Veign's Blog - Unhandled Perception

Friday, February 19, 2010

Free Windows System Explorer

Keeping tabs on my machine is something I’ve done for as long as I can remember. I like watching the performance of my applications, monitoring network connections, and all of that stuff most people would never think twice about. One of the most popular utilities for doing this is the Process Explorer that is put out by Microsoft, but there’s another free app that I really love called System Explorer.

This is one application worth checking out...

Link:
http://cybernetnews.com/...

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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

10 Hot Questions About Windows Phone 7, Answered

After years of watching its Windows Mobile operating system languish behind sexier products from archrivals Apple, Google, and Palm, Microsoft launched the Windows Phone 7 platform Monday morning. Why is it important? Does it live up to the rumors? And more to the point, what can you expect? Here are the top ten questions about the new Windows Phone 7 OS, and their answers.
Looks like a Zune to me.

Link:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2359365,00.asp

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Monday, February 15, 2010

Windows Mobile 7 interface and device leaked

The eagle-eyed folks of learnbemobile have come across this stupendous leak of Microsoft's forthcoming Windows Mobile 7 OS. It would appear that some last minute alterations were taking place under the covers in Barcelona, though apparently no one bothered to check if there were cameras around before lifting said covers.


Link:
http://www.engadget.com/...

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Monday, February 08, 2010

The Complete Guide to Windows System Restore

Most of us remember Windows System Restore as a lame-duck feature from Windows XP; when it seemed we might benefit from using it, it never quite worked how we expected. That's no longer the case.

Windows System Restore is an awesome system recovery tool, and it's included with Windows for free. It's the ideal solution for rolling back bad drivers, fixing when buggy software breaks your PC, or simply rolling you back to a previous point in time. If you've still got a bad taste in your mouth from the lackluster XP version of System Restore, it's time to take a look at it again if you've upgraded to Windows 7 or Vista.

Link:
http://lifehacker.com/...

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Thursday, January 14, 2010

GodMode in Window 7

1. Create a new folder anywhere.

2. Rename the folder by pasting this name exactly as it appears (without the quotes):
"GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}"

This will create a folder with access to all your common settings in Windows 7

Note: May crash Windows Vista 64bit.

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Monday, November 30, 2009

Latest Microsoft Patches Cause Black Screen of Death

Microsoft's latest round of security patches appears to be causing some PCs to seize up and display a black screen, rending the computer useless.

The problem affects Microsoft products including Windows 7, Vista and XP operating systems, said Mel Morris , the CEO and CTO for the U.K. security company Prevx.


Watch Out!

Link:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/183335/

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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Guy Makes Awesome Tunes Using only Windows Sounds

Someone has too much time on their hands. The result is pretty amazing considering he just used only Windows sounds from XP and 98.

Link:
http://www.spike.com/video/guy-makes-awesome/3290850

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Monday, November 09, 2009

Students get Window 7 for $29.99

Its the Ultimate Steal (MS marketing at work).

Ultimate Office for $59.99 - includes all Office applications.
Windows 7 for $29.99.

Both sound like great deals to me.

Link:
http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/...

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Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Recover your Windows Product Key

The Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder is a freeware open source utility that retrieves your Product Key (cd key) used to install Windows from your registry. It allows you to print or save your keys for safekeeping. It works on Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, Server 2003, Server 2008, Office XP, Office 2003, and Office 2007 family of products. It also has a community-updated configuration file that retrieves product keys for many other applications. Another feature is the ability to retrieve product keys from unbootable Windows installations.

One of those tools that's good to know about.

Link:
http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/

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Thursday, October 29, 2009

Microsoft readying test systems for Windows 8 development

Although Microsoft gave us some great numbers regarding the Windows 7 beta, the company (unsurprisingly) refused to give us any details about what changes the planning and development team was going to make for Windows 8. Earlier this month we rounded up every minor detail that bloggers had posted on the operating system.


Link:
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/...

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Saturday, October 24, 2009

Windows 7: The Snap



Last video. Not sure if Vista had this feature.

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Thursday, October 22, 2009

Windows 7: The Shake



Personally, I think this is cool.

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Lifehacker's Complete Guide to Windows 7

Windows 7 officially launches today, but we've been testing, tweaking, customizing, fixing, and writing about this OS for a year now. We present here a guide to everything we've learned about the OS, from first install to final settings change.

Whether you've played around with Windows 7 during its beta or release candidate versions, launch day is finally here, and Windows 7 is finally ready for widespread, public consumption. This guide will take you straight through from system requirements and upgrading your PC to highlighting Windows 7's best new features to helping you hit the ground running with all of the awesome tweaks Windows 7 has in store for you.


Great resource!

Link:
http://lifehacker.com/5386953/...

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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

Download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to see if your PC is ready for Windows 7. It scans your hardware, devices, and installed programs for known compatibility issues, gives you guidance on how to resolve potential issues found, and recommends what to do before you upgrade.


Link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...

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Monday, October 19, 2009

Windows Tweaks that Still Work in Windows 7


Link:
http://lifehacker.com/5384603/...

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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Microsoft Patch Registration Cleanup Tool

On a computer that has a Windows Installer based product installed, you may receive an error while installing an update for the product and the installation of the update may fail. Installation errors caused due to incorrect patch registration may be corrected using this tool.


Just released from MS.

Link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...

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Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Two Windows 7 links for running XP mode

Download Virtual PC and VHD for XP mode (only works in Windows 7)
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx

Check the PC Bios for Hardware Virtualization
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/support/configure-bios.aspx

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Monday, September 14, 2009

Fix Driver Problems With Driver Detective

Driver Detective software is designed to quickly locate the most current drivers specific to your computer system through its user friendly interface and access to an extensive database. Driver Detective saves the frustration and extensive time investment usually associated with updating drivers.


Link:
http://www.drivershq.com/

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Saturday, September 12, 2009

Windows 7 upgrade can take nearly a day

A Microsoft Software Engineer has posted the results of tests the company performed to the upgrade time of Windows 7. Worst case scenario is that it will take a bit over 20 hours. But a clean 32-bit install on what Microsoft calls "high-end hardware" should take only 30 minutes.


Link:
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/...

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Friday, September 04, 2009

Windows Debugger, Disassembler, Code Analyzers

The three PEBrowse programs share large amounts of code, but perform distinct activities. PEBrowse Professional, the static analyzer and eldest, allows you to examine any Windows Portable Executable file (including system drivers) offline and not in the middle of some debugging session. That domain is reserved for the PEBrowse Professional Interactive debugger, which contains most (but not all) of features found in the PeBrowse Professional disassembler but brings powerful additions to the analysis and debugging of an active program. The latest addition to the PEBrowse family, PEBrowse Crash-Dump Analyzer, in many ways acts and feels like the debugger, but instead of a live target examines information collected in a mini-dump or crash-dump file from a dead process.


Link:
http://www.smidgeonsoft.prohosting.com/software.html

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Sunday, August 30, 2009

Five Best Disk Defragmenters

For those of you unfamiliar with the problem of file fragmentation, a quick—and quite simplified—primer is in order. Files are stored on a hard drive in blocks of data. The larger the file, the larger the number of blocks it is composed of. As your operating system accesses files, moves files around, and so on data blocks are not always arranged in the most effective manner. Imagine it like a messy office where as you opened file folders from your file cabinet you frequently placed documents from inside all over the room. You have a great memory, and you can find all the pages from each folder again if you need to, but you waste a lot of time just moving around looking for them.


Link:
http://lifehacker.com/5348638/five-best-disk-defragmenters

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Thursday, August 20, 2009

Yet Another (remote) Process Monitor

Yet Another (remote) Process Monitor (YAPM) is a powerful application that allows to view and manage your running tasks, processes, threads, modules, windows, handles, network connections and your services on a local or on a remote machine. YAPM offers lots of features to manipulate them, such as privilege management, memory management, a complete history of statistics, a dependency viewer... etc.


Link:
http://yaprocmon.sourceforge.net/

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Wednesday, August 12, 2009

List Of Microsoft Fix It Solutions

Fix It is a relative new way of solving problems that occur in the Windows operating system. These fix it solutions are basically one-click solutions for fixing problems. The Fix It logo will signal to the user that an automated solution is available. It usually consists of a file that has to be downloaded to the local computer system and executed from there.


Link:
http://www.ghacks.net/2009/...

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Monday, August 10, 2009

Deciphering Windows 7 Upgrades: The Official Chart


Large chart:
http://mossblog.allthingsd.com/files/...

Article:
http://mossblog.allthingsd.com/...

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Sunday, August 02, 2009

A Bootable USB utility to create bootable USB drives for Win 7 and Server 2008

Imagine a situation where you need to install Windows Vista or 7 in a system but you don't have access to DVD drive. We all know Windows Vista, Server 2008 or 7 comes in DVDs and you'll need a DVD drive to install them. Then how will you install them? The solution is, you can create a bootable USB drive which can be used to install Windows without using DVD drive.


Link:
http://blogs.technet.com/stephenrose/...

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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Windows 7 Ultimate cracked already

Even though it's been In the hands of OEMs for barely a week and has not even made it to general availability yet, Windows 7 has already been cracked. The crack can reportedly be built on Lenovo's Windows 7 Ultimate OEM DVD .ISO that was leaked to a Chinese forum. Using the leaked .ISO, the OEM-SLP product key and activation certificates can be obtained through the boot.wim.


Link:
http://www.betanews.com/article/...

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Microsoft to offer Windows 7 three-pack

We have heard a lot of feedback from beta testers and enthusiasts over the last 3 years that we need a better solution for homes with multiple PCs. I’m happy to confirm that we will indeed be offering a family pack of Windows 7 Home Premium (in select markets) which will allow installation on up to 3 PCs. As I’ve said before, stay tuned to our blog for more information on this and any other potential offers.


Link:
http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windows7/...

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Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Is your pirated copy of Windows 7 good?

I know some people will download non-official copies of Windows 7 when it becomes available. Some of you will also have a brand new operating system infected with malware and spyware because some of these copies will be pre-infected. If you want to make sure the copy of Windows 7 that you downloaded has not been tampered with then check out the Windows 7 ISO Verifier.

Link:
http://www.istartedsomething.com/...

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Friday, June 26, 2009

Windows 7 official pricing announced

Vista and XP users will need to pony up $119.99, $199.99, or $219.99 on October 22 to score their Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate upgrade, and those of you who want a full retail disc will need to roll up with $199.99, $299.99, or $319.99 respectively. It's not quite that simple, though: starting tomorrow, June 26, you'll be able to pre-order upgrades at much cheaper prices -- $49.99 for Home Premium and $99.99 for Professional..


Link:
http://www.engadget.com/...

In case you don't know the difference between the versions check this out:
http://www.veign.com/blog/2009/02/windows-7-versions.html

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Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Colossal Patch Tuesday addresses 31 Windows, IE8 vulnerabilities

Just when it appeared Windows and its associated services were looking more stable month after month, Microsoft chose June to tackle a plethora of vulnerabilities including no fewer than 14 that its security engineers believe could be exploitable within the next 30 days.


With that many fixes I think it will be better to wait a couple days to make sure the patches don't introduce any problems.

Link:
http://www.betanews.com/article/...

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Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Windows 7 Little Tweaker


Windows 7 Little Tweaker is a small and simple to use utility that let you easily activate a few useful extras for Microsoft's new OS, Windows 7 Ultimate. Windows 7 Little Tweaker is a Windows 7 only portable application and will not run on any other Windows versions. Windows 7 Little Tweaker must run as Administrator, and with UAC disabled.


Link:
http://leelusoft.blogspot.com/...

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Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Windows 7 to be released October 22

The news comes in advance of comments being planned for the Computex conference in Taiwan early tomorrow morning, by Microsoft Corporate Vice President for OEMs Steve Guggenheimer. There he is scheduled to officially deliver the news that Windows 7 general availability worldwide will begin on Thursday, October 22.


Link:
http://www.betanews.com/article/...

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Thursday, May 07, 2009

Windows 7 RC1: 10 Things You Need to Know

Windows 7's about ready to come out of the oven, and now everybody can shove their hands in the warm OS pie. And really, you should. Here's everything you need to know to dive in.


Link:
http://gizmodo.com/5241882/...

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Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Get your copy of Windows 7 RC (legally)

Welcome to Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) testing. We're on our way to Windows 7, and if you like trying out pre-release software, now’s your chance. You get to see what's coming, and we get to see if our changes and fixes from the Beta testing are working correctly.

How do you test the software? You put it on your PC, and then do what you'd normally do. Your PC will automatically and anonymously send our engineers the information they need to verify the fixes and changes they made based on the Windows 7 Beta tests.

I currently have Windows 7 RC running in a Virtual PC and so far so different. Going from XP to 7 is going to be a shock.

Link:
http://www.microsoft.com/...

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Thursday, April 30, 2009

Talking About Windows

Find out what the industry and Microsoft Engineers are saying about the next OS from Microsoft, Windows 7.

Link:
http://talkingaboutwindows.com/

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Five Best Malware Removal Tools

The internet—unfortunately—isn't a never-ending buffet of secure open-source software and Bollywood-style musicals starring LOLCats. There are people and organizations that delight in stealing your personal data, hijacking your computer, and making a general nuisance of themselves through malicious software. This week we're highlighting the top five tools for removing software with ill-intentions from you PC.


Link:
http://lifehacker.com/5227896/...

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Saturday, April 25, 2009

Window 7 to include XP Mode

Windows XP Mode is specifically designed to help small businesses move to Windows 7. Windows XP Mode provides you with the flexibility to run many older productivity applications on a Windows 7 based PC.

All you need to do is to install suitable applications directly in Windows XP Mode which is a virtual Windows XP environment running under Windows Virtual PC. The applications will be published to the Windows 7 desktop and then you can run them directly from Windows 7.


Still have to get used to the new interface, for those who have not moved to Vista.

Link:
http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/...

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Thursday, March 26, 2009

Engineering Windows 7

This blog post talks about a few of the improvements that will be in our Release Candidate (RC) based upon customer feedback. There are many under the hood changes (bug fixes, compatibility fixes, performance improvements, and improvements) across the entire dev team that we just don’t have room to discuss here, but we thought you’d enjoy a taste of some changes made by three of our feature teams: Core User Experience, Find & Organize and Devices & Media.


Great information if you're looking to see what's happening with Windows 7

Link:
http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/...

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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Video: Deep inside Window 7 with Mark Russinovich






Get Microsoft Silverlight

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Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Microsoft offers clarifications on Windows 7 SKU issues

A number of key details surrounding Microsoft's announcement yesterday on Windows 7 versions were left up in the air, and now spokespersons are working to bring them down to earth.

Link:
http://www.betanews.com/article/...

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Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Windows 7 versions

Click the image for a larger version


Read more:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/...

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Friday, January 30, 2009

Is Windows 7 secure enough?

it's an little embarrassing to discover that a dumbfoundingly simple method for forcing Windows to accept keypresses from a script as though they'd been pressed by a human being, is the focus of a proof-of-concept macro capable of disengaging User Account Control in Windows 7.


Link:
http://www.betanews.com/...

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Sunday, January 25, 2009

Windows XP services explained

Windows XP is made up of a bunch of different applications running side by side. These applications are broken down into services, DLL files, and registry entries. Before I get a bunch emails, I know it’s far more complex than this but I am trying to keep it simple. Today we are going to focus in on some default XP services that are completely useless, or close to it. These services run in the background and take up memory, so disabling some of them will increase the amount of available memory in your system.


Link:
http://www.devotedgeek.com/...

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Sunday, January 11, 2009

Only 7 hours to install Windows 7 beta


Currently running in a Virtual PC environment.

More posts coming on what I find when poking around the Windows 7 Beta. Want to see something specific? Leave a comment.

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Sunday, December 07, 2008

emEditor releases version 8

EmEditor Text Editor is a lightweight, yet extendable, easy-to-use text editor for Windows. EmEditor is very customizable, and it supports Unicode and powerful macros. EmEditor now supports very large files - up to 248 GB or 2.1 billion lines! EmEditor is certified for Windows Vista! The x64 Edition is also available! The portable version is also available for USB drive setup!

In this version (8.0) there are many new features including a Large File Controller, Vertical Selection Editing, Binary Editing, Optimized Search and Replace, improved Projects Plug-in, and many more!

emEditor has got to be one of the best text editors I have come across. So much so that it is my main application for writing web development code (HTML, CSS and PHP).

Link:
http://www.emeditor.com/

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Friday, December 05, 2008

The Matrix on Windows

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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Next Windows version to be called Windows 7

Microsoft announced last night that they’ve come up with with a name for Windows 7. You might be expecting something along the lines of “XP” or “Vista,” but they aren’t going that route this time around. They’ve actually decided to go back to their roots and call the next major release “Windows 7.” This is just like the old days when Microsoft named milestones based on version (3.11, etc…) or year (95, 98, etc…).


Link:
http://cybernetnews.com/2008/10/14/...

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Saturday, September 20, 2008

Windows 7 M3 Build 6780 Pictures


The writings on the wall. Get used to the Vista like experience or move to Linux. If you are sticking with XP attempting to wait out Microsoft hoping they would take a step back with the UI of Windows there doesn't seem to be a point. Windows 7 is shaping up to be Vista II and not a cross between what users love about XP with the enhancements of Vista.

I'm still going to wait for Windows 7 before leaving XP.

See more at:
http://www.thinknext.net/archives/2268

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Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Pushing the Limits of Windows: Physical Memory

This is the first blog post in a series I'll write over the coming months called Pushing the Limits of Windows that describes how Windows and applications use a particular resource, the licensing and implementation-derived limits of the resource, how to measure the resource’s usage, and how to diagnose leaks. To be able to manage your Windows systems effectively you need to understand how Windows manages physical resources, such as CPUs and memory, as well as logical resources, such as virtual memory, handles, and window manager objects. Knowing the limits of those resources and how to track their usage enables you to attribute resource usage to the applications that consume them, effectively size a system for a particular workload, and identify applications that leak resources.


Link:
http://blogs.technet.com/markrussinovich/...

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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Defrag a single file with Contig

Contig is a single-file defragmenter that attempts to make files contiguous on disk. Its perfect for quickly optimizing files that are continuously becoming fragmented, or that you want to ensure are in as few fragments as possible.


Another great utility from SysInternals

Link:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897428.aspx

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

5 Microsoft Power Toys you should know about

SyncToy
With new sources of files coming from every direction (such as digital cameras, e-mail, cell phones, portable media players, camcorders, PDAs, and laptops), SyncToy can help you copy, move, and synchronize different directories

Tweak UI
This PowerToy gives you access to system settings that are not exposed in the Windows XP default user interface, including mouse settings, Explorer settings, taskbar settings, and more.

Power Calculator
With this PowerToy you can graph and evaluate functions as well as perform many different types of conversions.

Image Resizer
This PowerToy enables you to resize one or many image files with a right-click.

Alt-Tab Replacement
With this PowerToy, in addition to seeing the icon of the application window you are switching to, you will also see a preview of the page. This helps particularly when multiple sessions of an application are open.


Link:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/Downloads/...

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Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Windows Updates released to DVD ISO image

I didn't know that Microsoft was releasing the monthly security updates to a DVD ISO image as well as through the Windows Update tool. I guess for someone in an enterprise environment a DVD of the updates may be a desirable thing.

August 2008 DVD ISO:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...

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Monday, August 11, 2008

BSOD at the Olympics opening ceremonies

Link:
http://gizmodo.com/5035456/...

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Friday, August 01, 2008

DM2

DM2 provides Windows enhancements that helps in every-day work. This overview is a good starting point and a DM2 introduction since it covers the basics of all functionalities. Don't forget that all described DM2 functions are very configurable and may be set to match user personal needs

  • Minimize to floating icon
  • Minimize to tray
  • Hide window
  • Align and resize
  • Enhanced system menu
  • Opacity and On-top flag
  • Process priority
  • Open/Save dialog favorites & recent

Link:
http://dm2.sourceforge.net/overview.html

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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Shortcut to Show/Hide Hidden Files

After a little research I had come across an article on the PCWorld forum that outlined how I could create a shortcut that would enable or disable hidden files on the fly. If the setting is enabled it would disable it when run, and vice versa. It’s one shortcut that serves as an on/off switch for hidden files.

Link:
http://cybernetnews.com/2008/07/24/...

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Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Windows Update thought I was running a Mac

I got the above error message (This website is designed to work with Microsoft Windows operating systems only) when trying to run Windows Update. A Mac, really?. To fix the issue, and get Windows Update working again I deleted the following two registry keys:


[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent]


Once deleted, I rebooted the computer and all was working again.

If you want to see what your Agent string is check out:
http://www.veign.com/tools/reflection/
(look at Browser information)

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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Is this Windows 7



Posted over at Crunchgear with many more:
http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/05/27/...

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Friday, April 04, 2008

Windows XP life extended

Today Microsoft announced the worldwide extension of the availability of Windows XP Home for an emerging, new class of mobile personal computers commonly known as ultra-low-cost PCs, or ULCPCs. Windows XP Home for ULCPCs will be available until the later of June 30, 2010, or one year after general availability of the next version of Windows.

Link:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/...

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Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Get a free PC safety scan

Windows Live OneCare safety scanner is a free service designed to help ensure the health of your PC.

  • Check for and remove viruses
  • Get rid of junk on your hard disk
  • Improve your PC's performance

Ran a full scan in a Virtual PC and it mainly found registry problems. Ran the fixes and really can't tell anything - which I expect from the registry problems tools like this find.

Link:
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm

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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Find out what a system log event id means

The Event ID database contains 9,666 event IDs and 455 event sources, with 15,226 comments provided by 3,322 contributors, 1,732 submitted events or comments pending validation.

Great source to find out what those sometime cryptic events ids mean or what other users have found out about them.

Link:
http://www.eventid.net

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Monday, February 04, 2008

Are you ready for Vista SP1?

Microsoft Corp. will release Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) on Monday, Feb. 4, according to reports Friday from Tech ARP.com, a Malaysian Web site.

Other sources, meanwhile, claimed that Windows Server 2008 will also reach RTM (release to manufacturing) in the coming week.

Luckily I'm still on WinXP and probably will be for the next couple of years. I see no reason to move to Vista and will probably wait to see what Windows 7 is like.

Link:
http://www.computerworld.com/action/...

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Saturday, February 02, 2008

Microsoft maintains list of all Windows keyboard shortcuts

  • Windows Logo+E: Windows Explorer
  • Windows Logo+L: Log off Windows
  • Windows Logo+P: Starts Print Manager
  • Windows Logo+C: Opens Control Panel
  • Windows Logo+V: Starts Clipboard
  • Windows Logo+K: Opens Keyboard Properties dialog box
  • Windows Logo+I: Opens Mouse Properties dialog box
  • Windows Logo+A: Starts Accessibility Options (if installed)
  • Windows Logo+SPACEBAR: Displays the list of Microsoft IntelliType shortcut keys
  • Windows Logo+S: Toggles CAPS LOCK on and off

Complete List:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/126449

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Monday, January 07, 2008

Windows Home Server Power Pack 1

The first minor release of Windows Home Server was announced today at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Power Pack 1, formerly code named "UR1", will ship in the first half of 2008 and be made available to existing customers of Windows Home Server via Windows Update.

Power Pack 1 has some great new functionality. A high level overview is included below and we will share additional details in more blog posts throughout the week.


Link:
http://.../windows-home-server-power-pack-1.aspx

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Thursday, January 03, 2008

5 useful Windows XP tricks

  • Organize your files into groups
  • Make your own icons
  • Don't just maximize your windows—go full screen
  • Add the Links toolbar to My Computer
  • Arrange windows on your desktop

Link:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/5xptricks.mspx

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Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Apache, MySQL, PHP on Windows with WAMP


Easy as 1-2-3
  • 1. Download the latest release of Wampserver 2
  • 2. Optionally add as much Apache, PHP and MySQL releases as you want
  • 3. Work with a development environment that reproduces exactly your production server

Link:
http://www.wampserver.com/en/

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Saturday, December 22, 2007

Disable error reporting in Windows

  1. Go into the Control Panel
  2. Click the System icon
  3. On the Advanced tab, click Error Reporting
  4. Click Disable error reporting

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Sunday, December 16, 2007

3 stubborn PC problems you can fix

1.You keep getting a "your system is running low on virtual memory" message
2.Your windows slide off the desktop . . . and you can't grab them
3.Your taskbar has disappeared

Read about the fixes:
http://www.microsoft.com/atwork/getstarted/pcproblems.mspx

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Friday, December 14, 2007

An Unofficial Guide to the URL File Format

Sample URL file:

[InternetShortcut]
URL=http://www.veign.com/
WorkingDirectory=C:\WINDOWS\
ShowCommand=7
IconIndex=1
IconFile=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\url.dll
Modified=20F06BA06D07BD014D
HotKey=1601


Full URL file spec:
http://www.cyanwerks.com/file-format-url.html

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Sunday, December 02, 2007

HowTo: Change the default folder view in Windows explorer

With this tip you can change how all folder display by default in Windows Explorer. Personally I like the Detailed View on most folders. The exception is a desktop folder of shortcuts where I leave it in Icon view.
  1. Open Window Explorer
  2. Click on any folder and set the Display View you want (drop down on the toolbar)
  3. Navigate to the menu item Tools -> Folder Options
  4. Select the Folder tab
  5. At the top of the tab is a button that says Apply to All Folders
  6. Click it and all folders will now display the view type you previously selected
Its just that simple.

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Sunday, November 25, 2007

WinXP SP3 - Another reason to stick with XP

Vista, which is now more than 2x slower than the most current builds of its older sibling. Suffice to say that performance-minded users will likely choose to stick with the now even speedier Windows XP [sp3]

The new laptop I ordered is coming with XP - just not worth the hassle of switching when XP, IMO, is still a great OS.

Link:
http://.../windows-xp-sp3-yields-performance-gains.html

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Monday, November 19, 2007

What is ActiveX (used in some websites)?

An ActiveX control is essentially a simple OLE object. Originally, ActiveX controls were called "OLE controls" and used a .ocx file extension. This was actually the second-generation component architecture. The first generation was the Visual Basic Controls (.vbx). OLE controls were renamed ActiveX and continue to use the .ocx extension. ActiveX controls enable a program to add functionality by calling ready-made components that blend in and appear as normal parts of the program. They are typically used to add user interface functions, such as 3D toolbars, a notepad, calculator or even a spreadsheet.


Read the full article:
http://.../introduction-to-activex-part-one.aspx

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Saturday, November 17, 2007

Changing the position of the desktop wallpaper through the registry

Key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

Change the value for the TileWallpaper and WallPaperstyle settings per below.

Stretch
  • TileWallpaper = 0
  • WallPaperstyle = 2

Tile
  • TileWallpaper = 1
  • WallPaperstyle = 0

Center
  • TileWallpaper = 0
  • WallPaperstyle = 0

Why you would want to do this, who knows. But since I recently answered someone who was looking to do this I thought I would let everyone know.

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Monday, November 12, 2007

Windows 7 "top feature request list" leaked to the public

With Windows still managing to find its way to over 95 percent of the desktop computers sold each year, it's not surprising that one can find plenty of people interested in giving their feedback about what future versions of Windows should be able to do. A few years ago, before Windows Vista had even shipped, Microsoft sent out a wish list form asking people what features they would like to see in the next version of Windows, currently code-named Windows 7. The top wished-for features in this list were recently leaked to the public and have popped up at various sites (e.g., Neowin). While anonymous sources at Microsoft tell us that they bear no relationship to the actual feature set Microsoft is currently writing for Windows 7, the list does provide interesting insight into what the Windows-using public most wants from Windows.

Link:
http://...early-windows-7-feature-list-leaked-to-the-public.html

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Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Flickr offers tools for uploading images

If you don't like working through a web interface for handling your Flickr account then you can use the standalone applications they offer for uploading and working with images in your Flickr account. Easy to install and even easier to work with makes this an option for the most novice users.

Also, Flickr has a pretty cool WinXP Explorer plugin that lets you 'Send To Flickr' right from within Windows Explorer. Can't get much easier than that. (look at the bottom of the tools page for the download and how to install here)

Flickr Uploader:
http://www.flickr.com/tools/

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Thursday, October 18, 2007

Windows 7 teaser video

Catch a glimpse of Windows 7 (no UI) or what MS is calling MiniWin:
http://.../eric-talk-demo-windows-7-minwin/

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Monday, October 15, 2007

Defraggler - a new kind of disk defragger

It differs from other defrag tools on the market, by enabling you to quickly and simply defrag the files you want to, without having to process the whole drive. Simply run it, select the file and defragment in seconds. No more struggling with the Windows defragmentation tool!

Its currently in beta and I would recommend waiting for an official release before trying it. Something about a beta disk defragger that makes me nervous.

Link:
http://www.defraggler.com/

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Thursday, October 04, 2007

Best of Screensavers


Link:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/.../screensavers-best-of/

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Friday, September 28, 2007

Common reason for a slow running computer

Is having too many applications (or processes) running in the background. Most of the running applications come from applications running at Windows startup and silently hiding in the background churning away using those precious processor cycles. Want to know whats running and what is safe to kill? Read on...

What is currently running or will run at startup:
AutoRuns: The most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor, shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them.

How to watch for applications trying to register to run automatically:
StartupMonitor: A small utility that runs transparently (it doesn't even use a tray icon) and notifies you when any program registers itself to run at system startup. It prevents annoying programs from registering themselves behind your back.

What is safe to kill:
Process Library: One of the best active databases to find out what is what and what is safe to remove from the startup process.

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Monday, September 24, 2007

Find Out If Your Computer Is Secretly Connecting to the Web

If you are trying to track down why your computer is running so slooowwwly, try using this simple DOS command from Digital Inspiration to uncover a possible problem:

  • Type cmd in your Windows Run box.
  • Type "netstat -b 5 > activity.txt" and press enter.
  • After say 2 minutes, press Ctrl+C.
  • Type "activity.txt" on the command line to open the log file in notepad (or your default text editor)
Or
Use TCP View from SysInternals

As found on LifeHacker:
http://.../find-out-your-computer-is-secretly-connecting-to-the-web

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Thursday, September 20, 2007

How Windows Update Keeps Itself Up-to-Date

There have been some questions raised about how we service the Windows Update components and concerns expressed about software installing silently. I want to clarify the issue so that everyone can better understand why the self-updating of Windows Update acts the way it does.


Link:
http://.../how-windows-update-keeps-itself-up-to-date.aspx

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Monday, September 17, 2007

Windows Server 2008 Step-by-Step Guides

Windows Server 2008 Step-by-Step Guides: "These step-by-step guides help IT Professionals learn about and evaluate Windows Server 2008."

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Friday, September 14, 2007

CCleaner v2.0


CCleaner has released v2.0 of its very popular system cleanup tool. Better and faster is what they claim. I installed it and so far so good.

Whats New:
  • Complete rebuild in C++
    With the requirements for a portable version, 64-bit compatibility and Windows Vista increasing against the limitations of the old architecture. We decided to rebuild the entire CCleaner application in highly optimized C++.
  • Faster analyzing and cleaning
    Each scanning process was rewritten from scratch and fully optimized. The result being a noticeable speed increase in all areas.
  • Portable
    CCleaner can now run from a USB thumbdrive and be installed/run on a computer without a complicated setup process.
  • Compact
    The rewrite removed all external file dependencies, so the main EXE is now half the size of the original program and support files.
  • Redesigned User Interface
    The original CCleaner user interface was looking a little dated, so the GUI was redesigned with a modern look, but without sacrificing speed or usability. New icons were created for the interface and the main program icon was updated with a more modern style.
  • Exclusions
    It is now possible to specify files, folders and registry keys to ignore from the cleaning process.
  • Loads of little tweaks
    Too numerous to mention them all separately, we've tried to improve CCleaner in all areas.
Link:
http://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner-20

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Sunday, September 09, 2007

Windows passwords safe? - Rainbow Hash Cracking

To understand how rainbow tables work, you first have to understand how passwords are stored on computers, whether on your own desktop, or on a remote web server somewhere.

Passwords are never stored in plaintext. At least they shouldn't be, unless you're building the world's most insecure system using the world's most naïve programmers. Instead, passwords are stored as the output of a hash function. Hashes are one-way operations. Even if an attacker gained access to the hashed version of your password, it's not possible to reconstitute the password from the hash value alone.

But it is possible to attack the hashed value of your password using rainbow tables: enormous, pre-computed hash values for every possible combination of characters. An attacking PC could certainly calculate all these hashes on the fly, but taking advantage of a massive table of pre-computed hash values enables the attack to proceed several orders of magnitude faster-- assuming the attacking machine has enough RAM to store the entire table (or at least most of it) in memory. It's a classic time-memory tradeoff, exactly the sort of cheating shortcut you'd expect a black hat attacker to take.


Link:
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000949.html

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Monday, August 27, 2007

XYplorer: A multi-tabbed file manager for Windows

XYplorer is a multi-tabbed file manager for Windows, featuring a very powerful file search, versatile preview facilities, a highly customizable interface, and a large array of unique ways to efficiently automate frequently recurring tasks. It's innovative and it's fun!

XYplorer is a portable file manager. It does not require any installation, stores all data in the program's folder, and running it does not change your system or registry.

Read a review:
http://www.donationcoder.com/...

Link:
http://www.xyplorer.com/index.htm

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Friday, August 03, 2007

10 things you can do when Windows XP won't boot

When your computer hardware appears to power up okay, but the Windows XP operating system won't boot properly, you have to begin a troubleshooting expedition that includes getting into the operating system, determining the problem, and then fixing it. To help you get started on this expedition, here are 10 things you can do when Windows XP won't boot.

Link:
http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/...

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Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Comodo Free Firewall is better than what comes with WinXP


Unfortunately, most firewalls leak. But Comodo's Firewall is unique in that it passes all known leak tests to ensure the integrity of data entering and exiting your system. Comodo has put firewall through all kinds of sophisticated tests to ensure its firewall powerful enough to ward off these attacks with default settings. No other firewall has had to work this hard.

Features from Comodo's website:
  • PC Magazine Online's Editor's Choice
  • Secures against internal and external attacks
  • Blocks internet access to malicious Trojan programs
  • Safeguards your Personal data against theft
  • Delivers total end-point security for Personal Computers and Networks

I was a long time user of Sygate's personal firewall but when it was acquired by Symantec no more updates were provided and the firewall and all future development just died. I continued using Sygate until locating Comodo, and so far, has proved to be a great firewall.

Link:
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

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Thursday, July 26, 2007

How to patch up your UXtheme.dll file in XP home or pro

In order to use custom themes or MSStyles on your computer you need to patch up your Uxtheme.dll file. Otherwise you can only use signed themes that are created by Microsoft.

What are custom themes? Just check out Window Blinds.

Link:
http://.../how_to_patch_uxtheme_dll_file_xp_home_pro

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Friday, July 20, 2007

How to make Windows XP last for the next seven years

How to make Windows XP last for the next seven years: "Windows Vista may be shiny and brand new, but as plenty of PC users will tell you, sometimes newer isn't better. Many PCs simply don't have the horsepower to run the new operating system, and even those that have the juice may get bogged down by processor-and RAM-hungry Vista.

If you've got Windows XP, worry not -- you can keep it running on your hardware for years to come. As with an old car, though, if you plan to keep XP around for a while, you're going to have to spend some time maintaining it. Think of us as your virtual mechanics. We'll give you tips, tweaks and tricks so that you'll be able to keep XP running smoothly, at top performance, for smooth operation and long life."


Link:
http://www.computerworld.com/...

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Thursday, July 19, 2007

The hunt begins

For information in what exactly will be included in WinXP SP3.

Do you know? If you have any information feel free to email me too.

Link:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=588

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Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Microsoft Windows Vista 30-Day Eval VHD

For organizations with complex desktop infrastructures, whether large or small, Windows Vista Enterprise is the operating system designed specifically to help realize a better return on IT investments. In this VHD, you'll have the opportunity to road-test new and improved features including management (e.g. MUI, BDD, etc…) usability (e.g. Search, Navigation, etc…) and security (UAC, Windows Defender, etc…), enhancements to the Windows Vista platform.

Link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...

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Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Vista Transformation Pack 7.0 Released


It's been a long wait for some of you, and after several delays, we are pleased to announce to you today, the release of Vista Transformation Pack 7.0, Windows X's latest customization pack to give you the Vista experience without the hassle of a new OS.

Vista Transformation Pack 7.0 brings many new features such as ViStart, a new add-on which emulates the Vista start menu, as well as Thoosje's latest Desktop Sidebar 2.0 to give you the ultimate Windows Vista experience!

Link:
http://www.jcxp.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=18388

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Thursday, June 21, 2007

Windows XP Service Pack 3 Leaked Details!

Not only is Windows XP Service Pack 3 alive and kicking, but Microsoft also managed to leak details about what the refresh will contain. The Redmond Company's policy when it comes down to future releases of the Windows platform is to gag all details. Windows XP SP3 is old news for Microsoft. And with the general availability of Windows Vista it was pushed to the background. But in all fairness, Microsoft never confirmed the cancellation of the third service pack for Windows XP.

Link:
http://.../Windows-XP-Service-Pack-3-Leaked-Details-57825.shtml

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Saturday, June 16, 2007

Top tech support forum helps in all areas.

Tech Support Guy is one buzzing forum with lots of groups and 100K's of posts. If you need some help with anything computer than check this forum out. Even if you don't want to ask a questions just using their search feature can probably yield a discussion going on.

Link:
http://forums.techguy.org/

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Friday, June 08, 2007

Fun with RUN

Some helpful RUN (Start menu -> Run) commands for Windows:
(type exactly what you see in bold)

  • mailto: - Will bring up a blank email message in your default mail program
  • about:blank - Bring up IE with a blank webpage
  • http://google.com - Opens your default browser with the website of Google
  • calc - Bring up the Windows Calculator
  • wupdmgr - Launches the Windows Update in IE
  • shutdown - Shuts down Windows
  • logoff - Logs you out of Windows
  • mstsc - Lauches the Remote Desktop application
  • osk - Displays an on screen keyboard
  • fsquirt - Show the Bluetooth transfer wizard
  • explorer - Opens up Windows Explorer

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Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Another Windows user switches to Linux

Read the on going story of one Windows users journey into the land of Linux. Will he make it? Will he stay? Will he be back for Windows 7 ? (queue cliffhanging music).

Link:
http://.../index.php?topic=8777

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Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Get Windows Vista for free with a 30-day trial

Microsoft has made available a 30 day trial of Windows Vista through its Virtual PC Product. You can download a pre-configured Virtual Hard Drive and then, with Virtual PC, you get to play around with Windows Vista for 30 days.

Doesn't hurt to see what its all about.

Windows Vista:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...

Virtual PC:
http://www.microsoft.com/.../virtualpc/default.mspx

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Sunday, May 13, 2007

Is your computer running slow for no reason?

There were a few people who asked me to help them with their systems running slow even though they are positive it contains no malware of any kind. Thanx to the folks at DonationCoder there seems to be a logical explanation and a sorta fix.

Link:
http://.../how_do_i_fix_this_high_cpu_usage...

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Wednesday, May 02, 2007

WinXP users: European Union Expansion Font Update

Updated versions of Times New Roman, Arial, Trebuchet and Verdana fonts that include six additional Romanian and Bulgarian characters not available in the Windows XP versions of these fonts.

Link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...

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Tuesday, May 01, 2007

ObjectDock is a bit too UI overkill for me


ObjectDock is a program that enables users to organize their shortcuts, programs and running tasks into an attractive and fun animated Dock. By allowing users to have more control over how they organize their desktop, users can take control of their desktop icons and shortcuts to have them be available when where and how they need them. This, all with the unique style and top-rate performance that ObjectDock is known to deliver!

I will start by saying that I am very impressed with what StarDock has been able to accomplish with skinning and adding these UI enhancements to Windows but its all a bit too much for me. Check out ObjectDock as its free and leave a comment on your thoughts.

ObjectDock (free):
http://www.stardock.com/products/objectdock/

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Thursday, April 12, 2007

Microsoft codenames

See all the upcoming and active codenames for future Microsoft products. Not sure why I thought Fiji was the next release of Windows after Vista but its not. Fiji is the next release of Windows Media Center while Windows 7 is the next release of Windows after Vista.

Like a lot of other people I will probably skip Vista and wait for Windows 7 before upgrading. Not sure there is much need for Vista since MS has said it will provide a SP3 for WinXP, that should hold me over.

Link:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/topic/Microsoft+codenames.html

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