Daemon Tools v4 for x64 finally released!

Today, Daemon Tools has finally released V4.00 X64 which will run on Windows x64 (only). Get it here.

PDF creation - free

Adobe Acrobat will install on your Windows x64 however it will not include a functioning printer driver. This means it will not be possible to print to PDF from e.g. Microsoft Word.
There are various solutions to the problem, some very complicated, and if not then it's not free.
Pdf995 is the solution. Pdf995 works and is easy to install, and above all it's free if you can live with one little popup ad each time printing to PDF - this is minor and I do not consider this a problem unless you print to PDF all the time...

Daemon Tools v4 announced for October

Today, Daemon Tools has announced that version 4, which will be x64 compatible, will be released at an unspecified date in October 2005.
Their website must come to suffer from a breakdown due to traffic on the day of release.

FantomDVD - alternative to 64-bit FileDisk

While we wait for Daemon Tools to complete their 64 bit compatible version 4, depending on virtual drives on Windows x64 is a darn thing!
A 64-bit compilation of FileDisk has been available for some time, however I have had problems playing mounted DVD ISOs in Cyberlink's PowerDVD player.
Just found this thread on PlanetAMD64 with download link to a beta version of FantomDVD which is a virtual drive application working on x64. As a beta, it is very primitive - both installation and mounting images - however it works. And DVD images mounted here works for me in PowerDVD. Great!

All-in-one printer/scanner - made me install 32-bit OS :(

In immediate need of a scanner, I went to a local retailer to find one. All available scanners had a starting price range of $80-120, and for that amount I could also get an "all-in-one" printer/scanner. Since I had no printer, why not?
Usually I would take my time and find the perfect choise and buy it online. However, since I needed the scanner ASAP I had no choise but to pick one from the retailer's selection. The selection was limited to a number of models from Lexmark, Brother, Epson and HP. Back home to search for 64-bit drivers for any of those - and not one of them could offer it, nor was x64 barely mentioned! The closest I came was HP who announced that their products would not install/run on Windows x64 however later this year there WILL be 64-bit drivers available. That had to do it, so I chose the HP PSC 1510.

So - I hate to admit it - I had to give up my "64-bit only promise" and install the 32-bit version of Windows Server 2003 in order to have the scanner working. I am now running a dual-boot system with x64 as the primary OS and the 32-bit as a secondary boot option. Hopefully soon HP will present those x64 drivers!
By the way, the HP PSC 1510 All-in-One I am fairly satisfied with even though I am not a big consumer of printing and scanning.

PowerDVD and mounted DVD images

For some reason, DVD images mounted in PowerDVD 6.0 from Cyberlink will not play. However it does not seem to be a general issue since some people have no problems, appearently.
I downloaded a trial of WinDVD 7 from InterVideo and it works without any problems. So I guess it's time to invest, again :(

Sony digital camera unrecognized

Usually, plugging in the digital camera on the USB port, Windows will recognize it as a removable storage drive, thus you can copy/move and delete photos from the cameras memory stick with Windows Explorer. But on Windows x64, my Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P92 is not recognized, and no driver is available for x64.
Luckily I found a workaround - in the camera's setup I chose PTP as the USB Connect mode. Doing this, the camera again is recognized as a storage device and you are able to copy photos to the hard drive using Windows Explorer. Copy. But only copy - not move nor delete.
I will be surprised if Sony in the near future will offer x64 drivers. Anyway, maybe it's time to get a new digicam as well...?

SATAII hard drive from Hitachi

Just purchased a new Hitachi 250GB hard drive from Newegg.com. It is SATAII which can transfer data twice the speed of SATA. As always, Hitachi delivers a super drive - completely silent, rock stabile and super fast!
Installation was sweet, just plugged it in and it was running on my Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe motherboard (which supports SATAII). However, it is necessary to use Hitachi's Feature Tool to enable SATAII (if you don't it will just act as regular SATA) but it is a cake walk to do it!

Data recovery

A few days ago I tried Paragon Partition Manager since I needed to resize a partition. I was surprised that the application actually seemingly worked on the x64 system. However, the price was too high since it at the same time deleted the parttion it was taking the space from. Not so nice! Need I say I do not recommend this piece of software?
So, I had a 120GB partition with tons of data on it, only it had been deleted. I have experienced the situation before and have recovered deleted data with GetDataBack from Runtime. However I was pretty sure that it would not work with x64 but I was amazed! that their latest version 2.31 did! Now the price of $79 is a bit high, I think, but worth every Penny when you are in the situation...

Daemon Tools v4 getting closer

Yesterday, on Daemon Tools' official web site, it was announced that Daemon Tools version 4 has gone to the beta testing phase, approx. two weeks earlier than planned. This is great news for all those in need of a virtual drive tool and are stuck with the 64-bit compilation FileDisk (no offense meant, but FileDisk is too primitive to live with in the long run - however it works!).
So let's hope the beta testing of Daemon Tools v4 will not reveal any bugs too serious, thus allowing a final release soon.

Windows Longhorn... ehhh... Windows Vista announced!

Microsoft has announced that Windows Vista (formerly Windows Longhorn) will be released in second half of 2006. More interesting is it that they will release beta 1 on 3rd of August 2005 which is a good indication that the development is on it's final stage.
Watch the Windows Vista name announcement.

List of 64-bit drivers from AMD

Just stumpled across this list of 64-bit drivers from AMD - the list includes drivers for Windows x64 as well as 64-bit Linux.
Another great ressource in general is PlanetAMD64, especially their forum. Here virtually every topic regarding 64 bit processors and operating systems are being discussed and people there are generally very helpful.

Intel PILA8460C3 ethernet adapter

Ordered a new NIC from newegg.com yesterday - received it today. Newegg is as usual fast and effecient!
Intel's ethernet adapter is supported on Windows x64, in fact Windows recognized it on it's own (however an updated driver should be downloaded).

Goodbye, D-Link!

D-Link's support responded to my inquiry of 64-bit drivers for their network adapters. It took them two days to come up with this brilliant, in-debt answer:

We have no information on when or if drivers for Windows 64-bit will be made
available for any D-Link product.

That is hilarious!!! Will have to order a new NIC, this time from Intel who at least have their drivers updated.

Missing in action: Virtual drive software

A 64-bit version of Daemon Tools is still being developed and therefore still not available - the same seems to be the case with Alcohol 120%. This can present a problem - for some a major problem! - for those dependent on virtual drives.

In fact, it seems that so far that there is only one virtual drive application that works on 64-bit Windows: FileDisk - download a 64-bit compilation of FileDisk here. However it is extremely primitive. It has to be installed manually, and mounting and unmounting images is not as you are used to from Daemon Tools or Alcohol 120%. BUT IT WORKS, and that is a life saver for many!