Spugster

Using Recovery Console

The standard, and correct, way to repair your boot.ini is to boot to your Windows installation CD and through the recovery console perform a repair on the boot config. This can be done by calling bootcfg /rebuild however this requires you to have administration privileges for the windows installation that you are attempting to fix. As I recently discovered this may not always be the case, luckily i remembered my good friend Knoppix.

Knoppix is a free Linux bootable Live CD. It allows you to boot to a fully functional Linux system, without having to perform an install or without any other permanent affects.

Using Knoppix

This work around allows you to fix the boot.ini file, without requiring administration privileges, however in order to be able to boot to Knoppix you will need to be able to boot from your CD drive.

1. Download the latest version of Knoppix. *The version I used was 5.1.1
2. Burn the ISO to a bootable CD.
3. Insert the Knoppix CD in to the problematic computer and boot from CD.
4. Once the boot screen is presented press Enter to start loading or press F2 or F3 for more boot options.
5. After Knoppix has finished loading you should see a HDD image (you may see multiple images, depending on the number of fixed drives on your machine).
6. Right-click your windows drive and press “mount”.
7. Right-click the drive again and press “change read/write mode” in order to be able to edit the boot.ini file.
8. Open the drive and navigate to the boot.ini file.
9. Open boot.ini and edit as required.
10. Save the file and restart to windows, being sure to remove the Knoppix CD.

It was only a few years ago that a keyboard was a basic peripheral which allowed the input of textual data. They had no fancy capabilities and were not ’stylish’ by any means. Now jump to the present and there are a vast number of keyboards available, all sporting their own unique feature set and design. You can get anything from your basic 102 key keyboard to an ergonomically designed advanced keyboard with a many different features which go well beyond simply entering text.

Personally I find myself drawn to Logitech, when it comes to peripherals; not to say that Microsoft (and others) don’t have great alternatives. For some time now I have been using the Logitech G15 gaming keyboard, and have found that the sideshow feature absolutely great. However it has one major limitation… It is wired.

In the past I have always prefer ed to go with a wired keyboard, however I recently picked up the Logitech diNovo Edge keyboard and I absolutely love it! It’s stylish, sleek and has the features to boot. The keys have that nice feeling of a laptop keyboard and it has the added convenience of a track pad to control the mouse cursor. It also has a nice touch sensitive volume control which lights up the section currently under your finger.

Another great feature, both design and usability, is the function key. Upon pressing the function [Fn] key a row above the F keys dramatically fades in to existence, presenting more options including quick links to voip, search, email, your homepage four custom shortcuts and of course media keys (previous, stop, play/pause and next). After releasing the [Fn] key the row fades back out of existence.

Logitech go the entire way with this package. Including the bluetooth dongle, a nice charger base which the keyboard slides down into - emphasising its stylish design - and they even go as far as to include a custom diNovo Edge cleaning cloth to remove any finger prints from the keyboard piano black finish.

There are however a few issues with the keyboard. Occasionally the bluetooth connection will die and take a while to reconnect with the computer, although this does appear to be rare and more so the case when the path between the keyboard and the bluetooth dongle is heavily obstructed. While the volume control looks sleek, in terms of usability it is lacking; only changing the volume level very slightly with each slide of the control, making adjusting the volume a slow process.

However, after all is said and done I find the keyboard to be absolutely brilliant - especially if you’re using the keyboard from the couch or somewhere a mouse is less usable. If you’re willing to have to use the cleaning cloth, as it does pick up finger prints very easily, the keyboard is a great choice amongst all of the available alternatives. The Logitech diNovo Edge can be picked up for around au$185 from Umart. (retailers such as Dick Smith Electronics and Harvey Norman will price them at $350, but should price match Umart if you push them)