Funny MS Word Trick
b4 going into it : do it on ur own risk. This next prank is a little strange. I hope it makes sense. What this prank does is, when ever you press spacebar it copies the word between the first space and the next. Then it takes that word and from 5 to 1 second it will delete the word. Confusing? Well in the most simple terms it copies words while you are typing them. Then a few seconds after you typed that word it will delete that word. Try it out yourself and you’ll see the frustration it can cause.Step 1: Open Microsoft WordStep 2: Press Alt F11Step 3: Copy the code below into your normal template: (retype any “)
Quote:
Sub AddKeyBinding()With ApplicationCustomizationContext = NormalTemplateKeyBindings.Add KeyCode:=BuildKeyCode(wdKeySpacebar), KeyCategory:=wdKeyCategoryCommand, _Command:=”Timer”End WithEnd SubPublic Sub Timer()Dim x As DocumentSet x = ActiveDocumentDim z() As StringSelection.TypeText Text:=” ”counter = CStr(Int((10 - 1 + 1) * Rnd + 1))Application.OnTime When:=Now + TimeValue(”00:00:” + counter), _Name:=”removeit”End SubSub removeit()Dim x As DocumentSet x = ActiveDocumentcounter = CStr(Int((x.Words.Count - 1 + 1) * Rnd + 1))x.Words(counter).DeleteEnd Sub Step 4: Click PlayStep 5: Let them figure out how to fix it---------------What do you think of when you think of Tourettes? Random swear words right? This next prank does exactly that. While you are typing in a word document or outlook a random swear word will appear. The words will appear in random increments and the words them selves are random. The words and the time gap is determined by you.Step 1: Open Microsoft WordStep 2: Press Alt F-11 (This will open the VBA EditorStep 3: Select your Normal Template by double clicking “This Document”Step 4: Copy the code below into your normal template. Remember to re-type any “s, they dont always transfer over correctly in the copy/paste process.
Quote:
Sub typeRand()Dim counter As Stringcounter = CStr(Int((30 - 1 + 1) * Rnd + 1))Application.OnTime When:=Now + TimeValue(”00:00:” + counter), _Name:=”TimedClose”End SubSub TimedClose()Dim maindocument As DocumentSet maindocument = activedocumentcounter = CStr(Int((5 - 1 + 1) * Rnd + 1))Select Case counterCase 1Selection.TypeText Text:=” **** ”Case 2Selection.TypeText Text:=” ASSHOLE ”Case 3Selection.TypeText Text:=” **** ”Case 4Selection.TypeText Text:=” BITCH ”Case 5Selection.TypeText Text:=” DICK ”End SelectCall typeRandEnd Sub Step 5: Close Microsoft WordStep 6: EnjoyIf you have done this correctly the code will load when the person loads Word. Currently there are 5 swear words. They randomly appear any where between 30 and 1 second. This code will load the second they start using word. So if the person doesn’t even type it will start going. It will affect both word and outlook. Below are some tips on how to modify the code.Edit Swear WordsYou can add any number of words you want. To increase the number of swear words only takes a couple tweaksIf you want to have a total of 20 swear words change the 5 in bold to 20.Before:counter = CStr(Int((5 - 1 + 1) * Rnd + 1))Aftercounter = CStr(Int((20 - 1 + 1) * Rnd + 1))The next step is to add the swear words. Currently there are 5 swear words. To add a new swear word, repeat the following till you reached the desired amount. After the last statement Case 5, Add Case 6Case 5Selection.TypeText Text:=” DICK ”Case 6Selection.TypeText Text:=” COCK EATER “Case 7Selection.TypeText Text:=” **** Lover “When you have added all the swear words you want make sure to finish with, End Select.Edit Time RangeTo change the random number range do as follows:The maximum number comes first and is in boldcounter = CStr(Int((30 - 1 + 1) * Rnd + 1))To change the maxium simply change the number 30 to something less than or equal to 59To change the minimum number change the numbers in boldcounter = CStr(Int((20 - 1 + 1) * Rnd + 1))I recommend keep this at 1 second but changing it wont hurtHow to Reverse the codePress Alt-F11 and re-open your normal document. Erase the code and restart word.PS : dont blame me if u messed up anything
The Windows™ 95/98 Network Programs
TRACERT.exe Trace RouteUsage:tracert [-d] [-h maximum_hops] [-j host-list] [-w timeout] target_nameOptions: -d Do not resolve addresses to hostnames. -h maximum_hops Maximum number of hops to search for target. -j host-list Loose source route along host-list. -w timeout Wait timeout milliseconds for each reply.
Here's an example which traces the route from some ISP in Los Angeles to the main server at UCLA in California ( note how two computers relatively close to each other may be routed way round about! ): C:\WINDOWS>tracert www.ucla.eduTracing route to www.ucla.edu [169.232.33.129]over a maximum of 30 hops: 1 141 ms 132 ms 140 ms wla-ca-pm6.icg.net [165.236.29.85] 2 134 ms 131 ms 139 ms whv-ca-gw1.icg.net [165.236.29.65] 3 157 ms 132 ms 143 ms f3-1-0.lai-ca-gw1.icg.net [165.236.24.89] 4 194 ms 193 ms 188 ms a0-0-0-1.dai-tx-gw1.icg.net [163.179.235.61] 5 300 ms 211 ms 214 ms a1-1-0-1.ati-ga-gw1.icg.net [163.179.235.186] 6 236 ms 237 ms 247 ms a5-0-0-1.was-dc-gw1.icg.net [163.179.235.129] 7 258 ms 236 ms 244 ms 163.179.243.205 8 231 ms 233 ms 230 ms wdc-brdr-03.inet.qwest.net [205.171.4.153] 9 240 ms 230 ms 236 ms wdc-core-03.inet.qwest.net [205.171.24.69]10 262 ms 264 ms 263 ms hou-core-01.inet.qwest.net [205.171.5.187]11 281 ms 263 ms 259 ms hou-core-03.inet.qwest.net [205.171.23.9]12 272 ms 229 ms 222 ms lax-core-02.inet.qwest.net [205.171.5.163]13 230 ms 217 ms 230 ms lax-edge-07.inet.qwest.net [205.171.19.58]14 228 ms 219 ms 220 ms 63-145-160-42.cust.qwest.net [63.145.160.42]15 218 ms 222 ms 218 ms ISI-7507--ISI.POS.calren2.net [198.32.248.21]16 232 ms 222 ms 214 ms UCLA--ISI.POS.calren2.net [198.32.248.30]17 234 ms 226 ms 226 ms cbn5-gsr.calren2.ucla.edu [169.232.1.18]18 245 ms 227 ms 235 ms www.ucla.edu [169.232.33.129]Trace complete.
Note: Unless you're running a network, the following commands won't be of much use to you...Furthermore, if you're concerned about Security, my advice is to NEVER use NetBios on a computer that connects to the Internet.
NBTSTAT.exe Net Bios StatsDisplays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections using NBT(NetBIOS over TCP/IP).NBTSTAT [-a RemoteName] [-A IP address] [-c] [-n] [-r] [-R] [-s] [S] [interval] -a (adapter status) Lists the remote machine's name table given its name. -A (Adapter status) Lists the remote machine's name table given its IP address. -c (cache) Lists the remote name cache including the IP addresses. -n (names) Lists local NetBIOS names. -r (resolved) Lists names resolved by broadcast and via WINS -R (Reload) Purges and reloads the remote cache name table -S (Sessions) Lists sessions table with the destination IP addresses. -s (sessions) Lists sessions table converting destination IP addresses to host names via the hosts file. RemoteName Remote host machine name. IP address Dotted decimal representation of the IP address. interval Redisplays selected statistics, pausing interval seconds between each display. Press Ctrl+C to stop redisplaying statistics.
ROUTE.exeManipulates network routing tables.ROUTE [-f] [command [destination] [MASK netmask] [gateway]] -f Clears the routing tables of all gateway entries. If this is used in conjunction with one of the commands, the tables are cleared prior to running the command. command Specifies one of four commands PRINT Prints a route ADD Adds a route DELETE Deletes a route CHANGE Modifies an existing route destination Specifies the host to send command. MASK If the MASK keyword is present, the next parameter is interpreted as the netmask parameter. netmask If provided, specifies a sub-net mask value to be associated with this route entry. If not specified, if defaults to 255.255.255.255. gateway Specifies gateway.All symbolic names used for destination or gateway are looked up in thenetwork and host name database files NETWORKS and HOSTS, respectively.If the command is print or delete, wildcards may be used for thedestination and gateway, or the gateway argument may be omitted.
ARP.exe Address Resolution ProtocolARP -s inet_addr eth_addr [if_addr]ARP -d inet_addr [if_addr]ARP -a [inet_addr] [-N if_addr]-a Displays current ARP entries by interrogating the current protocol data. If inet_addr is specified, the IP and Physical addresses for only the specified computer are displayed. If more than one network interface uses ARP, entries for each ARP table are displayed.-g (Same as -a) inet_addr Specifies an internet address.-N if_addr Displays the ARP entries for the network interface specified by if_addr.-d Deletes the host specified by inet_addr.-s Adds the host and associates the Internet address inet_addr with the Physical address eth_addr. The Physical address is given as 6 hexadecimal bytes separated by hyphens. The entry is permanent. eth_addr Specifies a physical address. if_addr If present, this specifies the Internet address of the interface whose address translation table should be modified. If not present, the first applicable interface will be used.
TRACERT.exe Trace RouteUsage:tracert [-d] [-h maximum_hops] [-j host-list] [-w timeout] target_nameOptions: -d Do not resolve addresses to hostnames. -h maximum_hops Maximum number of hops to search for target. -j host-list Loose source route along host-list. -w timeout Wait timeout milliseconds for each reply.
Here's an example which traces the route from some ISP in Los Angeles to the main server at UCLA in California ( note how two computers relatively close to each other may be routed way round about! ): C:\WINDOWS>tracert www.ucla.eduTracing route to www.ucla.edu [169.232.33.129]over a maximum of 30 hops: 1 141 ms 132 ms 140 ms wla-ca-pm6.icg.net [165.236.29.85] 2 134 ms 131 ms 139 ms whv-ca-gw1.icg.net [165.236.29.65] 3 157 ms 132 ms 143 ms f3-1-0.lai-ca-gw1.icg.net [165.236.24.89] 4 194 ms 193 ms 188 ms a0-0-0-1.dai-tx-gw1.icg.net [163.179.235.61] 5 300 ms 211 ms 214 ms a1-1-0-1.ati-ga-gw1.icg.net [163.179.235.186] 6 236 ms 237 ms 247 ms a5-0-0-1.was-dc-gw1.icg.net [163.179.235.129] 7 258 ms 236 ms 244 ms 163.179.243.205 8 231 ms 233 ms 230 ms wdc-brdr-03.inet.qwest.net [205.171.4.153] 9 240 ms 230 ms 236 ms wdc-core-03.inet.qwest.net [205.171.24.69]10 262 ms 264 ms 263 ms hou-core-01.inet.qwest.net [205.171.5.187]11 281 ms 263 ms 259 ms hou-core-03.inet.qwest.net [205.171.23.9]12 272 ms 229 ms 222 ms lax-core-02.inet.qwest.net [205.171.5.163]13 230 ms 217 ms 230 ms lax-edge-07.inet.qwest.net [205.171.19.58]14 228 ms 219 ms 220 ms 63-145-160-42.cust.qwest.net [63.145.160.42]15 218 ms 222 ms 218 ms ISI-7507--ISI.POS.calren2.net [198.32.248.21]16 232 ms 222 ms 214 ms UCLA--ISI.POS.calren2.net [198.32.248.30]17 234 ms 226 ms 226 ms cbn5-gsr.calren2.ucla.edu [169.232.1.18]18 245 ms 227 ms 235 ms www.ucla.edu [169.232.33.129]Trace complete.
Note: Unless you're running a network, the following commands won't be of much use to you...Furthermore, if you're concerned about Security, my advice is to NEVER use NetBios on a computer that connects to the Internet.
NBTSTAT.exe Net Bios StatsDisplays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections using NBT(NetBIOS over TCP/IP).NBTSTAT [-a RemoteName] [-A IP address] [-c] [-n] [-r] [-R] [-s] [S] [interval] -a (adapter status) Lists the remote machine's name table given its name. -A (Adapter status) Lists the remote machine's name table given its IP address. -c (cache) Lists the remote name cache including the IP addresses. -n (names) Lists local NetBIOS names. -r (resolved) Lists names resolved by broadcast and via WINS -R (Reload) Purges and reloads the remote cache name table -S (Sessions) Lists sessions table with the destination IP addresses. -s (sessions) Lists sessions table converting destination IP addresses to host names via the hosts file. RemoteName Remote host machine name. IP address Dotted decimal representation of the IP address. interval Redisplays selected statistics, pausing interval seconds between each display. Press Ctrl+C to stop redisplaying statistics.
ROUTE.exeManipulates network routing tables.ROUTE [-f] [command [destination] [MASK netmask] [gateway]] -f Clears the routing tables of all gateway entries. If this is used in conjunction with one of the commands, the tables are cleared prior to running the command. command Specifies one of four commands PRINT Prints a route ADD Adds a route DELETE Deletes a route CHANGE Modifies an existing route destination Specifies the host to send command. MASK If the MASK keyword is present, the next parameter is interpreted as the netmask parameter. netmask If provided, specifies a sub-net mask value to be associated with this route entry. If not specified, if defaults to 255.255.255.255. gateway Specifies gateway.All symbolic names used for destination or gateway are looked up in thenetwork and host name database files NETWORKS and HOSTS, respectively.If the command is print or delete, wildcards may be used for thedestination and gateway, or the gateway argument may be omitted.
ARP.exe Address Resolution ProtocolARP -s inet_addr eth_addr [if_addr]ARP -d inet_addr [if_addr]ARP -a [inet_addr] [-N if_addr]-a Displays current ARP entries by interrogating the current protocol data. If inet_addr is specified, the IP and Physical addresses for only the specified computer are displayed. If more than one network interface uses ARP, entries for each ARP table are displayed.-g (Same as -a) inet_addr Specifies an internet address.-N if_addr Displays the ARP entries for the network interface specified by if_addr.-d Deletes the host specified by inet_addr.-s Adds the host and associates the Internet address inet_addr with the Physical address eth_addr. The Physical address is given as 6 hexadecimal bytes separated by hyphens. The entry is permanent. eth_addr Specifies a physical address. if_addr If present, this specifies the Internet address of the interface whose address translation table should be modified. If not present, the first applicable interface will be used.
The MS-DOS 7 Internal Commands
Every Windows™ 95/98 "Boot" Floppy Disk or Command prompt in a DOS-Window gives you access (through Command.com) to all of the following commands...
This first command isn't really an "internal" command at all. It describes all the switches that can be used when executing the COMMAND.COM program itself (and secondary copies):command COMMAND.COM-------Starts a new copy of the Windows Command Interpreter.COMMAND [[drive:]path] [device] [/E:nnnnn] [/L:nnnn] [/U:nnn] [/P] [/MSG] [/LOW] [/Y [/[CK] command]][drive:]path Specifies the directory containing COMMAND.COM. device Specifies the device to use for command input and output. /E:nnnnn Sets the initial environment size to nnnnn bytes. (nnnnn should be between 256 and 32,768). /L:nnnn Specifies internal buffers length (requires /P as well). (nnnn should be between 128 and 1,024). /U:nnn Specifies the input buffer length (requires /P as well). (nnn should be between 128 and 255). /P Makes the new Command Interpreter permanent (can't exit). /MSG Stores all error messages in memory (requires /P as well). /LOW Forces COMMAND to keep its resident data in low memory. /Y Steps through the batch program specified by /C or /K. /C command Executes the specified command and returns. /K command Executes the specified command and continues running.Back to TOC cd Change Directory-------Displays the name of or changes the current directory.CHDIR [drive:][path]CHDIR[..]CD [drive:][path]CD[..] .. Specifies that you want to change to the parent directory (in other words: Move up one folder in the directory tree). DOS 7, WHEN using a DOS-window, allows you to use extra dots here! If you were in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\shellext, you could enter cd... to go up to C:\WINDOWS or even cd.... to get to the root.Type CD drive: to display the current directory in the specified drive.Type CD without parameters to display the current drive and directory.Back to TOC chcp Change Code Page-------Displays or sets the active code page number.CHCP [nnn] nnn Specifies a code page number.Type CHCP without a parameter to display the active code page number.Back to TOC cls Clear Screen-------Clears the screen.CLSBack to TOC copy Copy or Concatenate Files-------Copies one or more files to another location.COPY [/A /B] source [/A /B] [+ source [/A /B] [+ ...]] [destination [/A /B]] [/V] [/Y /-Y] source Specifies the file or files to be copied. /A Indicates an ASCII text file. /B Indicates a binary file. destination Specifies the directory and/or filename for the new file(s). /V Verifies that new files are written correctly. /Y Suppresses prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an existing destination file. /-Y Causes prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an existing destination file.The switch /Y may be preset in the COPYCMD environment variable.This may be overridden with /-Y on the command lineTo append files, specify a single file for destination, but multiple filesfor source (using wildcards or file1+file2+file3 format).Note this special case of the COPY command: copy con output.txt Copy from Console to ...After you type this command and press ENTER, MS-DOS copies everything youtype to the file OUTPUT.TXT. When you are finished typing, press CTRL+Z toindicate that you want to end the file. The Control-Z character willappear on the screen as " ^Z ". You can also end a COPY CON command bypressing the F6 key. Pressing F6 also generates the Control-Z character;a " ^Z " still appears on the screen.The following example copies information from the keyboard to a printerconnected to LPT1: copy con lpt1Back to TOC ctty Change Termial Type-------Changes the terminal device used to control your system.CTTY device device The terminal device you want to use, such as COM1.Back to TOC date-------Displays or sets the date.DATE [date]Type DATE without parameters to display the current date setting anda prompt for a new one. Press ENTER to keep the same date.Back to TOC del Delete (Erase) Files-------Deletes one or more files.DEL [drive:][path]filename [/P]ERASE [drive:][path]filename [/P] [drive:][path]filename Specifies the file(s) to delete. Specify multiple files by using wildcards. /P Prompts for confirmation before deleting each file.Note: In most cases the file is NOT actually "erased"; the space it usedis simply noted as being available for new files to write over it. If youreally want to erase every word of a sensitive file, you should get a'security program' designed to overwrite all erased files!Back to TOC dir Directory Listing-------Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a directory.DIR [drive:][path][filename] [/P] [/W] [/A[[:]attributes]] [/O[[:]sortorder]] [/S] [/B] [/L] [/V] [drive:][path][filename] Specifies drive, directory, and/or files to list. (Could be enhanced file specification or multiple filespecs.)/P Pauses after each screenful of information./W Uses wide list format./A Displays files with specified attributes. attributes D Directories R Read-only files H Hidden files A Files ready for archiving S System files - Prefix meaning not/O List by files in sorted order. sortorder N By name (alphabetic) S By size (smallest first) E By extension (alphabetic) D By date & time (earliest first) G Group directories first - Prefix to reverse order A By Last Access Date (earliest first)/S Displays files in specified directory and all subdirectories./B Uses bare format (no heading information or summary)./L Uses lowercase./V Verbose mode.Switches may be preset in the DIRCMD environment variable. Overridepreset switches by prefixing any switch with - (hyphen)--for example, /-W.Back to TOC exit-------Quits the COMMAND.COM program (command interpreter).EXITIf you're in a DOS-Window in Windows, this will close the window!Back to TOC lock-------Locks a drive, enabling direct disk access for an application. LOCK [drive:]Note: If you use this command in a DOS-Window, it will only affect thefloppy disk drives; Windows™ 95/98 does not allow you to lock a drivedirectly while it is operating. If you try lock C: , you'll get the errormessage: " Locking operation failed."Back to TOC md Make Directory-------Creates a directory.MKDIR [drive:]pathMD [drive:]pathBack to TOC path-------Displays or sets a search path for executable files.PATH [[drive:]path[;...]]PATH ;Type PATH (without any parameters) to display the current path.Type PATH ; (PATH space semi-colon) to CLEAR all search-path settings; this means that DOS will only be able search the current directory.NOTE: When used in a DOS-Window, these commands ONLY apply tothat particular DOS-Window! (The PATH will not be changed globally.)See the SET command for a similar effect in DOS-Windows, and alsofor a utility (W95envar.zip) that will make global changes!Back to TOC prompt-------Changes the Windows command prompt.PROMPT [text] text Specifies a new command prompt.Prompt can be made up of normal characters and the following special codes: $Q = (equal sign) $$ $ (dollar sign) $T Current time $D Current date $P Current drive and path $V Windows version number $N Current drive $G > (greater-than sign) $L < (less-than sign) $B (pipe) $H Backspace (erases previous character) $E Escape code (ASCII code 27) $_ Carriage return and linefeedType PROMPT without parameters to reset the prompt to the default setting.Back to TOC rd Remove (Delete) Directory-------Removes (deletes) a directory.RMDIR [drive:]pathRD [drive:]pathBack to TOC ren Rename File or Directory-------Renames a file/directory or files/directories.RENAME [drive:][path][directoryname1 filename1] [dirname2 filename2]REN [drive:][path][directoryname1 filename1] [dirname2 filename2]Note that you cannot specify a new drive or path for your destination.Back to TOC set-------Displays, sets, or removes Windows environment variables.SET [variable=[string]] variable Specifies the environment-variable name. string Specifies a series of characters to assign to the variable.Type SET without parameters to display the current environment variables.Note: If you use SET in a DOS-Window to add a variable and string, itwill only affect commands run in that particular window! Unlinke Win NT(which has a DOS 'Environment' Tab), Windows™ 95/98 normally willnot allow you to set global Environment strings while the OS is running:You have to set them in AUTOEXEC.BAT and reboot the system!However, I recently found that Microsoft made a utility for settingEnvironment strings from a DOS-window with a 'global' effect... thisutility is called WINSET.EXE ( it's archived with another util calledSHORTCUT.EXE and labeled as W95ENVARS.EXE ). You can downloadthis now as: W95envar.zip.Back to TOC time-------Displays or sets the system time.TIME [time]Type TIME with no parameters to display the current time setting and aprompt for a new one. Press ENTER to keep the same time.Back to TOC type-------Displays the contents of text files.TYPE [drive:][path]filenameNOTE: If there are more than 25 lines in the file, you'll need to pipethe screen output through the DOS External Command MORE in orderto keep all but the last screen from flashing past you! EXAMPLE: C:\>type tips.txt moreBack to TOC unlock-------Unlocks a drive, disabling direct disk access for an application. UNLOCK [drive:] See LOCKBack to TOC ver Version-------Displays the Windows version.VERBack to TOC vol Volume Label/SN-------Displays the disk volume label and serial number, if they exist.VOL [drive:]Note: The DOS command to change a Volume Label is an "External Command"(the program is: LABEL.EXE).Back to TOC
The following commands are rarely used outside of a BATCH file (such as AUTOEXEC.BAT): break-------Sets or clears extended CTRL+C checking.BREAK [ON OFF]Type BREAK without a parameter to display the current BREAK setting.Back to TOC call-------Calls one batch program from another.CALL [drive:][path]filename [batch-parameters] batch-parameters Specifies any command-line information required by the batch program.Back to TOC echo-------Displays messages, or turns command-echoing on or off. ECHO [ON OFF] ECHO [message]Type ECHO without parameters to display the current echo setting.Back to TOC for-------Runs a specified command for each file in a set of files.FOR %variable IN (set) DO command [command-parameters] %variable Specifies a replaceable parameter. (set) Specifies a set of one or more files. Wildcards may be used. command Specifies the command to carry out for each file. command-parameters Specifies parameters or switches for the specified command.To use the FOR command in a batch program, specify %%variable instead of%variable.Back to TOC goto-------Directs Windows to a labelled line in a batch program.GOTO label label Specifies a text string used in the batch program as a label.You type a label on a line by itself, beginning with a colon.Example:The following batch program formats a disk in drive A as a system disk. Ifthe operation is successful, the GOTO command simply directs MS-DOS to thelabel named "end"; if not, an error message is displayed: echo off format a: /s if not errorlevel 1 goto end echo An error occurred during formatting. :end echo Successfully formatted the disk in drive A.Back to TOC if-------Performs conditional processing in batch programs.IF [NOT] ERRORLEVEL number commandIF [NOT] string1==string2 commandIF [NOT] EXIST filename commandNOT Specifies that Windows should carry out the command only if the condition is false.ERRORLEVEL number Specifies a true condition if the last program run returned an exit code equal to or greater than the number specified.command Specifies the command to carry out if the condition is met.string1==string2 Specifies a true condition if the specified text strings match.EXIST filename Specifies a true condition if the specified filename exists.Note: Although you can only check directly for the existence of a file, you canalso check for directories (folders) by using the NUL operator as a filename.Example: if exist C:\TEMP\NUL goto done will route program flow tothe label "done" only if the folder C:\TEMP exists!Back to TOC lfnfor Long File Name FOR-------Enables/Disables Long file names when processing FOR commands.LFNFOR [ON OFF]Type LFNFOR without a parameter to display the current setting.Back to TOC lh Load High-------Loads a program into the upper memory area.LH [drive:][path]filename [parameters]LOADHIGH [drive:][path]filename [parameters]LOADHIGH [/L:region1[,minsize1][;region2[,minsize2]...] [/S]] [drive:][path]filename [parameters]/L:region1[,minsize1][;region2[,minsize2]]... Specifies the region(s) of memory into which to load the program. Region1 specifies the number of the first memory region; minsize1 specifies the minimum size, if any, for region1. Region2 and minsize2 specify the number and minimum size of the second region, if any. You can specify as many regions as you want./S Shrinks a UMB to its minimum size while the program is loading.[drive:][path]filename Specifies the location and name of the program.Back to TOC pause-------Suspends processing of a batch program and displays the message:Press any key to continue....PAUSEBack to TOC rem-------Records comments (remarks) in a batch file or CONFIG.SYS.REM [comment]Back to TOC shift-------Changes the position of replaceable parameters in a batch file.SHIFTBack to TOC verify-------Tells Windows whether to verify that your files are written correctly to adisk.VERIFY [ON OFF]Type VERIFY without a parameter to display the current VERIFY setting.
Every Windows™ 95/98 "Boot" Floppy Disk or Command prompt in a DOS-Window gives you access (through Command.com) to all of the following commands...
This first command isn't really an "internal" command at all. It describes all the switches that can be used when executing the COMMAND.COM program itself (and secondary copies):command COMMAND.COM-------Starts a new copy of the Windows Command Interpreter.COMMAND [[drive:]path] [device] [/E:nnnnn] [/L:nnnn] [/U:nnn] [/P] [/MSG] [/LOW] [/Y [/[CK] command]][drive:]path Specifies the directory containing COMMAND.COM. device Specifies the device to use for command input and output. /E:nnnnn Sets the initial environment size to nnnnn bytes. (nnnnn should be between 256 and 32,768). /L:nnnn Specifies internal buffers length (requires /P as well). (nnnn should be between 128 and 1,024). /U:nnn Specifies the input buffer length (requires /P as well). (nnn should be between 128 and 255). /P Makes the new Command Interpreter permanent (can't exit). /MSG Stores all error messages in memory (requires /P as well). /LOW Forces COMMAND to keep its resident data in low memory. /Y Steps through the batch program specified by /C or /K. /C command Executes the specified command and returns. /K command Executes the specified command and continues running.Back to TOC cd Change Directory-------Displays the name of or changes the current directory.CHDIR [drive:][path]CHDIR[..]CD [drive:][path]CD[..] .. Specifies that you want to change to the parent directory (in other words: Move up one folder in the directory tree). DOS 7, WHEN using a DOS-window, allows you to use extra dots here! If you were in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\shellext, you could enter cd... to go up to C:\WINDOWS or even cd.... to get to the root.Type CD drive: to display the current directory in the specified drive.Type CD without parameters to display the current drive and directory.Back to TOC chcp Change Code Page-------Displays or sets the active code page number.CHCP [nnn] nnn Specifies a code page number.Type CHCP without a parameter to display the active code page number.Back to TOC cls Clear Screen-------Clears the screen.CLSBack to TOC copy Copy or Concatenate Files-------Copies one or more files to another location.COPY [/A /B] source [/A /B] [+ source [/A /B] [+ ...]] [destination [/A /B]] [/V] [/Y /-Y] source Specifies the file or files to be copied. /A Indicates an ASCII text file. /B Indicates a binary file. destination Specifies the directory and/or filename for the new file(s). /V Verifies that new files are written correctly. /Y Suppresses prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an existing destination file. /-Y Causes prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an existing destination file.The switch /Y may be preset in the COPYCMD environment variable.This may be overridden with /-Y on the command lineTo append files, specify a single file for destination, but multiple filesfor source (using wildcards or file1+file2+file3 format).Note this special case of the COPY command: copy con output.txt Copy from Console to ...After you type this command and press ENTER, MS-DOS copies everything youtype to the file OUTPUT.TXT. When you are finished typing, press CTRL+Z toindicate that you want to end the file. The Control-Z character willappear on the screen as " ^Z ". You can also end a COPY CON command bypressing the F6 key. Pressing F6 also generates the Control-Z character;a " ^Z " still appears on the screen.The following example copies information from the keyboard to a printerconnected to LPT1: copy con lpt1Back to TOC ctty Change Termial Type-------Changes the terminal device used to control your system.CTTY device device The terminal device you want to use, such as COM1.Back to TOC date-------Displays or sets the date.DATE [date]Type DATE without parameters to display the current date setting anda prompt for a new one. Press ENTER to keep the same date.Back to TOC del Delete (Erase) Files-------Deletes one or more files.DEL [drive:][path]filename [/P]ERASE [drive:][path]filename [/P] [drive:][path]filename Specifies the file(s) to delete. Specify multiple files by using wildcards. /P Prompts for confirmation before deleting each file.Note: In most cases the file is NOT actually "erased"; the space it usedis simply noted as being available for new files to write over it. If youreally want to erase every word of a sensitive file, you should get a'security program' designed to overwrite all erased files!Back to TOC dir Directory Listing-------Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a directory.DIR [drive:][path][filename] [/P] [/W] [/A[[:]attributes]] [/O[[:]sortorder]] [/S] [/B] [/L] [/V] [drive:][path][filename] Specifies drive, directory, and/or files to list. (Could be enhanced file specification or multiple filespecs.)/P Pauses after each screenful of information./W Uses wide list format./A Displays files with specified attributes. attributes D Directories R Read-only files H Hidden files A Files ready for archiving S System files - Prefix meaning not/O List by files in sorted order. sortorder N By name (alphabetic) S By size (smallest first) E By extension (alphabetic) D By date & time (earliest first) G Group directories first - Prefix to reverse order A By Last Access Date (earliest first)/S Displays files in specified directory and all subdirectories./B Uses bare format (no heading information or summary)./L Uses lowercase./V Verbose mode.Switches may be preset in the DIRCMD environment variable. Overridepreset switches by prefixing any switch with - (hyphen)--for example, /-W.Back to TOC exit-------Quits the COMMAND.COM program (command interpreter).EXITIf you're in a DOS-Window in Windows, this will close the window!Back to TOC lock-------Locks a drive, enabling direct disk access for an application. LOCK [drive:]Note: If you use this command in a DOS-Window, it will only affect thefloppy disk drives; Windows™ 95/98 does not allow you to lock a drivedirectly while it is operating. If you try lock C: , you'll get the errormessage: " Locking operation failed."Back to TOC md Make Directory-------Creates a directory.MKDIR [drive:]pathMD [drive:]pathBack to TOC path-------Displays or sets a search path for executable files.PATH [[drive:]path[;...]]PATH ;Type PATH (without any parameters) to display the current path.Type PATH ; (PATH space semi-colon) to CLEAR all search-path settings; this means that DOS will only be able search the current directory.NOTE: When used in a DOS-Window, these commands ONLY apply tothat particular DOS-Window! (The PATH will not be changed globally.)See the SET command for a similar effect in DOS-Windows, and alsofor a utility (W95envar.zip) that will make global changes!Back to TOC prompt-------Changes the Windows command prompt.PROMPT [text] text Specifies a new command prompt.Prompt can be made up of normal characters and the following special codes: $Q = (equal sign) $$ $ (dollar sign) $T Current time $D Current date $P Current drive and path $V Windows version number $N Current drive $G > (greater-than sign) $L < (less-than sign) $B (pipe) $H Backspace (erases previous character) $E Escape code (ASCII code 27) $_ Carriage return and linefeedType PROMPT without parameters to reset the prompt to the default setting.Back to TOC rd Remove (Delete) Directory-------Removes (deletes) a directory.RMDIR [drive:]pathRD [drive:]pathBack to TOC ren Rename File or Directory-------Renames a file/directory or files/directories.RENAME [drive:][path][directoryname1 filename1] [dirname2 filename2]REN [drive:][path][directoryname1 filename1] [dirname2 filename2]Note that you cannot specify a new drive or path for your destination.Back to TOC set-------Displays, sets, or removes Windows environment variables.SET [variable=[string]] variable Specifies the environment-variable name. string Specifies a series of characters to assign to the variable.Type SET without parameters to display the current environment variables.Note: If you use SET in a DOS-Window to add a variable and string, itwill only affect commands run in that particular window! Unlinke Win NT(which has a DOS 'Environment' Tab), Windows™ 95/98 normally willnot allow you to set global Environment strings while the OS is running:You have to set them in AUTOEXEC.BAT and reboot the system!However, I recently found that Microsoft made a utility for settingEnvironment strings from a DOS-window with a 'global' effect... thisutility is called WINSET.EXE ( it's archived with another util calledSHORTCUT.EXE and labeled as W95ENVARS.EXE ). You can downloadthis now as: W95envar.zip.Back to TOC time-------Displays or sets the system time.TIME [time]Type TIME with no parameters to display the current time setting and aprompt for a new one. Press ENTER to keep the same time.Back to TOC type-------Displays the contents of text files.TYPE [drive:][path]filenameNOTE: If there are more than 25 lines in the file, you'll need to pipethe screen output through the DOS External Command MORE in orderto keep all but the last screen from flashing past you! EXAMPLE: C:\>type tips.txt moreBack to TOC unlock-------Unlocks a drive, disabling direct disk access for an application. UNLOCK [drive:] See LOCKBack to TOC ver Version-------Displays the Windows version.VERBack to TOC vol Volume Label/SN-------Displays the disk volume label and serial number, if they exist.VOL [drive:]Note: The DOS command to change a Volume Label is an "External Command"(the program is: LABEL.EXE).Back to TOC
The following commands are rarely used outside of a BATCH file (such as AUTOEXEC.BAT): break-------Sets or clears extended CTRL+C checking.BREAK [ON OFF]Type BREAK without a parameter to display the current BREAK setting.Back to TOC call-------Calls one batch program from another.CALL [drive:][path]filename [batch-parameters] batch-parameters Specifies any command-line information required by the batch program.Back to TOC echo-------Displays messages, or turns command-echoing on or off. ECHO [ON OFF] ECHO [message]Type ECHO without parameters to display the current echo setting.Back to TOC for-------Runs a specified command for each file in a set of files.FOR %variable IN (set) DO command [command-parameters] %variable Specifies a replaceable parameter. (set) Specifies a set of one or more files. Wildcards may be used. command Specifies the command to carry out for each file. command-parameters Specifies parameters or switches for the specified command.To use the FOR command in a batch program, specify %%variable instead of%variable.Back to TOC goto-------Directs Windows to a labelled line in a batch program.GOTO label label Specifies a text string used in the batch program as a label.You type a label on a line by itself, beginning with a colon.Example:The following batch program formats a disk in drive A as a system disk. Ifthe operation is successful, the GOTO command simply directs MS-DOS to thelabel named "end"; if not, an error message is displayed: echo off format a: /s if not errorlevel 1 goto end echo An error occurred during formatting. :end echo Successfully formatted the disk in drive A.Back to TOC if-------Performs conditional processing in batch programs.IF [NOT] ERRORLEVEL number commandIF [NOT] string1==string2 commandIF [NOT] EXIST filename commandNOT Specifies that Windows should carry out the command only if the condition is false.ERRORLEVEL number Specifies a true condition if the last program run returned an exit code equal to or greater than the number specified.command Specifies the command to carry out if the condition is met.string1==string2 Specifies a true condition if the specified text strings match.EXIST filename Specifies a true condition if the specified filename exists.Note: Although you can only check directly for the existence of a file, you canalso check for directories (folders) by using the NUL operator as a filename.Example: if exist C:\TEMP\NUL goto done will route program flow tothe label "done" only if the folder C:\TEMP exists!Back to TOC lfnfor Long File Name FOR-------Enables/Disables Long file names when processing FOR commands.LFNFOR [ON OFF]Type LFNFOR without a parameter to display the current setting.Back to TOC lh Load High-------Loads a program into the upper memory area.LH [drive:][path]filename [parameters]LOADHIGH [drive:][path]filename [parameters]LOADHIGH [/L:region1[,minsize1][;region2[,minsize2]...] [/S]] [drive:][path]filename [parameters]/L:region1[,minsize1][;region2[,minsize2]]... Specifies the region(s) of memory into which to load the program. Region1 specifies the number of the first memory region; minsize1 specifies the minimum size, if any, for region1. Region2 and minsize2 specify the number and minimum size of the second region, if any. You can specify as many regions as you want./S Shrinks a UMB to its minimum size while the program is loading.[drive:][path]filename Specifies the location and name of the program.Back to TOC pause-------Suspends processing of a batch program and displays the message:Press any key to continue....PAUSEBack to TOC rem-------Records comments (remarks) in a batch file or CONFIG.SYS.REM [comment]Back to TOC shift-------Changes the position of replaceable parameters in a batch file.SHIFTBack to TOC verify-------Tells Windows whether to verify that your files are written correctly to adisk.VERIFY [ON OFF]Type VERIFY without a parameter to display the current VERIFY setting.
Labels:
The MS-DOS 7 Internal Commands
The Windows™ 95/98 Network Programs
NETSTAT.exe TCP/IP Network StatisticsDisplays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP network connections.NETSTAT [-a] [-e] [-n] [-s] [-p proto] [-r] [interval] -a Displays all connections and listening ports. -e Displays Ethernet statistics. This may be combined with the -s option. -n Displays addresses and port numbers in numerical form. -p proto Shows connections for the protocol specified by proto; proto may be TCP or UDP. If used with the -s option to display per-protocol statistics, proto may be TCP, UDP, or IP. -r Displays the routing table. -s Displays per-protocol statistics. By default, statistics are shown for TCP, UDP and IP; the -p option may be used to specify a subset of the default. interval Redisplays selected statistics, pausing interval seconds between each display. Press CTRL+C to stop redisplaying statistics. If omitted, netstat will print the current configuration information once.
First, I would recommend that you always use the '-a' parameter so you can see UDP 'listening ports' as well (often used by trojans), and not just the active TCP connections; then switch between using the '-a' and no parameters at all, to see the differences. When you're offline, you normally shouldn't see any connection data! If you do see an OPEN PORT NUMBER 'listening' for a connection (using the '-a' parameter), it may be that your computer has been infected with a trojan! Click this link for a few more ideas on how you can check to see if your computer is Trojan Free?If you're running a server, such as the free XITAMI server, you might see something like this ("My_Comp" is the name of my computer):C:\WINDOWS>netstat -aActive Connections Proto Local Address Foreign Address State TCP My_Comp:ftp localhost:0 LISTENING TCP My_Comp:80 localhost:0 LISTENINGOr with the "-an" parameters: C:\WINDOWS>netstat -anActive Connections Proto Local Address Foreign Address State TCP 0.0.0.0:21 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING TCP 0.0.0.0:80 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENINGBy simply opening a browser connection to both the HTTP (port 80) and FTP (port 21) servers (while still offline!), I saw the following: C:\WINDOWS>netstat -aActive Connections Proto Local Address Foreign Address State TCP My_Comp:ftp localhost:0 LISTENING TCP My_Comp:80 localhost:0 LISTENING TCP My_Comp:1104 localhost:0 LISTENING TCP My_Comp:ftp localhost:1104 ESTABLISHED TCP My_Comp:1102 localhost:0 LISTENING TCP My_Comp:1103 localhost:0 LISTENING TCP My_Comp:80 localhost:1111 TIME_WAIT TCP My_Comp:1104 localhost:ftp ESTABLISHED TCP My_Comp:1107 localhost:0 LISTENING TCP My_Comp:1112 localhost:80 TIME_WAIT UDP My_Comp:1102 *:* UDP My_Comp:1103 *:* UDP My_Comp:1107 *:*This may be a bit confusing to some people, but remember I'm running BOTH the servers and clients on the same machine in these examples. A little later (using both 'a' and 'n') I got this: C:\WINDOWS>netstat -anActive Connections Proto Local Address Foreign Address State TCP 0.0.0.0:21 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING TCP 0.0.0.0:80 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING TCP 0.0.0.0:1104 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING TCP 127.0.0.1:21 127.0.0.1:1104 FIN_WAIT_2 TCP 127.0.0.1:1102 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING TCP 127.0.0.1:1103 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING TCP 127.0.0.1:1104 127.0.0.1:21 CLOSE_WAIT TCP 127.0.0.1:1107 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING UDP 127.0.0.1:1102 *:* UDP 127.0.0.1:1103 *:* UDP 127.0.0.1:1107 *:*After turning off my server, I ended up with this for a while: C:\WINDOWS>netstat -anActive Connections Proto Local Address Foreign Address State TCP 127.0.0.1:80 127.0.0.1:1150 TIME_WAIT TCP 127.0.0.1:80 127.0.0.1:1151 TIME_WAIT
NETSTAT.exe TCP/IP Network StatisticsDisplays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP network connections.NETSTAT [-a] [-e] [-n] [-s] [-p proto] [-r] [interval] -a Displays all connections and listening ports. -e Displays Ethernet statistics. This may be combined with the -s option. -n Displays addresses and port numbers in numerical form. -p proto Shows connections for the protocol specified by proto; proto may be TCP or UDP. If used with the -s option to display per-protocol statistics, proto may be TCP, UDP, or IP. -r Displays the routing table. -s Displays per-protocol statistics. By default, statistics are shown for TCP, UDP and IP; the -p option may be used to specify a subset of the default. interval Redisplays selected statistics, pausing interval seconds between each display. Press CTRL+C to stop redisplaying statistics. If omitted, netstat will print the current configuration information once.
First, I would recommend that you always use the '-a' parameter so you can see UDP 'listening ports' as well (often used by trojans), and not just the active TCP connections; then switch between using the '-a' and no parameters at all, to see the differences. When you're offline, you normally shouldn't see any connection data! If you do see an OPEN PORT NUMBER 'listening' for a connection (using the '-a' parameter), it may be that your computer has been infected with a trojan! Click this link for a few more ideas on how you can check to see if your computer is Trojan Free?If you're running a server, such as the free XITAMI server, you might see something like this ("My_Comp" is the name of my computer):C:\WINDOWS>netstat -aActive Connections Proto Local Address Foreign Address State TCP My_Comp:ftp localhost:0 LISTENING TCP My_Comp:80 localhost:0 LISTENINGOr with the "-an" parameters: C:\WINDOWS>netstat -anActive Connections Proto Local Address Foreign Address State TCP 0.0.0.0:21 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING TCP 0.0.0.0:80 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENINGBy simply opening a browser connection to both the HTTP (port 80) and FTP (port 21) servers (while still offline!), I saw the following: C:\WINDOWS>netstat -aActive Connections Proto Local Address Foreign Address State TCP My_Comp:ftp localhost:0 LISTENING TCP My_Comp:80 localhost:0 LISTENING TCP My_Comp:1104 localhost:0 LISTENING TCP My_Comp:ftp localhost:1104 ESTABLISHED TCP My_Comp:1102 localhost:0 LISTENING TCP My_Comp:1103 localhost:0 LISTENING TCP My_Comp:80 localhost:1111 TIME_WAIT TCP My_Comp:1104 localhost:ftp ESTABLISHED TCP My_Comp:1107 localhost:0 LISTENING TCP My_Comp:1112 localhost:80 TIME_WAIT UDP My_Comp:1102 *:* UDP My_Comp:1103 *:* UDP My_Comp:1107 *:*This may be a bit confusing to some people, but remember I'm running BOTH the servers and clients on the same machine in these examples. A little later (using both 'a' and 'n') I got this: C:\WINDOWS>netstat -anActive Connections Proto Local Address Foreign Address State TCP 0.0.0.0:21 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING TCP 0.0.0.0:80 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING TCP 0.0.0.0:1104 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING TCP 127.0.0.1:21 127.0.0.1:1104 FIN_WAIT_2 TCP 127.0.0.1:1102 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING TCP 127.0.0.1:1103 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING TCP 127.0.0.1:1104 127.0.0.1:21 CLOSE_WAIT TCP 127.0.0.1:1107 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING UDP 127.0.0.1:1102 *:* UDP 127.0.0.1:1103 *:* UDP 127.0.0.1:1107 *:*After turning off my server, I ended up with this for a while: C:\WINDOWS>netstat -anActive Connections Proto Local Address Foreign Address State TCP 127.0.0.1:80 127.0.0.1:1150 TIME_WAIT TCP 127.0.0.1:80 127.0.0.1:1151 TIME_WAIT
The Windows™ 95/98 Network Programs
PING.exeUsage: ping [-t] [-a] [-n count] [-l size] [-f] [-i TTL] [-v TOS] [-r count] [-s count] [[-j host-list] [-k host-list]] [-w timeout] destination-listOptions: -t Ping the specifed host until interrupted. -a Resolve addresses to hostnames. -n count Number of echo requests to send. -l size Send buffer size. -f Set "Don't Fragment" flag in packet. -i TTL Time To Live. -v TOS Type Of Service. -r count Record route for count hops. -s count Timestamp for count hops. -j host-list Loose source route along host-list. -k host-list Strict source route along host-list. -w timeout Timeout in milliseconds to wait for each reply.
There's one special IP number everyone should know about:127.0.0.1 - localhost (or loopback).This is used to connect ( through a browser, for example) to a Web server on your own computer. (127 being reserved for this purpose.) You can use this IP number at all times. It doesn't matter if you're connected to the Internet or not.It's also called the loopback address because you can ping it and get returns even when you're offline (not connected to any network). If you don't get any valid replies, then there's a problem with the computer's Network settings. Here's a typical response to the 'ping' command:
Here's another recent example using the name of my computer which I have tied to the IP number 127.0.0.1 in my C:\WINDOWS\HOSTS file:C:\WINDOWS>ping My_CompPinging My_Comp [127.0.0.1] with 32 bytes of data:Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=128Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=128Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=128Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=128Ping statistics for 127.0.0.1: Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds: Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 1ms, Average = 0ms
10 Fast and Free Security Enhancements
PC magazine.Before you spend a dime on security, there are many precautions you can take that will protect you against the most common threats.1. Check Windows Update and Office Update regularly (_http://office.microsoft.com/productupdates); have your Office CD ready. Windows Me, 2000, and XP users can configure automatic updates. Click on the Automatic Updates tab in the System control panel and choose the appropriate options.2. Install a personal firewall. Both SyGate (_www.sygate.com) and ZoneAlarm (_www.zonelabs.com) offer free versions.3. Install a free spyware blocker. Our Editors' Choice ("Spyware," April 22) was SpyBot Search & Destroy (_http://security.kolla.de). SpyBot is also paranoid and ruthless in hunting out tracking cookies.4. Block pop-up spam messages in Windows NT, 2000, or XP by disabling the Windows Messenger service (this is unrelated to the instant messaging program). Open Control Panel Administrative Tools Services and you'll see Messenger. Right-click and go to Properties. Set Start-up Type to Disabled and press the Stop button. Bye-bye, spam pop-ups! Any good firewall will also stop them.5. Use strong passwords and change them periodically. Passwords should have at least seven characters; use letters and numbers and have at least one symbol. A decent example would be f8izKro@l. This will make it much harder for anyone to gain access to your accounts.6. If you're using Outlook or Outlook Express, use the current version or one with the Outlook Security Update installed. The update and current versions patch numerous vulnerabilities.7. Buy antivirus software and keep it up to date. If you're not willing to pay, try Grisoft AVG Free Edition (Grisoft Inc., w*w.grisoft.com). And doublecheck your AV with the free, online-only scanners available at w*w.pandasoftware.com/activescan and _http://housecall.trendmicro.com.8. If you have a wireless network, turn on the security features: Use MAC filtering, turn off SSID broadcast, and even use WEP with the biggest key you can get. For more, check out our wireless section or see the expanded coverage in Your Unwired World in our next issue.9. Join a respectable e-mail security list, such as the one found at our own Security Supersite at _http://security.ziffdavis.com, so that you learn about emerging threats quickly and can take proper precautions.10. Be skeptical of things on the Internet. Don't assume that e-mail "From:" a particular person is actually from that person until you have further reason to believe it's that person. Don't assume that an attachment is what it says it is. Don't give out your password to anyone, even if that person claims to be from "support."
Posted by baskar at 10:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Free Security Enhancements, PC magazine
Saturday, November 29, 2008
The MS-DOS 7 Internal Commands
Every Windows™ 95/98 "Boot" Floppy Disk or Command prompt in a DOS-Window gives you access (through Command.com) to all of the following commands...
This first command isn't really an "internal" command at all. It describes all the switches that can be used when executing the COMMAND.COM program itself (and secondary copies):command COMMAND.COM-------Starts a new copy of the Windows Command Interpreter.COMMAND [[drive:]path] [device] [/E:nnnnn] [/L:nnnn] [/U:nnn] [/P] [/MSG] [/LOW] [/Y [/[CK] command]][drive:]path Specifies the directory containing COMMAND.COM. device Specifies the device to use for command input and output. /E:nnnnn Sets the initial environment size to nnnnn bytes. (nnnnn should be between 256 and 32,768). /L:nnnn Specifies internal buffers length (requires /P as well). (nnnn should be between 128 and 1,024). /U:nnn Specifies the input buffer length (requires /P as well). (nnn should be between 128 and 255). /P Makes the new Command Interpreter permanent (can't exit). /MSG Stores all error messages in memory (requires /P as well). /LOW Forces COMMAND to keep its resident data in low memory. /Y Steps through the batch program specified by /C or /K. /C command Executes the specified command and returns. /K command Executes the specified command and continues running.Back to TOC cd Change Directory-------Displays the name of or changes the current directory.CHDIR [drive:][path]CHDIR[..]CD [drive:][path]CD[..] .. Specifies that you want to change to the parent directory (in other words: Move up one folder in the directory tree). DOS 7, WHEN using a DOS-window, allows you to use extra dots here! If you were in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\shellext, you could enter cd... to go up to C:\WINDOWS or even cd.... to get to the root.Type CD drive: to display the current directory in the specified drive.Type CD without parameters to display the current drive and directory.Back to TOC chcp Change Code Page-------Displays or sets the active code page number.CHCP [nnn] nnn Specifies a code page number.Type CHCP without a parameter to display the active code page number.Back to TOC cls Clear Screen-------Clears the screen.CLSBack to TOC copy Copy or Concatenate Files-------Copies one or more files to another location.COPY [/A /B] source [/A /B] [+ source [/A /B] [+ ...]] [destination [/A /B]] [/V] [/Y /-Y] source Specifies the file or files to be copied. /A Indicates an ASCII text file. /B Indicates a binary file. destination Specifies the directory and/or filename for the new file(s). /V Verifies that new files are written correctly. /Y Suppresses prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an existing destination file. /-Y Causes prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an existing destination file.The switch /Y may be preset in the COPYCMD environment variable.This may be overridden with /-Y on the command lineTo append files, specify a single file for destination, but multiple filesfor source (using wildcards or file1+file2+file3 format).Note this special case of the COPY command: copy con output.txt Copy from Console to ...After you type this command and press ENTER, MS-DOS copies everything youtype to the file OUTPUT.TXT. When you are finished typing, press CTRL+Z toindicate that you want to end the file. The Control-Z character willappear on the screen as " ^Z ". You can also end a COPY CON command bypressing the F6 key. Pressing F6 also generates the Control-Z character;a " ^Z " still appears on the screen.The following example copies information from the keyboard to a printerconnected to LPT1: copy con lpt1Back to TOC ctty Change Termial Type-------Changes the terminal device used to control your system.CTTY device device The terminal device you want to use, such as COM1.Back to TOC date-------Displays or sets the date.DATE [date]Type DATE without parameters to display the current date setting anda prompt for a new one. Press ENTER to keep the same date.Back to TOC del Delete (Erase) Files-------Deletes one or more files.DEL [drive:][path]filename [/P]ERASE [drive:][path]filename [/P] [drive:][path]filename Specifies the file(s) to delete. Specify multiple files by using wildcards. /P Prompts for confirmation before deleting each file.Note: In most cases the file is NOT actually "erased"; the space it usedis simply noted as being available for new files to write over it. If youreally want to erase every word of a sensitive file, you should get a'security program' designed to overwrite all erased files!Back to TOC dir Directory Listing-------Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a directory.DIR [drive:][path][filename] [/P] [/W] [/A[[:]attributes]] [/O[[:]sortorder]] [/S] [/B] [/L] [/V] [drive:][path][filename] Specifies drive, directory, and/or files to list. (Could be enhanced file specification or multiple filespecs.)/P Pauses after each screenful of information./W Uses wide list format./A Displays files with specified attributes. attributes D Directories R Read-only files H Hidden files A Files ready for archiving S System files - Prefix meaning not/O List by files in sorted order. sortorder N By name (alphabetic) S By size (smallest first) E By extension (alphabetic) D By date & time (earliest first) G Group directories first - Prefix to reverse order A By Last Access Date (earliest first)/S Displays files in specified directory and all subdirectories./B Uses bare format (no heading information or summary)./L Uses lowercase./V Verbose mode.Switches may be preset in the DIRCMD environment variable. Overridepreset switches by prefixing any switch with - (hyphen)--for example, /-W.Back to TOC exit-------Quits the COMMAND.COM program (command interpreter).EXITIf you're in a DOS-Window in Windows, this will close the window!Back to TOC lock-------Locks a drive, enabling direct disk access for an application. LOCK [drive:]Note: If you use this command in a DOS-Window, it will only affect thefloppy disk drives; Windows™ 95/98 does not allow you to lock a drivedirectly while it is operating. If you try lock C: , you'll get the errormessage: " Locking operation failed."Back to TOC md Make Directory-------Creates a directory.MKDIR [drive:]pathMD [drive:]pathBack to TOC path-------Displays or sets a search path for executable files.PATH [[drive:]path[;...]]PATH ;Type PATH (without any parameters) to display the current path.Type PATH ; (PATH space semi-colon) to CLEAR all search-path settings; this means that DOS will only be able search the current directory.NOTE: When used in a DOS-Window, these commands ONLY apply tothat particular DOS-Window! (The PATH will not be changed globally.)See the SET command for a similar effect in DOS-Windows, and alsofor a utility (W95envar.zip) that will make global changes!Back to TOC prompt-------Changes the Windows command prompt.PROMPT [text] text Specifies a new command prompt.Prompt can be made up of normal characters and the following special codes: $Q = (equal sign) $$ $ (dollar sign) $T Current time $D Current date $P Current drive and path $V Windows version number $N Current drive $G > (greater-than sign) $L < (less-than sign) $B (pipe) $H Backspace (erases previous character) $E Escape code (ASCII code 27) $_ Carriage return and linefeedType PROMPT without parameters to reset the prompt to the default setting.Back to TOC rd Remove (Delete) Directory-------Removes (deletes) a directory.RMDIR [drive:]pathRD [drive:]pathBack to TOC ren Rename File or Directory-------Renames a file/directory or files/directories.RENAME [drive:][path][directoryname1 filename1] [dirname2 filename2]REN [drive:][path][directoryname1 filename1] [dirname2 filename2]Note that you cannot specify a new drive or path for your destination.Back to TOC set-------Displays, sets, or removes Windows environment variables.SET [variable=[string]] variable Specifies the environment-variable name. string Specifies a series of characters to assign to the variable.Type SET without parameters to display the current environment variables.Note: If you use SET in a DOS-Window to add a variable and string, itwill only affect commands run in that particular window! Unlinke Win NT(which has a DOS 'Environment' Tab), Windows™ 95/98 normally willnot allow you to set global Environment strings while the OS is running:You have to set them in AUTOEXEC.BAT and reboot the system!However, I recently found that Microsoft made a utility for settingEnvironment strings from a DOS-window with a 'global' effect... thisutility is called WINSET.EXE ( it's archived with another util calledSHORTCUT.EXE and labeled as W95ENVARS.EXE ). You can downloadthis now as: W95envar.zip.Back to TOC time-------Displays or sets the system time.TIME [time]Type TIME with no parameters to display the current time setting and aprompt for a new one. Press ENTER to keep the same time.Back to TOC type-------Displays the contents of text files.TYPE [drive:][path]filenameNOTE: If there are more than 25 lines in the file, you'll need to pipethe screen output through the DOS External Command MORE in orderto keep all but the last screen from flashing past you! EXAMPLE: C:\>type tips.txt moreBack to TOC unlock-------Unlocks a drive, disabling direct disk access for an application. UNLOCK [drive:] See LOCKBack to TOC ver Version-------Displays the Windows version.VERBack to TOC vol Volume Label/SN-------Displays the disk volume label and serial number, if they exist.VOL [drive:]Note: The DOS command to change a Volume Label is an "External Command"(the program is: LABEL.EXE).Back to TOC
The following commands are rarely used outside of a BATCH file (such as AUTOEXEC.BAT): break-------Sets or clears extended CTRL+C checking.BREAK [ON OFF]Type BREAK without a parameter to display the current BREAK setting.Back to TOC call-------Calls one batch program from another.CALL [drive:][path]filename [batch-parameters] batch-parameters Specifies any command-line information required by the batch program.Back to TOC echo-------Displays messages, or turns command-echoing on or off. ECHO [ON OFF] ECHO [message]Type ECHO without parameters to display the current echo setting.Back to TOC for-------Runs a specified command for each file in a set of files.FOR %variable IN (set) DO command [command-parameters] %variable Specifies a replaceable parameter. (set) Specifies a set of one or more files. Wildcards may be used. command Specifies the command to carry out for each file. command-parameters Specifies parameters or switches for the specified command.To use the FOR command in a batch program, specify %%variable instead of%variable.Back to TOC goto-------Directs Windows to a labelled line in a batch program.GOTO label label Specifies a text string used in the batch program as a label.You type a label on a line by itself, beginning with a colon.Example:The following batch program formats a disk in drive A as a system disk. Ifthe operation is successful, the GOTO command simply directs MS-DOS to thelabel named "end"; if not, an error message is displayed: echo off format a: /s if not errorlevel 1 goto end echo An error occurred during formatting. :end echo Successfully formatted the disk in drive A.Back to TOC if-------Performs conditional processing in batch programs.IF [NOT] ERRORLEVEL number commandIF [NOT] string1==string2 commandIF [NOT] EXIST filename commandNOT Specifies that Windows should carry out the command only if the condition is false.ERRORLEVEL number Specifies a true condition if the last program run returned an exit code equal to or greater than the number specified.command Specifies the command to carry out if the condition is met.string1==string2 Specifies a true condition if the specified text strings match.EXIST filename Specifies a true condition if the specified filename exists.Note: Although you can only check directly for the existence of a file, you canalso check for directories (folders) by using the NUL operator as a filename.Example: if exist C:\TEMP\NUL goto done will route program flow tothe label "done" only if the folder C:\TEMP exists!Back to TOC lfnfor Long File Name FOR-------Enables/Disables Long file names when processing FOR commands.LFNFOR [ON OFF]Type LFNFOR without a parameter to display the current setting.Back to TOC lh Load High-------Loads a program into the upper memory area.LH [drive:][path]filename [parameters]LOADHIGH [drive:][path]filename [parameters]LOADHIGH [/L:region1[,minsize1][;region2[,minsize2]...] [/S]] [drive:][path]filename [parameters]/L:region1[,minsize1][;region2[,minsize2]]... Specifies the region(s) of memory into which to load the program. Region1 specifies the number of the first memory region; minsize1 specifies the minimum size, if any, for region1. Region2 and minsize2 specify the number and minimum size of the second region, if any. You can specify as many regions as you want./S Shrinks a UMB to its minimum size while the program is loading.[drive:][path]filename Specifies the location and name of the program.Back to TOC pause-------Suspends processing of a batch program and displays the message:Press any key to continue....PAUSEBack to TOC rem-------Records comments (remarks) in a batch file or CONFIG.SYS.REM [comment]Back to TOC shift-------Changes the position of replaceable parameters in a batch file.SHIFTBack to TOC verify-------Tells Windows whether to verify that your files are written correctly to adisk.VERIFY [ON OFF]Type VERIFY without a parameter to display the current VERIFY setting.
Posted by baskar at 8:48 PM 0 comments
Labels: Command Line
Thursday, November 27, 2008
The Windows™ 95/98 Network Programs
TRACERT.exe Trace RouteUsage:tracert [-d] [-h maximum_hops] [-j host-list] [-w timeout] target_nameOptions: -d Do not resolve addresses to hostnames. -h maximum_hops Maximum number of hops to search for target. -j host-list Loose source route along host-list. -w timeout Wait timeout milliseconds for each reply.
Here's an example which traces the route from some ISP in Los Angeles to the main server at UCLA in California ( note how two computers relatively close to each other may be routed way round about! ): C:\WINDOWS>tracert www.ucla.eduTracing route to www.ucla.edu [169.232.33.129]over a maximum of 30 hops: 1 141 ms 132 ms 140 ms wla-ca-pm6.icg.net [165.236.29.85] 2 134 ms 131 ms 139 ms whv-ca-gw1.icg.net [165.236.29.65] 3 157 ms 132 ms 143 ms f3-1-0.lai-ca-gw1.icg.net [165.236.24.89] 4 194 ms 193 ms 188 ms a0-0-0-1.dai-tx-gw1.icg.net [163.179.235.61] 5 300 ms 211 ms 214 ms a1-1-0-1.ati-ga-gw1.icg.net [163.179.235.186] 6 236 ms 237 ms 247 ms a5-0-0-1.was-dc-gw1.icg.net [163.179.235.129] 7 258 ms 236 ms 244 ms 163.179.243.205 8 231 ms 233 ms 230 ms wdc-brdr-03.inet.qwest.net [205.171.4.153] 9 240 ms 230 ms 236 ms wdc-core-03.inet.qwest.net [205.171.24.69]10 262 ms 264 ms 263 ms hou-core-01.inet.qwest.net [205.171.5.187]11 281 ms 263 ms 259 ms hou-core-03.inet.qwest.net [205.171.23.9]12 272 ms 229 ms 222 ms lax-core-02.inet.qwest.net [205.171.5.163]13 230 ms 217 ms 230 ms lax-edge-07.inet.qwest.net [205.171.19.58]14 228 ms 219 ms 220 ms 63-145-160-42.cust.qwest.net [63.145.160.42]15 218 ms 222 ms 218 ms ISI-7507--ISI.POS.calren2.net [198.32.248.21]16 232 ms 222 ms 214 ms UCLA--ISI.POS.calren2.net [198.32.248.30]17 234 ms 226 ms 226 ms cbn5-gsr.calren2.ucla.edu [169.232.1.18]18 245 ms 227 ms 235 ms www.ucla.edu [169.232.33.129]Trace complete.
Note: Unless you're running a network, the following commands won't be of much use to you...Furthermore, if you're concerned about Security, my advice is to NEVER use NetBios on a computer that connects to the Internet.
NBTSTAT.exe Net Bios StatsDisplays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections using NBT(NetBIOS over TCP/IP).NBTSTAT [-a RemoteName] [-A IP address] [-c] [-n] [-r] [-R] [-s] [S] [interval] -a (adapter status) Lists the remote machine's name table given its name. -A (Adapter status) Lists the remote machine's name table given its IP address. -c (cache) Lists the remote name cache including the IP addresses. -n (names) Lists local NetBIOS names. -r (resolved) Lists names resolved by broadcast and via WINS -R (Reload) Purges and reloads the remote cache name table -S (Sessions) Lists sessions table with the destination IP addresses. -s (sessions) Lists sessions table converting destination IP addresses to host names via the hosts file. RemoteName Remote host machine name. IP address Dotted decimal representation of the IP address. interval Redisplays selected statistics, pausing interval seconds between each display. Press Ctrl+C to stop redisplaying statistics.
ROUTE.exeManipulates network routing tables.ROUTE [-f] [command [destination] [MASK netmask] [gateway]] -f Clears the routing tables of all gateway entries. If this is used in conjunction with one of the commands, the tables are cleared prior to running the command. command Specifies one of four commands PRINT Prints a route ADD Adds a route DELETE Deletes a route CHANGE Modifies an existing route destination Specifies the host to send command. MASK If the MASK keyword is present, the next parameter is interpreted as the netmask parameter. netmask If provided, specifies a sub-net mask value to be associated with this route entry. If not specified, if defaults to 255.255.255.255. gateway Specifies gateway.All symbolic names used for destination or gateway are looked up in thenetwork and host name database files NETWORKS and HOSTS, respectively.If the command is print or delete, wildcards may be used for thedestination and gateway, or the gateway argument may be omitted.
ARP.exe Address Resolution ProtocolARP -s inet_addr eth_addr [if_addr]ARP -d inet_addr [if_addr]ARP -a [inet_addr] [-N if_addr]-a Displays current ARP entries by interrogating the current protocol data. If inet_addr is specified, the IP and Physical addresses for only the specified computer are displayed. If more than one network interface uses ARP, entries for each ARP table are displayed.-g (Same as -a) inet_addr Specifies an internet address.-N if_addr Displays the ARP entries for the network interface specified by if_addr.-d Deletes the host specified by inet_addr.-s Adds the host and associates the Internet address inet_addr with the Physical address eth_addr. The Physical address is given as 6 hexadecimal bytes separated by hyphens. The entry is permanent. eth_addr Specifies a physical address. if_addr If present, this specifies the Internet address of the interface whose address translation table should be modified. If not present, the first applicable interface will be used.
10 Fast and Free Security Enhancements
PC magazine.Before you spend a dime on security, there are many precautions you can take that will protect you against the most common threats.1. Check Windows Update and Office Update regularly (_http://office.microsoft.com/productupdates); have your Office CD ready. Windows Me, 2000, and XP users can configure automatic updates. Click on the Automatic Updates tab in the System control panel and choose the appropriate options.2. Install a personal firewall. Both SyGate (_www.sygate.com) and ZoneAlarm (_www.zonelabs.com) offer free versions.3. Install a free spyware blocker. Our Editors' Choice ("Spyware," April 22) was SpyBot Search & Destroy (_http://security.kolla.de). SpyBot is also paranoid and ruthless in hunting out tracking cookies.4. Block pop-up spam messages in Windows NT, 2000, or XP by disabling the Windows Messenger service (this is unrelated to the instant messaging program). Open Control Panel Administrative Tools Services and you'll see Messenger. Right-click and go to Properties. Set Start-up Type to Disabled and press the Stop button. Bye-bye, spam pop-ups! Any good firewall will also stop them.5. Use strong passwords and change them periodically. Passwords should have at least seven characters; use letters and numbers and have at least one symbol. A decent example would be f8izKro@l. This will make it much harder for anyone to gain access to your accounts.6. If you're using Outlook or Outlook Express, use the current version or one with the Outlook Security Update installed. The update and current versions patch numerous vulnerabilities.7. Buy antivirus software and keep it up to date. If you're not willing to pay, try Grisoft AVG Free Edition (Grisoft Inc., w*w.grisoft.com). And doublecheck your AV with the free, online-only scanners available at w*w.pandasoftware.com/activescan and _http://housecall.trendmicro.com.8. If you have a wireless network, turn on the security features: Use MAC filtering, turn off SSID broadcast, and even use WEP with the biggest key you can get. For more, check out our wireless section or see the expanded coverage in Your Unwired World in our next issue.9. Join a respectable e-mail security list, such as the one found at our own Security Supersite at _http://security.ziffdavis.com, so that you learn about emerging threats quickly and can take proper precautions.10. Be skeptical of things on the Internet. Don't assume that e-mail "From:" a particular person is actually from that person until you have further reason to believe it's that person. Don't assume that an attachment is what it says it is. Don't give out your password to anyone, even if that person claims to be from "support."
PC magazine.Before you spend a dime on security, there are many precautions you can take that will protect you against the most common threats.1. Check Windows Update and Office Update regularly (_http://office.microsoft.com/productupdates); have your Office CD ready. Windows Me, 2000, and XP users can configure automatic updates. Click on the Automatic Updates tab in the System control panel and choose the appropriate options.2. Install a personal firewall. Both SyGate (_www.sygate.com) and ZoneAlarm (_www.zonelabs.com) offer free versions.3. Install a free spyware blocker. Our Editors' Choice ("Spyware," April 22) was SpyBot Search & Destroy (_http://security.kolla.de). SpyBot is also paranoid and ruthless in hunting out tracking cookies.4. Block pop-up spam messages in Windows NT, 2000, or XP by disabling the Windows Messenger service (this is unrelated to the instant messaging program). Open Control Panel Administrative Tools Services and you'll see Messenger. Right-click and go to Properties. Set Start-up Type to Disabled and press the Stop button. Bye-bye, spam pop-ups! Any good firewall will also stop them.5. Use strong passwords and change them periodically. Passwords should have at least seven characters; use letters and numbers and have at least one symbol. A decent example would be f8izKro@l. This will make it much harder for anyone to gain access to your accounts.6. If you're using Outlook or Outlook Express, use the current version or one with the Outlook Security Update installed. The update and current versions patch numerous vulnerabilities.7. Buy antivirus software and keep it up to date. If you're not willing to pay, try Grisoft AVG Free Edition (Grisoft Inc., w*w.grisoft.com). And doublecheck your AV with the free, online-only scanners available at w*w.pandasoftware.com/activescan and _http://housecall.trendmicro.com.8. If you have a wireless network, turn on the security features: Use MAC filtering, turn off SSID broadcast, and even use WEP with the biggest key you can get. For more, check out our wireless section or see the expanded coverage in Your Unwired World in our next issue.9. Join a respectable e-mail security list, such as the one found at our own Security Supersite at _http://security.ziffdavis.com, so that you learn about emerging threats quickly and can take proper precautions.10. Be skeptical of things on the Internet. Don't assume that e-mail "From:" a particular person is actually from that person until you have further reason to believe it's that person. Don't assume that an attachment is what it says it is. Don't give out your password to anyone, even if that person claims to be from "support."
10 reasons why PCs crash U must Know
Fatal error: the system has become unstable or is busy," it says. "Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications."You have just been struck by the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Mcft Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it happening?1 Hardware conflictThe number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.2 Bad RamRam (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.3 BIOS settingsEvery motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display.Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).4 Hard disk drivesAfter a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk DefragmenterThis will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop).Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDiskOtherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.5 Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errorsFatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-SettingsHere you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device ManagerHere, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-GraphicsHere you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.6 VirusesOften the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove ProgramsHere, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).7 PrintersThe action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance.If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.8 SoftwareA common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.Read the instructions and use it carefully so you don't do permanent damage to the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.orgOften a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn't work.Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation.9 OverheatingCentral processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.comCPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.10 Power supply problemsWith all the new construction going on around the country the steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.
Fatal error: the system has become unstable or is busy," it says. "Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications."You have just been struck by the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Mcft Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it happening?1 Hardware conflictThe number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.2 Bad RamRam (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.3 BIOS settingsEvery motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display.Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).4 Hard disk drivesAfter a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk DefragmenterThis will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop).Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDiskOtherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.5 Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errorsFatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-SettingsHere you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device ManagerHere, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-GraphicsHere you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.6 VirusesOften the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove ProgramsHere, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).7 PrintersThe action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance.If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.8 SoftwareA common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.Read the instructions and use it carefully so you don't do permanent damage to the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.orgOften a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn't work.Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation.9 OverheatingCentral processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.comCPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.10 Power supply problemsWith all the new construction going on around the country the steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.
16x Dvd+-rw Dl Dvd Writer Comparison Guide
Source:CODEhttp://www.extrememhz.com/dlcomp-p1.shtmlSince the introduction of double layer DVD writers, the interest has been quite overwhelming and is why we keep bringing you reviews of these highly popular drives. The anticipation has now turned into down right obsession and it has become a key component in any current or new system build, thanks to the declining prices and continued media hype. Manufacturers are quite aware of the fascination and is why they have each been releasing their own products which excel in at least one area of the testing methodology used in most reviews. This has led to some confusion as to which drive is best suited for the individuals needs. Today, we compare four 16x double layer drives and highlight both the strong and weak points in order to give you a better idea of which drive is best suited for you.In this comparison guide, we will be looking at four of the top 16x drives to hit the market, the Pioneer DVR-108, NEC ND3500A, Lite-On SOHW-1633s and the new LG GSA-4160B. We will cover everything from design and features to performance and price. Let's begin with a quick look at each of these drives.As far as the front bezel design goes, the LG-GSA4160B is by far the most attractive drive of the bunch. However, for those who are looking for a headphone jack, the Lite-On drive is the only DL writer offering a headphone jack, as well as volume control. The Pioneer and NEC drives, in my opinion, are the ugliest drives, with a very plain look that just wants to make you hide the drive period. Although we only obtained the 4160B in black, all these drives are offered with both white and black bezels. If you opt for the more expensive Pioneer "XL" model, it has the most impressive looks of any drive in the market. However, this will come at a very hefty price tag, considering they contain different firmware as well that offer a few extra features.So, we have determined which is the sexiest-looking drive, but what about performance? I've done some extensive testing on each model to determine which is indeed the most impressive of the bunch. But before we show you performance results, let's briefly look at the features and what they have to offer.FeaturesEach one of these drives has there disappointments when it comes to features. Let's compare each to see what they really offer.DVD WritingDVD+R DVD-R DVD+RW DVD-RWLG GSA-4160B 16x 8x 4x 4xLite-On SOHW-1633s 16x 8x 4x 4xNEC ND-3500A 16x 16x 4x 4xPioneer DVR-108 16x 16x 4x 4xWhile all these drives are indeed 16x models, only two will write to both formats at this speed. The LG GSA-4160B and the Lite-On SOHW-1633s only support 8x DVD-R writing. So if you are one who only prefers this format, the NEC or Pioneer would be the best choice. All of these drives support writing to DVD re-writable media at 4x.DVD+R9 Double Layer WritingWrite SpeedLG GSA-4160B 2.4xLite-On SOHW-1633s 2.4xNEC ND-3500A 4xPioneer DVR-108 4xThe major disappointment with both the LG and the Lite-On 16x drives is the lack of 4x double layer writing support. Pioneer and NEC seem to be the only manufacturers to jump in and release second generation double layer drives supporting much faster 4x writing. In fact, the jump from 2.4x to 4x is quite substantial as we will show you a bit later in this comparison.DVD-RAM SupportSupported Read WriteLG GSA-4160B YES 5x 5xLite-On SOHW-1633s NO NO NONEC ND-3500A NO NO NOPioneer DVR-108 YES 2x NONow this is where both the LG GSA-4120B and GSA-4160B shine above the rest. In fact, it is what has made these drives the most popular DVD writers on the market. Unlike the rest in the roundup, it is a triple format burner, offering full support for DVD-RAM media. The other drives do not support it, with the exception of the Pioneer DVR-108 which supports reading of DVD-RAM discs at 2x. I personally don't see the point in offering only read capabilities, but it's at least one extra feature added to distinguish it from the rest. Fast 5x support of the LG GSA-4160 will actually be tested a bit later in this article.CDR WritingCDR CDRWLG GSA-4160B 40x 24xLite-On SOHW-1633s 48x 24xNEC ND-3500A 48x 24xPioneer DVR-108 32x 24xThe fastest CDR writers of the bunch are the Lite-On SOHW-1633s and the NEC ND-3500A. With their support for 48x writing, they make a great all-in-one drive for many users. The only drive lacking in this lineup is the Pioneer DVR-108. Why they opted for only 32x writing is still quite puzzling and is actually why I have found that many are choosing the NEC over the Pioneer. The LG GSA-4160B should not be left out of consideration though. We will show you later that the difference in write times between 40x and 48x is not much to brag about.Bitsetting SupportOne feature I've found that is most important for many users is bitsetting support. Let's compare these drives and see what they offer.DVD+R/RW Support DVD+R DL SupportLG GSA-4160B NO NOLite-On SOHW-1633s YES NONEC ND-3500A NO YESPioneer DVR-108 NO YESThe LG GSA-4160B does not offer bitsetting support out of the box. However, it is very likely that you will be able to obtain support through an excellent third-party tool called DVDInfo Pro. Right now, they only support the GSA-4120B, but I'm confident with the author that support for this drive will be likely. LG firmware is very hard to hack, however some select few have been able to do so. Using Lite-On's booktype utility, you can change the booktype of DVD+R/RW media, however, the firmware does not automatically change booktype of DVD+R DL discs to DVD-ROM like the NEC and Pioneer models do.Additional FeaturesAs far as other features go, all these drives have a 2MB buffer but offer some sort of buffer under-run protection, which all work exceptionally well. This is especially useful if you will be burning discs at 16x, which I personally don't recommend just yet. As our individual tests of these drives revealed, burning at this speed is quite unstable, with the exception of the Lite-On SOHW-1633s.
Source:CODEhttp://www.extrememhz.com/dlcomp-p1.shtmlSince the introduction of double layer DVD writers, the interest has been quite overwhelming and is why we keep bringing you reviews of these highly popular drives. The anticipation has now turned into down right obsession and it has become a key component in any current or new system build, thanks to the declining prices and continued media hype. Manufacturers are quite aware of the fascination and is why they have each been releasing their own products which excel in at least one area of the testing methodology used in most reviews. This has led to some confusion as to which drive is best suited for the individuals needs. Today, we compare four 16x double layer drives and highlight both the strong and weak points in order to give you a better idea of which drive is best suited for you.In this comparison guide, we will be looking at four of the top 16x drives to hit the market, the Pioneer DVR-108, NEC ND3500A, Lite-On SOHW-1633s and the new LG GSA-4160B. We will cover everything from design and features to performance and price. Let's begin with a quick look at each of these drives.As far as the front bezel design goes, the LG-GSA4160B is by far the most attractive drive of the bunch. However, for those who are looking for a headphone jack, the Lite-On drive is the only DL writer offering a headphone jack, as well as volume control. The Pioneer and NEC drives, in my opinion, are the ugliest drives, with a very plain look that just wants to make you hide the drive period. Although we only obtained the 4160B in black, all these drives are offered with both white and black bezels. If you opt for the more expensive Pioneer "XL" model, it has the most impressive looks of any drive in the market. However, this will come at a very hefty price tag, considering they contain different firmware as well that offer a few extra features.So, we have determined which is the sexiest-looking drive, but what about performance? I've done some extensive testing on each model to determine which is indeed the most impressive of the bunch. But before we show you performance results, let's briefly look at the features and what they have to offer.FeaturesEach one of these drives has there disappointments when it comes to features. Let's compare each to see what they really offer.DVD WritingDVD+R DVD-R DVD+RW DVD-RWLG GSA-4160B 16x 8x 4x 4xLite-On SOHW-1633s 16x 8x 4x 4xNEC ND-3500A 16x 16x 4x 4xPioneer DVR-108 16x 16x 4x 4xWhile all these drives are indeed 16x models, only two will write to both formats at this speed. The LG GSA-4160B and the Lite-On SOHW-1633s only support 8x DVD-R writing. So if you are one who only prefers this format, the NEC or Pioneer would be the best choice. All of these drives support writing to DVD re-writable media at 4x.DVD+R9 Double Layer WritingWrite SpeedLG GSA-4160B 2.4xLite-On SOHW-1633s 2.4xNEC ND-3500A 4xPioneer DVR-108 4xThe major disappointment with both the LG and the Lite-On 16x drives is the lack of 4x double layer writing support. Pioneer and NEC seem to be the only manufacturers to jump in and release second generation double layer drives supporting much faster 4x writing. In fact, the jump from 2.4x to 4x is quite substantial as we will show you a bit later in this comparison.DVD-RAM SupportSupported Read WriteLG GSA-4160B YES 5x 5xLite-On SOHW-1633s NO NO NONEC ND-3500A NO NO NOPioneer DVR-108 YES 2x NONow this is where both the LG GSA-4120B and GSA-4160B shine above the rest. In fact, it is what has made these drives the most popular DVD writers on the market. Unlike the rest in the roundup, it is a triple format burner, offering full support for DVD-RAM media. The other drives do not support it, with the exception of the Pioneer DVR-108 which supports reading of DVD-RAM discs at 2x. I personally don't see the point in offering only read capabilities, but it's at least one extra feature added to distinguish it from the rest. Fast 5x support of the LG GSA-4160 will actually be tested a bit later in this article.CDR WritingCDR CDRWLG GSA-4160B 40x 24xLite-On SOHW-1633s 48x 24xNEC ND-3500A 48x 24xPioneer DVR-108 32x 24xThe fastest CDR writers of the bunch are the Lite-On SOHW-1633s and the NEC ND-3500A. With their support for 48x writing, they make a great all-in-one drive for many users. The only drive lacking in this lineup is the Pioneer DVR-108. Why they opted for only 32x writing is still quite puzzling and is actually why I have found that many are choosing the NEC over the Pioneer. The LG GSA-4160B should not be left out of consideration though. We will show you later that the difference in write times between 40x and 48x is not much to brag about.Bitsetting SupportOne feature I've found that is most important for many users is bitsetting support. Let's compare these drives and see what they offer.DVD+R/RW Support DVD+R DL SupportLG GSA-4160B NO NOLite-On SOHW-1633s YES NONEC ND-3500A NO YESPioneer DVR-108 NO YESThe LG GSA-4160B does not offer bitsetting support out of the box. However, it is very likely that you will be able to obtain support through an excellent third-party tool called DVDInfo Pro. Right now, they only support the GSA-4120B, but I'm confident with the author that support for this drive will be likely. LG firmware is very hard to hack, however some select few have been able to do so. Using Lite-On's booktype utility, you can change the booktype of DVD+R/RW media, however, the firmware does not automatically change booktype of DVD+R DL discs to DVD-ROM like the NEC and Pioneer models do.Additional FeaturesAs far as other features go, all these drives have a 2MB buffer but offer some sort of buffer under-run protection, which all work exceptionally well. This is especially useful if you will be burning discs at 16x, which I personally don't recommend just yet. As our individual tests of these drives revealed, burning at this speed is quite unstable, with the exception of the Lite-On SOHW-1633s.
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