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This week's hottest reviews

2012-03-12T05:17:00.000-07:00

This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

Posted 03/09/2012 at 11:10am | by TechRadar

The beginning of March traditionally marks the start of new products season in the world of tech.
It's the time when all the exciting kit that was announced at IFA at the end of last year and at CES in January starts making its way onto the shelves and into our testing labs.
We probably won't have to tell you that Apple's new iPad is one of these products. It was only announced on Tuesday but it'll go on sale at the end of next week.
You can also expect graphics cards, TVs, Blu-ray players, tablets, phones, cameras... You get the idea. It's the start of the reviews season! Let's go!

Hands on: New iPad review
We're still calling it the iPad 3, how about you? Whatever you end up knowing it as, be it iPad 3 or new iPad, you've not heard the last of it. Not by a long shot. That's because it's the most impressive iPad ever, and it's going to sell more units than an Irish pub on St Paddy's Day.
The stand-out feature is that retina display, which offers up a resolution of 2048 x 1536 at 264 pixels per inch. It's also got more powerful graphics to drive that higher resolution which should lead to some very pretty games and apps. On the downside it's also slightly thicker and marginally heavier than the iPad 2, which can now be had for as little as £329.
AMD Radeon HD 7870 review
The AMD Radeon HD 7870 arrives alongside the Radeon HD 7850 to complete the line-up of AMD's next-gen graphics cards. The 7870 is a step down from the 7970 and a step up from the 7770, theoretically putting it firmly in the performance/price sweet spot.
The fact AMD has included the full Graphics Core Next feature set is something to be applauded. It may not have the straight performance edge over the previous generation, but it's got a lot more extras to back it up. We can't ignore the awesome overclocking potential in the Pitcairn chip either. There's no guarantee all AMD Radeon HD 7870s will be able to clock this high, but there is at least precedence.
Samsung UE55ES8000 review
The UE55ES8000 is Samsung's most uncompromising TV yet. From the moment you first behold its almost sci-fi design and bold, dynamic pictures, you'll be entranced. Crucial to this performance is the introduction of a dual-core processor to the Samsung UE55ES8000, since this makes the smart TV services more comprehensive and slick to navigate and delivers palpable benefits to picture quality.
Admittedly you'll need to calm these pictures for normal domestic viewing, but once that's done pictures still look hugely impressive. And your admiration only grows as you explore the TV's revolutionary interfaces and the depth of its online and multimedia functionality. There are still things Samsung can improve, but as the first true next generation TV of 2012, the Samsung UE55ES8000 throws down a terrifyingly big gauntlet for the following pack to pick up.
AMD Radeon HD 7850 review
The fact AMD has filled out these lower-caste cards with all the same features as their higher-end brethren is refreshing, as is the fact that we'll get all the HD 7850 goodness in such small footprints as 7.8-inches. Again, it's the same Graphics Core Next story – the overclocking headroom is immense. The OC path is the only way to get the most out of these cards. Sadly that's also part of the problem. At stock speeds both the HD 7870 and this AMD HD 7850 are rather uninspiring, and it takes ramping up clockspeeds yourself to get the real performance out of them. That's a bit of a shame as most people probably wont take the risk with their new hardware. These pint-sized cards pack some impressive punch for sub-£200 GPUs, but only if you take the risk overclocking them.
Hands on: ZTE N910 review
Sorry N910 - it's not us, it's you. You feel cheap and insubstantial to hold, you're chunky and you don't even work properly. We're prepared to give you a second chance, but if these annoyances continue in our full ZTE N910 review, then we're sorry but it's over.
Cameras
Hands on: Canon 5D Mark III review
Hands on: Sigma 30mm f/2.8 EX DN lens review
Gamepads
SteelSeries Simraceway SRW-S1 Steering Wheel review
Headsets
SteelSeries Diablo III Headset review
Keyboards
HP Slim Keyboard review
Mice
HP 2.4GHz Wireless Laser Mobile Mouse review
Mobile phones
Nokia Asha 201 review
Hands on: HTC Sensation XE Ice Cream Sandwich review
Sony Xperia S review
Scanners
Doxie Go review
Speakers
Krator Neso N4-20U05 review
Webcams
HP Webcam HD 5210 review

New ZBOX mini-PCs

2012-03-12T05:12:00.002-07:00

Zotac Introduces Three New ZBOX mini-PCs

Posted 03/09/2012 at 11:16am | by Brad Chacos

Zotac's ZBOX line of itty bitty mini-PCs must be doing well; new models have been popping up on what seems like a biweekly basis. Nothing changed at CeBIT! The company spent its time at the German tech conference showing off three new ZBOX mini-PCs announced earlier this week -- one standard-sized Sandy Bridge-sporting model, another ZBOX nano offering, and a third with a Blu-ray drive.
The Zotac ZBOX ID82 -- they have to come up with better names for these things! -- sports a Sandy Bridge Core i3-2330M proc, two DDR3-1333 SO-DIMM slots and an open 2.5-inch 6Gbps SATA hard drive bay. Connectivity is handled via four USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports.
Meanwhile, the Zotac ZBOX nano ID61 marks the first time an Intel processor has made its way into a ZBOX nano case, the company's press release brags, but it's a Celeron 867 rather than a Sandy Bridge proper. The nano ID61 sports fairly similar specs to the ID82 otherwise, but it only includes a single SO-DIMM slot and cuts the USB 2.0 ports in half -- although it picks up an eSATA port and an IR port in return.
The Zotac ZBOX Blu-ray AD05 moves away from Intel and includes a 1.65GHz AMD E-450 APU with a Radeon HD 6320 GPU. As you might have guessed from the name, the AD05 packs in a 4x Blu-ray/8x DVD read/write drive, but its space requirements cost you some connectivity options; the AD05 includes just two USB 3.0 ports, a single USB 2.0 and a combo eSATA/USB 2.0 port. Two SO-DIMM slots and a 2.5-inch drive bay round things out, but be warned: the AD05's HDD only sports a 3Gbps SATA connection. (The ID82 and nano ID61 both use 6Gbps SATA connections.)
All of the ZBOXes include an Ethernet port and built-in Bluetooth 3.0/Wi-Fi, along with HDMI, DVI-I and S/PDIF ports. Multicard readers are also onboard. Not included: an installed operating system. Preconfigured variants of all three models will be available with 2GB of RAM and a 320GB 5400RPM HDD.
Check out the press release and visit the Zotac site for more information about all three makes. Unfortunately, there's no word on pricing details. Most bare-bones Zotac systems tend to fall between $200 and $300, though.

.Com Domains Belong to US Government

2012-03-09T09:15:00.002-08:00

All Your .COM Domains Are Belong to U.S., Government Says

Posted 03/08/2012 at 7:17am

Do you own a .com domain? If so, the U.S. government can seize it at any time. The same applies to .net, org. .biz, and other top-level domains (TLDs), and it doesn't matter where you live. You could reside half way around the world. You could be hiding out in Vanuatu, an island nation in the South Pacific ocean that you probably never heard of, and the U.S. government could still take control of your .com website.
How is this possible? According to a rather interesting report in Wired, Uncle Sam has done this "hundreds of times" and it's because the companies that administer these websites are based in the U.S., so says Nicole Navas, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman.
According to Navas, the U.S. government typically serves court-ordered seizures on VeriSign, an American company based in Reston, Virginia that operates two of the Internet's thirteen root nameservers and is the authoritative registrar for .com, .net, .cc, .tv, and .name. The U.S. government can also seize any .org domain, which are all managed by the Public Interest Registry, also based in Virginia.
Even foreign websites registered with a VeriSign subcontractor aren't safe from seizure. Bodog.com, for example, was registered with a Canadian registrar subcontracted by VeriSign, and that was enough for U.S. authorities to take control of the site without any help from Canadian officials.

How To Build a Gaming PC

2012-03-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

Step-By-Step Guide: How To Build a Gaming PC With AMD's Bulldozer CPU

Posted 02/09/2012 at 12:57pm | by Nathan Edwards

The Mission

AMD’s Bulldozer architecture finally hit retail in October 2011, and Gordon put the highest-performing chip, the FX-8150, through the wringer. His conclusion: It’s a decent competitor to Intel’s i5-2500K, but no match for the (much more expensive) Sandy Bridge-E or 2600K parts. And that’s OK; there are plenty of reasons to want a solid midrange performer. Maybe you really, really want to be able to say you have an eight-core processor. Maybe you’re opposed to Intel for religious reasons. Or maybe you just want real PCIe x16 lanes without having to put out for the pricey X79 platform.
Whatever your reason, an FX-8150 can be a respectable foundation for a solid gaming rig since modern gaming is still more about the GPU than the CPU. In this article, we'll give you a step-by-step walkthrough of our build--if you're wondering how to build a killer gaming PC of your own, read on!

A previous version of this article incorrectly said we used 38GB of RAM. Maximum PC regrets the error.

Building from the CPU Out

Central to my build, of course, is AMD’s top-tier Bulldozer part, the 3.6GHz FX-8150. It’ll rest in Asus’s Sabertooth 990FX motherboard, which has USB 3.0, six SATA 6Gb/s ports, and plenty of PCIe x16 lanes. The 990FX isn’t markedly different from 890FX except for one glaring change: Board vendors are now offering SLI “support” (read unlock codes) in the BIOS. I was originally going to use Cooler Master’s Hyper 212 Evo CPU cooler, but in the course of overclocking I decided to swap it out for AMD’s Asetek-built Bulldozer FX liquid cooler, which bears a very strong resemblance to Antec’s Kuhler 920.
To keep things in the AMD house and at the $1,500 price point, my graphics card of choice is the Radeon HD 6970. It’s got enough juice to power any game on the market at reasonable settings, and at $330 it fits well with my budget without being a budget card.
NZXT’s just-launched Phantom 410 is a smaller version of the original Phantom, with a few more fans and USB 3.0 support. Corsair’s TX750 v2 PSU is more than enough power for my overclocks and any extra graphics cards I want to add later.
The one wild card in my build is the hard drive. Thanks to the still-ongoing Thailand floods, the price of a 750GB 2.5-inch hybrid drive is (at press time) only a little more than a 1TB 3.5-inch drive. The 8GB of NAND cache on the Momentus XT gives a performance boost to my most frequently accessed sectors of the disk, so boot and oft-used programs will be faster.

Assembling the Hardware

Step 1: Prep the Board

To install the CPU, lift the socket arm and gently lower the CPU into place, making sure the triangle on the CPU’s corner is aligned with the correct corner in the socket. Lower the lever back into place. Install the RAM into the second and fourth slots (the tan ones).

Step 2: Prep the Case and Install Motherboard

Before we start building into the case, it’s time to move some fans. Remove the side, top, and front panels from the case, then remove the rear 12cm exhaust fan and top 14cm exhaust fan. This will involve unplugging them from their fan controller connectors behind the motherboard tray. Use the long screws provided to install the 12cm fan in the front of the case, directly above the existing intake fan. Reconnect it to one of the fan control connectors behind the motherboard tray. Set aside the 14cm fan and its screws for now.

Install the motherboard standoffs in standard ATX configuration, put the motherboard I/O shield in place, then install the motherboard in the case.

Step 3: Install the CPU Cooler

If you’re getting flashbacks to last month, I don’t blame you. AMD’s Bulldozer-branded liquid-cooling system is built by Asetek, the same OEM who makes Intel’s RST2011LC liquid cooler, and is, in fact, nearly identical to the Asetek-made Antec Kuhler 920.
The instructions say to install the cooling fans as intakes, but we’re going to use ours as exhaust. Attach one fan to the inside of the cooler, then attach the other through the exhaust fan mounts to the radiator (image D). Run the radiator fans’ power cables behind the motherboard tray.

Next, assemble the cooler mounting bracket as shown in AMD’s instructions and clip it to the CPU heatsink.

Unscrew the four screws attaching AMD’s cooling mount to the backplate and remove the plastic mounts. Mount the CPU cooler/pump unit to the AMD backplate, tightening the mounting screws in an X-shaped pattern.

Attach the 3-pin pump power cable to the CPU_FAN header and run the radiator fan Y-connector behind the motherboard tray to the radiator fan cables. Run the USB 2.0 cable behind the motherboard tray to the bottom of the motherboard and connect it to a USB 2.0 header).

Install the GPU in to the topmost x16 PCIe slot.

Step 4: Install the Drives

Remove the top optical drive bezel and replace the case’s front panel. Slide the optical drive into that bay and secure it with the toolless mechanism. Add thumbscrews if you like. Take a hard drive tray from the cage and remove the mounting posts from the sides. Install the Momentus XT using the 2.5-inch mounting holes on the bottom of the tray. Replace in bay.

Step 5: Install the PSU

Install the power supply into the case with the fan facing down. Bring the dual-4-pin ATX auxiliary power cable, 24-pin ATX power cable, and two 6-pin PCIe power cables through the cutout nearest the PSU to the back of the motherboard tray. Bring the auxiliary ATX power cable through the opening at the top of the motherboard tray and connect it (image I). Bring the 24-pin motherboard power cable through the top side cutout and connect it, then connect the 6-pin PCIe connectors to the GPU—one will require the use of the 2-pin connector, as well.

Step 6: Finish the Wiring

Replace the top 14cm fan, but flip it around so that it’s used as an intake fan rather than exhaust. This will keep the motherboard voltage regulators under the radiator from overheating.

Connect the fan power lead to one of the fan controller connectors behind the motherboard tray.
Connect the front-panel connector power and LED switches to the board, as well as the HD Audio, USB 2.0, and USB 3.0 connectors. Connect SATA power and data cables to the optical and hard drives, then connect 6Gb/s SATA cables from the drives to the lowest set of SATA ports on the motherboard.
Use zip ties to tie excess fan controller connectors and case wiring to the rear of the motherboard tray. Bundle the unused power connectors here as well, if you can fit them.

Step 6: Into the BIOS

At this point you should connect your monitor, mouse, and keyboard and turn on the rig. Enter the BIOS’s Advanced Mode, go to Boot, and deselect “Wait for F1 on Error.” This will prevent the system from hanging up due to a perceived fan-speed error from the pump. Exit out of the BIOS, and install Windows and your drivers as normal, making sure to install the ChillControl software for the CPU cooler.
Once Windows is set up and working, it’s time to tweak the CPU a little bit. Bulldozer parts seem to vary in their overclocking stability: After many overly ambitious overclocks, I got to 4.2GHz, mostly by upping the CPU multiplier, but I’ve seen overclocks of over 4.8GHz with the same CPU and motherboard, so your mileage may vary.

Middle-Class Dreams Acquired

Given that Gordon had already benchmarked the FX-8150, I wasn’t expecting miracles, and I didn’t get them. The Bulldozer rig pulled down respectable scores for a $1,500 rig, but I didn’t really see any benefit from eight cores at 4.2GHz that wasn’t exceeded by a quad-core i7-920 at 3.5GHz. I was really surprised by both the difficulty of maintaining a stable overclock and the lack of oomph I got when I did manage to overclock.
After spending hours trying to stabilize my Bulldozer system at 4.8GHz and 4.6GHz, both of which I’d seen run on the same motherboard with the same processor, I had to lower my sights a little. I finally settled on a stable 4.2GHz—17 percent faster than stock. On CPU-bound benchmarks, though, like Vegas Pro and MainConcept Reference, I saw less than a 10 percent improvement over the FX-8150 at stock, and the other benchmarks showed even less improvement. FX-8150 chips seem to be variable in their tolerance for overclocks, so you might have better luck.
Of course, the lower scores on encoding tests could also have to do with my boot drive. I normally prefer to run with an SSD boot drive, but I went with a hybrid drive this time. The disk access speed and slower-than-solid-state write speeds doubtless affected the encoding tests, which all involve reading and writing large files to the disk.
That said, Bulldozer does offer better thermal performance. My FX-8150 never got above 55 C, even running Prime95 at 4.2GHz, which is far lower than we’d see from the overclocked i7-920 in our zero-point test bed.
If your budget allows for it, you may want to go for a multi-GPU setup. Unlike Sandy Bridge motherboards, which can run two x16 PCIe videocards but only at x8, the Sabretooth 990FX can run them at their full x16 speed. Does it really make a big difference? In the vast majority of cases no, but hell, you can at least rub it in the noses of your friends running at x8 speeds.
For a $1,500 machine, the Bulldozer rig does offer a lot of performance, although unless you’re running heavily multithreaded applications you probably won’t notice the difference between its eight cores and a decent quad-core—especially if the quad has Hyper-Threading. At this point, diehard AMD fans will probably just be happy to hear that a Bulldozer-powered rig holds its own at its price point. A Bulldozer rig isn’t the fastest money can buy, but for the price, you get a lot of cores, decent performance, and full PCIe lanes to grown into.

Portable Apps

2012-03-04T05:25:00.001-08:00

Portable App Directory

The Portable App Directory™ and Portable App Marketplace™ list free open source software and freeware portable apps. As always, the PortableApps.com Platform, menu, backup utility, launchers, installer, format and other utilities are open source.

Accessibility

Firefox Accessibility Extension - Make Firefox more accessible
On-Screen Keyboard Portable - Easily access an on-screen keyboard
Virtual Magnifying Glass Portable - A full-featured screen magnifier

Development

AkelPad Portable - lightweight plaintext editor
Database Browser Portable (Freeware) - Database management utility
Frhed Portable - free hex editor
Geany Portable - Text editor and basic IDE
gVim Portable - advanced, feature-rich text editor
HM NIS Edit Portable - NSIS development environment
Notepad++ Portable - A full-featured text editor with syntax highlighting
Notepad2 Portable - Simple, lightweight text editor
Notepad2-mod Portable - Lightweight text editor
NSIS Portable - Windows installer and launcher creation
Nvu Portable & KompoZer Portable - The easy-to-use Nvu web editor
PortableApps.com Installer - the easy way to package portable apps
PortableApps.com Launcher - make apps portable without writing code
SQLite Database Browser Portable - Simple SQLite database management tool
SWI-Prolog Portable - Prolog programming environment
XAMPP - Apache, mySQL, PHP, phpMyAdmin, etc in one package

Education

BPBible Portable - bible study tool
Celestia Portable - portable space simulator
FreeMat Portable - scientific prototyping and technical computing
GoldenDict Portable - dictionary and encyclopedia lookups
Gramps Portable - genealogical research software
Marble Portable - virtual globe and atlas
Mnemosyne Portable - flashcard memorization tool
Stellarium Portable - portable planetarium
TIPP10 Portable - touch typing tutor
TypeFaster Portable - touch typing tutor

Games

Armagetron Advanced Portable - 3d lightcycle game
AssaultCube Portable - fast-paced, online, first-person shooter
Atomic Tanks Portable - overly-powerful tanks blow each other up
Battle for Wesnoth Portable - turn-based fantasy strategy game
Big Solitaires 3D Portable - collection of 40 solitaire games
Brutal Chess Portable - 3d chess
Canabalt Portable (Freeware) - outrun the demolition of your city with just one button
Chromium B.S.U. Portable - fast-paced, vertical scrolling space shooter
Cube Portable - old-school first person shooter
DOSBox Portable - classic DOS games to go
Freeciv Portable - empire-building strategy game
Frets on Fire Portable - rock out anywhere with this Guitar Hero™-style game
Get Sudoku Portable - interactive sudoku solver
Hedgewars Portable - turn-based strategy, artillery and comedy game
Hex-a-Hop Portable - hexagonal puzzle game
IceBreaker Portable - wall-building-style arcade game
Jooleem Portable - simple and addictive puzzle game with great music and visuals
Kobo Deluxe Portable - 3rd person scrolling 2D space shooter
LBreakout2 Portable - breakout-style arcade game similar to Arkanoid
LMarbles Portable - pattern-matching puzzle game
Mines-Perfect Portable - a classic hunt-for-mines game with advanced features
Monster 2 Portable - retro-style role-playing game
NetHack Portable - single player dungeon exploration
netPanzer Portable - multiplayer tactical warfare
Neverball Portable - 3d rolling ball obstacle course
OpenTTD Portable - urban planning simulation
Pathological Portable - color-matching puzzle game
PokerTH Portable - classic Texas Hold Em style poker at its best
Puzzle Collection Portable - dozens of single player puzzles
Quick Bridge Portable (Freeware) - play bridge against the computer
Quick Cribbage Portable (Freeware) - play cribbage against the computer
Quick Poker Portable (Freeware) - play poker against the computer
Quick Solitaire Portable (Freeware) - seven classic solitaire games
Rocks'n'Diamonds Portable - fast-paced gem collection game
Sauerbraten (Cube 2) Portable - first person shooter
Scorched 3D Portable - turn-based over-powered artillery in 3D
Sudoku Portable - the wildly popular and addictive puzzle game
SuperTuxKart Portable - multiplayer cart racing
T^3 Portable - 3 dimensional tetris
The Mana World Portable - a free, 2D, retro-style MMORPG
Tick5 Portable - 5-in-a-row puzzle game
Tile World Portable - engaging and fast-paced tile-based puzzles
Twin Distress Portable - color matching puzzle game
Warzone 2100 Portable - single or online multiplayer real-time strategy game
WarMUX Portable - turn-based war of Unix mascots
WAtomic Portable - molecular puzzle game
WinBoard Chess Portable - advanced chess engine
X-Moto Portable - 2D motocross platform game
Zaz Portable - color-matching puzzle game

Graphics & Pictures

AniFX Portable (Freeware) - full-featured cursor editor
Blender Portable - 3D modelling, animation, rendering, post-production, playback
Cornice Portable - image viewer with slideshow
Dia Portable - full-featured diagramming tool
Fotografix Portable (Freeware) - lightweight image editor
Fyre Portable - 2D computational artwork
GIMP Portable - Photo and Image Editor
Hot Spot Studio Portable (Freeware) - mix light to create art
IcoFX Portable (Freeware) - full-featured icon editor
Inkscape Portable - vector graphics editor
IrfanView Portable (Freeware) - lightweight graphic viewer
JPEGView Portable - image viewer and processor
K-3D Portable - 3D modeling and animation
PhotoFiltre Portable (Freeware) - image editing and effects
XnView Portable (Freeware) - view, organize and convert photos

Internet

aMSN Portable - chat and video chat on MSN/Windows Live
DamnVid Portable - video downloader and encoder
DownThemAll! Extension (for Firefox) - download the files and images you want faster
Feed Notifier Portable - RSS/ATOM popup feed notifications
FileZilla Portable - the full-featured FTP client
FireFTP Extension (for Firefox) - a lightweight extension
Google Chrome Portable (Freeware) - fast, simple, themeable browser
gPodder Portable - podcast receiver and manager
Instantbird Portable - customizable instant messaging on AOL, Facebook, Google, MSN and more
Iron Portable - advanced web browser
Juice Portable - podcast receiver and manager
KVIrc Portable - full-featured IRC chat client
Maxthon Portable (Freeware) - fast, powerful browser
Miranda IM Portable - chat with AOL, MSN and Yahoo users in a customizable interface
Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition - the award-winning web browser that's safe and secure
Mozilla Thunderbird, Portable Edition - the handy email client
Nvu Portable & KompoZer Portable - the easy-to-use webpage editor
Opera, Portable Edition (Freeware) - lightweight, customizable browser
PChat Portable - full-featured IRC chat client
Pidgin Portable - chat with AOL, MSN and Yahoo users in an easy-to-use interface
PopMan Portable - lightweight email notifier
Private Browsing by PortableApps.com - enhanced private browsing
PuTTY Portable - lightweight telnet and SSH client
qBittorrent Portable - lightweight bittorrent client
QuteCom Portable - softphone, text, audio and video chat
Sage Extension (for Firefox) - A full-featured RSS extension
SeaMonkey, Portable Edition - complete internet suite (browser, email, chat, newsgroups)
Skype Portable (Freeware) - instant messaging, video chat and phone calls
µTorrent Portable (Freeware) - lightweight bittorrent client
WinSCP Portable - SFTP, FTP and SCP client
WinWGet Portable - take and manage your downloads on the go
wxDownload Fast Portable - multi-threaded download manager

Music & Video

Audacity Portable - A simple audio editor and recorder
CDEx Portable - cd audio extraction and conversion
cdrtfe Portable - CD, DVD, VCD burner
CoolPlayer+ Portable - Lightweight, fast, easy-to-use audio player
DVDStyler Portable - DVD menu authoring tool
fre:ac Portable - extract, convert, and encode audio
InfraRecorder Portable - full-featured CD and DVD burner
MuseScore Portable - music composition and notation
Paul Stretch Portable - extreme audio stretching
SMPlayer Portable - Full-featured movie player with support for most video formats
Songbird Portable - Full-featured digital media library and player
VirtualDub Portable - video processing and capture utility
VLC Media Player Portable - Aeasy to use media player that plays many formats
XMPlay Portable (Freeware) - Full featured audio player and library

Office

AbiWord Portable - a lightweight word processor compatible with Microsoft Word files
Dia Portable - full-featured diagramming tool
Evince Portable - document viewer (pdf, ps, djvu, tiff, dvi)
Finance Explorer Portable (Freeware) - personal financial management
FocusWriter Portable - distraction-free word processor
Foxit Reader Portable (Freeware) - small and fast PDF reader
GnuCash Portable - accounting, expenses and financial management
Gnumeric Portable - full-featured spreadsheet
LibreOffice Portable - word processor, spreadsheet, presentations with excellent compatibility
Lightning Extension (for Thunderbird) - A lightweight extension for your calendar and tasks
Money Manager Ex Portable - easy-to-use personal finance software
Mozilla Sunbird, Portable Edition - Calendar and task management with a familiar interface
Mozilla Thunderbird, Portable Edition (Address Book) - Email client's built-in address book with import/export functions
OpenOffice.org Portable - word processor, spreadsheet, presentations with Microsoft compatibility
PDFTK Builder Portable - split, collate, watermark and password protect PDF documents
PNotes Portable - sticky notes to go
RedNotebook Portable - modern journal and diary
Scribus Portable - desktop publishing
SpeedCrunch Portable - an intuitive algebraic calculator
Stickies Portable (Freeware) - lightweight sticky notes
Sumatra PDF Portable - a lightweight PDF viewer
Task Coach Portable - to do list and task manager
The Guide Portable - two-pane outliner
ToDoList Portable - customizable task management
WinDjView Portable - a lightweight DjVu viewer

Security

ClamWin Portable - Antivirus on the go
Eraser Portable - securely delete files and data
EraserDrop Portable - easily secure-erase files and data
KeePass Password Safe Portable - Secure, easy-to-use password manager
Spybot - Search & Destroy Portable (Freeware) - Spyware detection and removal

Utilities

2X Client Portable (Freeware) - remote server and RDP access client
7-Zip Portable - File archiver and compressor
Ant Renamer Portable - Advanced file renaming utility
AquaSnap Portable (Freeware) - Screen productivity enhancement
BleachBit Portable - cache, temp file and history cleaner
CamStudio Portable - screen recorder and video producer
Checksum Control Portable - create and verify MD5/SFV checksums
Command Prompt Portable - Simple link to a customizable command prompt
Console Portable - console window enhancement
Converber Portable (Freeware) - convert units of measurement
ConvertAll Portable - convert units of measurement
Cook Timer Portable - simple countdown timer
CrystalDiskInfo Portable - disk health monitoring tool
CrystalDiskMark Portable - disk benchmark utility
CubicExplorer Portable - advanced file manager
Daphne Portable - process explorer, killer and debugger
Diffpdf Portable - compare PDFs textually and visually
Disk Cleaner Portable - cache, temp file and history cleaner
Ditto Portable - clipboard manager and extender
DM2 Portable - window control enhancer
Don't Panic! Portable - one-click application hider
DShutdown Portable (Freeware) - remote PC shutdown and wake up
DTaskManager Portable (Freeware) - advanced task manager
DSynchronize Portable (Freeware) - directory synchronization
Explorer++Portable - multi-tab file manager
FreeCommander Portable (Freeware) - easy-to-use windows file manager
Free UPX Portable (Freeware) - advanced executable compression
Ghostscript Portable - Postscript and PDF interpreter
HDHacker Portable (Freeware) - MBR and boot sector manager
IObit Uninstaller Portable (Freeware) - uninstaller and cleaner
JkDefrag Portable - Disk defragmentation and optimization
jPortable (Freeware) - Java virtual machine made portable
jPortable Launcher - Run Java JARs portably
Lightscreen Portable - easy to use screenshot tool
Listary Portable (Freeware) - find-as-you-type search for Windows Explorer and more
PeaZip Portable - Easy to use file archiver and compressor
PortableApps.com AppCompactor - shrink apps without affecting functionality
PortableApps.com Backup - integrated backup utility bundled with the platform
PortableApps.com Menu - integrated start menu bundled with the platform
Regshot Portable - registry and file comparison
Revo Uninstaller Portable (Freeware) - easy to use uninstaller
SIW (System Information for Windows) Portable (Freeware) - software/hardware info
Smart Defrag Portable (Freeware) - disk defragmentation and optimization
Synkron Portable - file and directory synchronization
System Explorer Portable (Freeware) - task manager and process analyzer
TeamViewer Portable (Freeware) - remote PC support and screen-sharing
Texter Portable - text substitution utility
TinyTask Portable - simple macro record/playback
Toucan - backup, sync and encrypt for advanced users
UUID-GUID Generator Portable - generate unique identifiers
Virtual Volumes View Portable - drive and disk cataloger
VirtuaWin Portable - virtual desktop manager
WinDirStat Portable - disk usage analyzer and cleanup tool
Windows Error Lookup Tool Portable (Freeware) - find windows error code details
winMd5Sum Portable - check md5 sums to verify files on the go
WinPenguins Portable - penguins running around your desktop
WinMerge Portable - file comparison and merging
WinMTR Portable - network diagnostic tool
Workrave Portable - repetitive stress injury prevention
Xenon File Manager Portable - portable file browser
XN Resource Editor Portable -lightweight binary resource editor
Zint Barcode Studio Portable - barcode generator
ZSoft Uninstaller Portable (Freeware) - uninstaller and cleaner

10 Most Useful search Engines

2012-03-02T05:35:00.000-08:00

1. Ask (aka 'Ask Jeeves')

The Ask/AJ/Ask Jeeves search engine is a longtime name in the World Wide Web. The super-clean interface rivals the other major search engines, and the search options are as good as Google or Bing or DuckDuckGo. The results groupings are what really make Ask.com stand out. The presentation is arguably cleaner and easier to read than Google or Yahoo! or Bing, and the results groups seem to be more relevant. Decide for yourself if you agree... give Ask.com a whirl, and compare it to the other search engines you like.

Visit Ask here

2. Duck Duck Go

At first, DuckDuckGo.com looks like Google. But there are many subtleties that make this spartan search engine different. DuckDuckGo has some slick features, like 'zero-click' information (all your answers are found on the first results page). DuckDuckgo offers disambiguation prompts (helps to clarify what question you are really asking). And the ad spam is much less than Google. Give DuckDuckGo.com a try... you might really like this clean and simple search engine.

Visit DuckDuckGo here

3. Bing

Bing is Microsoft's attempt at unseating Google. Bing used to be MSN search until it was updated in summer of 2009. Touted as a 'decision engine', Bing tries to support your researching by offering suggestions in the leftmost column, while also giving you various search options across the top of the screen. Things like 'wiki' suggestions, 'visual search', and 'related searches' might be very useful to you. Bing is not dethroning Google in the near future, no. But Bing is definitely worth trying.

Visit Bing here

4. The Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is a favorite destination for longtime Web lovers. The Archive has been taking snapshots of the entire World Wide Web for years now, allowing you and me to travel back in time to see what a web page looked like in 1999, or what the news was like around Hurricane Katrina in 2005. You won't visit the Archive daily, like you would Google or Yahoo or Bing, but when you do have need to travel back in time, use this search site.

Visit the Internet Archive here

5. Yippy (formerly 'Clusty')

Yippy is a Deep Web engine that searches other search engines for you. Unlike the regular Web, which is indexed by robot spider programs, Deep Web pages are usually harder to locate by conventional search. That's where Yippy becomes very useful. If you are searching for obscure hobby interest blogs, obscure government information, tough-to-find obscure news, academic research and otherwise-obscure content, then Yippy is your tool.

Visit Yippy/Clusty here

6. Yahoo!

Yahoo! is several things: it is a search engine, a news aggregator, a shopping center, an emailbox, a travel directory, a horoscope and games center, and more. This 'web portal' breadth of choice makes this a very helpful site for Internet beginners. Searching the Web should also be about discovery and exploration, and Yahoo! delivers that in wholesale quantities.

Visit Yahoo! here

7. Mahalo

Mahalo is the one 'human-powered' search site in this list, employing a committee of editors to manually sift and vet thousands of pieces of content. This means that you'll get fewer Mahalo hit results than you will get at Bing or Google. But it also means that most Mahalo results have a higher quality of content and relevance (as best as human editors can judge).
Mahalo also offers regular web searching in addition to asking questions. Depending on which of the two search boxes you use at Mahalo, you will either get direct content topic hits or suggested answers to your question.
Try Mahalo. You might like it enough to even become a editor there.

Visit Mahalo here

8. Dogpile

Years ago, Dogpile was the fast and efficient choice before Google. Things changed, Dogpile faded into obscurity, and Google became king. But today, Dogpile is coming back, with a growing index and a clean and quick presentation that is testimony to its halcyon days. If you want to try a search tool with pleasant presentation and helpful crosslink results, definitely try Dogpile.

Visit Dogpile here

9. Webopedia

Webopedia is one of the most useful websites on the World Wide Web. Webopedia is an encyclopedic resource dedicated to searching techno terminology and computer definitions. Teach yourself what 'domain name system' is, or teach yourself what 'DDRAM' means on your computer. Webopedia is absolutely a perfect resource for non-technical people to make more sense of the computers around them.

Visit Webopedia here

10. Google

Google is the undisputed king of 'spartan searching'. While it doesn't offer all the shopping center features of Yahoo!, Google is fast, relevant, and the largest single catalogue of Web pages available today. Make sure you try the Google 'images', 'maps' and 'news' features... they are outstanding services for locating photos, geographic directions, and news headlines.

Visit Google here

The 49 Best Apps for All Phones

2012-03-02T05:29:00.002-08:00

The 49 Best Apps for All Phones

Want the best apps available for multiple phone platforms? Here are our favorite mobile apps for Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, and more.

By Cherri Chiodo, Brent Hopkins, and Ginny Mies, PCWorld Aug 24, 2010 11:15 pm

The 101 Best Mobile Apps

Check out our collection of the best smartphone apps available today.

Illustration by Otto SteiningerWondering what to download for your smartphone? Start with this collection of the best productivity tools, utilities, and games. Here are our picks for the best multiplatform apps. To see our top choices for apps exclusive to Android, BlackBerry, or iPhone, read the other articles in this package.

Productivity Tools

Never forget: After you create text, photo, and audio notes with Evernote, you can synchronize them to your PC or the Web. From generating recipe ideas at the farmer's market to capturing lecture notes in class, Evernote is one of those universal apps that everybody should use. Free; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, WebOS, Windows Mobile
Master your to-do lists: The Remember the Milk app packs a ton of features, such as the ability to set reminders, switch between incomplete and finished tasks, and sort by priority, due date, or task name. Free app, $25 annual service subscription after a 15-day trial; Android, BlackBerry (MilkSync), iPhone, Windows Mobile (MilkSync)
Dictate everything: In Jott Assistant you can use your voice to set reminders, capture notes and to-dos, send e-mail and text messages, and post to Web services. $4-per-month basic version, $13-per-month premium version; BlackBerry, iPhone
Dropbox offers your smartphone access to your synced files and folders.Store and sync: The well-designed Dropbox syncing and sharing service lets you share folders across all of your computers. The apps for Android and iPhone (a BlackBerry app is on the way) make sure that your smartphone hosts those folders too. Free; Android, iPhone
Scan business cards: CamCard scans business cards and adds the data to a new phone, Gmail, or Exchange contact. $10 for Android, $7 for iPhone
Sync to the cloud: ZumoDrive is a Web-based file storage, syncing, and sharing service that mounts just as a network drive does. Free; Android, iPhone, WebOS

Utilities

Speak a command: Vlingo replaces every instance where you have to type on your smartphone with voice commands. It covers your phone's basic messaging functions, voice calls, Facebook updates, and personal notes. On Android and BlackBerry, the app will even read your incoming messages to you. Free basic version, premium version varies in cost by platform; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Symbian
Call smarter: Google Voice gives you one phone number that you can use to make outgoing calls from--and forward incoming calls to--any phone. The app's Voicemail Inbox transcribes your voice messages so that you can preview them at a glance. Free; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone
Check your speed: The FCC-endorsed Ookla tool checks the upload and download speeds you're getting from your wireless network. Free; Android, iPhone
Retrieve a lost phone: With SmrtGuard you can remotely track--and lock--your smartphone if it goes missing. The Pro version lets you perform automatic wireless backup and restore. Free basic version, premium version is $5 per month after a 30-day trial; Android, BlackBerry

Organizers and Timesavers

OurGroceries keeps your shopping lists organized--and makes them shareable with other phones.Write transferable grocery lists: OurGroceries allows you to set shopping lists on your phone and share them with other handsets, even if they don't run the same OS. Free; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone
Monitor vital data: Use Personal Assistant to track credit card transactions, check your bank account status, monitor frequent-flyer miles and itineraries, and get alerts when bills are due and itineraries change. Free basic version, $7 premium version; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Windows Mobile
Manage your passwords: The mobile version of LastPass syncs saved login data, secure notes, and saved forms with the desktop app, which runs on Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari. $12 annual subscription after a 14-day trial; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Symbian, WebOS, Windows Mobile
Buy and sell faster: Search and browse Craigslist posts near your current GPS location, and bookmark relevant listings, with Craigsphone. The app also has tools for posting your own listings with photos and maps. Free; Android, iPhone
Run smarter: The RunKeeper app employs your smartphone's GPS radio to track the distance, time, pace, route, and elevation of your jogs. You can then sync your data to the RunKeeper Website and later view a history of your activity. The Pro version (for iPhone only) includes timing for interval training and audio cues, and it integrates with your music playlists. Free basic version, $10 premium version; Android, iPhone

News and Reference Apps

Listen to NPR: Even if you can't catch all of the news from NPR at home or in the car, you can still start your day with NPR News for your smartphone. You can listen to national news stories on demand, or allow the app to use your smartphone's GPS to pinpoint local content. Free; Android, iPhone
WeatherBug gives current conditions and forecasts.Check the weather: The location-aware WeatherBug app has detailed weather forecasts, radar maps, temperature maps, satellite views, and a cool sliding interface. You can configure it to appear as a home-screen widget, too. Free; Android, iPhone
Find facts fast: The Relief Central app puts the whole CIA World Fact Book into your smartphone. Free; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, WebOS, Windows Mobile
Customize your news: You can tailor the AP Mobile app to meet your needs by adding local news to your feed and selecting specific areas of coverage. AP Mobile also nicely utilizes the push-notification system of the iPhone for breaking-news updates. Free; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Symbian, WebOS

Financial Tools

Get financial news: With breaking business stories and complete in-depth market coverage in a customizable format, CNNMoney provides real-time reporting of financial news and analysis, as well as data and charts. Free; BlackBerry, iPhone
Watch the markets: When you're on the go, consult Bloomberg Mobile for financial news, stock quotes, company descriptions, market leaders and laggers, price charts, market-trends analysis, customized lists of stocks, and more. Free; iPhone, WebOS
Watch your money: Balance your budget on the go with the Mint mobile companion to the popular Mint.com free personal-finance site. Among other features, Mint offers real-time monthly budgets (so you know how much you can spend while you're out and about) and account-activity alerts, all within an incredibly secure app. Free; Android, iPhone
Monitor markets: For continuous access to--and control over--your TD Ameritrade account, use iStockManager. You can get equity and option trading, streaming data, real-time balances and positions, news, and more on your mobile device. Free; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone
Convert currency: XE Currency can convert the currencies of more than 180 countries at up-to-the-minute rates. The app saves the last conversion just in case you may need to repeat it offline, too. Free; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone
Report expenses at once: Expensify takes some of the hassle out of creating expense reports by allowing you to report expenses as they happen while you're on the move. Free; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, WebOS

Social Networking Apps

Foursquare lets you leave your mark by "checking in" at various local establishments.Share your location: On Foursquare you "check in" whenever you hit a restaurant, a coffee shop, a bar, or even a bus line, and then you can see if other Foursquare members are there, too. You can earn badges for your check-ins, as well as receive the prestigious title of "Mayor" if you check in to an establishment enough times. Free; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, WebOS
Upload in a trice: Pixelpipe Post & Upload Pro lets you post status updates and upload photos or video to Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, Twitter, YouTube, and other services all at once. It's a great, time-saving way to reach all your social networks. Free; Android, iPhone, Symbian, WebOS
Network effectively: Using HootSuite, you can manage your Facebook and Twitter accounts within an elegant, clean user interface. HootSuite stands out from other social network managers for its extra features: You can schedule updates, set columns to monitor keywords and hash tags, and translate updates in other languages. Free basic version, $3 premium version; Android, iPhone
BeejiveIM lets you chat with pals on multiple services at the same time.Chat with all of your friends: Via BeejiveIM you can chat simultaneously on AIM, Facebook, GoogleTalk, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, MySpace, and Yahoo. $10 for a single device, $15 for a transferable license; BlackBerry, iPhone
Share your photos easily: Use iTookThisOnMyPhone as a one-stop shop for uploading your pictures and video to photo sharing sites, including Facebook. All of your albums are hosted for free on the iTookThisOnMyPhone Website. Free; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Windows Mobile
Exchange media: One the most ingenious mobile apps we've seen, Bump lets two smartphone users physically bump their devices together to share contact data, media, and bookmarks, as well as to initiate social networking connections and chat sessions. The app employs each phone's GPS radio to detect the presence of the other phone, and then establishes a Web connection with the target device in order to share data. Free; Android, iPhone

Maps and Location Services

Map it: The Google Maps app is useful for finding businesses (you can save results into your Contacts) and getting directions (you can hand this function off to Navigation). Its public-transit directions are great when you're in a new city. Free; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Symbian, WebOS, Windows Mobile
Visit the world: Using the detailed satellite imagery displayed in Google Earth, you can explore the world. Assorted POIs (points of interest) are marked with links to photos, Wikipedia articles, and more. Free; Android, iPhone
Get maps free: You could shell out big bucks for a top-brand navigation app--or you could download the free MapQuest 4 Mobile, which delivers spoken turn-by-turn directions, automatic rerouting if you miss a turn, walking directions, and many other useful navigation features. Free; BlackBerry, iPhone
Layar places useful neighborhood information over the scene shown in your phone's camera.Enhance your world: The Layar Reality Browser is an AR (augmented reality) app that overlays information about such subjects as restaurants, public transit options, and apartment-search information on the view from your smartphone's camera. You can even see the tweets from people posting to Twitter within your camera's field of view. Free; Android, iPhone
Access travel plans: The WorldMate mobile app gives you full access to the travel plans you make using the WorldMate desktop program. You can see up-to-date information on flights, hotels, car rentals, and more, with clickable links. The premium version lets you get flight-delay information, plus suggestions for alternative flights. Free basic version, $12-per-month premium version; BlackBerry, iPhone, Symbian, Windows Mobile
Find your way: Turn your phone into a real-time navigation device with TeleNav. You can get turn-by-turn directions by voice and on screen, and you can locate, call, or navigate to rated and reviewed restaurants, hotels, ATMs, Wi-Fi hotspots, and more from a directory of over 10 million businesses. $10 after a 30-day trial; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Symbian, WebOS

Music Apps

Discover music: Tell Pandora your music preferences, and it streams tunes on your smartphone accordingly. You can stream music in the background (yes, even on the iPhone with iOS 4) while you do other stuff such as check e-mail or play games. Pandora's music algorithm isn't always spot-on, but the app is a nice alternative when you need a break from your own song collection. Free; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, WebOS, Windows Mobile
Listen offline, too: Similar to Pandora, Slacker is a well-designed taste-based online radio service. We like it because it caches on an iPhone 4's memory, so you can listen to music while in flight or outside the cellular signal area. Free, though some features require a subscription; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, WebOS, Windows Mobile
Name that tune: Want to identify that one song you keep hearing everywhere you go? Just open the Shazam app, hold your smartphone up to your radio's speaker, and--in a flash--it displays the name of the song and the artist. Free; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Symbian, Windows Mobile
Be a power listener: The perfect app for the hard-core music lover, MOG enables you to download any song or album to your phone for $10 a month. It's great for continued listening when you leave wireless coverage. MOG also one-ups Pandora by letting you create radio stations that play only what you specify, such as a station of Bruce Springsteen songs. App is free, service is $10 a month for all your devices; Android, iPhone
Rock your BlackBerry: Unlike MOG, Thumbplay allows BlackBerry users to get in on the on-demand music, with unlimited access to any artist or album. You can build playlists within the app, listen either online or offline, and sync existing music from your PC or Mac. $10 per month for full access; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone
Get your groove on: Find and stream an amazing variety of music, hassle-free, with Grooveshark. Play individual songs or whole albums, or create your own playlists. $3 per month; Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, WebOS

Entertainment Apps and Games

Kindle has previews of e-books and provides bookmarking functions.Preview books: With the Kindle mobile app, you can use your smartphone to preview books that you might like to buy later. Clean and customizable, the app permits you to preview the first chapter, as well as to add bookmarks, notes, and highlights. It's a must-have for any bibliophile. Free; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone
Watch cable anywhere: SlingPlayer Mobile streams the video from your cable box and DVR to your phone. The responsiveness of the app's video controls and the image quality of the video depend on the quality of your wireless connection, but it's worth the trouble. $30; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Symbian, WebOS, Windows Mobile
Crack up: For the most hard-hitting...ahem...fake journalism on the Web, look no further than the Onion News Network. You can grab the latest updates on Sasquatch, the MacBook Wheel, and the Girl Raised by Wolf Blitzer. The Onion News Network app keeps you connected by giving you access to the Onion archives and delivering all Onion videos to your smartphone. Free; Android, iPhone
Follow the league: In the MLB.com app, you can enjoy an audio stream of every regular and postseason baseball game, along with real-time box scores and stats, video highlights from the game shortly after they happen, and all the news from around Major League Baseball. $15; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone
Launch furious fowl: The clever Angry Birds game combines simple physics with sheer luck as you transport ticked-off birds to a pig fortress via slingshot to retrieve stolen eggs. $1 for iPhone, free plus $2 level packs for Symbian
Play an old-school game: In the highly addictive Doodle Jump, you use your phone's accelerometer to guide "Doodle the Doodler" up a sheet of graph paper while dodging black holes and blasting enemies. If you miss old Nintendo games, you'll love Doodle Jump. Varies in cost by platform; Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Symbian

How To Try Windows 8 Out

2012-03-02T05:19:00.001-08:00

How To Try Windows 8 Out Today With a Dual Boot Installation or Virtualization

Posted 03/01/2012 at 10:57am | by David Murphy

Happy Windows 8 Consumer Preview day! Or, rather, happy day-after-Windows-8…. you get the idea. As an astute Maximum PC reader, you’re no doubt itching to get your hands on a not-quite-final build of Windows 8 to tinker around with.
But here’s the problem: You like using your current operating system. In fact, you probably have a great number of files, applications, and games all intertwined with your current operating system. And the absolute last thing you want to do – aside from learning how to use the Metro UI (we kid, we kid) – is back up everything within your operating system, wipe your drive, and introduce a fresh-faced Windows 8 into your life as your primary OS. Just think of all the application reinstallations you’ll have to go through! (Ninite is your friend, but we digress)
Luckily, you have two awesome options when it comes to testing out Windows 8 without mucking up your primary Windows installation, settings, files, or any of that. You can split your current hard drive storage setup to create an extra, blank partition – Windows 8 goes there. Or, if you just want to monkey around in a self-contained environment within your current operating system, you can install Windows 8 onto a virtual PC.
Which do you pick? It’s entirely up to you. A dedicated installation on a new partition gives Windows 8 the full attention of your system’s mighty resources. The downside? You’ll have to suffer through the boot menu every time you load your PC; You won’t be able to access your true “primary” operating system from Windows 8; Any changes (or issues) you create are permanent, as you don’t really get a chance to “roll back” that which you’ve done.
Virtualization, on the other hand, costs you system resources and overall speed – it can be a real hog – but it allows you to marry Windows 8 to your existing operating system. Transferring files is easy; Jumping between the two operating systems is easier; You can test out apps in Windows 8 and still be able to use them in your existing OS if things go sour; And, most importantly, you can quickly revert back to prior versions of the OS and easily delete your virtual Windows 8 once you’re done toying around.
That’s a super-quick overview of some of the pros and cons of dual-booting versus virtualization. Here’s how you do both:

Dual-Booting

Grab the Windows 8 Consumer Preview setup file and give ‘er a run. While your version of the operating system downloads (32-bit or 64-bit, depending on what the setup program picks for your PC), go check your available hard drive space in Windows explorer. You’ll need to have at least 16 free gigabytes for a 32-bit installation of Windows 8 or 20 free gigabytes for a 64-bit installation.
Once finished, Windows will prompt you to install Windows 8 by giving you three options to pick from: “Install Now,” “Install on another partition,” and “Install later.” Pick option number two (partition), and the subsequent screen will ask you how you want to go about creating the installation media you’ll need to use.

While we always recommend that you let Windows 8 create an installation vehicle out of a USB key when possible (it’s just so speedy), your success in getting this approach to actually install Windows 8 entirely depends on just how well your motherboard supports USB-based installations. In other words, it might not work for you: We’ve previously run into problems when plugging our flash drives into USB 3.0 slots to perform the installation, so avoid that if you find yourself hitting your head against the wall when trying to install Windows 8 using a USB drive.
The Windows Consumer Preview setup program will automatically format your key and slap the necessary files on it. As this process chugs along, fire up your control panel (Windows 7 users) and click on the Administrative Tools icon. From there, double-click on “Computer Management,” and then select the “Disk Management” option on the left-hand sidebar. Roll up your shirtsleeves: It’s time to partition your hard drive.

Everyone’s hard drive setup can vary, so we’ll just walk you through the basics of splitting a single drive partition into two. Right-click on the graphical storage “chunk” that’s home to your primary NTFS volume (C:) and select “Shrink Volume.” Input just how much you want to shave off your primary operating system’s partition – remember, 1,024 megabytes equals one gigabyte -- and hit the “Shrink” button.

What do you get? A new chunk of black, unallocated space to the right of your once-larger primary partition. Right-click on this empty space and select “New Simple Volume.” The prompts are fairly self-explanatory after this point – just make sure to give your new partition a recognizable name and format it as an NTFS partition. Voila. You’re ready to install Windows 8.

Once the Windows Consumer Preview setup program has finished with your USB key, restart your computer. As it reboots, watch your boot sequence for any prompts related to “booting” or “boot order” – in our case, we only have to hit the F12 key to access a “select where you want to boot from” menu. But since your motherboard is surely different, this option might be mapped to another key. Or, worse, you might have to go into your BIOS settings and change the order of how your system boots off of its various devices. Again, this setting is found in different places on different motherboards, so you’re on your own for this small – but critical – step.

Select the correct option – USB HDD, in our case – reboot your computer, and the official Windows 8 installation program should automatically fire up. Click on the “Install Now” button, enter you product key (that you received way back when creating your USB Windows 8 installer), accept Microsoft’s license terms, and select the option for a “Custom” installation. Pick the partition you previously created (hence the importance of giving it a good and noteworthy name), click on “Next,” and go make yourself a pleasant beverage while you wait for the installer to work its magic.

From there, it’s all downhill: Windows 8 will reboot your system a few times before the installation finishes, and it’ll then ask you a series of questions to help you personalize your operating system prior to the first official run – including asking you to log into your official Microsoft account, if you so choose. One last tip, however: When you go to reboot your system to actually load Windows 8 for the first time, take out your USB key during your motherboard’s boot sequence. If not, and if you set your system to always boot off any available USB devices before your hard drive, you’ll find yourself continually looping back to the Windows 8 installation program. That’s just silly.

Virtualizing

Who needs partitions when you can just run your new operating system within your operating system? Once you’ve downloaded the Windows 8 Consumer Preview installation files and the setup program is asking you where you’d like to slap ‘em – on a USB key or as an ISO file to burn to a DVD – you’re going to want to pick the ISO option this time. Save the ISO file somewhere on your computer, but don’t go reaching for the DVDs just yet – no need.

Head on over to the official website of the (free) virtualization software Oracle VM Virtualbox (hereafter called simply “Virtualbox”) and download the setup file. Why are we not using Windows Virtual PC, you Windows 7 users might ask? Simple: It doesn’t support 64-bit installations of operating systems. Virtualbox does, and is every bit as free as Microsoft’s app.
Once you’ve installed Virtualbox, click on the big ol’ “New” button in the app’s upper-left-hand corner. Enter a good name for your virtual machine on the next prompt and make sure that both Microsoft Windows and Windows 8 are selected within the corresponding “OS Type” drop-downs (it goes without saying).

From here, there aren’t a lot of options that you really need to edit – you can pass through most using the default options that VirtualBox has already selected on your behalf, save for those we mention below.
Click Next until you’re given a slider that asks you to adjust how much memory you want to assign to you virtual operating system. Windows 8 require a minimum of one gigabyte to run; If you can spare it, up your virtual machine to at least two gigabytes (2,048 megabytes).

Now, where are you going to physically store your operating system’s files? On a virtual hard drive, of course! The option to “Create new hard disk” is selected by default once you reach VirtualBox’s Virtual Hard Disk screen. That’s great. Click Next until you reach the screen where you’re asked to set your hard drive’s size. Remember: 16 gigabytes minimum for a 32-bit installation, 20 gigabytes minimum for a 64-bit installation. Adjust your size as you see fit, then click Next (selecting all the default prompts from that point forward) until you’re taken back to the main Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager screen. Almost there!

Highlight your new Virtual Machine and click on the big “Settings” icon above. While you can fiddle with a number of advanced settings to boost the performance of your to-be-Windows 8 installation – like adding support for more of you CPU’s cores within the “System” menu – the most critical piece of the puzzle that you need to set into place is your Windows 8 installation CD. Or, in this case, the ISO you previously made that your Virtual Machine will need to mount to install the OS.

Click on the “Storage” option on the left-hand menu on the Settings window. Under “IDE Controller,” you should see a big fat “Empty” next to an icon of a DVD. Click on "Empty." Then, click on the icon of a CD that appears next to the “CD/DVD Drive” drop-down menu on the right portion of the Settings window. Go find your ISO file. Click “OK” to mount the disc and exit out of the Settings window.

Ready? Click on the big green “Start” arrow after you’ve clicked on your Windows 8 virtual machine. Run through the Windows 8 installation process (it’s easy, since you’re just custom-installing the operating system to a single virtual hard drive), run through the Windows 8 personalization process, and enjoy your new OS within an OS.

Wrap-up

Sounds simple? Installing the Windows 8 Consumer Preview is a piece of cake. But if you just want a quick checklist for both dual-booting and virtualizing the operating system, well, we aim to please:
Dual-Boot

Run the Windows 8 Consumer Preview Setup Program. Download the OS and use a USB key for the installation.
Fire up your Computer Management window (under Administrative Tools in you Control Panel).
Shrink your primary partition by at least 16 or 20 gigabytes (more, if you can afford it).
Create a new, simple NTFS volume on your new block of unallocated space. Give it a good name.
Reboot your system and jam the appropriate key during the boot sequence to access your motherboard’s boot selection list (or BIOS settings, if you have to adjust the boot order manually).
Boot onto your USB key. Punch in your Windows key, select a custom installation to your new partition, and let ‘er rip.
Run through Windows 8’s litany of personalization options. Try to figure out the new Metro UI.

Virtualization

Run the Windows 8 Consumer Preview Setup Program. Make an ISO out of the installation files and save it somewhere on your desktop.
Download and install VirtualBox.
Create a new Virtual Machine. Make sure you’ve selected Windows 8 as the OS type.
Give yourself enough RAM (at least 1 GB) and Virtual Hard Drive space (16 or 20 gigabytes)
Mount your Windows 8 ISO within you Virtual Machine’s Settings window
Launch your Virtual Machine; Install Windows; Try to figure out the new Metro UI.

For more from David, former Maximum PC editor and Windows enthusiast, follow him on Facebook or Twitter (@thedavidmurphy).

15 Top Tech Problems

2012-03-02T05:02:00.001-08:00

15 Top Tech Problems We
Want Solved in 2012

Email gaffes. Fussy checkout lanes. Terrifying toilets. We love technology, but hate all the little gotcha’s that come with it. Below, the problems we’d like our tech overlords to sort out, like, now.

Posted Date: November 7, 2011

15. ALLOW US TO REMOVE USBDRIVES WITHOUT "EJECTING"
We live in constant fear of corrupting data. How many 1's and 0's must die before we find a solution?

14. STOP CRASHING
We thought Macs were supposed to be crashproof. If you're going to have us stare at the "pinwheel of death," give us a button we can push that prompts you to rush us a new computer. Better yet: Make "escape" actually do something.

13. MOVE US PAST PASSWORDS
Look into the future. Do you really think we'll still be forced to remember 37 different alphanumeric-plus-at-least-one-symbol passwords 10 years from now? Let's accelerate the hell out of that R&D program, folks, okay?

12. DOWNSIZE THOSE SET-TOP BOXES
Why do these things still take up half a shelf and suck down more power than the fridge? Our DVR burns so hot we huddle around it for warmth in the winter. Hey, Comcast: Have you seen what my credit-card-size iPhone can do?

11. DITCH THE INSTRUCTIONS
If your product needs an owner's manual, it sucks. We can make our Xboxes, Garmins, and iPads work without reading a single scrap of paper--the same should be true for all devices. Make functions obvious, accessible, and intuitive. Start with cameras, voice mail, and pretty much all software.

10. FIX THE FUSSY SELF-CHECKOUT MACHINES
If we hear "Please place the item in the bag" one more time after we've successfully placed the item in the bag, John Connor will have to take a number, because the war on machines is starting early.

9. MAKE CARS ANYONE CAN DRIVE
We might like to let our grandmother drive our flashy new car, but it shouldn't require a 10-minute lesson in starting it and putting it in gear. (See #11.)

8. FIX THE GMAIL SPAM FILTER
How tough is the toughest bouncer in town? It won't even let its own siblings in, sending Google Alerts straight to the reject folder. Pathetic.

7. LET US KEEP TEXT MESSAGES AS "NEW"
We receive a lot of them. We can't always respond right away. We're not programmers, but really, how hard can this possibly be?

6. SETTLE ON ONE AC ADAPTER PLUG
We mean it. Pick one!

5. MAKE AUTO-FLUSH TOILETS THAT DON'T TERRIFY TODDLERS
Reprogram those sensors so they don't inflict premature explosive decompression on our tots. This is a major problem.

4. MAKE AUTOCORRECT NOT EMBARRASS US
We love this feature, but when our fingers are flying we may miss the fixes you inflict on our messages. Take out the rare words. (Nemertea?) Learn some slang. ("Coo.") When entire websites crop up cataloging hilarious and humiliating autocorrects, maybe you should get a clue.

3. STOP OUR MAILBOXES FROM FILLING UP
Create an automatic archiving system that works--with no chance that we'll miss an e-mail.

2. ELIMINATE THE "REPLY ALL" GAFFE
It's easy: Give us a flashing billboard when we're using it. Even better: Separate the "reply" and "reply all" buttons. Stuff "reply all" at the bottom. In fact, why don't you just password-protect that pup, okay?

1. DON'T LET US SEXT OUR BOSS, OUR MOM, OR OUR PLUMBER
It's way too easy to do this. Either give us a filter that can spot dirty messages and double-check the intended recipient, or give us better texting apps. I want u 2 fix this!

What annoys you most about technology? Add to our list in the comments!

Samsung Galaxy Note Review

2012-03-02T04:58:00.000-08:00

Samsung’s Galactic Gamble

With the Note, an epic phone brings epic potential—as long as you don’t mind going big

By Eric Adams, Posted Date: February 27, 2012

Few smart phones are met with straight-up ridicule. But Samsung’s poor Galaxy Note has become something of a punch line in tech circles. Thanks to its enormous size—nearly six inches tall and 3.2 inches wide—it’s more of a small tablet than a phone. Coupled with the vaguely retro presence of a stylus, the hapless gizmo generated more than a few snickers at its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show, as well as all manner of snark from critics over the last week or so, when review samples finally landed.

In their defense—that is, the reviewers’, not Samsung’s—it is an awfully big phone. But that’s about all the defense I can muster, because it’s really not a bad concept at all. Do you look silly with the thin slab smacked up against your ear? Yes, you do. But if, like me, most of your communication takes place via text and email—I don’t actually receive that many calls on a given day, and when I do I go hands-free, anyway—that’s not really that big of an issue. So the question then becomes, what’s the benefit of the size?

The benefit is simple: an enormous, gorgeous, crystal-clear Super AMOLED screen, which takes smart-phoning to a whole new level. You certainly don’t look any sillier working on this than you do any tablet, and the Note is a pretty compelling compromise between tablet and smart phone. Face it: everything is better with a big screen. Videos, web sites, games—they’re all easier on the eyes. Plus, Samsung has gone above and beyond to make use of the extra space. The Note, available from AT&T for $299 with a 2-year contract, includes a 8 MP rear-facing camera with flash, along with a 2 MP front camera for video chat. The huge screen simply provides that much more room for photo analysis and composition. I.e., you can see what you’re working with better. Once your brain calibrates to that sort of real estate for photo, apps, and web pages, it’s hard to go back to a 4-inch screen. My only real problem with the device was the difficulty of using it with one hand—you know, while playing basketball, driving, or performing brain surgery. (I’m kidding, of course—I’d never play basketball while distracted.)

The stylus, however, is the most intriguing component of the Note. It’s quite possible that the concept is finally mature. Consider, for comparison, the fact that Apple once, in the early 1990’s, proudly rolled out a handheld PDA called the Newton. It bombed, more or less, but was clearly ahead of its time, given the PDA’s reinvention with the smart phone. The device’s signature trick: its stylus. When PDA’s gained traction in the wake of the Newton, they all had them. Then came the capacitive touchscreen found in the iPhone and all subsequent smartphones—and goodbye stylus! But now it’s back, with smoother, smarter performance—you can click the button and swipe to go backwards or forwards, and use it to make instant screen grabs—and a host of next-gen applications, from the advanced memo-writing app included in the Note to the vastly more sophisticated sketching capabilities. It’s brilliant for those who sense that tapping and swiping with their fingers may not, in fact, solve all their mobile-app needs for all eternity. Sometimes you actually do need a pen, folks. Say, when you want to draw a fine line, make precise use of an app’s functionality, or just grow tired of tapping.

While the reintroduction of the stylus is cool, the execution of it here leaves a bit to be desired. The pen is perhaps a hair too small, and the button awkwardly positioned and a bit flimsy-feeling. Both can certainly be remedied next go-around. My fear, however, is that the “next go-around” will also produce a smaller Note. After a week messing around with it, the device has grown on me. It’s big and bold, and while clearly not destined to be a runaway hit, it certainly has potential to find a home in cargo pants and backpacks everywhere.

XBOX 360 Red Ring of Death

2012-03-01T06:12:00.000-08:00

Fix your Xbox 360's RRoD by yourself, without towels or soldering irons! If you no longer have a warranty on your Xbox 360, and it has gotten the dreaded Red Ring, there is hope. As most of you know, the RRoD is a sign displayed by the 360's "Ring of Light" when there is a general hardware failure. While this can be caused by any part(or lack thereof) on the 360, the general cause is from excessive heat, which stresses the solder joints on the CPU and GPU. Over time, these joints can become seperated, which causes the Red Ring to visit your console, usually when you have a new game to play and you've taken the day off...

What this fix involves is nothing but mere screws and washers. Seriously, no overheating your console, adding new fans(although you can add them if you like), or towels. Ever since I installed it I haven't had the console freeze up once.

Step 1 Before we begin...

Before you even think to unplug your 360, let's work in a bit of intelligent forethought.

For starters, why would you need to repair the console yourself? If you have a working warranty, I highly suggest you send the console to Microsoft for repairs,as a repair will void your warranty. While Microsoft dropped the ball on product quality in efforts to get the 360 out before the other consoles, they picked up the proverbial dirt-covered ball by extending all warranties to 3 years.

If you plan on actually reviving the 360, don't use the towel trick. What it does is overheat the inside of the console by blocking fan intakes, temporarily doing something to make the 360 run for a brief period of hours to days. While it may be the quick and easy approach, it also overheats every other component in the 360, which is never good. It can cause chips to fail, capacitors to dry out, release the magic smoke, and possibly spark a fire. So unless you hate your Xbox something fierce, don't do this.

And of course, if you're on your 4th Red Ringed Xbox 360, and are considering buying a PS3...

FIX IT, REGARDLESS OF WARRANTY!

I would hate to see someone give up the pinnacle of gaming due to a simple flaw, over a Blu-Ray player with gaming functionality.

So, if your warranty is void, or you're about to join the dark side of gaming, read on!

Step 2 The Suspected Cause

So, knowing what I've written, you ask yourself, "Self, if the 360 is baking it's processors to the point that they'd separate, why aren't the heatsinks holding them tightly to the main board?" That's a very bright observation!

The problem is pictured below.(the second image, silly) Those two X-shaped pieces of metal are what try to hold the heatsinks onto the CPU and GPU. Problem is, they aren't springy enough to do the job. The heatsinks have a tiny amount of wiggle room, and the motherboard is free to warp from heat. That prohibits proper heat dissipation, and allows the processors to break away from their connections. I blame bad design from Microsoft's need to get the 360 out before the PlayStation 3. But now isn't the time for blame, I bet you're about ready to buy one of those Blu-Ray players that come with gaming functionality.

So now we've determined that those "X-Clamps" need to go. The next step lists parts needed.

Step 3 Parts and tools needed

To secure your heatsinks tightly to the motherboard(and the metal case in the process), you will need:
===================
4 5x20MM Panhead Machine Screws (Keep length between 20 and 40 MM)
4 5x15MM Panhead Machine Screw (Must be no longer than 15MM!)
44 #10 Washers
===================

And for your English measurements (Thanks to ajmontag for providing these):
***********************
4 3/16" x 1" Panhead Machine Screws
4 3/16" x 1/2" Panhead Machine Screws
44 #10 Washers
***********************

These 5x20MM(3/16"x1") screws will be used to secure the CPU heatsink.
The shorter screws will be used for the GPU, and 15MM is the most you can get into it. The 1/2" fits just fine with room to breathe.
About 44 #10 washers. These will be used to keep the motherboard firmly in one position. Nylon washers aren't necessary, there are no traces or components to be touched around the screw holes. But if you feel you must have them, I will not stop you from purchasing them.

And while you are working with the heatsinks, you may want to apply new and better thermal paste to them. I suggest picking up a tube of Artic Silver 5.

Toolwise, you'll need:
A drill or drillpress to widen screwholes in the metal case(with a 3/16 drillbit)
A torx 9 and torx 6 screwdriver to remove screws from the 360's case
A 1/4 inch wrench or socket to remove the X-Clamp posts from the heatsinks
A phillips-head screwdriver for those machine screws(or flathead if that's what you got)
And a tiny flathead screwdriver to pry off the X-Clamps.

Anything else like tape and steel scrubbers should be kicking around in your house.

Step 4 Gettin' to buisness: Remove the heatsinks

Right, first thing we gotta do is open this sucka up. I'll point you to the tutorial I read, because opening the 360 is an Instructable in itself.

http://www.anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.aspx?i=2610&p=2

You need to remove everything from the metal case(if you can't get the fans out, that's fine). Set the motherboard on a clean surface, like a newspaper. Put the DVD drive, screws, plastic case and other parts someplace where they can't get harmed.

Now you gotta remove the heatsinks from the processors. This is very nerve-wracking. I used a small flathead screwdriver, and pried two or three of the X-Clamp's legs from the posts attached to the heatsinks. But if the blade of said pointy object were to slip, it could take out a bunch of tiny parts as it scrapes across your motherboard. The solution?

Put a piece of corrugated cardboard over the motherboard, where the screwdriver blade would rip through. :D . So if it were to slip now, it'll just hurt a severed piece of a box.

You'll want to pop off 3 of the bracket legs, because the 4th one won't have anything holding it on. Once you get the clamps off, the heatsinks will come off on top side of the motherboard(you may need to tug on them a bit if the thermal paste is sticky). The next step deal with the heatsinks themselves.

Step 5 Stripping the heatsinks

Once the 10 dollar heatsinks are freed from the 200-some dollar motherboard, you need to remove the 1/4 inch thingamabobs(X-clamp posts). Use a 1/4 inch nut driver, wrench, or adjustable wrench to get them off. Sit them and the X-clamps in a bag/parts drawer, you won't be needing them again. Take a metal scrubber and remove the thermal gunk from the heatsinks. And while we're at it, get a toothpick and carefully scrape the gunk off the CPU and GPU. Nothing better than powering on a reborn 360 with clean heatsinks, no?

Step 6 Drill bigger holes

To use those 5MM machine screws, you'll need to widen the 8 screw holes in the metal case, that previously secured the X-clamp posts. They are highlighted in the second photo.

To widen them, use a 3/16 inch drill bit with a drill press or hand drill.
If you're using a hand drill, set a wooden block under each hole as you drill it, to avoid warping the case. If you're using a drill press as I did, there should be a steel pedestal with a hole for the drill bit to pass through, saving the case from serious FUBAR-age.

Have the bit spinning before you push into the center of the hole. Repeat this for all the holes. Make sure there are no burrs left on the holes or shards kicking around in the case afterwards. Bang it around a few times to get them out, the last thing you'd want is to have your 360 die from little pieces of metal shorting it out.

Step 7 The Fun Begins: Screws, Washers, and more screwyness!

So far, we've prepped the heatsinks and the motherboard case for these 5MM screws. Now we get to make sumtin of it!

With the case sitting flat, fan hole in the back on the right, take note of where you need to stick these screws. the 4 holes on the left X are for your GPU, the 4 holes to the right will be for the CPU screws.

Now put the 5x15MM screws in the GPU screwholes, screwheads on the outside, so that they come into the case. Put tape over the heads to keep them from falling back out, as shown in the second photo. Now put the 5x20MM screws into the CPU screwholes, and tape them just like the GPU screws. This tape is very important, so don't take it off until I say so! Ha ha.

Lay the case flat again, and all the screws should be poking up at you, as they are in the main photo. Place 3 or 4 5MM washers on each of them, the idea being to get them level with the motherboard standoffs. Use a straightedge to check. If they come up too short or too high, the motherboard will get warped, and you won't be fixing anything.

Now the fun begins. You gotta get the motherboard back in the case, with the goal of getting the screws into those orange holes that the X-Clamp posts went through. All while you try to keep those washers on the screws! If they fall off at any point, you'll have to take the motherboard out, put them back on the screw(s), and repeat. So try not to do it, eh?

Tilt the case onto it's right side(where the hard drive connector would be), so that you can reach the screws underneath. Angle the back of the motherboard into the case, and push it all the way to the rear of the case. Lower the board until it gets held up by the rear CPU screws you installed(they should be the CPU screws if the screws were taller than the GPU screws). Now, untape one of those rear CPU screws, and point it into it's hole. Give it a few twists to hold it in place, and thread the other one in. Now, while carefully holding the motherboard and those untaped screws, lower the motherboard until more screws hold you up, and get them into their holes. Don't let those washers fall out!

When it's all said and done, you'll have screws poking through those holes. Tape the heads back to the case so they don't fall out. Now press on the motherboard around the screws, it should be solid at each screw. If not, you'll need to get back to those washers and pop another one on.

But if it's all nice and immobile, throw two washers onto each GPU screw, one onto each CPU screw, and head to the next step!

Step 8Re-installing the heatsinks

Now we get to mess with those screws one more time, before the tape gets taken off for good. Before you put the heatsinks back on, put thermal paste onto the CPU and GPU dies(the silver shiny things). A paper-thin coat will be good. If you're using a silver-based paste, make sure you don't put on a ton, because if it gets onto anything, the silver's conductivity will mess with the other components.

Pick whichever heatsink you wanna put on first. Make sure the CPU's copper heatpipe is facing away from the GPU heatsink when you put in on. The GPU heatsink won't let the CPU heatsink on if you put it on wrong. The easiest way to get this right is to look at the smudge marks on the heatsinks, and match 'em with their processors. When you thread the screws on, start each one off lightly, then get them up tightly. Try to get them evenly tightened to avoid having too much pressure on one side of the processor, and too little on another. When it's all done right, the heatsinks should not move at all.

Now we get to test it out!

Step 9Testing, testing, three, six, tee...

Hook your 360's AV and power cable in, and plug the RF board(the circuit board that has the Ring of Light LEDs and) back into the 360, otherwise you won't be turning it on. :D

Turn it on without the fans plugged in, checking to see how fast the heatsinks heat up. Getting hot in less than a minute is excellent. Now plug in the fans and put on that plastic fan shroud. Turn it on again, and it should boot up normally, assuming you did the heat test(if you didn't plug in the DVD drive, the center LED will blink green).

If it goes RRoD instead, unplug the power cable, re-insert it and try again. If you cannot get the console to boot, press down on both the heatsinks with even force, and power it on again. If it boots, power it on with only one heatsink pressed upon. If it boots with that particular heatsink pressed on, power the 360 off, and keep re-booting until you find the problem corner(s) on the heatsink that need tightening.

The idea is to tighten any heatsink corners that aren't tight enough, in order to allow a good connection for that processor.

So if it boots up normally, and you can play a game for at least an hour without locking up, you've worked your magic, and the 360 can be re-assembled! Have a beer, rent a movie, eat some gummy bears, do whatever it is you do to treat yourself, because YOU DID IT!

The next step goes over some measures you can take to prevent overheating.

Step 10 Afterthoughts and Shoutouts

Now that you've resurrected your console, what can you do to prevent such a travesty from happening again? As you see in the main photo, I attached a small fan from a PCI graphics card onto the CPU heatsink, and wired it into the 360's fan power supply. With it pushing air through the heatsink (or pulling it in if that's your view), the air coming out of the exhaust is actually cool!

NOTE: There is word on the interwebz that Microsoft will ban you from Xbox Live for installing new fans. You have been warned.

Since there's no room to easily add a fan to the GPU heatsink, the next best thing you can do is optimize airflow. While the 360 has dual exhaust fans, most of the airflow goes to the CPU heatsink. By adding cardboard to the fan shroud and covering the top of the GPU heatsink as depicted, you can improve airflow even more, as you've just devoted a whole fan to it.

And if you really don't like the stock fans in the 360, you can always buy 3rd party replacements. There's Talismoon's Whisper brand of fans, with LED accents. I can't say anything on quality, as I haven't used one. But they seem to be quite popular. They can be found at http://www.Divineo.com .

And now onto the shoutouts.
Thanks to Google first and foremost. LOLz.
Xbox-Scene.com and it's members, for their endeavors in resolving this issue.
RBJTech for the idea of adding cardboard to the fan shroud.
Thanks to both those sites for all the info that I mixed and matched to create this tutorial.
Oh yeah, and a special thanks to Cheerios for providing better airflow than Microsoft could.

How to Replace a Broken iPhone Screen

2012-02-29T08:09:00.003-08:00

I remember when I broke the screen on my iPhone. I was carrying a bunch of stuff, and foolishly placed my phone on top. As I was walking, is slowly slid to the front and before I could react, it plummeted to the asphalt below, smashing the screen. I was devastated. Contacting Apple, I was told that it would cost about $200 to repair it. WHAT? That’s as much as I paid for it new! Then again, to replace the entire phone would cost me about $700 because I was still on contract. And talking to third party repair people led me to the conclusion I wouldn’t save that much money. I had heard that I could, with research, patience and a custom kit, repair it myself for half the price or more. Could I do it? Turns out I could.

1. GETTING A NEW PHONE MAY BE EASIER

I should point out is that if you’re phone contract is up, you’re better off just getting a new phone. The iPhone 5 (4GS or whatever it’s going to be called) is rumored to be coming out in October and you’re going to want it. You know it. So just wait and re-up. If you’re stuck on contract like me, it may still be worth the extra cost to have Apple fix because the repair will be warrantied. But if you’re on a budget, or like to tinker, then going the DIY route is an excellent challenge. But you have to be very good in handling TINY screws and the patience to take something apart and put it back together.

2. DO YOUR RESEARCH

The best place to go is YouTube. There are tons of videos there on how to replace your screen, but I liked the step-by-step videos from TechSpank (http://www.youtube.com/user/TechSpank). They do both the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4 in separate videos and the host of the video had never done it before. He follows directions he found online, and he makes common mistakes that you can look out for and avoid yourself. But he also shows how to overcome them with patience and a gentle touch.

3. GET THE PARTS

There are kits from iFixIt (about $50-65) (ifixit.com) and The PhoneDoctors ($87-97 depending on carrier) (thephonedoctors.com) and you can start and stop doing each step with him. There are also cheaper kits on Amazon that cost about $15. But understand that some tools may not be included. Any kit come with all the tools and parts you need to replace your shattered screen, although the host also found a flathead electronics screwdriver was also needed. Another great tool that came with the iPhone 4 repair kit, but you can also get separately is the ScrewMat. The Screwmat has a picture of the inside of your phone on it and magnetized sections for each screw you remove. This keeps them easily in one place and helps you to organize and return every part so you don’t lose them or have any left over. Worth every penny of the $20 fee (or $50 for the entire set including iPod).

4. CLEAR OUT YOUR WORKSPACE

Another important element is to have a clean, well lit workspace. You’ll also need a heat gun or hair dryer for removing the iPhone 3GS screen.

5. BE PATIENT

Lastly, you’ll need patience and a methodical sense of doing things. This is where the videos and the step by step instructions come in handy. Also, one last piece of advice – make sure you get all the tiny pieces of broken glass, and remember when you return parts into the iPhone 4, if you don’t hear a “click,” chances are you didn’t put them back properly.
It’s not for the faint of heart. But if you’ve replaced RAM in your computer or a hard drive in your laptop, then with some patience, you can replace that cracked iPhone screen yourself … and save a bunch.

*Origionally posted in Gadget Review 19 August 2011

Removing "Warning system is a risk"

2009-02-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

ComboFix is a program written by sUBs, that removes spyware, malware, rogue antispyware apps and Vundo infections. Also it deletes a bunch of files related to the infections and is updated fairly regularly. When Combofix finished, it will produce a report for you. Power user can use the report to search and remove infections that are not automatically removed.
How to use combofix:
1. Temporarily disable your antispyware, antivirus and any antimalware real-time protection, so they may interfere with running of ComboFix.
2. Download Combofix.Download combofix from one of the following sites and save it to your Desktop.
Site 1 (bleepingcomputer).
Site 2 (geekstogo).
3. Install Recovery console. (only Windows XP)Skip the step, if the Windows Recovery Console is already installed.
If you have Windows XP disk, then read the article: How to install and use the Windows XP Recovery Console.
You should know version of Windows. Right click the My computer icon. Click Properties. In the window read information about your Windows version.
Click here for open Microsoft’s website.
Scroll down.
Select the download that’s appropriate for your operating system and download setup boot disk installation to your Desktop. Use Service pack 2 version, if your Windows XP is Windows XP Service pack 3.
Now close all open windows and programs.
Drag the setup package and drop onto ComboFix.exe.
Follow the prompts to start ComboFix and when prompted, agree to the End-User License Agreement to install the Microsoft Recovery Console.
At the next prompt, click ‘Yes’ to run the full ComboFix scan.
When the tool is finished, it will produce a report for you.
4. Run combofix.
Close all programs. Your Task Bar should be clear of any program entries including your Internet Browser.
Double click Combofix.exe icon on your Desktop to start it.
If the Microsoft Windows Recovery Console is already installed, ComboFix will continue it’s malware removal procedures, if no, then follow the prompts to allow ComboFix to download and install the Microsoft Windows Recovery Console and when prompted, agree to the End-User License Agreement to install the Microsoft Windows Recovery Console. Once installed, you should see the following message:
The recovery console was successfuly installed.Click ‘YES’ to continue scanning for malwareClick ‘NO’ for exit
Click YES button.
The scan will temporarily disable your desktop, and if interrupted may leave your desktop disabled. If this occurs, please reboot to restore the desktop. Even when ComboFix appears to be doing nothing, look at your “drive access” light. If it is flashing, Combofix is still at work.
When finished, it shall produce a log for you.
Note: Do not mouseclick combofix’s window while its running. That may cause it to stall
Questions and Answers:
1. I ran combofix which can affect autorun so now autorun and autoplay is not working.
Combofix prevents autorun of all CDs, floppies and USB devices to assist with malware removal & increase security. Read how to disable/enable autorun and autoplay.
2. No internet connection after running Combofix.
Restart your computer to restore back your connection. If it does not work, then click Start ->Settings -> Control Panel. Double click to Network connections. Locate your connection and right click on it. In the menu click to Repair option. When repair proccess has finished, your connection should be working again.
3. I ran combofix and got error message saying “This copy of combofix has expired”.
Download an updated copy from here or change your PC system time to some days ago (7days for example). Warning, only if first option don`t work.
4. How to uninstall combofix.
After using Combofix, you may uninstall it from your PC. Read how to uninstall combofix.
5. What should i do with QooBox and Combofix files ?
Use command: combofix /u for uninstalling of combofix and removing all combofix files and QooBox directory. Read more here
6. Combofix is virus ?
No, No, No. Some security programs will incorrectly identify this tool as potentially or actually malicious due to some of it’s components. Although these files can be used maliciously, they are an integral part of the fix and I recommend you disable your antivirus.

Custom Build Your Own PC

2009-01-27T20:30:00.001-08:00

Cool Gadgets ? Try this one !

2009-01-27T19:43:00.000-08:00

In the area of software and gadget reviews, there are tens of thousands of websites out there, but many offer regurgitated content from a select few sources. One of these sources is Gadget Advisor.
Even though it's called, "Gadget" Advisor, it doesn't just specialize in the gadget area. Of course, there are some gadget reviews, but this blog contains a healthy mix of both gadget reviews, and software reviews. This website also has reviews of some of the best Windows software, such as a Blaze Media Pro review, which is a very good piece of software, and well worth the price, as the article says. If one is searching for unique content on either gadgets or software, one doesn't have to look any further than Gadget Advisor. Gadget Advisor is a very professional looking blog, with a great, aesthetically pleasing layout, and barely any ads compared to many of these other blogs out there. Apart from the looks, the content is just great. It is unique, and can't be found anywhere else on the internet unlike many other blogs' content. The logo, and even tagline are also pretty cool, and very original. The readability of the content is also very refreshing. With content that has obviously been carefully crafted, and is easily readable, you can't go wrong reading the reviews at Gadget Advisor. Also, if you are looking for some of the best extensions for Firefox, Gadget Advisor is where it's at. Gadget Advisor houses a comprehensive article covering many types of extensions from ad blockers, to AdSense trackers, to weather alerts. If you are addicted to customizing your Firefox, you can find many quality resources that can help you do just that at Gadget Advisor. When talking about gadgets, especially in terms of blogs and websites in the theme of Gadget Advisor, the word gets put into a smaller scope, and "gadgets" then turns into handheld electronic devices. Gadget Advisor is refreshing in that it keeps the broad scope of the term, "gadgets". The term "gadgets" on Gadget Advisor can refer to any piece of technology, such as a motherboard, or an SSD, or even a personal computer case. With this, Gadget Advisor strays from the norm even more, in order to bring you fresh, amazing content, seen nowhere else on the internet. Of course, they do also cover some of the more popular handheld gadgets, but they don't cover every single one that comes out, and give it hype like it will change humanity or something. When looking at the layout of Gadget Advisor, it seems to fit the overall feel of the content fairly well. The professional feel of the writing coincides with the professional look, and of course, vice versa. It's also important to note the lack of ads. There are only three ads on every page, and all of them are nonintrusive, and on the sidebar. This means that the author actually cares about the content, and consequently you as a reader. This is refreshing, because most sites that start doing well progressively get more and more ads on them, because the authors of such sites only care about milking their readers for money, and don't really care about their content anymore. Gadget Advisor shows no signs of ever becoming that way, which is a really good sign. On the software review side of things, Gadget Advisor also excels. They have some news and reviews that no one else seems to have, and they also don't review the same stuff that everyone else is, either. Of course, they covered the release of Google Chrome, but since other blogs did more in-depth reviews, Gadget Advisor just offered a brief opinion and a link to where to download it. Other than that, the software reviewed on Gadget Advisor isn't reviewed anywhere else on the World Wide Web, which says a whole lot about the attention, and time put into the content. For unique fresh, unique reviews about both gadgets and software that can't be found anywhere else on the web, without a ton of ads, and a good professional approach, I'd look no further that Gadget Advisor.

How A Custom Built PC Can Save You Money

2009-01-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

The phrase "custom built pc" is usually assumed to mean "expensive pc." While for other products the term "custom built" may mean expensive for personal computers the opposite is usually the truth.When purchasing a brand name computer you typically only have a few options, which means you have to pay for the features and components some corporate executive thinks you need. That can add up, especially since those corporate executives have a vested interest in selling you the more expensive of their features and components.On top of that, you also pay for the brand. A computer emblazoned with "Sony" or "Dell" is going to cost more than the same exact computer that carries no brand label. It used to be that buying a brand name was worth the extra cost for the guaranteed quality. But nowadays there are a lot of totally competent and even outstanding computer makers that operate under their own label or no label at all.There is no difference between buying a standard factory line PC from Dell and buying a custom built PC from an independent online computer builder, provided you do a bit of research and make sure you are buying from a reputable and trustworthy online computer builder.Consider that many big computer makers get most of the individual components to build their branded computers from independent suppliers. An independent online computer builder can get the same components from the same suppliers and build the same computer, and then charge less for it.And this doesn't go only for cheap desktops (which via an independent custom built pc supplier can be REALLY cheap). Cheap laptops can also be had by going the custom built pc route.

In recent years a number of small independent online computer builders have actually done such a good job of custom building laptops that they have today become successful large businesses and now produce factory line models themselves.As quality goes, you need not lose anything by going with an independent online computer builder over a large brand. Large brands generally try to avoid cheating their customers in terms of quality, as doing so would sully their brand and kill their ability to make sales. But independent online computer builders also assume their customers will come back to them time and time again, so naturally they are keen to give their customers the best products at the best prices too.So just as with anything else you plan to purchase online (even brand name products) doing a bit of research into who is the most reliable provider of a custom built PC in your area is a prudent first step. The small amount of time you will need to invest into doing so will see a more than adequate return in the hundreds of pounds you could save on your new computer. Why not try searching for the term 'custom built pc' on Google for example, doing so will return a wealth of interesting results for you to pick your way throug

How to Make Your Computer Function Faster...

2009-01-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

The computer is one of the most sought after gadget in the world. It provides multiple features that no other gadget can do. You can play music, watch movies, type documents and the likes. For one technology invention, the computer is surely something people are happy having. The problem is when people tend to keep a large amount of programs and software. This makes the computer slow. If you want to have a faster computer, you need to do a few things.

First, you need to have a reliable anti-virus and anti-malware software. Make sure to update them to avoid not detecting any new forms of virus, Trojans, worms and the likes that may have entered your computer. When left undetected, they can do serious damage to your computer as well as your files. There is that possibility that the computer may crash. When this happens, the files stored in your computer are lost and gone forever. The only thing you can do to prevent this from happening is to make sure that you scan your system regularly to make it virus and malware free.

Cleaning up the system is one of the ways to ensure a faster computer. Removing unwanted or unnecessary files helps clean up the system thus using only those important. This enables the computer to run faster and be able to perform smoothly since there is enough free space. If you do not delete files or programs from your computer, will end up browsing through everything and might crash in the end. Too much data is also a bad thing so try to keep everything on the average to ensure maximum utilization of your PC.

Clearing old emails and spam can also help in the performance of the computer. Some of these emails even have links for suspicious websites. If you enter the website, there is a chance that adware or spyware are instantly downloaded on your system without you noticing it. If your computer is infected with this, there is a great possibility that your files will get corrupted and inaccessible. The best solution for this is having an effective and reliable software to combat these unwanted things in your computer. There are many credible websites wherein you can easily download your preferred software.

These are only a few of the many ways wherein you can have a faster computer. Keeping these things in mind will help you maintain the good performance of your PC as well as avoid any computer freeze and lag. These are relatively easy things that you can do to help the computer perform better. This also avoids the unwanted computer crash and freeze especially when you have some things to be done. If you know how to take care of the system properly, you would not have any problems in the future. As long as you have the needed program and software, you have that assurance of a worry free life thanks to the computers.

Basic Networking: Creating a Home Network for You and Your Family

2009-01-27T13:09:00.000-08:00

So the journey begins and our first stop is to establish the basics of a network… This Basic Networking guide will help you understand the following:
The Hardware used to create a network
The correct operating system to use on our network
Understanding how networks workSo buckle up your seatbelt, here we go!

Are home networks complicated to set up?

The short answer to the heading above is No. The long answer… Hell no! Believe it or not, setting up a network in your home is not complicated by any means. All you need is a point in the right direction and a little guidance. Together with this Basic Networking guide we will create the best network for you and your family.

So, what’s a network?

Simply put, a network is when two or more computers are connected and sharing data. That’s it! Nothing more, nothing less. These computers can be connected in a variety of ways and we will touch on that a little later. What we want to do now is work out the type of network we need in our house.

Why do I need a network again?

There are a lot of benefits to having a network. If you have more than one computer in your house you really have no reason not to have them networked, and by networking them you will be able to:
Share printers, CD-ROM drives and other removable drives between the computers.
Eliminate having to transfer files from one computer to another using a floppy (do they still exist?) or CD-ROM and share files directly between PCs. ( a great advantage if you are lazy like me)
A huge benefits is you can share your internet connection with the other computers in your home.
Store only a single copy of large files, saving space on the other PCs' hard drives.

Fantastic, how do I get started?

Whoa there!! Before we can start anything we need to plan first. "Plan?" I hear you say. Yes, plan! Building a network is a kin to building a house; we need a strong foundation to build upon. I can hear the groans already! You will be thanking me later. There are two types of schemes you can use in a Network; Client/server network and peer to peer. In the client/server network, you have one computer that acts as the server (the manager of the network or files), which controls the way other computers (known as clients) access the network, whether that being file sharing or running a program. Servers play a very important role on this particular type of network. Most home networks are based on the peer to peer Network, which has more relaxed controls thus is a better network for you and your family.

Operating Systems

This basic Networking guide assumes your operating system (OS) is at the very least windows 98 Second Edition. Although Windows XP would be preferable it’s not a requirement. The reason for this is because networking was built to function from the ground up in windows 98 SE to windows XP. The following OS will work perfectly with networking:

Windows XP
Windows 2000
Windows NT
Windows ME
Windows 98 SE (Second Edition)

Also all these OS versions have a pretty little nifty tool on them known as Internet Connection Sharing. This allows all computers to share the internet, so while you are reading an e-mail on your laptop, your kid can be checking out their facebook page on the PC. Each computer must have a Network interface card otherwise known in short form as a NIC. Traditionally a NIC is a little electronic card that goes inside your computer right on its mother board, I use the term traditionally as not all NICs are cards anymore, and we now have network adapters that are connected via USB (Universal Serial Bus).

How to connect - cables, wires or thin air?

Now we must decide the type of connections we will use to connect our computers. This is very important as the type of connection we use will affect the speed that data travels across the network.

Why is speed important?

Well, waiting a long time for a file to open in a software application or for a file to be copied from one machine to another can be very frustrating, to put it mildly. We have four different ways to connect our PC’s, each have their own advantages. Let’s look at them shall we?

Ethernet Cables:

The connection type of choice for many businesses.

Fast and reliable.
Can carry data up to1000 mbps across a network depending on the ratedspeed of the NIC cards.

Used by most businesses to connect their computers.
Though similar looking to telephone wire, it is designed to carry data unlike telephone wire which was designed to carry voice.
You will need a concentrator (we will get to this later,) to use Ethernet cable.
The connector at the end of the cable looks like the connector at the end of your telephone cable, but it’s actually slightly fatter.

Telephone Line:

Connect each computer’s NIC (has to be a Telephone-cable NIC. Have you visited the NIC page yet?) to the telephone wall jack using a regular phone cable.
Telephone cable is inexpensive and is available every where, including your super market.
Networking process uses part of the line voice communication doesn’t, so you can still make calls whilst on the network.
Can transmits data up to 10 mbps.
Is increasing with popularity.
You will need a splitter for telephone wall jacks, to use your phone in the same jack.
If you have multiple lines in your house, all computers must be connected on the same line (same number).
Wireless connections.
No wires to trip over.
A very popular choice.
Best used on Windows XP, so would be best option to have all PC running XP.
Requires network adaptor that can receive and send wirelessly.
Frequency can travel roughly 150 feet, passing through ceilings, walls and floors.

To Learn More about the different types of Home networks visit http://www.how-to-network-computers.com where you can find this and much more, including Internet connection sharing and firewalls

Activating Windows XP

2009-01-27T12:59:00.001-08:00

After you install Windows XP, you'll be asked to activate and register the software. Though activating and registering sound similar, these are actually two different steps that provide different benefits.
Activation is the process that unlocks Windows XP. This process helps ensure your software is genuine, which in turn helps protect you from inadvertently installing counterfeit software. If you were not able to activate Windows XP during the setup process, you should activate it as soon as possible after setup is complete. After 30 days, Microsoft will require you to activate Windows XP before allowing you to log on and use it. After you activate Windows XP, you can validate the operating system, which will grant you access to hundreds of free downloads.
Registration is optional and provides Microsoft with your contact information so that they can notify you of important updates and offers.
To activate and register Windows XP after you've completed setup

1. Connect your computer to the Internet.
2. Click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Activate Windows.
3. On the Let's activate Windows page, click Yes. Then, click Next.
4. On the Register with Microsoft? page, click Yes. Then, click Next.
5. On the Collecting registration data page, complete the form. Then, click Next.
6. The Activate Windows Wizard then connects to the Internet to activate and register your copy of Windows. On the Thank You! page, click OK.
Now your copy of Windows XP is activated and registered.

Antivirus 2009: How to Remove Fake AV Software

2009-01-27T12:47:00.001-08:00

A new threat that comes under the guise of a genuine antivirus program has become increasingly prevalent over the past year. Offering to locate and remove malware from your PC, this rogue will actually install a Trojan on your unsuspecting system. The process is usually initiated when you click a link for what you believe is valid security software or its vendor's site.
Such adverts are not only a nuisance when browsing online -- fake ads appear on reputable sites that make use of third-party advertising -- but they are designed to rip off consumers by tempting them to pay for a worthless program. Worse still, these rogue applications infect your PC with a problem they claim can only be 'fixed' by purchasing extra software.
If a fake antimalware app is installed on your PC, you will begin to receive fairly persistent warning messages that your system has been infected and be advised to visit a particular site and pay for the necessary protection. You'll be told that you have a trial version of the software installed and need to upgrade to remove all threats.
Such has been the success of these scams that several of the fake programs have become infamous. WinAntiSpyware, Antivirus 2008 (recently updated to 2009), Antispyware Pro XP and AntiVirus Lab 2009 are all suspect -- and no doubt others will soon emulate them.
With similar tactics having been previously used to perpetrate fraud such as phishing, the scammers have latched on to a very effective way to play on people's existing security fears.
Should one break through your defences, we'll show you how to remove it from your system.
1. The exact method for removing fake antivirus software will differ depending on the particular variety you've been blessed with. We've concentrated on Antivirus 2009. If it sounds familiar, you've probably endured fake warning alerts, increased pop-ups and the hijacking of your home page.
2. Such programs can be difficult to uninstall, and you may need to use a dedicated application such as ParetoLogic's XoftSpySE. In general, you will find that using antispyware software is simpler, although it can't be guaranteed to work in every instance.
3. Uninstall Antivirus 2009 using the Add/Remove Programs utility in the Control Panel, then restart your PC in Safe mode. Launch your antispyware application and allow it to scan system files and folders and remove any suspect applications. Now boot up your PC as normal.
4. If antispyware software doesn't get rid of the fake program, you'll need to remove it manually. Be sure to back up any important files first. Next, press Ctrl, Alt, Del to bring up the Task Manager. Click Image Name and select Antivirus 2009, then choose End Process to stop it running.
5. Go to Start, Run. Type regedit to start the Registry Editor, where you will delete the entries for WinAntiVirus. Browse to the Hkey_Local_Machine\Software folder from the My Computer folder and delete the series of Registry entries that are described on this PC Advisor forum thread.
6. The same thread lists a number of spyware files that will need to be manually deleted from your Windows folder, but note that you may need to stop the file processes in the Task Manager before you can delete them. As before, make sure you back up your system before you start.

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