gio’s WeBlog

Microsoft Corporation © calls it a system stop error. Most computer users call it terrifying. Programmers call it the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). Causes of the blue screen vary and while the blue screen details information on memory locations in your computer that are probable causes, often they are only symptoms.

The recommended course of action starts with writing down the information on the blue screen and then restarting your computer. More often than not the computer will start right back up and act as if nothing ever happened. The users then franticly back-up everything they can as fast as possible, the first time.

If your BSOD experiences starts after installing new hardware and/or software there is a good chance the new stuff is at fault. No Problemo, just uninstall or reinstall following the directions this time and the problem is all gone, maybe. If you don’t see a blue screen again you are golden.

Most blue screen of death experiences fall in the technical realm of head scratchers. Also known as the FIIK syndrome (Frack If I Know, for you Battlestar Galactica fans). My most recent BSOD experience fell in the FIIK category. In the past I have had memory blue screen of death issues. A bad sector on the hard drive and a memory module that aged poorly. Both are fairly easy to fix.

For the hard drive the old reliable check disk utility ferreted out the culprit and marked the bad sector. For the memory bug, well I had to bite the bullet and buy a new memory module. This new one was a lot cheaper and larger than the old one, so it was less painful.

Continue reading…

Windows recently released their new operating system called Vista. It is quite different from Windows XP, 2000, and the others and it does take some time to learn all that it offers as well as how it is different from your previous OP. Additionally, you will need to learn how to use Microsoft Office within Windows Vista and a Microsoft Office training course for Vista may be especially helpful.

There is a new Microsoft Office called Office “12” that will really help computer users take advantage of their computer and really enjoy software that can do practically everything. Some other versions of Microsoft Office will work with Vista, but they won’t work as optimally as would the new Office “12.” With this new Office out MS Office training will be a necessity because it is completely new and updated not to mention Vista is completely new making for a potentially difficult transition for computer users. Of course, Office “12” is not the real name; it’s just code until the real name is revealed. The new Office will allow people to work they way they want to without focusing on how they are working, which is something completely new in the software industry. The Microsoft Office CBT will also be different and require a new approach.

Continue reading…

If you want to become a better traveller, you can skip some of those how-to books penned by armchair road warriors

Instead, fire up your laptop computer and open Microsoft Outlook. Yes, I’m talking about that ever-present application that handles e-mail, scheduling and some word processing tasks.

Make the Most of Your Laptop

Odds are pretty good that you’ve got a copy of it installed on your laptop, and that you take your portable with you when you travel. (Regarding the latter point, a recent survey by Harris Interactive found that more than one in four laptop PC owners say their machine is one of their “most prized possessions,” and nearly a third said they’ve regretted leaving it at home on trips and have turned around to retrieve it on at least one occasion.)

Outlook is to travellers what a paper clip is to MacGyver. It does a lot more than you think. (My apologies to those who aren’t familiar with television show which had its heyday in the 1980s and ’90s.)

Continue reading…

Recently, Microsoft unveiled its latest and greatest innovation. Although at first glance, it is a table with an embedded flat screen, Microsoft Surface is the result of several years of hard work and many brilliant innovations. Surface breaks away from the norm, in that it does not use a mouse or a keyboard. It instead relies on touch sensors, as well as a combination of five cameras beneath the projection screen that can recognize various shapes on the surface and wirelessly connect to them, bringing a whole new meaning to click and drag: the user could physically drag files to a device.

The hardware for a Microsoft Surface is going to be unique, as Microsoft will finally begin making their own, as they sense incredible market potential in this very innovative niche. The CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, has said publicly that this could possibly become a multi-billion dollar industry, with applications ranging from tabletops, to interactive mirrors. It is possible that this will eventually be built into the doors of refrigerators, or embedded into walls, pervading many aspects of everyday life.

Continue reading…

Virus hackers may be able to hijack an important part of Windows via Microsoft’s security updates. There is at least one programme that can infiltrate a key part of the Window’s update and is used to include malicious software to be downloaded onto your computer. This software will be downloaded onto your pc and therefore bypasses your firewall. Several security experts have discovered a Trojan that is exploiting the BITS Window programme. BITS stands for Background Intelligence Transfer Service and it is part of the operating system, used to download the security updates and automatically bypasses any security.

The Trojan being used in the BITS download programme is called Win32/Jowspry. If you think that you may have been affected by this Trojan then you should visit the Windows Live OneCare safety scanner. Windows Live OneCare is also offering a 90 day free trial of anti-virus, phishing filter, anti spy ware, performance services, and a backup and restore service. Windows Live OneCare is available from http://onecare.live.com/standard/en-us/default.htm. What I would like to know is why Windows Microsoft haven’t picked up on this vulnerability sooner, and if they have why haven’t they done anything about it?

So you just got your Zune player and you are excited and ready to download music but you’re not sure what to do or where to go? Well this article will show you how to download music to your Zune player and review the different download options.

Downloading your favorite CD to your Zune player is really simple. First put your CD in your computer and open your media player. Then click on the song that you would like to copy to your Zune. Click on Rip and save the song in your music library using one of the following extension (.wma, .wmv, .mp3, .jpg, .mp4, .m4v, .m4a, .m4b, .mov). Plug in your Zune player into your computer via the USB cable. The Zune software will automatically search for music that is saved with the above file extensions. If you set the sync option by default when you installed the software all the music in your media library will automatically be copied to you Zune player when you plug it in to your computer. If not you will need to sync your files manually in order to get your music on the zune player.

Continue reading…

Are You in the Zune? Zune is the latest portable media player technology to come from Microsoft. It looks remarkably similar to the ipod but has a few added features built in which will appeal to many customers. It has a 30gb hard drive, a built in fm tuner, a 3 inch screen and wifi networking. The methods of downloading mp3 files are slightly different to ipods in that they are available free for 3 plays, with the option to purchase if required from their Zune Marketplace. The Zune also has the option to transfer files to other Zune players, in the same way that bluetooth works, so they are compatible with other Zunes. The Zune also has additional features available like the car pack and travel pack. The car pack is very useful as the Zune has a built in fm tuner which then doubles up as a car radio. The travel pack contains earphones, travel case and adaptor, ideal to take on holidays or when travelling.

Continue reading…

When it comes to listening to digital music, there’s two major giants that are on the market today. The first being Apple Ipod, the second Microsoft Zune. Although Microsoft Zune may be a newcomer to this new digital music market, they aren’t in any way lacking when compared to Apple Ipod.

When making the choice between the two, you’ll want to compare both side by side. We’ve done that in this article, to help make the decision making process easier for you when you decide on a digital music player.It seems that Microsoft has learned from the Apple Ipod’s mistakes in many ways, and have thus benefited from these observations. For example, one of the advantages the Zune capitalized on is in the area of video. Apple’s video screen was noted for being small in size and somewhat hard to view clips on it.

Continue reading…

When you try to check your backlinks in MSN or Live.com using the command link: or linkdomain: you might notice a blank page with no results. I posted about this at DP Forums five days ago and learned from one the replies that it was intentional. According to Live Search’s Weblog, they have intentionally turned this functionality off because of illegal queries.

We are flattered, but…

For those of you who use some of the advanced query syntax in our search engine such as link:, linkdomain: and inurl:, you may have noticed that this functionality has been recently turned off. We have been seeing broad use of these features by legitimate users but unfortunately also what appears to be mass automated usage for data mining. So for now, we have made the tough call to block all queries with these operators.

We are doing our best to get this back online as soon as possible in a manner that allows folks that use this functionality for real queries. We have a few good ideas up our sleeve on how to enable this, but want to make sure we are making the right changes that will give you the functionality you want and all of our customers the experience they deserve. Our apologies and thank you for being patient. Keep an eye on our blog for updates.

Eytan Seidman

Lead Program Manager, Live Search

I really hope they fix it soon.

The computer has wrought many changes to the world both in the personal sphere and the business arena. The application of these changes has often been rather haphazard. Technology was moving forward at such a rapid pace that people were really having a hard time keep up with it. One of the big changes that have taken place in recent years has been a move toward formal training. The development of Certification programs in the field of Internet technology has brought some stability. Training has become the tool that moves people from helplessly trying to keep up to being on top.

This fact is true in the business place that uses Microsoft Office software. Microsoft office training disks have been available to give a basic understanding of how these systems operate, but only highly trained users can realize and tap into the amazing potential of this business management tool. If you want to fully master Microsoft Office and have your employees do so as well, advanced training is the best approach to take. Microsoft Office training is available through a worldwide network that has been set up by Microsoft. The instructors in this network have been certified by Microsoft through a program called Microsoft Certified Partners.

Continue reading…

One thing I don’t like about chatting online is that you can’t actually tell what your chat mate is really feeling. That’s why chat applications like Yahoo! Messenger or Yahoo! Web Messenger and MSN / Windows Live Messenger provide chatters a way to express their feelings through images called emoticons. There are numerous sites out there where you can download emoticons for free. I use Windows Messenger most of the time because most of my friend use it. We usually get bored with all the default images and emoticons installed, so i recommend you get your free MSN emoticons from www.aim-smileys.net. You can get thousands of free emoticons from there.

After winning the First Philippine SEO contest last Sept. 30, 2006, I won the 1st prize again for the Second Philippine SEO Contest. It was a very close fight between me and Marghil Macuha (marghil.blogspot.com), who won the 2nd prize.

Continue reading…

The computer has wrought many changes to the world both in the personal sphere and the business arena. The application of these changes has often been rather haphazard. Technology was moving forward at such a rapid pace that people were really having a hard time keep up with it. One of the big changes that have taken place in recent years has been a move toward formal training. The development of Certification programs in the field of Internet technology has brought some stability. Training has become the tool that moves people from helplessly trying to keep up to being on top.

This fact is true in the business place that uses Microsoft Office software. Microsoft office training disks have been available to give a basic understanding of how these systems operate, but only highly trained users can realize and tap into the amazing potential of this business management tool. If you want to fully master Microsoft Office and have your employees do so as well, advanced training is the best approach to take. Microsoft Office training is available through a worldwide network that has been set up by Microsoft. The instructors in this network have been certified by Microsoft through a program called Microsoft Certified Partners.

Continue reading…

Windows Vista has been designed for the use of people ranging from the student or housewife who need an Operating system that enables them to just browse the Internet and send and receive mails to people who are in highly technical professions. There are four different versions of Windows Vista to choose from. This does bring with it as dilemma of which version one should invest in. Each of the six versions has different functionality and this raises the risk of buying the wrong version of Windows Vista. Buy too low a version and you will not have the functionality you might require a while down the line.

Continue reading…

Vista also includes Trustworthy Computing (Palladium) and greater support for digital rights management. PCs running Vista require more memory than Windows XP. At least 1GB is recommended, with 2GB being a safer bet.

Security and safety features of Windows Vista There are a number of security and safety settings of Windows Vista. Internally, Microsoft adopted a “Security Development Lifecycle” with the underlying ethos of, “Secure by design, secure by default, secure in deployment”. New code for Windows Vista was developed with the SDL methodology, and all existing code was reviewed and refactored to improve security. A number of specific improvements have been made:

Continue reading…