Kevins Crate.com/Blog » Windows Vista

Try Windows Vista Without having to Install it with Vista Test Drive

Kevin — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:15:51 +0000

If you are thinking about upgrading to Windows Vista� here’s a way I found to give it a test drive out without having to install it on your computer, it will run in your browser only.

The test drive requires Internet Explorer 6 or later, a browser plug-in, and a broadband Internet connection.

A minimum 1024 x 768 screen resolution is recommended. There is no product support for the test drive but you are welcome to participate in the Microsoft Windows Vista newsgroup to share your trial experiences with others and ask for advice.

The Windows Vista version hosted in the test drive contains most of the functionality of the regular versions, but browsing the internet is not enabled.

You may notice a slight delay or pause as you experience the product. This is due to the fact that this is a hosted trial and is dependent upon your bandwidth, local machine resources, etc. This does not necessarily represent the actual experience you will have with Windows Vista if it were installed on your PC.

Open Internet Explorer and go to Windows Vista Test Drive you will be asked to install an ActiveX control later on to use the Test Drive.

In the first screen you will need to enter an Email address and your Country, any fake Email addy will do, its not checked.

The next screen wants you to take a survey, click yes or No thanks.

This screen lets you choose a category to check out.

Choose Safer and you will be given the options to Learn more about the exciting features of Vista. Click one of the icons.

Then choose Test Drive.

You will then be sent to the Vista desktop where you can explore.

These are just a few screen shots, you should use the Test Drive to get the full Vista experience.

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Lower your Carbon Footprint with Edison

Kevin — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:41:27 +0000

Get in the green zone and lower your carbon footprint and save some oil. Here’s a program I found that will help you save a few bucks on your power bill by letting you turn off your monitor spin down your hard drives then put your computer in suspend mode. From the folks at Verdiem

It’s kinda hokey and you can manually set all these controls, but it gives you options of working and non- working hours and tells you how much money you can save by using the settings. It works in XP and Vista

It does require you to register with a valid email address, so use a throw-away address and it runs in your system tray consuming a few resources.

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Use the PC Decrapifier to Clean out your new Computer

Kevin — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 11:57:11 +0000

How many times have you bought a new computer and turned it on only to find the screen full of trial software. I run into this problem every time I setup a new computer for someone, and I?m sure you have too. Here?s a great program I use to clean out the crap. The PC Decrapifier. They offer a free and a paid version.

The PC Decrapifier will uninstall many of the common trialware and annoyances found on many of the PCs from big name OEMs. Here is the current list of software and items that the PC Decrapifier can detect and remove. You get to see the list of items it detects and then choose what will be removed automatically.

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Get a Free Online Virus Scan from ESET

Kevin — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 12:54:33 +0000

Here’s a chance to check your computer for virus’s for free, from the one of the world’s best anti-virus companies. ESET online scan. Even if you already have an anti-virus program installed, you can run this online test to see if yours is up to snuff.

It does require Internet Explorer to run and it can’t remove any virus’s that it finds but it’s very useful to see if you have an infection. Works in XP and Vista.

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Vista SP1 Released to Manufacturing Today

Kevin — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 03:04:42 +0000

Vista SP1 was released to manufacturing today 2-4-08 Expect to see a customer release in early March.

From Microsoft:
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) was released to manufacturing today and will start being available to customers in March, starting with Microsoft Volume Licensing customers. Windows Vista SP1 includes quality improvements that help enhance reliability, security and performance. SP1 also includes changes focused on improving the performance of Windows Vista in areas that impact the customer experience the most.� For instance, with SP1, copying or moving files around your PC, your home network or your corporate network should now be much faster — up to 50% faster in some scenarios (according to our internal tests).� In addition, on many kinds of hardware, resuming a Windows Vista-based PC from sleep is faster on Service Pack 1.

Here’s the timing for SP1 availability for current Windows Vista users:

In mid-March, we will release Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Update (in English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese) and to the download center on microsoft.com.� Customers who visit Windows Update can choose to install Service Pack 1.� If Windows Update determines that the system has one of the drivers we know to be problematic, then Windows Update will not offer SP1.� Since we know that some customers may want to update to SP1 anyhow, the download center will allow anyone who wants to install SP1 to do so.

In mid-April, we will begin delivering Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Vista customers who have chosen to have updates downloaded automatically.� That said, any system that Windows Update determines has a driver known to not update successfully will not get SP1 automatically.� As updates for these drivers become available, they will be installed automatically by Windows Update, which will unblock these systems from getting Service Pack 1.� The result is that more and more systems will automatically get SP1, but only when we are confident they will have a good experience.
The remaining languages will RTM in April.

Electronic Piano 2.5 Software For The Budding Musician

Kevin — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 00:48:26 +0000

Here’s a free Download that will let you play the Piano + 128 other instruments from your Keyboard. Get it here.

Electronic Piano 2.5 is a Freeware program that allows the user to play Musical Notes, Chords and Drums using the computer keyboard.

Although this is not a software for professional purposes, Electronic Piano 2.5 doesn’t require knowledge of the MIDI technology, it takes up little disk space and it is very simple to install and use.

Sync Toy From Microsoft Updated To v2.0

Kevin — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 02:54:42 +0000

The easy to use, customizable application that helps you copy, move, rename, and delete files between folders and computers, has been updated to version 2.0.

Pick it up for free here

There are files from all kinds of sources that we want to store and manage. Files are created by our digital cameras, e-mail, cell phones, portable media players, camcorders, PDAs, and laptops. Increasingly, computer users are using different folders, drives, and even different computers (such as a laptop and a desktop) to store, manage, retrieve and view files. Yet managing hundreds or thousands of files is still largely a manual operation. In some cases it is necessary to regularly get copies of files from another location to add to primary location; in other cases there is a need to keep two storage locations exactly in sync. Some users manage files manually, dragging and dropping from one place to another and keeping track of whether the locations are synchronized in their heads. Other users may use two or more applications to provide this functionality.

Now there is an easier way. SyncToy, a free PowerToy for Microsoft Windows, is an easy to use, highly customizable program that helps users to do the heavy lifting involved with the copying, moving, and synchronization of different directories. Most common operations can be performed with just a few clicks of the mouse, and additional customization is available without additional complexity. SyncToy can manage multiple sets of folders at the same time; it can combine files from two folders in one case, and mimic renames and deletes in another case. Unlike other applications, SyncToy actually keeps track of renames to files and will make sure those changes get carried over to the synchronized folder.(from Microsoft)

The following features were added to this release of SyncToy:

Dynamic Drive Letter Assignment: Drive letter reassignment will now be detected and updated in the folder pair definition.

True Folder Sync: Folder creates, renames and deletes are now synchronized for all SyncToy actions.

Exclusion Filtering Based on Name: File exclusion based on name with exact or fuzzy matching.

Filtering Based on File Attributes: The ability to exclude files based on one or more file attributes (Read-Only, System, Hidden).

Unattended Folder Pair Execution: Addressed issues related to running scheduled folder pairs while logged off.

Folder Pairs With Shared Endpoints: Ability for folder pairs associated with the same or different instances of SyncToy to share end-points.

Command line enhancements: Added the ability to manage folder pairs via the command line interface.

The SyncToy engine has been rearchitected to provide scalability and the ability to add significant enhancements in future releases.

Sync engine is also more robust insomuch that many single, file level errors are skipped without affecting the entire sync operation.

Sync Encrypted Files: Sync of Encrypted files works when local folder and files are encrypted, which addresses the common scenario involving sync between local, encrypted laptop PC folder and remote, unencrypted desktop PC folder.

64-Bit compatibility

Folder pair rename

Sub-folder Exclusion Enhancements: Descendents creates under excluded sub-folders are automatically excluded.

Folder Pair Metadata Moved: Folder pair metadata removed from MyDocuments to resolve any issues with server-based folder pair re-direction setup.

Removed combine and subscribe actions.

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems: Windows Vista; Windows XP

Microsoft .NET Framework v2.0
1GHz Intel P3 processor or equivalent
256MB RAM, 512MB RAM recommended
20MB free disk space

(from Microsoft)

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Donate Your Spare CPU Cycles To Folding@Home

Kevin — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 03:09:26 +0000

Folding@Home (also known as FAH or F@H) is a distributed computing project designed to perform computationally intensive simulations of protein folding and other molecular dynamics. It was launched on October 1, 2000, and is currently managed by the Pande Group, within Stanford University’s chemistry department, under the supervision of Professor Vijay Pande. Folding@home is the most powerful distributed computing cluster in the world, according to Guinness, and one of the world’s largest distributed computing projects.The goal of the project is “to understand protein folding, misfolding, and related diseases.” Check it out. Start donating today

How it works.

Folding@Home does not rely on powerful supercomputers for its data processing; instead, the primary contributors to the Folding@home project are many hundreds of thousands of personal computer users who have installed a small client program. The client will, at the user’s choice, run in the background, utilizing otherwise unused CPU power, or run as a screensaver only while the user is away. In most modern personal computers, the CPU is rarely used to its full capacity at all times; the Folding@Home client takes advantage of this unused processing power.

The Folding@Home client periodically connects to a server to retrieve “work units,” which are packets of data upon which to perform calculations. Each completed work unit is then sent back to the server. As data integrity is a major concern for all distributed computing projects, all work units are validated through the use of a 2048 bit digital signature.

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Turn Off Auto Reboot In XP

Kevin — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 23:41:51 +0000

When Windows XP crashes with the Blue Screen, notice I said when it crashes. It will automatically reboot, sometimes too fast to read any error message it displays. So if you want to turn it off to see if you can figure out what happened, follow the directions below.

Right click My Computer.
Choose Properties.
Click the Advanced tab from the systems properties page.
In the Startup and Recovery portion choose Settings.
Under system failure remove the checkmark next to Automatically restart.
Click Ok twice.

To see Screen shots for the process, Click the Read the rest of this entry link.

1. Right click My Computer.

2. Choose Properties.

3. Click the Advanced tab from the systems properties page.

4. In the Startup and Recovery portion choose Settings.

5. Under system failure remove the checkmark next to Automatically restart.

6. Click Ok twice. And that’s all there is to it .

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Microsoft Photo Info 1.0

Kevin — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 13:33:22 +0000

This free program is part of Microsoft’s PowerToys and provides digital photography Information at your fingertips Get it here

Microsoft Photo Info allows photographers to add, change and delete common “metadata” properties for digital photographs from inside Windows Explorer via the right click menu.

When installed, a new “Photo Info” item appears on the context menu for files selected in Windows Explorer. To use, simply select one or more image files, right-click and choose “Photo Info” to open the Photo Info properties editor. You can edit metadata for files individually, or all together as a batch. Photo Info reads and writes metadata in IPTC and XMP formats (depending on file type). It also provides enhanced “hover tips” and additional sort properties for digital photographs in Windows Explorer.

Microsoft Photo Info runs on 32-bit versions of Windows XP (with Service Pack 2 or later) and the Windows Vista operating systems.

The Programs Features Include:
View or edit photo metadata from inside Windows Explorer. Now, advanced image properties are at your fingertips from within Windows.

Edit images individually, or as a collection. Photo Info has two edit modes: individual and collection, making it easy to update many images at the same time.

Quick recall of recent entries. For some properties, Photo Info remembers the most recent entries you have typed. To recall a recent entry, click on the drop down arrow and select it from the list.

Generate copyright notice automatically. Photo Info can generate a standard copyright notice automatically from the Author and date Created information, if present.

Quick recall of location details. To help save time when entering location information, Photo Info can save location details under a name you provide. Recall these details by selecting the location name from the drop-down menu.

Correct EXIF capture date / time information. Photo Info can optionally update the EXIF date/time information as recorded in the image file by your camera. You can use this feature to correct the file capture date if your camera’s clock was set incorrectly (for example, to the wrong time zone).

View EXIF properties. Click on the Details tab to view common EXIF properties. Click on More properties for additional details.

Preview the image. To see a larger preview of the image, double-click on the thumbnail.

Enhanced hover tips. Hover tips have been enhanced for JPEG, TIFF and other supported file types in Windows Explorer.

Custom column properties. In Windows Explorer when viewing a folder in Details view, additional sort properties are available for supported image types.

For pictures of the program running click read the rest of the entry.

Right click on any photo or group of photos.

Here you can add descriptions

Add keywords for easier searching.

Here you can add where you took the picture.

This screen allows you to add more details.

And the last tab will give you details of the camera that took the picture.

Belkins Easy Transfer Cable for Windows Vista

Kevin — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 10:28:50 +0000

Have you purchases a new computer lately and want to transfer your old data to the new computer, This little wonder is worth its price in gold. There available everywhere for around $30. If your buying a new Dell its offered on their site.

Moving files and settings between computers is scary enough, but moving them between operating systems? That’s REALLY scary! Luckily, for the advent of the new Windows Vista PCs, Belkin has the answer. The Easy Transfer Cable for Windows Vista gives you an efficient, simple way of moving your files and settings from your old Windows XP PC to your new Windows Vista PC.

Connect each end of the generous 8-foot cable to the USB ports on both computers. The Windows Easy Transfer Wizard automatically appears and lets you select some or all items to copy. With a couple of clicks, your photos, music, settings and more transfer easily and cleanly without complications, CD-burning, and having to build a network connection. This is also the ideal mobile solution for copying files to and from your notebook for moving between home and work PCs.

Belkin includes FREE file-synchronization software. With “One-Click,” PCsync software automatically synchronizes files, folders, music, photos, video�and much more�between your PCs.

The Windows Easy Transfer Wizard automatically appears and lets you select some�or all�items to copy.

With a couple of clicks, your photos, music, settings, and more transfer, without requiring time-consuming CD-burning or a network.

* Transfers files in three quick and easy steps:

1. Install – 2. Connect – 3. Transfer

* Automatically transfers your photos, music, files, email, user accounts, Windows settings�and more

* Eliminates need to set up a complex network, or spend hours burning CDs to copy data

* Transfers 30GB of data in just 1 hour… or, just 1 hour to transfer 7,500 songs to your new PC

* Offers ideal mobile solution for copying files to and from your notebook, and home and work PCs

* Faster and easier to transfer data than a network, or copying files to a hard drive or burning CDs

* Belkin includes FREE file-synchronization software. With “One-Click,” PCsync software automatically synchronizes files, folders, music, photos, video�and much more�between your PCs.

Belkin is a long-time innovator in PC accessories and connectivity solutions; this revolutionary little cable makes synchronizing and saving system data a snap!

Announcing The Launch Of Vista Revisited.

Kevin — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 14:16:41 +0000

I’d like to announce the launch of my new site Vista Revisited at http://www.vistarevisited.com Stop by and have a look. I’ve copied all the Vista content from here to my new site and from now on I will only post Vista content to Vista Revisited. Thanks for visiting and be sure to check out my new site.

Kevin..

Uninstalling Vista From A Dual Boot Machine

Kevin — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 13:29:27 +0000

Uninstalling Vista from a dual boot machine is relatively straightforward – most of the time. Nonetheless, I recommend that you back up everything before you start. Then follow these steps:

1. Put your Windows XP installation CD in the CD-ROM drive and reboot the computer (be sure the BIOS is set to boot from CD).

2. Start the Recovery Console from the CD (see “How to Start the Recovery Console in XP” above).

3. Run Fixboot from the Recovery Console.

4. Run Fixmbr to reset the master boot record.

5. Exit the Recovery Console and reboot the computer.

6. Edit the boot.ini file to remove the Vista entry.

7. Format the partition on which Vista was installed.

I�d like to announce the launch of my new site Vista Revisited at http://www.vistarevisited.com Stop by and have a look. I�ve copied all the Vista content from here to my new site and from now on I will only post Vista content to Vista Revisited. Thanks for visiting and be sure to check out my new site.

Check Your Windows Vista Experience Index Score

Kevin — Tue, 29 May 2007 21:25:44 +0000

This handy program will give your computer a performance rating based on Processor speed, Memory, Graphics for running Aero and 3D gaming and your hard disks data transfer speed. The index ranges from 1 to 5.9 Mine is 3.5 for a few year old P4 2.4GHz with 1 gig of ram, and Vista runs just fine.

You can get to the program by clicking the Windows Pearl- control panel- system maintenance- then under the System tab click check your computers Windows Experience Index base- update my score.

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Keep Your Computer From Entering Hibernation Mode.

Kevin — Mon, 28 May 2007 15:04:28 +0000

Don’t you hate it when you walk away from your computer for a while and when you come back it seems like it shut down and you need to hit the on button to restart it. When I first started using Vista this drove me crazy. Hibernation mode is on by default in Vista, here’s how to adjust or just plain turn it off

1.Open Power Options by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Power Options.

2.On the Select a power plan page, click Change when the computer sleeps.

3.On the Change settings for the plan page, click Change advanced power settings.

4.On the Advanced settings tab, expand Sleep, expand Sleep after, click On battery or Plugged in (or both), click the arrow, and then click Never.

5 Expand Hibernate after, click On battery or Plugged in (or both), click the arrow, and then click Never.

If you also want the display to stay turned on, expand Display, expand Turn off display after, click On battery or Plugged in (or both), click the arrow, and then click Never.

6.Click OK, and then click Save changes.

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Dual Booting Windows XP and Vista, An Install Guide

Kevin — Sun, 27 May 2007 16:06:42 +0000

Are you like me itching to try out Windows Vista but not ready to take the plunge 100%?

Dual booting is an option and it�s not that hard to do, so put on your geek hat and let�s get started.

Step 1 Use or buy a second hard drive, A 40 gig drive from Newegg is only $35 to $40 dollars. Yes you could partition your existing drive by reformatting and using the XP disk to add partitions or buying a partitioning tool like Partition Magic, but if your XP install is working fine why mess with it.

Step 2 Set the jumper on the new drive to Slave or cable select depending on your setup. Install the new drive and boot the computer.

Step 3 Formatting the new drive. From the desktop right click �my computer� and choose manage, under storage choose �Disk Management�. Here you will see all the hard drives installed. Notice disk 0 is your XP installation. Disk 1 is your new drive. We need to format this drive.

Right click in the unallocated space of Disk 1 and choose New Partition

Click next.

Choose Primary partition.

Specify a partition size. I recommend using the maximum size
Click next.

Assign a drive letter. Just use the one offered if you�d like.

Formatting the drive.

Choose.
File System: NTFS
Allocation size: Default
Volume label: Here I would label it Vista. It will help avoid confusion later

Click next. Then finish (Depending on the drive size it might take a few minutes.)

The drive is now ready for the Vista install.

Installing Windows Vista.

Step 4

Insert the Vista DVD into the computer and reboot the system.

Once the computer restarts and boots from the DVD, Windows Vista�s setup will begin and show the screen below.

In the next screen fill in the info requested.

On this screen you will begin the install process.

On this screen you will type in your product key

On this screen you have to accept the license terms.

On this screen you choose which type of installation you want to do
You want �Custom� (Advanced) if you choose upgrade you will install over XP and we don�t want that for this guide.

This screen is where you choose where to install Vista.
You will see both your drives. (It will differ from this picture a little)
You will want to choose your Vista Drive it should be Disk 1

After you select the disk you want – click next and complete the installation.
When the installation is complete the Boot Manager will appear for
30 seconds and you can choose which version of Windows to start.
The earlier version is XP and the default is Vista.

Congratulations now you�re ready to install all your programs.

Windows Vista Software Compatibility List

Kevin — Tue, 15 May 2007 01:29:33 +0000

Here is a great Wiki on what programs are compatible with Vista. There are 3 major categories with hundreds of programs (Works, Somewhat works, & Heavy problem\doesnt work). Check it out it may save you a lot of time and grief.

http://www.iexbeta.com/wiki/index.php/Windows_Vista_Software_Compatibility_List

Microsoft Releases Final fix For iPod Eject Command Bug

Kevin — Thu, 10 May 2007 16:27:48 +0000

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=936824

Consider the following scenario. You have an Apple iPod that is connected to a Windows Vista-based computer through a USB connection. Then, you disconnect the iPod from the computer. In this scenario, the data on the iPod may become corrupted.

This problem may occur if you use one of the following methods to disconnect the iPod:

You use the Safely Remove Hardware feature in the notification area to disconnect the iPod. Then, you disconnect the USB cable.

You use the Eject command in Windows Explorer to disconnect the iPod. Then, you disconnect the USB cable.

EasyBCD Easily Modify The Windows Vista bootloader

Kevin — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 07:02:09 +0000

EasyBCD http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1

For Windows Vista Users

EasyBCD is an advanced GUI application that makes it easy to modify the Windows Vista bootloader and the entries in it.

Windows Vista comes with a new bootloader and gives users much more control over the bootloading process – but it’s almost impossible to use.

With EasyBCD, users can easily add, remove, delete, and modify existing entries. It also allows users to even add new entries for legacy or LH-based operating systems. EasyBCD is a valuable recovery tool, used by support professionals, beginners, and even Microsoft employees on a daily basis!

EasyBCD is NeoSmart Technologies’ multiple award-winning answer to tweaking the new Windows Vista bootloader. With EasyBCD, almost anything is possible. Setting up and configuring Windows boot entries is simple, and there is no easier way to quickly boot right into Linux, Mac OS X, or BSD straight from the Windows Vista bootloader – on the fly, no expert knowledge needed!

EasyBCD is geared for users of all kinds. Whether you just want to add an entry to your old XP partition or want to create a duplicate for testing purposes; if you’re interested in debugging the Windows Kernel or hectuple-booting your seven test operating systems, EasyBCD is the key.

Automated MBR and BCD backups, boot sector restore kits, support for a dozen+ operating systems, detailed configuration of all boot entries, and award-winning guaranteed technical support is what makes EasyBCD stand out – all for free!

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My Upgrade to Vista part 1

Kevin — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 00:13:30 +0000

Well my Vista upgrade DVD finaly arrived so over the weekend I formatted my XP drive and reinstalled XP for that fresh feeling then installed Vista on another drive for that dual boot action. I’m going to have to slide into Vista slowly, can’t do that cold turkey thing.

So here are some of my observations of the 2 installs.

Fresh install of XP Media Center 1hr 10min to desktop. Registration validation and Genuine Advantage no problems.

Windows Update now at 120 High and low priorty updates and counting, they just keep coming. Total time for install 2 hr 15 min. now to reinstall all my apps. Will most likely take weeks.

Fresh install of Vista Home Premium (Dual Boot) 30 min to desktop. Registration validation and Genuine Advantage no problems.

Windows Update 14 High and low priorty updates. Total time for install 45 min. Much better than XP, now to install all my apps and see what works and won’t work. Will most likely take weeks. (Stay tuned) Now back to installing programs. My Performance rating is 3.5

I also found a good Vista site to help in the transition. Check them out.

http://vistarewired.com/

Microsoft Releases Patch For Vista and iPod Users

Kevin — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 22:05:44 +0000

Update for Windows Vista (KB933824)

Get the patch here.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid

This patch is for people running Windows Vista and using an iPod with iTunes.

Install this update to resolve an issue where an Apple iPod may be corrupted by using the Safely Remove Hardware feature on a system running Windows Vista. Get while its hot.

�I�d like to announce the launch of my new site Vista Revisited at http://www.vistarevisited.com Stop by and have a look. I�ve copied all the Vista content from here to my new site and from now on I will only post Vista content to Vista Revisited. Thanks for visiting and be sure to check out my new site.

Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

Kevin — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 14:34:20 +0000

3-17-07
This week we explore keyboard shortcuts for the Windows Tips Crate.

Windows keyboard shortcuts

General keyboard shortcuts

CTRL+C (Copy)

CTRL+X (Cut)

CTRL+V (Paste)

CTRL+Z (Undo)

DELETE (Delete)

SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)

CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)

CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)

F2 key (Rename the selected item)

CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)

CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)

CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)

CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)

CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)

SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)

CTRL+A (Select all)

3 key (Search for a file or a folder)

ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)

ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)

ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)

ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)

CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)

ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)

ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)

F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)

F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)

SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)

ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)

CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)

ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu)

Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)

F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)

RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)

LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)

F5 key (Update the active window)

BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)

ESC (Cancel the current task)

SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)

CTRL+SHIFT+ESC (Open Task Manager)

Dialog box keyboard shortcuts

CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs)

CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs)

TAB (Move forward through the options)

SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options)

ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option)

ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button)

SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box)

Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons)

F1 key (Display Help)

F4 key (Display the items in the active list)

BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box)

Microsoft Internet Explorer navigation

CTRL+B (Open the Organize Favorites dialog box)

CTRL+E (Open the Search bar)

CTRL+F (Start the Find utility)

CTRL+H (Open the History bar)

CTRL+I (Open the Favorites bar)

CTRL+L (Open the Open dialog box)

CTRL+N (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address)

CTRL+O (Open the Open dialog box, the same as CTRL+L)

CTRL+P (Open the Print dialog box)

CTRL+R (Update the current Web page)

CTRL+W (Close the current window)

iTunes Repair Tool for Vista 1.0

Kevin — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 23:39:03 +0000

Apple has released a repair tool for iTunes users running Windows Vista. Get the download. http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/itunesrepairtoolforvista10.html

Want more info http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305042

Apple: iTunes users should wait on Vista

Kevin — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 14:18:14 +0000

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Apple Inc. is urging some iPod and iTunes users to hold off on upgrading computers to Windows Vista, warning that the iTunes music software may not work well with the new operating system from rival Microsoft Corp.

Apple said iTunes may work with many Vista computers, but the company knows of some compatibility problems and recommends that users wait until it resolves the issues with an iTunes update in the next few weeks, the company said in a statement provided Friday by spokesman Derick Mains. The iTunes software is key to synching music on computers with iPod portable players.

Review: Are you ready for Windows Vista?

Kevin — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 11:10:30 +0000

It’s been five years since Microsoft put out its last operating system, Windows XP. Now, the next step, Windows Vista is finally here.

Windows is by far the world’s most popular operating system, and Vista will eventually become what most people run, like XP is today. Like it or not, you’ll probably be using it too in a few years time.

The operating system is the backbone of your PC. It boots up and shuts down your computer, launches software programs, and makes sure your speakers and other extras work properly. It’s also the thing that gets infected by viruses and other nasties. Windows Vista is better than XP in many ways. It looks better and it’s also easier to use and more secure. But you’ll need a PC with enough grunt to handle its hefty requirements, so Vista won’t be the best choice for everyone.

Vista looks slicker thanks to its “Aero” interface. If your computer can handle it, Vista uses your graphics card to power snazzy 3D extras, like Flip3D which uses a rolodex-type arrangement to show you what’s going on in all open programs. You can also make windows more transparent, or change their colour.

Looking through Windows folders is also easier. There’s a live preview that shows you a snippet of each file, and what’s in each folder in a directory.

The menu bar at the top of each window is gone, though you can still get it by tapping the Alt key. You can quickly jump back to anywhere along the route you took to get there, and easily group and filter files within a folder by type, author or tag.

The Start menu in Vista has also been completely redesigned. There are no more branching menus, like you’ll find in earlier versions. Instead the folders expand as you go through them, a bit like Windows Explorer in XP.

There’s a handy search box right in the Start menu too. Just type a few letters in the box and it’ll start bringing up matches. This is often the quickest way to find programs and documents.

The other big change from XP is Windows Sidebar. This sits on the right side of the screen as a place to put Microsoft’s gadgets – little programs that sit on your desktop and grab information from the web, like weather or news, or show your other software like media players. Windows Sidebar doesn?t offer anything beyond what Yahoo or Google already offer for XP though.

So far, most of this is just eye candy. The most important improvements in Vista are behind the scenes, particularly in its security.

As the most popular operating system on the planet, Windows is a natural target for hackers and other evil-doers. Vista beefs up Windows Firewall to shut down suspicious activity, like your PC sending out spam emails, before it occurs.

It also makes it harder for malware to install itself on your PC. Even if you’re logged in as an administrator, most programs will run at restricted privilege, meaning installing new software requires you to manually enter your password.

Parents can also use Vista to look at where their kids have gone online, limit when they can use the computer, and control which websites and video games they use. Vista comes with the next versions of Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player, both significant improvements. It also has speech recognition software that’s worth trying out.

There are more features of Vista, ones we don’t have space to mention. You can download Windows Vista from Microsoft’s website Microsoft’s website and find out just what the system has to offer yourself.

WHICH VISTA IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Vista Home Basic – If you use your PC for email, internet, and basic Office tasks, this is the one for you. It doesn’t have the snazzy Aero graphics or multimedia features, but it has better design and parental controls than XP.

Vista Home Premium – The upscale version of Home Basic, this version runs the Aero graphics engine and Vista’s multimedia tools, but leaves out the added business or gaming features.

Vista Business – No multimedia features, but it has programs for businesses to help faxing, scanning, backup and encryption.

Vista Ultimate – Includes all the functions of Home Premium and Business, and extras like a collection of games and programs specific to Ultimate users.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Vista’s snazzy graphics put a heavy load on your hardware, and you’ll need a PC with a lot of grunt to run it. A PC branded “Vista Capable” will run Vista Home Basic only, and needs at least an 800MHz processor, 512MB RAM and a graphics processor capable of playing DirectX 9.

A “Vista Premium Ready” PC will run all Vista versions and will have at least a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and a beefed-up graphics card. Keep in mind these are the bare minimum requirements. Ideally you want more if you want your computer to run smoothly.

SHOULD I UPGRADE?

The short answer is not right away. All operating systems take a while to settle down and iron out the bugs, no matter how much testing goes into it. Using XP was a hassle until the service packs came out, when it became much more stable and secure. Wait until the first service pack comes out before buying it off the shelf.

If you’re using your PC just to surf the web, do email and use office programs you really don’t need the extra functionality of Vista. For a lot of people XP works just fine, and they should keep using it until it doesn’t. If that’s you, wait until you need a new PC, then get one with Vista on it.

If you do want to run the latest and greatest operating system on your machine, the best way to upgrade is to buy a new PC. That way it’ll come pre-installed and you won’t have the inevitable headaches that come with updating an operating system, and you’ll be sure the hardware is up to scratch. If you buy a computer next year chances are it will come with Vista on it anyway.

Most people will need to buy a new PC anyway to take full advantage of Vista’s features, since it puts a lot of demand on hardware. If you buy either a Vista Capable or Vista Premium Ready PC before Vista comes out, you’ll get a coupon for a low-priced upgrade when the new operating system is released. It should cost you about $30 to upgrade. By REUBEN SCHWARZ

Microsoft Windows Vista ships Tuesday January 30,2007.

Kevin — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 01:47:36 +0000

Vista requires a lot of horsepower, which I detail below. Most XP machines will require new hardware-$200 – $300 worth. If your machine is more than a couple years old, that could be just the beginning. People with old machines are typically better off to buy new.
Also, upgrading an operating system can be tricky for the casual user. It may well cause headaches. Nonetheless, I’m sure many people won’t heed this advice. So, I’ll tell you how you can minimize installation problems.

You’re probably going to need additional RAM. Microsoft recommends 512 MB for the most basic version of Vista. For premium versions, it recommends 1 GB. I would double these numbers. Microsoft recommends 128MB of RAM for video. Again, to be safe, I would double that. To make sure your computer is up to snuff, visit Microsoft’s Vista upgrade site. If your computer gets a green light, you can proceed.

First, back up everything on your computer. Making a checklist is advisable. Remember your e-mail, photos, data and Internet Bookmarks/Favorites. Make sure you know all your passwords. Back up program settings if possible. I recommend using an external hard drive. You can do an in-place upgrade over most versions of XP. The sole exception is the 64-bit version of XP. Practically no one has that. Theoretically, Vista will keep all your files, settings, and programs as they were in XP. I haven’t tried this, so I can’t say how well it will work.

I wouldn’t count on an in-place upgrade to go smoothly. Things could go wrong. Set aside plenty of time. To learn about in-place upgrades, visit Microsoft’s site.

Your alternative to an in-place upgrade is a clean installation. (recommended).If you buy a new machine with Vista installed, you’ll still need to transfer your data. You can use Microsoft’s Easy Transfer to move files and settings from your XP machine. That included a special USB cable. It generally does a good job of transferring settings and files, with the exception of Firefox data.
Once Vista is running, you should install security software. Both AVG and avast! antivirus programs will run on Vista. They’re free. Windows Defender, the anti-spyware program is included with Vista. Microsoft also offers their own antivirus program called Windows Live One Care.

For a more detailed article on upgrading to Windows Vista visit Extreme Tech.com