BMac1203

Actually I would'nt mind asking him, he's a software engineer. Not on Windws though, he's on the XBox Development Team There's actually a lot of things built into operating systems that people don't know about. But then again...I don't know about them hah:lol:

Agreed. My cousin works at Microsoft. He said that the reason that solid state storage hasn't taken off is not due to cost (although currently expensive). Longevity is the true reason. Although hard drives may theoretically wear out over time and are suceptible to damage, normal usage does not lower the performance/longevity as it does to solid state/flash storage. Coming back from stand-by isn't as bad as booting from a cold state, but it still does require those minor writes as well.

I ran my CarPC all through last winter in Albany, NY and all through this summer here as well. Still running strong. I'm not worried. Honestly, if it only last two years or so, I can get a new drive. 2.5" HDD's aren't anywhere near as expensive as they used to be AND are much better at handling temperature change and heavy shock than they used to.

XP is the most compatible. Don't dabble with Vista if you want reliability. Mike, sorry I never got back to you; it's been hectic. Glad to hear you got it worked out.

I've got it, got your PM. Ill get back to you in the morning.

No prob!

Nope, you're thinking of Standby. Standby technically keeps the computer on (the RAM mainly) to keep the computer ready to boot right up. Hibernation commits the current state to the hard disk (permanent) rather than the memory (temporary), so that the computer may be "technically" shut down and restarted at the same place where it left off.

1) Correct, I go into hibernate. Restarting takes much longer than hibernation, and the computer loses its current settings (music playing, gps signal, etc.). 2) That all depends about the camera. If it's a USB camera of some sort, it could trigger your front end to switch to the camera when going in reverse (assuming that you're using the power wires from the rear signals to start the camera). Or, IIRC, the Xenarc screen has an RCA input that it defaults to when it detects signal (ie: The camera plugs into screen, when screen sees camera turn on, it switches to it) That is my understanding. I originally wanted a camera, but then I realized its just for show (depending on the driver). My Mother has a backup camera on her Audi SUV and it works nicely, but she's also not comfortable with parallel parking her SUV, so it works out. Personally, I park just fine

Macs are different, OSX is written in a way that it defrags continuously (in a way) because the operating system is fully indexed. Windows is too dumb (at least until Vista came out, but that garbage is whole other issue) to speed itself up on its own. My CarPC computer is as fast now as it's always been. It doesn't get restarted often, so it shouldn't slow down much. Theoretically if a computer is on all the time running one single function and nothing else, it should be able to do it well.

Why'd you opt for the larger drive? Just curious. Do you have that much music? More power to ya!

Hmmm interesting. You're running an external drive in your car? That's interesting about the spin-up though, it must be a big drive. I'd never experienced drive spin lag until I switched from iPod Nano to iPod Video. Never knew the lag of a drive could be so noticeable, especially when it's that small.

Thanks Seb!

Isn't that in Power Settings in the control panel? I'm pretty sure that it's not the drive that's set to do that, it's your windows settings. It's the "Put Hard Disks to sleep after....mins" option. I could be wrong, I'm on a Mac right now so I can't check it. But check those settings.

I use the lilliput 629, never had a problem (running fine since Jan. I believe?) Also, I've glued it into 3 different bezels that I've made, disassembled it many times, soldered on the board, etc. etc. Still works great, no issues to report. The 700TSV is great, but I didn't see any added value for the extra $100; for me, they're both the same. Don't read the Lilliput failure threads on mp3car.com. Bottom line, if you are careful, any screen will be fine.

I cannot speak for a mod-friendly dealer, but the exhaust fitment problem is pretty normal. I'm unsure as of where, but I believe that people have taken the pipe's hanger, that is lower, and put it through the "middle" hole of the rubber hanger. (IIRC, it's not really a middle hole, its just an opening there). This should raise the pipe the height you need. Give it a try. If not, any exhaust shop should be able to heat the weld on the hanger and adjust its height accordingly.

It is highly unlikely that they would do such a thing. I live the "0.1% chance is too great for me" lifestyle as well. BUT, as stated further back in this thread, by law they have to prove that the part that was altered did (or at least could) have caused the failure (for your example's sake, the turbo). If they can prove in court that $1's worth of washers between your pipes caused your turbo to fail, then we live in a way more corrupt system than I thought. If anything the increased flow and lower back pressure can only be better for a turbo, hence why the car gains horsepower completely on its own when you remove its breathing restrictions. There's always a "CHANCE", but thats true with everything in life. If your turbo goes and SOA voids its warranty because of washers; instead of leaving your car at the dealer for who-knows-how-long to get the snail replaced, see that as time and money lost while waiting, and take that time and money and throw in something better on your own. Pay to play - pay to smile - have money in the pockets just incase you need to frown.

Not bad, youre going to want a slot load drive though (unless you don't mind the tray; I just don't find them too great for car applications).

f1, My laptop HD is mounted vertically as well. No probs whatsoever.

What are you planning on running thats so powerful?

I have a 60gb as well. I don't have any shock mounts on mine, still works perfect (almost 6 months later). Hey 1-3-2-4, Tell us what car psu you end up choosing. If you look at an M1ATX, I have one laying around I'll get to ya for cheap.

Looks good to me! 1.2ghz is great. Good deal I think.

iG4 looks almost identical. For me, for some reason, the routing software is a little faster than iG3 was. I didn't know that it wasn't working with the plugin, I just installed went ahead and installed it, and it works perfectly fine for me.

I use Centrafuse XLE. I have tried RR on multiple occasions and just haven't been happy with the appearance. I would say that it's 100% usability, but about 80% flashy (attractiveness). CF has that polished feel that RR doesn't (although it all depends on the skin). I currently use iG4 with CF instead of the built-in Destinator, but it's mainly due to the fact that I had iGuidance on my CarPC before I got the full version of Centrafuse, and I wasn't willing to change. Destinator is nice, gives you a 50/50 split screen with the map on the left (with current position) as well as a list of turn-by-turn directions on the right (with remaining mileage by each entry). The nicest thing about the built in guidance in CF is that it lowers the volume of the music natively (because its controlling it) rather than some plug-ins that I have to use to get the same thing done for iGuidance (requires toying around with). All in all, they're both great. RR has a huge fanbase and is a great front-end. If I could ever get my RR settings to be acceptable to me (remember, I'm a perfectionist) then I would have kept it. But, I change my mind a lot, and RR is more difficult to change often, and it has to be done outside of RR and also has a few less user-controllable options than the latest release of CF. All in all, CF was my choice because (IMO) it has a more polished feel to it. Just my .02. (Also, I can take pics of my CF & skin if anyone's interested).

He just wants the lens, not the bowls. The other member mentioned using STi projectors for a retro.

I totally feel ya! Nothing wrong with extra power, just make sure that your Car PowerSupply will support all your stuff, and make sure that you have ample cooling as well (if needed). But sounds great! Make sure you ask here if you have any questions or want recommendations on software, etc. Also, if you haven't been to mp3car.com yet, those forums are great as well. Take care!