Just got an email from 3DSpotlight.com that they have just updated their "OS Updates" page where you can find a complete listing of OS patches for Windows XP, 2000, ME & 98SE.

Big changes in this update being a greatly improved XP listing & several Win2K updates removed after the security rollup patch release - which should minize on any unnecessary downloading to bring your system up to date.

Extreme Tech have a very well written article about how to Optimize Your Internet Connection. Here´s a scoop:
Why tweak? Many people, especially those on broadband links, find their connections more than fast enough and don't see a need to fix what isn't broken. Other people may find their broadband connections are not performing anywhere nearly as well as they hoped, and want to see what can be done about it. And there are still plenty of people using dial-up-- they can never go as fast as their broadband cousins, but they still want to know how to wring every drop of speed possible out of their lines. Read the complete article over here.

X-bit Labs reports how to mod your GeForce 4 boards to turn it into a Quadro4! Actually it is quite simple. The differences between Quadro4 and GeForce4 will be only in the driver support. That is why all you need to do to install the Quadro4 drivers for your GeForce4 graphics card is to change the chip ID.

On the reference GeForce4 Ti4600 card the 10kOhm resistor is set into "A" position. If you move it to "B", then the card will be identified as NVIDIA Quadro4 900XGL. As a result, the GeForce4 Ti4400 card obtained from GeForce4 Ti4600 as described above, will turn into NVIDIA Quadro4 750XGL, and NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti4200 ? into NVIDIA Quadro4 700XGL.

VR-Zone has done up a guide on how to modify the GeForce4 MX card to a Quadro4 by re-positioning the resistors to change the device ID. After numerous trials and errors, we have finally found the correct resistor positions which turns the GeForce4MX to a Quadro4. Upon rebooting, the card is recognized as Quadro4 550XGL!

You probably have asked yourself "How does the recovery console work?" after your PC crashed and Windows wouldn't start. Well a little guide is here to show you the necessary steps. Read more.

I just received an Email from Thomas Bruckschlegel, editor of TommTi-Systems.de. He's done some tweaking to his Radeon 8500 using UniTuner 1.1 making some interesting discoveries regarding Pixel & Vertex shader performance. Check out his findings using the above link. And use some translator like Babelfish or Google cause the article is in german.

LITTLEWHITEDOG.COM has just posted a follow-up article to their guide on How to change the Windows 2000 Boot Logo. Why post a follow-up article on changing the Win2K boot logo? There are several reasons, with the primary being a result of Service Pack 2. When SP2 was released some changes were made that affected the way Windows File Protection behaved. Thus, the registry changes outlined in their earlier article that would disable Windows File Protection, no longer work after applying Service Pack 2. This follow-up article address's this minor obstacle, and poses a much easier and safer way to change the Win2K Boot Logo whether you're running SP1 or SP2.

Just got an email from matt@OverclockersClub.com that he's just finished a Windows XP Speed up guide!

Here's a bite:

So you have had Windows XP for a few months now.. but you have found that it has became slower and slower by the passing weeks.. Well, I think this guide will help speed up your computer one way or another. The best way, (not the fastest), is to run Disk Deframenter. This can sometimes take hours and hours to complete, depending on your computer's speed, disk size, and how bad fragmented your files are. If you want a quick way to speed up your computer, continue reading.

The guys over @ 3dSpotlight have written a guide how to configuring Windows 9x, Me, 2000 & XP to load as quickly as possible & also have the benefit of loading with more memory available for use. So head over by using the above link!

To transmogrify is the act to change, transform, or mutate, especially in a grotesque or strange way, an item that was once ordinary or unique in appearance or design. That is what I have done, and the results are beautiful in a strange sort of way. Let me take you to the start of my enlightening journey of bedazzlement - a strange but wonderful tale.

The lads over @ OverclockersClub.com have been busy boys cos I just got an email from Matt telling me that Tim Posey has completed a new Plexi computer case how to guide! And as Matt says this is really sweet looking :D

About a month ago I set up an old computer of mine. It acts as a DHCP server running Coyote LINUX to share my broadband connection. The only problem was that I needed to set it up in the living room where my cable modem is. I really didn't like the look of the computer case in that room. So, what to do but get a clear case and show it off. I decided to build it myself. This also allowed me to make it the size and shape I wanted...

Julio Franco Haddad - Editor in Chief of 3D Spotlight sent us a mail and writes:
Windows XP much like other Windows OS, offers several improvements over the previous release & XP is no exception, offering some nice updates to the Networking features.
3D Spotlight's WinXP Modem Tweak Guide will take you through optimizing the performance, reliability & security of your Dial-up connection in Windows XP as well as several other misc. tips.
Click on the link to go to the tweak guide: Link

Anyone that has an MSI K7T 266 Pro2-RU motherboard should check out TecCentral.de's tweak guide. Although it is in German, it can be easily translated through

world.altavista.com
They go over IRQs pretty extensively and have reccomendations on what PCI slots to use, and Bios settings. Very helpful information for a good board that tends to be very picky with its settings.
MSI K7T266 Pro2-RU Install Guide
Thanks
Johnny Changs
johnnychangs@hotmail.com
clampants.com

Ok, I just got done putting the finishes touches on my SoftQuadro patching & driver install guide. Here's a snippet:

"SoftQuadro is widely used by students and professionals that want to get the most out of their NVIDIA GeForce(x) cards. The professional level cards by NVIDIA, such as Quadro, Quadro2 and Quadro DCC share the same GPU with the GeForce cards. The only difference in performance is that Quadro cards use special Professional features that are disabled in the GeForce cards. Until SoftQuadro was released, the only way to turn GeForce cards into Quadros was to physically solder several transistors on the boards thus forcing the card to send back a Device ID that corresponds to a Quadro card, thus enabling the drivers to recognize it as such. SoftQuadro simply patches the drivers and forces the Professional features of the card to be used.

A word of caution however:
If you play OpenGL games, this patch will yield slower performance. It won't be much loss, but this was meant for those that use 3D apps such as in CAD, Modeling & Animation. In other words, applications like 3DS Max, LightWave 3D, Maya 3D, Pro E, AutoCAD etc."

Read the rest @ BeigeFingers.com.

Last night I completed work on the Glossary section and is now ready for viewing. Heres is more info:

We now live in a computerised age and increasing knowledge paves the way to personal and professional advancement; that's where this glossary comes in. This Glossary of Computer Terms is constantly being developing, with definitions in every area of computing, including Networking, Internet Technologies, Gaming Technologies and much, much more!!! The terms have been writing in clear English, outlining what each terms means. Also this glossary goes further by giving you background information that will prove invaluable in understanding why a particular term is important and how it relates to others.

Christopher Hill (aka Minkus) has after a long wait finally updated his GeForce FAQ to version 19.2!

GeForce FAQ 19.2

Tom's Hardware has a review on 21 Geforce3 Ti boards. Here's a snip:

The GeForce 3 Ti cards differ from their predecessors in more than just clock speed. The new models also use a refined layout. The most visible change is the new power supply which uses fewer components. Also, the Ti500 boards use eight-layer PCBs, instead of the current six-layer design, although some companies have also started using these PCBs for their Ti200 models.

Win, Lose or Ti - 21 GeForce Titanium Boards

3DSpotlight has a new guide up for ya. It is based on running background services started automatically by the OS... There are ways of optimizing the usage of these Services and configure your machine for improved performance and even security by modifying their respective Startup types, and in some cases disabling them altogether. 3D Spotlight's tweak guide will take you through a multitude of different Services, explaining how and what they work for. Read the guide

Adrians Rojakpot has a new guide up & running and this site is as good as one can get if it comes to guides. Here is a snip: RAID 0 shouldn't be even called RAID as it does not provide any redundancy at all. And no redundancy means no increase in data reliability and security. Even so, it is the highest performing RAID level. The hardware requirements for setting up a RAID 0 array is the least demanding of all RAID levels. It only requires a minimum of two hard disks and can use as many hard disks as the RAID controller can support. Check the RAID guide here

I just finished writing a list of some Windows XP Command Line utilties. Many of them are intended for network administrators, but home users will be very happy to know them if ever needed (eg. MSB failure)


Check it out @XPFreaks.com