PDA vs. Smartphone

It's generally considered that smartphones have won the battle and you will have trouble finding a dedicated PDA nowadays. But have they really won? I think not. What is a smartphone, if not a PDA with a built-in  phone? Making phonecalls is just a tiny part of the package! So what happened is not the death of the PDA but rather a merger. This is good because we don't have to carry two separate devices anymore and it's cheaper too. Would the phones eventually evolve to what they are now without the invention of the PDA? Who knows?

Windows XP: how to disable CTRL+ALT+DEL at Login

By default, Windows XP will ask you to press CTRL+ALT+DEL before you can enter your user credentials. Here's how to get around this:

Go to the Control Panel--> Administrative Tools--> Local Security Policy, select Local Policies --> Security Options, and locate Interactive Logon: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL, and Disable that option. Problem solved!

Humiliation!

Note to self: yellow wire* = +12 V not +5 V!

Today's lesson cost me a 2GB Disk on Module (DoM).

* - molex connector

HTPC Cooling Part III.

About a year ago I wrote about how I solved the problem of my HTPC overheating. Well, after recently upgrading RAM to 4GB it seemed like a good idea to come up with a better solution. So I did.

Mod #1: Cable ties! The existing fan was perfect so I used cable ties to attach it to the heat pipes.

Fast, easy, neat and works like a charm!

Mod #2: Case fan also needed silencing. On the first try I used a thermistor. Have yet to see, if this is a satisfying solution.

News: Fractal PC

It's been 8 years since my last PC build and the time has come for me to replace my aging Toshiba laptop. After much thought and price checks I settled for this:

CPU: Intel i3-2100
MB: Asus P8H67 rev3.0
RAM: 2x 4GB Corsair Vengeance Blue 1333MHz
GFX: XFX Radeon 6850 1GB
PSU: Corsair TX 650W V2
BOX: Fractal Design Arc

Got all of this (except the case) from a shop in Austria (www.e-tec.at) and the prices were very reasonable. The build worked out of the box and gave me no problems whatsoever which is a first!