Zxian

They've already admitted to several security risks by using this... I'd stay far away from this and stick with IE for the 5 minutes that it takes to update your system.

You shouldn't have any troubles at all. Acronis is a great piece of software that will do everything you ask. Cheers!

You don't have to pay to use the LAME encoder - it's free. http://lame.sourceforge.net/license.txt It's probably your best bet to use that instead of WMP. Another advantage is that you have the ability to make your program more cross-platform rather than just Windows based. Maybe not a priority right now, but something to keep in mind for the future. Cheers!

Why would you specifically choose WMP as the encoder? Another possible solution would be to use the LAME encoder to rip the CD songs to MP3. LAME is much better documented and you'll probably be able to accomplish what you're after much more easily.

Is there an option for 9300K colour? It'll give you a much brighter display with more vibrant colours. Technically DVI-D is better than VGA, but unless you're really finicky, you probably won't be able to tell the difference.

There have been several threads on this already... I use Winamp for audio and WMP for video. Winamp has global hotkeys which makes my life a breeze, and WMP is already there... no messing about with other crap.

DVI = Digital Video Interface DVI is supposed to be better for LCD monitors since they render the images digitally, while CRT monitors use analog signals to render the pictures. If you're having troubles, I'd look into your drivers or any type of "auto-adjust" setting on the monitor. And to be complete... no DVI-D is not just meant for TVs.

A week or two? Hehe... 4 gigs would last me a couple of days. I listen to music all the time while I'm working and everything in between. One of the things that I don't like about iPods is that they only play MP3 and AAC (or is it ACC... can't remember). A lot of my music is encoded with Vorbis and other formats and converting it all sucks.

It's an illegal copy of Windows XP that comes bundled with some other software.... Basically imagine your pimped-out UA disc being released on the net. That's Windows FD. Mods - Please close this.

I had a similar experience with Linux a while back. I'll admit that I've never been used to having to dig around for drivers for my video card (although nVidia is a lot better with Linux on that respect) but all in all, I could see the potential. I'm running a Linux web server for my department at my university, and I can definately see how once everything is setup, it's a joy to use. The server has been running for over a year now and you could never tell the difference between now and the first day it was turned on. I think the main problem with Linux is that the general population has become too comfortable with Windows and the "point-and-click" methods. In Windows, most of the work (for the common user) is done with the mouse. In Linux, everything (I'm using the word liberally here...) is done in command line. Many people look at a keyboard in fear and shudder at the thought of a command line because of nightmares with DOS - the OS that everyone sees as the predecessor to Windows (although it's not the case anymore). I'll say that for my common everyday use of listening to music and the like, I found it a bit complicated to use Linux, but that could also be because I'm very, very comfortable with Windows. I'd suggest that if you want to play around with Linux (properly), get a spare hard drive and swap it with your Windows hard drive when working with Linux (at least until you're comfortable with Linux). That way, you run no risk of messing up a working Windows install, and you can mess around with stuff to your liking. That's what I'm hoping to do in the near future. I'd also suggest forgetting about how "easy" things are with Windows. MS holds the majority of the market share of computer users, so it's somewhat obvious that manufacturers are going to develop more drivers for Windows. Start from scratch and forget everything you ever knew about computers. Linux != Windows Linux > Windows ? Linux < Windows ? It's all up to the user.

Great wallpaper...how bout a link? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Link You can find more like that at http://hedkandi.altervista.org. Cheers!

Wow... now that's extreme prank calling... Good stuff!

Just curious as to what time of year people enjoy most. I personally like Winter the most, since I'm a total ski bum. Living close to Whistler/Blackcomb has its advantages. I also like the idea of coming in from the cold to cuddle with a pretty girl in front of the fire. B) Summer comes in second since you can play Ultimate Frisbee and go swimming.

It also depends on how Windows sees your hard drives. My motherboard supports SMART, as do both of my drives, but in Device Manager, the drives are listed as SCSI devices (as opposed to standard IDE hard drives) and therefore there's no SMART information available.

.NET is pretty bad speedwise... We should all revert to good ol' C.

Correction... it's not a monitoring program, but a prevention program... Still an excellent program to have.

The icons are from various sources. DeviantArt has a lot of good icon packs available. PM me if there are any specific ones that you want.

The TeaTimer addon to Spybot Search&Destroy is a real-time anti-spyware monitor for you. http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

That's why I don't understand people who answer 40Gb or 60Gb photo. GET AN IPOD MINI!! The new ones got a very extensive battery life (18 hours compared to mine from last year is 5 hours) and with 4 or 6Gb, you will have plenty of music on you. I have an ipod mini 4Gb and I really did a good move buying it. And with the ipodmini base and firewire/usb/dock connector dual cable (sold seperately), I can refresh my music while recharging the batteries. And there is even a nice little plugin for winamp to use with the media library so you can easily upload an entire album, or copy albums from ipod that are not in the media library. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The problem with the iPod Mini (for me anyways) is the fact that it's only 4/6GB. I'd like to have an MP3 player that allows me to have ALL of my music with me, as well as have yet another backup of my music. With nearly 20GB of music, it would really be a pain to lose it all. One of my beefs with the iPod is the fact that it's a pain to restore your collection from your iPod in the event of your computer hard drive dying.

Hehe... have another look at my list! My computer simply can't handle any of the new games. I totally agree with you that it's all about the good gameplay. Without it, all the game becomes is an interactive movie.

Here's where to press to get the llamas. If you don't see this, hold the corner and drag to the right to see the beat visualization. EDIT Sorry for the crappy picture... it was pasted into paint...

Hehe... it's funny some of the things people think of foreign countries. We get a handful of that stuff here in Canada too... like the Igloo myth... That reminds me of all the great Molson Canadian ads...

@computerMan: Just do some Googling. That's how I'd go about finding the stuff that I want. BTW... the default background for Server 2003 is just the good ol' blue backdrop of the classic theme. No fancy pictures there... EDIT I figure I might as well throw up an update of my laptop as well... With all the usual fittings of AveDesk and Windowblinds. PM me for details. EDIT AGAIN Well... I found some sweet Hed Kandi wallpapers... so I figure I might as well show you my redone desktop screenshot. Enjoy!

What exactly do you mean by "make it look like a server"? The screenshot you see for my computer is my server... so it varies from person to person. You could try changing the visual style back to classic to make it look more like Windows 2000 if you want a more "professional" look. Increasing your screen resolution would help as well.

I can see your screenshot in the June Desktops thread just fine... Only an hour between posts? Give it a little bit more time and people will help you out.