Hard to find fixes for those done gone stubborn problems you encounter in every day tech life.
I’ll be reviewing Norton 2010 Internet Security within the next few weeks. I recently acquired a 3-computer license. I plan to install it on my main box as well as my work computers in order to put it through its paces.
I’ll be looking at how well it auto protects. How well it detects threats, how well it cleans, and how much of a performance hit it takes on your and my computers.
Look forward to seeing it within the next few weeks.
So my trusty, DVI KVMP, the IOGEAR GCS1204
This is the GCS1644’s little brother
I started out by getting in touch with the online chat. This was a bit tedious as they are often slow and more often than not, will disconnect on you before you’re even done chatting.
So I got in the chat, told them what was happening and that if they could start the RMA process. They did. They sent me to a link in which I had to fill out my information, including serial number, address, etc.
I would hope at this day and age that you would get a simple confirmation email stating that they received your request. That did not happen. I was kind of confused so I sent it again, all my info, doing the cumbersome task of writing it all out (then I remembered that I had Roboform installed and just used Roboform instead).
I had to submit it 4 times, and then get back on the chat with a representative in order to finally get some type of confirmation.
The next day I received confirmation that the RMA was submitted and how to proceed. I had to fax something in to them. I had to fax a proof of purchase, and also a sheet of paper with my name, address, the serial number of the product, model number of the product things like that.
Our fax machine here at work does not fax long distance so unfortunately I had to wait another day. Oh yeah, forgot to mention since this KVMP is for work, I needed it back ASAP. So I opted for their advance RMA which is basically giving them a CC# and them cross-shipping me the KVMP replacement. If I don’t return it back within a certain amount of time, they’ll charge my CC. The one flaw or drawback I consider is that they had me send them my CC# through fax. This is not the safest way to get something like this done, unfortunately. Luckily I have an actual credit card and not a debit card so I sent it anyway because if any unauthorized charges come through, I’ll just dispute them with my CC company.
Anyways I went to Kinkos FedEx to send out the fax to IOGEAR. The faxes cost me almost $5.00 just to send it from where I am to IOGEAR’s headquarters.
Surprisingly I received an email setting up my RMA within an hour of sending the faxes. I was happy that it was quick and painless. The only other complaint I have is that they never gave me a confirmation or a timeline as to when they’d ship the replacement out.
I got back on the chat with support and they told me that I would get an email, try to wait a day. That’s fine. I waited and the next day I got confirmation the KVMP was shipped out via FedEx Home Delivery.
I received it yesterday and as far as I can tell, it’s brand new. If it is refurbished then they pretty much changed everything externally and everything internally is refurbished. That’s fine by me.
So far so good.
Plextor 880SA internal SATA 24x DVDRW
My 3 year old Plextor 760SA has given enough duty for his age. He’s a goner. No longer burns disk at fast rates without producing errors. I want their new burner even though it’s not a real Plextor. It’s a rebadged Lite-On drive.
I could use this for the Mac Mini I use at work. The 2x SuperDrive just isn’t cutting it.
Plextor 8X external SLIM DVDRW
This would best be used by people who have Netbooks and or those who work on computers who need a test optical drive that doesn’t need power. This drive works off of USB power. Great addition.
I have my ASUS Rampage Formula, Intel Core 2 Extreme waiting patiently to be put into a new home. I just need 8GB of this stuff. Someone get them to me!
Need to be bleeding edge with technology, I want this and it’s next on my hit list.
Same with the motherboard above, it would pair nice with the bleeding edge technology.
Only the fastest damn drive on planet earth right now. It’s a tad bigger than a 74GB Raptor which I had been using for several years. I could do with 80GB.
The 80GB’s bigger brother.
I have my Panasonic LX3 but this camera hands down, with the 1080p video capabilities, is by far margins ahead of the Panasonic.
If you want, you could buy one of these great gifts and send them to me for Christmas. I’d truly appreciate it!
This is the most important thing you can have in your arsenal in prolonging your computer’s life.
Most people think, oh hey, I’m just going to go down to Best Buy to buy the cheapest one available and or think that their surge protectors will help – here is news, it won’t. You should be ready to pay to play.
You will need something like this APC BR1500 Back-UPS 1500VA for Home/Office Computers. I use this personally at home, and work for my computers. APC has recently announced that they’re going to update the look of this UPS but in the mean time, I assure you, this will be your best money spent on protecting your PC.
You need a higher end version that regulates voltage and your power. Something that will provide line conditioning for those power outages/surges/brownouts that occur right under your nose. You may not hear it, see symptoms or notice it, but it happens. Will this device your computer is protected. On top of that, APC does offer a guarantee type insurance in the case of catastrophic failure but for the most part, you won’t need it.
I’ve already purchased two of these APC BR1500 Back-UPS 1500VA for Home/Office Computers
Don’t fret, actual phone support will be good through 2014. However, EOL is scheduled for July 13, 2010. Along with XP SP2, Windows 2000 Server will join the party.
It’s OK though. Windows 7 is the new XP and Vista is gone. I assure you that once you go 7, you won’t need to go back. Even if you do have to go back, depending on which version of 7 you get, you’ll have a virtual XP anyway.
I have a Gateway laptop here that after every reboot, loses its wireless connection. I have to open up the Microsoft wireless utility and then use the keyboard command Fn + F2 in order to get the wireless to come back up. This is very annoying as it should stay on all the time without me having to constantly, after every reboot, use the function key to turn it back on.
I’ll report back. I tried flashing the BIOS with latest available on Gateway site but it told me it was the wrong version. Not good. Going to try installing a new wireless card and see where that takes me.
Their Back-UPS line is getting a nice new refresh. I was browsing their forums and found some info regarding new updates to the BR1500 UPS. I have two of these UPS and they have been nothing but great to me. They do look a bit outdated though.
According to one of the moderators or admins at their forum, it appears that the BR1500 is headed for a refresh. The LCD model of the BR1500 looks like it was designed back in 1992. The new updated version is going to follow the same look as the BX1500G.
Same deal, ASUS Rampage Formula, X48 chipset with an Intel Core 2 Extreme, QX9650 processor. I got both in my hands. I just need an additional 8GB of memory which I’ll buy promptly on Monday and I’ll be straight. Can’t wait.
