WTVN Radio • Columbus, Ohio • Sunday morning from 8 until 9

Is this information useful? If so, consider
making a contribution, please.

Sunday, April 6, 2003

Random thought:

Crash! Computer fall down & go BOOM!
Not even a blue screen ...

Blue-screen errors are never fun, but black-screen errors are even worse. These mean that a catastrophic error has happened before more than just a stub of the operating system could load. Sunday afternoon a week ago, I decided to restart the computer because one of the applications was acting odd. "Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM" was the message that greeted me.

The next sentence mentions that you can "try" to fix the problem with the recovery console by booting with the Windows XP CD. I could almost hear Bill Gates chuckling as I stared at the message. I had just finished a lot of work on several websites and didn't really want to lose the work.

The message I read is one of several that indicate Registry corruption. The Registry consists of several files and it's responsible for telling Windows what hardware is installed, how the hardware is set up, how the network is configured, what software is installed, where the software is, how the software is configured, who the users are, what privileges they have -- in other words everything the operating system needs to function.

For Windows 9x and Me, Registry corruption is a death sentence. The only solution is to format the disk drive, reinstall the operating system, restore data from backup, and resign yourself to losing everyting you did since the last backup.

Except for the time it would take to install the operating system, install the programs, and restore the data, this wouldn't be a catastrophe. True, I'd done several days worth of work since the last backup, but most of that work was also stored on at least one server somewhere. But I'd still prefer not to have to take two or three days to get the computer running again.

I'd seen this before (although one of the other ominous error messages) and I knew there was a good chance that I could grab an earlier version of the Registry from backup, write it over the existing Registry, restart the computer in Safe Mode, copy some files from the "restore point" super-hidden directory, and then perform a "Restore to previous state" and be back in business.

That perhaps makes the process sound a little easier than it is, but it's not difficult. Microsoft has a Knowledgebase article that describes the process in 5 or so intricate pages of step-by-step instructions.

If there's a problem, it's that the computer appears to function normally at the end of phase one. In fact, the computer does function normally then, but all previous restore points are gone. Phase two of the process gives the computer access to previous restore point information and phase three has the user restore the computer to a previous state. (I selected an earlier time on Sunday.)

Windows XP is a sophisticated operating system. When it gets into trouble, it can sometimes recover -- with your help. The first thing to remember is a phrase from Douglas Adams: DON'T PANIC. And it helps to have a Babel Fish handy, too, when you encounter Microsoft Knowledgebase articles.

Now I can tell you about what I showed you last week

Last week I was so excited about a new set of filters from Alien Skin Software that I displayed a sample on the website even though I couldn't tell you the name of the product that created the image or even the name of the company that made the product. Now I can.

Alien Skin has updated its Xenofex series of filters. This does not mean that you want to get rid of the old filters if you have them. You don't. The old filters work just fine side-by-side with the new ones. The new filters include such effects as mosaic, rip open, shatter, cracks, and more. Some of the effects may be applied to an entire image while others require a filter.

To see larger copies of the images below, click the image.

Turing your orange cat into a space alien

Let's say you have a close-up picture of your orange cat and you'd like to modify his nose a bit so that he looks somewhat like an alien from outer space. This is easy with Xenofex 2.

		Here's Tangerine. He's either about to break into song or yawn.
		I painted a mask over the orange cat's nose and then applied the Xenofex "cracks" filter to his nose. You might wonder why I do so many test photos with cats. The reason is simple: I don't have to pay them, they're readily available, and they don't get embarrassed by being made to look silly.

Cheese on the computer

The cat is Jeremiah Cheeseburger IV, CheeseBall for short.

		Sometimes cats think that computer monitors are designed as places for cats to sit.
		Here I decided to use the same "crack" filter that I used above on Tangerine's nose, but this time I applied it to the entire image.
		Or maybe you need to make something look old and crumpled without actually ruining the object. You could do this with a scanned image of an old document or a photograph. In this case, it looks like I was angry with Cheese and I crumpled up his picture and threw it away -- but then reconsidered. No pictures were damaged in making the image and all of the electrons were carefully recycled.

Scampi really is a star

Scampi the Hacker Cat knows that he's a star, but he didn't know that he could literally be a star. If you're a fan of looking at the stars in the sky to figure out where each of the constellations is, you'll find this effect breathtaking.

		A fairly ordinary picture of Scampi.
		Scampi as a constellation. Make sure you see the larger version of this image and note the subtle colors present in the "stars".

Mosaics the easy way

I've always liked mosaics, but I know that I don't have the time or the patience to make one. Xenofex makes it possible not only for me to make a mosaic image from a picture of the Brooklyn Bridge, but also allows me to try several different sizes for the mosaic's pieces and to change the width and color of the grout.

		From the walkway on the Brooklyn Bridge, walking toward Manhattan.
		Here's the same image as a mosaic. I've change the grout from a neutral gray to a pale brick red color. I'm not sure that this is exactly the right choice, but I can change it in an instant to try something different.

For more information, see www.alienskin.com/.

A change in the Technology Corner family

Elizabeth Blinn and Rusty Miller were wed yesterday, April 5, 2003. For more information, drop by their website -- conveniently titled http://www.lizandrusty.com/.

Yes, I manipulated the photo, but which one? There's one absolute giveaway. If you find it within 10 seconds, the CIA would like to hire you.

Nerdly News

Some hot water for Intuit

Courthouse News Service reports that a class action suit has been filed against Intuit. The legal action is because the publisher of the popular TurboTax software allegedly including a program in the 2002 tax year edition that spies on consumers and limits use of Internet browsers.

The complaint filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court says, "Intuit concealed the following facts: Without warning or customer consent, TurboTax attempts to transmit private information over the Internet to Intuit ... [and] although Intuit claims otherwise, TurboTax will not operate even in its 'crippled' or 'trial' mode if it is prevented from 'phoning home' over the Internet."

The suit was filed by Stanbury Fishelman, Inc., and says the program included a Macrovision security product called SafeCast or C-Dilla that, among other things, writes files outside the proper file system area on a computer's hard drive, limits the ability of users to select browsers other than Microsoft Internet Explorer, and limits the ability of users to backup and restore computer hard drives. The suit also alledges that the program does not include any ability to uninstall the security software.

Tough new disks

CDs and DVDs are too fragile. Maybe that's about to change. TDK is about to release what it calls an "armor plated disc" with a special coating on the recording surface. The goal is to make dirt, fingerprints, scratches, and liquids incapable of harming the data on the disk.

We'll start seeing the disks later in April at Radio Shack and elsewhere in May. They'll be available in DVD-R and DVD+R formats at about $6 each.

Let us know what you think about this program! Write to:
Bill Blinn --
(wtvn@blinn.com still works)
Joe Bradley --

Joe
(Photo by Sally)

Bill
(Photo by Scampi)

Privacy Guarantee:

I HATE SPAM and will not sell, rent, loan, auction, trade, or do anything else with your e-mail address. Period.

As if you didn't already get enough weather on the radio!

If you do not see a Weather Underground banner above and you use ad-blocking software, please set your application to allow images from "www.wunderground.com" to appear.

Annoying legal disclaimer
My attorney says I really need to say this: The Technology Corner website is for informational purposes only. Neither Joe nor I assume any responsibility for its accuracy, although we do our best. The information is subject to change without notice. Any actions you take based on information from the radio program or from this website are entirely at your own risk. Products and services are mentioned for informational purposes only and their various trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Technology Corner cannot provide technical support for products or services mentioned on the air or on the website.