Where's my RAM? or How I learned to work in 64 Bits Part 3

After much trial and error, I've finally gotten my x64 Windows XP Pro install completely stable (for Windows that is :)

One casualty in the war for system stability was unfortunately my brand new Nvidia graphics card. Shame on you, Nvidia!!! Why can't you write a stable driver that actually allows 3d to work on my x64? Alas, the onboard ATI fared better. I was able to resolved some BSOD issues on shutdown as well as random lockups by downloading the latest (not even beta!) ATI Cataylst drivers.

Unfortunately this sort of thing isn't limited to Windows XP x64. Join me into my jump into Windows Vista 64 bit.

Where's my RAM? or How I learned to work in 64 Bits Part 2

I haven't had much working from home time the past few days, and with the fall season of TV shows like Heroes, Chuck, and House 'playing' around time has been greatly reduced. I'm sad to report that I'm having driver stability issues. I was using the latest beta Nvidia drivers for x64 and now I'm having screen blanking and non responsiveness. At least they actually provide 3d graphics! But at the expense of system stability? No thanks.

So, I'm going to give up the option of running games on my x64 machine(for now anyway) and focus on Virtualization software and my productivity apps. So it's Microsoft Virtual PC, VMWare Server and the standard stuff, Office 2007, web and graphics apps.

To Be continued...

The reports of Windows XP's death are greatly exaggerated

Windows XP has officially received a stay of execution. You will still be able to purchase XP home and professional until June 30, 2008. OEM's and system builders will be able to keep bundling Microsoft's best OS until January 30, 2009.

So does this mean that Vista is a flop? Well, I can tell you that I get people asking me the question whether they should downgrade to XP, as they are having issues with Vista. Time will tell if Vista really is "ME2" or not.

The Curse of the White Box

Sometimes when picking up a new client, I'll be asked to work on a computer that's having trouble. Well, right now you're saying “that's what you do, isn't it?” Of course, but this computer is not an ordinary computer. Wait, maybe that IS the problem, it's so ordinary that it's a “White Box.” I'm sure you may be scratching your head right now and saying, “what is a white box?”.

The White Box that I am referring to is a computer that is built from available off the shelf parts. It's usually put together by smaller computer builders, often known as “OEMs”. When done right, White Boxes can offer a good value. Many OEMs provide great product and great service, I'm not going to bad mouth all of them. Like any business, there are great companies and there are, well, not so great ones. I am not against OEM computers, but I am against small businesses buying them I think that small businesses are better off buying from larger computer manufacturers such as Dell or HP and here's why:

Warranty: While many OEMs do offer extended warranty, the warranty that's offered through someone like Dell or HP is more dependable. Why? Well, simple economies of scale. When Dell(or HP) puts together a business class system, they engineer for that system to have a certain life cycle. They also keep exchangeable parts on hand for a number of years to support the standard and extended warranties for those systems. With a white box there's no guarantee that you'll be able to find an exact replacement for critical components such as Processors or Motherboards if you're outside the OEM builder's warranty. Longer warranties are also usually more expensive with the white box than with a Dell or an HP system. And here's another REALLY big thing about warranties. A Dell or an HP can offer you next business day onsite warranties. I have yet to see a system builder that offers the same. Even if they can come onsite for service, can you really expect them to be out there the next business day? There's no reason that a business should not expect that any hardware problem with a single computer should not be corrected completely by the next business day, at least under normal circumstances. Now to be fair, all the big guys subcontract all their support out to smaller companies. And you can get some real jokers out to work on your system. But if your IT person or department has done their job to the best that they can in diagnosing what exactly needs replacing, many problems with repair techs can be minimized.

Price: For the most part, base prices are comparable. But because the bigger manufacturers buy in much larger quantities, they usually offer better specials and promotions. Things such as large LCD flat panel monitors bundled with the computer can save you some money. Also, add ons such as MS Office Suite costs you less when bought with a new system from a large manufacturer.

Easy of Support: If your small business has a larger number of desktops(20+), then your IT budget will be easier to swallow if you invest the time having all the same type of desktop. This will ease IT support costs, since all the systems are the same that makes troubleshooting easier. Drive imaging can also be a big help. With all the same model of PC, your IT help can create a disk image that will enable software problems to be quickly fixed by simply re-imaging the computer. This will save hours over the traditional method of reinstalling an Operating System, applications and installing all patches.

Keeping your business running smoothly is top priority. Anytime you or your employees are unable to do their job, money is lost. So getting computers back into a working condition should be a priority. Buy the systems that are going to help you meet that goal, whatever color they may be.