• Tag Archives Windows XP

  • PC World (June 2004)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: PC World – June 2004

    PC World was one of the longest running and most successful “PC” magazines. PC in this context generally referring to IBM PC compatibles, DOS, and Windows. In 2004, that meant mostly coverage of computers running Windows XP. The June 2004 issue includes:

    Ultimate PC Protection

    • Bigger Threats, Better Defense – A look at the latest in security software including the latest firewalls, antivirus, anti-spyware and antispam. According to PC World, the best such products at the time were Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2004, Zone Labs ZoneAlarm Pro 4.5, Lavasoft Ad-aware 6 Plus, Spybot Search & Destroy, and Cloudmark SpamNet.
    • Spam-Proof Your In-Box – A review of nine different antispam tools. Products included are Aladdin Systems SpamCatcher 3.01, Audiotrieve InBoxer 1.1, Cloudmark SpamNet, Lyris Technologies MailShield 3.11, Network Associates McAfee SpamKiller 5.0, Panda Software Platinum Internet Security, Sunbelt Software IHateSpam 4 for Outlook, Symantec Norton AntiSpam 2004, and Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2004.

    Features

    • Who Knew Your…{PC, Software, Camera, Printer, Network, Drive, Handheld}…Could Do That – Various hints and tips for your PC and peripheral gadgets. Hints include using a wireless printer server, plugging your digital camera into a slide show display, using your notebook screen as a desktop monitor, cataloging your CDs and DVDs automatically, and more.
    • DV Stars – A look at the latest digital camcorders. Most were MiniDV but there were also recordable DVD models. Units reviewed include the Canon ZR80, Canon ZR90, JVC GR-D72US, Panasonic PV-DV73, Panasonic PV-DV73, Panasonic PV-DV953 (Best Buy), Sharp VL-Z800U, Sony DCR-DVD300, Sony DCR-HC20 (Best Buy), and Sony DCR-IP1 MicroMV.
    • Is E-Voting Safe – Here they were referring to computerized voting machines vs. something like internet voting. Still a question being asked today.

    Top 100

    • Spotlight: Wireless Mice and Keyboards – A comparison of two top wireless keyboard and mouse combos including the DiNovo Media Desktop and the Microsoft Basic Wireless Optical Desktop. Plus a look at the Logitech Cordless Click Plus Optical Mouse and a bunch of other wireless input devices.
    • Top 15 Desktop PCs – The top “power system” PC was the ABS Ultimate M5-64 featuring a 2.2 GHz Athlon 64 3400+, 1 GB RAM, and a 256MB ATI Radeon 9800XT for $2319. The top “value system” was the Dell Dimension 4600 featuring a 2.8 GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, and a 128MB nVidia GeForce FX 5200 for $1089.
    • Top 15 Notebook PCs – The top “desktop replacement” was the HP Compaq Nc6000 featuring a 1.6 GHz Pentium M and 512 MB RAM. The top “all-purpose” notebook was the IBM ThinkPad R50 featuring a Pentium M 1.4 GHz and 512 MB. The Top “ultraportable” was the Toshiba Portege M100 featuring a 1.2 GHz Pentium M and 256 MB RAM.
    • Top 10 Inkjet Printers – At the top of the list month is the HP Deskjet 5150.
    • Top 10 DVD Drives – Optical drives used to be such a big deal, now it is hard to find pre-built PCs with them (though they are still around). The top DVD/RW drive listed here is the Plextor PX-708A.
    • Top 5 Graphics Boards – The top 5 from top to bottom are the MSI FX5900 XT-VTD128, Asus Radeon 9800XT, ATI All-In-Wonder 9600 XT, Crucial Technology Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB, and BFG Technologies Asylum GeForce FX 5950 Ultra.
    • Top 10 Digital Cameras – At the top of the list is the Olympus C-5060 Wide Zoom for $649 featuring 5.1 megapixel resolution and a 32MB XD-Picture Card (plus a CompactFlash slot).

    Departments

    • Up Front – On the advantages of using Windows and OS X based systems.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about offshore tech support, pop-ups, PC security, remembering passwords, printing on the cheap, how to fight spam and viruses, and more.
    • Plugged In – AMD starts a campaign providing free hotspots. It was common at this time to have to pay for hot spot access at, for example, a Starbucks.
    • Home Office – Fixes for common mistakes including tools for backing up your data and recovering deleted files.
    • Bugs and Fixes – Updates for Outlook and MSN Messenger primarily to fight viruses.
    • Full Disclosure – An early look at Microsoft’s next version of windows, code-named Longhorn which would eventually become Vista.

    News & Trends

    • Viruses Taret IM – Tips and tools to prevent the spread of viruses via IM clients.
    • Intel Plays Name Game – Intel changes its naming scheme dropping the MHz from model names.
    • New Cell Phones: Cool, Capable – Smartphones weren’t a thing yet. The latest and greatest cell phones included the Kyocera KOI, Siemens CX66, and the LG8000 among others.
    • Tools to Find PC Data Faster – A look at search tools for Windows XP including Bloomba, DTSearch Desktop and X1.
    • Laptop CPU for the Long Haul – A look at the Sharp Actius MM20, the first notebook to use the 1 GHz Efficeon TM8600 CPU from Transmeta.
    • Ultrafast Wireless – A look at a new wi-fi standard referred to as Ultra Wide Band (UWB) or 802.15.3a with speeds up to 480mbps.

    New Products

    • Video Instant Messaging Software – A look at video chat software including Sight-Speed Video Messenger, Clique Video Messenger and Logitech’s VideoCall.
    • Notebook – A review of the Inspiron XPS which includes a 3.4 GHz Pentium 4 Extreme Edition CPU, 128MB ATI Radeon 9700 graphics, 1GB RAM, a 60GB hard drive, and a 15.4-inch 1920 x 1200 screen for only $4349.
    • Digital Camera – Reviews of the Canon PowerShot S500 Digital Elph and the Nikon D70 DSLR.
    • Database Management Software – A review of FileMaker Pro 7.
    • Video Transfer Device – A review of the Plextor ConvertX PX-M402U. It is an external device that converts analog video to digital via RCA or S-Video input.

    Next Gear

    • Build a Media-Savvy PC – A how-to guide for building a computer designed to handle TV, music and other multi-media. Examples are provided for a high-end version and a value version. The value version includes a 1.83 GHz Athlon XP 1500+, ATI All-In Wonder 9200, and 256 MB PC2700 (333 MHz) RAM while the high-end version includes a 3.4 GHz Pentium 4, 1GB PC4000 (500 MHz) DDR RAM, and an ATI All-In-Wonder 9800 Pro.
    • HDTV Recorder – A review of LG’s LST-3410A HDTV Digital Video Recorder/Receiver, designed mostly to record HD broadcasts.
    • Cellular GPS Service – Taken for granted today but if you wanted GPS navigation on your phone in 2004 it required special software and a subscription service/data plan and you had to make do with a tiny screen.
    • Gadget Freak – Tips for the perfect home theater setup.

    Here’s How

    • Windows Tips – How to customize startup and shutdown of windows, including starting applications automatically and running maintenance tasks on shutdown.
    • Hardware Tips – Tips on getting the right hard drive for your needs… Internal or external, SATA or PATA, size, etc.
    • Step-By-Step – A guide for tuning up your Windows XP installation.
    • Internet Tips – A guide for using America Online.
    • Answer Line – Questions answered about moving data, settings, and apps to a new PC.

    …and more!


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  • Digital Archaeology – Dell Latitude D600

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    The great thing about Dell computers is that you can usually go to Dell’s support site and type in the service tag which is typically on the computer somewhere and it will give you all kinds of information about it. In the case of this Dell Latitude D600, there wasn’t a whole lot. It seems that with some older computers, Dell has ‘lost’ certain information like the shipping configuration. However, other interesting stuff was still there including the shipping date, warranty expiration date, user manual and service manual.

    This particular artifact, er, laptop was included in an auction I won of various similar items. It can be hard to define what exactly is ‘vintage’ when it comes to computers. Is it any computer over a certain arbitrary age? Any computer that predates 64-bits? Something else? On one hand, this laptop has a 32-bit architecture and is rapidly closing in on 20 years old. On the other hand, it can still run at least one modern operating system (a 32-bit Debian distribution in this case). And on the first hand again, while it is running a modern OS the performance isn’t exactly spectacular and for all practical purposes unusable for modern web browsing. On the second hand again it CAN run a browser and you can slowly load some web pages as long as they aren’t too taxing and you aren’t using more than a tab or two. It’s also perfectly fine for basic office tasks like word processing, spreadsheets, etc. And if you stuck Windows XP on it (definitely the best version of Windows for this machine) then you could play some games of that era as well.

    The Latitude line is Dell’s business line of computers so there’s a good chance that this was once in an office somewhere. According to Dell’s support site, it was shipped on June 25th, 2004 and the warranty expired on June 26th 2007. So in a few months, this laptop will be a legal adult. If you were born 18 years ago or this laptop (or one like it) was the first computer you ever used as a kid then no doubt this PC will seem quite vintage. On the other hand, if your first computer was a Commodore 64, it will merely seem a bit old.

    To put the age of this computer in perspective, popular movies in June 2004 include Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban, Spider-Man 2, and DodgeBall. Popular TV shows included CSI, CSI: Miami, American Idol, Everybody Loves Raymond, ER, Lost, CSI: NY, House, Boston Legal and The West Wing. George W. Bush was President.

    So what hardware did a laptop from 2004 include? In this case:

    • Pentium M @ 1.6 GHz CPU
    • 1 GB RAM – DDR 266 MHz
    • ATI Radeon 9000 (AGP)
    • Samsung CDRW/DVD drive
    • PCMCIA slot
    • 2 USB ports
    • 56K Modem
    • Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet Ethernet
    • Intel Pro/Wireless 2200BG WiFi adapter
    • 1024×768 display

    This model generally got positive reviews. Personally, I liked the build quality of the previous generation C600 series. The D600 has a metal (some kind of magnesium alloy I think) lid but the rest of it is plastic. The C600 was all plastic but it seemed to be a heavier duty plastic that what most of the D600 is made out of. Plus it was all black as opposed to the primarily gray color of the D600. The keyboard was also a little better. If there was one area where the D600 got some criticism it was the keyboard. However, there’s no doubt that the Pentium M and other hardware in the D600 was a step up from the Pentium III-M of the older generation. Unfortunately, this particular laptop only has a 1024×768 display which wasn’t really enough even when it was new in my opinion. Higher resolution displays were available for more money though.

    ZDNet’s take on the D600

    The Pentium M was a pretty major advancement in laptop CPUs. There was a mobile Pentium 4 and even desktop Pentium 4’s were used in some desktop replacement laptops. However, neither one was particularly energy efficient and performance was mediocre for the power consumption and price. The Pentium M actually resembles a Pentium III more than a Pentium 4 from an architectural point of view but is much more energy efficient and faster per clock than early Pentium 4s. The energy efficiency of the Pentium M is in large part what started Apple down the path to switching to Intel CPUs over the Power PC CPUs they had been using.

    As with every computer I power up, I currently run BOINC on this machine along with various projects. It’s still capable of running a few though no doubt I’m not going to break any records in terms of credits. Currently, this computer ranks 280,154 out of 349,636 according to boincstats. To be fair, I don’t actually have it turned on much though it happens to be on now because this is being typed on it.

    My first laptop was Pentium M based but It had a better display and more powerful graphics than this Dell Latitude D600. However, it does have some upgrade potential. I believe that the CPU can be upgraded from the existing 1.6 GHz model to as much as a 2.1 GHz model with double the cache (2MB vs. 1MB). In addition, I should be able to take the RAM from the existing 1GB up to 2GB. I’m not likely to bother in this case though. For more information on the hardware of the D600, check out the output of HardInfo here: https://www.megalextoria.com/DigitalArchaeology/da_Latitude-D600/hardinfo_report.html


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  • PC World (April 2006)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: PC World – April 1996

    It can be argued whether or not Windows XP era machines are “vintage” or not but these days it certainly feels like print magazines are. The last issue of PC World was published nearly 8 years ago. The April 2006 issue includes:

    Cover Story

    • Windows Hacks – With just a few simple tweaks to Windows XP’s Registry, you can tailor the OS to your taste. We show you how and suggest a few utilities that make the job even easier. And if you’re eager to jump from XP to the upcoming Vista, don’t miss our in-depth preview of its revamped design and enhanced security features.

    Features

    • Get More Out of Your Wireless Network – Suddenly, it seems, a multitude of gadgets have added wireless capability to their repertoire. Whether for making phone calls, sharing files, or streaming music and video, here are some of the best on the market.
    • Battery Boosters – Every gadget you own lives or dies by its batteries. We tell you how to wring every bit of life out of them, which tyeps last longest, and what new technologies are on the horizon.
    • Projectors for Everyone – High-resolution, multipurpose projectors that can handle both business presentations and home entertainment? They’re here, at prices as low as $899. We evaluate 16 and rank the 10 best.

    Reviews & Rankings

    • Power Desktop PCs – AMD FX-60-based units from ABS, CyberPower, and Polywell
    • Top 5 Power Desktops
    • high-Resolution HDTVs – Sets from HP, JVC, and Mitsubishi
    • Satellite Radio – Sirius Satellite Radio
    • Desktop Computer – Apple iMac G5
    • Graphics Software – CorelDraw Graphics Suite X3
    • Top 5 Laser Printers
    • Digital Camera – Nikon D200
    • Finanical Software – Sage Software Simply Accounting Basic 13
    • Top 5 Value Graphics Boards
    • Notebook PC – HP Pavilion dv5000z
    • Hard Drive – Western Digital Raptor X
    • Top 5 Speakers
    • Scanner – Microtek ScanMaker i800
    • More Reviews

    Departments

    • Up Front – Has television over the Internet finally arrived?
    • Letters – Excessive copy controls are cause for concern.
    • Consumer Watch – What to look for in a Web site hosting service. Plus: How much does Google know about you?
    • Hassle-Free PC – Get rid of the junk cluttering up your system tray.
    • Gadget Freak – Blu-ray vs. HD DVD: The battle has just begun.
    • Bugs and Fixes – Windows risk: booby-trapped fonts on Web sites.
    • Full Disclosure – Unwanted bundled apps are the new spam.

    News & Trends

    • Spam Mutates – Filters may hold junk e-mail at bay, but spam is now invading blogs, IM, and cell phones.
    • Microsoft Offers New Web Apps – Windows Live and Office Live – still in beta – bring software and services over the Internet.
    • Internet Explorer 7: New Security, Navigation – The preview of Beta 2 offers some cool features long available in Firefox and Opera.
    • Patent Overload Hampers Tech Innovation – A huge applications backlog is swamping the U.S. Patent Office, and disputes jam the courts.
    • Plugged In – Google, Amazon move into online video; waiting for superfast wireless; a new type of high-def TV.

    Here’s How

    • Internet Tips – Control cookies to preserve your online privacy.
    • Answer Line – Notebook security – at home and on the road.
    • Windows Tips – Annotate a large group of files in one fell swoop.
    • Hardware Tips – Choose the right PC storage upgrades for you.
    • Power-Saving Tips – Save dollars by reducing your PC’s energy costs.

    Resources

    • How to Contact PC World
    • PC World Marketplace
    • Advertiser Index

    …and more!


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