Tag: windows xp

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The Return of Gateway GT5404.

I’ve got a call from an acquaintance on Friday regarding an old computer I’ve worked previously worked on. It is the Gateway GT5404 computer I worked on in 2007. The very same computer that came with Windows Vista pre-installed and later had Windows XP installed by yours truly. It is the very same computer I wrote about on the early incarnation of this blog.

After a good 3 years and 11 months, Windows XP no longer boots. I have yet inspected the computer so I would not know what really went wrong. My plan is to install a new hard drive and install Windws XP on this computer again.

As usual I’ll be documenting the installation process.

Till next time.

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Microsoft, I Hate You!

One more reason why Microsoft’s Windows Genuine Advantage is annoying and bad.

WGA, not to be confused with Writers Guild of America or World Canadian Bureau, is simply annoying. Microsoft does not trust Windows users. In this case, Windows XP was factory pre-installed by Gateway before Windows Vista days. Microsoft Security Essentials was installed previously and passed WGA. So suddenly this meesage came up on not one but two computers. The second one was purchased from Dell with Windows XP pre-installed in March 2010.

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Up All Night Removing Malware From Windows XP.

Since the computer is needed 1 hour at 06:00 hour, I pulled an all-nighter to remove the malware from Windows XP. This malware is a vicious one. It is a memory resident malware and altered any executables ran after explorer shell was launched. It did not alter the executables and that’s why most Anti-Virus programs detected nothing at all.

I managed to remove the offending malware manually so I could get started with the process. Here I am six something hours later running final scans on the hard-drive or any traces of the malware.

So far, so good…

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Thought of The Day: Windows 7 is a knee-jerk reaction.

Having been using Windows 7 since the early Beta to the RTM and now the retail version, I really think that it is a knee-jerk reaction to consumers’ knee-jerk reactions to Windows Vista. If that’s not a run-on sentence then please pretend that it is not.

Windows 7 is definitely an improvement over Windows Vista. It seems to run snappier than Windows Vista. Under the hood, Windows 7 is not much different than Windows Vista. The UI in Windows 7 resembles of that Windows Vista’s. So what’s new with Windows 7?

The tech community seems to agree that Windows 7 is a polished Windows Vista. It is Windows Vista cleaned-up. I can’t help myself from asking the question why Windows 7 still costs to much for consumer to buy? Are there any significant benefits upgrading to Windows 7 from Windows Vista? Is it wise to upgrade a Windows XP computer  to Windows 7?

Honestly, it’s better to buy a new computer with Windows 7 pre-installed.

Windows 7 now features a less annoying UAC (User Account Control). If you’re running as an administrator, UAC will bug you a lot less to a point it wouldn’t bug you at all. In a way that’s a step back in security from Windows Vista.

I am interested in what Microsoft could come up with the successor to Windows 7. Plase do not call it Windows 8.

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Gateway Drivers for Windows XP

I have been getting a lot of request from people looking for Gateway Computers Windows XP Drivers, especially for the SATA bus.

For those who are looking for this driver most likely purchased a Gateway computer. The driver is taken from Gateway disc, and it is zipped.

Get it here.
If you are worried about the safety of the file, please feel free to scan it using your favorite anti-virus software.

Compatible with Gateway Desktop GT5404, GT5408, and others.

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Gateway ML3109 drivers.

Thanks to Andy Danziger.