ARCHIVED NEWS
To view the latest news click Here
December 2012
Site Update
29 December 2012
Another year is almost over, ready to make way for lucky 2013. I hope it's been a prosperous and positive year for you. Thanks to all who have supported the site and my guides in 2012, and I hope I can cook up some interesting material for you in the new year.
It's no secret that I've had problems in getting game guides out within a reasonable timeframe due to unnecessarily long clearance times at Nvidia. It's now almost a month since I completed the Far Cry 3 Tweak Guide and sent it over, only to have final approval of its publication delayed by the developer for no apparent reason. I enjoy working with Nvidia, and without them I wouldn't be releasing any game guides at all. I also appreciate their need to maintain developer relationships. But a game guide that is published over a month after a game's release loses much of its usefulness, so this needs to be resolved.
As for the games themselves, this year has seen a mixed batch. To me the standout of 2012 has been Far Cry 3. Certainly not a perfect game, but it's the prettiest game I've seen since Crysis, and provides enough freedom to explore at your own pace for the most part. It took me a while to really warm up to it, but after the latest patch removed the unnecessary prompts and undesirable HUD elements, I'm now having lots of fun with it. An honorable mention should be given to Borderlands 2, which I enjoyed quite a bit as well.
This year also saw the launch of Windows 8, to a rather lukewarm reception. Having taken the time to compile the TweakGuides Tweaking Companion for Windows 8, I appreciate all of the positive changes that Windows 8 brings. However, like many people, I am no fan of the Metro interface. Fortunately, with a few tweaks, along with the use of the Start8 utility, I now have my Windows 8 looking and feeling much like my Windows 7, without having to use Metro, but with all of the benefits of the under-the-hood improvements of the latest version of Windows. I also splashed out and finally bought an Intel 520 series SSD for my main drive, adding new vigor to my older system, which is still performing wonderfully - see the bottom of this page for the details. If you've been holding off on ugprading to an SSD, I recommend looking at getting one now, as their price and reliability seems to have improved greatly.
Onwards to 2013!
CCleaner 3.26.1888
22 December 2012
A new Version 3.26.1888 of the free CCleaner system cleaning utility has been released. This version adds cleaning for Office 2013 and Adobe Reader 11.0, and has a range of minor improvements and bug fixes.
Game Patches
22 December 2012
Microsoft Security Updates
21 December 2012
Microsoft has released new revisions of Windows security updates which you can download from here or get through Windows Update.
Game Patches
21 December 2012
Game Patches
20 December 2012
Game Patches
19 December 2012
Opera 12.12
18 December 2012
The Opera browser has been updated to Version 12.12. This version adds a new option to delete settings and data for all extensions, as well as providing security and stability fixes.
Nvidia GeForce 310.70 WHQL
18 December 2012
Nvidia has released the 310.70 WHQL certified graphics driver. This driver is for GeForce 8 and higher graphics cards under Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8. It is the same as the 310.70 Beta driver that was released recently, but now has been WHQL certified. The driver package also contains the 9.12.1031 PhysX drivers.
VLC Media Player 2.0.5
17 December 2012
The free VLC Media Player has been updated to Version 2.0.5. This version contains various bug fixes.
Game Patches
17 December 2012
Site Update
15 December 2012
The Far Cry 3 Tweak Guide is stuck in internal clearance processes at Nvidia. It now seems that developer approval, which is usually a formality, is taking longer than expected. I won't pretend that I'm OK with this, as I made an extra effort to compile a comprehensive guide as quickly as possible and get it out ASAP. I apologize to those who would have found the guide useful had it been released earlier. I've expressed my frustration to Nvidia, but at the same time, I can see how they won't jeopardize developer relationships over the matter of a guide. It should be out soon.
Game Patches
15 December 2012
iTunes 11.0.1
14 December 2012
Apple has released a new Version 11.0.1 of the iTunes software. This update adds the ability to display duplicate items in your library, and contains several bug fixes, as well as security and performance improvements.
Game Patches
14 December 2012
Metro 2033 Free
13 December 2012
THQ is giving a free copy of Metro 2033 to anyone who Likes their Facebook Page.
Chrome 23.0.1271.97
13 December 2012
Google has released Version 23.0.1271.97 of the Chrome browser. This version contains bug and security fixes, as well as updating the Flash player.
Game Patches
13 December 2012
Microsoft Security Updates
12 December 2012
Microsoft has released its monthly set of Windows security updates which you can download from here or get through Windows Update.
Flash Player 11.5.502.135
12 December 2012
Adobe has released Version 11.5.502.135 of the Flash Player plugin for browsers.
Java Runtime Environment 7.10
12 December 2012
Oracle has released an Update 10 to the Java Runtime Environment 7.
Game Patches
12 December 2012
TweakGuides Tweaking Companion for Windows 8
9 December 2012
The TweakGuides Tweaking Companion for Windows 8 is finally available. It covers all of the features of Windows 8, including how to safely optimize and customize most of them. The book is equally handy for new users of Windows 8, as well as those considering upgrading to it. As before, it is available in a free Regular Edition and the paid Deluxe Edition. If you find it useful, spread the word.
Intel Rapid Storage Technology 11.7.0.1013
8 December 2012
Intel has released Version 11.7.0.1013 of the Rapid Storage Technology driver for those using RAID or AHCI on Intel chipset motherboards.
Game Patches
8 December 2012
Site Update
7 December 2012
In response to the queries regarding the Far Cry 3 Tweak Guide - I just finished it last night and submitted it to Nvidia. It's a very large guide, and I think most people will be happy with it. Hopefully it can be up on GeForce.com by early next week. Now I have to turn my focus back to finishing the formatting for the TweakGuides Tweaking Companion for Windows 8, and have that out in the next few days also.
Game Patches
7 December 2012
Game Patches
6 December 2012
Nvidia GeForce 310.70 Beta
5 December 2012
Nvidia has released the 310.70 Beta WHQL candidate graphics driver. This driver is for GeForce 8 and higher graphics cards under Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8. It contains the performance optimizations of the recent beta releases, new SLI profiles, as well as bug fixes. The driver package also contains the 9.12.1031 PhysX drivers.
Windows Updates
5 December 2012
Microsoft has released a non-critical Update for Windows 8. It resolves an issue with updating.
Game Patches
5 December 2012
Foxit Reader 5.4.4
5 December 2012
The free Foxit PDF Reader has been updated to Version 5.4.4.1128. This update fixes a security vulnerability.
AMD Catalyst 12.11 Beta 11
4 December 2012
AMD has released the Catalyst 12.11 Beta 11 graphics driver for the HD 5000 series and above on Windows Vista, 7 and 8. This updated beta 11 version improves performance in Far Cry 3 and contains bug fixes.
Game Patches
4 December 2012
Game Patches
2 December 2012
Chrome 23.0.1271.95
1 December 2012
Google has released Version 23.0.1271.95 of the Chrome browser. This version contains bug and security fixes.
Game Patches
1 December 2012
Firefox 17.0.1
1 December 2012
Mozilla has released Version 17.0.1 of the Firefox browser. This version contains bug fixes.
To view the latest news click Here