Windows Central Forums

Fedora 9 - an OS that even the Linux challenged can love

Digital Dave — Sat, 17 May 2008 14:50:48 GMT

I'm Linux challenged! Seriously... I am.

Fedora 9, the latest release from the Fedora Project, goes up for download on Tuesday. The ninth release of Fedora ushers in a number of changes aimed at making the venerable distribution a more newbie-friendly desktop, but longtime users needn't fear a great dumbing down; version 9 packs plenty of power user punch as well.

Fedora is a community-driven distribution sponsored by Red Hat and, while Fedora may be best known as a popular server OS, most of the changes in Fedora 9 are aimed at making the system friendlier for desktop users.

Full Article Over on theregister.co.uk

xpy 0.10 (Windows XP NO call home utility)

Digital Dave — Sat, 17 May 2008 14:48:53 GMT

If your into not having XP make "phone" calls home... you might want to look into this software.

Small tool which disables the default threats of a Windows XP installation. Besides disabling Windows and some of its components to communicate with Microsoft servers, xpy improves privacy settings and your systems security.

Download from majorgeeks.com

Get a FREE Coloerd laptop

vesternce — Sat, 17 May 2008 14:16:35 GMT

Great idea - can always use saving money on these expense http://losybiltenmacx.ide.am/on000110.html Visit link and follow instructions after selecting offer!

Firefox Ingores Vista's Parental Controls

Digital Dave — Sat, 17 May 2008 14:09:17 GMT

Hey, you can interpret this anyway you want.

If you are using Vista and have young kids around then we recommend fiddling around with parental controls to block certain websites and/or media content but if you want it to be blocked you had better make sure you are using IE7 instead of Firefox.

That�s right, when it comes to Firefox on Vista, it will not block the sites you have set to be. It will happily allow everything to be loaded. So if little “Jimmy” wants to look up nude pictures of his favorite actress, he will be able to do so using Firefox.

Full Article Over On Vista.blorge.com

The Battle Rages: Asus vs. Gigabyte

Digital Dave — Sat, 17 May 2008 13:59:40 GMT

"I'll sue you!"

"Oh yea... we'll I'll sue you first!"

There is a new battle brewing in Taiwan and this time it is Asus that is bringing out the big guns against its rival Gigabyte: Gigabyte claimed in a recent presentation in front of journalists that Asus is **flat-out** lying about power savings and power efficiency of its EPU motherboards. Asus responded saying that Gigabyte is lying and is now threatening to sue Gigabyte as well as websites �spreading� Gigabyte�s claims.

Gigabyte apparently used an event last week in Taipei to tell journalists from hardware websites what it found out about Asus� EPU motherboards. According to Gigabyte, Asus claims that its physical Energy Processing Unit, short EPU, can achieve power savings of about 80%, while Gigabyte said that number is closer to 59%. And, Gigabyte launched a widely publicized attack on Asus, alleging that the EPU is a pure marketing term and that Asus did not change the design, firmware or packaging of these motherboards.

Full Article Over On tgdaily.com

Bill O'Reilly's Producer... what really happened...

Digital Dave — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:17:28 GMT

If you haven't seen the Inside Edition Bill O'Reilly tirade your about to but this time you are going to see the entire story.

This is freaking hilarious! I've watched it like 5 times already. Oh god... I'm crying I'm laughing so hard.

Bill O'Reilly's Producer... what really happened.

Laplink PCmover Happy Birthday Giveaway Update

Digital Dave — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:32:58 GMT

Just an FYI... if you missed out on the download yesterday due to the site being hammered for most of the day, you can still get your free copy.

Due to overwhelming demand, customers visiting www.laplink.com may have encountered difficulties in downloading their free copy of PCmover.

Laplink wants to ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to receive a copy of PCmover and qualify for the prize giveaway; therefore we have decided to temporarily extend the promotion.

Thank you for your coverage and birthday wishes for Laplink's 25th anniversary.

Laplink.com

For Sell Brand New Unlokced Apple iphone 16gb & Sidekick Lx

shop2008 — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:45:12 GMT

For Sell Brand New Unlokced Apple iphone 16gbPLTD is a registered and legitimate company that offer the whole world access to buyer Electronic product at affordable prices. Our product are 1st factory condition with 2years factory waranty in brand new original box with complete accessories . We operate a 100% return policy guarantee . Our aim and objective is to make our customers a happy buyer. We allow 15% on the purchase of minimium order of 5units and 1 mobile phones free as you buy up to 5units . We sell in Unit and also sell in Bulk. Do contact us via email for more enquries.

Email :........................ shop2008@myway.com

Below is some of our stock.

iPod Touch 16GB................$130

Apple iPhone 16GB.............. $200

Apple iPhone 8GB.............. $150

Apple iPhone 4GB.............. $120

Asus P750 ...................$200

Playstation 3 80GB...........$150

PSP...................$60

Xbox 360.................. $100

Nintendo Wii ...............$100

Sidekick D-Wade..............$140

Sidekick LX ................$130

Sidekick 3 LRG..............$120

Juicy Couture Sidekick II ..........$100

Sidekick II mister cartoon edition....... $100

SIDEKICK 3 ...................$110

SIDEKICK II...................$100

Email :........................ shop2008@myway.com

HTC Touch Cruise............$250

HTC Shift 60GB...................$280

HTC Advantage X7500 PDA SmartPhone.......$250

HTC Advantage X7501 PDA Phone........$260

HTC Touch 3D view - 360� spin...........$300

HTC P4550 TyTN II PDA SmartPhone ........$200

HTC P4550 TyTN II (Kaiser) PDA SmartPhone.....$200

HTC MTeoR SmartPhone............$170

HTC P3300 PDA SmartPhone........$180

HTC P3600 SmartPhone...........$180

HTC P4300 SmartPhone.............$150

HTC P4350 PDA SmartPhone... ....$180

HTC P6300 PDA SmartPhone.........$180

HTC S411 SmartPhone.............$150

HTC S620 PDA SmartPhone...........$150

HTC S621 Quad Band GSM PDA SmartPhone............$170

HTC S710 Quad Band GSM EDGE PDA SmartPhone.......$150

HTC Touch PDA SmartPhone........150

Nokia N96 16GB.....................$250

Nokia 7900 Prism.................$220

Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte ........$230

Nokia E90 ...................$200

NoKIA N95 8GB ...............$200

NOKIA N95.....................US$170

NOKIA N93i.....................US$170

NOKIA N92......................US$120

NOKIA N91 ...................US$110

NOKIA N90....................US$100

NOKIA N75 ....................US$150

NOKIA N73......................US$120

NOKIA N72 ....................US$100

NOKIA N71 ....................US$100

NOKIA N70 ...................US$90

NOKIA N80 ..................US$90

NOKIA N81 8GB...............US$220

NOKIA 8800...................US$100

NOKIA 8800 SIROCCO................$120

NOKIA 9300i.....................US$80

NOKIA 8910i....................US$100

NOKIA 9500.....................US$90

Nokia Vertu Pink Ascent LimitedEdition...... $250

Tom Tom Go 910................. $180

Tom Tom Go 710................. $130

Nextel i880....................$100

Nextel i930....................$80

Nextel i870....................$80

Nextel i860....................$70

Nextel i90c......................$50

Nextel i95cl....................$70

BlackBerry Curve 8320 ..........$220

BlackBerry Curve 8310 .........$200

BlackBerry 8820 ...............$200

BlackBerry 8830 World Edition .........$200

BlackBerry 8800................$150

BlackBerry 8703e...............$150

BlackBerry Pearl8100...........$140

BlackBerry7520.................$140

BlackBerry 7250................$120

BlackBerry 7100i...............$120

BlackBerry 7130e...............$130

BlackBerry 7130g...............$140

BlackBerry 7130c...............$135

BlackBerry 7130v...............$130

BlackBerry 8707v...............$145

BlackBerry 8700c...............$128

BlackBerry 7100x...............$125

PPC-6700.................... $130

Treo 750....................$130

Treo 755....................$180

Treo 700p....................$120

Treo 700w...................$100

Treo 600....................$80

Treo 650....................$100

MOTOROLA A1200............US$100

MOTOROLA KRZR K1...........US$100

MOTOROLA Q.................US$100

MOTOROLA RAZR V3...........US$50

Apple 4 GB iPod Mini Pink M9435LL/A........40USD
Apple 40 GB iPod photo....................40USD
Apple 4 GB iPod Mini Silver M9160LL/A.......40USD
Apple 60 GB iPod Photo M9830LL/A............60USD
Apple 60 GB iPod photo..................55USD
Apple 30 GB iPod Photo M9829LL/A...........50USD
Apple 512 MB iPod Shuffle MP3Player.........40USD
Apple 4 GB iPod Mini BlueM9436LL/A........45USD
Apple 20GB iPod Nano...................80U SD
Apple 2 GB iPod Nano..................50USD
Apple 4 GB iPod Nano.................60USD
Apple 30 GB iPod Vidoe..............110USD
Apple 60 GB iPod Vidoe...............120USD
Apple 80 GB iPod Vidoe...............130USD

02 Phones
o2 xDA Exec ......................$200
02 XDA Atom ......................$200
O2 XDA Trion......................$1 80
02 XDA NEO .......................$210
02 XDA mini S.....................$210
02 XDA II mini....................$170

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1................$260
Sony Ericsson W910 video ..............$200
Sony Ericsson W910 3D view - 360� spin.......$200
Sony Ericsson W890....................$170
Sony Ericsson K660....................$180
SONY ERICSSON W960i....................$180
SONY ERICSSON P1i .....................$180
SONY ERICSSON W850.....................$100
SONY ERICSSON W900.....................$150
Sony Ericsson P990.....................$120

Samsung P520 .......................US$300
Samsung SGH-Z510....................US$130
Samsung J750......................$200

Dell Laptops
Dell Inspiron 9300..................US$280
Dell Xps m1710......................US$250
Dell Xpsm2010.......................US$350

PANASONIC PLASMA TV

Panasonic TH-37PHD8UK Plasma $350
Panasonic TH-42PWD8UK Plasma $600
Panasonic TH-42PHD8UK Plasma $500
Panasonic TH-42PD50U EDTV $ 450
Panasonic TH-42PX50U Plasma $650
Panasonic TH-50PX50U Plasma $700
panasonic TH-65PHD8UK Plasma $900

SONY PLASMA TV

SONY FWD-42PV1 Plasma Display $500
Sony PFM-42X1 Plasma Display $550
Sony FWD-50PX2 Plasma Display $700

PHILIPS PLASMA TV

Philips 42PF7320A/37 Plasma TV $600
Philips 42PF9630A/37 Plasma HDTV $700
Philips 50PF7320A/37 Plasma HDTV $720
Philips 50PF9630A/37 Plasma HDTV $550
Philips 50PF9830A/37 Plasma HDTV $800

SAMSUNG PLASMA TV

SAMSUNG HPP3761 Plasma TV $610
Samsung PPM42M5S Plasma Display $505
Samsung SPP4251 Plasma TV $700
Samsung PPM42M5H Plasma Display $550
Samsung HPR4252 Plasma $680
Samsung HPR4262 Plasma TV $450
Samsung HPR4272 Plasma $560
Samsung PPM50M5H Plasma Display $870
Samsung HPR5052 Plasma $670
Samsung HPR5072 Plasma $780
Samsung HPP5581 Plasma TV $780
Samsung PPM63H3Q Plasma Display $700
Samsung HPR6372 Plasma $820

HITACHI PLASMA TV

Hitachi CMP4211u Plasma $850
Hitachi CMP4212u Plasma $350
Hitachi 42HDF52 Plasma HDTV $400
Hitachi 42HDT52 Plasma TV $440
Hitachi 55HDS52 Plasma HDTV $480
Hitachi 55HDT52 Plasma TV $650
Hitachi CMP-55HDM71 Plasma $420

AOC ENVISION PLASMA TV

AOC Envision A42W64 Plasma $400

MAXENT PLASMA TV

Maxent MX-42VM7 Plasma EDTV $370
Maxent MX-50X2 Plasma $300

NEC PLASMA TV

NEC 42VP5 Plasma TV $400
NEC 42VM5HA Plasma TV $470
NEC 42VR5HA Plasma - Silver $300
NEC PX-42XM3A Plasma Display $500
NEC PX-42XM4A Plasma Display $450
NEC PX-42XR4A Plasma Display $550
NEC PX-50XM5A Plasma Display $570
NEC PX-50XR5A Plasma Display $500
NEC PX-61XM3A Plasma Display $600
NEC PX-61XM4A Plasma Display $750
NEC PX-61XR4A Plasma Display $700
NEC PX-84VP5A Plasma Display $690
NEC PX-84VM5A Plasma Display $650

PIONEER PLASMA TV

Pioneer pdp-424mv plasma TV -$1,800
Pioneer pdp-42a3hd plasma TV -$1,720
Pioneer pdp-434cmx plasma tv-$1,880
Pioneer pdp-43a5hd plasma tv-$1,800
Pioneer pdp-4360hd plasma TV -$1,700
Pioneer pdp-504cmx plasma tv-$1,800
Pioneer pdp-505cmx plasma TV -$1,670
Pioneer pdp-5060hd plasma tv-$1,890

PHILIPS PLASMA TV

Philips 17PF8946A 17” LCD Television $180
Philips 17PF9936 17” LCD Television $160
Samsung LT-P1745 17 in. LCD Television $180
Toshiba 17HLV85 17” LCD Television $190
Samsung LT-P1795W 17” LCD Television $160
SONY MFMHT75W 17” LCD Television $130
FLAT-PANEL LCD TV 17” LCD Television $140
Samsung LTN1735 17” LCD Television $160
AOC A17W221 17IN LCD TV $150.

Email :........................ shop2008@myway.com
& Sidekick Lx

Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 Update

Digital Dave — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:25:31 GMT

This is SP1 for the folks using Virtual Server 2005 R2.

This update for Microsoft Virtual Server R2 SP1 includes support for the following additional Host and Guest Operating Systems

Additonal Guest Operating System support:
- Windows Vista� Ultimate Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1)
- Windows Vista� Business Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1)
- Windows Vista� Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1)
- Windows Server� 2008 Core
- Windows Server� 2008 Standard
- Windows Server� 2008 Datacenter
- Windows Server� 2008 Enterprise
- Windows Server� 2008 Small Business Server
- Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3

Additional Host Operating System support:
- Windows Vista� Ultimate Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1) (non-production use only)
- Windows Vista� Business Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1) (non-production use only)
- Windows Vista� Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1)(non-production use only)
- Windows Server� 2008 Core
- Windows Server� 2008 Standard
- Windows Server� 2008 Datacenter
- Windows Server� 2008 Enterprise
- Windows Server� 2008 Small Business Server
- Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3 (non-production use only)

Download from Microsoft.com

Release Notes for Windows XP Service Pack 3

Digital Dave — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:18:41 GMT

This just came out.

These release notes provide important information that you should know before deploying and using Windows XP SP3. You should familiarize yourself with all of the known issues in this document prior to installing the software.

Get it from Microsoft.com

Windows PowerShell Scriptomatic 2.0

Digital Dave — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:15:33 GMT

Powershell users... rejoice.

A new utility that writes Windows PowerShell scripts that harness the power of WMI (Windows Instrumentation Management) for use in system management and administration. This tool was created by Microsoft consultant and author Ed Wilson.

Download from Microsoft.com

Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 SP1

Digital Dave — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:05:52 GMT

New stuff has been added.

- Additonal Guest Operating System support:
- Windows Vista� Ultimate Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1)
- Windows Vista� Business Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1)
- Windows Vista� Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1)
- Windows Server� 2008 Standard
- Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3

- Additional Host Operating System support:
- Windows Vista� Ultimate Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1)
- Windows Vista� Business Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1)
- Windows Vista� Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1)
- Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3

Download from Microsoft.com

Mozilla Firefox Beta (Gran Paradiso) 3.0 RC1

Digital Dave — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:52:26 GMT

Now... now it's time to get it.

Mozilla Firefox is a fast, full-featured browser for Windows that makes browsing more efficient than ever before.

Download from Major Geeks.com

Microsoft Silverlight Now Has An Open-Source Competitor

Digital Dave — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:40:38 GMT

Let the games begin...

The Novell-led Mono project this week made the first, though incomplete, public release of Moonlight, an open-source implementation of Microsoft's Silverlight, a browser plug-in that competes with products such as Adobe Flash, Adobe Flex, Adobe Shockwave, JavaFX, and Apple QuickTime.

Full Story On News.zdnet.co.uk

Microsoft blames users for Vista infections

Digital Dave — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:38:26 GMT

Oh good lord...

Software giant Microsoft has claimed user "complacency" is to blame for malware infections, and denied that its Vista operating system is less secure than Windows 2000.

The claim that Vista is less secure than Windows 2000 was made last week by security vendor PC Tools, which said that over the past six months Vista had suffered 639 unique threats, whereas Windows 2000 has suffered 586. PC Tools's research was conducted by collecting data from customers using its ThreatFire behavioural detection software.

Full Story On News.zdnet.co.uk

Microsoft extends support for Windows XP Service Pack 2

Digital Dave — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:36:40 GMT

And just so you know, you MUST have SP2 installed. If you don't you get no updates.

Microsoft plans to offer free patches for vulnerabilities it classes as security critical for Windows XP until at least 2014. The snag � as for all Microsoft products � this only applies where the latest Service Pack is installed. In this case this means SP3, which should be the last Service Pack for XP. Users still using an older Service Pack will no longer have access to support. Support for SP1 has already been withdrawn.

According to the original schedule, Microsoft was to have continued supporting SP2 for a further 12 months following the release of SP3. However due to large volumes of enquiries from customers, Microsoft has now extended this period to 24 months. Support policies for service packs have also been standardised. This change applies to all products from the Windows range, whilst for all other products only 12 months support will be offered for service packs prior to the current pack.

Full Article Over On heise.de

What is going on?

markh777 — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:32:34 GMT

Hello,
I am fairly literate when it comes to PC's and their issues but I got an issue I cannot figure out. Yesterday I went to open a folder on my desktop and instead of the folder opening, I was taken right to the Windows search. I then went to start menu to open the control panel (to see if folder options were ok) and when I clicked on the control panel icon I was brought to a "do you want to create a shortcut" dialog box. All my other icons on the desktop work with the exception of folders. I ran multiple scans for malware, viruses, and spyware but they found nothing, my rootki finders found nothing either. Can anybody shed light on this? THank you and I await your wisdom.

Free Fix for XP SP3 'endless reboot' from a surprising source

Digital Dave — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:14:48 GMT

Believe it or not, a former Microsoft employee has come up with a fix.

A former Microsoft Corp. security manager has published a tool designed to detect and fix PCs that may be susceptible to "endless reboots" if updated to Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3).

Jesper Johansson, once a program manager for security policy at Microsoft and currently an MVP (Microsoft Most Valuable Professional) who works at Amazon.com, posted a link to the tool on his blog yesterday, beating his former employer and Hewlett-Packard Co. to the draw. Neither company has yet come up with a fix or patch for the weeklong snafu.

More Over On Computerworld.com

Businesses Consider Skipping Vista

Digital Dave — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:52:57 GMT

Wow... the news just gets better and better doesn't it.

The bad news just keeps on coming for Windows Vista . First there was the "Vista-Capable" class action lawsuit. Then IT advisory firm Gartner claimed Windows may be collapsing under its own weight.

Now Business Week is reporting that a number of large businesses are considering closing the door to Vista, opting instead to stick with XP until the release of Windows 7, due sometime before 2012.

General Motors is the latest large company to publicly consider skipping Vista, citing hardware demands and software vendors who still haven't guaranteed complete compatibility with the OS. Alaska Airlines and Transco Railway Products are two other companies likely to bypass Vista, according to Business Week.

Full Article Over On extremetech.com

HP tells AMD desktop users to sit tight on SP3

Digital Dave — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:51:09 GMT

Well now... I guess we all just wait.

Anyone who happens to be the (proud?) owner of an AMD based HP desktop computer would do well to wait for a fix patch before attempting to install XP SP3, a HP spokesperson warned.

A rather unfortunate hiccough in the driver means that the unlucky user who attempts to install a Windows XP SP 3 could send their computer into frustrating freeze mode or even worse, a never-ending reboot cycle.

Full Article Over On theinquirer.net

10 IT Problems You Might Not Know You Have

Digital Dave — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:46:57 GMT

Hmmm... Interesting problem list.

From overly chatty WLAN systems to IT consultant shenanigans, some of the worst IT problems facing companies are the ones they don't know they have.

There's no shortage of tough problems that jump right in the faces of IT administrators, but some of the worst IT problems facing companies are the ones they don't know they have. In this story, eWEEK Labs identifies 10 cost- and productivity-robbing problems that might be lurking in your infrastructure and offers IT admins guidance on how to overcome them before it's too late.

Full Article Over On eweek.com

Microsoft and Google Should Join Forces.

Digital Dave — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:17:37 GMT

Okay... enough! I am so sick and tired of every time I open up a news site (except mine of course) the fight between Microsoft and Google seems to be getting worse and worse and to be honest, I don't get it. Seriously, I don't.

I�ve always thought these two would somehow get into bed with each other but alas� I guess that is not going to happen (at least from what I can tell) but that doesn�t mean they shouldn�t at least consider it.

Now just for fun lets say someone up in Redmond and some at �The Google� decided �hey, that�s not a bad idea!� here's would be my Top Three Reasons why Microsoft and Google need each other.

1 - World Domination

I'm not joking here folks. The combination of these two powerhouses could literally rule everything from the desktop, to the PDA, all the way back to the hosting services provider. You cannot deny both of these companies have some of the best talent in the world working for them. Both of them would bring expertise to both sides of the fence: Windows and Linux. If you combine all that talent and all the knowledge and merge just the existing product lines there would be NO player on the planet who could compete. Period!

2 - Microsoft Needs Google and Google Needs Microsoft

Before I get scathing emails advising me how much of my brain power I seemed to have lost hear me out.

Let's start with Microsoft - We all know Microsoft has a glaring hole in the search market and is falling more and more behind Google damn near daily. If Microsoft and Google joined forces obviously Microsoft would immediately plug a glaring hole in the company backside but it would also allow both Google and Microsoft to merge �Live� and �Google� code making whatever the new search tool was renamed to (I'm fond of Micro-Google) immediately a non-stoppable powerhouse destroying any and all other search engines. No one� NO ONE would be able to beat them.

So what would Google get? - Easy no competition. Google gets the paltry amount MS has now PLUS there is no way Yahoo, or Ask, or any of the other search providers survive. Google could set a price point no search engine could match since it could now make it up with Microsoft revenue on the backside. Once Yahoo and the rest of the search folks are either bought for pennies on the dollar �Micro-Google� (I really like that name) could then charge whatever they want, kind like what IBM does. I know, I know, �anti-trust� and my response to that is �Hey... that's why we have Judges.� Nobody knows what the ruling would be plus, with all the other companies being actually bought who's going to file the complaint?

3 - Money, Power, Big Ass Airplanes...

These two could buy elections if they wanted to. Micro-Google would be worth so much money and become so powerful they could literally dictate specifications across entire product lines. Hell Micro-Google could dictate Internet protocols if they so chose to do so and let's not forget about the money side of the house. You think the jet the Google bigwigs bought was nice.... wait until you see what they buy after the merger. And Mr. Gates and the rest of the Microsoft stock holders well... they become instant gazillion-bazillion airs. I mean, Bill's foundation could support entire countries if it chose to do so.

The last area I want to mention is the simple fact that none of us, ever again, will be subject to another article about how Microsoft thinks that Google sucks or how Google thinks Microsoft blows chunks.

Each of these companies would plug holes found in both companies right now (Google cannot continue to grow forever). Plus, finally, Microsoft and Google could look across the aisle at each other, stand up and give each other a big hug. No more fighting. No more bickering. No more shots across each other's bow. Both of them would just be able to sit down and focus on what made them all billionaires... and that would be us folks (you had to know I was going somewhere with all of this) and in the end everybody wins. The Windows folks get a little Linux under the hood and the Linux folks get a little Windows under the hood. I think we could all co-exist like that.

So, my final question is this: Why am I the only one that sees this? These two companies, together, are unbeatable. Period!

Later - Digital

VMware Workstation 6.5 Beta 1 Refresh

Digital Dave — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:05:34 GMT

Updated package if you are interested.

What�s New in VMware Workstation 6.5 Beta 1 Refresh:

- Performance enhancements to VM Record and Replay � Enjoy faster performance with our advanced VM Record and Replay technology. Record your entire VM execution and replay it with instruction-exact precision. A graphical interface lets you browse, add markers to and edit your recording so you can easily monitor and analyze your virtual environment.

- Unity for Linux Guests � Enjoy seamless integration of your favorite Linux guest applications with your host. You can launch, access and run guest applications alongside host applications! Unity for Windows Guests is already supported in the previous VMware Workstation 6.5 Beta release.

- Easy Install Option for Linux Guests � Save time and simplify Linux guest operating system installations with the Easy Install Option.

Download from vmware.com

Drive Mapper 4.0.0.1

Digital Dave — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:23:02 GMT

Map multiple drives from a single screen.

Download from freewarefiles.com

Force Disk Cleanup to delete all temporary files.

Digital Dave — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:10:39 GMT

A little registry hacking for a Thursday morning.

If you�ve ever run the Microsoft Windows XP�s Disk Cleanup utility, you probably discovered that your temporary files occupy a significant amount of space. You might select the Temporary Files check box in order to allow the Disk Cleanup utility to delete the files in the Temp folder, but the Disk Cleanup utility will not remove all of the files. The reason for this oddity is that the configuration for the Disk Cleanup utility does not allow deletion of files accessed in the last seven days.

How To Over On Techrepublic.com

May 2008 Security Releases ISO Image

Digital Dave — Thu, 15 May 2008 04:23:11 GMT

Download now...

This DVD5 ISO image file contains the security updates for Windows released on Windows Update on May 13th, 2008. The image does not contain security updates for other Microsoft products. This DVD5 ISO image is intended for administrators that need to download multiple individual language versions of each security update and that do not use an automated solution such as Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). You can use this ISO image to download multiple updates in all languages at the same time.

Download now from Microsoft.com

Five Misunderstood Features in Windows Vista

Digital Dave — Thu, 15 May 2008 04:20:08 GMT

I caught this over on Bink.nu and after reading it (especially the Vista "performance" section) I thought some of you might want to also.

We‘ve heard some of you say that Windows Vista runs slower than Windows XP on a given PC. So what‘s really happening here? First, we need to avoid comparing apples to oranges—Windows Vista is doing a lot more than Windows XP, and it requires resources to conduct these tasks. That said, it is important to make sure a PC running Windows Vista has enough horsepower to function properly, especially for older PCs running a minimal amount of RAM, since the Windows Vista footprint is larger, bottlenecks will occur.

Download and View the document.

Realtek High Definition Audio Drivers - Vista\ 2K\XP\2003 v1.92

Digital Dave — Wed, 14 May 2008 22:49:48 GMT

Updated drivers...

Realtek High Definition Audio for 2K\XP\03 1.92
Realtek High Definition Audio for Vista 1.92

Free Stuff Tomorrow...

Digital Dave — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:03:26 GMT

Yea that would get my attention also.

I just received an email from the folks who make the Laplink Software and it seems they will be celebrating their B-Day tomorrow and wanted to invite you all.

As part of their B-Day celebration they will be giving away a free copy of their famous PC Mover software (they say it's a $50.00 value) tomorrow only, to everyone who visits their web site. No purchase necessary, no strings attached, and no gimmicks.

I find that rather cool of them.

They also state the following: "In addition to free copies of PCmover for everyone, many other products are free or nearly free including; free Gateway laptops, free Targus laptop bags, free Microsoft products, free Laplink 2 GB USB sticks, products like Spy Sweeper, RegistryBooster, PerfectDisk, and more. (Visit www.laplink.com for a complete list and applicable rules and restrictions.)"

Hey free software and steep discounts on other software... hell, I'm there.

Just wanted to pass this along.

Laplink.com

Later - Digital

Office 2008 Service Pack 1 (for the MAC)

Digital Dave — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:16:27 GMT

Microsoft has released SP1 for Office 2008 for the MAC.

The Office 2008 SP1 Update (12.1.0) contains several changes that improve security, stability, and performance. This includes fixes for vulnerabilities that an attacker can use to overwrite the contents of a computer's memory by using malicious code.

In addition, this update includes all the improvements that are released in the Office 2008 for Mac 12.0.1 Update. For more information about the improvements in the Office 2008 for Mac 12.0.1 Update.

Download from Microsoft.com