<body><script type="text/javascript"> function setAttributeOnload(object, attribute, val) { if(window.addEventListener) { window.addEventListener('load', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }, false); } else { window.attachEvent('onload', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }); } } </script> <div id="navbar-iframe-container"></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> gapi.load("gapi.iframes:gapi.iframes.style.bubble", function() { if (gapi.iframes && gapi.iframes.getContext) { gapi.iframes.getContext().openChild({ url: 'https://www.blogger.com/navbar.g?targetBlogID\x3d10089299\x26blogName\x3dWeb/Tech+Stuff\x26publishMode\x3dPUBLISH_MODE_BLOGSPOT\x26navbarType\x3dBLUE\x26layoutType\x3dCLASSIC\x26searchRoot\x3dhttps://happy-hacker.blogspot.com/search\x26blogLocale\x3den_US\x26v\x3d2\x26homepageUrl\x3dhttps://happy-hacker.blogspot.com/\x26vt\x3d4482636344181326056', where: document.getElementById("navbar-iframe-container"), id: "navbar-iframe" }); } }); </script>

Microsoft partner: Vista less secure than XP

Monday, March 19, 2007
Security company Kaspersky claimed that Vista's User Account Control (UAC), the system of user privileges that can be used to restrict users' administrative rights, will be so annoying that users will disable it.

Natalya Kaspersky, the company's chief executive, said that without UAC, Vista will be less secure than Windows XP SP2. "There's a question mark if Vista security has improved, or has really dropped down," she said to our sister site ZDNet UK at the CeBIT show in Hanover last week.

Kaspersky provides one of the scanning engines in ForeFront, Microsoft's business security product.

Arno Edelmann, business security product manager for Microsoft, said that Kaspersky's claims were surprising. "We have a thriving community of partners, and Kasperky is one of our best partners," Edelmann told ZDNet UK. "I find their statements a little strange because they have one of the best insights into Microsoft security products."

After being roundly criticised over its security strategy in the past, Microsoft has done a lot of work to improve its approach and has been touting Vista as its most secure operating system. But Kaspersky confirmed that her analysts had found five ways to bypass Vista's UAC, and that malware writers will find more security holes.

Kaspersky also added her voice to Symantec and McAfee complaints that PatchGuard, designed to protect the Vista kernel, is hindering security companies' work.

"PatchGuard doesn't allow legitimate security vendors to do what we used to do," said Kaspersky.

Symantec has claimed that PatchGuard is hurting security vendors more than it was hurting malware writers. Bruce McCorkendale, a chief engineer at Symantec, said: "There are types of security policies and next-generation security products that can only work through some of the mechanisms that PatchGuard prohibits."

Eugene Kaspersky, the company founder, said last Thursday that while vendors had to interact with Vista legitimately, hackers were under no such constraints.

"Cybercriminals seem not to care about Vista licensing," said Eugene Kaspersky. "They don't need to follow regulations or be certified by Microsoft -- antivirus vendors do."

Making Free IPods Pay Off

Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Unless you're extremely gullible, the promise of getting a free iPod from FreeiPods.com looks extremely dubious.

But surprisingly, the site appears to be legitimate. The program almost certainly isn't a dodgy pyramid scheme; it's a new form of online marketing supported by companies like eBay, AOL and Columbia House.

And while lots of happy customers are popping up all over the internet brandishing new iPods, analysts are skeptical of the economics.

Here's how it works: FreeiPods.com promises an iPod or a $250 gift certificate to anyone who signs up for various online promotions and persuades five other people to participate.

Subscribers are given a choice of 10 different offers, including a 45-day trial of AOL and a two-week trial of Ancestry.com's genealogy service. Typically, the offers are free and easily canceled.

Once the trials are over -- for both the main subscriber and the referrals -- the free iPod is dispatched.

"Of course I was skeptical, but I didn't see any harm in trying," said Collin Grady, 22, from Salem, Oregon, who received his free iPod earlier this month and wrote about it on his blog.

"They never once asked for a credit card number and I didn't have to pay shipping," he said. "I just told them where to send it.... All in all, a very painless process."

Indeed, some customers are so delighted that they've set up affiliate websites, called "conga lines," to persuade others the program isn't a swindle.

"So many people on the web think FreeiPods.com is a scam; I just wanted to prove them wrong," said John Sauer, a 19-year-old student at Boston's Berklee College of Music, who runs Free iPods and FlatScreens .com.

Another site, 17-year-old Tyler Derheim's FreeiPodGuide, features pictures of the delivery truck outside his house, his receipt and, of course, his new iPod.

FreeiPods is one of several websites run by Gratis Internet, a Washington, D.C., "customer acquisition" company owned by Peter Martin and Rob Jewell.

"I can definitely understand the skepticism," said Martin. "A lot of people believe there's no free lunch, but it's definitely not a scam. It's 100 percent legitimate. We're shipping (iPods) every day."

In a joint interview, Martin and Jewell denied the site is a pyramid scheme, like the myriad matrix schemes advertised on eBay, which also promise free iPods.

Instead, they explained, Gratis Internet is paid a bounty for sending potential customers to sites like AOL, eBay or RealNetworks.

"We're a marketing firm," said Jewell. "We're sending these people to our advertisers. We cringe when we hear 'pyramid' or 'scheme.' We're more closely associated with viral marketing, with the subservient chicken, than Amway."

They declined to specify the bounty, and said the firm doesn't deal directly with the companies involved. Rather, Gratis Internet is commissioned by third-party marketing agencies, such as San Francisco's Adteractive.

For the last four years, Gratis Internet has operated customer-acquisition programs through FreeCDs.com, FreeDVDs.com, FreeVideoGames.com and FreeCondoms.com.

The company has sent out more than $3 million worth of free merchandise, Martin said, including 5 million to 6 million condoms.

Since the launch of FreeiPods.com in June, the site has dispatched more than 2,500 iPods, Martin said, worth more than $1 million.

But in the last few weeks traffic has exploded. Martin claimed nearly 1 million people have recently enrolled in the program, though he said the majority are using phony names and/or addresses.

Martin said about 200,000 are using "confirmed identities," and are in the process of receiving their free iPods. The process takes between six and eight weeks, Martin said. If all are redeemed, the company will be giving away $50 million worth of iPods.

Jewell insisted FreeiPods.com would be able to keep up with demand.

"Its really important people trust us and get their iPods," Jewell said. "We want people to get their iPods because it helps our legitimacy. We count on our users to validate us."

Diego Canoso, Adteractive's vice president of sales, said FreeiPods.com is a lawful and well-run customer-acquisition program.

"We've been working with these guys for more than three years," said Canoso. "They are very good at what they do."

Canoso also declined to specify the advertisers' bounties, but said they can range between $25 and $90, depending on the program and the kind of customer it attracts.

"The money we give these guys (Gratis Internet) is enough to fulfill the promise that the customers come in for," Canoso said.

Canoso said while $90 seems like a lot, it is peanuts compared to the millions spent on TV and magazine ads, which don't guarantee new customers.

"Companies like Columbia House (and) credit card companies, they're happy to pay for customers," Canoso said. "They're happy to send out iPods because they're getting customers in return. Capture is expensive, and they're paying after they've acquired the customer."

And while a lot of customers cancel after the free trial, enough don't to make it worthwhile, Canoso said.

Gary Stein, an analyst with Jupiter Research who follows online marketing, said he was skeptical of the program's economics.

"It seems too good to be true," he said. "You can imagine getting a free CD, but a free iPod is a really big break."

However, Stein said the program is lent some legitimacy by the involvement of Adteractive.

"Adteractive is reputable, without a doubt," Stein said. "It would be a lot more questionable if they were working on their own."

Stein said affiliate marketing has typically been associated with "bottom feeders," but has become more respectable, and profitable, since eBay started paying bounties for new, registered users.

"Affiliate marketing is really taking off," Stein said. "EBay has given it legitimacy.... There's definitely still scoundrels ... but there's tens of thousands of people involved. It's backyard entrepreneurial."

Adteractive's Canoso said FreeiPods.com is at the forefront of performance-based marketing.

"The model is beautiful," he said. "(The companies) are paying for a specific customer after acquiring the customer. It's not branding. It's not non-responsive advertising.... It's low-risk marketing. It's a very efficient system."

There is a record of a resolved complaint against Gratis Internet at the Washington, D.C., Better Business Bureau.

The complaint doesn't specify the grievance, or grievances, and the bureau's director said she couldn't elaborate. Martin and Jewell said they had no idea what the issue was. It was likely a minor "glitch," they said.

FreeiPods.com is certified by Truste, which means the site adheres to the organization's privacy standards. It does not mean the site can be trusted to send out free iPods.

AOL and Ancestry.com didn't respond to requests for comment. The Federal Trade Commission said it doesn't talk about individual companies unless the company is being prosecuted.

The Geek's Guide to Getting Free Stuff

The Geek's Guide to Getting Free Stuff

Whoever it was that said, "There's no such thing as a free lunch," didn't know about the Internet. There are a lot of free things online, and a lot of it is actually legitimate and valuable. Better yet, many of them won't spam you with additional offers unless you've okayed it.

There are also offline ways to get free stuff, most of which you don't have to pay anything for, or very little (taxes, shipping). So here's our list of ways to get free junk or links to other lists. Most of what's here should appeal to the geek, and since most geeks still drink, eat and bathe, there are some freebies listed in that vein.

Books and Magazines

  1. BookCrossing. Book exchange. Leave a book somewhere in public, then post it's location at the site. Make it sort of a treasure hunt.
  2. BookMooch. They do the book swap a bit differently. You ship it out to the person who requests it, and they pay postage.
  3. Freebies.About. List of magazine subscription offers, including some for anime and Windows computer games.
  4. PaperBackSwap. Book exchange.
  5. Project Gutenberg. Free classic copyright-free/expired texts in digital format, with some mobile e-formats.
  6. Title Trader. Book exchange.

Conferences and Tradeshows

Some tips for getting swag at tradeshows and conferences. Most of these are gleaned from John Chow's How to get free stuff at trade shows, unless otherwise linked to.

  1. Show up early. A lot of the small bags of software and mousepads, etc., are in limited supply and are given out on the first day of a show.
  2. Ask for samples. If you don't see any, you can always ask at a booth.
  3. Get a media pass. If you're going to be reviewing products on your blog, show proof of that, and you might get your hands on some nice swag. You may need to show a business license and/or Federal Tax number to a tradeshow official.
  4. Make an appointment. An exhibitor may have more samples but may need to retrieve them.
  5. Crash parties. Some companies will have side parties in the evenings where they give stuff away.
  6. Work for it.
  7. Wait until the end. At some shows, exhibitors may not want to pack up items.

Credit Card and Banking Bonuses, Grants

Some credit cards offer bonuses, some points/air miles, and some a 0% APR.

  1. Credit card extras. For nerds and geeks, with bonuses or points.
  2. Balance transfers. If you have good credit, you can earn money using 0% APR credit card balance transfers, at not cost to you.
  3. Air miles credit cards.

Gadgets, Accessories, Electronics Components

Science/tech and hobby electronics stuff you can actually get gratis.

  1. Free iPods. Wired gives you the lowdown on the legitimacy of these offers. Great for the geek with no shame in annoying friends to sign up.
  2. iFrogz SnatchIt Tuesdays. Every Tuesday, iFrogz is doing a giveaway for gadgets and accessories with their Snatch It promo.
  3. Flatscreens. Forever Geek writes about how the freeflatscreens.com promo works.
  4. Petri dishes. Admit it; you have an experiment growing in your fridge. Make it official with a petri dish.
  5. Microchips and electronics components. Build that robot to take over the world with as many free parts as you can.
  6. Wi-Fi routers. Well, the 1500 units that Weblog GigaOm gave away are gone, but you can bet that they and other popular tech sites such as Techcrunch will have giveaways in the future.

Hotels, Flights, Vacations

To get to the tradeshows and conferences mentioned above, you may need accomodations or a flight.

  1. Work reimbursement. Want to go to a tradeshow? Maybe you can do it on behalf of your employer and get your fares and accomodations reimbursed. Never hurts to ask.
  2. Get bumped. Volunteer to be bumped on an overbooked flight, and get a free voucher for a future flight.
  3. Surf for promos. Trip sites will sometimes have free ticket contests or promos. Sometimes companies will give away tickets in conjunction with a theme park or something you've purchased.
  4. Be a sports fan. And get free swag, including free flights.
  5. Airmiles. If you have an Airmiles credit card, you'll accumulate points with each purchase. When you have enough, you can get freebies including free flights.
  6. Frequent flyer points. Airlines sometimes offer points each time you pay for tickets. These are similar to Airmiles points.

Music, Samples, Ringtones

When you're chilling out between coding, or whatever geek thing you do, listen to some free music, create your own with audio samples and special effects. Or maybe you want some ringtones for your phone.

  1. Freebies.About. A list of links to free MP3s and music CDs.
  2. Modern Beats. Free drum and other audio samples for Reason and other audio software.
  3. SampleCraze. Drum samples, loops & breaks, and music production ebooks.
  4. SampleNet. All kinds of loop samples.
  5. SampleSwap. Professional quality audio samples.
  6. SoundDogs.
  7. Top Sample Sites. This one's actually a list of audio sample sites, great for the aspiring geek DJ.
  8. Virtual Concert. A list of links to free music downloads and other freebies.
  9. Ear training software. Want to play your own music? Free ear training software will teach you to play your fave tunes by ear.
  10. Cellphones.About. A list of links for finding free ringtones.

Phone Calls

Why pay for phone calls when you can get them free? Here's a list of lists or actual Websites offering free calls, with or without VoIP software.

  1. Wikipedia. Has an incomplete comparison list of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) software for Internet phone calls.
  2. MyVoIPProvider. Another big list of free VoIP software.
  3. Tech Faq. Another list of free VoIP software.
  4. Ad-based free calls. Examples: AdCalls and Globe7.

Software and Web Services

There's loads of free clipart, software, and Web 2.0 applications and services. Here are some lists in that respect.

  1. All Things Web2.0. A directory of Web 2.0 applications, grouped by voting/popularity.
  2. Thomas Kutschis. A big list of Web 2.0 apps, grouped by category.
  3. Listible. A gigantic list of (mostly) free Web 2.0 apps.
  4. Web2.0 List. A 10-page list of Web 2.0 apps.
  5. Web2.0 Search Engine. A list of Web 2.0 lists.
  6. Download.com. Freeware, shareware.
  7. FSF/UNESCO. Free Software Foundation's guide to 5,300 free software packages.
  8. Nonags. Freeware, shareware.
  9. Sourceforge. Freeware.
  10. Tucows. Freeware, shareware, Web 2.0.
  11. VMUNet. Freeware, shareware.
  12. WebSearch.About. A list of freeware lists and links.
  13. Email.About. List of free email accounts.
  14. EmailAddresses. Lists of free Web-based and POP3 email accounts.
  15. Prospector. List of free email accounts.
  16. YahooDirectory. List of free email providers.
  17. ACM. List of computer graphics and geometrical modelling software.
  18. Harvard. Harvard University's Impoverished social scientist's guide to free statistical software.
  19. NetJaxer. NetJaxer Desktop is a handy downloadable app that gives you roadmap of the top Web 2.0 applications and makes it easy for you to sign up.
  20. NIST GAMS. NIST.gov's guide to math software, some of it free.
  21. Sofotex. List of font and icon tools, 3D imaging software and graphics viewers.
  22. University of Haifa. List of mathematical software and resources.
  23. University of London. List of free graphics software for X-Windows and the Cygwin environment for MS-Windows.
  24. Wikipedia. List of mathematics/infographics software.
  25. CMS Watch. Information on various content management systems (CMSes). Get a free sample report.
  26. Alex King. Alex King's WordPress theme browser.
  27. MovableType. List of MT plugins.
  28. PC World. Short list of some free blog platforms.
  29. PimpMyBlog. List of blog platforms, mostly free.
  30. ProBlogger. Links to lists of WordPress and Blogger templates.
  31. Emily Robbins. List of 980+ free WordPress 1.5.x and 2.0.x themes/templates.
  32. Smashing Magazine. 83 beautiful WordPress themes you haven't seen.
  33. Weblog Tools Collection. Links to many blogging resources, mostly WordPress.

Freebie Lists

Here are links to freebie directories or lists of links to particular offers.

  1. DailyEDeals.
  2. Freebies.About. Freebies.About.com also has a master index of free services and samples.
  3. FreebieList.
  4. TheFreeSite.

How-Tos (Online/Offline)

A few tips on how a geek can get swagged, either from blogging or offline means.

  1. Play the media card. Call somewhere, such as Domino's Pizza, and say you're a journalist. Get a free pizza.
  2. Run ads on your blog. If you do well with the ad programs running on your Weblog, you might just get freebies from them.
  3. Blog product reviews. There are a number of agencies (PayPerPost, ReviewMe, LoudLaunch, SponsoredReviews) who pay you to review their advertisers' products. They might also send you freebies from the advertisers or gifts from themselves.
  4. Blog gadgets and tech. Companies sometimes send high-profile bloggers freebies, like the Vista laptops that Microsoft sent.
  5. Blog movies. Most geeks like movies. If you are good at movie reviews and can build a high-traffic site, you just might get invites to film premieres or get sent DVD releases. The same goes for music.
  6. Consumer surveys. Okay, this isn't blogging, but some survey companies are legit and offer gifts and/or cash. (Do your research before joining.)
  7. Just ask. Some companies don't mind being (e)mailed and asked for product, especially if you're writing about it and can give some proof. Software companies are especially good for this, since it costs them very little to let you download.
  8. Just pray. Garage sales, church sales and flea markets sometimes have boxes of "junk", with some very valuable collectible hiding underneath. But if you don't want to look through the entire area, consider coming before closing time, and some nice older person may give you, the dishevelled looking geek student a free box of stuff for helping pack up stuff.
  9. Right place, right time. With the competition for the consumer dollar for computers, peripherals and electronics products, you'll find rebate promos from time to time in the larger box stores. You'll usually have to pay up front, including taxes, then get a mail-in rebate (taxes usually not reimbursed). Similarly, computer resellers will often give away free cameras, phones, printers, MP3 players and so on when you buy a new computer. Not strictly free, but if you're getting a new computer anyway...

Miscellaneous

There are a variety of freebie types listed here, including specific items or company offers, items that require shipping costs, and rebate-style offers (which may require that taxes be paid).

  1. Bplans. Free sample business plans, for the geek dreaming of launching a Web 2.0 startup.
  2. RFPTemplates. Need for people to bid on services for your startup? Here are some free RFP (Request For Proposal) sample templates.
  3. Post-it notes. What would a startup be without Post-it notes?
  4. Slake your thirst. Sip on free lemonade, coffee, tea, milk (lactose intolerant?), or dehydrated water while reading those RFPs. And get your vitamins in liquid form. Bee pollen, anyone?
  5. Pets. Many startups allow employees to bring pets. Have some pet freebies on hand.
  6. Free-After-Rebate. You may have to buy some things for your business, then get rebated. FreeAfterRebate highlights 100% rebate deals.
  7. Get personal. All those RFPs giving you a headache? Or maybe making you horny, thinking of how you're the next hot Web 2.0 startup? Get a shave, treat your hair, use some skin lotion or grab some cologne, and have protection. For the ladies.
Originally posted: http://www.rewardprograms.org/thefreegeek/features/the_geeks_guide_to_getting_free_stuff.html

Help Key: How-To Fix an iPod that Won’t Boot

There’s a conspiracy theory that Steve Jobs wants you to buy a new iPod every 12 months. That may or may not be the case, but if your iPod is hosed, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s time to put it out to pasture. Most iPods are user-fixable and you don’t need to be a total geek to make it work.

An iPod, no matter which version you have, is basically a self-contained, battery-operated, pocket-sized computer. All the components that a regular laptop has are represented: display, battery, storage, RAM, and logic board. This is what makes the iPod something easily fixable: the pieces are just scaled-down versions of their PC analogues, and are put together in the same basic way. This means if you can isolate your iPod’s problem, you can fix it.

There are a number of things that can go wrong with an iPod, but, like any other computer, the majority of the ailments are hard-drive based, usually taking the form of a boot error: either a sad iPod face, constant Apple logo, or folder-with-exclamation-mark icon when it’s turned on. Fortunately, these problems are easier to fix than people realize, and we’ve come up with a five-point plan for getting your little friend back on its feet. Some of our advice is straight from Apple, but some of it is a little more guerrilla. Take heed, though, as the farther into our plan you delve, the greater the chances you’ll kill your warranty or permanently damage your iPod. But, then, if you’re desperate enough to go that far, chances are your warranty is up anyway, so what have you to lose, adventurer?

Apple’s superb design of the iPod isn’t just what you see on the outside, the inside is organized into easily recognizable parts that can be manipulated and removed with very few tools. Indeed, a very thin, flat-head screwdriver is all most repairs require. If you’re fixing a Mini, you might also consider a hair dryer to melt the industrial adhesive that holds the tops on. For our illustrations, we’ve used a 5G iPod with video, but the steps for any disk-based iPod are more or less the same.


Step 1: Doing things the Apple way

Most crashed iPods can be fixed by simply resetting the device. Because they’re computers, iPods can crash. By initiating the iPod version of a reboot, you reload the iPods software, hopefully writing over the troublesome spots in memory.

On the majority of iPods, holding the Menu and Select buttons (Select being the middle button of the Clickwheel) for 6 to 10 seconds will force the iPod to reboot, clearing the memory and bringing it back to life. The first couple generations of iPod have their own button sequences, but they’re just as easy to actuate.

Apple recommends a few other steps if this doesn’t remedy your problem, including plugging the iPod into a different port or computer, restarting your PC or Mac, and reinstalling the iPod desktop software. If these actions don’t restore your iPod to full functionality, then the problem lies deeper and more drastic steps are needed.

Step 2: Restoring to factory conditions

If your iPod worked fine the day you got it, but is now acting possessed, then it’s possible it has a problem with its file structure or software. This cannot be remedied by resets, as the problem is static between boots. This means that the problem has to be manually deleted from the iPod, which, sadly, means it will take all of your content with it.

Fortunately it’s a painless process, and if you keep your iTunes updated, then re-syncing after a restore brings you up to speed quickly. To really make this go well, you should make sure you’ve got the most recent version of iTunes installed.

Plug your iPod into a USB port, just as you would to sync with iTunes. When it shows up in the left-hand pane of iTunes, you’ll see a button in the main content window that says restore. Click it. You’ll be warned that you’re going to erase everything, but you know that already. Select Restore and Update to kill the troublesome code in storage and bring it up to the latest factory settings. This works. After it’s updated, it’s simply a matter of syncing with iTunes, and you’re hopefully good to go.

Step 3: Minor surgery

If your iPod is still giving you trouble at this point, then it means you’ve got a hardware problem. That folder icon means your hard drive is having a physical problem that’s stopping the iPod’s processor from getting to the data it needs. This problem is common, and contrary to what you might think, it doesn’t always mean that your hard disk is hosed. In fact, it’s our experience that this easy trick will fix most advanced issues for free and in about 15 minutes.

You’ll have to open up your iPod for this trick, so if you’re squeamish, you might want to default to a gear-minded friend. Even if you’re not, you should have a look through the detailed step-by-step guides at iFixit to get an idea of what’s ahead. A wrong move could render your iPod dead for good.

While the guides recommend a special plastic iPod opening tool, you can easily substitute a flat-head screwdriver, though you risk gouging your iPod’s trim. One tool we’ve used that worked out nicely was a sturdy plastic guitar pick, but anything firm and fairly thin should work. The iPod is basically held together with industrial glue. Starting at the side, work your shim around the exterior of the iPod where the metal meets the plastic. The two main halves should then separate with little more than gentle wiggling.

Remove the metal back of the iPod to expose the innards, but not too much: there may be a very important ribbon cable that connects the audio jack and hold switch to the main body that is a complete pain in the ass to reattach if it becomes detached. Don’t do that.

The foam-covered metal unit at the very top is the hard drive, and probably your problem. First make sure all the cables to and from each component are secure. If so, then we go to the magic. These hard drives get warm as they spin, and the metal casings warp outwards. Some hard drives won’t work correctly when the casing isn’t secure. The solution is to put the pressure back on the disks.

Find a business card or similar small piece of paper (here I used a bar coaster), and fold it to be about 1/16th of an inch or so, and rip it to be about a 1-inch-by-1-inch square. Place it carefully on the hard drive (watch out for those ribbon cables), and replace the backing.

Using the reset steps above, reboot the iPod. Chances are, it’ll boot up nicely and work just as it did before without any problems. You may have to restore it again, though, as the former problem may have prohibited that fix. If you’re skeptical, and you should be, try it out. It has really worked on six of the seven broken iPods we’ve tried it on, with the only hold-out sadly requiring the next step.


Step 4: Major surgery

If nothing else works, and the hard drive is still not working correctly, then it’s probably toast. The Achilles’ Heel of the iPod is the hard disk; they’re smaller than the HD in your laptop or desktop, and with mini-drives come maxi-problems. The good news is that now that you know how to get into your iPod, it’s pretty easy to replace this component.

You will need, however, a donor disk drive. You can find them used on eBay, but we recommend getting a new disk from iFixit, as they’re guaranteed to be compatible and they come with a warranty. If you’re doing this kind of work on your iPod, you’re going to want to make sure your new drive works, right?

To start, open the iPod back up, remove the coaster (you wanted that number, anyway), and lift the hard disk from the top end of the iPod. Remove the blue rubber bumpers and white plastic top (shock absorbers) and carefully pull the drive a quarter-inch to the top of the iPod. You’ll note a thin ribbon cable at the “bottom” end of the drive. Using your screwdriver, carefully work the ribbon out of the drive. This ribbon carries the data and power to and from the disk, once it’s detached, the disk should slide out easily. Remove the foam and find your donor disk.

Put the rubber bumpers and foam onto the new disk and put it right where the old one was. Carefully replace the ribbon to the drive and close the iPod up. At this point, you’ll need to do another factory restore in iTunes to write the iPod operating system and software onto the new drive. Once it’s done, sync it up and you’re good to go.

Step 5: Prayer

If a new hard drive isn’t helping, then the problem is probably with the logic board itself. While the board is replaceable, it’s beyond the scope of this article and not nearly as easy to execute as a hard disk replacement. At this point, you must decide if you want to attempt to fix it yourself (not a task for the weak-hearted), have it professionally repaired (not cheap, but better than buying new), or sell it for parts, using the income towards a new iPod.

Yes, it sucks, but nothing is guaranteed. But look at it this way: a new iPod means a new chance for something to go wrong, which means you can try these steps again, this time knowing exactly what you’re doing.

Don’t try these repairs on your new iPod; these are for “bricked” units that nobody will care about should you muck it up. But if you do have success, let us know here, it makes us feel warm and fuzzy knowing that we’ve helped.

uTorrent add-on for Firefox

Saturday, November 11, 2006
Ah, the marriage of two of my favorite programs, uTorrent and Firefox. Over at TorrentFreak they've got an add-on for Firefox that integrates the two, putting uTorrent's WebUI (which you must download separately) in Firefox's sidebar and reporting you download and upload speeds in the status bar.

The µTorrent WebUI can be used to access µTorrent from an external computer. This also opens the possibility to handle your torrents from your browser window. We’ve discovered a Firefox extension that makes using the WebUI a lot easier.

utorrent firefoxThe Firefox extension for µTorrent allows you to drag and drop .torrent links onto the WebUI window and shows the current upload and download speed in the status bar.

The upload and download speed remains visible if you close the WebUI screen. The extension works fine in Firefox 2.0.

In order to use the Firefox extension you need to install the WebUI, and have µTorrent up and running. Once you’ve installed the extension (direct download), you need to enter your settings (IP address, port & password) in the configuration screen of the Firefox extension and you’re ready to go.

WebUI in the Firefox sidebar & torrent speed indication in the taskbar

firefox extension bittorrent utorrent

You can use the Alt+U shortcut to show and hide the sidebar window, and try adding some torrents by dragging links to .torrent file onto the WebUI screen. Although this version of the extension is just an experimental release, all seems to work fine. For more info, the latest updates, and bug reporting hop over to the thread at the µTorrent forums.

Gmail's New Features

Friday, November 10, 2006
Found these new messages on Gmail today


This one pops-up when you open a mail and are interested in replying to that
(The regular/old way was to reply by clicking on the left bottom link within the message frame, and its still there)



Clicking on the drop down arrow



This one shows up right after the mail is sent

Coscto to sell iPod batteries

Saturday, October 01, 2005
product image




Rechargeable battery fits iPod click-wheel models and photo models for continuous use.

  • Compatible with iPod click-wheel models (4th generation) and photo models
  • 3.7V
  • 720 MAH
  • Li-Ion
  • Includes rechargeable battery, tools and easy installation instructions


This item is covered by Costco's guarantee to refund your purchase price if you are not completely satisfied. Costco's guarantee applies, even though this item may not be covered by the manufacturer's warranty, because Costco is not an "authorized" dealer of the merchandise.

Shipping will be calculated at checkout based on your ship-to location.

Standard shipping is via UPS Ground. The estimated delivery time will be approximately 7 - 10 business days from the time of order.

Express shipping is via UPS Air. The estimated delivery time will be approximately 3 - 6 business days from the time of order.

Please choose your shipping method at checkout.

Costco.com offers merchandise which complements our warehouse product selection. Therefore, most items available on our web site are unique to costco.com.

Costco.com products can be returned to any of our more than 400 Costco warehouses worldwide.

[Model ERP6160183]

top



HERE



What can FireTune do for you?

FireTune - The easy optimizer and tuner for Firefox v1.x"According to your specific computer speed and internet connection speed, FireTune will optimize several internal settings of Firefox for better performance. FireTune does NOT modify the Firefox executable, or any other Firefox binary file. Everything can be undone easily provided you saved your original profile configuration file with FireTune's profile backup feature before."

FireTune - Optimizes and tweaks Mozilla Firefox - Freeware

Free Download Mozilla Firefox


Get FireTune HERE



OpenOffice 2.0 upgrades from Beta to R.C.

"OpenOffice.org 2.0 has gone from being a Beta to a Release Candidate
(RC)."

And what is OpenOffice.org 2.0? The world's best and easiest to use
free productivity suite. Read the product page and features pages
for more information.

* OpenOffice.org 2.0 RC
* Product
* Features

Download HERE and get away from Microsoft Office....



CR-R more of a threat than P2P from the RIAA

This is no more interesting than when cassettes were being used to copy music....

"The Recording Industry Ass. of America has acknowledged that P2P file-sharing is less of a threat to music sales than bootleg CDs."

Read more HERE



RIAA has malware to delete your P2P software

Thursday, September 22, 2005
phuck3rs!!!!

"IFPI -- the international equivalent of the RIAA -- has released a piece of software that will delete your P2P software, strongly implying that P2P is itself illegal and using ridiculous, non-legal terms like "copyright theft" "

Read the full article HERE



WinMX offline??????

Wednesday, September 21, 2005
"The WinMX P2P network is no longer running. The Peer Cache servers as well as the company website are no more. As of late last night (approx. 4-6 hours ago) the servers went down and users were no longer able to connect to the network. This is big loss to the P2P community..."

Click HERE for the full article.



List of false antispyware programs

This is interesting indeed... Click HERE




About me

I'm ©@®L05 From Somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep, Texas, United States I'm a college student, Senior. Studying Philosophy (pre-law) and a double minor in Business and Business Management at the University of Texas-Arlington
My profile

Web This Blog

Archives

Previous Posts

Links

Powered By

Powered by Blogger
make money online blogger templates