How to Turn Off User Account Control in Windows Vista

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If you work on your computer half as much as I do and you run Windows Vista you have no doubt become a bit irritated by Vista’s User Account Control. User Account Control is the part of Vista that makes you OK what feels like each and every program that runs or installs to your system. Once you run Vista for any amount of time you will see these warnings such as “Windows needs your permission to continue” or “An unidentified program needs your permission to continue”.

User Account Control is a pretty good way to keep software from installing without your permission, but if it is driving you crazy and making your work day more difficult you can turn off User Account Control. Beware turning this feature off will make your computer less secure. That said if you still want to disable User Account Control follow the steps on the next page. Read more

Posted on Thu, 1 Feb 2007 15:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Security Warning - Turn off Your Speakers while Surfing on Windows Vista

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Warning! Turn of your speakers while surfing the web on Windows Vista. Windows Vista's speech recognition could listen to audio files commanding to delete files. This is the funniest security flaw I ever heard about.

A report by George Ou on ZDNet talks about the possibility of playing audio files on web sites that would issue commands that the Vista voice recognition understands. Microsoft already responded and acknowledged that this is possible and a security issue. Of course only commands can be issued that the currently logged in user has the rights to. This has the potential to become a sport though.
Read more

Posted on Thu, 1 Feb 2007 13:05:02 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

How to Turn Off ClearType in Windows Vista

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If you bought Windows Vista and you just can’t stand the ClearType font that it defaults to you are not alone. When Microsoft first gifted us with IE7 on XP we had the option of using ClearType or disabling it for the normal fonts we were used too.

However, on Vista you don’t get the choice as it defaults to on. Many may not even realize the font is different, though some find it blurry and just plain dislike it. If you are amongst the haters of ClearType don’t fret you can disable it and get your standard fonts back by following the instructions on the next page. Read more

Posted on Thu, 1 Feb 2007 08:37:52 CST | by Shane McGlaun

How to Enable Windows Vista Aero After Clean Vista Install

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Those of you out there who bought a copy of Windows Vista that offers the Aero interface last night or today will want to watch for something if you plan on doing a clean install (which you should). I was doing a clean install of Vista Business last night and noticed that Vista assumes your GPU really sucks when it first runs the little test to verify if you get to see the Aero goodies even if you have a good graphics card like the ATI X1950 Pro.

The reason for this is that there is no driver installed for the card after a clean install. This isn’t hard to fix, you simply download the drivers and install them and Vista readily recognized my X1950 Pro. The catch is that if you don’t know what you are looking at, which many first time Vista users don’t, you can overlook activating the Aero interface even though your graphics card and system can run the Aero interface. Read more

Posted on Tue, 30 Jan 2007 14:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

World-wide Windows Vista Launch Begins

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Microsoft Windows Vista is officially going to be released on January 30th. Stores across the world will have midnight opening parties to start selling Windows Vista.

The first Australians Windows Vista fans already have it in their hands. Japan is next in a couple of minutes. AkihabaraNews reports that on one of the Vista Launch events idols Yuko Sakai, Tomoko Fukishima and Ayana Miura hand out Vista to luck Japanese customers.

In the U.S. Bill Gates is actually appearing tonight on the Daily Show (site) with Jon Stewart (11pm). John Hodgman (PC guy in the Apple ads) is supposed to be there too. That should be a must see Daily Show episode.
Read more

Posted on Mon, 29 Jan 2007 09:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Microsoft Launched Windows Vista for Business Customers

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Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer announced yesterday the availability of Windows Vista for business customers.

So if you are a business and have a volume license and your IT personal is bored, you can finally upgrade your Windows XP PCs (you might need new Hardware though) to the new Vista. Also available are now the new 2007 Microsoft Office system and the Exchange Server 2007.

Microsoft created a site with video of the keynote speech, videos of the new Vista UI and more. The new mantra is: "ready for a new day". Read more

Posted on Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Get ''Free'' Copies of Windows Vista & Office 2007 from Microsoft

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Microsoft is giving away “free” stuff again. Truck on over to Powertogether.com and if you are lucky and the site isn't slammed with people trying to get “free” stuff you might get in.

The deal is that you can sign up and watch three videos centered around one of two products, Windows Vista Business and Microsoft Office 2007. After you register and watch the three videos, you are supposed to get a free full version of the appropriate product in 6-8 weeks. Read more

Posted on Wed, 29 Nov 2006 15:11:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Windows Vista Finished and Released to Manufacturing

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Microsoft says that Windows Vista is done and it is going into the new shiny Windows Vista boxes.

Microsoft says Windows Vista is its most heavily tested operating system ever, with deep investments made to ensure greater security, reliability and usability.
Well, will see. I am sure the first thing after I install it is to get a big download from Windows Vista update.

The Windows Vista Ultimate Upgrade DVD is listed on Amazon.com, but you only can get notified when it is going to be available for purchase. Read more

Posted on Thu, 9 Nov 2006 02:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Microsoft Announces Official Windows Vista Launch Date

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The other day Microsoft showed us how the Windows Vista boxes will look like, now they let us know when we finally can get the newest Microsoft Windows operating system.

In March Microsoft delayed the Windows Vista release for end consumers into 2007. Businesses still got the promise to get Vista in 2006.
Microsoft now confirmed that businesses can get Windows Vista and Office 2007 on November 30th. Read more

Posted on Thu, 2 Nov 2006 02:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Windows Vista Box Design Revealed

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Microsoft published shots of the Windows Vista retail packaging. Microsoft did a great job wrapping something you cannot have this Holiday season.

The image above shows the Windows Vista Ultimate (this is the one you want, see large image below), Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Family and Vista Business.
The Microsoft Office 2007 will also be packaged the same style.
The thing is I cannot remember to ever buy a Microsoft Operating System in a retail package. I always got bulk OEM versions. Read more

Posted on Tue, 31 Oct 2006 07:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Windows Vista Gets Official Pricing Structure

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Windows Vista, the operating system that is set to replace Windows XP, has kind of been this lingering thing for five years, with countless delays and sketchy details at some times. However, now, it seems like the new OS software is finally on its way to the retail path, as Microsoft just recently announced the pricing options for it.

New users will have to fork over between $199 and $399 for the software, with the price dependent on the specific version (e.g. basic vs pro). For those who will be upgrading from an older Windows operating system, the price for Vista will be between $100 and $259. This makes Vista more or less on par with the cost of Windows XP. Read more

Posted on Wed, 6 Sep 2006 04:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Pre-Order Microsoft Windows Vista on Amazon.com Now

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Amazon.com started to offer Microsoft Windows Vista operating systems for pre-order.

The Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate DVD-Rom has a price of $399.00 and the shipping date is given with January 30th 2007.

Find the other Windows Vista versions/upgrades and their prices below. Read more

Posted on Tue, 29 Aug 2006 06:55:39 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Microsoft Tool to Test Your PC's Windows Vista Readiness

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Microsoft just released the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor Beta tool. This software will check your PC's hardware and tell you what you need to upgrade in order to run Windows Vista.

I downloaded the 3.5MB tool and after the install it asks a couple of questions to determine which Windows Vista version I would need. Of course the result was Windows Vista Ultimate, just because I want to work with some multimedia.

The good news is that the High-end PC I built 2004 can run Windows Vista with the Aero UI. How fast Windows Vista will run on my hardware is an open question, as the times have past, were I was willing to waste hours of my life installing and testing beta releases of OSes. Read more

Posted on Fri, 19 May 2006 01:01:52 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Microsoft Delays Windows Vista Until 2007

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You will not have to waste time this Holidays with upgrading your Windows XP PC and Notebooks with Windows Vista. Microsoft announced that they will delay the launch Windows Vista for consumers until January 2007.

Microsoft calls the delay: "Microsoft Updates Windows Vista Road Map". PC manufacturers will call it "Microsoft Screws-Up Holiday Sales".

Only businesses will get Windows Vista in November.

Jim Allchin, co-president for the Platforms & Services Division at Microsoft says: "Product quality and a great out-of-box experience have been two of our key drivers for Windows Vista, and we are on track to deliver on both, but the industry requires greater lead time to deliver Windows Vista on new PCs during holiday. We must optimize for the industry, so we’ve decided to separate business and consumer availability."
So it is not Microsoft's fault it is the PC makers? Microsoft got HP to say that they support Microsoft's delay decision. Read more

Posted on Wed, 22 Mar 2006 02:09:19 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Microsoft Windows Vista SideShow

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Time Magazine just published a photo essay titled What's Next in Gadgets.

One of the 11 featured gadgets is a cool image of an ASUS notebook with Windows Vista SideShow.
With Windows Vista SideShow notebook users can see if they have new email for instance while the notebook is closed. This works similar to folding phones with two screens. Users can even look up contacts or appointments on the auxiliary screen. Little buttons next to the screen allow you to select and navigate through the available functionality. Read more

Posted on Tue, 14 Mar 2006 10:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Microsoft Announces Windows Vista Product Lineup

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Microsoft officially announced today the different Windows Vista packages, after they have leaked a week ago on their site.

Get ready to distinguish 6 Windows Vista versions: Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Ultimate and Windows Vista Starter.

The only two interesting packages for power users are the Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate.
Windows Vista Ultimate has all entertainment features, mobility features and business-oriented features available in Windows Vista.
The Windows Aero UI is available in Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate. Read more

Posted on Mon, 27 Feb 2006 08:40:57 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

CES 2006: Windows Vista Digital Picture Frame

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Pacific Digital will demonstrate a digital Photo frame that uses the enhanced multimedia features built into the upcoming Microsoft Windows Vista release.

The Pacific Digital MemoryFrame will be able use Windows Vista's Windows Media Connect, Windows Connect Now and RSS Feeds. The photo frame can either be connected via USB 2.0 High Speed or wirelessly.
When the computer or home server running Windows Vista is switched on the Digital Picture Frame will discover the Windows Vista shared media and instantly begin displaying content. If no system is found the MemoryFrame will revert to content stored in its internal memory.
Read more

Posted on Mon, 2 Jan 2006 06:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Windows Vista already has a Virus?

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Windows Vista just got released in a early developer beta the other day and already the first Virus was spotted for the next generation Microsoft Windows OS.

Security company F-Secure reported on their blog that proof-of-concept scripts for the new command console Monad in Windows Vista have been published by an Austrian hacker that show that malicious code can be written. This code samples are in itself not real viruses yet. F-Secure says though that those script holes in Monad could lead to an outbreak of script viruses when Windows Vista is going to be released.
More details on the F-Secure blog. See also ZDNet. Read more

Posted on Thu, 4 Aug 2005 13:53:21 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

It is Microsoft Windows Vista

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Microsoft officially announces that Longhorn will be called Microsoft Windows Vista.

Apparently Windows Vista is bringing clarity to your world.
Windows Vista Beta 1, targeted at developers and IT professionals, will be available by August 3rd 2005.
More details on Microsoft Windows Vista site.

Read more

Posted on Fri, 22 Jul 2005 09:37:30 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr