Now THIS is One Cool Computer

Folks who have been following the blog for a while have probably noticed that I often rant about the importance of keep temperature down inside the case. The guy at this page obviously paid attention. His computer HAS TO BE cool.

Keep Your Activation Status Intact When Reinstalling Windows XP

You can reformat your hard disk and reinstall Windows XP on a system without messing around with Microsoft's Product Activation after the reinstall.

To backup the Windows Activation files before reformatting the hard drive:

1. Use Windows Explorer to open the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
2. Copy the WPA.DBL and WPA.BAK files to a floppy disk, CD, or USB Flash Drive.

To restore the Windows Activation files after reformatting drive & reinstalling Windows XP:

1. Decline the activation request at the end of the installation procedure, and restart Windows XP.
2. During bootup, press [F8] to access the Windows Advanced Options menu.
3. Choose the Safe Mode (SAFEBOOT_OPTION=Minimal) option.
4. Use Windows Explorer to open the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
5. If they exist, rename the new Wpa.dbl and Wpa.bak files to Wpadbl.new and Wpabak.new.
6. Copy the original Wpa.dbl and Wpa.bak files from the floppy disk or CD to the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
7. Restart the system.

Note: this doesn't apply if you make hardware alterations before restoring the Windows Activation files.
http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-10590_11-5551428.html?tag=nl.e102

Obnoxious Cell Phone Users

Sick of being forced to listen to other people’s cell phone conversations? After calming down enough to prevent violence, hand the %*&#$$#%% one of these cards. They are free for anyone to download, print, and hand to the offenders.

Bonus: by using these cards, you automatically qualify as a member of the Society for HandHeld Hushing (SHHH).

Once you are successful with these Obnoxious Cell Phone Users, you can move on to the next group: people who talk, drive, and cause wrecks (all at the same time). Click and Clack, the Tappett Brothers, have a lot to say about this next group of Obnoxious Cell Phone Users.

Satisfaction guaranteed. If you use these cards and aren't happy with the results, we will refund every penny you paid us for this tip. Void where taxed, regulated, prohibited, banned, not allowed, or just generally frowned upon. As a referring agent, we are not responsible if you get punched in the nose or if the Obnoxious Cell Phone User installs the card in any of your body orifices.

Free Help For Computer Users

Besides this blog, of course.

Computer Hope is a well-named web site offering useful online resources, a very active set of forums and a free email support service. I found the forums particularly responsive.

Well worth trying next time you run into a PC problem.... and you can't reach me right away, that is.....

Prevent Crud In Your PC

As a computer technician, I look at the guts of many, many PCs. Most have a lot of lint, pet fur, dust, dirt... anything you'd find inside a vacuum cleaner bag. That crud doesn't belong inside your computer. The two biggest problems caused by computer bunnies are clogged fans/vents, which can cause the internals to overheat, and shorted circuits. Either of those can destroy computer components.

You should clean the inside of the case regularly, or have a technician do it for you.

Better yet, why not just prevent the crud - or at least, most of it - from entering the case?

Raise that case about a foot off the floor. Then your computer's cooling system won't suck up so much of the stuff you live to vacuum every Saturday. Raising the PC off the floor will also make sure that the intake vents aren't clogged by carpeting. Just unblocking the intake vents can lower the disk drive temperature by almost 5°C!

Since we're talking about the importance of cooling inside a computer case, find out if you can install more case fans. They're not expensive, and they are money well spent. Installed professionally, expect to pay $35-$50.
Want to know more about computer case cooling and related subjects? http://www.endpcnoise.com