PC Curb

Solutions For Failure to See Anything on Computer Screen/Monitor:

– A setting in the BIOS may be conflicting with other devices. This can be solved by resetting CMOS (take out the battery on your motherboard for a few minutes then replace). All this will do is reset your BIOS settings to default and your date/time settings will be off.

– Hardware may be dusty and causing a component to fail. Dust everything out inside your case and try again.

– Components such as RAM may be in the incorrect positions/slots. Try your best to find their correct locations.

– A component may have come loose. Take care to reseat as many components as you can, while making sure all cables are plugged in.

– A component may be dead. Try to temporarily replace devices one by one to try and find problem. For example using a spare graphics card and trying to boot or taking the GPU out completely and testing out the onboard.

For those that have previous experience with installing operating systems, the installation of Windows 7 will be quite a relief once it comes to setting everything up. As well as a simpler installation process with less options to continually enter throughout the install, it is quicker and includes an improved ability to scan current hardware and install drivers automatically. This does not work for all hardware so there are a few steps you can follow to resolve issues with hardware that doesn’t work automatically.

If you have booted into Windows 7 and some components aren’t functioning, or you have just updated drivers and they have caused the device to stop working; go to Start > Computer > Hardware and Sound >  Device Manager (under Devices and Printers) > then click on the responding category to the failing device.  For example, if you are having trouble connecting to the internet you would click Network Adapters and right click the NIC (network interface card). Once there click on the Driver tab, then the Update Driver button. If Windows fails to find an update the next step is getting a driver from a 3rd party. Alternatively, if you have just installed a new driver (and your device has stopped working) and this button is not available, click Roll Back Driver to reset to a driver that may work with your device.

Locating a driver from a 3rd party tends to involve finding the name of the manufacture for the product and visiting their website to download needed drivers. They will also require the type/model number of your device as well as operating system (Windows 7). If the computer in question is searching for NIC-related drivers or doesn’t have access to the internet you will have to visit a friend’s house or internet cafe with a USB/storage device to transfer it to your computer. After this is downloaded (make sure it is x64 if your system is 64 bit or  x86 if install was 32 bit), run the setup exe. and it should be an automated install. If the folder you downloaded does not contain a setup exe. you have likely downloaded the wrong file (or they have stopped hosting it).

I will also add that if you have an older device and are trying really hard to find a working driver, the sad thing is manufacturers tend to stop hosting drivers after a while and it will be in your best interests to just buy a new device.

Mozilla Firefox 3.0.4 has just been released. This update is a more stable and secure version than previous releases. Every Firefox user is encouraged to update.

Three of the most obvious changes include the ability to save sites into your favourites with one click, removal of pop-ups when using the password remember feature and the power to check a websites identity/legitimacy by clicking on its favicon.

Top features:

One-Click Bookmarking
Instant Web Site ID
Improved Performance
Full Zoom
Smart Location Bar
Password Manager
Platform-Native Look & Feel

Mozilla Firefox 3.0.4 has been added to PC Curb’s new freeware downloads section.

The T-Mobile G1 was released on 22nd October in some countries and 30th October for the rest. This new smartphone manufactured by HTC is unique to its competitors because it is the first device running Android. Android is a software platform and operating system developed by Google and can be used on a number of mobile devices. Android is free to use and is open source so anyone can download the source code and begin modding the software however they like.

This open source approach will see thousands of custom mods developed for the device as developers begin reskinning and adding their own applications. There will be a lot more freedom to do things which are impossible with Apple products, such as the iPod or iPhone. Users will also be able to download applications from the Android Marketplace, similar to the Apple Store on the iPhone.

As part of the Android Open Source Project, you can now download the entire source code from here. However, you should take note that you will NOT be able to build Android source files if you are not running Linux or Mac OS.

This is a heplful video from Google’s youtube page that outlines the key features of Google Chrome Beta and demonstrates how to use them.

If you’ve been to Google’s homepage lately you would have heard of the new browser that they have released; Google Chrome. The beta version was released today (3rd sept). it will be interesting to see how much market share Google can grasp in compeition with Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Features:

• Blacklists for protection against phishing and malware.
• Sandboxing for malware protection.
• Plugins run in separate processes so if a website crashes it will only take down that tab and not the whole browser like in Firefox.
• Fast website loading time.
• A new tab page that makes regular browsing more efficient.

Ultramon is a great dual monitor program that I have been using lately with my dual monitors and although it’s features are simple, they are very handy. Some of the key features include a button up the top of the screen that lets you easily switch your current window from one screen to the other with one click instead of having to drag it. Another good feature is the option to have a different wallpaper on each screen, or stretch one image accross both screens. This is not possible with just Windows.

Ultramon also ads a taskbar onto the other screen if you are extending your windows desktop. This is a handy feature and lets you easily distinguish which programs are running on what screens.

Unfortunately Ultramon is only shareware. This means it is a free dual monitor program you can only use it for 30 days before you are asked to buy the program (or pirate it). This program is only for  dual monitor users so don’t waste your time if you are running a single.

Here is a full list of features:

• 2 additional title bar buttons for managing windows among the monitors
• A taskbar on each additional monitor that displays tasks on that monitor
• Pre-defined application window placement
• Display profiles for multiple pre-defined display settings
• Spannable wallpaper option
• Different wallpapers for different monitors
• Advanced multiple-monitor screensaver management
• Display mirroring (Forces to software rendering)
• Overcome Windows’ limit of 10 displays

Ultramon is shareware so you can download a free trial here. A single license will cost $39.95 if you want to buy a copy.

Some of you may have heard of ‘Folding@Home’ from it’s recent publicity with Playstation 3 and the release of new ATI graphics cards. If you haven’t; Folding@Home is a project started by Stanford university to better understand the process of protein folding. To help research into what proteins do, a distributed computing project has been set up to simulate this cycle.

Due to the fact so much processing power is required, the project is distributed across normal home computers opposed to only running on super computers. This allows maximum processing power. Anyone at home that wants to participate can download the free software application from here. With so many participants using their home PCs to fold, the combined processing speed is greater than the world’s fastest super computer.

The PC version utilizes the CPU to perform simulations of folding. To do this, the program automatically downloads a small file and will begin folding, frame by frame. Once you have completed a set number of frames the information will be sent back to Stanford and a new download will begin. This is all done in the background while you can be doing other things on your computer. If you like, you can set it so it only runs when your screensaver is active.

There is also a GPU version of the program that performs much faster than the CPU version as it is running on the graphics card and not restricted to the central processing unit(CPU). There is also a Playstation 3 client that folds while the game is not in use.

The protein simulations will help us to better understand the development of many diseases, including; Alzheimer’s disease sickle-cell disease (drepanocytosis), Parkinson’s disease, BSE (mad cow disease), cancer, Huntington’s disease, cystic fibrosis, osteogenesis imperfecta, alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, and other aggregation-related diseases.

Here are screenshots of both the CPU and GPU versions of the program running.

Click to Enlarge.