Thrustmast T16000M and Windows 8

They don't mix.  I'm trying to fly planes in BF3 again and I didn't have this issue with Windows 7, but within Windows 8, I don't have full rudder control, even if I configure it within BF3.

I've downloaded these (2009_FFD_2.exe...based on the naming convention, these are rather old...Thrustmaster, fix this shit, please) drivers from Thrustmaster's support pages.  We'll see if that helps.

EDIT:  Yes, the drivers got the rudder to work.  BUT!  The drivers also appear to be causing some weird issues.  For example, whenever I get into a chopper, I occasionally hear my primary weapon being fired (ie, a sniper rifle, for example).  Also, once I exit the chopper, I can't sprint or reload a clip...the buttons will not work.  I experimented a bit, trying to determine where the issue lied until I realized that the joystick was the factor...when I disconnected the joystick, I found that I could sprint again, and reload a magazine.  the sniper firing while piloting a vehicle has stopped.  I captured footage of this happening.  It's a shame, because I was planning on practicing the upcoming DLC release of End Game.  I do not want to have to adapt to flying via mouse...screw that!  So, count this as a rather major negative in migrating to Windows 8...this did not occur with Windows 7.  Sure, this probably isn't the fault of Microsoft and is more than likely a Thrustmaster driver issue (that I'll report), but it ruins the experience of Windows 8 regardless.

iPhone Lockscreen Can Be Bypassed With New iOS 6.1 trick

And here we go again...

http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/14/3987830/ios-6-1-security-flaw-lets-anyone-make-calls-from-your-iphone

A security flaw in Apple's iOS 6.1 lets anyone bypass your iPhone password lock and access your phone app, view or modify contacts, check your voicemail, and look through your photos (by attempting to add a photo to a contact).

Something very similar happened with iOS 4.2 (see the article for a reference link).

The article also includes video footage of the flaw being taken advantage of.

Logitech G700

I forgot to mention that I got a new mouse a few weeks ago.  The TactX was acting wonky (apparently, the mouse cable tends to wear over time).  I was a bit pissed, since I spent a good deal of money on that mouse.  It works very well, but I expected it to last much longer.  That was the first wired mouse I've owned in awhile, but this time I went back to the tried-and-true wireless mouse.

I bought a Logitech G700, a gaming mouse.  And it is badass.   It has a replaceable battery and can be charged while using it (via USB cable).  It has profiles and has adjustable on-the-fly sensitivity settings.  It has this tactile material where your thumb sits that offers nice feedback/grip.  It has a ton of buttons.  It is heavy, as well, but there's nothing wrong with that.

Loving it so far.

I explain more about it here.

Alienware: Upgraded to Windows 8 Pro

Last month, I saw several posted articles mentioning MS selling upgrades for Windows 8 Pro for $40 ($39.99, actually).  I bit.  Why?  Because it was a good price for an upgrade and if I found I didn't like Windows 8, I could always go back to Windows 7 with little money spent.

The install wasn't bad and wasn't the best either.  Since this was an upgrade and it is typically best to use a fresh install, I opted to restore my system back to factory configuration.  I did not want any issues with programs that I'd installed in Windows 7 not working in Windows 8.  The factory configuration wouldn't negate this but the factory configuration doesn't have as much installed either.  So, I whipped out my special flash drive with the copy of the factory image and installed.  I then immediately installed Windows 8 from flash drive as well (to speed up the install).  It was rather cumbersome and long, even via flash drive, but it installed flawlessly.

Afterward, I checked to see what wasn't running against the listing of what Windows 8 had flagged that might not work.  Alien Respawn wasn't working.  I'll have to get a Win8-specific copy of that and install it.  Everything else worked.

I then installed my free copy of Windows 8 Media Center.  When I entered the product key, it conflicted with the product key for Windows 8 Pro, which I thought was odd.  Many people were complaining of the same issue and there were some solutions but none worked for me.  Apparently, the system didn't like being upgraded then immediately having Media Center added.  So, I had to call the automated Microsoft number listed in System Information (I believe...I'll check that and correct myself if I'm wrong).  I called the number and followed the instructions.  I had to key in 8 or 9 five-digit codes via phone keypad, then the automated system read back 8 or 9 five-digit codes that I keyed into the config window.  After I did that, the system properly registered!

I did NOT like Metro.  I know there's a way to remove it, but I'm now getting used to it and I think it is oddly intuitive.  I'll keep using it for now.  What I also like is the Windows 7 shell...I can fall back to that when I feel the need.  Chrome only works within the Windows 7 shell, which I don't like, but it's not a huge deal.

The system appears to be quite a deal quicker, but I've never benchmarked Windows 7 on this system and haven't benchmarked Windows 8 either.  Note that I'm not using an SSD (I'm running two 750GB drives in RAID0).  SSD will not help me all that much...it's not going to make my gameplay any faster (only upload faster, but really, that's nota huge deal for me).  One day, I'll go the SSD route, but I want lots of drive space and SSDs aren't cutting it in that department yet.

So, I'm keeping Windows 8 for now.  I may even reinstall it just to get a pristine image of it captured onto flash drive (backup copy).