CharlotteTheHarlot

I don't know either. It could be that they, like the human race, is doomed no matter what. I suppose they will all simply close up, unless they can squeeze out a little headroom by cutting the few remaining corners ( not sure what is left, they already get stuff from China, etc ), maybe beg for tax breaks which will get us anyway since we taxpaying homeowners subsidize that. In the short term they will probably just pad the prices up as an alternative to an obvious cover charge, but this too will hasten their demise. A vicious circle to be sure. The Brave New World will probably evolve into buying stuff online, stuff that you never even see in real life until it shows up at your doorstep. This scenario has its own obvious problems but it is probably inevitable now because I just don't see how the math will ever add up for someone to stock a big store if no-one buys anything. Who would possibly consider doing this going forward? I know I wouldn't. At the small business level, all of us who sell stuff out of a shop or have ever sold something at a yard sale or moving sale, we have always had the luxury of picking and choosing who handles what. Someone who is just browsing and loitering with no intention of buying is easily shown the door: "Hey, if you're not buying anything, please leave", but this doesn't really apply to the big box stores these days because of lawsuits and other conflicts they want to avoid. Years ago, the powers that be bragged how the western world is evolving into service economies and that traditional labor and tradition itself is on the way out because we had become much more sophisticated. I knew it sounded too Orwellian but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Now when I look around I see lots of people one Wall Street crash away from a pink slip, with a chain reaction to follow. Probably right before that happens all the stores will merge and we'll have that huge Idiocracy style Costco.

This is an interesting concept. Recent story ... Australian store implements $5 cover charge to combat showrooming ( TechSpot 2013-03-28 ) They are doing it sensibly, with any purchase having the "cover charge" deducted. Still the people are complaining. I don't have a problem with this concept, because the alternative of "showrooming" will probably lead to the demise of the traditional store. Frankly I'm surprised it has taken this long. When I walk around these stores, the huge Best Buys and Walmarts, and consider the massive real estate, huge amount of employees, stock inventory and management, and utility bills for heating and electricity, I find it hard to believe they can operate in black ink. You know they are getting taxed mercilessly, the employees all need at least minimum wage and health plans etc, and I doubt the utilities are cutting them a wholesale price for oil and electricity. Then I consider what our tiny by comparison house increasingly costs for taxes and utilities and fear for the future, for both home-owners and shop-owners. Naturally all the kids scream and complain about this concept, wondering aloud why they can't shop around Best Buy trying stuff in real life using free electricity and then go home and put their feet up and click on Amazon to buy something. I kinda used to do the same thing many years ago ( I found it helpful when buying TV's to see 50 of them on at the same time turned to the same channel for a real good comparison ) but still I would usually buy one there in the end. The take-away to this story is that when I did it, we had 10x as many stores. All that is left now is Walmart and Best Buy really, Lechmere, Circuit City, Office Depot, Caldor are long gone ( from here ) and Sears and K-Mart are severely diminished in size and usefulness. What the kids don't realize is that when the last big box shop closes they won't have anywhere to work to get the cash to be able to buy stuff on Amazon. Well, after daddy's money stops being available that is.

I like the icon avatar that one of them is using ... ... nice I noticed the helpful links provided by one of the more incorrigible Most Valuable Propagandists, but I already beat him to it ( back in Post #1248 ), and I'm guessing he was actually being serious ( ) ... One of the adults in that thread displayed a Windows 8 BSOD ( Blew Screen of Death? ), here's one I designed for Microsoft, but no word back yet whether they will include it in future versions ( ) ... I see that the Kool-Aid drinker displayed a Playskool graphic, literally. I wonder if he realizes the irony at all ( ) ... ( Inspiration ) P.S. feel free to use these whenever you want. EDIT: typo, updated image URL

Interesting question because the cause for HDD failure has a lot of possible variables. IMHO, there are several variables that are far more significant than simply accessing data, which is what you describe. Here are some larger contributing factors to HDD failure in the order I believe matter ... Physical Shock ... incredibly important if the drive is powered up, less so when not powered ( think of UPS and Fedex as the beta testers here ). If the drive is "on", the platters are spinning and when accessing data the heads are floating directly over them so it is very very vulnerable to damage. If you want to maximize the useful lifetime of a HDD, control this variable. Don't even think about moving a powered-on computer. Use SSD's in laptops and treat normal HDD's as if they contain nitroglycerin. Heat ... very few people keep an eye on this but it is critical. My number one trick is to always add a case fan directly on all HDD's ( specifically, I mount all HDDs in the lower front of computer cases and cut out a hole in the front and mount a 120mm fan which can cover four 3.5" drives ). I never use a HDD without a fan on it. I still have working drives from as far back as 1993 ( 20 years! ) and if it wasn't for the fact that modern BIOS's don't seem to recognize my older ones, I'd bet that even some of my sub-100 MB late 1980's drives might even still work. Ever since the AT sized and then ATX sized cases arrived, I have always placed fans blowing right on disk drives and this is what I mostly attribute their longevity too. Dust ... related to the previous, disk drives are equipped with at least one breather hole which can very easily get blocked by dust. Furthermore, dust is bad in general for any electronics as it retards cooling by counter-acting the breeze of air that blows over it allowing heat build-up ( heat sinks or any bare electronics should never be allowed to have dust on them ). As often as possible people should check for dust on drives ( the bottom electronics and top where the hole is ) and all other components like the motherboard and case fans, and use canned air or a vacuum or compressor or even a paintbrush ( carefully! and avoid moisture ). Clean components are readily cooled by even the slightest movement of air, dusty ones defeat the purpose of all those case fans. Static Shock ... if you ever develop static shocks walking around your space from rugs and shoes and other conditions, then you are vulnerable to this eventuality. Be sure to touch grounded surfaces ( the bare metal in a computer case with the power supply plugged into the wall ) when doing stuff in the case like mounting HDD's because this will bleed off static buildup which will kill DC electronics when discharged from your hand. BTW, an unplugged case is not actually grounded at all, but touching this still might bleed off static because its lower potential is still better than nothing, but touching something actually grounded is best practice. Power On ... aka Uptime. This one is obvious because as long as a HDD is "on" the spindle is rotating at 7200 rpm ( or whatever ) and firmware subroutines are busy doing periodic chores like relocating bad sectors and polling sensors and recording SMART data, etc. All electronics have a limited lifetime even though most such parts are presumable spec'd to outlast the useful lifetime of the drive. The "obvious" part is that a HDD with total uptime of 100 hours is newer than one withh 1000 hours even though the HDD unit itself in the former case might be physically older than the latter. But this is actually controversial because of the flip-side of this coin ... Power Cycling ... when a HDD is turned on and off. This has influence because of several problems, one is the sudden inrush current which can stress even the best spec'd parts and best designed circuits. Secondly, a drive that is "off" has electronics that are by definition cool, but a drive that is on have "warm" ones. The thermal stress is literally in the expanding and contracting physical size of the parts and is one cause of failure of the classic "cold solder joints" ( though less likely in the modern era ). It is an ongoing debate as to whether in theory it is better for any electronic device to be "always on" ( almost no power cycling but massive uptime ) or "only on when necessary" ( massive power cycling but little uptime ). No easy answer but the compromise seems to be visible in two broad product ranges with "consumer" drives that presumably have better tolerance for power cycling, and "enterprise" drives that have better tolerance of constant uptime. Someone in this industry could offer better opinions. I said that the question is interesting because it actually specifies a completely different variable, focusing on the head assembly itself. The difference between a "powered on" drive that is idle and one that is accessing data is that the heads are being moved by a little motor against that powerful NIB magnet ( yep, I tear dead drives apart and save them ) so presumably there must be some wear and tear on that actuator motor over time. My gut instinct is that modern drives using these designs are probably infinitely more durable than the old style with stepper motors, and that means that the head actuator will probably greatly outlast all those other variables. But that is uninformed opinion, I very well might be wrong! I would be interested to hear from someone that is in the industry for some useful education. Now about that antivirus. I'm not sure that is the only thing causing disk thrashing, here's a few other possibilities: (1) Windows since XP has been using Disk Indexing, ideally when the computer is idle to build a database to speed up later file searches. I always turn this off but other will disagree. (2) Many computers come equipped with preinstalled Backup solutions which also try to work when idle. Perhaps Norton or McAfee or Carbonite. (3) Windows also has System Restore which has an automatic component. (4) Windows Update can theoretically get stuck in a state of never-ending work in certain situations if updates are pending. (5) There are an increasing variety of Tasks that run on a schedule and/or when idle. Program Updaters whether 3rd party standalone like Adobe and Java and whatever, or the Windows Installshield program updater, and many, MANY more. I would use a fine-toothed comb and audit every Service and Task and Startup ( NOTE: those are three different sets of things ). This will help you determine if the AV is the only culprit. Personally I don't use antivirus, but I can suggest that between the concept of Realtime Scanning, Scheduled Scanning ( including when idle ), and On-Demand Scanning I prefer the latter. Furthermore, if you have realtime scanning enabled ( this means it is actively intercepting every single thing you do ) then theoretically you should only have to run a full and complete manual scan just once and disable the scheduled ones. But that is just me, because I don't like to supply a computer and electricity and cash payments just to keep AV software busy. EDIT: typo

Great movie reference

Now I have seen everything. This has to be the all-time absolute epitome of idiocracy. InFocus intros 55-inch "BigTouch" Windows 8 all-in-one for $4,999 ( TechSpot 2013-03-26 ) InFocus reveals 55-inch Windows 8 touchscreen PC ( NeoWin 2013-03-26 ) InFocus Intros Monster 55" AIO PC, the BigTouch ( Tom's Hardware 2013-03-26 ) 2 gigabit Ethernet ports WiFi 2 HDMI ports 6 USB ports 120GB solid state hard drive 55-inch 1080p display with 5-point touch wireless keyboard and mouse Price $4,999. Holy crap! Those specs absolutely suck, and it must be the single biggest hardware markup ever seen, one that would even make Apple envious! I would guess they're taking 300% easy. What a brazen ripoff. Does it double as a TV? Doesn't say. Is it LED backlit? Doesn't say. What brand/speed SSD? Doesn't say. Is it even USB 3? Doesn't say. Motherboard brand/specs? Doesn't say. Even on a 27" monitor 1080 resolution is ridiculous and here is a device that exactly doubles that physical size keeping the resolution the same. Regular TV's have had this problem as they shot up from these sizes up to 60" behemoths where you have to sit or stand back further and further just to not be insulted by the horrific lack of pixel density. We have really almost returned to VGA levels of resolution now. So here you have a unit that demands you sit around 15 feet away to view it favorably. And then they add touchscreen features and of course the Playskool Windows 8 operating system! We have officially become Idiocracy, lock, stock and barrel. But who would buy such a thing, and why? I'll tell you who. You will. Yes, you will and you don't even have a choice. The answer lies in that press release above: "The BigTouch is the ideal product for many customers including educators who are using education software ..." and therein lies the rub. I don't know about how "education" spending is handled abroad, but here in the States it is one of the most corrupt and insidious bottomless pits of waste you can imagine. Homeowners are gouged mercilessly with school taxes that rise year after year, and every attempt to challenge their ridiculous budgets are met with the typical kneejerk response of "for the children" or "investing in the future" which is complete and utter tripe. Companies like Apple and Microsoft ( and this one naturally ) have been bleeding the innocent taxpayers like a stuck pig ever since they inserted themselves into this process in the 1980's. That is what this insanely priced device is after. The golden goose of education spending that flushes money down the toilet with impunity. Adults better wake up! Stop listening to the MetroTards who tell you this new Microsoft Windows 8 and Metro and ReTard and Blew paradigm will not affect you. Besides the obvious Idiocracy dumbing-down of the interface and user base, the consequences will seriously affect you because it represents yet another round of upgrading and increased and new spending in your schools. The adminstrators of these hallowed halls will be lined up to demand all manner of new devices at these exhorbinant prices, and still they will accomplish little or nothing in the way educating the kids. The whole thing is a scam of unprecedented proportions. ( ReMixed by Me, Inspiration ) EDIT: clarity, added article, updated image URLs

Just in case : Bart's chalkboard Jaclaz, seeing how you now owe me about a dozen new monitors, just get me this one and we'll call it even EDIT: clarity, updated image URL

Yes, that script will correctly delete ( remove ) the value that is named "2" and its data. So for example, if that registry key contains these values ... [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Keyboard Layout\Preload] "3"="Something" "4"="Something" "2"="Something" "1"="Something" "5"="Something" After running that script it will look like this ... [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Keyboard Layout\Preload] "3"="Something" "4"="Something" "1"="Something" "5"="Something" As long as the value named "2" does in fact contain the keyboard you want to delete ( as I don't know what "0000040a" actually represents ), you are correct.

Almost forgot to mention a huge detail. In Windows 8 Blew, the code and resources to resurrect the Start Menu has been removed. See the last days worth of comments in Tihiy's thread ... For those of you using SIB or Start8, walk to the mirror, turn around and see if you can spot the shiny knife sticking out of your back. Now repeat after me, "Microsoft is your friend!". I first noticed this issue not from testing the Windows 8 Blew pOS, but from intriguing comments spotted at NeoWin where some posters were hinting that threads about this intentional breakage were being removed. EDIT: typo

Blue is not even suppose to be public. Can we wait until its finished before coming to a conclusion? Exactly! Commenting on it now is worthless. For all we know that specific build could be some mobile only device experiment. At least wait until after TAP. Wait, what?. That's what all the fanboys said throughout all the betas. Time to face facts: giving the benefit of the doubt to Nu-Microsoft is a fool's errand. They have a plan, and your Start Menu is not a part of it.

Even more reaction to the leak of Windows 8 Blew, the last roundup of these stories I am going to mention. Microsoft has apparently been overrun by Pod people ( iPod people ? ) and is absolutely intent on backing their ship up and ramming the iceberg again and again, just to see how many times they can do it before they sink to the bottom ... Windows Blue Alpha Build 9364 Leaks ( Maximum PC 2013-03-24 ) Beware of Windows Blue. ( Dvorak PC Magazine 2013-03-25 ) Microsoft splashes coat of paint on Windows 8 comms apps ( UK Register 2013-03-25 ) Needless to say, these three are great articles IMHO. A nice contrast to the breathless fawning from the children at The Verge and NeoWin ( even Thurrott has tepid interest ). I have never seen such a clear divide in my life. Two groups that cannot co-exist under the same roof ... the logical technical stable of long put-upon Windows veterans ... and the childish MetroTards who demand everything to work like their Xbox ( and who also insist that our computers also conform to their obsessive compulsive disorder ). I don't know about anyone else, but I'm pretty much determined now to turn away any customers with PC problems who use Windows 8. They need to pay a price for their stupidity or else they shall learn nothing at all. I might consider wiping and installing a real Windows OS, but only after a severe tongue lashing, their prolific heartfelt confession and due penance. Say 100 Hail Mary's and write "I was a MetroTard" on the blackboard 100 times. Windows Store Apps will receive updates automatically in Windows Blue ( NeoWin 2013-03-25 ) Windows Blue has removed 'system image recovery,' leaves us a bit perplexed ( NeoWin 2013-03-25 ) This is the file manager app for the modern UI in Windows Blue ( NeoWin 2013-03-25 ) ~sigh~ Well let's see. Windows 8 will introduce the paradigm of letting not just Windows autoupdate, but all apps. Now what could possible go wrong? Don't even care. Hey, here's something! NeoWin shows us the wonderful interface of a Metro based File Manager ... Your eyes are not deceiving you. This is a File Manager according to Microsoft. As hard as it is to believe, Microsoft has found a way to make Windows 3.xx look good. EDIT: updated image URLs

( ReMixed by Me, Inspiration, Source ) EDIT: fixed URL

Maybe this is in some way symbolic of what Bill's company is doing to its customers... There's so many ways to play this. All things considered, I'll shut my yap and let imaginations run wild.

Of course there is more Windows 8 Blew news ... (Virtual) Hands-On with Windows 8 “Blue” Build 9364. Yep, it's real ( Thurrott 2013-03-24 ) What the “Blue” Leak Tells Us About Microsoft’s Strategy ( Thurrott 2013-03-25 ) Next from Microsoft: 'Blue', the Windows 8 they hope you don't hate ( UK Register 2013-03-25 ) Windows 8 Metro interface Blues ( SJVN ZDNet 2013-03-25 ) Microsoft readying multiple Windows Blue servers and a Blue Windows RT build ( Mary Jo Foley ZDNet 2013-03-25 ) If true, Microsoft will be toast. Note that Thurrott still hasn't had a single thought about the antitrust ramifications about morphing their monopoly operating system, complete with its backroom OEM "deals" of pre-installation on almost all computers! Once they "remove the desktop", leaving the gatekeeping Microsoft Store in its place, then the transformation is complete. OEMs will in effect be preinstalling the Microsoft Store onto their machines which benefits only Microsoft. At that point Windows is no longer a neutral operating system open to independent developers. In fact Windows will no longer be an operating system at all but instead be a form of Microsoft Firmware designed to herd you and your wallet right into Micro$oft's grubby little hands. They will then be wide-open to complete and absolutely correct government intrusion that could ( I would say "should" ) result in the company busted up or at least "legacy" Windows taken away from them. The brazenness of this diabolical plan seems to be lost on many people, especially since they only recently were freed from the previous government scrutiny. Paul, can I just call you Ray Charles for short? That would be a big fat NO. Unless he means listening to the MetroTards that aren't satisfied with the current level of destruction of Windows and desire even more. They're doing it wrong. It really needn't be that difficult ... Windows Server ... covers everything from corporate enterprise big iron to SOHO home servers Windows Workstation ... standalone traditional Windows without compromises Windows ReTard ... tablets and phones and all compromise devices for MetroTards EDIT: typo

Canonical Teams With China to Create National OS ( Tom's Hardware 2013-03-24 ) Ruh Roh Only the post-WinXP Nu-Microsoft could have accomplished such a feat. They have made Windows 8 Metro Blew positively pirate proof! It sucks so bad that a billion+ potential customer market would rather go Linux than buying or stealing their Playskool Toy Edition. IE11 to appear as Firefox to avoid legacy IE CSS ( NeoWin 2013-03-24 ) This is a new fact discovered from the MSIE v11 included in the Windows 8 Blew leaked build. MSIE will report itself as Mozilla, allegedly to thwart browser sniffing that serves up CSS style sheets designed to kludge away ancient mistakes in MSIE v6. There are too many levels of irony and boomerang karma here to describe. But here's a thought. Next thing they're gonna tell us is ... Windows 8 is actually reporting itself as Windows 7 Windows ReTard Edition is actually reporting itself as Android WP8 is actually reporting itself as iOS... all in order to explain away the epic fail that they all have brought down upon themselves. Bill Gates wants to help make a new and better condom ( NeoWin 2013-03-24 ) No, it's not April Fool's Day, not yet. This is for real ( and heck, it is the weekend ). But I was just thinking. If his goal is to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, why doesn't he just release Windows 8 to them for free. That should do the trick. All the customers will be too infuriated and confused to get busy. EDIT: typo

Windows Blue Leaks! ( Thurrott 2013-03-24 ) Windows Blue leaks online, includes smaller Live Tiles, new side-by-side Snap Views, and IE 11 ( The Verge 2013-03-24 ) Windows Blue build 9364 shows smaller & larger Tiles, better multi-tasking and more ( NeoWin 2013-03-24 ) Windows Blue build 9364 leaked to the internet ( NeoWin 2013-03-24 ) From The Forums: Reactions to the Windows Blue build leak ( NeoWin 2013-03-24 ) Windows Blue (build 9364) installation screenshots ( NeoWin 2013-03-24 ) And it is as barf-worthy as ever ... How about this. NeoWin shows us a Metro Calculator app, That's right a full screen calculator which on my screen winds up at 20" across, hehe ... The comments at all the articles are beyond pathetic. They are plumbing the depths of zealotry now. Countless MetroTards are besides themselves with glee, temporarily reprieved from all the bad news in general about Windows 8, that they are vocally praising Microsoft for not back-pedaling on the destruction of the GUI and Windows itself. I was gonna quote a bunch of them, but it's like shooting fish in a barrel. Now hear this... Windows 8 Metro ... I hereby re-christen thee ... Windows Blew P.S. I was still typing this while Jorge and vinifera posts appeared! I see he noticed the calculator too. EDIT: updated image URLs

The Archos Gaming Tablet is Now For Sale ( Tom's Hardware 2013-03-22 ) More bad news for Microsoft. Just one drop of water from the coming tsunami of small form factor mobile devices. Mobile devices that make up that magic market that Microsoft desires to become a player in, so much so that they created Plan-A to Destroy Windows to gain entry. Their only presence here is in the fact that they are collecting royalty payments from most of these Android deployments from use of their so-called intellectual property, things like the ex-FAT file system. Problem for them, that gets them a few bucks but no marketshare. StatCounter: Windows 8 now installed on 3.77 percent of PCs that surf the web ( NeoWin 2013-03-20 ) Microsoft defends Windows RT, fails to answer criticisms ( The Verge 2013-03-22 ) Evernote, Box executives warn developers not to avoid Windows platforms ( NeoWin 2013-03-22 ) Intel vs. Microsoft: was Windows RT a mistake? ( The Verge 2013-03-21 ) Microsoft defends Windows RT, says it'll get better with time ( NeoWin 2013-03-22 ) Microsoft defends Windows RT as necessary disruption ( CNet 2013-03-22 ) Microsoft Comes Out in Defense of Windows RT ( Thurrott 2013-03-22 ) Let me summarize some of the commenters at the articles: Move along. Nothing to see here. All is good. What me worry? Don't worry, be happy! "iWatch" could come with iOS and make Apple $6 billion a year, says analyst ( NeoWin 2013-03-08 ) Samsung is making a smartwatch ( NeoWin 2013-03-19 ) Google joining the party, reportedly making a smartwatch ( NeoWin 2013-03-22 ) If history is a guide, Microsoft should notice this market in approximately 5 years In the meantime they will continue chasing the previous fads of cellphones and tablets and continue to Destroy Windows against all advice. EDIT: updated image URLs

Apple, Microsoft, and Adobe attempt to justify 'price gouging' to Australian hearing ( The Verge 2013-03-22 ) Adobe, Apple and Microsoft address price gouging in Australia ( TechSpot 2013-03-22 ) Microsoft, Adobe, Apple poorly justify Australian price gouging ( NeoWin 2013-03-22 ) Microsoft: Australians think our pricing is fair ( ZDNet 2013-03-22 ) Busted. All these companies ( and more ) have long been screwing over residents of Oz, gouging them because they can. And now hopefully they're all going to be screwed right back for copycating the higher prices that hardware makers must charge for the higher shipping costs they endure. You know, think about this: Australia was an opportunity for a righteous company to step up and vocally buck this gouging trend and set a good example with equal pricing regardless of geography. Guess what would have happened? All the others would have fallen in line because they would have been exposed. But instead, I suspect there is a kind of collusion in play here. The question is, will the politicians and business people in Oz have the ability to nail them for it? Or will they just accept bribes like some other places recently in the news? Microsoft got over 75,000 law enforcement info requests in 2012 ( NeoWin 2013-03-21 ) Microsoft's transparency report details law enforcement requests ( TechSpot 2013-03-21 ) Microsoft publishes Law Enforcement Requests Report, cites 70,665 inquiries worldwide ( The Verge 2013-03-22 ) There are those that think this is perfectly fine. Not me. The government has in effect erected a middleman in the ISPs and Server owners, insulating themselves from getting their hands dirty. These precedents are only the first step, later they whittle it down further and further until all privacy is emasculated. The so-called court warrants will be little more than rubber stamps, and probably completely removed in the future. And if they ( the Government or Microsoft or various ISPs ) make a mistake, who ya gonna complain to? Orwell wasn't off by much with '1984'. Office Garage: Ode to a User-Based Office ( Thurrott 2013-03-20 ) Microsoft quietly ends Office 2010 sales ( NeoWin 2013-03-21 ) Hmmm. Step-1: create cloud version called Office 364. Step-2: destroy the GUI for regular Office and sour the license terms and name it Office 2013. Step-3: Yank previous version of Office from market. Accomplishment: Office transformation from a workstation professional business suite to a Playskool tablet friendly shell of its former self. All done in steps while denying all along that a sea-change was underway and while all the MicroZealots and MetroTards cheered them on. BTW: at the Thurrott link is a video where the the interviewer takes a car ride with the great Mark Russinovich and does an impromptu interview while driving. Problem is, you cannot hear it over the noise! What kind of rinky-dink operation is that Microsoft Office Garage video series anyway? Don't they know anything about microphones and ambient noise levels? Very unprofessional. As best as I can tell, Mark is somehow involved with "security" for Office products. What a waste. Give him Sinofsky's job, not those two under-achievers whose only claim to fame is the Office ribbon. Anyway, we can add more items to the growing list of tactical and strategic mistakes from the incompetent Microsoft braintrust during the post-WinXP era, most of which are arrogant attacks on their loyal customers, and on their long respected professional reputation ... Vista "Windows Ready" labeling controversy. Insulting customers with Vista Mojave Project, 'You're doing it wrong' Half-hearted Zune development and later cancellation Almost flushing $45 Billion down the toilet on Yahoo! Blowing $6+ Billion on aQuantive Win7sp1 Browser Ballot screwup resulting in $700+ Million fine Mindlessly changing well-known Logos for both "Microsoft" and "Windows" Removing the Start Menu from Windows 8 CP, and not restoring it to RP or RTM despite worldwide criticism Removing Aero Glass from Windows 8 RP, and not restoring it to RTM despite worldwide criticism Including Metro on Server editions of Windows 8 Spreading the horrific flat colorless GUI across product lines including Visual Studio and Office Radically altering various product EULAs to prevent customer lawsuits Further ruining MSDN membership benefits Metro naming fiasco conflicting with Germany-based Metro AG Windows RT branding deception with ARM vs x86 Incompatibility Windows 8 Mojave Project sequel, 'So easy, a child will show you how to use it' High profile and unprofessional Scroogle campaign Orwellian patent implies in-home spying with Kinect Major changes to Office licensing affecting loyal customers Significant Xbox rumors: Always-On, Always-Connected, DRM, no optical play, HDD installs only, Kinect required Significant Xbox rumors: no resale of pre-owned, previous games not compatible, Xbox live security breach EU and China Bribery Allegations Selling out Chinese citizens through Skype collaboration with regime turning in customers using various keywords Selling out American citizens complying with requests for customer information Withdrawing Office 2010 leaving only the horrific Office 2013 available EDIT: added article

I thought about getting a few of these, the Momentus models from Seagate for use as system disks, but am not convinced of the value. I remember reading this ( among many other ) direct comparisons ... Comparing Mechanical, Solid-State, And Hybrid Storage ( Tom's Hardware 2012-06-15 ) The three drives there, top to bottom, are ... Platters ... Western Digital Raptor X ... 150 GB ... SATA 1.5 Gb/s ... 16 MB Cache ... 10,000 RPM Hybrid ..... Seagate Momentus XT ........ 750 GB ... SATA 6.0 Gb/s ... 32 MB Cache .... 7,200 RPM SSD ........ Samsung 830 ................. 64 GB ... SATA 6.0 Gb/s There is definitely a performance gain to be had at bootup. In most comparisons I have seen, the hybrids come much closer to SSD results than normal hard drives with platters. I would imagine that after the cache "gets educated" ( it learns like any other caching algorithm ) things like game loading might improve also when the resources get mirrored to the SSD. I cannot see how a hybrid will ever help for typical work, like editing large files, videos, music, etc, because all the gains will be counter-balanced at some point when the mirrored file gets written back to the platters. This must happen eventually because it wouldn't seem to be logical for some files only to exist on the SSD as this defeats the purpose of a hybrid using a relatively small cache space. Why not just get a full blown SSD instead? I imagine the algorithm rejects very large files anyway. I may just not be understanding the concept yet. I suppose the procedure could be for all files to be first written to the SSD cache, and then as time goes on, using file access times as a key, write the least accessed data to the platters and vice versa, get the most accessed file from the platters onto the SSD. But the main problem so far is still price. For about $100 USA you can easily get a 2TB traditional HDD, but that same money apparently can only get a 1/4 sized Momentus hybrid. Today at NewEgg ... (4) Seagate Hybrid HDD's ... $ 99.99 ... Seagate Solid State Hybrid ... 500 GB ... SSD Cache: 8GB ... Model ST500LM000 .... Item N82E16822178339 ... Bare Drive $ 99.99 ... Seagate Momentus XT .......... 500 GB ... SSD Cache: 4GB ... Model STAN500100 .... Item N82E16822148704 ... Retail Kit $129.99 ... Seagate Solid State Hybrid .. 1000 GB ... SSD Cache: 8GB ... Model ST1000LM014 ... Item N82E16822178340 ... Bare Drive $159.99 ... Seagate Momentus XT .......... 750 GB ... SSD Cache: 8GB ... Model STBD750100 .... Item N82E16822148940 ... Retail Kit (12) Assorted 2TB standard HDD's ... $ 99.99 Toshiba DT01ACA200 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Bare Drive Cache: 64MB Model DT01ACA200 Item N82E16822149407 Free Shipping $101.99 Toshiba DT01ACA DT01ACA200 2 TB 3.5" Cache: 64MB Model HDKPC09 Item N82E16822149434 $7.28 Shipping $104.99 Western Digital WD Green WD20EARX 2TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Bare Drive OEM Cache: 64MB Model WD20EARX Item N82E16822136891 Free Shipping $104.99 Seagate Pipeline HD ST2000VM003 2 TB 3.5" SATA 3Gb/s Cache: 64MB Model ST2000VM003 Item N82E16822178271 $7.28 Shipping $109.99 Western Digital WD Green WDBAAY0020HNC-NRSN 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Retail kit Cache: 32MB Model WDBAAY0020HNC-NRSN Item N82E16822136772 Free Shipping $109.99 Seagate SV35 Series ST2000VX000 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Bare Drive Cache: 64MB Model ST2000VX000 Item N82E16822148902 $4.99 Shipping $109.99 Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Bare Drive Cache: 64MB Model ST2000DM001 Item N82E16822148834 Free Shipping $109.99 Seagate Barracuda STBD2000101 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Retail kit Cache: 64MB Model STBD2000101 Item N82E16822148910 Free Shipping $109.99 Western Digital WD AV-GP WD20EURS 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Bare Drive OEM Cache: 64MB Model WD20EURS Item N82E16822136783 Free Shipping $109.99 Western Digital WD Green WD20EZRX 2TB IntelliPower SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Bare Drive Cache: 64MB Model WD20EZRX Item N82E16822236404 Free Shipping $109.99 Toshiba PH3200U-1I72 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Retail Kit Cache: 64MB Model PH3200U-1I72 Item N82E16822149397 Free Shipping $115.99 Seagate Barracuda ST320005N4A1AS-RK 2TB 5900 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Retail kit Cache: 64MB Model ST320005N4A1AS-RK Item N82E16822148487 Free Shipping Maybe it's just me, but I would still take the huge storage over the hybrid compromise. Another problem IMHO is related to what Jaclaz said, since there apparently is no control over the SSD cache portion, how do you ensure that there is not any stale or unwanted data in the cache? I haven't been able to determine if there is a "sync" or "flush" style management command. For example, something I have worried about is if I get a computer that uses a hybrid for the system disk in here that is infected. So after running AV and malware tools against it how can you be assured that both copies of an infected file ( one on the disk platters and the other in the SSD cache ) are in fact cleaned or deleted? I hate ambiguity and failure vectors, especially when I cannot state something with certainty like "this system is clean". I am working under the assumption that these hybrids have incredibly smart firmware that maintain a mirrored file index that is regularly sync'ed from platters to SSD, hopefully almost instantaneously, whenever an indexed file is altered. But if that is in fact the case, wouldn't it kinda defeat the purpose of the cache again? And why does this all now remind me of dirty bit flags and FAT free space count going out of sync periodically. I sure hope they have thought of all the pitfalls. EDIT: updated image URL

Xbox 'Durango' XDK leak "confirms" always-online, mandatory HDD installs, required Kinect 2 ( NeoWin 2013-03-19 ) Xbox 'Durango' leak claims console is 'always connected,' games must be installed to hard disk ( The Verge 2013-03-20 ) FUD alert: "always connected" Xbox 720 rumors are mostly paranoia ( TechSpot 2013-03-20 ) Report: Next Xbox Will Be Always-On, Games Run off HDD ( Tom's Hardware 2013-03-24 ) Mentioned by others upthread, some of this is in dispute, maybe. But seriously, is there any remaining customer base that Microsoft isn't screwing around with? They have pretty much done a clean sweep now. They had already p!ssed off Windows veteran users by butchering the GUI, server administrators with the childish Metro interface, the developers by ruining Visual Studio and reducing benefits for MSDN/TechNet subscribers, Office loyalists with both the GUI and licensing, earlier Windows Phone users left high and dry, and of course aborting the favorite product for Zune die-hards. Perhaps now some members of Generation Xbox will come to their senses? 1600 Microsoft Points offered to UK residents affected by website error ( NeoWin 2013-03-22 ) The email added that Microsoft "took immediate steps to remove the application from its UK Facebook page and sincerely apologise for the error." It's estimated that close to 3,000 UK residents had their information exposed as part of the error, which included the person's real name, email and birthday and Xbox Live Gamertag. Well how about that, 1600 points to wash their hands of the matter. A cynical person would say the victims had their personal info sold to spammers around the world for a grand total of, wait for it, $20 USA ( converter ). Yep, that's worth it. Latest roundup of articles about Microsoft Xbox related destruction ... Kinect could police who watches films at home ( EuroGamer 2012-11-06 ) Microsoft Patent Lets Hollywood Watch You with Camera ( Tom's Hardware 2012-11-06 ) In Microsoft patent, Kinect watches you ( NeoWin 2012-11-07 ) Xbox Live service down for Xbox 360, Windows 8 and more [update] ( NeoWin 2013-01-30 ) Rumor: next Xbox to block used games with one-time activation codes ( TechSpot 2013-02-06 ) GameStop: Gamers won't buy next Xbox if it blocks used games ( NeoWin 2013-02-08 ) Xbox co-founder says the last five years have been painful to watch ( TechSpot 2013-02-13 ) Former Microsoft Xbox team member slams current state of Xbox 360 ( NeoWin 2013-02-13 ) EA exec: It's unlikely 'next Xbox' will play Xbox 360 games ( NeoWin 2013-02-13 ) Microsoft claims no involvement in raid of hacker who leaked next-gen Xbox info ( NeoWin 2013-02-23 ) Microsoft axes Xbox Live Gold Family pack, doesn't love your offspring ( NeoWin 2013-03-08 ) Microsoft stops offering Xbox Live Gold Family Packs without warning ( Geek.com 2013-03-08 ) Analyst: PS4 and next-gen Xbox games will cost $70 ( NeoWin 2013-03-11 ) UPDATED: Xbox Entertainment Awards blighted by security breach ( MCV 2013-03-19 ) Microsoft's Xbox Entertainment Awards website hit with security breach ( NeoWin 2013-03-19 ) Microsoft confirms 'high-profile' employee Xbox Live accounts hacked ( The Verge 2013-03-19 ) Microsoft team members targeted in Xbox Live account attacks ( NeoWin 2013-03-20 ) Xbox 'Durango' XDK leak "confirms" always-online, mandatory HDD installs, required Kinect 2 ( NeoWin 2013-03-19 ) Xbox 'Durango' leak claims console is 'always connected,' games must be installed to hard disk ( The Verge 2013-03-20 ) FUD alert: "always connected" Xbox 720 rumors are mostly paranoia ( TechSpot 2013-03-20 ) 1600 Microsoft Points offered to UK residents affected by website error ( NeoWin 2013-03-22 ) Report: Next Xbox Will Be Always-On, Games Run off HDD ( Tom's Hardware 2013-03-24 ) EDIT: added articles

Stephen Elop throws an iPhone, ignores the Lumia 928 ( NeoWin 2013-03-22 ) Elop throws an iPhone on Finnish TV, refuses to answer Lumia 928 questions ( The Verge 2013-03-22 ) Naturally the MicroZealots have something to say about it ... Here's what I have to say about it ... If anyone doesn't know who he is, see Wikipedia ... Comparative articles about other CEO's feelings over their competition ... Google Chairman uses a BlackBerry and hates the Nexus 7's size ( NeoWin 2013-03-22 ) Bill Gates still won't let his children use Apple products ( NeoWin 2012-12-28 ) Man Survives Steve Ballmer’s Flying Chair To Build ’21st Century Linux’ ( Wired 2011-11-18 ) Google's honcho admits to using a Blackberry ( I can respect this ). Gates and his wife have banned Apple from their mansion ( makes no sense to me at all). Ballmer, well, he just throws chairs and threatens to kill the competition, literally. EDIT: added article

Well about the 1155 desktop consumer i7's, there was a lot of detailed discussion over at AnandTech among other places. I didn't see you mention why you didn't consider the "K" model which is of course unlocked. These are the main advantage that Intel has these days because you can easily crank them up well over 4 GHz with no extra cooling solution. I find this useful periodically when I have a CPU murdering set of tasks like final rendering of videos with effects ( something I think you are hinting at ). It is convenient to be able to reboot with extra horsepower and change it back later ( I don't leave them cranked up all the time ). Nice flexibility. There are literally countless excellent 1155 boards out there, I like Gigabyte, but really all the major names are good. The chipsets supporting it are very well tested and although the sockets and chipsets will change soon, it is probably the single best overall platform Intel has made, and a worthy successor to the previous best, the 775. One nice thing about these consumer releases is that there are millions of threads and comments about them that are easily found for reference. I would suggest that the EE Extreme models at 3x price need to be justified by whatever work you are accomplishing, but only you know that for sure. Just my opinion, but the cost difference is better re-routed over to more HDD space, higher quality case, power supply and peripherals. But if money is no object, ignore this opinion Official Intel Specs ... Intel® Core™ i7-3770T Processor (8M Cache, up to 3.70 GHz) Intel® Core™ i7-3770K Processor (8M Cache, up to 3.90 GHz) Intel® Core™ i7-3970X Processor Extreme Edition (15M Cache, up to 4.00 GHz)

Thanks for the tip.

Welcome. P.S. WinXP will never die. Even Win9x is still thriving, especially at this board.

Wow, those are hysterical! That's a great catch there, you nailed it. Really appropriate. I'm gonna whip up graphic thanks to your tip.