Recent Posts

10651

Living Room / Re: Does my future pc suck ?

« Last post by tomos on August 21, 2007, 11:57 AM »

Re monitor:
I was asking in a german "flatscreen" forum (PRADA)
about a monitor that had (preferably very) good colour-whachamacallit/rendition(?) for around the 300€ mark-
Fujitsu Siemens P19-2P
was recommended -
they dont seem to have it at Newegg though
Only 19" though...

10652

General Software Discussion / Re: changing label from E: to C: in the primary boot partition (windows XP). How

« Last post by tomos on August 19, 2007, 11:09 AM »

looks confusing alright ..

I know you can actually install OS to logical drive but from what I've read there has to be one primary drive in computer - sounds like it wont/shouldnt even work without it

can you double check with some other app - or with windows itself
see Carols post in "other" partitioning thread
https://www.donation...32.msg72561#msg72561

10653

General Software Discussion / Re: imaging & partitioning queries

« Last post by tomos on August 19, 2007, 09:54 AM »

any ideas on the size to make the partition (for the paging file)

10654

General Software Discussion / Re: Firefox

« Last post by tomos on August 19, 2007, 09:37 AM »

me,
i use FF, Opera, K-Meleon (I always tend to have lots of tabs open in FF or Opera so K-M is my fast default browser), IE when necessary - although I suppose I could use Maxthon then which I also have
I still use OffByOne occasionally but dont now why in particular 
Can only really say I use 4

App has a very stripped down IE based browser on offer at her site
dIE (damn IE )

10655

General Software Discussion / Re: imaging & partitioning queries

« Last post by tomos on August 19, 2007, 09:26 AM »

you're a mine of information Carol -
I always try to err on the side of whatever-it's-called when I dont know.
 
makes life easier just to have one (paging file)

10656

General Software Discussion / Re: imaging & partitioning queries

« Last post by tomos on August 19, 2007, 08:10 AM »

Tomos,
Can you post any links on the _advantages_ (speed?) of having the pagefile on a different partition?
...
Should I create a  pagefile partition on disk 2?

-urlwolf (August 19, 2007, 07:27 AM)

Carol answaers that one 

Page file should be on Disc 2 - preferably the first partition on the disc (the fastest area of the disc)

-Carol Haynes (August 19, 2007, 07:41 AM)

see also the ms links above
ms recommends having a 128MB minimum pagefile on C partition as well as the bigger one on second drive/seperate partition

have a read here as well urlwolf
https://www.donation...61.msg71663#msg71663

10657

General Software Discussion / Re: imaging & partitioning queries

« Last post by tomos on August 19, 2007, 07:19 AM »

Found it, always think of microsoft last somehow

How to move the paging file in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307886/

and this a helpful read too:
How to configure paging files for optimization and recovery in Windows XP
http://support.micro...oft.com/?kbid=314482

10658

General Software Discussion / Re: imaging & partitioning queries

« Last post by tomos on August 19, 2007, 06:49 AM »

Once in the management console choose "Disc Management" in the tree on the left and in the pane that opens on the right you will see your hard discs listed with patition details. In an unpartitioned area of disc right click and select New Partition and a wizard will guid you to build a partition. You can select size, format (NTFS, FAT32, FAT) and drive letter assignment.

An alternative way to start the Disk Management console is to START > RUN the type diskmgmt.msc and press return

-Carol

thanks Carol

ehh,
does it automatically become the paging file partition or how do I change that?

10659

General Software Discussion / Re: changing label from E: to C: in the primary boot partition (windows XP). How

« Last post by tomos on August 19, 2007, 06:42 AM »

I'm curious,
when you say your data, do you mean your Application data, or your data as in docs/files etc.

I'm reading up a bit at the moment for an install/partitioning on a new computer
this could be of help (lower half of page)
http://fdisk.radified.com/fdisk_02.htm
this here not the same scenario but -

One of the tools that comes with Partition Magic, called DriveMapper, can help in the event the installation of a new hard drive causes drive letters to change on existing drives/partitions. From the Partition Magic Help file:

    Drive letters can change when you create, delete, hide, or unhide partitions, which can cause applications not to run because application shortcuts, initialization files, and registry entries refer to incorrect drives. DriveMapper is a wizard that lets you easily update drive letter references.

and

For more info about drive letter assignments, see here (annoyances.org). A freeware letter-assigner is posted here (I have not tried it). Ed K. from Topeka, Kansas writes to mention a free utility named COA (Change of Address). He says:

    PCMag has a great little program that I've used many times under Windows W9x. It modifies registry entries, ini files, etc., so that, when adding a new drive letter, changes the system is updated with changes to previous drive letters. For example, you can tell COA to replace all D:\ with E:\ The program can be found at Hotfiles.com, search for COA. They also have a 32bit version available.

those three links are:
http://www.annoyance...c/show/article02-024
http://www.v72735.f2...sig/Screenshots.html
http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/

10660

General Software Discussion / Re: Firefox

« Last post by tomos on August 19, 2007, 05:00 AM »

Opera doesn't count as this time waster (in every regard) is only for people that like playing around.

-biox (August 18, 2007, 08:54 PM)

thought that was Firefox with all its extensions   

10661

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: timer that counts resting, interruptions, and work as separate entries

« Last post by tomos on August 18, 2007, 03:32 PM »

HI Ath,

actually, avoiding RSI is not the point of this program as much as avoiding distraction

I have used workrave in the past; I stopped because it's pretty obstrussive.
Thanks anyway!

-urlwolf (August 18, 2007, 12:04 PM)

I used it (workrave) too for a good while.
While it's a wonderful programme I also found it too obtrusive -
I wouldnt want to put anyone off it ..
how you get on with it probably depends on your work methods etc

10662

Living Room / Re: KenR's health and situation

« Last post by tomos on August 18, 2007, 03:26 PM »

hmmm,
we're discovering a new side to mouser here   

10663

Living Room / Re: Acceptable expletives

« Last post by tomos on August 18, 2007, 08:40 AM »

  (for the whole thread)

10664

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: XYplorer File Manager

« Last post by tomos on August 18, 2007, 08:40 AM »

If XYplorer ever gets dual-pane viewing DOpus will be very seriously on the ropes...

-Darwin (August 16, 2007, 09:41 AM)

i agree...

10665

General Software Discussion / Re: imaging & partitioning queries

« Last post by tomos on August 17, 2007, 02:55 PM »

thanks people!
I have good article about fdisk & another one about win(XP) install
must read both to familiarize self with it all

I think I read that doing the partitioning during the windows xp install doesnt allow for
FAT32 (?) partitions which I was considering for paging file but thats probably not important

10666

Living Room / Re: multi-boot system

« Last post by tomos on August 17, 2007, 02:51 PM »

hmmm
thanks Carol 

I had read you talking about having two installs of xp on the same hdd
then I had the idea of putting one on each hdd
but really I guess imaging software is just as good/maybe better solution to
hdd problems affecting main disc/install

I can surely see advantages to having a fairly simple install from a work point of view -
less distractions, but on the other hand I can see myself spending/wasting even more
time tweaking two OS's 

must think about this
i go read your post again

10667

Living Room / Re: Acceptable expletives

« Last post by tomos on August 17, 2007, 02:38 PM »

castor & pollux sounds like a nice bit of cockney rhyming slang

My mum used to say "Christopher Columbus!", doesnt quite cut it does it  -
but for her (very religious) it was the nearest to "Christ!" she could get!

I think there's a few you'd get away with depending how polite the company is.
Is "feck it" used in the states/canada?
Sort of, well, definetly less unnacceptable than the other version.
Or just "shag it", but I suppose that's not too polite either 

Funny in german the word "scheiße" (scheisse) is quite acceptable whereas in english not so much..

10668

Living Room / multi-boot system

« Last post by tomos on August 17, 2007, 03:35 AM »

is it possible &/or would it be helpfully possible (as opposed to painfully possible ) -

to have different installations of xp on different HDDs in same computer?
Advantages being,
if one goes loopy you can just start with other & work away
until you have time to sort out the first or get a new drive if that the problem..

10669

General Software Discussion / Re: imaging & partitioning queries

« Last post by tomos on August 17, 2007, 02:19 AM »

I don't know if any of that will be useful.

Good luck!

-Armando

thanks Armando,
I think all of that will be useful 

I'm getting a machine without any windows installation on it -
is:
"1) Make sure you have an image backup of your initial configuration."
still relevant for me?

I have Acronis 7 true image, but only as an .exe - no disk.[also not installed yet]
Will go look at GParted site

As I say computer is due today -
I dont think I'll get time today to mess around with it,
but will plug it in to see if things whirr etc. 

10670

General Software Discussion / Re: imaging & partitioning queries

« Last post by tomos on August 16, 2007, 05:14 PM »

one last post
from microsoft
http://support.micro....com/kb/842626/en-gb

First Steps
If you follow the instructions, then partitioning and formatting a hard drive should be a painless, if somewhat unexciting process. But rather like painting, decorating and DIY in general, preparation is everything. Before you get started you must check the following:

•   Does the hard disk have a drive overlay or a disk management program?

For the purposes of partitioning, it doesn’t really matter if you know what drive overlay software is. What is important, though, is to find out whether your computer uses it to support the hard disk. If it does, do not use Windows XP Setup to partition or format the drive until you have checked with the software manufacturer. Otherwise you could find that Windows XP is not compatible.

If you are not sure whether you have drive overlay software installed, you should view the following article or contact the software manufacturer before you proceed:

186057 (http://support.micro...7%26amp%3bln%3den-gb)
How to Tell If Drive Overlay Program Is Installed in Windows

•   Do you have updated device drivers backed up somewhere other than on the drive that you are about to format and partition?

If you have installed an updated device driver for your peripheral devices (i.e. devices attached to your computer such as modems, printers, scanners and printers), make sure that you back up the new driver to a place other than the drive that you are about to format and partition. This is so you can reinstall it after you install your operating system.

•   Can you start your computer from the CD-ROM drive?
If not, you will need to obtain the Windows XP Setup boot disks. For additional information about how to get hold of these, click on the article below:

310994 (http://support.micro...4%26amp%3bln%3den-gb) Obtaining Windows XP Setup Boot Disks

and they call that painless... new computer is due tomorrow -
maybe I should wait & see what (if anything) comes with it

10671

General Software Discussion / Re: imaging & partitioning queries

« Last post by tomos on August 16, 2007, 04:58 PM »

This one looks good

This FDISK guide  comes to you compliments of "the Doc": a friend who lives in Germany. It has since become one of the site's more popular features. [Only the Ghost guide and the ASPI guide are downloaded more frequently.]

You will find this guide helpful even if you prefer to use other partitioning utilities, such as the one that comes packaged with Windows XP.

The 'F' in FDISK stands for Fixed. FDISK is a utility used to partition Fixed DISK drives. The Create screen looks like this:
FDISK "Create" screen"

This tutorial teaches you the mojo on how to partition a hard disk drive (HDD) using Microsoft's DOS-based partitioning utility. FDISK runs from DOS, so it offers no pretty graphical user interface [GUI]. The stark DOS interface intimidates some people.

But FDISK is really simple and straightforward .. once you understand a few, basic concepts.

studying this -
this is like thinking/learning out loud 

EDIT: it may be out of date (Nov 2000), dont know does SATA make a difference?
or from
this site:

[ Note: Windows NT/2000/XP OSs do not have an FDISK program; in order to partition a hard drive, they use what's called: the Disk Management MMC which is built into the OS; we'll have more to say about this below. ]

ahh, I'll see what ye have to say!
bedtime here, nite 

10672

General Software Discussion / Re: imaging & partitioning queries

« Last post by tomos on August 16, 2007, 04:52 PM »

I did dig out some stuff

Active Partition The active partition on a disk is the partition from which an x86-based computer boots. It is the partition that contains the files required to boot the operating system that is designated as the default operating system in the computer. The active partition must always be on the first hard disk attached to the computer. This disk is referred to as Disk 0 System Partition The system partition is the partition that contains the bootstrap files that are required to display the boot menu and start the operating system. On most client computers this is the first primary partition on Disk 0. The bootstrap files that must be on the system partition on a computer running the Windows XP operating system include the following: Ntldr: This is a hidden file.  Ntdetect.com: This is hidden file.  Boot.ini: This is a hidden file.  Bootsect.dos: This file is for dual configurations only.  Ntbootdd.sys: This file is for system partitions located on Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) drives only. Boot Partition The boot partition is the partition that contains the Windows system files. The folder in which the files are located is referred to as the systemroot folder. The files are by default located in a folder within the systemroot folder named the systemroot/system32 folder. On most client computers this partition is the same as the system partition. Typically this is the C: drive. On client computers with multiboot configuration the boot partition may be assigned a different drive letter.

Fdisk The fdisk tool is an MS-DOS–based tool that you can use to partition a hard disk. You can use the fdisk tool to create, change, delete, or display the current partitions on a hard disk. You can create primary partitions and extended partitions. You can then create logical drives on the extended partitions.

-
EDIT: is this fdisk easily accessible - I'll look it up 

excerpt from a TechRepublic PDF
"Installing a Windows Desktop Operating System"

10673

General Software Discussion / Re: imaging & partitioning queries

« Last post by tomos on August 16, 2007, 04:38 PM »

I'm wondering
how does one partition a brand new ("blank") computer -
it has to be done before Windows is installed if I want XP on a separate partition

Any good tips or guides out there ? -
I had a good bit of stuff saved re partitioning but strangely nothing related to the "blank canvas" so-to-speak

thanks, tom

10674

Living Room / Re: ARGHHH .... CD/DVD burning woes ... any ideas.

« Last post by tomos on August 16, 2007, 11:03 AM »

Very off topic:-
Looking cool there Lashiec, cool and breezy I guess

10675

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Quality Comparison: 8 x freeware PDF Readers / Viewers

« Last post by tomos on August 16, 2007, 10:24 AM »

Just an update (thought I'd already posted about this): FoxIt Reader has been uninstalled from all my systems. Acrobat Reader 8.1 out of the box is pretty quick. I've disabled it's startup entry (for its speedup service or whatever it is) and run ARSpeedup and it's very zippy. I really don't notice a difference in speed in comparison to FoxIt. Now, I know that it's a mammoth download in comparison but all things considered, it's worth it (I'm worth it!), particularly in a world of large harddrives and broadband.

-Darwin (August 16, 2007, 09:51 AM)

thanks for speedup tip Mike

I've been meaning to post here -
I installed the Adobe "Lite" reader as linked to by Phil above
(I'm not sure why I uninstalled Adobe Reader in the first place but...)
Nice clean install -
I'm not sure what the difference is with final installations -
no plugins I believe for one*, & yeah, clean install (didnt even create/offer a desktop shortcut )
I believe filling forms may be a problem

BTW, I had a problem printing some graphics with PDF-XChange -
a "fill" printed extended way out beyond it's border/containing line.
Worked okay in Acrobat.