micromux

Losing the Windows Network Client

Recently following an unrelated upgrade to my VirtualBox client, one of my host VM’s started exhibiting unusual behavior. While it was possible to retrieve directory listings from a UNC path, any attempt to map a drive would result in a standard although somewhat generic error message. Read Losing the Windows Network Client >>

USB File System Brilliance

The ubiquity of the FAT32 file system has allowed the common USB flash drive to pervade virtually every desktop computer. My flash drive can easily be used on a Windows, Mac or Linux workstation. Even more importantly, I can copy a handful of photos to it and at my local Target store the Kodak photo machine is able to read the images from the drive.

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Infinite Windows Update

What do you do when your Windows Update has been running for a few weeks and it still isn’t done yet? It seems that on older systems with limited CPU and hard drive space, the automatic Windows Update may in fact be a problem waiting to happen.

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Is Vista Really Dead?

John Dvorak seems to think that Vista is dead. Maybe he needs some historic perspective on this? Looking at XP adoption rates there were plenty of companies still running Windows 2000 Workstation long after it was released. In fact, as late as 2005, AssetMatrix reported that nearly half of all PC’s were still running Windows 2000. Does this mean Microsoft should have scrapped XP?

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When Good Software Goes Bad

While new versions of your software should be getting incrementally better, sometimes the next version just seems to get worse. Why is this? Jeff Atwood argues that good software can spoil as a result of feature creep adding enough new features to generate revenue. Does this mean that all commercial software will inevitably spoil?

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