Just When You Think You Have it Perfect
January 19, 2008
at 12:19 am
in hardware, keyboards and mice, microsoft, operating systems, windows
Comments (3)
It all started with this, my awesome keyboard. Three weeks ago, the Logitech bluetooth receiver decided to go bad on me, leaving me with no keyboard other than a 8 year old Microsoft PS/2 model which I’m surprised still has more than half of the keys working.
Just prior to this time, my motherboard’s PCIe-x16 slots went out as well. Luckily, ASUS has a relatively no-questions-asked Warrenty Exchange policy and I shipped it out for an exchange. It just so happens that I had a brand new Intel motherboard sitting around which I was planning on using for a secondary machine which would, in turn, become my server. I installed my Intel board, and with a quick reactivation of Windows, I was on my way. Then, the keyboard receiver gave out.
Unfortunately, the Intel motherboard doesn’t have any PS/2 ports, which left me without a keyboard for around 24 hours. I quickly picked up a $10 wired USB keyboard from my local Best Buy. I then proceeded to call Logitech and, once again, ship out the bad receiver for a no-questions-asked warranty exchange of the receiver.
Two days ago, the receiver arrived in the mail and I was quite ready to get rid of that horrible wired keyboard and go back to the diNovo Edge. My ASUS motherboard also arrived. Upon plugging in the receiver to my computer, Windows seemed unable to locate any drivers for the device. This was rather strange considering it shouldn’t need any drivers and the fact that Logitech doesn’t even provide any.
After a lot of diagnosing and registry tweaking, I determined that somehow, somewhere, the malfunctioning USB receiver corrupted some driver somewhere on my Windows installation and I for the life of me couldn’t figure out how to reverse that damage.
I also recently decided to upgrade from a total of 380GB of HDD storage to 2×500GB drives for a total of 1TB. Given the current events, I thought it best just to pull my old hard drives out, switch back to my ASUS motherboard, throw in two brand new drives, and reinstall Windows completely. I begin this process at around 11PM. Formatting my new 500GB HDD took around two hours first.
Three hours later (that’s 2AM), I’m back in Windows Vista x64 and everything seems to be working perfectly, including my diNovo Edge keyboard.
Oh boy was I wrong.
An hour into installing all of my commonly-used applications (now 3AM), and right in the middle of formatting the secondary 500GB hard drive, my computer suddenly shuts itself off without warning. There was no crash. It was as if someone pulled the power cord out of the wall.
I think to myself, that was odd, and reboot the computer. Once again, I come back into Windows and all seems to be running fine for about 5 minutes when it happens again.
At this point, I start thinking that my BIOS settings are messed up or I didn’t install the CPU’s heatsink on the motherboard properly so my CPU was significantly overheating and shutting the unit off. Upon going into BIOS and looking at the hardware monitor, I discover that, indeed, the CPU is running farely warm. About 50 degrees Celsius too warm for idling. I instantly think this is the cause of my issues, so I remove the heatsink, reset the processor, and reattach the heatsink. (now around 4AM)
Now, the problem I faced at this point was two-fold. 1) The thermal compond was a bit old and needed to be replaced and 2) the brackets which latch the heatsink to the motherboard were worn and the heatsink wouldn’t set tight enoguh on the motherboard. I decided that, considering it’s 4AM, it would be best I go to bed and continue this journey in the morning.
Bright and early (that means 10AM for me), I wake up and take a drive out to run a few errands, including picking up a new heatsink and fan. I decided that while I’m out, I might as well buy some external hard drive enclosures in order for me to easily transfer the data off of my old HDDs to my new ones. I also picked up a brand new computer case which would help with cooling significantly.
After driving a total of 75 miles all over the city of Tampa just to find stores that have what I need in stock, I arrive back home around 3PM and begin assembling my computer from scratch as I now need to switch cases.
Around 4PM, I finish this process, plug my computer back in, and, to my surprise, it actually boots the first time. The CPU is running extremely cool as are all the other components thanks to the new case. Windows sees that there was a problem shutting off previously (no kidding) and proceeds to run chkdsk on the primary partition. However, about 10 minutes into running chkdsk, it suddenly locks up and does absolutely nothing. I rebooted the computer, and again, experienced the same thing.
At this point I’m just about to lose all self control. I say to myself, “Screw it” and reformat and reinstall Windows once again. Two hours later (around 6:30PM), Windows is installed and I proceed to install drivers. To my despair, halfway through this process, I lose all power to the unit just like before.
I was at a full and complete loss for what to do next. I thought I’d tried everything … until I noticed one key issue.
The fan on my power supply wasn’t spinning.
As it turns out, the issue with the power loss was because the power supply (not the CPU) was overheating and shutting down automatically. This was ridiculously odd considering I have only owned that PSU for around a month.
I rebox it, and head back to the Best Buy where I purchased it and get an exchange.
To make a long story short (it’s too late I think), just over 24 hours later, my computer is back up and running perfectly smooth.
Let’s hope it stays that way for a VERY long time…
Corrupted Hard Drive
October 3, 2007 at 8:03 pm in hardware, microsoft Comments (1)
The culprit? From what I can see, it was most likely Disk Cleanup. That’s right, an application which is supposed to make your computer run faster just broke mine.
Though, at the same time, I’m not sure whether or not this issue is stemming from Disk Cleanup. It could possibly be a section of bad hard drive sectors.
I’m still diagnosing the failure so I’ll put another update on when I figure it out.
The Best Keyboard I’ve Ever Owned
September 2, 2007 at 12:25 am in hardware, microsoft, technology Comments (2)
It’s ironic that I’m not a hardcore Mac OS X user since I’m such a major advocate and stickler for good looking, well designed, and highly productive user interfaces. For me, the OS is only one of the many aspects of proper user interfaces. To a degree, I care more about the keyboard or mouse I’m using than the OS.
I recently decided it was time for a new keyboard. After much consideration and comparison with various other brands and models of keyboards, I decided to purchase Logitech’s diNovo Edge keyboard.
The diNovo Edge boasts a sleek design that just cannot be matched by any other keyboard. It is extremely lightweight and thin, but this doesn’t have any effect on its durability. It’s an extremely solid acrylic glass material. It’s orange lights which illuminate when the function key is pressed, or when the built in touch slider for volume control is touched, or when the TouchDisc ring is used.
(photo by saschaaa)
Even with all of this sleekness, Logitech certainly did not skip on functionality The typing experience on the diNovo Edge is by far the keyboard’s best feature and, in my opinion, can only be matched by Microsoft’s Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000. The keys are not hard to push, spaced near perfectly, and the keys are extremely silent, even when typing at high speeds.
The keyboard’s touch sensor for volume control is actually quite a nice feature. At first, I thought it would be like any other keyboard’s volume control. However, after playing with it for a few minutes, I don’t think I’ll ever use a keyboard which doesn’t have similar functionality pertaining to volume control ever again.
While the built in touch pad seems a bit excessive (and actually is unless you’re minimalist and don’t want a separate mouse), the one redeeming feature about this touch pad is its scrolling ability. Simply touch the outer rip of the touch pad and move your finger clockwise or counter-clockwise to quickly scroll through a web page or document.
As always with most newer keyboards, function keys are present. However, Logitech’s diNovo Edge keyboard takes a different approach. Rather than having all the function buttons displayed on the board, the labels are actually illuminated only when the function key is pressed, thus adding to its sleek design. At the same time, Logitech didn’t fill up the keyboard with useless buttons to launch applications you’ve probably never heard of (who seriously uses their keyboard to open their Photo folder by default), let alone have or use on a regular basis. The essentials are present with 4 extra custom functions which can be customized to carry out practically any computer function in Logitech’s easy-to-use SetPoint software.
All around, the Logitech diNovo Edge is the best keyboard I’ve ever owned. When deciding which keyboard to purchase, the only real competitor to the diNovo edge is Microsoft’s Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000. To be honest, I would have rather purchased the 8000. However, I’m just not ready to put out $300 for a keyboard at this point. I think I can get over the $150 price tag of the diNovo Edge considering it’s pure genius in terms of design, functionality, and pure sexiness.
An Apple OS X Experience
August 21, 2007 at 2:54 pm in apple, hardware, itunes, microsoft, operating systems, software, technology Comments (2)
At this point in time, I’m exclusively a Windows user, with Vista as my primary operating system. Over the last few months, I have actually thought about becoming a “switcher” at least temporarily. I’m considering getting a 20″ iMac so I can experience Apple OS X firsthand, something which I’ve only been able to do at work, or at the Apple store. I really do want to learn more about Apple OS X and become as productive with it as I am in a Windows environment.
That being said, I took a trip to Orlando yesterday to do some shopping. While I was at one of the malls, I decided to take a trip into the Apple store to see the new iMac (which, in my opinion, is actually the first good looking iMac design). I stood in front of a 20″ iMac for about 30 minutes or so. There were a lot of things I enjoyed about the experience, but even more annoyances. Below is the list of what I found particularly annoying just from that 30 minutes.
- Maybe I just didn’t find it, but where exactly can I find out how much memory or CPU is being used in real time? That’s annoying.
- When I click the close button on a window in OS X, I expect the application to close. Period.
- Why, exactly, can I only resize a window by using the handle on the bottom right-hand corner? What if I have the bottom of the window already positioned exactly where I want it?
- Please, please, do not allow the desktop to display when Photoshop or Final Cut Pro or any other application like it is open. It confuses me what application is active and I really don’t want to have to look at the Apple bar to tell. OS X really needs to have this changed.
- Put a real scroll wheel on a mouse like everyone else. I kept launching Dashboard when trying to left click.
- And please allow me to secondary click a Dashboard widget to change its properties.
- In iTunes, which I launch a video, why can I only resize the window proportionally? And can we please merge the library and play window into one? Reasons like this are why I stay away from Apple iTunes or Winamp for Windows. Windows Media Player is annoying as heck sometimes, but it’s certainly better than dealing with that
- Apple’s Safari is a horrible user experience. Period. I was surprised that it was worse on OS X than it was on Windows.
- OS X’s Wireless network switching is annoying. Seriously, if I have 2 wireless devices, what then?
- Secondary/right click is a godsend. OS X better start supporting it fully like everyone else.
- OS X Mail looks more like a to-do list than an email client. The iPhone’s SMS system is actually pretty nice. Can’t you make Mail look similar (leaving out the conversation dialog balloons)?
- This is not so much as an OS X issue, but more of the overall experience. Most of my primary phone calling is done through Skype. It’s utter trash on OS X. Even Chris Pirillo thinks so, and he’s leaning towards switching to a Mac way more than I am.
- Mr. Steve Jobs, stop saying iPhoto ‘08 is Web 2.0 compatible. I tried it firsthand, and it is not anywhere close to being this arbitrary “Web 2.0.”
- Slot-loading DVD/CD drives are evil. What if I have a miniDVD that I recorded on my camcorder? I don’t care if it doesn’t look “cool,” please go back to a tray.
- Apple’s .Mac is a total waste of money and you’re developers time. Either fix it to what it should/could be, or drop it entirely.
- And why in the name of the Holy Steve Jobs do I have to pay that much for an Apple brand computer? This is the 21st century!
I’m torn at this point as to whether or not I should get an iMac. Windows Vista has a ton of annoyances, and I really wouldn’t mind switching to another platform such as OS X as there are, at this point, just as many “popular” applications that will run on OS X as Windows, and for the rest I can run Apple Mac Parallels or VMWare Fusion. But OS X has just as many annoyances, if not more, that really need to be fixed before I’ll ever consider switching entirely. Who knows … maybe in the future I will. I’m definitely more tolerant of Macs that I was 3 years ago.
What is my computer?
August 21, 2007 at 2:25 am in general, hardware Comments (5)
Several people have asked me on what computer I’m running Windows Vista. I’m actually running Vista on 2 of my own machines, both my laptop and my desktop; but my desktop has become my primary machine.
One particular person asked which type of computer I use. For my laptop, I have a Toshiba Satellite P105-S6084:
Intel Core Duo T2300 @ 1.66Ghz
2GB DDR2 800 RAM
160GB HDD
My desktop, however, is a custom built machine with the following specs:
ASUS Striker Extreme Motherboard
Intel Core 2 E6300 @ 1.86Ghz
2GB Crucial DDR2 800 RAM
Foxconn nVIDIA 8800GTS 640MB GPU
Creative SB Audigy 4 7.1 Surround Card
2×500GB Western Digital SATA 3.0Gb/s
1×250GB Maxtor ATA HDD
ASUS SATA DVD+-/RW Drive
UPDATE:
I recently upgraded my desktop quite extensively thanks to a bundled Intel package I got through working at Best Buy for a ridiculously low price (ie, 75% off). My new system specs are as follows:
ASUS Striker Extreme Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 @ 2.66Ghz Each core
4GB Crucial DDR2 1066 RAM
2x BFG Tech nVIDIA 8800GT 512MB GPUs in SLi
Creative SB Audigy 4 7.1 Surround Card
2×500GB Western Digital SATA 3.0Gb/s
1×250GB Maxtor SATA 3.0Gb/s
ASUS SATA DVD+-/RW Drive
Windows Vista Home Premium x64 (64-bit)
And if you’re really interested, here’s a photo of the inners of my desktop:
(Click here to enlarge) - 4.52MB @ 10.1MP
This is my actual workspace. Pardon the photo being out of focus, my camera’s lens wasn’t behaving:
(Click here to enlarge) - 3.87MB @ 10.1MP
I converted my old components to a dedicated server with the following specs:
Intel DG33TL Motherboard
Intel Core 2 E6300 CPU @ 1.86 Ghz Each core
4GB Crucial DDR2 800 RAM
Foxconn nVIDIA 8800GTS 640MB GPU
2x 250GB Western Digital SATA 3.0Gb/s running in RAID 1
Pioneer DVD+-/RW Drive
Windows Server 2008 Standard RC1 x64 (64-bit)
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