Using a FAT formatted external drive to share files from Apple to PC

If you have a Fat or Fat32 formatted external usb drive like I do to more easily move files from your mac to pc and ever get the message that there is not enough disc space to copy a file even though you are sure there is make sure it's not over 4GB in size!
I just ran into this problem the other day and remembered that FAT filesystem only supports 4GB max!
Windows 7 isn't helpful though and just gives you out of diskspace error though it should tell you the file is too big for destination or something like that!

FAT volumes have a maximum size of 4GB and a file size limit of 2GB.
FAT32 file systems have a maximum volume size of 32GB(this is only because limitation with microsoft's format tools) with a file size limit of 4GB.
If you want to format a disk that is larger than 32GB using FAT, ironically, you have to use an OS other than Windows like MacOSX, which I used to format my 400GB external as FAT32.

Huge drives in Windows

Now that 3TB drives are out I think I should point out that you need to be very careful if you plan on sticking a whole bunch together to get a 16TB or larger drive to show up in Windows:
The maximum size NTFS volume that has been tested by Microsoft is 16 TB. This is for an old style basic disc. If you go with dynamic volumes you won't run into this problem.

Multi-GPU Setups: The Basics Of CrossFire And SLI

Motherboards with multiple PCIe slots are becoming the norm these days, and the trend is being fueled by multi-GPU configurations. Configuring Nvidia's SLI and AMD's CrossFire technologies is easy, but how much more performance can you expect from them?

Windows 7 and 3TB drives

Now that 3TB drives are out and more UEFI motherboards available if you try to install Windows and get an error the following might help:
Warning "Windows cannot be installed to this disk" when installing Windows on MBR disk in UEFI mode

Win7: how do I move user folder to a different drive

It can't really be this complicated can it?

DirectX 11 and Tessellation

Here is a nice video showing off some of the new DX11 stuff that comes with some of the new videocards like my EVGA 460GTX.
DirectX 11 Tessellation Comparison Video

Handbrake 0.9.5 update

HandBrake update adds new presets, goes Intel-only | Video | Playlist | Macworld http://www.macworld.com/article/156821/2011/01/handbrake_095.html

Oh yeah quick tip if you want your encodes to work on an older gen ipod like my 2nd gen ipod touch make sure you check the "iPod 5G support" box before encoding, otherwise the resulting movie won't sync over to your ipod from itunes!

More info on the iPod 5G option

Windows 7 allows 20 concurrent connections instead of 10

Another change in the latest version of Windows another compelling reason to upgrade I just found out is:
Windows 7 allows 20 concurrent connections instead of 10, which is a change from prior versions of Windows(non-server).
Previous versions of Windows limited you to five connections if you were running Home Basic or 10 connections for Home Premium or higher editions. With Windows 7, all editions support 20 concurrent connections for services such as File Services, Print Services, IIS, Internet Connection Sharing, and Telephony.
If you want to confirm this, just run the winver command, click the Microsoft Software License Terms link, then scroll down to section 3F, as shown here.

Windows 7 and game compatibility and EA games

QUESTION
Which EA games and/or products released prior to Windows 7 will work with the new OS?
ANSWER

The following EA products and/or games released prior to Windows 7 have been tested and confirmed for compatibility.

Please note that while the titles below have been tested for compatibility under Windows 7, they are still not officially supported for use in a Windows 7 environment:

* Battlefield 2142
* Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box
* Command Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
* Command Conquer: Red Alert 3
* Command Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath
* Crysis
* Crysis: Warhead
* Littlest Pet Shop
* Dead Space
* FIFA 10
* FIFA Manager 10
* Half Life 2-based titles
* Lord of the Rings: Battle For Middle Earth Anthology
* Lord of the Rings: Conquest
* Mass Effect
* Medal Of Honor: Airborne
* Mirror's Edge
* NFS: Shift
* The Sims 2 Expansions
* The Sims 3
* Spore Creature Keeper
* Spore Galactic Adventures (EP1)
* Ultima Online Expansions
* Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning

Apple airport update

If you updated your Apple router to the latest AirPort Base Station and Time Capsule Firmware Update 7.5.2 and are getting disconnected from the network you might want to roll back to previous firmware.
I know I did.
Supposed to improve stability but in my case the internet connection was pretty solid before but after upgrading my Airport basestation to 7.5.2 version I would lose network connectivity at least once a day and especially under heavy network loads it would appear!
So not more stable for me!

3D Mark 11

Actually works now with latest update!
Score for my rig