Chris Pirillo » bsod

Can a Company Take Social Networking too Far?

Chris — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:24:49 +0000

Can a Company Take Social Networking too Far? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Word on the street is that Best Buy is now requiring applicants to not only be on Twitter – but to have at least 250 followers, as well. When I read this, my mouth hit the floor. In effect, the company thinks that hiring people with a large Twitter following will garner more business for them. How ludicrous is this? It’s not up to an employee to send out tweets and bring in business to a company like Best Buy. For one thing, what if a person chooses not to have that many followers? Not everyone is on Twitter to see if they can win the race for having the most followers. Some people actually use it only to follow interesting people and entities themselves, not caring whether others follow them back. Some of those same people never even update their own timeline. They choose, instead, to simply use Twitter to read the latest news, and keep up with what’s hot in the marketplace.

I cannot begin to understand why a company would – or can even be allowed to – require something like this. If a person’s job were going to be something along the lines of “Social Media Director”, I might be able to see the need for the applicant to already have some sort of following, establishing them as “social media savvy”. Beyond that – I’m just lost.

What are your thoughts? Is this going to become an eerie new trend in the job hunting process? Do you feel that this is just totally off the wall? Let’s hear your thoughts!

How to Piss off a Nerd

Chris — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 04:28:25 +0000

How to Piss off a Nerd is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I finally had enough of the Windows PC in my room. I can’t take it anymore. This is just too much for me to handle. The haunted USB connect / disconnect problem has been officially fixed. Too bad I forgot I had a mute feature!

When’s the Last Time You had a BSOD?

Chris — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:52:14 +0000

When’s the Last Time You had a BSOD? is a post from Chris Pirillo

If you’ve used Windows, you’ve likely had to deal with at least one Blue Screen of Death. It’s frustrating, to say the least. Some people are lucky, and have never even had one… while others aren’t as fortunate, and get them on a regular basis.

I have some sort of issue with Windows Vista and nVIDIA graphics drivers, so have seen blue screen fairly recent and fairly regularly. :-( Even with the new drivers this week I still get the problem! – Kol Tregaskes

about 6 years ago. even with my current computer problems, i never got the blue screen. – Anika Malone

A couple of weeks ago with Vista. – Chris W

iTunes crashed Vista a few days ago. Need to upgrade it to the fixed version of iTunes 8. Other than that, never. – Roberto Bonini

Years. – Soulhuntre

I can crash XP any time. Just leave my phone plugged into the USB port when I hibernate Windows and it’ll crash when I unhibernate it. – Morton Fox

I havent had it for a LOOOOOOONG time – Chacha

Vista runs great for me. I had an issue once where I thought Vista and flash video weren’t getting along causing serious lag. I figured out that my video card was over heating and once i cleaned out the dust it was all good. (I’m on a laptop). – Jason Shultz

This afternoon. Seriously. Running win XP sp3. Dunno why but get these quite often lately. – Tobias Verhoog

Have you ever had a BSOD? Do you know what caused it?

You Just Can’t Escape Windows

Chris — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:25:40 +0000

You Just Can’t Escape Windows is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I really don’t mind the Mac. Then again, I didn’t mind Windows XP, either. I did, however, mind Windows Vista. I’ve shared my reasons over and over. I now have no Vista machines in my home…

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Macs Never Crash… EVER!

Chris — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:07:14 +0000

Macs Never Crash… EVER! is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I have been loving Mac OS X Leopard since I began using it. I know a lot of people were upset when I switched to Mac. I don’t know what it is, but the Mac just gives you an incredible feeling of warmth. You bond emotionally with my machine! It just works so wonderfully. I’ve never had issues, not like I did with Windows. BSODs are a thing of the…

WTH is that? COME ON you can’t be serious!?!?!

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Hard Drive Problems

Chris — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 15:36:20 +0000

Hard Drive Problems is a post from Chris Pirillo

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A caller said he has an HP Laptop with what he believes is a BIOS problem. When you turn on the machine, it goes through the boot screen, and then freezes. He’s tried doing a full system recovery, which doesn’t work. He gets errors with codes that he isn’t able to narrow down further than the BIOS.

He has deleted the partition, wiped the entire computer, and tried to reinstall. He gets the exact same error code about an executable file, during Windows setup. He cannot even install the OS on the computer. A lot of people in chat are suggesting that the hard drive itself is corrupt. He tried installing Vista, and received the same error code. He then installed an old copy of Windows ME… and it worked beautifully. It won’t install any other OS.

Someone else is recommending trying Darik’s Boot and Nuke. Darik’s Boot and Nuke (”DBAN”) is a self-contained boot floppy that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction. This may help to wipe it all out, including things that could possibly have survived the partition deletion.

If ONLY Windows ME will install on this system and nothing else… I would call an Excorcist. That is just downright scary… and not “right”.

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How to Avoid the Blue Screen of Death

Chris — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:07:17 +0000

How to Avoid the Blue Screen of Death is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Here are some excellent tips sent in by a community member at large, to help us all avoid getting a dreaded BSOD. These are not only frustrating, they can also sometimes signal a major failure.

Check your hardware. Sometimes people will receive a Blue Screen of Death after adding new hardware to their system. If the hardware that is recently installed does not have the correct drivers, chances are it will be unstable and will crash the system. To prevent this from happening, make sure you install the drivers from the hardware manufacturer’s website. Drivers will not only help the computer detect what you have installed, it will also help you to not get a Blue Screen of Death. Remember, drivers sometimes get confused with software. Make sure they are the drivers and not the software that comes with the device.
Driver Updates. Drivers sometimes have updates. If you do not update the drivers for a specific hardware device, that device may become unstable. This is similar to looking for drivers in the first place, but you should always look for driver updates whenever you can. A good way to check for new updates on their site, is to bookmark the page where the drivers are usually found. Check this site at least once a month, to see if it is updated. Always make sure when you install the new drivers, you uninstall the old ones. Conflicts between new, and old drivers can cause very bad issues.
Use Linux. Now, you are probably thinking that I am telling people to use Linux when I say this, but I am not. You can use Linux to solve a software related issue. If you know a certain program that is causing a Blue Screen of Death, remove it with Linux. It is a great backup operating system that will allow you to find software related problems that you know are causing the Blue Screen of Death. A good Linux distribution you can use is Ubuntu. It is free and open source, that you can download from mirror’s online or get a CD for free from their site. You can also use Safe Mode which brings me to my next tip.
Process of Elimination. When you enter the Safe Mode screen, you have the options to start it without networking or to start it normally. If you think it is a internet problem, trying booting with Safe Mode with networking off. This will give you a chance to see if you get a Blue Screen without being connected to the internet, while your drivers are still off. Having your drivers and hardware disabled allows you to troubleshoot the issue without having to get a Blue Screen of Death. By using the simple method of process of elimination, you can pin-point a accurate reason why the blue screen is occurring. Did you just install a new device? Try to remove it and see if you get another Blue Screen. Have you tried to uninstall certain software? Try to uninstall it and see if you get another blue screen. Those are some examples of what I am trying to mean. Eliminate problems that could cause the issue, making it easier to find the reason.
AVOID WINDOWS VISTA. This tip speaks for itself. Simply do not use Windows Vista. Vista is unstable and at during this time, people have been getting many driver related issues. Any having driver relating issues, causes what? You guessed it. Blue Screen’s of Death. Sure, Windows Vista may be a good Operating System sometimes when it works, but when it doesn’t you will at least know why. Try to not use Windows Vista until they have updated the problems. Second guess getting it if you have a idea about buying it. I would suggest waiting for the operating system to become more stable with new Service Packs that come with updates and “Fixes” for drivers.
Bonus Tip: Don’t try to read the Blue Screen of Death. Reading the Blue Screen will just cause you confusing and make yourself look like a fool. It will only help to write down the STOP number near the bottom of the screen and search it by using Google to help you solve the situation. This is yet another way to help you solve the issue if everything else fails.

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Top 5 Tips on Repairing Your own Computer: PC and Mac

Chris — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:05:49 +0000

Top 5 Tips on Repairing Your own Computer: PC and Mac is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Brandon is a community member who works for Geek Squad. He sees customers come in every day with nearly the same problems, and came up with his top five tips for getting your own machine back up and running, whether you own a PC or a Mac.

Google is your friend Knowledge is power, even when working on a computer problem. There are thousands of websites and resources out there in Internet-land that can help you decipher that odd error message, sound or whatever problem you are experiencing.

Ask the dumbest questions possible Start from the ground up. Many times, the simplest fix can be the one that works. Don’t try to over-think the problem, or assume it’s something awful and too hard to fix.

Read the Manual… especially when it comes to add-on devices such as a sound card or modem. You will usually find the answer you need simply by reading the manual that came with the product. An addendum to this is that you can go to the manufacturer’s website, and read their “FAQ” or similar page. Many vendors have these with the answers to the most common/frequent questions and complaints. Remember: RTFM. (Read the FINE Manual).

Backup BEFORE you begin This is imperative… especially if you’re going to open the case to work on something physical. Regular backups outside your machine are always a good idea, anyway. You can backup to another machine, a CD or DVD, or even to an online service.

Be patient and calm This is the biggest tip I can give you. Computer repair can be a long process, especially when it comes to software. Most people have the capacity to fix their own machine, but aggravation often causes them to just give up. Stay calm, walk away when you need to. You might be surprised what you can fix on your own with some patience and research.

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There’s Nothing Wrong with Windows Vista

Chris — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 04:07:27 +0000

There’s Nothing Wrong with Windows Vista is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I’m so tired of people saying that the problems are with Vista, instead of blaming themselves! I mean seriously. It’s not Vista’s fault you buy crappy hardware. It’s not Vista’s fault your drivers don’t work. It’s all YOUR fault.

What’s with all the bad press? There is NOTHING wrong with Vista whatsoever! I’ve never had any issues or problems. It’s simply great! Stop blaming Microsoft and making them a scapegoat because you don’t know how to use a computer! Trust me, I know what I’m talking about. I’m a geek after all!

What? What is that they’re saying in chat? Look at the monitor of my Vista machine? Ok… what… the…

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Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Blue Screen of Death

Chris — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 21:01:09 +0000

Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Blue Screen of Death is a post from Chris Pirillo

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http://live.pirillo.com/ – The “WOW” starts… um. Now?

Yeah. Vista Ultimate. Fun! BSOD. Drivers not working. Updates not working. Just lots of fun.

Is it time for SP1 yet?

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Canon Printer Installation Problems

Chris — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 05:07:39 +0000

Canon Printer Installation Problems is a post from Chris Pirillo

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http://live.pirillo.com/ – Ponzi bought a new printer… and her face turned blue!

Seriously, it did! Watch the video!

Ponzi bought a new Cannon printer, and decided she could install the drivers herself, without my help. She talked until she was blue in the face… literally. For some reason, during the install process, Ponzi got a Blue Screen of Death. You would think that she would have turned the computer off. Nope, not MY wife. She decides she’s going to interpret the BSOD. Of course, she tries hard… but just cannot. Even the best of geeks have trouble with this. Finally… Ponzi sighs resignedly and manually shuts down the computer.

Windows Vista Loses Users

Chris — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 03:41:35 +0000

Windows Vista Loses Users is a post from Chris Pirillo

This is far from scientific, but I can tell you that there were an OVERWHELMING number of MacBooks at Gnomedex this year – including two of ours (one sponsored by Lijit and the other sponsored by Blue Sky Factory). As predicted many moons ago, Windows is bleeding influencers like never before… and the bad news keeps getting worse. Let’s see what Jim Louderback has to say about Vista:

I could go on and on about the lack of drivers, the bizarre wake-up rituals, the strange and nonreproducible system quirks, and more. But I won’t bore you with the details. The upshot is that even after nine months, Vista just ain’t cutting it. I definitely gave Microsoft too much of a free pass on this operating system: I expected it to get the kinks worked out more quickly. Boy, was I fooled! If Microsoft can’t get Vista working, I might just do the unthinkable: I might move to Linux.

Ouch. While I completely appreciate what Microsoft tries to do for me, I just wish they’d listen a little more… and stop making it so darn easy for power users to slip through their fingers. For documentation purposes, here’s what happened to me today:

Windows Vista and XP BSOD Problems

Chris — Thu, 17 May 2007 04:09:41 +0000

Windows Vista and XP BSOD Problems is a post from Chris Pirillo

I’m seriously afraid of doing anything in Windows Vista anymore.

This time, my gripes have nothing to do with user interface hiccups or random app usability snags. No, this house has been suffering through Blue Screens of Death for the past week. There’s seemingly no rhyme or reason to them… seemingly, not actually.

This afternoon, when my Web browser was getting ready to access my Logitech Webcam (USB) via Flash, Windows decided to choke and give me some kind of IRQ conflict BSOD. Could be a hardware problem, could be a software problem – but it’s a problem (my problem) nonetheless. I’m getting ready to chuck this machine and start fresh.

…if Apple’s desktops weren’t so damn expensive, they may have been a viable option at this point.

No matter, I woke up to this other (power related) BSOD the other morning – and everybody who was watching my live stream got to see it hours before I did:

Ergh. Maybe this is an urban legend, but wasn’t Windows Vista supposed to have killed the Blue Screen of Death? I realize that most crashes are caused by video drivers, but the fact that I’m running NVIDAs in here doesn’t help the situation (as NVIDIA’s drivers have proven themselves to be anything but reliable, stable, or half-as-solid as ATI’s).

So, to let Vista off the hook for the moment – Ponzi’s install of XP has decided to go haywire as well. For her PC, it’s all tied into whenever she inserts a CD or DVD into her drive:

Why can’t we all just… get along?

The Wow Starts Now?

Chris — Tue, 01 May 2007 08:19:13 +0000

The Wow Starts Now? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Wow.

I’m not a masochist – I’m just waiting for Apple to blow me away. That day may come with Leopard, or it may come with the iPhone. I’m getting used to medicore experiences with mediocre software – and I’m getting used to waiting for my personal computer to catch up to my expectations. Even Microsoft’s Silverlight platform runs cross-platform – which doesn’t make it any easier to stick with an OS that doesn’t really… “wow” anybody.

I’m fully willing to concede that some of my problems may be hardware related – but aren’t some hardware-related problems ultimately related to software? Mind you, I’m not using offbrand components! This particular PC is a custom-built QuadFX running atop an nForce chipset – with nVidia video cards and name-brand peripherals (HP, Logitech, etc.).

Don’t sit through this entire video – I only uploaded it (intact) to prove that I’m not crazy:

I had to reboot one more time before I was able to get going again – a full 45 minutes after the first Vista BSOD. And by “first,” I mean the first Blue Screen of Death I encountered today. They don’t happen EVERY day – but have been smacking me in the face more frequently as of late.

How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

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Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

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Get Your Own Web Site

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

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VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

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