• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill., Computer Column

Posted on: Thursday, 29 September 2005, 18:00 CDT

By Greg Kline, The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.

Sep. 26--QUESTION: I recently attempted to buy Norton and McAfee anti-virus programs and was told that my Gateway made in July of 2001 running Microsoft (Windows) XP Professional didn't have enough memory to install either of these applications. Do you know of another ... that would apply to my computer? I have 112 megabytes.

ANSWER: Because of the standard increments in which memory is sold, I assume you actually have 128 megabytes of RAM in your computer, 16 of which are being dedicated to the video system that puts the images on your monitor.

First, let me say you should have more RAM. The listed minimum for Windows XP is 64 megabytes, Microsoft recommends 128 and I think a more realistic figure is 512. You want at least 256.

You can up your computer to 512 megabytes inexpensively, I'm talking $20 or so either side of 50 bucks, depending on the type and dealer.

Norton AntiVirus requires 128 megabytes of RAM, as does the latest version of McAfee VirusScan. But that figure is for "available" RAM.

Your computer apparently doesn't meet the requirement because, rather than having an independent video card with its own RAM, it siphons off some of the main system RAM on which to run the video system.

As far as alternatives, one is AVG Anti-Virus, www.grisoft.com, which even offers a free version to home users and lists 32 megabytes of RAM as its minimum.

I think AVG is a viable alternative to big hitters Norton and McAfee, but I still would increase my RAM if I were you. More than likely, it not only will allow you run a state-of-the-art anti-virus program, but improve your computing experience overall as well.

In addition, you might add a video card to your computer, which may or may not have the AGP, for Accelerated Graphics Port, slot that the cards are typically plugged into but surely has some open PCI, for Peripheral Component Interconnect, slots.

You can find PCI video cards with their own 32 to 64 megabytes of RAM for around $50.

If you plan to keep the computer for a few more years, the additional RAM and a video card would be a good investment. If not, I'd just add the RAM.

Q: If you delete e-mails and then click "purge deleted messages" are they gone for good? This is in Outlook Express 6.

A: Microsoft's Help file for Outlook Express 6 says: "Once you purge a message, it cannot be undeleted." But this may not be entirely true.

As I understand it, the situation is similar to moving a file to the Windows Recycle Bin.

When you first move a file to the Recycle Bin, it just sits there, like the junk mail (as opposed to junk e-mail) you move from your mailbox to the trash can at your house in the real world.

As long as you haven't emptied your Recycle Bin, or your trash can, it's no big deal to reach in and pull out an item you've disposed of by mistake.

Once you empty your real or your virtual trash container, however, getting something back becomes more of a challenge. But it isn't impossible.

On a computer, emptying the trash doesn't actually eliminate the files automatically. It does mean that the icons for them no longer will be displayed and that the space they occupy on your hard drive is now marked for reuse.

But the files remain until, in the course of your computing, other files overwrite them. A number of utility programs will locate and recover these invisible files, if you get to them before they're overwritten.

Similarly, there are utilities for recovering messages that have been moved to the Outlook Express Deleted Items bin and purged. One that's frequently mentioned is DBXtract, www.oehelp.com/DBXtract. If you go to the software download site www.tucows.com and type "recover deleted Outlook Express mail" into the search function you will find several other options.

It beats having to root through a landfill for that important letter you tossed.

Have a question or comment about this column? Contact News-Gazette Staff Writer Greg Kline, 351-5215; e-mail kline@news-gazette.com; or mail The News-Gazette, P.O. Box 677, Champaign, 61824-0677. Include your name, the community where you live, phone number and e-mail address if you have one. Also include the make and model of your computer, the system software version you're running, and details about any other software or devices the question involves. Answers will run every two weeks.

-----

To see more of The News-Gazette, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.news-gazette.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

MFE, SYMC, GTW, MSFT,

Source: The News-Gazette

More News in this Category