I caught up with Deryl McCartney, Marketing Manager for the Windows Vista Logo Program , to get a general update on Certified for Windows Vista product as of today. Just to re-cap: Certified for Windows Vista products are products that carry the above Read More......(
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Written by Windows Vista Team Blog on May 9th, 2008 with no comments.
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I caught up with Deryl McCartney, Marketing Manager for the Windows Vista Logo Program, to get a general update on Certified for Windows Vista product as of today.
Just to re-cap: Certified for Windows Vista products are products that carry the above logo. This logo represents a group of applications and hardware that have gone through an extensive certification process that means they work great with Windows Vista. We want users who are looking for devices, applications, or PC components to easily be able to identify the ones that will give them the best experience in Windows Vista today. When I go into a store looking for something for my PCs I always "look for the logo".
As of April, we currently have over 5,000 products that are Certified for Windows Vista. Since last July, the amount of Certified for Windows Vista products has almost doubled! As you can see - we've seen quite a bit of growth with new Certified for Windows Vista products entering the market.
Deryl is very excited about some of the new Certified for Windows Vista products hitting the market today and wanted me to share a few with you:
He also tells me that there is a special section off http://www.windowsvista.com/ designed to showcase all the great Certified for Windows Vista products (right-hand side) worth checking out.
And there is even a Sidebar Gadget for you to add to your Windows Vista desktop that keeps you up-to-date with all the Certified for Windows Vista products and lets you search for specific products to see whether they are certified or not. Download the Gadget here.
I've covered my experiences with several Certified for Windows Vista devices here on the Windows Experience Blog recently:
I expect to be talking about some hot new Certified with Windows Vista devices in the very near future. And of course I expect to get regular updates from Deryl too!
And stay tuned as I have something else planned in regards to Certified for Windows Vista I think you'll like as well.
Written by Brandon LeBlanc on May 9th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on 1340 and 1354 and 1426 and 1429 and 1673 and 169 and 2065 and 2157 and 401 and 544 and Certified for Windows Vista and Contributors and Featured News and Hardware and Sidebar Gadget.
Windows XP works with countless different printers, scanners, digital cameras, and other devices. It does so with the help of drivers, unique software programs that help your operating system communicate with individual pieces of hardware. If your computer starts to freeze, crash, or if a hardware device stops working, you can troubleshoot the problem with the Device Manager.
Device Manager shows you how the hardware on your computer is installed and configured, and how the hardware interacts with your computer’s programs.
You’ll typically use Device Manager to check the status of your hardware and update device drivers on your computer. Advanced users who have a thorough understanding of computer hardware might also use Device Manager’s diagnostic features to resolve device conflicts and change resource settings.
Note You may need to be logged on as an administrator or be a member of the Administrators group in order to use some or all of the features in Device Manager. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.
To access Device Manager:
• Right–click My Computer, click Manage, and then click Device Manager. The Device Manager opens as shown in Figure 1 below.
To view the status of a device:
1. Open Device Manager.
2. Double–click the type of device you want to view.
3. Right–click the specific device you want, and then click Properties.
4. On the General tab, under Device status is a description of the device status, as shown in Figure 2 below.
If the device is experiencing a problem, you’ll see the type of problem in the Device status box. You might also see a problem code and number and a suggested solution. If you call a support line, this number can be useful for determining and diagnosing the problem.
For information on how to resolve hardware device problems, click Troubleshoot to start the Hardware Troubleshooter.
To install a new driver from Device Manager:
1. Open Device Manager.
2. Double-click the type of device you want to update or change.
3. Right-click the specific device driver you want to update or change.
4. Click Update Driver to open the Hardware Update Wizard. Follow the wizard instructions.
Note If you install a new driver and your system becomes unstable, you can easily uninstall the driver and reinstall the old driver with Driver Rollback. For more information, read How to Roll Back a Device Driver.
To uninstall a device:
1. Open Device Manager.
2. Double–click the type of device that you want to uninstall.
3. Right–click the specific device you want to uninstall, and then click Uninstall.
4. In the Confirm Device Removal dialog box, click OK.
When you’re done uninstalling the device, turn off your computer, and remove the device from the computer.
Note Many devices on the market today are Plug and Play, which means when you plug the device in your computer will recognize it and automatically prompt you to install the drivers you need. You won’t usually use Device Manager to uninstall a Plug and Play device. Simply disconnect the Plug and Play device from your computer. You might have to restart your computer. Check the device manufacturer’s instructions for more information.
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Written by Jason on May 6th, 2008 with no comments.
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The beta of GeForce Release 175.12 for Vista 32-bit.
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The beta of GeForce Release 175.12 for Vista 64-bit.
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The last in a multi-part series of 64-bit Vista.
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The third in a series talking about 64-bit Vista. This one focuses on hardware compatibility.
Post from: ITsVISTA
ITsVISTA Web Links: April 29th
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Written by Joe on April 29th, 2008 with no comments.
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Microsoft Windows XP was designed to make it easy to connect computers together and to give you access to everything the Internet has to offer, while still keeping your computer as safe as possible from potential threats.
After you add your computer to your home network, you’ll be able to print to a printer on your home network (the printer will no longer need to be attached directly to your computer) and access the other computers and devices connected to your home network. You’ll be able to share files, which means you can get data from any computer you connect to the network. You can even share one Internet connection among all your computers.
To connect to the Internet, follow these steps (which may vary slightly, depending on the software required for your network adapter)
1. Shut down your computer and install your network adapter.
Note: If you are installing a USB (Universal Serial Bus), CardBus, or CF card network adapter, you do not need to shut down your computer before installing the network adapter.
2. Start Windows, and log on as an administrator.
3. The Found New Hardware Wizard will appear. Click Yes, now and every time I connect a device. Then click Next..
4. The Found New Hardware Wizard asks you how you would like to find your driver. The driver is software Windows needs to communicate with your network adapter. Typically, it is included on the CD-ROM that came with your network adapter. Insert the floppy disk or CD-ROM, and then click Next.
5. If prompted, click Continue anyway. Software that does not have a digital signature has not been officially tested by Microsoft. However, it’s usually okay.
6. Windows XP copies the needed files and installs the software for your network adapter. On the final page, click Finish.
7. If prompted, click Yes to restart your computer. After your computer restarts, log on normally.
If you are connecting to a wired network, you are ready to use the Internet. If you are connecting to a wireless network, read Set up a wireless network, or follow the instructions provided with your wireless network adapter to configure your wireless network connection.
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Written by Jason on April 27th, 2008 with no comments.
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Let’s say you have a computer that’s connected to the internet via a broadband modem. This guide shows you how to share that computer’s internet connection (turning it into a router) with other computer(s) in your house without using a router or even a network switch in some cases.
Two Computers
If you want to share an internet connection with one additional computer on your network you’ll need an addition network (LAN) card installed on your computer if your broadband modem connects to your computer via a network (LAN) card.
If your broadband modem connects to your computer via a USB cable you probably won’t have to purchase an additional network card because one will be available.
Connect the two computers together with a regular CAT5 network cable. If you don’t want to run a wire or you want to make the shared internet connection wireless for a laptop, connect the computer sharing it’s internet to a wireless access point via a CAT5 cable and connect to the wireless access point wirelessly with the computers accessing the shared internet connection.
Three or More Computers
If you want to share an internet connection with two or more additional computers (a small network) you’ll need an additional network (LAN) card if your broadband modem is not connected to your computer with internet access via a USB cable. You’ll also need to purchase additional network cards (one for each connection), a switch, or wireless access point to network the computers you’re sharing the internet connection with.
Connect the computers to the computer sharing it’s internet via a network switch and CAT5 network cable or a wireless access point and wireless devices installed on each computer accessing the shared internet.
Enable Internet Connection Sharing
1. Click the Start orb and then select Control Panel.
2. Click Classic View on the left side of the Control Panel.
3. Open the Network and Sharing Center.
4. Click Manage Network Connections on the left side of the Network and Sharing Center.
5. Right-click the network connection you want to share and then select Properties.
6. Select the Sharing tab at the top of the Network Connection Properties window.
7. Check off Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s network connection.
8. Click OK to save the changes.
9. Now you can connect your computer, switch, or wireless access point to the extra network connection on the computer sharing it’s internet connection via CAT5 network cable.
Note: If you turn the computer connected to the broadband modem off all of the other computers will lose their internet connections as well.
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Written by Jason on April 25th, 2008 with no comments.
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Following the availability of Windows Vista SP1, Microsoft is now offering additional resources tailored on the service pack. Case in point: Windows Performance Tools Kit, version 4.1.1. The Windows Performance Tools Kit is a set of performance analysis tools designed to integrate seamlessly with both Vista SP1 as well as Windows Server 2008 SP1/RTM. On April 1, 2008, Microsoft updated Windows Performance Tools Kit to version 4.1.1, permitting system and application performance analysis for the latest versions of Microsoft’s server and client operating systems. According to Microsoft, the tools are aimed at a select group of users from driver and application developers to hardware manufacturers and systems builders interested in testing the performance of Vista SP1 and Windows Sever 2008.
“I recently came across a very interesting profiling tool that is available in Vista SP1 and Server 08 called the Windows Performance Analyzer. You can use this tool to profile and diagnose different kinds of symptoms that the machine is experiencing. This tool is built on top off the Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) infrastructure. It uses the ETW providers to record kernel events and then display them in a graphical format. Performance Analyzer provides many different graphical views of trace data including: CPU Sampling; CPU and Disk utilization by process and thread; Interrupt service routine and deferred procedure call; Hard faults and Disk I/O Detail,” revealed a member of the Microsoft Platforms Global Escalation Services team.
The Kit brings to the table a total of three items, designed together to provide performance information in a variety of scenarios. The xperf trace capture tool and the xbootmgr boot trace capture tool are both designed to gather information, while xperfview, or the Performance Analyzer, permits the visualization of the traces.
“The tools are built on top of the Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) infrastructure. ETW enables Windows and applications to efficiently generate events. Events can be enabled and disabled at any time without requiring system or process restarts. ETW collects requested kernel events and saves them to one or more files that are referred to as ‘trace files’ or ‘traces’,” Microsoft revealed in the description of the tool.
Windows Performance Tools Kit 4.1.1 is available for download here.
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Written by Jason on April 5th, 2008 with no comments.
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If you think that the first service pack for Windows Vista has managed to fix what was broken with the latest Windows client, think again. The same problems that were initially associated with the gold version of Vista have survived and moved on as the legacy of SP1. At the end of its first year of availability on the market, Vista had passed the 100 million sold license milestone, and according to Steve Ballmer, Microsoft Chief Executive Officer, present at MIX08 the past week, the platform is the second most popular Windows operating system in the world, despite its long line of problems.
“I’m not saying that there aren’t things that customers choose to comment on. Come on, the number one issue we’ve had customers have issues on were application compatibility and driver compatibility. (more…)
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Written by Jason on March 17th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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The long awaited, highly anticipated Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) will finally be available by Microsoft. For many, SP1 is the promise land for fixing those annoying performance, compatibility and slow file copy problems that have plague Vista since it’s release.
Only time will tell.
Regardless of what happens, pre-cautions should be taken to ensure a successful upgrade to Vista SP1.
Below are five steps you should follow BEFORE installing SP1, that should help with achieving a successful upgrade and ensure no data is lost. (more…)
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Written by Jason on March 15th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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How much do you know about your PC? Yes, I know Windows tells you about the hardware and you can see what programs you have on the All Programs list, but that’s just scratching the surface. What, for instance, is the make and version of your PC’s BIOS, what peripherals are attached, how much of your memory is in use, when was your PC first switched on and how many times have you booted it up, what is the make, model number and size of your hard drive, and just how many programs are still on your PC that you’ve forgotten about? (more…)
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Written by Jason on March 11th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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