Ad:

Mailbag #6

#151 | 22:16 |

Lab Rats

Monday December 15, 2008

Andy and Sean dig in to the mailbag to find out what's on your mind and to answer your questions. In this episode, we learn a little about Windows 7, troubleshoot an ailing home network, deal with a wonky Vista / Firefox relationship and discover where Andy and Sean's vast techspertise comes from.

Subscribe to this show

Show Notes

Frank: Why does Firefox crash everytime I close it in Windows Vista?

Andy says: Firefox runs great on Windows Vista. It sounds like you may have some security software installed that is causing Firefox to crash. Security programs sometimes think the best way to stay safe is to stay completely offline. Try disabling all security applications then turning them back on one at a time to narrow down which program is causing the problem. Second, check to make sure you have the most up-to-date version of Firefox. Third, uninstall Firefox and reinstall a fresh copy of Firefox in Windows Safe Mode. Hit F8 at startup to get into Windows startup options and choose Safe Mode with Networking.

Vavrek: What resources do you use to research technical topics?

Sean recommends you start with:
Wikipedia
Tom's Hardware
CPU Magazine
PC Magazine
MacLife

Various technology podcasts like:
TWiT
CommandN, etc,

Also, check out:
Engadget
Gizmodo.

Andy also likes:
CNET News
Webopedia
and of course, butterscotch.com

Various technology podcasts
TWiT
CommandN and others.

Try out Andy's Toilet Tank Technique (patent pending):
Andy's favorite bathroom literature:

Macworld
PC Magazine
PCWorld

Chris: Should I take my old laptop hard drive (currently running Windows XP) and put it in my new laptop running Windows Vista so I don't lose my data?

Andy's simple and direct answer: NO! For many reasons, such as Windows Vista does not play well with older technology.
Also, consider that your older hard drive is probably smaller in capacity than the new laptop's hard drive.

Sean recommends Turning your old laptop drive into an external hard drive to copy data over to your new machine.

Lydia John: My three computers are unable to receive an IP address from my router. Any tips?

Sean recommends surfing to your router's control panel (check the manual or online help for the exact address) and make sure DHCP is turned on.
Make sure your security software isn't blocking that traffic.
Security software is responsible for 80 percent of home network problems.
For more detailed information on how router's work, check out episode 127 and episode 89 for more networking tips.

Patrick: What are your thoughts on Windows 7?

Windows 7 is the next version after Windows Vista which will be released by Microsoft in 2010.
For the most part it's Windows Vista repackaged with some improved features.
A unique feature of Windows 7 is called Sensors, it's aware of you (the user) and observes your state and changes modes automatically.
An upcoming episode of LabRats will be dedicated to Windows 7 so be sure to check that out. In the meantime check out this FAQ: http://www.winsupersite.com/faq/windows_7.asp.

Download of the Week: Uniblue DriverScanner 2009 = FREE trail / $29.95 to purchase.