Earlier he had announced that Windows 7 is nearing completion and is almost ready for release.

Windows 7 Beta will be available for all users for testing or regular use until the final version is made available. Users worldwide can download the software directly from Microsoft’s site. Previous versions of Windows 7 Beta were leaked out to users via torrents. This is the first official release of a beta version of Windows.

Windows 7 is to be an improvement over Windows Vista which was a major jump from Windows XP.

However, the new features available in Vista e.g. User Access Control were more of a pain than a blessing. These have been improved in Windows 7. Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, has also claimed that Windows 7 will boot faster unlike Vista which takes forever!

Via: Yahoo! Tech

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E.g. Installing WinZip or Winrar or JetAudio on your computer will create a menu when you right-click on a file or folder. This menu is created by adding a shell extension to the system.

Installing a lot of software ends up creating tonnes of shell extensions. After a while you'll find your right-click menu totally clogged and extremely painful.

ShellExView displays the details of shell extensions installed on your computer, and allows you to quickly and easily disable and enable each shell extension.

- Download ShellExView in Zip file
- Download self-install executable for installing ShellExView with uninstall support
- Download ShellExView for x64

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There are two free softwares available that achieve the second purpose, viz. Microsoft Virtual PC and Sun VirtualBox.

Microsoft Virtual PC

I have been using Microsoft Virtual PC for years now. It's built specifically for Windows and is optimized to run Windows itself. I've succeeded in installing Linux without the GUI.

It is a lot easier to configure and quick to work with. You can share folders, mount ISOs or choose a CD/DVD drive as your DVD drive etc. all with the click of a button.

Sun VirtualBox

VirtualBox has much better cross platform support and can be installed on a Windows, Linux and MacOSX. However, it is a bit more complicated to work with especially when trying out advanced stuff like sharing folders from the host operating system.

Which one should you choose? I suggest you give both a shot and see which fits the bill for you. However, if you are looking for a more cross platform solution, then VirtualBox is the choice. When it comes to ease of use, Virtual PC takes the cake.

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Now, the new I'm a PC advertisements are online. The ads don't talk about the operating system or what Microsoft is about. However, they do portray something real. As one person says, "I'm a PC and I am a Human Being".

I've been using Windows all my life now and I can very well identify with several of the people.

Anyway, below are the three ads:

URL: Watch Ad 1 on YouTube.com

URL: Watch Ad 2 on YouTube.com

URL: Watch Ad 3 on YouTube.com

Via: Techcrunch

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There are several freeware and shareware programs available for use. However, one that I have been using for a long time now is Power Defragmenter GUI.

Power Defragmenter is a GUI (Graphic User Interface) application for program Contig by Sysinternals.

Contig is a very powerful defragmentation application designed for Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista operating systems.

Though you can run Contig by itself via the command line, I prefer using Power Defragmenter GUI. It gives me four options for running defragmentation, viz.

• Defragment File(s)
• Defragment Folder(s)
• Defragment Disk
• PowerMode(TM) Disk Defragmentation

I normally run the fourth option, because it first defrags all the files and then runs Windows Disk Defragmenter to complete the defragmentation process.

This process makes it an excellent tool to keep your disk drives clean!

- Power Defragmenter GUI
- Contig

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Every month, Microsoft releases a set of updates for Windows and the other software. It's been nearly two years since Windows XP SP2 has been released and we have approximately 70 critical updates since then. Even if you have the Windows XP with SP2 installed, you need to visit the Microsoft Update site and download the remaining update files.

This is a tedious process and consumes good amount of time and bandwidth everytime you do a fresh install.

Or you can use Windows Updates Downloader!

WUD is a small program that you can download and install. You then download an "update list" for the corresponding operating system or software and it will provide you with a list of updates that you can download to your PC.

So, with your next reinstall all you need to do is run the update files that you downloaded and your set.

Though, I do recommend getting these updates slipstreamed into your Windows XP CD, but that is for another day!

- Windows Updates Downloader 2.25
- Windows XP Updates List (13-02-2007)
- Other lists

You can update your OS by using the Software Update or from Apple Downloads.

The main flaw that was fixed is a problem with the built-in wireless cards on certain Mac systems. A hacker can install malicious software on your system.

The detailed list is available here.

Via: eWeek & Washington Post

Microsoft has put together a comparison of the various editions of its new Operating System Windows Vista.

The table compares the four major editions viz. Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate.

The Home Premium seems to be a decent enough operating system for general use. However, it lacks advanced backup features of the Business and Ultimate editions.

Besides these four, you also have the Windows Vista Starter edition which is to be launched in 119 emerging markets, i.e. lower income countries. This will be available from OEM and system builder partners, and through government-sponsored programs.

One more special edition is the Windows Vista Enterprise, which will only be available to customers who have PCs covered by Microsoft Software Assurance or a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement.

If you want to have a really detailed comparison you may want to take a look at that on CyberNet News.

Via: CyberNet News