ReadyBoost Compatiblity with Windows 7

ReadyBoost is a procedure for using a USB flash drive to augment system memory in a windows PC. ReadyBoost started with the introduction of Windows XP, and continues with Windows Vista and now Windows 7.

I've already written a Google Knol on a basic introduction to ReadyBoost on Vista so this posting really relates to Windows 7. Read more on the USB Interface, part of an Engineering Web Site.

Basically ReadyBoost allows a user to plug in a USB thumb drive [or other flash memory card] into a USB slot and set that USB drive to act like available system memory [boosting main memory]. I did try using ReadyBoost with Windows Vista on my previous computer but never really noticed any change. However three weeks ago I purchased a new computer, which I'd like to check out.

The new PC is a Dell Studio XPS8100, with an Intel Core i7-870 processor running at 2.93GHz, using
8GB DDR3 SDRAM system memory and 8MB cache. Like any personal computer the Dell uses revision 2.0 of the USB standard. Although there are 3.0 USB flash drives, there do not seem to be any computers supporting revision 3.0 of the USB spec yet.

Anyway I figured I would investigate how Windows 7 handles ReadyBoost. First off I see that Windows 7 does support ReadyBoost, but recommends adding a flash drive having a minimum of twice the system memory [16GBytes in my case].

Doing a quick check at one retailer I find that a 16GB USB thumb drive costs from $22.99 to 79.99. By comparison four 4GB DDR3 memory sticks [16GB] cost $290. So the main memory might be costing more than 3 times that of the same size thumb drive, but it's also operating much faster than the USB drive. So USB and ReadyBoost are a quick and cheap fix to enhance system operation. It doesn't matter, I don't need to purchase more memory for a PC I just received, but I would like to see how ReadyBoost works. I only use 24% of the PCs memory now anyway [indicated by some gadget on the desktop].

The price range variation in thumb drives brings in the next issue Windows 7 had with USB drives. Microsoft indicates that ReadyBoost will only work with "Fast" flash memory, and will not function with "Slow" flash memory. The help file goes on to say that some flash memory devices may contain a combination of both. So USB thumb drives using slow flash memory will not work at all, while 'faster' USB drives may not be able to use all their available memory [the 'slow' portion]. The definition or difference between fast flash memory and slow flash memory alludes me. The difference between fast and slow may explain the wide range in prices between USB drives; that being $29.99 is slow memory and $79.99 fast memory.

Most of the USB drives I just looked at did not indicate any transfer speed, although I do list them from one particular manufacturer below. Having no transfer speed data, and no knowledge of what a 'fast' transfer speed is anyway, indicates that I should only purchase a USB thumb drive that indicates that it is ReadyBoost compatible and maybe even Windows 7 compatible [in case this fast/slow issue is new to Windows 7].

Of the four different 16GB thumb drives available from one particular store, only one indicates that it supports ReadyBoost. Others do indicate that they perform fast transfers but it seems more of a comparison to USB version 1 than any indication of true transfer speed. Looks like I'll be ordering a 16GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive from PNY in the next few days to test out ReadyBoost.

USB 2.0 Transfer Speeds:
Read Speeds; 10MB/sec., 24MB/sec., 25MB/sec., 30MB/sec.
Write Speeds; 5MB/sec, 8MB/sec., 10MB/sec., 20MB/sec. 

Note that the USB standard does use terms like Slow-speed, Full-speed and High-speed, but how many people read a technical specification? Regardless, how do the terms used in the USB spec relate to fast and slow used by Microsoft?

I'll up-date the post when I receive the new thumb drive, lets hope I don't lose it at the rate I'm losing all my other thumb drives.

AOC 2436vh LCD Monitor Review

I purchased a new Dell PC a few weeks ago which I don't want to review for a few more days. However I do want to review the AOC monitor I purchase at the same time. The AOC was a seperate purchased that did not come with the Dell.

The AOC monitor is a 24 inch wide screen, longer than wider. It seems like a nice display but the problem I have with it is the display size. Currently I have almost a 1 inch black border around the display which means I really have a 22 inch monitor and not a 24 inch which I purchased. A blank border as in no information is displayed, so is unusable.

I've tried using the soft keys on the display to correct the display problem, but either the monitor will not fill in the display or I can't figure out the correct key sequence.

AOC has a video [animated] help sequence showing the bottom sequence for a similar monitor, but I just couldn't follow it. To get to the soft screen buttons I need, I have to turn other functions off [I think]. But if I can't figure how to change the screen size in 20 minutes, than my opinion is they got it wrong. For what ever reason the AOC site does not have any help files out under the 2436vh selection.

Now I could have wrote a review out at Best Buy, maybe to help some one else thinking about buying this monitor, but I didn't want to create an account. Or I didn't want tons of e-mail from Best Buy for the rest of my life. There was a comment in their reviews section that mentioned the softkeys, but it was only one out of 5 reviews. There are also a few requests for help out on the web with the same border issue, but as usually there are no answers, just more comments.

I would not recommend buying the AOC 2436vh because I can't figure out how to adjust the screen size. If an electrical engineer can't figure out how to adjust the screen size I wouldn't expect a normal PC user to solve the problem either.

I'm using
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium.
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 5770, with 1 GB GDDR5 video memory [HDMI connection]
Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 [which is recommended], Landscape

I also have another 18 inch monitor connected to the same video card [at a different resolution], but that shouldn't matter. I plan to replace the 18" also but not with an AOC monitor. I'm glad I only purchased one monitor with the computer. Maybe next week I'll go out and get a replacement monitor, after I do a bit more research. Also see Companies making PC Monitors.

At least I got a blog post out of this. I'll append an up-date when I get the next monitor. I'll look around for a factory reset also.

About three hours after I wrote this post I changed the monitor resolution and the display filled the screen. Now I had tried that before but only the next lower resolution which the monitor indicated was not support, while this last time I took it down one more notch. Two hours after I got the screen resolution right I received an e-mail from AOC asking if I had tried to reduce the screen resolution, which is good because I had only posted a question to their support a few hour before. Regardless, I still don't like how they do their soft screen controls.

So the reason why the 2436vh hdmi does not fill screen is because of the computer resolution setting. I'm using HDMI for this monitor, and all the seach phrases I've seen include the term HDMI [including searches finding this page].

The monitor defaults to the highest resolution the display will handle, which in turn leads to dead-space around the visible display. The highest resolution is 1920 x 1080. However the Resolution I'm using now is 1680 x 1050, but I'm also using a screen with an aspect ratio of 16:9. So I can't tell if it's a monitor issue, an aspect ratio issue or an HDMI issue.

Digital Living Network Alliance Products

I mentioned this DLNA certified BluRay player yesterday, thinking I might need it. I'm sure I would like to have DLNA but that may be years away. Because except for the BluRay player which I haven't even purchased yet no other gear that I have is compatible and I see no need to change any thing out until they break. Wireless stuff would be nice but I don't really think I would ever use any of it. I gave away the spare PC I had connected to the HDTV because I never used it, that was wireless too, but not to the TV. I assume the BluRay player would be called a Digital Media Player [DMP].

I would like a new PC but I've been waiting to figure out what they were going to do with USB 3.0 and for PCI-Express 3.0 to be released So I'm about a year away from getting a new PC, but maybe I don't need one [New PC Posting 4/23/10]. The Digital Living Network Alliance indicates that I would need a DLNA certified Network Attached Storage [NAS] device, which I could get instead of a new PC (I guess). I'm not really sure why I would need a network drive when a DLNA certified PC should work, I assume. I'm not really sure if a NAS is the same as a DMS [Digital Media Server] [HDD Vendors].

So the 2 year old 47" flat screen I just blogged about the other day does not appear to be compatible. The 53" or 57" floor model out in the front room has to be 10 years old and the 37" CRT in the back room is even older so this whole idea of caring about DLNA is out the window. I could be years away from getting a new TV.

So it would appear this blog posting is pointless, unless it helps someone like me to understand that unless their buying a whole new system DLNA is just not required.

DVD Player No Disk

I just tried out my KLH 221 DVD player after years of having the thing sitting in my closet. The company is either called KLK Audio or KLH Audio Systems, but I'm not sure of the correct name. Any way I haven't used the thing for about 5 years, and I have no idea when I purchased the player. I had the DVD player setup in a back room that I never used, so it never got a lot of play time, but it was working several years ago.

I tried 3 or 4 DVDs in it yesterday but each time the LCD screen would just display 'No disk', which I assume means it could not read the DVD. However now that I'm thinking about it I don't recall the thing even spinning up. I tried rebooting a few times by pulling the plug but nothing seemed to work. Maybe I'll try it out one more time. Now I did try a quick web search for the model KLH 221, but I couldn't find much or a manual. Most of the web posting were just 'trash' sites with the same re-posts over and over. It could be that this DVD player is almost ten years old, I think it was the first one I ever purchased. Could it be because the CMOS battery went bad and the player no longer remembers how to work, maybe I need some reset code? Oh the remote was still working, that was a surprise.

I do have another DVD player in the front room that I've wanted to replace with a BluRay player. So I guess it's time for a new BluRay for the front room and moving that DVD player into the back room, replacing the one that no longer works. I would have rather purchased a new BluRay in my own time and not because some other system failed. I already have a BluRay in my office, and I may just re-purchase another new Sony BluRay player. I like Sony gear for the front room because that would match the other Sony gear and should work with the Sony remote I use out there.

I see a few reviews that the newer BluRays are loading the disk faster, it's about time. I also see some that have DLNA capability, I guess I want that. I'll have to look around for a few more days.


Just in case the chart in the previous post is a bit busy or hard to read I show the same data a different way. It should be a little easier to see that the site is still doing better than any previous year, but down these last few months because that's the mid-year trend. Of course the visits are way down, but I've always found that the higher the hits the bigger the drops. Maybe one more month before hits start to increase again. Click the image for a larger view of the data.

Westinghouse TX-47F430S 47"Flat Screen Review

I purchased this 47 inch flat screen a few years ago, and for the most part I like how it works. I did add a post for the TV but never wrote a review for it. Early this year I hocked up a BluRay player and I had a few issues with the TV auto detecting the signal. I ended up turning the TV off and back on until it found the signal, actually I had to unplug the set because just turning it off didn't help. Any way the TV always detects the BluRay now and I just figured it was me not reading the directions, However I did move the BluRay over to the HDMI 1 channel connector. I just found some reviews on the web and other people were having the same issue of not detecting the incoming signals [auto-source switching]. Seems to work fine now.

I like the set, the 1080p picture is great but I really just use the set in my office while I'm working on the web site.
So over the last few months the sound has gone out, or slowed down ~ like putting your finger on an LP to slow the sound down. Again I have to unplug the set to get it to reset. I canceled cable a few months ago so I use a Terk antenna to watch TV, or just use a DVD. I only just started over-the-air TV a few months ago and that's when the issue started. I have to assume that when the TV starts to lose the signal it gets a bit confused.

I purchased this HDTV in 2008 but it looks like they still sell it so the review is still valid. Maybe they have fixed these issues by now, but the TV has only done this stuff a few times.

The Demise of CableCard

Back in December the FCC came out with a media release indicating that CableCard was having only limited success. Other web sites change the phrase 'limited success' to 'total failure' of the CableCard approach pushed by the FCC. In fact back in September of last year the Consumer Electronics Association [CEA] went to the FCC complaining that it didn't appear that CableCard was doing anything for competition. So it seems that CableCard will have a very short life, what two years. Really zero years, I don't have any gear that uses a CableCard and have never even seen one.

One word about why I'm blogging about CableCard, and then I'll move on to re-posting two previous blog entries on the issue [with more back-ground information].

Checking last years analytics data I found that three of the four pages covering CableCard have received less than a dozen page views each for the year. I would expect a few more page views than that for a released standard, so I took notice and wondered why that was.
Here are the three CableCard pages and their visits [they differ only in pin-outs]:
S-Mode CableCard.  14 visits.
M-Mode CableCard.  13 visits.
CEA-679-Mode CableCard.  11 visits.

Blog Posting [10/5/06 CableCard]:    
CableCARD from what I have found so far is a 16-bit PC Card in a PCMCIA format. CableCARD was designed to replace the cable box from the cable company; any company could produce a CableCARD from the standard so you were not locked into renting from the cable company. This was the FCC.

CableCARD appears as a PCMCIA slot on the back of HDTV sets.

Any how version 1.0 came out last year [2005] from I understand and has a few draw backs. Information only flows one-way with CableCARD. So with CableCARD you are not able to use Pay-per-view because the card only receives signals from the cable company it does not send information out to them. Seems like a lot of people are already waiting for CableCARD 2.0 to come out to address the short comings of version 1.0.

So CableCARD from a hardware view is just another implementation of the PCMCIA card. Why they used the out-dated PC Card interface escapes me.

Blog Posting [8/27/07 CableCard]:  

I was out looking at Digital TV's on-line, up-dating the web sites listing for CableCard. This is a PCMCIA slot and PCMCIA card, a tuner card that can be inserted into a slot in the TV to replace a cable set-top box. Some TV descriptions indicate the term CableCard, while others indicate Digital Cable Ready [see below]. I was only able to find a few HDTV units from Hitachi which came with a CableCard slot. I see a few from Sony too. The CableCard allows the user to plug cable directly into a TV set without the need for a set-top box [STB]. CableCard slots may also be found on Digital Video Recorders [DVR]

Version 1 of CableCard was 'one-way' only so with out the cable decoder box things like 'pay-per-view' was unavailable. Version 2 released in June of this year should be fixing this problem [I have not yet reviewed it]. As of July 07 according to an FCC ruling; cable companies now have to supply set-top boxes that come with a removable CableCard. The ruling may bring CableCard back from the dead.

As far as PCs with a CableCard slot ~ forget it [for now]. CableCard interfaces are only available on Windows Vista machines and only with new OEM PC purchases. So you can't go to a store and purchase an up-grade to add CableCard, it has to be bundled with a new PC. Here's a quote;

"AMD's Digital Cable Tuner will only be available from PC manufacturers, and then only with a new Vista PC. There are no plans for support on Windows XP, nor are there any plans to sell the Digital Cable Tuner as a standalone product. "CableLabs has to know about every single system manufactured," ..... "They require full encryption and content protection, which means it's bound to Windows Media Center." HP has one: Digital Tuner-equipped m8010y.

Digital Cable Ready [DCR], this attribute describes a TV that incorporates a CableCARD slot to facilitate the reception of one-way digital cable content (which may include analog, digital, high-definition and/or premium programming) without the need for a set-top box. A CableCARD is typically provided for a nominal monthly fee by the cable provider. Sets may also use the term Digital Cable Turner.

So the CableCard standard was released in 2005, with only a few products available by 2007, crushed in 2009 and I assume no longer supported in any new product by 2010 [never being used by anybody]. However it is still mandated by the FCC, so they would have to change their rules.....

New COTS Board Format

Ruggedized Enhanced Design Implementation [REDI]:

A new VME card format is out for release aimed at the new VPX and VXS VME card standards [EURO Card]. The new REDI standard adds much more than just a mechanical standard defined in the IEEE-1101 mechanical standard. The new REDI specification changes much from the old IEEE1101 spec and now tries to handle water cooled devices as well; in addition, to air cooled and conduction cooled boards.

What garbed my eye was the new card formats, really the same 3U/6U sizes, would now handle up to 500 watts. What? how big is my power supply now. The largest power supply I could purchase was 750 watts, now I have to provide 500 watts per slot. The only REDI backplane I've seen appears to be four slots or 2000 watts. How much does a 2000W power supply weigh, I assume it's a switching power supply.

Very few companies are producing VPX boards or VXS boards which are both still new card specifications. In addition, to date, both the VPX cards and VXS cards seems to comply with the older IEEE1101 standard and not the new VITA48 standard [which is yet to be released?].

Note: To make this blog post add a new web page, and add it to the sitemap I had to cut a corner. The two new pages that cover REDI or IEEE1101 listings are copies of another page, with additional notes ~ they are not ready to be released yet. But, no one should be able to find them other than from this blog listing. Also my main computer has begun malfunctioning, forcing me to my backup system.

I'll fix this post over the week end and expand to the posting via comments. The new pages will also be updated this week end, and will link the VPX description to the REDI page and the VME description to the IEEE1101 specification page.

Related links: Equipment Chassis Manufacturers.

PCI Express Cards

Manufacturers of PCI Express cards now has its own page;
PCIe card manufacturers. Most cards are video cards, but are few are not.

Those listings were on the main COTS board manufacturers page.

The site home page is here; interfacebus.com

New Video Card

I added a new video card to the HP m7470n PC tonight. I added an ATI Radeon X 1300 Pro video card with 256MB of RAM and supplying one VGA port and one DVI port.I need the two ports to handle the two LCD monitors I use. I also understand that the on-board VGA connector will accept another monitor but I have not attempted that yet. I did not go into the BOIS to disable that other video connection as described in the doc's.
The HP m7470n does appear to be faster than the Alienware PC it replaces, but I'm still working with it. ~ loading software and files. The HP computer is now my main computer [for now].

The Alienware is just behind me running on a single 17" LCD, while I use the HP7470 on two 19" LCD screens. The room is some-what cool at 81.5 F, with the AC and fan running, but the exit air from the HP is 101.3F. Normally the Alienware exit air would be up 10F.

The HP only comes with a 300 watt power supply which is vary disappointing for a PC over $1000. The PC's I looked at on-line were all 600W.

I think, just by plugging in the new video card I'm over driving the Power supply! An empty slot but you can only plug in a $25 video card ~ so why up-grade at all.....


Status update; I ended up giving the computer away about a year and half later.
That was a nice video card though.

A few months ago I finally end up giving the Alienware computer away too.

And I also no longer see a need for a VGA input.
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Graphic; ATI Radeon X 1300 Pro video card.