Cyber Dimensions....

There is an amazing feature with Windows .And that is XP mode.it is ot like the Virtual PC we used to do.It is much more different.Moving mouse between two OS is much more easy and it is much more easier for the user.Although OEMs have been shipping hardware virtualization in PCs for three years, hardware virtualization is not available in all PCs — so even if your PC is new, it may not have hardware virtualization. Additionally, those PCs with hardware virtualization have it turned off by default, so you will need to turn on the hardware virtualization capability before you can use it.

To determine whether your PC works with Windows XP Mode:

Step 1. Does my PC have a CPU with support for hardware virtualization?

For Intel processors:

• Download, install and run the Intel Processor Identification Utility.

• Navigate to the CPU Technologies tab and read the value in the "Intel Virtualization Technology" field.

  • If the value is No then your CPU does not support hardware virtualization.

  • If the value is Yes then the CPU supports hardware virtualization. Go on to step 2 below.

For AMD processors: AMD Virtualization Compatibility Check Utility.

Step 2. Does my PC BIOS support hardware virtualization, and is it turned on?

Instructions to turn on hardware virtualization in your PC BIOS are specific to OEM models. It is important that after changing your BIOS settings the PC is completely shut down at the power switch before restarting so that the new BIOS settings can take place.I did not Shutted it down and the settings dint took place.After a switch off completly for say 5 seconds or more your computer will enable VT.

Many of us have experienced attack of viruses someday or other.I too
recently experienced one and it was the worst one in last 5 years i
have faced.Nod32 never disappointed me but dont know what happened
this time.My lapy as well as Deski both started showing the
symptoms.although there wasnt any potential harm but all folders had a
Folder 'MSOCACHE' and all folders were hidden too.
Using MSE Beta removed the virus completly but still i wasnt able to
change the hidden folders to Unhidden one.After a lot of Querries &
Binging,Googling i finally found solution from a Freind who is a MVP
as well,Ramesh Kumar.
There is a command that is used to force all folders attribute to unhidden.
Here are the steps:
Simply Go to Run
type 'CMD'
press Enter
Type this command "attrib -h -s -a -r * /s /d"
And you are done.

When you turn off your computer using hibernate, the operating system needs to store all your current running program states onto hard disk so that programs can resume where they left off when you power up your PC again. To achieve this, the OS need to save all the information into a file called hiberfil.sys. Windows OS (7, vista, XP) usually stores this as a hidden file under your C directory or your main OS partition.
The size of the hibernation file (hiberfil.sys) will be the same as the amount of installed RAM on your computer.So all the data from RAM is copied directly into this hiberfil.sys on harddisk and RAM loads it when you power up your computer again.
You can also use an Utility VJSTD made by VJ to automate hibernate & other shutdown options.

A Graphical User Interface (GUI for short) allows users to interact with the computer hardware in a user friendly way.

Over the years a range of GUI’s have been developed for different operating systems such as OS/2, Macintosh, Windowsamiga, Linux, Symbian OS, and more.

We’ll be taking a look at the evolution of the interface designs of the major operating systems since the 80’s.

I should mention that this article showcases only the significant advances in GUI design (not operating system advances) and also not all of the graphical user interfaces and operating systems existing today.

The first GUI was developed by researchers at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in the ’70s. This research opened a whole new era of computer graphic innovations.

The first personal computer which used a modern graphical user interface was the Xerox Alto, developed in 1973. This was not a commercial product and was intended mainly for research at universities.





In this year Microsoft finally caught up with the whole graphical user interface craze and released Windows 1.0, its first GUI based operating system (although no one would dare to refer to it as one). The system featured 32×32 pixel icons and color graphics. The most interesting feature (which later was omitted) was the icon of the animated analog clock.


In this version, the actual management of the windows had significantly improved. The windows could be overlapped, resized, maximized and minimized.




By this version, Microsoft had realized the real potential in GUI’s and started to significantly improve them.

The operating system itself supported standard and 386 enhanced modes, which made use of higher memory capacity than 640 KB and hard disk space, resulting in the ability to use higher screen resolutions and better graphics, such as Super VGA 800×600 and 1024×768.

Also, Microsoft hired Susan Kare to design the Windows 3.0 icons and to add a unified style to the GUI.




This version of Windows included TrueType fonts which were pre-installed. This effectively made Windows a functional desktop publishing platform for the first time.

Previously, it was only possible to achieve such functionality in Windows 3.0 using the Adobe Type Manager (ATM) font system from Adobe. This version also contained a color scheme named Hotdog Stand, which contained bright hues of red, yellow and black.

This color scheme was designed to help people with some degree of color blindness see text/graphics on the screen easier.



The user interface was completely re-designed since version 3.x. This was the first Windows version where a small close button was added to each window.

The design team gave states (enabled, disabled, selected, checked, etc.) to icons and other graphics. The famous Start button appeared for the first time.

This was a huge step forward for Microsoft regarding the operating system itself and the unified GUI.



The icon styles were almost the same as in Windows 95, but the whole GUI could use more than 256 colors for rendering. Windows Explorer changed almost completely and the “Active Desktop” appeared for the first time.



As Microsoft tends to change their GUI completely with every major operating system release, Windows XP was no exception. The GUI itself is skinnable, users could change the whole look and feel of the interface. The icons were 48 x 48 in size by default, rendered in millions of colors.




This was Microsoft’s response to their competition. They also included quite a lot of 3D and animation. Since Windows 98, Microsoft has always tried to improve the desktop. With Windows Vista they released widgets and a somewhat improved replacement of the Active Desktop.

Microsoft finally discussed "Windows XP Mode" in depth in a full QnA press release entitled "Helping Small Businesses With Windows 7 Professional and Windows XP Mode", featuring Scott Woodgate, director of Desktop Virtualization and Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP). Below is the entire QnA session which outlines the fundamentals of this new feature:

PressPass: What are you announcing today?

Woodgate: We are announcing the beta release of Windows XP Mode for Windows 7. Small businesses told us they wanted help upgrading to Windows 7. Windows XP Mode, an optional feature of Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate editions, helps small businesses upgrade to Windows 7 by providing a virtual Windows XP environment capable of running many Windows XP-compatible business and productivity applications. Customers can run many older Windows XP business and productivity applications within Windows XP Mode and launch them from the Windows 7 desktop with just a single click. A beta of Windows XP Mode will be made available on April 30.

PressPass: How does Windows XP Mode work?

Woodgate: Windows XP Mode is the combination of two features. The first part is a pre-packaged virtual Windows XP environment. The second is Windows Virtual PC, which is used to run the virtual Windows XP environment. Customers can install their applications into Windows XP Mode using typical installation processes such as downloading from the Web or using the product CD. Once installed, the applications are automatically available on the Windows 7 Start Menu and can be launched just like any Windows 7 program. Optionally, these Windows XP applications can be pinned to the Windows 7 Task Bar and launched using just a single click from the Windows 7 desktop.
more @ http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/04/29/microsoft-discusses-windows-7s-xp-mode-in-depth

Rename The Recycle Bin

To change the name of the Recycle Bin desktop icon, open Regedit and go to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/CLSID/{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}and change the name "Recycle Bin" to whatever you want.


STEPS:-

1.go to Run
2.type regedit and press enter
3.in the registery window navigate to the path given above
4.on rght hand side change the string name from recycle bin to anything.
e.g I have put it Trash

Works for Windows XP