Archive for the ‘Computing’ Category
One of the promises made by the Labor party during the last election was that there would be more transparency in government. I guess that means being honest about information sources, advice received, funding, and who will benefit from what.
That was obviously a non-core promise.
Senator Nick Minchin discusses this in relation to the government’s vastly overpriced and already outdated fibre optic broadband plan.
Mr Rudd and Senator Conroy have repeatedly said they are simply following the advice of an expert panel and also the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Yet they have produced no solid evidence to confirm that to be the case. ..
Its refusal to release key advice in relation to this proposal makes a mockery of its pledge to deliver a new age of transparency. And despite the scale of this project and the billions of taxpayer dollars that will be risked on it, the Government arrogantly dismisses the need for a cost benefit analysis. It claims this network will be commercially viable, yet has also failed to produce a scrap of credible evidence to support these evangelical assertions.
And the key problem with the whole dumb idea:
The Government has no idea how many customers may choose to use this network and how much they will have to pay to do so in order for it to be viable.
It is not as if we have a spare $43 billion floating around that we couldn’t use for hospitals, roads, schools, or research.
You know all those annoying hoax anti-virus messages that people used to send around?
They described in breathless terms some new virus which antivirus products could not remove, which would cause your hard to crash, losing all your data unrecoverably.
Now there is a virus which almost matches that description.
virut ce can cause serious problems with key Windows system files, making your computer impossible to use. For example, disabling the Windows interface so you cannot access the task bar, start button, icons, etc, disabling internet access, Windows key functions and task manager.
And it is extremely, and I mean extremely, difficult to remove. It sometimes infects necessary Windows files which have to be deleted. Even if your anti-virus can remove the infection, and many commercial products cannot, you may be left with a computer which will not start again without help.
I strongly suggest not using p2p programmess until standard anti-virus programmes can find and remove this virus. Stay away from porn sites. Be more than normally careful with web browsing and with opening email attachments.
Some removal tools:
Current dual layer DVDs hold 9GB – enough for a couple of full length movies, or about 2,000 photos.
Researchers at Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology have found a way to store some 10,000 GB of data on a single disk the same size as current DVDs. This means they can hold up to 2,000 movies or 100,000 songs.
The new ‘Super DVDs’ should be available for home use within ten years.
Cool.
Some people just need to cool down and get a grip.
The CeBit Australian IT business exhibition is on in Sydney. Australian domain services retailer NetRegistry dressed its staff as doctors and nurses for the event.
It was a way to have a bit of fun, and draw some extra attention to their exhibit. They certainly got the extra attention.
IT worker Kate Carruthers said NetRegistry’s depiction of women at a trade show was unacceptable. “I was there and didn’t like what I saw,” Ms Carruthers, who is a member of Females in the Information Technology and Telecommunications.
Shades of something nasty in the wood shed. The blokes were dressed up too, Kate.
NetRegistry chief Larry Bloch defended his company against claims the stunt was distasteful.
“I think there are some people out there that just need to relax,” he said. “It was a bit of harmless fun.”
Mr Bloch admitted the IT industry was challenging for women, but offered no apology for his marketing department’s strategy.
It sounds like the whole concept of humour is a bit challenging for some people as well.
I have been running the Windows 7 beta on my home computer for the last month. Last night I updated my main work computer from Vista Business to the release candidate of Windows 7.
It is not possible to upgrade from the beta to the RC – that is annoying.
But the upgrade from Vista Business to Windows 7 went almost without a hitch.
The upgrade will not proceed if there are incompatible programmes installed on your computer. In my case the only problem was Raxco Perfect Disk – in my opinion the best defragmentation utility available for Windows systems.
Unfortunately, the Perfect Disk uninstall programme leaves a number of files behind, so that even after you have uninstalled Perfect Disk, Windows sees programme files on your hard drive and will not permit the Windows 7 upgrade.
To overcome this (this may work for other programmes as well), uninstall Perfect Disk from the Control Panel and restart the computer.
Then go to My Computer, C Drive, Program Files and look for the Raxco folder (or other folder if it is another programme which is causing the problem). Delete the entire folder. Make sure you only delete the folder of the programme you have already uninstalled from the Control Panel! Then restart the computer again.
Or use a programme like Perfect Uninstaller, which checks for left over registry keys, programme files and settings.
You should now be able to proceed with the Windows 7 upgrade.
Once I got past that little hiccup, Windows 7 installed quickly and smoothly, and kept all settings and shortcuts in place. It was the easiest upgrade I have ever done.
Basically it comes down to clearing out the accumulated rubbish - unneccessary programmes and services that run automatically at start-up.
I would add deleting any fonts you don’t use, and defragmenting your hard disk every month or so.
Depending on your current configuration, adding more memory can also make a big difference – up to 1GB for XP Home, 2GB for XP Pro, and 4GB for Vista.
I have had two computers in today which were infected with the dreaded Conficker Worm. This was the first time I had seen it in the wild.
You can download a free Conficker (sometimes called Downadup) removal tool from Sunbelt Software, makers of the superb Vipre Anti Virus/Anti Spyware.
If you keep your computer up to date with Windows updates you should be safe. If you are already infected, Conficker will stop you accessing Windows update, and possibly other security sites. It may also stop you transfering files from CDs, DVDs or Flash drives to your computer.
If you find you are unable to access certain websites, including Windows updates, download and run the Conficker removal tool. If your computer won’t let you download the tool, take a flash drive you have not used in your computer (because otherwise you may infect any computer you plug it into), and go a friend’s house or wherever you can get internet access.
Download and save the SSClean.exe file, and take it back to your place. Run the SSClean program from the flash drive. If you are infected you will get a message saying you need to restart and scan again. Do so.
You should now be able to download and run any Windows updates. Then run a full virus scan with your normal anti-virus. Then run SSClean again.
1. Don’t install Apple’s Bonjour programme.
Bonjour is meant to simplify network setup and connectivity between your computer and ‘smart’ devices. In fact Windows handles network setup perfectly well, and Bonjour simply adds another layer of complication. In some cases it will stop internet access completely. If you are running Vista and install service pack 2 (still at RC stage), and then find you have no internet access, Bonjour is almost certainly the cause.
Google lists about 1.5 milion pages if you search under Bonjour problems. One of those problems is that it installs itself on your system without your permission. That’s just rude.
Check to see whether it is installed on your computer. If it is, uninstall it.
2. Don’t install Magentic wallpapers or screensavers.
You may be offered these, or already have them, if you use (why?) Incredimail. They look pretty, but can cause a number of problems, including making Internet Explorer pop up a difficult to get rid of blank page whenever the screensaver kicks in.
3. If you use Office 2007 and have lost or cannot see the ribbon, right click on the menu bar and uncheck ‘Minimize the Ribbon.’
If you like the idea of becoming a hero or building an empire while interacting with people around the world, but want to play for free, these two games might be for you.
Travian – start as the chief of a small village and end up building a wonder of the world.
Or start as a raider and become a civilisation builder with Civony.
Development and server time is funded by in-game gold purchases, but you can manage perfectly well without buying gold.
Both games have had good reviews. Enjoy!
As for me and my house, we will stick with World of Warcraft!
Update. I forgot about Last Chaos, which is probably the biggest of the free MMORPGs (massivley multi-player online role-playing games). Again, I haven’t played it, but it looks great.
Why have chip prices gone up? Or when they say lower margins do they just mean that PC sales have been down in the first quarter?
I hope Intel CEO Paul Otellini is right when he says PC sales bottomed out in the first months of 09 and are now returning to normal. Not just because PCs are my business, but because spending on PCs is a good indicator of confidence in both home and business expenditure.
The Australian Federal Government department that handles social security, Centelink, is testing the Windows 7 beta . That may not be exciting news for most people . It isn’t for me either, really. But the nature of the computing world is such that any new operating system release by Microsoft is a big deal.
Government departments and businesses were slow to take up Vista. I’m not sure why – it was a good product, but got a bad press from the moment it came out.
Businesses and government departments which did not upgrade to Vista will almost have to upgrade to Windows 7. XP is now getting too old to support fully, and even getting XP drivers for new devices may become a problem. This will make Windows 7 Microsoft’s biggest ever selling operating system.
I have run Vista HP on my home computers since the day it was released, Vista Business on my main work computer, and Vista Ultimate on my video processing and games computers at work. All without any significant hitches.
I installed the Windows 7 beta on my home computer a couple of months ago. It is fast and stable. Impressively so for a beta. Changes to the taskbar are the most obvious new feature, and as this review points out, they are all good. At first I missed the ‘Show Desktop’ button, which I used all the time, but it is still there, just tucked away at the very bottom right hand corner. I dislike the new Windows Explorer which seems to me to make basic file operations (moving, copying, etc) less intuitive. But its new default setting of opening to ‘Libraries’ makes sense and will suit most people.
All in all a solid new product. And I don’t mind spending the money. If there was anything else out there that was better, I’d buy it. But there isn’t. And yes, I’ve tried Macs and Linux.
I only heard of this today. Australian parents and caregivers can get back up to 50% of the cost of eligible education expenses for primary and secondary schooling. The link is worth following if you live in Australia and have children at school.
Eligible expenses includes computers and related equipment, computer repairs, internet costs, etc.
It might do my business some good, so I’m not going to complain.
But that money given back to some means more money taken from others. Or reduced government spending elsewhere.
OK, so that’s not likely. You’re right. It’s going to come out of your pocket.