TechJournal.Info

How to add an image to the new products module - Oscommerce 2.3.1

2011-10-16T11:25:00.000+01:00

Adding a new products sticker image to oscommerce is easy and give shoppers some eye candy. This is just a short tutorial with some copy and paste code to further improve your stores design.

This is meant for oscommerce 2.3 but should work just as well on oscommerce 2.2

First rght-lick and save the image below:

2 files need to be edited for this to work:

stylesheet.css

includes/modules/new_products.php

Step 1: Open catalog/stylesheet.css and paste this to the bottom:

.bung-new {
float: right;
position:relative;
width:46px;
height:46px;
right:3px;
top:3px;
background:url('images/bung-new.gif') 0px 0px no-repeat transparent;}

Step 2: Find code which looks like and paste once (you may have to play around with placement):

$new_prods_content .= '<td width="33%" valign="top">

After add:

Step 3: Copy the "new product" image above to your catalog/images folder.

Now test in your browser and if all is well, then you should have an output like the below screenshot!

HTC Sensation - Carphone Warehouse woes!

2011-09-12T12:17:00.000+01:00

As my previous posts suggest I bought a HTC Sensation, a supposedly flagship phone which I had to send back due to faults, back to mobiles.co.uk whom sent me out a replacement. The replacement phone also developed the same issues but also developed another fault where the power button will not function but the phone works as such.

As it ran out of the 28 day warranty supplied by mobiles.co.uk by 2 days, I had to take the second handset to the Carphone Warehouse who sent it off for evaluation, they say it is liquid damaged! The phone has not been near any water or any liquid so I am furious they refuse to repair my phone which I have had nothing but problems with, what a complete waste of time and money!

The two customer service guys at the local branch both had the HTC sensation too and both admitted they had sent theirs back due to issues too!

Although the specs of this phone are really good, the phone seems to be in it's infancy and if I was going to purchase another I would maybe wait for a later revision. There are many, many people suffering with the HTC Sensation that have the same faults mine both had.

I also find the customer support at the Carphone Warehouse atrocious. The local branches never ever seem to answer the phone. Why not try the Torquay branch of the Carphone Warehouse and see if you can get through?

Has your HTC Sensation started to creak?

2011-08-06T13:23:00.000+01:00

I recently bought a HTC Sensation from Mobiles.co.uk which is actually part of the Carphone Warehouse group and I had to send it back due to the right hand side of the screen had started to make a creaking sound when pressed after only a few days.

I also noticed the touchscreen became unresponsive at times and the graphics had artifacts when playing some 3D games and would mostly crash.

I sent it back and recieved another one after only a few days, and the same creaking noise has started to appear again, it almost makes it feel that the screen is loose and has come away from the LCD unit. But I think this particular problem maybe actually the casing becoming loose after a short time of use.

At first the phone seems to have rock solid build quality until this starts after only a few days!

Theres been reports that simply placing a thin peice of paper behind the battery can cure this. Is this a design fault?

Sigh. I will send this one back and see if a 3rd handset will have the same creaking fault.

HTC Sensation gets new Firmware update (version 1.35.401.1)

2011-07-07T19:09:00.001+01:00

I have no idea what this firmware version contains, but it is probably just minor bug fixes and patches to fix stability with the HTC Sensation Android based mobile phone.

HTC hasn’t announced the change log of fixes with this update. Going by user reports, the update is just incremental and the overall download of the update counts for is 26.86 MB.

The software or firmware update version stands at 1.35.401.1 and is downloaded directly to your handset as FOTA (firmware-over-the-air). You should automatically get a push notification of the availability of the update, just your internet connection needed to activate.

Before downloading this update, ensure that your have charged your battery to a level that ensures the phone is in a fully running condition during the update process. You won’t like to see your phone being switched off during the update process due to battery being drained.

This software update was leaked last week and is now being officially pushed out to unbranded HTC Sensation handsets across Europe. The small 26.9MB update file brings the Sensation’s software version to 1.35.401.1, but it looks to be little more than a collection of bug fixes and patches. This is not an update to unlock the phone’s bootloader, nor is it a bump up to Android 2.3.4 either.

The update dosen't take long to update, just 5 minutes or so to complete, I didnt lose any data either during the system upgrade, so all my messages and contacts are still intact.

How to make Tiger bread - My take on it.

2011-07-07T16:24:00.006+01:00

Well this is not a technology topic, everyone loves tiger bread but the secret to the ingredients used in tigerbread is still a mystery, using toasted sesame oil alone is not the same taste as the supermarket tiger bread.

After following various recipes from forums and some websites, none mentioned adding marmite which is yeast extract, as soon as I added this to the tiger paste topping, it instantly smelt and tasted like tiger bread, giving it that bitter, nutty taste and smell, but once cooked it wasnt the same but still tasted good.

Some bakers say that the added ingredient is malt extract powder which is probably correct as this is an ingredient list for just the tiger bread topping at Tesco's which is:
Vegetable Oil , vegetable fat, flour treatment agent ( ascorbic acid ), L-CYSTEINE, hydrochloride, stabeliser, Disodium, Disthosphate, Barley malt extract.

Let's face it, a home bread maker is not going to have those ingredients, so lets narrow it down to salt, sugar, water, oil, flour and barley malt extract and yeast... That should get you somewhere in the ballpark.

If your wondering why tiger bread has the cracked look, its because rice flour dosent contain gluten, so as the bread expands in the oven the 'tiger topping' cracks open, giving it that pattern. And although rice flour dosen't contain gluten, you may wonder why add yeast? Well it makes the tiger topping into a foamy/smooth light paste which helps it crack easily, I have tried making the topping without the yeast and it didnt crack open at all, so the yeast is needed in the tiger paste for the authentic look.

Tiger Loaf (Makes 1 loaf)

Bread

500g strong white bread flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp of yeast (or 1 7g sachet of fast-action yeast)
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
300ml warm water (1/3 freshly boiled, 2/3 cold water)

If you are NOT using fast-action yeast prepare yeast with the warm water & sugar and leave for 15 min to froth.

Tiger topping

1 1/2 tsp yeast
65ml warm water (you may need more)
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
60g rice flour

Optional addition (for my method)
Add around 1 tsp of marmite(yeast extract) to the tiger topping or as bakers recommend, try using malt extract powder from boots or holland and barret instead.

To make this whole process much easier, use an electric whisk and a large bowl.

1) Mix together flour, salt and fast-action yeast (if using).

2) Stir sesame oil into the warm water/sugar (and yeast is not using fast-action) mix. Pour the liquid slowly into the flour, stirring constantly until well combined.

3) Knead dough on a floured surface for 10 min. If using a mixer, use dough hook and knead for 2 min. Shape dough into a bowl, place in a lightly oiled bowl and leave to prove in a warm, draft-less place for 2 hours (or until dough has doubled in size).

4) Mix together tiger paste ingredients and leave for 15 min. You may need to add a bit more warm water to loosen the paste.

5) Preheat oven to 240oc. Flatten the risen dough with your hand then knead for a further 30 seconds on a floured surface. Roll out into a fat sausage shape and place onto a greased baking sheet. Coat the surface of the bread with the tiger paste and leave to prove for a further 30 min.

5) Cook bread for 10 min at 240oc then turn the oven down to 200oc. Cook bread for a further 10 min. If you tap the base of the bread and it sounds hollow the bread is cooked. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Remote File Inclusion Protection

2011-04-04T20:32:00.000+01:00

As described on wikipedia here Remote File Inclusion (RFI) is a type of vulnerability most often found on websites, it allows an attacker to include a remote file usually through a script on the web server. The vulnerability occurs due to the use of user supplied input without proper validation. This can lead to something as minimal as outputting the contents of the file, but depending on the severity, to list a few it can lead to:

Code execution on the web server
Code execution on the client-side such as Javascript which can lead to other attacks such as cross site scripting (XSS).
Denial of Service (DoS)
Data Theft/Manipulation

To protect yourself smply edit your .htaccess file and add the below rules to the bottom. (If the rewrite engine is already on, then comment out that line)

# RFI protection
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ^.*=(ht|f)tp\://.*$ [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [F,L]

I use the above code for wordpress and oscommerce installations.

How to: Hostgator - Index.php downloads instead of opening

2011-03-21T03:50:00.000Z

I recently had a problem installing oscommerce with hostgator, I was scratching my head for a while as I was a bit confused as to why I had multiple wordpress installations running fine but the oscommerce index.php kept downloading instead of opening!

I thought it must be a htaccess problem.. Even adding:

AddType x-mapp-php5 .php

Did not work, well after a 10 minute headache, it turned out I just needed to log into the hostgator cpanel, then goto PHP configuation and set PHP to PHP5.

How to promote an ecommerce website

2011-03-08T17:44:00.002Z

Took from an ecommerce platform I develop for, I thought I'd help out the few clients I have and write something they might find useful. I had already configured the eShops to generate google shopping feeds and sitemap generation automatically via cronjobs and set them up with webmaster accounts for Google, MSN and Yahoo too. The below guide is just the basic overall summary of advertising your website online.

Promoting your website.

As the website already has very good Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) technology in place making sure the site gets indexed correctly by various seach engines, It has functionality such as multi language search engine friendly URL's, duplicate content prevention by using 301 redirection and canonical meta tags, dynamic cached meta description and meta keyword tags pulled from the actual product names & descriptions. Automatic breadcrumb trails for search engines and sitemap generation for yahoo/msn & google etc.

Because of the above it is first very important on the website, each product when entered has:

A manufacturer name.
A product name with good grammar and keyword relevance of between 15 to 70 characters in length including if possible product_name-colour-finish-size-variants of name-etc.(This is particulary important for google shopping)
Descriptions should be written in good english with sentences packed with good keywords and variants relating to the product title/name for efficient use of the SEO technology.
Model number.
Images named with model number, product name, colour etc.

Now running an eShop isnt quite as simple as adding products and listing them on google etc, because the next step after entering your products on your website and submittting the google shopping feed should be that you should always use the google shopping channel as a price guideline to match your products price to the same price bracket as others as it's obvious that people buy from the cheapest source usually including postage, and other factors vary for instance if they think the website looks legit or not or how easy is it to checkout etc.

Once your happy with the products prices that are competitive to others online prices with reasonable postage costs, then google adwords is the way to go but costs money. The first step would to always be having ongoing offers on your website using the rotating banner functionality to promote your special deals, maybe even offer free shipping for the weekend or a "20% off all products this weekend!" style banner. Remember these banners should be in the same size ratio as the examples included in the banner manager.

Once the above is completed move on:

Of course Google Adwords and Yahoo PPC(Price per Click) are an excellent choice to start with as website traffic is instant but can be costly and needs constant monitoring because of this. If money is a problem, you can build SEO links and work hard on the various forms of article marketing.

All methods below are highly recommended to be used and are actually free.

1. Basic website submission, including sitemap submission to search engines such as Google, Yahoo & Bing. Each one of these sites has webmaster account functionality where you have the ability to submit sitemaps and manage your URL's.

2. Google Shopping Channel aka Google base

3. Forum Signature

4. Article Submission

5. Directory Submission

6. Press Release

7. Blog Commenting

8. If you sell items on eBay or craiglist add your website URL to each item sold in the signature with promotional text.

9. RSS Feed submission to RSS feed directories.

10. Use Facebook and create a business page, use Twitter etc to post and link to your site. Even create a viral ad and post it on youtube linking back to your site.

The trick of the trade is to have your website URL posted on as many high quality similar sites as possible for back linking purposes, this not only advertises your website but also gets you ranked higher on search engines. Link sharing or otherwise known as reciprocal links is not recommended unless they are high quality sources as they could be ripping off customers etc and another factor is linking to a spam site could harm your search engine ranking. However its fine to have your site URL posted on any website.

Write articles on your products & service you provide. Be an online expert. What makes your site so unique from the thousands of others in your chosen category? Is it your customized service? Your low prices? Your high quality? Don’t over promote your product, but concentrate on what will help others. It’s highly recommended you include at least two or three testimonials.
Write a press release and publish it for free to the top press release site like prweb.com, prfree.com and openpress.com . If you are ready to pay then paid submissions will get you more views, listings in the search engines in very less time and the access to post photos and keep track of your stats.

Other methods depending on what the business is would be:

1. Business cards with the website URL clearly visible

2. Leaflets and flyers, handed out and on the shop counter

3. Local Newspapers

4. Local Radio

5. Use a floor standing sign outside your shop with your website URL

6. Have your website URL on your main shop sign, even banner decorations inside and outside the shop too

7. Have the URL on any company vehicle or van, for example park your lorry/van in a busy place to get good business advertisement

8. Free classifieds. These can sometimes get you listed in the search engines, but don’t expect too much response from them.

http://www.adesignguy.co.uk/

Making money with Google Adsense! http://www.googleblogs.co.uk/

2010-10-04T22:33:00.002+01:00

I created a blog on how to make money from Google Adsense ages ago, it is pretty straight forward and has lots of useful information that guides you how to easily create a blog at very low cost (sometimes free!) which will actually make you money using automation.

It is also very useful for SEO and online marketing tactics and has valuable skills which you could introduce into any website, please visit http://www.googleblogs.co.uk/ for further information.

The adverts on this website are from the Google Adsense programme which is FREE to setup and use.

Cool Facebook Symbols and Shapes!

2010-10-04T22:07:00.000+01:00

Except basic facebook symbols that represents frequent used symbols and special characters and facebook symbols that is rare ones, there is also cool and funny shapes that have been made of all this symbols joined together and looks like these shapes.

Note that these symbols can be also used as part of mobile phone messages, not only as part of facebook. Use them wisely!

For good use of these shapes and these don't appears displaced, you can paste the complete shape after typing a point "." and ENTER. This way, the first line of the shape will not appear displaced.
Complete list of cool shapes made with facebook symbols

Group faces 1: ٩(●̮̮̃•̃)۶ ٩(-̮̮̃-̃)۶ ٩(͡๏̯͡๏)۶ ٩(-̮̮̃•̃)۶ ٩(×̯×)۶

Group faces 2: ⊙▂⊙ .. ⊙０⊙ .. ⊙︿⊙ .. ⊙ω⊙ .. ⊙﹏⊙ .. ⊙△⊙

Group faces 3: ●▂● .. ●︿● .. ●ω● .. ●﹏● .. ●▽● .. ●△●

Face 1: ಠ_ಠ

Face 2: ಥ_ಥ

Face 3: ¯\(°_o)/¯

Face 4: ب_ب

Face 5: ◕ ‿ ◕

Face 6: m(><)m Face 7: o(╥﹏╥)o Face 8: //(ㄒoㄒ)// Face 9: {{{(>_<)}}} Princess Leia StarWars: @-_-@ .. @-.-@ .. @>.<@ Love Eyes: ♥‿♥ (Jul 02 - 10) • Girls with flowers: (Oct 19 - 09) ✿◕‿◕✿ ❀◕‿◕❀ ❁◕‿◕❁ ✾◕‿◕✾ Butterfly: Butterfly 01: εїз Butterfly facebook symbol: Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Fish: Fish to right: ><((((º>

Fish to left: <º))))>< Music: Music Box: lıllı ((((|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|̲̅̅=̲̅̅|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|)))) ıllı Ipod: ╔═══╗ ♪ ║███║ ♫ ║ (●) ♫ ╚═══╝♪♪ Men with banner: ............(0 0) .---oOO-- (_)-----. ╔═════════════════╗ ║ Type your message here!..║ ╚═════════════════╝ '----------------------oOO ........|__|__| .......... || || ....... ooO Ooo Decorate your signature (Update May 01-09) *´¨) ¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨) (¸.•´ (¸.•` ¤ Type your name here Guns: Shotgun 01: ︻┳═一 Shotgun 02: ︻╦̵̵͇̿̿̿̿╤── (Update March 20-10) Gun Design 1 (May 08-09) .....____________________ , ,__ ....../ `---___________----_____] - - - - - - - - ░ ▒▓▓█D ...../_==o;;;;;;;;_______.:/ .....), ---.(_(__) / ....// (..) ), ----" ...//___// ..//___// .//___// Gun Design 2 (Jun 11-09) ....._\____________________,,__ ..../ `--│││││││││----------------------_] .../_==o ____________________ .....),---.(_(__) / ....// (\) ),------ ...//___// ../`----' / ... ./____ / ... . Malibu Hotels: (Update May 16-09) |̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ | • Kirby Dance (July 31 - 2009) <('o'<) ^( '-' )^ (>‘o’)> v( ‘.’ )v <(' .' )> <('.'<) ^( '.' )^ (>‘.’)> v( ‘.’ )v <(' .' )>

• Cigarettes: (May 31-09)

Regular cigaritte: (̅_̅_̅(̅(̅_̅_̅_̅_̅_̅̅()ڪ

Lucky strike cigaritte: (̅_̅_̅(̲̲̲̲̲̅̅̅̅̅̅(̅_̅_̲̲̲̅̅̅l̲̅u̲̅c̲̅k̲̅y̲̲̅̅̅_̅_ ̅_̅() ڪے

Marlboro cigaritte (̅_̅_̅(̲̲̲̲̲̅̅̅̅̅̅(̅_̅_̲̅м̲̅a̲̅я̲̅l̲̅b̲̅o̲̅r̲̅o̲̅̅ _̅_̅_̅() ڪے

• Health cool shapes: (Oct 30 - 09)

Injection: ┣▇▇▇═─

Electrocardiogram: √v^√v^√♥

Band Aid: ( ̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅[̲̅ ̲̅]̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅ )

• Christmas tree: (Dec 7 - 09)

…………(¯`O´¯)
…………*./ | \ .*
…………..*♫*.
………, • '*♥* ' • ,
……. '*• ♫♫♫•*'
….. ' *, • '♫ ' • ,* '
….' * • ♫*♥*♫• * '
… * , • Merry' • , * '
…* ' •♫♫*♥*♫♫ • ' * '
' ' • Christmas . • ' ' '
' ' • ♫♫♫*♥*♫♫♫• * ' '
…………..x♥x
…………….♥

• Rabbits and kittens made with facebook symbols: (Feb 26-10)

( ) ( )
(* .*)
(”__”)

::: (\_(\
*: (=’ :’) :*
•.. (,(”)(”)¤°.¸¸.•´¯`»

(V)
(. .)
c(”)(”)

(\_/)
(°.°)
c(”)(”)

(\_/)
(°.°)
o( )o
O_O

(\__/)
(>’.’<) (")_(") (> " " <) ( ='o'= ) -(,,)-(,,)- (> " " <) (> " " <) ( ='o'= ) ( ='o'= ) -(,,)-(,,)- (,,)-(,,)-... (> " " <) (> " " <) (> " " <)
( ='o'= ) ( ='o'= ) ( ='o'= )
-(,,)-(,,)- -(,,)-(,,)--(,,)-(,,)-....

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•
::: (\_(\ ...*...*...*...*...*...*...*...*...*...*...*...*
*: (=' :') :::::::: Facebook Symbols :::::::::::
•.. (,('')('')¤...*...*...*...*...*...*...*...*...*...*...*
¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸

Love shapes:

• Lovers facebook symbols: (May 05 -10)

../(,")\♥ ♥(".)
.../♥\. = ./█\.
.._| |_ .._| |_ ★

==============
..........(¯`v´¯)
...........`•.¸.•´
.........(●̮̮̃•̃)..(●̮̮̃•̃)
......... /█\ ♥/█\
==============

[̲̅ə̲̅٨̲̅٥̲̅٦̲̅] |̲̅‹̲̅3̲̅]

|͇̿P͇̿ł͇̿α͇̿ч͇̿b͇̿о͇̿ч͇̿̿|

Love Eyes: ♥‿♥ ✿♥‿♥✿

• I love you: ( May 11 -10)

╔♫═╗╔╗ ♥
╚╗╔╝║║♫═╦╦╦╔╗
╔╝╚╗♫╚╣║║║║╔╣
╚═♫╝╚═╩═╩♫╩═╝
ஜ۩۞۩ஜ YOU ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

• Money shapes for facebook: (Jun 05-10)

[̲̅$̲̅(̲̅2οο̲̅)̲̅$̲̅]

[̲̅$̲̅(̲̅ιοο̲̅)̲̅$̲̅]

[̲̅$̲̅(̲̅5̲̅)̲̅$̲̅]

[̲̅$̲̅(̲̅1̲̅)̲̅$̲̅]

• Footsteps made with facebook symbols: (Jun 22-10)

----------Oooo---
-----------(----)---
------------)--/----
------------(_/-
----oooO----
----(---)----
-----\--(--
------\_)-
-----------Oooo---
-----------(----)---
------------)--/----
------------(_/-
----oooO----
----(---)----
-----\--(--
------\_)-

• Happy birthday: ( Jul 07 -10)

╔♫╗────────╔═╦╗─♫╗╔╗─╔╗─♥──
║╩╠═╦═╦═╦╦╗║╚╠╬╦╣╚╣╚╦╝╠═╦╦╗
║╦║╬║╬║╬║║║║╔║║╔╣╔╣║║╬║╬║║║
╚╩╩╩╣╔╣╔╬╗║♫═╩╩╝╚═╩╩╩═╩╩╬╗║
────♫╝╚╝╚═╝─────────────╚═♥
ஜ۩۞۩ஜ YOUR NAME HERE ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

• Tanks: ( Aug 17 -10)

███۞███████ ]▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▃
▂▄▅█████████▅▄▃▂
I███████████████████].
◥⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙◤...

..../""""""""|======[]
..../""""""""""""|
/"""""""""""""""""""""""""\
\(@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@)/

......(\_/)
......( '_')
..../""""""""""""\======░ ▒▓▓█D
/"""""""""""""""""""\
\_@_@_@_@_@_/

You can desing your own ones! Enjoy them!

How to: Facebook Emoticons

2010-10-04T22:01:00.004+01:00

Here is the complete list of smileys and emoticons that you can use in your facebook chat. Just type emoticon code for each one, or copy and paste from here, and it'll pop up in your chat !

New facebook emoticon :42: = Number 42. Whats mean? (update Feb-23)
New facebook emoticon: <(") = Penguin (CLICK HERE) New facebook emoticon: (^^^) = Shark :) or :-) or =) or :] = Smile :D or :-D or =D = Big smile >:o or >:-o = Smile with close eyes

:o or :-o = Surprise

:( or :-( or =( or :[ = Sad face

;) or ;-) = Wink

:'( = Crying

:* or :-* = Kiss
:p or :-p = Tongue
>:( or >:-( = Angry
<3 = Heart. This also works in any facebook message, not only in the chat. Works on the wall, status messages, private messages, comments or where you want.

:3 = Cat face , mustache.

^_^ = Pleasant face

-_- = Pleasant face with eyes down

O:) or O:-) = Angel

3:) or 3:-) = Devil

:v = Pacman

:|] = Robot

8) or 8-) or B) or B-) = Glasses

8| or 8-| or B| or B-| = Dark glasses

:/ or :-/ or :\ or :-\ = Confuse

o.O or O.o = Big and small eye

:putnam: = Human head.

Special and rare facebook symbols.

2010-10-04T21:55:00.000+01:00

Complete list of special and rare facebook symbols:

Heart facebook symbols: (May 24-10)

❤ ❥ ♡ ♥ ღ ɞ

Zodiac symbols for facebook ( April 02-10)

♈ – Aries (The Ram)
♉ – Taurus (The bull)
♊ – Gemini (The Twins)
♋ – Cancer (The Crab)
♌ – Leo (The Lion)
♍ – Virgo (The Virgin)
♎ – Libra (The Scales)
♏ – Scorpio (The Scorpion)
♐ – Sagittarius (Centaur The Archer)
♑ – Capricorn (Goat-horned, The sea goat)
♒ – Aquarius (The water bearer)
♓ – Pisces (The fish)

Apple symbol for facebook: Ѽ (May 01-10)

Special face symbol Style 1: ㋡

Special face symbol Style 2: ㋛ (April 29-10)

Chess black facebook symbols :

♚ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟

Chess White Facebook Symbols:

♔ ♕ ♖ ♗ ♘ ♙

Crosses facebook symbols:

☩ ☨ ☦ ✙ ✚ ✛ ✜ ✝ ✞ ✠

Facebook Flowers Symbol:

❀ ✿ ❁ ✾

Facebook Butterfly Symbols:

Butterfly symbol 01: Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

Butterfly symbol 02: ƸӜƷ

Butterfly style 03: εїз

Facebook Music Symbols:

♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯

Facebook Poker Symbols:
Poker black: ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠
Poker White: ♡ ♢ ♤ ♧

Moon symbols ☾ ☽

Sun symbols: ☼ ☀

Cloud and umbrella ☁ ☂

Snowman: ☃

Comet: ☄

Stars facebook symbols

★ ✩ ✮ ✯ ✰ ☆ ⋆ ╰☆╮✡ ۞

Snowflake facebook symbols:

❇ ❈ ❅ ❄ ❆

Religion & belief facebook symbols

☯ ✡☨ ✞ ✝☥ ☦ ☧ ☩ ☪ ☫ ☬ ☭ - Peace symbols: ✌☮

Risk radioactive and biological: ☢ ☣

Check symbol for facebook ✓

Hands pointing

☚ ☛ ☜ ☝ ☞ ☟

Writing Symbols

✉ ✍ ✎ ✏ ✐✑✒ ⌨

Scissors symbols: ✂ ✄

Phones symbols: ☎ ☏ ✆

Clocks:⌛ ⌚

Airplane facebook symbol: ✈

Dinner: ♨
Skull symbol: ☠

Decorative symbols: ๑ ۩ ۞

Numeric facebook symbols:

①②③④⑤⑥⑦⑧⑨⑩ ⑪⑫⑬⑭⑮⑯⑰⑱⑲⑳

Letters:

ⒶⒷⒸⒹⒺⒻ ⒼⒽⒾⒿⓀⓁ ⓂⓃⓄⓅⓆⓇ ⓈⓉⓊⓋⓌⓍ ⓎⓏ
ⓐⓑⓒⓓⓔⓕ ⓖⓗⓘⓙⓚⓛ ⓜⓝⓞⓟⓠⓡ ⓢⓣⓤⓥⓦⓧⓨⓩ

you can write your own words, for example:!!

Facebook symbols = Ⓕⓐⓒⓔⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓢⓨⓜⓑⓞⓛⓢ

Oriental symbols:

㊊㊐㊋㊌㊍㊎㊏㊐㊑㊒㊓㊔㊕㊖㊗㊀㊁㊂㊃㊄㊅㊆㊇㊈㊉

Some facebook symbols may not appear (showing up as squares, or ?) if the user doesn't have all the fonts required installed.

Updates record:

- Special Hearts facebook symbols: ❥ ღ ɞ ( May 24-10)
- Apple symbol for facebook: Ѽ ( May 01-10)
- Special face 02: ㋛ ( April 29-10)
- Zodiac Symbols: ♎ ( April 02-10)
- Special face: ㋡ ( September 22-09)
- Chess White: ♔ ♕ ♖ ♗ ♘ ♙( August 17-09)
- Poker White: ♡ ♢ ♤ ♧ ( August 17-09)
- New Writing: ✐✑✒ ⌨( August 17-09)
- New religion and beliefs: ☥ ☦ ☧ ☩ ☪ ☫ ☬ ☭ ✌(August 17-09)

Basic Facebook Symbols (Key Alt).

2010-10-04T21:49:00.002+01:00

Symbols for facebook can be inserted into your facebook chat window or into messages, statuses, comments etc...

♪ = Musical note
♫ = Big musical note
♥ = Black heart
☺= Smile face
☻ = Black smile face

There are two ways for use this facebook symbols.

1. Copy from here and paste in your facebook name, status or message.
2. These facebook symbols can be typed on your keyboard using the ALT button.

Desktop computer instructions for ALT facebook symbols:
• Press and hold left Alt key on your keyboard.

• While holding Alt key enter one of the codes below to get the corresponding facebook symbol.
• Important note: You need to use numbers on the right side of the keyboard for entering code, not the numbers on top, otherwise they won’t work.

Laptop instructions for ALT facebook symbols:
• Press and hold left Alt key on your keyboard.
• While holding Alt key also press and hold Fn key.
• While holding Alt and Fn key enter one of the codes below to get corresponding facebook symbol.

• Important note: You need to use numbers that are usually written next to letters U, I, O… and in different color, not the numbers on top, otherwise they won’t work.

Alt + 1 ☺
Alt + 2 ☻
Alt + 3 ♥
Alt + 4 ♦
Alt + 5 ♣
Alt + 6 ♠
Alt + 7 •
Alt + 8 ◘
Alt + 9 ○
Alt + 10 ◙
Alt + 11 ♂
Alt + 12 ♀
Alt + 13 ♪
Alt + 14 ♫
Alt + 15 ☼
Alt + 16 ►
Alt + 17 ◄
Alt + 18 ↕
Alt + 19 ‼
Alt + 20 ¶
Alt + 21 §
Alt + 22 ▬
Alt + 23 ↨
Alt + 24 ↑
Alt + 25 ↓
Alt + 26 →
Alt + 27 ←
Alt + 28 ∟
Alt + 29 ↔
Alt + 30 ▲
Alt + 31 ▼

Here is the complete list of facebook symbols Unicode. You can copy and paste these for use in your messages or where you want!

♠ ♣ ♥

♦ ♪ ♫ ■ □ ▪ ▫ ▬ ▲ ►

▼ ◄ ◊ ○ ● ◘ ◙ ◦ ☺ ☻

☼ ♀ ▪ ▫ ▬ ☻

☺ ◙ ◘ ▀ € ♥

♂ ▒

๏ ๐ ๑ ๒

๓ ๔ ๕๖ ๗ ๘ ๙ ๚ ๛ Ẁ

ẁ Ẃ ẃ Ẅ ẅ Ạ ạ Ả ả Ấ

ấ Ầ ầẨ ẩ Ẫ ẫ Ậ ậ Ắ

ắ Ằ ằ Ẳ ẳ Ẵ ẵ Ặ ặ Ẹ

ẹ Ẻ ẻ Ẽ ẽ Ế ế Ề ề Ể

ể Ễ ễ Ệ ệ Ỉ ỉ Ị ị Ọ

Æ ¢ ™ Ð ¹ º ç Þ ß ÿ æ â ã ¥ ¤ £ ¦ ©

ª « ¬ ® ¯

Ì Í Î Ï Ð Ñ Ò Ó Ô

Õ Ö × Ø Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß à á â ã ä å æ ç è é

ê ë ì í î ï ð ñ ò ó ô õ ö ÷ ø ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ Āā

Ăă Ąą Ć ć ĉ Ċ ċ ő Œ œ Ŕ

ŕ Ŗ ŗ Ř ř Ś ś Ŝ ŝ Ş ş Š

š Ţ ţ Ť ť Ŧ ŧ Ũ ũ Ū ū Ŭ

ŭ Ů ů Ű ű Ų ų Ŵ ŵ Ŷ ŷ Ÿ

Ź ź Ż ż Ž ž ſ ƒ Ǻ ǻ Ǽ ǽ

Ǿ ǿ ˆ ˇ ˉ ˘˙ ˚ ˛ ˜ ˝ ;

₪ ₫ € ℅ l

№ ™ Ω e ⅛ ⅜ ⅝ ⅞ ∂ ∆ ∏

∑ - / · v 8 ∫ ˜ ≠ = = □ ▪ ▫ ◊

● ◦       

      ﬁ ﬂ ﬠ

שׁ שׂ שּׁ שּׂ אַ אָ אּ בּ גּ

דּהּ וּ זּ טּיּ ךּכּ לּ

מּנּ סּ ףּ פּ צּ קּרּ שּ

תּ וֹ בֿכֿ פֿ ﭏ ﭖ ﭗﭘ

ﭙ ﭺﭻ ﭼ

ﭽ ﮊ ﮋ

ﮎ ﮏ ﮐ ﮑ ﮒ ﮓ ﮔ ﮕ ﮤ

ﮥ ﯼ ﯽ ﯾ ﱞ ﱟ ﱠ ﱡ ﱢ

﴾ ﴿ ﷲ ﺀ ﺁ ﺂ ﺃ ﺄ ﺅ

ﺆ ﺇ ﺈ ﺉ ﺊ ﺋ ﺌ ﺍ ﺎ

ﺏﺐ ﺑ ﺒ ﺓ ﺔ ﺕ ﺖ ﺗ

ﺘ ﺙ ﺚ ﺛﺜ

ﺝ ﺞ ﺟ

ﺠ ﺡ ﺢ ﺣ ﺤ ﺥ ﺦ ﺧ ﺨ

ﺩﺪ ﺫ ﺬ ﺭ ﺮ ﺯ ﺰ

ﺱﺲ ﺳ ﺴ ﺵﺶ ﺷ ﺸﺹ

ﺺ ﺻ ﺼ ﺽﺾ ﺿ ﻀ ﻁ

ﻂ ﻃ

ﻄﻅ ﻆ ﻇ ﻈ ﻉﻊ ﻋ ﻌ

ﻍ ﻎ ﻏﻐ ﻑ ﻒ ﻓ ﻔ ﻕ

ﻖﻗ ﻘ ﻙ ﻚ ﻛ ﻜ ﻝﻞ

ﻟ ﻠ ﻡ ﻢ ﻣﻤ ﻥ ﻦ ﻧ

ﻨﻩ ﻪ ﻫ ﻬ ﻭ ﻮﻯ ﻰ

ﻱ ﻲ ﻳ ﻴﻵ ﻶ ﻷ ﻸﻹ

ﻺ ﻻ ﻼ

لم

ن ه و ى يً ٌ ٍ َ ُ

ِّ ْ % ٤ ٠ ١ ٢ ٣ ٥٦

٧ ٨ ٩ ﾎ么ﾒ _ ｬ `

ｦ _ ｶｼﾆ ♠ ♣

◄ ▬ ☻ ▬ ► ♣ ♠

Л п † ‡

█ ▌

▐ ░░▒▓

▓▒░░ ░░░▒▓

▓▒░░░

░▒▓

▓▒░ ▓▒░ ░▒▓

░░

▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄

▄▀▄▀▄▀

═ ╬ ╦ ╩ ╦

╣╝╠ ╧ ╨ ╫ ╪

╥ ╤ ╢╡╟╞ ╜

⌠⌡│┌

┐└ ┘├ ┤┬ ┴ ┼

╛╚╙╘╗╖╕╔╓╒║

╬ ╫ ╪ ╩

╨ ╧ ╦ ╥ ╤ ╣ ╢ ╡ ╠ ╟

╞ ╝ ╜ ╛ ╚ ╙ ╗ ╘ ╗ ╖

╕ ╔ ╓ ╒ ║ ═

Enjoy these symbols for facebook!

Photoshop CS2 CS3 CS4 crashes when selecting the text tool.

2010-10-01T12:08:00.003+01:00

I had recently discovered a problem with a crash if I chose the text tool in Adobe Photoshop CS4. It would crash to desktop if I selected a font from the font menu.

So theres some issue with the fonts displaying, I had recently installed Guitar Pro 5 so maybe it was the fonts used in that application which caused the problem, who knows?

However I fixed this issue by starting up photoshop, navigating to Edit, Preferences, then Type and unticking the Font Preview.

Photoshop should now function correctly!

Using PHP 5 with 1&1 Web Hosting (one and one)

2010-09-30T19:17:00.003+01:00

I recently uploaded the Magento shopping cart system and it seems I am running PHP4 and the plugin needed PHP5. What did I do?

Well after looking at the help stuff for my web host 1 and 1 Internet and looking at the htaccess file that came with the magento shoipping cart software, I found that I just needed to uncomment a line in my .htaccess file.

For any other script you can addthe following line to the .htaccess file and everything PHP5 should work perfectly:

AddType x-mapp-php5 .php

It seems that the default PHP version at 1and1 internet is PHP 4, but just by adding the above line the default for that folder/domain will then become PHP5.

How to: Manually Download Definition Updates for Malwarebytes Anti Malware - MBAM

2010-09-22T23:27:00.001+01:00

You may be searching on how you can manually download the definition update for Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware. Even though I use the free version of Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware to occasionally scan my computer for malware and other threats, I have always used the built-in online update process to update to the latest definition before scanning. How do you get the latest database update of Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware on a computer that cannot access the Internet? I found two simple ways by which this mission can be accomplished!

The first step requires access to a working clean computer which has access to the Internet and already is having a copy of Anti-Malware installed. After updating the copy of Anti-Malware from the Internet in this computer, open the location as stated below to copy the database file “rules.ref” to the computer which has no access to the Internet.

You can manually copy the database from here using a USB flash drive or CD to the PC which you want to update. In the target computer, you have to paste the definition update in the same location as stated below.

◦For Windows XP and 2000 users, open and copy from the following location:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Malwarebytes\Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware\rules.ref

◦Windows Vista and Windows 7 users, open and copy from the following location:
C:\ProgramData\Malwarebytes\Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware\rules.ref

If the first step is not possible for you then you can also download a manual update of the definition files here.

How to partition a hard drive using windows XP Vista/7

2010-04-21T12:01:00.001+01:00

Partitioning a hard drive is a relatively straightforward task thanks to the user friendly Microsoft Disk Management software built into Windows XP.

Located within the Computer Management application, Disk Management offers the user a whole host of disk management tasks, including partitioning and formatting to name but a few.
For those wanting to know how to partition a hard drive using Windows XP, do the following:

Click on ‘Disk Management’ towards the bottom of the left hand pane, and wait for your computer to scan your disks.

In the right hand pane you will see each physical disk within your computer on a separate row, and each disk is displayed with it broken up into its partitions - in the example shown there is one physical disk which is partitioned into two.

Locate the physical drive you want to create a partition on, right click on an unallocated section of the disk, then select ‘New Partition’.

Please note the following:
You will need to be logged into the computer as a user with administrative rights.

Partition a Windows Vista or Windows 7 Hard disk drive.

To create a new partition (Vista/Win7 calls it a "volume"), click the Start button, type , and press <Enter> to open the Disk Management utility.

To create space for a new volume, right-click an existing volume and choose Shrink Volume.

Vista/Win7 will calculate the amount of space you can regain and will open a dialog box where you can enter the size of your new volume. (You'll also see the total size before the shrink, the maximum shrink available, and the size of the old volume after the shrink.)

After shrinking, right-click the new "Unallocated" space represented in the program and choose New Simple Volume. Then follow the wizard's steps to create and format your new volume.

When you're done, you'll see your new volume represented in Disk Management's graphs. Note that you can shrink only volumes that use the NTFS drive format. Your new PC's drive is almost certainly NTFS

Set Up or Add Hotmail Account in Microsoft Outlook 2007 - Windows 7 issue

2010-04-21T11:43:00.000+01:00

Hotmail or currently named as Windows Live Hotmail after changing it's name from MSN Hotmail is one of the biggest and most popular free web based email providers in the world. However, Hotmail lacks one significant feature which is support for POP3 or IMAP and SMTP server access. Without this feature support, users unable to download the mail messages to desktop e-mail client to store locally or offline browsing. As an alternative workaround, Microsoft provides HTTP Server which able to serve Hotmail web-based (HTTP) e-mail account in proprietary e-mail client from Microsoft, such as Outlook XP, Outlook 2003, Outlook 2007, Windows Live Mail and Outlook Express.

I am using Windows 7 X64 and Outlook 2007 and found out that Outlook no longer supports out-of-the-box hotmail integration... To work around this issue, you must install Microsoft Office Outlook Connector - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9A2279B1-DF0A-46E1-AA93-7D4870871ECF&displaylang=en

There is another alternative and that is to download Microsoft Windows Live Mail - http://download.live.com/wlmail

Information Regarding Web Browsers - You seen this pop up? Dont worry!

2010-04-03T23:35:00.001+01:00

Microsoft will be showing many Windows users a screen asking them to choose which browser they want to use. What does this mean for you?

Microsoft started offering the choice to some Windows users last week, and almost all Windows users in Europe will be given it starting from today. But a survey by Mozilla, the makers of the Firefox browser, showed that 77% of Britons didn't know that Microsoft was about to start offering this choice - so it's understandable that you might be confused.

Which browser should I choose? Read our comparison of the top five browsers here.

A browser is the program that you use to look at web pages, just as you would use a particular kind of program to look at word processor documents, or pictures. You're using one now to look at this article. The most widely used one is Internet Explorer, made by Microsoft, which comes with the Windows operating system.

This link between Windows and Internet Explorer led to the European Commission launching an investigation, looking at whether Microsoft was unfairly exploiting the popularity of Windows to push computer users into choosing Internet Explorer for web browsing, rather than one of its competitors. This was especially important as some people consider that Internet Explorer is inferior to other browsers, and more prone to security flaws.
After an 11 month legal battle, a compromise was reached - Microsoft will show Windows users in 30 European countries, including the UK, a screen offering them a choice between the different browsers. It begins with an introductory screen that says 'An important choice to make: your browser', and then takes you to a second screen that looks like this:

The Microsoft browser ballot screen

.The first five browser shown are the best-known ones available - Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari and Opera. They will appear in a random order, to prevent any bias from creeping in. A further seven, less used browsers (AOL, Maxthon, K-Meleon, Flock, Avant Browser, Sleipnir and SlimBrowser) will be available by scrolling right.

You can find out more information about each browser by clicking on the 'Tell me more' link, and start using it by clicking 'Install', which will download it and add it to your computer.

Or, if you want to ignore the choice for now, you can click 'Select later' - your computer will then ask you again the next time you start it up.

All the browsers are completely free of charge, and you can change which browser you use at any time (many people have several different browsers on their computers, and use different ones for different purposes.)

Microsoft started testing the browser ballot out with some users last week, and most users of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 in the 30 European countries should start getting it from March 1.

Xbox 360 Ram Heatsinks

2010-01-09T13:41:00.001Z

Well I have purchased from eBay some XBOX360 RAM Heastinks as I described in this post earlier this month about cooling your console.

I just thought I would let you know how to fit them. They are very easy to fit as they come with a peel off backing and once you stick them to the chip, they stick very well.

If you are using the old generation Xbox 360 GPU heatsink, then you should fit them as the below picture shows:

I changed my heatsinks to the new style one's that are used in the Xbox360 Elite consoles. So fit them as bottom picture but be aware that one RAM heatsink you cannot attach to the RAM Chip as the copper pipe from the GPU heatsink is in the way, however you could get a hacksaw to the RAM heat sink and cut it a bit narrower, then just use one half on that last chip.
See why:

I didn't though and just fitted them as below instead and stuck it on the spare chip instead for the hell of it.

How to Fix an Xbox 360 when you get 3 red lights - Part 7

2010-01-04T17:37:00.005Z

* Optional Steps, not always needed but any extra precaution will help keep your Xbox360 cooler than a cucumber!

Xbox360 Intercooler
The intercooler is basically a row of fans in a case that slots onto the back of the xbox 360 and sucks air out of the console, is it effective, fairly cheap and available everywhere. I have noticed the air out of the console although warm is still cooler than it was, but this is at the expense of added fan noise.

Stick on Thermal Pads
Remove the old Thermal Pads
Once you have taken your motherboard out, turn it upside down.
If your motherboard has these pads, you need to remove them.(picture below)

Now replace these pads with the new improved thermal pads (as pictured below) you have bought from eBay or wherever, which will give better overall thermal insulation. The thermal pads need to go on the ram chips. Peel away the paper backing from the thermal pads and stick them to the ram chips before sticking to the ram.

RAM Heatsinks.

Another precaution you can take is to add RAM heatsinks for the RAM chips on the top side of the mainboard (picture below) These will help disipate heat from the RAM and available in packs of 4. These can usually be found on eBay for cheap.

<< Click here for Previous Part 6

How to Fix an Xbox 360 when you get 3 red lights - Part 6

2010-01-04T17:29:00.004Z

Completing the Fix.

Now your ready to complete the fix. Reconnect your power button assembly/wireless board. Plug your fan back in but do not reinstall it in it's original location yet; also DO NOT put your fan shroud back in yet. Connect your DVD drive so as to not get banned from Live for powering up your box without the drive connected. Now with your Xbox basically re-assembled except for the fan shroud, plug your power and video cords in and proceed.

Now for the most important part and most likely the point where the majority of people who were unsuccessful completing this fix failed.

Overheating the GPU.

This step requires you to overheat your GPU. Many tutorials tell you to unplug your fan and turn it on until it overheats. There is one major flaw with this approach. The thermosistor for the overheating protection of the 360 is contained within the CPU. The problem is that the CPU overheats without any airflow before the GPU is able to get sufficiently hot to "reflow" the BGA solder connection that has failed.

In order to cool the CPU but not the GPU it is again important to have your fan shroud removed. Now take your fan that IS plugged in and lay it on top of your DVD drive with one of the fan's over the top of the CPU. (as picture below)

Angle 2

This will keep the CPU plenty cool to prevent it from overheating while the GPU will get smokin' hot; like burn your finger hot!

Now power on your Xbox 360. Some boxes may just work at this point because just pressure alone was enough to make the GPU's heatsink connection good. It is good practise to overheat even those just to make sure you don't have to deal with it again. So now you should be getting the three red lights like your were expecting. You want to overheat the unit for at least 30 to 45 minutes. The key is in the lights; as long as it is flashing the 3 red lights (1,3,4) then your are in good shape and the overheating process is working. What you DO NOT WANT is for the unit to actually overheat giving your TWO flashing red lights (1,3) at which point the 360 cuts off power to both the CPU and GPU preventing them from actually getting hot. Again is probably the difference between someone who succeeds and someone who fails.
Conclusion.
Now that you have sufficiently heated the GPU, power down your Xbox 360 and let it cool down completely (ten to fifteen minutes should be more than enough). Replace your fan shroud; you should now be fully assembled except for the case itself. At this point you should cross your fingers and power your box back on. If all went well your should now have a working 360! Congratulations!
If it did not work for you its not completely a bust yet. I suggest tightening the screws down even more and overheating yet again... some units are just stubborn! Because I like to be thorough and overkill I also added the additional extras as described below, these will help dissipate as much heat as possible leading to a cooler console! I hope this guide is useful and has helped fix your Xbox360, the method outlined has worked for me.

>> Click here for the Final Part 7 - Optional Mods you can perform to keep your Xbox 360 Cool.

<< Click here for Previous Part 5.

How to Fix an Xbox 360 when you get 3 red lights - Part 5

2010-01-04T17:24:00.005Z

Insert the Four Heatsink Bolts
Insert Four Heatsink bolts, so you can attach the heatsink.
This is most easily done with the motherboard sideways, so you have access to both sides of the board

Now with the motherboard held sideways install the final two washers, a nylon one first followed by a steel one. Again it is extremely important to have TWO washers between the heat sink and the board. One nylon washer first to protect and isolate the motherboard and one steel... just to be redundant that makes two washers per bolt.

Attach the Heatsink
Now you can attach the heatsink.
You will need to turn each of the bolts to catch the thread on the heatsink to prevent them falling out.
If you don't, when you tighten one bolt, you will lose the washers from the other bolts.
You should tighten 2 bolts diagonally, but not completely tight.
Just until you start to feel some resistance.
Then tighten the other 2 bolts.
Once this is done, you can fully tighten all four screws.
NOTE: Be careful not to over tighten as you could accidently crack the processor die.

Obvious but now repeat with same steps with the Second Heatsink. So its just the same as you did with the first, but now with the second heatsink.

Remember to install the heatsinks the right way round with the grills facing the right way like the picture below. It is easy to make a mistake with the CPU heatsink!

>> Click here for Part 6 - Completing the Fix by over heating the GPU & Conclusion.

<< Click here for previous Part 4.

How to Fix an Xbox 360 when you get 3 red lights - Part 4

2010-01-04T17:16:00.007Z

Applying the Thermal Paste
You should apply the thermal paste to the top of the GPU or CPU now.
Don't apply to both at once. It is harder to work with and will be messier.
Apply the thermal paste as a blob. There is no need to spread it out as the pressure from the heatsink will do this.

See the photo directly below? See how clean the CPU is? Try to make sure all old thermal paste is removed entirely. TIP: I used paint brush cleaner and it removed the old thermal paste instantly and worked fine.

Although the example below will probably be fine too, it is good practise to remember to remove all surrounding thermal paste as silver based paste is conductive.

>> Click here for Part 5 - Attaching the Heatsink.

<< Click here for previous Part 3.

How to Fix an Xbox 360 when you get 3 red lights - Part 3

2010-01-04T17:04:00.007Z

Remove the old thermal compound (Thermal Paste)

You will want to use a cleaning cloth that is non-abrasive.
If you are planning on doing a few of these, you can buy cheap micro-fibre by the meter at a fabric store.
You will also need some form of Contact Cleaner! Isopropyl Alcohol will work, but contact cleaner works so much better.
It is also a very good idea to avoid skin contact with the thermal paste as some thermal pastes are reportedly carcinogenic. (not at all good for you!)

I actually used paintbrush cleaner bought from Focus, it removes the heatsink paste completely almost instantly when wiped, this saves you time, and avoids applying themal compound to a chip like the picture below which shows only the chip itself being cleaned.

Although this will probably be fine, it is not good practise to apply thermal paste to a chip in this way especially when silver based compound has been used as it is conductive. So the rule of thumb is to remove all older thermal paste completely before applying new thermal paste.

Remove the Heat sink Bolts
Both heat sinks have four bolts that need to be removed.
If you have an electric screwdriver, use this without any attachments. (as shown below)
If not, use a shifter or pliers as a last resort.

>> Click here for Part 4 - Applying the Thermal Paste.

<< Click here for previous Part 2.