Tag: media

Windows Feature Pack for Storage 1.0 RTW

February 16, 2009 by Jason

New storage features have come to Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Windows XP SP3 and releases of the Windows Server platforms. Windows Feature Pack for Storage 1.0 was released to web (RTW) and is now available for download and integration with the supported operating systems. This is the finalized version of Windows Feature Pack for Storage 1.0, with Microsoft cooking the pack since 2008. In fact, in August 2008, the Redmond company was dropping a pre-release version of the solution via Microsoft Connect.

“The Windows Feature Pack for Storage 1.0 includes the following features: Image Mastering API Update for Blu-Ray Media – this feature enables the Windows platform to do master style optical burning on Blu-Ray media. Smart Card Driver – this release provides support for new form factors, such as ICCD,” Microsoft revealed.

“The following system requirements are necessary to install the Windows Feature Pack for Storage 1.0 – the system must be running one of the following operating systems: Read More»

Windows 7 Guide Version 1.2

December 11, 2008 by Jason

Microsoft has developed one of the key resources it has been providing so far for Windows 7. Accompanying the release of Windows 7 pre-Beta Build 6801 Milestone 3 at the Professional Developers Conference 2008 at the end of October in Los Angeles is the Windows 7 Developer Guide. At the start of December 2008, the Redmond company began offering version 1.2 of the Windows 7 Developer Guide, which brings an edited Media Platform section. In this regard, in version 1.1, Microsoft delivered descriptions to the areas dealing with the Windows Biometric Framework (WBF) and Direct3D 10.1 Command Remoting.

“The Windows Biometric Framework (WBF) provides an API which enables applications to use fingerprint devices to enroll, identify, and verify user identities without gaining direct access to any biometric fingerprint hardware or samples. You can use WBF with fingerprint devices that have Windows Biometric Device Interface (WBDI) drivers. WBF is extensible through plug-in adapters that manage sensor communications, biometric matching, and template storage,” Microsoft revealed. Read More»

Media Pack for Windows XP N SP3

December 01, 2008 by Jason

Having taken Windows XP to Service Pack 3 in the first half of this year, Microsoft is continuing the evolution of the operating system. In this context, the Redmond company has made available for download the Media Pack update for the N variants of Windows XP SP3. The Media Pack is available through Windows Update, and is designed to integrate exclusively with the Windows XP Home Edition N SP3 and Windows XP Professional N. The other editions of Windows XP SP3 already contain by default the components delivered by the Media Pack.

“Different software programs and Web sites rely on some Windows files that are not included in Windows XP Home Edition N or in Windows XP Professional N. This update makes sure that these software programs and Web sites work correctly,” Microsoft revealed, informing that XP users would have to first install Windows Media Player and Service Pack 3 in order to be able to integrate the Media Pack.

The N versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista have been born as a necessity for Microsoft to comply with an antitrust decision of the European Union. In this regard, the Redmond company is offering in Europe versions of its Windows clients stripped of Windows Media Player. Read More»

Vista Free Downloads to Tweak & Improve Your System

July 14, 2008 by Jason

Improve your experience in Windows Vista with Pctipsbox TOP 10 free recommended downloads.

1. MZ Vista Force is a system tweaker. Use it to accelerate performance, juice your browsing speed, clean up your hard disk, clearout bandwidth-wasting startup programs, and even fine-tune Windows Media Player and Explorer.

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

2. Vista Boot Logo Generator allows you to change it easily your boot screen 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 utility replaces your boot screen with them. Download Vista Boot Logo Generator. Read More»

June reliability update for Vista SP1

June 29, 2008 by Jason

An update is available that will help improve the performance and reliability of Windows Vista SP1.

This update includes the following improvements on a Windows Vista SP1-based computer:

1. The stability of Windows Vista SP1-based computers by addressing some crashes that may occur when you try to check e-mail by using a POP3 e-mail client such as Windows Mail or Mozilla Thunderbird.

2. The reliability of the Windows Vista SP1 based-computers by addressing some problems that occur when you delete user accounts by using the User Accounts item in Control Panel. When this problem occurs, the system may stop responding (hang). Read More»

What is WMPNSCFG.exe? and why it is running? in vista

February 17, 2008 by Jason

There are lots of process in windows which keeps on running in the background using some share of windows resources all the time.

These process are most of the time are not use full to all of us, one of those process is wmpnscfg.exe

What is wmpnscfg.exe?

wmpnscfg.exe is used to alert users when a new media device is found on the network. When wmpnscfg is notified that a new media device is available on the network, it displays a popup in the system tray that informs the user about the availability of the new device. Read More»

Zune Desktop Software 2.3 released

February 03, 2008 by Jason

First all, if you own a Zune and you listen to a lot of podcasts, you probably won’t want to miss this desktop software update for the Zune. It purportedly has a lot of podcasting related fixes. (I know that occasionally I’ll get certain podcasts registered twice in the desktop Zune software.

Personally, I use my Zune primarily to listen to podcasts, and podcasts alone. (I’ve only recently really started to load up more than a gigabyte of music on my 8GB flash-based device.) In fact, I should probably do an entry highlighting the IT related podcasts I listen to as some point. Read More»

Windows Vista Alternate Media

January 29, 2008 by Jason

You can turn the 32-bit SKUs of Windows Vista into the 64-bit editions of the operating system. But it will cost you… Vista is the first client platform that features both the x86 and x64 flavors simultaneously, on the market since the moment of launch. Although Microsoft delivers the operating system on a single DVD, the media only contains either all the 32-bit editions, or all the 64-bit SKUs, but not all of them.

In this context, jumping from the 32-bit version of the platform to the 64-bit one is not as streamlined a process as it might seem. Read More»

Windows Vista to Windows XP Downgrades Media

January 09, 2008 by Jason

With the advent of Windows Vista, the issue of downgrading to Windows XP came into the limelight and got a consistent amount of play throughout 2007. Initially, Microsoft had a complex downgrading process in place that forced Windows users to go from Vista to XP through unnecessary activation pains. As a direct consequence of user feedback, the company simplified the downgrading process, in order to streamline the implementation of an older Windows iteration in place of Vista.

Here was the old process of downgrading from Vista to XP, courtesy of Microsoft: “when an end user is using their downgrade rights offered under the License Terms in Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Ultimate editions, and they use both Windows XP media and product keys that were previously activated, they cannot activate online over the Internet, due to the hardware configuration change when installing on the Windows Vista system. Read More»

30 Free Windows Applications

February 03, 2007 by Jason

Windows Vista and Office 2007 are just over the horizon and are probably going to take a significant chunk out of most people is bank balances. If after buying these apps you find yourself a bit short of cash, then you should check out some of the great free software available for Windows.

The Simple Dollar have created a list of 30 Essential Free Programs For Windows. Listed are great programs like Firefox and Thunderbird that many people have heard of. But, did you know that Mozilla also offer Sunbird, which is a free calendaring application? Read More»