Vista.....The ongoing struggle.

Well, I have been using Windows Vista Ultimate now for about three months or so. My PC is powered by the Intel Core2Duo T7200 @2.0GHz with 2GB of DDR2 RAM, and a 7200RPM 160GB HD. These specs are more than enough to run Microsoft's monster of an OS, but still it aggravates me sometimes.

A little background.... Vista has been widely smeared for its driver issues, software issues, issues period, and so for the purposes of work I decided to get my hands on a copy. I went with the Ultimate version, which is the "everything but the kitchen sink" version, and so far it hasn't been unpleasant experience. On the other hand it has not been thoroughly enjoyable either. I am also a gamer at heart, and so most of my complaints have been discovered while indulging in my favorite pastime.
Ok...background out of the way, now on to the meat of the issue!

As I mentioned above, I installed Vista on my personal notebook that I use for work, and therefore I spend more time on Vista than XP, which is till on my three-year-old desktop machine at home. Therein lies my first complaint with Vista...There are a lot of times where my 2.oGHz, single-core, old AMD Athlon 64 powered system will outrun my 2.0GHz Core2Duo-powered notebook. So I first changed the power settings up from the "Balanced" plan to the "High-Performance" plan....no difference. So I tried a few other things, and still I am trounced by "Old". Interesting, huh? Well...it's downright frustrating! I bought this notebook to kick the perverbial pants off of my old system! Under WinXP MCE 2005, it did! But under Vista..no such luck! The performance issue is my first complaint. My next one is not so much a complaint as it is a suprising realization. I noticed the first day after moving from XP to Vista that my RAM usage continually hovers at or around 55% (approx. 1.10GB - 1.20GB). I figured that this was just because Vista, in an effort to be faster, seems to have been designed to cache everything it needs in RAM. Upon reflection, this is a great idea, but it doesn't seem to have paid off. Isay this because simple, run-of-the-mill, day-to-day, Windows activities still take as long or longer than they ever did on XP. O well. My next issue comes from the area of driver support. In particular I am referring to the Video Driver. The video card in this notebook is a Nvidia GeForce GO 7600GS 256MB, and I also realize that the video driver is designed and supported by the individual notebook manufacturers. There is little I can do to improve the performance of the graphics driver, because notebook graphics cards, unlike desktop models, are not updated that often. Again..o well. The next thing is odd, and I have to do some more research. So here is the issue...my connectivity to the Internet will occasionally disappear. Just like that, I will not be able to acces anything on the net. So naaturally I checked the Network and Sharing Center to make sure it's not going through the whole Identifying process again, and every time I have this issue...it isn't. Connectivity doesn't usually come backe until I reboot. I also turned off all power-management functions of both the wireless card and the wired NIC...no difference. These are just a few issues that I have, but I am sure that as Vista ages, things will get better. I also HATE, LOATHE, ETC., User Account Control. I turned it off, but it still tells me that it is turned off!! ARRGH!! O well..

Now on to the things I like! I like all of the revised or new games that are included with the OS. I also like the concept of "Ultimate Extras". I have downloaded all of them, and so far I like the feature very much. I particularly like DreamScene. DreamScene is a seemless video loop that is set as your wallpaper. It looks awesome! I also like the new GUI. It is very Web 2.0 looking, and brings a more modern feel to the OS. I also like how some thigs are condensed and centralized. FOr example: the Network and Sharing Center. It is so nice to be able to manage all network connectivity from one place. I also like that Vista comes with a "System Administrator" feature for the individual User Accounts. Under normal circumstances, when UAC is on, this feature leads to fewer alerts. Nice!

In closing, I realize that Vista is still growing as an OS, but it has been out for almost two years now. I think that the general opinion of Vista would be better if it wasn't for the fact that Vista spent about five years in development. Microsoft also announced the first Service Pack(major overhaul of the OS) 2 weeks before the OS hit store shelves. I am sure that there are other reasons that Vista is generally disliked, but as this is my personal blog, these are just my personal views of the matter. Hopefully Windows 7 will be an improvement.

RANT! Alienware is the target of my wrath...sort of...

RANT

For those of you average computer users (normal people)out there who have to deal with your respective "Computer" companies, I am beginning to truly feel your pain. I recently had a run-in with Alienware "Customer Service", and it was not an enjoyable experience at all.

Background... My notebook is an Alienware Area-51 M5550i-R3, and it is just over 1 year old. Ioriginally bought it with the 3-year factory Parts & Labor Warranty with Air shipping. The warranty actually had to be used, and it all started 2-weeks ago.

I was peacefully getting my day at work started with the usual reading of the email, checking my RSS feeds on iGoogle, and sipping my hot coffee when all of a sudden letters started to disappear and reappear on the screen. I closed Firefox, and reopened it, and the issue seemed to go away. Approximately 10 minutes later it started again, but this time there were slight vertical lines too. Before I go on I should add that I am a PC tech, and watching all of this unfold was like watching a horror film unfold in slow motion. I saw what was happening and I knew, but would love to have ignored, what was happening. The video card was dying a slow, painful, agonizing death. It was like trying to run from danger in a dream; there is no escape! The video card is of Nvidia manufacture, and I have never had any complaints about there products, until now of course. So I grabbed my Alienware Agent card which basically is my pass into tech support/warranty service at their "A3" level of service. I didn't have any sort of trouble getting tech support to awknowledge what the issue was, but the problem started when they said that I would have to send the old card back first OR be temprarily charged $400 to cover the cost of the replacement card. I should add that this is fairly typical of OTHER pc manufacturers, but it is usually not true of the "Botique" manufacturers. Needless to say I was surprised..sort of..at this revelation, and so I opted not to go with "cross-ship". They said that they would wait for me to send it to them. Alienware does pay for shipping of parts for warranty service both directions, but here again they slipped. I got the return label in my email, and the return method was listed as Ground. I was a little perturbed by this, and I promptly called Customer Service back. They told me that that is the way they do business for warranty. I told them that the quality of their service (which in my mind was getting worse and worse by the second) could easily make or break my confidence in them and their products. The cuban person put me on hold (Alienware is located soley in Miami, FL), and a few minutes later came back and told me that as a courtesy they would send me a 2nd-Day Air label for my shipment. I had no desire to talk to them further, and so I said a hasty "Thank you" and hung up. I printed the label and sent the package off to them. I was in their RMA dept. by early after noon on Friday(this all started on a Wednesday) and then it sat....and sat....and sat...UNTIL THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY WITHOUT ANY CALLS FROM THEM!!! I called three times in the week after they received my part, and they kept telling me that shipping and processing was delayed by Hurrican Ike(missed Miami completely BTW), but that I would have the part by Friday. As I stated previously, they didn't even ship it UNTIL FRIDAY!! I called as soon as I received word that the new part shipped out, and I told a customer service rep in no uncertain terms that I will not be coming back to them for any future purchases. I went on and on about their service, or the lack thereof, what I thought about their over the phone survey, and finally after 5 minutes of non-stop, subdued ranting I hung up.

Fast forward to today, when I received the part there was a IC component that was cleary broken...A BRAND NEW CARD WITH NOTICEABLE DAMAGE MADE IT PAST THEIR "AWARD-WINNING" QoS DEPT!!! YEAH RIGHT!!! Praise the Lord that I was able to fix it, but AGAIN...WHAT KIND OF QUALITY CONTROL IS THAT??!!!!

WARNING TO ALL POTENTIAL ALIENWARE CUSTOMERS....THE PRODUCTS THAT ALIENWARE SELLS ARE PRETTY GOOD, BUT THEIR SERVICE IS LOUSY!! STAY AWAY!!!

I am praising the Lord that the Alien isonce again living, I won't have to use that Celeron based Dell anymore!!! This ordeal has taught me one thing though...buy somewhere else, and never assume that because you are in the same business that you won't fall prey to the same things that everyone else does.

/RANT

To Zune or not to Zune?

I haven't posted in a couple of weeks due to my busy schedule, but I did want to take a few minutes to post about one of my new favorite gadgets, the Microsoft Zune. One of the first questions I invariably get is, "What is a Zune?", and my answer usually consists of a chuckle and a brief explanation of what the device does. I think that Microsoft needs to brush up on its marketing on the device. The Zune is basically Microsoft's answer to the iPod by Apple. The iPod is a great device that turned 6 years old this past October, and has essentially defined that which is the portable media player for the better part of those 6 years. It wasn't until the past couple of year that there was any REAL competition to the iPod. There are many other devices out there that are LIKE the iPod in that they play music an videos, but the iPod has something else....seamless integration with iTunes. A couple of years ago Microsoft released the Zune in a 30GB format and small selection of colors. The 1st Gen Zune left alot to be desired, but it had some interesting new features that some people found to be enough to contemplate switching. Some of these features were, wireless syncing, widescreen viewing of videos, but it wasn't enough to unseat the iPod or even truly compete.
So here we are now in 2008 after the release of the 2nd Gen. Zune back in October of '07, and with the addition of the flash-based Zunes and the 80GB Hard Drive model, things are looking up for the Zune. The Zune Software has been redesigned also, and so far it looks like it's a whole lot better than the previous versions. The software and the firmware release as of the time of this writing are both at 2.5, and with the addition of even more content, the Zune is slowly but surely working it's way towards being a much more polished platform.
There is also something else interesting that the Zune provides, and that is "The Social". As if any of us needed yet another social network, right? On the other hand it is an interesting concept, but it does need some work yet. I have used "The Social" a little, and so far I am not really sure what I am supposed to do. It is nothing like Facebook or MySpace, and it does not seem to have a really easy way of making friends. The other issue is that there just aren't as many Zune users out there. I am sure that will change in the months and years to come.

Until next time.....

SmitFraud rears its ugly head....again!

In my line of work, I see alot of crazy issues with Windows-based PCs, but SmitFraud, and its many variants, seems to be one of the more troubling ones that has cropped up within the past couple of months. Several months ago I was dealing with SmitFraud, and its common variant SpySheriff, on an almost daily basis. It is described quite well in the following article provided by Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyware_Quake

SmitFraud

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SmitFraud variants often change a computer's background to a fake Blue Screen of Death (similar to the real one depicted above) to trick users into buying fake anti-spyware programs.
SmitFraud or W32/SmitFraud.A is a type of spyware that installs itself into a computer via adware, without the user's knowledge. Most of the time, it installs itself after the computer user installs a fake codec, such as BrainCodec, PCodec or VideoKeyCodec.^[1]. SmitFraud infects a Windows DLL with a computer virus ^[2], and typically changes the infected computer's desktop background into a Blue Screen of Death.
SmitFraud is now being used to term ^[3] infections wherein users receive fake alerts from software luring the user into installing some affiliated Fake / Rogue AntiSpyware with or without user's knowledge.

Contents [hide] 1 Removal and protection 2 See also 3 External links 4 Notes

[edit] Removal and protection

Spybot detects but cannot remove another variant of SmitFraud. In this variant, the files core.sys and core.cache.dsk are found in the C:\Windows\System32\Drivers folder. There are also two corresponding registry keys. This variant produces pop-up ads that pop-up blockers cannot suppress. Ad-Aware and regular antivirus cannot remove these files or registry keys because they load into RAM early in the boot process. Once a file containing a Smitfraud virus is in RAM, the virus program code is executed along with the file it is attached to, makes copies of itself, and the copies attach themselves to other files in Physical Memory RAM. A prime target for self proliferation by Smitfraud viruses are often the files that reside in the boot sector of the hard disk. The newly infected files are then saved (written) to the hard disk, diskette or anything else, in the normal course of the taking of the computer, and the attached virus program code remains a part of them. One solution is to boot with DOS or Linux, then remove the files, then afterwards remove the registry keys. Another solution is to reformat your computer.
SmitFraudFix is a popular tool which can be employed in the complex removal process ^[4] but with care ^[5]. It covers a wide variety of Smitfraud variants.
To protect against viruses, users should employ properly installed virus protection software, which scans RAM constantly and stops any procedure which may allow a virus to enter, and should write protect all diskettes, check all outside diskettes for viruses before trying to use them, and be cautious about where they download files from and accept files from on the Internet.
Example: ZTreeWin_1.5.zip contains a crack to register ZtreeWin 1.51 included files are: keygen.exe, one.nfo, file_id.diz and 'RUN.EXE' Its the 'RUN.EXE' that contains the Rogue Program

There are many ways that SmitFraud can enter your PC, and the easiest way to prevent infection is to ensure that you have adequate Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware protection. I personally use ZoneAlarm Internet Security 7 which has excellent anti-spyware/anti-virus protection and a very tough firewall. I recommend it to anyone!

There is a fixtool however that is very effective. Follow all instructions!
It is located at: http://siri.geekstogo.com/SmitfraudFix.php
Direct link to the download: http://downloads.securitycadets.com/SmitfraudFix.exe

To Vista or not to Vista, that is indeed the question

Windows Vista, Microsoft's newest Operating System, is now well over one year old, but the rate at which it is being adopted by people is still nowhere near Microsoft's expectations. I have worked on some Vista based machines, and I must say that as far as performance goes, the average system that someone might buy off of the shelf at one of the Big Box stores is just not up to the task of running it. Windows Vista has some steep hardware requirements as well, and it also has quite a few issues with Driver compatibility. Even though you may currently be using Vista without issues at home, the business world seems to think that Vista is still not a good idea. Did you know that business customers of select computer manufacturers, who purchased Vista Business or Ultimate, have the option of "Downgrading" to Windows XP Professional? It doesn't cost a thing! I am just wondering if there is a real need to move "up" to Vista?

For those of you out there who truly enjoy XP, the deadline for new sales of Windows XP Home Edition has been extended beyond the June 30th deadline. The current deadline covers all other versions of Windows XP (Professional and Media Center Edition). The sales deadline for Windows XP Home was extended because of the fact that any version of Vista will not run on most entry-level PCs. For those of you that are reading this blog that still have XP, I would recommend that you do plenty of research before upgrading to Vista or purchasing a new computer with Vista preinstalled. Personally, I still use Windows XP Professional or MCE on all of my computers, and I for one am not switching to Vista until I am thoroughly convinced that it is either necessary or advantageous for me to do so. I arrived at my decision to remain on XP by testing some of the applications on a decent PC with Vista Ultimate installed. I was less than pleased with the result, therefore, XP remains as my OS of choice.

The bottom line here is, if you are looking into a new computer, do your research before you just go out and buy a PC preloaded with Windows Vista. I think that Vista has potential to be much better, but it seems to be taking its good old time to evolve into a great product. I hope that as time goes on Vista develops into a product that I can use effectively for my day-to-day tasks.

Until next time....

First Post!

Thank you for stopping by! This is my first blog, and I hope that you, the reader, will bear with me as I develop it. The purpose of "Bits and Bytes" is to help the average person understand the world of Technology as we know it, and especially the world of computers.
I am in the computer business, and in addition to my full-time duties I am a Computer Instructor. I teach the "ins and outs" of computing primarily to first-time buyers, and senior citizens who are all trying their best to make sense of the crazy world that they have stepped into. Therefore, it is my desire to help as many people as I can with the knowledge that I have accumulated through 10 years of combined personal and professional experience.
After reading my posts, please feel free to leave comments and/or questions, and I will do my best to answer them.