So I bought this laptop about 2 1/2 years ago, don’t get me wrong I loved it at first.. Then I turned it on, it had Microsoft Windows Vista on it.. I hate Vista more than anything in my life, I had intended to remove Vista and put XP SP2 on it.. Figured I would go ahead and give Vista a shot but this laptop was clearly not meant for Vista!! After all Vista is a memory hog and the laptop came with 512MB of Memory.. SO.. Needless to say it was slow as $#!% but I was STILL willing to give Vista a shot, I shouldn’t have.. In the end I decided I hated it, but eh.. Then the unthinkable happens, my boyfriend was using it overheated it and killed it!!!

Anyways so he killed it I was mad yes but I paid for a two year service plan with Best Buy and heat damage accident or not was covered yay! So I took it up to Best Buy and they looked up my information and then said I only paid for a one year service plan and it had expired!! I was so mad at them and was yelling at them but all they said was there was nothing they could do about it.. LIES!! LIES!!! Well needless to say I didn’t get it fixed and I couldn’t return it so I threw it into storage.. Well now a year later they sent me a freaking renewal notice in the mail which I got on April 03, 2009 saying “Your 2 Year Service Plain will expire on April 5, 2009″ I was kinda happy and then mad because they sent it to me TWO DAYS before it expired and I tried almost a YEAR earlier to have them fix it! Jerks.. SO I took it to them on April 04, 2009 and said very madly I might add “I brought this in a year ago and “YOU” said my service plan expired when “I” knew I paid for a 2 year plan, I just received this renewal notice in the mailing saying my plan is for 2 years and expires tomorrow, I want this fixed and I want it fixed NOW and for FREE!” I then threw the laptop on the counter and the Geek Squad Associate didn’t say a word, he then just asked to see the paper typed it in the computer and said ok we can do that for you just bring it over here.. So I finally got it fixed and it cost me nothing, it cost them $398.00 though, so ha.. that’s what you get! So I now have and am currently using my fixed laptop.. I told my boyfriend he isn’t allowed to use it though, he has to use the old Dell..

Now I just have to get Vista off it!
Looking into it Toshiba doesn’t offer drivers for XP! Oh no..
That’s what HP tried to tell me about my sisters laptop ..
So I will be grabbing drivers from around the net and once done will hopefully be posting a how-to on how to downgrade this stupid machine..

Until then, have a great day everyone!

-David

So.. since there is no way that you can downgrade a PSP unless you use a Pandora Battery, here’s how to do it without one:

I currently have PSP Official Firmware 4.05 this may work with other Official Firmwares but has not been tested, if this works for you on another firmware please let me know!

I am going to tell you how to get your firmware down to firmware 4.01 M33-2 without a Pandora Battery.

First you will need to download PSP Pandora Deluxe make sure it is at least newer than v.04! Then download PSP Official Firmware 1.50 not Custom Firmware or it will not work, and PSP Official Firmware 4.01 again not Custom Firmware or it will not work!

You can find all these files through Google or you can download them from here either in the Downloads section or via the links at the end of this post.

You can also view any images associated with this at the end of the post!

When you have them downloaded then extract them where you would like, I recommend your desktop.

Plug your PSP into your computer and copy everything off your memory card and save it to a folder on your computer, I recommend your desktop and naming the folder “PSP Backup”.

Then open up PSP Pandora Deluxe.

It will start on the Firmware + Pandora Options tab
When it comes up you should see were it says load PSP firmware files, click on “Load 1.50 Firmware” when you do that a box should pop up go to your desktop or to where you extracted the files and load the EBOOT.PBP for the 1.50 firmware, once done do the same for 4.01 once you have loaded the files you will see that the “Copy Firmware” check box is now clickable check off both firmware boxes.

Leave the Pandora Button Configuration alone as we will discuss it later and at this point should not be adjustable.

On the top tabs click on Installation Options
When you do that the Install Options are now available to you, click on the “Noobz 1.50 Downgrader” and the “Despertar Cementerio v7 (4.01M33-2)”. Under the “Other Options” section make sure to check the box that says “Copy the M33 1.50 Addon Installers”.

Ignore the Support Tools Options and Config/Status tabs for now.

Go back to the Firmware + Pandora Options tab
When you click on the tab the Pandora Button Configuration is now adjustable, leave it alone. You may change the buttons if you wish the main one in concern here is the Despertar Cementerio v7 option, please note for the last of this tutorial I have left the button configuration alone if you change it remember what you changed it to!

Under “PSP Information” at the bottom of the program make sure your PSP Drive Location is correct! If your PSP was connected when you started Pandora it should have automatically detected it, if is is not set right please change it now before continuing! Make sure you also have “1.50 FW” selected under the drive letter not “M33 FW”!

Under “Memory Card Options” make sure all three settings are checked off, please note if you are running an older version of Pandora they may not all be available to you: “Format + Prepare Memory Stick”, “Use MSPFormat” and “Inject IPL”

You can also Backup or Restore your Memory Card from here as well.

All you have to do now is push Start it will take a few minutes and it might look like it is not working but it is, it may ask you to do some things with your PSP so it is best to stay close by. Once done you may close Pandora as it is no longer needed.

Unhook your PSP and turn off the power.
Then take your PSP make sure you are holding down Right on your D-Pad and turn the PSP on, do not let go of the Right arrow until a screen pops up saying:
“Install 4.01 M33-2, Install 4.01 OFW and some others.”
Make sure it is on the 4.01 M33-2 and push X

It should then install and now you have PSP Custom Firmware 4.01 M33-2!

If you need any additional help please feel free to let me know and I will do what I can.
If you would like to know more about anything read the “readme” that comes with PSP Pandora Deluxe.

Downloads:
PSP Official Firmware 1.50
PSP Official Firmware 4.01
PSP Pandora Deluxe v3.1

Pictures:

**I will update this later with some more images, if you need anything before then please feel free to contact me.

**UPDATE – FIX**
I recently noticed some of the downloads were not working, there was a problem with the file permissions on the server.. I have no idea how they were changed but the links and files are all now working again!

Please let me know if you continue to have problems.

-David

Yahoo! News wrote:

DENVER – The Colorado State Patrol has withdrawn the $22 jaywalking ticket issued to a good Samaritan who was seriously injured by a pickup after he pushed three people out of its path.

Bus driver Jim Moffett of Denver and another man were helping two elderly women cross a busy Denver street in a snowstorm when he was hit Feb. 20.

Moffett, 58, suffered bleeding in the brain, broken bones, a dislocated shoulder and a possible ruptured spleen. He remained hospitalized in serious condition Friday.

“He’s doing better, but it’s going to be a long, hard road for him,” said his wife, Donna. “His knee is just completely destroyed, his shoulder was badly dislocated, he’s got a lot of internal injuries.”

The State Patrol said in a statement that it withdrew the citation “after examining the … circumstances” and consulting with prosecutors. A patrol spokesman didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.

The patrol initially said that despite Moffett’s intentions, jaywalking contributed to the accident.

The patrol also withdrew jaywalking citations against the other good Samaritan and one of the two women. The other woman wasn’t cited because troopers said she wasn’t directly involved.

A citation against the pickup driver for careless driving resulting in injury still stands.

The two women and the other good Samaritan were passengers on Moffett’s Regional Transportation District bus.

“He told his son he’d do it again, which really upsets me because he almost lost his life,” Donna Moffett said.

___

Associated Press writer P. Solomon Banda contributed to this report.

“The State Patrol said in a statement that it withdrew the citation “after examining the … circumstances” and consulting with prosecutors. A patrol spokesman didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.”

I guess sometimes things work out for the best and in this case they knew they were wrong.

Yahoo! News wrote:

DENVER – A good Samaritan who helped push three people out of the path of a pickup truck before being struck and injured has gotten a strange reward for his good deed: A jaywalking ticket.

Family members said 58-year-old bus driver Jim Moffett and another man were helping two elderly women cross a busy Denver street in a snowstorm when he was hit Friday night.

Moffett suffered bleeding in the brain, broken bones, a dislocated shoulder and a possible ruptured spleen. He was in serious but stable condition Wednesday.

The Colorado State Patrol issued the citation. Trooper Ryan Sullivan said that despite Moffett’s intentions, jaywalking contributed to the accident.

Moffett had been driving his bus when the two women got off. In the interest of safety, he got out and, together with another passenger, helped the ladies cross.

Moffett’s stepson, Ken McDonald, said the driver of the pickup plowed into his stepfather, but not before Moffett pushed the two women out of the way.

When he awoke in intensive care, he learned of the ticket. “His reaction was dazed and confused. I was a little angry,” said McDonald.

The other man also was cited for jaywalking, while the pickup driver was cited with careless driving that led to injury. Sullivan said the two elderly women haven’t been cited but the investigation is ongoing.

What kind of world do we live in when doing something good or to save lives gets you a ticket instead of a thanks?!

So I was on my way home to my Mom’s the other day and traffic was well to say the least hectic, if you live in Lubbock TX or travel through than you know what I mean.

Well there was this older Hispanic lady driving and she was on her cellphone not paying attention and was just sitting there in the right turning lane.. she was not moving but traffic in front of her however was, she stuck her had out the window and acted as if she was waving traffic on while she sat there so I put on my blinker and proceeded to go around her. Well here is where the fun begins, she flipped out that I went around her so she landed on her horn then she drove up onto the the curb to my right and cut in front of me while she was still on the phone! She then started yelling at me so I yelled at her to get off her phone and pay attention which is when her daughter sitting in the passengers seat stuck her hand out the window and flipped me off.

Well that was not fun and she was a little too crazy for me so I went to a few websites and reported her as a bad driver.

Here is some information on her car:

ATTENTION KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THIS BAD DRIVER!
Again she is an Older Hispanic lady
She is currently driving an Older Model Four Door Saturn
Color is a Dark Gray/Dark Silver and the paint is scuffed up
She was last spotted on 34th & Slide Rd, Lubbock TX
Dangerous Driving occurred at around 3:50pm on Wednesday, February the 25th 2009

License plate #MTW347

the bbc wrote:

A reward of $250,000 (£172,000) has been offered by Microsoft to find who is behind the Downadup/Conficker virus.

Since it started circulating in October 2008 the Conficker worm has managed to infect millions of computers worldwide.

The software giant is offering the cash reward because it views the Conficker worm as a criminal attack.

“People who write this malware have to be held accountable,” said George Stathakopulos, of Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Group.

He told BBC News the company was “not prepared to sit back and let this kind of activity go unchecked”.

“Our message is very clear – whoever wrote this caused significant pain to our customers and we are sending a message that we will do everything we can to help with your arrest,” said Mr Stathakopulos.

Arbor Networks said as many as 12 million computers could be affected globally by Conficker/Downadup since it began prowling the web looking for vulnerable machines to infect in October.

Malicious payload

The Conficker worm is a self-replicating program that takes advantage of networks or computers that have not kept up to date with Windows security patches.

It can infect machines via a net connection or by hiding on USB memory drives used to ferry data from one computer to another. Once in a computer it digs deep, setting up defenses that make it hard to extract.
USB drives, BBC
The worm can also spread via USB flash drives.

The worm slithers through networks by guessing usernames and passwords. Security specialists recommend hardening passwords by mixing in numbers, punctuation marks and capital letters.

The virus reports in to its creators for updates by visiting a web domain. It generates the name of the domain itself using a complicated code which security firms have cracked to track the growth of the worm and block its progress.

Malware such as Downadup can be triggered to steal data or turn control of infected computers over to malicious hackers which pool them into larger armies of so-called botnets.

These networks of compromised machines can be used to send spam, as dead drops for stolen or pirated data and to launch attacks on other machines.

Although Downadup is widespread its creators have yet to activate its payload to steal data or launch other attacks.

It has caused costly headaches for network administrators dealing with users locked out of their accounts when the worm correctly guesses a password.

While Microsoft says it does not know the intention of the worm’s creator, it wants to ensure it does not wreak any more havoc.

Experts say users should have up-to-date anti-virus software and install Microsoft’s MS08-067 patch – also known as KB958644.

Global response

Microsoft has also partnered with security companies, domain name providers, academia, internet companies such as AOL and others on a co-ordinated global response to the worm.
Discarded computers, AP
Millions of computers have been hit by Conficker

Also included is the US Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security.

“The best way to defeat potential botnets like Conficker/Downadup is by the security and Domain Name System communities working together,” said Greg Rattray, chief internet security adviser at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann).

“Icann represents a community that’s all about co-ordinating those kinds of efforts to keep the internet globally secure and stable.”

Sasser worm

In 2003 Microsoft created its reward programme with $5m (£3.4m) in funding to help law enforcement agencies bring computer virus and worm authors to justice.

This reward for help in tracking the creators of Downadup is the first time in four years that the company has put up some cash in response to a worm outbreak.
Clock, BBC
Microsoft hopes its bounty has started the countdown to finding its creator

“We have not seen this type of worm or one of its class since 2004,” said Mr Stathakopulos.

In 2005 Microsoft paid out $250,000 (£171,000) to two individuals who helped identify the creator of the notorious Sasser worm. The author was arrested and sentenced by the German authorities.

Rewards of $250,000 were offered over three other major computer worm threats known as Blaster, MyDoom and Sobig worms.

Those perpetrators have never been caught.

NOTE:

The creators of the conficker/downadup worm have yet to activate the payload that the worm is supposed to deliver, be it a massive botnet or something else, researchers have no clue when, what, and how. Even if the perpetrators are caught the worm will still be out there, infecting unpatched terminals. There’s a chance someone that was totally unrelated with the creation of the worm may be able to tap into its framework and use the worm for their own purposes! The possibility is there and it’s ugly to say the least.

So I know I haven’t posted in like forever, but once again life has snagged up my time..

I will do my best to post as often as possible and try to fill in some of the blanks I have left in the past.. As for what I am doing now-a-days stay tuned for a few new posts that should be quite interesting..

-David

Yes I know, I have been neglecting everything lately..
I will try my hardest to update you guys on everything when I have time, as for the trip in April.. I need to finish typing that one up lol..

Anyways, on to some stuff.. So I don’t have a car, and I need your help getting one!
If you can help please see below:

Ok so I just got back from my trip to California!

It was ok, it could have been better though, I will post pictures, videos and a long blog about it as soon as I have the time and for those of you who know me that means never lol! But I will try my hardest!

As for a side note, Wordpress has just released a new version (2.5) and I am currently running 2.3.3 so I will work on getting that updated if I do so intend to..

Alright well that is it for now have a great night everyone!

-David