Using the code THANKS at checkout (don’t forget that), you can save 25% off of anything you’d like at WordPress design shop, StudioPress.

1. Get the Genesis Framework for only $45.

2. Snag most Genesis / design combos for a song and save close to $20.

3. Wipe the entire shop clean and get the StudioPress Pro Plus All-Theme Package. Get Genesis plus every design they’ve made, plus every design they make in the future, and save more than $74 off the regular price and over $875 off the retail price -- and that's just the existing 43 designs!

All you need to do is use the code THANKS when you check out and you'll save 25% on anything and everything at StudioPress.com.

This deal ends promptly at 7:00 pm Pacific time on Monday, November 28, 2011. Hurry up and claim your new WordPress theme before the code expires!

Getting blank pages on your WordPress admin panel?

Tried re-installing WordPress? Kept activating and de-activating plugins with no results? Kept looking at WordPress files like wp-config.php to find a blank line? Tried increasing WordPress memory limit by editing wp-config.php and still getting WordPress Blank Screen of Death?

OK, let's cut to the chase:

First, .htaccess file is your friend. Add the line below to your .htaccess file to troubleshoot the WordPress blank page error:

php_flag display_errors on

Now when you go back to your WordPress admin panel, you'll get an error message telling you what it is that is wrong. More than likely the error will be about exhausting memory. If that's the case, don't even mess with wp-config.php file. Here is what you do:

Delete the line we put in the first step and add the following line in .htaccess file:

php_value memory_limit 64M

Now, if the error message was memory related and this does not fix it, try putting 96M instead of 64M.

That's it! You just solved your WordPress admin panel blank screen problem.

I have been running the Microsoft Windows office 2010 Pro Beta version until yesterday. After the official release of Microsoft Office 2010, I wanted to uninstall the Beta version but it would not uninstall. So I tried to install the new release over only to be greeted by an error message asking me to remove the pre-release or beta version first. Nice!

Luckily I remembered trusty old Windows Installer CleanUp Utility. It removed beta version in a jiff and now, I am enjoying the all-new Microsoft office 2010.

Windows Installer CleanUp Utility is a great utility to have in your toolbox. Anytime you are having an issue uninstalling a program, use this utility.

I have been using Microsoft Office 10 Beta for a few months now. I can tell you it is the best version of Office. It should be available in stores by June 2010. Microsoft is offering a Technology Guarantee:

Purchase and activate a qualifying Office 2007 product between March 5, 2010, and September 30, 2010, and you can download Office 2010 at no additional cost.

I've never upgraded to Office 2007. I still have the Office 2003. The good part is that when I installed the Office 2010 Beta, I did not have to uninstall Office 2003. These two versions co-exist.

Buy Office 2007 qualifying products today and download Office 2010 for free

There are a number of lightbox tools are available. Until I discovered ColorBox JQuery plugin, I wasn't completely comfortable using any of them.

Why ColorBox? Well, it is easy to use, lightweight and it supports all kinds of different content like photos, photo groups, slideshow, ajax, inline, and iframed content.

I am using ColorBox JQuery plugin on one of my sites but I wish it was as easy as the thumbnail viewer plugin when using on a WordPress site. With thumbnail viewer plugin all you need to do is add rel=thumbnail to any link tag surrounding your thumbnail. You'll see an example below.

There are a couple of WordPress ColorBox plugins available. I haven't tried the LightBox Plus yet. I haven't been able to get the JQuery ColorBox WordPress plugin to work. I'd rather use ColorBox JQuery plugin on my WordPress site without a plugin. I am still experimenting with that. Including JQuery functions on WordPress header is a little different. I will soon update you on that. Stay tuned...

UPDATE 03/06/2010:

OK! Now the image on this post works with ColorBox. Here is how I made it work:

Added the link to the ColorBox stylesheet on the header.php right after all the other stylesheet links.
After "wp_head();", I put the link to the ColorBox script and the JQuery function call:

$(document).ready(function($){
$("a[rel='colorbox']").colorbox();
});

Now, pay attention to the $ in the function bracket. You won't see it on ColorBox example pages. This is required when you are adding JQuery functions to your WordPress header. Without that all the $ within your code would not be interpreted correctly. This is the best way to add JQuery functions to your WordPress header.

Finally I added the rel="colorbox" to the link to the image. You can use a different name but make sure it is the same one you in the JQuery function.

One last point: If you have the WordPress Flickr Manager plugin as I do, disable the image viewer.

Here is the ColorBox example:

This is an update on the previous post How I Upgraded My Sony Laptop to Windows 7 Ultimate.

I am happy to report that Windows 7 is still running flawlessly.

I am also happy to report that Sony has changed its stance to "If your computer meets the system requirements to run the Windows® 7 operating system, your model should be able install and run Windows® 7." Sony still does not provide drivers or support for Windows® 7 for this model but this new stance is much better than "Don't upgrade, just go buy a new laptop if you want to run Windows 7."

As far as the drivers concerned, I have had two issues so far: Vaio update crashes anytime the customer starts. I just get a 'Close this program' notice. Second issue is that I was not able to get audio when I used the HDMI out. This is not something I do often but it would be nice to get it fixed. I have not had time to research solutions to these issues but as soon as I find new information, I'll post it here. It would be nice to hear from you if you know any way to solve these issues.

Well, there is one more thing: Running Windows XP on Windows 7!

I have another copy of Windows 7 installed on my desktop. I have downloaded and installed Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP mode. It is way cool to have your Virtual Windows XP PC running in its own window. Well, it is not possible to do that on Sony VGN-FZ180 because..., surprise surprise, Sony turned of the Intel Virtualization Technology and there is no way to turn it back on. According to Intel Processor ID Utility the CPU supports Virtualization Technology. There is no BIOS option to enable it though. Again, this is not a pressing concern at this time and I have not taking the time to find an updated BIOS or any other solution. If you know a way to enable it, please do so.

Aside from these issues, I can honestly say that Sony Vaio VGN-FZ180E is running much better and faster with windows 7.

It sure would be nice to get a new Sony Vaio Laptop with Windows 7 like the ones below, but sorry Sony, this laptop is still doing a great job and I wish you supported the Windows 7 upgrade.

Sony VAIO VPC-F137FX/B 16.4-Inch Laptop (Black) List Price: $1,399.99 Sale Price: $950.00 You save: $449.99 (32%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Description

Sony VAIO F Series: Entertainment and Gaming PC with Premium Performance Locked and loaded for all-out performance, the Sony VAIO F series laptop in black (model VPC-F137FX/B) is forged for gaming and built for quickness...

Features

• Accessories - Standard Capacity Lithium-ion Battery (5000mAh), AC Adapter, Power Cord; Software Bundle - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit, Microsoft Office 2010 Starter (Purchase a Product Key to activate a full Microsoft Office 2010 suite), Norton Internet Security 2010 30-Day Trial Offer, 1-Year Limited Warranty
• Intel Core i7-740QM Quad-core 1.73GHz Processor with Turbo(R) Boost Technology up to 2.93GHz
• 6MB L3 Cache
• 6GB DDR3 1333MHz RAM (8GB max.)
• 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive

Laptops Sony Vaio PARTS ONLY $62.99 Buy It Now for only: $69.99 Buy It Now | Bid now

SONY VAIO VPCF226FM B i7 2630QM Quad Core 2Ghz8GBFull HD 1080pBlu RayGT540M $1,099.99 Buy It Now for only: $1,099.99 Buy It Now

Sony VAIO VGN C150P Laptop 133 w Dock 9Cell Battery Windows7 Pro Office2007Pro $49.99 Buy It Now for only: $250.00 Buy It Now | Bid now

Sony VAIO PCG XG700 Laptop Notebook WITH BATTERY CHARGER $15.00 Buy It Now for only: $19.00 Buy It Now | Bid now

Sony VAIO VGN TX670P BLACK $350.00 Buy It Now for only: $435.00 Buy It Now | Bid now

Sony VAIO VPCSA4MFY BI Laptop 133 Ultrabook Core i5 4GB 500GB Thin Light SA $999.00 Buy It Now for only: $999.00 Buy It Now

Premium Netbook Sony Vaio P free shipping $748.88 Buy It Now for only: $848.73 Buy It Now | Bid now

Sony VPCSE1DGX B VAIO SE1 Series VPC SE1DGX B Intel Core i5 2430M 24GHz No $899.99 Buy It Now for only: $899.99 Buy It Now

Sony VPCYB33KX B VAIO Y Series VPC YB33KX B Fusion E 450 165 GHz RAM $471.99 Buy It Now for only: $471.99 Buy It Now

Sony VPCSA3AGX BI VAIO S Series Intel Core i5 2430M 24GHz Notebook 4GB R $978.99 Buy It Now for only: $978.99 Buy It Now

Sony VAIO PCG FXA36 Laptop AMD Athlon MP4 1000 128MB 20GB DVD CDRW NO Batt $37.00 Buy It Now for only: $51.00 Buy It Now | Bid now

Sony VAIO P VGN P720D notebook netbook laptop $590.00 Buy It Now for only: $650.00 Buy It Now | Bid now

Sony Vaio Laptop Model VPCS111FM EXCELLENT Condition $695.00 Buy It Now for only: $780.00 Buy It Now | Bid now

Sony Vaio Picturebook PCG C1X Netbook Notebook EXCELLENT COND ++ ACCESSORIES $149.00 Buy It Now for only: $149.00 Buy It Now

Sony Vaio 133VPCSC1AFM S i5 2410M 4GB 500GB Radeon 6470M Blu ray WiMAX Laptop $769.00 Buy It Now for only: $769.00 Buy It Now

Sony VAIO VPC EH25FM B Core i3 2330M Dual Core 22GHz 4 $682.99 Buy It Now for only: $751.30 Buy It Now | Bid now

Sony VAIO VPC EH14FM B Core i3 2310M Dual Core 21GHz 4 $707.99 Buy It Now for only: $778.80 Buy It Now | Bid now

SONY VAIO SA SERIES VPCSA3AFX BI NOTEBOOK INTEL CORE I5 2430M240GHZ 133 4GB $895.00 Buy It Now for only: $895.00 Buy It Now

Sony VAIO VPC EH25FM B Core i3 2330M Dual Core 22GHz 4 $682.99 Buy It Now for only: $751.30 Buy It Now | Bid now

Sony VAIO VPC EH14FM B Core i3 2310M Dual Core 21GHz 4 $707.99 Buy It Now for only: $778.80 Buy It Now | Bid now

After I upgraded to Windows 7, I noticed my Quick Launch Bar disappeared. I like my Quick Launch Bar and the easy access to my favorite programs/documents it provides.

Quick Launch Bar works a little differently on Windows 7 so before creating a folder and adding it on the Taskbar, make sure to read the following thread on Windows Seven Forums: Quick Launch - Enable or Disable

Just in case, I am posting the short version here:

1. Right click on a empty space on the taskbar and click on New Tool.

2. In the Folder line, type or copy:
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

3. Click on the Select Folder button.

4. You now have a Quick Launch toolbar on the taskbar.
NOTE: Click on the arrow to see your Quick Launch shortcuts.

After you have your Quick Launch Bar, you can make changes to the way it is displayed.

Yesterday I received my Windows 7 Launch Home Party package. I posted the photos of the package on our House Party home page.

Yes, the Windows 7 Ultimate Signature Edition was in the party package.

I have a Sony Vaio VGN-FZ180E Laptop. Sony's eSupport site indicates:

Information about upgrade and support for Windows® 7 for the VGNFZ180E VAIO® model will be available when Windows® 7 is officially released by Microsoft. Please check back then for further information.

Hey, I will be hosting a Windows 7 Launch Party on the day Windows 7 is officially released. I need to be able install it way before then.

I am posting this using my Sony Vaio Laptop that is running the Windows 7 Ultimate I received in my House Party package. Here is how I upgraded my Sony laptop to Windows 7:

I really did not want to take the chance of losing my Vista setup and decided to first clone my hard drive and install the Windows 7 upgrade on the new hard drive. I have been thinking about upgrading my laptop's hard drive anyway. Sony laptop owners take note though: You may void your warranty if you replace your laptop's hard drive. Read your warranty first. If you follow the steps I followed, you will preserve your current hard drive in its current condition and you can swap it back in if something goes wrong.

I had already purchased a Fujitsu MHZ2320BJ-G2 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive and a APRICORN EZ-UP-UNIVERSAL 2.5" USB 2.0 Hard Drive Upgrade Kit from my favorite online shopping site:

Here are the simple steps I followed:

1. Deactivate any DRM software like iTunes.
2. Turn off the computer.
3. Take the old hard drive out.
4. Put the new hard drive in the laptop.
5. Put the old hard drive in the Apricorn's external enclosure and connect enclosure to the computer's USB port.
6. Turn the computer on, put Apricorn EZ Gig II CD in the DVD Drive and boot from CD.
7. Select the Clone Hard Drive option and follow the prompts. Make sure to check Typical Upgrade and clone your hard drive as is even if your new hard drive is larger than the old one. You can resize the partitions later. Be carefull in checking source and destination drives. Remember: Your source drive is your old drive that is connected to the USB.
8. The process, in my case, took about three hours. At the end I disconnected the Apricorn external drive and took the EZ Gig CD out and rebooted to my new hard drive.
9. Final step is to put the Windows 7 DVD and start the upgrade process.

I am happy to report that the Windows 7 upgrade process is painless. My computer did not freeze in the process and it did not take long.

All my programs, including Lotus SmartSuite which supposedly had compatibility issues in Vista, are working without any problems so far. All my settings, documents, pictures and favorites are intact. Wireless connection did not require any adjustments.

I have a better laptop with a larger and faster hard drive and a much better operating system.

Apricorn EZ-UP-UNIVERSAL EZ Upgrade Universal Notebook Hard Drive Upgrade Kit List Price: $39.00 Sale Price: $33.25 You save: $5.75 (15%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Description

Universal Hdd Upgrade Kit F/ All Notebook Computers Pata & Sata

Features

• USB 2.0 external hard drive enclosure for Windows 2000 and XP
• Backup software compresses data to less than 1/2 its original size
• Password protection for backup images
• Includes data transfer utility for Windows, USB aux power cable, USB cable, and quick start guide
• 3-year limited warranty

This is exciting!

Official launch day for Windows 7 is October 22, 2009.

Thousands of people will be hosting Windows 7 Launch House parties starting October 22, 2009. I am one of them.

I am a confirmed party host. As a guy who declared Windows 7 Rocks after trying the Release Candidate back in May, I am excited.

Still working on the details of the party. This is going to be good!

Here is the link to my party site: http://houseparty.com/party/188530

Last week I joined the ElegantThemes theme club.

It is a steal at $19.95 per year. You get immediate access to 14 WordPress themes. The theme you are seeing on this blog is one of these 14 themes. As Nick summarizes:

Each WordPress theme comes expertly coded in valid XHTML and CSS, and all are made compatible with the latest version of WordPress. I make sure that each template performs flawlessly in each of the most widely used browsers to insure maximum functionality. Furthermore, all sidebars are made widget ready for your convenience.

Elegant Themes also has a very reasonable licensing agreement. You are allowed to make modifications and remove credit links. As long as you don't claim to own the themes and/or try tell or distribute them and use them on the websites you own you won't be violating terms of use.

Why I did I decide to join the Elegant Themes?

There are hundreds maybe thousands of free WordPress themes available online. Some of them are great themes and supported and updated by the authors who should be praised for their contributions. During the past year and a half as I started using WordPress, I found great free themes I still use.

I also dabbled in modifying these themes and even making my own theme by reading "WordPress Theme Design: A complete guide to creating professional WordPress themes" by Tessa Blakeley Silver. I recommed the book to anyone who wants to create his/her own theme.

WordPress Theme Design

Tessa Blakeley Silver. Packt Publishing 2008, Paperback, 224 pages, $9.64

I found that it is a lot easier and faster to start with a theme and then modify it to my needs and desires. This is the number one reason I joined the Elegant Themes. I got an immediate access to 14 themes to do just that.

Even if you are not interested in doing any modifications, having 14 different themes to choose for your website / blog for only $19,95 is a steal. There are premium WordPress themes available for $79 plus. Yes that is $79 + for one theme. Most themes you get at Elegant Themes have options to change color scheme and look easily. This is great for newbies who still want to have a blog with a unique look.