Greg In The Desert

I get this error when trying to install any Apple application on my Windows XP machine at work: “The older version of apple software update cannot be removed”. Apple’s Software Update program will not auto update itself and iTunes will not uninstall.

The solution is to download the Windows Install Cleanup program from Microsoft. I had to remove Apple Software Update, Itunes and Quicktime. Since I don’t use iTunes on my Windows machine, I didn’t worry about backing it up. But if i did use it, would have backed it up.

I went back and reinstalled all the Apple programs without any problems

I’ve been looking for a way to organize all the receipts I get, espcially the ones from Home Depot and Lowes. There’s a few programs out there for the Mac but they require you scan them in with another program. They seemed more work than they are worth.

Neat Receipts attempts to solve this problem. They have a program for managing recipts that works directly with a scanner.

Just scan your receipts into the NeatReceipts software. The program will automatically crop, rotate and resize the receipt image, then apply patented Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and character analysis technology to read and understand the text on the receipt.

The killer feature here is that it uses OCR to extract the information from the recipt, eliminating the need to manually enter the information. It also has some sort of IRS certification so that you can keep the scanned doucments for tax purposes, so you can throw out the paper version.

Currently, Neat Receipts on works on Windows XP (a Vista beta is available). They are working on a Mac version for release in 2008, in which I’ve signed up to be notified. The Neat Receipts scanner and softare are $229.

I’ve been trying to find a dirt cheap copy of Windows XP or Vista recently. Not that I would ever want to buy a copy of Windows exactly, I’m looking for a copy for my sister, who can’t get with the program.

I was very interested to read this article from ArsTechnica on OEM versions of Windows, which are about half the cost. I wasn’t aware about the motherboard limitation.

Buying OEM versions of Windows Vista: the facts: “OEM software is also tied to the motherboard it is first installed on. Unlike the retail versions of Windows which can be transferred to a new computer, OEM versions are not transferable. What about upgrading hardware? Microsoft says that anything is fair game, except the motherboard. Replacing the motherboard in a computer results in a ‘new personal computer,’ which the company considers to be synonymous with a transfer. It’s not permitted with an OEM edition of Windows.

Nevertheless, I’ve known users who got around this limitation by calling Microsoft and reporting that their motherboards died when they wanted to build a new computer. It is Microsoft’s policy to allow motherboard swaps in instances where a system is defective or has suffered a hardware failure. But you shouldn’t bank on this approach; there’s no guarantee it will work and, well, liars don’t get ice cream. Also, while retail versions of Vista include both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows, OEM versions are specific. You get one or the other. This follows from the per device restriction. The end result is that OEM versions may not be that attractive to users who frequently build new computers from the ground up.”

I manage these 2 PCs at work. Both run Windows XP and are multi user systems. One of them became infected with Spyware. I still haven’t rid the machine completely of the spyware and whenever a user tries to launch Internet Explorer they get this error:

"Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library: Runtime Error! Program C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe This Application has requested the runtime to terminate it in an unusual way. Please contact the application's support team for more information."

Funny thing is it IE works for me in my admin account, just not the other users non-admin accounts. If you open Windows Explorer and type a address in the address bar you can get on the web without problem. I’ve tried multiple things, but I think I’m going to have to send the machine to the IT people for a Windows reblast.

This Mac mini review, I can’t figure out if it’s a serious review or a joke.

…its sleek look comes at the expense of the parallel port, serial ports, the PS/2 ports and the drive bays… did I forget to mention that the Mini has no PCI slots either? And no floppy disk drive? Well, no wonder they got the unit to be so small… or I could grab an equally stylish, full-featured eMachine at the gas station with a bag of chips for less than half the Mini’s price, with the added benefit of being able to run Windows XP. Decisions, decisions… The Mini boots up into a stripped-down operating system which Apple calls OS X, similar to the stripped-down WindowsCE OS found on many handhelds

I admit to being an Apple Fan Boy, so my opinion might be a little biased. But it’s so close to completely missing the point, it must be a joke.

Ars Technica has a look at Windows XP Service Pack 2, which translates to Windows XP.2 for us Mac users. It’s worth taking a look at if you use Windows XP or even if your a Mac User and want to see what Microsoft is copying from Apple this time around.