The Road to Know Where: Blog

Microsoft Releases Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook Add-on

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:15:34 GMT

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook enables access to the same data through Outlook as Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. Only use this application with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.

--> Download Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook

Click Here for All Free Microsoft Office 2007 Software

Microsoft Updates Windows Desktop Search and Search Add-ins

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:32:10 GMT

Microsoft has updated the Windows Desktop Search component that enables instant search on your computer; which is built-in to Windows Vista. (Support: KB940157)

DOWNLOAD WINDOWS SEARCH 4.0 HERE -->

Windows Search 4.0 for Windows XP & Multilingual User Interface Pack
Windows Search 4.0 for Windows XP x64 Edition

Windows Search 4.0 for Windows Vista
Windows Search 4.0 for Windows Vista x64 Edition

Windows Search 4.0 for Windows Home Server & Multilingual User Interface Pack

Windows Search 4.0 for Windows Server 2003 & Multilingual User Interface Pack
Windows Search 4.0 for Windows Server 2003 x64

Windows Search 4.0 for Windows Server 2008
Windows Search 4.0 for Windows Server 2008 x64 Edition

WINDOWS SEARCH 4.0 ADD-INS:

2007 Office System Converter: IFilter Pack will install and register the following formats: .docx, .docm, .pptx, .pptm, .xlsx, .xlsm, .xlsb, .zip, .one, .vdx, .vsd, .vss, .vst, .vdx, .vsx, & .vtx
Internet Explorer History Add-in indexes the history of the web pages browsed using Internet Explorer. (Support: KB918998)
Lotus Notes Add-in indexes the content of Lotus Notes e-mail, contacts, calendar items, and journal items
Microsoft Network (UNC/FAT) Protocol Handler Add-in indexes shared network directories and FAT drive(s) to easily find specific content. (Support KB918996)
Outlook Saved Mail Add-in indexes Outlook's (.msg file) indexing (.MSG) files including Message Body; Subject; From; From Name; From Address; To Name; To Address; CC Name; CC Address; Doc Title Prefix; Sent Date; Received Date; Primary Date; Conversation ID; Attachment Names and will indicate if an attachment is present within the .MSG. Additionally, content within attachments are indexed and searched.

ADDITIONAL WINDOWS SEARCH 4.0 RESOURCES:

Windows Search 4.0 Administrator's Guide provides instructions for deploying Windows Search 4.0 (WS4) and is designed for IT professionals and deployment specialists who are responsible for deploying Windows Search in an enterprise environment.
Windows Search 4.0 Troubleshooting Guide describes troubleshooting tips and lists current known issues with Windows Search 4.0 and differences from previous versions that might cause support issues.

Click Here for All Free Microsoft Software

Microsoft Releases Office Templates for Corporate ID and Small Business

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 02:30:10 GMT

Microsoft has released a series of Office Templates for Corporate ID and Small Business

Technology Design - From Stocklayouts for Word 2003 or later

Letterhead (8.5 x 11)

Envelope (9.5 x 4.125)

Brochure (2-pg, 11 x 17)

Business Card (landscape)

Newsletter (2-pg, 11 x 17)

Flyer

Professional Services Design - From Stocklayouts for Word 2000 or later

Letterhead

Brochure (Letter fold, 2 pages)

Business Card (landscape)

Newsletter

Flyer

Civic Design - Publisher 2007. Sophisticated with academic emphasis

Letterhead

Envelope (9.5 x 4.125)

Brochure (3-panel)

Business Card (landscape)

Newsletter

Flyer

Soft Blue Design - Publisher 2007. Clean, simple layout

Letterhead

Envelope (9.5 x 4.125)

Brochure (3-panel)

Business Card (landscape)

Newsletter

Flyer

Additional Templates for Small Business Owners:

4 Year Profit Projection

12 Month Profit and Loss Projection

12 Month Sales Forecast

Bank Loan Request for Small Business

Business Plan for Startup Business

Competitive Analysis

Financial History and Ratios

Opening Day Balance Sheet

Personal Financial Statement

Projected Balance Sheet

Start-up Expenses

Click Here for All Free Microsoft Office 2007 Software

Microsoft Releases Free Customization Pack for Office Accounting 2008

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:26:38 GMT

Partner Customization Pack for Office Accounting 2008 provides a guide on how you can create a customized version of Microsoft Office Accounting that includes your company brand and exposes your products and services to your customers. Without writing any code, you use a customized XML branding file (Branding.xml) to modify the Office Accounting default user interface. After you customize the branding file, you create a setup package and distribute your co-branded version Office Accounting to your customers. You can also use the Office Accounting services infrastructure to create services, which interact with the Office Accounting client.

--> Download Partner Customization Pack for Office Accounting 2008

Click Here for All Free Microsoft Office Accounting 2008 Resources

Microsoft Releases Updated "Community Clips" Video Training Recorder

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:01:50 GMT

Microsoft has released a new version of the Community Clips recorder. If you have a previous version of the recorder installed, you should receive an upgrade notification within 24 hours. (Thanks Sunil)

There are Two Main Updates:

Some of you have received the “Unable to get installer type…” error during install. This error was due the recorder’s dependency on Office 2007. We’ve removed this dependency from the recorder in this release. If you do not have Office 2007 you can still install the recorder and record clips from the systray icon. If you have Office 2007 you’ll continue to use the recording controls in the Ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar (QAT). Let us know if you have any issues during installation.
We’ve changed the recording profile used by the recorder. We had previously used high audio bitrates for recording which increased the file size of the recorded video. This was unnecessary since audio in the clips is mostly speech. So we have reduced the audio bitrate to reduce the file size. Additionally we’ve fine tuned the video frame rates that we capture. This reduces the file size further. We’ve tried to reduce the file size without compromising on the quality of the video captured. We would love to get feedback from you regarding how these changes impact the recording quality.

--> Download Updated Community Clips

Microsoft Launches Equipt: Online Service for Microsoft Office and Windows Live OneCare

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:33:36 GMT

Microsoft Equipt is a subscription service that delivers security and performance with Windows Live OneCare plus Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 and other essential tools to help home PC users be more protected, productive and connected.

Microsoft Equipt is $69.99 (U.S.) estimated retail price for a one-year renewable subscription for three home PCs - and will be sold in ~700 Circuit City stores in the U.S. starting mid-July 2008.

Included Products and Services:

Windows Live OneCare

All-in-one security and performance includes antivirus, antispyware, firewall, file and photo backup, performance tune-ups, and home network management to help keep your PC running at its peak.

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007

Word 2007 - Create great-looking documents with ease.
Excel 2007 - Intuitive spreadsheet tools let you create budgets and more.
PowerPoint 2007 - Design stunning presentations for family, school or volunteer activities.
OneNote 2007 - Organize different kinds of information — text, images, audio and video, Web clippings, and more — in one digital notebook.

Microsoft Office Live Workspace

This new service from Office makes it easy for you to save documents to a dedicated online Workspace and share these with friends and classmates.

Windows Live Tools

Windows Live Mail - Get all your e-mail in one place.
Windows Live Messenger - Send instant messages to your friends or have a video chat.
Windows Live Photo Gallery - Organize and share photos.

Microsoft Releases Updated Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:52:05 GMT

Remote Desktop Connection Client 2 for Mac, lets you connect from your Macintosh computer to a Windows-based computer or to multiple Windows-based computers at the same time. After you have connected, you can work with applications and files on the Windows-based computer.

--> Download Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2

Click Here for All Free Macintosh Software from Microsoft

Microsoft Blogger Releases Sudoku Add-in for OneNote

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:34:02 GMT

Microsoft Employees are crazy about the Sudoku game -- and here Carlos Rivera, from the OneNote Test Team has released a Sudoku Add-in for OnNote.

--> Download Sudoku Add-in for OneNote

Click Here for All Free Microsoft Office 2007 Software

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator: Poor Man's Inventory Program

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:25:13 GMT

"The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator is an agentless tool that will find computers on a network and perform a detailed inventory of the computers using Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), the Remote Registry Service, or the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). Using the inventory data, the tool will assess and report whether computers can run Windows Vista, Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft Application Virtualization (SoftGrid), and Windows Server 2008. This includes assessment of device driver availability and recommendations for hardware upgrades that may be required."

--> Download Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator

Additional Resources:

Homepage
Team Blog
Feedback

Parent's Guide to MySpace (Updated)

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:44:15 GMT

MySpace recently updated their website adding new features, and changing how your MySpace account is configured. So much has changed, that it was time to update my original “Parent’s Guide to MySpace”.

The “Real” Dangers:

Because of the anonymity of the Internet, pedophiles scour MySpace looking for potential victims. These predators use the children’s personal MySpace information to begin conversations with their intended victim. Conversations take place over a period of time to gain their trust. As parents we do not allow our children to chat with strangers – this must be the same rule on the Internet.

Posting “innocent” information containing hints to: your child’s real name, phone numbers, home address, school name (which yields a location), places they regularly visit (i.e shopping malls, parks) also yielding a location, or their school schedule. This personal information can be used by predators to create a “portfolio” of information on their child victim.

Children post information about their friends without regard to its consequences. Comments left in anger, or even in jest can lead to a great deal of “real world” problems (especially with girls more prone to express their feelings in words).

MySpace is not the only social networking website for parents to be “worried about” (i.e. AOL's AIM-Pages, Bebo, FaceBook, Friendster, imeem!, LinkedIn, LiveJournal, MSN Spaces, MyYearBook, Google's Orkut & Xanga)



MySpace Background:

“Social Networking” a technical term for “a method for people to meet and socialize” – however if you use the term “Social Networking” with your children; you’ll sound dreadfully “out-of-touch”

MySpace is an easy to use social networking website that allows people to meet and socialize. People customize their personal “space” with information about their personal lives and interests. People join MySpace in the hopes of meeting and sharing their “space” with other people with the same interests.

MySpace allows people to “search” for others based upon various categories – the more categories you complete the easier it is for others to find you – completing fewer categories with more specific answers will limit the number of people that locate you.

Children under 13 may not join MySpace and your kids know this. When your 14 year old approaches you – be prepared!

Adults use MySpace for Dating, Serious Relationships, Networking & Friends – children under 18 should ONLY use MySpace for making FRIENDS!



A LITTLE PARENTAL PERSPECTIVE:

Becoming a parent quickly teaches us that we don’t know “everything” – so it’s OK if you don’t know about MySpace.

Today’s parents need to remember OUR parents or grandparents thought the “World was coming to an end” because of Rock-n-Roll. The music they originally feared is now played in elevators and grocery stores everywhere. MySpace is not going away, so setup your own MySpace account and learn to "love it"

Before the Internet, we had:

“School Annuals" to share our school portrait. (Today we have MySpace)

“School Annuals" to share pictures of school events. (Today we have MySpace)

“School Annuals” for our friends to sign autographs and leave messages. (Today we have MySpace)

“Slam Books” for our friends to write in and pass around. (Today we have MySpace)

Passed notes in class (Today we have MySpace & Text Messaging)

Handed out invitations to parties (Today we have evites)

Photocopied maps from the Thomas Brother’s Guide (Today we have online maps)

Really long telephone calls while watching the same TV show (Today we have Instant Messaging)

Speaking in “Pig Latin” thinking nobody else understood (Today we have L33T speak)

Polaroid Instant Cameras (Today we have Digital Cameras)

Going to the Video Arcade to play against friends (Today we have Online Gaming)

Read the World Book / Encyclopedia Britannica (Today we have Wikipedia)

Parties where your friend’s parents were not home (Today some parents don’t read their kids’ MySpace account)

Most parents feel their kids know MORE about computers than adults – but usually this is NOT the case. You're confusing your kid’s CONFIDENCE with knowledge. If you asked your child if they think they could drive a car – they’d quickly say “Yep!” Your children simply “click-around” on your computer faster than you – they usually don’t “understand” what they are doing.

When teaching our children to drive a car – we begin training in an open parking lot. But at some point, our children need to learn how to drive defensively, navigate traffic and avoid accidents. Apply this same philosophy to your children’s use of the Internet.

Simply saying “Don’t Use MySpace” will undoubtedly fail with many children. Children and especially teenagers need to socialize. The Internet is our new playground and meeting place. As parents we need to learn how to use MySpace safely – and teach our children how to build normal, healthy, online relationships.

When your child sets up their MySpace account – do it WITH them. Verify the proper safety restrictions (below) – and remember to visit their MySpace often to read what your child is doing! (Even better. Setup your own MySpace account and "subscribe" to your child's account. This provides automatic monitoring of changes & updates.)

HOW TO SETUP YOUR CHILD’S MySpace ACCOUNT

Go to MySpace (Click on SignUp to begin)

Do not enter your child’s real name – use a nickname [Choose a name that is not gender specific (i.e. princess) hints at their age (i.e. Baseball1992) or hints at their location (i.e. NewYork2006)]

Enter either your own or your child’s email address. [In the future I’ll address how to safely setup your child’s email address]

If you do not wish your child’s zip code listed – enter a nearby (bogus) zip code. (To avoid confusing MySpace postings, bogus zip codes should be within your own time zone.)

Do not use your child’s true birthday, but ensure that it still reflects their true year age. Click to NOT share your child’s birthday.

NOTE: Be careful when entering the verification code – if you enter it incorrectly it will reset the “share your birthday” field!

Edit the profile to select a permanent MySpace name [Choose a name that is not gender specific (i.e. princess) hints at their age (i.e. Baseball1992) or hints at their location (i.e. NewYork2006)]

Select DO NOT allow searching on your real name.

HOW TO VERIFY YOUR CHILD’S MySpace SETTINGS

Go to your child’s MySpace account (created above)

Click on Edit Profile and verify these settings:

Interests & Personality - Review and approve their writings. You don’t want to allow your children to reveal too much.

Name - Ensure it’s an approved nickname

Basic Info - Ensure their birthday is “incorrect” but still reflects their true year age, Occupation = “blank”, Select “No Answer” for Ethnicity, Body Type, and Height (these are not appropriate for children simply wanting to meet other children, and predators can use this information), Select I am here for Friends only.

Background & Lifestyle - Ensure that Marital Status = "Single", Sexual Orientation = "No Answer", Hometown = “blank”, Religion = "No Answer", Children = "No Answer", Education = "No Answer", Income = "No Answer"

Schools - Should be "blank"

Companies - Should be "blank"

Networking - Should be "blank"

Song & Video - It’s up to you if you wish to allow your kids to share their music and/or video tastes. Pedophiles can indeed use this information, but the group most interested in your child’s musical preferences; adults in marketing departments. Please allow your child to select their own Music Play Skin.

Click on Account Settings and verify:

Account - Verify you know this email address. Pretending you live in a different country or time zone probably doesn’t protect your child, and makes their MySpace confusing – so I think it’s OK to use your legitimate language and time zone for the Account Settings.

Password - I personally think you should know your child's password.

Privacy Settings - Online Now = "Unselected", Birthday = "Unselected", Profile Viewable By = "My friends only", Photos = "Unselected", Block Users By Age = "Unselected", Block Users = Periodically review this list of users that your child has banned/blocked (if any)

Spam - Overall Level = Move Slider to “High” (this will preset all the values shown)

Notifications - Unselect both Newsletter & Email Notifications

Applications – Allow applications to send me messages and comments = "Unselected", Friend Application Privacy = "Don’t share any data", Applications You Are Using = Remove any applications to avoid potential unknown problems

Linked Sites - Review, approve, and remove any 3rd-party websites linked to your child’s MySpace account

Mobile - About Alerts = "Disabled", Mobile Content = Should not be configured

Calendar - Default View = "Doesn’t matter", Share Calendar With = "No one" or "Friends" (setup working hours to reflect school if you wish), Reminders = If you do setup reminders, add your own email address.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Profile - Groups = "Unselected", HTML Comments = "Unselect" all three, Comments Stretching = "Unselected", (Don’t reset your child’s counter – they’ll be rightfully upset)

Music Players - "Unselect" both My Profile & Other Profiles from Auto-start

Away Message - If used, ensure that you approve of the message being sent. If vacationing, do NOT mention “where” you are going, or that your home is unoccupied.

Click on Upload / Change Photos (approve pictures ,if any)

Click on Upload / Change Videos (approve videos, if any)



Additional “Road to Know Where” Resources

Parents Guide to Internet & Family Safety

Parent’s Guide to Microsoft’s Windows Vista Parental Controls

Parent’s Guide to Xbox Live & Online Gaming

Remember to continually read your child's MySpace account!

Help your child learn how to approve their new MySpace friends.

If you really want your kids to stop using MySpace and think it’s uncool – use MySpace yourself!

Microsoft Releases Another Excel 2007 Training Demo

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 06:11:02 GMT

Excel 2007 Demo: Organize your data by using an Excel table shows you how to use Excel tables to summarize and emphasize related data.

Use Excel tables to summarize and emphasize related data: Organize, sort, filter, and calculate your data any way you like. Plus, choose from among a number of professional-looking styles — or even create a style of your own — to give your reports a polished appearance and make your data easy to read and understand.

Click Here for All Free Microsoft Office 2007 Training and Demos

Microsoft Releases Updated Messenger for Mac 7.0.1

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:30:54 GMT

Microsoft has released an updated Messenger for Mac 7.0.1 Mac that improves support for users of the VoiceOver feature in Mac OS X, and it fixes user interface issues that appear when Messenger is used with some European languages.

--> Download Messenger for Mac 7.0.1 Mac

Click Here for All Free Macintosh Software from Microsoft

Microsoft Releases Open XML File Format Converter for Macintosh

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:08:33 GMT

Open XML File Format Converter for Mac 1.0 allows you to convert Open XML files that were created in Office 2008 for Mac or Office 2007 for Windows so that you can open, edit, and save them in earlier versions of Office for Mac. (Support: KB953823)

Click Here for All Free Macintosh Software from Microsoft

Microsoft Updates Office 2004 & Office 2008 Software for Macintosh

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:56:23 GMT

Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.5.0 Update includes a roll-up of the previous eight updates (Versions 11.3.5 through 11.4.2) and "contains several improvements to enhance stability and compatibility with documents that were created in Office 2008 for Mac and Office 2007 for Windows." -- Support: KB953824
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.1 Update "contains several improvements to enhance stability and performance." Deja Vu? -- Support: KB953822

Click Here for All Free Macintosh Software from Microsoft

AOL Releases AIM for Windows Mobile Beta

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:18:49 GMT

AIM for Windows Mobile brings all of the best features of AIM on your PC to your Windows Mobile 5 & 6 smartphone! AIM for Windows Mobile lets you communicate whenever you want, wherever you are, in whatever way suits you best - IM or text. Update your AIM status and information when you're on the go. Change your conversation style, manage your Buddy List, and much more. AIM Windows Mobile Smartphone has many of the same key features and a familiar look-and-feel of the desktop AIM client.

Microsoft Updates Roadmap for Windows XP, Windows Vista & Windows 7

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:31:17 GMT

Microsoft's Senior Vice President, Bill Veghte has published "An Update on the Windows Roadmap" for the more than 1 billion Windows users.

QUICK RECAP:

The Future of Windows XP:

End of RETAIL Sales = June 30, 2008
End of Support = Until April 2014
Windows XP will still be available as "downgrade rights"
Windows XP Home and Windows XP Starter (low-end PCs) available until January 31, 2009

About Windows Vista:

Window Vista is more secure than Windows XP (duh!)
60% less likely of being infected with malware compared with Windows XP SP2
Internet Explorer 7 stops ~ 1 million phishing attempts every week
Service Pack 1 includes no new features, but hundreds of small quality and performance improvements
Many updated applications, drivers and tools improve user experience

About Windows 7:

Working name for the next release of Microsoft Windows
Available approximately 3 years after the launch of Windows Vista on January 2007
Built on the core infrastructure of Windows Vista, so there will be less compatibility issues when upgrading (as Windows XP to Windows Vista)

Microsoft Releases 6 Free Works Style Templates for Download

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:20:35 GMT

Microsoft has released 6 free style templates for their "other" word processing program; Works. Available in both DOC and WPS formats (except the "Floral Stripe" Template).

"Chocolate Blue Tendrils" Style - DOC Templates or WPS Templates

Includes:

Calendar
Card
Checklist
Fax Template
Flyer
Invitation
Letterhead
Newsletter
Postcard

"Floral Stripe" Style - WPS Templates Only

Includes:

Budget
Card
Calendar
Checklist
Fax Template
Flyer
Invitation
Letterhead
Newsletter
Party Planner
Postcard

"Japanese Flowers" Style - DOC Templates (No Newsletter Template) or WPS Templates

Includes:

Card
Calendar
Checklist
Fax Template
Flyer
Invitation
Letterhead
Newsletter *
Postcard

"Mod Circles" Style - DOC Tempates (No Budget or To Do Templates) or WPS Templates

Includes:

Budget *
Calendar
Card
Checklist
Fax Template
Flyer
Invitation
Letterhead
Newsletter
Postcard
To Do List *

"Pink Chocolate" Style - DOC Templates (No Newsletter Template) or WPS Templates

Includes:

Calendar
Card
Checklist
Fax Template
Flyer
Invitation
Letterhead
Newsletter *
Postcard

"Waves" Style - DOC Templates (No Home Inventory Template) or WPS Templates

Includes:

Calendar
Checklist
Fax Template
Flyer
Card
Home Inventory *
Invitation
Letterhead
Newsletter
Postcard

Mozilla Releases Firefox 3 Web Browser

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:10:36 GMT

Mozilla has released the third version of their popular Web Browser "Firefox"

NEW FEATURES:

One-Click Bookmarking: Bookmark, search and organize Web sites quickly and easily.
Improved Performance: View Web pages faster, using less of your computer’s memory.
Smart Location Bar: Find the sites you love in seconds—enter a term for instant matches that make sense.
Instant Web Site ID: Avoid online scams, unsafe transactions and forgeries with simple site identity.
Full Zoom: See any part of a Web page, up close and readable, in seconds.
Platform-Native Look & Feel: Browse with a Firefox that’s integrated into your computer’s operating system.
Password Manager: Remember site passwords without ever seeing a pop-up.

--> Downlaod Firefox 3 Here

Windows Vista: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions - Part II

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:38:56 GMT

When Windows Vista was released, I was always asked a common set of questions from end-users. So I compiled the "Tips, Answers & Solutions for First Time Users"

As a Microsoft MVP, I've spent the past year giving a new batch of tips – so it was time to create Part II of "Tips, Answers & Solutions"

ADD ADMINISTRATOR ACCOUNT TO LOGIN SCREEN - By default the Administrator Account is "hidden" - to enable the built-in Administrator account.

From the Start Menu, type "cmd" in the Search box
In the search results, <Right-Click> on the Command Prompt (CMD) program, selecting "Run as Administrator"
When prompted by User Account Control, click "Continue"
At the command prompt, type "net user administrator /active:yes" and press <ENTER>
Type "net user administrator Password" and press <ENTER>
Note: Set Password with administrator's account's password.
Type "exit", and press <ENTER>
Log off the current user account.

AUTOMATIC LOGON - Windows XP required Microsoft's TweakUI for automatic logon, but this feature is included with Windows Vista.

From the Start Menu, type "control userpasswords2" and press <Enter>
Remove the checkmark from "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer"
Click "OK" (you'll need to verify your password)
Click "OK" to exit

CREATE / CHANGE DISK PARTITIONS - Previously Windows XP required 3rd party programs to change disk partitions "on the fly" -- but Windows Vista has this feature built-in. It's a bit complicated, so I'll leave those instructions to Microsoft!

USE CHECK BOXES TO SELECT ITEMS - Besides holding the <Ctrl> + <Left-Click> key while selecting items, Windows Vista can also provide "check boxes" next to each item.

Open "Computer" (or specific folder)
From the "Organize" pull-down on the toolbar, select "Folder and Search Options"
From the "View" tab, select "Use check boxes to select items"
Click "Apply"
Optional: Click "Apply to Folders" to set option for entire drive
Click "OK" or "Cancel" to exit

COPY AS PATH - Creating a link to a file in Windows XP is a "multi-step process" (cut-n-paste the filename, then cut-n-paste the path, then concatenate them along with a "\" inserted between two quotes) Thankfully with Windows Vista it's trivial:

<Shift> + <Right-Click> and select "Copy as Path"

DISK CLEANUP - Windows Vista has a few more options than Windows XP worth learning, configuring and running.

Run "Disk Cleanup" by <Right-Clicking> on your Drive Choice and select "Properties" then click "Disk Cleanup" (Command: CLEANMGR)
Select “Files from all users on this computer” - wait (patiently) for disk scanning to complete
From the "Disk Cleanup" Tab, select which files to delete (I have them all selected)
From the "More Options" Tab, push the "Clean up..." button from "System Restore and Shadow Copies"
Select "Delete" to remove all but the most recent restore point
Push "OK" to complete "Disk Cleanup"
Push "Delete Files" to confirm

NETWORK ICON "TRAFFIC" BLINKING - The default setting for Windows XP's Networking Icon, displays "blinking" network traffic. By default, this animation is not displayed in Windows Vista.

<Right-Click> the Network Icon in the notification area (bottom right corner)
Select "Turn on activity animation"

OPTIMIZE USB HARD DRIVES - By default USB Devices are configured for "Optimize for quick removal" which is ideal for devices that are connected and removed often. However if you have USB Drive(s) that are always connected you can increase this device's performance by changing "Optimize for performance"

<Right-Click> on "Computer" selecting "Properties"
From the "Tasks" pane, select "Device Manager"
Locate and <Double-LeftClick> the USB Drive
From the "Policies" tab select "Optimize for performance"
Click "OK" to exit

NOTE: You'll now need to use "Safely Remove Hardware" when disconnecting "optimized" USB devices.

RELIABILITY AND PERFORMANCE MONITOR - Reliability Monitor provides you with a quick, visual view of the average stability of your system. In addition, it tracks events that will help you identify what causes reductions in reliability. By recording not only failures (including memory, hard disk, application, and operating system failures), but also key events regarding the configuration of your system (including the installation of new applications and operating system updates), you can see a timeline of changes in both the system and reliability, and can identify how to get your system back to optimal reliability when it does not behave as expected.

From the Start Menu, type "Monitor" and press <Enter>

SNIPPING TOOL - With previous versions of Windows, you could only capture an entire screen pressing <Shift> + <PrtSc>. With Windows Vista's Snipping Tool you can capture an entire screen, or any sized "snip"

From the Start Menu, type "snip" and press <Enter>

WINDOWS MOBILITY CENTER - available in Windows Vista premium editions, the Windows Mobility Center puts the most frequently used mobile PC settings in a single, easy-to-find location.

Press <WinKey> + X

So do you have a favorite Windows Vista Tip you would like to share? (^_^)

Microsoft Updates Pro Photo Tools for 64-Bit

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:15:31 GMT

Microsoft Pro Photo Tools provides a set of tools photographers can use to perform various tasks with their images—including RAW captures. With Pro Photo Tools, you can quickly geotag your digital photos and determine location name automatically. You can also view your images on a map, edit and view metadata, and much more using the power of Windows and Microsoft Live Local.

In response to comments and suggestions submitted by many users, Microsoft has updated Pro Photo Tools to run on Vista 64-bit operating systems.

However, since most manufacturer codecs are 32-bit and Pro Photo Tools does not require the additional processing advantages provided by x64 processors, it was updated using the built-in x86 emulator (WOW64) and is offered as a single download that will work on both x84 and x64 systems.

--> Download Updated Pro Photo Tools

Microsoft Releases Final Version of Windows SteadyState 2.5

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:52:11 GMT

"Whether you manage computers in a school computer lab or an Internet café, a library, or even in your home, Windows SteadyState (formerly known as Shared Computer Toolkit) helps make it easy for you to keep your computers running the way you want them to, no matter who uses them. Windows SteadyState is easier to download, set up, use, and maintain than Shared Computer Toolkit." (Support: Technical FAQ)

--> Download Windows SteadyState 2.5

Click Here for All Free Windows Vista Software

Dan Cunningham Releases Final Workstation Migration Assistant

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:17:34 GMT

Dan Cunningham has posted his completed (is software ever really finished?) Workstation Migration Assistant 1.0 program.

BLAKE: Workstation Migration Assistant is a visual wrapper for the User State Migration Tool, designed to simplify the capture / restore process for your end-users.

DAN: Well, after literally years of working on it, I’m finally finished the Workstation Migration Assistant! Thanks to

everyone who’s been testing the release candidates, suggesting features and helping catch bugs.

Workstation Migration Assistant 1.0 Final (Build 60):

NEW -

Replaced “SettingsHealthCheckDisabled” with “SettingsHealthCheckDefaultEnabled”. Admins can specify whether it should be enabled or not by default, but can no longer be removed completely
/LAC is enabled by default on Restore
MigrationRestoreAccountsPassword setting to specify default password for use with /LAC
MigrationRestoreAccountsEnabled setting to enable /LAE

CHANGES -

Health Check is now skipped if not ticked - text has been updated to clarify this better.
Better exception handling around USMT download / install

FIXES -

Only domain accounts migrated with “Migration current user only” selected
If a script / app run via Pre/Post-Processing wasn’t VBS, VBE or EXE (case-sensitive), it would never run
Local exclusions in settings files were ignored and all local accounts ignored (if using Domain and Local option)
Double prompt on Advanced Settings > Other location
Double prompt on Advanced Settings > Custom Encryption

--> Download Workstation Migration Assistant 1.0

NOTE: Dan JUST updated this to version 1.01

Click Here for All Free Windows Vista Software

Free Windows Mobile IP Utility

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:13:53 GMT

The Enterprise Mobile IP Utility for Windows Mobile Devices allows you to troubleshoot IP connections using functions such as PING on both Pocket PCs and Smartphones. (Thanks Jason)

IP Configuration – View and renew IP configuration for all network interfaces on the device
Ping – Simple ping to any destination host name or IP address
Trace Route – Trace route from the device to any destination host name or IP address
Ping Sweep – Ping a sequential range of IP addresses in a subnet
Speed Test – Check the current bandwidth speed of your device connection to the internet
Logging – All results of IP Configuration, ping and trace route operations are logged to a text file for collection or sharing

--> Download Windows Mobile IP Utility

Click Here for All Free Windows Mobile Software