I am ordering in  new product from Linksys to see how well it works. Let me describe the situation for you and see if it might sound familiar. I know that not many of you have setup a Media Center System in your home but we are using one to host up music and television to our kitchen under counter TV using a Linksys Media Center Extender. The problem is that it is connecting wirelessly and every time we turn on the microwave it disrupts the signal between the wireless router and the extender. The easy fix for this is to run a wire to the room and eventually that will probably be what I’ll do, but I don’t crawl through tight spaces as well as I used to so it isn’t that easy of a project.

So… Out comes Google Search and I begin to look into what is available in today’s technology using Ethernet connectivity through your household power grid. Linksys has several products that fit into this category but the ones I am particularly interested in are the new Power Line Series 300 products. These devices turn your existing electrical wiring into a digital network instantly. The PLE300 and PLS300 will dish out speeds up to a staggering 200mbps which is ideal for supporting HD content video.

The PLE300 is a single connection device for extending your network into those hard to reach areas and the PLS300 provides a 4-port switch to allow you to connect multiple devices to this box. The concept is great, next week I will report on how well it works. Wish me luck!

Bob

Had a recent request from a customer to be able to print a directory listing and other than using screen capture  techniques or applications like Jing or Snagit from TechSmith. I did a brief search and found a Microsoft Tech Article describing a method of adding in a batch file that can be called to print directory listing from within Explorer.

The Intro to this paper describes the process as: This article describes how to add the Print Directory feature for folders in Windows XP and in Windows Vista. After you follow the steps that are described in the "More Information" section, you can right-click a folder and then click Print Directory Listing to print a directory listing of the contents of a folder.

You can find this article at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/321379

Bob

Also known by “Conflicker” exploits a bug in the Windows Server service on W2k, XP, Vista, Server 2003 and 2008. This flaw was fixed by Microsoft  in late October but it is estimated that about 1/3 of all PCs have not been patched.

According to ComputerWorld, “Once it's gotten onto a PC, Downadup generates a list of possible domains, selects one, then uses that URL to reach a malicious server from which it downloads additional malware to install on the hijacked computer. F-Secure, however, has registered some of those domains, and has been able to monitor traffic through those URLs.”

This type of occurrence shows you the importance of keeping your system up to date with current patches to your software packages.

Bob

On January 9th, the Windows 7 Beta became available for Windows enthusiasts to download via the Windows 7 page on Windows.com. The Windows 7 Beta is available download-only and available for a limited time to the first 2.5 million people who download the beta. The Windows 7 Beta only supports Windows Vista SP1 to Windows 7 upgrades. Windows 7 Beta will expire on August 1st, 2009.

NVIDIA graphics will take full advantage of the new features and functionality of Windows 7.

NVIDIA graphics drivers for the Windows 7 Beta release are available directly from Microsoft’s Windows Update service. More details can be found on nvidia.com: http://www.nvidia.com/object/windows_7.html

Jude has put together a super system for the executive that wants the very best at his fingertips. This system provides wireless technology for the keyboard and mouse, Dual 19 inch Monitors held by an Ergotron Adjustable Screen Stand, 22x Optical Drive with Lightscribe technology, Dual 500GB Drives setup with a RAID 0 configuration, 6 USB Ports, 2 Firewire ports, Altec Lansing Soundbar, Logitech ClearChat Headset, Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 Webcam all housed in an Antec Quiet Tower Chassis. Your choice of Windows XP Pro or Windows Vista Business. This system will give you the performance you are looking for using Intel’s Core2 Quad Core Q9300 Processor and 4 GB DDR2800 memory. Priced at $2,141 you can’t beat the technology and performance you will see with this system.

Bob

Google is planning on canceling six services in an effort to trim some of the fat…

Google Video – an obvious choice since they have a product YouTube in this space. Of the six the only one that I have ever used is Jaiku. Both Google's Mashup Editor and Jaiku are being partially folded into the Google App Engine. Dodgeball will be disappearing over the next couple of months and Google will announce shortly the dates of its demise.

The list includes the following:

• Google Catalog Search
• Google Mashup Editor
• Google Notebook
• Dodgeball
• Jaiku

Microsoft beta lets old Windows apps run on Vista

Microsoft has released  the first public beta of a windows tool that solves an ongoing problem that many businesses have with Window’s Vista that will allow older applications that are not compatible with Vista to run in a virtualized desktop. Called MED-V (Microsoft’s Enterprise Desktop Virtualization), this program will allow people to run legacy applications, including those built to run on W2k and XP on Vista using virtualization technology. MED-V allows you create, deliver and centrally manage virtual Windows XP and 2000 environments. This will help decrease the time for rolling out new systems running the Vista Desktop by using this product.

See article for more information.

Bob