Tag: application
January 22, 2010 by
Jason
Uninstalling and reinstalling inbox audio driver repeatedly on Windows 7 or Windows Vista might not be the best thing to do, as Microsoft has warned that users could leave their platforms incapable of playing audio. The Redmond company does not specify the exact number uninstalls/reinstalls needed for some DirectSound output to be rendered unable to play audio, but apparently, just several such actions are sufficient.
Here is the scenario described by the software giant: “You use software to render/play audio via the DirectSound API (for example: DDK tool Graph Edit). On Vista or Windows 7, via a driver testing tool (or manually) you uninstall and then reinstall audio drivers such as “High Definition Audio Device” (HDAudio) several times. You attempt to render/play the audio stream again to a non-default DirectSound device (for example – DirectSound:Speakers as opposed to Default DirectSound device).”
Provided that users managed to reproduce the situation exemplified above, Microsoft indicates that no audio will be produced as a result of the stream leveraging a non-default DirectSound device for rendering. In addition, Vista and Windows 7 customers will receive the following error message: “These filters cannot agree on a connection. Verify type compatibility of input pin and output pin. Cannot play back the audio stream: no audio hardware is available, or the hardware is not responding. (Return code:0×80040256).” Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
November 15, 2009 by
Jason
System tray icon has been taken quite seriously in windows 7, the windows 7 taskbar has been designed keeping in mind that system tray icons of the various third party applications should not occupy the task bar space. So, by default any program which has a system tray icon is hidden by default in windows 7 system tray.
In order to show a system tray icon in the task bar, here is how you can set it to show. Take your mouse over the arrow pointing vertically upwards, you can see the text saying show hidden icons
click the arrow pointing upwards on the windows 7 taskbar, and click the customize text.
After clicking customize it will open up action center where you can show the icon and notifications of a program [ as shown in the image below ]
Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | 2 Comments »
October 12, 2009 by
Jason
Before that the first and second part we continue to publish series of articles.
41. Go Live. Many applications installed on past versions of Windows have been removed. Starting with Windows 7, these applications (and a few others not typically installed with Windows) have been moved into the Live Essentials downloadable applications, at download.live.com. These applications include Messenger, Mail, Writer, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Family Safety and a few others.
42. Remove Apps. Although some applications have been moved off of Windows to become an optional download, other apps, such as IE8, Media Player, Media Center and DVD Maker are still included. In times past, especially when it came to IE, the applications were tied into the OS. However, in Windows 7 you can easily remove them if desired. Head to the Program and Features applet in Control Panel and select the “Turn Windows features on or off” link in the top left-hand corner. Then you can select the checkbox of the features you want to lose or add for your system. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | 3 Comments »
October 05, 2009 by
Jason
Redmond-based software company Microsoft released several months ago its own solution aimed at offering Windows 7 RC users the possibility to enjoy compatibility with the older Windows XP operating system, the Windows XP Mode. Available for download initially in a beta flavor, the RC iteration of Windows XP Mode is currently up for grabs for those who installed the RC version of Windows 7, and is bound to become final in the near future.
A recent post on the Windows 7 Team Blog states that Windows XP Mode was released to manufacturing on October 1 and that the final version of the solution is expected to become available for download as soon as Windows 7 hits the market, on October 22, to be more precise. The RTM version of this solution is meant to offer OEMs the possibility to include the XP Mode within the PCs they will bring to the market, the post also notes.
“Windows XP Mode is designed to provide small business and mid-sized businesses running Windows 7 Professional (or higher) the ability to run Windows XP productivity applications that may not be natively compatible with Windows 7. We expect many Windows XP applications to be compatible [with] Windows 7 however Windows XP Mode is meant to serve as an added safety net so small and mid-sized businesses can migrate and run Windows 7 without any road blocks. Windows 7 Professional is designed to meet the needs of small and mid-sized businesses,” Brandon LeBlanc describes the software solution. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7, Windows XP | 1 Comment »
October 04, 2009 by
Jason
Following the same behavioral pattern as with the release of Windows Vista, software developers have striven to offer the masses the possibility to disguise Windows XP as Windows 7. There are plenty of freeware products on the market ready to emulate various features of the yet to be officially released operating system from Microsoft.
Seven Transformation Pack is the most prominent piece of software in the bunch, which has a tradition in making XP emulate the looks of ulterior operating systems launched by Microsoft. Vista Transformation Pack was created by the same developers and raked up positive attention. Also, there are various pieces of software dedicated to imitate different features in Windows 7, such as the new taskbar and system tray layout, Start Menu and even the font and icons, as well as the glass effect given by Aero theme.
SevenMizer is not a superset of all of the above, but comes with an extremely easy installation at the end of which you’re going to receive a makeover of the old, dusty XP look, turning it into a very close resemblance to the interface in Windows 7. The best part is yet to come: you don’t have to make any sort of configuration and what you see is all there is to know about the application. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7, Windows XP | No Comments »
September 27, 2009 by
Jason
Firefox 3.5 has been here for a while now, and Firefox 3.6 awaits just around the corner to make an appearance, yet the guys over at Mozilla are already working on the development of Firefox 3.7. Considered only a minor upgrade for the browser, the 3.7 version is expected to land in March next year and bring around a series of visual changes to the Firefox that we know at the moment.
For the time being, however, it should be noted that these directions are only proposals, and that they need to be approved before being put into place. The changes in theme, states the Mozilla Wiki page describing what Firefox 3.7 might include, are not aimed only at the visual style, but will also affect UI placement and arrangement, as well as the evolution new features of the browser will register.
“As noted on the 3.0 Windows Default Theme Issues Wikipage, Firefox feels dated and behind on Windows. Especially Vista and Windows 7. These issues include absence of Glass, anemic purple toolbar color on Vista, tall and bulky UI footprint, element overload, inconsistent toolbar icon usage/style, lack of a tactile look & feel and perhaps too great of a divergence between the look on XP and Vista/7,” is what Mozilla Wiki states. Read More»
Posted in Firefox, Windows 7 | 3 Comments »
September 02, 2009 by
Jason
Microsoft is offering Windows 7 RTM as a free download. That’s right! Completely free, no catch, no strings attached. The Redmond-based company is delivering customers the possibility of continuing the testing of its latest iteration of the Windows client even after the Release Candidate Build 7100 development milestone downloads have been discontinued. In this regard, the Windows 7 RTM Enterprise edition bits are currently up for grabs straight from the software giant. Customers will be able to test drive the release for no less than 90 days.
Stephen L. Rose, Senior community manager, Windows IT Pro Client, explained that the free Windows 7 RTM Enterprise 90-day evaluation comes as a consequence of direct input from IT professionals. “Many IT pros we talk to have been looking for a way to continue their work with the Release Candidate to test their applications, hardware and deployment strategies with final Windows 7 bits. In response, we have created the Windows 7 Enterprise 90 Day trial edition, available beginning [September 1, 2009],” Rose noted.
Microsoft is already offering the RTM of Windows 7 via a variety of channels to specialized audiences. However, the free Windows 7 RTM Enterprise 90-day evaluation comes with no limitations, and is available for download for all IT pros independent of the subscription-based or volume licensing sources. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | 8 Comments »
This tips helps you enable or disable Data Execution Prevention (DEP) for Office applications.
To enable or disable DEP automatically, click the Fix it button or link. Click Run in the File Download dialog box, and then follow the steps in the Fix it wizard.
Note this wizard may be in English only; however, the automatic fix also works for other language versions of Windows.
Note if you are not on the computer that has the problem, save the Fix it solution to a flash drive or a CD and then run it on the computer that has the problem.
Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Read More»
Posted in Office | No Comments »
Whether you’re dealing with users in your work environment or kids at home, being able to control what applications a user can use can prevent a lot of hassle and headaches. Windows 7 includes a new tool, called AppLocker, that lets you do just this by creating a policy to specify exactly what applications a user is allowed to run.
To access this feature, click start and enter Gpedit.msc. Then navigate to Computer Configuration | Windows Settings | Security Settings | Application Control Policies. Expand the Application Control Policies node and highlight AppLocker.
Here you can configure Executable Rules, Windows Installer Rules, and Script Rules. For example, highlight the Executable Rules node and right-click to select Create New Rule. You can then create a rule allowing or denying access to an executable based on such criteria as the file path or publisher.
And in case you’re in a hurry, AppLocker will let you apply default or automatic rules. There are a lot of options exposed in AppLocker—too many to cover in a short tip—so you’ll have to play around with it some to get a better idea of just how much this tool can do. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
Say you’re doing a project for school, a presentation, or you simply need to get a hold of an application’s original (512 x 512) icon. Searching Google Images may do the trick, but you’ll often find yourself with pictures that are too small, blurry, modified or just not the one you’re looking for. This short guide will show you how to get your hands on an application’s original icon, right from within itself.
Power users should know that most Mac OS X apps (be they Apple-developed, or created by third-party devs) contain something called a “Resources” folder. This folder is mostly used by the application itself to get the images and sounds it needs to display / play throughout the course of running. Yes, you’ve guessed right: this is the place you need to be to start looking for that app’s icon set. We’ll use Apple’s GarageBand as the example for this short tutorial.
1. The first thing you need to do is navigate to where GarageBand is installed on your computer. If you have it already living peacefully in your Dock, just right-click its icon and select “Show in Finder.” Whether or not you’ve placed the music-making program in your Applications folder, you can simply fire up Spotlight (CMD + Space) and do a quick search to locate the app. Hold down the Command (CMD) key and hit Return (Enter) with the GarageBand selected in Spotlight. Congratulations! You’ve found where GarageBand is situated on your Mac’s hard drive.
Read More»
Posted in Mac | No Comments »