Change Alt+Tab Thumbnail Size in Windows 7

This article was written on April 27, 2011 by CyberNet.

Alt tab size windows 7

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When Microsoft released Windows Vista they had a lot of great innovations in it despite the constant complaints people had with the OS. One of the best things that came out of Vista is Aero, which is what powers the Flip 3D (Windows Key + Tab), the Taskbar thumbnails, the blurred border around all the windows, the thumbnails used in Alt+Tab, and more. Those things are all great, but I’ve always felt that the thumbnails in the Alt+Tab popup are sometimes too small to even be useful. I mean if you have multiple Windows Explorer windows open it’s hard to distinguish between them using a thumbnail that’s barely bigger than a postage stamp. That’s why a few years ago we wrote about how you could increase the thumbnail size in Vista with a Registry tweak, but it’s gotten easier since then.

A skilled developer put together a super simple application called Alt+Tab Tuner for changing the size of the thumbnails in Windows 7. Most of the changes seem to take affect immediately after you hit the Apply button, except for the “Thumbs Grid” settings. For this you need to restart Explorer, which can easily be done by checking the “Autorestart Explorer” box in the bottom-left corner. The next time you hit the Apply button it will automatically restart the Explorer process for you.

To add a little perspective to some of the changes here are some before/after screenshots of a few changes I made:

Before (default Windows 7 settings):
Aero alt tab before

After (larger thumbnails, smaller margins):
Aero alt tab after

Not bad, huh? It’s a free and portable app that does exactly what it is designed to do. It’s hard not to love apps like that.

Note: The file will likely fail to download if you are viewing a translation of the download page, which is in Russian. Just look for the red “Download” text and click the link next to it.

Alt+Tab Tuner Homepage (Windows only; Freeware; Portable)

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Free Windows XP Virtual PC Images Available

This article was written on April 18, 2007 by CyberNet.

Virtual PC 2007Microsoft just released updated Virtual PC images for Windows XP that users can legally download. Virtual PC images are a single file that contain a “clone” of an operating system. The Virtual PC software is a free download provided by Microsoft and is used to run multiple operating systems inside of Windows. This is normally useful for developers who need to try a program that they’re developing on multiple operating systems to ensure proper compatibility, but it can also benefit other people.

So why would this be useful for you? The Virtual PC images that Microsoft just released come in two different flavors: one has Internet Explorer 6 (443MB) and the other has Internet Explorer 7 (491MB). This lets you test your websites out to see how they look on other browsers without actually needing to have multiple versions of IE installed on your computer.

There is actually another benefit to this that most people don’t realize. Using these images is also great for keeping your PC free from unnecessary clutter! If you’re thinking that you want to test out an application to see how much you like it, now all you have to do is install the program on the Virtual PC. That way if you don’t like it, you can easily remove it from your computer without wondering what registry settings or folders it left behind.

The only downside to using these is that the images expire August 17th, 2007, but that is still 4–months of free access to a Windows XP testing station. Also, these images are pre-activated, but Microsoft has deactivated the product keys so that they don’t pass the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) check. This is pretty logical because some users might try to retrieve the product key from the Virtual PC image and use it to install their own version of XP. If Microsoft allowed these keys to pass the WGA checks, then that product key would quickly become a goldmine for piracy.

Virtual PC Homepage (32–bit download or the 64–bit download)
Download the Internet Explorer 6 Virtual PC Image (443MB)
Download the Internet Explorer 7 Virtual PC Image (491MB)

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Windows Vista 5472 Screenshots Start Rolling In

This article was written on July 18, 2006 by CyberNet.

Windows Vista 5472 Screenshots Start Rolling In
 

I am sure that many people want to get their hands on 5472 but this release is only limited to Microsoft Connect testers. However, I have already found 3 screenshot galleries that may tide you over until Release Candidate 1 gets released sometime in August (hopefully):

The Hive’s gallery above also has a short review on the build. They said it took about 25 minutes for them to perform a fresh installation which sounds much faster than previous Vista builds. Things are definitely looking better as Microsoft progresses with Vista but I still constantly hear about driver related issues.

Don’t forget, if you want the new default wallpaper that is in Vista 5472 then you can get it hear. It is designed for a widescreen monitor and has a resolution of 1600 x 1200. Enjoy!

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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CyberNotes: 6 Firefox-based Web Browsers

This article was written on June 27, 2007 by CyberNet.

CyberNotes
Web Browser Wednesday

Mozilla has definitely made a name for themselves with Firefox, and have done such a great job of developing the browser that other people want to create their own browsers based on Firefox. To create their own browsers…they use Gecko, Firefox’s rendering engine as the core of the browsers that they create.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with what a rendering engine is I’ll try to explain that real quick. It is basically the aspect of the browser that takes the HTML code from a website and turns it into something that is organized the way that the developer intended it to look. It’s safe to say that it is the core of the browser, and since Firefox has gained a lot of popularity, other browsers can safely use Gecko knowing that most websites will look and function as they were intended. Similarly, the name of the Internet Explorer rendering engine is called Trident, (which even Google Talk uses to render the content of chat windows) and Opera’s is called Presto.

Today we’re taking a look at 6 other browsers, some you’ve probably heard of while others you haven’t, that use the Gecko rendering engine:

Wyzo (Homepage)

Wyzo is the Web browser offered by the same people who create the FireTorrent extension that we recently reviewed. You would think that it would come with the extension already integrated into the browser, but instead you have to download the extension separately. It also has a custom start page which can be found here.

Both the FireTorrent extension and the start page can be used in Firefox, so the only thing that sets it apart is the skin. It is probably one of the best Firefox skins that I have seen, and is the only thing that isn’t offered to current Firefox users.

Wyzo
Click to Enlarge

uBrowser (Homepage)

uBrowser is unique in the sense that it isn’t meant to be a dedicated browser that you use everyday. Instead, it was made as a way to implement the Gecko rendering engine into the popular 3D virtual world called Second Life.

Once you startup uBrowser, your first impression will probably be poor because of the simplistic interface, but the real goldmine is playing around with the settings in the right-sidebar. That’s where you’ll be able to transform the websites you visit into something that can be manipulated. The images speak for themselves:

uBrowser uBrowser
Click to Enlarge

There is no installation necessary to try out uBrowser, just download the Windows ZIP file (the first file on the page), extract the contents, and run the uBrowser executable file.

XeroBank (Homepage)

You may not recognize this browser right away by its name, but that’s probably because they had to change their name. Previously XeroBank was called TorPark, and despite the name change, it still offers all of the same features that we previously pointed out.

This browser is completely portable and doesn’t require any installation, but it is essentially just a version of Firefox that comes with a bunch of extensions pre-installed. Nevertheless, it is a great tool for those of you who are concerned with privacy.

XeroBank
Click to Enlarge

Flock (Homepage)

I’m not going to say much about Flock because I recently wrote a heavy review on the next upcoming version that is due out in a few weeks. To sum it up in one sentence: Flock is a browser that is well integrated with social networks like Del.icio.us, Flickr, and MySpace.

Flock
Click to Enlarge

Maxthon (Homepage)

I always knew Maxthon as being the browser that works off of Internet Explorer. Little did I know that there is actually an option in the File Menu that you can enable for all new tabs to use the Gecko rendering engine. I tried it out and it worked like a charm.

The disappointing news is that the new Maxthon 2 that should be available soon (currently on Release Candidate 3) doesn’t have this feature because they don’t have anyone on the team that is handy with the Gecko rendering engine. I’m sure a lot of people would love to see this implemented later on, but it’s definitely not going to be ready at launch.

Maxthon
Click to Enlarge

K-Meleon (Homepage)

Now this is one cool browser! It is among the slimmest that I have mentioned here, and after running it for just a few minutes it reminded me of the early Firefox days. I had a hard time getting the memory usage to break the 40MB mark, and that was with almost 10 tabs open!

Besides that, it has the standard tabbed browsing (although they don’t call them tabs, instead they’re layers), mouse gestures, and a popup blocker. Oh, and you can use the Internet Explorer or Opera bookmarking systems in place of, or in addition to the Mozilla bookmarking system that it incorporates.

If you’re missing the old days of Firefox, I highly suggest that you try this browser out!

K-Meleon
Click to Enlarge

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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How to Repair Your Internet Connection

This article was written on February 11, 2011 by CyberNet.

arrow Windows Windows only arrow
internet repair.pngThere are an infinite number of reasons as to why someone’s Internet connection could stop working, but even with that in mind there are still a number of things we techies are “trained” to check first before banging our heads against the wall. I’m talking about things like releasing/renewing the IP address, flushing the DNS, and checking the Windows Firewall settings.

Thanks to a program called Complete Internet Repair all of those “tier 1″ troubleshooting efforts can be taken care of automatically for you. This free portable app tries to repair all of the most troublesome Internet-related issues including Windows Update problems and the mind-numbing lack of network connectivity.

Here’s a list of situations that the developers have said their program fares well in:

  • Internet or network problem after removing adware, spyware, virus, worm, Trojan horse, etc.
  • Loss network connection after installing/uninstalling adware, spyware, antispam, vpn, firewall or other networking programs.
  • Unable to access any webpage or can only access some webpages.
  • Pop-up error window with network related problem description.
  • No network connectivity due to registry errors.
  • DNS lookup problem.
  • Fail to renew the network adapter’s IP address or other DHCP errors.
  • Network connectivity issue with limited or no connections message.
  • Windows update does not work
  • You are having problems connecting to secured websites (ex. Banking).
  • Internet Explorer stopped working or crashes all the time.
  • Other networking problems.

This obviously won’t fix every possible problem you’re likely to encounter, but it’s a great first step… especially if you’re trying to walk someone through how to do this stuff over the phone.

Note: I noticed that clicking the arrow along the right side of each entry immediately executes the particular step, so don’t try and click the arrows when just experimenting. :)

Complete Internet Repair Homepage (Windows XP/2003/Vista/2008/7; Freeware)

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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How To Get A Smart Buddy On MSN Messenger

This article was written on December 15, 2005 by CyberNet.

Do you have any friends that you talk to on a messenger service that seem to always have the answer you are looking for? Well, a “buddy” has been made that will be at your side when needed. All you have to do is add the buddy encarta@conversagent.com to your list and when you ask a question, it will respond in a natural language. It uses Microsoft Encarta for the database to lookup answers so it wouldn’t know anything about what movie is playing tonight, but I am sure those types of “buddies” are out there if you look.

News Source: The Unofficial Microsoft Weblog

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Is Microsoft Paint The Digital Etch A Sketch?

This article was written on December 15, 2006 by CyberNet.

Michael Jordan Etch A Sketch It is always amazing seeing people sit there with an Etch A Sketch and “draw” out realistic images such as the one to the right of Michael Jordan. It takes out a lot of skill, coordination, and most of all creativity. Just checkout this gallery of a few things that have been drawn on the Etch A Sketch to see what I’m talking about. There are even tips on how to become a professional!

We’re moving away from the pen/paper and Etch A Sketch age to one that is more technologically inclined. So now it is time to watch people make unbelievably realistic images on the computer. We’ve all seen what they can do in the movies with the tools that are available but what if all you had to use was Microsoft Paint? What can you do with a piece of software that just lets you draw lines and fill in colors? By the time you finish watching the following video, I think you’ll be wondering what you can’t do with Microsoft Paint. If you want to spoil the fun and don’t want to see the creation process, just click here to view a screenshot of the final image…but after seeing that you’re gonna want to know how that thing was made in Paint. I’m guessing that a Tablet PC of some sort was used and that this wasn’t the primary work of a mouse and keyboard…still amazing though.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich roundup: specs, details and insight, oh my!

Couldn’t stay awake for Samsung and Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich event? Fear not, because we were there, documenting and analyzing every second of it on the internet. You can either re-live the magic at our Homeric liveblog, or check out the links below to get educated and up to speed.

Galaxy Nexus

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich roundup: specs, details and insight, oh my! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Andy Rubin: Ice Cream Sandwich’s Face Unlock is developed by PittPatt

Liking that Face Unlock on Ice Cream Sandwich we saw this morning? You can thank PittPatt for that. Here at AsiaD’s opening session, Android head honcho Andy Rubin just confirmed that said Pittsburgh-based company — acquired by Google earlier this year — was responsible for this nifty security feature. While the demo didn’t go as planned for Matias Duarte at the launch event, Andy was able to show us how Face Unlock’s meant to work on the stage just now. In fact, Andy said his team even had to “slow down the process” as PittPatt’s software was too fast to make folks believe that any security at all was involved — for what it’s worth, Walt Mossberg’s beard couldn’t get past the unlock screen on Andy’s Galaxy Nexus. Head on over to our hands-on video to see us getting up close and personal with Face Unlock.

Andy Rubin: Ice Cream Sandwich’s Face Unlock is developed by PittPatt originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 06:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Glubble: Parental Controls for Firefox

This article was written on June 19, 2007 by CyberNet.

GlubbleA new Firefox extension, called Glubble, is available that adds a parental control system to the Firefox browser. It’s nothing overly extravagant since it only enforces a whitelist of URL’s for the children, but it can give peace of mind to parents out there.

There is a default list of sites that ships with Glubble which are classified as kid-safe, and when setting up the accounts it asks whether the child is a boy or a girl. It uses that information to create a more customized homepage for the child based upon their gender. For example, a girl would have a link to Barbie on their site while a boy would not.

Children can request that certain sites be approved, and a parent can immediately approve the request if they are available to do so. If the parent is not available Firefox will prompt the parent to approve the site the next time they login.

Words don’t really do this justice, so I thought I would walk through a common scenario that might occur at a household. This demonstrates all of the various features that Glubble ships with (click any image to enlarge it):

  1. After installing Glubble the parent will be prompted to create an account:
    Glubble
  2. The parent then creates users, and they’ll be shown on a user management page. I named the users so that you can tell who is who, for example, the parent’s username stands for "I’m a Parent":
    Glubble
  3. Firefox is locked until a child or parent logs in (this is what you’ll see when starting Firefox from now on):
    Glubble
  4. A child logs on and is able to search Google, Yahoo, and visit some recommended sites using a customized Firefox skin. Note: When searching it only pulls up results for the approved sites.
    Glubble
  5. A child can also navigate their sites using the drop-down menu from the top which shows thumbnail previews of the sites:
    Glubble
  6. If a child tries to visit an unapproved site they will need to get the permission of a parent first:
    Glubble
  7. If the parent wasn’t around to approve the site, they will be shown the request the next time they login to Firefox:
    Glubble
  8. If the parent comes across a kid-friendly site while browsing around, they can instantly enable it for any of their kids:
    Glubble
  9. Or they can manage the sites that are approved for a child:
    Glubble
  10. And then when the child gets back online they will be notified that their site request had been approved:
    Glubble

As you can see this can be an extremely useful tool for parents who are trying to protect their kids from explicit content on the Internet. There is, however, a problem that arises for those people who have technological kids. It’s actually possible to remove (or temporarily move) the folder which contains the extension in the Firefox profile folder. That means the extension would immediately be deactivated and the user is given full access to the Internet, which can also be done by running Firefox in safe mode.

This doesn’t quite match up to the built-in parental controls that Vista has, which lets parents limit the amount of time that a child can use the computer, monitor their activity, and control which games they can play. In the reports the parents can even see the most recent websites that were visited, which applications a child ran, and what files they downloaded…none of which Glubble can do.

Of course Glubble doesn’t cost a thing, and knowledgeable parents not using Vista will hopefully see this as a way to protect their kids. When the final version of Glubble is released in October we’ll hopefully see some reporting features included, but they have definitely got the ball rolling in the right direction.

Download the Glubble Firefox Extension

Source: Spread Firefox

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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