Extended64.com

AMD Tech Day June 25, 2008

The Daily PlanetAMD64 — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:20:48 GMT

Puma Notebook Platform ATI HD4xxx Launch Austin, TX After AMD had acquired ATI, many folks had their doubts about the two companies coming together as one. Corporate cultures were almost polar opposites, management styles differed, and a host of other differences that, if this were a marriage, would have inevitably ended in divorce. I was pleased to see that the two are getting together quite well now and, two years after the merger, AMD/ATI have got their groove back. View the full article...(read more)

How-to: Run Windows Live software on 64bit Windows

Blake Niemyjski : 64bit — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:57:00 GMT

I'm guessing that many of you have attempted to download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger or other Windows Live Software but have been prompted with the following error: " Sorry, Windows Live programs cannot be installed on Windows Server, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, or Windows operating systems earlier than Windows XP Service Pack 2." You're not alone, as I have received the same error when trying to install the latest version on Windows Server 2008 64bit....(read more)

AMD Launches Three New Quad-Core Phenom Processors!

Ryan Hoffman — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 06:40:07 GMT

Hot off the presses! AMD has updated their quad-core lineup, and have released their new flagship Phenom processor! Here is the meat from the press release:

Today, AMD released the AMD Phenom™ X4 9950 Black Edition quad-core processor featuring Clock Multiplier Control. Combined with AMD OverDrive™ software – the industry’s most comprehensive Windows-based performance tuning utility – the latest Black Edition processor enables customizable platform performance and tunability.* For energy-conscious users, the energy-efficient AMD Phenom X4 9350e and AMD Phenom X4 9150e processors are now available. These processors, under the most extreme operation, consume no more than 65 watts, delivering the performance of four independent cores at a low wattage – ideal for development of small and sleek form factors that can help cut down on energy consumption, take up little space, and operate with low noise.

The new AMD Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition processor offers gamers and enthusiast power users superb scalability and unprecedented customizable performance levels to run multiple processor-intensive applications simultaneously. The energy- efficient AMD Phenom X4 9350e and AMD Phenom X4 9150e processors benefit users by delivering the performance of AMD native quad core design with low-power consumption. These processors are designed for mainstream and energy-conscious users, and for digital media enthusiasts looking for enhanced digital content creation and consumption capabilities with energy efficiency.

AVG Internet Security 8 Firewall x64 Review

Ryan Hoffman — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:32:00 GMT

There are many firewall choices for Windows x64 users, so I've decided to take a look at some of the most popular products that are compatible with Windows Vista x64. The first firewall I will look at is the one included in AVG Internet Security 8.

AVG Internet Security 8 64-bit is approximately a 50mb download. Installation was very straightforward, with just a few simple dialogs asking the location you want to install the product to, and what features you want to be installed. Unfortunately, the installation is probably the easiest part of configuring this product.

After the product is installed, a Firewall Configuration Wizard launches to guide you in initially setting up the firewall. The first question it asks you is, "How is your computer connected to the Internet?". The wizard gives you four choices: Standalone computer, Computer in domain, Computer on the move, Small home or office network, and instructs you for the ideal configuration you should select ALL. This part of the wizard is very confusing, and does not really provide a clear explanation of the right choice. For example, if this computer is joined to a domain, isn't it on a office network? Why is joined on a domain even a choice? Also, it is unclear what settings each choices effects.

Network configuration options
(Click to enlarge)

The wizard then scans your hard drive for known applications that will need access through the firewall. I think this is a good feature, but I worry that scanning my computer will give access through the firewall to applications that I might not necessarily want. In fact, after the search completes, it does not even show you the results!

Scanning for applications
(Click to enlarge)

After the Wizard was finished, a "Network Detected" dialog appeared, asking me to name the network, and choose how it is used. Now it wants me to pick which type of network that I've specified I had earlier in the initial wizard. Still confusing!

Network Detected
(Click to enlarge)

Next, a safe adapters settings screen pops up. It seems like this setting will override the network setting I just chose prior in the Network Detected screen. Does this mean my firewall is protecting my main network card at all? It is not clear!

Safe adapters settings
(Click to enlarge)

That is the last screen that pops up. Configuration is now done! Although, I'm not quite sure if the configuration is correct! The usability of this firewall is extremely poor, and needs a lot of work. One nice bit of UI that the product has is the main screen of AVG Internet Security 8, showing all of its services and the status of each.

AVG Internet Security
(Click to enlarge)

To conclude, AVG Internet Security 8's firewall is compatible with Vista x64. It's configuration is extremely complex, due to the poorly designed setup wizards. I recommend consulting the help documentation if you were to use this firewall on your machine, as the wizards themselves do not contain enough information to help you make good decisions! The usability problems have affected this products overall rating!

AVG Internet Security 8 Firewall

Extended64.com Overall Rating - 3/10

Pros:

Nice looking dashboard showing all services

Cons:

Extremely hard to configure due to poor wording in the UI!

How To Upload Drivers In The Driver Database

Ryan Hoffman — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:03:42 GMT

Did you know that all registered users at Extended64.com can upload drivers into the Drivers Database? This is a guide to show you how to do just that!

Step 1: Log in! You need to be a registered user to upload drivers. Click the login link at the top of the website.

Step 2: Go to the Driver Database page. It's in the top navigation.

Step 3: Click the "Upload" button in the top right corner of the Driver Database. Choose the category of your driver.

Step 4: You can either upload a driver directly to the database, or specify the URL where the driver can be downloaded. Click the Specity File / URL button, to choose where to upload the file from. If you are uploading the file from your computer, choose the Upload File option, and hit browse to select the file. If you are linking to a URL, choose the Link to URL option and enter the URL which the file can be downloaded at. After you are done with either choice, choose "Save".

Step 5: Enter a detailed name, description (optional), and add descriptive tags for the driver! Make sure you add the Operating System as a tag, like "Vista x64" as shown in the example. Also, try to use existing tag names, instead of making new ones!

Step 6: Click the Save button. You're now done!

Site Upgraded!

Ryan Hoffman — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:09:00 GMT

I've upgraded the website to CommunityServer 2008! Telligent has done a great job with this new release, and I'm really digging all the new features! Stay tuned!

Hyper-V RTM is today

VolkerW's WebLog — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:21:00 GMT

What else to say? Let the fun begin or - like Patrick says - "We’re bringing the joy of the holidays back to you with the “12 Days of Virt-Mas.”...(read more)

New HPC Performance Tuning Paper Available

VolkerW's WebLog — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:53:35 GMT

Aleksey Savateyev, one of the Microsoft HPC architects in the platform evangelism team, just released a new white paper on performance tuning for applications on CCS 2003. You can find this and many other valuable resources on the Microsoft HPC community portal . Go to windowshpc.net to find out more or download the paper directly . Abstract: This white paper discusses the factors that can affect your application’s performance on a cluster running Microsoft Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003...(read more)

Exchange Server support in virtual machines

VolkerW's WebLog — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:00:58 GMT

On Scott Schnoll's weblog " Is this thing on? " Scott provides details on the support for Exchange Server 2007 in Hyper-V hosted guest OS as outlined in a TechEd 2008 session earlier this month. Some key points of his post: Within 60 days of Hyper-V's RTM, the Exchange team will publish a detailed support statement for Hyper-V, and a TechNet article with best practices ... We're only supporting guests running Exchange Server 2007 SP1 on Windows Server 2008. All Exchange server...(read more)

Bill Gates: Transitioning into the Future

VolkerW's WebLog — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:39:36 GMT

Don't miss this exclusive Channel 9 interview with Bill Gates. Hear Charles Torre asking questions and what Bill thinks about the life, the universe and the rest like: "What's on Bill's mind as he prepares to step away from his full time responsibilities at Microsoft? What was his rationale for making the decision? What was behind his decision to put Ray Ozzie in the role of Microsoft Chief Software Architect? What does a CSA actually do? Why is Microsoft so focused on competing...(read more)

Asus Xonar DX PCI-e Audio Card Evaluation

The Daily PlanetAMD64 — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:45:00 GMT

Roughly two years ago Asus entered the discrete audio market with quite a bang. Their entry product, the Xonar D2, took everyone by surprise and created quite a storm of talk and not a little bit of controversy. We had one of those first cards in for evaluation and found them to be an amazing first product and, in terms of performance and audio quality, to be more than a match for the X-Fi. Since then Asus has released a few different derivatives of the Xonar including a USB flavor. We have had the...(read more)

QNAP TS-409 Pro NAS Review

The Daily PlanetAMD64 — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:00:00 GMT

Data data everywhere, and not a drop of space.... When I was a young lad you could carry all of your data (that's programs you've written yourself in BASIC, we didn't have other data back then) on a cassette tape. (although if you wanted to access any of that data you 'd have to put it back in your own computer to get at it since practically no two computers were compatible) Now-a-days we have shed loads of data, emails, films, music, and more, and we want to access it from any...(read more)

TechEd IT Pro is over? Far from true!

VolkerW's WebLog — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 22:21:10 GMT

Well, the actual event may be over but the Edge team is still publishing very interesting information from TechEd. See for yourself. And the list of videos and interviews is constantly growing. Make sure you check out The Perimeter and get in touch with like minded folks and/or speak what's on your mind. http://edge.technet.com/Tags/TechEd08/...(read more)

Virtualization or How Microsoft Does IT

VolkerW's WebLog — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:02:10 GMT

In case you wonder how mature virtualization technology from Microsoft, namely Hyper-V, is, you should sign up for the upcoming life TechNet webcast "How Microsoft does IT: Management and Operations in Windows Server 2008". But be warned, this is a level 300 session and you should expect some deep technical information and details from David Lef, Microsoft IT Technology Architect, Microsoft Corporation. Sign up for the webcast. Session summary: Microsoft Windows Server 2008 is the next...(read more)

Windows HPC - Playing with the big boys

VolkerW's WebLog — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:54:15 GMT

Giovanni is convinced that Windows HPC Server 2008 is now playing with the big boys. Find out why and what IB , Network Direct and 2 GB/sec have to do with it in his recent blog post. I thought the recent announcement was already proof enough or at least a good indication....(read more)

SHIFT+TAB? How I miss thee... in IE.

Search results matching tag 'x64' — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT

At least on Vista, my mouse-hating keyboard reflexes have been stymied for a while. (I don't really hate mice, I just hate having to move the mouse when I shouldn't have to. I'm sorry, I'm old. I was born before computer mice were invented, and I developed my computer usage habits long before every PC shipped with a PS/2 port or a mouse.) With apologies to Bill Cosby, I'm not sure when I lost it; I'm not sure how I lost it. But I know it used to work in Vista... and it still...(read more)

Windows HPC Server 2008 now in the top 25 of the Top500 List

VolkerW's WebLog — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:38:24 GMT

We are very excited to share with you the news of a major achievement for the Microsoft HPC program. Running Windows HPC Server 2008 the HPC Performance Team recently completed a Top500 run on the fastest HPC cluster at National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). This specific cluster had previously established a Top500 entry at 62.7 TFlops and 70% efficiency ranking #14 on November 2007 Top500 list running Linux. NCSA offered to submit a Windows benchmark entry using the same cluster...(read more)

Sweden, archipelagos and Teraflops

VolkerW's WebLog — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:13:03 GMT

When I think of Sweden I think of the beautiful coastline and and thousands of tiny little islands along the Swedish coast. Not anymore. This morning IBM and Umeå University announced the most powerful Windows-based computer in Europe being installed at the university's supercomputer center known as HPC2N . Scientists will use the powerful system aka. Akka for basic and applied research. And guess what, they run on a beta version of Windows HPC Server 2008. Linux is supported too. While...(read more)

SteadyState 2.5 supporte Windows Vista

Search results matching tag 'x64' — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Après la mise à disposition de la version pour Windows XP annoncée dernièrement, la version 2.5 de SteadyState supporte, désormais Windows Vista. Pour mémoire, SteadyState remplace Windows Shared Computing Toolkit (SCT) pour maintenir une configuration d'ordinateurs comme des postes en libre service. Le kit est disponible depuis : http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9091316 Il est à noter qu'une version française de ce kit existe, mais que l'architecture...(read more)

Who are these guys?

VolkerW's WebLog — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:27:09 GMT

Video taping yourself before you do your session at a major event? Who does things like that? The cool folks from TechNet Edge ....(read more)

Great TechEd IT Pro videos on Edge

VolkerW's WebLog — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:10:56 GMT

We all know swag scoring is part of every tech. event, right? Well, of course TechEd is no different. Adam, the king of swag hunt and one of the masterminds behind TechNet Edge competes with Laura from On10 for the best and most swag. She never had a chance, had she? There all sorts of interesting videos from TechEd; actually 12 videos as of today. Go check it out ....(read more)

ATI Radeon HD 3870 for Mac® & PC Edition offers amazing graphics processing for work and play

The Daily PlanetAMD64 — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:07:42 GMT

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- June 12, 2008 --AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the new ATI Radeon HD 3870 for Mac® PC Edition, delivering the power to go beyond high-definition visual computing for work and play(1). Optimized exclusively for Apple Mac® Pro systems, the ATI Radeon HD 3870 Mac PC edition can help drive productivity with built-in 256-bit 512MB GDDR4 frame buffer memory and 320 stream processors to deliver maximum performance for graphics-intensive applications such as 3D modeling, animation...(read more)

Kingston Technology Releases High-Performance 800MHz SO-DIMMS

The Daily PlanetAMD64 — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:11:04 GMT

Kingston Technology Releases High-Performance 800MHz SO-DIMMS Fountain Valley, CA June 11, 2008 Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it is shipping HyperX® 800MHz low-latency DDR2 SO-DIMM notebook memory kits in 2- and 4GB capacities. The latest offering provides mobile computer users an even greater performance and flexibility option as the SO-DIMMs are pre-programmed with three serial presence detect (SPD) profiles, allowing the...(read more)

Free TechNet Edge Shirts at TechEd IT Pro

VolkerW's WebLog — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:23:47 GMT

Over half of my team is at TechEd this week. They all have different responsibilities like presenting, video shooting, interviewing and of course meeting with "the customer" and "the partner". Today - in about 10 minutes (12:30pm ET) - David is giving away free TechNet Edge Shirts. Why bother? They are cool! BTW David, where's mine? If you are in Orlando at TechEd this week, go and grab yours. David is in the TechNet zone by the south concourse....(read more)

A Hybrid OS Cluster Solution

VolkerW's WebLog — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:54:29 GMT

Dr. Patrice Calegari , HPC Application Specialist, BULL S.A.S. and Thomas Varlet , HPC Technology Solution Professional from Microsoft just posted a great technical document covering "Dual-Boot and Virtualization with Windows HPC Server 2008 and Linux Bull Advanced Server for Xeon." The paper has been posted to the Microsoft HPC community portal windowshpc.net . Here's the abstract of a very well written document worth your attention: "The choice of an operating system (OS) for...(read more)