Upgrade From Ubuntu 8.04 to 8.10 - Part 1

This for those Ubuntu fans out there. Apparently Ubuntu has an update. This video from PCMech showing how to to upgrade from 8.04 to 8.10. I'll be giving it a try soon and I'll let you know what happens.

TekNmotion TM-YW100A

Lately I've been going through headsets faster than I change my underwear. I seemed to somehow pull on the cord and either the headphones would stop working or the microphone wouldn't work. Which made me use language my mother wouldn't approve of. After tripping over the latest set I picked up this set from NewEgg.com made my TekNmotion called the Yamster. They sound better and seem a lot better built than the last ones I had. They fit over the ears snug and cancel out outside distraction.Even the packaging was easy to open which didn't require a razor type knife to accidently cut yourself with. So far they work well and I've talk to people on them and they even said they sound better. I've used them for both video,music, Voip and they perform well.Not a bad deal for under $20 from NewEgg which as usual shipped them fast.

Skype and Crossloop

Recently me and a friend of mine have been using the Skype service(VOIP) and testing to see what our capabilities were. We finally tried Crossloop(Remote access) with Skype. They both passed our initial test. Skype didn't seem to skip a beat or drop any calls. Crossloop worked well though my friend did notice some lag when I was opening some applications but wasn't a major deal. When we switched access I didn't notice any lag on my end. I thought this would be a nice combination to be able to communicate with the user on the other end in addition to chat, cell or landline(remember the telephone?). Anyway I just thought I'd share the experience.

Speed up XP & Free up HD Space

Felix here does a nice screencast on how speed up your Windows XP. He's a bit quick but it has some good info. Stuff I hadn't tried yet.

Upgrading memory

The patient: HP Pavilion a705w

Well my memory from Crucial technology came in yesterday and I already installed and up and running. Now my HP Pavilion a705w works much faster without many hangups. I went from 256mb of RAM to 1.24 GB of RAM. The difference is amazing. Upgrading your RAM will give you the most bang for your buck as far as system upgrades. Here is how simple it was:

This is the new memory from Crucial Technology. For those who like specifics its a 1GB DDR PC2700 184-pin DIMM, Crucial part no. CT410256.

Open the case....



Before touching anything inside be sure and ground yourself either by using a wrist strap or the very least touching any bare metal on the case. Static + PC components = Very BAD

Here is our memory module. Always be sure and only touch the outside edges.



Find the open slot. There is a notch in the memory chip to insure correct placement. It should pop in with a firm push. If your having trouble turn it around as you may be putting the wrong way.

After booting the machine I see I have 1.24 GB of RAM. That certainly put a smile on my face. This took no more than ten minutes. The longest part was waiting for the part to come in. I'm going to add another 1 GB in the near future. It runs great. If you've had your system for awhile and it's running slow this may give you a boost. I notice many manufacturers put the minimum amount in the PC's so usually this is an easy upgrade. If you need help please let me know I'd be glad to help. Thanks and have a great day!

JkDefrag from Portableapps.com

I love utility programs. This JkDefrag is from PortableApps.com which has quite a variety of programs to use. You can use it as part of a suite of programs or separately all on your flash drive. I tried it as a individual program on my flash drive. It works pretty well with a very minimal interface which is to the point which I like.

When you first open you have the choice of Analyze, Defragment or Defragment and Optimize. I'm not sure what the Optimize option does. I would think defragmenting would optimize your computer but who knows.


I clicked on Defragment and Optimize and it starts. These are kind of before and after shot. It'll go through several phases. I actually couldn't keep track of them. You can see the progress in the window as you go along. This may take awhile so go grab a coffee(or beverage of choice) see what the kids are doing, read a book or whatever suits you.


When I started as you can see my drive needed organizing.



Near the finish and you can see the difference. Nice and neat.



You'll even get a nice report of your operation if your into reading this stuff your really a geek. It's a nice program and is nice one if you'd like something more than the standard Microsoft Defrag program and is portable enough to put on your flashdrive without installing on your(or somebody else's) computer.

Install A Bootable Linux To USB Stick

This looked interesting. I haven't tried it yet but for those that are interested this may help.

How to purchase RAM

A common complaint about computers after awhile is that after awhile they run slow. One way to speed up your PC is to upgrade your RAM (or Random Access Memory). Upgrading your memory isn't as hard as you might think. If your not squeamish about opening a PC case and can use a screwdriver your all set. How do you know what memory to use? A favorite tool of mine is Crucial Technology. I'm going to show here how easy it is to order memory for your PC from Crucial.

1. First obviously is open your browser (Internet Explorer is recommended, you'll see why in a second) and go to http://www.Crucial.com .
2. You have a choice of using Crucial's System Scanner or Memory Advisor. Crucial System Scanner requires Internet Explorer to run. It will automatically scan your system hardware. The Crucial Memory Advisor is the manual way of looking up if you know your make and model of computer your using. I prefer the automatic method as it's more foolproof in my opinion.
3. To use Crucial System Scanner you click on the Scan My System button.
4. Click the box to agree to Terms and Conditions and the click Start my Scan.
5. Now Crucial will now scan your hardware.
6. When it is done Crucial will make there recommendations and combinations you can configure.
7. They will also provide some basic information about your system. Especially handy is how many slots you have available and usually how much memory your system can handle.
8. Make your selection and click "Add To Basket" and your on your way.
   

Then you go through your standard purchase online. I've found there shipping prices quite reasonable. I've recomended them to others and I've been very satisfied with there product and service. Now when this shipment comes in I'll go over how to install this in your PC. I hope you'll join me for that. Until then thanks for coming by.

Sean Siler - Interview and Outtakes - I'm a PC

Freeware Software: PC Wizard 2008

I love software that tells you what's inside your machine. This is a great way to find out what's inside your(or someone else's) PC. Whether your looking to tweak your system, trying to diagnose a problem or are just curious PC Wizard 2008 can help you. It'll tell what's inside your system, analyze hardware, software and even run some benchmarks.



It has a fairly intuitive user friendly interface that has a small learning curve in my opinion. I like it very much and I do recommend it. You can find it here on there website. Also The How-to Geek also has a nice review of it which goes into more detail.