dacs.doc electric

Random Access

Instant Replay: November 1999

Bruce Preston, Moderator

 

FOLLOW-UP: Last month we had a problem installing Quark on a PC: It hung during SETUP. Since then, the member has reported that Quark's help desk identified the problem as being an incompatibility with the HP Printer Driver/Monitor that was running on the machine. The workaround was to temporarily set the printer to not be the default printer, to perform the installation and then reset the printer as the default. This is an example of why software vendors request that you stop all running programs before installing new software. In this case the "program" was one of those utilities that show up as an icon in the system tray (next to the clock on the task bar.)

Q. How do I install 128-bit encryption in either Netscape or Internet Explorer?

A. Download the 128-bit encryption version from Netscape. It is not a plug-in. In IE it is a plug-in module. There had been restrictions on export of the 128-bit version, and some have reported thaat certain ISPs (such as Woodbury Telephone Company) were not recognized as being domestic U.S. and thus Netscape would not download the 128-bit version. If you have this problem, contact your ISP for a workaround. Also, the site www.fortify.net has a download that will upgrade Netscape 3, 4, and Communicator to 128-bit encryption.

Q. I am looking for an Uninterruptible Power Supply for my machine. How big a unit do I need?

A. It depends upon two things: how much of your system you need to keep running, and for how long. For the first, you typically need to keep the system unit itself and the monitor running (so you can see what you are doing while you shut the system down). You definitely do not want to keep a laser printer running-it consumes more power than your system unit and monitor combined. (Note we said "laser," not "inkjet"-type printer.) A typical PC has a 200- to 250-watt power supply. Figure another 200 watts for the display. Thus a 400- to 500-watt battery backup unit should be ample. The second issue is how long you need to run on battery backup. The popular and recommended (by members at the meeting) APC (American Power Conversion) units such as the BackUPS 400 or BackUPS 500 should be good for 15 minutes, more than enough to keep the unit running long enough to save your files and close down the system. Other items to look for on an uninterruptible power supply are whether the rechargeable batteries within the unit are user-replaceable, or whether the unit must be shipped to the manufacturer or service organization for replacement. The batteries should be good for four to five years.

For slightly more money, there are "smart" devices, which are able to signal the PC (typically through a serial port connection) that they have gone to battery mode. Software in the PC detects the signal and initiates the shutdown procedure, signaling each program to save files and terminate. The software is usually provided free by the vendor, but often it must be downloaded.

Q. I downloaded Netscape Communicator 4.5 last spring. A month or two after I started using it, all of the names in my address book disappeared, even though it still knows the addresses since it offers them up if I start to type them. Where is it?

A. The address book is typically in the file C:\Program Files\Netscape\Navigator\Address.htm (substitute Communicator if you are using Communicator.) If you copy the file to a .TXT type file, you can then open it with NotePad or WordPad and view the contents. There is a possibility that something in the file, such as a missing font, has messed it up, "white on white" text color, etc. The reason you want to change it to .TXT file type is that many word processors will "interpret" an .HTM file and show it to you as a Web page, which in this case is not what you want to do. If you know HTML you might be able to determine what is wrong, otherwise you may have to print the page out and then re-enter the names into a new address book.

Q. I have a Pentium Processor running on a Windows 98 machine. I just got the Windows 2000 CD at the Microsoft presentation last month, and when I run it, it suggests that I install it on a separate partition. What does that mean?

A. First the "why" they suggest that you use a separate partition: The Windows 2000 Release Candidate 2 is essentially a "beta" version, meaning that Microsoft is still testing it, looking for problems, and is recruiting you to help test it. They are recommending that you put it in a completely separate area of your hard disk so that if something goes wrong, you don't wipe out your "real" system. Now for what a separate partition is. Think of the physical hard disk in your machine as a filing cabinet. Usually, the hard disk is set up with one partition, equivalent to a single drawer in the filing cabinet that ills the cabinet. When your system was first set up, the builder/installer may have elected to divide the hard disk into two or more "logical" parts, or partitions, equivalent to two or more drawers in the filing cabinet. Your machine was most probably built with only one partition, probably known as Drive C:. Now for the bad news. Until recently, once a physical drive had been partitioned and data loaded upon it, the drive could not be repartitioned (i.e. converted from a one-drawer filing cabinet to a two-drawer filing cabinet) without performing a process (FDISK and FORMAT) that erased the entire contents of the hard disk. The good news is that there is now a third-party software product, Partition Magic from PowerQuest, which can repartition the drive without loss of data, should you want to do so.

Q. Has anyone loaded Windows 2000, and what have been your experiences?

A. Several members had installed it without problems. Some did it "over" Windows 95: It added a "boot manager" capability where it prompts at boot time, "Which Operating System do you want to use?" It did not create or offer to create a partition. On a "clean" hard drive, you cannot install from MS-DOS; you have to make a four-diskette set that you use to boot the machine, and then you install Windows 2000. In this case, you do not get a boot manager option. The issue of putting it on a separate partition came up at the presentation by Microsoft, where they recommended that you use a separate partition. The installation does not offer or provide a mechanism for repartitioning a drive while preserving data.

Q. Word is going around AT&T WorldNet that "certificates" are going to expire at the end of 1999. What does this mean?

A. These "certificates" are used by various e-commerce utilities and are associated with your machine. They are like cookies, used only when you use certain "shop-over-the-Internet" resources. If you update your browser the certificates will be renewed. Alternatively, if after they expire you get blocked from shopping, visit the certificate issuing authority (such as Verisign) to get new certificates.

Q. Speaking of expiring, the Windows 2000 Release Candidate 2 is supposed to expire after a certain amount of use. Does anyone know when?

A. One of the ReadMe files says 444 days after installation. By that time the production release and several service packs (bug fixes) should be out.

Q. I have a desktop machine and a notebook machine, both using Outlook Express. Can I keep the address books synchronized? By the way, I have LapLink available and use it to synchronize other files.

A. You can export the address book from one machine and import it to the other. Alternatively, LapLink can synchronize one file to the other, but we would first suggest the Microsoft-approved method of using Export and Import. The files are of type .WAB

Q. What is the designation of the latest Intel motherboard chip set that supports the 133 bus speed?

A. It's the i820 Chipset, but hold back, there have been problems. It isn't mature enough to use. Check Intel's Web site for specs.

Q. I upgraded a machine from Windows 95 to Windows 98, and while at it I decided to go from the standard DOS-compatible FAT-16 file system to FAT-32. Before I told Windows 98 to make the change, I defragged the system. Afterward, I did another defrag, or attempted to do so, but the system kept locking up. What can I do? Right now the file system is sluggish?

A. As part of the process of going from FAT-16 to FAT-32, the files had to be relocated in pieces and then reassembled, thus the disk got fragmented again. We are told that the defrag process in FAT-32 can get upset (read: system lockup) if the screensaver kicks in, so try disabling it first. Also, if any application is running and modifies data, then defrag detects that the drive has changed again. You want the machine really idle: Use the Task Manager (Ctrl- Alt-Del) to get a list of running applications. The only things that you need are Explorer and SysTray. Note that Explorer, not Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer, is the "shell" that gives you the Desktop and Start button. Another way to keep other apps from starting is to hold down the Shift key while Windows is starting. Then with the machine free of running applications, do the defrag.

Q. I have a ThinkPad that boots fine when I use it as a standalone but hangs during boot with the floppy drive running when I start it in the docking station.

A. It sounds like a configuration problem. Try starting the machine in "Safe Mode," and let it boot to a steady machine state. Then check for device errors in My Computer/Control Panel/System/Device Manager. Sometimes bringing up the machine in Safe Mode and then shutting down will resolve problems. If these simple things don't do it, contact IBM's support line.

Q. My machine has its original hard drive, plus a second drive. I now want to replace the first (small) hard drive. Should I "move" the second hard drive to make it the first hard drive, and then add the second hard drive, or put the new drive in as the primary (boot) drive?

A. The new drive, being a considerably faster drive, should probably be the boot drive. You will have to build it as if building a new machine. To do this, you will need to create a bootable floppy drive and (for Windows 95) probably install your CD-ROM device drivers. Once you can boot the machine from the floppy drive and see the CD-ROM drive, you are ready. Put the new drive in as the "master" on your primary controller. Power up the machine, and make sure that your BIOS recognizes the new drive. If it does, proceed with the boot from the floppy. Install Windows. (Now might be a good time to upgrade to Windows 98 SE.) If you are using an upgrade CD of Windows 95 or 98, you will have to put a "qualifying" product in either the floppy or CD drive when requested. One "downer" will be that you will also have to reinstall all of your application software. Since you will be starting with a new system registry file, none of you applications will be registered, even if they are loaded on your second physical hard drive. But the performance boost that you get should make the effort worth it.


Bruce Preston is president of West Mountain Systems, a consultancy in Ridgefield, CT, specializing in database applications. A DACS director and moderator of the Random Access segment at the monthly general meetings, Bruce also leads the Access SIG. Members may send tech queries to Bruce at askdacs@aol.com. Responses will be published in the next issue of dacs.doc.

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