The Honest Guru - Blog

Lost passcode! - Can't connect to iTunes! - Can't restore! - The solution...

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 02:16:33 GMT

My daughter changed her passcode on her Ipod Touch 4th Generation and wouldn't you know it; she forgot it. After many attempts of trying different passcodes, it became disabled. So, it said "ipod disabled - connect to iTunes. So that's what I tried but to no avail. I searched and searched and sifted through loads of people having different problems with forgotten passcodes and how to restore, and also those who can't connect to iTunes to do a restore. For many hours I did this, and tried different things but none worked. So here is what I did. Do this if you lost your passcode and can't access iTunes. It will wipe the slate clean, you'll lose everything but you won't have a paper weight to look at.

1- Click Start, programs, accessories, and lastly "Command prompt"

2-Type in "netsh winsock reset" without the quotation marks, then hit Enter, close everything and then reboot your computer.

3- Open iTunes...Connect ipod to your computer via the usb cable.

4- Put your ipod in recovery mode: Press the Power and Home button simultaneously and wait for the apple logo to appear on your ipod. Once it does, release your power button but maintain a hold on your Home button until a usb cable appears on your ipod.

5- You should see the option update and restore, so you click it, and you're off to the races.

NHL players and their famous lookalikes.

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 08:58:05 GMT

Why does the new NHL see fit to have a lockout whenever its old collective bargaining agreement comes to an end? Can both sides not enter talks before the last agreement is up? This is most inexplicable; kind of like how Kevin James is a movie star. Even worse is how a motion picture company sees wise to promote his dumb movies to no end. Comedy has nothing better to offer? Really? But I digress...Well since I and many other NHL fans are suffering from the lockout I thought why not think of a few famous lookalikes for some NHLers, and luckily I can't think of one player that resembles Kevin James. For some of these 'matches', you may already be aware of the resemblance, and for some, maybe not. But these ones I've done here are off the top of my head, I did not copy elsewhere

Let's get started with my favourite: Jim Parsons (Sheldon on Big Bang Theory) and Bryce Salvadore of the New Jersey Devils.

Ed Jovonovski and stand-up comedian Andrew 'Dice' Clay.

Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and movie star Harrison Ford.

Henry Winkler "Fonzie" on Happy Days and NY Rangers coach John Tortorella.

Jackie Chan and Calgary captain Jarome Iginla.

WWE superstar Christian and Montreal Canadiens forward David Desharnais.

'Microsoft High Definition Audio Device not working' solved!

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 10:36:01 GMT

Well I did it. I finally solved my "Microsoft High Definition Audio Device" problem. As posted below, I couldn't get audio to work on Windows eventhough it said it was working, and hence I had switched to Ubuntu. The audio worked fine in Linux but the problem was my daughter needed iTunes. I searched high and low for a solution, only to find that I wasn't alone in looking for a solution. What I was doing was installing XP from a recovery CD, and Windows Update would not work properly after the install so I was stuck. What I did that fixed everything was to download XP Service Pack 3 from here http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=24 and installed it, everything fixed itself after that. I hope this helps some people.

How to change default file manager in Ubuntu.

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 20:55:28 GMT

I looked far and wide for this, and a lot of what I read was a bit confusing. So, here is how to change the default file manager in Ubuntu in an easiest as possible way.
1- Open your terminal
2- Paste this in your terminal: exo-preferred-applications
3- A Preferred Applications window will pop up, so click the Utilities tab, and then locate the name of your preferred file manager in the usr/bin folder.

Had to move to Linux

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 09:21:18 GMT

I had to move to Linux and I must say I'm pleasantly surprised. There I was in Windows with no sound: Microsoft High Definition Audio is installed and working it said. But it wasn't. I searched high and wide all over the Internet and found others who had this same problem but had no solution. I became obsessed about not having sound. So I started tinkering, and to make a long tedious story short, peppy and full of win; I did a clean install of Windows, and when that didn't help, I decided to install Ubuntu 12 with some reservations; expecting some sort of configuration hell that I was going to be put through. But it was relatively painless. Ubuntu 12 looks great in my opinion, and it doesn't require a learning curve that's impossible to follow. In fact it's kind of fun. And best of all, I have sound. My laptop also has a SD card reader in it, and that didn't work flawlessly in Windows either. I have 2 cards: one normal SD and one newer SDHC card. The latter never worked in Windows, the first did for a time and then didn't anymore. Why? I don't know, but it's not like I don't know what I'm doing. Both cards work perfectly in Ubuntu 12. How is this acceptable that the software giant put me through driver hell and not deliver the goods in the end, whereas everything works the way it should in Linux. In my mind, Linux was AAA and Microsoft was the big leagues.

Enjoying the Passat despite headliner woes

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 22:05:42 GMT

So I had the brakes fixed among other things and it cost me about 1500$ but it was worth it. Let me tell you, my 1991 Passat can really fly. I got it up to 180 km/h while on a deserted back road, and I was only at 3500 rpm. I have no doubts it can get to the 260 km/h that it says on the speedometer. The rate of acceleration isn't much to at all but I love the Passat's spirit; the way it says 'I can always handle more'. I've had a few cars in my day but this VW has the best handling I've ever experienced.

My only remaining problem is the headliner. It was full of residual glue. My mechanic advised me against taking the headliner out; thinking if I broke some trim, I'd be in trouble finding some parts. He said I'd be just as well off leaving it there, cleaning it up and painting it. He said I could get it done professionally but he doubted it'd last more than one year. So I listened and proceeded to do the job. It was tricky, cause the headliner board can't get soaked. So, equipped with a mask, I sprayed some 3M adhesive remover and scraped. It took me forever, it was painful, and I regret taking his advice. I mean it looks alright now, all painted in blue but...then again, maybe I'm picky when it comes to that sort of thing. So now I'm looking for a full replacement headliner with the cloth on.

1991 Volkswagen Passat

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:23:10 GMT

Well I may have done something stupid. I bought a 1991 Passat GL. It didn't cost me much; only 700$. It runs good and honestly, it looks great next to my 1991 Ford F-150. I hear the comment from the peanut gallery all the time, "Why oh why do you buy such vehicles?" To which I answer, "Well I bought an almost new car once and a van another time and the payments drove me nuts because I couldn't insure them the way I wanted to. Plus my last one, my van, ended up being so costly that I pondered cutting the floor out in order to rely on the demanding yet reliable Fred Flintsone power. In the span of five years, I went to the garage in between 40 and 50 times. I actually had a celebratory 6-pack of Heineken once when 50 days had passed between visits to my mechanic.

Now for the stupid part. Whatever happens with the VW Passat -I cannot win. Firstly my wife picked it out, so if it ends up being a reliable car; I'll never hear the end of it. Secondly, used parts are going to be hard to find. I had to get a speedometer cable and and a new idle regulator; the cost of them 2 was 500$, so yeah new parts don't come cheap. Thirdly I had to get help from a VW mechanic to help locate the wiper fuse!!! But aside from that all has been good so far. I'll need to fix the headliner but I'll be doing that myself and glue on a couple of emblems, but it won't cost that much. I'll add some pics real soon, of my new toy. I tell you it's a fun car to drive, there's some power and the urge to go fast is there.

Laptop Hell

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 07:36:41 GMT

My laptop's been on the fritz. Let me be more precise: The thingy that plugs into the laptop got loose; causing the connection to flicker. So as time went by, I had to hold the thingy just right, whilst having my mouth opened with an aluminum covered pencil in it and tilted at 15 degrees while facing north, just so the current would be stable. I did not care that I looked a little ridiculous, I had to have the internet. So, eventually I took it to get it fixed, and they said they'd fix it for 50$. After three weeks of waiting, it was with great fanfare that I went to pick up my precious laptop. But lo and behold, the guy said 'beware, once the thingy is loose, it will always stay loose so be forewarned.' It didn't sit well with me but I passed the remark over; thinking the man is being modest or lacks confidence in his craftsmanship and is therefore covering his backside with an excuse so as to avoid any cursing tinfoil-covered customers. Three whole days later and the problem was back, I didn't go back to that place and complain, instead I went to a big fancy place in the city based on a recommendation from a friend. Lucky for me, my car was in the shop so I went in my old but reliable 1991 F-150 pickup truck. I found that the older and bigger your vehicle is, the more likely other drivers will be polite and courteous. Many times I was given the right of way even though I shouldn't have. They were probably thinking that they couldn't risk a head-on collision with a strawhat-wearing guy who has a ready roll of tinfoil on his dashboard in a vehicle that big, and moreover judging by the truck's looks, he probably doesn't care too much if he does...Anyways, the fancy laptop people charge 65$ an hour but are apparently worth it. So they fixed it, it was ready in two days. It looks evidently more solid, but he too warned me, he said, 'you know the thingy is so loose that he suggested this be the last time I should get it fixed, the thingy would soon be unfixable.' I could make it last one more year maybe, he added, if the laptop isn't moved around. So I am back with an immovable laptop.

Grissol Bread Sticks - The Backbone Of Civility

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 11:42:02 GMT

I'm not much of a restaurant eater but I couldn't help but wonder that it's been over 20 years since I seen Grissol bread sticks on a restaurant table. What happened to this fine culinary tradition; where moms everywhere could have some peace and quiet while their kids either played with or ingested some fine Grissols. I'm not the kind to make wild unsubstantiated bold statements, but has the anyone else made the link between the decline of readily available Grissols and the rise of attention deficit disorder? Do the right thing restaurant people!

Still Reading Clinton's My Life

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:11:24 GMT

I'm at page 400 with about 600 more to go. These arent small pages either; there's over 600 words per page... With work, the wife and kids, I think I may have to try and get into prison or join a monastery if I'm ever to finish reading it!