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For more Leo and friends all week long, listen to the
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Sunday October 25, 2009
Show Audio
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Edited Audio | |
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Posted one week after broadcast… | |
Tech News
Windows 7 is out
Check out Paul Thurrot’s WinSuperSite for a great breakdown on what’s new in Windows and how you can install it near painlessly. Another great site for Windows 7 is Lifehacker.
Some improvements: Windows Explorer Libraries, a “Superfolder” with folders included no matter where they are on the OS; faster; leaner; better security; more reliable. Leo says this is essentially Windows Vista, Improved.
You can buy an upgrade version, but the best way to install Windows is to back up your data, wipe your hard drive and do a clean install. How can you do a clean install with the upgrade version? Leo suggests checking out WinSuperSite.Com (link above) for a step by step tutorial - which includes a registry hack.
The best way, however, to move on to Windows 7 is to upgrade your computer and buy one with Windows 7 already installed.
Motorola’s Droid Smartphone … the iPhone Killer?
Built for Verizon, Droid promises to do all the things that the iPhone won’t do. Based on the Android OS, Droid could give the iPhone the competition it sorely needs to continue to innovate. Competition is good for that. And based on the commercials we’re seeing on the Droid, it’s clear to Leo, at least, that the Verizon/iPhone deal is dead.
Apple’s Magic Mouse … it’s wierd!
Leo hasn’t tried the new Apple Magic Mouse yet, but his reaction is … oh come on. Apple has never made a good mouse and a mouse with no buttons that relies on similar touch technology is rather gimmicky. Leo’s advice, buy a cheap PC mouse. You’ll get a left and right button, a scroll wheel. There’s nothing really “magic” about a mouse. But Leo will still try it out so you don’t have to!
Hour 1
Q Bob, Walnut Creek, CA - monitor upgrades
Bob is moving from a CRT to an LCD monitor. What’s the difference in response times vs. size? Leo says that anything under 10 milliseconds is great for gaming, TV watching, etc. Leo says get the bigger screen and fear not.
The big difference is in backlighting - the current move is to LED backlighting for smoother color and contrast. The other advantage is color gamut (or accuracy). LED backlit LCD monitors will give you more accurate color.
Q John, Diamond Bar, CA - Security Essentials
John has removed McAfee and installed Microsoft Security Essentials. But he says that the McAfee processes are still being run. Leo says “Google” McAfee Removal Tool and run it. It’ll clean out everything left behind.
Q Jill, Ashville, NC - iPod and her new car
Jill has a new car and wants to play her iPod in it. Leo says the best way is to use a cassette adapter if you have a player. It’s cheaper, more reliable, and much easier than trying to find a free radio frequency. If you live in a major metropolitan city … forget it. But if you want a transmitter option, then Leo likes the Griffin iTrip.
One trick to improve your chance for reception is to lower your radio antenna, or change your car radio to an international radio (that’s a crazy hack). But the idea is to reduce reception sensitivity to broadcast radio so your iPod transmitter has a better chance to pick it up.
What about getting an iPhone? Leo says if you need a new phone and want an iPod, and iPhone is a great idea. But with Verizon’s new Droid coming out, it may be worth waiting a week until we see how it has what it takes to go up against the iPhone.
Q Tim, Rancho Cucamonga, CA - Router recommendation
Tim and his wife love to play Streetfighter on the XBox 360. His question is that would going to 802.11N would be beneficial. Leo says you certainly would. You’d want to disable the router in your modem and wire the N into it. Recommendations? Leo likes the Linksys and Belkin. Dlink’s has the Gamer Lounge router which prioritizes gaming packets over anything else.
Tim has a cool gaming business called NORRIS ARCADE STICKS. Check it out.
Q Victor, Covina, CA - Computer freezes with YouTube
Victor’s computer freezes when he plays a YouTube video. Leo says that Flash is a pig and uses up a ton of resources. Make sure you’ve upgraded to the lastest version. Flash may be hanging, but it’s usually a driver issue that causes it. Update your video drivers. Another culprit is heat. Make sure your computer is nice and clean. This will keep your computer it’s coolest and help with it’s performance.
Hour 2
Q Mark, Tustin, CA - upgrade or clean install?
Mark wants to know if it’s a good idea to run the upgrade or do a clean install? Leo always recommends a clean install. Backup your data and do the Custom Install. This will eliminate all the “leftovers.” But you’ll have to reinstall all your applications.
Microsoft has a migration utility that can move over all your applications from XP to Windows 7. First, run the Windows 7 Advisor.
From the Chatroom - Ninite. Niniute is an application which will enable you to check the applications you want to install and Ninite will move them over.
Q Michael, Lake Forest, CA - AutoCad Transfer
Michael is getting a new laptop and is concerned that his AutoCad program and settings. Export the profile to get the .ARG files and then install them with your new version of Autocad.
Q John, Madison, OH - Vista forgets
John is having trouble with Vista forgetting his profile. Leo suspects that there’s a corruption in John’s user profile. Best bet is to create a new profile. A corrupt registry can cause this issue. You can spend tons of time trying to troubleshoot, but if all else fails, back up your data and reinstall. And if you’re doing that, you may as well upgrade to Windows 7.
Q Ruth, Walnut Creek, CA - Can’t update her blog
Ruth is having trouble updating her blog at Blogger. Her Dashboard won’t give her the option to post a new entry. Leo suggests to update the latest version or your browser. Also, Security software like Norton or McAfee can interfere. But Leo suspect it’s a javascript error being caused by a bad rendering of the page. Leo also suspects that the site has been hacked. Go into your GMail acc’t and change the password. Leo also suggests looking into WordPress.com for better blogging software. VOX is another option, but it carries a lot of ads. Leo’s personal favorite is Squarespace.
Q Cecil, Bluff City, TN - NAS storage
Cecil just bought a Stora network attached storage by Netgear, but he’s rather disappointed by how slow it is. Leo recommends using RAID 5 or RAID X for better speed, but the bottom line is that the Stora is a low end NAS for the consumer.
Hour 3
Q Barbara, Foster City, CA - Bluetooth adapter options
Barbara got a new car with Bluetooth built right in. She doesn’t have that function in her other car, what can Leo recommend? Leo says that many makers of car stereos have Bluetooth options. Leo is a fan of Alpine. But it may not be cheap once you install it. Price being anywhere between $250–1,000.
A budget way to go and still keep your stock radio setup is by using a Bluetooth adapter. Leo likes the BlueAnt Supertooth. It’s completely independent, which means you have to manually turn it down. Not integrated, but it works pretty well.
There’s a transmitter option
Q Susanne, San Diego, CA - BSoD trouble
Susanne is getting the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. Can’t do safe mode either. Vista won’t really do BSoD unless something serious has happened like the hard drive has crapped out. Leo says what you can do is place your Windows install disc in and begin to install Windows again. Wait until the installation utlity sees you have Windows and offers to repair it. Do the Repair option. If that doesn’t work, then you may have to format and reinstall.
Q Veronica, Aptus, CA - Netbook recommendation
Veronica is a teacher and wants to replace some of her classroom computers with Netbooks. Will the Windows 7 Starter edition work okay? Leo says that they will work fine. In fact, what bothers adults about netbooks is the keyboard and monitor size. But for a kid, they are ideal. Some recommended models include the Samsung NC20, it has a larger screen and keyboard. The Asus eeePC Seashell, the Dell or HP Mini is excellent.
Security wise? Leo agrees that Microsoft Windows Security Essentials works great and will work in concert with your school security setup. In fact, your school filters may work good enough. You’ll want to get a good wireless router like the Linksys WRT54G, which will handle the classroom traffic. Leo also recommends turning on WPA2 encryption. Make it something easy for the kids to remember. And the first time the kids use it, they will never have to use it again.
What about an external DVD drive? You only need one, really, for you and for any time you need to install software on each netbook.
Q Holland, San Diego, CA - Sync utility recommendation
Holland wants to sync two computers to have the same data. Leo recommends Microsoft Sync Toy. AlwaySync is another free option. Centered Systems has one called Second Copy. The Chatroom recommends SyncBack. Leo says that sync is a great way to perform back ups. But you want an off site backup option and you want to be sure you don’t sync “deletions,” otherwise if you delete it on the main drive, it’ll delete it off the backup.
Q Rada, Malibu, CA - Mac download issues with Satellite
Rada has a MacBook and is having trouble downloading from iTunes. The Mac store has narrowed it down to her provider or router. Her provider is a satellite provider and as such, the uploads are really slow. Leo says that the latency of the upload causes it to slow down and the packets are getting corrupted. And if there’s an obstruction like a bush or tree growing, or even a rainy day, you end up with connectivity issues.
You can improve the speed and reliability of your satellite connection by decreasing your “receive window.” RWIN is the utility that does that. You’ll need to do a registry hack for this. Google RWIN settings and you’ll find step by step instructions on how to do it. A program called Doctor TCP will also help to adjust your settings. The chatroom also says to enable “selective acknowledgements.” That could help as well.
Armand wants to know about Oovo. Although a Skype fan, Leo really likes Ooovo because it allows users to video conference multiple video chats. It works great, but if you don’t pay for it, over time it’ll slow down some. But it’s definitely worth looking into.
Q Dan, Carlsbad, CA - Smartphones
Dan is transitioning from a Katano to an Instinct HD with Sprint. Leo says he wasn’t much of a fan of the Instinct because it was pretty slow. Dan says the Instinct HD is faster, but he had trouble getting online. Turned out to be a defective handset. What are the improvements? Leo thinks that the HD is probably faster and reliability has improved. Probably enough to take a second look. Here’s hoping so for Sprint’s sake, the Palm Pre has been somewhat of a disappointment.
Have a great geek week!
