Archive for July, 2008

Walmart.com Back to School Specials

Here are some great back to school specials from Walmart.com.

Shop and Save with Back to College at Walmart.com

Back to College Furniture and Decor at Walmart.com

Dell 15.4″ Inspiron 1525 Flamingo Pink Laptop PC w/ Pentium Dual-Core Processor T2370

Canon Pixma MX300 All-in-One Photo Printer/Copier/Scanner/Fax

Sony 15.4″ VAIO VGN-NR330E/S Laptop PC w/ Intel Pentium Dual-Core

HP Pavilion a6403w-b Desktop PC w/ 20.1″ LCD Monitor, Intel Pentium dual-core processor E2160

Vizio 22″ Class HD LCD Television

Sanyo 19″ Class Widescreen LCD HDTV w/ Digital Tuner, DP19648

iPod Classic 80GB Value Bundle with Your Choice of Three Accessories. Only $259.88 at Walmart.com!

Sony Computers Back to School Specials

Here are some great deals from Sony Computers just in time for the kids going back to school.

Save $200 on the Sony VAIO FZ VGN-FZ290ECB Notebook w/code FZ290SAVE200, now just $899.99 Ends Aug 15.

Save $300 on the Sony VAIO AR VGN-AR890U Notebook w/code AR890SAVE300, now just $2,999.99. Ends Aug 31.

Save an additional 10% on select refurbished and clearance products at Sonystyle.com. Coupon code AFFB10 at checkout. Ends Aug 12.

Free ground shipping on all Sony Style orders. Ends Aug 7.

Save up to $520 on select BRAVIA HDTV, Blu-ray Disc and PLAYSTATION 3 bundles. Ends Aug 7.

Save $100 on the Sony ? (alpha) DSLR-A200W, now just $599.99. Ends Aug 9.

Sony Financing. Enjoy no payments and no interest for 18 months on purchases $299.99 or more. Ends Aug 28.

Save up to $300 on Sony VAIO Campus Value Packs Ends Sept 16

Live Mesh Updates

I have been playing with the Live Mesh Tech Preview for a week or so now, all I have really used it for is to play with uploading files, which, last time I tried you still did one at a time, and the remote desktop connections. The remote desktop is the killer part of it as it is free and requires only the Live Mesh software, at least, as far as I have noticed. I have only tried it on a couple desktops, one behind a corporate firewall and one behind my wireless router and they both have worked great. Today the Live Mesh blog announced that it has been updated and that it will be available to more people.

Version numbers
Live Mesh software: 0.9.3103.9
Live Desktop: 0.9.3103.9

Fixes

• Raised the limit on the total number of customers we’ll allow to access the Live Mesh Tech Preview.
• Expanded availability: you can sign up directly, with no waiting list, if your country/region is the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, or New Zealand.
• Removed the limit on the number of Live Mesh invitations you have. Invite friends and family members to the Live Mesh Tech Preview.
• For our customers in countries/regions other than those above, we’ve greatly simplified the waiting list process. You no longer need to sign up through Microsoft Connect. You can sign in with you Windows Live ID on http://www.mesh.com/, click Sign Up, and you’ll automatically be notified once Live Mesh is available in your country/region.
• Improved the performance of peer-to-peer synchronization.
• General performance improvements.

Source: Live Mesh: Next Update Announced

So, I now have unlimited invites, if anyone wants to try it, email me at webmaster at this site and I will send you an invite, you will need a Windows Live ID to signup though.

China Censoring Internet Access from the Olympic Games

I just finished reading about China censoring internet access during the Olympic games, those that discuss Tibetan succession, Taiwanese independence, the violent crackdown in Tiananmen Square and the sites of Amnesty International, Radio Free Asia and several Hong Kong newspapers, are already blocked and I am sure more will be added.

“It has been our policy to provide the media with convenient and sufficient access to the Internet,” said Sun Weide, the chief spokesman for the Beijing Olympics organizing committee. “I believe our policy will not affect reporters’ coverage of the Olympic Games.” Source: China to Limit Web Access During Games

If these reporters are tech savvy, it shouldn’t affect them at all. I have three words for them: VPN or virtual private networking. All they need to do is set it up on a server at their worksite and connect to it when they get online and it’s like they never left. They will browse the web, email, etc, just like they were still sitting on their local lan, unfettered.

Of course, if they are blocking VPN, I’ve seen no mention of it in any of the stories from the NY Times, Reuters, News.com or the Guardian, then the point is moot I guess.

Show and Delete Hidden Devices

Recently when I was trying to get a sound card to work in our Call Manager, I ran across these tips that helped me from a couple other sites that are definitely worth checking out. These will help you clear out everything listed for sound and multimedia, which can sometimes keep devices you added from working, such as a new sound card.

From Techguy.

To get rid of that unwanted driver, device, or service:

1. Open the Start menu and choose Run
2. Type in “cmd” (without the quotes) and click ok.
3. At the cmd prompt, type in “set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1″ (without the quotes) and press enter. (Note: Nothing seems to happen as you are actually setting an environment variable which is going to help to see hidden devices)
4. On the next cmd prompt line, type in “devmgmt.msc” (without the quotes) and press enter to launch the Windows Device Manager Console.
5. In the Device Manager Console, from the “View” menu, select “Show Hidden Devices”.

Now, as you expand the different drivers and devices in device manager you will see not only the items that Windows currently detects as installed on your pc (these are the usual items displayed), but you will also see drivers, devices, and services which have been loaded in the past but were not uninstalled or are not currently started. You can find your offending device, right-click, and choose “uninstall” to remove it from the system completely.

From Computing.net.

1. Boot to safe mode.
2. Go into the device manager.
3. Remove all devices in multimedia/sound.
4. Reboot to normal mode and allow the devices to reinstall.

Microsoft has some built in devices the device manager such as Microsoft Kernel Audio Mixer that may be damaged.

Those devices can only be seen/removed in safe mode under Windows ME. The problem you are having is usually caused be a corrupt MS Kernel driver or Audio Codec.

Cisco Call Manager Music on Hold (MOH)

Some of the people I work with have been a real pain in the butt about the music on hold that is on our Call Manager, I asked a Cisco rep if they had any recommended devices to use for the Music on Hold server and the answer that I received was, “CallManager ships with a music-on-hold CD, which contains licensed music. Do you have that CD?” So, as far as I have been able to tell, there are no real solutions that you can just plug into the Call Manager, and the reps who say they have something either can’t seem to call us back or figure out if it will work or not. So, I decided to install a sound card and if I could something to work myself. This is what the FAQ says about the sound card, not sure when this was last updated:

What sound cards can be used with the Music On Hold server?

A. The media convergence servers (MCSs) do not ship with sound cards. If you choose to use a sound card, you need to purchase it separately. The Sound Blaster protocol control information (PCI) 16 sound card has been tested and is recommended for use with the Cisco MCS 7835 and MCS 7835-1000. The Cisco MCS7825-800 requires a PCI 2.2 card. Therefore, no recommended or supported sound card exists for this server model.

So, I tried a couple Sound Blaster sound cards and what do you know, both work and now I can play anything I want through the MOH server. Both of our MCS’ are 7835′s.

I have had a Sound Blaster Live! sb0200 and sb0410 both working in a Cisco Call Manager 4.2 running on an MCS 7835, and currently I have a laptop plugged into the line in port on the sound card and am just playing all of the wav files from the Cisco MOH CD. We will see if the “powers that be” like it or not, as they have not liked anything that I have tried so far, and it would be a lot easier on me if they could give me an idea of what they wanted it to play.

I know a laptop is overkill, but it will work until they decide on something. I know this is going to be a duh huh moment for some of you, but it hadn’t even occurred to me until it happened to me. I had been trying to get them to work while using a remote desktop connection, and while it showed me that the sound card was installed and working properly, under the Sounds and Multimedia Properties icon in control panel, it would say No Playback Device, No Recording Devices, etc. I discovered by accident that it was working perfectly when I replaced the sound card with another and was configuring it locally. Changing the options on the remote desktop connection did not change anything either. Not sure why the configuration wouldn’t look the same, but, I am sure it’s probably some kind of feature.

Another caveat, the people who set up the Call Manager setup both the publisher and the subscriber as MOH servers, the server I originally installed the sound card in was the second one listed under the MOH servers. I remembered reading that the first server was the default, or some similar wording, so I moved the sound card to the first server on the list and it started working. Some things you have to learn the hard way I guess.

MMO Gaming Strategy Guides

After reading a post on my friend Wayne’s site, about The Unofficial Second Life Linden Dollars Guide, I was checking out the Killer Guides site and figured many of this sites readers would enjoy or could use some of these gaming strategy guides. Make sure you check out the packages of guides for some big savings.

Age of Conan Guide This Age of Conan strategy guide is jam-packed with unique cutting-edge hints and killer know-hows for players of any level, from the basics and mechanics of the game to advanced high level gameplay strategies.

Age of Conan Guides Category After countless hours of research and play-testing, the team at Killer Guides has compiled their experience into a portfolio of Age of Conan strategy guides.

City of Heroes Guides Category The City of Heroes Guide is an advanced reference that focuses on proven builds, detailed leveling walk-throughs and rewarding ways to gather influence.

Dark Age of Camelot Guides Category With the Dark Age of Camelot Complete Guide Package you can get all the guides in this category, including all future Dark Age of Camelot guide releases and updates for a single one-time payment.

EVE Online Guides Category Looking for the latest insiders for Eve Online? Don’t want to miss out on newly discovered strategies or expansion content? The Eve Online Complete Guide makes sure you don’t. It not only includes all current Eve Guides on Killer Guides, but also all future Eve Online guide releases, updates and add-ons.

EVE Online Mining Macro This EVE Online Mining Macro and step by step guide shows you EXACTLY what to do to get a reliable and working mining macro running on YOUR computer. Have you ever got a macro that promises to do anything and everything for you only to load it up and find out that it does not work?

EVE Online Strategy Guide Feeling lost in space? Worry not, as the best thing to have come along since the warp engine has just arrived. The EVE Online Guide contains a wealth of information about the EVE universe, from the most basic to the most advanced, compiled by an expert with more than four years of experience flying amongst the stars; Chances are if its not in this guide its not worth knowing.

Everquest 2 Guides Category Understanding and explaining online games is the life of our partners and employees and our EQ2 guides show it. Their exclusive know-how went into our class, expansion and trade skill guides for Everquest 2. Contains 13 guides.

Everquest Guides Category With the EverQuest Complete Guide Package you can get all the guides in this category, including all future EverQuest guide releases and updates for a single one-time payment. It currently includes 19 EverQuest strategy guides that offer a wealth of information for all parts of EQ. The over 1822 pages of EverQuest hints and strategies are a must have for every serious player.

Final Fantasy XI Chains of Promathia Guide The Chains of Promathia expansion for Final Fantasy XI offers several missions of never-before-known in-game story-depth unfolding new tales about the history of Vana’diel. There are several new exciting areas for leveling and farming.

Final Fantasy XI Dark Knight Guide From the ideal job to unlock the Dark Knight to defeating Maat, the Final Fantasy XI Dark Knight Guide takes you from the early levels up to level 75. The best leveling locations, Dark Knight specific money making strategies, an equipment guideline and an analysis of possible sub-jobs are all included in the FFXI Dark Knight Guide.

Final Fantasy XI Gil Guide The “Final Fantasy XI Gil Guide” explains the easiest and most efficient ways of making Gil in FFXI. From hunting and mining to bonecrafting and Chocobo digging, it describes different strategies in detail, showing you not only the most rewarding methods but several alternatives for each level.

Final Fantasy XI Guide The Final Fantasy XI Guide contains all critical information you need to level up your character regardless of job differences. It describes every detail from how to set up your experience point party to the most efficient camp site, level by level. It does not only take you as far as level 75, it also goes on to merit point party setups and places to gain a maximum of experience poinst per hour.

Final Fantasy XI Guides Category Out of new ideas for better Gil farming locations? Still seeking the perfect leveling strategy? Need some advice for a new profession? Then you are the player we had in mind when we created our Final Fantasy XI guides.

Final Fantasy XI Ninja Guide The Ninja in Final Fantasy XI combines the best of combat and combat-based magic to form a truly enjoyable class to play and an unbeatable warrior as long as you have the necessary knowledge and strategy at hand to use your abilities to their full advantage. The FFXI Ninja Guide will show you the basics of becoming a Ninja and take you deep into the secrets of the forbidden magical arts of Ninjitsu.

Final Fantasy XI Paladin Guide From the right standard job to unlock the Paladin class up to defeating Maat, the Final Fantasy XI Paladin Guide takes you from level 1 to level 75. Rewarding leveling locations, Paladin specific Gil making methods, a weapon and armor guideline and an analysis of possible sub-jobs are all part of the FFXI Paladin Guide.

Final Fantasy XI Red Mage Guide Playing a Red Mage efficiently in Final Fantasy XI is a science for itself. While the basic concepts are easy to understand, there is a multitude of tactics and little hints that make the difference between a casual player and a pro-gamer.

Final Fantasy XI Wings of the Goddess Are you wondering why you are making slow progress in the Wings of the Goddess expansion? Do you like the idea of a thorough expansion walk-through that tells you exactly how to complete all the quests, unlock new jobs, and earn massive rewards twice as fast? With the FFXI Wings of the Goddess Guide, you will be kept updated with latest techniques and insider tips that you do not want to miss out on.

Guild Wars Guides Category This guide set includes every Guild Wars Guide currently available at Killer Guides, as well as any future releases and updates.

Hellgate London Guide Looking for the fastest ways to level up your character? Want to increase your chances of finding great equipment? In search of the ultimate build for your character? Then the Hellgate: London Guide might be just what you were looking for. Gamers, authors and play-testers at Killers Guide provide you with detailed answers to your questions.

Lineage 2 Guide How to prepare for and win battles… Lineage 2 is a game where the right strategies and equipment decisions will get you twice as far with the same amount of resources. The Lineage 2 Guide explains the different options you have in regards to tattoos, armor, weapons and SAs in L2 and which combinations to choose to double your efficiency over your old setup.

Lineage 2 Guides Category We currently offer 2 Lineage 2 guides for beginner and veteran players alike.

Lord of the Rings Online Champion Guide Are you being out-leveled by your friends and foes? Wondering if it is the skill or gear that you are missing? Looking for the most effective way to solo and earn gold? If you’re looking for answers to one of these questions, look no further. The Lord of the Rings Online Champion guide is one of the most comprehensive and efficient guides for the Lord of the Rings Online Champion class.

Lord of the Rings Online Gold Guide Always running low on gold? Never seem to have enough gold to afford critted gear in the Auction Hall? Not earning enough gold to finance your equipment can be frustrating, especially if you are short on time or patience. Don’t let this problem hold you back. The Lord of the Rings Online Gold guide is your first step into making an abundant pool of gold.

Lord of the Rings Online Guardian Guide Leveling takes up too much time? You’re wasting countless hours trying to earn gold while others walk away as rich Guardians? Have you ever dreamt of some killer prestige gear? The Lord of the Rings Online Guardian guide has the answers you are seeking.

Lord of the Rings Online Guide Leveling takes forever? Running low on gold? Uncertain which vocation is the right choice for your character? Need that extra stat boost? Wasting hours on grinding and the wrong quests? The Lord of the Rings Online guide can help.

Lord of the Rings Online Guides Are you constantly low on gold? Not sure which vocation is the right choice for you? Leveling takes ages? Then the Lord of the Rings Online guides on Killer Guides are your answer. Expect us to provide you with cutting-edge know-how, acquired through endless hours of testing and experimenting by our pro-gamer staff.

Lord of the Rings Online Hunter Guide How do you get your hunter to level 50 as fast as possible? What’s the right way to solo a hunter? What skill should you get? How can you make enough gold to finance your dream equipment? The Lord of the Rings Online Hunter Guide tackles these questions with professional insights and killer how-to’s from our game experts.

Matrix Online Information Guide If you are looking for new and efficient ways of making $information in The Matrix Online, you have come to the right place. From your very first days of your new existence in MxO to the high end levels, this guide dishes out veteran approved insiders.

Pirates of the Burning Sea Guide Feeling lost in the middle of the Caribbean sea? Ranking becomes repetitive and boring? Are you facing tough decisions when selecting your skills? Can’t make enough profit with your productions? These are the common problems that all players face. Don’t let them turn you down from playing Pirates of the Burning Sea.
More after the break. Read more…

Disable Wireless Adapters When Connected to a LAN

Recently, I have been trying to figure out how to keep the laptops in our office from grabbing an ip address on the wireless connection when they are plugged into the local lan, thus grabbing two ip addresses, not to mention the security implications. Now, one would think this would’ve been something that would have been thought of early on and included in the operating system, or, at the very least, something you could do with group policy on a domain controller. Nope, at least, as far as I have been able to tell. I’m still a little hopeful that I might be able to figure out some registry keys to change, once I find a better registry monitor than the one I have, maybe I will figure it out.

It is very easy on most laptops to turn off the wireless connection, such as hitting the function key and F2 on Dell laptop, but who wants to rely on users pressing a key or key combinations every time they login to our network, so, an it has to automatically happen when you dock your laptop or plug in an Ethernet cable. Below I am outlining what I did to make it happen on several different laptops, the ones we actually use in the office. Good thing wireless networks don’t get too finicky and work with most Telephone Systems International. Click on the image to see the larger size.

Dell laptops
Dell laptops with a Dell wireless adapter in them are very easy to disable when connected to a wired network, on the adapter there is a setting called “Disable Upon Wired Connect”, all you have to do is go into device manager, find the network adapter and double click it and go to the advanced tab. Enable this setting and it will turn off the wireless card when connected to your lan.

Unluckily for us, most of our Dell laptops have an Intel wireless adapter, such as the PRO 2200BG, and they do not have this feature. You need to install the Dell Quickset utility, get it here, enter your model and search for quickset, and then go into the location profiles setting:

Next you need to go into the General Mobility Settings and select Modify Settings:
Read more…

Dell Inspiron Laptop Only $499

These offers have expired
Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop only $499 after $229 off Applicable E-value code: 6VAFF-DNDEPA5 Limited time offer: Beginning 7/18/2008 12:00 AM CT through 7/22/2008 5:59 AM CT.

Other Dell coupons currently available:

20% off all Dell XPS M1330 Laptops over $1249 + FREE Standard Shipping! Limited time offer: Beginning 7/17/2008 through 7/23/2008 11:55 PM CT. Use Coupon Code: K54SDRK72$L6W3.

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Dell Vostro 1510 featured at $539! Hurry, expires 7/30/08. Windows Vista w/Service Pack 1, Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB mem, Free ground shipping.

Dell Vostro 200 Mini Tower featured at $449! Hurry! Expires 7/30/08. Windows Vista Basic w/Service Pack 1, Intel Dual Core, 20″ WFP monitor, FREE upgrade from 1GB to 2GB mem.

Dell Latitude D530 Laptop featured at $699! Hurry, expires 7/30/08! Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB mem, 120GB HD, 6 cell battery for up to 5:00 hours* of battery life, free ground shipping.

Dell OptiPlex 330 with 19″ WFP monitor featured at $499! Hurry! Expires 7/30/08! Windows Vista w/Service Pack 1, Pentium Dual Core, Free ground shipping on systems $399 and up.

Dell PowerEdge T105 server featured at $349! Hurry! Expires 7/30/08. AMD Opteron Dual Core processor, 1GB mem, and two 160GB hard drives.

Latest White Papers from HP

Here are some great new white papers from HP, featuring topics like SQL Server 2005 and 2008, server sprawl and onsite service. These are all free, grab em and growl.

Backup and Recovery Best Practices for Microsoft SQL Server 2005

To help you choose from among the available configuration options and backup and recovery procedures, HP has conducted extensive laboratory tests to determine best practices, looking at LTO, disk to disk and virtual tape devices.

The Essential Guide to Solving Server Sprawl

The challenge of server sprawl, coupled with the desire to reduce energy costs and the increasing demand for computer resources and rack space, make today an ideal time to consider Microsoft SQL Server 2005 for database consolidation in 64-bit computing environments. This white paper focuses on A clear understanding of the problem of server sprawl, Steps for a successful consolidation, Hardware options, Scalability, and Licensing options.

Optimizing HP Servers with Microsoft SQL Server 2008

When implementing a hardware consolidation project, one major step involves consolidating corporate data, which is mostly managed by multiple database engines. This definitely requires powerful hardware, multiple cpu’s and lots of memory.

8 Ways On-Site Service Can Drive IT Solution Provider Revenue This one is temporarily unavailable and is expected to be listed again soon, so check back.

HP Blade Servers for the Midmarket This one is a video white paper.

This video examines the requirements for servers, storage, and blade systems in the midmarket; describes the features and capabilities of the HP c3000; and outlines some of the challenges and opportunities HP will face as it seeks to extend its innovative HP BladeSystem c-Class product line to serve the needs of the midmarket.

Virtualization Everywhere Here is a good one on virtualization from Citrix.

Adoption of virtualization is concentrated among large enterprises, while mid-sized companies have hesitated because of concerns about cost, complexity, and vendor lock-in. In this paper we discuss how Citrix XenServer, based on the open source Xen hypervisor, provides comprehensive, economical server virtualization designed for easy implementation in any IT environment.

Here is the complete list of free computer magazines, white papers, downloads and podcasts.

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