jaclaz

But the question is, it is in any way "better" or "faster" than the 32 bit one? Or apart the (debatable) disadvantage of not having silverlight, which added features it has over the 32 bit version? jaclaz

Very good Only item remaining: Well, NO . Since the Windows 7 setup already ate up TWO partition entries, by adding the Win2 (and the Extended one) you fill to the brim the available space in the MBR. This will prevent most users to do a whole range of "tricks"or anyway obstacle future tests/uses. I will agree that in a "starting from scratch" situation you can do very little about Windows 7 default install "eating" two entries, but the WIN2 coul be well created as a Volume inside Extended. This would leave an entry in the MBR "free" for future use. Compare with (you remember ): I mean, if someone else (like the MS or HP guys) is putting you in the corner the problem is getting out of it swiftly, but if you put yourself, with your own actions, in that same corner, maybe it can be prevented . jaclaz

If the scope for the site is (as it should ALWAYS be) to be seen and appreciated by *all* users, you need to use "standard" formats and contents. There is a commonly accepted set of standard which is given by W3C: http://www.w3.org/ If your intention is to have the most happy people when visiting your site you should keep it as simple as possible, as adherent to such standards as you can and test it under several browsers. I may be an "extremely grumpy user" (and I usually am one ), but whenever I find a site that for BASIC operations (I don't care much about the eyecandy) requires me to download a plugin or access it with a specific browser I use to write them, both to the technical service if available and to the commercial one, to tell them how I was p|§§€d off by their site and by their arrogance in attempting to impose me the use of one given browser over another one and notifying them how they had just lost a potential customer. So, if your scope is having something that only fanboys of a given OS or browser will access or that however is aimed to a "niche" of internet users you are "free", other wise use the KISS principle as much as you can: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle and make sure the site is accessible user by the most browsers. And NO, silverlight is not exactly "popular" right now (and there are serious doubts that it will ever become poppular ). JFYI: http://trends.builtwith.com/framework/Silverlight http://www.statowl.com/silverlight.php and http://www.riastats.com/ play a bit with the last one to get the idea jaclaz

I am not at all familiar with CentOS, but this could be a limitation of some kind in it's driver or a BIOS limit (IF CentOS somehow relies on BIOS info). If I were you, as said, I would install a filter driver in the Windows OS and do thinmgs as plain as possible. The driverspack issue sounds like having a different origin. Now that you have the 8 Gb partition on the HD can you try copying form the Ext3 partition to the NTFS one and then from the NTFS one to the USB stick? jaclaz

Pinout is the same for 10base-T or 100base-T, as said the speed depends on the actual cable and what interferences it may get (internal or external). The note is of the kind: "Since you are going to make a cable and you have anyway a 4 pairs cable, instead of leaving 2 pairs not connected, connect them so that this cable will be useful for 100baseT, having the additional pairs in the right place". Only pins 1,2,3 and 6 are used anyway in BOTH 10BaseT and 100BaseT and the pins 4,5,7 and 8 can be used for other things like POE, or for telephony, see the actual note for 100BaseT and linked to FAQ/article: http://www.zytrax.com/tech/layer_1/cables/cables_faq.htm#q16 http://www.zytrax.com/tech/layer_1/cables/mixed.html So, forget everything else, use this (already given as reference): http://www.nullmodem.com/RJ-45.htm You have: White Blue White Red Brown You will break colour coding anyway, so simply: White -> Pretend this is white/orange and connect it to pin 1 Blue -> Pretend this is orange and connect it to pin 2 White Red -> Pretend this is white/green and connect it to pin 3 Brown -> Pretend this is green and connect it to pin 6 jaclaz

You need: anything that works with a 9 V battery a couple pieces of wire (maybe even not needed) You connect in one room one of the Whites with the Blue wire. You remove partially the battery from the device, leaving only one contact clipped. You go in the other room and connect the "free" battery contact to Blue and and the "free" device contact to the White (NO! not that White, the other one! ) When the device powers up you know you have found the "right" white wire, and you apply to it (in both rooms) a sticker with "I seem white but I am actually red at heart!" or "Pretend I am red!" to identify it. Of course if you have a multimeter it is even easier. jaclaz

OT, and just to be picky, I've often seen {reboot} taking effect, but rarely affect. jaclaz

You don't actually *need* any "third party" tool. Disk Management will do allright, problem is that it won't work on a USB flash that is set as "Removable". There are two ways out: Complex - find the manufacturer tool for your stick controller (if avaialble) and flip the "Removable" bit (if available option) Easy - install a filter driver See here for reference: If you want to make a bootable USB stick with just one partition NTFS formatted (+ a hidden fake one that helps in some cases), the "right" tool is RMPREPUSB: http://sites.google.com/site/rmprepusb/ If you actually want a Free (for personal use) Partition Magic replacement, this could do: http://www.extend-partition.com/download.html jaclaz

With all due respect , I don't think that you are making a "fair" comparison. Get an earlier Opera (last one that works without KernelEx should be 10.10 or 10.63 ) Try disabling javascript in it. Do the comparison again. jaclaz

You don't really *need* 8 wires, it is the kind of cable that makes a (big) difference. The "normal" CAT 5 cable has 4 twisted pairs. Of these ONLY 2 pairs are needed for 100 Mb networking (all four pairs are needed for 1 Gb one). In a CAT 5 cable each twisted pair is twisted with a different space between twists (to reduce "cross talk"): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_5_cable The good news are that this particular cable is intended for "professional use", with *any* length, to be crammed together with (say) another 15 cables in a small duct, etc. etc. So it is possible that given the small legth of the cable you have, the fact that it is "alone", IF the "telephone cable" is of a "good quality" and a number of other factors, you may get the full 100 Mbit speed. Problem might be the reliability of this connection. Since there are no "intermediate" speeds, IF your cabling has problems (lost/corrupted packets) at 100 Mbit, you will need to "step down" to 10 Mbit. Most probably IF there are problems they will be "intermittent" in the sense that "now it works", someone powers a vacuum cleaner or a neon light in the room and suddenly it won't work reliably anymore. Depending on the uses you want to do (as an example to check e-mail 10 Mbit is good enough, to transfer files far less so) you may live with the lower speed allright. Use this as a reference to see which actual wires are needed (pins 1,2,3,6): http://www.nullmodem.com/RJ-45.htm jaclaz

If I may, this is not "perfect": CurrentControlSet is normally a "hardlink" to either ControlSet001 or ControlSet002, so one of the lines is normally redundant. These two lines will yeld the same result as the previous three ones: Point is that there may be more than two controlsets. Ideally a check should be made on key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Select and select the actual xyz of ControlSetxyz based on contents of values Current, Default and LastknownGood. Also, it should be added that one needs to shutdown the Windows 7 immediately after having modified the mentioned key. Some other considerations in no apparent order..... Another point that IMHO you should make clearer is that this approach ONLY works for those "from scratch" installs of Windows 7 that create the "protected" 100 Mb partition (where BOOTMGR and the \boot\BCD are) since there are not particularly complex "added operations" for a more "traditional" install, you may want to add a point explaining these needed operations. There is no actual "need" that the Windows 7 partition (BOTH "Win1" and "Win2") is a Primary (if the 100 Mb protected partition is used). There is no actual *need* to image the whole 100 Mb partition, you could add instructions to create a "boot floppy": http://www.multibooters.co.uk/floppy.html (such an image, if stored on external device, such as USB stick or HD, can be mounted and booted by grub4dos allright) or, if Primary partitions are used, copy anyway the BOOTMGR and \boot\BCD inside the "Win1" and "Win2" partitions, this way in case of problems you only need to make the "Win1" or "Win2" partition the Active one. Finally (and IMHO) EasyBCD is not the "best" tool to simply add an entry to the BCD, there are simpler tools: http://reboot.pro/7476/ on 32 bit, I find this: http://reboot.pro/10003/ the straighter one, but also Bellavista (both 32 and 64 bit exist): http://www.zezula.net/en/fstools/bellavista.html and BOOTICE (cannot say if 64 bit working) could be a nice tool to use as it has many more useful features, very handy when doing this kind of mods, latest version is here: http://www.ipauly.com/bootice/bootice_0.9.rar Keep up the good work! jaclaz

Hmmm. Actually it was not created at all, they took some good 2K system and added to it some eyecandy, some completely uneeded things and quite a bit of vulnerabilities. It was released for the first time around ten years ago, right . jaclaz

This is coming dangerously near the NTFS vs. FAT32 flame war I am trying to avoid starting (again). As you might know (or completely ignore) I like Win2K the most among the mentioned OS as it is a good compromise IMHO between usability (NT 4.00 is actually for geeks only) and effectiveness. (and yes I have a "mirror" machine to the one with NT4.0 I described with more or less the same stats, though for unponderable reasons - not connected I hope with the OS - over the years in two different occasions a lightning fell near the building and in BOTH cases the damaged machine was the one running 2K) But as said before it is simply the OS that can better do a number of things I need to do or that can do it (or that I know how to make it do) with the less fuss or without unneeded eye-candy. To give you an idea of the kind of "unusual" user I am, the first thing I do when I get a PC is disable sound (or where possible directly remove the card). This does deprive me of some entertaining experiences, such as: http://www.unknown.it/materiale/titipa/tititipa.html but all in all I prefer my silent room. jaclaz

You really don't know that you are pointing to the "Show inactive icons" arrow ("chevron") button? http://www.techf5.com/904/unhide-view-hidden-icons-on-taskbar/ http://malektips.com/xp_taskbar_start_0038.html Or are you having an issue? Check here: http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_n.htm you want to look for "notification area". jaclaz

Well this is not at all fair. First thing "NT systems" are not XP, just for the record I have a NT 4.00 machine running 24/7 since march 2003, only switched off/on for power outages or replacement of failed hardware/update of software/drivers/ordinary maintenance, let's say that on average it has been rebooted 15 times per year and NEVER had a BSOD and yes, it is connected to the internet and is also used as mail client and for (limited) Internet browsing. Second thing, you are comparing you (whom I would call a particularly knowledgeable 98 user) to any of the most common XP users that lets MS and Windows Updates manage their PC instead of themselves. XP just like Vista and 7 is botched in it's design because the good MS guys thought they could "export" their good OS (NT4.00/Win2k - reserved and aimed to corporate/professional use) to the masses by changing a few graphical aspects and automating some other ones. An OS is a very complex thing and a more complex OS (like the NT family OS's undoubtedly are) need MORE maintenance/attention than a simpler one. Point is how many people using XP in the last 10 years are capable of this (and actually are using ANY of the actual features of the OS, like authentication, group policies, permissions, quotas and what not). Most "normal" users have "normal" needs, in most cases machines have one single user, and do very basic things. So, as I see it the problem is that these OS were first "forced" into being usable by the masses, and then largely used by masses that had no idea waht they were doing (mind you the fault is not that of the masses, it is still of the good MS guys that provided them an unsuitable OS). jaclaz

If I may, if there is a "main" PC and a less used one, easiest would be to buy a couple network-over-power-lines adapters, principles: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/power-network.htm Examples: http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=294&name=Powerline-Networking If you can live with a slightly slower network, two of these (example): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122259 may fit the bill, if you want a speed comparable to an ordinary 100 Mbit lan, this (other example): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833146001 should do within a still reasonable price. (and you get anyway two hubs that ay come handy to connect a NAS or a notebook) jaclaz

With all due respect to everyone and to their opinions , the choice of an OS should not be something like a religion or a political party. An OS is a tool. It is good if it serves you well for the purpose you are using it to. If this purpose is fun and CP/M (say) helps you reaching this purpose, than CP/M is a perfect tool for you. If this purpose is a given kind of work and the OS helps you get it done "better" or "faster" then it is the right tool. As said elsewhere in one of my carpenter's comparisons, I have a hammer that I like very much, and that over the years has proven to work, for it's intended purpose, very well, having allowed me to drive nails into wooden planks nicely and swiftly, it is well balanced, has a very good grip, and weights just what is needed to drive nails in a few hits, even on hard woods, without being too heavy. Would I use it instead of a Torx 5 screwdriver to untighten a screw on a HD PCB? Certainly not. I will surprise most of you by telling you that I still have a very, very old MACBOOK portable OS 7.1 on which I have a small program that from time to time I use to convert/clean text, as I was never able to find a suitable substitute in the PC world, and because I am very familiar with that particular program and I am more productive with it than with other tools. Do I go around saying that MAC OS 7.1 is years ahead then current OS's? No. Can I say that it was years ahead at the time (we are talking of DOS 5.00 and the first appeareance of Windows 3.1)? Yes. And Windows 9x/Me has no support for NTFS or for files larger than 4Gb...... I am joking please NOT yet another debate of the Fat32 vs. NTFS type, please. jaclaz

I simply cannot. The .vhd image you are using is INVALID. Cannot say whether this is because it is of the "dynamic" type or simply because it is corrupted. Clearly there is no valid partition table (and I suspect not a MBR at all) as first sector in the image. Try converting it to "static": http://vmtoolkit.com/files/folders/converters/entry87.aspx and try again. jaclaz

I see , thank you. Windows SIM or Windows System Image Manager, not SIM manager, which is this one: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee498248.aspx The good MS guys have a quirk to give confusing names. Judging from this: http://www.windows-noob.com/forums/index.php?/topic/575-what-is-windows-sim-and-how-can-i-use-it/ It is not entirely unlike the old XP embedded thingy. jaclaz

The FIRST "rule" when experimenting in grub4dos is to NEVER use a pre-made menu.lst and ALWAYS use command line instead. Your first menu.lst entry example does not make any sense to me, it must have been taken by some source (that surely has a reason for that manipulation) you you don't specify. Your second one is plain enough. .vdi is a format used by Virtualbox and has nothing to do with Virtual PC that uses .vhd. A .vhd file can be of TWO main types: "static" "dynamic" A .vhd "static" file is nothing but a RAW (or dd-like) image of a hard disk with a single sector APPENDED to it, this kind of file is as big as the virtual hard disk it represents. A .vhd "dynamic" file is smaller than the virtual hard disk it represents, as it only maps the parts that are actually used. Static .vhd's are supported by grub4dos NOT because they are supported, but because they are functionally identical to RAW images (that are supported) for anything that grub4dos needs out of them. Dynamic .vhd's are NOT supported. Now, IF your images are "static" boot to grub4dos, press "c" to get to command line and try issuing these commands: map /deb.vhd (hd0) [ENTER] map --hook [ENTER] root (hd0,0) [ENTER] chainloader /ntldr [ENTER] boot [ENTER] After each command grub4dos may (or may not) provide some feedback. Post the EXACT feedback you get after each command. For the record, this is seemingly NOT connected to "Install Windows from USB", as a general rule, when you are looking for support for the tools posted here, you caom here, when you need support for (say) grub4dos, you go to the grub4dos (unofficial) support forum: http://reboot.pro/forum/66/ jaclaz

Well, you could also actually READ what I wrote. I was talking of the interface or if you prefer of the way the whatever (as an example a scripting engine) would interact with the user. You can call it any name you want, but still it will be a scripting engine of some kind, as long as you give to it some "fixed" instructions (contents of the plugin), a number of "varaible" instructions" (the settings) and after you press a button to "build". The plug-ins (actually the instructions i them), in PEbuilder as well as in winbuilder, are processed sequentially. If I get it right, you have not such a different idea from mine, combine all the separate plugins in a whole "fat" plugin, to be later run "monolitically". Whether this is called a scripting engine or "mickey mouse" is not at all relevant IMHO. So, the idea (mine at least) is to run a pre-processor of some kind capable to resolve dependencies and duplicates BEFORE actually starting DISM or movingextracting/copying files and to assemble a monolithic "set of instructions" for the build. @Kullenen Ask May I ask what is "Embedded SIM manager"? Does it have another name? The one I found some reference about is part of 7 Compact to manage SIM's (cellular phone thingies). jaclaz

Have you tried a simple PSinfo: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897550.aspx looking for "install date"? jaclaz

Don't want to seem too "captain obvious", but till now you have described the interface of *any* installer, including that of .msi files or common NSIS ones. In this respect NSIS could be a very good "scripting engine". That's perfectly fine and presents not much of a problem. That is one of the problems, the other being, still, HOW to manage the "interconnectedness of all things". But is the theme making a rounder wheel or on inventing a new kind of wheel (which incidentally runs smoother)? Yes, but these would be improvement to the same "paradigm", I had the impression that Kullenen_Ask was pursuing a "new" one. I will add to my previous notes that - no matter how the actual plugin is built or the code executed of whatever - the thing that I find extremely frustrating and "wrong" is EXACTLY the current paradigm. The current one (pebuilder) is: tick (or untick) a number of checkboxes/radioboxes (possibly add some other settings) build if failed try to rebuild changing the checkboxes/radioboxes you set or unset previously and (winbuilder) navigate/expand a tree tick (or untick) a number of checkboxes/radioboxes (possibly add some other settings) build (this consists mainly in watching senseless information across your screen and a blue progress bar) if failed try to rebuild changing the checkboxes/radioboxes you set or unset previously This is not in any way different from the "installer paradigm", with the difference that the "installer" has a small, finite number of possibilities, is by far "narrower" in scope and it is (normally) duly tested in the few possible configurations. We all know how many BartPE plugins or winbuilder .scripts are written by people that though good willing have often no idea (or a very little one) on how respectively a plugin or a .script should be written and how it should be tested. Since the actual engine has no (or very few) provisions for error checking BEFORE build time, the result is the current "click/build/fail/click somethnig else/build fail/loop" situation. As you might remember I tried to point out this problem since the very early times of winbuilder, but the paradigm has not changed and was on the other hand aggravated by the known syntax changes problems. jaclaz

Remember to notify Wikipedia that they should update their page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shareware and promote your note from "Criticism" (where it is already) to "main content". jaclaz

AFAIK MS does not support in *any* way OEM software (such as the Toshiba installed OS surely is), entirely delegating this "burden" to the OEM, Toshiba in this case. jaclaz