Posts

Showing posts matching the search for ms

Benchmarking a Windows 10 Home Laptop

Image
I recently had the opportunity to benchmark two very similar Acer computers, differing mostly in the kind of Intel processor they shared. I found that only Novabench is worth using.

VOIP from scratch IV – setup and customization

Image
Now that we know what VOIP is and the hardware and the provider have been chosen, what's left is to do some finer configuration of our service and start VOIP-ing!

Windows 7 activation backup and loaders

Image
Continuing my SSD saga with windows installation. For what is worth, I have original Windows licenses with COA for all the new computers and laptops I purchased plus I even purchased and additional Windows license from DigitalRiver, as a student, for about $39. Unfortunately, that license was supposed to be for Windows Professional, as I ordered and was instead for Windows Home, which although at the same price point, lacked important functionality. I tried to contact the reseller to get the problem rectified but that was not possible (no response). Needless to say, I’m not as happy as one could be.

Linux Tor Relay on Pentium 75

Image
For a long time I’ve been toying with the idea of running a TOR relay for my own privacy reasons and to give back to the community as well. Though my router and NAS (and possibly even my WD Live box) have enough chutzpah to run it, I prefer to use a very old computer instead for reasons of separation (security). For a while, I even considered buying a Raspberry Pi or some other similar cheap gizmo, then I remember I have a bunch of old computers I've never used..

Quick look at tethering speeds on Fido Rogers using iPhone

Image
I recently had an ISP service interruption at home, leaving me without a working Internet connection for a few hours. I used my iPhone to tether into my 3G connection, did a few speed tests, and wondered how it compared to my regular (cable modem) internet connection. Here are the test results.

How To cancel Windows Update automatic restart

Image
I am quite happy with Windows 7 Home Premium. However, I sometimes have to leave the computer on and unattended and would not want it to restart, especially if it's rendering a movie.

gaming laptop upgrade I: cloning SDD drive to 1TB NVME

Image
I purchased my gaming laptop ( .ca ) in a hurry, at a time when many others were buying theirs, and was unable to get all that I wanted. Compromises had to be made. But this past December, I took the plunge and upgraded the memory and the hard drive (which was already quite fast, but a little too small).

CanadaPost spam

Image
We take a look at a trojan received as an email apparently from CanadaPost.

Windows 10 Enterprise Download

Image
I recently got another used laptop off eBay. It came without an OS so I was going to install Linux, but seeing that Windows 10 has just become available for download, I decided to give it a try and install Linux alongside, in dual boot. First, let us look at downloading the ISO, comparing the 3 possibilities: NetSession, Direct and BitTorrent. This article represents my pre-install research – the install experience and tips coming up soon.

VOIP from scratch III - choosing a provider

Image
After discussing the softphone options in the first part and the VOIP device in the second, we are now looking at finding a provider and setting up the system.

Buy Nothing Day and Black Friday Shopping Deaths

Image
In the midst of a so-called recession, when people are expected to be afraid and postpone shopping, crazy shoppers trample a Walmart employee to death. We take another look at adbusters and their Buy Nothing Day campaign.

Windows XP left out of the latest round of patches

Image
Though due to receive updates until April 2014 and still in use by many people, Windows XP did not receive patches for the latest bugs, even though Vista, Server 2003 and 2008 have received them.

Trying Out Windows 8 RTM

Image
After our salute dedicated to Microsoft Windows 7 milestone, it is only natural to repeat our welcome to Windows 8 RTM and answer the burning question “where can I get the ISO?” .

Best Free VPS Virtual Private Server (Cloud) providers

Image
Having briefly discussed how to choose a virtual private server (VPS), we have experimented with a number of (hosting?) providers, some providing limited-time free service, some providing rock-bottom prices, and we are now ready to make a recommendation. We started this overview in 2020 and finished it in 2022.

Windows 10 Tech Evaluation I

Image
After installing Windows, I started playing with it extensively. These are the voyages of the Windows 10 Technical Evaluation, its continuing mission to explore strange new apps and computing paradigms, to seek out better GUIs, to boldly go where no stylus pen has gone before. In this article we will look at partitioning for dual boot with Linux and the very first impressions.

Google Automated Translation Flag Widget

Image
Google has just announced more improvements to their free translation services. To celebrate, we are releasing the best way to introduce Google Automated Translation to your website, using a self-updating drop-down list with a few featured languages.

How to fix a non-working CD or DVD drive in Windows XP

Image
I have recently unearthed a computer I haven't touched in a while and together with it the problems that frustrated me initially. Not only that the problems did not go away, but now the computer seems to suffer abandonment issues. This is a multiboot machine and it seems that the CD-ROM / DVD burner is identified by all OSs but it is unusable in only one of them. I'm showing you how to fix this problem.

How to sync subtitles

Image
I recently noticed this question asked and started to wonder myself. Having had to make subtitles for one of my foreign language movies, I was surprised to learn that there is a vibrant community of people making subtitles out of scratch for movies they trade online.

Greenpeace – Guide to Greener Electronics 2010

Image
First released in 2006, the guide ranks 18 top manufacturers of PCs, mobile phones, TVs and games consoles according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change. Though controversial, this guide has had some impact on the industry.

Disabling ZIP folders in Windows 7

Image
One of the most annoying "features" of windows is undoubtedly the zip folder feature - for those of us who prefer to use a full featured archiver program.