VMware Converter Windows 2000 Server Conversion Failure - 97%

VMware Converter seems to have issues converting Windows 2000 Server machines from physical to virtual machines. The process (for me at least) always fails at 97%, but you can see that the VM was created as it is taking up space in your VM storage pool. It fails during the VM configuration phase. There are several theories, but I have narrowed it down to SCSI drivers and configuration that are causing the problems. If you try to start up the VM as is, it will fail and you will most likely get something akin to the following:

Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem.
Could not read from the selected boot disk. Check boot path and disk hardware.
Please check the Windows documentation about hardware disk configuration and your hardware reference manuals for additional information.

This basically tells you that the boot.ini is incorrect, so you need to correct it. The two issues that will plague most people with the boot.ini configuration and VM conversion are that the partition numbers are incorrect, or that the paths are marked as SCSI instead of multi.

Here's how I solved the issue.

1. Make sure and install the VMware SCSI drivers on the physical server BEFORE you attempt to convert the physical server. You can get them here.
2. Start the conversion process and wait for it to fail.
3. Drop a Knoppix Live CD (or mount the ISO) through your Virtual Center Management Console and boot the VM from this.

When you are at the Linux desktop, mount the virtual C:\ drive and look for the boot.ini in the root of the C:\ Open it in a text editor and look for the following:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000″ /fastdetect

You can see here that it is showing SCSI in the paths. You need to change that to multi like this:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000″ /fastdetect

You should also check to make sure that 'partition()' has a 1 and not a 2.

Go ahead and save the file and close it.

Now un-mount your Knoppix disc or ISO and reboot the VM. It should power up normally.

*An alternate method for those not Linux inclined is to use another VM (termed helper VM) that runs fine and add the C:\ drive from the bad VM conversion to it's list of available drives. Reboot that VM and when it comes up, you will have to go into the disk management tool and change the drive letter for that 'bad' C:\ (it should come up as an available but unassigned disk) to some other letter. That will allow you to browse the disk, (make sure you are able to view hidden files) and locate boot.ini When you locate it, open the properties of the file and make sure that it is not read-only (which it probably is by default.) Make the same edits as mentioned above, save the file, and shutdown your 'helper VM.' Remove the disk that you added to it. Go back to the 'bad' VM and turn it on. It should boot up normally.

**There is yet a third method which involves using the VMware Virtual DiskMount Utility, but I feel that method is far too much work. You can read about that process here: http://rip747.wordpress.com/2007/10/23/vmware-windows-2000-migration-errors-encoutered-and-solutions/

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Chihuahua prays at Zen Temple

Being a lover and owner of Chihuahuas, I had to post this article from Yahoo! News.

NAHA, Japan - At a Zen Buddhist temple in southern Japan, even the dog prays. Mimicking his master, priest Joei Yoshikuni, a 1 1/2-year-old black-and-white Chihuahua named Conan joins in the daily prayers at Naha's Shuri Kannondo temple, sitting up on his hind legs and putting his front paws together before the altar.

It took him only a few days to learn the motions, and now he is the talk of the town.

"Word has spread, and we are getting a lot more tourists," Yoshikuni said Monday.

Yoshikuni said Conan generally goes through his prayer routine at the temple in the capital of Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture (state) without prompting before his morning and evening meals.

"I think he saw me doing it all the time and got the idea to do it, too," Yoshikuni said.

The priest is now trying to teach him how to meditate.

Well, sort of.

"Basically, I am just trying to get him to sit still while I meditate," he explained. "It's not like we can make him cross his legs."

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Blue-ray BD+ Cracked - Backup your Blue-ray discs with ease!

In a press release dated March 19, 2008, Slysoft software, makers of the popular DVD-backup application AnyDVD, have released version 6.4.0.0 of their flagship product. Although a new release in itself is not news, the capability to backup Blu-ray discs protected with BD+ copy protection is. Although every single digital rights management (DRM) encryption scheme out there claims superiority and even ‘un-crack-ability,’ it’s always just a matter of time before it’s cracked. This is all aside from the point that every person should be allowed to make backup copies of ANY media that they purchase which can become damaged (scratched) without being punished. You can pickup AnyDVD at http://www.slysoft.com/en/

. The full text of the press release available at http://forum.slysoft.com/showthread.php?t=14786 is available below.

For Immediate Release

Antigua, West Indies - March, 19th 2008

AnyDVD HD now with BD+ support

Film studios that have switched to Blu-ray may have crowed a little
too early because the much-praised BD+ copy protection is an ad
absurdum affair now, too. With today's release of version 6.4.0.0 of
AnyDVD HD it is now also possible to make backup security copies of
Blu-ray discs protected with BD+.

Richard Doherty of the Envisioneering Group will have to revise his
statement from July, 2007 regarding BD+: "BD+, unlike AACS which
suffered a partial hack last year, won't likely be breached for 10
years". It is worth mentioning that since he made that statement only
eight months have gone by.

Peer van Heuen, head of High-Definition technologies at SlySoft adds:
"Admittedly, we are not really so fast with this because actually we
had intended to publish this release already in December as promised.
However, it was decided for strategic reasons to wait a bit for the
outcome of the "format war" between HD DVD and Blu-ray. On top of
that, we first wanted to see our assumptions confirmed about the in
the meantime released BD+ titles regarding the BD+ Virtual Machine. We
are rather proud to have brought back to earth the highly-praised and
previously "unbreakable" BD+. However, we must also admit that the
Blu-ray titles released up to now have not fully exploited the
possibilities of BD+. Future releases will undoubtedly have a modified
and more polished BD+ protection, but we are well prepared for this
and await the coming developments rather relaxed". Van Heuen adds
jokingly: "The worst-case scenario then is our boss locks us up with
only bread and water in the company dungeon for three months until we
are successful again".

Giancarlo Bettini, SlySoft CEO, adds, "We are convinced that today's
release will give the high-density market new impulse. It remains
unclear just what direction this will take. On the one hand, it can
give Blu-ray a boost because the end-user has the certainty in knowing
now that a backup security copy can also be made from Blu-ray disks
protected by BD+. On the other hand, one or more film studios may want
to reconsider their withdrawal from HD DVD and Toshiba could also
grant the high-density DVD a reprieve. HD DVD certainly deserves a
second chance, particularly since HD DVD hardware has obtained a
higher market share within the last months than its BD counterpart
from SONY. In any event, I wish all those involved a happy Easter from
the bottom of my heart."

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Unison - replace Exchange and Outlook with a single Linux based Unified Communications Server

According to a recent PC World article, the software company Unison has just launched a unified communications suite, akin to Exchange and Outlook, which features e-mail, messaging and VoIP. The software, also called Unison, integrates IP telephony (VoIP), e-mail and instant messaging with a diary, address book and presence capability. All of this will be rolled into a single Linux Server. Currently, you can get it as a free public beta.

This is a step up from the traditional Microsoft schema like Microsoft Office Communications Server which often require multiple servers to accomplish the same task. The time to production is also drastically cut down to less than a day for an experienced Linux administrator. There is a Unison client program for Windows which replaces Outlook.

Current configuration supports between 20 and 300 seats, but there are future plans to support clustering for scalability. Open-source technologies are incorporated into the solution stack like Thunderbird for e-mail and Jabber for Instant Messaging. Some custom code was also written by the Unison developers. The beta is said to be stable and ready for any organization to deploy and test. You can get more information at Unison.com

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Google for Nonprofits - Easy and free tools for the Greater Good

In what seems to be a landmark announcement (to me at least,) Google has launched a tool portal for nonprofits. Most nonprofit organizations work on very tight budgets, and providing no-cost quality tools for day to day business operations, with the ability to collaborate on projects, is a huge boost for nonprofits. Integration with YouTube will allow these nonprofits to "broadcast [their] cause to the world's largest online video community."

As if the free business tools and online exposure platform weren't enough, the new Google for nonprofits portal will allow organizers to disseminate information to staff, volunteers and supporters as well as provide a platform for these people to communicate with each other. Now, fully functional online communities with real world backing can converge to work for a cause.

In addition to the above mentioned perks, the Google for Nonprofits portal also has information and guidance for all sorts of nonprofit initiatives. Advertising can be had at no-cost through the Google Grants program, and Google Checkout transaction fees can be waived for nonprofits.

While it is absolutely awesome that Google would step in and offer this kind of assistance to nonprofits, we must remember that Google is always looking for ways to help better society in general. Their 'do no evil' philosophy extends beyond the typical grievances between for-profit companies and their customers. Having offered years of consulting to nonprofits and for-profit corporations, I can say that this will have a huge impact on every nonprofit that takes advantage of the services Google is providing. Nonprofits are also a haven for college interns and future leaders of America, so introducing these people to quality business tools at no cost can open their minds to the infinite possibilities of free and open-source software. It is vitally important that future generations understand the concept of free and open-source software, and that they embrace and adopt this form of technology over the current inefficient model of overpriced, bloated and proprietary software. Every step an organization takes toward freedom and democratization of information and technology is a step in the right direction.

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Avoiding Spyware, Viruses and Malware in general

For those that surf the net daily, spyware, viruses malware in general are an extreme annoyance at best and a plague that can steal your identity and cripple your computer at worst. The general conception among most non-tech people is that pornographic websites or websites that host hacked software (known as warez in some circles) are the only places spyware and viruses live. Today, however, this has changed significantly. Spyware developers have become more sophisticated in their delivery and acquiring methods. Well planned and hidden attempts through masked email messages (known as phishing) are becoming more prevalent. Domain spoofing, where a a domain name very similar to a legitimate business site is created (such as paypa1.com vs paypal.com) is on the rise. Domain redirection via surreptitious URLs is also common place today. With the increasing level of sophistication of these malwares, how does one avoid them, or at the very least protect themselves from potential loss?

The answer is pretty simple, yet most people ignore the easy and free ways to avoid spyware and viruses. The Firefox web browser available at http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ has security options that warn a user if a website tries to install software on the user's computer, or if the website is a suspected forgery. These options will help you avoid the majority of harmful websites out there. You can set the level of protection by going to the Tools menu, then Options, then select Security. Firefox even maintains and updates a list of known and suspected forged websites. Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 has similar functionality.

So, not cruising bad sites and using a safe web browser like Firefox which will help you detect and avoid bad websites, but what else can you do? Don't click on anything! Always be leery of popups and strange dialog boxes asking you to do something. Never click in them. The best option is to find the tab in the task bar which belongs to that popup or window, right-click on it, and select close. This makes sure that you don't accidentally click on something that agrees to let it install software on your computer. Spyware writers are notorious for making windows that have an 'X' in the upper right hand corner, just like a real window, when in fact that 'X' is inside the window portion that allows the application to install itself. Just don't click it! If you find yourself in a bad situation and don't know what to do, just restart the computer without clicking on any windows. This is the safest bet.

Lastly, get a good anti-virus suite. There are many out there like Symantec's Norton line and Trend Micro's PC-cilin, but I recommend the free version of Avast! Anti-virus. It is called Avast! 4 Home and is available for free from the Avast! website at http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html Avast! anti-virus suite has all of the regular features of most paid-for packaged such as real-time virus scanning, email scan, IM and P2P protection, Network and Web shields and automatic updates. It also spots potential spyware and warns you before it's too late. It is a great product at a great price - free!

Hopefully these tips help you avoid getting spyware, viruses or any other malware on your computer. Another way to avoid all of this is to install and run Linux as your operating system instead of windows. Mac computers are also less susceptible to these types of issues. Remember also that Microsoft has tied Internet Explorer into the operating system very intimately, so any attack on it can easily put your entire operating system at risk. Using a more secure web browser like Firefox will save you many headaches in the future, and it is free as well. If you have any other tips or questions, feel free to leave them in the comments.

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Harvard server breach exposes personal data of over 10,000 students - Hubris, meets real intelligence.

I really love it when Ivy League schools' hubris leads to their eventual feast on crow.

Harvard was recently forced to admit that about 10,000 applicants for the Fall 2007 academic year had their personal data stolen from a compromised server. In this fiasco, at least 6,600 summaries from admissions candidates which include names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, test scores and various school records.

As if the breach wasn't enough of a black eye for the pretentious bunch of stuff shirts, a BitTorrent file containing the stolen data has been posted and is now circulating the internet for anyone who wishes to take a peek. The torrent contains a note indicating that "maybe you don't like it but this is to demonstrate that persons like tgatton(admin of the server) in they don't know how to secure a website." In the torrent are a server nackup of the GSAS applicant site (with directory structure intact,) the Joomla database, contacts database and another miscellaneous database.

Naturally, Harvard has been forced to apologize to the students. They have also indicated that they would provide identity theft recovery services from Kroll Inc. to all applicants whose personal information was exposed.

This is yet another example that "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." - Proverbs 16:18

Let this be a reminder to everyone that information security must take precedence over all other matters.

Brief AP blurb here.

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Sun and Texas Advanced Computing Center unveil the most powerful general-purpose supercomputer

Great news from Sun today on the release of the most powerful supercomputer in the world.

By Chip Brookshaw

March 11, 2008 - Sun and the Texas Advanced Computing Center at the University of Texas (TACC) ushered in a new, and more powerful era of general-purpose supercomputing when they recently unveiled "Ranger", a supercomputer based on Sun's Constellation System. Ranger is one of the very fastest supercomputers in the world, and ushers in the new era of "petascale" computing in which high performance supercomputers approach one petaflop (one quadrillion floating point instructions) per second.

What can Ranger do? The better question is "What can't it do?" because the TACC supercomputer's 500 teraflops of power (500 trillion floating point instructions per second) enable it to run simulations and other computations of a scope never before achieved. This ability will enable scientific breakthroughs and stoke economic growth in every area of society from weather forecasting to astrophysics.

More information at Sun's Website

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RuneScape - A fun browser-based MMORPG for the masses

I know that this post may not be exactly on topic, but I think it will appeal to those who need a little relaxation between grueling work sessions and for those who have just a little bit of inner geek. There are thousands of games that are playable online from casual games like Bejewled to MMORPGs (Massively Multi-Player Online Role Playing Games) like World of Warcraft. Having been a one time fan of MMORPGs (not World of Warcraft!), I looked for a game in that genre that was simple and focused more on the game itself than the graphics.






















This is how I happened upon Runescape. This little MMORPG is a great game for the casual Role Playing Gamer like myself. You don't need to invest a ton of time into it to have a good time, and you can play whenever you want. The game runs in a web browser with Java so you can play it in Firefox, Opera, Safari or Internet Explorer on Linux, Mac or Windows. You will find the game controls and UI very simple and pleasing.

Here is a small description: http://www.runescape.com

RuneScape is a massive 3D world in which you can fight monsters, embark on quests, interact with other players, or simply explore. The game is open-ended, so it unfolds in whichever way you want it to!

To move, click on the ground, or to go further click on the minimap at the top right corner of the game window.

Hover your cursor over an item, a creature or a player to see more information at the top left of the game window. Right-click on objects and creatures to bring up a menu of quick-actions.

All characters start on Tutorial Island, where skills trainers instruct the basic skills needed to get started. After completing the tutorial you will be sent to Lumbridge, from which you can start your adventures: slay monsters, explore the world, foil villainous plots, trade with other players; go forth and have fun!

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DROBO - Fully automated storage you don't have to manage

Do you have big storage needs for your home office or small business? Do you want your data to be protected against loss or corruption? Do you want to be able to add storage space at the pace you dictate? If your answer to any or all of these questions is yes, Data Robotics has the perfect product for you.























Billed as the "World's First Storage Robot," the DROBO is a NAS-like (Network Attached Storage) appliance that connects to your network or directly to your computer. It acts as a large external hard drive to store all kinds of data. The unit has room for four standard size PC hard drives inside and you can swap them out with the unit powered on. The unit itself manages all of the storage configuration. You simply pop in the drives you want, tell the DROBO how you want it to function, and it automatically arranges the storage inside to meet your usage requirements. It can be used with Linux, PC and Mac. It is a nifty little appliance that will save you the heartache of losing data or having to upgrade storage space at a huge cost.

Here is the overview from the website: http://www.drobo.com

Fully automated storage you don't have to manage.

As rich media (photos, video, movies, music) continues to devour your storage capacity, you need a solution that allows you to easily manage, protect, and scale storage for your PC or Mac. For you, we've created Drobo, the first fully-automated storage robot to take the pain out of keeping your important digital content safe.

Drobo guards everything on it.
Drobo combines up to four hard drives into a big pool of protected storage. Start with two, grow to four, then upsize smaller drives-get Terabytes of protection.

Drobo manages storage, so you don't have to.
Just connect Drobo to your Mac or PC. No RAID levels. No management or configuration. Drobo does everything for you. Get rid of multiple external drives. Avoid the complexity of RAID. Attach a Drobo storage robot to your system and let it manage your storage so you don't have to.

Drobo upgrades capacity on-the-fly.
Add drives to Drobo at any time. Mix 'n match capacities, brands or speeds. No downtime, data migration, or waiting to access new capacity. Drobo works the way you do.

Drobo lets you "pay as you grow"
Hard drives get bigger and cheaper all the time. Don't buy storage capacity until you need it. Buy capacity "just-in-time" possibly saving you hundreds of dollars.

DroboShare it on your network
Connect your Drobo to a DroboShare and share your data over Gigabit Ethernet (GigE). With DroboShare, everybody on your network can benefit from the storage capabilities of Drobo.

Avoid the hassles associated with managing multiple external hard drives or managing the complexities of RAID. Attach Drobo to your Mac or PC and let it manage your storage so you don't have to. Find out more from people just like you by visiting our Drobo Online Community.

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Paint.NET - A great free and open-source graphics editing program

I would venture to say that almost everyone is familiar with Microsoft windows paint - a drawing application that is very antiquated and should have been retired and replaced a long time ago. Alas, Microsoft has kept this ancient application around, and it rarely serves any purpose in today's computing world. For those users who like to do light graphics and photo work, there is a free and open-source application that works wonders in this area.

I usually recommend the GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) for most graphics work because it is also free and open-source. It is a great program, but it doesn't have the look and feel of the native windows environment (although it does run perfectly in windows.) There are some special hacks and versions such as GIMPShop that mimic the look and feel of the windows GUI and for those that want to go this route, I highly recommend it.

For those that are unsure or uneasy about working in alternative GUIs and environments, Paint.NET is an excellent choice for a graphics editing program. As I mentioned before, it is free and open-source. You can download it at http://www.getpaint.net/ It is very similar to Adobe Photoshop and has very similar functionality, but it is not as powerful or robust as the Adobe's professional offering. Then again, it doesn't cost anything right? For 99.9% of users out there, Paint.NET does more than necessary. Just about the only people who may need an expensive application like Photoshop are professional designers and graphics professionals. Many of them even use Paint.NET, so take that with a grain of salt. I suggest you download a copy and install it on your windows machine to see just what I mean. I'm pretty sure you will be impressed and never be forced to resort to that awful excuse for a program - windows paint.

Here is some more information from the Paint.Net website:

Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for computers that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools. An active and growing online community provides friendly help, tutorials, and plugins.

It started development as an undergraduate college senior design project mentored by Microsoft, and is currently being maintained by some of the alumni that originally worked on it. Originally intended as a free replacement for the Microsoft Paint software that comes with Windows, it has grown into a powerful yet simple image and photo editor tool. It has been compared to other digital photo editing software packages such as Adobe® Photoshop®, Corel® Paint Shop Pro®, Microsoft Photo Editor, and The GIMP.

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VMware Converter - Convert physical machines to virtual machines - Free.

One of the tools that I absolutely love from VMware is their Converter tool. It is an application that you install which can take a physical machine and turn it into a VM which runs on ESX, Workstation or VMware Server. It has worked well for me in the past, and I still use it today in the data center to migrate old physical servers onto VMs so that we can decommission old hardware that is no longer supported by the vendor. It also lets us consolidate our server infrastructure onto fewer physical machines.

Here is the breakdown from the VMware site:

Convert Physical Machines to Virtual Machines in Minutes

VMware Converter can be run on a wide variety of hardware and supports most commonly used versions of the Microsoft Windows operating systems. With this robust, enterprise class migration tool you can:

• Quickly and reliably convert local and remote physical machines into virtual machines without any disruption or downtime.
• Complete multiple conversions simultaneously with a centralized management console and an intuitive conversion wizard.
• Convert other virtual machine formats such as Microsoft Virtual PC and Microsoft Virtual Server or backup images of physical machines such as Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery or Norton Ghost 12 to VMware virtual machines.
• Restore VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB) images of virtual machines to running virtual machines.
• Clone and backup physical machines to virtual machines as part of your disaster recovery plan.

Choose from two available editions of VMware Converter

VMware Converter Starter is a free download available to everyone. It is an easy to use product for single conversions. VMware Converter Enterprise is a robust, enterprise-class product for managing and automating large scale conversions. Learn more about the two editions.

Learn about support offerings for VMware Converter Starter.

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Logmein.com - How to remotely access your computer from anywhere in the world.

While the title does say "anywhere in the world," I must quantify that by stating that there must be an internet connection present to do so. Seeing as how there are ways to get internet connectivity anywhere in the world, via satellite if necessary, then the statement does hold true. All the same, I just wanted to make sure that you understand that you need an internet connection to use logmein.com

There are a multitude of services available for the mobile professional which allow access to a home or work computer remotely. Some are better than others, and some cost more than others. While I have tried a few of these out myself, I can only recommend the service that I currently use. That service is logmein.com (henceforth referred to as logmein.)

I primarily use this service to access my home PCs and server while traveling on business, or when I need something from my home PC at a client's location. The service is spectacular and very easy to use. You simply setup an account with logmein, then go to each PC that you would like to access remotely and log into the logmein site. From there, you can download and install a small application which communicates with the logmein servers and allows you to connect remotely. Every time you access a PC from a remote location, you sign into the logmein site (a secure SSL connection by the way) and click on the name of the PC that you want. You log into the PC as you would if you were sitting at it and you're ready to work. That's it! So simple yet so necessary. Every mobile business professional needs this service.

There are several types of accounts to choose from with the free account being the most basic. This one simply allows you to connect to a remote PC and work on it. The pro account allows you to use share files, hear sound and print remotely as well. The rescue and IT reach accounts are more for remote troubleshooting and repair than for regular users. The backup account allows you to send automatic backups of your mobile PC to other PCs or storage devices that you control. I use the pro account on a regular basis, and I can't tell you how many times it has come in handy when I forget to print something at the office. The other great thing about logmein is that you can install it on your family members' PCs (who may not be too tech savvy) and be able to log in remotely to help them if they get stuck with something. This also gives you a solid secure connection that doesn't require opening and securing ports on your router or exposing your PC to the wide open internet. It's a win-win for the mobile business professional.

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A Black Tie Affair - Penguins Waddle Down The Red Carpet

I had to post this YouTube clip of my favorite bird walking down the red carpet. As one viewer commented, penguins truly are the ambassadors for their species and wild life in general. Aside from being the official mascot for Linux, the immense attention penguins get helps draw attention to environmental concerns like global warming. Their natural habitat is in danger of disappearing, and every public affair attended by these birds in a tuxedo helps their cause, and the cause of many other animals.

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Dell Vostro - Low cost quality PCs to power your business.

When you need a PC for your small business, you have to consider price, usability and quality (often in that order.) Dell has been the preferred vendor of the business world for a long time now, but their offerings were often priced higher than competitors for the same caliber of PC. You often paid a premium for a uniform vendor for all of your technology needs, and this was before you even purchased support. I will say that their line of business laptops (Lattitude) was definitely a cut above the rest, but not all small businesses need that kind of PC. Dell's Optiplex desktop line is also the premier line of desktop PCs in the business world. They are fine machines that perform excellently. Recently, however, Dell shifted their focus to the small business owner. According to the most recent US Census data, small businesses account for over 70 percent of businesses in the US. Naturally, this is a pretty large segment to cater to, and it seems like Dell has finally figured that out.

Not to long ago, Dell announced the launch of their new Vostro line. Tagged as "Designed for Small Business," the new Vostro line of laptops and desktops comes with no trialware (translate to no bloat that slows down the PC from the beginning,) a 30 day money-back guarantee and a comprehensive set of standard services for small businesses. The new look of the Vostro line is also minimalist yet refined - a perfect match for the professional.


Although desktop PCs are still being used, recent improvements in mobile technology have allowed laptops to come close to the performance levels of their non-mobile counterparts. Laptops with 17 inch screens like the Vostro 1700 pictured here also feature full size keyboards with number keypads. Unless there is a reason that you absolutely do not want a laptop (such as a receptionist workstation) I would recommend opting for the best laptop you can afford.

In order to make life easier, Dell offers professional services to the small business owner to help with the day to day needs of information technology. Dell Connect allows a Dell technician to troubleshoot your PC remotely. DataSafe Online Backup allows you to securely backup your data so that it can be restored even if a disaster causes your PC to be destroyed. PC TuneUp keeps your PC running at maximum efficiency. Dell Network Assistant allows you to easily connect to most simple networks. Warranty terms of up to 4 years allow you to protect your investment for the long haul.

You can also purchase Dell Customized services to make your business life easier. Complete Care Accidental Damage Service also covers issues like spilled liquids and accidental drops which standard warranties do not cover. ( I have this for my XPS laptop and it has saved me thousands of dollars in repairs!) Dell On Call phone support service puts you in contact with trained support professionals 24x7x365. On Site System Setup plans get you up and running with ease and confidence. Recycling services make sure that your old PCs are disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. Asset Recovery services kick in if your PC is stolen and help local authorities recover your assets. Gold Technical Support provides top tier professional support from North American based support centers. (If you've ever called for support and been routed to India, you know how much frustration this will avoid!)

All in all, Dell has really stepped up their presence in the small business arena. The new low cost Vostro line definitely delivers the best mix of price, usability and quality to the small business user. The myriad of Dell services available with the Vostro line gives the small business owner the opportunity to own business class technology without having to hire dedicated IT staff to maintain the equipment. Backup and repair services give the small business owner peace of mind when disaster strikes their business. The style and performance of the Vostro line are perfect for small business. It goes without saying that I highly recommend the Dell Vostro line to any small or medium sized business who is in need of new PC(s).

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How to access Experts-Exchange without paying

Back in the day I used to browse and contribute to Experts-Exchange (http://www.experts-exchange.com) That was before they turned their service into an ad laden pay to use service. What's even worse is that I can't remove the past posts I made on their as a sign of my dissatisfaction with their move to charge people to access information. You already know my stance on freedom of information, so it should make perfect sense that I don't like their practice. The one thing I can do about it, though, is tell you how to access the content of the site without having to pay for an account. Just consider it my way of liberating information for the masses.

The first thing you want to do is make sure that you have the Mozilla Firefox web browser installed on your computer. You can head over to http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ and download it. I highly recommend this browser over Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and you can just search around Google for comparisons between the two to see why. Once that is installed, go to your Tools Menu, select Options, then click on the Privacy icon. Click on the Show Cookies radio button and scroll through the list looking for 'experts-exchange'. If you don't see it in the list, GOOD, if you do, click on it and then click on Remove Cookie. Now click close. Once you are back to the Options window, look right above the Show Cookies button you clicked, it should say Exceptions. Click on it, and in the text box type 'experts-exchange' (without the quotes) and click Block. Then close the window and click Ok to close the Options menu.

All of the configuration is done. Now, anytime you want to see something from experts-exchange, just head over to the site (or click on a Google search link if you searched through Google) and search for what you want on the site. If you scroll toward the bottom, all of the normally garbles posts that they use to hide the content will be plainly visible. You will still see the garbled posts toward the top, but the unscrambled information will be toward the bottom. This is how you liberate information.

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Liberate Information - My New Call for Freedom of Information

One of the core beliefs of the open-source community is that information should be free. There are different types of free such as freedom free and no cost free. Although I would all information to be cost free, sometimes that is not entirely possible for various reasons. On the other hand, ALL information should be free as in freedom. There should be NO barriers to accessing information for anyone. Every human being on the face of the earth has a right to every piece of information that exists.

It really burns me when companies and governments try to hide information or charge people to access that information. While some information may be considered private or sensitive, the fact of the matter is that someone is just trying to gain an advantage over someone else who knows less. That's wrong no matter how you look at it. One of my quests is to put as much information as possible up on my blog and let people access it for free. I wish I had the resources of Google to get even more information out there for free. Perhaps one day I will be able to do something along that scale. The dissemination of information is what will eventually break all social and cultural barriers in the world today. The days of class discrimination and abuse of wealth and power will eventually die as people become more informed and educated. I will be happy to see the day that the average person wields as much power in society as the so called blue-bloods do today. It's not a matter of if that will happen, it's when. Luckily, the internet is hurling society towards that status very quickly. What are your feelings on freedom of information?

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The death of e-mail and the future of web apps

One topic that has been discussed many times over the last few years is the death of email. While once a vital communication tool for every user of technology, email has morphed into the unwanted draconian mess that it is today. Much like the analog land-line telephone, email has a date with destiny, where it is to be relegated to the proverbial bit bucket. I can't say that I am at all sad.

Although email has proven to be a semi-reliable ubiquitous avenue of communication, ills such as spam have caused email to be regarded with ire by much of the tech community. Without pulling up exact figures, about 80% of all email that traverses the internet today is spam. My barracuda filter seems to corroborate this figure. Most people keep a semi-secret email address for personal communications with friends and family, one for work, and a public address that's used as a catch-all for possible spam sources. This makes using email that much more difficult for everyone. In a perfect world, a person would be able to have a single email address from which to communicate with everyone, without worrying about spam, security or space constraints. Good luck with that!

Instant messaging has been quiet a favorite communication platform of the ultra geeky. It has now propagated down to just about every level of technology user. Text messaging on mobile phones has also risen in popularity. With the ability to take pictures and send them to anyone you want, the mobile phone (or communication device in general) has taken over the traditional PC and email client for on the go people. Most new mobile phones have built in capabilities for instant messaging, text message, email, taking pictures, recording video, watching video, listening to music and a plethora of other things. Is it a wonder that people are leaving the PC computing platform for something so small and convenient that it can fit in their shirt pocket?

The major draw back at this point is input. Text input on phones is still kludgey at best and impossibly difficult at worst. For short bursts of text, one word responses, etc., the mobile phone cannot be beat. For a deep insightful piece of prose or long letter to a friend, a keyboard and PC cannot be beat. My prediction is that as input methods become more robust and functional, the traditional PC will drop in importance. As processing power increases and the overall size of components decrease, you will see more and more technology folded into mobile phones and other mobile devices.

It is not too far fetched to imagine a phone that can project a keyboard onto a flat surface for you to type and project and image of a screen onto a nearby wall to use as your monitor. Better yet, imaging connecting your mobile phone to your sun glasses and seeing the screen as if it were 108 inches across.

Bill Gates swears that the future of computing includes voice recognition and voice input capabilities. If this prediction comes to fruition, there is no limit to where our communication platforms can go. Either way you look at it, email seems to be dead in the minds of today's young consumers, and like it or not, they will drive the market of tomorrow.

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