Published at October 30, 2009
in Random.
This printer, the Dell laser 2330DN does not or cannot print onto index cards. Well it can but it will jam the printer. I was extremely disappointed since my $100 HP laserjet that died a few years back printed to any index card I threw at it with no problems.
I could get it to print but the text that was printed was a) small and b) very light. I tried searching or some setting within the printer software but could not find anything. on top of that the printer would end up jamming due to the fact that the index cards were so thick. I rely heavily on index cards as a study guide.
As some of you may know I bought an HP 2055DN I believe a few years back and it only lasted me about 1 and a half years. I was so disappointed that I looked elsewhere for another laser printer and after some searching, I came to the conclusion that this Dell printer was the one. Unfortunately it is not.
Meh, I guess that’s where there are so many out there, there isn’t one particular one that gets every single job done. I ordered this printer with the duplex feature as well as the network capability.
Besides the index card problem it’s been a great piece of machinery. I have not had any problems. Any recommendations for laser printers that print fine onto index cards?
UPDATE
I figured out what the hell the problem is and it is indeed full of Dell failure. The Dell software/drivers will not allow me to print to a custom sized paper. Thus I have to stick with an A6 sized paper and when I do this, regardless of if I set the actual paper size within Word, the A6 size is thee defacto standard paper size that cannot be changed. This is ridiculous. I am definitely going back to HP. This is just retarded!
Published at October 29, 2009
in Random.
So I have been using Kaspersky for quite some time, as you can see through past posts about this antivirus program. I have had great success using previous versions. I purchased a 3-year subscription a few years back and with that comes free upgrades to their latest versions.
I saw that the 2010 version was out. I usually upgrade my home computer first. I went to the website, downloaded the install file and ran it. Install went fine, no problems to report. I restart the computer and start using my computer like normal. I immediately realize that wow, Internet Explorer 8’s tabs are opening extremely slow. I know that IE8 has had problems with tabs opening slower than other browsers but not this slow.
I dealt with it for a few days thinking it was something else. I went and disabled all add-ons and tried a few other things even going so far as disabling Kaspersky completely. The problem continued to occur.
I ended up removing Kaspersky after running it for about 5 days total. I immediately saw that IE8’s tabs opened much quicker than the delay of 5-10 seconds that I was experiencing with Kaspersky 2010.
I think they’ve continued on a path to bloatware each year they try to implement new things. I kind of want to compare it to the way that Norton had gone for such a long time. Finally though at least Norton saw the light and realized that they had to change. I remember back in the day, mid-90s to late 90s people would recommend Norton like no tomorrow. As the years went by though they continued to bloat their product up like no tomorrow and eventually it would make people’s computers not usable due to the amount of resources it would take it. I can see Kaspersky slowing doing this with their own product. It’s sad though because Kaspersky of all av makers should know that this is not the path to take with their products.
In any case, I don’t have any recommendations for av products at this time. If you had to get something I’ve heard great things about NOD32 but can’t say for sure that it’s a great product since I haven’t used it yet.
I’ll probably have to give Kaspersky 2010 one last try but hopefully that IE8 tab thing will get ironed out. IE8 is my primary browser and I have no plans to change that.
Published at October 28, 2009
in Random.
A friend of mine called me this AM asking me what this particular error message means. So far I’ve gathered that it has to do with hard drive encryption. If you are using a business computer that is connected to some type of domain based network, I can almost guarantee you that it has to do with hard drive encryption. What exactly happened? Not sure but a few sites via Google indicate it has to do with Guardian hard drive encryption and in order to fix it it requires a recovery disk from Guardian. Will update as I find out more about this.
Published at October 27, 2009
in Random.
So my job kind of forced me into taking over Apple repairs. It’s not like it’s a bad thing, it really isn’t. I’ve had a Mac Book (late 2008 model) for almost one year. It’s been a great machine and hands down, without a doubt, I would purchase it again. In fact, I’m trying to save up to either get the 15” MBP or the new 27” iMac (which I must admit has one of the most beautiful screens ever produced [LED 16:9]).
So far I’ve worked mainly with a few Power Mac G5s. I did take a part a recent MacBook which had some coffee spilt on it. Unfortunately I was not able to save that MB. I have a few others lined up. So far in all honesty, it isn’t as bad as I thought it was.
For a long time now I’ve wanted to get into repairing Macs. It’s been in my mind for I don’t know how long, maybe the past 2 years. I just haven’t had the time or motivation to do it. On top of that, what would I practice on? I learn best hands on. I finally kind of got forced into it. I just said screw it, put my game face on and took it to task. So far it’s been okay. Google has undoubtedly helped me a million times over. Where would this world be without the great G? LOL.
Published at October 26, 2009
in Random.
My local TWC is offering wireless service. I found out that they’re going to resell Clearwire service branded as Time Warner. There is absolutely no mention of this in the details on their website. It just says it is Time Warner’s 4G network.
In any case, it is $44.95/month for unlimited access (local only). If I wanted to be able to travel and use it it would be $69.95/month. I also would have to drop $100 for the card although if I sign a 2-year contract they would waive the $100 and give me the card for free. I’m seriously considering it. My wife uses the computer a lot and we’re on the go for children’s sports games, things like that and it would really help out to be more portable than immobile with regular WIFI. You’re not guaranteed WIFI when you’re out and about.
Then again, with T-Mobile supposedly rolling out their new HSDPA network supposedly capable of somewhere along the lines of 20+Mbps (theoretical of course) I just might have to sit tight and wait… however, my local TWC does offer the WIMAX service out of contract so that’s something to think about.
Published at October 23, 2009
in Random.
So I am working on a PowerMac G5 for a client of mine. Initially reports were that the unit smelled like smoke/burning and that it would not turn on. I received the unit thinking that it was a power supply issue. I ordered the PSU and then started to disassemble it. Lo and behold I found an entirely new issue. This unit is liquid cooled. This means that it does not use a regular heat sink + fan. Instead it uses a water cooled device which is like a radiator inside of a car.
Now the problem with this is that overtime, it may spring leaks. I am guessing that it is truly a manufacturer’s defect. Not necessarily Apple’s fault but the fault of whoever’s heat sink design they used in the first place.
As you can see on the first three pictures, there is a lot of corrosion built up from the spilt liquid. This is not just a PSU case. It’s going to take a lot more. I found several websites with a lot of detailed information. This is definitely not an isolated occurrence.
http://www.macintouch.com/readerreports/powermacg5/topic4243.html
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/G5_coolant_leaks.html
Read to your heart’s content.
