Ken's Technical Directory

Has your internet connection been slow? Bookmark this page! The number can range from 0 - 100, 100 being the fastest. Practically speaking, you will only see a range from a SLO-O-O-O-OW 40 to a FAST 85.

TIPS

      DRIVERS ANYONE??

Having current drivers for all of your system components is an extremely important part of making your PC operate at peak efficiency. I have been to some of these sites to get drivers on motherboards that are over 2 years old, downloaded the drivers, installed them, and seen an incredible increase in speed and reliability. Check out this link, and as with any prescription, please follow label directions!! WinFiles.com

      Service Packs for Windows 4.00.950(a)

One of the biggest problem areas that I find in dealing with machine "hang-ups" or "lock-ups" is the area of service packs and patches. Microsoft technical support won't work with you until you apply these packs in many cases. Windows 95a, identified from the Control Panel, System menu, as 95.00 before the service pack application and 95a afterwards, needs the service pack one. In addition there is a need to apply the mspwlupd2.exe, oleupd.exe, and krnlupd.exe before pursuing any other culprits. Reboot after the SP1, then the other 3 can be applied consecutively without rebooting between them. After the last reboot, check the START, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Update Information Tool program to see if all the files are OK. This will save you SERVICE CALLS!

      The Good 'Ole Days!

Many users have experience with PKZIP from the DOS world. Yes, we're old and gray, but still find it handy. I have run across a couple of "hitches" with PKUNZIP that makes me question whether I should still run with the "old dogs", or learn new tricks. LONG FILENAMES are not supported with PKZIP. This seems evident at first glance, but if you use PKUNZIP and everything seems to expand OK, then why worry? Well, you may have cut off a few VERY important letters at the end of a file. Then try to run your setup program, and see if it FINDS all its needed files. BE CAREFUL, and try a WINZIP product.

      Know Your Wiring

CAT5 is now a two sylable word that is thrown around in peoples' everyday conversation. It means more than just CAT5 Cable. It is an entire system of wiring standards. I have worked behind folks whose "CAT5" wiring meant buying the more expensive stuff on a roll. I have seen the wires untwisted 4 -5 inches back, just to make a connector easier to wire. Do you know that there are two pin-out wiring standards? 568A and 568B? Don't mix the connectors, unless you just want a "null modem" or as we say with network wiring, a "crossover" cable. I have seen flat, untwisted ribbon cable used as wall jumpers.

Here's how to check the order of the wires in the RJ-45 connector. Hold the jumper plug end with the cable coming out of the plug toward your body. Let the gold contacts face up and the little plastic piece that locks it in place on the underside. Counting from left to right, here is the proper order. A helpful link may be Amp NetConnet page.

White/Orange Orange White/Green Blue White/Blue Green White/Brown Brown

Please check this page often as I will be keeping you up to date on key information such as version updates, patches, and suggestions. I will also provide Technical Tips. I welcome your questions, comments and suggestions. Please send E-mail to kennyg@netsmartinc.com

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