From the initial setup in windows 7 the account you create doesn’t have full administrative rights. It’s all most an administrator but not quite. Which is why you have to use the run as administrator option to change and edit certain system files. If you need to make a custom entry in your windows host file you will have to run notepad as an administrator. To do this all you need to do is click Start and in the search bar type notepad, right click on the notepad icon that appears in the results area. Choose the “run as administrator” option. Then hit file open and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc. There you will find the HOSTS file and you will be allowed to edit and save the changes to the system file.

Sharing your sprint data service in Windows is way easier then you think. I have the Sierra 589, but Im sure this applies to any of the sprint data connections that use Sprint Smart view version 1.28 . The first thing you’ll want to do is make sure you have the latest version of Smart View. Once you have that out of the way open the program up and choose Tools from the top menubar. Go all the way down to settings and navigate to the Hardware Tab. Look for a check box called “allow simultaneous connections” give it a check and click Ok. This will prevent Smart View from disconnecting while you have 2 network connections running. Next hit the Start Button -> Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> Network and Sharing -> Change Adapter Settings. Right click on CDMA (Yours may be named differently if you have another type of cellular modem) go to properties. Click on the Sharing tab and check “allow other users to connect through this computer’s internet connection”. This will enable a DHCP server with the default IP scheme of 192.168.137.x/255.255.255.0 and and a gateway of 192.168.137.1. If you have your computer already on a network with an internet connection and a DHCP server this will cause some issues. If you have a switch plug plug into it with a network cable and do the same for any other computer you want to share your connection with and your good to go. Provided the network adpater of all the other machines are set to obtain an IP automatically. If you dont have a switch you can go from network card to network card if your only sharing with one pc.

I went into Office Depot today and they had Ativa 5.1 speakers for 20$. The set was marked down from 119.99 and the deal was available in store only (online they are 40$). For the average user or somone who doesnt want to invest a lot of money into a set of speakers for a computer or home audio this isnt a bad deal at all. If you intend on using the set for a computer with 5.1 sound you will need a card capable of 5.1, also the card will need to have the 3 inputs required. The inputs for 5.1 are usually identified by  color. Green is for your fronts, black is for your rears, orange is for your center and sub.

You will also need 3 RCA to 3.5mm stereo mini plug cables to connect from the ports on your sound card to the amp built into the sub. I had enough cables lying around to splice together to make 3 RCA to 3.5 minis, but they took some time to make. I would suggest getting them from Monoprice.com (.59 Cents) if you dont have the tools or the time to make the cables. After getting everything hooked up I did have some issues in windows 7 getting the sound to come out it 5.1. After about 20 mins of fooling around with drivers and the IDT Sound Control program, I found a post showing how to enable 5.1 through the windows control pannel. You have to go to Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Sound -> Speakers (make sure these are your default audio device). Click on the speakers entry once so they are blue and then click configure on the lower left corner of the window. In the next window click 5.1 as your configuration and then click test. you should now hear all your speakers chime one at a time. Watch the indication on the screen to make sure you have your RCAs in correctly. I had to switch a couple of mine so the rights and the lefts matched up.

Maximize a window -
Windows Key + Up

Minimize a window -
Windows + Down

Minimize all windows except  the currently active window -
Windows Key + Home

Make every active window transparent -
Windows Key + Space

Head on over to http://globalthoughtz.com/ and check out their list of the Top 50 free sofware downloads for Windows. This is some great information. I personally use a majority of these programs myself. I’m sure you will find some great applications you never knew about.

cheers!

So, I downloaded and installed Sugarsync over a week ago and I absolutely love it. It’s exactly what I need to sync my work pc to my home pc. Not having to worry about leaving files behind at the office is such a relieve. I know you can use a USB thumb drive but the Sugarsync service never forgets to sync your files. You can sync any folder on your PC and if you mess up a version you can roll back to a previous version. I would probably pay double for a service like this. Needless to say I’m completely impressed by Sugarsync and I’m definitely keeping my subscription past the 30 day trial.

ATI has changed their user interface a bit for the newer Windows 7 Catalyst drivers. They seem to have hidden some important features that you would use if you connect your PC /HDTV via HDMI. If you are having trouble finding the HDMI options just fallow these steps. (my problem was finding the overscan option to turn it off)

Right click desktop
Enter Catalyst Control Center- advanced menu

Graphics dropdown – Desktop & Displays

Right click you HDMI connected display (monitor/TV)

Click on configure and it will take you to the HDMI options
 

I just camecreen saver,screen saver problem,screen saver bug,windows 7 accross an interesting problem with a fresh Windows 7 install. The screen saver wouldn’t kick on not matter how many options I played with.

The solution was to check all my input devices and narrow down what one was registering as active. Usually it’s a wireless mouse problem but this time it was a wired 3dconnexion mouse used to surf Google Earth. I unplugged that device and my screen saver popped right on.

Troubleshooting check list:
1. check running services
2. unplug individual input devices

If those don’t help, post your questions in this post or call us: 888-HLP-MYPC

If you want a quick and simple solution for scanning your network Angry IP Scanner is a great tool. The interface is easy and simple and provides results in a readable report. I use this tool almost daily to help troubleshoot and setup networks.

Has anyone else experienced unusually long wait times in receiving their Windows 7 upgrade from a recently purchase PC/Laptop? I purchased an HP Laptop back in September and it came with the Windows 7 upgrade. Windows 7 was realesed in mid October and they just notified of my upgrade shipping. I should recieve the upgrade disc in 5-7 business days. So, about a month and a half  has passed since requesting my upgrade. I was just wondering if anyone else was experiencing upgrade “woes”?