Morning.

I’ve picked up WOW again. Looks like another foray into Azeroth is at hand.

I’ve always had a desire to raid. When on Lightninghoof, I attempted to get our small group together to try our hand at Karazhan but it didn’t last very long. I just don’t think we had the people (total) or people who were still interested after a few rounds. *sigh*

I found that a guy from work is in a guild on Hyjal and raids weekly. They do a lot of 10 and 25 man content. I have started a new character on his server and I am trying out the Druid for the first time. I’m only 21, but it’s pretty fun. Especially since they dropped all animal forms to 17 and mount to 20. This really opens up the game at the lower levels. I understand that some of the experienced WOW players will feel miffed about these changes, but they honestly needed to happen. As the expansions push the level cap further and further out, people will just give up on starting a new char. To be honest, I wouldn’t be against Blizzard allowing you to start another char at level 55. (1 per server excluding DKs) That way it will give people a bit of a head start and allow them to test out different chars. If they don’t like it, they can delete it and reroll another 55 to test it. But what do I know… I’m just trying to get to 80 as fast as possible so I can actually start raiding for the first time.

Back to the point of this post.

I have recently come across quite a bit of cash. $500 to be exact. (please don’t mug me) I’m stumped as to how to spend it. There are so many things I “could” get, but nothing that I can point too and say “THAT’S IT!”

As I mentioned above, I resubbed to WOW. IF I can stick with that, it will be a major time investment. Luckily we have an MMO accounted for in our budget so it isn’t coming out of my cash. But there are so many other games coming out and I have so little time. (and money)

For example:

Windows 7 - About to be released to the public. You can get a “family pack” for @ $139.00 or so which allows you to install it on 3 seperate systems. This is a great deal. I think they learned their lesson with Vista pricewise. If you want more bells and whistles, you can purchase upgrades for the OS. Makes sense.

Modern Warfare 2 - Call of Duty 4 was a great game. First Person Shooters (FPS) are not for everyone, but the quality of this game is amazing. If you haven’t played it, I highly suggest you do. I am a PC gamer so I played it there. I cannot recommend it enough. MW2 is coming out 11/10/09 this year and it is SURE to be another quality game. Infinity Ward has been working on COD games since they started so they know how to make the forumla work. Multiplayer is fun, campaign is fun… the game is just fun. It is also $60 for PC. =(

Fallen Earth - You may not have seen this one coming. Few people do. This game is an indy-mmo that takes place post apocalypes. Virus + Nukes killed lots and lots of people. The game is an FPS MMO which is rare for the market. Planetside is one of the few games that have been released as such. Since it is new (and I suppose indy), it has a few bugs and doesn’t look as polished as some of the other MMOs. But let’s be honest; Champions Online, Warhammer Online, Everquest 2 and MANY other big publisher games have sucked at first. There are things that shine in this game. Sadly the graphics are not one of them. If I pick up this game, it will cost me some cash + monthly fee. (If I keep WOW; which I should… I think.) I do really want to try it. Just haven’t conveniced myself to do so.

Dragon Age: Origins - I was not excited about this game until recently. Sure they did KOTOR, Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2, Mass Effect, Jade Empire and other quality games, but I just didn’t see the quality of this game being as high as the other games. Don’t know why… not being turned based perhaps? But the more trailers and making-of videos I see, the more I am looking forward to it. But do I have time to play this game to completion?

I am sure there are other games out there I have forgotten about, but these are the ones on the top of my list.

Now let’s look at hardware options:

iPhone - I have a Blackberry Curve 8900 and I love it. It is a good phone/pda/media player. I love the QWERTY keyboard and the way it works. However, I feel the desire to jump ship and be a sell out like the rest of the world. One thing that really annoys me is the company that provides the “Blizzard Authenticator” keychain is not making their mobile version of the software for my phone. iPhone? Check. Blackberry Storm? Check. Other BB Curve models? Check. I emailed and asked if they were going to program a Curve 8900 version and they said they didn’t plan on doing it… =( The iPhone is also dominating the scene with apps and games. People are just making software for this phone over the BB counterparts. I have the cash to pick up the iPhone, but just don’t know if I’d use it that much. To be honest, I only got the BB Curve because there was a deal on it for $50. Previously I never used a phone all that much. Since I have purchased the BB, it is hard to part with it. What to do, what to do.

Computer Hardware upgrades - When you start down this road, it just get’s ugly. I currently have an SLI capable motherboard and have two 8800gt cards SLIed. They are awesome and run pretty good. (Except they are extremely loud.) I could get 2 newer Nvidia cards for @ $450 and it would improve my performance. But I’d be putting my cash into cards that are going to be out of date soon, whereas ATI has some kick ass cards @ $250 a piece. Problem is, I would have to purchase a new Mobo and CPU to use two cards. So, I’m just not sure which direction to go. Now that I think about it, I could go ahead and get a new Mobo and CPU and use the current equipment I have until I can afford to upgrade the videocards. Not a bad idea.

New Monitor - My 37″ monitor is currently in the TV room. Our main TV died and I moved my monitor there so Amy and I could watch TV. I am using a 19″ for now. =( But I don’t have enough for a kick ass TV so I’m just waiting. I could get a 24 - 28″ monitor for my PC, but I will eventually get my 37″ back so what’s the point exactly? Don’t see much of one.

PS3 - I like new stuff. I think Blu-rays are cool and probably a good investment. (???) There are also some pretty cool games out there for the PS3. It would look good on my 37″. (And future TV) But will I really play it? I do most of my gaming on PC so… not sure it is a good investment at this point.

That’s about it I think. Can’t think of anything else right now, but I am sure that will change in the next minute or so.

Thanks for listening to me rant about money issues.

KK

Recently there was a story of a XBL user being suspended for placing her sexual preference in her XBL profile. She stated that she was a lesbian which was currently against Microsoft’s Terms of Service. I am not sure the amount of people who were offended by Microsoft’s actions, but it appears the GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) has started conversations with Microsoft regarding many of it’s policies. They summerize their feelings by stating:

“We’re truly in a new era. And with new technologies, come new challenges. LGBT people have fought hard for years to come out of real-world closets - we’re not willing to accept virtual ones.”

Read the full blog entries below:
http://www.stepto.com/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?List=47972f52-f025-4805-bea4-f515e4269a3a&ID=530
http://glaadblog.org/2009/02/26/xbox-live-homophobia-and-online-gaming-policy/

In reply to the discussion of sexual preference in XBL, I wrote Mr. Toulouse the following email:

Mr. Toulouse,

Thank you for your post on the issue of sexuality on XBL. It is good to see that Microsoft is looking into the policy.

That being said, I sincerely hope that the current policy isn’t changed due to any pressure or bullying on either side of the “debate”. I completely understand that companies are created to provide a service and make a profit. Often it is easy to have a knee jerk reaction to a problem than to look at the lasting effect of a policy change.

It is my personal opinion is that XBL should not be used for making personal or political stands or statements. I do not see how anyone’s sexual, religious or racial views have anything to do with gaming or showing off your leet skillz in Halo 3. I’d prefer that the policy remain the same or if changed, carry over the same spirit of the one currently in place.

There are thousands of places where one’s sexual preference is able to be voiced, expressed and viewed. I do not believe XBL is one of those places where it is appropriate.

Thank you for your time and hard work making XBL a great place,

Travis Clay

I am sure there are those that will disagree with my point of view, but I felt I have the right to voice my opinion on a service that I currently use. Will I stop using XBL if they change their policy? Nope. Should a GLAAD member or supporter stop using XBL if they don’t change their policy? It is of course their decision, but I would hope not.

Am I wrong?

KK

KK

I have a computer user who I would define as a “clicker”. He has been known to click anything that pops up on his screen. As you can imagine, this can cause major problems for tech support. I recently got a call from his office requesting help because he could not longer open .zip files. Apparently Adobe would try to open them. So I go to fix the problem.

Windows Vista comes with a built in extraction program for .zip files. You can browse .zip files and extract them. Nice feature. But what happens when you have a “clicker” who changes the default associations for .zip files? Annoying things. You could install something like winrar or winzip, but they usually come in trial format so you can’t easily continue to use them without paying or being harassed. Also, when it comes to user level support, sometimes it is easier to go with what they are familiar with. Unfortunately there isn’t an executable that can easily be found to point the associate back too. From my research I have found that the only exe you can use is explorer.exe. Weird huh? Below are the steps that will help you associate .zip files back to Vista default.

1) Start Button –> Default Programs –> Associate a file type or protocol with a program –> highlight .zip –> Change Program

2) Browse to C:\Windows\explorer.exe. Click Open. Close that window and .zip files should be accessible via Windows Explorer.

I hope this helps. If you know of a better way to reset it to default feel free to comment. Knowledge is power and all that jazz.

KK

So I purchased Fallout 3 on Valve’s Steam system. www.steampowered.com When I got home, the game said it was installed and ready!!! I hit launch game, and it went into a “Updating” mode. Then said I had to wait 4 HOURS because it was downloading… something… whatever it was at 200k a second. I know I have a faster connection and I wondered why it was taking so slow.

Check out this link: http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=740592

In case it is gone, here is the gist of the thread:

Please rename your clientregistry.blob file instead of deleting it. It doesn’t really matter what you rename it to, but including the date of deletion could help. Consider something like clientregistry_10_28_08.blob or just clientregistry_old.blob

The reason for this is that the file contains information that can be useful for debugging problems. Deleting the file makes it harder for support to diagnose issues if they occur.

Thanks
-MD

So I found the file in my Steam Folder and did the deed. My speeds went from 100-200k to 800k. Instead of 4 hours, I have to wait @ 45 minutes. Thank you internet gods!

KK

“From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.” - Karl Marx

“Right now everybody is so pinched that business is bad for everybody. And, I think, when you spread the wealth around it’s good for everybody.” - Barack Obama

So I guess Obama is for the “American Dream” as long as it is under $250,000.

KK

In following my last post, I felt the need to post this as well.

I recently purchased Warhammer Online because I’m a MMO junkie. I realize I have a problem and I suppose that’s the first step. After installing the game (OMG it took forever) and patching it I fired it up. I can give my WAR game impressions later, but I noticed that my framerate was horrible. Not just kinda bad, but below what I knew my card(s) could do. I suppose I should give you an overview of what system I am running.

MB: XFX 680i
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 6750
RAM: 4GIGs OCZ DDR2 Ram (don’t ask timings, I forgot.)
Video Cards: XFX 8800GT x2 (SLI)
HDD: 500 GB Western Digital HDD x3
Power Supply: 750W OCZ
(rest shouldn’t really matter)

As you can see, I have a decent system and have enjoyed playing most games at 1920×1080p. Of course that depends on the game.

To my dismay, the game was almost unplayable at 1920×1080. Especially when I got into player heavy RVR scenarios. I dropped the resolution and it still didn’t help it much. I started looking around and found the following article: http://www.warhammeralliance.com/forums/showthread.php?t=110288

6) Now that you are running the latest Nvidia driver you will also have access to the Nvidia Control panel. You can access this through your control panel or by Right-clicking on any of the empty space on your desktop and selecting “NVIDIA Control Panel” from the pop-up menu.

7) Once in the Nvidia Control Panel, expand the top left catagory “3D Settings” so that you can select “Manage 3D Settings”

Click here to view a Screenshot

8 ) On the right side of the window you will currently be viewing your Global Settings for your graphics card. You will need to select the 2nd tab labeled “Program Settings”

Click here to view a Screenshot

9) As shown in the 2nd screenshot, we will now need to add a specific 3D profile for Warhammer Online by selecting WAR.EXE from the “add” option. The default location for this file is: (Yours may show up as just WAR, excluding the .exe)

C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Warhammer Online - Age of Reckoning\WAR.exe

Specifically, adding the WAR.exe to a gaming profile amazed me. I don’t have FRAPS proof, but I could tell it upped my framerate by at least 20 (if not more). I was able to then crank up all the options (within the game) and change the resolution back to 1920×1080 without seeing much of a slowdown; if any.

Also, you don’t have to change a single setting within the WAR.exe gaming profile. Leave it to Global and it shouldn’t change a thing… except possibly improving the framerate. As you can see in the forum post, this didn’t work for everyone. It did for me so I wanted to share.

It is a supposed known fact that the game does not currently support SLI, but I have noticed a difference with my two cards running verses 1.

Good luck and happy killing. I’m Ezu on Gorfang’s Destruction side. Look me up.

KK

Ok, I realize that this blog has rarely been used to share troubleshooting information, but as a computer tech I feel there is some information that should be out there. I rarely find this information easily so I figure if someone happens to stumble upon this information what could it hurt?

So let’s dig into my first problem:

Major problems when using Ghost Suite Solutions 2.5 and Dell Optiplex 755 systems. Here is a post and follow up post from the Symantec Forums.

Here’s what I’m facing:

GSS V. 2.5

Dell Optiplex 755 w/ Intel driver

SATA HDD

Windows Vista Business (32) with Ghost Client installed

Using PC-DOS

Symptoms:

Ghost Console and Client PC see each other.

Place Client PC in a Machine group by itself.

Check Client PC Properties -> Select correct Driver -> Select PC-DOS -> Close

Create Restore task -> Point task to lone client -> select known working image -> Save -> Execute

At this point, the client PC pops up the “user warning” message stating that the PC is scheduled for maintenance. The machine reboots and starts loading PC-DOS. It goes to the blue ghosting screen and hangs for a moment and then reboots.

At this point the Dell Splash screen appears and as soon as it disappears, the screen is solid black with a blinking cursor at the top left of the screen. No matter how long I wait, it will not go away.

Troubleshooting Steps:

1) Rebooted PC and hit F2 to go into BIOS. At the Dell Splash screen, it says “Entering BIOS” but as soon as the SS (splash Screen) disappears, the cursor of doom appears and I never get to BIOS.

2) Rebooted PC and hit F12 to go into Boot Selection. After the SS disappears, the cursor is back and I never see the option to boot from another device.

3) Created a bootable USB drive. Hooked it up to PC and rebooted PC. Since I can’t get to the boot selection menu after the SS disappears, I hoped it would see the USB and boot from it. Nope, I’m greated by the happy cursor again.

4) Same as above, but with a bootable floppy disk. Exact same thing happed as above. The system never gets to the point where it never looks for anything to boot off of.

5) Removed the HDD from system for grins. PC acted normal and I was then able to get to BIOS and Boot Selection. Just didn’t have a HDD to put an image on.

6) Placed problem HDD in another 755 system and same problems occured. Put Know Working HDD in problem PC and it booted up just fine. Something happened to the HDD right?

I’m stumped.

So after a lot of looking around and hair pulling I think I found the solution. It may not work for all, but if it helps just one person, it’s worth it!

10-6-08 Update:

Thanks for all the information guys. I have found a solution for the problem that I described above. I am not sure if it occurs specifically with just the Optiplex 755s, but I wanted it to be posted somewhere.

As I mentioned, once I tried to ghost a 755 via Ghost Cast and PCDOS occasionally one (or more) of the systems would not image and I would be stuck with a black screen with a blinking white cursor at the top left of the screen. The ONLY way that the system would get past that blinking cursor would be if I disconnected the SATA drive. This didn’t resolve the problem at all since the system had no HDD to boot off of.

I then found this article in Symantec’s knowledge base: http://service1.symantec.com/support/on-technology.nsf/docid/2007091314373760

Specifically:

Change the BIOS setting for the SATA hard drive.

In the BIOS on the client computer, there may be a section called ‘SATA’ or ‘Hard Disk.’ Depending on the particular computer, the setting should be changed to one of the following:

Legacy SATA Mode
Combination Mode
Compatibilty Mode
IDE Emulation

Are you using AHCI mode?
You must turn off AHCI in the BIOS.

**Go into BIOS and look under SATA options. Change AHCI to Legacy, save and reboot.**

Once I did these changes, the system booted into pre-imaged Windows. I am then able to ghost the system without a problem. These changes made all the difference for me and I wanted to share it.

Do I need to create a new thread so we can mark it as “solved”?

I hope this helps others! Thanks for the support all.

KK

Here is link in clicky format: http://service1.symantec.com/support/on-technology.nsf/docid/2007091314373760

There you have it. If you’ve had the same problem and this fixes it let me know! (Though I doubt people will find this.)

KK

I remembered my username and password to log in here.

To all you WoW foozels still playing, you’re in my heart.

Well, the general area of where a normal person would have a heart.

Okay, my shoulder, but that’s close.

Also, a return to WoW in the early fall is extremely unlikely. At a meeting with my advisor yesterday he wants me to submit a paper to a conference with a submission deadline of Oct 10. Maybe after that.

Yeah…

KK