Tag Archives: Windows

Tiny Computers from Logic Supply

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I’m testing a tiny computer from Logic Supply It has the following specs:

Intel Celeron M440 (Yonah) with a Front-side bus of 533Mhz
1 gig of memory
A 2.5″ Hitachi hard disk 5400 rpm
Panasonic DVD/CD reader
No OS
Build and test for additional $45.00

The case is about 7″ x 7″ and maybe 1.5 inches tall.

Total price is $661 before tax.

They gave me an awesome tour of the assembly plant. Dozens of these little guys being assembled, tested and burned in.

The one caveat that I would bear in mind is that the ones without fans can run hot…really hot, like hard to hold your hand on to them hot. This was the case at least when they were running the test program which exercises the processor.

I ordered mine with a fan; and the noise is acceptable, just a low swoosh (so far).

It came without an OS, so I’m installing Vista just for grins.

So far the buying experience has been terrific. They are really helpful on the phone. They specialize in small machines using mini-ITX motherboards using either Intel, AMD or Via systems. This unit is a candidate platform for our embedded application, and a successor to our beloved Pundit pizza-box sized system.

Install Vista on a MacBook

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Here is an illustrated walkthrough of an installation of Windows Vista on a Mac running the virtualization software Parallels. 

 

There is a bit of a saga here; I was resisting installing Windows on my Macbook but I finally decided I couldn’t live without Microsoft OneNote, the note-taking software which comes with Microsoft Office 2007. (and version 2003, BTW).  I found that that the Mac version of office called something like Mac Office 2008 does not include a version of OneNote, so I took myself off to the handy-dandy computer depot at the university, got Parallels for about $79.00 and Windows for an academic price of about $15.00.  However, they’ve been told no more Windows XP, they’ll only sell Windows Vista.  
They also recommended 4 gigs of RAM; I’ve got 2, so we’ll see how it runs, and then if I need to upgrade I’ll probably do that through Crucial.  So now I have the OneNote trial running on Vista in a Parallel’s virtual machine.  Of interest will be seeing how this will eventually synchronize with my master OneNote file.  All that depends on  how the Windows network will work through Parallels. 

Microsoft Action Pack – January Update

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Latest Action Pack came today with updated disks including SQL-Server 2008 CTP 5 (Community Technology Preview), Windows Server 2008 RC1, System Center Data Protection Manager 2007.

Changes to the Action Pack subscriptions are beginning to make this less attractive. For example, the current Action Pack subscription includes licenses for Vista client upgrades, (10 of them), so the presumption is that you are not using Windows XP at all, but in fact have upgraded everything to Vista. Note that under the terms of the Action Pack, the XP licenses are no longer valid. Also, since the units are only Vista upgrades, you presumably need to upgrade from an existing XP installation, which, if you haven’t had an Action Pack in the past, suggests that you have bought and paid for your XP elsewhere.

Just writing all that with the machinations involved gives me a headache.

On the positive side, The Action Pack provides licenses for multiple copies of current Microsoft products as well as a few betas, and CTPs of unreleased software. It is a pretty impressive list.

There are enhancements, variations and stratifications. For example, for software developers there is the Empower program, which includes 5 licenses for Visual Studio and MSDN Universal for $375/year. The kicker here is that you have to develop a shrink wrap application within 18 months of joining and market it as such. This looks like a very promising deal, especially when Visual Studio 2008 is launched in February. (And they let you use XP!)

The Action Pack Special Editions are targeted at two other specialties, Small Business Specialists, and Web Developers, Designers and Agencies.

Cleaning Windows (Vista)

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Slashdot is all over this tool. It allows you to strip out a lot of the extraneous stuff that gets loaded with Vista. But it also looks to be a configuration program for many aspects of the installation process. From the About screen on their website:

vLite is a tool for customizing the Windows Vista installation before actually installing it.

Main features are:

* hotfix, language pack and driver integration
* component removal
* unattended setup
* tweaks
* split/merge Vista installation CDs
* create ISO and burn bootable CD/DVD

Windows Vista from Microsoft takes a lot of resources, we all know that. vLite provides you with an easy removal of the unwanted components in order to make Vista run faster and to your liking.

This tool doesn’t use any kind of hacking, all files and registry entries are protected as they would be if you install the unedited version only with the changes you select.

It configures the installation directly before the installation, meaning you’ll have to remake the ISO and reinstall it. This method is much cleaner, not to mention easier and more logical than doing it after installation on every reinstall.

Move contacts from OutLook to Mac Mail

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Here’s the secret to moving your contact addresses from OutLook into Mac Mail.

1. Install Mozilla Thunderbird on your Windows PC
2. Import your address book into Thunderbird
3. Export the address book from Thunderbird into a LDIF file
4. Transfer the LDIF file to the Macintosh
5. Import the LDIF file within Mac Mail. There is a nice function that updates existing records, rather than create new ones.

The reason this is more effective than just exporting to a commma delimited text file from OutLook is that it effectively preserves any notes that you have written for the contact. Previously I tried to export directly….then went from OutLook to Excel…and then reimported; but the result wasn’t satisfactory.

Now if I could figure out a way to synchronize the various address books…

As far as messages are concerned, however, they appear to be syncing up nicely. On the Mac, I created a new eMail account and defined it as an IMAP account. With IMAP you download only the headers of the mailbox messages; and it requires a live connection to the mail server. On the OutLook side, I just modified the properties of the existing eMail account to “leave messages on the server”. Now I can see messages from either platform, or log in to the webmail interface for my master account.

As for calendars, I’m now using Google Calendar as the master calendar and subscribing to the Google calendar with OutLook’s calendar and the Mac iCal. Doesn’t all quite work as it should yet, but I think maybe I’m getting there.

Of course this should all be transparent and easy, right?

Stuff That Works November 2007

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Looking at the Enthusiasm Score from a year ago, I’m amazed how unchanged most ideas are. So in this year’s edition, I’ll take a different approach rather than trying to score things incrementally

  • Stuff That Really Works
  • Stuff That Works with Minor Problems
  • Stuff That Works with Major Reservations
  • Stuff That Doesn’t Work

Stuff that Really Works

The following technology items that I take for granted on a daily basis, that never seem to require troubleshooting. It is a short list.

  • My landline. Verizon, with MCI long distance
  • Verizon pre-paid cell phone plan.
  • My ISP and web host:intermedia.net
  • The FireFox web browser
  • Microsoft Office 2003 – the file formats and interface changes of Office 2007 haven’t been internalized by either me or colleagues with which I exchange Word or Excel documents.
  • Microsoft OneNote 2007 – Solid as a rock.
  • SightSpeed desktop videoconferencing

Stuff That Works With Minor Problems

  • HP Procurve 2xxx Network Switch. Ended up replacing a couple of these because of a fan failure. The process was relatively painless, with excellent support from HP, and free warranty replacement.
  • Microsoft Windows 2003 Small Business Server. I installed on a repurposed Dell Optiplex workstation, and the combination has worked almost flawlessly for over two years. And yet, the SBS is more than most small shops need…eventually I can see a replacement with a straight Windows Server with added SharePoint, leaving aside things like Fax, and Exchange.
  • On workstations, Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2. This is starting to get more difficult to find. Upgrade any workstations now, or you’ll have to cope with Windows Vista.
  • WiFi. As long as you keep expectations reasonable, and remain aware of the security implications, WiFi is great.
  • BaseCamp web-based project manager.

Stuff That Works with Major Reservations

These are things that we’re using, but we are still looking, or items that are not yet ready for prime time.

  • VoIP – I had hoped to be a lot farther along with VoIP, both on a casual occasional basis using applications like Skype and Gizmo, and with a PBX solution such as Trixbox or Asterisk. To date there has been unreliable connection quality when using Internet VoIP connections. Like some other aspects of life, when it is good is very good, but when it is bad it is unworkable. Are expectations unreasonable here?
  • Windows Vista
  • The Mac OS X and Linux. The reason these are on the list is that indeed they work, but they don’t necessarily play easily with Windows, particularly when it comes to printing and sharing files. The problems here aren’t insurmountable, but they require more than a casual engagement and technical expertise. I think this is a reasonable major reservation…and it remains the reason to insist on a single operating platfom for your IT infrastructure. It should be easier than this.

Stuff That Doesn’t Work

In general, I can just point to John Dvorak and the Cranky Geeks for endless tales of chaos and disfunction.

Switching from PC to MAC

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I’ve been fiddling with my MacBook for the better part of a week and, for the most part, I really like what I see. I’m still wondering about discarding certain applications; notably OutLook (with the X1 search capability) and OneNote. Eventually, I may install Windows on the machine, but to keep things interesting, I’m determined to to push the Mac as far as I can before caving. Below are some web sites that I’ve found that help with the transition. Maybe we need an organization for Windows Users Anonymous for those of us attempting to kick the habit.

General Hints and Overview

The Tao of Mac has a good page with of hints for switchers.

Another similar essay is located at Apple Matters.

Listings of keyboard equivalents

The Mac keyboard has additional modifier keys, including the “Apple” key, and the “Option” key. David Pogue posed the question of how to get a right-click from the Mac one-button mouse or trackpad when you are running Windows on a Mac via Boot Camp. The short answer seems to be..”spend $20.00 and get a two-button mouse” but there are also odd combinations of keystrokes that appear to work. This has been an issue so far when attempting to switch from Windows to the Mac OS… I feel like I’ve lost a hand, not being able to right-click. And it isn’t as if there aren’t things that pop up on the Mac side when you right click… Both the Finder and Safari, for example have right-click menus just like a Windows application.

Loose Ends and Unsolved Mysteries:

  • I can’t print to networked printers, or at least to any printer that isn’t connected directly via a USB port.
  • While I know there is a “dashboard”… a combination of applets like clocks and so on, I don’t know how to switch between the dashboard and regular applications.