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[How To] Enable Automatic Updates In Windows 7

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Windows logo

This is a small tutorial dealing on how to enable or disable automatic updates in Windows 7 or Windows Vista.This is basically intended for beginners who have just installed Windows 7 or Windows Vista in their systems and looking for assistance.

User level: Beginner

Complexity Level: Easy

1. Go to Start menu and type windows update in the search box.Click the Windows Update program in the search result.

windows update start menu search

2. Now the Windows Update window will be opened.On the left pane, find “Change Settings” and click on it to open the Windows Update Settings page.

windows update page

3. In the Windows Update Settings window, as you can see there are basically 4 options to choose from.

  • #1 Install updates automatically (recommended)
  • #2 Download updates but let me choose whether to install them
  • #3 Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them
  • #4 Never check for updates (not recommended)

change windows update settings

It is always recommended that you choose the option #1 “Install updates automatically” to install updates that address various vulnerabilities and keep your Windows up-to-date.

Option #2 is also OK, given that it makes your Windows to download the updates automatically as and when they are available but will install them without your permission.

Options #3 and #4  are recommended only if you are using an interconnection with limited data usage (like  using mobile phone to connect to internet).If these options are chosen, your Windows will not automatically download or install the updates.

BenQ E1260 HDR Digital Camera

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BenQ has announced brand new digital camera BenQ E1260 HDR (High Dynamic Range).Besides sporting a 12 megapixel camera with 4X optical zoom, the device offers a chance to record videos at 720p HD mode.With HDR imaging technology, you can now apply the effect on the photos for a more stunning look with just a click.

BenQ E1260 HDR Digital CameraBenQ E1260 HDR Digital Camera

Features:

BenQ HDR Image Enhancement Technology
28mm Wide-Angle Lens
720p Movie Recording
Advanced Smart Scene Modes
Ultra Intuitive for Easy and Quick Access
Smart File Management
Automatically Rotate Your Photos with G-Sensor

BenQ E1260 Specifications:

Dimensions 91.6 x 57.8 x 16.6 mm
Weight 100 g
Sensor 12 Mega Pixels, 1/2.3 inch CCD
Zoom Digital: 4X Wide Angle
Digital: 5X
Lens f = 5.05 ( W ) ~ 20.2 ( T ) mm
F= 2.8 (W) ~ 6.3 (T)
Image Resolutions 12M / 3:2 / 8M / 5M/ 3M / HD 16:9 / VGA
Movie Recording 720p (16:9 ; 1280 x 720 ; Interpolation) / 640 x 480 / 320 x 240 @ 30 fps
Shutter speed 1/2000 sec
Weight Balance Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Tungsten / Fluorescent H / Fluorescent L / Manual
Flash Auto Flash, Auto Anti Red-eye, Force On, Slow Sync, Forced Off
Battery 700mAh Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
Memory Inbuilt: 11MB
External: 4GB SD / 32GB SDHC
File formats Image: JPEG
Video: MPEG
Audio: WAV
Output USB 2.0 compatible
AV Output- NTSC/PAL
PictBridge compatible
Colors Metallic Gun-Metal Gray
Metallic Blue
Launch May 2010

Price:

The price of BenQ E1260 point-shoot camera hasn’t been announced yet, though the device is set to hit the markets by My 2010.

Find The Last ShutDown Time Of Any Windows PC

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At times may be you allow somebody, take for instance your kid to use your computer but strictly warned him or her to shut it down by midnight.But you don’t really know till what time they had used your PC as you can’t figure it out easily by just looking at your desktop Smile.

Luckily you need not worry much, if your system runs Windows.If you want to know how to do that in your PC, follow the steps briefed below:

1. Open Event Viewer in your computer:

Windows 7 ot Vists users: Go to start menu and type “Event Viewer” in the search box and open the Event Viewer.

Windows XP users: Go to run command from Start> Run or by pressing Windows+R and type eventvwr.msc in the field and hit enter.

event viewer from start menu

2. In the Event Viewer, On the left side pane click on “Windows Logs” and in the right pane, click on the item “System”  [See the screenshot below].

Windows Logs in Event Viewer Windows 7

3. Now on the right pane, you will find all the system logs information basically divided into 3 tabs: Information,

Date and Time,

Source,

Event ID

Find the column corresponding to the Event ID 6006, the date and time displayed in this column is when your computer was last shuttedDown.

last shutdown time in event viewer

In the above screenshot, the time shown is 29-04-2010 12:42:00 AM, so this is the last shutdown time of the PC used here.

Nokia X2 Launched In India: Full Specifications

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Nokia logo

Well, it’s been a great month this,  for Nokia folks who have been launching new mobile phone models one after another every week, they have now announced a total of 7 new handsets in April 2010.It was just 2 days ago that Nokia drew the attention of all the mobile enthusiasts with the announcement of Nokia N8, now guess what, here’s another new model lined up.The newest entrant to their list is the all new Nokia X2.Nokia X2 will be initially launched in India earlier than its global release.

Nokia X2, member of Nokia X-series will run on Series 40, yet offering a host of features making it worth every penny.Features include a 2.2 inch QVGA screen, 5MP camera with flash & video recording, 16GB microAD support, Bluetooth 2.1, USB 2.0, 3.5mm Nokia AV connector, music management via Ovi Player ot Windows Media Player 11, direct access to Facebook & twitter from the home screen, Ovi store, Nokia Messaging 2.0, direct image upload to Flickr & Ovi Share.Also the camera flash can be used as a torch as well similar to the Sony Ericsson phones.

Checkout exclusive full specifications, pictures and price details of Nokia X2.

Nokia X2 Picture:

Nokia X2 full specifications and price in india

Nokia X2 Full Specifications:

Network GSM 850/ 900/ 1800/ 1900 (2G)
Dimensions 111 x 47 x 13.3 mm
Weight 81 g
Display – 2.2” QVGA
– 240×320 pixel
– 262K colors
Camera – 5 Megapixel with flash
– 4x smooth zoom
– Camera flash usable as torch flashlight
Memory – Inbuilt: 48MB
– External: up to 16GB microSD
Connectivity – Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP, EDR
– microUSB 2.0
– 3.5 mm audio jack
Playback formats MP3, MP4, AAC, eAAC+, WMA
Battery Nokia Battery BL-4C
Talk time Up to 13hrs 30 mins
Standby time Up to 25.8 days
Colors available – Black/Red
– Silver/Blue
Release Q2 2010

Nokia X2 Price:

Nokia X2 will hit the markets in the last week of June 2010 and will be priced approximately around Rs.5000 Rs.5727 in India, or at €85 in Europe, or at around $112 in US/ Globally.

First Impression:

Nokia X2 specs look cool at least on paper, this will appeal strongly to those who have a penchant for cameras/photography but couldn’t afford to buy big camera smartphones.

What’s Hot?

5 Megapixel camera, upto 16GB microSD support, 13hrs long talk time

What’s Missing?

3G

Other phones in X-series: Nokia X6, Nokia X5

Apple iTunes 9.1.1 [Downloads]

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Apple has  release updated version of the iTunes, version 9.1.1.This is an update mainly addressing and fixing the various issues.The various issues addressed by this update are listed below.In addition to those,  previous version for the 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7 dealing with a third-party software conflict that could cause iTunes to close the program unexpectedly.

iTunes new version 9.1.1 available

iTunes 9.1.1 Improvements:

  • Addresses several stability issues with VoiceOver
  • Addresses a usability issue with VoiceOver and Genius Mixes
  • Addresses issues with converting songs to 128 kbps AAC while syncing
  • Addresses other issues that improve stability and performance

iTunes 9.1.1 free download

Direct Download Link

Download iTunes 9.1.1 – 93 MB  (Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 32-bit)

Garmin Asus A10 Android Full-Touch Phone Announced

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The Garmin Asus just revealed a new Andriod full-touch phone Garmin Asus A10 which focuses on pedestrian-friendly features and navigation for Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Asus Garmin A10 runs on Android and is coming with 3.2 inch HVGA capacitive (multi-touch) touchscreen, 5MP camera,Geotagging support,  digital compass, A-GPS with Garmin navigation optimized for Pedestrian Navigation.Optionally cityXplore maps are alos supported on Garmin A 10.

Asus Garmin A 10

Garmin Asus A10 Specifications*:

Display – 3.2” TFT capacitive touchscreen
– 256K colors
-320 x 480 pixels
– Multi-touch input method
Camera – 5 Megapixel with autofocus
– 2592х1944 pixels
Memory – Expandable up to 16GB microSD
OS Android OS
Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 (2G)
Connectivity – 3G
– Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
– USB 2.0
– A-GPS with Garmin navigation
Players – MP3/eAAC+/WAV player
– MP4/H.263/H.264 player
Extras – Digital compass
– cityXplorer maps
– Google Search, Maps, Gmail,Google Talk, YouTube
– Document viewer
Battery Li-Ion 1500 mAh
Talk time –
Standby time –

[*] Full details are awaited.

Price and Availability:

Garmin Asus A10 is expected to be available in mid 2010 in Europe and Asia-Pacific.No official word on price yet.

D-Link DWA-131 Wireless N Nano USB Adapter Launched In India

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D-Link DWA-131 Wireless N Nano USB Adapter

Networking and communications equipment manufacturer D-Link has launched its D-Link DWA-131 Wireless N Nano USB Adapter in India.The device is so small that it fits into any pocket easily (weighs 3.1 g).DWA-131 Wireless N Nano USB adapter provides better wireless signal coverage for your PC compared to the existing wireless 802.11g technology.Ideal for transferring files, browsing the Internet, and downloading music.

D-Link’s Wireless N technology extends the wireless range, still finding easy compatibility with existing 802.11 b/g wireless routers and APNs.Just plug this to your desktop PC which is lacking Wi-Fi and you are done, now you get high speed Wi-Fi with better signal strength to connect to your nearby Wi-Fi devices.

DWA-131

Dimensions 18 x 34.4 x 7.7 mm
Weight 3.1 g
Standards 802.11 n/b/g
Interface USB 2.0
Frequency Range 2.4GHz to 2.4835GHz
Antenna PIFA antenna
Security – WEP
– WPA & WPA2
– PBC/PIN
LED Link/ Activity
Certifications – FCC Classb
– IC
– Wi-Fi
– CE
– C-Tick
Operating Conditions – Temperature: 0˚ to 40˚C
– Humidity: 10 ~ 90%
Operating System Support – Windows 200, Windows XP
– Windows Vista (32/64 but)
– Windows 7 (32/64 bit)
Warranty 1 Year

Price:

D-Link DWA-131 Wireless N Nano USB Adapter is now available in India at a price of Rs.1,850 [£ 18 in UK, $55 in US]

Micromax W900 : Windows Mobile Touchscreen Phone @ Rs. 6800

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Micromax Logo

Micromax has recently launched new touchscreen phone Micromax W900 that runs on Windows Mobile 6.1.By looking at the design, can’t stop ourselves from drawing similarities with the Nokia 5800 popular design.This is the first of handsets from Micromax to run on Microsoft Windows Mobile OS.

Micromax W900 comes with lots of features like Wi-Fi, 2MP camera, 460 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM, GPS with local maps for Indian cities courtesy MapmyIndia.

micromax w900

Micromax W900 Specifications:

Form Factor Bar Style
Dimensions 112 x 55 x 14.2 mm
Weight 113 g
Display 3.2” WQVGA touchscreen
256k colors
Camera – 2 megapixel
– 1600 x 1200 Pixels
– Digital Zoom with Flash
OS Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
Memory Internal: 256 MB ROM, 128 MB RAM
External: up to 16GB microSD
Processor K3 Hi3611 460MHz Processor
Network GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
– GPS with Maps from Map My India
– USB port
– 3.5mm Audio Jack
Playback Formats – Video: WMV/ WMA/ Mp4/ H.263/AVI
– Audio: MP3 / AMR / MIDI / WMA
Battery Li-Ion 1500mAh
Talk time Up to 5 hrs
Standby time Up to 20 days

Micormax W900 Price & Availability In India:

The mobile handset has been already launched in India and is available in market at a price of Rs. 6800 INR.

Our Take:

The phone would have been a great buy at Rs. 6800 had it included 3G also.Still with Wi-Fi, Windows Mobile 6.1, GPS make this 3.2 inch touchscreen Micromax W900 worth buying device.

Download KB975496 Update For Windows 7

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Windows 7 LogoBitLocker Drive Encryption

Microsoft has released the new KB975496 update addressing the issue while using BitLocker for system drives.If your Windows 7 PC stops responding during shutdown if BitLocker is enabled on the system drive.

Initially this update was released for Lenovo ThinkPad W510 where the issue was first noticed.Now Microsoft has decided to release this update as “recommended” update type to all x86 Windows 7 users in April 2010.

KB975496 details:

Update for Windows 7 (KB975496)

Download size: 121 KB

File name: Windows6.1-KB975496-v2-x86.msu

published: April 26, 2010

You may need to restart your computer for this update to take effect.

Update type: Recommended

More information:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975496

Download Link (Validation required)

Direct Download Link: KB975496-v2-x86.msu (Without validation)

Fix Frequent Windows Explorer Crashes With KB980408

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Windows logo

“Windows Explorer has stopped working.

Windows is searching for a solutions

Windows Explorer is restarting “

windows explorer stopped working

The most annoying errors that keep popping up in Windows 7 too many times (I already had enough of them).Normally this error could occur possibly due to missing/corrupt files in windows explorer window.Windows 7 team has had a serious look into this mess and they have decided to release April 2010 stability and reliability update KB980408 exclusively to fix these frequent windows explorer crashes in Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2.According the release the update KB980408 fixes the following issues:

  • Windows Explorer crashes and restarts while accessing a third-party Control Panel item.
  • Issue that affects the connectivity with an instance of SQL Server Analysis Services from any application in Windows 7 or Windows 2008 R2
  • Windows Explorer stops responding for 30 seconds whenever a file or directory is created or renamed after installing some programs
  • Welcome screen hanging for 30 seconds while logging into the computer, if you had set the desktop background to a solid color.
  • You don’t get any warning when you try to delete more than 1000 files and all the files gets deleted permanently without moving to the Recycle bin.

    If you have experienced any of the above issues in your Windows 7 machine, you must download the update KB980408 from the download links below.

    Download Links:

    The April 2010 stability and reliability update for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2- Update for Windows 7 (KB980408)

    Download size: 5.3 MB

    Update type: Important

    Released: April 26, 2010

    With validation:

    Windows 7 (x86)

    Windows 7 (x64)

    Windows Server 2008 R2 (x64)

    Without validation:

    Direct download link KB980408-x86.msu for x86 Windows 7

    Direct download link KB980408-x64.msu for x64 Windows 7

    • Link for KB980408 support