Windows

[Tip] Show Additional Windows Clocks

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Mutiple clocks in windows 7

Windows by default shows one clock next to the calendar, based on your location in the world. Sometime you might want to see the what’s the time in your best pal’s place located somewhere in other part of the globe. This tutorial explains how you can show multiple or additional taskbar Windows clocks.

Steps:

1. Open the Windows calendar by, click on “Change date and time settings..”.

Windows 7 clock

2. Under date and time settings, click on “Additional Clocks” tab. Here you can select one or more additional clocks from different cities across the world. You can also name the clocks as you would want them to be.

Additional clocks in date and time settings

3. Click OK and close the window. Now you can see the additional clocks popping up when you click on the date and time area in your Windows taskbar.

That’s it. Please note that this tutorial also applies to Windows Vista.Find out for more how-to tutorials from us on Windows 7, or subscribe to our RSS feeds via email.

Turn Off Your Laptop LCD Monitor Screen Manually With A Single Click

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Laptop LCD screen

As all of us are quite familiar with desktop computers, where we can turn-off the monitor just by pressing a button. But when it comes to a laptop, we know that you can always close the lid to turn off the LCD screen automatically. But wouldn’t life be simpler if we had a button to turn off the LCD screen of the laptop ?

Here is a simple program that can be used on windows based systems (including Windows 7 and Windows Vista) to manually turn off your laptop’s LCD screen.

This is pretty much useful when you want to just listen to the music on your laptop keeping its lid open. This also saves some energy, knowing which some manufactures do offer this kind of option on the laptop while most of the others don’t. (Sadly, my HP Pavilion notebook also lacks this feature).

A million thanks to Taimur Asad of Redmond Pie, who has developed this simple program called “Turn Off LCD” based on his experience with HP DV2799 Special Edition notebook that he owns. He wrote this application in C# with Microsoft Visual Basic 2008. It makes use of a DLL (User32.dll) file from Windows using System.Runtime.InteropServices namespace which then calls the required function.[ More tech info at Redmond Pie post]

Turn Off LCD shortcut

Just download the zip file from the following link and run the Turn Off LCD.exe (85 KB in size). That’s all you need to do, you can now observe your laptop’s LCD screen being turned off. Just hover the mouse or press any key to turn on the LCD screen again. If you have liked this, then you might want to add similar shutdown shortcut to your notebook also.

Download Turn Off LCD (v1.01, 68.5 KB)

Photo credit

Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Client Profile For Windows 7

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Microsoft .Net logo

Microsoft’s latest .NET Framework 4 Client Profile is available on Windows Update (WU) as “recommended update”  KB982670. It provides a subset of features from the .NET Framework 4.0.

The client Profile is released as an recommended update for Windows 7 and Windows Vista and as an “optional update” for Windows XP (you need to run the WU manually and select the .NET Framework 4 Client Profile to install it).

Issues:

Many Windows users have reported that they are getting Windows update error 80200053 while installing this particular update (also KB982526) on their machines. If you are getting the same error, just restart the computer and try installing afterwards, or boot in Safe Mode with Networking and install the update. You may also try to install the standalone version of the .NET Framework 4 Client Profile from the link given below:

Download Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Client Profile (Web Installer)

Cumulative Update For Windows Media Center For Windows 7 And Windows Vista

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Windows Update

Microsoft has released two important updates for Windows Media Center(WMC) running on Windows 7(KB981078) and Windows Vista (KB982480) operating systems on June 21, 2010.

Cumulative Update for Media Center for Windows 7 KB981078 addresses the following issues:

1. A “Copy Prohibited” or a black screen is displayed when the Windows Media Center is used to play protected content with a revoked version of the PlayReady PC Runtime is installed don your computer.

2. Mcupdate.exe crashes when the guide database in WMC is corrupted.

3. Schedule data getting disappeared in regions that use in-band guide data.

4. WMC crashes if you use an invalid path for a recorded TV.

June 2010 Cumulative Update for Media Center for Windows Vista KB982480 fixes the following issue #2 (in addition to various “Hotfixes”) of the issues listed above.

Download:

Windows 7 (KB981078) 32-bit (4.8 MB) 64-bit (6 MB)
Windows Vista (KB982480) 32-bit (10 MB) 64-bit (10.7 MB)

Motorola ES400 (Motorola EDA) Full Specifications

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motorola es400

Motorola ES400 is the first device running Windows Embedded Handheld announced together with the platform release by the Microsoft. This is also called EDA in short (stands for Enterprise Digital Assistant). This is designed such a way that it will survive the most difficult conditions like rain, high and low temperatures, and even withstanding the drops on a vinyl covered concrete ES400 works on both GSM and CDMA making it a global phone that would work any where in the globe.

Motorola EDA (ES400) comes with Windows Mobile 6.5.3 Professional OS, a 3-inch VGA resistive touchscreen, 600 MHz Qualcomm processor, 256MB RAM, 1GB of flash memory, 3G HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS, 3 MP camera with LED flash (can read barcodes), a standard 1540mAh Li-Ion battery and also an extended 3080mAh battery too (hence it is thicker).

Warranty: Motorola ES400 is coming with a 3-year warranty, so definitely a better ROI.

Motorola ES400 Pictures:

motorola es400 frontmotorola es400 side

Motorola ES400 Full Specifications:

Dimensions 129 x 60.4 x 16.4 mm
Weight 156 g
Display – 3” TFT touchscreen, 65K colors
– 640 x 480 pixels
– Full QWERTY keypad
Camera – 3.15 megapixels
– 2048×1536 pixels
– LED flash
– Auto focus
Memory – Internal: 1GB ROM, 256 MB RAM
– External: up to 32GB microSD
Processor 600 MHz Qualcomm MSM 7627 processor
Operating System MS Windows Mobile 6.5.3 Professional
Network – 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 (2G)
– 850 / 1900 / 2100 (3G HSDPA)
– 850/1900 (CDMA/EVDO Rev A)
Connectivity – 3G HSDPA
– Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
– Bluetooth v2.0
– A-GPS
– microUSB 2.0
Audio/Video formats – MP3/AAC+/WAV/WMA (Audio)
– MP4/3gp/MWV/H.264 (Video)
Extras – Accelerometer sensor
– Motorola Enterprise UI
– IP42 certified – water proof
– MIL-STD 810G compliant
– Drop-to-concrete resistance from up to 0.91m
– Biometric fingerprint scanner
– Bar code scanner
Battery – Standard Li-Ion 1540 mAh battery
– Extended battery: Li-Ion 3080 mAh
Talk time – Up to 6 hrs
– Up to 12 hrs (extended battery)
Stand-by time – Up to 250 hrs
– Up to 500 hrs (extended battery)
Colors Black
Availability Expected in Q3 2010

Price And Availability:

The Motorola EDA or Motorola ES400 is expected to be released in the markets during Q3 2010. However the price of Motorola ES400 hasn’t been announced officially yet.

[How To] Hide The Windows 7 System Tray Icons

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Windows 7 logo

Notification area or system tray icons in Windows 7 has been enhanced when compared to the earlier Windows versions like Windows XP. However, for some reasons if you want to disable the notification area and save some space (?) on your taskbar, here is what you need to do:

Registry hack:

Follow the registry path given below: (Registry code for hiding tray icons )

registry key notepad screenshot

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\>>Software\>>Microsoft\>>Windows\>>CurrentVersion\>>Policies\>>Explorer  and set  “NoTrayItemsDisplay” DWORD value to 1.

NoTrayItemsDisplay in windows 7

Third-Party Software:

If it’s looks complicated for you, just try this small app Hide SysTray to hide the notification area automatically.

Hide Systray

If you run the app, you can disable your notifications area like this:

notification area disabled

Note: You need to have .NET Framework version installed on your computer to run this application else you’ll end up with the following error.

Hide systray .net error

Tip: Always Run A Program As An Administrator By Default

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Windows 7 as a security measure doesn’t allow you run any program as an administrator by default. But sometimes you might need to run a program a program far too many times that requires elevated privileges, and it’s really annoying if to see that you are being asked to run it as an administrator each and every time you run it. However, there is a way to run the program as an administrator by default in Windows 7 (and Vista) that many of us aren’t aware of. Here is how you can do it :

Steps:

1. If you wish the program to run as an administrator by using the shortcuts of a program, you need to right-click on the shortcut, select “Properties”,

Windows 7 right click context menu on shortcut

2. Now click on the “Advanced..” button under the “Shortcut” tab of the properties window.

Windows_7_advanced_properties_shortcut

3. Select “Run as administrator” option under “Advanced Properties” window and click OK. Apply the settings and close all the properties window.

advanced_properties_exe

4. Now run the program again and you will see that it’s running as administrator (See the screenshot of the Windows Command Prompt, and observe the string “Administrator” in the title of the program)
CMD as administrator in Windows 7

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KB979482 MS Security Bulletin MS10-033

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Windows Update

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-033 resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows through security update KB979482.

These vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution  through crafted media files or  streaming content from a website or any application that delivers web content, if opened by a user. Then the attacker can exploit these vulnerabilities to gain the same user rights as the user. More serious damage could occur if the user running the system has administrative rights.

This is categorised as an important update for Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP. Download the update files from the direct download links given below:

KB979482 Direct Download Links:

Windows 7 x64 – Windows6.1-KB979482-x64.msu – 263 KB x86 (32 bit) – 221 KB
Windows Vista x64 – Windows6.0-KB979482-x64.msu – 287 KB x86 (32 bit) – 249 KB
Windows XP x64 – WindowsServer2003.WindowsXP-KB979482-x64-ENU.exe – 732 KB x86 (32 bit) – 519 KB

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-032 (KB979559)

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MS10-032 bulletin

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-032, one of the 10 security bulletins released by Microsoft as part of the routine monthly security update for June 2010 addresses vulnerabilities in Windows Kernel-Mode drivers.

Security bulletin MS10-032 include important Windows security update KB979559, which resolves two publicly disclosed vulnerabilities and one privately reported vulnerability  in the Windows kernel-mode drivers. These vulnerabilities could allow elevation of privilege, if a user just views content that is rendered in a specially crafted TrueType font.

Windows users who have not enabled automatic updates must download and installed this KB979559 update immediately.

KB979559 Direct Download Links:

Download the update package for various Windows systems from the following direct links.

Windows 7 x64 -1.6 MB x86 (32-bit) – 1.2 MB
Windows Vista x64 – 1.5 MB x86 (32-bit) – 1.2 MB
Windows XP x64 – 4.1 MB x86 (32-bit) – 1.4 MB

Cumulative Security Update Bulletin MS10-034 for ActiveX Killbits June 2010

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Windows Update

Microsoft update KB980195 Addresses the vulnerability discussed under the Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-034, which is part of the  10 new security update bulletins released on June 8, 2010.

kb980195

MS10-034 addressed two privately reported vulnerabilities for Microsoft software. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution through a crafted web page setup by the attacker. If the user views that Web page and if that instantiates a specific ActiveX control with Internet Explorer, it allows the attacker to do a remote code execution. This particular update includes kill bits for four third-party ActiveX controls. This update sets the kill bits so that the vulnerable controls do not run in Internet Explorer.

As this updated is rated critical for most of the Windows operating systems, user must download this update immediate either by running the Windows Update (WSUS service) or from the direct links given at the end of this post.

Update Information:

Cumulative Security Update for ActiveX Killbits for Windows (KB980195)

Rating:

Critical: Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000 ;  Moderate: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Direct Download Links:

Windows 7 x64 x86
Windows Vista x64 x86
Windows XP x64 x86

You might also want to download MS10-035 security update bulletin.