Now Making

UBOAAAAAAああああああああああああああ

2010-03-20T09:01:00.001-04:00

ああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああああ

That is all!

Reaching goals

2010-03-20T08:59:00.001-04:00

Feeling lazy, so here comes a lazy post.

Almost 1 1/2 years later after starting this game I reached Level 100. Heh… with that time I may just be able to write a really long story since Level 1. Of course, it doesn’t mean that I’m done yet. I just gotta keep going forward. Gives me more time for Double Spoiler and Yume Nikki as well.

And uh… what else?

Still alive here!

2009-12-13T16:35:00.001-04:00

Well, the semester is almost over and as usual I forgot that I had a blog. (50% of the times were sheer laziness) I’m just gonna stroll down random crap across these few months with 120% of boredom! Eh…

End of August: Class starts and… well I got to beat my professor in the first day.

September: Usual routines, won a laptop in a really random way that I still don’t know how I won it.

October: More routines, but everything felt so normal. Got my laptop at the end of the month. R4 got stolen as well…

November: TURKEY. Also played Rockman.EXE Operate Shooting Star. A little disappointed, but it was still good.

December: Currently waiting 3 more days for the PWI expansion.

As dull as the summary may be, there’s a lot of stuff that I missed that’s hard to convey with words.

Random stuff:

Still haven’t lost my camera instincts <3. The reason for me posting this is that I finally got something that can troll people. Thus, the following picture:

The entire set may have cost $10, but seeing everyone’s reaction… Priceless.

______________________________________________________________________________

Video corner: I was wandering on YouTube last night and found this nice piece of music a la ZUN. Some phantasm stage done in danmakufu. However, the music is just… wonderful.

There’s also Mystical Chain which is epically awesome. I don’t have recordings of myself so I’ll just grab one.

________________________________________________________________________________

That’s it for the random posting because I had spent so much time without posting any kind of crap in here stuff…

Vidya part 2 - (because 3.5? o,.,o)

2009-09-02T14:22:00.001-04:00

So… Version 182 of Perfect World just came. It’s huge size, most of it is due to refinements and additions to what I finally recorded yesterday (so lazy). It’s the place for them Tideborns that are supposed to come soon. The site had a screenshot of something I haven’t seen, and when I was looking around I saw more land over the horizon. As a screenshot junkie, it was camera get and go!
Usually I just align the camera and shoot. This time I went full video. (I think this shows that I love pre-release stuff)

I should fix the title sometime… eh…
Anyway: Music is Sky Ruins from UFO. Maybe I should’ve gone with the Stage 4 one. >.>

I almost forgot, I used audiosurf for the first time yesterday. Pure win.

Misc Update

2009-09-01T17:03:00.001-04:00

I think I enabled to be notified when someone leaves a comment. So I shouldn’t find comments months after it was posted.

And…

*goes back to easy mode*

Just because #3 – Vidya post

2009-09-01T16:55:00.001-04:00

I didn’t have class today (yay!) so I decided to record a little something because I was bored.

5:55 Time… nice. (I just noticed that)

Other than this, I’ve also fallen in love with “Heian Alien”. Improvisation + ZUN = Pure Win.

Let’s see, woke up early as usual to get 2 BHs in Perfect World. Just one today. Went to college, my professor was absent. I want to eat something, there’s nothing to eat. I’m seeing a pattern here.

Just because 2

2009-08-29T16:49:00.001-04:00

Found it on the nets, it’s spiffy, I like.

Non informative post, needs to get weirder. (Yes I am bored)

Just because

2009-08-29T16:28:00.001-04:00

Last post was from 1 week after vacations started. I totally forgot about this and very few comments that go unnoticed because I have no freaking way to know when they are posted.

Stuff has happened since then, most noticeably the changing college part. Usually, I’d narrate parts of it but since it just brings me pain and diarrhea, I’m shortening it to “I was fed up of my old college so I decided to gtfo and have it kiss my fat ass.” I still go visit my friends though.

ZUN and Tasofro released their stuff not long ago and man that was awesome. Nothing more can describe it.

I confessed to my mother about some things that have been plaguing me for 2 years and I have to say, even though I cried my eyes out that weird weight on my shoulders were gone.

Grind grind grind. Spent the vacations trying to reached Lv90 in Perfect World. Failed miserably and am still on 85.

And uh stuff. Additionally, I’m editing posts not made by me adding [Guest Post] to the title since the “by –someone-“ thingy is gone.

One more thing

That thing below the arrow… What the fuck is that thing?!

Blah, I can’t think of something else so post ends here

Online Gaming

2009-06-16T12:07:00.001-04:00

I’m sure that at least 2 out of 5 people that reaches this page through the depths of the internet has used an online game. Some haven’t, some think it’s the only kind of game there is, which is creepy. I have to admit, they’re addictive as hell. Despite me being shy and all, it’s nice to play with people globally.

Sometimes I wonder how the hell I reached Lv 75. All I do is procrastinate, walk around, talk, and complain about the quests and lag. Not to mention die a lot.

However… people can change. Those who started low with you go through different paths. There are good and bad ways to do this. For example, I left my guild to explore new things, people, etc. Now they’re just doing it wrong by abandoning the lower lvs in search of money and more nifty things.

It’s very sad having to head out across the entire game to learn harsh truths about the people you’ve spent time with. All for those who still care.

As long as things don’t go to waste, I’m fine. Time for me to ignore everything and just have fun.

Now I’ll just leave with something completely random and unrelated. A ZUN-styled video! Er… yes, I do random things.

Techie’s Toy: Virtual Windows XP

2009-05-02T19:43:00.001-04:00

There’s been a little something something (not a repeated typo) called Virtual Windows XP, Ze. This little app, feature, or as I like to call it, toy, is supposed to be Microsoft’s answer to FINALLY kill XP for good. Ironically you end up using XP anyway, but not in the same way…

The setup is very easy, if some corporate place or person or admin or whatever the hell he/she is fails or finds this difficult to set up deserves to be hit… hard.

This is all just a prepackaged virtual machine that allows you to use programs without opening the VM itself… technically…

Upon setup you are visited with a simple XP installation:

To use applications, just add a shortcut to the Programs folder in the All Users start menu folder or better yet, have My Computer as a shortcut; this can make it easier to browse through XP.

Don’t like the default view of XP? Always used Visual Styles? You’re gonna love the fact that since you’re basically running XP just uxtheme it and use the VS of your choice.

So this is pretty much it, a very convenient Virtual Machine. Seriously, if companies continue hugging XP after this, my faith in humanity will just shatter.

Now it just needs 32-bit color support and I’ll be happy.

Intermission

2009-04-26T10:00:00.001-04:00

(Image from The Soup)

Remodeling

2009-04-03T13:55:00.000-04:00

Yup, it's that time again. New season, new template, new excuses to write random crap.

I was aiming for a more spring-ish look, but this'll do. So... yeah... beware of falling rocks.

Opportunity: Installing Windows 7 on a Netbook.

2009-03-22T14:48:00.001-04:00

I’ve seen it on Nico before, a Netbook running Windows 7 and Touhou at the same time. It wasn’t until 2 weeks ago when my sister brought over a new Netbook from a friend for me to check it because “it was slow”.

It was new, and the only thing that he installed by himself was Office. It took about 15 minutes to boot up and I am not making this up. After I saw the wonderful combination that was XP and McAfee, I was like…

And then I had a flashback to that video. So I just went ahead and extracted an iso into my external hard drive and started installing it. The first part of the installation, that took place in XP took about an hour. After restarting, even the mouse was smooth and it went by a lot faster (say… about 20 minutes)

Flawless, it ran! Sure, the wifi driver is a little suckish, but it ran perfectly and about 10x times faster than the XP installation it had. The owner was also happy.

So… Acer Inspire One + Windows 7 = Good

Side note: I’m watching from a distance a similar netbook with XP on it, and it looks quite saddening.

ZUN is back! Touhou 12 is imminent!

2009-03-03T16:23:00.001-04:00

The guy never ceases to amaze me! I did not know that Reitaisai was this weekend, so my “must check ZUN’s Blog” senses were turned on when I saw /jp/ behaving oddly and I saw a really bad mockup for the game.

Touhou Seirenbune ~ Unidentified Fantastic Object is the name of said game and below is a translation (thanks to gensokyo.org) of ZUN’s post.

______________________________________________________________

Commemorate! Touhou Project No. 12: Touhou Seirenbune

Well, scratch that. Don’t commemorate. Touhou Project No. 12:

“Touhou Seirenbune ~Undefined Fantastic Object.”

It feels the same as always, but I’ve fixed and balanced scoring. It’s fairly challenging.

I looked into difficulty a bit. Mm, it’s a bit easier now.

The story, in a nutshell:

“A rumor began in Gensokyo that, ever since some time before Spring, a treasure ship has been spotted in the sky. ‘What great luck!’ thought some, and scrambled to board that ship. That’s why there were black shadows flying at high speed behind the ship.”

Something light-hearted like that. Sanae’s playable in this game, so that makes three. Each person had two objectives, but chose to chase the treasure ship (?) flying at high speeds. It’s an almost astonishingly light-hearted plot… but.

Screenshots

The game is slated for completion Summer 2009.

There will be demo CDs for sale at Reitaisai, on March the 8th. If you’re interested, bring your pot stand or something.

The demo will be three stages, just like always. Actually, this game is ridiculously conventional. I started feeling nostalgic at some point.

______________________________________________________________

Commemorate, indeed!

Ubuntu Linux - First Impressions [Guest Post]

2009-02-16T22:07:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I was finally bored enough to install a free OS that many claim is the "future of computing" and arguebly the best OS ever. Just a reminder, I'm not going to go too deep in this first impression. I'm also going to compare it to OS X (Macs) and Windows.

Ubuntu starts up with a similar boot screen as Windows XP's and higher. It boots noticeably slower then Mac OS X, about the same time as most Windows PCs do. Not surprising. When it finally boots, up, you see your desktop. When I first saw Ubuntu, years ago, I thought that it looked akward and unclean. To a lower degree, I still feel the same. There's just too many buttons, and little style. Other then that, it's pretty decent. Applications and other things are easy to find, and you won't find youself using the search box as much as you do in Windows, and sometimes even in Macs. It comes with a wealth of applications, I can remember Firefox and GIMP. Firefox runs "meh" and the text onscreen looks terrible, I must say. But I won't use that against Ubuntu - it was probably the lack of personal configuration. Talking about configuration, Ubuntu is pretty good with that. Comes with a few themes, only like, 5 wallpapers, and some visual effects which I can't try (Virtual Machines...). GIMP runs amazingly. You can guess it was made for Linux.

Though I haven't tried it to a full extent, all Ubuntu is is a decent Windows clone. That is all.

This post was posted on 2/16/09 @ 9:19 PM EST and 6:07 PM UST.

Wait… the Windows Live Essentials installer works on Server?

2009-02-07T16:12:00.001-04:00

I decided to try the downloadable installer for Windows Live Essentials to see if I could grab Writer along the way and I am indeed surprised that Server OSes are supported. So… I guess that the previous post should be referred as the Windows Live Messenger 2009 Standalone Installer.

Oh, and besides sacrificing Media Center for the Server Manager. I really don’t see the difference between 7 and 2008 R2! Which is awesome!

There are also many things that hurt your brain… I just witnessed one.

Confirmation: Windows Live Messenger 2009 on Server 2008/R2

2009-02-07T10:12:00.000-04:00

Fueled by my massive boredom streaks, I got ahold of Windows Server 2008 R2 after I had surrendered my DVD's last month. The good news is that the installers that I uploaded do infact work.

Enjoy~

Seriously, people, you need stop complaining about Windows 7 [Guest Post]

2009-02-05T19:25:00.000-04:00

Unlike Wolf, I haven't upgraded to the Windows 7 beta. Yet. Well, read this article about the UAC control. Apparently, people are going crazy because it's less annoying and is less protective.

Well excuse me.

Most PC mods (as in, the general term) these days have you disabling UAC anyway, so why the hell is it a problem? We didn't have UAC on the ever-great "Windows XP". Hell, we didn't even have Windows Defender (which doesnt do crap in Vista). But yet, people think XP is STILL more secure. Honestly, I don't see how hard it is to press a "Continue" button. Obviously, Windows 7 (and hopefully Defender) will be more secure anyway. And I read an article that says that there is no way for malware to travel to your computer without the users consent, anyway.

Posted at 3:25 PM UST and 6:31 PM EST on 2/5/09.

Windows Live Messenger 2009 (Final) for Windows Server 2008 / R2

2009-02-05T11:50:00.000-04:00

I'm gonna pretend there isn't a post about M&M's below...

Anyway, I had realized that the old installers are indeed old. So I got hold on the standalone installers that are necessary to run Windows Live Messenger. However, I could only get Dr. Watson x64. I'm not sure if it's needed, but you can try to ignore that if installing it on 32-bit. Besides, the majority of Server users use x64 anyway.

As usual, leave the Messenger installer for last.

Note: I am assuming that it works. I no longer have my Server DVD's, so I can't do direct testing. The files are similar, so it should work fine.

Download: Windows Live Essentials (Messenger Only) for Windows Servers

This should iron out any confusion from the Beta 3 installer. If any questions arise, please do comment.

Boredom DOES lead to drugs. Sort of. [Guest Post]

2009-02-04T23:23:00.000-04:00

Okay, my first real post. I'm going to post about...freakin M&Ms.

Peanut. M&Ms.

These things are freakin drugs. Why? Well, before that, I want to say, that NO ONE FREAKIN GOES ON AIM OR MSN OKAY GO ON PLEASE IM SO BORED. Okay, now that that is out of the way, I will say that M&Ms are like drugs. How?

1. They are addicting - Right now, as I speak, there is an almost empty back of peanut M&Ms. I cannot. Stop. Eating. Dunno why. I just can't.

2. They make you anerexic - Sort of. After I opened this bag, I completly lost my appetite for the reast of the day. Hell, 2 days. Stupid M&Ms.

3. They make you craaaaazy - Have you ever seen me eating these on Xbox Live? Well, you'd know that they make me like, drunk almost.

4. They "increase" your love life - Sort of. Well, if you are one of my friends who reads this, you'll know I talk about that girl I like EVERY FREAKIN WAKING SECOND IM ONLINE GOSH. Reason? M&Ms. Peanut. M&Ms.

5. Why the hell am I not sick? - After all, they are PEANUT M&Ms. You know, the ones with salamanella.

Posted at 7:23 PM UST, 10:23 PM EST on 2/4/09.

Hai Guys :D [Guest Post]

2009-02-04T23:16:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone, I'm a new author, a friend of the (self proclaimed) "admin overlord" and I randomly asked him if I can write on his blog. Luckily, he let me do it. :D

Well, obviously I'm not going to put a post...in this post. That's kind sketchy if you ask me. I'll probably post something after this.

Since the post date and time thing doesn't work well, I'll just post it here:

Posted 7:16 PM UST, 10:16PM EST, on 2/4/09.

Edited twice, time does not matter.

R-R-RRRRUUUUUSSSHHHH!

2009-02-04T14:46:00.001-04:00

The shit works!

THE RUSH!

THE GOD I'M LATE TO DO THINGS!

THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THIS BOTTLE!

(This is not an informative post and is merely a way of saying that I'm under the effect of it.)

Quickie: Restore the Windows 7 Boot Screen

2009-02-03T12:31:00.001-04:00

It may happen to some that the Windows 7 Boot Screen disappears and is replaced by Vista’s. To remedy this, just:

bcdedit /set {current} locale en-US

via command prompt

It worked on me, so it should work on others.

Excuse to post: Too much crap to talk that no one really gives a damn about but I really don’t give a damn about the others who already don’t give a damn and is currently doing an unnecessarily long post title just to entertain the reader a little before going onto the wreck that is this post. It is clearly from the mind of a really bored person. Bored enough to still be writing this title… Okay… I’ll stop now.

2009-02-01T20:24:00.001-04:00

I find myself thinking on how times change quite a lot. My life itself is pretty dull, but I like to take myself on a trip of how I’ve spent my internet time across these years.

To think that I started out my soloing with AOL. I needed an ISP at that time (10th grade) and had a ~~Frisbee~~ trial CD so we went with it. I was limited, but at least it was not a 14 Kbps connection, so I really did not mind that much. I could finally update my computer which I really hadn’t done before. Most of that time is very foggy.

I still carried a couple of things from the even-before times. Like the SPC music I had on my sister’s old computer (and by old, I mean Windows 95). In fact, I’m currently listening to one of them 6 years later. I’ve always liked videogame music, it breaks away from the standards that we hear everyday on radio, CD’s, etc. I’ve always found myself to be different, and I was right.

Not much after, I encountered the customization world, which at that time was ruled by WindowsBlinds (according to my point of view at the time). At first sight, I was shocked. It felt like I could break a century old tradition and try to make my PC my way. By that time I was also getting into technology news. I still remember a few things of the whole Sasser, MyDoom, etc crap and the Windows XP Service Pack 2 craze. Good times indeed. (Good as in everything was a ---- chaos that it amused me.)

On the personal side, I’ve somehow developed an interest toward werewolves. Of course, it means that it managed to pass my criteria (Note: Hard criteria is HARD). Also, at the same time I was starting out in a Rockman.EXE community. With that happening, I was also following a site that specialized on Pokemon Glitches (wut?). Basically, it’s the only thing that makes them take a special place inside of me. The others suck anyway, but hey, I left a footprint there. (If only those carts would just burst into flames…)

Much later on I was doing another werewolf image search (Go Google!) until I stumbled upon what happened to be a desktop screenshot of a wallpaper and a Winamp skin of a quite intriguing werewolf. It was blue, and I’m quite the sucker for blue. So yeah, more Google adventures awaited!

Detouring a little, around that time, I was also hooked with OverClocked Remix and a bit after came to me the wonderful thing that was StarFox 2. Geeky moments arose. Which reminds me, I need to get a certain MP3 from there…

After having dried up my resources from familiar sites, I decided to go further in. I decided to search across the Japanese intarwebs and expand my search results. I have to say… It was… Oh it was just so ~~~ AWESOME! Along the route, I once again stumbled onto something. This time, it was the Vista Transformation Pack. MORE AWESOME! Ever since that time I’ve been the king of customization locally. Nobody seemed to customize their computers, so a little used to be a lot. There were many other things that were happening during all of this time, but this were the most common ones. A common routine if you may. Time passed, and with the exception of the whole Vista thing, I was pretty much happy with what I had. Of course, other things like Haruhi, Okkusenman, multiple Rockman games addiction modo, etc. (Crap, I geeked it too much there)

I practically had drained out all of the content that was relevant to my interests so I put my attention on tech sites trying to expand my computer knowledge. I couldn’t just stand by idly with my OEM license and just basic information forever.

Of course, it wasn’t until someone opened up the gate to the domain of ZUN. I pretty much became a Touhou whore, but I can’t stop praising the guy. So much awesome in a body with a liver of steel.

At this point I’m pretty much rushing my thoughts due to reaching the fourth page according to my notebook in which I’m writing this post draft (and currently making changes as I type it). Now the most recent thing (while skipping A LOT of content) has been playing Perfect World (and here I thought I was never going to play a mmo). I started out as a joke and just to please my friends. As time passed, I grew on it. Let’s just say that there’s much to be seen as you level up in a game with people on all the time.

Studying at the university, working as a computer technician, ZUN fanboy, and a slow net game player. This is what I currently stand by as (got a problem with that?). There are MANY things untold, but most of them are quite personal, if not forgotten. Still, it’s fun to look back at what kind of files existed back then.

The most interesting part… No knowledge of what will come.

Maybe… I might do an attempt at those 4comas (koma?) about them silly lag spikes while playing or something someday.

And after typing all of this… my back hurts… Well, back to werk. (<not a typo)

Yay UxTheme patch!

2009-01-25T17:00:00.001-04:00

Short post start!

The x64 version of the Windows 7 (7000) UxTheme Patch has been released!
This means that there needs to be no more waiting!
I'm short of time, so...
Look for the Awesome Smiley on the previous post!

Short post end!

Vacationing, musings, and 7.

2009-01-21T19:54:00.001-04:00

Hopping into the new Windows 7 build during the Christmas season. My semester ended awfully late, so what better way to start wasting my vacation by <snip> the Windows 7 Beta!

I can’t really be super impressed seeing as I used 6801 and 6956 and spoiled myself with it. However, it really smells like it’s been polished like a couple of times before it was released. Let’s just say that I feel like I’m not beta testing at all. No errors, no bugs, very few minor app compatibility, excellent driver support (even for my recently bought, new graphics card). Not even the CEIP error has appeared and the task scheduler error is gone (man, that’s old).

I did manage to see a Red Screen of Death for a split second, about half a minute of a black screen, then a BSoD containing something about less or not equal or something close. Thankfully I wasn’t alone, but I can’t back up my information with evidence due to not having a picture. I tried to get it again and record it, but it just did not want to reappear. This happened on Build 7000 x86. After a failed install of what I think it was MagicISO and an attempt to use System Restore without a Restore Point from the startup repair tool which I ended up restarting the computer.

So, yeah. Everything’s going smoothly, a few people I know have tried it and love it. This includes a Linux user who has spent a great part of his life bashing Windows and came with the statement:

“I can't
believe I'm saying this
but
windows 7 is nice..

the driver support is amazing
aero and sounds work on my laptop without me having to install anything” <- taken from the log

<- What is expected, what we got.

And that’s it. My first and last post during vacation. Tomorrow I start another semester. This one will be hard, but all in all…

Also, I got me a Pixiv account! The place is just AWESOME! No point in giving out my account because I can’t draw… yet. It’s just awesome.

Customization Unlocked. All that’s left is to have the famous UxTheme Patch.

2008-12-13T14:44:00.001-04:00

Ever since Microsoft handed out Windows 7 – 6801 I became somewhat sad because using custom Visual Styles may not be longer usable in Windows 7 and I don’t think I was the only one. UxTheme.dll and friend’s coding was insanely modified (according to someone at least). And the Appearance Tab (which became a Window in Vista) was taken out. Thus leaving users with this.

Not much useful information here. When I first encountered this I was crushed. However, recent thoughts made me think. I had to think the same way that Microsoft is thinking in terms of how the Personalize window works, not just replace Aero’s VS. (which I did at first)

So what did I do? I opened up a Theme File with notepad. Personally I haven’t opened one before and it’s simple enough to edit freely. But more importantly…

The Theme Files are the -convenient- way to load up MSSTYLES. Here are some examples to show that it works.

First up is 6801’s Visual Style:

Notice the gray taskbar, that’s proof enough that it’s 6801 (unless the ones between 6801 and 6956 had the same color).

Next up is 6519’s Visual Style, the Vista Clone:

Look at the Taskbar and Start Menu. Good ol black bar. However, it seems that the Start Orb is located in a different resource… Hence why it looks the same.

Following it is Vista’s own Visual Style

Notice how the taskbar lacks… style. This one also shows the highlighted taskbar color on the new popup. Can be related to moved resources.

Loading up a Custom Style reverts back to classic.

As a point of interest, looking at 6519’s MSSTYLE with Vista’s reveals that it had a lot more than people saw. It worked on both 7 and Vista perfectly. But when loaded in 6956, it shows that they were already making “Superbar” resources.

So in short, this is some good news to those customizers waiting to get their hands dirty creating the world’s first Windows 7 Custom Visual Style! However, as the title says, we have to wait for a UxTheme patch… AGAIN!

</endSurprisinglyInformativePost>

I also think that Windows 7 Error Recovery is a pain in...

2008-12-11T18:55:00.000-04:00

A post made by Rafael Rivera reveals his experience with the said tool. So far, he is not the only one who went through this. Yesterday my 6956 install decided to die on me when I turned on my computer. Reaching the advanced boot menu was impossible as... well... his first image describes it better. I tried to atleast get to Safe Mode, but couldn't. Using the Error Recovery sent me to 6801's which I had removed (so I got an error).

So yeah... A loop. I ended up reinstalling Windows again.

Reminiscence...

2008-12-04T20:49:00.000-04:00

I bet that almost no one who's using Windows 7 is still using these applications. Everything in this picture came from a XP VHD (I finally learned how to mount them!). Really nostalgic, but amusingly they work just fine on Windows 7. MSN Explorer won't sign in though... But who cares? Nobody uses it today (I hope...). It's kinda fun searching which .exe files work and which won't. Like for example, Windows Messenger. That bugger is dead since Vista came out.

So, uh...
RECOMMENDED GAME: SHOOTING STAR ROCKMAN 3
THAT IS ALL

Unexplainable...

2008-11-25T17:37:00.000-04:00

Yeah... It only happened for a little while though...

☢ CAUTION! ☢ CAUTION! ☢ 7 and XP Dualboot problems ☢ CAUTION! ☢ CAUTION! ☢

2008-11-08T23:34:00.000-04:00

I'm on a roll here, so this will be as brief as possible.

Trying to install Windows XP after Windows 7 isn't a nice ride as before. After the initial part of the installation, where your bootloader gets replaced, you'll get a "Operating System not found." message.

Using 7's Startup Repair tool brings up the next error on startup "BOOTMGR is missing Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart"

Solution: Ya know the 200 MB partition that 7 does? The bootloader's in there. You simply need to make it's partition active with diskpart

Enter the Command Prompt via the 7 DVD

Diskpart

list disk

select disc x (where x is your disk number)

list partition

select partition x (where x is the 200 MB partition)

active

Now just exit it by writing "exit". Windows 7 should boot by now. Next you just add XP's entry via EasyBCD, but it will give you yet another error. It's basically says that NTDETECT.COM and ntdlr are missing and gives you a page where to get them. If not, a quick web search could do it.

Next, after finishing adding XP's entry..... You're done! You can now continue XP's installation with ease.

(And for curiosity's sake... I installed XP on a small partition just for me to use Perfect Disk...)

I said - I am

2008-11-05T17:39:00.000-04:00

I just had to puzzle the title. Here's the thing, I said that the only way that I can help with Windows 7 is by sending error reports. And now, this is one of those important moments.

My computer suffered another BSoD due to a completely different cause; the screen didn't give me much info, however, the report is big... And by big I mean BIG.

Thats the percentage at the time of writing after eating my dinner. Instead of blabbing about techy mumbo jumbo, I shall describe the error with a end-user point of view.

-I inserted a blank CD

-It starts identifying it

-SUDDENLY!

-BSoD

This one is pure randomness. And yes, it can read blank discs... But this is the charm of using an OS in development! IT DOESN'T CEASE TO AMAZE!

And now time to recreate my wonderful logon... (I lost it in a format) To Photoshop, AWAAAAAY!

(The % is at 19 at the time of finishing this post)

Windows 7 Build 6801 – Quick Overview

2008-11-03T00:29:00.001-04:00

I got my hands on the released Windows 7 build over at PDC 2008. (Even though I did it the old fashioned way) I’m not much of a beta tester even though I LOVE betas, but at least I can send all of the error reports I can generate to Microsoft.

I am just going to lay things out that can be viewed by an inexperienced user (with betas, that is.)

First off, the installation went really smooth and the change from green aurora to blue shine/light is REALLY sweet. Maybe it’s because I’m a sucker for blue, but it’s a nice change from green. No issues or complications here.

For those who used Longhorn Betas, prepare to have an EASY TIME. This has to be the most stable piece of beta software that I have used! (on a scale as big as an OS) This build instantly takes you to the Vista lookalike experience once it finishes setting up, however, there ARE noticeable changes. First off, Aero has been slightly modified, giving it more color and a new blur which successfully blurs text without making images look ugly.

The Welcome Center seems to be awaiting deletion, it has been untouched since the first 7 Build and it doesn’t pop up on the first logon. Personally, I’d get rid of it.

UAC has been GREATLY improved on. By default, it only notifies you of external programs doing something “important”. I am STILL using it which is a WORLD RECORD for me with UAC. The only time I had to turn it off was to install AppLocale. But there is a bug in it that I think I found a workaround. Trying to launch something with “Run as Administrator” opens up a window asking you to log on as another user (in which I still have not set up another user). I enabled the built in Admin account and it ran without asking me. I re-disabled the account and now it won’t ask me again, it’ll just launch it like it was in Vista with UAC disabled. Which is how I think it should be. Hint to any Microsoft employee that actually managed to read this: this is something that needs checking.

Still at the first boot, 7 felt a bit unstable. All that was needed is that I insert my driver CD and it used Vista’s drivers just fine. After that, it works flawlessly.

The Start Orb sometimes opens up the Start Menu when you click AFTER the shine animation finishes. Just a minor quirk.

Folder navigation has been improved and thumbnail generation is now significantly faster.

Programs install just fine. However, Windows Live OneCare failed along with programs that use Windows Installer to specify which OS they want it to install.

There are also some major fixes in Windows itself and I am saying this because I have never seen Photoshop install so fast on my computer.

Also, a little extra found by Rafael from Within Windows, is that he found how to enable the Superbar from the new build shown at PDC. It works great, but it doesn’t have Aero Peek and the thumbnail popup has a delay that needs to be sped up. I think this one can be achieved with the registry.

Overall I am very happy with the experience I’ve had with Windows 7. It really is a promising OS and Microsoft really amused me this time (and people who know me knows that it’s hard to amuse me).

As a side note, I’d like to say that users need to be cautious with the current version of AVG. The compability issues are minor, and it works, but it can cause Blue Screens. So I recommend that AVG users wait for at least the next version.

I know that I may have missed alot of info and that it’s not as much as other sites, but atleast I try.

Windows Live Wave 3 Beta Installer for Windows Server

2008-10-18T09:26:00.000-04:00

Update: There's a newer post containing the final version of Windows Live Essentials. Head over along the Newer Posts buttons and go get it!

Just noticed the lack of a messenger installer for any of the Windows Server OS'es. Hopefully, this shall rectify the problem.

Download Link

Logon Screen Customization on Windows Server 2008 = YES, IT IS POSSIBLE!

2008-10-12T23:44:00.000-04:00

I knew that one day someone would find a way to get rid of that annoying blue thing covering our precious logon screen in Server 2008. Luckily, the people present in this topic (this link), remanaged to find a way to do it.

However, I can make a quick summary of what needs to be done.

1. Find authui.dll in Vista, x86 and x64 respectively (depending on your Server architecture).
2. Replace Server's file with Vista's
3. ????
4. PROFIT!

Anyway, a HUGE thanks is deserved for the people who worked hard in order to figure out this thing. Now I can finally stick to Server... after I find my logon...

Changes in the WLMv9B3

2008-09-17T16:54:00.000-04:00

I WAS going to put a list of changes in the new Windows Live Messenger, but dwergs at Mess.be pretty much sums it up.

{Insert some free time here}

Installing Windows Live Messenger 9 on Windows Server 2008

2008-09-17T12:39:00.001-04:00

Update: New post with Final installer... posted! Refer to a newer post to download it.

It’s a good thing I had reinstalled Server 2008 because I would crash into so many troubles if I were busy by the time WLM 9 went gold.

This process is similar to what was done with WLM 8.5 in the previous wave (Hint: Mess.be). This was really useful because it only installed –THAT- and worked in Server.

However, not everything was a walk in the park. Having installed Server 2008 on both my Desktop and Laptop I was pretty much screwed. BUT! I had a Plan B! (god, I love plan B’s). {Intermission: Hold on, some ZUN music change at time of writing} Ok, I remembered that I installed XP via Virtual PC while I was in my electronics class, so I installed it there.

I really dig the new installer and it’s MUCH faster than Wave 2 (according to my experience) (And I installed 3 products too…). Anyways, so I let it download and install the products that I wanted.

Due to 8.5 experience, I quickly went to look for a .MSI file, but all I found were temp. files. Not very useful although they did show Messenger’s file size. I tried changing the extension to .msi and .exe, but both failed. So I Plan B-fied and took a look into the –big- log. In that log there were scattered installation URLs that the installer used. I ”quickly” found the one belonging to Messenger and downloaded it. HOWEVER the work is not done.

Attempting to install Windows Live Messenger with just the installer will cause a corrupt installation that can’t sign in with error 8000FFFF (not to mention that there’s no entry in the Programs and Features list). So, I applied Plan B to this step too (sorry folks, I don’t reach Plan C). I searched and downloaded all URLs that I found relevant to Messenger. Entries like Contacts, WlLogin, etc. And a catalog.xml file for luck (I really don’t know why I downloaded this anyway…).

I opened up each installer and allowed them to install. After I finished with all of them, I re-opened WLM’s installer, and it WORKED!

I wasted about an hour figuring this out, so I hope this helps other Windows Server 2008 users who also wants to use this.

I should be able to do a post with the end-user noticeable changes near the weekend. (If I don’t do it later today).

Thoughts on the supposed WPF the leaked Windows Live Messenger build uses.

2008-09-06T10:49:00.000-04:00

Well... I pretty much broke alot on my blog while testing...

Anyway, I'm taking this chance to write about what I've seen about the design of the now old leak.

These are the two types of display that can be seen. Left is Aero and right is Basic and XP. Looking at the Aero version, the window isn't hold by a hideable frame. Instead, the frame is the edge of everything. Next we look at the right, Aero-less windows look just like it did before, with a hidden frame. Just as my printscreen detected, it works just like it did in 8.5.

This shows how WPF is being implemented. I know, nothing fancy and not even close to what Yahoo! Messenger did. But I do know that it feels more stable while in Aero (specially while dragging). This piece of coding that was added has a big potential... But how much is used is up to the developers.

Now, to try to get rid of the "undefined" text and the ad from here!

Windows Live Messenger 9 - 2nd build quick review

2008-08-29T22:02:00.000-04:00

I admit it, I couldn't resist to download the leaked messenger build. I just LOOOOVVVVEEE using Beta software. Anyway, here's the rundown.

Although the interface looks almost the same, there are alot of inside changes. The display pictures actually look kinda nice in person rather than screenshots, people'll get used to it. But I'm not sure on the little bullet next to each message...

There's something I want to focus on, but I'll need more time for it.

BAAAAWWWWW

2008-08-11T02:43:00.000-04:00

As the title says, I am BAAAAAAAWWWWWWing because my summer vacation has come to an end and I will return to college tommorow. Sad, yes... BECAUSE I BARELY DID ANYTHING THIS SUMMER! Well... atleast working entertained me.... BUT I STILL DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! Well... it's life, so... bleh...

Lookie at the computer!

2008-08-01T00:06:00.000-04:00

Well, I was finally able to get a picture of my computer even if it was rushed. I also didn't mind to organize the cable jungle around it and with my USB sticking out. I admit, I'm a mess.

Enjoy~

Project ~ Construction IS DONE!

2008-07-26T15:36:00.000-04:00

After suffering while trying to build a new PC I finally did it!

So here's the thing. My original plan was to replace my processor, but my computer was old. This turns into having to buy a new motherboard. Turns out that I can't use my RAM and my DVD Drive due to it having one IDE slot; I also couldn't turn it on due to my case being from HP... and old. Then I bought new RAM (unveliebably cheap) and a new case. I wrapped up my DVD drive with my HDD and viola! A new computer!

And I must say... I feel awesome after doing all of this. This was technically my first time doing this much on a computer so I was kinda nervous. I also never expected it to become like this.

I would put some pictures up, but my sister took the camera again to not use it again...

New Specs:

Motherboard: ASUS something.... (too long)
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5200+
HDD: Same ol' 70 GB drive from the old one
RAM: One stick of 1 GB
Video: 256 MB... 1/2 of what I used to have, but I don't care.

OH GOD UPDATES HERE I COME!

2008-07-25T01:10:00.000-04:00

THERE WILL BE A POST HERE WHENEVER BLOGGER DOES NOT SUFFER AN ERROR AND DELETE WHAT I WROTE.

DS Secret Wifi Button Whowhahu....

2008-07-17T11:46:00.000-04:00

So not so long ago I've stumbled upon some videos on Youtube showing off a "secret button" in the wifi menu so I thought "I should check it out" or something like that. I did it and due to the horrible calibration my DS has on that side it was insanely comfortable to do. Older games just say "Starting simple Wifi blahblahblah" and it gives you 60 seconds for you to press the wifi button on something. This, however is not new nor something amazing. This is just a common option that the japanese can use in Japan.

What I'm trying to say is that all they did was remove a button from the menu, shrunk it, moved it to the edge, and made it invisible. Why? Because the rest of the world does not use them, thats why. Here, this is what I mean.

This is the same menu, just in japanese.

Now there is nothing more to this science or "mystery". Blahblahblah, blahblah... blah...

Project... DELAYED!

2008-07-08T18:24:00.000-04:00

Doesn't everyone hate it whenever one's efforts end up in vain? I'm going to write this down as short as possible.

I woke up, got to the train station, arrived at my destination, walked alot under the sun to the store, arrived fatigued, asked for 2 items, none where available, I died inside, bought atleast a Power Supply, walked again under the sun, did all the same but in reverse order, got back, and whined for a bit.

I don't blame them because they needed to move by the end of the week, but DAMN...

Project: PC Reconstruction!

2008-06-26T23:29:00.000-04:00

Years have passed since I got my wonderful computer. It has served it's purpose well and without fail. But alas, it's hardware has gotten obsolete. I plan in replacing some of it's parts in order to tune it up.

So far I'm thinking of Power Supply (ONE THAT'S SILENT), a Motherboard, and a CPU. Those are my priorities right now. I can still handle with 70 GB of space and 1 GB of RAM ain't that bad.
My Graphics Card is in good shape and better than my 6 month old laptop, so thats not needed. Besides, the only games I'm currently playing are Touhou and they don't need fancy stuff.

I plan on reinstalling Server 2008 and I may go with 64 bit this time. I just hope my check fills my budget for this.

Operation ~ A week later.

2008-06-25T22:19:00.000-04:00

So after 8 days I was sent back to my surgeon's office so that he could remove the tapes/bandages/whatever he had put on me after the surgery. I must say, I was imagining myself suffering from pain, but infact it didn't hurt at all, even one of them tickled me. He said that I can now do almost anything I want. Of course, that almost means what my body can handle due to the sewn parts. I'm basically 95% healed. I'm eating, working, sleeping laid on the side, whatever.

Oh and I returned to work 3 days after the surgery. Let these 2 posts be useful for some people who stumble upon this place who are going through the same drama as I did.

Blog Move

2008-06-24T09:31:00.000-04:00

This was quite an unexpected twist in my short-lived blog life. There was a certain thing that prevented me to use my blog propertly which I won't say due to private reasons, so I decided to move all posts to Blogger and basically transfer my blog to here. Atleast this makes it always online... I just need to learn to customize this page propertly.

Now I just sit unpatiently watitng for Star Force 2...

A day in the hospital ~ Gallbladder removal.

2008-06-23T07:28:00.000-04:00

So, I finally got my Gallbladder removed. Most WTF experience of my life.
First we got up really early and flashed to the hospital. Once we got to the waiting room... we waited (GASP). Next I was moved to the preparations room. I was a human earthquake, I couldn't stop trembling due to fear.

Later I was sent with the anestesia(?) people. They made fun of me (in a good way) and injected me with something that felt like a cold rush from my hand to arm to body. Suddently I was KO'd.

I realized I was asleep and needed to pee. I started to wake myself up and mumble "I need to pee" but I HAD SOMETHING INSIDE MY PENIS THAT SUCKED MY URINE FROM MY BLADDER. Talk about cock vore... (yes, it hurt when it was took out)

The surgery had already finished 2 hours ago and I was recovering. I was moved to a chair to be injected with pee-inducing fluids and wait until 5 PM to be checked out.

Now I stole my parent's bedroom for tonight and wrote all this from my DS. Yup, I already slept that much.

Windows Server 2008: Logon Screen Customization = not yet

2008-06-23T07:25:00.000-04:00

Update: I have noticed that people are still reaching this post. There is a newer post that says that YES IT IS POSSIBLE TO CHANGE THE LOGIN SCREEN OF WINDOWS SERVER 2008. I however am currently lazy to go put a link, so just navigate through the blog. It has cookies, er... basic instructions.

Some Server 2008 users, including myself, have encountered the nasty blue logon screen. Sure, I like the fact that it's simple and different than Vista's. However, being the customization freak I am, I just have the UUUURRRRGGGEEE of changing the background.

Part 1: The 'ol fashioned way. I quickly grabbed a copy of LogonStudio Vista and noticed that where it says "Windows Vista Default"(?) there wasn't any image in there. I placed my carefully crafted logon and when it threw me to the Logon Screen... BAM! Still the blue background.

Part 2: After a big f-up with my PC, I decided to reinstall Server 2008. Frustrated with what happened before, I took a peek inside imageres.dll with Resource Tuner. And what did I found? VISTA'S LOGON SCREEN FIRST IN LINE! I once again applied my logon and re-checked it with Resource Tuner and THERE IT WAS. But I could only see the blue BG in the Logon Screen.

Part 3: Desperate times means desperate measures. What did I do? I just grabbed imageres.dll from my Vista installation and slammed it onto Windows Server 2008. The result? NOTHING.

I also tried with a modified version of imageres.dll from a certain Visual Style, still nothing.

Conclusion thoughts: What I believe that's causing all of this is the -source- of the blue background. I have NO idea of where it comes from. If someone could just find a way to remove that layer, I'm 95% sure that the real logon screen will be visible.

Note: I am not a programmer... this is just based of what I have experienced and may not be accurate. Please consult your life manual if you want to follow this all the way.

Best meal EVER.

2008-06-23T07:24:00.001-04:00

That is all.

The personal irk with Vista

2008-06-23T07:22:00.000-04:00

Windows Vista... The OS that has been criticized for a shitload of things that are way too much to mention here. HOWEVER, as an user since the RC1 phase I'm writing about the few misses that I've experienced.
1. Maximized = Black: At first, I thought this was a bug during the development of Vista. I was full of hope that they made it transparent for the RTM version, but we were stuck with a black BG that varied depending on the color chosen. Some people like the black, some people don't. I wish that an option for choosing between those two would have been awesome.

However, with stuff like VistaGlazz, those few sentences were a waste of my valuable time :D.

2. Windows Explorer: I must say, Microsoft did an awesome job redesigning the Explorer UI. However, there is one thing that really sets me off, and that's how Explorer works . In my experience, it feels like it's trying to read the files the same way a PS2 loads data. It's slow as hell! But after using Windows Server 2008 x64 that problem has almost been solved. (In there, not Vista)
3. People complaining about UAC: This isn't directly about the OS, but damn! Some people just complain about it to no end! Seriously, the first time I used Vista I just couldn't stand it and turned it off. I was like "There, problem solved.". But some people just stick with it and whine. If you don't like it, just take it out!

There, thats about everything that irks me. I like Vista and it's difficult to stick with XP, but with some fine-tuning, it could become way better.

Evolution of the Taskbar in Windows 7 = "Superbar"

2008-06-23T07:14:00.000-04:00

Some of you with a sharp eye might have noticed something very interesting on-screen during the Windows 7 multi-touch demonstration at the D6 conference yesterday. If you did, you might be curious to understand what you saw. If you didn’t, read on anyway. Update: The new taskbar is superficially called the “Superbar”.

Picture credit: Gizmodo

The picture above comes from the video feed of Julie Larson Green’s (Vice President of Windows Experience Program Management) demo of the multi-touch picture browser demo app. The quality is a little rough, but you can easily notice a few things that are different.The first being the taskbar is higher than usual, but not as big as double-height. If I were to guess, I’d say its somewhere around 1.75x-high. In the left corner, the Windows orb remains wedged “on top” of the taskbar - sticking its head out a little - instead of in the center like it is today in Vista.

The taskbar also appears ‘divided’ into sections by variations in the color (dark, gray, lighter) to indicate the different areas. Speaking of which, if you look at the far right corner, you’d notice that the tray (icons & clock) is not touching the edge of the screen, and there’s a small lighter gap. I have no explanation for this, but is well worth keeping an eye on.

A double-height taskbar in Windows Vista

Keeping the focus on the right, the tray is also different. The icons sit in the middle of the taskbar, instead of wrapping in two-lines like it does today, whilst the date now wraps on two lines instead of three. This clearly indicates this taskbar cannot accommodate three lines of text.Most obviously the quick launch icons are now larger in size, but the icon besides it is not a quick launch icon instead an application. I’ve been told this particular Windows 7 build has rendering issues which is why there’s no label or text next to the icon, but there should have been. At the same time, the icon also should have been a smaller version of the “Live Preview” thumbnails you see when you hover over applications in the taskbar today. That would have been pretty sweet. Apparently that feature has been canned .Now you would probably be wondering why I just spent so much effort writing about a taskbar, and the answer is because this is what Windows 7 is about. They’re going to take existing interface elements like the taskbar and give them a new coat of paint with some sparkles. Different enough so you notice them, like Walt Mossberg did.During the demonstration (5:25) Walt asks “I can’t help noticing that the taskbar doesn’t look like the taskbar?” Julie responds with, “It’s something we’re working on Windows 7 and I’m not suppose to talk about it now today.” Shutdown.Guess those Windows “Start Menu” surveys weren’t all flash and no substance.

Source: istartedsomething

Hmm... This seems interesting. Although it's somewhat sad that Microsoft isn't doing any major overhaul for now, it's intriguing how they are modifying existing objects in the M1 release. Simple, yet this is almost what I have been expecting in a new version of Windows: "Existing features, new twists". Even with this it's WAY too early to say "THIS IS IT!". I'm sure Microsoft can atleast deliver one enhacement. Which is better performance.

2008-06-23T07:08:00.000-04:00

I'm guessing that atleast one person who reaches this place has already play this awesome game.

Classic Touhou in a fighting world with an improved formula! Mere words cannot express the awesomeness of this game. ...Did I mention it's AWESOME?!For those still in the blank, I have a video containing footage of a Spell Card practice.

Go get it today!