I went out to Joshua Tree National Park on Saturday and had a blast. It is something that my wife's family loves to do and I've since fallen in love with the place.
Admittedly, when you get to Joshua Tree, your first thought will probably be "So… What's the big deal?" Yes, it's in the middle of the desert and there are these huge, strangely placed rock formations. Those huge, strangely placed rock formations (links here and here) are exactly what make Joshua Tree so great. You can climb all over them and just act like a kid. It's a blast trying to figure out your way to the top and then, once you're at the top, figure out a different way down. Only once have we had to take the same way down that we went up.
So, on to the part about aching everywhere… I'm not 16 years old anymore. It is now Tuesday morning and we went to Joshua Tree on Saturday. That gives me a whole 36 hours since I stopped climbing and I feel worse today than yesterday. I tried a hot tub, massage, stretching. I just have that ache that says "I worked hard at having fun."
Growing up, I had no idea that you were actually allowed to go off the path at a park. I thought parks were just like an art gallery where we are supposed to look but not touch. How wrong I was. Admittedly, if I wasn't allowed to climb around on the rocks, I'd probably never go back to Joshua Tree. But I am allowed so I go back as often as I can. I'm glad that someone in the government had enough foresight to know that such an arid stretch of land should be preserved for future generations.
Tim
Labels: Ecological, Entertainment, My Thoughts
DiggIt! Del.icio.usWhen you purchase a new store-bought PC, it comes with the Operating System and other software preinstalled. But, how many CDs does your computer come with? Probably just 1. If you call the manufacturer immediately after you buy it and ask for the OS (Operating System) discs they'll send them to you for free. They don't want to give you the discs because it costs the manufacturer more money (about 1 dollar) but you are entitled to them.
In order to save money, they put a "restore partition" on your hard drive so that if you corrupt your system you can restore it. But what happens if your hard drive dies and you lose both partitions? You're out of luck because you don't have any CDs to restore from.
Of course you should always back up your system but we all know that not everybody does this.
So Contact the manufacturer as soon as possible. Below are phone numbers for different computer manufacturers.
HP or Compaq: (800) 474-6836
Dell: (800) 879-3355
Toshiba: (800) 457-7777
Gateway: (800) 369-1409
Emachines: (408) 273-0888
Sony: (800) 282-2848
I hope this helps you all. Don't forget, these companies are just trying to save themselves about a buck and you shouldn't have to be short-changed just to keep their stock prices up.
Happy Computing,
Tim
Labels: General PC Advice, How To, My Thoughts
DiggIt! Del.icio.usI’ve been running Windows Vista on my laptop for almost a year now and I have to say that it has its share of annoyances. That being said, I have high hopes for the latest version, Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 1. You can download it either 1 of 2 ways.
You can turn on your "Automatic Updates".
1. Click the "Start" button, point to "All Programs", and then click "Windows Update".
2. In the left pane, click "Change settings".
3. Select "Install updates automatically (recommended)".
4. Under "Recommended updates", select the "Include recommended updates when downloading, installing, or notifying me about updates" check box, and then click "OK". If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Or in the event that you have multiple Windows Vista computers to install it on:
1. You can download the standalone update yourself from this link.
I haven't actually installed the update myself because I'm still downloading it. The standalone update is 434 Megabytes and the Windows update version is approximately 65 Megabytes. I don't generally enjoy being one of Microsoft's guinea pigs, which is why I haven't installed one of the release candidates. If there are problems with the patch, I generally have the problems but not enough time to truly fix them. So I wait for the full version and it is finally available for download.
In general the list of changes looks very good. Admittedly, users may find the "Grace Timer exploit" change to be annoying, but that's only if your version of Vista isn't legitimate. In which case, you probably shouldn't be downloading the update anyway.
As per Microsoft's "Notable_Changes_in_Windows_Vista_Service_Pack_1.doc" these are some of the changes and enhancements with SP1 that I am looking forward to.
Hardware Ecosystem Support and Enhancements
1. Adds support for exFAT, a new file system supporting larger overall capacity and larger files, which will be used in Flash memory storage and consumer devices.
2. Enhances support for high density drives by adding new icons and labels that will identify HD-DVD and Blu-ray Drives as high density drives.
3. Enhances the MPEG-2 decoder to support content protection across a user accessible bus on Media Center systems configured with Digital Cable Tuner hardware. This also effectively enables higher levels of hardware decoder acceleration for commercial DVD playback on some hardware.
Reliability Improvements
1. SP1 addresses issues many of the most common causes of crashes and hangs in Windows Vista, as reported by Windows Error Reporting. These include issues relating to Windows Calendar, Windows Media Player, and a number of drivers included with Windows Vista.
2. Improves reliability by preventing data-loss while ejecting NTFS-formatted removable-media.
3. An improved SRT (Startup Repair Tool), which is part of the Windows Recovery environment (WinRE), can now fix PCs unbootable due to certain missing OS files.
Performance and Power Consumption Improvements
Performance improvements vary from PC to PC based on hardware, environment, scenarios, and usage, so different customers will experience varying levels of benefits. About 20-25% of these improvements will be released separately via Windows update, prior to Windows Vista SP1.
1. Improves the performance of browsing network file shares by consuming less bandwidth.
2. Improves power consumption when the display is not changing by allowing the processor to remain in its sleep state which consumes less energy.
3. Improves power consumption and battery life by addressing an issue that causes a hard disk to continue spinning when it should spin down, in certain circumstances.
4. Improves the speed of adding and extracting files to and from a compressed (zipped) folder.
5. Significantly improves the speed of moving a directory with many files underneath.
6. Improves performance while copying files using BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service).
7. Improves performance over Windows Vista's current performance across the following scenarios:
o 25% faster when copying files locally on the same disk on the same machine
o 45% faster when copying files from a remote non-Windows Vista system to a SP1 system
o 50% faster when copying files from a remote SP1 system to a local SP1 system
8. Improves the performance of the user login experience on corporate PCs outside of corporate environments (e.g., a corporate laptop taken home for the evening), making it comparable with PCs within the corporate environment.
Security Improvements
1. Improves security on wired networks by enabling single sign on (SSO) for authenticated wired networks. The single sign on experience presents the user with a single point of credential entry rather than being double prompted for local and network logon.
2. The cryptographic random number generation is improved to gather seed entropy from more sources, including a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) when available, and replaces the general purpose pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) with an AES-256 counter mode PRNG for both user and kernel mode.
3. Improves BitLocker Drive Encryption by offering an additional multi-factor authentication method that combines a key protected by the TPM (Trusted Platform Module) with a Startup Key stored on a USB storage device and a user-generated Personal Identification Number (PIN).
4. Enhances the BitLocker encryption support to volumes other than bootable volumes in Windows Vista (for Enterprise and Ultimate SKUs).
5. Enables a standard user to invoke the CompletePC Backup application, provided that user can supply administrator credentials. Previously, only administrators could launch the application.
Support for New Technologies and Standards
1. Adds support for new strong cryptographic algorithms used in IPsec. SHA-256, AES-GCM, and AES-GMAC for ESP and AH, ECDSA, SHA-256, and SHA-384 for IKE and AuthIP.
2. Adds the NIST SP 800-90 Elliptical Curve Cryptography (ECC) pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) to the list of available PRNG in Windows Vista.
3. Adds support for SSTP (Secure Sockets Tunnel Protocol), a remote access VPN tunneling protocol that will be part of Microsoft's RRAS (Routing and Remote Access Service) platform. SSTP helps provide full-network VPN remote access connections over SSL, removing some of the VPN connectivity challenges that other VPN tunnels face traversing NAT, web proxies, and firewalls.
4. Adds full support for the latest IEEE draft of 802.11n wireless networking.
5. Enhances Windows Firewall and IPsec to use the new cryptographic algorithms that are Suite B compliant.
Desktop Administration and Management
1. Allows users and administrators to control which volumes the disk defragmenter runs on.
2. Allows users and administrators using Network Diagnostics to solve the most common file sharing problems, not just network connection problems.
3. Adds a WMI interface as a replacement for the MoveUser.exe tool which was removed from Windows Vista. This allows customers to remap an existing workgroup or domain user account profile to a new domain user account profile.
4. Allows an administrator to configure properties of a network, such as the name, and deploy it network-wide via a Group Policy snap-in.
Setup and Deployment Improvements
1. Enables support for hotpatching, a reboot-reduction servicing technology designed to maximize uptime. It works by allowing Windows components to be updated (or "patched") while they are still in use by a running process. Hotpatch-enabled update packages are installed via the same methods as traditional update packages, and will not trigger a system reboot.
2. Improves patch deployment by retrying failed updates in cases where multiple updates are pending and the failure of one update causes other updates to fail as well.
3. Improves the uninstallation experience for OS updates by improving the uninstallation routines in custom OS installation code.
General Improvements and Enhancements
1. With SP1, Windows Vista will report the amount of system memory installed rather than report the amount of system memory available to the OS. Therefore 32-bit systems equipped with 4GB of RAM will report all 4GB in many places throughout the OS, such as the System Control Panel. However, this behavior is dependent on having a compatible BIOS, so not all users may notice this change.
2. SP1 reduces the number of UAC (User Account Control) prompts from 4 to 1 when creating or renaming a folder at a protected location.
3. Users are now required to enter a password hint during the initial setup of Windows Vista SP1. This change was made based on feedback from top PC manufactures that many customers frequently do not remember their password and because the administrator account is turned off by default on Windows Vista, these users do not have a way to access to their PCs. A password hint helps avoid this frustrating scenario.
4. Improves compatibility with 3rd party diagnostic tools that rely on raw sockets by applying the same delivery logic to control (ICMP v4 and v6) and regular packages.
General Annoyances
1. Users who did not opt-in to the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) will be prompted again to join after installing SP1. The experience will remain the same and the default will continue to be opt-out.
2. Improved instrumentation allows additional data to be sent to Microsoft via the CEIP (Customer Experience Improvement Program) when enabled. This telemetry data led to the identification of numerous issues that are addressed in SP1 and resulted in improvement in the reliability of OS servicing. (CEIP is respectful of personally identifiable information and adheres to terms discussed in the EULA.)
Labels: General PC Advice
DiggIt! Del.icio.usHide or Encrypt data on your USB Drive
0 Comments Published by Tim Biden on Mar 8, 2008 at 11:06 AM.
As a computer networking professional, I keep lots of private data on my USB Flash Drive and I can't have it falling into the wrong hands. I have been looking for a good, quick program that I can use from my jump drive, doesn't require admin rights on other PCs and is secure.
Just the other day I found FolderLock. It is exactly what was looking for. You have different options on how to use it. You can hide, scramble or encrypt folders. Even the encrypt option, which they say is a little slow, is MUCH faster than the other programs that I found. It is compatible with Windows Vista, Server 2003, XP, 2000, NT, Me, 98, and 98SE and works on all kinds of disk types like FAT16, FAT32, NTFS.
FolderLockhas the ability to use it in free version. It has a short waiting period of approximately 5 seconds before you can enter your password to view your files but this is certainly acceptable. If you do decide to purchase it, the cost is only $35 and you get the advantage of additional options that include Stealth Mode, Hacker Attempt Monitoring, Shred files, AutoLock, Auto Shutdown PC, Lock your PC, Erase PC tracks, 256-bit Blowfish Encryption and Context Menu in Explorer.
Always keep your personal or business data safe.
Tim
Labels: General PC Advice, How To, My Thoughts
DiggIt! Del.icio.usE85 Ethanol and Windows Vista, you're probably thinking "what's the connection?"
Well, a few weeks ago I pulled up to one of my vendors to pick up networking supplies and I saw another customer. He was there in his work van that had the "FlexFuel" sticker on it so I asked him about it. "Do you know where to get the E85 fuel for this thing?" His reply was essentially "no, I just use it for work." That got me thinking about how often I see the "FlexFuel" stickers on vehicles and how many stations there are that sell it. So I did what any computer geek would do… I googled it. Apparently there is only 1 station in the greater Los Angeles area that sells E85 fuel. And it really isn't worth the drive from where he was to where you can get the gas.
Also, E85 also doesn't have the same amount of power per gallon as gasoline does. You lose approximately 20-30% when using Ethanol. Therefore you use more E85 than gasoline. However, we can create Ethanol here so we may not be quite so dependent on the Middle East for our oil. And this would be good for all of us.
Now on to Windows Vista… Vista came out over a year ago and there weren't many programs that worked for it. Software manufacturers just weren't ready for it. It was also put out before the IT industry was ready to support it. And the product wasn't ready for the mass public. Windows Vista is about to hit its first Service Pack and hopefully when it does, it'll remove some of the bugs that prevent Vista from being the first-class OS that Microsoft wants it to be.
And back to the E85… Please, for those of us who want to use E85, make it more readily available. Once it is, I want to buy a FlexFuel vehicle too.
Labels: My Thoughts
DiggIt! Del.icio.usIt doesn't work until the tech gets there. That is the rule of doing computer tech support.
I couldn't tell you how many times I've gone out on calls only to find that the item in question works perfectly. It happened again this morning. The woman's computer was shutting down without any notice. The way she described the problem sounded like a power supply problem. So I went out and attempted to fix it but the exact problem is extremely difficult to diagnose when the PSU (Power Supply Unit) tester shows that everything is fine and the problem can't be duplicated. And I certainly did try. So I fixed a backup problem that she'd been having (her computer hadn't been backed up since October) and went on my way.
I love to fix and repair computers. It's what I do for a living. But when there is no visible problem to fix, attempting to fix it can be a challenge.
So here comes the advice. =) If you're having computer issues, be precise when describing them and if they go away, call the technician. He may advise you to replace the suspect parts or he may tell you that its better to wait until it occurs again. If this is the case, be sure that you can handle it happening again and everything is backed up.
Once again giving you my 2 cents.
Tim
Labels: General PC Advice
DiggIt! Del.icio.usI just posted an article on how to install PHP in Windows Server 2008 or IIS7 that included a Batch File. I just thought that maybe some of you that are reading this don't know how to create a batch file. So here are step by step directions on creating a batch file under Windows XP or Vista.
- Go to the blank desktop and right-click on it.
- Choose "New" then choose "Text Document"
- Name it whateveryouwant.bat. The ".bat" is the important part.
- Copy your text commands into it and save it.
Viola! You have a batch file. Now just double-click it to run it.
Enjoy.
Tim
Labels: General PC Advice, How To
DiggIt! Del.icio.usI was recently attempting to install PHP into Windows Server 2008 Web Edition with IIS 7.0 and I had to google how to do it. I found a few pages that gave instructions but all were incomplete. Whatever I tried I repeatedly got the message "The specified module required by this handler is not in the modules list." What the heck does that mean?
Well, in short I found a page by David Wang that tells you what text to put inside a batch file that installs PHP ISAPI in IIS7 (IIS 7.0). The text for the batch file begins right after where he typed "//David". So copy from "@IF ?%_ECHO%?==?? ECHO OFF" to "ENDLOCAL". Run the batch file after you close the Server Manager.
When you restart the Server Manager, you will then see "PHP-ISAPI" under your Handler Mappings heading. Once you see this, you know it's installed.
Tim
Labels: How To, Windows Server Tips
DiggIt! Del.icio.us