CNET: 10 awesome ways to use a USB flash drive http://t.co/EQW06xCE Original Tweet: http://twitter.com/CNET/status/198093398740189185 Sent via TweetDeck (www.tweetdeck.com)

Windows 8 - Compaq Mini 110 (blech!)

Last night I was noted and did the live upgrade to Windows 8 Consumer Preview on my Compaq Mini. The installation went pretty flawless and "most" of my software & documents were retained. I was running Vista prior to the upgrade and figured I couldn't go from bad to worse but I think im at the border.

I will admit my mini runs a heck of a lot faster and boots up faster but the metro interface is useless as my max resolution is 1240x600 and 8 wants 1240x780 to allow the metro apps  to function.

Besides that I can't really tell if all mymini apps are still there. Im not impressed with Windows 8 so far. It feels like Microsoft is considering their users to be idiots. Give them a simple interface, they don't need anything else.

Right now I would avoid Windows 8 like the plague and stick with windows 7 if you have a desktop or laptop. Now if you only surf the web, Facebook and twitter and are on a Windows phone or tablet then you might do ok. But if you are a power user, stay away.

Introducing Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Looks like the Windows 8 Consumer preview is available. I'm not sure if there is a trial period or if it's completely unlocked. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go download it.

Introducing Windows 8 Consumer Preview:

'via Blog this'

It’s the end of the world as we know it…

Image via Wikipedia

December 21st, 2012 has been touted as the end of the world…according to the Mayan calendar.

I’ve been picking up on all the hype over the past few months and just sort of absorbing it in. The continual conspiracy theories and rumors around why they ended on that specific date. I remember when the y2k scare was going around, the fear of the world ending because all of the computers were going to shut down! Oh the horror! Basically the programmers just programmed up to that time and then stopped so they could work on other parts. More than likely planning on getting back to updating that part of code later.

Well that got me to thinking and I developed some theories of my own. Maybe the person who made the calendar ran out of rock and never got around to getting any more? Maybe it was his turn to be the ritual sacrifice? Maybe he got busted by the prince on having an affair with the princess? Maybe that’s the day they ascended back to the heavens?

There’s all sorts of theories on why it ends at this date. Personally I think that’s as far as they got for their day (It really was a very impressive feat, figuring the calendar up to that date!) and just said ‘Ok, that’s enough for now, I’ll finish it later.”

Honestly, I’ll admit I’m not really that worried. I mean if it is the end of the world then so be it, nothing I can really do to prevent it. So instead I plan to make the most of this year. Learn a new programming language, achieve some certifications and take a well deserved rest while painting the house. Ok, that may not seem like a rest but to me it is!

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Tips for staying on top of tech | TechRepublic

Great article from TechRepublic on staying up on tech news. If this is one of your 2012 resolutions then here is a good start!

Tips for staying on top of tech | TechRepublic:

'via Blog this'

JoliOS - Linux for the rest of us

A friend of mine asked me if I would take a look at her Compaq Mini 110c and see if I could resurrect it. I said "Sure, why not?" I've never worked on a netbook before and figured it wouldn't be much different than any other PC.

We got together and she gave me a rundown of what was going on, it just booted up to a blinking cursor. I figured  Windows XP (what it came with) was just corrupted and run the restore and it should be good. Well after about a month of fighting and researching I discovered this is a common issue with these little machines and unfortunately there isn't an easy resolution. So I let her know that its probably best to reformat and re-install windows. She was cool with that so I proceeded to spend another 2 months trying to get Windows XP to boot off a USB drive as the Mini has no CD Rom. Needless to say it was a long fight that I lost. My friend ultimately ended up getting a new netbook which was probably the best decision in the long run. I talked to her about the Mini as I was fascinated by it at this point and was determined to get something to run on it!

I proceeded to research operating systems to see what was out there that would be light, easy to figure out and easy to install on netbooks. I stumbled across JoliOS which is a Linux distribution. Now those of you that know me know that I love the concept of Linux and the fact that it's free and almost as good (program compatibility issues) as Windows is a great choice. However I shy away from Linux as I'm too dependent on certain applications that don't run very well in Wine. However I think I may have found my savior in JoliOS! Joli is based upon Ubuntu, the popular Linux distro that has really brought Linux into the mainstream.

According to Wikipedia, "Joli OS is an Ubuntu-based GNU/Linux operating system developed by the company Jolicloud. The operating system was itself called “Jolicloud” until version 1.2, when the company renamed it “Joli OS”. The product name “Jolicloud” now refers to a cloud desktop for managing Web apps, files, services and as a computer Operating System.". So as you may have guessed it's cloud based. Yes and no, you can still access the local file system, network drives and such through the underlying Ubuntu OS. "Eeewww, that means I have to dig into Linux!" Not necessarily, JoliOS makes this easy and fun to use! The interface is similar to a smartphone or iPhone/iPod/iPad touch. Now for experienced linux users, you can dig deeper, but for new or novice users like myself, there's no need.

JoliOS' interface is simple, clean and easy to use. As you can see from the picture to the left it looks like an iPad! There is an app for just about any current online or cloud based service out there. (I'm actually writing this entry from the Blogger app.) You can add apps from the app area or create your own. I haven't tried that yet so I'm not sure how that works. Needless to say I am very pleased with JoliOS and am loving it! It's actually taking all that I can to not convert over! Speaking of converting, JoliOS is perfect for those of you new to Linux and want to resurrect an older PC like for the kids or even grandma. Lots of social media apps, educational apps and yes, even Angry Birds. For those of you that want a little more, you can access the file system and such by using the Local Files app. I was able to copy some movies, pictures and music over to the Mini from my network drive.

The only thing I was bummed about is of course my weather applications. I storm spot for a hobby and have three certain applications I use but they are all Windows based. I figured I would never get them to work. Wine is one of the apps that JoliOS features and helps you get some of your Windows based programs to function in Linux. So I thought I would give it a try. I copied the installation files over and they were immediately picked up by wine and had a little wine glass added to their icon. I double clicked on the executable to see how it would react and it installed them! All but one was able to work without an issue so two out of three isn't bad! I can access these programs from the local apps section. I haven't figured out how to make an app icon like in the screen shot or if it's even possible but I'm not all that concerned as i can still easily find and access them.

JoliOS may be the Linux distribution the rest of the world has been waiting for. I highly recommend you give it a try, they have a cool program that allows you to create a bootable USB stick which you can try it on. It takes a couple of hours to get used to it but once you do you'll find that surfing the web and participating in social activity is much more fun.

MyCleanPC: Is it really worth it?

I’ve been seeing the ads on TV for MyCleanPC.com where they claim they can make your PC run as good if not better than new. They use scare tactics like malware, viruses and other things to grab your attention.

As a computer user myself and I consider myself to be quite knowledgeable about them I thought I would test it out. Here is my review of MyCleanPC.com

MyCleanPC is actually a part of CyberDefender whom unfortunately has been associated early in their life with increasing a users security risk rather than helping it.

INSTALLATION

After I downloaded the application I began the install. Immediately AdAware caught and blocked the running of a file called cdswx.exe. This threw the first red flag for me. I jotted down the file name so I could research it after the install was complete.

As the installation continued I noticed that all MyCleanPC is, is just a registry cleaner. It doesn’t remove viruses, malware, spyware, adware, or fix other issues like blue screens of death (BSOD). (NOTE: BSODs may be linked to registry issues.) Now I’m a big supporter and highly recommend CCleaner. It’s free and doesn’t install add/malware and it just plain kicks butt. Also look into SlimCleaner by Slimware Utilities they make a great product as well. So I was really curious to compare MyCleanPC to what CCleaner finds.

SCAN RESULTS

After MyCleanPC installed, I ran it and it found 770 items. I installed it on my laptop, a Dell Vostro 1000 running Windows Vista Basic. (I know I know, “Hey it’s Vista, there’s your problem!”) I wasn’t able to use the repair option as I have to purchase it and I wasn’t going to waste money on a registry cleaner when there is a perfectly good one for free. I then ran CCleaner and guess what, it found 770 items as well!

I then uninstalled MyCleanPC from my laptop using YourUninstaller to ensure that all the leftover registry entries were removed and then went to look up cdswx.exe which was blocked earlier on. (AdAware also caught and stopped cdswx.exe from running again during removal.)

CDSWX.EXE

According to several security sites, (Like this one.) this has a valid reason for being caught by AdAware. It’s a backdoor program. What this means is that if it’s installed onto your system and someone knows how to manipulate it, they can get into your computer without you knowing! In all fairness, this application can be used in a good way. There may be an option (if you pay for MyCleanPC and are a computer user like this adorable older couple.) to where you may need a support rep to remote into your computer to help fix an issue.

OVERALL

AVOID MyCleanPC. It’s a waste of time, money and may actually put your computer at more risk than before. If you have already purchased it, uninstall it and demand a refund from them. If any software that is not specifically designed and states up front that they have options for their support staff to remote into your computer, run as fast and far away as possible.

There are several FREE registry cleaners out there like CCLeaner. but CCleaner alone won’t help your computer stay running at top speed. You need to perform regular maintenance on it as well. Defrag your hard drive every 3 to 6 months. Hard drives are getting bigger and bigger and the more you put on them the more fragmented they can get which can cause your computer to work harder to locate all the files it needs. Run a cleaning application, (either Windows clean up or use the one in CCLeaner or SlimwareCleaner.) and use an uninstaller program like YourUninstaller to remove software. Doing this on a regular basis will help keep your computer running in great shape.

NOTE: YourUninstaller does cost but it’s worth the money in my opinion.