system

Infopackets Reader 'Frances' writes: " Dear Dennis, When I start my computer, the System32 folder opens. I don't know how it started, but how do I make the System 32 folder stop appearing? I went to Start -> Run, typed in 'MSCONFIG', then went ... and looked at my Startup, but I don't know what to uncheck. My Norton software is up to date and I am using Windows XP and Verizon DSL. Please help. Thank you. " My response: This is a frequently asked question. In fact, I managed to find a Microsoft Knowledge Base article ( KB#170086 ) which describes why the System32 folder may appear after you ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Robin' writes: " Dear Dennis, Regarding yesterday's Shell Extension City pick labeled ' SystemRescueCd ': According to the write-up, I understand that this particular rescue disc is (and I quote) 'a Linux system.' Question: does ... this mean that this is a rescue system for Windows XP that operates under Linux or is it a rescue system for people running Linux on their PC? I hope you understand what I mean. I'm confused! " My response: I was also very interested in this Shell Extension City pick, so I downloaded it and burned it onto a rewriteable disc. The answer to your ... (view more)

System Rescue Cd SystemRescueCd is a linux system you put on a bootable cdrom for repairing your system and your data after a crash. It also aims to provide an easy way to carry out admin tasks on your computer, such as creating and editing the ... partitions of the hard disk. It contains a lot of system utilities (such as: parted, partimage, and fstools) and basic ones (such as: editors, midnight commander, and network tools). It aims to be very easy to use: just boot from the cdrom, and you can do everything. The kernel of the system supports most important file systems (ext2/ext3, reiserfs, ... (view more)

The world of 'the Internet' versus 'computer users' (realized as separate entities) is amazing, but I've found that attitudes on both sides tend to polarize folks. For example, you have The Browser Wars: Internet Explorer vs Netscape with Firefox as ... the latest Mozilla contender and Opera watching from the wings with an aloof cultured shrug; or The Operating System Wars: Apple vs PCs (IBM and clones), Windows vs Linux (pick your distro); add to this, GTalk, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, AIM, Trillian ... and your head starts to get dizzy. From my seat over here in the Old Newbie corner, I ... (view more)

Earlier, I reflected upon Microsoft's "software bloat" which has been driving the computer industry to develop improved hardware at a rapid pace (see: Part 1 | Part 2 ). And the trend has no end in sight. So what about the computer systems of ... yester-year? Will they continue to suffice when Microsoft Windows Vista is released the second-half of 2006? Perhaps; perhaps not. So the question becomes: is it worth upgrading the current system or buy new? Should you decide the latter, what will you do with the computer that's sitting on your desk? To help put things into perspective, ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Steve T. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have recently added a 120GB external hard drive to my Dell Dimension computer (via the USB port). Problem: whenever I turn my computer on (to start Windows), the external hard drive always tries ... to boot first. Inevitably I get an error message that 'operating system is not found' and I have to shut off the external unit and then reboot the machine in order to start Windows properly. For this reason, I am curious if my Windows XP crashes, would it be able to boot from the external hard drive? If so, how would I go about doing this? ... (view more)

Total Uninstall is one of those "must-have" utilities for anyone who likes to download and install new applications on a regular basis. Case and point: The "Add/Remove" function in Control Panel (via Windows) is only as good as its uninstall log ... [hint: the uninstall log tells the "Add/Remove" function which files to uninstall]. Furthermore: an uninstall log is created by the a program once it's installed to the system ... and the program is created by a programmer. So, to put all together: an uninstall log is only as good as the programmer. If the programmer is forgetful and sloppy ... (view more)

In the world of computing, especially home computing, one of the things we enjoy most is gathering new and interesting programs to make a difference in our lives. Generally, we go to a download site (you all know my favorites by now) and browse the ... lists looking for the one thing that will make the entire day. We find it and click the file we want. We get connected to the server that is storing the file and the file is transferred to our system. From there, well we know what goes on. It's really easy. The entire transaction usually involves two computer systems. The server and the client ( ... (view more)

We apply power to the system and suddenly, we have a problem. Even though I had correctly installed that wonderful 20 GB hard drive, including the Master/Slave/Cable Select jumper, the drive was not identified by the system! After a lot of ... additional research and a fair amount of testing, I discovered the awful truth! The 20 GB hard drive was too big! Yes, that is correct. The system would not accept a drive much bigger than 12 GB. Time for a BIOS upgrade since the Dell systems allow BIOS Flashing. It was time to download an appropriate BIOS load for the system. However, when I try to apply ... (view more)

This is a Christmas story. It is also a tale about the extension of the life of a computer. I suppose you could say that this posting is a good example of what you can get for the new computer user. This saga starts with a phone call from a good ... friend describing her desire to purchase a computer for her husband. He was sharing her system that was in use most of the time for business purposes and it was difficult for him to have the use of it. Therefore, the need was real. Her problem was that funds were extremely tight and she did not have the money to buy a computer. "I only have $100 to ... (view more)