 | ||
 |
|
||||
| Feedback | Subscribe/Unsubscribe to this Newsletter | Back Issues of this Newsletter | 37211 PC Users Group Home Page
View this page in:
| Francais
| Deutsch
| Italiano
| Português
| Español
Just a few "Golden Nuggets" of info that I've mined from the internet
********************************************************
1) Free software and services
2) Articles:
3) Search Engines
4) Web page development
5) Web Sites
6) Problems and Solutions:
7) Hardware
----------------------------------------------------------------
http://wisdom-soft.com/products/screenhunter.htm
http://pcusers.org/pcfree.html
ScreenHunter 2.0 is a fast, easy and ultimate screen capture tool. With a
single keystroke, you can capture anything you see on your screen to a
graphic file, send it directly to the printer, or email it. Options include
a rectangle, a round area, control objects, such as buttons, menus and
toolbars, any window or full screen with the mouse pointer. You can also
capture DirectX program and screen saver screens.
http://www.inklineglobal.com/index.html
http://pcusers.org/pcfree.html
Oligo is a free adware browser window management system for Internet
Explorer 4.0 and above. It has the following features:
- Customize its look to fit your personality
- Launch multiple websites with 1 click
- Customize every website with a skin
- Customize the font & color properties for each of your favorite websites
- Launch multiple websites with different skins
- Position your browser exactly in the size and position you want on your
desktop
- Design your own browser with irregular shapes
- Position your buttons anywhere you want when you design your browser
----------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.systemlogic.net/articles/01/1/raid/
http://pcusers.org/pcreference.html#resources
RAID: An In-Depth Guide To RAID Technology
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,41333,00.html
Panda Anti-virus was suspended from the anti-virus industry's
information-sharing networks for announcing a new "worm" to the public
without first notifying the others in the network or letting them have
samples of the worm.
http://www.sharkyextreme.com/hardware/guides/memory_perf/
http://pcusers.org/pcreference.html#resources
SDRAM Memory Performance Guide. This guide illustrates the basics of SDRAM
performance settings, such as system BIOS memory options and memory
frequencies, as well as some tips on how to determine the optimum settings
for your PC
For those of you who have tried MSN Explorer only to find that you cannot use Outlook Express for POP e-mail. Try the following:
http://go.msn.com/svcs/2/31.asp
How to get back to using POP3 e-mail.
http://go.msn.com/svcs/2/32.asp
How to make Outlook Express their primary e-mail client.
----------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.searchshots.com
http://pcusers.org/pcreference.html#search
Searchshots.com. A new kind of search engine that uses the Open Directory
and allows you to see a thumbnail picture and text description of each of
the sites that it finds. A picture is sometimes worth a thousand words, so
this engine could really speed up your searches by allowing you to visually
eliminate non-relevant sites. Since the Open Directory has 1.3 million
pages, you generally get a good search result.
I did a search at Searchshots.com using "37211" as a keyword. The 37211 PC Users web site came up as a result. The thumbnail picture of the home page had enough detail (good thing I use large fonts on that page) so that it would allow a person to make an informed decision.
I was curious as to how a flash page would be depicted. I did a keyword search using "Flash" and of the 12 sites depicted on the first page there were five that showed blank. Apparently they were demonstrating flash on their sites and it did not work for the thumbnail.
Another good feature is that if you do multiple searches while visiting the site, the search results for each keyword is kept in a virtual folder with an index tab at the top of the screen. This allows you to quickly jump back to previous searches.
This is definitely a keeper search engine and one that I will add to the web site pages.
----------------------------------------------------------------
http://html.about.com/compute/html/library/weekly/aa091498.htm
http://pcusers.org/pcwebhead.html
Browsing on the Bleeding Edge. When and how to use special effects on your
web page.
http://html.about.com/compute/html/library/weekly/aa111000a.htm
http://pcusers.org/pcwebhead.html
Your First Style Sheet.
----------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.learn2type.com/
http://pcusers.org/pcfree.html
Learn 2 Type is a FREE Web site that helps you master the skills of
touch-typing. Whether you're a typing expert or just a "hunt & peck"
beginner, the interactive exercises you'll find here automatically adjust to
your skill level. The better you get, the more challenging the exercises
become. You can come and go as you please and pick up right where you left
off.
http://pcusers.org
Changes to the 37211 web site:
- A Tech24.com search window has been placed on the Techy page
- Glen Worden's information on the Members Helping Others page has been changed. He now works at the Edmonson Pike Branch of the library in the adult services. The phone number is 880-3957. Glen is a "charter member" of our 37211 PC Users group and is very knowlegable about on-line information and computer services offered by the libary.
- A text link has been added to top of each page to the Searchshots.com search engine. ----------------------------------------------------------------
In this article Roger gives us the details on a problem with bad RAM and how persistance paid off.
RAM CATASTROPHE
"I had catastrophic problems recently. Bad RAM causing all kinds of errors, which I didn't identify until it was quite late. Jack got me a slightly-used 128-MB PC-100 DIMM replacement for $50!"
"But even after replacing the RAM, I still had to deal with the file and Registry corruptions that occurred as a result of running with all those memory errors. Even with the new GOOD RAM, the file and Registry corruptions were causing all kinds of havoc when running, because the system was now trying to run corrupted code off the disk drives. I was getting re-install failures, application crashes, system lockups, spontaneous reboots, etc. And they were rapidly accelerating!"
"Yes, I DID consider reformatting and re-installing at one point, but I didn't want to trust the compressed data backups, now knowing that they were probably made while the defective RAM was installed."
"Instead, I ran Norton WinDoctor, the Registry repair tool. Predictably, it crashed every time, but I found that after each crash, with Scandisk or Norton Disk Doctor fixing the resulting disk errors, WinDoctor fixed ONE MORE critical Registry problem. I ran WinDoctor repeatedly (I lost count, how many times.) It ran a LITTLE FARTHER toward completion each time. So, the changes must have been saved in spite of the crashes. I persisted and persisted, and eventually got to the point where WinDoctor ran to completion six times, consistently reporting no Registry errors, and both WinDoctor and Scandisk reported no disk errors."
"I then ran Windows 98 System File Checker (SFC*) to detect system file corruption. SFC kept locking up consistently before this, even with the good RAM module. But after the Registry was fixed, it ran normally, reporting 50+ (maybe even close to 100) critical system files corrupted! I restored them from the Win98 CD."
"I then re-ran Disk Doctor, and it reported then 69% of the C drive fragmented, due to the file restorations. I redefragged (is that a word?) my drives, and now I seem to be back to actually running normally again! I've been on uptime for almost 14 hours without a single symptom. I'm even running extra utilities in the System Tray to stress-test the system. If I left a message window open for over 30 minutes, Outlook used to crash -- I have one open for over 3 hours, and Outlook is running fine. In the end, I only lost my Norton LiveUpdates eligibility, which I'll remedy with a call to Symantec Support."
*SFC.exe is not included in Windows 95, and a major bug was fixed in Windows 98SE.
LESSONS: DETECTING RAM FAILURE
"RAM failure is well-known to hardware techs, but is practically unfamiliar to most home users. Backup, system go-back, or system self-repair (WinMe) or diagnostic (e.g. Norton) tools can't protect against RAM failure, because their own operations are affected by the memory malfunction."
"It pays to pay attention to recurring symptoms, however minor. One of the first indications I saw of my failing RAM was missing characters and out-of-place long lines in professionally edited e-mail newsletters. I didn't heed it, and presumed that they were caused by the EarthLink mail server, or a DSL hiccup -- in other words, somewhere else, not on my system."
"I also began to notice persistent memory leaks over time (seen in Explorer, Help, About,) which I thought was just caused by the Outlook 2000 code, which had a reputation for recurrent memory leaks that come and go with updates. NOT!"
"The first positive indicator came when I had to Restart in DOS Mode. Himem.sys loaded with the /TESTMEM:ON switch, and it reported "Himem.sys has detected unreliable memory at address 0400000E" I got the same results three times in a row. Next, I ran Simmtester.com's free DocMemory tool (there's a link to it on the PCusers Tech page) and it confirmed failure during the MAT+ testing phase (whatever that means.) DocMemory took a lot longer to find the defective memory, however, while Himem.sys (which is the high-memory manager, and probably only tests the range it uses for itself) found it within seconds. That was probably my good luck that the affected range was in the high memory."
"I now consider the Himem.sys switch an important option. The Windows 98 Startup Disk runs Himem.sys with /TESTMEM:OFF. It's a mystery, why Windows 98 only uses that option for Restart in DOS Mode, since running the test only takes a few seconds. I changed it in my Startup Disk, and added the /VERBOSE switch for even more status messages. In the Config.sys file on my Startup Disk, the line now reads: "
DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:ON /VERBOSE
"Pay heed to trivial but recurrent corruptions in documents. If you know that they're not mere typos, and aren't familiar with computer hardware, consult somebody."
"Take memory leaks seriously. Monitor your memory levels occasionally. There are links to information about this on the 37211 PC Users site [do a search using http://www.pcusers.org/wgindex.html ]. Finally, I offer this as a possible success story for the encouragement of those having system problems, even serious ones. Persistence -- methodical persistence, and then more persistence -- does pay off."
----------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.maximumpc.com/content/2001/01/23/12516
Double Trouble: Here Comes Quad Band Memory. Kentron Technologies' new
memory technology doubles the read and write speed of DDR memory, which
means a memory speed four times the front side bus speed.
********************************************************
This newsletter is sponsored by the 37211 PC Users Group. All comments,
suggestions or submissions should be sent to david.donoho@pcusers.org.
Guidelines for submission of articles are at http://pcusers.org/articlesubmit.html .
The Dave's Diggins newsletter subscription list is not publicly accessible nor is it provided or sold to anyone for any other purpose.
Disclaimer: The tips and other information provided in the Dave's Diggins' newsletter are believed to be accurate, but we cannot and do not guarantee that all the information listed within or linked from, this publication will work on all systems, for all users, at all times. All information herein is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind. Neither the 37211 PC Users Group, nor its officers and contributors are responsible for any loss, injury, or damage, direct or consequential, resulting from application of any information presented here.
| ||
|
|
||||