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Posts tagged Windows
How to add a new user to Windows 7
Aug 20th
This info applies to Windows 7, and I understand it also works in Windows Vista.
Click Start > Control Panel > under User Accounts and Family Safety, click Add or remove user accounts.
Next, type in your new account name (John, The Laptop, etc…) and choose the account type “Standard user” (see note below). Now click the Create Account button. At this point you can add a password to your new account, or there are other options like managing other users. When you are done close the window and you’ve created your new user. Next time you start or reboot your computer, it will stop and let you choose which profile you wish to login with.
NOTE: Only choose an Administrator if you need to, and you understand exactly what that means. Otherwise you can end up with big trouble as you accidentally leave your computer less secure than it could be. If you needed a user with Administrator privileges you probably wouldn’t be reading this unless you need a refresher.
Resize Desktop Icons in Windows 7
Jun 15th
I’ve got a new computer running Windows 7 Home Premium and at 1024×768 the desktop icons seemed huge. I found a nice shortcut to resize the desktop icons (I still don’t know the “right” way) that is right quick and intuitive.
Resize Desktop Icons in Windows 7
First, click the desktop once in an empty area to give it “focus”. Next, hold down the CTRL button and scroll with the mouse wheel. Scroll forward (up) to increase icon size, scroll backward (down) to decrease desktop icons and make them smaller. Note this will resize the icons – not the text under them.
Now I’ve also changed my screen resolution to 1280×1024 and they look even better, but I think I’ll monkey around with the size of the icon text some later.
Organize Gmail + Your Desktop
Jun 24th
ORGANIZE GMAIL
Check out the Gmailblog’s “So, you want to be a Gmail ninja?” and Gmail Help’s Become a Gmail Ninja for some ideas to increase your productivity with Gmail. You’ll read interesting tips and see entertaining videos about Gmail and how to get more out of it.
Note that the Gmail has already sent out all 1,024 of their free, laminated printed versions of the Become a Gmail Ninja guide, but you can get them online for $1.25 at http://www.barcharts.com/gmail.
ORGANIZE YOUR WINDOWS DESKTOP
You also might look to Stardock’s Fences to tame your Windows desktop. Fences lets you create labeled, re-sizeable “fences” on your desktop to keep all of your desktop icons in a neat arrangement of your choosing. Its easy-to-use and customize. Read the directions, there are some system requirements.
FENCES YOUTUBE DEMO
Windows 7 on Windows XP Machine
Jun 7th
Thanks to Sun Microsystem’s VirtualBox I can run both Windows XP and Windows 7 (Release Candidate) on my Windows XP machine with a 2.4GHz Athlon CPU and 2GB of RAM. Naturally, its not the fastest running setup mainly due to RAM, but its really cool for me. I wanted to check out Windows 7 first-hand and I didn’t feel like figuring out how to partition my laptop’s hard disk into partitions to allow Windows 7 to be run along-side Windows Vista or by overwriting it.
Click to enlarge screenshots.
Windows 7 – Hype or Heaven?
Jun 3rd
Microsoft is Marketing Genius
An IT buddy of mine was recently telling me how IT experts were very unhappy with Windows Vista, and that the many in the IT community are gravitating toward recommending Windows XP over Windows Vista. As a matter-of-fact, Microsoft has extended the life of Windows XP, in essence giving support to is longer so people have the option to skip Vista and go straight to Windows 7 – go IT experts! So here comes Windows 7 and then, what? Magic? Well, I think Windows should run better – you know, be more secure and crash less, but maybe Windows 7 does have some magic.
There is no question Microsoft is good at marketing, the real question is can they deliver a more bullet-proof Windows OS that meets the marketing hype, and are they just making over Windows Vista? Will people switch from Vista to Windows 7?
Windows 7 Preview from Youtube
MORE WINDOWS 7
Windows 7 Videos on Microsoft.com
Windows 7 Videos on Youtube.com
Windows 7 Screenshots
Windows 7, Is it Windows Vista?
Windows 7 Screenshots
Microsoft DirectX Vulnerability
May 31st
A bit about Microsoft Security Advisory 971778, Vulnerability in Microsoft DirectShow Could Allow Remote Code Execution (does not apply to Windows Vista, Server 2008 and Windows 7).
According to what I’ve read there is a vulnerability being exploited in Microsoft DirectX’s DirectShow in the form of a specially crafted Quicktime Movie. I don’t suspect any foul play on Microsoft’s part, but I find it very interesting that the vulnerability affects a Microsoft competitor, and that the fix is to disable movie playback on that competitor’s video product.
READ: Microsoft Security Advisory 971778
FIX: KB Article 971778 – has a Microsoft Fix it button to do the leg work for you
READ MORE: ZDNet’s Article on Dangerous Microsoft DirectX vulnerability under attack
Microsoft At It Again – Mojave Commercials on TV
Dec 13th
Well sitting around innocently tonight I got hit with a Window Mojave commercial. I guess they have to talk people into buying Vista PC’s during the holiday season.
WINDOWS MOJAVE COMMERCIAL
Disk Defrag for Windows – Auslogics Disk Defrag
Nov 5th
Written for Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 Server/Vista/2008 Server and FREE I find Auslogics Disk Defrag 1.5.19.330 is a great addition to Windows Disk Defrag, which I’m told is not the best. The only thing I don’t like (I have v 1.4) are the integrated advertisements for Auslogics BoostSpeed 4 for $29.95.
Auslogics Disk Defrag 1.4 lets me set up whether or not to remove temporary files first, whether or not to display removalbe drives (USB drives etc) and I can select the level of CPU usage (Low, Normal, High Highest) which allows me to set faster ro slower speed depending upon whether or not I’ll be using the computer while defragging.
