Just got word that TweakersGuide.de have posted a new guide: Changing your Windows XP startbuttons lable. Here's a byte from their guide.

Many people modify their operating system with specific programs like Windowblinds, Desktop X and so on. However, these always take resources away.

This guide is there to show you how to modify the text on your Windows startbutton without having to permanently run a program. Doing this is really not difficult!

Just saw this @ Sportin.org (ClubOC). Take a close look where he got most of these drivers ;-)

I've noticed lately that there is a lack of Nvidia detonator driver tests, actually a lack of comparisons between them. So I have compiled this list of current 28.84 / 29.20 / 29.40 / 29.42 / 29.42 Beta Omega Driver / 29.60 / 29.80 drivers and tested them using 3DMark2001 Build 330. I have included full, unaltered screen shots to show the 3DMark and Nvidia Defaults.

Just got word that TweakersAsylum have updated their Windows XP ACPI Tweak Guide. Below is their announcement:

A while back we did a guide on gaining 3D gaming performance by disabling Windows XP ACPI. This guide generated A LOT of interest and still does on a regular basis today! Due to the high demand, I decided to break down and do an update to our original guide. In this update you will find a new set of benchmarks, a few more tips, and even a couple of new tricks!

SharkyExtreme has put together what seems to be a very general guide to overclocking the CPU. They use a SiS645DX and a i845D based system for this purpose. Here is a snip: The overclocking process for the Pentium 4 is greatly simplified due to the locked multiplier present in all consumer-level processors. Sure, you might nab an engineering sample through other means, but for the vast majority of users, Intel Pentium 4 can only be overclocked via an increase to the front-side bus speed. The guide

VR-Zone.com have updated their OC database for AMD Thoroughbred and they have seen many new entries and records.

Athlon XP 2200+ 1.80@2.72Ghz by Son
Athlon XP 2200+ 1.80@2.59Ghz by Tamo
Athlon XP 2200+ 1.80@2.51Ghz by Jahovx
Athlon XP 2200+ 1.80@2.46Ghz by Memesama
Athlon XP 2200+ 1.80@2.42Ghz by NewBeetle

Just noticed this @ NTCompatible.com. Thanks to Yakumo for this one:

I've done a small guide for how to fix ASPI under NT/2K/XP because installing the latest Adaptec ASPI doesn't create some of the necessary keys that many programs, such as AudioCatalyst, CDRWIN, Exact Audio Copy and others need before they can actually discover your drives.

This is a problem that has been annoying the hell out of a lot of friends of mine, so I thought there must be many others out there grieving over lack of AudioCatalyst functionality if nothing else!

Ok Peeps THE EVIL MESSAGEBOARD FORUMS have posted a great guide that will show you how to install and use RivaTuner and even power users might find some great tips that you might of missed otherwise.

Just got word from the Reverend that he's posted an article over @ Beyond3D.com about Nvidia's anisotropic filtering implementation in 2 different driver versions 27.51 vs. 29.42. Here's a byte from his article.

I used a VisionTek GeForce4 Ti4600 for this article. The only drivers I have that are prior to the two previous official drivers (28.32 and 29.42) are the 27.51s which is what I used for this article, comparing it to the latest official 29.42s. Medal Of Honor Allied Assault was used, with com_maxfps set to 500 and everything else set to maximum with the exception of shadow quality set to Simple. Although the built-in framerate counter was enabled, screenshots taken (using the F11 key) do not show the framerate readout. I have provided my own framerate readout, which is what the framerate counter read the minute I hit the F11 key.

As we are beginning to see more positive overclocking results of the Thoroughbred, we can conclude that it is a better overclocker as improvement of clock speed can range from 100-150Mhz even at a lower VCore voltage. Therefore they have set up a new overclocking database for it.

One of Microsoft?s latest efforts to help promote system stability is Windows File Protection (WFP), as debuted in Windows 2000 & now featured in Windows XP. TechSpot's guide will take you through basic operation of WFP, how to use & configure it for your system.

If any of you are lucky enough to have AMD's new Thoroughbred 2200+ CPU here's an unlocking guide from Extreme Systems and don't forget to bring your super glue! HEHE

Just saw this @Theinquirer.net:

WE HAVE NOW HAD TIME TO TEST the performance on the 30.20 "buggette" we reported here last week. Nvidia really got its skates on on this one and sent us an updated driver within 36 hours from our original story.

The updated driver appears to deliver 500+ 3dmarks compared to 28.32 and that difference with and without the splash screen is quite small.

If you run each test 3 times it's 50 to 100 points different which is also not that significant, at least according to Nvidia.

Hardtecs4u.com have posted a chart that lists the Asus motherboards that are compatible with AMD's new Thoroughbred CPU and shows you from which BIOS and board revision.

Geekextreme.com scoured the Internet looking for the best prices on computer hardware, and created a weekly pricing guide.

Have you ever wanted to have a go at setting up a server or learning a new language? If the answer is yes, then I have something special for you people @ Sniper Tech. I have just completed work on a new tutorial for which I have tried to explain how to install and set up a Microsoft Windows compatible PHP Server that you can use for hosting web sites or for developing PHP code. Press Read More for further info.

With the introduction of ATI's latest Radeon drivers a new utility was introduced which normally runs in the background and scans your system for the most stable (PCI &) AGP settings. If you wonder how to manually change the settings you will have to read more.

Reliable and cost-effective systems are the result of good planning, appropriate hardware components, and consistently good assembly techniques. While this guide can not directly help a system builder with assembly techniques, it is designed to aid in the planning stage, give guidance for many of the hardware choices, and offers techniques for addressing some common problems. Read more...

Just got word from Haddad that he's just posted his new Soldier of Fortune 2 tweak guide! Here's what he's saying.

Here at TechSpot, we've finally got around to posting our Soldier Of Fortune II Tweak Guide, dealing with loads of in-game settings & commands. Currently the guide is more oriented at the Single player game given people have more problems with that.

VR-Zone has tested out the newly released Madonion 3DMark 2001 Second Edition build 330 that is able to support AGP 8X and cards with pixel shader but no vertex shader like the SiS Xabre 400.

Now Advanced Pixel Shader test was able to run and the Xabre 400 therefore is able to complete the whole 3DMark tests. We have quickly checked out the 3DMark performance of the Xabre 400 against the GeForce3 Ti200 and GeForce4 MX440.

The guys over at geekextreme.com had some time to kill, so they put the previous Nvidia Detonator drivers (version 28.32) up against the newest version (29.42) to see if there was any performance improvements, or if it rolled backwards. How'd they do? Check it out