2. I deleted the partnership between the Pocket PC and my laptop’s 3. I reconnected that same cable and re-established the partnership. It worked. ** solution credit: windowsmobiletraining dot com **
Countless hours of uninstalling and re-installing applications proved fruitless, while the multiple times I restarted Windows and resetting the Pocket PC just added to the wasted effort. Then I thought of something I should have done from the very beginning - each time Windows pops up an error alert, it also provides an error code if you click on 'Details' or 'More Info'. I, like countless other people who have pledged their dependence on Microsoft, have gotten used to just clicking 'Close'.
Error Code: 0x86000107
... of (not so) fast paced lives ...
Streamyx. If anyone out there is considering a subscription with Streamyx for the very first time, I think you should be given a counterpoint to all the marketing hype that they dish out periodically.
I'm not going to delve into the customer service. I'll let you go through that waiting experience yourself. I'm also not going into the helpfulness of their pre-fabricated answers when you tell them of your broadband woes.
What I *will* do is dive straight to the heart of it all: the lack of speed.
Once upon a time I subscribed to Streamyx's 1.0Mbps (download)/384kpbs (upload) package for RM88 per month, but since I've only broken the 600kpbs mark ONCE since I discovered speedtest.net in mid 2007 (I hit 784/382 on 30th September 2008 while testing against a server right here in Kuala Lumpur), I saw no reason to maintain a 1.0Mbps service. I thought maybe their servers couldn't consistently handle speeds beyond 500-600kpbs, so I downgraded to their 512kpbs package. but the moment I switch my service package, my speed dropped to an average of 150-200 kpbs when tested with Malaysian servers. I'm not talking about working hours when offices and businesses are tapping up bandwidth, I do my speed tests between 11pm and 1am. I guess it was never about the capacity of their servers or the quality of the copper wires, Streamyx just DOES NOT DELIVER WHAT THEY'RE SELLING!
Recent speed test results below (bear in mind that I'm subscribing to a 512 / 256 package). Tests were done between 11.40pm to 12.05am local time, Wednesday 25th March 2009 (through Thursday, 26th March if you want to get technical over it).
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - 213 / 71
Singapore - 203 / 101
Rome, Italy - 131 / 59
San Diego, USA - 352 / 217
Florida, USA - 104 / 84
So what other alternatives are there?
I've been thinking of switching over to P1 or DiGi Wimax, though I hesitate as I've not heard much feedback from their subscribers. I also hesitate because of coverage issues. Check it out:
Neighborhoods surrounding me are covered by PacketOne (P1) Wimax. My neighborhood (Sunway Damansara) just barely got left out. I wonder why I keep getting leaflets from them though.
DiGi Wimax covers my neighborhood, but I reside along the outer rim of their coverage. That makes it quite risky for me to switch to DiGi.
I guess I'm stuck with Streamyx for a bit longer, but if you're still looking for a broadband provider, I'd highly recommend that you shop around for options first. I'm planning to make that transition away from Streamyx once my area is fully covered by DiGi or P1.
... Pocket PC / WM5 - remove unwanted icons
I got very annoyed a couple of days ago. I was testing out free applications on my Dopod 818Pro (which runs on Windows Mobile 5), and the whole idea of 'testing' is that you remove the softwares you don't like, or those that do not agree with your Pocket PC.
Everything was good, until I realized that not all applications come with proper uninstalling procedures, leaving my program folder with heaps of unlinked icons and short cuts. Trying to delete these directly from the program folder was quite futile (probably a fail safe, so that you don't accidentally remove a critical program). So how do you get rid of all the clutter? Just follow these three simple steps:
1. Get into file explorer.
2. Go to your root directory (usually "My Device"), then into 'Windows', then into 'Start Menu', and finally into 'Programs'.
(My Device --> Windows --> Start Menu --> Programs)
3. Select and delete the offending icon(s), and keep your program folder nice and tidy!
... are you mental now? Indie Youth Fest / ESWC Finals
when :
4 - 6 July
where :
1 Utama, Main Entrance
what :
Electronic Sports World Cup / Indie Youth Fest
entrance :
free
Music. DotA. Music. Winning Eleven. Music. Trackmania. Music. Counterstrike. Music. Guitar Hero. Music. Warcraft III. And Music.
tempered mental They've performed in Canada, they played for Sunburst, and they'll be performing in Korea in a month's time. Listen to them. Buy their album, "The View From Here". Trust me, it's well worth it.
Listen to some samples here.
Read another blogger's review here.
Other appearing notables are:
[4th Jul] [5.30 pm] One Buck Short
[4th Jul] [7.30 pm] Filmmakers Anonymous Screenings
[5th Jul] [8.00 pm] Tempered Mental (in case you missed it! lol)
[5th Jul] [8.30 pm] Estrella
[6th Jul] [3.00 pm] Jasmine Low (readings)
[6th Jul] [4.00 pm] Otam
[6th Jul] [5.30 pm] Zalila Lee
[6th Jul] [6.30 pm] Mia Palencia
[6th Jul] [7.30 pm] Yuri Wong
[6th Jul] [8.00 pm] Reza Salleh
For further information and full performance list, please visit the Indie Youth Fest blog. Alternatively, you could also surf on over to Junk Magazine, or just click on the flyer at the top of this post.
... freewares - are they any good?
We deduced that the problem most probably came from the selection of software my friend had selected, which led to a barrage of suggestions on which software to go for. Noticing the look of "Information overload!" plastered on Friend 2's face, I thought to myself "Oh well, I'll just pop over in a couple of days with a thumbdrive of great freewares and kick the computer into good working shape," only to be told that Friend 2 went abroad on a short trip.
I figured that the next best thing to do would be to compile a list of suggestions for Friend 2, since I'm very likely to forget these kind of things.
1. The PC Decrapifier
Humerous name, but straight to the point! This application removes a ton of junk that normally comes bundled with PCs and Laptops. Some manufacturers offers to remove bundled junk from their computers for a fee, but if you're a personal home user, the PC Decrapifier does it for you for free! You can even check out their list of Crapplications to get a hint of what nonsense goes into your 'brand new, absolutely-nothing-wrong-with-it computer'.
Website: http://www.pcdecrapifier.com
Cost: Free! But they do accept donations of US$5.00.
2. Avast! Antivirus
Antivirus applications are important, unless you enjoy losing data. The problem, however, is selecting the right virus protection software - there are so many out there, free or otherwise, but not all of them are useful beyond protecting against the most basic forms of attack. I'll refrain from arguing for or against Norton and McAfee, but I will say that I consider these two as 'greedy' softwares - they demand a lion's share of your computer's processing power - and using them can sometimes grind my PC down to pre-Pentium speeds.
Avast protects against viruses, spywares and malwares, checks for updates daily. Its settings allows me to run it in the background while I'm on my PC and the processing drain is barely noticeable. My only advice with using this programme is to switch off the audio options, as it verbally tells you when it's done something, such as updating its virus database. Trust me on that, it's made me jump a few times before I turned it off.
Website: http://www.avast.com
Cost: Free for home users! Businesses need to purchase a license under one of its many packages.
3. Web Browsers
I don't like Windows Internet Explorer (IE). I'd suggest alternate browsers such as Mozilla's Firefox or Apple's Safari. I'm personally a fan of Firefox and have not made the switch to Safari because I'm too lazy to familiarise myself with a new browser yet again, but I've tried it out on Macbooks a few time and quite enjoyed it ease of use. I've also been told by friends that the Windows version of Safari surfs much faster than other browsers.
Despite not liking IE, I'd advice against uninstalling it because there are a few transactional and / or interactive websites (such as applying for an American Visa) which only work with IE.
** Edit June 26: Firefox 3.0 for Windows has been released. Currently using it with no complaints! **
Websites:
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/
http://www.apple.com/safari
Cost: Free!
4. Revo Uninstaller
Let's just get one thing straight before we start. Windows' "Add or Remove Programs" control panel applet isn't only slow, it also does not fully remove files associated with the software you're trying to get rid off. Residual profile, database, 'shared', and registry files all add to the clutter that firstly takes up a small amount hard disk space (a minor annoyance), and more importantly, slows your computer down (major annoyance!).
Revo Uninstaller unistalls and completely removes unwanted software and programs. It takes a couple more steps (which really just amount to a couple more mouse clicks) to uninstall an application with Revo, but it'll help keep your PC much healthier in the long run. This utility program has received five stars from both CNET Download.com and Softpedia reviews, so you really can't go wrong with it.
Website: http://www.revouninstaller.com
Cost: Free!
... of being left behind the IT generation ...
It took me
THREE HOURS
to figure out how to plunk that stupid banner up there, and to remove the pre-set boxes that surround the headers, as seen in the templates.
My HTML has gone so bad now that everything's just point and click. I found a couple of wysiwyg editors and thought I'd spend some time playing with them. And then I realized I had no idea how to ftp it onto blogspot. Sigh. Fail lah kes ni.
Thought of posting up some pictures I took in Melaka 7 months ago but I guess I'm too sapped out to tell stories along with it so I'll just leave those for next time.
... of Old Games and Of New ...
We'll let age take precedent in this post. Earlier today (4th June 2007) was the 20th Anniversary of the very first Leisure Suit Larry game. Written and designed by Al Lowe and published by Sierra, this game kicked off with horribly low levels of sale before quietly gaining momentum in within the computer games market. It eventually went on to win the award for Best Adventure/Fantasy Role-Playing Game of 1987 by the Software Publishers Association.
The cover art for Sierra's 1987 award winning title Leisure Suit Larry
If you hear names "Al Lowe" or "Sierra" associated with a game, it's usually a winner. This game, and its best selling sequels had both until Vivendi's acquisition of Sierra
Now, on to newer things.
Bethesda Softworks, who had bought the rights to the Fallout franchise from Interplay has promised a teaser for Fallout 3 today, so keep an eye on this website. I've been a huge fan of the series (okay, maybe I didn't enjoy Fallout Tactics and Brotherhood of Steel, but I loved the storyline, gameplay and humor in the original two Fallout games) and I'm hoping Fallout 3 will retain the essence and flavor of its prequels. Bethesda has the enviable job of working on the game, but also the unenviable standards of the game it has to live up to. I'm just worried that with that pressure to leave a good impression, they may try too hard to fix what wasn't broken in the first place, but to give them some credit, they've done nothing but magnificent work on their Elder Scrolls series, so that leaves me salivating over what they will come up with!
One of the teaser pictures (shrunk here of course) shown at Bethesda's websiteSpeed Up!
