Portal PC & Gaming

PS3 Hardware and Compatibility Information (In Work)

2012-07-07T15:56:00.000-07:00

Alright I have been seeing a number of issues regarding the region of the console/hardware information as well as region coding information for the discs. Generally Blu-Ray is regionless therefore it should work on any console though the trouble comes when you try to get DLC content off of the PSN Store.

This first table here is going to explain how to identify your consoles model number and then some of the specs for the console which can also be useful when purchasing a console:

Model number	Release date^[8]	Model	Regions	CPU	GPU	Power Supply
CECHAxx	Nov 2006	60 GB	00 01 06 07 12 (JP, NA)	90nm	90nm	380W
CECHBxx	Nov 2006	20 GB	00 01 07 12 (JP, NA)	90nm	90nm	380W
CECHCxx	Mar 2007	60 GB	02 03 04 08 (EU/PAL)	90nm	90nm	380W
CECHDxx	unreleased	20 GB	(EU/PAL)	90nm	380W
CECHExx	Aug 2007	80 GB	01 05 06 11 12 (NA)	90nm	90nm	380W
CECHFxx	unreleased	80 GB	(NA)
CECHGxx	Oct 2007	40 GB	01 04 05 06 07 08 11 12 (NA, EU/PAL)	65nm	65nm	280W
CECHHxx	Oct 2007	40 GB	00 01 04 05 06 07 08 11 12 (JP, NA, EU/PAL)	65nm	65nm	280W
CECHIxx	unreleased	40 GB^[a]		65nm	65nm	280W
CECHJxx	Aug 2008	40 GB^[b]	00 02 03 04 (JP, EU/PAL)	65nm	65nm	280W
CECHKxx	Aug 2008	80 GB	01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 11 12 (NA, EU/PAL)	65nm	65nm	280W
CECHLxx	Oct 2008	80 GB^[c]	00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 11 12 (JP, NA, EU/PAL)	65nm	65nm	280W
CECHMxx	Oct 2008	80 GB	03 (UK)	65nm	65nm	280W
CECHNxx	unreleased	80 GB		65nm	65nm	280W
CECHOxx	unreleased	80 GB		65nm	65nm	280W
CECHPxx	Oct 2008	160 GB	00 01 04 05 06 07 12 (JP, NA, EU/PAL)	65nm	65nm	280W
CECHQxx	Apr 2009	160 GB	00 (JP)	65nm	65nm	280W
CECH-20xxA	Sep 2009	120 GB	00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 11 12 (JP, NA, EU/PAL)	45nm	45nm	250W
CECH-20xxB	Oct 2009	250 GB	00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 11 12 (JP, NA, EU/PAL)	45nm	45nm	250W
CECH-21xxA	Mar 2010	120 GB	00 01 03 04 05 07 12 (JP, NA, EU/PAL)	45nm	45nm	250W
CECH-21xxB	Mar 2010	250 GB	00 01 03 04 05 07 12 (JP, NA, EU/PAL)	45nm	45nm	250W
CECH-25xxA^[d]	July 2010	160 GB	00 01 02 04 05 06 07 08 12 (JP, NA, EU/PAL)	45nm	45nm	230W
CECH-25xxB^[d]	July 2010	320 GB	00 01 02 04 05 06 07 08 12 (JP, NA, EU/PAL)	45nm	45nm	230W
CECH-30xxA	July 2011	160 GB	00 01 02 04 05 06 07 08 12 (JP, NA, EU/PAL)	45nm	45nm	230W/200W
CECH-30xxB	July 2011	320 GB	00 01 02 04 05 06 07 08 12 (JP, NA, EU/PAL)	45nm	45nm	230W/200W

Alright to add on to this previous table is one that explains what the "xx' could be replaced by and what the numeric code represents:

Code (Suffix)	Region	First Release Date	First Model Released	SDTV Region	Blu-ray Region	DVD Region	PS2 Region	PS1 Region
00	Japan	Nov 11, 2006	CECHA00	NTSC	A	2 NTSC	NTSC-J	NTSC-J
01	North America	Nov 17, 2006	CECHA01	NTSC	A	1 NTSC	NTSC-U/C	NTSC-US
02	Australia / New Zealand	Mar 23/23, 2007	CECHC02	PAL	B	4 PAL	PAL	PAL
03	U.K. / Ireland	Mar 23, 2007	CECHC03	PAL	B	2 PAL	PAL	PAL
04	Europe / Middle East / Africa	Mar 23/22/23, 2007	CECHC04	PAL	B	2 PAL	PAL	PAL
05	South Korea	Jun 16, 2007	CECHE05	NTSC	A	3 NTSC	NTSC-J	NTSC-J
06	Singapore / Malaysia	Mar 07, 2007	CECHA06	NTSC	A	3 NTSC	NTSC-J	NTSC-J
07	Taiwan	Nov 17, 2006	CECHA07	NTSC	A	3 NTSC	NTSC-J	NTSC-J
08	Russia / India	Apr 20/27, 2007	CECHC08	PAL	C	5 NTSC/PAL	PAL	PAL
09	China			PAL	C	6 NTSC/PAL	NTSC-C	NTSC-J
10
11	Mexico	Aug 27, 2007	CECHE11	NTSC	A	4 NTSC	NTSC-U/C	NTSC-US
12	Hong Kong	Nov 17, 2006	CECHA12	NTSC	A	3 NTSC/PAL	NTSC-J	NTSC-J

Lastly on the binding of the game is a code that is supposed to signify the region that the game is made and meant for:

Prefix	Description
BCAS	First Party, Asia
BCJS	First Party, Japan
BLAS	Third Party, Asia
BLJM	Third Party, Japan
BLJS	Third Party, Japan
BCUS	First Party, US
BLUS	Third Party, US
BCES	First Party, Europe
BLES	Third Party, Europe

Spec Ops Rank Reset in Modern Warfare 3(MW3)

2012-06-26T13:29:00.001-07:00

1Due to one of the latest patches and DLC releases for the Modern Warfare 3 game on the XBox there has been an issue with players Spec Op ranks being reset. I have done a little bit of research and I believe that I do have a couple of fixes for these issues. Please let me know if they work or if they may need a tweak but this has worked for me at least

1.) The first possible correction is uninstall the game from the hard drive, then clear the system cache, then make sure the DLC works, and then re-install the game to the hard drive. Once it re-installs check to see if the spec ops data has come back and the DLC still works.

2.) The other possible correction is uninstall the game from the hard drive, then go on the hard drive and completely delete all the dlc, then clear out the system cache, restart the console and then leaving the game uninstalled from the hdd go to the store and download all the dlc again from the store, then check spec ops and see if the data has come back.

Verifying the Integrity of the Game Cache in Steam

2012-06-21T14:29:00.001-07:00

Many times for Steam games you will get some error messages or minor performance problems that can be caused by corrupt files for the game on the computer or they could just be missing all together. To ensure that all of these files are correct, not corrupt and actually on your computer you can verify the Integrity of the Game Cache in Steam. Next thing even close to this to ensure it is not the Files for the game is a complete uninstall reinstall of the game. This function is rather similar to most repair utilities that other games can have. In order to perform this you need to:

Open the Steam Client
Under Library right Click on the game you want to perform this function on
In the contextual menu select properties
Once the properties window opens Select the Local Files Tab
Under the Local Files tab you are going to want to Select the button that states "Verify the Integrity of the Game Cache
After this the Steam Client will go through all the files for the selected game and ensure that they are all there and correct/Not Corrupt. Once the verification is complete it will state how many files were downloaded/replaced

Deleting and Recovering your Gamertag on the XBox

2012-06-12T15:26:00.001-07:00

Sometimes player data can become corrupted on the console, information doesn't show up for your Account or for some reason it may be causing in an in-game issue such as connectivity to an online game stating the servers are down. Maybe your Gamertag is being signed out mysteriously for no reason while you are playing a game or prior to you jumping in an online game. Maybe you just simply want the Gamertag on another console. This is one troubleshooting method that can be used to Eliminate the player profile itself from causing the issue.
Starting off I will explain how to delete the Gamertag from the XBox 360 console.

Deleting your gamertag:

Go to Settings, and then select System.
Select Storage.
Select All Devices.
Select Gamer Profiles.
Select the gamertag that you want to delete.
Select Delete.
Select one of the following:

Select Delete Profile Only. This deletes the profile but leaves saved games and achievements.
Select Delete Profile and Items to delete the profile and the associated saved games and achievements.

To Recover your profile on the console afterwards or on a different console:

Press the Xbox Guide button on your controller (large X button in the center of your controller).
Select Download Profile.

Note

Download Profile

Enter the Windows Live ID associated with your Xbox LIVE gamertag. If you don’t know your Windows Live ID or password, see Manage your Windows Live ID.
Now, enter your Windows Live ID password. Note If your account is an Xbox LIVE child account, the parent’s Windows Live ID information is required to download the profile.
Select the storage device for your profile (for example, Hard Drive).

Restoring Default Settings for the PS3

2012-06-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

I know that sometimes there are many issues that can not be fixed through basic troubleshooting methods on the console and sometimes settings can play a role in some of these issues. To be honest it depends on the game and the problem. I have seen this fix many Internet connection issues or issues with the console freezing, improper display, PSN Store download issues and what not this method is rather simple and I have found that not many people know about this. Basically the steps are:

Turn on the console (If you can not see the XMB or there are issues with it hold the power button down for 5 seconds until you hear three beeps)
Once you are able to get to the menu scroll to the left where the settings section is
Select System Settings
Scroll down and select Restore Default Settings
Once you do this the system will restart and ask you to connect the controller and hit the PS Button
Follow the rest of the steps the console gives you and you will be all set

This can usually be a quick fix if you don't want to go through all the menu options and play with them for hours

MW3 Files different from server error

2012-05-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

Alright as many of you may already know if you are playing MW3 on the Pc and recently purchased the DLC there are some errors going around that say "Files different from server" this is due to an update server with the MW3 PC servers. I have found a fix regarding this and this should help solve any issues.

Select My computer
Select the hard drive the game is on
Select Program Files
Then Slect the Steam Folder
From here move the Userdata folder to the desktop
Then have the customer go to the steam client
Right click the MW3 Multiplayer .exe and select properties
Select the Local Files Tab
Then select the Verify Integrity of Game Cache option

After it completes ensure that the Userdata folder has repopulated and then have them try to recreate the error

Fixing Elite APP issues for the PS3

2012-05-12T18:23:00.001-07:00

1) 1st, set everything back to default then delete the Elite app and delete the cache on your console then re-download the app. For deleting the app; go to system settings, click on storage, click on hard-drive, highlight the Elite app and press the Y button and delete. For deleting the cache, go to system settings, click on storage, highlight hard-drive, press the Y button and then delete cache

2) After doing this re-download the app from the marketplace. Go into the MW3 game, do the update for it, and then go to the multi-player and click on the Elite tab. Let me know what it says then.

3) Then please shut off the console and now to your PC part. When you do this 1st delete your browser history, then log into Elite unlink console log out, then log back in and re-link your console...please in that order ok. On the top right you should see my account tab, click that and then click on my profile tab, from there, scroll down and look for the console link tabs. Click on the green checked one for your console to unlink and then log out, log back in, go to that page, and re-link your console and that step should be done.

4) Now what we did is reset and have forced the site to double check itself on both ends. This can take up to 24 hours to re-sync everything but you should get those entitlements soon. Go back to the console and check your barracks. If after a day this doesn't go through please contact us back thank you.

5) If this doesn't work or if you don't have any custom classes or anything else please just e-mail me back and I will update your issue. Follow the steps below for how to do that.

How to clear the Game Utility data on the PS3 (Part 2)

2012-04-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

Alright so here is the second video of my tutorial series on how to fix issues with games on your PS3. Just did this one today so let me know what you think and if it helped.

Video Tutorial Part 1

2012-04-10T05:39:00.001-07:00

Alright I am podsting this video in response to multiple comments I have received here on the site asking for videos on how to do some of these things. Yesterday I sat down and recorded the first part to this tutorial which will include where basic troubleshooting stuff is located and what it is used for. As well as some basic information on the Modern Warfare 3 game or the Elite service. I will be recording part 2 to this video today and I should be posting it either today or tomorrow. Let me know what you think of the video and if there is anything

I can not connect to Multiplayer.....

2012-04-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

Alright I have recently went over some of the comments that were left for me on the Blog and this is the first one that I decided to try and address. I will try to make this as simple as possible.

Q: I cannot connect to multiplayer on MW3 i was able to until a few days ago now when I try to get a match i just get disconnected from the internet how do i fix this?

A: Alright, so networking/internet issues are very difficult to gauge and troubleshoot unless you are actually there. Though there are a couple of common things that I suggest can be done before contacting a Network Technician.

First thing you can do and this is probably going to be the most simple to do and that is to reset your router and/or modem. Usually my suggestion is to remove the power supply for a full 30secs before trying to restart the devices. This will clear the devices memory and any corruptions that might be caught up in there.
Alright so if you performed that step and nothing improved with your connection then the next thing you are going to want to do is determine if the console or computer is on Wireless. If it is on a wireless network. Try to plug the computer/console directly into the modem/router. Some times Wireless networks have data packet loss which can cause a poor connection.
So you tried the top two steps out and it still isn't working. The next thing to do is verify that none of the files on the console are causing this to happen. Each console will save temporary game files, videos and updates to the Game Utiliy Data of the System cache please select the link to view the article.http://portalpcgaming.blogspot.com/2011/12/checking-to-see-if-issue-is-due-to.html . For PC you are going to want to Verify the Integrity of the Game Cache in the Steam Client
Alright so if you have determined that it isn't the files on the console or computer aren't causing your network issue then the next thing you are going to want to try is to Forward the required ports for the game or set your console in a DMZ status. This is all explained in the following article portalpcgaming.blogspot.com/2011/12/port-forwarding-for-video-games.html
If all of this fails there could be possibly be something wrong on the games end. Maybe there is a server malfunction on their side. Call their customer support or visit their website for detailed information. A customer support agent may be able to provide you with additional information or steps you can take to fix the issue.
If everything is all good on the games end it is possible you may have another issue such as router/modem problem. There could be improper settings on those devices or the console/computer or programs or files that are not up to date.

What issues are you having?

2012-03-18T19:49:00.001-07:00

Alright I have been seeing a decline in some of the trending issues that I have been keeping track of lately. I haven't seen too many new problems that are terribly difficult to fix popping up. So I thought to myself well where would be a good idea to pull some new fixes from. You guys! Of course. I have been receiving an increased amount of emails regarding comments people have been posting on the site. So what i want to do is give you the opportunity to let me know what problems you are having and I will respond with a full post including a text, pictures or videos on how to fix it.

Clearing the PS3 Cache and Cookies

2012-02-23T19:06:00.001-08:00

Alright so I know more and more games as well as companies are starting to create console apps for the consoles and sometimes there can be issues with this as those consoles weren't exactly made to browse the internet as their primary function. Thus the console if not kept up to date and up to current standards may not have the correct files and programs to run all sites. One thing that can cure alot of the problems with the console apps is directly clearing the cache and cookies on the console. Unfortunately you are only able to do this on the PS3.
Here are the instructions:

-In the Playstation Cross Media Bar Menu, select "Network"

-Scroll down and select "Internet Browser" and press X

-Press the triangle button

-Highlight "Tools" and press Right on the analog stick or directional pad.

-Scroll down and highlight "Delete Cookies"

-Press X and select Yes.

Successfully denying access to a program for Youtube

2012-02-23T18:16:00.000-08:00

It seems more and more games are using Youtube as a method to try to show game play videos and allow players to earn fame by posting their videos to Youtube. Sometimes these sites and programs require special access to Youtube in order to properly post videos and manage them. I have often seen people receiving errors while trying to unlink their Youtube account from these sites/programs and vice versa. Many times users try to sever this link using the sites/programs but the change is never reflected on Youtubes site. So I have decided to provide you guys with a way to sever the access of the site from the Youtube side.

Here are those instructions:
1. Log into Youtube.com

2. Left click on your username in the upper right corner

3. Left click "Settings"

4. Left click "Manage Account" from the menu on the left

5. Left click on "here" ("here" is the actual link) in the "Authorized Sites" section

6. Left click [ Revoke Access] to the right of the bullet-point where “callofduty.com – YouTube” is

Petition: Why should XBox360 be so special?

2012-02-12T09:04:00.000-08:00

As I am sure many of you know the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Elite service has recently released its first DLC pack. Though to many peoples disappointment it was only released for the XBox360 Elite members. Why might this be you ask? Well it seems as if Activision and Infiinity Ward signed a special agreement with Microsoft. Some of you XBox users might be saying that you pay extra for the Live service annually. My response to that is too bad. Choose your console choose your fate. There should be no reason why one console should get the DLC content before the other especially when people are paying an extra fifty dollars to get the monthly DLC. Not to mention this DLC pack was promised to everyone in January and XBox got the content within a week of February. Now don't get me wrong I am not trying to bash XBox users. I love the console and think it is great. Though like I said you made certain choices when you purchased the console. More specifically you chose to pay in order to play online. There is no reason why PS3 users should have to take the fall for Microsofts follies especially when you paid the extra money to get it earlier. I have also recently heard some rumors floating around that non-elite XBox members may be able to get the DLC before Elite PS3 members. So what I am asking the gaming community to do today is voice their opinion on this matter by signing this petition by leaving a comment with your gamertag and how you feel about this. Let's try to prevent this from happening to future Call of Duty content and more importantly to keep this from happening within other games.

Ports for Star Wars: The Old Republic

2011-12-29T13:31:00.000-08:00

Alright I know a couple weeks ago I posted some ports for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Recently I stumbled upon people having issues with Star Wars: The Old Republic and I wanted to post the ports for the game so that everyone has access to them.

Ports for Star Wars: the Old Republic:

PC
Ports: 8995,12000-12999,20000-30000

Also I would like to go ahead and list this port checking tool all courtesy of PortForward.com PORT CHECKER.

PC and Laptop Optimization tips

2011-12-20T09:18:00.001-08:00

Working with Computers through out most of my career as well as performing a lot of IT functions I started to realize that a lot of people have issues either optimizing their computer or maintaining the current level that their computer is at. So what I am going to do is list some tips to get better performance out of your computer. These are suggestions and depending on your case these may or may not work.

- First off if you purchased your computer through a retailer or a online store then there is going to be a lot of useless programs and services on your computer. So what the first thing your going to do is clear all of those programs off of there unless it is used to control something like a DVD player or a webcam. These useless programs duplicate most existent ways to do things in Windows such as updates and change functions/options. This will then clean up a lot of what is running in the background and free up some RAM/Hard drive space

- The second thing you are going to probably want to do is get yourself a simple and easy to use Anti-Virus software for your computer. Personally I use the free version of Avast! It is a quick download, with a simple setup and is easy to maintain. I set my basic scans for daily and the advanced/longer scans for once a month. As well if it finds a infected file then it will quarantine it to the sandbox so you can still access it without risk.

- The next thing i would do for optimization should only be done if you know what you are doing. This and everything else is DO AT YOUR OWN RISK. So what I do to all my computer after I complete these first two steps is go to Run > type MSCONFIG and this will allow you to select what programs and services will boot up with your computer. This will allow your computer to start up more quickly and efficently thus helping free more of your RAM up.

- This next step will depend on the last time you have done this if you have done it at all that is. So what you are going to want to do next is do a disk defrag. This is something you may want to do often such as once a month or leave more time and do it once a year. This really depends how often information is be written and removed from your hard disk. What this should do is re arrange all the file fragments in such a way where it is easier and faster for the hard drive to access.

- As a helpful hint many people may want to look into is investing in an external hard drive. This allows you to save the file from your computer to this device putting all your information into a portable content. This also allows you to not use hard drive space maintaining speed and efficency.

- The last thing I normally do is go through my computer immediately after doing the previous steps and doing all necessary updates. The major programs you will normally will want to update is Adobe Flash, Shockwave, Reader and AIR. As well as your Java client. All of these programs play into a large portion of your web browsing abilities. It allows for more access to media and webpages. The other program you will want to update is the Operating System. There could be many updates but after taking these steps it should take less than an hour for these updates on most computers.

Basically this is more or less a guide on optimization and increasing the performance of the computer you are using to get better results. As with everything else on this site these are things that you do at your own risk. You should know what you are doing or have the proper people around during this to ensure no important settings or files are tampered with. If you have any suggestions or any thing you would like added to this blog please feel free to leave a comment.

Ports for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

2011-12-18T20:21:00.000-08:00

Alright so I know not too long back I posted about port forwarding and I got a lot of response to it about what the ports were for CoD:MW3. It seems that there are a lot of network issues with the game at the moment.
For PS3:
81, 3074, 3075, 3478, 3479(UDP) Voice:3658
80, 443, 3074, 5223 (TCP).

For XBox360:
3074 (UDP/TCP).

Additionally Xbox Live requires ports 80, 53 (TCP) and 88, 53 (UDP).

For PC:
MW3
UDP:1500, 3005, 3101, 28960
TCP: 27015 (SRCDS Rcon port)

STEAM
UDP: 27000-27015, 27015-27030
TCP: 27014-27050

PLEASE SUPPORT CLICK AD v

Checking to see if an issue is due to the console or a game update.

2011-12-18T11:26:00.000-08:00

Ever get those glitches where no matter what you do they just won't go away no matter what you do. Then your so aggravated you can't figure out what to do. This technique is relatively simple and easy to do. First what you are going to want to do is delete your game cache if your on XBox360 by going to settings > storage and then highlight the hard drive and the message press Y to clear game cache. If your using the PS3 what your going to want to do is go to the Game section on the XMB then scroll up to where it says Game Utility Data. This area stores the updates and installed data from the game your saved games are located in another menu section labelled Saved Game Data. What your going to want to do is Delete all the data for that game in that Game Utility Data using the triangle button. After you do this step on your consoles your going to want to make sure you are disconnected from the wireless completely or pull the network cable out. This is going to ensure that your system won't download and install the updates for the game. Your game will start up using the initial launch version. At this point go ahead and see if you experience the same issue. If you don't have the same issue the issue was an issue with the corrupt data saved on the console. If after this you re-connect your console to your network re-download the patch and experience the same issue than the issue is with the patch. Now if when the game starts up using the initial launch version and you still are having the issue then there could be a defect with the disc or it could be an issue that hasn't been patched yet. At that point the only thing you can do is alert technical support of the issue so that they can attempt to create a patch. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions please feel free to leave a comment below and I will get back to you.

HELP WANTED: Looking for Writers and Web Designers

2011-12-17T10:35:00.000-08:00

We are currently looking to expand and therefore we are looking for more people. We are only looking on filling two positions at the moment one for a writer and the other is for a Web designing position.
For the writing position I am not looking for anything crazy. I just would like to have someone help me manage some of the articles so that we can possibly write more. The right person needs to be tech savvy. Some one who is a quicker learner is a bonus as well. I would appreciate at least one sample on a relevant topic.
For the web designing position what I am mainly looking for is someone moderately skilled in HTML and would be willing to educate himself further. We are looking to try and currently get a site going at the moment as well as possibly forums but this is all TBD and I am looking to get some prototypes going. Creativity is a plus as well as having a sample piece. For more information please leave a comment with your e-mail and which position you would like to fill

Game Cache and Game Utility Data

2011-12-16T06:14:00.000-08:00

So you turn your console on and the game crashes, skips, the audio sounds or the video skips/doesn't render properly. It is very frustrating I know but we can't call up technical support and yell at them because lets be honest many of these issues we can really solve these ourselves. I think every gamer knows deep down inside you should have a somewhat in-depth knowledge of how it works and how to perform simple repairs on their gaming system or PC. So back to the problem sometimes this really isn't even caused by your game. Well what else would cause it then? Sometimes your Gaming console installs information to your hard drive of your gaming console and during the transfer sometimes that data becomes corrupt. Another thing is that your patches are stored in the Game cache(XBox)/ Game Utility Data (PS3) sometimes if during the download those files become corrupt or stop working for another reason. If there is a patch their that is for the specific issue and it isn't working or has become corrupt that is your problem. Don't worry this isn't a hard fix at all. For XBox if you go to system > storage and then hover over your hard drive and then it should say at the bottom of the screen it will say press Y to clear the game cache. WARNING this will clear all updates from the hard drive as well. It will not delete your saved games which is stored under a completely different section. For PS3 on the XMB if you go to where the games are and then go up to where it says Game Utility Data and then hit triangle and there should be an option that says delete. WARNING this will clear the updates for that game as any quick load information and the system will have to re-patch the game and reinstall this data fresh. IF you have any questions, concerns or suggestions for this topic feel free to leave a comment down below.

I thought you guys might enjoy this indie Mario trailer

2011-12-15T23:29:00.000-08:00

Nothing can ever really take the spot of the original 1993 Super Mario Brothers movie. Yes it was corny, old school and comical but most people i talk to have some sort of place in their heart for that movie. Though after searching on the web today i had come across a trailer that was created and shown at SXSW (South by South West) college festivals. What might you ask would this video be? Well it's a short 2-3 minute trailer of a complete revamp and re imagination of the Super Mario Brothers. It takes the Mario Brothers and puts them modern day in a real life drama. I have searched and not been able to find anything out about the rest of the movie. So if anybody knows anything please speak up and comment. Check down below for the video:

Avast anti-virus software

2011-12-15T23:16:00.000-08:00

So over the years there have really only been two well known Anti-Virus companies McAfee and Norton. I have used these multiple times and I would like to say they are anything but helpful or user friendly. Most are not designed with their target group in mind which kind of alienates the less tech savy. Meaning they avoid trying to use it which can only amplify an already horrible situation because they avoid trying to use it because they don't know how to. There messages and reminders to renew are harassing as comes the price tag with it as well.I can say that there is one company out there who probably doesn't get as much mainstream credit as they deserve. Who might this company be you ponder? Well Avast of course!! Avast provides a variety of protections at cheap affordable prices. 3 PC coverage for there full internet security package for only 29.99. That's ten dollars a computer what do you pay for Norton 39.99. Not to mention that most basic internet user probably could easily do with their free version which offers considerable coverage to the other two companies password protection right now is only 9.99. It pretty much operates itself with little input as how frequent to do scans but if you do have to use it is a simple interface that is easy to operate as well as has the advanced options for the users who choose to use it. I use the free version right now and the scans are quick and thorough and there message and reminders are polite and friendly. Not to mention in works very well with games and has a game mode so it won't interfere You can easily check the program out by going to http://www.avast.com. they have a chart of all their cover and the prices. If you have any questions, suggestions or comments please leave me a comment

DirectX Diagnostic

2011-12-15T17:14:00.000-08:00

So what is the one thing that most games use now of days and you probably don't even know it. Tha t program would be DirectX. What is DirectX and what does it do you might ask? Well DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces (API's) that are mainly used in handling multimedia tasks mainly gaming and video services use this. Sometimes these games don't render properly or display funny or you'll get a video with no picture but sound. Most Game or application technical support will want to see what your system has as far as hardware. You can also test Direct3D, Direct Draw, as well as sound settings and more. Once your done you can save the info to a .txt file and e-mail to the technical support agent. The agent will then be able to take it and go through it to find a possible solution or they will pass it to the proper people. This also a great tool for troubleshooting media and game issues as well. If you have any questions or would like to see something added please post a comment or contact me by email.

Internet browser troubleshooting and fixes

2011-12-15T14:48:00.000-08:00

So many times when your surfing the web you run into errors. Many of these errors are caused by your cache, cookies and other browser pertinent information that helps you surf the web. Let's start witha very basic explanation on what the cookies and cache are. Basically what happens is that everytime you go to a website your browser will save specific portions of that site to your computer as your cache and cookies. This allows your computer/browser to quickly go to the site and load the page. So what happens is that errors sometimes get saved to those files and when those files are loaded the errors are as well and it will seem as if the website/server is displaying this error when truly nothing is wrong. The first thing that you can do to ensure this doesn't continuously happen. On all browser is a way to clear your cache and cookies. For IE8 it is located under Tools > Internet Options. For firefox it is under Tools > Clear Browsing History. At this point the only files you need only to concern yourself with deleting Cookies, Cache and Temporary Internet Files(IE8 Cache). Then the other thing you can do depending on what troubleshooting steps you would like to take is to enter private browsing via the Tools menu in most browsers. Private browsing allows you to surf the web without the browser saving to your cache and cookies thus not allowing errors to be saved to those files. Some other things you can try for other similar browsing issues is ensuring that your Adobe programs are up to date (i.e. Flash, Reader, Shockwave and AIR) as well as ensuring that your Java Client is up to date. Those programs control whether certain things are displayed on the webpage (i.e. Pictures, Video, Applets). If you have any questions about anything not contained in this article feel free to leave a comment or send me an E-mail and I will update this article accordingly.

Port Forwarding for Video Games

2011-12-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

So as many of you online console gamers might be starting to notice the requirements and demands of your home network and Internet Service Provider to play these games has become higher than ever before. Due to this many gamers experience problems with lots of lag and frequent disconnects from game servers. What many people don't realize is that their router could have many different security features that either limit this flow of data or completely halt the process. There are two options that gamers have to either alleviate or eliminate these problems all together and they are called port forwarding and DMZ. First, let us start with what a port is. A port is basically in essence a door on the router that controls the flow of information from the internet into your network. What port forwarding does is open those doors completely to your gaming console after you have assigned it a static IP address. At this point you might be saying to yourself that this sounds awfully complicated. If you are not as network savy and knowledgeable there are two things you can do. The first being accessing the website www.portforward.com. This site gives an in-depth step by step guide for each router and each game. For those who want the port numbers directly click the link link They also feature a free tool to check your ports afterwards o make sure they are functioning correctly. The second thing you can do is contact your Internet Service Provider and they can open those ports for you as well. Forwarding ports is relatively easy to pick up and learn and can be used for a variety of situations not just gaming. The second option that I spoke about was called DMZ. What DMZ stands for is Demilitarized Zone. Basically what that means is when you engage this option on your router for your gaming console again with a static IP address it will place your console directly outside of the router. Warning! This should only be done with gaming consoles as this can expose a huge security risk for PC's and laptops. This should only be used as a last resort if all else fails. This as well can also be found on www.portforward.com.
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