Tag Archives: HP

XP SP-3, HP/Compaq and AMD processor issues

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I have been getting more than a few emails and phone calls asking if I recommend installing XP’s Service Pack 3. Well, the truth is “sure, maybe!” I have installed it on all machines for my “Home” customers for the last several months with no issues and since the middle of September on most of my business customers without a problem.

Only Compaq / HP computers with AMD processors are having issues (a Blue Screen of Death – BSOD) as a matter of fact. It turns out HP was using Intel images on AMD machines (Ford engine blueprints to make install Chevy engines) and Service Pack 3 just didn’t like that. Continue reading →

Printer drivers and the unexpected results

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Howdy one and all and a great big welcome to The Weekly Geek!

As regular readers know, July 2006 Microsoft officially quit supporting updates for Windows 98 and ME. To their credit, you can still get the updates created up to that point.

Now what happened in the printer market was a little quieter. Last week I decided to add a printer to a Windows ME machine I had hanging around so the kids could type and print school work without being on our network or more importantly the internet. Since I have a lot of used printers I just grabbed one. After connecting it, firing it and the computer up, Windows asked for the software. “No problem”, I thought, I will just run out and grab the drivers off the web. Well, it turned out that Lexmark had pulled all of the drivers for the “old” versions of Windows, they only had drivers for Windows 2000, XP and Vista. After checking on several models of printers on their site I found this was true all the way around. “Well, fine, I really don’t like Lexmark, I’ll just install an HP.” I said to myself. Continue reading →