VMWare Fusion v3.01 is now available….

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

VVMware has released an update to Fusion Desktop v3.0. v3.01 is now available, the highlights of the changes are:

  • Improved 3D & Video Performance: Improved WDDM driver and 3D backend improvements speed up some applications and tests up to 80% on Mac OS X Snow Leopard
  • Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala): Full support for Ubuntu 9.10 32-bit & 64-bit editions
  • Even More 64-bit Support: Networking subsystem now 64-bit native to match 64-bit core engine
  • Easier Move to VMware Fusion: Import standalone VHD virtual disks and Parallels Desktop 5 virtual machines into VMware virtual machines
  • Improved Resume Times: Reduced time for resuming virtual machines

In addition to the new and improved features, VMware Fusion 3.0.1 fixes over 50 bugs. Some highlights include:

  • Performance Update: Some users encountered slow downs with VMware Fusion 3.0. Thanks to your help, we were able to track down the performance issues to three key areas that we have addressed in 3.0.1 or where we have a recommended workaround:
    • Older versions of VMware Tools caused a slowdown and VMware Tools included with VMware Fusion 2.0.5 could not be easily upgraded. The tools upgrade issue has been resolved with VMware Fusion 3.0.1 to make it easier to upgrade to VMware Fusion 3.0.1 tools, which resolves the problem.
    • Leaving the Virtual Machine Library open in the background on some machines caused excessive Spotlight searches looking for virtual machines. This has been addressed in VMware Fusion 3.0.1. If you encountered this issue, install VMware Fusion 3.0.1, launch it and then quit it. The next time you launch VMware Fusion 3.0.1, the problem is fixed.
    • AVG Free 9 takes lots of CPU and makes the virtual machine sluggish. This is a AVG Free 9 problem that has been reported to them for investigation. We recommend new customers use the included 12-month subscription of McAfee VirusScan Plus or look at other free antivirus solutions such as Microsoft Security Essentials or Panda Cloud Antivirus that do not exhibit this problem.
  • Shared/Mirrored Folders Improvements: Incompatibilities with Zone Alarms AV & Outlook 2007 Preview mode resolved.

VMware Fusion 3.0 will offer to automatically download and upgrade you to VMware Fusion 3.0.1 when you launch or you can choose Check for Updates from the VMware Fusion menu.

Snow Leopard and Gears: The Possible Dream!

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

According to the Technologizer, a Google representative has finally stated that Snow Leopard & Gears are not incompatible, but instead there is a bug that they are working at to resolve.
Obviously, this isn\’t a high priority? After all, it\’s been four months since Snow Leopard was released…. And I personally discovered this issue with the Snow Leopard Beta\’s….
So, we are talking at least 6-10 months, where google hasn\’t been visible resolving this issue. So while I hope this gets resolved, I think it\’s safe to bet, that I won\’t be holding my breath for this….

(View the rest of the article at Snow Leopard and Gears: The Possible Dream!)

Phineas and Ferb Christmas clips for free!

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

iTunes currently has the following clips from the Phineas and Ferb Special, available for free…
* Danville is Nice
* I Really Don\’t Hate Christmas
* Christmas is Starting Now
* Holiday Theme Song
* Christmas Feeling
The P&F Christmas Special is really excellent, and I highly recommend it… It\’s a cute twist in the Phineas and Ferb way…

It\’s a really sweet, warm special that we\’re really proud to have our name on. -Dan Povenmire[2]

In Summary, Phineas and Ferb build a rest stop for Santa because they feel nobody ever thanks him for all the joy he brings to the world. Doofenshmirtz creates a device to put the city of Danville on Santa\’s naughty list, and Agent P has to stop him….
Sal Tuscany\’s famous Christmas CD is even in the episode.

Ashley riesing from the ashes?

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Emilie Ullerup, who played Ashley in Sanctuary is now in a new web series…
Here\’s the official description of the series:

Riese, a seemingly random wanderer, is being hunted by a terrifying religious cult, The Sect. Traveling from nation to nation for years, she is accompanied only by a wolf, Fenrir. Together they must evade the assassins sent by the Sect–who\’ll stop at nothing to complete the task they failed to achieve many years ago.
Her past is shrouded in mystery, as even Riese can\’t recall the events of the tragic night when her entire family was slaughtered and she was forced to flee into the wilderness. On her journey, she\’ll piece together her past, and her destiny, in a conflict that will hold the fate of the world in the balance–and the once peaceful kingdom of Eleysia will be the battlefield.

Other cast members include Christine Chatelain (Sanctuary, Supernatural), Ben Cotton (Harper\’s Island, Stargate Atlantis), Sharon Taylor (Stargate Atlantis) and Patrick Gilmore (Stargate Universe).
It\’s available on the official site and on YouTube.

Monitor Interlacing? What\’s the refresh rate, kenneth?

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

What\’s a monitor refresh rate? And what does it do?
That\’s a multifaceted question, but here we go.
The \”Vertical Refresh Rate\” is the number of times a second that the video is displayed on the CRT monitor. (On LCD monitors, a vertical refresh is a fixed rate, and does not change…) Older CRT monitors could be damaged by setting the Refresh rate too high or too low, but this is virtually unheard of now, since any monitor in the last 10 years (or so) should auto-detect a bad signal and just display a message (eg. No video signal).
Continue reading →

Is Entourage crashing getting you down?

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

This could be a sign of database corruption. For Exchange accounts, rather than rebuilding, create a new Identity and let Entourage sync back up.
If you do have info in the folders \”On My Computer\”, then select work off line. Delete the Exchange account THEN do a rebuild. After the rebuild add the account back.
Make a duplicate in the Finder first as additional backup. A rebuild does make a duplicate, but sometimes in the process the original and backup get merged resulting in total disaster. It\’s rare but it happens.
Other steps to try:

  • Try repairing Disk Permissions: Open Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities), select your hard disk volume in the left pane, click the First Aid tab, then click Repair Disk Permissions.
  • Re-install Office from original media then updating can resolve issues with unexpected quits. Use \”Remove Office\” first. Be sure to see on this link the files that are not removed using Remove Office in Office 2008 and will need to removed manually.
  • Delete .plist files: Unexpected quits — especially those that occur after a major Mac OS X update — can be solved by deleting corrupt .plist files. Preferences can be found in your User\’s Library/Preferences folder:
    • com.microsoft.OfficeNotifications.plist
    • com.microsoft.DatabaseDaemon.plist
    • com.microsoft.Entourage.plist
    • Microsoft folder - com.apple.LaunchServices.plist
  • Caches: In some cases, unexpected quits an other issues can be resolved by deleting specific system caches.  Try deleting files that start with \”com.apple.LaunchServices\” from the /Library/Caches folder.
  • A corrupted font cache may be causing Unexpected Quits. The font caches are located in User>Library>Preferences>Microsoft>Office Font Cache.