Windows 7 Forums - Blogs http://windows7forums.com/blogs/ The best in Microsoft Windows 7 discussion, tips, support, and help. en Sun, 19 May 2013 12:19:18 GMT vBulletin 1440 http://dna.windows7forums.com/images/misc/rss.jpg Windows 7 Forums - Blogs http://windows7forums.com/blogs/ Youtubing... http://windows7forums.com/blogs/highwayman/615-youtubing.html Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:30:17 GMT Well, I've been a little busy of late... trying to update my Youtube videos mainly... trying to get all my games up with footage... and takes a while.. eventually I'll start doing voice over reviews or features... for now just refining capture and editing skills... of which I lack...:redface:

You can find out what is floating about on my channel

HighwayUK's channel - YouTube ]]> Highwayman http://windows7forums.com/blogs/highwayman/615-youtubing.html SONY VGN-SZ340P and Windows 7 64-bit support http://windows7forums.com/blogs/superxgear/614-sony-vgn-sz340p-windows-7-64-bit-support.html Sat, 13 Apr 2013 03:25:19 GMT If you are reading this post than you already know the answer: neither Sony nor NVIDIA have given you the blessing to install Windows 7 64 bit. So... If you are reading this post than you already know the answer: neither Sony nor NVIDIA have given you the blessing to install Windows 7 64 bit. So officially it is not approved or supported by booth companies.
Well then, the question is can you do it? The answer is yes, absolutely! Will there be any tradeoffs or shortcomings? Yes, indeed.
So, let’s begin.

1. First your priority will be to enable virtualization (VT) and AHCI support in BIOS. Check your BIOS version by pressing F2 key during reboot. Upgrade to version R0096N0 (if you have a different version) from:
Sony eSupport - VGN-SZ340P - Support

For BIOS R0096N0 (see guide here): How to Enable Intel VT and AHCI on a Napa/Santa Rosa platform Phoenix BIOS Vaio laptop)


AHCI: (0165) [0000] ---> (0165) [0001]

VT-x: (0399) [0000] ---> (0399) [0001]

Note: *I have actually upgraded my BIOS from R0096N0 to R0112N0

For BIOS R0112N0

AHCI: (015C) [0000] ---> (015C) [0001]

VT-x: (0354) [0000] ---> (0354) [0001]

2. Now run install from Windows 7 PRO 64bit DVD or USB bootable flash drive. Use the graphics hardware switch in position Stamina.
After the installation process has finished and your laptop has rebooted, you will find three unknown devices in Device manager, including:
-Other devices: Mass storage controller
-Unknown device
-Unknown device
Now is the time to install Universal Extractor 1.6.1 from: Download Universal Extractor 1.6.1 - FileHippo.com
To make the installation of all Sony drivers and utilities trouble free, please unpack them after download to subdirectory first and then run installation from there as an administrator.



In Device Manager right click with your mouse on mass storage controller and choose properties. Go to details tab and in Property scroll down list click, Hardware Ids.
Copy last line: PCI\VEN_104C&DEV_803B&CC_0180 and paste into Google search to find sources for driver download.
Here is the link: Windows XP and Vista (32/64-bit) TI Media Card Reader Driver

3. Driver for “Unknown device” with hardware Id: *SNY5001 can be located the same way as described above. Also you can install it by simply running Windows update, which will download and install driver Sony Firmware Extension Parser ver.8.0.0.1
Or use this link: Windows 7 Individual Drivers and Utilities : Download : Sony Asia Pacific

4. Driver for “Unknown device” with hardware Id: *SNY6001 can be located using Google search engine or download Sony Programmable I/O control device ver.8.0.0.1 from link: Windows 7 Individual Drivers and Utilities : Download : Sony Asia Pacific

*Remember to restart your laptop after each driver installation.

5. Install Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package (x64)
Download Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package (x64) from Official Microsoft Download Center

6. Install Toshiba Bluetooth Stack 7.0 from: Toshiba Bluetooth Stack - Download
Now we will install Sony controls and utilities from: Original Drivers and Utilities for VPCE Series (Windows 7 64Bit) : Download : Sony Middle East & Africa. Restart after each individual control installation.
7. Sony Shared Library ver.5.10.0.12150
Vaio Event Service ver.5.3.0.05310
Setting Utility Series ver.5.3.0.07231
Vaio Control center ver.4.3.0.05310
Vaio Power Management ver.5.2
(Optional: Original Drivers and Utilities for VPCE Series (Windows 7 64Bit) : Download : Sony Middle East & Africa)
Wireless Switch Setting Utility ver.3.6.01.18210
(Wireless Switch Setting Utility Upgrade Program Version 3.6.01.18210 : Download : Sony Asia Pacific)

8. The most important driver is for NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400. It is very clear (from numerous internet searches I have run) that most folks give up on Windows 64 bit install at this point. Needles to say that no driver released by Sony or NVIDIA support this graphic card. So the only solution is to use modified INF file from laptopvideo2go.com. It is only way to install the driver in 64 bit system.
Download NVIDIA driver ver.197.25 for Windows 7/Vista 64 bit first, and then save to your desktop. Unpack 19725_win7x64.exe to subdirectory using universal extractor.
v197.25 Windows 7/Vista 64bit | NVIDIA Desktop - 19x Series GeForce Driver Releases - LaptopVideo2Go Forums
Click on download link for inf modified. It will open a text file in your browser window. Simply highlight all the text or press Ctrl+A instead, right click and choose copy. Open notepad and paste highlighted text. Save file as: nv_disp.inf on desktop.
Now, open the folder where you have extracted 19725_win7x64.exe file and rename the file nv_disp.inf inside that folder to nv_disp.inf.original. Return back to desktop and copy nv_disp.inf file, paste it into extracted folder. Now slide the graphic hardware switch to speed position and restart laptop.
At the end, run setup.exe as administrator from extracted folder. Reboot and enjoy Windows 7 64 bit. I have run windows experience index and got a score of 3.6. It is up from my previous score of 3.5 I had on Windows 7 32 bit before that.

Do not expect that brightness controls on keyboard (FN+F5, FN+F6) will work. S1 and S2 will not work also.

For me it is not a big deal. Here are some other options. Click on the Control panel and save shortcut of Windows Mobility center to your desktop; it has a slider to adjust brightness as needed. It also controls screen input to other source or you can press Windows logo key +P to accomplish similar results.
Congratulations and enjoy! ]]> superxgear http://windows7forums.com/blogs/superxgear/614-sony-vgn-sz340p-windows-7-64-bit-support.html <![CDATA[It's been a while]]> http://windows7forums.com/blogs/highwayman/610-its-been-while.html Sun, 03 Mar 2013 11:33:13 GMT It's been a while since I last blogged an update about whats going on... so what's happened since the last?

Well swapped onto BT infinity fibre about 4 months ago, so now getting a solid 77mb down and 17mb up speed and úber pings for game servers :p

And in the recent we treated myself to a 680GTX Jetstream 4gb, although currently got a teething problem that looks like it needs a RMA done :(

Flogged my 580 GTX to a good friend, god the timing sucks....lol so now back to my old 5870 for the time being...:^) it's still okay I guess but gettign grief off the daughter as she's now demoted to using a laptop and android pad thing till mine sorted, kid's eh? don't know they are born, she's only 6 years old and a passionate PC gamer, bless. ]]> Highwayman http://windows7forums.com/blogs/highwayman/610-its-been-while.html <![CDATA[Bacon 'n' Ham]]> http://windows7forums.com/blogs/generalhiningii/609-bacon-n-ham.html Mon, 15 Oct 2012 06:53:31 GMT What's the difference? I mean, they both taste just as good with scrambled eggs and a lightly toasted piece of bread. Then, fried tomatoes and sausages. mmmm.... Sunday Breakfast Special, or even Everyday Breakfast Special.
I like my bacon with a thin layer of the fat, not too much but still enough to make it tasty and juicy. How do you like your bacon/ham cooked? ]]> GeneralHiningII http://windows7forums.com/blogs/generalhiningii/609-bacon-n-ham.html Guild Wars 2 http://windows7forums.com/blogs/highwayman/608-guild-wars-2.html Mon, 03 Sep 2012 13:12:20 GMT Well after avoiding the beta builds to avoid spoilers etc for the last 6 months, I finally got my hands on the game a few days after launch (I like... Well after avoiding the beta builds to avoid spoilers etc for the last 6 months, I finally got my hands on the game a few days after launch (I like to wait 2-3 days for them to fix server issues.... especially after that Diablo 3 fiasco :mad:) and after 4 days of play I'm finding this to live up to most of the hype, Guild Wars 2 is definately the WoW killer, that said it's not massively different to most games on the scene, it's more in the way it does it's stuff, it's a lot more fluid and friendly for the more casual players like myself with plenty of stuff for those hardcore MMO nerds to fiddle with as well. :razz:

Having recently replayed a lot MMO games to get a feel for how they are currently for comparison, WoW, Age of Conan, LOTR Online, Star Wars TOR, I can safely say this is better than them all, sure theres a few niggles... would have been nice for mounts but I guess they do have Asura Mechs... :tongue:

I'm currently homed on the "Gandara" EU server, if you want to hook up there add me "HighwaymanUK.9803" :thumbs_up: ]]> Highwayman http://windows7forums.com/blogs/highwayman/608-guild-wars-2.html How To Make Your Laptop USB3 Compatible http://windows7forums.com/blogs/mike/607-how-make-your-laptop-usb3-compatible.html Fri, 06 Jul 2012 09:24:47 GMT

"In this video, I will show you how to make your laptop USB3 compatible, even if your laptop did not come with USB3 ports. The key to making this change is simply to use an express card in order to benefit from the new speed of USB3. The throughput and bandwidth capabilities of USB3 far exceed it’s predecessor USB2. If you have a laptop that does not have a Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge motherboard, chances are you are using USB2. The maximum write speed is about 20MB/s. To contrast that, the average write speed of a USB3 flash drive is about 120MB/s, with a maximum throughput of 5GBit/s. I’ll be demonstrating the USB flash drive for you right now. As you can see we have a M1330 laptop. This laptop was originally designed for compatibility for Windows Vista. However, it has seen numerous upgrades, including an upgrade to its network card, an upgrade to its memory, and an upgrade to its hard drive from a standard conventional hard drive to a solid state drive. Like many laptops of the Windows Vista generation, it is only capable of using USB2, however this is solved by using USB3 express card. The equivalent to a laptop PCI express card would be an internal PCI card installed on a desktop computer. These cards are often used specifically as graphics cards, network cards, wireless Internet cards, as well as Bluetooth cards, and anything you can possibly think of that would improve the functionality of your desktop computer. For example, you can install an internal PCI card to give you USB3 capability on a desktop computer as well. This, quite obviously, is a USB3 express card. It has a 5Gbit/s transfer rate, and it can be used, quite easily, by sliding it in to any basic laptop that still has express card ports. Typically, these do not have USB3 or eSATA capability. This is also an eSATA express card. These would be used for external serial ATA, which is a little bit faster, but usually requires an external power source. USB3 devices currently do not really require multiple power sources because they are powered by the USB hub. You will go ahead and find the express card. It is usually on the side of the system. We install the card carefully, sliding it in, and you see it light up right there. We have two ports for this card, and you’ll see it pop up in Windows. You may have to install drivers that come with the device, but in this case we already them installed. And of course, you can go ahead and eject that device any time you want. It is installed and working properly in Microsoft Windows 7. We will go ahead and now install our USB3 flash drive into this USB3 device. Once we do that we will have an excellent connection going into this system going at USB3 speed.

As you can see, we got pretty good benchmarks there, going at about 120MB/s. Launching Acronis True Image Home 12 shows us that the backup speed is going very fast. This is doing an incremental backup of the M1330, but a full backup was even made that took up to about 15-20 minutes. Traditionally, this takes a lot longer for a 128GB drive, but what you are seeing here is about 5GB of data backed up in less than approximately 3 minutes.

I certainly hope that you enjoyed watching this video. The USB3 flash drive can actually be used for multiple purposes. This includes the installation of operating systems, the execution of files that would normally be placed on a regular hard drive, and all sorts of different arrangements. You can use your USB3 flash drive as if it is an internal drive on your system. That’s how fast it is. These drives are pretty reliable; they are much more reliable than conventional hard drives. And you will find that using them is pretty easy. I hope you will join us on Windows7Forums.com. Thanks a lot." ]]> Mike http://windows7forums.com/blogs/mike/607-how-make-your-laptop-usb3-compatible.html Technology In A Changing World http://windows7forums.com/blogs/mike/606-technology-changing-world.html Mon, 11 Jun 2012 10:01:10 GMT The technological revolution of the 1990s, which traces its origins to research and development that took place in the 1960s and earlier here in the... The technological revolution of the 1990s, which traces its origins to research and development that took place in the 1960s and earlier here in the United States has changed our world. But, the world, itself, is changing too. As a small business owner, I struggle with priorities to keep my business alive. Yet, like many other working class people, I am aware of the fact that technology has and will change our world for the better and worse in my lifetime and beyond. The technological revolution that started in the 1990’s led to, quite literally, billions of individuals gaining access to a computer and the Internet. Even in struggling nations, where the rule of law has often been questioned, there are Internet cafes. In totalitarian societies, one of the tactics used to silent a popular uprising has now become censorship, or complete blocking, of the free flow of information and communication associated with the Internet. Some of the most prominently annoying spam that attempts to reach my website is directly from Vietnam, and designed to sell a product – something unthinkable a generation ago. The mass-murderer and reviled Osama Bin Laden even used a courier, with USB thumb drives, to communicate to his followers while in hiding in Pakistan. Has the Internet become the carrier pigeon of our age, or something much more important?

What does technology do to benefit mankind? We often think of technology, in terms of IT, computer systems, networks, the OSI model, and graphics as hitting three distinctive areas: business, home, and academia. We are forgetting some crucial areas, when we limit our understanding of how technology works and what impact it has made on our world. Technology has innovated the way hospitals are capable of treating patients. From life threatening illnesses to simple patient care, Windows-embedded computers can be found permeating the floors of nearly every hospital here in New York. A family member recently survived a quadruple bypass, and there is no question that the technology involved has saved his life. Not only that, but these systems, regardless of operating system, help in managed care of patients undergoing rehabilitation.

Computer systems permeate our entire society, whether it is in banking, shopping, defense, investing, the arts, architecture, construction, medicine, or any other number of areas. The innovation associated with the semiconductor itself has changed our world, perhaps permanently, whereas it is possible to clone our food, and perhaps, with the proper safety precautions in place, cure world hunger and child starvation.

Bill Gates, the owner and chairman of Microsoft Corporation, has used his enormous wealth to nearly wipe out malaria in the third world. While other entrepreneurs may not be as generous with their use of funds, these acts of philanthropy represent the enormous benefit that the rich can endow on our people, through sheer generosity and concern for our survival as human beings, once their technological innovations reach mainstream acceptance.

While the country I live in, the United States, has exhausted its energy supplies of fossil fuels, and moved away from a manufacturing and industrial economy, I have noticed that intellectual property and the copyright of technology itself has become a major export, and something that the USA has often been noted for. Whether it was Edison or Tesla, the world has been forever changed by the innovations that have taken place in our society. These triumphs have not been limited to my country, as the knowledge has spread around the globe, to all corners of the earth, in many cases.

Hailing technology as the great triumph of our time is easy, but the advancement of technology has come with a great price. Throughout history, a pattern has emerged that is easy to identify. Over the many centuries, any time a technological advancement that changes the world is developed, we expect it not to be weaponized. But, as we have often learned, when technology moves too far ahead, it is weaponized, and with today’s technology, that is a frightening notion. Attacks by cyber criminals have resulted in severe loss of data and finances by many individuals and businesses, both large and small. If we discover or invent something that leads to technological innovation, it should be our goal, as members of a civilized world, not to weaponize such technology, if the opportunity exists.

When I think of the future of where technology is headed, I am excited. This is especially true in the area of medicine. We owe it to each other to use the benefits of highly advanced computer systems to protect our own interests, and that of all human beings. While my specializations in technology, admittedly, only go so far, it is my hope that the technology that we continue to develop as a global community is one that is healthy and preventative; not dangerous and reactionary. The difference between the two will have a strong impact on our world.

In conclusion, I strongly believe that these thoughts, ideas, and even concerns should be raised any time we think of technology. As many people use GPS, acquire smart phones, use their computer systems to keep in touch with friends and family, and even create their own business networks, the overall goal of technological development is sometimes lost. Science compels us to develop technological solutions to resolve difficult problems to help us better understand the world around us, and to solve what may seem unsolvable. It is therefore, with great pride that I continue to work in this field, even if that means providing the tools and skills available to me to help others in the way I have learned how. This does not preclude me from being mindful of what effect technology continues to have on our changing world, and the people in it that make it such a diverse and wonderful place.

Access to the Internet should be universal, governed by a moral sense of duty to one another, by one another, and computers should be affordable to even the least endowed, financially, in our world. Outside of shopping and pornography, there is an entire world to be discovered online, including one of research and self-education. The opportunities presented by computer systems being made available to everyone compel us to re-evaluate our place in the world and look forward to a brighter future by learning from our past. ]]> Mike http://windows7forums.com/blogs/mike/606-technology-changing-world.html Comodo Internet Security with Malwarebytes Pro - Test http://windows7forums.com/blogs/winsevenholic/605-comodo-internet-security-malwarebytes-pro-test.html Sat, 12 May 2012 09:49:09 GMT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB31nWnPzvM Feel free comment at there, RATE, Subscribe me for more tests. Thank you guys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB31nWnPzvM


Feel free comment at there, RATE, Subscribe me for more tests.
Thank you guys ]]> winsevenholic http://windows7forums.com/blogs/winsevenholic/605-comodo-internet-security-malwarebytes-pro-test.html CCleaner Professional Introduction and Tutorial http://windows7forums.com/blogs/mike/604-ccleaner-professional-introduction-tutorial.html Wed, 02 May 2012 03:00:00 GMT CCleaner Professional: A Beginner's Guide



Download CCleaner Professional (Fully supported)
Download CCleaner Basic (free)

IT Professionals Mitchell Anthony (Public Relations Manager) and Mike Fara (Administrator) from Windows 7 Forums take a look at CCleaner and offer up a quick how-to for new and beginner users. The CCleaner video tutorial uses CCleaner Professional: a version of CCleaner that is virtually identical to the free version of CCleaner, but includes one year of support and updates. We reveal all of the nifty features included in CCleaner, which is a great example of minimalism in programming. The application does what is required and does it well. Windows 7 Forums has teamed up with Piriform as affiliate partners and looks forward to more features for CCleaner Professional. Mike reveals that customers perhaps needn't worry, and suggests that important feature changes may be on the way. ]]> Mike http://windows7forums.com/blogs/mike/604-ccleaner-professional-introduction-tutorial.html Paragon Hard Disk Management Suite 12 Review http://windows7forums.com/blogs/mike/603-paragon-hard-disk-management-suite-12-review.html Tue, 01 May 2012 15:18:44 GMT

Buy: https://www.cleverbridge.com/80/?aff...art&cart=73607


Paragon Software Group’s marketing manager, Ekaterina Uchaeva, and the Paragon Technology Advisor Council’s Ksenia Schevjeva agreed to send Windows 7 Forums a license for technical evaluation, review, and demonstration of Paragon Hard Disk Manager Suite 12. The product combines the famous, world class, no questions asked backup and recovery system, that made Paragon famous, with additional must have hard disk drive utilities. These utilities make the maintenance, preparation, modification, migration, or re-installation of any operating system an easy-to-perform, reliable task.


Paragon Hard Disk Manager Suite 12 really shines in its ability to combine what would normally be two products into one master suite. The software promises to deliver reliable backup and recovery options with hard disk drive modification utilities and delivers, quite amicably.


In comparison to its world-renowned rival, Acronis, Paragon keeps it simple by providing the tools necessary to initialize or modify partitions, hard drives, SSDs, and flash drives into nearly any measure of storage. The ability to create, modify, merge, wipe, shrink, and expand partitions is a process that is made easy, and worth the extra investment, for anyone who wants to complete their backup and recovery option for home, home office, and small business use.


Paragon Hard Disk Manager Suite 12 suffers from some setbacks when creating the bootable rescue media; also known as the Paragon Advanced Recovery CD, due to what appears to be changes in licensing for the Microsoft Windows PE environment. A separate utility bundled with the software allows you to create the media with the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK). Once created, Paragon Hard Disk Manager Suite 12, and its entire assortment of features, can be run nearly flawlessly by booting from disc or USB flash drive - without the operating system in active operation. This procedure allows for more thorough and reliable backups, restores, and hard disk drive management.
Included in the software suite are utilities that make converting a standard Windows installation into a SSD-ready deployment simple, a way to convert any disk image into a GPT partition, and a method that can convert the entire disk into a virtual machine-ready file.


Ultimately, Paragon Hard Disk Manager Suite 12 stands out for its overall ease of use and reliability. While it may not share the updated looks of its primary competitor, with bundled features that would normally cost a fortune, Paragon Hard Disk Manager Suite 12 helps show us once again that slow and steady can win the race.


Windows 7 Forums recommends Paragon Hard Disk Manager Suite 12 for intermediate computer users who need a reliable solution for backup, restore, and disk management. It is clear that Paragon has spent the majority of its development time working on improving their product, and not anti-piracy activation schema as their main competitor, Acronis has. For many customers who may want to use the program on a desktop and laptop non-concurrently, this will prove to be a major relief.


Special thanks to Paragon Software for making this review possible.


Learn how to use Paragon Hard Disk Suite 12 and all of its feature set in this review and tutorial from Mike Fara. ]]> Mike http://windows7forums.com/blogs/mike/603-paragon-hard-disk-management-suite-12-review.html Cloud Storage Just Became Cheap Overnight http://windows7forums.com/blogs/mike/602-cloud-storage-just-became-cheap-overnight.html Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:45:28 GMT This week, the horse left the proverbial barn, ladies and gentlemen, and now Microsoft, Google, Apple, Dropbox, Box.net, and a large number of other... This week, the horse left the proverbial barn, ladies and gentlemen, and now Microsoft, Google, Apple, Dropbox, Box.net, and a large number of other companies are competing in an arena that will help you backup and synchronize your files, forever, if you so desire, online, and at the lowest possible cost. At the end of April 2012, the price for these online services suddenly dropped dramatically, and became available from the world's top companies.

Any File, Any Time, Anywhere

Earlier this year, MegaUpload was taken down by the U.S. Department of Justice on a number of charges for operating a private file storage service. But now cloud storage, or the ability to back up and synchronize files over the Internet, just saw major price reductions over the last couple of days, with companies such as Microsoft and Google entering a market, at full steam ahead, that has been primarily ruled, at least since August 2011, by the Apple iCloud, the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (directly), Dropbox, and Box.net.

How It Works

To clarify, cloud file storage, often referred to in one way as a “box”, or a “drive”, typically allow you to store files over the Internet by installing the cloud storage application and placing your files into a designated folder on your computer. These files and folders then get synchronized onto the cloud service, and can be accessed from the service’s website, or by installing the program on multiple computers. Once these files are placed on the remote cloud service, they are typically backed up and available to you indefinitely, unless you delete them or cancel your account.

When the cloud storage application is installed on multiple devices, like a desktop, a laptop, and a phone, any edits made to the files on one computer are synchronized to the others. Cloud storage is especially convenient due to its cross-platform support. A user working on a Mac could still share a spreadsheet with someone on a PC, for instance.

These services can now function as a serious alternative to file servers. Because the files are hosted on the Internet, they can be kept private, made public, or shared at your discretion. This has the potential to make project management and cooperation between individuals that much easier.

But Won’t My Files Get Lost?

I have been a user of Dropbox for around 5 years, and not a single file has been lost that I did not delete myself. The important issue to remember about cloud storage is that your files are not just being backed up on one system, but on a number of them around the world. This technique, known as distributed file sharing, is often used on what are known as server farms – large datacenters with failovers so that you never lose your stuff. One of the reasons why cloud storage and computing is becoming a success is because the companies that are offering the services are international conglomerates. For example, companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, and even Amazon operate countless servers around the world. A gentleman named James Pearn estimates that Google operates about 1.8 million servers and that this number will increase to 2.3 million by 2013. His estimates could be exaggerated, but he counted the floor space at all of their datacenters, looked up their location, and even used satellite imagery to make these assertions. One thing is for certain: The companies that have become the backbone of the computer industry and the Internet itself have an enormous amount of hardware resources that the typical person, or even business simply doesn’t have. When these servers aren’t performing at their full potential, it then becomes cost efficient for these large companies to start allocating additional disk space and development for cloud storage. They can use this type of service as leverage to expand their infrastructure or save costs on their existing servers.

Why Now?

Just days after Microsoft ramped up its Windows Live SkyDrive service, offering existing members a limited-time only chance to upgrade their storage space to 25GB permanently, Google released Google Drive. Both SkyDrive and Google Drive offer file synchronization and storage using cloud hosting, starting at 5GB for free. Similarly, Dropbox was a start-up that has been offering an excellent cloud storage and file synchronization service for the last several years. Only in the last few weeks, however, did they suddenly program photo synchronization into their phone application: When you take a picture on your phone, you have the option of having that photograph automatically uploaded to Dropbox, SkyDrive, or Google+, depending on what services you have set up.

This is important because these companies already have existing services for photographs and mail. Facebook, for example, just bought out Instagram, a service that allows you to share your pictures online and through your smart phone. Services like Flickr and DeviantArt offer specialized file sharing specifically for artwork and photography. But for years, companies like MegaUpload (taken down by the US Justice Department) have offered file storage on private servers.

What’s The Catch?

The biggest change that has come recently is that the price of cloud storage has been reduced dramatically. While SkyDrive has been around for quite a while, it looks like Microsoft will integrate the service with Windows 8, and you can therefore see how an entire computer profile can eventually be synced up – and backed up - to the service; accessible from any computer using login credentials. With Google Drive, you also get 5GB free, and Google Mail storage is increased when you buy more space. In addition, if you bought 100GB of file storage, it would cost, roughly $4.99 USD a month from Google. Similarly, Microsoft offers 100GB for about $50 USD a year, or roughly $5/mo. after tax. With SkyDrive, the benefits that you will get from using it with Windows 8 start to become obvious. Even in Window 7, you can start using libraries to save your documents, pictures, videos, and downloads to this service. With Google Drive, your space for Picasa Web Albums is also increased by whatever amount you buy. In comparison, services like Dropbox, which rely on Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud for their service, still cost a hefty price: After taxes, a Dropbox account that utilizes 100GB will cost around $200 US dollars annually. Initial tests show that Dropbox and Google Drive currently operate very quickly and have nearly flawless file synchronization. Microsoft’s SkyDrive currently seems to be operating much slower, but these services just became heavily commercialized this week.

If you refer enough people to Dropbox, you can get yourself around 32GB of free space without ever paying for their service. Similarly, if you claim your free Windows Live SkyDrive space right now, for a limited time only, you will be able to lock in an additional 25GB of storage space free of charge. And Google Drive gives you 5GB for free. This means, by installing all three services, you could get anywhere between 15GB of free storage and 62GB without paying anything.

Out of all of the services, Google’s seems to be the cheapest, offering 200GB of storage for around $9.99 USD per month. They also offer storage going into the terabyte range, while others have limited their offerings to around 100GB. These services particularly come alive when they are used with smart phones and other mobile devices. If you maintain your own backups, then you know, for instance, that you would not need to backup all of your music files if you placed them on Google Drive, SkyDrive, Dropbox, or Box.net.

And out of all of the services, Dropbox still seems to be among the best, but its price is hefty in the comparison. Computer users who maintain most of their information on Windows Live, using services like Live Messenger and Live Mail (Hotmail), will likely move towards Windows Live SkyDrive. Similarly, users who have focused their attention on Google and their line of services will be more likely to use Google Drive. Computer users that still use Outlook or Thunderbird, and shy away from services offered by companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple, may find themselves going with a proven alternative like Dropbox. Power users are unlikely to pass up the opportunity for free storage and will likely install all of the above. With Apple’s iCloud still costing $100 a year for 50GB, it looks like the game is on, and online file storage has turned into a fast growing new commodity overnight.

So what are you waiting for? Go claim your free storage!

The services:

http://skydrive.live.com
http://drive.google.com
http://dropbox.com/
http://box.net
http://icloud.com ]]> Mike http://windows7forums.com/blogs/mike/602-cloud-storage-just-became-cheap-overnight.html Intel Haswell: 10-20 Day Battery Life? 3D Transistors Hitting Market with Ivy Bridge http://windows7forums.com/blogs/mike/601-intel-haswell-10-20-day-battery-life-3d-transistors-hitting-market-ivy-bridge.html Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:07:46 GMT While computer enthusiasts looking for the latest technology from Intel are no doubt frothing at the mouth about the recent Ivy Bridge developments,... While computer enthusiasts looking for the latest technology from Intel are no doubt frothing at the mouth about the recent Ivy Bridge developments, the successor to the Ivy Bridge is ambitious in scope. With most laptops now being shipped with Sandy Bridge architecture (native USB3 compatibility and eSATA, as well as support for 6 core Intel i7, i5, and i3 processors), Intel will soon begin rolling out Ivy Bridge. But reports indicate it has already begun work on its next-generation processing architecture: code-name Haswell.

For those who already have high performance computing rigs, servers, and workstations, the difference may seem negligible, and may appear, on the surface, to be yet another change of the motherboard architecture design that requires a new chipset and processor socket. However, there is more to the development in Haswell than meets the eye.

It has become apparent that Intel is attempting to compete directly with Britain's ARM Holdings Semiconductor. ARM is the company responsible for the highly miniaturized use of ARM-architecture central processing units (CPUs) and motherboards on modern smart phones and pads. Nearly every iPhone and Android smart phone is using ARM, and Windows 8 will reportedly be rolled out for ARM on smart devices in 2013.

However, if Intel's plans take off, ARM may be making a run for its money. For example, while the difference between programming design for the Intel x64 and x86 architecture may be extreme compared to ARM, developers are likely to be far more ready to program for Intel-based processors again than they are for ARM.

Like Ivy Bridge, the Haswell successor is likely to be based on a 22 nanometer (nm) manufacturing process, and will use 3D trigate transistors. The 3D trigate transistors designed by Intel use 50% less power and up to a 30-40% performance increase in processing power. The transistors will also reportedly be used in newer Intel Atom processors on netbooks and other miniature devices.

However, the one area where Haswell is said to compete in a major way is battery life. According to a report by BBC News and Intel's Kirk Skaugen, the goal of Haswell will be to give you 20x more battery life in standby mode and up to 10 days of battery life in constant operation. If these statements ring true, prepare for this technology to begin to appear in 2013 with Ivy Bridge, and become more apparent with the release of the Haswell architecture at a later time.

However, anyone who has used modern cell phones knows that battery life is a big deal. Here in the states, and likely throughout Europe, phones that have promised 20 hours of battery life have become big sellers. One example is the Verizon 4G Razr MAXX smart phone from Motorola, scheduled to be upgraded with Android's Ice Cream Sandwich OS in coming weeks.

According to these indications from Intel, 10-20 days of battery life would not be out of the question using 22nm processors. Such a proposition could shift the balance of power in the marketplace once again away from ARM and towards Intel and AMD, as a rift now exists between traditional desktop and notebook computers and smart devices.

Source: BBC News and Intel Corporation

]]> Mike http://windows7forums.com/blogs/mike/601-intel-haswell-10-20-day-battery-life-3d-transistors-hitting-market-ivy-bridge.html Spli-Stock Wallpapers 10 http://windows7forums.com/blogs/dmd7978/600-spli-stock-wallpapers-10.html Thu, 12 Apr 2012 22:46:49 GMT *Click the IMAGES not the yellow bar* Image: http://i.imgur.com/xU5H6l.jpg (http://i.imgur.com/xU5H6.jpg) Image:... Click the IMAGES not the yellow bar






















]]> dmd7978 http://windows7forums.com/blogs/dmd7978/600-spli-stock-wallpapers-10.html Spli-Stock Wallpapers 9 http://windows7forums.com/blogs/dmd7978/599-spli-stock-wallpapers-9.html Thu, 12 Apr 2012 22:45:01 GMT *Click the IMAGES not the yellow bar* Image: http://i.imgur.com/5M1cgl.jpg (http://i.imgur.com/5M1cg.jpg) Image: http://i.imgur.com/JuX9zl.jpg... Click the IMAGES not the yellow bar



















]]> dmd7978 http://windows7forums.com/blogs/dmd7978/599-spli-stock-wallpapers-9.html Spli-Stock Wallpapers 8 http://windows7forums.com/blogs/dmd7978/598-spli-stock-wallpapers-8.html Thu, 12 Apr 2012 22:43:50 GMT *Click the IMAGES not the yellow bar *Image: http://i.imgur.com/uTnjtl.jpg (http://i.imgur.com/uTnjt.jpg) Image: http://i.imgur.com/hs0VZl.jpg... Click the IMAGES not the yellow bar



















]]> dmd7978 http://windows7forums.com/blogs/dmd7978/598-spli-stock-wallpapers-8.html