Scott Larson Consulting

There is still a Flash vulnerability out in the wild that can cause you to inadvertently click and install software that could damage your computer or at the very least serve up advertisements that you don't need and cause your computer's performance to degrade.

Flash is a piece of software that runs on most computers these days to play movies or videos from places like youtube.com or cnn.com.

After installing the Realtek new HD sound drivers you might have situation where the mic volume is set to its lowest setting or the mic is not enabled. With the mic volume this low/quite or not enabled, most applications can not hear any sound coming from the mic input.

The last couple of years I have experienced a significant drop in the quality of laptops from name brand providers such as Sony, HP, and Gateway. A number of laptops have hit my bench with built in problems ranging from poor manufacturing to cheap, low performing parts that either break down or cause significantly increased response times when attempting to use the computer normally. I do my best to address these issues, as such I still feel bad when I have to tell a client that the Laptop they have purchased is suffering from problems related to physical defects, or poor craftsmanship/quality of components. The results of these defects usually become apparent a year after the warranty has expired, resulting in total disappointment on my part and the client as well.

Reports are starting to circulate after the release of Windows XP Service Pack 3 that users are experiencing various issues ranging from involuntary reboots to lockups with the operating system after upgrading. Currently Microsoft is making this update optional. In June or July, the plan on making it part of the automated update process. I'm recommending that people do not upgrade to service pack 3 until the bugs have been worked out.