Windows Vista operates external hard drives that are connected with USB differently than internal drives. Write caching is disabled so that you can safely remove the drive at almost any time. This is a great feature for USB thumb drives that are frequently inserted and removed from your computer. But if you have a large hard drive that is in an external enclosure that you never disconnect from... Read More
In Windows Vista the networking components were designed to be much more intelligent and automatically adjust the network settings to optimize the connection speed. This is a great new feature. Your network components basically tweak themselves for optimal performance. In most situations, these components automatically adjust perfectly for best performance. However, with wireless WAN cards the... Read More
In early builds of Windows Vista, testers were shown a new 3D interface powered by the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) that was filled with animations of all sorts. This interface was very cool looking. However, because of delays, Microsoft had to cut the use of WPF in the UI and most of the “WOW” was removed.
Thankfully, there are some very talented developers out there that have made utilities...
Read MoreTaskbar thumbnail preview in Windows Vista is a great new feature that allows you to quickly see a window without having to fully open it from the taskbar. Instead, you can just hover your mouse over the taskbar item and a small preview window will be displayed.
I have been asked many times if it is possible customize the size of the preview thumbnails. Many...
Read MoreStanimir Stoyanov has create a very useful application that automates customizing the appearance of the Windows Vista sidebar. If you change you skin your visual style and want your sidebar to match or just do not like the default black gradation look, Windows Sidebar Styler makes it very easy to change the look.
Read MoreThe results of the Windows Experience Index are stored in an XML file that you can modify to spoof your score. Who wants to show off a 2.1 system? Let’s make that a 9.9 powerhouse.
- Navigate to C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore.
- Open up the most recent file in that folder. On Windows 8, edit the newest "Formal.Assessment" file. Make sure that your account...
Do you need to run a Java application and hate how every time you run it the Aero Glass interface reverts to the non-glass look? This is caused by the way the JRE (Java Runtime Environment) communicates with the display adapter. In short, it does not want to share the 3D surface the desktop is painted on so Windows has to revert to the old method of painting the desktop and turn of Aero Glass.
Read MoreAre you having hardware issues with Windows Vista? Almost all Windows Vista issues such as blue screen and random reboots are caused by third-party driver problems. Microsoft signs device drivers that they test and certify that the driver meet certain quality levels. Using Microsoft certified drivers greatly reduces your chances of having driver related issues. However, often applications will... Read More
Mounting a CD image is a basic feature of almost every operating system package except for Microsoft Windows. Microsoft has never shipped this feature in any version of Windows including Windows Vista. Mounting a CD image is very useful when you have downloaded a .ISO cd image and you do not want to waste the time or the media to burn a copy. Since Windows Vista does not have this functionality... Read More
In the June 2007 issue of Microsoft's TechNet magazine Michael Murgolo has a great article about how to elevate commands in scripting using a free PowerToy called elevate.
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