All Forum Comments
Comment by Shaky posted on Vista 64 bit at 11/02/2009 - 14:52
Darkmunk,
You could try to enter the BIOS (setting the boot priority to involve the CD drive) then exit to the DOS prompt and see if you can run Format or FDISK/diskpart (don’t forget to check the path).
Alternatively you might try something similar if you have a floppy drive (perhaps USB) and some old DOS disks lying around you could boot from.
Whole thing sounds bizarre – perhaps a concept dreamt up in marketing to forcibly retain Vista market share
You could try to enter the BIOS (setting the boot priority to involve the CD drive) then exit to the DOS prompt and see if you can run Format or FDISK/diskpart (don’t forget to check the path).
Alternatively you might try something similar if you have a floppy drive (perhaps USB) and some old DOS disks lying around you could boot from.
Whole thing sounds bizarre – perhaps a concept dreamt up in marketing to forcibly retain Vista market share
Comment by Shaky posted on Vista 64 bit at 10/02/2009 - 15:33
Aha - Hoya Fiscal Q3 2009 results have just been released.
See: http://www.hoya.co.jp/english/investor/investor_09_21.html
See: http://www.hoya.co.jp/english/investor/investor_09_21.html
Quote:
Segment Overview
. . .3. Pentax
As for the medical endoscope of PENTAX, sales decreased in comparison to the same period of the previous year due to an appreciaion of the Yen, in spite of the favorable trend of a new endoscope system compatible with mega-pixel imaging in overseas markets. For digital cameras, sales decreased due to sales decline in compact cameras, and also single lens reflex cameras recorded negative growth because of the fierce price competition in th market.
This section has been implementing a structural reorganization in view of future growth, and recorded operating loss in this quarter under review, posting expenses for reviewing business strategies, organizational changes, as well as revaluation of assets, etc., in addition of goodwill amortization generated upon integration. As a result, sales in this section amounted to Yen 30,643 million and
recorded operating loss of Yen 1,433 million.
Segment Overview
. . .3. Pentax
As for the medical endoscope of PENTAX, sales decreased in comparison to the same period of the previous year due to an appreciaion of the Yen, in spite of the favorable trend of a new endoscope system compatible with mega-pixel imaging in overseas markets. For digital cameras, sales decreased due to sales decline in compact cameras, and also single lens reflex cameras recorded negative growth because of the fierce price competition in th market.
This section has been implementing a structural reorganization in view of future growth, and recorded operating loss in this quarter under review, posting expenses for reviewing business strategies, organizational changes, as well as revaluation of assets, etc., in addition of goodwill amortization generated upon integration. As a result, sales in this section amounted to Yen 30,643 million and
recorded operating loss of Yen 1,433 million.
Comment by Shaky posted on Is Pentax to disappear? at 09/02/2009 - 21:56
womble wrote:
They probably make more profit from spectacles than cameras!
Here's what Hoya do according to Bloomberg:They probably make more profit from spectacles than cameras!
Quote:
COMPANY PROFILE
HOYA manufactures electro-optics products such as photomasks for semiconductors, optical glasses, magnetic memory disks, eyeglasses, contact lenses, laser equipment, and crystal products. The Company develops information systems and operates staffing services.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=7741%3AJP
Hmmm.COMPANY PROFILE
HOYA manufactures electro-optics products such as photomasks for semiconductors, optical glasses, magnetic memory disks, eyeglasses, contact lenses, laser equipment, and crystal products. The Company develops information systems and operates staffing services.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=7741%3AJP
Comment by Shaky posted on Is Pentax to disappear? at 09/02/2009 - 21:23
loskeran wrote:
Hoya now own Pentax and have spent quite a lot of money, I don’t think they will let the brand go
First of all it is critical to understand that Hoya is in nowhere near the same league as even a mid tier company like Canon, which is 5 times larger in stock market value terms, and has a much tighter product portfolio. Hoya are not quite what the Americans call a small cap but they are not far off at all.Hoya now own Pentax and have spent quite a lot of money, I don’t think they will let the brand go
Secondly, I’m sorry to say I have yet to see anybody posting on the actual Pentax/Hoya relationship possessing any real degree of understanding of this. In this context the original Nikkei report of the euphemistically termed merger is highly instructive: http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20061222/125787/
Please note the emphasis is pretty much exclusively on the Pentax medical equipment business, which is much more attuned with Hoya’s high tech focus.
As for discussions regarding the camera business, not only is this way down the agenda but it is also long on metaphors of eastern mystery and short on specific assurances. The bottom line:
Quote:
“I think Hoya will be able to do for the camera business no more than injecting its knowledge for management.”
Hoya CEO Hiroshi Suzuki
A rapidly growing market can mask a multitude of operational sins, with even poor competitive performers able to satisfy the stock market’s desire for volume and sales growth. “I think Hoya will be able to do for the camera business no more than injecting its knowledge for management.”
Hoya CEO Hiroshi Suzuki
All indications now suggest the digital camera market is cratering and with undoubted problems elsewhere in Hoya’s business portfolio I’d be very surprised if their management have the time and capital to underwrite Pentax much longer. If they decide to cut their losses what happens to the Pentax brand is anybody’s guess, with the path of rapid resale typically a slippery slope.
However, as regards the OP if you have a significant investment in Pentax lenses built up over the years buying a newish digital body now is a nevertheless a reasonably rational option to safeguard that investment.
Comment by Shaky posted on Is Pentax to disappear? at 09/02/2009 - 21:13
The legal position can be understood with reference to a recent High Court ruling:
Quote:
High Court decides to uphold a contract entered into by mistake
]http://www.lawdit.co.uk/reading_room/room/view_article.asp?name=../articles/9117...
However, the key part of this in the current context is as follows:
[quote]In his ruling, Mr Justice Aikens confirmed that: "The general rule at common law is that if one party has made a mistake as to the terms of the contract and that mistake is known to the other party, then the contract is not binding... The reasoning is that although the parties appear, objectively, to have agreed terms, it is clear that they are not in agreement."
"Therefore the normal rule of looking only at the objective agreement of the parties is displaced and the court admits evidence to show what each side subjectively intended to agree by way of terms. If it is clear from such evidence that there was not consensus [in this case the original receipt], then there can be no contract, because the parties have not truly agreed on the terms. Some of the cases talk of such a contract being 'void', but I think it is clearer to say that there was never a contract at all," he said.
Where's George when you need him High Court decides to uphold a contract entered into by mistake
]http://www.lawdit.co.uk/reading_room/room/view_article.asp?name=../articles/9117...
However, the key part of this in the current context is as follows:
[quote]In his ruling, Mr Justice Aikens confirmed that: "The general rule at common law is that if one party has made a mistake as to the terms of the contract and that mistake is known to the other party, then the contract is not binding... The reasoning is that although the parties appear, objectively, to have agreed terms, it is clear that they are not in agreement."
"Therefore the normal rule of looking only at the objective agreement of the parties is displaced and the court admits evidence to show what each side subjectively intended to agree by way of terms. If it is clear from such evidence that there was not consensus [in this case the original receipt], then there can be no contract, because the parties have not truly agreed on the terms. Some of the cases talk of such a contract being 'void', but I think it is clearer to say that there was never a contract at all," he said.
Comment by Shaky posted on Does anyone know where I stand? at 05/02/2009 - 08:54
jackitec wrote:
. . .from Windows 3.1 to XP Windows Vista is the best one yet
The market disagrees:. . .from Windows 3.1 to XP Windows Vista is the best one yet
Quote:
Microsoft Cuts 5,000 Jobs as Recession Curbs Growth (Update3)
By Dina Bass
Jan. 22 (Bloomberg). . .Growth in the PC Windows unit was stymied by slowing demand for all but the cheapest machines. While consumers and businesses hold off buying computers with the latest premium version of Windows, demand is increasing for netbooks, machines that cost less than $500 and use the cheaper Windows XP or the rival Linux operating system.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ax7ZJD5uu89c&refer=home
Microsoft Cuts 5,000 Jobs as Recession Curbs Growth (Update3)
By Dina Bass
Jan. 22 (Bloomberg). . .Growth in the PC Windows unit was stymied by slowing demand for all but the cheapest machines. While consumers and businesses hold off buying computers with the latest premium version of Windows, demand is increasing for netbooks, machines that cost less than $500 and use the cheaper Windows XP or the rival Linux operating system.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ax7ZJD5uu89c&refer=home
Comment by Shaky posted on Vista 64 bit at 22/01/2009 - 18:01
Darkmunk wrote:
Is Windows 7 essentially Vista?
Yes.Is Windows 7 essentially Vista?
Microsoft are known to be working on a fairly revolutionary kernel redesign where it is split into meaningful chunks that are then loaded - and likely licensed - depending on the pc’s intended functionality.
Ignoring virtualisation this technology is backwards compatible with nothing and was apparently originally intended for release in Windows 7. However, somewhere along the line Microsoft have drastically scaled back their level of ambition and instead gone for what appears to be little more than a reskinning of Vista.
Presumably Microsoft believe they know what they are doing, but I smell another market failure with Windows 7 given the undoubted reluctance of corporates to invest in the current climate. I think they should have stuck to their original timetable and aimed for genuine architectural innovation rather than more entertainment gimmickry.
Comment by Shaky posted on Vista 64 bit at 16/01/2009 - 18:48
This is interesting:
Quote:
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) Beta is publicly available
. . .With MED-V 1.0, you can manage virtual Windows XP or 2000 environments (based on Microsoft Virtual PC 2007), and help your users to run legacy applications on their Windows Vista desktops.
Link to full story including beta download: http://blogs.technet.com/mdop/Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) Beta is publicly available
. . .With MED-V 1.0, you can manage virtual Windows XP or 2000 environments (based on Microsoft Virtual PC 2007), and help your users to run legacy applications on their Windows Vista desktops.
Comment by Shaky posted on Vista 64 bit at 16/01/2009 - 09:41
Anvh wrote:
XP 64bit . . .I just have installed Photoshop CS4 64bit here and it runs great
A minor point of clarification; PS CS4 64 bit mode is officially *unsupported* under Win XP x64. See http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=kb404901&sliceId=1XP 64bit . . .I just have installed Photoshop CS4 64bit here and it runs great
Regarding Windows 7, if anybody wants to try it out the best way is to set up a second hard disk partition; here’s how you go about doing that: http://lifehacker.com/5126781/how-to-dual-boot-windows-7-with-xp-or-vista
Comment by Shaky posted on Vista 64 bit at 14/01/2009 - 21:29
running FDISK. . .No way Vista could survive that.
Anyway, if this problem is still persisting I found a great little site providing bootable ISOs of DOS; see: http://www.allbootdisks.com/iso.html
Use something like the excellent and free http://www.imgburn.com/ utility to burn the ISO to CD if you don't have anything appropriate.