Google browser sync, for Firefox

Google, have a rather groovy tool that lets you use Firefox at multiple computers, with all your history and sessions intact.

So what this means is you can use Firefox on your desktop, and when you use your laptop, or just any other computer anywhere else, it will pick up from where you last left off.

You need Firefox, and a Google account. Once the extension is installed, you sign into your Google account then set up what it is you want to carry over to other computers. The first time on each machine takes a few moments to get the data to Googles servers. Then each time you start Firefox, you get the option of continuing on from your last page or pages, with tabs, and even seperate instances of Firefox running, if thats how you left it.

One thing I found, was that while I was sitting at two machines I had set up, one of them told me I had been logged on elsewhere. Which if you're concerned with privacy issues is a good warning that someone else may be accessing your individual computer account, while they think you are not around!

For me this extension is perfect, as often I am looking up information for other hardware, or people. I don't have to remember where I got it, and go through it all again. So now I can research it once, and when I get to the point where I need the data, simply go through my history, or bookmarks, where ever I am. When I am not at mission control I am usually hurtling through my day, so digging around badly designed support sections of websites, or trying to remember was it a x200i or an x200ip, is hopefully over. Also if I can instantly bring up driver pages for hardware I know I only have 20 minutes at. This makes finding the RIGHT one much less hassle.

Oh and if you are wondering what extensions for Firefox are, look at this.


Thanks Google, I like it.

Vista Installation Diaries

I am sure there are a LOT of people out there documenting the joy and/or pain of a Vista installation, and I am such a sheep I will join in. For anyone wondering what all this talk of, and what exactly Windows Vista is, its the latest version of Windows from Microsoft. Just like Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millenium (cough cough), Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista. See? The fuss up to now has been about the graphical effects you can have on your desktop, as well as security enhancements. From what I have seen of the security side, it's been mainly to stop users doing anything bad, rather than specifics on outside attacks. But as I want to focus on plain old home usefulness I can leave the super-duper script kiddie evaluations to others. I just want to let you know if (for now) there is anything helpful for the typical home user.

So everyone is saying how slow the download for Windows Vista is, right now. Well perhaps I got lucky, because I just hit the download link and it started chugging away at a fairly respectable speed.
**In the end, it took 2 hours and 40 mins to get the 3.2GB .ISO file from Microsoft**

While that was happening, I went to the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor to see if my machine could do all the things Vista is supposed to be able to. It is (well apart from watching TV because I don't have the TV tuner in there at the moment) so once the download is complete the next part can begin.

Update to follow.... Current Frustration factor N/A. Current Elation factor N/A.

Well after all that, it was nothing at all. A clean hard drive, and a downloaded .ISO file, burned to a DVD, was all I needed. After removing the original hard drive, replacing it with a 120GB one, and popping the DVD in the drive, it all just happened as it should. I think that's my first and only ever simple Windows anything, as there is usually some reason or other the usually well documented things just don't work.

Here is how it went, and hopefully how it will go for you too.

0 Mins: DVD boot
Select Keyboard, language
Click INSTALL NOW button
Input key

Disk format options
120 GB HD with multiple partitions, deleted them all, and formated max capacity, then clicked NEXT. I had been messing around with some Linux things, but the wizard let me delete all partitions, and format the full space as one drive. I got no option for a quick, or standard format (unless I missed something) and the format took a few seconds.

5 Mins: "Installing Windows" - Copying Files.
16 Mins: "Expanding Files"
28 Mins: "Installing Features" and "Installing Updates"
29 Mins: RESTART

Booting ok
Grey 'Windows Prepares to Start"

31 Mins: Completing Installation
33 Mins: DOS cursor
35 Mins: More black screen, with mouse pointer and Vista Beta 2 Build 5384 in the corner
Reboot
36 Mins: Weird colors at bottom of screen during boot, nothing else. Looked like a graphics driver error type of thing. It went, but I see it each time Vista boots.
37 Mins: Flicked into higher resolution 1280*1024 on my 17 inch LCD.
Weird heavenly booting screen, animated wavyness, like pool wall underwater.
38 Mins: SET UP WINDOWS
Country
Keyboard
User name
Password
Icon image
computer name
Reccomended settings in HELP PROTECT WINDOWS AUTOMATICALLY
Time Zone
"You're ready to start"
41 Mins: Hit start button on box on screen
42 Mins: Blankness
User log on
Same starting Windows music as XP.
fade out and into SETTING UP SETTINGS?
Warned of no virus protection, and had already connected to the network for intarweb access.
Finally at 45 mins in, there were no issues, everything was up and running. Now just to look at all the new stuff that is going to make everyones life so much easier.

All through the install I had to hardly touch the machine. Inputting the key and my user name and password, was about as tough as it got. Every other setting was already correct except for the time zone.

Fancy shmancy window thingies, fading and glassy, (after some brain faliure) I found the keys TAB + WINDOWS KEY for the flipping through the open applications thing. Like ALT + TAB but much sexier.

Downloaded and installed Firefox and CA virus protection (because they say they give you a year for free. My usual standby of AVG is not currently compatible with Vista.

Also went to Nvidia to get some proper Vista drivers. Vista itself has this thing in the control panel which tells you what is affecting your performance.

Plugged in a digital camera, it fired up, transferred the images, and allowed me to tag, and edit them.

Of late I have been trying to break the habit of not using sleep mode, or hibernation, on my PC's. I still remember when a lot of them would never come out of it, so it's something I tend to just not bother with. So when I went to switch off the Vista machine I clicked a power icon, which instantly put the PC to sleep. Ok no problem, I put it back on and it was less than 5 seconds to be back at the log in screen.

Day 1 and vista is groovy for me, with all its fading windows, and shiny new graphics. Hope the Vista-Lurve continues....

Nothing yet has been a real problem.

**Update**
Next day I noticed that both the DVD drives were simply not there in Vista. Not sure if they were never there, or mysteriously vanished since the install. And yes, the install was done from a DVD so if I find the answer I will update again.
**Update Part II**
So the solution turned out to be, power off, disconnect both DVD drives. Power on, then shutdown again. Then while off, reconnect one of the drives. I had two drives, a Sony DVD burner, and a generic DVD ROM drive. The non-Sony one was beginning to show signs of age by occasionally having to be 'helped' to eject. So I left that disconnected. Upon reboot, it found the drive and is currently installing the Office 2007 trial. Very slowly though. The computer informed me that I had interrupted the installation of the Sony DVD burner, but it was ready for use. Unless I am not reading the messages appearing properly, someone at Microsoft needs to look at what they are telling the users.



Vista, it's new so it has to be better right?