mindflayer.net » Windows

Windows 7: Lower upgrade pricing

mindflayer — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:04:12 +0000

Remember that the lower upgrade pricing for Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional is active today for a limited time.

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Upgrade

The former is US$49.99 and the latter is US$99.99 now, and will be $US119.99 and $US199.99 after this short-term deal. (Those are Amazon affiliate links.)

Computer problems, continued

mindflayer — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 02:15:27 +0000

My computer continues to reboot randomly with graphic anomalies and repeating sounds. So far I have tried the following:

Tested the machine with both the Creative X-Fi installed and not.
Tested the machine with a different PSU.
Run memcheck on the machine twice with 4GB RAM installed, and then swapped the 2 pairs and tested several times.
Tried Windows Vista 64 and Windows 7.
Replaced the nVidia GTS 8800 (640MB) SLI setup with an ATI Radeon 4890.
Installed the whole rig into a new case (Coolermaster HAF 932). Quieter and cooler – but still getting the reboots.

I’m stumped. I hope it’s not the motherboard but that been suggested as a possible cause. Any other ideas?

16 gallons and a BSOD, please

mindflayer — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 06:41:47 +0000

Stopped to refill at the local Shell station and lo! what is this I see?

Is that a Windows blue screen of death?

‘Nuf said.

New gaming PC: Liberator

mindflayer — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 02:59:53 +0000

My gaming PC is up and running like a champ. In the end, I chose more cores over higher clock speed and went with the quad core Q6600 . Windows Vista Home Premium 64 is actually running well – just a matter of getting the latest beta nVidia drivers installed. I’ll have to try Creative’s ALchemy next, since Microsoft chose to kill hardware-accelerated sound in Windows Vista.

The Q6600 reportedly is easily overclockable by simply bumping the FSB to 1333. I tried a quick bump in BIOS, but that did not work. I think I’ll have to push the voltage a bit. It’s been about 10 years since I’ve overclocked so it’s all new to me again.

With 4 cores, the computer is aptly named Liberator after the Consolidated B-24 Liberator.

Ctrl-Space efficiency

mindflayer — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 00:40:43 +0000

One of the first apps I install on any Mac I use is Quicksilver. It’s become second nature for me to hit Ctrl-Space to launch an app or execute some other feature and it’s both frustrating and amusing when I notice that I am hitting Ctrl-Space on a machine without Quicksilver installed. When it comes to Windows, I’d never really thought about installing a similar app, since I just assumed I’d adapt.

Well, why adapt when there is Launchy, on OSS equivalent to Quicksilver? While it uses Alt-Space by default, that’s easily re-configurable to Ctrl-Space. That ensures I am equally at home on both platforms (I don’t use Linux on the desktop, so no need there). It’s the simple things that make people more efficient, and this is one of them. (True, 90% of the use on my Windows box at home is gaming, but that’s besides the point.)

If you insist on commercial software, there is Approcket by Candy Labs. It’s a bit more full featured, and only $18, so it may be worth it to you. For me, Launchy is the way to go.