Tag: Windows XP

Windows 7 & Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 Release Imminent

Just a quick update for this evening. The rumour mills are in full swing with reports of the first service pack for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 will be released very soon. Furthermore, there have been leaked copies of pre-release builds of the unified service pack floating around on the web. As a …

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Evernote – Cross-Platform Notes in the Cloud

Some people, such as myself, are not entirely and completed wedded to a single content and device ecosystem in that I have the Samsung Galaxy S as my mobile phone (an Android device for those unfamiliar with it), a Windows 7 custom built desktop  at home, a Windows 7 MSI Wind netbook and an Apple …

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Microsoft Temporarily Disables URLs in Windows Live Messenger

If you are using an older version of Windows Live Messenger you may have noticed that URLs have been disabled (i.e. they are not clickable). Microsoft has taken this step to help prevent a worm spreading through its instant messaging service (although presumably someone could still copy and paste the link manually into a browser). …

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Regain the Traditional Start Menu with Classic Shell

Settings Screen (Courtesy of Classic Shell)

Here’s a quick tip for those that may have made the move to Windows 7 before realising the changes to the start menu and the taskbar or otherwise had change thrust upon them without much choice (like your old computer having gone to heaven thus requiring the purchase of a new computer). One of the …

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Stop Windows Update Nagging You to Reboot

I’m sure many other Windows users out there that dread “Patch Tuesday” (which is the second Tuesday of each month when Microsoft release all of their critical patches) and the subsequent reboot required to make the patches take hold. Of course, I make sure to get around to rebooting as soon as I can but …

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4K Hard Drives – Prep Them Properly

Western Digital Advanced Format Hard Drive Label

Some of us may have come across the term “4K hard drives” or perhaps “advanced format” hard drives. For many, these terms would simply drown in the sea of other confusing computer terminology that techies have come to love and consumers have come to hate. So, the first question to get out of the way …

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Microsoft Pegs Back TechNet Licensing

As recently as yesterday, Microsoft has pegged back the number of license keys available for each version of products available in its TechNet subscriptions from ten down to five for TechNet Professional subscriptions and two for TechNet Standard subscriptions without notice. Existing subscribers who have already claimed all of their keys are unaffected but those …

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Always Eject External Drives Before Removal

Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media

Over the course of my career where USB flash drives and external flash drives have become more commonplace (compared to the 1990s where floppy disks and compact discs were king) I have been shocked by the number of people that simply pull out a drive without first ejecting it. In some cases, this has lead …

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Watching the World Cup on Computer? Try Devuvuzelator!

Devuvuzelator

Something more topical for today in the form of  program that will help those of you watching the World Cup on your computer (such as via IPTV or other means). I’m sure we all now know about the vuvuzela and that some will find it more irritating than others. If you find it does impact …

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Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview

Internet Explorer 9

A preview of Internet Explorer 9 has been released to the public earlier this week to test the waters with early adopters. If you are keen to download a copy (which is a painless installation and can run side-by-side with your existing version of Internet Explorer), you can grab it here. Bear in mind, this …

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