S!ickLeave a commentTTR Website, , , , ,

Paragon Virtualization Manager 12 Professional

Here are some explanations and examples of what “virtualization” is, and can be…

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…Virtualization software — programs that allow you to run multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single computer…Using virtualization software, you can run multiple operating systems on one physical machine. The technology is now mainstream enough that it is a built-in feature in Windows 7 Professional (and above) and in Windows Server 2008 R2…

Virtualization software runs like any other application. To get started, you power up your computer, load the virtualization program, and install an operating system from its install CD, DVD, or .iso file. In virtualization parlance, the main operating system is called the “host” operating system, and the secondary operating systems the “guest” operating system. Once the virtualization software is running, each subsequent operating system you install on your PC will act like a new computer…

…virtualization software is not for everyone. There is a learning curve in both conceptualizing how virtual machines will function in your network and organization, as well as managing them reliably and cost-effectively…

http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/software/page4826.cfm

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Not all VM software is created equal
An array of virtualization programs are available, and the one(s) you need depends on exactly what you need to do…

…For relatively simple server virtualization scenarios, you can use the free VMWare Server.

…the more virtual machines you want to run simultaneously, the more hardware resources you’ll need on that machine. Each running VM and its guest OS and applications will use RAM and processor cycles, so you’ll need large amounts of memory and one or more fast processors to be able to allocate the proper resources to each VM.

To run multiple resource-hungry servers on one machine, you’ll need a machine with hardware that’s capable of supporting multiple processors and large amounts of RAM and you must be running a host OS that can handle these.

64 bits are better than 32
For server virtualization, consider deploying a 64-bit host operating system. 64-bit processors support a larger memory address space, and Windows 64-bit operating systems support much larger amounts of RAM (and in some cases, more processors) than their 32-bit counterparts…

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-things-you-should-know-about-virtualization/309

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And there is a listing in Wikipedia…

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I felt I needed to give some basic information first, before I inform you that…

Paragon Virtualization Manager 12 Professional is now available!

“…Connect a virtual disk as if it were an ordinary physical disk and open up all physical-disk functionality in a virtual environment. Use a read-only mode or a special read/write mode that creates a snapshot and applies all changes after the snapshot was made to test all configurations without destroying your virtual source drive.

“Virtualization Manager 12 Professional is compatible with products of all popular modern virtualization software providers, such as Microsoft, VMware and Oracle, and supports major virtual machines, including Oracle Virtual Box 4, Microsoft Virtual PC, VMware™ Workstation and VMware™ Fusion.”

Take a deep breath…there are a lot of features in it:
• Migrate a Windows-based computer to a virtual environment…Physical-to-Virtual (P2V), and/or Virtual-to-Physical-to-Virtual (V2P)
• Migrate from a 2TB+ physical drive to a smaller virtual drive
• Migrate from one virtual environment to another (V2V)
• Migrate a Windows-based computer to a different hardware platform (P2P)
• Restore a physical system from Paragon’s backup to a virtual environment (P2V Restore)
• Create a virtual disk with a simple wizard (Create VD)
• Recover OS startup ability after system migration to different hardware or unsuccessful virtualization by a third-party tool (P2P and P2V Adjust)
• Exchange data between a physical environment and a virtual one, or between a virtual disk and its snapshots
• Accomplish virtual drive partitioning (create, format, delete, move, resize, etc.)
• Resume any operation with a virtual volume in case of disconnection or any other unexpected situation.
• Merge volumes on a virtual drive to consolidate disk space, from two volumes on the virtual drive into one single, larger volume
• Supports major virtual machines, including Oracle Virtual Box 4, Microsoft Virtual PC, VMware™ Workstation and VMware™ Fusion

“…Use a read-only mode or a special read/write mode that creates a snapshot and applies all changes after the snapshot was made to test all configurations without destroying your virtual source drive.”

The website for the product is http://www.paragon-software.com/home/vm-professional/

S!ickLeave a commentTTR Website, , , ,

Problems after enlarging items on monitors and screens

I have been often disappointed by Windows when making text on my screens larger…

Optimal resolution is supposed to be available, but…when enlarging my display…I have found many applications that have problems. Not so much with text, but the interface of the program being used.

And, Microsoft appears to make two different statements about this issue…at the same time:

“You can make the text and other items, such as icons, on your screen easier to see by making them larger. You can do this without changing the screen resolution of your monitor or laptop screen. This allows you to increase or decrease the size of text and other items on your screen while keeping your monitor or laptop set to its optimal resolution…

“You can also make text appear larger or smaller by changing your screen resolution, but if you’re using an LCD monitor or laptop, we recommend that you set your screen to its native resolution to avoid blurry text. This is the optimal resolution an LCD monitor or laptop screen was designed to display based on its size…”

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Make-the-text-on-your-screen-larger-or-smaller

Problems have been documented:

“When you perform these steps, sometimes the fonts may not all get scaled properly. Certain fonts in the user inteface may be either too large or too small.

“This is the result of a timing issue between the Explorer and Winlogon processes. When this condition happens, certain fonts get resized twice.”

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2556182

I had been faulting the programs that I had problems with, and uninstalled them.  Now, for a while…in general…I’m going to try to suffer through my display being “too small”.  Until I need to change it for the moment.

RayvenLeave a commentTTR Website, ,

Comic Con 2012 Year of the Spider

Are you excited? I am. It’s the year of the Spider, Man. After last year, spending 6 hours refreshing my 3 windows in hopes of retaining a couple of tickets for Comic Con 2011, the service they used just plain sucked. It took forever, and when you finally go to the registration page, entered your name and info, it redirected you to a “ we’re sorry but (insert crummy ticket company name here)’s page is at capacity, please try again later.” UGH! Nightmare. But after 6 hours , I got my tickets. That was the horrible beginning.

This year, however I am pleased to announce that the ticket process was a breeze. In early February I received an email telling me I needed to register for a “member ID” before February 29th in order to register for tickets when the time became available. I was apprehensive because they said they’d email us to let people know when their window time frame was to buy tickets. It claimed you would be able to buy as many as 6 tickets. Yeah right, I wont get in and I’ll have to take a day off , I thought. I was hesitant to even register but since we’ve been going since the late 90’s I figured I could try it once again. After all, I do love me some comics, inside scoop on new movies and shows, and of course the swag ain’t bad either. What the heck.

So last Tuesday I didn’t get an email but my better half did. I, in fact got an apology email that they were still working on providing enough logins for people to all register. Whatever, I was getting a ticket somehow. Saturday was the day , 8:00am. Cool! I thought, at least they didn’t make us do it on a weekday as I had dreaded. They also sent a PDF of how to purchase tickets and what to do and not to do. For example, you’d have to wait a turn to purchase and it would refresh on its own every 160 seconds to show your place in line.

8:01am #9211 – I hoped we’d get tickets. While he waited I saw online that many people had trouble with the link from their email but when they went to the website, no issues.

8:34am – Our turn. After processing our wait time, it directed to a page to purchase our tickets. By 8:36 we were done and had two tickets for Saturday.

Thank goodness they reformed their ticket purchasing practices. This was a lot less of a headache than last year. Saturday is the best day to go. I cant wait to blog about what new things are in store for the geek world! Here’s to a great Comic Con 2012!

If you didn’t register early or get a chance to do so , word is they will be opening up the remaining tickets to the public after this round of sales. Good Luck!

RayvenLeave a commentTechtalkRadio, TTR Website, , , ,

One More Disney Day-saster

February 29, 2012 marked a epic day in Disney history. Disneyland and Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme parks announced on New Years Eve that they will be remaining open for a full 24hours for guests to bring in the Leap Year with a full day of Disney Magic. Beginning 6am on Wednesday and closing at 6am the following morning guests could pul an “all-nighter” in either resort park. It was advertised as a 24 hour par-tay. Along with their experience, guests would be greeted by characters dressed in PJ’s , all night DJ parties, and special foods and merchandise for purchase as only Disney knows how.

The line up began the prior evening around 9:30pm. Yes, people actually stood in line from 9:30pm until 6:00am to get into Disneyland. Was I there? Not a fat chance in … errrr… Mr. Toads Wild Ride that I’d wait that long; but I’m a passholder so I can go whenever I want. Believe me, those people were serious about getting in because that night had to be one of the coldest nights I remember in a long while out here in So. Cal. Why were they lined up? To get exclusive Mickey Ears and Commemorative Pins for the first 2,000 guests. Trouble was, there were over 3,000 guests lined up by 10:30, so not everyone received their freebies. Not to worry, there were special hats available for sale inside as well.

From what I could gather by social media terms the day of “ One More Disney Day” portion was rather calm. Cue lines were average for a typical February weekday. People seemed to enjoy themselves rather fondly for the most part. The park even did some filming of ABC’s television show “ Modern Family” throughout the park.

The first sign of crowds didn’t show up until the after work crowds began attending the events. After social media reports from Twitter and Facebook came about the short lines and overall crowd indexes being rather calm, annual passholders began pouring into Disneyland. So much so, that around 10:30pm Disneyland turnstyles stopped and the parking structures were at capacity. For those of you who aren’t quite up on Disney knowledge that’s 85,000 people. There were so many people waiting to get in, the lines extended around the promenade and looped back under the monorail gates (easily a couple thousand people). They even stopped selling tickets at one point. These long lines continued and the park opening and closing off and on until 6am the following morning. What a nightmare for the guests and castmembers. There weren’t even lines at this point, just mobs.

Lets cut to inside the park; these are the hidden tales that Disney doesn’t want getting out. Inside the crowds were so thick it was hard to make out castmembers or security. As the evening grew into the wee hours of the morning, reports on social media outlets told tales of underage drunkenness and bottles of alcohol being thrown into Rivers of America. I am sure it was quite a scene and Walt was probably turning in his grave. They clearly were not ready for this 24 hour charade and needed to beef up security instead of chili dog menus.

Overall, reports were that everyone had fun and ‘twas an overall experience to be had by many. You couldn’t pay me enough Disney dollars to deal with the crowds but that’s because crowds aren’t my fortay. Maybe next time Disney decides to do a day of fun in the park, they may decide to presale tickets or some type of lottery for passholders. The One More Day of Disney Day-saster may be avoided and people may not leave feeling left out of the mix.

On yeah, as of 8am on March 1, immediately 2 hours after the park closed, Ebay had merchandise for sale from the Leap Day celebrations. Currently, a hat and pin combo are going for around $50.00 ; about half the price of a one day ticket. So maybe if you missed out, you can say you saved yourself the hassle of the crowds and cut your costs by purchasing them there. 

Andy TaylorLeave a commentComputers, software, TechtalkRadio, ,

Windows 8 Consumer Preview Today (Feb 29th, 2012)

The idea to put out Microsoft Windows 8 before the end of the year really shouldn’t be thought as a way to make a few bucks before the predicted Apocalypse but a way to keep the profits rolling in for the software developer.

Honestly, I thought I might just be using Windows 7 till the end of of time. I had finally moved off Windows XP with a brief stop in VistaVille to a great experience with Windows 7 X64. The sturdy Operating System has served well and honestly will continue to do so for I am sure years to come. Will Consumers feel the same? Will they take the plunge and try out something else that looks again like a new interface to learn? This is certainly the question Microsoft would like to see answered with today’s Consumer Preview “beta” rollout and launch in Barcelona Spain. Spain? Why not Seattle?

Word of Caution, while TechtalkRadio has not looked at the technical preview which was made available for developers last September, I would always recommend not installing the Consumer Preview on a production machine, meaning a system you use day to day and is imperative to your operations. The goal of the Consumer Preview is not to give you free software or let you taste the sweetness like a candy at See’s sampled by the lady in the white dress, its purpose is to see how the software interacts with various hardware and software conditions.

If you want to try it out, you should be able to download an ISO of the Windows 8 Preview but also remember , over time this will time out and you will be required to purchase or go back to that copy of Windows Vista or Windows 7!! For more information on this Consumer Preview, Check out http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/home