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Windows 8 Requires Windows Firewall to be enabled to install apps?!

By on Nov 13, 2012 in Blog Posts, Software | 1 comment

One of the first things I do to any new Windows desktop PC is disable the Windows Defender and Windows Firewall services completely. I use a real AV solution so I don’t need Defender, and I have a high quality hardware firewall in place so I don’t need no bobo Windows Firewall.Well, much to my surprise Windows 8 gives you a little extra encouragement to leave the native firewall enabled; you can’t install certain apps from the Windows Store unless it is.Today I was trying to install the Slacker Radio app and got error code 0x80073d0a “App couldn’t be installed…” That’s just great, I thought. So I went a Googling and found this. I re-enabled the Windows Firewall and the installation went through normally.I guess I’m just going to have to leave the damned thing enabled, even though it irks me. Furthermore, the Windows 8...

It’s tough to be a clown

By on Nov 2, 2012 in Blog Posts | 0 comments

This Halloween I made the decision to go out as a sad clown; an oddly easy choice considering my normal disdain for clowns.I, like many people, find clowns to be disturbing and not at all humorous. Although I am not coulrophobic, I do not welcome images of clowns into my dreams despite (or perhaps because of) having grown up with Bozo.During one of my all-too-frequent YouTube marathons, I came across this segment with Emmett Kelly on What’s My Line in 1956:I was mesmerized  This man was truly in his element, able to communicate a full range of emotions with little more than expressions and grunts. In a six minute segment, Kelly elicits a range of emotions from the panel and audience. Initially they laugh at his amusing entrance and antics with host John Daly. Later, as we discover that he isn’t allowed to speak when wearing his makeup, you can feel the...

SNL Heats Back Up After Three Disappointing Episodes

By on Oct 21, 2012 in Blog Posts | 0 comments

The first episode of the season, hosted by Seth MacFarlane, gave me some hope that things were finally getting back on track. Then came three lackluster episodes in a row, hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Daniel Craig and Christina Applegate. None of which were terrible, just average at best.Then came last night and Bruno Mars and Tom Hanks. Except for the Brad Pitt bits, which seem like a weak replacement for the Digital Shorts, the rest of the show was firing on all cylinders. The best thing SNL can do is put Bill Hader into as much of the show without overusing him. His Stefon character is pure magic.

Good News: SNL Didn’t Suck Last Week

By on Sep 22, 2012 in Blog Posts | 0 comments

Finally, after years of being subjected to the awful that is Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live has put forth a decent episode. There wasn’t a single weak sketch, and Seth MacFarlane was solid throughout, despite throwing in a few too many Family Guy voices.It’s about damned time, too. I really hope they are able to maintain this level of quality throughout the season. I know that I tend to beat up on SNL and especially Kristen Wiig, but I honestly think that her departure is the best thing that could have happened. The entire cast now gets more screen time and they are able to shine.Jay Pharoah is about a thousand times better at playing Barack Obama than Fred Armisen was. He gracefully handed over the role to Pharoah in the cold opening and the country finally got to see a proper Obama.I’m finally looking forward to SNL again.

New Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook Drivers Begin to Support Windows 8

By on Sep 17, 2012 in Blog Posts, Software | 0 comments

I love my Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook. It’s the best notebook I’ve ever had. Windows 7 never felt quite right on it, so as soon as the full version of Windows 8 was available I slapped it on there. The installation went pretty smoothly. Dell still hasn’t released official Windows 8 drivers for the ultrabook, but Microsoft supports most of the hardware natively; except for the Cypress touchpad.The touchpad drivers for the XPS 13 have always been problematic, even in Windows 7. Various updates have fixed and later broken functionality. The issues center around gestures and scrolling, which just aren’t reliable.Well I’m happy to report that Dell has released a new version of the Cypress Touchpad drivers (2.5.0.52, A03) which not only resolve those issues, but install normally in Windows 8. They also released a new BIOS revision (A07) which specially states...

How to fix audio issues and crashes on a Gigabyte motherboard

By on Aug 20, 2012 in Blog Posts, Hardware, Software | 3 comments

I’ve had problems with my Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5 motherboard every since I built my custom system a year ago. It wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t use it – so I didn’t have to take drastic steps – it was just annoying and would crash once every few days.The blue screen errors were generic and generally pointed towards faulty memory. Since the memory was brand new, that seemed unlikely. I tested each stick thoroughly with Memtest86+ and found no issues. I tried different RAM slot combinations to no avail. I tested different combinations of RAM timings and clock speeds without any luck. Even Auto settings didn’t work.After weeks of useless back and forth with Gigabyte technical support, they mentioned that the memory controller is integrated into the CPU and perhaps that could be the cause of the issue. This didn’t feel right to me,...

Symantec’s Atrocious Support of a Terrible Product: Backup Exec 2012

By on Jul 13, 2012 in Blog Posts, Software | 19 comments

Update: For those looking for a replacement, I’ve reviewed two options here.   For years, the name Symantec has been synonymous with two areas; anti-virus software and enterprise backup systems. In 1990, Symantec purchased Norton and with it still holds the title as best-selling anti-virus software in the world, although it has long since lost its claim as the best product on the market. Though Symantec has lost its footing on the security side of its business, they have been able to cling on in the enterprise backup scene; at least for the time being. Their Backup Exec (BE) products (purchased from VERITAS in 2005) remain popular with small to medium sized businesses, but the recent decision by Symantec to require maintenance agreements and completely redesign the program have left many customers without a reason to remain loyal. Less than a year ago I could purchase a...

Diablo 3 Account Hacked – Blizzard Blames Me

By on May 28, 2012 in Blog Posts, Games | 0 comments

I’ve been a huge fan of the Diablo series since the first installment and was happily installing my copy of Diablo III the day after launch. Because I had my copy shipped and started playing the day after the official launch I didn’t face the login nightmares that many others did. I was able to play right away and spent about 30 hours engrossed in the D3 universe over the next week.On the 24th I logged in to find that all of the items in my stash were gone, along with my gold. I didn’t notice it at the time, but I also had a new friend in my Social panel. I thought that there must have been some kind of glitch with an update that Blizzard applied. No problem; I’d just open a ticket and they could restore my lost items. So I opened a support ticket and waited.A day went by and I didn’t hear anything from Blizzard. I logged into my account again and...