Windows Vista on Macbook Pro

In early 2006 when Apple released BootCamp (beta) which would allow users to install Windows on their Mac people like me were really excited to see that happening.

Now I finally tried Windows Vista on Macbook Pro. You can also boot your Windows Vista BootCamp partition using virtual machine software, Parallels Desktop (for which there is a 15-day trial version available on their website) which allows you to run Windows inside OS X without having to reboot.



With the Parallels software the performance is great, a dual core processor on the apple macbook is to be the major reason to facilitate this level of functionality. One vital point that is common to both BootCamp and Parallels Desktop is that you need to make sure the installation of Windows is securely done.

BootCamp too is easy to use it prompts you to insert the blank CD and then it burns the driver disc, and then it asks you to put the Windows Vista CD in the drive and it reboots the computer. Once it reboots, the screen goes to the conventional Windows Setup portion of the install. It is just like a default Windows installation. I definately love to work on Mac, but Vista is a good experience too!

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Prasanna Vignesh
MCPD | Web Developer

Creating and using a Virtual Private Network using Windows Vista


Creating your VPN password

In order to set up a VPN you will need a password. This password is not the same as your UGent password.
If you do not have a VPN password or in case you have forgotten it, you can easily create a new one at https://password.UGent.be/
If you have had a dial-in password before, you will have to create a new VPN/Dial-in password at the website above (this only for people who dial in.
Changing your password is only possible from the UGent network and not from elsewhere using another provider.

Creating an icon for the VPN connection

Below you can find the procedure for the default VPN Client on Windows Vista.
You can use the Cisco VPN client as well, but you need to install it first.

Click on the network icon in the system tray at the bottom right. Go to the Network and Sharing Center - Set up a connection or network. A wizard will start to help you create a new connection, click 'Next'. Click on 'connect to a workplace' - 'Next' - 'Use my internet connection (VPN)' - 'Next'. Enter 157.193.46.4 (the VPN router's IP address) in the part where you have to add the internet address and enter a name for the VPN icon and click Next. At the next step you will be able to enter your username and password. An error message will appear (as a result of a problem with the encryption). Choose the option 'set up the connection anyway', otherwise the connection will be lost.

You can create a shortcut via the Start button - 'Control Panel' - 'Network and Internet - 'Network and Sharing Center' - 'Manage Network Connections'.
Drag and drop the VPN icon to your desktop.

Using the VPN connection

Double-click the VPN shortcut or click on the network icon in the system tray at the bottem right using the right mouse button. Then choose 'Connect to a network'. Select 'VPN connection' and click 'Connect'. Type in your (username and) VPN password and click on Connect.

To disconnect the VPN connection, click on the shortcut using the right mouse button en choose 'Disconnect'. Or click on the network icon at the bottom right and choose 'Connect or disconnect...' etc.
Shut off the VPN connection if you do not really need it.

Since December 16th 2003 restrictions have been introduced concerning the used volume via a VPN connection. More info can be found on the webpage concerning this volume restriction.

Troubleshooting

* Error 734: 'The PPP link control protocol was terminated'.
In the properties for the VPN connection, in the tab 'network', adjust the VPN type to pptp and in the tab 'security' uncheck the option 'Require Data Encryption'.
* Error 741: 'The local computer does not support the required data encryption type'.
You need to ucheck the option 'Require Data Encryption', see higher, under 2.
* Error 815: 'The Broadband Network Connection could not be established...'
Possible solution: Disable the broadband connection via the WAN miniport PP0E. Disable the WLAN. Then set up a new VPN connection because the previous one will still ask about the WAN miniport connection.
* Error 800 when using VPN via a wireless connection: you try to set up a VPN connection via the WLAN connection and not via the ordinary LAN connection (=when using an ethernet cable). So, in this case, it is possible that two network cards are activated at the same time and in order to set up the VPN connection the computer checks whether there is an active internet connection for the LAN card first and so, even when the WLAN has a valid IP address, you can still get error 800 when there is no active internet connection for the LAN card.
The solution is to disable the LAN card: Go to the Control Panel, then go to Network Connections and then make a right-click on the LAN connection and disable the LAN connection.

If the hints above do not help you to solve the problem, send us your IP configuration and the exact error message. You will find the IP configuration as follows:
Start button - Accessories - Open: cmd - then type in the command "ipconfig /all"
Send us the output of this command so that we can check what is causing the problem.


Hope Useful.

__________________
Prasanna Vignesh
MCPD | Web Developer

PPTP Configuration for Windows Vista


1. From the Start button, select Connect To.



2. Select Set up a connection or network.



3. Select Connect to a workplace and click Next.



4. Select Use my Internet Connection (VPN).



Continu.....

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Prasanna Vignesh
MCPD | Web Developer

PPTP Configuration for Windows Vista



NOTE: If prompted for "Do you want to use a connection that you already have?", select No, create a new connection and click Next.

5. In the Internet Address: field, type pptp.vpn.ucla.edu
6. In the Destination Name: field, type UCLA VPN.



7. In the User Name: field, type your UCLA Logon ID. Your UCLA Logon ID is the
part of your email address before @ucla.edu.

8. In the Password: field, type your UCLA Logon ID password.



9. Click the Create button and then click the Close button.



10. To connect to the VPN server after creating the VPN Connection, click on
Start, then Connect to.
11. Select the VPN connection in the window and click Connect.

__________________
Prasanna Vignesh
MCPD | Web Developer

Change the Number of Recent Items Shown on the Vista Start Menu

If you've ever wondered how to configure the number of documents shown on the Recent Items menu, you've found the right article. The default value is set to show 10 documents, but you can increase that with a registry tweak.

What we are changing here is the amount of documents shown in this menu (I changed mine down to 1 for illustration)



Manual Registry Tweak

Open up regedit.exe through the start menu search box, and then navigate down to the following key, creating it if it doesn't exist.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies\Explorer



Add a new DWORD 32-bit value named MaxRecentDocs into the right-hand pane, and then double-click to open it up.

To set the value, you'll first need to change Base to Decimal, and then you can enter any value you want. For instance, if you want to set it to 50, enter that into the Value data field.



Now I'm not entirely sure what will happen if you set it to a huge number… I'd stick with something like 20.

__________________
Prasanna Vignesh
MCPD | Web Developer

Speed Up or Disable Windows Search Indexing in Vista

The new indexing service built into Windows Vista has been the subject of a lot of complaints, since it seems to kick in at strange times and thrash your hard drive. So what can we do to speed this up?

There's two options: You can either trim down the amount of files that Windows Search is indexing, or you can disable it entirely if you never use the search.

Trim Down Indexing Locations

The best way to trim down the amount of processor time the indexing service uses is by trimming down the amount of files being indexed. For instance, if you don't regularly search through your C: drive, there's really no need to be indexing it.

Personally, I love the search function for Outlook and the Start Menu, but that's the only places I care about indexing.

Type Indexing into the control panel search or the start menu search box, and you should see an item called Indexing Options.



Here you can see the current list of locations that are being indexed. For instance, I only index the start menu and Outlook. If you want to modify or remove locations, use the Modify button.



All you have to do to remove a location from being indexed is uncheck the box. You might have to click the Show All Locations button to see some of the default locations.

If you wanted to remove the start menu indexing, you'll need to click on Start Menu in the summary list at the bottom, and it'll automatically navigate to the item in the tree.



The start menu indexing really doesn't take much processing time though, so I wouldn't bother removing that.

Completely Disable Indexing

If you'd prefer to completely disable the indexing service, you can disable it entirely by turning off the service.

Open up Services through control panel, or by typing services.msc into the start menu search box. Find "Windows Search" in the list of services and double-click on it to open it.

Change the Startup type of the service to Disabled, and then click the Stop button to stop the service.



At this point the Windows Search service is completely disabled.

__________________
Prasanna Vignesh
MCPD | Web Developer

How to change the font size in Windows Vista


Some people might have problems reading the text of the icons and menus in Windows Vista. The font size can be too small and making it bigger might help. Windows Vista gives users the possibility to make the text and other items easier to see by making them larger.

This can be done by increasing the so called Dots per inch scale or DPI. To adjust it, just follow the steps outlined below.

First, right click on your desktop and click on Personalize. Alternatively, you can go to Control Panel -> Appearance and Personalization -> Personalization.

In the Personalization window, go to the left pane and click on Adjust font size (DPI).



If UAC is turned on you will need to make an additional confirmation so that the DPI Scaling window will launch. You can choose the default scale of 96 DPI or a larger one of 120 DPI, which makes the text more readable. If these two options are not enough you can click on the Custom DPI button and choose another size (DPI).



In the Custom DPI Setting window you can select the desired percentage for the DPI increase. You have the following options: 100% for the normal size of 96 DPI, 125% for 120 DPI, 150% for 144 DPI and 200% for 192 DPI.



If you set the DPI higher than 96, and you are running Windows Aero, the text and other items on the screen might appear blurry in some programs that are not designed for high–DPI display in Windows Vista. You can avoid this issue by using Windows XP style DPI scaling. Just check the appropriate option and press on OK.



The change can be applied only after a system restart. Close all the running applications, save your open documents and then press on Restart Now. After a reboot, the font size will be changed.

__________________
Prasanna Vignesh
MCPD | Web Developer

How to manage your disks using only Windows Vista's Disk Management tool.


How to change a drive letter, how to shrink an existing partition, how to create a new partition, how to format or delete a partition and how to extend a partition.

Everything is done using only one tool called Disk Management. As you will see, things are pretty simple. Just follow our instructions and you will finish in no time.

Where to find the Disk Management tool

There are several ways to find the Disk Management tool. One is to search for the word "computer" in the Start Menu search box and click on the Computer Management shortcut.



Computer Management gives you access to several system management tools, including Disk Management.



Another way is to go to Run (Windows key + R) and type diskmgmt.msc. This command will open the Disk Management tool directly.



How to change a drive letter

First, select the partition for which you want to change the drive letter, right click on it and select Change Drive Letter and Paths from the right click menu.



Contin....

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Prasanna Vignesh
MCPD | Web Developer

How to manage your disks using only Windows Vista's Disk Management tool.

Click on the Change button



From the Assign the following drive letter drop down list, select the new driver letter you want to assign and click on OK.



You will receive a warning stating that some programs might not run correctly if you change the drive letter. If you did not install any applications on that drive it should be OK to change it. Click on Yes and the drive letter change will be done.



For some partitions you will not be able to change the drive letter. This happens with partitions where you have installed an operating system, partitions on which you have page (swap) files or where boot information is stored.



How to shrink an existing partition

Select the partition you want to shrink, right click on it and select Shrink Volume.



Contin...

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Prasanna Vignesh
MCPD | Web Developer

How to manage your disks using only Windows Vista's Disk Management tool.

In the Shrink window you will see the total size of the partition and the maximum available shrink space in MB.



Type the amount of space you want to shrink (in megabytes) and then click on the Shrink button. The Disk Management tool will start shrinking the selected partition.



During this process you will see a rotating cursor. When finished, the rotating cursor will disappear and you will see the shrunk space appearing as unallocated space next to the partition which was shrunk.



How to create a new partition

To create a new partition you need to have some free, unallocated space. This can be obtained from shrinking an existing partition or by adding a new hard disk to your computer. Select the unallocated space, right click on it and select New Simple Volume.



Contin...

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Prasanna Vignesh
MCPD | Web Developer

How to manage your disks using only Windows Vista's Disk Management tool.

The New Simple Volume Wizard will start. Click on Next.



In the second window of this wizard you will see the maximum available disk space. Select the size of the new partition (in megabytes) and click on Next.



Now you can assign a drive letter to the new partition. Select the letter you desire from the drop down list and click on Next.



In the next window you can choose whether you want to format the new partition or not. If you chose for now not to format the new volume, in order to use it, you will have to format it anyway later. If you choose the second option, you will have to select the desired file system and the allocation unit size. The default values (NTFS file system & default allocation unit size) are very good so there is no need to change them. You can also type the label of the new partition and select the quick format option.

If you just installed a new hard disk it is recommended that you perform a full format and not a quick one. In other cases the quick format is a good option.

When you are done setting all the needed options, click on Next.



Conti...

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Prasanna Vignesh
MCPD | Web Developer

How to manage your disks using only Windows Vista's Disk Management tool.

The last window of the wizard will show you a summary of the changes that will be made. Quickly go through the summary and if you notice some incorrect settings press the Back button until you arrive to the appropriate wizard window and make the necessary changes. When you are done, click on Finish.



Depending on the options you have selected, the creation of the new partition will take from several seconds up to several minutes. When the process is completed, you will see the new partition listed in the Disk Management tool.



How to format a partition

Before formatting a partition, make sure you back up all the important data you have on it. Now, select the partition you want to format, right click on it and select Format.



Type the new volume label (in case you want to change it), choose the desired file system and the allocation unit size. When done making all the settings press on OK.




You will receive a warning that formatting this partition will erase all data on it. If you want to continue, click on OK.



Contin..

__________________
Prasanna Vignesh
MCPD | Web Developer

How to manage your disks using only Windows Vista's Disk Management tool.

The formatting will now start. You will see the process status in the square that represents the partition in the Disk Management tool.



How to delete a partition

Select the partition you want to delete, right click on it and then select Delete Volume.



You will receive a warning saying that deleting this volume will erase all data on it. If you want to continue, click on OK



The partition will be deleted and it will appear as unallocated space in the Disk Management tool.



How to extend a partition

You can also extend a partition by adding unallocated space that might be available. First, select the partition you want to extend, right click on it and select Extend Volume.






Contin...

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Prasanna Vignesh
MCPD | Web Developer

How to manage your disks using only Windows Vista's Disk Management tool.


In the first window of the Extend Volume Wizard click on Next.




Select one of the disks that has some space available, type the amount of space you want to add (in megabytes) and then click on Next.



In the last window you will see a summary of your previous selections. Click on Finish and the selected partition will be extended.



Hope Useful...

__________________
Prasanna Vignesh
MCPD | Web Developer

One of Windows Vista's remarkable new features is its ability to conduct any type of search from almost anywhere on your computer. If you need to find a document, just search for it from the Start menu or from any window. If you're saying, "Well, what's so new about that?", try this: Press the Windows key, and then type part of the name of any program, folder, or file. The Windows key opens the Start menu, and, as you type, the results of your search appear on the Start menu. Type another letter or two, and the search results get narrowed down. Another great thing about the search feature is that not only can you search your computer, you can Search the entire Internet from the Start menu or any window.

You'll find other features that make working on your computer easier than ever, including links in each windowsome set up by Windows and others you create yourselfthat allow you to jump to your favorite locations; and the Address bar, which helps you to locate all the different places you want to explore. Windows Vista has also grouped many of the tools and features you need into task-oriented centers. For example, there's the Welcome Center, which helps you learn about your computer and shows you how to set up and customize it; the Mobility Center, which helps you set up your portable computer when you're on the road; the Network Center, which helps you configure, control, secure, and navigate your network; the Ease Of Access Center, which helps you modify computer settings to improve your access to the computer; and the Security Center, where you can make sure that you and your computer are protected from all the nasties lurking out there in cyberspace.

One of the first things you'll notice about security in Windows Vista is what you'll probably come to think of as an extremely annoying dialog box that's constantly popping up and asking you for the password for an Administrator's account (or, if you're logged on as an Administrator, asking your permission to continue). This feature, called the User Account Control, is central to the new and very powerful Windows Vista security features. Each time that dialog box appears, it's because you (or a program) are trying to do something that will change Windows, that will affect what other users can do, or that will introduce something onto the computer that could be dangerous to the system. By requiring permission, Windows is not only alerting you that these types of actions can't be conducted by someone who isn't authorized to make them, but is also preventing hackers, viruses, and other software from misusing or damaging your system. Aside from your frequent encounters with the User Account Control, you'll find that although many security features are running, they rarely interfere with your work. For example, Internet Explorer runs in Protected mode, which allows full access to features and tools on the Internet but isolates Internet Explorer from the rest of your computer to protect your system. Windows Defender watches your computer for spyware and other intrusive programs, and the Windows Firewall blocks unauthorized access to your computer and unauthorized transmission of information from your computer. A quick visit to the Windows Security Center shows you what Windows Vista is doing to protect your computer and also lets you know what you need to do to help keep your system secure. You can keep your children safe from harm when they're using the computer: With Windows Vista's Parental Controls feature, you can block Web sites, videos, games, TV shows, and any other media you consider inappropriate, and you can limit the amount of time during which your children (or anyone) can access the computer.

An impressive new feature of Windows Vista is the Aero glass appearance. If your computer's hardware supports this feature, parts of windows and other Windows components can be transparent, semitransparent, or colored as you want. You can see dazzling 3-D effects when you switch between windows, and everything on your screen looks really clear and sharp. You'll also notice improvements in other visual effects, including the increased clarity of pictures and videos.

You'll notice some significant differences between the components of Windows Vista and those of previous versions of Windows. For example, the Start menu doesn't have all those cascading submenus to navigate, and the folder windows aren't cluttered up with different toolbars; instead, the toolbar that remains changes its content depending on the types of folders or files contained in the window. You'll also notice that the menus seem to have disappeared. Fear not! They're still there (just press the Alt key) but are hidden and are mostly unnecessary. You'll see that folder windows can have different panes so that you can easily navigate among folders, see detailed information about an item, and even see a preview of a file without opening the file. There's also a special section of the Desktop, called the Sidebar, where you can store gadgets that show the time, get news headlines, run a slide show of your pictures, and do various other useful tasks.

Okay, we've talked about the way Windows Vista looks, the way it works, and the way it protects your computer system. Now we'll explore some of the many new features included in the Windows Vista Home Premium Edition. Available previously only in special editions of Windows, Media Center and Tablet PC tools are now included in Windows Vista. With Media Center, you can watch movies and even live TV. You can record shows, play music, and make your computer the center of your entertainment world. The Tablet PC tools are specialized tools that give you the power to do most of your work directly on the screen, especially if you use the Ink feature, which enables you to use your own handwriting in your programs.

You'll find an assortment of other new tools too. There's Windows Photo Gallery, a great photo organizer; and tools for making DVDs, whether they're data discs, photo slide shows, or movies. Windows Calendar makes it possible for you to track your schedule and publish it so that others can see it, and to download calendars from the Web. No more excuses for missing that dentist's appointment or being late for a meeting! Some of the other new Windows Vista features are really pretty remarkable. For example, for quite some time there have been several ways to conduct a secure electronic meeting over a network or over the Internet. Well, nowprovided both computers are in the same room and that each has a wireless network adapteryou can hold a meeting between two computers that aren't connected to either a network or the Internet! And if you've always wanted to yell at your computeror at least tell it what to doyou can use Windows Vista's powerful speech-recognition program.

You'll also find that Windows Vista comes with new and improved versions of programs from earlier versions of Windows. Windows Media Player now gives you the power to purchase and download music directly from the program; and Windows Mail replaces Outlook Express, providing greater security and power, and giving you the ability to automatically download Internet feeds (RSS feeds) so that you can see the latest news, conversations, or anything else you want.

So what's new in Windows Vista? Aside from all the new tools and features we've just described, perhaps what's new for you in Windows Vista is a feeling of renewed confidence that you can easily and safely do what you want on your computer without worrying that someone or something will cause you all sorts of trouble.

Hope Useful.

__________________
Prasanna Vignesh
MCPD | Web Developer

Windows Vista and your computer are designed to exist in more states than just being on or off. If you've been gone for a while, you've unplugged your computer, or you're using it for the first time, you'll need to bring it to life from its "off" state. Just like humans, Windows Vista and your computer both love to sleep. In the computer world, "sleep" is a state in which the computer stores your information on the hard disk and keeps it in memory, enters a very low-energy state, and then returns to full activity very quickly.

Start or Wake Up a Computer

1. Move the mouse button or press a key on the keyboard to see whether the computer is really off or just sleeping, or if it's simply resting with the screen off.


2. If nothing happens, turn on the computer, the monitor, and any peripheral devicesyour printer, for exampleand wait for Windows Vista to load.


3. Click your name. If a box for a password appears, type your password, and then press Enter to log on to Windows Vista.

How to Get Your Computer Going


Its state What you can do

Off : Press the Power button, and log on.

Sleep : Press the blinking Power button or lift the laptop cover, and log
on if required.

Hibernate : Press the Power button, and log on if required.

On, with a blank screen: Move the mouse or press a key.

On, with a screen saver : Move the mouse or press a key, and log on if
required.

On, locked : Enter your password, or click Switch User to log on using a
different name.

Caution:

Personal accounts are very powerful in scope. Each user of the computer has his or her own folders for storing documents, and each user has individual and specific settings. You should never use someone else's account! If you do, everything from files to e-mail messages could be misplaced or lost.

__________________
Prasanna Vignesh
MCPD | Web Developer