Zalman ZM-VE300 Firmware Upgrade Available

We found the ZM-VE300 almost useless when we first received it as the firmware was really buggy.

• Zalman Updates Page
• Category: Storages
• Sub Category: External HDD/SSD Cases
• Product: ZM-VE300
• 

The firmware available as of this writing is R1005N.

Once we reached a fairly stable firmware version a number of months back we were able to select the applicable OS ISO to load on a system then press the top button and hold it to “Save” the ISO setting.

We could then unplug the VE300, plug it into the new system, and boot to the ISO as though it were an attached optical drive with the OS DVD in it.

Having a few of these units around the shop for quick access to OS ISOs for installing a new system or re-installing an existing system is a huge time saver.

Plus, we don’t have a bunch of larger USB2 sticks that would otherwise be needed to hold all of the OS files that were extracted from the ISOs.

One of the benefits of having the ISO appear as an optical drive is for older BIOS setups that may or may not have an available Boot Option Menu or possibly no option to boot to an attached USB drive. Some systems, server boards, and laptops today are quite restrictive in what we can use for an external boot device. The Zalman makes this point moot.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Windows Live Writer

Found: A Car Charger with Two 10 Watt (2.1A) USB Ports!

After a number of days looking around for a charging setup that can accommodate at least two devices that require a 2 Amp draw on the USB port we settled on the following:

• Scosche reVIVE II - Dual 2.1A USB Car Charger for iPod, iPhone, and iPad IUSBC4

The reason we ordered these units was that the basic USB chargers we have in our vehicles only support 500mAh draws. That is one quarter the capability of these units.

So, when using a Windows Phone like my HD7 or Monique's Lumia 710 while plugged in they were still losing charge if frequent calls were being made or we were streaming 8Tracks or listening to Zune content.

The HTC HD7 charger's USB port has a little over 1A at the port. The Nokia charger has 1.2A at the port.

So, we figure that 2.1A should be more than enough to provide a charge and run the phones at 110% _all of the time_ and not be stranded with a dead phone at our destination.

Next up will be to pick up their ISUBH4 wall wart (dual 2.1A USB port A/C charger).

We may also pick up a couple of the goBAT II - Portable Charger & Backup Battery units for those days when out and about to provide a backup power source while at a client site. They would be handy for long plane trips too.

Have any pointers to power accessories used to keep things charged up? Please do point them out to us!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Some Tech Podcasts For You

These come courtesy of fellow MVP Tim Barrett of NoGeekLeftBehind.

• RunAs Radio
• http://runasradio.com/
• Talk TechNet
• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/talk.aspx
• CIAOPS – Need to Know Podcasts
• http://ciaops.podbean.com/
• The Home Server Show Podcast
• http://homeservershow.com/
• HAK5
• http://hak5.org/
• Tekzilla
• http://revision3.com/tekzilla
• Any of the shows on TWIT.tv
• http://twit.tv/shows

There are days where radio, Zune HD tunes, 8Tracks, and satellite just do not cut it when moving between clients.

Having podcasts on the go really can help especially when it comes to working on a new project that requires a lot of knowledge gathering.

Thanks Tim! :)

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

A Young App Programmer That Will Go _Very_ Far!

Wow, this young fellow is truly amazing in his abilities.

Thomas Suarez

He is clear, concise, and to the point.

His speaking skills are phenomenal.

And, to top it all off he makes some very valid points.

Good on you sir! :)

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Monday Morning Science Lesson: Quantum Levitation

We had a speechless moment in our family when we saw this:

A really _neat_ science experiment

The video is nothing short of amazing!

Happy Monday and thanks for reading! :)

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Twitter, Tweets, and Tweeps

Okay, now that we have our Twitter account set up and the Tweets are starting to flow, the one thing that has become quickly apparent is that it is possible to hit Information Overload (IO) very quickly with this service.

Plus, the knee-jerk reaction is to drop every aspect of the day into our own Tweets.

But, upon further consideration we find that TMI and IO may become the norm and thus we get tuned out.

We also took some time to have a look at the plethora of Tweeps out there that we may wish to follow. But again, with so many 140 character posts flying by we would reach the TMI/IO point again very quickly.

We have seen some Twitter clients at the various IT events that have been attended.

For those of you that Tweet and follow what is the Twitter client of choice and why? Please do comment about your Twitter experiences and how you mitigate TMI/IO and also sift through it all!

What we are hoping to do is to enter into this new technology with “Baby Steps” (What About Bob – ****).

Thanks again for reading!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Really Kewl Tech Stuff – The Buxton Collection

The site speaks for itself:

• The Buxton Collection at the Microsoft Research Site

If you have a moment, check it out.

There is some pretty neat stuff in there! :)

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

End of an Era: The Last Space Shuttle Mission Flies In 20

A link of the launch of the last shuttle mission which will start shortly:

• NASA TV

I was fortunate to be in the neighbourhood so to speak many years ago. We parked and sat on a hill and watched the launch from our perch.

The sound took a while to get to where we were but it was most certainly one of the most amazing human feats I have had the privilege of witnessing.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Discovering That Niche – Extreme Overclocking

While we have dabbled in overclocking to gain extra performance out of our Intel CPUs over the years, we never went hardcore into the process as the time/benefit ratio just did not fit our needs.

However, as with anything else, demonstrate a knack for something, make sure folks know about it, and it will get noticed.

We received an Intel Partner Program newsletter this afternoon that had a really neat bit on overclocking in it.

•  Intel Extreme Team Newsletter

We have seen some of the overclocking results of “duck-san” before.

Some of his overclocking exploits can be found here:

• XtremeSystems.org posts by Duck
• Duck-san post: Intel Japan event 2010 Summer

That second link has some amazing overclocking results and visuals of the rigs that are used to get there.

So, what is so neat is to see that the efforts that Duck-san has put into overclocking processors has lead to him being featured at various technology events including the upcoming PAX West 2010 in Seattle Washington.

Duck-san is a very good example of how one’s hard work can pay off in possibly very unexpected ways.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

David Moisan & SATV – A Good Glimpse Into A Non-Profit’s Technology Needs

David Moisan is the IT Director for Salem Access TV in Salem Mass.

We have crossed paths over the last number of years due to SATV’s running SBS as their principle server.

Lately, David has had some very good blog posts on the need for technology in his organization. He provides some good insight into the how they use technology and why they need it.

He also speaks to the juggling that a non-profit has to do in order to finance their needed technology.

David’s blog:

• David Moisan’s IT

Some of his SATV technology posts that are excellent reads:

• Ten Years of IT at SATV- Onward still
• Ten Years of IT at SATV- Ups and Downs
• Ten Years of IT At SATV
• Fighting Power Outages at SATV

Contributing To Our Communities

We deal with a number of local as well as remote non-profit clients. We get to see first-hand just how difficult it is for them to make any real advances in their technology usage due to financial restraints.

For us as IT providers, we need to give back to our communities. One way to do so is to contribute in some way to a non-profit’s technology needs. We can do so by donating some of our technician’s time, giving significantly reduced labour rates, or by offering technology to them at little or no cost.

It is up to us to choose which non-profit’s mission statement and services best fit with our own business vision then create an offering plan that works and make contact with the Executive Director of the organization.

In the end, we both benefit from helping them out.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Ever see what a 3D printer can do for prototyping?

We are doing a bit of research on 3D scanning and reproduction.

This is some pretty neat stuff:

The above video gives us a pretty good idea of where the technology has gone since the last time we were researching solid printing on behalf of a client.

Essentially, anyone looking to develop a product prototype with the need to conceptualize the finished form of that product, this technology is a perfect fit.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Neat Tech – American Journey 2.0 – Make Magazine contest winners build a Caravan Track app for Ford’s Sync powered by Microsoft

This is pretty neat.

Folks were invited to develop an app for the Sync platform that is powered by Microsoft and found in many of Ford’s current vehicles.

The winning group of students built a social media integrated application for tracking a caravan of vehicles.

•  Make Magazine: American Journey 2.0

We can see a lot of great uses for this application.

Very well done and congratulations to Team Bobcat on the win.

From the above article on the team:

John Ciccone, Collin Hockey, Sangmi Park and Joe Phillips make up Team Bobcat, the student think tank that came up with Caravan Track, the winning application of the American Journey 2.0 open innovation research project between Ford and the University of Michigan.

Caravan Track allows a cluster of vehicles traveling together to track each other along the journey. The application was installed in a 2011 Ford Fiesta for the ultimate test drive to the 2010 Maker Faire in California.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Troubleshooting Flaky Systems Behaviours

Sometimes, we need to learn lessons the hard way.

I remember replacing the rear end on a 1500 series truck (mine) due to a major squealing sound that did not go away _after_ the change out. The problem turned out to be the hanger bearing. Lesson learned.

When it comes to computers, there is the workstation that behaves rather erratically over time. We would go through the regular troubleshooting steps looking in common problem areas such as software conflicts, memory issues, or physical problems on the hard drive’s platters.

Or, how about the printer that behaves fine for a number of days then stops responding or prints out funky characters instead of the page(s) sent to the printer.

The lesson being highlighted here has to do with starting with troubleshooting the small things first.

One of the small things that is common to both IT related problems listed above was that the interface cable turned out to be the culprit.

In the first example where the workstation was behaving flaky, the SATA cable connecting the hard drive to the motherboard turned out to be the problem.

For the printer, the USB cable connecting the printer to its workstation was the problem.

It is probably due to just how rare a cable turns out to be the culprit in a problematic setup that we overlook changing them out as part of our early troubleshooting steps. We usually go to some fairly great lengths to troubleshoot a problem before a cable even becomes a consideration.

So, sometimes, depending on the errant behaviour, it may be a good idea to actually _start_ by swapping out whatever interface cable or cables. We can then eliminate them right out of the box.

BTW, when it comes to USB cables and printers, watch the length of that USB cable relative to the cable’s diameter. If there is a need to run a cable longer than the standard 6’, then make sure that the extra length cable contains a heavier gauge core cable set to reduce the possibility of signal loss between the PC and the printer.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Neat Tech – Honda’s U3-X Personal Mobility Prototype

This is just too neat not to share:

The device is a pretty kewl unicycle.

The U3-X, if it goes into production, may be an excellent option for folks that are in need of an ultra portable mobility assistance device when they are out and about.

The U3-X could also be a good thing to have for technicians that need to work long term in a server closet! :)

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer