Win7 RTM Language Packs available via Windows Update

Microsoft has released all 35 language packs as optional updates via Windows Update for Windows 7 RTM. The following language packs are available for download:

Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Bulgarian, Chinese – Simplified, Chinese – Traditional – Hong Kong, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian Latin, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian.  The Windows Blog noted that the “Traditional Chinese – Taiwan” language pack will be released at a later date. (story Link with thanks)

Windows Movie Maker 14 Officially Released

Movie Maker now uses the ribbon UI like Paint in Windows 7 and Office 2007.

Windows Movie Maker 14 is out of beta and officially released. It can be downloaded through Windows Live Essentials Wave 3, Microsoft’s software suite. Many were wondering why Windows 7 was not bundled with applications such as Mail and Messenger that were part of Vista. They are now part of Windows Live Essentials that must be downloaded. Quick Fix Engineering (QFE) patches have also been released for all the Windows Live applications.

Check your USB Drive - Detecting Counterfeit Flash Drives

H2testw was developed to test USB sticks for various kinds of errors. It can also be used for any other storage media like memory cards, internal and external hard drives and even network volumes. To run the test for your drive, just plug in the drive, format it in Windows, run H2testw, select the target, and click Write + Verify button. H2testw writes files of up to 1GB to the chosen destination and names them 1.h2w, 2.h2w, 3.h2w and so on. If the target directory already contains such a set of files H2testw will offer to verify them. After it is done the software leaves its test files on the medium. You can erase them if you like or verify them again.

H2testw 1.4 has proven itself to be the best of breed for detecting counterfeit Flash drives. It is extremely easy to use and proves detailed information. Created by Harald Bögeholz, the interface is in German but has the option to run in English. It is free and standalone. Nothing is installed into the operating system. Designed for Windows it can run under Linux if Wine is installed. It will not run under Macs. If your computer can not run the software – ask a colleague or friend who has a windows based computer to help you test.

Gold Standard rating for H2testw 1.4? Why do you give this software such a high rating?

We give H2testw 1.4 the highest rating and recommend it for testing counterfeit USB Flash Drives for the following reasons:

1. Easy to Use
2. While in German an English Execution is possible
3. Stand alone executable file – no installation required to run it
4. You do not need administrator privileges on a computer to run it
5. Tested to work on 1.1 and 2.0 USB drives
6. Tested to work on 1.1 and 2.0 USB Ports
7. Tested to work to analyze drives advertised as 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and yes …64 GB capacity.
8. Reports seen capacity – what the operating system sees size to be.
9. Will write 1 GB files up to the reported size – requiring no work on your part except patience if it is a large drive and a slow computer
10. Will read all the files it wrote and verify them
11. Will produce a report. a) short if all is well be) detailed if there issues found.
12. The program is offered free

Note To Flash Drive Sellers

Please test your merchandise using this software. Do not offer for sale unless the drives are able to pass testing. You do not want to face the consequences of angry buyers. If you have drives which fail, contact the source you acquired from. Submit the proof you have as evidence for receiving counterfeit merchandise. If the drives you offer for sale are able to pass the testing of H2testw 1.4 – congratulations! Please indicate this in your advertising or listings. Let prospective buyers know that you have tested. That your drives pass with the program and that you are able to guarantee the true advertised capacity (minus a small overhead for operating system file formatting.). This will increase your sales potential.

Download Nero 9 Essentials for Free

Good news for all those Nero users out there is that they can now download a free version of Nero 9 Essentials from the Nero website, thanks to AskVG.

The free version of Nero 9 Essentials comes with a little stripped down functionality but would be enough to cater for the average users. Even though now there are a couple of free alternatives available to Nero, it still remains to be best software for CD/DVD burning software and the good part is that now it can even be download for free.

For advance users, Nero 9 Essentials free also provides an option to upgrade to the full and more advanced version. Follow the link to download the software from Nero website. (with thanks)

Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta adds Win7 support

Microsoft announced the release of Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta, along with news that it will feature Windows 7 support. The update will include several new features that take advantage of features in Windows 7:

Full Image-based Backups of Windows 7 PCs. After the Windows Home Server Connector is installed on your Windows 7 PCs, Action Center should no longer display that your files are not being backed up.

Windows 7 Libraries Support. Music, Photos and Videos shared folders from your Windows Home Server will be added to Windows 7 Libraries. Content saved to these shared folders will be able to be quickly accessed through your Windows 7 Libraries. And any application, like Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center, will be able to access content saved on your Windows Home Server through Libraries as well.

Windows Search 4 is now included. With Windows Search 4, PP3 offers improved query search times, indexing times and reliability. Easy search through a Library in Windows 7 with files stored in multiple locations.

Windows Media Center Enhancements. Archive old recorded TV shows onto your Windows Home Server in a variety of formats. Use Console Quick View to see statistics about your Windows Home Server through Windows Media Center.

• Full Image-based Backups of Windows 7 PCs. After the Windows Home Server Connector is installed on your Windows 7 PCs, Action Center should no longer display that your files are not being backed up.
• Windows 7 Libraries Support. Music, Photos and Videos shared folders from your Windows Home Server will be added to Windows 7 Libraries. Content saved to these shared folders will be able to be quickly accessed through your Windows 7 Libraries. And any application, like Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center, will be able to access content saved on your Windows Home Server through Libraries as well.
• Windows Search 4 is now included. With Windows Search 4, PP3 offers improved query search times, indexing times and reliability. Easy search through a Library in Windows 7 with files stored in multiple locations.
• Windows Media Center Enhancements. Archive old recorded TV shows onto your Windows Home Server in a variety of formats. Use Console Quick View to see statistics about your Windows Home Server through Windows Media Center.

There is no set release date for the Power Pack, but Microsoft states that it will be available shortly after the General Availability of Windows 7. If you’re interesting in being involved as a beta tester, you can sign up as a beta participant at Microsoft Connect. Exisiting Windows Home Server customers will receive Power Pack 3 for free via Windows Update.

For more in-depth information regarding the new features in Power Pack 3, head over to the Windows Home Server Team Blog.

Microsoft Office 2010 Technical Preview

Microsoft today released a "technical preview" release of Microsoft Office 2010, the next version of the world's most widely used application suite. The beta is available to anyone who preregistered with Microsoft for a chance to download and test it. After running it for a few days of intense testing, I'm impatient for the final release.

As far as I can tell, this should be the smoothest upgrade for Office in many years. If you're used to Office 2007, you'll need no help using Office 2010. Old features remain where they were, although some are now displayed on spacious menus with lots of explanatory text instead of the cramped menus of 2007. In fact, the new features are slotted in so smoothly that it may take you a few moments to realize that they're new.

You'll see major changes in the new version if your company also updates to SharePoint Server 2010. Office 2010 is packed with features that let SharePoint users edit and manage each other's files either through an internal connection to a SharePoint server or remotely through a Web browser or smartphone. Microsoft's obvious goal is to persuade corporations to pay for Microsoft's collaboration tools instead of using those from Google or any other cloud-based service. Microsoft's look technically dazzling, but it's an open question whether Microsoft can convince companies to lock themselves into a high-priced proprietary offering in a time of economic uncertainty.

One other innovation is that Office 2010 will be the first version of the suite available in both 32- and 64-bit versions. We haven't received the 64-bit version yet, but we'll report on its performance on a 64-bit version of Windows as soon as we can.

Digging into Office 2010

If you haven't registered for the preview, the suite can be found on software-piracy sites—but Microsoft warns that many of these bootleg copies are infected with malware. If you're curious about the new version, don't risk compromising your Windows system. Just wait for the public beta that's slated for later this year. Otherwise, you can wait until the final code is released. Office 2010 won't ship in final form until sometime in 2010—Microsoft is tight-lipped about the exact date. Meanwhile, here's my initial take on what you can expect.

System requirements for Office 2010 are essentially the same as for Office 2007: Windows XP SP3 (the older SP2 won't cut it), Vista, or Windows 7. Any hardware that can run Office 2007 can also run Office 2010.

The first thing you'll notice is a lack of big, obvious changes to notice. Office 2007 introduced the ribbon interface for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook's message editor. Office 2010 extends the ribbon throughout the suite, adding it to Publisher, OneNote, and Outlook's main menu—and introduces a customization feature that lets you add your own tab and remove some (but not all) items on the default ribbon.

Office 2007 introduced the pearl-like Office Button menu that worked like an enhanced version of the traditional File menu. Office 2010 replaces that button with a small, rectangular icon that opens a spacious "Backstage" page of fully explained options for saving, printing, and managing files, making it easier to plumb the depths of Office's enormous feature set. The Backstage view is essentially a single menu for accessing features that apply to the whole of a document, such as printing, saving, and sharing; the main editing screen is used for accessing all the actual data that's visible in the document. On the ribbon, a tiny up-arrow icon reminds you that you can temporarily turn off the ribbon by clicking that button—and you can, of course, still toggle the ribbon on and off with the little-known Ctrl-F1 keystroke introduced in Office 2007.

A new Print menu is especially impressive, with options like page orientation (portrait or landscape) and one- or two-sided printing instantly accessible instead of buried deep in the Windows Print dialog. PDF output is finally built in from the start, and doesn't require a special download as it does in Office 2007. The suite also includes the open-source Open Document Format as one of its default formats. (story Link)

How to Choose the Best Web Browser

Today's Web browsers are faster and more feature-rich than ever before. If you're not sure which one you should use, our look at the most popular options will help prep you for prime surfing.

The recent launch of Firefox 3.5 was just the latest in a crescendo of activity on the browser front over the past few months. We've seen Google tout speed with its bare-bones Chrome 2. We've seen Apple's Safari 4 bring on both the speed and all the interface eye candy we've come to expect. Opera has come in with not only a beta of its feature-packed version 10, but also an alpha of an app called Opera Unite that makes the browser a server as well as a consumer. Starting it all was that juggernaut Microsoft, coming out with Internet Explorer 8, which the company claimed was more compliant with open Web standards.

But it turns out that standards are a far murkier issue than they may first seem. Firefox's promoters will brand IE as a completely behind-the-times, non-standards-supporting browser, but the standards Firefox supports haven't yet been ratified by the organization that's been the official keeper of the standards, the W3C. Firefox's support for the <video> tag is a good example: Though the tag itself is adopted by the W3C, the Ogg Theora video codec Firefox supports with the tag is anything but.

Rendering speed is another issue to consider when choosing a browser. Though all browsers today are much faster than they were a few years ago, the clear winner—at least as far as JavaScript rendering—is Chrome. JavaScript rendering is important for modern sites, which are behaving increasingly like applications rather than static pages. Chrome performed best in my tests using the SunSpider JavaScript Benchmark, finishing in just 1,503 ms. But Safari isn't far behind, at 1,707 ms, and Firefox is right in the mix, at 2,413 ms. The once-snappiest Opera trails at 7,974 ms, and IE8 is left in the dust with a 10,281-ms time.

In terms of features and customizability, Firefox, IE, Opera, and Safari all outshine the stripped-down Chrome. But no browser can come close to Firefox in both its extensions and theming capabilities. Mozilla's "Fashion My Firefox" and "Personas" tools make it simple for novice users to customize the browser to their hearts' content. IE also has an add-on capability, but there's nowhere near the ecosystem for it as there is for Firefox. True, only IE offers WebSlices and Accelerators, which deliver up-to-date data to you with little fuss, right inside the browser, but few sites currently support WebSlices. (full Story)

Why Can't I Add Bookmarks in Firefox?

Q: I cannot add new bookmarks in my Firefox browser. This just started a few weeks ago. Any suggestions? —Harry I.

A: There are a number of reasons this might happen. First, before anything else, make sure you're running the very latest version of Firefox. You can download it from www.getfirefox.com. According to the Firefox knowledge base, an add-on called Bookmark Duplicate Detector can cause this problem. So if you have that installed, remove it.

Another possibility is that the file holding your bookmarks has been labeled read-only by accident. Launch Explorer and navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Mozilla\FirefoxL\Profiles\randomstring.default. If you're running Vista the location is C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\randomstring.default. Find the file Bookmarks.html in that folder. Right-click it and choose Properties. If the read-only box is checked, uncheck it.

Still not fixed? You may need to reset the local store. Close all Firefox windows, then click Start, click Run, and enter firefox-safe-mode. In the box that pops up, check the option Reset toolbars and controls and click the button Make Changes and Restart. You can accomplish the same thing by deleting the file Localstore.rdf from the same folder where you found the bookmarks file.

I hope one of these techniques solved the problem. If you're still in a bind, though, Firefox's own support site has a page devoted specifically to troubleshooting bookmark problems. (story Link)

AutoRun patch a long time coming for XP users

Nearly 18 months after it was discovered, Microsoft has finally fixed a hole in the AutoRun function of older Windows versions that allowed viruses to spread via external storage devices.
While it's good to know Microsoft is finally listening to the complaints of the Windows community, the company's delay in applying important patches put our systems at risk unnecessarily.
The old saying about the squeaky wheel getting the grease applies to the manner in which Microsoft prioritizes its product fixes. The more noise customers make, the more likely the problems will be rectified. Most recently, the Conficker worm has been spreading across networks, often entering systems via USB flash drives and other removable media. Shamefully, Microsoft could have — and should have — prevented this massive infection from happening in the first place.
In October 2007, Nick Brown documented in his blog how viruses and worms were entering his network via USB memory sticks. The next month, WS associate editor Scott Dunn explained in a Top Story on Nov. 8, 2007, the fact that Microsoft's suggested settings to disable AutoRun weren't effective. He described the so-called @SYS trick, which allows you to truly disable AutoRun, preventing infected devices from launching their attacks.
Fast-forward to one year ago. Will Dormann and US-CERT (the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team) published information on Mar. 20, 2008, confirming that Microsoft's AutoRun advice didn't block threats. The same @SYS workaround that Scott documented was supported by US-CERT in its alert.
In July 2008, Microsoft released security bulletin MS08-038. The patch in this bulletin made it possible for users to control AutoRun properly, but only on Windows Vista and Server 2008.

XP, Win 2K, Server 2003 users left in the lurch

So what happened to the equivalent patch for Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003? In May 2008, Microsoft had in fact released a patch for these systems, which is described in Knowledge Base article 953252. However, as described in a Jan. 22, 2009, Computerworld article, US-CERT found that the fix for XP/2000/2003 had to be applied manually. Furthermore, Microsoft was not making the patch available automatically via any Windows Update service.
It wasn't until Feb. 24 of this year that Microsoft distributed this patch via Windows Update to XP, 2000, and 2003. This is described in the company's security advisory 967940.
Many home and business PC users rarely deploy patches that aren't available through Windows Update, Microsoft Update, or WSUS (Windows Software Update Services). Add to this the confusing and conflicting information about the AutoRun patch, and it's no wonder the Conficker worm, which exploits AutoRun functionality, made the inroads that it did.
You may be wondering why it took Microsoft so long to distribute for XP/2000/2003 users the fix that permits AutoRun to be properly disabled. One clue may be found in the file versions listed in KB article 967715. The Windows Server 2003 files are dated Feb. 10, 2009. Typically, Microsoft doesn't release a fix for one platform if it's still developing a fix for another platform. This is done to avoid putting one set of customers at risk while protecting others.
That's usually a valid reason to wait before distributing patches. But when you open up the files described in the earlier KB article 953252, you find that all the files in that hotfix date back to mid-2008.
Why did it take an admonition from CERT to convince Microsoft to add this vital fix to Automatic Updates for those versions of Windows? To make things even more confusing, the way Microsoft released the XP/2000/2003 fix at the end of February caused many people to think it was an out-of-cycle security patch.
If this patch had been pushed to all Windows users sooner, much of Conficker's pain might have been avoided.
Microsoft's Feb. 6 TechNet alert makes the problem clear. Among other things, the Conficker worm uses the AutoPlay feature (which is related to but separate from AutoRun) to infect PCs via USB drives and other portable storage devices. This vulnerability occurs even if the systems have installed the update described in Microsoft security bulletin MS08-067. Therefore, the TechNet article recommends disabling AutoRun, saying:

• "Disable the AutoPlay feature through the Registry or using Group Policies, as discussed in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 953252. Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 customers must deploy the update associated with Microsoft Knowledge Base article 953252 to be able to successfully disable the AutoRun feature. Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 customers must deploy the security update associated with Microsoft security bulletin MS08-038 to be able to successfully disable the AutoRun feature."

(What's the difference between AutoRun and AutoPlay? AutoPlay associates multimedia file types with specific applications, while AutoRun executes autorun.inf files found on various drives. For more on the distinctions between AutoRun and AutoPlay, see Microsoft's help article on the subject.)
For home users, I'm not yet ready to pull the fire alarm and tell everyone to disable AutoRun. But I do urge you to be very leery of plugging USB flash drives into your system if you're unsure whether they've been used on other computers. Large organizations, however, should consider disabling AutoRun on their networked PCs, considering how hard it's been to stomp out the Conficker worm and others.

How to apply the patches and control AutoRun

If you followed the instructions in Scott's 2007 article to block AutoRun by adding a Registry key, you should remove the key before applying the Microsoft AutoRun patch to prevent any possible interaction. Take the following steps for complete protection:

• Step 1. Remove the @SYS line from the Registry, if you added it. In Windows XP, click Start, Run. (In Vista, click Start.) Type regedit and press Enter. In the left pane, navigate to and select the following key:
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ IniFileMapping \ Autorun.inf
  Press the Del key to remove the key. Close the Registry Editor.
• Step 2. Install the patch described in KB article 953252 (for Vista and Windows Server 2008) or 967715 (for XP, 2000, and Server 2003).
• Step 3. For security reasons, it's strongly recommended you disable AutoRun for all devices. In non-Home versions of XP and Vista, use the Group Policy Editor. In XP, click Start, Run. (In Vista, click Start.) Type gpedit.msc and press Enter. In the left pane, under Computer Configuration, expand Administrative Templates.
  In XP Professional, select System in the right pane under Administrative Templates, right-click Turn off Autoplay in the right pane, and choose Properties. Click Enabled, select All drives in the "Turn off Autoplay" box, click OK, and close the Group Policy Editor.
  In Vista Business and higher, expand Windows Components and select AutoPlay Policies. In the right pane, double-click Turn off Autoplay, click Enabled, choose All drives in the drop-down menu next to "Turn off Autoplay on," click OK, and close the Group Policy Editor.
  To disable AutoRun in the Home versions of XP and Vista — which don't have the Group Policy Editor — use the Registry Editor. In XP, click Start, Run. (In Vista, click Start.) Type regedit and press Enter. Navigate to and select the following key:
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer
  In the right pane, double-click NoDriveTypeAutoRun, enter 0xFF in the "Value data" field, make sure Hexadecimal is selected under Base, click OK, and exit the Registry Editor.
• Step 4. If you ever need to re-enable AutoRun for a certain system, open the Group Policy Editor (on non-Home versions of Windows) or the Registry Editor (Home versions). Then follow the instructions in KB article 967715 (for XP, 2000, and Server 2003) or 953252 (for Vista and Windows Server 2008) to return AutoRun to its default state or customize its settings. AutoRun can be configured, for instance, to work differently for CD-ROMs than for other media.

Once you've disabled AutoRun, you'll have to use Windows Explorer to access data files on the USB memory devices and optical media you insert in your system. If you load a disc that contains audio or video, you may want to open your favorite media player to run the content. However, this is a small price to pay for the security edge you gain by disabling AutoRun.

by: Susan Bradley  (with thanks)

Windows Mobile 7 Announced for 2010

Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer has recently confirmed that Windows Mobile7 will be available sometime next year. Although no specific data has been set yet, it’s still quite an exciting OS to look forward to. Of course there’s still the version 6.5 to contend with this year with stiff competition coming in from Palm’s Pre, TouchFlow, RIM and even LG’s new S-Class 3D UI.

Nevertheless, Windows Mobile has been around for a long enough time for users to appreciate the various upgrades it’s been through and with the ‘Touch’ generation taking over, I personally can’t wait to see what the 6.5 edition will be capable of doing and how it’ll handle. According to a few reports , WinMo 7 will have a tighter integration with Windows 7 for PCs that should be out come September of this year. The UI itself will obviously be optimized for finger touch and hopefully do away with the stylus altogether is what I’m hoping.

It’s something to look forward to for now. To know more of what Ballmer had to say on the subject click here. (story Link)

What's Going On?: A One-Stop Spot for Vital System Stats

Windows comes packaged with many tools to find details about the current state of your system. There's Task Manager for discovering the processes that are using your CPU, Resource Monitor for investigating your disk activity, and Explorer for showing the total usage of all your drives. Wouldn't it be useful to have these stats all together in one handy, attractive application?

What's Going On? is a system utility that gives you a one-stop spot for all your system's vital stats. In one window you can find out:

• Which processes are accessing your hard drive

• Which processes are consuming the most CPU resources

• How full your hard drives are

• The last time your computer was booted and how long it's been running

• The last time your computer was shut down

• Your external IP address

• Total CPU usage and CPU usage per processor

• The percentage or actual amount of physical or virtual memory used

• The state of your Internet connection by pinging a remote server

When you launch the program for the first time you'll see a window like this:

By default the following measures are displayed:

Uptime — how long your system has been running

Boot time — the date and time your system was last started

External IP — the IP address that other computers around the world see you as

CPU Usage — the percentage of CPU usage being used by all your CPUs

CPU Usage Per Processor — the percentage of CPU usage for each processor. For example, a dual-core processor would display two readings

Physical Memory % Usage — the percentage of physical memory currently being used

Virtual Memory % Usage — the percentage of virtual memory currently being used

Top CPU Consuming Processes — displays the two processes that are using the most CPU resources. This can be altered to display up to 10 processes

Drive Usage — shows all of your hard drives and how much space is being used on each one. The bar graph is color coded: Green means plenty of space, yellow means that a drive is filling up, and red means that it's close to capacity.

Top Disk Consuming Processes — displays the top two processes accessing the hard drives the most. This can be altered to display up to 10 processes. (full Story)

Plethora of Apple software updates released

Apple this morning released four software updates via Mac OS X’s built-in un update mechanism of the same name. Two address features in the new AirPort and Time Capsule base stations and two are targeted at Apple’s iLife ‘09 software suite:

• AirPort Client Update 2009-001 v.1.0 (1.8MB) - “addresses issues with roaming and network selection in dual-band environments.”
• AirPort Utility Software Update 2009-001 (Mac) v.5.4.1 (19.5MB) - Software for managing the Airport Express, Extreme, and Time Capsules. (A Windows version was also released)
• iLIfe Support v.9.0.1 (52.3MB) - “improves overall stability and addresses a number of other minor issues. It is recommended for all users of Aperture, iLife ‘09, and iWork ‘09.”
• iPhoto Update v.8.0.1 (13.6MB) – “improves overall stability and addresses minor issues in a number of areas, including internet connectivity, keyword import, and slideshow export.”

As usual, if you don’t absolutely need them, I’d recommend that you wait a couple of days to see if there are any problems. Me, I’m a glutton, so I’m restarting right now. See you on the other side with an update. (story Link)

BlackBerry App World announced by RIM

Earlier today RIM announced that the upcoming BlackBerry software store would be known as BlackBerry App World. The site informed visitors to come back at 10:00 PM Eastern for more exciting news. After this time, the site was updated to its current design and let’s you register to be one of the first to know when the store launches and also setup your PayPal account to enable purchases of applications. The site states that PayPal is needed to download BlackBerry App World.

BlackBerry App World will not just be an application storefront, but will allow you to message friends, track stocks, and much more from a single application. You will need a BlackBerry with OS 4.2 or higher and a BlackBerry with a trackball or SurePress touch screen so it looks like the BB devices with scroll wheels are not supported with the application store.  (story Link)

Corel Painter 11

By shunning the temptation to be all things to all users, some programs manage to retain their purity, focusing on what they do best. Corel Painter 11 is one of these applications, and as such it is an invaluable artist's tool. It isn't for everyone—for example, it isn't meant to (nor can it) replace a serious photo editing package such as Photoshop. And it makes no concessions to beginners, many of whom would doubtless be happier with a much simpler and less expensive program such as the $25 (direct) ArtRage 2. Painter is meant for serious professionals, such as graphic artists, industrial designers, illustrators, and fine artists. Arguably, it's de rigueur for anyone whose livelihood involves creating images (yes, that means photographers, too). Even if your income doesn't depend on it, Painter is still valuable for the wonderfully flexible—if dauntingly sophisticated—digital palette you get as a weekend Van Gogh.

Although it's been just over two years since the company updated the package, version 11 is an evolutionary step rather than the revolutionary one you might expect. Anyone with a working knowledge of the previous version will be able to step into Painter 11 with ease. What's more the refinements and increased flexibility will draw current users into upgrading.

Realer Realism

The primary feature of Painter X, for example, was the astoundingly realistic RealBristle tool. It recreated the sensation and the artistic effect of working with physical brushes by recognizing the pressure applied on the stylus and the speed at which it moved when a user executed a stroke. With that information, the driving algorithm could map the path of each individual bristle. Faster strokes were thinner, for example, while slower strokes with more pressure splayed out the brush so that more marks from individual strands appeared. Loaded brushes laid down a thicker, more saturated streak.

In this version, Corel has expanded the RealBristle tool to encompass hard or dry tools, including chalks, colored pencils, pastels, and even Conté crayons. So now, when you select the digital versions of these instruments, faster strokes produce thinner lines. Conversely, the velocity control will put down more ink with slower strokes. Also new is support for tablet tilt, which adjusts the width of a brush stroke or pencil line depending on the angle at which you hold the pen. The feature makes use of a digital tablet all but a prerequisite.

If this still doesn't offer enough dexterity to satisfy your artistic longings, you can experiment by creating your own brushe & pen. A hard-media palette in program, for example, offers a dizzying array of adjustments, letting you alter traits including angle, size & tilt angle, allowing nearly endless permutations that all but guarantee your work will be unique. (story Link)

Windows Live Messenger Installation Error 1601,1603 and 1635

Fazle write on his own site : After you upgrade to Windows Installer version 2.0, the Windows Installer Service may not start, and you may receive the following error message:
The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. This can occur if you are running Windows in safe mode, or the Windows Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel for assistance.
CAUSE
This behavior can occur when either of the following conditions exist:

• In the DCOM permissions, the default authentication level is set to None, and the default Impersonation level is set to Anonymous.
• The system account does not have Full permissions on a folder or registry key that the Windows Installer is trying to access. This is NTFS-specific.
  SOLUTION

Method 1: Unregister and re-register the Windows Installer
1. Click Start, click Run, type MSIEXEC /UNREGISTER, and then click OK. Even if you do this correctly, it may look like nothing occurs.
2. Click Start, click Run, type MSIEXEC /REGSERVER, and then click OK. Even if you do this correctly, it may look like nothing occurs, or you may briefly see an hourglass. After you run this command, the operation is complete.
3. Try your Windows Installer-based application again.
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Method 2: Verify the DCOM permissions
This method involves changing the DCOM default impersonation level to Identify, removing the Msisip.dll file, and then reinstalling SP 3 for Windows 2000.
To do this, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, type dcomcnfg, and then click OK.
2. On the Default Properties tab:
a. In the Default Authentication Level list, click Connect.
b. In the Default Impersonation Level list, click Identify, and then click OK.
3. Click Start, click Run, type explorer /select, %windir%\system32\msisip.dll, and then click OK.
4. Rename the Msisip.dll file as Msisip.old.
5. Reinstall Windows 2000 Service Pack 3.
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Method 3: Give Full Control permission to the SYSTEM account
1. Start Windows Explorer, right-click the computer’s root hard drive, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Security tab, and then click Add.
3. In the Select Users, Computers, or Groups dialog box, click the SYSTEM account, click Add, and then click OK.
4. Under Allow, click to select the Full Control check box, and then click OK.
5. Click the TEMP folder and then verify that the SYSTEM account has full control.
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Method 4: Verify the registry permissions
1. Click Start, click Run, then type Regedt32.
2. For each of the registry hives, follow these steps:
a. Select the hive.
b. For Windows XP, on the Edit menu, click Permissions.
For Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4, on the Security menu, click Permissions.
3. Verify that the SYSTEM account has been added and that it has Full control. If it does not, add the SYSTEM account with Full control.
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Method 5: Fix the broken security key for the MsiServer service
1. Start the computer by using Windows 2000.
2. Click Start, click Run, type regedit.exe, and then rename the following key to Old_Security:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSIServer\Security
3. Restart the computer (you must do this).
4. Run Instmsiw.exe for installer 2.0 again; this corrects the broken security key for the MSI service. (story Link)

Opera 10 Alpha

Today Opera Software made available a preview of its next major browser version, Opera 10. The pre-release alpha version showcases a new rendering engine, Presto 2.2, which the company states will improve browsing performance over the previous version by 30 percent. The company also claims that the reengineered browser and rendering engine will lead in standards support, saying that it manages 100 out of 100 on the Web Standards Project's Acid3 browser test. The previous best among major browsers was Google's Chrome, scoring 79 out of 100. In my testing, I confirmed the rare 100 score, as you can see from the accompanying slideshow.

The very lightweight installer is a mere 6MB download. Firefox is just a bit bigger, at 7.2MB. Internet Explorer 7 dwarfs both, at 14MB. Installation itself is straightforward and quick. When you launch the browser, it loads in less than 2 seconds. On the same machine, Firefox 3 and Google Chrome take slightly over 2 seconds. But startup speed for all of the browsers is good on a reasonably up-to-date machine.

For speed, Opera 10 won't set any records, but it's fast—and it's still an alpha. Chrome's performance on the Sunspider JavaScript benchmark, however, vastly exceeded what the new Opera engine managed. The test runs a balanced variety of JavaScript operations—such as string manipulation, graphics operations, and decompressions—multiple times. Opera took 8,088ms (a lower score is better), far faster than Internet Explorer 7's 256,116, and slightly lower than Firefox 3's 6,535, but still substantially trailing Chrome's 2,763 on the same Vista machine.

Of course, according to Microsoft, JavaScript performance accounts for just a small fraction—under 4 percent—of actual Web-page loading time. And anecdotally, a PCMag.com page that took 4 seconds to load in Chrome took only 2 in Opera 10. But in a test called Lots of Text, which evaluates a different aspect of performance, Opera took only 92ms compared with IE's 128ms. Chrome blew both of them away, clocking a mere 12ms Firefox posted a respectable 64ms. I should note, though, that the developers may not have optimized Opera's memory usage yet in this alpha build. I loaded the same ten popular media-rich sites into Opera 10 and Firefox, and Opera required 156MB of RAM, and FireFox only 111.

In real Web site testing, the Opera 10 alpha works well with Facebook, though it didn't seem any faster than Firefox, despite the Opera team's claims. And Yahoo mail (in its newest form) still presents an error page stating that the browser isn't supported. Opera had no trouble with Citibank's site, but the Fidelity Investments financial site claimed that the browser didn't support 128-bit encryption, and it wouldn't display in my account.

The new version keeps all of the former's helpful and unique browsing helpers, such as tab previews, mouse gestures, and its trademark speed-dial page. With speed-dial, whenever you create a new tab, it opens and shows nine favorite sites of your choice, any of which you can visit with a single click. Of course, you still get a predictive address bar, much like what you'll find in Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer 8. And Opera still boasts one of the best implementations of tabs in any browser. The "new tab" button is the clearest of that in any browser, and you can drag tabs out to a new window or to the trash can. This version adds spellchecking and a streamlined feature for updating the browser. (story Link)

Red Hat Version 5.3 Released

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3 became globally available on Wednesday, with the new enterprise OS featuring virtualization improvements, support for Intel's Core i7 architecture and inclusion of the Open Java Development Kit from Sun.

When interviewed in October 2008, Red Hat global chief executive Jim Whitehurst said virtualization was one of the company's key priorities. "Virtualization should be part of the operating system, not a separate layer," he said at the time.

Virtualization in RHEL 5.3 has been improved, including the ability to make larger virtualized machines — supporting up to 32 virtual CPUs and 80GB of RAM — in x86-64 environments. RHEL is currently used to run a number of large virtualization instances, including Amazon's elastic computing cloud, known as EC2.

RHEL 5.3 also includes support for Intel's latest chip architecture, Core i7, code-named Nehalem. Released in August last year, Core i7 is the successor to Intel's Core 2 Duo architecture.

Finally, RHEL 5.3 includes the Open Java Development Kit, an open-source implementation of Java SE 6 supported by Sun. This inclusion is intended to support Red Hat's Java application server, JBoss. (story Link)

Windows 7 Puts it’s Finger on Enhanced Biometric Support

I’ve always found biometrics to be an interesting aspect to technology. And I was excited to discover that Windows 7 offers changes to the way Windows handles biometrics to enable better experiences. Windows 7 introduces the Windows Biometric Framework which makes integration easier and more consistent to help deliver enhanced reliability, compatibility and usability of fingerprint-based solutions. The Windows Biometric Framework also makes it easier for developers to include biometrics in their applications by providing a common API that can be added independently with each biometric fingerprint solution. For a more in-depth look at the Windows Biometric Framework check out this whitepaper from Windows Hardware Developer Central.

This week at CES 2009, we have several key partners announcing support for the Windows Biometric Framework in Windows 7.

With tens of millions of notebooks in the market with UPEK fingerprint sensors, UPEK has worked closely with us on the development of the Windows Biometric Framework and sees strong value in using applications that support fingerprint biometrics through the Windows Biometric Framework. If your laptop uses a UPEK fingerprint sensor, such as my Lenovo X300, you can download the pre-release Protector Suite software here which utilizes the Windows Biometric Framework in the Windows 7 Beta today. I’m currently testing it out myself and its pretty slick! Rob Blau, UPEK’s Vice President of Development, talks more about UPEK’s support for Windows 7 here in their press release (Word Document).

AuthenTec has also worked closely with us on the development of the Windows Biometric Framework. They are providing beta test participants with access to software that enable convenient logon for Windows 7-based PCs, thanks to AuthenTec fingerprint sensors integrated with the new Windows Biometric Framework. You can download their 32-bit software here and their 64-bit software here. AuthenTec fingerprint sensors can be seen in business and consumer notebooks from the world’s leading brands from ASUS, Acer, Dell, Fujitsu, Fujitsu Siemens, HP, Lenovo, LG, Samsung and Toshiba. Andy VanDamia, AuthenTec’s Director of PC Software, discusses working with us on the Windows Biometric Framework here.

And Validity believes the Windows Biometric Framework facilitates greater adoption of fingerprint security solutions by providing a flexible platform, enabling easy fingerprint sensor integration into PCs.

The early adoption and readiness by these companies has played a vital role in validating the suitability of the Windows Biometric Framework as a platform for fingerprint biometric devices in Windows 7. (story Link)

10 things to Know Before Installing Windows 7 Beta + With MP3 Bug Fix

Today’s the big day. In about 12 hours (at 12PM PST/3PM EST), Microsoft will be posting the download link for Windows 7 Beta to the general public. Remember, Microsoft said that it would only be made available to the first 2.5 million people who download the beta so be sure to download it as soon as the link goes up on this page. But before you download and install Windows 7 Beta, here are 8 very important things you should know beforehand:

10.  Windows 7 Beta is build 7000:

The Windows 7 Beta being released on January 9th is Build 7000, which is exactly the same build that has been leaked on torrent sites already. Microsoft says that this beta build is near final feature-wise.

9.  Windows 7 Beta will have bugs / MP3 corruption bug fix:

It’s easy to forget that Windows 7 Beta can have possible bugs because of how stable it is. Try not to keep sensitive data on the same partition and run Windows Update right after installation. If you don’t receive the KB961367 update through Windows Update  to fix the Mp3 corruption bug, you can download it here.

8.  You can run Windows 7 under VMWare or Virtual PC instead of actually doing a full-fledged install

In Layman’s terms, running Windows 7 under a virtual environment is like running an Operating System (OS) inside an OS, so you don’t have to worry about putting your actual computer at risk. You can start by downloading Virtual PC here for free. For further instructions please check out the tutorial here. (The tutorial is for running XP in Vista, but works for Windows 7 too. Just select Windows Vista at the OS Menu. When your mouse is in the Virtual PC area, press Right-Alt to drag your mouse back onto the screen of your current OS.) If you’re a VMWare User, many other VMWare users in community forums have said they have had no trouble getting Windows 7 to work with VMWare.

7. You don’t need to burn a DVD at all to install Windows 7:

You can use WinRAR or .iso mounting software that have extracting capabilities to extract the ISO’s contents into a folder. Once extracted, you can install Windows 7 Beta off your hard-drive just like any other OS.

6.  How to create a separate partition for your Windows 7 Beta installation:

Usually, the Windows 7 Installation wizard will have an option for you to easily create a new partition for the install. If the option is not provided, here is how you can manually set up the partitions within Windows. If you are running Windows Vista, open up your Start Menu, right click Computer, and choose Manage. Then in the left-pane, open up the Storage category and select Disk Management. Right click any area of Unallocated Space and create a New Simple Volume. From there, complete the wizard to create your new volume. Once created, make sure that it is a Primary Partition.Now you’re all set and good to go with the installation.

If you are running Windows XP or having problems creating a partition in Windows Vista, you can download the EASEUS Partition Manager. EPM is only compatible with Windows XP and Vista. The process for creating a new partition with EPM is the exact same as above, except that you must select to create a Primary partition as shown below:

5.  The driver model of Windows 7 is identical to Vista’s:

This means Windows 7 won’t suddenly bring life back to your XP-only hardware. If it didn’t work for Vista, it won’t work for Windows 7.

4.  Don’t take out those driver CDs yet…

Windows 7 contains updated hardware drivers so chances are you won’t need to install a single driver if your hardware isn’t as old as Zeus. Also don’t forget that Windows 7 would require an optimized graphics driver to take advantage of the hardware you have (WDDM 1.1) so you may want to think again before planning to force-install the latest beta drivers from Nvidia or ATI. (full Story with Thank)