watch dodogg MAXIMUM PC TAKES A BITE OUT OF BAD GEAR dog
PQuad Core P4 PWolfKing Won’t Bunny
Jump PCanon’s 12.1MP Pinhole Camera
recent years because newer CPUs are identified
at the die level and are thus beyond remarking
electronically, Brown told the Dog. You could, say,
re-mark a cheap Core 2 Duo to physically say it’s
an expensive Core 2 Extreme, but it’s impossible
to make the OS or BIOS recognize it as a Core 2
Extreme , unless they were themselves hacked
But what if the holographic seals were intact
on the box, surely that would protect you? Nope.
Brown said that counterfeiters’ skills are so
incredibly sophisticated that even the holograph-
ic seals can be reproduced. The most foolproof
method for protecting yourself is to download
the CPU identification tool from Intel and check
the proc yourself.
Although it looked like Roger was going to
end up with a dead P4 instead of a shiny quad
core, Intel reversed its decision and swapped
Roger’s chip for another Core 2 Extreme QX6700.
The Dog must add that Intel’s warranty depart-
ment did this independently of the Dog’s ques-
tions to the company about Roger’s case, so hats
off to the company.
The Dog doesn’t necessarily hold Zipzoomfly.
com to blame, as there is simply no way of
knowing when the CPU was swapped. Roger
certainly didn’t help matters by reporting the
problem months after the return period ended.
So what are the lessons to be learned?
Number one, make sure you got what you paid
for as soon as possible. If you’re buying a part at
a store, check the packaging. Many new pack-
ages actually put the CPU or videocard in a clear
window so you can even check it without open-
ing the box. If you buy an open box or returned
item, check it in the store, or if that’s not
allowed, when you’re paying for it. The cashier
can be your witness and you can avoid claims by
the store that you swapped the part yourself.
If you purchased an Intel CPU, downloadIntel’s Processor Identification Utility at http://www.
tinyurl.com/23z6mh. The utility will check any
current Intel CPU and tell you if it’s actually the
chip you bought. AMD has a similar tool avail-
able at http://www.tinyurl.com/o0n. While it’s possible
to fool Windows XP, Windows Vista will identify
the CPU string from the chip, so that’s another
option for verification. Third-party tools such
as CPU-Z (www.cpuid.com) and GPU-Z (www.
techpowerup.com/gpuz/) are also available to
query your hardware. The key take-away is to
check your hardware before the return deadline
comes up. Woof.NO BUNNY HOPPING WITH THIS
KEYBOARD
I purchased a WolfKing CS Warrior keyboard. It
worked fine for about a month and then quit. None
of the keys would do anything, I even switched USB
ports, but to no avail. I emailed WolfKing about my
problem but didn’t hear back after two weeks. I then
called the support “hotline” numerous times only to
get a recording that says, “We’ll get back to you at
our convenience.” Which, as it turns out, is never. I
sent six emails and still no response. The keyboard is
under warranty but that doesn’t help if I can’t reach
anyone. Has the company been skinned?
— Sgt. Bass 64The Dog pinged WolfKing USA and heard from
Bob Costlow, the company’s director of sales
and marketing. Costlow told the Dog, “I’m a bit
puzzled at this complaint. I’m usually copied on
any defect issue (of which there have been very
few). I have not received any reports of a CS
Warrior... as a defect or a phone message indi-
cating an issue. I’ll certainly look into it... [and
to abide by the warranty period], I’d be happy to
provide this user with a replacement unit ASAP.”
Woof.■ Canon has issued a service alert for some of its new
12.1MP PowerShot A650 IS digital cameras, which may
exhibit a light leak. The problem can occur when a per-
son is shooting with the LCD display open and sunlight
shining directly on the back of the camera causes a
small overexposed rectangle to appear in the image.
Canon did not say how many of the cameras have the
problem, but it did say the problem affects PowerShot
A650 IS cameras that have a 0 as the fifth digit of the serial number. For example, a camera
with a 4816002105 would be eligible for the fix. Canon will repair
any camera with the problem free of charge. The company also
said the problem can be avoided in the short term by keeping
the LCD closed during exposures. For more information, contact
Canon at 800-828-4040 between 8 a.m. and midnight, Monday
through Friday, or 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday. Consumers may
also contact Canon at [email protected].Fix Alert
Canon’s PowerShot A650 IS
cameras could leak light when
the LCD is exposed to sunlight.