your recommendations are appreciated! Treeman