Author: TruXter

Precautions For Building Computers

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Use lots of overhead light. Once you have all the parts together, find a flat, smooth, clean, static-free surface. Make sure your clothes are not polyester or you stand a chance of building up buttloads of static and having a merciless discharge turning your junk into… well… junk.

I like using Gatorade lids to hold my screws and small parts in. Yeah Trailer Park Boys-ish, I know, but it works. Working above tile is good, also, so you can hear the small parts when they drop and kinda locate them easier by where the sound comes from. With the tower open and all parts scattered on the table, lower the motherboard in. Take small pin nails and set them through the mounting holes to mark your spot — should take like 6-9 of them depending on board size and tower abilities. Pull motherboard back out and try to not disturb the pin nails. Replace each nail with mounting studs, lower board in, and screw it down. Follow instructions in the manuals for motherboard and instructions from tower to set up power switches and USB connectors. you may sometimes need to split the end connector for the tower speaker so it fits the prongs. Tie back wires so they stay low and out of view.

Insert RAM, CPU, and heat sink. Simply put: Be gentle, be slow, bend no prongs, and scratch no boards

Set in all drives: CD-ROM / DVD / hard drive / floppy drive. Place the power supply in, and take the board connecting the wire strand and try and map the cleanest, least visible route. Then plug it in. Do not crack the motherboard (yes, it can happen)! Do the same with the drives. I tie them to the rack as I go down the line. Keep hard drives away from all magnets — even the case speaker magnet!

The Video card is done pretty much the same way as the RAM. The slit(s) in the card tells you which way it should face.

Get a good look at the inner case. All air paths need to be clear of anything — even wires. Now plan the path your air will flow and then look at your fans to see which direction the blades should face to achieve the airflow you planned.

Close the case, cross toes, plug in all devices for first boot, and press power button. Pray for BIOS/CMOS boot. Press delete and watch temperatures for about ten minutes or until you see that it is getting really hot.

More stuff to keep in mind.

Computer Component Removal

Posted onAuthorTruXter

For hardware removal, there are some simple rules you should follow.

  1. Unplug the PC first!
  2. Disconnect all wires coming from the power supply. Unscrew the four screws on the back of the power supply. Slide the power supply out of its case and set it aside.
  3. Disconnect all IDE cables and FDD cables and set them aside.
  4. Unscrew all screws from all drives and slide drives out and set them aside.
  5. Unscrew the fan on the heatsink. Unclasp the heatsink, wipe off heat paste, and set aside. Pull out CPU, wipe off paste, and set it with prongs facing up.
  6. Disconnect power and reset buttons, wires, and USB wires and case speaker wires. Tie them back.
  7. Unscrew the retaining screw for the video card. Undo locking mech (if you have AGP) and just slide the AGP card out.
  8. Push down on retaining clips on the memory cards and slide memory cards out and set aside.
  9. Unscrew retaining screws for the motherboard. Pull the motherboard out and set it aside.
  10. If you are just cleaning , I suggest you use canned air and blast every little inch in which you see dust (but do not be careless); remember, some items cannot take a beating, so be very careful.
  11. Just reverse the removal method when you are ready to reinstall.

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Computer Hardware Installation

Posted onAuthorTruXter

Installing hardware into a fresh PC is not that complicated, really.

If the prongs and the holes line up, read the part number and look it up and check compatibilities. Sometimes some hardware is too powerful, so checking specs is always a plus. 80% of the time they will work, but sometimes you can run into problems — like an AMD Athlon XP will not fit into an AMD Athlon 64 board. Same goes for AMD and Pentium. Prongs won’t line up.

The red wire always faces toward the power source. Look really close to the IDE cables (even the ones with the center top hole filled); you will notice there is a red dotted wire. Magnify it if you need to. Same with the FDD seven cable twist. FDD plugs in after the twist — never before.

PCI or AGP video cards just clip in. If it has a hook at the end, it is AGP. If not, then it is not. AGP will be the smaller slot.

Memory is just a clip in, also. Look up board manufacturers and part numbers and read through the specs for the board to know the minimum and maximum memory capabilities for your PC. (I have also looked this up more than… well, plenty of times and can easily do it. You can, too!)

With the CPU, once again, part numbers and manufacturer numbers are of wonderful help. Check board specs, check CPU specs, and always double check before the hard part, which is sliding the CPU into the dock. Squirt a thin layer of heat sink paste on the side facing away from the motherboard. Set the heatsink onto the CPU and center it before it actually touches (so you don’t smear off the heat paste while wiggling all around to position it). Clasp the retainer on either side. Screw the fan down to the heatsink. Plug the fan into the board.

With the power supply, make sure you have one strong enough to run your fan and that meets your CPU’s requirements. Make sure it is fastened really tightly; clip all wires into what ever hole they fit in (this is usually true). If you have one drive power connector that has no other splices or additional connectors on it, I would suggest you either use it for the master drive or you could plug your fans and lights into that connector.

With IDE and FDD cables, red goes toward the power source.

The use of a hot glue gun by splatting a tad at the clasps for most parts except the CPU is okay to prevent stuff from falling out of place.

Scroll to the bottom of my page if you want to make a donation and request further assistance. Any donation helps! If the problem is resolved, please pass this link on when you know of someone in need.

Shopping Tip: iPod Vs. Zune Vs. chiPod

Posted onAuthorTruXter

With the chiPod you pay an average of 30 buck a gig.

with the iPod you pay no less than 75 for the basic model.

with the Zune prices similar to iPod but start around 150+

iPod easy scratched and shattered.

chiPod, if you break it, oh well. You paid nearly nothing for it.

Zune is tough

iPod media is limited to only being played on iPod

chiPod, media is for old school p2p people, limited by only trends.

Zune same as iPod but both do play pirated stuff also. not vice versa. and not each other’s.

iPod gets updates to firmware when flaws are found.

chiPod you can complety hack the whole thing.

Zune gets mandated updates, I think.

OK, on to the good part

The iPod has a ton more content with iTunes being so poular and up and out and veterined to pleasing the customers with media they want. The iPod has tons of hacks that void the warranties, but you can do it anyway.

ChiPod has a comunity of freinds who all ban together to make and update and upgrade the firmware. Most of us have either a Zune or an iPod also but still love to mod our cheapy. the chiPod you can take anywhere without the stress of tearing up something good. My chiPod matched my iPod so no one knows the difference anyway when I am out and around. :P Battery life is pathetic, then again storage is not much greater.

Zune. This sucker looks like a tank and the whole software and interface is great not confusing , the storage on these is large and read times do not seem to be any worse than either of the other two. Battery life is awesome and amazing. Video suport very nice and looks really good. Dropped it and picked it right back up, no scratched even though it landed face down.

You make the decision from the observations I point out or just totally ignore me. I offer it’s up to you what to accept.

New Egg  for  you need to locate

HFGL

TruXter

Makeshift Flash Mod

Posted onAuthorTruXter

I was asked to work on site for a company that specializes in loans and stuff, industrial loans and business loans and so on. They paid me very well for doing this.

I did this whole thing and they later sent me an intro they wanted added into the flash file, Heck I had never worked with flash before I even began to try and work on this site, so bare with me for my lack of knowledge of dreamweaver and or what ever that cs3 program was I was using to edit the .fla files with. If you go to starlitefundinginc.com you will see that I did the intro as they requested. If you look closely you will see that i used an iframe to set the size of the flash file and I believe I used to tables to keep it centered. Maybe not. But after the first flash file runs it’s full term I set the html page it was on to forward to the next page after 27 seconds. With using the Iframe the site stays focused on the main address in the address bar, This was simple because the page does not actually change, So I only had to do one <title></title> in the html listingteh many types of loans and funding they provide. The owners of that company did not want any text on the page, even though I tried what I could to explain how search engines  work these days.

What I am wondering is if there is way that I can some how combine two flash files  and make it one file? Is this even neccessary? Would it be much of a hassle for me to squish em both together ?

I mean they get plenty of people looking to check out the site and stuff for corperate loans and stuff or what ever they are looking for.  I mean what they are looking for is beyond my knowledge or ability to care greater than assumption. I do see hits on the site so I am not sure how the search engines are ranking this site, I never find it in searches unless I do a specified search for the company. I never seem to find it under any form of loan I try.

If anyone knows a way of putting something in the html to increase hits to that site hit me up with a tip or something, or if anyone knows how to smoosh the two swf files into or if it is even worth the bother hit me up. I kind of figgured that would be a huge wonkin file and no one would actually sit and wait while that loaded.but hit me up if you have a clue.

Really if I had better knowledge of adobe products I probably would have made a ton more money on this project, But my knowledge of dreamweaver is quite limited. The site does not make me happy. I know it isn’t my site and the owners of the company seemed happy with it, I just wish I could have done a little bit better.

Linux: Wine + Magix

Posted onAuthorTruXter

Well I got into the mood to edit some audio. I cracked open my c drive in my trusty Xandros File manager and then the console and found my way to the magix folder. Well guys, you can edit audio under wine. With the use of magix music maker you can actually edit your mp3 files and do it in 16 tracks.

See I have been using magix for about 9 years now so I love that fricken audio editor and well not being able to use really upsets me, it seem with the latest version of wine you have a free shot at using magix on your favorite operating that does not seem to Microsoft.

I must warn that I just loaded it and ran the basic features and played some of the sound effects that come with it , before I wrote this. So even if it does not do the masterful audio editing that magix is commonly capable of, it is a huge move. I am quite sure the guys with wine might feel like upgrading it really soon to not have any issues.

screenshot wine magix

16 tracks of editing fun! Bam!

well there is the screen shot of the mp3 and audio file editor running on linux, I hope you guys enjoy this.If you need help just message me and I will extend what ever help I can your way. Enjoy making your audio masterpiece. :P

TruXter

Car Stereo Woes

Posted onAuthorTruXter

Ok I bought a car, And gave up the old car with a very nice stereo in it that had many , many functions a tech geek like myself would like.

You know addons like sd and mmc reader and usb and aux connections. Well the car I am in, came with a clarion stereo and no manual. It has this screen saver feature so you can not see the clock, it just rolls lines and then zeros. Well that has been bugging me, the only time I see the clock is when I turn off the stereo. The clock is two hours off. NO FRICKEN MANUAL. I started a search and found some spam filled site that actually carried the pdf. First I skipped that site and hit a few forums in the links and found tons of lost and confused people, who missabreviated stuff and just made it seem hopeless. I really have no idea why I put so much freakin effort into this I really want to get another car stereo like the one I had before. But if you know me, I can not drop something without figguring it completely out and see all of it’s features good or useless. I of course will then decide what will be a handicap or an excelent feature.

Well it turned out devicemanuals.com had exactly what I needed. This stereo isnt half bad now that I can adjust the time and the bass & treble, bass boost and loudness. I will not be hanging on to it though much longer I am going back to the storage ready machine.

Shopping Tip: PC Vs Laptop

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If you are in the market for a new computer but are not sure if you should get a personal computer with a tower and a monitor, or a laptop, Hopefully this article will help you. I will try and weigh the differences for you.

For the first I will start with PC (personal computer).

Ups.

A personal computer can have high amounts of power in many of the parts, Like fresh up to date video card for the gamers or high quality video watchers, Or powerful processor(s) to do the tasks you need to get done, latest and greatest up to date memory and full capacity . Nice 25inch monitor and the keyboard and or mouse of your choice allowing you to make all use of the items as easy as you want. Well Like I have a trusty keyboard I bought from CompUSA at least four years ago that has tons of extra keys for items that I may need to open and run plus it’s own scroll wheel so I can skip ahead 5 lines at a time when I know I am on a huge page and need something from the bottom of the page, but do not feel like grabbing the mouse. That wheel also works in video games. My mouse is Memorex mouse with 5 buttons plus the wheel clicks for other uses, in most games the wheel clicks for an aimer and the side button are stand up and lay down. Both of those items where my own choice and my selection, as the case for my pc is my choice with ventilation So I can run the fans I feel I need to cool my computer the way I want and have it look the way I want. Everything can be modified and upgraded.

Downs.

Lots of wires everywhere. Huge tower that I keep bumping with my knee and I know someday I will bump it hard enough to scratch the hard drive . Can hardly ever move it or take it anywhere, like on vacation. No way of just putting it away and pulling back out when in need for usage without a frickin’ owner’s manual on how to rewire it back together. I never have been good at memory games. All of the add on parts are quite costly. When buying speakers you have to select some that will sound good, look good, and last and might be impressive, So you kinda have to learn all that or trust ol’ brad from the sales desk. Pretty loud, is most annoying when using as a media center.

For thsi next section I will cover the laptops:

Ups.

Portability, design, ease of use, small, convenient, hides away nice when a guest comes over with a toddler, Slides right under the seat in my car, Has a mouse and keyboard, monitor, and speakers built right in, you can add on third party if you want but do not have to ! Really makes great use of the Wi-Fi system you set your house up to, You can actually now sit on the couch in your skivvies and pizza stained t-shirt and let that computer desk chair collect dust. You can cook and check your email or MySpace message with your laptop resting safely on the counter while you fry your bologna.

Downs.

Once that keyboard is damages or worn out, It gets expensive, once that monitor breaks, well it’s really quite ruined and probably a better idea to buy a new one instead of replace it. If that toddler gets hold of the laptop, it’s screwed. The mouse built into laptops has always been something that just bothers me into utter stress, because they never seem to do what I want them to do without a few tries. Can get stolen easily. Will warp if left under the seat in my car on a hot day when I get stuck somewhere a little longer than I anticipated. I always have to remember to gather it up when I leave a location that I took the thing out of my car. Not very good for gaming or video compression, most parts are not upgradeable.

Okay, I just covered my likes and dislikes now I will do the run down of what is the better choice.

For those who are into high end monster power tasks, Go for the PC. For everyone else get the laptop, you will get ten times more out of the laptop than what you will get from the pc. Take that sucker to work with ya. Just when you are shopping , if they do not state the specifications of what is in the computer, chances are they are outdated.

GLHF

TruXter

Linux Gamer Update

Posted onAuthorTruXter

Well I have my Grand Theft auto vice city and my GTA San Andreas working just fine under Linux. Having an issue with gtaIII at the screen where it is saying it is setting up for my video card and then it just locks up, unsure what happened.

I have Delta force one and two working fine, I am now working on getting black hawk down to work and will be headed to making deltaforce extreme work on Linux. I will be helping you guys all get through this . My ultimate goal is to play online with anyone of the deltaforce games after deltaforce one. I wouldn’t mind a nice capture the flag or TeamDeath Match and not have to worry about some brat hacking me because I set myself to DmZ on my router for open ports.

After that works I will be moving on to Need For Speed. Carbon and most wanted .(i actually like most wanted a lot more).

If anyone is already deep into either one of these and making them work on linux please hit me up with a little help, I may not be as far along as you.

Thanks guys for reading this stuff, this is fun.

Broke My MP3 Player

Posted onAuthorTruXter

Today at work I squatted down to paint something that needed to be painted (of course?) and heard a crunch from my lower pocket. I thought to myself “Cheetos?” I do not remember having Cheetos in my pocket . So I stood up to dig into my pocket and see WTF it was. :( It was the MP3 player that I was listening to earlier.

So now it’s crushed and I have nothing to listen to podcasts except an MP3 player that runs on actual changeable batteries. I hate recharging them dang things. So I will be shopping for a new one now.

[tags]mp3 player, ipod[/tags]