Nov 19

Vista SP1 Screenshots and Features

Posted in: Microsoft, performance, Screenshots, Software, Today's Chili, Windows, Windows Vista

This article was written on August 13, 2007 by CyberNet.

Vista SP1

Windows Vista SP1 was known to be in the hands of testers just a few weeks ago, and much like XP SP3 it has been leaked in full form on the file sharing networks. Microsoft was actually pretty smart by making the general public cringe at the idea of installing a leaked copy of Vista SP1. Why? They only offered it to testers as a full 3.1GB Vista installation instead of as a standalone update. That way they were able to make the operating system expire by the middle of next year, and that is enough reason for me (and others as well) not to try it.

Everyone that has tried Vista SP1 have all said the same thing: it’s faster. When checking the Add/Remove Programs screen people noticed that Vista SP1 had four updates installed. Unfortunately there is no documentation on Microsoft’s sites regarding these updates, so there is little information available. APC Magazine was able to scrounge up a few details by browsing through the Windows Registry of Vista SP1:

  • Service Pack for Microsoft Windows (KB936330) – Has 133 packages most of which are for backend services. This is probably what fixes a majority of the performance issues.
  • Service Pack for Microsoft Windows (KB937286) – Contains 28 packages.
  • Hotfix for Microsoft Windows (KB937287) – Contains 1 package pertaining to Vista imaging.
  • Update for Microsoft Windows (KB938371) – Contains 3 packages.

JCXP has assembled a small gallery if you still feel the urge to see some uneventful screenshots. One interesting thing is that Microsoft revamped the Vista NOGUI Boot Screen with one that looks a little more refreshing:

Vista SP1 NOGUI Bootscreen

Hopefully we’ll be seen a public Beta soon of Vista SP1 that can be used without completely reinstalling the operating system, but until then the Vista Performance and Compatibility Packs have made a significant speed difference when transferring files between computers. That’s enough to get me by until Vista SP1. :)

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:


No Comments
Nov 16

CyberNotes: How to “Fix” Photos in Windows Photo Gallery

Posted in: CyberNotes, Photos, Software, Today's Chili, Windows Vista

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

CyberNotes
Microsoft Monday

Most of you have probably at least heard of Windows Photo Gallery in Windows Vista. It’s a great tool built-in to Vista that helps you organize photos, add ratings and captions, as well as metadata tags to photos. It’s not only for photos, it’s also for videos as well, but today we’re going to focus on the photo part of it. In particular, we’re going to show you how to use the Windows Photo Gallery tools to “fix” or edit your photos.

Digital cameras have become one of those essential items to own, much like a cellphone. Because of this, people are taking many more photos these days than years prior, and not all of those photos turn out perfect. This is when it’s handy to have a simple program to use for the basic editing like red-eye removal and cropping. These are exactly the types of tools you’ll find in Windows Photo Gallery which makes editing your photos a quick and easy process.

Getting Started

The first thing you’ll want to do is open up Windows Photo Gallery. Find the picture that you’re wanting to edit and click on it once. You’ll now notice that it’s highlighted. From there, look towards the top of the window to find the toolbar.  One of the options will be “Fix” – click it.

Windows photo gallery1

Five Editing Options

Windows photo gallery2Once you click “fix,” you’ll notice five different options for editing your photos.  They include:

  1. Auto Adjust
  2. Adjust Exposure
  3. Adjust Color
  4. Crop Picture
  5. Fix Red Eye

Using Auto Adjust

If your pictures were taken with inaccurate exposure, you’ll find that your photos are either too bright or too dark.  This is where the “Auto Adjust” and the “Adjust Exposure” comes into play.

When you click “auto adjust” to apply the changes to your photo, you’ll need to wait a few seconds for the changes to take place. It will make the changes that it thinks need to be made, but you may not always like the changes that it made. This is where you’ll want to use “Adjust Exposure.”

Adjust Exposure

Adjust exposureUsing the Adjust Exposure feature, you’ll be able to manually change the brightness and the contrast using the sliders like what’s pictured in the image to the right. You can also use the arrow keys to move the slider along to either increase or decrease both brightness and contrast.

Once the exposure of the image looks right to you, click “back to gallery” and the changes will be saved to your picture.  If by chance you don’t like the changes that you made while adjusting the exposure, you can click “Undo.”

Adjust Color

You’ll have three different options for adjusting the color of your image.   They include the color temperature, tint, and saturation.  By adjusting the color temperature, you’ll notice changes in the overall tone of the image.  This means that with your changes, your red tones or blue tones will be altered.

Adjusting the tint of an image will remove the “color cast” from an image by either adding or removing green, and adjusting the saturation will make the colors in your image more or less vivid. Once again, by clicking “back to gallery,” you’ll save the changes that you made.

Crop an Image

Crop pictureI don’t know about you, but the cropping feature in any photo editing program has become a tool I use regularly.  There’s almost always extra “stuff” in the picture I’d like to cut out. You’re able to crop your pictures right from Windows Photo Gallery by clicking “Crop Picture.” From there you can either choose to select your own dimensions of your image (custom), or you can select one of the standard sizes that they offer.

When you select one of the proportions you’d like, you can click on the corners of the crop frame and drag it to make it larger or smaller. You can drag the “crop frame” all around the image to select the section you’d like. Once you’ve selected the area you want to crop, click “apply.”

Remove Red Eye

Any time you use a flash, there’s a chance that the people in the image are going to have red eyes. To use the red eye removal option in Windows Photo Gallery, click “Fix Red Eye” and then use your mouse to draw a rectangle around the eye that you’re wanting to fix. Be sure to draw the rectangle from the top left-corner of the eye down to the bottom-right corner of the eye.

If most of the red-eye was removed but there was still a tint of red, you can select the eye again and follow the same process for a second time. Once you’re done with one eye, move to the second eye and follow the same process.

Red eye removal

Verdict

If you’re using Windows Vista and you have some light photo editing that you need to do, I’d recommend giving the “fix” features in Windows Photo Gallery a try. They’re simple to use, and the get the job done quickly. I’ve used it on a few occasions and I really have no complaints! Of course if you’ve got some more complicated editing that needs to be done, this isn’t your solution.

Another thing to keep in mind if you’re satisfied with Windows Photo Gallery but wished it had something more is that Microsoft is working on a Windows Live Photo Gallery which will be available for both Windows Vista and XP SP2. Features you can expect to see added include:

  • Improved image editing features like Panoramic stitch, histogram, and sharpen image.
  • Improved tagging and organization including the ability to quickly sort by name, file type, tag or date.
  • Publish photos directly to your photo galleries on Windows Live Spaces.
  • Auto event grouping and tagging when importing photos (and video) from your camera to PC.
  • Improved Photo Import Tool.

The Windows Live Photo Gallery is set to be released into a public beta at the end of Summer, which would mean hopefully we’ll see it within the next few weeks!

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags:
Nov 09

XP “Deadline” Extended? Maybe…

Posted in: Software, Today's Chili, Windows Vista, Windows XP

This article was written on April 25, 2008 by CyberNet.

windows xp petition.pngBack on April 15th, we wrote about how Dell was offering a Windows Downgrade Service which would give buyers the option to have XP factory-installed on their computers. Part of the deal is that Dell gives the buyer the DVD for Vista so that when they are ready (if ever), they can install it. At the time of writing the article, we weren’t sure if the offer was something that Dell would be able to offer once June 30th comes rolling around, the date that Microsoft has set to stop shipping OEM and shrink-wrapped copies of XP. Clearly the consumers are wanting XP to stick around longer, and today there are several bits of good news regarding this.

The first bit of news: InfoWorld has confirmed that Dell will be able to sell and support Windows XP using the Downgrade service after the June 30th cut-off date. Secondly, Steve Ballmer was quoted at a news conference in Belgium saying, “XP will hit and end-of-life. We have announced one. If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter, but right now, we have a plan for end-of-life for new XP shipments.” Customer feedback has clearly been there, and people want XP to stick around. Engadget says to Ballmer, “Maybe it’s time for a quick nap.”

Finally, the last bit of news is that rumor has it that Dell is telling their customers that they will be selling XP on professional systems until 2012. Of course it is just a rumor, but that would certainly make all of the people happy who’ve been signing the “SAVE XP” petition that has been put together by InfoWorld. As of mid-April, over 164,000 people had signed the petition asking Microsoft to extend the date that XP will be available.

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags:
Nov 07

Nvidia the Cause of Vista Complaints?

Posted in: Today's Chili, Windows Vista

This article was written on August 05, 2007 by CyberNet.

Nvidia VistaI’ve been using Vista for several months on four different computers. Out of all of those computers there have been no issues (well, file transfers are a little slow but this fixed that), and I’ve only seen one blue screen of death (BSoD). Sometimes it sounds like my experience has been far too pleasant with the operating system when comparing it to what some people have gone through.

I was reading an article by Ed Bott this morning that detailed the root of his problems: the Nvidia graphics cards. He mentioned that Nvidia just released another drive update for both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Vista last week, but there are still a full 10-pages of open issues remaining (read about them in this PDF).

So what did he do to fix his problems? Have a look:

Over the weekend I yanked Nvidia cards out of both systems. On one, I went back to the onboard Intel GMA950 graphics. On the Vista Media Center PC, I installed an ATI Radeon X1300 Pro card with the most recent ATI drivers (Catalyst Version 7.7, released July 19, 2007).

The difference is night and day. Sleep works perfectly again. I can switch effortlessly between Media Center and the Windows desktop on the HDTV, and the full desktop is visible. (ATI’s drivers aren’t bug-free, but the list of known issues with Windows Vista is dramatically shorter – one page, not ten.)

This actually explains a lot because every system I own is using an ATI graphics card. And looking back at some of the problems I’ve heard about regarding Vista have been from people using Nvidia cards.

So if you’re having troubles with Vista and you’re using a Nvidia graphics card, you might want to get an ATI card. I’ve got a Radeon X300, Radeon X1950, and two Radeon Mobile X1400. I’ve had no problems with any of those on Vista.

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags: ,
Oct 26

New Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 4000 Keyboard Caters to Vista Users

Posted in: Today's Chili, Windows Vista

This article was written on March 20, 2007 by CyberNet.

Microsoft4000Microsoft has announced that their newest keyboard, the Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 4000 (also includes the Laser Mouse 5000)will be ready for purchase next month for $79.95. Several sites around the web are already taking orders for them.

This is part of Microsoft’s effort to expand their line of hardware that caters to Vista users.  Nearly all of the features you’ll recognize from previous keyboards, but there are new ones like:

  • Windows Gadget Button – Gadget are an important customization element with Windows Vista, and now a Windows Gadget Button will give you one-touch access to information like weather, stocks, etc.
  • Windows LiveCall Button – “Speed dialing for webcams” – with one-touch you can start an instant message conversation, or a video call.

Other nice features that some of their previous models have that you’ll also see with the Laser Desktop 4000 include a zoom button that will allow you to zoom in and out of pictures and maps, and customizable hot keys that you can use to launch your favorite programs.

And in case you’re not familiar with the Laser Mouse 5000, you’ll enjoy a magnifier tool that enlarges a specific section of your screen so that you can easily edit images and documents, and a tilt wheel which gives you 4–way scrolling.

Sean Butterworth who’s the product marketing manager for Microsoft Hardware says, “The Wireless Laser Desktop 4000 is the latest in our growing line of products optimized for Windows Vista and illustrates how we continue to diversify our product line to meet a broad range of consumers’ desktop needs.”

It doesn’t appear much different from previous keyboards, and the only main difference is the addition of a couple keys to make your Vista experience better. It also has the comfort curve design that has generally gone over well with people who have purchased keyboards with this design.From the sounds of it, expect to see other Vista specific related peripherals coming from Microsoft.

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags:
Oct 24

Magical Jelly Bean Key Finder Works for Vista and Office 2007

Posted in: Apple, Freeware, Microsoft, Pre-Release, Screenshots, Software, Today's Chili, Windows, Windows Vista, Windows XP

This article was written on April 13, 2007 by CyberNet.

If you have forgot to write down your product key from Microsoft Office or Windows then all may not be lost. We have previously mentioned the wonderful Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder application that is capable of retrieving your product key from already installed software, but a newer Beta version is in the works and it does even more!

Keyfinder

For starters this is the first version to support key retrieval for both Vista and Office 2007. The software previously supported Vista but it wasn’t able to retrieve your key for Office 2007. That bumps up the list of compatible Microsoft applications to Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Windows Vista, Office XP, Office 2003, and Office 2007.

There is also another new feature that will definitely make this tool even more valuable than it already is. That is the addition of the keyfinder.cfg file which stores registry locations for other applications that save the product key in the registry. By default this file adds the capability of Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder to recognize keys from any of the following programs (and could easily be expanded later on):

  • 3DMark
  • Adobe Photoshop 7
  • After Effects 7
  • Alcohol 120%
  • Axailis IconWorkshop
  • Beyond TV
  • Beyond Media
  • Borland Delphi 6
  • Call of Duty 2
  • Company of Heroes
  • Cyberlink PowerDVD
  • DVD Profiler
  • HDD State Inspector
  • mIRC
  • Naturally Speaking 8
  • Norton PartitionMagic 8
  • O&O CleverCache 6
  • O&O Defrag 8
  • O&O DriveLED 2
  • Quake 4
  • Replay Converter
  • Splinter Cell
  • Stardock
  • SuperCleaner
  • Techsmith Camtasia
  • Techsmith SnagIt
  • TGTSoft StyleXP
  • TuneUP
  • Unreal Tournament 2004
  • VMware Workstation 5
  • VSO Convert X to DVD
  • Westwood Alarmstufe Rot 2
  • Westwood Tiberian Sun
  • Winamp 5
  • WinPatrol
  • WS FTP

Not only that but the Keyfinder can also change your Windows key should the need ever arise. All you have to do is enter in your new key as well as any registration information that you want to change:

Keyfinder

The author of this application had done a really great job rewriting this program from scratch. The best part is that Keyfinder does not require any installation, so you can throw it on your USB drive and use it whenever it is needed.

Get Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder 2.0 Beta

Source: Lifehacker

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags: ,
Sep 18

CyberNotes: How to use Google Gadgets in your Vista Sidebar

Posted in: CyberNotes, Software, Today's Chili, Windows, Windows Vista

This article was written on March 22, 2007 by CyberNet.

CyberNotes
Tutorial Thursday

Google Gadgets have been around for several years now and number in the thousands (more than 4,400 at the time of this writing). Windows Vista, on the other hand, is still pretty new and the selection of gadgets is slowly making progress with just over 1,100 currently available. There is a nifty little application called Amnesty Generator that will actually convert Google gadgets, Grazr RSS Readers, SpringWidgets, PicGames, and YouTube movies into gadgets that can be used in Vista.

The program that you need (download mirror) is about 4MB in size and will require installation. Once the setup process finishes you’ll be just a few steps away from putting Google gadgets on your Vista desktop (they also have a version available for Macs).

  1. Download and install Amnesty Generator (download mirror).
  2. You’ll need to pick a Google gadget from a list of the ones available to embed in a website. You can’t pick from ones that Google lets you put on your personalized homepage, but many of the same ones are listed on this site as well.
  3. Generate the code as if you were going to place the Google Gadget on your website. Now run the Amnesty Generator and insert the code into the box:
    Amnesty
  4. After that the Vista Gadgets page should automatically open up so that you can select your newly created gadget.
    Amnesty

  5. You can now drag it onto your desktop or onto the Vista sidebar:
    Amnesty

I know it doesn’t look the best with unreadable fonts on the top and bottom, but that’s not the most important part of the gadget. The content of the gadget is what you’re looking for, and from what I’ve seen it always looks pretty good.

I originally thought this would be cool for the Google Talk gadget that was just released last week, but when I tried it I couldn’t get it to work. It needed me to sign-in and every time that I tried it would pull up Internet Explorer, sign me in, but it would never refresh itself so that it actually worked. That would have been one of the cooler gadgets that could have been used, too. :(

The Amnesty Generator is still a work in progress, and the Vista version is actually labeled as a Beta. The software itself seems stable, but I’m guessing that they will continue to refine how it converts the Google gadgets as well as widgets from other companies. Maybe in a few years this won’t even be necessary if companies start to follow what Netvibes has now started.

 

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags:
Sep 14

The CyberNet Windows Vista Ultimate and Office 2007 Giveaway Winners are…

Posted in: Apple, General, Microsoft, Screenshots, Today's Chili, Windows Vista

This article was written on February 04, 2007 by CyberNet.

A big thanks to everybody who entered in the CyberNet Windows Vista Ultimate and Office 2007 Professional Giveaway. There were over 300 entries!

The magic number was… 3,420!

 

So, how did we come up with such a number? Well, we started with three important numbers before placing them into an equation. The important numbers that we started with were:

  1. 2007 – The year these products were released.
  2. 1985 – The year that Windows 1.0 was released according to Wikipedia.
  3. 26 – The number of different versions of Windows according to Wikipedia.

Some of these numbers could probably be arguable, but this is what we used. Next, we came up with an equation of…

(2007+1985) – [(2007-1985) * 26] = 3,420

Didn’t I tell you not to waste your time trying to figure it out? :)

The Winners are….

 

  • In first place was entry #280 – ATMB with a number of 3,414.
  • In Second place was entry #15 – RKN with a number of 3,456

We have already sent out an email on Friday to the first place winner asking what their choice would be with no response.  (Note to ATMB, first place winner: if you have not received our email, check your spam folder or send us a message.)

In the event that we do not hear from the first place winner to claim their prize by Wednesday at 12:00 PM central time, the second place winner will be named as the 1st place winner, and a new runner-up will be chosen.

Again, thanks to all who entered, and congratulations to the winners!

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags: , ,
Sep 14

CyberNotes: Microsoft Windows Vista Comics, Jokes, and Humor!

Posted in: Apple, CyberNotes, Microsoft, Screenshots, Software, Today's Chili, Windows, Windows Vista

This article was written on February 23, 2007 by CyberNet.

CyberNotes
Free for All Friday

It’s Friday, and I figured you might need a laugh or two to get your weekend started. I’m a  PC person myself, and I like Windows, but sometimes I can’t help but laugh at some of the jokes. Below you’ll find a collection of humorous Windows Vista comics and jokes that I scrounged up from all over the Net. Happy Friday!

VistaJoke1

Source: Joyoftech.com

VistaJoke2

Source: BootStrike.com

VistaJoke3

Source: Blaugh

Click image to enlarge.

VistaJoke4

Source: UberGeek

VistaJoke5

Source: TheVistaForums

Click image to enlarge.

VistaJoke6

Source: PCWorld

VistaJoke7

Source: Joyoftech.com

VistaJoke8

Source: UserFriendly.org

VistaJoke9

Source: Joyoftech.com

VistaJoke10

Source: Joyoftech.com

And just because it’s funny, I’ll throw in a little iPhone humor too!

Iphonejoke

I hope you got at least one laugh, or two out of that collection. :)

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags: , ,
Sep 11

DreamScene Download Shipped; Ultimate Extras Future Bleak

Posted in: Software, Today's Chili, Windows, Windows Vista

This article was written on September 26, 2007 by CyberNet.

Dreamscene Download Posted

Microsoft was finally able to ship an update to the Ultimate Extras a few days after the deadline they had set for themselves. The new DreamScene download doesn’t appear to have any different features from the preview that had been released prior to this, but it does include four new DreamScenes with it. Oh, and it doesn’t work with Vista SP1 Beta.

In the DreamScene release announcement Microsoft commended Stardock on their free DeskScapes app which extends DreamScene. As we’ve previously shown there are a lot of free Dreams out there created by Stardock, as well as their users, but the dynamic Dreams cost a few dollars to pickup.

Unfortunately the Language Packs weren’t able to make the cut as of now, and are expected to make it out the door in late October. As Long Zheng pointed out DreamScene hasn’t been modified since mid-July according to the compilation date in the DLL, which probably means that they were waiting to ship it with the Language Packs.

My question is how many people actually want to use these language packs? The purpose of them is to switch between multiple languages on your computer, or to let each user on a computer designate a different language for themselves. It might be just what the doctor ordered for some people, but everyone that I’ve talked to say that they won’t touch them.

The Language Packs are causing a lot of headaches, and are even preventing the Ultimate Extras team from announcing any future plans:

Recently we realized that Ultimate customers who tried to install the language packs that shipped earlier this year were experiencing an unacceptably high number of failures during installation. We continue to make delivering the highest quality, most secure Extras our top priority, and we will not ship any Extra until it is absolutely ready.
…
In addition to the remaining Language Packs, we plan to ship a collection of additional Windows Ultimate Extras that we are confident will delight our passionate Windows Vista Ultimate customers. We will shed more light on these plans once the Language Packs are finally dislodged from our delivery pipeline!

What I really want to see come out of the Ultimate Extras are things for power users! There is no doubt that only the most hardcore gamers and users will be the ones who pickup Vista Ultimate, and they need to cater more to that audience. By that I mean releasing advanced configuration tools for the operating system. Why not create a nice virtual desktop implementation, let users manually reorder and group Taskbar items, enable system-wide skinning without any hacks, and how about a wallpaper app that shuffles through your images? Come on Microsoft, give Ultimate users something to get excited about, and show us all the cool things that you can do with the Aero interface!

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:


No Comments