Shipping big files around has always been a pain. For example, ever try emailing something HUGE, like, say, 1 MB? It’s pure evil. Sending big files as email attachments is only slightly slower than driving over to the nearest post office and mailing a USB drive with the same data. And that’s only if it works. Most email services and apps block really big attachments (say, 500 MB), or simply fall over dead after trying valiantly for a week or two to ship your file.
Now, I see that mad look in your eye, and I know what you’re thinking… I can haz FTP? Sorry… you can haz not. FTP is a pain to setup and use (especially for non-technical folks), and is a notoriously unreliable protocol. Not to mention the constant user account juggling and security concerns (you l337 hacker, you). And then if you get that all sorted out, putting that one big file on your awesome $5.99/mo web server is probably going to take down your entire site and put you over your storage limit. Phew. No thanks.
What we need is a simple software-as-a-service that act’s like a FedEx for big files. Gets it there right away, with no hassle. Free is even better (we’ve got to cut costs, people!) And here it is:
TransferBigFiles.com
They do this for up to 1 GB. Not perfect, but darn close. Check it out.
Posted in Software Picks | 1 Comment »
Perhaps you were fooling around with Boxee. Or maybe you just found this USB thing lying in the gutter and you decided to bring it home to a warm, loving environment. Who knows? The problem is, there is this GPT partion-thingy keeping you from using all the space on your USB drive.
What you need is this handy (Windows) tool from HP. It formats anything with a USB plug (well, maybe not everything). Anyway, the GPT partition or whatever else is on there doesn’t stand a chance. Here’s the link:
http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=197
Go crazy.
Posted in How To | Tagged usb format fat ntfs restore | Leave a Comment »
I always got a kick out of hex words (words that only use hexadecimal characters). If you are similarly deranged, Ned Batchelder has generated an awesome list of hex words for your viewing pleasure. Perfect for making your own T-Shirt. Like, you could put 7e55e118 below a mesh , and only graphics hackers would understand.
Posted in Codealicious | Leave a Comment »
Recently I tried out the Windows 7 beta on my Acer Aspire One netbook (it worked great, by the way – in some ways faster even than XP). I figured I could always revert to the factory-default Windows XP image stored on the mystical “hidden partition” that PC makers are so fond of using. However, Windows 7 is apparently too intimidating for the poor little Acer eRecovery Management software. It simply doesn’t know what to do with itself when confronted with a Windows 7 partition.
ARM: What is thy bidding my Master?
You: It’s Windows 7 we’re after.
ARM: I’m sorry, did you just say Windows 7?
You: You got a problem with that?
ARM: Actually, I, uh…
You: ARM? Are you OK?
ARM: My mind is going…cannot format..failed to format…partition not found…
Let’s face it: Acer eRecovery Management needs a little love to get through this. Here’s what you need to do:
- Create a System Rescue USB drive (Note: An alternative to the spyware-laden Daemon-tools for mounting the ISO file as a virtual CD-ROM is Virtual CloneDrive). If you have trouble with the System Rescue CD, you can try some other distros.
- Go into the Acer BIOS settings and change the boot settings to check USB first. Plug in your System Rescue stick, and restart the netbook.
- Run “wizard”, and launch gtparted (icon towards the lower-left of the screen).
- Delete partition 2, create a new one, then reformat it as NTFS
- Mark partition 1 as bootable (right-click, edit flags). Remove USB drive.
- Reboot into the Acer System Restore software. Choose to restore the system.
- Plug the System Rescue USB drive back into the Acer netbook.
- Reboot into the System Rescue CD/USB, go back into gparted, and flag the restored partition 2 as bootable.
- Remove USB flash drive and reboot.
Posted in How To | Tagged os, system administration, windows | 9 Comments »
