User Experience & Interaction Design

Was breaking my head to find out the drivers for my friends laptop which is a Compaq Presario c700 series (c702TU is his model). The HP support website does not give any drivers except for Matrix storage drivers from Intel. This particular model uses Celeron Processor with 2 channel audio (few models with HD audio, some with cheap AC97) and churns out pixels using the onboard GM965 chipset.

So somehow I figured out a manual from HP's website and found out the following hardware config for c700 series.

Chipset : Intel 965 (including GM965 Mobile Chipset) Chipset and Graphics Drivers
Visit Intel website. Goto the Download drivers in Support page. Then Choose Chipsets, Your preferred OS (XP in my case) and click the Chipset Drivers set. No need to choose the Laptop chipset drivers. Intel provides all in one driver Installer which contains drivers for Desktop, Laptop and Server chipsets.
[Download Intel Driver Page]

Network Controller : Realtek 8139 NIC Chipset
c700 series uses the Realtek 8139 Ethernet chip. Visit Realtek's website and download the drivers. [Download Realtek 813X series drivers]

Audio Drivers : Conexant HD Audio - Venice 5045
When installing XP, all HD audio hardware requires Microsoft's UAA drivers needed to be installed prior installing chip specific audio drivers. [Download Microsoft UAA Audio Drivers]

After installing Microsoft UAA drivers, do the following.

Download this Conexant HD audio driver and install. The automatic install program will fail but that is expected. Go to Control Panel > Device Manager. Single right-click on the ‘unknown’ audio device and select “Update Driver”. From the Hardware Update wizard:

Select ‘no, not this time’ when asked to connect to the internet, click next.

Select ‘install from a specific location’ (advanced), click next.

Select ‘Don’t search, I will choose the driver to install’, click next.

In the list of common hardware types, scroll down and select Sound, Video, and Game controllers, click next.

In the resulting dialogue box, click Have Disk.

Browse to the folder where SP36090 was extracted (e.g. C:\SWSetup\SP36090) and select CpV30D5a.inf, click OK

In the next dialogue, select Conexant High Definition Audio-Venice 5045. If you receive a warning that Windows cannot verify compatibility with this drive, select ‘Proceed’ or ‘Ignore’ (or whatever option that allows you to continue installing the driver).

That's it. Driver installed.


PS : Part of these procedures are from Zyxware Website. You can find the WiFi installation procedures in Zyxware Website.

I was working out a simple calculation for my personal finance, trying to figure how much should I save for my annual savings like Insurance, ULIPs, Bonds etc. It then iterated on and on and on, and I even included a wishlist column.

What does this Spreadsheet do?
The spreadsheet attempts to capture your monthly expenses, then capture your savings (captured for Per-Year, but automatically calculates for Per-Month internally) and a Wish List - items that you wish to buy the next year. For example an LCD TV, or Gadget or BlueRay player or even a Home Appliance.


What will it show to me?
Using this spreadsheet, you can find out how much you should save each month for meeting your yearly-savings and to buy Wish List items. This is not a Finance calculator, but a tool to give a ball-park idea to meet the savings need.



Instructions:
The Spreadsheet was created in OpenOffice and exported to Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP formats. I've given both formats here. You can download both and checkout for yourself.

1. Fill all the pale-yellow colored cells with the amounts. You can add/delete irrelevant heads.
   
2. The spreadsheet automatically calculates the Monthly shell for savings (such as Insurance, Bonds etc)
   
3. Additionally, if you fill out the Wish-List columns, it will calculate Monthly shell for Wish List too.
   
4. On the top you need to enter your monthly salary to find out how much you spend towards expenses, Savings instrucments and optionally for wishlist.
   
5. The cash-in-hand is the estimated amount remaining after all expenses are deducted from your salary.
   

Download
OpenOffice 2.0 Spreadsheet : myForeCast.ods
Microsoft Office 2000/XP : myForeCast.xls

- Rajesh Sundaram

I bought my Alto LXi purely based on budget and maintenance factors. Alto is one-step above India's basic car, the Maruti 800. It has got some better comforts than Maruti 800 and carries a tuned-up engine. The top-end 800 costs Rs.2.2Lakhs and a top-end Alto costs Rs.2.75Lakhs. The extra 55k can be justified for a all-new design (though it looks kinda outdated now), decent interiors, Power steering and a lovely Air-con. Logically anyone who has driven a 800 will feel much better inside an Alto.

Why did I chose the Alto?
I chose Alto from a list that carried WagonR, Santro and a Bolero. Looking at long term, the EMI, value, cost of Depreciation, yearly renewals such as Insurance made me chose Alto LXi. Infact fuel economy is one more influencing factor too.

Is Alto a city car?
Combined with a tuned motor of Maruti 800 (delivers 45 bhp) and a good Air-con, Alto gives you all the basic comforts for a city car. It has got enough power for the stop-and-go, city traffic. It will cool up the cabin decently and quickly. It has got enough space to carry 2 people in the rear and a third one can squeeze in, but cannot avoid rubbing shoulders.

My Life with Alto
Hate it or Love it. Alto is one unique car. It has got decent bits of everything to make you determined to buy a better-in-all-aspect car next time. Haha.. it's a joke. But yes, Alto does offer you everything a modern car has. It has basic safety - Seat Belts that makes you crave for Air bags. It has got basic comfort - standard definition seating that makes you long for wider and more ergonomic seats. It has got a decent engine which is derived from an outdated engine. It shows up when you try to over-take and try some sudden pick-ups. It has got a good Air con, which will make you wish for a Climate control. It has got a 800-based vague long-throw gearbox that makes you wish for a slick gearbox. (The classic gear-box problem of 800 and Alto exists. It appears to be a design problem, and the effect is - the first and Reverse gears are tight.. i mean really tight to slot in. Not all the Altos and 800s suffer from this, but generally few notices it.) It has got bit somewhat cramped interiors that makes you wish for a better space.

Inspite of all these can-live-with shortcomings, Alto is fun to drive in the city. Switch on the aircon and slot in the gear, you are set to go. You can cruise thru the bumper-to-bumper traffic effortlessly. On the highways it is a different story. I've scratched other's egos a lot of time. I've zipped past, and chased Lancers, Accents, Innovas, Santros, Esteems and even Skodas , who then got their egos scratched zipped past me at 140 hmph. Had there not been the speed limiter that puts Alto's range within 130 kmph, I would have tried overtaking them again. The car is such a ego-scratcher! :-D hahah...

So what makes Alto the number one selling car in India? It's the decent-bits-of-everything, fuel economy and maintenance. City driving gives you an FE of around 13 to 14 kmpl with / without aircon. Highway driving gives you 17 to 19kmpl with/without aircon. Maintenance wise, it doesnt burn any hole in your pocket. Just make sure you check the timing belt, engine oil, and clean the air filter once in 3 months. With decent boot space for weekend getaways and shopping, and space for a loving family of four, decent for occasional long drives, and a price that no other brand can match - Alto is the choice for many Indians.

Conclusion
I love my Alto and most possibly I am going to keep it as long as possible. Even if I have to buy a new car / UV, Alto will stay in my Erode home. I am not going to sell it.