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Vol. 8, No. 19
5-22-08
1 Hodgepodge
2 Show some respect
3 MS goes open
source, video game workout, more infringement insanity, RCA vs. FCC
4 Free calendar
5 Zapped!
SP3 is slowly showing up as a Critical Update on computers is the US but, as all things Microsoft, a major problem has shown up after the beast was released. This is something new and is unrelated to the POS problem that showed up pre-release.
It seems if your computer has
an AMD processor, has a factory load of Windows (meaning it was installed when
you took it out of the box) and you get the updates through the Windows Update
site or Automatic Updates, you’ll have a serious problem.
Once you reboot after the
install your PC will go into a boot-loop.
It will attempt to start Windows and before it can load to the desktop
it will reboot. Over and over and over.
This is easy to fix with a
boot into Safe Mode and a System Restore to a date prior to the install, but
Microsoft is yet again red faced. The
problem stems from a driver for Intel processors that is installed as part of
most manufacturers’ Windows loads. They
use the same images for both Intel and AMD machines so PCs that don’t need the
driver still have it installed.
If you have an Intel
processor you’re fine. If you’ve ever
done a load from your recovery CD that needed to have all the included software
and drivers installed after the restore you’re safe, and if you install SP3 from
the ISO, available from http://tinyurl.com/5h8cw6, you’re good to go.
As an aside, ISO is related
to many things such as industrial standards and film speeds but in this case it
means a CD image file. You would
download the file and use your burning software to burn a CD from it.
A couple of other glitches,
according to today’s Windows Secrets at http://windowssecrets.com/2008/05/22/02-XP-SP3-triggers-false-positives-in-security-apps, are false positives in Norton Internet Security and
Spyware Doctor.
I still recommend you avoid
the update in all cases but I will suggest you evaluate your PC for conflicts
before you update.
Now for something with a
little fun in it. If you’re a fan of
technological fiction you’ll enjoy author Cory Doctorow’s novels, which are
downloadable through the Creative Commons license. Get them at:
http://craphound.com/index.php?cat=5
Next week the Gurus are
taking a break for Memorial Day. We’ll
resume regular issues for a few weeks until the July 4th holiday.
See you on June 5th…
Kevin Mefford, Editor
Terry Wise
Tech News of the Week
Microsoft today announced
that Office 2007 will support ODF (Open Document Format), the document standard
used by OpenOffice.org and other open source productivity suites, with the
release of Microsoft Office 2007 Service Pack 2. Yes, that's the sound of
ice forming way down below you:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,146162-c,unresolvedtechstandards/article.html
The Nintendo $90 Wii Fit--a
home work out disguised as a video game--hits retailers across the country
today. All of us who are Jabba the Hutt-shaped rejoice:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/21/AR2008052101435.html
A computer peripheral maker
filed suit against Apple and CBS on Tuesday, claiming the companies are
infringing on its trademark for the "Mighty Mouse" device.
Bring on the society-crushing ambulance-chasers:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9949412-7.html
The Rural Cellular
Association wants the Federal Communications Commission to ban exclusive deals
between telecommunications carriers and handset makers. Note to national
cellphone carriers: in addition to flush toilets and electricity, those
of us in flyover country would like cool phones, too:
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Rural-Carriers-Question-Exclusive-Phone-Deals/
Copy us on the good stuff!
Download of the Week
Compared to many calendar
programs, Rainlendar Lite stands out. Typically, and by default when first
installed, this highly customizable free desktop calendar takes up only a few
square inches of the desktop, with a small, transparent calendar stacked on top
of a pair of boxes. One is labeled Events, the other, To Do. Hundreds of skins
are available at the website to change its appearance. You can even mix
different skins when configuring the look of your Rainlendar components. The
look of individual events can also be modified with colors. It's free and
there's no spyware or malware included:
Art
Maley
Email
Question of the Week
Q: During the big storm on Wednesday night, lightning
zapped my computer. Dell running Windows XP. The blue screen came up,
instructing me to open in Safe mode. When I tried to do that, it wouldn't open.
Is there anything I can try before I bring it in? Re-install Windows from disc?
If not, are you open on Saturdays? :)
A: If you have
the Dell Restore Disk, give that a shot. If you have problems or
questions, drop by our chat room any night after 8pm for more intense help.
Art Maley
Contact
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