TECH HARDWARE: next generation of USB flash drives: the U3 smart drive

Thursday, April 26, 2007

http://www.u3.com/smart/default.aspx

Next generation of USB flash drives: the U3 smart drive

***Begin Quote***

Meet the next generation of USB flash drives: the U3 smart drive. It’s what’s inside that makes them smart.

* Carry and access your files easily
* Keep your data safe and secure
* Comes with pre-loaded software
* Hundreds of software titles available!

Storage+Software=Smart

Imagine carrying your software on the same flash drive that carries your files. That’s what you can do with a U3 smart drive. You can plug it into any PC and work, play a game, message friends, send email, edit photos and more. A U3 smart drive makes any PC your own PC. And when you unplug it, it leaves no personal data behind.

***End Quote***

Neat idea. No wonder the stores are dumping the old usb drives at fire sale prices. Before this paradigm shift gets out and they are stuck with the unsold and unsellable inventory.

Already inside the U3 paradigm there’s a Vista incompatibility. If you want to “Vista”, then you need version 1.4 or higher. And, yes, there’s no guarantee that you can move from your version to that version. And, you have to get it from your drive manufacturer.

Nice idea BUT doesn’t wow me.

(1) Locks you into the windows genre.

(2) Limited hardware competition (less than 10 vendors)

(3) Limited software selection. Applications developers need to do a rewrite.

No, not for me. Maybe you, but not me.

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Posted by reinkefj

RANT: LinkedIn toolbar and LookOut

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

>Does anyone have a quick fix to help me completely remove this malware

I have had to (several times) use the Outlook repair function on the “notsoHELPful” menu tab.

Some caveats. Backup. You may want the old crud after you see the new crud you’re left with.

(1) Make sure you have your distribution media and serial number handy — you may muck things up worse if you don’t (I did);

(2) Nuke all the “extra” crud installed Options>Other>Advanced and nuke all in “add in”, “reminder”, and “com add in”.

(3) Uninstall everything Plaxo, LinkedIn, and any other Outlook add ins from ADD/REMOVE program entry;

(4) from the start>run>msconfig ensure that you don’t have anything automatically helping you that you don’t really understand.

Wish everything good bye. You did backup didn’t you?

(I had one acquaintance who blamed LookOut, and it was a disguised corrupt registry and, when the hard disk burped at the wrong time, his data went to data heaven welcomed by 72 disk drives that ever had an data! My acquaintance had NOT backed up in a while either. He changed jobs soon after that. Probably got promoted with more money.)

THEN run repair from OUTLOOK HELP.

Reboot cold TWICE. (Once is not necessarily enough!?!)

Then sacrifice a chicken, examine the entrails, and send the remains to Bill Gates or Vincent.

It’s ugly.

One thing I have found that repeated COLD REBOOTS (power down and wait 5 full excruciating minutes) allows WINDOZE and LOOKOUT to clear queues and caches and who knows what else allowing the stupid thing to run correctly).

Argh! I’m in pain just thinking about what you’re going thru.
YMMV FAIWWYPFI FWIW

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Posted by reinkefj

TECH SOFTWARE: ACT2007 has its problems

Monday, April 23, 2007

http://weblog.infoworld.com/gripeline/archives/2007/
04/some_sage_advic.html

http://tinyurl.com/3xoyjt

April 23, 2007
Some Sage Advice

***Begin Quote***

Act 2007 Premium for Workgroups is reliant on SQL Server 2005 Express Edition. It turns out that the very installation of Act breaks all of our other SQL instances. That includes Sharepoint, Backup Exec and other critical apps. It’s a one-way upgrade too. So there is no ‘uninstall.’ The cure? Uninstall SBS2003 and reinstall. Oh, and yes, the files that Backup Exec has recorded — unusable.

***End Quote***

Ed (Gripeline) Foster always has some good “heads up” type stuff.

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Posted by reinkefj

TECH SERVICE: Assume the worst!

Sunday, April 22, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/business/
la-fi-consumer22apr22,0,5309582.
story?coll=la-home-headlines

http://tinyurl.com/2d43ly

Public Wi-Fi may turn your life into an open notebook
Don’t assume wireless hot spots are secure.
‘Sniffers’ may be hacking nearby.
By David Colker, Times Staff Writer
April 22, 2007

***Begin Quote***

Cheung was using a “sniffer” program that intercepted online signals as they flew back and forth from the laptops to a wireless modem hidden somewhere amid the coffee paraphernalia.

***End Quote***

That’s why if I have to use a public wifi, I use GOTOMYPC to “go home” and surf from there. It encrypts everything between my home desk top and my notebook. If I’m on an internet cafe’s machine, I assume there is a key logger in place.

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Posted by reinkefj

TECH SERVICE: Blog Hosting Alternatives

Saturday, April 21, 2007

http://fortyplustwo.com/2007/04/21/
wordpress-and-finding-a-host/

http://tinyurl.com/3d4udd

 

WordPress and finding a host
April 21st, 2007
Bengt Wendel

***Begin Quote***

I currently run my blogs at WordPress.com which has its benefits (free and no need to worry about WordPress) but also limitations in things like themes and plugins (no java scripts allowed).

***End Quote***

me2

I would like a kool name, javascript, and some ads to make millions from my loyal readers. (All 6 of them!)

Seriously, I currently redirect from http://www.reinkefaceslife.com and, while I could pay WordPressDotCom to “domain” me, I don’t see the value. Perhaps, I too need to bite the bullet and go host it elsewhere? But if I go thru the effort, then I need to see a big payday. Or at least some payoff. Sigh,

1 Comment | SERVICE | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

TECH SOFTWARE: Latest Ubuntu Feisty Fawn (7.04)

Thursday, April 19, 2007

http://www.ubuntu.com/news/ubuntu704

Latest Ubuntu delivers on the promise of Open Source

While millions consider whether to pay for Vista, the Ubuntu project releases its secure, high performance, free desktop and server editions.

***Begin Quote***

LONDON, April 16, 2007 – For users wanting a secure, feature rich alternative to Microsoft Windows, Canonical Ltd., the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, announced today the Thursday release of Ubuntu version 7.04.

Ubuntu is the award-winning Linux distribution for the desktop, laptop, thin client and server which brings together the best of open source software every 6 months. Ubuntu 7.04 desktop edition includes a ground-breaking Windows migration assistant, excellent wireless networking support and improved multimedia support.

Ubuntu 7.04 server edition adds support for hardware facilities that speed up the use of virtual machines as well as other improved hardware support, making it an excellent choice as a web, database, file and print server, the fastest growing area of Linux server use. Ubuntu’s already outstanding support for thin clients is boosted with advanced print and sound support.

***End Quote***

I can’t wait to try it. Badger was good but no wireless. I’m expecting great things out of this release!

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Posted by reinkefj

TECH SERVICE: FEEDBLITZ fails me again

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Feedblitz AGAIN skipped over some of my best work!

***Begin Quote***

#1788 2007-04-16 10:55:00 pm
INTERESTING: Who thought the era of big gooferment was over?
https://reinkefj.wordpress.com/2007/04/16/
interesting-who-thought-the-era-of-big-gooferment-was-over/
http://tinyurl.com/2vn8eu

#1787 2007-04-16 10:14:00 pm
RANT: Sharpton is a professional race card player
https://reinkefj.wordpress.com/2007/04/16/
rant-sharpton-is-a-professional-race-card-player/
http://tinyurl.com/2v8mxd

#1786 2007-04-16 8:45:00 pm
LIBERTY: BATF routinely perjures itself!
https://reinkefj.wordpress.com/2007/04/16/
guns-batf-routinely-perjures-itself/
http://tinyurl.com/2etn35

#1784 2007-04-16 6:36:00 pm
INTERESTING: Digital Notary feedback (THREE)
https://reinkefj.wordpress.com/2007/04/16/
interesting-digital-notary-feedback-2/
http://tinyurl.com/39w3hc

#1783 2007-04-16 6:33:00 pm
INTERESTING: Digital Notary feedback (TWO)
https://reinkefj.wordpress.com/2007/04/16/
interesting-digital-notary-feedback/
http://tinyurl.com/3avup9

#1790 2007-04-16 5:56:27 pm
GUNS: Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill 31JAN06
https://reinkefj.wordpress.com/2007/04/16/
guns-virginia-tech-spokesman-larry-hincker-was-happy-to-hear-the-bill-31jan06/
http://tinyurl.com/2ht5qt

#1785 2007-04-16 5:39:00 pm
INTERESTING: Digital Notary feedback (ONE)
https://reinkefj.wordpress.com/2007/04/16/
interesting-digital-notary-feedback-3/
http://tinyurl.com/2qglte

#1789 2007-04-16 5:09:35 pm
GUNS: At VaTech, the lack of any meaningful self-defense response is stunning
https://reinkefj.wordpress.com/2007/04/16/
guns-at-vatech-the-lack-of-any-meaningful-
self-defense-response-is-stunning/
http://tinyurl.com/25zgmd

#1782 2007-04-16 5:08:00 pm
LIBERTY: Ahh only the gooferment can “do” roads
https://reinkefj.wordpress.com/2007/04/16/
liberty-ahh-only-the-gooferment-can-do-roads/
http://tinyurl.com/2e9l3r

***End Quote***

Argh!

Thanks to the reader who called it to my attention.

Bottom line, if you don’t get a email summarizing every day, you should suspect FEEDBLITZ not me. I have opinions, ideas, and “news” everyday. ;-)

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Posted by reinkefj

XPfails – luggable – Recovery?

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Well, dodged a bullet today. (Maybe?)

The registry was reported corrupt and the pig won’t boot. Repair didn’t.

Argh!

I had tried the rescue disk that came with the platform from Dell. It didn’t do anything good for me.

So I dusted off one of my XP installation disks and ran “repair” using that. It threw the box up into checkdisk, which ran. Didn’t report any errors. May or may not have fixed anything. But it did then allow the box to boot into WXP. (Yeah!)

On the theory that this might be my last chance to visit with my data. I pulled out my WDDRIVE with WDSYNC on it and took a back up. (I usually do my weekly backups on Monday!)

Now, I fearlessly did a cold restart.

That worked but it wasn’t not connecting to the home lan. I tried using WXP, the Intel ProSet Wireless utility, and the VWBBIE (Verizon Wireless Broadband utility also manages the WiFi). Nothing worked.

Argh! Squared!

So I power cycled everything in sight. Ran the Intel Wireless debugger.

Couldn’t think of anything else to do, so on a hunch, I changed the WiFi SSID. Shouldn’t have made any difference. Changed the password as well. (Big deal. Any script kiddie can bust this “security”!)

Disabled PGP. Disabled ZoneAlarm.

Power cycle everything.

Argh! Tripled!

Verified that the BackRoom DELLDESK could connect thru the wifi router to the net. Verified that the OLDDELL notebook could get to the net via the wireless.

So it made me focus on the LUGGABLE as the problem.

Deleted all the Intel configurations. Went to the DELLDESK, changed the SSID and password again. Rebooted the router. Power cycled everything in sight again. And then readded the Intel configurations.

And, voila, the pig put on its roller skates and took off!

So, that wasted a Sunday. Sigh.

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Posted by reinkefj

XPFAILS – LUGGABLE: Catastrophic error

Sunday, April 15, 2007

The registry reports corruption. The pig won’t boot. Repair doesn’t. Argh! Operating from old desktop. Standby for news.

Leave a Comment » | LUGGABLE | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

TECH SERVICE: An unnamed service has a bug

Saturday, April 14, 2007

FROM AN EXCHANGE OF EMAILS WITH A DEVELOPER

***Begin Quote***

From: A DEVELOPER
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2007 10:49 PM
To: r @ reinke
Subject: RE: Where did my name go?

Try clearing your cache and cookies and then restarting your browser (I see “reinke” within the green badge and after “Profile:..”.

If that doesn’t work, please reply back.

*** and ***

vs: Still the same. Wanna try sacrificing some chickens next? ;-) Like I hadn’t tried that or seen at a different computer. Why does every PC support person insist on a cold reboot? BTW, since last night was my night to do “microsoft maintenance”, I was forced to do a cold restart. So, perhaps there’s some crud in a table somewhere on your side of the wire?

***End Quote***

If I have learned one thing in testing software (which I think is “fun”), it is don’t annoy users with obvious stuff that has no hope of solving the problem. Or, at least ask it, or propose it in a way that is “softer”. Remember I am unpaid help, or worse I’ve paid for this mistake. At least with “free software”, you haven’t paid to debug someone else’s code.

It’s like that nameless isp that always wants you to power cycle your setup when it’s obvious to the world that they have a dns problem.

About the only thing worse is having paid no support at all. Buying a product and getting no support like IBM, Nuance, Microsoft, and that ilk! (There’s special circle in hell for them.)

Sometimes it would be better to have no support than long phone queues, “dumb” people (Yeah, I know they are working from scripts!), or autobots that just fire back meaningless canned answers.

At least with the new web20s services, you can usually get to SOMEONE.

Argh!

The next round of email I included a screen shot where I MSPAINTed three big orange circles about the problem. (I’m getting pretty handy with that tactic!) That exchange ended with “we have a bug”! Yeah, DUH, you do! I think I said that. Double Argh.

I deliberately didn’t name the SERVICE since they are trying. Let’s give them some time to work before we award them a negative review. Fair is fair.

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Posted by reinkefj

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