Bootable Flashdisk mini-HOWTO September 20, 2007

It’s very clear to me after tinkering for 2 days (okay, it’s probably more like half a day effectively) that there’s no real simple solution to making a bootable USB flash drive (USB stick, flash disk, USB stick, or whatever else you prefer to call it.

Out there you will find lots and lots of information that lots and lots of people claim worked for them, but not all of it makes sense when you start to follow their magic recipes. I’ll be open minded today and just reason that it’s got to do with the fact the each computer differ very much from the next. Like a ‘rainbox-nation’. Bah!

It’s absolute balony to think that if you buy different parts they will actually work well together. That is not however, what I’m on about today…

Since this is a HOWTO, actually since this is a mini-HOWTO I guess I need to throw a few numbered bullets in the mix.

1. Make sure you have a PC.
2. Check that it (as in the PC pointed out in 1) is plugged in before you begin.

Ha! That is mini enough, isn’t it?! It doesn’t help though… ghrrr. You know, you shouldn’t bitch really. We live in this instant world where everything has to be quick; 2 minute noodles, 5 minute workouts, blah blah blah. Do you really think that all the instant bollocks have any value?! If so, then the two outlined points above should suffice for your needs.
Good night.

For the rest of you, read on.

NOTES

• This tutorial only works for computers that can boot up with the USB-HDD option. Some BIOSs have USB-FDD, USB-ZIP, USB-CDROM or whatever else. I’ve tried this recipe on them and it’s a no go.
• This HOWTO will get you to boot NTFS4DOS, which to me looks like Avira’s own DOS.

PRE-REQUISITES

• BIOS that can boot USB-HDD
• USB flash drive
• Half a brain
• Avira NTFS4DOS Personal (This means you will also need a floppy drive – download this zip which contains the result)
• HP Disk Storage Format Utility from Bay Wolf’s collection (or download it from my public box)

STEPS

1. Download the Avira NTFS4DOS result zip and extract it somewhere.
2. Run the HP Disk Storage Format tool.
   • Check that it has your USB flash drive as the device.
   • For the File System I used FAT
   • Select ‘Create a DOS startup disk’
   • Click the ‘…’ button after selecting ‘using DOS system files located at:’ and point it to the directory where you’ve extracted the zip to in 1.
3. Copy all the files from the directory in 1. to the flash drive. DO NOT overwrite any of the files if the copy asks! IT WILL PREVENT THE DRIVE FROM BOOTING!
4. Reboot your machine and enter the BIOS settings. Now go to wherever you change the boot order and select USB-HDD to be first.
5. Save settings and exit the BIOS.
6. You should now be booting off the flash drive.

Easy ne’! So now you would ask, WHAT THE BLEEP WOULD I NEED TO BOOT DOS FOR?!
Patience boet, we will explore one possibility tomorrow…

 Cheers

Microsoft Natural Keyboard 4000 July 1, 2007

I never thought I’d ever fall in love with anything ever produced by the capitalist monopoly that is Microsoft. Times have changed. A few months ago some of the guys at work convinced me that the new Microsoft Natural Keyboard is so good they bought one for every computer they owned. I guess it was a hyped-up moment of weakness in my anti-consumerism shield that caused me to jump on the net and order the thing right there.

At first it was awkward and the size and placement of some keys threw me completely off balance, but it’s looks and comfy palm rests sure made up for that phase. I’m convinced my boss must’ve noticed a huge dip in my productivity that week. At the top you have 5 shortcut buttons that you can program to open your favorite programs; my biggest problem with these was that I kept on pressing the wrong button for the program I wanted. I guess my short term memory needs some time in the memory-gym. There’s a button for Web, mail and search. Search is smart enough to open a relevant search box based on the context; so in File Explorer it would open File Seach and in IE it would open web search. Mute, Volume up and down, play/pause which would also open your default player, and calculator shortcut. In the middle of the split is a zoom button that is also context sensitive; I think it just simulates Ctrl+MouseScroll. Also back and forward context sensitive buttons placed below the spacebar.

This keyboard is about more than fancy layout and shortcut keys. It’s about how it takes away the discomfort of typing with your hands held at unnatural positions. Imagine a marathon runner with the latest and lightest shoes; he has less weight to carry on his long run and compared to his old shoes, it feels to him like he’s running on air. Because of this he can make the most of his ability and he can run without even having to worry about his shoes holding him back. My productivity at work surely must’ve improved and made up for after I got used to this keyboard; I wonder if my wpm actually improved? Will have to check that.

At first I thought the price was a little steep. I mean, it’s just a keyboard, don’t be stupid Eugene! Then it hit me, as if an epiphany, and I just couldn’t live with my “normal” keyboard anymore, I was going nuts! I’ve just bought myself another for my computer at home. I had to get rid of the lead in my shoes…

Samsung 226BW (to LCD for real!) April 24, 2007

I had the intention of writing about this LCD and all the research I did before, but bitching about service and attitude seemed to rule that day…

I’ve had the Samsung now for around three weeks and I’m very happy with it. So far none of my dead-pixel fears, light-bleed fears or whatever else there was to fear, came true. It just proves that doing a lot of research before you buy something really does pay off in the end.

Like I’ve mentioned, I did a lot of reading all over the internet, in my opinion the marketing babble that we get thrown really is just that, marketing. I had to find a site, or a forum or a chatroom or whatever it took where I could read the opinions of people that had hands-on experience with this product and who believed in revealing the truth. So instead of re-iterating everything these people did before me, I will just list a couple of links that can point you in the right direction.

1. hardforum.com – This was most definately the most useful and I can see that it will continue to be useful in the future. With regards to the 226BW, look at this post. Yes, you will have to read a lot…
2. behardware.com – A comparison between LCD’s. (I think this link is listed at hardforum also)
3. Google – need I say more.

Sit down and think about what you want from your LCD such as view angles, games, photo editing, etc and then go and read these articles. When you have made that decision, a little common sense and fair reasoning is all you need.

To LCD or not to LCD… March 21, 2007

…or rather, which LCD? I’ve been endlessly prowling around the internet, computer magazines, forums, chatrooms, you freakin’ name it (!) trying to find as much information as I can on which LCD would be worth my hard earned dollars (or in my case the less worthy Rand ).

I am not the kind of guy that goes with what the general media tries to sell, and with this I mean adverts, television and the worst of them all, magazines. They would review some brand spanking new product delivered to their door by the manufacturer, which of course they don’t want to bad-mouth or they’d lose getting new stuff to play with! Instead of writing an honest review you’d get something sort of okay that gets the pages filled up. Like the other day I read an review on a MP3 player that was released almost three years ago, and this magazine was going on how this would be a good buy for the people needing “a funky new player”. A funky NEW player?! Are you kidding me!

This could bring us back to the whole “why we need the press if we have the internet” debate, but I’d rather just shutup and leave it be. For me, you’d be a fool to think that whatever you see in the shiny gloss pages of the latest print is anything to go by for your next buy. I know of something better. You may have heard of this, it’s a technology that’s as old as the internet itself. It’s very simple. It’s called a forum. Smile

All it requires is a little patience, and a little time. The point is you want to get right down into the nitty gritty where some weird person named Rambo53 tells you about his gripes with his brand new (but not so shiny) player that was supposed to be the latest and the greatest. It’s right there where you realize, reading about real experiences of real people, exactly what that MP3 player is all about. It’s right there where you realize that this player you’ve been drooling over really is just a piece of crap and you might just as well stick to the 10yr old Sony walkman that you’ve always loved so much despite the schlepp with tapes… Or not. NO NO NO! Send a letter to that magazine that told you lies and make sure they damn well know how much you think they suck. And never listen to them again, atleast not until you’ve done proper research.

A magazine should have talented people that can put together articles about something interesting that required research and time. Something that you can read with curiosity and lose yourself in on a cool Sunday afternoon on the sofa without feeling confused about consumerism taking over your life…

Anyways, the story about my research will have to wait for another day. I did find the one that according to the people is the best for what I need for the money I want to spend. So I started shopping around and to my amusement found that Incredible Connection (a local computer hardware/software retailer, in my opinion mostly over-priced) had it priced lower than anywhere else! I queried Digital Planet, an online retailer and all they could responded with was:

“Unfortunately we are unable to beat that price and the best price that I can do is R x incl. VAT as advertised on the website.”

I could guess and understand their reasons for that, but sheesh, how do you expect to sell your stock if you cannot even beat the more expensive retailers with a physical store!?

Sweet SQL! January 21, 2007

Who said SQL ain’t sweet!?

This is from the original posting at The Daily WTF