Ask Dacs
February 2006

Q. (AskDacs@dacs.org) I bought two external hard drives on eBay that were supposed to be the Maxtor One-Touch models. They work fine except when copying very large files like image backups. I get a “Delayed Write Error” alert and my system stops the backup. I have to cancel out of the backup and lose the files. I suspect that the electronic interface panel on the external hard drive case is not a true One-Touch circuit even though the drive itself is a Maxtor drive. I have worked with tech support at Maxtor, Microsoft and ATI (there was some suspicion that the ATI Graphics driver may be at issue.) There has not been any resolution so I am wondering if there is a “true” external drive as opposed to a “clone” that is reliable.

A. There was a suggestion from the floor that it may have something to do with heat, as external drives are notorious for getting hot. However, a search on Google found this thread - http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/22061/?o=80 which goes back several years but has been updated as recently as Feb 10th. There is a commonality between all of the problems reported – ATI’s video driver, but also various Windows Registery settings. The most recent post (Feb 10) reports a stable system after setting the Page File to “System Managed File”, a minimum of 2MB, a recommended size of 1.5 RAM, “Adjust for best performance” set to “Background Services” instead of “Programs”. There is a registry setting for LargeSystemCache which if set to 1 instead of 0 caused many systems to crash upon booting – some wouldn’t even boot in safe mode. To recover from that required the use of a bootable environment such as Ultimate Boot CD (http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/ ) or Bart’s PE (http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/ ).

Q. I have a machine that is running Windows 98 SE which often reports “Illegal Operation” – the cursor follows the mouse, but I can’t click on anything, start anything, shutdown properly, etc.

A. First, try to boot it in Safe Mode – after seeing the memory check, but before you see the Windows logo, press the F8 key to get a character-based screen that offers boot options. Select SAFE MODE. Safe Mode loads a very base-line machine with generic drivers – for example, it will come up with just a VGA rather than SVGA display. It will also take a long time to boot. Once in, try START / RUN / SFC.EXE (OK) to run the System File Checker. It will scan your machine, and if it finds a damaged file it will ask for the Windows CD to repair it. If that fails, then try starting in SAFE MODE WITH CD ROM SUPPORT. Re-run SETUP from the CD and see if it offers a repair install. In some cases, just booting into Safe Mode and then shutting down the computer will perform the fix as Safe Mode re-creates paging and cache files that may have been corrupted. Another thing to look at is what is being started when the machine boots – if you have an un-invited guest program (i.e. virus, spyware, etc. ) it could be causing a problem. From Safe Mode, in START / RUN load the program MSCONFIG and examine the STARTUP items. Disable anything that is not immediately recognizable and then boot the machine. Upon restart you will be given a warning about selective startup – continue without re-booting again and see what happens. Some things (such as, say CD burner) may not work. Use Google to identify items that you have disabled, and one-by-one re-enable them and boot after each item is re-enabled. Eventually you may find the guilty party.

Q. I live just over the state line in Verizon territory. My dial-up connection is very slow and full of static. I am running around 12kb thoughput. What can be done?

A. The phone company normally only says that they will support 28kb throughput. You just have to keep complaining about static – eventually they will probably switch the pairs within the cable that are assigned to your circuit. A problem that I had years ago was in the line that came from the pole to the service box on the side of the house – it passed within a foot or so of a large tree branch and over time the wires within the line developed a crack from slapping against the tree when the wind was blowing. The service tech finally found the problem by looping a rope over the line and tugging on the rope. That created the static. He ran a new line via a different route (an intermediate pole that the power and cable company used) and the problem was cured. Note that all of this assumes that the problem is between the service box on the side of the house (or just inside) and the central office. For phone service installed within the last 20 years or so you will have a Network Interface Device (http://www.homephonewiring.com/nid.html ) which you may plug a telephone into which lets you determine whether the problem is on the network side of your circuit or within your home wiring.

Q. I’ve seen a lot of references to Grisoft’s AVG, especially their free edition. Is it any good?

A. As long as the signature files are kept absolutely up-to-date, there is little to differentiate the various anti-virus programs other than ease-of-use, interface, etc. Grisoft is a widely popular anti-virus package that has a no-frills free edition available for home use ( http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1 ) Our resident anti-virus guru recommends F-Secure (http://www.f-secure.com/ ) and Kaspersky (http://www.kaspersky.com/) . I have found that the ‘big name’ anti-virus companies whose products are often pre-installed on machines are sorely lacking in support, and often bog the system down with so many additional features that the computer becomes unusable.

Q. I am looking into purchasing an LCD flat panel for computer usage. How do I read the manufacturer’s specifications?

A. Unlike CRT-based displays which can change their scan rate etc., LCD flat-panel displays actually only have one real resolution available – this is known as the native resolution. Other resolutions are available via emulation in the video driver where the software simulates the resolution. Common native resolutions are: 14-15": 1024x768 (XGA) , 17-19": 1280x1024 (SXGA), 20"+: 1600x1200 (UXGA), 19” (Widescreen): 1440x900 (WXGA+), 20” (Widescreen): 1680x1050 (WSXGA+), 24” (Widescreen): 1920x1200 (WUXGA) , 30” (Widescreen): 2560x1600. The only way to see what works for you is to do an in-store evaluation. Note also that you may change some of the settings in Windows for such things as menu text size, icon size, etc.

Q. I got an e-mail warning me about a PowerPoint presentation/attachment named “Life Is Beautiful”. Is there any truth to it?
A. This is one of many hoaxes. When ever I get one of these, the first thing I do is a Google search, including the word ‘hoax’. So the search “LIFE BEAUTIFUL HOAX” brought up this page: http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/lifevirus.html . Another good site to visit is http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org which debunks many hoaxes as well as does a good job of telling you how to recognize them when they come in.

Q. I have acquired an old ThinkPad with a blank hard drive. I’ve installed Windows but it didn’t recognize much of the hardware – network adapter, modem, video adapter etc. How do I identify the components within so that I can get the correct drivers?

A. For any machine made in the last 5 years (or more) the manufacturers will have a support web site that has model-specific information. More often than not, if you go to the brand’s site and look for SUPPORT and then DRIVERS you will be given the opportunity to enter the model number (or serial number) of the computer and be taken to a page which lists the components and their drivers. Usually there will be choice of drivers depending upon which operating system you are using. You will have to download the drivers and get them onto the target computer – perhaps via a CD, USB flash drive, etc. I usually address the network adapter first, as that lets me get other drivers directly. Hint: before you change any driver, create a system restore point – START / PROGRAMS / ACCESSORIES / SYSTEM RESTORE and select “Create a Restore Point”. This way, if you happen to install the wrong driver you can roll back to where you were with ease.

Q. My Norton Internet Security 2005 won’t automatically update, but does if I force a manual update. It keeps thinking that I have a dial-up connection where I actually have broadband. How do I fix this?

A. Norton makes use of what it thinks are the appropriate internet access settings. In the Windows Control Panel, go to Internet Options and then Connections. Make sure that you have “Never Dial a Connection” option selected which implies that you have a permanently available (i.e. broadband or via a LAN) connection.