December 2009 ~ bench3

What Is New In Windows 7 | Difference Between Windows Vista And Windows 7

If you’ve struggled with getting Windows Vista to work on your computer, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Windows 7 isn’t worse. If you are an Vista Victim, here is something that you should know what you will get if you upgrade your system to Windows 7.

Yeah, that’s definitely damning with faint praise. I don’t deny it. Alexander Pope would’ve been proud.

Microsoft learned many lessons during the Vista Wars. It changed a lot of features in Windows 7. But it didn’t change the driver model — the way hardware interacts with Windows. In fact, interaction with hardware in Windows 7 is almost indistinguishable from that in Vista Service Pack 1. So if you have hardware that works with Windows Vista, it will almost certainly work with Windows 7. No changes required. No new drivers, as long as you don’t do something funny, like switch from 32-bit Vista to 64-bit Windows 7.

Better Performance

Incredibly, Microsoft tightened up Vista. Windows 7 runs faster than Vista in most circumstances. It takes less memory. It occupies less space on your hard drive — even after you install Windows Live Essentials. Some savings and improvements are a tad illusory: Hard drive requirements fell because of a reduction in space reserved for shadow copies for example. But most people who try Windows 7 find it faster, less of a hog, and more reliable than Vista. There I go with that faint praise stuff again.

Improved interface

New versions of Windows invariably bring claims of improvements to the interface — and journalists join in on the “ooohs” and “aaaaahs” whenever Microsoft execs show off their flashy glittergrades — changes designed to show new sizzle, without really changing the steak. TechnoBling.

In Windows 7, some changes rate as genuinely useful. The new Taskbar (many of us still call it by its code name, Superbar) makes many daily tasks faster and easier to complete. The Aero Snap feature lets you drag a window to an edge of the screen and have it automatically resize to half-screen size — a boon to anyone with a wide screen.

Microsoft ditched the Windows Sidebar in Windows 7. Now gadgets — the little clock and stock ticker and the like — can float anywhere on the desktop as shown in the above figure). These gadgets could float in Vista, too, but few Vista users ever figured that out.

Windows 7 has many other glittery improvements:

Slide show: You can use this feature for your desktop background.
Taskbar Icons: View pop-up thumbnails of running programs and right-click jump-list menu options.
Notification area: Down by the clock, this feature can now be controlled, more or less.
Gadgets: See them on your desktop by moving your mouse to the Aero Peek area, in the lower-right corner.
Font list: It now looks better. Be still, my beating heart.

Search that (finally!) works

Search in Windows 7 works and works well. Its one of the Big difference between vista and Windows 7. Windows 7 lets you search data outside your computer using Federated Search and the OpenSearch standard. The new ability to build libraries — similar to the Vista Media Player audio libraries but extended to all kinds of files — makes organizing and searching simpler.

Security Improvements

I’m told that Pliny the Elder once described the alarm system of ancient Rome by saying, “Even when the dogs sleep, the goose watches.” User Account Control — the goose of Windows Vista, if you’ll forgive a transmillennia metaphor — has undergone significant changes in Windows 7. If you don’t change the original setting, User Account Control security prompts you with the darken-your-screen-and-pray messages that bugged millions of Vista users. However, the prompts occur infrequently, and only when there seems to be genuine cause for concern.

Finally, Windows 7 has a few improved security features, but the ones you can see — such as HomeGroups and the revamped BitLocker drive encryption — bundle old Vista security concepts differently and make them usable.

More Media And More

Figure: Sticky notes are easier to access and create (and still easy to lose) Paint has a few new features

Windows Media Center gets a facelift in Windows 7, along with a whole bunch of support for different kinds of video and audio files and in-the-box capabilities to connect to CableCARD and clear QAM tuners. Several of the tired, old (very old) Windows standbys — Calculator, Paint, WordPad — sport new interfaces and capabilities (see Figure Above). Windows 7 has better troubleshooting support, enhanced networking features especially for wireless networks, and hundreds of little improvements.

What you lose

On the flip side, several features in Vista went away in Windows 7. The old Sidebar bit the dust — don’t need it. The Windows Defender Software Explorer program, which gave you some control over which programs automatically start on your computer, disappeared, no doubt the victim of enormous volumes of tech-support phone calls.

Several Vista programs (Windows Mail, Messenger, Movie Maker, Photo Gallery) have been moved out of Windows, repurposed as free downloads on the Internet.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Networking In New Ways In Windows 7

Labels: Networking , Windows 7

In Windows Vista, Microsoft introduced the Network And Sharing Center as the one place to go for most network-related tasks. The concept annoyed some longtime Windows veteran users, who discovered that common network tasks they had learned to accomplish with simple shortcuts in Windows XP now required extra clicks or keystrokes.

Figure: The HomeGroup feature offers a simplified interface for sharing files, printers, and digital media between computers running Windows 7.

The Windows 7 Network And Sharing Center (shown in Figure) gets a usability overhaul designed to reduce clutter and make common tasks easier to find.

If your network includes computers running earlier versions of Windows, you’ll need to set up shared access using more traditional techniques. The differences from Windows XP–based networks are profound. You can specify different levels of security for sharing and, on individual files and folders stored on NTFS volumes, you can specify which accounts and groups, if any, are allowed to access those files.

If you’re accustomed to networking in Windows XP, you have a lot of catching up to do. Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) and Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) work together, the Link Layer Topology Discovery subsystem helps you build a visual map of your network. Networking changes that are new in Windows 7 include a much-improved interface for connecting to wireless access points.

32 And 64 Bit Versions Of Windows Server 2008 | Benefits Of 64 Bit Windows Server

Labels: 64Bit , Windows Server , Windows Server 2008

Several editions of Windows Server 2008 support both 32- and 64-bit processors. In fact, these editions will support both x64 and IA64 processors.

IA64 is based on the Itanium microchip from Intel—Itanium is a 64-bit reduced instruction set computer (RISC) processor—and while it is in use in very large organizations, has a very small following.

x64, on the other hand, offers the most important evolution in computing since the release of 32-bit processors. Because of the exponential nature of microchip technology, 64 bits actually offer significantly more processing power than simply doubling the capability of 32 bits.

According to Bill Gates, the coming of 64-bit computing will break all the barriers we face today.

Also Read:

Benefits Of Windows 7 64-bit Operating System

Differences Between 32-bit and 64-bit Versions Of Windows

That may be true. One thing is certain: x64 machines provide a lot more horsepower than x86 machines. x64 systems run a series of different processors from the two microprocessor manufacturers: from AMD, the Opteron or the Athlon 64; and from Intel, the 64-Bit Xeon or the Pentium with EM64T. What’s exciting about these processors is that they are a lot more affordable than the I64 systems. In addition, you have a much larger variety of operating systems to choose from: Windows Vista 64-bit edition, as well as Windows Server 2008 Standard, Enterprise, and Datacenter editions.

Working With Windows Server X64 Bit Editions:

There are two ways to work with an x64 system: run native 64-bit software, or run software that is compatible but runs in 32-bit mode. You might think that because the x64 versions of Windows Server and Windows Vista have only been out for a little while that there might not be a lot of applications available for this version of the OS. But that’s not the case.

According to the Microsoft Web site (see the Windows Server Catalog of Tested Products at www.windowsservercatalog.com), there are hundreds of applications that run in native x64 mode and more are coming. In addition, several more can run in 32-bit compatible mode.

So how does x64 measure up? The first thing you’ll notice is that everything—yes, everything—runs faster. That is as you would expect, but it is surprising to see that even applications that aren’t designed for the x64 system run faster. Just like the 32-bit version of the operating system, x64 runs a special Windows on Windows (WOW) session that lets 32-bit applications run inside the 64-bit operating system. WOW32 sessions provide better performance than even native 32-bit systems. Why is that? Because of the limitations that x64 finally breaks.

Previously, with a 32-bit system, you needed to use at least Windows Server 2003 Enterprise edition to gain access to more than 4 gigabytes (GB) of random access memory (RAM), then add the /PAE (physical address expansion switch) to the Boot.INI file that controls how the operating system is launched. Although this gave you access to more than 4 GB of RAM, it only fools the system, because a 32-bit machine is limited to a 4-GB address space in the first place. With x64, this limitation changes to 32 GB for Windows Vista and the Standard edition of Window Server, but jumps to 1 terabyte (TB) when running the more advanced editions of the Windows Server operating system. In addition, there is less reliance on the page file for virtual memory expansion in a 64-bit system. This means less disk activity for memory-intensive applications.

These are not the only benefits of x64. It also provides faster input and output (I/O) because it can take advantage of larger data blocks. It provides higher data transfer rates because it can run more concurrent processes. More client connections can be set for a given server, breaking the limits of Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) on 32-bit.

In fact, Microsoft states that it has been able to vastly reduce the number of servers running Microsoft Update, the Web site providing patch downloads, because each 64-bit server can manage vastly more connections per server.

But these file system changes have an impact. For example, your 32-bit third-party backup and restore tool will not work with a 64-bit machine because the file I/O driver is completely different from the 32-bit version.

Not everything works on x64 machines today, while some applications only run on x64 platforms. One good example is Microsoft Exchange Server 2007; it only runs in 64-bit mode.

This is exactly the way it was when 32-bit machines were introduced. One thing is certain:

What does work on 64-bits will always work faster. Our advice: If you need speed and you know that your core applications are ready to run on x64, take the plunge. Costs are not that far off from 32-bit systems, and the advantages are far-reaching. If you’re buying hardware today and you want to make it last, buy x64 machines.

Also Read:

Benefits Of Windows 7 64-bit Operating System

Differences Between 32-bit and 64-bit Versions Of Windows

Customizing The Taskbar In Windows Vista

Labels: Taskbar , Windows Tips , Windows Vista

Customizing the Taskbar

The Windows Taskbar can be customized to meet your needs. You can resize the taskbar, hide it, and even add toolbars to it.

Moving the Taskbar

By default, the taskbar resides at the bottom of your screen. You can move the taskbar to any side of the screen or even to another screen if you use more than one monitor. To move the taskbar, do the following:

1. Right click the taskbar and ensure 'Lock the Taskbar' is unchecked

2. Point to a blank spot on the taskbar and drag the taskbar to the side of the Desktop where you want it

Resizing the Taskbar

By default, the taskbar is one 'row' wide. You can resize the taskbar to any size you want. To resize the taskbar, do the following:

1. Right click the taskbar and ensure 'Lock the Taskbar' is unchecked

2. Place the mouse pointer on the outer edge of the taskbar until the pointer turns into a two-headed arrow

3. Drag the border to change the size of the taskbar

Controlling Taskbar Grouping

Grouping common items on the taskbar can reduce clutter. If you have five instances of internet explorer running, the grouping option will display them as one button the taskbar. Clicking the internet explorer button will bring up a list of all active Internet Explorer windows.

Disabling Grouping

Grouping isn't for everyone (including me). To disable grouping, do the following:

1. Right-click the Start button

2. Select „Properties‟

3. Select the „Taskbar‟ pane in the „ Taskbar And Start Menu‟

4. Uncheck the „Group Similar Taskbar Buttons‟ checkbox

Setting Grouping Limitations

To change the number of similar windows that need to be open to 'kick in' grouping, do the following:

1. Press the Start button

2. Type in regedit and hit enter

3. Navigate to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

4. Create a new DWORD value named TaskbarGroupSize

In the value field, specify the minimum number of similar windows that need to be open to enable grouping. A setting of 2 groups related items as soon as you open a second window, even if there‟s plenty of room on the taskbar; 3 enables grouping as soon as you have three or more similar windows; and so on. Now log off and log back in to put your new settings

into effect.

Auto-hiding the Taskbar

You may find the taskbar gets in the way when you are using a program, or even when you are on your desktop. You can auto-hide the taskbar in two different ways. The first way is to have the taskbar auto-hide when it is not in focus. The other way is to have the taskbar in the background when you maximize a window or move a window over it.

Auto-hiding the Taskbar All the Time

To autohide the taskbar, do the following:
1. Press the Start button
2. Type taskb in the Search box
3. click „Taskbar And Start Menu? The Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box will now display.
4. Check 'Auto-Hide The Taskbar' To access the taskbar, simply move your mouse to the side of the screen the taskbar is located on and it will appear.

Hiding the Taskbar Behind Active Windows
To hide the taskbar behind active windows, do the following:
1. Press the Start button
2. Type taskb in the Search box
3. click „Taskbar And Start Menu? The Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box will now display.
4. Uncheck 'Keep The Taskbar On Top Of Other Windows'

Inspiration For The Week | A Real Story That Happened In Japan.

Labels: Moral Story

WHEN A LIZARD CAN, WHY CAN'T WE? - "This is something real that happened in Japan".

In order to renovate the house, someone in Japan breaks open the wall. Japanese houses normally have a hollow space between the wooden walls. When tearing down the walls, he found that there was a lizard stuck there because a nail from outside hammered into one of its feet.

He sees this, feels pity, and at the same time curious, as when he checked the nail, it was nailed 5 years ago when the house was first built!!!

What happened? The lizard has survived in such position for 5 years .In a dark wall partition for 5 years without moving, it is impossible and mind-boggling.Then he wondered how this lizard survived for 5 years! without moving a single step--since its foot was nailed!So he stopped his work and observed the lizard, what it has been doing, and what and how it has been eating. Later, not knowing from where it came, appears another lizard,with food in its mouth.Ah! He was stunned and touched deeply.

For the lizard that was stuck by nail, another lizard has been feeding it for the past 5 years...

Imagine? It has been doing that untiringly for 5 long years, without giving up hope on its partner.

Imagine what a small creature can do that a creature blessed with a brilliant mind can't.

Please never abandon your loved ones\

Never Say you are Busy When They Really Need You ...You May Have The Entire World At Your Feet. But You Might Be The Only World To Them.. A Moment of negligence might break the very heart which loves you through all odds.. Before you say something just remember.. It takes a moment to break but an entire lifetime to make...

Leadership Focuses On Group Approach | Leadership Is Essentially An Other-Centred Activity

Labels: Leadership , Management

Leadership focuses on the group. This group approach, as it may be called, leads us to see leadership in terms of functions that meet group needs:

In fact, if you look closely at matters involving leadership, there are always three elements or variables:

the leader – qualities of personality and character;
the situation – partly constant, partly varying;
the group – the followers: their needs and values.

In fact, work groups are always different, just as individuals are. After coming together they soon develop a group personality, so that who works in one group may not work in another. All groups and organizations are unique.

But that is only half of the truth. The other half is that work groups – like individuals – have certain needs in common. There are three areas of overlapping needs that are centrally important, as illustrated in Figure below.

Task need

Work groups and organizations come into being because there is a task to be done that is too big for one person. You can climb a hill or small mountain by yourself, but you cannot climb Mount Everest on your own – you need a team for that.

Why call it a need? Because pressure builds up a head of steam to accomplish the common task. People can feel very frustrated if they are prevented from doing so.

Team maintenance need

This is not so easy to perceive as the task need; as with an iceberg, much of the life of any group lies below the surface. The distinction that the task need concerns things and the team maintenance need involves people does not help much.

Again, it is best to think of groups that are threatened from without by forces aimed at their disintegration or from within by disruptive people or ideas. We can then see how they give priority to maintaining themselves against these external or internal pressures, sometimes showing great ingenuity in the process.

Many of the written or unwritten rules of the group are designed to promote this unity and to maintain cohesiveness at all costs. Those who rock the boat or infringe group standards and corporate balance may expect reactions varying from friendly indulgence to downright anger.

Instinctively a common feeling exists that ‘United we stand, divided we fall’, that good relationships, desirable in themselves, are also an essential means towards the shared end. This need to create and promote group cohesiveness I have called the team maintenance need. After all, everyone knows what a team is.

Individual needs

Thirdly, individuals bring into the group their own needs – not just the physical ones for food and shelter (which are largely catered for by the payment of wages these days) but also the psychological ones: recognition; a sense of doing something worthwhile; status; and the deeper needs to give to and receive from other people in a working situation. These individual needs are perhaps more profound than we sometimes realise.

They spring from the depths of our common life as human beings. They may attract us to, or repel us from, any given group. Underlying them all is the fact that people need one another not just to survive but to achieve and develop personality.

This growth occurs in a whole range of social activities – friendship, marriage and neighbourhood – but inevitably work groups are extremely important because so many people spend so much of their waking time in them.

The three circles interact

Now these three areas of need overlap and influence one another. If the common task is achieved, for example, then that tends to build the team and to satisfy personal human needs in individuals. If there is a lack of cohesiveness in the team circle – a failure of team maintenance – then clearly performance in the task area will be impaired and the satisfaction of individual members reduced. Thus we can visualise the needs present in work groups as three overlapping circles, as shown in Figure above.

Leadership is essentially an other-centred activity – not a self-centred one.

CD Or DVD Drive Missing Or Not Recognized Issue In Windows | Steps On How To Fix This Problem

Labels: Hardware , Troubleshoot , Windows Tips

Your CD drive or DVD drive is missing or not recognized by Windows or other programs, so you cannot play or access a CD or DVD. This issue might have occurred after you installed, uninstalled, or updated a program or Windows Vista. Even if you have not installed, an automatic update might have caused this problem.

This issue may have occurred after one of the following situations:

You upgrade a computer to Windows Vista or install Windows Vista Service Pack 1.
You install or uninstall CD or DVD recording programs.
You uninstall Microsoft Digital Image.
You may see one of the following error messages:

One of the following error messages appears when you view the CD drive or the DVD drive in Device Manager.

Error message 1 : The device is not working properly because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this device (Code 31).

Error message 2 : A driver for this device was not required, and has been disabled (Code 32 or Code 31).

Error message 3 : Your registry might be corrupted. (Code 19)

An "error code 39" error message.

A message that resembles the following appears in the notification area:
Windows successfully loaded the device driver for this hardware but cannot find the hardware device. (Code 41).

Important: This article helps you fix the problem. Before you read further, try to backup your registry. Read more on how to backup the registry.

This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, read my eariler article "How to back up and restore the registry in Windows".

This problem might have caused by two Windows registry entries that have become corrupted. To fix the problem, you have to use Registry Editor to delete the corrupted Registry entries. To use this method, you must be logged on to Windows as an administrator.

For Microsoft Windows Vista

Click Start (Windows logo), and then click All Programs.
Click Accessories, and then click Run.
Type regedit, and then click OK. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.
In the navigation pane, locate and then click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
In the right pane, click UpperFilters. Note: You may also see an UpperFilters.bak registry entry. You do not have to remove that entry. Click UpperFilters only. If you do not see the UpperFilters registry entry, you still might have to remove the LowerFilters registry entry. To do this, go to step 8.
On the Edit menu, click Delete.
When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
In the right pane, click LowerFilters. Note: If you do not see the LowerFilters registry entry, unfortunately this content cannot help you any further. Find more solutions or more help on the Microsoft Web site.
On the Edit menu, click Delete.
When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
Exit Registry Editor.
Restart the computer.

For Microsoft Windows XP

Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
In the navigation pane, locate and then click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
In the right pane, click UpperFilters. Note: You may also see an UpperFilters.bak registry entry. You do not have to remove that entry. Click UpperFilters only. If you do not see the UpperFilters registry entry, you still might have to remove the LowerFilters registry entry. To do this, go to step 7.
On the Edit menu, click Delete.
When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
In the right pane, click LowerFilters. Note: If you do not see the LowerFilters registry entry, unfortunately this content cannot help you any further. Find more solutions or more help on the Microsoft Web site.
On the Edit menu, click Delete.
When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
Exit Registry Editor.
Restart the computer.

Did this fix the problem?

Microsoft Windows Vista
Click Start , click Computer, and then see whether the drive is listed.

Microsoft Windows XP

Click Start, click My Computer, and then see whether the drive is listed.

Is the drive listed?

If the drive is listed, try to play or access a CD or DVD.

If you can play or access a CD or DVD, you are finished with this article.

If you cannot play or access a CD or DVD, you may have to reinstall some programs. Some programs might not be able to use your CD or DVD drive until you reinstall those programs. If the problem occurs again when you install or uninstall those programs, contact the manufacturer of the program to see if an update is available that solves the problem. Some examples of programs that might be affected are:

iTunes software by Apple
Nero software by Nero Inc
Roxio Creator software by Sonic Solutions
Zune software by Microsoft

After reinstalling your programs, if you can play or access a CD or DVD, you are finished with this article.

If you still cannot play or access a CD or DVD, please see the "Next steps" section.

If the drive is not listed, remove and reinstall the existing drivers.

Back to the top

Remove and reinstall drivers

If the drive is not listed, remove and reinstall the existing drivers. To do this, follow these steps:

Microsoft Windows Vista

Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
Click System and Maintenance, click System, and then click Device Manager. Note: If Control Panel is in Classic View, double-click System, and then click Device Manager. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.
In Device Manager, expland DVD/CD-ROM drives, right-click the CD and DVD devices, and then click Uninstall.
When you are prompted to confirm that you want to remove the device, click OK.
Restart the computer.

After the computer restarts, the drivers will be automatically installed.

Microsoft Windows XP

Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
Click System and Maintenance, and then click System,
On the Hardware tab, click Device Manager. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.
In Device Manager, expland DVD/CD-ROM drives, right-click the CD and DVD devices, and then click Uninstall.
When you are prompted to confirm that you want to remove the device, click OK.
Restart the computer.

After the computer restarts, the drivers will be automatically installed. See if reinstalling the drivers fixed the problem.

Now try to play or access a CD or DVD.

If you can play or access a CD or DVD, you are finished with this article.

* iTunes software by Apple

* Nero software by Nero Inc

* Roxio Creator software by Sonic Solutions

* Zune software by Microsoft

After reinstalling your programs, if you can play or access a CD or DVD, you are finished with this article.

If you continue to have questions or if you cannot find a solution here, Click the following link to contact Microsoft Support: http://support.microsoft.com/contactus (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus)

Protect And Share Your Office Documents Online

Labels: Microsoft , Office

Microsoft Office Live Workspace is now offering free online documents sharing and storage facility to it’s users. You should never upload your important documents on to some free file sharing websites where your file can get deleted anytime and there is no certainty of file protection also. Microsoft allows users to use it’s free online file storage and sharing service to keep their documents safe, even with password protection.

It’s easy with Microsoft Office Live Workspace
Store up to 5GB online
Works with Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint
View, edit, share documents with password-protection

“Office Live Workspace lets you upload a large file and lets you easily share it with your group members, so that they can make changes and send it back to you. You don’t have to worry about emailing anymore, it eliminates the mess.

My advice to other students not using Office Live Workspace, would be: Get one.” says, Marty Henningsgard, a college student.

Benefits of Microsoft Office Live Workspace

1. Absolutely free online storage up to 5 GB per account

2. Access your files from anywhere using your login details

3. Supports Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents

4. View, edit and share documents online with password protection

5. Use your Hotmail/Live or MSN account details to login – No extra sign up required

6. Manage all documents at one place

Robert W, a teacher quoted, “I have created workspace to let debate team members post documents, take notes and meet online rather than during school hours. I can monitor their progress and coach them more efficiently during my free time, rather than taking class time to do this. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”

Microsoft Office Live Workspace eliminates the need of using a flash drive since all your documents can be accessed and managed online. This is free, convenient and secure.

Access Anywhere

View documents from almost any computer
Eliminate flash drives

Online Storage and Sharing

View and share password-protected files (up to 5 GB) without losing control
Work together with others on the same files

Works with Programs You Know

Open and save files from familiar programs like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Manage documents in one convenient place

Know The Difference Between Shutdown And Restart | Which One Is Safe And Effective

Labels: Restart , Shutdown , Windows Tips

A shutdown simply powers down the machine almost entirely and does not attempt to start the operating system again until you press the power button. A restart simply ends your session, shuts the operating system down, and then re-loads the operating system again.

Common Use Of Shutdown And Restart:

1. Shutdown is used with the intention of leaving the computer in an off stage once the shutdown procedure has completed.

2. Restart is used with the intention of recycling the current session of the OS, to reset applications running/hanging etc..

Personally speaking, I was always curious to know the technology behind a computer restart. Anyone can understand the process behind computer shutdown since we are habituated with the same kind of processes with our television sets, home theaters etc. But how do computers restart since it first closes down all running applications and gets shutdown, which means the power to the motherboard gets disconnected. Then how come it manages to restart the whole computing process from the beginning?

How Restart Works

Well, the answer is not that much confusing at all. When we shutdown our system (by pressing the power button or from the OS menu), our computer starts saving all data and then it starts dumping all RAM (Random Access Memory). Once the RAM gets dumped completely, SMPS cuts off power to the motherboard and that’s how a computer shuts down.

Now when we click the “Restart” button on our computer, the operating system starts shutting down all active and running programs to make the RAM free. Once the OS regains all RAM resources, it will issue a command to the CPU to warm boot where BIOS system takes over and controls the whole booting process. In this process, BIOS loads first 512 bytes of detected boot device, jumps to boot loader code and restarts the computer.

Few might have the misconception that shutdown process is safer while system restart might harm the computer. Well, if you have read the above explanation, you can conclude with the fact the computer restart makes our job more easier... But, is it safer?

Shutting down will prevent theft and data loss issues among other things. Re-starting will leave your computers available or open to many other risks.

There are a number of reason why we or programs go for shutdown or restart:

Work stations should be shut down unless you are still running programs that process data that require hours to complete. It goes without saying if you shut down the machine the programs running will not complete their task and later you will have to start over.

I guess it will depend on the kind of lab and the purpose of each machine. Each machine may have a different purpose and that will dictate weather it needs to be shut down completely or not.

And to be even Short, there is no effective difference between shutdown and restart. And technically speaking, A restart (at least in a Unix environment, which the Mac is), dumps EVERYTHING, and boots fully from a zeroed state. ALL processes are released and reinitiated from scratch. Even if there were anything residual in any cache, it would be overwritten anyway when the system was being restored.

I think the theory being put forward is that since some of the caps haven't fully bled off, there may be residual data in some of the registers. Unless they can state absolutely the decay rate of those, then "ten seconds", or any other SWAG'd delay, is basically bollocks.

This is more ancient technology concept, and since most Windows users have NEVER seen what actually goes on, process-wise, in detail, it's become more computer urban legend/dogma than anything else.

You could posit that a restart is easier on the microelectronics as they don't have time to suffer from thermal expansion because of short-cycle cooling and reheating. That, as well, is debatable, but certainly a stronger theoretical argument than any nebulous "data left in cache" claim.

Clean Up The Taskbar Tray Icons In Windows | Turn Off The Tray Icons Completely

Labels: Icon , Taskbar , Windows Tips

The notification area as Microsoft calls it—or more commonly, the tray—is the box full of tiny icons on the far right side of your taskbar, next to the clock. It made its first appearance in Windows 95, but it didn’t take long for most trays to get cluttered with junk from every program installed on your PC.

Also Read:

Add An Address Bar In Your Windows Taskbar

All New Keyboard Shortcuts In Windows

Fix Missing Task Bar Icons In Windows XP

Easy Ways To Get To Your Desktop In Windows

Disable Extra Startup Programs In Windows

And since Microsoft wasn’t too careful about establishing standards for the icons put there, applications weren’t too careful about giving their customers control over those icons. As a result, many applications won’t let you remove their icons, and of those that do, the process is different for each one.

Microsoft snapped into action to solve the problem, and five years later came up with the Hide inactive icons feature. To clean up your tray, rightclick an empty area of the taskbar, select Properties, and choose the Notification Area tab. Turn on the Hide inactive icons option, and then click Customize to open the Customize Notification Icons window shown in Figure.

Figure: If you don’t want to hide the tray completely, use this window to bury

unwanted clutter under a collapsible panel.

The active icons in your tray appear under Current Items, while those that have come and gone show up further down, under Past Items. To hide an icon, highlight it in the list, and then select Hide in the Behavior column.

Click OK when you’re done; the change takes effect right away. If you’ve hidden at least one icon, a little white arrow appears to the left of the tray (meaning that you won’t save any space if you hide only one icon).

Just click the arrow to temporarily show hidden tray icons; move the mouse away, and the arrow hides them again.

Tired of dealing with tray icons on a one-by-one basis? If you’re using the Vista Business or Ultimate edition, you can turn off the tray completely.

Open the Group Policy Object Editor (gpedit.msc, which is not present on the Vista Home editions), and expand the branches to User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar. Double-click Hide the notification area, select Enabled, and click OK. You’ll have to log out and then log back in for this change to take effect.

Change The Icon For All Files Of A Type In Windows 7 And Vista

Labels: FileTypes , Icon , Windows Tips

Every file type has a default icon, the icon shown for all files with filename extensions linked to that type. Yet Windows Vista And Windows 7 offers no way to choose your own icons—apart from editing the Registry directly—despite the fact that you could do this right in Windows Explorer in previous versions of Windows.

The (Default) value in the DefaultIcon key contains the full path and filename of the file containing the default icon. Often it points right to the application executable that uses the file (e.g., excel.exe for .xls files), but sometimes it references a .dll or .ico file containing a bunch of icons. The filename is then followed by a comma and then a number (called the index) that indicates which icon to use.

For example:

C:\Program Files\Photoshop\Photoshop.exe, 15

points to the file Photoshop.exe, located in the C:\Program Files\Photoshop folder, and references the 16th icon in that file (0 or no number indicating the first icon, 1 indicating the second, and so on).

Occasionally, you may see something like this in the DefaultIcon key:

%SystemRoot%\system32\wmploc.dll,-731

Here, %SystemRoot% is a variable that represents the Windows folder (usually C:\Windows). When the (Default) value in which this information is stored is an expandable string value, Windows converts the filename to C:\Windows\System32\wmploc.dll before retrieving the icon. You may also sometimes notice a negative value following the filename (-731, in this case) which represents the resource ID of the icon to use—as opposed to a positive value indicating the index (position) of the icon as described above.

In most cases, you can specify your own icon for a given file type by placing the full path to an .exe, .dll, .ico, or .bmp file in the DefaultIcon key’s (Default) value. (Hint: there are some nice icons in \Windows\System32\shell32.dll.)

Include a number to indicate which icon to use, or leave out the number to use the first icon in the file. In some cases, Windows Explorer will recognize the change right away, although due to the way Windows Vista or Windows Seven caches icons, you may need to restart Windows for your change to fully take effect.

The easiest way to change an icon for a file type is with a third-party tool like File Type Doctor. (available at http://www.creativelement.com/powertools/)

All New Keyboard Shortcuts In Windows | For XP Vista And Windows Seven

Labels: Shortcuts , Windows Tips

Despite the fact that Microsoft has excised those little underlined letters— the ones that show you which letter you have to press while holding the Alt key to jump to that control—the keyboard is alive and well in Vista and Windows 7. In fact, there are tons of useful keyboard shortcuts that can be real time-savers in Windows, some even used in conjunction with the mouse. Following are some of the best ones.

Navigating files and folders Properties, Hold the Alt key while double-clicking on a file or folder to view the Properties sheet for that object. Or, press Alt-Enter to open the Properties window for the selected item without using the mouse at all.

History
Press Backspace in an open folder window to go back one step in the window’s history to the last folder you looked at, which is not necessarily the parent folder.

You can also press the left or right arrow keys while holding Alt to go back and forth through the folder history; these work just like the two round arrow buttons in the upper left of any Explorer window.

Refresh/Reload
Press F5 in almost any window (including web browsers and even Device Manager) to refresh the current view.

Folder tree

With the focus on Explorer’s folder tree, press Enter to view the contents of the highlighted folder in the right pane. Also, use the left and right arrow keys (or + and –) to collapse and expand folders, respectively, or press the asterisk key (*) to expand all the folders and their subfolders in the current branch.

Jump to an item

With the focus on the right pane, press a letter key to quickly jump to the first file or folder starting with that letter. Continue typing to jump further. For example, pressing the T key in your \Windows folder will jump to the Tasks folder. Press T again to jump to the next object that starts with T. Or, press T and then quickly press A to skip all the Ts and jump to taskman.exe. If there’s enough of a delay between the T and the A keys, Explorer will forget about the T, and you’ll jump to the first entry that starts with A.

If you’d rather, you can have Windows Explorer begin a formal search as soon as you start typing. Open the Organize drop-down, select Folder and Search Options, and then choose the View tab. Scroll to the bottom of the Advanced settings list, and under the When typing into list view branch, click Automatically type into the Search Box.

New Explorer window

Press Ctrl-N to open another Explorer window at the same folder. Or, if you prefer, you can use Ctrl-N to create a new folder on the spot— something you can’t otherwise do easily with the keyboard—by installing Creative Element Power Tools (http://www.creativelement.com/powertools/) and turning on the Quickly create new folders tool. You can also press Winkey+E to open a new Windows Explorer window, even when you’re not currently in Explorer.

Search

In Windows Explorer or on the desktop, press Ctrl-F or F3 to open a separate search window so you can search without losing the current view. Or, press Winkey+F to open a search window no matter where you are.

Show hidden context menu items
Hold the Shift key while right-clicking a file to show three new items in the file’s context menu: Pin to Start Menu (normally shown only for programs), Add to Quick Launch, and Copy as Path (used to copy the full path of the item to the clipboard).

Address bar
Press F4 to jump to the address bar so you can type or flip through recently visited folders. While you’re there, press Esc twice to revert to the new-style path box so you can navigate parent folders without typing.

Cycle through all the controls Press the Tab or F6 keys to jump among the file pane, the file pane column headers, the address bar, the Search box, the Favorites pane (if it’s visible), the folder tree divider, and then finally the folder tree itself.

Selecting And Managing Files:

Select all

Press Ctrl-A to quickly select all of the contents of a folder, both files and folders.

Select range

Select one icon, then hold the Shift key while clicking on another icon in the same folder to select it and all the items in between.

Select Multiple Items
Hold the Ctrl key to select or deselect multiple files or folders, one by one. Note that you can’t select more than one folder in the folder tree pane of Explorer, but you can in the right pane. You can select multiple files without using the keyboard by dragging a rubber band around them. Start by holding down the left mouse button in a blank portion of a folder window, then drag the mouse to the opposite corner to select everything that appears in the rectangle you just drew.

You can also use the Ctrl key to modify your selection. For example, if you’ve used the Shift key or a rubber band to select the first five objects in a folder, you can hold Ctrl while dragging a second rubber band to highlight additional files without losing your original selection.

You can also use the Ctrl + A to select all the files in the rectangle box.

Delete files
Select a file or folder and press Del to delete it. Or, press Shift-Del to delete it permanently without sending it to the Recycle Bin.

Rename
Press F2 to rename the currently selected item. Starting and switching programs

Start menu
Press the Windows logo key (Winkey) to open the Start menu, and then navigate with your arrow keys. You can also open the Start menu by pressing Ctrl-Esc. See the upcoming “Hack the Windows Logo Key” sidebar if you don’t have a Windows logo key.

Switch to a different window
If you are using windows vista or windows seven with Aero, Press Winkey+Tab to show the fancy Flip 3D Rolodex-style task switcher, or Alt-Tab to show the classic means of switching from one open window to another. Hold Shift (Shift-Alt-Tab or Shift-Winkey+Tab) to go backward. For Windows XP or Windows without Aero effects, just use Alt + Tab key to switch to a different window.

If you’re using an application with more than one document, press Ctrl- Tab to switch among the open documents. Or, press Ctrl-Tab to cycle through tabs in a tabbed window.

Drop the current window to the bottom of the pile
Press Alt-Esc to move the active window to the bottom of the stack and activate the one underneath it. Hold Shift to go backward.

Run
Press Winkey+R to open the Start menu Run box.

Minimize all windows
Press Winkey+D to show or hide the desktop, Winkey+M to minimize all open windows, or Shift-Winkey+M to restore minimized windows.

Windows Explorer
Press Winkey+E to open a new Windows Explorer window.

Task Manager
Press Ctrl-Shift-Esc to open Task Manager for Windows Vista and Windows Seven. For Windows XP Press Ctrl+Alt+Del.

Task bar
Press Winkey+T to send the keyboard focus to the taskbar, or press Winkey+B to send the focus to the notification area (tray).

Quick Launch toolbar

Press the Windows logo key and a number key to open the Quick Launch icon at that position. For instance, press Winkey+1 to open the first icon, Winkey+2 to open the second, and so on.

Close the window
Press Alt-F4 to close the current application, or Ctrl-F4 to close the current document (if it’s the type of program that can hold multiple documents). Press Alt-F4 while the keyboard focus is on the desktop or taskbar to shut down windows.

View System Information
Press Winkey+Pause/Break to open the System page in Control Panel.

Get Windows Help
Press Winkey+F1 to open Windows Help and Support.

Other Shortcuts
Clipboard
Press Ctrl-C to copy the selected item to the clipboard, Ctrl-X to cut (copy and then delete), and Ctrl-V to paste the item anywhere else.

Undo
Press Ctrl-Z to undo the last text edit, file operation, deletion, etc.

Menus
Press Alt or F10 to jump to the menu bar (or show the menu if it’s hidden).

Drop-down listboxes
Use the up and down arrow keys to flip through items in a drop-down box, or press Alt-down arrow to open the listbox.

Accessibility tools
Press Winkey+U to open the Ease of Access Center page in Control Panel. Press Shift five times to toggle StickyKeys on and off. Hold Shift for eight seconds to toggle FilterKeys on and off. Hold Num Lock for five seconds to toggle ToggleKeys on and off. Press Alt-LeftShift-Num Lock to toggle MouseKeys on and off. Press Alt+LeftShift+Print Screen to toggle high contrast mode on and off.

Log off
Press Winkey+L to log off Windows.

Leadership Depends On The Situation

Labels: Education , Leadership , Management

In some situations one person may emerge as the leader; in others he or she may not. Winston Churchill, for example, was a great leader in wartime, but not so good in peace. As we have seen, the truth is a little more complex than that.

Some qualities are situation-related, but others – such as enthusiasm, moral courage and stamina – are found in leaders in widely different situations.

To my mind, the main contribution of this situational approach is that it emphasises the importance of knowledge in working life; and knowledge is linked to authority. There are four forms of authority among people:

The authority of position and rank – ‘Do this because I am the boss!’
The authority of knowledge – ‘Authority flows to the one who knows.’
The authority of personality – in its extreme form, charisma.
Moral authority – personal authority to ask others to make sacrifices.

Nelson Mandela, for example, has dignity, integrity and charm. Because he endured years of imprisonment he has acquired the moral authority to ask his fellow countrymen and -women to accept difficulties and hardships on the long road to national unity and prosperity.

Why do sailors do what the captain orders when the ship is tossed to and fro in a storm? Because they sense that the captain has the knowledge of the sea and navigation, deepened by experience of many other storms, to know what to do.

Knowledge creates confidence in others.

For this reason your acquisition of technical and professional knowledge is actually part of your development as a leader. You are equipping yourself with one essential ingredient. To go back to Churchill for a moment, in 1940 he was the only cabinet minister with experience as a war minister in the First World War, quite apart from his own background as a professionally trained officer who, as a regimental commander, briefly served on the Western Front. Apart from his gifts of oratory and character, Churchill had a considerable amount of knowledge relevant to running a war – more so than his colleagues. And ‘In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.’

The same principle holds good for you. But don’t imagine that having the appropriate technical or professional knowledge in itself qualifies you for leadership. Again, it is necessary but not sufficient.

All the main strands of authority – position, knowledge and personality – are important. In order to get free and equal people to cooperate and produce great results, you need to rely upon the second and third forms of authority as well as the first. It is like a three-stranded rope. Don’t entrust all your weight to one strand only.

In the first phase of your career as a leader you will probably be working in a fairly well-defined field of work, and you will have acquired the necessary professional and technical knowledge.

But, within your field, situations are changing all the time. How flexible are you? Can you cope, for example, with both growth and retraction? The following checklist will help you to confirm both that you are in the right field and also that you are developing the flexibility to stay in charge in a variety of different situations – including some that cannot be foreseen.

What Is New In Windows 7 | Difference Between Windows Vista And Windows 7

Networking In New Ways In Windows 7

32 And 64 Bit Versions Of Windows Server 2008 | Benefits Of 64 Bit Windows Server

Customizing The Taskbar In Windows Vista

Inspiration For The Week | A Real Story That Happened In Japan.

Leadership Focuses On Group Approach | Leadership Is Essentially An Other-Centred Activity

CD Or DVD Drive Missing Or Not Recognized Issue In Windows | Steps On How To Fix This Problem

Protect And Share Your Office Documents Online

Know The Difference Between Shutdown And Restart | Which One Is Safe And Effective

Clean Up The Taskbar Tray Icons In Windows | Turn Off The Tray Icons Completely

Change The Icon For All Files Of A Type In Windows 7 And Vista

All New Keyboard Shortcuts In Windows | For XP Vista And Windows Seven

Leadership Depends On The Situation

Translator

Popular Posts

Subscribe By Email

Choose By Category

Microsoft Press

Free Ebooks Download

Recent Posts