XP tweaks, repairs, and upgrades

In the last couple of days, I've come across a few interesting articles on the aging Windows XP operating system that I thought I'd share with everyone. The first article I came across is a Guide to Useless Services. This guide lists 26 XP services that can be disabled to improve performance.

The 2nd article is XP's No-Reformat, Nondestructive Total-Rebuild Option. This guide describes a method that can be used to completely re-install Windows XP, without losing any of your data.

The final article is my favorite and I can't wait to try it out. It is titled, Afraid of Re-installing Windows XP. This method uses a combo of Symantec Ghost(or TrueImage) and VMware. By creating a virtual machine of your old PC, you can then safely install a new OS, like Vista. Once you have Vista, you can still access old files/programs through the virtual machine.

Portal

Valve software, creators of the Half-Life series, has released a video of their upcoming game Portal. If you've played 3DRealms title, Prey, you've already experienced the portal. Running through the portal warps your player to another location. Valve takes the portal concept one step further by equipping the player with a portal gun. Fire the gun once and you create the exit. Firing a second time creates the entrance. Sounds simple, right? Check out some of the levels previewed in the clip below. It's also been reported that Half-Life 2 is coming to the 360 and will be bundled Episode 1, 2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal...woohoo!

Stacey Dash PB photos

Stacey Dash is probably best known for her role in the movie "Clueless". Now she is hoping to boost her career by stripping down for Playb0y. Check out the rest of her pics here. (NSFW).

Laugh or Cry?

Found this pic in my travels around the web. How long do you think the kid in the middle kept that smile on his face?

Savannah Kathryn Usner

If you've noticed, I haven't posted in awhile. The reason being the little tyke in the picture above. My wife and I were blessed with a little baby girl on July 4th. Savannah weighed 9 lb, 5 oz and was just over 20 inches long. Both her and mommy are home and doing great. Great big thanks to everyone who sent kind words, flowers, or gifts. I have every intention of keeping this site going, but it will all depend on how much sleep Savannah allows me to get :)