A very good Dell deal - 500GB hard drive, 4GB RAM, 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon for under RM3,000 !!

imageThis is a very good Dell deal - 500GB hard drive, 4GB RAM, 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon for under RM 3,000 !!

This is the deal advertised on The Star today (29-Jun-09).

Click on picture on the left to view larger version.

It might be too good to be true. When I looked the E-Value coupon up on Dell, the price is RM 2,999 with only 3GB RAM. (Click on picture below to view larger version).

image

 

And take note that this model is not eligible for the Windows 7 free upgrade.

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Free upgrade to Windows 7 - available now on Dell

imageDell now offers free upgrade to Windows 7 for selected systems.

However, as of now, the selected systems are:

Latitude

Vostro

Precision

image 

Source: Dell

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Should you get Windows 64 bit ?

I previously mentioned that 32 bit Windows cannot access RAM more than 3.12 GB. Microsoft in an FAQ re the difference between 32 bit and 64 bit Windows says that 64 bit Windows can make use of up to 128 GB RAM.

Should you use 64 bit Windows?

The key thing for most users is be keenly aware of is that :

1. 64 bit Windows require 64 bit drivers, 32 bit drivers do not work.

2. Some 32-bit programs do not function in 64-bit Windows (Microsoft mentioned in particular that some antivirus programs might not work).

image Dell for example does not allow purchase of Office Professional with Vista 64 bit.

I am going to purchase a new laptop when Windows 7 arrives and I will buy the 32 bit Windows.

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Guide to buying a laptop

Washington Post published a guide on how to buy an all-purpose laptop.
I would add that you should also buy after-sales support/warranty, like Dell's 3 year complete cover.
Your laptop is likely to work as hard or harder than you, if you're the kind that leaves your laptop on all the time to peer-download.
It's very likely to wear and tear after the first year and the after sales support/warranty protects your investment.

How to Buy an All-Purpose Laptop - washingtonpost.com
Looking for good value in a notebook? Here's our all-purpose laptop buying guide for the average Joe.


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Maximum RAM for 32-bit Microsoft Vista is 3.12 GB

When configuring Dell systems with 32-bit Microsoft Vista, take note that the maximum RAM for 32-bit Microsoft Vista is 3.12 GB RAM.

If you buy more than 3GB of RAM, 25% of it will be wasted.

The system memory that is reported in the System Information dialog box in Windows Vista is less than you expect if 4 GB of RAM is installed

However, to avoid potential driver compatibility issues, the 32-bit versions of Windows Vista limit the total available memory to 3.12 GB

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Yoast’s Google Analytics for Wordpress plugin and Thematic theme

image If you are using

Yoast's Google Analytics for Wordpress plugin

and

a Thematic theme with a child theme, Yoast's plugin might warn that the plugin might not work.

Yoast advises to include wp_footer() in footer.php.

Actually that is not necessary as the Thematic theme files already include it.

It is a false warning and the plugin will work, despite the warning.

Here is a screenshot from the source code of this website with the plugin activated.

image

Why might you want to use the plugin instead of just putting the Google Analytics code in a text widget ?

Well, text widget code disappears when you upgrade a theme.

With a plugin, you won't have to retype the Google Analytics code.

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Sharing/transferring files - a brief history of how we did it before My Wifi


I have been using PCs/notebook for a pretty long time.

When I was in school (in the 1980s), to transfer files between two PCs, I had to copy the file onto a floppy drive, then use the other PC to read the floppy drive.

That was obviously a major pain if there are a lot of files and the files are too big to fit onto a floppy.

Luckily, later in the workplace (around 1990s), we could use laplink cables to connect between 2 PCs and transfer files between them. Networking in the office at that time was still not common and the laplink cables were connected to some port (I forgot whether they were serial or parallel port)

Then networking became more common and we can just share filles between computer over a network. And if we were somewhere without a network, we had several alternatives:
1. the USB thumb drive which though smaller than the floppy had bigger capacity.
2. infra red - my notebook in the early 2000s had a infra red port that I could point to another notebook also with an infra red port and both of us could transfer files. It was slow and there must be a direct line of sight between the 2 infra red points.

My next notebook after the infra red notebook came with Bluetooth but not infra red.
With Bluetooth, it was slightly faster and I could share with several Bluetooth notebooks at once.

The next evolution in sharing files ? Intel just came up with My WiFi technology.

Direct2Dell - Direct2Dell - DELL COMMUNITY

Last week, we introduced My WiFi technology as an option on the Dell Studio 15, Studio 17 and the Studio XPS 16 laptops to customers around the world.

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Dell is indeed focusing more on design

I earlier wondered whether Dell was becoming more 'fashion-conscious'.

Today I learnt that that Dell is indeed focusing more on design.

It was heartening to note that Dell stressed that they have not forgotten about other things that customers also care about when we buy Dell.

Direct2Dell - Direct2Dell - DELL COMMUNITY
Folks at Dell have been working to change customers perception of Dell’s design over time, and especially over the last several months. Today, I wanted to take a few minutes to update you on Dell’s progress.

Several lifestyle publications, technology, bloggers, and broadcast outlets have been taking notice of some of our latest offerings, especially since our Urban Meet Up event in New York last month.

Beyond that, in the last few months Dell has won 16 awards for design across our consumer and commercial products....

...This design emphasis doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten about other things that matter to customers. Dell’s commitment to performance and features has not fallen by the wayside—we’ve won 46 editorial awards globally in the last quarter from publications such as PC Magazine, Computer Shopper, Engadget and PC Advisor UK to name a few.

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Dell Alienware

image Dell Alienware is now available at Dell Malaysia.

Base price MYR 8,499.

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Add Custom Field - get An unidentified error has occurred

image From the results I get from querying for 'custom field unindentified error has occurred', this is quite a common problem.

I followed many wild goose chases from repairing the database to deactivating plugins.image

The solution is actually understanding that  a custom field is a field that you have to enter a value for.

So I should select the field and then enter the value for the field. In this screenshot, I chose the 'private' field and entered the 'yes' value, then clicked on Add Custom Field.

image This is how a successfully entered Custom Field post look like.

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