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2776

General Software Discussion / Re: Simplifying Your Computer

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 23, 2012, 06:13 PM »

I have original Windows discs sitting right here but for the purpose format/reinstall is there legal *up to date* Windows image available somewhere or is there some mystery method I am clueless about? (there have been 100s of MB updates since SP3 alone)

-rgdot (August 23, 2012, 03:51 PM)

home/professional OEM/Retail ... What would you be looking for?

Addendum: if you do decide to do a clean reinstall, don't forget to backup all your current hardware drivers first. Hunting down drivers - especially XP drivers - is a real PITA. So if you already have a working machine, take advantage of that and get copies of the drivers prior to flat-lining your current system disk.

-40hz (August 23, 2012, 04:07 PM)

In a pinch I'll boot to WinPE, strip the attributes and permissions and toss the old install in a folder, and then just drop the new OS next to the old one (variation on a parallel install). Then I can pick out the driver bits from the old install and feed them to device manager (it's actually a lot faster than it sounds).

2777

Developer's Corner / Re: This reads like my life...

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 23, 2012, 03:56 PM »

I've often said the only difference between a hacker and an admin is a paycheck and a pair of handcuffs.

2778

General Software Discussion / Re: Simplifying Your Computer

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 23, 2012, 11:25 AM »

I haven't flattened my primary machine since I built it in (iirc) 07 ... I upgraded it from Vista to 7 when 7 came out, but haven't done anything since (I do enough of that at work). I might take it on up to 8 ... ... But I gotta make peace with 8 on my laptop first.

Cleanup = deleting whatever test VM I'm done with, and grabbing a fresh copy from the archives.

2779

General Software Discussion / Re: Steps to Flash the HP ENVY 14 laptop's Matshita DVD RAM - to make it Region-free

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 23, 2012, 11:12 AM »

Great - all OK. I can now play that Region 2 DVD I was given..

-IainB (August 23, 2012, 06:39 AM)

Wouldn't the drop in read/write speed be cause for concern?

2780

General Software Discussion / Re: [sorted] 32bit app with 16bit installer - installing on Win7 64bit

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 23, 2012, 06:46 AM »

Really sounds like a repeating cycle to me. Ask yourself this...how many of the 64-bit programs available today are using a 32-bit installer?


Oh Yeah, nice tip tomos, thanks.

2781

Living Room / Re: XKCD makes online ratings easy to understand

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 22, 2012, 11:49 AM »

Anyone who has ever uttered the words "For The Children" in sincerity forgot what school hallways were actually like.

-TaoPhoenix (August 22, 2012, 11:40 AM)

  You Damn Straight! 

...I knew this was a bad day to quit sniffing glue! 

2782

Living Room / Re: Windows 8: Yes, it's that bad

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 22, 2012, 11:34 AM »

-jgpaiva (August 22, 2012, 10:13 AM)

Does anyone know if windows 8 banned the alt-tab or if we can't have two windows side-by-side? Or does the "desktop app" work pretty much as in previous versions and this reviewer just doesn't know how to use it?
[/quote]

Alt+Tab still works (as expected) just fine. Desktop App behavior hasn't changed either.

2783

Living Room / Re: XKCD makes online ratings easy to understand

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 22, 2012, 11:24 AM »

In the end, the success or failure of a movie depends on critical mass and the ability to hit a cross-section a combination of things, not the opinion of one particular person.  Even hitting that, it still doesn't allow for individual tastes.

-wraith808 (August 22, 2012, 09:47 AM)

With the formulaic cookie cutter Pablum that they're trying to passoff now days... Meh ...Probably. But movies like Airplane had universal appeal. It was impossible to sit through without laughing your ass of...and still is if you can find the original complete non-PC sanitized version. Last time I saw it on TV I went ballistic because most of the best lines had been removed.

2784

Developer's Corner / Re: Help me think of a small ipad app idea to code

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 22, 2012, 06:58 AM »

I was thinking a days to the Apocalypse app might be good. Just make the end of world date configurable so no one is tied to a specific bandwagon. It's fun for the whole family; look mommy, only 28 days till the comet hits/lord comes/spaceships land...

2785

Multi Photo Quotes / Re: Error every time I try to save changes

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 21, 2012, 10:18 PM »

I just grabbed a portable copy of MPQ so didn't run the installer ... But I am on Win7 x64. If the installer puts the files in Program Files, it may just be a permissions issue with the .ini file.

(I'm just just killing time/thinking out loud while trying to resurrect my mildly dead server.)

2786

Developer's Corner / Re: Help me think of a small ipad app idea to code

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 21, 2012, 09:51 PM »

Interesting to see this bit:

In fact, here's my estimate. Given the 16 or so clones of my one DaysTo Christmas app, I'd guess that for every "real" app, there are something like 10-20 bad clones. Apple's 500,000 apps claim? My guess is there are probably less than 30,000 apps of anything resembling quality.

-The Article

I'd always wondered about that myself.

2787

General Software Discussion / Anybody know Anything about Updox?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 21, 2012, 06:36 PM »

Updox his is one of those HIPPA/Meaningful Use/Core 14 utilities that is supposed to securely transmit medical records between doctors. However...it is a bit pricey (but what isn't in a vertical market).

I've got two clients both trying to get through this widget so they can swap records - Price being a factor... - They both opted for the non EMR suite integrated "Community Supported" free version ... Which I now have to figure out how to operate. So far all I've established is that the "Support Community" is nonexistent. Does anyone have any experience with this damn thing??

2788

Living Room / Re: Is having everything available in "real time" where we really want to go?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 21, 2012, 01:07 PM »

@superboyac: Sorry. I'm not sure I can make sense of all that.
And I thought pointing wasn't "accusatory", but a dominance signal.   

-IainB (August 21, 2012, 09:53 AM)

Hell, I thought pointing was a way of identifying one think out of a group of others - i.e. I would like that lemon filled chocolate doughnut. - Now I'd hardly be planning to dominate the doughnut by pointing at it ... I'd merely be identifying the focus of my interest.

-Stoic Joker (August 21, 2012, 11:26 AM)

In the context I was referring to, it's a manipulative thing.  Imagine pointing after every syllable: "You..will..do..as...I...say...or...else."  You try the same without pointing and it's not as intimidating.

-superboyac (August 21, 2012, 12:14 PM)

  Really? ...I usually just start laughing when people do that shit. They just look spastic to me...and I can't take them seriously.

Seems like we've gotten really really good at bullshitting and the content is nowhere to be found.  But they tell me I'm just getting older.

-superboyac (August 21, 2012, 12:14 PM)

Me too. 

2789

Living Room / Re: Is having everything available in "real time" where we really want to go?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 21, 2012, 11:26 AM »

@superboyac: Sorry. I'm not sure I can make sense of all that.
And I thought pointing wasn't "accusatory", but a dominance signal.   

-IainB (August 21, 2012, 09:53 AM)

Hell, I thought pointing was a way of identifying one think out of a group of others - i.e. I would like that lemon filled chocolate doughnut. - Now I'd hardly be planning to dominate the doughnut by pointing at it ... I'd merely be identifying the focus of my interest.

2790

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 20, 2012, 11:42 AM »

^  ^

2791

Living Room / Re: TV Technology Dilemma

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 20, 2012, 11:31 AM »

I just went from a 52" CRT (yes it weighed a ton) to a 55 LG LED last year and am perfectly happy with it. IIRC the whole rub with LCD vs Plasma is the contrast ratio on the Plasma is (or rather tended to be) higher so you got better blacks etc. But the tech has improved with the LCD/LED TVs to a point where it's really not even noticable anymore (if you need special equipment to see the difference...there isn't one - Ya know?). Add to that the power consumption with Plasma being somewhere between 1.5 - 2x higher than an equally sized LCD/LED TV and it tips the scale rather quickly (or did for me anyway).

2792

Living Room / Re: I want a Sony Xperia SX, but I think it's stupid to buy one.

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 20, 2012, 11:21 AM »

I hate all the 4.whatever screens, they're too big for something to have in your pocket all the time.

-superboyac (August 20, 2012, 09:43 AM)

+100 It's supposed-to-be first and foremost a phone ... Not a tragic excuse for foisting some god awful metro-sexual bastard child of the fanny-pack fashion "statement" that allows one to "handily" carry around something the size of a friggin television.

2793

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 19, 2012, 07:19 AM »

Okay, so Ads are trying harder and harder to grab our attention (and I'm fairly jaded), but this (Email subject line) one caught me completely off guard this (pre-coffee) morning: Need a little study break? Cooking Meth is always fun....

W..T..F..?

Here's a screen shot:
[ Invalid Attachment ]

2794

Living Room / Re: Wikileaks - Julian Assange Granted Asylum by Ecuador

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 17, 2012, 10:26 AM »

And thinking about it more, I wonder if the break down in diplomatic actions and language are just a mirror of the breakdown in communication in every other area in current times.  I think in the days of the Cold War, there was an unspoken etiquette between all sides in addition to a lack of a forum for such things, so the idea that a country would have even had to threaten to storm an embassy would never have even occurred because things would never have even gotten this far- a media outlet wouldn't have touched anything like this, and there was no open internet.

-wraith808 (August 17, 2012, 09:09 AM)

+100 - There seems to be an overall breakdown in respect for ones fellow man. People just walk around being nice in a medically induced politically correct fog ... but no one really seems to respect anything, anyone, or even themselves. It's all just scepter banging and posturing now.

2795

Living Room / Re: What's the best registry cleaner? Ask Leo says: none

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 17, 2012, 06:51 AM »

Registry cleaners remove things that are (perceived as not being necessary) not being used. The problem is many of these items are imperative for things that one frequently needs later. I'd say that easily 80% of the times I've worked a call where a .NET based business application install/update went down in flames were directly caused by someone there deciding to "Tidy-up" a bit with a registry cleaner.

Registry cleaning is best compared to garage cleaning ... Sure the place sparkles when you're done, but... You typically end up needing something you threw out about a month later.

2796

Living Room / Re: Windows 8: Yes, it's that bad

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 16, 2012, 03:23 PM »

I personally find that it "only" runs 1080p resolution a benefit compared to the iPad3, which wastes a lot of battery on running a ridiculously high resolution for it's physical size.

-f0dder (August 16, 2012, 03:07 PM)

  Damn Straight! 

2797

Living Room / Re: waiting list at library...for an e-book?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 16, 2012, 01:33 PM »

^ I thought that was the way that most of these worked.

-wraith808 (August 16, 2012, 11:32 AM)

Really? Shit... I was just guessing out loud. I ain't been to a library in years.

How locked down are the files? can you copy/print stuff etc.?

2798

Living Room / Re: waiting list at library...for an e-book?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 16, 2012, 11:29 AM »

Depends on the delivery mechanism ... Sure superficially it's completely retarded because there is no way to actually "return" your "copy". However if they are using some type of date limited encryption which (time bombs) renders said "copy" of the book unreadable at the "expiration" date ... Well ... Now you have valid time slots where the book can be deemed as returned to be reissued to whom ever is next.

2799

Living Room / Re: Windows 8: Yes, it's that bad

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 16, 2012, 06:56 AM »

I've played with the earlier versions, and DL'ed the final yesterday. Haven't had time to install it yet. But I really don't have a problem with Metro. I think this is just Vista bashing FUD v2.0

One think Metro does fix, is that it finally rids me of having to contend with the completely useless Control Panel category view. I can just type in what I want..and get it. Sure I could kinda do that in 7 also...but if I accidentally (old habit) clicked on the Control Panel, I had to suffer through the agonizing hierarchical word maze, or switch to classic view to make sense out of the damn thing.

2800

Living Room / Re: What's the best registry cleaner? Ask Leo says: none

« Last post by Stoic Joker on August 16, 2012, 06:37 AM »

I wonder when Microsoft will bring out their own.

-Tuxman (August 16, 2012, 02:16 AM)

Sometime in 1997 (icon was a green package with a red ribbon IIRC), however they dropped in in the Win2000 era because it was no longer needed/useful/necessary.