Microsoft launches today its new operative system: Windows 7

As from today –and all over the world- Microsoft Windows 7 (or Seven) finally hits retail stores. For those –unhappy- users regarding Windows Vista, who actually rolled back to Windows XP due to performance issues and system crashes, Microsoft, the world leading company in operative systems, states that Windows 7 is the best Windows ever and this way, Microsoft is hoping its new system will perform as promised and avoid a repeat of the negative publicity associated with Windows Vista.

Windows 7 promises a streamlined interface, support for touch screens, and security features that, while robust, don’t interfere with users’ day-to-day interactions with their computers, the software maker claims. Windows 7 delivers on a simple premise: make it easier for customers to do the things they want on a PC through a streamlined user interface and several new features that make everyday tasks faster. This launch marks a significant milestone for Microsoft and is a result of extensive feedback from millions of customers and partners around the world.

The new Windows 7 is lighter and faster, even on virtual machines and mid-end systems. It features a less intrusive –and less annoying- UAC (User Account Control).security center. It also adds a new taskbar, bigger icons, thumbnails and other user-friendly features. The result is an easy to connect, easy to browse and simple to use operating system, requiring less waiting, less clicks, less hassle connecting to devices, less power consumption and less complexity for the consumers.

In spite of all the additions to the new operative system, many users still wonder if their rig can handle Windows 7, and for that purpose there is a tool called Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. In case your hardware doesn’t meet Windows 7 minimum system requirements, guess you´ll have to make do with Seven Transformation Pack, a Windows 7 theme for Windows XP.

In addition to media support in Vista, Windows 7 will add playback of media in MP4, MOV, 3GP, AVCHD, ADTS, M4A, and WTV multimedia containers, with native codecs for H.264, MPEG4-SP, ASP/DivX/Xvid, MJPEG, DV, AAC-LC, LPCM and AAC-HE. However, those are just a few filters and codecs. Windows 7 doesn’t include any codec package; therefore it is recommended that you install codec pack upon installing the new operative system. Another issue with Windows 7 is the lack of Windows Live Messenger 2009, the most popular instant messaging client, also from Microsoft.

Nevertheless, not everything is Windows 7 is a shortcoming. The new operative system features BitLocker, bringing encryption support to removable disks such as USB drives. Such devices can be protected by a passphrase, a recovery key, or be automatically unlocked on a computer. Windows 7 also features Solid State drives support in order to take advantage of the capabilities and unique performance characteristics of solid-state drives. Windows 7 will turn off Windows Disk Defragmenter and will make use of the new SSD TRIM command to physically erase logically deleted data more aggressively, so that it won’t need to be done later when new data is written to the same block.

As for security, The Windows Security Center has been renamed to Windows Action which encompasses both security and maintenance of the computer. A new User Account Control user interface has been introduced, which provides the ability to select four different levels of notifications. Though the Ultimate version of includes a sort of antivirus and spyware software, it´s always recommended to install a third-party antivirus.

In spite of the tips we herein provider, Windows 7 was built around users feedback, so you’ll see a lot of things you and many people around the asked for a –and complained. People wanted to make everyday tasks faster and easier, to make their PCs work the way you want them to, and to make it possible to do new things. And that’s exactly what Windows 7 promisses to do. Get ready to enjoy Microsoft´s new operative system, which according to their CEO, “Windows 7 is the best Windows ever”

Some developers have already released a new version of their software in order to support Windows 7:

• Windows 7 Manager
• Windows 7 Little Tweaker
• PDF Printer for Windows 7
• PDF Viewer for Windows 7
• PDF Converter for Windows 7
• Windows 7 TuneUpSuite
• Tweak-7 1.0 Build
• webcam 7 Beta

Microsoft set to launch Windows 7, the new OS that will make up for Vista´s fiasco

The so-called Microsoft Windows 7 will finally hit retail stores on October 22. The new version of Microsoft operative system will attempt to regain the trust and confidence of Windows users and leave the oft-criticized Windows Vista on the past.

When the beta was launched several months ago, there were many viewpoints, but users concluded that Microsoft amended Vista ´s performance and speed, and fixing many bugs and polishing its interface. Windows 7 addresses many compatibility issues as well as many new features making it an operative system way more stable that Vista . In other words, Windows 7 is what Vista should have been in the first place.

Microsoft´CEO Steve Ballmer stated that “Windows 7 is the best Windows ever” and to reinforce this statement, he announced International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Vegas some of the Windows 7 enhancements and new features. According to Ballmer, the new operating system is expected to be less processor-hungry than Vista , and will feature a much simpler installation process. In addition, it will give users one-click access to the last file they worked on, fewer compatibility issues with devices such as printers and digital cameras, and a greater ability to synchronize files and data between computers within the home, and stream music and photos between machines.

Moreover, you can watch many TV shows with Media Player; Internet Explorer 8 is –of course- included in the OS. You can also run application in compatibility Mode (Windows 98/ME/Vista /XP SP3 and more); protect your data with BitLocker and more. Windows 7 will be available in 35 languages at the time of release. Windows 7 also aim for gamers by including DirectX 11, enabling developers to add new graphical features to their graphic engines.

This time, Microsoft will launch the “Home Premium”, “Professional” and “Ultimate” RTM (final) version of Windows 7 32 (x86) and 64 (x64) bits at full retail price for those who want a new license and there´s a also a retail upgrade for Windows XP/Vista users.

Microsoft is looking for vindication with the release of Windows 7 and hopefully make people forget about Vista ´s fiasco. Steve Guggenheimer, Corporate Vice President of the OEM Division, stated “As we’ve said many times, quality is our primary goal,” and it seems this time they are going the right one.

Windows 7 to allow users to install Chrome, Firefox and Opera?

Though it may have seemed unlikely for some of us, Microsoft finally opens its doors and decided that users will be allowed to choose which web browser they want to install on Windows 7.

There were several cases battled between Microsoft and the European Union, stating that Microsoft was blocking its competitor out of the market through anti-competitive practices by including their own web browser and media player. However, it is of common knowledge that these attempts to stop Microsoft monopolization were futile since Internet Explorer is still the most used web browser today due to the fact that it´s bundle with Microsoft Windows.

Nonetheless, Internet Explorer reign may be over after a presentation held by the software giant in Brussels, enabling users to choose which web browser they want to install on Windows 7.

What Microsoft proposes, basically, is that users be allowed -through one of its set up wizard options- to choose their default browser, as well as disabling Internet Explorer completely. These will allows Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Apple Safari and even other less known browsers to enter the browser battle, but a battle fought mostly against Internet Explorer domination.

It´s quite obvious that Microsoft´s fine of €1.700 millions –imposed by the European Commission- would force them to change its business strategies.

After the announcement was made, the European executive informed in a press release that “The Commission embraces this proposal and will now investigate its practical efficiency when it comes to guaranteeing what consumers can opt for”.

It´s a matter of time until a resolution to the conflict be reached after endless years of dispute, whose outcome hopes to ultimately favor users.

Have you noticed that Windows take too long to start? Thanks to Autoruns you can set up and customize your Windows startup by disabling unnecessary processes and applications that ran at startup. What are you waiting for? Now It´s time to speed up Windows startup.

Autoruns

When logging in into Windows a myriad of applications and processes are loaded, some of them on the desktop and some others in the background, consuming unnecessary system resources. Of course, many programs, processes and needed for our system to start properly since many processes are bound to drivers and software we usually use.

Autoruns will enable us to monitor and manage all the processes and applications providing a detailed list of those processes set to run at Windows startup. In this way, we can know which processes and application run at startup and remove then if they´re unnecessary. Even when Windows includes it own tool which can be accessed by typing msconfig in the “Run…” box, it does not feature as many options as Autoruns.

Even when Autoruns wasn´t made for novice Windows users, msconfig is not wasn´t either, and all its additional options makes it an excellent choice to view and manage all your processes in a more organized way. Simply run Autoruns and it shows you the currently configured auto-start applications as well as the full list of Registry and file system locations available for auto-start configuration. Autostart locations displayed by Autoruns include logon entries, Explorer add-ons, Internet Explorer add-ons including Browser Helper Objects (BHOs), Appinit DLL, image hijacks, boot execute images, Winlogon notification DLLs, Windows Services and Winsock Layered Service Providers. You can switch tabs to view autostarts from different categories.

Autoruns‘ Hide Signed Microsoft Entries option helps you to zoom in on third-party auto-starting images that have been added to your system and it has support for looking at the auto-starting images configured for other accounts configured on a system. Also included in the download package is a command-line equivalent that can output in CSV format, Autorunsc.

In short, Autoruns is a great tool for managing your self-running processes, thus enabling users to have a more thorough control regarding the application and processes activity in our system.

Sick and tired of the same old desktop style? Bored of the same old desktop wallpapers? Screensavers make no difference whatsoever? If the answer is “yes”, then it´s time for you to try Vista Transformation Pack: the most complete Windows Vista theme for Windows XP

Vista Transformation Pack

Vista Transformation Pack is the new program for updating and configuring the visual appearance of your PC, so you can have it just the way you like it. It’s an application that lets you transform the interface of your copy of Windows XP so that it has the look of Microsoft’s more recent operating system, the Windows Vista. With Vista Transformation Pack you’ll get to change not only the visual themes, but also the startup screen, mouse cursors, screensavers, sidebars, clock, and much, much more…

Among the different changes featured in this new version of Vista Transformation Pack we can enumerate: CPU information now displayed in the Welcome Centre, background installation, a new option to install with the recommended settings for your particular PC, an added Flip 3D clone -which clones the famous Flip3D task switcher for Vista- and a new transparent glass effect for windows – without a doubt one of the most attention-grabbing features of Windows Vista. All of them will give your computer a new face.

This original application also installs several free tools, such as Glass2k and LClock. The first of these two allows you to set a transparency effect on the windows, whilst the second modifies the appearance of the clock located in the system tray.
Vista Transformation Pack features an installation process that no user will have problems with: various windows will open asking you which of the changes you wish to make, what screen resolution you prefer, and what application mode you want to use. Last of all, it’s worth taking a look at the window in which you specify the components to tweak: you can simply follow the instructions when doing this but don’t forget that this program overwrites a lot of files belonging to the operating system.

Although Vista Transformation Pack is a very stable program, it can represent a real problem to Windows. For example, some operations and features of your computer could start to take longer than usual. Also, it is a program which takes up pretty much space, which is why it is advisable that it be installed only in PCs that have a good data processing capacity.

In short, this Vista Transformation Pack new version represents a pretty interesting option for those users who want to experience their operational system’s appearance in a completely different way, and without having the need to install Windows Vista.

Download Vista Transformation Pack

What better way of being constantly in than using the most popular instant messaging client service? We are talking about Windows Live Messenger, the most fun alternative to chat with any user all over the world.

Windows Live Messenger

Microsoft, the creator of Windows Live Messenger – the most popular and well-known instant messaging service in the world – has released the beta of version 9 of its application, the final version of which is expected for 2009.

This release doesn’t introduce any big changes to the graphical interface but does expand upon the program’s possible uses.

Perhaps the most important innovation of this new version of Windows Live Messenger is the ability to connect to several sites at the same time. Also worth a mention is the new support for using animated GIFs as your displayed picture, the incorporation of customized sounds that your contacts can hear when you connect, and the ability to assign a different sound for each of your contacts.

Windows Live Messenger also added integration with Google Talk, (in the same way that Messenger works with Yahoo!) and it is hoped that support for users of the AIM and ICQ messaging services will be offered soon. Another interesting addition is the ability to report a contact as a source of SPAM, recognising the recent proliferation of contacts that pretend to be someone you know in order to send you ads. This is definitely a useful feature since we can keep our account safer, away from any threat or ads that may results harmful or annoying.

However, if all these new features have you tempted to start downloading it right away, you should first know about the one big problem that Microsoft has reported concerning this beta version: it currently has more than 1,000 bugs and errors, both in terms of security and stability, making it a very vulnerable program which we cannot recommend over the previous, stable version.

To sum up, this Beta version offers users a collection of small but significant improvements over the traditional Messenger, but, considering the large number of errors it still has, only advanced users – rather than beginners – are recommended to give it a try just now.

For The multimedia additions are ideal for entertainment, especially among younger users.

The ability to mark unwanted contacts as SPAM. Against According to the developers, it currently has more than 1,000 errors that need to be corrected. It is not a definitive version.

Download Windows Live Messenger

Databases made for storing Windows settings and options must be optimized at all time to take full advantage of your system´s performance. It may seem like a task for experienced users only, but Ccleaner will enable any kind of user to clean and optimize Windows registry with just a few clicks.

The majority of the problems with Windows are, in one way or another, related to its registry. This registry takes care of storing information – as entries in a hierarchical database – about everything to do with the configuration and behaviour of the operating system, the software that is installed, and the hardware itself.

As such, the condition of this registry has a huge influence on whether or not your computer runs at its best, something which is very unlikely if you’ve had your operating system installed for a long time or if you’re in the habit of installing and uninstalling lots of programs. To solve this problem, all you need is CCleaner, a program which will, among other things, take care of searching for all the unnecessary entries in the Windows registry. Here we explain how to use it.

Installing CCleaner is very simple, so we’re going to skip straight to the action.

1. When opened, the program first displays the cleaner tool that it comes with for removing unwanted files from the PC. Since our major interest is working with the REGISTRY, you should click on its icon, which is the one placed on the left of the window, next to the other main options.

2. CCleaner displays on the left-hand side of the screen a list of the issues that will be searched for (under the heading Registry Integrity). By default, all elements are selected and, unless you want to keep some of them, we recommend that you leave it that way and click directly on “Scan for Issues” to start scanning the registry.

3. Once the application has finished going through the registry it will display the list of invalid entries found there. At this point, unless you want to pick which of these are to be repaired and which not, we recommend you leave them all selected and click on “Fix selected issues”. This is when a pop-up window will ask you if you want to make a backup before making the changes and you should answer Yes, since any change that has a negative effect on your computer can therefore be undone easily.

4. After this, the final step begins when CCleaner opens up a new window in which you will see information about each registry entry and the recommended Solution. You’ll be able to browse through and work with the entries one by one or simply opt to “Repair entire selection” to do the job quickly, easily and efficiently. Once you confirm the elimination of the entries, all you need to do is click Close, exit the program and restart the PC for Windows to start-up with a clean and tidy registry.

As shown here, the processes run by the program are too simple and guarantee noticeable improvements in the system. CCleaner should be a part of the daily maintenance every computer needs to make the most of its system’s potential.

Download CCleaner

One the Opera´s main feature is its customization. Each user can set it up to suit their needs. For instance, you can set a specific number of websites to add as homepage as well as choosing among several search engines. Let´s see how to add browser windows and search engines to Opera in a few steps.

One of its most interesting and original features of Opera is to set several websites as homepage. One of them is Speed Dial, a websites’ graphic menu that enables users to customize it either by adding or removing websites to the links grid.

Opera allows users to increase the number of websites in their Speed Dial homepage, since Opera uses by default a 3×3 grid for the SpeeD Dial.

Follow these instructions to add more websites to the grid:

1)    To modify the main grid, we must modify a configuration file called speeddial.ini. The latter´s path changes according to the version of the Opera and the operative system you´re using. Use Windows search function to find it.

2)    Next, close Opera and open the file speeddial.ini con  with any text file -such as notepad or WordPad- and add the following lines:

3)    Save the file and open Opera again, you´ll notice the change at once.

By doing this, we can modify the number of rows and columns just by modifying the numeric values set in the lines “Rows” and “Columns” in speeddial.ini.

Add search engines to Opera

Every web browser includes a default search engine. In this way, the user doesn’t´ have to enter the search engine website (ex. www.Google.com). Opera includes some of the most popular search engines, but you can still add others. Follow these instructions to add search engines.

1)    Once you choose the search engine, right click inside the search box and choose the option “Create Search”.

2)    Next, complete “name” and “keyword” text fields.

3)    Now, click on a tab and then right click on it and choose the “customize” option.

4)    Another window will now open. Choose the “Buttons” tab and once inside choose the “Search” option. The search engine you added will be listed there.

5)    With the left mouse click drag the search engine outside the window and place it anywhere you where. Once you´ve followed these steps, you´ll have additional search engines on your list.

Opera is an application that can be fully customized, giving the user the possibility to adjust its options and features to the utmost. If you properly followed the above-mentioned steps, you won´t have any issues increasing websites to the grid or adding more search engines.

Download Opera