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Saturday October 24, 2009
Show Audio
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Edited Audio | |
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Posted one week after broadcast… | |
Tech News
Windows 7 has arrived
Most agree that Windows 7 is the best Windows OS ever. Now that it’s out, you can decide for yourself. Apple updated their iMacs two days before Win 7 came out and released three new commercials saying that as long as you upgrade, why not make “the Switch?”
Leo says that the easiest way to upgrade is to just get a new computer with Windows 7 on it. But Leo says a clean install is the next best way. That way there’s no hangs, no trouble. You probably need to clean out the hard drive anyway. So backup your data, get your application discs, collect your drivers or update them, then wipe the drive clean and and reinstall.
One of the questions finally answered, was if it’s impossible to use the upgrade discs to do a clean install. You can, but it takes a bunch of steps including a registry hack. Check out Paul Thurrot’s notes here.
If your confident, and know what you’re doing, give it a go.
Leo even had a house party for Windows, and had a blast helping to launch it with his 9 Windows 7 napkins and balloons!
New Mobile Broadcasting standard reached
Broadcasters have created a version of NTSC for portable devices. Leo thinks this is fairly humorous and too little, too late. What, do they think that computer makers will create TV circuitry on their motherboards? Have they not heard of the Internet? Leo says that their business model is going the way of the “Raphus cucullatus” and they should just get with the times.
Motorola’s Droid for Verizon
Motorola has developed the “Droid” smartphone which will run Android and be exclusive to Verizon. Could the Droid be the iPhone killer?
Guests
Scott Wilkinson, Ultimate AV Magazine
Scott is wondering about Windows 7 Media Center functionality. Leo says that all versions come with Media Center built in. But Scott is a Mac guy. Leo says he built a Mac home theater, but it took quite a lot to get it up and running. Windows has the edge for home theater PC applications.
Scott has launched another blog called Ultimate Tech. On UT, Scott is going to report on the bleeding edge of Audio/Visual technology. Scott says his first spot was for MXP4 by a French company called Musinaut, a new compression format for recording. You can record different versions of the song, or even different parts of the song and every time you play a recorded song, it will sound a tad different, like a live performance. Very cool.
Leo thinks it’s another gimmick. How do you play it back? Scott says it only plays off a computer either from your desktop player or streaming from the website. Scott also says that while cool, it may meet a lot of resistance. Interesting, yes. Successful? Only time will tell.
Scott also profiles a new “tweeter” speaker that produces very high speakers, known as “pistonic,” and is known as the LET. Rather than move like a piston, it uses “mechanical amplification” like the cracking of a whip, causing a waveform. This new technology is supposed to be more efficient, provide more volume for less power, and there’s research which suggests that the advantage is that it provides better emotional impact on the listener, simulating the same reaction to listening to a live experience.
Hour 1
Q Carly, Louisiana - New Asus machine
Carly got an Asus G72GX from her loving Husband and is curious how good it is. Leo says that Asus is a very good company. As the inventor of the netbook, Asus has set a pretty high bar.
Leo says that while Asus isn’t a bad choice, since Carly is into gaming, the Asus may be a tad underpowered for the video card. Leo says that it’ll probably be okay for most games. But if you’re doing some serious graphic gaming, it may need more bang.
Q Jeremy, Foothill Ranch, CA - Equalizing TV Audio
Jeremy’s grandfather is having trouble separating the audio while watching TV. Suggestions? Leo says he’s heard of the issue and says it’s a processing issue of the TV. But you may be able to help by equalizing the audio. There isn’t a device that does it automatically that Leo knows of, but Leo says a budget equalizer from Radio Shack and do the job. Maybe even better speakers would help. Then, play with the settings - improving the mid range and trimming down the bass and high ends, until your grandfather can hear the dialogue.
Q John, San Jose, CA - Alternatives to using Skype
John and his family have been playing with Skype to get together online. But the more you people you conference in, the less you can use the video chat option. Leo recommends iChat on the MAC. It can run multiple video chats. On the PC side, that’s free for up to 3 people is OOVOO.
Hour 2
Q Sarah, Woodland Hills, CA - Computer recommendation
Sarah has narrowed down her new computer purchase to a few models with different processors. Thoughts? Leo says it depends on what you’re going to do with it. If a gamer, and Sarah isn’t really, then a more powerful video graphics card is needed. But just surfing the net, answering emails, etc. Even a basic Netbook can do that job. So it comes down to what you’re really going to use it for.
An I7 laptop may be overkill since Sarah is going to be using it for managing her photos as the most high end thing she’ll do. RAM is going to be more vital than the processor, and the battery life of an I7 laptop will be awful.
In the end, spending all that money for what Leo thinks is overkill is just a waste.
Sarah also wants to know about backing up the new computer in Carbonite and moving her old data from the old computer to the new one. Leo says double check with Carbonite about it, but you’ll make sure the old computer is fully backed up, deactivate the software on the old computer, reinstall in the new computer and then restore the data. But don’t get rid of the old PC until you’re sure the new one is up and running.
Q Tom, Porter Ranch, CA - Hard drive trouble
Tom picked up an Iomega external hard drive for his iMac G5 and his MacBook. He’s got it connected to his Belkin router but it keeps asking for an administrator name and password in order to mount. Leo says to check the Iomega documentation. It may be that it does come with a password as network attached storage options don’t like open access setups.
Q JoLynn, Lafayette, TN - Turning off Windows update
Jolynn has a friend that says a virus has been hitting and suggested to turn off the automatic Windows updates. Leo says that is the WORST thing to do. You can’t get a virus from Windows Update. And the automatic update is critical to prevent viruses. Windows Update is your friend.
There’s a nasty bug popping up lately which is even worse than AntiVirus 2009. This one, called Total Security 2009, completely disables your computer until you pay someone to release it. Never EVER respond to a popup that says you’ve been infected. That’s the hook.
To keep from getting bit, follow:
1. Don’t open email attachments; even if it’s from someone you know. If you do get something from someone you know, make sure that they really sent it to you. Email attachments are the number one way viruses and trojan horses get into your email. You might also want to turn off HTML email in Outlook and other programs. HTML emails are just as dangerous as rogue web sites, and can spread infections just by previewing them.
2. Don’t click links in email. That link could lead you to a phishing site, or the link may lead you to install malicious software. Copy and paste links into your browser, or type them in by hand instead. Another reason to disable HTML email - the HTML hides the real destination of that seemingly innocuous link.
3. Don’t download files from places you aren’t absolutely sure are safe. Stick with the well known sites. Teeneagers who use filesharing software like BitTorrent, Azureus, Kazaa, Morpheus, Grokster, and Limewire, often unwittingly download spyware and trojans. If you must, quarantine all downloads then scan them a few days later with an updated anti-virus.
4. Update your OS regularly! Turn on automatic updates in OS X and Windows. Apply all critical updates immediately. Criminals often create hacks within 24 hours of Microsoft’s patches (these are called zero day exploits), so you need to protect yourself the day the patches appear.
5. Use a firewall. The best firewall is a hardware router - the kind you use to share an internet connection. Even if they’re not billed as firewalls, they are, and they’re quite effective. I also recommend turning on your operating system’s firewall - even if you have a router - but I don’t recommend third-party software firewalls. They cause more problems than they solve.
6. Never run as an administrator in any operating system. Administrators have way too many priveleges that malicious people/code can take advantage of. Run as a limited user as much as possible. Windows Vista, Linux, and Mac OSX allow you to run a majority of features, but with some additional safety, as a limited user.
Leo also recommends downloading Microsoft Security Essentials. It’s free and is probably the go to security platform now.
Q Michael, North Hollywood, CA - Getting shows off DVR
Michael’s DVR is from the Cable company. How can get those shows off his DVR? Leo says that Hollywood has made it very difficult to get shows off those DVRs these days. They’ve got those DVRs locked down to prevent users from extracting the digital video file because they are convinced that everyone is a potential pirate. Really the only way to get stuff off the DVR is with the analog hole. Instead of connecting the DVR to your TV, you connect it to a recorder first via the analog outputs, then into a video capture device like the Canopus AVDC 110. That will take the analog output and convert it so firewire digital for your computer. Then you can edit and burn to DVD.
TIVO has TIVO TO GO which allows you to back up the video file and put it on a mobile device like the iPod Touch.
Michael has also been using Goog411 (800-GOOG411). Leo says that Google has created this information service - which connects you directly to the number you’re looking for - because they are developing a new voice recognition technology. It’s very cool and won’t cost your cell phone bill $1.50 for a phone number!
Q Bart, Vancouver, BC, CAN - His Windows 7 party
Bart had a Windows 7 party and Windows wouldn’t install! Couldn’t find a CD driver and not even Microsoft could help! Leo says that a good idea before you buy or even install is to run the Windows Upgrade Advisor Utility. Leo also has a hunch that the disc Bart got was defective. Contact Microsoft again and let them know they sent you a bad disc.
Hour 3
Q Jody, Long Beach, CA - Picture sharing options
Jody shares a lot of pictures of her kids. What site does Leo recommend? Leo says that Flickr is really good for online community, but Leo’s really started to enjoy Google’s PicasaWeb. It runs with Picasa, has facial recognition features, and it automatically uploads photos and has privacy and security. Best part, it’s free for the first few gigs.
Q Andy, Redondo Beach, CA - Syncing computers
Andy is TWIT.TV fan. He just bought a new HP laptop and is waiting for it to arrive. How does he sync the new laptop to the desktop? He wants them to be identical. Leo assumes that he wants the data on both machines and the desktop is the same. SyncToy does work, but both computers have to be connected. Online solutions include http://www.getdropbox.com/DropBox. DropBox will enable you to upload your data onto the Cloud and then it’ll automatically sync that data to any computer you log on with. Google Sync is a great option for syncing your address book and calendar.
SecondCopy is a pay option that Leo’s used. Alway Sync is another our Chatroom likes. PogoPlug enables a shared hard drive that both computers can sync over the Internet.
Check out Andy’s son Drew, he’s a racer and has his own site at drewprice.com
Q Dan, Chesapeake, VA - Upgrading Windows 7
Dan has bought the Windows 7 upgrade disc and has read up on Paul Therrot’s steps to install (see the link at the top of this page). Has Leo tried the new method? Leo says he hasn’t, but he trusts that Paul’s method works.
Dan wants to know if his RAID will be automatically wiped out when he does the install? Leo says he has to turn off the RAID in the BIOS and that will immediately make the RAID unreadable to the OS as it install. Leo also says you’ll want to update all the drivers, although Windows will install with default drivers and many of them will actually work just as well. Leo also says install Windows Security Essentials and run Windows Update.
Brian had to get a new HPG60 PC due to the death of his old one. He wants to know if his “free upgrade” to Windows 7 will be easy or a pain. Leo says it’ll be a stock upgrade disc. Leo always recommends doing a clean install. Select “Custom install,” wipe the drive and start over. Your PC may have created an OEM version, so you may have a custom OEM upgrade of Windows 7.
Q Lee, Dallas, TX - Upgrading to Windows 7 on old laptop
Lee wants to know if it’s worth it to upgrade his 6 year old laptop with Windows 7. Leo says it’s not really worth spending the money upgrading the OS on a computer that old. Wait until you can afford to buy a new computer and you’ll get Windows 7 then. Meanwhile, XP works just fine. There’s nothing wrong with it, and Microsoft is still supporting it.
Q Kirk, Camarillo, CA - MSN Email problems
Kirk can log onto MSNLive, but his email page can’t be displayed. He’s also been blocked on certain websites that have his email address. He’s using Internet Explorer 7 and Vista. Leo says that upgrading to IE8 will help. It could be that Kirk just can’t log onto secure sites. Some security software packages can affect access. Try disabling the security software and see if you can get in. If so, then you know who the culprit is.
Q Shelley, Northridge, CA - Vista Update trouble
Shelley’s HP laptop ran Windows update and shut down. Now it won’t work. HP now wants $250 to repair it. Leo says that laptops do die sooner, and it may be that during the update, the hard drive crashed. If the battery is dead, remove the battery while plugging the laptop into your AC adapter. If it runs, then you know the battery is dead and you need to replace it. Shelley’s son has the same laptop and the screen went dead. Could that be it? Sure, it’s possible. But only HP can fix it. Plug the laptop into a monitor and if you can see it, then you know the screen is dead (thanks UncleBic2 in the chatroom!).
See you tomorrow!
