Windows Tips and Tricks

Instead of applying the software approach mentioned in the previous post, those wishing to ease the stress of using a computer can consider specially designed mice. ExtremeTech reviews the Zero Tension Mouse and some other ergonomically designed input devices. About the mouse, the review says:

We really only used the mouse for two weeks, and that is a short amount of time to make the final pronouncement on the ergonomics of a mouse. But for those of us who trust doctors and agree that a more vertical position for our wrist is healthier, consider this mouse a sound investment. We agree that this position is more comfortable and a healthy break from a horizontal mouse, too. The buttons appear a bit clunky, but are very responsive. The placement of the scroll wheel reminds us of an ammunition button on a joystick, and it was intuitive to use.

Not everybody finds using a mouse easy. Some may have problems like carpal tunnel or arthritis. Others may develop repetitive stress problems or simply get fatigued from using the computer all day. ExtremeTech gives a detailed review of some new software called GentleMouse that allows the use of a mouse without having to click. The review concludes:

GentleMouse introduces another way users can enhance their computer environment with improved ergonomics. Only this time, we’re not talking about an actual mouse, but software. We were pleased with its intuitive interface, execution, and software options. There’s a pair of practice settings to get you started, and it took us less than a day to get used to the software. We’re not saying that our clicking days are over, but if they were, this software wouldn’t let us down.

GentleMouse is far from perfect, however. While it does precisely what it advertises, GentleMouse cannot overcome issues in certain apps where clicking a mouse is essential, such as when gaming or designing graphics. The software will also add to the time it takes to execute click commands because of the extra step or two it requires. And if you have a quick click speed, you’ll likely have the issue of the Trigger Window pop up unwillingly. These are things you’ll have to get used to, and with practice, they can be avoided or reduced.

The successor in Vista to Outlook Express is called simply “Windows Mail”. Friday, reports started coming out that a security bug had been found in the program that could let attackers run malware applications on PCs running Vista. This only shows that, while security is much heightened in Vista, bugs are still there and no doubt there will be others discovered as time passes.

It is possible to get a new home computer for under $1000 that can run Vista Home Premium, including the Aero interface. PC Magazine reviews three desktop models. They are all dual-core machines and each comes with 1 GB of RAM. One of the three is actually a Mac. About the Mac, the article says:

Running Vista using Parallels Desktop is a simple matter: just load the program, and then install Vista. Parallels Desktop can run both Mac Os and Vista simultaneously, as long as you have the system memory for it. The Mac mini doesn’t come with Vista; you’ll have to buy it separately.

The article doesn’t mention it but there is some question about whether Microsoft approves of running Vista Home Premium in a virtual machine. The alternative to run in Apple’s dual-boot configuration provided by Bootcamp awaits an upgrade to the Bootcamp software. The two regular PCs that are reviewed are the Acer Aspire L310 and the eMachines T5224.

At another review site, CNET looks at laptops selling for under $1000. The reviews leave out the essential specification of which operating system is on these machines. Some of them can only run Vista Basic and actually come with Windows XP. You have to go to the individual vendor sites to see if Vista comes with the model mentioned. It is interesting that Windows XP machines are still being sold at some major manufacturers.

An article at eWeek reports a security vulnerability with Microsoft applications used in managing such things as dams and oil refineries. The article says:

Researchers on March 21 announced that the systems which control dams, oil refineries, railroads and nuclear power plants have a vulnerability that could be used to cause a denial of service or a system takeover.

The security hole is described:

Neutralbit identified the vulnerability in NETxAutomation NETxEIB OPC (OLE for Process Control) Server. OPC is a Microsoft Windows standard for easily writing GUI applications for SCADA. It’s used for interconnecting process control applications running on Microsoft platforms. OPC servers are often used in control systems to consolidate field and network device information.

At Windows Secrets, Brian Livingston has given a method that he says will allow you to use Windows Vista without activation for up to a year or more. Microsoft has not commented officially but a March 20 ComputerWorld article reports a Microsoft team blog entry that denies that Livingston’s procedure works. The article reports:

Microsoft yesterday declared that a technique to delay Vista’s activation as long as a year just “doesn’t work.” The researcher who published the activation extension claimed otherwise.

“A quick analysis determined that this purported workaround doesn’t work,” said Alex Kochis, senior product manager of Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), in an entry on the team’s blog.

The blog has been Microsoft’s sole public response thus far to reports last Friday in Computerworld and elsewhere of research published that day by Brian Livingston, the editor of the Windows Secrets newsletter. Then, Livingston showed how a single change to Vista’s registry lets users put off the operating system’s product activation requirement for an additional eight months.

Note that even if the activation could be delayed, it would still not be possible to get updates or to download many Microsoft add-ins. In any event, it seems likely to me that Microsoft would soon plug any hole that let activation be staved off for so long.

ZDNet reports on a recently discovered ID theft ring that is based in Russia and has stolen thousands of identities. Ryan Naraine writes:

Researchers at SecureWorks have stumbled upon what appears to be a massive identity theft ring using state-of-the-art Trojan code to steal confidential data from thousands of infected machines in the U.S.

The Trojan, which connects to a server in Russia, has so far pilfered information from more than 5,200 home computers with 10,000 account records. The records retrieved included account numbers and passwords from clients of many of the top global banks and financial services companies (over 30 banks and credit unions were represented), the top US retailers, and the leading online retailers.

The original report from SecureWorks is at this link.

Some big new players are getting into the online video game. ZDNet writes:

Three of the Web’s largest Internet portals–AOL, MSN and Yahoo–on Thursday announced that they will distribute video content for a new online joint venture of media conglomerates NBC Universal and News Corp. The new video network, scheduled to debut this summer, will feature full-length programming, movies and clips from at least a dozen television networks and two major film studios.

Update: Larry Dignan comments that there are too many cooks in the kitchen for this joint effort to work. He says:

You can’t graft two management teams from News Corp. and NBC together and expect this joint venture to go swimmingly unless General Electric, which owns NBC, does some Six Sigma magic to fuse these management teams. Anything is possible, but the odds are that Hollywood egos will get in the way of the user experience.

One of the available functions on Google is provided by the search term define: used for looking up definitions. Google has now added related phrases to the results, as explained at this link.

Another reminder that changing over to Vista could cost more than you think is Adobe’s announcement that many of its current product versions will not be updated to run on Vista. It turns out that a lot of the major Adobe programs don’t run properly on Vista and users are going to have to buy new versions. Since Adobe is a big player in the software world, this may impact quite a few people. InformationWeek says:

Users of Adobe Systems’ digital publishing products, including Photoshop, InDesign, and Dreamweaver, will have to shell out for new versions of the software if they want to run them without glitches on Microsoft’s new Windows Vista operating system, Adobe says.

According to a statement posted on Adobe’s Web site, the company “does not plan to issue updates to current versions of those products for Windows Vista compatibility.”

That means users will have to pay hundreds of dollars to upgrade their Adobe software if they want trouble-free performance on Windows Vista, which is now preinstalled in virtually all new PCs shipping in the United States. That’s because the current versions of most of Adobe’s major products won’t work properly on the new operating system.