Techno Cop

Install Windows 7 Upgrade in Macbook Air

2009-11-01T22:06:25+08:00

My Amazon order of pre-release Windows 7 Home Premium UPGRADE arrived on schedule last week. Since the Release Candidate (RC) installed in all of my computers are good until March 2010, I decided to install the first of the 3 copies in the Macbook Air under bootcamp.

I did not have any problems installing the release candidate before, but that was a full working version. I had to search the web for the workaround in installing the UPGRADE version which is what I got. Luckily, I found a very helpful guide courtesy of PAUL THURROTT’s Supersite.

So how did it go? I can tell you that everything went without a hitch. The activated version of the Windows 7 Home Premium (UPGRADE) was up and running in the AIR in under an hour, exclusive of the extra 2 hours to install my fav software and to get all Windows Update downloaded and installed.

Here is the step by step:

1. Preparing the Macbook Air

I saved most of my files and settings to an external drive using Windows 7 RC Windows Easy Transfer.
I also insured that all my software installers are on hand.

2. Windows 7 Home Premium (UPGRADE) Installation

On the Mac side, I fired-up bootcamp assistant and started with the repartitioning of the MAC HD into a single partition. This step effectively erased all the files containing the old Windows 7 RC. This step is basically a repeat of my previous installation using the RC. Simple Help provided a very elaborate step by step guide of this process. Note that I selected CUSTOM installation when prompted. This is the option that allows for a clean install of the OS, which is what I wanted.

3. Activating Windows 7

Even the instructions that came with the DVD of Windows 7 detailed the need to have a running XP or Vista in order to activate the UPGRADE version. That is why I readied the 3 licensed copies of XP and 1 Vista Business just incase. As it turned out, this was not necessary if you will follow the steps provided by THURROTT’s:

After performing the clean install, ensure that there are no Windows Updates pending that would require a system reboot. (You'll see an orange shield icon next to Shutdown in the Start Menu if this is the case).
Then, open regedit.exe with Start Menu Search and navigate to:
HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Setup/OOBE/
Change MediaBootInstall from "1" to "0".
Open the Start Menu again and type cmd to display a shortcut to the Command Line utility. Right-click this shortcut and choose "Run as administrator." Handle the UAC prompt.
In the command line window, type: slmgr /rearm
Then tap ENTER, close the command line window and reboot. When Windows 7 reboots, run the Activate Windows utility, type in your product key and activate windows.

4. Installing all Software

With the external hard drive containing my old files connected, I double clicked on the file WindowsEasyTransfer.MIG. This immediately started installation of all my old files and settings.
I then clicked on START, typed easy transfer reports, and clicked on that application. This presented me with a neat listing of all the software that used to be installed in the old computer.
I then just installed all of them one by one (Office 2007, Photoshop CS4, TextAloud, Windows Live writer, Firefox, Sugarsync, Mindmanager Pro 8, and Microsoft Security Essentials).

Voila! A Macbook Air with Windows 7 Home Premium that will never expire.

Next up will be to find time to install the 2 remaining W7 OS on my 2 desktops.

WINDOWS 7 for Now

2009-09-19T11:17:21+08:00

My friend and business partner,ALLAN JARLOS, recently offered to give me a license for the latest MAC OSX upgrade – SNOW LEOPARD. I politely declined saying that doing so would require me to re-install under boot camp my daily OS of choice- Windows 7. Besides, I hardly ever use MAC OSX anymore since I downloaded the Windows 7 beta. I told him that although my everyday computer is a MACBOOK Air, it is practically a PC since I only use it with Windows 7 running under boot camp. I detailed in this post some of the Windows 7 experiences that made me fall in love with this soon to be released OS from Microsoft.

As it turns out, a veteran tech columnist and analyst Joe Wilcox would have done the same.

His reason for his current love affair with Windows is practically the same as mine. He really likes the Windows 7 interface, and he feels it makes him more productive. Here is an excerpt of his article in BetaNews:

The Mac OS X user interface, once trendsetting, is now a tired motif overdue for overhaul. Worse, Apple hints at what the UI could and should be in a few places, with QuickTime being the most visible example. The QuickTime UI is refreshing and new -- delightful. Something similar should skin much of Snow Leopard. Worse still, QuickTime's more modern UI is jarring reminder when switching back to the Snow Leopard Finder about how old most of the rest of Mac OS X feels.

By comparison, Windows 7 feels surprisingly fresh. Microsoft is finally doing good user interface design.

I find myself to be way more productive using Windows 7 than any Mac OS X version, and that's surprising to me. For years, the greater productivity claim belonged to Mac OS X. Consistently, I get about 30 percent to 40 percent more work done using Windows 7 than either Leopard or Snow Leopard. Windows Vista doesn't rate. The combined usability flaws -- everything from slow resume from sleep to nagging pop-ups to UI pauses or hangs -- are too much for me to use Windows Vista any longer.

More importantly, I have loads more fun using Windows 7 than Mac OS X. I haven't had this much fun using a Microsoft operating system since Windows 95. After more than three months running Mac OS X, I really missed Windows 7. By comparison, for the six months I primarily used Windows 7 test builds, I only missed Mac OS X for iLife.

I can say that these are the same reasons why, for the past nine months, my productivity has greatly improved working mainly in Windows 7. My personal experience has only been stellar that all my computers are now running the Windows 7 release candidate. The same reasons why, in July of this year, I pulled the trigger and ordered 3 copies of Windows 7 at a pre-release price of $49.99 each.

Ditch the headset

2009-08-05T11:23:10+08:00

I could not agree more with a recent article from WIRED magazine that always having a Bluetooth headset sticking in one’s ear is now considered a fashion taboo.

Let's be clear: walking around with a Bluetooth device in your ear is pure douche baggery. There is no excuse for it. That said, it's not entirely unfathomable; the urge to accessorize is deeply rooted in human nature. UCLA cultural anthropologist Marie Womack equates the modern appetite for tech bling with the status symbols worn by Astec royalty. While lower-class us wore clothing made of agave, the nobles distinguished themselves with cotton and gold jewelry. She says. Conspicuous gadgetry is essentially the 21st century Royal raiment. Leaving your Palm pre-out on the bar is a way of saying, look on my gizmo, you commoners, and despair. But prestige isn't really about expense, it's about rarity--with well over 20 million iPhone's out there, assessing one no longer separates you from the herd. And keep in mind the whole notion of electronic gadgets conferring status applies only within the small tribe that is geekdom if you are all among normals, flaunting your tech doesn't make you look like a king of Coolsville, it makes you look like Count clueless of Dorksylvania.

In my case, I only wear my Plantronics 925 headset whenever I initiate a call myself and I anticipate that it will be a bit lengthy. Aside from looking dorky, having a headset in your ear for extended period gets uncomfortable. Even while driving, I try not to have the headset on unless really necessary. That is why I am loving the 925 since I can carry it in its lanyard like a necklace when I am not using it.

Do you always wear your bluetooth in the ear?