Vista Knowledgebase

The Vista Network Map

Dave — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:00:05 +0000

The network map is a very cool new feature in Windows that allows you to visually see on your network is connected together. It is part of the Networking & Sharing Center. Lets take a look at this cool new tool.

If you have been following along this week I am sure you are sick of seeing me show you how to get to the Network & Sharing Center console, but remember some people just get to this one article first

1) Click on your start menu and right click on Networking and choose Properties

2) Right above your graphical mini map you will see the words “View Full Map”, go ahead and click on that

3) Once you click it another Window will pop up and you will see a message “Windows is creating a network map”

4) Next you will see a topology layout of your network

How the Network map works is by using Link Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD) and for computers or devices to respond properly they need to have the LLTD responder loaded.

As you can see the Xbox 360 got a update that gave it LLTD functionality. Unfortunately Windows XP machines do not have the LLTD responder by default and that is why you see the two computers at the bottom. This was fixed in Microsoft KB 922120, you can download the responder from there and install it on your XP machines.

Now if you move your pointer over one of the devices on the map you will see its IP address and also its MAC address. Very helpful if you are troubleshooting or trying to isolate a machine quick and easy.

If you need greater information on the device you can right click on them in the network map and you will have several options including enabling or disabling and getting the properties

The properties can give you access to the devices manufacturer website and model numbers

You can also connect to the machines right from the Map by clicking on them, though if they require authentication you will still have to provide those credentials.

Also if you are connected to multiple networks through different NICs then you can use the dropdown menu to see your other network maps.

One limitation that must be noted is that the LLTD protocol is not routable so for this to work all the devices have to be on the same subnet.

Though the Network Map looks a little bit like fluff on the surface, as you closer at the functionality you can see that it adds real value when working on a home network for users that might not be as tech savvy as some.

Public Folder Sharing

Dave — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 10:00:25 +0000

In my home we have around 5 computers and 3 computer users running at any one time. This sometimes makes for some confusing document management. On top of it these computers are all running various OS’es back to Windows 2000 because of hardware limitations and need. So when my wife wants to see a copy of a certain document or we want to have our music accessible to my daughter we have started to use the Public Folder and shared it from one of the Vista machines. While hardly a new concept in the computer world to anyone that has worked in a corporate office or admins one it does strike strictly home users as kind of cool.

Lets walk through the different features and options of the public folder.

The public folder is shared by everyone with a user account on the same PC by default. Also by default access to the Public folder from the network is turned off and needs to be enabled. Luckily it is a very easy process and it starts by going to the Network & Sharing Console. There are many ways to get to the console as you can read in that article I am just going to use one randomly so lets go.
1) Click on the Start Menu and right-click on Network and choose Properties

2) In the center pane of the console look for Public folder sharing, and click the arrow to the right to bring up the different options you have.

3) Choose the option you want the choices are:

Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can open files
Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can open, change, and create files
Turn off sharing (people logged on to this computer can still access this folder)

Once you make your change click Apply

Note: Depending on UAC and security settings you may be asked for Administrator credentials.

4) An additional level of control on this share is exercised by the setting “password protected sharing” just below the Public Folder Share setting in the Network & Sharing console. This setting only allows access to shares by using local account credentials. If you attempt to connect to any share remotely it will ask for a username/password from the computer the share resides on. This is an additional layer of security and it is really up to you if you need it or not. The only options are on or off. Choose which you want and click Apply

After that is done you should be good to go for setup. Now lets get into the different parts of the public folder. As always there are many ways to get to things in Vista I am going to pick one that I feel is easier.

1) Click on Start Menu and then click on Computer

2) You will see it in the upper left pane under Favorites, there is a Public Folder, go ahead and click it

3) Now in the right pane you will see all the various sub folders for the Public folder. This can help you keep things organized easier.

Most of these are self explanatory, but there are two I want to touch on specifically so you are clear on what they do.

Favorites - If you place Internet Explorer shortcuts in this folder they will be accessible to everyone on the PC.
Public Desktop - Placing a document or shortcut into this folder will make it appear on everyones desktop on that PC that logs in.

All in all a very useful tool for Vista and home network users. I would recommend that you only put documents and files into the Public File Share that you are comfortable with almost anyone having access to in case of a misconfiguration. If you have need to share something with someone in particular, it would be better to make a private share and place it there with security.

Managing Network Discovery

Dave — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 10:00:23 +0000

One of the new features that Vista had in the networking areas was the concept of different types of networks you connect to. The three types of network are as follows:

Home
Work
Public Location

Not many people realize the ramifications of your choices when you make that first click. The biggest one being whether Network Discovery is turned on our not. Now the cry from the masses of “So?” is deafening

And really it isn’t a big deal unless you want to connect to someone else’s computer quick and easy or have them connect to you. The security behind this is simple, when you are at home for example you don’t mind the fact that your computer broadcasts its existence to the other devices on your network. Now on the other hand if you are at your local Starbucks enjoying your favorite caffeinated beverage while surfing your favorite sites you do not want your computer announcing your presence to everyone who is also on a computer there.

Now every setting has its default and here it is:

Home - Network Discovery On
Work - Network Discovery On
Public Location - Network Discovery Off

I am connected to my home network so we can go in and see the discovery of all the devices on my network.

1) Go to the Start Menu and then go to Network

2) After clicking on Network you will see there is quite a bit of information available for most devices:

Now just because there are default behaviors it doesn’t mean that you can not override them when you want to. To override them for specific networks heres what you do:

1) Go to Network & Sharing Center in the control panel

2) Look in the Sharing and discovery section, click the arrow to expand the section Network Discovery

3) Choose the radio button you want the setting to be and then click Apply

Thats it you have now overridden the defaults. What’s that? You only want to change it for a specific network and not for your whole computer? Ok, we can do that too… sometimes you people are a little pushy

Ok so we are still in the Network and Sharing Center… if not just type it into your Start Menu search bar and it should jump up and bite you.

Now in the Network & Sharing center we are going to focus on the part at the top that shows you what network you are connected to.

1) Click on Customize and you will be able to change several things about this network

2) Go ahead and set your network type (remember Private means everything is open, and Public means everything is closed) and change the name or network icon and click Next. This will bring you to a summary of what you just changed.

Note: If your computer is a member of a domain you will not be able to change these network settings, the network administrator will set them up by default.

Well thats about it for Network Discovery, as always you can leave questions and comments below!

Network & Sharing Center

Dave — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:00:33 +0000

This week I am going to focus on articles that have to do with the Network & Sharing Center. This control panel console is used to help home users in sharing resources on their home network. Much more robust then its XP counterpart it has some nifty new features that are helpful. While the Network & Sharing console is included in every version of Vista, it will be more often used in the following editions:

Home Basic
Home Premium
Ultimate

If you want to go in and take a look there are a few ways to get there.

Double click the Network and Sharing Center icon in the Control Panel
Right-click the Network item on the Start Menu and choose Properties
Choose Network in the Start menu, and then click the Network and Sharing button from the context menu.

Ok so whats it actually look like? Here you go:

This console on the left has a list of tasks that can be done from here, and also in the center pane has a lot of information on the current networking settings.

From the left menu you can do the following:

View Computers and Devices
Connect to a network
Manage wireless networks
setup a connection or network
Manage network connections
Diagnose and repair

I will be going over most of these in upcoming articles.

In the center pane you will find the following information:

Mini-map of your current network connection (with a option to see the full network map)
Information on your current network (Access type and if wireless signal strength)
Network Discovery On/Off
File Sharing On/Off
Public Folder Sharing On/Off
Printer Sharing On/Off
Password protected sharing On/Off
Media Sharing On/Off

Again this is just an overview and future articles will go more in depth.

For now this has been a quick overview of what to expect and where to start when trying to share a file or share a printer in Vista or when diagnosing a Vista Networking Problem.

Limit the Number of Windows Displayed with Flip3D

Dave — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:00:21 +0000

Flip3D was one of those cool WOW things that Vista marketing couldn’t show enough of. If you are using a low end machine and barely clearing the Aero performance bar you may want to limit the number of windows displayed to keep the performance hit to a minimum. If you haven’t seen it yet you can read my article about using Flip3D.

Ok lets get into making the changes already!

Note: This change requires making modifications to the registry. If you are wary of doing this then I suggest you hold off. I and this website will not be held accountable for any damage done while modifying your registry.

1) Go to the start menu and type regedit, and launch the Registry Editor

If you have UAC enabled click “Allow”

2) Navigate to the following Registry Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM

3) Create a new DWORD (32-bit) entry and name it Max3DWindows

4) Set the Dword value to the max number of windows you want open. For low end machines 3-5 windows should be good while higher end machines can have 10 without issues.

5) Click Ok and then exit the Registry Editor.

After rebooting you can test the change by having multiple windows open and using Windows key+TAB.

Add Administrative Tools to the Vista Start Menu

Dave — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 10:00:17 +0000

Sometimes as a Network Administrator I get on a home users machine and have to pause for a few seconds to get to the Administrator programs that I use to sort out the day to day trouble regular users get themselves into to.

This article will put those administrative tools in Vista at your fingertips through the Start Menu.

1) Right-Click on the Start Button, choose Properties

2) From the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window click on the Smart Menu tab, then click on Customize.

3) Scroll down in the menu and you will see a entry for System administrative tools. Change the radio button to Display on the All Programs menu and the Start menu. Click Ok twice to complete the action.

Now all the administrative tools are at your fingertips with a few mouse clicks.

Restore Show Desktop Icon to the Quick Launch toolbar

Dave — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 10:00:10 +0000

I recently had a friend who was messing around with his desktop and accidentally deleted the Show Desktop icon from his quick launch toolbar. This useful little icon minimizes all open windows so you can get to your desktop quickly. It is not really a application but instead a script that causes all that minimizing goodness.

To restore the scirpt and icon do the following:

Open Wordpad and copy in the following text:[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop
Now save the file in the following location:%UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\InternetExplorer\Quick Launchand with the name Show Destop.scf
Note: The %UserProfile% is a variable that designates where the users profile resides. For most this will be C:\Users\username but if you want to know for sure go to a command prompt and use the set userprofile command which will return the correct path.

Hide All System Tray Icons Permanently

Dave — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:00:17 +0000

If your like me after a few months of loading problems your system tray can get overloaded with icons. There are several ways to handle this but I am going to show you the tactical nuke option. This registry edit will permanently remove all the system tray icons.

NOTE : This post discusses changing your registry directly. This can cause your computer to become a very expensive paper weight if done incorrectly. Use the instructions cautiously as I take no responsibility for any inability someone might have to not follow simple instructions. You have been warned.

With our warning out of the way lets get started. As we can see I have a very crowded System Tray:

Ok here we go:

Open registry by typing regedit at the start menu:
NOTE: You may have to verify through UAC if you have it enabled.
Navigate to the key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
Add a new DWORD value called NoTrayItemsDisplay by right clicking on Explorer, selecting New, DWORD (32-bit) Value
Double click on the DWORD NoTrayItemsDisplay and set the value to 1.
Exit the Registry Editor and Reboot your computer.

There you have it after reboot you will have a much less cluttered system tray:

If there are programs that are ACTIVE in the system tray then this will not hide them. This will only set all items in the system tray to hide when inactive.

Change Startmenu Picture

Dave — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 19:45:37 +0000

If you want to have a more customized desktop you can change your startmenu picture to something different, either one of the
preinstalled ones or one of your own. This change also will be reflected on the welcome screen after bootup for the account picture.

Very simple to do this just follow along:

1) Go to Control Panel, then choose the User Account applet.

2) Click on Change your picture link

3) You will see the preinstalled pictures and the ability to browse for your own

4) Either choose the picture you want, hit Ok a few times and your done!

Expanded Warranty for Xbox 360 Owners

Dave — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 21:44:04 +0000

Microsoft issued a press release today that extended the warranty on the Xbox 360 console. Any Xbox 360 customer who experiences a general hardware failure indicated by three flashing red lights will now be covered by a three year warranty from date of purchase. All other existing Xbox 360 warranty policies remain in place.

I think this is a great move by Microsoft as the three rings error has garnered quite a bit of negative press from bloggers and console owners. This new policy should help some of the fears. As a 360 owner myself, I always read the stories about powering up one day and getting the red light error with a tinge of loathing that one day I will face the same consequence and the rather hefty amount I invested in my gaming time will be a waste.

You can read the full press release

Comments from Peter Moore

Remove Default RSS feeds from the Common Feed List

Dave — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 20:43:36 +0000

I was helping a friend of mine at the office with a new install of Vista and he wanted to remove the default RSS feeds from Microsoft that come with the sidebar Gadget. In Vista, Microsoft instituted a new RSS platform that allows a structured way for other programs to use the same feed instead of having to import and export via OPML. This is called the “Common Feed List“, and unfortunately I could not see an easy way to remove these default feeds from the gadget itself.

The quickest way is to do the following:

Start Internet Explorer
Open the Favorites Center (ALT+C)
Click on the feeds menu
Right click on the ones you want to remove and select “Delete“

That will easily remove the default feeds from the Common Feed List. You can also add feeds from IE to the list that the Feed gadget uses.

I think Microsoft should be commended for trying to make RSS feed management a little easier as for power users I know people that have over 100+ feeds easy that they skim through. Having a more clearcut explanation of what they were doing would have been nice.

Virtual Vista Released

Dave — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 21:24:31 +0000

Per one of my favorite authors Derek Torres at Unofficial Vista site you can get a 30-day evalualtion of Vista Enterprise via virtualization. Download Microsoft Windows Vista 30-Day Eval VHD

Increase CPU Performance

Dave — Sat, 05 May 2007 04:08:33 +0000

A default setting in the Windows Vista power setting will throttle your CPU to 50%. Change this setting to unleash your full power:

Open your power options menu by typing Power into your Start menu search:

Choose the High Performance radio button and close the window

There you go a quick and easy way to increase CPU performance.

Vista Problems with ISA Firewall and SBS Premium

Dave — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 14:18:31 +0000

If you have Vista users that need to access ISA Firewall or SBS Premium you can get an updated firewall client for Windows Vista.

Download - Firewall Client for ISA Server

Taken from the site here is what the client is for:
Firewall Client for ISA Server can be optionally installed on client computers protected by Microsoft ISA Server. Firewall Client for ISA Server provides enhanced security, application support, and access control for client computers. It provides authentication for Winsock applications that use TCP and UDP, supports complex secondary protocols, and supplies user and application information to the ISA Server logs.

When a client computer running Firewall Client for ISA Server makes a request, the destination is evaluated by the Firewall Client software, and external requests are directed to the ISA Server computer for handling. No specific routing infrastructure is required. Firewall Client sends user information transparently with each request, enabling you to create a firewall policy on the ISA Server computer with rules that use the authentication credentials presented by the client. ISA Server allows you to configure automatic discovery for Firewall client computers, using a WPAD entry in DNS or DHCP to obtain correct Web proxy settings for clients, depending on their location.

Thanks to a post by David Overton here is the command structure for the install:

\\Servername\shared folder\SETUP.EXE /Q /P "SERVER_NAME_OR_IP=Servername ENABLE_AUTO_DETECT=0 REFRESH_WEB_PROXY=1"

Changing Where Windows Explorer Opens By Default

Dave — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 02:24:46 +0000

You will find one of the things that takes the most getting used to in Vista is the way the explorer window now looks and acts. Windows Explorer by default opens the the logged in users documents folder as you can see:

If you want to have more control and have it open in other locations you can modify the shortcut. Just right click on the Windows Explorer shortcut and replace it with the codes below. Here are some common locations you might want to change it to:

“Computer” highlighted in left side with all drives visible but not expanded and C: highlighted in right side
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,/select,c:

Desktop highlighted and nothing expanded
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,/n,/select,/root,c:

All drives visible and the system drive expanded in small screen:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,/select,%systemroot%

Only Windows Directory visible highlighted and expanded:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,/root,%systemroot%

All drives visible but only C: highlighted and expanded:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,c:

Credit for this goes to a post on microsoft.public.windows.vista.file_management by Leo

Get Your CCNA for Free!

Dave — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 23:15:38 +0000

Not exactly Vista related but there is a great promotion going on over at Train Signal. They are going to be giving away the following: 2 Routers 1 Switch 1 hour with a CCIE Train Signal CCNA Training Cost of Exam All you have to do in return is blog about your training experience and test while you study. Signup Here

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Internet Connectivity Evaluation Tool Released

Dave — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:31:15 +0000

Thanks to a post by Stuart over at The Unofficial Blog of the Unofficial Guide to Windows Vista I saw that Microsoft released a tool that can show what types of technology your current home router using NAT may be able to support from the Windows Vista operating system. Lets run through and see what it does shall we?

First things first, in a very unfriendly manner Firefox does not work with the license page… checked or unchecked the Continue button remains greyed out

So pop over to IE7 and of course I can now proceed

On the next page it wants to install an ActiveX control so perhaps that is why Firefox wouldn’t let me proceed, though a warning message about it would have been nice. Go head and click the bar at top and then click Install ActiveX Control. After doing so a UAC prompt may show depending on your security settings

Next you should see the Internet Explorer Add-On Installer window. Go ahead and click Install, you know you want to!

Depending on your internet connection this might take a few seconds or a minute or two. The next screen shows we are ready to go so click Start You might get at UAC warning depending on your security settings, if you do click Ok to move on

The test now running you can watch as it tests the different features of your NAT router

After the test is done you will see a summary report of what you passed and failed. I am using a Linksys WRT54G v5 wireless router with the current firmware (1.02.0) for reference. Looks like I passed everything but UPnP support, but I also might have that disabled. At the bottom of the report you have the option of going to a more detailed report or seeing a list of routers that support the new Vista technologies. I am going to view the Detailed Report

The detailed report opens in a seperate window and gives a list of each step of the test so you can see exactly what was tested and in what order. After looking through that I am going to close that window

While the tests were pretty basic for the most part, if you are having problems getting certain features of Vista to run through your router it might be worth a test to help eliminate a source of the problem while troubleshooting.

You can run your own test using the Internet Connectivity Evaluation Tool

Revert Back to CTRL+ALT+DELETE for the Vista Logon Screen

Dave — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 02:35:03 +0000

For the 99% of you that have been using Windows OS systems most of your lives the standard login for several versions have been to use Control+ALT+DELETE key combination to login. This quick walk through will show you how to enable CTRL+ALT+DELETE for Windows Vista.

First go to the start menu and type in netplwiz

This will bring up the User Accounts window, click the Advanced tab and at the bottom place a check in the box Require Users to Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE and click OK

Now when you power up you will have a CTRL+ALT+DELETE prompt

After hitting CTRL+ALT+DELETE you will go to the normal screen that lists your user accounts. If you want to have the traditional logon box asking for userid/password you can run this from a elevated command prompt:

reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\ /v LogonType /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Now you will have to hit CTRL+ALT+DELETE and then enter your username/password to logon to your Vista box from now on.

Windows Vista Resource Kit Released

Dave — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 12:00:42 +0000

As with all the major corporate releases of Microsoft Operating Systems, Vista has its own dedicated resource kit. These kits are invaluable to a corporate administrators that need to automate deployment and customize an OS for specific corporate users.

For the Vista Resource Kit, Microsoft leveraged their MVPs to help with expert insights from professionals in the trenches working with Vista. This resource has over 1500 pages covering the following:

Automating Deployment

Implementing Security

Administrating Group Policy

Troubleshooting Vista

Internet Explorer 7

Microsoft Windows Firewall

Windows Defender

Also included are 150 scripts that will help automate administrative tasks, job aids, and a eBook copy of the entire Resource Kit.

You can find the Resource Kit at Amazon for $37.79

Update for Ipod Users Who Get Corrputed Using The “Safely Remove Hardware” Feature

Dave — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 15:34:28 +0000

Though Apple relased updates earlier for ITunes that dealt with a number of Vista related issues they were still actively working with Microsoft to fix others.

One of these other issues was getting corrupted Ipods when you were using a USB connection and eject the ipod when you use the “Safely Remove Hardware” option in the system tray area or when you eject using Windows Explorer. This was outlined in KB article 933824. Note that you will have to confirm that your copy of Vista is “Genuine” to download. If you want to get the download directly then ger your IPod Vista Fix Here for x86

Open UDP port 123 on Windows Firewall (Network Time Protocol)

Dave — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 03:57:02 +0000

On my internet time post there seems to be a lot of questions based on the firewall questions. Unfortunately I cant help every single person with every single different type of firewall. I will go through how to enable the Windows Firewall with explicit rules for inbound and outbound traffic that might help with others.

There are many ways to get this into the rules but here is the one I find easiest. Go to the Start menu and type Security Center in the search box and start it up. Then in the left pane click Windows Firewall

On the Windows Firewall window in the left pane click Allow a program through Windows Firewall

You should now have the Windows Firewall Settings window up. Click on the Exceptions tab. At the bottom of that tab click the button Add port

In the Add a Port window fill out the information requested in this case it will be Internet Time Server, 123, and choose UDP for the protocol. Click Ok

That should be it! As you can see it will now be added to the list of exceptions, so we can click Ok

Hopefully this will help those of you that have been having troubles with the Internet Time Server portion of Vista.

As a added bonus here is a mini instruction to open the port for Mcafee Security Center I found: (No screenshots because I don’t use this product)

Configure -> Internet & Firewall -> Firewall Protection -> Advanced -> System Services -> Network Time Protocol Port 123

Windows Vista Video Training

Dave — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 01:03:37 +0000

Train Signal realesed thier Vista training today and it covers quite a bit including the 70-620 certification exam. Being that it is almost impossible to find decent training for the certification right now this could be a real boon for those going for that cert. If you havent checked out the training from Train Signal you should really do yourself a favor and do that. They are well priced for thier market and deliver on everything they say they do!
Check out the Vista Training Demo

Some of the topics covered:

Know Your Installation Options and How to Install Windows Vista(the right way!)

Master Windows Vista’s New User Interface and Navigation

Users & Groups are the First Step to Securing Your Systems While Maximizing Performance - We’ll teach you the ropes

Learn How Vista can be Utilized in a Networked Environment

Now More Than Ever Users are Mobile - Understand Vista’s new Mobile PC and Wireless Features

Keep Your Systems Fast and Clean with Vista’s Disk Management Tools

Customize Windows Vista’s Security to Your Needs as You Are Walked Through NTFS Permissions, Share Permissions, Security Programs and more

Internet Explorer 7 and Its New Security Features in Vista For a Safer Web Experience

Running Software in Vista is Different Now Than Ever Before. Know What you Systems are Doing and How.

Need to Make Administering Your Systems Easier? We cover all the Tools you Need to speed up your tasks: Performance Monitor, Event Viewer, Management Console, etc…

Learn the Intricacies to Installing New Hardware and Printers Within Vista

Backups are Important! Know How to Do Them Right in Vista

Master Windows Vista’s New Group Policy Features

Check Them Out!

Windows Dreamscene Content Pack Released

Dave — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:29:51 +0000

The Vista Ultimate team has released four videos made for the Dreamscene desktop utility. This content pack is only available to users who have the Dreamscene preview installed already. Remember that the Dreamscene program is currently unsupported so if you are squeamish about beta programs then you shouldnt install it. For those of you that have installed it go to Windows Updates and grab your new moving desktops!

Configure TCP/IP In Windows Vista Static & DHCP

Dave — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 02:15:51 +0000

If your reading this then chances are 100% your computer is hooked up to the Internet and more then likely has an IP address assigned to it. There are two ways that a TCP/IP address is assigned to a computer either Dynamically or manually with a Static method. These are outlined below:

Dynamic: This address is assigned automagically through the wonders of DHCP. This is the default setting that Windows Vista tries to configure. It contacts a DHCP server on the network and asks for an IP address. If your at home the DHCP server will either be from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or if you have your own router it more then likely have a built in DHCP server. This is the easiest configuration you can get as everything will be done behind the scenes without intervention.

Static: If you don’t have a DHCP server running or for another reason want to give your PC a specific address you will have to configure Windows Vista IP manually. Though it sounds scary it is quite easy to do once you know where you are going. Here is a short walk through:

Go to the Start Orb and click Control Panel. In the control panel click Network and Internet:

Now click on Network and Sharing Center:

In the Network and Sharing Center look along the left pane and click Manage Network Connections:

This will bring up a window with your Network Connections this will vary by computer and what is installed. In our example picture I have two network adapters installed, wired and wireless, of which the wired is disables so it is not receiving a IP address. My wireless network is active though and needs an IP address to function. Note that this procedure would not vary no matter what adapted your choose. In this case you need to right click on the adapter you want to configure. Choose Properties:

If you are not logged in as an administrator you will get a UAC prompt, click Continue

You now will see the Network Adapter properties window that will have all the protocols and services attached to that network adapter. 99% of you as I am writing this article are still on IPv4 networks, compared to IPv6. If no one has told you different select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) from the list of protocols and click Properties:

On the properties page you will set the button to Use the following IP address and then configure the following according to your network:

IP Address

Subnet Mask

Default Gateway

Preferred DNS

Alternate DNS

In almost all the cases all you have to do is hit Ok and you will be ready to go.

If you had clicked the Advanced buttons you would have options to setup multiple IP’s, Gateways, DNS and WINS settings. These are advanced concepts that are beyond the scope of this article, and if those are required you are probably beyond the scope of this article also

Windows Flip 3D

Dave — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 05:03:07 +0000

One of the cooler new graphical features that Vista now has is called Windows Flip 3D. If you have watched any of the hotter television shows during the Vista launch you probably saw the commercial where they recap the episode while flipping through graphic windows. This same functionality now come to your PC! There are a few gotchas though if you want to enjoy this new feature:

Only Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate versions have it

You have to be running Aero

Here is an example of what it looks like:

If you meet the requirements and want to see the same on your screen you can use the following:

Windows Key+Tab: Keep your finger on the Windows key and repeatedly hit tab to “flip” through the windows. You can also use the arrow keys to move back and forth through the open windows along with the mouse scroll wheel.

Windows Key+CTRL+Tab: The useful part of adding the CTRL key to the combo means you won’t have to hold down the Windows key while flipping through the open windows which may be a bit more convenient for some.

There is also by default the quick launch toolbar comes with a tiny icon that will also act just like the Windows+CTRL+Tab:

For those of you without the Aero you can still have a somewhat cooler interface then with earlier versions. Dubbed just “Flip” minus the 3D:

Just like the previous versions of Windows just use the Alt-Tab combo to bring this up. Holding the ALT button and tapping Tab will cycle through the windows.

Vista Certifications 70-620 MCTS: Windows Vista, Configuration

Dave — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 14:44:53 +0000

Since I work for a training company and maintain this website I decided that I should look into updating my certifications for Vista. As I always like to be prepared for the exams I am going to take I usually try to read two books that are dedicated to the training and then work on some practice exams. In looking for the books I have found that most will not be released until May 2007, even the MS Press book, which is kind of puzzling since the exam went live in Jan. I could see some of the 3rd party resources having to wait till the exam went live to make sure that they could be sure to cover everything they needed to but MS Press I would think would have some kind of direct access to the exam team to release when the exam released.

Currently I can only find E-learning courses that are available on Microsoft for self paced learning. More information can be found at MCTS: Windows Vista, Configuration. The current cost to take all the E-learning classes through Microsoft is around $592 but the three collections of courses will cover everything you need to know for the cert.

The following areas need to be learned to pass the 70-620 certification:

Installing and Upgrading Windows Vista
Identify hardware requirements.
Perform a clean installation.
Upgrade to Windows Vista from previous versions of Windows.
Troubleshoot Windows Vista installation issues.
Install and configure Windows Vista drivers.

Configuring and Troubleshooting Post-Installation System Settings
Troubleshoot post-installation configuration issues.
Configure and troubleshoot Windows Aero.
Configure and troubleshoot parental controls.
Configure Windows Internet Explorer.

Configuring Windows Security Features
Configure and troubleshoot User Account Control.
Configure Windows Defender.
Configure Dynamic Security for Internet Explorer 7.
Configure security settings in Windows Firewall.

Configuring Network Connectivity
Configuring networking by using the Network and Sharing Center.
Troubleshoot connectivity issues.
Configure Remote Access.

Configuring Applications Included with Windows Vista
Configure and troubleshoot media applications.
Configure Windows Mail.
Configure Windows Meeting Space.
Configure Windows Calendar.
Configure Windows Fax and Scan.
Configure Windows Sidebar.

Maintaining and Optimizing Systems That Run Windows Vista
Troubleshoot performance issues.
Troubleshoot reliability issues by using built-in diagnostic tools.
Configure Windows Update.
Configure Data Protection.

Configuring and Troubleshooting Mobile Computing
Configure Mobile Display Settings.
Configure Mobile Devices.
Configure Tablet PC software.
Configure Power Options.

If anyone else knows of released training material please let me know!

Capture Screen Shots In Vista with Snipping Tool

Dave — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 03:56:51 +0000

Snipping Tool is a new screen grabber tool that comes included with Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate. It is very straightforward and easy to use and has the following features:

Free Form Snip - Allows irregular shaped drawings to be captured from a triangle to a zig zag.

Rectangular Snip - Get a perfect rectangle around whatever you want

Window Snip - Select a window you would like to capture

Full-Screen Snip - Capture your entire desktop

You will find the Snipping Tool under your accessories folder:

When you click on it to start it you will find the screen has a white overlay until you select a snippet:

You can choose how to grab the screen shot from the various tools:

In this case I used the rectangular tool and I just grabbed the middle of my desktop:

When you click you get the captured area in the Snipping Tool Window:

From here you can do markups with highlighters or pen tool using your mouse to mark or write. You can also send to email directly or save it to a file.

The formats available for saving are:

Html

Jpeg

Png

Gif

All in all the snipping tool is a great addition for people who have to grab screen shots. While I still like SnagIt because of additional functionality the snipping tool is definitely a great alternative for free.

Keyboard Shortcuts when using Folder List

Dave — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:42:55 +0000

Years ago when I was working in Milwaukee one of the admins at the company refused to use a mouse for anything that could be done by keyboard shortcuts. In time he got pretty fast at it and he could usually run through things faster then his mouse using coworkers. I barely remember anyone from that company but I remember him. If you want to try to emulate this mighty keyboard warrior here are some fast and furious tips to try out:

F6 or Tab: Cycles the focus through out the window: Favorite Links, Folders, Main Window

Alt+Left Arrow: can be used like the back button on your browser. It will open the previously viewed window and once you have used it you can use Alt+Right Arrow to move forward through the recently opened windows.

Backspace: will take you to the parent disk or folder of whatever you are looking at

F2: Rename the item you have selected

ALT+Enter: Display the properties of the item selected

CTRL+N: Opens a new window at the same point you are at

Alt+D: Select the address bar. Usually followed up with a quick CTRL+C to copy the current location

F11: Maximize or minimize current folder

These really just scratch the surface, if you know of a great shortcut please leave it in the comments below!

New Desktop Wallpaper for Windows Vista

Dave — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 22:42:03 +0000

Hamad Darwish did some of the original desktops that ship with Windows Vista. If you have had a chance to look through them you can tell they were amazing works. He has now released additional desktops that didnt quite make the cut. Looking through them though they really are amazing.

To get these great wallpapers for free by visiting Hamad Darwish

Where did the Menu Bars go?

Dave — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 06:06:02 +0000

Notice anything missing in your Explorer folders? The menu bar (File, Edit, View…) is missing from those windows. It seems that MS decided to save you a little space for the windows. Though as most things happen to be in Windows Vista you can customize the windows and bring them back!

If you want to bring them back quickly for a single windows heres what to do. First lets look at what we are missing:

Now all you have to do is hit the Alt or F10 key to make them magically appear:

Now the Menu Bar is back where it belongs!

If you want to have all windows display the menu bar permanently do the following:

In the window click on Organize, Layout and Menu Bar:

The menus will now stay in all the windows permanently until you do the same command to remove it.

Add a Personal Folder to the All Programs menu

Dave — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 05:10:44 +0000

If you want to organize some of your program shortcuts into specific folders it is quite easy in Windows Vista. Lets walk through it really quickly.

Right click on the Start menu button and then choose Explore
Note: If you want to have this menu apply to all users choose Explore All Users

The Start Menu Explorer window now appears, go ahead and click on the Program folder to open it:

Once the Program folder opens click on the Organize button and then click on New Folder:

When the folder appears go ahead and type in a name for the folder and press Enter:

Close that windows, and now to see your new folder go ahead and click Start then All Programs and you can see it placed in alphabetical order:

If you want to add shortcuts, folders, or files just drag them to the Start menu then All Programs and drop them into your new folder.

Live Traffic Gadget

Dave — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 17:57:47 +0000

This is one of the cooler gadgets I have seen come out for Vista. It takes traffic information from live.com and displays it on your desktop.
As of today the supported areas are:

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St Louis, Tampa, Washington DC

Go download the Traffic by Live Search Maps Gadget

Hat tip to Vista Juice for posting about this a few days ago and then again to alert us when it went live!

Change UAC Behavior To Be Less Annoying

Dave — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 17:20:46 +0000

Donna at dozleng.com has put up a way to modify they way UAC acts for users. One of the biggest complaints about UAC is the “annoyance” factor. Now if you have been in a sys admin job for any amount of time you will have grown a thick skin to hearing the users complain about how security measures are annoying. The change that Donna puts up will lower the annoyance factor ONLY after you have done the legwork to get your users configured with all thier programs correctly so they dont require admin privilidges.

The modfication requires a quick change to the local security policies and can be found here

Thanks Donna!

Error occurs when upgrading Windows 2000 to Windows Vista

Dave — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 20:29:31 +0000

When trying to update your computer to any verison of Windows Vista from within Windows 2000 you recieve the following error when you have to load any storage driver:

Install Windows: setup.exe - Entry Point Not Found
Error: The Procedure Entry point LZCopy could not be located in the dynamic link library Kernel32.dll

To work around this issue, you must install the full version of Windows Vista. Use the Windows Vista Setup DVD to start the computer, and then install Windows Vista, instead of running Windows Vista Setup in Windows 2000.

According to Microsoft ” You cannot work around this issue if you have an upgrade version of Windows Vista.”, but if you follow the post here you will find a workaround for upgrade versions.

Switch Back To The Old Start Menu

Dave — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 04:35:01 +0000

I got a IM from a friend and we were discussing his upgrade to Vista (Hi Vic!!!) and how much he liked the old interface and start menu. I had read about being able to switch the start menu back to the old XP style quick and easy. I walked him through it and decided to write it up also.

Right click on the start menu and left click Personalize

On the Taskbar and Start Menus Properties window choose the radio button for Classic Start menu

Click Ok and you will now find your start menu is just like it was in the previous versions.

Restoring Desktop Icons In Windows Vista

Dave — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 04:00:24 +0000

One of the first things I noticed when I got into the desktop after installing Vista was that the desktop was clean as a whistle. I missed my old icon friends that have made the journey with me through the older versions. I want them back!!! I found out it is quick and painless to do so.

Right Click on the desktop and click Personalize

This brings up the Personalize appearance and sounds menu. In the upper left corner you will find and click Change desktop icons

The Change desktop icons window has all our old friends listed. Place a check next to all the ones you want to add to the desktop and click Ok

After going back to your desktop you will see your nostalgic icons back where they belong!

Vista Ultimate Extras - DreamScene Preview

Dave — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 01:53:49 +0000

If you have a copy of Vista Ultimate and went to update today you will find that the new DreamScene update was live. This extra allows you to run movie clips on your desktop in the .mpg and .wmv formats. You can see a demonstration on the Windows Deamscene post at Windowsultimate.com

Ok once you get the update right click on your desktop and choose Personalize
Click on Desktop Background
Choose Windows DreamScene Content from the drop down
From there you can choose the video clip you want in the background.

If you want to add additional videos you can put them in the directory:
%system root%/Windows/Web/Dream Scene

Change Internet Time Server

Dave — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 06:02:15 +0000

By default Windows Vista is setup to synchornize with an Internet Time Server. This allows the computer to update its time automatically. This does require access to the internet using UDP port 123 and can be blocked if your firewall is not configured properly.

If you want to change your time server for any reason including to point at a local Time Server, this article will walk you through where to change the settings.
Note: If you are part of a Active Directory domain this will be controlled by Group Policies that will over ride local settings. Though most home users/small networks will not be part of a domain.

First go to your Control Panel:

Next go to Clock, Language, & Region:

Then click Date & Time:

Choose the Internet Time tab. Here you will see several pieces of information including:

Time server currently set to
Next synchronization time
The last result of the synchronization including errors

Clicking on the Change settings… might popup a UAC warning depending on your configuration if it does click Continue:

If the UAC doesn’t pop then you should see the Internet Time Settings configuration window:

In this window you can do two things. Configure if you want to use Internet Time or not by checking/unchecking Synchronize with an Internet Time server and set which time server you want to use for synchronization. These can be either the preconfigured servers in the drop down menu or you can type one of your choosing.

Once you change yours settings you can test them by clicking Update Now You will get a status message right in that window.

Once your done click Ok

Windows Vista Activation Goes Too Far - Part 2

Dave — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 14:04:24 +0000

Ok, had some more time this morning and I started poking around various forums. It turns out that 9dragons is using a particular program called Gameguard by Nprotect to help guard against cheaters. This program acts like a rootkit and inject itself into core files, which is what Vista is detecting. It always did this on the other OS plaltforms, but Vista was the only one that really detected it. I just don’t agree with the way it handeled itself, with very nondescriptive error and deactivation.

As the game industry continues to be more Draconian in thier attempt to counter the piracy/cheating issues it really does seem that it hurts the masses more then helping them. I am not sure who to peg this on really. The game company for injecting a rootkit like program into my machine or Vista for not being able to diagnose the program better.

Appearantly there is a patch out for this that the game company has to put into place and will soon to keep Vista users from having these kind of issues.

I found more information here about what Gameguard does

Windows Vista Activation Goes Too Far

Dave — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 01:23:43 +0000

So here I am spending my Sunday at home with the kids gone to my sister in laws and I figure it is the perfect time to get some gaming in. I remember reading about a new game that just went into beta called 9dragons. I signup for the game and download the client, install without a hitch.

I am playing the game when all of a sudden I get popped out of my game back to desktop with a message that my copy of Vista isn’t Genuine. Now I have the reciept, the box it came in, and the hole in my bank account to prove that I do indeed have a legal copy. It turns out that if you install a program your copies of Windows Vista will unactivate itself. I am livid, where does Microsoft get off telling me what I can put on my personal PC? I have been a Wintel network administrator going on 11 years now, and this just seems so over the top.

I tried to revalidate my copy of Vista only to be told that it was still not genuine. When I uninstalled the game and tried guess what it worked. I think this is outrageous. I can understand that they might not offer support, but to shut off your OS is just ridiculous. If you are thinking of going to Vista and you do beta test for software, you might want to think twice. Vista is supposed to be the next level of gaming, but I guess that is only if it comes from a Microsoft studio.

Setting Symbolic Links in Windows Vista

Dave — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 02:39:04 +0000

For years *nix systems have enjoyed the ability to point a symbolic link to a file at another location making life a little easier for adminstrators and developers who create scripts. With the Windows 2000 platform there was a step forward with the ability to make directory links or junctions. Now with Windows Vista you can create links to specific target files. This post will discuss this a little farther.

To create a symbolic link you can do this in a command prompt using the MKLINK command which can be seen in this screen shot:

This command has many uses but for this demonstration I am just going to create a shortcut to the calculator on the desktop. While there are other ways to do this, it is just a very simple example.

It is important to know that to create a symbolic link the account you are using needs to have the new privilege Create Symbolic Link that is only assigned to the Administrator by default. For our example I will be running the command prompt with the Administrator account.

Ok so now that we have the command prompt running under Administrator account I want to get to the desktop so I can create the symbolic link:
cd C:\users\vista knowledgebase\desktop

Next I will run the command to create the symbolic link:
mklink calculator.exe C:\windows\system32\calc.exe

As you can see the command ouput that the link was created and on the desktop to the left of the command window you can see the icon was created.

You can always tell a symbolic link by a simple dir command:

As you can tell from the screenshot the symbolic link is identified as

Windows Explorer is also symbolic link aware and you will see the shortcut arrow and if you enable the link target column you can see the target location:

Very simple and easy! Now you might be asking why this is useful as you could have easily done that through the GUI. If you are writing scripts or using the built in IIS you will find numerous uses for this helpful command as you can make symbolic links to both local and remote locations. Note that if you do make a link to a remote location the command is run locally.

System Partition Too Small When Upgrading To Windows Vista

Dave — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 06:21:45 +0000

When I got my upgrade disks from Best Buy I ran home very excited to get it on my personal laptop and enjoy all the new MS goodness. When I ran the upgrade I ran into one small problem though. When I installed my Windows XP machine I did what I usually do and make a system partition that is only a few gigs, and the rest I use for a data partition. Of course the problem is that when you run the upgrade for Vista within XP you cannot do changes to the partitions. The way I got around this utilizes a flaw in the upgrade process in Vista.

I first backed up all the data on my laptop that I wanted to transfer over. Then I went ahead and ran the install from the Bootable DVD just like you find on my instructions for installing a fresh copy of Vista, with a few notable exceptions:

I left the activation key blank

And I made sure to uncheck Automatically activate Windows when I’m online

I completed the installtion as in the article making sure to configure my disk paritions in a way that was more acceptable to Vista.

After the first install finished, I ran setup.exe from the Upgrade DVD. Again I followed the instructions from the article above except for the following:

This time I entered the upgrade product key

And I then made sure to choose Upgrade instead of custom install

Once the second install was done, I reinstalled my programs and replaced my data from the backup.

As you might have figured out you could do this without having a license from Windows 2000 or XP, but it is not something I would recommend.

Install a fresh copy of Windows Vista

Dave — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 06:15:16 +0000

This article will walk you through the installation process for Windows Vista. In this particular instance I will not be entering a product key and install it more of an evaluation copy, but I will point out the differences where they exist.

Insert your copy of Vista and boot your machine from CD/DVD. You will see this screen as the kernel starts to load:

Depending on the speed of your machine this could take a few minutes or more. After loading you will see:

On this window you can choose the Language to install, Time and currency format, and Keyboard or input method after you select your options from the menu click Next and you will come to:

Click on the Install Now button when you are ready to continue and you will see:

Here you will enter your product activation key that came with your purchase of Windows Vista. You can also select to activate your copy of windows by checking Automatically activate Windows when I’m online Note: You do not have to enter a product key at this time and can proceed with the installation if you want to evaluate a version of Vista or will be entering your product key at a later time. Click Next to move to the next stage of installation:

This inset is for people who did not enter a product key, if you did please skip this section.
If you do not enter a product key you will see the following:

It is a warning that you could lose your data if you do not provide a license key and activate your copy of Vista within 14 days. Click No to continue:

On this screen you can choose which version of Windows Vista you want to test, you will also need to confirm that you understand that if you choose a version different then what you have or planned on purchasing that you will have to reinstall the correct version with possible data loss. You do this by checking I have selected the edition of Windows I purchased and click on Next

If you entered your product key correctly it should have automatically picked the correct version of Vista or if you had to choose your version you will now see the product licensing that applies to your version:

After reading through your copy of the licensing agreement you should select I accept the license terms and click Next. The next screen allows you to choose the type of install that you want to perform:

Since this is a clean install run from boot you can see the upgrade option has been disabled. Click on Custom (advanced) to perform a clean install. Unless you are very carefully any old data you have on these disks will be lost with the new install overwriting them. If you proceed you must understand that and backed up any data you want saved.

On the next screen you will see the disk drives that the install routine has found, in my example I have one 16GB partition that has not been formatted. If you click on disk tools you will get additional menu selections that allow you to manipulate partitions and format them:

Choose the place you want to install the system files and click Next. This will start the file install sequence:

After those screens it will reboot for the first time:

After the reboot it will complete the installation:

After it finishes it will reboot one more time then when the computer boots up you will see:

Enter in a username and password (optional), if you enter a password you will have to enter it a second time to confirm and a hint if you want. Click Next to continue.

The next screen allows you to enter a computer name for the pc and choose a desktop background:

Clicking Next brings you to your next choice about how to handle updates:

Choose which option works best for your experience level, I would recommend Use recommended settings unless you know how to get the updates yourself and know which ones are critical updates and which ones you can go without. After clicking your option you will be asked to set your timezone and time:

Choose your timezone from the dropdown menu, check if you want to observe day light savings automatically, and then set the date and time. Clicking Next will bring you to the end of the setup phase:

Clicking Start will start the first loading of Vista. The first thing it will do is test your computers performance to find the settings that run best for you:

After that you will come to the login screen:

Congratulations! You have now successfully done a clean install of Windows Vista.

Windows Vista Ultimate Edition

Dave — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 21:34:35 +0000

For those that want it all this is the Vista Edition for you! If your going to go out and spend your money on a new OS you might as well get the one that has everything bundled together. Being able to handle work and play PCs/laptops will be able to switch between cutting edge collaboration with your coworkers, to jumping online to play a few hours of World of Warcraft. Also included are exclusive downloads called “Windows Ultimate Extras”, that give both added functionality and value to the Vista Ultimate Editions.

Vista Ultimate features:

Windows Defender

Windows Firewall

Instant Search

Internet Explorer 7

Windows Aero

Windows Mobility Center

Windows Media Center

Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore

Remote Desktop

Windows Bitlocker Drive Encryption

Windows DVD Maker

Windows Movie Maker

Suggested price for the full version is 399.00, and the upgrade is $259.00

Who is this version for? ME! Honestly anyone working in the IT industry should have this version so we can troubleshoot and see what the other versions have. Fully featured power users will appreciate being able to get everything in one package with a few extras for those that belong to the club. The price tag might put some off, but if you look at the features and how they integrate, I would say comparable features from outside software would cost even more.

Windows Vista Business Edition

Dave — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 21:34:30 +0000

Made with small business in mind this verions of Windows Vista allows companies with limited IT budgets enjoy big company benefits. Allowing collaberation among coworkers both local and remote will streamline your processes allowing you to improve your bottom line. Mobile users will espcially enjoy the enhanced features of Vista Business allowing them to keep thier documents up to date no matter where they are at.

Vista Business Features:

Windows Defender

Windows Firewall

Instant Search

Internet Explorer 7

Windows Aero Desktop

Windows Mobility Center

Windows Meeting Space

Windows Complete PC Backup And Restore

Remote Desktop

This versions suggested price for full version is $299.00 and the upgrade is $199.00.

Who is this version for? I have done a lot of consulting for small businesses throughout the years and most have a infrastructure that is a nightmare to work with. With this new edition and a little planning, smaller businesses can get all the benefits of a large IT staff out of the box.

Windows Vista Home Premium Edition

Dave — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 21:34:25 +0000

The recommended version of the Vista OS for home PC’s and laptops, this version includes more of the bells and whistles that have been the hallmark of Windows Vista in both news and print. Including not only the Vista Home Basic features, the Premium version kicks up the user experience with features that enhance your computing experience.

Premium features include:

Windows Defender

Windows Firewall

Instant Search

Internet Explorer 7

Windows Aero Desktop

Windows Meeting Space

Windows Media Center

Scheduled Backups

Windows DVD Maker

Windows Movie Maker

The suggested price for the full version is $239.00, with a upgrade priced at $159.00

Who should use this version? Your home power users, anyone who need flexiiblity with what they are doing with digital multimedia. I do feel the learning curve on some the features will be steep for those that do not have a inclination to software.

Windows Vista Home Basic Edition

Dave — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 21:34:19 +0000

I think a good place to start would be the different versions of Windows Vista. The first up would be Windows Vista Home Basic and is targetted at those that are casual PC users and just want email and internet browsing. While it includes the security features of the other versions some of the “Wowness” featues will be missing. For some users this is perfect because the simpler the better and for older PCs that might not want to enable all the bells and whistles.

The base feature set is:

Windows Defender

Windows Firewall

Instant Search

Internet Explorer 7

The cost for the full version is suggested at $199.00 and for the upgrade $99.95.

Where is this version appropiate? We all have those computer challenged friends and family that are a constant drain on our cell phone minutes while they ask us this or that. With a slimmed down version with a limited feature and increased security I can see this being a recommended install for those loved ones. With the security features added in it would certainly cut down on the number of restores I have to do because of them just clicking “yes” or “ok” to whatever pops up on thier screen. They always say training is the best answer, but sometimes it just doesnt work out

Vista Knowledgebase Launch!

Dave — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 04:38:32 +0000

Just behind the official commercial release of Windows Vista to the masses around the world, we are going to official launch today ourselves. The mission here is to provide how-to articles, tips & tricks, and information for the different versions of Windows Vista. I appreciate feedback and look forward to learning as much [...]

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