Tips & Tricks-September 2002

Go Wireless

A recent Best Buy ad caught my eye about six weeks ago, offering a D-Link wireless router/access point and adapter for a notebook at a very reasonable price after rebates (about $120.00). The router is an 802.11b standard 11 mbps (megabits per second) device, but uses a new chip set that allows the speed to increase to 22 mbps. It includes 4 ports on the switch that is part of the router so that computers on our existing wired network can be added to the network.

After finding them out of the router at the Dublin store, I made a mad dash to the Union City store and found all the items I needed. I wanted to connect a notebook to the wireless network so that we could use it for SIG meetings without a 50 foot cable running through the house and just to be able to use the notebook anywhere in the house.

Following the instructions in the manual, it took about 20 minutes to get the router set up as well as the notebook. Router setup is pretty much the same as with any other router-you connect to the router using a browser and make any configuration changes. You do need to know the addresses used by your Internet provider, same as with a wired router or your TCP/IP settings on you computer.

The setup on the notebook was just as easy. Since the notebook moves around a lot, it has been configured to use DHCP to connect. As a result, it was able to connect immediately through the wireless router. I should note that it had been running under Windows ME when I set this up. Since then, I upgraded it to Windows XP (actually I did a clean install) and reinstalled the adapter with no difficulties.

Since the initial installation, we have added a Compact Flash network adapter to Bill's IPAQ Pocket PC so he has access to the Internet and his email from anywhere in the house (almost). We have also connected one of the other computers in the house to the router using a cable.

We discovered fairly quickly that there are places in the house that do not get a very strong signal from the access point and that they are not predictable. Moving a few feet can make a difference between a sluggish connection and a quite acceptable connection. The access point is supposed to have a range of 300 feet, but we have not tested it outside yet. The interior signal quality seems to depend on how many walls and floors are between devices. In addition, the location of the access point in the garage places it near a built-in vacuum cleaner canister, two heaters and a water heater and various pipes and ducts, which may be part of the reason certain locations are better than others.

The wireless network is a good solution for sharing an Internet connection as the speed attained is sufficient for fairly fast access, especially if you are using DSL or a cable connection. The cost is coming down rapidly and will make it easier to justify using wireless for a home network to share Internet access. File download speeds are acceptable. It is not as fast for transfers within the local area network as our now standard 100 mbps network adaptors, but it is within an acceptable range.

Also interesting is that we have taken the notebook to two other locations where people have a wireless router/access point installed and have been able to connect fairly easily to their networks to use the Internet.

Security issues do exist when you use a wireless network. It is possible for someone on the curb outside your house or over the fence to access the network and use your Internet connection or worse. The router comes with methods for securing your network and you would certainly want to use those where it's appropriate.

Lots of bargains for wireless access points, routers and adapters are popping up in ads, at least partly because the faster devices (802.11a) are on the horizon, though still somewhat pricey. As they come down in cost, the 802.11b devices will become extremely cheap.

It is fun and useful to be able to connect without all the cabling. Starbucks recently announced and has actually implemented wireless connections in a significant number of stores. You can look for more of the same as the technology becomes more accessible and lower in cost.

Some Troubleshooting Tips

The users I support at work often come to me with a host of different problems on their computers. Most of the systems on our network are running Windows 98 Second Edition. There are a number of things that I now look at routinely when I get a request for help. Of course, the things I try usually relate to the type of problem they think they have. Here are some of them in sort of general terms.

"My computer won't work."

Obviously this requires a little more description from the user to make the diagnosis. If the user means, the screen is black, I check the power and the cables to the monitor. If they are using any kind of a power center (you know the ones with all the switches on the front), I check the buttons first, then I disconnect the system from the center and plug it into an outlet strip or directly into the wall. Many times it is the power center that has failed. This solves about 90% of the problems. If they can't connect to the network, I check the network cables. You get the picture or you will if your monitor is plugged in.

"My computer is frozen."

After awhile, all users of Windows finally realize that Windows programs and operating systems crash from time to time. It's just a fact of life and often is impossible to diagnose with any certainty. What's the remedy? All together now, "Ctrl-Alt-Delete." The Windows Task Manager will open and show you what's running. It will also show you if a program is not responding and offer you the choice of ending the task. Try that first. It may take quite a few seconds to respond to your request, but at least if you are able to get out of the offending program, you can save any other work that you have not yet saved and exit in an orderly manner.

If that doesn't work, select shutdown from the task manager, wait a few seconds than start the system again. If it doesn't work the first time, shut down again wait a few seconds, then start it up again. Even if you are able to shut down the non-responsive program, it's a good idea to restart the system. Most of the time this resolves whatever the issue was. Only if the crashes repetitive do I get concerned and do more diagnostic investigation.

"My password won't let me in."

The first thing I say is, "Check the caps lock key." About 80% of the time, that solves the problem. The rest of the time it is because they forgot the password and have used the wrong one. (This applies to me, too.)

"My mouse won't work right."

Usually, this means that the mouse does not respond quickly to mouse movements or is jerky. This one usually requires checking the cables and then cleaning the mouse. Most mice have a ball that has a ring holding it in place. Remove the ring and clean off the shafts inside. Clean the ball off with a soft cloth. Shake out the cookie crumbs.

However, the mouse exhibiting jerky movement accompanied by some other symptoms, including a general slowdown of the system, stuttering sound, the clock losing time and blue screens of death, may indicate a problem with your VirusScan software if you are using McAfee VirusScan. I have been battling these problems for over a year without much help from McAfee. At one point I realized that these symptoms were occurring mostly right after the computer had done an automatic update of the virus definition files. Usually it would clear up the next time the computer started, or it was necessary to download an update of the engine for the virus scanning software. That usually took care of the problem until the next offending update. These symptoms were random and there was nothing on the McAfee site acknowledging the problem. I got a little insight by contacting their technical support services.

Finally about two month ago, they posted a "HotFix" that described exactly the symptoms and is supposed to fix the problems. It does fix the problems. In the meantime, I spent countless hours trying to figure out why some of my newest computers were behaving so badly. One in particular was losing time at the rate of about 15 minutes per day and exhibited all of the other symptoms above except the blue screen of death. I tried everything, including reinstalling Windows 98. I finally pulled it out of service and was getting ready to get Dell in to repair or replace it when I found the Hotfix. I have applied the fix to several computers and it seems to have cleared up the "strange" problems that people have been having.

Upgrade Troubles

If you are upgrading from Windows 98 to Windows XP and can't do a clean install, be sure to use the Upgrade Advisor provided to see what software, hardware and drivers can be used or which need to be updated. It comes with Windows XP or can be downloaded form the Microsoft Web site. Unless your hardware or software is fairly old, most manufacturers will have new drivers. I have a four year old scanner that I can't use on my XP system because the manufacturer no longer supports it and wouldn't provide a driver.

The Upgrade Advisor prepares a report that tells you which software you should uninstall while you're doing the upgrade and then reinstall when you're done and lists the known problem hardware and software and the possible problems.

I have upgraded from Windows 98 to Windows XP on two systems with no significant problems because I ran the compatibility checks, assembled all my new drivers and followed the instructions before attempting the upgrade. On my notebook, Toshiba's web site had instructions for doing the upgrade and where to locate drivers, but also unequivocally said that it was necessary to do a clean install. I did and everything is working as it should be.

It is important to update drivers and software periodically. Schedule regular visits to the web sites of the manufacturers or use the automatic update features that are available. Read the error messages that are generated for clues to the problem. A good example is one of the error messages that shows on the blue screen of death when VirusScan has a problem. The message often refers to the file "MSCAN.DLL." That is my immediate clue that the VirusScan software is the source of my problem.

Troubleshooting is a little bit luck and a lot of detective work. Start with the simple explanations first, like loose cables, then start concentrating on more specific possibilities.