Reinstalling Activated Winodws 7 Upgrade?

I have lately upgraded from Vista to Windows 7, I have written about this experience in this post.

Now I because I have upgraded my original Windows 7 Professional over the RC release, things were not very promising for me.  Windows 7 was not acting as it is supposed to be and Microsoft clearly had a reason for not allowing upgrade from RC.  So I decided to reinstall.  I was worried for 2 reasons:

1) I have already used and activated my original Windows 7 Professional key.

2) I have to upgrade from Windows Vista since the version I bought was the upgrade version of Windows 7.

In any case, I had no choice and I went ahead with the reinstall.

Step 1 - Installing Windows Vista first:

1) I completely formatted my C drive where Windows used to be installed on.  Of course I made sure I backup all of my data first

2) Then I installed my Windows Vista 64-bit Home Premium.  As soon as I completed the installation, I disabled the network so that it wont unnecessarily run Windows update

3) I used my original Vista key throughout the installation but made sure I didn't activate Windows Vista when asked to, again because I felt it was not necessary

Step 2 - Installing Windows 7:

1) Without doing any further tasks I popped in my Windows 7 64-bit Professional Upgrade DVD and started the upgrade process

2) I tried the option to upgrade over existing Vista but this gave me an error that I cannot upgrade from Vista Home to Windows 7 Professional.  Anyway that was good, because I can actually just install a clean Windows 7 Professional from scratch, so its not really an upgrade anymore.  The only catch is that Mr Gates wants to make sure I already have Vista and that's why he was very generous to sell me Windows 7 for US$100

3) The installation went smoothly. And when it started to ask me for my user name and my computer name, I made sure to use the exact ones I had used when I installed Windows the first time after activating it.

4) Then towards the end it asked me for the key.  I just skipped the whole step.

5) Once the installation was fully over, I went into "Windows Activation" (right click "My Computer" and then choose "Properties"), and inserted my key and activated.

6) It was activated correctly, no problems at all.  I was worried it would fail and I have to start contacting Microsoft, but luckily I was spared the trouble.
7) The existing Windows Vista installation was copied over into a directory called "Windows.old".  As I had absolutely no use for that folder or my old Vista installation for that matter (remember it was just to tell Windows 7 I own Vista!!), I completely removed this folder and claimed back the precious space.  There is a method to remove this folder according to Microsoft (Link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/933212).  I just prefer the simple way!

Step 3 - Creating a system image (optional step):

1) I decided to use the backup option in Windows 7 to create a system image of the clean initial install.  Later on if I need to reinstall for any reason I don't have to install Vista again

2) Go into Control Panel and choose "Backup and Restore" or if you are in the category view choose "Back up your computer" under "System and Security"

3) In the left side panel choose "Create a system image"

4) Then choose where you want to save this backup.  You can choose a network location, a DVD (it might use more than one DVD depending on the size of the image), or a location on the local hard drive

4) From there on its a straightforward procedure, you just need to wait for it to complete the backup.  I believe your computer wont be usable while doing the backup, so just wait for a few minutes until its complete.

I made sure I took a backup as soon as I finished installing Windows 7 to make it as clean a backup as possible.  Then on the next day I made another system image backup after installing my most used utilities and all the latest updates to Windows 7.

Windows 7 & Mapped Drives Crednetials!

Don't you just hate it when you map a network drive that requires a username and password and after your restart your Windows 7 you have to re-enter these credentials again!  Especially that you made sure to tick the "Remember my credentials" option while mapping the first time and every time thereafter!!!

After struggling for a while I found the solution:

1) a) Open Control Panel and click on "User Accounts".  Then on the left side panel choose "Manage your credentials"
1) b) If you are in the category view then choose "User Accounts and Family Safety" and in the next screen choose "Credential Manager"
2) You should now be in "Credential Manager".  Next to the first item "Windows Credentials" choose "Add a Windows credential"
3) In the first field "Internet or network address" add the name or the IP of the server in which the network drive or share resides on.  In the 2nd and 3rd field add the username and password (the same username and password that you used while mapping the drive).  Then click "OK"
4) That's it.  You should now never be prompted again for the username and password

Upgrade from Windows 7 Utimate RC to Winodws 7 Professional RTM!

When I pre-ordered my Winodws 7 Professional upgrade copy from Amazon more than 4 months ago, I had no idea that I won't be able to upgrade my existing Windows 7 Ultimate release candidate (ironically Microsoft only offered the Ultimate edition for a release candidate).  Back in June Amazon and Microsoft ran a short promotion to pre-order the upgrade version of Windows 7 and I went with the Professional upgrade version for US$100.  Last week when I finally got my original copy of Windows 7 I was very disappointed to learn that Microsoft doesn't officially support upgrade from RC to RTM.  While I understand their reasoning, I just couldn't accept it.  I had so many apps installed and I don't want to go through installing them again.  Not to mention that this is an upgrade version, so it means I have to first install my original copy of Vista 64-bit and then install the Windows 7 upgrade (I received the 32-bit and 64-bit version DVDs in the same package which I think is a nice move by Microsoft).  In any case I was willing to take the risk of moving from RC to RTM without a clean install.

After struggling for a while I managed to find the best tutorial to date on the net that offers a complete solution to the problem: http://icrontic.com/articles/upgrade-the-windows-7-rc-to-retail.

A simple note for people who are upgrading to Professional edition such as I, in the registry change, use the values that are shown in the screen shot.  The text talks about the Home Premium edition.  Of course if your upgrade is to the Ultimate edition then you can skip the registry change and just do the first step about modifying the cversion.ini file.

PS3 not reading your disc???

Wow, I thought the PS3 was not as vulnerable as the XBOX 360 and its red lights, but luckily (or unluckily for that matter) I found a problem with this big box.  I say that since I'm a 360 fan, I use my PS3 as a media player mainly, and to play such games which are exclusive like MGS4 and Little Big Planet.  Of course its a great console, but I just like to play hardcore games on the 360.

OK here is the problem, whenever I put in a disc in the bluray drive, nothing is happening!  Its as if the PS3 didn't realize that there was a disc inserted.  I tried everything, put in a DVD, a VCD, formatting (I wish I didn't I lost my MGS4 saved games and my Linux patition), etc.  Nothing was working.  I honestly think this issue is very weird in my case, since I rarely use my PS3 to play games (I only own around 10 titles or less), and its been with me for about 14 months only.  When I googled this problem I found many users who are having the same problem, some of them have a slightly different symptoms when they put in the disc.  Then I read somewhere that someone tried to put the PS3 on its side.  I did that, putting it on its side, with the bluray drive facing up (this is the way it should be if you like your PS3 in the vertical position), then put in a game disc, and nothing happened as well.  Finally I tried the other side with the drive facing down, and suddenly all hell broke loose!  The fan noise, started getting louder, and louder and LOUDER until there was like white smoke going out of the console, I panicked and I removed the electricity cable from the back a quickly as I could.  I thought I had fried my PS3!

When I was out of my shock, I restored the cable, turned the PS3 back to its horizontal position and decided to turn it on.  And believe it or not, it was working again, the game disc was loading!!  I realized later that the white smoke, was actually dust, so nothing in the interior hopefully got damaged.  But I have to say that the DVD drive was getting a little noisy after that stunt when it was being read or spinning.  I think it might be really the case of a drive that is nearing its end. But its working now, and I will just keep on using it till it fully dies on me.  Maybe then I will just grab myself a slimmer PS3 :)

Remark: Please do note that if you do perform the above you might lose your warranty or destroy you PS3, so do it at your own risk.

Myanmar fonts on the G1

Update Oct 9: New file with zawgyi font.

If you own the Google T-Mobile G1 phone (or HTC Dream) and you are from Myanmar, then here is a quick update file that is completely harmless to add the Myanmar fonts to your device without hassle.  Follow the instructions in this recent post of mine.  Don't worry its exactly the same procedure you only need the correct update file from RapidShare or MediaFire.

Thanks to thihaz from xda-developers.

One day I'm gonna visit Myanmar :)

Easier fix for the half-solution...

Note: Please offer feedback when possible, let me know if it works.

This solution would also apply to Farsi, Hebrew, Urdu, etc.

This is an update to my second post about trying to solve the problem with displaying Arabic on the Android-based HTC G1 (Google) phone. My original solution which I posted about back in January of 2009, involved some manual steps which I think some of you weren't happy with. I got many comments and emails regarding this issue. So today I'm telling you about a very small update file that I created which contains the main DejaVu font (unaltered) that is required to be placed in your G1 to be able to display the disconnected Arabic words. The main condition is that your phone should be rooted!

Here are the steps:

• Download the update file from RapidShare or MedaiFire, then rename the file to 'update.zip'. If you have the new & latest version of CM Recovery Image, you probably don't need to do that because you can select which update file you want to execute once you are in the recovery mode.
  
• Copy the downloaded update file to the root of your SD card.
• Hold down the power button and the home button on your G1 to enter recovery mode.
• Once there, press Alt+S to start the update. Again if you have the CM Recovery Image you don't have to do that.
• Restart and have fun (OK little fun, since the letters are still not connected)!

Please note that you don't have to wipe your phone for this to work, this only replaces the FallBack font on your G1 with the main DejaVu font (just like the steps in this post).

I have tested this on CM 4.0.2 & CM 4.0.4 mods and it works flawlessly. I'm sure it will work on other mods as well. If you are worried, you can take a nand backup first to be safe.

Best super zoom lens...hands down!

I recently purchased the Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM IF Lens for my Nikon D90 DSLR. It took me a while before finally deciding on this one. If you want an all around lens that produces amazing pictures with auto focus and image stabilization, then look no further, you wont be disappointed.

I have written a full review on Amazon where I purchased it from, please click here. You will find my review at the top as the most helpful review.

Here you can find some pics that I took a while back. I think I need to add more & newer photos :)

HP Photosmart All-In-One 4500 Series & Windows 7

This is a quick tip for installing the driver on Windows 7 of this HP printer: C4583 or C4580. If you try to install via the accompanying CD then after like 3% or 4% of the installation you will get an error saying that your operating system isn't supported (even though the driver should work on Vista it will not work straight away on Windows 7). So I went into my DVD drive, and right clicked on setup.exe found on the root of the CD and in the resulting context menu, I chose "Troubleshoot compatibility". I just followed the onscreen instructions (they are pretty simple) and I think Windows 7 managed to find that XP SP2 is a good fit to run the setup.exe file. So I ran the file again with this information and it went ahead smoothly.

I found earlier a nice way to get this printer to work under Windows 7 from this link:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itprohardware/thread/ada26e31-cb46-49ea-b853-ac0565ec851d

But this wont work in my case since the printer was still not defined on my network (doesn't have an IP). After the first installation you can connect the printer to your network via its built-in wireless adapter (wifi). So the solution in the above link can then work.

Norton Antivirus 2009: Dumped!

My Norton Antivirus was bugging for more than a month that my subscription is about to expire, and being the lazy boy that I'm, I ignored it until a few days before it actually expired. When I tried to renew my subscription I found out that it costs US$ 40! I thought that was a bit on the high side for only renewing a subscription! I decided to wait. Eventually my subscription expired and guess what?? The whole defense system goes to sleep, NAV refused to start claiming that my subscription expired! That was totally unexpected! What has the subscription got to do with running the software! I thought that my Antivirus software will continue to operate and I will only be stopped from accessing the new virus definitions updates. But I was wrong and I believe that this is totally unaccepted.

Being an IBM employee I know that when IBM sells a software the customer owns the software and he has the right after 1 year to renew the support or the subscription or not to renew and if he chooses not to renew then support will stop but he is the legitimate owner of the product. Its not leasing! This is how IBM deals with businesses who are rich compared to us consumers! I have a network of 5 PCs/laptops at home so imagine paying US$200 on a yearly basis only for antivirus software. Now that is insane!

So that was it for me with Norton, I uninstalled it and googled for a couple of days for the alternative and decided to go with Webroot Antivirus and AntiSpyware. I had a sweet deal for 3 PCs and 2 years of subscription only for US$ 70. BitDefender Antivirus was my initial choice and for the same quantity and period the price was US$ 50. But I read some negative remarks from users on forums and I opted out. I will be testing Webroot for now and if it goes well I will purchase a license for the other 2 PCs that I have left at home. So far its working great with no problems at all even on my main PC which is running Windows 7 64-bit (Build 7229).

I have to let you know that Norton Antivirus was working perfectly and I had no problems with it, but I believe that Norton's way of treating the consumer is a disgrace and even if they do mention it in their license agreement. So Norton you have lost me as a customer.

I don't know if Webroot will stop or not when the subscription ends, but I have 2 years to find out :)

PS3 Media Server and SopCast

And I finally decided that my PS3 would be the best option to be used as a media player. After trying several options like iStarHD, WD TV HD and Showcenter, I can honestly say that the PS3 is the best. But that would not be possible without the great work of the developer who came up with the PS3 Media Server: http://ps3mediaserver.blogspot.com. Its an amazing free media server for the PS3 that really outperformed the likes of TVersity, TwonkyMedia (which I actually bought 2 times, once for version 4 and then when version 5 came out) and Windows Media Player. That is of course my opinion after trying for more than 3 years to reach the optimum solution. Showcenter 200 was the second best choice if you ask me.

Also just to note that the ability to use a bluetooth remote control really enhances your entertainment experience, with responsive clicks no matter where your remote is. Another thing I like about the PS3 is that it is able to stretch most of the videos it is playing to match your screen size with several scaling options. Something I couldn't achieve with other media players. PS3 Media Server on the hand gives you a nice navigation menu (making use of the PS3 XMB) with a small thumbnail of the video next to the file name and its quite fast if you are scrolling through a big list of files.

Now to the point of this post. Lately I have been using SopCast to watch some foreign channels, and I though that it would be a great idea to stream that to my PS3 and be able to watch it on my 40 inch Sony Bravia LCD. Of course I realize that the outcome wont be great but its still better than looking at a laptop screen. And was I happy to know that I could do that with the PS3 Media Server! Here is how simple it is:

1) Start SopCast, login and and open a channel
2) The channel would open in a windows media container. Right click anywhere in this container and choose 'properties'
3) In the properties dialogue box take note of the stream URL. It would be something like "http://127.0.0.1:8902" If there is a "/stream" at the end of the URL ignore that
4) Stop the PS3 Media Server if its already running then open the file WEB.conf in Notepad. This file resides wherever you have installed the PS3 Media Server
5) Once in Notepad modify one of the "internet tvs" videostreams entries, or add one of your own, here is an example of mine: "videostream.Web,TVs=GusCast,http://127.0.0.1:8902,http://www.any-site-you-want.com/image-name.jpg" When you are finished save and close Notepad
6) Start your PS3 Media Server, and navigate in your PS3 to 'Web-TVs-GusCast' (as in my example) and enjoy the stream. Make sure that SopCast remains open throughout the stream.

Note 1: This method might work with other other P2P TV streaming clients such as TVAnts but I haven't tried it.
Note 2: I have to say this, I'm using SopCast for testing purposes and I don't necessarily agree or disagree with its purposes.