Win a Copy of “Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out” in Paperback

By DustinPosted on

Mike Halsey, author of Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out, is having a giveaway. While I’m a bit late to the party in bringing this news to you, I’m not bringing the after party. You still have several hours to get in on this. I recommend it as it is a great book. I am finishing up a review which will be posted very soon. So, get in to win it!

The ultimate, in-depth reference for troubleshooting Windows 7 — from the inside out! This supremely organized book delivers hundreds of prevention tips, troubleshooting techniques, and recovery tools, with a companion ebook and additional content online.

You’re beyond the basics, so dive right into troubleshooting Windows 7 — and really put your PC to work! This supremely organized reference describes hundreds of prevention tips, troubleshooting techniques, and recovery tools in one essential guide. It’s all muscle and no fluff. Discover how the experts keep their Windows 7-based systems running smoothly — and challenge yourself to new levels of mastery.

  • Take control of essential Windows 7 maintenance and security features, such as the Action Center and User Account Control
  • Master quick fixes to the most common problems using expert tips and step-by-step repair guides
  • Implement best practices to help prevent and combat viruses, malware, and identity theft
  • Apply advanced troubleshooting techniques by understanding how Windows 7 works
  • Diagnose hardware problems and work safely with your PC
  • Develop a recovery plan to restore your system and data in the event of a disaster
  • Know when to use power utilities for advanced performance, maintenance, and diagnostics

This is a simple competition too, all you need to do is the following.

  • Follow @Mike_Halsey on Twitter and Tweet about this competition
  • Don’t Tweet?  You can also enter by following Mike on Facebook

    • New IE9 RC screenshots leaked

    By DustinPosted on

    As Internet Explorer 9 gets closer to release, there are a few new improvements coming down the chute. Winreview.ru has some new screenshots and information on the updates since the public beta and the newest RC sent to beta testers. Some great moves by Microsoft after listening to customer criticism. Bring your translator unless you can read Russian (link is to Google Translate version of the original page).

    Bold frame bar under the navigation buttons, frankly spoils the impression from the browser interface, the 9.00.8073.6010 absent, leaving the user’s attention a web page, not the browser, and as if implying that the final product is already very close.

    Теперь обратим свой взор на адресную строку, где по-прежнему по соседству ютятся вкладки открытых страниц. We now turn their attention to the address bar, where still in the neighborhood crammed tabs open pages. Вкладки эти обзавелись острыми, точеными краями. Tabs got these sharp, chiseled edges. Текущая активная вкладка достаточно резко выбивается из группы своих собратьев светловато-серым тоном. The current active tab rather abruptly knocked out of the group of his fellow svetlovato-gray tone.

    Image courtesy of WinReview.ru

    Microsoft Sued For Not Giving Windows Refunds

    By DustinPosted on

    Microsoft is getting sued, again, for not being nice and giving refunds to those who purchased a PC that came with Windows and they didn’t want it. As far as I know, Microsoft didn’t sell the PC in the first place, didn’t force the OEM to include Windows, and didn’t force the end user to buy the PC with Windows included.

    If I buy a Blu-ray player that comes with a couple Blu-rays in a package deal, and don’t want the movies, can I sue the movie studio for not refunding me the money on the package I bought from the store?

    Let’s see how long it takes before this is laughed out of court. I meant dismissed.

    Furthermore, the group says consumers who buy computers with OEM copies of Windows installed have more difficulties in getting a refund than those who purchased a retail copy of the OS. The lawsuit notes that users who buy and install the OS itself, but that don’t agree to the EULA, are entitled to a return from the place where they bought it. OEM buyers, however, are at the whim of their system seller or installer for a refund, which has historically proven to be a difficult process, it says.

    Microsoft Welcomes Jailbreak

    By DustinPosted on

    Microsoft has given GeoHot, a notorious hardware hacker that has hacked the Playstation 3, permission and a Windows Phone 7 to go ahead and try to jailbreak the phone without any legal repercussions. This is good news towards enabling hobbyists to do what they do best. I  have seen some major innovations come from the hobby scene, which rivals anything that has come from the larger companies. Take XBMC for example. People wanted media center capabilities in their Xbox, and it happened. Several years later, the Xbox 360 was introduced with the functionality.

    Microsoft has been responding well to hackers recently, initially they wanted to press charges against the Kinect hackers but quickly changed their minds. They are now supporting Windows Phone 7 hackers as well, maybe they have finally decided that it may be more beneficial to everyone to help foster innovation in their devices rather than fight it.

    Windows 8 January 2013?

    By DustinPosted on

    So called “trusted” Russian leaker, WZOR, has said that Microsoft has an internal document that Windows 8 is to be released January 7th, 2013 with betas released before then. I’d definitely take this with a grain of salt, as the “trusted” source has been wrong before.

      • Windows 7 and Server 2008 Service Pack 2 has been worked on since the fall of 2010, and is expected to touch down if all goes well sometime in mid-2012.
      • In March, Windows 8 M3 development will commence.
      • Following M3, work on the first Windows 8 beta will begin; according to WZOR, Microsoft will release two public beta milestone builds in Windows 8′s development.
      • After the second beta, the RC will be worked on then released.
      • Approximately three months after the RC, Windows 8 will reach RTM.
      • And of course, following RTM, it will hit the store shelves and reach the general availability (GA) phase of development, which WZOR states will happen on Monday, January 7th, 2013.

    Gaming News

    By DustinPosted on

    After 14 years in development and pushbacks, Duke Nukem Forever has been promised to be released May 3rd of this year. Whether or not this is going to happen or not is still up in the air. With so many promises of being released and then nothing, I’m not getting my hopes up. I was excited a decade ago, not too sure about it anymore.

    Bethesda has announced the new game engine for it’s upcoming Elder Scrolls V game, Skyrim. With beautiful screenshots, and usual amazing gameplay, I’m looking forward to this game. I can’t wait to see what else this game engine can pump out.

    Change Processor Name in System Properties

    By DustinPosted on

    Using a registry hack, you can change the name of your CPU to what you desire? Want the latest and greatest, or at least bragging rights to claim so? Check this out.

    CPUName

    Open Regedit, navigate to HKEY_Local_Machine > Hardware > Description > System >Central Processor. If you have multiple cores, you will need to choose 0. You can modify the “Processor Name” string to the name you choose.

    CPUNameReg

    Microsoft Finds Culprit in WP7 Data Issue

    By DustinPosted on

    Microsoft has found the culprit in the Windows Phone 7 issue of the mysterious data transfer happening without the users knowledge. Turns out, it was a third party application doing all the transfer. Of course, all fingers were pointed at Microsoft for the fault of the problem.

    We have determined that a third-party solution commonly accessed from Windows Phones is configured in a manner that potentially causes larger than expected data downloads. We are in contact with the third party to assist them in making the necessary fixes, and are also pursuing potential workarounds to address the configuration issue in case those are needed. At this point in our investigation, we believe this is responsible for most of the reported incidents.

    Microsoft Executive Creates Cologne

    By DustinPosted on

    A Microsoft VP of Sales has decided to broaden his scope of sales. He has created a perfume and cologne that smells like money. While this may be cool to some people, I certainly wouldn’t want to attract the gold digger types out there. At least musicians can come out with something useful: liquor (Cabo Wabo, among many others).

    Patrick McCarthy, a vice president of sales at Microsoft, took a break from his day job to create His Money Cologne and Her Money Eau de Parfum, a line of his-and-hers fragrances that are designed to make the wearer smell like a million bucks — or more, depending on how much you put on.

    Xbox 360 Update Locks Out Pirates

    By DustinPosted on

    Microsoft quietly let out an update today to fix a problem that they created in a November update: the ability to Boot to disc. In the process, they also have disabled the ability to play pirated copies of some games. While I don’t approve of piracy, the ability to backup your bought software has always been an issue.

    The update is mandatory and Xbox 360 owners will be prompted to update the next time they sign-in to Xbox LIVE. Microsoft has also blocked some popular flashed firmware disc drive modifications with the update. Pirates typically flash their DVD drives with modified firmware to bypass Microsoft’s game security checks.”Anti-piracy 2.5″ is the software giant’s latest attempt to thwart console pirates. According to nearly 200 posts on a popular Xbox 360 moding forum, pirates are having a number of issues loading games after the mandatory update.