Medlin Software, Dennis

I would certainly make a backup ASAP. I too saw something about the LE of a drive being about 3 years. I typically now have two, the old one to keep copies, and the new/current one. For the old one, I turn it off through the device manager, or even physically unplug it - until needed. Drives are relatively cheap, maybe you could consider getting s spare/replacement now, and using it in your new computer as well.

Hey, I resemble that remark!

W-3/W-3 printing information is in IRS Pub 1141. The short version: Laser printer if using approved software, can print on plain paper. All other situations, use pre-printed forms. Since you sound as if you have a jet printer, you have to use pre-printed forms.

No one makes money "racing". In racing industry money can rarely be made - selling advertising :D

All good stuff Joel. DLL's can be in the application's folder - which is still searched by Windows (different order for some versions of Windows, used to be app folder first in all cases). We use a few self made DLL's and install them only in the app folder so we can update them as needed. Not "Windows" preferred, but the easiest way to service our customers. You do need to be careful of DLL naming to reduce the chance of someone else using the same name. We do allow data in different folders than the app, but for support purposes, it makes it difficult to help when someone cannot find their data. We built a search function for just such cases which has reduced/shortened the number of help calls. Windows has made it so easy for people not to understand computer workings, we spend as much time teaching/preventing as programming. I use an online service for external backup. It is easy to setup an exclusion for exe/dll files then tick off the folders I want to backup. Same for my on site backups. I just don't feel safe with all data in one location. For instance, file naming has no standard and I do not want a file from one app to cause a problem with another. (Goes along with the issue of Windows system restore grabbing/restoring too many files because of the way it grabs files by file extension.) Even worse is when someone restoring simply restores everything instead of just what was lost (restore the entire my documents folder instead of just one set or app data). (rant alert) The top problem I just can't overcome is those that "think" they have a good backup system in place - typically someone whose IT person set it up - who never test restore, then call because the backup they thought they had was garbage. The next problem - maybe tied for #1 and usually part of #1 - is support "experts" who take the chicken way out and tell their client they have to reformat their drive. It happens so often one has to make two observations - these "experts" have no idea what they are doing and getting the computer to boot makes them feel like a hero, or they do know what they are doing and how much they will earn by causing their customer to have to find/recreate/restore the data and programs the format caused. Remember - if you have not actually tried restoring your data and seeing if it restores correctly - "you have no backup".

When you get ready to start having others install your program, things like this come up often. Vista has even more issues (permissions) for developers to deal with. Long ago I started doing things my way. Never use the registry for anything (other than things I have to stick in there to keep Windows from messing my program up, like to not include my things in the system restore). Use my own folder off the root for programs and data (customers can override the default, but it is MUCH easier if we do not have to search their drive for missing data). Program and data in one folder, or at worst, data in a sub-folder of the program's folder (makes backup and data locating much easier). Make automatic and difficult to find (read as harder to delete) data backups for the customer, but let them access it through a menu when needed. I could go on forever at how simple is always best, no matter what some push as the "standard".

Mel, The 512 limit applies only to FAT16. Fat32 and NFTS do not have a limit on the root other than the limits applied to any folder (which is >65k depending on length of names). "FAT32 is more flexible. The root folder on a FAT32 drive is an ordinary cluster chain, so it can be located anywhere on the drive. The previous limitations on the number of root folder entries no longer exist." "The NTFS limits are described in the NTFS Technical Reference at http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServe...3.mspx?mfr=true. You'll need to scroll down to the table named "NTFS Size Limits." The limit is 4,294,967,295 (232 minus 1 file) files per volume. There isn't a limit on the number of files *per folder* on a volume. However, if you consider the root of the volume to be a folder, then this limit will apply to the root folder itself. " There are GOOD reasons for putting things in non "standard" places (standard according to MS). For instance, if you use the automatic shadowing or a system restore in Windows, you may cause more problems than you were trying to solve. Relying on Windows to know which files should or should not be backed up is foolish imo. The worst case - and one I have to deal with from customers - is when someone does a system restore and their data gets corrupted because only some of the files were saved/restored by Windows.

I am not finding anything in the IL site allowing exclusion of this for IL purposes. Such amounts are clearly added to federal wages for tax purposes (usually just on the W-2 for employer paid amounts). IL clearly says to "...withhold Illinois Income Tax if you are required to withhold (or have a voluntary agreement to withhold) federal income tax from payments..." Without further direction I would say: Employee deduction - reportable and taxable Employer contribution - reportable on W-2, subject to IL tax. Not clear if you must keep up with the employer contribution on a per check basis and withhold - for federal you can add it on the W-2 and leave it up to the employee to adjust their withholding or make up any difference.

Deadline is end of March. Accuwage is available (free) to test your efw2 file "before" you submit it.

Thanks for the kind words. Any questions re Medlin, feel free to e-mail me directly. [email protected]

Date on check is constructive receipt for payroll purposes (for example). First date recipient could have had access to the funds. On the other hand, I know of a company that holds checks for a month or more to delay reporting income at the end of their accounting year. Was audited and there were no problems - and it "was" noticed there was zero income in late November and early December and a huge spike in January. From the recipient's end, how the heck was the auditor going to get hold of the checks from the sender? All they could use were the deposit records... My personal choice is if getting a 1099, you pretty much use what is on the 1099 or fight to have the 1099 changed or to explain the 1099 is incorrect. Consider cost of battling a 1099 to any savings by defering income. If not getting a 1099, the choice is yours, 2007 or 2008, whichever suits the needs of the recipient.

And while you are thinking about it, take a few minutes to restore the files to a temporary filder and see if you can open them. It will give you a little peace of mind, or at least a chance to change your backup procedures before restore is needed.

I don't use that software... What about using the software on another drive so you can peek at what is contained in the "missing" configuration? (Make a small backup using the same settings you had on the old computer.) It may be there is information saved for every file and/or folder, but maybe you get lucky and only some generic stuff is saved like whether or not the compression is on or not. What I am getting at is maybe you can recreate the missing file close enough to get it to work with your existing data - and that if your lost data is important enough, it may be worth it to try.

Being the type that has to know, I found the following discussion: Iomega User Community There is a poster that has come up with a way to restore without the configuration file. (added: of compression was in default, which is on, but ratio set to none) === "Hi guys, I had a similar problem. I backed up all my files using the data backup mode in iomega automatic backup pro. It was on default settings which is compression on but compression ratio set to none. Went I went to restore the files the iomega program couldn't find the configuration files. I have a written a program which is still a bit rough but will basically copy all your backed up files to a new location strip off the "0." off the start and the ".IAB" off the end. It also strip the first 17 bytes off the start which seems to have done the trick and restored all my files. If any of you guys have the same problem drop me an email at my username at hotmail.com with Iomega in the subject line and I'll send you a copy or the source code if you want. I haven't written any error handling or stuff yet but if your desperate I'll send you the work in progress." === There may be other solutions available if you search longer.

For those already taking cards, do some research into how many non-qual transactions you have (higher rate). There are soem specific requirements you can look at to get the best rate. For instance, a 0 in the sales tax field can cause the transaction to be non-qual even if all other requirements are met. A teaser rate from a processor may just be for certain very specific transactions. Costco/Nova is who we are using at present, and is pretty straight forward as to what it takes to get their best rate.

Check with Costco (uses NOVA) if available to you. Very competitive rates, good customer service.

Belt & 'spenders - I confess. Wore them before but for special use (race car pit crew, lots of stuff to carry on a belt / in pockets - scrambling around car is not the time to have pants fall). There are those who have lost data - and those who will soon. Not so much my own trouble (I learned pretty fast the first time I had a problem), but I get far too many (one is too many) support calls from people who have no backup, one backup which has nothing of value or was from the 1900's, and some that wonder why our software does not "send" data back to us to keep for them! I read something not too long ago about hard drives more than 3 years in use can have a very high risk of failure. As computer improvements sort of slow down compared to what we need (less rush to get the latest/fastest) more people may be using older computers. I don't necessairly do all the things I mentioned on a daily basis. I have done all of them at some point. For me, backing up source code and being able to recover it is my financial survival (the kids seem to like eating on a regular basis). Second would be internet access (web site, tech support, credit card processing, etc.). Voice phone is third. It is all about risk level. Until you test a recovery situation, it is hard to be accurate with your personal risk level (meaning how much time/effort are you willing to put into recovery assuming you can even recover). Work wise, our software has easy to use backup methods which keeps the last 20 backups automatically - because end users mostly think one backup is enough. We also make an automatic backup at program close (keep the last 20 sets of these as well) in case there is a power outage. When asked by a customer, I describe backing up as backup as often as you are willing to spend retyping. In other words, never backup if you don't mind starting from scratch. Backup monthly if you don't mind reentering a month's worth of data. Backing up (at least our software's data files) takes SECONDS. Backing up every 20 minutes is not a time waster, and gives you a chance to refocus your eyes for distance and stretch a little. Personally, I don't backup more than once a day. I code pretty slow (meaning way more time thinking and planning than typing), and yes, a couple of times in 25 years I have had to Groundhog Day due to computer/power issues, not enough to worry about backing up more often. The one part of this topic I am leaving untouched is privacy/security. I'll leave it up to others to decide how backing up may put client data at risk and the means to attempt adequate security.

Tapes are good - as long as your replacement computer can read them. Sometimes the tape drive fails or the new computer has no bay for the tape drive. Make sure to have the tape drive software available too. (Been there.) The thing that bothers me about tapes is they are not common. What I mean is you don't normally see a computer ready for purchase at a local super center or office supply with a tape drive in them. I want to be able to walk up and buy a ready to go computer any time I need one. Yes, you can likely swap the tape drive to the new computer, but what if the old computer is stolen or damaged? CD's and DVD's are so cheap now that I don't even use RW disks anymore. CD/DVD's are not bothered by water, soda, food, wrinkling, tearing, etc. I had this one tape drive that I had to remember to clean before use as the end of tape sensor was worn and would rip the tape off the spool often. Other backup type things I do: I can't say it enough, whatever media you are using for backup, make sure to use multiple copies. One tape or disk is not enough. Three is probably not enough either. Five or six is adequate, eleven is getting there. (Rotation patterns are available from many sources.) Once you get a good rotation, test at least a couple times a year. We have a cable internet connection here. At home, I use DSL. Not likely both will go down at same time (I live about 2 miles away). The DSL also comes with dial up access which I have preset and tested both at home and work. I test the dial up the last working day of each month. My cell phone can be used to access the internet as well. Verizon allows 14.4k access with all plans (you have to search for the info). Connects to laptop through USB. Slow (I still remember putting phone set in cradle for 300bps if lucky), but useful enough for e-mail and processing orders. Both laptop and phone can run off power inverter. In CA, we have had rolling power brown outs in the past. Interestingly, work is on a circuit that is exempt, as well as my home location. For home offices, if you have anyone residing there with medical needs (needs power for medical equipment), make sure the power company knows. Your circuit may be removed from the brown out rotation. When I get a new computer, the old hard drive gets put in the new computer as a second drive. I make a copy of the entire old drive on the new drive, reformat the old drive, install an OS on the old drive, then copy back the info from the new drive. I leave the old drive running and use it for backup. Not quite a hot swappable system, but with a few commands, I can boot from the other drive if needed.

Backup is pretty easy. The risk is relative. Once you determine your risk, you can figure out how to meet it. If you are willing to retype/recreate everything, you never have to backup. If you are willing to retype/recreate only an hour's worth of work, backup every hour. Besides odd/even, use a rotation of weekly/monthly backups as well. This is in case you discover an issue which would not be repaired by using your odd/even items. Testing is critical. Having backups is pointless unless you can use them. Pretend you have lost everything and have to start over. See if you can. Cheaper to try it before needed. Test recover from scratch at least once a year. If you are on a LAN, setup a folder on several other computers that everyone uses for backup storage. We have 3 machines in this office. We all make regular backups which get copied onto each computer. The odds are a normal failure will be computer based and recovery is a matter of moving to a different machine until the other machine is fixed/replaced. One part often missed is a real disaster. What if you had to start over at a new site with no access to your previous site/equipment? (Fire, earthquake, other disaster.) An offsite backup is the only salvation. I rotate CD's at home, have a backup on a web site (hosted in another part of the country), etc. Mailing a rotation to a different weather/geographic area is probably ok as getting it back by mail is not a bad delay in most cases. How about internet access? If your main access goes down, can you move somewhere to get going again? Can you reinstall your critical applications? Do you have all your passwords memorized or written and stored somewhere? How about a phone system failure? Call forwarding can be accomplished by a call to the phone company (they can do it on the fly, especially if you have a business line). Power issues? A power inverter for your car and a long extension cord can be used to keep you going for quite some time, especially if you have a laptop you can use. Do you have a hardwired phone you can use? Wireless phones need power... Part of what is on our site: (Disk can be a floppy, RW, Flash, whatever) === This rotation uses a total of 11 "disks", plus a "permanent disk" at the end of each year. Four "daily disks" labeled Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. (Friday is covered by the weekly disk.) At the end of each day, backup on to the appropriate disk. Three "weekly disks" labeled Weekly 1, Weekly 2, and Weekly 3. (The fourth and fifth weeks are covered by the monthly disk.) At the end of each week, backup onto the appropriate disk. Use a rotation of four monthly disks labeled Monthly 1, Monthly 2, Monthly 3, and Monthly 4. Monthly 1 gets used at the end of Jan, May, and Sept Monthly 2 gets used at the end of Feb, Jun, and Oct Monthly 3 gets used at the end of Mar, Jul, and Nov Monthly 4 gets used at the end of Apr and Aug. (Dec is covered by the yearly disk) Make a "permanent" backup at the end of each year. This backup method gives you multiple backups to choose from should you ever need them. If you do not discover an error for two months, you will still have the data from two months ago to reuse. If you spend less than an hour a day making entries, you can consider skipping daily backups.

Older programs. I still use Norton Commander for some file stuff (with Vista 32) - a version from 1991. Old habits are hard to break. A couple times a year I get someone wanting to buy our DOS based version. For our software (Medlin), we tell people we have only tested the current versions with Vista. Older versions may work, but we did not try them enough to make any promises. Our time is likely better spent with current and coming versions, not making sure a program written in 1999 works with a newer OS. I am not niave enough to try to tell someone one of our programs won't work with Vista so I have to (smile) use honesty. For grins, I just opened one of our 1987 DOS based programs and it opens and runs fine. A 1999 Win 3.1 (16 bit) based program installed and opened fine as well. We don't use any wierd OS dependent things in our programs. I did not use any compatibility settings. The strangest we do are a couple of "undocumented" API calls to Windows that Windows itself uses and keeps updated. Even for those, if they fail, we have an alternate method that would keep the program functioning. added: Older programs will usually run faster with a new OS as you have usually updated the hardware. In our case, our DOS based programs which were lightening quick at the time appear even faster now - because we had to spend so much time optimizing for that environment and for the hardware of the day. Now, for most straight line programs (single task, one user) one spends very little time optimizing code because the computer can do things faster than one can type/click/read/print. I still dabble in low level programming for certain things, but that it a personal choice - end users can't see the difference any more. In other words, software/code bloat has very little penalty with current hardware. MS has made a living on not outdating software with each new OS, and despite their effort to kill DOS/16bit/32bit stuff (to get you to upgrade), it still exists, is used, and functions fine. The only problems are programmer induced problems, such as trying to access hardware directly instead of through the OS. Dennis

Soapbox on The SLOWEST part of modern computing is hard drive access. I venture to guess that while some improvements have been made over the years, it is nowhere near as much improvement as any other area. Fastest access times on the hard drive will help the most. (Old timers will remember that starting with DOS version 5.0 through today disk caching has been around trying to improve in this area - and causing problems!) Next up would be display speed (video card, drivers, monitor, etc.) if the program has lots of colors, shapes, graphics, and so on. Memory - if you can rin Windows, you have enough. Sure, certain programs work better with more, but usually that is only noticed when you keep many programs open at the same time. Chip speed is nice, but other than high end games, anything you buy is good. I am not all that familiar with ATX, but from what I gather there are lots of forms to open and close. If you notice a delay during this time, then the forms are not likely preloaded so hard drive speed is critical, not memory or graphic speed. One thing you can do to help almost any hard drive is make it LOUDER. Most drives come setup to reduce noise (and speed). There are many free utilities that you can use to set your drive to not lower noise (make it faster). Search for "acoustic management" for more information. While most will say removing the noise management will result in only a small performance gain, a small gain with the slowest part of computing will be noticed. Soapbox off Looking at your specs, I would put programs and data on the fastest drive and use the second drive for backups and other things not speed critical. Two cores are nice. It helps with multi-tasking. Data programs may never use both cores as they need straight line processing (can't go ahead with a second calculation until the first is done). If you are a one program at a time person, then a single core may be faster.