By May 31 all beta and RC versions of Windows Vista will expire and cease to operate. Microsoft will begin sending out notifications to these users.
My question is, anyone still using Beta 2, RC1, or RC2 of Vista??
WilksNet
Musings on Mozilla, Linux, Apple, and open source software
Filed under vista …
RadarSync Free Vista Drivers
I found this great Windows Vista driver resource at RadarSync. You can find and download a ton of Windows Vista drivers so be sure to check it out and see what you can get that’s needed.
McAfee Personal Firewall for Vista
I’m a Comcast internet user and Comcast offers free McAfee security software to their clients. I haven’t been interested in McAfee for years because I think they lack in keeping up with current trends and creating programs that do a great job while not taking up a lot of system resources.
Well some of that changed today when I decided to check if the software was Vista compatible and to my surprise it finally was. So I said what the heck, and installed just the Personal Firewall Plus. It installed fine and only takes up about a meg of ram while in use. This surprised me a lot…
This firewall works well, has a lot of features that you can configure, isn’t annoying, and doesn’t take a lot of resources to run. I’m almost impressed. I’ll see what I think of the new Zone Alarm when it’s finally ready for Vista. For now I really like this McAfee solution and here’s a screenshot.
A few things. In order to manually allow programs through the firewall or to configure a host of other advanced options, you have to actually log into Vista as the administrator. Another feature that I like is that the security center will notice if you have antivirus and antispyware installed and will be okay with it. That’s nice.
The Versatile VLC Media Player
There’s a really cool media player that’s becoming more and more popular everyday. It’s called the VLC Media Player and it runs on Linux, Mac, and Windows including Windows Vista. It’s a versatile player that can play almost any audio or video content including but not limited to: DVD, VCD, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, DivX, MP3, ogg and more.
What I love about it is that it actually plays my DVD’s on Vista. I could not do this before because my copy of Vista Business does not come with a built in DVD decoder like the Ultimate edition does. So now I can do anything with optical media using all free software, and I’ve detailed it all on this blog various times. So check it out!
Free Vista 32-Bit Compatible Firewall!
Finally, for all of us who are running the 32-Bit version of Windows Vista – there is a free firewall application for us. Granted, the built in Windows Vista firewall is pretty good. It’s better than XP’s and does a good job of providing basic security, however a more robust program is needed for the firewall I think.
PCTools has just the thing. It’s late and I’m tired so here’s the link, I’ll update this post maybe when I get the time and strength.
http://www.pctools.com/firewall/
Another option is Comodo Personal Firewall:
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/
ZoneAlarm Free:
http://www.filehippo.com/download_zonealarm_free/
And of course, I recommend these two Anti-Virus solutions for Windows and Windows Vista:
Source: Windows Connected
MS March 2007 Vista Compatibility Update
I just found this link on ActiveWin, it looks like Microsoft has released an update to Windows Vista that addresses several stability issues with various software programs and games. Looks like a pretty nice little update if you ask me. I’d highly recommend it.
Vista Compatibility Update Page
Exposé Like Task Switcher for Vista
Paul Thurrott has a cool hint about the new MS IntelliPoint software for Vista. The default function of the middle click scroll button on the mouse is a new Instant Viewer feature that is much more like Mac’s Exposé than Windows Flip 3D. Check it out!
Change Start Menu Power Button
Thanks to a tip from Paul Thurrott on the WinSuperSite, I finally found the way to change the start menu power button in Vista. By default, the power button puts your system to the new hybrid sleep mode. If you want the power button to actually go ahead and turn your computer off (like it should) you can do this:
- Open Control Panel
- Click on Hardware and Sound (default) or Power Options (classic)
- Click Change Plan Settings
- Change Advanced Power Settings
- Under Power buttons and lid, change start menu power button from sleep to shutdown
The start menu power button is now red instead of orange and will shut your computer down!
Windows Vista Wallpapers
I’ve found two sites where you can download the Windows Vista Wallpapers. If you already have Windows Vista the link just below will give you some extra wallpapers from the same photographer. Check it:
Hamad Darwish – Windows Vista – Just click on the two links named Part One and Part Two at the bottom of the page.
The next link will give people who don’t have Vista a chance to get the shipping wallpapers. You can search Google to find more if you like:
Official Windows Vista Wallpapers
Enjoy! 
The Problem with UAC in Vista
I’ve been using Windows Vista for a few months now and subsequently I’ve been exposed to the notorious User Account Control (UAC) of Vista.
The purpose of UAC is to add a layer of protection, a barrier between the user and the OS. The user is assigned a standard account and whenever the user tries to affect the system in some way that might alter a system setting, as in installing a piece of software or starting a program like anti-virus, UAC will prompt for a password to allow the action.
The problem with this is pretty big. First of all, Microsoft thought they could implement the system in some way that it would not need to be turned off, altered, or configured in any way. Second of all, Microsoft didn’t anticipate the reaction to UAC and therefore they have poor contingency planning. I’ve had several issues with UAC that put me out. The first is I can’t update Avast! Anti-Virus in standard user mode. Others thoughts are listed below:
- UAC doesn’t prompt me for access, it just won’t allow it.
- You can’t turn it off without affecting certain programs; i.e. some tax programs and others.
- You can’t configure it – i.e. to allow a program to not be affected by it if you wish to always allow it. The essence of UAC was designed to protect the user from rogue software and their own actions, so if the user is proficient and wants to always allow a program they trust through UAC they should be allowed to do so.
- UAC should be smart and grow in intelligence as the user uses the system. It should adapt to patterns and trends and be able to begin to understand what programs are harmless and what programs are harmful.
I’d say that Microsoft needs to re-evaluate UAC and maybe patch it with new functionality with Service Pack 1. I would say it should be a huge priority because I know my family members, when they upgrade, will not be happy with the current implementation of UAC.
[To turn UAC off, go to the control panel, find user accounts, then find the option that says turn UAC on or off.]
