dacs.doc electric

Random Access
November 2002

Bruce Preseton, moderator

Members who are unable to attend the General Meeting may submit questions to "askdacs@dacs.org" by the day prior to the meeting. We will attempt to get an answer for you. Please provide enough detail, as we will not be able to ask for additional information. Q. My web browsers (IE or Netscape) refuse to play the sounds associated with video clips. When I use a different computer, they play fine. What might it be? A. It sounds like (excuse the pun) one of the audio codecs has not been installed properly—perhaps it was damaged during an attempt to perform a Windows Update. We suggest that you re-install Windows Media Player, or Real Player One. Q. My Norton Firewall flashes a warning that says "Backdoor/Sub Seven is attempting to access your computer..." Is this a legitimate request by a software company attempting to update their software, or should I block it. A. Backdoor/Sub Seven is a trojan program that is trying to break into a compromised machine, which it will then take control of. Once in, it could do most anything—most often it is used as a zombie for a Distributed Denial of Service attacks (DDOS attack) on some site. Block it! Q. When I run Windows 98 disk defrag, it runs OK on drive D, but stops at 1% of drive C. How can I get it to run to completion? A. You might try Executive Software's DisKeeper. Or you might try running in Safe Mode, as you won't have other applications (including anti-virus) running that might be playing with your hard disk. Be sure that you have run a Scan Disk prior to running Defrag. You could also bring up Task Manager (Ctrl-Alt-Del) you will get a list of applications running—you really only need Explorer and SysTray. Q. I have a new PC with a flat panel display. The manual with the display says "Don't touch it." Of course, somebody touched it. What can I use to clean it? A. The display may have a coating on it—you don't want to disturb it. I would suggest that you use a minimal amount of eyeglass cleaner on a soft cloth. Camera lens cleaner would also be safe to use. Do not use stronger cleaners, such as Windex or other cleaners with ammonia. Do not spray directly onto the panel—you don't want it to get so wet that it runs down the face of the device. Q. Could someone compare SNET DSL versus Comcast Cable? A. In general, DSL will be consistent in speed. Cable has the potential to be faster, but because it is shared bandwidth it can slow down as the number of users changes. When you get DSL, you can get the connection from SNET, but you do not need to use SNET as your ISP service. For example, MAGS.NET here in Danbury supports DSL as an ISP—the circuit is maintained by SNET, but MAGS.NET provides the connection. My next door neighbor has a ‘pure' SNET connection and has experienced multiple extended outages. I have not. Other comments: Some providers require that you load an additional protocol—PPPoE (Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet). It is unclear as to why they require this—it is just another layer that might break. The DSL/Cable Modem Router/Firewalls that are now available support PPPoE, so if you connect your broadband circuit to a home network, you do not need to install PPPoE on each machine. During the meeting there was then a discussion as to ‘always on'—some reported that with one or the other service this was not the case. It may be a function of whether you are supplied with a static IP address or not. Some vendors do not want to provide you with a static IP address as that would enable you to have a web server (or other service) visible to others on the internet. Q. When I start up Windows Explorer, or try to use most any program that uses the FILE OPEN dialog, I often get a hang. How do I fix it? A. In the Start Menu find the System File Checker—Start /Programs/Accessories/System/System File Checker—it will check to make sure that all of the system DLL (Dynamic Link Library) are proper. We suspect that you have a damaged DLL. Q. What are the differences between Windows XP Home and Windows XP Pro? A. The major differences have to do with support for features that would be used in a business environment. The first is that Windows XP Pro will make a connection to a DOMAIN (a set of computers and servers managed by a centralized "Domain" server—which consolidates the control of logons, permissions, etc.) Windows XP Home will still network in a peer-to-peer environment. The second major difference is the support of centralized management, where an administrator can force updates or software installs onto a machine from a server. The third major difference is that user ‘profiles' can follow the user from one machine to another. This includes the availability of installed programs that one user may be authorized to use, and another not. XP Pro can run server software, such as IIS. It also supports remote access. None of these are likely to be needed by a home user. There is no difference in performance. Q. I am going to donate a machine to a charity. How do I ‘sanitize' the hard disk? A. You might look at Disk Wipe from PGP. It is freeware for Windows. Visit http://web.mit.edu/network/WhatsNewWin.html Q. Does anyone have a DOS driver for an HP inkjet printer? I have an old DOS-only program I need to run once in a while, and I need to print. A. Many of the early inkjet printers had native support for the early HP LaserJet printers. You might be able to tell your DOS application that you have an HP LaserJet (or LJ-II) and be able to do basic printing. Q. How can I get information on hooking up a Web Cam such that I can have a ‘video phone'? A. Software comes bundled with many of the cameras. In addition, there are components in Net Meeting, Yahoo that work with a click. You also might look for ivisit at www.ivisit.com/ Q. I have two machines that are running Windows 98SE. They can see each other and exchange data. The second machine has dual boot, supporting Windows XP Pro. When I have Windows XP Pro running, I can ‘see' the other computer's icon but I can't do anything with it. A. First, make sure that you have the machines set up to share independent of the user's logon name—it is probable that the logon name(s) don't match in some way. Another possibility is that you have the internal firewall in Windows XP running.