Ask A Geek

Q: I am considering changing Internet providers. The one I am thinking of joining has some details about it. One of them says, “Doesn’t participate in any peering networks “. Does this mean that I cannot use torrents?

A: There are a lot of aspects an individual looks at before selecting an Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from the vast pool of ISPs. Different ISPs have different advantages and constraints attached with them. You should be well aware of the various terms and conditions of an ISP before opting for its services. A proper scanning of the market should be done and the services matching with your surfing habits must be fetched out specifically when you are concerned about using torrents.

To begin with it would be good to understand the concept of peering. Peering is the exchange of traffic among various ISPs across the nation without any predetermined financial settlements. If they do not use any peering networks it does not explicitly mean they do not allow torrents.

Peering, however, does allow a frequent usage of torrents to make your surfing a sheer fun. Torrents are always desirable as they facilitate you to distribute and receive any computer file across the peering networks. Torrents reduce the dependency on the original distributor to attain any file as the previous recipients of the file distribute it in fragmented form. Torrents also abate the financial burden on any individual source to diffuse the data in peering network.

Numbers of ISPs across the world often have problems with operating Torrents. But there are some ISPs that allow the usage of Torrents; the only onus on you is to find out which ISPs. Well here is the all important solution, which will definitely assist you in choosing the most suitable services. Just click on http://www.azureuswiki.com/index.php/Bad_ISPs and you will find all the necessary information about your ISP. The given link provides you a country-wise description of all the noted ISPs. Moreover it will also help you to compare the different features of the providers and make the smartest choice. Simply click to the country of your residence and get familiar with all the required information about your service provider.

Q: I am about to rebuild my computer, which was a 3GHz socket A AMD Athlon with 2 gig of DDR RAM. The motherboard has developed a heat fault on the chipset and it is not fixable. I am looking at getting a new motherboard, processor, and RAM along with a new case with a 450w power supply. I have been looking at the AMD processors and seen that you can get a bundled deal on AMD PHENOM QUAD CORE 9500 4 x 2.3GHZ SKT AM2+ for about the same cost as an AMD ATHLON 64 X2 6400+ DUAL CORE 64 BIT SKT AM2. These both include motherboards as well. Which would be best option. The machine will only be used for small end gaming, online and video editing with pinnacle.I currently have windows vista premium home 32bit.

A: At the sub $200 price point, I’d suggest going with an Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 which should outperform both of those chips. Here is a good review of the AMD Quad chips vs their competitors from Tom’s Hardware. The E6750 outperforms both of those AMD chips for nearly all the benchmarks.

Otherwise, if you’re set on AMD you’ll be happy with either of those chips. Some software programs will take better advantage of the dual core setup, while others will handle the quad-core better and even then it’s going to be splitting hairs.

Q: I have a Toshiba Satellite running Windows XP Media Center Edition and I have four USB Ports but I seem to only be able to use one at a time. Regardless of which port I use it is always listed as the E:\ drive. I have tried using the “map network drive” function, but I’m not trying to map a network (and don’t have one set up), I just want to be able to use multiple USB ports at the same time. How might I set that up?

A: I have found numerous issues with USB ports on the Toshiba Satellite laptops. All of them seem to point to the BIOS driver. I have included a direct link to the BIOS updates. The only thing you need to do is select the model of the laptop and it will list the BIOS drivers when you follow the link.

Download the driver and install. It appears that a BIOS version 1.90 has fixed all previous cases of this exact issue. If you need further assistance please let me know.

http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/su/su_sc_modSel.jsp

Q: I have a 6-yr old Gateway desktop connected to a Verizon DSL modem. I have a “computer geek” student temporarily staying on the 3rd floor of our house. All day long, I have no trouble accessing the Internet but when he comes home and powers up his laptop computer my Internet access is slower than dial-up. I have a brand new Dell laptop and that Internet access is even slower (only when the geek is home). The modem is closest in proximity to my computers but he seems to always have the fastest connection. Are there any settings I can adjust or any peripherals that I can buy so that I don’t lose most of my Internet access at night?

A: Hi, it’s really annoying to get a crawling access to the Internet during night as most of us are usually nocturnal web surfers. Actually the geek may not be wholly responsible for your slow net access during night. You can speed up your surfing speed by doing some necessary changes in the peripheral arrangements.

The slow speed of the Internet can be resolved by applying optimum hardware and software modifications. Following are the appropriate solutions which will bring your accessing speed to the satisfactory levels:

• This sort of problem generally occurs due to wrong configuration of the router you are working with. If you are operating with BT router then the given steps will prove to be effective for resolving the mentioned issue

1. Click to the Internet explorer and log on to the proxy server or as a system administrator.
2. From the option of LAN settings from Tools/Internet options, discard the option of proxy server usage and click OK twice.
3. Then browse the IP address of the router.
4. Select the ‘disconnect’ option from the login window and then click to the ‘connect’ button to monitor your Internet access.
5. Rebooting the router may also enhance your surfing speed considerably.

• There are a number of Internet speed enhancing software available in the market which are efficient enough to meet your requirements. Some of the noteworthy software includes big names like Internet Tweak from Magellas, Tweak master and many more.

In addition to these if you can use a Bandwidth monitoring software to check whether the Geek is monopolizing the available bandwidth.

Q: My computer shut off one day and I had to restart it. When it came back up it said “System32/drivers/fastfat.sys” is corrupted or is missing so I tried to reinstall but the system shuts down midway through the install. What should I do?

A: The error you are getting, has number of causes attached with it, few noteworthy reasons of this are as follows:

• The fastfat.sys file is really jinxed or missing.
• The error may also arise due to damaged or improperly installed RAM.
• The CD from which you are reinstalling may be damaged or corrupt.
• This error may also linked to NTFS formatting.

Now the probable solutions of the above mentioned causes are described below:

1. Check out whether the RAM is installed properly or not. This can be verified by following the given steps:
   • Shut down your computer.
   • Gently remove the memory modules leaving enough RAM to start and turn off your system.
   • Restart your computer and if you are getting the same error then remove the second memory module from CPU. Continue this process until you find out the corrupt RAM module.
   • Once you obtain the damaged RAM, replace it by an efficiently functioning one. If the issue is resolved then stop the further proceedings.
   • Note: RAM should be removed with minimum possible force otherwise the memory module could get damaged during removal/insertion. Don’t perform this operation if you are not well versed with required technical knowledge. It is advised to go for an efficient technician to handle this issue
2. If the problem is not resolved by applying the above procedure then please make sure that the CD from which you are reinstalling is correct. Thoroughly clean the CD and reinstall again.
3. If your system is operating with NTFS formatting then you should go for an aligned installation of Windows 2000. This parallel installation will recover the lost fastfat.sys file system.

The above discussion will assist you in solving the given problem. If the issue persists further then get your system checked by highly skilled engineers.

Q: I have Windows XP SP2 loaded on my PC and my computer is updated regularly using Microsoft Update. Recently my desktop icons have started disappearing and appearing for no apparent reason. I have defragged and error checked my computers hard drive but that did nothing. I also have an anti-virus program from AVG installed so I am fairly certain my computer is virus free. I have also checked for Trojans using spybot and nothing has shown up. My computer runs great besides the icons randomly appearing and disappearing.

A: I know that you have tried both anti-virus and spybot so I have some instructions to see if this will alleviate the problem for you. If it does not please let me know. This does require editing an entry in your registry so I strongly recommend that you backup your registry before you begin.

1. Ctrl + Alt + Delete and identify sysu.exe in the processes list.
2. Close it, and go to C:\Program Files.
3. Locate the folder ddm and delete it.
4. Click on start -> run and type in regedit.
5. Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SOFTWARE remove the folder ddm.
6. Click on start -> run and type in msconfig.
7. Click on the right-most tab labeled startup.
8. Scroll down and locate an entry with no command line.
9. Uncheck the box and apply all changes.
10. Reboot your computer; check the checkbox for a window that comes up saying you changed startup settings.

Q: What is the difference between the different types of burnable DVD’s, single layer, dual layer, 16x spindle and what is the most versatile?

A: Hi There, the versatility you are looking for in a DVD type will primarily depend upon your purpose of DVD burning, which isn’t clearly being stated here. Every type has its own salient features, which distinguish it from others and maintain its utility. Single and dual layer refers to the storage capacity of the disc whereas 16x spindle implies for the speed of the disc writing. Hereby I’ll present a comparative picture of the various types of burnable DVDs, which will help you to select the most suitable class of DVDs for yourself.

Single Layer DVDs are the primary form of digital video disc consisting of single layer of optical material over its surface. A single sided single layered standard DVD has a high storage capacity of 4.7GB or 4.37 GB. If you wish to have high recording speeds then single layered DVD will be a good option for you.

Dual Layer DVDs are dual layered DVD has a second coating of optical material over a semi-reflecting first layer. This second layer accounts for the double storage capacity of Dual layer DVD. The storage capacity numerically increases from 4.7 GB to 8.54 GB i.e. almost twice that of the original capacity. The second layer is accessed by laser action on the first layer. This laser action isn’t instantaneous and takes few seconds to occur, momentarily leaving the DVD operation in paused mode. But after few seconds the DVD efficiently resumes its functioning. Hence if storage capacity is your preference then Dual layer DVD will certainly be an appropriate choice for you.

Moreover the price tag for DVD recorders assisting this technology is quite comparable with that of classical recorders. The recording speeds of Dual layered DVD aren’t as high as Single layered DVDs.

16x Spindle refers to advanced writing speeds of DVDs i.e. 16 times the original speed. The data writing rates with 16x spindle are as high as 21.09 MB/s and writing time is considerably reduced to 4 minutes for single layered DVD. DVD writing speed only facilitate fast data transfer and has nothing to do with the video quality.

An Into Tomorrow listener submitted the following question!

Q: I have been using Roxio Easy CD Creator 5.2 which came with Windows XP when I bought it. It used to work wonderfully to download my pictures to a CD but now when I do it I keep getting an error message. It says: Easy CD Creator has detected that there were errors during the recording, or that there are errors on your new CD. After pursing further we found out that the errors were : E80041898-write error-03/0C/00

A: Roxio easy CD creator is one of the finest utilities available for burning CDs. The error code i.e. E80041898-write error-03/0C/00, specified by you indicates that the CD creator is not capable of writing any more. This can be caused by an issue an issue with the software or the CD drive. The steps below will help figure out where your problem is.

1. The lens of your drive may be full of dust and needs an extensive cleaning. Inserting a CD lens cleaning disc into the CD drive may proved to be a good idea and attenuate the adverse effects of external factors on your CD drive.
2. If your problem still persists after applying above mentioned solutions, it is better to reinstall Roxio Easy CD creator conscientiously. The system should be scanned intensively before performing the operation. You can also opt for a system restore if you don’t have the required CD for installation.
3. If the both above steps fail to resolve the issue then most plausible cause of getting the above mentioned error is the presence of an aberrant optical drive. Try writing to your CD drive by using any other disk burning utility like Nero etc. If even other utilities also fail to write to CD drive then you can try reinstalling the device driver.
4. If you are still experiencing the issue then it may be very much possible optical drive seems to be perturbed and is unable to run the CD properly. So it would be prudent to get your optical drive thoroughly checked by a professional technician.

Q: I am purchasing an external hard drive to backup my business records, music, and pictures. I am not sure exactly how much 250gb or 500gb will hold. About how much will 250gb hold? Is this usually enough for the common person or should I go for the 500gb?

A: In terms of actual capacity your 250GB hard drive will probably hold about 232GB of data. This is due to your computer and the hard drive manufacturer both calculating the size differently. In terms of how many files you can store on a 250GB drive, you can expect to hold over 4,000 hours of mp3 music or tens if not hundreds of thousands of images from your camera depending on format and size. It’s a lot of data. Since everyone’s data can be very different the best way for you to gauge your storage needs is to find the folder in Windows you want to store and right click on it and click properties. This will bring up a box showing you the amount of data in the folder. You can also highlight multiple folders and do the same thing to get a grand total.

I would also like to caution you about your choice of using this new hard drive as a backup solution. First off, keep in mind that a backup means you have more than one copy of your data. I’ve seen a lot of people buy an external hard drive to “back up” their important data only to be just moving their data to this new drive and deleting it from its old location, only to have their new drive die on them and lose all their data! Also, if you have these two drives hooked up on your computer all the time you might still lose the data to a serious virus or external disaster (fire, flood, etc).

I recommend burning copies of your really important data to CD (can hold about 700Megs) or DVD (4.7Gigs) and keeping them in a safe place. Blank DVDs and DVD writing drives are both very affordable and you can keep copies of very important data anywhere.

Q: I keep getting an error when trying to open an Applet in yahoo games. It is a Java error which says that there are too many virtual machines running. Do you have any idea how to fix this!

A: The instructions below should help solve your problem.

1. Open Internet Explorer

2. Select Tools

3. Manage Add-ons

4. Enable or Disable add-ons

5. Disable “Windows Live Sign-in Helper”

This should take care of the error. Please let me know if it does not.