Windows Vista

It seems that the weird and strange issues always find their way into my system builds. Recently, a Windows Server build was recognizing my SSD drive as a standard hard disk drive. For some, this may not be an issue as the read/write performance is still there. However, for those that dig a little deeper, Windows will try to use the standard "Optimize" for the drive on a regular basis, something you should not do to an SSD.

If you have ever removed a hard drive from a system and installed it in another, you may have run into a situation before where you are unable to delete some of the partitions on the drive. This usually happens when you remove the hard drive from a system made by Dell, Acer, Samsung, etc. The partitions you are unable to remove are designated for system restore and the like. Well, getting rid of those partitions is easier than you think. All you need is a command line and a cup of coffee.

I can't tell you how many times I have told people how important regularly backing up your computer is. I consider this as important as wearing your seat belt, as important as a helmet while riding a motorcycle. If you are not backing up your system, you are asking for trouble. Well, the truth is that not enough people wear their seat belt and I see bikers without helmets all the time. I am willing to bet that at least 1 out of 4 of you reading this aren't backing up your computers.

Clever utilities are what really get my mouse twitching.  In the age of the connected home, more of these devices are disconnected from one another.  I have a keyboard and mouse for eight PC’s in my home, 3 of which are HTPCs.  The HTCPs in my home all are capable of using a Logitech Harmony Remote control and all are …

Look, we all know and realize that Windows is the superior operating system to anything else out there.  With that said, I am going to detail ten reasons why this is the case and offer supporting data.  Some of this may be shocking to you if you are a user of another operating system, but please… don’t feel inferior.

In my career, yes there is a life outside of C.O.D., I am faced with many obstacles; usually regarding printing or scanning.  Recently, it was requested by a customer that printer output be preceded by a separator page.  Luckily, this is not restricted by devices (in most cases) and is rather easy to setup.  This is very helpful in environments …

I have had an annoying problem that I just realized I had.  Sometimes, when I am quick clicking through websites or testing on this one, I tend to hit some buttons rather quickly.  Sometimes, they close my windows and other times have no effect.  Well, one time, I accidentally zoomed in on this site with Firefox and never realized that …

I am a long standing fan of Logmein and their services; I currently utilize their service on all of my PC’s and I am quite happy with their product.  However, if you are a user of the Logmein service and realize lately that Aero is not working on your workstation anymore, the mirror driver is to blame.

I have been hearing rumblings lately that Microsoft’s Security Essentials is now available through Windows Update.  The availability of an antivirus application through this type of service means that users will no longer have to scour the web for a link to install it.  So what gives?

The current security craze is affecting more than our daily computing.  The implementation of various security measures has gone beyond standard security measures and has entered the obscene.  Where do we draw the line between taking precautions and stifling productivity.  IT concerns are valid, immeasurable, and undeniable… however, so is productivity.