In the past, I have been an advocate of AVG and, until this version, had no reason not to be.

Unfortunately, it has been slowing my system down. The automatic scan, set to start at 01:00 hrs, was still running on the 160gb SATA drive at 09:00, with an 80gb IDE drive still to go. And, to add insult to injury, according to Vista's 'Performance and Maintenance - Advanced Tools', it was also taking its toll on Vista startup and shutdown.

It isn't anymore because I have uninstalled it. Until such time as I hear that it has been improved, I will be trying out Alwil's Avast 4.8 free version.

If you have attempted to install the latest round of Office updates via Windows Update, there is a very good chance of seeing this error code.

There is a fix, but it is quite severe and may leave you with the task of creating new user accounts if your computer is set up for multiple users.

It requires

1. the downloading and installation of a utility
2. the ability to search for, find, open and understand the first line in a log file (optional)
3. the creation of a 'batch' file
4. the 'nerve' to run the batch file

Are you still in the game?

Getting ready..

The file to be downloaded and installed is called SubInACL.exe and can be downloaded from this web site

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=E8BA3E56-D8FE-4A91-93CF-ED6985E3927B&displaylang=en

Now run a search on MSI*.log

If you have attempted to install the Office update 'today', when the search has finished, look for a log file dated with today's date. Open it and it will tell you in the first line which registry key has been causing the problem.

When you create your 'batch' file, you can either include all of the registry (as shown) or you can just fix the registry key set as indicated in the msi*.log file. Personally, I would 'fix' all of the registry.

To create the batch file, open NOTEPAD, then copy and paste the text between the broken lines into it. When pasted in, edit the blank lines out.

You will then need to 'save as' resetreg.bat or something similar. The important bit is that it is saved with the 'bat' extension.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

cd /d "%ProgramFiles%\Windows Resource Kits\Tools"

subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f

subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CURRENT_USER /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f

subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f

subinacl /subdirectories %SystemDrive% /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f

subinacl /subdirectories %windir%|*.* /grant=administrators=f /grant=system=f

secedit /configure /cfg %windir%\inf\defltbase.inf /db defltbase.sdb /verbose

pause

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

This is it..

OK, you have installed 'subinacl.exe', you have created your batch file, and are ready to go.

Locate your newly created batch file, right click on it and select ' run as administrator'. A CMD window will appear automatically and the process will start. When finished, the CMD window will automatically close.

You can now reboot your computer and then head off to Windows Update and install the Office update.

.. with your Internet Service Provider is easy. All you have to do is call ISP support, and a 'technician' will walk you through the process. Whether you are  using Windows Mail, Outlook Express, Outlook, Thunderbird, Entourage or whatever, calling your Internet Service Provider is the best and easiest way.

When you subscribed to your ISP, they would have given you one e-mail address based upon the name with which you subscribed.

For example: a.n.other@myinternetprovider.com 

All mail client programs have similar set up routines where you have to enter your name, your given e-mail ID and password. This is the easy part.

What is not so obvious is what you have to enter for incoming and outgoing mail servers. In many cases, your ISP will have support pages which include the information, but it may not be too easy to find.

Even if you do come across the server information, there are still hurdles to cross. You may have to opt for 'secure authentication', incoming and outgoing. Your mail provider may use different port settings to the default mail client set up.

So now do you see why it is best to opt for the walk through? Smart people will take this option the first time, writing down notes as they go such that they can complete the process on their own next time. And there will be a 'next time'.

OK, now you have a mail account.. 

.. but your ISP will allow you to have multiple accounts.

You can't just enter a new account into your mail client and expect it to work. First, you have to register the new account with your ISP. This can be done by either calling the ISP or locating the 'add a new account' support page on the ISP web site.

For more information on using Outlook which can be a little daunting at first..

http://www.outlook-tips.net/index.html

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA010970221033.aspx

Version 8.0 Is NOT compatible with SpywareBlaster or Spybot 'immunize' features. The AVG people are well aware of this and sent this e-mail to a user in response to problems encountered, suggesting the following actions..

Dear Sir/Madam,

According to your e-mail, we would like to inform you with that, the situation, which you have described is most probably really caused by using SpywareBlaster security application on your computer, which contains "immunize" feature. This feature is causing that, it will overwrite mentioned ActiveX registry entries by it's own values to avoid some spyware to overwrite these registry keys by malicious
values.

However, because the SpywareBlaster is overwriting the same registry values as malware, it is very hard to recognize, which values are overwritten by SpywareBlaster and which by real malware, therefore these registry entries are detected as infected. Generally (not even by our company), the use of more than one security system under the same operating system is NOT recommended because of possible conflict in their main parts, usually in the resident scanning system, etc. It could, unfortunately, cause unexpected failures to your system.

The situation, which you have described is caused by incompatibility between AVG and SpywareBlaster security application on your computer and we would like to recommend you to uninstall SpywareBlaster and all the other security applications from your computer (if you are using any) to avoid possible conflict situations between AVG and the other software.

We would like to inform you with that, if you will use AVG Anti-Virus network edition 8.0 on your computers and if it will be fully updated, then your computer will be protected against all of the latest viruses, spyware, Trojan horses and the other malware.

For more information about the situation, which you have described, we would like to recommend you to visit our FAQ on the following web page: http://www.avg.com/ww.faq.num-1198#faq_1198

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding, it is appreciated. Answers to the most common questions can be found here as well:
http://www.avg.com/faq/

Best regards,
David Streichl
AVG Technical Support

In fairness to AVG, I believe that SpywareBlaster and Spybot 'suggest' that other spyware detection programs can be responsible for problems when run alongside the competition. Certainly, this is the case when running more that one anti-virus solution.

The problem facing each and every computer user is simple enough. Who or what can be trusted to give 'full' protection against every exploit, past, present and future? We have all gotten so used to having to run multiple spyware solutions, and having to decide to scrap all but one is a difficult decision.

For me, the worst aspect is that AVG is slowly mutating from a small, nifty anti-virus solution into an invasive gargantuan a la Norton and McAfee.

Windows Update should only be used to obtain drivers for a device in your computer if you are unable to locate drivers for a simple generic device like, for example, an internal modem or network interface card.

You could take a chance and try others which are offered but so many have problems doing this, and it is NOT to be recommended unless you like sitting through a system restore or driver rollback.

The first port of call for owners of laptops and major manufacturer desktops like HP and Dell should always be the manufacturer web site. Devices in OEM machines may well sport well known brand names like RealTek, ATI and nVidia but more often than not, they are proprietary versions requiring proprietary drivers.

A good example is the ubiquitous US Robotics modem. USR OEM modem drivers are NOT available from the 3COM/USR web site. The model number will be specific to the machine into which it is originally fitted.

Owners of 'home built' or custom machines, you are on your own. There is no one stop pickup area other than the initial small stack of installation CDs supplied with each of the parts. One of the problems with the stack is that some of the drivers may be getting a little long in the tooth. It is not easy to see how long a product has been sitting on the shelf of your favorite retailer.

If ever I buy something for my computer which requires drivers, my first task is to go to the product manufacturer web site and appropriate the latest driver, saving it to my backup drive.

And by the way, if ever I buy parts for my computer, I always buy well recognized makes. A product is only as good as the support behind it. The 'bargain' computer stores may seem like a good place to shop, but their prices will be only marginally below the cost of the good stuff. In my opinion, decent long term online support is worth more than the little bit I would save by using the 'cheap' stores.

In case you need to identify internal parts such that you can obtain the correct device driver, you will need a program like SIW.

 http://www.gtopala.com/

It's free too.. 

Which OS do you use? Do you use it out of choice or because it came pre-installed?

If it wasn't pre-installed, would you have the general know how and technical ability to install your own OS? Some of you would make it work but, for many, the 'out of the box' experience would end in tears. This is one of the reasons why manufacturers pre-install the operating system.

If you own an Apple Mac, your computer would have come pre-installed with a version of MacOS. You would not have had and still don't have a choice? Do you regard that as a problem? You shouldn't.

When you purchase a Mac, you are not just buying a computer. You also get to subscribe to the Apple lifestyle. Of course, style costs and the Mac does not disappoint here. Pound for pound, they are more expensive than any other home computer, and they are not good for hobbyists and tinkerers. If your Mac goes to the wall, it is 'back to Mac' for repairs, and they do go wrong.

If you didn't buy a Mac for whatever reason, you are probably viewing this blog on a Windows PC. Microsoft don't make computers. They supply the OS to a variety of 'OEM' manufacturers who then pre-install Windows. There is an element of competition between the 'OEMs', so there is generally a good deal to be had somewhere. Microsoft have been supplying operating systems in this way for years now.

The great thing about the combination of the IBM compatible PC and the Windows operating system is that almost any configuration is possible, from the simplest and cheapest to the mega water cooled gaming machine. It allows OEMs to provide a wide 'capability' range for all pockets, and those of you with a bit of technical know how can even put a machine together from parts of your own choosing. Windows versatility is unmatched.

There is a trade off against the Mac here. MacOS knows exactly what it is going to be run on, and the surprising thing is that MacOS doesn't always works as it should. Windows is expected to run on pretty well anything, and for the most part does a great job. The task of making anything which will be compatible with 'who knows what' is a huge job. Incompatibility can be a real issue for Windows, but the reality is that most are not unduly affected by it.

Windows is not the only OS that will run on an IBM compatible PC. Linux has entered the 'home' arena in a variety of guises. Most of them are free to download, and there is a good choice of software available for the platform too.

Compatibility is an issue here also, and for the same reasons as Windows suffers. If hardware manufacturers do not supply drivers for any given platform, it isn't going to work.

Linux distros are not as polished as the Windows counterparts, and tend to lack some of the features which Windows users take for granted. Open source applications have that same issue, but what you do get is for free, and all reasonably accomplished.

For the user who wants to program, hack, requires access to the 'code', or simply cannot afford the outlay required for a fully featured Windows computer, Linux is a winner for sure.

None of the platforms would move forwards were it not for the other two. They all have strengths and weaknesses. There is a place for all of them, and hopefully there always will.

So why are you engaging in fights over which is best? Pick the one that suits your purposes best and allow for the fact that others did the same, whatever those purposes may be. There will always be a price to be paid, whichever one is chosen, even the free one.

Grisoft have released a new version of their Anti-Virus product. It has a new look icon and new look interface.

Download the new version from..

http://free.grisoft.com/

Uninstall version 7.5 or whatever anti-virus solution you are presently using, and then install the new one.

As usual, you can get it for free, or pay for a fully featured version.

The Vista language packs are back..

.. for those of you who like to switch to some obscure language and then see if you can find your way back to an operating system that you understand. There are thirty four packs on offer, essentially thirty two different languages as Chinese and Portuguese are offered in two versions.

The choice of language sounds like a good thing if, for instance, you and your spouse/partner have different native tongues, or you have bought a computer while travelling. From what I have seen, the greater majority of computers on general worldwide sale are pre-loaded with versions for which a change of language is not possible, i.e. Home Premium and Basic.

If you don't already have Vista, please take note of this if you feel that you need multiple language functionality. Home Premium and Basic do NOT cut it.

DreamScene content pack #3

Just when you thought it was safe, now you can have a rotating thingamabob which appears to be firing tracer rounds at a target too far away to be be seen, two versions of Chinese Water Torture, Maple leaves in the Fall but not yet fallen, a 'Mantracker' scene where the two victims are trying to hide in a small bush (bottom left) in a bid not to be noticed, weeds wafting on a summers evening, rain falling on a city sidewalk which needs re-laying as there is way too much surface water present, a babbling brook which doesn't 'babble' (courtesy of no sound being available), and a birds eye view of a fire pit (Woodstock style).

If ever there was a time for Johnny Castaway to be reborn, this is it. At least it would be interesting.

I have recently moved from Eastern Ontario across to the South West of the province. The move itself was not too bad, and within a couple of days, I had set up my computers, cables etc, and connection to Rogers Internet. This part was not all plain sailing.

In order to protect my main computer, I placed it into the case's original packing box.

• The 'inspection hatch' was not fixed down because I forgot to replace the thumbscrews.
• The shape of the case had changed ever so slightly after I had installed the motherboard and other parts.
• Pushing it back into the original packing box displaced the video card and memory modules ever so slightly.

The result was that the computer was a little unhappy at first power up. A few minutes work saw everything back as it should be, and the machine powered up.. for maybe 90 minutes.  A reboot fixed the problem for another 90 minutes or so.

The fans were ok, the CPU heatsink was cool enough, cables all secure. RAM checked out ok, and there were no driver issues. I removed my shiny stainless steel encased mega power supply, and replaced it with a cheapie I had kicking around, and guess what? It didn't cut out.

So I took the good one apart, cleaned it all out, reassembled it, re-installed it, and within a few minutes, it had cut out again. The cheapie is presently doing a great job!!

Computers of the desktop kind or larger do not like being moved about, especially if the case side panels are not fixed down to prevent warping. Strange faults develop. Shiny power supplies roll over and pass to the other side.

I have settled in now, as has my computer. All is well once again with the world.

I have a computer powered by a slot 939 AMD 64 3500+. Three years ago, it wasn't too bad and, in truth, it still does a reasonable job. However, I want a little more than it can reasonably give, so I looked around for a replacement. An AMD 64 X2 4800+ would be nice, but there is a problem.

AMD discontinued the 939 slot back in 2006, and there don't appear to be any dual core 939 processors around anymore. They have been replaced by a new socket called 'AM2'. Not surprisingly, the two types are anything but compatible.

Maybe more memory would give my computer a little more oomph. Presently, it has two x 1gb DDR modules installed. I can get DDR2 modules for as little as $20 a piece, but DDR are $80 each.

I give up!! I will change out the motherboard, memory and processor. Now, lets see what the specs are of new motherboards. There is a reasonable choice out there, and all was looking good. I reckoned on about $400 to complete the job.

I was wrong of course, because I had overlooked something. New motherboards have more SATA connections than IDE ports, and I have a CDRW, DVDRW, 2 x 80gb PATA and 1 x 160gb SATA Western Digitals. All of the new motherboards have only one IDE port.

I can get around this one maybe by buying a PCI IDE card. It can take up one of the two PCI slots, sitting alongside my D-Link G520 wireless PCI card. My only hope is that the PCI IDE card is not full height because if it is, either this or the D-Link card are going to seriously block the airflow to and from the fan on my MSI NX6600 video card.

OK, OK. Press Del for BIOS and lets play with the old motherboards native over-clocking features.

When I bought the equipment mentioned above, I knew what the score would be in time. Unfortunately, many who buy computers are told that they will be able to upgrade the hardware easily, that the computer can 'grow' with the user.

The simple truth is that hardware in no more than a child, and that is what it will always be, its growth stunted by time, sometimes a period as short as six months..

.. happen because you thought that..

1. your friend was right about having everything run in RAM, so you deleted the page file..

2. you thought that you could recoup some badly needed and, in your opinion, wasted hard drive space, so you deleted it or made it smaller..

3. you filled up your hard drive with data files etc to the point where the inclusion of a frog's hair would not be possible..

4. all of the above was a good idea at the time..

#1 applies to the newbie who lacks assertiveness skills in the face of 'expert' friends. Next time, tell them to leave it alone.

#2 applies to the tinkerer who has upgraded an operating system to the latest variant, but who has failed to take into account that the new OS takes up more space than the old one did, OR has taken into consideration the minimum requirements as stated on the side of the box and not left enough room for updates, other applications etc.

#3 applies to people who know that one can't fill a vessel up to absolute capacity and do anything with it without some ensuing spillage, but can't see that a hard drive in a computer has the same limitations.

#4 come on, you know who you are!!

So you want the warning to go away?

A registry hack isn't going to save you. Sorry.

#1 user (Vista).. Control Panel > Advanced System Settings > Advanced tab > Performance Settings button > Advanced tab > Virtual Memory Change button..

Check the System  Managed Size and then click on the Set button..

#1 user (XP).. Control Panel > Advanced tab > Performance Settings button > Advanced tab > Virtual Memory Change button..

Check the System  Managed Size and then click on the Set button..

#2 user.. like it or not, you need more hard drive space, either internal or USB external. You need to either move data to the new drive, or reload the OS onto the new drive and keep the old one as a storage area. Then do the same as #1..

#3 user.. you need to understand that a hard drive needs space for your files and system files that are kept hidden for your own good, and that Windows needs a certain amount of space in order to manage the files. Imagine the hard drive to be like a sliding block puzzle, where there is always one free space. Either get somebody to do what #2 has to do, or try it yourself. It isn't too difficult, especially if you just attach a USB external drive.

Note that a system/boot drive will flash up the 'low virtual memory warning' before it flashes up 'low disk space'.

If you want to understand 'virtual memory' better, read this. The article was written by the late, great Alex Nichol

http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.php

I now have conclusive proof that Vista is 'apparently' every bit as fast as XP..

For all of these tests, I followed exactly the same procedures each time. The installations are on individual drives in the same machine, not set up as dual boot. The applications installed are the same types, as are the amount of startup items and types the same. OK, ready?

0 - 60 .. The morning rush..

Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP2:

Walked up to the desk and hit the power button, filled up the kettle with a view to making a cup of green tea, lit a cigarette and looked out of the window at the freezing rain. On returning to the desk, I looked at the screen and, sure enough, XP was locked and loaded.

Microsoft Windows Vista SP1:

Repeated procedure as outlined above and, sure enough, Vista was locked and loaded.

Conclusion:

A 'dead' heat.. Way to go XP and Vista

30 - 50 .. Let's get started..

Microsoft Word 2003 running on Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP2:

Clicked on the Word icon, rearranged the in-basket/out-basket, re-aligned the keyboard and mouse, glanced out of the window at the continuing freezing rain, checked the printer for paper, looked back at the screen and, sure enough, MS Word was locked and loaded.

Microsoft Word 2007 running on Microsoft Windows Vista SP1:

Repeated procedure as outlined above and, sure enough, Word was locked and loaded.

Conclusion:

A 'dead' heat.. Way to go Word 2003 and 2007

50 - 70 .. Reboot because MS Outlook has locked up again..

Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP2:

Pressed the reset button, filled up the kettle with a view to making a cup of green tea, lit a cigarette and looked out of the window at the freezing rain. On returning to the desk, I looked at the screen and, sure enough, XP was locked and loaded.

Microsoft Windows Vista SP1:

Repeated procedure as outlined above and, sure enough, Vista was locked and loaded.

Conclusion:

A 'dead' heat.. Way to go XP and Vista.

70 - 100 .. The big push..

Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP2:

Opened two Explorer Windows, one local, the other on a networked XP machine. Selected all of the folders and files contained in one partition, and dragged them to the 'network' window. Knew it would take a while, so went down to the store to get some more tea bags as the freezing rain had now quit. On returning, I noted that all folders and files had been transferred.

Microsoft Windows Vista SP1:

Repeated procedure as outlined above, noting that all folders and files had been transferred.

Conclusion:

A 'dead' heat.. Way to go XP and Vista.

Welcome to the real world of computing..

.. even if you were not a computer user back in 1993/4. It was the first browser to incorporate pictures into a browser view.

The picture above shows the 'Windows' version which did not come available until 1994, being released for the Mac and Amiga at the same time.

By today's standards, modems were incredibly slow way back then, but the concept of being able to use a computer to find out about stuff which you didn't know that you didn't want to know overcame the speed issue, not that you would have known anything faster, of course.

Mosaic was a brilliant browser, and I was sorely disappointed when my ISP of the day dumped it in favour of Netscape Navigator, a browser I never particularly liked.

Internet Explorer appeared during the 'Windows 95' era, and became top dog eventually. It would store more bookmarks than anything else, the search was wide, and it was and remains free to all. I have used Internet Explorer ever since.

Now, IE is being challenged by Mozilla for top browser, but a browser is a browser at the end of the day, personal choice dictating which browser is used. The picture above shows IE7 displaying the Yahoo home page of 2008 for comparison.

As you can see, it is way more stylish than Mosaic, more color, more pictures and  animations. The modems in use today are considerably faster and this new page will display in seconds if you have a high speed DSL or cable modem.

The only trouble is..

.. that 'everybody' does not have or can use a DSL or cable modem. While the technology behind the web page has marched on, Internet access for many people is still firmly set in the 'stone age'. The dial up service and modem is alive and well (the word 'well' is used advisedly here) for people who live in outlying areas where the cable companies will not venture and the consumer is beyond the 3.5 mile distance limit from their 'local' telephone exchange. Satellite is not overly reliable or cheap, and like the new breed of wireless distribution, requires line of sight which may require the erection of a tower costing around $4000 to set up.

Cable distribution is affected if there are too many users active on any one cable 'run', and users of DSL who are close to the distance limit get anything but high speed, regardless of claims made by the ISP. The answer to slowness according to the ISPs is to upgrade to their new 'supadupa' high speed service which will get over any slowness.. NOT..

Also, it does not follow that 'where there is cable TV, there is cable Internet'. Some cable companies flatly refuse to supply both, citing that the cable presently installed is not the right type, or that there are not enough potential users to make it worthwhile, or that they will 'have to ask the supervisor, could we please hold the line'.

You may think that an OEM is being 'cheap' by putting a recovery partition on a computer and NOT giving you original Microsoft CD/DVDs. They take up valuable hard drive real estate, but the content of a recovery partition is maybe more valuable than the space it occupies.

The recovery partition contains all of the data required to rebuild the operating system, maybe a few utilities like personal organizers and calendars (which you may have become accustomed to using), manufacturer support programs  and, most importantly, the device drivers specific to your system which may or may not be included in an original Microsoft CD/DVD.

Some history..

In the past, recovery partitions have been accessed via a Recovery CD. Invariably, a driver CD would be supplied as well. Some users made the mistake of deleting the recovery partition, believing that the two CDs would replace everything on the computer as per when it was bought. More often that not, they didn't and couldn't, so users lost the the ability to do a factory refresh and the use of programs which were included on a 'value added' basis.

Older laptops were often supplied with a full CD recovery set of anything up to seven CDs because technology at the time was not up to making large capacity 2.5" hard drives, and a recovery partition was out of the question.

It was the responsibility of the owner to ensure safe keeping of whatever was supplied, and many simply didn't do this. The manufacturers, because hardware was changing and improving constantly, didn't want to manufacture hundreds, maybe thousands of 'spare' recovery sets for any one model, because they would go beyond the 'sell by' date way too quickly. 

Present day..

Computers users are much more 'Internet aware' these days, so owners of older machines can surf to the half decent manufacturer web sites and appropriate drivers and, in some cases, software as originally supplied.

For new machines, full recovery partitions are the order of the day, accessed by pressing a function key at boot up. Dependant upon make, the user may be able to repair an installation, re-install drivers, re-install 'value added' software, or in worst cases only be able to institute a destructive restore. The onus on the manufacturer is to supply a means to restore the machine to working order by whatever means, so one can't assume that the manufacturer has given all of the repair or re-install options mentioned in the lines above.

Some more history..

Upgrade versions of an operating system have traditionally required proof of ownership of an earlier installation. Proof could be an incumbent operating system or a facility whereby one would place the earlier OS CD in the drive during the installation process of the new OS. The OS CD required for proof of ownership had to be an original or OEM Windows 9x/ME or 2000/XP CD. A recovery CD did not cut it, and just when you thought that it couldn't get any worse..

Back to present day..

.. it just did!! Vista upgrades require that the operating system being upgraded is installed and fully functioning. For sure, you can create a set of DVDs from which you can re-install your operating system and other stuff, but unless you know that it definitely did create a 'working' set, and/or that you will keep the recovery set safe and in pristine condition, removal of the recovery partition could lead you to the most far flung creek and not a paddle for miles.

My parting shot..

So how do you feel now about deleting the only reliable and fast form of recovery available to you? Is it worth deleting just for the sake of a few gigabytes of hard drive real estate? Bear in mind that you can buy additional hard drives for not a whole lot these days. For an outlay of $60, you can buy 80gb of brand new real estate (mounting kit and cables not included).

The SP1 64bit update found its way onto some systems after being released in Windows Update. It was meant for TechNet subscribers only, and has now been withdrawn.

The wait for public release goes on and is scheduled for sometime in March or maybe even April as demand will be high high high, and will make it onto your system as long as there is no conflicting driver issue.

I noticed that there were two 'optional' nVidia drivers (not the video kind) on WU recently which may be part of the driver incompatibility fix. I did install them and without issue.

The view through 'Mikes Window' has not changed, but look at the nice new frame.

I have been messing with different themes for this blog, looking for something more modern than the 70's 'dumb terminal' appearance, and of the choices available to me, I find this one more stylish.

The body text has a softer appearance than I would like when viewed on my LCD panel, but when viewed on a CRT type monitor, the text is better defined. If I adjust the text appearance, it starts to look quite 'bold' on a CRT.

Susan Bradley, SBS Diva and fellow Microsoft MVP, has also recently changed to this look too, and she sees it as moving the furniture around.

We guys don't move furniture around, do we, preferring to mindlessly head for and slump onto the couch after a hard day at the game in the knowledge that the couch was where we left it just hours before.

Anyway, the ITR window and ClustrMap survived the change, and I have managed to fix the MVP Official Logo to the wall. Beyond that, I know less than nothing about dressing up a Community Server Blog, so the minimalist look will have to do for now.

A judge has ok'ed the class action lawsuit against Microsoft regarding the 'marketing' stickers applied to the front of XP machines in the months leading up to the release of Vista.

We hear that some 'big noises' within the Microsoft empire had misgivings about rather vague 'meaning' of the sticker. One has to admit that it is a little vague, bearing in mind that there is more that just one Vista version.

Your Choice

OK. You are in the market to buy a PC during the last quarter of 2007 and you see the sticker on the front of a variety of machines. You also see a sticker which proclaims 'Vista Premium Ready' on the more expensive machines.

What does this tell you?

Do you not hear alarm bells? Do you not feel the desire to ask about the difference? Does the wording of the stickers not scream to you that the more expensive machines will run Vista better, and with more features evident?

What has happened to the concept of personal responsibility/accountability?

C'mon!!! What did you expect for $600 plus free keyboard, mouse, speakers and nasty, flimsy, re-badged, bottom of the line Lexmark printer!! That wasn't a deal. You gotten exactly what you paid to get, a collection of the cheapest parts and peripherals at a price you couldn't turn down, and now you complain?

It is the job of any marketing department to make the product look as good as it ever can, and you know that some of the claims will be a little wild. It is your job to cut through the marketing hype and see the actual reality of what you are getting.

A cheap lunch is a cheap lunch no matter how you dress it up. You put in decent ingredients and it isn't a cheap lunch anymore. This is NOT rocket science. It is common sense.

The only time you ever get a good deal is when being sold yesterdays model, and unless you get top of the line yesterdays model, it is not going to stand up to the rigours of today or tomorrow.

You know something has worked well when newsgroup 'nay sayers' fall silent or suddenly change sides.

Windows XP had problems when first released. Make no mistake, it was a quantum leap forwards especially for Windows 9x/ME users, but it was dogged by incompatibility issues. Anybody who can't remember this either has a short memory or wasn't around at the time. Windows XP really came of age after the SP2 update which, it has to be said, was a whole lot more than just an update roll-up.

The first thing you may notice is that the SP1 update has eaten up a great deal of hard drive real estate. It is quite a large file in itself but when it runs, it backs up data which is replaced with new stuff, and it doesn't clean up automatically after installation.

Fortunately, there is a small file called 'Vsp1cln.exe' included in SP1 which can be manually run.  Do an advanced search for the file, remembering to check the box to include non-indexed and hidden files. When found, double click on it and a small 'command' window will appear. It will ask you if you want to continue, and will warn you that SP1 will be a permanent fixture if you answer 'Y'.

Go on.. Press Y. See, that didn't hurt at all, did it? When it has finished, and you can tell when it has because the command window will just disappear, run Disk Cleanup.

You should now see an end to reports where Vista is telling you that it will take 10 years to move a few megabytes of data from one place to another. In fact, your computer will seem more sprightly across the board. If it isn't, you still have other issues, maybe bad drivers or less than optimum hardware and software kicking around, or there just aren't the physical resources available.

Vista works better with 2gb RAM, just as XP worked better with 512mb and more. Also ensure that the partition size is ample for Vista to move around. Look to setting aside 60gb. This will give space enough for page files, games, Office suites, and future updates etc. Forget the resource requirements of earlier versions of Windows. This is Vista, and Vista should have what Vista needs.

From what I have experienced on my own system, coming out of sleep can still sometimes be slow. To be honest, it isn't really an issue, and I put it down to the queue of processes waiting to execute. I feel sure that, after hours of sleep, my IMAP mail account in Outlook 2007, endeavouring to sort junk mail from good mail, is a prime contributor to the hold up. You may well have a process similar which holds your system up too.

Windows Explorer still presents windows which do not hold 'view' settings, but there is a way to overcome this. Take a look here..

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/70819-windows-explorer-folder-view-settings.html

OK. For me, its business as usual, running Vista full time. Apologies XP, my old friend, I am glad to have known you but you look tired and old these days.

For those of you who are suffering withdrawal since the Vista backroom boys took away the visual part of defragmentation, you can come out now.

The nice people at Diskeeper Corporation have just what you need, and prices start from only $29.95 for the Home version.

http://www.diskeeper.com/defrag.asp

I know what you are thinking. The nice people at Diskeeper Corporation are bound to extol the virtues of their own offering but is it all that they claim?

Well, I have been running Diskeeper 2008 since it was first released. It is a breeze to install, and once on the system, you will not even notice it working. Hang on. I will just check that it actually is still there.

Yes, here it is. Diskeeper 2008 really does work very quietly in the background, and you will not even notice the HDD LED flashing away like mad when the computer is at idle. If you do not believe me, download a trial version and see for yourself.    

You don't believe me? So go take a look for yourself..

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310560 

It is a DIAGNOSTIC tool. It has never been officially designated an on/off switch, but it became common among Windows 9x users to use it as one. The problem stemmed from a small and finite block of resources in the Windows 9x family.

For instance, if a user changed the screen colours from the Windows default scheme, this took away from the resource block. If a user changed the background of the IE header, this took away from the resource block. If a user insisted upon having a screen full of icons, this took away from the resource block. If a user had multiple utilities starting up with Windows, this took away from the resource block. If a user insisted on having the MS Office floating toolbar at startup (or at all), this took away from the resource block. If the user had a firewall and/or an anti-virus solution running, this took away from the resource block. If a user had MSN Messenger or ICQ (particularly bad for grabbing resources) running, this took away from the resource block. Lotus Organizer, at the time the best selling Windows application of all time, placed an icon in startup.

The absolute worst items you could ever have in startup were programs like Nuts n Bolts. These programs had functions where the user could be warned about impending failure. All they did, in fact, was speed up impending failure by using the very resources being monitored. By now, you should be feeling sorry for the small resource block. It was being hit from all sides constantly.

Wipe away the tears, because the Windows NT family handles resources in a different way. While multiple startup items will slow a machine down, they won't or shouldn't make the machine crash out in the spectacular Windows 9x fashion.

OK. Ears akimbo, ecoutez bien, LISTEN dammit..

If you want to stop an application from starting up when Windows starts, go to the preferences/options of the application in question, and look for a checkbox relating to 'start with Windows' or some similar statement. You can right click on a startup item to find this sometimes.

The trouble with using MSCONFIG is that you may not know which entry relates to what you want to stop. In the past, some users stopped everything and, in doing so, stopped any protection the computer had. NOT SENSE!!!

And while I am on the subject of resources..

Think TWICE before going into Task Manager's resource list and hacking away like a lunatic lost in the jungle. When your computer was new, Windows was running well. Do you remember that? There were seventy or more entries in the list and all was well, so if your computer is slow, YOU DID IT. IT IS YOUR FAULT.

Stopping everything in that list will see a variety of functions fall over, and when you come to install something else which requires a resource that you stopped, it isn't going to work and then you will go into a Windows forum or newsgroup complaining that Windows/XP/Vista (delete as applicable) is crap. I will repeat again..

YOU DID IT. IT IS YOUR FAULT.

QuickTime is an example of what I consider to be a bad program, and not because of its origin. I have yet to find a way to prevent it entering startup. It always comes down the line with iTunes, and I do not like either of them. In fact, I do not like ANY program other than for security purposes which sets itself up in startup and does not give me the option to change it. For this reason, I will not entertain QuickTime on my system. I prefer and use Windows Media Player Classic 6.4.

There are, generally, alternatives available which are way more user friendly. Use your preferred search engine to locate them.