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Beware the BIOS
We don't normally recommend reinstalling the BIOS of a computer unless there is a very good reason because if things go wrong, they go very badly wrong. Rumblings on some internet forums suggest that there is no another reason to approach this task with caution.
According to chessonly on the Linux Questions forum, one of the BIOS upgrades for his notebook had a warning that it would only work with Windows Vista and no other operating system.
I've been reading articles predicting this kind of thing for a little while. It was at the heart of the Secure Startup feature that didn't make it into the final release of Vista (more information can be found here on the Microsoft website, beware it is rather technical).
Personally I can't really make up my mind on this one as to whether it is a good or bad thing. It really depends on whether this information is made clear. I would be very annoyed to find that a new notebook could not use any other operating system after paying for it. But, if I was very security concious, and I do worry about taking a notebook on the train, and was happy to stick with Windows Vista, it would be worth considering. As long as I am given the choice before buying I think this is a good idea.
What do you think? Should a computer BIOS be limited in this way?
Update: Creative's product registration still sucks, but at least it isn't bugging me any more
A bit of rummaging around on the Creative site has now turned up this help file *this* helpfile - they moved the URL - for people who are plagued by Creative's product registration problem. Don't bother with bashing in the command line fix, it's far easier finding the offending file - InetReg.exe - and renaming it InetReg.exe.BAK. This kills the annoying popups, and then you can delete the dratted software.
I chose to delete the entire Creative directory, as I'm not using any other of Creative's products at present. However, if you suffer from a similar problem as mine, then you may not have the satisfaction of doing this - it seems that Creative doesn't make its drivers freely downloadable. It'd be great if Creative changed this to be a bit more, well, sensible and make the lives of its customers a bit easier. How about it, Creative?
Creative's product registration loop
Quite recently, I made the mistake of installing a bunch of Creative Labs software to support a Zen music player. I'd borrowed a Zen V Plus - a tiny, teeny, little music player, in order to write a feature about using media players in Vista, as my ancient first generation iPod wouldn't work. As it turns out, by the way, it's much easier to use the Zen in Vista than it is to use in XP.
Anyway, out of curiosity, I loaded the supporting software that came with the Zen onto the XP computer I use for work. The software supplied by Creative is, well, OK. It's not a patch on iTunes or Windows Media Player, and there's lots of different programs that do lots of different things. After a couple of attempts, I stopped using it.
All was well and good, until I found a charming dialogue box opened on the desktop inviting me to register my new Creative product. I hadn't bought the Zen, and I certainly didn't feel obliged to register it - and my personal details - with Creative. Clicking on the close button in the top right hand corner takes me directly through to another box, with only 'OK' as an option.
Looking around on the web, it seems that a few other people have the same problem. It's proving impossible to kill the process that pops up these boxes - InetReg.exe - and I'm having trouble actually deleting the software itself, because it's always running when Windows runs. Closing it down from the Windows task Manager doesn't work - it simply relaunches.
I didn't expect a company like Creative to provide annoying software, frankly. There's no way of saying that I don't want to register - I simply don't have the option of telling the program to push off.
One way of getting around it, of course, is to put all kinds of random data into the form, and then hit send. The company gets random gobbldegook, and hopefully the annoying registration popup goes away and doesn't come back.
But of course, that's far too simple. When I tried to do this just
now, the program crashed. Even worse, it reopened immediately, so I
couldn't even delete the program.
I'm not totally sure what Creative is trying to do with this software. However, the end result, for me at least, is to cause considerable grumpiness and make the user wonder why they bothered using such an annoying product in the first place.
Helpful keyboard shortcuts
You may remember my random child-assisted discovery of the Windows Mobility Center in Vista the other day. The Windows Vista Team Blog has just posted a rather useful list of some of the more common keyboard shortcuts in Vista.
The shortcut I now need to learn is Windows key and X to show the Mobility Center.
If you are feeling particularly adventurous, it is possible to create your own shortcuts. Right-click on the Shortcut that you want to assign a key press to and select Properties. Click in the text box that says None with the label Shortcut Key and press the key you want assigned to that program. To avoid conflicting with program shortcuts the key both Ctrl and Alt must also be pressed as well as the letter.
Personally I find it just as easy to remember the program name to enter into the Run dialogue (Windows key and R). Each to their own...
XP is back, and this time it's pre-loaded
It turns out some people don't want Windows Vista with their new PCs. And that means Dell has been forced to start selling Windows XP again. The company had stopped supplying the older operating system in January, making Vista the only choice for most customers.
But in response to petitions on a forum on its website, Dell, which is the second-largest PC seller in the world, is going to return to supplying Windows XP with its new PCs, if that's what a customer wants. It's not going to last too long, though: Microsoft recently announced that from February 2008, it will stop selling the OEM licenses that PC makers use to install Windows, meaning that Vista will, again, be the only option.
Recording audio made difficult
One of those little useful tips of Windows is that telling an audio recorder like Audacity to use the Stereo Mix from Windows as a recording source is a good way to record internet radio or other content that is not keen on being recorded.
Wildthing on the forum was trying to do this with Audacity in Vista but was unable to select the Stereo Mix in Audacity. We have already noticed that the drop down menu in Audacity used to select the audio source is not working anymore and there was no Stereo Mix option in the devices menu in Properties (press Ctrl and P together).
It turns out that Microsoft decided to disable the stereo out recording option, and then hide all the disabled recording options. Thankfully, it is possible to first show all the devices and then enable the Stereo mix for use with Audacity .
Click on Continue Reading for full instructions
How to enable stereo mix recording in Windows Vista
Click on the Start button and then on Control Panel. Select Classic View (this is partly personal but it is SO much easier to use) and then double-click on Sound. Left-click on the Recording tab and then right-click on an empty part of the window to see the menu as below.
Click on Disable devices to show the other devices on the computer. Right-click on Stereo Mix and then select Enable.
You may want to set this as the default device at this point. Left-click on the device and then click on the Set default button. Click on OK to close the window and save the settings. I had to restart my computer before Audacity was able to record from this device.
No fax in Vista
A couple of readers have recently written in to ask about sending and receiving faxes using Windows XP. That's fairly easy to set up as long as you have a fax modem (not an ADSL or cable modem) installed.
If you're using Vista, however, it's a different matter, because Microsoft has quietly removed the ability to fax from most versions of the new operating system. It's still possible to do it in Vista Business and Vista Ultimate, but since most home and small office users will be on Vista Home Premium, that's not much use.
As the linked article above points out, the venerable (and much-loved, by faxers) WinFax software won't be appearing on Vista either, as it too was killed off last year, by its owner Symantec.
We'll be trying to find a suitable free alternative fax program for Vista, and we'll let you know as soon as we turn one up. In the meantime, if you know of any free or cheap fax software that will work with Vista, let us know, by email or by leaving a comment below.
Vista struggles in the East
The Inquirer has just reported that the sales of Vista in the largest nation on earth have been disappointing with only 244 copies sold. Using figures from the CIA World Factbook, that works out as one copy per 5,484,862 people.
Apparantly the great (stone) wall of China might have something to do with $1 pirate copies and the fact that Vista costs about three months wages.
News of Service Pack for Vista leaks out
I suppose reporting this story fuels the hysteria but part of me wonders why Microsoft don't want to release the date of the first Service Pack for Windows Vista, instead waiting for someone to let the word slip out by mistake.
Many people may use the Service Pack as an excuse to wait before buying Vista but they were probably going to wait anyway. Perhaps others will see it as an admission that Vista 'wasn't ready' but updates are part and parcel of any and every operating systems. As the article points out the official Service Pack page on the Microsoft website makes no mention of Vista.
My understanding is that Service Packs are largely made up of updates that have already been released so that it is easier to bring a Windows computer to a state that is considered safe. Extras such as Windows Firewall and Movie Maker have also been distributed with Service Packs. I'd far rather have new software and features come in a Service Pack when they are properly finished.
Am I being too charitable? Let me know in the comments section of this post.
AVG now Vista ready
Anti-virus company Grisoft tells us its AVG products - including the free edition - are now fully compatible with Windows Vista. The new editions are available at Grisoft's website.
Cheap MS Office for the rest?
Following our post explaining that NHS workers can pick up copies of Microsoft Office on the cheap (legally), a reader writes in to say that the deal may, in fact, be available to other public sector employees, as long as your employer has a suitable contract in place with Microsoft.
Each part of the civil service makes its own deals with software companies, and it seems to be that the bigger organisations can make these discounts available to their employees. So ask your friendly local IT department and let us know (or comment below) if you can get hold of a copy.
If they can do it why not Microsoft
A couple of days ago I wrote about the perils of leaving documents unsaved in case Windows Vista decided that a restart is needed. Anthony sent me a link to NightWatchman. Sadly only designed for corporate computers, the makers claim to have the solution to this problem as Nightwatchman can save documents when the computer is shut down. Perhaps Microsoft should have a chat with 1e and license their technology.
New technology for Windows. A power switch
8 Seconds to save the planet
Regular readers may have noticed a certain dissatisfaction with the power options with Windows Vista in my posts. Sleep risks losing work if the computer is unplugged and the options to change anything useful with power options are buried so deeply in Control Panel that on my way I passed the remains of three previous exploritory parties.
So, imagine how I felt when I read a press release from Microsoft proudly proclaiming how the power changes in Vista are going to reduce power consumption and save the planet (we read them so you don't have to).
Basically they are saying that as Sleep is so much better compared to Windows XP, everybody will use it rather than leave their computers switched on over night and over the weekend.
Well, yes but here's a better option. Actually shut down the computer or, if you want to start work again more quickly, use hibernate. Then the computer uses NO power.
I don't think Microsoft has planned for this as there is no hibernate option in the extended power menu. The best I have been able to come up with is to embark on the long trek to the power options and set the power button in the Start menu to hibernate rather than sleep. Don't forget, if you use a notebook, this must be set up for each power plan. There are three set up by default.
To prove my point I timed how long it took for my notebook to open the login screen from sleep and hibernation. Sleep to 19 seconds and hibernate to 27 seconds. You have to ask yourself, is 8 seconds difference in the morning really worth the power consumed by a computer in sleep?
Beware of updates restarting your computer
Updates in Windows Vista have added another one of those school of hard knocks lessons for sensible computer use.
Sometimes Windows updates require a restart so that files in constant use can be updated. This is normally nothing more than a mild irritation, although this means enough time to go to the shops for a coffee for my computer.
Vista appears to have added a new peril to leaving your computer unattended should you have decided to get a coffee without restarting. Should updates require the computer to be restarted, it will automatically restart five minutes after the warning above appears.
Luckily I wasn't doing anything important (that's Monday morning for you) so I decided to leave a couple of files opened and changed without saving. One was in the audio editor Audacity and the other was in The Gimp image editor. Hopefully, the new, easier to use Vista would prompt me to save my files before restarting.
That was obviously asking too much as a few minutes later the computer restarting without so much as a by your leave. Windows XP would at least stop shutting down because it would not force the shutting down of software for a restart.
The moral of the story is never, ever leave a computer without saving your files first,ever. I really mean it. It's good practice anyway but this is maybe too hard an object lesson.
Dual Booting with Vista, making the hard way simple
I've always found that Microsoft has a frustrating attitude when it comes to the existence of other operating systems. Despite being at real pains to explain to me the 'Get the facts' campaign (describing the benefits of Windows over Linux) is just about people being able to make an informed decision, they don't make it easy to run more than one operating system on a computer.
Maddeningly this was even true yesterday, when I attempted to install Windows XP on a computer with Vista installed. Without wishing to spoil the story, it was only made possible by installing some software called EasyBCD.
Yes, I know I took XP off myself five months ago, and yes, it was a silly thing to have done but I'd be in the wrong job if I didn't get excited about new technology.
Still, I thought that as with previous versions of Windows, if I 'repaired' the computer with the newer version of Windows a boot menu would be created as Windows XP does with Me or 2000. How wrong can one be...
As expected Windows XP couldn't recognise Windows Vista. The problem came when I used the Vista disc to repair the computer. As mentioned above, previous versions of Windows created a menu but not Vista. It simply set the computer to boot into Vista again.
Thankfully I found a solution in the form of EasyBCD. This clever program allows you to edit the boot menu of Windows Vista to add other operating systems, be it a previous version of Windows or even Linux. It was very simple to use and worked first time.
Hopefully I will learn to be less headstrong in the future.
Copy software to a Vista computer Part 1
We're familiar with the various methods of copying files from one computer to another, from the File and Settings Transfer Wizard to some of the more sophisticated methods using special USB cables.
A common limitation is that these programs only copy files, not software. This is particulary frustrating for those with software pre installed without the original disks.
So, imagine my delight when I found the Windows Easy Transfer Companion! You can find the full list of supported software by following the link, and it is quite impressive. It includes Firefox, Eudora, Opera, Paint Shop Pro, WordPerfect Office and, of course, Microsoft Office.
It is still in Beta but well worth a look. As a beta it will stop working after 1 July 2007. It is free now but Microsoft are reserving the right to start charging when it is finished.
Sadly things were not as straightforward as we had hoped. After downloading and installing the software a warning appeared saying that the program only supports US English and it went off in a huff. I will try changing the system language to see if that fixes the problem.
Cheap MS Office for NHS workers - Redux
Following our post that NHS workers can pick up el cheapo copies of Microsoft Office 2007, reader Steve writes in to point out that there's an easy link to start the process off. Of course, you'll need to enter an NHS email address to get going.
Meanwhile, another reader asks whether the same discount applies to other civil service staff, or in fact to any other staff of big companies. We don't think so - it seems to be a function of the sheer number of people employed by the NHS, which is after all one of the world's largest employers.
But if you know better, do let us know by email or leave a comment.
File Extension woes
In a recent post on his blog, Mikko Hypponen of F-Secure, highlighted the risks inherent in the way Windows Vista displays file extensions. You may not know what these are and herein lies the problem
File extensions are a legacy from the days of DOS. Files were named with eleven letters, the last three were called the file extension and described what the file was. So a text file was called file.txt and a bitmap picture was called file.bmp.
When Windows arrived longer filenames became possible, although in the way of these things it was complicated by the need to maintain compatibiltiy so longfilename.txt was also known as longfi~1.txt.
So far, so benign but the problem of file extensions really became serious when Windows started hiding some of the file extensions. The rationale is that the icon reveals what the file is so there is no need to show the extension. Unfortunately virus writers discovered that giving a file two extensions would fool windows, so suspiciousfile.txt.exe displays as suspiciousfile.txt so as txt files appear benign people were more likely to try and open the file.
Other operating system now take a look inside files to find out what they are and don't just trust the extension. It's a shame that Windows cannot do this as well.
