Recent Posts

3501

Living Room / Re: Tests Related to Recent Increase in Bandwidth Loss Through Router

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 22, 2011, 12:15 PM »

What's puzzling is that you said you were seeing very high throughput previously with the router in circuit. So the problem is obviously related to the router being in the loop. Sounds like some bandwidth throttling or QoS feature has been woken up on the router. Have you recently upgraded the firmware in the router? If so, there's a chance the update has  switched something ON which used to be OFF by default.

-40hz (October 22, 2011, 12:01 AM)

Sounds about right to me ... The SPI firewalls on consumer grade hardware also have a bad habit of screwing the pooch.

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Generally for this type of problem I use a special "Line Stressing" utility (packet flooder - that I'm afraid to release)  to target different points in the device chain to see who collapses first.

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It might not hurt to just reset & reconfigure the router in case a power blip (or other brand of hiccup) has corrupted it's current configuration.

3502

General Software Discussion / Re: Suggestions for maximum-lockdown XP system

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 21, 2011, 07:40 PM »

The only problen with going the draconianware route is it locks the machine down too tightly. My wife isn't an adept user, and has no interest in becoming one. However she does like to change her wallpaper from time to time with the latest really cute picture of our granddaughter.

She also spends a great deal of time on FaceBook (a.k.a. Virus World) ... But using only a standard user account has left her machine running perfectly fine and trouble free for the past 6 years.

3503

General Software Discussion / Re: Suggestions for maximum-lockdown XP system

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 21, 2011, 07:27 PM »

Wow, Dorothy looks pissed... 

(on topic...-> I'm with 40hz and have been having great success with that configuration on 100+ machines over the past year or so since implemented.

3504

General Software Discussion / Re: Taking ownership of files ... confused, irritated & discombobulated

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 19, 2011, 09:30 PM »

This was - emphasis on the was - not an OS drive, just a USB external storage drive. 

...

So I dismantled the drive housing -

-barney (October 19, 2011, 06:54 PM)

Stop! ...God I'm retarded...

It's a USB Drive ... So if the USB controller goes poof (and they tend to) ... It can/will make the drive (which is actually perfectly fine) appear to be torched. I just went through this a few months back with a clients 1TB backup drive. In the externel USB case it appeared to be for all the world completely, unreadably, fried. However.... Out of the case connected directly to a computer ... It worked perfectly. I'm still using it.

Take another run at it now that it's out ... You might get lucky.

3505

Living Room / Re: Smart Response Technology and partitioning

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 19, 2011, 06:27 PM »

A charter member since 2006 and this is only your first post? That has got to be some sort of record!

-40hz (October 19, 2011, 06:53 AM)

...Guess that's why they call'em nosie and not chatty.

3506

Living Room / Re: What's Your Internet Speed/Reliability SATISFACTION?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 19, 2011, 06:22 PM »

So speed tests are fun, but they don't really show what'll happen when you're do an actual download. So I timed one:




942MB in under 4min ... I'm ok with that.

3507

Living Room / Re: Smart Response Technology and partitioning

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 19, 2011, 06:56 AM »

Crap, 40 got ahead of me ... But I'll go ahead and post my nonsense anyway.

To me, this seems like Good bye to partitioning the (mechanical) hard drive as we used to do, in order to separate the OS+software install from saved files. Any one care to comment on this?

-nosie (September 25, 2011, 01:41 AM)

Segregation, is segregation ... It can be done with either partitions or folders, the end result is still the same. Separating things by partition is only necessary when fragmentation is an issue/factor.

With mechanical drives, if you have several databases and log files (things that like to fragment) on a single partition. They will all be trying to write to the largest free space and therefore end up chopping eachother to bits. This is why fragment prone files (like those mentioned) are typically segregated from static files (like the OS) to keep mechanical drives from scuttling as the read head flutters back and forth trying to keep up with the read operation seeks for the rest of a badly fragmented file.

With SSDs, none of that matters. there are no read heads ... So regardless if the file is on one piece or 1,000 it'll still read at the same speed because there is no mechanical arm to wag back and forth trying to find the next fragment.

So while it may seem like a problem that it's forcing the single partition "issue", the point is you don't really need more than one anyway.

3508

General Software Discussion / Re: A salty tale: Table salt multiplies hard disk space six times

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 17, 2011, 06:10 PM »

I'm going to hold out for bacterial hard drive storage. That way, the hard drive capacity just keeps growing exponentially!

-daddydave (October 17, 2011, 04:36 PM)

Hm... I'm not sure I'd want to try getting a virus out of a bacterial hard drive. ...But it could make for some interesting discussions:
 I've got 17TB of fully redundant storage, and a runny nose.
 So doc the computer BSOD's everytime I cough ... What'd we get now??
 The wife cleaned my office with lysol, now all my data 's gone!

3509

General Software Discussion / Re: Taking ownership of files ... confused, irritated & discombobulated

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 17, 2011, 06:40 AM »

One of the more interesting gotchas that tends to manifest at times like this is name length. If you have long folder names that accumulate into a really long path name, the copy/move operation will trip over it with a (rather erroneous) permissions error (e.g. The Whole (mess) really is the sum of its (name length) parts).

The work around is to try moving part of the subdirectory tree (out of the uber path) to the root of the same drive, which actually only updates the file pointers, so the files can then be accessed. Either that or try renaming the folders to shorten up the overall path name.

I've frequently tried moving the hole tree to see what/where it was failing, and then just renamed that target to "stitch" things back together. If the user had a really complicated (convoluted) file system. But if it's dying out of the gate - safe bet - the probled lies at the (assumed alphabetical) top of the folder structure. For this you can either try moving random folders one at a time, or sort the explorer folder view by something else and see if it'll get started (from that "angle") then.

3510

Living Room / Re: Another Nail in the Coffin for Free Speech

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 16, 2011, 10:32 AM »

Apparently imitation was the sincerest form of flattery...Until somebody decided to get hypersensitive about their cyber bullying platform.

What ever happened to the "Sticks & Stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me" adage that server my generation so well??

3511

Living Room / Re: Another Nail in the Coffin for Free Speech

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 16, 2011, 09:52 AM »

Isn't this covered by parody?

-Renegade (October 16, 2011, 09:35 AM)

I should certainly think so.

3512

General Software Discussion / Re: modem lag. (problem solved)

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 16, 2011, 09:09 AM »

(Modem integrated firewall? Never even heard of that!)

-mouser (October 15, 2011, 05:21 PM)

Oh yes, it's a rather common/popular trend that started a few years ago. ISP's are trying to pick devices that will protect people from themselves, or at least stem the flow of crap that spews out of infested machines. Problem is that most of these devices are underpowered and haven't a chance of keeping up with the cycle time required by the SPI filters so they frequently bottleneck and choke themselves to death.

I suspect that many of the bad router reviews at places like NewEgg are driven by this particularly annoying design trend.

3513

General Software Discussion / Re: best Outlook replacement?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 15, 2011, 04:47 PM »

+1^ I'm not about to trade my Outlook/Exchange config for anything.

3514

General Software Discussion / Re: modem lag. Help needed.

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 15, 2011, 01:13 PM »

- I pinged my own IP address

-Curt (October 15, 2011, 12:57 PM)

That makes you point B from an external point A. Which invalidates the DNS lag test because your machine (which is the one in question) never does a lookup ... And therefore doesn't/can't lag during it.

3515

General Software Discussion / Re: modem lag. Help needed.

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 15, 2011, 12:54 PM »

I ran a google query for "test ping time" and received quite many answers.

-Curt (October 15, 2011, 11:41 AM)

Um... No. There are only two ways to do a ping test. From the local machine's Command Prompt, and the wrong way. Nobody cares of internet server A can successfully ping internet server B, that doesn't help you. You need to know who is dropping the ball on your specific leg of the internet, and to do that you have to be point A for all tests. Otherwise you're actually just wasting time testing somebody else's connection.

So at a command prompt... do ping domain. Then do a ping to said domain's IP and you should have substantially less lag for the first packets send if name resolution is the issue.

Just because server X is supposed to be really fast, doesn't guarantee that it will be real fast in your area. So the trick is to separate the various networking services so you can see which one is misbehaving.

3516

General Software Discussion / Re: modem lag. Help needed.

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 15, 2011, 09:00 AM »

Everything about this sounds like a DNS issue (as several have suggested). Simplest confirmation is to ping a domain by name. When you hit enter you should see a long pause (assumint the theory is correct) before the first packet goes to the resolved IP address, and the ping times to the IP should all be fairly short and fast). That long pause it the DNS resoultion dragging it feet.

Then you just have to focus on finding a DNS server that will answer at a reasonable rate.

If you run nslookup in interactive mode (start with no options), then type set type=NS at its prompt. It can be used to find the name servers for any network/domain you type in after (only type domain.tld - no www's). Try a few other local ISP domains and you should be able to find one that isn't running like it's half dead.

3517

Living Room / Re: iPhone feature which poses a high privacy risk everytime you take a picture?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 14, 2011, 05:08 PM »

Dunno... I just think the world is better when we don't automatically assume that terrorists and child molesters are stalking us on every street corner. The media has created such a massive reality distortion field around so many issues there, and the field isn't a good one -- it's pure fear. Not a particularly nice way to live.

-Renegade (October 14, 2011, 03:36 PM)

We can't change dumb people but we can surely voice against corporations who are responsible for this type of situation.

-mahesh2k (October 14, 2011, 04:02 PM)

Personally I think these two points fit together quite nicely. I agree with Renegade, the media has whipped everyone into a fear frenzy where nobody wants to trust anybody. The terrorist "bogyman" is behind every door. The problem of course is that they are trying to stampede us into trusting (them) the very group that is actually out to screw us.

Then on mahesh2k's side, while there are actually real problems out there, they get drown out by the steady stream of nonsense the media keeps trying to spoon feed people.


Every generation gets to a point where its members start to look back and think about "Simpler Times". For the ones in play now a great deal has been lost in the past decade. How much exactly will remain unknown for quite some time...I fear.

3518

Developer's Corner / Re: Dennis Ritchie dead

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 14, 2011, 10:25 AM »

Yes. While everybody cries the death of you know who, Dennis Ritchie dies much more plainly -- if not completely silently for the vast majority -- while he really and originally contributed to technological innovation and progress. What a world.

-Armando (October 13, 2011, 11:47 PM)

That's because true heroes don't need a parade.

I never knew the man's name, but I do love his work.

3519

Living Room / Re: iPhone feature which poses a high privacy risk everytime you take a picture?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 14, 2011, 06:43 AM »

I've had apps upgrade themselves after I've repeatedly told them not to update. And I've had network tech utility apps downloaded from Apple disappear from my phone (without my consent) about the same time they were mysteriously removed from the app store.

I did not receive any notice from Apple that they were going to do this either before or after it happened. And when I queried Apple all I was told was that the apps in question no longer complied with Apple's guidelines and were therefor removed. When I complained, it was politely suggested I reread the iPhone EULA and AppStore T&C if I was "confused" about anything and wished a nice day.

-40hz (October 13, 2011, 01:20 PM)

Um... Wow! ...Please tell me you're not still using that silly contraption. I generally consider myself to be a patient person ... But I'd disassemble that thing with a chainsaw - In the phone store - if that ever happend.

3520

Developer's Corner / Re: SEO fun: Does the multi-domain tactic work?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 13, 2011, 08:24 PM »

Edit:  On the other hand, you might have a look here.

-barney (October 13, 2011, 07:20 PM)

So... have you used/can you vouch for the free server side SEO Control Panel that's available from that site?


(Edit) Never mind <covered in PM> I'll give it a spin and see what happens.

3521

Living Room / Re: Can anyone help? Windows 7 permissions

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 13, 2011, 08:19 PM »

I have had bad experiences using the license key on the label stuck to the box - they only seem to work about 50% of the time and if it fails HP will say do an install from their backup media and MS will say talk to HP! Either way it would be a real PITA

-Carol Haynes (October 13, 2011, 07:18 PM)

Carol... You're giving them far too much information when you call. Skip HP's tech support, they're idiots. Just call the MS activation number and play dumb. It's never failed for me, especially if I use a southern accent (they want Billy-Bob off the phone like now!).

Pre XP SP3 disks can be touchy/hit-or-miss. Dell (OEM) XP SP3 disks seem to work the best for me (never rejects a valid COA for any brand PC). Dell (OEM) Vista & 7 I've never had a problem with either.


But if the machines is that critical, I'd just go with the folder perms tweaking and then stuff the SP in too. Especially if it's got some special (/sketchy) verticle market stuff on it. That always turns ugly because the client never seems to have their reg info ... Or the install media for that matter.

3522

Developer's Corner / Re: SEO fun: Does the multi-domain tactic work?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 13, 2011, 08:04 PM »

So I Googled website design with our town's name ... The SEO guy's site showed-up on the bottom of page three.

Hello! ...Welcome to the Land of Duh..!  (we really need a face-palm smiley)

Message sent.

3523

Living Room / Re: Can anyone help? Windows 7 permissions

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 13, 2011, 06:28 PM »

A repair install; isn't really an option as it is a preinstalled HP installation without disks and I am not 100% sure the license key on the box will work! I don't want to try a repair install from another DVD only to find the license won't work or activation fails!

-Carol Haynes (October 13, 2011, 05:55 PM)

A few weeks back I installed Win 7 pro on an HP using Dell media. The Win 7 home key didn't work, but our companies MSDN/Retail key activated just fine (yes it was only for internal testing and therefore "legal" to do ). Point being their flexable. If you have any OEM media (for the correct edition), and a valid legible COA it should activate just fine. Some of the things that did activate (in tests I've run) were actually rather shocking.

I can't add folders to Winsxs even with admin permissions - I just get access denied.

-Carol Haynes (October 13, 2011, 05:55 PM)

If there is trouble in there, just use the .NET cleanup utility, and reinstall the .NET versions you need.

How can I reapply TrustedInstaller ownership if I take ownership?

-Carol Haynes (October 13, 2011, 05:55 PM)

I answered that a few posts above.

Better does anyone know how to reapply the standard security template to the Windows folder tree if I bugger about - I used to be able to do this to WinXP but I have never done it to Win7 x64 and Microsoft's Support site is now worse than useless - almost all the KB results you get take you to irrelevant community posts.

-Carol Haynes (October 13, 2011, 05:55 PM)

It's done using the secedit utility, but thinking after posting I do recall reading that that method doesn't "fix" folder perms in anything past XP. ...Sorry.

3524

Developer's Corner / Re: SEO fun: Does the multi-domain tactic work?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 13, 2011, 05:32 PM »

The prices the SEO types kick around is what I find staggering; $750 a month? ...WTF am I buying...a Yacht?!?

-Stoic Joker (October 13, 2011, 01:58 PM)

Hey, if they're willing to offer a written guarantee, preferably with penalties, they might be worth it.  But the bottom line on most SEO orgs is a temporary surge, one which soon falters. 

Right now, barring specialty search sites, Google is the 800 lb. gorilla.  And that gorilla has a whole gang of monkeys working on how to prevent artificial inflation of a site's position.  And those monkeys are pretty damned good.  The penalties for getting caught in such inflation can get severe  . 

-barney (October 13, 2011, 04:49 PM)

Okay... So you're saying the best bet is to skip the SEO game entirely?? Or is there a better/simpler/safer/cheaper way to DIY that comes with something that vaguely resembles a bloody manual?

I'm not adverse to doing myself, I'd just like to know how many of my current assumptions regarding the topic are total crap ... Before I light a match...

3525

Living Room / Re: Can anyone help? Windows 7 permissions

« Last post by Stoic Joker on October 13, 2011, 05:07 PM »

Okay this part was bugging me, so I did some Googling and found this:

http://blogs.msdn.co...rustedinstaller.aspx

Short Version:

If you have moved the ownership to yourself so you could give yourself permissions to modify the resource, and now want to reset it back to TrustedInstaller as the owner, simply follow these steps:
•Right mouse button click on the file and choose Properties
 •Click Security tab
 •Click Advanced button
 •Click Owner tab
 •Click Edit button
 •Click Other User or Group and type in NT SERVICE\TrustedInstaller
 •Press Ok on all dialogs until all property dialogs are closed

Now the part it leaves out, is that if you are on a Domain, You'll need to switch the perms dialog to LM so it can/will find/validate the account.

Using the above I was able to successfully give ownership to the TrustedInstaller group for a test folder.


Great Question Carol!!!