Vista RC1 is Now Available to Anyone!

Wanna try Vista RC1? Well, now according to PC Magazine, you can!

Windows Vista RC1 Now Downloadable By Anyone

“First, it went to a select group of technical beta testers. Then to those who had tested Beta 2. As of September 14, however, Windows Vista Release Candidate (RC) 1 is now available to anyone interested in testing the product. The bits can be downloaded from the Vista Get Ready site. Microsoft’s goal is to allow up to 5 million individuals, total, to play with this near-final test build. After RC1, there are no more public Vista builds coming – just an undetermined number of private ones before the product goes to manufacturing.”

Windows Vista Customer Preview Program—RC1 Update

Go to the link above, and download RC1… see what you think!

Opinion: The “Non-Geekiness” of the Masses

Occasionally, I am reminded of just how big a geek I am. I live in a truly Geek filled world, personally. My lovely wife, Belinda, was manager of the Database and Development Group at Ciba-Geigy (later Novartis, later Syngenta… they can’t make up their minds, I suppose) in the R&D Department. She was a world class geek back when they were cobbling together Macintoshs with actual hard drives (zowie!) to store huge (5 megs!) of data gathered in the field. These machines dialed in (at a blistering 300 – 1200 baud) to update databases on a VAX. This was cutting edge stuff in the early 80s! We met there, and “courted” by e-mail! It was VAX based All-In-1, but it was e-mail! We may not have met on the Internet… but it was as close as it could be back then!

My son is 14. He is a hard core (really hard core) gamer. He has his own web site called “GameMasters.biz”. He rocks!

My friends tend to all be computer geeks, and we talk about virtualization, LAMP, the latest virus attacks and e-mail scams, and when IPTV is going to go mainstream. Our “political discussions” tend to be about net neutrality, or the digital divide.

And then, sometimes, I talk to a “normal” person. Usually, it is when they bring thier computer to me and say, “It’s slow,” or, “It’s broke.” I patiently explain that it is probably overriden by spyware or viruses that THEY got when they went, with wild abandon, to the wrong website, or when they clicked on that e-mail attachment that I had been telling them for years not to click on. They blink their eyes like a deer in headlights and say, “Yeah, whatever… can you fix it?” “Yes,” I say, “I can fix it, but your DO understand that if you keep acting like an idiot and practicing ‘unsafe computing’ you will be back and pay me again to fix it, don’t you?” OK, so I don’t say THAT exactly… it is usually a milder version with the pretty much the same sentiment. But they just give me that look, like, “You really ARE a Geek, aren’t you?” And, they smile and say, “When can I pick it up?”

And so it goes. I suppose I should look at it as a blessing. Like big business and their “planned obsolescence,” I am guaranteed continued business because “the masses” will always be computer “stoopid!” But, the idealist in me keeps trying… and keeps educating, and continues to hope that one day a light bulb will appear over their heads and they will say, “Gee, Dr. Bill, maybe I will learn about how computers and the Internet actually work, and not do dumb things like click on e-mail attachments and visit evil web sites… yeah!” Sigh. Right.

Foxit PDF Reader 2.0 is Out!

OK, you may remember that I introduced you to Foxit Reader as an alternative to the huge, bloated, and slow Adobe PDF Reader as a “Geek Software of the Week.” Well, their 2.0 version is out, and it seems somehow even faster, cleaner and it is still gloriously FREE!

Foxit PDF Reader 2.0

You owe it to yourself to “bag” the Adobe “bloatware” version and move to this small, clean, modern PDF reader… go ahead, click the link!

Hint: How to Check Your PC Files

If you are using Windows XP, and you have had some issue with your system (say, a virus that has been cleaned off, or spyware) and you want to be SURE that your PC file structure is “clean,” how would you do it? Well, here you go!

Open a Command Prompt window by clicking on “Start,” then “Run,” then type “cmd” in the run “box.”

In the command prompt screen type:

sfc /scannow

(Note the space after “sfc”)

It will prompt you for your original Windows CD.

It will then scan all the Windows files to assure that the files are intact and are the original versions. It will take a while!

There you go! enjoy!

Geek Software of the Week: DeepRipper!

This is very cool software… and, this week, you get two Geek Software’s for the “price” of one (still FREE!) Find number ONE:

DeepRipper

“DeepRipper is freeware that will convert your audio CD tracks to a first-grade MP3, OGG or WAV files. A number of presets for less experienced users and full set of manual settings for experts. Take a full control over CD ripping with DeepRipper- do it quickly, easily and in a flexible way. Extracting digital music files from CDs becomes simple, quick, and painless with DeepRipper. Full control over constant or variable BitRate encoding, ID3 tags management, MPEG version selection- all for first-grade ripping. Truly Free.”

And, on the same web site, find number TWO:

DeepBurner

“Need a lightweight, powerful and rock-solid burning application that would work with your drive? It is DeepBurner. DeepBurner will be able to solve most of all your burning needs: be it burning data/audio/video CDs, all types of DVDs, composing photo albums and even burning backups. Every operation would start with a simple wizard, thus virtually everyone can use DeepBurner. Small, easy to start, intuitive to use and powerful, featuring all you need- it is DeepBurner. DeepBurner works on Windows 95/98/2000/NT/ME/XP and is compatible with most CD and DVD writers. There is a Free and a Pro version, the former being intended for home users, while Pro is for advanced and business users.”

REMEMBER… the free version is only for HOME USE! Be sure to pay for Pro and support these guys if you are getting it for commercial use! Very nice!

The “Dr. Bill FEELS the Groove” Edition (Yes, He Finally Found It!)

Dr. Bill Podcast – 53 – (09/09/06)
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A Dr. Bill Contest for you to enter! Win a 512 meg USB thumbdrive! This week Dr. Bill “feels the Groove!” We will ship it any on the planet… off planet is a problem… sigh! Mouse Potato, Ringtone, Spyware have been added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary! All of Dr. Bill’s Podcasts are now part of Blubrry, a community for podcasters. The Spirit of Faith Podcast, The Traditional Naturopath, and Dr. Bill – The Computer Curmudgeon, are all available at www.blubrry.com – check them out! Our Geek Software of the Week: The GIMP for Windows! Also, info on GIMPshop, the “Photoshop-y” version! Speed up your Windows boot time by tweaking the Windows Prefetch Cache! A “How To” Geek Project for you! Net Neutrality “Gets Religious?!?” Trekkers, rejoice and shout! Friday, September 8th was the 40th Anniversary of Star Trek! Live long and prosper my friends! And, a “Peace and Long Life!” The Dr. is out for now!

Net Neutrality “Gets Religious?!?”

OK, this is weird. I am technically considered by most a “card carrying member” of the “Religious Right,” OK?!?! This is embarrassing! There are “religious dewds” that want to stop Net Neutrality from succeeding! Sigh. (Actually, I am a Christian… I don’t consider myself “religious”… “religion” is stifling, Christianity is a personal relationship. So, I am not “religious!” But I AM for Net Neutrality! So, I am weird… OK!)

Net Neutrality ‘Gets Religious!’

“A group of US religious and ethical organizations, including Morality in Media, the Institute on Religion and Democracy, and Faith 2 Action, has issued an open letter to the Senate Commerce Committee, expressing support for the current language of a key communications reform bill that has emerged from conference, and is soon to be introduced for debate on the Senate floor. It is the bill around which the current debate on ‘net neutrality’ — whether to prohibit broadband service providers from being able to offer premium carriage services to larger content providers — is centered. The letter begins by praising the Committee for having ‘recently resisted attempts by Senators who wanted to regulate the Internet, but rather, included language that would specifically protect our ability to communicate our message.'”

Well, that’s good, but we can have a free Internet, AND still preach the Gospel! (I do it all the time! Grin!) So… it is STILL embarrassing! Sigh.

Geek Project: Speed up Windows Boot Time by Tweaking the Windows Prefetch Cache!

[NOTE: the tweak outlined in this post has been called into serious question. It seems that it has been circulating around geek sites for a LONG time, and that there is a question as to whether it is valid. There seem to be good arguments FOR and AGAINST… as with any recommendation, I tried it myself and reported my findings… which appeared to be that it worked for me… BUT, YMMV (Your Mileage My Vary)… and, it is very possible that there were other factors that caused my apparent boot time speedup (from a minute to 30 seconds.) Now, 50% better is pretty impressive… but it could have been the result of other factors rather than the registry setting itself. I suggest that you read all of Andrew’s comments following this post… check out the sites he points to… and make up your own mind, based on the points made. I DO try and keep this a “fair and balanced” guide to user helpful hints… and now back to your regular reading….]

Original Post Starts Here:
Everyone wants a faster Windows boot time, huh? Well, here’s a cool tip! Clean out your Windows Prefetch Cache! A Geek Project for you!

In Windows Explorer, navigate to C:\Windows\Prefetch

Once there, delete everything under the “Prefetch” directory. (DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK! I ain’t responsible! REALLY!)

Now, reboot your system. This reboot will be very slow, because it will be “rebuilding” the system’s prefetch cache again. This is because Windows needs to “relearn” the prefetch for it’s system files. Subsequent boots will be MUCH faster! However, the Winodws Prefetch cache will soon “fill up” again as you use the system and it’s applications. Sooooo… let’s keep that from happening!

We will need to edit a registry key to fix that. (If you aren’t comfortable editing the Windows Registry, don’t do it… call your friendly local geek and show him this article!) If you are “down wit'” doin’ it… go for it! Open Regedit and browse to this Registry Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters

Under this key you should see a value named: EnablePrefetcher

It has 4 possible values:

0 – Disabled : The prefetch system is turned off.

1 – Application : The prefetch only caches applications.

2 – Boot : The prefetch only caches boot system files.

3 – All : The prefetch caches boot, and application files.

Now, keep in mind, we don’t want to disable the prefetch entirely! This would actually make system boot times much longer! This is because this feature is used to speed up the loading of Windows boot files. So, let’s pick the number 2 option. It allows us to keep the advantage of caching Windows system files, without filling up the prefetch with application data.

Set the value to 2 and reboot your system. The next time that you boot it will be MUCH faster! Cool, huh? So, do this and, like me, you could do from over a minute in Windows boot time to 30 seconds! Very, very cool! You can also defrag your hard drive… that will help too!

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