Sidebars and Gadgets Explained

Understanding the Windows Vista Sidebar

A little while ago, Rick Robinette posted a great article on his site, What's On My PC..., that I think some of my readers will appreciate. It is sort of an 'ABC's In A Nutshell' about Vista's (and Windows 7) sidebar and desktop gadgets. Here's an excerpt--

"If you are a Vista user and you do not know what the sidebar is, it is an area, usually inhabiting the right edge of your desktop that contains gadgets (such as a clock, picture viewer, calendar, etc…).  What most people do not know is that you can install, add and remove gadgets from the sidebar and you can also drag gadgets from the sidebar and place them anywhere on your desktop; thus, making the sidebar an useful feature.

To assist you with Understanding the Sidebar
I have compiled the following, easy-to-follow tutorial.."

To visit his site and read the article, please click here. These gadgets are fun and informative, and I think you'll be glad you did. (I was going to discuss this in my next A Tech's First Impression of Windows 7 article, but he's done a much better job than I would have.)

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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A Tech's First Impression of Windows 7 RC

Like many people, I downloaded the Windows 7 "Release Candidate", and I have been running it for a few days now. I will now describe to you, Dear Reader, my initial impressions of Microsoft's newest operating system, as I did for Windows 7 beta. (drum roll please)

(For those of you who would like to get a copy, please see, Click here to download Windows 7. For those of you who would like to read my earlier statements on Windows 7 first, please see, A Tech’s First Impression of Windows 7, Part 1.)

Let's get started: I opted to install the 32-bit version. I installed a “clean install”, though I could have “upgraded” an existing Vista or Windows 7 install (I recommend ‘clean install’ as a General Rule Of Thumb).

Microsoft is calling Windows 7 a whole new OS, and is expecting it to replace replace Vista.. in the same way that Vista is replacing Windows XP. I can tell you that it is not a whole new operating system. I can also tell you that it does not give us the new file system (WinFS) that was originally promised as one of the “three pillars of Vista”.

The install itself: My “clean” install on a freshly formatted volume took just 27 minutes, and involved three automated reboots. I then transferred in my settings tweaks and customizations, all my installed programs (except for my antivirus) and games, files and photos, etc., from the Win 7 beta in 20 minutes using Windows Easy Transfer.
It would have taken less time had I migrated the User Profile via my network, but I used a USB storage drive instead.

No device driver issues: I installed Windows 7 on a recent-vintage machine (it came with Vista Home Premium) and I had to install zero, zip, nada, device drivers — and this is a beta! Every device worked out of the gate. Microsoft claims Windows 7 is the most ‘backwards compatible’ OS yet and I believe them. A beta.. and no device driver installs??? Amazing.

In case you're not following along.. From inserting the CD, to a fully tweaked, loaded, and ready-to-go state in 47 minutes.. without the use of 3rd-party programs, tools or special cables.

That is simply... OUTSTANDING! (Yes, I'm shouting.)

In my earlier series, (see link above) I wrote "My experience matched that of other reviewers: it was by far the fastest, smoothest, easiest Windows installation I’ve ever had. That this is a beta release makes this fact all the more remarkable."
The RC beat it handily .

Folks, I cannot count the number of Windows Installs, re-Installs, and User State Migrations I've done -- I am a Support & Repair Tech, after all -- but this last was something I had previously only dreamed of.

I'm going to stop here but I will add this statement -- I will delay buying my next computer until they come with Windows 7 on them; and I advise you to do the same if you can. (Can you tell I'm impressed?)

More Windows 7 RC "impressions" to come..

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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Do Not Want That Update? How To Stop A Nag

IE 8 is an "Important" Update, Yes, But I Don't Want It

Sometimes we need to tell Windows Update to stop prompting us to install a particular Update.

When Microsoft has released important and/or critical Updates (aka "patches") for us, Windows has various ways of letting us know, including a System Tray icon.

I am a big fan of Updates. I (almost) always install them the moment I become aware of them. I use Secunia's Personal Software Inspector to keep an eye on all my installed programs' update state.. and I recommend you do too. Updates are 'good' and you want them.

Tip of the day: Manage Windows Updates prompts.
Currently, Microsoft Update is annoying me be continuously nagging me that there are Updates available. And when I click on the icon to see just what these updates are...

.. and I see that there is just one Update Microsoft wants me to install (the others only rate "optional") -- Internet Explorer 8.
Now, I understand why Microsoft wants us to be using a more secure browser (and I understand why it's considered "important") and I will upgrade from IE7 on most of my machines -- but not all. Not yet.

So I right-click on the Update I don't want to be nagged about and then click on "Hide update".

That's it. I'm done. Windows Update will no longer prompt me to install this 'hidden' update. At a later date, to see Updates that I've hidden, I just click on "Show hidden updates". I can undo my change.

Note: This technique can be used on troublesome Updates that cause incompatibility issues such as BSOD. If a Windows Update install causes you trouble, and you need to uninstall it, the "Hide" tip won't help you (it's too late). Please refer to the 3rd answer in this article, IE’s Menu bar, Taskbar icons, and bad Updates*, to see how to remove Updates.
After you get that Update uninstalled, use the Hide feature to prevent Windows Update from re-Installing it on you.

Today's free link: Panda Cloud Antivirus - Free Cloud Protection
Panda Security has launched a brand new type of antivirus, and Security blogger Bill Mullins has this excellent write up.
"FREE, antivirus thin-client service for consumers which is able to process and block malware more efficiently than locally installed signature-based products."

Today's free download: Adeona is the first Open Source system for tracking the location of your lost or stolen laptop that does not rely on a proprietary, central service. This means that you can install Adeona on your laptop and go.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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An Update is causing BSOD, what do I do?

Q: An recent Windows Update is causing my computer to blue screen, what do I do to fix this?

A: From time to time a Microsoft security Update will not be compatible with the software and/or device drivers on your machine and the instability will trigger the Blue Screen Of Death (for more on BSOD’s and what to do, see “When good computers go bad“). Usually, Microsoft will repair this and issue a new Update … eventually.

In the meantime, remove the Update (If you’re not sure which Update is the perp, remove the most recent one. f you continue to get crashes, repeat the Steps and disable one more Update, until you find the right one by process of elimination.)
Do this by going to Add/Remove Programs in your Control Panel. (Start >Settings >Control Panel >Add/Remove Programs) Now look to the top area and place a check (select) in the “Show updates” checkbox. Now you will be able to see the list of installed Updates.

Click on the Update you want to remove, and click on the Remove button.

Today’s free link: I do NOT recommend uninstalling security updates unless they cause your machine to become inoperable. I am a big fan of security updates and want all my vulnerabilities patched. If you’re like me in that aspect, Secunia’s Personal Software Inspector is for you.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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