The list differs at one item from Windows Vista: Business became Professional. Is it because Windows Vista didn’t do good business, Business edition or otherwise, and because Windows XP Professional did?

I am disappointed.

The Home Starter edition is supposedly designed especially for netbooks. One of the edition’s stark defining startling features is that not more than 3 applications can be run simultaneously. Duh! Already Microsoft appears confused by what an application is and what is not. A program running as a background process is always termed a process, but some programs are considered as applications (plus processes) when occupying the taskbar and as processes only when minimized to the system tray.

Whatever be the terminology, capping it at 3 is tying hands tightly. So that performance is optimal, just like a tied man who probably runs faster, at least for his life.

Thankfully, Microsoft assures that all Windows 7 editions can be run on netbooks. But the dilemma lives on. Which edition should I buy?

In the mean time, people are already getting creative at making fun of these editions. Like the Windows 7 editions that Microsoft forgot.

Post from: EveryJoe

Those Damn Windows 7 Editions

A quick survey using Google tells us that there are nearly a million results for laptop hard disk, about a half million each for laptop hard disk recovery and laptop hard disk replacement, and a quarter million for laptop hard disk failure.

Let us look into mechanical hard disk failures as there are recovery tools which can very well work in case of other kinds of failures.

One obvious reason why a hard disk might mechanically fail is when it is dropped off a height. Despite what stress tests assure you, laptops are only as proportionally safe as humans when it comes to jumping off heights. While we might be able to walk again, they might not always be able to run.

One non-obvious reason why a hard disk might mechanically fail is when you take it for a walk. Laptop is a portable device, so you hold it and walk from the kitchen (it shouldn’t even have been there) to the TV room, or worse, from your office to your home. I do it all the time. Only I suspend the laptop, if not shut it down.

Hard disks as the “disk” suggests are mechanical devices. When you walk a hard disk while it is running (while I/Os are being performed), you put it in a pickle, like you would yourself find when you were to drink while running.

The large momentum you give it while walking can conflict with its own momentum at a time when its head is trying to read or write to a sector, and this can cause mechanical failure.

So.

Don’t walk the laptop.

Not when it is running. Shut down or at least suspend all activity before doing that.

Post from: EveryJoe

Do Not Walk the Laptop

A search for “Live Writer” in the Microsoft Download Center took me to this page. It is an old page from which I downloaded the 2.3MB installer and tried to install the required software. Thrice. It gave me hell, with the installation hanging at 99% each time.

I then googled for a direct setup file of Live Writer and landed here. When we press “Download” button on this page, it redirects us to a funny page while the download of a new 1.1MB installer starts.

The installer worked, thankfully. But take a look at the funny page I just mentioned. It is common knowledge that Microsoft likes to treat its users as dummies. But what can any dummy make out of a page which has three empty screenshots that look like an idle artist’s doodles and three messages which start with “If you see a message asking if you want to…” and are followed by non-keywords? And which responsible website of such great importance not update itself even when a later version of installer is available?

Very helpful again, Microsoft.

Image Source: Microsoft Windows Live Writer download page.

Post from: EveryJoe

User-friendliness of Microsoft

Follow me on Twitter.

Post from: EveryJoe

PC Vs Mac Transformers Video

Around this time last year, Symantec released the 12 days of christmas spam song. It is not as popular as it should have been but is worth watching again. It is a bit outdated because of changing trends. Help me edit it. I can’t let go of the feeling that I’ve missed something important.

On the first day of Christmas a spammer offered me a brand new shiny PC
On the second day of Christmas a spammer offered me a Rolex watch
On the third day of Christmas a spammer offered me cheesy business cards
On the fourth day of Christmas a spammer offered me Amazon Kindle
On the fifth day of Christmas a spammer offered me Vi-A-Grrr-Ra
On the sixth day of Christmas a spammer offered me a Canon camera
On the seventh day of Christmas a spammer offered me super cheap software
On the eighth day of Christmas a spammer offered me Apple iPhone
On the nineth day of Christmas a spammer offered me Nintendo Wii
On the tenth day of Christmas a spammer offered me Miley Cyrus photos
On the eleventh day of Christmas a spammer offered me the perfect weight loss drug
On the twelfth day of Christmas a spammer offered me $100,000 Nigerian fund

Post from: EveryJoe

Help Me Recompose the 12 Days of Christmas Spam

Milo recently summarized a Sandra Gittlen series called “Mac Vs Vista” quoting her excerpts. The series covering Manageability, Reliability, Security, Price and Others is going to surprise every reader in more than one way. Be sure to glance through them if you don’t have enough time to go over the actual series itself.

You’ve all heard about Microsoft and Yahoo! talking. Again. But have you heard of the new M$ phone or whatever? Jason uncovers the news apart from a video of a best man delivering the ring in a wedding. You must see it; you will get a better idea about whom not to choose as a best man.

Speaking of Yahoo!, Jayvee has some gossip about its disastrous tryst with Netdisaster. On a serious note, he has a strong point about PR firms hurting bloggers’ journalistc streak indirectly by taking their guest lists very seriously. With the blogosphere growing exponentially, they shouldn’t disallow bloggers just because they aren’t Michael Arrington.

Colleen has an excellent post introducing Google Gears. It is a must read for those who aren’t aware of the powerful tool. And yes, a trick to monitor out-of-office messages using Outlook is an overkill. Actually, that is an understatement.

Post from: EveryJoe

Tech Channel Roundup After Thanksgiving Week

The office has been a bit desolate for a while. So Colleen is taking over Office Tweaks. Join me in welcoming him.

Jason introduces us to the Super Bowl Single Girl. Pardon the dumb question, but why would anyone want to raise $3M and pay it to some television network? Aren’t Mr. Right’s for sale anymore? The big cynical question is: what if she realizes that she isn’t interested in Mr. Right? This comedienne is funny. So I wish her the best.

Claire wants you to take the Linux Graphics Survey 2008. What’s in it to you? Take these tips for Ubuntu users as a gift.

Jason has a tutorial to easily import table data into Excel from, say, a web page. Could use it some day, but I’m more interested in the reverse process.

How would you feel about a URL that is mysterious about what it can contain? I think it can be one of the types of spam. Jayvee thinks that stripping away those preconceptions can also be a refreshing browsing experience. A debate is slowly brewing up at his post. Come join us.

Juan is excited that Barack uses Mac. I’m more excited about this MacBook X-ray. What a geek!

Post from: EveryJoe

Tech Channel Roundup From Wishes to X-rays

The laptop had been docked, but the power supply unplugged due to some neighbourly reasons. When I restarted the laptop, it simply shutdown. When I powered it again, it brusquely answered with a series of flickers across three of its LEDs (power supply, battery life and something else that I don’t remember now) in a most NSFW manner. The laptop won’t start. I had read it as a signal to get a new laptop.

Upon undocking the laptop, going home, and powering it on again, it worked! Was my laptop for once being helpful? Enabling me to idle away my time in the office?

I was naturally suspicious. Upon further investigation, the following has been established: A docked laptop uses the power provided through the docking station while booting and won’t use the battery power. An undocked laptop, and a docked non-booting laptop can use the battery power.

Do you have more light to shed about this issue? Do you think it is a sweeping generalization?

Post from: EveryJoe

Power Policy With Laptop Docking Stations

Check out the blog post at SECURE-ID’s blog below.

Image Courtesy Of: http://securid.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/new-way-to-store-passwords/

Post from: EveryJoe

This is not the way to save your passwords

It’s never easy to do but its a necessary evil. Sometimes you have to open up and tell the people what’s going on. This is something that Twitter has learned recently. With all of their downtime and problems, they have found that simply notifying their users that something is wrong makes everyone feel a bit more comfortable that their favorite micro blogging service will be around.

The IT folk out there could really learn from this. Inform, don’t shelter.

Photo Courtesy of: http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/004566.html

Post from: EveryJoe

Let the user in on your little secrets