Andromeda43

on printer cable's wire its somethings like a 2.5 cm cylinder also with plastic covering, (also i saw it on LCD cables too ), i heard that it is for NOISE, but i dont know is it right or not and i wana know more, if its possible , please be in detail. thanks to reply me Abbas It's a Ferrite core placed there to stop parasitic signals (electrical noise) from traveling up and down the cable. Those have been used on various data cables, power supply lines, etc., for more years than I can remember. It's a GOOD thing. Be glad it's there. B)

And you don't want to use the best partitioning program on the planet ( PM8 ) .....WHY? If you don't want to buy it, you could probably borrow it from a friend. B)

Good news for all the die-hard Spybot S&D users. After several years of waiting for the new version of Spybot, it's HERE! If you have version 1.4 already set up on your PC, the new Ver 1.5 will install right over it and keep all your custom settings. I downloaded it just this morning and I'm sure glad to have it. Don't forget to "IMMUNIZE" every time you get an update. I think they are still posting updates on Wednesdays. Stay Safe, Get those updates! Andromeda43 B)

Nero Express is the stripped down version of Nero that comes with a new Burner. It will only work properly with that very same burner.....not another make or model. So, did you get Nero with your burner or did you acquire it elsewhere? If you buy the full retail version of Nero, it will work with any make of burner. I tried version 7 but didn't like it at all and deleted it and reinstalled Nero 6.x. I've used only the full retail versions of Nero, for many years now. Never had any problems with it that I didn't create myself. Before running Nero to make a CD or DVD, I first shut down all running programs on my PC. I use a little utility called "End It All 2" to accomplish this feat. Then I NEVER burn any disk at full speed. Whether its a 24x or a 56x CD, I always burn them at 16x or less. A slower burn is always a better burn. Using the above technique, I've not burned a 'Coaster' in years. Good Luck to you, Me B)

The poll was a bit short, wasn't it? What about Windows Defrag? Well, actually, I don't use that either. I make a Ghost backup of my C: drive, verify the backup, and then I do a Ghost restore of the Image file I just made. All files are re-written to the HD in the order they were added to the Ghost Image. There is NO spaces between files and of course NO fragmentation. So in less than 15 minutes, I've got my Ghost backup made and my HD perfectly defragmented. And I didn't have to load my HD up with a worthless Defragmentation program. This is the way MainFrame computers have been defragged for more years than I can count......long before PC's needed it. So if you add "Ghost" to the poll list, I'll vote for that. Cheers Mates! B)

The basic answer to the question is "NO". That DVD was made to restore its version of windows and all the special drivers for the laptop to that EXACT Laptop and no other. Send the disk to the person that has the laptop. If they have a problem and need to restore it, they'll need that DVD and only that particular DVD will work. If you want to add Vista to the PC you have, go buy it. Vista is a horrible OS and why anyone with a working computer would want to screw it up by installing Vista, is beyond me. Do the person with the laptop a really big favor and send them that DVD. I'm sure they will thank you for it. Cheers Mates! Me B)

For the 32 bit versions of Vista, AVG 7.5 FREE, anti-virus, that we've been using for ages, works just fine. For the 64 bit Ultimate version of Vista, you would need the Full Retail version of AVG. I have both and use both. I install the FREE version for all my customers getting new PC's with Vista pre-installed. They love the automatic daily update feature. Get the free one here: World famous AVG FREE will keep your computer free of viruses, trojans, dialers, etc. By default, it updates and scans for viruses on a daily basis. AVG 7.5 FREE, can be downloaded from: http://free.grisoft.com/doc/5390/lng/us/tpl/v5 Scroll down the page to "FREE Downloads" and then click on: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 7.5 That takes you to the next page where you can select: avg75free_485a1117.exe (or the currently posted version) Save the file to your desktop and run the install from there. If you have an older version of AVG free already installed, use the 'Repair Install' option when installing v. 7.5. Immediately get updates. More than one may be required. ************************************* I hope that will help you. It's FREE, give it a try. Cheers Mates! Andromeda43 B)

To properly answer your original question, the actual updates DO NOT store on your HD. The update is held like a temporary file till it installs then the uninstall file is created and the update itself is NO MORE. If the update didn't cause any problems on your PC, the uninstall file can then be deleted. In the same Windows folder with the uninstall files there are KBxxxxx.log files that can also be deleted. I just took a chance the first time I deleted these files, and so far I've seen no downside to doing it. Good Luck, ME B)

Shades, If you read many internet forums you will find a re-occurring theme. Norton is a terrible resource hog and a program that does NOT find and remove anywhere near ALL of the viruses currently out there. It also interferes with many other windows programs and utilities. Any technician worth his salt is very well experienced with Norton Removal (see my signature line). I remove Norton from every computer I work on. For several years now, I've been using AVG 7.5 FREE (anti virus) and I also install it for all my customers. Everyone who uses it, learns quickly to love its simplicity and its effectiveness. The automatic daily upgrade doesn't hurt either. You can download AVG from the link in this entry (from my own security url list on my website) ANTI-VIRUS PROTECTION: AVG 7.5 FREE: World famous AVG FREE will keep your computer free of viruses, trojans, dialers, etc. By default, it updates and scans for viruses on a daily basis. AVG 7.5 FREE, can be downloaded from: http://free.grisoft.com/doc/5390/lng/us/tpl/v5 Scroll down the page to "FREE Downloads" and then click on: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 7.5 That takes you to the next page where you can select: avg75free_485a1117.exe (or the currently posted version) Save the file to your desktop and run the install from there. If you have an older version of AVG free already installed, use the 'Repair Install' option when installing v. 7.5. Immediately get updates. More than one may be required. Good Luck and Happy Computing, Andromeda43 B)

In all versions of windows thru XP, you can edit all your desktop options, like background color, Icon size and text box size. I regularly make my icons small, the text 9 or 10 point and then open up the text box from 48 widgets to 60 or more wide. Then limit the name on the icon so it fits in the larger box without truncation. You don't need a whole sentence to describe an icon. Two or three words will usually do it nicely. Often just one word will do it. Don't let the easy stuff get you down. ME B)

Years before the PC and the word "Defrag" entered into our vocabulary, I and other Mainframe techs were doing what amounts to a defrag but we didn't call it that. The old hard drives got fragmented and had holes in the data pattern just like modern drives do. We'd just copy everything to another drive or tape and then reformat the HD and copy everything back. Voila! NO fragmentation and no holes. I employ that same regimen today with my 200 gig SATA2 drives. I first clean up the drive, removing every file possible that's not needed. I even delete the pagefile and old restore files and of course all the temp files. I do that with batch files on my Ghost boot disk. Then, I make a Ghost backup image of my C: drive and save it to D:. Then I verify the integrity of that file, again using Ghost's "Check" option. Then when I know the Image file is viable, I do an Immediate RESTORE of that file back to C:. The entire drive is rewritten as if it were new. All the files are in perfect order and of course there is NO spaces and NO fragmentation. When I'm done and check the drive in Windows Defrag, it looks something like this: In less than fifteen minutes, I've backed up my entire C: drive and done a great defrag. The green area at the end of the blue data, is the Pagefile, remade by windows on the first boot after the Restore. It don't get much better'n that! B)

God, I love that. Great humor!!!! If I were writing a "How To----" on ways to screw up a perfectly good computer, allowing I.E.7 to ever install itself on the 'puter would be right at the top of the list. I had to remove it from my own PC and the PC's of many of my customers because it screwed up Outlook Express and other things. Even after running the uninstall in Add/Remove programs, and I.E.6 took over, I still had to go into the options in O.E.6 and fix all that I.E.7 had screwed up. I.E.7......the modern day ME. Another screw up from Microshaft!

Forgetaboutit! You also can't buy a brand new '51 Studebaker. And, why would you want to? In my business, I regularly see people with 20 to 30 gigs of stuff on their Xp hard drives. That's C: drive, and there will be more on D: if they have one. Ten gig or even twenty gig drives have not been made in YEARS! Any one you find will be used and abused and ready to crash. Another problem with the old drives, is that they are slower than molasses. As HD's got bigger, they also got faster. The only caveat is that if you're also using an OLD mobo, it probably won't support a large HD of over 40 gigs. Good Luck, B)

The following are tweaks to 98/SE to increase performance, which I've used for years, and still do. ******************************************** Tweak Win 98,or '98/SE, to make it run more effeciently: 1: START---Settings---Control Panel Double Click "System" Click "Performance" tab Click "File System" Button Set, "Typical Role of this computer" to 'Network Server' Click the Apply button Then: Click the "Floppy Disk" tab Un-Check the little box in 'Settings' window Click "Apply",,,,,,then click OK Click OK again (this change will become permanent after a Re-Boot 2: START---RUN--- type in Sysedit , and then press ENTER Maximize the "System Configuration Editor" window Maximize the "System.ini" window Scroll down till you can see the entire [386Enh] grouping Place your mouse cursor on the first blank line at the bottom of the group Then, type in the following line.... ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1 (type the line exactly as shown,,,with NO spaces and caps where I've put them) Then press enter. The above line will help Windows to use RAM more effectively. Click "File" in the upper left corner of the Editor window. Then click "SAVE" Close the Editor window and Re-Boot your computer. After a re-start, windows will now operate at 15% to 30% faster and more efficient than it did before. ******************************************8 Good Luck, B)

Worlds slowest? Well, maybe not, but my dial up connection (sometimes) gives me downloads in the xx bytes range. Yes I said "bytes"....not killobytes or magabytes. Some days, my "Wild Blue" satellite connection isn't a lot better. The only good thing about a dial up connection is that it stays connected right through thunder storms... the Satellite doesn't!!! Happy Computing! B)

I have purchased the new Adaware 2007. Immediately I was disappointed in it, as the download manager seemed to be buggy. That seems to have been fixed with the latest program updates, but the overall user interface is much more complicated than the good old AdAware SE/Personal. For the tech-types, IT Specialists, etc., its not so bad, but for the little ol' blue haired ladies, it would be daunting enough for them to just not use it at all. It does have a great set of command line options, so it can be run from a batchfile as well as the GUI. For what seems like forever, AdAware has been part of a "Team". The other member of that team has been and still is "Spybot Search & Destroy". Each of the two programs seems to go after slightly different forms of malware, but when used together, they do a very good job of keeping a PC Spyware/Adware free. The old AdAware SE/Personal is still being maintained by Lavasoft, with regular updates, so those that like it and want to keep on using it.....NO Problem. Happy Computing, B)

System Restore not working is NOT a new problem. I've had a fix for that somewhere, but right now, I can't find it. So I googled the problem, "Fix System Restore". That should always be your first step to fixing any problem in windows. Anyway, there are over 3 million responses to that query. Try it.....I'm sure you'll find the answer you need. Have you tried running "SFC /scannow" ??? That will repair any system files that have gotten messed up or deleted. good luck, B)

John, Y'all are Welcome heah, y'heah? Just read the RULES very carefully.....then read them again. Ga. eh? I'm just down the road in FL. Y'all come back now, Y'heah? B)

Almost daily, I get a phone call from someone who's just about in tears, trying to get help from their PC manufacturer. "Computer Support" is becoming a Conundrum. If the person answering the phone actually knew something, you couldn't understand him anyway. But usually he's just reading a script from his monitor, in his very broken and highly accented version of English. One word they all seem to understand and speak real well is, "Format". Say "Hello" to MS's newest customer support rep. Click B)

Benners, At the insistence of my dear uncle Sam, I spent two + years in Stuttgart Germany, at the 5th General Hospital. I know nothing of the taxes or cost of living there, since I lived on-post and everything was FREE. I found the German people to be very nice and for the most part friendly to Americans. The coffee and gasoline were very expensive but the beer was cheap enough and that's about all I ever drank there. Even back in 1962, most young Germans spoke at least some English and were always eager to try it out on any willing subject. I probably wouldn't want to actually live there, but I'd sure like to go back for a couple of months on vacation. Especially for "Octoberfest". God, I do love their roasted chicken and fest beer! Good luck to you and try to make the most of the experience. I did! B)

Thanks Oscar, I work at least a dozen or more forums, trying the best I can with my mere 27 years of PC experience, to be of some help, assistance or at least consolation to those in need. For the most part, I'm pretty well respected all across the internet and worldwide. I'm even a Global Moderator on one very well respected forum. However, when I come to THIS forum, I know dang'd well I'm going to get flamed or bad-mouthed by some a-hole or another and the so-called Admins won't do a dang'd thing about it. As for the ME defrag. It WAS revamped or whatever you may want to call it. It looks the same as the 98 Defrag, but actually is about 50 bytes smaller and DOES run faster. I've always suspected that they cut out some redundancy in the program. Whether it's truly 10x faster on everyones PC or not is up for discussion. I always ran "End It ALL" (to shut down all running programs) before doing my system maintenance, so Defrag had full use of the CPU and Ram without having to compete with other programs. That alone can make a big difference on how efficiently any program like Defrag or a CD Burning program will run. As they say in the Automobile industry, "your mileage may vary". Y'all have a great day now, Y'hear? B)

Essentially, that's true and not just hearsay.....BUT.....there are at least four different builds of Ghost 2003 (or so I've been told) and each one has different capabilities as to compatibility with various motherboards and drive types. For instance the build 754 cannot see drives on AMD 939 and AM2 mobo's, while build 793 can. I'm currently using both Ghost 2003 build 793 and Ghost 8.2, Build 1331. They look exactly the same on the screen, but have greatly differing capabilities. This latest build is actually the size of an entire floppy disk, so the whole program cannot be run from a single floppy. I set it up on a 64 meg flash drive and then made a bootable CD off of it. I'll share that with any legal owner of Ghost. Ghost will work with SATA drives just as easily as IDE's and will even write to DVD's, flash drives and USB hard drives. I recently made a Ghost image of my SATA II HD ( C: ) to my new "I/O-Magic" 6 gig flash drive. A little slow....but it worked just fine. Whatever the mobo sees (in DOS), Ghost 2003 will also see and probably write to as well. Most new mobos will present a SATA drive to Ghost just like an IDE drive. Likewise any USB drive. Since I like doing backups from a DOS boot disk and I like being able to clean up my FAT-32 hard drives from batch files on my ghost boot disk, NO other program that I've ever tried even comes close to meeting my requirements. By deleting all the junk files including my Pagefile.sys before running Ghost, I save about 2 gigs of space in my backup Image File. Try doing that with any other Backup Imaging program. After I do a Ghost backup of C:, I verify the backup and then do an immediate Restore of the Backup file. This re-writes all the data on C: in the same orderly manner in which it was read and entered into the backup image file. This re-write represents the most fabulous Defrag that you could even imagine. It's basically how I used to defrag the big drives on mainframe computers. I've helped users worldwide set up their own Ghost Backup routines and they all just love how quick, easy and efficient it is. I can back up my entire C: drive to D: (my second HD partition) in just five minutes with FAST compression. Cheers! B)

The question would have to be, "How can a digital recording fade?" One's and Zero's can't FADE. If a drive gets old and cannot read the disks properly, then there may be problems that come up in the replay of old disks. The life expectancy of most CD's that are burned at home is about 20+ years. I doubt you have any that old. But what could have well happened, is that the laser diode in your reader is getting old and the frequency of the light it emits has drifted off center. A new drive would probably play those older disks just fine. Skipping is usually caused by a PC that's just too "Busy" to play a CD/DVD without interruptions. Shut down all running programs on your PC before trying to play a CD/DVD. A PC that's in good condition and not just too "Busy", should NEVER skip while playing a disk. Cheers mates! B)

Let me address the original question. "Is diet caffeine-free soda dangerous?" The caffeine free aspect is not dangerous, but what took the place of good ol' SUGAR to make it Sugar Free (DIET) ??? There are thousands of testimonials all over the internet about how dangerous "Aspartame" is. That's the preferred sweetener used in almost all Diet Sodas. (Coke does have one diet soda with Splenda.) At one time, Aspartame was declared "Poison" by the USDA, then in the dark of night a few years back, it all of a sudden became OK. Can you say, "Big PayOff!". Being a Diabetic, my options for flavorful soft drinks is somewhat limited. The Coke with Splenda is way too sweet for my taste. Diet Coke with Lime is real tasty, (and makes a good mixer for Whiskey or Southern Comfort) but drinking a lot of it puts way too much Aspartame into my system. I've recently removed that from my diet all together. So recently I've come up with a workable solution. (no pun intended) I buy unsweetened "Kool Aid" and sweeten it myself with Splenda. No Caffeine, NO poisonous Aspartame and NO sugar. Plus, I can change the flavor with each pitcher, so I don't get burned out on just one taste. I'm having some right now......mmmmmmmm! Delicious! I'd rather have a cold beer, but that blows my blood sugar levels right through the roof! But, beer is actually its own food group. It's really very nourishing and could actually sustain life all by itself. Just too much sugar for us diabetics. (although, I still have one or two, occasionally) Cheers Mates! B)

ECS mobo's are extremely low in quality. If it even runs, count your blessings and don't mess with it. Having only room for one gig of ram pretty well Dates it.....don't ya think? Good luck with it, by the way...... B)