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Posts Tagged ‘microsoft’

Microsoft just unveiled what will be Windows 8. They have a new look based on Microsoft’s Metro Design. They claim that it will work better, faster start up time, and a clean GUI are among their features. To start this on the right foot they have put up the developer versions on the web free to download and no activation required. Check it out, I put the links below.

They have a 32bit and 64bit versions available. The download is in the form of an ISO and I tried using something like VMware to do a virtual install but it did not work with any of the versions. I had to burn the ISO on a DVD and do an install on a machine I had laying around. I highly recommend to install this on a secondary computer or a computer you don’t mind wiping out. Happy computing!.

Windows Developer Preview English, 32-bit (x86)

DOWNLOAD (2.8 GB)

Windows Developer Preview English, 64-bit (x64)

DOWNLOAD (3.6 GB)

Includes a disk image file (.iso) to install the Windows Developer Preview and Metro style apps on a 32-bit or 64-bit PC.

Here is also the main link: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516

Apple just released iOS 4.2 and guess what. Airprint will only work with a selected handful of HP printers. They also disabled Airprint for your PC, so you can’t share your local printer on the network. All of the sudden this update does not sound so terrific. Well thanks to some folks on the internet there are ways to enable Airprint on your Windows machine and use any printer you have attached.

I put together the tutorial below from the information I found to help you out. This process is not perfect but it works and until there is an official application or update that will allow us to use any printer this is the only way. Below are step by step instructions on how to do this.

1. Make sure that you install the latest iTunes 10.1 version on your windows computer, you will also need to download Airprint from HERE

2. Download Airprint to the desktop so it will be easy to find.

3. If you are using Windows 32 bit or Windows 64 bit the process will vary slightly.

If you are using windows 32 bit you will need to go to the PROGRAM FILES folder and create a folder named Airprint. C:\Program Files

If you are using windows 64 bit then you will need to go the PROGRAM FILES (x86) folder and create a folder named Airprint. C:\Program Files (x86)

4. Once you did the step above, go back to the Airprint.zip file you downloaded earlier and right click on it to extract it. Grab the files inside the extracted folder and copy them into the Airprint folder you created  in the prior step above.

5. Now for the actual activation of the Airprint service. Click on Start, then Click Run. On the Run popup window type CMD.

In windows 7 the Run option does not appear by default in the Start menu. You can click on Start then choose All Programs, and choose Accessories from the menu. In the accessories folder you will see the Command Prompt.

6. Now in the command prompt you will put the following command below. It will be different for Windows 32bit and 64bit. I listed them below.

Windows 32bit: sc.exe create AirPrint binPath= "C:\Program Files\AirPrint\airprint.exe -s" depend= "Bonjour Service" start= auto

Windows 64bit: sc.exe create AirPrint binPath= "C:\Program Files (x86)\AirPrint\airprint.exe -s" depend= "Bonjour Service" start= auto

You will see a response like the one below.

7. Ok if you saw the response similar to the one above in step six then you are ready for the last step.

On the command prompt type: sc.exe start AirPrint

This is for both versions of Windows.

You will see a response like the one below.

8. One last thing to check is to make sure you are sharing your printer in Windows. Remember to go to the printers folder in the control panel and make sure it is being shared.

9. To test it out simply open your iPad or iPhone and try to print something. If it all went well then you will see your printers like the image below.

In my test the printers I setup using this method in Windows 7 appeared with a small lock on the right and when I tried printing it asked me for the username and password of my account on that machine. Once I put it in then it sent the document to the printer. I know it is a little bit of a pain to put the username and password but it works. On the Mac  I did not have this problem, I was just able to print without putting a password.

Are you looking for a great laptop that won’t break your budget. Well I have one I can recommend you. It is the Gateway NV5214u which comes fully loaded and includes one of my favorites things on a laptop and that is an HDMI port. This laptop goes anywhere from $449 to $549. Check out the video below where I will show you all the features on it. Also below are the technical specs for the machine and where you can get it.

One thing I wanted to mention is that if you can’t find it because the store is out of stock, than wait until October 22nd which is when Windows 7 launches. Stores are holding out on putting out inventory since they want to put out the laptops with Windows 7 preinstalled and not vista. Come October 22nd all laptops or computers sold at retail stores will most likely have Windows 7 and Vista will be a thing of the past.

Where you can Buy: 

Bestbuy $549 it was on sale for $449: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9370441&st=nv52&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1218093004316

Gateway’s Website: http://www.gateway.com/systems/product/529668269.php

TECHNICAL SPECS:

Processor
AMD Athlonâ„¢ 64 X2 QL-64 Dual-Core Processor (2.1GHz, 667MHz FSB, 1MB L2 Cache)⁹

Operating System
Windows Vista® Home Premium (64-bit) with SP1

Memory
4096MB Dual-Channel DDR2 sDRAM Support

Hard Drive
320GB SATA hard drive⁴

Color
Sleek Honeycomb Case Design with Glossy Coffee Brown Lid

Wireless Network
802.11b/g/Draft-N Wi-Fi CERTIFIED®

Adapter
AC Adapter

Application Software
Microsoft® Works, Microsoft® Windows Liveâ„¢ Essentials & Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 (60-day complimentary trial period)³

Battery
6-Cell Lithium Ion (4400 mAh)

Chassis
Chassis with ATI Radeon® HD 3200 Graphics with up to 1919MB of HyperMemory™ supporting Shader Model 4.0 and Microsoft® DirectX® 10 with AMD RS780MN Chipset

Covenience Features
Gateway MyBackup Button, Touchpad Lock and Dedicated Numeric Keypad

Digital Media Software
Cyberlink® DVD Solution™ featuring PowerDVD™ and Power2 Go™

Dimensions (Box)
3.97" (H) x 16.6" (W) x 12.4" (D) or 101mm (H) x 421mm (W) x 314mm (D)

Dimensions (System)
1.0"-1.50" (H) x 14.6" (W) x 9.8" (D) or 26-37mm (H) x 372mm (W) x 250mm (D)

Display
15.6" HD WXGA Ultrabrightâ„¢ LED-backlit Display (1366 x 768 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio)¹¹

External Ports
(4) USB 2.0, VGA Port, HDMIâ„¢ Port

Keyboard and Mouse
Full-Size Keyboard, Synaptics Touchpad with Vertical Scroll

Media Card Reader
Digital Media Card Reader (Memory Stickâ„¢, Memory Stickâ„¢ Pro, Multi Media Cardâ„¢, Reduced-Size Multi Media Cardâ„¢, Secure Digitalâ„¢, xD-Picture Cardâ„¢)⁵

Modem
56K ITU V.92 ready Fax/Modem (RJ-11 port)

Network
10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 port)

Optical Drive
8x DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive

Productivity Software
Adobe® Reader®, Adobe® Flash® Reader, Gateway MyBackup Solution, Gateway Recovery Management

Security Software
Norton Internet Securityâ„¢ 2009 (60-day trial)

Sound
High-Definition Audio Support (2nd Generation Dolby Sound Room® Audio Enhancement featuring Dolby® Headphone, Dolby® Natural Bass, Dolby® Sound Space Expander), Built-In speakers, Digital microphone, headphone/Speaker/Line-Out Jack with S/PDIF support

Warranty
1 Year Parts and Labor

Web Camera
Integrated High-Def Webcam

Weight
6.82 lbs. (3.1 kg) system unit only / 10.28 lbs. (4.66 kg.) box

I don’t know about you, but once I checked out the mac mini I loved it. Small and pretty powerful to run my everyday apps like photoshop, office, and some older games like halo.

The best part of the mac mini is that now I can run windows and the mac os, natively using bootcamp.

My only problem now is the size of the hard drive. In the video below I will show you how to supersize your mac mini with a 1 Terabyte drive or larger.

Below are also the links to the components you will need to get this done. Remember to also get some glue to hold the cable in place.

One last thing I want to mention is to watch my video on how to open the mac mini to upgrade the drive which will show you step by step how to take it apart. Here are the links:  PART1  PART2

Components you will need:

  NEXSTAR ENCLOSURE

Amazon.com $44.99: http://www.amazon.com/Vantec-Nst-370Gx-Nexstar-External-Enclosure/dp/B000CDR8PU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1249501448&sr=8-1

NewEgg.com $38.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817145138

   FEMALE TO MALE SATA CABLE

Amazon.com $5.99: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0022WRMIC/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1249501635&sr=8-1&condition=new

Satagear.com $9.99: http://www.satagear.com/221003A_SATA_Cable.html

SATA POWER ADAPTER

Amazon.com $3.95: http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-P944-06I-Serial-Power/dp/B000083JZG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1249502988&sr=8-1

Cablemax.com $1.48: http://www.cablemax.com/detail/index.cfm?nPID=595

1 TB 7200 RPM INTERNAL HARD DRIVE

Amazon.com $110.79: http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-ST310005N1A1AS-RK-Internal-3-5-Inch-Cache/dp/B0012YXWWQ/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1249503506&sr=8-7

NewEgg.com $94.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

Compusa.com $79.99: http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4853015&CatId=139

Have you ever needed to Right Click on an icon in Windows or on your Mac but your mouse stopped responding, or you are using the mighty mouse in the mac without a right click?.

The following quick tip will show you how to right click in Windows or the Mac using the keyboard.

Windows Right Click using keyboard (No Mouse)

In Windows using your keyboard use the TAB and arrow keys to highlight the icon or file you want to right click on. Once you have the file or icon highlighted press and hold down the SHIFT key and while you press the SHIFT key, press the F10 key and it will bring up the right click menu.

If you are new to Windows here are more keyboard combination shortcuts for your Windows Machine: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/126449

Mac Right Click using keyboard (You need a mouse)

On your Mac to bring up the right click menu simply press and hold down the CTRL key and click the mouse button and it will bring up the menu. On the Mac you have to use the mouse button in conjunction with the keyboard to get the right click since there is no way to do it just with the keyboard.

If you are new to the Mac here are more keyboard combination shortcuts for your Mac: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1343