April 2, 2005

Software for Maths
QUESTION: Which software can I use to solve problems of integration and differentiation?
Riaz Hussain
Lahore


EDITOR’S REPLY: You can use “Mathematica”, available at or “MatLab” or . You can also find the above-mentioned software in local CD shops.

CD key
I have Norton Antivirus 2005 but I don’t have the CD key. Please provide me with a CD key.
Adil Khan
Karachi

I suggest you buy the original software. Dawn does not support piracy and so will not endorse it in any way.

Securing PC files
Please tell me about any tool, technique or software that can help in securing my files in a multi user PC with Windows 98SE OS.
Muhammad Mubashir Hussain
Islamabad

Download Folder Guard 7.1 . Folder Guard is a powerful computer security software that you can use to control access to files, folders, and other Windows resources, such as the Control Panel, Start Menu, etc. You can use Folder Guard to lock personal files and folders with passwords, preventing other users from peeking into them. You can hide private folders from almost all applications. Such folders will remain invisible until you enter a valid password. You can also protect sensitive system files from modification or destruction, disable access to removable drives, restrict access to the Control Panel, and more.

Wireless internet
1. How can I transfer data from my PC hard disk to my laptop and vice versa?
2. I have an Intel Centrino (mobile technology-enabled) laptop. Does it support wireless internet? If it does, then how can I log on to the internet?
3. How can I upgrade Win98 to WinXP?
Ahad Ijaz
Islamabad

Files can be transferred by any of the following ways:

1. A USB flash drive.

2. An external CD Writer.

3. A USB hard drive. These are external hard disks that plug into the USB port of any system and act like a hard disk.

Centrino is Intel’s wi-fi technology, which has a wi-fi card built on the motherboard. Thus, it can support wireless networks. However, you will require a wi-fi-enabled environment, for which you will have to buy a wi-fi card and an access point that you will connect with your computer. Unfortunately, wi-fi is not that common in our cities yet, so you will have to wait a while. Some five-star hotels and restaurants have started to offer wi-fi, from where you can easily go online.

After logging in to Win98, insert the WinXP CD into your drive and follow the instructions on screen.

Bad sectors
1. What are bad sectors?
2. Why do they exist?
3. Is there any way to get rid of them?
Sandeep Kumar
skhlrk2005@yahoo.com

Bad sectors occur because of the normal wear and tear that hard disks are subjected to over time. Your hard disk spins about 7,200 times per minute. This, over a period of time, causes small dents in disk mechanism. These are known as “bad sectors.” Harsh operating conditions can also cause hard disks to develop a number of bad sectors very quickly. Bad sectors can also occur when there is physical damage, possibly due to a little grit that somehow escaped during manufacturing. Once that sector is identified as bad, it is marked “bad” by the format program and no data is written to that sector afterwards. However, since each cylinder has numerous sectors, whenever the head tries to read any sector in the cylinder that is damaged, the head also passes over that bad sector, but does not read it. Thus, once a bad sector has developed, it’s only a matter of time before other areas of the disk develop them also.

There is no way to get rid of bad sectors. You can do a low-level format, but that is only a temporary solution, and will still cause you trouble. You can also try Windows’ Scan Disk Utility:

1. Double-click on My Computer.

2. Select the disk that you want to diagnose and repair.

3. Choose Properties from the File menu. You should see the “Properties” window for the drive that you selected.

4. Choose the “Tools” tab.

5. Click the “Check Now” button under Error Checking Status.

6. Depending on your version of Windows, choose either “Thorough” or “Scan for and Attempt Recovery of Bad Sectors.”

7. Click on Start.

If you’re using Windows XP, start with “chkdsk /R” (/R: “Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information”). Fire up a command prompt to run that command. When a hard disk develops bad sectors, it’s best to get it replaced, because sooner or later your drive will crash and all data will be wiped out.

You can also try these tips:

1. Make sure that the hard disk timing (PIO mode) isn’t too high for the drive. You may want to try and reduce the timing and see if this resolves the problem. Make sure that if your system does not support independent device timing, so that you do not have PIO mode set for what is optimal the device that is faster, but a bit too fast for the slower ones.

2. Make sure that you are not using an IDE cable that is too long. The specified maximum is 18 inches, but some drives need them to be even shorter than that to work properly. Try replacing the cable with a shorter one, if possible.

3. If you are getting bad sectors on more than one disk in the system (or even after replacing the disk), then the problem, in all likelihood, does not lie in the hard disk. It could be incorrect BIOS settings, and I would suggest troubleshooting the motherboard as well.

4. Some hard disks have firmware problems. In that case, the manufacturer may make a firmware upgrade available for the disk; this is like a flash BIOS upgrade for your hard disk (except it is easier to install and is used only for fixing bugs). For more information about firmware upgrades, visit your manufacturer’s website.

5. Finally, try to make sure that you have eliminated any possible configuration glitches that can lead to bad sector problems. If you have done that, but if bad sectors still keep appearing, then the drive should be treated as imminently failing and you should contact your system vendor.

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