Our house was burglarized in early January, and we lost a whole bunch of portable electronics stuff. Our old fully loaded Inspiron 1420 too was a victim of this theft.
After that I was looking for a good laptop to replace it …. and finally ordered a Dell Studio XPS 1647. It took over a month and a half for Dell to ship the laptop and I finally received it last week. Its a pretty good laptop. However, Dell officially supports only one HDD on it. I wanted to use a SSD (solid state drive) as my primary drive for the OS, and then have a second HDD as secondary drive for bulk data storage. So, I bought a 60GB SSD drive and used it as the primary drive. SSD makes a HUGE difference in the performance. No more waits. The entire windows 7 installation was complete in less than 15 mins… Its a major improvement in performance.
However, the problem is.. the SSD is way to expensive for now. For e.g: 60 GB SSD costs around $170 to $200… and larger capacities cost a fortune. I am pretty sure prices would come down eventually in a year or so.. But for now, I wanted a second HDD to store bulk data – like movies, HD videos that I capture, tons of photos from my dSLR ..etc.. and 60GB won’t suffice. Offcourse, I can connect an external HDD.. but its a hassle with the laptop. So, the search began to see if I could put a second HDD into this laptop. I had heard of people who had replaced their Optical Disk Drives (CD/DVD) with a HDD Caddy and have a second HDD.
So, I did some research on the net and across this specific thread on the notebook review forums, which I visit frequently. Thanks to the author of the thread, I could confirm that this could be done. But since Dell XPS 1647 is a new model (just released), .. no one had really done this, and I believe I am one of the first few to try this out. Not a big deals as such since 1647 is almost similar to 1645/1640 series (except for the processors) and some have reported success on those systems.
So, here is how I did it….. for all the hopefuls :
Pre-Requisites:
Confidence to open your laptop :)
HDD Caddy to replace the Optical Disk Drive – I got one from New Mode Electronics, which sells such caddys. This specific machine uses 12.7mm (height) slot-loading model with SATA external interface. You can buy it on ebay too for a cheaper price, but most of them ship from China and takes a long time to arrive.. and if there is a problem..its a nightmare to return or re-order.
Here is the Pictorial :
Click on each of the image below to see a larger image (in a new window)
Step 01 – Ready to Dismantle the Laptop
Step 02 – Remove the Back cover (10 screws to remove)
Step 03 – Remove the Rear caps (slide, and pull out as described in the dell service manual). Don’t apply force.
Step 04 – Remove 14 screws (this is needed to remove the palm rest). On my system 10 screws were marked “P”, 2 were marked “K” and 2 were flat screws.
Step 05 – Turn over, and remove the two screws to remove the palm rest. (Point to remember – once you are done, and when you tighten this later, don’t tighten it too much, else the plastic under it would crack). Once the two screws are removed, use the two tabs to pull out the palm rest (as described in the service manual)
Step 06 – Disconnect the cables connected (by lifting the tab – again – its described very well in the service manual).
Step 07 – Remove the cables connected (two of them). Now the palm rest is free & the motherboard and the ODD is visible
Step 08 – View of the mother board and ODD
Step 09 – View of the mother board and the 3 screws that need to be removed to free the OOD
Step 10 – One screw at the back to remove the ODD. Point to note – the HDD caddy did not have this screw hole – but the HDD Caddy fits in place securely with other 3 screws.
Step 11 – the ODD is now free – You can see the inter-poser (SATA to the motherboard pins) – simply pull it out from the ODD to set it free.
Step 11a – View of ODD out of the system
Step 12 – The ODD and the HDD Caddy that I got from New Mode Electronics. There is a component that is used on the ODD to secure it to the motherboard – This needs to be removed (2 screws) and put on the new HDD caddy as shown in this image.
Step 13 – View of ODD, Securing Component, Interposer, and the HDD Caddy – all side by side.
Step 14 – The new HDD caddy with the 500 GB Seagate HDD (that came with my system), interposer and the securing component
Step 15 – Plug in the HDD caddy in the system and fasten the screws. From this point, its just a reverse process of putting things back in place (palm rest, screws, rear caps and the back cover)
Step 16 – BIOS – now shows the second HDD !
Step 17 – Window Shows the second HDD!
Total time taken from start to finish (including taking photos..etc) - 60 mins!
So, there you go.. you now have a second HDD in your laptop.. hope this pictorial helps!
What if you want to use you CD/DVD drive ?
Well, I have ordered a eSATA/USB to SATA cable. Using this cable, I can use my CD/DVD drive as an external driver (on the rare occasions that I use it!)
Well, we have a Dell Inspiron 1420 [did i mention that before? :)]………. and when we purchased it back in Nov ’07, it came with an Intel 3945ABG WiFi card. The Intel 3945ABG card supports speeds of upto 54 Mbps (802.11g). Its good for accessing the internet, but its slow when you do file transfers between nodes on the local network.
So.., over the past week, upgraded our home network…which involved:
1. Replacing my old D-Link DI-524 router with an 802.11n router
2. And replacing the WiFi Card on the laptop with an 802.11n capable card (Intel 4965AGN WiFi Link card).
Linksys WRT600N Router
For #1, I purchased a Linksys WRT600N router — which is a wireless-N gigabit dual-band router, with storage link — which means, you can connect a USB drive to it, and that drive would be available on your network! (kind of like network attached storage – NAS). So, now, my 750GB Seagate external drive is plugged into it, and all its partitions are now accessible wirelessly as a shared folders!
Intel 4965AGN mini-express card
For #2, here is what I did …
Confirmed with the Dell tech support that my laptop was indeed upgradeable.
Purchased a Intel 4965AGN mini-express card. Now, here is the thing – you can buy this card from dell.com – which would cost you around $80+tax+shipping, or you can get it from any third party website. I got it from buy.com (or amazon.com), where it was available for around $33 shipped! (yes… thats how dell rips you!)
The WiFi card on the Dell Inspiron 1420 is below the keyboard. So, you need to remove the keyboard. There is a Service Manual on the dell website which tells you how to replace the WiFi Card. It was pretty simple. In some laptops of other brands (or other dell models), the card is at the bottom of the laptop and is much easier to access.
Briefly, here is how you do it:
Shutdown you laptop, remove the batteries and ground yourself. Once the battery is remove, press the power button on the laptop to ground the motherboard of your laptop.
Remove the Keyboard hinge cover using a plastic scribe (no screws to remove here, its all held with tabs and notches).
Once the hinge is off, unscrew the two screws which secure the keyboard, and lift the keyboard gently since the keyboard connector is still connected to the motheboard.
Rotate the keyboard connector latch (blue colored in my case) towards the front of the computer to disconnect the keyboard cable from the keyboard connector on the mother board.
Once the above is done, the keyboard is free. Now, you should be able to see the existing WiFi card in the mini-express slot.
In my case, there was one screw which was securing the card to the system board. I just unscrewed it and the card popped up at a 40 degree angle. I could easily remove the card out of the slot. I had to then remove the two antenna cables that connect to the card. Its simple – just gently pull it apart.
Now, one interesting thing is, the old 3495ABG card had two anntenna connectors, but the new 4965AGN card has 3 antenna connectors. You need to use all three to make full use of the Wireless N capabilities. It would still work with two anntennas connected, but the performance won’t be “the” best.
Luckily for me, the Dell Inspiron 1420 had a third unused antenna cable (grey color).
So, I connected the three antenna cables/wires to the new card (white, black and grey), and then plugged back the new card in.
Fixed all components back.
Started the system, installed the drivers for the new card.
As simple as that. The entire thing took around 15 mins.
So, now I have a wireless-N (draft-N) network running in my house. Performance is much better when it comes to file transfers or watching movies streamed wirelessly from the attached harddisk.
In theory, you should be able to do this on most of the laptops with intel chipsets and core duo processors (except HP laptops). Do confirm it with the laptop manufacturer and make sure your BIOS is updated!
If you are still browsing the internet the ‘old’ way, then you must have a look at this video…
Personally, I have been a RSS feed addict for over 3 years now, and have never looked back!
I use Google Reader as my primary feed reader.Do try it out and see the difference!
Of-late I have been getting lot of queries on how to create a website/blog. Blogs and online journals have become quite popular with more and more people are getting into the blogsphere.
Naturally, the first thing that people look for is a free solution. And, when it comes to a free solution, the first service that everyone seems to come across is Blogger.com from Google. Yes. Its free. Even I used to host my blog on Blogger.com initially, but after using it for few days, the reality strikes you!. Its painfully slow and totally deprived of some basic features. So, you start your search for “something better”, or “something of your own”, and wonder how to proceed. That’s exactly where this post comes in. I hope that this post would be useful to all those people who intrested in knowing how to create or setup their own website/blog.
Now, if you are a nOOb and looking for just a plain simple blog, without the hassle of setting it up, buying a domain name etc, then I would suggest you try out WordPress.com. Its from the people at WordPress.org (more about WordPress later). Its cool, fast, and much better than blogger. But its basic stuff. Other option is to sign up at livejournal.com. If you are of the adventurous sort and interested in setting up your own site with a blog, read on…
Look Ma, Me got a Domain Name!
First thing that you would need is a domain name. That’s your address on the Internet. That’s how people will reach your site. So, the first thing that you would need to do is, register a domain for you.
Domain name registration typically costs anywhere between $6 to $12, or even lower depending on from whom you register it. I would suggest registering your domain name from either Website.in or domain.JodoHost.com. The money that you are paying is normally for one year. You can register your domain for more than one year too. Other big names in domain name registration include : GoDaddy (has some good deals at times, but do read the fine prints), Yahoo, Net4Domain etc.
The domain name is allocated to you almost immediately once you do the payment. Most of the registrars allow you to pay using credit cards. Its pretty simple and straight forward transaction. Once you register a domain name, you will be provided with a web-based interface to configure your domain name. Your contact information, nameserver information, whois information etc can be setup for your domain using this interface.
Maa, Where do I store my stuff ??
The next thing you would need is space to host your stuff. Again, I would suggest not to go for free hosting. Most of the free hosting folks normally don’t offer any support, and would normally place some Advertisement/pop-up windows etc on your page, which spoils the user experience on your site.
When it comes to paid hosting, you have two options again.
Shared hosting – Your site is hosted on a server which also hosts many other websites.
Dedicated hosting – The server is exclusive to you!
If your site is personal in nature, and does not receive major hits. (lets say not more than 1,00,000 hits per day), I would suggest you to go for shared hosting. Compared to dedicated hosting, shared hosting is much cheaper too. I would only talk about shared hosting from this point onwards.
What, Which, How, Where ?
Here are the next set of questions that would come to your mind…
What do I get as a part of paid hosting ?
What you get depends on from whom you buy. Normally, you get the following features for an entry level package. Or, in other words, these are the things that you have to look for when you buy a hosting package. I will try to explain what it means in plain english…
200 to 400 MB of hosting space – This is quite a lot. My current site., i.e., this blog + some other pages totals to around 10 MB! That’s it! So 400 MB should suffice.
Multiple Domain hosting – This means that you can host multiple websites (different domains) in the space provided. It would be easy to manage multiple sites from one single account.
Around 5 to 10 GB of data transfer bandwidth – My site uses around 600 MBs of bandwidth per month. So, around 5 GB is decent enough. If you host lot of videos, jpegs or big files, then 5GB wont suffice. If your website is more of text, then 5GB is quite a lot. Tip: Host your images at a different host. e.g.: photobucket.com or flickr
Unlimited e-mail IDs – This is one feature that I love. With paid hosting, you normally get unlimited e-mail IDs on your domain. i.e., you can create ids that you like or want! Unlimited! e.g.: support@yourdomainname.com or junkmails@yourdomainname.com etc, which is quite useful to segregate mails. It also gives a touch of professionalism! You can typically ask the system to forward the emails that you get at a particular id to someother id (say gmail or yahoo), or store it in a mailbox
Unlimited mailboxes – with POP3 and IMAP access. So, you can check your mails using e-mail clients like Thunderbird or outlook
Database support – This is a MUST if you plan to start a blog on your site. Look for MySQL support. Most hosting providers provide this, but don’t consider it as granted.
Web-Based configuration for your site – All you need is just a browser to control your site from anywhere on this planet!
FTP access to your site – Very helpful if you want to upload lot of files onto the server. FTP can do it one shot without hassles
24/7 Customer support – Very much needed. If something goes wrong on the server side, these people will help you out.
Daily backups – So that you dont loose your data
And other features – Other features that you can look for are things like – tools to analyze your log files, Scripts/readymade components, counters, custom error pages etc – Secondary or tertiary features.
So, that should give you a fair idea of what to look for when you buy a hosting package. Make sure that the space provided to you can be used interchangeably. i.e., make sure that you have control over how to split the 200 MB or 400 MB provided to you between e-mail/web space/database etc. So, lets move on..
Which One ? Linux or Windows hosting ?
The next dilemma comes when you have to selecting your hosting platform. Linux or Windows. Lot depends on what you plan to host in the space provided. If you plan to host ASP/ASP.net pages, then Windows is your only option. But, if you plan to host a blog based on PHP / perl etc, then you can either select Linux or Windows. I would strongly suggest to go with Linux option if you are not planing to use ASP/ASP.net pages.
The main reason behind my suggestion is, the stability and cost. Linux hosting is much more stable, faster and cheaper compared to windows hosting.
If you select Linux hosting, it does not mean that you must know Linux!! Its important to understand this. Its just that they use Linux on the server that host your files. In most of the cases, irrespective of linux or windows hosting, you get the same web-based interface to control/configure your site!
How much would it cost ?
For Linux based hosting, you should get packages which start from around $5 per month. i.e., around INR 2500 per year ($60), which is pretty much ok. Again some hosting providers would have better deals to offer. I am just giving you a rough estimate. For windows based hosting, packages start from around $7 per month.
Where do I buy the hosting space from ?
There are tons of hosting providers on the Internet. Some very good, and some rip you off. So, you should be very careful while you select you hosting provider. I would recommend one to do some check on some popular forums (e.g.: Web Hosting Talk etc) and get the feedback on hosting providers that you have short listed on.
My site is currently hosted with a provider called Jodohost.com. You can see their plans here : Linux and Windows. I have been with Jodohost since Feb this year, and have got a pretty good service so far, with minimal downtime and excellent support.
You can use this link to buy your hosting package from Jodohost.com
Other place that you can look for is : Website.in hosting. Website.in hosting lets you select what features you need. i.e., you can configure the features that you need online, and create a customized package for yourself. But compared to Jodohost, its a bit expensive. (for the same feature set).
There are tons of other places. So, go ahead and explore!
Connecting your Domain Name with the Space that you bought!
So, now you have two things with you. You have the address (domain name), and you the hosting space (provided by your hosting provider). You need to associate these two. This is something similar to associating your name with your telephone number. So that every time a person dials a number, you get the call!.
When you buy a hosting space, your hosting provider gives you something called as “Nameserver Adresses(es)“. Normally they give you two Nameserver addresses (some give up to 4). Make note of these address. If you are unable to find it, feel free to ask your hosting provider for it. They should provide you with this information.
Once you get the Nameserver addresses, go to your domain name administration interface. There, you should find a provision to specify these Nameserver addresses. (primary and secondary.. and more…). Enter the values and you are done. It would take anywhere between 24 to 48hrs for the changes to be effective globally.
On the hosting provider side, you need to tell the system that you are hosting your domain. i.e., you need to specify exactly which domain you are hosting, so that the server can name necessary arrangements to display the pages when someone enters your URL onto the browser. Typically, its a very simple job, which would take a couple of mins or seconds. (web-based wizard would be there mostly to help you out!)
So…From now on, when anyone types in your domain name into the browser, it would point to a folder in your hosting space!
To test it out, just upload a simple HTML file onto your hosting space (say index.htm) and enter your domain name in the browser! If you see the HTML page that you upload, congratulates!.. your site is up and running.
Content – Setting up your Blog / Site
Now, you can start uploading your files onto the server, and the changes should be visible immediately on your site via the browser. To upload files, normally, FTP access is provided. Some hosting providers also provide web-based access too. (quite helpful if you are behind a corporate proxy/firewall which blocks FTP ports!)
I assume that you would be more interesting in starting a blog or an online journal. The best software that I have come across for this purpose is called WordPress. You can get it from www.WordPress.org. Its ‘the’ software when it comes to blogs. Its very easy to setup, doesn’t take much of space, makes very efficient use of space, extensible with plugins and cool. And, above all, its a open source.
But before you start installing WordPress, you must setup a MySQL database, which would be used by WordPress. Your hosting provider would normally provide a web-based interface to create a database. Create a database user too with sufficient privileges to access the database. Once the database is setup, you can start the WordPress installation.
So, how much time do you think it would take to setup a WordPress blog ?
5 Mins. Yes. That’s correct. Just 5 mins.
WordPress Installation is pretty simple, and very well explained at the WordPress site. I wont duplicate that information over here. Its too simple and easy!
Only thing that you need to keep in mind is, the URL where you want your blog. If you want it under a separate URL like say … www.yourdomainname.com/blog/ then you need to create a sub folder called blog, and upload all the WordPress files out there. If you want it at www.yourdomainname.com then upload all the WordPress files at the root directory.
For any help on WordPress, you can visit the add themes to your WordPress blog to customize the look and feel. You can find a comprehensive list of themes available here.. You can also add plugins to extend the functionality.
Apart from the blog/content, you can also upload other things like your resume photo gallery etc onto your hosting space, and give different URLs for them!
Using the web-based interface provided by your hosting provider, you can also setup your e-mail accounts/ids and mailboxes.
Ma, Its easy. Ain’t it?
This post is pretty long, but the process is pretty simple. Point is, its pretty easy to setup your homepage without spending too much. I hope this post answers most of your queries!. Let me know how useful (or useless) this post has been to you in setting up your own homepage using the comments section below.
So, let the adventure begin!
Feedbacks most welcome.
Disclaimer: Some of the links to Jodohost.com in this post are affiliate links – if you sign up using these links I earn a small amount as a commission. It does not impact your sign up process as Jodohost. I genuinely believe that the services provided by Jodohost are great and recommend their packages based on my experience.
Update : Website.in was earlier directi.com. Directi.com is no longer into retail domain business.
Lot of buzz over the net about the scratchproblem with iPod nano. My iPod nano so far has no major scratches as such. I haven’t yet removed the protective cover which came with the packing.
Basically, there are two problems..
1. Problem with scratches.
2. LCD cracking/braking.
Problem with scratches is the one that is more prominent, and the LCD cracking is a remote possibility, and apple has admitted that its a problem.
Solution to iPod nano scratching problem
If you have the scratch problem with you iPod, don’t forget to check this post on how a $4 can of brasso can make your iPod nano look brand new!
Create a home made iPod nano cover!. Download, print.. and your cover is ready. Click here for more info.
Btw, lot of buzz about apple releasing new version of iPods (5th generation) in october.
Updated : On Oct 12th, apple is planning on a special event titled “One more thing”. We might see a Video iPod soon! (Check this link for a leaked photo!)
Update – Oct 25, 2005: Finally my GPRS is working on BSNL Prepaid. Check update number 4 given below.
Does anyone knows how to activate the BSNL’s GPRS service for prepaid connections in Mangalore, Karnataka (south) ? Please leave a comment if you can help.
Here is what I have done so far (I use a Nokia 6600):
1. Sent a SMS to 3733 with the text ‘ACTGPRS’.
2. Received a SMS within a few minutes saying my request is received, and the message asked to wait for a confirmation SMS.
3. Confirmation SMS from +444 received tell me that GPRS and MMS service has been activated.
4. I called up the customer care for the configuration settings. They SMS’ed me the settings. (You can get the settings from : This Place too. Its available on the BSNL site too.)
5. Installed the settings. Its as simple as saving the SMS.
6. Tried to connect to the net using opera/netfront/services (built in browser), using the access point created by the configration settings.
7. It tries to connect, but so far no success. The GPRS signal indicator (the little “G”) blinks for sometime and then disappears. No specific error message.
9. Sent a SMS again to 3733 with the text ‘ACTGPRS’, to which I got a reply back saying, ‘GPRS and MMS services are already enabled’.
Has anyone successfully set this thing up ?
I have called the customer care, spoken to them ‘n’ number of times, but its of no use. Typical government stuff.
Any pointers to success would be really helpful.
Update 1 (Around Sept 19th, 2005) : BSNL customer care folks told me that the GPRS service is down for a few days and should be back online withing couple of days.
Update 2 (Sep 26th, 2005) : Called up local customer care center at Mangalore. The person says that Nokia 6600 handset has some problem with BSNL GPRS network! – Can anyone confirm this ? Cant directly trust these folks. Everytime you call them, they give you some new reason. If I get a chance, i will check it with an different handset. BTW, the solution suggested by the BSNL local guy is to upgrade software (firmware to the latest version – costs around Rs. 500).
Update 3 (Oct First week) : Spoke to one more person at the local exchange. Could reach that person after getting redirected atleast 5 times. Almost always, the person at the enter end, conviniently gives one more number saying that the next person is ‘the’ person who can handle this!. Finally, I end up talking to a technical guy (I think!). Now, this person doesn’t say anything about Nokia 6600 problem. He says even he wasn’t able to access GPRS for a couple of days. Asks me to call in a couple of days. I call back after couple of days. He says some settings have been changed just a few days back, and he doesn’t have the settings. Asks me to call back after 20 mins. I call back. Says, settings are too lengthy. Says, he cant tell the settings over the phone (WTF???). Points me the BSNL webpage mentioned above to download the settings. I downloaded the settings again. No change. Still no GPRS. Anyone from BSNL with a decent knowledge of whats happening … reading this ?
Update 4 (Oct 25, 2005) : Finally got my GPRS activiated today. The endless calls to the customer care turned out to be a total waste. Yesterday, I called up the local customer service center in mangalore. They refered me a the number of JTO of mangalore. JTO inturn gave me one more number. It was kind of endless chain. Finally I landed up with some technical person. The person confirmed that all my settings were fine. Then he checked the system (HLR) and told me that my GPRS wasn’t activated at all!. WTF!!!!!!!. He told me that at Mangalore, he wont be able to activate it, and he gave me the contact number of a person in bangalore. The person at bangalore told me that I need to call him up again today. It seems this is happening all the time and that he is fed up. Some how, the reporting system says that the GPRS is activated, but in reality (switch) it isn’t.!
So, I gave the same person a call today. And finally, he enabled my GPRS access. Now, I am able to browse on my phone. But its quite expensive. Only in emergency!
Update 5: For the benefit of all everyone, here are the correct GPRS Settings for BSNL south users for Nokia 6600. These settings work for me.
Navigate to : Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Connection
Select GPRS (Second item on the screen)
GRPS Connection -> When needed (if you select when available, GPRS will be always active, and you would be charged. So, use with caution)
Access Point -> gprs.cellone.in
Click on ->Back
Select Access Points (first item on the screen)
Option -> New Access Point -> Use default settings
Connection name -> bsnl-gprs (can be anything)
Data Bearer -> GPRS
Access point name -> bsnlwap (not bsnlsouth)
User name : ppp
Password : ppp123
Authentication : Normal
Homepage : http://localhost/home.wml
Then….
Options ->Advance settings
Phone IP address -> Automatic
Primary name server : 0.0.0.0
Secondary name server : 0.0.0.0
Proxy server address : 10.31.54.2
Proxy Port Number : 9401
Done.
If you want to browse the net using Opera, then you must set the proxy server address and proxy port number mentioned above in opera settings too. The same holds true for other browser too.
If the above settings don’t work, then clearly, your GPRS is NOT activated by BSNL. Call up the local BSNL exchange, and ask them to check if GPRS is activated in the HLR.
