Windows Vista - Doing a Clean Install with an Upgrade Version

There is a workaround for the silly way in which Vista checks to make sure that you are actually upgrading a previous version of Windows. I wrote about this previously, where I actually had to install Windows XP to use the 32 bit upgrade of Windows Vista after I had “mistakenly” formated over my XP installation to install a clean copy of Windows Vista.

There is a way around this that I mentioned in the previous article though.

Install Windows Vista 32 bit on a clean partition using the partition tools, but do not enter in a license key. Once Vista is completely installed you can boot into it for the first time. At this step you will figure out that even when entering in a valid key (although for an upgrade), you will be unable to actually use it because Vista still demands that it be upgraded from a previous version and not a clean install. To get around this, just install Vista on top of itself as an upgrade which circumvents the whole purpose of this silly routine … making sure you have Windows XP or Windows 2000. When you upgrade your unlicensed version of Windows Vista 32 bit you will have no ill effects, a “semi” clean install, and a useless “Windows.old” directory that you can just delete. With this method you do not have to touch your XP disk, although you will have to install Vista twice. What a pain.

Vista Tips - Customizing the Send To Command

Alright, I went to add notepad and wordpad to my Send To folder like I always have for each of the previous operating systems. Thanks to the “simplified” (and admittedly cleaner) users folder and the disappearance of settings, I could not find the way to customize the Send To command. A search in the Vista help produces basically nothing.

I finally found the solution. Just enter in the following in your power search box (Start -> “Start Search”).

%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo

Once the folder is opened just drag shortcuts of any program you would like to appear there into that folder. Not as easy as WindowsXP is it?

Windows Vista 64 Bit Downgrade to 32 Bit Woes

An alternate title for this post could be “How I managed to memorize my Vista key in one day.”

In previous versions of Windows when you purchased the Upgrade version of the new operating system you could always just insert the CD of the previous version during the install to verify that you indeed had a previous version and were eligible for the upgrade version. In Vista, as far as I can tell, this is not possible. It actually checks for a previous operating system for an upgrade key. This makes for a huge inconvenience that in the end is completely retarded because there is a “workaround” that nullifies the whole process. Read the rest of this entry »

The Heroes Finale (or Fizzle)

This post is obviously a spoiler, I would avoid reading it if you have not seen the show! Then again you can probably predict the ending if you have ever imagine up a semi-happy ending to some kind of hero like possible disaster.

Was it just me or was the Heroes big finale on Monday more of a big Fizzle? All season we have a build up to a supposedly spectacular ending that involves a bomb that is supposed to go off (from mysterious circumstances no less) in the middle of New York City. What we end up with is a cookie cutter ending that seems taken directly from any number of super hero comic books. That is all well and good, because obviously Heroes is a super hero show inspired by such works. On the other hand, the show had a kind of sophisticated story line (quasi-Lost like almost) that intrigued us all season. To end on such a predictable and comic book like ending was a let down for me, personally, because I expected some sophistication and surprise.

There were some surprises that we encountered. The little girl, Lilly, who can see anyone in the world and their exact location, mentioned that she knew of a person that was more evil than Silar and could see her when she saw him. Seeing as we are short some villains after the Finale and that the “League of Heroes” is together (corny and predictable), they might as well fight this new super villain (if the next season wasn’t so weird, more on that later).

Peter must live. He is the main character, so I expect him to live through that. I will be disappointed if he did not. I am already disappointed because the future that the showed a couple episodes before the finale, the bleak dark future where Silar is president and Peter is jaded but powerful, the world is splintered, and there is a kind of silent war on “heroes” … now that was interesting! I want a season about that future, not the warm fluffy future where the bomb does not go off and love between brothers conquers evil. Give me a break, I really hoped after seeing that bleak future that Heroes would finally surpass Lost as a sophisticated show (and yes I know Lost has its silly main stream unsophisticated moments). Unfortunately, only a mere couple of episodes later they disappoint me with the finale no less.

Then there is next season.

We could have new people and new storylines and new ideas and new threats and new bad guys and new heroes. So I would prepare the audience for that idea, that it’s not just a continuing serialized storyline about only these people. It’s a little more the 24 model than the Lost model.

I heard rumors that season 2 will be a prequel, however I have not confirmed that on the internet except for the fact that a twin mini-series will run while Heroes takes its break sometime next season called “Heroes:Origins” that explains the back stories of the characters. However, it seems here that we will see the some of the same characters but the writers are giving themselves the opportunity to trash, forget, or create characters at their discretion. You have to be cautious here though, since the story is character based. As Lost has found, introducing new characters can be a tricky affair, and many times people tend to just plain hate new characters because they appear so shallow to the old characters that have been well developed. However, unlike Lost, Heroes characters are not all that well shaped and developed. Instead of having to develop complex character personalities and back stories (ala Lost), Heroes simply adds a simple back story and personality and lets the audience concentrate on their super power. So shuffling characters in and out may work out for Heroes. Only time will tell.

I will say, it is a blessing and a curse, this final episode. One thing that I hate is an epic cliff hanger that I have to wait all summer to find the ending to. One thing that I love is an epic cliff hanger that I have to wait all summer to find the ending to. In the case of the Heroes finale, I won’t have to deal with either situation because it was not epic or much of a cliffhanger at all.

Work in Progress

I am in the process of reviving this blog and finishing some kind of easy redesign. WordPress has grown a lot since I started using it, so I am incorporating many things quickly with themes and widgets, but will have to customize everything over time.

I am very busy lately since I graduated with a new job. It turns out that you have very little free time after college. Trying to fit everything you want to do and everything you have to do is hard in the few hours after work, and then the weekends you are busy doing even more stuff.

I would say stay tuned .. but chances are I am the only one reading this. Plus that weird guy Tom who keeps reading my blog.