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The stuff that really matters to me.
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A Look Back at 2007 in Reviews
Hey everyone, Happy New Year! Yeah its a bit late for that one, but don't worry I have not gone anywhere. I am definitely excited about the year 2008 and what has in store for us technology wise. The year 2007 was a fast pace one and we witnessed the release of major Microsoft products which resulted in numerous reviews, I just would like to take a brief look back what we covered: Software Reviews Hardware Reviews and there are many more you can find in the ActiveWin Reviews Section There are many products in the pipeline I am looking forward to review such as Windows Internet Explorer 8 and Windows Server 2008! Technorati tags: 2008, New Year, Reviews, ActiveWin, Acer Ferrari 5000, Windows Vista, Office 2007, Gateway, Microsoft, Wireless, Logitech, 64-Bit, Internet Explorer 8, Windows Server 2008 
Seasons Greetings from Teching It Easy
I would like to wish Happy Holidays and a Happy/Prosperous 2008 when it comes to all readers of Teching it Easy. Andre
Windows Vista Year in Review
November 17th 2007will mark one year since I have been using Microsoft’s latest client desktop operating system – Windows Vista. Vista has been a momentous release for me, I will admit, there were bumps along the way and there is still a lot more to prove. But the conclusion for me is clear; Windows Vista is a significant release that delivers a first class user experience in comparison to its predecessor and market alternatives. ActiveWin’s year in review is meant to take a look at how the operating system has performed for me since its debut, I hope you will read it and also share your feedback. Windows Vista has experienced strong adoption throughout the year beating many analyst expectations, it is estimated that up to 90 million users have upgraded to the new release through new PC purchases and retail upgrades licenses. So it’s apparent that this release of Windows has been healthy for Microsoft and will continue to do well with the coming holiday season. Numerous sites have also blown up across the web with thousands of enthusiast catering to the new operating system and its various features. I have been using both x86 and x64 Vista platforms, one device driver continues to hold me back from going 100% 64-bit. BVRP Mobile Phone Tools – please work on getting your device driver working properly on Vista x64, it’s been ‘one year’ come on! In regards to compatibility Vista had a rough start no doubt, the device drivers were available, but most were plagued with stability problems, this issue also applied to some software applications. But I can honestly say the problems have pretty much been ironed out and has helped to deliver a better experience for me and other users. Part of this excellence is attributed to the much improved Windows Update service in Vista. Microsoft has gone far and beyond to make users have the latest software and hard drivers by pushing them through the service. The new Problem Reports and Solutions component is also a great feature that continually gives Microsoft structured feedback about issues your system might encounter running Windows Vista. Its one of the great ways to really diagnose and find solutions to common problems users are likely to have such as software compatibility and device driver issues. Interface  Its no secret, Windows Vista’s Aero Theme is a major draw for new and existing users of Windows, it’s the most critical part of the user experience we as users interact with on Vista. AERO is just visually appealing, cool and really adds a professional quality and dimension to the PC. Some say AERO is a resource hog, its confusing, distracting, but I “must” disagree. AERO Glass really is beautiful and productive by really putting emphasis on an applications window main content, persons who say its distracting have never used Vista, AERO is also about bringing aesthetics to a vitally important part of the computer. It’s distracting at first yes because you are left wondering if this is Windows, you immediately admire the quality and focus on the changes brought to the desktop. I am running AERO Glass on an nVidia Geforce FX 5200 128 MBs of RAM AGP card and I get all the effects without any drawbacks in performance, so persons talking about AERO being a cheap thrill really need to sit down and take a serious look at the OS and actually use it before coming to a conclusion. Microsoft did a great job here.
In my Windows XP Professional x64 Edition year in review I proclaimed that Vista x64 would be the transition to 64-bit ubiquity, but I must be honest that it has not been entirely so. I previously noted compatibility problems with my cellular phone. The industry is still not behind the platform it seems, but there has been definitely a lot of progress. In comparison to Windows 2000, Vista x64 is probably one of the smoothest Windows migrations I have ever had. This is a testament to detail and effort Microsoft has put into making the experience as identical in everyway to its 32-bit counter part. It’s up to the industry to provide the other half of the bargain and some have definitely done so, nVidia and AMD ATI for example have regularly released updated device drivers for their graphics cards which have improved the stability and performance on Vista systems. Users have not been bombarded with issues such as RAID/SATA issues which were very pronounced for the XP x64 release. Please note, I am not saying the issue does not exist, but it is not as rampant, numerous devices have worked for users since day one and a plethora of software programs have supported Vista since day one, these include Graphics Cards, AIO Printers, Scanners, Wireless and USB Devices. Microsoft has estimated that over 2 million devices are now supported for Windows Vista and the list continues to grow. New avenues have opened up for Windows customers such as the Windows Market Place where users can find over 90,000 products that are designed for the platform. For me personally though, Vista is truly a personalized experience, I have discovered that I am doing more with my computer than I ever did before. During the BETA’s I acquired a Digital Camera and started taking lots of photos, Vista helped me out of the box to really enjoy this leisure task, managing, sorting, editing and viewing photos/videos is such a great time on the computer. Vista’s Photo Gallery has really changed the way I interact with my images, the built in tagging capabilities, the direct integration with applications such as Windows DVD Maker, Windows Movie Maker are allowing me to go beyond just using my computer as a tool and more as an opportunity to create memories I want to enjoy and share. It sounds cliché and more like a commercial and many would come to the argument that I could have done this on a Mac years ago. But I didn’t have to do a major reinvestment in hardware and software/migration. It only took an upgrade from Windows XP to really start doing amazing things with my computer. Vista’s built in search is such a critical part of the Windows Experience, its everywhere in the system and makes the triviality of accessing your files such a second nature thing to do. Users have talked about the new Explorer shell and some problems that I have found frustrating myself. The issue of customized Explorer shells not remembering their settings when applied regardless of the numerous methods and workarounds suggested. The new Command Bar is also an area I wish more focus was invested in terms of retaining some of the control users had in XP. Simply, it cannot be customized to add your own buttons such as Cut, Copy and Paste to speed up common task when working in folders. Still, its all good, features that I do find myself really mesmerized by include the Bread Crumb menus that let me easily back track and take quick short cuts through the folder hierarchy with great ease. A lot users still fail to really see the benefits from a productivity point of view and receive Windows Vista with a mind set that is not necessarily open to change and more focused on stark differences between XP that lets face it are stark differences in how the user is in more control of what they can do with Windows Vista. Performance There have been small issues around performance Microsoft has plugged since its release, during the summer, the Company released performance updates and most recently updated them to improve the reliability and stability in areas such as Copy and Paste which many persons including myself noted as being horribly slow especially when copying large files. Persons still say Vista’s performance in general could be better, but I assume there are some illusions to this and there are some factors to be accounted for. My brother purchased a laptop notebook from Dell Inc. in June of 2006 with Windows XP Home hoping he would have a smooth upgrade to Windows Vista when it hit the market. The notebook was designated Windows Vista Capable, it came with an Intel Core Duo 1.6 GHz processor, 512 MBs of system memory. In February of this year, he upgraded to Vista Business but was immediately burnt by the slow performance he got from the system, upgrading was slow, using the OS was slow. Microsoft has long informed us that Vista works best with 1 GB of RAM. So, a lot of consumers have been misled I personally believe by the OEMs system specs and the Vista Ready logos. Its not entirely Microsoft’s fault here, since Microsoft can’t dictate what OEMs put in their machines and ship to customers. My brother upgraded his memory from 512 to a total of 1.2 GBs and the difference in performance was like night and day. The matter of what is best in terms of system specs for Vista especially when it comes to RAM is still falling on deaf ears. My Sister-in-law purchased a Dell 1501 notebook with Vista Basic in March which I was surprised to know came with 512 MBs of RAM and a 2.0 GHz AMD Sempron processor. I am not surprised by the processor since it is of course a budget notebook. But why is Dell still pushing systems out the door with 512 MBs of RAM? It’s like Dell doesn’t even run some test on these systems to see how they perform before putting them in the hands of consumers. This past summer a friend purchased a Gateway ML3109 notebook which also came with 512 MBs of RAM and Vista Home Basic. OEMs don’t realize the perception this creates for them and the OS, the brand is affected and consumers come to a conclusion the OS is not ready, it’s buggy and slow. I am running Vista Ultimate 32-bit on a Dell 8300 Dimension, 3.2 GHz P4, I purchased in March of 2004, and the machine has been updated since the betas with 2 GBs of RAM. Vista performs exceptionally well on it, it shows when a system is configured the right way how the experience can be a positive one for the end user. The same applies to my brother who is running Vista with 1.2 GBs of RAM and clearly satisfied with the OS for being what most would say is an early adopter. Security I can’t really come to a conclusion on Security in Windows Vista yet, but it’s been good, so far. The top name brand Security vendors have updated their popular Antivirus utilities with full support for both Vista x86 and x64 which is really good in my opinion. Microsoft themselves have also pushed out their Antivirus solution Windows Live OneCare, but I have avoided it based on some lack lustre reasons. I am using Symantec Norton Corporate Edition 10.2 on my desktop and Computer Associates for Vista x64. The controversial UAC is still ‘annoying’ and I am not going to nice it up. Its necessary, but I wish it could be less needy in certain areas or a feature added to the UAC dialog to remember for certain locations of the system I access. I don’t want to sacrifice the integrity of the feature itself, but UAC is just a bit too much, its like this nagging little @#$! I just hate it sometimes <sigh>. So I hope Microsoft focuses on some intelligent way of making UAC understands what can infiltrate the system from what cannot – just be more user aware. Applications still remain another area where UAC is still a big of problem; I have seen only a few applications that have escaped the wrath of the UAC dialog – Microsoft Office is one of them, the worst application is Apple’s iTunes. It’s still early and I am sure developers are still adjusting to the new Least User Privilege architecture in the OS. Backup in Vista is awesome, the Complete PC Backup type feature in particular is something I had to turn to from third party vendors in prior versions of Windows. I personally believe Microsoft should have made the feature available to all SKUs, since I believe everybody’s data is important no matter the platform they are using. What I like about Complete PC Backup in Vista is how simple and straightforward it is, just attach an external drive and I’m good to go. Some persons have reported errors with the feature itself such as (0x800000587) type errors when backing up or restoring the system. I personally have not experienced this, and I have not read any proper resolutions for the problem itself. I do know you can receive such an error on laptops if it’s not plugged into its AC adapter. Compatibility A lot of applications were not working right for Vista back in January, some of my daily apps like Office 2007, Encarta 2007 worked out of the box, other critical applications like Corel Draw X3, Photoshop CS3, new versions QuickBooks 2007 and Peach Tree Accounting 2008 and Ahead Nero 8 were upgraded to work with Vista so I am very satisfied so far and have not experienced a strong case of compatibility issues although this resulted in either purchasing new versions of certain apps such as QuickBooks and Peach Tree or waiting on necessary patches to enable compatibility. A lot of application compatibility issues again go back to the new changes in the user privileges in the OS, prior to Vista applications were designed to run with full Administrator rights, but because Vista made changes to the user account settings most applications do not readily operate properly since they do not get to access the system in an open way as they did in XP and 2000. It’s a tricky situation for many users and the reality is many applications will either have to be updated, run in Compatibility or installed on a supported OS in Virtual PC 2007. The Ultimate Cost  I mentioned some of the rich multimedia capabilities in Vista such as Photo Gallery which was recently upgraded to Windows Live Photo Gallery featuring strong integration with Microsoft’s Windows Live platform. This clearly proves that Microsoft is not standing still with Vista and is continually focusing on adding value through integration and new experiences allowing users to enjoy and share their memories in new ways. In November of 2006 Microsoft announced Windows Ultimate Extras, an exclusive set of services designed exclusively for Vista Ultimate customers. So far the initiative has been lack lustre, but I do appreciate some of cool features like Windows Dreamscene which brings your wallpapers life. A few other features have been added to the service such as the support for all World Wide Language Interfaces, Bitlocker Drive Preparation Tool and the Hold ‘Em poker game. But it’s most obvious there could be more, since the incentive the Ultimate SKU was continued value beyond the box. I do hope there is more in store, but so far I am a little disappointed and would have like to see a clear understanding of what Ultimate Extras are all about and what it means for me in the long term.
Going Forward I can’t cover everything because it would never be finished; I hope to do a future follow up in the near future. Looking into Vista’s future one can only say it will only get better. Microsoft is currently working on the first Service Pack for the OS which is expected sometime in early 2008. I won’t say it has been all great since day one, but Vista found its footing from early on and the industry started to invest early on in the platforms unique features, I will honestly say that Vista will be a year of building on the momentum and more users will get to experience the OS on machines I believe are more Vista prepared. Vista offers a cohesive experience users will greatly appreciate from multimedia/consumer oriented task to focus on an engaging productive experience for businesses whether it’s seamlessly connecting to wireless networks, managing files, collaboration, searching and really doing more with your PC. I say if you have been on the fence about upgrading to Vista, there is just no more need to wait. Resources: ActiveWin.com: Windows Vista ActiveWin.com: Windows Vista 32 & 64 Bit Review Windows Vista Team Blog Windows Vista Experience Blog Kristan Kenney: Confessions of a Windows Enthusiast NeoSmart Technologies Windows Vista Communities Previously: ActiveWin.com: Windows XP Professional x64 Edition: Year in Review Technorati tags: Windows Vista, RTM, ActiveWin, Software, Operating Systems, 64-Bit, 32-bit, Service Pack, Vista Ultimate Edition, Reviews, Windows Live, Ultimate Extras
Remaining Ultimate Extra Language Packs Released!
From Windows Ultimate via ActiveWin "We are pleased to announce the release of the remaining 19 languages packs for Windows Vista Ultimate. This Ultimate Extras release brings the total number of language packs for use with Windows Vista Multilingual User Interface Pack (MUI) to 35. Windows Vista Ultimate enables users install multiple languages on their system and quickly switch between them by associating a system language with their login name." Learn more here The additional supported languages are: - Arabic
- Bulgarian
- Croatian
- Czech
- Estonian
- Greek
- Hebrew
- Hungarian
- Latvian
- Lithuanian
- Polish
- Portuguese (Portugal)
- Romanian
- Serbian
- Slovak
- Slovenian
- Thai
- Turkish
- Ukrainian
Also, this release includes an update to the lpksetup.exe installation component, correcting issues that affected some customers at installation. We recommend you download and install this component before installing any language packs; the updated component can be found here. NeoWin.net 
New Compatibility, Reliability and Stability update for Windows Vista
From Microsoft Downloads This update improves the compatibility, reliability, and stability of Windows Vista. This update includes the following improvements: - It extends the battery life for mobile devices.
- It improves the stability of portable computers and of desktop computers that use an uninterruptable power supply (UPS).
- It improves the reliability of Windows Vista when you open the menu of a startup application.
- It improves the stability of wireless network services.
- It shortens the startup time of Windows Vista by using a better timing structure.
- It shortens the recovery time after Windows Vista experiences a period of inactivity.
- It shortens the recovery time when you try to exit the Photos screen saver.
- It improves the stability of Windows PowerShell.
This update also resolves the following issues in Windows Vista: - A compatibility issue that affects some third-party antivirus software applications.
- A reliability issue that occurs when a Windows Vista-based computer uses certain network driver configurations.
Download x86 HERE Download x64 HERE Previously: An update is available that improves the compatibility and reliability of Windows Vista 
Yahoo! Web Mail now supports Windows Live Contacts
I logged into my Yahoo email address this morning to catch up on some email. In addition to noticing a new look and feel and removal of the BETA Tag, Yahoo! Mail notified me I can import my Windows Live Contacts so I could also chat with them online. Previously, only Yahoo! contacts were supported for chatting. I love Yahoo's web mail interface, which I believe loads much quicker than Windows Live Hotmail and features integrated instant messaging and just a more flexible experience when it comes to email in the web browser. Its definitely a winner in my book. Check out some of the screenshots I took. 
I was notified if I would like to import my Windows Live contacts into Yahoo!, too bad I didn't get the dialog that appeared after with the contact listing. 
Windows Live and Hotmail addresses import successfully, no effort at all. Love the floating modal dialog btw. 
The Chat experience is amazing, blazing fast and of course instant - Windows Live Hotmail are you learning? IM conversations can also be saved as email messages. 
Even Windows Live Mail or Hotmail IM Contacts Personal Messages show up - pretty cool! An exceptional update, I hope they improve on the alerts part when it comes to IM part. I notice when my browser was not the active window, I missed a received message. Overall, this is quite an amazing, seamless integrated experience Yahoo has created here that provides a very cohesive experience for users in the Web 2.0 world. Fast, feature rich, powerful, simple, effective! 
New Windows Live Spaces User Home Page - more Facebook like?
I logged in this morning to my Windows Live Space Home Page and was greeted by a new look that had a familiar feel to the popular Facebook user home page with quick overviews of what is going on with your Friends in your Windows Live Space social network. Some familiar features include, friends making new friends and updated photo albumbs or changes made to a persons space. Because Live Space is a blogging service, you still get some old features enhanced and rearranged in a more convenient layout, such as comments on your Space now on the right side, so you can see the latest responses. Its a very nice change thats not only convenient and productive, but just visually richer and connecting. Now this is what I call Social Networking. Check out the screenshots: 
New Windows Live Spaces User Home Page 
Friends can see whats going on in their social network, manage and respond to comments on their blog much easier. New Windows Live Spaces 'Friend Request' email Speaking of updates to Spaces, the Friend Request email has also been updated to be more simplified and get to the point. Check it out: 
You can simply click Be Friends or No, thanks or check out the persons Space before you grant request as before. 
The old Windows Live Spaces Friend request email Some nice improvements I definitely like and appreciate. Windows Live Spaces is becoming more robust, reliable and offers a more integrated experience that makes blogging, expressing your self and interacting with your friends a treat. 
Safer browsing with Internet Explorer 7
From Microsoft  The Internet is a vast place--and not every site is friendly. How do you help protect yourself online? With Windows Internet Explorer 7. Already, the Internet Explorer 7 Phishing Filter prevents nearly one million visits per week to known dangerous websites. In just a few clicks, see how the latest version of the world's most popular web browser can help you be safer online.
• Download it now (it's free!) • Take a tour of Internet Explorer 7 • Why should you upgrade from earlier versions? Already have Internet Explorer 7? • See how to navigate the web more safely • Learn easy keyboard shortcuts • Personalize it with add-ons 
HOW TO: improve the performance of Vista Media Center
From APC Mag Quote: I’ve been running Vista Media Center (VMC) on two machines for a while now, and so far I have to say that the experience has been pretty good, but not all smooth sailing. Just like XP MCE 2005, VMC is very dependent on the capabilities of the hardware platform, the setup of the operating system and any third-party software which has been installed. So, I decided to put together a piece detailing the problems I encountered and how I got around them – what worked and what didn’t. Read the entire article here 
NVIDIA ForceWare Release 163.75 BETA (Windows Vista 32-bit)
From nVidia via ActiveWin Release Highlights: - Beta driver for GeForce 6, 7, and 8 series GPUs.
- Added product support for the following NVIDIA Motherboard GPUs:
- GeForce 7150 / NVIDIA nForce 630i
- GeForce 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 630i
- GeForce 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 620i
- GeForce 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 630i
- GeForce 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 610i
- Improved compatibility for Half-Life 2: Episode 2.
- Added NVIDIA SLI profiles for Portal, Clive Barker's Jericho, SEGA Rally Revo, NHL 08, and European Street Racing.
- Several game and application compatibility fixes. Please read the release notes for more information on product support, features, driver fixes and known compatibility issues.
Technorati tags: Drivers, nVidia, Microsoft Update, Windows Vista, 32-bit, 64-Bit, x86, x64, Geforce, GPU, Graphics Driver, nVidia SLI, Half-Life 2, ForceWare&referrer=)
My Early Preview of Windows Vista SP1 BETA
Microsoft has released a 'test release' of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 to a group of its Technical Testers last week. Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista is a collection of updates and fixes that have been released for Windows Vista since it was Released to Manufacturering (RTM) in late 2006. Microsoft is also focusing on improving the general performance of the operating system in addition to supporting new technologies and standards. The final release is expected sometime in early 2008, but this is subject to change. Microsoft's Pete McKiernan, a Senior Product Manager for Windows gives us an overview of the update here: 
Windows Vista Service Pack 1, V.275 build 6001 One is an improvement to the BitLocker drive encryption system, available only in the Enterprise and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista. Under SP1, BitLocker will be able to encrypt multiple drive volumes; all drive volumes, that is, except for USB drives. Second feature touted by Microsoft is support for emerging hardware and standards. Windows Vista SP1 will support Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI), Intel standard for the interface between software, the operating system and firmware, and Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT), a new Microsoft file system that may eliminate the need for defragmentation in the future. McKiernan categorized other expected changes within Windows Vista SP1 as: - Security enhancements: There is nothing here that the desktop consumer will notice. Under the hood, Microsoft will provide more opportunities for third-party security vendors to communicate their product status with the Windows Security Center. In x64-bit editions, third-party security vendors can work with the kernel patch protection, a source of controversy last summer. Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) files will be signed. The Windows Pseudo-Random Number Generator will have Elliptical Curve Cryptography (ECC) added. And BitLocker will add multifactor authentication combining Trusted Platform Module (TPM) with a Startup key stored on a USB device, meaning that the startup key must match the hardware you are trying to use.
- Reliability enhancements: Microsoft has been analyzing crashes of Windows Vista reported by users and will be making improvements. In particular, more compatibility with newer graphics cards and printers; greater reliability with extended displays on a laptop, various networking scenarios, in systems that were upgraded from Windows XP, and when Windows Vista enters sleep or resumes from sleep.
- Performance enhancements: Microsoft says SP1 will offer performance boosts including the speed to copy and extract files, time to become active from Hibernate and Resume, CPU utilization within Internet Explorer 7 and CPU utilization in laptops, thereby reducing battery drain, and shortening the time when browsing network shares.
Learn more HERE Sounds like a worthy update overall. Now on to my experiences with SP1. I installed it yesterday on a machine running Windows Vista Home Premium x86 RTM (no updates applied), no software installed. The time estimated by the software that it would take to install is around 30 minutes, but turned out to be 37 mins for me. Check out my hardware specs: Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz 2.6 GBs of RAM nVidia Geforce FX 5200 128 MB AGP  
 
Initial phase of Windows Vista SP1 installation - its a pretty SP. :) The installation was very streamlined and smooth until the rebooting started which happened around three times. During this portion of installation, SP1 lingered on, indicating that "a Service Pack for Windows is being installed", in addition other notifications that informed me that I should not unplug or restart my computer and the update will be applied automatically. Eventually, installation was completed and a dialog appeared on screen that informed that Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista was installed sucessfully.     
Some scenes from the Windows Vista SP1 installation. 
Is it? Changes Well, the first big change I noticed was, my theme was set to Windows AERO Basic, the default theme was originally Windows AERO Glass. I tried accessing Explorers such as Personalize and Control Panel, but was unable to. Personalize would not open and the Control Panel applets would not appear. Other parts of the system seemed to work fine. I don't know what has happened here, but I sure will send off a bug report to find out. I did check the Problem Reports and Solutions history to see if there were any issue logged, there was one particular log for Windows Installer Module CPLs. Notable changes to the system include the removal of the Search link on the Start Menu panel and the new Defragment Tool which allows you specify which drives you would like to defrag - very handy and functional compared to whats in the RTM release. So far, those are issues I am experiencing on Windows Vista SP1. Its early days yet and I am sure things will smooth over time such as the numerous reboots required to accomplish the installation. I will be testing out some software to see how well application compatibility performs. The SP1 file is a stand alone installer which weighs around 687 MBs, the x64 file is over 1 GB. The installation seem to have consumed around 2 GBs of disk space, but I am sure there is some debug code in there resulting in smaller release. Also, users will be able to acquire SP1 over Windows Update resulting a small file if they have continually updated their systems since RTM. Users can also look forward to a merged kernel that will be shared with Microsofts next release of their Network Operating System - Windows Server 2008. This should streamline updates and maintainance of both client and server releases in addition to supporting new technologies and standards such as 802.11n based hardware for example and the new EFI standard which was previously mentioned. I am going to do another reinstall though, I suspect something could possibly have gone wrong with my install and I love AERO Glass. ;) Stay tuned for more updates on SP1! Andre Resources: The Windows Experience Blog: Experiencing Windows Vista Service Pack 1 beta Windows Vista Blog: Windows Vista Service Pack 1 beta whitepaper 
BITS Repair Tool for Windows Vista
From Microsoft via ActiveWin The BITS Repair Tool will help you fix a problem caused by the corruption of BITS state files. The problem stops the host process for Windows Services, which prevents you from using BITS to transfer files. Use this tool to resolve the corruption and re-enable BITS transfers. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer. Download: x86 | x64 
Windows Vista Reliability and Compatibility Updates
From ActiveWin.com Microsoft has released several updates to improve the reliabiliy and compatibility of Windows Vista in certain scenarios. The issues resolved by these updates are detailed in the following Knowledge Base articles:
This is a reliability update. Install this update to improve the reliability of Windows Media Player 11 for Windows Vista in certain scenarios.
My Live Hotmail Storage - Its Huge!
I was just checking my email on Windows Live Hotmail and decided to see whats going on around the world, so I clicked the Today link. There I saw my Live Hotmail storage which is now at a whopping 5 GBs! Previously it was at 2 GBs which I barely scratched the surface. Check it out: 
Windows Live Hotmail Mailbox storage This is definitely an enticing value for users who are sharing large files or just plain email a lot. I love Live Hotmail (except for the banners), I plan to do a review of the entire suite of services soon. The services and technologies are just getting better and better, not to mention well integrated. Microsoft should just purchase Facebook and replace the Friends feature in Windows Live Space and we will be good to go. 
Teching It Easy Vista QuickStart Guide Oct. 2007
Teching It Easy is proud to present you the October 2007 edition of the Windows Vista QuickStart Guide and FAQs for getting up and running quick and easy. Now available as a downloadable document in both Adobe PDF and Microsoft XPS you can read in your own convenience offline. The Guide will also be updated and published soon on http://www.activewin.com and my personal technology blog of course. The Guide covers the common basics for getting Vista on your PC, from system requirements to advance topics such as dual booting/partitioning your system. Download formats: XPS HERE PDF HERE 
Congratulations Kristan Kenney - Microsoft MVP 2007 - 2008!
 My good friend Kristan M. Kenney who writes all those popular cool tweak guides for Windows Vista received news this evening that he was awarded the Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) Award for 2007 to 2008 in the category Shell User. Kris Kenney regularly maintains a blog at http://www.windows-now.com in addition to http://www.msblog.org and he also maintains a personal blog on Windows Live Space at http://km-kenney.spaces.live.com/default.aspx
A well deserved awardee, Kris and I started testing Windows Vista at BETA 1 and he has experimented and tested the OS in so many ways I can only imagine. Finding productive ways to improve the end users experience on the operating system, his passion for technology shows through the many thorough articles and guides he has written for Windows Vista in addition to his kindness and willingness to help others. Again, congratulations Kris and keep up the great work you are doing! Resources: Microsoft Most Valuable Professional 
Speaking of Recovery Tools - Windows Vista Backup Center
I just wrote a post about the improved Recovery Tools coming to Vista in the future. Now you can start using the enhanced file and system protection tools built into Windows Vista's Backup and Restore Center today. If you are a licensed user of Windows Vista Ultimate, Enterprise or Business, you can take advantage of the ability to backup your entire system, yep, everything and restore it back just in case anything should go wrong. I was nearly in such a dilemma the other day, but thankfully I was able to resolve my issue using the Diagnostics mode built into Windows which I will discuss in a future post. So, lets take a look at Backup and Restore Center and how easy it is use. You can easily access the Backup and Restore center through the Control Panel or type its name in the Search field on the Vista Start Menu and press Enter. 
Here you see the Backup and Restore Center explorer which list various task and options for protecting your files and computer. Our aim with this tip is to backup the entire computer. Go ahead and click the "Back up computer" button under "Back up files or your entire computer". A User Account Protection (UAC) dialog will launch, click continue. Next the Windows Complete PC Backup wizard will begin and start looking for an attached External hard disk if you have one. If it does not find one, the option will be grayed out and the Optical Disk option will be chosen instead. The first step is to choose where you want to store your backup. My recommendation is on an External drive, in my case, the External drive has already been selected, you can also backup to optical media such as DVD's, but that's not recommended if you have large amounts of data, for instance, my backup will require 43 GB's of space.  Click Next, here we are presented with the Confirmation page which gives us some handy information such as the amount of space required and the disk/s that will be backed up. Please note, that if you have Windows Vista installed on a logical partition dual booting with another copy of Windows, the system partition must also be backed up. Click "Start backup" button to begin the backup process. 
Depending on the size of the backup, the time it will need to accomplish the process will vary, other factors include Disk I/O and memory. My Backup completed within 40 to 45 min's. During the backup process you can choose to stop if you want. 
After the backup process completes successfully you can close the wizard and be happy that your system is safely backed up and can be restored just in case of an emergency such as system failure, inability to boot or device failure. I recommend doing regular backups if you are constantly creating information on your computer, at least once a week. For Windows Vista Home Basic and Home Premium users, you can take advantage of the new Backup Files and Folders feature. I recommend backing up to an external drive because of the extra safety advantages such as the ability to keep off site. 
Doing the Restoration If you need to do the restoration, here is how you go about it. Start you computer, insert your Windows Vista operating system Disc, and boot from it (Make sure your boot drive is set to the optical drive). You will then be booted into the Windows Recovery Environment. 
- Choose your language settings, and then click Next.
- Click Repair your computer link on the setup page.
- Select the operating system you want to repair, and the click Next.
- On the System Recovery Options menu, click Windows Complete PC Restore and then follow the instructions.
Things to remember - If you are backing up a laptop, make sure its AC adapter is plugged or you will receive an error message preventing you from backing your computer.
- When you restore your computer from a Windows Complete PC Backup image, it is a complete restoration. You can't choose individual items to restore, and all your current programs, system settings, and files are replaced.
- Before starting, make sure that the removable media on which your backup is stored is available.
- Backups to DVD more than 4.7 GBs will spanned across disk
Andre 
Vista SP1 Recovery disc feature
Long Zheng over at istartedsomething.com takes a look at the new Recovery Disc tool coming in Vista's first Service Pack due sometime in early 2008. "One of the new administrative tools Windows Vista Service Pack 1 provides is the ability to create a recovery disc. At first, the name might fool you into thinking the type of discs system manufacturers provide to you when you purchase a new computer to restore your computer to a factory state, but this is not that. A more appropriate name would be “Windows repair disc”. Kinda disappointed, I was hoping the Vista Team would resolve the issue of OEMs only giving users a Recovery Disc instead of a separate Operating System disk. Yes, a recovery environment is nice, but, the ability to create a backup OS disk would have been nicer so you can reinstall your drivers and just the OS without all the OEM Junk. Check out the tutorial here 
Windows DreamScene Content Pack - New Dreams!
I just downloaded the Windows DreamScene Content Pack which includes an additional three DreamScene looped background desktop videos. I love the new Waterfall DreamScene which is my default, Brandon Leblanc over at the Windows Experience Blog shows how to install it. Yesterday I announced the final release of DreamScene which is an exclusive feature for Vista Ultimate customers through the Ultimate Extras Service. 
Rocky Mountain Fall (looks like somewhere in Nebraska, lol!) 
Windows Vista Orb branded DreamScene - The orb glows and shines ;) 
This one is a bit difficult, its an abstract DreamScene with some weird marble kind of thingy's Related: How to enable Windows DreamScene A look at the Windows DreamScene Content Pack Favorites Oh my Goodness - the new DreamScenes are HOT! Resources: Has Ultimate Extras failed? The Windows Ultimate Extras Drought DreamScene - The Issues So Far
Forza 2 DreamScene for Windows Vista 
Review: Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision
Disclaimer: This is a Microsoft asset-tagged item that Microsoft Corporation provided ActiveWin and Teching It Easy for review under no obligation and that it is expected to be returned at the end of the review period. We conclude our Certified for Windows Vista Devices Review with the Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision. 
Features: · True 1.3 megapixel sensor with RightLight 2 Technology · Live video: up to 640 x 480 pixels · Still image capture: True 1280 x 960; Up to 4 Megapixel *(software enhanced) · Built-in microphone with RightSound Technology · Up to 30 frames per second live video with recommended system · USB 2.0 high-speed certified 6 ft. USB cable · 2-year limited hardware warranty · Adjustable base fits any monitor or notebook · Fixed focus Applications for Windows(R): · Logitech QuickCam (easily capture, save, and email your web camera’s pictures and videos) · Logitech Video Effects avatar and face accessory software · HP Photosmart Essential Software (web download required) · Skype with free, full screen video calling · Windows Live Messenger with free full screen video calling · Yahoo Messenger with free video calling · Video enabled AOL Instant Messenger Service For years video web cams have been available to anyone who needed such functionality, even in pre-broadband times. I was always interested in getting one, but certain factors always got the best of me. I either don’t have appropriate hardware, too complicated to setup, no one to chat with and lack lustre software. But it’s 2007 and the more you interact with people online, the more you want to go beyond basic text based chatting. This is especially true if you have close family and friends who are far away and you would like to see them every now and then. With the pervasiveness of broadband Internet, the user experience has also been greatly enhanced, for that you get better video calls in addition to more attractive functionality that goes beyond video based chat sessions. Setup: Installation was pretty much uneventful, but suffered from too many wizard pages; something I have noticed when installing Logitech products in particular, this case was a four step process. But, I just wish Logitech had toned down on the configuration processes. I want an experience similar to connecting a Keyboard or Mouse or at least strive to be. Before connecting the QuickCam Ultra Vision I ran setup from the provided Installation Disk. I chose a typical installation which provided me with the essential software to work with Windows Vista. In addition to Vista, the QuickCam also supports Windows 2000 and XP. At the end of the initial phase of the installation, I was asked to Insert the QuickCam’s USB connector. Next up was a dry test run which detected the Camera and displayed a preview video. The first problem I noticed immediately was jerky video, because the table on which I was reviewing from was a bit shaky so, a video/image stabilizer would have come in handy. After this last step, setup was complete from what I could tell. No it wasn’t, next was configuration, which I consider to be a part of the installation. The Logitech Audio Tuning Wizard began, this part focused on tuning the devices audio settings for optimal use. After eight pages, I was ready to now use the QuickCam Ultra Vision. Not so fast, one last hurdle popped up, a dialog appeared asking if I would like to enable RightLight Technology which adjusts the web cams lighting in different environments, whether dark or bright. 
Usage: QuickCam Quick Capture After installing and configuring, the QuickCam Quick Capture application started which is a similar application to Apple Inc. Photo Booth software. The software provides a number of nifty features such as taking a photo and recording video. Captured video and photos are immediately stored in the Gallery which you can easily minimize for convenience or open pictures in your default photo application. Other handy options include emailing, printing and deleting. The Logitech QuickCam floating toolbar list links to other features such as an Avatar gallery you can use to replace your face in a video with an animated character. I had some problems calibrating my face to work with the provided Avatar, but it should be fun for kids who like to do that sort of thing. Privacy Shade Replaces your background with a stock photo, such as an image of the beach so you can fool your colleagues or some other nature based background. There are numerous images to choose from and you can add your own with little effort. I never got this one working properly either, but then again, I really didn’t care that much. It’s something do with the lighting in my room or the calibration of my head I guess. Web Cam Settings Provided are a plethora of options for adjusting the QuickCam’s settings, some of these included are Pan and Tilt, Zoom, Fast Tracking, and various lighting adjustments. Other tools include Volume and Speaker, Lighting effects using the RightLight Technology for fixing poor lighting environments, Exposure, Gain, AntiFlicker, Image Orientation and Camera Selector. Application Preferences allows you to select your default video calling application, I chose Windows Live Messenger since the majority of my friends and family use that, but you can also use Yahoo! or AOL AIM if those are installed on your system. Other options include default email client which is strangely enough set to CorelCENTRAL Mail, but provides other popular choices such as Windows Live Mail, Office Outlook, Windows Mail and Yahoo! Mail. You can also set storage options for captured images or video. 
Video Calling Applications The Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision supports a wide variety of services, I previously mentioned AOL, Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger, along with these, users can also use Skype, and Logitech’s own VideoCall which you have to download separately. If you want to do more with Video, tools for Blogging, Sharing and Podcasting are also available such as Google’s YouTube, Grouper and Logitech’s Mobile Video. A very nice feature I noticed while going through the Video based tools option, the Quick Cam provides access to tools you can already take advantage of that are installed on your system. For instance, video Editing Tools HP Photosmart Essential is provided as an option to download, but you can readily use the Windows Moviemaker application that comes built into Windows Vista. Video Snap which you can use to capture footage of an item you plan to sell on eBay so in addition to the bland still photograph you are accustomed to seeing in eBay listings, you can add a video to provide some pizzazz. Design and Technologies The QuickCam Ultra Vision has a unique design that’s considerably modern and functional. I used the Ultra Vision with a notebook; it was mounted on the laptops display panel, but almost seemed unstable. It just did not feel secure; the advertised “Flexible clip” did not conform to the laptops ridge although the packaging says it works with any monitor. If you are unsure about placing it on top of your monitor, you can also place it on a desk and align the camera lens to see your face. Apart from being a traditional web cam, you can take up to 4.0 Mega pixel resolution photos; the default is set to 320 x 240 which is appropriate for emailing. If you want to achieve more high quality output you can click the Select Image Size list box which provides a number of sizes such as 960 x 720 (Hi-Definition video) and up to 2304 x 1728 for photos. I still didn’t find the results for the 4 MP photos that impressive, the colour was a bit shabby and washed out, in comparison to my Canon A520 digital camera which produces crystal clear photos with richer colours. Both sides of the camera have buttons for taking photos and video, the middle of the camera has a built in microphone along with the Activity Light button. 
Windows Live Messenger Working with Instant Messaging The next logical step was to test it out over Instant Messenger. To start using Live Messenger for Video and Audio, a setup wizard was launched when I clicked the Start or Stop a video call button on the contacts conversation window. After adjusting my hardware, the video session began. There was nothing spectacular about it, but I notice the video quality was not that riveting, but was fluid and acceptable. That was pretty much it to be honest with you. There were no issues throughout the chat session. I notice that the recipients viewing quality was not that picture quality although I was receiving a much clearer picture from the other end. Conclusion  The Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision is nice, just the ability to see the person on the other end is a great treat, especially if it’s someone you have not seen in ages. Although the video capabilities were not impressive, I feel it was more a result of my connection which is kind of slow by DSL standards. But going beyond just video chat sessions, I was pleased with the web cams range of capabilities. The QuickCam software provides nifty features such as the ability to record video so you can easily setup a Podcast and post a video to your blog or on popular services such as YouTube or MSN Soapbox. The tight integration with the Windows Vista operating system gives you choices to experiment and utilize existing technologies built into the OS such as Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Movie Maker. Although I do not consider supporting specific Instant Messaging services a feature any typical web cam should be able to do that, its nice to know it confidently supports the various services available. If you are interested in purchasing a web cam, this is definitely a recommended choice to look at.
| Pro's | Con's | | Compact Modern Design that’s flexible and adjustable | Flexible rubber clip does look or feel 100% secure when fitted on top of LCD monitors such as Notebook computers | | Certified for Windows Vista integrates well with existing technologies built in to the OS such as Windows Photo Gallery and Moviemaker. | Installation and configuration phases are bit too much; I just want to start using the device as quickly as possible. | | Supports a wide range of online and instant messaging services. | 4 Mega pixel photo qualities are not that impressive. | | Adjustable Camera Lens | | | Snapshot and Quick Video Buttons | | | QuickCam Capture Software – Avatar and face accessory software | | | Good focus technology | | In the Box: · Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision · Installation CD · Installation Guide Ratings: · Installation: 79 % · Ease of Use: 86% · Features: 86% · Design: 95% · Options: 95% · Help & Documentation: 85% · Price: 90% Price $129 Check out the Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision Gallery Here Certified for Windows Vista Windows Vista Logo Program: http://www.windowsvista.com/lookforthelogo Logitech: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2204,CONTENTID=11804 System Requirements: · Windows 2000, Windows XP Pentium 4 1.4 Ghz or AMD Athlon 1.6GHz processor (Pentium 4 2.4 GHz recommended) 128 MB RAM (256 recommended). · Windows Vista – Pentium 4 2.4 GHz (2.8 GHz recommended), 512 MB of RAM (1 GB recommended) · 200 MB hard disk space · CD-ROM drive · 16-Bit color display adapter · OS Compatible Sound Card and Spears · 1.1 or 2.0 USB port Recommended system requirements are needed to use Logitech RightSound or RightLight 2 technology features. Technorati tags: Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision, Web Cam, Reviews, Windows Vista, Microsoft, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, Instant Messenging, Avatar, Devices, Hardware
Photo Album: QuickCam Ultra Vision
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