February, 2008 Archive
February 29, 2008 by
Jason
I tend to be wary of programs that purport to make computers go faster, fix problems and so on. The vast majority of them are worthless snake oil. I’m also a bit suspicious of Russian software – they’ve still got a reputation for dodgy programs and scams and anything that comes from a company called Loonies is bound to set the alarm bells ringing so Actual Booster doesn’t get off to a very promising start.
Nevertheless, after giving it a fairly thorough road test I can tell you that Actual Booster really does liven things up a bit. It’s also free, and as far as I can see there’s no iffy content and it doesn’t try to phone home. Read More»
Posted in Computer, Software | 1 Comment »
February 28, 2008 by
Jason The end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008 have been a veritable Service Pack fiesta for Microsoft in terms of the company’s flagship products. Both Windows and Office have got their fair share of updates, but the productivity suite of both the 2003 and 2007 versions has simply beaten the Windows client to the punch, so to speak. Microsoft made available both Office 2003 SP3 and Office 2007 SP1 ahead of Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3. In fact, the third service pack for Office 2003 dropped as early as September 2007.
Microsoft’s perspective over Office 2003 SP3 is that the service pack represents merely a pit stop for Office users on the road to the Office 2007 System. At the same time, Office 2003 SP3 brought to the table enhancements around the board from security to performance and to increase compatibility with Windows Vista. Read More»
Posted in Office | 1 Comment »
February 28, 2008 by
Jason You may be able to free up some valuable space if you’re using two disk partitions, using two physical drives, or dual-booting between XP and Vista on the same machine.
I’ll show you several steps you can take to eliminate duplicate files and get more out of your disks.
Decide on your multiple-partition strategy
Years ago, it was common for users seeking more reliability to divide a hard drive into two or more partitions: portions of a disk, each with a different drive letter. Back then, recovering data from drive d: was easier than from drive c: if the primary partition (containing Windows) became corrupted.
That configuration is rare today, because backup programs and disaster-recovery services have improved. But there are still three situations in which you might find yourself handling two or more partitions or physical disks: Read More»
Posted in Computer | No Comments »
February 27, 2008 by
Jason Welcome to Windows Internet Explorer 8. This is the message displayed initially by the installer for the next iteration of Microsoft’s proprietary browser, as you can very well see from the screenshot accompanying this article. Just an anodyne proof that Internet Explorer Beta 1 is now live. At the end of the past week, Microsoft began sending out invitations to the first beta build for IE8. Participation in the limited technical beta program for Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 is possible only through explicit invitations from the IE Team. The Redmond company has now confirmed the kick-off of the private IE8 Beta 1 testing.
Here is the link pre-selected IE8 Beta 1 testers have to follow, but if you have not been invited to participate in the Technical Beta, it won’t do you any good. The best that I can do for you, at this point in time, is to deliver the first taste of Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1. Yes, I do agree it isn’t much, but at the same time, it’s better than nothing. Read More»
Posted in Internet | 1 Comment »
February 26, 2008 by
Jason
This guide shows you how to increase Internet Explorer 7’s connection limit from 2 to 16 which increases the speed of many web pages.
What Are Connections?
When you connect to a website your computer establishes connections with the web server(s). One connection might be a graphics server, another connection may be an ad server and so on. Once the connection has received what it asked for it is disconnected and used for something else.
By default IE7 is set to only be able to open 2 or 4 connections at a time. If you have broadband and you use tabs in IE7 or you visit sites that use lots of connections this tweak will increase the speed of IE7 a little. Read More»
Posted in Internet | 1 Comment »
February 26, 2008 by
Jason Windows 7, the successor of Windows Vista, is set to bring to the table an overhauled graphical user interface. As far as Windows 7 Milestone 1 (M1) Ultimate Edition Build 6.1.6519.1 is concerned, Windows Aero has survived without any major redesign, for the time being. There is, however, a certain amount of specific nip and tuck touch-ups across the Windows Aero in Windows 7, for build 6.1.6519.1, but nothing definitive, and certainly nothing that provides a clue as to the final visual style of the next Windows iterations. But as an integer part of the Aero UI, the Start Menu is bound to take a heavy hit in terms of revamping in the user interface redesign that will be synonymous with the evolution from Windows Vista to Windows 7. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
February 25, 2008 by
Jason Managing PC memory isn’t as big an issue as it used to be, but freeing up memory can still provide benefits. Rather than spending a lot of time closing old processes, installing Instant Memory Cleaner is a quick solution.
Once installed, this tiny app (and it really is tiny at 1.8MB) sits in your system tray and if you hover your mouse, it will tell you how much memory is available. To free up memory all you have to do is right click on the icon and select ‘Clean Memory’. Within seconds your PC will have more memory available, which will make all those resource hungry apps you run, move along that little bit faster. Read More»
Posted in Computer, Software | 1 Comment »
February 25, 2008 by
Jason Sometimes making your PC ‘run’ faster is just about changing the way programs run e.g disabling splash screens. This tip will make your machine feel faster, by increasing the speed with which menus load, by removing the delay between clicking on a menu and that menu being displayed, which is enforced by XP.
To enable this tweak do the following:
1. Go to the Start Menu and then click on ‘Run’
2. Type in ‘Regedit’ then click on ‘Ok’ Read More»
Posted in Windows XP | No Comments »
February 25, 2008 by
Jason If you have been following my Boot Camp series in The Daily Telegraph you may have see the recent three-parter on making XP look and behave like Vista (Poor Man’s Vista, archive on Bootlog and the DT Website) Here’s another utility to add to the mix, called Vista Start Menu Emulator. It does what it says, giving XP a Vista-like Start menu, complete with transparent borders and a Live Search facility. It’s looks and works well, though my only complaint is that I can’t seem to shift it from the default bottom right hand corner of the screen, which looks a bit odd if, like me you prefer to have your Taskbar down the right side of the screen. Read More»
Posted in Computer, Windows XP | No Comments »
February 25, 2008 by
Jason
Microsoft officially confirmed the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 downloads at the end of the past week. On February 21, 2008, the gold bits of Windows Vista SP1 were offered for download via Windows Update. The move was a derail from the timetable set for the delivery of the RTM Build of Vista SP1, initially planned for general availability starting with mid-March 2008, according to Mike Nash, Microsoft Corporate Vice President, Windows Product Management. Nash announced on February 4 that the final bits of Vista SP1 would find their way to end users through Microsoft Update, Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center in mid-March, and then through Automatic Updates beginning with mid-April.
But the fact that the end users of Vista got the short straw without even participating in the draw does not mean that the Redmond company did not release Vista SP1 RTM. Read More»
Posted in Hardware, Windows Vista | No Comments »
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