From:
Review date: 13 =
September=20
2000. Last updated =
13/09/00. Buy=20
EasyClone!
Untie=20
your phone line! More=20
FREE stuff than you can poke a =
stick at is=20
at Free2Try.com! Likewise, the storage and display subsystems =
of the=20
average PC generally spend quite a lot more time doing nothing in=20
particular than they spend moving data into or out of RAM or a =
hard disk,=20
and changing the display on the screen. As opposed to just =
displaying the=20
same thing for zillions of consecutive screen =
refreshes. Think of the above facts as one piece of a=20
puzzle. Here are a couple more. Windows 98 lets you install more than one =
graphics=20
card in your PC, and thereby connect more than one =
monitor. And, with the popularity of Universal Serial =
Bus=20
(USB), you can easily connect multiple keyboards and mouses to one =
Windows=20
98 PC, too. Putting these pieces together, you've got a =
computer=20
full of under-utilised components, that can have two monitors and =
two=20
keyboards and two mouses connected to it. Why, with a bit of clever software, you'd =
think it'd=20
be possible to make that computer behave as two whole separate =
machines,=20
wouldn't you? And you'd be right. ATEN International's EasyClone PC Duplicator =
package=20
includes an extra video card and some special software which lets =
you, in=20
effect, split a Windows 98 computer in two. Two separate Windows =
sessions,=20
two different users logged on, different monitors, different =
keyboards,=20
different mouses. You need to supply your own extra keyboard, =
mouse, and=20
monitor, and they have to be USB, but you still end up saving a =
goodly=20
slab of money compared with the price of a whole new computer. =
As long as neither user hogs some system =
resource when=20
the other one wants to use it, they need hardly be aware of each =
other's=20
existence. Well, that's the theory, anyway. EasyClone costs $AUD269.50 including GST. =
That's a=20
little steep, given that the US list price according to this =
page=20
is $US89, but it's still cheap compared with a new =
computer. Is EasyClone as good as a whole new =
computer,=20
though? Well, maybe. It depends on what you're=20
doing. The EasyClone box contains a CD-ROM, a =
floppy disk, a=20
slim but perfectly all right manual, and a video card. And quite a =
lot of=20
air, courtesy no doubt of marketing people who decided that the =
dinky=20
little box into which you could easily fit the EasyClone kit =
wouldn't seem=20
to justify the price. On the side of the EasyClone box, it says it =
comes=20
with a "high performance" PCI video card. Some people might call =
that=20
false advertising, because the card the EasyClone comes with is =
based on=20
the Silicon Integrated Systems (SiS - Web site here) 6326=20
graphics chip. And it's the lowest-spec version of the 6326, with =
only=20
four megabytes of video memory. The SiS 6326 is not a high =
performance device,=20
by current standards. Or indeed even by the standards of a couple =
of years=20
ago. The original 6326 was released in May 1997, so this isn't a =
big=20
surprise. The 6326 isn't rubbish; for everyday =
2D tasks=20
it'll do. There are lots of 6326 chips built into low cost=20
integrated-video motherboards aimed at markets where playing Quake =
3 is=20
not a priority. The price is certainly right; 4Mb 6326 cards like =
this=20
one, retail boxed, commonly sell for well under $US30 from mail =
order=20
dealers. Here in Australia, you can get one delivered for a tad =
more than=20
$AUD55, or less than $AUD80 for the deluxe 8Mb version. Unfortunately, the EasyClone package sticks =
you with=20
the 6326 card. Its special software only works with the included =
board,=20
plus whatever video card you had before. Pretty much any video =
board will=20
work as a "primary" card for Windows 98 multi-monitor operation, =
so it's=20
not likely that you'll see any compatibility problems, but your =
new=20
pseudo-computer isn't going to win any video speed =
awards. The EasyClone card supports up to 1024 by =
768 at a=20
75Hz refresh rate in 24 bit colour. It'll do 1280 x 1024 as well, =
but only=20
in 16 bit "high colour" mode, and only at a 60Hz refresh =
rate. Installing the EasyClone package is easy =
enough. Shut=20
down, insert new video card, power back up again. The instructions =
tell=20
you to plug in the USB keyboard and mouse for the second =
workstation (or=20
"Workplace", as ATEN call it) while the machine's off, but this =
doesn't=20
make any difference; part of the big deal about USB is that you =
can "hot=20
plug" devices - connecting and unconnecting things with the =
computer on.=20
The USB hardware just has to be plugged in when you install the =
EasyClone=20
software, later on. The primary workstation you're making has to =
use a=20
PS/2 mouse and keyboard. A serial mouse won't do; it's got to be =
PS/2.=20
PS/2 mouses are nicer to use on Intel-compatible boxes anyway, =
because=20
they have a higher sample rate - the number of times per second =
the=20
pointer position is updated. But if you're still using a serial =
mouse, and=20
many people are, then you'll need to buy a PS/2 one as well as =
your USB=20
mouse and keyboard. You can use a PS/2 mouse for the =
second=20
workstation, but only if you've got one of the (unusual) USB =
keyboards=20
with a PS/2 socket included, which make the PS/2 mouse look like a =
USB one=20
to the computer. Start up the machine and it ought to =
automatically=20
detect the new video card (there are drivers for it on the =
EasyClone=20
CD-ROM) and input hardware. After a reboot, you're in standard=20
multi-monitor mode. Now, without any extra software at all, =
Display=20
Properties will let you easily extend your Windows desktop onto =
extra=20
monitors. Windows gives you a simple interface in which you set =
the screen=20
mode for the other monitors and tell the operating system how =
they're=20
arranged. No matter where you put your screens - even if they're =
different=20
sizes and oddly lined up - something dragged off the edge of one =
screen=20
can be set to come onto the matching edge of an adjacent one, with =
acceptably accurate alignment. Since Win98 does this all by itself, it =
means that if=20
you disable the EasyClone software later, you can spin the other =
monitor=20
around and enjoy dual-screen single-user computing. Move on to installing the EasyClone =
software, and you=20
get to set up an administrator password, and configure the users =
you want=20
to be able to log in. You need at least two Windows users defined =
to use=20
EasyClone properly. Win98's user profile handling has no security =
features=20
- one user can mess around with another user's setup and files, =
without=20
knowing their password. But Windows otherwise does a decent job of =
letting=20
multiple people have their own configurations set up on one Win98=20
machine. Different Start Menu contents, different =
desktops,=20
different cosmetic settings and so on. EasyClone hooks into the =
profile=20
system, and simply lets a couple of the users use the machine=20
simultaneously. The installer also makes a "rescue disk" =
that lets you=20
disable EasyClone if the system gets confused and can't boot. The =
rescue=20
disk even lets you return the system registry to the pre-install =
state if=20
you like. ATEN obligingly give you an appropriately labelled =
formatted=20
floppy in the EasyClone box. If you want sound for your new workstation, =
you have=20
to install USB speakers or a USB-to-speaker-jack adaptor (I review =
one=20
such here). =
Otherwise,=20
the primary workstation will be able to use whatever sound =
hardware the PC=20
has, and the other workstation will be mute. There are a couple of minor oddities. The =
instructions=20
tell you, for instance, that the software ought to automatically =
start=20
installing when you insert the CD. It definitely won't, because =
the CD=20
lacks the AUTORUN.INF file that tells Windows how to "autoplay" an =
install=20
CD. No matter; the instructions tell you where the install program =
is, as=20
well, and it's easy to run it manually. For some reason, the instructions also tell =
you to set=20
the key repeat and mouse speed to the maximum possible, "to =
improve the=20
behaviour and functionality of the EasyClone environment". How, =
exactly, a=20
mouse cursor that's faster than a speeding bullet helps you in =
this=20
department I don't know. More sensibly, the instructions also warn =
you against=20
setting power-saving settings that may unexpectedly tell the =
computer to=20
hibernate, or blank its monitors, when one workstation doesn't =
want it to=20
happen. EasyClone can run in single-user mode, where =
the=20
machine behaves like a normal Windows box, or in multi-user mode, =
where=20
you can activate the second workstation - and more, if you install =
more=20
than one EasyClone kit. You can, in theory at least, install as =
many as=20
four EasyClones if you've got enough spare PCI slots. When you're in multi-user mode but haven't =
yet=20
activated the second workstation, the second monitor just displays =
a text=20
message saying as much. There's no way for someone sitting in =
front of=20
that monitor to activate the workstation; if they don't know the =
EasyClone=20
administrator password and lack You can tell EasyClone to =
automatically=20
activate the second workstation on Windows startup, or let you do =
it=20
manually. Once it's activated, the second workstation =
behaves=20
superficially like an ordinary Windows machine. There's a normal =
log-in=20
box, you can run applications in the usual way. All of the drives =
are=20
shared, and so's the printer, if there is one. Even DOS stuff=20
works. Most apps are happy enough to have two users =
simultaneously running separate instances of the program. If an =
app lets=20
you run two separate copies of itself on a normal single-user =
machine,=20
it'll let you run it twice via EasyClone, too, without installing =
a whole=20
new copy of the app. It might not be legal - many =
application=20
licenses don't let two people use the software at once - but it's=20
certainly possible. You can't have two people working on the =
same=20
document, though, unless you're running some groupware application =
that=20
specifically allows it. And Web browsing works as you'd expect, too. =
If either=20
workstation's connected to the Internet, then both of them are. =
You don't=20
need any Internet sharing software. This is because they're still =
one=20
computer, as far as networking's concerned, and Internet access is =
essentially just a TCP/IP network connection. Of course, if you're using a modem, both =
workstations=20
will share its bandwidth, and two people browsing at once will =
notice a=20
considerable slowdown. It's even possible for one workstation to =
control=20
another. Activate the remote control option and EasyClone just =
lets one=20
workstation see and control another, without putting you to all =
the=20
trouble of walking around the desk. In ordinary use, for boring purposes =
(business apps,=20
exceedingly lightweight games like the ones that come with =
Windows), the=20
EasyCloned workstations work perfectly normally. It's easy to find =
out=20
that you're not using a stand-alone computer, though. For a start, you can't install new software =
when=20
EasyClone's in Multi-User mode. EasyClone detects any attempt to =
do so,=20
and gives you a button to click to turn off multi-user mode. The =
computer=20
restarts, and you can log on to the main terminal as any user, =
then=20
install the software. There are also some programs that you =
shouldn't run in=20
multi-user mode. You can configure a list of these "danger apps"; =
if you=20
try to run them, EasyClone stops you. The only things in the =
danger list=20
by default are Scandisk and Defrag, both of which do low-level =
hard disk=20
manipulation that's a very bad idea when another copy of Windows =
is=20
blithely chugging along on the same computer. Shutting down's different, too. When you =
tell the=20
master Workplace to shut down, the secondary Workplace gets a =
warning=20
requestor and a 30 second countdown to close all of its =
applications. If=20
everything isn't shut down and saved by then, tough. The user of =
either=20
workplace can hit a button to do the shutdown now, without=20
waiting. If you tell the secondary Workplace to shut =
down, it=20
does it as normal from the user's point of view, but then goes =
back to the=20
plain text screen you got before that Workplace was started - the =
computer=20
itself doesn't shut down, and the master Workplace isn't affected. =
You can=20
change this behaviour and let both Workplaces shut the machine =
down=20
completely, if you like. The first machine I tried EasyClone out on =
is a=20
workhorse with has had a zillion bits of hardware and software =
installed=20
and uninstalled; its Win98 install still seems to be working fine, =
but=20
EasyClone didn't want to know about it. I got an error message =
complaining=20
about a VXD that didn't exist as a discrete file on the system. =
This is=20
how Windows tells you to nuke a machine from orbit, or pick a new=20
machine. The second machine I tried EasyClone on, =
with a less=20
mucked-about-with system, worked fine. Driven by a P-III at =
668MHz, it's a=20
decently speedy computer. The question is - will it stay =
speedy, with two=20
people using it? EasyClone itself doesn't seem to have much =
of an=20
impact on system performance. The second Windows session eats a chunk of =
memory, so=20
you really need at least 128Mb of RAM in order to be able to do =
worthwhile=20
things on two workstations without flogging your hard drive to =
death. The=20
minimum specifications for the EasyClone system are a 100MHz =
Pentium with=20
32Mb of RAM, but you should take them with the same bucket full of =
salt=20
that all minimum specification figures deserve. In any case, if one workstation's logged in =
but not=20
doing anything, the other one seems to get pretty much full system =
speed. What happens, though, if both workstations =
are=20
doing something - and especially if they're fighting over the same =
resources? Naively, you might expect a computer split =
down the=20
middle into two equal-priority sessions to end up giving each =
session half=20
of the computer's total performance, assuming the two sessions are =
each=20
asking for the same things at the same time. In reality, it doesn't work that way, =
because a CPU=20
can't perfectly divide its attention between two tasks, and =
neither can a=20
hard drive or a RAM subsystem. Swapping from one task to another =
takes a=20
non-zero amount of time, and doing two things at once can take a =
lot=20
longer than doing one thing, then the other. To get a worst case scenario benchmark =
result, I fired=20
up Wintune on the =
EasyClone=20
machine, first on one workstation, then on the other, then on both =
at=20
once. When one workstation was idle and the other =
one was=20
running the benchmark, I got the results I'd expect - practically=20
identical CPU and RAM and disk speed figures, and 2D and 3D video =
speed=20
figures representative of the relative performance of the two =
video=20
cards. The test machine was using another budget =
video card=20
as its main graphics board - an 8Mb Trident Blade3D card (reviewed =
here), which =
delivers=20
pretty unexciting 3D performance but has fast 2D. It's noticeably =
faster=20
than the SiS board even in 2D mode. Blade3D-based cards just like =
it=20
currently sell for a princely $US35 or so. The disparate video speeds of the two =
sessions meant=20
that the benchmarks got out of sync pretty quickly - the primary =
session,=20
with the faster video card, had finished more than five full test=20
sequences before the slower session had finished three. But the effect of one session on the other =
was=20
obvious. Some tests didn't hurt performance on the other side too =
much -=20
hard disk and 2D video tests didn't make much difference. But when =
one=20
side was doing a CPU speed test, the other side practically ground =
to a=20
halt, as you'd expect. These high-priority CPU-test tasks actually =
gave CPU=20
speed results only slightly slower than I'd got in the =
single-session=20
tests, but that was at the cost of making the other workstation =
pretty=20
much incapable of anything. Overall, the SiS card's already crummy video =
speed=20
results were practically halved again, because it was spending =
about half=20
of its time unable to draw anything at all. Oddly, though, the =
Blade3D's=20
video results only took a small hit; perhaps the primary =
workstation gets=20
a priority boost, or perhaps it's just because Blade3D was the =
primary=20
video card. Simultaneous 3D games on the two =
workstations were a=20
complete non-starter. I could play Quake 2 on the primary =
workstation=20
without the secondary one being completely paralysed, but =
it was=20
still badly affected. The current SiS 6326 drivers at least pretty =
much work=20
with OpenGL and Direct3D, so you can in theory run 3D games. In =
practice,=20
with a slow chipset and only 4Mb of video RAM, it's not really =
worth=20
bothering. 2D games, maybe. Older 3D games in 640 by 480, perhaps. =
Anything more - forget it. Since you won't have sound on the =
secondary=20
workstation unless you shell out for a USB audio option, you're =
probably=20
not going to be running any terribly demanding entertainment =
software on=20
it anyway. The EasyClone FAQ recommends against =
multi-user gaming=20
on one system using EasyClone, because "most computers do not have =
enough=20
power to handle it". Which is partly true - a lot of games do load =
up the=20
CPU in a big way. But another part of the reason why two-player =
gaming on=20
the one computer's inadvisable is that the EasyClone SiS video =
card is=20
slow as a wet week, and even if it's installed as an ordinary =
single=20
graphics card without all of the EasyClone gubbins, it'll still =
give you a=20
singularly crummy multiplayer experience. Less demanding games wouldn't be such a =
problem. But=20
since even many 2D games use a lot of CPU time, I really don't =
think an=20
EasyClone system is going to be any good in multi-user mode with =
pretty=20
much any current commercial game title. Multiplayer gaming's likely to be impossible =
anyway,=20
because the EasyCloned machine isn't really two separate units =
from a=20
networking point of view. The two users may log in with different =
names,=20
but it's still one computer, with one network address, and it's =
not=20
possible for one workstation to host a game that the other =
workstation can=20
join. Mind you, both workstations can join =
a game=20
that's hosted by some other machine on the network, or on the =
Internet, as=20
long as that game server doesn't have conniptions over two users=20
apparently sharing the same network location. Most games don't =
have this=20
problem. On the one hand, you can think of EasyClone =
as giving=20
you a whole new computer for $AUD200 or so plus the price of a =
monitor, a=20
keyboard and a mouse. Subtract the value of the video card from =
the=20
EasyClone purchase price and it costs significantly more than many =
other=20
software packages, but it's still not outrageously expensive for =
what it=20
does. If you want another computer to play games =
on, though,=20
or you just want that computer to be at a different desk from the =
first=20
one, then you've got a problem. You can get long-range video and keyboard =
and mouse=20
relay units, also known as "console extenders", and one of those =
would let=20
you put an EasyClone workstation more than 50 metres away from the =
actual=20
computer. Most console extenders don't do USB extension, but =
there's no=20
reason why the primary workstation, with its PS/2 =
peripherals,=20
can't be the one you move far, far away. But you're talking another $US200 for a =
basic console=20
extender, so buying a whole separate computer starts to become =
quite=20
attractive. When it's $AUD600 or so to get your "virtual =
PC"=20
happening in a different room to the first one, plus the price of =
the=20
peripherals and monitor that you have to buy anyway, you might as =
well buy=20
a second hand Celeron box and a couple of network cards and do it=20
properly. What EasyClone's obviously meant to do is =
let one=20
person use a computer for productivity tasks - business software, =
graphics=20
apps, Web browsing or other things that don't really stretch the =
system -=20
while someone else uses it either for more relatively simple work, =
or=20
perhaps for games. And, if that's all you want to do, it's =
actually=20
pretty good. The limitations of the EasyClone setup are=20
significant, and rule it out completely for some users, regardless =
of how=20
ingenious is the idea. Gamers don't want it, people who want to =
run some=20
operating system other than Windows 98 don't want it, and people =
who need=20
proper secure separation of the different users don't want it,=20
either. But if you just want to more completely use =
your Win98=20
machine, and you don't want to do any of the things for which =
EasyClone's=20
no good, then this is a surprisingly elegant package. It performs =
pretty=20
much as advertised, you don't have to be a computer guru to set it =
up, and=20
it's not ridiculously expensive. Worth a look. Buy=20
EasyClone! What it is: Kit to split one Win98 PC =
into two=20
- sort of... Who makes it: ATEN International (Web site) What it costs: $AUD269.50 Best points: Works surprisingly well, =
for=20
undemanding users Worst points: The two terminals must =
be close=20
together; no good for high performance computing, including=20
games Daniel Rutter's reviews, and =
many more,=20
can be found on Dan's Data privacy=20
statement Web hosting kindly provided=20
by
EasyClone PC Duplicator
Readers from Australia or New =
Zealand=20
can purchase the EasyClone PC Duplicator kit from Aus PC=20
Market.
Click=20
here!
(if you're NOT from=20
Australia or New Zealand, don't bother!)
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suck.
Are you dumb =
enough to=20
give them your money?
Get wise at The=20
Motley Fool.Most components of =
most=20
computers spend most of their time doing nothing. You may be =
beavering=20
away at your spreadsheet or surfing the Web like a champion, but =
your CPU=20
is likely to be standing idle for considerably more time than it =
spends=20
processing data. The processor usually does what it needs to do to =
respond=20
to your keystrokes, mouse clicks and so on in a fraction of a =
second. Then=20
it leans on its shovel and contemplates infinity until the next =
job comes=20
along.
Enter EasyClone
What you get
Setting up
Using it
Limitations
Performance
Value
Overall
Readers from Australia or New =
Zealand=20
can purchase the EasyClone PC Duplicator kit from Aus PC=20
Market.
Click=20
here!
(if you're NOT from=20
Australia or New Zealand, don't bother!)
In brief
Australia's =
premiere=20
IT information source.
You can BUY products reviewed at Dan's Data from AUS PC=20
Market!
All content Copyright =A9 Daniel Rutter=20
1998-2000.
From Orbit Productions