It happens many times. You have an extremely fast computer with a high-end CPU and a gigabyte of RAM. Why then does startup seem to take a billion years? Does your computer hang each time it boots up or (in XP) after you log in?

DHCP Server Requests
Some home desktops and laptops tend to do this. Surprisingly, in this age of broadband, there are computers that still do not rely on the 10/100 Ethernet Network Adapter for Internet access. An operating system does not like to leave its network adaptor without an IP address. So, it does what any self-respecting OS does and sends a broadcast request to any free DCHP server out there to issue it one. Stupidly, the operating system does this regardless of whether it detects any cable connection or not. On some operating systems, these DHCP server requests carry a timeout period (usually 30 seconds) in which the computer is paralyzed waiting for an IP issuance. If the is no replay (like in the event the network cable is not even connected) the operating system will have a NULL IP address.

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I love to hang out at the likes of Starbucks, Borders, and Barnes & Noble. It seems that these are the only places where I can think clearly and calmly. These places are where I can literally stop and smell the coffee. Imagine curling up with a book, a warm cappuccino, and a laptop … how ideal. There’s only one thing that can make this experience more enjoyable, free Wi-Fi Internet access. Don’t get me wrong, I know that most of these establishments serve WiFi Internet access through T-Mobile Hotspots and AT&T Wi-Fi. But, those providers are just too expensive! We already pay $40/month for cable broadband at home. We don’t need to add another $40/month for just occasional Internet access at the bookstore!

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In the freeware review, I wrote about machine virtualization through VMWare, Virtual PC, and Parallels. What I forgot to mention is that slave operating systems running inside of these virtualization programs need to use special drivers for the virtual “hardware” it sees in the virtual machine.

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