Backside Bus

These days it is not uncommon for home networks to rival the business networks of 10 years ago. Rather than having the family computer that everyone has to share, people may have more than one desktop, a laptop or two, tablets, and smartphones. This  can make finding files hard... they are saved in local folders by default, so if you created, say, an address list for mail merges on your laptop, but then need to refer to it later while on your desktop, it is not available. How can you make this work better? You could set up a machine to serve as a file server (using something like a Windows HomeGroup , or more basic NTFS or SMB  shares) and use it as a repository for your files. This works well, but it can be complicated to set up and maintain, and the files may not be accessible to all your devices. Using a cloud-based service such as SkyDrive also works, but there is still an accessibility question and you can lose access to files if your Internet connection goes down. A better so

OK, the title is obvious. Who hasn't grumbled at the default system settings on a new computer, or immediately uninstalled all the clutter placed on a system by the manufacturer? To me, it's another argument for building (or at least designing) your own systems. But I digress... on to the post. The dumbest thing I have done in a while is trust that the company that sold a server knew what was best when they set it up. By doing so, I decided to not make any changes to the overall system configuration before passing the "point of no return," where I would have to reinstall the entire system to change things. I was helping a friend set up a server for his small business. Initially, I was thinking about getting a Windows 2008 server and setting it up as a Domain Controller and file server. When we were looking at systems, Microcenter had a server with SBS 2011 and decent specs for less than their basic Windows 2008 server system, so we decided to go with that. I won&

First of all, I want to say sorry for the big break between posts... I've been busy with work and haven't had time to write. Now work has slowed down a little bit, and I'm feeling relaxed and ready for some blogging. And what better topic to write about but something that anyone who uses a computer should do, but way too many people ignore. Of course I am talking about backing up your data. I was recently reminded of how important backing up is when a friend contacted me about PC issues. They had a laptop that, after running trouble-free for about 2 years, suddenly just stopped working. As in wouldn't even POST (Power On Self Test) or make it to the manufacturer splash screen. He brought it over and I took  look. When you hit the power button, the HDD would make a slight sound (like it was trying to spin up) then stop. Other than that, nothing at all happened. I asked if he had a backup because it looked like he would have to send the system for repairs (and/or his H

While I am generally a Windows user, I have always been interested in Linux. I made an attempt to install Red Hat on my PC in the late 90s (but had too many driver issues and couldn't get x-windows to work properly so I decided to wait a while). In early 2010 I looked into it again and discovered Ubuntu . After playing with 10.04 and subsequent versions in VirtualBox for a while, I restored an old laptop using 11.04. After that, I was hooked, and I have had some version of Ubuntu running on a PC ever since. Once I was sure everything was stable on my new machine (I really have to give it a name...), I grabbed the latest version (12.10) and set up a dual-boot machine. It actually wasn't that quick. I definitely wanted to run Ubuntu on the system, but I also didn't necessarily want to extend the boot time - I was too used to the  the 20-seconds to working in a desktop program from totally off   performance I was getting, and I didn't want to slow it down, even if it

In the short time since I finished building my custom PC , I have done a couple of upgrades to the components and played around with overclocking in order to improve overall system performance. In this post, I will cover the new components I have added, and I will have a separate post on overclocking in the near future. New Components Since the build, I have added an aftermarket cooling system to improve cooling when overclocking (see Overclocking Without Permission for details on why it was necessary), added a blu-ray RW drive, and increased cooling capacity even more by putting another fan in the case. The end result is that I can now play and backup blu-ray movies, and I can burn my HD home movies in actual High Definition without worrying that my computer will overheat when encoding the videos (that wasn't an issue when the system was running at stock speeds). Blu-Ray Drive   The Blu-Ray drive I added is an LG WH14NS40 , a SATA 14x Blu-Ray burner that supports BDXL,

I've been using an iPad since late 2010. In that time, I have come across several apps that I really enjoy using, or find very useful. Here is a list of my 10 favorite iPad apps. The Simpson's Tapped Out. I've been a Simpson's fan since they were a short on the Tracy Ullman show, so this one feels like it was written for me. The premise of the game is that Homer is playing a similar game on his myPad while at work, and, by ignoring his duties, accidentally destroys Springfield. You have to put it back together, adding buildings and characters by earning money and doughnuts (mmmmm, premium currency) by assigning the characters tasks. The game also has quests that allow you to add new characters and buildings. While it is a simple gameplay - give characters tasks and build things - the content is amusing and brings in several themes from the show. They have also had several events where you can get special items for a limited time. These include Halloween, Thanksgivi

With the replacement of my once-great Samsung Stratosphere* with an HTC Windows Phone X, my business computing is now entirely under the Microsoft umbrella. Windows 7 at the office, Windows 8 at home (desktop and laptop), Surface RT for the tablet/netbook. Now if Redmond would only send me the shill checks they promised... But seriously, this is the first time that I have had all my eggs in one basket - I would generally have one "odd man out" device, if not more. In fact, until recently, my standard trio for business trips was my iPad, my Windows 7/Ubuntu dual-boot netbook, and my Stratosphere. I'll be doing some posts on living in the MS world (like I haven't already...) and how it affects my work, leisure**, and other computing activities. *more to come on this story - quick version is that Verizon took a great phone and completely ruined it with an OS update. ** My iPad needn't worry... there are enough iPad-only apps that I got used to using on that pl

Sorry for the long delay between posts this month. I really want to try to get to posting a couple of posts a week, but Real Life keeps popping up and using up my time. In any event, I am going to try to get back to that frequency starting now. I have a lot of ideas for posts, and am going to start actually typing them up. I'll start off with something I promised a while ago. As I mentioned in the post about my custom PC build , I had an issue with the system crashing randomly. It only crashed twice - once when I was running the Windows Experience Index, and once overnight. This worried me because it was a brand new system, and everything should have been in tip-top shape - unless I screwed something up (or received a faulty piece of equipment). I was really hoping I wouldn't have to redo all or part of the build. Luckily, I enjoy troubleshooting almost as much as I like building PCs, so I put on my thinking cap (do they still make those) and started working. When I checke

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or health care professional. Before beginning any diet or exercise program, please check with your doctor or other health care provider as they can advise you much better than some random blogger. With the new year having come and gone, I'm sure there are a lot of people who made and are working on keeping the resolution to lose weight, get fit, or stay in shape. This can be a hard one to keep (I've had a few experiences with this one...) but, with the help of technology, maybe not as hard as it used to be. Ask any doctor for the best way to lose weight and keep it off, and they will say "eat less and exercise." It really can be that simple - if you burn more calories than you need to sustain your weight, you will get lighter (though I do realize that there are several other factors that can have an effect on weight loss for many people, such as genetic predispositions, thyroid issues, etc. Again, it I best to consult with your heal

Meet my new PC Well, this is progressing much faster than I thought. I am actually typing this on the box that the series is about. The combination of Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales, and Christmas presents made it possible to get most of the parts, and a great sale on the processor at Microcenter (more than $100 off list, and at least $60 less than the best sale I found online) sealed the deal. Final specs As my uncle pointed out  in the comments of the last post, I didn't really talk about the Power Supply or the case. In order to support future expansions, I decided to go with a 600 watt power supply. As I add graphics cards and other components, this will ensure that I have ample power available. I also selected a mid-tower case. This has plenty of space for HDDs, SSDs, optical drives, and, most importantly, cooling fans.  Parts List If you read my last installment , you're aware of the general specs of the machine. Here is the list of specific parts I use

Hope everyone's 2013 is getting off to a great start!