NTFS Signature is missing RESOLVED

If you have a hard-drive that your attempting to mount in Linux which is formatted as NTFS and you receive the following error message

NTFS signature is missing.
Failed to mount ‘/dev/sde’: Invalid argument
The device ‘/dev/

sde’

doesn’t seem to have a valid NTFS.

with ntfs-3g installed then perhaps this post may help. I attempted to use several applications which try to recover missing or damaged partitions for windows but nothing I tried was of any use or they did not work properly. Some of these programs only allow you to recover 1gb and then ask you to purchase a licence to do the rest. Forget that, connect your hard drive under Linux and use the following program testdisk. Download testdisk from synaptic package manager or sudo apt-get install testdisk from a terminal. The steps are rather straight forward. It does a good job of guessing what is missing but sometimes you need to point it in the right direction. Once it finds what is missing it will ask you to reboot. I was done in a matter of minutes whereas other applications was scanning the disk for hours. after the reboot all my files were there and the drive mounted automatically I backed up all my data 1tb in size. Simple solutions are the best ones. I hope this has helped or pointed you in the right direction for success.

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Panasonic DMP-BD30 Update Solved

Hey guys, have you been trying to update the firmware on your Panasonic Blu-ray player only to end up with coaster after coaster. Something as simple as updating the firmware on a device somehow turned into an archaic demonstration in frustration

. Why CD’s? Why not just let the user place the firmware on an SD card and be done with it? Either way, if you have something other than Windows XP you more than likely have encountered some issues with how the blu-ray player reads your firmware update disc. Your player might give you a L FVU message and then followed by an error message and spits your disc back out. In my attempts I used Imgburn, which I use for everything; all attempts were unsuccessful. Here is an easy solution, for one do not use the Windows Vista or Windows 7 built in disc wizard because it does not finalize the disc in a way that the blu-ray player can read. Instead use a free app called Infrarecorder. On its default settings just drag the firmware file and burn it. Use a CD-RW so you dont keep wasting discs. Once you load it in your blu-ray player you will see that the update process finally will commence. This should work for other Panasonic players as well.

PS. Panasonic please make updating the software more simplified. Perhaps SD card or USB Slot. Thanks.

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iPad 2 thoughts and reflections

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As I write this post from my new iPad 2 I think about what separates this device from all the other i-devices on the market. More specifically, the iPod touch and the iPhone. What makes this experience different? F

irst, everything I can do on the iPhone can be done on the iPad. Why buy more than one device which is capable of doing the same tasks; wouldn’t that be redundant? To be honest they are capable of the same, but what I feel is beginning grow and separate the devices are the software. If more desktop class software makes it’s way to the iPad it will truly replace laptops net-books and perhaps dare I say desktops. Things such as typing this post, is much more comfortable than on my phone even though I have done so in the past. Those who find themselves reaching for a computer to do things end up just using their iPad to accomplish tasks. And why not, it’s small powerful and portable.

As great as the iPad is it is not without it’s limitations. We know apple limits some of it’s products purposefully so that the next iteration is lusted over. The camera for FaceTime is god-awful and from now on FaceTime calls will be done from my iPhone 4. Why not take advantage of a larger screen from this device and add two hd cameras? One in the front and another on the back. Would it hurt that much they are practically the same size, so that’s not an issue. VGA looks grainy and in dark settings is just horrible. Oatmeal has less grain than the iPad’s camera does. Those iPad ads are very misleading as they make the images look incredibly clear. Perhaps the lighting conditions are perfect or they are keeping the hd camera version for themselves. In addition to this this iPad woulds have benefitted from a high resolution screen a retina display or some equivalent high-resolution screen. But that would just exaggerate how bad FaceTime would look on such a screen, hmmm makes you wonder why they did not add a retina display. Other than these small gripes I still love my iPad as this is my first iPad. Those who previously owned one please don’t rush out and get the new one. Wait for the iPad 3 because FaceTime is not worth it plus it makes your hands tired after a while from holding it. If you have an iPhone 4 and the original iPad just use that because it’s like you already have an iPad 2.

As a student I love having my eBooks on here they looks absolutely amazing. Browsing is fast and finding chapters even on a PDF is a smooth process, way better than my nook no rooting necessary. I reiterate the distinction would be more clear between the i-devices from the software standpoint. Make iPad only apps which are so useful to an iPad that it would become silly to use them on a phone. Oh well can’t I just do that on my phone? No. The line must be drawn somewhere and it should be at the software level. Reduce the level of redundancy or “fragmentation”. If this is so the iPad will have achieved a home that is on par with a desktop like experience.

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iXtreme LT+ Firmware for Hitachi Drives now Available.

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Finally iXtreme LT+ for Hitachi drives are available for download. A year in the making now Hitachi drive owners can enjoy the benefits of LT firmware.

Downlo

ad Confirmed it does work.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Official release of the iXtreme LT+ for Hitachi (FAT Models)

- Supports AP25 backups for Hitachi 78,79
- Other Hitachis (32,36,40,46,47,58,59) updated to conform to LT spec
- Optimised PFI code to accomodate AP25 SS data
- Defeats current AP25 protection
- Protects console from logging AP25 violation for a period of 3 minutes, turn off/on console on black screen bootup before your 3 minutes is up
- Full disc stealth used by default
- Waveless booting , disc images are assumed to be correct!
- Split-Vid used as default

If booting an AP25 title without AP25 SS on 78 or 79 game will not boot but will still be protected from logging AP25 violation on current dash 12611 for approx 3 minutes
If LT+ encounters an unknown AP25 challenge, game will not boot but console will still be protected from logging AP25 violation on current dash 12611 for approx 3 minutes

AP25 SS are region specific for region locked games

LT+ for slim 9504 and 0225 is progressing, soon.

Thanks go to Team Jungle for their hard work and efforts in the development process.
Thanks also go to Team Xecuter for their generous support to this project.

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Barnes and Nobles Nook Color rooted

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For my particular needs I knew that it would be necessary for me to root my new nookColor soon after I purchased it. I needed something which would read my computer science textbooks for school. Most of these books are in PDF format. I tested the default PDF viewer and was displeased with the performance. It did not remember the page I was on last and there was no option for bookmaking and on top of that it was slow. The default office software is honestly not very good including the web browser no pinch to zoom. But thanks to xda development team we now have options at our disposal. With a batch program called autonooter the process of rooting has been simplified for those with intermediate computer skills.
Perhaps barnes and noble will make an official update with the android market included. But until then we can do this in the mean time. Those that are completely satisfied with the way the nook performs should not be bothered with rooting, but for those looking to squeeze every last ounce out of this should give it a go. If you have a general curiosity then you can cure your curiosity by attempting this as it can be undone there is no harm done. I will demonstrate how to undo incase you no longer wish to restore.

Information on Autonooter

Things you will need
An sd card reader
Micro sd card and adaptor
USB cord
Nook color updated to 1.01
Autonooter

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Barnes and Nobles Nook Color review

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The Barnes and Nobles nook color is the color e-reader everyone has been wishing for. A touch screen color ebook reader with tablet computing features in a book style form factor is an amazing idea. The screen resolution is vivid and bright. The touch screen is a wonderful inclusion. The price point of $250 is very competitive. For an android tablet with a brand name one would imagine a purchase would be a no-brainer. Dubbed the readers tablet is a very accurate statement. The nook does come with a few applications some of which are not up to snuff. With a bit of ingenuity though hackers have seen the potential and have unlocked the android spirit within this device.

A process called rooting unlocks root access to the nook allowing app installs and even the android market. Making the nook a tablet which happens to be a reader. Quite a bit of work was needed to unlock this potential but has become simplified with software such as autonooter that automates the process. The stock software included is not polished enough to have left the lab almost forcing people to want to root their device to get more out of it. The web browser does not utilize pinch to zoom even though the nook is capable of handling it. The office functions such as PDF reader excel word and PowerPoint should never have been included. For example the PDF viewer once you open and close a PDF document will start you from the beginning each time.

This is completely unacceptable for a reader. You should at least be able to bookmark where you last were. Its slow and hard to navigate. Reading is not simply just an ebook experience but an Internet and PDF experience as well. It does read ebooks phenomenally well and the store is simple and intuitive. The battery will give you around 8 hours and has lasted me all day with out needing to charge it. The form factor is perfect for every day travel and use. Some people feel intimidated to use their iPad in public because it can be a cumbersome and awkward experience for not only the user but for those surrounding them. As for the touch screen, for the most part it is accurate but sometimes feel like it’s not as responsive to your touch as it should be. Sometimes it is necessary to touch icons two or more times before the action is recognized.

The nook is a hackers delight giving you a tablet similar enough to the competition like the galaxy tab with a budget price. Rooting is not without its faults and I will post more of my experience with this device rooted. My thoughts are still up in the air with this one as I’m heavily conflicted with how I feel. So let’s weigh the pros and cons. If the software is a deal breaker for you then you might want to hold off on this until Barnes and Noble officially include the android market or there is some type of custom ROM which is easy enough for the average consumer to flash. Barnes and Nobles does state that they will have an update in early January 2011 but do not go into details on whether or not it will include the android market or other improvements. If you want a really good color e-reader and the other points to not deter you than the Nook is your perfect e-reader. But do not let my indifference persuade or dissuade your decision on this device. Just take a look at the video can you can see for your self.

Pros
.Color ebook reader
.Touch screen
.Runs Android
.Brand name
.Vivid screen/High resolution
.Form factor

Cons
.Crippled Software.
.Touch screen not very responsive.
.No android market.

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Tango app not ready to dance the tango

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The new Tango app for the iPhone and Android market has picked up a lot of attention for being able to do FaceTime quality chat across platforms. Once I heard about it I jumped on the chance to see whether or not i

t lived up to its name. Setting it up was quite easy, all i needed to input was my first name last name email address and phone number. Simple enough right? All that would need to happen next is that the next person who downloads the app would need to have me on their contacts list. Automagically I would pop up in their contacts and they would pop up in mine. But this is not the case. It does not work like this at all. There are hundreds of people who have yet to begin using the program because no one ever shows up in their contacts. How in the world are people suppose to make a call. I have had four of my friends, two of which have droid phones the other has an iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. My droid friends don’t show up in my contacts but I show in theirs. So we tested it and made a few calls. One friend has the Sprint EVO4 and the quality was wonderful. It was clear and the audio was the only problem, it was a bit too low. I needed headphones to hear the conversation better. The other friend has a MyTouch 3G where we had a decent conversation. But I could not initiate the call because they did not show up on my list. Something as trivial as setup should not be such a catastrophe.

Some developers rush to get their apps out to the market that they don’t even fully test it fully. I mean the program only reads the first line from my contacts and skips the other numbers completely. If they have other numbers like home or office numbers they are not read. There also appears to be number formatting issue where it is not read at all if the format is different (xxx)xxx-xxx if there is a 1 in front or a +1 or another country formatting. I am also concerned with how this program accesses my contacts list for phone numbers? Is it uploading it or merely matching it. Why would they need a copy of my friends emails and phone numbers. It should only check to see if that number is on my phone and if it isn’t then it wont add it. Sounds like a simple if statement to me. What a terrible introduction to a product and if apple was in charge it would have just worked. I shouldn’t have to rename all my contacts on my phone to match just for one program it should go the other way around. Now when you are able to chat it does what its suppose to well and video calling over 3G and cross platform is enjoyable bridges the communities together. But good lord why doesn’t it work right.

Update:
It’s confirmed that removing the country code does affect how the contacts are matched. I’ve added and removed the 1 before the area code from a contact which directly reflected in the tango app. (xxx)xxx-xxxx this seems to work. But still does not pick up my droid friends.

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iPhone 4 free cases have shipped

I just received word that my free iPhone 4 case has been shipped. I went with the GRIFFIN REVEAL case as I thought it would give the phone a bit more protection. Anyone else getting their notifications?

Update:
Case has arrived.

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Revive a Bricked Linksys router JTAG Solution.

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Well, I happens to the best of us sometimes. I flashed a WRT54G router with DD-WRT firmware and all appeared to be fine. Except when I attempted to make a client bridge to my other router using DD-WRT and after a r

eboot guess what? Kaput…the router would not connect to the computers lan connector. All lights on the router were on except for DMZ. I assumed that this router was going to make a nice black and blue paper weight.

So as stubborn as I am I decided to make some last ditch attempts to resolve my issues and revive my router. I have read many things online and some people have had some magical resolutions which revived their router. Some say they were able to short pins 15-16 on the flash chip and clear the nvram. I must say this is dangerous and can completely damage your board. If you smash the pins you can damage the flash chip and then you can call it over. It is suggested that you use the jtag method. Why? Because it has a higher success rate. If your afraid of soldering have an experienced friend assist you. Or play around with it your self. What do you have to lose it’s already not functioning the most you can do is make it work.

But I must say that the best solution has to be the jtag solution. On eBay I went looking for a serial cable that would help me connect to my dead router. Buying the parts and trying to make the cable my self would have been a fun project but I lacked the time needed for that.

Once all my tools arrived I needed to open up the router and locate the jtag port so that I can solder the 12 pin header to the board. The jtag ports are located on the left hand side of the board (If your looking at the 5th picture in the gallery). But before I could do this I would need to desolder the area making sure to have clean connections. Once this has been cleaned up I was able to insert the pins and solder the pins to the back of the board. I used some radio shack brand desoldering braid. Not very good at picking up solder even while very hot but still got the job done. I would recommend not using this type.

Ok. That takes care of the hardware issues but does it work? Well not at first. I needed to check a few of my solder points and ensure I have done a good job before the software would recognize my work. I had a solder blob which I needed to clean up. Only then I was able to probe the router using jtag3 executable program. Another issue was finding a computer with a parallel port. Im glad I still had an old computer around which was at my disposal. After a successful probe I backed up my cfe and cleared the nvram and erased the kernel. I issued only three commands. Like magic the lights turned off and then back on again with only one flashing light. I knew this was a good sign so I pinged the router and success it worked.

So finally I gathered my ddwrt firmware and uploaded it via tftp. Finally I was able revive this dead router that anyone would have tossed in the trash. Some side notes the Mac addresses are not correct they were automatically assigned. This can pose an issue for future networking projects where correct values are needed. As for my particular use I am satisfied with using it as a repeated bridge. When compared to my pcie wifi card I notice some speed improvements. I have a rosewell which has also been flashed with ddwrt firmware and for the value performed exactly as advertised. However these linksys routers have a reputation for excellence and I can agree as to why. The speed of the linksys was significantly better than the rosewell.

Instructional Video Coming Soon.

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iPhone 4 Reception issues tested

IMG_0250As you are most likely aware Apple has recently come under a

bit of controversy for its new iPhone 4. More importantly for its reception issue woes. The question at hand is whether or not the new antenna array is actually the cause for the poor signal strength indication. If the phone is held in ones left hand it apparently covers a portion of the antenna which in turn causes a block in the receiver. Even more interesting is the fact that the human touch interferes with the frequency that is being received from the cellular tower. If one can not hold the phone how can they use it. I put this very notion to the test and will try to help add some clarity to this whole mess and hopefully there can be a resolution.

From doing this test last night I have come to the conclusion that it is not easy to reproduce a dropped call scenario ever time you hold the phone in what I like to call the “NO-NO Zone”. When the phone is held in this area it is clear that there is some type of effect on the signal bar indicator when touched with a bare hand. Whether or not this has an actual impact on call and data quality will have to be tested by a third party which is not Apple. I have had issues while on a call and using 3G data at the same time where the call is dropped. In addition I have also noticed while attempting to send a text message the progress bar will not complete until I let go of the NO-NO Zone.

Apple has been very nonchalant about this whole matter, limiting it to a miscalculation in the way that the bars are being displayed as opposed to a more serious confession that there is a hardware issue that needs to be corrected. Apple also states that they will release a software upgrade which will correct this miscalculation and hopefully improve the signal degradation “illusion”. Ironically Apple’s own stylish cases do nothing for actual protection of the phone but rather only hides that when the phone is held the signal bars lessen. If you cover the antenna then that is the solution, either that or replace my hands (The latter I am not inclined to do).

If this was a known issue and Apple willingly created a cover/bumper which specifically addresses the issue and then charges the customer $29.99 + Tax is extortion and should not be allowed to happen. What should happen is that all customers who purchased a bumper should be given a credit, and all iPhone 4 bumpers should be given away for new iPhone 4 customers for free (Until corrected). This is a better solution then allowing everyone to replace their iPhone 4 units for a new model, that will be too much cost for Apple to eat.

This thread will be updated.

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