Seagate’s been in the news for even more hard drive problems but I was finally able to download the BIOS update from Seagate and apply it to the drives. With all their problems Seagate finally made the BIOS downloads available publicly, rather than having to get a link from their tech support. Even better, the download was an image of a bootable CD that could be used for the BIOS upgrade. The BIOS upgrade itself went fairly well after some false starts. I interpreted the “model expected” error message to [...] Read the rest »
Windows 7
I hadn’t considered Windows 7 for my PC build. I started planning in December and had pretty much ignored the stories about when the beta would be available. I didn’t want to be running beta software on a PC I had just built and I didn’t want to have to worry about software compatibility and whether the problem was hardware or software. I just made a u-turn and did a fresh install of Windows 7 on my newly built PC. It was abrupt because I wanted to flatten the Vista [...] Read the rest »
Vista PC Build – The Results
Well, I put all the parts together and have Vista running on the PC. There’s plenty of info about putting a PC together already on the net so I’m not going to get into the details. The case had plenty of room so getting the motherboard and drives in wasn’t a problem. The cover is held on by one thumbscrew but it fits securely and is easy to remove. The only hitch I had was the lack of an available SATA power connector for the DVD reader so I had [...] Read the rest »
Vista PC Build – Parts and Planning
We won’t talk about how long it’s been since I built a computer, but let’s just say that the ATX form factor probably wasn’t even a twinkle in some engineer’s eye at the time. I’ve been eager to get back into it and also get a relatively low cost Windows computer that I could tinker with. Another thing I remember from those old days is value is more important than rock-bottom cost, cheaply made parts extract payment way beyond their price. So here are my requirements for this computer: Quite [...] Read the rest »
New Website: Building a WordPress Website
[Update: the website mentioned here no longer exists] Just a quick note that I’ve launched a new website – WPBlaze. The site will chronicle the building of a WordPress website from the ground up and will serve as its own example. Since the purpose is to cover it’s creation from the beginning you’ll find things a little rough if you visit it today since things are still mostly at their default value. Read the rest »
Irony: Macworld Best of Show Runs Windows
HP MediaSmart Windows Home Server is 7th on the Best of Show list. Read the rest »
New HP MediaSmart Home Servers on the Horizon
HP will be shipping updated models of its Windows Home Server products starting February 1st. The EX485 will be the 750GB (1 drive) model and the EX487 will be the 1.5TB (2 drive model). Like it’s predecessor, the single drive model is the one to buy since 750GB hard drives are as low as $55 and easy to install. Most of the buzz has been about the new feature that allows the HP MediaSmart Windows Home Server to be used as a backup destination for Time Machine. HP also includes [...] Read the rest »
Belkin Powerline AV (200 Mbps)
I use my Mac Mini as a media center but it has a 802.11g wireless connection which has been a problem. Since I live in a pretty dense apartment complex and every couple of months I have to find a new channel that has less interference. I finally got fed up enough that I decided to spend the money and try a Powerline AV adapter. I went with the Belkin Powerline AV Adapter. I never had much confidence in the Powerline technology but I was hoping it had matured by [...] Read the rest »
The OS Quest Trail Log #37: 2009 Kick-Off Edition
Yea, I know, I just did a trail log and there hasn’t been much happening since then, so what else could there be? Well, not much actually. I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions or stuff like that, but despite that I’ve spent some time recently thinking about where the Quest should go this year and have already begun some changes. I decided to put things on the record so I could compare my plans to reality at the end of the year. Hopefully by the time the next Trail [...] Read the rest »
RAID is Not Backup
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. RAID (including mirroring) is not backup and here’s why. While I have Windows Home Server’s file duplication and my Drobo, they don’t eliminate the need to backup. Read the rest »
