Monthly Archive for May, 2005

Norton Removal Tool

Published
by
Graham
on May 30, 2005
in Software Tips
. 4 Comments

Someone I know was having problems with their computer, and they ended up having a copy of their registry being restored and so they had to reinstall a bunch of things. But they couldn’t get Norton Antivirus 2005 installed. I tried everything I could. I removed registry entries, I deleted the folders that were there, I rebooted dozens of times, but everytime I went to install it, the process would fail. As I did a search on the Symantec web site, I came across document 2005033108162039:

Symantec has a program that removes the programs listed at the beginning of this document from your computer when Windows Add/Remove programs does not work. This program is called SymNRT. SymNRT works with Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. Do not use SymNRT unless Windows Add/Remove programs cannot uninstall your supported program.

The removal tool works with the following programs:

  • Norton AntiVirus 2004, 2004 Professional, 2005, 2005 3 user
  • Norton Internet Security 2004, 2004 Professional, and 2005
  • Norton Internet Security Anti-Spyware Edition 2005
  • Norton SystemWorks 2004 and 2005
  • Norton AntiSpam 2004 and 2005
  • Norton Personal Firewall 2004 and 2005
  • Norton Ghost 2003 and 9.0
  • Norton Password Manager 2004

I used the tool, rebooted, and then when I tried to reinstall the software it worked perfectly. Obviously there was something left over somewhere that was causing the process to fail. It’s a handy tool that you can download directly from the Symantec FTP site.

Liquid Measurements Conversion

Published
by
Graham
on May 28, 2005
in Recommended Web Sites
. 0 Comments

Lisa was baking today and asked me how many litres are in a quart. I didn’t know, and she found this site:

Liquid Measurements
Liter / Gallon / Quart / Pint / Cup / Ounce /
Tablespoon / Teaspoon Conversion

Check it out at http://www.paulnoll.com/China/Metric/number-liters.html

Troubleshooting drivers with XP’s hidden Driver Verifier Manager

Published
by
Graham
on May 28, 2005
in Software Tips
. 0 Comments

A great tip from TechRepublic:

The next time you need to identify the cause of a driver problem, turn to Windows XP’s little-known troubleshooting tool called the Driver Verifier Manager. By going through a few short steps, you’ll be able to determine whether the drivers you choose to diagnose are causing the problem.

Once blogs ‘change everything,’ fascination with them will chill

Published
by
Graham
on May 28, 2005
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From USA Today:

A 2005 version of Monty Python’s famous “Spam” skit:

Man: Well, what’ve you got?

Waitress: Well, there’s egg and blogs; egg, bacon and blogs; blogs, blogs, egg, blogs, blogs, bacon and blogs; blogs, sausage, blogs, blogs, bacon, blogs, tomato and blogs …

Wife: Have you got anything without blogs?

These days, the hype about blogs is off the charts.

And you know what that usually means: Run for cover, because a bubble is going to burst and make a big mess.

Microsoft: SP2 makes Windows 15 times safer

Published
by
Graham
on May 28, 2005
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From TechRepublic:

Computers running Windows XP Service Pack 2 are 15 times less likely than those running XP or XP SP1 to be infected by some of the most dangerous forms of malware, according to a Microsoft security guru.
Jason Garms, who heads the company’s anti-malware product team, said Tuesday that this improvement had been revealed by an internal analysis of SP2’s performance.
SP2–a major security update released in August–was designed to turn on auto-update by default and consolidate security controls into a “security center.”
“A machine that had Windows XP or XP SP1 was 15 times more likely to have one of the highly prevalent top 20 worms installed than on a machine running XP SP2,” said Garms, who spoke at a conference sponsored by Australia’s national Computer Emergency Response Team, or AusCERT.

Trump’s latest deal: An online university

Published
by
Graham
on May 28, 2005
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From USA Today:

Never mind that Donald Trump is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He says people need the street smarts and skills to achieve, and they need them fast.
On Monday he launched the online Trump University with courses in entrepreneurship, real estate and wealth accumulation that last six to 10 hours and cost $300. “I went to the best business school in the world,” Trump said in an interview. “You don’t have to go through four years to learn a lot.”

Check out today’s Dilbert

Published
by
Graham
on May 28, 2005
in Announcements
. 0 Comments

http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/dilbert-20050528.html

A small version of the cartoon should load below, but may not be available in the future:

Build an XP-SP2 Recovery Disc

Published
by
Graham
on May 25, 2005
in Software Tips
. 0 Comments

From PCMag.com:

Odds are your PC came with a recovery disc, a CD with all the programs and drivers that were installed on its hard drive when it was new. The odds are also that you have absolutely no idea where that disc is.
The good news is that it probably doesn’t matter. First, the recovery discs provided by most PC manufacturers are designed for a single purpose: to restore your computer to the state it was in when you bought it. This process typically involves wiping your hard drive clean and then reinstalling Microsoft Windows and the handful of programs originally included with your PC. Unless you’re preparing the whole kit and caboodle to sell on eBay, this is probably not something you’ll ever need.
Second, the hardware drivers on your recovery CD are probably out of date, either made obsolete by newer and better versions available online, or simply irrelevant because of new hardware you’ve installed.
So, instead of fretting about the old recovery CD, why not take a few minutes and make one of your own?

All things laptops

Published
by
Graham
on May 25, 2005
in Hardware Tips
. 0 Comments

Laptop news from Laptopical. View notebook computer reviews and read articles about laptops from brand names such as Acer, Apple, Compaq, Dell, Fujitsu, Gateway, IBM, Sager, Sony and Toshiba. Weblog includes news about Centrino, Sonoma and Turion chips and processors.

There is a blog, news, reviews, and articles. If you are looking for information on a laptop, this would be a good place to start.
http://www.laptopical.com/

Rugged enough for the military

Published
by
Graham
on May 25, 2005
in Computer News
. 1 Comment

From FCW.com:

If you’re getting drenched in a downpour or jostled in a Jeep, consider yourself lucky if you’re using the GoBook III notebook from Itronix. This rugged device meets MIL-STD-810F specification for shocks caused by drops and is built to withstand rain, snow, wind, dust, fire, vibration and chemical exposure. The die-cast magnesium chassis can take a beating. And if you’re worried about extreme cold, you can purchase an optional hard-drive heater.