Update Windows XP? To wait or not to wait, that is the question.

Windows XP SP2

In case you haven’t followed the epic tale behind this newest update to Windows XP, perhaps you’ve been living under a rock or you’re one of those tree huggers out there enjoying the great mosquito West Nile virus infected outdoors, it’s time to update your computer again.

This time, it isn’t one of the many security updates we’ve been seeing nearly every other week since its release, while it does fix a number of security issues, Windows Service Pack 2 is more like a whole security suite. Included in this update is a whole host of services that many IT professionals felt should’ve been included in XP from the beginning.

The Firewall has been updated; a security center has been added along with a much needed popup blocker, an attachment manager for Outlook, and improved wireless functionality. There are a multitude of other enhancements all centering along these same basic security and browsing capabilities. Go to http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/features.mspx for a full list of the newest features of Windows XP SP2.

Many tech pundits and IT professionals have been warning against installing SP2 until after Microsoft has had a chance to work out kinks that may arise. In light of Microsoft’s past performance issues and tendency to rush product out the door to quickly and without enough testing this may be wise.

To test the reliability of SP2 we’ve installed it on 10 of our PC, each with different configurations. So far, everything has been working perfectly. There haven’t been any crashes or conflicts with already installed software. One of the machines we created a wireless connectivity issue and after SP2 was installed, it automatically fixed the problem. We’ll have to see what happens over the next few weeks but so far, SP2 seems to be a far superior update compared with SP1.

Sunday Tech Ads

Staples

Canon PC-140 copier $99.98
PNY 256MB Secure Digital memory card $39.94
Sony VPL-ES1 compact LCD projector $1099
Maxtor Ultra 200GB 7200 RPM Internal hard drive $129.94
Sony 8x max internal DVD +/- R/RW dual format drive $99.98 after $30 mail rebate


Office Max

50-pack 4x DVD +R $19.99
Flat speaker $6.99


Circuit City
Nothing special

Good Guys
Yamakawa DVD player with Progressive Scan & Multi-Region function $24.99 w/rebate
Sharp AQUOS 20” Ultra Slim LCD EDTV w/tuner $699.99
Panasonic Ultra-Slim 2 MegaPixel Digital Camera/Video Camera/MP3 149.99
Boss 7” Widescreen Mobile DVD Video System flip-down monitor 289.99
Nikon Pro-Grade 8 MegaPixel Digital Camera $799.99 after 200 mail in rebate


Best Buy

Good low prices but nothing noteworthy

Fry’s

1 GB PC3200 DDR Memory $129.99

Target
20” Polaroid stereo color television $149 w/ free DVD player

Magnolia Audio Video

Panasonic DVD recorder/VCR combo with 120 GB hard drive $499.99

For online deals always check out www.pricewatch.com


These are the items that stick out as either the best deals in the paper or I'm keeping an eye on it. Feel free to e-mail us with any fantastic deals you come accross in your part of the country.

Tech malfunction

Due to a technical malfunction with our servers and ISP connection we were unable to publish any of the regularly scheduled columns. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please bear with us as we work out the kinks in our system. It does look like we are back up and running and Simon assures me there will be no repeats of this issue. He has also contracted some alternate means of getting a connection and updating the columns and websites if there are future problems.

So we are now back to the show.

NAVAPSVC.EXE what does this mean? Where to go to learn about the process list

Blue Screen of Death. Windows users know this term all too well. Unfortunately, a lot of information about windows internal processes are difficult to come by. Errors begin to creep up the longer you use a windows platform PC. Windows XP has one nice feature for monitoring system resources that can come in mighty handy, as long as you know how to use it and decipher the information.

Pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL pulls up the Windows Task Manager which monitors all of the important systems and resources XP is uses. Under the Processes tab a list of services running shows along with the amount of resources a particular program is using. The problem is the information is rather cryptic. It’s tough to know which of these running are valid programs or even important.

Ico.exe
Csrss.exe
UPnPFramework
NAVAPSVC.EXE

There is no intuitive guesswork involved with these, no way to tell if they are supposed to be running or not. Six months from now when I have a issue I’ll never be able to tell the useful systems running versus the ones causing my problems.

A compiled list of processes, what they do, if they are necessary and how to remove them can be found at http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm . Look up a particular process to determine if it should be shut down or if it may be potentially harmful.

Right out of the box, the Sony Vaio TRV3 had 43 processes running. This website was able to identify 41 of the listings. I crossed checked these with two other sources and found the same information, so I feel confident in recommend this website for its informational content.

Learning more about how your PC operates is one important way to maintain its health. Maintenance is important with PC’s just as it is with your car, don’t wait until it won’t start before you open the hood and check things out.

Welcome to the debut Technovation column (and a little news)

Welcome to the Technovations column. Here we will provide you with a daily look at everything that will normally be covered in our monthly publication of Technovations. With the ever changing and very busy world of technology and electronics there are many stories that can’t wait a month for publication. Here we will shed some light on those topics on a daily basis. From news and reviews to the latest tips and tricks we will give you a little bit of everything from the innovative world of technology.

So, without further adieu we’ll get into today news bits.

http://news.com.com/Intel+short+on+3.6GHz+chips/2100-1006_3-5289467.html?tag=nefd.top

Intel has had its hands full with a few technical missteps in the last few days. Failing to deliver good on expected shipments of Intel’s 3.6 GHz Pentium 4 560 flagship desktop processor has forced Dell to remove the option from its Dimension 8400 desktop. Most vendors are reporting lead times of at least 7-10 days before the chip will be available while others aren’t even offering it as an option. Coupled with a crippling flaw in a supporting chip in Intel’s new dual processor servers has prompted chief Craig Barrett to become very vocal about problems inside the company, calling the recent problems with manufacturing and product delays as “ not acceptable”.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-07-29-apple_x.htm

Real Network’s reverse engineering of Apple’s Fairplay technology which protects the iPod from playing music not purchased through Apple’s iTunes store has the MP3 player maker fuming. They’re searching for legal means to stop this hack of their technology. Although most legal experts don’t see Apple winning with it’s current approach of citing the DMCA, and effectively trying to put Real Networks into the same purview as hackers. In a simplistic way of looking at it, a person who defeats copy protection is a criminal hacker while a company that reverse engineers a product and incorporates that technology in order to make a profit is just doing business. No doubt the debate will wage on long after the lawsuit dust settles.

Only 24 hours to go till Technovations begins publication

I almost don't know what to say I'm so giddy with excitement over the release of the Technovations column. The entire staff here has been furiously working to get everything ready for our opening debut.

Don't know what Technovations is? Don't care? You will .It will become the most influential column in the world of technology today. Giving a sneak peak at all the fantastic, informative and entertaining articles that will be a monthly part of the new Technovations magazine. There was so much great stuff we couldn't wait until September when it debuts, so we launch the Technovations column this coming Monday August 2nd. Even after the release of Technovations the magazine in September, turn here to see the most up-to-date information on a daily basis. See you all in 24, 23 and 59 minutes; 58....