Computer Tweaker

Get GTAIV Patch 1.0.6.0 Working

Posted on2010/04/212010/06/16AuthorComputer Tweaker

On my original install I had the game running using live to download and install the game.
During the install I got an error

but after I closed the error window, I saw that the install was still going on.

Well later I uninstalled the game and then just installed patch 1.0.4.0. (alternatively you can do this Roll back patch without uninstall )
Played for a while.
found a link in GTAForums.COM linking to the XBOX website that allows you direct download of the 1.0.6.0 patch.
download.xbox.com/content/5454083b/tu10000083_10000b83.cab?n=F1F2863FCD63C802
Use winrar.
and I tried it wondering if there would be any issues that it would resolve by getting it this way… I have no idea what I was thinking.
but.
In actuality something good did happen. I got the full install without an error. why? because the game was not running (I guess). No errors in the install.
so now I try the game and see a marginal increase in frame rates. but now I want to see more. Call me greedy.
I go to video settings for video card (nvidia control panel,ati has it under 3d setting [sorry work pc but sure they are similar throughout])

Nvidia Control Panel

anistrop ati settings

and I go to the 3d settings and manually select GTAIV and turn off Anisotropic filtering.

LaunchGTAIV.exe

CODE

“C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto IV\LaunchGTAIV.exe” -availablevidmem=.8

run the game from the Launch
Go to the Video settings and select “automatic”
Then go to aspect ratio and pick the size that fits.
turn texture filter to tri-linear

Setting for gtaiv defaultish

Now don’t change anything. Just save at this point and give it a try.
I would assume it will not work as well for others but it should for some
and should show a nice change for many.
The shadows look wonderful.
It will not stop the ped cars from dropping, but who cares. right? Just get the game flowing better.
It looks better than it did before the patch and plays about as good as patch 1.0.4.0 maybe a lil shakier.
I have no desire to crank the settings hire, heck it looks better already.

World War Android App

Posted on2010/04/192010/04/23AuthorComputer Tweaker7 Comments

World War Droid

This game is addictive. You can play against your friends who have Iphones and the same game. I love cross platform games. Nothing more inviting to make me pick “do I want speed strengthy build and good looks phone, or do I want reliability ease of button mashing phone” to make me decide what phone I want, than multi-platform games. would be cool if Xbox and Playstation would do this.

The World War app

I waited for a good while to play this game. While my co-workers had it on their Iphone, I was playing a similar game on Myspace called Mobsters. I knew that I was the one who could show these hipsters who’s boss……. but I just couldn’t get the dang game. it wasn’t out for my Moto, and it still wasn’t out when I got my blackberry. Almost five months after I got the G1, here is the game I have been wanting. World War.

Great game. If you need invites post your gamer code here and let other readers add you.

Android to Zune?

Posted on2010/04/06AuthorComputer Tweaker

I have been searching for a week to see if anyone has successfully put android on a zune. I am not seeing it yet but am looking. Most I have found was people looking to sync and so called tech sites “can’t do that yet”.

Zune Hd could use a bit of android..

I would like to try it myself but I’m not so experamental that I can lose stuff I paid for. I want to know someone has succeeded in this before I attempt it.

Ok back to work.

What the Heck is With Comcast at Night ?

Posted on2010/03/292010/03/29AuthorComputer Tweaker

$130 a month and comcast goes all scrambly at night. Middle of a show and bam, I’m forced to watch a dvd. So far this has happened all three times I tried laying back watching tv late at night, this month. Are they making some huge un-announced move ? Well it sure feels like it.

bet in a month or two we will get some crazy news about how we are being helped with some useful plan to prevent pirating by charging us $2 a mb of file transfer, on top of our monthly bill. You know, give you something you think is convenient while jabbing you in the back with something that is not good for you at all.

Well, nothing I can do about it other than change tv and internet providers. no big deal, probably cost me a whole lot less.

Houston we Have a problem (since I am in Houston).

2 hours I sit and watch this stupid movie that I am doing my best to stay focused on because I am bored. Last 30 minutes, cuts out. Now I am sitting here killing my site’s stats by ranting like this. I want my time warner back.!!!!

Why I Hate Linkedin

Posted on2010/03/212012/09/25AuthorComputer Tweaker

The number one thing I hate the most is a friend in my address-book sending me crap to sign up to. I hate that friend who is so stupid they sign up to a site and it asks them the password to their email account so the website can see how many of their friends are on that website’s services. I hate when that person comes back to me the next day asking me how they can get their email back from the spammer who stole it. I hate having to fight with and for them at the same time.
Nothing makes me want to say ” Dude you are an idiot, I got the email the day you signed up to “insert site name here,here,here,here. So I know exactly how you lost your email password.”

Websites that force you to give up your email password so you can use their services, IMHO have no respect or scruples whatsoever. The people who sign up to those sites, further encourage them to think it is okay to do so.

How does this all tie into linkedin?

This is what I see

I see this when I hit the “Home” button. It takes me to that lump of tacky steaming hot junk. So I went through the whole set up of trying to just give it my email and password, because they wanted to “see how many friends I have using it” it shows i have 114 in my addy book, and forces me to select as many as I have to invite them all. I unchecked everyone and selected accept send or what ever, it refreshed and made me sign back into linkedin, and it showed me the same page. I am appalled by this. I thought this was a tech community, not a “hey the internet used to be full of scammers who did this all the time and people fell for it and we all called them idiots but these are different days now so it’s it is ok now” type of website full of morons who make sparkly myspace web-pages that cause seizures.

I clearly am not accepted at linkedin because my I.Q. Is clearly far to high.

PC Repair Tips

Posted on2010/03/19AuthorComputer Tweaker1 Comment

For the most part, this link is the reminder of the basics.

So if you are new, this link is a great starter.

If you are a know it all like my friends and I

Well this link refreshes your memory as to what the simple is.. keeps you from overlooking the simple answer.

Why rebuild the computer if you could have fixed it for free????

Computer Repair tips.

Sorry but that is my old site and it has been there for at least 4 years.

ok short post :-)

Is Nvidia Doing the ATI Thing?

Posted on2010/03/102010/03/10AuthorComputer Tweaker

ATI decided a while back not to make that many low end video cards that have SLI. This of course takes away the chance of you buying two low end cards . One while you can, and later one when you can afford it again. I can see the plus in it for the video card makers. Less newbies screaming about crappy manufacturing. but also less newbies becoming pro by problem solving and wanting to upgrade and get more performance.

I kind of notice this after the 9800 cards. Look at compusa and fry’s and look at teh PCI-E cards you will see that the low end cards 2xx all of the low end budget cards no longer have SLI connections on top.

I am disappointing in this. I guess I can start using ATI again, my motherboard is just about obsolete anyway.

I mean if NVidia is going to be like them, then why not just use them.

Android Must Have Apps

Posted on2010/02/232010/11/28AuthorComputer Tweaker2 Comments

Now these picks are not by some internet standards or by any other influence other than me seeing extreme use in them.

Shop Savvy Bar-code scanner. Yeah the results have not been up to what I expected but hey, they do offer a chance to look at the products on amazon and see what other people’s reviews are of the items.

Zxing scanner. Not near as good as shop savvy, but is another scanner so I have two to pick through. Choices are wonderful.

Cherry Rplayer – you can manually insert radio stations you like – I of course have ZRock in mine, because well they only have an iphone app and well I want to hear Zrock Dang it!

Opera Mini– because it does some stuff that google browser will not, like play myspace games right off their site, without need of an ap.

Pandora Radio – I love the way it lets you pick a music type and just ride with it. (audio out to audio in on my car, excellent sound.)

Digital Clock from Socialmobile , it’s like my back up alarm clock (only use it while it’s on the charger though)

Twit.tv by Mediafly – all the Leo Laporte podcasts I can listen to.

Pretty much everything I have found, are just trials or do not live up to what they charge you, or just plain ol toys.
still waiting for Myspace Mobsters Android ap. Or a nice pdf viewer that costs no money and does not have trial period.. like foxit for Droid would be real nice. Mozilla Firefox for android would be nice. Hulu would be good.
Tv.com player would fricken rock if it had shows i like in full episodes. like Smallville Two and Half Men. but seems like everything that I like, is just 1 minutes snippets, really how much bandwidth could 300×200 really be ? They could soooo make some money from the ads, kinda like hulu does, if they would just do it . Youtube ap is great, but don’t hit pause, you freaking video fail every-time you do hit pause.
A-online radio has great features but it does not make the list. It just does not buffer very well. See Pandora radio isn’t as free roam as Aonline, but I can plug my G1 into my car stereo, turn on Pandora radio and let it play all the way from work to home. I plug in A-online and it plays for all of about 20 seconds. If it is not a buffer issue then the garbage shuts off every time the back light turns off. I know it’s one of the two and I can do nothing about either.

A very good write up on ZdNet called 10 Must Have- Android Apps

Unacceptable Perv-ofile (School Staff)

Posted on2010/02/192010/02/19AuthorComputer Tweaker

According to an article in boing boing a school District in (PA) [Lower Merion School District] Handed out laptops to students. This school reportedly has been reprimanding students for their behavior while at home. One student was shown a picture taken of them while doing something the school objected to, from within the child’s bedroom.

The laptops the children received had cameras on them. Reportedly these camera were used to spy on the children while not at school.

Their is notice that they are worried about children being to informative while online talking with strangers and the wide open public.

Update: The school district admits that student laptops were shipped with software for covertly activating their webcams, but denies wrongdoing.

Any person caught doing such a thing should be more than just investigated, they should be put in public notice.

Do we not have laws that protect us from this? should anyone for any purpose be so above the law that they can get away with such an invasion of privacy?

The students all should be allowed to return the laptops they where given (or are renting or purchased), the school should refund all deposits, and every principal,teacher,executive involved should be fired and replaced and spend no less than 5 years in federal prison for invasion of privacy illegal monitoring and surveillance without proper license and prior permits.

If they let this go, what exactly is freedom for? what is the proof that we protect the rights we obey ?