Support Ending For WinXP & Vista

Now that Windows 7 is is the newest operating system,  lot of folks have been wondering when support for WinXp and Vista will end.   Good question!  But unfortunately, the answer is not that simple. It all depends on which version of windows you're running and which service packs are installed.

First thing you want to do is make sure you have the latest Service Pack installed on your computer. This means that if you're running Windows XP, you want to make sure Service Pack 3 (SP3) is installed.  If you're running Vista, you want to make sure Service Pack 2 (SP2) is installed.  When in doubt, run Windows Update until all important (or critical) updates are downloaded and installed.


What Service Pack Is Installed On Your Computer?

If you're running WinXP, you can check to see what service pack is installed by clicking the START button, then RIGHT CLICKING on MY COMPUTER and selecting PROPERTIES.  A gray window will pop up on and you will see the service pack listed under the "system".  The latest one is SP3.

If you're running Vista, you can check to see what service pack you're running by clicking the START button, then RIGHT CLICKING on COMPUTER and selecting PROPERTIES.  If you look near the top of the window that pops up (under Windows Edition), you'll see which service pack is installed.  The latest one released is SP2.  

If you are not running SP3 on WinXP or SP2 on Vista, you need to run Windows Update to get them.  Having these service packs are critical to getting continued to support from Microsoft for a little while longer.

Microsoft will eventually end support for WinXP and Vista ... which means that you won't be able to get Windows Updates that help protect the system.  But there is no need to run out and buy Windows 7 yet.  

Here's what we know:

• Vista will continue to be supported until April 2012 (2017 for Vista Business users)


• WinXP will continue to be supported until April 2014

For more information about WinXP Support, click here. 

For more information about Vista Support, click here.

Should you Upgrade or Buy a New Computer?

Several factors are involved in deciding to upgrade versus buy a new computer.  One of the first things you have to ask yourself is, are you happy with your current computer?  If no, then you'd be better off buying a new computer.

If the answer is yes, then you have to determine if your current computer is compatible with Windows 7.  You can download and run the Windows 7 Compatibility Advisor for help in determining if your computer is compatible with Win7.

What to Do When Spell Checker Is Not Working in Windows Mail

All software programs have features which can be enabled or disabled and Windows Mail is no different.  Sometimes these features are accidentally turned off or reconfigured because of fat-fingering (i.e., magically hitting the right combination of keys).

The spell checker feature in Windows Mail is sometimes a problem, and you may see the message, "This feature is no longer available for Spell Checking Please select another in the Spelling Options Dialogue", when you click on Spell Check.

Luckily, there's an easy solution to this problem.  In short, you just need to tell Windows Mail to use the English Dictionary for spell check. To this, follow the steps below:

1. Open Windows Mail and click on TOOLS and then OPTIONS on the menu (this opens a gray window with lots of tabs)
2. Click the SPELLING tab 
3. Under the heading, "Language", make sure ENGLISH is selected (use the pull down arrow to select English you have to).
4. Before OK'ing your selection, it's a good idea to check some other settings while you're at it.
5. Under the heading, "When checking spelling, always ignore", make sure the last two boxes are checked.  
6. If you want Windows Mail to always check for spelling before sending your messages, you can put a checkmark in the top box under settings (Always check spelling before sending).  But this is a personal preferance and not necessary.  
7. When ready, click OK at the bottom of the window.

These steps should fix the problem with spell checker mentioned above.

Tips to Reclaim Disk Space

I often hear from computer users the complaint that the space on their hard-drive seems to be "shrinking", and sometimes they can't figure out why or what they can do to reclaim disk space.

Outlined in this post are are few useful suggestions on how you can help to reclaim disk space on your hard-drive(s).

Uninstall Programs:

Uninstall programs you don't use and you're sure that Windows doesn't need.
In Windows, click on Start, then open up your Control Panel. In the control panel click on the "Add or Remove Programs" in XP, or for Vista it should be under "Programs / Uninstall a program" or in classic view it's "Programs and Features".

After the list of installed programs loads in, scroll through the list and see if there are programs listed there that you don't use. If you're not sure of what a program is for or what it does, for the time being, I'd suggest to leave it alone as it could be an important program for Windows or some hardware to operate properly. You could do some research for what an unknown program is to get an idea of what it is for and if you need it on your computer or not.

So if you are sure it's a program you don't use or is not needed, click on it to select it, and often times a "Remove" or "Uninstall" button will appear that you can click on. After uninstalling the program(s), it's good practice to re-start the computer to help ensure all changes take effect and clean the memory.

Recycle Bin Tips:

Empty your recycle bin. Of course first be sure there's no files in it that you will need.

By default, the Windows Recycle Bin takes up around 10% of your hard-drive's space.
For instructions on how to reduce this wasteful setting and reclaim some of your HD space, visit the following link:
http://www.aokpc.com/recycling_bin.html

System Restore Tips:

System Restore can also take up a large chunk of disk-space over time and can grow way too large. To reduce this, you can check out the following site for instructions on how to do this.
For Windows Vista, visit the following link for details on how to do this:
http://www.vista4beginners.com/System-Restore-Space-Used

In XP, it's easier to do:
To resize windows restore, right click on “My Computer” and choose “Properties” then “System Restore“.
Click on “C drive” (the Drive that you want to resize) then “Settings..” button. On “Disk space usage”, move the slider to the left to decreace the amount of disk space for System Restore. The better size is about 1000-1500mb or may be less that it. Then “Ok” to confirm.

Delete User Account Temp Files:

As you use Windows and various programs on a user account, some temporary files and folders may automatically be created. However, these temp files are not always deleted when they are no longer required, and over time this can add up to a sizable amount of disk-space they use.

So here is a quick and easy way to access these temp file and then you should be able to safely delete them all.

Click Start, then select Run. Now enter the following command: %temp%

This should open up the Temp folder for your user account. You may see a list of folders and files within this Temp folder. These are all temporary folders and files that you can safely delete to reclaim some disk space. Don't delete the actual Temp folder itself, only all of the folders and files within it.

To select all of the files for deletion, click on the top file on the list to highlight it, now scroll all the way down to the last file, hold your Shift key, then click on the last file. This will highlight the whole list. Now right-click on any highlighted file and select "Delete". If a file is currently in use, perhaps an open program is currently using one of these temp files, then you may get a warning that you can't delete it. You can then skip that file, or close any applications running that may be using it then try again.

Once you choose to delete all of these file, they may be moved into your Recycle bin. Once they are in the Recycle Bin, then you can simply empty it to permanently delete these files and reclaim some disk space.

Crap Cleaner to Remove Junk Files:

I also suggest getting a good and free utility that can easily help clean up junk from your computer and regain disk space, CCleaner:
http://www.ccleaner.com/
It also has a nice registry cleaner feature too.

IE Temp Files Tips:

Also, if you use IE browser, reduce the storage size setting for temp files. From the Internet Explorer top menu bar click on "Tools" then "Internet Options". From the General tab, the section that reads "Temporary Internet Files", click on "Settings". You'll see a slider that reads "Amount of Disk Space Used". Move that slider more to the left to save disk-space. Then "OK" everything.

Defrag your Hard Drives:

As outlined in one of my previous posts. I'd suggest to run a disk-defrag on your hard-drive(s) about once a month or so to help reclaim some possibly wasted disk-space, as well it will help to keep things running more smoothly.
------------

Well, there you have it. After following these tips, you will probably have reclaimed a good chunk of your hard-drive space.
Cheers! :)

Remote Assistance a security risk.

By default, Windows XP and Vista has a "feature" enabled called Remote Assistance.

While this may come in handy for some company to allow remote technical support for their PC's, for the average home user this feature will probably never be used and is actually a security risk which may potentially allow an opportunity for hackers to gain access to their computers.

So I would recommend to turn-off this service to as another way to help improve security on your computer. Turning off this service may also help in adding a little bit of additional performance to your PC as well as it's one less unnecessary service that would be wasting some system resources otherwise.

For Windows XP, an easy way to do this is to click on the "Start" button, then select "Run", then enter in the following command: "sysdm.cpl" (without the quotes).

The System Properties control panel should appear. Click on the "Remote" tab.
You will see a check-box next to a sentence that reads "Allow Remote Assistance invitations to be sent from this computer". If there is a check-mark in the box, be sure to remove it so it's not checked. (See picture below of what this should look like):


Once you have ensured there is no check-mark in the box, then click "OK" to close.
Well, there you have it, just one more way to help keep your computer safer.
-------------------------------------------------
For Windows Vista, it's a similar procedure. You can do the following steps to disable Remote Assistance:

1. Click Start, and select Control Panel.
2. Within the Control Panel, System and Maintenance.
3. Click System.
4. From the list of tasks, click Remote Settings.
5. Under Remote Assistance, remove the check-mark beside the option to Allow Remote Assistance connections to this computer.
6. Click OK.

If for some reason you ever needed to enable the Remote Assistance feature again, simply go back into the System Properties again the same way and then add the check-mark in the box. But chances are if you're using a home computer, you'll probably never need to use this service.

Stay safe. Cheers!

More Info on Windows 7

I've been getting asked a lot of questions about Windows 7 lately and wanted to share the answers so that everybody could benefit from them.

First, you've heard before that Windows 7 was due to be released this summer around August. The official release date (as of today) is October 22, 2009 (just in time for the Christmas season).

How did Windows 7 get its name? According to Microsoft, this release is the 7th significantly different operating system they've released, so they named it "Windows 7". What were the others?

• Windows 1 (released November 1985)
  
• Windows 2 (released November 1987)
  
• Windows 3 (Win3.0, Win3.1 & WinNT)
• Windows 4 (Win95, Win98, Win98SE, & WinME)
• Windows 5 (Windows 2000, and WinXP)
• Windows 6 (WinVista)
• Windows 7 (Win7)

How does Windows 7 compare to Windows XP and Vista? Let me first say that Windows 7 looks and feels like Windows Vista. So if you're looking for Win7 to look and feel more like WinXP, you're out of luck. You'll still have to get used to the new layout, terminology and features. And like Vista, there will be several different versions of Win7 released (including Starter (or Basic), Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise).

Okay, so folks hate change ... I get that. But aside from those changes, the real complaint against Vista was that it wasn't as stable as WinXP. Aside from that, Vista has some nice new features (but many folks weren't willing to give them a chance). And those features are still present in Win7.

There was another big complaint about Vista - and that was compatibility. When XP was released, any hardware or software programs that were less than four years old pretty much worked. You may have had to update a driver or two, but at least you could still use that piece of hardware or software. When Vista was released, compatibility became a major issue. Folks were forced to buy new hardware and software that would work with Vista. Unfortunately, the same will be true in Windows 7.

Perhaps Microsoft didn't have to "fix" something that wasn't broken when moving beyond WinXP. But they are in business to make money and therefore need to stay fresh by releasing new products. I like XP - but I do like some of the features of Vista too.

Except for a few startup problems from time to time, I personally never had any real trouble with Vista. I used to get annoyed by the popup window asking me if I really want to continue my action, but I quickly learned to ignore it ... and I do understand that they incorporated that extra step to help stop people from inadvertently messing up their software. So I'm willing to overlook that minor annoyance.

Why Microsoft felt the need to change the normal folder menu options from (File, Edit, View, etc.) to "Organize", "Options" and "Tools" - I don't know. But it's not hard to relearn the new naming conventions. These are some of the little changes that will annoy a lot of folks at first.

But some the advantages of the Win7 will be these.....

• More stability (than Vista anyway)
• Improved performance (according to Microsoft)
  
• Cool features first introduced in Vista (like Gadgets)
• Better computer search capability (personally, I hated this improved feature in Vista, but others loved it).
• Improved Taskbar
  

For more information about Windows 7, click the links below:

• Microsoft Videos of Windows 7
• Windows 7 News Website
• What's Really Different in Windows 7 (compared to Vista)?
• If You Loved XP, You'll Hate Win7

Keep in mind that every time Microsoft releases a new operating, they eventually stop supporting older versions. So while Microsoft will continue to support XP for a little, they will eventually stop. This means that the day will come when you will no longer be able to get Windows Updates for XP - thereby putting your computer and data at risk from hackers and other malware programs.

Microsoft is in the driver seat and unless you want to dump Microsoft and go with Linux, MACs or some other system, you'll be forced to "upgrade" at some point (either through a new computer purchase or upgrading your hardware and software). So if you're still using WinXP (like I am), then enjoy it while you can and don't worry so much about the changes when the time comes.

Install Vista Fonts in Ubuntu

Many people hate those ugly fonts which come with Ubuntu. Ubuntu comes with many fonts, most are so ugly that you will wonder why have they put them in the first place? There are some quality ones like Ubantang, which looks like SegoeUI, however to use Vista or XP fonts do this:

Go to Home folder, then turn on the 'view hidden files' option (Ctrl+H). If you can see files with a . preceding the folder name like in '.compiz' then the 'view hidden files' option is ON.

Next search for the folder .fonts, if its not there then create a new folder and rename it to .fonts

Now download the fonts you want. If the fonts are compressed, extract them and now place the .ttf files you will have in the folder '.fonts'.

Now all these fonts will be available for normal use.

10 Things Vista Has and Ubuntu Doesn't!

I recently tried Vista and I must say I'm impressed. Sure Vista has its own faults, but there are many lessons for Ubuntu to learn from Vista:

1. Search which works: Vista has this amazing search capabilities which lets you search every inch of your PC ( thanks to the kick delivered by Google Desktop) and surprisingly 'It Works' every time you use it. It even supports natural language input like, "Show me Bob's email, sent yesterday". Ubuntu too has a software called Tracker. It is meant to track all your files and faithfully fetch them when you search for it. At least that's the theory. In reality Tracker rarely works. In my experience with 5 installations of Ubuntu, Tracker has never worked. I have tried each and every trick in the book to make it work, but it never even manages to retrieve even one file.Ubuntu, please make it work.

2. Backup and Restore: Vista and XP have this useful functionality by which you can restore your PC back in time, in case you muck things up. Sure, it does tend to restore even things like Virus and Trojan Horses, but most of the time it manages to do its work efficiently. In Ubuntu if you muck some thing up, its back to the basics (Installing the OS) . Ubuntu must have such functionality!

3. Cool Looks: I'm not talking about the lame Aero here. Honestly, Steve Jobs would suffocate in his tight Turtle-neck T-shirt if he ever used Compiz. I'm talking about the mature and good looking desktop. Even die hard Ubuntu fans know that Ubuntu looks damn ugly, sure the Heron wallpaper was beautiful, but come on guys, brown and orange on desktop looks ugly! How about using some cool colors for splashing onto our desktops. We are frankly tired of seeing the same brown turbid thing. Changing the theme is one of the first things we do, you know. How about getting some load of our back? Don't even talk about fonts. Is it that difficult to make SegoeUI look alike fonts for open source?

4. Disk Partition: Vista has an easy to use disk partition tool which makes disk partitioning a cinch! Since Ubuntu is used by a geeky crowd it seems odd that it doesn't ship in with a disk partitioning software.

5. Calendar: Most of us use calendar on a daily basis. I personally use Google Calendar and sync it with Windows Calendar. Ubuntu should include any decent calendar which can sync with Google Calendar.

6. Advanced Snipping Tool: Vista upgraded the lame 'Print Screen' function to include a robust screen capturing utility. Ubuntu has a not so option rich 'Capture Screen' utility. Ubuntu snipping tool only allows you to specify the time after which it will take the capture. Of course you do have Gimp, but guys how about some 'rectangular selection' tool?

7. Parental Controls: Vista has good parental control options. Currently in Ubuntu the only way parents can 'Hide' anything from their kids by using the '.' (dot) trick. To hide any folder you have to append a '.' before the file name, as in '.Home'. Although it does have one advantage that, 'kids' won't be able to hide anything from their parents.

8. Quick Shutdown: On my PC Vista takes around 4 sec to shut down, where as Ubuntu takes around 1 minute. The situation is expected to change in Jaunty Jackalope.

9. Media Center: Now a days (OK, change that to since past few years) PCs are becoming the new Entertainment center of our life. Vista has Media Center, which is head and shoulders above anything like it. Ubuntu should come with such software.

10. Decent Names : Vista sounds very cool for an OS (which didn't turn out to be so cool). Even XP was a half decent name, hell even Windows 95/98 are many times better than the crap names that Ubuntu selects for its OS. Edgy Eft, Gutsy Gibbon, Hardy Heron, Intrepid Ibex and now Jaunty Jack@ss (sorry Jackalope)! Hell, they don't even use some cute names like 'Innocent Iguana' or Jolly Jackal. Industries would obviously be wary of using Gibbon OS, even if it the Gutsy Gibbon.

Even names like Sexy Scarlett (Johansson), Perky Paris, Arousing Alba would do wonders!
My favorite among these would be Kute Kiera (Knightly) and Kracking Kate (Winslet).

11. Speech Recognition: Vista's speech recognition is very cool. I wonder whether it can be replicated in Open source.

Install Borland Turbo C++ in Ubuntu

Normally in India majority of schools and colleges have Turbo C/C++ as the default IDE. Most students are younger than the Turbo C/C++ compiler they use at colleges. I checked our college's Turbo C++ and it was made in 1993. Back then George Bush Sr. was the president of the USA and Windows 95 was still 2 yrs away.

I tried using Turbo C in Vista but I couldn't use it in maximized state. Then I  tried Wine but it didn't work, I wondered why, but then someone suggested this amazing piece of software called DOSBOX which helps run software made for your dad when he was young and had long hair.

Go to the terminal:
sudo aptitude install dosbox

APT will now download and install DOSBOX.

You can also use Synaptic as usual.

Download Turbo C/C++ here
You have to register, but they don't nag and it is hasslefree.

Unpack the achieve

Keep the installation files inside a folder of your home directory named "setup".
Open up dosbox, its under Applications > Games

Type in :

Code:

mount c ~
c:
cd setup
install.exe

This will start the setup of Turbo C.

After setup is finished , do this:

Code:

c:
cd TC\bin
tc.exe 

Now everytime you want to run Turbo C++ start DOSBOX and then type in the following:

Code:

mount C ~
c:
cd TC\bin 
tc.exe

To maximise full screen hit 'Alt+Enter' and to go back to medium size again hit 'Alt+Enter'. DOSBOX has a habit of capturing the mouse pointer, once you click within DOSBOX you cannot move it away from the winow. To go back to Ubuntu hit 'Alt+Enter' twice.
'Alt+X' will close Turbo C.
Hope I have helped :)

Vista Service Pack 2 is Available

If you're running Windows Vista on your computer, you'll want to be sure and download and install the latest Service Pack (SP2).

As you know, Windows provides free updates to their software through the Windows Update site. It's always a good idea to download and install all critical (or important) updates. The rest are optional.

When there have been significant changes affecting the operating system, Microsoft release them in the form of a Service Pack. For Vista users, SP2 is the latest service pack. For Windows XP users, SP3 is the latest service pack.

To get SP2 (Vista users), follow the steps below:

1. Click START button and then CONTROL PANEL
2. Double left-click the WINDOWS UPDATE icon to open it

You will notice several options in the new window that pops us. On the left, is a link that says, "Check for updates".

In the main window, you may see a button that reads, INSTALL UPDATES (if there are any). Under that button (if it's present), you'll see a link that reads, "VIEW AVAILABLE UPDATES". If you click this link, it will show you all the updates that Microsoft has made available for your computer. If an item is checked, it will be installed on your computer when you click the "Install Updates" button. If it's not checked, it won't be installed.

It's all pretty simple in Vista. If you're not sure what Service Pack you're running and would like to check, follow the steps below.

1. Click the START button and then RIGHT-CLICK on COMPUTER.

A new window pops us and under your operating system, you'll see info telling you which service pack you're running.

Please note that after you install a service pack on your computer, you'll have to reboot it. During the reboot process, the updates will be installed - which can take a while (about 20 minutes or so).