I still can’t decide whether or not to give Windows 7 a try just yet. With XP Pro, Vista and Ubuntu currently forming my tri-boot setup, I don’t know whether I’d really end up spending enough time with it to justify the installation. I definitely need to check how it writes to the existing, or perhaps uses a new second stage bootstrap loader type thingy (I just double checked that I had the right term in my head).
From friends comments and reviews, Windows 7 software developments may make it worth the hassle, and most seem to view 7 vs. Vista as the equivalent of Windows XP vs. Windows Millenium (Me). If it is anything like 50% of the difference found in those two OSs, I’ll be very interested.
Jul 28 2009
Going Quad?
Sep 07 2008
Nero 6 Lying To You?
If you are like me, you will have found Nero 7 and 8 to be just too bloated. Because of this, I stuck to version six. One problem with this version is that the speed you are actually recording at is not displayed. Although Nero informs you that you are burning a DVD at 16x for example, it will most likely be lower than that at the beginning of the disc. In my case, I have hardware issues with my DVD burner, so discs currently take just under an hour to burn. Without being able to see the true speed the disc is actually being burnt at, it took a while to figure out whether any tweaks I’d been trying were actually working.
If you want Nero to report the ACTUAL speed your disc is being burnt at, download this file, double click, and possibly reboot. Nero should then tell you the truth. The file, when opened, will add a registry setting, so please do not do this unless you are happy fiddling in regedit should something go wrong, and if you are not using Windows XP, you may find this doesn’t work. My thanks to cdfreaks.com forums for the assistance.
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May 11 2008
Windows XP Service Pack 3
Well, my PC seems to be running OK, so I thought why not give SP3 a try, and see what breaks 🙂
If you don’t see me online for a while, you’ll know why…
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Mar 13 2008
Like Humans Do
Not a reference to the track that is included with Windows XP installations for some reason, but rather a wedding ceremony with a difference!
Over in Eastern India, two monkeys were joined in matrimony before being released back to the wild. To discover the story behind the photo, click here.
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Jul 14 2007
BBC Set To Talk Over Open Source Software
For Brits who pay for a TV licence, there will be a service launched at the end of this month that will allow them to watch TV programs from the previous week, and keep them stored for up to 30 days in most instances.
Unfortunately, the initial release will only work on PCs with Windows XP, and some people are claiming this gives Microsoft an unfair advantage. Although the BBC is hoping to bring out a version for Macs soon, it looks as though Vista PCs and mobile devices will have to wait a little longer. I was not able to source any information about plans for Linux based computers.
If the iPlayer application/service was open source, it seems more likely that porting it to other platforms would take less time, though some people fear this would make it easier to bypass the DRM (digital rights management) contained within iPlayer, that stops downloads from working after a set time, and presumably blocks anyone other than the original licence player’s PC from being able to play the videos.
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Jun 26 2007
Office 2003 Cut Off
If anyone else has upgraded to Microsoft’s Office 2007, they may be interested to know that Microsoft have announced that no more CDs of Office 2003 will be manufactured. Of course some supplies will continue to exist for a while, as retailers sell off their remaining stock, but Microsoft have also released the dates that they will stop fully supporting the application suite (January 2009). However, for another 5 years after that, they will still release critical security updates.
I tried Office 2007 for a few weeks, but just could not get to grips with the new way of working; I suppose, in much the same way as I eventually migrated to Windows XP from 98, I will have to just knuckle down and learn how to use it properly. Until that point, or perhaps when I next have a technical support role that will require in depth knowledge of 2007, I am very happy to stick to my tradition File, Edit, View etc. menus 🙂
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May 07 2007
Windows XP On A PDA!!!
When I first read the description accompanying a link to the Register’s story, I though it was just another case of a lazy journalist (unlike my highly efficient journalist brother, Nick; more on that to come later…) not bothering to do any research before posting.
It initially sounded as though there was another remote connection application being launched, with some vague claims for industry firsts.
However, if you check the article in question, you’ll discover that this is quite different. Apparently, there will be real remote desktops available (for a fee of course), accessible through either a Java applet or ActiveX control, on a web page. This means that ANY technology capable of interacting with a web site, through the aforementioned methods, should be able to ‘use’ a Windows XP machine. The ramifications of this are quite wide spread, for example people can work on their documents where ever they happen to be at the time, if they can get an internet connection there.
Although I still regularly use various VNC clients, I can see this sort of technology becoming more popular in the future, as the uses of it are realised by people in different sectors.
This post is NOT sponsored, once more I found the information interesting, and hope some of you may do so also…
Nov 02 2006
New Experience
A friend dropped their PC off today, to sort two issues…
First was easy enough, their portable (USB) hard drive required more juice than his motherboard/PSU could supply. Unfortunately, the drive didn’t come with a separate AC/DC power supply, although it sports a socket for such a transformer. Given the state of finding normal power/audio/video accessories over here, I’ve suggested an easier solution, but less expensive than grabbing a new PSU for the PC. I double checked, and as long as it is of the powered, rather than passive, variety, a new USB hub should solve the problem. Unusual for a USB hub to be the solution to a problem, rather than the cause, but there we go. This way, the USB is only used for data to/from the PC, the power is supplied completely separately by the hub itself.
Next we have a fun issue, where, seemingly at random, the windows GUI flips out and reverts to Windows 98 flat style. No particular software or activity seems to trigger it, so I finally got round to obtaining a Russian Windows XP disc, and will have a go at restoring explorer.exe and ntoskrnl.exe to their original states. If all else goes wrong, he hasn’t reinstalled XP since he got the PC, and some of his friends pride themselves on their l33t hacking & ‘virus’ writing skills, so I’m backing up his entire personal data collection over night (damn D-Link router runs @ 100MBit, not 1GBit, I’m now too lazy to disconnect and patch up direct one to one…) Also running anti virus scans on full depth once xfer is complete.
Had a nice meal and drink with him and his parents (friends with the in-laws), and introduced them to Angel Delight (Andy & KZBlog, you know your days are numbered :P). Already got Igor hooked up to Marmite…
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