How to Convert FAT Disks to NTFS

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Well, I always have to look this up, since I do it so rarely…
But I had a few questions come in regarding converting a FAT32 disk to NTFS, on a Windows XP system…
Well, please remember, your mileage may vary, and you assume complete responsibility for this… But the easy answer is to use the convert utility builtin to Windows XP / Vista / Win 7.

Microsoft Tech Note – How to Convert FAT Disks to NTFS
To convert a volume to NTFS from the command prompt
Open Command Prompt. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
In the command prompt window, type: convert drive_letter: /fs:ntfs 
For example, typing convert D: /fs:ntfs would format drive D: with the ntfs format. You can convert FAT or FAT32 volumes to NTFS with this command.
Important  Once you convert a drive or partition to NTFS, you cannot simply convert it back to FAT or FAT32. You will need to reformat the drive or partition which will erase all data, including programs and personal files, on the partition.\”

Windows XP Stop Messages

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Windows XP Stop Messages by Marc Liron – Microsoft MVP (Windows)
Stop Messages
When Windows XP detects a problem from which it cannot recover, it displays Stop messages. These are text-mode error messages that report information about the condition.
Stop messages, sometimes referred to as blue screens (BSoD), contain specific information that can help you diagnose and possibly resolve the problem detected by the Windows kernel.
This list describes these messages and helps you understand and interpret them.
This list is NOT exhaustive or meant to resolve EVERY error.\”

click here for the article by Marc Liron – Microsoft MVP (Windows)

Time Warner Cable: Please complain about our usage caps! – Ars Technica

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Time Warner Cable: Please complain about our usage caps! – Ars Technica: \”Time Warner Cable, fresh from announcing plans to roll out its 5GB-100GB monthly data caps in more test cities, got in touch with Ars today to tell us that it really, really wants to hear from customers, but could the angry epistles please go toward one specific e-mail account and not to everyone at TWC with a public address?
Jeff Simmermon, TWC\’s head of Digital Communications, says that the company has already received its fair supply of angry missives. \’Obviously,\’ he says, \’those of us with public-facing e-mail addresses have gotten a lot of them.\’
The company has therefore (rather brilliantly) set up a special e-mail address for complaints: realideas@twcable.com. The central complaint inbox should make it simple to give customer feedback the attention it deserves.

The price-gouging premiums of Time Warner Cable\’s data caps

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

The price-gouging premiums of Time Warner Cable\’s data caps:

Time Warner Cable, stung by online criticism of its paltry traffic caps (in tests, these have ranged form 5GB/month to 40GB/month) and ludicrous pricing schemes, has taken to the \’Net to defend its sullied honor. But it\’s hard to defend a scheme with fees so high they might well meet the legal definition of \’obscene.\’

First, the response: Time Warner Cable COO Landel Hobbs wrote earlier this week of the need for people to pay for the bandwidth they consume. \’When you go to lunch with a friend, do you split the bill in half if he gets the steak and you have a salad?\’ he asked.

Click here to read the rest of this article

(Via Ars Technica.)

Blog of helios: The new faces of Linux – Who Do I Yell At?

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

People don\’t seem to understand, but computers aren\’t just a toaster. Windows systems are so complex, because of Microsoft\’s design, and desire to be the end-all provider for everything…
Sometimes you have to take a step back, and have someone show you that you can do it differently. Here\’s a good example:

Blog of helios: The new faces of Linux – Who Do I Yell At?: \”Rick Singerman doesn\’t much care about how his computer works. He simply wants it to work every time he turns it on. We\’ve discussed this here as it has been discussed over and over in the Linux Community.
A computer is NOT an appliance. It is a maintainable machine that needs attention from time to time. Even Microsoft, with their tens of thousands of viruses and countless malware threats cannot get The Human Nature to understand:
A computer is NOT an appliance. It is a maintainable machine that needs attention from time to time.\”

See the rest of the story, via the hyperlink.