This week we have a lot to talk about on Compute This! There is only one week left to get in on the Ultimate Upgrade PC SaleWe at Schrock Innovations, a new cell phone scam going around that can cost you $100, and the all new a new Top Affiliate Challenge update.

Tune into the show at 10:00 CST on KFOR 1240 Am, or online at kfor1240.com You can call in at 489-1240 or #1240 on your Alltel wireless. We also have an 800 number available at 1-866-TALK-UNL.

We will talk to you then!

I have just been exposed to the most ascinine internet policy I have EVER heard. I am in Vegas for Leadscon 08 and the Palms was full, so I tried to save a buck by staying at the Extended Stay America across the street from the Palms.

The room is decent, noise is bad, and the girl at the front desk is nice enough even if she doesn’t know an IP address from a zip code…

But the thing that really burns me is that first off, I had to pay $9.99 a night for a weak a$$ wireless internet signal. I’m missing my wife and son hard core, so we video conferenced for 10 minutes than I started downloading Top Affiliate Challenge audition videos so I could post process them and upload them to the site.

Suddenly my internet goes dead. I try to reconnect… No luck. I disabled and reenabled my adapter… No luck… I call the front desk…Waste of my time.

Then I get a call from the hotel’s internet management company. They banned my IP Address for excessive bandwidth usage. I was shocked! I am paying $10 for about three hours of usage and you ban me?

So I asked what exactly is the kind of activity that will get me banned so I can avoid it in the future. The lady on the phone told me in broken English not to watch YouTube videos and to restrict my use to “normal” web pages and email only to avoid a repeat ban.

So needless to say, I can’t upload any of my Leadscon photos, I can’t work on Top Affiliate Challenge, and I can’t watch Charles Trippy’s latest video for fear of the “internet Nazi” (reference to the Seinfeld Soup Nazi) banning my account again. I guess I am “slowing down their network.”

I think I will check out in the morning and inform the front desk manager that I am with Hotels.com and that I was not impressed. If only I had a clipboard…

I am about to board a flight to Vegas for the first-ever lead generation conference, Leadscon. Lead generation and affiliate marketing are often bundled together into the same package, but there are subtle differences.

Lead generation is connecting a potential customer and a client together and then allowing the client to convert that customer. Affiliate marketing is converting a customer for a client and sharing in the revenue from the sale.

This will be the third conference I have attended in 2008. I am going to use the opportunity to promote Top Affiliate Challenge and recruit additional auditions and sponsors. In fact, Top Affiliate Challenge has an insert in the conference tote bags!

This is pretty much an all-business outing for me and I fly out tomorrow, but I am taking some time to have dinner with some of my readers while I am there.

Its been a while since we have done a contest on the blog, so we decided to give it a go once again - but this time with a twist.

Each week I am going to announce a prize that will be given away on this blog sometime during the week. To enter, all you have to do is subscribe to my RSS feed. No backlink games, required blog posts or anything like that - simple and straight forward.

Each week I will make a post at some point about the prize I am giving away. The first person to comment on that post, will receive the prize. The only way to make sure you see the post first is to be an RSS subscriber Comments will be moderated as quickly as possible and all timestamps will be preserved.

This week (before now and April 6) the prize is a complete copy of Symantec’s Norton 360 along with their extended download service. This prize is a $90 retail value and was donated by Digital River and Symantec.

The software will be delivered by a link and a coupon code so you won’t even have to wait for anything to ship! Watch for a post about the Norton 360 product that tells you to post a comment to win a free copy.

The post can come at any time of the day or night, any time between now and midnight April 6th.

If you subscribe to the RSS feed and don’t win this week never fear! Next week we have another awesome prize - a free copy of Uniblue RegistryBooster 2 (a $40 retail value!)

After Schrock Innovations‘ much appreciated success in rolling a Gateway notebook back to Windows XP despite the fact that Gateway only provided Windows Vista drivers for the unit.

Word of that success made its way from Nebraska all the way to Pennsylvania where a Vista-strapped Dell Inspiron 1721 longed to run Windows X instead. The owner of that notebook decided to ship it all the way to Nebraska to have our technicians take a crack at migrating it back to Windows XP, even though Dell would not provide XP drivers for the unit.

The operation was a resounding success, and the patient is back at home with its owner now. I asked Schrock’s Senior Technician to take detailed notes on what drivers he used and where they were located, just in case you have found yourself in the same situation but cant stand the thought of shipping your Dell to Nebraska.

The first thing we did was install Windows XP on the hard drive and see what Windows could do for itself. We allowed all of the Windows hardware updates to finish, and here is what we were left with:

Video - http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_catalyst.aspx?p=xp/radeonx-xp

Audio – http://www.dell-drivers.com/dell-drivers-downloads/SIGMATEL-STAC-92XX-C-Major-HD-Audio_821.shtml

Webcam manager - http://www.notebook-drivers.com/ViewDownloadUrl.asp?ID=93222&brNum=3&show=0

Motherboard Driver Suite – http://www.notebook-drivers.com/notebook-drivers/Dell-Inspiron-1721-notebook-Ricoh-R5C832-R5C833-R5C843-Driver-v.1.0.1-for-Windows-Vista-32-bit-XP-2000_77545.shtml

Modem – http://www.dell-drivers.com/dell-drivers-downloads/Conexant-D330_868.shtml

Network card - http://www.dell-drivers.com/dell-drivers-downloads/Broadcom-440x-10-100-Integrated-Controller_759.shtml

Wireless Bluetooth - http://www.dell-drivers.com/dell-drivers-downloads/Dell-Wireless-355-Bluetooth-Module_1053.shtml

Once you have installed these drivers, do a second Windows Update. Some of them have updated versions that Windows can take care of on its own once you have shown it the light. Good luck! Let me know how it goes for you with a comment below!

One thing I have noticed about HP… Once you buy something from them, you get a massive influx of coupon codes to buy more things from them. I don’t have a need for many of these, so I thought I would put them up here in case you wanted them.

If any of the HP deals look interesting, just click the link to take advantage of the offer. The expiration Dates are listed with each one. Some of these are pretty targeted toward business users instead of home users, but then again you never know what some people will need. Enjoy!

Save $50 instantly on the new 6720t
Mobile Thin Client (valid until 4/30/08)

Save an extra $100 on HP Tablets
Get an additional $100 savings on already reduced qualifying business Tablet PCs. (valid until 4/30/08)

Bulk up & save with HP Workstations
Get 5 fully configured workstations for the price of 4. (valid until 4/30/08)

Smart Buy on HP StorageWorks Tape Autoloader
Save up to $1,426 on Smart Buy storage bundles. (valid until 4/30/08)

Multi Function Printer Services Rebate
Save up to $250 on HP Care Pack Services for LaserJet MFPs. (valid until 4/30/08)

Get the Best for Less with HP LaserJets
Save up to $300 on LaserJet printers. (valid until 4/30/08)

Refresh your presence on the web
Get $50 off custom design logos by LogoWorks. (valid until 4/30/08)

One Step Up with free HP upgrades
Free next level Processor, RAM, Disk & more. (valid until 4/30/08)

iPAQ 510 bundles
Save up to $119 instantly (valid until 4/30/08)

ProLiant entry-level servers as low as $499
Made to meet the needs of small & medium businesses. (valid until 5/31/08)

Worry-free backup at a low cost
Save $100 on HP StorageWorks Media Vault Pro. (valid until 4/30/08)

Earlier this week I was offered an invite to Azoogle’s Affiliate Appreciation Day in New York. I guess it’s a gathering to thank some of Azoogle’s top affiliates in the New York Area.

I checked on flights when the invitation was extended, but because of all the crap that was going on with cancellations and the last minute timing, a flight was going to cost more than $1,500 coach class.

I REALLLY wanted to attend this, but that is a LOT to pay for a coach ticket for one day in New York. Thank you so much for the invitation Azoogle. I promise I’ll be at the next one!

This week we have a lot to talk about on Compute This! We will cover the Ultimate Upgrade PC Sale at Schrock Innovations is coming to a close soon, we rolled another Vista-only notebook back to XP, and the all new Adobe Photoshop Express FREE Service (or is it?).

Of course we will have a new Top Affiliate Challenge update for you with new sponsors and new developments in Lincoln’s own reality show.

Tune into the show at 10:00 CST on KFOR 1240 Am, or online at kfor1240.com You can call in at 489-1240 or #1240 on your Alltel wireless. We also have an 800 number available at 1-866-TALK-UNL.

We will talk to you then!

My computer repair business in Nebraska sells a lot of HP notebook computers. From time to time I get “special offers” from HP to experience some of their different notebook computer models.

I have been using a 12.4″ HP Pavilion tx1000 (dubbed “Little Thor”) running Windows Vista since last February. I love the fact it is so small and light when I travel, but I hate how although it is an “entertainment PC” its processing power gets stretched pretty thin in multimedia environments.

I have been working with a lot of video in relation to the Top Affiliate Challenge reality show lately and my tx1000 is paying the price for it. Last month I rendered so much video that I torched my hard dive, and my battery has taken a beating as well. Luckily, the battery and the hard drive were covered under the HP warranty, but before I kill it again, I think it’s time for an upgrade.

After 17 painful days of waiting my notebook, dubbed “Big Thor” made the long and treacherous journey from Shanghai, China to Omaha, Nebraska.

The Unveiling

On Monday, the FedEx website said my computer was on a truck in Illinois, so I was pretty bummed. I was hoping it would cover some miles on Saturday and Sunday, but oh well. To my surprise, my doorbell rings about an hour later.

Either that is the FASTEST FedEx man on the planet, or their tracking system could use an upgrade. Either way, “Big Thor” was finally home.

Typically this unit costs about $2,800 with the specs I had loaded into it. Thanks to HP for taking some of the bite out of that price!

Laptop or Portable Desktop Replacement?

Before I requested the HDX I did some research online. This unit weighs almost 15 pounds with its battery and sports an HD-quality 20″ wide screen display. There was some debate as to whether this should even be called a “notebook” or if it should be considered a “mobile” desktop replacement.

Either way, moving from a 12.4″ wide screen to a 20″ wide screen is one heck of a bounce. The screen is also equipped with two bulbs rather than the one bulb most notebooks have. This makes the display almost as bright as my iMac’s display (which are know for their brightness and clarity).

The Remote

One of the first things I noticed when I opened Big Thor’s lid was the nifty media remote that was docked to the left of the keyboard. This remote has EVERYTHING on it. It can be used for basic media stuff like volume, skipping tracks, etc, but it also has a cell phone-style keyboard that allows you to type on your screen text style.

The remote does all of the normal Media Center things that Vista can do, but it throws in a few extras as well. For example, the remote allows you to DVR live television with the touch of a button. While most people would not choose to watch television on a notebook PC, this unit’s 20″ high-def screen and its integrated sub-woofer and 4 speakers put the HDX in a notebook class of its own.

The remote is quite a step up from the normal PCI Express remove that comes with most Pavilion notebooks. It fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and teh Receiver on the notebook seemed to pick up the signal from the remote no matter where I pointed it at the laptop.

The Antenna?

For some reason HP ships the HDX with an analog television antenna. I have no idea why they would do this, especially considering the fact that all TV stations with any kind of viewership are required to cease all analog transmissions in 2009. But oh well, I guess if you are rich enough to buy a $2,800 notebook and can’t afford cable, this little antenna could hit the spot.

The Power BRICK - I Mean That Literally

It takes about 180 watts to make this monster dance, so it needs a power brick that can cut the mustard. This almost unnecessarily large power brick if the engine behind the HDX. This single power brick weighs more than Little Thor did in its entirety. This explains some of the weight discrepancy between the 15 pound notebook and the 34 pound FedEx shipping box.

If you are planning on carrying the HDX on your shoulder and want to start a workout regimen while you wait for the unit to ship, be sure to add on 8 pounds for the power brick.

All in all, the HDX seems like a NICE computer. Mine has 3 GB of RAM, dual 120 GB 7200 RPM hard drives, and one of the fastest dual core processors offered by Intel. This thing cuts through video rendering with ease, shows no hesitation in audio editing, and allows me to run just about everything you could imagine all at the same time.

Would I buy this for the full retail price? Yeah, I probably would. However, if you travel a lot, its important to note that this unit is actually wider than an airline passenger seat. Unless yoiu ntend to borrow 1/2 of someone else’s lap, don’t think about whipping this bad boy out on the road.

With that said, if you work from hotel rooms a lot like I do, then this unit is awesome. It is like having a desktop at your fingertips all the time and I love it.

A few weeks ago I posted about the cool Under Armour suits the guys from CPA Empire were wearing at Affiliate Summit West.

A few days ago a mysterious FedEx box arrived in my Lincoln Service Center. I wasn’t expecting anything, so I had Jenn open it in case it was a bomb or something (kidding).

Turns out it was an Under Armour Jacket, long sleeve T, and skull cap from CPA Empire! I was totally surprised. I guess I am the only guy on planet Earth who didn’t know that owning Under Armour gear raises a normal person’s street cred. In fact, my staff thought I was uber cool for buying anything from Under Armour!

But their new-found respect for the boss faded as they found out that coolness had been thrust upon me by the kind and gentle hands at CPA Empire.

My wife immediately confiscated the Under Armour jacket, and the shirt was too small for my fat gut. Never the less we put it to good use. Kim’s dad got the long sleeve T, Jacob got the cap, and I told Kim she could keep the jacket IF she let me post a pic of her in it on my blog.

While we had the camera out, we snapped a few additional pics. As usual, baby Jacob hammed it up or the camera and insisted on diplaying the coolness factor his father lacks.

But the best part of all was when baby Jacob sported the skull cap in true thug fashion. He insisted on having his shirt off and leaving just enough diaper hanging out so he would be considered cool.

Thanks to CPA Empire and Jaclyn Charles for the cool gear! I am looking forward to the awesome party CPA Empire holds for its top affiliates!