Vista
Vista features removed in Windows 7
Windows 7 has some things added and some things removed. The Windows Club has a list of some Vista features that are gone in Windows 7. Among these are Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Mail.
Vista service pack 2 review
Vista SP2 has been out for a while. Because of my surgery, I haven’t gotten around to installing it but everything I have read indicates that it is no big improvement. TechRadar has a review and concludes:
SP2 isn’t exciting, then, but it improved our PC’s performance just a little – and if you’re currently experiencing [...]
How to say “No to all”
This handy tip was first posted in October, 2005:
When doing an operation that involves many files, you will sometimes encounter a message like the one shown in the figure below. Although it has a button “Yes to All”, there is a no button for “No to All”. For example, you may want to copy all [...]
Restore “Show Desktop” icon in Quick Launch toolbar
Here’s another Taskbar tip. A handy area of the Taskbar is the Quick Launch toolbar where icons that you use a lot can be placed. One of these is the “Show Desktop” icon. Judging from how often the problem is mentioned on the Web, disappearance of this icon is a common problem. There are several [...]
Shortcuts to turn off your computer
This is a very popular tip. It was first posted in September, 2005:
I am often asked if there is a quick way to close down a computer without having to go through all the steps Start-Turn Off Computer-Turn Off. Windows XP comes with a special executable file for shutting down called shutdown.exe that allows you [...]
Free upgrades from Vista to Windows 7?
There has been a lot of talk that Microsoft would at some point offer buyers of new PCs with Vista the option of a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it comes out. At least in Australia, it seems that there will be an upgrade offer starting with systems purchased on June 26. The Australian [...]
Windows Vista SP2 available
Service pack 2 for Vista has finally been made available to the general public. It’s been ready for weeks but Microsoft has been limiting it to MSDN subscribers. Download link for 32-bit version is here. If you have 64-bit Vista, the link is here. I don’t think there is any need to rush to get [...]
File extensions still hidden in Windows 7
Microsoft claims that it listens to what its customers say but there are some areas where Microsoft is deaf. Ever since Windows 95 (and maybe before, I’ve forgotten), the default setting has been to hide the extensions of files. Because file extensions are core to handling and managing files, this choice of default configuration often [...]
Vista SP2 incompatibilities
Service pack 2 for Vista is coming soon but, before you install it, check out the Microsoft list of software that may be broken or impaired by the update.
Firefox updated again
Mozilla has had to issue Firefox 3.0.10 just days after version 3.09 was released. It seems 3.09 had some stability problems for some users. I had it on both a Vista and an XP system and didn’t notice anything amiss but I have now gone to 3.0.10. As usual, click in the “Help” menu on [...]
Windows Vista SP2 is done
Microsoft has announced that service pack 2 for Vista has reached Release to Manufacturing:
Today we are announcing the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. SP2 represents the latest step in Microsoft’s commitment to continuous improvement. It includes all updates that have been delivered since SP1, [...]