Windows 8 Linkage: Product Name “Something or Another”

Umm…we’ll get back with you on that…

Glad I’m not the guy in charge of product branding and damage control over in Redmond at the moment!

If it wasn’t challenging enough trying to continue the positive spin on the forced Windows 8 Metro home page (?) interface, and convincing enterprises that this new GUI model will improve productivity and operational excellence with their employees over Windows XP/Window 7, now they have to do some major spin-control on the whole “it was really just a codename” for the Windows 8 look/feel.

• Exclusive: Microsoft's Metro branding to be replaced 'this week' according to internal memo - The Verge
• Report: Trademark dispute scuttles the name ‘Metro’ for Windows 8′s design [Updated] - Chron.com’s TechBlog by Dwight Silverman
• Cleaning up Microsoft’s Metro mess -ZDNet’s Ed Bott’s take on the…dare we say…debacle?

Really?

Anyway…regardless…it’s time to clean out the Windows 8 link hopper and do a Grand Stream Dreams Windows 8 linkfest dump.

Please note references to the former Win8 interface have been struck through for amusement and accuracy.

Win8 - Start Here - Get It

• It’s Official – Windows 8 Will Be Available on October 26, 2012 - Windows7hacker
• Microsoft Reveals Windows 8 Upgrade Path [Chart] - Windows7hacker
• Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $39.99 - Windows Team Blog

Win8 - Related Products and Services

• Download the beta release of Windows Server 2012 Essentials today! - Windows Server Blog
• Microsoft confirms enthusiasts' fears: No more versions of Windows Home Server - ZDNet
• Windows Home Server is dead, but we shouldn’t mourn it - Ars Technica
• Microsoft Office Customer Preview - Microsoft Official Site
• Office 2013 preview: cloud subscriptions, Metro flair, and touch improvements - The Verge
• Download Microsoft Office 2013 customer preview now - Ars Technica
• First look: Outlook 2013 - Ars Technica
• First look: Word 2013 - Ars Technica
• First look: Excel 2013 - Ars Technica
• First look: OneNote 2013 - Ars Technica
• First look: PowerPoint 2013 - Ars Technica
• Disabling animations in Office 2013 - Within Windows
• BETA: “The new Office” is announced - Kurt Shintaku's Blog
• Microsoft moves your Office to the cloud - BetaNews
• Office and the Cloud - Office Next Blog
• The New Office 365: Baby Steps in the Right Direction - ReadWriteWeb Blog
• A (p)review of Microsoft Office 2013 - BetaNews
• Microsoft Office 2013: Offline Installer of the preview version - Caschys Blog (Google Translated)
• Reading in the new Office - Office Next blog
• New in Windows Server 2012 – Part 1: Management - 4sysops blog
• New in Windows Server 2012 – Part 2: Storage - 4sysops blog
• Introducing Outlook.com - Modern Email for the Next Billion Mailboxes - Outlook Blog
• Outlook Is a Completely New, Feature-Filled Webmail Service from Microsoft - Lifehacker
• Get Your Email Address for Outlook.com, Microsoft's New Hotmail Killer - ReadWriteWeb blog
• Microsoft unveils Windows 8-inspired “Outlook.com” freemail service - Ars Technica
• Hotmail Gets A New Name – Outlook.com - Windows7hacker
• Microsoft relaunches Hotmail as Outlook - BetaNews
• Outlook.com: Take a Tour of Microsoft's Hotmail Replacement - ReadWriteWeb blog
• Making an Alias for Your Outlook Account Is Crazy Easy - Lifehacker
• Outlook.com: a big tour - Caschys Blog (Google Translated)

Win8 - Install It

• Windows 8 and Windows 8 Upgrade Clean Install: these are the existing information - Caschys Blog (Google Translated)
• New Windows Server 2012 puts virtualization front and center - Ars Technica
• Microsoft confirms enthusiasts' fears: No more versions of Windows Home Server - ZDNet
• Microsoft sets Server 2012 lineup and pricing, ditches Home Server - BetaNews

Win8 - Under the Hood

• Designing the Windows 8 Calendar app - Building Windows 8 blog
• Windows Aero Glass without 8: How it looks - Born’s IT & Windows Blog (Google Translated)
• Fixing up a virtual machine while importing it on Windows 8 / Windows Server 2012 - Virtual PC Guy's Blog
• Windows 8: Explorer "File Explorer" renamed - Born’s IT & Windows Blog (Google Translated)
• What’s The Difference Between Windows 8 & Windows RT? - MakeUseOf Blog
• No more freezes in Windows 8? - Born’s IT & Windows Blog (Google Translated)
• Hotfix available for Windows 8 freezing issues - Within Windows
• Fast start-Winlogon bug in Windows 8? - Born’s IT & Windows Blog (Google Translated)
• ISO mounting bug in Windows 8? - Born’s IT & Windows Blog (Google Translated)
• Protecting user files with File History - Building Windows 8
• A step back in time with Windows 8′s File History - Ars Technica
• Windows 8 file version history: the time machine for Windows 8 makes other tools superfluous - Caschys Blog (Google Translated)
• Microsoft details File History, Windows 8's automated backup tool - The Verge
• wbadmin: full backup on Windows 8 using a system image - Caschys Blog (Google Translated)
• BitLocker in Windows 8 - 4sysops Blog
• Windows 8: Final still to optical changes - Caschys Blog (Google Translated)
• Microsoft says Windows 8 Store: 7-day trial period & Co - Caschys Blog (Google Translated)
• Windows 8 Secrets: RTM Windows Store Revealed - Within Windows
• Simplifying printing in Windows 8 -Building Windows 8

Win8 - To Go

• 53 - Windows 8 To Go (boot Windows 8 from a USB drive!) - RMPrepUSB - Really great “how-to” guide (from a site with tons of USB boot device tips and tricks).

Win8 - Tweaks

• You can hack Windows 8 Metro - BetaNews
• How To Try Out Metro Version of Chrome in Windows 8 - Windows7hacker
• Skip Windows 8 Start Screen & Go Directly To Desktop On System Startup - AddictiveTips
• Workaround for Windows 8 freezing issues - Within Windows
• ViStart to Enable Start Menu (Windows Orb) in Windows 8 - Windows7hacker
• Windows 8 boot menu text vary between Metro and… - Born’s IT & Windows Blog (Google Translated)
• How To Disable and Bypass Windows 8 Lock Screen - Windows7hacker
• SystemPowerShortcuts Adds System Power Option Shortcuts on Windows 8 Start Screen - Windows7hacker
• How To Add Shutdown, Restart & Log Off Tiles To Windows 8 Start Screen - AddictiveTips
• How to “Set users home folder” via group policy in Windows 8 - GroupPolicyCentral
• RecImg Manager, a free backup and restore software for Windows 8 - The Windows Club
• RecImg Manager: Backup And Restore System Snapshots In Windows 8 - AdditiveTips
• How To Prevent Anyone From Uninstalling Metro Apps from Start Screen in Windows 8 - Windows7hacker
• Power8: Start Menu For Windows 8 That Can Block Metro Features - AddictiveTips
• Windows 8: Faster boot into the desktop - Born’s IT & Windows Blog (Google Translated)
• Windows 8: System Power Shortcuts - Caschys Blog (Google Translated)
• Upgrade Windows 8 with an awesome Metro-themed Explorer - BetaNews
• Tame the Windows 8 All Apps screen -BetaNews

Win8 - Deeper Insights

• Windows 8: CPU compatibility problems during setup - Born’s IT & Windows Blog (Google Translated)
• Windows 8: CPU compatibility problems - Part 2 - Born’s IT & Windows Blog (Google Translated)
• Windows 8: Using Hyper-V on non SLAT CPUs? - Born’s IT & Windows Blog (Google Translated)
• Caution, if at partitioning Windows 8 - Part 1 - Born’s IT & Windows Blog (Google Translated)
• Dynamic disk to basic disk conversion - Part 2 - Born’s IT & Windows Blog (Google Translated)
• UMTS: No Internet for Metro Apps (Win8) - Born’s IT & Windows Blog (Google Translated)

Win8 - DaRT

• DaRT 8 Overview - Diagnose, Troubleshoot PC Issues - Microsoft TechNet video discussion

Win8 - Usage Tips

• How To Open Dos Command Prompt Window As Administrator in Windows 8 - Windows7hacker
• Windows 8: Network Error, Access Denied - Born’s IT & Windows Blog (Google Translated)
• INFO: Hints on using Windows 8 as a Desktop OS - Kurt Shintaku's Blog
• How to Shutdown or Restart Windows 8 - Cybernet News blog

Win8 - Miscellanea, Rumors, & General Grumblings

• Why Microsoft killed the Windows Start button - PC Pro
• What’s Missing From Windows 8? - MakeUseOf blog
• Final thoughts on Windows 8: A design disaster -ZDNet
• Windows 8 is like a bad blind date  - BetaNews
• Windows 8 will flop - BetaNews
• What if Windows 8 fails? - BetaNews
• Microsoft reportedly killing off desktop gadget support in Windows 8 - The Verge
• Imagine what Metro could have been... - BetaNews
• Windows 8 Metro is pointless for the enterprise - BetaNews
• Windows 8 Mail leaves users pining for the desktop—or even their phones - Ars Technica
• Windows 8: The end of the full retail version? - CNET Reviews
• Microsoft should follow Apple's lead and ditch the disc in Windows 8 - BetaNews
• Eight awesome ways to improve Windows 8  - BetaNews
• Office politics are killing Windows 8 - BetaNews
• The New Microsoft Office: 20 Things to Like, Not Like and Worry About - ReadWriteWeb blog
• OneNote MX Available on Windows Store As Native Metro App - Windows7hacker
• EU trustbusters tire of Microsoft tricks, probe Windows 8 - BetaNews
• Microsoft Office lifestyle: making consumers more like enterprisers - Ars Technica

Windows 8 - GSD Previously Posted

• Windows 8 Linkage: “Majestic Metro” version - GrandStreamDreams blog
• Windows 8 Linkage: “Passage Public Metro” version - GrandStreamDreams blog
• Windows 8 Linkage: “Metro Santiago” edition - GrandStreamDreams blog
• Windows 8 Linkage: “Metro at Nightfall” edition - GrandStreamDreams blog

Cheers!

--Claus V.

Read More

Windows 8 Linkage: “Passage Public Metro” version

cc image credit image by david.nikonvscanon on flickr

So Claus, where do you stand on Windows 8 at this point?

Well, to be honest, I’m really liking the under-the-hood improvement talk on how things are working in Windows 8.

What I still find very hard to overcome are the end-user interface changes and the challenges trying to restore it to some form of a Windows “Classic” interface and operation.

I get that Microsoft wants to forge ahead with a new interface and blending between the Windows Phone interface and the computer system interface. I get that “apps” are all the rage. I like old-school design but am pretty comfortable with moving to new designs. (I no longer curse the Ribbon interface in Office 2007/2010.)

So…when Windows 8 gets released in a final version, I’m not going to be rushing out to upgrade all our systems to it from Windows 7. Windows 7 is super-stable for our needs at home and everyone is very happy. That said, once it looks like things are stable and I’ve come to terms with the new interface, I’ll probably upgrade just one of our systems here at the Valca ranch to Windows 8 and see how things go.

In the meantime, here are an updated collection of Windows 8 linkage building on the prior grand stream dreams: Windows 8 Linkage: “Majestic Metro” version post. It definitely requires an update since the Consumer Preview release of Windows 8 has come out a while back and some of the things from that one either no longer apply or may not work in this release.

Truth be told, tonight will be the first opportunity I’ve budgeted myself to load up with Windows 8 Consumer Preview version in a virtual machine.

Windows 8 “Consumer Preview” Version - Start Here to Get It

• Windows 8 Consumer Preview available now! - Ask the Performance Team - TechNet Blogs - From that link:
• Windows 8 Consumer Preview
• Windows 8 Download Link
• Welcome to Windows 8 – The Consumer Preview
• Running the Consumer Preview: system recommendations
• Windows 8 Consumer Preview Product Guide for Business
• Windows 8 Consumer Preview ISO formats - Microsoft.com - Links for the ISO setup files rather than the “online installers”. This is what I still prefer.
• How To Get Windows 8 Consumer Preview Product Key - AddictiveTips
• Where is the Windows 8 Consumer Preview product key? - Ed Bott
• Running the Consumer Preview: system recommendations - Building Windows 8 blog

Windows 8 - Related Betas

OK. None of these are required for Windows 8 Consumer Preview. However they are related to it and I thought some folks might be interested in playing around with them as well. If you don’t know what these even are, then just skip down to the next section.

• Windows Server 8 beta now available! - Ask the Performance Team - TechNet Blogs
• Windows Server “8” beta available now - Virtual PC Guy's Blog
• Hyper-V Server “8” Beta available for download - Virtual PC Guy's Blog
• DOWNLOAD: Test Lab Guide: Base Test Lab Guide for Windows Server "8" Beta - Kurt Shintaku's Blog
• Download Microsoft SQL Server 2012 RTM - Bink.nu
• Doing a simple Storage Migration with Windows Server “8” - Virtual PC Guy's Blog
• TRAINING: Windows Server "8" First Look - Kurt Shintaku's Blog
• Windows Server “8” Beta Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster - Windows Virtualization Team Blog - TechNet Blogs
• Windows Server 8 installation notes - 4sysops
• Doing an advanced Storage Migration with Windows “8” - Virtual PC Guy's Blog

Windows 8 - Install It

There are a number of methods and platforms to install Windows 8. Review all the ones below carefully to figure out which works best for you. I personally am currently going with installing it into a Virtualbox session. When I get closer to pulling the trigger on installation to one of my laptops at home, I’ll first install it into a VHD and then dual-boot my system so the Win8 install can run on real “hardware” to check driver compatibility and system performance on the iron rather than in a virtual system. I did that before with Win7 and found it very beneficial.

• How to Upgrade Windows 8 Consumer Preview from Developer Preview - Windows7hacker
• How to install Windows 8 Developer Preview in Virtualbox - 4sysops
• A quick guide on setting up Windows 8 on VirtualBox - Bleeping Computer
• VirtualBox 4.1.10 improves Windows 8 compatibility - BetaNews. Note: always be sure you are running the latest version of VirtualBox and have the matching (separate download) Extension Pack installed. At the time of this post, VirtualBox is now at 4.1.12. Downloads – Oracle VM VirtualBox
• How To Install Windows 8 On VirtualBox - AddictiveTips
• Installing VMWare Player on Windows 8 - Caschys Blog (Google Translated link)
• How To Guide to Installing and Booting Windows 8 Consumer Preview off a VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) - Scott Hanselman
• Native VHD Dual Boot to Windows 8 Consumer Preview with Windows 7 - Windows7hacker
• An update that postpones the expiration date of Windows 8 Developer Preview and of Windows 8 Server Developer Preview is available - Microsoft Support KB 2671501
• Windows 8 upgrade - 4sysops
• Create Bootable Windows 8 Installer USB With Win8USB - AddictiveTips

Windows 8 - Under the Hood Stuff

These are the things that make me look forward to Windows 8 despite the stupid fact the “classic” interface is stripped out and requires considerable effort to restore using tips/tweaks/third-party tools to accomplish. Note: when I say “classic” I’m not talking about the theme that is a toss-back to Windows 2K/XP but rather the “classic” GUI with the program bar, the “start” menu, the system tray icons, etc.

• Improving our file management basics: copy, move, rename, and delete - Building Windows 8 blog
• Designing the Windows 8 file name collision experience- Building Windows 8 blog
• Acting on file management feedback- Building Windows 8 blog
• Windows 8 Secrets: PC and Device Requirements Within Windows
• Windows 8 Secrets: The WinX Menu and its hashing algorithm Within Windows
• Internet Explorer Performance Lab: reliably measuring browser performance - Building Windows 8 blog
• Building the next generation file system for Windows: ReFS - Building Windows 8 blog
• Virtualizing storage for scale, resiliency, and efficiency - Building Windows 8 blog
• Enabling large disks and large sectors in Windows 8 - Building Windows 8 blog
• Minimizing restarts after automatic updating in Windows Update - Building Windows 8 blog
• Using Task Manager with 64+ logical processors - Building Windows 8 blog
• The Windows 8 Task Manager - Building Windows 8 blog
• Reengineering the Windows boot experience - Building Windows 8 blog
• Protecting you from malware - Building Windows 8 blog
• Delivering fast boot times in Windows 8 - Building Windows 8 blog
• Evolving the Start menu - Building Windows 8 blog
• Designing the Start screen - Building Windows 8 blog

Windows 8 - To Go

Windows “To Go” is basically a feature in Windows 8 that allows it to run “full OS” from a supported USB storage device like a flash drive or external hard-disk drive. I guess it could be considered an advanced version of WinPE but with all the benefits of the OS with no feature strip-out or additional “hacking” required that custom WinPE builds require to get past a plain DOS box environment “out of the box”. It is very intriguing to me and should be a cool option…if you meet the license requirements as well have a robust and super-fast USB device/port.

• Ordering "Windows to Go": how to create a bootable Windows 8 USB thumb drive - ArsTechnica
• How to create your own Windows 8 To Go Developer Preview - Borns IT- und Windows-Blog
• Creating Windows 8 To Go on a 16 GB USB-Stick - Borns IT- und Windows-Blog
• Windows 8 To Go with Dual-Boot - Borns IT - und Windows-Blog
• Windows To Go – Windows 8 Consumer Preview on the run … - Borns IT- und Windows-Blog
• Windows 8 To Go and USB 3.0 flash drives - Part I - Borns IT - und Windows-Blog (Google Translated Link)
• Windows 8 To Go and USB 3.0 flash drives - Part II - Borns IT - und Windows-Blog (Google Translated Link)

Windows 8 - Tweakages

Getting Windows to the way you like it is still important. Here are some important (to me) tweaks, tips, and tweaking tools to make it possible.

• Bypass Windows 8 Start Screen On Startup & Jump Directly To Desktop - AddictiveTips blog
• How To Disable Windows 8 Lock Screen- AddictiveTips blog
• BluePoison Disables Windows 8 Immersive Start Menu, Unlocks Hidden Features - Lifehacker
• Windows 8′s application SmartScreen: speed bump for desktop apps – istartedsomething
• How to Turn Off or Disable the SmartScreen Filter In Windows 8 - How-To Geek
• The First Official Windows 8 Theme from Microsoft Available to Download - Windows7hacker
• You CAN have a Start button on Windows 8 Consumer Preview - BetaNews
• Start8 Adds Metro Start Menu In Windows 8 - AddictiveTips blog
• Start8 for Windows® 8 - Bringing back the Windows Start menu - application download page at StarDock
• Personalize Windows 8 Start Screen With My WCP Start Screen Customizer - AddictiveTips blog
• My WCP Start Screen Customizer v1.1 - Téléchargements  - My 7 Apps
• Customizing the Metro style Windows 8 Start screen - Ed Bott
• The Metro hater's guide to customizing Windows 8 Consumer Preview - ZDNet photogallery by Ed Bott
• Create Custom Refresh Point In Windows 8 With Recimg Tool - AddictiveTips blog
• Classic Shell: Get Win 7 Start Menu & XP Explorer Toolbar On Windows 8 - AddictiveTips blog
• Welcome to Classic Shell - application download page at SourceForge

Windows 8 - Deeper Insights

• Quickpost: Some Windows 8 Observations - Didier Stevens
• Windows 8 build recovery image - Caschys Blog (via Google Translate link)
• Windows 8 Storage Spaces detailed: pooling redundant disk space for all - ArsTechnica
• Windows Home Server Drive Extender reborn as Windows 8 Storage Spaces - Tenniswood Blog
• Connecting Windows 8 Consumer Preview with Windows Home Server - Windows Home Server Blog

Windows 8 - DaRT (Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset)

This off-line system boot tool is kitted out with a collection of system administration tools to aid in the diagnosis and recovery of a tanked Windows system.  This isn’t as easy to get your hands onto so some work and signup with Microsoft is required to get it.

• MDOP: DaRTing to the Future - Windows Team Blog
• Microsoft DaRT 8 Beta Q&A - Windows Team Blog
• Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) - 4sysops

Indirectly related but still interesting.

• MDT 2012 New Feature: DaRT integration - Michael Niehaus' Windows and Office deployment ramblings
• Integrate Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Tools (DaRT) into the MDT boot image - Guillaume Remy

Windows 8 - Usage Tips

New user interface, new things to learn navigating around and completing basic tasks without beating head on desk…

• Getting started with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview - ZDNet - Ed Bott Report
• Windows 8 mouse tip: Quick access administrator options from the start screen - Tenniswood Blog
• Getting around in Windows 8 - Windows Experience Blog
• Windows 8 Consumer Preview Journey – Day 1 - Windows7hacker
• How To Shut Down Windows 8 Computer in 4 Ways - Windows7hacker
• Take Ownership Of Files & Folder And Change Permissions In Windows 8 - AddictiveTips blog
• What Is Windows 8 Charms Bar? Share, Search, Access Settings & Actions - AddictiveTips blog
• How To Resize, Group & Manage App Tiles In Windows 8 Start Screen - AddictiveTips blog
• Windows 8 Remote Desktop: Hands-On Review & Tutorial - AddictiveTips blog
• Where Is Computer In Windows 8? Show On Desktop, Pin To Start Screen - AddictiveTips blog
• Where Is Start Menu In Windows 8? - AddictiveTips blog
• Windows 8 File Sharing: Share Users & System Folders On Network - AddictiveTips blog
• The Complete Guide To Window 8 Task Manager; New Features And Options - AddictiveTips blog
• The Complete Guide To Windows 8 Explorer; New Ribbon Tools And Options - AddictiveTips blog
• The Complete Guide To Windows 8 Metro Control Panel - AddictiveTips blog
• The Complete Guide To Windows 8 File History Backup - AddictiveTips blog
• Windows 8 PC Settings [Complete Guide] - AddictiveTips blog
• Where Is Startup Folder & How To Edit Startup Items In Windows 8 - AddictiveTips blog
• Windows 8 Apps Don’t Connect to Your Google/Gmail Account? -7 Tutorials
• Trouble Setting Up Gmail on Windows 8? Here is Why and How to Fix it - Windows7hacker
• Quick fix for AMD’s OpenGL on Windows 8 - Within Windows
• How To Create Wireless Ad Hoc Internet Connection In Windows 8 - AddictiveTips blog
• Windows 8 Guide: The Win+X Menu, aka The Power User Menu - Windows7hacker
• How To Disable Windows 8 Lock Screen - AddictiveTips blog

Windows 8 - Miscellanea & Rumor Mongering

Already mostly covered in the linkage above, but sometimes you just can’t resist poking that ant-pile with a stick…

• Start button To be Ditched in Windows 8 - Windows7hacker
• Cloud Computing with SkyDrive on Windows 8 Revealed, A Desktop Version for Windows 7 too - Windows7hacker
• Windows 8 Pro details surface, incremental updates - Neowin.net
• Windows 8 - and 15-office news - Borns IT - und Windows-Blog (Google Translated Link)

Cheers.

--Claus V.

Read More

Get your Big Whata-Microsoft Linkdump Here!

CC Photo Credit: by Choctopus on Flickr

Oh Boy....nothing like the smell of a Microsoft Link dump!  Get your shovel 'cause you've got a lot of shoveling to do!

Fixing Those Darn Windows 7 Task Bar icons!

In Dwight's Techblog Linkpost | 11.22.2009 frequent flier David - budalla posed the following question:

...does anybody know how to get my old start menu back? The current Win7 version is as useful as a messy desk to me.

What David was talking about is the awesome (useful/annoying depending on your preferences) Windows 7 taskbar design that has honkin' big icons that have space between them so large you could drive a Microsoft link-dump truck through with room to spare on the sides.

I actually think they are quite clever and useful, but I'm a hard-core multi-tasker so I have lots of apps open on my desktop and that wide-spacing just doesn't seem efficient to me.  I want to reclaim the space regardless of the enhanced features they provide.

As a matter of fact I did...

This isn't a MS "supported" solution to enabling an XP/W2K "Classic" start menu but it might be a close approximation using some free third-party applications or a paid solution.

• "Classic" menu option does not exist in Window" Yes it does, but MS denies it! - actually involves use of two different third-party utilities to pull it off, but the result is fairly nice.

• Get the Classic Start Menu in Windows 7 - HowtoGeek blog has lots more screenshots on the process.

• Seven Classic Start is another $ solution that seems to get some positive mentions in the blog-o-sphere.

However, turns out there was an even easier solution which involves no assistance from third-part tools, and is pure Windows tweaking, baby!  (Provided by Ronnie Vernon, MVP TechNet forum moderator.

Simply pull off the existing icons and re-configure the "QuickLaunch" toolbar from Vista/XP. (Yes it is still there!)

From his explanation (seeded with screenshots from my system tweaking)

Adding the Quick Launch Toolbar in Windows 7.

Right click the Taskbar and select Toolbars/New Toolbar.

In the Choose A Folder window, navigate to:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch.

(Where 'username' is the name of the account you are logged on with)

(Claus's note, as seen below that "AppData" folder is hidden in my configuration.  I just copied/pasted the path above into the folder field, then changed the 'username' to my own (Claus-V) and hit Select Folder.  It found it fine...)

Click Select Folder.

This will add the Quick Launch Toolbar to the right side of the Taskbar.

Right click the Taskbar and make sure that it is Unlocked.

(Claus's note, as seen above, I then had to uncheck mine to unlock it...)

On the Left Side of the Quick Launch Toolbar you will see 3 vertical rows of Dots. This is the Toolbar Handle. Use the mouse to grab that handle and drag the QL toolbar as far to the left as it will go.

Next, grab the Handle for the Taskbar Icons and drag it as far to the right as it will go.This should switch the toolbars.

Next, drag the QL toolbar to the left as far as it will go. This should place it next to the Start Button. Right click an empty spot on the QL toolbar and remove the check marks from 'Show Text' and 'Show Title'.

Finally, carefully drag the Taskbar Icons to the left until the QL toolbar is the size you prefer.

(Claus's note, now start dragging, dropping and cleaning up the icons on the various task bar and Quick Launch bars...adjust the size, remove title/text if desired, etc.)

Right click the Taskbar and select 'Lock the Taskbar'.

Done!

versus

 

 

 

You be the judge... Note: no third-party applications were used or harmed in this Windows 7 task-bar tweak-out.

Related:

• 7 Free Tools To Tweak & Customize Windows 7 Taskbar - Into Windows blog

• 5 Amazing Dock application for Windows 7 ultimate tweak ALL FREE! - Windows 7 hacker

Windows 7 Family Pack almost Gone (Limited Time Offer thing...)

Alvis and I had no luck finding a copy of the Windows 7 Family pack in any of the local retailers back in early November 2008. (see Windows 7 Resources – Hot off the DVD Presses! - GSD post).  Fortunately I didn't delay and quickly ordered it from the Microsoft on-line store and got my copy.

Turns out it might now be nigh impossible to find one.

• Microsoft’s Grinch kills Windows 7 Family Pack - Ed Bott's Windows Expertise blog

• Windows 7 Family Pack Disappears in the United States - Paul Thurrott at Windows IT Pro blog

Quoting from Paul's post:

Unfortunately, that's just now becoming obvious to potential customers here in the United States, where the Family Pack has apparently completely disappeared. Numerous email messages this week complain that attempts to find the Windows 7 Family Pack online or at brick-and-mortar electronics retailers have proven fruitless, killing plans for planned holiday presents.

As some of us say in Texas..."too bad doodad!"

Cool Alternative Windows Updating Tricks

Just in case...

• Updating Microsoft Security Essentials without Using Windows Update [Tips] - Windows 7 hacker - The CLI version

• MSE Update Utility - AddictiveTips Apps - The GUI wrapper for the CLI version.

Multi-Monitor Taskbar Tricks for Windows 7

I love multi-monitors both at work and home.

However, it has always bothered me that the taskbar doesn't get extended or managed by Windows on all additional monitors.  It just makes its appearance on the primary monitor.

Now for XP I've purchased and used Realtime Soft UltraMon for my solution.  It works great and is rock-solid.  I see that in July they released UltraMon™ 3.0.7 Beta which offers Windows 7 compatibility (and maybe some stability issues along with the Aero theme support.  I've got to find my registration key since I have upgraded my XP system to now run Windows 7.  I haven't installed it yet.

In the meantime, thanks to this 3 Useful Programs That Help Manage Multiple Monitors post by MakeUseOf's Tim Lenahan, I've been re-discovering these cool freeware tools (all portable) which can add additional taskbars to various degrees of success under Windows 7 (and XP/Vista as well).

• ZBar - Perfect!  Supports six styles from Classic to Win7, organizes wallpapers across multiple monitors, and has a hideable clock as well. Only complaint is that some MS Office apps don't cooperate well and may ignore ZBar's attempt to manage them on the correct monitor/taskbar.

• MultiMon TaskBar - Pretty nice, but the $ pro version has more features.

• Display Fusion - (less taskbar helper and more multi-monitor wallpaper manager to be honest...)

Related:

• Get those pixels working for you - Scott Hanselman's Computer Zen -- Dude's got so many monitors I've got Monitor Envy now.

• SE-ScreenSavers : Collection of free screensavers for Windows - (freeware) - beautiful collection of alternative screen savers that plays well with Win7.  Trees is stunning in its zen-like beauty. Matrix is geeky cool, and Clock & Calendar or Fractals are hard to beat.  Spotted and reviewed at freewaregenius.com.

• 25 Really Cool ScreenSavers To Download - via HongKiat.com - Even more recommended (by others) Screen savers, if that's your thing.

• How To Keep Flash Videos Full-Screen On A Second Monitor - Because this annoys the he-double-hockey-sticks out of hard-core Flash Video users!  Courtesy of MakeUseOf's Tim Lenahan.

Finally for the Hard-Core Sysadmins...

• HOWTO: Remove a Printer Driver package from Windows 7 - Windows Live.  While I can remove/delete Windows printers with the best of them, I had no idea about this.  Thanks Kurt!  This will be great info!

The problem I had was that when you uninstall a printer, you don’t actually uninstall the driver/driver package associated with that printer.  If you go ahead and reinstall the printer all over again, (like a network printer) it’ll just use what you’ve got installed on your system and you’re hosed.

SO WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A CORRUPTED PRINTER DRIVER/PACKAGE
Basically, in order to remove a corrupted Printer Driver from Windows 7, you have to do the following:

1. Run MMC from START—> RUN.
2. Click File –> Add Remove Snap In
3. Select Print Management
4. Click the “Add Local server” button
5. Click “Drivers” in the Print Management –> Print Servers –> YOURMACHINE (local) hierarchy
6. Right click the Printer Driver/Package you want removed.

• Windows 7 RTM Issue with Group Policy Enforced Wallpaper  - The Deployment Guys blog.  Because we all know that it is the 3vil desire of sysadmins the world over to force end-users to have ugly wallpaper via Group Policy!  Woot!

• Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 available November 24th includes enhancements for Windows 7-based computers - Windows Home Server Blog.  Go get it if you have Windows Home Server. One important fix two doors down.

• Sysprep, Machine SIDs and Other Myths - The Deployment Guys blog.  Why Spsprep is still critical to system deployment readiness, in most all cases.. despite Mark Russinovich's recent (and brilliant) blog post.

• Power Pack 3 and OpenDNS - Windows Home Server blog - yeah it was a MS/OpenDNS thing But it is fixed now. Get your Power Pack 3 update. 

• RELEASE: Windows Management Framework (inc. Powershell 2.0 RTM) - Windows Live. Go get it. "Windows Management Framework, which includes Windows PowerShell 2.0, WinRM 2.0, and BITS 4.0, was officially released."

• Very weird problem on Windows Vista and Windows 7 and Third Beta of NirLauncher package is available to download.  The first necessitated the second.  Turns out there is some strange shim-ing going on!  Per Nir's update: "...the problem is really the caused by Application Compatibility Engine. From some reason, when the .exe file contains the word 'launch', the Application Compatibility Engine consider the application as not compatible with Windows Vista/7, and thus the application is "shimmed", which means that apphelp.dll and AcLayers.DLL are loaded and replace some API calls of Windows in order to resolve compatibility issues.  In my case, this  Compatibility Engine doesn't solve compatibility problems... it actually creates the problem."  Lesson to be learned, while some characters are bad-mojo to add to a file name, some words are as well. Who knew?  Well Dan did apparently...  See also How to Remove Files with Reserved Names in Windows - KB 120716 Filename @ Wikipedia and the Delete FXP Files utility.

• BETA: Outlook Hotmail Connector 14.0 for Outlook 2010 Beta - Kurt's Windows Live blog offers news and dowload linkage to a tool to allow use of Outlook 2010 with Hotmail.

• Roaming Local Settings in Office 2010 - Aaron Parker's Stealthpuppy.  Great tip on Office 2010 tweak to get the Quick Access Toolbar and customizable Ribbon to roam with the user.

• The Three Most Important Outlook Rules for Processing Mail- Scott Hanselman's Computer Zen -- Because we all need more tips on Outlook email-management for productivity gains.

Whew!

--Claus V.

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