Thursday, January 31, 2008

Comparing Garmin Map with MapKing Map

After testing the maps in Garmin and MapKing formats, I come to the following observations:

Garmin Map
  1. More up to date
  2. Not latest but free download for Singapore, Malaysia from malsingmaps.com
  3. Free download for Australia, Netherlands, Germany etc
MapKing Map
  1. Can search by post code, building or street names
  2. Voice alerts for speed cameras
  3. TTS (Text To Speech) is supported
  4. Free download for Singapore, Malaysia from malsingmaps.com

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Testing Garmin Map on Windows Mobile PDA with Bluetooth GPS

I am using Qtek 9100 PDA phone running Windows Mobile 5 with Holux GPSlim 240 bluetooth GPS.
  1. Download Garmin Que for Pocket PC ver 2.90 (10 May 2006)
  2. Download GPSProxy 2.2 (25 May 2006)
  3. Download Singapore/Malaysia map or other country map in Garmin format (gmapsupp.img) and copy it to garmin folder of SD card.
  4. Install Garmin Que to PDA
  5. Install GPSProxy to PDA & ignore message about OpenNETCF.SDF.ppc3.ARM.CAB being required.
  6. Turn on bluetooth on PDA & turn on GPS. Pair them
  7. Run GPSProxy & click Menu
  8. Click Virtual COM Ports & Add
  9. COM7 will be added & click ok
  10. Click Menu & Extensions
  11. Under GPS Provider, select NMEA Input & click Configure
  12. Under GPS COM Port, select COM6 (Microsoft Bluetooth) for COM Port, 57600 for Baud Rate & click ok twice
  13. Under Extensions, select Garmin Protocol Output & click Configure
  14. Select COM7 for Application COM Port, 57600 for Baud Rate & click ok thrice
  15. Wait for GPS fix whereby the bluetooth & GPS indicators on Holux will blink alternately.
  16. In GPSProxy, click Start
  17. Run Garmin Que
  18. Click Menu -> System Setup -> Interface
  19. Select GPS Device as GPS 10 Bluetooth & Communications Port as GPSProxy Virtual Com Port & click ok
  20. Select destination

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Testing MapKing Map on Windows Mobile PDA with Bluetooth GPS

I have a Qtek 9100 PDA phone running Windows Mobile 5 and Holux GPSlim 240 bluetooth GPS. Going to test them with 3 days trial MapKing software.

  1. Download Microsoft ActiveSync 4.5
  2. Download MapKing 2007 Pocket PC Version V2007(build 0131) 16 Jan 2007 and country map or MapKing!G10 V10.2(1115) 15 Nov 2006 and country map. I prefer MapKing!G10 since it has newer map for Singapore. Singapore_PPC_Eng.m7a for MapKing 2007 (19 Dec 2006) or Singapore_PPC_Eng.G10 for MapKing!G10 (10 Apr 2007).
  3. Install ActiveSync 4.5 on PC and reboot.
  4. Connect PDA to PC & install MapKing on SD card.
  5. Copy country map eg Singapore_PPC_Eng.G10 to My Documents folder on SD card.
  6. Run MapKing
  7. Click Tools -> Open Map & select Singapore_PPC_Eng.G10. I use Mapking map as it provides POIs for post code or speed camera unlike Malsing map even though it has the latest update (1 July 2007 on MapKing website or 25 Dec 2007 on Malsing website).
  8. Click Tools -> Options -> Voice, change Instructor to Digital for TTS to work
  9. Turn on bluetooth for PDA and turn on GPS. Pair them by creating a new partnership. The passkey is 0000 and select serial port.
  10. Create a new outgoing port under COM Port and add it to the device Holux GPSlim240.
  11. In MapKing, click GPS. Tap anywhere and click Destination.
  12. You can choose destination via Recent, Favorites, Routing or Find (post code, street or building name).

Monday, January 28, 2008

PC Advisor March 2008

Features
  1. Security Superguide
  2. Six PC Projects
  3. Web 2.0 Survival Guide
  4. Email Etiquette
Cover DVD (Free Paid Version)
  1. Ashampoo Photo Commander 5.0
  2. PC Art and Craft Studio Desk Calendars
  3. Steganos Safe One
  4. NetObjects Fusion Essentials
  5. novaPDF Lite 5.3

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Updating Software on Garmin nuvi 250W


  1. Download WebUpdater and install the software.
  2. Connect GPS to PC using USB cable which is not supplied.
  3. Run WebUpdater and follow instructions.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Sat Nav Garmin Nuvi 250W

Bought this GPS. It comes with City Navigator Australia NT 2008 Map from Tele Atlas and SiRFstarIII 12 channels. The usage mode can be automobile, bicycle or pedestrian. TTS (Text To Speech) is not available. The wide screen size is 4.3" with 480x272 resolution. It includes Picture Viewer, Calculator, Currency Converter, Unit Converter and World Clock. The GPS Simulator can be turned on to check any route before going on the trip.

1) Check software version
Touch wrench > Settings > System > About
nuvi 250W
Software Version 2.90
Unit ID: 3360xxxxxx
Audio Version: 2.30
GPS SW Version: 3.00s

2) Check hardware version & perform diagnostics
Touch and hold battery icon for 7 secs
SW Ver 2.90 n2 S V4 256MB
RAM Pass
ROM Pass
Battery Ok Cap
Batt Capacity 48%
Temp 1 33deg C
Temp 2 100deg C
PCB P/N 105-01265-00
PCB Version 4

3) Hard reset (Delete all saved information)
  1. Turn off device.
  2. While holding a finger firmly on the lower right corner of the screen, turn on device.
  3. Continue pressing on the screen until a message appears.
  4. Follow the instructions to clear all user data.
4) Soft reset
Press the reset button on bottom of the screen.

5) Calibrate touch screen
  1. Turn the device off.
  2. Press the power switch over into the on position and hold for 45 secs.
  3. You should see a message on the display that says 'Press Dot'
  4. Keep pressing the dot as it moves around the screen until the calibration is finished.
  5. Once this is complete, there will be a message that says "calibration complete".
6) Charge using AC power or USB port
  1. With the device off, plug it into the AC power or USB port. It will then power itself on.
  2. When it says "Loading Maps" on the bottom of the screen, press and hold the power button to turn it off. The screen will then say "Charging Battery. Slide the power key to turn it on".
7) See diagnostics information
  1. Go to the trip page
  2. When in the trip page hold your finger in the center circle (speed display) for about 5 seconds until it goes in diagnostics menu

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Paragon Hard Disk Manager 8.0 SE

I installed this software from the DVD of Australian APC Magazine February 2008 on Windows XP SP2. Windows Vista is only supported on version 8.5.
It can create and restore images for recovery. Also, it can create, resize, format, delete, merge, undelete and copy partitions. In addition, it can redistribute free space. Disk wiper is supposed to be included but not shown anywhere in the software. A bootable CD can be created to perform all the above functions without installing but the disk wiper is not functioning.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Australian APC Magazine February 2008

Features
  1. Hottest New Tech in 2008
  2. Secrets of Police Data Forensics
Cover DVD (Free Paid Version)
  1. Paragon Hard Disk Manager 8.0 SE (Windows 2000/XP)
  2. EZB Systems UltraISO 6.1

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Dual Boot Your OS

It's easier to install Windows Vista if your PC is pre-installed with Windows XP because Vista can recognize XP. But, what if your PC is pre-installed with Windows Vista, how can you install Windows XP? You don't have to delete Windows Vista in order to install Windows XP. The following steps will show you:
  1. Create a new partition from existing Vista's partition using Disk Management.
  2. Install Windows XP in this new partition.
  3. Download Windows Installer 3.1 v2 and install in Windows XP.
  4. Download .NET Framework 2.0 and install in Windows XP.
  5. Download VistaBootPRO 3.3.0 and install in Windows XP.
  6. Open VistaBootPRO and click System Bootloader and select both Windows Vista Bootloader and All Drives. Click Install Bootloader and then OK.
  7. Click Manage OS Entries and click Add New OS Entry. Type Windows XP, choose Windows Legacy for OS Type and C: for OS Drive. Then, click Apply Updates.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Optimizing Windows XP on Eee PC

As mentioned in the Eee PC user guide, for the best performance of your Eee PC with Windows XP operating system, follow some quick steps below to make your Eee PC run faster:
  1. Changing Virtual Memory
  2. Turning Off System Restore
  3. Compressing Disk Drive
  4. Relocating Files - My Documents
  5. Relocating Files - IE Temporary Internet Files
  6. Deleting Unnecessary Windows Components
  7. Clearing System Backup Data (sfc /purgecache)
  8. Delete Unnecessary Document Files
I advise doing only steps 2, 4, 6, 7 & 8. There is no need to change virtual memory as there is still sufficient space for virtual memory even for a full install of Windows XP on 4GB SSD. Compressing disk drive will slow down file access and doing more read and write on SSD. This is bad as the lifespan of SSD will be shortened. Relocating IE temporary internet files to a SD card will affect Windows as well in the event something goes wrong with the SD card.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Personal Computer World February 2008

Features
  1. Move your data to a new PC
  2. The ultimate home backup system
  3. Vista accessibility
Cover CD (Free Paid Version)
  1. Webroot Spy Sweeper 5.5 1 year license (Windows XP/Vista)
  2. Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus 7.5 Professional 1 year license (Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista)
  3. Driver Genius Professional 2006 (Windows 98/ME/2000/XP)
  4. Weboot Desktop Firewall 5.5 1 year license (Windows XP/Vista)
  5. Ashampoo Powerup XP Platinum 2 (Windows 2000/XP)

Saturday, January 12, 2008

PC Answers February 2008

Features
  1. Refresh Your PC
  2. Boot Between XP and Vista

Friday, January 11, 2008

Speed Up Windows Vista By Turning Off Unnecessary Services

In Vista, click start and type services and press Enter. Avoid the temptation to access your services via Msconfig, aka the System Configuration utility. The reason is because with msconfig and Hardware Profiles, you can disable services that may be vital to boot your system. With the management console (services.msc) you cannot. Also, msconfig, while unchecking the box, is disabling the service. But, you can use msconfig to stop the following services from startup - igfxtray & igfxpers.

BlackViper.com's list of Vista services shows the default settings. I have tested safely disabling the following services - Application Experience, Certificate Propagation, Distributed Link Tracking Client, Net Logon, Portable Device Enumerator Service, Remote Registry, Smart Card, Smart Card Removal Policy, SNMP Trap, Tablet PC Input Service, UPnP Device Host, WebClient, Windows Remote Management (WS-Management), Windows Time, WinHTTP Web Proxy AutoDiscovery Service.

Since I am using a third party firewall, I can also disable Windows Firewall.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Speed Up Windows XP By Turning Off Unnecessary Services

In XP, click Start -> Run, type services.msc and press Enter. Avoid the temptation to access your services via Msconfig, aka the System Configuration utility. The reason is because with msconfig and Hardware Profiles, you can disable services that may be vital to boot your system. With the management console (services.msc) you cannot. Also, msconfig, while unchecking the box, is disabling the service. But, you can use msconfig to stop the following services from startup - igfxtray, igfxpers & SkyTel on Eee PC.

BlackViper.com's list of XP services shows the default settings with Service Pack 2 installed. I have tested safely disabling the following services - Alerter, Automatic Updates, Computer Browser, Help and Support, Indexing Service, Messenger, Net Logon, NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing, Network Location Awareness (NLA), Network Provisioning Service, Portable Media Serial Number Service, QoS RSVP, Remote Desktop Help Session Manager, Remote Registry, Secondary Logon, Smart Card, Task Scheduler, TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper, Uninterruptible Power Supply, Universal Plug and Play Device Host, WebClient, Windows Time, Windows User Mode Driver Framework & WMI Performance Adapter.

Since I am using a third party firewall, I can also disable Windows Firewall. Also, I can disable System Restore Service as I don't need it on my Eee PC.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

PC Pro February 2008

Features
  1. Teach your kids to code
  2. Digitising the British Library
  3. How to switch ISP & web host
Cover DVD (Free Paid Version)
  1. Kaspersky Antivirus 7 (180-day licence)
  2. Ashampoo Burning Studio 2008
  3. Serif PagePlus 8

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Kaspersky Antivirus Caused Leaktest To Fail


I am running Kaspersky Antivirus 7 with Sygate Personal Firewall. If the mail antivirus and web antivirus are running, the leaktest fails. But, if these components of Kaspersky Antivirus are disabled, clicking Test for Leaks causes Sygate Personal Firewall to prompt for blocking and the leaktest passes.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Huawei E220 USB Modem



I tested Huawei E220 USB modem (Hardware version CD33TCPU & firmware version 11.117.09.00.00).
This works well with Eee PC running Xandros Linux or Windows XP SP2 providing broadband internet access on the go whenever there is GPRS/3G/3.5G coverage. Also, Windows Vista is supported. You can choose your plan of up to 512 kbps, 1.8Mbps or 3.6Mbps.
Huawei provides a utility Mobile Partner to monitor the usage as shown so that you won't exceed any download or upload limits.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

PC Advisor February 2008

Features
  1. Windows XP & Vista Expert Guide
  2. Future of the PC
  3. Beating Cyberbullies
Cover DVD (Free Paid Version)
  1. BullGuard Internet Security 8.0 (3-month licence)
  2. Serif DrawPlus 6.0
  3. Paragon Hard Disk Manager
  4. Paragon Drive Backup Express
  5. NetObjects Fusion 9.0

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Computer Shopper February 2008

Features
  1. Network Troubleshooting
  2. Melody Makers
  3. Quantum Leap
Cover DVD (Free Paid Full Version)
  1. QuarkXPress 5.01
  2. Steganos Security Suite 7.1.6
  3. Macrium Reflect 2.1
  4. Serif DrawPlus 6
  5. Avira AntiVir 7
  6. Ashampoo Burning Studio 2008
  7. GhostSurf Platinum
  8. NetObjects Fusion 9

Friday, January 4, 2008

Australian PC Authority February 2008

Features
  1. XP vs Vista
  2. War 2.0
Cover DVD (Free Paid Version)
  1. McAfee Spamkiller 2006
  2. Panoweaver 3.01 Professional

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Checking SSD on Eee PC in Windows XP

HD Tune 2.54 can be run from USB flash disk without being installed. It can check the Solid State Disk (SSD) for the following:




  1. Transfer rate & access time
  2. Health status from Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T)
  3. Error scan of damaged blocks

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Error Using USB Flash Disk for System Recovery on Eee PC

If you need to re-install Windows XP on your Eee PC, you must re-create the USB flash disk for system recovery of Xandros Linux. This will avoid an error message of Error 15 if you attempt to boot from USB flash disk to restore Xandros Linux.
Also, any prior attempts to move "My Documents" directory and IE Temporary Internet Files settings to the USB flash disk will result in Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Error with Explorer View for Windows Explorer

I encountered this access violation error in Windows Vista SP1 RC while viewing a pdf file. Not sure whether it is due to Explorer View or SP1. But, prior to installation of Explorer View, I have been running SP1 without any issue.
After this error, event log is unable to run, wifi is not working and some of Kaspersky's components fail to run. Even uninstalling Explorer View does not resolve the problems. In the end, I have to re-install Windows Vista. This is definitely not a good start to a new year and this software is not recommended.