This demographic is really interesting. Click on thumbnail for a larger image.
(credits to the owner)
(credits to the owner)
HOW-TO: Install Windows 7 Using a USB Flash Drive
On an earlier how-to, was posted a tutorial on how to unify Windows 7 x86 and x64 installers into one DVD (or one DVD image). However, not all computer systems nowadays come with an optical drive -- like the DVDs or the more advanced Blurays -- but most computer systems have USB ports.
Even though the desktop comes with an optical drive, one could not deny the fact that USB ports transfer data faster than optical drives. If so, then why not create an installer that plugs on the USB port right? That is indeed a good idea.
This procedure requires the following items (only one of the items marked by ** are required):
Another thing to note here, is that this procedure can be done for any of the following sources: Windows 7 x86, Windows 7 x64 or the unified installer for both x86 and x64 Windows 7.
Follow the procedure below:
[1] Prepare a USB flash drive (UFD). Format it to NTFS. If the option for NTFS is not available, perform any of the following: using diskpart or tweak the unplug policy. For some strange reason, the installer requires an NTFS filesystem. I tried this on FAT32 and the installer will not work but does on NTFS.
[2] If you still have the D:\WIN7 directory structure from the older tutorial, simply copy the contents of D:\WIN7\x86\ over to the UFD.
--or--
[2] If you have the individual Windows 7 x86 or Windows 7 X64 installers, copy the contents of the DVD (or ISO) to the UFD.
[3] Open a command prompt as Administrator. Change directory to the \boot of the DVD or if using the unified installer D:\WIN7\x86\boot. Execute "bootsect /nt60 G:" (like below).
[4] You now have a USB capable of installing Windows 7. Try it out on another machine and prove to yourself the improvement in speed when installing from UFD.
USB install is versatile and fast. Not only that, our previous procedure unifying the installers can be put to a single 4GB USB flash drive. Another upside to this is carrying a UFD is much better than carrying a DVD -- it can even fit in your pocket!
Even though the desktop comes with an optical drive, one could not deny the fact that USB ports transfer data faster than optical drives. If so, then why not create an installer that plugs on the USB port right? That is indeed a good idea.
This procedure requires the following items (only one of the items marked by ** are required):
- Windows 7 x86 [32-bit] DVD (or ISO) **
- Windows 7 x64 [64-bit] DVD (or ISO) **
- Unified Windows 7 Installer DVD (or ISO) **
- a USB flash drive (at least 4GB in size)
Another thing to note here, is that this procedure can be done for any of the following sources: Windows 7 x86, Windows 7 x64 or the unified installer for both x86 and x64 Windows 7.
Follow the procedure below:
[1] Prepare a USB flash drive (UFD). Format it to NTFS. If the option for NTFS is not available, perform any of the following: using diskpart or tweak the unplug policy. For some strange reason, the installer requires an NTFS filesystem. I tried this on FAT32 and the installer will not work but does on NTFS.
[2] If you still have the D:\WIN7 directory structure from the older tutorial, simply copy the contents of D:\WIN7\x86\ over to the UFD.
--or--
[2] If you have the individual Windows 7 x86 or Windows 7 X64 installers, copy the contents of the DVD (or ISO) to the UFD.
[3] Open a command prompt as Administrator. Change directory to the \boot of the DVD or if using the unified installer D:\WIN7\x86\boot. Execute "bootsect /nt60 G:" (like below).
[4] You now have a USB capable of installing Windows 7. Try it out on another machine and prove to yourself the improvement in speed when installing from UFD.
USB install is versatile and fast. Not only that, our previous procedure unifying the installers can be put to a single 4GB USB flash drive. Another upside to this is carrying a UFD is much better than carrying a DVD -- it can even fit in your pocket!
FAQ: Execute WDidle3 via Virtual Floppy Drive
"There’s No Such Thing As A Silly Question" -- does the cliche sound familiar? In this part of pimp-my-rig reloaded, technical questions are answered. Mail them to me and I will post the answers here. If you have a better answer, by all means share it with us.
FAQ. When I published the document regarding Caviar Green W20EARS drives making strange clunk sounds, one of the readers of the post sent me a mail to ask how to execute this mod if he has no floppy drive.
First of all, thanks for your interest in this mod. We are pretty much in the same boat -- I don't have a floppy drive in my desktop as well. Although it is not expensive to obtain, I don't see any use for the floppy anymore, just like you. Besides, for the price of acquiring the floppy drive an equivalent USB flash drive (UFD) can be bought for the same amount but with a larger capacity than a floppy can contain.
The solution to our problem is a virtual floppy. But how do you emulate a virtual floppy on a computer that has not booted yet? Here's the trick.
Before you begin, it is highly recommended that you read through the entire instructions first. As pre-requisites, download the following software:
[1] Format the UFD with FAT or FAT32 file system type. Grub4dos does not support NTFS filesystem so use FAT or FAT32 but the older FAT file system is most recommended. That is the rationale behind the recommended UFD size of 2GB or less.
[2] Extract the grubinst zip file (in this example we will assume directory D:\grubinst. Likewise, extract the grub4dos zip file (in this example we will assume directory D:\grub4dos). Extract the other files as well.
[3] In the directory D:\grubinst, locate grubinst_gui.exe and run it as Administrator. Click on "Run" when shown the security warning.
[4] A Grub4Dos Installer window will be opened. In this window tick Disk and beside that select the disk referring to the UFD. Hit the refresh button if the selection dropdown is empty. You will be able to correctly select the UFD from the dropdown as it reflects the size of the disk.
On the Part List dropdown, Whole disk (MBR) should be selected from the dropdown. For options, tick the Don't search floppy box. Click on Install.
A command prompt will be opened with a message informing you of a successful installation.
[5] Open the MS-DOS 6.22 floppy image in winimage. Expand the overall capacity of the floppy image from 1.4MB to 2.8MB. Then inject the file wd3idle.exe to the root folder of the floppy image. For tutorial purposes, save the new image as WDIDLE3.IMG. Note down where you will save this file as it will be used below.
(NOTE: The filename is case sensitive!)
[6] Now copy the following files to the root of the UFD:
[7] Create a text file menu.lst in notepad. Copy and paste the code below into menu.lst. This directive in grub makes the computer emulate a virtual floppy drive using the WDIDLE3.IMG file as the virtual floppy.
With the UFD having the required files, you can now boot from it and run WDIDLE3 to mod your WD Caviar Green drive. Use wdidle3 /s300 and validate with wdidle3 /r.
FAQ. When I published the document regarding Caviar Green W20EARS drives making strange clunk sounds, one of the readers of the post sent me a mail to ask how to execute this mod if he has no floppy drive.
First of all, thanks for your interest in this mod. We are pretty much in the same boat -- I don't have a floppy drive in my desktop as well. Although it is not expensive to obtain, I don't see any use for the floppy anymore, just like you. Besides, for the price of acquiring the floppy drive an equivalent USB flash drive (UFD) can be bought for the same amount but with a larger capacity than a floppy can contain.
The solution to our problem is a virtual floppy. But how do you emulate a virtual floppy on a computer that has not booted yet? Here's the trick.
Before you begin, it is highly recommended that you read through the entire instructions first. As pre-requisites, download the following software:
- a USB flash drive (2GB or less)
- grubinst GUI for WIN32 (get version 1.1)
- grub4dos (get version 4.4)
- MS-DOS 6.22 floppy image
- WinIMAGE (to edit floppy image)
- wdidle3 tool
[1] Format the UFD with FAT or FAT32 file system type. Grub4dos does not support NTFS filesystem so use FAT or FAT32 but the older FAT file system is most recommended. That is the rationale behind the recommended UFD size of 2GB or less.
[2] Extract the grubinst zip file (in this example we will assume directory D:\grubinst. Likewise, extract the grub4dos zip file (in this example we will assume directory D:\grub4dos). Extract the other files as well.
[3] In the directory D:\grubinst, locate grubinst_gui.exe and run it as Administrator. Click on "Run" when shown the security warning.
[4] A Grub4Dos Installer window will be opened. In this window tick Disk and beside that select the disk referring to the UFD. Hit the refresh button if the selection dropdown is empty. You will be able to correctly select the UFD from the dropdown as it reflects the size of the disk.
On the Part List dropdown, Whole disk (MBR) should be selected from the dropdown. For options, tick the Don't search floppy box. Click on Install.
A command prompt will be opened with a message informing you of a successful installation.
[5] Open the MS-DOS 6.22 floppy image in winimage. Expand the overall capacity of the floppy image from 1.4MB to 2.8MB. Then inject the file wd3idle.exe to the root folder of the floppy image. For tutorial purposes, save the new image as WDIDLE3.IMG. Note down where you will save this file as it will be used below.
(NOTE: The filename is case sensitive!)
[6] Now copy the following files to the root of the UFD:
- grldr (from D:\grub4dos)
- WDIDLE3.IMG (from step#4 above)
[7] Create a text file menu.lst in notepad. Copy and paste the code below into menu.lst. This directive in grub makes the computer emulate a virtual floppy drive using the WDIDLE3.IMG file as the virtual floppy.
timeout 10 default 0 # boot WDidle3 floppy image title WDidle3 tool map --mem (hd0,0)/WDIDLE3.IMG (fd0) map --hook chainloader (fd0)+1 rootnoverify (fd0) map --floppies=1 boot # reboot title Reboot reboot
With the UFD having the required files, you can now boot from it and run WDIDLE3 to mod your WD Caviar Green drive. Use wdidle3 /s300 and validate with wdidle3 /r.
MODS: Green WD10EARS / WD20EARS Making "Clunk" Sound
I'm making this document since like you I use Western Digital Caviar Green drives in my network media tank (NMT) or network media jukebox (NMJ) and for data storage. Not only are these drives cool and quiet, they don't require as much power as performance drives. And the WD20EARS 2GB caviar green model just suits the storage requirement -- the price is just right -- it has double the capacity of the WD10EARS without having to pay twice its price. I use the same drives to store data on my desktop, not just the NMT.
But have you ever noticed your WD green drive make weird "clunk" noise(s)? This happens especially if you stepped away for a bit and grabbed a cup of coffee or prepped another bag of popcorn. Once you start browsing your selection of HD movies, the drive starts to spin up with a "clunk". Or try observing this on your computer, pause from work and listen to the drives for a while. Chances are you will hear the "clunk" and you will see (or perhaps hear) what I mean.
If this is not obvious to you with all the surround and Dolby digital sounds on the speakers or entertainment system, try plugging the drive to your computer directly and launch a hard drive utility capable of reading SMART (short for Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) parameters off the disk, like below.
You will then notice the values for "Load Cycle Count" (LCC) have skyrocketed beyond your normal usage of the drive. This is most noticeable if the drive is relatively new. LCC for a storage drive that is a just week old should not exceed 1000. Going over that figure is just unusual. When you see these figures for yourself, a different realization starts to sink in. But don't fret, you did not buy a defective drive.
This is the default behavior of the WD green drives. Western Digital green EARS drives are known to park their heads every 8 seconds, if idle -- this is the "green thing" in the drive. Meaning, whenever the drives are idle and 8 seconds have elapsed, the drives park their heads and once the heads are parked, spin-up will cause the parameters to increase (and in turn decrease the future usability of the drive). The Load Cycle Count values skyrocket each time the device is used since they will be idle at some point.
Like me, you will want to change this behavior and Western Digital has provided the wdidle3 tool to override this default setting. Using wdidle3.exe, you can choose to completely disable the timing but that defeats the purpose of buying a green drive in the first place.
WDIDLE3 is a DOS utility, with The following set of arguments to be used (quoting the manual for wdidle3):
On my WD10EARS and WD20EARS drives, I ran wdidle3 as: wdidle3 /s300. Even though the tool is not certified for use with those drives, it ran successfully. And wdidle3 /r validated that the timing has been set to 300 seconds. With this, I modified the behavior of my WD10EARS and WD20EARS to park only if idle for 300 seconds. After which I plugged them on the desktop from time to time to observe the behavior of the Load Cycle Cound and the results are quite satisfactory -- not much increase unlike prior to the mod.
I have not taken any screenshots since I ran this tool in DOS mode, not inside the Windows environment. So I would strongly suggest not to run this on the Windows environment. Again, I would strongly suggest not to run this on the Windows environment, not even in safe-mode.
(DISCLAIMER: As always, do these things at your own risk. I cannot be held liable for bricking your drive due to performing this procedure.)
But have you ever noticed your WD green drive make weird "clunk" noise(s)? This happens especially if you stepped away for a bit and grabbed a cup of coffee or prepped another bag of popcorn. Once you start browsing your selection of HD movies, the drive starts to spin up with a "clunk". Or try observing this on your computer, pause from work and listen to the drives for a while. Chances are you will hear the "clunk" and you will see (or perhaps hear) what I mean.
If this is not obvious to you with all the surround and Dolby digital sounds on the speakers or entertainment system, try plugging the drive to your computer directly and launch a hard drive utility capable of reading SMART (short for Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) parameters off the disk, like below.
You will then notice the values for "Load Cycle Count" (LCC) have skyrocketed beyond your normal usage of the drive. This is most noticeable if the drive is relatively new. LCC for a storage drive that is a just week old should not exceed 1000. Going over that figure is just unusual. When you see these figures for yourself, a different realization starts to sink in. But don't fret, you did not buy a defective drive.
This is the default behavior of the WD green drives. Western Digital green EARS drives are known to park their heads every 8 seconds, if idle -- this is the "green thing" in the drive. Meaning, whenever the drives are idle and 8 seconds have elapsed, the drives park their heads and once the heads are parked, spin-up will cause the parameters to increase (and in turn decrease the future usability of the drive). The Load Cycle Count values skyrocket each time the device is used since they will be idle at some point.
Like me, you will want to change this behavior and Western Digital has provided the wdidle3 tool to override this default setting. Using wdidle3.exe, you can choose to completely disable the timing but that defeats the purpose of buying a green drive in the first place.
WDIDLE3 is a DOS utility, with The following set of arguments to be used (quoting the manual for wdidle3):
WDIDLE3 [/S[]] [/D] [/R] [/?] /S[ ] Set timer, units in seconds. Default=8.0 (8.0 seconds). Resolution is 0.1 seconds from 8.0 to 12.7 seconds. Resolution is 30 seconds from 30 seconds to 300 seconds. Note, times between 12.8 and 30 seconds will be set to 30 seconds. /D Disable timer. /R Report current timer. /? This help info.
On my WD10EARS and WD20EARS drives, I ran wdidle3 as: wdidle3 /s300. Even though the tool is not certified for use with those drives, it ran successfully. And wdidle3 /r validated that the timing has been set to 300 seconds. With this, I modified the behavior of my WD10EARS and WD20EARS to park only if idle for 300 seconds. After which I plugged them on the desktop from time to time to observe the behavior of the Load Cycle Cound and the results are quite satisfactory -- not much increase unlike prior to the mod.
I have not taken any screenshots since I ran this tool in DOS mode, not inside the Windows environment. So I would strongly suggest not to run this on the Windows environment. Again, I would strongly suggest not to run this on the Windows environment, not even in safe-mode.
(DISCLAIMER: As always, do these things at your own risk. I cannot be held liable for bricking your drive due to performing this procedure.)
MODS: Popcorn Hour C-200 (PCH-C200) Heatsink Mod
My Egreat EG-M31B broke down over a month ago. When powering it up all the LED indicators light up but there is no display on the TV. There isn't much I can do about it and the internet doesn't offer any help on the matter. Eventually, I simply replaced the media player. I got myself a Popcorn Hour C200.
The C200, they say, is one of the best players around. And I concur. But it does come with its set of downsides -- it becomes hot over time and it needs a better cooling system. A network media tank (NMT) this expensive should not be skimped out on components.
The OEM heatsink is too small. After an hour of using the NMT, put your hand over the top cover and you would notice it is warm to the touch. How much more the heatsink itself!
Fortunately, I still have a Zalman ZM-NBF47 fanless northbridge heatsink. So I thought it would serve the purpose quite well. But first I tried to search if this heatsink is compatible with the C200. My quest to find answers came out empty. So I could be the first to try it out, the guinea pig -- my C200.
After trying several positions in fitting the heatsink, my assumptiom was right. My efforts proved to be very fruitful! The ZM-NBF47 fit the C200 very well (see picure below).
Before permanently mounting the heatsink to the C200's board, I compared the original OEM heatsink with the NBF47. Snapshot posted below.
To further improve the cooling modifications on my C200, I equipped it with a 60mm fan. I took it from an old RedFox heatsink that I kept way back from the Pentium III days. It still works and being a 12V .20A fan, it is whisper quiet. Just plugged it to the fan header provisioned on the C200 board.
The mods on the C200 made it cooler now and the top cover is no longer warm to the touch even if used for hours on end.
The C200, they say, is one of the best players around. And I concur. But it does come with its set of downsides -- it becomes hot over time and it needs a better cooling system. A network media tank (NMT) this expensive should not be skimped out on components.
The OEM heatsink is too small. After an hour of using the NMT, put your hand over the top cover and you would notice it is warm to the touch. How much more the heatsink itself!
Fortunately, I still have a Zalman ZM-NBF47 fanless northbridge heatsink. So I thought it would serve the purpose quite well. But first I tried to search if this heatsink is compatible with the C200. My quest to find answers came out empty. So I could be the first to try it out, the guinea pig -- my C200.
After trying several positions in fitting the heatsink, my assumptiom was right. My efforts proved to be very fruitful! The ZM-NBF47 fit the C200 very well (see picure below).
Before permanently mounting the heatsink to the C200's board, I compared the original OEM heatsink with the NBF47. Snapshot posted below.
To further improve the cooling modifications on my C200, I equipped it with a 60mm fan. I took it from an old RedFox heatsink that I kept way back from the Pentium III days. It still works and being a 12V .20A fan, it is whisper quiet. Just plugged it to the fan header provisioned on the C200 board.
The mods on the C200 made it cooler now and the top cover is no longer warm to the touch even if used for hours on end.
