Currently browsing posts under the tag: Vista.

Create a bootable USB for installing Windows 7

Written by: StevenHodson on July 29, 2009

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A_Bootable_USB USB sticks are finding all kinds of interesting uses among them now is the ability to create a bootable USB drive for Windows 7 and Vista. While this might not be a great need for a lot of people I know that some of WinExtra’s will find this to another handy utility to have in their toolbox.

With a big thanks to VG over at the Tweaking with Vishal, who along with one of his readers has come up with a handy utility to create a bootable USB and have made it freely available. With the utility it takes four steps to start creating your bootable USB stick so it really doesn’t get any easier than that.

So head over to Tweaking with Vishal and have a quick read through of how it works as you are downloading the free utility.

A big hat tip to Steve Clayton for the pointer to this.

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Category: Windows

I So Want To Kick Explorer Right In The Ass

Written by: StevenHodson on October 3, 2008

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Of all the software I use on my computer I would have to say that when I’m not using Chrome or VLC chances are that I have Explorer open on the desktop doing something. The only problem is that the version of Explorer in Vista is a piece of crap. It never seems to remember its screen position of window size between restarts of the program. It doesn’t matter what you do it never remember the view setting for different folders even though I have set specific folders I always use to a specific view type more times than I care to count.

It never fails that every time I open up Explorer I am having to reselect the view I was for a folder, I am having to move it from the default start up position on the desktop and I’m having to re-size the window. I’m not kidding in the least when I say I almost dread having to use the damn piece of crap. I honestly can’t believe that they let this irritating piece of crap program go gold.

Now it’s not that previous versions of Explorer were all the great either but at least those versions were able to remember their settings – at least for the most part. The idea that an integral program to the operating system can’t even keep some of the simplest settings between uses is just plain ridiculous. So I think the time has come to give Explorer the boot and check out some alternatives to it. Any suggestions of replacements for Explorer will be appreciated. Just leave a comment with a link for me to follow and I’ll definitely give them a tryout.

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Category: Windows

DreamScene Is Still Stupid

Written by: StevenHodson on September 25, 2008

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One of the big con jobs selling points of the whole Vista Ultimate package was the extras that were suppose to be a part of the bonus that the suckers people buying this over inflated version where suppose to get. I have written in the past about how I feel about both the Ultimate package as a whole and DreamScene being a stupid idea. Well according to Martin over at gHacks Microsoft finally updated the Vista Update center with some new fancy DreamScenes for us all to play with.

Well since I am all about giving stuff a second or even thrid chance to change my mind I figured what the hell and downloaded the new packs and see if anything had improved since my first reviews of the cool Vista extra. What you see below is my newly enhanced DreamScene desktop which FAILs right off the bat since I have the exact same thing showing on both monitors

Now what you can’t see since this is a static image is that what I know have on my desktop is a calming babbling brook that will play nonstop behind all my open windows on both monitors. Anyone else beginning to see the ridiculousness of  this idea of animated or video desktops?

You got it bub … 99% of the time those cool desktops are going to be covered over and using up resources for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Zip .. Nada .. None.

While this might have seemed like a great idea for in the computer showroom on those nice expensive high resolution monitors it is of no use in any kind of work environment. It adds nothing to my ability to work better and somecases may even be deterimental because of resources being used. So I tell you what Micosoft – as part of your slimming down of Windows 7 rip this crap out and give us stuff that will actually improve my computer usage.

Bye bye DreamScene……

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Category: Windows

Windows 7 On Track For Late 2009

Written by: StevenHodson on September 16, 2008

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Since April 7, 2008 when I wrote In a perfect Microsoft World – Windows 7 I have been suggesting that we would see the next version of Windows being releasesd at some point in late 2009. This goes contrary to the public line that Microsoft has been spinning in that it wouldn’t be available until some point in 2010.This stance has gotten them a lot of flack from just about all the Windows pundits with a few exceptions like Mary Jo Foley and Ed Bott. Both of them feel the same thing that I have been writing about in that Windows 7 will hit the shelves in late 2009.

Along those lines Mary Jo had a post today on her ZDNet blog letting us know that she has managed to get a look at the Milestone 3 interation of Windows 7. In the post she reports that the latest milestone release that is in the hands of a select few inside and outside of Microsoft. the only thing that I was wrong on from what I tell by reading the post was my hope that they would also be moving to a more modular type system for the operating system

From the quick glimpse I got of Milestone 3, it sounds like Bryant of AeroXperience.org was right on the money with his hypotheses about what’s changed in the latest internal test builds. The latest build seems quite stable. The Ribbon user interface from Office 2007 is now part of WordPad and Paint. Home Groups – the functionality formerly known in “Longhorn”/Vista as “Castle” – is part of the new Windows 7 build.

I also noticed that the “Graphical Console,- a k a PowerShell Version 2, seems to be part of the latest pre-release Windows 7 build.

(Looks like Stephen Chapman over at the UX Evangelist site got to see Build 6780, too, and has a lot more to say on Windows 7’s Paint and WordPad.)

From what admittedly little I had a chance to see, Windows 7 does not look or feel like a major departure from Windows Vista.

News like this firms up my opinion that Windows 7 will indeed see a release in time for the 2009 Christmas season and that before the end of this year we have a good chance of seeing one of the first betas being made available making it an early Christmas present for the more adventerous of us.

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Category: Windows

A fair report on Vista courtesy of Lifehacker

Written by: StevenHodson on December 11, 2006

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I like seeming equitable reports on Vista given that we are probably in for a whole lotta slammin’ come the new year. It’s even nicer when the post comes from a blog like Lifehacker. Apparently Gina had a chance with a bunch of other influencers to meet up in Redmond for a hands on tour of the new operating system.

Just got back from a weekend visit to the Microsoft campus up in Redmond, Washington where I got the chance to hear about Windows Vista and other new MS creations, like the Xbox 360 and Zune music player.

There were ’softies from all different parts of the enormous company presenting at different times and quite a few questions to be asked, so I’m going to paraphrase from my notes all the tidbits I gathered and throw in a few screenshots taken along the way. [Full Post]

If your are interested in some non-hype hands on info about Vista take a few moments to have a read through an excellent post.

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Category: Windows

Developing in the Windows Presentation Foundation world

Written by: StevenHodson on November 7, 2006

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I am a .NET developer at heart but I was really nervous with the introduction of .NET 3.0 and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF or as it was known as Avalon) as this changed the whole landscape for creating UI rich applications.

But being the glutton for learning that I am I installed all the required bits and set about scavenging the blogs for any existing resources that might be out there for the WPF newbie. After getting my resource links all set up and some reading done I decided on a learning app to develop my WPF skills with; and as such Pulse came into being – well at least on my system anyway for now.

Pulse is going to be an MP3 file name cleaner, tag editor and maybe a few other things which I am still thinking about. Through these beginning steps I have really fallen for the ability of what WPF can do to create a really rich (cool) user interface and how easy it really is once you get your head wrapped around how it is done.This is still a project in the works but wanted to show just how cool WPF can be to work with.


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Category: Windows