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Vol. 8, No. 20
6-5-08
1 XP SP3 retraction
2 Fear the Reaper
3 Fascinating study, Dr. Who
Taboo, waste in space
4 Art for children
5
Cup holder
A few weeks ago I tested SP3 on my XP Testbed and, after actually using the final release instead of a release candidate it worked fine. This was on a fresh load of Windows on which I had installed Open Office, Panda AV 2008, Spybot, Ad-Aware, Adobe Reader etc. I loaded it from the ISO image burned to a CD rather than through Windows Update and everything went fine.
Since then I reported that
there were problems with installing through Windows Update on machines with a
Windows load from the manufacturer, mostly those from HP, that featured AMD
processors as well as some false positives from certain malware scanners like
Norton and Spyware Doctor that could cripple a machine.
At the time I just gave some
cautions but still called the update benign and didn’t suggest blocking. That has now changed.
The report that the ISO load
wouldn’t cause problems on a factory load is completely wrong. I can verify this myself as I’ve done it and
immediately encountered the reboot blue screen error. The opinion that this issue mostly affects HP
machines is also wrong, which I can also verify. I’ve seen the error on at least two other
brands and it’s exactly the same as the HP glitch.
There have been myriad other
problems encountered, including lost connectivity, the inability to boot
Windows even in Safe Mode, multiple issues with third party firewalls and
malware scanners and more.
With all that I must
apologize to you and withdraw current support for SP3. Seems it’s more like SP2 than my initial
limited test indicated.
If you’ve already gotten this
patch and hit the reboot problem I’ve been suggesting Safe Mode and a System
Restore to a date prior to the install but, as it turns out, it may be even
easier to fix. You’ll still need to be
able to boot into Safe Mode but instead of a full rollback you can do the
following:
Click Start and Run and in
the Command Line box type:
sc config intelppm start=
disabled
Make sure it’s exactly as you
see, spacing and all, and click OK.
Reboot and let it go to Normal Mode and you should be back to the
Desktop.
If you have problems with
that or any fix or link we list in the newsletter please email us through the
webform at www.thepcgurus.net or drop in the chatroom from the site any evening
after 8:00 PM. There should be someone
there but if not just hang out for a few minutes and we’ll be in :)
Next week I’ll cover another
oddity I’ve noticed with XP lately as well as a tool or two to help tame some
of the junk stuck in by default by a fresh Windows load.
Until then, goodnight…
Kevin Mefford, Editor
_____________________________________________________________
Terry Wise
Tech News of the Week
After spending a cubic
buttload of the taxpayers' money, researchers
at Northeastern University
have determined that (GASP!!!), most people
keep the same travel habits
most of the time. This was determined
with cell phones, by the way;
don't think Big Brother isn't paying
attention to that
"special" stop you're making after work:
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN0434343620080604
Sci-Fi fans: Doctor Who is having an affair with his
daughter! Well,
actually, it's the actors who
play Dr. Who and his daughter, so
nothing family-oriented is
going on. However, this is supposedly
the
fourth hook-up the Who-Man
has made on the set since 2005---it's like
a personal nightclub over
there:
The toilet on the
International Space Station has stopped working,
causing the crew to have to
utilize plastic bags for...well, you get
the picture. One thing:
with all the money we have flying up there
in orbit, no one thought that
a second bathroom might be a good idea?
http://blogs.reuters.com/oddly-enough/2008/06/03/toilets-broken-next-ones-210-miles-south/
Copy us on the good stuff,
Matthew Dattilo
Download of the Week
If you have children or
grandchildren in your life, then you know how much they love to draw and
paint--and they love computers. It's safe to bet that they'll love Tux Paint.
This little freebie is user-friendly for parents and teachers as well as kids.
When you install the program you're treated to a comprehensive how-to, and then
asked to configure the program. It can be simplified for use with younger
children, made to run in full-screen mode and printing can be disabled (highly
recommended). There are lots of features to be explored. Get Tux Paint here:
http://www.tuxpaint.org/download/
Carlita Lupino
Cards57@gmail.com
Email Question of the
Week
Q: Oh, wise and
wonderful gurus! I've been reading your newsletter for
years and I consider myself very computer literate. Lately, however,
I've encountered a problem that exceeds my abilities and I'm hoping
one of you can help. I bought a new Dell PC about six months ago,
replacing a Windows 95 PC that was 10 years old (I know! I know!). I
placed the tower on the floor next to my desk, which puts the
retractable coffee cup holder at just the right height. The holder
worked well for about two weeks, and then one morning it broke off and
fell to the floor! I called Dell support, but the man on the phone
was hard to understand and I couldn't make him comprehend what was
going on with my PC. I visited my brother's house (he's a true
computer geek) and asked him how to fix the holder so it wouldn't fall
out anymore. He looked confused until I showed him the holder on his
PC, at which point he just stared at me blankly and started laughing
like a crazy person. I got mad and left, so needless to say the
coffee holder on my almost-brand-new Dell has never been fixed. Did I
cross some sort of "geek line" with my brother? Is there some
sort of
inside joke about these coffee holders that only people in the
industry know? Help!!!
A: Assuming the warranty on your Dell is still
valid, you should send it
back at once and demand a
refund. If you still have your Windows
95
machine, I recommend hooking
it back up and using it for the time
being. In PC terms, you really haven't missed much
in the past 10
years. Really.
Guru #12
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