With all the software upgrading these days, including the latest Firefox v 3.0, I lost track of the other program versions I have on my machine. I had also installed the powerful (but trial) version of Kaspersky Internet Security which found all the malfeasants on my machine, but has apparently also affected my uTorrent.

The problem was this: whenever my uTorrent was open, whether downloading or just seeding, I couldn’t browse any websites. The browser (IE, Firefox, Safari, Flock etc) would just say “connecting” or “waiting”, but no pages would be served.

First I made sure that uTorrent was in Kaspersky’s list of safe programs–it was already there I didn’t have to re-include uTorrent in the list. Then I tried switching from wireless to wired. Still no go.

Finally I took the easy way out and uninstalled uTorrent (saved all the unfinished download torrent files on a separate folder for later use of course). Rebooted my machine. Went to the uTorrent site and downloaded the latest version available. Reinstalled uTorrent.

Now I am writing this post as I am downloading from uTorrent. And the whole process took less than 5 minutes (yes I am not kidding) to do. Rather than try to fiddle with settings and stuff, I would prefer to just start from the beginning. Same attitude I have towards real life.

The following post is for my son Maui. He knows why.

This poem, although much anthologized, quoted and misquoted to its disadvantage, is most appropriate for these times. Although it extolls the British stiff upper lip conduct and is hardly Filipino in the survivor sense, taking it to heart may help one get through the perceived hell that is high school and into perhaps what may be a heaven in college.

IF
by Rudyard Kipling

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
‘ Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And - which is more - you’ll be a Man, my son!

Hang in there kid.

One of the minor but still pesky things about Windows XP is the default Windows Messenger that automatically starts when you boot up your computer. With all the new messaging software available such as Skype, Yahoo Messenger and Meebo, you really don’t need Windows Messenger sitting useless on your taskbar eating up precious resources.

Here’s how to give it the boot.

On your Windows XP machine, click on Start > Run

On the text box paste the line below:

RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\inf\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove

So that it looks like this:

Then click OK.

You will see a quick window near the top left of your screen which signify the files involving Windows Messenger going into cyberspace heaven, where all good deleted files go. After this, no more useless Windows Messenger in your PC or on your task bar.

*thanks to an old post by one of my favorite tipsters, LiewCF.com