Does the Actiontec GT701R DSL Modem support ADSL2+?

I recently upgraded from 7Mbps to 12 Mbps download from Qwest. My Actiontec GT701R DSL modem had done well thus far (I use a transparent bridge with my Airport Extreme), and after being warned by Qwest that my router probably wouldn't work with the higher speeds, I wasn't too concerned, as I figured I could buy a new one for cheap as necessary (they wanted to charge me $90 for a new one). I did check the product page for any information, and found this in the product FAQ (the poorly-placed comma in the title was there, too):

What is the maximum connection speed, that the Actiontec DSL Gateway support?
The maximum connection speed for an Actiontec DSL Modem or Gateway is 8Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream.

However, if the modem or gateway has a firmware update available that would upgrade it to ADSL2 or ADSL2+, then the maximum speed would be higher. The theoretical maximum speed for ADSL2 is 12Mbps and ADSL2+ is 24Mbps. But for ADSL2 or ADSL2+ to provide the higher speeds of which they are capable, the ISP must fully support the ADSL2 and ADSL2+ standard as well.

After perusing the internet for confirmation as to the "theoretical firmware update", I found a few people that posed similar questions but no answers.

A few days later, I awoke to the internet being down. It consistently failed to sync, and after resetting the router, I determined this was likely due to the speed upgrade. My last-ditch effort was to download a firmware update from Qwest (QW06.5-3.60.3.0.8.5 for Mac or Windows). After upgrading, the modem worked like a charm. This should also work with the GT701, as they use the same firmware.

So the answer is yes. If you have an Actiontec GT701R DSL modem with the latest firmware, it can at least support ADSL2+ at 12Mbps.

How to Override "No Ink" Error on a Canon PIXMA MX700

When a Canon PIXMA MX700 runs out of any ink, it prevents you from using it, giving the following error message:

U163: The following ink has run out. Replace the ink tank.
This can be a pain, especially when you want to scan, or if you still have black ink and that's all you need to use. There are two methods that will work to temporarily clear this until you are able to get new ink (which, by the way, is much, much cheaper if you use generic brands). These may also work for other Canon printers, but I haven't tried it. (Update: one or both methods have been confirmed to work on several Canon PIXMA models, including the JX210P, MG5220, MG5270, MG5470, MG6320, MP220, MP280, MP470, MP495, MP560, MP620, MP640, MP970, MP980, MX310, MX882, and MX885; more information might be in the comments. Thanks for the info!)

The first method uses the printer's "factory mode". There are some interesting settings in here, but I'm not sure of what everything does, so be careful with them. This works temporarily (as it seems to reset after a few days), and does not permanently disable ink level detection (as it correctly showed full ink after replacing it):

1. Unplug the printer.
2. Press and hold the Power button while plugging the printer back in.
3. Continue to hold the Power button and press the Reset button twice.
4. Let go of the Power button and wait 10 seconds. It will eventually show the number 1 on the LCD.
5. Once the printer also shows "Idle" on the screen, cycle through the settings with the left and right arrow buttons until you see "USER MODE POWER OFF". Press the OK button.
6. You should now be able to print or scan.

The second method is to simply press and hold the Stop/Reset button for at least five seconds. I didn't find this solution for a while because it's buried deep in the Canon KB, and haven't before used it. Be forewarned that Canon claims this stops the printer from detecting ink levels (I'm not sure if it means for the specific cartridge or as a printer setting).

Bugs and Annoyances in Office 2011

Last updated: 18:21, 13 December 2010

This list is in no particular order. I don't use Outlook or Communicator and thus probably won't run across problems with them. Let me know if there are solutions...

All:

• The installer (and subsequent updates) require quitting Safari to finish.
• The preferences windows, although similar to System Preferences in layout, contain a "Cancel" and "OK" button instead of a red x at the left top. When in one of the sections, clicking OK closes the entire preference window instead of the current section.

Word:

• Bug: New windows don't open flush to the edge of the screen and menubar
• The Find shortcut now takes you to a search section on the toolbar like the Google search section in Safari.
• Bug: Assigned shortcuts sometimes refuse to work without restarting Word.
• Hidden characters are blue when displayed.
• Bug: If a document does not have focus, it can't be scrolled (neither two-finger scroll nor Cmd-click scroll).

Excel:

• Bug: Cmd-A does not select all when editing text in a cell.
• Bug: Cmd-Left doesn't skip to the beginning of a cell and Cmd-Right to the end when editing text in a cell. Cmd-Up does not move to the beginning of the text, but Cmd-Down moves to the end.

Visual Basic Editor:

• VBE retains in the menu the application name that opened it. To exit VBA, you have to select the application menu (that says, for instance, "Word") and choose "Close and Return to Microsoft Word".
• VBE doesn't show up as a separate program on the dock and can't be accessed with Cmd-Tab.
  
• Bug: Cmd-` will rotate through the windows until it reaches your document (without changing focus), and then refuses to rotate back to VBE windows.