Kolz Blog

Many Windows Home Server users have experienced issues playing media files on their Playstation 3 consoles - this is due to the fact that the PS3 does not support Windows Media Connect, the media serving software embedded in Windows Home Server.

Up until recently, the solution to this was to install Packet Video’s PVConnect/TwonkyMedia DLNA-compliant media serving software, which works well with the PS3. However, a recent software update by Sony changed the UPnP handshake string that it sends out to identify itself to media streamers. This caused the PS3 to once again be unable to play files from Windows Home Server.

WGS Forum user ctewsley posted a fix for this issue over at our forums.

Below are the steps to follow for getting PVConnect / Twonky to recognize your PS3 correctly again:

1) Open a remote desktop connection to your home server.

2) From windows explorer go to the following path: C:\TwonkyMedia\resources

3) Open the file clients.db (use notepad don’t worry its just a text file)

4) You will find an entry marked ID:060 It will look like this

ID:060
NA:PS3
HH:PLAYSTATION3
DB:FIX
XM:DLNA10
XM:DATETIME
DL:MP4DLNA
HP:chunked
MT:mpeg,mpeg2,vdr,spts,tp,ts video/mpeg
MT:m4a audio/mp4
MT:avi,divx video/avi
AV:no-m3u

5) You need to put a space between PLAYSTATION and 3 so it should look like this: PLAYSTATION 3

6) Exit notepad saving your changes.

7) From the windows home server console select PVConnect

Select the Media Receivers Tab

9) Click on reset list

10) From the PS3 scan for media center under any of the Photo / Music / Video search for media centers or whatever it is

After that PVConnect (aka Twonky) will recognize the PS3 as a PS3 and your video problem will be solved.

Let us know how you get on with this fix. 

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So how do you get your movies into MC? Well there are two ways, and I have to start off by saying that ripping a commercial DVD is illegal, so only do this for non commercial DVDs… First of all you can install AnyDVD and this will let you rip and entire DVD folder structure to the hard drive from within MyMovies. This works well, but the resulting ripped DVD will not play on MC extenders as they do not understand a DVD folder. The second method which I use is to rip the actual Movie from the disc using a programme called Smart Ripper. This creates a VOB file which is identical to that on the original disc. I then use VideoRedo to convert the VOB into an MPEG file. As there is no video processing going on the whole process takes about 20 min per disc. You are dealing with several Gbs with DVD’s so it’s never going to be as quick as ripping a CD! As the second method is just creating an Mpeg of the film you don’t get any of the extra features, chapters or indeed any of the menus, but they do work perfectly on the extenders, which is why I do it that way.

There are other ways of displaying a DVD library and Media Centers Built in DVD library is a great way of viewing your collection. I have tried this but it’s a bit of a hack to get going and unless you live in the US you don’t get any of the cover art or access to the extra features like the cast & crew list.

Overall MyMovies is an excellent plug-in and one you should add to your collection. It’s perfect for anyone who has a collection of DVD’s they want quick access to (I myself will use it to store my daughters children’s DVD collection, no more missing or scratched discs!) and having a simple way to view movies trailers is an added bonus. It even got my WAF last night, so everyone is happy!

Similar Posts:

• How To: Play DVD’s in Windows Media Center Stored On Your Windows Home Server
• WMC Plugin: MediaControl 5.3
• How to: Convert VHS Tapes to a Digital Format
• How To: Play Blu-ray and HD DVD Movies from Vista Media Center
• How to: Protect Bare Hot Swappable Hard Drives

From his Blog post:

I pulled my hair out for hours trying to find the best way to get my Windows Vista Ultimate HTPC to support Blu-ray. Here are my requirements.

1. Play Blu-ray and HD DVD’s directly from Media Center.
2. Native Media Center remote support.
3. Backup my Blu-ray and HD DVD’s to hard disk.
4. Play the backup from the folder on the hard disk.
5. Not take extra steps in the backup process (i.e. creating iso files)
6. Do this with as few programs as possible.

There are guides out there to help with this, like Revision3’s System. But their recommendations fell short of my needs because they suggested CyberLink PowerDVD 8. While this program is very nice, it does not support HD DVD, does not integrate with Media Center, does not integrate the Media Center remote (without the need for additional software, and would not play the backups directly from the folder.
So, leaving the nuts and bolts out of it, and assuming you already have all the hardware you need installed and configured correctly, below are my steps and recommendations. I make no guarantees, but the below steps worked perfect for me and met all of my requirements listed above.

1. Install SlySoft’s AnyDVD HD
2. Install ArcSoft’s TotalMedia Theatre

Two applications are all you need to get this job done. AnyDVD HD allow for the backup your DVD’s to your hard disk drive. TotalMedia Theatre provides full Blu-ray and HD DVD playback and fully integrates with Media Center out of the box. Because of this integration the remote works flawlessly. TotalMedia also has the ability to play the backup videos from thier folders.

Enjoy!

Similar Posts:

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• WebGuide for Windows Home Server (Beta) Released
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• MyMovies Media Center Plug-in

 I am beginning to play around more and more with Windows Media Center.  What it can do and what it does not do.  The one feature that it does not have that I will keep bringing up is a version for WHS…

Moving beyond that “most desirable feature”, I became curious as to what is out their for add-ins, or plug-ins, for Windows Media Center.  It would be quite nice to have a central list for Media Center add-ins.  So off I went to Google (Sorry, MS Live Search!) and did a quick search for “windows media center add-ins”.  The first item on the list sent right over to The Green Button.  Chris’s last update was in 2006, so I went to the a couple of the links he listed.

MoreMCE has a list of 201(!) add-ins.  mcesoft is another site with potential.  So, if you are looking for MCE add-ins, check out these links.  If you’re looking for a particular feature, you just might find something there.

I know that I will be perusing this list…

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• Windows Media Center TV Pack Already Released
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• Windows Media Center and Windows Home Server - Better Together

Have you ever heard of VHS tapes?  It’s only been 5 years since the DVD became more popular than VHS tapes, but it did not take long for those tapes to disappear from the movie rental/retail shelves.  But this post is not about commercial VHS tapes.  It is about all those “home” movies that will be gone forever, if you do not do something with them.  After all, VHS tapes do not last forever, and… do you even have a VCR plugged into your home entertainment system any more?  We do, but that is only for those VHS movies my wife has in our lower level family room.  She does daycare and they come in handy once in while to keep her charges occupied.

Last winter, one of our daughters was over at our home, and she and the wife “discovered” these tapes in a corner.  So off they went down nostalgia lane and watched those tapes.  Seizing the opportunity, I mentioned that I could copy them over to my computer, so that they would not be lost forever.  Hello TV tuner!

Enough about my home movies.

This is about your VHS home movies.  Do you want to preserve those special memories in a digital format on your home server?  Yes?  Great!  Once converted, you can then view them in your favorite movie player.  And/or, you can burn them to DVD, if you so desire.  And just to digress slightly, I wouldn’t recommend trying to convert any of your commercial VHS movies.  I did one just to see what it would look like, and it was bad.  VHS tapes are what I would term lo-fi.  Converting home movies to a digital format will not improve the quality, but it won’t make it any worse, either.  This is simply not true with commercial VHS movies.  If you really want that movie in digital format, buy the DVD.  A movie old enough to be released in a VHS format is probably pretty cheap these days.

What follows is what I did to copy my VHS tapes to my computer.  Please take note that I was not out to start a video conversion business.  I simply wanted to take the easiest (read: cheapest) route to my goal, which was to preserve those memories.

You will need some hardware before you do anything:

• A Computer.  I do have to mention the obvious!
• A video capture device, such as a Personal Video Recorder or a TV tuner.  If you do need to buy something, this is a good time get a TV tuner.  One that will handle both analog and digital signals would be preferable for future use.  In the U.S., I do not believe that you can even buy an analog-only tuner any more.
• A VCR or VHS player.  If yours is gone, you could always go down to your local Wal-Mart (U.S.), or equivalent budget store, and buy one.  For some reason, they are real cheap these days…
• RCA cables and adapters to complete the bridge between your VCR and your capture device.  The adapters are usually included with the device.
• A DVD burner.  This is optional.

You will also need some software:

• Video capture software.  This is usually included with your capture device.  I wasn’t impressed with the software that came with my tuner, so I used the Media Import component of Roxio Easy Media Creator.
• Video editing software.  Again, there will usually be something included with the capture device.  In my case, I found Windows Movie Maker to work quite well for my needs.  It is also free, as it is included as part of the Windows installation.
• Viewing software.  Windows Movie Maker, Windows Media Player, Windows Media Center (MCE 2005, Vista Home Premium or Ultimate) are programs that are included with Windows.

And finally, you will need to locate those tapes you want to convert.  You are now ready (almost) to begin the conversion process.  You will need to take that hardware and hook it all together.  I assume that you have already installed the video capture device, so let’s hook up that VCR.

The TV tuner card in my computer is an AVerMedia AVerTV Combo PCIe MCE card.  It is a PCI-Express x1 card, which to me was a plus, and it was certified for use with Vista, which was a huge plus. When I was researching TV tuner cards, there were not many out there at the time with Vista certs.  I read several posts about the problems associated with older tuner devices and Vista.  So this was an important feature to me.  If you use Windows XP, you have a multitude of choices.  Of course, you will need to locate a tuner that supports the transmission standards in your country, if you go the tuner route.

This card includes adapters for the video and audio signals.  If you are using a single-purpose Personal Video Recorder, these devices quite often terminate in RCA jacks, thus allowing a direct RCA cable connection between your VCR and the recorder.

On the other end, you will need a VCR, along with the RCA cables.

Simply plug the adapters in end of the RCA cable and…

The other end of those cable into the VCR.  I know, pretty basic stuff here.

Plug the end with the adapters into your capture device.

Turn on the VCR, pop in your VHS tape, and fire up your video capture software.  As I mentioned earlier, I am using Roxio Creator 9 Home.  Under the Video menu, start the Capture Video program.

     

BTW, there really is a tape being recorded here.  The Print Screen simply does not capture it.

Once you are in the Video Capture program, click on the Video Tab.  Select your capture device and set your capture settings.  I used the DVD HQ setting, as it provides the best quality capture.  After that, things get quite simple.  Hit the VCR play button, click on the Capture Now button, and sit back and relax.  It really is that simple.  Except for one little detail.  This is a real-time conversion.  If your tape is 2 hours long, your capture time will be 2 hours.  After all, this is not a professional video conversion service.  Remember, I did say sit back and relax.

Once the tape has been captured, click on the same button that now says “Stop Capture”.  The capture is saved and ready to be edited.  Roxio saves the captured video in mpg format.  These files can get quite large and are difficult to work with.  Windows Media Player did a horrible job of playing these videos.  Opening these files in Windows Movie Maker was not a problem, however.  I am not big into video editing, but I found Windows Movie Maker quite easy to edit my videos.

Locate the Windows Movie Maker program in the Start Menu, start it, click on the Import Media icon, and import your captured VHS video.  An icon of the video appears in the upper left of the middle window.  Using the left mouse button, drag this icon down to the video strip.

 

We are now at a point where I will have to let you explore the various features of Windows Movie Maker.  You can cut the video into several segments, add subtitles, sound, and any other cool effects you desire.  This is exploration time for you to discover what WMM can do to preserve that memory for you.  Once you are done editing a segment, click on the Publish Movie option under the File menu item.

You’re done!  Unless you want to create a DVD.  I did make a DVD of one just to see if it worked.  In my case, I wanted them on my computer, so that was just a trial to make sure I could.

I used the MYDVD Express component of Roxio to add the clips I wanted and then burned them to DVD.

This conversion process sounds rather simple.  It was, once I figured out what worked with the tools I had available to me.  When I first started this conversion process, I was looking for the ONE program that did it all for me.  I quickly found out that this program did not exist, at least with the programs I had access to.  From there, it took a lot of trial and error to figure out what programs I had that might work.  I then had to figure out what programs actually did work.  In the end, was it worth it?  Well, let me put this way.  I’m sure I will have a tear or two in my eyes when I watch them again in another 10 years.  Home movies may seem corny, but they really are a Blast From the Past when the moment strikes and you rediscover those old movies of your kids.  When they really were kids.

If you have old home movies you want to preserve, what has been presented above is my journey of “how to” do this.  I’m sure there are other methods, some better, some perhaps not.  In the end, I hope I have lessened the learning curve needed to accomplish this.

Similar Posts:

• New Xbox Media Hub On the Way?
• How To: Play DVD’s in Windows Media Center Stored On Your Windows Home Server
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Corresponding with Microsoft’s Power Pack 1 release (get that first if you haven’t already), HP has released a software update for the HP MediaSmart Server. This update delivers enhanced media streaming capability from PacketVideo, server-side anti-virus protection from McAfee and prepares the HP MediaSmart Server for compatibility with 64-bit operating systems.

The software update is available now via an automatic update, or users can select “Check for Updates” in the Windows Home Server console. If you’re like me, you want the update NOW.

Here’s how you can get it:

1. Open the Windows Home Server Console (i.e. double click on the tray icon)
2. Click on the MediaSmart Server tab and click on the Check for Updates link
   
3. If a few seconds the download will start.
4. You may see this dialog if you may not previously installed the April update. If so that’s ok. Just install that first, then repeat the procedure until there are no further updates. Otherwise just skip to the net step.
   
5. You should then see this dialog. Click Next and follow along.
   
6. After a few minutes the setup will complete and you are done!
   
7. You will likely see a client alert, which you can optionally install below.
   

Install the McAffe Software

If you want to install the optional McAffee software (and a few others that may be available), follow these directions. If not, skip to the next section.

1. Once again, Open the Windows Home Server Console
2. Click on the Settings button
   
3. Click on the Add-ins tab
   
4. Click on the Available Add-Ins tab and install to your heart’s content
   

No Thanks Mr. McAffe

If you DON’T want to install McAffe (and don’t want the constant nagging):

1. Open the Windows Home Server Console
2. Click on Network at Risk
   
3. Check the “Ignore this issue” box and the warning will go away.
   

Hot on the heels of today’s release of Windows Home Server Power Pack 1, HP have released their long-awaited update for the HP MediaSmart Server, which brings:

• PacketVideo PVConnect DLNA-compliant media streaming
• x64 support (following installation of PP1)
• Mcafee Total Security Trial

The software update is now available via an automatic update, or you can select “Check for Updates” in the Windows Home Server console.

Update: If you were one of the unlucky people whose update failed a few weeks ago and are having difficulties initiating the upgrade, check out Alex’s thread over at mediasmartserver.net for a possible resolution.

Similar Posts:

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• Windows Home Server November Update Coming Tuesday November 27th
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• Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 In Depth: WHS Connector Installation Walkthrough

The team is pleased to announce that Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 has been released to manufacturing (RTM) and is now available on the Microsoft Download Center!

The English version is available now and German, Spanish and French versions will be available on the Download Center soon. Windows Home Server customers who don't download it on their own will receive Power Pack 1 via Windows Update in August, and the new Chinese and Japanese versions will RTM in August, too.

As many know, Power Pack 1 provides a range of new enhancements, including support for home computers running Windows Vista x64 editions, backup of home server Shared Folders, improvements to remote access, more efficient power consumption and improved performance. And, of course, it delivers a fix for the data corruption bug. Documentation for Power Pack 1 (Build #1800, to those who have been part of the beta testing) is available here.

Our OEM partners will be updating their systems with Power Pack 1 and HP will release a software update for the HP MediaSmart Server, delivering enhanced media streaming capabilities from PacketVideo, server-side anti-virus from McAfee and compatibility with 64-bit home PCs.

Windows Home Server can now be purchased in 50 countries worldwide. And a growing ecosystem of third-party software developers have released or announced approximately 60 Add-in programs extending Windows Home Server's capabilities. The Windows Home Server SDK has been updated for Power Pack 1, too, including new support for the client PC side (i.e. notifications to/from home computers).

We continue to hear fantastic feedback from our customers about how Home Server is helping them protect their digital media, share it with friends and family, and access it from outside of the home. Thank you to our beta testers and partners for helping us ship Power Pack 1, and to the Home Server community as a whole for its ongoing support and enthusiasm.

The Windows Home Server Team

 

Complete installation instructions are available from the download page, but here is an overview.

1. Click the Download button to start the download of the file called WHS-KB944289-v1-x86-ENU.exe to your home computer.
2. On the Download dialog, click Save and then save the file to your home computer.
3. Copy the file from your Home Computer to your Home Server by Double-clicking the Shared Folders on Server shortcut on your home computer desktop.
4. Double-click the Software shared folder on your home server.
5. Copy the file you downloaded above from your home computer to the Software shared folder on your home server.
6. Connect to your Windows Home Server Administrator’s Desktop.
7. Minimize or close the Windows Home Server caution window.
8. Double-click the Shared Folders on Server shortcut on your home server desktop.
9. Double-click the Software shared folder.
10. Double-Click WHS-KB944289-v1-x86-ENU.exe and complete the installation wizard to install Power Pack 1. Your home server restarts after the wizard completes.

After you install Power Pack 1, check out these addition steps:

Update the Connector Software

Software Update for the HP MediaSmart Server

In readiness for the release of PP1 for WHS Microsoft released a Knowledge Base article KB 955690 on 17 July. The article discusses the kinds of files that are unsupported on a home network that uses Windows Home Server. These files include Microsoft Office Outlook personal folder files (.pst) and database files.

Additionally, it discusses other computer programs that may not be designed to work on a home network that uses Windows Home Server.

Similar Posts:

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• Windows Home Server November Update Coming Tuesday November 27th
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Cruising the journals at Ars Technica, I caught wind of a new promotional service for Windows Live Messenger called Minimise Me.  Minimise Me is a collaboration between Microsoft and MRM Worldwide (UK) that allows WLM users to easily create their own personalized character to use for their profile picture.  It also creates a small set of personalized emoticons based on the character that you create.  Alternatively, users can choose a character based on a UK celebrity to download or use as a starting point.

The character creation tool is very simple, but offers a wide range of characteristics and tools to customize those characteristics.  In my character creation I resized several elements and adjusted the position and color of others.  If you have tried the Spore Creature Creator or the Mii creator on the Nintendo Wii, you will feel immediately at home.  After creating your character, you can download it.  By default, the service will download a small executable that will install the profile picture and emoticons directly into WLM.  From the final page you can also click on the “Help with Download” link to download your character as a 96×96 jpg to use on other services such as Windows Live Spaces or Facebook.  Hopefully this feature will be elevated to a more prominent position so that users do not miss it as I almost did.

I realize that there are probably already sites out there that provide a similar service and there are hundreds of places to download unique emoticons, but like the folks over at Ars Technica, I find this release particularly interesting in the wake of the announcement of avatars for the Xbox 360.  Microsoft has been pushing personalization across their platforms lately and it will be interesting to see if this service grows beyond a simple promotion.  The 3D animated avatars of the 360 might be a bit too much for the Windows Live platform, but these IM avatars may be a quality alternative.

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The source code is available and can be used as a reference to create additional custom TweakMC settings. Perhaps there’s some useful tweaks in here for those working on tighter integration of Windows Home Server and Media Center environments.

The downloads page contains download files (TweakMC executable, readme document, and source code project).

Below is a list of the settings included in TweakMC for Media Center. Refer to the Readme document for additional command details and the registry keys they correspond to.

General Settings

• Display Wireless Passwords: When joining a wireless network, do you want to read the password as you enter it or do you want it to be hidden?

• Overscan Adjustment Settings

Enable Overscan: Some televisions do not display the full Media Center user experience. Do you want Media Center to pull in critical UI elements?

Bottom Margin: How many units should Media Center pull in critical elements from the bottom of the screen?

Top Margin: How many units should Media Center pull in critical elements from the top of the screen?

Right Margin: How many units should Media Center pull in critical elements from the right of the screen?

Left Margin: How many units should Media Center pull in critical elements from the left of the screen?

• Enable AddIn Debugging: AddIns start automatically when Media Center starts. Do you want to be prompted to attach a debugger when your AddIn is loaded?

• Override the Current Screen Resolution: Media Center displays a warning if the current screen resolution will not run at an acceptable level based on your current video card. You should note that this determination is an estimate based on the information Media Center can gather about your video card. To prevent warnings from repeatedly displaying, enter your screen resolution(for example, 1920×1200 or 1024×768).

• Toolbars Settings
Display Navigation Buttons: Do you want to display navigation buttons in different Media Center galleries and the Start screen when a toolbar for the two-foot experience is displayed?

Always Display Two-Foot Toolbars: This ensures that two-foot toolbars are displayed in all screens in Media Center except when video plays full screen, when visualizations are displaying as music plays, or when a slide show is playing.

DVD Settings

• Enable DVD Library: Media Center has a DVD gallery with cover art and descriptions called DVD Library. Do you want to enable the DVD Library? This will remove the Play DVD tile and you will need to go to the DVD Library to start a DVD.

• Autostart Enhanced DVD Content: Some DVDs include bonus content enhanced for Media Center. Do you want to automatically start the content?

• DVD Notification Timeout: Enter the number of milliseconds that you want to view the notification that a DVD has been inserted and is about to automatically start playing. (1 second = 1000 milliseconds)

• Search Depth: The DVD Library will search all locations that you have added in the DVD Library as well as your Videos directories. How many levels deep should it search for DVD content?

• Search Network Locations: The DVD Library will search all locations that you have added to your My Videos space as well as locations added in the DVD Library. Should it include network shares and folders in its search?

• Show Cache File Location: In the DVD Library when no metadata can be found for the current disc, the location of the cache file can be displayed on the DVD details page. You can edit this file to include any data that you would like to see displayed on the details page instead. Should the location of the cache file be displayed if there is no metadata?

• Suppress Eject Prompt: When a 3rd party application (More Programs or Online Spotlight) tries to eject a disc, do you want a confirmation dialog?

TV Settings

• Skip Forward Interval: Enter the number of milliseconds you want to skip forward when you press the skip button. (1 second = 1000 milliseconds)

• Skip Back Interval: Enter the number of milliseconds you want to skip back when you press the replay button. (1 second = 1000 milliseconds)

• No. of Most Viewed Channels: Enter the number of most viewed channels you want to see when you check the most viewed list in the TV guide

• Storage Location for Recorded TV: Enter the path for the storage location for recorded TV.

• Watched Folders for Recorded TV: If you have recorded TV stored in multiple locations enter the folder path below. You can enter one folder path for each line below. Example: C:\Recorded TV

• Notification Before A Recording Starts: When you are watching TV a notification appears before the channel is changed to start a new recording. Enter the number of milliseconds to show this notification before Media Center changes the channel to begin the recording. (1 second = 1000 milliseconds)

• Pre Recording Time: When you are Recording a show, the number of seconds for which Recording has to happen before the actual show time

• Post Recording time: When you are Recording a show, the number of seconds for which Recording has to happen after the actual show time

• More Info Panel Timeout: Enter the number of milliseconds to show the More Info panel while watching TV or DVD. (1 second = 1000 milliseconds)

• Seek Bar Display Settings:

Display Timeout Settings

Seek Bar Timeout: Enter the number of milliseconds to show the paused seek bar while watching TV or DVD. (1 second = 1000 milliseconds)

Seek Bar REW/FWD Timeout: While watching TV or DVD pressing REW/FWD displays the seek bar. Enter the number of milliseconds to show the seek bar when transitioning from REW or FWD to normal playback while watching TV or DVD. (1 second = 1000 milliseconds)

Seek Bar Slow Motion Timeout: Enter the number of milliseconds to show the seek bar when video is in slow motion playback while watching TV or DVD. (1 second = 1000 milliseconds)

Time Formatting Settings

Ending Position Time Format: How would you like the ending time of recorded TV or a video to appear? (For example, assume video length of 8 hours, 53 minutes, 4 seconds. Then should it be displayed as 8:53:04, or 8:53 etc.)

Live TV Start Time Format: How would you like the starting time of a live show to appear? (For example, assume show started at 2:30:00 PM on November 2, 2006. Then should it be displayed as 2:30, or 2:30 PM, or Nov 2 2:30 etc.)

Live TV Stop Time Format: How would you like the ending time of a live show to appear? (For example, assume show ended at 2:30:00 PM on November 2, 2006. Then should it be displayed as 2:30, or 2:30 PM, or Nov 2 2:30 etc.)
Update Interval Settings

When Playing: Enter the number of milliseconds in between seek bar updates when playing.(1 second = 1000 milliseconds)

When Fast Forwarding: Enter the number of milliseconds in between seek bar updates when fast forwarding. (1 second = 1000 milliseconds)

When Rewinding: Enter the number of milliseconds in between seek bar updates when rewinding. (1 second = 1000 milliseconds)

Margins Settings

Horizontal Margins: Enter the number of units of space between the left screen edge and seek bar. (Unit size varies depending on resolution)

Vertical Margins: Enter the number of units of space between the top screen edge and seek bar. (Unit size varies depending on resolution)

Note: The following three settings require Administrator permissions.

Remote Control Settings

• Enable Universal Remote Control: If Media Center does not respond properly to the OK button on your remote, enable universal remote support. Not all universal remotes require this though.

• Set Remote Control ID: To enable your Media Center to respond to a specific remote control ID do the following; 1. Press and hold the DVD Menu key on the remote then press a number button (1-8) for 5 seconds. Remotes with visible LED signal indicators will blink twice to confirm the change. 2. Enter that same number below. 3. Save. 4. Restart the Media Center PC.
Note: To enable Media Center to respond to all remotes use the number 0.

TweakMC Extender Settings

• Adjust Buffering Settings: Media Center Extender automatically optimizes its media buffering settings based upon the type of network connection. On some wireless networks, applying the wired network buffering settings can result in improved playback responsiveness but also might result in decreased video performance.

Similar Posts:

• Controlling Media Center From Your Windows Mobile Device
• Integrating Windows Home Server with Windows Media Center
• Add-in Update: Recorded TV Manager 3.4.5 & MCE Collections Beta
• How To: Play DVD’s in Windows Media Center Stored On Your Windows Home Server
• Add-In: TV Manager (Beta) Released

We know that many WGS readers have built their own home servers – some re-purposing old components to create a “Frankenbuild” home server, and others going out there to purchase new components for a brand new system build. It’s a great project to work on, and loads of fun thinking about the right mix of components to use for the build.

A number of websites have run articles featuring ways to build the cheapest, and greenest home servers – we thought it would be fun to pull together a guide on building a hardcore, maxed out home server, that would blow everything else away in terms of power.

We invited Intel’s Stephen Murtha to pull together a maxed-out home server spec for us. Stephen works in Intel’s Storage Platform team, focusing on consumer platforms such as Windows Home Server as well as participating actively in the DLNA – so high performance is close to his heart.

Not only has Stephen pulled together the spec, he went out, got the components and built the home server too, so without further ado, over to Stephen who’ll walk us through building a killer Windows home server system.

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Home Servers are an interesting product category; ask 10 people “What’s a Home Server” and you’ll probably get 10 different answers. Many will respond positively to an OEM product like the HP MediaSmart Home Server. Others will be happy installing the software on an older system which isn’t being used for anything else (although many quickly discover how much disk size, performance, and interconnect technology has changed in just the last couple of years). Still others will want to make their own. Several articles have been published (here, here, here, and here) describing how to put together your own Home Server creating a product comparable to the OEM products.

I’m going to take a different approach and show you how to put together a top-of-the-line WHS system; Core 2 Quad Intel CPU, iStarUSA mid-tower case with 4 SATA hot-swap drives, etc. In the end I have a system that will do file I/O, backups, media streaming, BitTorrent, all while running WHS Disk Extender and other services.

Step 1: Choosing the Parts

If you’ve thought about building a Home Server the first thing you find is that there are precious few Home Server computer cases out there, at least not something like the HP MediaSmart Home Server. Chenbro has their Chenbro ES34069 product, but it is designed for a mini-ITX motherboard which would rule out my Core 2 Quad. Fortunately I found the iStarUSA S-Storm series which includes the S-9-H34 model. It is a Mid-Tower design with a 4 drive SATA cage inserted into 3 of the 5.25” external drive bays. It has room for an appropriately selected power supply, DVD burner, etc. and looked like just the thing. If you really want to scale up, or potentially use this to back up data in a small business, the S-Storm case supports iStarUSA’s dual redundant power supply in a PS/2 size. One of the disappointments of the iStarUSA case was that it didn’t come with the 80 mm rear exhaust fan, which I ended up having to get separately once the parts came and I discovered the lack of a fan.

Next I looked for an Intel motherboard to go with the Core 2 Quad processor. I selected the DQ35JO motherboard. Among the reasons for my selection is the support for 6 SATA ports (including one eSATA), a DVI (so I can connect it to my DVI KVM switch), and Gigabit LAN. I selected the Q6600 a 2.4 GHz CPU with 8MB of L2 Cache and 1066 MHz FSB speed. Finally, I selected 2 GB of DDR PC2 5300 memory.

I wanted my case to neat and orderly, so I’m partial to modular power supplies, although they tend to be a little pricier than non-modular designs. The SATA cage has two 4-pin Molex power connectors and 2 SATA power connectors. Populating either set provides sufficient power for all 4 drives which further reduces clutter.

After selecting the chassis, CPU, motherboard, and Power Supply, what was left was to select the DVD drive and hard disks. I wasn’t terribly interested in a DVD writer, but ended up selecting a DVD burner based on price and availability. I selected a PATA (IDE) DVD burner, but after going through the installation, wished I has gotten a SATA DVD (see more detailed comments below). I finished off by selecting 2 500 GB WD5000AAKS SATA hard drives. These are SATAII (3 Gb/s) 7200 RPM drives with 16 MB of local cache memory.

Step 2: Purchasing the Parts

I got my components from New Egg based on their wide product selection and the fact they were one of the first to provide the Reseller version of Windows Home Server. Below is my shopping list with the New Egg part number for reference.

Part	Price	New Egg P/N
iStarUSA Case (S-8-H34-RED)	$179.99	N82E16811165079
Intel Q35 Motherboard (BOXDQ35JOE)	$119.99	N82E16813121094
Intel 2.4 GHz CPU (Q6600)	$214.99	N82E16819115017
Patriot 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 (PC2 5300) x 2	$37.99	N82E16820220231
Tagan Modular 700W Power Supply (BZ700)	$179.99	N82E16817814015
LITE-ON Black 16X DVD IDE Burner	$22.99	N82E16827106083
Hitachi Deskstar 500GB 7200 RPM HDD x 4	$89.99	N82E16822145137
Antec 120mm Case Fan	$19.99	N82E16835209011
Windows Home Server Reseller Version	$159.99	N82E16832116395
Floppy Drive	$7.49	N82E16821103203
Total	$1033.40

Once the parts arrived, it was time to put the system together.

Step 3: Assembling the Home Server

Assembling the system was fairly straightforward. I first assembled the motherboard. The Core 2 Quad processor was inserted into the Socket 775 and the heatsink installed as shown below.

Next the DDR2 memory DIMM modules were installed into their sockets. Many Intel motherboards support Active Management Technology or AMT which assists in the management of the system over the network. Windows Home Server does not support this, but I figured I should configure my system so that it was available if supported in the future. One of the requirements is that memory Channel 0 Socket 0 be populated, so I made sure the 2 DDR2 modules were installed in the correct sockets as shown below.

Once the CPU and memory was installed on the motherboard, I screwed it onto the standoffs and installed the EMI panel on the rear of the case. Next I connected the chassis cables for USB connectors, audio, reset, power on, etc. With the motherboard installation completed, I turned my attention to the DVD drive and power supply.

The iStarUSA case utilizes a “compression slider” to lock in the 5.25” and 3.5” externally accessible drives. I simply slid the DVD drive into the 5.25” bay, positioned the face of the drive flush with the front of the case, and slide the slider forward as shown below, and the drive was locked tightly in place.

Next it was time to hook up the power supply. Once the power supply case was secured in the chassis I was able to connect the motherboard power connectors and the ground wire. Next I utilized one of the modular SATA power cables to power the SATA hot swap cage. Finally I used a modular 4 pin Molex connector to hook up power to the DVD drive.

The final assembly step was to hook up the data cables for the SATA and DVD drives. As I mentioned previously I ordered a PATA DVD drive, and the 40 connector ribbon cable was a little difficult to route easily. In 20/20 hindsight I wished I’d gone with a SATA DVD drive (such as this one); it would have made the cabling easier.

Hooking up the SATA cables from the motherboard to the SATA cage was the last step. The 4 SATA connections are aligned along the outer edge of the cage and made routing the data cables fairly easy. I found that using 12” SATA cables eliminated the need to route any excess cable length and made tying them into a bundle fairly easy.

Step 4: Installing Windows Home Server

Once the hardware was all in place, the next step was to install the Windows Home Server OS. There have been several tutorials that run through the detailed steps of installing the Reseller Version of Windows Home Server, so I won’t repeat these steps here. However, the motherboard will require a set of drivers to be installed, so we’ll focus on these steps as you go through the installation process.

I put the installation disk into the DVD drive and rebooted the server. The WHS installation does some “pre-installation” work, then transitions into a more standard “Windows Server” installation. One of the initial steps is to create the System and Data volumes on the first HDD in your system. After the initial load of the installation files you’ll see the following screen showing the available drives, and you’ll notice the button to load additional storage drivers. You’ll need to load the storage drivers (IASTOR.SYS and IAAHCI.SYS) which come on the floppy disc in the box with the motherboard. You can insert the floppy into a floppy drive installed in the system, or use an external USB floppy drive connected to a USB port.

Click on the “Load drivers….” button and select the location of the drivers. Once you’ve located them load them one at a time (for some reason WHS doesn’t allow multi-select for the driver loading…) as shown below.

That’s all that is out of the ordinary until you finish installing WHS. When you are done with the installation you will find that WHS couldn’t find drivers for several hardware components, including the network driver so you won’t be connected to the Internet and won’t be able to download updates or activate your software.

Right-click on My Computer and open the Device Manager to update the drivers. You’ll see the screen below listing the devices which need updated drivers. Insert the Driver CD which came with the motherboard and update each driver by selecting the appropriate driver from the Drivers\Software\Drivers folders on the CD. Start with the “Chipset_INF” folder which will get the core motherboard drivers loaded, and then work on the LAN and Video driver. There are 64-bit and 32-bit video drivers included on the CD so make sure you install the 32-bit XP video driver (Version 14.29.2.4837).

When you’ve completed updating the drivers you’ll be looking at a Device Manager screen with no question marks. You’re now ready to download any updates from the Microsoft Update Service and activate your copy of Windows Home Server.

Well, that’s about it. I’ve got a powerful WHS installation with a SATA cage that will easily let me expand as I need more storage. My quad-core CPU and motherboard will ensure I’ve got all the horsepower I need to run any interesting add-in I find as well as handle any updates to Windows Home Server which come along from Microsoft.

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A big thanks from us at WGS to Stephen for pulling together the specification and walkthrough guide – let us know how this compares to your self-build, and if yours is pimped out even more than Stephen’s, then tell us how (and indeed, why?”)

Similar Posts:

• Universal Systems Home Server - Now Available to Order
• Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 In Depth: WHS Connector Installation Walkthrough
• Having Problems With Your UPS and the HP MediaSmart Server?
• How to… Upgrade Windows Home Server RC to Windows Home Server RTM
• Building Your Own Windows Home Server

I’ve heard from many of you who have built your own $400 Windows Home Server. As with most technology, prices fall over time. What was a parts list totaling $409 is now $30 lower. The cost to built a complete Windows Home Server is now only $379! And not only that, but the processor that I originally recommended, the Intel Celeron 420, has been discontinued. So I’ve replaced it with a more powerful, yet cheaper Intel Celeron 430.

If you’ve been holding out then now is the time. With a Windows Home Server for only $379 and Power Pack 1 almost out the door, there has never been a better time to built your own and save BIG.

For complete instructions read the original article.

Item	Cost
Shuttle KPC Barebone	$99
Intel Celeron 430 1.8GHz	$39
WD 500GB hard drive	$79
Windows Home Server DVD	$149
Kingston 512MB Memory	$11
Any random 92mm case fan	$2
T O T A L	$379

Lenovo's 12.1-inch X200 is the newest and smallest member of the revamped X series. More than that, this thing is actually affordable, bringing some of the X300's sweet form factor (0.8 inches of thinness) and power down to a reasonable price, starting at just $1199. It almost sounds too good to be true. Is it? Here are the first 5 takes from reviewers.

Laptop Mag
The Lenovo ThinkPad X200 is an excellent lightweight notebook for mobile professionals who demand the business essentials: security, durability, and lengthy battery life. Although some may prefer an optical drive or a slightly larger display, the power of the Centrino 2 platform combined with the usual ThinkPad excellence makes this one of the best ultraportables around.

PC Mag
With wider dimensions, the ThinkPad keyboard we all come to love is larger than the previous one, and the typing experience is nothing short of spectacular, trumping the ones on both the Sony VAIO VGN-SZ791N and the Toshiba R500 (SSD). For those who adore the pointing stick, the X200 carries one over from the X61.

Notebook Review
The amazing battery life capabilities and cool and quiet running performance are real highlights. Having so much power in a small package while still maintaining a cool and quiet computing experience further adds to the impressiveness there. The ThinkPad X200 is also durable enough to last a very long time even with the most abusive of owners, shoving the X200 in a tightly packed bag and then physically forcing it under seat 21A on the plane won't cause this laptop harm.

Channel Web
What really grabbed our attention was the X200's 9-cell battery life. Using the Test Center's standard test, in which all power-saving options are turned off and video is run continuously off the hard drive until the battery dies, the X200 lasted for 4 hours and 16 minutes. That is pushing the envelope in our testing environment, and puts it at or near the head of the class this year in battery life.

Notebooks.com
One minor thing that bugs me is Lenovo’s logo, which stands on its own and looks like an afterthought. Another negative is that the X200 only has a single speaker, which isn’t good for much except for system beeps. If you’re going to listen to tunes while you work on the X200 headphones are an absolute must.

Pandora’s internet radio has always been one of those sites that was really cool in concept, but too inconvenient to ever go mainstream. The service was long tied to computers only, and while it eventually expanded to special internet radios and some mobile phones, it still has yet to become a household name. But with the launch of Pandora’s new iPhone app last Friday, it looks like the service is about to hit critical mass. It’s a free, mobile, digital radio station that only plays music you like and lets you skip the stuff you don’t. And it rocks.

The personalized music service employs a small army of 50 musicians to create a “Music Genome” that describes each song according to 600 attributes. Listeners input a few of their favorite artists, and the site analyzes the Genome to serve up an endless stream of recommended music.

We introduced the app last Friday, when we called it our “flat out favorite application so far”, and since then it hasn’t failed to impress. Streamed music plays flawlessly over Edge and 3G networks - during a 40 mile drive I didn’t once run into any kind of skipping or static. Even better, the app currently has no advertisements playing, though we can probably expect that to change.

Unsurprisingly, Pandora’s usage stats are overwhelmingly positive. Pandora is currently the fourth most popular free app on iTunes (behind Apple’s Remote, AIM, and WeatherBug), and has reportedly been seeing a new listener every 2 seconds. Usage over the weekend hit an all-time high for the service, with 3.3 million tracks streamed to iPhone listeners alone. Perhaps more impressive is the retention rate of listeners, who are averaging over an hour of listening per day.

If there’s one thing that could kill the service, it’s ads. Pandora is going to need to monetize the app somehow - let’s hope it allows us to pay an upfront fee (say, $10) to avoid the annoying interruptions that have made listening to traditional radio a painful experience.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

Filed under: Gaming

Sony just announced at E3 that Playstation Network users now have the ability to rent and purchase moves and TV shows. Like, immediately -- the service is getting flipped on tonight. It's not just Sony content, either: Fox, MGM, Lions Gate, Warner, Disney, Paramount, Turner, and something called Funimation are signed up from the get-go. Video will be available in both SD and HD, and TV pricing starts at $1.99. Movie purchases will run $9.99 - $14.99, while rentals will be $2.99 - $5.99. What's more, the content is "portable," meaning that videos downloaded on your PS3 can be watched on multiple PSPs. It doesn't look like movies can be purchased in HD, but downloads are progressive so content starts playing a minute after you hit begin the download.

PSN users will also get a single persistent sign-on across every device that can access the network: PS3, PSP, PC. It's not clear whether those aliases will carry over into games themselves or if friends lists will start working across devices as well, however. The integration is scheduled to happen for this fall, though, so you might want to go and grab your handle of choice relatively soon.

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Yes, netbooks and ultra-cheap lappies are being pumped out by everybody, and frankly, boring. But a Lenovo-made cheapie that brings some of their standard features and serious build quality down to a netbook pricepoint would be a bargain-bin laptop worth looking at. Supposedly the first in their IdeaPad G-Series will be 14.1-incher running on Centrino 2. Hopefully the pricepoint is in line with (or better than) its smaller competition. [DigiTimes via I4U]

After battling with the 02 website last Monday I managed to secure myself the brand new iPhone 2.0!

No waiting in line outside the Apple store for me. Obviously after playing around with it for a while I wanted to know how the built in web browser would work with WHS. I’m pleased to say it worked well. I was able to log in browse the folders and generally use it as per normal. Obviously the computers tab is missing (you only get the computers tab when using Internet Explorer) but this is to be expected.

 

Photo browsing works well with the Power Pack 1 thumbnail view and I was able to download photos and add save them individually to my camera, but unfortunately I couldn’t download any music or videos to the phone, with QuickTime giving me an error message.

As the iPhone uses a touch screen, navigating can be a bit tricky, but overall I am very impressed. I would love to see better integration with WHS, perhaps with the home server website detecting what device you are using and displaying correctly (as the BBC iPlayer does currently). Maybe some clever person out there could do that..?

Incidentally if you are wondering how I managed to get a screen grab just hold down the home button and hit the top button (the sleep one) the screen will flash and the image is stored in your camera roll.

Similar Posts:

• Add-In: WebGuide for Windows Home Server
• Media Center Integration With Windows Home Server - Your Ideas?
• Add-In: WL3 for Windows Home Server
• Add-in: Sage TV 6.26 Release Candidate for Windows Home Server
• Windows Media Center and Windows Home Server - Better Together

Filed under: Gaming

We knew this one was coming, but we didn't know the details. Nintendo busted out the new MotionPlus Wiimote add-on at its E3 keynote today. The device, which attaches to the rear of the controller, will be used to tighten up and refine motion sensing on the Wii, and its tweaks will be levied in a new game that the accessory comes paired with called Wii Sports Resort. The console-maker says the MotionPlus brings 1:1 sensing to the Wii, which will enable detailed control heretofore unseen on the system. We're getting more info (and hopefully a hands-on with the little guy at some point) so stay tuned.

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Nintendo just announced Wii Music, a new music game that lets you use the Wiimote, Nunchuk and Balance Board to create music. Unlike Rock Band or Guitar Hero, this one isn't based on precise timing. Rather, it lets you basically hit buttons and swing the remote around to create original tunes. The Wii interprets your motions and button presses to make music for you. Essentially, this is like Beamz but instead of lasers, you use the Wiimote and Balance Board. Awesome?

Different people can play different instruments, and you have the option of playing a wide number of them, from guitar and drums to the saxophone and violin. You'll be able to create music videos of the music you create, too. There will also be an orchestra conducting game included. It'll record your performance, but it won't rate or grade you. We don't want another story like the Wii Fit calling kids fat, now do we? You're all brilliant, children!

It'll be coming out this holiday season. [Gizmodo's Nintendo E3 Liveblog]

WordPress 2.6 is now available for download and promises some excellent new features which will enhance your WordPress experience. Check out this list of features and I am sure you will download Wordpress 2.6 right now.

Best new features of Wordpress 2.6

Post Revisions- If you liked auto-save, this new feature allows you to view who made what changes, and when, to any post or page through an easy interface and lets you restores the post to earlier saved versions. Multiple authors working on the same article have something to rejoice.

Press This bookmark - I love the way Tumblr allows us to quickly post content on our tumblelog of photos and videos. WordPress grabbed the idea and now you have the same functionality here. Images and video codes preloaded. Do I hear Tumblr fans shifting…

Turbo Mode - Gears is a tool that creates a “Local Server” to cache or keep a copy of commonly-used Javascript and CSS files on your computer, and this can really speed up the loading of your admin pages. You need to download Gears to work this.

Theme Previews - Selecting the new wordpress theme no longer sends it live on your blog. Now the theme preview mode lets you see how your site will look like with the new theme and then publish it live at will.

Image captions - Now you can add small caption titles beneath the embedded images, which will make more sense about what your image reveals.

New Avatars - No need to display blank Gravatars for your commenters. Opt from a variety of different Identicons, Wavatars and MonsterID. Now that should see more usability of avatars on blogs.

Secure remote publishing - To post to WordPress from a desktop blogging client or remote website that uses the Atom Publishing Protocol or one of the XML-RPC publishing interfaces, you must enable it now as it is switched off by default. Hooray to better wordpress security.

Plugin update notification - No need to keep visiting the plugins tab to find if new plugins updates are available. A small bubble indicates the number of plugins with updates. Also the active and inactive plugins are now separated and can be selected by Shift-click together.

Word Count - Do you get paid for writing 500 word posts? No need to keep pasting in Microsoft word to get the word count, Wordpress will keep the count for you.

Reorder Galleries - Change the order of images in a gallery simply by drag and drop and it is no longer ordered by upload pattern.

Paginated Themes - Dreamhost 1-click wordpress installs 50 wordpress themes by default - now you can view the themes by page, which brings some order to your themes and loads faster too.

What are you waiting for - Download Wordpress 2.6 now. This video will explain some of the new features better.

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Have you ever taken an honest look at how you are perceived around the office?  Your behavior, attitude, and reputation play a huge role in how you interact with coworkers and subordinates.  Others may listen to you because of your job title, but if that’s the only reason, you have a serious problem on your hands.

I’m not talking about superficial issues like dressing well or keeping a tidy office.  It goes deeper than that—to your attitude towards work and your attitude towards personal productivity.

Do you have a reputation of exceptional organization, follow-up, and time management? 

Or do people dread sending you an e-mail, because they know there’s a slim chance that they’ll ever hear back?

Is your desk a black hole, where papers and requests go in, but never come out? 

Does it take you thirty minutes to find something that you would expect someone else to find in thirty seconds?

The bottom line is that to be an effective leader and coworker, you need to be a good role model that others will choose to emulate.  Your employees and coworkers might pay attention to what you say, but they’ll ALWAYS pay attention to what you do.  You’re a role model—good or bad—through your image.

Take a personal inventory of how others see you in the workplace.  Your goal is to identify—and correct—your own personal productivity demons.  Need help getting started?  Begin by asking yourself these questions:

Are you the bottleneck?  The only thing worse than the person at the office who seems to do nothing is the person who tries to do everything. 

Say it with me folks, “I can’t do it all.”

The sooner you come to terms with that troublesome fact, the better off you’ll be.  In pursuit of being the undisputed office superstar, you may in fact be buried.  The more you try to do everything, the less able you are to do anything.

Sure, the business world can be demanding, but nine times out of ten, helplessly buried office workers put themselves in the overworked situation they’re in.  As a leader (and as a human being) you need to understand how to prioritize, which means understanding how to say “no.”

If you constantly accept additional responsibilities, without being able to keep up with what you’ve already committed, you will eventually be unable to devote proper attention to any one of your many duties. 

If you think that being overextended and perpetually frazzled sounds bad, imagine reporting to someone in that situation.  Being spread too thin generally leads to missed deadlines, poor response times, and a constant source of unnecessary stress.

Do your subordinates, coworkers—and yourself—a favor.  Keep your priorities focused and your schedule realistic.  You need to be able to work as hard for your people as they do for you.

If it takes you days to respond to a voicemail or weeks to review a proposal, you aren’t setting others up for success.  Don’t be the bottleneck!

Do you micromanage?  You have a staff at your disposal…so why are you still doing everything yourself?  The best thing you can do as a manager is to put people in place whom you can trust—and then trust them.

Always remember, however, that your way isn’t the only way and that sometimes “good enough” is, well, good enough.  Does that mean that you keep slack standards and let people get away with sub-par work?  Of course not!  It just means that you pick your battles and allow your team to do their jobs without having to constantly worry about your “helpful” interventions.

There will always be some things that absolutely need to be done a certain way and kept to a certain standard.  These are the tasks and priorities that you should keep a close watch on to ensure that they are completed properly. 

But what about the others?  Just ask yourself what would happen if a given task was completed adequately, instead of perfectly.  Or if a project was done correctly, although perhaps not in exactly the same way you would go about it if you were to do it yourself.  Most of the time, you’ll find that it really isn’t that big a deal.  In these cases, it is important to step back, let go, and focus your energies on more important initiatives. 

Is your schedule realistic?  Take a look at your schedule for this week.  Are you booked solid, running from one meeting to the next all day every day?

If you’re overbooked, not only will you leave yourself no time to accomplish important, high-priority tasks, you’ll also make yourself unavailable to your team.  It doesn’t do any good if a project is completed on deadline if it takes three days for you to have a moment to take a look at it.

Besides, what does it say about the value of your time if you are booking yourself silly day in and day out?  By accepting every invitation you receive, you are letting others control you time and determine your priorities.  That isn’t what leadership is about!

Don’t attend any meeting where the organizer can’t clearly articulate the objective.  And make sure that when you do attend a meeting, others understand why you are there and know what they can expect in terms of your involvement.  If you regularly find yourself in meetings “just in case” you’re needed, you aren’t placing much of a premium on your time. 

What are your other productivity demons?  Everyone has their downfalls, and the ones discussed above are just a starting point.  Take a good, hard look at yourself and come up with a fair assessment of the impression you give others at the office.  This is no time to tell little white lies or shy away from the truth.  The only way to fix the problem is to tackle the issue head on.

Whatever your demons are—too much socializing, excessive email surfing, time management problems, over scheduling your time, responding slowly to e-mail, dealing with personal issues on work hours, or procrastination—identify them and then work to put them to rest.

That’s the beauty of it.  You really can fix many of these problems right away.  If you’re honest with yourself, you know the right things to do.  You just need to listen to that nagging voice in the back of your mind and make it happen.

Make it a productive day! ™
© 2008 Laura Stack.  Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author,