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Sunday, July 17, 2005

Show #162

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 toc | toc 

11a-Noon

Bruno in Woodland Hills - Using Linux for safe surfing

Linux is a free operating system that you can use on your PC instead of, or along side of, Windows. It’s a more secure OS so there’s no threat from viruses or spyware. You could install Linux on a PC, but if you just want to surf with it, try a Live CD version. You can boot into Linux from the CD with no installation necessary, run it as long as you want, then remove the CD and reboot and it’s back to Windows. Some good LiveCD versions include:

• Knoppix (the original LiveCD)
• SLAX
• Mepis

You can download these from the links provided or just buy the discs for a nominal fee from www.CheapBytes.com

Jeff in Santa Ana adds:
List of Linux live CDs

Linux On A Mac Mike- writes:
Leo, you really need to elaborate that the reason that MEPIS (which I LOVE!) for PC’s is large at 693MB, is that it includes nearly every imagineable user application you’d want - Open Office, Audacity (audio editing recording), graphics editor, FireFox, Email Client, etc.!

[Leo says - um I think I said that on the air.]

Sure SLAX or Knoppix is small, but all you get is a skelleton and nothing useable; you end up having to download everything separately and hope that the installs work well. Knopix may have been “early”, but it’s ugly and unfriendly to someone needing a Windows like interface. As for Mandrake, SUSE, Redhat - they are all nightmares to install for the average PC user; while MEPIS is as simple as installing Windows XP.

Ps. Anyone using Clunky and BUGGY Mac OS X instead of Yellow Dog Linux on any model Mac is missing the love boat of OS. I switched long ago and I’ll never look back. By the way, Linux was 64-Bit LONG before Mac OS X or Windows.

“Linux, Just Does It”

Not sure if things have changed, but using those liveCD’s were annoying when I last tested them. Among the problems were low resolution & low refresh rates as well as the inability to use the right mouse button.

Ian in Dubuque, IA - cheap hard drive based MP3 player

I like the iRivers. The H10 6GB player is under $200 if you shop around.

Ian, if you go to the Apple Store online, at store.apple.com and then click on the save icon, you get their refurbished store. On there, they have factory refurbised ipod mini for 179, shipped. That would be a better deal than the creative for the same price.

Ed in Owings Mills, MD suggests -

Ian, checkout the Rave MP ARC Players

CompUSA is selling the 2.5 Gig unit for $129.99 and the 5 Gig unit for $149.99 both have a $20 mail in rebate. I just got the 2.5 Gig unit 10 days ago and it is working well for me.

A listener writes:
Until the 18th, Fry’s has the Creative Muvo2 5GB with FM/recorder for $160 - $30 rebate = $130. No harm in checking it out. Almost forgot, why bother with an refurb? Office Depot has an HP-brand mini thingy for $199. Then, search for a $30 coupon off $150. Net is $169 which is $10 less. Of course, some of us are obsessed with fruit and would pay extra just for the name.

John in Miraloma - spyware warning in system tray

If you get a pop up warning that tells you you have spyware, or your registry needs cleaning, or anything else and then asks you to buy something - that is spyware. Don’t buy it! Get a good antispyware program like Microsoft’s or Spybot and disinfect. Also, I strongly recommend using the real time protection features of these programs, because it’s much easier to prevent infection than to cure it.

Josh in St. Charles, IL - PC can’t remember keyboard

Everytime he boots he has to enter system setup and reconfigure his system for a “legacy keyboard.” Try selecting the “Reset ESCD” setting in the BIOS Setup. The Enhanced System Configuration Database keeps track of what hardware is installed. You should reset it whenever you change hardware.

Ryan in Boston, MA - Safari can’t create a new window

It opens its Resources folder instead. I suggest trashing Safari and its preferences and downloading a new copy.

Mac Mike suggests -
Ryan, forget Safari; it’s just too buggy anyway, it doesn’t support many HTML norms and won’t work with most online banking or secure sites. Mozilla’s “Camino” is “smaller” (file package size), bug free, as fully compatible as possible (I’ve never had it balk on ANY site in 2 years of full use) and a whole heck of a lot faster than Safari. It’s the best browser for Mac OS X, if you have to use it.

fernyb suggests -
Ryan check you Shiira a browser based on Safari’s Web Kit. with the ability to change the user-agent and more, Shiira

Thanks for the suggestions Guys. I’ll test out both of them when I get my new 15″ PowerBook this week. Thanks for taking my call Leo!

Noon-1p

John in Inglewood - one drive for surfing, another for data

You can’t really do that - both drives are visible all the time. You could use a removable or external drive for your data, but you can’t really take the Internet capability off line. I guess you could physically disconnect from the net before connecting the data drive, but any infections or spyware you contract will still be present.

a listener writes: I agree with the guy that wants to separate his content. On drive bay C: we have a mobile rack. My son, my wife myself each have our own 60G drives. If I want to use the computer, I insert my drive into the C: drive bay and work away. Also we have a 12G hard drive dedicated to internet all thats on it is windows and our browser, so if it gets infected, we just reformat that drive. Our 5th drive is one dedicated to Linux that I want to play with.

Mike in Woodland Hills - dual booting XP and 98

Easy to do as long as you install them in the proper order. Make sure you have at least two partitions (or two drives). Start with 98. It will install on the C drive because it has to. Then, install XP. It will notice 98 and give you the option to install on the D drive and setup a dual boot. During the installation it will put the NTLDR and BOOT.INI files in the Windows 98 C: drive.

Eric on the Santa Monica Freeway - covering your tracks in MSN Messenger

Ever since version six MSN Messenger has had the capability of logging all IM chats. Turn off the logging in the preferences. By default the logs are stored in your My Documents folder.

Andrew Flanery adds:
The logs are kept at C:\Documents and Settings\<User>\My Documents\My Received Files\<Profile>\History . Where <User> is the Windows XP user name, and <Profile> is the profile name that MSN randomly generates. Usually it is your name with numbers added to it. I am also just guessing that Windows XP is on the C:\. The logs are in .xml format.

If logging is enabled to disable it:

1. Goto Tools in MSN Messenger
2. Choose Options
3. Choose Messages on the left
4. Uncheck “Automatically keep a history of my conversations”
5. Click OK

MSN Messenger will no longer log your conversations.

Henry in Los Angeles - Kitchen TV

He’s looking for a programmable RF remote that will work with his infrared DirectTV receiver. Any suggestions.

Henry also notes that sharing iTunes libraries now works with itunes 4.9

CRoberts in Mexico City: Henry said that he was installing the Mac and a DirecTV receiver behind the cabinets. Since the equipment is in the same room, only covered, he needs something like the HotLink Pro, that will route IR Signals into A/V Cabinets & Closets. It’s inexpensive, works great and keeps marriages together.

In case the equipment was at different rooms, say the receiver at the living room, then you’ll need the RF Remote with programmable capabilities.

Bob from Escondido,adds: I found an IR/RF remote at Fry’s for $49. Made by OneForAll.com. The RF receiver/IR transmitter sits across the room from the equipment. I can control TIVO, DVD and audio receiver from another room.

From Dennis in Escondido: I have two suggestions for using IR remote controls in cabinets: 1) place the boxes (tuners, etc.) that “receive” IR remote control signals behind glass door panels. -or- 2) use infrared repeater units, they received any IR signal and extend and repeat the IR signal behind solid cabinet door panels. One product I’ve used is from Buffalo Electronics http://www.buffaloelectronics.com/products.htm (I have no connection with this company) there may be others. Good Luck!

From Steve in San Diego:Converting the RF to IR inside a small space/cabinet can sometimes limit the IR broadcast. Most RF to IR converters “blast” the IR outward in hopes that it sends the IR code to the appropriate component. This is fine if the equipment is in the direct line of site of the RF converter. There are some RF to IR converters that port the IR signal through direct IR lines that in turn attach to the IR sensor on the equipment you’re trying to control.

Check out Universal Remote’s line of RF to IR converters that allow both IR “blast” and “IR Routing” capabilities. Go to www.universalremote.com/products and look for the MRF-200/250 converters.

Ryan in Whittier - DSL through PBX

Can’t do it. But check with the phone company. If they provide the PBX they might also have a way to provide DSL to the exchanges.

1–2p

Fred in Ventura - Removing spyware AVGold

Nowadays anti-spyare programs often cannot remove spyware. You’ll have to do it manually. Fortunately, you know the name and that’s the most important thing. Search for the name on Google and you’ll find manual removal instructions.

Brian in Victorville - no desktop icons

There could be a lot of causes for this. First, make sure they haven’t been turned off. Open the Display control panel, click the Customize Desktop button… and make sure the icons are checked.

Jeff in Santa Ana adds: P.K.Lansdowne has a Desktop Icons Repair Tool (LNKAssociate.ZIP) that may help.

Brian in Adelanto, fixed prob by restating pc in safe mode and using the sys restore at command prompt “\system32\restore\rstrui.exe”. Of course whatever was done to the pc after the restore point was lost but its not my pc so I told my nephew to start a backup plan.

David in Hesperia - KERNL32.DLL error

He ran Norton and it said had hundreds of viruses. Yikes! Disconnect from the internet immediately, back up your data, then reformat your hard drive and reinstall Windows.

Joe on the 405 - Protecting Wi-Fi at home

Wireless networks can be every bit as secure as wired networks if you do two things:
1. Encrypt your traffic by turning on WPA (or WEP if you don’t have WPA)
2. Lock access down by turning on MAC Address filtering in your access point

Diana in Burbank - changing folder icons

She wants to have a library of icons to choose from when she presses the Folder Customize…→Change Icon… button. I recommend using Microangelo - an icon designer with library features. You might also want to check out StarDock’s iConX.

Brett in Fallbrook - eMachine crashes on boot

Press F8 while you’re booting to enter the start up menu and turn on the BOOTLOG mode. This mode creates a text file every time you boot with information about each program and driver that’s getting started. When a boot fails the last line in BOOTLOG.TXT is the program or driver that crashed the computer.

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