The Tech Guy Labs - Leo Laporte, "The Tech Guy" on the Premiere Radio Networks

April 13, 2006, at 10:36 AM by Ambimom - Protecting a new laptop

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Another VPN is IPIG, a free service available from IOPUS.

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He’s looking for a business backup solution where they do it for you. Any suggestions? (See the comments for some suggestions.)

to:

He’s looking for a business backup solution where they do it for you. Any suggestions? (See the comments for some suggestions.)

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Sounds like the power supply burned up. Fortunately it’s an easy fix. don’t open the power supply — just remove it and replace it with a new one from PC Power & Cooling.

to:

Sounds like the power supply burned up. Fortunately it’s an easy fix. don’t open the power supply — just remove it and replace it with a new one from PC Power & Cooling.

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lifesazoo adds - For Christine in Ventura - multiple users - this is one possibility that might be what’s happening

to:

lifesazoo adds - For Christine in Ventura - multiple users - this is one possibility that might be what’s happening

April 09, 2006, at 10:58 AM by Leo Laporte -

April 09, 2006, at 10:42 AM by Leo Laporte -

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Show Archives
(available one week after show)
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Hour 1 Chat
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Hour 1 Audio
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Show Archives
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Show 230 Audio
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Hour 1 Chat
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March 30, 2006, at 04:16 AM by TastesLikeLead -

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13:09 by kiscokid ?.

Leo: One of your mods, Dan, made an insulting remark about Rush Limbaugh and then he banned me from the chat because he couldn’t defend his statement. I don’t think this is fair.

13:20 by Mr NRA-South Bend Indiana ?.

I get Rush Limbaugh podcast that I pay for. I think Leo should ban Dan the mod.

to:

13:15 by Kyle ?.

The guy with the old original iMacs can put up to 384MB RAM in them. To get all the specs go to http://www.everymac.com. I believe that you can put up to Mac OS 10.3 Panther on those iMacs because they only require a 233Mhz G3 and a Mac with a USB Port

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13:15 by Kyle ?.

The guy with the old original iMacs can put up to 384MB RAM in them. To get all the specs go to http://www.everymac.com. I believe that you can put up to Mac OS 10.3 Panther on those iMacs because they only require a 233Mhz G3 and a Mac with a USB Port

to:

13:19 by George in West Virginia ?.

Good suggestion on using www.lowendmac.com- the ifixit link will help on the “do-it-yourself” upgrades he needs. You can pick up some really excellent G3 iMacs on places like ebay, macofalltrades.com, or powermax.com for just a couple hundred bucks and upgrade them to be solid teaching tools. Try to get one of the faster ones- 500–600mhz, load OSX, put in some more ram and they are surprising in what they can do.

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13:19 by George in West Virginia ?.

Good suggestion on using www.lowendmac.com- the ifixit link will help on the “do-it-yourself” upgrades he needs. You can pick up some really excellent G3 iMacs on places like ebay, macofalltrades.com, or powermax.com for just a couple hundred bucks and upgrade them to be solid teaching tools. Try to get one of the faster ones- 500–600mhz, load OSX, put in some more ram and they are surprising in what they can do.

to:

14:17 by rnauth1418 ?.

Hey leo, Crypto has to be decoded in order for it to be of anyuse. Which means that the end user of a crypto message has to have some way to unscamble the crypto. Doesn’t this mean that the crypto has somehow been decoded in some way other that through the factoring of prime numbers??

 was a little confused on that technicality

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14:17 by rnauth1418 ?.

Hey leo, Crypto has to be decoded in order for it to be of anyuse. Which means that the end user of a crypto message has to have some way to unscamble the crypto. Doesn’t this mean that the crypto has somehow been decoded in some way other that through the factoring of prime numbers??

 was a little confused on that technicality

March 30, 2006, at 12:53 AM by TastesLikeLead -

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11:37 by nobody ?.

macworld story on new intel mac mini chart shows poor video performance for intel mini

to:

11:37 by nobody ?.

macworld story on new intel mac mini

March 30, 2006, at 12:41 AM by TastesLikeLead - remove troll

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15:50 by Honesty in Radio ?.

If you’re Sick and Tired of Leo Laporte’s constant Microsoft and Windows Bashing and Pimping Apple,and his WiKi Nazi’s Editing YOUR Comments, then please write KFI’s Program Director and also KFI’s owner Clear Channel broadcasting, www.clearchannel.com, 200 E. Basse, San Antonio, TX 78209 - 210–822–2828.

Tom Owens is Senior VP, Programming Clear Channel Radio

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(:commentboxchrono:)

March 26, 2006, at 09:17 PM by mikemikehambycom -

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21:17 by .

MikeHamby.com appreciates your honest opinion of any hardware or software you have tried. Leo has tested and provided support for so many different hardware and software products over the years that he has a well earned right to express some “love” for the items in which he has found merit. Say I try a new ipod, download some things from itunes, see how secure a new Apple computer is with the processing power of an intel duo core processor, I might just want to tell a friend or two about it. I just bought two new dual core processor computers, and I have been very happy with the speed that I can get things done. My ipod has great sound quality with some better Shure earplug headsets. Why bash any product if it works?

Thanks for the program. We are all being honest, Sometimes honesty hurts.

March 26, 2006, at 03:50 PM by Honesty in Radio -

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26 March 2006

15:50 by Honesty in Radio ?.

If you’re Sick and Tired of Leo Laporte’s constant Microsoft and Windows Bashing and Pimping Apple,and his WiKi Nazi’s Editing YOUR Comments, then please write KFI’s Program Director and also KFI’s owner Clear Channel broadcasting, www.clearchannel.com, 200 E. Basse, San Antonio, TX 78209 - 210–822–2828.

Tom Owens is Senior VP, Programming Clear Channel Radio

March 23, 2006, at 11:31 PM by TastesLikeLead -

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23 March 2006

16:14 by Inquiring Minds ?.

Apple GOOD News! AAPL 60.11 −1.56…

… used to be $86 per share JUST 60 days ago! And HERE’s WHY:

And the saga of crap Apple hardware and sofware continues (but you won’t hear this from the Apple PAID OFF Media, like Leo)!

Thursday, March 23 2006 @ 08:25 AM PST
- MacBook Pro Special Report follow-up #2: Cannot connect to LEAP networks

Several users note an issue where the MacBook Pro is unable to connect to LEAP authenticated wireless networks used by several universities and other organizations.

- Battery loose? Over the past few days we’ve been covering an issue where the MacBook Pro suddenly shuts off when disconnected from external power, apparently not receiving power from a charged battery.

- Security Update 2006–002 1.1 (#4): General fixes

General fixes If you are experiencing overall system slowness, or interface oddities after applying Security Update 2006–002 1.1, try the following procedures: (THROW THE PIECE OF CRAP IN THE GARBAGE!)

- MacBook Pro Special Report follow-up: More abnormal noises from some units

More abnormal noises from some units In addition to the various, occasionally disrupting noises covered in this section of our MacBook Pro special report, users are now reporting a new sound affectionately referred to as the “cow-fan-noise.”

The new noise seems to be associated with a fan located under the right side of the MacBook Pro’s keyboard. Most users say the noise sounds like a fan is trying to startup then fails several times in a row. Some users have described the noise as akin to the “mooing of a distant cow.”

MacIntel: “Think Just Another ME TOO Chinese Clone PC”, still FOUR Times as expensive and made in Commie China for Pennies an hour sweat-shop labor.

HEY Apple Kool Aid Drinkers!! Mooooooo!

March 23, 2006, at 04:14 PM by Inquiring Minds -

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23 March 2006

16:14 by Inquiring Minds ?.

Apple GOOD News! AAPL 60.11 −1.56…

… used to be $86 per share JUST 60 days ago! And HERE’s WHY:

And the saga of crap Apple hardware and sofware continues (but you won’t hear this from the Apple PAID OFF Media, like Leo)!

Thursday, March 23 2006 @ 08:25 AM PST
- MacBook Pro Special Report follow-up #2: Cannot connect to LEAP networks

Several users note an issue where the MacBook Pro is unable to connect to LEAP authenticated wireless networks used by several universities and other organizations.

- Battery loose? Over the past few days we’ve been covering an issue where the MacBook Pro suddenly shuts off when disconnected from external power, apparently not receiving power from a charged battery.

- Security Update 2006–002 1.1 (#4): General fixes

General fixes If you are experiencing overall system slowness, or interface oddities after applying Security Update 2006–002 1.1, try the following procedures: (THROW THE PIECE OF CRAP IN THE GARBAGE!)

- MacBook Pro Special Report follow-up: More abnormal noises from some units

More abnormal noises from some units In addition to the various, occasionally disrupting noises covered in this section of our MacBook Pro special report, users are now reporting a new sound affectionately referred to as the “cow-fan-noise.”

The new noise seems to be associated with a fan located under the right side of the MacBook Pro’s keyboard. Most users say the noise sounds like a fan is trying to startup then fails several times in a row. Some users have described the noise as akin to the “mooing of a distant cow.”

MacIntel: “Think Just Another ME TOO Chinese Clone PC”, still FOUR Times as expensive and made in Commie China for Pennies an hour sweat-shop labor.

HEY Apple Kool Aid Drinkers!! Mooooooo!

March 16, 2006, at 09:03 PM by TastesLikeLead - remove offtopics

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16 March 2006

13:15 by anonymous.

More on whining noises As we continue to note on irritating high-pitched whining noises being emitted by the MacBook Pro, it now appears there are three specific noises — though the causes for each may still be varied.

Backlight inverter board noise that can be lessened by adjusting screen brightness or adjusting the ambient light sensor in some cases.
The fan spinning — a normal noise that is to be expected with any portable.
CPU noise when the system is at idle — can usually be solved by initiating processor activity or activating the iSight via the Mirror widget other means.
As reported yesterday, in most cases, the problem has to do with power draw. When a certain amount of power is being drawn, the problem manifests. This explains why some users experience alleviation of the noise when toggling display brightness or turning off one processor using Apple’s CHUD tools (which are included among the Developer Tools that ship with the MacBook Pro).

For several potential fixes for this issue, see this report, and other items in the “Previous coverage” section below.

Wireless connectivity issues We continue to report on flaky wireless connections when using third-party routers with the MacBook Pro. There are a few separate issues here, which all appear to be related:

Inability to obtain an IP address from a third-party router
Inability to recognize a third-party router at all
Frequent disconnects from third-party routers

March 16, 2006, at 01:15 PM by 63.167.165.2 -

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16 March 2006

13:15 by anonymous.

More on whining noises As we continue to note on irritating high-pitched whining noises being emitted by the MacBook Pro, it now appears there are three specific noises — though the causes for each may still be varied.

Backlight inverter board noise that can be lessened by adjusting screen brightness or adjusting the ambient light sensor in some cases.
The fan spinning — a normal noise that is to be expected with any portable.
CPU noise when the system is at idle — can usually be solved by initiating processor activity or activating the iSight via the Mirror widget other means.
As reported yesterday, in most cases, the problem has to do with power draw. When a certain amount of power is being drawn, the problem manifests. This explains why some users experience alleviation of the noise when toggling display brightness or turning off one processor using Apple’s CHUD tools (which are included among the Developer Tools that ship with the MacBook Pro).

For several potential fixes for this issue, see this report, and other items in the “Previous coverage” section below.

Wireless connectivity issues We continue to report on flaky wireless connections when using third-party routers with the MacBook Pro. There are a few separate issues here, which all appear to be related:

Inability to obtain an IP address from a third-party router
Inability to recognize a third-party router at all
Frequent disconnects from third-party routers

March 15, 2006, at 04:06 PM by Leo Laporte -

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He does the Leoville Town Square podcast and wants to use Skype conferencing to record calls. There are software recorders like HotRecorder for Windows and Audio Hijack Pro for the Mac that can record both sides of the call on your computer. I use an outboard mixer and it works very well. I connect a studio quality mic (the Heil PR-40) to a Mackie Onyx 1620 mixer (any mixer with an AUX bus will work). I feed the mic via AUX 1 back to the Skype computer using the Griffin iMic to convert the line level into USB in. That input feeds my voice into Skype. Then I take the output of the computer (which is the Sype call minus my voice) and patch that into the mixer, also via the iMic. The main mix (my voice + Skype) goes to a recorder. (In my case I use the Firewire I/O option on the Mackie to feed separate mic and Skype channels to a Shuttle PC running Adobe Audition 2.0).

to:

He does the Leoville Town Square podcast and wants to use Skype conferencing to record calls. There are software recorders like HotRecorder for Windows and Audio Hijack Pro for the Mac that can record both sides of the call on your computer. I use an outboard mixer and it works very well. I connect a studio quality mic (the Heil PR-40) to a Mackie Onyx 1620 mixer (any mixer with an AUX bus will work). I feed the mic via AUX 1 back to the Skype computer using the Griffin iMic to convert the line level into USB in. That input feeds my voice into Skype. Then I take the output of the computer (which is the Sype call minus my voice) and patch that into the mixer, also via the iMic. The main mix (my voice + Skype) goes to a recorder. (In my case I use the Firewire I/O option on the Mackie to feed separate mic and Skype channels to a Shuttle PC running Adobe Audition 2.0).

March 15, 2006, at 04:04 PM by Leo Laporte -

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He does the Leoville Town Square podcast and wants to use Skype conferencing to record calls. There are software recorders like HotRecorder for Windows and Audio Hijack Pro for the Mac that can record both sides of the call on your computer. I use an outboard mixer and it works very well. I connect a studio quality mic (the Heil PR-40) to a Mackie Onyx 1620 mixer (any mixer with an AUX bus will work). I feed the mic via AUX 1 back to the Skype computer using the Griffin iMic to convert the line level into USB in. That input feeds my voice into Skype. Then I take the output of the computer (which is the Sype call minus my voice) and patch that into the mixer, also via the iMic. The main mix (my voice + Skype) goes to a recorder. (In my case I use the Firewire I/O option on the Mackie to feed separate mic and Skype channels to a Shuttle PC running Adobe Audition 2.0).

to:

He does the Leoville Town Square podcast and wants to use Skype conferencing to record calls. There are software recorders like HotRecorder for Windows and Audio Hijack Pro for the Mac that can record both sides of the call on your computer. I use an outboard mixer and it works very well. I connect a studio quality mic (the Heil PR-40) to a Mackie Onyx 1620 mixer (any mixer with an AUX bus will work). I feed the mic via AUX 1 back to the Skype computer using the Griffin iMic to convert the line level into USB in. That input feeds my voice into Skype. Then I take the output of the computer (which is the Sype call minus my voice) and patch that into the mixer, also via the iMic. The main mix (my voice + Skype) goes to a recorder. (In my case I use the Firewire I/O option on the Mackie to feed separate mic and Skype channels to a Shuttle PC running Adobe Audition 2.0).

March 15, 2006, at 02:46 PM by Old PC Dude -

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15 March 2006

14:46 by Old PC Dude ?.

Brett in Huntington Beach:

It sounds like your hard drive. They can fail as a short - which causes the power supply to shut off and protect the system. I had one fail and it caused the same symptoms that you are describing. Disconnect the hard disk and see what happens. If that doesn’t fix it, I would suspect the power supply. Good Luck.

March 14, 2006, at 07:41 AM by Willy Cyote -

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14 March 2006

07:41 by Willy Cyote ?.

This is what Cyberlink sent Me in an E-Mail

Archive files, folders and application data
Include/exclude files with advanced filtering
Restore data using independent restorer utility
Save archiving time with Stream-to-Disc technology
Back up onto Blu-ray discs

 Use your optical disc like a super large floppy disc

Be ready for writing to new Blu-ray and HD DVD formatted discs
Cut, copy and delete files
Rename files and change file property information
Extensive rewritable burner support

 Burn your data onto double-layer and Blu-ray discs

Author slideshows onto DVDs with Dolby Digital audio support
Extract audio tracks from video files & create Audio CDs from MP3s
Drag-and-drop files on express icons for fast burning

March 13, 2006, at 11:56 PM by TastesLikeLead - remove trolls

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cable¨router¨iPhantom¨router¨switch

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cable?¨router?¨iPhantom?¨router?¨switch

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22:07 by Truth sets you free ?.

Mackie Onyx with Firewire I/O: $1200

Heil PR 40: $300
Griffin iMic: $40
Adobe Auditon: $300

Total $ Leo Paid for any of it out of his pocket? Zero, either he used the “Donations” the fools listening to his EgoCasts listen too, or he’s gotten those companies to send them free for “commercial consideration” (product pimping on the radio … just like it was here!)

23:31 by MacSpinOlogy ?.

Security Update 2006–002 (#2): Menu bar items missing; Safari won’t launch! Oh Yeah! That’s YOUR reliable OS X Leo!
Monday, March 13 2006 @ 06:45 PM PST

Menu bar items missing Several users report missing menu bar items — including the clock, battery indicator on portables, Spotlight icon, and Fast User Switching module — after applying Security Update 2006–002.

In some cases, this issue is due to the presence of a Front Row installation on an unsupported Mac.

March 13, 2006, at 11:31 PM by MacSpinOlogy -

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23:31 by MacSpinOlogy ?.

Security Update 2006–002 (#2): Menu bar items missing; Safari won’t launch! Oh Yeah! That’s YOUR reliable OS X Leo!
Monday, March 13 2006 @ 06:45 PM PST

Menu bar items missing Several users report missing menu bar items — including the clock, battery indicator on portables, Spotlight icon, and Fast User Switching module — after applying Security Update 2006–002.

In some cases, this issue is due to the presence of a Front Row installation on an unsupported Mac.

March 13, 2006, at 10:07 PM by Truth sets you free -

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22:07 by Truth sets you free ?.

Mackie Onyx with Firewire I/O: $1200

Heil PR 40: $300
Griffin iMic: $40
Adobe Auditon: $300

Total $ Leo Paid for any of it out of his pocket? Zero, either he used the “Donations” the fools listening to his EgoCasts listen too, or he’s gotten those companies to send them free for “commercial consideration” (product pimping on the radio … just like it was here!)

March 13, 2006, at 05:52 PM by Al the Tec from Lansing -

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17:52 by Al the Tec from Lansing ?.

To Mr. Bull (rxn to 2(?) messages up),

Please read more, react less (or at least with more discerning criticisms), I covered all your arguments and more with the original statement in which I stated exactly what Avant was, its state of security compared to Firefox and who should or should not try it as well as when and where. In fact, I’ll critique myself much better—I should have more knowledge about the Firefox extensions to judge functionality truly fairly. And “piggyback;” well, that’s probably a colloquialism of some increasingly remote understanding. I’ll say “skin” next time but I won’t say disable since I come from a long line of togglers—give me something I can do on the fly without having to change cars or get out and lock the hubs and I have a much more satisfactory experience. (and I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with driving a slower, safer car—I recommend that to newer users or people satisfied with the upholstery all the time)

March 13, 2006, at 02:59 PM by 198.147.225.54 -

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 The only reason to use IE is ActiveX; if you are going to disable that,
 get a browser that doesn’t have

to:

 The only reason to use IE is ActiveX;
 if you are going to disable that, get a browser that doesn’t have

March 13, 2006, at 02:58 PM by 198.147.225.54 -

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 get a browser that doesn’t have the other security holes of the IE engine.

to:

 get a browser that doesn’t have
 the other security holes of the IE engine.

March 13, 2006, at 02:55 PM by 198.147.225.54 -

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13:51 by Justin Sandy ?.

Leo email me @ justmatt9283@gmail.com aNac G3 and Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger

to:

14:17 by rnauth1418 ?.

Hey leo, Crypto has to be decoded in order for it to be of anyuse. Which means that the end user of a crypto message has to have some way to unscamble the crypto. Doesn’t this mean that the crypto has somehow been decoded in some way other that through the factoring of prime numbers??

 was a little confused on that technicality

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13:53 by anonymous.

Found asterisks on dig. What is dig URL?

to:

14:19 by a convert ?.

Yo

Inquiring minds. I really don’t get your hatred of macs. I have used PCs all my life and I just got an 17in Intel Imac. It is so great. I admit most of the features I like are mostly just puff like Front Row, the GUI etc but at the same time I have done projects like building a website for my wedding, and editing home movies which is just easier on a mac. I know you can do all of these things on a PC but if you want to create something that works, and can be done with a short leaving curve, an Imac is a great way to go.

     Inquiring Mind = Troll
     The same person who’s always posting junk on this board
     As a rule of thumb, please do not feed the Trolls

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13:56 by kiscokid ?.

Leo: email me at kiscokid@yahoo.com

to:

15:34 by JorgeST ?.

Caller asking for remote controlled backup:

Large amounts od date are difficult to backup over the internet. The best solution to your problem is BetterBytes (http://www.betterbytes.com/) where you have the hardware on-site but they do it for you and controlled the scheduling etc. etc.

It works very well for us (Eagle Aerospace) and I know of at least one other large software company, and another aerospace company who uses them.
They are somehow local to you somewhere in Irvine
Regards

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13 March 2006

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14:14 by .

digg.com

to:

05:32 by Al the Tec from Lansing ?.

For Steve in Havertown.

Sometimes the BIOS setting for switching over to a graphics card vs. onboard doesn’t really work. I’ve had exactly the same problem many times. My solution that has yet to fail is to actually open up the case and jumper (reset) the CMOS. I’ll even pop the battery and cross-short it to make sure everything is gone and then put stuff back and boot with the video cable attached to the video card and viola! Proceed from there to install your video drivers. You may have to go back into your BIOS to reset some of the things that the memory wipe defaults to but other than that its straightforward. Compaq and HP are the two biggest offenders as far as not sensing properly and switching over to the new card that I’ve had experience with.

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14:17 by rnauth1418 ?.

Hey leo, Crypto has to be decoded in order for it to be of anyuse. Which means that the end user of a crypto message has to have some way to unscamble the crypto. Doesn’t this mean that the crypto has somehow been decoded in some way other that through the factoring of prime numbers??

 was a little confused on that technicality

to:

06:03 by Al the Tec from Lansing ?.

Browsers.

Firefox is indeed the safest browser going I think and the features “straight out of the box” are ok, a couple of them very nice. I don’t know about the extensions available but it sounds like work to me.
For those of you who aren’t entirely satisfied with Firefox at some point of form or function, definitely stay away from IE6, but Avant Browser can be used as safely I think as Firefox IF once you’ve installed it you go under Tools and toggle off Active X and scripts for normal use and then simply toggle them on when you need them.
I’ll be very interested in Firefox 2.0 but so far it hasn’t quite measured up to the flexibility and “out of the box” features of Avant; which is to be expected I think since Avant piggybacks on IE6.
P.S. If you do check it out, you’ll also probably want to go into Avant Browser options and change the default search engine to Google—the one thing Avant gets totally WRONG!

 BULL.  The Avant Browser is just another skin for Internet Explorer.
 Because it uses the IE engine, it is just as insecure as IE.
 The only reason to use IE is ActiveX; if you are going to disable that,
 get a browser that doesn’t have the other security holes of the IE engine.

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14:19 by a convert ?.

Yo

Inquiring minds. I really don’t get your hatred of macs. I have used PCs all my life and I just got an 17in Intel Imac. It is so great. I admit most of the features I like are mostly just puff like Front Row, the GUI etc but at the same time I have done projects like building a website for my wedding, and editing home movies which is just easier on a mac. I know you can do all of these things on a PC but if you want to create something that works, and can be done with a short leaving curve, an Imac is a great way to go.

     Inquiring Mind = Troll
     The same person who’s always posting junk on this board
     As a rule of thumb, please do not feed the Trolls

to:

06:24 by Al the Tec from Lansing ?.

Nuru in Mission Viejo - setting up a home network

Howard
dell
office VPN XP
cable¨router¨iPhantom¨router¨switch

Leo! This call and responses sounded as whacky as a Coast to Coast show does at 3:32 A.M. on a Friday the 13th during a full moon! That’s the first time I’ve said that in over two years about the KFI show. Home network right? All hardwired right? I can’t make it work in my head no matter which way I go except if I bring in PARANOIA and/or DUPLICITY! I hope there’s something I’m missing besides the “jumping to collusions” obvious. I understand the concept perfectly, its the necessity I need to have explained. I have this buzz in my head filled with angry/concerned yap yap about why I’m not setting someone up with a similar configuration.
I hope you elucidate on this one or I’ll be constipated for the rest of my life!!

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15:34 by JorgeST ?.

Caller asking for remote controlled backup:

Large amounts od date are difficult to backup over the internet. The best solution to your problem is BetterBytes (http://www.betterbytes.com/) where you have the hardware on-site but they do it for you and controlled the scheduling etc. etc.

It works very well for us (Eagle Aerospace) and I know of at least one other large software company, and another aerospace company who uses them.
They are somehow local to you somewhere in Irvine
Regards

13 March 2006

05:32 by Al the Tec from Lansing ?.

For Steve in Havertown.

Sometimes the BIOS setting for switching over to a graphics card vs. onboard doesn’t really work. I’ve had exactly the same problem many times. My solution that has yet to fail is to actually open up the case and jumper (reset) the CMOS. I’ll even pop the battery and cross-short it to make sure everything is gone and then put stuff back and boot with the video cable attached to the video card and viola! Proceed from there to install your video drivers. You may have to go back into your BIOS to reset some of the things that the memory wipe defaults to but other than that its straightforward. Compaq and HP are the two biggest offenders as far as not sensing properly and switching over to the new card that I’ve had experience with.

06:03 by Al the Tec from Lansing ?.

Browsers.

Firefox is indeed the safest browser going I think and the features “straight out of the box” are ok, a couple of them very nice. I don’t know about the extensions available but it sounds like work to me.
For those of you who aren’t entirely satisfied with Firefox at some point of form or function, definitely stay away from IE6, but Avant Browser can be used as safely I think as Firefox IF once you’ve installed it you go under Tools and toggle off Active X and scripts for normal use and then simply toggle them on when you need them.
I’ll be very interested in Firefox 2.0 but so far it hasn’t quite measured up to the flexibility and “out of the box” features of Avant; which is to be expected I think since Avant piggybacks on IE6.
P.S. If you do check it out, you’ll also probably want to go into Avant Browser options and change the default search engine to Google—the one thing Avant gets totally WRONG!

 BULL.  The Avant Browser is just another skin for Internet Explorer.
 Because it uses the IE engine, it is just as insecure as IE.
 The only reason to use IE is ActiveX; if you are going to disable that,
 get a browser that doesn’t have the other security holes of the IE engine.

06:24 by Al the Tec from Lansing ?.

Nuru in Mission Viejo - setting up a home network

Howard
dell
office VPN XP
cable¨router¨iPhantom¨router¨switch

Leo! This call and responses sounded as whacky as a Coast to Coast show does at 3:32 A.M. on a Friday the 13th during a full moon! That’s the first time I’ve said that in over two years about the KFI show. Home network right? All hardwired right? I can’t make it work in my head no matter which way I go except if I bring in PARANOIA and/or DUPLICITY! I hope there’s something I’m missing besides the “jumping to collusions” obvious. I understand the concept perfectly, its the necessity I need to have explained. I have this buzz in my head filled with angry/concerned yap yap about why I’m not setting someone up with a similar configuration.
I hope you elucidate on this one or I’ll be constipated for the rest of my life!!

March 13, 2006, at 02:53 PM by 198.147.225.54 -

Changed line 265 from:

12:40 by pcnoeske ?.

Leo, Were you person behind Dev on “The Site” with Solidad?

to:

13:08 by anonymous.

Ken In Redlands should know that the trackpad on Toshiba Laptops can be turned off by pressing Function+F9

Deleted lines 268-271:

13:08 by anonymous.

Ken In Redlands should know that the trackpad on Toshiba Laptops can be turned off by pressing Function+F9

March 13, 2006, at 02:49 PM by 198.147.225.54 -

Added lines 338-342:

 BULL.  The Avant Browser is just another skin for Internet Explorer.
 Because it uses the IE engine, it is just as insecure as IE.
 The only reason to use IE is ActiveX; if you are going to disable that,
 get a browser that doesn’t have the other security holes of the IE engine.

March 13, 2006, at 10:05 AM by Leo -

Added lines 68-80:

Total costs:

Hotrecorder $15

or

Mackie Onyx with Firewire I/O: $1200
Heil PR 40: $300
Griffin iMic: $40
Adobe Auditon: $300

Total $1840, PCs not included. But it sure does sound good. On the other end Steve Gibson, for example, uses an Maudio USB interface with a Heil PR-40 mic. Both Steve and I have excellent upstream bandwith - our average latency is 30ms or less. The resulting connection is 90% of studio quality most of the time. A similar setup with ISDN would cost well over $15,000 not including the ISDN line charges.

March 13, 2006, at 09:59 AM by Leo -

Added lines 66-67:

March 13, 2006, at 09:13 AM by Leo -

Changed lines 35-37 from:

 Cable modem → Router → Office computers connecting to VPN
                   |→ iPhantom → home computer

to:

Make sure that your router supports VPN passthrough and it’s enabled.

March 13, 2006, at 09:00 AM by Leo -

Changed lines 36-38 from:

                                                 > iPhantom → home computer

to:

                   |→ iPhantom → home computer

March 13, 2006, at 08:59 AM by Leo -

Changed lines 36-37 from:

                       → iPhantom → home computer

to:

                                                 > iPhantom → home computer

Changed lines 64-65 from:

He does the Leoville Town Square podcast and wants to use Skype conferencing to record calls. There are software recorders like for Windows and Audio Hijack Pro for the Mac that can record both sides of the call on your computer. I use an outboard mixer and it works very well. I connect a studio quality mic (the Heil PR-40) to a Mackie Onyx 1620 mixer (any mixer with an AUX bus will work). I feed the mic via AUX 1 back to the Skype computer using the Griffin iMic to convert the line level into USB in. That input feeds my voice into Skype. Then I take the output of the computer (which is the Sype call minus my voice) and patch that into the mixer, also via the iMic. The main mix (my voice + Skype) goes to a recorder. (In my case I use the Firewire I/O option on the Mackie to feed separate mic and Skype channels to a Shuttle PC running Adobe Audition 2.0).

to:

He does the Leoville Town Square podcast and wants to use Skype conferencing to record calls. There are software recorders like HotRecorder for Windows and Audio Hijack Pro for the Mac that can record both sides of the call on your computer. I use an outboard mixer and it works very well. I connect a studio quality mic (the Heil PR-40) to a Mackie Onyx 1620 mixer (any mixer with an AUX bus will work). I feed the mic via AUX 1 back to the Skype computer using the Griffin iMic to convert the line level into USB in. That input feeds my voice into Skype. Then I take the output of the computer (which is the Sype call minus my voice) and patch that into the mixer, also via the iMic. The main mix (my voice + Skype) goes to a recorder. (In my case I use the Firewire I/O option on the Mackie to feed separate mic and Skype channels to a Shuttle PC running Adobe Audition 2.0).

March 13, 2006, at 08:57 AM by Leo -

Changed lines 63-64 from:

He does the Leoville Town Square podcast and wants to use Skype conferencing to record calls. There are software recorders like for Windows and for the Mac that can record both sides of the call on your computer. I use an outboard mixer and it works very well. I connect a studio quality mic (the ) to a Mackie mixer (any mixer with an AUX bus will work). I feed the mic via AUX 1 back to the Skype computer using the Griffin iMic to convert the line level into USB in. That input feeds my voice into Skype. Then I take the output of the computer (which is the Sype call minus my voice) and patch that into the mixer, also via the iMic. The main mix (my voice + Skype) goes to a recorder. (In my case I use the Firewire I/O option on the Mackie to feed separate mic and Skype channels to a Shuttle PC running Adobe Audition 2.0).

to:

He does the Leoville Town Square podcast and wants to use Skype conferencing to record calls. There are software recorders like for Windows and Audio Hijack Pro for the Mac that can record both sides of the call on your computer. I use an outboard mixer and it works very well. I connect a studio quality mic (the Heil PR-40) to a Mackie Onyx 1620 mixer (any mixer with an AUX bus will work). I feed the mic via AUX 1 back to the Skype computer using the Griffin iMic to convert the line level into USB in. That input feeds my voice into Skype. Then I take the output of the computer (which is the Sype call minus my voice) and patch that into the mixer, also via the iMic. The main mix (my voice + Skype) goes to a recorder. (In my case I use the Firewire I/O option on the Mackie to feed separate mic and Skype channels to a Shuttle PC running Adobe Audition 2.0).

Changed lines 127-130 from:

QPhil in Burbank - bandwidth bills

to:

Not much to say here. Try it in another computer to see if it’s the card or a compatibility issue.

QPhil in Burbank - podcast bandwidth bills

Podcasts and internet media in general aren’t like terrestrial broadcasts, like this show. If 1,000 or 1,000,000 people listen to this show on the air it doesn’t cost KFI any more money. But every listener to the stream, or a podcast, costs money. So success can really bite you in the Internet world.

Bandwidth providers generally consider two data points: total number of bytes transferred, and the peak amount of data demand. Sometimes they only charge for one or the other. For example, this site is served by The Planet. For $250/month I get a dedicated server on a 100Mbps pipe and 2TB of data per month. If more than 2 terabytes is downloaded in a month I pay more money. Fortunately AOL and DSLExtreme serve my podcasts for free. If they didn’t I’d be paying a lot. We push well over one terabyte a day in audio content. The Planet offers me 100Mbps of data transfer at any given time - if the data demand exceeds that, too bad, some people won’t get served. My site will appear to be very slow or non-working entirely.

On the other hand some providers don’t watch the number of bytes transferred but only charge you for the peak demand. The problem with that is that most podcast clients try to download files all at the same time, so demand can be very great. We recently brought down Libsyn with our Internet TV show . 10,000 people tried to download a 335MB file within an hour or so. That means there was over 10Gbps demand - no one could serve that much data without a very sophisticated distributed server system. Companies like Limelight and Cachefly specialize in this kind of peak demand situation, but it’s gonna cost ya.

March 13, 2006, at 08:43 AM by Leo -

Changed lines 19-22 from:

Get a good anti-virus. I recommend Eset’s NOD32.

www.HotspotVPN.com

to:

Get a good anti-virus. I recommend Eset’s NOD32, no longer a sponsor of this show but still my favorite anti-virus. You should also download the free Microsoft Defender anti-spyware. (Read my articles in the Tips section on protecting your PC from viruses and spyware for more information.)

If you turn on WPA encryption on your home wireless access point you’ll be secure at home, but on the road I recommend setting up a VPN. If your office doesn’t provide one you can subscribe to www.HotspotVPN.com for $8.88/month. I use them and they work very well.

Changed lines 25-26 from:

He’s looking for a business backup solution where they do it for you. Any suggestions?

to:

He’s looking for a business backup solution where they do it for you. Any suggestions? (See the comments for some suggestions.)

Changed lines 33-38 from:

Howard

dell
office VPN XP
cable→router→iPhantom→router→switch

to:

She’s got an unusual situation. Two computers access the office’s VPN so they’re safe, but she wants to use the iPhantom security device to protect a third that doesn’t use the VPN. Problem is, the iPhantom is not recommended for use with a VPN. To set this up she needs to set it up like so:

 Cable modem → Router → Office computers connecting to VPN
                       → iPhantom → home computer

She bought a second router to put between the iPhantom and the home computer, but that’s not necessary for now. She’ll only need that if she wants to put multiple systems behind the iPhantom. The iPhantom acts as a firewall.

Changed lines 48-51 from:

dl.tv
revision3.com
twit.tv

to:

Former TechTV hosts who now have their own Internet based productions include:

Patrick Norton, Robert Heron, and John C. Dvorak: www.dl.tv
Kevin Rose, Alex Albrecht, Martin Sargent, David Prager: www.revision3.com
All of us: www.twit.tv

Changed lines 56-57 from:

But here’s what’s weird: she’s the only computer user in her house.

to:

But here’s what’s weird: she’s the only computer user in her house. When she starts up her computer it immediately complains that there are other people logged in. Unless I’m misunderstanding the situation, it sounds troublesome. I’d run some of the free online anti-virus scanners to make sure she’s not infested by hackers. If she’s been rootkitted she may never know. Try to check for hidden beasties. This may take an expert to fix.

Changed lines 63-64 from:

He does the Leoville Town Square podcast http://www.ltspodcast.com.

to:

He does the Leoville Town Square podcast and wants to use Skype conferencing to record calls. There are software recorders like for Windows and for the Mac that can record both sides of the call on your computer. I use an outboard mixer and it works very well. I connect a studio quality mic (the ) to a Mackie mixer (any mixer with an AUX bus will work). I feed the mic via AUX 1 back to the Skype computer using the Griffin iMic to convert the line level into USB in. That input feeds my voice into Skype. Then I take the output of the computer (which is the Sype call minus my voice) and patch that into the mixer, also via the iMic. The main mix (my voice + Skype) goes to a recorder. (In my case I use the Firewire I/O option on the Mackie to feed separate mic and Skype channels to a Shuttle PC running Adobe Audition 2.0).

Changed lines 73-74 from:

Her mouse stopped working, too. I’d try a USB mouse to see if it’s the drivers or the trackpad.

to:

Her mouse stopped working, too. I’d try a USB mouse to see if it’s the drivers or the trackpad. As a listener notes below, Toshiba laptops (and others most likely) will disable the Trackpad if you press F9 - make sure you haven’t accidentally turned the Trackpad off.

Changed lines 83-84 from:

Try these suggestions from Microsoft.

to:

Try these suggestions from Microsoft. And see the comments below for more information.

Changed lines 99-100 from:

His son plays flash games on a site. He wants to block the site, but some of the games are ok. Try bookmarking just those sites.

to:

His son plays flash games on a site. He wants to block the site, but some of the games are ok. There’s no way to allow parts of pages through blockers like the iBoss. The entire domain is blocked (or not). You might be able to download the Flash and play the games locally.

March 13, 2006, at 06:24 AM by Al the Tec from Lansing -

Added lines 313-323:

06:24 by Al the Tec from Lansing ?.

Nuru in Mission Viejo - setting up a home network

Howard
dell
office VPN XP
cable¨router¨iPhantom¨router¨switch

Leo! This call and responses sounded as whacky as a Coast to Coast show does at 3:32 A.M. on a Friday the 13th during a full moon! That’s the first time I’ve said that in over two years about the KFI show. Home network right? All hardwired right? I can’t make it work in my head no matter which way I go except if I bring in PARANOIA and/or DUPLICITY! I hope there’s something I’m missing besides the “jumping to collusions” obvious. I understand the concept perfectly, its the necessity I need to have explained. I have this buzz in my head filled with angry/concerned yap yap about why I’m not setting someone up with a similar configuration.
I hope you elucidate on this one or I’ll be constipated for the rest of my life!!

March 13, 2006, at 06:03 AM by Al the Tec from Lansing -

Added lines 305-312:

06:03 by Al the Tec from Lansing ?.

Browsers.

Firefox is indeed the safest browser going I think and the features “straight out of the box” are ok, a couple of them very nice. I don’t know about the extensions available but it sounds like work to me.
For those of you who aren’t entirely satisfied with Firefox at some point of form or function, definitely stay away from IE6, but Avant Browser can be used as safely I think as Firefox IF once you’ve installed it you go under Tools and toggle off Active X and scripts for normal use and then simply toggle them on when you need them.
I’ll be very interested in Firefox 2.0 but so far it hasn’t quite measured up to the flexibility and “out of the box” features of Avant; which is to be expected I think since Avant piggybacks on IE6.
P.S. If you do check it out, you’ll also probably want to go into Avant Browser options and change the default search engine to Google—the one thing Avant gets totally WRONG!

March 13, 2006, at 05:32 AM by Al the Tec from Lansing -

Added lines 298-304:

13 March 2006

05:32 by Al the Tec from Lansing ?.

For Steve in Havertown.

Sometimes the BIOS setting for switching over to a graphics card vs. onboard doesn’t really work. I’ve had exactly the same problem many times. My solution that has yet to fail is to actually open up the case and jumper (reset) the CMOS. I’ll even pop the battery and cross-short it to make sure everything is gone and then put stuff back and boot with the video cable attached to the video card and viola! Proceed from there to install your video drivers. You may have to go back into your BIOS to reset some of the things that the memory wipe defaults to but other than that its straightforward. Compaq and HP are the two biggest offenders as far as not sensing properly and switching over to the new card that I’ve had experience with.

March 13, 2006, at 12:53 AM by 198.147.225.141 -

Deleted line 81:

Deleted line 97:

Changed lines 116-117 from:

His website: www. weiss-solutions.com

to:

His website: http://www.weiss-solutions.com

Deleted line 271:

Deleted line 291:

Deleted line 294:

Deleted line 295:

Changed line 298 from:

(:commentboxchrono:)

to:

(:commentboxchrono:)

March 12, 2006, at 11:45 PM by TastesLikeLead -

Added lines 287-290:

     Inquiring Mind = Troll
     The same person who’s always posting junk on this board
     As a rule of thumb, please do not feed the Trolls

March 12, 2006, at 11:42 PM by TastesLikeLead - remove troll

Deleted lines 299-382:

21:14 by Freedom of True MacInformation Act ?.

This Weeks “What’s Wrong With Macs” (Since Leo HIDES the REAL News)- Read Fast, the Wiki Nazi with Censor quickly

MacBook Pro - More on whining noises; Problems sharing Internet connection; and more PROBLEMS!

We continue to report on a distinct and irritating high-pitched noise being emitted by the MacBook Pro.

In some cases, whining sounds of this nature are related to the tied to screen brightness and caused by defective inverter boards. This was a common problem with the PowerBook G3 “Lombard” models, and the sound could sometimes be affected (or eliminated totally) by gently flexing the inverter board.

Turn on iSight Several readers have reported that turning on the MacBook Pro’s built-in iSight eliminates the whining noise.

One reader writes:

“Hi, i have the same problem. When i turn on the webcam the noise disappears, but when the webcam turn off, the noise starts again.”

One easy way to turn the iSight on quickly is to use the Mirror widget, simply activating Dashboard whenever the noise becomes apparent. In fact, some users have reported that turning on the iSight temporarily then turning it off results in a lasting elimination of the noise (until the next restart).

Plug in power adapter Some users have reported that the noise goes away when the MacBook Pro is connected to an external power adapter.

Adjusting screen brightness In one variation of the problem, the sound can be eliminated by turning screen brightness to the maximum level, though in-house we found that doing so resulted in emission of a different, yet equally annoying high-pitched noise.

Wait a few days In-house our MacBook Pro suffers from a version of the whining problem is solved by turning display brightness down to zero. Other readers indicate that after a few days of normal operation, the sound goes away. It may just be a side effect of the system being “broken in.”

Try tilting the display back and forth a few times Several readers have reported that tilting the display back and forth, or gently squeezing on the screen casing’s lower left corner eliminates the noise.

Problems sharing the Internet connection Some users report problems sharing the MacBook Pro’s internet connection via AirPort.

 ANOTHER reader writes:

“When I share my internet connection on my new MacBook from the ethernet connection to AirPort, other computers lose the connection after 5–10 minutes (they remain connected to the computer, but cannot access the internet). To allow them to connect again, I have to turn off wireless and sharing; then I turn them back on it works again for 5–10 minutes.”

Note that if you have turned on the firewall on the Firewall pane of Sharing preferences, you also need to turn on Personal Web Sharing on the Services pane of Sharing preferences in order to share your Internet connection and allow computers connected to your Internet connection to browse the web.

Previous MacBook Pro PROBLEM coverage:

    * MacBook Pro (#11): Audio distortion; whining noises; screen flickering; more
    * MacBook Pro (#10): High-pitched whine being emitted, possible fixes; More seemingly defective units
    * MacBook Pro (#9): More units arrive DOA; More on sound quality
    * MacBook Pro (#8): iSight not functioning properly; Screen artifacts; Sound quality/speaker issues; more
    * MacBook Pro (#7): Notes from service manual; Poor sound quality; more
    * MacBook Pro (#5): Notes from service manual; Poor sound quality; more
    * MacBook Pro #4: FireWire 800 cards for ExpressCard/34 slot on the way
    * MacBook Pro #3: Ship date; Lack of third-party adapters; Adding a FireWire 800 port; ExpressCard issues
    * MacBook Pro (#2): SuperDrive apparently not dual-layer; S-Video out gone; No internal modem

Friday, March 10 2006 @ 09:45 AM PST
Intel Mac mini (#4): Use matching RAM modules for best graphics performance

As previously reported, the Mac mini uses the integrated Intel GMA950 graphics processor. This means that the Intel Mac mini shares RAM between the system and the graphics processor, potentially representing a step down in graphics performance (and potentially overall system performance) from the PowerPC-based Mac minis.

The GMA950 requires 80MB of system memory at a base level, leaving 432MB available to the system on a stock configuration. Since 512 MB of RAM has traditionally been the “sweet spot” for Mac OS X — where performance is noticeably better than with any amount less — this could pose overall system speed issues.

Apple has as now posted a Knowledge Base article indicating that best graphics performance from the Mac mini can be achived by using matched RAM pairs.

The company says:

“For best graphics performance, your Mac mini (Early 2006) ships from Apple with two equal-sized SO-DIMMs installed, one in each slot, for each memory configuration offered from the Apple Store. If you upgrade the memory in your Mac mini (Early 2006), make sure you have matching size SO-DIMMs in each slot for best graphics performance.”

Previous coverage:

    * Intel Mac mini (#3): Installing RAM, Resetting the SMC, more
    * Intel Mac mini (#2): Relatively poor performance from Intel GMA950 chipset
    * Apple introduces Mac mini with Intel Core Solo and Core Duo processors; integrated graphics

Wednesday, March 01 2006 @ 10:10 AM PST
Intel Mac mini (#2): Relatively poor performance from Intel GMA950 chipset

Yesterday’s introduction of the Intel-based Mac mini also marked the first time Apple has chosen to use an integrated graphics chipset in a modern Mac.

As discussed in our report yesterday, the Mac mini uses the integrated Intel GMA950 graphics processor. This means that the Intel Mac mini shares RAM between the system and the graphics processor, potentially representing a step down in graphics performance (and potentially overall system performance) from the PowerPC-based Mac minis.

Apple also indicates the GMA950 requires 80MB of system memory at a base level, leaving 432MB available to the system on a stock configuration. Since 512 MB of RAM has traditionally been the “sweet spot” for Mac OS X — where performance is noticeably better than with any amount less — this could pose overall system speed issues.

ExtremeTech has a review of the Intel GMA950 from mid-2005, comparing it to the XFX GeForce 6800TC, and reporting poor performance from the former:

“To put it mildly, it’s no contest. To put it more bluntly, it’s a complete and total rout for the GMA950, with the possible exception of the CPU-intensive Flight Simulator 2004. Even then, what you get is playable frame rates, but the GeForce 6800TC still crushes the GMA950. The verdict is even worse when you realize the GMA950 wouldn’t even run Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory or Painkiller, even though the specs of the GPU suggests they should. Intel has acknowledged a driver bug with regards to Chaos Theory. But if this is any indication of the potential compatibility issues users may encounter, running games on the new core is a dubious prospect

“We can state flatly that if you buy a system using Intel’s GMA950 integrated graphics and want to play 3D games, invest at least $60 in an add-on card. If what you want is simply a system that can run standard office software, plus maybe play some DVD movies, then Intel’s new graphics core is probably suitable.”

Unfortunately, switching out the graphics card for a third-party, dedicated video device does NOT appear to be an option for the Mac mini.

MacIntel: “Think Just Another Me TOO Chinese PC”, made for pennies an hour sweatshop labor, sold to stupid Apple Kool Aid Drinkers for the Mac Premium!

March 12, 2006, at 09:14 PM by Freedom of True MacInformation Act -

Added lines 300-383:

21:14 by Freedom of True MacInformation Act ?.

This Weeks “What’s Wrong With Macs” (Since Leo HIDES the REAL News)- Read Fast, the Wiki Nazi with Censor quickly

MacBook Pro - More on whining noises; Problems sharing Internet connection; and more PROBLEMS!

We continue to report on a distinct and irritating high-pitched noise being emitted by the MacBook Pro.

In some cases, whining sounds of this nature are related to the tied to screen brightness and caused by defective inverter boards. This was a common problem with the PowerBook G3 “Lombard” models, and the sound could sometimes be affected (or eliminated totally) by gently flexing the inverter board.

Turn on iSight Several readers have reported that turning on the MacBook Pro’s built-in iSight eliminates the whining noise.

One reader writes:

“Hi, i have the same problem. When i turn on the webcam the noise disappears, but when the webcam turn off, the noise starts again.”

One easy way to turn the iSight on quickly is to use the Mirror widget, simply activating Dashboard whenever the noise becomes apparent. In fact, some users have reported that turning on the iSight temporarily then turning it off results in a lasting elimination of the noise (until the next restart).

Plug in power adapter Some users have reported that the noise goes away when the MacBook Pro is connected to an external power adapter.

Adjusting screen brightness In one variation of the problem, the sound can be eliminated by turning screen brightness to the maximum level, though in-house we found that doing so resulted in emission of a different, yet equally annoying high-pitched noise.

Wait a few days In-house our MacBook Pro suffers from a version of the whining problem is solved by turning display brightness down to zero. Other readers indicate that after a few days of normal operation, the sound goes away. It may just be a side effect of the system being “broken in.”

Try tilting the display back and forth a few times Several readers have reported that tilting the display back and forth, or gently squeezing on the screen casing’s lower left corner eliminates the noise.

Problems sharing the Internet connection Some users report problems sharing the MacBook Pro’s internet connection via AirPort.

 ANOTHER reader writes:

“When I share my internet connection on my new MacBook from the ethernet connection to AirPort, other computers lose the connection after 5–10 minutes (they remain connected to the computer, but cannot access the internet). To allow them to connect again, I have to turn off wireless and sharing; then I turn them back on it works again for 5–10 minutes.”

Note that if you have turned on the firewall on the Firewall pane of Sharing preferences, you also need to turn on Personal Web Sharing on the Services pane of Sharing preferences in order to share your Internet connection and allow computers connected to your Internet connection to browse the web.

Previous MacBook Pro PROBLEM coverage:

    * MacBook Pro (#11): Audio distortion; whining noises; screen flickering; more
    * MacBook Pro (#10): High-pitched whine being emitted, possible fixes; More seemingly defective units
    * MacBook Pro (#9): More units arrive DOA; More on sound quality
    * MacBook Pro (#8): iSight not functioning properly; Screen artifacts; Sound quality/speaker issues; more
    * MacBook Pro (#7): Notes from service manual; Poor sound quality; more
    * MacBook Pro (#5): Notes from service manual; Poor sound quality; more
    * MacBook Pro #4: FireWire 800 cards for ExpressCard/34 slot on the way
    * MacBook Pro #3: Ship date; Lack of third-party adapters; Adding a FireWire 800 port; ExpressCard issues
    * MacBook Pro (#2): SuperDrive apparently not dual-layer; S-Video out gone; No internal modem

Friday, March 10 2006 @ 09:45 AM PST
Intel Mac mini (#4): Use matching RAM modules for best graphics performance

As previously reported, the Mac mini uses the integrated Intel GMA950 graphics processor. This means that the Intel Mac mini shares RAM between the system and the graphics processor, potentially representing a step down in graphics performance (and potentially overall system performance) from the PowerPC-based Mac minis.

The GMA950 requires 80MB of system memory at a base level, leaving 432MB available to the system on a stock configuration. Since 512 MB of RAM has traditionally been the “sweet spot” for Mac OS X — where performance is noticeably better than with any amount less — this could pose overall system speed issues.

Apple has as now posted a Knowledge Base article indicating that best graphics performance from the Mac mini can be achived by using matched RAM pairs.

The company says:

“For best graphics performance, your Mac mini (Early 2006) ships from Apple with two equal-sized SO-DIMMs installed, one in each slot, for each memory configuration offered from the Apple Store. If you upgrade the memory in your Mac mini (Early 2006), make sure you have matching size SO-DIMMs in each slot for best graphics performance.”

Previous coverage:

    * Intel Mac mini (#3): Installing RAM, Resetting the SMC, more
    * Intel Mac mini (#2): Relatively poor performance from Intel GMA950 chipset
    * Apple introduces Mac mini with Intel Core Solo and Core Duo processors; integrated graphics