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THE BUG REPORT
A monthly publication of
GS-BUG Inc. (c) copyright 1996.
Reproduction of any material herein by any
means is expressly prohibited unless written permission is granted. Exception:
Articles may be reprinted by other users groups in unaltered form if credit
is given to the author and the original publication.
STAFF
Editor - Sharon Grant
FEATURE ARTICLES:-ACCESSIBILITY FOR EVERYONE
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System Diagnostics, Repair & Upgrades e-mail: Rich richbu@netzero.net 310-374-8633 |
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PERSPECTIVES
By Dr. John Hanson |
Topics for May
1. Minolta Digital Camera
2. Air Force Calculators
3. 2nd Computer Vendor
4. Detecting Spam
5. Fotos for Ebay
6. Xerox 8400 Printer
7. Black Magic
8. Buying Old Software
9. HP Color Laser
10. Xerox LCD Monitor
11. Scam Artists
12. Gateway Collapsing
13. Editors Choices
14. Wierd Happenings
15. Fujitsu S7000 Notebook
1.Minolta Digital Camera: About two years ago Emmett Ingram wanted a digital camera so I did some research and recommended a Minolta Xt. He raved about how good it was and the great pictures it took so a couple of weeks ago I decided to buy a similar one from Minolta. The closest I could find was the X20 and it had an advantage that Emmett's didn't have in that it used two AA NiMH batteries instead of a Lithium Ion. Since I take hundreds of pictures on my work during each session and more with my two other digital cameras I need to be able to replace batteries quickly and not wait for recharging. It's pictures are really fantastic and can be blown up to 8 x 10 even tho it's only 2 megapixels. It's a good lens that counts as on my 2 mp Olympus. But it has one serious flaw that I discovered at the air show in Riverside. Outdoors you can't see any image on the LCD and there is no viewfinder. This camera fits easily in a shirt pocket so if you decide to get one be sure to get the one with a viewfinder. I need to get a bellows like Jack Noble has to keep outside light from washing out the picture.
2. Air Force Calculators: Air shows always remind me of my days designing missiles and radar and telling the test pilots what I wanted. Actually, I asked them if it were possible to do what I wanted safely. That's much better than telling. As I toured each of the cargo planes I asked the load master how he calculated where to put the loads. Years ago, before calculators, each type of cargo plane had a special slide rule for calculating loads. I was surprised to discover how backward the air force was leaving it up to individuals to find their own calculator and some were very simple. Some had a palm pilot they had programmed for their plane. It is hard to believe the air force doesn't have a specialized programmable calculator for each type of plane.
It reminds me of the days Emmett Ingram started a calculator club with some 18,000 members around the world. During one of the airplane sub hunter exercises an admiral wondered why one plane got much better results than the others, mission after mission. It turns out one of the crew members was a member of our club and had programmed his calculator to find the subs with less effort.
3. 2nd Computer Vendor: Buying anything on the
Internet can be risky unless you are very careful. Rich Bulow, our
computer repair expert, discovered one that was more honest than the others
so Rich, Emmett and I went to see them in person and were impressed.
The site is
<www.BzBoyz.com When you learn
to play the game you will discover that it's possible to get a computer
very cheaply there providing you don't make any changes. You can
make the changes later at the Hardware SIG. You order on the Internet
and pay cash when you pick it up. If you bring a disk with Win 98
on it they will install everything and make sure it works for only $25
extra. The name of the sharp young man is Raj and some of the extras
are quite reasonable. Now you have a choice of Raj or Advanced Computer.
4. Detecting Spam: I have been spared for a number of years ut recently I have been bombarded with 200 or more spam emails. It is laborious to erase them and more laborious to make sure I not erasing someone valuable as I have customers all over the world. Page 72 of PC Mag for May 4th has an article on Bayesian filters that appears quite interesting when I have time to try it. If anyone trys it please let me know.
5. Fotos for Ebay: If you sell things on Ebay you are likely to get a better price if the picture is good. Page 68 of PC Mag for May 4th starts a useful article on how to get a good picture.
6. Xerox 8400 Printer: On page 65 of PC Mag for May 4th John Dvorak is recommending this printer but I have checked it out and don't agree with Dvorak. This means you should always be suspicious when Dvorak recommend something and check it out carefully for yourself.
7. Black Magic: Just before page 65 of PC Mag for May 4th is an ad for Black Magic by a very respected designer of hard drives as well as the early floppy drives. It sounds very useful in finding stuff on your hard drives. Has anyone tried it? If so let me know. Go to www.Blackball.us.
8. Buying Old Software: When you buy new software the large box is essentially empty and weighs very little. All it contains is a CD and very brief instructions. Compare that with a heavy box with two great manuals. I just got one for invoices designed for Win 95 but it works great with Win 98. Even if you have a newer version of a program get the older version just to get the books and usually for no more than $5.
9. HP Color Laser: I love my HP-4+ laser printers but HP can make lousy equipment like anyone else. It all depends on who is in charge at the time. David Stone usually does a good job reviewing products but I would be very leery of the HP 3700n at $1,600 when for $600 you can get a Minolta like mine that works perfectly and has network, USB and parallel connections. Besides, the Minolta looks better and everything is easy after you understand their complex instructions. When John Dvorak recommends something be especially suspicious. He is suggesting the Xerox 8400 which is a solid ink printer. When I did my analysis I decided it would not be good for photographs among other weaknesses.
10. Xerox LCD Monitor: When a magazine says a product is good you need to be skeptical but when they say it is bad you can believe them. On page 48 of PC Mag for May 4th the writer tell you why he thinks the Xerox LCD monitor is so bad. Do read the article so you know what to look out for when you buy a monitor.
11. Scam Artists: I visited one of my neighbors and noticed a new computer for their children with a whole book of software disks. They told me they paid $2,000 on a plan of $100 a month. It is embarrassing to tell people that they have been taken but I told the mother not to pay any more than the $200 she has already paid and let the vendor come and take it back. Whether she will follow my advice is another question.
The first thing I noticed was a lousy BenQ CRT monitor where the letters were almost unreadable. The daughter told me it was very slow. I did check the size of the hard disk with ChkDsk and discovered it was only 10gb. For $200 total they could have bought a much better one at the place Rich Bulow discovered in Signal Hill.
12. Gateway Collapsing: For years I and other members of the Hardware SIG have been warning members not to buy Gateway computers as well as HP and Dell, etc. The worst was Packard Bell. There is much better value elsewhere. Recently Gateway declared bankruptcy so imagine what might happen if you buy a computer they still advertise.
13. Editors Choices: Use these selections as starting points but be very wary of the choices. Do your homework and check reviews on the Internet but even there you must be careful. At the moment Smart Computing and PC World seem to be the best and the worst is Consumers Union when it comes to technical things.
14. Weird Happenings: Old reliable Control something sometimes acts up and you must reboot. Whenever you have functions that sometimes give trouble you should always press the save key just in case so you won't lose your work. With keyboards so inexpensive these days it is possible that a key is not functioning. Try the other control key and see if it is more reliable. You may remember the early days of calculators when the keys were the most expensive part of the calculator and then the display. I still have a Royal calculator that doesn't use keys. It has a gold plated spot for each key and with a gold plated stylus you touch it to get a number. It only displays 4 digits at a time so you touch another spot to see the rest of the number. And at the time it was a very expensive but reliable calculator.
15. Fujitsu S7000 Notebook: I bought one of the latest Fujitsu notebooks about a year ago after careful study and it has turned out very well. Like any company they can make quality when they want to. I gave it to my cousin in Spain who is studying engineering. He is so proud to have a notebook more powerful than all of his peers. The article on page 44 of PC Mag for May 4th says the keyboard is flimsy among other problems so if you are looking for a notebook you should read this article.
Editor's Note: John Hanson is the inventor of
Tooties, a superb self-teaching system used by millions in schools, homes,
and by eye doctors
around the world to improve vision. He also invented a new
form of psychology called QET (Quick Effective Therapy) which transforms
poor
students into good students, almost overnight, usually in 5 to 15
days. He has also had outstanding success in helping brain damaged
people, even
years after their accident. Why go to therapy for years and
spend lots of money when you can improve quite fast with QET? He
uses computers to
document his cases for his books so that others may benefit and
improve their vision and other skills. Visit his web site for
more information at www.tooties.com
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INTERNET
TALK
By Frank Chao |
Please allow me to welcome
you to the 69th "Internet Talk" article for "The Bug Bulletin", a publication
of the Greater South Bay PC Users Group (GSBUG).
Spring has sprung and
your spring cleaning activities should include the removal of unneeded
files, viruses, adware, and spyware from your computer. However, we will
start off on a positive note with a few entertaining Web sites for you
to visit:
NURSERY RHYMES
Fascinating history and folklore can be learned from interpretations of English nursery rhymes.
For extensive pages of English nursery rhymes, see
http://www.collingsm.freeserve.co.uk/
or
http://www.mamalisa.com/house/
or
http://www.collingsm.freeserve.co.uk/subjectindex.htm
or
http://www.iyway.com/
For explanations of the historical origins of various nursery rhymes, see
http://www.famousquotes.me.uk/nursery_rhymes/nursery_rhymes_index.htm
or
http://www.sca.org.au/bacchus_wood/origins_of_nursery_rhymes.html
or
http://nurseryrhymes.allinfoabout.com/
or
http://poetry.about.com/cs/nurseryrhymes/index.htm
or
http://nurseryrhymes.allinfoabout.com/index.html
RECYCLING OLD CELLULAR PHONES
To find a place to donate an old, unwanted cellular phone to charity, go to
http://www.wirelessrecyling.com/home/index.html
ANTI-SPYWARE / ANTI-ADWARE ADWARE SCAMS
Some vendors of anti-spyware / anti-adware utility software have been accused of deceptive marketing practices. Several of these vendors have been distributing adware into people's computers in order to advertise the adware removal capabilities of their software. Other utility software providers have been pirating and/or reverse engineering the software code of better-established software developers.
See
http://news.com.com/2100-1032-5157358.html
http://www.unwantedlinks.com/removespyware.htm
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/zdnetuk/news/internet/security/0,39020375,39146150,00.htm
http://www.strugglingteens.com/archives/2002/8/oe03.html
http://www.alanluber.com/pcfearfactor/spywareindex.htm
To add even more complexity to this situation, several reputable makers of free anti-virus and anti-spyware / anti-adware utilities have been accused of distributing spyware / adware as part of over-zealous marketing campaigns.
To keep abreast of the
latest developments in this controversy, browse the above Web pages regularly
and keep your ears open at GSBUG meetings and computer swapmeets.
MORE ABOUT FREE ANTI-VIRUS
SOFTWARE
Since I starting advocating free anti-virus software three months ago, many of you have downloaded and installed "AVG Free Edition" from
http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php
and/or
"Avast! 4 Home", from
http://www.avast.com/i_idt_1016.html
No one has reported any
problems with either of these two anti-virus software utilities. Kostek
Haussmann, a GSBUG member, reported that "AVG Free Edition" was able to
detect and expunge a couple of viruses that Symantec's "Norton Antivirus.."
missed.
(In the following section,
"ABC" virus, "XYZ" spyware, and "SuperZapper" software are hypothetical
examples: )
JUST SAY "NO"
Your are browsing the
Internet and a window/dialog box pops up and tells you
that your computer is
infected with a "ABC" virus or with "XYZ" spyware. It also asks you
if you want to download and install "SuperZapper" software. Your best response
at this point is to find a pen or pencil and write down the exact name
the virus or spyware that you are being accused of possessing. Then write
down the name of the software utility that the window/dialog box is trying
to get you to install.
Then click on the "No" button.
If a "No" button is not
available, click on the "Exit" button, the "x" inside a box in the upper
right hand corner of the window/dialog box.
See
www.forbes.com/business/newswire/2004/01/28/rtr1231646.html
Now comes the hard part:
You now have to determine
if you really have "ABC" virus or "XYZ" spyware.
Scan your computer with
a reputable anti-virus software utility such as
"AVG..", "Avast", Symantec's
Norton Antivirus, or McAfee VirusScan.
Then scan your computer
with trustworthy anti-spyware / anti-adware utilities such as Lavasoft's
Ad-Aware and/or Spybot - Search & Destroy.
DESPERATION MEASURES
If you cannot start an anti-virus utility program or an anti-spyware / anti-adware utility program, what should you do?
You might do what is recommended by the last line of this article. (Just kidding !!)
Seriously, you need to turn off some of the "processes" and "applications" that are running in the background and foreground of your computer.
Step 0) Start by closing
all windows that are open or minimized. When you are done doing so,
you should have no "Task buttons" between the "Start" button and the "System
Tray" of the gray Windows "Taskbar".
Step 1) Press one of the "Control" keys on your keyboard and leave it pressed down.
Step 2) Press on one of the "Alt" keys on your keyboard and leave it pressed down.
Step 3) Then press on one of the "Delete" key on keyboard and leave it down.
Step 4) Leave all three
of the above-mentioned keyboard keys pressed down
for one second. Then
release all three keys at the same time.
Step 5) A "Task List" or "Windows Task Manager" dialog box will pop up.
Step 6) Now, click on the "Applications" tab of this dialog box, if there is more than one tab. Ignore this step if there are no tabs displayed.
Step 7) Click on any "task" other than "Explorer".
Step 8) Click on the "End Task" button.
Step 9) Repeat Step 1 through Step 8 until everything but "Explorer" gone from the "Task list". (Many versions of Windows do not show "Explorer" in the "Task list".)
Step 10) Attempt to start
your anti-virus utility program or an anti-spyware / anti-adware utility
program.
WAYS TO CONTACT ME:
If you have any questions
or problems, I can be contacted by the following methods:
1. Send me e-mail
at: fchao@pacbell.net
2. Leave me a
voice message at
(310)768-3896.
3. Send "snail"
U.S. Postal Service mail to
Frank
Chao
PO Box 6930
Torrance, CA 90504-0030.
Or sell your computer
and take up basket weaving instead !!
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SOFTWARE
LIBRARY NEWS
By BOB HUDAK |
This month I have updated the Jeff Levy disk #93. Since 1998Jeff has come up with a "lesson" for his listeners. Eachlesson tell you how to do something easier or just how towith your computer or programs. The disk has all of them thru3-21-04. There are 315 lessons indexed by year and then shortdescription of lesson. When you find one of interest, clickon it and it opens for you to read or print out. There aresome great tips here. You can run it from the floppy or put acopy in a folder on your hard drive for faster access. Pickup a copy at the library table for your collection.
HARDWARE SIG NEWS
It seems like it is feast or famine at the Hardware Sig. Toomuch to do or next to noting to do. It is great how some ofthe members that are there to socialize will jump in and helpwith a members computer problem. John Sullivan gave one ofhis vacation days up to help. Greg Neumann is always ready tohelp. Harry Goldstein came in for a minute and spent theafternoon working on a members computer. Sure makes my job aLOT easier. Her are a few problems we had to deal with. I amtelling you about these so that you will avoid them.1. Hard drive so full that there was no working room to workon files or save new ones. Defragger had no room to work etc.Member was asking about adding a new hard drive. Guess what?The drive had two partitions and the second one, which washalf of the drive, was empty! Know what your computer has andhow to best use the hardware.2. Computer would not startup in Windows. Hard drive full.Never defragged. Never cleaned inside. Choking on dust. Needto clean inside with light air pressure at least once a year.Maybe more depending on location of computer and the amountof use. No working boot disk. A must have in order to boot upcomputer if it is unable to start from the hard drive.3. Windows XP would no longer boot up. Bad spot on drive?Missing or corrupt file? Time to reload program or reformatdrive and reinstall everything. Virus problem? At this pointcan' tell. Biggest problem, no backup of important data. Donot fall into this trap. BACK UP your work if it has anyvalue! Back up to a CD or floppies.
Sounds like a lot of operator errors. If you go alongthinking you are bullet proof and noting can happen to yourcomputer, we'll see you at the Hardware Sig soon.
Here are a couple tips that Greg Neuman sent me which he got from WorldStart.com.
MONEY SAVER!If you're using a wireless optical mouse then get a white or light-colored mouse pad. The mouse's infrared transmitter/receiver uses less power if it's reading a light-colored surface. This will make your batteries last longer.
Get Your Fix: Free CD
from Microsoft!
Microsoft's updates
are aimed at security issues, bugs, and general fixes this could be an
area of concern. There's no reason to stress howeverMicrosoft has recently
released a CD-ROM with all of their Hot Fixes and updates. Best of all,
it's FREE. You don't even pay for shipping and handling. Uncle Bill must
have decided that it might be a good idea to release a CD of updates in
advance of Service Pack 2 (due the end of 2004).
This CD supports Operating
systems from 98 first edition through Windows XP up to Oct 15,2003. That
means any updates that Microsoft has put out since this date will be absent
from the list. It's important to keep your pc up-to-date. It improves performance,
security, and compatibility and without them you're not getting everything
you can from your pc.
When you run the disk
for the first time it acts just like a regular Windows update. It scans
your PC and comes up with what operating system you're using and what updates
it needs. The program then presents you with a list of needed updates,
you acknowledge the updates in the list you wish to install, then installs
them.
Just go to the MS web
page, fill out the e-form and wait for the snail to bring it to your door.
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/cd/order.asp
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ACCESSIBILITY FOR EVERYONE
by Billy Mabray
Oklahoma City PC Users Group eMonitor - February 2004
From the April 2004 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter
Many people, including a lot of Web designers, think Web-site accessibility
is only about making sites work for blind users with screen reader software.
Accessibility should be about all of us. There is a wide range of physical
conditions that can make using the Web difficult. The Internet can be a
frustrating place when you have poor eyesight, colorblindness, or trouble
using a mouse. You may not fall into any of these categories right now,
but consider this statistic: 100% of Internet users are growing older.
At some point, we will all need help navigating the Web.
There are many things that can be done to make the Web more accessible.
Some of those things are already built into your Web browser. Others require
Web designers to implement accessible features on their Web sites. If you
are one of the many people who has difficulty using the Web, you will want
to know what help is out there.
One of the biggest complaints people have is that text is too small.
It is also the easiest to remedy. If you are using Internet Explorer, choose
View>Text Size from the top menu. Also, if your mouse has a scroll wheel,
you can hold the CTRL key and scroll up and down to change the text size.
Now, this will not work on all Web pages - later, we will discuss why that
is and what Web designers can do about it. The Netscape/Mozilla browser,
however, can change text size on all Web pages. Choose View>Increase Text
Size, or hold CTRL and press the + key.
There are many shortcut keys available for those who have difficulty
using a mouse. For example, the backspace key will take you to the previous
page, F5 will reload your current page, and ALT plus the Home key will
take you to your home page (the page set to load when you open your browser).
Also, if you have gone back to a previous page, ALT plus the right arrow
will take you forward again. Another useful key on any Web page is the
TAB key. You can use the TAB key (and SHIFT plus TAB to go in reverse)
to quickly navigate forward through all the links and form fields on a
Web page. Once you have tabbed to a form element, other keyboard shortcuts
may come in handy. For drop-down boxes, you can use the up and down arrows
to highlight your selection. For radio buttons or checkboxes, use the space
bar to select your choice. If you are using a recent version of Netscape/Mozilla,
you can also use "Find As You Type." Start typing at any page and it will
automatically do a search for what you are typing on that page.
Some people, particularly the colorblind, find Web sites hard to
use because the color of the text does not contrast enough with the background
colors. If the color scheme of your favorite Web site makes it difficult
to read, you can override that as well. You will find this under Tools->Options
or Edit->Preferences, depending on your browser. You can set your default
fonts, font sizes, and page colors. You can also specify that your defaults
always override what is set by the Web page.
While these browser features can be helpful, there is still much
Web designers must do to make their site accessible to the widest possible
audience. A good example is text sizing. If Web designers use fixed text
sizes - sizes that specify an absolute unit of measurement, such as points
or pixels - on their pages, Internet Explorer users cannot change their
text size as I described earlier. Web designers can, and should, use relative
text sizes to make their pages more accessible. Designers who prefer to
use absolute sizes for text should provide a "style switcher." This is
a link on the page that allows the site's visitor to make the text bigger
and saves that preference in a cookie. Another accessibility feature that
some designers use is access keys. These are just like the shortcut keys
I mentioned earlier; except they are defined by the Web page you are on.
For example, the designer could define ALT plus 4 to take you directly
to the search function. If you visit a site regularly and know their access
keys, they can be useful.
Web designers should also use labels for forms. Labels make the
text next to a form field clickable, just like the field itself. For example,
if a form has a checkbox that reads, "Click here to subscribe," and that
text is set as a label, the user can click anywhere on that text to check
the box. It can be very helpful to have a larger target when trying to
click things with a mouse.
We still have a long way to go before the Web is accessible to everyone.
But now you know some of the helpful features you have at your fingertips
already, and you know what to ask for from the Web sites you frequent.
Hopefully, as users learn what they can do, and designers learn what they
need to do, we can all enjoy the Web a little more.
Billy Mabray and his wife, Angela, own Smart Goat, a local software
development and web design business. They are members of the OKCPCUG. Comments
or questions on the article are welcome and can be addressed to: billy@smartgoat.com.
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COMPUTER MEMORY
by Brian K. Lewis, Ph.D.
Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., Florida
From the April 2004 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter
Occasionally the question arises as to how much memory can be put
in a computer. The answer is "it depends". It depends on just what you
mean by memory (RAM or hard disk), what operating system you are using
and the capabilities of your computer's motherboard and its chipset. When
I talk about memory I am not referring to the permanent storage of programs
and data on the hard disk. Rather, I refer to the random-access memory
or RAM. This is the memory provided by memory chips seated in slots on
the motherboard of today's computers. Anything stored in RAM disappears
when the power is turned off, so it is referred to as volatile, or temporary,
memory.
If you want to upgrade the memory in your computer you have to be
able to determine the memory type as well as the size, pins and speed,
the number of slots available on your motherboard and the maximum amount
of memory that your system can address. In general, this varies with the
age of your computer. So let's look at these components in a little more
detail. (Please note that although my remarks refer to Intel's Pentium
series central processors, they also generally apply to the equivalent
AMD processors.)
Early Pentium based computers had a CPU bus speed of 66 MHz (megahertz)
and a PCI I/O bus speed of 33 MHz. These values relate to the speed of
data movement within the central processor and transmission to and from
peripherals such as the memory bank. In some cases transfer to and from
memory was at 50 MHz. Pentium computers generally had four slots which
were arranged as two banks. This meant that memory had to be installed
in units of two. The memory chips were 72 pin DRAM (dynamic RAM) or SIMM
(single in-line memory modules) modules. Many of these computers could
support four DRAM modules of 32 MB (megabytes) for a maximum of 128 MB
of RAM. There were some motherboards built for Pentium 5 systems that had
2 or 3-168 bit DIMM slots in addition to the 72 pin slots. However, you
could not use both the 72 pin and 168 pin slots, only one or the other.
These systems would support either 128 or 256 MB of memory. However, at
the time, many Pentium/Pentium II computers were sold with only 16 MB of
RAM and Windows 95. Later, with Windows 98 the basic memory was 32 MB.
In both cases, this is a less than optimum amount of memory for these operating
systems. The first Pentium computers had a 32 bit address space which was
theoretically capable of addressing 4 GB (gigabytes) of memory. However,
none of the motherboards manufactured for these computers carried any such
memory capacity.
The next generation of computers carried faster CPUs and chipsets
along with faster bus speeds. For example the Intel 440 series chipsets
were capable of working with CPUs with speed of 233 - 333 MHz at a bus
speed of 66 MHz or with 350-450 MHz processors at a bus speed of 100 MHz.
These motherboards generally had 3- 168 pin slots and would support a maximum
of 384 MB of RAM. As the address space of the CPU was increased to 36 bit,
the maximum addressable memory was 64 GB. However, in practice some computers
running Win98 would not recognize more than 256 or 384 MB of RAM. This
problem has been ascribed to the chipset design and problem with the L-2
cache. So some caution is recommended if you intend to upgrade the memory
in a Pentium II or older system With some of the Pentium III class computers
there was an additional increment in bus speed to 133 MHz. The motherboards
had 2 to 4 168-pin memory slots. The maximum usable memory of such systems
ranges from 512 MB to 1 GB. These motherboards for this CPU class are generally
able to use 100 - 133 MHz DIMMs. The 133 MHz DIMMS are capable of working
at the 100 MHz speed. The Pentium 4 motherboards came with a whole new
array of chipsets and memory chip types and speeds. The maximum memory
now ranges up to 4 GB. Intel's initial Pentium 4 motherboards required
the use of RDRAM or Rambus DRAM memory chips. RDRAM is a serial memory
technology that arrived in three speeds, PC600, PC700, and PC800. RDRAM
designs with multiple channels, such as those in Pentium 4 motherboards,
are currently the fastest in memory throughput, especially when paired
with the newer PC1066 RDRAM memory. A Rambus channel is 2-bytes wide, so
we get a maximum 1.6GB/s transfer rate for a single RDRAM channel using
PC800 RDRAM or 2.1GB/s for PC1066. The other form of memory chip is the
double data rate DRAM. Intel and other manufacturers now have motherboards
and chipsets that can utilize these memory modules. They are less expensive
than the RDRAM. DDR memory modules are named after their peak bandwidth
- the maximum amount of data they can deliver per second - rather than
their clock rates. This is calculated by multiplying the amount of data
a module can send at once (called the data path or bandwidth) by the speed
of the front side bus (FSB). The bandwidth is measured in bits, and the
FSB in MHz. Note that the RDRAM bandwidth is in bytes. One byte is equal
to 8 bits.
A PC1600 DDR memory module can deliver bandwidth of 1600Mbps. PC2100
(the DDR version of PC133 SDRAM) has a bandwidth of 2100Mbps. PC2700 modules
use DDR333 chips to deliver 2700Mbps of bandwidth and PC3200 - the fastest
widely used form in late 2003 uses DDR400 chips to deliver 3200Mbps (3.2
Gbps) of bandwidth. You may see the term "dual channel" applied to memory.
When properly used, the term refers to a DDR motherboard's chipset that's
designed with two memory channels instead of one. The two channels handle
memory-processing more efficiently by utilizing the theoretical bandwidth
of the two modules, thus reducing system latencies, the timing delays that
inherently occur with one memory module. For example, one controller reads
and writes data while the second controller prepares for the next access,
hence, eliminating the reset and setup delays that occur before one memory
module can begin the read/write process all over again.
Consider a model in which data is filled into a container (memory),
which then directs the data to the CPU. Singlechannel memory would feed
the data to the processor via a single pathway at a maximum rate of 64
bits at a time. Dualchannel memory, on the other hand, utilizes two pathways,
thereby having the capability to deliver data twice as fast or up to 128
bits at a time. The process works the same way when data is transferred
from the processor by reversing the flow of data. A "memory controller"
chip is responsible for handling all data transfers involving the memory
modules and the processor. This controls the flow of data through the pathways,
preventing them from being over-filled with data. Now that you are totally
confused by all this memory type and speed terminology, let's look at the
next question.
How much memory should you have in your computer? The answer is:
probably as much as your motherboard and chipset can handle. For the newest
motherboards, that may be excessive unless you are involved in digital
video editing or graphic design. For most home users running WinXP or Win2K
I would recommend 512MB up to 1GB. So why those figures? I have found that
WinXP uses over 200 MB of RAM for its own files, if that much is available.
So on a 256 MB system that leaves very little for other applications and
data. The net result is a lot of swapping with the virtual memory space
on the hard drive. That slows everything down. In WinXP the Windows Task
Manager (bring up by pressing CTRLALT-DEL) shows your current performance
and the amount of memory available in real time. With 512 MB and several
programs running, I have over 300 MB of real RAM available. That greatly
increases the responsiveness (speed) of the system as moving data to and
from RAM is many times faster than using a hard disk. The Page File window
shows you the virtual memory swapping your system is doing. At the moment,
mine is zero.
You can do similar analyses on Win98/WinMe systems. The System Monitor
application that comes with Windows can supply this information.
However, you may need to modify it to get the memory info you want.
Go to Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools and select System Monitor.
If this selection is not available on your menu, then you need to install
the program from your original Windows disk or from \WindowsOptions\Cabs
file. You do that from the Control Panel (Add/ Remove Software) and Windows
Setup. Once you have the system monitor you can ADD memory information
by clicking on Edit, then add item. Select Memory Manager. The individual
items that will be the most helpful are: allocated memory, unused physical
memory, page files in/ out, swapfile in use or swappable memory. The kernel
reading tells you how much of your CPU capacity is being used. Generally,
Win98/WinME will do very well with 256 MB - 384 MB of RAM. You just have
to be certain that your motherboard and chipset can support this much RAM.
Most of the home computers I have worked on really don't have enough RAM
for the most efficient operation. Does Yours?
Dr. Lewis is a former university & medical school professor.
He has been working with personal computers for more than thirty years.
He can be reached via e-mail at bwsail@yahoo.com or voice mail at 941/925-3047.
:
|
|
Accessibility for Everyone
by Billy Mabray
Oklahoma City PC Users Group
eMonitor - February 2004
From the April 2004 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter
Many people, including a lot of Web designers, think Web-site accessibility
is only about making sites work for blind users with screen reader software.
Accessibility should be about all of us. There is a wide range of physical
conditions that can make using the Web difficult. The Internet can be a
frustrating place when you have poor eyesight, colorblindness, or trouble
using a mouse. You may not fall into any of these categories right now,
but consider this statistic: 100% of Internet users are growing older.
At some point, we will all need help navigating the Web.
There are many things that can be done to make the Web more accessible.
Some of those things are already built into your Web browser. Others require
Web designers to implement accessible features on their Web sites. If you
are one of the many people who has difficulty using the Web, you will want
to know what help is out there.
One of the biggest complaints people have is that text is too small.
It is also the easiest to remedy. If you are using Internet Explorer, choose
View>Text Size from the top menu. Also, if your mouse has a scroll wheel,
you can hold the CTRL key and scroll up and down to change the text size.
Now, this will not work on all Web pages - later, we will discuss why that
is and what Web designers can do about it. The Netscape/Mozilla browser,
however, can change text size on all Web pages. Choose View>Increase Text
Size, or hold CTRL and press the + key.
There are many shortcut keys available for those who have difficulty
using a mouse. For example, the backspace key will take you to the previous
page, F5 will reload your current page, and ALT plus the Home key will
take you to your home page (the page set to load when you open your browser).
Also, if you have gone back to a previous page, ALT plus the right arrow
will take you forward again. Another useful key on any Web page is the
TAB key. You can use the TAB key (and SHIFT plus TAB to go in reverse)
to quickly navigate forward through all the links and form fields on a
Web page. Once you have tabbed to a form element, other keyboard shortcuts
may come in handy. For drop-down boxes, you can use the up and down arrows
to highlight your selection. For radio buttons or checkboxes, use the space
bar to select your choice. If you are using a recent version of Netscape/Mozilla,
you can also use "Find As You Type." Start typing at any page and it will
automatically do a search for what you are typing on that page.
Some people, particularly the colorblind, find Web sites hard to
use because the color of the text does not contrast enough with the background
colors. If the color scheme of your favorite Web site makes it difficult
to read, you can override that as well. You will find this under Tools->Options
or Edit->Preferences, depending on your browser. You can set your default
fonts, font sizes, and page colors. You can also specify that your defaults
always override what is set by the Web page.
While these browser features can be helpful, there is still much
Web designers must do to make their site accessible to the widest possible
audience. A good example is text sizing. If Web designers use fixed text
sizes - sizes that specify an absolute unit of measurement, such as points
or pixels - on their pages, Internet Explorer users cannot change their
text size as I described earlier. Web designers can, and should, use relative
text sizes to make their pages more accessible. Designers who prefer to
use absolute sizes for text should provide a "style switcher." This is
a link on the page that allows the site's visitor to make the text bigger
and saves that preference in a cookie. Another accessibility feature that
some designers use is access keys. These are just like the shortcut keys
I mentioned earlier; except they are defined by the Web page you are on.
For example, the designer could define ALT plus 4 to take you directly
to the search function. If you visit a site regularly and know their access
keys, they can be useful.
Web designers should also use labels for forms. Labels make the
text next to a form field clickable, just like the field itself. For example,
if a form has a checkbox that reads, "Click here to subscribe," and that
text is set as a label, the user can click anywhere on that text to check
the box. It can be very helpful to have a larger target when trying to
click things with a mouse.
We still have a long way to go before the Web is accessible to everyone.
But now you know some of the helpful features you have at your fingertips
already, and you know what to ask for from the Web sites you frequent.
Hopefully, as users learn what they can do, and designers learn what they
need to do, we can all enjoy the Web a little more.
Billy Mabray and his wife, Angela, own Smart Goat, a local software
development and web design business. They are members of the OKCPCUG. Comments
or questions on the article are welcome and can be addressed to: billy@smartgoat.com.
There is no restriction against any non-profit group using this
article as long as it is kept in context with proper credit given the author.
The Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups
(APCUG), an international organization of which this group is a member,
brings this article to you.
Computer Memory
by Brian K. Lewis, Ph.D.
Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., Florida
From the April 2004 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter
Occasionally the question arises as to how much memory can be put
in a computer. The answer is "it depends". It depends on just what you
mean by memory (RAM or hard disk), what operating system you are using
and the capabilities of your computer's motherboard and its chipset. When
I talk about memory I am not referring to the permanent storage of programs
and data on the hard disk. Rather, I refer to the random-access memory
or RAM. This is the memory provided by memory chips seated in slots on
the motherboard of today's computers. Anything stored in RAM disappears
when the power is turned off, so it is referred to as volatile, or temporary,
memory.
If you want to upgrade the memory in your computer you have to be
able to determine the memory type as well as the size, pins and speed,
the number of slots available on your motherboard and the maximum amount
of memory that your system can address. In general, this varies with the
age of your computer. So let's look at these components in a little more
detail. (Please note that although my remarks refer to Intel's Pentium
series central processors, they also generally apply to the equivalent
AMD processors.)
Early Pentium based computers had a CPU bus speed of 66 MHz (megahertz)
and a PCI I/O bus speed of 33 MHz. These values relate to the speed of
data movement within the central processor and transmission to and from
peripherals such as the memory bank. In some cases transfer to and from
memory was at 50 MHz. Pentium computers generally had four slots which
were arranged as two banks. This meant that memory had to be installed
in units of two. The memory chips were 72 pin DRAM (dynamic RAM) or SIMM
(single in-line memory modules) modules. Many of these computers could
support four DRAM modules of 32 MB (megabytes) for a maximum of 128 MB
of RAM. There were some motherboards built for Pentium 5 systems that had
2 or 3-168 bit DIMM slots in addition to the 72 pin slots. However, you
could not use both the 72 pin and 168 pin slots, only one or the other.
These systems would support either 128 or 256 MB of memory. However, at
the time, many Pentium/Pentium II computers were sold with only 16 MB of
RAM and Windows 95. Later, with Windows 98 the basic memory was 32 MB.
In both cases, this is a less than optimum amount of memory for these operating
systems. The first Pentium computers had a 32 bit address space which was
theoretically capable of addressing 4 GB (gigabytes) of memory. However,
none of the motherboards manufactured for these computers carried any such
memory capacity.
The next generation of computers carried faster CPUs and chipsets
along with faster bus speeds. For example the Intel 440 series chipsets
were capable of working with CPUs with speed of 233 - 333 MHz at a bus
speed of 66 MHz or with 350-450 MHz processors at a bus speed of 100 MHz.
These motherboards generally had 3- 168 pin slots and would support a maximum
of 384 MB of RAM. As the address space of the CPU was increased to 36 bit,
the maximum addressable memory was 64 GB. However, in practice some computers
running Win98 would not recognize more than 256 or 384 MB of RAM. This
problem has been ascribed to the chipset design and problem with the L-2
cache. So some caution is recommended if you intend to upgrade the memory
in a Pentium II or older system With some of the Pentium III class computers
there was an additional increment in bus speed to 133 MHz. The motherboards
had 2 to 4 168-pin memory slots. The maximum usable memory of such systems
ranges from 512 MB to 1 GB. These motherboards for this CPU class are generally
able to use 100 - 133 MHz DIMMs. The 133 MHz DIMMS are capable of working
at the 100 MHz speed. The Pentium 4 motherboards came with a whole new
array of chipsets and memory chip types and speeds. The maximum memory
now ranges up to 4 GB. Intel's initial Pentium 4 motherboards required
the use of RDRAM or Rambus DRAM memory chips. RDRAM is a serial memory
technology that arrived in three speeds, PC600, PC700, and PC800. RDRAM
designs with multiple channels, such as those in Pentium 4 motherboards,
are currently the fastest in memory throughput, especially when paired
with the newer PC1066 RDRAM memory. A Rambus channel is 2-bytes wide, so
we get a maximum 1.6GB/s transfer rate for a single RDRAM channel using
PC800 RDRAM or 2.1GB/s for PC1066. The other form of memory chip is the
double data rate DRAM. Intel and other manufacturers now have motherboards
and chipsets that can utilize these memory modules. They are less expensive
than the RDRAM. DDR memory modules are named after their peak bandwidth
- the maximum amount of data they can deliver per second - rather than
their clock rates. This is calculated by multiplying the amount of data
a module can send at once (called the data path or bandwidth) by the speed
of the front side bus (FSB). The bandwidth is measured in bits, and the
FSB in MHz. Note that the RDRAM bandwidth is in bytes. One byte is equal
to 8 bits.
A PC1600 DDR memory module can deliver bandwidth of 1600Mbps. PC2100
(the DDR version of PC133 SDRAM) has a bandwidth of 2100Mbps. PC2700 modules
use DDR333 chips to deliver 2700Mbps of bandwidth and PC3200 - the fastest
widely used form in late 2003 uses DDR400 chips to deliver 3200Mbps (3.2
Gbps) of bandwidth. You may see the term "dual channel" applied to memory.
When properly used, the term refers to a DDR motherboard's chipset that's
designed with two memory channels instead of one. The two channels handle
memory-processing more efficiently by utilizing the theoretical bandwidth
of the two modules, thus reducing system latencies, the timing delays that
inherently occur with one memory module. For example, one controller reads
and writes data while the second controller prepares for the next access,
hence, eliminating the reset and setup delays that occur before one memory
module can begin the read/write process all over again.
Consider a model in which data is filled into a container (memory),
which then directs the data to the CPU. Singlechannel memory would feed
the data to the processor via a single pathway at a maximum rate of 64
bits at a time. Dualchannel memory, on the other hand, utilizes two pathways,
thereby having the capability to deliver data twice as fast or up to 128
bits at a time. The process works the same way when data is transferred
from the processor by reversing the flow of data. A "memory controller"
chip is responsible for handling all data transfers involving the memory
modules and the processor. This controls the flow of data through the pathways,
preventing them from being over-filled with data. Now that you are totally
confused by all this memory type and speed terminology, let's look at the
next question.
How much memory should you have in your computer? The answer is:
probably as much as your motherboard and chipset can handle. For the newest
motherboards, that may be excessive unless you are involved in digital
video editing or graphic design. For most home users running WinXP or Win2K
I would recommend 512MB up to 1GB. So why those figures? I have found that
WinXP uses over 200 MB of RAM for its own files, if that much is available.
So on a 256 MB system that leaves very little for other applications and
data. The net result is a lot of swapping with the virtual memory space
on the hard drive. That slows everything down. In WinXP the Windows Task
Manager (bring up by pressing CTRLALT-DEL) shows your current performance
and the amount of memory available in real time. With 512 MB and several
programs running, I have over 300 MB of real RAM available. That greatly
increases the responsiveness (speed) of the system as moving data to and
from RAM is many times faster than using a hard disk. The Page File window
shows you the virtual memory swapping your system is doing. At the moment,
mine is zero.
You can do similar analyses on Win98/WinMe systems. The System Monitor
application that comes with Windows can supply this information.
However, you may need to modify it to get the memory info you want.
Go to Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools and select System Monitor.
If this selection is not available on your menu, then you need to install
the program from your original Windows disk or from \WindowsOptions\Cabs
file. You do that from the Control Panel (Add/ Remove Software) and Windows
Setup. Once you have the system monitor you can ADD memory information
by clicking on Edit, then add item. Select Memory Manager. The individual
items that will be the most helpful are: allocated memory, unused physical
memory, page files in/ out, swapfile in use or swappable memory. The kernel
reading tells you how much of your CPU capacity is being used. Generally,
Win98/WinME will do very well with 256 MB - 384 MB of RAM. You just have
to be certain that your motherboard and chipset can support this much RAM.
Most of the home computers I have worked on really don't have enough RAM
for the most efficient operation. Does Yours?
Dr. Lewis is a former university & medical school professor.
He has been working with personal computers for more than thirty years.
He can be reached via e-mail at bwsail@yahoo.com or voice mail at 941/925-3047.
:
There is no restriction against any non-profit group using this
article as long as it is kept in context with proper credit given the author.
The Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups
(APCUG), an international organization of which this group is a member,
brings this article to you.