My parents have a PC running Windows XP. From time-to-time they encountered glitches, and it's been useful to establish a Windows Messenger connection and thus provide remote assistance using the tools built into the OS. The remote "expert" (that would be me) is able to see what they see on-screen, and to take control of the screen to help diagnose problems. It worked fine so long has my parents had dial-up Internet, even when I was asisting from my Mac via Parallels. But when they got broadband this functionality broke—all because of their NAT router.
Continue reading 'Remote Assistance and NAT routers'
Archive for the 'Windows' category
First impressions count. They can leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling created out of the hope and ripples of excitement a product generates... or, they can leave you feeling like you feel having installed the public beta of Microsoft Windows Vista. I like to know what all the fuss is about plus I wanted to debug my site for IE7 (err, I mean bypass the bugs in IE7 to work with my site): two good reasons to download and install the beta of Microsoft's finest OS. Aside from the undeniable "God is it slow or what?", the other in-your-face personal observation has to be "I've seen this before—in Mac OS X Tiger!".
Continue reading 'Hasta la Vista, beta'
With the release of Boot Camp Apple have openly facilitated users running Windows XP on their Intel Macs if they need do. This is a good thing for everybody. Apple gives "switchers" a reason to choose Macs without betting the farm. Microsoft gets to sell copies of Windows to Mac users. Mac fans get to work in OS X and boot into Windows when they must (e.g. I occasionally need to run Access, install PC-only software for hardware configuration, test how my website looks using Internet Explorer, etc.)
Continue reading 'Experience with XP on an Intel Mac mini'
I have two Macs connected via Ethernet to an HP officejet d135 fitted with a jetdirect 200m print server, itself wired to a WiFi-equiped ADSL router/ switching hub. I have a WiFi-equiped Dell laptop running Windows XP Professional that I wanted to be able to print from - without a wired (Ethernet or USB) connection. Sounds simple. I downloaded the latest XP drivers from HP but found myself initially unable to complete the installation (despite the Mac install working without a hitch). Here is a list of the "required" steps that were ultimately successful, should you need to do the same.
Continue reading 'How to install a d135 as a network printer'
Maybe it's because Outlook Express has decided to automatically disconnect you from the Internet after checking for e-mail...
Continue reading 'Bumped off the 'net, unable to send e-mail?'
I don't spend more time using Microsoft Windows than I have to, so I'll admit to not keeping up with what's new. I do have a .NET Passport (I'm still not entirely clear what .NET is) which I used to access my Hotmail account, and to log in to Windows Messenger from Windows XP, or MSN Messenger from Mac OS X. So why would I want to install MSN Messenger on my PC?
Continue reading 'MSN vs. Windows Messenger'
