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By Walter, March 2, 2009 11:33 pm

In my ongoing hunger for new utilities, I came across a free set of utilities I can’t believe I haven’t been using all along. Glary Utilities combines a number of different tools under a single interface.

Tools in Glary Utilities (by category):

Glary Utilities works on all versions of Windows from Windows 2000 to Windows 7 and includes 64-bit support.

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By Walter, December 10, 2008 6:16 pm

As you’ve probably heard by now, Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Beta is now publically available for testing. It promises better power usage, reduced resource consumption in Sidebar gadgets, Windows Search 4, the ability to burn data to Blu-Ray disks, several other features, and numerous security fixes and updates.

You can see a full list of those updates on Microsoft Technet.

After testing basic compatibility and stability in a safe environment (my notebook), I decided to go for it and just do the install on my primary work machine. Obviously, I made sure I had a good backup first and I recommend you do the same.

The short version: installation was a breeze and so far, not a hitch.

I’ll be doing some performance testing over the next few days and will report back on that. In the meantime, here are the basics and some initial thoughts.

Installing

You can download Vista SP2 Beta 1 from the Microsoft Download site. You can also download the Windows Update Experience Kit, which provides the instructions and scripts necessary to install SP2 through Windows Update.

You do need to have Service Pack 1 installed before installing the SP2 beta. I’m hoping that the final version will include SP1. In the meantime, if you have not yet installed SP1, you can install it through Windows Update or download the standalone SP1 update for 32-bit or 64-bit.

The installation of SP2 is straightforward. It creates a System Restore Point, copies files, and asks you to restart. My installation was quick – about 25 minutes. Your mileage may vary.

Experience

As most of the changes in SP2 are under the hood, you won’t see a lot of difference right off the bat. After using it for a couple of days, I did notice that the wireless connection on my notebook seems more solid. Occasionally, I’ve had to reset the wireless adapter under SP1, but not yet with SP2.

All of my software and hardware that worked under SP1 work just fine under SP2. My software list includes (at least the big stuff):

• Office 2007 Enterprise
• Adobe Creative Suite 3
• Windows Live 3 Beta
• Roxio Creator 2009
• Firefox 3.1 beta
• IE 8 beta 2
• Ultramon
• Tivo Desktop
• Picasa 3
• iTunes 8.02
• VMWare Workstation 6.5

I’ll let you know more as the days wear on.

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By Walter, August 11, 2007 1:49 pm

Since my last article on Vista’s new Volume Mixer, I got a few comments from people saying that Vista didn’t remember their settings and just set volume for other apps somewhat randomly. But Volume Mixer does remember the settings, just not the way you might think. I thought I’d do a follow-up with a few more details about Vista Volume Mixer. Take a look at the picture below:

Remember, a new app doesn’t show up in the Volume Mixer until it actually makes a sound – not just when you open it. So play around with. You’ll see that Vista Volume Mixer does remember the settings. It doesn’t remember fixed settings for each individiual app. Instead, it rather remembers settings in relation to the master volume. And that still applies when you change your system’s master volume when Volume Mixer is not open. That’s why you’re likely to see changes in position the next time you open it.

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By Walter, June 27, 2007 10:48 pm

Windows Vista includes Complete PC Backup, an image-based backup program that works similarly to Norton Ghost or Acronis TrueImage. Complete PC Backup creates an image of one or more entire hard disk partitions. In the event of a hard drive failure, you can replace the disk, restore from that image, and have your computer right back at the state it was in when you last backed it up.

Unfortunately, Complete PC Backup does not have a scheduling function built in so that you can automate backups. Fortunately, the command-line equivalent wbadmin.exe supports a rich command structure and with a little help from Task Scheduler, you can schedule automatic image backups.

wbadmin.exe supports the following commands:

Start Backup. Runs a backup.
Stop Job. Stops a running backup.
Get Items. Lists backed up items.
Get Status. Lists status of currently running backup.

The Start Backup command is the one we’re concerned with here. To create a full command, you can use the following parameters:

-backuptarget. Indicates the location to save the backup image. This can be a drive letter or a UNC path.
-include. List of drive letters, volume mount points, or volume names to include in the backup.
-noverify. Tells wbadmin not to verify backups written to removable media such as DVD.
-quiet. Runs the command with no user prompts.

So, let’s look at a simple backup command:

wbadmin start backup -backuptarget:e:\backups -include:C: -quiet

This command starts a backup of the C drive and saves the image to the Backups folder on the E drive, and does it with no user prompts. This would be a useful command for backing up the typical computer with one hard drive to a folder on an external hard drive.

To make this work as a scheduled backup, all you need to do is open Task Scheduler and create a new task using this command on the appropriate schedule.

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By Walter, January 20, 2007 12:09 am

I recently wrote a new article comparing the various editions of Windows Vista and talking about how to decide which edition is right for you. Check it out at the Windows Vista Community site.

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By Walter, December 19, 2006 12:02 am

I picked up a couple of the SanDisk Cruzer 2GB U3 Titanium USB drives today because I found them for $50 each after an instant rebate at Costco. I’ve been needing to upgrade from my old 512 MB drive for some time anyway. The drive itself is beautiful – a brushed silver look with a thumb slide to extend the drive, so no more caps to lose.

Getting it installed on Windows Vista (RTM) was a little tricky, though. For those that don’t know, U3 is a system added onto these drives that lets you install applications (such as email and Web browser) on the drive and then run them from any computer you plug it into – in essence, carrying around your important apps with you. Sounds pretty cool in concept. The drives are formatted in two partitions – one a small partition that Windows sees as a CD-ROM drive and a larger partition that Windows sees as a USB drive.

Unfortunately, Windows Vista does not recognize U3 and cannot install the drivers for the smaller partition. You also cannot remove U3 without first having the drive recognized by Windows. So, I took it over to my Windows XP machine. On Windows XP, the drivers installed just fine. After playing with U3 a bit, I decided there were a few reasons I just didn’t care to have it:

• No Vista support yet.
• It loads up on any machine you insert the drive onto and putting it on a friend’s or coworker’s machine can make them (rightly) feel a little nervous about the extra menus that pop up.
• While the technology is cool, I just really didn’t have the need for it.

Getting rid of it proved tricky, though. You can’t just reformat or repartition the drive. You have to use an uninstall program. The U3 interface has an uninstall feature built in, but it didn’t work for me. When I tried to use it, it just told me there was no drive connected. I downloaded the uninstall program from SanDisk, but it turned out to be the same program and also could not recognize the drive to do the uninstall. Of course, the drive was there and working just fine. The only program that couldn’t see it was the uninstaller.

Seems a lot of people have similar problems getting rid of the U3 software, though, because U3 has created a U3 Uninstall Web site that lets you remove U3 from any drive that has it installed. After telling the site a couple of times that I was really, really sure I didn’t want their amazingly useful software, it finally let me reformat the drive to work as a simple USB drive. One catch, though. Once you remove U3 from your drive, you cannot reinstall it.

When I plugged the drive back in on the Vista machine, Vista recognized it right away.

Now, what I like about the drive itself (and that’s pretty much everything but the U3 software):

• It looks great, as I mentioned.
• It has a retractable key.
• It’s extremely strong – rated to withstand 2,000 lbs of pressure.
• It is blazingly fast.

I plan to use one of them to test out Vista’s new ReadyBoost feature, so when I get around to that, I’ll be sure to post a review of how it does.

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By Walter, December 11, 2006 8:41 pm

Previous versions of Windows let you set the volume levels only for inputs (such as microphones) and outputs (such as speakers and headphones). The new Volume Mixer in Windows Vista lets you set volume levels for each program. While some programs offer the ability to control the program’s volume inside the program’s interface, some don’t. The new Volume Mixer makes it easier to control volume for every program in a single place.

The Volume Mixer shows the currently-running programs that make sound (a program shows up on the mixer the first time the program makes a sound). Simply adjust the volume for each program how you want it. And once you set the volume for a program, Windows remembers the setting.

To get the Volume Mixer, just click the speaker icon in the Notification Area (where the clock is) and then click Mixer at the bottom of the volume slider. Or, just hit Start and type sndvol in the Search box.

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By Walter,

Most programs recognize the new User Account Control (UAC) security model in Windows Vista. However, in order for this to work properly, the program must be marked by the developer (or identified by Windows Vista) as an program that requires administrative rights.

You are likely to run into some older programs that aren’t properly marked. So Vista provides a few ways to run a program as an administrator right off the bat.

Run a program as administrator from the Search box
As you probably know, you can use the new Search box in the Windows Vista Start Menu the same way you used the Run command in Windows XP (plus, it does a whole lot more). To run a program as an administrator from the Search box, type the command (such as CMD for the command prompt) and then press Ctrl-Shift-Enter.

Run a program as administrator from the graphical interface
You can also run a program as administrator right from a program icon. Instead of double-clicking the program icon to launch it, right-click the icon and choose Run as Administrator from the shortcut menu.

Set a program to always run as administrator
If you have a program that you run frequently, you can set the program to always run as administrator. To do this, use the following steps:

1. Right-click the program icon and click Properties.
2. On the Property sheet, click the Compatibility tab.
3. Under Privilege Level, select the Run this program as an administrator check box, and then click OK.

Bonus Tip: If you work in the command prompt a lot, right-click the Command Prompt shortcut on your Start menu and click Properties. On the property sheet, click Advanced. In the Advanced Properties dialog box that opens, click Run As Administrator. When you use the shortcut to open the command prompt, UAC will prompt you for administrative priveleges.

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By Walter,

With the release of Office Small Business Accounting 2007 around the corner, Microsoft has gone ahead and made Office Accounting Express 2007 a free download – no strings attached. While not as feature-rich as the Professional version, the Express version is an ideal starter for small businesses looking to integrate basic accounting, invoicing, expense-tracking, and even payroll (through the ADP integrated payroll service). It’s also great for people just looking to make the move from the ubiquitous, but beginning-to-show-its-age, QuickBooks.

Four me, there are four big features that the Professional version will offer that the Express version does not:

• Quotes – So you can create a quote for a job and then later convert it to an actual invoice.
• Multiple price levels – So you can charge different customers different prices for the same job.
• Job Costing – So you can track the material and labor cost for each job and see the actual profit you make on every job.
• 1099 Reports – So I can pay my contractors more easily.

If you don’t need these features, then you have a free, powerful, easy-to-use accounting package to play with.

In the next few weeks, I’m planning to move my business accounting to Office Small Business Accounting Professional 2007, but I’ll give the Express version a whirl first and post a full review. In the meantime, the Express site has a Flash demo you can check out or you can just grab a copy for yourself.

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By Walter,

I recently wrote a new article on what the Windows Vista SideShow feature is all about. Check it out at the Windows Vista Community site. Hopefully, when the SideShow gadgets actually start appearing on shelves, I’ll be able to do a more in-depth review.