Archive for August, 2009

Windows 7 doesn’t seem to like zip files

0
3 years ago
by Chris in ,
email Windows 7 doesnt seem to like zip files

On every other version of windows I've used over the last 12 years or so, you've always been able to double click a .zip archive, open it up like a folder and drag and drop any files you like out of it to anywhere else on your hard drive. A very easy procedure, and I use it all the time.

I don't know if it's just me, but on the 64 bit version of Windows 7 this process seems to screw up somewhere and takes FOREVER to complete...

It's fine if you just extract the whole archive to another location but if you want to drag and drop selected contents it simply doesn't seem to like it... it just hangs there....

If anyone else has experienced this and knows how to solve it, please leave me a comment below icon smile Windows 7 doesnt seem to like zip files





User Agent

2
3 years ago
by Chris in
email User Agent

Of all the websites out there that I visit on a daily basis, I wonder which actively analyse my user agent and do something with it, or at least end up exposing it somewhere else on the web.

As a result I've decided to make the url of this post the value of my user agent string, and we'll see how many hits come into it over the next few months.

I'll update this post as time goes on with what I find out... icon smile User Agent





Windows 7 64Bit – Impressions So Far…

1
3 years ago
by Chris in ,
email Windows 7 64Bit – Impressions So Far…

I’ve been using the released version of Windows 7 for about 4 days on and off now and have to say it seems to be a massive improvement over Vista.

In my opinion it’s what Vista should have been (the whole release of Vista vs. XP being akin to the release of Windows ME vs. windows 98 i.e. a bit of a joke, with the real improvements come in the next version again – in that case XP in this case 7).

Anyway, things to note so far are:

  • Battery life seems to be improved – Win 7 seems to require a lot less juice to run well
  • Stacked taskbar icons make the management of multiple applications easier
  • Icon themes are nicer than Vista
  • Network management is much improved over Vista for those who change networks a lot
  • Start up screen is fairly funky icon smile Windows 7 64Bit – Impressions So Far…
  • User Account Control and other Security options are less intrusive
  • Windows Media Centre is included in the Pro Version (Vista Business excluded it…)
  • So far ALL of the applications that I used to run on XP and Vista seem to run without issue, even small 3rdparty standalone tools (programs that don't require an installer to run)

That’s a fairly short list so far but just for those improvements (minimal though some of them may seem) I’d say it’s worth it.

I’d recommend upgrading for anyone who’s currently using Vista, especially on a laptop and for those of you still running Windows XP, though in your case you might also need a hardware upgrade too.





This Week’s Tweets: 2009-08-23

0
3 years ago
by Chris in
email This Weeks Tweets: 2009 08 23
  • Nerd Tests http://ff.im/-6JSRD #
  • Now it's not only the clock that I happen to notice when it hits 13:37, it's also the amount of spam in my google mail! This getting scary.. #
  • Well at least my 3 Mobile USB Modem Still Works On Win 7 #

My Gumtree Ads

0
3 years ago
by Chris in
email My Gumtree Ads

My gumtree ads (mygumtreeads.com) is a new project of mine, filling in what I see as one of the major gaps in Gumtree's current service. The gap that I and I'm sure many other people have experienced is the inability to setup a user page containing all of your ads for easy reference, a bit like an eBay store.

The real issue with Gumtree is that each ad is regarded as unique and has no obvious relationship to other ads on the site, even if they've been posted by the same person. So, once you post an ad it can get lost forever in their system and though they send you emails telling you what your ad id is, etc. it's very easy to lose track of the ads that you've setup, especially if you have a lot of items to sell, swap or give away.

The service itself is a mash up between wordpress, twitter and gumtree itself, and though released to a wider audience, is still in beta testing, meaning that from time to time there will be issues with system while I iron out bugs and more importantly I'm very open to suggestions on new features and functionality.

Technically, the site is built on wordpress and uses my own rapid plugin development code framework, to extend the base functionality (which I hope to release sometime soon). It uses twitter as a way of collating a list of ads that you post and then processes these entries to form a catalgouge/store like interface.

Anyway I hope if you are also a regular Gumtree user you'll try out the site and see if it works for you.

If not, let me know why and I'll do something about it!

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