Walter Glenn

Microsoft has released Windows Media Player 11 for Windows XP. Sporting a new look, more intuitive collection browsing, quicker access to features, and new sharing capabilities, the new offering from Microsoft is looking good. Watch this space for a fuller review when I’ve had the time to play with the release version (and hammer at it from my Xbox360, of course).

Of all the new technologies the folks at Microsoft Live Labs have been putting out, Photosynth is one that really puts a smile on my face when I play with it. And it’s now available for you to play with in the form of a technology preview. Photosynth analyzes collections of digital photos for similarities, builds them into a three dimensional space, and lets you browse through them. From the site:

Each photo is processed by computer vision algorithms to extract hundreds of distinctive features, like the corner of a window frame or a door handle. Photos that share features are then linked together in a web. When the same feature is found in multiple images, its 3D position can be calculated. It’s similar to depth perception - what your brain does to perceive the 3D positions of things in your field of view based on their images in both of your eyes. Photosynth’s 3D model is just the cloud of points showing where those features are in space.

Though not ready for primetime (the product is still in pre-beta) and you can’t yet upload your own photos, you can take the technology preview for a spin with some existing photos on the site. Check it out!

A couple of notes:

• You must use Internet Explorer 6 or 7
• You must allow a small (~5MB) Active X control to install
• You must have a fairly modern graphics card
• You must enable Direct3D, DirectDraw, and Hardware Acceleration on your computer. The Photosynth FAQ page has instructions on doing this.

The Quick Launch toolbar is on the Windows Taskbar just to the right of the Start menu. It contains shortcuts. (If you don’t see one on your Taskbar, right-click any open space on the Taskbar, point to Toolbars, and then click Quick Launch.) You can change the location of a shortcut icon on the toolbar by dragging it.

Most people order the icons according to the programs they use most frequently. Instead, try alternating icons by applications that take a long time to load and those that take a short time to load. For example, place your icon for Notepad between the icons for, say, Word and Photoshop. If you’re in a hurry and accidentally click the icon next to the one you meant to click, you won’t have to wait for a program that takes a long time to load.

Sometimes, navigating the Start menu for the shortcut to a particular program or folder takes too long. Creating a shortcut toolbar on the Windows XP taskbar is simple. The first step is to create a folder and fill it with shortcuts. You could create a folder named Shortcuts, Games, or whatever you need quick access to. Store the folder wherever you like. I keep mine in the My Documents folder. After you create the folder and some shortcuts inside, use these steps to add the toolbar:

1. Right-click any open space on the Windows Taskbar.
2. On the shortcut menu, point to Toolbars, and then click New Toolbar.
3. In the New Toolbar dialog box, locate your shortcut folder, select it, and then click OK.

That’s it. The new toolbar appears and looks something like this:

To remove the toolbar, right-click the Taskbar, point to Toolbars on the shortcut menu, and click the shortcut toolbar to disable it. When you disable the Toolbar, you will have to recreate it if you want it to appear again.

Honestly, error reporting is kind of a drag. After a program or system crash, the last thing you want is to sit through is Windows having to grind out an error report. To disable Error Reporting:

1. Click Start, then click Control Panel.
2. In Control Panel, if the window is not already in Classic View, click the Switch to Classic View link on the left.
3. Double-click Administrative Tools.
4. In the Administrative Tools folder, double-click Services.
5. In the Services window, scroll until you find the Error Reporting Service entry and double-click it to open its properties.
6. In the properties dialog that opens, in the Startup Type box, select Disabled. Also click Stop to go ahead and stop the service.
7. Click OK and then close the Administrative Tools folder.

Error Reporting will no longer bother you.

If you didn’t build your computer yourself and the name of your video card isn’t printed on a nice little sticker on the case, it’s not always easy to find out what you’ve got inside without cracking the case open. Fortunately, there is a way:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Information.
2. In the System Information window, in the list on the left side, open the Components category, and then click Display.
3. In the right side of the window, the Name and Adapter Description labels describe your video card model.

By default, Windows XP displays the Language Toolbar on the right side of the Taskbar in a new Windows installation. For most people, it just gets in the way and takes up Taskbar room that could be put to better use. Here’s how to turn it off:

1. Click Start and then click Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel window, if you haven’t done it already, click Switch to Classic View in the Tasks pane.
3. Double-click Regional and Language Options.
4. In the Regional and Language Options dialog box, switch to the Languages tab, and then click Details.
5. In the Text Services and Input Languages dialog box, click Language Bar.
6. Clear the Show the Language bar on the desktop check box.
7. Click OK until the dialog boxes are gone and then close the Control Panel window.

This is a collection of tips and tricks I’ve started putting together - mostly for Microsoft operating systems and applications. You can also use the site to learn more about the books and other writing I’ve done.

You can also go directly to my resume if that’s what you’re looking for.