Monday, March 28, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Computer Tech - How to tune up your computer for free!
The following are ways to optimize your computer and increase overall load times and memory usage. I have been doing this for several years now and have found these methods very effective on customer computers. This is the true "Free PC TuneUp"!1. CCleaner
CCleaner is a program that will clear out your computers temp files and fix your registry. I run this program on every computer i receive regardless of what it needs.
2. Msconfig
Msconfig is a windows tool that is used to configure startup programs. Search for it on your computer or start/run/msconfig. Click the startup tab and from there you can configure what programs you actually use when you start your computer. I usually only leave the entries that relate to drivers or the computer, though you do not have to. If its an entry for a program like quicktime/skype/google/messenger/adobe/office etc. I uncheck it. You can drastically increase your startup time and overall computer performance using this tool. This is one of the most useful tools in windows.
3. Disk Defrag
Defragmenting your hard drive will increase your read/write times to your hard drive which will increase your performance. Check out Defraggler by piriform, the same company that makes CCleaner. I use it along with the standard windows defragmenter every couple of months.
4. Others
If you have a desktop computer make sure it is free of dust. Spray it out!
Reset your internet explorer to all defaults in internet options if you use it.
Check what plugins and addons you have installed in firefox! Remember everything you have added increases the amount of memory needed to run firefox. If necessary reinstall firefox or reset it to get a fresh fox with no additional addons or plugins. The difference in memory usage can be huge sometimes!
Update your computer with windows update! Stop ignoring it, I know you do!
Uninstall programs you do not use.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Computer Tech - How to remove your system of malware for free!
1. System RestoreIf you have identified that your computer may have a virus, dont panic. If you are positive of when you were infected, use system restore. It will restore your computer back to a date before you got the virus. This will only work if you know when you got the virus.
2. Free Virus Removal Tools
Dont waste your money and purchase a virus removal software. There are free ones out there which many times are better. The best tools to use,
- Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes is a virus removal program which is free to download and use. After installing, hit the update tab and update the program. Hit it again to make sure you have the latest definitions. Use quick scan! It is programmed to target the places where most virus's like to hang out in your system. This should take care of nearly all malware on your system. Restart your computer and run it again just to be safe!
- HitmanPro 3.5
HitmanPro is a virus removal tool which is specialized in removing root kits. Its is free to download and install. Run the quick scan, the program will update, and then select use the 30 day free key. Review the list of items it marked for removal and then delete. Restart your computer. This program should be ran after malwarebytes.
- HijackThis (Only for advanced users)
HijackThis is a tool which shows registry and file settings that are commonly manipulated by malware. It should be used with extra caution as it is a diagnostic tool, where it is up to the user to decide what is malware and what is not. I have been working on computers for several years now and can spot an infected log from a clean one with ease. If you decide to download HijackThis and are not 100% sure on what are bad entries, i suggest you just uninstall the program and don't use it.
I have been using these 3 programs together for years and have found them to be very successful at cleaning all malware and virus's from computers. When i come across a computer that is still infected after using those 3 programs i usually just reinstall windows on that computer from the recovery partition or from the windows disc. If this is not an option for you, there are a few more programs out there which are effective virus removers. I suggest you check out:
SUPERAntiSpyware
EmsiSoft Anti-Malware
GMER
F-Secure Easy Clean
Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool
ComboFix
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Computer Tech - How to keep a virus free computer without antivirus software!
Having worked on hundreds of customer computers over the past 4 years i found that even with anti virus software it is possible to get virus's. I've seen computers with free versions and full subscription versions of many programs that still allowed computer virus's through. Just to name a few: Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky, Panda, Eset, Avast, AVG, Avira. Many of these programs hog resources as well and can slow down a computer tremendously from what i have seen. Check your processes in task manager, imagine if you could have the extra resources from these programs and still not get a virus. Well you can! I have now been using my computer for over a year without a antivirus program and I am still free of virus's. How?
I have found you can get a virus by:
1. Clicking Ad's on websites
When i say this, i mean Ad's that link to pages you are unfamiliar with. Not Ad's for like google.com, target.com etc. These Ad's will link to strange websites that you have never been to before. Ex: freecashnow.com or something similar. These Ad's can appear misleading in nature as well. They will say, fill out this survey to win this, or Get 70% off Apple IPad, blah blah blah BULLSHIT! Many of these sites have computer virus's on them just waiting to infect your computer!
2. Clicking on unknown websites from search engines.
Similar to the Ad's, although somewhat harder to deal with. I understand that you are trying to find what you are looking for, but if the URL of the page looks odd, chance are it is!
3. Pornography Websites
Not all pornography websites have virus's on them but there are millions of pages that do. If you go web searching for porn sites and get all click happy, you are guaranteed to get a virus. GUARANTEED! Just dont look at porn, is that so hard?
4. Downloading Illegal/Unknown Files
Files from unknown emails, p2p programs like limewire, torrents, downloads from random ass websites. Just dont download illegal files. Stay away from limewire and torrents. You are downloading ILLEGAL material anyways. You shouldn't be doing this in the first place.
Besides staying away from these 4 virus happy places, there are a few other thing you should do..
1. Dont use Internet Explorer, Use Firefox!
The other browsers are better and safer than IE as well, but Firefox is needed for the add ons. Plus its a great browser!
2. Install the Firefox add on, Adblock Plus
Just go to tools/addons and search for it there. This add on will eliminate nearly all ads on websites and videos, and result in faster page load times.
3. Install the Firefox add on, WebOfTrust
This addon will show a rating next to search engine results. Green = page is safe, Red = Avoid.
Now the rating system is based on user reviews, it is not perfect but it is damn good. A million times safer than searching without it!
4. Use windows update
It is there for a reason! Keeps your OS up to date and secure. Should be run at least once a month or automatically.
And that is it! This is all i have been doing for over a year and guess what, No virus's! No antivirus software! Fast computer! :3
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Staples - Things you may not know!
Hiring Process
They will hire nearly anyone. If you are looking for a job, call the store or show up in person. Talk to the managers about any job openings, but also talk to the associates. Many times the associates know what the store is looking for. Apply online, and keep calling the store. The only people who ever got interviews were the ones who wouldn't stop bothering the managers. No drug test.
When you fill out the questionnaire part of the application, there are wrong answers. All applications are given a rating, Green/Yellow/Red. These are all based on the questionnaire and the conviction question. Managers can only contact greens or yellows. If you are red you can not be hired. Make sure you give your name every time you contact the store. They will search by name in the application program to find your application, if they are hiring.
Pay
Staples pays most employees right around minimum wage. Raises are usually given once a year and only about 35 cents. Most department leads i knew made around $10 an hour. Most assistant managers i knew made around $40,000 annually. However, they recently switched them all to hourly pay due to complaints that GM's were making salaried payed AM's work 60+ hours a week with no overtime.
Tech Sales
Stores are required to maintain high protection plan sales. Many times they will tell you the item is not in stock if they know you will not be purchasing the warranty. Just say you will, and when they bring you your laptop and you are ready to pay, change your mind on the plan. Also if you actually want the plan, they can put a warranty that is cheaper on a more expensive item. For instance, the $99 warranty is for laptops less than $400 dollars, but it can be used on $700 laptops as well.
Easy Tech
Easy tech is a rip off just like Best Buy/CompUSA/Office Depot etc. Most services are extremely easy to do yourself if you research online enough about it. Ill have another post on how to repair your computer in a sec.
Never purchase computer hardware from an office store. If you have to purchase in store, CompUSA has the same hardware for about %30 less. Online is the cheapest place to shop for RAM/Hard Drives etc.
The "free" Pc tune up is suppose to clean/defrag/reg fix/check for virus. Most times we would just run the program to check for virus's or just tell you it needs a $40 service, and then we do what the "Free" PC Tune up is suppose to do. The store gets credited $30 every time a "Free" PC Tune up is rang up btw.
Furniture
If you want us to build you a chair that you purchased we will tell you to come back in a few hours. Quite a few times we had an extra display chair in the back that we will just wipe clean real quick and give that to you. One thing about the warranties on furniture and printers, we will seriously give you a brand new printer or chair 2 years later when you come back with your warranty receipt, even if the item works. Just say i will purchase a new warranty with the new item and we will do the exchange. Your item gets returned and exchanged for the new one. The old item gets damaged out and usually does not affect the store at all.
Ask the associates on the floor for coupons or specials, say you really need these items and you are a few bucks short. Many times there are coupons out that week like $10 off 50 or whatever.
If you want to know if a laptop is in stock, call the 1-800 number. Stores will lie.
Worked there for 2 years btw.
When you fill out the questionnaire part of the application, there are wrong answers. All applications are given a rating, Green/Yellow/Red. These are all based on the questionnaire and the conviction question. Managers can only contact greens or yellows. If you are red you can not be hired. Make sure you give your name every time you contact the store. They will search by name in the application program to find your application, if they are hiring.
Pay
Staples pays most employees right around minimum wage. Raises are usually given once a year and only about 35 cents. Most department leads i knew made around $10 an hour. Most assistant managers i knew made around $40,000 annually. However, they recently switched them all to hourly pay due to complaints that GM's were making salaried payed AM's work 60+ hours a week with no overtime.
Tech Sales
Stores are required to maintain high protection plan sales. Many times they will tell you the item is not in stock if they know you will not be purchasing the warranty. Just say you will, and when they bring you your laptop and you are ready to pay, change your mind on the plan. Also if you actually want the plan, they can put a warranty that is cheaper on a more expensive item. For instance, the $99 warranty is for laptops less than $400 dollars, but it can be used on $700 laptops as well.
Easy Tech
Easy tech is a rip off just like Best Buy/CompUSA/Office Depot etc. Most services are extremely easy to do yourself if you research online enough about it. Ill have another post on how to repair your computer in a sec.
Never purchase computer hardware from an office store. If you have to purchase in store, CompUSA has the same hardware for about %30 less. Online is the cheapest place to shop for RAM/Hard Drives etc.
The "free" Pc tune up is suppose to clean/defrag/reg fix/check for virus. Most times we would just run the program to check for virus's or just tell you it needs a $40 service, and then we do what the "Free" PC Tune up is suppose to do. The store gets credited $30 every time a "Free" PC Tune up is rang up btw.
Furniture
If you want us to build you a chair that you purchased we will tell you to come back in a few hours. Quite a few times we had an extra display chair in the back that we will just wipe clean real quick and give that to you. One thing about the warranties on furniture and printers, we will seriously give you a brand new printer or chair 2 years later when you come back with your warranty receipt, even if the item works. Just say i will purchase a new warranty with the new item and we will do the exchange. Your item gets returned and exchanged for the new one. The old item gets damaged out and usually does not affect the store at all.
Ask the associates on the floor for coupons or specials, say you really need these items and you are a few bucks short. Many times there are coupons out that week like $10 off 50 or whatever.
If you want to know if a laptop is in stock, call the 1-800 number. Stores will lie.
Worked there for 2 years btw.
Xaviere Guitars
Earlier this year i decided to start a little band up with some friends, but i didn't own a guitar. See i've played bass guitar for a few years and all i had was a bass. With only $200 on me, i knew i had to find a guitar on the cheap.
I headed over to guitar center and tried nearly all guitars they had in my price range. Basically only squire and epiphone guitars. They all felt and sounded like junk. Low quality SHIT! So i took to the internet. My friend recommended i check out
this guitar company that makes replicas on the cheap, Xaviere Guitars. To my surprise, the guitars all looked really nice and were priced under $200!
However, how do they sound?
To my surprise, they compare in sound and quality to the squire guitars in the $400 price range, but for a fraction of the price. My guitar, was only $169 plus shipping! It stays in tune, sounds decent, looks and feels pretty good, and costs nothing. The best part about it is because its so cheap, im not even worried if i scratch it or drop it. Its not like im playing on a fender tele afterall! Recommended!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Technology for the future
To be honest, i used to believe it was greed. The want to be more powerful than anyone else, the need for riches. This may have worked in the past, but we are moving on to a new age. One where technology must be based on survival rather than wealth. The earth is changing. Climate, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcano's, hurricanes.. Ecosystems have been affected beyond repair, the proof is in the seas.
This is the future for us, more so than ever before and all while the human population continues to grow. Food will run scarce. Mass flooding will force humans to high grounds where thousands will flock to. The areas will be overpopulated and full of disease and shit. Once it passes, the earth will calm, as will the tide. New land will be formed, but it wont matter. Our technology will be useless for the most part. Vehicles thirst for oil, people thirst for oil, are we mechanical?
Greed is no longer advancing technology, it is preventing it.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Battle: LA
Just got back from the movies with my father. I wasn't to sure of what to expect when we bought the tickets, i mean i had heard little to nothing about the movie other than its humans vs aliens.
With zero expectations going in, i actually enjoyed the movie. I thought the action scenes were pretty well done and surprisingly Aaron Eckhart's performance was good. He seemed comfortable in the role and his scenes were far superior to other parts of the movie.
My biggest gripe with the film is the cheesy lines they always throw in films that are intended to appeal to younger audiences. I HATE THAT FUCKING SHIT! They are always used at the wrong time and make it feel like they are just thrown in to give the other actors something to say. They are getting destroyed by the aliens, clearly they are struggling to survive, 3 soldiers get killed, and then suddenly one alien gets shot and here comes an awful comical line "You got him like i bang your wife, hard".. Ok, maybe they didn't say that, but the lines were like that!!!
Why do films do this?
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Japan, I love you
Does anyone ever question relief funds?
How do i know if my money will actually be spent for the cause?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theenvoy/20110311/ts_yblog_theenvoy/watch-raw-footage-of-the-japan-earthquake-and-tsunami
How do i know if my money will actually be spent for the cause?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theenvoy/20110311/ts_yblog_theenvoy/watch-raw-footage-of-the-japan-earthquake-and-tsunami
Monday, March 7, 2011
PSP Programming Tutorial for Windows + SDL (Without Cygwin)
PSP Programming Tutorial for Windows (C/C++)
Plus SDL with out Cygwin
This tutorial that i have written will teach you step by step how to set up you psp development environment for windows in less than 15 minutes and without the need to install any large files or Shells (Cygwin).
Before i begin i would like to thank heimdall for the excellent Win32 toolchain and pspsdk installer. (Minimalist PSPSDK for Windows)
Also i would like to add, If you are new to C/C++ I would highly recommend you begin your programming adventure on a computer, not the psp. For serious "want to be" programmers, i would highly recommend taking courses at your local community college.
------
-INSTALLATION-
1. Click the following link to download the Win32 native toolchain and pspsdk installer (Created by Heimdall).
2. Download the file: "pspsdk-setup-0.9.2.exe" from sourceforge.
3. Run the file that was just downloaded and when it asks where to install change "C:/pspsdk" to "C:/pspdev". The rest just press next til finished.
4. Congratulations, You have just installed the pspsdk, toolchain, and libraries needed to program on the psp.
5. You should now have a folder inside your harddrive named pspdev. (C:/pspdev/)
------
-SETUP-
6. Open up Notepad and paste the following code:
7. Save the file as: "start.bat", Save as type: "all files", and place it inside C:/pspdev/Code:set path=%path%;c:\pspdev\bin set PSPSDK=C:\pspdev\psp\sdk cmd
8. Open "start.bat". The following information should be displayed
Code:C:\pspdev>set path=C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS; C:\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem;c:\Py thon22;C:\Program Files\QuickTime\QTSystem\; C:\Program Files\Subversion\bin;C:/p spdev/bin;C:/pspdev/bin;;;;;C:\pspdev\bin;c:\pspdev\bin C:\pspdev>set PSPSDK=C:\pspdev\psp\sdk C:\pspdev>cmd Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600] (C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp. C:\pspdev>
9. Congratulations, You have just setup your handy dandy compiler.
--------
-COMPILING/CREATING PROGRAMS-
10. You are now ready to create your first eboot. How?
11. When using the command prompt, it is important to know how to move from folder to folder.
The simple yet effective way to do so is by the following:
12. Open "start.bat" once again.
13. Type: "cd psp", now press enter. You are now inside the folder "psp" which is inside of "pspdev" (C:/pspdev/psp/)
14. To go back to the pspdev folder (C:/pspdev/), Type "cd..", now press enter.
15. To move into a folder that is inside another folder, such as (C:/pspdev/psp/sdk/), Type: "cd psp/sdk", now press enter.
The same can also be achieved by typing "cd psp", press enter, "cd sdk", press enter. Both will take you to (C:/pspdev/psp/sdk/)
16. We are currently in (C:/pspdev/psp/sdk/). We need to go back to (C:/pspdev/). Type "cd..", press enter, "cd..", press enter
17. Now that we are back in (C:/pspdev/) and you now understand how to move from folder to folder, it is time to compile a working eboot for your psp.
18. Type: "cd psp/sdk/samples/controller/basic", press enter. We are now in (C:/pspdev/psp/sdk/samples/controller/basic/).
19. Inside this file is C source code and a makefile. You can not compile a program for the psp without a makefile.
20. Now type: "make", press enter. The following should display:
Code:C:\pspdev\psp\sdk\samples\controller\basic>make psp-gcc -I. -IC:/pspdev/psp/sdk/include -O2 -G0 -Wall -D_PSP_FW_VERSION=150 -c -o main.o main.c psp-gcc -I. -IC:/pspdev/psp/sdk/include -O2 -G0 -Wall -D_PSP_FW_VERSION=150 -L. -LC:/pspdev/psp/sdk/lib main.o -lpspdebug -lpspdisplay -lpspge -lpspctrl -lp spsdk -lc -lpspnet -lpspnet_inet -lpspnet_apctl -lpspnet_resolver -lpsputility - lpspuser -lpspkernel -o controller_basic.elf psp-fixup-imports controller_basic.elf psp-strip controller_basic.elf -o controller_basic_strip.elf pack-pbp EBOOT.PBP PARAM.SFO NULL \ NULL NULL NULL \ NULL controller_basic_strip.elf NULL [0] 408 bytes | PARAM.SFO [1] 0 bytes | NULL [2] 0 bytes | NULL [3] 0 bytes | NULL [4] 0 bytes | NULL [5] 0 bytes | NULL [6] 58508 bytes | controller_basic_strip.elf [7] 0 bytes | NULL C:/pspdev/bin/rm -f controller_basic_strip.elf C:\pspdev\psp\sdk\samples\controller\basic>
21. Congratulations, You just compiled your first program for the psp.
22. Go to (C:/pspdev/psp/sdk/samples/controller/basic/) and copy the EBOOT you just compiled and place it in a new folder inside of your psp, in the (PSP/GAME) folder.
23. Now go try it out!
24. Its time to code =].
---------------
-CODING-
1. The next step is writing your own code. Now you can certainly go ahead and code in notepad, but it is not a good idea. Downloading a program to code on is certainly a good idea.
2. I recommend usind devcpp (bloodshed). Devcpp can be used to code C and CPP on just about anything (Google it). The way i have my setup is i create a new project and save it in a folder inside of (C:/pspdev/).
3. Then begin to code or add code to the project and save the code and makefile using devcpp.
4. I then use the compiler we made "start.bat" and go to the folder where my project is and type make.
5. Thats it. It works great this way for me.
6. If you need help with coding for the psp or are new, Go to PSP-Programming.com for a great tutorial for the psp. Just start on lesson 2.
------
Further Links:
Heimdall - MinPSPW
forums.ps2dev.org :: View topic - Win32 native Toolchain for PSPSDK
jetCube
------
-SDL for PSP-
1. After hours of forum jumping and testing i was finally able to put together a makefile that would work with SDK and compiler we created without cygwin.
2. All of the libraries needed for SDL to run correctly, including SDL Mixer, TTF, and Image, have been installed already (and correctly) thanks to Heimdalls installer.
3. Here is the Makefile I have been using for a game i am making:
Code:TARGET = Ohaspii OBJS = main.o Title.o sdlFunction.o mp3player.o PSPSDK = $(shell psp-config --pspsdk-path) PSPDEV = $(shell psp-config -d) PSPBIN = $(PSPDEV)/bin SDL_CONFIG = $(PSPBIN)/sdl-config CFLAGS = -O2 -G0 -Wall -D PSP CFLAGS += $(shell $(SDL_CONFIG) --cflags) CXXFLAGS = $(CFLAGS) -fno-exceptions -fno-rtti ASFLAGS = $(CFLAGS) LIBS = -lstdc++ -lSDL_ttf -lfreetype -lSDL_image -ljpeg -lpng -lz -lm -lSDL_mixer -lvorbisidec -lmikmod -lmad $(shell $(SDL_CONFIG) --libs) LIBS += -lpspaudiolib -lpspaudio -lpsppower EXTRA_TARGETS = EBOOT.PBP PSP_EBOOT_TITLE = Ohaspii include $(PSPSDK)/lib/build.mak
With this makefile you should have no problem using sdl for the psp. Obviously you will need to change the TARGET, OBJ, and TITLE values. It took me a long time to figure out the order of the LIBS but this worked for me, goodluck.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
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