September 2004 Archive

Cast your vote for the quality of our MP3 audio recordings. A higher bit rate provides better quality but larger files. 

In The News 

Microsoft is releasing the Starter Edition of Windows XP in more countries with Russia being the latest. This is basically, Windows XP Lite, a less functional and cheaper version of the operation system. It is only available on new computers, you can't buy it in a box. Microsoft charges only $36 for the Starter Edition as opposed to more than $70 it charges for other versions. 

The Starter Edition is Microsoft's response to the piracy of Windows - it is estimated that in poor countries 70% to 95% of the copies of Windows in use are pirated. Microsoft would rather get some money rather than none. The Starter edition only lets users run three programs at once and home networking has been removed from it.  

• Russia gets budget version of Windows September 27, 2004  CNET News.com Microsoft will release a low-price version of Windows in Russia by the end of the year, an effort to wean consumers in that country off pirated software and Linux. 
   
• Desktop Linux a vehicle for pirating Windows September 29, 2004 CNET News.com PCs running Linux are growing in popularity in part because they can be loaded with a pirated copy of Windows, according to a study from analyst Gartner. Around 80 percent of the time, Linux will be removed for a pirated copy of Windows. Pirated copies sell for around $1 in the streets of Shanghai and other cities in Asia and Eastern Europe. 

Verizon is expanding their high speed data network and it will now include parts of New York City. The network speed is  300K to 500K. Note that this wireless data network is separate and distinct from the WiFi networks provided by Verizon at many payphones. Access to the network requires a new modem and paying $80 a month. 

The city of Philadelphia will raise $10 million privately and make the entire city a WiFi hotspot. Joe said something does not smell right. The city will be competing with existing ISPs such as Verizon. 

In a move to force people to upgrade to Windows XP and thus generate revenue, Microsoft has decided to keep the new version of Internet Explorer exclusive to Windows XP. If you use Windows 2000, Me or 98 you are stuck with the older, less secure version of Internet Explorer. All the more reason to install the free Firefox web browser. 

• Microsoft: To secure IE, upgrade to XP  September 23, 2004  CNET News.com. Quoting: "Microsoft denied it was deliberately capitalizing on the Internet's security woes to stimulate demand for XP."

If you use Windows Update, you can get a bug fix (a.k.a. patch) just for the new JPG problem without getting all of Service Pack 2. This is not obvious from the web site, nor is it advertised. Both Joe and Hank suggested you get the Firefox browser, which is not vulnerable to JPG problem and in general is much safer than Internet Explorer. 

JP Morgan Chase is no longer outsourcing their IT. They were going to, but decided not to, to gain back quality. They recently acquired Bank One and will use existing Bank One staff. 

Windows XP SP2 

If you install SP2, beware that the Install might hang in the middle (see the checklist below of last week's show). 

If SP2 installs properly kick the tires. Try to get on the Internet to make sure you still can. If you have a wireless network be sure to test it. Also burn a CD. Easy CD Creator has a problem with SP2. Make sure you can run all your programs. Try your printer. Etc. etc. 

If there is a problem, should you un-install SP2 or try to work around the problem such as by getting a newer version of the program that no longer works. Hard to say, there is no one right answer. 

Frank reinstalled Windows XP. He downloaded all the patches and then lost Media Player. He could try Winamp instead of Media Player, many peopel prefer Winamp anyway. He could also try Windows Update to get a new copy of Media Player. He could also try to download it from the Microsoft download center. 

Andrew wants make laptop a personal TIVO (a.k.a. DVR or PVR). He wants to  capture TV shows and watch them on his laptop while traveling. There is lots of hardware for capturing TV shows as digital files on your computer from Hauppauge. You can do the capture on a desktop computer and then burn it to a DVD or video CD for use on the laptop. They also have a USB based video capture device that can be used with any computer.  

Dave installed Windows XP SP2 and some of the programs on his computer no longer work. This is to be expected. In general you can either switch to a competing program that does the same thing (but works well with SP2) or get a newer version of the broken program (if one is available) that hopefully will be compatible with SP2.  
 

In The News 

Any copy of Open Office.org installed after April 1, 2004 is subject to a lawsuit from Microsoft. This does not apply to Star Office from Sun.
   Can Microsoft Sue Open Office Users? Software giant's deal with Sun has raised some questions. IDG News Service September 16, 2004 

Microsoft has announced a critical flaw in much of its software. By simply looking at a maliciously formed JPG file you can open your computer to a great deal of danger. Read the articles below (especially the Microsoft Security Bulletin) to see if your machine is effected and download the appropriate patch if it is needed. Internet Explorer is vulnerable as is Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Office XP, Office 2003, Project, Visio, Picture It, Digital Image Pro and more. SP2 for Windows XP is not vulnerable. Joe couldn't find any reference to Firefox about this problem though it had a similar bug regarding BMP files. 
  Code to exploit Windows graphics flaw now public  CNET News.com September 22, 2004
  September 2004 Security Update for JPEG Processing (GDI+)  September 14, 2004 from Microsoft
  Buffer Overrun in JPEG Processing (GDI+) Could Allow Code Execution (833987) Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-028
 
The RIAA wants new rules to prevent satellite radio from being recorded. XM gives away a program called station ripper that lets you easily capture broadcasts from XM satellite radio transmissions. So too will Total Recorder, a $12 program we have recommended in the past. 

Sony will add MP3 support into some of their flash players. This ends Sony's long-standing insistence on only using its proprietary Atrac format. We can only assume they are losing market share. Only their flash devices will support MP3, not their larger capacity hard disk based devices such as minidisc players or recorders. Alfred felt this was a reaction to the iPod stealing their bacon.
   Sony to support MP3 CNet September 22, 2004

If you want to get a copy of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP you can order a CD from Microsoft. The CD is completely free, there is not even a shipping charge. 

Hank has tried to install SP2 a few times with mixed results - about half the installs were fine but half were problematic. On his wife's machine the install failed. 

There are a number of things you should do before installing Service Pack 2 for Windows XP

• SP2, the Upgrade You Need: Part 1 by Steve Bass in PC World magazine. January 12, 2005. The first of three articles. Fear not, this OS upgrade is not as scary as you might think. Read Part 2. 
• If you are a dial-up user, order the free CD from Microsoft
• Learn about SP2 at its home page at microsoft.com
• Read How to SAFELY upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2  by Patrick Crispen 
• Make sure you have enough free space on the C disk - at least 2 GB
• Check that your anti-virus program and firewall program work with SP2. Symantec has an SP2 Information Center. If you use any Symantec product take a look at this. The latest version of ZoneAlarm works fine with SP2, but older versions may not. 
• For every other program that you care about,  go to the vendor's web site and see what, if anything, they say about SP2.
• Microsoft has a list of 60 programs known to be impacted (work badly) by SP2
   Programs that are known to experience a loss of functionality when they run on a Windows XP Service Pack 2-based computer
  and also Some programs seem to stop working after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2
• Check your computer manufacturer's web site for information on SP2. For example, here is what Dell says about SP2
• What to Know Before You Download and Install Windows XP Service Pack 2 from Microsoft
• Installing Service Pack 2 (SP2) from Microsoft links to many articles 
• Is XP's Fix Safe? by Scott Spanbauer PC World magazine. Windows XP Service Pack 2 seems a smooth upgrade for most, but many are putting off installing Microsoft's big security patch anyway.
• Review the Release notes for Windows XP Service Pack 2 from Microsoft 
• Don't upgrade on top of a mess
  --Get rid of temporary files and clear out the web browser cache
  --Get rid of all viruses. For this we like housecall.antivirus.com. 
  --Get rid of Spyware. For this consider the free Spybot Search and Destroy and also the free Ad-aware. 
  --It also can't hurt to run a full Check Disk including checking for bad sectors
• What You Need to Know Before Installing SP2 on your Brand Name Computer from the WinXPnews newsletter. It has links to computer hardware vendor web sites with information specific to installing SP2 on their hardware. In the same vein see Get the Latest Updates and Information from Your PC Manufacturer Before Installing Windows XP Service Pack 2 from Microsoft. 
• Backup backup backup. First back up your most important data files. Then make a disk image backup (Acronis True Image, Drive Image, Ghost or a similar program) or copy the OS partition (Partition Magic or a similar program). System Restore is not sufficient (but it can't hurt to take a Restore Point before starting). You might be able to use GoBack to enable you to undo the SP2 installation but GoBack does not always work on all machines, so test it first.
• Turn off your anti-virus software just before starting to install SP2
• Turn off your anti-Spyware software too 
• Make sure only one user is logged on to the computer 
• For good luck reboot the machine just before installing SP2 and shut down all un-necessary applications and make a Restore Point 
• Scot Finnie has 60 Useful Windows XP SP2 Links which certainly rates a once-over 
• Any questions? Ask them now. You can call Microsoft for free help with SP2 at (888) SP2-HELP. The hours are Mon. - Fri. 5am. - 9pm., Sat. and Sun. 6am - 3 pm PDT. 

After installing SP2 

•  Run Windows Update first thing, to get all the bug fixes released after SP2. 
• You may also want to read Using programs and hardware with Service Pack 2 (SP2) from Microsoft. Quoting: "Now that you’ve installed SP2, you might notice that some programs and devices work differently. Get help with drivers, software updates, settings, and other compatibility issues. Learn more about why some programs work differently with SP2." You should insure that all the programs you care about still work. See if you can get online. See if your computer can still print. 
• What to do after installing Service Pack 2 (SP2) from Microsoft which includes: Hot topics about setting up SP2, Videos and how-to topics, Troubleshooting and customizing settings and Related Resources
• SP2 turns off ActiveX by default which may effect web sites that you use. To customize ActiveX security, start IE -> Internet Options -> Security tab. 
• If you use Outlook Express see Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 Part 4: E-mail Handling Technologies
• Tech Republic has a long list of SP2 related articles from Microsoft. 

If SP2 causes you problems 

• If you have problems with a WiFi network see How to troubleshoot wireless network connections in Windows XP Service Pack 2 from Microsoft and also Wireless LAN Enhancements in Windows XP Service Pack 2 from the Microsoft Cable Guy and Wireless Networking Improvements in Windows XP Service Pack 2 By Tony Northrup of Microsoft (October 5, 2004). You might also review the Microsoft WiFi home page for all their WiFi information. 
• If it goes very poorly, see How to remove Windows XP Service Pack 2 from your computer from Microsoft. (alternate link). Also see How to use the Automatic Recovery feature to recover your computer or your Tablet PC if the Windows XP Service Pack 2 Setup program is not completed successfully from Microsoft 

Update: David Pogue covered this exact topic in his newsletter of October 28, 2004. He recommends un-installing both your anti-virus program and your firewall program prior to installing SP2 and then re-installing them afterwards. Ugh. Also, he later amended his list so that these are the last things you do before installing SP2. 
Update: David Pogue wrote a follow-up article on November 4, 2004 with many gripes from people about the brutal hassle of installing SP2. 

Chris has a Handspring Treo that she hot-synchs to two different computers. After one synch all her data disappeared on both ends - from the Treo and from the computer. Then she synched with the other computer and lost all the data there too. There was nothing we could suggest. Normally you can recover from files that are deleted, but in the case the files still exist they just were clobbered. GoBack would have restored the computer files. Alfred pointed out that you should never use your last backup without backing it up first. 

A call complained of a slow computer. This could be any of a number of things, though these days Spyware and Adware has to be at the top of the list of suspected reasons. Hank suggested System Mechanic to clean out the registry - its a commercial product. Joe said to run Spybot and Ad-aware and Housecall from Trend Micro, but first backup all your important files. 

Joe called about a copy of Windows XP that won't start up, complaining about a file being either missing or corrupt. The best fix here is to run a Repair type install of Windows, but this requires a Windows CD which many computers don't ship with. His one year old Sony computer came with only Recovery CDs and Sony refused to give him a real Windows CD.  

A caller got his Windows XP SP2 free CD from Microsoft in only 1.5 weeks. Microsoft says it takes over 6 weeks.  

George wanted a recommendation for a cheap digital voice recorder. Hank said that WavePad (discussed on last week's show) is free. He warned against something like a small Olympus voice recorder because the audio quality, even for voice, was poor. The Sony minidisk is a good choice but it costs at least $250. A notebook computer also makes a great digital recorder. There is a sound recorder in Windows XP Professional but it is limited to only one minute. 

Alfred said there is a way to get around this but it was long. After the show he provided the following work-around: 

Open Sound Recorder. Record anything - silence is fine - for the full 60 seconds that it will permit. When the recording stops, choose Edit then Copy. Then choose Edit Insert to insert another 60 seconds. Repeat until the file is long enough, and then record your track.

Alfred recommended an alternative too. He suggests going to Digital Sound Planet and downloading their free Quartz Studio four-track digital sound recorder: 
  http://www.digitalsoundplanet.com/SoftwareHouse/Products/Quartz_Studio/Studio_Free/studio_free.phtml 
It takes a little effort to learn how to use it, but it's great. And you don't have to worry about track length limits.

A caller was running his own Windows 2000 Server IIS based web server program and only some people could get to a web page. One reason might be routing problems, that some people just can't get to his computer at all (you test this with Ping). Another reason might be DNS the system that translates names to IP address. In this case the problem was the same even when the server was referenced by IP address. It might be an IIS security issue, that it's rejecting some users on purpose. To be continued . . .  

Clarence is running Windows 98 and could not get a working DSL connection after spending hours on the phone with Verizon. There are two possibilities, either his location can't get DSL at all or its a Windows problem. With Windows 98, the operating system is always a likely suspect. To see if it is a DSL issue he should try borrowing a laptop computer from someone. If you live too far from the phone company switching station, DSL won't work. There are other phone network issues that also might prevent it from working. Verizon blamed Windows 98 as being too old. This is baloney. 

 

September 15, 2004 Show

audio archives

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Hank and Stevie were holding down the fort. 

In The News

Yesterday was "Patch Tuesday", the day of the month when Microsoft releases all their bug fixes. There were some doozies this time around. A whole host of Microsoft software has a big bug regarding JPG files. In the old days JPG pictures were always considered safe. We're not in Kansas anymore. 

So much software is affected by this JPG bug, that Microsoft had to write a program to scan your computer to see if you had any of their buggy software. Among the vulnerable software is Windows XP and many versions of Microsoft Office. Also Microsoft Picture-IT and the Word Perfect Converter. Be sure to set your anti-virus software to scan JPG files. Windows XP SP2 is not effected, but it may be running other software that is vulnerable. 

Hank told of the installation of SP2 that ruined the computer of this brother-in-law. 

The only good news here is that you can get the bug fix for the JPG problem without installing all of Service Pack 2. The new version of Windows Update has an Express and a Custom mode. If you chose Custom, you can skip SP2 and just get the current critical patches. 

Two studies were funded by the Ford Foundation. Between March 2001 and April 2004, 19% of the technology jobs have vanished. 

We have been big fans of the Firefox web browser. It's fast, free and safer than Internet Explorer. A new version was just released, v1.0 Preview Release. This version adds quite a few features and fixes bugs but is still considered not finished (thus the Preview Release).   

Music Match Jukebox is pretty good (said Hank). Its a free audio player that can also convert WAV files to MP3. However, the question becomes how much quality is needed for recordings of this show. The higher the quality the larger the MP3 files. We have a survey that you can take to tell us whether you prefer high, medium or low quality recordings. At 16 bits, a one hour show takes up about 7 megabytes. A 32 bit  recording is about 14 megabytes for a one hour show. We have also used 24 bit formats in the past.  

Interested in recording this show yourself to a CD? 

One interesting option is to feed a radio into a VCR and record it using the timer in the VCR. The audio quality is pretty good. 

Hank uses software called LP Ripper and LP Recorder from CFB. They are commercial products that cost under $55 combined. They came with a USB based sound converter. 

A free wave file editing alternative is WavePad which you can download at nch.com.au/wavepad. Despite the name, it supports many audio file formats. It can convert, on the fly, to MP3 format from an audio CD. Hank likes it a lot. WavePad can also eliminate pops and clicks from audio recordings. You can feed a radio into your computer and WavePad will convert the sound to MP3 files. 

Last week, we mentioned Core FTP as a good, free FTP program. After the show, a listener suggested Smart FTP a newly released free FTP program. Hank just started using it and hasn't yet formed an opinion, but it seems to have many bells and whistles. One thing though, it does not look and act like WS_FTP. 

Fergus asked about recording a live stream over the net. Hank said that both WavePad or LP Recorder can record on the fly. Be warned however, not to use the computer for other work. If your machine generates any noise, including error related beeps, they too will get recorded. Fergus suggested the Scansoft Realspeak screen reader which competes with ATT's natural voice. Realspeak has better quality and is more natural sounding than ATT natural voice. It is used by Wordread. 

Steve asked if Firefox has a problem with JPG pictures? The just released version 1.0 Preview Release does not. Earlier versions do.  

A caller complained that his computer could not read a floppy disk. Hank noted at all machines are not exactly the same when it comes to formatting floppy disks. The safest thing is to initially format the floppy disk on your computer, then give it someone else to add data to. 

A called asked about free anti-virus programs. Grisoft makes AVG. Avast is also free.  

Sam asked about software to download music. Hank mentioned Audacity a free program for audio recording software. Quoting from their web site 

Audacity is a free audio editor. You can record sounds, play sounds, import and export WAV, AIFF, Ogg Vorbis, and MP3 files, and more. Use it to edit your sounds using Cut, Copy and Paste (with unlimited Undo), mix tracks together, or apply effects to your recordings. It also has a built-in amplitude envelope editor, a customizable spectrogram mode and a frequency analysis window for audio analysis applications.  

Hank has just started using Audacity. It's a huge program with lots of features and Hank has yet to form an opinion about it.  

A caller asked about exporting a list of names out of Excel onto Avery blank labels. Hank suggested using a word processing program as an intermediary. Export the data from Excel to a word processor first. Printing labels is a core competence of word processing programs. Excel can export data in many different formats, no doubt one of them can be imported by your word processor.  

You can always listen to our show live via streaming audio over the Internet. 

In The News

Microsoft said that as of April 12, 2005 Service Pack 2 will be required for Windows XP. Currently it is optional. 

A study by Asset Matrix found that about 10 percent of PCs upgraded to Service Pack 2 experienced some problems. Windows XP Service Pack 2: The 10% Problem Information Week August 31, 2004.

How to remove Windows XP Service Pack 2 from your computer Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 875350

Problems mount with Windows XP Service Pack 2 by Brian Livingston September 9, 2004 

IBM has recalled a half million power adapters for their ThinkPad computers because they might overheat or might cause damage to the circuit board. 

Lexmark had to recall the power adapters on 40,000 laser printers. Some were branded by Dell and IBM. 

There is a bug in WinZip that affects all versions of the program, even going back to the version used by Windows 3.1. The patch for version 9, the current version, is as big as the product itself. 

The new Apple computers are all-in-one models. The computer is built into the back of the flat panel monitor. This is not something new. Joe has an IBM NetVista which is the exact same idea. 

Bluetooth is one of many wireless connectivity standards. It works only over short distances and can work with computers, telephones or any electronic gizmo. The devices find other Bluetooth enabled devices in the vicinity and automatically start chatting to each other.
   Ericsson Halts Bluetooth Development  ExtremeTech September 7, 2004 

Verizon Wireless is doing a pilot in a small town in Virginia that for $30 will provide wireless Internet access at 1.5MB. Perhaps a loss leader? They are also rolling out fiber optic connections to some customers. Fiber is much faster than either cable or DSL and Verizon is spending about two billion dollars on new fiber optic connections. 

Tivo and Netflix are planning on working together to let you download movies from the Netflix library to your Tivo. Many cable TV companies offer Tivo like features - the ability to record TV shows digitally on a hard disk rather than on a video tape. 

FTP Programs

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used to transfer files. It is more efficient than email and has no limitations on files sizes. Normally FTP is used to maintain web sites, but Michael suggested also using it to back up your files to storage space provided by your ISP. 

Now that responsibility for maintaining the audio archives of our shows has fallen to Hank, he spent time researching FTP programs. Hank used to use WS_FTP LE from Ipswitch, but it is no longer free. Joe suggested Core FTP and Hank also evaluated a bunch of others. 

Michael did not like FTP Commander. Cute FTP is shareware and Hank found it no better than Core FTP which can be downloaded from www.coreftp.com. Hank and Michael both liked Core FTP. 

We have published a document about backing up your computer on the Links and Downloads page. 

Barbara asked if it is a good idea to buy a laptop on eBay. No. If you need to save money, better to buy a refurbished unit directly from the vendor. 

Jose asked about people who need to carry their work with them as they travel. Everyone agreed that USB flash drives (a.k.a pen drive) are a great way to go. Just be sure to encrypt files on the device because they are easily lost or stolen. However, Alfred warned that in PC magazine labs they have had repeated incidents where a USB flash drive has failed. 

Phoebe asked about using Go To My PC to access her computer while she is traveling for two weeks. Joe said to use a good firewall, get a good UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) and turn off your printer. Michael suggested turning off the monitor too. Be sure to plug the cable modem into a battery backed outlet in the UPS. Hank is concerned that Windows crashes or hangs so he suggested setting the BIOS to automatically shut down the computer and start it later. Joe and Alfred were wary of this. We disagreed over whether this was better than simply carrying your important files with you on a USB flash drive.