Vista SP1 2 outa 3 ain't bad

Well so far I've installed Vista or rather attempted to install Windows Vista Service Pack 1 on 3 computers. Service Pack 1 which became available for general download some time last week, was widely lauded in the tech community for adding some solid performance and compatibility improvements to Microsoft's latest operating system. I decided that I'd grab an image of the service pack, burn it on a CD, and just install it that way. In the past, with Windows Xp service pack 1 and 2, I had always paid 5$ for shipping, and had gotten a CD directly from Microsoft. This time I wanted the CD as I am using a satellite Internet service that limits my bandwidth usage. With a total of 4 machines now running Vista in the household, it seemed to make sense to download the entire 450mb image at an alternate location and proceed with the installation without any bandwidth penalty.

The first two installs went great, it only took about a half hour, (which is slower than the original install). But when I put it in my main production desktop disaster seems to be striking as I sit here, typing. First, it was taking forever, then after it's second reboot, blue screen! Oh #&%* ok it restarted again, this time I restarted in safe mode, it seemed to pick up the install at 33% it slowly, very slowly advanced to 100% on step 3 out of 3 on the install process. Next reboot, black error screen with boot up options, tried normal boot, Blue Screen! it restarted, this time I tried safe mode again, as I sit here now its in a "Service Pack did not Install.Reverting changes. Do Not Turn Off Computer" message staring at me. It's been an hour, guess I'll let it run all night and see what I get.

Wish me luck.

Using Vista’s Disk Management tool to re-partition your hard drive:

Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system has a hidden feature that users of Microsoft's older operating system had to get from outside vendors in the past. In Windows Vista Microsoft has added the ability to re-size and partition the primary hard drive without destroying the data on it. Although not as full featured as Norton Ghost or similar programs, the tool in Vista allows adequate modification of the primary partition to perform several useful functions. For Example, if you wanted to add another operating system to your computer and duel boot Vista with Windows XP or one of the popular Linux Distro's out there, the tools that ship with Vista work just fine.

To re-size and partition your hard drive in Vista click the start button and then right click on the start menu item Computer. Choose Manage off of the drop down menu, you will be prompted by UAC (user access control) to allow the user to access this procedure. The Computer Management window will now appear on the screen. On the left side of the screen the second to last item just under storage is Disk Management, double click Disk Management, and a diagram of the active hard drives, their size and space available will appear on the lower half of the window. Right click on the partition that you wish to resize, when the dialog box appears select Shrink Volume. Another dialog box appears after the computer queries itself to determine how much you can shrink the volume. The most the Disk Management tool will allow you to shrink the volume is 50% of the total available size. You can make the second partition smaller than 50% but no larger. On the Shrink C dialog box that has now appeared drop down to the line that says, Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB: and manually select the size of the new partition using the up/down arrows. Once you've selected the size click the shrink button, and Vista will resize your new partition. Next you will need to decide if you want to reformat your new volume.

If you want to use your new volume as an additional partition within your Vista system for storing data such as media files, or you want to install a copy of Windows XP on it, then you can use Disk Management to reformat and create another partition. using the NTSF file system. However, if you are going to install a Linux operating system on the volume, there is no need, as Linux operating systems uses a file system not available in the Disk Management tool in Vista. To format the volume just right click your new volume and select Format and your new volume will be formatted, it's all quite simple, and surprisingly fast.

Cool Apps: Launchy

One of my favorite new applications I found recently is a little open source project called Launchy. Launchy is a great way to search your computer and then open documents, applications or even music. The nicest part of this app is you launch, Launchy by hitting  Alt then space bar and it's there on your desk top. You begin typing an application you want to launch and two or three letters into the name the application appears in Launchy, usually at the top, of a list, hitting enter launches the application.

Windows Vista users will find Launchy similar to but not as powerful as the start search included in the OS, so considering you just hit the Win key and begin typing to do a start search, it may be of little use. In XP though it's way faster and more convenient than the built in search and is a must have. The developer is planning to make Launchy cross platform so soon it may be available on Linux or Mac OSX.

Check it out at www.launchy.net/ and if you do decide to use it, and enjoy it, please consider making a small donation to the developer.

Saving Money on a Computer

I'll admit it, I'm a bit on the frugal side, well actually I'm cheap. I seldom buy brand new cars, if I do they're always with the base features and few options. When it comes to buying computers I never like to pay full retail. So, how can you buy a decent computer without spending a ton? Well you could try EBay, I've bought several computers on EBay and it's worked out fine. I think the key to EBay in general is only buy from sellers with lots of feedback. Usually you never have to buy from anyone with less than 99% positive feedback. When you buy from someone on EBay, ask lots of questions, make sure the deal includes the operating system disks. Also don't buy a computer that's running a operating system that's more than 1 generation older than the current OS. In other words don't buy a PC running anything older than Windows XP, unless it's going to be a Linux box or won't be used online. I also wouldn't buy any computer if it didn't have some kind of return policy. At least 30 days or more, if possible. At least if it's DOA you can return it. All of that said, EBay is still a bit risky, people still get burned, usually for not following common sense rules.

Craiglist.org is another great place to find great deals. An advantage Craigslist has is you get to check the item out before you buy it. Never...never buy from Craigslist unless it's cash and carry. Don't send money to someone on Craigslist as there's no recourse if you're burned. Going to some strangers can be a little creepy, so use common sense when you buy from someone you've never met before. That leaves one last category for getting a great deal on a computer.

Buying from a manufacturers outlet store, is my favorite way to save money on a computer these days. Most large computer makers have online stores. Somewhere on the home page you can usually find a link to their outlet store. The great thing about the outlets of major manufacturers is you get the same warranty as a regular, full price product. Also the computers sold from outlet stores have all been checked out by a technician prior to being shipped, unlike a new factory built computer that ships directly from the factory. People shouldn't worry about buying a so called refurbished computer from the original manufacturer. If a computer is merely opened and then returned the manufacturer cannot call it new anymore, by law it has to be listed as used or refurbished.

A quick check of the online stores from Apple, Dell, HP, Gateway and Sony all find outlet stores with substantial savings. My own experience was with Dell and I was totally impressed. I was looking for a current model the Inspiron 1420. I found at least 150 different machines available. I specifically wanted a dedicated graphics card, a 2.2 core 2 duo processor and a 160GB, 7200 rpm hard drive. I found several and quickly had one in my cart and was checked out. I was very happy with the Dell, it was on my front porch in 3 days with standard shipping and was equipped with no extra "crapware", exactly as I wanted. The machine came with the install disc for the operating system and all the necessary drivers ect.

About the Dell Outlet in particular, I am amazed at the sheer volume of product on the Dell site, and how fast it changes. For people needing XP you can find plenty of machines with XP installed. This is important, if you need XP on a new computer for some reason, either an application or piece of hardware you need, that wont run with Vista you don't necessarily want to downgrade a machine that shipped originally with Vista. Not only will you waste money by buying a copy of XP, negating most of your savings you just scored. You might find XP won't run that well on a computer that shipped with Vista. Some recent models of computers that shipped with hardware developed after Vista was released, don't have an XP compatible driver available. This is especially true with some of the newer video cards. So try to find a deal on a machine built with the operating system you intend to stay with.

Just browsing a few of the major PC makers online stores you find a great selection of refurbished computers selling at a considerable discount from their retail list price. Dell and Sony appear to have the most models in sheer volume. HP Lenovo, and Apple have many models but no where near their full selection of what's available new.

So if you want to save money on a new computer certainly check the outlet of the brand you are interested in before you shell out full price on a new computer.

Vista Tip, Add Run to Start Menu

Windows Vista has a lot of great features. It also has a few annoyances that hide or change features previously available in earlier versions of Windows. By default the Windows Vista start menu does not contain the Run command. To get to the Run command with the standard configuration, click the start "orb" type run in the search box, and Run should be at or near the top item on the list. To add the Run command to the start menu, right-click the start menu, select properties this brings up the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties page. The "Start Menu" tab will be highlighted, click on the Customize" button. This will bring up the Customize Start Menu, scroll down to the near the bottom, you will see Run next to an unchecked box. Check the box, and click Ok to exit and save the setting. Now you have the Run command available, with one click at the start menu.

On Antivirus Applications, Malware, and Safety on the Net

Over the years I've tried numerous antivirus apps. I've used several versions of Norton, used McAfee, Kaspersky, Avast, AVG, Panda, and Nod 32 from Eset. For years Norton was the standard with McAfee a close second. Around 2003 or so Symantec the maker of Norton piled on the features and became ridiculously bloated and unmanageable. Around this time I tried Panda which sounded better and in fact slowed my computers down far less, and seemed very effective. I've tried AVG and Avast both excellent for free software. AVG in particular is a lightweight application that seems effective.

Lately after reading a recommendation in PC Magazine I decided to give Norton 2008 a try. The new version of Norton is less hassle than the old versions and seemed to slow down my PC less. I was happy with it until it did its daily scan, at that point everything slows way down. I frequently have 3-5 applications open at once and often have Firefox and or IE 7 open with multiple tabs. But when AVG or Nod 32 are running scans I saw little or no performance hit. Another point of annoyance is that I also have an IBM ThinkPad which has Symantec's corporate edition of Antivirus and Firewall. This application runs extremely fast both in the background and when doing scans. Why can't Symantec use this antivirus engine in their consumer grade product? Why does their consumer grade product suck so badly compared to the corporate version? I've noticed pretty much the same thing with McAfee which I use at work.

Of course do antivirus suites work anymore? With today's virus and spyware writers having the huge monetary incentive to keep crap from being removed from your machine probably the best antivirus/malware is the end user.

Some general rules to live by in today's computing world are:

1. Keep Windows updated, keep your Automatic Updates on and set for a time your machine is usually running.
   
2. Keep your Virus and antispyware definitions up to date.
   
3. Scan your machine daily, with antivirus and antispyware. Run only one antivirus but use multiple antispyware tools. Generally it's best to run only one antivirus at a time. However you can run as many antispyware tools as you like. The 3 best known free spyware programs are Ad-aware, Spybot Search and Destroy, and Microsoft Defender. It also makes sense to run a commercial antispyware program such as Spyware Doctor. All of these programs can be had at www.download.com
   
4. Do most of your computing especially online work as a limited user. Not operating as an administrator is always safer even if you are using a Mac or Linux system.
   
5. Don't click on links in an email. Never log on to EBay, PayPal, or any online financial site from a link in an email. Always type in the website manually to go to your bank or EBay account.
   
6. If you have teenagers using a family computer always have them log into the computer on a non-administrator account. Consider using Microsoft Windows Steady State program which will undo any changes done to the hard drive by limited users at the next re-boot. This program works great but may be a little on the geeky side. It does take some time to set up properly, but I've been playing with it and find it quite remarkable. Its designed to be used on public computers, such as in libraries so at the end of the day the administrator just re-boots the machine and it returns to its pre-configured condition.
   
7. Use Internet Explorer 7, Firefox, or Opera. Internet Explorer 6 is notoriously insecure and should be upgraded to 7 ASAP. Even IE 7 should only used for windows update on Windows XP. Firefox or Opera are generally less targeted by hackers and mal-ware writers. Firefox is getting more popular and is now becoming a target for exploits more and more. Use the add on, "No Scripts" which allows users to opt in for sites running scripts. "No Script" disables all scripts on a site until the user allows scripts to run hopefully preventing dangerous java script exploits from unknown or miss typed URLs. Vista users are safer in IE 7 than XP as Vista runs IE 7 in "protected Mode" which attempts to sandbox the browser from the hard drive. IE 7amp; also has a fairly effective phishing filter, which notifies the user if the link you clicked on in an email isn't taking you to the banking site you thought you were going to.
   
8. Use Windows Vista, if you can. Windows Vista was built with a priority of safe computing being one of Microsoft's primary goals. Unlike Windows XP which claimed to be safe when first released Vista truly does have a number of features that make you safer. The UAC or User Account Control is a feature similar to account permissions contained in most UNIX based OS's, that asks for an administrator's password whenever the user install software, hardware, or changes the system in a major way. This has saved me, it can save you from, "drive by malware attacks" where just browsing to a website with malicious code and infect you without clicking on anything.
   
9. Use virtual machine software such as Microsoft Virtual PC or similar software from VMware. Or a simpler solution is to use Sandbox IE. Sandbox IE allows you to use your browser in a "virtual sandbox" that protects your computer from malware as long as you don't save anything to your hard drive.
10. Last but certainly not least, use a nat router. A cheap but effective router either wired or wireless is a must have, in today's online environment. A router will reject traffic from the Internet that was unsolicited thus effectively acting as a hard ware firewall. Even if you only use 1 PC and it's connected to your modem, you should put a router between you and the internet. This applies to high speed connections of course, I'm not sure they make routers for dial up. Dial up users should probably use a third party software firewall such as Zone Alarm or Comodo both are free and work quite well.
    

Sayonara Powerbook

Today I finally unloaded my old G4 PowerBook. It was a great little computer but it's age finally caught up with it. For a long time I've gradually become distant from the old girl, my last fling with her occurred after I installed Leopard. It wasn't pleasant, it took seven tries at a clean install, finally I reinstalled Tiger and then tried an upgrade install and finally, it worked. But, in the end it was to little to late. Leopard is not really at its best on a G4, I never really got used to it and I never bothered to go back to 10.4.

I think the 12 inch Powerbook had the combination of elegance and utility that the new MacBook Air can't even come close to. In fact the "Air" is well, kind of like a beautiful woman with no substance or depth. Sure it looks incredible, but without well, everything, a decent ultra potable needs it's pretty much useless. Instead we get an under powered over priced, style is everything, substance can't be found, piece of crap. I think it's proof you can be to thin. A 12-13.3 inch MacBook Pro with dedicated graphics, a Superdrive, and high end core two duo processor with a 250 gig hard drive would have been a world class, kick ass, road warrior machine. The MacBook Air is a fine lapdog for some spoiled, whinny, air head, who mindlessly stairs at her Myspace page, pouting cause daddy won't buy her a bimmer.

Enough already on the "Air". The PowerBook was hard to part with. I almost backed down on the sale at the last minute. Now it has a nice home with a young college student who will hopefully get some more quality time with her. I gave it a clean install of Tiger so the thing is actually useful. Fact is, I just didn't need it anymore.

My new production laptop is a beautiful 4 month old Dell Inspiron 1420. It's not as pretty as the PowerBook but with 2.2 ghz core two duo, and a 7200 rpm 160 gig hard drive it it pretty much smokes any other computer I've used.

One of the better jokes going around right now is that the 15.4 MacBook Pro is the fastest notebook for running Windows Vista out there. The hardware spec on the high end Mac's is impressive, but I doubt it will match the high end XPS Dells or Alienware machine's out right now.

Another compelling reason for not buying a Mac notebook is the difficulty of doing an upgrade. I recently upgraded the hard drive on a 4 year old Dell. It took exactly 1 screw to get the hard drive out of the computer, 4 more screws for the enclosure, and that was it. Try that on a new MacBook or MacBook Pro. Just forget about it unless you have a weekend to kill.