Friday, March 29, 2013

Windows XP Pro BSOD Event ID 7000 "Parallel Port Driver Service failed ..." [Solution]

Do you keep getting blue screen of death (BSOD) or sudden system power off with a restart? I had this recently when playing OMSI Bus Simulator but this can happen in other circumstances as well from the research I did on this. Either way this should help you fix this issue.

If you do check 'System' within your Event Viewer (Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Event Viewer). Look out for:

Event ID 7000, Source "Service control Manager", Description "The Parallel port driver service failed to start due to the following error: The service cannot be started, either because it is disabled or because it has no enabled devices associated with it.

Print Screen:

SOLUTION

Step 1) Boot into your motherboards BIOS and disable the parallel port (see your motherboards manual on how to do this).

If you don't know what make and model your motherboard is then use PC Wizard to find this out so you can download the manual from your motherboards manufactures web site (Google the manufacture if you don't know their web site address).

Step 2) Within Windows XP Professional open Device Manager (Start - Run, type in "devmgmt.msc" without the quotes and click ok).

Within Device Manager click on the 'View' menu and select 'Show hidden devices'. Scroll through device manager until you find 'Non-plug and Play Drivers - Parallel port driver', Right click and select 'Disable', click 'Yes' when presented with the stop functioning warning and restart when asked.


Sunday, March 24, 2013

Can't play Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour Online with 1.04 Patch [Solution]

If you're having problems with C & C Generals Zero Hour online whereby you can connect after applying the 1.04 patch but you cannot play against other players due to having a "different version"; it is more than likely you have applied a no cd crack.

The solution to this is to ...

1) Uninstall C & C Generals Zero Hour (not Generals, just Zero Hour).

2) Then visit the EA Games folder where you installed Zero Hour (default is C:\ Program Files \ EA Games \ Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour) and delete the entire directory "Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour". If you cannot delete it due to write permissions or access denied; simply reboot your computer and then you should be able to.

3) Re-install C & C Generals Zero Hour. After installation apply the 1.04 patch (either by downloading it yourself from here, or by going in-game, then online and applying it that way).

4) To apply the no cd crack correctly so you can play others online download the no cd crack from here (the one named "C&C Generals: Zero Hour v1.04 [ENGLISH] No-CD/Fixed EXE").

Once downloaded copy across the 'generals.exe' only to your Zero Hour directory and over-write once prompted.

Do not copy across the 'game.dat' (about 6.2mb); simply delete it as this is the file which caused the initial problem.

5) Load Zero Hour and you should be able to play online against other users now.


Monday, March 04, 2013

Cannot download Flight Plan in vroute? [Solution]

Hi all,

Not sure if any of you out there are flight sim enthusiasts; probably some of you are!

If like me you've recently had problems whereby you've chosen a flight; selected export, chosen your flight time and aircraft, date etc ... then clicked on the button which creates the FP ... only to have internet explorer open and suddenly close ... there is another way to download the flight plan :)

Simply right click on the link within vroute and select 'Save target as ...'; then save the flight plan to your flight plan folder and away you go as normal.

hope this helps someone because it irritated me for hours today.

Recommended PC Gaming Headsets [Plantronics Only] Comparison

Hi all,

Today I'm doing a post on PC Gaming Headsets by Plantronics; including a basic comparison.

I've listed these in order of lowest price to highest price.

Firstly though let's confirm the technical jargon and what the differences are:

1) Difference between Closed-ear and Open-ear

In general, closed ear designs cup closer to the ear and block out more noise (and arguably better bass), although some users find the open ear designs, which allow more air flow, to be more comfortable.
So, in summary:
Closed-Ear Headsets:
  • Fit closer to the ear (reducing air flow)
  • Block out more background noise
  • Prevent others from hearing your headphones
  • Provide better bass
Plantronics Closed-Ear Headsets: Gamecom 367
Open-Ear Headsets:
  • Allow air-flow around the ears
  • Many find the air-flow more comfortable (though it's matter of taste)
  • Allow you to hear some background noises
  • Allow others to partially here your headphones
Plantronics Open-Ear Headsets: Gamecom 380 and Gamecom 780

2) Difference between USB and Audio Jack connectivity

There are two types of connectivity to your PC / Mac. There is USB and Audio Jack.

USB you should be easily aware of by now because majority of peripherals such as printers, scanners, joysticks etc tend to connect to your PC / Mac this way.



Audio Jack is a connection which you use for microphones and speakers or headphones. As a headset includes both a microphone as well as headphones, you find that there are two audio jack connectors with a headset. I.e. one for the microphone which plugs into your microphone port on your soundcard (or PC case front panel); coloured pink. Then one for the headphones which plugs into the stereo output port on your sound card (or PC case front panel); coloured green. Note on some sound cards or PC front panels the ports may not be coloured (i.e. just plain). In such a case consult your manual as to which is the stereo output and which is the microphone port.


3) The comparison Table

Google Shopping Link Open / Closed-ear Wired / Wireless Connection Type Features Controls Price (£)
Gamecom 307 Open-ear Wired Audio Jack 3.5mm Rich studio-quality audio, 40mm stereo speakers, soft swivel-mounted ear cushions for comfort and easy storage volume and mute on wire 16+
Gamecom 367 Closed-ear Wired Audio Jack 3.5mm Enhanced for Gaming, 40mm stereo speakers, soft swivel-mounted ear cushions for comfort and easy storage, padded headband for comfort, noise cancelling mic, strengthened cords for durability volume and mute on wire 16+
Gamecom 380 Open-ear Wired Audio Jack 3.5mm Enhanced for Gaming, 40mm stereo speakers, soft swivel-mounted ear cushions for comfort and easy storage, padded headband for comfort, noise cancelling mic, strengthened cords and joints for durability volume and mute on left ear 18+
Audio 655 DSP Open-ear Wired USB Rich studio-quality audio, 40mm stereo speakers, soft ear cushions for comfort volume and mute on left ear 23+
Audio 995 Open-ear Wireless USB Rich studio-quality audio, 40mm stereo speakers, soft ear cushions for comfort, noise cancelling mic volume and mute on left ear 25+
Gamecom 780 Open-ear Wired USB Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound, Enhanced for Gaming, 40mm stereo speakers, soft swivel-mounted ear cushions for comfort and easy storage, padded headband for comfort, noise cancelling mic, strengthened cords and joints for durability volume and mute on left ear 33+
Official Plantronics Product List - If the product isn't listed use the search bar to find the product page for specific details.

Cheapest place to buy printer ink?

This is one very good place to get printer ink cartridges:

http://www.cartridgesave.co.uk/

http://www.inkntoneruk.co.uk/

Turns out cheaper than Cartridge world as well.

Thanks to my friend Dan Seager for this great saver.

Updated Sept 2015.