MediaCentre – flaphead.com

Elonex eXentia & Vista Hotfixes

August 12, 2007 by ucinfo, posted in Flaphead, MediaCentre, Vista, Windows

So Microsoft release two Vista hotfixes last week.

An update is available that improves the performance and reliability of Windows Vista http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=938979

An update is available that improves the compatibility and reliability of Windows Vista http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=938194

Well 938979 caused vista to restart as expected but no desktop or taskbar appeared! All I saw was an explorer windows.

So I remove it and still no change. I installed 938194 and no change.

So that is it .. had enough of vista on my eXentia … XP is reinstatlling as we speak!

Windows Mobile Emulator

March 13, 2007 by ucinfo, posted in Flaphead, MediaCentre, MsExchange

I have been looking for this since I lost it. So for Windows Mobile 5.0 containing the MSFP you need the following:

If you want the PocketPC 2003 images download this too:

Emulator Images for Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition software for Pocket PC

However the Windows Mobile 6 images are available now too. So you need the following:

BUT to install the SDK you need Vistal Studio 2005 SP1 or laters and the .NET compact framework 2.0 SP1 (grrr)

Now my challenge is to extract the images from the MSI, as I dont want to install the SDK, I just an emulator I can test Exchange with.

So I downloaded and installed the following on my Tosh Tablet that is running Vista

Virtual Machine Network Driver for Microsoft Device Emulator (not sure if I need to install this but I did)
Device Emulator 2.0 Beta
1. Once installed run register device eumulator
efp.msi from Standalone Device Emulator 1.0 with Windows Mobile OS Images
1. Go to C:Program FilesMicrosoft Windows Mobile 5.0 MSFP Emulator Images
2. Assiciate .nbo to be opened by C:Program FilesMicrosoftDevice Emulator 2.0 PreviewDeviceEmulator.exe
3. Now double click on the .nbo’s and they will open
So to get the WM6 & WM2003 images I downloaded:
1. Emulator Images for Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition software for Pocket PC
2. Windows Mobile 6 Professional SDK
Then had to work out how to extract the MSI’s. So I googled and found this http://blogs.pingpoet.com/overflow/archive/2005/06/02/2449.aspx. I used LessMSIerables to extract Windows Mobile 6 Professional SDK.msi and Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition Emulator Images for Pocket PC – WWE.msi.
1. Then from Windows Mobile 6 Professional SDK.msi I copied Pocket_PC*.xml; Pocket_PC*.pgn; PPC_USA*.bin the following in to C:Program FilesMicrosoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Emulator Images
2. I also replaced DeviceEmulator* in C:Program FilesMicrosoftDevice Emulator 2.0 Preview
3. Finally from Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition Emulator Images for Pocket PC – WWE.msi I just moved the folder to C:Program FilesMicrosoft Windows Mobile 2003 SE Emulator Images
I then Associated .bin to be opened by C:Program FilesMicrosoftDevice Emulator 2.0 PreviewDeviceEmulator.exe

Now thanks to the associations with .nbo & bin I can open all my images with a Standalone Device Emulator and not need any kind of SDK … Yippy

Hope this helps

Thanks Simon Butler, aka Sembee and Kirupa Chinnathambi for the pointers

Technorati tags: flaphead, windows mobile

Streaming Video and Other Stuff

February 5, 2007 by ucinfo, posted in Flaphead, Gadgets, MediaCentre

So my idea for home is to have a TV in every room, and then some “magic” box that will enable me to pull my music, video, dvd’s, recorded TV and pictures to any TV.

I’m looking at these two:

NetGear Digital Entertainer – EVA700

D-Link Wireless HD Media Player – DSM-520

Have anyone used or played with either? or do you have a better box I should look at.

Let me know. I have started a forum for a bit of discussion to see how it goes: http://blogs.flaphead.dns2go.com/forums/25/ShowForum.aspx

Sony VAIO VGX-TP1

January 18, 2007 by ucinfo, posted in Flaphead, Gadgets, MediaCentre

If you watched Billg’s Keynote from CES you would have seen a picture of this Sony. Looks like it will not hit the streets until March 2007, but it looks quite nice, and is something you would expect a Mac to look like!

Source http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/jan07/01-07CES2007PR.mspx?source=rss&WT.dl=0 and http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/07/sony-vaio-vgx-tp1-announced-loaded-up-with-hdmi-out-dvd-burner/

Sony VAIO VGX-TP1 is a stylish PC that delivers a high-performance entertainment experience so users can enjoy their favorite live and recorded TV and movies or surf the Web from their sofa using the wireless keyboard or remote control.

We’re not sure how many people will go for the whole oversized-hockey puck look, but Sony seems to think that folks will definitely be into the new Vaio VGX-TP1. However, the Vaio isn’t just a pretty face, it’s filled to the brim with an HDMI out port, a DVD burner, a memory card slot, and the rest of the standard stuff like USB ports and audio out. There’s a corresponding wireless keyboard that takes a note from Apple’s white hardware line. It’s due to hit in March for $1,600.

Windows Vista

January 17, 2007 by ucinfo, posted in Flaphead, MediaCentre, Windows

So I have an Elonex eXentia at home that was running Windows XP Media Centre and it worked like a dream.

Then for some stupid reason I thought it would be good to blat the box and install Vista Ultimate.

The install was a but funny, as half way into the install my DVD drive disappeared?! Strange, but I have an external drive so it was okay.

So I should have stopped, but I didn’t! Anyway, what happens now is that sometimes, it finds my DVD drive, but most of the time it doesn’t.

How and why the hell is this? The BIOS of the box can see the DVD drive, but Vista can’t!

The drive is not exotic. The BIOS says its a HL-DT-ST DVD-RW GWA-4040n. Maybe it’s me, but I just DONT understand why a brand new OS like Windows Vista does not find a damm DVD drive.

I am going to have a play a bit longer, but if I can’t work it out, then it’s back to Windows XP!