One of the easy criticisms of Microsoft's Windows 8 is the missing Start Menu button. There are a few annoyances associated with the changes made in this version of the operating system but the missing Start button seems like the low-hanging fruit when you realize there are people out there that will see this as a steep learning curve. Microsoft has stood firm on the Start … [Read more...]
Archives for September 2012
An In-Place Upgrade will cure what ails your Windows 7
I was seeing inconsistent blue screens of death and other symptoms on my computer that needed to be investigated further. In addition to the BSoDs, I was also seeing a variety of other quirks like going to the "Turn Windows features on or off" window appeared blank instead of the usual list with checkboxes. I performed a variety of diagnostic steps and came up with nothing … [Read more...]
Installing Firefox 15 silently with some customizations
To install Firefox silently is easy. You just run the setup executable with a -ms parameter, for example: firefoxsetup.exe -ms Deploying it with that parameter is a little more complicated but doable through scripts or management programs. Further more, if you would like to customize the default behavior of Firefox, it gets a little more complicated. Here are the steps I … [Read more...]
Building a powerful gaming PC, September 2012
If money were not an obstacle and you could build a PC of all the highest tier components, what would you use in your build? Could you then make a few substitutions to bring your build down to a more moderately priced purchase? We're going to find out what we can do using the latest and greatest as of September 2012. Feel free to toss out your recommendations for better parts … [Read more...]
Cyanide & Happiness explains insecure security questions
Today's Cyanide & Happiness comic provides a good example of choosing bad security questions. Using information that others know or can easily find out is providing a very insecure passage into your accounts. The same precautions you take toward choosing a secure password should be used toward answering your security questions. If the provided questions like "Mother's … [Read more...]