Just Released: WinPatrol 2008 With Active X Monitoring

Author Bill Bill P. just released WinPatrol 2008 (version 15). The update added a significant feature: Active-X controls. You probably know that WinPatrol watches over your PC looking for programs that add themselves to the Startup group and the handful of "run" registry entries; the tool also keeps track and alerts you of newly added IE helpers, added cookies, and about-to-be-changed file types. This version does the same for Active-X components. (Read more about WinPatrol in Security Updates--WinPatrol, Lock Bumping Facts.)

WinPatrol makes sure Active-X components can't sneak onto your PC

The new feature is part of both the free and $30 paid versions. For a comparison list of WinPatrol's features, click here. And when you're ready, we have a fresh copy of the freebie in downloads.

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Office 2007 Trial + Activation = Disaster

Urban myth: PC World staffers never have software hassles. Everything works right the first time, and we have special immunity from Microsoft Office nightmares. Pardon me for a minute while I check Snopes -- and LOL.

My newsletter and blog editor, Kim, has over 10 years under her belt at PC World and despite my teasing her, she's not a novice user. Yet Office 2007, a creation of the evil Cylons, first cousins to the Redmond Empire, (oh, come on, Battlestar Galactica?) brought Kim to her knees. In her own words, here's the story:

The Trial Begins
My ailing IBM ThinkPad T43 was threatening to call it quits. It was slow, and the drive was filled to the brim. So I was anxious to replace it and bought a brand-new Lenovo ThinkPad T61.

One hitch: I have to share the laptop with my husband and he didn't want Office 2007 preinstalled. That's because through work, he was getting a free Home Use copy from Microsoft. He said it'd be a few weeks until we'd see the install disc.

No problem, I thought? I'll just install the trial version that comes loaded on the ThinkPad. So I fired up the Activation Assistant for Office 2007 and got the 60-day trial running. My husband was horrified when he discovered what I'd done. He works in IS at a large company and has had serious issues with trial versions of Office -- and particularly with the Activation Assistant.

Just a couple days later we received the licensed copy of Office Enterprise 2007. After uninstalling the trial version, I successfully installed a clean version of the Office suite and was up and running. Things were good and after a few days, I uninstalled the Activation Assistant, just to be safe.

All would have likely been well had I not had a nasty run-in with a program that I was reviewing a few days later. To set things to rights, I used XP's System Restore and selected a Restore Point just before I'd installed the troublesome app.

Hell in a Hand Basket
The next time I tried to run Word and Excel, the supposedly nonexistent Activation Assistant kicked in and tried to install the equally nonexistent trial version of Office. The silly thing chugged away until it finally launched the licensed apps.

I checked Add and Remove Programs, and sure thing, Office 2007 was showing up again. I tried uninstalling it, but got a message saying the installation was corrupt and I needed to reinstall the program in order to uninstall it.

Of course, Lenovo provides no backup discs with its ThinkPads, so I couldn't reinstall the trial version. I checked Add and Remove again--Activation Assistant was showing up, even though it should have been uninstalled. And of course I couldn't uninstall it, because, well, you get the idea.

Help Me, Somebody
Microsoft Office Online tech support was no help whatsoever. Even though I explained the problem thoroughly, the same rep kept telling me to uninstall the trial program before installing Enterprise. His solution? A link to a Microsoft tech support page that offered support for the low, low price of $99 per request.

Luckily, I had the ear of Bass, the King of Kvetchers (See How to Fix the Biggest PC Annoyances) and he hooked me up with a buddy at Microsoft. That got me a call from Joe, a Microsoft Global Escalation Manager.

Joe helped me through the arduous task of getting Office running properly. It took over 90 minutes, but we finally killed the trial version of Office 2007 and disabled the Activation Assistant.

New Activation Assistant for Office 2007 installer.

Activation Assistant's Dirty Little Secret
It turns out that the Activation Assistant for Office 2007 has been a serious hassle for Microsoft. According to Joe, the Activation Assistant accounts for the great majority of tech-support calls. He wasn't specific, but said that the program is basically flawed. Apparently there's a fix coming in Office 14.

In fact, the Activation Assistant is so troublesome that when I suggested that we just reinstall the dang thing, he flat-out refused. He said that would likely cause more problems--and I don't argue with escalation managers...

Warning, Will Robinson
My advice is to never install the trial version of Office 2007 that's included on a new notebook or desktop. In fact, remove it from your new machine altogether--that and its evil twin, the Activation Assistant. (You can use the fee PC De-Crapifier) If you want Office, download and install the full version or order a disc. The temporary convenience just isn't worth it.

Now that Word 2007 is up and running, I can get back to editing Bass's blogs.

Talkback
Have something to say about Kim's Office 2007 tale of woe? You can use Comments below or if you'd prefer, fire an e-mail right into my inbox.

Actual image of user experiencing
Activation Assistant for Office 2007.
(Click here if the image isn't animated.)

Worried About Identity Theft? Use Ziszor to Shred Documents

I worry about identity theft. So far I haven't been a victim, but you never know, because we're all at risk. And as careful as we are, exposure is sometimes not even our fault.

For instance, last year my credit union sent something in the mail. It was business as usual, sure, but they printed my account number and Social Security number on the outside of the envelope. (See Priority One Credit Union's Security Breach.)

I shred most everything, even those things that I'm not even sure are valuable to someone poking around my trash. And I have a neat, free service to do the shredding -- my father. Once a week or so, when we go over for dinner, I hand him a stack of papers He handles the rest with a shredder he bought at Staples for $50, the kind that hangs over the wastepaper basket.

Portability -- At a Cost
Last week Ziszor sent me a portable shredder to play around with. The thing's about 10 inches long, 2 inches wide, 2 inches thick, and weighs about a pound or so. It looks like one of those small hand-held scanners, uses four AA batteries, and costs $39.50.

Shred your receipts with the Ziszor

Overall, I'm not impressed. It's true that I could use it to shred a variety of documents like receipts, envelopes, and regular sheets of paper. But there are some limitations. For instance, the slot for shredding is only about 4 inches wide, so that means folding standard sheets of paper to fit. And while I could fold up to two sheets for shredding, the Ziszor really strained, enough so that I thought it would be quicker in the long run to shred no more than one at a time.

For fun, I watched my father shred a bunch of paper . There was no comparison -- my father's shredder wasthe speed demon. And yes, I know what you thinking (as is the company rep): The Ziszor is designed for portability and the convenience of keeping it on your desk for quick use. Sure, I'll make that concession. But my preference, especially with the amount of stuff that I need to shred, is a larger unit. Besides, my hand got awfully tired holding it over the trash can.

No More Consumables
One last thing: I'm really tired of products that try to hook me into buying consumables. I've put up with spending a bundle on inkjet cartridges for years, even though I feel ripped off. (I especially hate those Brother cartridges that leave a half-inch of ink at the bottom of the cartridge and tell me that I'm due for a new one. But that's a story for another time.)

So I think it's absurd that Ziszor tries to sell me small disposable plastic bags that attach to the bottom of the device (at $3.30 for 30 bags). The bags don't hold much, and they also to get caught up in the shredder's, well, shredders.

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Friday Time Wasters

It's Friday and your mind's not on work. Mine never is, but what's new? No matter, I have a backlog of what I think are terrific videos, a handful of games that will torment you, and some really dopey sites.

• Even cats say it: "You never listen, do you?" Watch these two videos in order: Cat Talking, then Cat Talking, Translation.




• Take a gander at these clever ads.

  




• The year was 1918 and it took 18,000 men to create this human Statue of Liberty. It's pretty stunning, and Snopes says it's the real deal.

  




• If you a spare 7 minutes, watch A Gentlemen's Duel, a very cool animation from the creative minds at Blur Studios. Fair warning: This isn't necessarily for kids. Give it a look-see before playing it for children.




• Remember the Sunday cartoon that challenged you to spot the difference between two pictures? Here's the online version and I'll tell you, it's a killer. Watch the picture and wait for the change. One thing changes in each photo -- and the change fades in, sometimes subtly. If you miss it the first time, you get another chance, but they offer an obscure hint on your second try. BTW, you're racing against the clock.


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Fiddling With XP's System Restore

Yesterday, I talked about System Restore, mostly to help an editor understand how it works.

If you're needing something to do today, I have a couple of tips about Restore Points.

There are two ways to remove Restore Points.

The first method uses the Disk Cleanup utility to remove all but the last Restore Point. From My Computer, right-click the C: drive, choose Properties, and click Disk Cleanup. Once the hard drive stops churning, you'll see a list of items to delete, such as Temp files and the Internet cache. You might as well dump those, too, while you're there. Next choose the More Options tab and select "Clean up in System Restore" at the bottom panel of the dialog box.

The second method temporarily removes all Restore Points. This one is obviously risky because if something goes kaflooey, you won't be able to undo system changes. About the only time it's worth doing is if you strongly suspect you're infected with spyware and want to remove every Restore Point before scanning with an antivirus or antispyware program. I've done it, but I'm fully backed up (just like you are, right?).

From the Control Panel, double-click System, click the System Restore tab, and select the "Turn off System Restore" check box. Click OK, and then click Yes to initiate the Restore Point Deletion. Do the antivirus or antispyware scan, and then turn System Restore on again: Repeat the above steps, but this time click to clear the "Turn off System Restore for all drives" check box.

Trouble With System Restore?
If you ever have trouble with Restore Points, print and save Tweak System Restore to Perfect Your PC Protection. Bert Kinney has an immensely valuable System Restore FAQ which includes details about corrupt Restore Points. (Poweruser2 and Darkmonk: Tell me what you think of Kinney's piece.)

If you're in a geeky frame of mind, try Scott Dunn's Create Instant Restore Points trick, which uses a small script -- or download Doug Knox's "Single Click Creation of a System Restore Point/Runs as a Scheduled Task" utility.

Finally, blog reader bobwool recommended ERUNT (Emergency Recovery Utility NT) as "a great freeware tool that backs up your registry and allows you to restore it." He's absolutely on target -- Lars Hederer's ERUNT is a handy, donation-supported utility to have in your toolbox. Download it here.

ERUNT in action

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Working With XP's System Restore

I know how to use XP's System Restore -- and I'm pretty sure most of you do, too. (If you're stuck with Vista, check the tutorial here.

However, here's your chance to hear about this week's Dopey Editor award (yep, the same one who didn't know about ClearType in Use ClearType for a Super Sharp Display).

Here's today's e-mail.

"I'm having grief with the new version of Office I'm testing, so recently had to call tech support? and learned how to use System Restore and Restore points. Sheesh. I'm guessing that maybe some readers out there don't know how to use Restore points, so maybe a quick how-to or a link?"

Okay, Kim, here 'ya go. The Restore Point feature is a Windows applet that backs up and restores the Registry. From the Start menu, Head for Help and Support, choose "Undo changes to your computer with System Restore" to call up the System Restore Wizard. Choose "Create a restore point" to back up your Registry and to restore the Registry, select "Restore my computer to an earlier time."

Tomorrow: Fiddling with System Restore -- and why you'd want to...

Quick Tip: Fix "Folder Opens Upon Boot" Hassle

In might be the phase of the moon, but a couple of readers e-mailed asking why a folder pops open every time they boot up.

There are a few reasons it could happen, but it's usually a corrupt Registry Entry. If you're facing the problem, get the background -- and maybe the solution -- by reading two of my Hassle-Free PC column. Start with "Program Folder Opens at Startup" in Simple Fixes for Hard Drive and Folder Annoyances and "Pinch a Persistent Folder" in Got XP Annoyances? Try These Four Smart Fixes for Windows Woes.

Or you could try a nifty little tool called Foldey Freeware. The program will attempt to find the errant Registry entry (most times a string that's not wrapped in quotes) and correct it. There's no installation -- just download and unzip the tool, and then run it.

But listen, play it safe: Set a Restore point before running Foldey Freeware -- or, in fact, any program that fiddles with the Registry.

Foldey Freeware fixes the Open "Folder at Boot" hassle.

Act Fast! Soyo FreeStyler Bluetooth Headset for 72 Cents (Or Less)

That's right. You can get a Soyo FreeStyler 500 Bluetooth Headset from Buy.com for under a buck -- or depending on where you live, absolutely free.

My buddy, Suzanne M., spotted this gem in one of her freebie group newsletters this morning. She bought one and paid 92 cents (Tennessee tax). I got mine for 72 cents. [Thanks, Suz!]

And listen, if you don't move on this -- like right now -- you're going to miss out. You just know they're going to run out quickly and I don't want to hear your kvetching.

Here are the details:

1. First, head for Buy.com or here.

2. Add one Soyo FreeStyler Bluetooth 500 Headset drive to your cart.

3. At the Checkout page, click on the Google checkout option to get the $10 discount. (Read more about the Google option here).

Warning: If you?ve used Google's Checkout before, there?s a chance that Google will cancel your order. Consider being creative and experimenting with a new Google login or perhaps a different credit card.

4. Make sure you choose budget shipping -- which is free.

Bass International Disclaimer

1. Bass doesn't know if the Soyo FreeStyler Bluetooth Headset works with your cell phone, comes in colors, is bootable, fits comfortably on either ear, or is submersible. Please don't ask.

2. Bass didn't check to see if the offer is available outside the U.S., including Canada, anywhere in South America, Tunisia, or even Philadelphia.

3. If Buy.com runs out of Soyo headsets, and you're miffed because you missed out on the offer, don't tell Bass. Instead, consider it fodder for your next psychotherapy session.

4. When the Soyo headsets arrives late, doesn't work as intended, makes you think you hear Larry King even though your radio's turned off, your mileage varies, using it contributes to the recession, causes your spouse to ask for a divorce, scares your pet, puts a smile on your face when listening to Barry Manilow, or otherwise disappoints you... all together now -- don't write to Bass.

Recent Disclaimer Additions
5. If you're wondering if the headset's sound quality is terrific, annoyed because Google Checkout says you've used the promotion in the past and can't use it again, or wanting clarification on Bluetooth specs -- see number four above.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Friday Roundup of Time Wasters

You working today? I thought not. So you might as well spend some time enriching the quality of your life with my productivity boosters. (Ha!)

• Remember back in the early seventies when lots of people, including me, were under the influence of all sorts of illegal substances? You can revisit those days by staring at what the creator has called a natural hallucinogen. Watch the entire vid (make sure you're not operating heavy equipment -- or even a Mac) and then stare off into space. Freaky, no? [Thanks, Paul.]




• I took Chemistry for Dummies in college. And my physics class was also designed for not-too-bright students. That's why I'm entirely lost when I'm asked to name the Elements of the Periodic Table.
• Cul-de-sacs are one thing, but this one's more like a labyrinth.
• Please, if you're going to buy a set of these Dub Custom Wheels, stay outta my neighborhood, okay?




• Elevator Express: If this trick works, it'll sure be handy every time I need to take the elevator to my penthouse...
• The Magic Pen is going to take hours out of your day. It's a lovely game and it's challenging, but not a killer (at least for the first few levels). It's essential to go through the short tutorial, otherwise you'll never get past level one. [Thanks, Gus.]



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Ahhh, It's Quiet -- With Able Planet's Noise Canceling Headphones

Quick quiz: If I say noise canceling headphones, you think of -- right -- Bose. Great marketing, I'd say, because I found a set of headphones from another company that I like better.

At this year's Computer Electronics Show, I made a side-by-side comparison of the Bose QuietComfort2 ($300) and the Able Planet Clear Harmony Noise Canceling Headphones (about $220 discounted). They're both around-the-ear active noise cancellation headphones.

The Clear Harmony headset sounded better to me than the QuietComfort2--by a long shot, I'd go so far as to say. Add to that the fact that the Clear Harmony is about $75 cheaper than the QuietComfort2, and I think I have a winner.

Able Planet Clear Harmony Noise Canceling Headphones

Take a Test
At CES I stood on the noisy exhibit floor while a rep from Able Planet set up the test. I didn't know which headset I was listening to as she switched me between the two brands. So it was the equivalent of an eye test for my ears. Is this better or worse? Okay, now is this better or worse?

Judging the sound quality of headphones, as with most audio equipment (and art for that matter), is a personal call. We all hear things differently. For instance, I'll bet some of you can pick up the difference between 24- and 16-bit recordings; I can't. At the same time, I have near perfect pitch: Hit a key on the piano and without looking, I'll tell you what it is.

Trying to describe what I hear is a killer. But here goes.

What's the Difference?
I listened to an assortment of cuts -- instrumental jazz, mostly, but some vocals as well -- and scribbled notes. Then I listened to them again after knowing which was which to confirm my findings.

With the Bose, the music sounded sharp and clear, and I could distinguish among the assortment of instruments I heard, picking out, say, the tenor from the alto sax.

When I switched to the Clear Harmony, I heard more: Each instrument stood out and sounded crisp, and as a whole, the music sounded sharper and more vibrant than with the Bose. For instance, I heard the notes from the upright bass with the Bose -- but the Clear Harmony gave me the sound of the bass player's fingers sliding down the strings.

Overall, the music on the Clear Harmony sounded more "real" than the Bose. (How's that for unscientific and completely subjective!)

Both headsets do a fine job at muffling most of the outside sound; that fact that they're both around-the-ear headphones (rather than over-the-ear), means that they can give a much better seal against the head. Combined with active noise cancellation, both provide superior noise suppression.

The Clear Harmony uses two AAA batteries and includes a detachable stereo cord with a built-in volume control, two stereo adapters, and a zippered pouch.

Talkback
Have something to say about headsets? You can use Comments below or if you'd prefer, fire an e-mail right into my inbox.

Use ClearType for a Super Sharp Display

You'd think everyone in computing knows about ClearType. Everyone except my editor, bless her heart. (Did you ever notice how you can insult someone, say "bless her heart," and you're off the hook? Try it sometime.)

She just sent me this note:

"Quick not-really-work-related question: Well, it kinda is... I finally bought a new notebook, a nifty Thinkpad T61. So far I love it--lots faster and more stable than my dying T43 (though that's not saying much).

"One big bummer... I didn't research the graphics specs on this wide-screen notebook, just naively assumed the resolution would be comparable to the older notebook. Well, it's much lower--only 1280 by 800. The pixilated text is a serious bummer.

"I seem to recall hearing about a text-smoothing app for just such cases. Do you recall this? Crock or reality?"

I wrote about ClearType at least a dozen times, but sometimes when editors edit, they miss what they're reading.

Clearing Up ClearType
ClearType is an essential feature of XP (which is turned off by default) and Vista (on by default) that makes the fonts on LCD monitors sharper and clearer. Some people say it also works on CRTs. I'm not sure it does, but there's no harm trying.

Here's how to get to turn it on: Right-click the desktop, choose Properties, Appearance, Effects, check "Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts," and select ClearType from the drop-down list. Click OK twice.

I recommend, though, that you fine-tune ClearType and there's a quick summary on how to do it in You Oughta Be Using ClearType. That blog also has a comment about Linux and ClearType. And if you're curious about the history of ClearType, read Steve Gibson's The Distant Origins of Sub-Pixel Font Rendering.

Windows XP ClearType wizard

BTW, if you're just recently picked up a machine with Vista, you might look over out Windows Vista FAQ -- which includes info on ClearType.

After my editor turned on ClearType, here's what she said: "Whoa! Yeah, that's it. I couldn't remember the name. This is so much better it's amazing... Thanks for the tip."

Talkback
Have something to say about ClearType? You can use Comments below or if you'd prefer, fire an e-mail right into my inbox.

Revo: The King of Uninstallers

Revo is a little known -- and marvelous -- tool for uninstalling programs from your PC. I promise it'll exceed your expectations for a freebie and surpass anything Windows has to offer. Except for 64-bit operating systems, Revo is compatible with all versions of Windows. Grab a copy here.

Revo gives me the details that the Windows uninstaller doesn't: It lists every program's version and location on the drive, tells when the app was installed, and provides links to vendor site. Curious about a program? Right-click and hit Google: Your browser opens with a Web search on the program. Or you can highlight a program's name and open its folder or Registry entry.

Most important is that Revo really scrubs your system clean when uninstalling a program. Revo first uses the app's uninstall routine and then scans your PC to find any odds and ends. Revo's wizard then gives you the option to remove them all from the Registry.

Update: Revo's developers told me that I misunderstood how the Registry entry deletion feature worked. I removed the incorrect copy and replaced it with the following paragraph. [Thanks for the clarification, Shenel.]

There's one thing that Revo doesn't make clear: Revo shows the entire Registry listing--not just the relevant entries--and warns you to delete only the Registry entries marked in bold. That's an unnecessary warning because Revo lets you check mark the entire tree rather than selecting individually bolded items. Only bolded marked items--those with blue icons--are deleted.

Revo needs to be more like CCleaner and provide an undo feature or an automatic Registry entry backup.

Click the top of the Registry entry and only bolded items are deleted.

Revo's Hidden Helpers
I use Revo to uninstall programs, but it has other features you might want to try. From the Tools icon, you can get quick access to 14 Windows tools that are in Control Panel, including Add/Remove Windows Components and Group Policy. The Junk Files Cleaner scans all your local drives for temporary files; you can customize it by adding file extensions of your favorite temp files.

Add file extensions to Revo's Junk filter.

The one feature I don't use is the Hunter Mode, a way to uninstall apps using drag and drop. You might like it, but I'd prefer right-clicking a program's Desktop icon (or highlighting a file in Windows Explorer) and seeing an uninstall option using Revo. In the meantime, I've pinned Revo to my Start menu for quick access--you can do that by right-clicking the Revo icon in your Start menu and choosing "Pin to Start Menu.".

Bulgaria? No Kidding!
More than a few readers, me included, wanted to know more about Revo -- like where were the developers are located. Roger H. subscribes to my newsletter and he found out: Revo was created by a group of developers in Varna, Bulgaria. Revo is their first worldwide project, a company rep said in an e-mail. If you have questions, contact them here.

Talkback
Have something to say about uninstallers? You can use Comments below or if you'd prefer, fire an e-mail right into my inbox.

Why I Don't Use Windows' Dumb Uninstaller

In a recent Hassle-Free PC column, I awarded the Revo Uninstaller a spot in the Tool of the Month section.

Today I want to tell you why I don't like the Windows uninstaller; tomorrow I'll expand on Revo and give you a few tips for using it.

Got Leftovers?
The biggest problem with the uninstaller in Windows -- besides loading slowly and holding back vital info -- is that it relies on each vendor's uninstall routine. That means bits and pieces of the uninstalled program may remain on your PC. It might be a couple of entries in the Registry, a few DLLs, or a folder full of disk-filling junk.

Some of the leftovers may be benign and just take up space. With humongous hard drives, that's simply a nuisance, unless you're like me and want a clean drive.

On the other hand, some of the debris could interfere if you were to install a newer version of the same program sometime in the future. That's happened to me with Zone Alarm, Checkpoint's firewall; the newer installation didn't complete correctly.

Of course, an incomplete uninstallation isn't always a bad thing. For instance, one photo editing app offered me the option of leaving images I'd modified on the drive even though I was removing the program. The key was that the program was respecting me as a user and offering smart options, something most programs don't do.

Tomorrow: Revo the king of uninstallers.

Friday Roundup of Time Wasters

I have a handful of work avoidance techniques that are easy to use. Just visit a few of the sites below and watch some of the videos.

She follows your cursor whenever it goes.

Here's how they did it. Penguins April Fool - The Making Of...

Move the red square from the green zone on the left to the one on the right.

Quick Keyboard Tricks, a Neat Keyboard, and a Notebook Docking Station

I'm use the keyboard more than the mouse probably because I grew up on a mouse-less DOS system.

The Avant Stellar keyboard I use reflects my attitude. It has a set of perfectly located function keys along the left side of the keyboard. I can use one hand to quickly do a spell check in Word (Control-F7), pop open Word's thesaurus (Shift-F7), rename a file in Windows Explorer (F2), or do any one of dozens of other Control combinations.

Of course I could do the same thing with the second set of function keys placed inconveniently along the top of the keyboard. But that often takes two hands -- and I have to stop and look at the keyboard. (Actually -- and don't laugh -- I don't touch type, so I have to look at the keyboard, but that's not the point.)

The $189 Avant has an extra set of function keys on the left

The Avant has built-in firmware that lets me remap the keyboard. I moved the Control key next to the "A" key and swapped the Escape key with the Tilde key.

I even bought a Targus ExpressCard Notebook Docking Station ($145 discounted) so I could use the Avant with my old notebook (and also connect to a wide-view ViewSonic LCD and decent speakers).

Dock your notebook and use external peripherals.

Keyboard Obsessions
You're picking up on my obsession with making the Avant -- or any keyboard -- fit my needs, rather than the other way around, right? So I got to thinking that even though you're probably not going to run out and buy an Avant, you might want to relocate some of the keys on the keyboard you're using. Here are some keyboard remapping tools and a few articles for you to look over.

The program I recommend is Keytweak. It's free and gives you lots of options, and includes a visual keyboard to use for remapping It's easy to use (and just as easy to change your keyboard back to its default). Read about it in the "Reshuffle Your Keyboard" section of Four Quick and Simple Tweaks Toward a More Perfect Windows. That article also has a short write up about three other remapping utilities.

My buddy Leo F. told me about Microsoft's Keyboard Layout Creator It gives you a way to modify one key or totally redesign your keyboard -- without getting into big trouble.

One other thing about keyboards many people forget: Those all-too-common keystroke combinations built into Windows and many apps. Details are in Keep Your Hands Off the Mouse and Essential Keyboard Shortcuts Both articles are old, but the keystrokes are still current.

Talkback
I know you're just itching to tell me about your favorite remapper. You can use Comments below or if you'd prefer, fire an e-mail right into my inbox.

Two Gadgets to Diagnose Your Auto's Problems

Your car's running fine, sure, but could something be amiss under the hood? (LOL -- of course there is. There's always something, because your mechanic is relying on it to help make a mortgage payment. At least my guy is...)

Seriously, if the "check engine light" pops on, or if you're just idly wondering whether your vehicle has a problem, you can attach a gizmo to your car and find out in seconds. The value is that knowing what's wrong helps you when you visit the mechanic. Or perhaps you'll discover the issue is minor, like maybe you didn't tighten the gas cap.

Drive Assure Engine Light Urgency Indicator
The first product I tried is the Drive Assure Engine Light Urgency Indicator, about $45 discounted. It connects to your car's ODB II connector port and displays, as the name implies, an urgency indicator. (Vehicles sold after 1996 have an On-Board Diagnostics System -- known as an ODB II connector. It's the same port mechanics use when connecting their diagnostic equipment.)

The diagnosis is dumbed down into four colors. Red means you need to get the car into for service immediately. Immediate repair must be done to prevent further vehicle damage. Orange suggests you won't do any damage if you get the car repaired in two days. Yellow means you have five days, though there's no danger of damaging the car. Green indicates there are no trouble codes present. (We need something, maybe a flashing red light for when the mechanic need new business.)

If there's a problem, click a button on the device and you'll see a problem code. Head for the company's site and look up the code from a database of 3000 codes and definitions. A subscription to the database is included when you buy the device.

Watch a demo of the product

Pros: At $45, it's cheap enough to keep on hand if the engine light comes on and you want a quick diagnosis.

Cons: The device is large and provides no information other than the diagnostic codes.

CarChip Pro: The $119 Alternative
For $119, I prefer the Davis CarChip Pro. It tracks my speed as well as other car stuff that interests me. The gadget's about the size of a box of matches and like the Drive Assure Engine Light Urgency Indicator, it hooks up to my car's ODB II connector.

As I drive, it captures speed, hard acceleration and deceleration, and distance traveled. It also calculates gas mileage, and monitors up to four engine parameters, such as timing advance, engine speed, or coolant temperature. It logs up to 300 hours of data by time and date.

I get a kick out of seeing all the data; you might want to keep tabs on how fast your employee or obnoxious teenager drives. I like setting an alarm at 68 miles per hour to help remind me to keep my speed down. And if there's an accident, the CarChip generates a log showing the speed of the last critical 20 seconds before impact.

The CarChip Pro connects to your PC's USB port and the software shows you everything the device has recorded. As with the Drive Assure Engine Light Urgency Indicator, you can view problem codes; the difference is that you don't need to go online to learn what the code means because the CarChip has the code database built into the software.

Pros: Stays on the ODB II connector to log 300 hours of data; small and unobtrusive. Connects to PC and provides plenty of vehicle info.

Cons: Expensive. Software is kludgy and unintuitive. Has capability to monitor 23 engine parameters, but records no more than four.

Talkback
Have something to say? You can use Comments below or if you'd prefer, fire an e-mail right into my inbox.

My love Affair With the Scott eVest (Or: 22 Pockets and Counting)

I wear the same thing to every trade show -- black jeans, sneakers, a black Polo shirt, and a well worn, Scott eVest, circa 2000. On the first day of this year's CES, I got an e-mail from Scott Jordan, the owner of the company.

"I heard you were in Vegas and wearing your old vest. Can I send you a brand new Scott eVest?" he said.

"Nah, but thanks," I replied. "Still happy with the old one. People love watching me ripping open flaps, unhiding hidden compartments, and producing things."

Next day, another message. "No, really," he wrote," I REALLY want you to try a new vest."

"Scott," I said, "it's okay. Seriously." The vest is as ancient as I am and it's been through a lot. I don't want to part with it.

He fired back immediately, as if he was watching his inbox, waiting for me.

"Listen, Steve," he said, somewhat urgently, "a buddy took a picture of you and the truth is I don't want you wearing a dilapidated, eight-year old Scott eVest."

I had to agree. His newer line of vests looked less geekish, and mine was getting a little long in the tooth. [Note to Scott: I do miss the two breast pockets, as nerdy as they made me look. The pockets gave me a spot for tons of small extras -- pens, gum, business cards, an old-fashioned paper notebook, tissues, and reading glasses.]

Try on a Scott Jacket
But wait. You say you haven't heard about Scott Jordan's clothing? Scott's jackets, hoods, hats, pants, T-shirts, and other stuff are for technologically enhanced people. Seriously. Each one has strategically located pockets and compartments for electronics.

Scott eVest's hidden pockets

The newer Scott eVest Classic Vest ($140), for instance, has over 20 pockets with space for every conceivable gizmo you own. (My old one only had eleven pockets.) When I wander through trade shows, I have my cell phone, small notebook PC, camera, a small flashlight, and two bottles of water tucked into the vest -- and I have room for more stuff. (I wore the vest on a trip to China and I had space for a small camcorder; I also hid money and my passport in secret compartments.) The vest's claim to fame is that it lets me hide my phone?s headset wires in unobtrusive passageways than run up the vest and lead to my ears.

Update: The vest is the newer Travel Vest ($100)

The T-shirt ($45) has three pockets -- for your MP3 player, cell phone, and whatever else you schlep with you. As with the vest, there's a way for you to hide and manage ear bud wires. The Hoodie ($70) has eleven pockets and the same ear bud containment system.

Okay, there's got to be a downside, right? There's just no getting around that it'll be expensive to line your closet with Scott's clothing. But just take a look at Scott's products. They're well made, fun-to-wear, designed with lots of surprisingly handy nooks and crannies, and honestly useful.

It's a commercial, sure, but I got a kick out of this Scott eVest video.

Hard Drive Gone? Here's Help From a Hard Drive Expert

If you've been following my saga, you know I had trouble with my mother's hard drive. It could be that my office is stuck in a harmonic convergence, or some magnetic vortex, but a month earlier, I had a hard drive fail on a test PC.

The error was "Boot Failure: System Halted" and it was new one for me. I started digging for answers and I bumped into DTIData, a hard drive recovery company.

They had a toll-free number and even though it was late afternoon on a Saturday, I decided to call. I spoke with Dick Correa, the chief programmer at DTIData, who immediately diagnosed it as a BIOS problem. "I can absolutely tell from the error message," he said. Once I reset the BIOS back to its default, a rebooted, the hard drive worked fine.

I learned lots in that one conversation with Dick -- and most of what he said is on his site. For instance, hard drive errors are ideal diagnostic tools, provided you can interpret them, Read Dick's blog entry describing how to use his NTFS Partition Recovery tool and you'll get details on five of the most common hard drive booting error messages.

If you're intrigued by Dick's material, take a look at Data Recovery Truth And Consequence and RAID: Five Steps to recovering your data

BTW, you might want to download their free DTIData NTFS Partition Recovery Tool and stash it on a floppy or a bootable CD, just in case. Read through the instructions[http://www.dtidata.com/ntfs_partition_repair.htm] to get a better idea what the tool can do.

You can also look at one of PC World's articles: Businesses Offered Do-It-Yourself Hard Drive Rescue. And if you're still in the dark about hard drives in general, browse to How It Works: Hard Drives.

Need a New Hard Dive? Dig In...
If you're shopping for a new drive, I have stuff you can use.

• Western Digital's Green hard drive is fast -- and an energy saver. Read Green Hard Drive Loses Little on Performance.

• Top 10 External Hard Drives
• Top 10 Internal Hard Drives
• In Pictures: New Looks in Portable Hard Drives
• Western Digital Pushes Desktop Drives to 640GB
• Buffalo Unveils 500GB Portable Drive
• Samsung First to Ship 500GB Laptop Hard Drive

Talkback
Have something to say about hard drive or data recovery? You can use Comments below or if you'd prefer, fire an e-mail right into my inbox.

Friday Roundup of Time Wasters

I scoured the Internet, looking for videos, sites, and, well, anything you can use as an excuse not to do anything productive. Oddly enough, PC World actually pays me to dig up these things--and looks at it as productivity. [Not really, Bass. We just put up with it. --Editor.]

• Let's start with YouTube's 2007 Video Award winners. I have favs--The Original Human TETRIS Performance is brilliant; and of course, the Battle at Kruger is breathtaking.
• If you have a minute, head back to 1980 and play some of those old arcade games--without having to drop a quarter in the slot every few minutes. Choose from Donkey Kong, Mario Bros, Pac man, Centipede, and others. Just make sure you have your pop-up blocker at full alert--you'll have to duck each time one jumps on the screen.
• I won't fly a kite during a storm, no matter what Benjamin Franklin has to say. And from now on, I'm going to avoid windmills, too--especially when it's, well, windy.




• At 10:45 this Friday morning, in real time, I watched two ships, the Harbor Queen and the Zelinsky, making their way along the San Francisco coastline. The Hi-Def San Francisco site is neat, with time-lapse images, a gallery of ships, and a Google mashup showing current ship traffic. The time-lapse images are big, so you might see a blank spot while they're loading.


Watch the fog roll in and the ships roll out.

• Struggling with where to go for lunch? I could make it easy and let you take me out for sushi and a cold Sapporo. If that doesn't appeal, I have the perfect solution: Stick in your Zip code and the Wheel of Lunch will make the decision for you.

  
  I dunno, honey--where do you want to go for lunch?

  
  

• Have you seen "My Kid Could Paint That"?] It's a terrific documentary about a 4-year-old girl with the purported painting talent of Jackson Pollock. Her parents have sold some of her paintings for as much as $25,000 each.

  Now everyone's trying to get on the racket, including an elephant. The question, of course, is the elephant really an artist--or just highly trained? (Note that the trainer is out of sight and probably saying "left two inches, okay, now to the right a little... fine, now try a little green.")

  
  If you want more info, read the BBC article and when you're ready to buy a painting, head for the Elephant Artists page.
  

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Hard Drive Disasters: Why I Love (And Hate) Acronis True Image

The hard drive on my mother's PC was a goner. It just wouldn't boot. I had a backup, so I thought I was home free. But I was wrong. You can read the beginning of this story in yesterday's blog.

The problem was that the drive I had used to back up my mom's system had one or more bad sectors. Incredibly, Acronis True Image didn't warn me that the medium wasn't in good condition.

Acronis screamed bloody murder when I tried restoring the image to the fresh drive on my mother's new PC, announcing that the image was corrupt.

Validating the integrity of a backup is essential, as I've learned (and I hope you take seriously).

What ticks me off is that Acronis actually has the ability to validate the integrity of the backup -- but it doesn't do it automatically; you've got to set this critical option manually. How absurd.

Worse, as you go through the Acronis wizard, you eventually face the "Choose Backup Options" screen; click "Set the options manually" and you're looking at a lengthy list. The validation option is clear at the bottom, and you have to expand the category to see it.

Most people skip this step

Dig deeper and you find the Validation option

Another Acronis Problem
There's another issue. Acronis's Validation option is time consuming. I figure that validating a full backup -- about 214GB -- will take a while, and I'm fine with that. Yet it takes just as long to validate a 60MB incremental backup. That's because Acronis is dumb as nails and insists on validating the entire full backup as well as all the incrementals. It takes too long and discourages users -- including me -- from doing the validation.

An Acronis representative said that he's told the head of product development about my two gripes and fixes would appear in the next release. Great, but I still don't have warm feelings towards TrueImage right now.

I'm still using Acronis True Image. But I'm darn sure looking at the other backup programs -- and I'm ready for your recommendations.

Backup Tips from a Network Guru

My network friend and guru, George Siegel, says, "I?m really paranoid about this stuff. I backup multiple disk images to protected areas of the hard drive as well as to an external drive. I also back up data to multiple locations using a straight copy utility such as Robocopy. Most of the time, it?s overkill. But it?s saved my butt more than once."

Don't Wait for a Drive Failure
If your drive's still up and running, I have a few things you can do to prepare yourself -- and your drive -- for that fateful day when it hits a brick wall.

First, start by printing and saving a handful of helpful how-to pieces from back issues of PC World. One that I like is Kirk Steers's ancient, but still useful article, Hardware Tips: Take a Crash Course in Emergency PC Recovery.

That not enough? Try First Aid for Your Hard Drive or my colleague Lincoln's Spector's, Diagnose and Repair an Unbootable XP or Vista PC.

I've got to go: I'm about to do a backup -- and a validation!

Talkback
Have something to say about backup software? You can use Comments below or if you'd prefer, fire an e-mail right into my inbox.

Hard Drive Booting Errors

In a recent Hassle-Free PC column, I mentioned a hard drive tip. Read it in: "Simple Fixes for Hard Drive and Folder Annoyances". It's under the title "My PC Won't boot (OMG!)". (BTW, this is the continuation of a blog I started last week. See: "Disk Not Found" and Other Hard Drive Booting Errors.)

Here's the back story to the hard drive issue that I didn't have space for in the print column. It's long, but if it saves you the grief that I went through, I think it'll be worth your while.

Hard Drive Not Found
I bought my mother a PC probably eight years ago and loaded it up with the art and painting programs she wanted, including Print Artist and PrintShop Deluxe, as well as scads of games.

Every year or so, when I gave my mom a faster, hand-me-down PC, I'd use Acronis's True Image software to clone the old drive onto the drive in the new system. I went through this process because most of the programs were ancient (as is, well, uh, never mind). With the programs on original CDs and, yes, floppies, I didn't want to go through the horror of reinstalling everything. And I'm not joking about prehistoric: A few of the Hoyle card games had file dates of 1999; Print Artist was even older.

Daily Backups
I had a system: Once a week I scheduled Acronis True Image to automatically perform an incremental backup to a second drive in my Mom's system. She didn't create many new files, so the incremental files were small. Then once a week (when I was a good son), I'd stop by and bring along a small, portable Maxtor USB external drive. I'd create a fresh backup on her second drive and delete the incremental; I'd also do a full backup on the Maxtor and take that home with me.

Life was good. Until her drive stopped booting. The message: "Hard drive not found."

I checked her PC and tried for a quick fix. I'd hoped my mom had just deleted a critical boot file, perhaps a drive cable had come loose, or maybe the PC battery was dead. (A weak battery can create all sorts of problems. See Time Inaccurate? Change Your Battery.)

No such luck, so I brought the PC home to work on it. I couldn't get the fool thing to boot, so instead of wasting time, I decided to reformat the drive, grab the backup, and do a restore. I'd have her system back up lickety-split.

Hey, Bass, The File's Corrupt
In the 90s, before CDs and external drives, I backed up to a Conner TapeStor. I knew tapes were flaky, so I always used the program's Verify switch. It took forever, but that way I could be assured the backup was reliable.

Since I've been backing up to an external hard drive, I've felt comfortable that the data was reliably backed up. In fact, Acronis lets me map the imaged backup -- making it act like a virtual drive -- so I'm able to access every file. I often view the files on imaged backups, including my Mom's, so I've never even thought of verifying the actual image.

Boy, did I make a mistake.

But this blog's running long, and I don't want to lose you. So tomorrow, more on the corrupt Acronis backup image and why it was (and wasn't) Acronis' fault.

Free Beer Offer -- But Act Quicky

It's a real deal. I just got on the site, but I'm sure it'll be overloaded once this gets around. DON'T pass it along to everyone you know, okay?

**This message was forwarded by Scott Spanbauer...

From: "scott.spanbauer@pcworld.com"
To: "Steve.Bass@pcworld.com",
"Dan.Tynan@pcworld.com"
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2008 14:38:44 -0700

I guess it's deadline time. Anyway, I just got this from a friend who lives in Chapel Hill, so I guess you'll be able to find this where you are too, DT.

-----Original Message-----
From: Zullena Doylle [mailto:z.doylle@chartworks.net]
Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2008 1:19 PM
To: Tharpa Doylle
Subject: Free Beer

Oh Yeah!

Begin forwarded message:
Subject: Free Beer

>> Gentlemen....I stopped by the Kroger last Friday
>> and the store manager was there talking to a
>> new distributor for Caricacell beer (it's an
>> Italian beer, pretty good. They had a tasting
>> last Thursday I was told). Anyway, he said it's also
>> good at Vons and Ralphs, and gave me their web site
>> address, they have a promotion now through April 20th
>> where they are giving a coupon for a free case of beer.
>> The coupon is good anywhere in the U.S. and is
>> valid for a year. All you need to do is go to their
>> web site and click on the "special promotion" on the
>> left side and print the coupon. That's it. I
>> redeemed my coupon & picked up my free case of
>> beer on my way home last night. Details at the
>> Caricacell Beer site.

>> Tom De Baldo
>> Option Partners, LLC
>> 8 Green Oak Road Suite 100
>> South Park, Michigan 48004
>> PH: 224-555-5048 Ext. 32
>> Fax: 224-555-5103
>> Mobile: 244-555-7572