Big PC Geek Tech Blog

Just wanted to take some time to say the HP CM1017 Multifunction Color Laser printer is a really great choice for small businesses and homes. This printer is not for someone who needs amazing photo prints and is not for someone who needs microscopic scanning but it is a really affordable workhorse for any small office. I’m not going to go into the details like print speed but rather point out a few facts that is essential for my office:

• Built in ethernet port, this machine is network ready so all computers in the office can print to it.
• Color Printing.
• Built in scanner and copier.
• Memory card reader.
• 250 sheet paper tray

One thing that is missing is a fax machine but in my case, I would rather not receive spam faxes all day. You should also know the scanning bed is only for 8.5 x 11″ scanning.

I purchased my printer on March 14, 2008 and the toner cartridges are about 75% full after going through a ream of paper. This printer is made for a small business or home, not for a big business, and not where you will be printing over 100 pages a day.

Just got back from crippling a customer’s HP Pavilion computer after installing Windows XP Service Pack 3. I talked to HP and they know about this issue and is working on it.

If you install Service Pack 3 on an HP computer and your computer will not start follow these steps. When the computer reboots, you will get a black screen asking if you want to try to boot Windows normally (which will not work if you try) or in Safe Mode. It will say this has happened because of a recent hardware change/failure or software problem. Just use the arrow key to highlight any of the Safe Mode options, hit enter and wait for your computer to boot into safe mode. If you do not get this screen, hitting F8 while your computer is booting should do the trick. Once the computer starts in Safe Mode, (it will look different but it is ok) go to your Control Panel, Add Remove Programs, and finally click Windows XP Service pack 3 so that it uninstalls. Once you click it, it should ask if you want to uninstall but if not, highlight it and click the uninstall button at the top.

In my last post, I explained why it is important to create a restore disc from HP when you get one of those computers with the backup on a hidden partition. HP bailed my customer out by allowing us to order a restore CD for $16. I almost forgot to post the link! If you need to order a replacement disc for your HP or Compaq, use this link: https://warp2.external.hp.com/driver/dr_country_select.asp?Product=5069-6646&lang=en&cc=us 

I just worked on a customers PC and with the help of HP, I turned a computer into a big doorstop. Fortunately for me, there was nothing that I could do to prevent what was about to happen.

If you don’t already know, many computers like HP to name the one I was working on, do not come with system recovery discs. There is a recovery partition that will backup your computer in the event it crashes but you are supposed to create a recover disc if your hard drive fails. Well… My customer as I’m sure most people do, did not make a recovery disc. When I received the computer it was too late. We needed to do a full reformat using the hard drive recovery partition and we followed the steps to do it, hit F10 and select Destructive Recovery. Here is where HP has really screwed up. The system reformatted the C drive first and then opened up the recovery for installing it. This might seem to make sense but I wish HP would make a system to scan the recovery partition first because when the computer tried to install Windows, we got error after error and it was obvious we could not do the restore. Since we reformatted the C drive, we could no longer boot Windows and had no way of fixing it. It is likely that the recovery partition was corrupt which means creating a recovery disc would not work either. The computer went from a virus infested working Windows to a 30 pound doorstop. I dont know if this is a hard disk error or because their is a new virus that is really, really bad.

Fortunately, HP will save you for a small fee. I was able to order a 1-2 day shipping of an XP recovery disc for $30, 5-7 day shipping costs $16. If you don’t want to do this like my customer and I, please make your recovery disc when your computer prompts you or find out how to do it after you have already started using your computer

Affordable servers are here for everyone. This home Server idea is great for home and small businesses. Here I have the HP home server I bought for myself and family. From the beginning, the HP impressed me with its elegant design and won me over with its simple software.

To start, the HP Windows Home Server is amazingly small, it fits just about anywhere. Open the front door to reveal 4 slots to install SATA hard drives, turn it  around and there is the necessary Gigabit Ethernet port, a ESATA port, and a 3 USB ports for external hard drives. Supposedly drives can be swapped while the machine is on.

The HP comes with 3 discs, one for the HP as a recovery, one for installing the connector software necessary to backup your computers, and one for reinstalling windows on a failed but backed up computer. Yes, if I am to understand everything, you only need the one CD to backup any computer that needs to be restored and has been previously backed up. I suspect, during the process, you will need the original installation  disc. You will also get a setup poster, a couple of manuals, and necessary cables to get up and running.

Upon installing the connector software, I noticed there were some pretty cool features HP added. Namely, the ability to keep all your music in a central place and make it available in iTunes in every computer on your network. Each computer has its own backup and can have shared folders. You automatically have folders setup so you can share files with every computer. This is possible  with current Windows but because you will always leave your server on, the files will always be available. You can setup a way to log into your PC when you are not in your network, share photos online making your server a web site and much more. What is really worth mentioning is the fact that Windows created some sort of challenge for developers to develop software for the server so you will see software that will make the server better soon.

The main thing that makes this Home Server so good for everyday people is because it backs up your computer and you can forget about everything. You don’t have to worry about anything, changes on your computer is backed up every night. You can backup your whole system in the even of a failure or just backup certain files or drives. File backup is necessary because it is not a matter of if your hard drive will fail but a matter of when.

The only downside to Windows Home Server is going to be fixed soon with the recently announced Power Pack 1. The Power Pack will fix some bugs and more important, allow 64 bit connector support. Most people only use the most common 32 bit but anyone using x64 is out of luck for a little while. The release is set to be sometime in the first quarter of 08 so pay attention, it will coming soon.