Windows as of late seem to be focusing on safety but the tools they have implemented to do this cripple the OS, for example UAC (User Access Control) it’s there to keep you safe but just become an annoyance, so the first thing we are going to disable is UAC, now if you have decent internet security on your machine (not Norton or McAfee) then chances are it’s safe to turn it off.

Second thing we are going to turn off is the Search Indexer, it is there to speed up file finding but if you keep everything tidy in the first place then it’s not needed and can be disabled to free up some memory.

Third Thing you can do if you have a small amount of total memory is use vista’s and windows 7′s “Ready Boost”. This allows you to use any old pen drive you have lying around as RAM. Any size will do 128mb all the way up to 8Gb.

Forth thing to do is turn off Aero if it’s crippling you system. Aero is the flashy yet resource heavy theme that comes with Vista and Windows 7, if you have small memory and/or an old graphics card then it may improve system performance to turn it off and use the Basic theme.

Fifth thing to do is tell Vista or Windows 7 to use more than one core and more memory on start-up this can be done by typing msconfig in the search bar and going into the boot section then advanced options, there you will have the option to use 1 to #cores you have and the amount of memory it can have. The best option to use it all the cores you have and half the memory (don’t worry it wont use half all the time, just at boot-up)

Sixth thing to do is get rid of unwanted start-up programs anything like messenger or MS office. Stopping these speeds up the login and desktop loading times.

Lastly if you have Norton or McAfee as your internet security I strongly urge you to uninstall it and get something like Kaspersky (if you want to pay for it) or AVG/Avast Free edition. The main reason is Norton and McAfee use up an un-needed amount of memory and CPU resources.

Now we dive into special programs that do all the hard stuff for you, the program we are going to use is TweakNow WinSecret. This program is free and very easy to use but I will still be using some visual tools to smooth the process.

The first thing you will need to do on Windows 7 is put it into compatibility mode for Vista SP2 because for some reason even though Windows 7 is supported it can’t read the memory and bottle’s out.

First thing you’ll want go into is the Windows Core area which is shown below:

Then you’ll have a new window with the following options:

Windows Prefetch – you’ll want to leave that alone and just empty the prefetch using the button at the bottom.

Windows Time Out – You can set the number to whatever you feel but the best option is clicking the “Recommended” button at the bottom.

Cache – This gives you the option to keep data in the RAM rather than the Page File, this is supposed to speed things up but I found it hogs a lot of memory on long uses, nearly filling my 6Gb, so we leave this option alone.

Miscellaneous – This gives you three options Automatic Restart, NTFS File System and Library files. We leave the first two alone and just check the “Force Windows to unload DLL’s after program close”

Security – This gives you the option to unload the page file on shut down, this doesn’t do much other than make your PC shut down take 3 times as long so we leave that unchecked.

You then save and close the sub window.

We now go onto the Network and Internet Button back on the main screen.

We are now met with 3 sub-tabs.

On the “General” Tab just check the “SACK” option.

We leave the “MTU” tab alone

We then go to the “Others” Tab and check the MTU Auto Discovery box as well as putting the number of connections of HTTP 1 and 1.1 to 10. Save and then close the sub window.

Well that’s it for this article, if there is any other tips you have and want me to add just drop a comment and I’ll put it in.

Lenovo is the latest candidate in joining the "free windows 7 update" along with Dell and HP

HP was the first PC service to offer a free upgrade to Windows 7 and now has been joined by fellow company Lenovo.

Lenovo have now decided to provide users with a free Windows 7 upgrade with their PC’s and Laptops. The deal has been available for three days now and will come to an end in January 2010. All of the Lenovo systems which have Vista, between then qualify for the free update.

The PC giants have made it clear that companies who purchase more than twenty nine systems will be referred to Microsoft’s volume licensing programme.

Their actions have come after HP, on Thursday announced they would offer a free windows update between 26th June and 22nd October with systems, effectively coming complementary. In addition to HP, Dell are also offering a deal almost identical to Lenovos, starting from 26th June and ending on 31st Jan ’10. In light of these three companies actions, I am sure other PC services are sure to follow especially as Microsoft are offering a “referral” program to major organizations.

The software giants are adament on helping users out as they said earlier last week that they’d provide discounts to users that pre-ordered Windows 7. This is sure to give Microsoft quite a bit of profit from users becoming obliged to buy a computer system to get the free upgrade, which they really needed!

Is it only a matter of time before all of the major PC companies offer the upgrade just to attract more potential customers? Feel free to comment below!

Vista was given a bad reputation for having bad compatibility with many portable devices- has Windows 7 followed in Vista’s footsteps or have they taken another path?

Microsoft has been pouring their heart and soul into creating Windows 7, which could be their best operating system yet, according to analysts.  There has been much controversy over the release of Windows 7 in the last month or so, as you may have observed. Initially, Windows 7 RC was to be announced publicly on May 5th, but earlier for TechNet and MSDN subscribers. However, a couple of days later, it turned out that it had been leaked on P2P file-sharing sites , just what everyone needed after the Pirate Bay trial. Well, now that it has been released, TechCombo would like to review Windows 7 RC for our readers, let’s see what all this hype is really about!

Installing Windows 7 RC

Before you decide to install Windows 7, you must take a quick look at the system requirements that Microsoft suggest:

- 1GHz or faster CPU.

- 1 GB of RAM for 32-bit systems OR 64-bit systems 2GB of RAM.

- 16 GB of available disk space for 32-bit OR 20 GB for 64-bit.

- DirectX 9 graphics device with Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 1.0 or higher driver.

These requirements are rather low and so the majority will have no problems in passing them. The installation itself is one of the quickest yet, on average taking sixteen minutes. Vista comes close, taking nineteen minutes and XP requires forty five minutes (faster computers will take around thirty minutes.) In addition to the system requirements, Microsoft strongly advise you not to install Windows 7 over Beta as this can cause some difficulties and will, most probably, take up more of your precious time. The “16 minute” installation process is not too demanding at all, needing you to register the product key, edit elementary data like username, and other minor settings.

New and Notable Features

- New Taskbar with “pinned” shortcuts instead of the conventional “buttons” to run a program.

- Capability of hovering over a program in use, and preview a thumbnail. In the case of multiple windows of the same program, the first icon will shrink and the two or three icons will be next to each other accordingly, so that you are able to choose whichever one you want to go on.

- Right clicking has a completely new function. If you were to have a typical program e.g.Firefox on your taskbar,right clicking it in Vista would have brought up ‘properties’ or c’reate shortcut’. However, in Windows 7, a list containing the most frequently used sites as well as programs you have previously pinned, will be brought up.

- Another feature they have edited is the notification region. The ‘show hidden icons’ button arrow face has changed direction; before it was facing westwards but now faces north. What I have noticed is that it seems to hide one more item than Vista.

- Improved “Show desktop” button. It has moved positioned and now has stationed itself on the right of the time icon, in the bottom right hand corner. In addition to the change in placement, whenever you hover over the “Show desktop” icon, all the windows that are open automatically become see-through revealing whatever is on your desktop.

- New “Jump Lists” Jump lists are positioned in the Start menu, which are normally for specific programs like Web browsers or Multimedia applications. You can identify jump listed programs because there is a small black arrow pointing to the right; and in there contains various shortcuts. For example, again I’ll use Firefox, it will show frequently used sites as well as tasks.

New jump lists in start menu

- Windows 7 “Libraries.” Libraries are effectively a virtual network connected to any computer in your home network. It enables you to find and sort all your Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos into one “server.” It also means you can now sort videos by length and photos by when you took them originally. Though, in this library, images are just linked to there, so they are there to view only.

- New “Network” in Homegroups. Pretty clear from the name itself. Homegroups effectively allows you to share files with the nearest Windows 7 computer or laptop on your home network. This is a useful tool because you can print anything from your computer to the same printer that the other Windows 7 users utilizes, though when first set-up there is a exclusive password that cannot be changed, which enables to share files, one tip: do not lose or forget that password otherwise you cannot use this interesting feature.

- Windows Media Centre benefits two countries at least. For the US, TV listings on the Internet have been integrated into the main TV guide which gives various shows. For the UK public, the football fanatics will be bouncing about because you can now watch channels like Liverpool and Arsenal in Extras.

Media Centre makes, USA happy as it has Internet TV listings in their main TV guide, and UK public happy as they can watch favourite football teams online without leaving their computers!

- Added Windows Media Player appearances such as support for .mov files i.e. Quicktime files.

- Newest Internet Explorer 8 embedded into Windows 7, no critics can whine about this problem this time!

- Improved Devices menu in which you can control all your hardware from one location.

- Updated Applications including Paint, WordPad and Windows Update ( now new applications updates, as well as normal updates.)

- User Account Control (UAC) You control the settings now, this means no more MASSIVELY annoying UAC, as was in Vista.

You can now effectively control UAC

Here’s an in-depth video going through what is new in 7:

Our opinion

Pros

- Installation time is 2x faster.

- Much better performance than Vista. Microsoft made performance top priority in the development of Windows 7, and they seem to have done their job well.

- New XP Mode feature

- Fresh User Interface, which is definetely an improvement over Vista.

- Interacts with Windows XP’s assurance and Vista’s homely feeling to produce Microsoft’s best operating system as of yet.

-Backward compatability. There is no need to purchase software or hardware, if you are going to upgrade to 7.

-Some ‘trippy’ desktop wallpapers.

One of the many crazy desktop wallpapers provided. Not all of them are like this though, there are some normal, 'boring' ones as well!

Cons

- 5 “unnecessary” editions rather than one original edition. The 5 that have been released are:

1. Windows 7 Starter.
2. Windows 7 Home Basic.
3. Windows 7 Home Premium.
4. Windows 7 Professional
5. Windows 7 Ultimate.

Most notably, Windows 7 Starter is really just a squashed up version of Windows 7 Home Premium. Perhaps, because we are in the recession, Microsoft need to differentiate consumers in order to squeeze every penny from our pockets to get through the bad economic climate.

-No Quick Launch bar (thankfully it can be created manually)

- Startup control has been removed from Windows Defender

Conclusion

I think that Windows 7 is the best operating system Microsoft have ever produced, it is surprisingly solid and stable. This Windows 7 RC offers exactly what Microsoft initially said, with improved features and a stable operating system set up perfectly for the final released of Windows 7. For anyone using any other Windows platform such as Vista or XP, this is now the time you should consider upgrading because, you never know, you could be in for a pleasant surprise! As a consumer, when the final Windows 7 edition, when all the bugs are completely mended, it will almost definitely be a huge success, especially as Microsoft are giving users the chance to use it for 1 year for free.

If you have used the new Windows 7 RC, let TechCombo know your views! Just fill out the comment box below along with any feedback you have.

"You don't need to rush to get Windows 7 RC. The RC release will be available at least through June 2009 and we're not limiting the number of product keys, so you have plenty of time."

No difficulties- all you need to do is download it on May 5th before the site gets overloaded!

Good news for all Windows lovers- Microsoft has announced that the Windows 7 Release Candidate (which is released May 5th) will not expire until June 1st 2010. Since it is out of Beta and near completion, Microsoft is virtually supplying users with a free operating system for just over a year, which incidentally is a longer preview than other Windows platforms such as Vista and XP.

Windows 7 Release Candidate includes some new advancements such as Remote Media Streaming and Windows XP mode. However, one evident disadvantage is that the full version of Windows RC is not intended to install right over Beta RC, as Microsoft stated it is presently testing the normal version.

Ben Gray, of Forrester Research Inc, stated,

“The beta of Windows 7 shows significant promise, and most IT operations professionals are looking forward to its availability and eventual enterprise deployment … start preparing for it now, and the best way to prepare for Windows 7 is by deploying Windows Vista. Short of that, begin testing your applications and hardware for compatibility against Windows Vista; it will pay off with greater compatibility with Windows 7.”

Windows 7 RC is accessible for a considerably longer period than the Release Candidates of Windows Vista were. Vista RC 1 and Vista RC 2  both concluded in June 2007 but RC 2 went on for another eight months of free charge.  I wonder if Microsoft will do the same to Windows 7 as they did to Vista where people using Vista previews restarted 2 hours regardless. Will Microsoft deploy the same plan in order to alert users it’s time to pay up?

Windows 7 RC was scheduled for download just for Windows’ TechNet and MSDN subscribers on the Thursday March 30th. Unsurprisingly on Thursday, it was reported that both websites suffered hitches as the number of download requests were overwhelming.

If demand for Windows 7 is to be similarly overwhelming within the general public, then it is possible that the Windows 7 download site will suffer hitches as well. What are your views on the release of the Windows 7 RC? Are you looking forward to it and will you be waiting in line to download it? If so- Good luck, because there is likely to be an enormous surge in traffic to the Windows site!

Windows 7 RC is almost upon us, well sooner for torrent trackers

Features include improved Internet Radio playback

Just to hype more news surrounding the highly speculated Windows RC, I feel the need to outline some new and improved features, which some of you may of heard before, but nevertheless for those who are a stranger to what is heading our way, this will be eye-opening preview.

First of all, I shall reveal some of the cool, new features that Windows 7 RC will contain,

- Flip your Windows with Aero Peek ( Shortcut: Alt + Tab)

- Improved Internet Radio playback as well as playback support for video content arriving from periphials like Cameras and Camcorders.

- As soon as a specified program has completed installation, automatically, it moves down to the bottom of Start Menu, part of the easy to use interface.

- Customization of jump list length with a limit of ten items defaulted and better flexibility with the list also.

- Indivisual options for gadget view and desktop icon view.

Above are just five new and improved features, a further fourty, if you are interested, have been listed here with great detail.

Next I will try to outline a couple of the outstanding attributes to Windows 7100 build:

Ability to stream your library whilst on the internet using Windows Media Player.

When I first read about this characterisitic, I was stunned and excited from the prospect of being able to listen to your own songs from anywhere in the world by Windows Media Player’s Remote Media Sharing. All you need is a Windows Live ID and, of course, an account on Windows 7. However, a major flaw is that the set up is long and windows media player on the opposing computer must be open, meaning if you go abroad you will have to keep the laptop for over two weeks! Not gonna happen, neither will integration with googlemail accounts.

Perfect attribute for the travelling personal!

Windows 7 will include XP mode

Having an XP feature, will only increase the likability of Windows 7 attracting more or less all enterprise users, however it does require yet another download. On the brightside, it will be available soon as a downloadable plug-in which you can read more about here.

Antidote for the credit crunch temporarily as no cost for XP on Windows 7 Pro, Enterprise and Ultimate.

Desktop Background Picture beats Vista hands down

Not the most significant feature, but when you login to your laptop/computer it will definately have an impact on your mood! There are a huge variety to choose from, and if you would like to see more , other than the one below, visit here.

Beautiful background is always something nice to have in front of you

I hope this article has showed you a few characteristics of Windows 7 RC which were alien to you beforehand. If there are any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below,

One of the biggest flaws with Vista was that programs which worked in XP, just work properly. But it seems Microsoft have learnt from a few of their mistakes, as they will offer a virtualised “Windows XP Mode” in Windows 7 Proffesional and Ultimate editions. This seems to be a brilliant move and could potentially do wonders for Windows 7.

It won’t be put directly onto the release candidate due to come out on May 5th, but instead will be available as a free downloadable plug-in.

What is XP mode and how does it work? Essentially, its a licensed  virtualized copy of Windows XP SP 3. Your Windows 7 Pro/Enterprise/Ultimate licensees will receive access to download this plug-in and it will run inside Windows’ own Virtual PC framework. Anyone wanting to run a XP program has to simply install it while XP mode is on. You can then run in the future as a virtualised program, without having to resort to further hassle.

According to Paul Thurrott, Microsoft claims nearly 100% compatibility with current Windows XP applications in XPM. But we have to wait and see how smoothly Virtual PC can be integrated into 7 itself. We also have to wait and see how XP Mode will be liscenced and provided. Will it be restriced only to corporate liscences, or will it be available to retail customers as well?

Overall, this may be an extremely smart move from Microsoft. For adminstrators, the cost of upgrading may be an issue, but compatibility problems are also a major issue. XP mode might get rid of this issue and convince enough adminstrators to upgrade. Windows needs 7 to be successful, and XP Mode will certainly contribute.

What are your thoughts? How does the promise of a licensed, virtualized XP running inside Windows 7 change your view on the OS? Feel free to leave your opinion on the comments.

"We expect the weakness to continue through at least the next quarter,"

Microsoft report sales have fallen by 6% for the quarter that ended on the 31st March.

Software giant, Microsoft, said that their monetary third-quarter sales were around $13.65 billion. However, in comparison to last year, they are down by an astonishing 6%, which meant they turned over $14.45 billion.

According to Reuters Estimates. many people had orignally been predicting that Microsoft would of gotten around $14.15 billion, giving shares of 39 cents, which before were marked at 47 cents.

Even before these stats were published, people had an idea that Microsoft would be affected by the recession just as many other companies are, such as when BT shares dropped.

Microsoft Chief Financial Officer, Chris Liddell, quoted:

“While market conditions remained weak during the quarter, I was pleased with the organization’s ability to offset revenue pressures with the swift implementation of cost-savings initiatives. We expect the weakness to continue through at least the next quarter.”

As you would expect, Microsoft are going through a bad patch right now and so want to keep much information to themselves reflecting on what they think the operating costs could be for the next quarter, ignoring any specific details on the quarter next approaching.

Microsoft, again, decline to give any juicy details to analysts. Merely saying it “remains on track for a fiscal year 2010 launch.” Though Microsoft have been trying hard to bring Windows 7 for PC’s on schedule by early August, from what we have heard, it is still quite doubtful.

Not only did this affect general sales, it affected Microsoft’s online advertising by declining by a staggering 16%. In addition to advertising, PC’s were down more than 8% especially after the Netbooks sale rage. However, Microsoft surprisingly have increased sales Xbox 360 selling over one and a half million of the consoles this quarter, giving them a 30% which for them, could take them away from the dreaded, danger zone.

In terms of shares, on Thursday when the stats were released, closed at $18.92 (+14 cents) and products were traded at $19.85 (+93 cents.)

Despite this quarter’s sales, I still think Microsoft will do a lot better than other companies as many people still use their services as they are reliable and have great support.