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June '98 Mailbag

Toronto Star Fast Forward column for June 4/98

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© Copyright, Myles White, 1998

Tip of the Week: Delete? No!!!

It's the first Thursday of the month, so it's time to answer mail. Most of May was taken up with columns about memory, so that's where the bulk of the questions originate.

However, before we get there, this month's winner of a copy of How to Avoid Buying a New Computer, for her Letter of the Month, is Catherine Copeland of Toronto, who posed two very common questions:

I've recently upgraded from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95 and now I can't save my password any more when dialling into the Internet. I click on the Save Password box, but it comes up blank each time. Also, can you tell me how I can log onto Windows 95 without having to enter a password each time?

In Windows 95, you enter your password for the Internet and check off the "Save Password" box the first time you log onto to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) through the dialler. If toggling this box doesn't work, or it stops working and you're repeatedly asked to re-enter your password, then it's likely your password file(s) are corrupted (it happens).

Use Find on the Start Menu to search for files ending in PWL (type *.pwl in the "files named" line). Rename the files to anything you like so long as you remember the new name (such as filename.pwo -- "filename" represents the main name of the file. Don't change this part). The next time you dial out, you'll be asked for your password again, but if you check off the "save password" box, that should be the last time. A new PWL file will be created.

After a few weeks of operation -- to make sure that no other PWL files you've renamed are needed by any other program (i.e., you haven't had any other error messages), you can delete the *.pwo files.

To get rid of the logon screen when you start Windows 95, open Control Panel, then click on Network. The default Configuration tab will be displayed in the Network dialogue box. About half-way down the dialogue screen is a list box titled Primary Network Logon. The two choices are "Client for Microsoft Networks" and "Windows Logon." If you choose Windows Logon, the password box will no longer appear when you restart Windows 95.

Thanks for the memory

I got a lot of mail about memory and most of the questions/comments came up more than once, so instead of crediting individual writers, I'll just get to the answers (and thank all of you who took the time to write).

* Note: to Web readers...what I'm talking about here was corrected in the online version of the column...just go on to the next item. Yes, despite what I said, you can have too much memory in a computer -- or at least not derive maximum benefit from it if you have more than 64 MB. For example, you can put more than 64 MB of RAM in a system using DOS 6.xx and Windows 3.1x, but neither DOS nor Windows will recognize it or make use of it.

In Windows 95, things change a bit. In theory Win95 can address up to 4 GB of RAM (yes, four gigabytes). In reality, however, Windows 95 will stop working if there is more than 2 GB of memory in the system and may misbehave if there is more than 756 MB of RAM present. That's a whole lot more than most motherboards will accept.

But the story doesn't stop there. Fred Langa, writing in the June 1998 edition of Windows Magazine reports that your motherboard's chipset may make a large difference in how your computer uses memory over 64 MB. According to Langa, while you may add more than 64 MB and make use of it, systems with Intel's 430FX, 430VX and 430TX motherboard chipsets will slow down if you do (by up to 20 percent if you go to 128 MB, for example). He says the same problem does not occur with Intel's 430HX chipset or with Via's Apollo VP2 or VP3 chipsets.

Celeron users might note, however, that while the 440LX and 440BX chipsets for Pentium II systems also don't have this problem, the Celeron's 440EX has an absolute upper memory limit of 64 MB of RAM.

* When adding more memory, the speed of the memory you already have <italic>is<italic> important. General Protect Fault fatal errors (big blue screen, "Fatal Exception 0D in module xxxxx.xxxxx," etc.) appearing at random -- instead of "each time I start Word," or "whenever the system has been on for 5 minutes." -- is generally an indication of bad memory. Likewise, repeated "... illegal operation ..." messages that suddenly start occurring for no other reason (you haven't added any hardware or software recently, except for the memory modules) are also a clue.

The memory module(s) may be faulty (it can happen), but the more likely cause is a speed mismatch among modules, a speed higher than the motherboard is designed to accommodate, a parity mismatch, or a mismatch of type (FPM-DRAM, EDO, SDRAM). Your system will either continue to run at the speed of the slowest memory you have, not work consistently, or not work at all unless you get more of what you already have. Period. No exceptions.

* The brand name of the memory you get isn't as important as the other factors noted above and in the original column that dealt with memory upgrading (May 14). It is a good idea to check the modules to see if the same name is on both sides (so you get some presumption that the company that made the chips also fastened them to module). However, if all other factors are the same (speed, type, size, contact metal content, parity, number of chips on the module surface, buffered or unbuffered DIMM modules) as your existing memory, it should work. If in doubt, take your system to the store, have the vendor install the memory for you, test the system to see if it's working, and provide a reasonable warranty (30 to 90 days) that it will keep working.

* Cache RAM and the Netscape Navigator cache directory/folder are not the same. Cache RAM is special, very fast, memory on the motherboard and/or in the processor that helps make the CPU more efficient. Netscape's cache directory/folder is space on your hard drive where the program places files from sites you visit on the Internet -- so that when you revisit the site Navigator can load the page faster by getting it from your hard drive instead of downloading it all over again. That's why, for example, when you click the "Back" button, the page loads much faster the second time around. Internet Explorer does the same thing, but its folder has a different name.

* Pipeline Burst Cache RAM is what virtually all cache memory uses today regardless of its speed or subtype (synchronous or asynchronous). It's a method of processing the data.

* Where did my memory go? A typical version of this question: "After I've been using Windows for a while, especially if I've been surfing the net, it locks up and/or I get an Illegal Operation message and/or my system resources drop to almost nothing. When I restart Windows, the memory comes back, but the process starts all over again."

Aside from doling memory and hard drive space out to programs, Windows keeps some for its own system operations in a series of pools called heaps. These memory heaps are used to display icons, handle printing, display menus and numerous other tasks. Applications can call on these heaps to do myriad things. Some of the programs are better-mannered than others about releasing the memory they use when they're finished with it.

As discussed in the columns, once your system resources (a combined figure which includes physical RAM and blank space on your hard drive that Windows uses for its swap file) drops below 40 percent, the chances increase of two applications or processes colliding with each other or otherwise creating a problem (a little like two small kids poking each other in the back seat of the car). An "Illegal Operation" message is the inevitable result. Some ways to keep this under control include:

* Avoid the use of screen savers. They're not required to "save"anything in a modern colour system using Windows; all they do is take up memory.* Avoid the use of background wallpaper. It may be pretty, but an illegal op freeze can be much uglier

* Avoid placing too many icons on your desktop. Don't, by all means, make your day-to-day working any harder than it has to be, but remember that each one uses a small portion of memory as soon as you start Windows 95 and never gives it back. So put yourself on a memory budget.

* Defragment your hard drive regularly to make sure the Windows dynamic swap file is all in one piece and equal to 2.5 to 3 times as much space as you have physical RAM (e.g., 100 MB if you have 32 MB of RAM).

* Make sure you have the latest Windows 95 update patch files. Versions of a crucial main system module, kernel32.dll, that shipped with the commercial version of Windows 95, (as well as with Win95a), has a known flaw that allows memory resources to "leak" away while you're surfing the Internet. Either wait a month to update to Windows 98, or go to Microsoft's Web site (www.microsoft.com) to get the update. You need the patch if your version of this file is older than 4.00.951 or has a "modified"date earlier than February 2, 1996 9:51:00 AM. You can find it in the c:\windows\system folder

* A known flaw in Netscape Navigator 4.xx prevents memory from being released when you open the Bookmark list by clicking on the toolbar icon. Use CTRL-B instead.

* Get used to the idea that periodically, you'll have to restart Windows to restore your resource pool when greedy programs such as Word, Excel, WordPerfect, and others don't immediately release their memory resources when you exit. How do you know when is a good time? When your hard drive activity suddenly starts increasing, even to do simple tasks. We'll have to see if this is one of the problems fixed in Windows 98 later in the month.

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Tip of the Week:

Delete? Don't!

The most common problem I hear: "I deleted a/some file(s) and now (fill in the blank) doesn't work anymore / I get error messages / my dog won't come when I call it. What should I do?"

First off, if you can possibly avoid it, NEVER delete files -- particularly program files -- or folders from a Windows 95 system except by using (in the following order of preference) the program's own "uninstall" application, if it has one; the Add/Remove Programs routine found in Control Panel, if the program appears on its list, or; a third-party disk cleaner such as Quarterdeck's Cleansweep (get the latest version) or Symantec's Norton Uninstall Deluxe (likewise). Among other features provided by the third-party cleaners is that they will automatically back up deletions and will strongly caution you about files it is not safe to delete in order to save you from your own zeal

If you must do some deletions, and can't or won't use the methods above, there are safer ways to go about it than simply sending things to the Recycle Bin (from where you can get them back, you know, if you attempt to do so immediately).

* Don't delete the file; rename it first. Then wait a few days to see if anything noticed that its missing. Remember that Win95 can use long filenames, so the "tilde" character (usually in the upper left corner of your keyboard) is useful to help you remember the old name. For example, a file called driver.drv or driver.vxd or driver.dll could be renamed to driver.~drv, driver.~vxd or driver.~dll. If nothing complains after three or four weeks, then get rid of the file(s), but only after copying to a floppy disk first just in case. If you haven't had to get the floppy down for a couple of months, it is probably safe to ignore it.

* If you must delete a program folder full of goodies, use something such as WinZip or PKZip to compress the folder and its contents before deleting the original files. Keep the .ZIP file around on your hard drive for a time or move it to a floppy or set of floppies, then delete it only if you're sure it's safe to do so.

Planning to edit Config.sys, Autoexec.bat, System.ini, Win.ini or other configuration files? Make copies first. Place the word REM in front of any line in Autoexec.bat that you want to remove or a semi-colon (;) in front of the lines in the other files so that Windows won't read them, but you can restore them easily if you've made a mistake.

You blew away a folder and its programs, but you still get errors messages asking where the files went? There's a long, drawn out procedure to check the various .INI files and the Windows Registry to make sure all references have been removed, but it's easier to reinstall the application, then remove it properly.