Some Thoughts on Networking with Other devices

As a natural extension of my desire to share information, like this blog site with others, there is also a desire to share information with my other devices. You have some options that can be easily implemented, and others may require a more deliberate and coordinated method. CNET has some good weekend projects, and setting up a wireless network is by far one of my all time Favorites on their site.

So you have a network, now what?

Sharing photos and other digital media like documents and music is easy. Microsoft provides some excellent articles, a key one for any beginner is Windows XP Networking: Sharing in the Home Office. Just a word of caution, that sharing on unprotected home networks is not a good idea. Protect those files using the firewall or router security features in addition to the protection offered by the Windows file sharing features.

If you have any media files that contain music, video or recorded TV, software like iTunes and Windows Media Player also allow these to be shared once they are added to the library and the sharing features have been enabled. Digital Books in the Microsoft Reader or Palm Digital Media format can also be shared.

What about sharing with devices that are not PC’s?

The Pocket PC handheld using the Windows Mobile software makes an excellent portable player for your digital media library.

Pocket PCs use the Microsoft Activesync software usually provided on the support CD with the handheld to transfer those files to your handheld, and then playback if they are formatted in the correct media format. Other great software products can be purchased for reasonable prices on sites like PocketGear.com and PalmGear.com.

Music files in WMA or MP3 format can be played without conversion.

JPEG photos can be viewed using either the Pocket Internet Explorer feature of the Image Zone software that can be downloaded from HP.

Movies and recorded TV, once converted and formatted to fit on the smaller device displays, can be quite enjoyable during a cross-country flight.


Wired and Bluetooth networking is similarly completed for these devices, but features vary widely between devices.

Make sure that you use the help and tutorial materials packaged with the device and update the software or firmware if you have problems establishing a connection.
Usually forums that support these devices like Dave’s iPaq Forum on Mobility Today (also a podcast!) and the HP Business Support Forum for iPaq and Aero devices are also good sources for any specific questions.

Bluetooth networking using a cell phone for dial-up networking in a manner similar to a PC modem is an excellent way to stay connected on the go. The fees are generally higher than wireless access charges. I have successfully networked three computers at home and regularly connect all of my handheld devices with complete success. I’m use Bluetooth networking for Printing and a wireless headphone connection.

Personal Digital Assistants.

From Webopedia, PDA is short for personal digital assistant, a handheld device that combines computing, telephone/fax, Internet and networking features. A typical PDA can function as a cellular phone, fax sender, Web browser and personal organizer. Unlike portable computers, most PDAs began as pen-based, using a stylus rather than a keyboard for input. This means that they also incorporated handwriting recognition features. Some PDAs can also react to voice input by using voice recognition technologies. PDAs of today are available in either a stylus or keyboard version.

Apple Computer, which introduced the Newton MessagePad in 1993, was one of the first companies to offer PDAs. Shortly thereafter, several other manufacturers offered similar products. Today, one of the most popular brands of PDAs is the series of Palm Pilots from Palm, Inc.

PDAs are also called palmtops, hand-held computers and pocket computers.

I have owned numerous PDAs. I started with a Palm Vx (Palm Modem and Folding KB), then bought a Sony S320 for my son since he liked to play some of the games I had for my Palm. I later used a Palm m500 for work (with a Seiko ThumbBoard). I traded up to a Palm m505 (Logitech Keycase Keyboard) and sold my Palm Vx. My first Pocket PC was an HP iPAQ h1910 that I won at a Microsoft event. I upgraded to a Sony SJ-33 (using a Belkin Keyboard). I still use a refurbished HP iPAQ h4155 (HP micro Thumb board, and Stowaway IR Keyboard) at home. I used the HP trade-in program to trade-in the HP iPAQ h1910 for an iPAQ hx2755 (with Pharos i360 GPS and Epson Stylus R320 Blue Tooth-capable printer) that is great for work and travel.

Is the PDA Dead?

Searching the Internet on the subject, when Sony got out of the market for manufacturing PDAs in June 2004, it was a real concern that the PDA market would be replaced by Smart Phones. Similarly, Pocket PC manufacturers have been reducing both new product development and product lines for traditional PDAs. Smart handhelds like the RIM Blackberry and Palm Treo models that include cellular phone features with online wireless connection to internet and e-mail services have risen in popularity. But is the Treo a phone or a PDA? The Palm-branded Smart handhelds sales have soared, but is that because the PDA market is gone? No, it is because the Smart Handhelds can deliver services to mobile customers that are in addition to those normally provided to PDA users. Notable developments in PDA hardware and software has improved security and connectivity. They can encrypt files on the device so loss results in data destruction in lieu of unauthorized disclosure. They can provide quick access to wireless and blue tooth networks, just like a full-feature computer.

So what are you waiting for? My real concern is over new the Windows Mobile (WM) 5 “issues” that forced me to settle for an older product (iPAQ 2755) in order to delay upgrading my Pocket PC from Windows Mobile 2003. You can read about this in the HP iPAQ Forum from users who have upgraded their PDAs to WM 5. It seems this new Pocket PC operating system does not run well on the older PDAs without a bunch of tweaking. Even then, there appears to be some degradation in performance. WM 5 seems to run much better on newer devices that come from the factory with it already installed (even though these newer devices have also had their share of problems with WM 5).

I use the term upgrading loosely here because upgrading to WM 5 means the loss of some key features:

• With WM 5, you are no longer able to synch via wireless connection.
• You must upgrade to ActiveSync 4.x which does not support the Backup and Restore option for WM 5 devices (it does, however support this option for Window Mobile 2003 devices).
• There is no backup software included on new iPAQs with WM 5, so upgrading would remove this function from my current situation with IPAQ Backup. I am one of those that expect to retain the software to backup their PDA after upgrade.

The added feature gained in WM 5 is persistent memory, which is the most compelling reason to upgrade, but may be unnecessary if there is little chance of losing data in the first place. Most of the volatile information in the PDA is synchronized on my host PC using the Microsoft Outlook application that comes bundled with the iPAQ. If the PDA battery loses power, then the data in the flash memory is lost. So the work around is to keep the battery charged and have never have a dead battery. I keep a spare battery charged and in my briefcase. I backup my PDA regularly to an SD card, so even if I encounter a dead battery, the PDA data is easily recovered once charged.

I have never had a problem with either of my PDAs running Windows Mobile 2003. By the way, you may not be able to upgrade your iPAQ Pocket PC to WM 5. The only PDAs that are eligible for upgrade are the hx2000 series and the hx4700 series PDAs. If they ever deliver a suitable product version for WM 5, I may upgrade the hx2755 later. Or maybe, just go with a Treo or Blackberry device.

Microsoft Critical Update may affect Dial-up Connection

We complain about how long it takes Microsoft to patch known issues. On 13 June 2006, about 12 security patches were released that fix some of these critical issues. I usually load these without question. However, this may resulted in a loss of functionality.

Recently, I lost the use of my office PC due to a hard drive crash and needed to access the web on a second PC using my dial-up service during the repair. I was unable to connect to my Broadband ISP dial-up service “Invalid Password or user name” was the error message. I called the ISP tech support to get my password reset and it was not the source of the problem. It turns out, based on further trouble-shooting, that that Microsoft patches had removed the ability to use my modem. I was told to remove the update 911280, and then reinstall the 916281 and 914389 patches and contact Microsoft. My fax/modem is also crippled. Noted when I send a fax using the fax console software, I get no response from the modem and no error message. After I shut down the PC and as the computer restarts, it sends the fax during the process of loading services.
I found some IT advice on the web that seemed to agree with my tech support.

http://www.uwindsor.ca/units/its/website/helpdesk2.nsf/(Channel)/6216A37485210D0D8525718F006AC027

Unfortunately, my attempts to restore functionality on both my home and work Laptop PCs have not been successful. Since I use my dial-up infrequently, most users won’t even know the problem exists until they are in a jam. I consider the dial-up service the emergency backup.

I sent this off to PC World Bugs and Fixes. Contacted my Computer Manufacturer, and determined that the best option may be to wait for Microsoft to "patch" this patch. I left a comment on the KB 911280 patch page for the Microsoft Developers to read.

Software Class Action Lawsuits

Several years ago I heard about a Class Action Lawsuit for Microsoft's applications, and figured that I would apply for them and see a monetary return soon. Well, I'm still waiting. In the interest of being true to the name of this Blog-Waiting for it-here are a few more that you can apply and hope that someday the Courts and Law Firms can agree to just pay the consumers what the suit intended. Or maybe we can just stop this nonsense, and provide software that is fairly marketed, tested and otherwise supported for the benefit of those who would never think up this stuff on their own!

Links and trademarks excepted, here they are:

Epson Class Action
http://www.epsonsettlement.com/index.htm

Q: What is this lawsuit about?

A: The Settlement resolves a class action lawsuit filed in California and other state courts. Plaintiffs assert claims against Epson America, Inc. (“EAI”) based on various legal theories, including breach of contract, breach of implied warranties, unjust enrichment, fraudulent concealment, violations of California Business and Professions Code Sections17200, et seq., and violations of the California Consumers Legal Remedies Act, California Civil Code Sections 1750, et seq., relating to the performance and other characteristics of Epson inkjet printer cartridges. Among other things, Plaintiffs allege that Epson inkjet printers and inkjet cartridges indicate that cartridges are “empty” and suspend printer function, even though substantial ink remains. EAI has denied and continues to deny the claims and any wrongdoing, but has decided to settle to avoid the cost and inconvenience of litigation. The Court has not issued any rulings about the validity of the claims.

Q: What are the settlement benefits for class members?

A: Settlement Class Members who have already registered a qualifying printer with EAI, or who register a qualifying printer with EAI by November 13, 2006 will automatically receive a $45 credit to be used in the Epson E-Store for each registered qualifying Epson InkJet Printer. Registered Settlement Class Members are not required to submit a claim to receive the $45 credit.

The following printers are eligible for settlement benefits: [list of qualifying printers]. To register a qualifying printer with EAI, go to www.epsonstore.com/benefitsreg and complete all required fields. In the alternative, a Settlement Class Member may reject the $45 credit and instead elect, by not later than June 22, 2006 (the “Claims Period”), to receive either: (a) a combination of $25 payable by check and a $20 Epson E-Store credit for each registered printer; or (b) a discount of 25% off Epson E-Store purchases for a total discount of up to $100 with respect to each registered printer.

California Microsoft Class Action
http://www.microsoftcalsettlement.com/index.htm

Q: What is this settlement about? A: A settlement has been reached in an antitrust and unfair competition class action lawsuit about certain Microsoft software acquired by consumers and businesses between February 18, 1995 and December 15, 2001 for use in California. Under the terms of the settlement, Microsoft will provide vouchers totaling up to $1.1 billion to eligible California users of its Windows, MS-DOS, Office, Excel, Word, Works Suite or Home Essentials 97 or 98 products to be redeemed for cash after they purchase qualifying computer hardware or software.

Q: What benefits are available under the settlement?

A: You will receive vouchers redeemable for cash after the purchase of a wide variety of software and computer hardware products. The vouchers are worth: $16 for each Microsoft Windows or MS-DOS license claimed; $29 for each Microsoft Office license claimed; $5 for each Microsoft Word, Home Essentials or Works Suite license claimed; and $26 for each Microsoft Excel license claimed.

Symantec Class Action
http://www.softwaresettlement.com/index.html

Q: What is this lawsuit about?

A: If you purchased Symantec's Norton AntiVirus 2004, also known as NAV 2004, software package and / or Symantec's Norton Internet Security 2004, also known as NIS 2004, software package between January 1, 2003 and January 3, 2006, manufactured by Defendant, Symantec Corporation, this lawsuit may be important to you. A proposed settlement has been reached in a lawsuit in which Plaintiff claimed that:

NAV 2004 and NIS 2004 were defective for a variety of reasons, including that their use sometimes resulted in one or more of the following conditions:

• Inability to access the internet,
• A material slowdown in the performance of internet browsing speed, and
• Difficulty in uninstalling the product,
• AND that Symantec allegedly failed to communicate and disclose certain of these facts and circumstances to consumers.

For more information about this settlement, please refer to the Notice.

Q: What are the settlement benefits for Class Members?

A: As part of the settlement, Symantec has agreed to make the following relief available to Settlement Class Members who submit a valid Claim Form:
For any Settlement Class Member who submits a valid Claim Form, Symantec will provide and send to any such Settlement Class Member a fifteen dollar rebate certificate redeemable on the purchase of Symantec products from Symantec's on-line store.

For any Settlement Class Member who incurred any third party expenses in remedying one or more of the Conditions and submits a valid Claim Form, Symantec will pay up to ten dollars to reimburse the Settlement Class member for such charges.

Tax Time Again

Tax Time!
Every year, it seems the onerous chore of doing taxes gets harder for me-based on those laws passed to keep more from my paycheck or deliver on a political campaign promise that I need to fill out 3 pages of tax forms in order to be eligible to qualify for a deduction- So here it is- the tax blog!

I’ll start by saving you some money. Maybe that is enough to get you in a patriotic mood. The software-based method I use is discussed below, but there are web-based tax programs that are available, however, I have not used them. The IRS provides volunteer training for those who wish to help others- the courses are good if you want to learn tax code, and the service is great is you are challenged by the process of doing taxes on your own. There is also the typical Tax service or accountant that can do your taxes for you, and the discussion below may help you to organize your records for their use as well.


What happened to the Rebates?
The major brick and mortar Office Superstores offer phenomenal deals during the Tax season, now starting as early as Black Friday (see my previous blog on that). Typical is the Staples offer where top-of-the-line Financial management software (Quicken or Money), computer utilities (Symantec, McAfee, or Computer associates), and shredders are offered free after rebate with the purchase of the Tax software. Some of these offers require an “upgrader” rebate to make it free, so if you have never purchased a qualifying program, your first year may cost a little extra. One of the new trends I noted in the boxed tax software this year is less of these rebates are offered. The three major tax software companies (for TurboTax, TaxCut, and TaxAct) have all but eliminated them. The only significant rebate program left is H&R Block's offer to refund the $16 you'll pay them for e-filing your TaxCut federal return. This news is bad for consumers since only TaxCut reduced the software price along with eliminating the rebate. TurboTax eliminated the rebate but kept the same price. However, both TurboTax and TaxCut now include their deduction management software (ItsDeductible and DeductionPro, respectively) as part of their deluxe packages (retail versions only; you don't get the freebie if you decide to download the software). Both companies used to charge $20 for these add-ons. Block has also upped its offer of help should the IRS want to delve into your TaxCut Deluxe + State return: An H&R Block enrolled agent will accompany you to any audit. And if you start to use TaxCut, then decide you need professional help, H&R Block will credit the purchase price of the software toward the cost of an H&R Block tax preparer. With a price of $30 and a rebate for the $16 federal e-file fee, TaxCut is easily the best value of the three.

Best Deal Versus Best Software.PC World Magazine states of the three major desktop tax prep packages, TaxCut probably offers the best value for the money. Those new to tax software should seriously consider H&R Block's offering--if only because they may want to use a professional preparer after spending some quality time with the tax code. Block's offer to credit the purchase price of TaxCut against professional preparation in one of their offices gives rookies a hedge against the unknown. Even though there are only three major products in the market, shrink-wrapped tax software still manages to offer a choice appropriate to individual tax situations. Choose wisely and you won't be disappointed. I believe TaxCut Deluxe is the best of the three for my use. I had to pay $30 for the cost of the product and $16 to e-file my state return.

Managing and Organizing your Finances. One of the best reasons to use Tax Software is it allows you to import your finances-charities, investments, deductions into the software directly. I use Microsoft Money, but I’ve used Quicken and there is substantially no difference from my perspective. I would state that the “Deluxe” versions of the programs can be free after rebate-so the added functionality comes without additional cost. I simply import my banking and investment files from the web into Money, update the items in Money to reflect their tax status, and export them into the TaxCut Software. Using the included chartiable deduction management software could also get you even more back on your taxes. Using your PDA/and or office software to keep track of business mileage and expenses gets you a two-fold benefit- you get the deduction for the expense, and the device or software being used becomes a deduction as well. These records can easily be saved as comma separated values files for import into any accounting program and provide an official record for auditing.

What to Do With Old Software?

Office 97, Photoshop Elements 1.0, and Maniac Mansion Day of the Tentacle (it’s selling on EBay for $225)-what are you doing with that software now? The old software CD’s, manuals, and boxes are now clutter stored in the basement, closet, garage or the attic. Each year, millions of PCs reach the end of their useful lives and are retired or removed from service. Not only does this present a challenge to dispose of the hardware in an environmentally safe manner, but it also brings up issues regarding the software residing on those PCs. Unlike hardware, software is not wholly-owned by the user. When purchased, a product's software license only gives the user the right to use the software, but it does not transfer ownership rights to the user. Thus, the rules of use are mandated by the vendor. That End User License Agreement (EULA) you scroll past during installation told you that, remember?

Sell it?

The Garage Sales and EBay are great sources for old software products. Resell for re-use here is common. Old software runs well on old PCs, so there is a ready market of buyers to help bring some of the cash you spent on these products back to you. But be careful because anything that you bought as an upgrade license usually requires you to give up your previous product license to use the upgrade product, and may require you to destroy the product as a condition of its use. For that reason, some upgrade products require you to send the User Manual cover page as a condition for the upgrade rebate. Doing anything else with that product after the upgrade could get you in trouble.

Donation?

The World Computer Exchange supports delivering IT to under-developed countries and is authorized by the IRS to give you a tax deduction for the donation if the software is “educational, non-violent, and appropriate”. Plus you help save the Planet. Pretty Cool!

Reuse?

At work, we recently had a give-away that consisted of few boxes of commercial software-and some nice software products got reused. The reuse of work-related software at home may get you in trouble, so make sure that use is approved before accepting it. For your personal software, you may have friends and relatives that could benefit from your software games and applications.

Disposal?

When disposing of old or unused versions of commercial software, it is essential to adhere to the policies outlined in the EULA. Failure to comply and reusing the software illegally can result in a best-case scenario of getting a "slap on the wrist" and a worst-case scenario of being fined and facing criminal prosecution. If you are a commercial enterprise, a Gartner Report published in 2003 provides guidance that Integrity Software, an Austin, TX company, has used to provide software tracking software called SofTrack to manage this problem. The Gartner Report recommendation of what to do is stated below:

For old software that is no longer used or licensed, follow these guidelines to dispose of unused commercial software:

• Destroy the information on the original disks or CDs. This can be done by physically destroying the media or by bulk formatting/erasing and then recycling the media. This process is necessary to avoid having the old software removed from the garbage and used by an unlicensed party, thereby exposing the enterprise to copyright infringement.
• Destroy the manuals.
• Keep an inventory of serial numbers, dates of purchase, dates of destruction, and means of destruction. This will provide a complete audit trail in the event of a software audit.

Recommendations

When reusing, donating, selling, or destroying software licenses, enterprises need to:

• Recognize that all software vendors and licenses are different and have different requirements regarding the transfer of software and usage rights. Have these rights reviewed by legal counsel and develop a process to track compliance.
• Develop license contracts that use easily understood language and examples that will assist in articulating the intent of both parties.
• Document all transactions for software dispositions per the licensing requirements to protect the enterprise in the event of a software license audit.

Advice

Regardless of its origin, when reusing, donating, or disposing of old or unused software, review the EULA for any reuse limitations or potential liability.

Back-up that Computer, now!

You've heard this before. But you never have time. Or do you? I was recently visiting with a friend of mine that was in need of some technical assistance with her computer. We had some discussions about how to back-up computers that are hassle-free. This one thing may be the most overlooked item on anyone's list of PC maintenance chores.

Why Back up?
The Second Law of Thermodynamics implies that everything will eventually end in chaos. It's just a matter of time. I recently purchased an Anti-spyware program that resulted in not one, but two of my home computers being wrecked on the same day. I'll save the details that caused the problem for some future blog on software engineering practices, but for now I'll discuss the cure.

So what? You still have the original disks. How much time would it take you to reinstall all the programs, configure them for your system's hardware, and create all the files you had on the drive? Those digital photos of the cousin's new baby, a precious e-mail from a late relative, or scores of digital music files may be permanently lost!

The problem is we have gigabyte-sized hard drives in our computers that need frequent back-up, but any strategy to back them up on the local host PC drives is like betting you know the next thing that will go wrong - and it will be something other than that hardware link that joins them. You can never be sure enough to bet on that. I'll talk about remote back-up storage options.

Back-up Media and Equipment
PC Magazine has some very good advice here. In stability of media, a DVD R or DVD RW disc is the winner since you know it's not likely to malfunction. Burning them is fast and easy with a good drive, and recovery is just as easy since most software comes with some disaster recovery option that runs from the disk. Cost versus size is always the other option discussion. But hands down-from a dollar per gigabyte storage cost-it's hard to beat an external drive with a hi-speed USB or fire wire connection that uses a reliable software back-up program. Most can be either purchased as a package or easily assembled using a spare hard drive (recommeded at least 100 Gigabytes) and an external enclosure with back-up software purchased or downloaded as freeware/shareware. You can setup to run the backup on a schedule and unattended-meaning it's hassle free.

But the "air-gap" between your back-up media and the host PC should be intentionally maintained-otherwise the problem on you host PC could migrate to your back-up device/media undetected. The backup system would then be unavailable at the moment you need to recover. Back it up and after you do it, keep it up to date (recommend running a scheduled back-up at least every three months). You should always back-up before a system upgrade, and at some interval afterward you'll need to exercise that back-up again so the upgrade will be included in the back up set.

Types of Back-ups.
There are full system back-ups for catastrophic failure recovery. These hard drive images are great when restored-but it takes you back to the moment when you made the back-up. These may be copied to a hard-drive or even better to a DVD RW disc-since it's not altered very often, and very important to keep intact. Those System Restore Disks that you may had packaged with a new PC are full back-ups.

There are incremental back-ups for catch up of a full-back up to date. They copy files changed since your last backup-so the backup software needs to monitor your files-usually by looking for the absence in marking of the file's attribute as archived. Great because they reduce the back-up time and space you need to restore the files. External drive or a network option may be best here.

There are differential back-ups that are options for some advanced back-up software that get you caught up without having to go through a series of full and incremental back-ups. Like a one-step program with your full back up to get you running and up to date. Size would dictate whether it goes to a DVD RW or an external/network drive. It is very important to keep intact.

Lastly, the situational back-up is if you create a file that's important enough to save to a second location, you should have a secure place to put it. Flash USB drives and external network locations are excellent choices since they are always at hand. Also the Norton GoBack software works well to recover files that "just disappear" or reverse system changes that would otherwise be difficult to diagnose or repair. These options do not offer whole system recovery as a reliable option. For those who think I may have omitted it, I have yet to see the Windows XP System Restore recover my system.

My experience with software images made with Norton Ghost or Simple Backup have been successful in recovery of my crashed PCs in the past. I used the Dantz Retrospect Express software recently and it was quick and reliable. Also an excellent option is the Backup My PC software bundled with the Easy Media Creator that I just got for a gift-I'll let you know how it goes after my systems are recovered and their next back-up is completed.

You're only as safe as your last back-up. Don't put it off.