http://www.bootdisk.com/ 247 December 2005
The BootLIST
Welcome to the 247th Edition of The BootLIST
INDEX
1) Repair XP Activation Files
2) Complete List Of XP Keyboard Shortcuts
3) HD Util To Display Damaged Blocks
4) Enable Num Lock Key At Startup
5) My Christmas Present
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1) Repair XP Activation Files
Mikey wrote - I have added another drive to my unit through a scsi card, as this is not the c: drive I did not foresee any problems. When I rebooted the system it told me I have three days to activate "no problem" I thought. When I try to activate my system nothing happens, the keys on the taskbar disappear but the wizard does not start, there fore I have no phone numbers to contact.
Ron M. replied:
Try repairing the registry entries for the .DLL files used by activation.
Use Start | Run and enter the following text in the dialog box:
regsvr32.exe regwizc.dll
Then do it again with the following text:
regsvr32.exe licdll.dll
Launch activation manually:
%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /A
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2) Complete List Of XP Keyboard Shortcuts
techman41973 posted - Is there a place in Windows XP where I can find a list of where all desktop CTRL-ALT shortcut keys are assigned to?
Pegasus pointed to:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=301583
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3) HD Util To Display Damaged Blocks
JakGaby inquired - Is there a simple XP util that will scan my hard drive for bad sectors which shows a graphical display of the blocks on my hard drive? I want it to work while in my windows XP.
*** HD Tune, Freeware
Click Error Scan to locate damaged blocks:
http://www.hdtune.com/
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4) Enable Num Lock Key At Startup
Sean asked - How do I set my numlock keys to ON after start-up. DELL 470 Precision workstation/ Win XP Pro. System start-up options Numlock is on, but doesn't activate during start-up. What do I need to change?
Bob I responded:
How to enable the NUM LOCK key for the logon screen:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=154529
Malke suggested:
XP, like most modern operating systems (OSX, Linux) doesn't pay any attention to the Numlock setting in the BIOS. Log into an
account and turn Numlock on or off as desired. Windows will now remember that setting the next time you log into that account. If you need Numlock to be on *before* you've logged into an account, see:
How to Set the NUM LOCK State at Logon in Windows XP:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314879
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5) My Christmas Present
OK here's the story. My wife went to Best Buy to pick out a present for me in the computer section. Even tho I had not asked for anything computer related she figured an LCD Monitor would make a good surprise gift. I've been using the same pair of 15" CRTs for 8 years on top of my circa 1920s Roll Down Oak desk ie the kind with all those pigeon hole drawers.
She "heard" that the "brighter" the display the better, and yes, if you go to a retail store you'll notice that all the LCDs are turned up all the way to 100% brightness. There were no prices on the units the on the 24th, so she picked out the three brightest displays and took them to the checkout counter and bought the cheapest one of the three. It was a Westinghouse 15" Model LCM-15v5.
I was pretty surprised. I didn't even know Westinghouse made LCD computer monitors. Heck, there are none listed at newegg.com. Not one to "fix what aint broke", I first hooked it up temporarily and the cables were far better quality than I've seen on other brands. As soon as I turned it on, I was hooked. It was brighter than any LCD I had seen. So bright in fact, that I actually have the brightness turned down to ZERO and it's fine, and the blacks, even when brightness turned all the way up, are still black as black. As you may know I'm a sucker for a black background on a webpage.
http://www.westinghousedigital.com/pc-31-3-15-lcd-monitor.aspx
http://www.bestbuy.com/site//olspage.jsp?id=cat01009&type=category
Yes of course brightness isn't everything, but for me it's important as well as the crispness of the display. Tomorrow or so I'll hook up the audio cable and get rid of that pair of speakers taking up my valuable "real" desktop space.
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