The Crosstalk

Upgrading Nokia (un)Astound back to C7

2011-11-15T02:38:00.001-05:00

Before I begin, let me apologize for the title. It may be harsh, but is the dirty truth, that the Nokia Astound’s performance and overall use is very poor. For those of you wondering what the Nokia Astound even is, it is the U.S. version of the internationally sold Nokia C7. It is a very well-made device from Nokia, and really pleasantly surprised me when I received my Astound in the mail.

From a hardware level, it is very well made with the materials it leverages – an aluminum battery cover surrounded in a sturdy polycarbonate plastic, with a shiny aluminum bezel at the front, and centered with a hefty and beautiful multi-touch display covered by gorilla glass. However, I’m not here to write a review about the device as much as I am to help sell you on why you should still buy an Astound, given my previous statement that the performance is flat-out horrible.

First off, let me help clarify for those of you who have purchased this device already – it is a GREAT device. The problem is that the device uses a firmware image that is actually a public release of the new Symbian Anna update. In other words, the firmware is based upon a beta release of Symbian Anna, which is no longer in beta and has already had a few updates to its stable release. On top of that, this is a firmware image that has been “T-Mobile-ized” – it has been cluttered with software most people don’t care about or want, and contains limitations on certain things you can or cannot do. Furthermore, most apps on the Nokia Ovi store are only really maintained on the latest version of Symbian – and T-Mobile’s is 5 versions behind, on version 20.37 (the latest version of Symbian^3 is 25.7). If you tried downloading and using Skype on the device with the base firmware, you would have noticed you can’t hear anything when you make a test call.

For those thinking, “Well T-Mobile has to come out with an update soon”, don’t get your hopes up. This is the only version of the C7 that sold in the states, on a carrier that does not have a majority of the market as a cell carrier, as a device that most people don’t know and would avoid for fear of choosing “the wrong” smartphone. In any case, there most likely are not many Nokia Astound owners in the states that would even be reason for T-Mobile to sweat over customizing another image from Nokia. Plus, once I show you how easy it is to update it yourself, you’ll see why T-Mobile isn’t rushing to our aid.

If you’ve had any history of rooting Android, installing a hacked bootloader, etc, for Windows Mobile, or any other method of installing a non-carrier firmware image, you can rest assured that this process is surprisingly VERY easy to follow through. It requires only a few simple steps and moments later you’ll be speeding along with a full update of Symbian Anna, and all that it has to offer. You’ll find typing, internet browsing (with the DEFAULT browser), and multitasking to be quite fast compared to where you came from. The biggest caveat of installing this upgraded firmware is you don’t need to reformat and reinstall any apps or reconfigure much of your phone after doing this. You can choose to wipe and load the new image, but it isn’t necessary. Within 15 minutes of waiting to load, it will be done and you’ll be back to work, play, or whatever it is you enjoy using your phone for.

I did this on Windows 7 64-bit, so the latest and greatest shouldn’t be a stopping factory of this success. You will need two applications to do this, from a Windows computer: Phoenix and Navifirm. Phoenix is used to load or save a copy of firmware to or from your device, respectively. Navifirm is a program to view a repository of all firmware images available for (all?) Nokia phones and specific versions for each. Below are the steps I had taken to upgrade my phone, but please, feel free to explore on your own, as this looks pretty painless. Just use FW for RM-675 as I’m not sure if you’ll brick your phone or not by installing any other phone’s firmware.

In Navifirm, you’ll essentially want to download the latest firmware for the Nokia C7 (RM-675). The Nokia Astound (RM-691) only contains version 20.37 and is where we want to run away from as fast as possible. Click on Nokia C7 (RM-675) and wait a good 30 – 60 seconds for the second column to appear with a list of firmware versions. Select 22.14. I then selected euro2_benelux_frost_metal (059B421), as several other people have recommended. Again, this isn’t so crucial so long as you stick with RM-675. Then I downloaded this firmware using the button to the far right to obtain all necessary files.
Then (after downloading and installing the latest version of Phoenix from the website link above), I copied the firmware files I downloaded from Navifirm and placed them under C:\Program Files (x86)\Nokia\Phoenix\Products\RM-691\. More than likely, RM-691 will not exist, so it will need to be created, with that spelling. Phoenix looks for a folder with the exact name of your device’s model id. Otherwise, you will not be able to flash to the phone. Keep a note of this in future cases, because the id will change to RM-675, so you’ll need a folder by that name where you’ll place any other firmware variants you want to play with down the road.
I then opened Phoenix to load the firmware. I plugged in my phone, let it install all the necessary drivers, and then went to the Connections drop-down and selected my device. I then went to File –> Scan Product and it automagically detected my phone and opened the product. In the status bar, it showed my phone’s status and in the bottom left, it displayed Ready.
Then I went to Flashing –> Firmware Update. Where it says “Product Code”, you’ll want to click on the … button to view the available firmware for your phone. You’ll see a product code, which is the identifier for a particular variant. If you chose the above variant I mentioned, it would say 059B421. You’ll select it and then hit OK. Once selected, it will fill in the top line with the title and prod code of the firmware, and the version below it. Then once you select Update Software, it will reboot the phone to a firmware loading state. Your computer will appear like your phone is being unplugged and plugged in multiple times. This is normal as it is installing the drivers to make it work properly.
Once it is finished, your phone will reboot and should be on the latest version of firmware.

*****!!!!!!! NOTE !!!!!!!*****

You cannot revert your phone back to an older version of firmware (even if you needed to). At least from what I’ve found, it is impossible, if not VERY difficult to revert back. Be sure you are fine with doing this. Do take it from my experience that this phone works much better than it ever has before. A couple caveats do come with doing this. You will have voided your warranty with T-Mobile, if you still have one. Also, you will not have T-Mobile’s visual voicemail app capable of working. I’ve seen some other guys do it, though, so feel free to Google searching for it. It wasn’t important to me as I use Google Voice for voicemail, and receive text messages with the transcription. So I never missed it. As always, you will be doing this at your own risk. If you tried to revert to an older version of firmware, it would appear you’ve “bricked” your phone. No worries, you most likely didn’t. Follow this guide here for more help on getting your phone working: http://montakhab.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/flashing-dead-bricked-nokia-phones/ it has saved my neck on a number of occasions.

Windows 7 How to: Completely Remove and Reinstall Internet Explorer 8

2010-12-18T15:20:00.004-05:00

For Windows 7:

Whether your capacity of IT experience is as a career in the field or simply as a home user, you have most likely run into some issue where Internet Explorer 8 begins to exhibit an issue or erroneous behavior of some sort. Sometimes the issue can be solved by disabling an add-in from some third party software, and other times the process can be a bit more involved.

If, after spending 5 - 10 minutes of looking at your problem with Internet Explorer 8 on Windows 7, and you still cannot find what is causing the problem. I recommend you try completely reinstalling Internet Explorer 8. After just discovering how to do this myself, I figured there must be some other people experiencing similar issues. Considering that Internet Explorer 8 is the preliminary version that ships built-in with Windows 7, you can't simply go to Programs and Features (or Add/Remove Programs like in XP) and remove it, to then go back to the older version where everything was working all honky-dorey. Below is a brief guide explaining how to remove completely and reinstall Internet Explorer 8, and hopefully this will prove as helpful to you as it has to myself.

Things to note prior to doing this:

You will not lose any favorites when doing this. However, some addins that were installed prior to doing this may not reappear. I checked mine and they all appear as normal. If this does not occur for you, then they will need to be reinstalled by doing a repair install of that software in Programs and Features.

First, we need to remove Internet Explorer 8 from Programs and Features.

Install another browser if you do not have one. Pick your poison - Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari, etc. Personally, I use Opera for my secondary browser.
Go to Start -> Default Programs... -> and click on Programs and Features (located at the bottom-left corner). In the left-hand side of Programs and Features, click on Turn Windows Features On or Off.
Uncheck Internet Explorer 8 and click OK. When prompted to restart, click on Restart Later.
Open up Windows Explorer (Start -> Computer) and go to C:\Program Files\. Right click the folder Internet Explorer and select cut.
Go back up to your main C:\ folder and create a new folder called "Internet Explorer Backup". Double-click on that new folder and create one more folder called "Program Files". Right click on that folder and select Paste.
Go back to your C:\ folder and look for Program Files (x86). If you have that folder (meaning you have 64-bit Windows), then do the same as steps 3 and 4, but make the subfolder named "Program Files (x86)".
Now you can restart your computer.
When you start back up into Windows, open up a command prompt as administrator. (Start -> type CMD in the search box -> Right Click CMD.exe and select to "Run as administrator". Approve the User Account Control prompt that comes up to begin CMD as an admin.
Type the following command in the prompt: sfc /scannow.
This will re-create your Internet Explorer folder(s) you previously moved. Once SFC (System File Checker) is finished, do the reverse of step 3 by selecting Internet Explorer 8 in Programs and Features.
When prompted, select Restart Now.

Congratulations, you have completely reinstalled Internet Explorer 8 for Windows 7.
If any of you have some revisions or additions to better gut out further things (i.e. from the registry, %windir%, etc) please feel free to note them and I will update accordingly, with a reference to who posted that idea.

Top Ten Tools for IT

2009-01-29T22:50:00.002-05:00

People always tend to grow attached to their tools in life. Whether it is your favorite hammer, pencil or brand of tooth brush, everybody has their tool they personally grow close to. In the I.T. world, I grow more fond of the tools I use because they make my life all around easier. From system maintenance to enterprise communications to that tool you never knew you needed, here are the tools I use and love to use.

I will also mark which OS each tool is required on (or if it OS-independent)

1) RDTabs - (Windows) - This tool is just great. If you work on a Windows workstation and you need to remotely connect to other Windows computers (using the RDP protocol), this tool is a must. It is what the name implies - think of Firefox but for remote desktop. You have tabs across the top for each machine you are connected to, and the size of the window determines the resolution of the computer you will connect to. You can also save each connection as a favorite, leaving you the nice and easy task of connecting to a remote computer with a single click. It will notify you of an update and it also has a screen preview function to let you see all the active connections in one screen (like the Mac Expose feature).

2) CCleaner - (Windows) - This tool is the greatest. It's full name is Crap Cleaner, but that is not politically correct, so CCleaner it is. It will remove all of your temporary files from Internet Explorer, Firefox, Office, etc, and also scan and clean your registry when you want as well. This is just a cool toy.

3) Pidgin - (OS-Independent, Open-Source) - Tired of ads in AIM or Windows Live Messenger? Consolidate into one handy application - Pidgin. This app allows you to connect to AIM, MSN, Yahoo, Google, Myspace, and so many other chat platforms in one application. This program is light-weight, fast and easy to use. Get it while it's hot.

4) Amarok - ("OS-Independent", Open-Source) - Originally developed and released for KDE in Linux, this powerful, flexible, attractive application can now be run on any operating system (yes, it will run in Windows and Mac - note that it is not officially supported outside of Linux).

5) Spiceworks - (Windows) - For any company out there looking for a great informational tool, this application is a must. This tool is designed to be installed on a Windows server and will periodically scan the company (or home) network and report in lots of great information about each PC discovered. It also can pick up VOIP phones, printers, routers, and other great stuff. It will notify you if your printer ink is low, or if your antivirus is not up to date. It's a great tool, but it doesn't replace your IT department. So don't cut out the guys that spend every day learning this stuff.

6) VMWare Server - (Windows, Linux, Open-Source) - I have Ubuntu AMD64 installed on my work laptop. I need Windows, but I don't want to restart. What do I do? I install Windows inside of Linux using VMWare. I can run Windows as if it was another application (but don't use it for gaming). Virtualizing on a computer is already the greatest thing to do now, but it also makes sense to if you need to use Windows, Linux, or a Mac all at the same time, on the same computer (granted, you'll need some more powerful hardware). While I am working, I start up into Ubuntu, and whenever I need to, I launch Windows Vista from VMWare, inside of Ubuntu. I also have virtualized Windows 7 Beta 64-bit, and it runs flawlessly, and faster than Windows Vista. I highly recommend this tool for any computer nerd. It's just great, and fun. You'll have more stuff to play with than you know what to do.

7) Ubuntu - (Linux, Open-Source) - Let me correct myself. Ubuntu is Linux. Ubuntu is not just a tool, it is not just an operating system, it is the very thing that saved my laptop from being a nuissance. Ubuntu is a community of other people, it is fun, it is a pioneer, it is the best. Did I mention it is free? I'm not sure how free and open source software can remain free and still keep on being developed and mastered, but it is. I've been following and toying around with Ubuntu since it's version 5 days. It has greatly been making improvements by leaps and bounds. It has been becoming easier and easier to use, and the easier it is, the more people will use it. The more people use it, the better and better it becomes. Ubuntu is on an upward spiral to success if it keeps doing what it is doing. Ubuntu is a living, breathing animal, and you can watch it mature over time into a better and better OS. If you have a problem with some hardware, submit the bug into Launchpad (http://launchpad.net), and people will be quick to respond and create the software fix for some hardware that should be working, but just wasn't. Forget about drivers - they are all (almost) installed already. Plug in your printer, camera, mouse and keyboard, portable music player, webcam, and whatever else, and it will just work (99 times out of 100). Ubuntu is just great. If you don't have it, you need it. Don't get rid of Windows or OSx, just virtualize it.

8) VNC - (OS-Independent) VNC is a protocol similar to RDP (the remote desktop protocol that Microsoft developed). I am saying VNC here because it reaches out to a broad spectrum of tools and doo-dads like PushVNC (Windows) and UltraVNC.

9) PSTools - (Windows) - For any Windows network administrator, these tools are a must. I don't know why they don't come pre-packaged with every Windows Server OS now, because these tools are almost essential for any network admin. This is a collection of powerful tools for use from the command line. My favorite tool is psexec, which gives the ability to run commands on another windows computer. You need to know the user name and password if you are not doing this as the domain administrator. You can also issue commands to all the computers on your network by simply using \\*, allowing you to restart all the computers at once, without having to get up, or to run "gpupdate /force" for the times users need a new group policy setting to take effect immediatly. You can even run the "cmd" command and access their command prompt to issue whatever commands you desire. This tool is great to issue scheduled commands in a batch script from a server to all workstations on the network, all at the same time. These tools are a must. Get them now.

10) Still Searching...

Ubuntu and "Volume Shadow Copies"

2008-09-18T00:39:00.003-04:00

I don't know if this is big information or new information - but I just read that the Ubuntu development community released and is improving an application called TimeVault. This app will act very similarly to Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Vista's Volume Shadow Copy, or commonly known as "Previous Versions". It is my belief that this application will do the same thing- it will save each version of a document or file you create and modify - enabling you to go back in time and grab the version you wanted before hitting the "Save" button. If any of you are Apple fanatics, this is also similar to Time Machine on Apple's latest OSX Leopard.

So, pretty much, if you do photography, have family photos, write documents, record audio files, design graphics, etc., then this application is for you - which pretty much sums up every computer user. The technology we grow to love in Windows and Mac is now on a Linux machine, making the UI environment that much more comfortable and familiar.

Also as an aside - now that Amazon has an MP3 store and released their MP3 downloader application for Ubuntu, you also no longer need to rely on music stores like iTunes or Rhapsody to get your tunes. Amazon has what you need, in any platform, and you can use the built-in software which is compatible with almost any portable music player on the market, ranking from iPods to PlaysForSure devices.

I'll create another blog on my review of Ubuntu's TimeVault as soon as I install Ubuntu on my desktop PC here, so be expecting another blog detailing what I find interesting in the application.

-Ciao,
-Jonathan

Reasons for an Office 2007 Linux/Mac Port

2008-08-11T20:26:00.002-04:00

This one will be short.

I think the best strategy Microsoft could take as a business move is to port MS Office 2007 for Linux and Mac. I believe that if MS Office 07 was available on any software platform, demand would rise exponentially for it. Nothing else compares to the 2007 suite - I have used OpenOffice.org multiple times in Ubuntu, but I still have to side with Office. It is has a smooth interface, ease-of-use, inter-compatibility with the other Office products and SharePoint, and so much more. If Office became the number 1 suite to use across all platforms, I do believe that it would knock competition out of the game. I am by no means a Microsoft fan - I just like what works well. I am willing to pay extra money for a better office product that will have many more features. Plus, still nothing can compare to MS Outlook 2007 for Exchange, POP, IMAP, or any other form of email use. It just works, and it works excellently with every other 2007 product - MS Infopath, Access, OneNote, Word, PowerPoint and Excel.

I think it would be wise for Microsoft to branch MS Office 2007 out of strictly Windows. Office is far better than Windows anyway. I am also writing this blog in Windows, though.

Microsoft Office is the one thing that is holding many users from being able to switch to Linux. Linux should no longer be a competition to MS, but more revenue with the Office system.

Carbonite Online Backups

2008-07-15T09:21:00.002-04:00

A Real Life Saver

Recently, I was told about Carbonite - a backup solution that would provide almost instantaneous backups to web server, provided you had Internet access.

I downloaded the trial from http://www.carbonite.com to test it out and see exactly how the program runs with my computer. I was testing out CPU usage, memory usage, bandwidth usage, etc. The only real thing Carbonite used was our upload bandwidth - which wasn't much to begin with.

I have somewhere around 14 Gb of music and 3 Gb of family photos and vacation photos. I also have quite a few documents that I do not intent on re-writing, re-planning, and re-designing. The initial backup for Carbonite does take a while - I suggest leaving it on overnight or just having it connected to the Internet when you are on your computer. Once the initial backup is completed, virtually no bandwidth is used - except for a file here, and a file there being created.

One day, however, I had a problem with my hard drive. I was dual-booting Windows Vista and Linux, and somehow my files no my Vista partition had gone crazy. Needless to say, I reformatted and did a ground-up install. Fortunately, I had bought an account with Carbonite. Had I not, I would have lost hundreds of photos, and hours of ripping my CD's back onto my computer - as well as trying to figure out how to restore my online purchased music.

When Windows was re-installed, I set up Carbonite on the computer again, kept it in restore mode, and just re-downloaded all my backup files. Then I just set Carbonite to normal mode, and away I went back to work. Had it not been for Carbonite, I would have been lost.

Thank you Carbonite.

Ubuntu 8.04 LTS and Windows Vista

2008-04-08T20:47:00.001-04:00

Technorati Tags: vista,ubuntu,hardy heron,8.04,lts,wubi,virtual clone drive,windows,dual,boot,loader,ntfs

If there has ever been a time to try Ubuntu, now is the time. The latest soon-to-be full release supports the latest hardware, almost entirely out-of-the-box. What's even better is the latest release, 8.04, allows for the option to install Ubuntu directly inside Windows.

Support for NTFS partitions has been in beta and almost a risk to the user, but now it works seamlessly with Ubuntu. When you download the latest ISO image from http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/8.04/, or any other mirror, instead of burning the image to a CD, just download and install Virtual Clone Drive, a free tool used to mount ISO images as a CD-ROM. Of course this tool won't let you use an ISO image as a bootable disk to install Ubuntu the "normal" way, but it does work to install Ubuntu directly inside of Windows.

The installer (called Wubi) works almost exactly like a virtual machine. It creates an image that is whatever size you desire, and then uses that image as the drive. Wubi will then alter your boot-loader (this works with the Vista boot-loader as well). So unlike the olden days where a user who was curious about testing Linux would create a second partition, alter the Master Boot Record (MBR) and then install another boot-loader (like Grub), Wubi keeps it simple. Wubi installs Ubuntu into Windows, adds a line into the Windows boot-loader, and then works like normal.

The problem with the old way of installing Linux is it would alter the MBR. Once the MBR has been altered, it takes some extra hoops to jump through if the user desires to delete Linux and go back to just Windows.

Now you just delete a file.

Actually, it's easier than that. You run an uninstaller, and it restores the Windows boot-loader, deletes the virtual image, and any other files it created to set this up.

For all the Linux-illiterate people, if I could sum this up into two messages, I'd say this:

1) Try the latest (I have the beta) version of Ubuntu, 8.04.

2) Try it in Windows (it supports Vista).

***Side-notes:

1) Make sure you install the 32-bit version of Ubuntu inside the 32-bit version of Windows, or 64-bit with 64-bit. Don't try to cross them. IT JUST WON'T WORK.

2) Don't deal with burning the ISO to a CD. It doesn't support some drives anyway. Just use Virtual Clone Drive - it's free.

Vista SideShow and Common Sense

2008-03-19T00:39:00.001-04:00

I upgraded to a new laptop recently and it came with Vista. The things of Vista really didn't interest me until I set out to learn and like it with this new laptop.

The one thing that really piqued my interest is Vista's SideShow feature. I think this makes sense, but not in the area they were intending. I would never want to buy a laptop like the one from ASUS that has as second display on the outside of the lid. (I thought the lid was to protect that screen... so now I have one without a lid. Ok...)

However, I can totally see this SideShow being very useful when working with secondary displays plugged in by a VGA, DVI, or HDMI connector. I use my secondary display very infrequently, unless I am monitoring my emails like I am panicked. But otherwise, that screen just sits there with a window sitting on it. If Sideshow could be put out to other monitors, it would then become something very cool, and useful.

People could even add a touch-screen monitor to their computer, and let SideShow run on it, with a user interface added. I think this could add a new level to secondary attached monitors.

What would this take to make this possible though?

I think there would either have to be an updated driver for video cards to remain online while the PC is on standby, or an updated BIOS to allow the video card to remain on. This would not take much to add this great functionality to our second (or third) displays.

Ok, now somebody who knows how to do this, patent it and make money off it. Do whatever you want with the idea. I just want SideShow to make some sense.

The Way It's Meant to be Played

2007-12-14T15:39:00.000-05:00

Among computer gamers and 3d-application aficionados, the question of which video card to buy is not as much a question as which manufacturer to go with. The primary two video graphics producers are ATI and Nvidia. Having owned both brands of video cards, it is hard for me to say which is better. Because their differences are so slight, the question you'd ask is, which logo do I like better? Although that is just in humor, both cards do have their differences. One company focuses on one aspect like the number of pipelines, whereas the other company focuses on the bits of the card - 256bit, 512bit, and so-on-and-so-forth.

I am not going to tell you which card is better, because new video cards are always being released - almost every week. But I will tell you my experience with one card I am quite happy with.

Earlier on another post, I talked about the Nvidia 7600 GT I bought. Well, I won't talk about how great of a deal it was, or all the features it has, because frankly, I already did. Instead, I will tell you about how great this card has performed while in Windows, as well as in Linux.

The card works in Windows. That is obvious. The drivers are great, Oblivion is pretty, Half-Life 2 is extremely fast. But in Linux is where I have grown a deeper respect for the card, as well as for Linux overall. Ubuntu has a new system of supporting non-free drivers if the user should so choose to. Well, I figured, shoot, I want 3d-graphics, I'll support Nvidia's non-open-source driver. It was two clicks and a reboot for me to have a 3d-desktop working perfectly in Ubuntu 7.10.

However, I did not know that I would get all the goodies that the Windows driver package has as well. For those of you who like the Nvidia settings, this will mean something to you. When you enable the Nvidia non-free drivers in Ubuntu, the 3d-settings are enabled, but also a tool from Nvidia is now able to be used. Before you use this tool, I would suggest you install something else, for your benefit. I suggest you install the Sysinfo tool. To install it, simply type this in the console:

sudo apt-get install sysinfo

Then open the tool by typing sysinfo, or selecting from the menu, Applications -> System Tools -> Sysinfo

This tool alone is the equivalent to many system info tools that would cost you $20 or more for the same functionality in Windows. You'll see an Nvidia button on the left-hand side of this application.

When you click the button, You'll see an Nvidia settings tool open. Within this tool you have many options, like anti-aliasing, Digital Vibrance to change the color-intensity, and so on.

If you did not want to install sysinfo, you can still access the Nvidia tool by typing in the terminal "nvidia-settings".

For any of the settings you specify within this tool, you will want those settings to automatically load at startup. To do this, go to System -> Preferences -> Sessions

Click on the "Startup Programs" tab, and then click on "Add". Type whatever you want for the name, but for the command type in "nvidia-settings -l" and it will load the settings without launching the nvidia-settings application.

The (Future) Best Media Player

2007-11-19T23:34:00.001-05:00

I love searching the net for great information, and I just happened to stumble upon something like that. Mozilla, who is responsible for the creation of Firefox and Thunderbird, now is putting out a new project - Songbird.

Songbird bears an uncanny resemblance to Apple's iTunes, while proudly bearing the name of the Mozilla family tree. Songbird is currently in a development state, but it is currently available for download Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Why would this program become widely used? People, like me, have a computer with more than one operating system on it. I have Windows and Ubuntu Linux; other people have a Mac with Windows XP or Vista on it. The great thing about cross-platform software is familiarity and friendliness. Songbird, like Firefox and Thunderbird, is about being widely available to all computer users, regardless of operating system. My web browser of choice is Firefox, regardless of what computer or OS I am using. The same most likely could be with Songbird.

Straight out of the box (in Windows) Songbird supports playback 0f Windows Media files and Quicktime files. Upon install, it will automatically download and install the necessary packages based upon the options you choose.

If Mozilla creates this piece of software to be lightweight, fast, bug-free (for the most part), and very useful - which is why people use Firefox - this will be yet another friendly tool that can be used cross-platform.

Perhaps iTunes and Windows Media Player 11 might want to jump on the bandwagon. DRM is already becoming a thing of yesterday, so why not just let all users purchase the music they love anyways? (It would either be that, or the old-fashioned way - Limewire, Frostwire, Bittorrent, or whatever else is out there that people already would use for music.)

Free Bootable Partition Editor

2007-11-15T01:26:00.000-05:00

If any of you are like me, you like to toy around with more than one operating system on any given PC. The best balance on a machine is Windows with Linux. It's like the Yin and Yang. (Sometimes Windows and Linux switch parts as to who is Yin and Yang, but they both balance each other.)

If you are also like me, than you may also be toying around with partitions too much. In my case, I decided to move completely from Ubuntu on my primary hard drive, and I am going to install a second drive completely for Ubuntu and it's goodness. While inside Ubuntu (or any flavor of Linux), a great free and open-source tool (as always) comes packaged with it called GParted. However, in Windows, there is no such a thing as a free partition editor that works well and won't destroy your harddrive. But wait. There must be, otherwise this article is about nothing.

I happened to stumble upon GParted's site at Sourceforge, and they already created a LiveCD made to boot fast, use few resources, and get your disk partitioned they way you want it in no time at all. The actual specs, according to GParted's site are as follows:

The CD aims to be fast, small in size (~50mb), and use minimal resources
to get that disk partitioned the way you want it. GParted LiveCD is based
on Gentoo-catalyst, and uses Xorg,the lightweight Fluxbox window manager,
and the latest 2.6 Linux Kernel.

The GParted LiveCD can currently support the following filesystems:

ext2
ext3
fat16
fat32
hfs
hfs+
jfs
linux-swap
NTFS
reiserfs
reiser4
ufs
xfs

From a Windows user's perspective, if I wanted to partition a hard drive in NTFS or move, resize, or merge an NTFS partition, this LiveCD can now support it. Since this CD is only around 50mb in size, it is even possible to load the image onto a USB flash drive and if your computer can boot from USB media, that will save you a blank CD, while extending the usefulness of a flash drive a bit further.

In my personal experience, I deleted a Linux ext3 partition, and resized (or extended) the NTFS partition on the drive to the entire disk. However, there is some difficulty in getting the video to work correctly while booted into this LiveCD. It appears there is support for Intel, HP machines, and VESA graphics, but not for Nvidia or ATI. But booting to the preset VESA setting still worked for me, just with a very dim display.

If In Doubt, Just Install the Beta?

2007-10-11T09:16:00.001-04:00

A few times I have run into roadblocks where a certain piece of hardware that is unpopular is unsupported by Ubuntu. As discouraging as that may sound, I am determined to get it working. After experiencing Ubuntu and what it can do, and what any person can make it do, I fell in love with it, and will not easy run away from Ubuntu. Well, I have an Edimax 7128G PCI wireless card for my desktop PC (because I'm too lazy to run a wire, and now I can do wired or wireless :) ). This wireless card is not as widely used as the Intel Pro Wireless card or some other bigger name brand. There turns out to be a built in driver for the card in Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty) called RT61, but my card still won't work. It won't use the WPA encryption (even though I use it in Windows) and it won't connect. I had resolved to leave that partition on my HDD for Ubuntu, and switch back to it when it was up and working. A couple days ago I decided to download the Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy) Beta and install it. I figured, "What do I have to lose?".

To make a long story short, I'll tell you this: I am writing this on the internet on that computer with Ubuntu 7.10 Beta. It works. So if you ever have hardware that just is not quite working right and have the time and hard drive space to dual boot, try the latest beta of Ubuntu and see how it works. You just might be surprised.

Running Oblivion With A Less-than-Par Video Card

2007-08-14T00:39:00.000-04:00

I eventually ran into the guys at Oldblivion and found my solution.

A few days ago, I purchased Oblivion. (Props, Walmart) I eagerly installed the game, and then tried to run it. The game started to launch, a little black square appeared in the top left corner, and then I saw the classic Windows XP error reporting tool. Oh how I love seeing that tool...

Here is a brief summary of my hardware:

Pentium D 805 2.67 GHz
1 GB DDR2 667 RAM
250 GB HDD
Asus P5L-MX Motherboard
Intel 950 Integrated Graphics

The biggest thwart in my computer's side is the Intel integrated graphics chip. The video card is great for normal Windows use; it is even Windows Vista ready. But for gaming, this card does the bare-minimums. It can run older games fine, but when it comes to the more modern games that require DirectX 9.0C to run, this card is horrible.

But back to Oblivion, I could not get the game to start due to my Intel graphics chipset. Oblivion did not even recognize the card to run. Apparently, Oblivion will only run if a video card can support hardware Transform and Lighting 2.0, which rules the Intel 950 out. I eventually ran into the guys at Oldblivion and found my solution.

I downloaded the Oldblivion tool and found their latest version only worked with Oblivion up to version 1.1.511, so I patched the game up to that version with the patch I found here.

Oldblivion installs with a configuration tool, and here is the screen you would see:

To even run the game, you must have the following checkboxes checked:

However, I strongly recommend you upgrade your video card to something that will play this better. Some video cards will cost you an arm and a leg, but if you play your cards right, you'll find a good deal on a decent video card.

Here is the card I'm going to be buying from Newegg:

If you do not know which card to get, I suggest you do your research. The articles at Guru3d have proven to be invaluable, as well as the advice from the users at the Guru3d forums. Make sure you know what your motherboard can support and how much many watts your power supply can provide - factors that involve whether or not you can even use a particular video card.

Engineered

2007-07-04T01:14:00.000-04:00

If somebody asked my why I thought Mac's were good, I would sum it up in one word - engineered. Sure OSX is a sweet operating system on the Mac's. Sure everything runs smooth.

But why?

Apple doesn't just sell an operating system. They don't just sell sexy looking computers like the Macbook, they sell computers (including iPods, iPhones, and so on) that are designed for their operating system. (Hence why you can't buy it by itself or easily put it on another computer.)

In previous blog about Dell and Ubuntu, I mentioned that on Dell's site, you can now buy a machine that comes preloaded with my personal favorite operating system. The preloaded PC's ship with the latest version of Ubuntu on the machine, ready to fire away.

Dell PC's with Ubuntu is like an Apple. It's smart. It's engineered.

I have nothing against Windows - it's a great operating system and will continue to be for a long time. Windows is serving businesses worldwide and always will be, but it Windows is on a huge hardware market. New types of processors, new hardware, and even the no-name branded hardware is always being released everyday. Microsoft has a huge race that only Microsoft could run. It's doing well to accommodate for the hardware it can be put on.

Instead, Apple went a different route. They went for specific hardware that only Apple decides can be used, and now Dell makes PC's tailored to best run Ubuntu, with room to tweak some hardware peripherals.

Ubuntu has been evolving like a baby, and over the past couple years, I have witnessed it firsthand growing and becoming more user-friendly and more compatible with certain hardware (like the Dell Inspiron 6000 I'm using right now). Now, I can pop the Ubuntu install CD in my computer and in 15 or so minutes, everything is working as it should, with no drivers to install or anything. It just works.

Engineered for greatness, tailored for speed.

Dell + Ubuntu = Smart

2007-06-21T23:21:00.000-04:00

As I'm sure many of you already know, Dell is releasing PC's with Ubuntu pre-loaded on the PC. Purchasing a new notebook or desktop has always been an easy process while shopping with Dell, but they just made it a lot easier for the Linux enthusiast and the overall wiser crowd.

Ubuntu is free. It always has, it always will be - just read the logo that appears on the back of the CD case:

"Ubuntu is software libre. You are encouraged and legally entitled to copy, reinstall, modify, and redistribute this CD for yourself and your friends. Share the spirit of Ubuntu!"

Therefore, since Ubuntu is most definitely free, why wouldn't you purchase a PC from Dell with this operating system already installed. If the price doesn't move you enough, would knowing that Ubuntu is the best operating system (and Linux distribution) available? I'm sorry all other Linux OS'es, but Ubuntu has it all.

Additionally, as I type this, I am using a Dell Inspiron 6000 with a Pentium M, Intel Graphics Board, and the Intel wireless card. I have found no hardware that is not working the way it should with Ubuntu installed. If I could some it up in one word, it would be seamless. It's smooth.

Ok, I'm off my soapbox, but for real, Dell's selling PC's with Ubuntu already loaded up, so if you are looking for a new PC and don't want to fight the battle of "I wonder if this wireless card will work in Linux", then stop by Dell's site and treat yourself. Get a new PC with Ubuntu.

Amarok Music Manager in Feisty

2007-06-21T22:57:00.001-04:00

Now that Ubuntu Feisty (7.04) has been released to the public and Ubuntu's famed ShipIt program, several major improvements have occurred.

No longer does a man or woman's fingertips have to sweat from minutes of typing relentless commands to build, make, make install (or checkinstall) their favorite music manager. No longer does mankind have to wish they knew what "make install" or "checkinstall" meant and what language it comes from...

...at least when it comes to installing Amarok with MTP and all the other cool bells and whistles, the installation is so easy, a caveman with a PC can do it.

Here goes.

1) Let's install.

sudo apt-get install libmtp5 libmtp-dev amarok

2) Connect. Play. Enjoy. (step 2 is all up to you)

Rhythmbox Music Manager

2007-06-18T12:40:00.001-04:00

Well, Nic has brought it to my attention of the new capability to install Rhythmbox with PlaysforSure support. Anybody with Ubuntu (not Kubuntu) will already have Rhythmbox installed. It is the default music manager for Ubuntu, and is full of features. The latest version has even more features.

The rest of this post will explain how to install the latest and greatest RB with MTP (PlaysForSure) support and all the other goods.

Here's a quick run-down of the improvements on MTP in Rhythmbox:

It works. (awesome enough)
There is not much lag when it is scanning the device (maybe 15 seconds at the longest)
You can play straight from the device
You can send/recieve from device

This guide is for Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty).

1) Let's make sure we have the goods needed

sudo aptitude purge rhythmbox

sudo apt-get install build-essential gnome-common subversion libmtp5 libmtp-dev

sudo apt-get build-dep rhythmbox

2) Now we need to get the latest version of Rhythmbox

svn co http://svn.gnome.org/svn/rhythmbox/trunk rhythmbox
cd rhythmbox

3) And now the install

./autogen.sh --with-mtp
sudo make
sudo make install

4) Plugin your player, run your new Rhythmbox for the first time, and make sure you go to Edit > Plugins and enable "Portable Players - MTP"

5) Enjoy.

Amarok 2.0

2007-02-11T15:47:00.000-05:00

On Amarok's web site they mention the next release of Amarok - 2.0. It is planned to be released for Linux, Mac and Windows - a smart way to share the love. They claim the release will be in April, so get ready guys, because when it releases, I'll place a how-to here for you.

Amarok Music Manager

2007-01-31T22:12:00.000-05:00

History Lesson
I am currently running Ubuntu Edgy (6.10). As stated in the previous article, I have a Creative Zen Xtra PlaysForSure (MTP) device. PlaysForSure started out as a strictly Microsoft-only thing, but then an open-source library called libmtp came into the scene.

Fact:
Amarok rocks your face off.

Another Fact:
Amarok supports almost every type of portable music player. Including PlaysForSure devices.

Why I'm writing this:
I have just recently installed the latest version of Amarok from source into my Ubuntu distribution (Edgy). The latest and greatest version supports all of these portable devices, whereas the one in the Ubuntu repositories does not. To see a full feature list, visit Amarok's main site.

The rest of this article will focus on how to set up and install the latest version of Amarok from source into Ubuntu Edgy (6.10).

The next release - Feisty (7.04) - will come with a version of Amarok that will support PlaysForSure (MTP) devices.

For each of the command's given, copy and paste each line into a terminal window.

i) You must have the repositories enabled to do anything else. Note that you will need the administrator password for all of this as well.
- Click on System --> Administration --> Software Sources
- Make sure all of the check in the first tab under "Internet" are checked.

1) First we must make sure you do not already have Amarok installed.

sudo apt-get remove amarok amarok-xine

If you have previously installed amarok with checkinstall and a different package name, use Synaptic to find it and remove it.

2) Installing the necessary tools to build Amarok
*NOTE - this step will require approximately 160mb of hard disk space.
*Thanks Cigar_Jack on the correction.

sudo apt-get install build-essential checkinstall
sudo apt-get build-dep amarok

2a) Installing the latest version of libmtp from source.
- Travel to http://sourceforge.net/projects/libmtp and download libmtp to your desktop.
- Right-click the archive and select "Extract here"
- Then do these commands:

sudo apt-get remove libmtp2 libmtp-dev #Thanks to oxyrosis at ubuntuforums!
cd /home/$USER/Desktop/libmtp*
./configure
make
sudo checkinstall #I named it libmtp-built, to avoid any problems

2b) Installing the latest version of libgpod from source.
- Travel to http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=67873&package_id=156254 and download libgpod to your desktop.
- Right-click the archive and select "Extract here"
- Then do these commands:

cd /home/$USER/Desktop/libgpod*
./configure
make
sudo checkinstall #I named it libgpod-built for the same reason as above.

3) Download the file.
- Browse to http://amarok.kde.org/wiki/Download:Source
- Click on tarball
- Click on a local mirror.
- Create a folder on your desktop called Amarok
- Click on the file "amarok-1.x.x.tar.bz2" and save it into the folder
- Browse to the folder, right-click the file, and click on "Extract Here"

4) Install the program
- For the last command, make sure you rename the package before hitting enter the third time. Don't leave the package named as "amarok" - Ubuntu will "update" it to the older version. Instead, rename it to "amarok-built" or something different than "amarok". Just follow the on screen directions and you should be ok.

sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /home/$USER/Desktop/Amarok
cd /home/$USER/Desktop/Amarok
cd amarok*
./configure --with-libnjb --with-libmtp --with-libgpod --prefix=`kde-config --prefix`
make
sudo checkinstall

This how-to was written with the help of this how-to at ubuntuforums:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=316246&highlight=amarok+mtp

Linux and PlaysForSure Mp3 Players

2007-01-31T12:21:00.000-05:00

Well, I have found myself busy to the core with class, work, church and various other commitments. Just the other day, however, I noticed how much Linux distributions - Ubuntu, my favorite - are welcoming more and more devices that used to require Windows XP.

Namely, PlaysForSure.

If you do not own an iPod, but rather have some other portable music player, odds are it is a PlaysForSure player (regardless of brand).

I happen to own one of those players. I own a Creative Zen Xtra mp3 player that was updated to the PlaysForSure protocol. When I first crossed to Ubuntu, I found myself stuck on the issue regarding music and my mp3 player. I had seen my switch to Ubuntu as a sacrifice that balanced out, even without mp3 player support. This was about a year ago.

One of the many great applications written for Linux - Gnomad - was written as a way to transfer music to and from a Creative Nomad series jukebox (before PlaysForSure). But, as times change, so did the protocol to access the devices. Once again, Linux is very good at welcoming new people with new devices. The application has since been updated to support PlaysForSure (MTP protocol) devices.

Amarok - what I regard to be the greatest music management program in existence - also has support for MTP devices (in addition to the already present iPod and iRiver devices). All you have to do now is plug in your mp3 player, and boom. It works. You don't need Windows XP SP2, Windows Media Player 11, or even iTunes to synchronize your devices. They all work in the same music player.

Although both of these programs support a PlaysForSure device, there is still room for growth. There is no "synchronize" button to send all of your music in your music library/folder to your device, but there is also a new program in development now, called MTPSync.

Written solely for PlaysForSure devices, MTPSync can take various folders that are specified in the program's settings, and analyze what is already on the portable music player, and only add the ones not present on the player.

This (much easier) support has grown only recently from the past year or so. Looking forward, this once shows how fast the open-source community is working to accommodate new users and technology, to catch up to the "standard" and then innovate new standards for all.

ubuntu + commercial software = uber ubuntu

2006-12-21T13:50:00.000-05:00

A few articles ago, I had quickly mentioned a program called Cedega. I even recommended it without even trying it - so I figured I should spend the few dollars to give an accurate review of it.

When signing up for the software at www.transgaming.com, they have a three month required payment - a total of $15.50. After paying this, the next 3 months of updates are covered. If, however, you did not like the software and do not like the idea of playing Windows games in Linux, you can withdraw from the monthly payment plan after the first 3 months are gone. However, you will be missing out. I have tested many of my games with it, and found most of them to work superbly. Here are some games and their results:

*Please note this system is a Pentium D 2.67, 1gb DDR2 667 RAM, and an Intel GMA 950 - I believe Nvidia cards are better supported by Cedega

Starcraft (and Broodwar expansion):
Installs perfectly, plays perfectly (as in, no errors)

Medal of Honor Allied Assault:
Installs perfectly, plays perfectly - in fact, better than Windows, in my opinion.

Homeworld 2:
Cedega claims to officially support this title, but I have not had luck in getting the game to run. The install was fine, but the game never would launch.

Steam:
Steam installed and updated perfectly, I could log in, re-download my purchased games, and launch them. However, Half-Life 1 does not play, and Half-Life 2 would be unbearable on my video card anyway, so I didn't bother with it. Half-Life 2 is officially supported and is one of the primary focuses of Cedega, so they will help you get your game running.

Rollercoaster Tycoon 2:
Perfect Install, Perfect gameplay

Baldur's Gate 2 (with Throne of Bhaal expansion):
Installs and plays very well.

Note that with all these games, there are install and play notes from Cedega that will tell you how to get the best performance out with almost every supported game.

Primary Focus

2006-12-21T13:37:00.000-05:00

Well, I have decided now that I would rather spend all my energies discussing and promoting ubuntu - the world's greatest operating system to all - Mac and PC alike.

A few good apps.

2006-12-19T21:19:00.000-05:00

Hello all! There have no recent posts on here for one reason. I was distracted by the beautifully working Ubuntu Edgy operating system. Everything I once used in Microsoft Windows is already here at my fingertips. After I had gone through with the default install and set up of Ubuntu, I then set up and installed Scribus, Gnomad2 with MTP support, KMyMoney, Blender3d Modeller, and Acidrip. In the next few steps, we will first understand what these few programs are, and then we'll walk through the process of setting up these applications for Ubuntu Edgy.

Brief Description
1) Scribus - a desktop publishing application that can be used to create fancy emails, letters, cards, etc.
2) Gnomad 2 with MTP support - a program used to interface with the Creative Nomad Zen Xtra - of which I own. However, I had updated the firmware to PlaysForSure, which had then rendered my player very difficult to connect to from within Linux - which is my primary and only operating system now.
3) KMyMoney is a money management program similar to Microsoft Money or Quicken, featuring an easy-to-use interface.
4) Blender 3d - a 3d modeling application. Although hard to use, it is quite powerful in the creation of beautifully rendered art.
5) AcidRip - a quite useful little tool that can rip personally owned DVD's to a compressed video file, using a broad array of encoders to choose from, even including the H.264 encoder.

Installation
1) The most important thing for Ubuntu - what I consider to be the greatest commandment of the operating system - is to enable the repositories. The process is rather simple. Just click on System -> Administration -> Software Sources, and check the first four check boxes under the Internet heading. Click on Close, and then click on Reload after the message asks.

Ok, your first and hardest step is done. :)

2) Click on Applications -> Add/Remove... and then search for Scribus, KMyMoney, Blender, and Acidrip. Click on OK. Done.

3) As for Gnomad 2 with MTP support, you must download Gnomad 2 and build it. This is never a task that is needed in Windows, so I will explain how to do this, with the help of this thread at ubuntuforums.org:

http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=199250&highlight=mtp

a) Open up a Terminal window by selecting Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal
b) Install these required applications with this command:

sudo aptitude install build-essential libnjb-dev libmtp-dev libid3tag0-dev libglib2.0-dev libgtk2.0-dev libxml-perl

c) Download Gnomad2 here to your home directory or desktop.
d) Extract the archive by right clicking on it and selecting Extract here...
e) Cd to the directory you extracted to, then configure and make the program with this command:

cd gnomad2-2.8.9
./configure
sudo make

If you, or anyone else happens to need any of these programs, I hope this helped.

The [almost] Greatest OS today?

2006-12-05T03:14:00.000-05:00

Well, after having thoroughly read reviews, prices and watched conferences on the new and upcoming Operating Systems from Apple and Microsoft, I have concluded that the best OS out for a PC is neither (especially in considering the difficulty one would have in placing OSX on a PC). The greatest is actually Ubuntu. Ubuntu is an entirely free, Open Source operating system based on Linux. To learn more about Open Source, click here. In short, Open Source is based off a mentality to have freely developed software available to everyone.

Over the past few months, Ubuntu has evolved from something good to a truly spectacular operating system. In the screenshot, I have the latest Ubuntu Edgy installed - which only took 15 minutes to install ground-up.

Already out of the box upon installing Ubuntu comes Evolution - almost the equivalent to Microsoft Outlook... just better, the latest and greatest of Firefox - 2.0... the entire Openoffice.org Suite, which eliminated my need for any office software; I even had database tools. There was also The Gimp installed - which is a fairly equivalent to Photoshop - a handful of games, music listening/ripping/burning sofware, and GAIM. Gaim is the best instant messaging client any human being could ask for, and what a better way to use it than to place it on the operating system for human beings.

After I installed Edgy, I grabbed Automatix2 - a tool used to easily install the most popular used apps to your system - by following ubuntuguide.org. In a matter of minutes, I had GoogleEarth, Exaile! music player, a number of developing programs, Blender3d - an opensource equivalent to 3dMax - and a web development tool. My computer had become a multimedia video/audio/image studio, along with a complete developer's backyard to write applications.

Gamers! You can also be excited! If you can't leave your Windows games, there are ways to play them in Ubuntu. Cedega offers a solution that can allow your gaming goodness to become a reality in Linux. The software isn't free, but it is worth it. What's even better is that some terrific games are already ported to Ubuntu. Nexuiz is one of those games. It offers the gaming fun of Unreal Tournament, with some of the latest graphics offered in games like Half-Life 2 (such as the bloom and HDR effects).

Low graphics settings - I was on a non-gaming laptop.

One more AMAZING plus to Ubuntu is AIGLX. It is incredibly easy to install something called Beryl, and it will then turn the computer into a 3d-fluid desktop environment, featuring a 3d multi-desktop, transparent window titles (which was a possibility before Windows Vista was even released), and many more cool effects.

The last and biggest thing that would have held me back from Ubuntu is a little thing called PlaysForSure. If you own an mp3 player other than an iPod, odds are it is PlaysForSure - and was MS's attempt at locking you in to Windows. But now it works, thanks to the release of libmtp2 and Gnomad2 (v 2.8.9+).

The ONLY thing that still is not enabled in Linux is the ability to play music bought through an online music store like iTunes or URGE.

At least not yet - the Open Source community is always changing, always growing, always supporting.

Vista talk over

2006-11-09T01:10:00.000-05:00

Almost as fast as it began, the series dubbed as Vista Talk is over. Rather than re-iterate everything about Vista, people can simply go to www.windowsvistablog.com and see for themselves.

I hope not too many of you are disappointed.

[unofficial] Vista Talk (Pt 1)

2006-10-26T12:25:00.000-04:00

This is the first of many future releases about Vista's features and what an End-User can expect from Vista.

In the next few weeks, Microsoft will release the next installment of Windows to manufactures - Windows Vista. Vista has many features that an end-user could greatly benefit from. Personally I have a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate RC1 (Release Candidate 1) and I keep seeing great new features in the little places I haven't tinkered with.

Starting off, this issue will cover the basic multimedia features a typical home PC user will benefit from.

1. Multimedia

Windows Media Player 11

I personally do not own an Apple Ipod, so for years I have used Windows Media Player (WMP) as my primary music jukebox, and I will always be using it. For everyone who owns a PlaysForSure (or potential PlaysForSure via firmware update) mp3 player, can use their device natively with WMP10 and up.

The new media player comes equipped with the URGE music store - which is the music store conglomeration of MTV, VH1, and CMT. The store does still happen to be in its early stages, but it is continuaully growing.

Another new appearance to WMP11 is its organization of the music library. You can now organize your music by album cover, browse your artists by album covers, and it will essentially stack all the albums you have of each artist.

Windows Media Player 11 can also be used to view your photo albums, watch digital videos and movies and view recorded TV programs if your PC has a video capture card. WMP11 also has capability to burn your files to an Audio CD, a Data CD and now even a Data DVD.

Media player also has a rip ability, where you can rip your own personal CD's. The default rip options include ripping a CD to WMA, WMApro, WMA with Variable Bit Rate, WMA lossless, MP3, and WAV. WMA can rip up to a bitrate of 192kbps - which is equalivent to MP3 at 320kbps.

Upgrading At an Affordable Price

2006-10-26T00:56:00.000-04:00

Every day, people go to a local computer store or log on to a computer manufacturer's website and purchase a new computer, already made by them. My personal mentality over the years has changed. I used to only want a pre-built machine with a 2 year warranty slapped on it. But I don't need the mandatory extra keyboard and mouse that would come with it. I don't need the free printer or monitor - it's nice, but I don't want it. I just want a faster computer.

Keep the computer case you are used to, and only go through a computer makeover!

You would essentially keep the computer case you already own, the keyboard, mouse, monitor. Everything. The only thing you lose is what you won't use anymore - the older hardware. I have just recently figured, that off of Newegg I could do a moderate upgrade to a decent Intel Pentium D 2.66ghz processor at 533 mhz FSB , a gig of dual-channel DDR2 667mhz RAM, and have a motherboard full of growing room (up to 4 gb of DDR2 667 RAM, a gigabit ethernet card, up to 1067 FSB and upgradeable up to an Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme). After this upgrade, I would have only spent just over $300. I would still have my hard drive (although a reinstall of Windows should be done), my Audigy Soundcard that I love and adore, my ATI Radeon 9500, and even have an extra network card to serve for emergencies. And what's best, is the older hardware can be used on lesser powerful machines, so it works beautifully for everyone. This upgrade not only would have me set for the processor I would have and the power I could get out of it, but it is also getting me ready for the latest and greatest of Intel's Core 2's.

And what's even greater is that I am already moved to a 64-bit machine. The Intel Pentium D processor I will buy is 64-bit capable, which means that whenever Vista 64-bit is up and off to the races, I will have it installed and ready to fire my computer away in an extreme, 64-bit, workspace for multimedia, gaming, audio recording, and school work.

Until next time.

Here is my upgrade wish list on Newegg's site, for those interested.

The Vista Low-Down... or Pretty Low

2006-10-26T00:06:00.000-04:00

Most people have heard the news about the new Windows Vista operating system to be released in 2007. And most have probably also heard that it requires insanely top-of-the-line hardware or at least the latest and greatest of them all.

Allow me to remove that thought from you.

Ok, on this very desktop that I am typing this blog, I am running what would be considered a dinasaur of a PC. Allow me to show you:

As you see in the above picture, I have a Pentium 4 1.6 ghz proccesor (using 533 FSB) with no Hyper-Threading support, and 512 MB of DDR PC2100 RAM. My video card is also an ATI Radeon 9500 non-pro card and it fully supports AERO superbly. This computer, if you don't much about hardware, is old. It is near the end of what once was a great reign.

This reign, however, is not over. It performs rather well with Vista, including the AERO effects.

I tested out the 3d Switcher and moving between multiple windows while playing a movie, to see if the movie preview ever skipped or stuttered, and it never once skipped a frame or anything. Here's a shot of what I had done:

The closest windows is X-Men 3 playing in Windows Media Player 11

As you can see, Vista does not scare older hardware like many critics may have claimed. Now, I wouldn't try running it on something less than a 1 gHz CPU and anything under 512mb of RAM, but this hardware I am using will greatly suffice to Vista's needs.