Maybe some more Mac based content. Lack of registry. How easy it is to simply back up your entire drive by dragging files to another drive. You can install OS 10 to external drives. You can install OS 10 on one drive, pull it off and stick it on say a Mac Mini and boot it. It just works.

hey guys ive been repairing CD's or trying to get them as good as possible for a while now and toothpaste is an ok solution but not that great. The best home fix would have to be hands down the good old Brasso Brass Polish for a whopping $2.99 as shown in the link below works great do it the same way Patrick and Robert are saying center to outside going straight out and buff that baby out same way with a damp cloth and you are good to go.

give a good old google search for brasso CD repair or scratches and you'll get the info

http://www.brasscompass.com/brasso.jpg

Looks like another great show from you guys. Thank you!

For Dean with the slow file transfers using his notebook...make sure the "Auto Power Save" feature on the NIC is not set to ON (NIC properties). Most notebook NICs have this feature. I've found that turning this OFF speeds data transfers significantly.

Bill

So.... MSCE is easy to get huh ?
You are correct in thinking that something else would be more suited to getting into PC repair (A+ maybe ?) but to say that MCSE (yes - that's the correct abbreviation)is easy surely undermines the qualification - maybe Patrick should sit some of the many, expensive Exams as an example ?

The EPA new gas estimate info at fueleconomy.gov is really neat! You can enter as a guest without signing in, and you can add your own mpg for your car and let everybody view it. My gas mileage fell right in the range, too!

well nick in Massachusetts i have the item for you.

it's called the leak frog i first saw this awesome item on woot.com

but this is exactly what you would be looking for

http://www.ideativeinc.com/leakfrog.cfm

Is the guy getting 5 Mega Bits or 5 Mega Bytes? 5 Mega Bytes would = 40 Mega Bits. And that would be about right.

Thanks
Robert Middleswarth

For online HD content, you can check out Mariposa at http://www.mariposahd.tv/

I'm not exactly sure what kind of show it's supposed to be...but it's got beautiful women in bikinis though so how bad could it be?

Nick should look at his local Home Depot or Lowes for a moisture sensor. These units are designed to go under a bathroom sink or washing machine. Once a few drops of water are present around the meter a loud screech goes off. The thing takes a 9-volt battery and costs about $10. Check for them near the plumbing fixtures in the home center, usually with some sort of packaging about preventing mold.

Keep up the good work!

I taken the A+ was very easy if you have a bit of hands on and a little study time. While the network + is a little harder however I only read a book and passed both with in 3 weeks and only tock the test 1 time each. However they seam to be only good for getting you into the door for places like best buy or staples computer repairs.

What does anyone think about Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) or MCTS: Windows Vista, Configuration.. I am really looking to take another test to build another step on the ladder. Nevertheless, I am looking the best bang for the buck while having something that will not expire fast/never.

Free footage unless specified is available in the highest ATSC standard: 1920x1080 progressive scan, 29.97 fps HD 1:1 pixel aspect ratio or optionally 1.333 for HDTV ready playback.

http://skytimelapse.com/hidef.html

Regarding certifications: I would recommend the first certification a Tech. get is the A+ exam. It's not too terribly difficult to get if you already are a computer geek. You'll just have to brush up on a lot of terms. I just looked at the test and their is a lot of legacy stuff that might have slipped your mind. If your a beginner geek it's a great base to built on. Great for core pc knowledge to get you up to speed.

It's a quick way for employers to separate the person who has installed windows xp a couple of times from someone who really has some clue. Regardless of where you go from there I would start there.

After that you have many paths to choose from including Microsoft's MCSE, Cisco's CCNA CCNP, CCIE, CompTIA's offerings plus offerings like Security + and Network +, SCNP, CISM, ISC's CISSP, and the RHCE from Red Hat. (Which is very hot right now)...and all other kinds of other acronyms.

If your not thinking management or ownership for your future career path, you'll make the most money as a specialist. Try to pick something that might last or if you want to go the risky route it you can chose something very rare. You don't even want to know what we had to pay per hour to a guy who was an expert in a certain rare tech. Granted he also worked on the Star Wars program in the Reagan area, but that's another story. - infohip

Best keyboard shortcut in Vista (at least for a propeller-head): Shift-RtClick on a directory in the right pane of an Explorer window adds an option to open a command window IN THAT DIRECTORY.

No more typing cd\docume~1, cd admini~1, cd mydocu~1, etc.

Thomas couldcheck out mariposahd.tv for 1080i content.

brasso works wonders.
recovered a few dvd's my kids scratched with this great stuff.
Stay away from the Mac fan stuff.
I tried osx and ran back to windows.

Regarding certifications, if all you want to do is repair, the CompTia A+ certifications are all you need. For operating system related certifications, get an MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) in Windows or an MCDST (Destop Support Technition). Certifications like MCSE are only for people maintaining or developing large business environments. Linux also has a lot of certs, however those are mostly for servers etcetera. If you are just fixing local computers, stick to A+, MCP and MCDST. However if you want to work in enterprise environments, MCSE, MCSA, CNE and other certifications will be of use to you.
Just as a note, people do feel more confidant in you abilities if you have a cert, so getting something easy like an A+ will quickly pay for itself.

Certification is nice and can give you a solid base on which to draw, but seat of the pants troubleshooting is gold. Get some old beige-box machines.
Swap parts, screw up OS installations, yank the power, DL every rubber ducky cursor and "web-aid". Fix it and do it again.

Couldn't you use a switch, like the one mentioned below? Instead of just a router to improve connection speeds within a network?
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=cat3&product_code=239099&Pn=EtherFast_5_Port_10_100_Auto_Sensing_Workgroup_Switch

but what options do people have to play back those WMD HD files on their HDTV? (don't suggest the xbox 360 plz)

for the water sensor, you could also use a bedwetting detector. These are used to help small children not wet the bed. they have a large sensor pad and a loud alarm to wake the kid up.

Thanks for the info on network speed negotiation. I've been trying to pull docs from my XP box to my new Vista box and I noticed that if I pushed it (Drag n' drop on the XP box) was 10 tomes faster then pulling it (doing it on the vista box) the setting you described fix my issues/

Hey, two things...

Here's another item to add to your list of cd/dvd fixers - no idea how it works but it's priced right between home-trick fix and $40 for the other joby... but it looks like it grinds/polished in circles - http://tinyurl.com/youmyk

And I caught on dealnews a link to a $250 HD DVD player ($200 for the refurb version) - I think I recall the question of what's the low price-point for HD disc players coming up recently - http://tinyurl.com/35ceam