Leaking Capacitors

We had a machine in the workshop last week that was exhibiting a series of symptoms that were hard to pin down to any specific cause - blue screens, boot hangs, extremely slow disc access, etc. After doing the standard diagnostics, including switching out the hard drive and optical drives, the problem seemed to be associated with the motherboard.

A close physical examination of the motherboard revealed that many of the capacitors were leaking their contents, either through the top of the capacitor, or at the base plug. I took a few pictures of these capacitors to show what this leaking looks like. The first picture shows a couple of capacitors that have leaked through the base plug and their contents have spilled onto the motherboard. As the motherboard is in a vertical orientation in the PC case the contents of the capacitor in the left of the picture ran downwards and the track of dried-out material can be clearly seen. A bulge in the top of the two leaking capacitors, due to pressure build-up, can also be seen - a tell-tale sign of a potential leaker.

The second picture shows three capacitors that have leaked through the top where the contents have burst through the cap. The rear-most capacitor in this shot is a different brand of capacitor and is not a leaker. In total, ten capacitors on the motherboard were found to be leaking and all were from the same manufacturer and the same capacitance value.

As capacitors are used to regulate voltage in various sections of the motherboard, failure of capacitors can cause many problems that could be interpreted as power supply, memory or hard drive issues.

This was only the second time in the past twelve months that we came across this problem. The cause of the problem has an interesting background, involving a case of industrial espionage that went wrong. Essentially, the faulty capacitors have an incorrect electrolyte formulation, which leads to hydrogen gas being produced. The build-up of gas causes the pressure increase which eventually ruptures the capacitor.

See further pictures at PCStats and more info at Geeks.com.

Pre-n Wireless Networks

Wireless networks have undergone a few changes in recent years with a least three existing standards now available, these being 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g. Unless you are operating in a business environment you are unlikely to come across 802.11a, which operates at a frequency of 5.0GHz and has a maximum data transmission rate of 11.0 mbps (megabits per second). If you are using a wireless network in your home it is likely to be either the 802.11b standard (2.4GHz frequency and 11.0 mbps transmission rate) or 802.11g if you've purchased it in the last 2-3 years (2.4GHz frequency and 54 mbps transmission rate). While a "g" standard network in the home serves most needs, it has difficulty streaming high-quality video, a multimedia application that is likely to become standard within the next five years. To address this (and for many other reasons) a new standard, 802.11n, is being formulated that will allow data streaming at up to 270 mbps, or 5-times the current "g" standard.

This new standard is currently at draft 2.0 and a vote on the draft is expected in January 2007. However, it is widely believed that a third draft will appear later in 2007 and that the standard will not be ratified until early 2008. However, in the meantime, a number of wireless network equipment manufacturers have released what are known as "Pre-n" devices - both routers and adapters - that conform to the current standard draft, but which will most probably not conform to the final ratified standard. While the manufacturers may make claims that these will give you greater performance to existing ratified standards, you should purchase such units with caution. It is possible that these units will not conform with the final standard (though most manufacturers claim they will release firmware updates to address this, there are no guarantees that they will) and that they will most probably not be compatible with equipment from other manufacturers (only Wi-Fi Alliance certified equipment is guaranteed to work with other certified equipment from other manufacturers). A recent review of pre-n equipment by PC World magazine found that many of the pre-n routers and network cards did not offer the benefits of the marketing hype and they suggested that you should look to MIMO-based "g" standard units for best performance and leave the pre-n kit until the standard is ratified.

Cybercrime Update

From USA Today

Criminals covet your identity data like never before. What's more, they've perfected more ways to access your bank accounts, grab your Social Security number and manipulate your identity than you can imagine.

Want proof? Just visit any of a dozen or so thriving cybercrime forums, websites that mirror the services of Amazon.com and the efficiencies of eBay. Criminal buyers and sellers convene at these virtual emporiums to wheel and deal in all things related to cyberattacks — and in the fruit of cyberintrusions: pilfered credit and debit card numbers, hijacked bank accounts and stolen personal data.

The cybercrime forums gird a criminal economy that robs U.S. businesses of $67.2 billion a year, according to an FBI projection. Over the past two years, U.S. consumers lost more than $8 billion to viruses, spyware and online fraud schemes, Consumer Reports says.

In 2004, a crackdown by the FBI and U.S. Secret Service briefly disrupted growth of the forums. But they soon regrouped, more robust than ever. Today, they are maturing — and consolidating — just like any other fast-rising business sector, security experts and law enforcement officials say. In fact, this summer a prominent forum leader who calls himself Iceman staged a hostile takeover of four top-tier rivals, creating a megaforum.

Security firms CardCops, of Malibu, Calif., and RSA Security, a division of Hopkinton, Mass.-based EMC, and volunteer watchdog group Shadowserver observed the forced mergers, as well, and compiled dozens of takeover-related screen shots. "It's like he created the Wal-Mart of the underground," says Dan Clements, CEO of CardCops, an identity-theft-prevention company. "Anything you need to commit your crimes, you can get in his forum."

The Secret Service and FBI declined to comment on Iceman or the takeovers. Even so, the activities of this mystery figure illustrate the rising threat that cybercrime's relentless expansion — enabled in large part by the existence of forums — poses for us all. In the spy vs. spy world of cybercrime, where trust is ephemeral and credibility hard won, CardersMarket's expansion represents the latest advance of a criminal business segment that began to take shape with the formation of the pioneering Shadowcrew forum.

Shadowcrew, which peaked at about 4,000 members in 2004, arose in 2002. It established the standard for cybercrime forums — set up on well-designed, interactive Web pages and run much like a well-organized co-op. Communication took place methodically, via the exchange of messages posted in topic areas. Members could also exchange private messages. Shadowcrew gave hackers and online scammers a place to congregate, collaborate and build their reputations, says Scott Christie, a former assistant U.S. Attorney in New Jersey who helped prosecute some of its members.

In the October 2004 dragnet, called Operation Firewall, federal agents arrested 22 forum members in several states, including co-founder Andrew Mantovani, 24, aka ThnkYouPleaseDie. At the time, Mantovani was a community college student in Scottsdale, Ariz. In August, he began serving a 32-month federal sentence for credit card fraud and identification theft.

CYBERCRIME BY THE NUMBERS
$67.2 billion: FBI estimate of what U.S. businesses lose annually because of computer-related crimes.
$8 billion: Consumer Reports estimate of what U.S. consumers lost the past two years because of viruses, spyware and Internet scams.
93.8 million: Privacy Rights Clearinghouse's count of personal records reported lost or stolen since February 2005.
26,150: The Anti-Phishing Working Group's count of unique variations of phishing scams reported in August 2006.

Typical costs of goods and services in cybercrime forums:
$1,000 to $5,000: Trojan program that can transfer funds between online accounts.
$500: Credit card number with PIN.
$80 to $300: Change of billing data, including account number, billing address, Social Security number, home address and birth date.
$150: Driver's license.
$150: Birth certificate.
$100: Social Security card.
$7 to $25: Credit card number with security code and expiration date.
$7: PayPal account log-on and password.
4% to 8% of the deal price: Fee to have an escrow agent close a complex transaction.
Free: Access to a service that gives details of the issuing bank for any credit card number.

Bundling Blues

Why oh why do Dell insist in bundling trial software with their new PCs? The problem with this practice is that it can cause downright confusion for many inexperienced (and some experienced!) computer users when they begin their out-of-box-experience. The out-of-box-experience, or OOBE, is what manufacturers refer to the user's first moments with a new product after it is first turned on. This is meant to be a good experience for the user, where he/she feels in control and understands what is happening.

Unfortunately, bundled software can often throw a spanner in the works of the OOBE, particularly with a new Dell. On a recent set-up of a customer's PC we were confronted by trial versions of Dell Network Assistant, McAfee Security Centre, Norton Ghost, and Adobe Paint Shop and Photo Album. While Network Assistant may have some utility for managing a Network, when the screen pops up for the first time the average user is left scratching their head as to what this software does (after all, the customer didn't order it and therefore doesn't expect it to be on his/her new machine). And while Norton Ghost is a good disk imaging program in its own right, most customers have no inkling of what the program does when they encounter a splash screen inviting them to complete the install of it during their first 10 minutes using their new PC.

If Dell are going to continue bundling trial software with their PCs they should take the time to communicate this fact to their customers at time of purchase, explain to them what the bundled software does, how it might benefit them (if at all) and offer them the option of not having it bundled on their new PC if they so choose. Remember, this software is not bundled for the benefit of you, the customer, though Dell may represent it in that manner. No folks, the ugly truth of the matter is that software is bundled because of deals between companies like Norton and McAfee with Dell in order to make more money for all the parties involved - simple as that.

By the way, Dell are not the only offenders in this regard. Most PC manufacturers bundle trial software and in many cases that software has much less utility than that bundled by Dell.

External Hard Drive

More and more of our customers are getting external hard drives for backing up their data. With the ongoing fall in hard disc prices, an external hard drive is now the best way to ensure that all those precious family pictures are safe for years to come.

We have quite a few external hard disc drives here at PC Medic but the model we currently feel is one of the best comes from hard disc manufacturer Seagate. Available in capacities of 80, 120, 160, 250 and 320GB, what we particularly like about this USB 2.0 external hard drive is the broad base which prevents the unit from toppling over, the quiet operation and the passive ventilation which ensures that the drives run particularly cool. With Windows XP these units are plug and play - no installation or drivers required. We have the 250GB model in stock at €155, but can supply all sizes at competitive prices. Don't wait for your hard drive to crash before you get your back ups organized. Contact details at www.pcmedic.ie.

A Little Knowledge ...

...Can be a Dangerous Thing, as one of our customers found out recently. The customer in question had a 14-month old Compaq PC that they bought as a display model and, unfortunately, it was not supplied to the customer with a Recovery CD/DVD, as it should have been. When the PC became infected with viruses recently she took up the offer of her sister's boyfriend, who was known as pretty handy around computers, to fix it.

What the boyfriend did was to take a Windows XP OS disc he had lying about and reformat the harddrive and reinstall Windows. Talk about using a sledgehammer to crack an egg? The customer's daughter was upset to find out that she had lost all her digital photos which were stored only on the PC and had not been backed up before the re-install. The computer was returned to the customer who paid the sister's boyfriend "€30 and a couple of packs of smokes for his trouble".

A few days later we received a call from the customer complaining that they weren't able to connect to the internet since they got their "repaired" PC back. I called around and it didn't take long to see what she got for her €30. The reason she wasn't able to connect to the internet was that there were no drivers installed for the modem. Neither were there any drivers installed for the video card, sound card or network card - practically all the hardware on the PC was non-functional. As there was no way to download the drivers from the customer's house, we had to bring the system box in to the workshop, install a wireless USB network card and download the drivers from the HP site. It was while doing this that the Windows XP Activation reminder popped up informing me that the OS could be used for just 27 more days before it would self-destruct. At this point I got the feeling that things were worse than I initially thought. We brought Windows XP through the activation process, entering the OEM licence key on the side of the system box and, as I suspected, it wouldn't activate.

Compaqs are not designed to have their Windows OS reinstalled from a generic OS disc - they must be reinstalled either from the supplied recovery disc (missing in this case) or from the Recovery Partition that is found on the hard drive. To bring a Compaq PC back to its original factory settings, it is simply a matter of pressing the F10 key during startup and this will bring up the Recovery Options. From there, it's just a matter of selecting the required options and you have a factory-fresh PC in about 30-60 minutes. Unfortunately, when F10 was pressed on the customer's PC, nothing happened. This is most likely due to the reinstallation of Windows, using the generic OS disc, overwriting the Master Boot Record on the hard disc, thus making the Recovery Partition inaccessible. Solution? The customer had to order a set of Recovery Discs from HP at a cost of €38.50 and, when these arrive, she has booked us to perform the system recovery. I have suggested that she passes on our bill to her sister's boyfriend. She agrees.

Winfixer Woes

We've had two customers in the last couple of weeks who have fallen prey to a particularly aggressive piece of bogus software known as Winfixer. WinFixer - is a bogus antispyware and spam blocking application that attempts to market itself by surreptitiously installing adware on the user's PC. This adware aggressively and incessantly displays popup notifications in an attempt to convince the user that something (other than its own existence) may be amiss with the computer. The problem is typically initiated via a popup ad displayed during a visit to a distributing web site. Reports suggest that this initial popup is constructed such that any attempt to dismiss it (including clicking the 'X' in the upper right-hand corner) actually causes the adware to be installed on the workstation. From this point on, WinFixer popups are launched from the PC itself. Because of the intricate way in which the adware insinuates itself into its host (including making dozens of registry edits), successful removal is a tedious, manual process. When running, it can be found in Windows Task Manager and stopped, but before long it will start up again.

Ultimately what this piece of malware is trying to do is to tempt you into registering the software for $49.99 in order to "fix" the problems your PC is experiencing (which are caused by Winfixer). Needless to say, after registering the product, nothing much changes - you've just been conned out of $49.99. Indeed it may not end there. There are unconfirmed reports that the credit card that you used to purchase the subscription may be compromised and may be subject to unauthorized use and that the operation works out of the Ukraine, though neither of my customers reported this happening to them.

If you come across Winfixer on your PC, DO NOT buy the subscription - get a reputable anti-spyware program and let it try to deal with it, but be warned that many anti-spyware programs have difficulty completely removing it and pop-ups may still occur. If in doubt, contact us here at PC Medic.

Musical Interlude

Pink Floyd (minus Roger Waters) has recently released their Pulse double DVD. Directed by veteran music video and concert director David Mallet, and shot on video during Pink Floyd's two-week stint at London's Earls Court Exhibition Centre in October 1994, this 145-minute performance (from Floyd's Division Bell tour) is a sonic marvel to behold. Under a massive arch festooned with then-state-of-the-art laser, lighting, and projection systems, the 1987 incarnation of Pink Floyd (David Gilmour on lead guitar, keyboardist Richard Wright, and drummer Nick Mason) and their stellar supporting band kicks off with "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" (a loving tribute to Floyd co-founder Syd Barrett), followed by four tracks from The Division Bell, two from 1987's A Momentary Lapse of Reason, "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" from 1979's magnum opus The Wall, and leading into intermission with an absolutely stunning performance of "One of These Days," the timeless opening track from 1971's Meddle.

The focus of Disc 2 is a near-perfect performance of 1974's Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety--reason enough to make this a must-have DVD for even the most casual Floyd admirers. And while no one will ever re-create the sheer magnificence of Clare Torry's original tour de force vocals on "The Great Gig in the Sky," it's safe to say that backup singers Sam Brown, Claudia Fontaine, and Durga McBroom deliver the next best thing, in addition to seamless contributions throughout the concert. After the closing heartbeat of "Eclipse," the concert ends with encore performances of "Wish You Were Here," "Comfortably Numb," and a no-holds-barred, pyrotechnically explosive rendition of The Wall's "Run Like Hell," all showcasing Gilmour's guitar mastery with frequent close-ups of his picking and fret-work as seen throughout the concert. (Like Gilmour, Mason and Wright were never dynamic onstage, and that's true here as well, but their technical precision is fully evident, and while guitarist Tim Renwick and saxophonist Dick Parry are each given moments to shine, bassist Guy Pratt (Wright's son-in-law) is a worthy substitution for Waters, especially when vocally sparring with Gilmour on "Run Like Hell.")

This is a DVD that requires a number of viewings/auditions to appreciate the quality of the performances contained within it. To some extent, the performance encapsulated within Pulse is a dying breed. Few super groups today put on the stadium extravaganza that was Pink Floyd ( U2 is one of the few that come to mind). If, like me, you were never fortunate enough to see the Floyd live, Pulse is the nearest you're going to get. Put it on your wish list, if only for Gilmour's god-like guitar playing.

Expanding your Network

If you have a wireless network at home and your house is a standard contemporary 3-4 bed detached or semi-detached building then you should receive a good wireless signal throughout the house, and probably in the garden as well. However, if your house is of earlier construction with solid brick or stone walls, instead of stud partitions, or if your house extends over three floors, or is larger than average, then you may have some cold spots in your house where the Wi-Fi signal doesn't reach.

If so, there are a few things you can try to improve the range of your network. First off, consider the location of your wireless router. In many cases the router is located on the ground floor near to where the phone is. If you have a three story house (or your attic converted) and are having difficulty receiving a wireless signal on the top floor, then consider relocating the router to the first floor - equidistant between the ground floor and the top floor. Remember that the signal coming from your wireless router can be considered to be spherical, so try to locate all your house inside that sphere by locating the router in a central location within the house.

Try to locate your router away from solid brick or stone interior walls as these will absorb much of the signal and reduce the network's range. Also, move the router away from metal objects such as filing cabinets or PC cases. We recently had a customer who was getting a very poor signal in a bedroom across the hall from the study where the wireless router was. We found the router sitting on top of the PC system case - simply moving it to the desk above the PC provided a dramatic improvement to the reception in the bedroom.

Try a different type of wireless adapter. Not all wireless adapters are equal. We have found that the USB types are not always as good as PCI types with separate aerials. While it's difficult to give hard and fast recommendations on this, changing your adapter may help matters.

Install a range extender, such as the Linksys WRE54G shown in the picture. This is what Linksys says about it:

"Unlike adding a traditional access point to your network to expand wireless coverage, the Wireless-G Range Expander does not need to be connected to the network by a data cable. Just put it within range of your main access point or wireless router, and it "bounces" the signals out to remote wireless devices.

This "relay station" or "repeater" approach saves wiring costs and helps to build wireless infrastructure by driving signals into even those distant, reflective corners and hard-to-reach areas where wireless coverage is spotty and cabling is impractical. The Range Expander is perfect to help cover large areas in multi-story homes, warehouse environments, public spaces, and wireless "Hot Spots" -- anywhere you need extra coverage for your wireless network. "

PC Medic has been using one for the past couple of months and it does exactly what it says on the tin. A little messy to set up, but once set up it provides a nice boost to your wireless network.

Happy Birthday

OFFICE workers across the globe yesterday celebrated, or perhaps cursed, the 25th anniversary of a device that changed the world: the mass- market personal computer, or PC. On August 30th, 1981 — the year Ronald Reagan entered the White House — IBM launched the 5150, a machine boasting a 4.77Mhz processor (about 650 times slower than today’s PCs), up to 256kb of memory (about 8,000 times less than today’s PCs) and an optional floppy drive with 160kb of capacity (barely enough for a Word document).

The PC was priced at $1,565, about £2,500 in today’s money, and made its debut to a sceptical public. And the 5150 was a huge success. It featured an enhanced version of Microsoft’s BASIC programing language, developed by a certain William Gates, and an 83-key adjustable keyboard. Unlike many other computers then, the keyboard and monitor were not built-in but attached — an industry standard that Apple has tried to counteract with its wireless Bluetooth iMacs.

The IBM PC was not the first personal computer: the Apple II came out in 1977 and the Atari 800 in 1979, but both used proprietary components and failed to develop sales into the mass market. In contrast, IBM used an Intel processor and Microsoft software, essentially allowing rival companies to clone its product. This move was a result of IBM simply being in a hurry, rather than any grand strategy.

But not everyone loves the PC — which, before the launch of the 5150, was known simply as the microprocessor. The 5150 began the era of Moore’s Law — or rapid obsolescence — along with repetitive strain injury, internet porn, timewasting viruses and countless other forms of PC frustration. Even making PCs has also become a commodity business. In 2004 IBM sold its PC business to the Chinese — a fitting end, some believed, to a world-changing product that had largely been an accident. As The New York Times noted back in 1981: “The speed and extent to which IBM has been successful has surprised many people, including IBM itself.” As the revolution rolls on, the one billionth computer was sold in 2002. The two billionth will be sold some time next year.

Dodgy Deals

If you buy a PC from one of the large multiples, like PC World or Curry's, or direct from Dell, you can be sure that the operating system software on the PC is the genuine Microsoft product and your PC will have a Microsoft certificate of authenticity (COA) attached to it, similar to one of the ones shown in the pictures. If you buy a non-branded PC built by a local neighbourhood PC shop, then you need to check at time of purchase that you have both the software discs and the COA, or you could find yourself in trouble at a later date.

This was brought home today when a customer brought in a no-brand machine that was purchased in 2004 from a local neighbourhood PC shop. The first thing I found surprising was that the PC was running Windows 2000 Professional, an operating system aimed squarely at the business community and not the home user. As Windows XP, the first choice operating system for home users, had been around since 2001, it seemed strange that our customer's machine had been loaded with 2000 Professional. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that 2000 Professional does not require product activation and can, therefore, be installed on multiple PCs - a tempting financial proposition for a less than scrupulous dealer! The absence of a Microsoft COA on the system box and the fact that the customer was not supplied with any OS installation discs was possibly just an oversight on the shop's part, or maybe not. As it happens, the customer also purchased Microsoft Office with the PC and again, no COA or product key was supplied nor any installation discs.

So what happens when such a customers PC requires a full reinstall due to either a hard disc failure or operating system corruption. Well, they need to buy a new operating system licence and a new copy of Microsoft Office as without the product keys supplied with the COAs for these products they cannot be reinstalled. And this could be quite an expensive proposition - several hundred euros when you include Microsoft Office.

So, if you are offered a PC for sale, make sure that there is Microsoft COA stuck on the system box, it is a requirement of Microsoft's licence agreement that this be done. Also, you should be supplied with original Microsoft discs for all Microsoft software that is supplied with your PC. If they refuse to supply you with COAs or discs, then take your custom elsewhere.

If you have already bought a PC and you did not get a COA or original discs, e.g. for Microsoft Office, then you should return to the vendor and point out that you are entitled by law to these and ask that they be supplied. If the vendor refuses to supply them to you then you should bring your complaint to Microsoft as the vendor is in breach of Microsoft's licence agreement. More information on the COA and what to do if you don't receive one can be found here on the Microsoft website.

Buying from Dell

We had a customer recently complain to us that they ordered a new PC from Dell and when they set it up they discovered that Microsoft Word wasn't installed. What the customer did not realize is that Dell do not supply Microsoft Word or, indeed, any components of Microsoft Office, as standard and if you require them you must pay extra for them. All PCs normally come with Microsoft Works, which includes a word processor but this word processor is not Microsoft Word.

If you need either Word or one of the other Microsoft Office components be sure to specify what you need at the time of purchase from Dell as to buy the software separately from the PC is much more expensive. For example, Microsoft Office Small Business Edition, which includes Word, Outlook, Powerpoint and Excel costs €314 when purchased with a new Dell PC but will cost you €550 (ouch!) if you wander over to PC World to buy it. If you only want Word, then you should order Works Suite, which is an extra €47 - buying Word from a retailer will cost you in the region of €299!

The Cost of Ink

Anyone using an inkjet printer these days can't help but notice how their price has fallen in recent times. As we speak, you can purchase an inkjet printer from PC World for €49.99 and a photo inkjet printer for €89.99. A few years ago these would have cost up to €200 or more so they appear pretty good value. That is until you start replacing the ink.

For example, one of the printers that we use here at PC Medic is an Epson R200 photo inkjet printer, which cost about €180 a couple of years ago. This printer has 6 separate ink cartridges (magenta, light magenta, cyan, light cyan, yellow and black) and produces superb colour prints on photo glossy paper. However, the recommended replacement ink cartridges cost in the region of €18.00 each when purchased locally. That's €108 for a complete set of cartridges, or 58% of the cost of the printer. Put another way, two sets of cartridges costs more than a new printer. We will use between 4 and 5 sets of cartridges per year i.e. we could spend up to €500 per year on ink - and we don't consider ourselves heavy users of the printer!

I say we could spend up to €500 per year, but we don't anymore. The reason for this is that we have switched from using branded Epson cartridges at €108 per set to generic cartridges supplied by Inkjet.ie at a cost of €35.00 per set, a massive saving of €73.00 per set. There are ongoing debates whether using generic ink cartridges leads to poorer quality prints, prints that fade quicker, or even to damage to your printer. At this point in time we can only confirm that we notice no significant difference in print quality when printing photo quality prints. Perhaps the pictures will fade in 20 years rather than in twenty five years, but I probably won't care that much by then. As for the generic cartridges damaging the printer, the savings to be gained are so great that I can afford to buy a new printer from the money saved after using just three sets of generic cartridges. As we have only switched to generic ink cartridges 6 months ago we can't give a long term assessment of the damage it might do to the printer, but we'll keep you posted in the future of any problems we encounter.

Note that the above experience relates only to the Epson R200 printer. Your own experience may be different depending on the make and model of printer that you use. For now, PC Medic is sticking with generic ink cartridges.

GPS - an Alternative to the Roadmap

In my earlier post I gave you details of two websites that can assist you in planning your route when undertaking a journey. A more high-tech solution is provided by GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite navigation (or SatNav, for short) devices, which have been falling in price dramatically over the past couple of years. These devices are designed to be mounted in your car and they provide a real-time map of your position, together with verbal instructions preparing you for junctions and turns in advance.

The majority of these devices come with software that you install on your PC and a set of maps covering certain global regions. Depending on the model you purchase you may receive either UK and Ireland maps with your device or maps for all of Europe (including UK and Ireland). You can generally purchase maps for other regions, such as the US and Australia.

PC Medic has been using a Navman GPS unit for about two years now and the experience has been very positive overall. The unit that we use is essentially a PDA, running Pocket PC Windows, with a built-in GPS receiver. The software that came with this unit is Navman SmartST and maps of all European countries are included. It has to be said that mapping support for Ireland, outside of the principal cities, is very poor. So, while you get excellent coverage of Dublin, and its environs, you cannot plot a route from, say, Ashbourne to Trim.

You will generally use the device to help you find the route between your current location and a destination. As the unit always knows your current location, from the satellites it uses for positioning, it is simply a matter of inputting your destination (town and street) in the appropriate data entry window and selecting Go. The unit will then calculate the most appropriate route (giving consideration for one-way streets, etc). The route is displayed as a moving map on the device's screen and the road you should be following is highlighted in red. As you come to turns and junctions that you must negotiate, these are displayed as light green arrows, clearly showing the direction you must follow.

At the bottom of the screen the current street or road name is displayed. At the bottom right of the screen the remaining distance that you must travel until the next action you must take is displayed. At the top of the screen the next action that you must take and the name of the road or street that you will turn onto is displayed. The top left corner of the map displays a graphical image of the next turn you will have to take (a left turn in the screenshot opposite).

In addition to the map and on-screen directions, you can choose to have all the directions clearly spoken to you by either a male or female voice. These directions take the form of "In 200 metres, at the roundabout, take the third exit". When you are actually on the roundabout, it will announce "Exit now" as you approach the third exit. This is a particularly useful feature and we have found that you can, in most cases, navigate complex routes by following the spoken directions and not looking at the display at all.

Perhaps one of the best features is that if you miss a turn, the system will recalculate a new route for you in 10-15 seconds to get you back on track - so it is practically impossible to get lost. We use the system almost daily for navigating the Dublin suburbs and have used it in France, Spain and the southwest US and it has not let us down yet.

However, there are some limitations. First off, the maps are out of date as soon as you buy the unit and they are not updated regularly. For example, the maps on our unit have the M50 ending at Ballinteer and all the new housing estates that have been built in the past two years are not included. This may or may not be a problem for you - it has rarely been an issue in our own experience.

As I mentioned earlier, Ireland is poorly mapped outside of the main population centres, so it is of limited use in Ireland outside of the main cities. Note, however, that rural areas in other European countries seem to be well mapped.

You should not follow the directions on the unit blindly as there may be traffic restrictions introduced since the mapping software was issued. For example, travelling from Stillorgan to Rathfarnham the unit will instruct me to take a right turn at the bottom of Upper Kilmacud Road onto Main St., Dundrum. There is, however, no right turn permitted at this junction!

Finally, as the GPS system requires line-of-sight to the satellites for it to get a fix, it doesn't work well in cities with high-rise buildings all around, such as Manhattan. Also, when you enter long tunnels, it may take the unit a minute or two to re-establish a satellite fix when you emerge from the tunnel.

Notwithstanding these limitations, a SatNav system certainly does contribute to stress-free travel when on unfamilar roads. I notice that there are more and more taxis in Dublin using SatNav these days and it can only be a few years from the day that SatNav will be included as standard on all new cars (it is available as an option on a number of prestige brands). In the meantime, you can fit a SatNav system for under €300 from one of the main manufacturers such as Navman, TomTom or Garmin, or visit a Halfords branch or Global Positioning Systems for a selection.

On the right Road?

It's that time of the year again when your thoughts turn to packing up the car and heading off on holiday for a week or so for a bit of a break and, hopefully, some sunshine. Before you head off, it's normally a good idea to get out the maps and plan your route in advance, particularly if you are heading to a country whose roads are not known to you. This is where route planning software can really help out. There are a number of commercial offerings out there to help you on your way, but I want to point you to a couple of free ones.

The first is provided courtesy of the AA's website and allows you to get detailed directions of a journey between any two points in Ireland, the UK or Europe. It also allows you to route via a particular waypoint that you want to visit and to avoid motorways and toll routes if you so choose. What it doesn't provide you with is a detailed map for your journey.

This is where Microsoft's Live Local website steals a march on the AA. As well as detailed instructions of the turns and twists that you need to take on the way, the Live Local site shows you zoomable maps with each turning point indicated and these maps can be printed out along with your route instructions. Live Local is not just limited to Europe, but provides more or less global coverage and, with a nod to Google Earth, allows you to overlay satellite images on your chosen route.

Between these two free websites you should be able to get your holiday off to a good start knowing you're on the right road.

DRM Blues

Nearly two years ago I signed up to the Eircom.net Music Club, which allows you to purchase music online - either complete albums or individual tracks. While their prices are not especially good if you buy individual tracks at €1.29 each, whole albums are better priced at €12.49, particularly if you buy a double album with up to 40 tracks on it.

So I happily bought quite a few albums over the months without paying too much attention to the small print of their licence agreement. Since then I have learned a bit about DRM, or Digital Rights Management, and why you should try to avoid it if at all possible. Basically DRM, in the context of purchased music downloads, is software that is intertwined with the music track you download. This software ensures that you can only play the music download, which you have paid for, within the terms of the licence issued with that download.

As it turns out, the music I purchased from Eircom.net's Music Club allows me to play the music on the PC that I originally downloaded it to. If I transfer that music to my laptop to bring with me when I travel, I have to download a new licence. Once I activate that licence the other licence becomes inactive. In total I can only re-activate the licence 3 times, thereafter the music will not play. If this wasn't enough of a restriction, the licence for this DRM-enabled (or should that be crippled?) music does not permit streaming of music via a streaming device, such as the Squeezeboxes we use at home. So, instead of getting a bargain I've got headaches and now go out of my way to avoid the purchase of any music with DRM attached to it, including all music on the Apple iTunes store. At least if you buy a CD you can (legitimately) rip the CD and use the ripped music in MP3 format on any machine you personally own, any MP3 player or any streaming device. I am fully against the illegal copying of music for distribution to others via P2P systems or other means. However, if I buy busic for my own personal use I do not want to be limited to how, where and when I can listen to that music. Avoid DRM and vote with your feet.

End is nigh for Windows 98 and Me

If you are running Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition or Windows Me as the operating system on your PC you should be aware that all Microsoft support for these products, including updated security patches, ends on July 11th.

Without new security patches, these systems are exposed to new security threats, and will remain vulnerable to attacks. Possibly a good time to consider upgrading your PC, or at least the operating system.

Bring out your Dead!

You have an old computer and you want to get rid of it - what do you do? I've been offered a number of old PCs recently by their owners with the expectant question "What will you give me for it?". Unfortunately, what their owners fail to realize is that a PC that is more than 4-5 years old has practically zero resale value. This is partly due to how quickly PCs become obsolete as a result of the introduction of new technologies with higher specifications and also to the fall in the price of new PCs.

Why would anyone pay you for a 7-year old PC with a 400MHz single core processor, 64MB of RAM and a 20GB hard disc drive when they can buy a 2.8GHz Dual processor, 1024MB of RAM and a 160GB hard disc drive for just under €700 (including a 17" flat screen monitor!)?

If you have an old PC that you want to get rid of you could try one of your local schools and see if they will take it. Provided it is in full working order they may. More likely they will find it too old and difficult to maintain, particularly if it is running an older OS, like Windows 98.

Your other option is to bring it along to your local recycling unit, a list for Dublin can be found here. You'll be glad to hear that these centres do not have any charge for the disposal of computers or other waste electrical items.

Keep Those Discs Safe

On a number of occasions over the past few months we have come across PCs that required a full reinstall of the operating system but the customer could not locate the discs that came with the PC. Depending on the brand of PC that you have, the absence of the manufacturers discs can be a problem. If your operating system becomes corrupt there are basically three ways that a manufacturer can allow you to restore it to normal.

The first is the way that Dell used to do it up until the last number of months. That is they supply you with a Windows XP installation disc and this can be used to reinstall the operating system. To do a full reinstall this way involves reformatting the hard disc drive, which wipes all your data and programs from the disc. So, once the operating system is reinstalled from the installation disc you then need to install device drivers for the hardware (chipset, graphics card, video card, modem, network adapter etc.). These drivers come on a second Dell CD usually labelled the Resource CD. If your PC is a Dell and it came with these discs then you should keep the discs in a safe place. However, if you cannot find them it isn't the end of the world. The operating system disc is generic so you can use the disc that came with another Dell PC, perhaps a friend has one. The Resource CD is not generic but is specific to your Dell model. However, even if you have lost this CD, you can download the drivers for your specific model from the Dell website by entering the service tag number for your PC on their Online Technical Support Page.

The second way that a manufacturer can allow you to recover your operating system is the way that current Dells, Packard Bells, IBMs and others do it. These PCs have a separate partition on the hard disc, which may be hidden, which contains an image of your system as it was supplied to you by the manufacturer. An image is like a digital snapshot of your system at a point in time and it will contain both the operating system, system drivers and any application software supplied by the manufacturer. To restore the PC to its as-new status a restore routine is invoked. This can be, depending on the manufacturer, by pressing a button such as F11 at startup or by using a System Restore disc that you boot the PC from. The advantage of this system of restoring your PC is that it restores not only the operating system, but also the drivers and supplied application software. The disadvantage is that if your hard disc becomes damaged, or you inadvertently deleted the recovery partition, you will have to go back to the manufacturer and see if they will supply a recovery DVD. If they will, they will charge you for it and it may take some time before you get it.

The third method of recovering your PC is using a recovery DVD. This is similar in principle to the second method, but the disk image is on one or more DVDs instead of a recovery partition on your hard disc. Compaq and Hewlett Packard PCs come with recovery DVDs and you do not want to lose these discs as they are specific to your machine and you cannot recover your machine without them. If you lose them, it is possible to get replacements but it may take you some time to get them and there will be a charge.

PC For Sale - Sold

The PC described below has now been sold - thanks for all the interest in it.

It's not often that PC Medic has a PC for sale, but right now we have a real bargain on offer which would make the ideal upgrade unit. It's a rebuilt system box with a brand new PC Medic-installed Gigabyte motherboard and Intel 3.0 GHz processor. There is a 160Gb hard disk drive divided into two main partitions - one for the operating system and programs and one for data. Also included is a recovery partition that will restore your PC to "as-new" condition, should you run into problems down the line. The motherboard is fitted with 1Gb of DDR RAM and has integrated graphics and sound. There is a free AGP slot, if you want to fit a high-powered graphics card for game playing and three free PCI slots, so plenty of expansion options exist. The box has a single optical drive in the form of a DVD rewriter.

Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2 is installed and all Microsoft Windows Updates have also been installed.

Pre-installed software includes the full OpenOffice productivity suite (see the blog below on OpenOffice for details), Anti-Virus software, Anti-Spyware software, iTunes, Adobe Reader, PowerDVD (to play DVD movies) and DeepBurner (for burning CDs/DVDs).

This high-spec PC is being offered as a system box only, so you will need to add a mouse, keyboard and monitor to have a complete system. Price is only €480.00. (if you need a monitor mouse or keyboard let us know and we'll give you a price for a full system). This unit is backed-up with the unparalleled support of PC Medic.

Contact me at brendan@pcmedic.ie if you are interested or want more details.

Note that we can add extras such as a wireless network card (it already has a built-in ethernet network card) or high-performance graphics card if required - contact me for a quote.