Hey let’s face it, Everyone is always looking for a good way to make your Windows Machine work faster and quicker. I already talked about some of this with Windows 7 Optimization for Beginners. Now I want to expand on that and tell you about programs that I have come across that will make your life a lot simpler and keep your system running at peak performance.
Clean up your Desktop by using Fences – This is a really handy little tool for those of us who have a bunch of desktop Icons. This will simply make all those icons that you don’t use very often disappear until you need them. Great little tool, so you can enjoy your background even more. Set up which fences you want to hide until you need them and you will have a less cluttered desktop. For the Mac, You can try Lifeclevers Tip on how to do it!
The Ultimate Windows Tweaker — This has over 150 tweaks for Vista and Works just fine for Windows 7. Great little tweaker to make your computer more productive. I have used this on my clients computers and it does a great job making Windows more responsive and less annoying. You can even tweak the UAC(User account Control) using this program.
Make Windows Start Menu easier to Use (Startmenu7) — Great little way to make Windows 7 Start Menu look and feel like Windows Vista or even Windows XP. You will be able to be more productive with this little tool. I have this on my sandisk drive when clients want to make Windows 7 more simpler.
Unistall Programs Completely (Revo Uninstaller) – Although this program is a 30 day trial, this is a good program to buy because it will go through and look through your registry and completely remove any trace of a program from your computer. This will keep your systems running at it’s best and will keep your registry clean also. Great buy for those systems that may be gaming systems.
Clean Windows Thoroughly by using CCleaner — I can’t tell you how many times I go into a customers house and how by using this little program I can speed up their system just by getting rid of all the junk that accumulates from cache files, unused registry items, and other files that need to be deleted or fixed by this little program.
These are just five of my favorite programs to help keep Windows running as smoothly and keep me being productive on any machine. If you use these programs you will notice your productivity going up, I can almost guarantee it. If you have any suggestions about other programs that are good just leave a comment. I’d like to test out other programs that might even better than these.
When Windows 7 Operating System came out and Microsoft in all its wisdom decides to add a new way of connecting your systems together called Homegroups.
HomeGroup takes the headache out of sharing files and printers on a home network. Connect two or more PCs running Windows 7, and HomeGroup makes it easy to automatically start sharing your music, picture, video, and document libraries with other people in your home.
Now let’s explain the problems that I have had with this. I have Windows 7 and my Wife has Windows Vista, and the problem that I have to overcome is to connecting the two computers to a network and still have had to fight with the systems to get them to talk to each other.
I tried those techniques to get Windows 7 and Windows Vista to play nice, and the result was a somewhat of a success. I will say that I had to do some other things to get it work right. I will go about telling you what I did, but this would take a longer than you would like. I will thought give you pointers where to look because each system is unique and that can cause problems on itself.
Yep I said the plural word and not just one firewall, I like to add Zonealarm Free Edition to any Windows system I get. Anyways, like Zonelarm, You should make sure the Subnet is 255.255.255.0 on all computers. When you tell the computer that you have a Subnet, that basically tells the systems to look for other networks on the current IP, which being the private IP. Private IP’s are ones that can’t be used outside of a local network, that is because a third of internet users are using that ip for their private network.
Check to make sure other programs aren’t interferring!!
Sometimes a program might be doing something you didn’t know it was doing. You can try to test this by shutting down programs one at a time to see if this fixes the problem. You might even make sure AVG isn’t causing the problem because they do have a Resident Shield that acts like a firewall but really isn’t.
These are just a few places to look to get Windows 7 to share files with Windows Xp and Vista. If you have any suggestions, by all means leave a comment and let people know other ways to fix the problem. This is how I check and get Windows to communicate.
So you just got Windows 7 on a new system and you want to optimize the system to run smoother. I wanted to talk about how even a novice could do some of the things that might help with that.
If your coming from Windows XP to Windows 7, I would like you to check out some Vista tips that will also help you with Windows 7.
If you bought a OEM version that comes with bloatware, you can always use PC Decrapifier to get those bloatware off your system. Some other things to do are to prevent programs from starting up by disabling them using the Autoruns. What most people don’t know is that Windows 7 is a better version of Windows Vista and that is why I suggest reading those other Vista Articles that I wrote about. I can still use those tips and tricks from Vista to make Windows 7. With these tips you can make Windows 7 run better and smoother.
So I get home and here is what they updated for those who would like to keep track:
Vulnerabilities in Active Directory Could Allow Remote Code Execution (KB971055) — This update is only for MicrosoftWindows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Professional and Windows Server 2003. This one is Rated critical due to Remote Code Execution, which means a program can install malware or viruses on your system and you wouldn’t know it.
Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (KB969897) –This security update resolves seven privately reported vulnerabilities and one publicly disclosed vulnerability in Internet Explorer.
Vulnerabilities in Internet Information Services (IIS) Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (KB970483) –This security update resolves one publicly disclosed vulnerability and one privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS). The vulnerabilities could allow elevation of privilege if an attacker sent a specially crafted HTTP request to a Web site that requires authentication.
Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Excel Could Allow Remote Code Execution (KB969462) — This security update resolves several privately reported vulnerabilities that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Excel file that includes a malformed record object.
Vulnerabilities in Windows Print Spooler Could Allow Remote Code Execution (KB961501) — This security update resolves three privately reported vulnerabilities in Windows Print Spooler. The most severe vulnerability could allow remote code execution if an affected server received a specially crafted RPC request.
Vulnerability in Windows Search Could Allow Information Disclosure (KB963093) — This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Windows Search. The vulnerability could allow information disclosure if a user performs a search that returns a specially crafted file as the first result or if the user previews a specially crafted file from the search results.
Vulnerability in Microsoft Works Converters Could Allow Remote Code Execution (Kb957632) — This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in the Microsoft Works converters. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Works file.
Vulnerabilities in Windows Kernel Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (Kb968537) — This security update resolves two publicly disclosed and two privately reported vulnerabilities in the Windows kernel that could allow elevation of privilege.
Vulnerability in RPC Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (Kb970238) — This security update resolves a publicly disclosed vulnerability in the Windows remote procedure call (RPC) facility where the RPC Marshalling Engine does not update its internal state appropriately.
Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Word Could Allow Remote Code Execution (Kb969514) — This security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Word file.
As you can see these are rated from being Critical to Moderate. Each and every one of these should be updated and can be easily done using Autopatcher. Something you should consider before doing these updates is to make a Restore point before proceeding or a Complete backup, just in case. Also it is suggested to install these at your earliest convenience due to the fact that the malware authors will start using and is called Exploit Wednesday. Also it wouldn’t hurt to install some free Anti-virus and Free Firewalls instead of using Windows Firewall. This will help protect your in the future also.
The systems that are vulnerable are Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. I like this new way Microsoft is helping the less educated. They now havea Fix it button on the site. This fix it button is a registry change to there system. It does all the work for the End user. Although the corporate field will have to modify the registry there own way.
It looks like Microsoft is thinking of making this more user friendly. Here is how to do a manual registry fix for your computer:
Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
Locate and then click the following subkeys in the registry:
In the Export Registry File dialog box, type Quicktime_Parser_Backup.reg, and then click Save.
Note By default, this will create a backup of this registry key in the My Documents folder.
Press DELETE on the keyboard to delete the registry key. When prompted to delete the registry key in the Confirm Key Delete dialog box, click Yes.
Exit Registry Editor.
This will fix the problem until Microsoft has come out with a patch. If you are not comfortable doing it this way, you can always go hit the fix it button to have it do it automatically. This will help prevent someone from using this exploit!!
After a Long day at work, you sometimes feel like there isn’t much you want to talk about. Then this idea comes to me? Why do people blog and why do people talk about security?
I’ve come to realize something, I’m not one who was grew up understanding bits from bytes. I grew up as any family does fighting with my siblings.
Having been blogging the past few years, it seems like only yesterday that I started blogging. Cliche I know but still very much true. Most blogs do what they know, I aim to learn and teach each day I blog. Like days like this when the world is pretty much quite and the remnants of the conficker worm dies to a rumble.
After a day long battle with my wife’s system, I grow to wonder if there is something I should do differently with how to prevent Viruses and Worms on her system. So I’ve groomed my Knowledge base and come up with 5 good points when it comes to locking down your Windows Machines:
Lock down your Router/Modem — Some people don’t know that having an insecure router with weak passwords is a way to get on another system. This can easily be prevented if the users takes some steps to prevent. it. Although if a hacker wants to break your encryption and find your Signal there is really nothing you can do but try to prevent that.
Firewall and Anti-virus – Although I know people think I am a broken record this will always be something I encourage for everyone who reads my blogs. I will never stop beating people over the head with this. Seeing the Conficker map tells me there are quite a few without an Anti-virus or a Firewall, which might of given someone a heads up find out if they do or not!!
Disabling AutoRun – This can prevent a USB stick from installing software it shouldn’t. Remember Microsoft has issued an statement on how to disable it for sure. Although I must say The Security Now episode 187 seems to talk about this really well and how to make sure you do disable it the right way.
Make sure it is a Limited user account – Most people always run as administrator when in fact that sometimes makes you more vulnerable to viruses, worms, and trojans. Any software you install as an administrator will automatically be given Administrator rights. That can be very bad when it comes to virus and such.
Keep your System up to date — This is essental for people who to prevent exploits to be used against you. Although if your like me and you want to make sure your software is up to date some of that can be done with APPSNAP.
With These tips, your system can be a little more safer. Just remember there is no perfect way to protect your systems 100% only some of the time. The rest depends on you, because your the last layer of defense. Also it isn’t a bad idea to back up your system from time to time.
As most of read from Engadget, Cnet, and IGN, this is the the beginning to the end for unlimited internet access. As you know according to Wikipedia, there is 8.9 Million at least having XBOX 360 and according to Engadget there are 71% have DSL speeds, so that would be a possible 5.6 million I am guessing. Just on one Console, I could go through each console and see but I know it is a big number. It could out sell all these other consoles really quickly.
Now we have had console wars for some time and this might or might not work depending on the streaming of Onlive and also the FPS(Frames Per Second). If they don’t do it right, this will never catch on and if they do it right which they might I see there will become a scenario where the ISP will want to regulate bandwidth. Time Warner has been looking into for some time. IF enough people buy this and use the service then all the ISP will have more reasons to regulate bandwidth. So is this the downfall of Unlimited Internet Access? All these kids wanting to play the most recent games, who knows how this will work out but this will be a bandwidth issue in the coming months as we see who wants to use this. If Onlive sells these for $99 then I see it becoming the winner, I’d also like to see unlimited subscriptions like Netflix but We will have to wait and see!!
Offline updater 5.0 has been released a couple months ago and I just realized it now. This is an excellent tool for IT professionals who want to keep all your Systems up-to-date with the last patches from Microsoft. The systems it supports are Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 x64, And Windows Vista / Server 2008.(32 bit and 64 Bit updates).
I find this a very useful program for people who have a multitude of problems, from not being able to get on the net to computer virus infections. This is really good for big businesses that want to update a lot of systems in easy way without having to wait for downloads of updates to install. You can take a DVD and update on the fly within Mins. DVD being Cheap or buying them in bulk helps saves time and money for the company. Less time spent downloading the updates and more time actually getting work done. As with the Conflicker, Downadup, and to some the Conflickr Trojan, if you got infected with that little worm. This would help install the updates that it prevented you from doing in the first place. I also found that once you download do the update the files are kept on the hard drive so you no longer have to redownload them again. You just update the updates every second Tuesday of the month and it downloads the newest patches and creates a whole new ISO for you to burn.
Q: How can I create the offline update CD images automate, for example via a “scheduled job”?
A: Create a new batch file in the “cmd”, eg “DownloadUpdatesAndCreateISOImage.cmd”. Add the desired calls of
“DownloadUpdates.cmd” and “CreateISOImage.cmd” with the necessary parameters in this new file. The file might for
example have the following contents:
@ echo off
call WXP download updates eng
call CreateISOImage WXP eng
Then set a “time-controlled contract” for the new script “DownloadUpdatesAndCreateISOImage.cmd” to your desired
time. For example, after each Microsoft Patchday create new images, select every second Wednesday of the month.
[Via The FAQ's Documentation (Translated Via Google)]
As you can see you can have it do a script and be ready for you in the morning. You then just take it out of the drive and install where you need to install the day after the updates are issued. On another Note if you have clients who use Windows office Xp, 2000, 2003, 2007 then this will also help:
This is nice if you have clients who use the Microsoft Office Suites also. Some Malware will often try to infect people’s systems through a office script or some other vector. So this will also prevent infections or hackers from getting onto the system by updating this also. You can have this added to each and every DVD ISO you make to include these as you update the patches also.
As many of you know we talked about the Non-critical patches that Microsoft will release today. IF you want to read those please go and check it out. I’ll be talking about the REALLY important ones that Microsoft has kept tight until now. These are the more important ones but I will list the ones that I previous talked about to better help people recognize the non-important ones:
These are just the tip of the iceberg. although this list are not A lot. I’d wanted to let people know about what people coin “Exploit Wednesday“. I really don’t know if this is a Myth or actually does exist but I’d figure we discuss the problems associated with installing the critical updates and try to tell you which ones should be installed As soon as possible. Though people have in the past used a Virtual Machine to see if there is any problem, that should be your first step if you don’t want to have any problems with these updates. I don’t suggest testing it more than a couple days. Here are some good Virtual Machine software to try out yourself:
Here is the list of updates that are critical that Microsoft released today. Each one of these are quite important and should be considered installed when you get a chance.
This security update resolves four privately reported vulnerabilities. The vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
This security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities in GDI. Exploitation of either of these vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted WMF image file. An attacker who successfully exploited these vulnerabilities could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
This security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities in Windows Search. These vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user opens and saves a specially crafted saved-search file within Windows Explorer or if a user clicks a specially crafted search URL. An attacker who successfully exploited these vulnerabilities could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
KB952069 (not quite sure what this one is, when I go do a Google search this is what pops up. It was in German but Google translated it for me)
In the Windows Media Runtime to the default in Windows XP SP3 contains Windows Media Player (WMP) 9 were discovered vulnerabilities that could allow an attacker to compromise your Windows-based system and gain control over it. See Security Bulletin MS08-076 ( englisch bzw. deutsch ) See Security Bulletin MS08-076 (English or German)
These are just ones that I found and wanted to let you know, the others have been explained on the other article. So check them all out and I suggest installing them quickly as possible.
An update rollup is available for the Microsoft Windows Imaging Component (WIC) in Windows Vista or in Windows Server 2008. This update rollup resolves the problems that are documented in the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
954708 An update to add support for the serialization of complex Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) data types in the Windows Imaging Component
945060 There may be inconsistencies in the Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) and Exchangeable Image File (EXIF) values for an image file in Windows Vista and in Windows XP
The Windows Portable Device (WPD) API collects and transfers Software Quality Metrics (SQM) data to Microsoft servers. The SQM data is collected only on an opt-in basis through the Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement Program. An update is available that disables the collection and transfer of SQL data to Microsoft servers.
This update affects Windows Vista-based computers, Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1)-based computers, and Windows Server 2008-based computers that are in the Microsoft Windows Media Player Customer Experience Improvement Program.
On a Windows Vista-based computer or on a Windows Server 2008-based computer, you install a third-party Web browser. You set the third-party Web browser as the default Web browser. Then, you run the Connect to the Internet Wizard. However, if you select the Browse the Internet nowoption, Windows Internet Explorer starts instead of the third-party Web browser that you set as the default Web browser.
This seems to be not so important. All of these are not really security related but it does surprise me that Microsoft wanted to release these out of Cycle. If your planning on using your Vista laptop during the holidays you might want to update your vista machine before you go. I don’t think there is going to be any major issues with this but if there is, you can always remove these updates later.
An update for the AVG virus scanner released yesterday contained an incorrect virus signature, which led it to think user32.dll contained the Trojan Horses PSW.Banker4.APSA or Generic9TBN. AVG then recommended deleting this file; this causes the affected systems to either stop booting or go into a continuous reboot cycle. So far, the problem only appears to affect Windows XP, but there is no guarantee that other versions of Windows don’t have the same issue.
I bring this up because this is a false positive according to AVG. AVG since sent out another update to there Database and you can go and update the database to get rid of this problem. If you need to restore that DLL check out the article Security and The Net, they got some excellent suggestions on fixing the problem.
If you’ve not been affected by this yet, you probably won’t be. It is yet unknown how many people have been affected. I’m blogging about this to tell people about this and to warn people that not all of warnings from AVG are true and that is why you should always ask before you delete or do anything to your system. I always USE google when it comes to these types of questions
According to Computer World, dated Oct 31, 2008 and I’ll quote:
“Over the next couple of months, we’ll be rolling out another infrastructure update to the Windows Update agent (client code),” said an unidentified Microsoft employee on the Windows Update team’s official blog. “This update makes it possible for users to install more than 80 updates at the same time.”
Now if your like me and have several computers who need to be updated at a given schedule, you sometimes worry about these updates that come along that might just break your system. I have been using a program call Offline Updater, which does what Autopatcher does really nicely. So why is Microsoft sending out this patch? Two reasons, one they want you to be able to update your operating System without hurting your system integrity.
Now lets talk about the integrity of having to reboot your system. You see, every time you reboot the system, it causes the system hardware some strain. It is something like having starting up a car, sooner or later you will have the starter go out, because of to much start up.
Second reason for this is, basically the update software needs to be update yet again for any security flaws or features that might be exploitable. I am sure there are some and Microsoft probably knows about that we do not. So that is the second reason, which it is the most obvious reason yet to push out another revision of the Windows update.
What about stopping the update from effecting your system. The only way that I know of is to prevent Windows from checking for updates. Which is simple:
Windows XP Version:
[Category View and Classic View]
<Start> / Control Panel / Security / Click Windows Updates
<Orb> / Control Panel/ Security Center/ Windows Update / click “change Settings”
With both ways, you will be able to control four ways to handle Windows updating and they are:
Automatic - Will download all necessary updates and install them without your permission or knowledge. Note some of the updates will automatically reboot your system. Most commonly they are set to do this every day in the 12am to 4 am period of time. So when you wake up you would see an log in screen.
Download updates but let me choice which ones to install and when - This is most commonly used by people who don’t want to bother having to check manually. It will check and download, then it will let you know.
Check for updates but don’t Download them- This is like the previous one but this will only tell you. The rest of the decision is in your hands not the computer. This is good for people who have limited system resources, like Hard drive space. It still reminds you like the previous one but won’t download any updates.
Never check for updates- This is used for people who don’t want to be bothered with updates and have a way to update manually. This is commonly used by businesses who have several systems on and don’t want to risk an update causing trouble or weigh down the companies internet by downloading updates un-necessarily. This option is not to be messed with because it leaves your system with quite a lot of vulnerabilities. You do this one if you have a set schedule to update each and everyone system. (Extremely Dangerous to do)
With what I talked about, I am hoping you find this useful and to share your discoveries with other people who might want to be able to change how Windows updates are handled on other systems. If you have comments or questions, please post them in the comment section and someone will be more than glad to help you out.
Vulnerability in Windows Internet Printing Service Could Allow Remote Code Execution (KB953155)
This update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in the Windows Internet Printing Service that could allow remote code execution. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts.
This update is rated Important for all supported editions of Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2008. For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section.
The security update addresses this vulnerability by changing the way that memory is allocated within the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) service. For more information about the vulnerability, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) subsection for the specific vulnerability entry under the next section, Vulnerability Information.
Now from what I understand, if you have a Network attached printer on your system this would make you more vulnerable to someone taking control over your system. So this patch is supposed to fix that. I am recommending to all to update this and fix this update ASAP. I do not know if you don’t have one what that would do so just install this update, because you will undoubtedly still be runing the Internet Printer Protocol even if you don’t have a printer.
I was searching for a program to help boot up my system a lot quicker. I came across this little program call Startup Delayer. In a nutshell, it allows you to pick which programs to start up first and then lets you decide how many minutes between each program that is asking to load.
In the best way possible you can download this program and use it for yourself. Although they seem to be having a little server problem right now. Go download Startup Delayer, and decide for yourself.
I woke up this morning and found there was an update. I thought to myself this isn’t the second Tuesday, that was last week. So I click on my update tab to see what it was all about? Wouldn’t you know it, an update to Silverlight 2.
I will be looking into the new Microsoft Silverlight. I have heard on the wind, that this might be due to the PDC coming Oct 27-30. This has something to do with Windows 7, I’m almost sure of it. I am sure as you can see this is most interesting. I’m also sure this has to do with some security fix but why push it out now when there is no need too. This update effects Windows Xp/Vista/and 2000 so we will see what they have in mind the coming weeks.
So We’ve talked about how to get Vista to shut down better. So I thought we talk about getting Windows XP programs to run on Vista and be more stable. You can do this with Windows XP, ME, 2000, NT,. and 95 programs.
Run the program in compatibility mode – This is something Vista comes with now for running old programs in Vista. To do this you will have to do some minor things. Go to where the program is and right click on the program. Select properties>compatibility. Select “Run this program in compatibility mode for:” Select windows Operating System that you think would work with the program.
Run the program as Administrator – This is a really good tip and trick to sometimes get programs to run with vista. It goes hand in hand with the last one. Right click on the program and select “Run as Administrator”. I find some old programs don’t know about the kernel protection in Vista and you need to give them permission to use the kernel for the program to work.
Give the program special access– Yes this one takes a little skill but should fix some of the problems with vista and old programs. Right click on program and select properties. Select security, and then select the group you want to associate with it. I always suggest putting it in the administrator group because of the problems with Vista and the kernel.
These few tips and tricks will greatly increease the likely hood of a old program to run in Vista. Now remember if you have a Vist x64 Version you might need to do the Run as Administrator more than not. I am not sure why I just know it is sometimes required. Let me know what other tips and tricks you use with Vista and I’ll be sure to pass them along!!
So I’ve been Playing Half-Life 2 and Enjoying it so much. I’ve had a problem with Vista popping up and saying “The igfx video driver has stopped responding and has recovered!”. Which means this, that the game goes black and stops being played. It’s an annoying Vista flaw, I am thinking that if it wasn’t Vista it wouldn’t of happened. I’ve got the Minimum system specs for the game. DirectX 7.0 Compatible, 512 Megabytes of Ram, 128 megabytes Video Ram Card(some supported cards here but I don’t have one of those cards!), and Windows NT/XP/2000/98.
I did a little research and found out that the game was only using 256 megabytes of ram. How do I know? I went into the Taskmanager Manager and looked at hl2.exe (it was around 254 megs of memory!). So that got me thinking, I have 1024 megabytes(1 gigabyte memory) and I was using 256 megabytes of that for video. Well I still had over 700 megabytes of memory to use.
I did some digging and found this great article about Steam and Commands that I could put in to force Half-Life 2 to co-operate. The article is from the Linux Community and using the WINE engine to help people to play Half-Life 2 with Linux. This little option is available to most of the Steam community. To use these commands, one must do some stuff check farther down for details. These commands are:
Command Line Commands
-heapsize [Kilobytes]: This command tells Half Life 2 to allocate more RAM to the game system heap, where it can be accessed by the game to improve performance by storing more game information in RAM and hence reducing loading pauses. The default heapsize is 64MB, however you can safely allocate around 128MB (i.e. -heapsize 128000) for most systems. You can use higher values if you have more RAM, but I don’t recommend exceeding half your physical RAM (e.g. for 1GB RAM, set heapsize of 512000).
-console: Speeds up the loading of Half Life 2 at startup by not loading up the background 3D graphics on the main menu and instead loading up a blurry background picture and the Half Life 2 console open. Note you can close this console using the ‘~’ key.
-width [pixels] -height [pixels]: Using these two commands you can set a custom resolution in Pixel Width x Pixel Height (e.g. -width 640 height 480 starts HL2 with 640×480 resolution). Make sure you choose a resolution supported by your monitor and with the correct ratio of width to height (usually 4:3).
-dxlevel [version]: Using this command allows you to force Half Life into only using the specified DirectX version for shaders. For example, use -dxlevel 70 to force Hardware DirectX7.0 level support for shaders. This means a reduction in image quality but an increase in performance. Other values include -dxlevel 80 -dxlevel 81 and -dxlevel90. Note that this only works if you choose a DirectX version which is lower than the current one supported by your graphics card. See the Hardware DirectX Version option under the In-Game settings for more details.
-refresh [Hz]: Specifies the refresh rate the game will use upon loading. This is normally not required as your system should already use the optimal refresh rate at your chosen resolution. However if this is not the case you can force it to a specific refresh rate (e.g. -rate 85). Make absolutely certain that the rate you are trying to apply does not exceed your monitor’s capabilities otherwise you may damage your monitor – especially if you change resolutions and forget to change this option.
-novid: Disables the intro video so that Half-Life 2 loads a bit faster.
Now what I used to make Half-Life 2 a more enjoyable game was to go into steam program and Right click Half-Life 2 and select properties Then select : “Select launch options” and I added this:
“-console -heapsize 512000 -dxlevel 70”
Now let’s clarify some of this:
the heapsize I set that to add more memory for Half-Life 2 to make it around 512 megabytes. I then told it to Use only DirectX 7.0. Now when Direct X 7.0 was out you could only have 128 megabytes of Video so that was fine. I’ve got 256 megabytes of shared video memory, I Just told it to use only 128 so it actually helped out the game performance. I Got a more stable game to where I could play for hours without any annoying glitches and got to see the story line. I will say you shouldn’t use this particular setting unless you have enough memory. I think Vista is having trouble with Direct X 10.0 because the change of the game was surprisingly smoother. I am not sure why it works I just know it does. I hope this helps other gamers out with this little problem, I’ve had with Vista and all.
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While it admits it’s not possible to pin down an exact number, Microsoft has let out word today that it estimates the counterfeit rate of Vista to be about half that of XP, a figure that it seems to be more than pleased with. Of course, one could interpret those numbers in slightly less positive ways, but Microsoft claims the sharp dip in piracy is due to Vista’s amped up authentication system, which it says is a “proven and effective way to combat piracy.” To come up with the numbers, Microsoft apparently relied statistics based on Windows Genuine Advantage validation failures, as well as other unspecified internal data. As TG Daily notes, all this follows Microsoft’s announcement of revised anti-piracy measures in Vista SP1 and, specifically, some big changes to the aforementioned WGA feature.
Oh brother I guess that means Vista is getting popular I hope not. I am still having some trouble with the OS. Oh well I thought people would like to know!!
Windows only: Synchronize the contents of two folders, either across your home network or on the same PC with a free utility from Microsoft, SyncToy. The 2.0 beta’s been released and gotten smarter since the first time we pointed out SyncToy, adding smart drive letter detection (for when your USB drive gets assigned a different drive letter when you plug it in) and a more robust mechanism to include or exclude files from the synchronize action. Great for sync’ing files from your desktop to a USB drive or between two different computers on your home network, Adam uses it to sync his iTunes library between PC’s. The SyncToy 2.0 beta is a free download for Windows only.
Windows 98/XP/2000 only: Want to keep better tabs on your drive and partition space without having to right-click or open “My Computer”? Free application Vista Drive Icon replaces the standard hard drive icons with Vista-style models that display how much space is taken up and turn red when nearly full. The program runs in the background, shows up in almost every folder view and uses only a small amount of memory. If you’re seeing red a bit too often, check out Gina’s guide to visualizing your hard drive usage to make clean-up fast and easy. Vista Drive Icon is a free download and runs on Windows versions earlier than Vista.
Experienced Windows XP users likely know how to manually alphabetize their Start menu’s programs list, but doing so after every new program installation gets old pretty quickly. The Elder Geek offers a solution that keeps your programs alphabetized at all times—even if you try to re-sort them. The trick involves making a registry hack, and the Elder Geek points out that this one in particular could do some damage if done incorrectly, so make sure to back up your registry before venturing in.
Windows only: Like the convenience of the Vista sidebar but wish it offered more customization, or even just a hiding option? Free application SideSlide gives you program and web site launchers, RSS readers, notepads, reminders, pictures, clipping holders, and more in one skin-able bar that hides on the edges of your desktop. It’s the kind of tinker-friendly widget that shortcut lovers can easily get lost in—containers to launch multiple programs at once, feed combiners with group searching and updating and lots of keyboard navigation options, to name just a few hacks. Check out this quick start guide by SideSlide’s makers to get started. SideSlide is a free download for Windows XP, 2000 and Vista, and requires that Microsoft Core XML Services 6.0 be installed (a link is provided on the SideSlide link below, but Vista users should be set up already). Vista users who just want to get more out of their pre-installed sidebar can check out our roundup of useful sidebar gadgets.
If you’re used to taking a coffee break because of long hangs every time you fire up Windows Explorer, the How-To Geek weblog suggests turning off network folder and printer searching in Explorer’s folder options. Just open Explorer, go to Tools -> Folder Options and click on the View tab. At the top of the File and Folders list, uncheck “Automatically search for network folders and printers” and click OK. If the networking issue was your Explorer slow-down culprit, you should notice a significantly faster startup next time you open up My Computer.
The CyberNet weblog details how to seamlessly share a Firefox profile between a dual boot Ubuntu Linux and Windows installation by sharing the same profile folder in both OSes. It’s a very simple trick that involves the Firefox Profile Manager, and it only takes a few steps to complete. On the other hand, if your goal is to share profiles between different computers, we’ve got you covered there, too.
Windows/Mac/Linux (All platforms): There are tons of great instant messaging applications available, but one nagging problem in the IM world is that there’s no great, fully cross-platform chat app (unless you count Meebo). Free, open source application Instantbird aims to do for chat what Firefox does for the browser. Based on the same tools used to create Firefox and Thunderbird, Instantbird should ultimately be just as extensible as the former—which means IM customization will be as simple as installing a Firefox extension. Right now Instantbird connects to virtually any IM network and supports a tabbed chat interface. Beyond that, the application is still very barebones, but its upcoming features are very exciting.
Aside from the basics you’d expect from any chat app (like status notifications, contact management, and IM notifications), the ultimate roadmap for Instantbird includes video and voice support. What’s most exciting, though, is the possibility that the chat application will be subject to the same community of creative extension developers that make Firefox such a killer browser—so that Instantbird can easily be customized to deliver exactly what you want from it. Instantbird is free, works with Windows, Mac, and Linux. It’s still a very young app, so this one’s for the early adopters.
Windows/Mac/Linux: Add clip art, advanced PDF functions, and in-editor Wikipedia searching to open source office suite OpenOffice.org with OxygenOffice Professional, a modified installation package and extension. Along with adding roughly 3,400 clip art files and templates, OxygenOffice’s extensions also add support for Microsoft‘s Visual Basic for Applications in the Calc spreadsheet program and conversion tools for the Office Open XML format used in Office 2007. Combined with the Writer’s Tools package, this gives OO.org a number of exclusive features.
To install, download the extension, open OO.org, go to Tools -> Extension Manager and click the “Add” button in the My Extensions section, or download a binary to make a fresh OO.org install. OxygenOffice is a free download that runs wherever OpenOffice.org does.
Windows/Mac: Freeware application Yuuguu provides instant remote screen sharing through a simple IM-like application. Just install Yuuguu on the computers you’d like to share screens, and then register and login to the Yuuguu chat application. If you decide you want to do a little screen sharing—perfect for friends and family tech support or a little project collaboration—just click “Show” and let the screen sharing begin. The user you’re chatting with can either observe your screen or take control of the keyboard and mouse. Of course, there’s no shortage of screen sharing apps like Yuuguu out there (like CrossLoop, ShowMyPC, LogMeIn, and of course VNC), Yuuguu’s simple cross platform support is a bit of a gem.
Quick: What’s the difference between putting your PC in Hibernate or Standby mode? Yeah, we weren’t sure either. Luckily the Productivity Portfolio weblog schools us on the finer details of Windows XP power schemes. Using Standby:
Your machine recovers quickly as your data is stored in RAM. The slower part is waking up the peripherals. Although your machine is in “standby” the power has been cut to items such as your hard drive and monitor. You’re running your machine in a very low power mode, but it is still on. This mode can be useful if you’re on a notebook and need to conserve your battery while you step away.
With Hibernate:
The big difference is that your PC has shut down and is not pulling power. Another difference is that your data is saved to your hard disk and not RAM. This makes it a safer, but slower option for shut down and resume.
Not all PCs have the capability and are configured to Hibernate. If yours is, to see the Hibernate option on your XP shutdown screen, hold down the Shift key when you shut down.
Windows only: Want to format your hard drive and reinstall Windows but you’re not sure you have all the hardware driver disks to get everything working again? Free utility DriverMax analyzes XP or Vista systems for installed hardware drivers and exports them to a folder or external drive. Install DriverMax on a newly built system and import those drivers to get everything from your video card to TV tuner working again. I didn’t have the chance to test DriverMax’s import function on a clean system, so do image your hard drive just in case. DriverMax isn’t the most modern-looking application and you have to hand over an email address to get a free registration code (Boo!). DriverMax is a free download for Windows XP and Vista.
In yet another blow to the reputation of WindowsVista, the Dutch Consumers’ Association (Consumentenbond) has recommended that customers who purchase new PCs insist on obtaining Windows XP over Vista. In addition, it called on computer shops to provide Windows XP downgrades to customers who have already obtained Vista from said shops. After unsuccessfully trying to persuade Microsoft to provide those free downgrades, the DCA said that consumers would have to take matters into their own hands since Microsoft does not agree with its assessment of the OS, which the organization said appears to have been released before it was truly ready, according to comments recorded by Expatica. Related Stories * XP on OEM hardware? Not after January, 2008 * Microsoft’s OEM catch-22: XP still in the driver’s seat * Report: Vista Business, XP Pro sales down in Europe * Forget big service packs, Vista “high quality right out of the gate,” says execThe organization’s spat with Microsoft began when it conducted a survey on Vista’s performance. According to the survey results, the OS performed quite poorly, racking up 5,000 consumer complaints in less than five weeks. Commonly reported issues center on printer and hardware compatibility, system crashes, and slow peripherals. The DCA met with Microsoft to discuss its concerns before issuing its statement warning consumers away from Vista—evidently, whatever olive branch Microsoft offered wasn’t enough to satisfy the group.
Categories: 2010, 64 Bit, WIndows, Windows 7, Windows Vista | 
Tags: Ccleaner, Desktop, Revo Unistaller, Tweaker, Unistaller, Windows 7 Fences, Windows Vista, Windows XP | 
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came out and 
: Great little Book to read to better understand Windows 7.
If you’re used to taking a coffee break because of long hangs every time you fire up 
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