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News and advice for a Windows-centric world
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Ed Bott's Windows Expertise
News and advice for a Windows-centric world
October 6, 2008
Windows or Linux for a netbook?
In PC hardware, the netbook category is getting a lot of attention these days. These small, light, cheap ultraportable PCs, exemplified by the ASUS Eee PC, the MSI Wind, and the Dell Inspiron Mini 9, are this year’s most-hyped gadgets.The new conventional wisdom says Windows Vista is too demanding to run properly on these lightweight PCs, and that Linux is the equal of Windows XP.Maybe, once again, the conventional wisdom is wrong.Laptop magazine interviews the director of sales for MSI, who says that return rates for Linux-based Wind netbooks are running four times those of Windows-based models. Based on internal research, he says, the main cause of those higher return rates is Linux.Meanwhile, Kevin Tofel at JKOnTheRun tried upgrading an XP-based MSI Wind to Vista Ultimate and was pleasantly surprised by two things. First, availability of drivers wasn’t a stumbling block:Everything went smoothly on the Wind but of course, many driver components were missing. MSI includes a driver disc for XP but I didn’t want to install everything from there since they were XP drivers. Instead, I only installed the WiFi driver. That worked fine and then I hit Windows Update for 33 software and driver updates. I was very impressed that Windows Update found drivers for almost all of the various components in the Wind, such as the Intel graphics and chipset, Ethernet and more. Basically, everything but the Bluetooth driver was installed or upgraded by Windows Update, which was a far better experience for me than when Vista first hit.And second, Vista performance was more than just OK:I stand corrected on one thing already: the Intel Atom is exceeding my expectations in terms of handling Vista. I’ve got the Windows Experience Index above for those who are interested. Yes, the Aero features of Vista work quite well; in fact the Flip3D feature is darn near seamless!If you’re in the market for one of these devices, you really should be reading JKOnTheRun regularly. Here’s a link to all posts tagged “netbooks” to get you started.
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October 3, 2008
Is WinHEC worth it this year?
OK, help me out here.I’m going to Microsoft’s PDC this year, no question about it. This will be the public unveiling of Windows 7, and it’s a must-see. I’ll no doubt be able to interview some interesting people while I’m there as well. I have to be there.That’s from October 26-30.One week later, from November 5-7, also in LA, is the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, aka WinHEC. Steven Sinofsky and Jon DeVaan are doing a shared keynote, which will “highlight Windows 7,” according to the invitation I received.The session list sounds interesting as well, with lots of meaty stuff I’d be able to use in Windows 7 Inside Out. I like these sessions in addition to those aimed at reviewers, because you learn more about the rough edges when you’re in a room full of engineers who actually have to make this stuff work. One Chalk Talk in particular, “PCs and Devices in Windows 7: What You Need to Know,” sounds like it could be a highlight of the show.If the shows were a month or two apart, it would be easier on the calendar and the budget. But taking two business trips and being out of the office for back-to-back weeks isn’t a great option for me. Or, I suspect, for a lot of people, given the generally sucky-and-getting-suckier economy.Is anyone else wrestling with whether to attend PDC or WinHEC or both? Share your thoughts in the comments or at FriendFeed.
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Taming iTunes
Over at ZDNet, I’ve just posted instructions for installing iTunes without adding a lot of unnecessary junk. Here’s an excerpt:As it turns out, the iTunes installer has been bulking up for the past year or two. Don’t be fooled by the filename: iTunes8Setup.exe includes much more than the iTunes client. Without any disclosure and without your consent, the iTunes 8 setup program installs kernel-mode drivers, multiple system services, and at least one add-in. It takes a supersize helping of chutzpah to create an ad that criticizes Windows for its “bloat” and then deliver an upgrade with as much unnecessary junk as this one.The last time I wrote about this, several commenters defended Apple by insisting that every component in that full install was necessary, and that trying to carve away any of those bits will degrade Apple’s awesome end-to-end experience. I’ve looked at the iTunes installer on multiple Windows machines and am convinced that those Apple defenders are wrong. If you’re like most people, you don’t need any of that additional junk. In this post, I’ll explain how you can figure out which parts of the package you need, and then show you how to wrestle control of iTunes back.The whole thing is here:Slimming down the bloated iTunes 8 installer
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September 30, 2008
I’m back … sort of
I was traveling last week, and since getting back I’ve been trying to fight off a cold, a battle I might just be losing, based on how I feel this morning. Bleh.Anyway, I’ve got some interesting stuff queued up for here and over at ZDNet.Meanwhile, if you’ve got any Windows-related questions, leave them in the comments here.
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September 25, 2008
HP changes policy on MediaSmart server memory upgrades
This morning, the folks at HP announced that upgrading the RAM on a MediaSmart home server would no longer invalidate the warranty on that system. Here’s the formal statement:HP customers can now upgrade the memory on HP MediaSmart Servers without voiding the HP warranty.Based on customer feedback, HP will now offer a path for consumers to upgrade the memory on the HP MediaSmart Server without voiding the hardware warranty. HP customer feedback and research shows that some customers are installing multiple add-ins and/or additional software to the MediaSmart Server, which can lead to a need for additional memory.Upgrading the memory, in and of itself, will not void the warranty on the MediaSmart Server. Damage to any part of the MediaSmart Server during the upgrade may violate the warranty, however, leaving the cost for repairs the responsibility of the customer. Customers should perform a backup to an external device before adding additional memory.HP is only providing information on a customer memory upgrade path at this time, and customers will not be able to send their MediaSmart Server to HP to perform the upgrade. Customers may be able to find technical assistance for the memory upgrade, however HP is not recommending or training authorized resellers to conduct the memory upgrade on a MediaSmart Server. HP has not qualified any particular DIMMs, but compatible memory includes 1GB or 2GB - DDR2 667 MHz DIMMs. Customers should not upgrade beyond 2 GB of memory. Other than disk drives, HP does not support any other hardware upgrade paths, such as processor upgrades, on the MediaSmart Server.I’m actually a bit disappointed by this announcement. Allow me to explain.HP initially shipped the MediaSmart server with 512MB of RAM. That’s enough for it to perform its basic functions, but as the above release notes, you can quickly use that memory and begin hitting the page file if you install a few add-ins. That would fall under the category of caveat emptor, except that HP is the leading supplier of add-ins for its own server! The recent HP Software Update 1.3, delivered simultaneously with the release of Windows Home Server Power Pack 1, includes a fully licensed copy of Packet Video’s PVConnect Media Server (nice) and a 7-month evaluation edition of McAfee Total Protection (meh). Here’s what my system looks like with only three add-ins installed: I don’t have the McAfee add-in installed on this server, only the HP-supplied PVConnect server, the Home Server Toolkit, and the Advanced Admin Console Addin (those latter two use a trivial amount of RAM).As you can see from this Task Manager shot, the working set is currently larger than the default 512MB of installed RAM, and the Peak Commit Charge has soared over 700MB. The good news is I’ve already replaced the insufficient 512MB RAM allotment with a single 1GB chip. With the 1GB upgrade. I have no complaints about preformance.I found the RAM upgrade to be a reasonably straightforward process. But then again, I take PCs apart for a living and have been disassembling systems for years. I have the right tools and enough experience not to be flustered by the job. In an era of low PC margins, I completely understand if HP makes a business decision not to offer this as a formal upgrade option, even through third parties.But forcing customers to search for third-party upgrade instructions is doing a disservice to the community. Windows Home Server MVP Donavon West has put together a superb step-by-step document, with illustrations, that walks you through the process. I followed Donavon’s instructions and had no problems taking the server apart or putting it back together. (And no, I have no desire to upgrade the processor on this server, especially knowing that that upgrade will be completely unsupported.)HP should have paid Donavon for those instructions and illustrations and then made them available as a downloadable support document from the HP site. Add disclaimers (“This is an unsupported upgrade. If you damage any other components while disassembling the server, any necessary repairs will be outside of normal warranty coverage.”)Sorry, HP, but you can’t have it both ways. If you’re going to ship RAM-hungry add-ins as part of a required update, you need to take a little more responsibility for ensuring that those add-ins work well with the hardware that has your name on the box.
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September 22, 2008
Learn more about Vista performance
I’m up in the Northwest for a few meetings this week. On Wednesday, I’ll be participating in a panel discussion led by Microsoft’s Mark Russinovich. This “virtual round table” is part of the Springboard series for IT professionals, and the topic – Windows Vista performance – should make for some lively discussion.It’s a live event, and you’re welcome to tune in on Wednesday morning (Pacific time) and even ask a question or two. Update: The official event link is here:https://ms.istreamplanet.com/springboard/Here’s the official announcement:Springboard Series Virtual Roundtable Under the Hood: Windows Vista Performance…Need Answers?  Join Mark Russinovich and a panel of industry experts for a LIVE virtual roundtable to explore your top of mind performance issues, common misconfigurations, and tips on how to fix them. From boot times and applets to disk performance and battery life, find out how to optimize Windows Vista and what you can do to improve overall system performance. Submit your performance questions live during the event or send them in advance to vrtable@microsoft.com. Save the date! Wednesday, September 24, 2008 9:00am Pacific Time Find answers to your Windows Vista adoption questions with resources, tools, monthly straight-talk articles, and upfront guidance based on early adopter and community feedback. To learn more, visit www.microsoft.com/springboard.Springboard Series: The resource for Windows desktop IT professionals
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September 18, 2008
An inside look at Media Center TV Pack
I’ve been working on this story for about a month and finally finished it today for weekend reading at ZDNet. If you’re a Media Center enthusiast, you’ll definitely want to read this one. Here’s a quick preview:Of all the features included with Windows Vista, Media Center is unique. The Media Center application is built into the Home Premium and Ultimate editions of Vista, which means it’s on at least three out of every four PCs sold at retail today. Its predecessor, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, was the default installation for most consumer PCs for more than two years as well. Together, that means Media Center is installed on as many as 200 million PCs worldwide.But the Media Center feature set runs deep, offering high-end capabilities that appeal strongly to digital media enthusiasts. That enthusiasm has inspired some passionate communities, the largest of which is The Green Button, a community site with more than 112,000 registered members. (The Green Button was recently acquired by Microsoft, but its management and independent character have remained unchanged.) Down Under, the Australian Media Center Community boasts more than 11,000 members, and other large Media Center communities exist in Europe and Asia. With all those passionate users, you’d think that a trip to The Green Button and other community sites would be a Media Center lovefest. Guess again. These days, the community is spending much of its energy complaining, loudly, that Microsoft is ignoring its wishes and moving too slowly with Media Center development. The volume kicked up to 11 after Microsoft announced the release to manufacturing of its Windows Media Center TV Pack (formerly code-named “Fiji”) and acknowledged that it would be officially available only on new systems sold through OEMs.I’ve been digging into that story for the past month or so, including some hands-on tests of the TV Pack running in Windows Vista. In the gallery that accompanies this post, I have an in-depth look at the TV Pack in operation. In this post, I want to focus on the disconnect between the Media Center development team and its community.Go read the rest: TV Pack headaches reveal Microsoft’s Media Center dilemmaThere’s an image gallery, too:Inside the Windows Media Center TV Pack I’ll have more details on the hardware in this system, hopefully tomorrow.
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September 17, 2008
Apple continues to deceive users
Un-freakin-believable.In preparation for a trip next week, I just took a notebook out of mothballs and proceeded to install updates and make sure all the software and data files I need are in service.Along the way, I noticed an iTunes icon on the desktop and decided to check in with Apple Software Update. The blow-by-blow description appears in the extended version of this post. Read more on Apple continues to deceive users
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CableCARD working 100%
Remember last week when I wrote about the difficulties of troubleshooting CableCARD installations?The context was the new Media Center machine I’m setting up, with a pair of CableCARD tuners attached. It took the installer less than an hour to track down the source of my troubles, which had nothing to do with PC hardware, software, drivers, or the CableCARDs themselves. The culprit was a loose wire on the coax cable in the wiring closet, which was degrading signal quality dramatically from that point on. He replaced the defective connection and now the signal is rock solid on three separate CableCARD devices.That one little fix actually cleaned up a host of niggling little problems, and in the five days since then performance has been impressive, without a single error or glitch. Even the analog cable signals look good again.I’m working on a detailed report of this system and how it’s set up. Got any Media Center questions you want me to answer? Leave them in the comments and I’ll incorporate them into my next post.
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September 16, 2008
The plummeting price of storage
Newegg has the new Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB Serial ATA Hard Drive (model #ST31500341AS) on sale for $189.99 with free shipping.In November 2006, less than two years ago, I paid $366 for a 750GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 750GB Serial ATA driver (model #ST3750640AS).Twice the capacity, half the price, in less than two years. Amazing.(See also.)
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Ed at ZDNet Linux ready to replace Windows? Not yet… Slimming down the bloated iTunes 8 installer How to set up a new PC in one easy session
About Ed
Who is Ed Bott?
"Former PC World editor and prolific book author Ed Bott is indeed a Windows expert, and his take-no-prisoners style is fun to read--as long as you're not the person in his crosshairs." - PC World, June 2007
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