tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71850095980464956752024-03-13T16:32:08.943+08:00SG PC RecoveryHelping by Sharing Free PC adviceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-17685523541094682432015-11-25T11:51:00.001+08:002015-11-25T12:04:21.654+08:00Unable to open Word, Excel, Powerpoint attachment in emails<br />
If you have experienced this error message when opening office attachment from your email client (eg Mozilla Thunderbird, MS Outlook, MS Mail)<br />
we have the solution for you. ( word, excel, powerpoint ) aka ( xls, doc, ppt, xlsx, docx, pptx )<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
Word experienced an error trying to open the file. Try these suggestions:</div>
<ul style="font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<li>Check for file permissions for the document or drive.</li>
<li>Make sure there is sufficient free memory and disk space.</li>
<li>Open the file with the Text Recovery converter.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Office 2010 and 2013 has implemented some form of additional protection against vile and harmful files in email attachments or downloaded from the internet.</div>
<br />
However, it may be more of a hassle than convenience for users.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
To resolve the issue, this is the quickest way.<br />
<br />
Open "Word" and open a blank file template.<br />
Click on "File" on top left corner and click on "Options" in the sidebar.<br />
<br />
The Options window should appear.<br />
Click "Trust Center" near the bottom of the left pane.<br />
And click "Trust Center Settings" on the right pane.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgIl0lHVjFBi5VH6sCQT9BemX75oxz6QlRkJaQJeJYXLnHQnJdJfEuFvUK3LkA8rhLGAu7dJcOp5tPXQznaCj2eIQzqhd5exSxezZQwyxWIzF0yKiK_RlfvAUNfbrzk_Afd_2wl9pB2M/s1600/trust1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgIl0lHVjFBi5VH6sCQT9BemX75oxz6QlRkJaQJeJYXLnHQnJdJfEuFvUK3LkA8rhLGAu7dJcOp5tPXQznaCj2eIQzqhd5exSxezZQwyxWIzF0yKiK_RlfvAUNfbrzk_Afd_2wl9pB2M/s640/trust1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
A new window titled "Trust Center" should appear.<br />
Click on "Protected View" on the left pane.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Now on the right pane, uncheck the boxes that says:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Enable Protected View for files originating from the Internet</li>
<li>Enable Protected View for files located in potentially unsafe locations</li>
</ul>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1u1Xit4LwSIBwQaskGejYCNqfH2i-GxVQArJTQashUORu0XoUWOtYtbvfoXVDkrOXU82bbmfrChUvFoqapz3UN5lS-Y9e4XpHmTwbxawapmpe-iZYRdK7USKxMkV9vW85jZXe45EvkJs/s1600/trust2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1u1Xit4LwSIBwQaskGejYCNqfH2i-GxVQArJTQashUORu0XoUWOtYtbvfoXVDkrOXU82bbmfrChUvFoqapz3UN5lS-Y9e4XpHmTwbxawapmpe-iZYRdK7USKxMkV9vW85jZXe45EvkJs/s640/trust2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Click through on all OK buttons until all option windows are closed.<br />
<br />
Perform the same for Excel and Powerpoint.<br />
<br />
Problem resolved.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Source : <a href="http://www.askvg.com/how-to-disable-protected-view-in-microsoft-office-while-opening-email-attachments-or-downloaded-files/" target="_blan11">AskVG</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Today is 25th Nov 2015<br />
Time now is 11:46 hrs<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-28049772709716524242014-11-26T11:18:00.002+08:002014-11-26T11:18:44.559+08:00Do this check before your HDD crashes on youHDD crash = lost data.<br />
<br />
However, this could be prevented by running this check every once in a while.<br />
<br />
First, press the "windows" key on your keyboard.<br />
Type in "<b>cmd</b>" and press enter.<br />
This will open up the command prompt. ( black screen with white text ).<br />
<br />
Now type<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
"<b>wmic</b>" </div>
and press enter.<br />
<br />
Followed by typing this<br />
"<b>diskdrive get status</b>"<br />
and press enter.<br />
<br />
If all is good, the response from the last command will show
"Status ok".<br />
If it shows "failed" in any response, backup the hdd and replace it immediately to prevent imminent crash.<br />
<br />
<br />
For other ways of detecting if the HDD is about to fail, visit this <a href="http://www.howtogeek.com/134735/how-to-see-if-your-hard-drive-is-dying/" target="_blank">link</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyNrhR2jHlecGEIb7DhqMMlJ4MFJf9-ilySzd3kXM3Xddh0AVMOq1jaXZPHeRv8nu-YEkNhB-zDkEMIvHoJ0PZOsWI1EfpQcbuE8RPfXLTTggV38AEEoGz4okWRfdDN2DFgmblwVEmvE/s1600/abri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyNrhR2jHlecGEIb7DhqMMlJ4MFJf9-ilySzd3kXM3Xddh0AVMOq1jaXZPHeRv8nu-YEkNhB-zDkEMIvHoJ0PZOsWI1EfpQcbuE8RPfXLTTggV38AEEoGz4okWRfdDN2DFgmblwVEmvE/s640/abri.jpg" height="449" width="640" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-69568551381956314892014-03-06T09:42:00.001+08:002014-11-26T11:24:46.867+08:00Latest Phishing Scam from sender pretending to be Microsoft<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yFv91f3gqeQ/UxfRw9syKdI/AAAAAAAAW4M/2SnHkvVSDTo/s1600/spammsoutlookinbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yFv91f3gqeQ/UxfRw9syKdI/AAAAAAAAW4M/2SnHkvVSDTo/s1600/spammsoutlookinbox.jpg" height="152" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spam email looking like the official email</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you receive this email from Microsoft claiming that your hotmail/outlook account will be shutdown, look again.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br />
<br />
The "CLICK HERE TO AUTHENTICATE" link will bring you to a site that looks like the outlook/hotmail login screen with funny fonts.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Do not key in your email and password in there.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It is a phishing scam where they will save your email and password to login your account to spam others.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Kindly forward this to everyone you know that uses Hotmail or Outlook domain email addresses.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-8693470164383526952012-09-06T11:04:00.000+08:002012-09-06T11:05:40.143+08:00Free Online StorageGone are the days that the personal computer (PC) are personal.<br />
<br />
These days, the computer is just an interface to the web. And with the rising popularity of smartphone and tablets, the laptop becomes almost redundant, relatively speaking.<br />
<br />
And since almost every one owns more than one computing device, it makes sense not to store everything on one device.<br />
<br />
Moreover, storing important files and documents or precious videos and music on a single computer is like putting all the eggs in one basket. That becomes a hassle when these files need to be updated and synchronized across all the different folders on all devices.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
The solution to having many instances of the same file is quite simple actually.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Host these files in the cloud.</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>FOR FREE!</i></b></div>
<br />
As we cannot live without internet connectivity in today's context, it is possible to make use of the 24/7 online connectivity to use the web as your personal hard drive.<br />
<br />
There are several free online storage providers that allows up to 10 gigabytes of personal storage.<br />
And when the files are required, just logon with any smartphones, tablets or PCs and it no longer required synchronizing across the devices since there is only one instance of the file.<br />
<br />
What makes it better is the fact that since the computer is merely an interface to the web, There is no longer any fear of the operating system crashing or hardware failure on the computer. Data recovery is almost not required. Just use any other computing devices to access the files which are intact on the web storage, zero impact to these files.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Have Web Browser, Will Travel</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
And since apps, such as video players, picture viewers, word processors and etc, are hosted on the web, you actually do not have to purchase any software that is bound to the computer in use. Again, it only requires the web browser accessing and displaying the files via addons and extensions. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
(eg Google Drive, Gmail, Microsoft Office Online, etc)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Still writing files and saving them to "My Documents" folder? </b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Reconsider the risks of a <u>hard disk crash or stolen laptop</u> and start using these free online web storage now!!</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Some popular personal web storage sites:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://skydrive.live.com/" target="_blank">Microsoft SkyDrive</a></li>
<li><a href="https://drive.google.com/" target="_blank">Google Drive</a></li>
<li><a href="https://one.ubuntu.com/" target="_blank">Ubuntu One</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/" target="_blank">Dropbox</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/productivity/free-online-storage-apps/" target="_blank">For more of such free online web storage site, see this list from FreelanceSwitch.com!</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-4900900203782480412012-02-01T13:48:00.000+08:002012-02-01T13:49:08.721+08:00Check your clock time/date settingsIf you are experiencing certificate errors when browsing the web,<br />
<br />
such as the one below<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">www.xoxoxo.com uses an invalid security certificate.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">The certificate is not trusted because the issuer certificate has expired.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">The certificate will not be valid until 3/27/2011 2:21 PM.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">(Error code: sec_error_expired_issuer_certificate)</span></span><br />
<br />
And no matter which browser you are using, (IE,CHROME,SAFARI,FIREFOX), the same error occurs.
<br />
<br />
There is a simple fix.<br />
<br />
Just set the correct date and time on your system clock and all will be ok again.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.knowledgesutra.com/discuss/tsstfl-firefox-invalid-security-certificate-error.html" target="_blank">See here for an example listed</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-53986925960586405472010-03-30T15:52:00.000+08:002010-03-30T15:52:58.090+08:00Clean Windows virus without booting into windowsAt times, the Windows operating system may be severely affected by malware, spyware and virus to the extent that it is not possible to install an anti-virus, anti-malware or anti-spyware tool within the Windows operating system.<br />
<br />
Nowadays, intelligent malware,spyware and virus are able to block out disinfectant tools and softwares that may be used to detect and eliminate the problems.<br />
<br />
So how is it possible to clean up the operating system without booting into Windows?<br />
<br />
2 known tools are available from renown anti-virus software companies.<br />
<br />
1. <a href="http://www.kaspersky.com/">Kaspersky</a> Rescue Disk<br />
2. <a href="http://www.f-secure.com/">F-Secure</a> Rescue-CD<br />
<br />
These are Live CDs which boots to a native environment that is independent of the operating system installed in the hard disk. And since they boot up using the files in the CD and not the hard-disk, malwares/spywares/virus in the hard-disk is unable to impair its operations.<br />
<br />
Here are 2 very useful guides on how to use these CDs to remove the malwares, spywares and virus in your operating system.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.techmixer.com/kaspersky-rescue-disk-load-kaspersky-antivirus-2009-using-dos/">1. Techmixer guide to using Kaspersky Rescue Disk<br />
</a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.linux-tip.net/cms/content/view/353/26/">2. Linux-Tip.net guide to using F-Secure Rescue-CD</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">An easier way to download the CD images and install directly onto a USB drive instead of using CDs would be to use "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNetbootin">Unetbootin</a>". Just select the desired image [ F-secure or Kaspersky ] from the dropdown list of distributions and choose the USB drive to use. The "Unetbootin" application will automatically download the latest version of the Live CDs and install it onto the USB drive in one step.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">A quick guide to using "Unetbootin" can be found here at <a href="http://www.pendrivelinux.com/using-unetbootin-to-create-a-live-usb-linux/">PendriveLinux.com</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Unetbootin is available on operating systems such as Windows and Linux.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-17717703370211301772010-01-15T11:10:00.001+08:002010-01-15T11:11:02.675+08:00Speed up Windows Vista performance! Tips really work!<a href="http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/81176-speed-up-performance-vista.html">Vistax64 has a very good guide for speeding up Vista performance!</a><br />
<br />
From boot up speed to application speed to managing services and registry optimization..<br />
<br />
For all tech and non-tech users.<br />
<br />
Choose which one to try.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-1968028770789966552010-01-02T03:14:00.001+08:002010-01-02T03:16:26.829+08:00So your Windows XP can't display Chinese Characters?Have no fear... no more weird boxes as text font whenever you visit websites with chinese text..<br />
<br />
To enable reading and writing of chinese text, here is a <a href="http://newton.uor.edu/Departments&Programs/AsianStudiesDept/Language/asianlanguageinstallation_XP.html">good guide</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-52732994634008216902009-12-31T11:51:00.001+08:002010-01-20T17:52:24.418+08:0011 Ways Computer Viruses Are Spread<a href="http://www.scbnetwork.org/11-ways-computer-viruses-are-spread">11 Ways Computer Viruses Are Spread</a>:<br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: italic;">It is the worst nightmare of every computer user: you wake up one day and realize that you have a virus, and you don’t know quite how to get rid of it. Most people these days understand what a virus is and how harmful it can be, but they are still somewhat unsure how computer viruses spread. The truth is that there are dozens of different ways in which a virus can spread from computer to computer, but let’s take a look at the most frequent ways in which people run into viruses, spyware and Trojans on the Internet.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
1. Email attachments. The world became familiar with the phenomena of email attachments carrying viruses thanks to Microsoft’s Outlook Express automatically opening every attachment to every email you received a few years back. Now that email clients no longer do this, the infection rate from email attachments is significantly lower, but it can still be a common problem. The golden rule is that if you don’t know what an attachment is, don’t open it. To this day, many email users never open attachments, no matter what. You don’t have to take such drastic steps to protect yourself, however; simply use common sense when opening attachments in your email.<br />
<br />
2. Rogue Websites. It is depressing to know that you may become infected with spyware or a virus by doing nothing more than simply visiting a website, but it is true. Many adult websites, gambling websites and other less than trustworthy websites will attempt to automatically access your computer when you visit them. They often install adware bugs that will cause a flurry of pop ups to appear on your screen. This adware will often allow for other programs with even more nefarious purposes to be installed and before you know it, your computer will be swamped. To stop these rogue websites, adjust the settings on your antivirus software and firewall so that no outside connections can be made and no programs can be installed without your express permission.<br />
<br />
3. Networks. If your computer is connected to a home network or if your work computer is part of a larger network, you may find yourself with an infection through no fault of your own. Someone else on the network downloaded a bug by accident, and within minutes, the entire network could be infected. There isn’t much you can do to stop these kinds of infections, short of having your network administrator ensure that everyone’s antivirus software is up to date so that the invading bug can be removed as quickly as possible.<br />
</div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Read the rest of 4-10 ways here at <a href="http://www.scbnetwork.org/11-ways-computer-viruses-are-spread">scbnetwork.org</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-3744475580425493512009-12-29T10:46:00.000+08:002009-12-29T10:46:41.350+08:00PC World Tips for making Windows faster, safer and betterPC World came up with an extensive guide to optimize the Windows platform to make it faster, better and safer.<br />
<br />
The tips described can be applied for all variants of Windows, namely, XP, Vista, Windows 7.<br />
<br />
Enjoy customizing<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/183695/essential_windows_tricks.html">Source : PC World : Essential Windows Tricks</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-10257586686705708642009-12-22T10:42:00.001+08:002009-12-22T10:42:39.865+08:00How to Speed Up Your NetbookNetbooks are the trend now!<br />
<br />
Lightweight, long lasting power consumption, etc.<br />
<br />
But as it is backed by a low power, relatively lightweight ATOM processor, you might feel that it starts to become slow after using the netbook for a couple of month..<br />
Fear not, Digitaltrends has got a good guide to make it fast and snappy again!<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/how-to/how-to-speed-up-your-netbook/?news=123">How to Speed Up Your NetBook</a><br />
<table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 10px; width: 80px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/how-to/how-to-speed-up-your-netbook/?news=123"><img alt="" border="0" height="68" src="http://nt2.ggpht.com/news/tbn/IjFO3uEL3WkJ" width="80" /></a><br />
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/how-to/how-to-speed-up-your-netbook/?news=123"><br />
</a><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
You bought your <b>netbook</b> for portability, convenience and mobility– you didn't buy it so you could stash a bunch of games, files, programs and pictures on it <b>...</b><br />
<a href="http://news.google.com/news/story?ncl=http://www.digitaltrends.com/how-to/how-to-speed-up-your-netbook/%3Fnews%3D123&hl=en"><span style="color: green;"><br />
</span></a><a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/how-to/how-to-speed-up-your-netbook/?news=123">Read more at Digitaltrends.com</a>"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-21119252963946560552009-12-22T02:22:00.002+08:002009-12-29T11:01:59.478+08:00What Is Window's Registry & Its Associated Problems?<a href="http://www.bestarticle.org/computer/what-is-window-registry-and-its-associated-problems/">What Is Window's Registry And Its Associated Problems?</a>:<br />
<br />
<br />
Read the link at BestArticle.org for more explanation and how critical and complicated the Windows Registry really is....<br />
<br />
<span style="color: green;"><br />
<a href="http://www.bestarticle.org/computer/" style="color: green;" title="http://www.bestarticle.org/computer/"><br />
Computers and Technology Articles - http://www.bestarticle.org/computer/</a></span>"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-25695665432568736282009-12-19T03:28:00.000+08:002009-12-19T03:28:37.744+08:00Preparing Your Computer for Windows 7Windows 7 is a completely different breed from the good ol' XP... Before migrating to this new operating system, be armed with the knowhow and hardware requirements..<br /><br /><a href="http://www.newsfactor.com/news/Preparing-Your-PC-for-Windows-7/story.xhtml?story_id=102003BVZOYC">Preparing Your Computer for Windows 7</a>:<br /><br />"There's some validity to this claim, since the operating system you're using has probably become bloated or bogged down by files and unused <b>registry</b> entries <b>...</b><br /><a href="http://bit.ly/8asPtX"><br />Full article from Newsfactor Network here</a>"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-57245217656769990092009-12-19T03:21:00.000+08:002009-12-19T03:21:07.806+08:00How to use WinDBG Debugger to troubleshoot a BSoD?TechRepublic has a good write up on how to find out the cause of each BSOD.<br />Step by step guide in the link below!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=1922">How do I use WinDBG Debugger to troubleshoot a Blue Screen of Death?</a>:<br /><br />" Have you ever wondered how to obtain extra information from the infamous Blue Screen of Death (<b>BSOD</b>) that will sometimes show up and give you <b>...</b><br /><br /><a href="http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=1922">Read the rest from TechRepublic</a>"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-69965205360126716482009-12-18T18:01:00.000+08:002009-12-18T18:01:49.449+08:00How To Uninstall / Remove System Adware Scanner 2010 Virus (Removal Guide)<a href="http://www.softsailor.com/how-to/14003-how-to-uninstall-remove-system-adware-scanner-2010-virus-removal-guide.html">How To Uninstall / Remove System Adware Scanner 2010 Virus (Removal Guide)</a>: "<table style="margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="80" align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.softsailor.com/how-to/14003-how-to-uninstall-remove-system-adware-scanner-2010-virus-removal-guide.html"><img src="http://nt3.ggpht.com/news/tbn/A2mZhsPJHtAJ" alt="" height="60" width="80" border="0" /></a></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><span style=""><a href="http://www.softsailor.com/how-to/14003-how-to-uninstall-remove-system-adware-scanner-2010-virus-removal-guide.html">Soft Sailor (blog)</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />We will still use <b>Malwarebytes</b>' Anti-Malware to remove the System Adware Scanner 2010 virus and the protection driver, although it is originally blocked, <b>...</b><br /><br /><a href="http://news.google.com/news/story?ncl=http://www.softsailor.com/how-to/14003-how-to-uninstall-remove-system-adware-scanner-2010-virus-removal-guide.html&hl=en"><span style="color:green;"><br /></span></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-4293434018013811622009-12-18T14:28:00.002+08:002009-12-18T14:35:34.411+08:00PC fits into keyboard, uses only five Watts - News - Linux for DevicesThai based PC manufacturer <a href="http://www.norhtec.com/">Norhtec</a> launches keyboard PC!<br />
An entire PC and its hardware stashed inside a keyboard.<br />
<br />
Previously seen on SGLNX, was the release of a Norhtec tablet that runs on AA batteries.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://sglnx.com/2009/09/affordable-linux-tablet-running-on-aa-batteries/">SGLNX: Affordable Linux Touchscreen Tablet running on AA batteries</a>.<br />
<br />
In no less than 3 months, Norhtec suprised everyone one again with this keyboard PC.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4il5Zw3a1t0bzwY-qAdByhRVsf8Y5FTBbgodxT0j_gP4r-MUzhcAuWwe1mRmmLMHm-iSW6ya7lIQlPrgDpJ65VVgomSV-pdv-6nShe99X071jjnHk_ZWZz5gXiGJEERkkNnK7rf2LqKo/s1600-h/keyboard+pc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4il5Zw3a1t0bzwY-qAdByhRVsf8Y5FTBbgodxT0j_gP4r-MUzhcAuWwe1mRmmLMHm-iSW6ya7lIQlPrgDpJ65VVgomSV-pdv-6nShe99X071jjnHk_ZWZz5gXiGJEERkkNnK7rf2LqKo/s320/keyboard+pc.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
Take a look at this keyboard PC aka Gecko Surfpad in action below:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y3-e9J_JPNg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y3-e9J_JPNg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
</div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/News/NorhTec-Gecko-Surfboard/">PC fits into keyboard, uses only five Watts - News - Linux for Devices</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Today is 18th December 2009<br />
Time now is 14:26 hrsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-30027095200505306412009-11-12T13:06:00.003+08:002010-01-20T17:55:46.801+08:00Back up a freshly baked and customized XP/VISTA operating system<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Now that you have a new laptop or desktop, you'd probably spend the next 2-3 days installing all the mission critical applications, that you are used to, from the last PC that you'd been using.<br />
<br />
MSN messenger, Winzip, Nero, PowerDVD, Firefox, Chrome, Java runtime, anti-virus programs, etc.<br />
<br />
You'd probably also customize the appearance of the desktop such as the start up menu color, background picture and even a sound scheme that features your own voice....<br />
<br />
Only after fully customizing it, you'd feel the PC is ready for use.<br />
Then the fear of losing the 2-3 days of customization work sinks in.<br />
<br />
<i>What if the PC is infected with some serious spyware and virus and you have to reinstall everything all over again?</i><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Sure, there's a recovery partition but that only recovers to a fresh OS without any customization, there'd be 3 more days of work before the PC was at its peak, before all the other files started to clutter all over.<br />
<br />
So what can be done to ensure that this customization stays?<br />
ie.. recover to a operating system that is already customized?<br />
There are various ways to do this.<br />
1) Norton Ghost [ commercially available ]<br />
2) Microsoft backup and recovery<br />
3) Linux Live CDs<br />
<br />
Here we will elaborate on method 3.<br />
Method 1 is a paid software.<br />
Method 2 is included in M$ operating system [ never tried ].<br />
Method 3 will include using open source operating systems to back up XP or Vista operating systems without actually booting into XP or Vista.<br />
<br />
Firstly, we'd need to download and burn a LiveCD.<br />
<div>Secondly, an empty USB HDD with the size larger or equivalent to the partition that the XP or Vista was initially installed.<br />
</div><div>[ eg if the desktop HDD is 160 gigabytes in size, buy a USB HDD of 160gigabytes or larger ]<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>For making a LiveCD, <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download">Ubuntu</a> is preferred. Once the ISO is downloaded, burn it into a CD<br />
</div><div>[ Step by step guide <a href="http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/ss/writeisofecddvd.htm">here</a> ]<br />
Reboot the system and boot via the LiveCD now loaded into the cdrom drive.<br />
Once the Graphical User Interface appears, the LiveCD is considered running the Ubuntu Linux operating system on your PC.<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>Once the LiveD boots up, plug in the USB HDD.<br />
</div><div>At this point, it's assumed that the partition containing the XP or Vista is already installed within the PC's IDE or SATA connection.<br />
<br />
</div><div>Once the USB HDD is plugged into the PC, an icon should appear on the Desktop background. Double click on the icon of the USB HDD and enter the drive to make sure its completely empty. Once it is confirmed an empty drive, close the folder by clicking on the "X" at the top right corner [ similar to XP/Vista function ].<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>Next, right click on the USB HDD icon again and select "unmount"<br />
</div><div>The reason why we need to unmount the drive is because the drive cannot be mounted if it's partition table is to be modified. Disconnect the USB HDD at this point.<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>Now, Partition Editor needs to be started. Make sure the USB HDD has been dismounted at this point.<br />
</div><div><br />
On the top menu, select "System" -> "Administration" -> "Partition Editor".<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352928323189652226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZrTfx59royrJwju5wM96hL8wp0XnMKoJwgiU6rDfBhXngVCBsXYiQvkAqBZIyEO-VliWH7ThO49ols_gl6ZpYvBcEFtSTCfeDYPuOja0drGGluVUqoLSngZcEo2s5LL30mYn7b_nuPQ/s320/ubuntu-partition-editor.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" />Partition editor should now run.<br />
</div><div><br />
<div>Once Partition Editor finished reading the available partitions, the first HDD partition tables shown, will usually be the primary internal IDE/SATA hard disk, ie the customized XP/Vista hard drive.<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>For PCs from the major vendors, there should be a small partition which consists of the recovery partition. This recovery partition is used to recover XP/Vista to factory defaults. This will not be backed up for this example. <br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Y0h7ARi_DK6DksvFMuaIp0XZfyZUVRBz77ZYdQnBRi6fP3-jH24aSEF6yK_a1Cu_koFHZUCL6fkalUfm5mfqLH7LKK65e6W26rcIKS13HMbK1VCKRAvcGkBEMa5juohyphenhyphenQ6bvFnJSflQ/s1600-h/xppart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Y0h7ARi_DK6DksvFMuaIp0XZfyZUVRBz77ZYdQnBRi6fP3-jH24aSEF6yK_a1Cu_koFHZUCL6fkalUfm5mfqLH7LKK65e6W26rcIKS13HMbK1VCKRAvcGkBEMa5juohyphenhyphenQ6bvFnJSflQ/s320/xppart.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This is the typical XP harddisk with 1 single partition</span> <br />
</div><br />
There will be another larger partition block shown, which will most likely be the partition of your heavily customized XP/Vista system, and this will be the one that needs to be cloned<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">.<br />
</span></span><b><i><br />
[ Take note that the filesystem of the XP/Vista will usually be NTFS ]<br />
<br />
</i></b><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>Harddisks are classified by Linux in the notation /dev/sda , /dev/sdb, /dev/sdc and so on. From the drop down list in the image below, you should see the harddisk sizes.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoim6Vdv9mW6ZpE4Y5aeJoKqAGAjPy2BSA2PXMcTwcJzKjSleCv70wP8Ph7zSs8im_kLFNCZ7FUse6i_1xwlBB4pfFPCMkxx8jpzLPtoxiXsvQh9qXTiVpQKHr6UJM2klTplsibOAt9IE/s1600-h/dropbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoim6Vdv9mW6ZpE4Y5aeJoKqAGAjPy2BSA2PXMcTwcJzKjSleCv70wP8Ph7zSs8im_kLFNCZ7FUse6i_1xwlBB4pfFPCMkxx8jpzLPtoxiXsvQh9qXTiVpQKHr6UJM2klTplsibOAt9IE/s320/dropbox.jpg" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Drop down list showing all physical HDD attached</span><br />
</div><br />
</div><div><br />
Next the USB HDD's partition table needs to be emptied.<br />
</div><div>From the drop down list shown in the image above, there should be a second HDD that can be selected in Partition Editor. Click on the second one on the list and the partition table of the USB HDD should be shown. <br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>Most USB HDD are pre-formatted for FAT32 filesystem. It should be a single block of partition shown if its a newly bought HDD, else if it was used for some other purposes before, it may show more than 1 partition block, in this case, all the existing partitions needs to be deleted. <br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>To delete the existing partition(s), select them, right click and click on "Delete". After that, it's necessary to click on the apply button to execute the series of commands to finalize the deletion of partitions. All partition blocks on the USB HDD must be deleted at this point.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSvZ6GblZTlLcoEZk_8GJwa8qg-MrtuLb7MmnusPCtdOyXsD0G-ic6iUui7oAxn1oTBoWeh-SptgSqeOWuf5EwD05FMqKI-wttSQLWq58d3tpLSfXVJAlUT_tJIc9Wr97sXOLxVmR4HQ/s1600-h/delpart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSvZ6GblZTlLcoEZk_8GJwa8qg-MrtuLb7MmnusPCtdOyXsD0G-ic6iUui7oAxn1oTBoWeh-SptgSqeOWuf5EwD05FMqKI-wttSQLWq58d3tpLSfXVJAlUT_tJIc9Wr97sXOLxVmR4HQ/s320/delpart.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Right click on the partition blocks on the USB HDD to delete them</span><br />
</div></div><div><br />
</div><div>It is <b>absolutely necessary to be sure</b> of the partitions you are deleting belongs to the USB HDD and "<b>not</b>" the partitions of the XP/Vista HDD.<br />
</div><div><br />
To really be sure that you are deleting the correct partition of the USB HDD, one can use size as the indicator if the USB HDD and the Windows XP HDD are of different sizes, else disconnect the USB HDD drive, do a refresh of devices and note down which are the drives present [ eg /dev/sda, /dev/sdb, etc ]. Now plug in the USB HDD and refresh devices again, this time take note of the new device name in the drop down list on the top right [ eg /dev/sdc ], this is the device identification for the USB HDD.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpl3JgMYGpl2n7De8uAMWFkWQ9WEZoLsLwNObk2N7Fs_1CSdufiF9xrrMaBrDjZrSpneJBnJ91ADsIUtYK7KKrGttbqmYNIQuSyE6L0me66iSIYruEK88cYxnSVPOGD_9oWGyayRagKY/s1600-h/refreshdevices.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpl3JgMYGpl2n7De8uAMWFkWQ9WEZoLsLwNObk2N7Fs_1CSdufiF9xrrMaBrDjZrSpneJBnJ91ADsIUtYK7KKrGttbqmYNIQuSyE6L0me66iSIYruEK88cYxnSVPOGD_9oWGyayRagKY/s400/refreshdevices.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>Now the last part is the simplest.... Cut and paste the larger partition block(where the current XP operating system is installed on) of the XP HDD into the USB HDD. And finally click on the Apply button [Tick icon]. Make some tea and await for it to complete.<br />
<br />
Now that you have a clone of the partition of your freshly baked XP system, in the event when you do need to restore to what it was, just reverse the steps and copy the partitions over from the USB HDD to the XP HDD.<br />
</div><div><br />
</div>NB : If you are recovering a VISTA system from the cloning method above, you will need to complete the steps listed <a href="http://sgpc-recovery.blogspot.com/2009/04/recover-botched-vista-after-cloning-or.html"><b>HERE</b></a> if you encounter any problems when booting after recovering from the cloned partition..<br />
<br />
Today is 12th November 2009<br />
Time now is 13:05 hrs<br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-38793430423334458042009-10-28T09:56:00.001+08:002010-01-20T17:56:14.395+08:00Quick and Dirty guide to Blue Screen of Death(BSOD) aka stop errorsWindows Blue Screen of Death (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Screen_of_Death">BSOD</a>) is also known as a Stop Error. This happens when your Windows Platform OS encounters a critical error.<br />
<br />
While most users tries to overcome it conveniently with the hard reset button, hoping it might not occur on the second boot up, this might happen again.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
As a default, once the operating system encounters a BSOD, the system will reboot itself almost instantaneously, leaving the user unable to see what was the actual error.<br />
<br />
And if the BSOD occurs during the boot up and kernel loading process before the Graphical User Interface (GUI) appears, this will result in a continuous boot and auto-reboot loop. In such a situation, the user activating the reboot button will have no effect.<br />
<br />
To find out what was the reported error that had caused the BSOD, the user need to interact with the boot up process and prevent the "Automatic Restart Upon System Failure". To do that, there are 2 methods. One of them is to be done before while the user is still able to access the GUI. (i.e. When the system is still healthy). The second method is to be used when the GUI is no longer accessible and is currently in the continuous reboot state.<br />
<br />
For Method 1, <a href="http://kioskea.net/">Kioskea.net</a> has a <a href="http://en.kioskea.net/faq/sujet-829-windows-xp-disable-automatic-restart">good graphical guide</a> on how to change the bootup options in the XP GUI.<br />
<br />
For Method 2, the user must press F8 before Windows start loading, this needs to happen just after the BIOS screen showing the hardware,ram,HDD. Once Windows detected the F8 keypress, it will present some options for booting.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tBBXquj33ELkUP77FKrk7taQK1K9HzBc0P_dXgh8WYMpyVQlE0UgjKHSsWSjV3kLnuP4VjgAVM3IvFsmq5hu0s_n6XohP2DpKrSgnVWTDZ_LTdyMf3zXbdfTQ5jMnQE6IxNxgOA0858/s1600-h/disable-automatic-restart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tBBXquj33ELkUP77FKrk7taQK1K9HzBc0P_dXgh8WYMpyVQlE0UgjKHSsWSjV3kLnuP4VjgAVM3IvFsmq5hu0s_n6XohP2DpKrSgnVWTDZ_LTdyMf3zXbdfTQ5jMnQE6IxNxgOA0858/s320/disable-automatic-restart.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Using the cursor keys, move down and highlight over the "Disable automatic restart on system failure" and press enter. Once this is done, Windows will boot and the system will halt without an automatic reboot once the BSOD appears.<br />
<br />
The BSOD screen will present some important technical information that may give the user an idea of what caused the BSOD. See example below.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKCabqfyCLUS9pvFjcSVYSNPJcUf_w1BcbzoWwHZ3hWnAtFDDq13eGO8qAIiQeXeynsw_B4pkYeImLFwAf68Dk_D61XwAA7422Lur_XxJgeVifq3d19_NKzKZIY6pfAF9O3fVUd7Cfts/s1600-h/bluescreen.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKCabqfyCLUS9pvFjcSVYSNPJcUf_w1BcbzoWwHZ3hWnAtFDDq13eGO8qAIiQeXeynsw_B4pkYeImLFwAf68Dk_D61XwAA7422Lur_XxJgeVifq3d19_NKzKZIY6pfAF9O3fVUd7Cfts/s320/bluescreen.gif" /></a><br />
</div><br />
In this above BSOD, the most important relevant text here will be the STOP error code ( especially the 1st set of code before the bracketed code ) ie 0x00000050.<br />
<br />
While there are many FAQ on what each and every stop code means on a general basis provided on many sites such as some below :<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.theeldergeek.com/stop_error_messages.htm">TheElderGeek.com : XP Stop Error Messages</a><br />
<a href="http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/Windows-XP-Blue-Screen-Death-STOP-Codes-t43519.html">GeeksToGo.com : Windows BSOD Stop Codes</a><br />
<br />
But there may be unique stop codes such as one I encountered recently which was due to a Windows XP Update package from Microsoft itself!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.stateofthetech.com/?p=117">XP BSOD due to Windows Update KB971486 and its resolution</a><br />
<br />
The actual quick and dirty guide to finding the solution to your BSOD, would be to key in the relevant technical info in Google and search for it.<br />
<br />
The example of searching for solution with respect to the problem I encountered above is <a href="http://www.google.com.sg/#hl=en&source=hp&q=bsod+0%C3%97000000E3+%22release+a+resource+it+did+not+own%22&btnG=Google+Search&meta=&aq=f&oq=bsod+0%C3%97000000E3+%22release+a+resource+it+did+not+own%22&fp=c3506a5f07089007">here</a>. <------ Click here to see how I searched using google.<br />
<br />
The trick is to use quotes if you want to search an exact match of the phrase as shown in the BSOD.<br />
<br />
To search a solution for the BSOD screen capture above, you'd need to key in this inside the google search box<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.google.com.sg/#hl=en&source=hp&q=0x00000050+BSOD+%22PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA%22&btnG=Google+Search&meta=&aq=f&oq=0x00000050+BSOD+%22PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA%22&fp=c3506a5f07089007">0x00000050 BSOD "PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA"</a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">From the top few results, there should be a solution out there already tested and proven.<br />
</div><br />
Today is 28th October 2009<br />
Time now is 09:55 hrs<br />
<br />
<i>PS : I was given a dinner treat after solving a friend's laptop with the guide above. Thanks and now you know how it's done!</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-87096359574326320952009-07-26T12:06:00.004+08:002009-07-26T12:10:45.762+08:00BSOD made publicI can't help but post this.<br /><br />After seeing it on a Sunday in a news article...<br /><br />BSOD aka Blue Screen of Death, the famous screen that all Microsoft Windows operating system displays everytime it encounters an unrecoverable fault.<br /><br />To top it off, the display panel is huge and it is located in a busy public mall.<br /><br />And not to mention the lost of revenue for the vending machine during the inoperable hours..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmo597Z31rjMsx9nzh_G30S7rYmMSeWFEEgLdjMbG7hT4I_XK5-gb9klKkJR6gwSAc-1DEeOBZkP3k-Qh25SiGi72P7FyZLJ7W_v1a4Nnoq2lrh5QXa5Xm5W5FEv972yfzC1hEAzi0Uw/s1600-h/bluscreen1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmo597Z31rjMsx9nzh_G30S7rYmMSeWFEEgLdjMbG7hT4I_XK5-gb9klKkJR6gwSAc-1DEeOBZkP3k-Qh25SiGi72P7FyZLJ7W_v1a4Nnoq2lrh5QXa5Xm5W5FEv972yfzC1hEAzi0Uw/s320/bluscreen1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362616071057189666" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNY9-EV9BfNRNIF5iTiDDucRXqH1RSSslEZ6VkVmvRCQf3RlMwc1a5luJspx1LckqsxSR7gzi1BtstCQLLmQlFFkJn6Q9CewBNFa-LEVVzfOLA6BPMnekUkM5Tlu3byG4ZIL2vW-jRAHc/s1600-h/bluescreen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNY9-EV9BfNRNIF5iTiDDucRXqH1RSSslEZ6VkVmvRCQf3RlMwc1a5luJspx1LckqsxSR7gzi1BtstCQLLmQlFFkJn6Q9CewBNFa-LEVVzfOLA6BPMnekUkM5Tlu3byG4ZIL2vW-jRAHc/s320/bluescreen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362616065266118162" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Today is 26th July 2009<br />Time now is 12:11 hrsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-196927624172753732009-06-04T10:28:00.002+08:002009-06-04T10:46:23.056+08:00Heat and PC failures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSJr1wEUE5Xb52z2MohgnZzRh1GF-3pkjRn_CLcghMpjrm4jdVKEv56sQOSmVgdD-bSK_DReWp1nh-vJXEkj1wF5JdCZZrC3oTruExNs8h6NMF9Rn1VASgBrkgpOb03pIJ_d7QKZ3R5s/s1600-h/dustypc3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSJr1wEUE5Xb52z2MohgnZzRh1GF-3pkjRn_CLcghMpjrm4jdVKEv56sQOSmVgdD-bSK_DReWp1nh-vJXEkj1wF5JdCZZrC3oTruExNs8h6NMF9Rn1VASgBrkgpOb03pIJ_d7QKZ3R5s/s400/dustypc3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343298030765533874" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoObS_gQR_UR6nil-4-jZe10h35o1HprLGzPkno2RFLd8kXUyC_wGdWInoG8WrOHZdp6O9gbuaE5-B9n01v5ki8D2qGCEasV-xj08-GvSUWdQGqDXJLg7hpsQmf9JRyi8Yw-0UwdU690A/s1600-h/dustypc2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoObS_gQR_UR6nil-4-jZe10h35o1HprLGzPkno2RFLd8kXUyC_wGdWInoG8WrOHZdp6O9gbuaE5-B9n01v5ki8D2qGCEasV-xj08-GvSUWdQGqDXJLg7hpsQmf9JRyi8Yw-0UwdU690A/s400/dustypc2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343298030103219202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjD2iDi001JmIOllmg4xlF7Z6AEfQW1z8J1aPOLeKtdb9MFXL624ES1yTDDPw5P6tNq_40dyPbd0hCweKBi4T4zczVZ4F8CbhVXyVjBw_Bd5EL5mzvXVTMy4EMsOYS3lRV9IlA0uy-Ho/s1600-h/dustypc1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 274px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjD2iDi001JmIOllmg4xlF7Z6AEfQW1z8J1aPOLeKtdb9MFXL624ES1yTDDPw5P6tNq_40dyPbd0hCweKBi4T4zczVZ4F8CbhVXyVjBw_Bd5EL5mzvXVTMy4EMsOYS3lRV9IlA0uy-Ho/s400/dustypc1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343298025192284434" border="0" /></a><br />The PC case is usually ventilated via air vents and holes that allow air to circulate in and out of the case.<br /><br />Most cases nowadays also have fans that help to circulate the air in and out so as to regulate the temperature inside the casing. This, however, also brings in dust and fine particles into the casing. In time, the dust will form a thin layer on the boards and microchips. This then prevents the components from being cooled effectively by the air exchange. If left unattended, the dust will form up to the point the the inlet vents are completely choked and unable to deliver cool air into the PC case.<br /><br />This phenomenon actually will cause the PC to overheat and cause PC problems such as BSOD or even cause the PC to have bootup problems.<br /><br />Here are some additional reading and solutions.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/blade/2006/11/15/heat-and-dust-can-kill-a-pc/">Lockergnome : Heat and Dust can kill a PC</a><br /><a href="http://www.simplepctalk.com/dell/optiplex/dust-dirt-computer-heat-failure/">SimplePCTalk : Dust & Dirt + Computer = Heat & Failure</a><br /><a href="http://www.pctoday.com/editorial/article.asp?guid=&bJumpto=true&Isfrm=IN&article=articles/webonly/techsupport/02w10/02w10.asp&ArticleID=30718">PCToday : Create a Dust-Free environment</a><br /><br />If you have never open the PC case before, it's good time to start cleaning!<br /><br />Today is 4th June 2009<br />Time now is 10:45 hrsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-6697230679427785392009-04-15T12:13:00.004+08:002010-01-20T17:56:54.910+08:00Recover botched Vista after cloning or resizing the partition!Upgraded your hard-disk to a larger size and cloned your Vista OS over from the older hdd?<br />
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Doing that may cause the Vista OS to give you a "Winload.exe not found" error and you will not boot into Vista.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KLGz14rhnBACYXrNEV6oO5GGzkqCS9VbzpGmy6i5t6zaFkyBJng7sNvzFFIpIT1hVOFAJWHCznbhLDXf6VpyFozQWA_dQHTap0cwrFXAjSTzxlpShQR_N4xBg3FkmS8zMq8StZ7aWO8/s1600-h/001.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324770495972041378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KLGz14rhnBACYXrNEV6oO5GGzkqCS9VbzpGmy6i5t6zaFkyBJng7sNvzFFIpIT1hVOFAJWHCznbhLDXf6VpyFozQWA_dQHTap0cwrFXAjSTzxlpShQR_N4xBg3FkmS8zMq8StZ7aWO8/s400/001.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 237px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
Before cursing yourself for buying the new HDD, there is a way to solve this problem.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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The issue with notebooks and desktops sold nowadays is that, they do not come with a Vista installation disc. The only thing that prebuilt notebooks or desktops have is the recovery partition which does nothing but completely re-format and re-install into a factory state fresh Vista OS. That will mean losing all the customizations, documents, picture and videos you had saved on the existing Vista OS partition.<br />
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On getting the "Winload.exe not found" message, the screen text will also prompt you to use a Vista Installation CD to repair the installation but sadly, as explained above, you will have none of this CD at your expense.<br />
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Fear not, help is here.<br />
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There is a free tool that can mimick the repair function of the Vista Installation CD.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Here comes "<a href="http://neosmart.net/blog/2008/windows-vista-recovery-disc-download/">Windows Vista Recovery Disc</a>" to save the day.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Download the torrent and <a href="http://neosmart.net/blog/2008/download-windows-vista-x64-recovery-disc/">use any torrent application</a> to download the file [ using another computer of course ].<br />
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<a href="http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/G/Burning+ISO+Images+to+a+CD+or+DVD">Burn the ISO file into a CD</a> and boot from this CD on the botched Vista PC.<br />
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Once Vista boots up via the Recovery CD, click on "Repair" to recover your Vista to its previous working state.<br />
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No need for complete re-formats and re-installs and losing all precious data.<br />
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</div></div><br />
Today is 15th April 2009<br />
Time now is 12:23hrsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-16742086630163596502009-04-06T09:53:00.009+08:002010-01-20T17:57:34.502+08:00WGA Black Screen of DOOM!Windows had put a serious clamp of piracy of its Operating Systems product by introducing WGA aka <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Genuine_Advantage"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Windows Genuine Advantage</span></a>.<br />
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Although numerous ways have been cracked by hackers to remove the WGA check and allow continuous use of the pirated Windows OS, the latest WGA seems to put a stop to piracy on Windows Operating System.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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WGA is installed via automatic windows update and will produce a <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Vista_chn_black2.JPG/180px-Vista_chn_black2.JPG">black backgroundless screen</a> and prevents Windows from running normally. This means that the PC with its pirated operating system is unable to run any application, making it completely unusable.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4iZd_tyg9uyKXslj1U_psk5jFzct_J8rS-nOplIaiQC8R45hA7dEzyrnEPtsGFqAQv0TcZEiAu6CA07_kY1cQnsgrzjnlhje_rRcuA9cJ7HbcftWgjHXYb1m9pegwTRtPw9q_lCr_ses/s1600-h/windows-xp-pirated-blackout.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321402454247233554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4iZd_tyg9uyKXslj1U_psk5jFzct_J8rS-nOplIaiQC8R45hA7dEzyrnEPtsGFqAQv0TcZEiAu6CA07_kY1cQnsgrzjnlhje_rRcuA9cJ7HbcftWgjHXYb1m9pegwTRtPw9q_lCr_ses/s400/windows-xp-pirated-blackout.png" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
When presented with this Black Screen of WGA Doom, most users helplessly reformat their hard disk and while waiting for the reformatting of the hard disk to complete, will also rush out to their nearest PC store to get a copy of the original Windows XP or Vista. Sadly this impetus move will result in the loss of personal data on the hard disk. And it's a very painful experience to have a shiny new operating system only to realize that you had forgotten to perform any backup of the existing files of personal importance.<br />
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Before even starting to format the HDD, one should perform the backup of the HDD first.<br />
The easiest way to do it would be to remove the HDD from the PC and place it in a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_enclosure" style="font-weight: bold;">USB enclosure</a> such that the HDD becomes an external USB HDD. By plugging this USB HDD into another PC, you can then copy the important files out of the HDD before formatting it.<br />
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Important files might include :<br />
a) Outlook Personal Storage Table (.PST) files which contains your emails in Outlook.<br />
b) Office documents such as Powerpoint(.ppt) or Documents(.doc) or Excel(.xls) files.<br />
c) Pictures and images from your digital cameras stored within hard disk eg(.jpg) or (.bmp) .<br />
d) Bookmarks from <a href="http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_are_Firefox_bookmarks_stored">Firefox</a> or <a href="http://www.techspot.com/vb/all/windows/t-3001-Asro...%3C/t-22045-Internet-Explorer--where-are-the-bookmarks-stored.html">Internet Explorer</a> ( Instructions on link ).<br />
e) Any other files deemed important to save a copy of.<br />
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Another method which doesn't require the use of another PC or a USB enclosure would be to use a Linux Live CD. A Linux Live CD is able to boot the PC without relying on the internal HDD. The most common Live CD would be Ubuntu and the current Ubuntu Live CD is able to allow access of your current HDD and with another thumb drive, you can then proceed to copy the files from the HDD to the thumb drive to have a backup copy. More instructions on making the Live CD here. ( <a href="http://www.pendrivelinux.com/ubuntu-810-persistent-flash-drive-install-from-live-cd/">Using Ubuntu Live CD</a> ).<br />
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Once the Live CD is created, just<a href="http://pcsupport.about.com/od/tipstricks/ht/bootcddvd.htm"> set in the bios to enable the Live CD media to boot first</a> instead of the internal HDD. After the Live CD is booted into the Graphical User Interface, click on "Places", select the media which denotes your HDD [ usually can guess by the size of the HDD ]. From there, you will be able to copy out the files required out into another USB thumb drive.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Note: Make sure that the Windows HDD was shut down the proper way when it was last booted up. If the last session of Windows did not shut down properly, Linux will not allow access into the Windows drive.</span><br />
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Today is 6th April 2009<br />
Time now is 12:40 hrs<br />
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In the next post, I will share on how I managed to revive the system, stuck with WGA, without having to reformat or reinstall XP again. ie. no need to backup files, no need to start afresh.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-82358899946660559352009-04-05T21:10:00.005+08:002009-04-05T22:10:30.676+08:00Optimizing Windows Paging File aka Virtual MemoryNot too long ago, Microsoft's Bill Gates did make the statement that<a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bill_Gates"> 640k memory should be enough for everyone</a>.<br /><br />However, this is not the case nowadays as newer and latest applications require more ram to load up all the features. 1 or 2 gigabytes [ 1000mb ] of ram is no longer considered exorbitant. In fact, in today's standard, 1 gigabyte is considered entry level.<br /><br />However, even with the large extensive memory available to an operating system within a PC today, it may still be insufficient as today's operating system are multi-tasking more than 20-30 applications and services all at the same time. Dual core processors require even more ram as they process twice as fast and access more parts of the memory.<br /><br />As applications and services use and fill out the available physical memory, the operating system cannot merely let it run out of memory. Thus one way to prevent out of memory errors is to use physical storage space such as the HDD as a form of virtual RAM or virtual memory.<br /><br />In Windows, this is also known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paging">Page File</a>.<br /><br />The Windows Page File is usually created automatically by default and its size is usually 1.5 times the available physical memory. [ ie a PC with 1 gigabyte RAM will have a 1.5 gigabyte paging file ]<br />MICROSOFT Help & Support : How to clear Windows Paging File at Shutdown<br /><br />Although it is possible to have a RAM capacity large enough to handle all the current processes [ assuming you installed 4 - 8 gigabytes of RAM ] to make paging redundant, this is not recommended in Windows as some applications still make reference to the paging file used.<br /><br />In this case, it is best to make the paging file the minimum size so as to make use of the fast physical RAM speed and to reduce paging read/writes to the HDD.<br /><br />In XP or Vista, this paging file is usually named as "pagefile.sys"<br /><br />To set the size it uses, rather than letting the system setting the size automatically, right click on "My Computer", click "Properties", select the "Advanced" tab, then click "Settings" in the "Performance" section. After that, click the "Advanced" tab and click on "Change" under the "Virtual Memory" section.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEffDGT09W5E4_BP3BOsxpKItwiO1O8Xr_hyphenhyphenDzEqQvfeWiFEpYTOa-lmHKYeBVFMuJqGtlJTmevDgzXvOKhyphenhyphenRB1n4MT2mLGCXTnjfiGWaFSbQaLWKuNrbEMbzWs9QeITmJtO4dGMOjGl0/s1600-h/PF01.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEffDGT09W5E4_BP3BOsxpKItwiO1O8Xr_hyphenhyphenDzEqQvfeWiFEpYTOa-lmHKYeBVFMuJqGtlJTmevDgzXvOKhyphenhyphenRB1n4MT2mLGCXTnjfiGWaFSbQaLWKuNrbEMbzWs9QeITmJtO4dGMOjGl0/s400/PF01.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321203823748943058" border="0" /></a><br />Windows sets this to 1.5x of your physical RAM as Virtual Memory, but this only holds true if the physical RAM is less than 1 gigabyte. If you have 1 gigabyte of RAM or more, it is recommended to consider changing the size. A great guide can be found here by <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.theeldergeek.com/sizing_the_page_file.htm">The Elder Geek</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span><br /><br />It is also recommended for better HDD speeds to have the paging file to be located on a different physical HDD from where the operating system is currently installed. [ie if XP or Vista is installed on C:, place the paging file on D:] This applies if you have more than 1 physical HDD. A single HDD partitioned into 2 drives will not help much.<br /><br />This is because by having the paging file on another physical HDD, the reading and writing of data/applications on the operating system and the reading and writing of page file exists on different HDD rather than doing both on the same HDD.<br /><br />Another guide here on how to optimize your page file for performance<br /><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2004/04/27/pagefile.html">Optimizing Your Server's Pagefile Performance</a><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Task_Manager">Windows Task Manager</a> gives a detailed view of how the memory is being handled and it can be used to find out if the staticly assigned page file is good enough for the system. Techrepublic has a easy to read guide on <a href="http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-5071997.html">how to use the Windows Task Manager for this purpose</a>.<br /><br />As the pagefile is a file that is constantly being read and written to, there may be instances of corrupted sectors during a bad write to a sector. To reduce paging faults due to bad data, it is recommended to delete it and let Windows recreate it after some time. The pagefile.sys should not be deleted via Windows File Explorer but using this method instead.<br /><a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314834"><br />MICROSOFT Help & Support : How to clear Windows Paging File at Shutdown</a><br />This will set the pagefile to always delete itself after every reboot. To revert, simply put a "0" value instead of a "1" value as described in the above link. Deleting the pagefile.sys at every reboot will introduce a small delay during the reboot/shutdown process. You might only want to do it for 2 reboots/shutdowns and revert to normal after that.<br /><br /><br />Today is 5th April 2009<br />Time now is 22:01 hrsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-44287397353865051462009-04-01T13:12:00.008+08:002009-04-01T13:45:35.177+08:00Testing your PC's RAM for defects the better way!Very often, the computer's memory aka <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_access_memory">RAM</a> might be the cause of the PC not responding or the infamous Windows <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bsod">BSOD</a>.<br /><br />It's not something easy to troubleshoot as it is not possible to know which byte within the PC's RAM is having some problems. And the way most OS handles memory for application and cache storage is not something that is physically shown on a map.<br /><br />One way is to<a href="http://www.altera.com/support/examples/entry-method/c-code/exm-c-memory.html"> create an application that will try to write all 0's(zeros) to each byte and verify that it is zero by reading the same byte again and repeat again writing and verifying all the 1's. </a>But with the operating system taking up so much memory in the first place after bootup, it may not be possible to do this accurately.<br /><br />A good way is to use a linux distribution CD.<br />Most distribution CDs come with a memory checker before it fully loads up the Linux OS.<br />This is so that very little memory is used to ensure most, if not, all the bytes of the memory is tested.<br />An <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download">Ubuntu</a> distribution CD is recommended here.<br /><br /><a href="http://pcsupport.about.com/od/tipstricks/ht/bootcddvd.htm">Set the bios so that you boot from the CD/DVD drive first.</a><br />This is usually set by pressing the "DEL" or the "F2" key when the PC is booting up.<br />Choose the boot order such that the PC will boot from the CD/DVD drive.<br /><br />Once the Ubuntu CD boots up, you should be able to see this screen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTR80luH319ykB-cXd2Kjm1lswXN9fW8zOn6Jiy7gvsvyZRMaycbBOuEbv0I2HfjChpn-RprUSB81EU0K6TGndDL27w7NFidNbFhbd3c-SiBOba8eijjjRFh2fFmNIfdal3RfvOXSBus/s1600-h/grub.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTR80luH319ykB-cXd2Kjm1lswXN9fW8zOn6Jiy7gvsvyZRMaycbBOuEbv0I2HfjChpn-RprUSB81EU0K6TGndDL27w7NFidNbFhbd3c-SiBOba8eijjjRFh2fFmNIfdal3RfvOXSBus/s400/grub.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319589650689957106" border="0" /></a><br />Select "Test Memory"<br /><br />This will allow the Linux CD to test for any defects on your PC RAM hardware.<br /><br />This method will be better than booting from your own OS [Windows XP/Vista/etc] because the current Windows OS on your hard disk may already have some files which are corrupted due to bad RAM. Faulty RAM causes erronous writes to files and if these files are Windows drivers required to manage the memory, then it'd be inaccurate to do any testing using the same OS.<br /><br />Below are some guides to set your bios to boot from CD<br /><a href="http://www.hiren.info/pages/bios-boot-cdrom">http://www.hiren.info/pages/bios-boot-cdrom</a><br /><a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/windows/2005/12/21/configure-your-bios-to-boot-from-cd/">http://www.lockergnome.com/windows/2005/12/21/configure-your-bios-to-boot-from-cd/</a><br /><a href="http://pcsupport.about.com/od/tipstricks/ht/bootcddvd.htm">http://pcsupport.about.com/od/tipstricks/ht/bootcddvd.htm</a><br /><br /><br /><br />Today is 1st April 2009<br />Time now is 13:14hrs<br /><br />It is recommended to have a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD">Linux Live CD</a> installed into a USB thumbdrive and use it for testing purposes. A Linux Live CD is able to boot up into a Graphical User Interface [GUI] without affecting the original Windows OS installed on the same PC. Having a bootable USB is also a great way to be able to use someone else's PC safely and doesn't leave any traces on that PC. Moreover, USB stick is easier to carry around that a CD/DVD.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/linux/create-a-bootable-ubuntu-usb-flash-drive-the-easy-way/">Howtogeek.com's guide to creating a USB bootable Linux Live CD from Windows</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185009598046495675.post-76829142201330232442009-03-26T12:45:00.005+08:002009-03-26T13:56:17.242+08:00Hardware DriversOne of the most common problems with a Windows PC is missing drivers for hardware.<br /><br />Missing hardware drivers may impair the performance of the PC if it is a driver for a critical component such as the Power Management feature of a mainboard which in turn will result in the CPU speed not being optimized by the system.<br /><br />Attached is a screenshot of the above mentioned.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5W8PkYq1Q5y-09WyVL7XxyVOMGmiQtAOy25qtKd5gV56CzE5k3ugQrwEKz1aQNf7JCphseBY4fn_HqsuUgzH2SJDgREHh9tDhu_TsRSqm2Sh-UVEsPE2XjDC4dN9w_6ED9AB3Ize_Zok/s1600-h/driver-issue.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5W8PkYq1Q5y-09WyVL7XxyVOMGmiQtAOy25qtKd5gV56CzE5k3ugQrwEKz1aQNf7JCphseBY4fn_HqsuUgzH2SJDgREHh9tDhu_TsRSqm2Sh-UVEsPE2XjDC4dN9w_6ED9AB3Ize_Zok/s400/driver-issue.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317356073415198882" border="0" /></a><br />To find out if your PC have such an issue, Right click on "My Computer", Select "Properties", "Hardware" and click on "Device Manager" within the same tab.<br /><br />If there are any exclamation[red in colour] or question[yellow in colour] marks, there may be some hardware drivers issue.<br /><br />To resolve them, one way is to find the hardware driver on the web via manufacturer's site.<br />But complication arises when the exact manufacturer is not know or the device name on the above screen is too generic to identify which hardware is causing the driver problem.<br /><br />Thankfully there are easier ways to identify the hardware which has driver problems and update to its latest driver.<br /><br />Though there are many tools to automatically update your device drivers, these have had some negative reviews as it provided outdated drivers or in some cases made the PC worse than before.<br /><br />The surefire way to update or correct device driver issues would be to identify the hardware that is causing the problems. But let's face it, not all hardware terms are easily understood by most users. And the average user would not be knowledgeable enough to troubleshoot by removing pieces of PC hardware.<br /><br />A good and reliable tool is required.<br /><br />I have been using <a href="http://www.driverguide.com/">DriverGuide</a> to download hardware device drivers since its early beginnings.<br />It's involvement in providing users with correct device drivers has allowed it to evolve to a point whereby, they have their own application to scan the PC for device drivers related problem and will recommend updated or correct drivers for the user to install.<br /><br />If you are not comfortable in installing this software, you could also use the <a href="http://scan.driverguide.com/scan.php">webtool</a>, whereby only an ActiveX module is installed in your Internet Explorer.<br /><br />If you choose not to use the application, there is also a<a href="http://members.driverguide.com/site_tour.php?page=0"> step by step guide</a> to identifying the problem hardware.<br /><br />Registration is required but its free to register.<br /><br /><br />Today is 26th March 2009<br />Time now is 13:14 hrsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0