Enable Glass Without a Supported Graphic Card in Vista

Add an entry to the registery by downloading and clicking on this file.

Turn on File Extensions in Vista

1. Go to any folder, e.g. Documents.
2. Layout > Show Classic Menus.
3. Tools > Folder Options > View Tab.
4. Untick "Hide Extensions of Known File Types".
5. Close, return to Layout and put it back as it was

Enabling Additional Avalon Effects in Vista

Once you have Aero turned on, you can enable additional transition effects. Follow the steps below to add some additional desktop and explorer effects:

1. Start type "regedit".
2. Go to HKEY_Local_Machine > Software > Microsoft > Windows > Current Version > Explorer.
3. Create a new DWORD and call it MILDesktop.
4. Set the value of MILDesktop to 1
5. Create a new DWORD and call it MILExplorer
6. Set the value of MILExplorer to 1
7. Exit and Restart

Disable User Access Protection (UAP) in Vista

1. While logged in with admin rights.
2. Press the key combo Win+R (the "Run command" box comes up).
3. Run "msconfig".
4. Go to the "Tools" tab.
5. Scroll down to "disable UAP" and click the "launch" button below.
6. It will execute a command & leave behind a CMD window.
7. Exit, reboot Vista

Show Administrator on Welcome Screen

1. Start type "control userpasswords2".
2. Select administrator account, click reset password (input new pass) and hit "OK".
3. Start type "regedit".
4. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion > Winlogon > SpecialAccounts > UserList.
5. Create "DWORD (32bit) Value" with Value Name: Administrator and Value Data: 1

Removing Arrows on Desktop Shortcuts

1. Start type "regedit".
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT > lnkfile.
3. Rename 'IsShortcut' to 'AriochIsShortcut' in the right pane.
4. Close regedit and Reboot

Start Windows Explorer at a C Drive Instead of Documents

1. Create a shortcut to Explorer.exe on your Desktop.
2. Right click on the shortcut and choose 'Properties' and click on the 'Shortcut' tab.
3. You will see the default '%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe' in the 'Target:' field.
4. Change the value to: C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe /n, /e, c:\
5. Click OK and Exit.

Delete Hibernate File in Vista

When one uses hibernate in Windows Vista, it creates a file called hiberfil.sys. This file can grow rather large and you may want to remove it.

A simple way to delete it:

1. Log on as the Administrator
2. Start Command Prompt then type: powercfg -h off
3. Hit Enter

Remove Splash Screen in Windows Mail in Vista

1. Start type "regedit".
2. HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows Mail.
3. Set "NoSplash"=dword:00000001
4. Exit and Restart

Remove ToolTips from showing on MouseOver in Vista

1. Start type "regedit".
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer > Advanced.
3. Set "ShowInfoTip"=dword:00000000
4. Exit and Reboot

Enable Auto-Logon in Windows Vista

1. Click Start and type 'netplwiz'.
2. In the GUI window that comes up, uncheck the "Users must enter a username and password to use this computer" checkbox.
3. Click 'Apply'.
4. In the new dialog box that opens type the name of the account you want to auto-logon by default (if the account is not normally passworded then leave it blank)
5. Click OK and exit

Using USB Storage & Windows Vista ReadyBoost

Windows Vista has a new performance feature called ReadyBoost. This feature enables the use of a USB storage device instead of the slow paging file on your hard disk when you're low on physical memory (RAM). The logic is simple - the USB storage device is faster than your hard disk drive.

In order for ReadyBoost to work in Windows Vista, your USB storage device must meet the following requirements:

-the device must have at least 64MB storage.

- the device must be USB 2.0 compliant.

- the device must have a minimum read speed of 3.5 MB/s.

- the device must have a minimum write speed of 2.5 MB/s.

Follow these steps to enable ReadyBoost:

1. Plug in USB storage device.

2. Go to Computer, right-click on the removable storage device and select Properties.

3. Click on the ReadyBoost tab.

4. Select Use This Device and set the amount of space to use for the system file.

5. Click OK.

Clean Install Windows Vista With Upgrade DVDs

Clean Install Windows Vista With Upgrade DVDsTraditionally, you are required to have a previous installation of Windows before you can upgrade, e.g. have Windows XP on your system before using Windows Vista Upgrade DVDs. What if you have ALREADY upgraded to Windows Vista but are having system issues that require formating and re-installing Windows? Paul Thurrot proposed this hack that lets you install a Windows Vista Upgrade, without needing to re-install Windows XP first:

1. Boot from the Windows Vista Upgrade DVD and begin the setup program.
2. When prompted to enter your product key, DO NOT enter it. Click "Next" and proceed with setup - this will install Windows Vista as a 30-day trial.
3. When prompted, select the edition of Windows Vista which you have purchased and continue with the setup.
4. Once setup has been completed and you have been brought to the desktop for the first time, run the install program from within Windows Vista.
5. This time, type in your product key when prompted.
6. When asked whether to perform an Upgrade or Custom (advanced) install, choose Custom (advanced) to perform a clean install of Windows Vista.(Yes! This means that you will have to install Windows Vista for a second time)
7. Once setup has completed for the second time, you should be able to activate Windows Vista normally. You can also delete the Windows.old directory which contains information from the first Windows Vista installation.

This means that all Windows Vista upgrade DVDs can be used as full retail DVDs. However, this is an illegal approach and you are going against Windows Vista's Eula should you install an upgrade without owning a previous version of Windows as specified by Microsoft.

Stop Applications That Auto-start On Startup in Vista

There are 2 ways to stop applications that auto-start when you login to Windows Vista. You can either use the System Configuration Utility or the new Software Explorer in Windows Defender

Method 1: System Configuration Utility

• Click on the Start Button, enter msconfig and hit Enter.
• Click on the Startup tab.
• Uncheck items that you do want to auto-start and click OK.
  

Method 2: Windows Defender

• Click on the Start Button, enter Windows Defender and hit Enter.
• Click on the Tools from the top menu bar.
• Click on Software Explorer and select Show for All Users.
• Select an application to either Remove or Disable.

Tweak Windows Vista's Indexing Options

Windows Vista works in the background to automatically index all the files in the Start Menu, user profile folders and files setup for offline access by default. If you have many files in these locations and the files change often, the indexing service may slow down your system's performance. Unlike Windows XP, Vista now allows you to easily tweak the indexing service following the steps below. It is recommended that you disable indexing for the other locations other than the Start Menu for maximum performance. Bear in mind that while this tweak speeds up your overall system performance, it will also slow you down when searching for files in those locations.

• Click on the Start Button and enter Indexing Options. Hit Enter and the Indexing Options should load.
• Click on the Modify button, followed by Show all locations.
• Scroll through the tree-view and uncheck all options except the Start Menu. Hit OK.
  

Note: For advanced users, you can also change other indexing options, like the file types to index, by clicking on the Advanced button.

Changing the Action for the Start Menu Power Button in Vista

The Power Button (red) on Start menu has 3 functions (Sleep, Hibernate or Power Off), by default the function of this button is set to "Sleep". to change this setting to "Power off":

• Go to Control Panel
• In Default view go to System Maintenance and then Power Options,
• In classic view go to Power Options
• In your Preferred plans click on "Change plan settings"
• Then click on "Change advanced power settings"Go to Power buttons and lid
• Then go to Start menu power options
• Select Shut down from the drop down option and click OK.

Increase SATA Disk Drive Performance in Vista

You can squeeze a more performance out of your SATA hard disk drive by enabling write caching. The price though, is an increased risk for data loss/corruption should you experienced a power loss - this risk is less in a laptop because of its battery.

1. Click on the Start Button.
2. Type "Device Manager" and hit Enter.
3. Expand Disk Drives.
4. Right-click on your hard disk drive and select Properties.
5. On the Policies tab, check Enable Advanced Performance.
6. Click OK and close Device Manager.

What next? "Windows Vienna" OR "Windows Seven"

With Windows Vista finally behind us, it's time to turn our attention to the next Windows client release, which is alternatively codenamed Vienna," "Windows Seven," or "Windows 7," depending on who you talk to. Despite an almost complete lack of verifiable information about the next Windows, there are at least two excellent reasons to begin discussing this project now.

1. This Web site, the SuperSite for Windows, is dedicated to discussing upcoming Microsoft products, so it's only natural that I'd post a FAQ like this as soon as possible.

2. Microsoft isn't particularly interested in discussing Vienna yet. "The launch of Windows Vista was an incredibly exciting moment for our customers and partners around the world, and the company is focused on the value Windows Vista will bring to people today," Kevin Kutz, a Director in the Windows Client group at Microsoft said on February 13, 2007. "We are not giving official guidance to the public yet about the next version of Windows, other than that we're working on it. When we are ready, we will provide updates." This quote was provided after I wrote a WinInfo article denouncing recent news reports about Vienna, all of which provided absolutely no new information at all.
Clearly, what's needed is a central location for accurate information about Vienna. This is it.

Q: Is Microsoft working on an operating system after Windows Vista?
A: Yes. The next client version of Windows was originally codenamed "Blackcomb," though the company renamed it to "Windows Vienna" in early 2006 and to "Windows Seven" or "Windows 7" more recently. I prefer Vienna, so I'll continue to refer to it by that name here.

Q: Why Windows 7?
A: Since Windows Vista is really Windows 6.0, Vienna will presumably be version 7.0.

Q: I heard that Windows Vista will be the last major OS release from Microsoft. Is that true?
A: No. Windows-based PCs will continue to form the center of our digital lifestyles, and as Microsoft executives have noted in recent days, there are still plenty of areas in which Microsoft can improve Windows. Some obvious examples include voice recognition and storage.

Q: So is Vienna going to be a major Windows version?
A: No. Windows Vista was a major release, and Vienna will be a relatively minor, or interim, update. Microsoft is currently on a development path where every other Windows version is a major release.

Q: When will Vienna ship?
A: Microsoft currently plans to ship Vienna in 2009, about two to two and a half years after Vista. The next major release of Windows is expected two years after Vienna, in 2011. (Windows Server updates are on a similar cycle.)

Q: What features will be included in Windows Vienna?
A: Microsoft hasn't publicly committed to any features for Vienna and the company is currently still deciding what this next Windows release will look like. We do know a few things about Vienna, however: It will include a new version of Windows Explorer that is being built by the same team that designed the Ribbon user interface in Office 2007. It will likely include some form of the "Hypervisor" (Windows Virtualization) technologies that will ship shortly after Windows Server "Longhorn". It will also likely include the WinFS (Windows Future Storage) technologies, though they won't be packaged or branded as WinFS.

Q: Will Windows Vienna be available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions like Vista?
A: No, Vienna will almost certainly ship only in 64-bit versions. This is in keeping with Microsoft's x64 migration schedule.

Q: Will Microsoft release any Windows updates between now and Vienna?
A: Yes. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1, codenamed "Fiji") will ship simultaneously with Windows Server "Longhorn" and will include a new kernel version that makes that release up to date with the kernel version in Longhorn. As such, we might consider Fiji a major release for a service pack: No previous service pack has ever included a major kernel update.

--
Paul Thurrott
February 14, 2007

Yahoo! Messenger for Windows Vista

Coming Soon !!!

Built from the ground up specifically for Microsoft Windows Vista, this all-new version combines the reliable and easy-to-use features you've always loved from Yahoo! Messenger with the cutting-edge experience of this new operating system.

Instant message, voice, webcam video, and more.

• Use the integrated Yahoo! Messenger Sidebar gadget to keep up with the friends that matter most.


• Also add Windows Live™ Messenger friends to your contact list to see when they're online and IM them.


• Keep conversations organized by dragging and dropping them into one tabbed window.


• Brand new emoticons, program icons and alert sounds.


• Instantly change the look and feel of your Yahoo! Messenger interface.


• Automatic groups are created in your contact list based on your Yahoo! interests (i.e. Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football league)

Notable new features in Windows Vista

Windows Aero
- redesigned GUI that is clean, eye-pleasing, supports transparencies and animations.

Windows Shell
- significantly different from Windows XP and includes built-in search. Even the Start Menu has changed.

Search
- much faster and more thorough, similar to Window's Desktop Search and Apple's Spotlight.

Windows Sidebar
- new panel on the right that has replaceable Desktop Gadgets (or widgets), e.g. weather.

Internet Explorer
- more secured than before, supports tabbed browsing like Firefox and reads RSS.

Windows Media Player 11
- includes new GUI, search-as-you-type, sharing music and iTunes-like music store called URGE.

Windows Defender and Firewall
- advanced anti-spyware and 2-way firewall now integrated into the OS.

Windows Mail
- replaces Outlook Express with better stability and enhanced features.

Windows SideShow
- supports auxillary displays, e.g. an additional smaller display on the outside of a laptop LCD.

Speech Recognition
- completely integrated into Windows Vista to activate commands and for dictation.

Windows Photo Gallery
- photo and movie app that supports easy importing, editing, slideshows and DVD burning.

Windows Collaboration
- replaces NetMeeting and allows collaboration over the network or P2P technology.

SuperFetch
- speeds up the loading of Windows and other applications by storing them in memory.

ReadyBoost
- temporary performance booster by utilizing any flash disk (e.g. USB drive) as memory.

ReadyDrive
- enables Windows Vista PCs equipped with hybrid hard drives to boot up almost instantly.

DirectX 10
- includes Shader Model 4.0 and Geometry shaders, which require the graphics card to support WDDM. This will allow the GPU to render complex scenes by itself.

Windows Media Center
- previously existed as a separate edition in Windows XP called Windows XP Media Center. It is now built into Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate editions.

Can Apple's iMac or MacBook Run Windows Vista?

Answer:

In a word - Yes! This is now possible and a lot easier since Apple adopted Intel's cpu for its new line of iMac desktops and MacBook laptops.

Apple's free Bootcamp ver 1.1.2 (beta) lets you install Windows on your Mac and select the OS of choice by holding down the Option key at startup.

Commercial alternatives are available in the form of virtualization software like VMware's Fusion (Free - currently in beta) and Parallels' Desktop for Mac ($79.99). They offer more features like the capability to run in 64-bit, switching from Mac to Windows Vista without a reboot and running Windows Vista in a window within Mac's OS X.

However, it pays to know that Microsoft has built a wall around virtualization, supposedly for security reasons although many believe it to be a business decision instead. Lurking in the 14-page agreement of the virtualization software is a ban on using the least expensive versions of Vista, i.e. people wanting to put Vista in a virtualized program have to buy the $299 Business or the $399 Ultimate editions.

The license agreement also prohibits virtualization programs from using Windows Vista's BitLocker data-encryption service or from playing music, video or other content wrapped in Microsoft's copyright-protection technology.

Creating your own shortcut toolbar on Vista Desktop

How to create your own shortcut toolbar in Vista - so easy!

1. On the desktop create a folder and then drag it to the extreme left-top, right or top of the screen (upto the screen corner where your My Computer icon generally appears)

2. This should now give you an area that you can now add shortcuts and documents to - in the form of a toolbar.

Editing the Boot file in Vista

One of the major changes in Vista that the average user will not notice but anyone that has a multi-boot system will is that the old text based Boot.ini file no longer exists. It has been replaced by a boot config database that is edited via a command line tool BCDEDIT.

Whilst BCDEDIT works quite well - fumbling around with the command line, ensuring the right switches and settings are put in can sometimes be pretty frustrating (no - I am not saying that a GUI tool replaces a CLI tool - but I am saying that for ease of use a good GUI can be very helpful)

A freeware GUI Boot database editing tool that I have seen and used is VistaBootPRO. Putting it mildly - it rocks! I should point out at this time that I am under no commercial agreements with the makers of the product - I just like it and have and will recommend it to any administrator of Vista.

Backup & Security features in Vista

Speed up your PC’s performance:

Windows Vista introduces a new concept for adding additional performance to a running system. Windows ReadyBoost™ lets people use flash memory on a USB 2.0 drive, SD Card, Compact Flash, or other memory form factor to provide additional memory cache—memory that the computer can access much more quickly than it can access data on the hard drive. Insert a USB 2.0 memory drive with at least 512 MB capacity. When prompted, click use this device to speed up my computer.

Recover a previous version of a document:

Windows Vista introduces a new feature: Previous Versions. This allows you to “roll back” the clock to an earlier version of a file that you may have accidentally saved over or edited. In the Documents Explorer, open a document, edit it, save it, and then close it. While selecting the document, choose the Previous Versions option on the command bar, which will bring up a list of previously saved versions of the individual file. Choose a previous version and Windows Vista will restore your file to that version. Careful: all edits since that version will be lost.

Collaboration in Windows Vista

Collaborate with a co-worker:

Want an easy way to share files and applications with a colleague or customer—even when you may not be part of the same network? Windows Meeting Space is a new experience in Windows Vista that enables you to start an impromptu collaboration session with other Windows Vista users. Simply open Windows Meeting Space and start a session. Windows Vista will automatically detect other Windows Vista users that are on the same sub-net infrastructure or close enough for you to create an ad hoc (direct PC-to-PC connection) wireless connection. Once you have invited them and they have accepted,you can share documents by simply dragging a document to the Handouts area on the bottom right which instantly replicates that file across the other meeting participants’ machines. Dragging the file to the presentation area on the left side starts application sharing, enabling the other participants to watch as you present that file. If someone has a good edit for your file, you can make that edit in real time, or pass control of the application directly to that participant for them to make that edit for you.

Share a folder or file directly from your PC:

Windows Vista improves on the Windows network folder sharing experience first introduced with Windows XP by giving you more flexibility in what you can share with other people and improving the setup process. With Windows Vista you can now share folders and individual files with any other user on the same corporate network. From any explorer, select a file or folder and on the command bar choose the option to Share. Enter the name of another user on the same network, and give them appropriate rights of access—reader, co-owner, etc. To help close the loop, Windows Vista can even automatically compose an e-mail to the individuals with which you have shared the content. The auto-generated e-mail contains a hyperlink to the shared content, enabling the recipient to instantly be taken to the shared content.

Create an XPS Document:

XPS documents are a new archiving format perfect for preserving content and for securely sharing information in an application independent way. To create an XPS document, open any document in virtually any application, and select the print option. In the printer selection menu, choose Microsoft XPS Document Writer, and save the file. Double click on the file, which should open it in the XPS Viewer, which is hosted by Internet Explorer 7. The XPS document is a pixel-perfect rendition of the original source material.

Browsing with Internet Explorer 7

Browse multiple Web sites:
Tabbed browsing in Internet Explorer® 7 enables a single Internet Explorer window to run with the convenience of multiple pages. Open a new page by clicking the empty tab on the toolbar or by right-clicking any hyperlink and choosing New Tab. Tabs can also be right-clicked to refresh individual pages or refresh pages as a group. You can close either individual tabs or an entire group, and you can save tabs as one favorite group. With the Quick Tabs feature, the icon just to the right of the Favorites icon, thumbnail images of all open tabs can be seen in a single view helping you manage multiple open tabs.

Print picture perfect Web content:
Most Web sites are simply not formatted to fit cleanly on a standard piece of paper. With the new shrink to fit printing feature found in Internet Explorer 7 Web sites will no longer get cut off when sent to the printer.

Search & Organize in Windows Vista

1. Explore the new Windows Vista start menu.

Looking for specific applications, Web sites, and e-mails is faster than ever with the streamlined Windows Vista start menu. To find a specific application or file, click the Windows key on the keyboard (or open the start menu) and enter the file name in the Instant Search field. As you type, Windows Vista dynamically searches filenames, metadata, and the full text of all files and displays the choices by file type. For example, type “out” to find Microsoft® Outlook®.

2. Discover the new search explorer.

Try filtering by type using the search pane and selecting Documents. Next choose to see your files in another way, via the new stack view. Select the author column header control drop down menu, and choose the option to Stack by author. Explore all the documents by a particular author by double clicking on an author’s stack. Now, save that search as a new search folder. Choose the option Save Search found on the top command bar and name and save your search folder. In the future, to re-run it, simply select the Searches folder link on the left side navigation pane, and double click on your search folder.

3. Experience the enhanced user interface.

If your PC supports the Windows® Aero™ user experience, open multiple files and see how easy it is to locate the right open window using the breakthrough Windows Flip (simply ALT+TAB) or Flip 3D (Windows key+TAB).

IE7 Short Keys and tricks

1. To launch an item in quick launch hit "Win+Item Number" e.g. if Internet Explorer is the third item in quick launch hit "Win+3" to launch it.
2. To open a new tab in IE7 use "Ctrl+N"
3. To switch beetween tabs in IE7 use "Ctrl+Tab"
4. To close an active tab in IE7 use "Ctrl+W"
5. To open a hyperlink in new tab press and hold "Ctrl" while clicking on the hyperlink. OR Use the Middle mouse button.
6. To Zoom in a page use "Ctrl + (plus)"
7. To Zoom out a page use "Ctrl - (minus)"
8. To view IE7 window in FullScreen mode use "F11"
9. The menu bar is not displayed in IE7 by default to view the menu bar press "Alt". To permenantly display the menubar right click on the empty space beetween tabs and toolbar and then select "Menu Bar."
10. Windows Live search is the Default search engine for IE7 to add additional search engines and to change the default search engine, click the dropdown type arrow in the search bok and select "Find More Providers" or "Change Search Defaults".

10 Reasons to use Windows Vista

1. UI built for the era of video and digital photography
It's not actually Microsoft's key selling point, but the thing that everyone will probably find the most useful about Windows Vista is that photos, videos and music are not treated the same as Word documents any more. When you open a folder of photos, they come up as they'd appear in Google Picasa or Apple iPhoto. There's inbuilt basic photo editing. Music folders come up in columns of ID3 tags, a bit like iTunes. Finally, you don't have to rely so much on third party apps to work with your files.

2. Image-based install
PC enthusiasts spend a lot of time installing and reinstalling Windows for their own and other people's PCs. The Windows Vista DVD is actually a pre-installed version of the OS in a compressed form, making it substantially quicker to install. It's also much easier to customise for unprompted installation with the correct defaults, and you can even install your own software automatically at the time Vista is installed - like slipstreaming service packs but on steroids.

3. Up-to-date driver base and better driver handling on installation
Enjoy the just-baked driverbase while it lasts (19,500 drivers large). If you do need to use a special disk driver during installation in the future it won't have to be on floppy disk. Now you can use a USB memory key or CD. Also, Microsoft is now making much greater use of Windows Update for provision of drivers that aren't present in the Windows RTM driver base.

4. Desktop search and search folders built in
Yes, you could already get umpteen desktop search apps including Windows Desktop Search from Microsoft for XP, but you can't underestimate the importance of it being installed on every single Windows Vista PC. Now when your mum rings saying she's lost a document she's been working on all day you can just direct her to the start menu. Also, desktop search folders are handy for finding stuff you haven't necessarily got stored in one folder but that is useful to gather together from time to time (e.g. documents with "tax, invoice or receipt" in them).

5. Sleep mode that actually works
It's a small thing, but makes a big difference: Windows Vista has finally caught up to operating systems that can sleep near instantly and wake up reliably, in a couple of seconds.

6. Rock-solid laptop encryption
The data on your laptop is worth a hell of a lot to an identity thief.Windows Vista's "Bitlocker" encryption (only in Enterprise and Ultimate versions) does heavy-duty, full-drive encryption, so you can be certain that unless a thief has your password there's simply no way they're going to get in.

7. Better file navigation
Windows Vista now has some time-saving features like favourite folders displayed in the left column of every Explorer window, as well as "breadcrumbed" folder lists allowing you to quickly jump backward and forward through a path. Sure, these should have been put into Windows years ago, but at least they're here now.

8. Inbuilt undelete
Or, depending on how you look at it, inbuilt rolling backup. Every time you make a change to a file or delete it, Windows keeps the previous version. As a result, the "oh !#$% I just overwrote my entire PhD with Document1" feeling can be quickly assuaged.

9. DirectX 10
OK, this isn't so much a benefit as your hand being forced: DirectX 10 will never be made for XP, and a raft of games have already been announced ‘exclusively' for 10. Admittedly it does take gaming graphics to the next level, but it's very much tied to Windows Vista.

10. Face it, you have no choice
When Microsoft brings out a major renovation to Windows, you can choose to ignore it for a year or two, but then the device drivers start drying up for older versions of Windows, your friends start asking questions about their new PC that you can't answer, and even if you use Linux, you'll inevitably need familiarity with Microsoft's latest interoperability blockers. Face it: your arse belongs to Redmond.

Goodbye, ‘Vienna.’ Hello ‘Windows 7′

It's February 1: The first "official" day of the Steven Sinofsky Windows era. Yes, I know Senior Vice President of Windows and Windows Live Engineering Sinofsky has been working on Windows Vista and Windows Live for the past several months. His re-org stamp is already visible on a number of divisions and projects.

But given that January 31 was former Windows chief Jim Allchin's last day, I'm counting today as the first day of the new post-Allchin Windows world.

That means, for one, it's time to move beyond the vista-themed family of codenames and begin using the more boring and sanitized ones that we're all going to have to get used to, going forward.

First off, it's time to stop with the "Vienna" stuff. Those in the know need to start using "Windows 7" to refer to the next full-fledged version of Windows client. (Why 7? I guess because it follows NT 6.0?).

Not so coincidentally, numbers are back in vogue — like they are on the Office side of the house, which, as Microsoft watchers have known for a while, is working on "Office 14" (not "13" — bad luck), the next version of Office.

What other changes are in store from the new Windows regime? Over in my regular Redmond Magazine column, I mention (tongue planted in cheek … sort of) a few of the ways Microsoft could and might make Windows development and testing more like that done by the Office unit.

Among my suggestions:

* Stop talking about unreleased products. Don't share publicly a list of promised features/functionality before the product is totally locked down. Punish transgressors both inside and outside the company.

* Cease sharing any information about delivery milestones or dates. Never talking about ship targets means never having to say you're sorry.

* Ban historical references. Anyone mentioning "WinFS," "Cairo" or "Hailstorm" gets put in the penalty box.

Microsoft Confirms Brute Force Windows Vista Crack

Windows Vista KeyGen is a tool based on SLMGR, the vbs script used as the Licensing Manager in the operating system. Microsoft has confirmed the existence of the Vista hack and the method used. Vista KeyGen is designed to crack out legitimate and valid Windows Vista activation keys.

However, a representative from the Windows Genuine Advantage team downplayed the brute force Vista hack.

“The attack randomly searches for legit keys. This is called a brute force attack because there really isn't much intelligence involved and the goal is to just randomly cycle through key after key after key until a legit one is found. One report indicates that the script written to perform this attack goes through about a thousand keys every half an hour; frankly, that's a pretty slow brute force attack,” said Alex Kochis, senior product manager of WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage).

A pretty slow brute force attack translates to the Windows Vista KeyGen crack searching some 20,000 product keys per hour. And at the end of several hours of continuous activity the hack can still return nothing. Additionally, in the eventuality that the Vista KeyGen crack does produce a legitimate product key for the operating system, it could still be invalidated by the Microsoft servers.

“Our product activation servers perform a more rigorous analysis of the keys that are sent up for activation than the local key logic does. For this reason producing keys that will ultimately activate is less likely than just hitting upon one that will pass the local logic. But if anyone does hear of a report of a legit customer being refused a product activation on a genuine key please let us know,” Kochis revealed.

Legitimate customers that encounter issues with the validity of their Windows Vista product keys will be dealt with at the level of Microsoft's customer service. The Redmond Company revealed that it is currently investigating the issue. “We're looking more deeply into this issue now and I'll post more info soon,” Kochis added.

Calculating your internet connection speed

A very few internet users know what the "kbps" in your internet connection speed means.

When your ISP says it is providing you with 256 kbps of internet connectivity, it means 256 kilobits per second i.e. you can download 256 kilobits (not kilobytes) of data in one second.

While our web browsers display the speed in "kilobytes per second" also abbrivated to Kbps (here the "K" is capital).

When you are downloading a file (suppose 1 MB) over a 256 kbps connection it will take :
256 Kilobits per second / 8 = 32 kilobytes per second

1 MB x 1024 = 1024 KB

therefore your 256 kbps connection will take 1024 kb data / 32 kilobytes per second of speed = 32 seconds.

Now this 32 kilobytes per second speed is eaten up by many factors resulting in relatively slower connection.

Some factors eating you your internet speed are : (there are many more)

1. Less freespace on you hard drive (specially the "temporary internet files" folder).
2. Lower system ram as compared to you HDD and CPU.
3. Microsoft reserve 20% of your available bandwidth for their own purposes (suspect for updates and interrogating your machine etc..) as explained here.

You can find resources to test the speed of your internet connection on Google Search.