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Tech Support Friday
With Fast Forward's Rob Pegoraro
Friday, Nov. 16, 2001; 2 p.m. EST
Post columnist Rob Pegoraro talks about how you are doing with the new Windows XP, the proposed Microsoft settlement, the Pocket PC 2002 handheld organizers from
H-P, Compaq and others and e-mail manners.
Problems with your hard drive? Take your question to the Fast Forward instead! It's a repeat engagement of "Tech Support Friday," in which Rob Pegoraro takes your queries, scrambles madly to get answers to them from the collective Fast Forward brain trust and replies within mere minutes.
Below is the transcript.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for
guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Rob Pegoraro: Hello again! We don't have a "theme" for this chat, so the floor's open to any and all tech questions. So far, I've got some queries about Windows XP, Mac OS X, game consoles, computer clocks, MP3 players and Palm hot-synching.
Let's get to it...
Washington, D.C.:
Xbox or Gamecube?
Rob Pegoraro: This is *almost* the question of the day, isn't it--but you left out the PlayStation 2.
Of those three, all other things being equal, I'd go with the PS2. If I didn't own a PC, I might be tempted by the Xbox, as a way to get PC-style games (real-time strategy, role-playing, etc.) without PC-style hardware-compatibility nonsense. If I already owned a game PC, then, no question, the GameCube makes more sense.
And if I really had to choose between just the box and the Cube, I'd go with Nintendo, based on the quality of the games so far and Nintendo's long, long, long experience in the market.
Arlington, Va.:
The time on my computer clock is correct. When I email using both Outlook 2000 and Netscape messanger the email time is off by exactly one hour. How do I fix this?
Rob Pegoraro: Sounds like either your PC's clock wasn't reset after daylight savings time ended. Right-click on the time at the right end of the taskbar and select "Adjust Date/Time." The click on the "Time Zone" tab and see if it's set to automatically adjust for daylight savings time.
Arlington, Va.:
HELP! I use Win 98 on a Dell computer. I have too many stupid icons in the system tray but can't find where to get rid of them. Where can I delete these stupid things? They make my load up time even longer and I don't get to choose whether one goes there or not.
Rob Pegoraro: This is one of my top 5 Windows pet peeves--and, amazingly enough, Windows XP doesn't make it any easier to keep these little programs from running at startup and eating away at your system resources. (It does, however, let you keep them from displaying.)
First, try right-clicking on each icon to see if you can set them to not run at startup. Then try running MSConfig, a surprisingly helpful utility that Microsoft totally buries inside Windows--you'll have to type "msconfig" in the Run... option of the Start Menu. This program lets you select what apps run at startup.
Annapolis, Md.:
Just wondering if you foresee the release of PCs with R/W DVDs in the near future? Would that capability render CDs obsolete?
Rob Pegoraro: Yes and no. Rewritable DVD is already available on several systems and is starting to get affordable--these days, you're "only" looking at paying $500 or $600 extra for it, against a grand this spring.
But there are three different standards out there (DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW), and this category isn't going to flourish until the industry grows the hell up and picks one standard.
And even when DVD recording is flourishing, CDs aren't going away at all. There are several hundred million CD players out there--do you really feel like replacing every CD player in your house? Didn't think so.
Bowie, Md.:
I have a new home iMac 700 Mz which I use for word processing, email and websurfing. It came with OS 9.2 installed plus an upgrade CD for OS X. Do you recommend installing the upgrade? Also, my computer freezes quite often when I am on the net via AOL. Is that a computer issue or an AOL issue?
Rob Pegoraro: Your iMac should already have OS X installed--but Apple's packaged it in a way that doesn't make it obvious. Check the Startup Disk control panel and see if an OS X system folder is listed. It's definitely worth trying out, but its viability as a day-by-day system depends largely on whether the programs you use run natively in OS X or not.
Your computer crashes while online probably are AOL-related. The company has done a shameful job of keeping its Mac software up to date. An OS X version has been in beta testing since this spring; the PR contact I spoke to recently said it was "really close" but wasn't sure it would ship this year. No word on an OS 9 update.
Alexandria, Va.:
Will Windows XP on a laptop ask to be reactivated whenever I plug in or out a PCMCIA card?
How about when I plug in or unplug a device on the USB, serial or parallel ports of a computer?
If so then Win 2000 was the last Microsoft OS that I am ever purchasing.
Rob Pegoraro: No.
No.
XP's activation feature only runs when you change from four to six hardware items on a set list within 120 days. Those components:
Display Adapter
SCSI Adapter
IDE Adapter
Network Adapter MAC Address
RAM Amount Range (i.e. 0-64mb, 64-128mb, etc)
Processor Type
Processor Serial Number
Hard Drive Device
Hard Drive Volume Serial Number
CD-ROM / CD-RW / DVD-ROM
Capitol Hill Washington, D.C.:
HI Rob,
Before I ask you my question, let me just say I've upgraded to Windows XP and I'm a convert -- I'll never go back. My computer runs faster, doesn't slow down the longer it's on, my system clock actually tells the right time, and my DSL connection is solid as a rock. All of those areas were big problems for me under Win98.
Anyway, I've added a third USB device to my system, which has only 2 USB ports. I bought a USB hub, but nothing I plug into it works. The hub itself causes XP to make that "boop-boop" sound when I plug it in, but anything I plug into the hub that works when plugged directly into the computer doesn't get recognized by the system.
I read something about high-power/low-power USB cords. Could the problem be that I might be using a mixture of these cords?
I've got a Dell Dimension 400MHz and a D-Link 4-port USB hub with a separate power supply.
Thanks!
Rob Pegoraro: Does XP actually list the right name for the hub? Something as basic as a hub ought to be recognized immediately by the OS. I doubt the USB cables are the issue either--why would D-Link ship it with a cable that would prevent it from being used?
The other possibility is that you just have a bad hub. Try it with somebody else's PC; if that doesn't work then it's refund/exchange time.
Gaithersburg, Md.:
RE: Writeable DVD's.
Which standard will allow you to play the DVD on a home DVD player. Sounds like a great medium to transfer my digital camcorder recordings onto so I can reuse the tapes - but still have a original quality master.
Rob Pegoraro: DVD-R, -RW and +RW all claim compatibility with *most* DVD players, and almost all new ones. For instance, the DVDs I made with a Mac G4 this spring played fine on my DVD player, but not on my brother's first-generation model.
See, for instance: http://www.apple.com/dvd/compatibility/
Washington, D.C.:
I tried running msconfig in the Run command of my computer, and I got an error message: cannot find the file 'msconfig.' Make sure the file and path are correct and all of the required libraries are available.
What does that mean? I too have too many icons in the system tray and want to get rid of them; right clicking on them didn't work.
Thanks.
Rob Pegoraro: Oh, blech. You'll have to install it off the Windows CD-ROM. This old PC World article has some help on that (scroll about a page down to see that section): http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,37434,00.asp
Montgomerey Village, Md:
I have a Dell computer, a Lexmark printer, and I use Netscape 6 for email. Whenever I want to print off an incoming email message, I get a message that an error occurred with the connection or printer and I should close or ignore. When I press ignore, nothing happens. When I press close, the email message gets printed but the program closes down, so I have to start up again. This didn't happen with my previous Netscape software. I only changed because Netscape offereed N-6 free and said it would be faster and more efficient. What is happening?
Rob Pegoraro: Netscape 6.0 isn't a good program. 6.1 incorporates a lot of bug fixes; are you running the latest version?
Mc Lean, Va.:
"XP vs. All Others": For the 80 percent of all users who are not hooked by the "Newest and Latest" craze, what's wrong with letting just the addicts finish the Beta testing on XP -- it usuall takes 18 + months ? My 98SE is stable enough -- particularily since I went to 256 Mb SDRAM and quit trying to give Window-change orders simultaneously with other key boarding. Doesn't XP FORCE you to use Passports where available -- this is another M-S as yet,underdeveloped piece.
Why not keep what you've got until your favorite applications no longer support it?
Rob Pegoraro: That is a cost-effective strategy in general. A lot of people are following it now--which is why the PC industry is hurting so bad. They can't sell people just on faster processors, so what does that leave them? Certainly not looks or style or ease of use.
About XP, though, you do *not* have to sign up for a Passport, although it needles you repeatedly to do so. Other parts of doing business with Microsoft--for instance, downloading the new PocketPC Windows Media Player--do require you to get a Passport account.
Washington, D.C.:
Per your column today about the "mess" created by various formats that present e-mails in other plain text, what do you think of emails that just contain URLs that one can optionally click to see the graphic presentations, etc.?
Rob Pegoraro: Much better--although I'm not just a fan of the embedded link, where you can't see what the destination address is. It's too easy to open your browser to a page that will attempt to infect your computer (this, for instance, is one way the Nimda worm spreads).
Forestville, Md.:
Apple has another really cool toy out, a digital music/file device, and I can't remember the name of it! Have you had a chance to play with it yet? Apologies if you have reviewed this already, but I have not had a chance to read the paper for two weeks.
Rob Pegoraro: I reviewed the iPod exactly two weeks ago--how's that for coincidence? You can read my review here.
Forestville, Md.:
Much more important question:
I have a PC at home that is now hooked up to a DSL connection (Verizon). Everything is working well, even though this is an ancient (5 years old) machine. Is there a simple way to set up a home network that will allow our laptop to use the resources of the desktop, including the DSL connection? BTW, the laptop is ancient also (4 years old). Both are running Windows 98, over 80 MG of RAM (desktop has 160), NIC cards or connections and several gigabytes of storage space left on the secondary drive.
Tia
Rob Pegoraro: "Simple" will require some sort of third-party solution... assuming one of the Ethernet ports is taken up by the DSL modem, you might find it simplest to get one of the phoneline-networking kits for home PCs. They come with Internet-connection-sharing software and should go for $50 to $75 per computer, depending on whether you get a PCI card or USB version.
Montgomery Village, Md:
reply to your question about Netscape 6: I have 6.0. Is there somehing I can do about my problem? Or, how do I get 6.1?
Rob Pegoraro: Visit netscape.com. And quickly--6.0 is just an awful product by virtually everyone's account. It's not a small download, so you might want to do this overnight.
For montgomery village netscape problem:
Netscape 6.0 was built by aol. so was 6.1. Any questions? Try opera. It's worth it.
Rob Pegoraro: I would agree that AOL doesn't seem to have done much for Netscape's product quality. One thing the online service *has* done, however, is to turn the Netscape installer into a marketing litterbug--it dumps AOL shortcuts on your desktop, in the taskbar, in the Start Menu and in your bookmarks list. That's immensely rude behavior.
About Opera--has anybody tried the new version 6 beta? Any reports on that?
Washington, D.C.:
Not a question, but also have to say Windows XP is just about a no brainer if you have the hardware. 533 MHz Celeron w/Win 98 went from crashing almost hourly to never crashing; 1.2 GHz Athlon went from taking 1 hour to install a joystick to 10 seconds, also now pretty much crash free.
Win XP Pro isn't that much of an upgrade from Win 2k, but for home users, if you can manage it and you're having problems with what you have, Windows XP may add a year or more to how long your computer can be useful before you have to replace it. (Probably not the kind of statement the computer industry wants to hear a lot of people make.)
Rob Pegoraro: Here's a positive report about XP. One thing I'd add, though, is that "the hardware" *must* include "the RAM." I wouldn't think of running XP with less than 128 megs.
Philomont, Va.:
What do you know about the idea that the government is considering passing legislation that would allow a fee to be charged for each email sent? E-mails say the USPS is behind the move to do so since they are losing so much money due to are ever-increasing use of e-mail.
By the way, your column in today's paper is very entertaining. I like the line "HTML e-mail makes as much sense as surround sound on a cell phone." Funny!
Rob Pegoraro: Those e-mails are pure, unadulterated horse-puckey, and have been every since some drunken frat-boy wrote the first one as a joke. Tell whoever sent you the last message that it's BS that's wasting your time.
Thanks for the compliments, BTW!
Somewhere, USA:
I wonder how soon the MPAA will start filing lawsuits against the DVD-R makers? - Wiredog
Rob Pegoraro: Hasn't happened yet--but, to be fair, none of the DVD-RW drives out there even allow you to copy a commercial DVD. And I'm sure the manufacturers would never want anybody to download any utilities to, say, make a bit-for-bit copy of a commercial DVD, right?
Re: USB hub and XP passport:
XP does recognize the hub, sort of. The icon in the system tray called it "unrecognized hardware," but that didn't prevent it from being "installed successfully." Nevertheless, I couldn't find it listed in the Device Manager, although I may have been looking in the wrong place.
Interesting tidbit about MS Passport -- I upgraded from Win 98, and I was expecting to be nagged about Passport, but it only asked me once during setup if I wanted to sign up. I clicked no, and I haven't heard a peep from Passport since. Maybe it only bugs you if it's pre-installed or if you installed the full version instead of the upgrade.
My $.02.
Rob Pegoraro: "Unrecognized hardware" never means "installed successfully," in my experience. (I had this same routine trying to use a Canon S100 digital camera--except in this case, XP did at least recognize it by name, *then* refused to do anything with it.) Does D-Link have any XP drivers at its Web site?
I got nagged by Passport every time I logged on when I upgraded from 98 to XP on a laptop. Maybe you got lucky?
Washington, D.C.:
Hi, thanks for taking my question.
My question regards downloading files using IE5.5. Until recently, when I clicked on a file with an Excel extension (-.xls), I would be asked what I wanted to do with it. At about the same time as I upgraded to MS Office 2000, IE stopped asking what I wanted to do and now just opens it.
How can I get it to stop opening the file automatically?
Rob Pegoraro: Short-term, right-click on an .xls link and select "Save Target As..."
Long-term, I don't know how you'd disable this. Obviously, Excel 2000 (which I don't have on this machine) reset something in IE's settings, but since IE doesn't offer any obvious way of setting what files are handled by what apps, I'm not sure how to undo it. Any suggestions?
Somewhere, USA:
In your column about e-mail you mentioned reading it on a cell phone. Dr Dobbs Journal has an article, at ddj.com, on the dangers of doing that while driving. The link is in the Levey Chat.
I use Linux, and all e-mail comes through as plain text. Which is good, as some people send "html formatted" mail that uses weird fonts.
I also am immune to Microsoft Macro Viruses. Wiredog
Rob Pegoraro: Thanks! I'll try to take a look at that article on my drive home :)
Washington, D.C.:
How much RAM do I really need for XP? I have a 1.4 g Pentium 4, but "only" 128 megs of RAM. Should I upgrade to 256 before installing XP?
Rob Pegoraro: RAM's so cheap, you might as well--by all accounts, 256 megs will make XP (and Mac OS X) a good deal happier.
Montgomery Village, Md.:
Thanks for the answers. I only wish the hardware and software techies were as prompt and straight forward as you are!
Rob Pegoraro: "I'm sorry, you'll have to press or say "2" to register a compliment. Please hold for the next available operator."
Mc Lean, Va.:
Rob, your overview of "E-mail Smarts & Courtesy" this morning was very good. Perhaps in a follow-up you could emphasize the need to do something more about SPAM. I am as earthy as the next guy, but I am continually offended by the obscenities showing up -- even in the opening List of Subjects. Please add any practical suggestions that you may have to following:
With Congress and most agencies dragging their feet on the proposed, worthwhile legislation, it was some relief to hear that at least a statistical study is being done by the FTC. It would ease our attitudes, and perhaps do some good to honor the FTC's request by simply Forwarding all spam to " uce-ftc.gov ". My ISP does only manual, statistically based blocking, but I E-mail Sender Details + Text of all porno to their mailspam desk. Ask yours.
And of course, never ask for an "unsubscribe". Thanks, Mc Lean Dave
Rob Pegoraro: Your advice on dealing with spam is all good--especially the part about ignoring any "unsubscribe" options. Replying to spam only tells the spammers that you read spam.
My own routine for dealing with e-junk like this is to use spamcop.net, which offers a Web-based form for investigating where the spam really came from and for registering complaints against the owners of those sites.
Falls Church, Va.:
Rob, I am ashamed to admit but I have no clue how to format an e mail in a style like a letter. By that I mean putting the Dear John salutation at the beginning then dropping one line and indenting to begin a paragraph. I use Netscape Comm. 4.7 for e mail. Also- what is the HTML business? If I try to do something like underline a word then I get a warning before I send it that others may not be able to read it. On the matter of etiquette I try to use my noodle and reply with addition of the original message only if I think it is necessary. I have set my default so it does NOT automatically send the original. Just my two cents to keep those e mails a reasonable length. Happy Turkey Day, Tina
Rob Pegoraro: No need to be ashamed--writing e-mail is just like writing a letter, in that you just hit the "Enter" key to throw in a blank line and hit "Tab" to indent the line. Any e-mail program will display simple formatting like that.
More complicated formatting, like underlines, may not show up on all other computers, which is why Netscape warns you. In general, though, you are safe with basic, one-format-at-a-time stuff. Making one word bold or putting one phrase in italics won't blow up anyone's e-mail client. Making the e-mail like an issue of Wired magazine usually will.
Happy T-day to you too...
Adams Morgan, D.C.:
Have you heard of Microsoft Entourage for the Mac? Is this a worthwhile program? Microsoft is selling a bundled Word/Entourage package (with a coupon for a discount off Microsoft Word X when it comes out.)
Rob Pegoraro: I haven't tried Entourage much, but the reviewers who have seem to like it quite a lot. What sort of discount does this Word/Entourage bundle go for?
Washington, D.C.:
I'm thinking about asking for a PDA for Christmas. I've heard good things about the Handsprings. I don't really plan on using it to do anything intensive, mostly just a place to hold data (although I like the idea that I can buy different add-on components).
Is there anything else I should look at, or should I just ask for a low-end Handspring?
Rob Pegoraro: For the use you described, any of the low-end models from Palm, Handspring or Sony would suit you well. If you use Win 95, you should get one of the older Palm models with a serial (not USB) cradle; otherwise, go with anything $200-ish with a USB cradle (much faster and simpler than USB). I'd look at a Handspring Visor Deluxe or a Sony Clie N320.
Chantilly, Va.:
re the netscape 6.0, 6.1. yes aol is VERY bad about littering your hard drive. and uninstall is not at all able to get rid of it all. virtually, the only way to absolutely clear your hard drive of all the aol stuff is to reformat. seen many a former aol user do this.
I didn't know opera had 6.0 out, but I'm in the process of downloading it right now.
Rob Pegoraro: Good luck with Opera--let me know how it goes.
David Lynchville:
Have you ever tried to use HPA Networking - you know, instead of using Cat 5 cable, using the phone lines to serve as part of your home network? I am interested but concerned over cost and throughput (not to mention all of the technical heartache it is bound to give me).
Rob Pegoraro: "Me? Well I don't know much of anything."
Cost and throughput are actually two of the big advantages of HomePNA--$50 to $75 per computer, with 10 Mbps bandwidth. The trouble you can get into comes in the software. I tried this Mac/Windows bundle that was a real nightmare to configure; setting up the Mac felt like I was setting up a PC. But our reviewer liked Intel's AnyPoint system when he tried that a few years ago (has it been that long?).
Reston, Va.:
My Linux system never nags me about anything.
Except for the time I played around with device driver writing. Then it told me "Kernel Panic -- Core Dumped -- System Halted".
This week I came across, at work, a VBScript Word Macro that crashed Win 2000. An application macro that crashes the operating system to hardware reset. And people wonder why I use Linux.
Rob Pegoraro: C'mon, macro-virus crashes are fun! They're healthy! You *need* that time away from the keyboard to keep from getting carpal-tunnel syndrome, y'know?
But: How long did it take you to set up your Linux box in the first place? (Not meant as a challenge, just curious.)
Lexington, Ky.:
I'm thinking of shopping around for a new computer or laptop. I've been working in computers for about 3 years so I want something that more for my money than easy to use. Any advice where to start looking? Mostly I want something for internet and wordprocessing and maybe some web-oriented programs if I ever get myself back to school.
Rob Pegoraro: For those kind of bread-and-butter chores, any currently sold desktop or laptop is more than capable. Have you been using PCs or Macs? Do you want to stay in either camp?
Rob Pegoraro: BTW, one house-keeping note about our ISP directory--since it was published, we've added two companies to it, SmartNet and Cavalier Telephone. The former's listed in the "local" section, the latter under DSL.
If you know of other companies we're missing, please give me a shout. We'd be glad to add them to this directory.
Chantilly, Va.:
I just wanted to say how well windows 2000 professional works for the home user. I enjoy the speed that my 1GB of ram gives me, and the luxury of having 70GB of storage, not to mention various and sundry other devices, (zip, floppies, cds), all working in harmony.
They said 98 was good, but w2kpro is even better. Talk about screamin' power!
Rob Pegoraro: How's your experience been with playing games on Win 2000? Lots of developers make a point of saying their products aren't supported under 2000--but is this a case of them not working or their tech support not offering any help with getting them to work?
Silver Spring, Md.:
Re: Word/Entourage bundle...
It's a significant discount. Straight retail is $149, I've found it at Outpost and Buy for around $139. Word alone goes for $399.
Rob Pegoraro: I'd seriously consider that--although, with Word v.X coming out for Mac OS X, I might hold out for that. Our reviewer today liked it a bunch; having seen test versions for a while, I can certainly attest that it's by far the best-looking version of Office ever.
Reston, Va.:
Setting up my box? Took about an hour. Put the Red Hat 7.1 disk in the drive, rebooted, installed. It was an easy install, and I didn't have to provide any personal details. Everything worked.
Rob Pegoraro: In reply to my question before:
Washington, D.C.:
Ok, so, if I were to buy the Handspring for the previous questioner for Christmas, knowing that he is a geek of the first water who wants to be able to do GPS stuff on it, should I buy one of the ones you suggested, or a more expensive one?
Rob Pegoraro: No--the eight megs on the Visor Deluxe should be enough. The screen on the Visor Platinum/Neo is supposed to be better (more shades of gray) but I can't see any real difference. The Visor Pro is overkill for most uses, and the Visor Prism is a little too hefty--plus, that color LCD totally washes out in sunlight.
Somewhere, USA:
For the netscape user: Try mozilla, at mozilla.org, it's the browser netscape is based on, but lacks the advertising. Wiredog
Rob Pegoraro: I should have mentioned this before--Mozilla is the open-source version of Netscape. It's been in the world's longest development cycle, but is getting really really really close to 1.0 status.
Lexington, Ky. -- looking for pc:
I have worked with mostly PCs and some unix-based computers...and I've thought about just getting a PC and installing linux on it. But I really like those i-books, but is getting an apple product practical at all? Are more program manufacturers writing Mac software, or is there still 8 shelves of PC stuff and one of Mac?
Rob Pegoraro: If you are in the laptop market, the iBook is an *excellent* choice. I don't see anything in its price range that can touch it in terms of weight/style/battery/looks. And for word processing and Web browsing, a Mac does just as well as a PC--better, in some ways, since it lacks Windows' Word-macro vulnerability and IE for the Mac is better than IE for Windows.
You can install Linux on the iBook too, if you want.
Washington, D.C.:
Technical question about Office XP running under Win 2K: when right clicking on a file in the File Open box, why don't the "Print" and "Open" options work on the shortcut menu? Thanks.
Rob Pegoraro: They should be there--those options show up in Word 97 on this PC. Are the files you're trying to open write-protected in any way? Have you virus-checked your PC lately? Does Word open and print files through other ways?
If there are no virii involved, I wouldn't waste too many processor cycles on this problem. Open your files by double-clicking them, and print them by opening them and hitting Ctrl-P.
Arlington, Va:
What is MSAgent (as in agentsvr.exe) and why is it on my computer? What if any other programs use it?
Rob Pegoraro: It's a Microsoft utility that enables interactivity on the Web and on top of programs (for instance, that damnable paper clip in Word). See http://www.microsoft.com/products/msagent/
This, incidentally, is why Microsoft needs to start using real filenames for its system software (only, oh, six years after Win 95 allegedly made this possible). If the program was called "Web and program interactivity enabler file.exe," you might actually know what the heck it does.
Rob Pegoraro: And that, dear friends, is all the time I've got for today. I'll see you Nov. 30, when our annual guide to home computers runs. Happy Thanksgiving!
- R
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