Subcodec

I just gotta say Windows. While it isn't everybody's favorite, it is more stable than ever, generally user friendly, and the part that is important to me is that I know my way around it pretty good and with help from all of you on this forum, can tailor Windows in many ways. Basically, Windows gets the the job done for me with little problems. Why try something different?

I've done a little research myself with the way Longhorn will handle installations. Considering the hardware requirements of Longhorn, PCs should have no problem supporting PE. The one thing I am wondering, is if we will be able to get into that image file. I was hoping to try out the 5048 build on my own computer, but it doesn't support any systems right now that require F6 to install SATA or RAID drivers. At first, I thought "No prob, I'll just slipstream them right in". Nope. Now I didn't spend a lot of time searching through the net, but I found no way of getting into that image file, install.wim. It almost makes me wonder how they will approach drivers like that with Longhorn. Floppies are also fast dying and are not always going to be a feasible way to point the installation to SATA or RAID drivers. I think Microsoft will also do their best to keep us out of the image file too. If it is Home, Pro, and Media Center all in one image, they wouldn't want people like us here at MSFN to take it apart and do a little modifying . Anyways, that is my random thoughts on that. Longhorn has a long way to go and it will be interesting to see what they all do with it. I think there are some high expectations to be met.

Of course Nlite only supports XP/2003. It is to help build an unattended installation. Win9x never had that kind of capability built into it because it was never intended for larger businesses that would want to do installations over a network or over many computers where XP/2003 would. The best way to patch 9x is with one of the "service packs" and to remove parts of 9x, there are a few applications that do a great job with that. Again, I do understand your opinion that 9x is quickly getting outdated, but like it has been mentioned a couple times, 9x is still installed on many computers that are being used everyday. So unless you would like to come up with a way to fund the upgrade to all them computers to XP (and possibly the hardware to handle XP), companies have a very good reason to provide backwards compatibility. It only makes business sense to do so. There isn't many, but there are just a few programs and hardware out there that have no support for 9x. I'm sure in the next 2-3 years, that number will grow significantly. For now, the average user can easily use a simple 9x machine to surf the internet, check their email, and play just about any game off the shelf from your local Wal-Mart. Ya know, the more I think about it, I don't understand why someone would argue over this. This compatibility isn't making your software and hardware any more expensive than it already is. Nor is it making your system unstable. So how exactly does this directly affect you?

I'm sure many other software/hardware developers ask themselves questions like these everyday when developing/releasing new applications/drivers. Like someone previously mentioned, much is due to the large portion of users that still use Win9x, even in businesses. This doesn't necessarily mean that they have slow systems either. On my system (3200+, 1 gig RAM, etc), Win9x can run very fast and stable without all the extra bloat that XP has with it. Yes, it may not be quite as stable and not have the support and features that XP does, but it still can serve a very useful purpose. Also, keep in mind that many applications and some drivers are extensions to previously released products that already supported Win9x. So when they are updated/released, it just makes sense to keep that compatibility. There are also enough similarities between XP and 9x where many applications don't require much extra time to add compatibility between them and it's worth that little extra time with the already large install base for 9x. From your posts, I would say you definately do not like the 9x series, but just try to remember that many users used these OS's exclusively for over 5 years. If they were that bad, Microsoft would definately not have the market like they do now. Windows XP was a huge improvement, but it has its faults too. Until we get to the day where the 9x series is totally outdated, will we not see to much available for it anymore. By that time though, someone will probably be writing a post very similar to this asking the same thing but with XP.

At the technical school I go to, they also use Microsoft's MSDN Academic Alliance. I did get WinXP through there and it was a retail with a unique key and the installation requires activation. Through the MSDN Academic Alliance I can also recieve Visual Basic 6 and .NET, SQL Server 2000, Windows Server 2003, and Visio 2003. This is all software for development and this is why Microsoft has this available to many students and different schools.

What I'd like to know is if there is a way to slipstream the service pack, but keep the same structure as the disc (ie keep all the cab files).

5Mb down/384kb up through Roadrunner I can't complain about the down, plenty fast for now, but I wish they could improve the upload. Even 512 would be nice.

I just installed another hard drive yesterday. I now use 5. The sizes are a 60, 80. 80, 160, and a 200 for a total of 580 gigs.

There is an irony in a post like this. I realized that while I've never been told to get off the computer throughout all the years, I can't tell you how many times I've been told to get off the Atari, Nintendo, etc. I guess the parents and/or the girlfriend think we are more productive on the computer. HAHAHAHAHA. Well, sometimes I am

I've tried the same thing on a couple occasions with hit and miss results. If I couldn't get a game to work in this way, I would make an image of each CD and burn that to a DVD. This way I still saved myself a couple CDs and I can always use something like Daemon tools to load the images when installing. subcodec

It wouldn't be a good idea to tape the drive to the case. The tape will severly limit the cooling of the drive. Depending on your warranty, I would suggest buying a hard drive cage like previously mentions or if you don't move the case at all, you could consider even setting the hard drive on the bottom of the case. Just don't forget that it is not fastened. This may also cause a little extra noise from vibration. The best solution would be to get a new case and move all the guts from the Dell case to the new case. Again, this would void any warranty from Dell, but then you'd have room for even more peripherals in the future. Just out of curiosity, do you have a cd-rom drive bay that is open? You could always buy hard drive rails for them bays for a couple bucks and mount the drive right in there. Subcodec

Stories like this seem almost like a conspiracy theory to me. I just can't see a hacker going thru all this trouble to stalk someone. What would the motive be? Maybe I'm too laid back. I don't run any antivirus, no anti-spam, and the only firewall I run is WinXP's. I use common sense with the Net and with my emails and I keep fairly current with hotfixes and other program updates. In the 6 years I've owned a computer, I've only had 1 minor virus. It probably does help that I do a fresh install every 3 months or so. I have 2 suggestions for Vel Straty. First, do what others have mentioned and use common sense and keep using firewall software, anti-spam utilities, etc. My other suggestion is to relax a little. I don't think anyone would pick you and a friend at random to stalk and even kill ya. Subcodec

I had to type something up just to find out. I never paid attention to that before. I found I use my left thumb for every space. I am right handed. Subcodec

From the picture you provided, you should have an ISO in the C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop\BartPE folder. All you should have to do is load the ISO into Nero, CDRWin, or whatever burning progrom you use and burn the CD. The files on the right side of the picture are what the ISO actually contains. The only difference is that when the PE Buider builds the ISO for you, it adds the necessary bin file so the CD will be bootable. Subcodec

I hope your coding is better than your spelling and grammar Subcodec

I know there are downsides to the job, but aren't there downsides to every job?? I've been in the same boat as Biohazard working on friend's and relative's computers. I can imagine many of the same simpe problems happen in an office environment. For those that are system administrators, there has to be something they like about the job, or they wouldn't be doing it, right? In another forum, I asked the same question and one reply that he is a system administrator of a college. While he does have to follow some college guidelines, he pretty much can do with the system as he pleases. He also likes that he get's to play with new "toys" sometimes.

I'm currently going to school at a local college and am in the computer specialist program. One of the careers or jobs that I am interested in the future is a systems administrater. As part of an assignment for Computer Career Planning, I am supposed to interview someone in the job cluster I am interested in. Can anyone in this area help me answer these questions? How long have you worked in this field? What is a typical workday like? What do you like most about your job? What are the difficult aspects of this job? What suggestions do you have for someone just starting out in this field? Thanx in advance for helping me out. Subcodec

I'm not taking a pic of my rig just yet since I have a new motherboard, processor, and memory on the way, but it is the same Antec case that Coeus (the silver one) has. Here are my specs as of right now: Gigabyte GA-7VAXP Ultra motherboard (new one is a NFI Ultra Infinity) Athlon 1800+ (new one is a mobile 2500+ that will be overclocked) 512MB 266Mhz (going to 1 Gig of PDP 400Mhz) MSI GeForce 4 ti4400 CNET 10/100 Lite-On DVD rewritable 4x Lite-On CD rewriteable 40x Maxtor 160 gig ATA 7200RPM Maxtor 80 gig ATA 7200RPM WD 80 gig ATA 7200RPM Maxtor 60 gig ATA 5400RPM (adding a cheap ATA RAID card for the 2 80 gig till I start converting drives to SATA) and for my display: an old Nokia 445xi 21" oh yeah, for sound I use the onboard with a Yamaha TSS-1 5.1 system It's not spectacular, but I'm back to being a student (you all know what that means )

I don't own one of the Shuttle barebones, but I would personally look at a microATX form factor. I've seen some cool looking cases in that size and you'll have a tad more room for drives and expansion slots.

I have had only 3 video cards since I've had computers. The first one I had was a Voodoo 3 2000 on a PCI card. At the time it was pretty good, but it was obsolete quite fast. Today, it lives in my aunt and uncle's PC and still works just fine after about 5 years. The next card I got was a Matrox G400 Max. I never had any problems from this card and it gave me respectable performance for the time. That video card is still running strong in my parent's PC. Currently, I am still running a Nvidia GeForce ti4400. Now it isn't top of the line and it doesn't even support DX9, but I am still able to play many new games, even Doom 9 at reasonable settings. I also have not had any major problems with this card. My only other experiences with other brands have been with a video card with a SIS chip and an ATI card that I've built other computers with. When it all comes down to it, I go at it just like previously mentioned. I first set a budget and then I read through countless reviews and opinions. From there, I pick a video card that suits my needs or the needs of the person I am building for. Even now, I'm waiting for some parts to upgrade my system. I am upgrading the CPU from an AMD 1800+ to a mobile 2500+ that I plan on overclocking, a new motherboard for this processor, and going from 512MB of 266Mhz RAM to 1 gig of 400Mhz of RAM. My guess would be the video card is about 6 months or so away from being upgraded yet.

I'm not totally sure if it is legit, but I did find a website that has SP2 RTM 2180 for download. I'm downloading it as I type this. I might be stopping it though, for it is only going at a lousy 1 kb/s . I'm sure I'll be able to find something faster later today. Subcodec

I still have the last 3 versions of Whistler myself. They aren't as old as the ones you just posted. I believe they were Beta 2 and the RC1 + RC2 versions. I've even been thinking on installing one of them once and playing with it again. Maybe I just have too much time on my hands

I would just put in a search for files over a certain size. Let's say about 5000k. If you have one or more unusually large file, they may be the culprit. Find where they are located and only delete them if you are sure. If you are not sure, post the list of files on here and I'm sure someone will be able to tell you if you need the files or not. Subcodec

I would recommend also to run through the installation again to replace missing and/or damaged files. What I would like to add is to make sure you backup everything that is important to you. I have had problems in the past running through the setup, I kept getting an error and it wouldn't go through. By that point, I could not get into the OS any longer. The files would still be retrievable, but it would be much easier to take care of it before hand. Rule of thumb is to backup files ANY time you do anything major with the OS, file system, or partitions. Subcodec

Anyone???? Bump.....