Author: Dr. Bill

Uh-oh! The Cloud is a problem for gamers it seems!

Mass Effect 3 can’t import completed save game files from the cloud

“EA has revealed an issue that could prevent Xbox 360 users from importing their completed Mass Effect 2 save data into Mass Effect 3.

The series allows players of the latest release to import save data from previous games, ensuring that the look of their character, the decisions and actions they’ve taken, and squad mates they’ve lost remains consistent.

But those who have saved their completed Mass Effect 2 data to the cloud and don’t still have access to the system on which the save was originally made may not be able to salvage the completed endgame file

EA says:

The following scenarios will result in no import functionality:

Moving your save file from the hard drive disc to the cloud.

Moving your save file to another Xbox 360 system via the cloud (instead of a memory card, transfer cable or Xbox 360 formatted USB stick).

Solution to scenario 1:

Move your save file from the cloud back onto the hard drive from which it originated, i.e. the Xbox 360 you originally created the save file on.

Solution to scenario 2:

Move your save file from the cloud back onto the hard drive from which it originated, i.e. the Xbox 360 you originally created the save file on.

Using a memory card, Xbox 360 formatted USB stick, or the Official Xbox 360 HDD transfer cable, transfer the save file to the new Xbox 360.

Currently there is one scenario in which you might not salvage the completed, endgame save file: if you have ever moved your file to the cloud and the original system is not available to transfer it back to.

While it’s possible that one might be able to reload a non-original save game near the end of Mass Effect 2 to ‘re-finish’ the game to populate a new endgame save, we unfortunately cannot guarantee that this will work with certainty. Lastly, you may also experience importing issues if you’ve downloaded or used custom Mass Effect 2 saves, or have edited your own save using a community-created program. We understand this may be a great setback to those impacted who have been following the Mass Effect franchise over the years. We thank you for your patience.

Mass Effect 3 is out now in North America and will be available on these shores from Friday. If it wasn’t clear enough from our Mass Effect 3 review, the third entry in BioWare’s sci-fi trilogy is one of the best games you’re likely to play this year.”

If your space agency is not secure, what is?!? Well, NASA is not that secure apparently! (Maybe they should not use “Password1” as their passwords!) Just sayin’!

NASA Was Hacked 13 Times Last Year

“It seems not even the high-tech NASA is safe from digital intruders: The space agency’s computer systems were breached by hackers 13 times last year, according to Congressional testimony this week.

‘These incidents spanned a wide continuum from individuals testing their skill to break into NASA systems, to well-organized criminal enterprises hacking for profit, to intrusions that may have been sponsored by foreign intelligence services seeking to further their countries’ objectives,’ said Paul Martin, NASA’s inspector general, in his Congressional testimony released on Wednesday.

‘Some of these intrusions have affected thousands of NASA computers, caused significant disruption to mission operations, and resulted in the theft of export-controlled and otherwise sensitive data, with an estimated cost to NASA of more than $7 million,’ he continued.

Martin gave Congress detailed information about some of the attacks.

In one instance, the agency discovered late last year an intrusion into its system by hackers working through a China-based IP address. Martin said that the hackers gained full access to the network of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, allowing them to view, copy, delete and otherwise tamper with classified information.

Before closing the door behind them, the hackers uploaded software allowing them access to other NASA systems and managed to adeptly hide their digital tracks.

In a separate event, hackers managed to grab computer access codes from more than 150 NASA employees. According to Martin, the agency failed to move quickly enough to ensure that those hackers wouldn’t be able to use the codes to gain access to its networks.”

Test them now! Here’s how!

Test Your ISP – Are You Constrained?

This is a great series of tests to see if your ISP is limiting your bandwidth. Those “so-and-sos” may be constraining what YOU are paying for! Free yourself from bandwidth tyranny! (Hey, I get radical when it comes to my bandwidth!)

“If this is something that you are passionate about, you may consider joining one of the various net-neutrality groups around the internet. Again, a quick search for ‘net neutrality’ will return some great resources and groups to help you get involved in fighting things like ISP throttling.”

There will be at least nine versions of Windows 8 according to the Windows 8 registry!

Windows 8 registry shows nine separate flavors to choose from

• Windows 8 Starter
• Windows 8 Home Basic
• Windows 8 Home Premium
• Windows 8 Professional
• Windows 8 Professional Plus
• Windows 8 Enterprise
• Windows 8 Enterprise Eval
• Windows 8 Ultimate
• Windows 8 ARM edition

“We will of course point out that this is from the Consumer Preview, so not necessarily a final tally, and the Enterprise Eval version is of course just for trials, but it’s interesting to note the addition of Professional Plus. Office 2010 Pro Plus adds in extra integration with Sharepoint and Office Communications Server, leaving us to wonder if this flavor of Windows 8 won’t offer some similar collaborative tools. And then there’s just that one, lonely ARM edition, which could leave non-x86 hardware buyers out of the cross-shopping fun altogether.”