Question: What kind of laptop or PC should I buy?

If you've been asked this question multiple times, here's what to respond back to them.

January 11th, 2011 at 7:00am — Comments: (9) — By: Jonathan Danylko — Tags: HowTo

When you start in IT, you almost instantly need to know what kind of machine you need for your career (or should have a general understanding since this IS your career). The funny thing is that everyone else wants to know what kind of PC they should buy as well. Who better to ask than the awesome guy who's been in the technology field for 20+ years.

So you get bombarded by questions such as "Should I buy a refurbished laptop or a cheap laptop?," "Should I just buy a cheap laptop?," or "Should I get a netbook or a laptop?"

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How To Use Technology For Christmas With Digsby

If you can't be with your family this holiday, use technology to be closer to them.

December 25th, 2009 at 8:00am — Comments: (0) — By: Jonathan Danylko — Tags: HowTo

This Christmas, my parents are in Orlando, FL and I couldn't be with them. So I improvised.

Since my mother and father have their own laptop, one of their laptops has a webcam (Acer Aspire Netbook as previously mentioned in a post).

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HOWTO: Connect a FreeNAS to a TiVo

Bob Bakh discusses how to connect a FreeNAS (Networked Attached Storage) to a TiVo.

April 21st, 2009 at 9:00am — Comments: (0) — By: Jonathan Danylko — Tags: HowTo

Recently, I had someone send me a question from a previous post about how to hook up a FreeNAS to a TiVo. Bob Bakh was generous enough to provide a description of how he hooked everything together.

Take it away, Bob!

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How to create the ultimate Windows XP Installation CD/DVD

Make the most of your Windows XP installation with this handy tutorial.

August 6th, 2008 at 9:00am — Comments: (0) — By: Jonathan Danylko — Tags: HowTo

anewmorning.com posted a quick tutorial on how to create the Ultimate Windows XP installation CD/DVD and it looks pretty thorough.

However, even though the tutorial is thorough, I didn't see any links to the supporting software to create the ultimate installation CD/DVD.

I haven't ran through the tutorial, but it's bookmarked when I get some time to dedicate to it.

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PVR: Three MythTV Distros Reviewed

Looking for some software that performs like a TiVo? Linux.com has the scoop.

September 5th, 2007 at 5:00am — Comments: (0) — By: Jonathan Danylko — Tags: HowTo

For those who've been following my posts on how to build a TiVo clone (part II), you'll be happy to hear that more Linux-based PVR software is becoming readily available every six months-one year.

Linux.com posts a review of three MythTV Linux distros. For those who don't know what MythTV is, it's a popular open-source PVR recording software for building your own DVR, or TiVo.

I'm currently using Ubuntu with MythTV and I'm quite content, but as time ticks by, I may install the MythBuntu version eventually.

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How to create extreme entertainment rooms

I know some wives are going to kill me for this post.

July 26th, 2007 at 4:00am — Comments: (0) — By: Jonathan Danylko — Tags: HowTo

Ever since I watched my first movie when I was a child, I was amazed as to how much equipment it took to entertain people with so much excitement in one room.

Flash forward to 30 years later. Now, you can equip a specific room with the best technology for possibly a new music server for your entire home, your own PVR (Personal Video Recorder), an extreme HD TV with surround sound, or the ultimate: an extreme home theater system. Since this is a technology site, I thought it'd be great to talk about these various systems and what it would take to setup these entertainment rooms.

Heck, why go to the movies?

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How to create the ultimate iTunes Media Server

After seeing all of the hullabaloo of iTunes, I figured some Mac-heads would love this post.

June 15th, 2007 at 7:00am — Comments: (0) — By: Jonathan Danylko — Tags: HowTo

For those who are interested and VERY passionate about Apple iTunes, I've found a great post about how to create your very own Mac-based iTunes Media Server in your home.

For the other individuals who have no interest or are looking for an alternative to iTunes, make sure you check out Songbird.

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How to secure VNC

Virtual Network Computing (VNC) allows other users to attach to your PC (with your permission) to help with troubleshooting issues. Here's how to secure your sessions.

June 6th, 2007 at 8:00am — Comments: (0) — By: Jonathan Danylko — Tags: HowTo

If you're a help desk user, you've no doubt heard of VNC. Install the server on one computer and install the client on the other.

One of the advantages of having VNC is that you can troubleshoot someone's computer remotely if the software is installed properly.

But how do you know the connection is secure? There are a couple of sites I've found that talk about this topic.

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Sorry MythDora, I'm leaving you for Ubuntu

With Ubuntu rising above the Linux ranks, I decided to create a "Feisty MythTV!"

May 10th, 2007 at 5:00am — Comments: (0) — By: Jonathan Danylko — Tags: HowTo

I felt it was time to upgrade my Tivo media box to MythTV 0.20, so I started to research on adding a little bit more to the Linux box.

Since Ubuntu 7.04 is one of the best distributions of Linux out there, I thought I'd take a look around and see if anyone had an ISO or build of Ubuntu/MythTV together.

As it turns out, it's easier to just install Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) and then download and install MythTV.

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Hacking TiVo: 23 tips to turbocharge your DVR

If you have a TiVo, here's a way to rev it up to high gear.

January 17th, 2007 at 7:00am — Comments: (0) — By: Jonathan Danylko — Tags: HowTo

For those who are still paying a subscription fee for TiVo as opposed to building your own TiVo, SatelliteSweeper.com posted an article on 23 ways to supercharge your DVR.

Again, great article....if you have a TiVo. ;-)

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