dacs.doc electric

Random Access

Instant Replay: June 1999

Bruce Preston, Moderator

Q. I live in Danbury and am wondering if some of the telephone exchanges are capable of better transmission rates than others. I cannot get a connection better than 28.8. Could you ask the membership for typical connection speeds? I have used the 3Com line test number, and it reports
that my line will not support speeds better than 28.8.

A. We had about 50 people in the audience with V.90 modems representing the following exchanges--725, 726, 743, 746, 748, 778--that report reliable connections anywhere from 28.8 to a high of 50K. The distribution was fairly uniform as far as speeds attainable for the various exchanges. Here are some suggestions and comments: First, present FCC regulations restrict
the signal strength that your ISP's modem may put on the circuit, so the best you can get on download is about 53K. The 56K technology is also asymmetrical: The high speed is only for downloading, which for Internet service is what you would typically want. Next, the signal clarity degrades quickly, so that if you are more than about three miles from your telephone "central office," you won't be able to reach the maximum rate. This section of your connection, usually wired with regular copper and called the "local loop," is the weakest link in the connection. Once the signal reaches the central office it is changed from analog to digital (except for a very few offices that are still all-analog) and should remain digital all of the way to the ISP. You may test you local loop by calling a service number provided by 3Com/US Robotics (visit http://www.3com.com/56k /need4_56k/linetest.html for instructions on how to perform the test.

Q. I have a Dell Pentium-II that came with McAfee Anti-Virus. I went to The McAfee Web site to download an update, but I can't identify which version I have. How do I identify the version?

A. There are several ways to find out, which vary from vendor to vendor. Try clicking (or right- clicking) on the icon in the system tray. There may be an "About" item, or a HELP menu item which usually has an "About" sub-menu. This traditionally shows the version. Another way is to find the program using Windows Explorer. Look in WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp, and
right-click on the item. Go to the Properties menu item, then the VERSION page and you will find the version number.

Q. I have a floppy drive that I can't use to read anymore. It typically says that the diskette is unformatted. The diskette is OK on other machines.

A. One of several things could be causing this. One (rare) possibility is that you were hit with a virus that damages the Windows floppy disk driver. To see if this is the case, boot DOS instead of Windows (press F8 as soon as you see the "Starting Windows" message after power-on). Then see if you can read/write the floppy. If yes, then you have a Windows problem; if not, then it is probably a hardware problem. A new 1.44MB floppy costs about $20 plus installation. Another possibility is that the drive is out of alignment. If that is the case, then the drive can probably format a diskette and then read/write the diskette, but other machines won't be able to work with diskettes created by the drive. Lastly, it is possible that the drive just needs a cleaning. You can get a non-abrasive cleaning
diskette which has a fabric insert that you wet with a cleaning fluid. You then try to "read" the drive, which causes the insert to spin and clean the drive heads. Then remove the cleaning disk, wait for the cleaning fluid to evaporate (as per the instructions) and then try the drive.

Q. I am running a 100Base-T Ethernet network, with three Windows 98 machines as a peer-to-peer network. Two of the machines (P-II 300 and Cyrix 333) can read/write to each other, but they can not see the third machine (it happens to be a P-II 450). The machines are in the same workgroup and have the same protocol stacks.

A. The only explanation that came from the group was that there may be an incompatiblity between the network cards, or the cards and the hub. They also suggested that you check out your patch cables, and/or that you get a "cross-over" cable and try connecting two machines without the hub in the middle.

Q. I have a laptop machine that is not able to print anymore. The machine is running Windows 95, and at one time had a Connectix videocamera attached to the printer port, although that is not connected at the time.

A. Just removing the videocamera wouldn't be enough to make the printer available if the software driver is still loaded. You have several choices: You could use the "Hardware Configuration Profile" feature in Windows 9x to create a "printer" and a "camera" configuration; you then select which you want when you boot. The driver for the device that you are not using would then not be loaded. Alternatively, if you don't use the camera on the laptop machine, you could just remove the software via the control panel / system / device manager, or control panel / add/remove software. Which to use is a function of the software's configuration. If you take this route, remember that you typically have to turn the machine off completely and then restart it for driver changes to take place.

Q. What controls the "pecking order" for various file formats? Specifically, I can't seem to control which helper application takes control when I want to access certain multimedia files on the Internet.

A. In your browser, take a look at HELP / About Plug-Ins to see which application has taken over control of which file formats.

Q. I have a Motorola LifeStyle 28.8 modem on my notebook machine. I do not have an installation diskette or CD with software/drivers for it. How do I tweak the best performance out of it?

A. Make sure that you have the drivers specifically for the device. Start by looking at the Motorola Web site. A search at http://search.motorola.com using "LifeStyle modem driver" took us to http://www.mot.com/MIMS/ISG/Products/lifestyle288internal/faqs.html with a lot of information about your modem and how to resolve issues. If you can't find it there, try www.driverguide.com. You will need to "register" by filling out a questionnaire, but you may opt out of receiving their e-mails and newsletters. The site does not actually have the drivers; rather it contains a user-supported/ contributed database of links to the sites that contain the drivers.

Q. We just signed up for cable modem access in Wilton and would like to know about others using cable modems. Do you really get the good speed?

A. Several members have cable modem access and report good speeds most of the time. Some reported degradation at some times of the day; for example, a Wilton user reported that schools with connections tend to bog down the system for about an hour in mid-morning.

Q. Can you suggest a source for a personal firewall?

A. Take a look at AtGuard from WRQ.

Random Access

Instant Replay: June 1999

*Bruce Preston, Moderator*
Q. I live in Danbury and am wondering if some of the telephone exchanges are capable of better transmission rates than others. I cannot get a connection better than 28.8. Could you ask the membership for typical connection speeds? I have used the 3Com line test number, and it reports that my line will not support speeds better than 28.8. A. We had about 50 people in the audience with V.90 modems representing the following exchanges--725, 726, 743, 746, 748, 778--that report reliable connections anywhere from 28.8 to a high of 50K. The distribution was fairly uniform as far as speeds attainable for the various exchanges. Here are some suggestions and comments: First, present FCC regulations restrict the signal strength that your ISP's modem may put on the circuit, so the best you can get on download is about 53K. The 56K technology is also asymmetrical: The high speed is only for downloading, which for Internet service is what you would typically want. Next, the signal clarity degrades quickly, so that if you are more than about three miles from your telephone "central office," you won't be able to reach the maximum rate. This section of your connection, usually wired with regular copper and called the "local loop," is the weakest link in the connection. Once the signal reaches the central office it is changed from analog to digital (except for a very few offices that are still all-analog) and should remain digital all of the way to the ISP. You may test you local loop by calling a service number provided by 3Com/US Robotics (visit http://www.3com.com/56k /need4_56k/linetest.html for instructions on how to perform the test. Q. I have a Dell Pentium-II that came with McAfee Anti-Virus. I went to The McAfee Web site to download an update, but I can't identify which version I have. How do I identify the version? A. There are several ways to find out, which vary from vendor to vendor. Try clicking (or right- clicking) on the icon in the system tray. There may be an "About" item, or a HELP menu item which usually has an "About" sub-menu. This traditionally shows the version. Another way is to find the program using Windows Explorer. Look in WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp, and right-click on the item. Go to the Properties menu item, then the VERSION page and you will find the version number. Q. I have a floppy drive that I can't use to read anymore. It typically says that the diskette is unformatted. The diskette is OK on other machines. A. One of several things could be causing this. One (rare) possibility is that you were hit with a virus that damages the Windows floppy disk driver. To see if this is the case, boot DOS instead of Windows (press F8 as soon as you see the "Starting Windows" message after power-on). Then see if you can read/write the floppy. If yes, then you have a Windows problem; if not, then it is probably a hardware problem. A new 1.44MB floppy costs about $20 plus installation. Another possibility is that the drive is out of alignment. If that is the case, then the drive can probably format a diskette and then read/write the diskette, but other machines won't be able to work with diskettes created by the drive. Lastly, it is possible that the drive just needs a cleaning. You can get a non-abrasive cleaning diskette which has a fabric insert that you wet with a cleaning fluid. You then try to "read" the drive, which causes the insert to spin and clean the drive heads. Then remove the cleaning disk, wait for the cleaning fluid to evaporate (as per the instructions) and then try the drive. Q. I am running a 100Base-T Ethernet network, with three Windows 98 machines as a peer-to-peer network. Two of the machines (P-II 300 and Cyrix 333) can read/write to each other, but they can not see the third machine (it happens to be a P-II 450). The machines are in the same workgroup and have the same protocol stacks. A. The only explanation that came from the group was that there may be an incompatiblity between the network cards, or the cards and the hub. They also suggested that you check out your patch cables, and/or that you get a "cross-over" cable and try connecting two machines without the hub in the middle. Q. I have a laptop machine that is not able to print anymore. The machine is running Windows 95, and at one time had a Connectix videocamera attached to the printer port, although that is not connected at the time. A. Just removing the videocamera wouldn't be enough to make the printer available if the software driver is still loaded. You have several choices: You could use the "Hardware Configuration Profile" feature in Windows 9x to create a "printer" and a "camera" configuration; you then select which you want when you boot. The driver for the device that you are not using would then not be loaded. Alternatively, if you don't use the camera on the laptop machine, you could just remove the software via the control panel / system / device manager, or control panel / add/remove software. Which to use is a function of the software's configuration. If you take this route, remember that you typically have to turn the machine off completely and then restart it for driver changes to take place. Q. What controls the "pecking order" for various file formats? Specifically, I can't seem to control which helper application takes control when I want to access certain multimedia files on the Internet. A. In your browser, take a look at HELP / About Plug-Ins to see which application has taken over control of which file formats. Q. I have a Motorola LifeStyle 28.8 modem on my notebook machine. I do not have an installation diskette or CD with software/drivers for it. How do I tweak the best performance out of it? A. Make sure that you have the drivers specifically for the device. Start by looking at the Motorola Web site. A search at http://search.motorola.com using "LifeStyle modem driver" took us to http://www.mot.com/MIMS/ISG/Products/lifestyle288internal/faqs.html with a lot of information about your modem and how to resolve issues. If you can't find it there, try www.driverguide.com. You will need to "register" by filling out a questionnaire, but you may opt out of receiving their e-mails and newsletters. The site does not actually have the drivers; rather it contains a user-supported/ contributed database of links to the sites that contain the drivers. Q. We just signed up for cable modem access in Wilton and would like to know about others using cable modems. Do you really get the good speed? A. Several members have cable modem access and report good speeds most of the time. Some reported degradation at some times of the day; for example, a Wilton user reported that schools with connections tend to bog down the system for about an hour in mid-morning. Q. Can you suggest a source for a personal firewall? A. Take a look at AtGuard from WRQ.

Bruce Preston is president of West Mountain Systems, Inc., a consultancy specializing in database technology. In addition to moderating the Random Access sessions during the General Meeting, he is a member of the DACS Board of Directors and is the chair of the DACS MS Access SIG.