Are you using Windows Media player 11?
Whether you have or not yet, there are some positive upgrades such as the sleek new look, revamped playback controls, sync with your mp3 player and more intuitive media management for your large collections of video, audio and even album art.
However, like with anything, take the good with bad, and for Windows Media 11 there is no exception. After trying it myself, the first thing I went to test was video codec support. I found it to be lacking. This has been a big issue in previous versions of Windows Media players. Audio files are no problem, images, not an issue, its the video type support that falls short. Again, unless you are playing a standard AVI or WMV file for example ,there are issues with other codecs such as Xvid, DivX, Mov and so on.
So whats the solution if you want to keep using windows Media player 11 you ask? A
Vista Codec Pack v4.5.8 has just been released containing all the codecs you would possibly need to play your new and old video files. Its a free download. With this package installed, you shouldn't need to install any other codec or filter
Get it at
Softpedia.com , there are instructions there to assist you in the installation.
Support from the developer of the Vista Codec Package can be obtained on the
MSFN Forums. Another suggestion is to get a real
DivX Player
, I bought a nice Phillips that plays it all on my TV.
Other Tips Users have watched
Written by PCWizKid on February 20th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Codec and DivX player and How To's and Software and Tech Tips and Technology and Windows Vista and media player 11 and microsoft and pcwizkid and tweaks and windows.
Hi,
Just want to let you know that my latest article about "Group Policy related changes in Windows Server 2008" has been released today on www.windowsecurity.com.
This 4th article in the series deals with Group Policy Preference actions, processing options, SYSVOL, Item Level targeting (ILT), Export/Import functionality, "well hidden stuff", variables, logging, future additions etc. - read more here...
I hope you like it - feel free to drop a comment or vote on the site!!!
/Jakob
.
Written by Jakob H. Heidelberg on February 20th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Windows Server 2008 and article and group policy and group policy extensions and group policy preferences and windowsecurity.com.
Well this a problem faced by one of my friend so I decided to post this...
If you decide to uninstall Windows Vista, you can remove the bootloader of Vista with
VistaBootPro. But how do you remove the files? If you try to do it from XP, you will get some nasty "Access Denied" errors. That's because the installer applies some nasty security permissions on them. They are not being used by anyone, it's just the permission restrictions that do not allow you to delete them. You have to go in Safe Mode. Restart your computer, and press F8 in the old pre-Windows Vista bootloader, or while waiting for the Windows XP logo to show up. (There where a cursor blinks). Select Safe Mode in the list of options that shows up. Login as Administrator. Go to Start -> My Computer -> Tools -> Folder Options -> View -> Show Hidden Files and Folders -> OK. This is to show some hidden files the installer places in the directory it installs Vista in. These include, but are not limited to "Program Data, Pagefile, Documents and Settings (hidden)." Select all the folders you wish to delete. Right click, properties. Go to Security Tab (yes to the popup that shows up) and click on Advanced. Go to Owner and select Administrator, make sure "Replace owner on subcontainers and files" is ticked. Wait. Once finished, right click, properties, security and advanced again. Make sure administrator has full permissions. Check "Replace permission entries on all child objects with entries shown here that apply to child objects." Hit OK. Wait again. Now, the last step! Go to Advanced again. Go to Administrator and hit "Full Control" under Allow. Make sure "Replace permission entries on all child objects with entries shown here that apply to child objects." OK, and wait. If you followed everything right, you should have full and unlimited access on Windows Vista files. What are you waiting, for, then? Hit the Del button!
Delete Vista Installation without Reformatting
Written by ShaDow on February 20th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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It looks like
Verizon's default DNS server for their customers
is redirecting all failed DNS queries to their own site,
calling the feature Advanced Web Search .
Fortunately, they have instructions on how to opt out .
The short version:
Go to your DNS Read More......(
read more)
Written by The Old New Thing : Tips/Support on February 20th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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A common question I see is
"How do I find the window that corresponds to an HINSTANCE ?" This question comes pre-loaded with the assumption that there is only
one window that corresponds to an HINSTANCE ,
which is true for only the most rudimentary of Read More......(
read more)
Written by The Old New Thing : Code on February 20th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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My original POST:
I thought I would blabber a bit... This is for the people who like to ask
questions.. and have a curious mind... :-)
Moore claimed recently that CPU power will reach a barrier in 10-15 years.
Many of you may be aware of "Moore's law" that he had stated that every 24
months the power of CPU's (the amount of calculations they would be able to
do) would double.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore's_law
This barrier Moore says now, would be true if we continue our path in this
direction of technology, which are microchips.
The problems arise are clearly about physics. Transistors are in fact made
of matter, thus atoms,
and through them passes the electric signal that is electromagnetic energy
with the speed of C (light speed). Pushing these chips to go faster produces
more heat, thus we have reached a speed limit of modern CPU at around 5 GHz
and even that is with super cooling.
Many talk about molecular computers or even quantum computers, that seem
very interesting...
But there is another way, the way nature works. If one studies the brain you
will see that it gets its processing power out of slow components (nerve
cells) that however have many connections with each other. Each neuron has
thousands of connections (called dendrites) with others, and all these
together form a "web" or vast cluster.
The number of "possible" connections of these neurons, in each human brain
is more than all the atoms of all the matter in the whole universe. This is
of course the number of POSSIBLE connections and not the true number of
connections in any given time. This is because the brain is not static,
rather it has "brain plasticity" the ability to adapt and learn and change
in real time.
It is my opinion that the new era of computers must follow the structure of
the brain if they want to achieve more processing power. And indeed piece of
the human brain the size of a dime, has more processing power than all the
computers in the world put together.
You may ask if so much power is in one brain why are some people so
stupid?..I believe differently. Each person has infinite POTENTIAL. The
reason why this is not unleashed is a different matter. Why? The answer to
this is not simple and I wont get into that now.. because we are talking
about computers here not humans.
There is another problem here though... what software would be able to
handle this new hardware even if we had it? It will not be a digital
computer.. rather it would be a combination of digital and analog
computer... and this is so new that its hard for people to write code that
would be able to put these neuron nets into function.
There is good news. Single chip CPU are things of the past now. We have 4
core CPU now, and Intel has predicted that in 5 years we will have more than
200 cpu per chip.
The OS's and programs are NOT built to handle multi CPU very well. In fact
Vista stinks at it big time. Linux is far better .. MS knows this and is
working on this problem because its in our near future.
So the next generation of programs and OS will be able to handle multi core
CPU better, and that's much like having many nerve cells as cluster in a
small electronic brain. Its a start.
A new generation of robotic scientists now claim that we will have robots
and AI (artificial intelligent computers) that will be comparable to humans
in only 20 years.
I think this is obtainable. Computing power will be infinite very soon....
but it will need some out of the box thinking.
What would this new type of computers be like?
There is a way... for infinity in everything. Infinite bandwidth, processing
power, memory storage, and energy. I believe that it is within the abilty
for humans to reach infinity.
Are you flexible enough to imagine how this would be possible? I know it is
possible.. I'm just fathoming its ramifications.
Written by computerboom on February 20th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Don Reisinger, ITworld.com As the world's most prominent operating system, Windows has dominated the tech industry for well over a decade and its competitors - Mac OS X and Linux - have failed to gain the kind of penetration Microsoft has.
But ever since the days of Windows 98, we have been forced to deal with a slew of Windows issues that have plagued individuals and companies alike. Instead of being the highly intuitive operating system Mac OS X is, Windows became bloated and difficult to use. Instead of offering sound functionality and customizability like Linux, Windows became quite the opposite.
To make matters worse, malicious hackers and spammers started developing a slew of attacks that proved deadly to Windows systems. Responding too late, Microsoft has allowed the security issue to become such a concern that some have migrated to other operating systems. And who can blame them? With Microsoft doing very little to protect them, the decision seemed quite simple.
But for all of its issues, Windows XP was still a relatively reliable operating system after Service Pack 2 was released. Once installed, SP2 offered the kind of functionality and security that we had hoped for and although there were still security concerns, the operating system worked much better than any of its predecessors and finally made sense for businesses and individuals alike.
And just when XP was at its height, Microsoft decided to drop Windows Vista on us, claiming "The wow was now." Sadly, the company failed to realize that the only "wow" coming out of most people's mouths was followed by something like, "what a crappy operating system."
In essence, Vista is nothing more than a pretty OS that loses any sense of reliability and reignites that uneasy feeling I got when using XP SP1. Of course, Microsoft doesn't agree.
According to the company, Vista was designed with security, good looks and functionality in mind. Instead of being an XP clone, Vista has the fine looks of Mac OS X and the usefulness we had come to expect from its predecessor. Sadly, the marketing team must have missed the memo because I haven't experienced anything of the sort.
Let's face it - Windows Vista is junk in almost every sense of the word. Sure, it's better looking than XP and I like the Windows Aero interface, but what really matters is how well the operating system performs at the tasks we ask of it. And so far, it has failed miserably.
How many times have you used Vista only to find out that it's basically the same bloated operating system with awkward warnings and crazy dialog boxes? Vista is easily the most annoying operating system I have ever used.
Just last week, I tried to install a Microsoft software package. After going through all the rigmarole of validating my copy and making sure Microsoft knows what I'm doing is legit, the operating system's new User Access Control, which was ostensibly installed to safe guard me, asked me five times if I wanted to install the program and if I had initiated the process.
Once I got through that annoyance, I sat there and waited for the program to install and watched as my brand-new operating system on a high-end PC slowed to a crawl trying to perform a simple task. Of course, that issue isn't just found during installation; the restart times are ridiculous and the chances of getting something done in a reasonable amount of time are all but lost. Simply put, Vista is brutally slow.
And yet, none of these issues are experienced in XP. Aside from being asked once if I want to install something, XP boots up in a jiffy and works just as I had hoped it would.
But in true Microsoft fashion, the company wants to stop licensing Windows XP to OEMs by June 30. According to the company, it's time we move on from XP and join the Vista world. It makes sense from a business standpoint - Microsoft spent millions developing Vista and it wants to cash in on its investment. But what about those of us who don't want to move to the junker? What if we want to stick it out with the tried and true XP?
Even worse, after releasing XP Service Pack 3, I really don't see a reason to switch. SP3 included all of the added security benefits of owning Vista and did so without slowing the OS down or making it annoying to use. In other words, the better OS just got better.
Of course, Microsoft knows the general public can't stand Vista. After trying to deal with companies like Acer and Dell that forced the organization to push the end-of-licensing date back, it was forced to manage retailers that simply didn't want to sell Vista in their stores and businesses that were loath to switch.
In response, the company has already started the propaganda machine for Windows 7 - Vista's follow-up - and told the world just how "special" it will be. But to me, it looks like a desperate move.
Instead of telling us how it will fix Vista and make it a worthwhile product, it's as if Microsoft wants us to believe that the operating system is a bridge to greatness and we should swallow our reservations and walk across that bridge because the pleasure will surely be worth the pain.
What a crock. Instead of wasting our time with hope for the future, Microsoft should keep XP alive until Windows 7 and allow the users to choose which software they want to use. At this point, Microsoft needs to realize that consumers want reliability and hate the thought of being forced into another crappy product. And although monetary concerns are obviously a factor for the company, just how much money will Microsoft lose if people realize how poor of an operating system Vista really is and they switch to competing platforms without ever taking a look back?
Trust me, allowing XP to stay available is good for all parties involved.
ITworld.com - Why Windows XP should be available until Windows 7
Written by computerboom on February 20th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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For a design-orientated conference, Microsoft’s MIX08 event has one of the worst-designed session timetables/planners I’ve ever come across. The sessions are listed in no apparent order and doesn’t actually provide any methods to sort the list by title, time, place or focus just in case you have any sense of control.
If you wanted to see what’s on during a particular time-slot, nope, can’t do that. If you wanted to see what’s on in a particular room on a day, nope, can’t do that. If you wanted to plan a list of sessions you’re interested in to find any conflicts, nope, can’t do that.
Because my time is so much less valuable than whomever designed that, I’ve taken the liberty to recompose the entire schedule in an Excel workbook to give some sense of time and place with what’s going on during the 3-day event with over 76 sessions in total.
First, I made an overview schedule of all the events and functions at MIX.
Then for each day, I compiled a detailed schedule of all the sessions that are happening that day columnized by which room it’s happening in.
Together with some nice colors, cell formatting and customized view options, if I may say so myself, I have designed a pretty damn good timetable.
What I’m going to do for myself is color highlight the sessions (cells) which I’m interested in attending so I have a clear picture of where I should be and when. Because I would feel so guilty being the only person at the event who actually has a clue what’s going on, I felt obliged to make available this Excel document for everyone else to download.
Download the schedule in Excel 2007 format (XLSX) here or the Excel 2000 format (XLS) here.
I’ll try to update the schedule when sessions time/place change. As a result of any errors in the schedule, I hold no responsibility if you end up in a LOLCat convention by mistake. But I’m sure you’ll fit right in.
Update (25/1): Added BlogZone opening and closing times to the overview.
Written by Long Zheng on February 20th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on blog.
Emotiv's headset gives users mind-control over digital objects
Posted by Daniel Terdiman
Emotiv's headset allows users some control over objects on a computer. It is possible to move things around, with limited application, with your mind.
(Credit: Emotiv)
I've just made a small orange cube disappear with my mind. No hands necessary.
I'm testing out the San Francisco company's so-called brain control interface, the latest iteration of technology it first showed off a year ago, but which, unlike last year, is now almost ready for prime time.
The idea is a blending of hardware and software: A headset that seems a little like the one from the James Cameron-written 1995 film, Strange Days, complete with a set of sensors that are built to read your brain waves.
The software then is designed to interpret those brain waves in such a way as to allow users to manipulate objects onscreen with nothing but their mind.
So that's why I've come to this office in downtown San Francisco, where I'm face-to-face with this little orange cube. It's kind of mocking me, daring me to make it disappear.
The headset is designed to fit snugly on a user's head. The data it produces can, in theory, be plugged into a wide variety of software.
(Credit: Emotiv)
Here's how it works: The software has several choices for actions you can take. So, taking the disappearing cube as an example, once you're hooked up to the headset, you're directed to run a short, six-second test, where you concentrate on doing something, anything, with your mind--relax, focus, whatever.
Then, once you've completed the test, it's you against the cube. And the challenge is to see if you can reproduce what it was you were doing with your mind during the test; If so, the cube slowly disappears.
In my case, it disappeared, then came back, then disappeared again and then came back. Repeat.
They also ran me through another example, this time trying to pull the cube forward. This one was harder because the brain function I chose to do to synchronize with the challenge was more concentrated. It involved me sort of tensing up my head and imagining the act of pulling the cube forward. It didn't work very well.
But with the disappearing act, I simply relaxed my mind, with much better results.
Of course, there's no relationship at all between brain activity that is consciously trying to "pull" the cube forward and what happens. That is to say, it doesn't matter in any way what you're doing with your mind, so long as what you do during the six-second calibration matches what you do when you try to enact the action.
So really, the software is just looking for a pattern match. It's not all that complicated a concept, though I'm sure it's a pretty difficult engineering feat.
Emotiv has also built technology designed to read your facial expressions and emotions. So while there, I saw a demonstration where someone wearing the headset would smile, frown, smile again, and so forth. And a goofy-looking face on the monitor would repeat the expression.
For now, this is all still just in prototype phase. But Emotiv promised me that the headset would be available in time for Christmas this year, at a price of $299. It'll come bundled with a game that is geared toward using the technology, and presumably, more games will follow. The success, I think, of this product, will be how easy it is for developers to build the technology into their games. And that, presumably, is why the product is being showcased during this week's Game Developers Conference, here in San Francisco.
Emotiv also said that the company is working on a partnership with IBM to integrate the brain control interface technology with Big Blue's virtual worlds projects.
To be perfectly honest, I think this technology is a ways from being ready for any hard-core application. Based on what I saw, it's very interesting and even quite impressive. But I just don't know if it can improve fast enough to make a real difference in the market in the next year. Perhaps it can, and if so, that would be fantastic.
Nintendo's Wii and Guitar Hero have opened people's eyes to all-new interfaces, and I'm sure that this would fit into that category. But the things that have made the Wii and the Guitar Hero controller so successful is that they are easy and intuitive to use. Whether Emotiv's technology is as well is something I'd have to reserve judgment on.
Still, I was able to make that cube disappear without using my hands. And that's something.
Topics:
Emotiv's headset gives users mind-control over digital objects | Geek Gestalt - A blog by Daniel Terdiman - CNET News.com
Written by computerboom on February 20th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Here’s how to do it Using the registry
Here is the Microsoft approach to editing the registry for auto logon:
1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Locate the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
3. Using your account name and password, double-click the DefaultUserName entry, type your user name, and then click OK.
4. Double-click the DefaultPassword entry, type your password under the value data box, and then click OK.
If there is no DefaultPassword value, create the value. To do this, follow these steps:
a. In Registry Editor, click Edit, click New, and then click String Value.
b. Type DefaultPassword as the value name, and then press ENTER.
c. Double-click the newly created key, and then type your password in the Value Data box.
If no DefaultPassword string is specified, Windows XP automatically changes the value of the AutoAdminLogon registry key from 1 (true) to 0 (false) to turn off the AutoAdminLogon feature.
5. Double-click the AutoAdminLogon entry, type 1 in the Value Data box, and then click OK.
If there is no AutoAdminLogon entry, create the entry. To do this, follow these steps:
a. In Registry Editor, click Edit, click New, and then click String Value.
b. Type AutoAdminLogon as the value name, and then press ENTER.
c. Double-click the newly created key, and then type 1 in the Value Data box.
6. Quit Registry Editor.
7. Click Start, click Restart, and then click OK.
Written by PC Freak on February 20th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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