http://www.bootdisk.com/ 225 June 2005The BootLIST
Welcome to the 225th Edition of The BootLIST
INDEX
1) What Is A Live CD? or SLAX - Your Pocket OS
2) Problems With Old 16-Bit Programs In XP
3) Are $NTuninstall Folders Safe To Delete?
4) XP Ctrl/Alt/Del Displays Empty Window
5) A Cleaning Service You May Like
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1) What Is A Live CD? or SLAX - Your Pocket OSIts an OS that boots from and then runs directly off your cdrom drive. For example, the one I tested this week is called SLAX. After burning the iso to cd and rebooting, the Standard Edition magically played some keen startup tunes and instantly connected to the Internet via it's built in browser. Just use the logon name and password it suggests and then enter startx and wala. It's a lot of fun and quite refreshing.
I tried both the Standard Edition 190 meg download and the Popcorn Edition 124 meg download.
http://slax.linux-live.org/download.php
In summary, if you thought using Linux would be difficult, this Live CD will change your mind.
NOTE to people who've never burned an ISO. An ISO file is an image of perhaps thousands of files taken from an original CD and converted into a single file. One can NOT just burn the ISO to your cd or drag and drop it like you may do with regular data unless you just want to make a copy of the ISO for backup.
To make a working/usable copy of the ISO your cd burning program has to support the proper burning of images. For example, in Nero, its File | Burn Image. Check the docs for your application. There are several other types of cd image files but the ISO is the most standard and most supported.
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2) Problems With Old 16-Bit Programs In XPthunderstruck302 asked - How come, when I try to run an older program (maybe 4 or 5 years) it comes up saying that it may not be safe to run a 16-bit subsystem. It then gives me an option to ignore the warning or abort the operation, and if I click, ignore, it just closes the box, and doesn't do anything as if I were to click abort.
Carey F. suggests:
Error message when you install or start an MS-DOS or 16-bit Windows-based program:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=324767How to Troubleshoot 16-Bit Windows Programs in Windows XP:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314495Wesley V. added:
Seems to be an epidemic lately. This can be caused by a trojan. Get rid of the trojan. [Then] update your antivirus software and run a full system scan.Copy the autoexec.nt file from C:\Windows\Repair to C:\Windows\System32. And set Attributes for autoexec.nt to Read-only.
16-bit MS-DOS Subsystem error while installing or running a DOS application:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/16bit.htmMS-DOS or 16-bit Windows-based program Error Message:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_m.htm#16bit
*** As an aside, often it's just not worth the hassle of trying to get your real old applications working on the latest MS OS. One cant expect any OS maker to continue to provide support for ancient ware. Actually I've been quite amazed that MS has even "allowed" so much older stuff to run on their newer OS's.In other words, dont toss that older 98SE pc out yet. It may come in handy. Or just setup your new pc for a dual boot like I have here at home. Easiest way is to start with a fresh hard drive and partition it into 2. Put Win98 on the first partition and XP on the second. Pick up the latest XP Upgrade disk which comes with SP2 built in aka XP2.
While I converted the second partition with XP on it to NTFS, I did it only to test out some apps. I am currently working on. If you do a dual boot setup you can let XP run on a FAT32 partition to make it easier to move files to and fro without the use of a third party utility. Of course if you play with large files on a large drive then NTFS is strongly recommended over FAT32.
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3) Are $NTuninstall Folders Safe To Delete?Daniel inquired - In my Windows folder there are a lot of $NTuninstall folders, do I need to keep these or can I delete them? I need the space.
Carey F. provided:
How can I save space after installing a Service Pack or other updates?http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spack.htm
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4) XP Ctrl/Alt/Del Displays Empty Windowmaxcamps posted - The Ctrl+Alt+Del display a empty window, the tabs are not visible, the buttons are not working. How come?
Kelly said:
Double click the top border.ssengupta added:
This behavior may occur if Task Manager is running in Tiny Footprint mode. If you double-click the empty space in the border around the tabs, Task Manager switches to this mode. To switch Task Manager to its typical display mode, double-click the top border of the window.Task Manager Menu Bar and Tabs Are Not Visible in Windows XP:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314227
*** I've seen lots of people ask this question so I felt it was about time to post it. I had a bit of a time duplicating how the problem happens but here's why. If you, while running task manager, double click on the border next to the tabs you go into what MS calls "tiny footprint mode" which really just enlarges the tab you are in for better viewing. If you then shut the pc off or it reboots the next time Task Manager will open just the way you left it.So when the respondents say double click the top border they are correct as that will get you back to standard mode IF you are in tiny footprint mode. If you are in standard mode and want to expand the display for the tab you are viewing, dont click the top border, double click the space on the right hand side of the tabs.
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5) A Cleaning Service You May LikeCharles C. emailed - I found this file from www.nonags.com and thought that you might like it. I have building computers for over 15 years, and I always look for new tools.
I hope that you like it.
*** Thanks Charles. It'd be hard not to like it. It's called Crap Cleaner for starters, and easily gets rid of that pesky index.dat and also addresses Firefox and weighs in at a whopping 440K download size. Comes in 17 languages also and includes a preview function where it shows you in advance what files will be deleted.It also has a registry cleaner but I cant say to try it as it takes years of using one myself before I'm confident enough to say go-ahead with that tool. In addition, while I have no problem using a registry cleaner for win98 as part of my standard maintenance procedures, I'd recommend caution with using one on XP, and many techs would only do so as one of the "last resort" tweaks if having a difficult problem. Some techs would argue that running a registry cleaner in XP is never a good idea.
And yes, as with any cleaner many functions are redundant with options already included in your browser but sometimes its nice just to take out the big broom and mop it all up in just a few seconds. Also keep in mind what cookies do before you go and remove them. Some of them are real time savers on certain sites.
ps If you were wondering where Firefox keeps it's cache files and related details type:
about:cache
In the Firefox URL window and press Enter
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