Tag: Software

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»

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 utilities 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»

Hack Vista’s screensavers

July 07, 2008 by Jason

For reasons inexplicable to mere mortals, doesn’t allow you to customize how Vista’s work for example, by changing how the bubbles look in the Bubbles , or the number or thickness of the in the .

If you’re willing to get your hands dirty by using the , though, you can customize both. For the Bubbles , for example, you can turn the bubbles metallic or keep them transparent, configure whether the bubbles should have shadows, and display the bubbles against the desktop or instead against a solid black . For the , you can change the number and thickness of the .

To customize the Bubbles , launch the Editor by typing regedit at the Start Search box or at a prompt and pressing Enter. Then: Read More»

Top 10 Causes your computer slows

July 06, 2008 by Jason

1. Start-up packed with too many applications (Start-up overload)

Over time, as you add more and more programs to your , many of these applications automatically add themselves to your Start-up folder. Additionally, these applications can add themselves quietly to a hidden area of your Start-up (accessed via the run ). In extreme cases your PC will appear completely frozen.

Limiting the number of applications loading themselves at start-up can boot times considerably and increase overall . Read More»

Turn XP into a Blazing Speed Demon

July 06, 2008 by Jason

I used to rely on ’s Disk, then, eventually Perfect Disc and to my HDD. is the idea- an antiquated process of reorganizing bytes on spinning platter so that each file is grouped into contiguous locations on the disk. Many still believe that hard disk drives on a regular basis keeps PCs operating at peak . But that idea is behind the times.

served its purpose back when folks chugged along on 486DX4 PCs powered by 5400rpm drives. Now those where slooooow drives and extra spindle movements arising from truly hobbled the . But that’s no longer the case. Today, 7200-RPM hard-disk drives with monster seek and latency times are the bare minimum; most brag a 16-MB cache buffer. Couple that with XP’s high NTFS and you’ll quickly discover that no longer makes much improvement, if any, to . I say this after thorough experimentation on my QuadCore running on a 10,000RPM Western Digital Raptor. 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 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 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»

14 Things that Microsoft Needs to Do with Windows 7

June 14, 2008 by Jason

made no secret out of having, for some time now, been cooking the next iteration of , a translucent development process with very little transparent areas including details such as multi-touch, support for and architectures, and the evolution of the Vista kernel, graphics and audio subsystems. Pieces of the 7 puzzle are indeed starting to come together, and a more consistent perspective will be delivered at the company’s 2008 Professional Developers Conference, that will take place between October 27 and 30 in Los Angeles.

Chairman Bill Gates and with Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President, and Live Engineering Group, have made it clear that 7 will be the evolution of Vista. With the current acting as the foundation for the next, there have already been mentions of Vista SP2 or even Vista R2, but since actual details are gagged, all speculations about 7 are fair . In this context, Gates has also mentioned that 7 will be a product of ’s philosophy that states “do things better.” The Redmond company’s Co-Founder indicated that Vista has given ample opportunity for improvements with 7.

The intimate connection between 7 and Vista manages to raise questions as to just how much of the current client is going to survive into the next version, and just what sins it will pass along. Hopefully, has learned relevant lessons from Vista, and will not repeat the Wow mistakes. There are of course a few things that the Redmond company can do to ensure this. Read More»

Windows SteadyState for Vista and XP

June 12, 2008 by Jason

has made available for the SteadyState for the editions of XP and Vista. SteadyState is a tool designed for scenarios in which to machines is completely unrestricted. The evolution of the for XP, SteadyState has been designed for the specific purpose of managing computers, safeguarding resourced against changes made by untrusted users, and making irrelevant unwanted installations. Read More»