Section: Software

Windows Search 4.0

July 19, 2008 by Jason

plans to debut serving 4.0 automatically to Vista by the end of July. With the final version up for grabs through the Center since the beginning of June 2008, the Redmond company is now wrapping up 4.0 for delivery through Update. However, only users with Vista with Update enabled will receive the update by default; XP users running either Service Pack 2 or will have to perform a manual upgrade.

XP users will see 4.0 available as an update, which means you must visit the Update site to install it. Vista users with SP1 installed will see the update as a Recommended update. This means that, if a Vista user has set their machine to automatically install updates, 4.0 will automatically install on PCs running . The release of 4.0 to Update will be gradual for these users,” revealed a member of the Update team. Read More»

How to Create Symbolic Links

July 17, 2008 by Jason

What Is a Link?

A Link acts (and looks) like a shortcut but provides a to the target file at the file level instead of within .

are used most for backward . It can be used to trick into thinking its accessing files at a location where the files have been moved.

Create a Relative or Absolute Link

Relative : A relative link is a link that identifies the location of its target by its location. Read More»

Windows Vista SP1 Volume Licensing

July 15, 2008 by Jason

Volume Licensing is just one of the modalities to acquire , but perhaps, as customers are concerned, it is also the most appealing because of the cost savings it implies. In contrast to the retail copies of Vista, the main benefit of the Volume is that it takes the cost of the packaging and of the out of the price equation of the product. And this, of course, is not valid just for Vista, now complete with , but also for additional solutions that make the object of Volume Licensing. In the Redmond giant’s perspective, one of the most relevant benefits for volume license customers is the ability to acquire Assurance.

acquired through Volume Licensing is a license only. A license provides the right to run a product. Savings above retail boxed prices can be realized by participating in a Volume Licensing . Read More»

Vista Free Downloads to Tweak & Improve Your System

July 14, 2008 by Jason

Improve your in Vista with Pctipsbox TOP 10 recommended downloads.

1. MZ Vista is a tweaker. Use it to accelerate , juice your browsing , up your , clearout bandwidth-wasting startup programs, and even fine-tune Player and .

Many of the settings here are exceedingly fine-grained. Want to change the at which the Start menu displays? With Mz Vista , you can. Mz Vista Force.

2. Vista Generator allows you to change it easily your with one that you created yourself or with a graphic that you find online. You’ll have to create or find the image in two sizes: 1024 by 768 pixels, and 800 by 600 pixels. Both must be in .bmp format, at 24-bit color depth. Once you have them this replaces your with them. Vista Boot Logo Generator. Read More»

A Better Uninstaller?

July 07, 2008 by Jason

At a rough guess I would say that around 50 percent of PC problems are concerned one way or another with installing and uninstalling , the latter being far and away the most troublesome operation for many users. A lot of programs are just not very good at removing themselves from systems, bits and pieces are often left behind, cluttering the or interfering with other programs.

Contrary to popular belief Add/ Programs in doesn’t actually do any uninstalling, it’s simply groups together the for the programs on your PC so maybe it’s time for something with a bit more teeth. How about Revo Uninstaller, it’s a powerful that takes over where Add/ Programs leaves off. Firstly it analyses the , checking files folders and keys, then it sets a new Point and then, only when it is satisfied that it knows everything there is to know about a , does it all traces of it. Read More»

Clever One-Click Clean Up

July 05, 2008 by Jason

As I am sure you know I have been waffling on for years about how your PC monitors your surfing activities and logs every you’ve ever visited, from the day you switched it on, in a hidden and protected file called index.dat. Regular readers may also recall a couple of I’ve been recommending to wipe these files. Back n the days of 98 my of choice was Spider, sadly it was never updated for XP but then along came Crap , as it is now known which does a brilliant job. Now we have a new that works with , called Click&Clean, Basically it lets you put a quick-launch icon enough a toilet roll on your or toolbar. You need to have installed on your PC first, and the new icon has to be added manually, so don’t forget to read the instructions. One click and it launches and your are covered. Read More»

Vista SP1 Solution Accelerator

June 30, 2008 by Jason

The latest version of a solution initially dubbed Vista Assessment is now available for . The Assessment and Planning is now at version 3.1 and has hit RTM stage. The latest build of the assessment and planning solution is tailored specifically to the most recent client and server operating systems, namely Vista and Server 2008 SP1/RTM, including the Hyper-V release. Version 3.1 is up for grabs straight from , and is designed to streamline as much as possible the evaluation and planning phases of large scale migration processes in complex IT infrastructures.

“Formerly known as Vista Assessment, this new release is now packed with many new features such as: Hyper-V candidates assessment (+ improved virtual machines inventory); SQL server discovery and assessment; support; and Desktop Center assessment,” revealed Baldwin Ng, Senior Product Manager, Solution Accelerators Team. Read More»

Keep It Clean!

June 21, 2008 by Jason

We all know that when you use a PC you leave a trail, half a mile long, in ‘log’ and ‘dat’ files and entries detailing everything you’ve been doing, from the files and programs you’ve opened, to the websites you’ve visited. It’s no small concern as it can include sensitive and personal information, like passwords and PINs for example. It’s not too difficult to keep your own PC’s record keeping in check, with a like (see section) but what happens when you’ve been using someone else’s ?

This little , called CleanAfterMe is what you need to tidy up after you. It’s a small that you can keep handy on a stick and when you run it you have the option to delete all of the data and changes you may have left behind during the session. If you are a regular user of other people’s computers and value you and then don’t leave home without this really handy .

Pre-Activated Copies of Vista

June 19, 2008 by Jason

Being the loyal adept of a business model based on proprietary , a is not exactly something that customers can expect from the company. But of course that there are always exceptions to confirm the rule. And the copy of Vista up for grabs via is an illustrative example in this context. That’s right, a completely copy of the latest client, time-bombed of course, but nonetheless.

continues a tradition debuted after the launch of 7. Because two different versions of cannot coexist under normal circumstances on the same machine, let alone be used , the Redmond giant turned to an alternative solution to make the lives of content developers and designers a tad easier. The company released Images. Read More»

Origami Experience 2.0 for Windows Vista

June 16, 2008 by Jason

has made Origami 2.0 available for . A collection of programs designed to enhance the user of ultra- PCs, Origami 2.0 is set up to integrate seamlessly with ’s latest . In the Redmond company’s vision, UMPCs upgraded to Vista should also feature Origami 2.0, as the project announced at the Consumer Electronics Show January 2008 was finalized. In fact, even as early as the start of May, the Origami team was hinting that the downloads of 2.0 were planned to go live with the final bits.

“The Origami 2.0 is designed for Ultra- PCs that run Vista. To run the Origami 2.0, a with the following specifications is recommended: minimum 100 MB of available space; minimum 1 GB of and touch panel display (required for Origami Picture ),” revealed ’s Brandon LeBlanc.

A total of four applications have been packaged into Origami 2.0. Users running Vista Business; Enterprise; Home Premium; and Ultimate on UMPCs will be able to enjoy the added power, flexibility and of Origami 2.0: Origami Central, Origami Now, Origami Picture and Touch Settings. Read More»