Posted 05/16/2009 at 09:49:12pm

Let's re-iterate this simple fact people:

If you own one of the above models, it's not automatic that your battery has been recalled. Specific serial numbers apply

Don't be clogging up the phone lines in a pandemic thinking EVERY battery is gonna blow.  Check the website first.. follow the instructions.. and IF YOUR battery applies, THEN call support for the replacement.

Posted 04/12/2009 at 06:41:13pm

Not to downplay that long list of instructions.. but use MalwareBytes.  I've yet to see a version of AntiVirus XP or any of it's variants escape removal from the program.  It'll remove the infection in real time, without needing to reboot after any step.

And it runs just fine in safe mode should your OS be compromised in normal mode.

Posted 04/09/2009 at 02:14:46pm

Anyone who complains about the price of a Mac, compared to a Windows based machine, has NEVER done the math.

So.. let's help educate the public shall we?

WinPCs typically come with substandard hardware (starts you at less than $500).. and then gives you options to get the better hardware, faster hardware... (leaning you closer to the $1000 mark).  Then, you add up most, if not all the software that's "shareware" at the time aka, trial version, and you start adding up more to the cost.  Fully configured and purchased, your shiny new WinPC is now around $1300 to 1500.  However.. that's configuring a low end model still.  Stated in the example, a DV4, DV5 or DV7 from HP.  A DV6 or DV7 from HP that you configure first with the latest in hardware, will move you well beyond $1200 really fast... don't believe me?  Go there site and start turning up the features.  Same goes for all WinPC OEM manufacturers.  This isn't just HP or Dell, it's the industry feeding them the components.  Which by the way.. also reside in your Mac.

A fully configured top of the line HP HDX18, around $4000.00..(I did a prelim pricing, out the door with everything checked to the max!!, almost $5300 and that did not include any of the extras, such as back up drives, printers.. etc.  Also, the HP has a standard 2-3hr battery life, Mac, 8.  Starting price for that system is 1200 to 1900.  Starting price for the same in a Mac, around 2000 to 2100.  I am not holding HP out on a limb here, this is a simple comparison between industries.. the same holds true for your standard OEM dealers.. you want to really get into WinPC pricing, try your gaming machines from Alienware or another strictly gaming notebook manufacturer.  

(btw - with all the options you pick with an HDX, can easily top $10,000.00)

There are reasons Mac is more expensive, but not as much as MS, or the community hypes it up to be.  I'd take more of my day explaining it, but that would waste your precious time that you should be spending doing the research and answering that question yourself.

(ps - didn't Windows XP Pro start off at around $600 when it was released?)  (Vista Ultimate for $400? - and we didn't see SQUAT from MS when it came to those "extras" now did we?)  

(pss - and yeah.. Windows 7 Ultimate will not come with any "extras")

I also wanted to add.. "Congratulations Lauren, you like the rest of us, can only afford that Chevy, and not have the budget for a new Mercedes!"

Posted 04/08/2009 at 11:20:30am

Straight clean install. 

With all the issues I've ever run into, myself or helping others.. an "upgrade" from one OS to the other has never been a good idea.  Ubuntu has had a more seamless upgrade from one version to the next, but it still has it issues.

Even though you might be using the Beta as a full time OS ( I am on our machine ), you shouldn't have installed so much, or kept so much on the machine to risk losing it all.  Much less risk losing it all on a perilous trip down Microsoft's deadly "upgrade" alley.

Posted 01/10/2009 at 12:54:13pm

First off... we can get the whole "this driver doesn't install on Win7" out of the way... I expected that from the beginning.  Though.. if you can extract the drivers to a folder, device manager had no issues installing.

Ok.. my first impression of Win7 is that overall.. this is what Vista should have been when it was released.  The install was quicker than Vista.. setup was much faster, you didn't have to go thru a hundred different icon, wallpaper, internet, or update screens soon after the files were copied.

Vista takes an average of around 45 mins to set up.. Win 7 took me, just under 30.  One of the things I was most impressed about the setup installation, MS got rid of that "hey.. hold on for about 15 mins while I test your bloody hardware for a dumbass rating of 2.5 to 5.9!"  One can only hope that stays with Win7 during the final release.

I loved the fact I was caught off guard that the Sidebar was running.. but it's now invisible meaning you can leave your desktop icons on the right side of the screen without interferrence.  Nice touch.

Network and Sharing, control panel options that were still farther back in your window selections are now up front where they belong.  I have a more difficult time getting to simple options in Vista.. whereas they are now on the main windows in Win7.  MS has a long way to go still if they want to catch up with "it's all right here" as it is mainly on a Mac OS.  But it's yet another step in the right direction.

The taskbar is what it should be.  A nice combination of a status bar, and a quick launch bar.  The ability to have options from the programs running without having to create shortcuts, drag and drop.. etc.

At first.. I ran into the "Windows update has encountered an error", the typical one where a firewall is blocking access, but seeing as the Windows Firewall was the only one on.. I find this bug to have been really irritating.  It took several reboots after shutting the firewall off to get WU to run.  And even after that, I didn't pick up any updates like those I've seen posted by others on the net.  Creative, Nvidia drivers.. etc.

I'll stop this for now.. give room for others to comment.  But I can say this.. I had nothing really impressive to say about Vista.  But Win7 is enough to let XP go if MS keeps their word on making sure the OS is stable and reliable when it comes to the everyday tasks and hardware/software people use it for.

Posted 01/05/2009 at 12:41:59pm

"has been fully cracked in version 6.5.0.2"

And updated just a few days later in 6.5.0.7.

Get AnyDVD.. there's no reason not to have it.

Posted 01/02/2009 at 09:46:54am

"Only now....at the end, do you understand."

Cheers to that!!

Posted 11/15/2008 at 10:54:37am

Wow... I'm glad Asrock has finally caught up to the past!!

Been using the S3 state on our computers for the past three years.  Simple... set your BIOS for S3, set your power options.

End of story.

Best to install your OS after setting the BIOS.. but works either way.

Posted 10/16/2008 at 12:40:59pm

"Only now....at the end, do you understand."

I am particularly pleased that SecuRom is allowing us to upgrade our PCs as many times as we want!!

Didn't know I needed special permission from them, but Thank You!

Posted 09/08/2008 at 01:18:46pm

"Having a large install base is important because it makes it easier for Microsoft to convince developers to use its platform."

Uh..... No.

This has been, and will continue to be.. Microsoft's ONLY way to get people to use their platforms.  It isn't people's choices to download their software.. so much as it is the only option there is.  Like IE.. since it's integration into the OS and MS's WU forcing users to install IE 7 as a "critical update" isn't a choice for those that use Auto-updates.  It's a fact.  If you wanted to view NBC content (aka MSNBC) you had to have MS software.  

Now that it's over however.. I've uninstalled Silverlight because it's pretty much useless.

No Microsoft.. 1.5 million a day wasn't people going "oh yeah, check this out.. we have got to get this!!" it was "oh great.. here we go again".