Welcome to my virtual space

where I share my journey with you

Old blog

 

Most of the posts here were written originally many years ago but they were transferred to this new home in 2024. The dates are transfer dates.

Hong

Smartphones

T-Mobile Sidekick II (Danger/Sharp) (2004) T-Mobile MDA by HTC (Windows Mobile 5.0, 2005) HTC Snap (Windows Mobile 6.1, 2009) HTC HD7S (Windows Phone 7, 2011) Nokia Lumia 520 (Windows Phone 8, 2013) Nokia Lumia 822 (Windows Phone 8.1, 2014)​ Nokia Lumia 830 (Windows 10 Mobile,…

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Hong

Windows Phone cannot be detected by Zune

If this happens and Device Manager shows: "Windows cannot start this hardware device because its configuration information (in the registry) is incomplete or damaged. To fix this problem you can first try running a Troubleshooting Wizard. If that does not work, you should uninstall and…

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Hong

Android Phone

Nokia 3.1 Operating system Android Oreo 8.0 RAM 2 GB/3 GB CPU MT6750N Octa Core 1.5GHz Primary camera 13 MP AF f/2 with led flash Front-facing camera 8 MP FF f/2 84.6 FoV Unfortunately, the camera of this phone is so-so. Nokia 7.2 A great all-around phone. Pictures are great…

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Hong

PC with AMD Ryzen 9 7900X Raphael AM5

Part Model Country of Origin CPU Ryzen 9 9900X Granite Ridge AM5 4.40GHz 12-Core Boxed Processor Outside China Motherboard MSI MAG B650M MORTAR WIFI China Case Montech Air 100 ARGB Tempered Glass microATX Mini Tower Computer Case - White China Power supply MSI MAG A750BE…

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Hong

Windows PC boot problems

Windows PC boot may fail especially after hardware change (motherboard change, storage drive migration...). "Repair Windows BCD - Windows 10/8.1/7/Vista" is a must-read article before attempting any repair. A typical BSOD screen is the following:

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Hong

PC with AMD Ryzen 7 2700

Tidbits: From Belarc Advisor ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING. Computer Profile Summary Computer Name: W10R7 (in WORKGROUP) Profile Date: Saturday, October 19, 2019 07:46:47 Advisor Version: 9.0 Windows Logon: h Try BelManage, the Enterprise version of the Belarc Advisor Personal Home Use Only Operating System Windows 10…

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Hong

Upgrade hardware of Windows 10 PC

Upgrading peripherals (mouse, keyboard, video card...) is usually plug & play. Upgrading disk drive one can use Reflect to clone a hard drive. Upgrading CPU and motherboard can be a little tricky, but well manageable: Unable to activate Windows. We can't reactivate Windows as our…

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Hong

Connecting a Windows 7 PC with a Windows 8 PC

Networking has been changing with the evolution of Windows. I doubt that Microsoft has tried to exhaust the combinations of PC's running different versions of Windows in testing their network functions. Making mutual access between PC's can be challenging. I have observed that a Windows…

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Hong

Does one need a tablet PC?

Tablet PC's are in vogue for sure nowadays thanks to the popularity of iPad. A tablet PC is great for reading and Internet browsing by design - light weight, long battery life, wireless connection. The buzz of tablet PC's may give people the impression that…

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Hong

Video compression comparison

Why is H.264 (Advanced Video Coding) so attractive? The following chart provides the explanation: For the same quality of video, H.264 requires only 1/3 the bandwidth required by MPEG-2, 50% of MPeg-4. PSNR - Peak signal to noise ratio.

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Hong

MP4 file inspector

There are a few tools for examining MP4 files such as mp4parser and Mp4 Explorer. The best Windows tool is MP4 Inspector. mp4parser is a great set of open-source tools created and maintained by Sebastian Annies. One can simply use its compiled jars. One can…

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Hong

Garmin has superb technical support

I have owned 3 Garmin GPS watches. They work very well. I have had a few incidences of software issues related to the data synchronization between Garmin GPS watches and a computer. Contacting Garmin support has always been a great experience with problem resolved fairly…

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Hong

Large number of stops for a FedEx package delivery

Thirteen stops between PACOIMA, CA and Ipswich, MA in a week long delivery process. Tuesday , 12/04/2018 11:10 am Ipswich, MA Delivered Left at front door. Signature Service not requested. 7:19 am WILMINGTON, MA On FedEx vehicle for delivery 5:05 am WILMINGTON, MA At local FedEx…

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Hong

Boston to New York Trip options

Plane: A: Trip to NYC: Return to Boston: Mahantttan Time: 9:00 B: Trip to NYC: Return to Boston: Mahantttan Time: 9:00 C: Trip to NYC: jetBlue Flight 631 Return to Boston: Total unproductive time: 6 hours $180 Train: Trip to NYC: Return to Boston: Mahantttan Time:…

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Hong

Virtual Mailbox

Viable Anytime Mailbox $10 for business Malden. Envelope scan on arrival. $1 for each pick up. BBB A+ $15/m for business North Beverly The best Fees for holding packages longer than seven days. Physical addresses are limited to five U.S. cities (suite numbers only) Available…

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