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CCleaner a great product

2010-11-23T23:06:00.000-08:00

CCleaner is a freeware cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history cookies etc. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)

Besides a registery cleaner it also provides a stratup manager and a Uninstaller interface. This Application is a must for systems having critical disk space. Surely increases the computer speed , That is why I recommend you to download and use this Free Applciation.

Cleans the following:

Internet Explorer
Firefox
Google Chrome
Opera
Safari
Windows - Recycle Bin, Recent Documents, Temporary files and Log files.
Registry cleaner
Third-party applications
100% Spyware FREE

Download Latest Version

source : filehippo.com

Windows 7 Sales rate Beyond 7 Copies per Second

2010-07-28T04:59:00.000-07:00

This was the news I came to know about the Windows 7 sales as I was going through the net.

While undoubtedly, selling 7 copies of Windows 7 per second, "sounds" better than selling 10 copies of Windows 7 per second, the fact of the matter is that sales of the latest iteration of the Windows client are accelerating.

Less than a week ago, the Redmond company announced that Windows 7’s strong momentum was continuing, with license sales of the operating system
hitting the 175 million units milestone. At that time, the software giant was emphasizing that more than 7 copies of Windows 7 were being sold every second. Now the company revealed that the real number is closer to 10 licenses of Windows 7 being served to customers worldwide per second.

"With 175 million licenses sold to date, it is the fastest selling operating system ever, and now runs on over 15% of all PCs worldwide," revealed Peter Klein, Microsoft's chief financial officer, during an earnings call to Wall Street analysts, according to ComputerWorld.

Ahead of July 2010, Microsoft had underlined on various occasions that no less than 7 copies of the fastest selling operating system in history were going out to customers each second. For the month before the company announced the financial results for the third quarter in Fiscal Year 2010, sales of Windows 7 had in fact accelerated just a tad short of 10 licenses per second.

According to statistics released by Microsoft, over 16% of the world’s PCs were running Windows 7, at just nine months since the operating system was launched. Record sales of Windows 7 helped the Redmond company overall, with the software giant beating Wall Street estimates to generate $16.04 billion in revenue for Q3 2010, and $62.48 billion for the entire past fiscal year.

At this point in time Windows 7 is the second most used operating system worldwide, having a larger install base than Windows Vista, which was launched in early 2007. Still, there’s much to go for Windows 7 until it will at least come on par with Windows XP, in terms of market share. However, forecasts from earlier this year indicated that some 300 million copies of Windows 7 would be sold by the end of 2010. Provided that the OS will keep up the pace, XP could be dethroned by the time that Windows 8 gets here.

source: news.softpedia.com

New Windows 7 Wallpapers

2010-07-28T04:49:00.000-07:00

Aquatic Flowers

Download

Autumn Leaf

Download

Bengal Tiger

Download

Butterfly in Pink
Flowers

Download

Calico Cat

Download

Cat in a Basket

Download

Vista Wallpapers – Black & White

2010-01-21T06:51:00.000-08:00

6 high quality Vista Wallpapers 1600×1200

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

Office 2010 Build 14.0.4730.1007 100-Screenshot Gallery

2010-01-18T17:10:00.000-08:00

Microsoft is undoubtedly making headway with Office 2010’s development process, although the company is not exactly trumpeting its progress to the public.
In fact, the software giant is keeping details on the evolution of Office 2010 under a tight lid, although it managed to unveil additional aspects of the new product such as pricing information. Still, a new leak of Office 2010 manages to do what Microsoft isn’t, namely offers confirmation that the next iteration of the productivity suite is indeed moving along toward RTM.

The Release to Manufacturing milestone mentioned in the End User
License Agreement accompanying Office 2010 Build 14.0.4730.1007 continues to be without a definitive deadline. While it is highly unlikely that the Redmond company hasn’t this far along in the product’s development process settled on an RTM date, the public is yet to receive any sort of official details.

Microsoft’s silence continued even after the leak of Office 2010 Build 14.0.4730.1007, which is currently available for download via all major BitTorrent trackers and warez websites, for those that know where to look. Softpedia will of course not provide a link to any illegal third-party sources offering Office 2010 bits. At the same time, users should be aware of the risks associated with downloading leaked or otherwise pirated software from untrusted sources, including identity theft, malware infections and financial loss via stolen credit-card data.

Build 14.0.4730.1007
Office 2010 Build 14.0.4536.1000 public Beta was released at the Professional Developers Conference 2009 in Los Angeles. Build 14.0.4730.1007, the recently leaked bits of Office 2007’s successor, is superseding the public Beta, and has most probably been shipped to a small pool of testers close to Microsoft, in addition to being dogfooded (tested internally). When it comes down to the public Beta of Office 2010, early adopters can test-drive Office 2010, SharePoint Server 2010, Visio 2010, Project 2010 and Office Web, and the same is valid for leaked Build 14.0.4730.1007, with the exception of Office Web.

Users will be able to have a closer look at Office 2010 Build 14.0.4730.1007 via the screenshots included in this article. Fact is that the evolution from 14.0.4536.1000 is not extremely consistent. Sure, the EULA now references RTM, indicating that Build 14.0.4730.1007 might be part of the Office 2010 RTM branch, but there’s no confirmation that this will actually be the fully fledged RTM.

source: news.softpedia.com

Windows 8 ‘Confirmed’ for 2012 Launch

2009-12-02T02:51:00.000-08:00

More and more evidence is emerging that Windows 8 will be released in 2012. At this years Professional Developer’s Conference (PDC 2009), budding attendees managed to get their hands on two Windows roadmap slides that show ‘Windows 8′ launching in 2012:

Now these slides don’t really provide any information that we didn’t know; Microsoft typically leave 3 years between each release and with Windows 7 launching this year, Windows 8 was always likely to be in 2012. It is unlikely that Microsoft would pull Windows 8’s launch forward to 2011 because it would impact Windows 7 sales with customers delaying upgrades, and unlikely they would delay until 2013 as Windows 8’s development seems to be progressing quite nicely.

Source: Microsoft Kitchen

(Unofficial) Windows 8 Wallpapers

2009-12-02T02:48:00.000-08:00

Here’s been no sign of any official news or Windows 8 media, but that hasn’t stopped talented designers pulling together their own. Rajesh Patel has created six Windows 8 Wallpapers that are available for download:

Windows 8 to be 128-bit compatible?

2009-12-02T02:43:00.000-08:00

As we’ve known for some time, Microsoft had already begun work on Windows 8 before Windows 7 was completed. The reason being that different teams work on different aspects of the operating system, which is why Microsoft was able to do this. Microsoft previously shed some light on what we can see in Windows 8 through a job description.

It appears though, that one specific Microsoft employee was not too careful with their LinkedIn profile, and had accidentally leaked some interesting details regarding Windows 8. According to his LinkedIn profile, which seems to have had many of its details removed, Robert Murdon has been working at Microsoft since January 2002. Windows 8 News managed to catch this on the Microsoft employee’s LinkedIn profile before it disappeared:

“Robert Morgan is working to get IA-128 working backwards with full binary compatibility on the existing IA-64 instructions in the hardware simulation to work for Windows 8 and definitely Windows 9.”

“Robert Morgan is using Hestia (custom software package) for experimenting with the processor for scientific analysis and 3D graphics. Error: Memory Latency? Always gotta be a challenge barrier, it’s gotta be a bug in Hestia. right?!”

“Robert Morgan is frustrated with process standards and regulations! Delays Delays!”

Murdon seems certain that we will see 128-bit compatibility with Windows 9, while it appears that whether we will see it in Windows 8 or not is still uncertain. Coincidentally, many do believe that Windows 7 will be Microsoft’s last 32-bit OS. So could this mean we will see Windows 8 come in 64-bit and 128-bit flavors? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Windows 8 Professional Edition Transformation Pack

2009-12-02T02:37:00.000-08:00

Windows 8 is still in planning stages,though unofficial transformation packs has been released.

Here are the screenshots of the transformation pack-

Download Windows 8 transformation pack here

32-bit and 64-bit Windows: Frequently asked questions

2009-11-01T00:19:00.000-07:00

I was Just surfing trhough net about the windows 7, and So on I landed over the Microsoft's Windows 7 home page. I was Curious on the faq's for the new OS of Windows. And hence I just got this FAQ's on how 32-bit and 64-bit of windows versions are. And this FAQ's are really helpful for any body who is goin to buy a new PC. Or one who is goin to Upgrade the PC.

Well Its fuller reaches underneath the hammer!...

and here is it.

*What is the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows?

-The terms 32-bit and 64-bit refer to the way a computer's processor (also called a CPU), handles information. The 64-bit version of Windows handles large amounts of random access memory (RAM) more effectively than a 32-bit system.

*How can I tell if my computer is running a 32-bit or a 64-bit version of Windows?

-To see if your computer is running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows, do the following:

Open System by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Security, and then clicking System.
Under System, you can view the system type.

*Can my computer run a 64-bit version of Windows?

-To run a 64-bit version of Windows, your computer must have a 64-bit-capable processor. If you are unsure whether your processor is 64-bit-capable, do the following:

Open Performance Information and Tools by clicking the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type Performance Information and Tools, and then, in the list of results, click Performance Information and Tools.
Click View and print detailed performance and system information.

*Can I upgrade from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows?

-No. If you are currently running a 32-bit version of Windows, you can only perform an upgrade to another 32-bit version of Windows. Similarly, if you are running a 64-bit version of Windows, you can only perform an upgrade to another 64-bit version of Windows.

If you want to move from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows, you'll need to back up your files and then perform a Custom installation of the 64-bit version of Windows. For more information, see Installing and reinstalling Windows.

*Can I run 32-bit programs on a 64-bit computer?

-Most programs designed for a computer running a 32-bit version of Windows will work on a computer running 64-bit versions of Windows. Notable exceptions are many antivirus programs, and some hardware drivers.

Drivers designed for 32-bit versions of Windows don't work on computers running a 64-bit version of Windows. If you're trying to install a printer or other device that only has 32-bit drivers available, it won't work correctly on a 64-bit version of Windows. For information about updating drivers and troubleshooting issues with device drivers for 64-bit versions of Windows, contact the manufacturer of the device or program.

*Would I benefit from using a 64-bit computer?

-The benefits are most apparent when you have a large amount of random access memory (RAM) installed on your computer, typically 4 GB of RAM or more. In such cases, because a 64-bit operating system can handle large amounts of memory more efficiently than a 32-bit operating system can, a 64-bit system can be more responsive when running several programs at the same time and switching between them frequently.

*If I'm running a 64-bit version of Windows, do I need 64-bit drivers for my devices?

Yes. All hardware devices need 64-bit drivers to work on a 64-bit version of Windows. Drivers designed for 32-bit versions of Windows don't work on computers running 64-bit versions of Windows.

To learn how to check for drivers, see Update a driver for hardware that isn't working properly or go to the device manufacturer's website. You can also get information about drivers by going to the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor website.

source:

Thinking of migrating from Vista To Windows 7?

2009-10-04T02:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just get a sudden realization that there is something you’re forgetting but just can’t figure out what. I have quite a few these & in such a moment it dawned upon me that I hadn’t mentioned Windows SteadyState in the past 2 posts on making Vista look & behave like Windows 7. Anyhow, the past week we saw Aeropeek come to Windows Vista too, here are is another list of software that will give you some of Windows 7’s features in Vista :

1. Windows SteadyState: gives you the PC Safeguard facility of 7 in Vista & XP. It essentially creates a sand-box which allows people to do whatever they like but the moment they restart the machine any change made is gone. Yes, ANY CHANGE!

However, SteadyState requires validation for downloading, so if you have a genuine copy then by all means.

2. Aeropeek:

Finally the known & missing Aero feature of Win 7 that was not present in Vista has arrived. Requirements:

Windows XP/Vista
.net framework 3.5

3. Desktop Slideshow:

Windows 7 has an inbuilt feature of automatically changing the desktop wallpaper after a specified time interval, you can avail the same feature on your PC using Caledos Wallpaper Changer. Screen shot:

4. Beta Wallpaper Pack:

Here is the wallpaper pack of the wallies contained Windows 7 Beta.

~Enjoy

UPDATE:

5. Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts in Vista:

Win+Left/Right arrows: Dock the window to each side of the monitor
Win+Up arrow: Maximize the active window
Win+Down arrow: Minimize the window/Restore the window if it’s maximized
Win+Space: All windows are made transparent so you can see the desktop
Win+Home: Minimize all windows but the current window

6. Taskbar Shuffle:

A simple, small, free utility that lets you drag and drop your Windows taskbar buttons to rearrange them. Here’s a full feature list:

Reorder your taskbar buttons by dragging and dropping them
Reorder your tray icons in the same way
Reorder tasks in a grouped button’s popup menu in the same way
Middle-click to close programs on your taskbar

[Update] Windows Vista To Windows 7

2009-10-04T02:45:00.000-07:00

Here is an update to my previous post on the resources that you can use on Vista to emulate Windows 7.

1. Windows 7 Build 6956 Boot Screen

To apply the boot screen, you will need TuneUp Utilities. To change the boot screen:

TuneUp Utilities –> Tune Up Styler –> Under Interface “Boot Screen”

Download TuneUp Utilities

2. Windows 7 Icon Set:

3. Windows 7 Wallpaper Set:

4. Wordpad 2009:

Make Vista Look & Behave Like Windows 7

2009-10-04T02:34:00.000-07:00

Since Windows 7 has been unveiled at PDC 2008, coders and artists have been hard at work to emulate it’s look for it’s predecessor – Vista. Along with the theme, coders have come out with applications that provide you with 7’s features like Shake & Snap on Vista too. As a matter of fact, 7’s calculator can run on Vista too! To make your Vista look & feel like Windows 7 here are some resources that you can use.

1. Windows 7 Boot Screen

Open the folder “%windir%\System32\en-US” and replace the existing “winload.exe.mui” file with the one in zip file. You will need to take ownership of the file before copying it. Please take a back up of the actual file before replacing it.
Start->Run->msconfig and in the Boot tab and select “Microsoft Windows Vista” entry and enable “No GUI Boot” option and apply it. Restart your system to take affect and watch the new boot screen in action.

[via AskVG]

2. Logon Screen:

Download Logon Screen
Download & install LogonVista
Load the logon which is in the rar file
Take ownership for basebrd.dll from c:\windows\branding\basebrd\basebrd.dll
Replace with the given dll
Logout and see the changes

3. Theme – Windows 7 Vista Style FINAL by ~giannisgx89

4. Wallpaper – Here is the official blue Windows 7 wallpaper:

Click to enlarge.

5. Taskbar: To make your Taskbar show only the icons, you can use the manual registry edit method or this nifty little application. Project page.

To make your taskbar show large icons:

Unlock the taskbar
Right click in the Quick Launch area
View -> Select ‘Large Icons’

Also, to increase the height of the window tab, download this application:

6. Right Click Menu:

Just like Windows 7 has the Gadgets shortcut & the Display Settings shortcut in the Right Click Menu, this link will help you achieve the same as shown in the screen shot. [via AskVG]

7. Aero Snap: Just drag a window to a corner and it sticks there, if you liked this nifty feature added to Windows 7 you can rejoice for it is available on Vista too.

8. Aero Shake: Like the new Windows 7 feature, shaking the active window with your mouse will minimize all other windows; shaking it again will restore them. Dev Page

9. Win 7 Calculator

Some genius figured out that you can use the Windows 7 calculator in Windows Vista too. All you need to do is replace some system files and you’re done. [via DailyGyan]

To do this:

Make a backup of C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe
Replace it with the one in the archive.
Backup C:\Windows\System32\en-US\calc.exe.mui
Replace it with the one in the archive.

10. Sidebar: As Windows 7 won’t be featuring a ‘Sidebar’ you can simply drag your gadgets out of the sidebar then:

Right click on the Sidebar.
Select Close Sidebar.

Now you won’t be having the sidebar obstructing your desktop wallpaper.

~Enjoy.

How to customize the Save As dialog box in Windows 7

2009-09-18T05:37:00.000-07:00

Simpli Software’s Places Utility allows users to customize the windows ‘Save As’ dialog box.

Those who often find themselves browsing through directories in ‘Save As’ dialog to organize their downloads will benefit from this simple program.

Organizing information you download from the Internet (and other files) can be quite a chore.

The standard Save As dialog provides five starting places to save your file: History, My Documents, Desktop, Favorites, and Network.

This program helps you customize these 5 locations easily. You may have to Run it as Administrator. Works on Windows Vista too.

HomePage.

How to password protect use of any application in Windows.

2009-09-18T05:35:00.000-07:00

There may be reasons where you may want to restrict use of certain application. While we have already mentioned how you can password protect Internet Explorer natively, here is a way where you can password protect any application, including IE.

DeskLock is a good freeware utility to password protect applications and open applications using a hotkey. It will detect execution of your listed applications and prompt for a password before continuing.

One can also set hotkeys (eg. CTRL + SHIFT + 1) for most of the features used in the utility. Using a hotkey you can show/close/hide all the applications listed. You can also set a specific hotkey for the different applications, toggling the visibility of the application by pressing the hotkey. For instance, if the application is open then pressing the hotkey will hide it, if the application is closed/hidden then pressing the hotkey will show/run it.

You can also specify if you want to password-protect the application so that you can execute them without prompting for a password if you need it. The initial password is 2.

HomePage | Download.

Upgrade your Windows Live Messenger Service

2009-08-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

We are committed to providing a safe, secure and positive experience for our more than 300 million customers across the globe using Windows Live Messenger
every month.

To deliver on that commitment, beginning on August 25, we started asking our customers using versions 8.1, 8.5 and 14.0 to upgrade to the newest version of Messenger. The upgrade will provide customers with the latest software updates including code fixes and feature enhancements, as well address vulnerabilities discussed in the Microsoft Security Advisory 973882 that existed in previous versions of Windows Live Messenger.

The upgrade process will take place in a phased approach over the next several weeks:

First Phase, Optional Upgrade:
The optional upgrade will happen in two stages:
Starting Aug. 25, customers using versions 8.1 or 8.5 were asked to upgrade their client.
Starting early Oct., all customers using versions 14.0 (but not the latest release 14.0.8089) will be asked to upgrade their client.
The upgrade at this time is optional. Customers who haven’t upgraded during the optional phase will be required to do so during the second phase.

Second Phase, Mandatory Upgrade:
The mandatory upgrade will happen in three stages:
Starting mid-Sept., all customers using Messenger 8.1 or 8.5 will be required to upgrade their version of Windows Live Messenger.
Starting late Oct., all customers using Messenger 14.0 will be required to upgrade their version of Windows Live Messenger.
To ensure that we are protecting customers, those who do not administer the upgrade will not be able to sign in to Messenger after this time.

Please Note: It will take several weeks for the upgrade process to be completed, as the upgrade will be rolled out to customers over the course of several weeks.

Below are some examples of the prompts that you will encounter during the upgrade process.

Want to upgrade now? You don’t have to wait for the notification. In fact, we encourage you to download the updated version of Messenger right now by visiting http://download.live.com .

source: bink.nu

Samsung Laptop N120 Review

2009-07-17T05:52:00.000-07:00

Anybody's first look on this Samsung N120 would be just buy it .It looks Superb.It is also nicely crafted and finished, and its very light weighted too.

The keyboard department has done really well job for fast typers like me to access each key with the same flow.The Build is awesome to look on, it

is wider than the normal lappy and it has the reason for that .And the reason is to increase the user experience while typing .

I think the black one looks more good than white one.But both are equally well perfomable, when terms come on performance.

I had just been about looks ,now some techchy points.As all choclates are sweets but some sticks on your teeths.But this chocolates are very good .Some time it is very difficult to find the best combination of “Looks+function”= My Laptop

But this lappy have both of them,a perfect Combination of looks and performance.This Samsung N120 has Intel Atom N270 / 1.6 GHz Processor ,The cache L2 memory is 512kb which is very good ,I always want that L2 Cache on such small machines.HDD is also of 160 GB – Serial ATA-150 – 5400 rpm..Now some thing about gaming it has Intel GMA 950 Dynamic Video Memory Technology 3.0 ,Which is good for gaming,with one GB of RAM..!!! Looks Exciting..!!

Gaming on with a smaller lappy a netbook wow...Diiferent Experience.

The most important features on which i got shocked is its battery .It is Long lasting Battery upto 10 hrs.Oh! my god this is damn good for me and second thing is its speaker ,2.1 speaker on both sides of screen and also below is a dedicated subwoofer.

It has lots of features for one and all you can see some.
Before having a hands on it lets have a look on the CNET review, reviewed by the famous Dan Ackerman (of CNET).just see his review by clicking here.

Lastly if you are planning to buy this Samsung N120 ,please tell me your opinion about this.Your Comments on this post are valuable.

The good: Giant keyboard (for a Netbook) and 2.1 speaker system.

The bad: Bit more expensive than most Netbooks.

The bottom line: Part of Samsung's second generation of Netbooks, the N120 offers a generous keyboard and some unexpected audio power.

Some more ratings which I personally feel:
Design: 8.3
Features: 8.5
Performance: 8.5
Battery life: 10.0
Service and support: 9.5
Overall score: 9.1

Download Microsoft Office 2010 Mondo Beta 1 (Technical Preview v14.0.4302.1000) x86 and x64

2009-07-17T02:15:00.000-07:00

Not feeling confident or miss out downloading the pre-beta version of upcoming Microsoft Office 2010 Technical Preview (TP) version 14.0.4006.1010 or 14.0.4006.1008?

A new version of Office 2010 build which is said to be the first official beta (Beta 1) build of 2010 Microsoft Office Systems have leaked to Internet.

The latest Office 2010 Beta1 has the build version of 14.0.4302.1000, and is compiled or signed off on July 8, 2009. Although it’s still been labeled as Technical Preview, it may be the build version of Office 2010 that goes out to registrants of Office 2010 Technical Preview Program (TPP), and is widely to be considered as Office 2010 Beta 1. Interestingly, after installation, it shows the Office 2010 programs as Microsoft Office 2010 Mondo (Technical Preview).

Both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) setup installer of Microsoft Office 2010 Mondo version 14.0.4302.1000 is available for free download. The leaked Office 2010 is Office 2010 Ultimate edition.

Download Microsoft Office 2010 Mondo (Technical Preview Beta 1) v14.0.4302.1000

Torrent (32bit and 64bit): MICROSOFT.OFFICE.2010.v14.0.4302.1000.BETA.1.VOLUME.X86-64.ENGLISH-WZT.torrent

The torrent will download 14.0.4302.1000_Mondo_volume_ship_x86_en-us_wzt.rar and 14.0.4302.1000_Mondo_volume_ship_x64_en-us_wzt.rar via BitTorrent (BT) client. User who prefers to directly download the setup installer can use the HTTP download links below.

HTTP (x86 32-bit): 14.0.4302.1000_Mondo_volume_ship_x86_en-us_wzt.rar
HTTP (x64 64-bit): 14.0.4302.1000_Mondo_volume_ship_x64_en-us_wzt.rar

Do take note that this build version of Office 2010 is still a pre-RTM, is a test version or even just an alpha build, and should not be used in production environment, as it may contains bugs.

source: mydigitallife.info

Configure Windows Logon Process with Winlogon Configuration Tool

2009-07-17T02:13:00.000-07:00

Windows Logon Screen is the first screen displayed after you boot your Windows OS. Often you feel the need of changing logon user, enable/disable multi users logon session or running some script immediately after you login.

There is no simple way to get above changes without messing with Windows Registry. But many will not be comfortable registry editing for those users here is handy freeware utility Winlogon Configuration Tool.

Winlogon Configuration tool helps you to configure some of the settings for the Winlogon process. This includes settings up auto logon feature, logon dialog options and settings for Windows File Protection.

Download: Download Winlogon Configuration Tool
source: blogsdna.com

Windows 7 ActiveX Killbits

2009-07-17T01:53:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has released two downloads containing ActiveX Killbits for the 32-bit and the 64-bit flavors of Windows 7 Release Candidate Build 7100.

The Cumulative Security Update for ActiveX Killbits for Windows 7 went live on the Microsoft Download Center on July 14th, 2009 and are currently available for users running the RC Build 7100 release of the next iteration of the Windows client. Although labeled a cumulative security update, fact is that the ActiveX Killbits are not designed to patch a vulnerability in Windows 7. Users must regard them instead as a defense-in-depth measure and nothing more.

The killbits released on July 14 are part of a patch that came to resolve a Critical vulnerability in the Microsoft Video ActiveX Control. The Redmond company informed the public about the issue in the first half of June 2009. The security vulnerability comes with a Critical rating for all supported editions of Windows XP, but just Moderate for Windows Server 2003. The flaw does not affect Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2. Nonetheless, deploying the Killbits is a healthy preventive measure that will increase the level of security.

The Redmond company advised even customers of non-affected platforms to apply the security update. The fix is designed to render useless any possible future new vectors of attack. Although the vulnerability was privately reported to Microsoft, attacks with exploits targeting the specific flaw were detected in the wild.

“A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the Microsoft Video ActiveX Control, msvidctl.dll. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Web page. When a user views the Web page, the vulnerability could allow remote code execution. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the logged on user,” Microsoft informed.

Cumulative Security Update for ActiveX Killbits for Windows 7 Release Candidate (KB973346)
Cumulative Security Update for ActiveX Killbits for Windows 7 Release Candidate for x64-based Systems (KB973346)
source: news.softpedia.com

Gorgeous Aurora and Colour Spectrum Wallpapers

2009-07-03T08:59:00.001-07:00

This wallpaper pack included wallpapers in only widescreen resolutions: 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200.

Aurora

A very simple, abstract / minimalistic wall created in CS3

Aurora Colors

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

Based on RapidWeaver 4 wallpaper Realmac Magical Desktop

Aurora like vista style

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

A pack with aurora wallpaper like windows vista style.

Wind – Wallpaper pack

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

OS X aqua + Vista aurora mix.

The Moment

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

Space Travel

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

Space Travel Wallpapers in 2560 × 1600 (HDTV/Widescreen) and 1600 × 1200 (Normalscreen) Resolution.

Nebular

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

Aurora Aquantic

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

Created by filipe-ps. Wallpaper pack comes in these following resolutions: 1920×1200, 1680×1050, 1440×900, 1280×800, 1600×1200, 1400×1050, 1280×960, 1024×768 pixels.

HoroPack

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

Replacement for the original Mac OSX Leopard Wallpaper.

Grunge Rainbow Wallpaper

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

It’s a bunch of colours with a grungy touch. There are four variations, including a standard set of colours, and two solid colours – steel and pink.

Growing Aurora Wallpaper Pack1

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

There are 8 wallpapers on three differente resolutions: 1920×1200, 1600×1200 and 1280×1024.

Explosion of Light

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

Blaze of Light

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

The downloadable archive contains fullscreen, widescreen, as well as iPhone wallpapers.

Auros Wallpaper

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

Author created this with the mixture of 2 of his favoriute wallpapers iAurora and Exos.

Aurora

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

Available in 2560×1600, 1920×1200 and 1600×1200 pixels.

2009 Wallpaper

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

Wallpaper created from a flyer artwork. Need other resolution? just leave a comment in the author’s deviantart page.

Abstract Flower Colors Light

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

Playing around with the Blend Tool in Illustrator and Photoshop inspired by Andy Gilmore. Tutorial available here.

Spectrum

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

Starsfield Rainbow wallpaper

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

Seaview

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

O Tweak

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

Next Level

For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

Available in 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×900, 1356×1024.

Lunai Wallpaper Pack

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10 wallpapers in total. 5 colors in 1600×1200px and 5 colors in 1680×1050px.

iSwoosh

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Cydonia

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For more Such Wallpapers Click here...

50 Stunning and Beautiful Desktop Wallpapers

2009-07-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

If you spend a lot of time on your computer, you probably want to make it a friendly place. A gorgeous desktop wallpaper will personalize your interface and can inspire you creatively.

In this collection, you will find 50 beautiful desktop wallpapers handpicked for just you. You can never have enough wallpapers - and if you’re feeling like your desktop needs a face lift, check these out.

1. Stabilis

2. Blue paper robot

3. Rising sun

4. The Pirate Bay Wallpaper

5. Feeding time

6. BrikThulhu Rising

7. HYMNS

8. Check that shit out

9. smile

10. Chroma

11. N. Design’s wallpapers

12. The Dream City

13. Desert Dawn

14. Aethyos

15. Vintage polish matchbox

16. the pirate bay wp

17. This is the Day

18. Movers and Shakers

19. Los Lollis

20. All things into position

21. Good Design stays in focus

22. Graffiti Wall Paper

23. The Alphabet you can make pancake with

24. Ah Question?

25. Untitled Wall III

26. Simpsons OSX wallpaper

27. 7th and Broadway

28. City

29. Fake Jungle

30. Chu Kiss Beso

31. Heart gaming

32. What a night

33. Run away together

34. Brush fun

35. My Bokeh

36. Psyco HotDog

37. Twitter wallpaper

38. Champignons

39. Purple Veins

40. Splash

41. Green Apple

42. Gears

43. Love of Black Sand

44. Dirty Envelope

45. Standing in red

46. Scanned-Busted

47. Anglerfish

48. KittySune Noir

49. BeaniePet

50. Save the Planet

Which one’s your favorite?

Please Leave a comment..!!!

60 Best Apple Wallpapers: Unseen

2009-07-03T08:55:00.000-07:00

Check them out.

19 High Resolution Wallpapers

2009-07-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

19 jpg wallpapers | 1600x1200 | 5.86 MB

Download:

Code:

http://4share.ws/file/5jme10u9x/19HighresWallpapers.rar.html

60 Beautiful Ubuntu Desktop Wallpapers

2009-07-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

60 Beautiful Ubuntu Desktop Wallpapers. Full list after jump.

Consumermate.com - reviews on Laptop Computers

2009-05-31T10:54:00.000-07:00

ConsumerMate.com

Before buying any thing new we always ask some one who already has an experience on the same.
Usually when it comes to the technical line, like laptop computers why not just check out the websites that are made for review of products and helps you to choose the best available. ConsumerMate.com is one such website recently launched by the 9.9 Media group. This website provides authentic and useful information to people who are in search for the best product available in the market.At present this website has expert buying advice on laptop computers.

The great way to start is, Finding the latest Laptops which are already tested and reviewed by the ConsumerMate.com,Compare the different features in laptop models and laptop prices. You also get good offers by the site for buying one of the such tested and fully reviewed machines in comparatively low manner than laptop prices other any where else. Hot offers and deals on laptop computers are always available on the website.

The very attested and very relaible feature in this wesite is that people get to know the ratings which are authenticated after the tests conducted and the test ratings powered by Digit Test Center.

The ratings are classified as:

Portability
Features
Ergonomics
Build
Performance

and finally they provide the score out of 100.

This becomes very important data for the user to buy what he actually wants.

The website provides reviews only on laptop at presently . In comming days more updtes on some more gadgets such as mobile phones etc reviews and all stuff is to be expected. And you can join their community at http://www.consumermate.com/forum/index.php

windows seven nature wallpaper

2009-05-09T19:36:00.000-07:00

Full screen wallpapers 4:3 | 800×600 | 1024×768 | 1152×864 | 1280×960 | 1400×1050 | 1600×1200 | 1920×1440 |

Windows 7 Wallpapers New

2009-05-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

1 of the best Widescreen Windows 7 wallpapers

2009-05-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

So far here on Windows 7 Wallpapers we have been showcasing some great wallpapers but have left one out major area, widescreen wallpapers. From now on we will also be providing you with a regular flow of impressive windows 7 widescreen desktop wallpapers and just to get you started, heres one.

Grass Windows 7 wallpaper

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Digital flow Windows 7 wallpaper

2009-05-09T19:31:00.002-07:00

Following up with another widescreen wallpaper inspired by Windows 7 this great piece of digital graphics can transform a dull and boring desktop into something fresh and inspirational.

Up High Windows 7 Wallpaper

2009-05-09T19:31:00.001-07:00

Being really high in the sky gives the feeling of freedom and desire to go anywhere you want with no restrictions. This incredible Windows 7 wallpaper catpures that feeling and brings it right back down to your desktop.

Windows 7 themes

2009-05-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

Windows 7 brilliance , here are 15 spectaular themes which you can download for free and use on your Windows 7 computer. These Windows 7 themes are all provided by Microsoft and include a stunning desktop wallpaper as well as a brilliant new colour scheme. Just click to download the Windows 7 themes from below.

: Windows 7 butterfly theme

: Windows 7 fine arts theme

: Windows 7 maple theme

: Windows 7 stones theme

: Windows 7 highway theme

: Windows 7 rocky theme

: Windows 7 Germany theme

: Windows 7 blossom theme

: Windows 7 Welsh theme

: Windows 7 beach theme

: Windows 7 sunset theme

: Windows 7 vineyard theme

: Windows 7 Tokyo theme

: Windows 7 Scottish theme

: Windows 7 lake theme

New Windows 7 wallpapers

2009-05-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

As Windows 7 is getting closer and closer to its expected release date more and more wallpapers are appearing from these release candidates and beta testing versions. Here are some of those wallpapers. What was Micrososft thinking when they decided to include these wallpapers with their multi-million pound product launch - whatever it was, I love them! Well done Micrososft!

New Windows 7 wallpaper

Flower wallpapers for Windows 7

2009-05-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

Purple flower wallpaper

Butterfly flower wallpaper

Flower wallpaper

Rumor: Windows 7 to not allow third-party codecs

2009-05-04T07:27:00.000-07:00

There are whispers on the internet, originating from this forum post by a DirectShow developer. He can’t seem to find a way to make his codecs override those built into Windows. The “preferred codecs,” as they’re called, are written into write-protected registry values that can’t even be modified in administrator mode. That sure doesn’t sound right.

I’d like to give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt here since they’ve made the rest of the OS so customizable. If you can remove WMP and IE, why should the codecs you use be locked? If the registry values for the codecs can only be modifed by the Windows installer, it’s hopefully just that said codecs will be on the list of removable Windows components once they’ve finalized it.

That’s the optimistic outlook. On the other hand, it may be that this is Microsoft’s last castle, and they won’t give up codec priority because it’s involved in, say, DRM. In that case it would take some more intrusive modifications to allow stuff like x264 to be the default. Well, if that’s the way they want to play it, I think they’ll find the community is willing to do whatever it takes.

Video: Windows 7 RC’s boot time on an ASUS netbook

2009-05-04T07:25:00.000-07:00

Windows 7 is a speedy little bastard, even on an Asus Eee PC 1000HA as this video shows. Spoiler: it’s quick but not OMG fast.

Using Windows Vista Compatibility Mode

2009-05-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

Windows Vista, like any new operating system, will have problems running some older versions of applications. This is especially true in Vista, considering all the changes. Thankfully there is a compatibility mode that can be easily set per application.

To configure the compatibility mode for an application, just locate the installation directory and right click on the .exe, selecting Properties from the menu.

Select the Compatibility tab:

You can choose to run the program in Windows XP compatibility mode, or even all the way back to Windows 95 compatibility.

Probably the most useful setting to start off with would be to disable the visual themes and desktop composition, if you can't get things working. If you are trying to run a video game, you will often need to choose "Run this program as an administrator". You'll have to play around with it, but most likely you can get your application working this way.

Windows 7 RC Adds Virtual Windows XP Mode

2009-05-04T07:20:00.000-07:00

A recent announcement from Microsoft should make it easier to convince Windows XP users to upgrade to the latest version of its operating system. For a while now, the company has been working on a Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 that will enable Windows 7 to run applications that were designed for Windows XP using virtualization. Sources familiar with the product recently revealed this application compatibility mode is built upon the Virtual PC technology Microsoft acquired in 2003 from the assets of Connectix.

Windows XP Mode has also been known as XPM, Virtual Windows XP, Virtual XP, and VXP. Windows XP Mode is built on the next generation of Microsoft Virtual PC 7 product line which requires Intel or AMD processor-based virtualization support to be present and enabled on the PC. Windows XP Mode is a host-based virtualization solution like Virtual PC.

By adding a compatibility mode into Windows 7, Microsoft is addressing one of the key shortcomings of Vista—compatibility issues with older software. The new feature has not been included in the beta version of Windows 7 but is expected to be available with the upcoming release candidate version. On Friday, Microsoft said it will provide the release candidate to developers next week and publicly on May 5.

As of right now, it appears the XP compatibility mode won’t come in the box with Windows 7. Instead, it will be made available as a free download for users with the professional, enterprise, or ultimate versions of Windows 7. Windows XP Mode will not require you to run the virtual environment as a separate Windows desktop. As a result, users will be able to run Windows XP-based applications alongside Windows 7 applications under a single desktop.

Windows XP Mode will make a big difference for Windows moving forward. By removing the burden of legacy application compatibility from the OS, Microsoft will be able to strip away dead technology from future versions of Windows at a faster rate because customers will be able to run older applications in Windows XP Mode.

Prior to the Windows XP Mode announcement, Microsoft could only claim that Windows 7 would be at least as compatible as Windows Vista was. Now, Microsoft can claim almost complete compatibility with Windows XP.

Microsoft to provide 'XP Mode' with Windows 7

2009-05-04T07:19:00.000-07:00

Microsoft is publicly acknowledging a new XP virtualization technology it is readying for Windows 7 that two Windows experts first revealed late on April 24.

On Friday, bloggers Paul Thurrott and Rafael Rivera posted about a new technology Microsoft is readying for Windows 7 users that is designed to allow them to run legacy Windows XP apps via PC virtualization technology. (This is the rumored “secret feature” Microsoft was working on for Windows 7 that some have called “Virtualized XP.”)

Later that evening, Microsoft admitted the existence of this feature in a Windows Business blog post entitled “Coming Soon: Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC.”

Microsoft’s post doesn’t say much about the new feature, other than it will be aimed primarily at small businesses and will allow “suitable” applications to run on Windows 7. A beta of both Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC for Windows 7 (Professional and Ultimate Editions only) are coming soon, the Softies said.

Neither of these new technologies seems to be in the Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) build that a number of testers began downloading via torrents at the end of this week, and which is due to go to MSDN and TechNet subscribers on April 30 (something Microsoft also is now acknowledging publicly). The public will be able to download the RC as of May 5.

It will be interesting to see how — and when — XP Mode and Virtual PC are delivered in final form. Will they be for Software Assurance customers only (the only way that Windows customers currently can obtain Microsoft client-virtualization technologies like App-V and MED-V)? Will they be delivered as free, out-of-band updates for Windows 7 — the way Hyper-V initially was for Windows Server 2008?

If Microsoft does maintain its policy of making XP Mode a volume-license-only benefit, everyday consumers won’t be able to get it (other than on work machines). But that possible limitation aside, if XP Mode works as it sounds like it’s designed to, it could provide MIcrosoft customers with one less reason to hold off from upgrading from XP — namely, application incompatibility. It also could provide Microsoft with a way to try to convince customers that buying a higher-end, pricier version of Windows 7 makes more sense than going with Starter Edition or Home Premium, the versions likely to be favored by the netbook set….

Windows 7 - XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC

2009-05-04T07:11:00.000-07:00

April 30, 2009 is not only synonymous with the broadening of the Windows 7 Release Candidate testing pool, but also with the delivery of additional features for the RC development milestone.

MSDN and TechNet subscribers not only got the fully-fledged Windows 7 RC Build 7100 bits today, but also the Beta builds of Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC. The two releases are designed to work in tandem, in order to provide Windows 7 customers with 100% compatibility with Windows XP-centric applications. What Microsoft is essentially offering is a virtualized XP environment running in Windows Virtual PC.

“Windows XP Mode standalone is suitable for small and medium business users, who are able to set their XP applications themselves and may or may not have IT Professional staff. Each PC has its own virtual Windows XP environment that is controlled and managed by the end user. Windows XP Mode standalone is not designed for large, centrally managed deployments that have widely deployed business applications that require Windows XP,” explained Scott Woodgate, director of product management for Windows Enterprise & Virtualization Strategy at Microsoft.

MSDN and TechNet subscribers are now able to download the 32-bit and 64-bit flavors of Windows Virtual PC Beta in the following languages: Arabic, Chinese-Simplified, Chinese-Traditional, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. By comparison, both the x86 and x64 versions of Windows XP Mode come only in English. Windows XP Mode is designed to run on top of the Ultimate, Enterprise and Professional SKUs of Windows 7, and require machines powered by processors capable of hardware virtualization, with AMD-V or Intel VT turned on in the BIOS.

source: news.softpedia.com

Windows 7 system requirements

2009-05-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

When Microsoft released the official beta for Windows 7 a while back, it also published a set of system
requirements. These were a general overview, and it seems that they have been updated to match the Windows 7 RC recently made available.

Here are the minimum Windows 7 requirements Microsoft offered in January when it released the Beta:

* 1GHz processor (32- or 64-bit)
* 1GB of RAM
* 16 GB of available disk space
* Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128MB of memory (for the Aero interface)

Here are the minimum Windows 7 system requirements Microsoft released on April 30 when it made available the Release Candidate to MSDN and TechNet testers:

* 1 GHz processor (32- or 64-bit)
* 1 GB of RAM (32-bit); 2 GB of RAM (64-bit)
* 16 GB of available disk space (32-bit); 20 GB of avaiable disk space (64-bit)
* DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Note: If you are planning to run Windows XP Mode along with Windows 7, Microsoft is recommending a PC with a minimum of 2GB of memory and 15 GB of additional disk space. “In addition, Windows Virtual PC requires a PC with Intel-VT or AMD-V enabled in the CPU, as it takes advantage of the latest advancements in hardware virtualization,” according to company officials.

source: blogs.zdnet.com

Windows Vista Wallpapers

2009-04-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

Thunder

2009-04-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

Magic Valley

2009-04-21T10:29:00.001-07:00

Endless Ocean wallpaper

2009-04-21T10:28:00.001-07:00

This picture is a resized wallpaper, please click on it to see the real size wallpaper.

Vista World

2009-04-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

Wallpapers Windows Messenger

2009-04-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Windows Vista Wallpapers

2009-04-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

Windows 7 Theme for Windows XP

2009-04-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

If you cannot wait anymore until the release of Windows 7 the Windows 7 theme for Windows XP might ease the pain of waiting another year or so until the new operating system is released to the public. The theme can be installed on any Windows XP version that has a patched uxtheme.dll file. If you do not know how to check or do that read the following article about uxtheme.dll that explains how to patch the file in Windows XP Service Pack 3.

Once the file is patched you can load user made themes and not only the official Microsoft themes. The Windows 7 theme was created by Deviant Art user deskmundo who has created some other excellent themes. The theme is based on the Milestone 1 release of Windows 7 and not on the version that was used for presentation at the D6 conference.

I guess that the theme will be updated by Deskmundo soon to reflect the visible changes of the presentation version, for example a change of the start menu button.

Microsoft to kill Encarta later this year

2009-04-01T07:26:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has announced that it is discontinuing its Encarta line of products. The software products will be gone by June 2009 and the website will go down October 31, 2009.

When I first saw this, I had to do a double take. I made sure it wasn't April 1 at least three times before I conceded. While looking around Encarta's homepage today, I stumbled on a message that Microsoft was getting rid of MSN Encarta completely: "On October 31, 2009, MSN Encarta Web sites worldwide will be discontinued, with the exception of Encarta Japan, which will be discontinued on December 31, 2009. Additionally, Microsoft will cease to sell Microsoft Student and Encarta Premium software products worldwide by June 2009." Looks like employees at Wikipedia and Encyclopaedia Britannica will be throwing parties tonight.

This is all on the FAQ page because Microsoft wants to clarify why it is doing this. The software giant says that the "category of traditional encyclopedias and reference material has changed" and that "people today seek and consume information in considerably different ways." It doesn't go into more detail, e.g., lack of sales or Wikipedia's tremendous growth. The company, however, does mention that it will "develop future technology solutions" but doesn't say anything beyond that. For those users with Encarta on MSN Explorer, the October 31 kill date still applies.

source: arstechnica.com

Foobar 0.9.6.4

2009-04-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

Foobar2000 is an advanced audio player for the Windows platform. Some of the basic features include ReplayGain support, low memory footprint and native support for several popular audio formats.

Main Features:
- Open component architecture allowing third-party developers to extend functionality of the player
- Audio formats supported "out-of-the-box": WAV, AIFF, VOC, AU, SND, Ogg Vorbis, MPC, MP2, MP3
- Audio formats supported through official addons: MPEG-4 AAC, FLAC, OggFLAC, Monkey's Audio, WavPack, Speex, CDDA, TFMX, SPC, various MOD types; extraction on-the-fly from RAR, 7-ZIP & ZIP archives
- Full Unicode support on Windows NT
- ReplayGain support
- Low memory footprint, efficient handling of really large playlists
- Advanced file info processing capabilities (generic file info box and masstagger)
- Highly customizable playlist display
- Customizable keyboard shortcuts
- Most of standard components are opensourced under BSD license.

Download:
Foobar 0.9.6.4

Windows Defender

2009-03-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

Windows Defender detects and removes spyware

Windows Defender is software that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software by detecting and removing known spyware from your computer. Windows Defender features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it's detected, minimizes interruptions, and helps you stay productive.

The benefits of installing Windows Defender include:

Spyware detection and removal

Windows Defender quickly and easily finds spyware and other unwanted programs that can slow down your computer, display annoying pop-up ads, change Internet settings, or use your private information without your consent.
Windows Defender eliminates detected spyware easily at your direction, and if you inadvertently remove programs that you actually want, it's easy to get them back.
Windows Defender allows you to schedule your scanning and removal times when it's convenient for you, whether it's on-demand or on a schedule that you set.

Improved Internet browsing safety

Windows Defender helps stop spyware before it infiltrates your computer. Windows Defender also offers a continuous safeguard designed to target all the ways that spyware can infiltrate your computer.
Windows Defender works without distracting you. It runs in the background and automatically handles spyware based on preferences that you set. You can use your computer with minimal interruption.

Protection against the latest threats

A dedicated team of Microsoft researchers continuously searches the Internet to discover new spyware and develop methods to counteract it.
A voluntary, worldwide network of Windows Defender users helps Microsoft determine which suspicious programs to classify as spyware. Participants help discover new threats quickly and notify Microsoft analysts, so that everyone is better protected. Anyone who uses Windows Defender can join this network and help report potential spyware to Microsoft.
To help protect your computer from the latest threats, you can choose to have updates that counteract new spyware automatically downloaded to your computer.

Windows Defender is included with all versions of Windows Vista and is available to download for genuine copies of Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, or Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 or later.

Learn more about Windows Defender and other Microsoft anti-malware solutions, and to learn more using Windows Defender, watch this demo.

2009-03-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

Tired of chasing your mouse? Use keyboard shortcuts

The mouse, one of the greatest advances in computing history, provides you with an intuitive point-and-click method for using your computer. Depending on the type of work you're doing, however, sometimes using a mouse actually slows you down. If you are a good typist, taking your hands away from the keyboard to move the mouse can use up a few seconds. Over the course of a full day, you could save several minutes by using keyboard shortcuts instead of the mouse.

You can use your keyboard instead of your mouse to do these three tasks:

Start a program using a keyboard shortcut

The Start menu is great for finding programs, but its multiple levels of folders can be time consuming to navigate. If there is a program you start frequently, you should set a keyboard shortcut for it so that you can start the program without taking your hands off the keyboard.

To set a keyboard shortcut to start a program

1.	Click the Start menu, and then click All Programs. Right-click the program that you want to start with a keyboard shortcut, and then click Properties.
2.	Click in the Shortcut key box. Now press the letter on your keyboard that you want to use to start the program. Make it easy to remember—for example, press I for Microsoft Internet Explorer. Note: You can use either uppercase or lowercase letters when creating your keyboard shortcuts—and when accessing them later. In the Shortcut key box, Microsoft Windows XP automatically adds Ctrl + Alt + before the key you pressed. When you want to start the program, hold down both the CTRL and ALT keys simultaneously, while also pressing the letter you chose. This way, your program won't start every time you type that letter.
3.	Click OK.
4.	Now test your shortcut. Hold down the CTRL and ALT keys, and then press the letter you chose. If you find it difficult to hold down two keys at once, read Turn on the Sticky Keys feature. Your program should start.

When your friends see you start up programs without touching your mouse, they just might think you have a psychic connection with your computer!

Top of page

Navigate menus using the keyboard

You can speed up tasks in almost any program by choosing menu items using your keyboard instead of your mouse. This operation is particularly handy when you're performing repetitive tasks.

To control menus using your keyboard

With your program open, press the ALT key. Notice that one letter on each menu name is now underlined. To open the menu, press the underlined key. For example, in Internet Explorer, the View menu name shows the V underlined after you press the ALT key. To open the View menu, press the ALT key, and then press V.

Now, each menu item will show one letter underlined. To access or activate the menu item you want, simply press the underlined key. For example, in Internet Explorer, after you open the View menu, the Privacy Report menu item shows the V underlined. Instead of clicking Privacy Report with your mouse, you can just press the V key.

You can also choose menu commands by pressing key sequences quickly, without waiting for the menus to open. For example, to quickly view a Web page's privacy report in Internet Explorer, press ALT, V, V. Similarly, to save a Web page in Internet Explorer, you would normally click the File menu, and then click Save As. To choose the same commands using your keyboard, press ALT, F, A.

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Control windows using your keyboard

If you like to keep four or five windows open while you work (or play) on your computer, you'll appreciate knowing these keyboard shortcuts. You can quickly switch between your Web browser, e-mail, instant message windows, and other programs without taking your hands off the keyboard.

Action	Shortcut
Minimize a window to your taskbar	ALT, SPACEBAR, N
Maximize a window so it takes up your whole desktop	ALT, SPACEBAR, X
Restore a window so it's visible but doesn't take up your whole desktop	ALT, SPACEBAR, R
Close a window	ALT+F4
Switch to the last window you had open	ALT+TAB
Switch to any window	Hold down the ALT key, and press TAB until the window you want is active

Programs often start up in a "restored" state, where the window takes up only part of the screen. To maximize the window so that it takes up the entire screen, press the ALT key, press the SPACEBAR, and then press X. This will feel natural after you do it a few times, and you will feel much more efficient while using your computer.

Microsoft plans Windows 7 release candidate for May

2009-03-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Corp. will deliver a release candidate of Windows 7 to the public in late May, according to a report from a noted Windows Web site.

Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC), the next slated major milestone for the under-development operating system, will be made available to the public the last week of May, said Neowin.net today.

Prior to that, Microsoft will wrap up an "escrow build" of the release candidate and offer it to a small invitation-only group of testers near the end of April, said Neowin, citing information from a Russian-language Web site and sources within Microsoft's Technical Adoption Program, which gives large corporations sneak peeks at pre-release software.

In Microsoft's parlance, an escrow build is a post-development edition given to testers for one final examination for any show-stopping problems or bugs. Microsoft, for instance, generated an escrow build of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) prior to posting it for public download earlier this month.

5 useful Windows XP tricks

2009-03-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

You know that feeling you get when your friends or family see you do something on your computer that they've never seen before?

If you haven't had this opportunity, here's where you start.

If you have, then you know that you're feeling like the world's coolest power-user when this happens. Knowledge is power! Here are five Windows XP tips that will get you/keep you schoolin' your friends and family.

Don't just maximize your windows—go full screen

When you need a really big window, don't just maximize it: go full screen! To view a window full screen, hold down the Ctrl key and double-click the window's title bar—or when the window is active, press the F11 key at the top of your keyboard—to get the biggest window possible.

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Add the Links toolbar to My Computer

You know what would make a great toolbar? One where you could put your favorite applications and documents so that you could open them from any window at any time. Guess what? You can and here's how: click Start, then My Computer. Now right-click the toolbar and then click Links. You now have the Links toolbar on your windows, just like in Internet Explorer. Note: Make sure that Lock the Toolbars is not checked. Click on it to deselect it if it is.

The really cool thing about the Links toolbar is that it's completely customizable. Try this: Navigate to your favorite application and drag and drop its icon to the Links toolbar. You just created a shortcut. Do this again and again for as many applications as you want to appear on the toolbar.

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Arrange windows on your desktop

You can display any two windows side by side on the desktop by first clicking a window's button on the Taskbar. Next, press and hold the Ctrl key and right-click the second window that you want to open, then click Tile Vertically. This works great when you want to view two Microsoft Word or Microsoft Internet Explorer windows at the same time.

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Organize your files into groups

Organize your files by grouping them. Try this: Open a folder containing several different subfolders and file types. Right-click any empty space on the window's contents pane, click Arrange Icons By, and then click Show in Groups. To arrange the window's contents, right-click again in any empty space on the window's contents pane, point to Arrange Icons By, and click Name, Size, Type, or Modified.

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Make your own icons

It's shockingly easy to create your own icons in Windows XP. Let's do it: Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and then click Paint. On the Image menu, click Attributes. Type 32 for both the Width and Height of the document, and make sure that Pixels is selected under Units. Click OK to create a new 32x32-pixel document: the size of an icon.

Now add type, color, or do whatever you'd like to your image. I like to shrink photos (headshots work best) to 32x32 and simply paste them into my Paint document. When you're finished, open the File menu and click Save As. Use the dialog box to choose where you want to save your file, then give it a name followed by ".ico" (without the quotes), and click Save. (The extension ".ico" tells Windows that it's an icon file.) You just created an icon! Now you can change any shortcut or folder to your own icon—just browse to it on your hard drive.

These tips are from the book, Windows XP Killer Tips by Kleber Stephenson, ISBN 073571357X. Published here with the permission of Pearson Education, Inc.

Microsoft Surface v2 due within a year?

2009-03-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

An updated version of Microsoft's surface touch-screen table, featuring high-definition cameras and a higher resolution display could be expected within a year, the audience at a South By South West Interactive panel entitled 'Violating the Warranty on Your Touch Computing Device' heard today.

Speaking about the next version of Surface, Erik Klimczak, Creative Director at Clarity Consulting, which creates interactive applications for the Surface, said: "In the short order, within a year I'd expect to see a second version of this [Surface] but with higher definition cameras.

"Right now the cameras are limited in how much detail they can pick up. And it's actually displaying at 1024 x 768, which is not very big so the HD cameras will enable a lot higher resolution."

Microsoft's User Experience Evangelist for Surface, Chris Bernard, quickly stepped in to add that Microsoft has nothing to announce.

Beyond the current generation of Surface, Microsoft is working on a project called SecondLight, which allows images to be projected above the table top and interacted with by using gestures.

In answer to an audience question about when SecondLight would be commercially available, Joe Olsen, CEO of design firm Phenomblue said he had heard that it would be two to three years:

"That's in R&D right now, and they haven't even got to the point where they've figured out how to commercialise it yet. I asked the same question and I got 'two to three years before anything would happen'. Now, things have come out a lot sooner than that before but it's definitely still in the R&D stage."

source: techradar.com

Apple teaches iPhone 3.0 new tricks

2009-03-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

The first round of news out of today’s Apple event has to do with a “major update” to the iPhone and iPod Touch operating system.

Until now, there’s a been a lot of catching up with details related to the app store and the popularity of it. There are more than 25,000 apps in the store today and more than 800,000 downloads - in eight months time. The apps were my favorite thing about the iPhone I didn’t keep and the are still my favorite in the iPod Touch.

So Apple is expanding what developers can do with their apps in the new OS. The company notes that developers are asking for other business models, like subscriptions and the ability to charge for additional levels on a game or fresh content on an app. In OS 3.0, developers will be able to do those sorts of things.

Apple, recognizing the popularity of apps within the iPhone/iPod Touch ecosystem, is creating an environment that’s friendly to developers, a lure to keep them happy as they build a massive network of piggy banks for Apple. As App stores grow in other smartphone platforms - Blackberry, Palm Pre and so on - Apple is smart to use every turbo boost mechanism at its means to get way ahead in the race.

Peer-to-peer
This is cool. Through Bluetooth, Apple is opening peer-to-peer connectivity on the iPhone/iPod Touch. The obvious example, of course, becomes the kids in the back seat playing a game against each other.

That leads me another observation: the power of the iPod Touch. I’ve said before that I think the real killer device here is the iPod Touch. It has all the cool features of an iPhone without the cost of the service plan. It’s interesting that Apple is referencing both products now, instead of just the iPhone. The company said at the beginning of the event that it had sold 17 million iPhones. Counting the iPod Touch, the company has sold 30 million devices with the OS, bringing that iPod Touch number to 13 million.

Late to Push
OK, the company admits they were late to push technology. Anyone who has used a Blackberry understands the significance of push - you don’t have to go and retrieve your e-mail. Your screen simply refreshes when there’s a new item. But, because Apple’s apps don’t run in the background, you wouldn’t know if you had any new mail unless you opened the mail app first.

source: blogs.zdnet.com

Windows 7 Theme For Vista

2009-03-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

Download Windows 7 Theme For Vista

Kontrazt VS - XP Theme

2009-03-10T10:54:00.002-07:00

Download Kontrazt VS XP Theme

Longhorn-XP RMX - XP Theme

2009-03-10T10:54:00.001-07:00

Download Longhorn-XP RMX - XP Theme

IllumeCG 0.98 - XP Theme

2009-03-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

Download IllumeCG 0.98 - XP Theme

Best Vista Theme For XP

2009-03-10T10:52:00.002-07:00

Download Best Vista Theme For XP

password for rar file = Ferrum
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9_3 Aero wb WindowBlinds Theme

2009-03-10T10:52:00.001-07:00

Download 9_3 Aero wb WindowBlinds Theme

Vista WindowBlinds Theme - Stromboli

2009-03-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

Download Vista WindowBlinds Theme - Stromboli

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Calideya - wallpaper-windows 7

2009-03-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

Author: viperv6
Author’s Notes: …this is a mix with a bryce and cinema render…….not sure about the middle here…but i dont find any “eyecatching” for this

Download Calideya wallpaper

How to Upgrade Vista SP1 to Windows 7

2009-03-01T21:28:00.000-08:00

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Release Candidate 1 has been released to Microsoft Connect, MSDN, Technet subscribers, and it’s also available for free download in Windows Update. Because, make no mistake about it, Windows 7 will grow its installed base for the most part to the detriment of its precursors.

Still, the good news is that Microsoft will make available Windows 7 upgrade licenses for both Vista and XP. The price is, of course, a critical factor when considering a jump to the next iteration of Windows, for both those that have coughed up a pretty dollar to upgrade to Vista, and also for the customers that have ridden XP for all its got, skipping the intermediary Windows 6.0 step. The bad news, as far as Windows XP users are concerned, is that Microsoft will not support in-place upgrades from XP to Windows 7. They will need to perform a clean installation of Win 7 on top of XP. Only Vista machines will be able to be upgraded in-place to Windows 7.

In-place upgrades are one of the installation options for Windows operating systems. Microsoft reveals that the process allows users to “install Windows and retain applications, files, and settings as they were in previous edition of Windows.” And fact is that, in the context in which users have gathered a consistent volume of programs along with extensive customization, in-place upgrades make all the sense in the world, especially in scenarios in which re-installing all applications after a clean deployment of Windows would take in excess of a couple of hours. This because the upgrading process is completely automatic, following the initial steps that the end-user has to perform manually.

Essentially, upgrading to Windows 7 is a way to ensure that the operating system does all the heavy lifting, and, even if it is indeed a time-consuming process, stretching at least three or even four times as much as a clean install, the actual effort on behalf of the end-user is minimal.

Download Windows 7 Themes and Wallpapers from Microsoft

2009-02-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

Personalize your PC - And just as Windows Vista, well, the Ultimate editions at least, came with the exclusive DreamScene video backgrounds, Windows 7 also offers tailored content unavailable to previous releases of the Windows operating system.

On top of the themes and wallpapers that are available out-of-the-box with Windows 7 Beta Build 7002 and later, including Builds 7022 and 7032, Microsoft has also made available for download a collection of items via its official Windows 7 hotspot on Microsoft.com. “A theme is a desktop background plus glass color, sounds, icons, and more to help you personalize your computer with one click. Clicking Download will download and install your chosen theme. You can revert to your original settings in the Personalization Control Panel,” the Redmond company stated.

The company is allowing users to grab just 13 wallpapers: Arches Nat. Park, Azaleas, Bison, Carreg Coetan Arthur, English Bluebells, Grasmere Village, Mosel near Bremm, Purple Flowers, River in Bavaria, Rural Vermont, Trave in Lübeck, Waterfall, and Yumi-ike Pond. And the Redmond giant is promising that more content will be added for Windows 7 RTM.

Download:
Personalize your PC

Apple Safari 4 beta - not for Windows 7

2009-02-25T09:08:00.000-08:00

Safari 4 beta work only in Windows XP and Vista. Apple has released to public beta its Safari 4 web browser, and I thought I’d give it a hands-on spin to see what all the fuss is about. Here are my first impressions and review.

Installation

Quick and simple. The install file — offered with and without a QuickTime bundle, thankfully — is 25.5 MB. On install, three boxes are auto-checked: Desktop shortcuts, “Install Bonjour” and auto-update. I’m not a fan of auto-check tactics, so if you’re trying to avoid installing Bonjour, for example, don’t get too click-happy too soon.

The Look

It’s slick. Not extraordinarily pretty, but Safari 4 does attempt to break up the monotony that is Windows with an updated interface that isn’t a complete Mac knockoff like Safari’s previous iteration (those who skin their PCs like Macs will be disappointed).

The Interface

One thing I notice, at least using XP’s classic theme: the tab boundaries are pretty hard to differentiate. There’s just not enough of a strong visual boundary between them, especially considering how narrow they are horizontally. Otherwise, the tabs are nice, but they automatically expand to fill the entire title bar (no transition) which I don’t like. Some people don’t like the fact that Google Chrome doesn’t immediately auto-fill the tab space; I do, especially when there are only one or two tabs open in the window.

Download:
Apple Safari 4 beta (link 1)
Apple Safari 4 beta (link 2)

Microsoft test updates in Windows 7 Beta 7000 Today

2009-02-25T09:07:00.000-08:00

Starting February 24, we will be releasing up to 5 test updates to PCs running the Windows 7 Beta (Build 7000) via Windows Update.

These updates allow us to test and verify our ability to deliver and manage the updating of Windows 7. We typically verify servicing scenarios during a beta.

Windows 7 Beta users will be notified that new updates are available beginning February 24 through Windows Update. Even if the user has Windows Update configured for automatic update – these test updates will not install automatically. Users will need to manually install the test updates through Windows Update.

These updates do not deliver new features or bug fixes. The test updates simply replace system files with the same version of the file currently on the system.

source: windowsteamblog.com

Ballmer: Office 14 will not be released in 2009

2009-02-25T09:06:00.000-08:00

During his annual “Strategic Update” briefing with Wall Street analysts on February 24, CEO Steve Ballmer said Office 14 won’t be shipping in 2009.

“Office 14 will not be this year,” Ballmer told analysts.

Microsoft officials have been careful not to provide a ship-date target for the next version of Office. However, last year, more than a few times execs slipped up and indicated Office 14 would ship in 2009. Just a month or two ago, Microsoft reps were telling corporate customers that Office 14 would ship in either late 2009 or early 2010.

Office not shipping until 2010 makes for an interesting launch season in the coming months.

source: blogs.zdnet.com

Microsoft's Ballmer outlines his seven big bets for 2009

2009-02-25T09:05:00.000-08:00

For the past few Februaries, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer makes the trek to Wall Street to provide analysts with an annual “Strategic Update” overview, in which he covers the areas where Microsoft plans to invest and why.

This year, during his February 24 update, Ballmer was more about circling the wagons than staking out new, far-flung territories Microsoft planned to conquer in the next 10 years.

(Here is the list of Ballmer’s strategic bets he outlined in 2007; here’s Ballmer’s list from 2008.)

On Tuesday during his hour-plus presentation (which I listened to via a Webcast), Ballmer outlined seven areas “where we invest serious money.” He told Wall Streeters that Microsoft planned to engage in careful cash management; to maintain “right-size enterprise overhead”; and to put about three percent of its spending into research and incubation projects in the coming year.

source: blogs.zdnet.com

There's a Reason for Windows 7's Name

2009-02-18T05:31:00.000-08:00

Microsoft's "Windows. Life Without Walls" marketing campaign shifts focus away from any particular operating system back to master brand—uberbrand, if you like—Windows. In past branding talks with Microsoft executives, Windows was emphasized as being a hugely recognizable brand. It's a reason, perhaps the only one, that "Windows" precedes so many Live services or that Windows Live replaced so many MSN products and services.

But Microsoft has a problem with bloggers, competitors, critics, enthusiasts and journalists. The majority tend to use shorthand. Windows gets dropped from XP or Vista. The brand impact diminishes. Vista isn't the same as Windows Vista.

Writers are taught not to leave numbers hanging, and if they did there would be confusion with something else. Who refers to Windows 95 as 95, or Windows 2000 as 2000? Nobody. By choosing Windows 7, Microsoft compels more people to use Windows as part of the product name. Always. This reinforces the Windows brand, something Microsoft wants to do if for no other reason than distance from shorthand Vista.

But there are positive brand reasons for the naming, too, particularly as Microsoft puts more emphasis on Windows as the brand identity. From a purely marketing perspective, it is better for Microsoft if most references are Windows 7.

I'm a real pain in the ass because I continue using shorthand. I often use Seven to refer to Windows 7. But Microsoft could even gain from pests like me. Companies can come to control single words to a marketing advantage. In a November Advertising Age article, Al Ries explained how the Barack Obama campaign came to own "change." He writes:

Look at what 'driving' has done for BMW. Are there vehicles that are more fun to drive than BMWs? Probably, but it doesn't matter. BMW has pre-empted the 'driving' position in the mind. The sad fact is that there are only a few dozen brands that own a word in the mind and most of them don't even use their words as slogans. Mercedes-Benz owns 'prestige,' but doesn't use the word as a slogan. Toyota owns 'reliability,' but doesn't use the word as a slogan.

Could Microsoft come to command "Seven," or, better, "7" as a marketing word? How about "lucky 7" as an alternative? Probably not, is the likely answer. The marketing word Microsoft wants to own, or at least to restore, is "Windows." The phrase it wants to own, like Coke with "the real thing" or Pepsi's "the Pepsi generation," is "I'm a PC."

The "I'm a PC" association would be guerrilla marketing as it's meant to be, and Microsoft would get a delicious victory. Marketing ownership belonged to Apple, from the phrase "Hello, I'm a PC. And I'm a Mac." Revenge is a dish served cold, right?

Presumably Microsoft marketers have figured all this naming stuff out just like I've blogged. If not, they got lucky.

Windows Vista Wallpapers

2009-02-18T05:24:00.000-08:00

Official Vista Wallpaper	Vista Aurora Wallpaper	Vista Mountain Wallpaper
Vista Road Wallpaper	Vista Bliss Wallpaper	Longhorn Bliss Wallpaper
Tinkupuri Vista Wallpaper	Vista Serene Wallpaper	Vista Clouds Wallpaper
More Wallpapers ...>>>

Microsoft's 10 Unlucky Breaks

2009-02-18T05:17:00.000-08:00

Microsoft has had many lucky breaks over the years. The company's rise through the 1980s and 1990s is really a series of lucky breaks combined with business savvy and execution on the vision of one PC on every desk.

More recently, Microsoft hasn't been so lucky. Since the mid-1990s, the company has stumbled a few times and been unlucky even more often. Recent unluckiness is so great, I had a really hard time whittling down this list to just 10 items. I consulted the independent analysts at Directions on Microsoft for their advice; these guys have followed Microsoft since 1992, and some of the analysts are former employees.

The list is by no means comprehensive, and to some people may seem somewhat arbitrary. Well, yeah, there were just so many unlucky breaks to choose from. My list is unlucky breaks with monumental impact on the company—past, present and future. I encourage you to offer your own list of unlucky breaks in the comments or by e-mail.

Microsoft's unlucky breaks are in order of descending importance, with No. 1 being most significant and No. 10 the least.

10. Windows XP launch. The shocking Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States affected Microsoft in a quite unexpected way. The company had already planned a late October launch of Windows XP in, of all places, New York. The timing and venue meant that Microsoft had to do a subdued launch event. How could Microsoft get all rah-rah about Windows XP with the American psyche still in state of shock?

Not only the launch event, Windows XP marketing was somewhat subdued, too. As the true inheritor of the Windows 95 legacy—a Microsoft operating system for businesses and consumers—Windows XP should have launched with blow-out marketing.

9. Stock doldrums. Microsoft's share price peaked at around $58 in December 1999, and it has not gone much of anywhere since. A year later, share price fell to around $21. There were a few rises—$36.50 (June 2001) and $36.81 (October 2007)—but generally shares have traded below $30. Microsoft shares closed at $19.26 yesterday.

Meanwhile, some competitors have profited nicely. Apple shares rose from about $7 in April 2003 to around $190 in Oct. 2007. Following some turbulence, Apple shares pushed back up to around $174 in August 2008, before beginning a steep decline tracking the global economic crisis. Shares closed at $99.27 yesterday. Google is another example. Shares rose from about $100 in August 2004 to a more than $740 peak in November 2007. The global economic crisis plowed Google shares, which fell to less than $250 a year later. Google closed at $363.05 yesterday.

Microsoft isn't alone in the stock price doldrums. Oracle, Novell, Sun and many other software companies have seen shares decline or seemingly go nowhere up during the 2000s. For Microsoft, the share price leads to negative perceptions about the company's value and future growth capabilities. I'm not an investor, and won't be as long as my profession is journalism. But if I invested, Microsoft wouldn't seem all that attractive, which really is strange. Microsoft sells products that most people use. A company with such reach and consistently increasing revenues and profits should be valuable to investors. There's a perception that Microsoft isn't a growth company, so the shares go nowhere. It's bad luck.

8. Passing on YouTube. In October 2006, Google announced the acquisition of YouTube for $1.6 billion. Six months earlier, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer passed on buying the video startup for about $500 million. He chose to build rather than buy. Microsoft built MSN Soapbox, which has gone nowhere. Meanwhile, YouTube has led to an explosion in online video content and consumption.

In December, U.S. Internet users viewed more than 14 billion videos, according to ComScore. Google's share of videos watched was 41 percent, compared with 1.7 percent for Microsoft. YouTube accounted for 99 percent of the videos watched at Google sites. About 150 million Americans watched videos online in December for an average of 96 per viewer. Google had more than 100 million unique viewers, with an average of 59 videos per viewers. By comparison, Microsoft had 29.5 million viewers, with an average of 8.4 per viewer.

Something else: If ComScore ranked YouTube as a search engine, the video sharing site would be No. 2, ahead of Yahoo. If ComScore tracked Google and YouTube as a single entity, the video sharing site would account for one-quarter of searches.

I debated about putting this one on the list. Was it an unlucky break or sheer stupidity that Microsoft let YouTube get away? Whichever, YouTube's popularity is explosive at the right time—when more people are watching videos online and not just from PCs. They're using mobile phones, too. Maybe it was bad luck. Steve had indigestion, and it led to a bad decision.

7. Linus Torvalds develops Linux. Linus didn't set out to popularize the free software moment, but that's the eventual outcome of his developing the Linux kernel in 1991. Linus would later publish Linux under a GNU Public License, whose origins date back to the mid-1980s and free-software activist Richard Stallman.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates took a stance against free software in his "An Open Letter to Hobbyists," published in the Feb. 3, 1976, Homebrew Computer Club Newsletter. The letter admonished other software developers for reusing code created by others and laid intellectual property concepts Microsoft would later adopt. Linus' work was bad luck for Bill.

Open-source software consistently causes sales problems for Microsoft. The problem is bigger than customers switching to Linux. Customers threatening to switch may get extra discounts, which is still lost revenue to Microsoft. Linux's success, while arguably limited compared with Windows, anchors the open-source movement and energizes the fervent anti-Microsoft community. Open-source gains in Europe foster anti-Microsoft sentiments there and almost certainly have contributed to ongoing antitrust problems on the Continent.

6. Apple's May and October surprises. The year 2001 should have been great for Microsoft, with the release of new Office and Windows versions. But the year was greater for Apple, which through three seemingly small events kicked off pebbles that later set off an avalanche.

In March, Apple released Mac OS X and again in September with the 10.1 upgrade. In May, the first two Apple retail stores opened in California and Virginia. In October, the first iPod shipped. From these three 2001 happenings, Apple's brand and market share revival started small before reaching a crescendo in 2007 and 2008.

Mac OS X proved to be a rock-solid competitor to Windows XP and, later, Vista. Apple offered XP-wary PC users something different and with lower malware risk. The retail stores exposed Apple products and brand to millions more people than had ever seen them in places like Circuit City or CompUSA. The stores also promoted a Mac lifestyle. Apple Store Genius Bars also offered an important point of customer technical support and satisfaction.

The iPod would derail Microsoft's Windows Media strategy. The company had banked on Windows Media DRM and media streaming capabilities built into Windows Server to woo content providers. But the iPod didn't support Windows Media, which would come to matter two-and-a-half years later when device sales greatly increased, along with those from the iTunes Store. It would be Apple, and not Microsoft, that would come to be the biggest distributor of DRM content.

Folklore has it that bad luck comes in threes.

5. Windows Vista. If there were a blueprint for product development disaster, Windows Vista would be it. The operating system seems to have been jinxed with bad luck from the very start:

Microsoft made big feature promises, including the ill-fated WinFS, that couldn't be kept.
The Vista project, then called Longhorn, ran aground in 2004. Developers started from scratch with Windows Server source code.
Repeated delays led to disaster: Microsoft missed Christmas 2006. Vista shipped in late January 2007.
Vista proved to be incompatible with enterprise software and demanded newer hardware to run. Oh, yeah, many drivers weren't supported either.
Microsoft targeted Vista for high-powered systems, but many users bought less powerful notebooks as the market shifted from desktops. Vista demanded too much from many notebooks and netbooks.
Reviewers panned the operating system, and businesses shunned it. Enterprise Vista adoption was a mere 10 percent at the end of 2008.

No Microsoft competitor could have launched an anti-marketing campaign as effective as Windows Vista. The operating system damaged Microsoft's brand and the company's credibility with customers, particularly businesses.

4. The Google economy. Google's success isn't its oft-hyped search algorithm, but how the company succeeded at the search advertising business pioneered by Overture. Finally, somebody figured out how to generate real revenue from the Web.

Google's platform is characteristically like Windows. There are APIs, developers and third parties profiting from the platform. It's bad luck that Google is so much more than a search engine.

Like Microsoft undercut competitors such as IBM in the 1980s and 1990s, so Google is doing to Microsoft. Microsoft could effectively bundle and integrate technologies into Windows because the company and its partners made money from the platform. Similarly, Google can give away technologies Microsoft must charge for. Advertising from Google's platform subsidizes the products and services. Google is a threat to Microsoft because it's a true platform competitor.

Google's platform is expanding, by way of the Android mobile OS and the Chrome browser. The time is quickly coming when Google will directly compete with Windows—it's already happening on mobile phones. Why not netbooks?

3. September 2008 economic crisis. During earnings announced in late October, Microsoft executives warned of a major dip in software sales, starting in mid-September. When Microsoft next announced earnings, the news was grimmer: Sales collapsed in December. The situation had become so unpredictable that Microsoft offered no revenue or operating income forecasts for the remainder of fiscal 2009, ending on June 30. Already, Windows revenues were down 8 percent year over year during Microsoft's fiscal second quarter; profits fell by 13 percent.

Global economic gloom is bad luck for pretty much everybody. But Microsoft has unique exposure. Annuity licensing contracts soften the blow because of billions of dollars of unearned revenue that Microsoft can amortize over time. That said, Microsoft is in a unique position of misery. Among various companies, cutbacks here, layoffs there, bankruptcies elsewhere will have limited impact on technology and other suppliers. Microsoft's products are used everywhere, so the potential sales harm is greater.

Whenever companies close, cut back or lay off, Microsoft loses something. In the past 13 months, the U.S. economy has shed 3.6 million jobs. With many of those jobs go people who had used Microsoft software. Because of Microsoft's cross-product integration strategy, each worker represents much either now or in future sales. One worker might represent licenses for Windows Vista Enterprise, Office Enterprise and Dynamics CRM, and client-access licenses for BizTalk Server, Communications Server Excel services, Exchange Server, SharePoint Server and Windows Server. Microsoft's good luck when businesses were buying is looking like really bad luck when they're not.

2. The United States vs. Microsoft. The May 1998 antitrust case left deep scars on Microsoft, and forever damaged the company's image. Microsoft carries the stigma of convicted monopolist. During the trial, government prosecutors played video depositions of a testy Bill Gates rocking back and forth. The depositions weren't taken to be shown in court, but the presiding judge allowed them there.

The judge broke his ruling into two parts, released in November 1999 and April 2000. He found that Microsoft had committed about 20 antitrust violations, and he ordered that the company be broken up into two separate entities. Microsoft would later avoid breakup, but a remedy trial kept the case alive and in the news until November 2002. Bad luck: U.S. government oversight of Microsoft was extended two years from November 2007.

The U.S. antitrust case led to more than 100 other lawsuits, most of which Microsoft settled. Dissatisfaction with the outcome here spurred on competitors and antitrust investigators in Europe. In March 2004, the European Union's Competition Commission found that Microsoft violated local antitrust laws. An appeals court would later agree. Since the ruling, the European Competition has fined Microsoft and launched two other antitrust investigations.

The damage to Microsoft is simply incalculable.

1. World Wide Web. It was bad luck that Microsoft executives were looking the wrong way when:

Tim Berners-Lee created the first Web server in 1990.
University of Illinois students developed the Mosaic browser in 1992.
Netscape released the first commercial Web browser in 1994.

Tim developed the World Wide Web using open or accepted standards outside of Microsoft's control. The Web shifted informational, software developmental and computing relevance away from Windows computers to Web browsers and servers. Tim's work caught Microsoft unprepared.

IBM dominated information during the mainframe era. Microsoft claimed informational dominance during the PC era, particularly through proprietary, binary file formats. The Web is Microsoft's big problem, and it's growing larger as Google and other Web platform companies exercise more control over information. The promise to end users: informational access anytime, anywhere and on anything. No Windows required.

Bill Gates fairly accurately defined Microsoft's problem in the May 1995 "Internet Tidal Wave" letter. It's a blueprint for how Microsoft should have fought back against the informational liberation started by Tim Berners-Lee. The letter is also a blueprint for how companies like Google can more effectively compete with Microsoft.

Microsoft can't put the Internet genie back in its bottle. Too alluring is the promise of anytime, anywhere informational access on any device, with no Windows required. Microsoft continues to fight for control, trying to pull informational relevance back to the desktop through products like Office System and SharePoint Server. Microsoft can't succeed. The mobile phone and Web browser is the killer combination that will eventually undo Microsoft's desktop hegemony. What bad luck.

[Please send your tips or rumors to watchtips at live.com].

Start Windows

2009-02-18T05:14:00.000-08:00

Microsoft is pushing "Start" with new Windows Mobile phones, which have been rebranded as Windows Phones. The "Start" concept started with Windows 95 and has continued in various iterations since. Start's role is a big one for Windows Phones, which foreshadows greater emphasis for Windows 7 and Live marketing, I predict.

The last major iteration of the concept came in April 2005, when Microsoft kicked off the 18-month "Start Something" Windows XP ad campaign. The newer Start concept is threefold:

Marketing—new Windows Phones promotionals feature Start Windows, with the logo between the words.
Software—Windows Mobile 6.5 puts new emphasis on the Start icon.
Hardware—Windows Phones will feature a Start button.

I've long advocated that good marketing must be affirmative, empowering and aspirational. People want to know how Product X, Y or Z will make their lives better—why they will be happier for their purchase. The 95-second video embedded below focuses almost wholly on user benefits; Microsoft forgoes the features. Here, here, that's exactly the right approach.

It's a great, ah, start to the video: "Start discovering"; "Start experiencing"; "Start remembering"; "Start succeeding." I'll be watching to see how the Start manifests in Windows and Windows Live marketing. Microsoft is more closely coordinating marketing among the three products.

source: microsoft-watch.com

Top 5 must-have desktop Gadgets for Windows 7

2009-02-11T21:28:00.000-08:00

Windows 7 Beta has been out for a while now and my take on it is that it is fast, stable and it gives more intriguing experience than any of its predecessors.

Among many changes, Microsoft has changed the way how Windows handles Gadgets on the desktop. In Windows Vista, Sidebar provided a containing environment which hosted mini-apps built using XML, DHTML and JavaScript. Now starting with Windows 7, Windows Sidebar is no longer required to run gadgets as these mini DHTML based apps can now be placed directly on the desktop without having to have Windows Sidebar running.

I have been fond of using gadgets ever since their inception in Windows Vista. With the right gadgets, you can get things done quickly and easily. Unfortunately the development of quality Gadgets has been real slow. Microsoft is to be blamed for this. The story would have been much different had Microsoft added support for Gadgets development in Visual Studio with a drag-and-drop interface. Now since there isn’t any free quality tool out there for Gadgets development, it is very difficult to find quality gadgets from third parties. Adding insult to injury, Windows 7 Beta includes only one new gadget which is for Media Center. All other gadgets included in Windows 7 are from Windows Vista’s era.

Without going into any further delays, here is my pick for the top 5 must-have Gadgets for Windows 7. Of coarse I use Gadgets other than the ones I have listed below but they are too obvious and common so I haven’t included them in my list:

Twadget (The Twitter Gadget)

I’ve become a regular user of Twitter over the last couple of months, both on the desktop and on the iPhone. Today I’ve discovered Twadget which looks like another great option for Windows (Vista & 7 only) users. I simply love this gadget. Twadget lets you do basic twitter tasks like sending and viewing all the tweets from your friends right from your desktop. If you’re one of those who use Twitter regularly, Twadget is for you! You can download it from here or download the complete Gadgets Pack here.

Remote Desktop Gadget

Remote Desktop Gadget enables Windows users to remotely connect to other computers in their network right from the privilege of their desktop. It uses Remote Desktop Connection client on Windows to achieve remote desktop computing. It is simple and acts as a great extension to Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection client. Click here to download it.

Blue Calendar Gadget for Windows 7

“rapha2” over at DeviantArt has modified the original Microsoft calendar gadget to make it blue in color. This new blue calendar gadget matches the cool bluish-wavy look of Windows 7. This gadget can be downloaded from here or you can download the complete Gadgets Pack here.

Windows Live ‘What’s New’ Gadget

With Windows Live ‘What’s New’ gadget, you can get all the latest updates from Windows Live and other web activities of your network.

The Windows Live What’s New Sidebar Gadget (Beta) is a Vista gadget that displays your Windows Live “What’s New” feed on your desktop. You can receive real-time updates on what your friends are doing across multiple social networks right from your desktop. Be the first to know when your friends upload photos, add new friends to their networks, change their status messages and post comments. It’s quick and easy to add the Windows Live What’s New Sidebar Gadget (Beta).

Surely Windows Live team could have done a better job on the looks. This gadget isn’t pretty but it does the job well, displaying all the feed items including thumbnail images from Windows Live Home. Download it from Windows Live Gallery or download the complete Gadgets Pack here.

Simple Search BarAs the name implies, this search gadget is truly the most simple & clean search gadget out there which lets you search the web using Google, Yahoo and Live Search. Download it from Windows Live Gallery or download the complete Gadgets Pack here.

Download Top 5 Must-have Sidebar Gadgets Pack for Windows 7

Windows 7 buzz may stall Vista

2009-02-11T21:25:00.000-08:00

The positive buzz for Windows 7 is creating an interesting challenge for Microsoft: It appears to be making it tougher to get businesses to move to Windows Vista.

And it's not like there has been a mad rush on that front to begin with.

Gartner did a survey in October that found about 30 percent of large businesses were likely to skip Vista and a significant number of other companies still hadn't decided what to do.

Plaudits for Windows 7, combined with a weakening economy, could mean that as many as half of businesses decide to skip Vista entirely, according to Gartner analyst Michael Silver.

"Anyone who was on the fence... is now pretty much likely to skip," Silver said Wednesday.

That's made things rough for those inside Microsoft whose job it is to advise businesses on their Windows upgrades. Microsoft isn't necessarily trying to discourage businesses from going from XP to 7 (an upgrade is an upgrade after all). But, the company is offering a couple of warnings.

"They are incredibly excited (about Windows 7)," says Gavriella Schuster, a senior director in the Windows unit. "We're just trying to temper that...so they are very realistic."

Although Windows 7 is getting strong early marks, it isn't a panacea for all of Vista's pain, Schuster said. Businesses have to work through the same application compatibility issues to go from XP to Windows 7 as they would to move from XP to Vista. Although Windows 7 is designed to be highly compatible with Windows Vista, all of the things that have made going from XP to Vista a challenge for businesses are also present when going from XP to Windows 7.

source: news.cnet.com

Enable Multiple Concurrent Remote Desktop Connections or Sessions in Windows XP

2009-02-09T17:35:00.000-08:00

Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) has Remote Desktop (RDP) service that allows the computer to be remotely connected, accessed and controlled from another computer or host. However, Windows XP machine only allows one concurrent remote desktop connection from a single user been connected to it with no multiple remote desktop sessions or connections support.

Whenever there is a remote user who user Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) client to connect to a Windows XP host, the local user is disconnected with the local console screen locked, with or without his or her permission. Remote Desktop, unlike Terminal Server Services in Windows 2000, Server 2003 and Server 2008, is designed for single user use only, no matter it’s local or remote user.

Here’s a hack to unlock the single user limitation and enable multiple concurrent remote desktop connection sessions support in Windows XP Professional and Media Center Edition, using a either a patched termserv.dll or old patched cracked termserv.dll build version version 5.1.2600.2055, so that unlimited users can simultaneously connect to a computer via Remote Desktop.

1. Download a copy of patched termsrv.dll (in ZIP file) which has the Remote Desktop connection limitation deactivated for your version of Windows XP:

Windows XP RTM, SP1 and SP2: termsrv.dll (version 5.1.2600.2055)
Windows XP SP2: termsrv.dll (version 5.1.2600.2180)
Windows XP SP3: termsrv.dll (version 5.1.2600.5512)

For information, the termsrv.dll patch normally has the following HEX code bits overwritten with following value:

00022A17: 74 75
00022A69: 7F 90
00022A6A: 16 90
2. Restart the computer and boot info Safe Mode by pressing F8 during initial boot up and select Safe Mode. This step is only required if you’re currently running Windows Terminal Services or Remote Desktop service, and System File Protection has to be skipped and bypassed, else it will prompt the following error message to restore the original termsrv.dll.

Trick to Enable and Allow Windows XP and Vista Remote Desktop Login Without Password (or With Blank Null Password)

2009-02-09T17:32:00.000-08:00

When attempting to connect or establish Remote Desktop connection to a remote Windows XP or Windows Vista computer in order to remotely logon to the machine, the log on may be rejected with Remote Desktop client returns one of the following error messages.

Your credentials did not work.

or,

Unable to log you on because of an account restriction.

By default, Windows XP and Windows Vista does not allow nor permit user account without password set or user name with blank (null) password to connect and log in remotely via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).

The obvious resolution is definitely to create and set a password for the user account that requires to logon remotely to a computer via Remote Desktop, and it’s recommended for security reason too. However, user who for some reason such as for the purpose of convenient, and thus unable or cannot assign a password to the user account, can use the following workaround to allow user to login remotely via Remote Desktop Connection (RDP) client to Windows XP and Windows Vista PC.

How to Enable Remote Login via Blank Passwords using Local Security Policy or Group Policy Editor

The configuration to enable null (blank) passwords logon must be done on the host computer, i.e. the remote computer to remotely controlled. To configure the Remote Desktop host computer to accept user name with blank password, go to Control Panel -> Administrative Tools (Under System and Maintenance in Windows Vista) -> Local Security Policy. Alternatively, run GPEdit.msc (Group Policy Editor).

Then, expand Security Policies -> Local Securities -> Security Options (for user using Group Policy Editor or GPEdit.msc, expand Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options). Locate Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only policy, and set its value to Disabled.

Allow Remote Desktop Connection via User with Blank Passwords

Once disabled, user account with blank or null passwords can now login remotely instead of just able to do so via local console.

How to Configure Blank Passwords Allowed for Remote Log On via Registry

Windows XP and Windows Vista stores the value of the policy set above in a registry key named “LimitBlankPasswordUse”. To unlock the limitation of cannot establish Remote Desktop logon with user account without a password, simply set the value data for LimitBlankPasswordUse to 0 (so that there is no limit on blank or null password use), as according to the code below. Alternatively, copy and paste the following text to a text file, and save with a .reg extension. Then run the .reg file to merge the value to registry.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Lsa]
“LimitBlankPasswordUse”=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa]
“LimitBlankPasswordUse”=dword:00000000

For convenient, two registry files have been created and available for free download, which will enable or disable usage of blank password (or absent of password) to login remotely. Download BlankPasswords.zip and run EnableBlankPasswords.reg to enable or DisableBlankPasswords.reg to disable remote login via blank password.

The trick works on both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems.

How to Install and Enable Remote Desktop in Windows XP Home Edition

2009-02-09T17:30:00.000-08:00

Windows XP Home Edition (HE) does not come with or support Remote Desktop, or Terminal Services feature. There is Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) client which allows user to connect to remote host, but now accepting any remote desktop connection to the Windows XP Home PC. However, there is way to install and enable Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) in Windows XP using the trick below.

Note that if you just want to be able to remote control the desktop of the computer running on Windows XP Home Edition, it may be easier and wiser to use the free VNC as alternative instead. One such VNC server and client is UltraVNC.

To run Remote Desktop Terminal Services (server component) in Windows XP Home Edition, the operating system must first made to recognize itself as Windows XP Professional Edition. To do so, follow the guide to convert Windows XP Home to Windows XP Professional.

Read More..

How to Convert and Upgrade Windows XP Home to Professional Without Reinstalling

2009-02-09T17:26:00.000-08:00

After installing Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional Edition onto a computer, officially it’s impossible for user to convert, or upgrade from Windows XP Home to Pro edition, or downgrade from Windows XP Professional to Home edition without reformatting and reinstalling the operating system from clean and fresh state.

A lot of people always associate conversion of Windows XP edition to illegitimate or privacy reason, but sometimes, there may be legitimate and genuine reason for change, such as customer, who all the while using Windows XP Home Edition (HE) finally buy a genuine license product key for Professional edition to replace the illegal pirated version installed, or user receives additional license as gift, but don’t want to go through clean install Windows XP again, or want to keep using the computer with all data intact without interruption.

Here’s a trick to convert and turn Windows XP Home Edition to Windows XP Pro Edition, from within the operating system without going through installation again.

Read More...

Best of Wallpapers in high resolution

2009-01-26T17:46:00.000-08:00

Collection of the best high resolution and fabulous wall papers...!

33 jpg | 9 Mb | Uploadbox (REGISTER FOR FREE PREMIUM!!!)

DOWNLOAD

More Wallpapers ...>>>

source:
http://www.ddlarea.com/design-tools/9293-andrew-brooks.html

Trojan in Mac...!

2009-01-26T01:49:00.000-08:00

I usually write about Windows only cause I use windows (I’ve used both Mac and Linux and like them both). PC users are usually sneered at by Mac users as virus don’t affect Mac. I’ve seen one Mac advertisement stating that there are 1 billion virus out loose but never on a Mac.

I don’t think this statement will hold true any longer, there’s a Mac trojan floating around inside a pirated iWork ‘09 release that has appeared on various torrent sites.

When installing iWork 09, the iWorkServices package is installed. The installer for the Trojan horse is launched as soon as a user begins the installation of iWork, following the installer’s request of an administrator password (in older versions of Mac OS X, 10.5.1 or earlier, there will be no password request). This software is installed as a startup item (in /System/Library/StartupItems/iWorkServices, a location reserved normally for Apple startup items), where it has read-write-execute permissions for root. The malicious software connects to a remote server over the Internet; this means that a malicious user will be alerted that this Trojan horse is installed on different Macs, and will have the ability to connect to them and perform various actions remotely. The Trojan horse may also download additional components to an infected Mac.

Windows 7 still available, as deadline extended

2009-01-25T06:34:00.000-08:00

Has demand for the new Windows been less than expected?

If you've heard all about the free download of a beta version of Windows 7 but been unable to get your hands on a copy yet there's still time to do so, after Microsoft announced an extension to the public trial at the weekend.

The company said it was scrapping the 24 January deadline and keeping the Windows 7 download servers running until 10 February – more than two weeks longer than it originally planned.

Demand easing?

While the Redmond firm says the extension is due to unprecedented enthusiasm, some are wondering if it really means demand for the next version of Windows hasn't been as great as expected.

At the 10 January beta launch, Microsoft said it would offer 2.5 million copies to download; a target that, presumably, hasn't been hit yet.

Enthusiasm abounds

Nevertheless, a company spokesman put a positive spin on the new deadline, saying: "Because enthusiasm continues to be so high for the Windows 7 Beta and we don't want anyone to miss out, we will keep the beta downloads open."

Anyone starting a download by the 10 February cut-off will actually have until 12 February to finish it, while MSDN professionals and TechNet subscribers won't be affected at all.

By J Mark Lytle

source:techradar.com

The Macintosh turns 25

2009-01-23T17:25:00.000-08:00

24 January 2009, the 25th anniversary of the Macintosh. On that fateful day in 1984 Apple released a little toaster of a personal computer that went on to become the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a graphical user interface.

The embedded video above (YouTube) is Apple’s famous “1984? television commercial directed by film maker Ridley Scott. From my new book, Corporations that Changed the World: Apple Inc.:

Apple announced the Macintosh to the world with a television commercial (“1984”) that was directed by Ridley Scott, an alumnus of such films as Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator. The commercial, written by Apple’s advertising agency Chiat /Day, aired on January 22, 1984, during Super Bowl XVIII between the Washington Redskins and the Los Angeles Raiders. The ad featured a female character (played by Anya Major) wearing a white tank top, red shorts, and running shoes, running through an eerie, dark, futuristic world and throwing a sledgehammer at a huge TV image of Big Brother. The Big Brother character was giving orders to rows of people that looked like prisoners— a veiled reference to IBM. The commercial ended with a message read by Edward Grover: “On January 24, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like 1984.”

Here’s another fun “Macintosh” anecdote by The Father of the Macintosh, Andy Hertzfeld, again from Corporations:

How the Mac Was Almost a Bicycle

The name Macintosh was originally selected because it was Jef Raskin’s favorite type of apple, but the Mac almost wasn’t an Apple at all. When Raskin took a leave of absence in February 1981, Steve Jobs and Rod Holt made the decision to change Apple to something else. They felt that the name Macintosh was just a code name and that a name change was in order to reflect the change in regime.Holt decided on Bicycle as the new name that would replace Raskin’s Macintosh for the duration of the project and presented it to his design team. When they balked, Holt insisted that all references to Macintosh be changed to Bicycle, telling them that it shouldn’t really matter “since it was only a code name.” The Bicycle name originated from an ad that Apple had placed in Scientific American magazine. The ad featured quotes from Steve Jobs about computers, including one about how personal computers were “bicycles for the mind.” The logic was that humans could run as fast as other species, but a human—on a bicycle—could beat them all. Rod’s edict was never obeyed. Somehow, Macintosh just seemed right.

My story goes like this: I received a 128k Mac in the summer of 1984 as a birthday gift from my Mom and spent an entire summer at my grandparents cottage obsessively learning MacWrite and MacPaint. The rest, as they say, is history.

I remember attending an early Macworld Expo (1985?) where the smell of solder was wafting down the hotel hallway from all the backroom Mac 512k upgrades that were being performed. I still have a working 128k in the garage (in the original beige Apple bag, natch) and a MacPortable in the attic, although it’s not the backlit one.

What’s your Mac story? Tell us about your Mac museum in the TalkBack. (C’mon, you know you have one. :)

Aside: Fun BBC video of a Mac 128k booting faster than a modern Windows notebook.

source: blogs.zdnet.com

Microsoft Hardware Support for the Windows 7 Beta Release

2009-01-23T17:22:00.000-08:00

If your computer is running a beta version of the Windows® 7 operating system, the following information can help you select the correct beta software to download for your Microsoft Hardware product.

For the best Microsoft Hardware device and software performance, it’s essential to install all of the important and recommended Windows updates from the Windows Update site.

Important: These are beta versions of software to support Microsoft Hardware devices on beta versions of the Windows® 7 operating system. The following table lists the beta software you will need to install to support Microsoft Hardware products for the 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The notes column contains late-breaking information and additional details that you will need to read and reference in order to install the beta software. Please read the notes before you install the software. Product Release Notes include information about 32-bit and 64-bit products wherever appropriate.

Download: Drivers Pro 32-bit and 64-bit beta

source: microsoft.com

Download Windows 7 Transformation Packs

2009-01-21T17:17:00.000-08:00

Now windows Vista Trnsformation pack is old and new Windows Seven (7) or Vienna Transformation Packs are available for downloads. After searching on net I got this packs ready for download.

Windows 7 Transformation Pack no.1

Download - Mirror

Windows 7 Transformation Pack no.2

Download - Mirror

Windows 7 Transformation Pack no.3

Download

Windows 7 Transformation Pack no.4

Download

What an imagination !!

Make Your XP look like the windows 7

2009-01-21T17:10:00.000-08:00

Click To View in Full Size!

Well this is not how the windows 7 actually looks like. The windows 7 beta is out and you can try it for testing purposes and its completely different than what you are seeing here.Here is one of the beautiful imagination of windows 7 all ready for xp for download.This would change the wallpaper, icons, bootscreen, SheelStyle ,Sounds , Login , Cursors and much more to the predicted parts of Windows 7 ( Windows Vienna) .It also includes some applications which will make your desktop look like XP ;)

You can Download Vienna Transformation Pack From here.

MacWorld, Windows 7, Palm

2009-01-21T17:05:00.001-08:00

The week started off with MacWorld 2009, in San Fransisco, the last MacWorld attended by Apple. The company had already announced that instead of Steve Jobs, it would be Phil Schiller delivering the keynote. Various rumours had made their way onto the internet, but in the end, none of the extravagant ones had an bearing in reality. apple delivered new versions of iLife, iWork, and also updated their 17" MacBook Pro offering to match the new features of the cheaper MacBooks and MacBook Pros, such as the aluminium unibody design. In addition, Apple claims a battery life of 7-8 hours, which is, by any standard, quite long for such a large and powerful laptop.

Some wondered why Apple didn't make any statements regarding Snow Leopard, although I personally thought that it made sense for Apple to remain mum on the subject for now.

Moving on from MacWorld, we go to Las Vegas to join in on the gadget orgy known as the Consumer Electronics Show, where two important announcements were made: Microsoft launched the first beta for Windows 7, and Palm surprised everyone by showing off their new mobile operating system and phone.

The beta to Windows 7 was launched during Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's first keynote presentation at CES, a task which was previously performed by Bill Gates. During his keynote, Ballmer launched the Windows 7 beta to TechNet/MSDN/Connect, and promised a public beta by next Friday. The public beta arrived, but due to the fact that Microsoft announced a download cap of 2.5 million, the download servers were mashed into oblivion, and the company was forced to delay the public beta by about a day. Microsoft: BitTorrent, BitTorrent: Microsoft. I hope you can become friends.

MacWorld and Windows 7 were expected, but no one really foresaw the positive impact Palm's new webOS and pre mobile phone would make in the media. Especially the card-based interface was met with positive responses from media outlets. Palm remained silent on some details, however, but Ars did dig up some information regarding the device and its SDK that Palm didn't give out.

Apart from the above, Google's Chrome also made the headlines with information regarding Chrome 2.0. Creative's Zii platform barely made any ripples on other websites, but we found it pretty interesting nonetheless.

Something that didn't make it to OSNews this week was the barrage of submissions regarding gOS 3.1 (SP1). I've ordered a set of parts to build a brand new computer from, allowing me to turn my current machine into a nice test rig. I promise to take a look at gOS 3.1 as soon as the new machine is assembled, and I free up my current machine.

Next up is My Take, which, as I already mentioned, will be a completely random musing about a random subject. It can be about music, television, film, or just plain ol' technology.

from : http://www.osnews.com/story/20752/MacWorld_Windows_7_Palm

Installing Windows 7 on any Netbook

2009-01-21T17:03:00.000-08:00

When we reviewed the Windows 7 beta, we did so on a standard desktop machine. However, the big thing in hardware right now is not the desktop, but the netbook segment. Since Microsoft claims that Windows 7 is geared towards netbooks, I decided to give the beta a go on my trusty Acer Aspire One. Read on for installation instructions if you don't own an external DVD drive, and a few very short first impressions.

Installation

Installing Windows on a machine without a CD/DVD drive has always been a bit tricky, and you'd think that "geared towards netbooks" would imply that Microsoft made this process a little easier. Well, they didn't, so you'll still have to resort to some tedious work before you can actually start the installation. It's hard to screw this up, but it's still tedious work, and shouldn't really be necessary in this day and age. The instructions below are taken from garyshort.org.

Get yourself a nice USB drive, at least 4GB in size (2GB is too small, and I'm not sure if 3GB drives exist), and plug it in your computer. Then, load up a command prompt with administrative privileges (right click, "Run as administrator..."), and enter the following commands to properly format the USB drive:

diskpart [launches diskpart]
list disk [lists the currently mounted disks, and assigns them a number]
select disk # [selects the USB drive, replace # with your disk's number]
clean [removes any MBR and partition information]
create partition primary [creates primary partition]
select partition 1 [selects the just-created partition]
active [marks the partition as active]
format fs=NTFS [formats the partition as NTFS]
assign [mounts the partition and assigns a drive letter]
exit [terminates diskpart]

The next step is to prepare the bootsector of the USB drive so that it is capable of catapulting the Windows 7 installation routine. To do this, put the Windows 7 DVD in your drive (or mount the .iso image using your tool of choice), and navigate to the /boot directory using a command prompt with administrative privileges. For some weird reason, the prompt I still had running after ceating/formatting the partition on the USB drive no longer had administrative privileges, so I had to load another. Once you're in the boot directory, execute the following command:

bootsect /nt60 # [prepares the boot sector, replace # with your USB drive's drive letter]

The rest is pretty easy. Copy the contents of the Windows 7 DVD/.iso image onto the USB drive. You can do this via drag/drop in Explorer. Once the copy process is complete, you can boot from the USB drive straight into the Windows 7 installation routine as if was a regular bootable DVD. On the Aspire One, this means hitting F12 during boot, invoking the boot menu, and selecting the USB drive as the boot device. Make sure that as soon as the installation routine starts rebooting, that you do not re-launch the installation routine.

That's all there is to it. Tedious, but if you're reading OSNews, this shouldn't pose any problems.

And now what...?

source: http://www.osnews.com/

Windows Embedded, on Your Desktop

2009-01-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

The future of Windows is clearly Windows 7. But what if you could get a smaller footprint, way better battery life than Vista or XP (think days, not hours), and everything else your little heart desires already? You can, and even better, you have been able to for a while.

Let's look at a few products that don't exactly get much attention in the consumer lime light. Let's start with Windows Embedded Standard 2009, formerly XP Embedded.

Windows Embedded Standard 2009 is a componentized and updated version of Windows XP Pro. It has all the latest and greatest features of XP and its software available on a componentized level. Depending on how you want it set up it can include .NET 3.5, Sliverlight, RDP 6.1, IE7, Windows Media player 11, DirectX 9, and many other features (it can also be run as a real time OS via 3rd party products, but I don't recommend it). It also comes with a snazzy new theme that I think is just great.

So here's the best question, "Why would I go through the extra work of building my OS via componentizing it?" That's simple; you only install what is needed (who needs 8 million print drivers in their default install anyway?), and you can have a fully functional desktop OS with an install footprint of 200MB or less (that's with most of the bells and whistles you would need to game, or use the machine as a desktop).

Windows key keyboard shortcuts

2009-01-19T01:19:00.000-08:00

Below is a listing of Windows keys that can be used on computers running a Microsoft Windows operating system and using a keyboard with a Windows key. In the below list of shortcuts, the Windows key is represented by "WINKEY".

Shortcut Keys	Description
WINKEY	Pressing the Windows key alone will open Start.
WINKEY + F1	Opens the Microsoft Windows help and support center.
WINKEY + F3	Opens the Advanced find window in Microsoft Outlook.
WINKEY + D	Brings the desktop to the top of all other windows.
WINKEY + M	Minimizes all windows.
WINKEY + SHIFT + M	Undo the minimize done by WINKEY + M and WINKEY + D.
WINKEY + E	Open Microsoft Explorer.
WINKEY + Tab	Cycle through open programs through the taskbar.
WINKEY + F	Display the Windows Search / Find feature.
WINKEY + CTRL + F	Display the search for computers window.
WINKEY + F1	Display the Microsoft Windows help.
WINKEY + R	Open the run window.
WINKEY + Pause / Break key	Open the system properties window.
WINKEY + U	Open Utility Manager.
WINKEY + L	Lock the computer (Windows XP and above only).

Basic PC shortcut keys

2009-01-19T01:15:00.000-08:00

The below basic shortcut keys are a listing of shortcut keys that will work with almost all IBM compatible computers and software programs. It is highly recommended that all users keep a good reference of the below short cut keys and/or try to memorize the below keys. Doing so will dramatically increase your productivity.

Shortcut Keys	Description
Alt + F	File menu options in current program.
Alt + E	Edit options in current program
F1	Universal Help in almost every Windows program.
Ctrl + A	Select all text.
Ctrl + X	Cut selected item.
Shift + Del	Cut selected item.
Ctrl + C	Copy selected item.
Ctrl + Ins	Copy selected item
Ctrl + V	Paste
Shift + Ins	Paste
Home	Goes to beginning of current line.
Ctrl + Home	Goes to beginning of document.
End	Goes to end of current line.
Ctrl + End	Goes to end of document.
Shift + Home	Highlights from current position to beginning of line.
Shift + End	Highlights from current position to end of line.
Ctrl + Left arrow	Moves one word to the left at a time.
Ctrl + Right arrow	Moves one word to the right at a time.

Kodu:a new visual programming language

2009-01-19T01:14:00.000-08:00

Kodu is a new visual programming language made specifically for creating games. It is designed to be accessible for children and enjoyable for anyone. The programming environment runs on the Xbox, allowing rapid design iteration using only a game controller for input.

Programming as a Creative Medium

The core of the Kodu project is the programming user interface. The language is simple and entirely icon-based. Programs are composed of pages, which are broken down into rules, which are further divided into conditions and actions. Conditions are evaluated simultaneously.

The Kodu language is designed specifically for game development and provides specialized primitives derived from gaming scenarios. Programs are expressed in physical terms, using concepts like vision, hearing, and time to control character behavior. While not as general-purpose as classical programming languages, Kodu can express advanced game design concepts in a simple, direct, and intuitive manner.

Screen Shots

(Click to open a larger image a new window.)

Game load / community screen.

"Physical" sensors are used as rule input.

Yes, we have a turtle.

Stick can't walk but he packs a wallop.

Key Features

Kodu provides an end-to-end creative environment for designing, building, and playing your own new games.

High-level language incorporates real-world primitives: collision, color, vision
Uses Xbox 360 Game Controller for input — no keyboard required
Runs on XBox 360 and PC
Interactive terrain editor
Bridge and path builder
Terrain editor - create worlds of arbitrary shape and size
20 different characters with different abilities