Cutting edges can be sharp...

So, it has been a week or so since getting all this new technology going, so it is time for some updates.

X301 - I'm trying really hard to think of something critical to say about it, but I can't find it. It is simply the best ThinkPad ever, and that puts it on a pinnacle above every notebook in the universe. Seriously.

Windows 7 - I'm missing some of the ThinkVantage Technologies that are available for XP and Vista, but with the exception of the issue with tdx.sys discussed below, it is stable, fast and easy. Winner.

ReadyNAS Duo - you don't see a review of the Duo for a reason. If you're running Win7 and an antivirus program, you're likely to have an issue with bluescreens faulting a file called "tdx.sys" when you try to access a remote share or mapped netword drive...

like a ReadyNAS...
















While it works on the Mac, the setup wasn't happy, and I didn't have much time to work with it. I'll try again, but the Win7 bug is was pretty much 100% - every time I tried to access it, it was an invitation to the BSOD party.

I'll try to get it running in the next week or two, but time is a little limited.

DIR-655 - My ThinkPad likes it and my iPhone likes it, but my wife's iMac isn't as happy. She's complaining of very slow running, so I have a little more debugging to do. Everything else seems OK, so I'm wondering if the security and how it is implemented with OS-X. Will be interesting to see if it works out OK.

I'm a little bummed that the 655 and the ReadyNAS aren't running without hitches, but I'm still optimistic about them both.

N Marks the Spot

To really leverage the wireless speed of the ThinkPad X301 as well as provide a high-performance backbone for the NetGear ReadyNAS Duo, selected D-Link's DIR-655. The reviews have been excellent on this router, and the combination of 802.11n and a gigabit ethernet switch really offers a lot of capability.

Since I'm running Win7, I had to launch the setup wizard in "Compatibility Mode" and I'm unsure how much impact that had on the setup. The wizard itself is pretty simple, though I don't think the instructions make it clear enough that they want you attached to the router via the included Ethernet cable to complete the setup.

The steps were clear enough - it took a while sometimes for the setup to move to the next step, but I'm not sure if that was due to the fact that I wasn't connected via ethernet. When setting up the wireless configuration and activating WPA2 security, the browser would occasionally error out as if it couldn't connect. Powering off the router and all the goodies attached and restarting the ThinkPad seemed to fix that issue.

WPA2 wireless security generates a huge key. Anyone who can hack into this thing should be working on Madoff's Swiss accounts instead of messing with me. You can choose a passphrase that generates the key to make it easier to remember.

Everything seemed OK getting the ThinkPad and iPhone connected (though I hate typing that long key, especially on the iPhone - shoulda used the passphrase). My wife's iMax doesn't seem to see the gigabit connection I'm offering it. Wireless works great, and was just as easy as the reast, but I really don't want it running to the ReadyNAS over wireless. Something to figure out for later.

Wireless speed on the X301is noticably faster than the 802.11g router it replaced. It even seems faster on the iPhone and iMac. I'll give it an "A-" for the setup experience, even allowing for the fact that Win7 might have been throwing it a curveball. Initial performance is an "A" even though I haven't really positioned it in the closet yet for best signal. I'll reserve the manageability grade once I've installed the ReadyNAS, configured everything and started doing backus and remote access. That will have to wait - the Carolina vs. Duke game is tonight

The First Step...two at a time...

The ThinkPad X301 is simply an amazing machine - quiet (SSD hard drive and if there is a fan I haven't heard it), fast, solid, light, terrific keyboard and screen and all the touches that make a ThinkPad the best notebook PC on the market. If you are measuring for anything more than sheer specs, the ThinkPad trounces everything. The attention to detail in the design borders on obsessive, and the X301 is everything I wanted in a notebook: a great LED-backlit screen, a full-size keyboard with terrific feel, ~3 pounds, an optical (no I don't use it much, yes I want it anyway) and built like you could throw it at a brick wall and it would work (and pretty much it would).

So I took the leap of running Win7 on it out of the gate. I am running Win7 as my daily machine, with Notes, Office 2008, the VPN and all the other things I run standard. Everything works perfectly, though I've had to set several things to "compatibility mode" which is simple. I'm running and working fine.

What impresses me is how amazingly fast it all is: boot, resume from sleep, shut down, connecting, everything seems to just happen. I've had no lockups or blue screens at all.

I really like the new task bar - it is a far cry from the Vista Sidebar in terms of style and function. Connectivity seems a little limited and but is very simple, somtimes to the point of confusion if you want to do some advanced setup. There are many things (including Lenovo's Access Connections which will be available for Win7 I'm sure) to help on that in any case. Also, I'm guessing I'll look back at the new arrangement in Win7 and wonder why they didn't do it that way before.

I like the "preview" feature when you hover over icons on the task bar - really useful and inuitive. I could go on, but Gizmodo's writeup on Win7 covers the bases well.

I was early to Vista as well, and went back to XP, tired of all the battles I had to fight to run my PC. I tried again later with the same result. Couldn't solve the performance, the compatibility or the ease of use well enough to be worth it. And it ran like a pig.

Win7 is putting the "Win" back in "winner" - I expect Microsoft to be running downhill with consumer customers as well as enterprise looking for a way out of XP without having to do Vista.

Win7 appears to have it all, and it will be interesting to see how things play out. It won't be dull...

Much to do...

Wow - it has been a long time since I've picked up the...er...keyboard, and I'm on the technology side of things for the moment (though Sharkfest is coming up...)

Several new things coming up: I've upgraded to a ThinkPad X301, and to net it out, this is the best notebook I've ever seen. Truly a work of art.

Next up: Win7 Beta, currently running on the X301 and the quick word on that s Win7 is going to be a huge winner.

The house is getting some new gear, too.

My new D-Link DIR-655 arrives tomorrow to match the 802.11N capability of the ThinkPad as well as provide the Gigabit backbone for the last (but not least) interesting piece of technology - the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo.


The ReadyNAS gives me 500GB of mirrored, Web-accessible storage that can host folders, backups, song and picture libraries and more.

All of this promises to be an interesting journey, and I'm really looking forward to getting it all running together. I'll get to the ThinkPad and Win7 first (and soon).