RIGUY

Let’s face it, sometimes within Vista we really need to get into a system application quickly! Maybe the Firewall or Services need to be opened ASAP. Of course these can be opened within the Control Panel any time. But in order to save a few clicks, typing the command or search keywords is faster. And a few clicks add up to substantial savings over time. For example, to open the Vista Firewall, you can go to the Start menu, Control Panel, Security, Windows Firewall. Pretty easy. But an alternative is to go to the Start menu and in Search type ‘firewall.cpl’. It seems like MORE work due to the typing, but really you can just type ‘fir’ and you will see Windows Firewall show in results.
Other shortcuts to type in the Search:
res: System Restore
sys: System Properties
serv: Windows Services
cmd : command prompt
dev: Device Manager
adm: administrative tools
calc: Calculator
ev: Event Viewer (this is an IMPORTANT one!)

Also, you may see the names of files that have been worked on in the results. This is handy if you forgot a saved file name. Once you get used to typing shortcut commands, you will save time overall.

For some real Vista fun, type in all the letters of the alphabet in the Search area and see for yourself what shows up!(no results for q, x or z on my test system)
Enjoy!
More tech fun:
https://riguy.com

Let’s say you own a printer at home. Let’s say you want to upgrade to Windows Vista or purchase a new PC with Vista. In addition to running into potential application compatibility issues, you may find your printer does not function with the new oprating system. Find out from the printer manufacturer’s web site before purchasing! It is possible that the 4 year old printer is being phased out and the manufacturer (i.e. Brother, Xerox, HP) will not provide the needed software (i.e. drivers) for Vista compatibility.
As an aside, keep in mind that this is not the fault of Windows Vista. Drivers are the responsibility of the manufacturer. It’s a cruel world, and it may be time to upgrade that printer anyway. However, it is possible that a default or generic PS, postscript, printer driver will in fact work. So you can always hook it up toa new Vista system and see what happens.

This is an excellent overview of the malware topic (in relation to UAC) that I touched upon in previous blog post. Of course, solid anti virus/malware/spyware productions should be considered as a defense, but remember also that locking down your PC on the system (OS) level is important too: i.e. enabling UAC, the Windows Firewall etc. Learn how to use these tools, become familiar and the threat of malware will decrease for you.

“Fake antivirus products, when run, appear to carry out a scan of the user’s PC and inevitably detect a series of infections which are actually false. The applications claim that in order to ‘disinfect’ the computer, users must buy the pay-version of the antivirus. If users fall for this ruse, they will be paying to remove malware which never really existed. The objective of the cyber-crooks behind these scams is, as in most cases, financial gain. Examples of fake antivirus products can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/tags/fakeantivirus/.”

Increase in Fake Antivirus Products Caused Adware Figures to Grow in Q3, According to Panda Security
Read it Here!!

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After some very scary run ins with the spyware/malware tricks online recently, I have decided to reconsider User Account Control (UAC). In the Vista Control Panel/User AccountsUser Accounts (yes, that’s twice), you can turn UAC on or off. I now recommend turning it ON and commend Microsoft for making this available. It is basically a confirmation of whether or not to install software on your computer. It is a minor annoyance, but is worth the extra typing in of Administrator level account credentials.
At one point recently I was searching Google online for some type of Exchange related issue. I don’t remember the exact details but it was some general Exchange server related terms being searched. The 4Th result that showed up (meaning the miscreants paid Google for it) was a Geocities web site, which I felt was a bit out of place, but by the time I thought hard about it, I was being prompted to install anti spyware software in order to remove spyware software that only exists if you follow through the install: in sum, you install their software, they then classify it as spyware and then you send them $20 to fix the problem they created. Clever. Luckily I was aware of the scam. The immediate fix is to kill all instances of Internet Explorer (Control/Alt/Delte then Task Manager processes). But I know many people were not aware and followed through. The install creates a hellish problem.
If anything, UAC being turned on would give people a little extra time to think of the question: do I really want to install this? That is always a good question users should ask before installing software.

Many people find the power saving features of Windows Vista annoying. Example – at the company I work at, we use Dell computers, now preinstalled with Vista Pro. The laptops, and even the desktops come configured by default to not actually shutdown, but rather to save your session, files, then go to sleep. Many people like this as the shutdown process can take too long (in their minds). This can be very bad though, if group policies are in place (example, log off scripts). They will not run if you are not actually logging off.

Also network settings should be considered. I know people who just close the lid on their laptop and run out the door carrying it. Problem? Depends. If they hook it up at home, and connect via VPN, then close the lid for the night, then turn it on again (wake it really) in the morning, then bring it to work, well network settings are bound to get mangled. Example – DNS settings from home may still take precedence over the work DNS, causing a slowdown or failure to connect to the file server.

I have seen this happen many times now, to the point where I always ask laptop users, “did you shutdown completely or just go into sleep mode”? Yeah, a reboot almost always cures connectivity issues, but an ipconfig /release, /flushdns, and /renew works frequently too.

So, in order to cut down on greenhouse gases and save energy, hardware vendors, OEMs, and Microsoft, along with many other corporations trying to increase that ‘GREEN’ image, are implementing hard core power saving features. Be careful though – your clean ways may interfere with your productivity.

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Many people become quite perturbed at the notification icons not showing in the Vista System Tray. Also, after clicking the arrow to see all icons, it goes right back to mostly hidden view. This annoys some people. Some also may prefer to always have all system tray icons in view, in order to monitor what is going on better.If that is the case, right click on the Start menu icon and select Properties. From here, select Notification Area and remove the default check box for “Hide inactive icons”. This will give the system tray a more static view of all icons, and it may be quite filled up! This, incidentally, may be a sign that too much is running on your system. Is this possible? And is it necessary? Only you, the user of the PC or laptop knows the answer.
Also, in the Notification Area, “Customize” offers some nifty options to hide or show icons, and gives a history of past tray items.

Before jumping into Windows Vista, especially if you are thinking about an upgrade path or option on a current PC or laptop, it is always preferable to utilize the spiffy “Upgrade Advisor” tool from Microsoft.

Over at my partner site, I have a complete overview.

Upgrade with careful consideration of all hardware and software requirements!

I decided to set up a dual boot with Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Server 2008. Boy, was I shocked at how EASY this was. It was so easy, I started looking for things to do with all my spare time ;> I am not kidding. I am used to hours, days even months of utter frustration with technical matters like this – either with Windows dual boots or Windows/Linux dual boots.
I will maybe post more in the future re: the Windows Server 2008 install.

Well deserved plug for eMachines:

I did this disk partitioning, or volume extending, on a new killer PC from eMachines. My initial take on this AMD Athlon /64 bit/ 320 Gigabyte SATA monster (and I mean that with love and respect ;>), is that it is AWESOME. Maybe it is too early too get excited, but this T5254, which cost only $400 at Best Buy is the deal of the century from the comparisons I have done.

My initial concern was the hard drive. In order to dual boot 2 operating systems, you either need 2 hard drives or 1 hard drive that is partitioned or split into 2 parts. Here is what I did. I like to use the Computer Management tool because it has all sorts of useful tools available when you open it. In this case I want to work on the “Storage” and Disk Management. So, I right-click the Computer icon and select Manage. In fact I use Computer Management so often, I right clicked it within the Start menu and selected “Show on Desktop” so it is more readily available. Anyway, after opening this tool, I selected Disk Management and my volumes and Disks are shown. These days there are frequently many disks that show up here, but they are usually for removable cards, i.e. SD/MMC etc. You should also see a CD or DVD ROM drive referenced.

The disk I was interested in was Disk 0. But really, I need to go no further than the top part under Volume. There most people would see this: (C):, Simple, Basic, NTFS (for Vista), or something very similar. Simply right click the C: volume and select “Extend Volume”. You will be prompted for the desired size. I cut my 300+ GB monster SATA right in half and the process was on its way. That is it!

After the extension or resize, the partition can also be deleted or even shrunk. Also, note that the new volume will get a drive letter assigned. Generally speaking, as the C:drive is already used and as most people have a CD/DVD ROM drive with D:assigned, and finally, most PCs these days have a smallish Recovery type of disk (purpose: emergency reinstall of original OS), etc etc, the letter should be around the F: range or so. Regardless, the new volume should be ‘unallocated’, which means it is ready to be formatted. In my case, I booted off the Windows Server 2008 disk and installed this OS right onto the new unallocated volume.

As always, proceed with caution, and be sure not to install the second OS on the C: drive: that would be bad.

There is no doubt that in a work or home environment where performance is at a premium, it is best to turn the Aero interface off. If you have the resources, however, give it a try. See if it makes a difference. Again, in reality it does look good – but it is not necessary. If indeed you have a version above Home Basic, then Aero may be used. However, you also need to have the necessary hardware: minimum 1 Gigabyte (GB) RAM and a minimum 1 GHz (x32 or x 64) processor.

Let’s take a look at some of the offerings.
With Aero you will notice the glass-like or translucent effect on any window that is opened. There is a clearness to the effect when looking at windows. It is pretty smooth and easy on your eyes. Another element of Aero is that windows are considered dynamic. What does this mean? Microsoft is referring to the fact that the windows minimize very smoothly, for example. I admit that I did not realize this until I read about it in the product guide. But it is true. Also, more importantly, the level of DPI (dots per inch) supported has gone form 96 to 144 DPI. With modern computer screens now expanding capabilities, this will help a great deal in maximizing view quality.

Also with Aero there now exist Live taskbar thumbnails. With them, you hover the mouse over a file or a tile on the taskbar, you then get a nice summary of contents. Another Aero component is Windows Flip. With multiple windows or applications opened on a desktop, one can use the Start+Tab keys to flip through all the applications that are then visible in a 3D view. Hit Start, Tab, but hold Start down, and use the arrow keys to navigate. It’s pretty darn sleek.

Finally, there is theoretically a “Smoother-performing desktop” (pg. 44 of the product guide).This means that windows open and close and resize more smoothly than in XP or earlier versions. Also, Aero supposedly reduces video card related or driver software related crashes. That remains to be seen, as I think some cards already have had issues (Google or Live search for “Vista video card driver crash”).

So, again, Vista Aero interface is quite nice, and maybe can even make one a bit more productive considering the smoothness of the windows (less eye rubbing? fewer cigarette breaks for office workers? more organization via the 3D windows switcher?), but that is probably not proven just yet. If, however, you r system has the resources, then use t. But if your system is slow, or even on the border between good performance and bad performance, then maybe keep it turned off, until that upgrade comes through from the I.T. Department.