Why I'm A Gamer

So it's been a while since I last blogged. Life happens and I just don't have time to consistently write articles as much as I should. I'm glad I can still put down thoughts whenever I can though.

I love videogames. I love collecting them, I love playing them, and I love getting lost in a whole other world whenever I play them. I've been playing videogames almost my entire life since maybe I was only about 3 years old way back in 1982.
At that age I even had the small Nintendo handheld portables for Pinball, and Donkey Kong. My family owned an Atari 2600 and had Pong, PacMan, Space Invaders, E.T. and Frogger. My family also owned a Colecovision and I remember playing BurgerTime, Centipede, PopEye, Donkey Kong Jr., and Buck Rogers.

When the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) came out in 1983 my family got one and my older brothers and I would always be fighting over who gets to play next. The NES hit the store shelves and was trending so high it's popularity was soaring with the masses and almost every family household owned one. The phenomenon that was Super Mario Bros.was when I was truly sucked into the world of videogames.
In the years and decades to follow I would own hundreds more new games and several new console systems almost as soon as they were available. There's so many great and entertaining videogames that I experienced that it's difficult to sit here and name them all. If it was great and you can name it, I probably played it like you.

During my highschool years from 1993 to 1997 I had a wide range of things keeping me busy. Extracurricular sports, studying for exams, Muay Thai Kickboxing classes, and videogames were all part of my regular schedule. However, I would get a motivational booster from my eldest sibling Janet to try harder at school. I made a deal with Janet. The deal was that every time I made the Honor Roll at school, I would get a new videogame of my choice. Seeing as each school year, had 3 report card periods, I could get rewarded with up to 3 new games every year. I made it my goal to try and make the Honour Roll as often as I could which meant getting at least half A's and B's on all of my subjects to get a total grade-point-average of 3.5. I rarely ever missed the Honour Roll and kept my grades up and was always rewarded with a shiny new game for whatever system I was using at the time. Mostly like a Sega Genesis game or Super Nintendo game.

This sort of motivation and reward system carried me through all of highschool and even helped me through College 1997 - 2000 where I motivated myself to push harder and get better grades. If I got good grades, I would go out and buy myself the latest game I wanted at the end of Semester when I had time to relax and play without worrying about school. Of course the post Secondary years were mostly spent doing social things, like partying, and hanging out with friends, and talking to girls, more than playing videogames, but I always found a way to fit it into my schedule.

Yes I'm an adult and I still play VideoGames. If you don't like that fact then you are in the wrong century. VideoGames are the best form of entertainment. They are bigger and better than straight-up watching Television. The interactivity of videogames involves a whole lot more brain activity and is way more socially engaging than regular TV. The videogame industry is right up there with mainstream Hollywood movie industry.

I highly recommend watching this video on YouTube by GameRanx titled
"10 Misconceptions About Gamers from Non-Gamers"
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJukS3HjYWY]

Secure Your Internet Browser Using Secure Private Modes

Mozilla Firefox


Firefox allows you to automatically enable private browsing mode via its options window. Click menu > Options to open it.

Click the “Privacy” tab at the left side of the window to access privacy settings. Under History, click the “Firefox will” box and select “Never remember history”. Firefox will prompt you to restart the browser.

Firefox will look the same but it will have the same settings it uses in private browsing mode applied.

Google Chrome


To activate Google Chrome’s incognito mode by default, you must add a command line option to its shortcut.

First, locate the shortcut you use to launch Google Chrome—either on your taskbar, desktop, Start menu. Right-click it and select “Properties”.

If you’re using a taskbar shortcut, you’ll have to right-click the Google Chrome shortcut on your taskbar, right-click “Google Chrome” in the menu that appears, and then select “Properties”.

Add -incognito to the end of the text in the Target box. That’s a space, one dash, and then the word incognito.

Click “OK” to save your changes after adding this option.

Google Chrome will now start in incognito mode when you launch it from this shortcut. If you use other shortcuts to launch Google Chrome, you will also need to modify them.


Apple Safari

The Safari browser on Mac includes an option that allows you to always open it in private browsing mode. To find it, open Safari and click Safari > Preferences.

On the General pane, click the “Safari opens with” box and select “A new private window”. When you open Safari in the future, it will open in private browsing mode.

Internet Explorer


If you’re using Internet Explorer, you will need to add a command-line option to your Internet Explorer shortcuts to activate InPrivate Browsing by default.

Locate the shortcut you use to launch Internet Explorer, right-click it, and select Properties. If you’re using a taskbar shortcut, you’ll need to right-click Internet Explorer on the taskbar, right-click “Internet Explorer” again, and select Properties.

Add -private to the end of the Target box. That’s a space, one dash, and then the word private. Click OK to save your changes.

Internet Explorer will now start with InPrivate Browsing enabled when you launch it via this shortcut. If you use other shortcuts to launch Internet Explorer, you will need to modify each one.

[reference: https://www.howtogeek.com/137466/how-to-always-start-any-browser-in-private-browsing-mode/ ]

Free Up Hard Drive Space - Updated!

I've figured out a way to clear out any temporary files and folders that Windows uses by using automated batch files. Batch files are simple computer command executions that run through the Windows command line prompt that is similar to DOS.

Step 1 - Enable viewing of hidden folders and files, and unhide file extensions.
We are enabling viewing of the hidden folders so that we can access a certain folder where temporary files are stored so that they can be deleted by the batch files later. We also want to unhide extensions so we can clearly see what type of files we have. This will enable us to rename a text file extension and turn it into a batch file extension instead.

--> For Windows 10 and Windows 8 - open any drive or folder on your computer.
--> click on the menu "View" --> "Options" --> click on the tab "View"
--> at the bottom of that window look for items with checkboxes and make sure the option beside "Show hidden folders, files, and drives" is checked with a black circle beside it.
--> uncheck the checkbox beside "Hide extensions for known file types".
Click on the "Apply" button and then the "OK" button to close it.

--> For Windows 7 - open any drive or folder on your computer.
--> click on the menu "Organize" --> select "Folder and search options" --> click on the tab "View"
--> at the bottom of that window look for items with checkboxes and make sure the option beside "Show hidden folders, files, and drives" is selected with a black circle beside it.
--> uncheck the checkbox beside "Hide extensions for known file types".
Click on the "Apply" button and then the "OK" button to close it.


Step 2 - Find your main User Account Name.
- Browse to your main Operating System hard drive which is usually the C:/ drive for most people.
     ---> then open the "Users" folder
     ---> then look for the main user name of the computer. The list will look something like this:
               - Default
               - UserName
               - LocalService
               - NetworkService
               - Public
     ---> the main user name in this case is "UserName" but it will be different on your own computer.
     ---> make a note of it because we are going to use it when editing the first batch file so that it works.

        
 Step 3 - Create Batch File 1
--> press windows key+R, then type "notepad" without the quotation marks and press enter to open the Notepad Application.

Then copy the following text within the dotted lines and paste it into Notepad:
--------------------------------------------------------
@ ECHO OFF

Set dir=C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Temp

Echo Deleting all files from %dir%
del %dir%\* /F /Q

Echo Deleting all folders from %dir%
for /d %%p in (%dir%\*) Do rd /Q /S "%%p"
@echo Folder deleted.

exit
--------------------------------------------------------
Then change UserName to what your main account user name is.
--> go to File menu --> Save --> name it "clear temp app data.txt" and save it in a spot you can remember. Desktop is usually a good location.
Next you need to convert the file into a batch file.
--> Click on the name of the file once so that the cursor appears and you can edit the text.
--> delete the .txt extension and type in .bat to replace it. The file should now be named
clear temp app data.bat


Step 4 - Create Batch File 2
--> press windows key+R, then type "notepad" without the quotation marks and press enter to open the Notepad App.

Then copy the following text within the dotted lines and paste it into Notepad:
--------------------------------------------------------
@ ECHO OFF

Set dir=C:\Windows\Temp

Echo Deleting all files from %dir%
del %dir%\* /F /Q

Echo Deleting all folders from %dir%
for /d %%p in (%dir%\*) Do rd /Q /S "%%p"
@echo Folder deleted.

exit
--------------------------------------------------------

--> go to File menu --> Save --> name it "clear windows temp data.txt" and save it in a spot you can remember. Desktop is usually a good location.
Next you need to convert the file into a batch file.
--> Click on the name of the file once so that the cursor appears and you can edit the text.
--> delete the .txt extension and type in .bat to replace it. The file should now be named
clear windows temp data.bat


Step 5 - Copy the Batch Files to Windows Startup
--> find where you saved both batch files "clear temp app data.bat" + "clear windows temp data.bat" and select them both.
--> right-click and select "copy"
--> press the Windows Key + R key together
--> type "shell:startup" without the quotation marks and press the "Enter" key. This will open the Windows startup Folder.
--> right-click anywhere in the folder and select "paste"
--> close all open windows.
--> That's it folks. Now every time that Windows starts up or when your computer reboots, temporary files and folders will be safely deleted and will free up hard drive space automatically. Restart your computer to test it out.

Find Control Panel After Windows 10 Creators Update

If you are like me and prefer the old style control panel from Windows 7 and older legacy versions of Windows, you might notice its now missing in Windows 10 due to the Windows 10 Creators Update.

The Windows 10 Creators Update has been pushed by Microsoft since April 8th, and you may have noticed that your Windows 10 PC has already been updated.

The Control Panel isn’t really missing but has now been hidden by the new update. To access it just press the "Windows Key + R" which will pop-up the run menu. Then type the word "control" without the quotation marks, and then press the enter key. The old-styled "Control Panel" window will instantly open. That's it!

Ultimate PC Configuration - Spring 2017

Okay I've been sick for nearly 3 weeks now with a nasty cold and I haven't blogged in a while. More specifically I visited the doctor and was diagnosed with Acute Sinusitus (deep sinus infection) which caused the whole range of cold-like symptoms. Anyways I'm on antibiotics and on the mend and finally am able to at least get a little bit of work done.

Here's an expert enthusiast hardware configuration for an Extreme Performance Gaming PC with some of the most current and best rated hardware components:

Computer case:
Thermaltake Core P7 TG
=   $ 450.00

Power supply:
ThermalTake Toughpower DPS G RGB Gold Modular Power Supply, 850W
=   $ 240.00

Processor:
Intel Core i7-7700K 4.5GHz Quad-Core Kaby Lake Processor
=    $ 500.00

Motherboard:
ASUS ROG Strix Z270E Gaming LGA1151 Kaby Lake DDR4
=  $ 280.00

Memory:
Trident Z RGB Series DDR4 3866 RAM Kit w/ RGB LED Lighting, 32GB (4x 8GB)
=    $ 680.00

Video card:
Nvidia GeForce Titan X Pascal 12GB DDR5X 1600MHz
=   $ 1500.00

Storage:
Samsung 960 PRO NVMe M.2 PCIe x4 SSD, 2TB Solid State Drive (3500 MB/s)
=   $ 1900.00

Monitor:
Acer Predator X34 34in Curved UltraWide QHD IPS LED Gaming Monitor w/ G-SYNC 100Hz
=  $ 1700.00

That covers the core basic components needed to build a kick-ass PC Gaming rig. I don't cover the extra peripherals such as keyboards, mice, speakers, or headsets etc. There's such a diverse range of awesome over-the-top peripherals that it just comes down to preference. I'll leave you to judge what the best of those are. However with the base components, it is usually less difficult to determine what is the top-of-the-line and bleeding-edge.

Ready for a throwback? Check out my very first blog article on Ultimate PC Configurations.

How To Set Up Network File Sharing That Always Works

I've missed a couple months of blog entries because I've just been way too busy with other I.T. work and family and life in general. However, I'm back and here's my latest entry.

Since before 2006 when Windows XP was the reigning OS, file sharing on a LAN (Local Area Network) was easy, simple and just plain worked. After 2006 and beyond during the introduction of Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10, the LAN Network File Sharing has become a bit of wildcard and would only sometimes work properly. This made it frustrating for me whenever I wanted to set up a Media Server to stream videos and movies across to various devices on the Network. Devices ranged from Samsung Galaxy S Smartphones, Apple Ipads, Google Nexus Tablets, various laptops and desktop PC's, and some Android enabled TV boxes with Kodi.


In the following years I would experiment with setting up Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 PC's as the media servers with File Sharing and Drive Mapping, but always had mixed results. Ultimately I chose File Sharing over Drive Mapping because I wanted to enable limited sharing within specific network Workgroups and not the entire LAN like what Drive Mapping does. Sometimes the file shares would work, and then wouldn't work, and then seemingly randomly work again. Sometimes the file shares would disappear for no reason and I would have to set them up again. It was a bit of a head scratcher.

Back in 2008 I had set up a small Windows XP file server that was always able to seamlessly file share and stream. Near the last quarter of 2016 after over 8 years of flawless streaming, my Windows XP server was getting too slow to smoothly stream HD videos and I finally had to replace it with a more modern computer.

After fiddling around with different settings and seeing what worked, I finally positively discovered a surefire way to make modern Windows File Sharing work no matter what. Use a setting called "Advanced Sharing" and enabling "Full Control" for the entry "Everyone". You should also make sure that your Network Workgroups are setup and named correctly before doing this.


Here's how to set up file sharing that always works:

- browse to the location of the folder that you want to share on the local computer or server.

- right-click the folder and choose "Properties" --> click on the tab "Sharing" --> click on the button with the shield icon "Advanced Sharing...".

- put a check mark in the checkbox beside  "Share this folder".

- optionally you can type in a new Share Name or leave it as the default.

- click on the "Permissions" button

- a new window will pop-up. Inside the box underneath "Group or user names" and look for an entry called "Everyone".
- If it is not listed, click the "Add" button. --> in the next window underneath "Enter the object names to select" there will be a box to type into. --> type "Everyone" without the quotation marks, and then click the "OK" button.

- back at the Permissions Window, make sure "Everyone" is hilighted and in the box below it will say "Permissions for Everyone" --> put a check mark in the checkbox "Full Control" and optionally for "Change". "Full Control" allows network devices to fully see the share on the network where they previously could not detect the file share, and "Change" will allow network users the ability to copy, paste, or delete files from that folder.

- keep on clicking the "OK" buttons until you are back to where you started and that's it. Fully compatible and visible file sharing is enabled for that folder on your network.