How to Change Your IP Address

This will not work for all ISPs. However, it does work for many. It will not work if you have a static IP address assigned by your ISP.

Assuming you are using a router:
Before doing any of these steps, please do the following:
Go to whatismyip and copy down your IP address and save the document.

Before making each change below, save the original settings somewhere -- just in case.

You may also be successful skipping steps 1 and 2 - that is, not bothering to change your gateway address first.  If you wish to try that, begin from step 3 (Clone MAC Address.)

Now you are ready to begin:
1. Login to your router and change your gateway's address.
Example: change 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.2
2. Release and renew your IP address. You may need to restart your modem, router and computer -- but, not necessarily. You may just need to login to your router again.
3. Change your MAC address by enabling MAC address cloning and typing in a new MAC address. 
On a Linksys WRT54G:
Setup -> MAC Address Clone -> Enable



You only need to change one or two of the last digits of the MAC Address. Click on "Clone your PC's MAC."  Save your settings.
4. After you receive the message the settings were changed successfully, you will lose internet connection. Power cycle your modem, router and computer.
5. You should again be connected to the internet now. Go to whatismyip and copy down your IP address: It should be different from the original IP Address you had before you started this exercise.

If you completed step 5 successfully, congratulations!

Encountered a blue screen of death (BSOD) on Vista SP1 computer the other day. It wasn't a virus; wasn't a corrupted OS; wasn't a hardware problem. The specific error was on mrtRate.sys.

It was a conflict with Quicken 2002 and Vista -- which had been working fine for about six months. Solution: Start in Safe Mode. Go into Hardware Devices -> Show Hidden Devices -> Non-Plug and Play Devices -> mrtRate. Go to Driver Tab -> Stop driver. Set Startup Type to "Disabled".

System should then start up without a hitch.
Note: mrtRate does not seem to be used for anything else (with maybe one exception) - and latest versions of Quicken do not use it -- so, at least in theory, if you upgrade Quicken, you should be fine.

Upgrading RAM - Paging File Settings

Here's a quick video to show how to change the Virtual Paging File size after upgrading RAM.
The video is for Windows XP.

Right click on My Computer-->Properties-->Advanced-->first group of settings-->Settings-->Advanced (again): Virtual Memory

One of the days I hope to get around to posting same for Vista.
Rule of thumb:
Minimum cache size should be about 150% of actual RAM. For maximum, you can pretty much double the minimum.

Don't let the bad guys in! How to protect your computer...

As usual, haven't been posting when and what I think should go here...

However, due to a new uptick in problems and questions about basic computer protection against viruses, spyware and general bad guys, here are the bare minimums:

You should always have a firewall. (If you don't want to install a third party firewall, at least use Windows' built-in firewall. Do NOT disable it if you have nothing else.) ALWAYS use current, automatically updated antivirus software. ALWAYS use anti-spyware protection. Do not let your PC "go commando." If you do, it will, almost certainly, catch a disease. And it could be quite lethal.

Great, free software to prevent such a nightmare:
AVG's Free Edition (for non-commercial use) You can download it at CNET
Javacoolsoftware's Spywareblaster
safer-networking.org's Spybot Search and Destroy (but don't install the Teatimer option)
I really love SuperAntiSpyware.

If you do not trust these links, go to AVG's website, javacoolsoftware's site , safer-networking.org and superantispyware's site.

These all offer free versions, but some are shareware, meaning these wonderful software writers could use and certainly deserve a donation. But it's not obligatory -- and protecting your computer is.

One last note: If you opt for free versions, ALWAYS do regular manual updates and computer scans on a regular basis. For most users, it is not necessary to do this daily -- but at least once every two to three weeks is a must.

Good luck! - and always use protection!

Outlook Reminders Pane is empty:

Have solution... Will post by this weekend...

Audio Problems Solved

Having suffered three hard drive crashes since July 2008 -- and two within the last month, the speed with which I get up and running again has begun to dazzle me :--)

Nevertheless, there always seem to be new glitches. Last time it was that my sound kept disappearing. Nope, it wasn't a missing driver. Wasn't even a corrupted or not-up-to-date driver. Intel (motherboard manufacturer) couldn't figure it out. Somehow, mysteriously, Windows Audio service kept getting disabled. So -- before you get beyond exasperation -- and when you are sure that your audio hardware is all there and not defective or broken, and you've downloaded, installed, and updated until you're blue in the face -- don't forget to check that your Windows Audio service is enabled and started. And make sure it’s set to Manual or Automatic on startup.

If you need instructions on how to do this: more later...***

Another audio issue: After installing a new video board -- yes, you read this right -- VIDEO board -- I lost the audio. Why? Some ATI boards (though it stands to reason that NVidia, and all boards with HDMI support probably can suffer the same fate) -- some ATI boards route the audio through the HDMI port, and so you lose onboard audio (i.e., audio from the motherboard). Vendor instructions tell you to disable your onboard audio. But, if you don't have an HDMI connection for your monitor, then obviously this cannot help you restore your sound. But, if you go into the BIOS and disable the new video board's audio, your problem should be solved. At least, mine was.

___

*** Instructions for enabling Windows Audio (or other services) in Windows XP
Go to My Computer (usually on Desktop or Start --> right side of start panel --> My Computer.
Right click on My Computer--> Manage (left click on Manage) --> Services and Applications (on right panel) (double click Services and Applications --> double-click Services
(make sure Services are sorted in Name order by clicking on "NAME" column. (Click once for ascending order; click again if it came up in descending order) Scroll down until you get to "Windows Audio" and double-click. Change startup type to "Automatic", and click on "Start" service if the option is enabled. You should now have sound!

My greatest fear after the election

This post has nothing to do with technology. Just something I needed to get off my chest. In late 2001, I (with absolutely no background in economics) predicted an economic catastrophe was brewing. I foresaw this not because of 9/11, but because there were some suspicious-looking new mortgage products and it was a little too easy to get them. But only my husband can attest to my prediction. I’ve had other occasional insights. I’ve often said I’m a living Cassandra: I’m usually right – but no one pays any attention to what I say. But this time, on the eve of the most important election of my not-so-short life, I wanted my prediction documented.

My greatest fear:

In some very important ways, it matters not who wins this election. I am not saying the two candidates are the same – or even nearly the same. What I mean is that no matter who wins, the challenges will be enormous the day after – the first 100 days after – the first 1000 days after – and well into the next election in 2012.

The ghosts I fear – whether or not Senator Obama wins – are those of the LBJ years and of the Nixon years. Democrat and Republican, liberal and conservative, both faced a nation deeply divided and deeply disturbed. First – divided by class. Remember the War on Poverty –when nearly a quarter of our population lived below the poverty level, in squalor that rivaled that of undeveloped nations - but here, in the wealthiest country the world has ever known: here, in a democracy, where we profess to govern for the good of and to the benefit of our people? And remember later, in LBJ’s administration and well into the Nixon era and beyond, the schism between those who wanted to keep fighting an unwinnable war and those who couldn’t bear to witness another night of body bags and napalmed victims?

Well, we have about the same proportion of population now who live without healthcare as who lived then in abject poverty – and with uncounted thousands – possibly even millions who are only a pink slip from joining their ranks.

Remember the long hot summers in the 60’s– of burning cities, race riots, angry mobs and fear on all sides? Remember how we once seemed on the brink of anarchy? All that began right after the Civil Rights Act had finally passed -- a time that some saw briefly with expectant optimism. What happens when a nation’s or a people’s hopes and dreams and greatest aspirations, after waiting years, or decades for fulfillment, are not met but seem to sink ever further away and out of sight? If history is any example: riots, assassinations and anarchy.

We are a nation on the brink of an epochal change – a nation waiting to exhale with jubilation and relief – expecting an election to miraculously and quickly change everything. But how is this really possible? Though we may rationally not really believe the change will be fast – how long will our nation actually wait? Will we be patient for a year? For two years? Until the next Presidential election? Can any single person – man or woman, black or white – (with the possible exception of the Messiah himself) – how can a normal, flawed human being fix the massive global unprecedented economic meltdown, two extremely difficult wars in hostile lands, an energy crisis (which alone, if not dealt with in a revolutionary way, will wreck not only our nation but the whole planet), a healthcare crisis, an exploding retirement population, national class divisions that have not been so vast in at least six decades – possibly closer to a century, and a world that may well be at the precipice of the most massive economic depression in history?

Americans are not known for their patience. Americans are not known for taking the long view or for having a sense of history. My fear is history is about to repeat itself. I pray not only that the long hot summers do not reappear – and do not spread across the globe, but also that our leaders can be kept safe from the crazies who live among us, and that Americans, when we start to lose patience – which we inevitably will -- will not abandon hope for change, and instead will rededicate ourselves and redouble our hard work and efforts to achieve it. I hope and pray. And I can’t wait for the polls to open in a few hours.