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Tom AZ

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Everything posted by Tom AZ

  1. I'm looking for some suggestions on the best way to sync up a couple of USB external HDDs (OS: Windows XP). One of them is my primary external drive. The other one will be used as a backup of the primary external. I would like the whole process to be as automated and simple as possible, but it doesn't have to be real-time. In fact, it would be better if there were a few hours delay between the two. It probably sounds like I'm a little paranoid, but there are some legitimate reasons for this .
  2. Or, there's a little GUI version that also works quite well and makes ERUNT just a little easier to manage. You can get it here.
  3. Andavari - are you still using Total Uninstall v2.35 (the last freeware version)?
  4. An interesting article that can be downloaded on online banking security -- what works and what doesn't. You can get it here.
  5. Not many on that list that didn't get a "pass"
  6. Anyone seen any up-to-date bona fide stats for Avast 6 detection rate(s)? I can't really seem to find anything.
  7. Here's an update on my VSS problem. But first, I want to thank everyone who has chimed in for being so kind and willing to help ? and, of course, for all the good suggestions (many of which I tried). After working on this for almost three weeks now, I've decided to give up ? everything is the same as it was with no vss. But, it's no longer as big a problem for me as I first thought. It appears that the only application I have that really needs or uses vss is Macrium Reflect ? and that was a big concern to me. However, after numerous e-mails with Macrium, I've learned that Reflect is always packaged with 'psscan' ? a proprietary driver, which is an alternative to vss. So, if 'vss' fails, 'psscan' jumps in and takes over and the Image can still be created (and restored) successfully. Actually, I now have a couple Images that have been created this way and they seem to be just fine. In fact, I have mounted them in Explorer and everything appears to be in tact. As I understand it, the only downside to 'psscan' is that it creates a slightly larger Image (due to the fact that it also backs up all system restore points)? and so obviously, it also takes a little longer. Apparently, vss by-passes restore points. Anyway, that's where things stand as of now. And again, thanks to everyone for all the help.
  8. Actually, Dennis, I have thought about that on numerous occasions. However, the four Images I have are just too old to simply restore without creating a bunch of other problems. I've even considered what you said about just grabbing the missing components from a mounted Image. I would probably try that in an instant if I knew what components I was missing. Very honestly, I'm just not sure, other than for the one Service I know I'm missing (Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider) -- and I wouldn't begin to know where/how to look for that. If anyone knows what components make up VSS (and where they're located), that would be incredibly helpful. Very likely, they could be on one of my Images.
  9. I'm currently using Macrium Reflect. Are there other backup utilities that do not use VSS? Also, do you think there's a reasonable chance of success with a "Repair" install of Windows? I have the original install disks, but currently using SP3. So, what disks would I use for this?
  10. No, I have not tried this. What exactly does it do?
  11. I'm not when or how this happened, but sometime during the last month or so, I lost some important Windows XP VSS components (volume shadow copy). I'm not even exactly sure what's missing, but I do know that the whole 'VSS process' is comprised of several files and services. And, I do know that my VSS writers are gone and that I no longer have one necessary and important Service ("Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider"). I've spent hours and hours researching this and trying to come up with a fix ? but so far, I've been unsuccessful. The whole thing seems to have become very complicated ? and definitely way over my head. I've even tried using some old system restore points. In one of those restores that was about 3 weeks old, I was able to recover the missing MS Service, but nothing else. However that restore point was far too old for my comfort level, so I reverted back to where I began ? and obviously, forfeited the recovery of that particular MS Service. Sure wish there were a simple way to correct all of this (if there is such a thing), but I'm afraid it doesn't exist. Probably just going to have to do without VSS until I can get a new computer some day.
  12. Thanks, Andavari, that's the info I was looking for. Would love to know if there's anything out there that's really lightweight in overall resource usage.
  13. Not what I wanted to hear since I'm still using XP. What's the installed size on Win 7 -- and how about memory use?
  14. Is MSE (Microsoft Security Essentials) as lean as it appears to be from the size of the download?
  15. I get lots of e-mail on a daily basis and use a pop3 e-mail client. Do any of these three AV programs (Avast, MSE or Panda Cloud) offer real-time e-mail/attachment protection?
  16. Point well taken, Hazel. Just curious, what are you currently using?
  17. Now that this has been confirmed, like Andavari, I too may have to make a change from Avira (Premium), which by the way has served me very well for a number of years. I've been looking at Avast and MSE? Which do you think would be the best choice -- and why?
  18. Has anyone upgraded to the new Version 5?
  19. Using Avira Premium here - don't know whether or not that version will be affected. Maybe they'll just target the "free" users.
  20. I have a somewhat similar question, but with a little different twist. I have an older external HDD that died a while back with lots of stuff on it - and there's absolutely no way of accessing that data (believe me, I've tried). I've also tried disassembling the case to remove the drive itself, but it's really tough to get the it out of the case. (Not even sure what I would do with it even if I could get it out). Obviously, I'm no longer using this drive, but I'm not exactly thrilled about just tossing it in a dumpster somewhere. What can I do? Any thoughts on how to destroy the data content on a dead external?
  21. If this helps, here's a little info I received directly from the Dban folks a few years ago: "The default options in DBAN are sensible for almost all circumstances (AutoNuke). The Quick Erase is probably good enough for most home users, but the DoD wipe is the default because most businesses want to do things the way they've always done things. Autonuke uses the DoD Short method, which is the "right way" to do the?DoD wipe. The DoD Long method is the way everybody used to do the DoD wipe?until the software developers actually read the specification document."
  22. Tom AZ

    MS PlayReady?

    Not exactly sure what "MS PlayReady" is. Any problem using winapp2.ini to do a little cleaning here? Also, will I get into any trouble checking the box to clean "Windows System Profile?"
  23. I really appreciate all the comments, but I may not have made myself clear (probably because I know so little about this stuff). I was thinking that I could use the 2.4 band with a laptop and the 5.0 band for streaming HDTV (Netflix), but I don't know how to set the router up to accomplish this. Do you enable both bands so that they work together simultaneously ? or do you have to manually select one band at a time for each particular use? Guess I was thinking that the laptop would somehow automatically grab one band and HDTV would automatically use the other. I thought maybe the two bands worked together concurrently in an "auto-switching" manner. In other words, in the event that one band became overloaded or ran into problems handling/transmitting the data, it would automatically roll over to the other band. Will it do this, or doesn't it work that way?
  24. Supposedly, the 2.4GHz band is broadcasting b/g/n and the 5GHz band is broadcasting a/n. This stuff is all new to me, so I'm not sure what it all really means.
  25. It's an "N" type router. So does the router automatically determine which frequency to use, or do I have to manually select one or the other?
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