Joining the smartphone set

My Christmas present to myself was a smartphone. All year I've been configuring and connecting peoples Apple iPhones and Android smartphones. It was time that I got one myself. I didn't want to spend too much money on something that I might not like and use. That put iPhones out of my choice and budget.


There are now a number of budget Android-based with varying amount of facilities, screen size and resolution. I wanted one with a reasonable sized screen so that I could see it and with as many of the gizmos that would fit into my £150 budget. I reviewed and examined models from manufacturers such as HTC, LG and Samsung. My son has a Samsung Galaxy S2 and I was impressed with that, though not its price.

Together we settled on a Samsung Galaxy Ace for £140 from Phones4U. It has a 3.5" screen, 5MP camera with LED flash and GPS, Bluetooth, 3G and wireless connectivity. I seemed to get on with it straight away. I configured the wallpaper, ringtone, transferred my SIM card plus contacts, email and downloaded a couple of news reader apps. Plus Angry Birds game of course. I did have problems in connecting it to any PC even after I downloaded the Samsung Kies desktop application and USB drivers. Only by turning off the USB debug (Settings -> Applications -> Development) then restarting the phone did this connection work correctly. Not mentioned in the manual or FAQs.

I'm impressed by the size, quality and ease-of-use of this smartphone and it will definitely have a place in my pocket from now on.

Going solid state

I finally decide to invest in a Solid State Hard Drive or SSD and evaluate this technology and its prospects. As regular magnetic hard disk drive (HDD) prices have increased dramatically over the last couple of months, now seemed a good time to do so. I chose a relatively new Kingston 64GB V200 which closely approaches the £1 per Gigabyte limit. This has a modern controller that supports the future-proofing SATA III 6Gbps transfer speed and higher bandwidths for both read and write operations at an affordable and relatively low capacity level.

I considered testing it in three different environments; as a boot drive for a previous generation, fast quad core system; as a replacement drive for my DELL Vostro i5 Core laptop; and as a data drive for my gaming system. I installed Windows 7 on it in the first environment and though it improved boot times dramatically, though installing applications seemed a lot slower and general use about the same. This meant that I didn't replace the already fast 7,200rpm hard disk drive in my laptop because I didn't really see the point. It was fast enough and worked well already. Not worth the effort.

My gaming system already has 190GB used of the 500Gb system hard drive so the SSD wasn't going to replace that easily. I decided to add it as a game drive that I can fill at my leisure and will improve game start-up an level loading times. I'll report back on my findings.

My cloud concerns

I'm worried about all this excitement about cloud computing. It seems to be returning to the bad old days of the IT industry when dumb terminals were connected to a big mainframe computer. This held all your data and there were strict rules on how you accesses it and used it.

I agree connectivity is different now but still some issues remain:

- Who owns your data? What happens when the cloud wants to increase their charges for data storage and application use.
- The software companies want to charge a monthly subscription which eases their cash flow problems, but costs you a lot more in the long run.
- Web browsers and applications seem unreliable, inconsistent and downright fallible.
- Uploads speeds are often a large factor slower than download speeds. Try backing up a single Gigabyte to the cloud on a typical domestic broadband connection.
- Extra levels of data vulnerability and security. Another password/PIN/memorable phrase to remember.

I'm typing this in a Chrome browser window because with Internet Explorer the Publish button does not work. It used to and I've reset the browser but it is still broken. And what if I'd been two hours typing this document or creating a killer presentation. Giving control away is not always the answer.

A neat and affordable Home Server

I recently bought a Fujitsu Primergy MX130 small server. It only cost £250 from serversdirect.co.uk that came already loaded with an AMD Athlon II dual core CPU, 2Gb of ECC memory and two 250Gb hard disk drives. With disk drive prices as they are now if I don't sell the unit shortly, I could always use the hard disk drives as spares. I tried loading a cheap (£35) copy of Microsoft's Windows Home Server 2011 to see what it looked like. Installation went well and I configured the two disk drives as RAID 1 (mirror) without any problems.

Microsoft has really 'thrown the baby out with the bath water' with this latest version of WHS. Not only do you have no Drive Extender but also shared folders cannot be replicated like they used to. This is what saved me earlier in the year when one of the drives failed on my own DELL Home Server. I suppose for just £35, it is good value in software terms as it basically includes Windows Server 2008 R2 with client PC and server backup.

The Fujitsu server hardware is superb for the price. It is small and quiet yet surprisingly powerful. Also worth noting is the 85% efficient power supply unit. There is not much expansion room for more disk drives though. So, if I do sell the 250Gb drives separately, I will replace them with much bigger ones when the prices become more reasonable again.

Anyway, if you want a neat and proper Windows Home or Small Business Essentials Server for under £300, I'd recommend this configuration.

Hard Disk Drive prices triple

The flooding in Bangkok, Thailand where a factory which makes components for hard disk drives has been affected and caused global prices of these components to soar in the last week. They appear to be up to three times what they were previously and this is having problems both for computer manufacturers and for people like myself who repair computers.

I don't keep much stock of these commodity items, generally purchasing exact replacements for the computers who need these items due to hard disk drive crashes, a not unlikely event. This makes the repairs often uneconomically viable especially if a new copy of Windows needs to be purchased as well due to no recovery disc creation and no CDs in the box so to speak. Add at least a couple of hours of my labour and you almost approach the price of a new laptop.

I also see that computer manufacturers are also increasing their prices quickly, though they must have a reasonable stock of drives.

Another effect is the decision whether to use an SSD in a new PC build. The speed benefit is huge and the price difference is now reduced, so if you don't need a large capacity from day one then the SSD option is much more attractive. You can always add a hard disk drive later when presumably the prices are more reasonable.

It is amazing how quickly the prices have gone through the roof as the suppliers take advantage of the panic in the market. Imagine if car prices did the same.

Vista laptops

I've had a series of laptops in for repair, all running Windows Vista, all about three years old and really slow and all failing with a variety of problems. What is going on?

They take ages to repair much more than I can reasonably charge the client for. Most have just 1Gb of memory and need all the accumulated programs removing from the start-up list before you can get any reasonable response from them. Running an anti-virus scan on them can take hours and I certainly can't do anything else at the same time. Windows Update won't run and I often need to manually load Service Packs. Even rebooting them takes ages. And all run very warm.

I suppose that they have all reached the end of their useful life, yet with our present economic climate people cannot afford to replace them.

I'm gradually working my way through the backlog.

Getting the best bang for the buck

With the release of the new Intel 'Sandy Bridge' Pentium and Celeron and AMD Llano CPUs come new options in the low-end or value segment of the processor market. Assuming that CPU performance is directly related to overall system performance by ignoring other factors such as memory, storage, graphics etc., we strive to create the best 'bang for the buck' desktop systems using these essential components.

In reality, there is very little overall system performance difference for any of these CPUs based on a different architectures and motherboards. Indeed in a recent comparative test of generations of these architectures less than 25% of general performance separated the oldest and latest. It isn't until the mid-range performance where great differences are noticed such as the Intel Core i5-2500K when it is suitably overclocked. Then personal desire seems to take preference over necessity. DIY and bespoke system builders take advantage of this. The mainstream PC manufacturers mostly take the easy option of standard configurations. DELL is perhaps the odd one out here with its XPS and Alienware brands.

The variation in performance in the dual-core Socket AM3, FM1, LGA1155, LGA1156 and LGA775 CPUs is fairly minimal as is their quad-core versions. Bargains can be had by taking a £50 processor overclocking it by 20% (no expensive cooling solutions here) and by unlocking a core or two as well. They st

Windows XP R.I.P.

I've had a steady number of requests for Windows XP on a new system. I've had to tell them that it is no longer available from DELL or any other manufacturer or retailer and apart from a few 'dodgy' copies on eBaY that's it. No more.

I then try to sell them on the benefits of the new Windows 7 over an operating system that was designed over 15 years ago, sold for the last 10 years, no longer supported from Microsoft for consumers, etc. It generally comes down to two excuses as to why they want it; I'm used to Windows XP and don't want to change (usually an elderly customer); or my business critical application only runs on Windows XP or IE6. For the latter I argue if it is business critical either buy the updated version or switch to an application that is supported for Windows 7 and the future. With a lot of pirated software in the small business segment these become hard lessons to learn.

There are exceptions, such as Lotus Organiser. This little application won the hearts and minds of users many years ago and though it has been discontinued by IBM it is sorely missed and there is a limited upgrade path to any similar application. If anyone has the source code and could develop a similar product for a reasonable cost they would have a winner.

So the end is nigh for Windows XP, but I dare say I will still be 'fixing' it for a few years yet on old DELL, Compaq, Time, Acer, etc. systems to prove what an enduring bit of software it really is.

Damn FarmVille

I'm spending much too much time playing this stupid game and organising my life around it. Why did I ever start it? Especially as I made loads of mistakes at the beginning which I'm having to live with and I'm certainly not going to spend any money on it!

So I've built this super-fast computer for 3D games playing and all I'm doing is Flash-based FarmVille. Where's the sense in that? The first thing that I do in the morning is harvest the crops that grew overnight so that I can plant some more which I can harvest before I go to bed. I've got lots of coins, goods, gifts and XP but nothing to do with it. Really stupid!

Ahhh well, I'm off to check my barley and hops so that I can brew some more beer.

Rejuvenating old multi-core machines

There seems to be a spate of fairly modern systems (especially Packard Bell) with Intel Core 2 Duo and Quad CPUs malfunctioning with motherboard failures. Often the customer will opt for a new replacement rather than a costly repair and software rebuild.


It seems a shame to just junk these systems after stripping for spare parts, then selling the CPUs and lighter components on eBay for a few pounds. I started buying new cases and motherboards for these systems for about £35 each and then re-constructing the systems and reselling them for typically half the price of an equivalent new system. Even the old OEM versions of Windows Vista is happy to be reinstalled and reactivated.

I probably don't make much profit on these but at least a bunch of parts will find a new home. I do tell the customer that they are rebuilds and hence do not offer a warranty with them. Apart from if they go bad in a couple of weeks, I'll repair or replace them.

Onwards to 8Gb memory

It really is too good an opportunity to miss. Upgrade the memory in my games system that is. The first desktop system to run with 8Gb. With quality branded gamer/enthusiast Kingston HyperX Blu DDR3 1600GHz at under £25 for 2x2Gb matched pair.

I don't really see any performance difference yet, but just to idle Windows 7 with just 18% of the memory capacity is amazing. DDR3 memory prices just continue to drop. I purchased a similar pair when I assembled the system late last year for £47 and I thought that was a bargain. Now with prices about half as much it really is too good to miss.

Fabulous Crysis 2

I decided to treat my new graphics card to something that would show its abilities. The relatively new Crysis 2 game was on offer at GAME for just £15. Also, they had just released the DX11 graphics update with the High Resolution Texture Pack. Worth a look at, I thought.

I was amazed at the graphics quality and performance. Even when zoomed in. Motion blur too. Impressive stuff! The latest in computer gaming and virtual reality. Watch New York crumble.

What I didn't expect was the gameplay. As I was drawn into yet another impressive scene, I was learning about the suit and tactical visor and finding out the best way to dispose of each enemy. As you ran, the graphics display kept up with you. Even on Ultimate quality settings there didn't appear to be any lag.

I'm going to enjoy this game. I already know it.

Moving up to mid-range graphics

For the last 18 months I've been enjoying my £55 ATi Radeon HD 4770 graphics card which has served me faithfully during that time displaying any game I wanted, though some of the latest ones at reduced detail.

However, as it was my 60th birthday last weekend I decide to treat myself to a new DX11 mid-range graphics card.

I did my research and decided that the new AMD Radeon HD 6850 was what I wanted. Amazingly, a deal for a XFX Radeon HD 6870 at about the same price (£127) was on offer so I took that instead. By coincidence I'd already upgraded my PSU last month to a Be Quiet 530W so I had the extra power to drive it. I was worried though that the extra heat generated would mean more noise but luckily the new card is as silent as the old one, especially at idle.

After my history of problems with XFX video cards, I swore I wouldn't buy another one, but this card seems to be the real deal. Even without any overclocking, it does 17,166 3Dmark06 and 3,826 3Dmark11. This is a major improvement over my old card and takes me into the mid-range of modern gaming cards.

When in doubt, re-flash the BIOS

I seem to have had a few strange issues recently that were apparently caused by an out-of-date BIOS. Just the simple though risky operation of re-flashing the BIOS to the latest version, has fixed the problem.


Problems like updating memory in old systems, where the latest purchased sticks of memory aren't accepted by the motherboard, installing a new CPU (Processor uCode missing), unreliable booting with integrated graphics, etc. have all been fixed by newer BIOS versions. I've always been a bit hesitant to perform BIOS updates as if it goes wrong can be the quickest way to trash a motherboard. So carefully checking the exact make, model and revision of each motherboard is essential. Always get your BIOS update from the motherboard manufacturer's website as the are many 'tweaked' BIOSes out there which could cause problems. Read and follow the instructions carefully. Some like DELL can actually be done from within Windows, some directly using a DOS program from a floppy and others direct from a USB memory stick.

Not upgrading to WHS 2011

I will not be upgrading to the latest Windows Home Server 2011 version. Microsoft's removal of the Drive Extender and folder sharing across drives plus the extra memory resources required means I will just continue to run the original Version 1 with PowerPack 3 on my DELL PowerEdge SC440 with just 1Gb of memory.

It is a pity that Microsoft has given up on the technology and the product. Certainly the software Drive Extender technology could be used elsewhere such as Small Business Server or even Windows itself. WHS would also seem to have a useful future as the centre of your digital home. Without hardware and the enthusiastic support from the community it will probably die.

Microsoft's Windows Small Business Server 2011

I've just completed my first Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2011 installation. It has been a successful exploration of the new features and wizards of Server 2008 R2, Exchange 2010 and Sharepoint 2010. Though I'm impressed that most of the server software management functions are readily available to the novice user some of the settings, logs, reports, etc. have been buried even further into the depths. Email in particular is difficult to monitor. User's file replication and sharing sharing appears easier to configure with wizards to move this data, email storage are readily available and easy to follow.

The full Microsoft Outlook licences have now been removed completely and replaced by Outlook Web Access. No problem for novice users but Outlook aficionados will struggle to accept this will be forced to buy a Office 2010 version that includes the full program. Pity as most client computers now come with acceptable Word and Excel Office 2010 Starter variants.

All-in-all, a good upgrade from Microsoft for small companies who want to manage, secure and protect their data in an affordable, integrated package.

The Lure of Quad Core

I've always been a proponent of having more than one processor in a computer. Right from the early days of my Intergraph TD3 workstation which had two original Intel Pentium 90MHz CPUs and ran the first version of Microsoft's Windows NT. The ability to multi-task and the benefit of improved response time was immediately obvious. You could continue to work while printing or formatting a floppy.

Now, I'm convinced that quad core CPUs are almost the bare minimum for effective working. Both my admin and games systems both have four cores and the responsiveness is even better than dual core. Fast true quad core processors like the new Intel Core i5-2400 and plenty of memory is the way to go. Things just happen when you want them to.

DELL Vostro 460 and RAID

I had to order three new DELL Vostro 460 desktops for a business customer. To upgrade the basic configuration from 2Gb to 4Gb of DDR3 memory costs £60 plus VAT and to add an extra 320Gb hard disk drive to each costs £120 plus VAT. I decided to buy the extra bits myself at £18 per 2Gb stick of Crucial memory and Samsung 320Gb HDD for £30 each. In total for three systems saving myself over £500. Now the difficult bit, fitting the extras and reconfiguring to RAID 1 Mirror.

Adding the RAM was relatively easy of course, but fitting each extra hard disk drive less so. DELL mounts their hard drive in proprietary rails which they don't sell separately. However, you can screw the extra disk into to space for the optional optical disk drive. There is a 3-1/2" bay available but the SATA power lead won't stretch that far. And I don't think that business customers are going to upgrade to Blu-Ray drives that soon.

Then press F2 to go into BIOS and set the SATA device controller option to RAID. Save and install Windows. When complete, start the Intel Rapid Storage Manager and select protect your data by creating a volume. Wait a couple of hours and you have data protection at the desktop level for minimum outlay and trouble. Magic!

DELL Vostro 460 review

Let me start this review by saying that this is the fastest, most responsive computer that I've ever used and all my benchmark results prove this. And this is only a mid-range 'Sandy Bridge' processor the Intel Core i5 2400! With configurations starting at just over £400 this Vostro 460 mini-tower is a real bargain for anyone who wants a powerful desktop or as a basis of a value gaming system.

Opening the attractive case reveals further details that show the typical DELL attention to detail. Two 8cm fans spin slowly and quietly, and the quality 350W power supply. Also the six pin PCI-EX graphics card power adapter allowing you to install mid-range low power consuming graphics card like the AMD Radeon HD6850. There do not appear to be any USB 3 connections available or SATA 6GB/s sockets on the motherboard and these do not appear to be options either. There is an external eSATA and HDMI connectors on the rear of the case. Also an older VGA D-sub video connector instead of the more modern DVI.

A real disappointment is the use of proprietary metal rails to secure the hard disk drive. These are not available from DELL unless you purchase a really expensive extra hard drive. Also the memory upgrades are expensive as well, though with four slots you can always purchase the DDR3 DIMMs yourself and easily expand the capacity.

These points do little to dampen my enthusiasm for this excellent value desktop which really show the performance of Intel's new processor in an affordable package.

Selling second-hand PCs

I've been selling second-hand computers for a while now and I often wonder if it is worth it. When I sell a new DELL computer to a customer they often want to trade-in or for me to dispose of their old computer which I'm willing to do.

However it often involves a lot of work to wipe their personal data, restore Windows and then upgrade it to the latest version. I also add applications such as free anti-virus such as AVG Free or Microsoft Security Essentials, Adobe Reader Microsoft Works, Open Office, etc. So with the checking out the hardware this adds up top two to three hours work for just £50 to £100 I get for selling this computer. Fine, I am recycling old systems and giving them a new useful life to people who generally cannot afford a new one and I don't offer any warranty. But this is time consuming work with little in return.

The people who buy a second-hand computer for £50-60 do not want to spend another £40 to install it either. In fact they often expect first-class service for a third-class price. And if it fails they blame you: that PC that you sold me two years ago has gone wrong, so what are you going to do about it?

Selling on eBay is no solution either. The last DELL Dimension that I sold went for under £3. Not a good return on my time and effort. It is a pity as some of these are good computer from reliable manufact- urers like DELL, Compaq, Acer and HP and they could offer a useful life for another couple of years at least. But is it worth it?

Just Cause 2

For the last three weeks I've been playing a wacky blow-em-up game called Just Cause 2. In fact I've just clocked up 42 hours playing this thing!

I wanted a new game to play and went into the GAME shop for Batman -- Arkham Asylum which I'd played the demo awhile back and enjoyed, so I thought that I'd pick it up cheap and play the full game. I fell for the £10 per game or two for £15 marketing ploy and picked up Just Cause 2 on the recommendation of the shop assistant.

It is a go anywhere, shoot up everything so called 'sandbox' game similar to Far Cry 2, one of my all-time favourite games. Obviously a video game console port as it has strange save-game checkpoints and bright graphics. Never the less is has an addictive quality to keep trying the tasks and objectives that are set for you. Hence the 42 hours playtime. Transport by bike, car, plane and boat are varied as is the grappling iron to get on top of buildings out of sight until the heat wears off. Then parachute silently down to create more mayhem!

Explosions are great, weapons just right (though too little ammunition) and a subtle increase in difficulty all the time that makes you try again. When I'm bored with it, I'll start playing Batman, but intil then just one more oil refinery to demolish!

Intel Sandy Bridge

I read many of the reviews of Intel's latest second generation Core processor code-named 'Sandy Bridge'. It appears to be a real winner though the recent minor problem with the accompanying 6-series chipset have not given it a good start. But up to 40% performance improvement for the same price with reduced energy consumption is hard to argue against.

I could have been tempted given these ecstatic reviews to get a new gaming system based on one of these new CPUs, but it was difficult to justify the cost of either a new £100 motherboard and £180 for the 2500K model which supports overclocking. Obviously faster memory and a new graphics card would also be needed to support the revived heart of the gaming system. DELL were also offering the new Vostro 460 with a 2400 CPU and monitor for just £450 including VAT and delivery. A good deal!

So in the end it was probably better that Intel withdrew the 6-series chipset and I decided to rebuild my existing gaming system from an Intel Pentium E6300 3.2GHz dual-core to an AMD Phenom II X4 quad-core at 3.4GHz. A noticeable performance increase with minimum cash outlay. I'll wait for my Sandy Bridge!

Microsoft Outlook 2010 disappointment

I purchased the full version of Microsoft Outlook 2010 separately for someone who wanted to upgrade her existing computer and Outlook email. It doesn't have the spelling, grammar and smilies that the previous version has, which was a great disappointment. Even though the Microsoft Office 2010 Starter with Word and Excel was already installed and has those features. This is very poor from Microsoft as she paid for a complete Outlook retail version and some essential features are missing.

You can verify this for yourself by installing the Microsoft Office 2010 trial and just select Outlook and other support tools. No spelling, grammar and smilies when you create an email. If you install the complete set of products then normal operation is available.

Another Microsoft gotcha!

I'm playing World of Warcraft

Finally after many years, I'm playing World of Warcraft. My son gave me the game and strategy guide for Christmas and also helped me get started. He and his wife have gone back to Holland now, so my progress has slowed up quite a bit.

I'm presently a Level 16 Hunter Troll in the Barren Northlands fighting my way through the many quests. In WoWspeak I'm grinding. I'm also a leather worker who can skin many of the enemies that I shoot with my bow. However, I don't know what to do with the scraps of leather I'm collecting yet.

The game is quite pleasant graphically and not too arduous, though it is very lonely with nobody to talk to. Nobody helps me as the few that I meet seem to be busy with their own quests. I see that there is a big dungeon on the map so maybe I'll be able to group with a few people there.