JUNE 2002 - Vol 18 - Issue 06

Newsletter - Internet Edition

Many of you have heard or read about data backups. Maybe you or someone you know had a computer die and lost your bank account data or that great American novel you had spent years working on.

But just what is backing up data and how do you do it? Do you need to back up everything on that 40-gigabyte hard drive?

How many floppy disks does that take?

Public Relations Director Bruce Von Deylen will attempt to answer those questions during the Elkhart PC Users Group's June meeting.

Bruce will discuss several options available to use in backing up your data. As he recently calculated it would take roughly 1,200 floppy disks to back up the data on his main computer, Bruce will explain why he chooses something other than floppies.

Bruce will also demonstrate Norton Ghost, a commercial software program from the good folks at Symantec that can simplify both backing up your data and restoring from that unforeseen disaster that wipes out all your computer's data.

In addition to Ghost, Bruce will also demonstrate Partition Magic and how it can be used to cut down on the amount of data you need to back up.

So join us on June 27 at High Dive Park. And remember, the behind you end up saving by having good backups may be your own.

At the last Elkhart PC Users Group (EPCUG) meeting, several people were asking about why their systems slowed down after adding more RAM. Two people also asked why some of their new, expensive, high power applications slow down, or worse crash, after a short period of time. All reported using Windows 98 or Windows 98 SE as their operating system.

Both of these are related issues. Windows 98 was designed when 32 MB of RAM was "more then you will ever need at home" and 64MB was "for high end business applications." Within 9 months of Windows 98 release, systems were being sold with 128MB and even 256 MB of RAM for "power hungry gamers." The problem was the more RAM that was added the slower Windows 98 worked.

Early in 1999 a new version of AutoCAD came out and using more than 64MB of RAM caused the program to crash. Patching Windows 98 to add VM or virtual machine helped a lot, but the system still ran slowly. It took about 6 months to find the solution to correct the problem.

Windows 98 and Windows 98 SE both share the default setting to manage the virtual memory of the computer. Sounds great doesn't it, if it only worked. Windows 98 originally only supported a single 256MB temporary swap file. One of the early fixes was to change this to 512MB or up to 25% of the hard drives at the time. After the need became greater than 512, then additional temporary swap files were created and these spread out all over the hard drive like chaff in a windstorm.

Hard drives kept getting bigger and with multiple applications running, the primary temporary swap file quickly overflowed. Adding RAM made the problem worse as the temporary swap files only got bigger when written to the hard drive. This is one of the main reasons why it is so important to defrag your hard drive with Windows 98.

People running Windows NT did not have the same problem. Windows NT forced you to create a paging file, and when the file got 90% full, a warning came up to let the operator know they were running out of paging file space. Organizations that had both operating systems (NT and 98) noted that NT was much more stable and used less system resources.

Soon computer geeks saw that in Windows 98 and later Windows 98 SE, they could go to the Control Panel, and click on the System icon. Then go to Performance tab to open a new window where by clicking on the Virtual Memory button, you could set your virtual memory. There is a selection that allows the user to take control of the paging file size.

Please note that when this file is automatically controlled by Windows 98 it is called a temporary swap file, as it is deleted when the system is shut down. When manually controlled by the user, the file is then a paging file as the data is erased, but the file is not deleted when the system is shut down. Sometimes this is called a permanent swap file. This simple change made programs like CAD programs, high-end accounting programs, and high-end graphic programs work much better.

But how big do you need to make this paging file? Here are some simple rules. For systems with less than 256MB of RAM, start at 1GB (1024mb) or twice what Windows 98 offers. But only use 25% of the hard drive where you put the page file. Use whichever is the smaller of the two figures. For systems with more than 256 MB of RAM, use four times the amount of RAM but still use the 25% hard drive rule.

For example, 512MB of RAM needs a 2GB (2048MB) file using the formula. There is only a 6GB hard drive in the computer so the smaller figure is 1.5GB (1539MB) or 25% of the hard drive. Set the starting and ending size to be 1539MB, as this will improve performance a little bit more.

There is an exception to the 25% rule. When you take control of the paging file, you can also set the drive where the file goes. By moving the file onto a separate physical hard drive on another controller, you can make the paging file much larger.

For example, your computer has 512MB of RAM and a 40GB IDE hard drive set as the master on the primary IDE controller. You have a CD-RW drive on the secondary IDE controller and it is set up as the master. You have an old 6GB IDE hard drive that you are not using. Install the 6GB hard drive as the slave on the secondary IDE controller. The 6 GB hard drive will only run as fast as the IDE data line for the CD-ROM, but since you are not using this drive very often, that is fine. You can then set the page file to go to the 6GB drive and use the entire drive if you want to make an oversize page file. Remember to delete the page file from Drive C: as you will not need it any more.

The first week of June, I worked on a computer that had 4 high-end applications running, and after 1-6 hours it would crash. Using the system monitoring tools in Windows 98, after 45 minutes of operation the processor usage was between 90 and 100% and there were 45-50 active threads. Normally there should not be more than 20-25 threads. The system had 384MB of RAM and a 20GB hard drive using Windows 98 SE. After patching Windows 98 SE to be current, I changed the page file to 2GB since I had the space and they were going to add RAM to bring it up to 512MB of RAM.

The system ran for four days and still had not crashed. The processor was at about 75% and the threads were running at 15-18 running the same applications. The Pentium III 450 processor is running out of power, but the change is allowing the organization to keep running until they can upgrade the system.

If you add RAM to your computer and it slows down, you need to check your page file settings. All Windows operating systems allow the operator to control page files, so take advantage of this easy fix. While how to set virtual memory differs, change to and adjusting the page file settings often does the trick for getting your speed back to normal.

About the author: Mr. Slough (jonslough@tln.net) has been a computer user and programmer since 1975. He has used on-line data transmission since 1976 starting with early computer on-line time-sharing. Since building his first computer in 1981 he has provided technical service, hardware support, and programming services on a personal and professional basis in the northern Indiana area. He is a past president of the Elkhart PC Users Group where he has been a regular contributor to the monthly newsletter since 1996.

HHHHEEEELLLLPPP!!!!!

I need your help and support. I will not be able to attend the June General Meeting of EPCUG. (Retirees schedules are just so full of travel when the weather is nice!) We need to develop a listing of new officers and directors for the coming year. If we all pitch together and do a small part, the workload will be small and yet the results will be greater than the sum of the parts.

I am enjoying trying to bring new ideas to the club and meet the member's needs. If we repeat the same people as officers, a club can tend to stagnate because we don't have a new series of ideas. Many times the past officers have burned out from the work as well as the frustration of trying to develop new ideas. The new people don't have these previous limitations in mind. How many parents, if they knew how hard it is to raise children, would do it all over again, especially if you asked the question while they have teenagers? (But don't ask Grand Parents!) We need youth and excitement to keep the club a vibrant organization. Please help as your schedule permits.

I have received a few replies to my last month column. One is a volunteer to do a few programs, and the others were comments that they are new to computers and trying to understand them better. BUT those of us with years of "baptism of fire" and knowledge just totally overwhelm them with some of the discussions. One reply liked the idea of trying to understand the software that comes with a new computer such as Microsoft Works. I hope to satisfy everyone's needs, by organizing the meetings similar to the current pattern of having the business meeting first, followed by questions and answers and then the program. But what I want to change is having hand outs of the program available at the meeting so members can make notes they can use when they get back home.

I would also like to develop a mentoring program for members who have a new computer and need someone to help them over the learning hurtles. I remember when I bought my first Apple II+ in 1981. I felt the fright of a first grader in school with this new tool that I spent major dollars for. If it weren't for the friends I had in Amateur Radio and who were always available to help, it would have been a lot harder learning what I have in the past 20 years. Of course with the ham radio hobby, you are kind of use to being on the "bleeding edge."

I am working to try to arrange the following programs for the coming year.

1. How to use AOL and get the most from it.

2. How to use MSN and get the most from it, whether you are an MSN subscriber or not.

3. How to use Quicken.

4. How to use Money.

5. How to use Microsoft Works.

6. How to use Turbo Tax.

7. How to use Internet Explorer and what are all of the settings and what do they effect.

8. How to use Netscape and what are all of the settings and what do they effect.

9. How to set up a home network.

I have tried to contact a few of the vendors for the above products and have not gotten a reply to date. I realize that many companies are feeling a pinched budget at this time. I am going to try the tact of obtaining a presentation from them which a club member (which could also be me) can present. We would then have some in house expertise.

I will keep you abreast of my progress. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please email me at W3GQJ@arrl.net or vicepres@epcug.org. Thank you.

Dear Fellow Computer User:

Nineteen years ago, Computer Chronicles was launched as the first ever weekly network television show devoted to personal computers. It happened because bulletin board sysops found out about the show (which was airing locally in the San Francisco Bay Area) and called their local PBS stations to ask them to carry the program. As a result of the efforts of local users groups, Computer Chronicles was soon being broadcast in more than 200 cities around the country.

For some reason, many PBS station program directors now think computer technology is old hat and that the excitement over the Internet is passe.

So we need your help, once again, to remind these television gatekeepers that personal technology revolution is alive and well and that users like you want a weekly television program that delivers useful information on new hardware, software, and the Web.

If your local PBS station is not carrying Computer Chronicles and/or Net Cafe (our show all about the Internet) I would appreciate your assistance in contacting the station and urging them to carry both shows. PBS stations are very sensitive to the opinions of their viewers (and contributors) and a few calls or emails can make a big difference.

Computer Chronicles and Net Cafe have been recognized repeatedly for their journalistic excellence with a long string of awards and honors. The programs are viewed by more than a million people each week and are seen in more than a hundred countries around the world. They should be on in your town!

We've set up special pages on our web sites just for you so you can get updated contact information for your local PBS station. Please go to either:

http://www.computerchronicles.org/forug.html

or

http://www.netcafe.org/forug.html

for program director email addresses and phone numbers.

Thanks so much for your help.

This article is brought to you by the Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an International organization to which this user group belongs.

Last month's program was on SnagIt, a screen capture program with some 'above average' features. For those that missed the meeting, I've written a short review of the program. For those that are interested in ordering it, while you will not get as good a deal as you would have at the meeting, a 10% discount is available to members at all times. Here are some of the features of SnagIt:

Coming with its own graphic/photo editing program, you can manipulate and alter images just as if you were using a stand-alone photo image program. It has all their features. They include color manipulation, rotating, flipping, solarize, sharpen, blur, resolution and size, brightness and contrast, and many other professional processes.

SnagIt can capture text from places or programs that do not accommodate copy and paste, and allow you save it as plain text or save it as tab delimitated text to import into a spread sheet. Such as the Properties box from right clicking on my computer. Or an error or other dialog box. Useful for getting help if you have a problem, or giving help if someone is trying to learn something.

Works as a recorder for on screen movements, including the mouse. Again very useful for teaching people how to do something, or recording what someone else is teaching you! SnagIt even has voice added capabilities, so that you can describe the mouse movements as you go.

Full page capture with auto or manual scroll. This allows you to capture the entire web page, without multiple captures that are then pasted together. Use the autoscroll feature, and SnagIt automatically scrolls down the page to get all the text. It does horizontal scrolling for when the page is wider than your screen, too! Use manual when you only want to scroll to a certain point.

Capture images from web pages. I've tried at least 4 other web image capture programs, and am currently using none of them. They all have too many bugs within their program that they either don't work right or crash more than they are worth. I captured the images, 3 layers deep, from 4 different sites, and had not a single glitch. This is particularly helpful when you go to a free image web site, but they don't want to put too many images on one page, so they put them on a couple dozen. You have to not only right-click/save each of the images you want, but you have to load a dozen pages to see them all. With SnagIt, I can download them all, then select the ones I want and delete those I don't.

Print screen can be done by any capture program, as a matter of fact, Windows does it without any help, there's a 'print screen' on most any keyboard, then just open Word or whatever, and paste it. And SnagIt can do what the other common capture programs can do, capture just a region or only a window. But, SnagIt is the only program of its type that can capture an object or shape on the page, such as menus, icons, and buttons without the rest of the page. Now this could prove very useful, and maybe even fun.

You can also extract bitmaps, icons, and cursors from .exe and .dll files. No more need for that separate extraction program. (You know, the one you never figured out how to use anyway, well, at least I never did.) Select the .exe or .dll you want, then select the bitmap, icon, or cursor. Alter its colors, size, add a border, or whatever. Then save in the format of your choice: BMP, GIF, JPG, TIF, PCX, or even TGA.

A special feature that gamers will appreciate is the ability to capture DirectX Game screens. May not seem like a great feature to me or you, but tell your son or nephew and they will want to get this program!

Add note boxes to explain things on the image then use arrows or pointing hands to point to the specific area you are talking about.

SnagIt also comes with TWAIN support for scanners and cameras. No need for an additional program hanging around on your computer!

This month I am presenting a proposal that I hope every elicit a response from every EPCUG member. About a month ago, Young Snodgrass informed me that he had received a request from the President of the Elkhart County Genealogical Society and that she wished to discuss the matter with me. I contacted her and learned that this group meets on the same night as EPCUG and some of their members would like to attend our meetings as well as their own. They use computers with their activities and apparently have their share of problems with their machines. She proposed that we consider changing our meeting night to allow this to happen.

Although I have serious reservation about this and expressed them to her, I agreed to bring the proposal before the EPCUG Board of Directors at the next scheduled meeting. At that meeting the Board reviewed the matter and voted to bring it before the membership as a whole. You are all urged to express your feelings about this via email to the following address ONLY: epcug@epcug.org. Please do not email me or any of the other Directors directly - this will only scatter the information. A simple yes or no will suffice if you have no other input.

There are several factors to consider:

1. We are somewhat committed to our present meeting date at Highdive Park for the remainder of this year. I have explored the availability of an alternative date and The first Monday of every month is presently available.

2. There is the question as to why we should change our date. In my view there is no good reason other than we are willing (or not) to do this to accommodate them.

3. This change would probably strengthen our organization with increased membership, but we need to know in advance if this change would cause an corresponding decline in our current membership because of various levels of disagreement with this proposal. Additionally, many of our current members may have insurmountable conflicts with the proposed new date (when it becomes available).

There has been an alternative advanced to this proposal. It has been suggested that the two organizations could have a combined meeting at some interval - say twice a year.

I think every member of EPCUG has a serious vested interest in the outcome of this proposal. There simply are no easy answers. The Directors and I need to know what your feelings are about this proposal so that, as much as possible, everyone's best interests can be served. Please let us here from you at: epcug@epcug.org.