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Vol. 3, # 87 - Sep 3, 2009 - Issue # 96 |
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September 9, 2009: VistaNews is now Win7News
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Future-proofing Your Home Network
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- Editor's Corner
- Future-proofing Your Home Network
- Follow-up: Windows Live MovieMaker
- Quotes of the Week
- Cool Tools
- News, Hints, Tips and Tricks
- Take command: command-prompt tips for Windows pros
- How to: Using the New Vista Features
- Get the Vista SP2 Application Compatibility Update
- How to kill multiple processes
- Boot Camp 3.0 makes it easier to run Windows on a Mac
- Longing for the retro style Start menu in Windows 7?
- Vista Security
- "Mandatory" security patch for Live Messenger
- Vista Question Corner
- Two Internet Explorers in 64 bit Vista
- Vista Configuration and Troubleshooting
- Menu bar and/or toolbar missing in IE
- EFS encrypted files don't get backed up
- Windows 7 Preview Corner
- Windows 7 "showstopper bug" just FUD
- Fav Links
- This Week's Links We Like. Tips, Hints And Fun Stuff
- Product of the Week
- Show Classic Menus and Toolbars Instead of Microsoft Office 2007 Ribbon
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Kiss Your Antivirus Bloatware Goodbye
We asked users of antivirus products what they didn't like about their AV software.
They told us they are resource hogs and slowed their computer down. They told us that
scan times took way too long, and that the AV software nagged them. In short, old-style
AV software takes too much Memory and CPU. Time to switch to VIPRE! It gives you malware
protection that combines antivirus, antispyware, anti-rootkit and other technologies
into a seamless, tightly-integrated product.
Even if you run "free" antivirus software, it hijacks 20% of your PC, so it's really not
free at all! Get VIPRE now and see how fast your PC can really be:
http://www.vistanews.com/090903-VIPRE
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Editor's Corner |
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Future-proofing Your Home Network
I remember the days when only ubergeeks had networks in their homes (heck, I
remember the days when only ubergeeks had computers in their homes, but
I hate to admit to being that old). Once upon a time, it wasn't all that easy to
do - or at least, to do it right. Either you did a lot of climbing up in the
attic to run cables through the walls (which always involved a good deal of
swearing as you inevitably ran into obstacles that prevented dropping the lines
exactly where you wanted them) or you took the ugly way out and ran them around
the room, tacking them to baseboards with special little clamps.
Of course, if you had plenty of money, you could pay somebody else to make the
cable drops, but it could cost well over a thousand dollars to get a large house
wired with outlets in most rooms. If you happened to be building a house, it was
much easier and cheaper to have them put the Ethernet in the walls while they
were open.
Today, many people who know very little about technology have home networks. In
fact, I have some friends who have home networks and didn't even know it (they
knew their computers could "see" each other; they just didn't know it was a
network). Setting up a small network has gotten easier on the software side,
with each successive version of Windows. Back in the days of Windows 9x, it took
a bit of tweaking to get things working, but connecting to a network with XP,
Vista or Windows 7 is a pretty straightforward process. I'm still a little
amazed every time I install a new OS and find myself on the Internet
immediately, without having to jump through any hoops.
Many people are running home networks without an Ethernet cable in sight.
Instead, they're using wi-fi technology. Wireless has come a long way in the
last few years, too. Almost all laptops come with wireless network adapters
built in, and you can get USB wi-fi adapters that you can plug into your desktop
computer without even opening the case. Many broadband providers give you a
wireless router so you don't even have to buy a WAP (wireless access point) to
plug into the network.
Wireless is great for roaming around the house with your notebook or netbook,
and it's a good solution in situations where there is just no way to cost-effectively
run cable to a particular location, but Ethernet is still the
networking media of choice for those in the know. With the advent of 802.11n
standards, wi-fi is not as slow as it used to be - with a typical throughput of
70 to 144 Mbps, it gives you bandwidth similar to 100 Mbps Ethernet. However,
even at its theoretical maximum bit rate of 600 Mbps, it's only a little over
half as fast as gigabit Ethernet, which is quickly becoming the new standard.
Some folks will argue that home users don't need gigabit speeds but I disagree.
In fact, home users today often need to transfer larger files than many business
users, because they use their computers for entertainment purposes - which means
large video, graphics and audio files. Many businesses work mostly with document
files, which are generally smaller. And with more and more homes moving to IP
for their TV and phones, bandwidth needs can only go in one direction: up.
But speed isn't the only advantage Ethernet has over wireless. Reliability is
another big factor. Wi-fi transmits over radio signals, and there are many other
signals out there that can interfere and block or slow down the transmissions.
We had to try several locations for our 802.11n WAP in order to get maximum
throughput rates in various parts of the house. We have no such problems with
our Ethernet connections; they just work and provide consistent speeds. No worry
about what materials the walls are made of. Even having a person standing
between your wi-fi enabled computer and the WAP can cause your network
throughput to drop.
Security is another issue where wired wins over wireless. People are becoming
more aware regarding wi-fi security and fewer are running their wireless
networks unsecured now, but it's still a fact that the signals themselves can
often be picked up from a laptop in a car on the street outside your home. Thus
it's important to use strong encryption methods (such as WPA2) to prevent "war
drivers" from stealing your bandwidth or worse, accessing files on your home
network. Ethernet is more like Las Vegas: what happens on the Ethernet stays on
the Ethernet (it is possible to tap into the cable, of course, but the cable is
likely to all be within the walls of your home so the only feasible way "in" is
usually via the Internet).
If Ethernet is good, is fiber optic better? I recently had a friend who's
building a new home ask if I thought he should wire it with fiber instead of
copper (Ethernet). We hear a lot about how great fiber is and "fiber to the
curb" is a sought after amenity as it enables high speed Internet services such
as Verizon's FiOS. Fiber inside the house is a different matter, though.
You can get fiber optic network adapters, but they're expensive. Most are made
for servers, and can cost $600-3000. The least expensive are around $75-100,
whereas you can get a new gigabit Ethernet adapter through Amazon for less than
$10. Most of the fiber optic switches that I found are made for connecting two
networks together over fiber, and then connecting computers to the network using
Ethernet. There are no fiber optic switches made for the consumer market that I
could find. And the fiber optic cable itself is more expensive and more
difficult to work with than copper Ethernet. So although fiber can provide
greater throughput (the low cost adapters were rated from 1000 to 2120 Mbps),
using fiber for a home network doesn't seem to be worth the added cost and
complexity at this time.
If you're putting in network cabling now, I'd recommend using one of the highest
available grades of Ethernet cable, Cat6a or Cat7. Both can support 10Gb
Ethernet. A higher grade, Cat7a, theoretically supports up to 100Gb but the
standard is still in the draft stage. Remember that wired and wireless
networking are not mutually exclusive. You don't have to choose one or the
other. Our home network consists of a wired gigabit Ethernet network with
multiple subnets to create security boundaries, as well as two wireless networks
- one for the use of our laptops that belong to the Windows domain and the other
for guests' laptops to allow them to connect to the Internet without posing a
security risk to our internal network. You can get as fancy - or as simple - as
you want when it comes to home networking today.
Tell us what you think. Is wireless "good enough" for your networking needs? Or
do you insist on Ethernet for the fastest and most reliable and secure home
network? Are wi-fi or older (and less expensive) 100Mbps Ethernet fast enough
for you, or does your need for speed require gigabit transfer rates? If you
were building a house today, would you bother to have it wired with Ethernet, or
would you just go with all wi-fi? How about other networking technologies, such
as those that use the power lines or telephone wiring within your house? Anybody
using those? Tell us about your experiences. We invite you to discuss your
networking choices in our forum at
http://www.vistanews.com/090903-Forum-Discussion
Follow-up: Windows Live MovieMaker
In last week's editorial, I did a mini-review of the final version of Windows
Live MovieMaker, the successor to the Windows MovieMaker application that comes
with Vista. In the forum discussion, some readers noted that they prefer
Camtasia Studio. I like Camtasia, too; for doing screen capture presentations,
it can't be beat. That's something that MovieMaker was never intended to do. But
Camtasia Studio costs $299 so saying it's better than a free program like
MovieMaker makes me think, "well, I should hope so."
As I mentioned in the original article, there are many more sophisticated
options for editing video. Adobe Premiere Pro (current version CS4) is another
one. It will even output to Blu-ray disc and you can search the spoken dialog to
find a scene or location within a scene. It costs $799. There is a consumer
version, Premiere Elements 7, for $139.
Comparing Windows MovieMaker to those products is a bit like comparing apples
and oranges. It makes more sense to compare it to other free (or included with
the operating system) programs such as its predecessor or Apple's iMovie, and in
that venue, it holds its own very well.
Another forum participant brought up the problem of digital cameras that record
in .MOV (Apple QuickTime) format. There are dozens of programs you can use to
convert .MOV files to .AVI or .WMV files, some of which sell for $30 or so and
others that are freeware. Just do a web search for "convert .mov" to find them.
Thanks to all of you who took part in this discussion.
'Til next week,
Deb Shinder, Editor
feedback@wxpnews.com
PS: Did you know this newsletter has a sister publication for XP users called
WXPnews?
You can subscribe here, and tell your friends:
http://www.vistanews.com/090903-WXPNews
And for IT pros, there's our "big sister," WServer News, at
http://www.vistanews.com/090903-WServerNews
Join the VistaNews fan page on Facebook!
http://www.vistanews.com/090903-VistaNews-on-Facebook
Quotes of the Week
A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business. - Henry Ford
About the time we can make ends meet, somebody moves the ends. - Herbert Hoover
If you owe the bank $100, that's your problem. If you owe the bank $100 million,
that's the bank's problem. - J. Paul Getty
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Own a Single-user VIPRE?
Upgrade Now To Home Site License For Just $19.95
You run VIPRE and love it. But what about the other PC's at the house? We have
a special, limited time upgrade offer. You can upgrade now and just pay the
difference (20 bucks) between the Single License and the Unlimited Home Site
License (UHSL). But wait, it gets better. Your UHSL starts fresh and you get
a new 12 month subscription! Do the math. Wait and pay 30 bucks later, or buy
the upgrade now and get a whole year for 20 bucks. A no-brainer! Remember this
is for a limited time only, get that upgrade now! Click here to learn more and
order:
http://www.vistanews.com/090903-UHSL-Upgrade
*Offer not valid in the UK
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Cool Tools |
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News, Hints, Tips and Tricks |
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Take command: command-prompt tips for Windows pros
Do you prefer the simplicity and speed of the command prompt over the Windows
GUI, at least for some tasks? Did you know that you can use the Function keys
from the command prompt to speed up working with the prompt? For instance, F3
will retype the last command you entered. Find out about this and other command-line
tips by watching Bill Detwiler's video on how to become a command-prompt
ninja, at
http://www.vistanews.com/090903-Command-Prompts
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How to: Using the New Vista Features |
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Get the Vista SP2 Application Compatibility Update
In August, Microsoft released an application compatibility update for Vista
systems with Service Pack 2, which helps to deal with compatibility problems
that you might encounter with various software applications. The upgrade can
block the running of programs that have known compatibility problems ("hard
block") or just notify you that there is a compatibility problem but let you go
ahead and run the program ("soft block"). Find out more, and how to get it,
here:
http://www.vistanews.com/090903-Compatibility-Update
How to kill multiple processes
Have you ever had IE or Chrome or some other program freeze up (it seems to be
especially common with web browsers) and you couldn't get it to close by
clicking the X? So you open Task Manager, go to the Processes tab and proceed
to kill the process (for example, iexplore.exe) but you find there are half a
dozen or more of them. Don't you wish you could kill them all at once instead of
having to right-click each one and select to end it? Well, you can. Here's how:
- Click the Start button.
- In the Search box, type cmd to open the command window.
- At the command prompt, type: taskkill /F /IM /T
For example, to kill all instances of the IE process, you would type:
taskkill /F /IM iexplore.exe /T
Boot Camp 3.0 makes it easier to run Windows on a Mac
Okay, admit it. You love the Apple hardware - but you still prefer the Windows
OS. You can buy a cool Macbook Air and install Vista or Windows 7 on it to dual
boot with OS X, using Apple's Boot Camp utility. And the new version of Boot
Camp includes the drivers to run either 32 bit or 64 bit Windows 7. Find out
more about it here:
http://www.vistanews.com/090903-Great-News
Longing for the retro style Start menu in Windows 7?
I can't imagine why, but apparently there are some folks out there who prefer
the old classic (pre-Vista) Start menu for Windows. One complaint I've received
from a few readers about Windows 7 is the lack of the ability to use that Start
menu. Well, now there is a third party program that will bring it back. It's
called CSMenu, it's free, and you can download it here:
http://www.vistanews.com/090903-CSMenu-Review
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Vista Security |
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"Mandatory" security patch for Live Messenger
Due to a vulnerability in the Windows Live Messenger IM program, Microsoft is
planning to distribute a "mandatory" fix later this month. The versions affected
are WLM 8.1 and 8.5. In mid-September, all users of these versions will be
required to upgrade WLM. If you don't, you won't be able to continue to sign in.
Read more here:
http://www.vistanews.com/090903-Security-Patch
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Vista Question Corner |
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Two Internet Explorers in 64 bit Vista
QUESTION:
I just recently got a new computer that has Vista (64 bit) installed. Why are
there two links for Internet Explorer in the Start menu? One says Internet
Explorer (64-bit) and the other just says Internet Explorer. I assume it's 32
bit? Why do I need both? - Ellis J.
ANSWER:
The 63 bit version of Vista does include both a 32 and a 64 bit version of IE.
The shortcut in the Quick Launch bar runs the 32 bit version by default.
Applications that require a lot of memory may perform better in 64 bit versions.
However, one big drawback for the web browser is that you can't install Adobe
Flash on the 64 bit browser. That means you can't play videos on YouTube and
other sites that use Flash. Thus you will probably need to run the 32 bit
version at least some of the time.
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Vista Configuration and Troubleshooting |
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Menu bar and/or toolbar missing in IE
If you open Internet Explorer in Vista (or XP) and find that the menu bar,
toolbar or both are missing, it's probably caused by a corrupted value in the
registry. You can edit the registry to fix the problem, or run the "Fix It"
wizard in KB article 962963. Note that after you fix it, the toolbar will be
reset to its default configuration, so you'll lose any customizations you might
have made. To find out more, see:
http://www.vistanews.com/090903-Missing-Menu-Bar
EFS encrypted files don't get backed up
When you back up your data using the Back Up Files option in Vista's Backup and
Restore Center, you will find that any files you might have encrypted with the
Encrypting File System (EFS) won't be backed up. That's because this option
doesn't support backing up EFS files. However, you can work around this by using
the Back Up Computer option to do a full image backup instead. To learn more,
see KB article 934172 at
http://www.vistanews.com/090903-EFS-Backups
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Windows 7 Preview Corner |
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Windows 7 "showstopper bug" just FUD
Some tech journalists who have a flair for the dramatic have been talking about
a possible bug in the final code of Windows 7 that, under some circumstances,
could cause the system to crash - calling it a "showstopper." Steve Sinofsky of
Microsoft disputes that characterization, as do some Windows 7 testers such as
Ed Bott. You can read more about it here:
http://www.vistanews.com/090903-Win7-Bug
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Fav Links |
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This Week's Links We Like. Tips, Hints And Fun Stuff
Disclaimer: VistaNews does not assume and cannot be
responsible for any liability related to you clicking any of
these linked Web sites.
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Product of the Week |
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Show Classic Menus and Toolbars Instead of Microsoft Office 2007 Ribbon
Here's a great find. We've been looking for a product just like this and here it
is. Are you frustrated by endless searches for features on the Ribbon? Download
and install this software and easily use the familiar main menu and the standard
and formatting toolbars of Office 2003. All of the new features in Microsoft
Office 2007 have been added to the classic menu and toolbars. Supports all
languages that are supported by Microsoft Office 2007: English, French, German,
Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, and more.
VistaNews readers can download the free evaluation here and try out this
fantastic product.
http://www.vistanews.com/090903-Classic-Menu
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Copyright © 1996-2011 Sunbelt Media Services. All rights reserved.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Other products and companies
referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark holders.
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