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• DVD Drive Failing on Windows 7

  - by Seth Spearman

  Hello, I have x64 Windows 7 running on an ASUS M50VM. The DVD drive works completely unreliably if not at all. But the story is not that simple so bear with me...here are the gory details. When I first got the machine it came with Windows XP and I upgraded it to Windows Vista X64 and the DVD worked fine. When Windows 7 RC2 came out I tried it on a Virtual Machine and I liked it so much that I upgraded the machine to Win7 RC1. The DVD worked fine. Of course, RC1 was going to start spontaneously rebooting, so when Windows 7 was released I DID A CLEAN INSTALL of Windows 7. Just to clarify...by clean install I mean I did a FORMAT of the HARD DRIVE and INSTALLED it from scratch. EVER since then the DVD mostly doesn't work. I can sometime read from disk but that will often hang. (Please see my description below of HANG for details.) CD or DVD writes ALWAYS fail with a HANG (I have done a successful write only one time.) Here is what I mean by HANG... *Explorer Window is unresponsive. *Any software accessing the DVD drive is unresponsive. *The DVD tray will not eject. *Using a paper clip will eject but the disk is usually spinning real hard. *Attempting to shut down windows will fail. I have waited as long as ten minutes but the whole OS seems to hang. I do a hard shutdown. *Sometimes accessing the DVD (when it does not cause a HANG) will still fail and the device will actually seem to disappear from the system until I reboot. A couple of other things. It is NOT a hardware failure. It is the Windows OS. I know this because I swapped out my DVD drive with a friend with the same model...his machine is fine (he is still running Vista X64) and my machine still fails. For what it is worth. I swapped out my primary disk with the INTEL 160GB SSD. EDIT Here is what System Information shows about my DVD drive Drive D: Description CD-ROM Drive Media Loaded No Media Type DVD Writer Name HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-T50N ATA Device Manufacturer (Standard CD-ROM drives) Status OK Transfer Rate -1.00 kbytes/sec SCSI Target ID 0 PNP Device ID IDE\CDROMHL-DT-ST_DVDRAM_GSA-T50N________________RR04____\5&2B5B7F1D&0&1.0.0 Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\cdrom.sys (6.1.7600.16385, 144.00 KB (147,456 bytes), 7/13/2009 7:19 PM) Any ideas? HELP! Seth B Spearman

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• Optimal setup for ASUS P6X58D Premium BIOS (no OC)?

  - by rumtscho

  Normally, I'd trust the mainboard manufacturer to choose the best options as defaults. But I had trouble with the board, because even with Quick Boot enabled, it booted twice as slowly as a Pentium 4 Celeron. Then I changed lots of options at once (most of them weren't explained in the manual, just mentioned with a single sentence) and the boot time is only marginally worse than the Pentium 4 (54 sec against 46 sec from button to pw entering screen). Now I don't know if I have turned something off which should have stayed on. I guess I even won't be able to boot from a CD now, because even though it is present in the boot sequence, I took off a timeout I think it needs to check whether there is a disk in the drive. The second reason is that I don't have an internal HDD, only a SSD. I forgot my sources blush but I am under the impression that today's BIOS and OS options are geared toward booting from a HDD, which is often less than optimal when one boots from a SSD, especially when there are functions which cause avoidable writing cycles, as a SSD wears out after too many writing cycles. Most of the things I've read concern the OS, but there are some BIOS-relevant options too. I am especially confused about the disk mode. The board supports AHCI, IDE-simulation and RAID, but of the different articles I've read, there is a proponent for each and no clear arguments for any. So can one tell me which options are important in general and which are important for a SSD-only system? I don't want to overclock the CPU, so you don't have to say anything about this (yes I know the board is meant for OC:)). I am thinking of overclocking the RAM, since they sold me 1600er heatsinked modules which are running at 1066 now, but I'm not sure yet about that. The rest of the system: i7-930, Intel X25-m G2, 6 GB RAM, GTS 250, some no-name Blue-ray ROM. 2 external HDDs over USB 2.0. Lots of other USB-connected hardware (12 devices I think), no SATA 3 drives (will disabling the controller have an impact on performance?), no LAN, only WiFi. Lucid Lynx 64 bit, no dual boot, no virtual installations. The main uses of the system are: managing and playing/showing all the media stored on the external disks, lots of image manipulation, some video editing, a bit of (non-demanding) gaming, rarely development. Lots of Internet surfing too, but this shouldn't have much impact on performance.

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• DVD Drive Failing on Windows 7

  - by Seth Spearman

  I have x64 Windows 7 running on an ASUS M50VM. The DVD drive works completely unreliably if not at all. But the story is not that simple so bear with me...here are the gory details. When I first got the machine it came with Windows XP and I upgraded it to Windows Vista X64 and the DVD worked fine. When Windows 7 RC2 came out I tried it on a Virtual Machine and I liked it so much that I upgraded the machine to Win7 RC1. The DVD worked fine. Of course, RC1 was going to start spontaneously rebooting, so when Windows 7 was released I DID A CLEAN INSTALL of Windows 7. Just to clarify...by clean install I mean I did a FORMAT of the HARD DRIVE and INSTALLED it from scratch. EVER since then the DVD mostly doesn't work. I can sometime read from disk but that will often hang. (Please see my description below of HANG for details.) CD or DVD writes ALWAYS fail with a HANG (I have done a successful write only one time.) Here is what I mean by HANG... *Explorer Window is unresponsive. *Any software accessing the DVD drive is unresponsive. *The DVD tray will not eject. *Using a paper clip will eject but the disk is usually spinning real hard. *Attempting to shut down windows will fail. I have waited as long as ten minutes but the whole OS seems to hang. I do a hard shutdown. *Sometimes accessing the DVD (when it does not cause a HANG) will still fail and the device will actually seem to disappear from the system until I reboot. A couple of other things. It is NOT a hardware failure. It is the Windows OS. I know this because I swapped out my DVD drive with a friend with the same model...his machine is fine (he is still running Vista X64) and my machine still fails. For what it is worth. I swapped out my primary disk with the INTEL 160GB SSD. EDIT Here is what System Information shows about my DVD drive Drive D: Description CD-ROM Drive Media Loaded No Media Type DVD Writer Name HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-T50N ATA Device Manufacturer (Standard CD-ROM drives) Status OK Transfer Rate -1.00 kbytes/sec SCSI Target ID 0 PNP Device ID IDE\CDROMHL-DT-ST_DVDRAM_GSA-T50N________________RR04____\5&2B5B7F1D&0&1.0.0 Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\cdrom.sys (6.1.7600.16385, 144.00 KB (147,456 bytes), 7/13/2009 7:19 PM) Any ideas? HELP! Seth B Spearman

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• Ubuntu 10.04 not detecting multiple monitors

  - by user28837

  I have 2 graphics cards, the output from the lspci: 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc RV770 [Radeon HD 4850] 02:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc RV710 [Radeon HD 4350] I have one monitor connected to the 4850 and 2 connected to the 4350. However when I go into System Preferences Monitors the only monitor shown is the one connected to the 4850. Is there something I need to enable for it to be able to use the other card? How do I get this to work. Thanks. As per request: X.Org X Server 1.7.6 Release Date: 2010-03-17 X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0 Build Operating System: Linux 2.6.24-25-server i686 Ubuntu Current Operating System: Linux jeff-desktop 2.6.32-22-generic-pae #33-Ubuntu SMP Wed Apr 28 14:57:29 UTC 2010 i686 Kernel command line: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-22-generic-pae root=UUID=852e1013-4ed6-40fd-a462-c29087888383 ro quiet splash Build Date: 23 April 2010 05:11:50PM xorg-server 2:1.7.6-2ubuntu7 (Bryce Harrington <[email protected]>) Current version of pixman: 0.16.4 Before reporting problems, check http://wiki.x.org to make sure that you have the latest version. Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting, (++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational, (WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown. (==) Log file: "/var/log/Xorg.0.log", Time: Tue May 11 08:24:52 2010 (==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf" (==) Using config directory: "/usr/lib/X11/xorg.conf.d" (==) No Layout section. Using the first Screen section. (**) |-->Screen "Default Screen" (0) (**) | |-->Monitor "<default monitor>" (==) No device specified for screen "Default Screen". Using the first device section listed. (**) | |-->Device "Default Device" (==) No monitor specified for screen "Default Screen". Using a default monitor configuration. (==) Automatically adding devices (==) Automatically enabling devices (WW) The directory "/usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic" does not exist. Entry deleted from font path. (==) FontPath set to: /usr/share/fonts/X11/misc, /usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled, /usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled, /usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1, /usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi, /usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi, /var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType, built-ins (==) ModulePath set to "/usr/lib/xorg/extra-modules,/usr/lib/xorg/modules" (II) The server relies on udev to provide the list of input devices. If no devices become available, reconfigure udev or disable AutoAddDevices. (II) Loader magic: 0x81f0e80 (II) Module ABI versions: X.Org ANSI C Emulation: 0.4 X.Org Video Driver: 6.0 X.Org XInput driver : 7.0 X.Org Server Extension : 2.0 (++) using VT number 7 (--) PCI:*(0:1:0:0) 1002:9442:174b:e104 ATI Technologies Inc RV770 [Radeon HD 4850] rev 0, Mem @ 0xc0000000/268435456, 0xfe7e0000/65536, I/O @ 0x0000a000/256, BIOS @ 0x????????/131072 (--) PCI: (0:2:0:0) 1002:954f:1462:1618 ATI Technologies Inc RV710 [Radeon HD 4350] rev 0, Mem @ 0xd0000000/268435456, 0xfe8e0000/65536, I/O @ 0x0000b000/256, BIOS @ 0x????????/131072 (WW) Open ACPI failed (/var/run/acpid.socket) (No such file or directory) (II) "extmod" will be loaded by default. (II) "dbe" will be loaded by default. (II) "glx" will be loaded. This was enabled by default and also specified in the config file. (II) "record" will be loaded by default. (II) "dri" will be loaded by default. (II) "dri2" will be loaded by default. (II) LoadModule: "glx" (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/extra-modules/modules/extensions/libglx.so (II) Module glx: vendor="FireGL - ATI Technologies Inc." compiled for 7.5.0, module version = 1.0.0 (II) Loading extension GLX (II) LoadModule: "extmod" (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/extensions/libextmod.so (II) Module extmod: vendor="X.Org Foundation" compiled for 1.7.6, module version = 1.0.0 Module class: X.Org Server Extension ABI class: X.Org Server Extension, version 2.0 (II) Loading extension MIT-SCREEN-SAVER (II) Loading extension XFree86-VidModeExtension (II) Loading extension XFree86-DGA (II) Loading extension DPMS (II) Loading extension XVideo (II) Loading extension XVideo-MotionCompensation (II) Loading extension X-Resource (II) LoadModule: "dbe" (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/extensions/libdbe.so (II) Module dbe: vendor="X.Org Foundation" compiled for 1.7.6, module version = 1.0.0 Module class: X.Org Server Extension ABI class: X.Org Server Extension, version 2.0 (II) Loading extension DOUBLE-BUFFER (II) LoadModule: "record" (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/extensions/librecord.so (II) Module record: vendor="X.Org Foundation" compiled for 1.7.6, module version = 1.13.0 Module class: X.Org Server Extension ABI class: X.Org Server Extension, version 2.0 (II) Loading extension RECORD (II) LoadModule: "dri" (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/extensions/libdri.so (II) Module dri: vendor="X.Org Foundation" compiled for 1.7.6, module version = 1.0.0 ABI class: X.Org Server Extension, version 2.0 (II) Loading extension XFree86-DRI (II) LoadModule: "dri2" (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/extensions/libdri2.so (II) Module dri2: vendor="X.Org Foundation" compiled for 1.7.6, module version = 1.1.0 ABI class: X.Org Server Extension, version 2.0 (II) Loading extension DRI2 (II) LoadModule: "fglrx" (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/extra-modules/modules/drivers/fglrx_drv.so (II) Module fglrx: vendor="FireGL - ATI Technologies Inc." compiled for 1.7.1, module version = 8.72.11 Module class: X.Org Video Driver (II) Loading sub module "fglrxdrm" (II) LoadModule: "fglrxdrm" (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/extra-modules/modules/linux/libfglrxdrm.so (II) Module fglrxdrm: vendor="FireGL - ATI Technologies Inc." compiled for 1.7.1, module version = 8.72.11 (II) ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Version Identifier:8.72.11 (II) ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Release Identifier: 8.723.1 (II) ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Build Date: Apr 8 2010 21:40:29 (II) Primary Device is: PCI 01@00:00:0 (WW) Falling back to old probe method for fglrx (II) Loading PCS database from /etc/ati/amdpcsdb (--) Assigning device section with no busID to primary device (WW) fglrx: No matching Device section for instance (BusID PCI:0@2:0:0) found (--) Chipset Supported AMD Graphics Processor (0x9442) found (WW) fglrx: No matching Device section for instance (BusID PCI:0@1:0:1) found (WW) fglrx: No matching Device section for instance (BusID PCI:0@2:0:1) found (**) ChipID override: 0x954F (**) Chipset Supported AMD Graphics Processor (0x954F) found (II) AMD Video driver is running on a device belonging to a group targeted for this release (II) AMD Video driver is signed (II) fglrx(0): pEnt->device->identifier=0x9428aa0 (II) pEnt->device->identifier=(nil) (II) fglrx(0): === [atiddxPreInit] === begin (II) Loading sub module "vgahw" (II) LoadModule: "vgahw" (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/libvgahw.so (II) Module vgahw: vendor="X.Org Foundation" compiled for 1.7.6, module version = 0.1.0 ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 6.0 (II) fglrx(0): Creating default Display subsection in Screen section "Default Screen" for depth/fbbpp 24/32 (**) fglrx(0): Depth 24, (--) framebuffer bpp 32 (II) fglrx(0): Pixel depth = 24 bits stored in 4 bytes (32 bpp pixmaps) (==) fglrx(0): Default visual is TrueColor (==) fglrx(0): RGB weight 888 (II) fglrx(0): Using 8 bits per RGB (==) fglrx(0): Buffer Tiling is ON (II) Loading sub module "fglrxdrm" (II) LoadModule: "fglrxdrm" (II) Reloading /usr/lib/xorg/extra-modules/modules/linux/libfglrxdrm.so ukiDynamicMajor: found major device number 251 ukiDynamicMajor: found major device number 251 ukiOpenByBusid: Searching for BusID PCI:1:0:0 ukiOpenDevice: node name is /dev/ati/card0 ukiOpenDevice: open result is 10, (OK) ukiOpenByBusid: ukiOpenMinor returns 10 ukiOpenByBusid: ukiGetBusid reports PCI:2:0:0 ukiOpenDevice: node name is /dev/ati/card1 ukiOpenDevice: open result is 10, (OK) ukiOpenByBusid: ukiOpenMinor returns 10 ukiOpenByBusid: ukiGetBusid reports PCI:1:0:0 ukiDynamicMajor: found major device number 251 ukiDynamicMajor: found major device number 251 ukiOpenByBusid: Searching for BusID PCI:2:0:0 ukiOpenDevice: node name is /dev/ati/card0 ukiOpenDevice: open result is 11, (OK) ukiOpenByBusid: ukiOpenMinor returns 11 ukiOpenByBusid: ukiGetBusid reports PCI:2:0:0 (--) fglrx(0): Chipset: "ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series" (Chipset = 0x9442) (--) fglrx(0): (PciSubVendor = 0x174b, PciSubDevice = 0xe104) (==) fglrx(0): board vendor info: third party graphics adapter - NOT original ATI (--) fglrx(0): Linear framebuffer (phys) at 0xc0000000 (--) fglrx(0): MMIO registers at 0xfe7e0000 (--) fglrx(0): I/O port at 0x0000a000 (==) fglrx(0): ROM-BIOS at 0x000c0000 (II) fglrx(0): AC Adapter is used (II) fglrx(0): Primary V_BIOS segment is: 0xc000 (II) Loading sub module "vbe" (II) LoadModule: "vbe" (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/libvbe.so (II) Module vbe: vendor="X.Org Foundation" compiled for 1.7.6, module version = 1.1.0 ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 6.0 (II) fglrx(0): VESA BIOS detected (II) fglrx(0): VESA VBE Version 3.0 (II) fglrx(0): VESA VBE Total Mem: 16384 kB (II) fglrx(0): VESA VBE OEM: ATI ATOMBIOS (II) fglrx(0): VESA VBE OEM Software Rev: 11.13 (II) fglrx(0): VESA VBE OEM Vendor: (C) 1988-2005, ATI Technologies Inc. (II) fglrx(0): VESA VBE OEM Product: RV770 (II) fglrx(0): VESA VBE OEM Product Rev: 01.00 (II) fglrx(0): ATI Video BIOS revision 9 or later detected (--) fglrx(0): Video RAM: 524288 kByte, Type: GDDR3 (II) fglrx(0): PCIE card detected (--) fglrx(0): Using per-process page tables (PPPT) as GART. (WW) fglrx(0): board is an unknown third party board, chipset is supported (--) fglrx(0): Chipset: "ATI Radeon HD 4300/4500 Series" (Chipset = 0x954f) (--) fglrx(0): (PciSubVendor = 0x1462, PciSubDevice = 0x1618) (==) fglrx(0): board vendor info: third party graphics adapter - NOT original ATI (--) fglrx(0): Linear framebuffer (phys) at 0xd0000000 (--) fglrx(0): MMIO registers at 0xfe8e0000 (--) fglrx(0): I/O port at 0x0000b000 (==) fglrx(0): ROM-BIOS at 0x000c0000 (II) fglrx(0): AC Adapter is used (II) fglrx(0): Invalid ATI BIOS from int10, the adapter is not VGA-enabled (II) fglrx(0): ATI Video BIOS revision 9 or later detected (--) fglrx(0): Video RAM: 524288 kByte, Type: DDR2 (II) fglrx(0): PCIE card detected (--) fglrx(0): Using per-process page tables (PPPT) as GART. (WW) fglrx(0): board is an unknown third party board, chipset is supported (II) fglrx(0): Using adapter: 1:0.0. (II) fglrx(0): [FB] MC range(MCFBBase = 0xf00000000, MCFBSize = 0x20000000) (II) fglrx(0): Interrupt handler installed at IRQ 31. (II) fglrx(0): Using adapter: 2:0.0. (II) fglrx(0): [FB] MC range(MCFBBase = 0xf00000000, MCFBSize = 0x20000000) (II) fglrx(0): RandR 1.2 support is enabled! (II) fglrx(0): RandR 1.2 rotation support is enabled! (==) fglrx(0): Center Mode is disabled (II) Loading sub module "fb" (II) LoadModule: "fb" (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/libfb.so (II) Module fb: vendor="X.Org Foundation" compiled for 1.7.6, module version = 1.0.0 ABI class: X.Org ANSI C Emulation, version 0.4 (II) Loading sub module "ddc" (II) LoadModule: "ddc" (II) Module "ddc" already built-in (II) fglrx(0): Finished Initialize PPLIB! (II) Loading sub module "ddc" (II) LoadModule: "ddc" (II) Module "ddc" already built-in (II) fglrx(0): Connected Display0: DFP on external TMDS [tmds2] (II) fglrx(0): Display0 EDID data --------------------------- (II) fglrx(0): Manufacturer: DEL Model: a038 Serial#: 810829397 (II) fglrx(0): Year: 2008 Week: 51 (II) fglrx(0): EDID Version: 1.3 (II) fglrx(0): Digital Display Input (II) fglrx(0): Max Image Size [cm]: horiz.: 53 vert.: 30 (II) fglrx(0): Gamma: 2.20 (II) fglrx(0): DPMS capabilities: StandBy Suspend Off (II) fglrx(0): Supported color encodings: RGB 4:4:4 YCrCb 4:4:4 (II) fglrx(0): Default color space is primary color space (II) fglrx(0): First detailed timing is preferred mode (II) fglrx(0): redX: 0.640 redY: 0.330 greenX: 0.300 greenY: 0.600 (II) fglrx(0): blueX: 0.150 blueY: 0.060 whiteX: 0.312 whiteY: 0.329 (II) fglrx(0): Supported established timings: (II) fglrx(0): 720x400@70Hz (II) fglrx(0): 640x480@60Hz (II) fglrx(0): 640x480@75Hz (II) fglrx(0): 800x600@60Hz (II) fglrx(0): 800x600@75Hz (II) fglrx(0): 1024x768@60Hz (II) fglrx(0): 1024x768@75Hz (II) fglrx(0): 1280x1024@75Hz (II) fglrx(0): Manufacturer's mask: 0 (II) fglrx(0): Supported standard timings: (II) fglrx(0): #0: hsize: 1152 vsize 864 refresh: 75 vid: 20337 (II) fglrx(0): #1: hsize: 1280 vsize 1024 refresh: 60 vid: 32897 (II) fglrx(0): #2: hsize: 1920 vsize 1080 refresh: 60 vid: 49361 (II) fglrx(0): Supported detailed timing: (II) fglrx(0): clock: 148.5 MHz Image Size: 531 x 298 mm (II) fglrx(0): h_active: 1920 h_sync: 2008 h_sync_end 2052 h_blank_end 2200 h_border: 0 (II) fglrx(0): v_active: 1080 v_sync: 1084 v_sync_end 1089 v_blanking: 1125 v_border: 0 (II) fglrx(0): Serial No: Y183D8CF0TFU (II) fglrx(0): Monitor name: DELL S2409W (II) fglrx(0): Ranges: V min: 50 V max: 76 Hz, H min: 30 H max: 83 kHz, PixClock max 170 MHz (II) fglrx(0): EDID (in hex): (II) fglrx(0): 00ffffffffffff0010ac38a055465430 (II) fglrx(0): 3312010380351e78eeee91a3544c9926 (II) fglrx(0): 0f5054a54b00714f8180d1c001010101 (II) fglrx(0): 010101010101023a801871382d40582c (II) fglrx(0): 4500132a2100001e000000ff00593138 (II) fglrx(0): 3344384346305446550a000000fc0044 (II) fglrx(0): 454c4c205332343039570a20000000fd (II) fglrx(0): 00324c1e5311000a2020202020200059 (II) fglrx(0): End of Display0 EDID data -------------------- (II) fglrx(0): Output DFP2 has no monitor section (II) fglrx(0): Output DFP_EXTTMDS has no monitor section (II) fglrx(0): Output CRT1 has no monitor section (II) fglrx(0): Output CRT2 has no monitor section (II) fglrx(0): Output DFP2 disconnected (II) fglrx(0): Output DFP_EXTTMDS connected (II) fglrx(0): Output CRT1 disconnected (II) fglrx(0): Output CRT2 disconnected (II) fglrx(0): Using exact sizes for initial modes (II) fglrx(0): Output DFP_EXTTMDS using initial mode 1920x1080 (II) fglrx(0): DPI set to (96, 96) (II) fglrx(0): Adapter ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series has 2 configurable heads and 1 displays connected. (==) fglrx(0): QBS disabled (==) fglrx(0): PseudoColor visuals disabled (II) Loading sub module "ramdac" (II) LoadModule: "ramdac" (II) Module "ramdac" already built-in (==) fglrx(0): NoAccel = NO (==) fglrx(0): NoDRI = NO (==) fglrx(0): Capabilities: 0x00000000 (==) fglrx(0): CapabilitiesEx: 0x00000000 (==) fglrx(0): OpenGL ClientDriverName: "fglrx_dri.so" (==) fglrx(0): UseFastTLS=0 (==) fglrx(0): BlockSignalsOnLock=1 (--) Depth 24 pixmap format is 32 bpp (II) Loading extension ATIFGLRXDRI (II) fglrx(0): doing swlDriScreenInit (II) fglrx(0): swlDriScreenInit for fglrx driver ukiDynamicMajor: found major device number 251 ukiDynamicMajor: found major device number 251 ukiDynamicMajor: found major device number 251 ukiOpenByBusid: Searching for BusID PCI:1:0:0 ukiOpenDevice: node name is /dev/ati/card0 ukiOpenDevice: open result is 17, (OK) ukiOpenByBusid: ukiOpenMinor returns 17 ukiOpenByBusid: ukiGetBusid reports PCI:2:0:0 ukiOpenDevice: node name is /dev/ati/card1 ukiOpenDevice: open result is 17, (OK) ukiOpenByBusid: ukiOpenMinor returns 17 ukiOpenByBusid: ukiGetBusid reports PCI:1:0:0 (II) fglrx(0): [uki] DRM interface version 1.0 (II) fglrx(0): [uki] created "fglrx" driver at busid "PCI:1:0:0" (II) fglrx(0): [uki] added 8192 byte SAREA at 0x2000 (II) fglrx(0): [uki] mapped SAREA 0x2000 to 0xb6996000 (II) fglrx(0): [uki] framebuffer handle = 0x3000 (II) fglrx(0): [uki] added 1 reserved context for kernel (II) fglrx(0): swlDriScreenInit done (II) fglrx(0): Kernel Module Version Information: (II) fglrx(0): Name: fglrx (II) fglrx(0): Version: 8.72.11 (II) fglrx(0): Date: Apr 8 2010 (II) fglrx(0): Desc: ATI FireGL DRM kernel module (II) fglrx(0): Kernel Module version matches driver. (II) fglrx(0): Kernel Module Build Time Information: (II) fglrx(0): Build-Kernel UTS_RELEASE: 2.6.32-22-generic-pae (II) fglrx(0): Build-Kernel MODVERSIONS: yes (II) fglrx(0): Build-Kernel __SMP__: yes (II) fglrx(0): Build-Kernel PAGE_SIZE: 0x1000 (II) fglrx(0): [uki] register handle = 0x00004000 (II) fglrx(0): DRI initialization successfull! (II) fglrx(0): FBADPhys: 0xf00000000 FBMappedSize: 0x01068000 (II) fglrx(0): FBMM initialized for area (0,0)-(1920,2240) (II) fglrx(0): FBMM auto alloc for area (0,0)-(1920,1920) (front color buffer - assumption) (II) fglrx(0): Largest offscreen area available: 1920 x 320 (==) fglrx(0): Backing store disabled (II) Loading extension FGLRXEXTENSION (==) fglrx(0): DPMS enabled (II) fglrx(0): Initialized in-driver Xinerama extension (**) fglrx(0): Textured Video is enabled. (II) LoadModule: "glesx" (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/extra-modules/modules/glesx.so (II) Module glesx: vendor="X.Org Foundation" compiled for 1.7.1, module version = 1.0.0 (II) Loading extension GLESX (II) Loading sub module "xaa" (II) LoadModule: "xaa" (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/libxaa.so (II) Module xaa: vendor="X.Org Foundation" compiled for 1.7.6, module version = 1.2.1 ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 6.0 (II) fglrx(0): GLESX enableFlags = 94 (II) fglrx(0): Using XFree86 Acceleration Architecture (XAA) Screen to screen bit blits Solid filled rectangles Solid Horizontal and Vertical Lines Driver provided ScreenToScreenBitBlt replacement Driver provided FillSolidRects replacement (II) fglrx(0): GLESX is enabled (II) LoadModule: "amdxmm" (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/extra-modules/modules/amdxmm.so (II) Module amdxmm: vendor="X.Org Foundation" compiled for 1.7.1, module version = 1.0.0 (II) Loading extension AMDXVOPL (II) fglrx(0): UVD2 feature is available (II) fglrx(0): Enable composite support successfully (II) fglrx(0): X context handle = 0x1 (II) fglrx(0): [DRI] installation complete (==) fglrx(0): Silken mouse enabled (==) fglrx(0): Using HW cursor of display infrastructure! (II) fglrx(0): Disabling in-server RandR and enabling in-driver RandR 1.2. (--) RandR disabled (II) Found 2 VGA devices: arbiter wrapping enabled (II) Initializing built-in extension Generic Event Extension (II) Initializing built-in extension SHAPE (II) Initializing built-in extension MIT-SHM (II) Initializing built-in extension XInputExtension (II) Initializing built-in extension XTEST (II) Initializing built-in extension BIG-REQUESTS (II) Initializing built-in extension SYNC (II) Initializing built-in extension XKEYBOARD (II) Initializing built-in extension XC-MISC (II) Initializing built-in extension SECURITY (II) Initializing built-in extension XINERAMA (II) Initializing built-in extension XFIXES (II) Initializing built-in extension RENDER (II) Initializing built-in extension RANDR (II) Initializing built-in extension COMPOSITE (II) Initializing built-in extension DAMAGE ukiDynamicMajor: found major device number 251 ukiDynamicMajor: found major device number 251 ukiOpenByBusid: Searching for BusID PCI:1:0:0 ukiOpenDevice: node name is /dev/ati/card0 ukiOpenDevice: open result is 18, (OK) ukiOpenByBusid: ukiOpenMinor returns 18 ukiOpenByBusid: ukiGetBusid reports PCI:2:0:0 ukiOpenDevice: node name is /dev/ati/card1 ukiOpenDevice: open result is 18, (OK) ukiOpenByBusid: ukiOpenMinor returns 18 ukiOpenByBusid: ukiGetBusid reports PCI:1:0:0 (II) AIGLX: Loaded and initialized /usr/lib/dri/fglrx_dri.so (II) GLX: Initialized DRI GL provider for screen 0 (II) fglrx(0): Enable the clock gating! (II) fglrx(0): Setting screen physical size to 507 x 285 (II) XKB: reuse xkmfile /var/lib/xkb/server-B20D7FC79C7F597315E3E501AEF10E0D866E8E92.xkm (II) config/udev: Adding input device Power Button (/dev/input/event1) (**) Power Button: Applying InputClass "evdev keyboard catchall" (II) LoadModule: "evdev" (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/input/evdev_drv.so (II) Module evdev: vendor="X.Org Foundation" compiled for 1.7.6, module version = 2.3.2 Module class: X.Org XInput Driver ABI class: X.Org XInput driver, version 7.0 (**) Power Button: always reports core events (**) Power Button: Device: "/dev/input/event1" (II) Power Button: Found keys (II) Power Button: Configuring as keyboard (II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "Power Button" (type: KEYBOARD) (**) Option "xkb_rules" "evdev" (**) Option "xkb_model" "pc105" (**) Option "xkb_layout" "us" (II) config/udev: Adding input device Power Button (/dev/input/event0) (**) Power Button: Applying InputClass "evdev keyboard catchall" (**) Power Button: always reports core events (**) Power Button: Device: "/dev/input/event0" (II) Power Button: Found keys (II) Power Button: Configuring as keyboard (II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "Power Button" (type: KEYBOARD) (**) Option "xkb_rules" "evdev" (**) Option "xkb_model" "pc105" (**) Option "xkb_layout" "us" (II) config/udev: Adding input device Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse (/dev/input/event3) (**) Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse: Applying InputClass "evdev pointer catchall" (**) Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse: always reports core events (**) Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse: Device: "/dev/input/event3" (II) Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse: Found 12 mouse buttons (II) Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse: Found scroll wheel(s) (II) Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse: Found relative axes (II) Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse: Found x and y relative axes (II) Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse: Configuring as mouse (**) Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse: YAxisMapping: buttons 4 and 5 (**) Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse: EmulateWheelButton: 4, EmulateWheelInertia: 10, EmulateWheelTimeout: 200 (II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse" (type: MOUSE) (II) Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse: initialized for relative axes. (II) config/udev: Adding input device Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse (/dev/input/mouse1) (II) No input driver/identifier specified (ignoring) (II) config/udev: Adding input device Logitech USB Multimedia Keyboard (/dev/input/event4) (**) Logitech USB Multimedia Keyboard: Applying InputClass "evdev keyboard catchall" (**) Logitech USB Multimedia Keyboard: always reports core events (**) Logitech USB Multimedia Keyboard: Device: "/dev/input/event4" (II) Logitech USB Multimedia Keyboard: Found keys (II) Logitech USB Multimedia Keyboard: Configuring as keyboard (II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "Logitech USB Multimedia Keyboard" (type: KEYBOARD) (**) Option "xkb_rules" "evdev" (**) Option "xkb_model" "pc105" (**) Option "xkb_layout" "us" (II) config/udev: Adding input device Logitech USB Multimedia Keyboard (/dev/input/event5) (**) Logitech USB Multimedia Keyboard: Applying InputClass "evdev keyboard catchall" (**) Logitech USB Multimedia Keyboard: always reports core events (**) Logitech USB Multimedia Keyboard: Device: "/dev/input/event5" (II) Logitech USB Multimedia Keyboard: Found keys (II) Logitech USB Multimedia Keyboard: Configuring as keyboard (II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "Logitech USB Multimedia Keyboard" (type: KEYBOARD) (**) Option "xkb_rules" "evdev" (**) Option "xkb_model" "pc105" (**) Option "xkb_layout" "us" (II) config/udev: Adding input device KEYBOARD (/dev/input/event6) (**) KEYBOARD: Applying InputClass "evdev keyboard catchall" (**) KEYBOARD: always reports core events (**) KEYBOARD: Device: "/dev/input/event6" (II) KEYBOARD: Found keys (II) KEYBOARD: Configuring as keyboard (II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "KEYBOARD" (type: KEYBOARD) (**) Option "xkb_rules" "evdev" (**) Option "xkb_model" "pc105" (**) Option "xkb_layout" "us" (II) config/udev: Adding input device KEYBOARD (/dev/input/event7) (**) KEYBOARD: Applying InputClass "evdev keyboard catchall" (**) KEYBOARD: always reports core events (**) KEYBOARD: Device: "/dev/input/event7" (II) KEYBOARD: Found 14 mouse buttons (II) KEYBOARD: Found scroll wheel(s) (II) KEYBOARD: Found relative axes (II) KEYBOARD: Found keys (II) KEYBOARD: Configuring as mouse (II) KEYBOARD: Configuring as keyboard (**) KEYBOARD: YAxisMapping: buttons 4 and 5 (**) KEYBOARD: EmulateWheelButton: 4, EmulateWheelInertia: 10, EmulateWheelTimeout: 200 (II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "KEYBOARD" (type: KEYBOARD) (**) Option "xkb_rules" "evdev" (**) Option "xkb_model" "pc105" (**) Option "xkb_layout" "us" (EE) KEYBOARD: failed to initialize for relative axes. (II) config/udev: Adding input device KEYBOARD (/dev/input/mouse2) (II) No input driver/identifier specified (ignoring) (II) config/udev: Adding input device Macintosh mouse button emulation (/dev/input/event2) (**) Macintosh mouse button emulation: Applying InputClass "evdev pointer catchall" (**) Macintosh mouse button emulation: always reports core events (**) Macintosh mouse button emulation: Device: "/dev/input/event2" (II) Macintosh mouse button emulation: Found 3 mouse buttons (II) Macintosh mouse button emulation: Found relative axes (II) Macintosh mouse button emulation: Found x and y relative axes (II) Macintosh mouse button emulation: Configuring as mouse (**) Macintosh mouse button emulation: YAxisMapping: buttons 4 and 5 (**) Macintosh mouse button emulation: EmulateWheelButton: 4, EmulateWheelInertia: 10, EmulateWheelTimeout: 200 (II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "Macintosh mouse button emulation" (type: MOUSE) (II) Macintosh mouse button emulation: initialized for relative axes. (II) config/udev: Adding input device Macintosh mouse button emulation (/dev/input/mouse0) (II) No input driver/identifier specified (ignoring) (II) fglrx(0): Restoring Recent Mode via PCS is not supported in RANDR 1.2 capable environments

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• Where to get laptop replacement parts?

  - by wai

  I am sure some of us have older laptops that still works but just one or two parts started not working very well. However, to send it back to the manufacturer for repair might not be worth the money (as some of them even charge consultation fees just to have it checked) as these old laptops are most probably well beyond warranty. Replacing these one or two parts could give your laptop a new lease of life. For example, I have a Dell Inspiron 640m which the fan recently failed. Everything else still works. I know enough to open up the laptop (after reading the service manual) and put it back together again, hence a replacement fan could save it. However, finding these parts turned out to be difficult. I guess I wouldn't be able to get it from Dell since I have been searching around the Dell forums and concluded if I were going to get Dell to at least talk to me, I would have to pay some money (since my warranty expired). I found this online:- http://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=3725 However, as I don't live in the United States, shipping alone would cost me 3 times more than the part in question. In addition, if there's a problem, it would be difficult because I probably would have to mail the parts back (costing more money). One of my friend spilled water on her Macbook, she sent it back to Apple and they told her the cost of repairing it exceeds that of buying a new Macbook. They probably have to change everything except the LCD screen. I opened it up and found that most of the parts are still working, only the RAM had fried. Replaced it and it's working again. For some time before discovering only the RAM fried, I was toying with the idea of replacing the logic board myself but looks like I didn't have to. =) Now I know there's a site for Macbooks used replacement parts:- http://www.ifixit.com/ The question is, does anyone know where to get replacement parts at their own locality? It might benefit the community as a whole. Someone might know a local computer store that sells precisely just the things we needed (for now, I hope to find a shop that sells just the fan). If you own a laptop which you had an easy experience finding the replacement parts, do post that as well. PS: I wish laptop manufacturers have outlets where they sell these replacement parts (or at least let you place an order).

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• Buying a new printer instead of replacing ink?

  - by Kelsey

  With prices of basic printers being around $40 - $50 and a ink cartridge being around $20 - $30 each for black AND color. It costs me more to replace the printer's ink than to just buy a brand new printer. This just seems like a total waste of materials though (I have 4 printers sitting in my basement with no ink). I know the ink cartridges are smaller (not as full) in a new printer but I go through it in about 1 to 1.5 years only and by then my $40 gets me a better printer to boot. Also with certain printers the heads are not part of the ink (Epson use to do this and still might) so I get new heads as well. Is this a bad practice? Are retailers making this a reality when they are selling working hardware cheaper than replacement parts? Is there something more I should be considering? Edit: Some background, long ago I bought an Epson printer which I used to print docs etc vary rarely. The ink started running low so I bought to new carts for around $60 if I recall. The printer then stopped working so I replaced the carts with the new ones but the head was dead on the black which was not worth repairing. I bought a new HP printer for $49. This lasted around 1.5yrs and then the ink ran out, I went to buy new carts and the guy at the store got me to buy a new printer (that was smaller, faster, higher dpi, etc) and it was cheaper than replacing the ink. When the ink ran out on that one I bought a new printer again, etc. The printer gets used maybe once a week at most and I never print photos or anything. It normally is jsut stored away unplugged accumulating dust. People say to buy a laser printer but they are much larger, do not print color, (in the price range I am looking at) and might have the exact same issues. The problem I see is the manufacturer is making my behaviour possible by selling new printers at a loss hoping that they will cash in on the ink later. How can they produce a printer for so cheap which HAS ink in it, and the refills cost more than the unit? It can't.

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• usb_modeswitch not switching

  - by deniz

  After I upgraded from kernel 2.6.18 to 3.5.3 modeswitch started not to work for me. Although lsusb shows my usb modem, usb_modeswitch does not switch it. My system information is like below. I ran lsusb, dmesg, usb-devices and usb_modeswitch their output is like below. usb_modeswitch instead of switching my modem it says "No devices in default mode found. Nothing to do. Bye.". Can you offer a solution? Kernel: Linux 3.5.3 usb_modeswitch: 1.2.3-1 usb_modeswitch-data: 20120120-1 usbutils: 006-1 libusb: 1.0.8-0.1 root@localhost$ lsusb Bus 002 Device 029: ID 12d1:1446 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. root@localhost$ dmesg [70112.477080] usb 2-1.4: new high-speed USB device number 30 using ehci_hcd [70112.567757] scsi49 : usb-storage 2-1.4:1.0 [70112.567842] scsi50 : usb-storage 2-1.4:1.1 [70113.571433] scsi 49:0:0:0: CD-ROM HUAWEI Mass Storage 2.31 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2 [70113.572304] scsi 50:0:0:0: Direct-Access HUAWEI TF CARD Storage PQ: 0 ANSI: 2 [70113.574169] sr0: scsi-1 drive [70113.574223] sr 49:0:0:0: Attached scsi CD-ROM sr0 [70113.574250] sr 49:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg1 type 5 [70113.574350] sd 50:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0 [70113.577173] sd 50:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk root@localhost$ usb-devices T: Bus=02 Lev=02 Prnt=02 Port=03 Cnt=01 Dev#= 30 Spd=480 MxCh= 0 D: Ver= 2.00 Cls=00(>ifc ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS=64 #Cfgs= 1 P: Vendor=12d1 ProdID=1446 Rev=00.00 S: Manufacturer=Huawei Technologies S: Product=HUAWEI Mobile C: #Ifs= 2 Cfg#= 1 Atr=c0 MxPwr=500mA I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 2 Cls=08(stor.) Sub=06 Prot=50 Driver=usb-storage I: If#= 1 Alt= 0 #EPs= 2 Cls=08(stor.) Sub=06 Prot=50 Driver=usb-storage root@localhost$ cat /etc/usb_modeswitch.d/12d1\:1446 # Huawei, newer modems TargetVendor= 0x12d1 TargetProductList="1001,1406,140b,140c,1412,141b,1433,1436,14ac,1506" MessageContent="55534243123456780000000000000011062000000100000000000000000000" root@localhost$ usb_modeswitch -c /etc/usb_modeswitch.d/12d1:1446 -v 12d1 -p 1446 -W * usb_modeswitch: handle USB devices with multiple modes * Version 1.2.3 (C) Josua Dietze 2012 * Based on libusb0 (0.1.12 and above) ! PLEASE REPORT NEW CONFIGURATIONS ! DefaultVendor= 0x12d1 DefaultProduct= 0x1446 TargetVendor= 0x12d1 TargetProduct= not set TargetClass= not set TargetProductList="1001,1406,140b,140c,1412,141b,1433,1436,14ac,1506" DetachStorageOnly=0 HuaweiMode=0 SierraMode=0 SonyMode=0 QisdaMode=0 GCTMode=0 KobilMode=0 SequansMode=0 MobileActionMode=0 CiscoMode=0 MessageEndpoint= not set MessageContent="55534243123456780000000000000011062000000100000000000000000000" NeedResponse=0 ResponseEndpoint= not set InquireDevice enabled (default) Success check disabled System integration mode disabled usb_set_debug: Setting debugging level to 15 (on) usb_os_find_busses: Skipping non bus directory devices usb_os_find_busses: Skipping non bus directory drivers usb_os_find_busses: Skipping non bus directory uevent usb_os_find_busses: Skipping non bus directory drivers_probe usb_os_find_busses: Skipping non bus directory drivers_autoprobe Looking for target devices ... No devices in target mode or class found Looking for default devices ... No devices in default mode found. Nothing to do. Bye. Thanks in advance.

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• Problem with USB drivers (Windows-XP)

  - by Carl

  I obtained the drivers from the manufacturer for my HT-Link NEC USB 2.0 2-port Cardbus card. When I plugged in the card before I got the drivers, 3 new entries showed up in the Device Manager - two "NEC PCI to USB Open Host Controller" and one "Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host controller." With the card plugged in, I uninstalled those two drivers. I then removed the card. I copied the new drivers to c:\windows\system32\drivers and the .inf file to c:\windows\inf. I also copied the drivers & inf to a new directory called c:\windows\drivers\ousb2. I reinserted the card. Windows automatically installed the same drivers as before. I selected 'update driver' on the "NEC PCI to USB..." entry and didn't see any other options. I then selected 'have disk' and pointed to c:\windows\drivers\ousb2 and got a message "The specified location does not contain information about your hardware." I then selected 'update driver' on the "Standard Enhanced PCI to USB...," and manually selected "USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Controller" (OWC 4/15/2003 2.1.3.1). Windows then automatically found a USB root hub, and I manually selected "USB 2.0 Root Hub Device" (OWC 4/15/2003 2.1.3.1). Now there are two sections in the Device Manager titled "Universal Serial Bus controllers." I plugged in my external USB hard disk adapter, and "USB Mass Storage Device" was added to the first set. Here's how it looks (w/drivers from the properties): [Universal Serial Bus controllers] Intel(R) 82801DB/DBM USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Controller - 24CD (6/1/2002 5.1.2600.0) Intel(R) 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C2 (7/1/2001 5.1.2600.5512) Intel(R) 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C4 (7/1/2001 5.1.2600.5512) Intel(R) 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C7 (7/1/2001 5.1.2600.5512) NEC PCI to USB Open Host Controller (7/1/2001 5.1.2600.5512) NEC PCI to USB Open Host Controller (7/1/2001 5.1.2600.5512) USB Mass Storage Device USB Root Hub (7/1/2001 5.1.2600.5512) (5 more USB Root Hubs - same driver) [Universal Serial Bus controllers] USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Controller (OWC 4/15/2003 2.1.3.1) USB 2.0 Root Hub Device (OWC 4/15/2003 2.1.3.1) When I unplug the card the two "NEC PCI to USB..." entries in the first set disappear, and the whole second set disappears. (I unplugged the hard disk adapter first...) The hard disk adapter still doesn't work in that Cardbus card with the new drivers. I don't think the above looks right - a second set of USB controllers listed in the Device Manager, and the NEC entries still in the first set, and the the USB mass storage device still in the first set. Any help appreciated. (Windows XP PRO SP3 w/all current updates.)

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• Why do some games randomly turn my screen a random solid color?

  - by Emlena.PhD

  When playing some games my computer will randomly have an error that I cannot fix without turning it off and back on again. The screen changes to one solid color, which varies (off the top of my head I can remember seeing solid green, magenta, etc..) and the sound blares a single tone. The sound sometimes briefly restores and I can still hear the game sounds and even hear and still be heard by people in my Mumble channel, but the screen doesn't right itself so I'm still blind. What's more is this happens in some games but not in others. While the game is actually running, not while I'm still in the menu. However, it does happen if I'm afk or idle but the game world is still rendering. Games where the error occurs: League of Legends World of Warcraft Trine The Sims 2 Dungeon Defenders Safe games: games where it has never occurred: Tribes: Ascend Star Wars: the Old Republic Battlefield 3 So relatively older games cause the problem while newer games do not? I cannot predict when it will happen, it just seems random. However, if it happens and I try playing the same game further after restart it does appear to occur more frequently after the first time. But if I switch to a safe game it doesn't continue happening. Both of my RAM sticks appear fine, flipped position or either one on their own and games still run, computer still boots. I would think over-heating, but then why not all games? ALso, sometimes it happens immediately after I start playing, within seconds of the 3D world booting up. I'm looking to upgrade very soon so I want to figure out what component or software is fubar and replace/repair it. Any suggestions or recommendations of tools would be helpful. Below is some system information. Dxdiag does not detect any problems. Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.120305-1505) System Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. System Model: EP45-UD3R BIOS: Award Modular BIOS v6.00PG Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E8500 @ 3.16GHz (2 CPUs), ~3.2GHz Memory: 4096MB RAM DirectX Version: DirectX 11 DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 64bit Unicode Graphics card name: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 Driver Version: 8.17.12.9610 (error has occurred w/several driver versions) Sound: I do not have a sound card, been using motherboard's built in sound)

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• Linksys WiFi usb dongle and linux woes

  - by MrStatic

  I have a Linksys WUSB54GC usb dongle and I have exhausted every thing I know about making this thing work in linux. I am using Fedora 13. Since it is not ready I can not view any networks. Any ideas would be great. tail of the system log Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-7: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 8 Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-7: New USB device found, idVendor=1737, idProduct=0077 Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-7: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3 Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-7: Product: 802.11 g WLAN Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-7: Manufacturer: Ralink Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-7: SerialNumber: 1.0 Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost kernel: Registered led device: rt2800usb-phy3::radio Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost kernel: Registered led device: rt2800usb-phy3::assoc Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost kernel: Registered led device: rt2800usb-phy3::quality Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost NetworkManager[1367]: <info> found WiFi radio killswitch rfkill3 (at /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.7/usb1/1-7/1-7:1.0/ieee80211/phy3/rfkill3) (driver <unknown>) Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost kernel: rt2800usb 1-7:1.0: firmware: requesting rt2870.bin Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost NetworkManager[1367]: <info> (wlan0): driver supports SSID scans (scan_capa 0x01). Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost NetworkManager[1367]: <info> (wlan0): new 802.11 WiFi device (driver: 'rt2800usb' ifindex: 6) Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost NetworkManager[1367]: <info> (wlan0): exported as /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Devices/4 Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost NetworkManager[1367]: <info> (wlan0): now managed Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost NetworkManager[1367]: <info> (wlan0): device state change: 1 -> 2 (reason 2) Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost NetworkManager[1367]: <info> (wlan0): bringing up device. Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost kernel: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0: link is not ready Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost NetworkManager[1367]: <info> (wlan0): preparing device. Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost NetworkManager[1367]: <info> (wlan0): deactivating device (reason: 2). Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost NetworkManager[1367]: <info> (wlan0): supplicant interface state: starting -> ready Jun 2 20:14:35 localhost NetworkManager[1367]: <info> (wlan0): device state change: 2 -> 3 (reason 42) [root@localhost log]# iwconfig lo no wireless extensions. eth0 no wireless extensions. wlan0 IEEE 802.11bg Mode:Managed Access Point: Not-Associated Tx-Power=8 dBm Retry long limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off Encryption key:off Power Management:on

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• Unknown problem causing major computer failure, Booting problem with windows 7, mainly with 0x0000000A

  - by ken

  Where do I begin? OS=Windows 7 I think it all started when I ran an installation file. I suspect it may have been a virus (even though AVG scan didnt pick anything up). The installation failed, computer crashed then restarted. In the middle of the reboot, I get BSOD. Normal boot up doesnt work so I use safe mode. Method 1: Not a problem I thought cos I will do what I normally do and that was to recover from my image file. Unfortunately, my Acronis software cant recover in safe mode. Method 2: I created a bootable disc for the Acronis recovery software. Managed to boot to Acronis and started the recovery from image file. This fail with some error message (did not manage to record). Something to do with not be able to copy to $AVG folder. Method 3: At this stage, assumed it was still a virus causing the problem so decided to format that partition to remove everything and hopefully the virus too. Had a lot of problems trying to bypass the system to allow me to format but (i think- more on this later) I managed to do that. Image was recovered, thought problem was resolved. Tried to boot windows but new error: Boot Manager is missing. Read up on this and managed to copy the Boot Manager from my Laptop's Manufacturer's partition (partition contains factory setup image file). Windows loaded but new BSOD with 0x000000A problem. Method 4: Attempted to reinstall factory settings but this failed cos i suspect by formating the partition, I may have removed the recovery software. Tried to create a bootable dvd of factory setting but machine is so bad it continues to crash. Bootable dvd method failed. Method 5:Spent alot of time reading up on this error, even installed a software to help scan and fix the problem. Scan failed and software required money! Anyway, lots of BSOD with different error message like 0x00000001A and 0x0000000D1. Error message changes with some reboots. Method 6: Found a hotfix from the windows site to fix 0x0000000A problem, great I thought! In safe mode, I cant install the file cos of error:0x8007043c. Tried to then install the fix in normal mode but installation just hangs. Returned to safe mode and followed advice to bypass 0x8007043c by changing the BITS status (read here: http://www.vistaheads.com/forums/microsoft-public-windowsupdate/181931-error-number-0x8007043c-windows-update.html). However, my machine at this time is so flaky that it hangs everytime i right mouse click the computer icon. I am at my wits end. Ya help or ideas? Cheers

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• Melting Laptop Power Supply Tip

  - by AlReece45

  Several (6-7) months ago, my laptop power supply cord got a cut in it and stopped working. Having gotten cheap (and short) power supplies in the past, I decided to buy 2 brand new ones from the manufacturer (ASUS). Now, I used my laptop a little less than usual between February and March. During that time I noticed a few times that the power supply, even though plugged in, did not provide power. Often the computer would just off on me. I figured it was just that one power supply being bad. I had left the alternate at my parent's house in another state and asked them to ship it to me. Now, at work the other day I wanted to get a file off the of hard disk. So I booted it up, knowing that it had a low battery, plugged it in. During the first 2 minutes of use, I was told that the battery was low and I should plug it in. I unplugged it, inspected the end (Being plugged in, this was suspicious), and decided I shouldn't plug it back in-- the plastic on the tip was melting from the heat of the metal on the tip. The computer had simply booted up and I had the file-manager open. It had not been on for more than 10 hours. Now I know that computers tend to get pretty hot. However, the melting point of plastic is usually above 200C.. so that's much hotter than the computer should be generating. I went and bought a THIRD power supply. This time a universal one from Best Buy (it was very fast to buy and test). I tried it out on the computer and it's tip is melting as well. My older laptop that uses the universal power supply uses it perfectly (has been about a week and a part of use now). I have tried using the computer without the battery, with the same effect. Obviously, this is not a problem with the power supply. My room mate and I being trained computer techs were contemplating taking the computer apart and desoldering and resoldering on the power tip. (The computer is about 6 months out of its 2-year warranty). We're hoping that will correct the issue as I would prefer to devote my money on a Good Desktop rather than yet ANOTHER $1200+ laptop. Is there any thing I'm missing here that might cause the the tip on the power unit to melt?

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• Repair BAD Sectors or Buy a new HDD?

  - by Nehal J. Wani

  I have a Seagate internal hard disk drive. I recently opened up my laptop [Dell Inspiron N5010] [Warranty has expired], cleaned it and it worked normally after waking up from hibernation. However, when I restarted it, it stuck on windows loading screen, then tried to boot from Dell recovery partition but failed. It gave the error: Windows has encounter a problem communicating with a device connected to your computer. This error can be caused by unplugging a removable storage device such as an external USB drive while the device is in use, or by faulty hardware such as a hard drive or CD-ROM drive that is failing. Make sure any removable storage is properly connected and then restart your computer If you continue to receive this error message, contact the hardware manufacturer. Status: 0xc00000e9 Info: An unexpected I/O error has occurred. While cleaning, I had mistakenly touched the round silvery thing at the bottom of the HDD. I don't know whether this has caused the problem or not. Since I have Fedora also installed in the same HDD, I can boot from it but it shows weird read errors when I ask it to mount Windows partitions. The disk utility also says that the Hard Disk has many bad sectors and needs to be replaced. I downloaded Seatools from Seagate website and used it. In the long test, I gave it permission to repair the first 100 errors which it did successfully. Now I am confused at what I should do. Internal Hard Disk Costs: a. Internal HDD 500GB Costs: Rs3518 b.1 External HDD 500GB Costs: Rs3472 b.2 External HDD 1TB Costs: Rs5500 c. Internal to External Converter Costs: Rs650 I have the following options: (i) Buy an External HDD, backup my data. Try to repair bad sectors of HDD. Then two cases arise: (a) My Internal HDD gets repaired [almost] (b) My internal HDD doesn't get repaired. Then I need to buy another internal HDD and replace the damaged one. OR break the seal of the external one and put it inside my laptop as internal. Breaking the case involves risks. (ii) Buy a Internal HDD and an Internal to External Converter Case [Not very reliable], backup my data. Try to repair bad sectors of HDD. Then two cases arise: (a) My Internal HDD gets repaired [almost] (b) My internal HDD doesn't get repaired. Then I need to just put in the new internal HDD I just bought. Experts, please guide me as to what will be the most VFM option? Also, if a HDD is failing, is it that I shouldn't read from it too otherwise there is a chance of other sectors failing? What I mean is, is it wrong to read from the HDD without taking backup first?

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• Cooling Server Rack with Water? Sensible? Reuse energy for small installation?

  - by TomTom

  First - this is not a shopping question, this is not so much about concrete prices but about general feasibility. Makes no sense to get looking fo ra manufacturer it the approach is bad. I am moving my company to new Offices in September, and among them we will expand and consolidate our number crunch cluster. It is so far in a data center. I have a nice room in the basement prepared now. I think about cooling. We will likely run up a power usage of around 10kw by end of the year. That is a LOT of stuff, and cooling will be expensive. I am located in south Poland, close to the German border. This is an area where water is available for relatively cheap price - "wasting water" is not a concern here. My situation is thus a lot different for example than in Spain ;) Physics tells me that to heat 1 liter of water by 1 degree I use 1 Calorie (1KCal), and a kwh power is (and we can assume 100% efficiency - water heaters are pretty efficient) 750 Calories. That means that 1 KWH is 750 liter by 1 degree. 10kw and a 20 degree heat would mean that per hour I need 375 liters. That is 6.25 liters per minute and not WHAT much ;) We talk 270 cubic meters here. Even in summer, the significant underground pipes really cool down the water a LOT more ;) Question: This such an approach feasible? Anyone done that? We talk of a 10kw installation for now. Is it feasible to reuse that heat? The alternative is a decent cooling system that WILL use around 2.5kwh for running. Dropping the water would basically (a) get me a quite cold input compared to the outside air even in summer (I.e. a lower temperature medium to drop the heat in) and (b) replace the need to actually have the outside cooling (which may b problematic - if the air is 22 degree, that is a LOT to fight off, but OTOH the water will be quite cold). I also would possibly save the investment for the outside part of the cooling circuit. Now, second question - is there a feasible way to heat a house with that? ;) After all, brutally speaking, it is a LOT of energy in that water ;) If it is a bad idea, I stop here - if it is not, I start looking for suppliers. Maybe my math is wrong?

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• How to prevent dual booted OSes from damaging each other?

  - by user1252434

  For better compatibility and performance in games I'm thinking about installing Windows additionally to Linux. I have security concerns about this, though. Note: "Windows" in the remaining text includes not only the OS but also any software running on it. Regardless of whether it comes included or is additionally installed, whether it is started intentionally or unintentionally (virus, malware). Is there an easy way to achieve the following requirements: Windows MUST NOT be able to kill my linux partition or my data disk neither single files (virus infection) nor overwriting the whole disk Windows MUST NOT be able to read data disk (- extra protection against spyware) Linux may or may not have access to the windows partition both Linux and Windows should have full access to the graphics card this rules out desktop VM solutions for gaming I want the manufacturer's windows graphics card driver Regarding Windows to be unable to destroy my linux install: this is not just the usual paranoia, that has happened to me in the past. So I don't accept "no ext4 driver" as an argument. Once bitten, twice shy. And even if destruction targeted at specific (linux) files is nearly impossible, there should be no way to shred the whole partition. I may accept the risk of malware breaking out of a barrier (e.g. VM) around the whole windows box, though. Currently I have a system disk (SSD) and a data disk (HDD), both SATA. I expect I have to add another disk. If i don't: even better. My CPU is a Intel Core i5, with VT-x and VT-d available, though untested. Ideas I've had so far: deactivate or hide other HDs until reboot at low level possible? can the boot loader (grub) do this for me? tiny VM layer: load windows in a VM that provides access to almost all hardware, except the HDs any ready made software solution for this? Preferably free. as I said: the main problem seems to be to provide full access to the graphics card hardware switch to cut power to disks commercial products expensive and lots of warnings against cheap home built solutions preferably all three hard disks with one switch (one push) mobile racks - won't wear of daily swapping be a problem?

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• BlueScreens on my ThinkPad with Windows 7 64 Bit and a SSD (CRITICAL_OBJECT_TERMINATION, ntoskernel.exe)

  - by pvorb

  I'm getting BlueScreens about every five days for more than three months. Here's an example: A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer. The problem seems to be caused by the following file: ntoskrnl.exe CRITICAL_OBJECT_TERMINATION If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps: Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed. If this is a new installation, ask your hardware or software manufacturer for any Windows updates you might need. If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or software. Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. If you need to use safe mode to remove or disable components, restart your computer, press F8 to select Advanced Startup Options, and then select Safe Mode. Technical Information: *** STOP: 0x000000f4 (0x0000000000000003, 0xfffffa80065f2b30, 0xfffffa80065f2e10, 0xfffff80002f9bf40) *** ntoskrnl.exe - Address 0xfffff80002c98d00 base at 0xfffff80002c19000 DateStamp 0x4d9fdd5b It's has always been the same BlueScreen message showing CRITICAL_OBJECT_TERMINATION, 0x000000f4, and ntoskrnl.exe. Of course the addresses change. My computer is a ThinkPad T400 (about 2 years old) with a SSD in it. I'm also running Windows 7 Professional 64 bit. When I bought my computer, it had a 250GByte SeaGate HDD in it, which I replaced by a 500GByte HDD by Western Digital. Last september I bought a Corsair F120 SSD and replaced the HDD by this SSD. Then I bought a LEICKE HDD adapter for the UltraBay II where I plugged in my 500GByte HDD. This configuration ran about half a year without any errors. After re-installing Windows this spring, I am getting regular BlueScreens. Sometimes my system runs for about 2 weeks without a BSOD, sometimes I get several BlueScreens a day. The only thing that I noticed is, that I'm always running Google Chrome when it happens. Is there anyone who has made his/her own bad experiences whith some of my components or is there anybody who can tell me if it would be helpful to send my notebook to Lenovo? Thank you very much for your help on my issue! Regards, Paul

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• Complete Guide to Networking Windows 7 with XP and Vista

  - by Mysticgeek

  Since there are three versions of Windows out in the field these days, chances are you need to share data between them. Today we show how to get each version to be share files and printers with one another. In a perfect world, getting your computers with different Microsoft operating systems to network would be as easy as clicking a button. With the Windows 7 Homegroup feature, it’s almost that easy. However, getting all three of them to communicate with each other can be a bit of a challenge. Today we’ve put together a guide that will help you share files and printers in whatever scenario of the three versions you might encounter on your home network. Sharing Between Windows 7 and XP The most common scenario you’re probably going to run into is sharing between Windows 7 and XP.  Essentially you’ll want to make sure both machines are part of the same workgroup, set up the correct sharing settings, and making sure network discovery is enabled on Windows 7. The biggest problem you may run into is finding the correct printer drivers for both versions of Windows. Share Files and Printers Between Windows 7 & XP  Map a Network Drive Another method of sharing data between XP and Windows 7 is mapping a network drive. If you don’t need to share a printer and only want to share a drive, then you can just map an XP drive to Windows 7. Although it might sound complicated, the process is not bad. The trickiest part is making sure you add the appropriate local user. This will allow you to share the contents of an XP drive to your Windows 7 computer. Map a Network Drive from XP to Windows 7 Sharing between Vista and Windows 7 Another scenario you might run into is having to share files and printers between a Vista and Windows 7 machine. The process is a bit easier than sharing between XP and Windows 7, but takes a bit of work. The Homegroup feature isn’t compatible with Vista, so we need to go through a few different steps. Depending on what your printer is, sharing it should be easier as Vista and Windows 7 do a much better job of automatically locating the drivers. How to Share Files and Printers Between Windows 7 and Vista Sharing between Vista and XP When Windows Vista came out, hardware requirements were intensive, drivers weren’t ready, and sharing between them was complicated due to the new Vista structure. The sharing process is pretty straight-forward if you’re not using password protection…as you just need to drop what you want to share into the Vista Public folder. On the other hand, sharing with password protection becomes a bit more difficult. Basically you need to add a user and set up sharing on the XP machine. But once again, we have a complete tutorial for that situation. Share Files and Folders Between Vista and XP Machines Sharing Between Windows 7 with Homegroup If you have one or more Windows 7 machine, sharing files and devices becomes extremely easy with the Homegroup feature. It’s as simple as creating a Homegroup on on machine then joining the other to it. It allows you to stream media, control what data is shared, and can also be password protected. If you don’t want to make your Windows 7 machines part of the same Homegroup, you can still share files through the Public Folder, and setup a printer to be shared as well.   Use the Homegroup Feature in Windows 7 to Share Printers and Files Create a Homegroup & Join a New Computer To It Change which Files are Shared in a Homegroup Windows Home Server If you want an ultimate setup that creates a centralized location to share files between all systems on your home network, regardless of the operating system, then set up a Windows Home Server. It allows you to centralize your important documents and digital media files on one box and provides easy access to data and the ability to stream media to other machines on your network. Not only that, but it provides easy backup of all your machines to the server, in case disaster strikes. How to Install and Setup Windows Home Server How to Manage Shared Folders on Windows Home Server Conclusion The biggest annoyance is dealing with printers that have a different set of drivers for each OS. There is no real easy way to solve this problem. Our best advice is to try to connect it to one machine, and if the drivers won’t work, hook it up to the other computer and see if that works. Each printer manufacturer is different, and Windows doesn’t always automatically install the correct drivers for the device. We hope this guide helps you share your data between whichever Microsoft OS scenario you might run into! Here are some other articles that will help you accomplish your home networking needs: Share a Printer on a Home Network from Vista or XP to Windows 7 How to Share a Folder the XP Way in Windows Vista Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Delete Wrong AutoComplete Entries in Windows Vista MailSvchost Viewer Shows Exactly What Each svchost.exe Instance is DoingFixing "BOOTMGR is missing" Error While Trying to Boot Windows VistaShow Hidden Files and Folders in Windows 7 or VistaAdd Color Coding to Windows 7 Media Center Program Guide TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 Icelandic Volcano Webcams Open Multiple Links At One Go NachoFoto Searches Images in Real-time Office 2010 Product Guides Google Maps Place marks – Pizza, Guns or Strip Clubs Monitor Applications With Kiwi

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• Ask How-To Geek: Learning the Office Ribbon, Booting to USB with an Old BIOS, and Snapping Windows

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  You’ve got questions and we’ve got answers. Today we highlight how to master the new Office interface, USB boot a computer with outdated BIOS, and snap windows to preset locations. Learning the New Office Ribbon Dear How-To Geek, I feel silly asking this (in light of how long the new Office interface has been out) but my company finally got around to upgrading from Windows XP and Office 2000 so the new interface it totally new to me. Can you recommend any resources for quickly learning the Office ribbon and the new changes? I feel completely lost after two decades of the old Office interface. Help! Sincerely, Where the Hell is Everything? Dear Where the Hell, We think most people were with you at some point in the last few years. “Where the hell is…” could possibly be the slogan for the new ribbon interface. You could browse through some of the dry tutorials online or even get a weighty book on the topic but the best way to learn something new is to get hands on. Ribbon Hero turns learning the new Office features and ribbon layout into a game. It’s no vigorous round of Team Fortress mind you, but it’s significantly more fun than reading a training document. Check out how to install and configure Ribbon Hero here. You’ll be teaching your coworkers new tricks in no time. Boot via USB with an Old BIOS Dear How-To Geek, I’m trying to repurpose some old computers by updating them with lightweight Linux distros but the BIOS on most of the machines is ancient and creaky. How ancient? It doesn’t even support booting from a USB device! I have a large flash drive that I’ve turned into a master installation tool for jobs like this but I can’t use it. The computers in question have USB ports; they just aren’t recognized during the boot process. What can I do? USB Bootin’ in Boise Dear USB Bootin’, It’s great you’re working to breathe life into old hardware! You’ve run into one of the limitations of older BIOSes, USB was around but nobody was thinking about booting off of it. Fortunately if you have a computer old enough to have that kind of BIOS it’s likely to also has a floppy drive or a CDROM drive. While you could make a bootable CDROM for your application we understand that you want to keep using the master USB installer you’ve made. In light of that we recommend PLoP Boot Manager. Think of it like a boot manager for your boot manager. Using it you can create a bootable floppy or CDROM that will enable USB booting of your master USB drive. Make a CD and a floppy version and you’ll have everything in your toolkit you need for future computer refurbishing projects. Read up on creating bootable media with PLoP Boot Manager here. Snapping Windows to Preset Coordinates Dear How-To Geek, Once upon a time I had a company laptop that came with a little utility that snapped windows to preset areas of the screen. This was long before the snap-to-side features in Windows 7. You could essentially configure your screen into a grid pattern of your choosing and then windows would neatly snap into those grids. I have no idea what it was called or if was anymore than a gimmick from the computer manufacturer, but I’d really like to have it on my new computer! Bend and Snap in San Francisco, Dear Bend and Snap, If we had to guess, we’d guess your company must have had a set of laptops from Acer as the program you’re describing sounds exactly like Acer GridVista. Fortunately for you the application was extremely popular and Acer released it independently of their hardware. If, by chance, you’ve since upgraded to a multiple monitor setup the app even supports multiple monitors—many of the configurations are handy for arranging IM windows and other auxiliary communication tools. Check out our guide to installing and configuring Acer GridVista here for more information. Have a question you want to put before the How-To Geek staff? Shoot us an email at [email protected] and then keep an eye out for a solution in the Ask How-To Geek column. Latest Features How-To Geek ETC How to Upgrade Windows 7 Easily (And Understand Whether You Should) The How-To Geek Guide to Audio Editing: Basic Noise Removal Install a Wii Game Loader for Easy Backups and Fast Load Times The Best of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in 2011 The Worst of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in 2011 HTG Projects: How to Create Your Own Custom Papercraft Toy Download the New Year in Japan Windows 7 Theme from Microsoft Once More Unto the Breach – Facebook Apps Can Now Access Your Address and Phone Number Dial Zero Speeds You Through Annoying Customer Service Menus Complete Dropquest 2011 and Receive Free Dropbox Storage Desktop Computer versus Laptop Wallpaper The Kids Have No Idea What Old Tech Is [Video]

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• 6 Reasons Why You Can’t Move Your Cell Phone To Any Carrier You Want

  - by Chris Hoffman

  You can buy a laptop or Wi-Fi tablet and use it on Wi-Fi anywhere in the world, so why are cell phones and devices with mobile data not portable between different cellular networks in the same country? Unlike with Wi-Fi, there are many different competing cellular network standards — both around the world and within countries. Cellular carriers also like locking you to their specific network and making it difficult to move. That’s what contracts are for. Phone Locking Many phones are sold locked to a specific network. When you buy a phone from a cellular carrier, they often lock that phone to their network so you can’t take it to a competitor’s network. That’s why you’ll often need to unlock a phone before you can move it to a different cellular provider or take it to a different country and use it on a local provider instead of roaming. Cellular carriers will generally unlock your phone for you as long as you’re no longer in a contract with them. However, unlocking a cell phone you’ve paid for without your carrier’s permission is currently a crime in the USA. GSM vs. CDMA Some cellular networks use the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) standard, while some use CDMA (Code-division multiple access). Worldwide, most cellular networks use GSM. In the USA, both GSM and CDMA are popular. Verizon, Sprint, and other carriers that use their networks use CDMA. AT&T, T-Mobile, and other carriers that use their networks are use GSM. These are two competing standards and are not interoperable. This means you can’t simply take a phone from Verizon to T-Mobile, or from AT&T to Sprint. These carriers have incompatible phones. CDMA Restrictions CDMA is more restricted than GSM. GSM phones have SIM cards. Simply open the phone, pop out the SIM card, and pop in a new SIM card to switch carriers. (In reality, it’s more complicated thanks to phone locking and other factors here.) CDMA phones don’t have removable modules like this. All CDMA phones ship locked to a specific network and you’d have to get both your old carrier and your new carrier to cooperate to switch phones between them. In reality, many people just consider CDMA phones eternally locked to a specific carrier. Frequencies Different cellular networks throughout the USA and the rest of the world use different frequencies. These radio frequencies have to be supported by your phone’s hardware or your phone simply can’t work on a network using those frequencies. Many GSM phones support three or four bands of frequencies — 900/1800/1900 MHz, 850/1800/1900 MHz, or 850/900/1800/1900 MHz. These are sometimes called “world phones” because they allow easier roaming. This allows the manufacturer to produce a phone that will support all GSM networks in the world and allows their customers to travel with those phones. If your phone doesn’t support the appropriate frequencies, it won’t work on certain networks. LTE Bands When it comes to newer, faster LTE networks, different frequencies are still a concern. LTE frequencies are generally known as “LTE bands.” To use a smartphone on a certain LTE network, that smartphone will have to support that LTE network’s frequency. Different models of phones are often created to work on different LTE networks around the world. However, phones are generally supporting more and more LTE networks and becoming more and more interoperable over time. SIM Card Sizes The SIM cards used in GSM phones come in different sizes. Newer phones use smaller SIM cards to save space and be more compact. This isn’t a big obstacle, as the different sizes of SIM cards — full-size SIM, mini-SIM, micro-SIM, and nano-SIM are actually compatible. The only difference between them is the size of the plastic card surrounding the SIM’s chip. The actual chip is the same size between all the SIM cards. This means you can take an old SIM card and cut the plastic off until it becomes a smaller-size SIM card that fits in a modern phone. Or, you can take a smaller-size SIM card and insert it into a tray so that it becomes a larger-size SIM card that fits in an older phone. Be aware that it’s very possible to damage your SIM card and make it not work properly by cutting it to the wrong dimensions. Your cellular carrier will often be able to cut your SIM card for you or give you a new one if you want to use an old SIM card in a new phone. Hopefully they won’t overcharge you for this service, too. Be sure to check what types of networks, frequencies, and LTE bands your phone supports before trying to move it between networks. You may have to buy a new phone when moving between certain cellular carriers. Image Credit: Morgan on Flickr, 22n on Flickr

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• Pella Increases Online Appointment Scheduling and Rapidly Personalizes and Updates Marketing Initiatives

  - by Michael Snow

  Originally posted on Oracle Customers page.Oracle Customer: Pella CorporationLocation:  Pella, IowaIndustry: Industrial Manufacturing Employees:  7,100 Pella Corporation is an innovative leader in creating a better view for homes and businesses by designing, testing, manufacturing, and installing quality windows and doors for new construction, remodeling, and replacement applications. A family-owned company, Pella has an 88-year history of innovation and, today, is the second-largest manufacturer in the country of windows and doors, including patio, entry, and storm doors. The company has 10 manufacturing facilities in United States and window and door showrooms across the United States and Canada. In-home consultations are an important part of Pella’s sales process. Several years ago, the company launched an online appointment scheduling tool to improve customer convenience. While the functionality worked well, the company wanted to increase online conversion rates and decrease the number of incomplete, online appointment schedules. It also wanted to give its business analysts and other line-of-business personnel the ability to update the scheduling tool and interface quickly, without needing IT team intervention and recoding, to better capitalize on opportunities and personalize the interface for specific markets. Pella also looked to reduce IT complexity by selecting a system that integrated easily with its Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1 enterprise applications.Pella, which has a large Oracle footprint, selected Oracle WebCenter Sites as the foundation for its new, real-time appointment scheduling application. It used the solution to re-engineer the scheduling process and the information required to set up an appointment. Just a few months after launch, it is seeing improvement in the number of appointments booked online and experiencing fewer abandoned appointments during the scheduling process. As important, Pella can now quickly and easily make changes to images, video, and content displayed on the scheduling tool interface, delivering greater business agility. Previously, such changes required a developer and weeks of coding and testing. Today, a member of Pella’s business analyst team can complete the changes in hours. This capability enables Pella to personalize the Web experience for customers. For example, it can display different products or images for clients in different regions.The solution is also highly scalable. Pella is using Oracle WebCenter Sites for appointment scheduling now and plans to migrate Pella.com, its configurator tool, and dealer microsites onto the platform. Further, Pella plans to leverage the solution to optimize mobile devices. “Moving ahead, we expect to extensively leverage Oracle WebCenter Sites to gain greater flexibility in updating the Web experience, thanks to the ability to make updates quickly without developer resources. Segmentation and targeting capabilities will allow us to create a more personalized experience across both traditional and mobile platforms,” said Teri Lancaster, IT manager, customer experience applications, Pella Corporation. A word from Pella Corporation "Oracle WebCenter Sites?from the start?delivered important benefits. We’ve redesigned the online scheduling process and are seeing more potential customers completing consultation bookings online. More important, the solution opens a world of other possibilities as we plan to migrate Pella.com and our dealer microsites to the platform, and leverage it to optimize the Web experience for our mobile devices.” – Teri Lancaster, IT Manager, Customer Experience Applications, Pella Corporation Oracle Product and Services Oracle WebCenter Sites Why Oracle Pella has a long-standing relationship with Oracle. “We look to Oracle first for a solution. Our Oracle account team came to us with several solutions, and Oracle WebCenter Sites delivered the scalability, ease-of-use, flexibility, and scalability that we required for the appointment scheduling initiative and other Web projects on the horizon, including migrating Pella.com and optimizing our site for mobile platforms,”said Teri Lancaster, IT manager, customer experience applications, Pella Corporation. Implementation Process The Pella implementation team, working with Oracle partner Element Solutions, LLC, integrated the appointment setting application with Pella.com as well as the company’s Oracle E-Business Suite customer relationship management applications. Using Oracle WebCenter Site’s development tools and subversion capabilities to develop the application, the Element Solutions and Pella teams could work remotely and collaboratively, accelerating deployment. Pella went live with the new scheduling tool in just six months. Partner Oracle PartnerElement Solutions, LLC Element Solutions was instrumental at every major stage of the project, including design creation and approval, development, training, and rollout. “Element Solutions was a vital partner for our Oracle WebCenter Sites initiative. The team provided guidance, and more important, critical knowledge transfer at every stage?which equipped us to get the most out of this powerful and versatile solution. We were definitely collaboration partners,” Lancaster said. Resources Pella Corporation Upgrades Enterprise Applications to Continue to Improve Manufacturing Efficiency Thousands of Customers Successfully and Smoothly Upgrade to Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1 for New Functionality, Lower Operating Costs and Improved Shared Operations Managing the Virtual World

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• Invalid Opcode 0000

  - by Mr47

  At random times (usually when watching a movie in XBMC), the computer locks up. I can still sometimes SSH in and get the 'dmesg' output before that locks up too. A hard reboot is usually required to get things going again. I have cut out the date/time/server columns for easier reading, please do ask if these seem relevant omissions... System: Ubuntu 11.04 (2.6.38-8-server) x64 X11 installed with IceWm (and XBMC) Core 2 Duo E8400 @ 3.00GHz 8 GB RAM Asus P5Q premium motherboard Primary harddrive: OCZ Vertex 2 60 GB (SSD) Other harddrives: various 750GB, 1TB, 1.5TB & 2TB (WD & samsung) Any important information I am not supplying is purely a sign of my incompetence in these matters, so please do ask and excuse me for my inabilities... invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] SMP last sysfs file: /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu1/cache/index2/shared_cpu_map CPU 0 Modules linked in: parport_pc ppdev vesafb snd_hda_codec_analog tuner_simple tuner_types wm8775 tda9887 tda8290 tea5767 tuner cx25840 ir_lirc_codec lirc_dev snd_hda_intel snd_hda_codec snd_hwdep snd_pcm ir_sony_decoder snd_seq_midi snd_rawmidi snd_seq_midi_event snd_seq rc_rc6_mce ivtv ir_jvc_decoder cx2341x i2c_algo_bit v4l2_common mceusb videodev ir_rc6_decoder ir_rc5_decoder snd_timer ir_nec_decoder nvidia(P) btusb bluetooth rc_core v4l2_compat_ioctl32 tveeprom snd_seq_device pata_marvell psmouse shpchp serio_raw snd asus_atk0110 soundcore snd_page_alloc lp parport firewire_ohci firewire_core crc_itu_t r8169 sky2 ahci libahci Pid: 4597, comm: xbmc.bin Tainted: P 2.6.38-8-server #42-Ubuntu System manufacturer P5Q Premium/P5Q Premium RIP: 0010:[<ffffffff8119bc4a>] [<ffffffff8119bc4a>] do_mpage_readpage+0x9a/0x510 RSP: 0018:ffff88021f5a59d8 EFLAGS: 00210246 RAX: 0000000000000020 RBX: ffff88021f5a5ac8 RCX: 0000000000000000 RDX: 0000000000000001 RSI: 0000000015e36fe0 RDI: 0000000000000000 RBP: ffff88021f5a5a98 R08: ffff88021f5a5ac8 R09: ffff88021f5a5b38 R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000000 R12: 0000000000000000 R13: 000000000000b148 R14: 0000000000000001 R15: ffff8802067034b8 FS: 00007f3f34eb1700(0000) GS:ffff8800cfc00000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00007feb8d515000 CR3: 000000021d744000 CR4: 00000000000406f0 DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000 DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000ffff0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400 Process xbmc.bin (pid: 4597, threadinfo ffff88021f5a4000, task ffff88021f63db80) Stack: ffff88021f5a5a28 ffffffff8116019d ffff88021f5a5b40 0000002000000003 ffff88021f5a5b38 ffff880206703370 ffffea0006d800f8 0000000000000000 ffffea0006d800f8 0000000c811270b5 ffff88021f5a5a68 ffffffff8110bdba Call Trace: [<ffffffff8116019d>] ? mem_cgroup_cache_charge+0xed/0x130 [<ffffffff8110bdba>] ? add_to_page_cache_locked+0xea/0x160 [<ffffffff8119c232>] mpage_readpages+0x102/0x150 [<ffffffff812063e0>] ? ext4_get_block+0x0/0x20 [<ffffffff812063e0>] ? ext4_get_block+0x0/0x20 [<ffffffff81149475>] ? alloc_pages_current+0xa5/0x110 [<ffffffff8120157d>] ext4_readpages+0x1d/0x20 [<ffffffff81116a9b>] __do_page_cache_readahead+0x14b/0x220 [<ffffffff81116ed1>] ra_submit+0x21/0x30 [<ffffffff81116ff5>] ondemand_readahead+0x115/0x230 [<ffffffff811171a0>] page_cache_async_readahead+0x90/0xc0 [<ffffffff8110b184>] ? file_read_actor+0xd4/0x170 [<ffffffff812de72e>] ? radix_tree_lookup_slot+0xe/0x10 [<ffffffff8110c521>] do_generic_file_read.clone.23+0x271/0x450 [<ffffffff8110d1ba>] generic_file_aio_read+0x1ca/0x240 [<ffffffff8100a82e>] ? __switch_to+0x20e/0x2f0 [<ffffffff81164c82>] do_sync_read+0xd2/0x110 [<ffffffff8108b61c>] ? hrtimer_try_to_cancel+0x4c/0xe0 [<ffffffff81279083>] ? security_file_permission+0x93/0xb0 [<ffffffff81164fa1>] ? rw_verify_area+0x61/0xf0 [<ffffffff81165463>] vfs_read+0xc3/0x180 [<ffffffff81165571>] sys_read+0x51/0x90 [<ffffffff8100bfc2>] system_call_fastpath+0x16/0x1b Code: ff ff 48 c7 85 78 ff ff ff 00 00 00 00 49 d3 ee b9 0c 00 00 00 2b 4d 8c 48 8b b2 c8 00 00 00 ba 01 00 00 00 41 0f af c6 49 d3 e5 <0f> 36 4d 8c 4c 01 e8 d3 e2 4c 8d 44 16 ff 48 8b 53 20 49 d3 f8 RIP [<ffffffff8119bc4a>] do_mpage_readpage+0x9a/0x510 RSP <ffff88021f5a59d8> ---[ end trace ac6cd2f4692205a3 ]--- Please note that the error is ALWAYS occuring at do_mpage_readpage+0x9a/0x510 with the same numbers after it. I've tried to come up with the possible meaning of these, but couldn't get any further. I've also noticed that the top block from the call trace is always the following with the exact same numbers: [<ffffffff8116019d>] ? mem_cgroup_cache_charge+0xed/0x130 [<ffffffff8110bdba>] ? add_to_page_cache_locked+0xea/0x160 [<ffffffff8119c232>] mpage_readpages+0x102/0x150 [<ffffffff812063e0>] ? ext4_get_block+0x0/0x20 [<ffffffff812063e0>] ? ext4_get_block+0x0/0x20 Could this indicate a hard drive issue, a RAM issue or something else entirely?

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• EHome IR receiver and Ubuntu 13 - any one have this working?

  - by squakie

  I have a "generic" USB IR receiver I purchased off of Ebay to make my life a little easier with XBMC on my Ubuntu box. I am currently running 13.10 and have never tried nor have any knowledge of IR in Ubuntu. I know of lirc, and I know a lot of it is now included in the kernel. My understanding is that lirc in basic terms maps pulses from an remote control to functions - like keyboard or mouse clicks. It is also my understanding that I might still need a driver or something for my device. lsusb shows the device as: Bus 006 Device 003: ID 147a:e016 Formosa Industrial Computing, Inc. eHome Infrared Receiver dmesg shows the following pertaining to the device: [43635.311985] usb 6-2: USB disconnect, device number 2 [43641.344387] usb 6-2: new full-speed USB device number 3 using ohci-pci [43641.543454] usb 6-2: New USB device found, idVendor=147a, idProduct=e016 [43641.543467] usb 6-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3 [43641.543473] usb 6-2: Product: eHome Infrared Transceiver [43641.543478] usb 6-2: Manufacturer: Formosa21 [43641.543483] usb 6-2: SerialNumber: FM000623 [43641.555736] Registered IR keymap rc-rc6-mce [43641.555968] input: Media Center Ed. eHome Infrared Remote Transceiver (147a:e016) as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:12.0/usb6/6-2/6-2:1.0/rc/rc2/input15 [43641.556221] rc2: Media Center Ed. eHome Infrared Remote Transceiver (147a:e016) as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:12.0/usb6/6-2/6-2:1.0/rc/rc2 [43641.556584] input: MCE IR Keyboard/Mouse (mceusb) as /devices/virtual/input/input16 [43641.557186] rc rc2: lirc_dev: driver ir-lirc-codec (mceusb) registered at minor = 0 [43641.731965] mceusb 6-2:1.0: Registered Formosa21 eHome Infrared Transceiver with mce emulator interface version 1 [43641.731978] mceusb 6-2:1.0: 2 tx ports (0x0 cabled) and 2 rx sensors (0x0 active) (excuse the double spacing, but I had to put in extra cr/lf using "enter" or the entire thing was just one long unreadable string). When I connect the same IR receiver to a Raspberry Pi running OpenELEC/XBMC there is no flashing led unless I press a remote button, and the device works. In Ubuntu, the led is constantly blinking, and nothing happens when I press a remote key. I tried the command line program to test but it never echoes anything back to the terminal window. I believe it must need some sort of driver or something else, but I am completely in the dark on this. If it matters I also have: - Logitech wireless keyboard/mouse USB receiver - Tenda USB wireless adapter And.....I've also noticed some errors now that show in dmesg that seem to somehow related to HDMI if that makes any sense: 46721.144731] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [46721.144749] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [46721.444025] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [46721.444061] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [46721.743375] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [46721.743411] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [46722.043092] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [46722.043118] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [46722.343086] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [46722.343122] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [46722.642517] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [46722.642574] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [46722.942459] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [46722.942485] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [46723.242103] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [46723.242129] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [46723.541877] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [46723.541923] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58366.651954] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58366.651980] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58366.951523] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58366.951549] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58367.251075] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58367.251121] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58367.550517] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58367.550563] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58367.850219] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58367.850256] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58368.150160] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58368.150185] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58368.449544] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58368.449570] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58368.749583] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58368.749629] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58369.049280] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58369.049326] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58394.706273] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58394.706300] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58394.706350] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58394.706367] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58395.003032] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58395.003058] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58395.302680] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58395.302705] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58395.602442] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58395.602477] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58395.902143] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58395.902179] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58396.201839] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58396.201875] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58396.501538] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58396.501574] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58396.801232] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58396.801268] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [58397.100583] HDMI: ELD buf size is 0, force 128 [58397.100627] HDMI: invalid ELD data byte 0 [63095.766042] systemd-hostnamed[8875]: Warning: nss-myhostname is not installed. Changing the local hostname might make it unresolveable. Please install nss-myhostname! dave@davepc:~$ EDIT: Maybe another way to look at this would be what does Ubuntu do or not do that OpenELEC does or doesn't do (on Raspberry Pi) such that it works in OpenELEC but not in Ubuntu?

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• How to Force Graphics Options in PC Games with NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel Graphics

  - by Chris Hoffman

  PC games usually have built-in graphics options you can change. But you’re not limited to the options built into games — the graphics control panels bundled with graphics drivers allow you to tweak options from outside PC games. For example, these tools allow you to force-enabling antialiasing to make old games look better, even if they don’t normally support it. You can also reduce graphics quality to get more performance on slow hardware. If You Don’t See These Options If you don’t have the NVIDIA Control Panel, AMD Catalyst Control Center, or Intel Graphics and Media Control Panel installed, you may need to install the appropriate graphics driver package for your hardware from the hardware manufacturer’s website. The drivers provided via Windows Update don’t include additional software like the NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Catalyst Control Center. Drivers provided via Windows Update are also more out of date. If you’re playing PC games, you’ll want to have the latest graphics drivers installed on your system. NVIDIA Control Panel The NVIDIA Control Panel allows you to change these options if your computer has NVIDIA graphics hardware. To launch it, right-click your desktop background and select NVIDIA Control Panel. You can also find this tool by performing a Start menu (or Start screen) search for NVIDIA Control Panel or by right-clicking the NVIDIA icon in your system tray and selecting Open NVIDIA Control Panel. To quickly set a system-wide preference, you could use the Adjust image settings with preview option. For example, if you have old hardware that struggles to play the games you want to play, you may want to select “Use my preference emphasizing” and move the slider all the way to “Performance.” This trades graphics quality for an increased frame rate. By default, the “Use the advanced 3D image settings” option is selected. You can select Manage 3D settings and change advanced settings for all programs on your computer or just for specific games. NVIDIA keeps a database of the optimal settings for various games, but you’re free to tweak individual settings here. Just mouse-over an option for an explanation of what it does. If you have a laptop with NVIDIA Optimus technology — that is, both NVIDIA and Intel graphics — this is the same place you can choose which applications will use the NVIDIA hardware and which will use the Intel hardware. AMD Catalyst Control Center AMD’s Catalyst Control Center allows you to change these options on AMD graphics hardware. To open it, right-click your desktop background and select Catalyst Control Center. You can also right-click the Catalyst icon in your system tray and select Catalyst Control Center or perform a Start menu (or Start screen) search for Catalyst Control Center. Click the Gaming category at the left side of the Catalyst Control Center window and select 3D Application Settings to access the graphics settings you can change. The System Settings tab allows you to configure these options globally, for all games. Mouse over any option to see an explanation of what it does. You can also set per-application 3D settings and tweak your settings on a per-game basis. Click the Add option and browse to a game’s .exe file to change its options. Intel Graphics and Media Control Panel Intel integrated graphics is nowhere near as powerful as dedicated graphics hardware from NVIDIA and AMD, but it’s improving and comes included with most computers. Intel doesn’t provide anywhere near as many options in its graphics control panel, but you can still tweak some common settings. To open the Intel graphics control panel, locate the Intel graphics icon in your system tray, right-click it, and select Graphics Properties. You can also right-click the desktop and select Graphics Properties. Select either Basic Mode or Advanced Mode. When the Intel Graphics and Media Control Panel appears, select the 3D option. You’ll be able to set your Performance or Quality setting by moving the slider around or click the Custom Settings check box and customize your Anisotropic Filtering and Vertical Sync preference. Different Intel graphics hardware may have different options here. We also wouldn’t be surprised to see more advanced options appear in the future if Intel is serious about competing in the PC graphics market, as they say they are. These options are primarily useful to PC gamers, so don’t worry about them — or bother downloading updated graphics drivers — if you’re not a PC gamer and don’t use any intensive 3D applications on your computer. Image Credit: Dave Dugdale on Flickr     

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• External USB 3 drive not recognized

  - by ilan123

  Ubuntu 12.10 64 bit seems not to recognize my external hard disk. It is a Vantec NST-310S3 external disk enclosure with a WD 3TB drive. The disk has two NTFS partitions. My PC is a dual boot system. Under Windows 7 the hard disk works fine but I can't make it work with Ubuntu. When the drive is connected to the PC then the command sudo fdisk -l seems to hang forever. Below are the output of lsusb and cat /proc/partitions without the external drive and then with it connected. I added also the last lines of the dmesg command at the end. First without the drive: ilan@linux:~$ lsusb Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub Bus 002 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub Bus 001 Device 003: ID 13ba:0017 Unknown PS/2 Keyboard+Mouse Adapter Bus 001 Device 004: ID 046d:c50e Logitech, Inc. Cordless Mouse Receiver Bus 001 Device 005: ID 0ac8:3420 Z-Star Microelectronics Corp. Venus USB2.0 Camera ilan@linux:~$ cat /proc/partitions major minor #blocks name 8 0 1953514584 sda 8 1 102400 sda1 8 2 629043200 sda2 8 3 367001600 sda3 8 4 1 sda4 8 5 471859200 sda5 8 6 157286400 sda6 8 7 324115456 sda7 8 8 4101120 sda8 11 0 1048575 sr0 Second with the USB 3 drive: ilan@linux:~$ lsusb Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub Bus 002 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub Bus 004 Device 002: ID 174c:55aa ASMedia Technology Inc. Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub Bus 001 Device 003: ID 13ba:0017 Unknown PS/2 Keyboard+Mouse Adapter Bus 001 Device 004: ID 046d:c50e Logitech, Inc. Cordless Mouse Receiver Bus 001 Device 005: ID 0ac8:3420 Z-Star Microelectronics Corp. Venus USB2.0 Camera ilan@linux:~$ cat /proc/partitions major minor #blocks name 8 0 1953514584 sda 8 1 102400 sda1 8 2 629043200 sda2 8 3 367001600 sda3 8 4 1 sda4 8 5 471859200 sda5 8 6 157286400 sda6 8 7 324115456 sda7 8 8 4101120 sda8 11 0 1048575 sr0 8 16 2930266584 sdb ilan@linux:~$ lsusb -v -s 004:002 Bus 004 Device 002: ID 174c:55aa ASMedia Technology Inc. Couldn't open device, some information will be missing Device Descriptor: bLength 18 bDescriptorType 1 bcdUSB 3.00 bDeviceClass 0 (Defined at Interface level) bDeviceSubClass 0 bDeviceProtocol 0 bMaxPacketSize0 9 idVendor 0x174c ASMedia Technology Inc. idProduct 0x55aa bcdDevice 1.00 iManufacturer 2 iProduct 3 iSerial 1 bNumConfigurations 1 Configuration Descriptor: bLength 9 bDescriptorType 2 wTotalLength 44 bNumInterfaces 1 bConfigurationValue 1 iConfiguration 0 bmAttributes 0xc0 Self Powered MaxPower 0mA Interface Descriptor: bLength 9 bDescriptorType 4 bInterfaceNumber 0 bAlternateSetting 0 bNumEndpoints 2 bInterfaceClass 8 Mass Storage bInterfaceSubClass 6 SCSI bInterfaceProtocol 80 Bulk-Only iInterface 0 Endpoint Descriptor: bLength 7 bDescriptorType 5 bEndpointAddress 0x81 EP 1 IN bmAttributes 2 Transfer Type Bulk Synch Type None Usage Type Data wMaxPacketSize 0x0400 1x 1024 bytes bInterval 0 bMaxBurst 15 Endpoint Descriptor: bLength 7 bDescriptorType 5 bEndpointAddress 0x02 EP 2 OUT bmAttributes 2 Transfer Type Bulk Synch Type None Usage Type Data wMaxPacketSize 0x0400 1x 1024 bytes bInterval 0 bMaxBurst 15 ilan@linux:~$ sudo fdisk -l [sudo] password for ilan: Disk /dev/sda: 2000.4 GB, 2000398934016 bytes 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 243201 cylinders, total 3907029168 sectors Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes Disk identifier: 0xf1b4f1ee Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/sda1 * 2048 206847 102400 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT /dev/sda2 206848 1258293247 629043200 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT /dev/sda3 1258293248 1992296447 367001600 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT /dev/sda4 1992298494 3907028991 957365249 f W95 Ext'd (LBA) /dev/sda5 1992298496 2936016895 471859200 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT /dev/sda6 2936018944 3250591743 157286400 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT /dev/sda7 3250593792 3898824703 324115456 83 Linux /dev/sda8 3898826752 3907028991 4101120 82 Linux swap / Solaris dmesg output after connecting the external drive: [ 23.740567] e1000e: eth0 NIC Link is Up 1000 Mbps Full Duplex, Flow Control: Rx/Tx [ 23.740786] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_CHANGE): eth0: link becomes ready [ 49.144673] usb 4-1: >new SuperSpeed USB device number 2 using xhci_hcd [ 49.163039] usb 4-1: >Parent hub missing LPM exit latency info. Power management will be impacted. [ 49.166789] usb 4-1: >New USB device found, idVendor=174c, idProduct=55aa [ 49.166793] usb 4-1: >New USB device strings: Mfr=2, Product=3, SerialNumber=1 [ 49.166796] usb 4-1: >Product: AS2105 [ 49.166799] usb 4-1: >Manufacturer: ASMedia [ 49.166801] usb 4-1: >SerialNumber: 0123456789ABCDEF [ 49.206372] usbcore: registered new interface driver uas [ 49.228891] Initializing USB Mass Storage driver... [ 49.229042] scsi6 : usb-storage 4-1:1.0 [ 49.229115] usbcore: registered new interface driver usb-storage [ 49.229116] USB Mass Storage support registered. [ 64.045528] scsi 6:0:0:0: >Direct-Access WDC WD30 EZRX-00MMMB0 80.0 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 [ 64.046224] sd 6:0:0:0: >Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0 [ 64.046881] sd 6:0:0:0: >[sdb] Very big device. Trying to use READ CAPACITY(16). [ 64.047610] sd 6:0:0:0: >[sdb] 5860533168 512-byte logical blocks: (3.00 TB/2.72 TiB) [ 64.048368] sd 6:0:0:0: >[sdb] Write Protect is off [ 64.048373] sd 6:0:0:0: >[sdb] Mode Sense: 23 00 00 00 [ 64.048984] sd 6:0:0:0: >[sdb] No Caching mode page present [ 64.048987] sd 6:0:0:0: >[sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through [ 64.049297] sd 6:0:0:0: >[sdb] Very big device. Trying to use READ CAPACITY(16). [ 64.050942] sd 6:0:0:0: >[sdb] No Caching mode page present [ 64.050944] sd 6:0:0:0: >[sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through [ 94.245006] usb 4-1: >reset SuperSpeed USB device number 2 using xhci_hcd [ 94.262553] usb 4-1: >Parent hub missing LPM exit latency info. Power management will be impacted. [ 94.263805] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: >xHCI xhci_drop_endpoint called with disabled ep ffff8800d37d1c00 [ 94.263808] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: >xHCI xhci_drop_endpoint called with disabled ep ffff8800d37d1c40 [ 125.262722] usb 4-1: >reset SuperSpeed USB device number 2 using xhci_hcd [ 125.280304] usb 4-1: >Parent hub missing LPM exit latency info. Power management will be impacted. [ 125.281511] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: >xHCI xhci_drop_endpoint called with disabled ep ffff8800d37d1c00 [ 125.281516] xhci_hcd 0000:03:00.0: >xHCI xhci_drop_endpoint called with disabled ep ffff8800d37d1c40

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• Phones, Nokia, Microsoft and More

  - by Bill Evjen

  The phone revolution that is under way at the moment is insanely interesting and continuously full of buzz about directions, failures, and promises. The movement started with Apple completely reinventing what a smart phone was all about and now we have the followers. Though – don’t dismiss the followers, they are usually the ones that come out with the leap frog products when most of the world is thinking about jumping on. Remember the often used analogy – the USA invented the TV – but it was Japan that took it to the next level and now all TVs are from somewhere else other than the USA. Really there are two camps for the phones – the Cool Kids and other kids that no one wants to hang out with anymore. When it comes to cool – for some reason, the phone is an important part of that factor. Everyone wants to show their phone and its configuration (apps installed, etc) to their friends as a sign of (1) “I have money” and (2) I have smarts/tastes/style/etc when it comes to my applications that are on my phone. For those that don’t know – the Cool Kids include: Apple – this is quite obvious as everything Apple produces is in the cool camp. Just having an Apple product on your person means you can dance. Google – this is one of the more interesting releases as they have created something called Android (which in it’s own right is a major brand in itself). Microsoft – you might be saying “Really, Microsoft is cool?”. I would argue that they are indeed cool as it is now associated with XBOX 360, Kinect, and Windows 7. Gone are the days of Bob and that silly paperclip. Well – that’s it. There is nobody else I would stick in that camp. The other kids that weren’t picked for that dodgeball team include: Nokia Motorola Palm Blackberry and many many more The sad part of all this is that no matter what this second camp does now, it won’t be able to get out of this bucket easily. They will always be associated as yesterday’s technology and that association will drive the sales of the phone purchasers of the world. For those in that group, the only possible way out is to get invited to the cool club by one of the cool club members in the hope that their coolness somehow rubs off. To me, this is the move that Nokia is making. They are at this point where they have realized that they don’t have the full scope of the required end to end solution to make this all work. They have the plants to build the phones and the reach of the retailers that sell what they have. What they are missing is the proper operating system for the new world of multi-touch form factor phones. Even the companies that come up with some sort of new operating system for this type of new device, they are still associated with the yesterday and lack the developer community behind them to be the real wave of adoption that this market needs. Think about that – this is a major different between Nokia/Blackberry when you compare it to the likes of Apple, Google, and Microsoft. These three powerhouses having a very large and strong development community that will eagerly take on new initiatives using the skillsets that they have already cultivated over the years of already working with the company. This then results in a plethora of applications that are then placed on an app store of some kind. The developer gets a cut and then Apple/Google/Microsoft then get their cut. It is definitely a win-win. None of the other phone companies and wannabies can provide the same results. What Microsoft was missing was the major phone manufactures coming on board to create and push forward with the phones that are required to start the wave. This is where Nokia can come in and help Microsoft. They have the ability to promote the Windows Phone operating system on a new wave of phones. This does mean that Nokia will sell phones, but they lose out on the application store that they might have been thinking about making some money on as well as controlling the end to end solution. What is interesting is in questioning to oneself if Microsoft will purchase Nokia. It really depends upon how they want to compete and with whom Microsoft views as the major competitor. For instance, they can purchase Nokia and have their own hardware company and distribution network for phones – thereby taking on a model that is quite similar to Apple. On the other hand, they could just leave it up to the phone hardware companies such as Nokia and others to build and promote phones in a model that is similar to Google. Both ways have pluses and minuses. If they own the phone manufacturer, they really can put some thought into the design and technical specifications of the phone that is really designed to exactly how they want it. Microsoft has shown that they have this ability – especially with the XBOX initiative they have done over the years. Think about how good and powerful they have moved forward with XBOX – and I am not talking about just copying what others are doing, but coming up with leapfrog products that are steps ahead of everyone else. Though, if they didn’t do it themselves, they could then leave it up to the phone manufacturers to drive each other to build better and better phones that run the Microsoft OS – competition drives better products. We have seen this with the Android line of phones that are out there on the market. I have read a lot about Nokia investors really upset about the new Microsoft relationship – but really, this is a great thing. I for one am a fan of this relationship (I am also a Nokia stock holder btw). This will mean better days for Nokia.

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