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My advice for Windows 7

To put it simply, it is my opinion that everyone should eventually be using Windows 7 as it is a remarkable operating system with little issues. I’ve been using Windows 7 since January 2009, and have had very few issues, if any at all during that time. I should also add that I have been using Windows Vista since late 2006, and am coming from using Windows Vista for a long time on a laptop that was designed for Windows XP.

Here is a simple guide that you can follow that should tell you in a nutshell what you should do

IF

You are running Windows Vista now – Windows 7 is recommended to you.

You are running Windows XP or Windows 2000 – Windows 7 can be considered after a consultation.

You are looking to buy a new computer – Make sure it comes preloaded with Windows 7. If you are a business customer, and have a server, make sure the computer comes with Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate

How to install

In all cases, I do not recommend a Windows 7 upgrade. It is always in my interest to keep customers and the public in a safe environment, and because of my belief in this – I only recommend a clean install of windows 7, and not an upgrade.

To install Windows 7, backup all of your data to an external device – and then install windows7 by formatting the computer (select a custom install and delete partitions and install to the un partitioned area)

Once installed, reinstall your office applications and other applications and restore your data back to you’re my documents / favorites.

How to buy Windows 7

Windows 7 comes in a variety of editions. Since you already own Windows, you should look for the upgrade packages only. You do not need to buy the full version to do a clean install of windows. If you are unsure which edition to get, please contact me.

I’m on Windows XP, what do I do?

If you are on Windows XP, then there is no rush to move to Windows7. We should make sure that all of your existing applications can run in Windows 7, before making the plunge into Windows 7. Like Vista, windows7 runs in a different way to Windows XP leaving a lot of applications and devices unusable on Windows7 without updates or upgrades. Some devices such as old scanners will not work in Windows7 at all.

If you are running on a relatively new computer (newer than 2005) and have atleast 1gb of RAM, then running Windows7 should be fine – but perform a clean install as described above.

If you have one of the newer Netbooks (the ultra portable computers with 10inch screens) then running Windows7 should not be a problem, as long as you have enough disk space to install Windows 7 and 1gb of RAM.

If you are unsure, do not install Windows 7, and contact me instead.

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Windows Mobile 6 and my BlackJack

Good Evening Folks, today i was alerted by my good friend that WM6 had been released for my AT&T Blackjack. So, i went to the update site and downloaded the update. Whilst downloading the update, i noticed a few times it telling methat Vista is not supported for this update, which – is very strange to me. But regardless, i downloaded the update, and then started looking around for resources on how to get this update to work on Vista.

First, let me say a few things about this update process.

Samsung,
It’s now 2008. The vast majority of the devices out there, that support some kind of removable storage, can update them self using a particular type of file on this storage medium. Why on earth do you choose to use such an archaic cabled method ? What’s wrong with you?

Ok, rant over. Now, i found information here on how to do this on Vista, so i got the driver (which i am hosting now temporarily here) and updated the Samsung driver on my Vista machine and proceeded with updating my phone.

After about 5-10 minutes of updating, the phone rebooted, and i was graced with a beautiful looking splash screen, some swooshing sounds, and then the WM6 homepage. Wow, i said, Wow.

Then, as i continued the process as stated by Samsung, i ran into some problems. I couldn’t do the full reset. The phone barked and said “Error reseting”. So i rebooted the phone, and tried again. Same bark, same message. So, i tried the next time – to see the current phone version. To my horror, i found tha the PDA version had been updated, by the Phone version was BLANK. OMFG. What the hell happened? I followed all the steps (albeit ignoring the “don’t try this on Vista” part), and why did this goof up?

So, i tried flashing it again. Same thing.

So, i got brave and thought about it for a second (it was 1am by the way). And thought to myself, ” I wonder if i leave my sim card in the phone during the update, maybe it’ll update then?” Quickly, i tried it. And to my surprise, it worked. Yay!

So, if you are trying this WM6 update on your Blackjack, and the phone version isnt getting set, try it with the Sim card in, it may work.