ASUS has gone green, showing new green technology and innovations at this year’s CeBIT. Manufacturing processes have been changed to be more conservative, and various products have been tweaked with to be more energy-efficient. More packaging of their items have become recyclable. Products they have revolutionized include their notebooks (made of bamboo, which is a remarkably renewable resource), their Eee PC 1005PE (which uses little energy and has a mercury-free LED-backlit panel), their EeeBox PC EB 1501, motherboards (ten million of which can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 210,000 tons annually and also reduces radiation exposure), and Designo LED Monitors.

Perhaps in the future, more and more companies will follow suit, to revolutionize the world’s green technology in hopes of maintaining what resources we have.

[via ASUS]

When I built my i7 workstation, I used the Intel ICH10R controller to build a RAID 5 RAID. The RAID runs fine for 5 months. I have run into a lot of troubles with the RAID starting since one month ago. It started when I first noticed my RAID got degraded. While I was trying to figure out which disk went bad, I found that I did not have Intel Matrix Storage Console installed. The console program is used to manage the RAID on the system. Without it, I cannot identify the failed hard drive and replace the hard drive. The newest version at the time is 8.9, so I installed the newest version.

After I installed the console program, I was able to find out which hard drive is the cause. I removed the problematic hard drive and tested it. The hard drive was indeed bad. I RMAed the drive and sent the drive back for a replacement. The synchronization of the RAID took several days after I inserted the replacement hard drive back to the system.

Just when I thought the case is over, the RAID got degraded a few days later when one drive fell out of the RAID. I took out the “bad” disk and replaced it with a spare disk.  However, the drive identified by the console program passed diagnostic tests. So, it’s probably not a hardware problem. I then checked the system log and found a lot of isStor Event ID 9 events.

Log Name:      System
Source:        iaStor
Event ID:      9
Level:         Error
Description:
The device, \Device\Ide\iaStor0, did not respond within the timeout period.

All the drives are of Seagate 1.5GB SATA drives(ST31500341AS). I suspected if there is a problem with this particular hard drive and the Intel ICH10R controller. I found there are quite a few users reported problems when they used these drives in a RAID cofiguration  in Seagate’s forum. I was led to believe the problem is the firmware of the hard drive and the only way to get around it is to replace all the drives because you cannot update the firmware of the questioned hard drive to the firmware that works.

While I was investigating my options, the RAID got degraded again. This time a different disk was identified. This disk also passed the diagnostic tests. I was about to purchase replacement hard drives. Fortunately, I stumbled upon a post that solved the problem. (I do not have the link to the post right now.) One user has suggested possible problems with Intel Matrix Storage Console 8.9. Installation of the old 8.8 version might fix the problem that the drives fall out of RAID for no particular reason. The RAID has been stable ever since I installed version 8.8 about two weeks ago. I did get one iaStor Event ID 9 in the event log, but no hard drive falls out of the RAID. I am keeping my fingers crossed for now. I’ll update the post for future “development”.

When I purchased my Brother Laser Printer HL-2170W, I was aware of the notorious premature “toner life end” problem. The printer has a sensor for the toner, it would stop printing when the toner is low. The problem is often times the printer stops working even when the toner is perfectly fine.

My printer stopped working when the page count is only about 650 pages. To get around this problem, there is a trick that you can do it by yourself. Here are the steps.

1. Follow the printer’s instructions to take out the toner.
2. There is a round hole to the right side of the toner. Use a strip of non-transparent tape to cover this hole. If you do not have non-transparent tape, you can tape a small piece of paper there instead.
   
3. Insert the toner back to the printer.

My Samsung laser printer stopped working after 3 years in service. In a rush to get a replacement printer, I picked up a Brother Wireless Laser Printer HL-2170W based upon various good online reviews. The selling point for me is the included WIFI interface. I could place it anywhere in my house without attaching it to a computer.

There are three ways to hook it up.  You can attach it to a computer using a USB cable, or you can attach it to a router using an Ethernet cable. The third way is to join the printer to the wireless network, and this is what I bought this printer for. The driver CD has a wizard to walk you through the steps to hook it up wirelessly. I picked the option to install the printer using an Ethernet cable temporarily. You insert the toner and drum kit assembly to the printer. Plug in the power cable and connect the printer to the router with an Ethernet cable. Insert the driver CD to a computer connected to the same network. The installation wizard searches the network for printers. Once it finds the printer, you can configure the printer to join your wireless network. During the second part of the installation, the wizard creates a port and installs the necessary driver for the printer. Everything went smoothly and the driver appeared to be installed.

After I disconnected the Ethernet cable, I could still access the web site hosted by the printer’s print server. The wireless setup for the printer is working. However, I cannot print to it via the printer created by the installation wizard earlier. I tried to installed the printer driver on several different computers and still I could not print from any of the computers I tried.

I investigated the problem and found that the printer entry in the Printers section of Control Panel does not have a correct port. The port created by the installation wizard is not an IP address, but a name. I suspected this is the problem. I created a new Standard TCP/IP Port which points to the wireless IP address of the printer and assigned the port to the printer entry. After the changes, I could print to it without any problems. I also configured my router to give my printer a static DHCP address to make sure the address does not change.

I worked on a Toshiba NB205 this week and I am very impressed with it. The model we got is a NB205-N310/BN. It has an Intel Atom N280 processor, 1GB of RAM and 160GB hard drive. It is Bluetooth enabled, so you do not have to buy additional adapter. One nice feature is the USB Sleep-and-Charge. You can charge any device that can be charged through the USB port even when the computer is in sleep mode(standby). This feature is available on higher end models of Toshiba laptops. It’s a pleasant surprise that they include it on a budget netbook.

I like the keyboard a lot. What’s good about it is that there are dedicated keys for arrows, Page Up and Page Down.

On the right side, we have two USB ports, a power connector and a security lock slot.

The indicators are on the front.

The SD card slot is on the front, too.

We have VGA, headphone, microphone, Ethernet and one more USB port on the left.

This shot shows the oversize 6 cell battery. I must admit, the battery does not look nice. However, I think most people will trade the look for the extra power provided by the bigger battery.

Now is time to show you how to replace the 1GB built-in RAM with a 2GB one. There is only one slot, so you have to take out the old one and replace it. You can use a  2GB PC2-5300 667MHz 200-pin SODIMM Memory. Before you begin, turn off the computer and remove the battery. There is only one screw to remove. I have marked its location in this photo. Once you remove the screw, Gently remove the cover. The cover is secured by two tabs around the mid section. You need to apply a bit of force to get it open.

Before you touch any components inside the computer, touch any metal in your surrounding to discharge statics on you or put on an anti-static wrist strap. Gently pull out the clips from the side of the memory. The memory would pop up. Remove it.

Insert the new memory into the slot at an angle. Note that there is a notch on the memory, make sure the orientation is alright. If you have problems inserting the memory, the orientation is probably wrong.

Push down the memory so it locks in place. The last step is just to put back the cover and screw.

The Asus Eee PC 1008HA is a new netbook with N280 processor. The main selling point is the ultra-slim form factor. The computer looks stylish and it’s pretty light(2.43lb). However, due to the small case, both battery and RAM are NOT user serviceable.

I was trying to find service manual, but didn’t find the official manual. Luckily, there are some guides that covers on how to disassemble the machine.

• NetbookItalia (in Italian, English translation)
• Moblie01 (in Chinese, English translation)
• NotebookReview

The third one is basically just the English translation of the first two. The procedure is not for faint of heart. If you have not tried something like this before, I suggest you think twice about following the steps to disassemble your machine.

Here is a picture from NotebookReview about the location of the memory slot.

Asus is vague about what kind of memory is needed for 1008HA. I found the specification from Crucial.com, the memory you need is PC2-6400 laptop RAM .

One of my MacBook was purchased back in 2006. The battery was working fine until the beginning of this year. The capacity dropped like overnight. Suddenly, the fully charged battery could not last more than 40 minutes. At first, I thought I only need a replacement battery since the I had it for more than two years.

I ran across this page about battery problems for MacBook or MacBook Pro purchase between February 2006 and April 2007. If your battery has the following symptoms, you might get a free replacement.

• Battery is not recognized causing an “X” to appear in the battery icon in the Finder menu bar.
• Battery will not charge when computer is plugged into AC power.
• Battery exhibits low charge capacity/runtime when using a fully charged battery with a battery cycle count (as shown in System Profiler) of less than 300.
• Battery pack is visibly deformed.

I took my MacBook to Apple Store last week. They tested my battery on the spot and ruled my battery is eligible for a free replacement. They changed it with a brand new battery.

Note that not every MacBook or MacBook Pro battery is eligible. To recap the  three requirements:

1. The MacBook and MacBook Pro must be purchased between 2006/2 and 2007/4.
2. The battery has one or more of  the aforementioned symptoms.
3. The battery must be tested as BAD.

I helped a user with his Acer Aspire One AOD150 to upgrade memory. The AOD150 comes with 1GB of memory and it has only one slot. Therefore, you cannot just add memory to it, you have to replace the old one. The memory you can use is DDRII 667 MHz. Here is a good one: OCZ 2 GB PC2-5400 667 MHz DDR2 . Follow the steps to install it.

1. Turn off the computer and remove the battery.
2. Turn the computer bottom side up and place it on a soft surface.
3. Use a screw driver to remove the one screw.
   
4. Now it’s the scary part. Gently remove the cover. The cover is secured by two tabs around the mid section. You need to apply a bit of force to get it open.
   
5. Before you touch any components inside the computer, touch any metal in your surrounding to discharge statics on you or put on an anti-static wrist strap. Gently pull out the clips from the side of the memory. The location of the clips is shown in the previous photo. The memory would pop up. Remove it.
   
6. Insert the new memory into the slot at an angle. Note that there is a notch on the memory, make sure the orientation is alright. If you have problems inserting the memory, the orientation is probably wrong. This is a photo for an ASUS 1000HE, the idea is the same.
   
7. Push down the memory so it locks in place.
8. Put back the cover and screw.

You have saved $50.00 by doing this yourself.

We have quite a few HP Color LaserJet 2605dn in my work place. These printers have 64 MB of memory by default. One user has complained about the performance. I think it’s probably a good time to upgrade the memory.

My first stop is the HP web site. It’s not hard to find the product page with accessories. When I first saw the price, I was shocked! The printer itself is about $250.00 on sale. The price for a 128 MB memory is $579.00! I don’t think I am going to pay that much just for 128 MB RAM.

Using the Google Shopping, I was able to identify an Ebay deal about the compatible RAM. How much is it? $14.00 with free shipping! The shipping is fast, too. I got it today and install it on the printer. The memory was recognized without any problems. For those who are interested in the deal. Here is the link. The HP part numbers for this RAM are C9121A, Q9121A, Q7709A.

Changing the memory is a snap, just locate the cover for it and pull it open. No tool is required.

I recently started another DIY project. Unlike my previous Core i7 storage server, this is a small form factor desktop. The main component is a Shuttle K48 barebone system which includes motherboard and power supply. Here are the parts:

• Shuttle Computer K48 Intel 945GC+ICH7 Chipset  Barebone System (Black)
• Intel BX80571E7400 Core 2 Duo E7400 Processor
• Crucial Technology CT2CP12864AA667 2GB 2 x 1GB DDR2 PC2-5300 Unbuffered Non-ECC 240-Pin DIMM Kit
• Western Digital Caviar Blue 250 GB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive 3.5 Inch, 16 MB Cache, 7200 RPM SATA II WD2500AAKS
• LG GH22LP20 Super Multi – Disk drive – IDE – internal – 5.25
• Masscool 8W553B1M3 – Processor cooler – ( Socket 775 )

Shuttle already has an excellent quick start guide with color photos. I’ll just tell you about my experience with it without doing a step-by-step guide again. The built quality of the system is solid and I am surprised to find the case is made of aluminum which is better at dissipating the heat.

When I first bought the parts, I didn’t buy a CPU cooler because the Core 2 Duo already comes with a stock CPU cooler. I first tried to install it without success. I just cannot get all four pins pushed in. I really hate the design of the push-pin for the stock Intel cooler. Finally, I decided to ditch the Intel CPU cooler and buy the one from Masscool. The new CPU cooler uses spring loaded screws to mount. You have to take the motherboard out to install the Masscool CPU cooler. Remember to take the power supply out first before doing so. Even with the extra time needed to take the motherboard out, I think this is a better choice than the aweful stock Intel cooler.

All parts except the Masscool CPU cooler.

Got everything assembled.

One note about the Masscool CPU cooler. The cooler has a 3 pin connector and K48 cannot adjust the speed of it. The fan always runs at full speed and it’s noticeable compared to the case fan. So, if you are concerned about the noise, you might want to pick a CPU cooler with a 4pin connector.