Author Archives: Fred Langa

Fred: I run Diskeeper 10 to defrag my hard
disks and upon completion get the following message: "Due to the high MFT usage,
it is recommended that you expand the MFT on this volume. Use the Frag Shield
option in the Diskeeper configuration properties to configure this volume to a
larger size." I’ve read a few items about changing the MFT and quite frankly it
scares me to make changes. Have you had any experience or reports about using
the Diskeeper option to modify the MFT? Thanks. —Bob

Fred,
Noticed the discussion of Ubuntu in your newsletter (

http://langa.com/newsletters/2006/2006-09-28.htm#3 ). Thought I would
share my experiences with Linux. I have been shopping for a Linux
implementation that could be used by a computer layman. Many are usable
right off the boot/install live cd. My favorites used to be Knoppix and
Kanotix. However; the big hangup is installation of additional software. As
you know lots is available but after downloading you need to be a linux
terminal whiz to just find where you downloaded the software, then use the
correct commands (which you must scour the internet to find) to extract,
compile and then run the installation script.  This is a nightmare for me,
and I started computers with HDOS and CPM working exclusively from the
command line.

Yes, it’s yet another longer-than-usual expanded issue, as Mike
and I work to

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Fred – Welcome back. Love the newsletter. Missed
you during your move. Quick help needed. I have a picture (jpg file) that I
would like to use as a screen saver. How do I do that (convert jpg to scr).
Secondly, I would like to create shortcut to the screen saver and put it on the
desktop so I can close my PC in one click. — Padam

An item in the Sept. 25 issue ("’Super-Hidden’
Folders Are Super Annoying"
http://langa.com/newsletters/2006/2006-09-25.htm#3 )
prompted two readers to submit a tip and some good advice.

Our recent piece on setting up a Remote Desktop
connection via "virtual private networking" (VPN) sparked some very good reader
advice and information on alternatives to this approach.

Fred: It might be useful to your subscribers to
mention desktop search programs. I have tried three (Google, Microsoft,
Copernic) and found all to be flawed. Is there a perfect one out there? Google
is cluttered and keeps pushing you to the Google search screen but it does
locate everything on the computer. It does not index it so well, though, I guess
because it does not have the underlying cross-references the Web search engine
uses. Microsoft was polite, fast and well organized, but it ignored
non-Microsoft files like WordPerfect and Thunderbird (the plug-ins they offer do
NOT work). Copernic was non-intrusive and organized things well, but it missed a
lot. Unpredictably it would find some E-mails from Thunderbird and not others;
some documents and not others. My two cents. A loyal subscriber, —Paul DeLeeuw

Dear Fred, I was curious if you’ve heard
about nLite. if you haven’t, here’s a generic description: nLite lets you choose
which components to remove from Windows 2000, XP or 2003 before installation. By
removing unneeded components you gain on your system speed and security. It
supports removal of almost any component and few services. You can make a
bootable ISO and easily slipstream Service packs with a click of a button. Use
the easy cd-key implementation so you don’t need to enter it during setup. If
you have heard of it or even tried it, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.
I’ve been using it for several months now and I find it to be a interesting and
powerful utility. Installing Windows is much faster and I don’t have to spend
time entering my name, key or other info. My favorite feature is Component
Removal. I can trim Windows of its bloat and it will only use 40-50% of its
default installation size. Sincerely, Kevin

Fred, Glad to have you back. Your column has
been sorely missed. I am not a novice, but darned if I understand how to work a
Virtual PC. I want to run a VPC to try Vista but I cannot figure out how to make
it work. Maybe there are other "dummies" who don’t get it. —Ed Clabaugh