Manage files and folders in Windows XP

Files and folders that exist on Windows XP-based computers contain a certain number of attribute that manage and manage their accessibility and demonstrate features. These attribute entirely depend on the file system that the operating system uses. A file system is a way of storing and organizing the files and folders on the hard disk of a computer. Windows XP wires both the FAT as well as the advanced NTFS file systems. NTFS-formatted volumes support several features that facilitate users in managing files and folders. These features are described as follows:

Compression

Compression is an NTFS characteristic of files and folders. It increase the amount of available hard disk space by sinking the size of the files or folders. Compressing files and folders on a computer allow user to accumulate more data on the computer’s hard disk. NTFS supports compression on volume, folders, as well as on the files that are compressed on an NTFS amount. A user can read a compressed file located on an NTFS volume without decompressing it. The file is decompressed automatically as soon as the file read process starts. On a volume that is running low on the available disk space, the compression proves to be a very effective means of increasing the empty space on the hard disk, thereby managing the disk space. A user can control the compression attribute on the files or folders individually.

In order to allow compression on a file, folder, or a entire NTFS volume, a user has to pursue the steps given underneath

Right-click the volume, file, or the folder, and select Properties.

On the General tab page of the Properties dialog box for the file, folder, or volume, click the superior button.
In the superior attribute dialog box, select the Compress Contents To Save Disk Space check box in the Compress or Encrypt attributes section, and click the OK button.
Moving and copying compressed files and folders: When a user moves or copies compressed files and folders in Windows, these files and folders are affect in the following manner:

When the files and folders are moved within the NTFS volume, the compression attribute remains the same in the new location irrespective of the status of the destination folder (i.e., whether it is compressed or uncompressed).

When the files and folders are copied within the same volume from one location to another, the original compression attribute is lost and the files inherit the attributes of the new parent folder (destination).

When the files and folders are copied or moved to a different volume, the compression attribute is lost and the files or folders inherit the attributes of the destination folder.

Copying or moving compressed files and folders from an NTFS volume to a FAT or FAT32 volume does not sustain the compression because FAT or FAT32 does not support compression of files or folders.
Windows XP supports a new feature called compressed (zipped) folder. This feature can be used on volumes with either the FAT or NTFS file system, or both. The compressed (zipped) folder can be easily shared with other users even if they are not running Windows XP Professional or using a drive formatted with the NTFS file system.

Supporting File Encryption

File encryption is a file attribute that allows a user to protect files and folders. It is a way of making data illegible to protect it from unauthorized users, especially during network transmission. Windows XP Professional allows a user to protect the files and folders by using the Encrypting File System (EFS). EFS encodes a file in a manner so that a user cannot read the file’s data even if he gets access to the file. Only an authorized user can read the file. When an unauthorized user attempts to access an EFS-encrypted resource, the user receives the Access Denied message. EFS implementation consists of two restrictions. First, an EFS-encryption can be used only on volumes formatted as NTFS, and secondly, a user cannot use EFS to encrypt a file that has been compressed by using NTFS compression. By default, Windows XP displays the names of encrypted files with a green color. A user can also change the color as per his requirement.

Managing Disk Quotas

hard disk quota is a very efficient disk management feature of Windows XP Professional. The administrator on NTFS-formatted volumes can use this feature. It allows administrators to limit or fix the amount of disk space for manifold users on an NTFS volume. Disk quotas provide system administrators with a existing tool for managing storage growth. Administrators can set both soft and hard limits, i.e., when a user exceeds a warning level (soft limit), an event is logged; when a user exceed the hard limit, they receive an Out of Disk error. Disk quotas apply to the total level. It cannot be configured on a folder-by-folder basis. whilst a user reaches or exceeds the assigned quota limit, he will have to delete files to create empty space, transfer the ownership of some of his files to other users, or ask the administrator to provide more disk space. Compression does not work when the limit is exceeded. simply by compressing some of the folders, a user cannot increase the available disk space in his assigned quota.

Managing Security

Windows XP provides an excellent way of securing the shared files and folders across a network by appropriately assigning the standard NTFS permissions. There are six basic NTFS folder permissions and five basic NTFS file permissions. In addition to these standard permissions, an NTFS-formatted volume also provide advanced files and folders permissions that an administrator can allot in a more specific manner. The system or network administrator on both files as well as folders can relate all of these permissions. The entire assigned standard as well as the advanced permissions can be viewed on the Security tab page of the File’s or Folder’s Properties dialog box.

Another way of running security is to control the go-ahead inheritance. When an administrator assigns some NTFS permissions on a folder, all the files and subfolders within the parent folder automatically accede to the parent folder’s permissions. This is called permission inheritance. An administrator can stop such inheritance either at the parent level or child level by configuring the Security tab page of the vicar folder’s dialog box. Therefore, Windows XP with the NTFS-formatted volume provides a very effective and efficient way of supervision the files and folders both locally as well as in a networked environment.

Files and folders that exist on window XP-based computers enclose a certain number of attribute that control and govern their accessibility and display features. These feature entirely depend on the file system that the operating system uses. A file system is a way of storing and organizing the files and folders on the hard disk of a computer. Windows XP ropes both the FAT as well as the advanced NTFS file systems. NTFS-formatted volumes support several features that facilitate users in managing files and folders. These features are described as follows:

Related Search
Windows Vista New Vulnerabilities
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Windows Vista, New Vulnerabilities Found

Windows Vista, New Vulnerabilities Found

Security researchers,  report that Windows Vista has a TCP/IP vulnerability that could permit a local assailant to take control of an affected system.
The weakness has been tested on Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise (32-bit and 64-bit) and Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate (32-bit and 64-bit). The researches consider it likely that other versions of Vista are affected. Windows XP, however, is not affected.

Certain governmental rights are necessary for the vulnerability to be exploited. This makes it a jeopardy mainly in malicious insider scenarios.
“To perform either the sample program or the route-add command, the consumer has to be associate of the Network Configuration Operators group or the Administrators group,” the security advisory explains. “Since this buffer overflow overwrites kernel memory, it could be possible that members of the Network Configuration Operator group exploit this and take control over the operating system without any restriction.”
The advisory states that Phion notified Microsoft on Oct. 22. It’s not immediately clear when Microsoft will address the issue. In any event, Phion’s advisory includes details about a temporary fix.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese security research group Bach Khoa Internetwork Security (BKIS) has identified a buffer overflow vulnerability in the open source ffdshow multimedia codec that can be used compromise computers using any Internet browser in which the Windows Media Player plug-in has been installed.
The flaw has to do with the way the ffdshow software handles media streams. Upon parsing an extremely long link, ffdshow runs out of memory and returns a buffer-overflow error. This could be exploited by an attacker to execute remote code on the victim’s computer.
A person visiting a malicious Web site using a browser with the vulnerable codec installed would be subject to attack without further action.
BKIS says that users should update to the latest version of ffdshow. That includes those using software packages that make use of ffdshow, like K-Lite Codec Pack, XP Codec Pack, Vista Codec Package, and Codec Pack All in one.

Related Topics
Backup And Restore Center in Windows Vista
Should You Upgrade Your Computer to Windows Vista
Drivers For Windows Vista
Microsoft’s Windows Vista Repair

Wecorl: Worm Hits Windows 2000

In spite of issuing a preemptive patch two weeks back and another advice late last week, Redmond is now investigating a bug exploiting Windows Server Service for Windows 2000 that reportedly originated in China.
Symantec protection reaction said that the worm, which was revealed late Monday, can put in a Trojan downloader and rootkit code to mask it from security software.
The latest bug affects Windows 2000 and has thus far been seen on Chinese PCs running Windows. Wecorl is similar to the bug that Microsoft was supposed to be patching two weeks ago. At that time, Microsoft described weaknesses in server service mechanisms in the Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 operating systems. The weaknesses could allow for remote code execution exploits through the use of a “specially crafted” remote procedure call request.
The vulnerability can enable automatic remote interactions or subroutines between CPUs in a shared processing environment. If the worm manages to bore through into one Windows-based PC, it can also make attempts to weave its way through other workstations connected on the same subnet.
The nature of the bug, means it can get around the firewall-level blocks that Microsoft touted in its patch release, according to Andrew Storms, director of security at nCircle.
On the positive side, Microsoft knew the bug was coming, they were prepared for it and the word was out, Storms added.
“As security professionals, we have signatures for this sort of thing when it’s already in play” he said. “Had it gone undetected, there wouldn’t have been any baseline from which enterprises can begin to assess the threat.”
That said, he cautioned that those who have not already patched the affected systems should still do so “ASAP.”
Symantec assessed the worm as a “very low” risk because it originated from overseas and only affected Windows 2000. But the company also encourages putting in of the earlier patch and is continuing to take its cue from Microsoft’s tendency that the bug constituted an emergency. For that reason, Symantec is still classifying the bug with a level 2 rating via its ThreatCon global threat rating system.

source:reddevnews.com/news/article.aspx?editorialsid=10355

Windows Operating System Problems

Computer problems may seem very complicated, but not as difficult as you think. If you have a complete understanding of the operating system or operating system, you’ll know what to do. Operating systems tend to have problems from time to time. Windows, Linux, MacOS and encounter errors. If you ignore these errors, is compromised computer security and stability. Windows XP is already a stable version, but still there are problems that many computer users encounter.

Prevention of possible team problems is very important, and maintenance. You need to ensure that your computer is patched with Windows Update. You should also be compatible and latest drivers.

Keeping your computer safe is vital. Weekly scans should be performed using programs like Spybot Search & Destroy and AVG antivirus. You can add an extra protection for your computer with anti spyware.

Some programs put your computer at risk, such as email clients, instant messaging and file sharing. You must protect your computer by using programs that are web based.

Occasional errors and the significant slowdown may be due to whole units. If you have programs that almost no use or not use more, you can have uninstalled. If you can remove yourself, you can. The units must have enough free space to avoid common computer problems.

Defragmenting your computer. You can find this in ‘My Computer’. Defragmentation is very important and you should do this every 1-4 weeks, depending as usual, using the computer. Task Manager Click on the toolbar and select ‘. Select the Processes tab and scroll through the list. First timers will not recognize on the list. If you want to learn about the things listed, you can research about them online. You can use different search engines on the web to gather all relevant information.

On the Start menu, use ‘Run’, type msconfig”to open the System Configuration Utility. Check only essential programs and do not forget to restart the computer after the changes have been made.

If all else fails, check your hardware. Hardware failures can be detected by using programs like Sandra Lite Memcheck. You can save big money if you can do some simple troubleshooting. Common computer problems can be resolved without bringing the computer to the shop. Hardware solutions are also available online in the event that is not hardware failures.

Windows operating system problems can be easily treated if you are familiar with the common causes of such problems. As previously suggested, a simple investigation to do. With a little knowledge about operating systems, you can go a long way. As experts say, knowledge is power. There are several useful search engines that can be found online. Make use of any of them for useful information.

You do not need the computer from time to time not the computer store unless you’re dealing with big problems. Windows operating system problems are very common these days because many tasks involved and the teams. If you are using your computer very often, make sure you’re protected at all times, you should also take note of the schedule of exploration. By owning a team responsible, you can ensure the functionality of the gadget.

Microsoft Windows Users and iYogi Predict a Surge in Tech Support for Windows 7 Upgrades

Survey Shows That Nearly Half of Consumers Think Upgrading to a New Operating System Will Require Technical Assistance

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 16, 2009 — iYogi, the on-demand tech services company with a unique global delivery model, announced today the results of a consumer poll regarding support concerns and predictions for the upcoming launch of the new Microsoft Windows 7 operating system. Based on responses from more than 1,000 Windows XP and Windows Vista users, 52 percent think that moving to a new operating system and moving their data is a hassle, suggesting some real frustrations on the near horizon. Nearly half (47 percent) think upgrading to Microsoft Windows 7 may require a call to technical support – potentially causing a huge backlog of support needs, as up to 40 million copies of Windows 7 are expected to be sold in 2009, according to IDC.

“We predict that more than 40 percent of XP users will generate support calls and inquiries globally this year and even more in 2010 as mass adoption kicks in and people face the prospect of dealing with an entirely new interface,” said Vishal Dhar, President Marketing & Co-founder of iYogi. “We estimate twice as many support calls for current Windows XP users than Windows Vista users, since Microsoft Windows XP users will require a ‘clean’ install including migrating applications, settings and drivers–a potentially arduous, time-intensive task.”

Additional survey findings reveal:

58 percent of users think they will or may upgrade to Windows 7, an encouraging number considering some of the backlash surrounding Vista

Only 39 percent of users are aware that Windows 7 is launching soon, suggesting an increased flurry of help questions in the coming months as more people become aware of the upgrade options

iYogi has more has more than 90,000 annual subscribers and provides thousands of single incident sessions every day on a 24/7 basis. Its Global Delivery Platform delivers on the highest customer satisfaction benchmarks in the industry and gets smarter with every customer interaction, building a powerful knowledge base that provides unique customer insights on predictive needs to tech support.

ABOUT IYOGI
iYogi is a global on-demand services company that provides personalized computer support for consumers and small businesses in United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. iYogi’s unique model, including proprietary technology iMantra and highly qualified technicians, is designed to eliminate computer-related stress and keep millions of digitally dependent consumers and small businesses always protected and productive. Only iYogi — with its proven global expertise delivery model, intelligent customer insight systems, easy-to-use self-help tools and automated PC optimization and computer support services – offers users a simple yet comprehensive path to digital serenity. iYogi has perfected the remote technical support model to overcome the current limitations of in-store, on-site, or call center services to become the fastest growing provider of support in the industry. Major resellers and technology companies are increasingly turning to iYogi to improve customer satisfaction, reduce return rates, and deliver a compelling new-value added offering to customers. For more information on iYogi and a detailed list of technologies supported, visit: www.iyogi.net.

Microsoft to Backport Windows 7 ‘ribbon’ Interface to Vista

Microsoft planning to backport a “ribbon” user interface appearance it introduced in Windows 7 to Windows Vista, according to the company’s developer Web site.

On the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN), Microsoft indicated that it is planning support for the interface in Vista about the same time Windows 7 is released. Microsoft has said it would absolution Windows 7, the follow up to Vista, common on Oct. 22.

The ribbon framework, part of Windows 7’s graphical presentation layer, is an interface that uses a beheld command bar at the top of the page to absolute a user to menu items and toolbars that were ahead hidden in drop-down menus.

Microsoft first introduced the ribbon with the “Fluent” interface for its Office 2007 product, which at aboriginal acquired some alteration pains for users who were acclimated to the previous interface.

On the MSDN site, a Microsoft controlling wrote that a Vista user can download the interface already it’s accessible as an update, to be alleged the Windows 7 Client Platform Update. The software will be a “recommended update” through the Microsoft Download Center on Windows Amend and will not be automatic.

More advice about the Windows Ribbon framework can be beginning on the MSDN site. Microsoft did not acknowledge to requests fabricated through its accessible relations close for other advice on what prompted the move.

For more detail..

Windows Help

How to install drivers in windows XP

Step 1  Right-Click MY COMPUTER.

Step2  Click MANAGES.

Step3  Highlight DEVICE MANAGER.

Step 4  Choose the hardware category your hardware relates to and click the + icon next to it.

Step 5  Now  Right-Click the specific accessory you would like to install the drivers for and click PROPERTIES.

Step 6  Click the DRIVER tab shows at the top of window.

Step 7  Click UPDATE DRIVER and browse to area disciplinarian files reside. This will install a new driver or upgrade an absolute driver for your H/W.

Step 8  At times, you will see accessories in the UNKNOWN DEVICES category. Accessories actuality are hardware accustomed by windows, but accept no absolute drivers installed. It is the aforementioned action to install drivers for these accessories as mentioned in STEP 7.

You can also have online Microsoft Windows XP Support from number of online resource.

Windows XP Mode RC for Windows 7 Arrives

Microsoft has announced that the Windows XP mode for Windows 7 has entered into Absolution Applicant appearance and is accessible for download now. New Windows XP Approach absolution applicant comes with feature of appearance and promises better compatibility with Windows 7 operating system.

Intended for virtual-PC based environment in Windows 7, the Windows XP Approach will allow active productivity suites and added bequest applications in virtualized mode. Microsoft had showcased Windows XP Approach (dubbed as XPM) in April.

Windows 7 RC users can download Windows XP mode RC (file size: 460.5MB) and Windows Virtual PC . Note that Windows XP Approach will be accessible alone on systems with Intel and AMD processors that support Virtualization technology.

Brandon LeBlanc, Windows Communications Manager at Microsoft, blogged about the availability of Windows XP Approach Absolution Applicant and alleged it the ‘last mile’ compatible technology if Windows XP abundance appliance is not accordant with Windows 7. Installing anti-virus software in Windows XP mode is recommended to defended the environment.

The new appearance included in the Windows XP Approach RC is:

- Windows XP Approach apps can attach with USB devices directly from Windows 7 taskbar.

- Drive administration amid Windows XP Approach and Windows 7 can be disabled if not needed.

- Initial bureaucracy now includes user tutorials for application Windows XP Approach better

- Location of Windows XP Approach differencing disk files stored can now be customized

- Most recently acclimated files in Windows XP Approach applications can be accessed with a jump

-list from Windows 7. Microsoft has built the Windows XP Approach for Windows 7 for the productivity applications that will not be upgraded to run on Windows 7 environment. This affection is primarily meant for small and medium businesses.

For more information:

1.  Microsoft Windows Upgrade

2.  Microsoft Windows XP Support

How does Vista organize files and folders on drives?

Vista organizes folders and files in a hierarehical system. The drive is the highest level of the hierarchy. You can put all of your files on a drive without creating any folders, but that is like putting all of your papers in a file cabinet without organizing them into folders. It works fine if you have only a faw files, but as the number of files increases, there comes a point at which things are difficult to find. To avoid this, create folders and put related material together in folders.

A diagram of typical drives and how they are organized is shown here.

At the highest level, you have some folders and perhaps some files. You can open any of the folders and put additional files and folders into them. This creates a hierarchy.

iYogi Re-Defines Technical Support – BizTech2.com

Remote managed services are gaining a lot of attraction these days. Companies are looking to outsource the maintenance and monitoring of their IT infrastructure to a third party to improve efficiency and save costs. BizTech2.com caught up with Uday Challu, founding partner and CEO, iYogi, to see what the company has to offer in this space.

As far as Enterprise and SME customers are concerned, which verticals are you focusing on?

Our focus will mostly be on small companies with around five to 100 users and also firms that have multiple small branch offices like travel agencies, retail stores etc.

What kind of support services do you provide to your customers? What is the Green PC service?

iYogi provides the next generation of remote computer support services for consumers and businesses. For consumers, our live 24/7 support extends to technologies we use everyday, including hardware, software applications, devices, peripherals and networking equipment. iYogi also offers a full range of business IT solutions including managed monitoring, managed services, set-up and installation services, and incident-based services.

Green PC Service

With the current state of the global climate and increasing dependency on the computer, iYogi helps PC users reduce their carbon footprint and save money at the same time. iYogi’s Green PC service is the first in the independent computer support industry to offer customers a way to save money, conserve energy and protect the environment by optimising their PC’s efficiency. Consumers and businesses can save up to $200 per year, per desktop, in energy costs with iYogi’s Green PC application. This green application makes the computer environmentally friendly by reducing power consumption by almost 50 percent.

Our Green PC dashboard helps customise power settings and calculate power savings in kWh (kilowatt hour). The Green PC dashboard also gives a status on the reduction of CO2 and how responsible usage will benefit the environment by saving trees. A customised service that increases the energy efficiency of computers, undertakes the below-mentioned three primary initiatives:

- Computer assessment, analysing settings and PC energy use
- Customised efficiency planning geared specifically to the individual’s usage patterns
- Implementing setting changes to maximise the computer’s energy use

What are the technologies that allow you to offer 24/7 support and ensure there is no downtime at the client site?

We have invested significantly in developing a comprehensive monitoring and management tools stack. This enables us to manage and monitor all devices in the office network as well as for branch offices and mobile users. Our tools continuously monitor the customer’s network and notify our NOC (Network Operations Centre) in case of problems. Based on the set of events, tickets are automatically generated and escalated to corresponding teams. Over and above our proactive approach, the customer always has an option to call our 24X7 support line for issues that are not identified via the monitoring tools.

Please throw some light on your proprietary iMantra technology.

iMantra is a CRM system, which is tailor-made to suit the emerging business needs at iYogi. It allows for the formation of individualised customer relationships with the aim of providing personalised services to each subscriber. This tool is built on the latest java technology with a layered architecture that makes it scalable and secure. This architecture provides a seamless workflow and independent channels for various business needs: sales, support, quality and customer service. The entire system can be exposed in the form of secure APIs and Web services, which makes it a re-usable entity.

Your business model is similar to BPOs in India providing technical support to offshore customers. What unique values do you bring to this ecosystem that would help a potential client choose you over a competitor?

iYogi’s business model is different from traditional BPOs. Some key factors that differentiate iYogi include:

- Direct-to-consumer and -small business: iYogi delivers technical support services directly to consumers and small businesses and is a global technical support brand based out of India. Unlike traditional BPOs in India, iYogi does not provide any private label support and/ or work on behalf of large OEMs or software publishers.

- Optimised Processes: iYogi has developed proprietary processes for consistently delivering on a resolution rate of 87 percent, which is among the highest published benchmarks in the support industry, where averages hover in the range of 50 percent.

- Comprehensive technology platform: iYogi’s global delivery platform, iMantra, gets smarter with every customer interaction. It documents every problem, the solution and relevant hardware and software aspects, while capturing each customer’s demographic information and creating a behavioural profile. All of this information is at the fingertips of iYogi’s Global Tech Experts. This set-up combines a knowledge base with a comprehensive set of tools and technology expertise. iYogi offers a range of tools that complement its remote support services for helping customers maintain technology at peak performance levels. iYogi’s products include iYogi Smart PC Scan, iYogi Support Dock, iYogi Green PC and iYogi PC Optimisation.

How do you plan to move up the value chain in the times to come?

The growing use and penetration of the Internet and new Web-based applications has consequently opened the door to threats and vulnerabilities, which affect the system performance and ultimately lead to degrading performance. If the threats are diagnosed early on, the impact on efficiency can be minimised considerably. Currently, a user only realizes that he needs technical support once the damage has occurred and reactive methods of support are used to recover from the loss.

At iYogi, we are developing our capabilities to not only provide support when demanded, but to also monitor, pre-empt and fix threats before they can cause any damage to the computer. This will be possible only by combining technology with processes that are capable of re-defining the way technical support is delivered today.

What is your India strategy?

Technically, we are capable of servicing any geography including India. At this stage, we are looking for the right kind of partners to find access to potential customers and provide them a consolidated, 360-degree solution and services for issues relating to hardware, software, network etc. We aim to launch our India services in the coming six to eight months. Our services will offer clients a one-stop solution for all their business needs.

Source :  BizTech2.com

Qualities of Windows xp

Windows XP has been using on the titenic touchstone crossways the worldwide whether it is for the functionary intends or individualized resalve. Windows XP functionality is some easier to read as compared to new operative systems.
1. Faster start-up and hibernation sequences
2. Fast user switching, which allows a user to save the current state and open applications of their desktop and allow another user to log on without losing that information.
3. Windows has most important feature is Remote Desktop functionality which allow the computer to connect over the network in order to access the resources of the other computers.
4. Windows XP also support for DSL modems and wireless network connections, as well as networking over Firewire and Bluetooth
5. Windows XP built on the new Windows engine.
6. Windows XP have enhanced device driver verifier.
7. Windows XP dramatically reduced reboot scenarios.
8. Windows XP have improved code protection.
9. Windows XP have Side-by-side DLL support.
10. Windows XP have “Windows File Protection”.
11. Windows XP have “Windows Installer”.
12. Windows XP have enhanced software restriction policies.
13. Windows XP have preemptive multitasking architecture.
14. Windows XP have scalable memory and processor support.
15. Windows XP have encrypting File System (EFS) with multi-user support.
16. Windows XP have “IP Security” (IPSec).
17. Windows XP have “Kerberos support”.
18. Windows XP have “Smart card support”.
19. Windows XP have “Internet Explorer Add-on Manager”.
20. Windows XP have “Windows Firewall” protection.
21. Windows XP have “Windows Security Center”.
22. Windows XP have “Attachment Manager”.
23. Windows XP have “Data Execution Prevention”.
24. Windows XP have “Firewall Exception List”.
25. Windows XP have “Firewall Application and Port Restrictions”.
26. Windows XP have fresh visual design.
27. NTFS file system supporting.
28. Remote desktop feature supported.
29. Internet explore version 6.0.
30. Internet Connection Firewall.
31. Recovery Console

How to upgrade XP to Windows 7

If Microsoft wants Windows 7 to succeed, to do better than limp like Vista, it has to convince the majority of users to ditch their comfortable-as-an-old-shoe — older than an old shoe, actually — OS.

Microsoft has to beat itself by one-upping its most successful OS edition of all time: Windows XP.

That’s going to be tough. Even Microsoft knows that. Last month it conceded to critics, including Gartner’s Michael Silver, who had complained that the company’s policy for continuing XP “downgrades” was a “real mess.” In response, Microsoft actually extended the availability of XP until April 2011.

So the pressure’s on to make an XP-to-Windows 7 upgrade as painless as possible. But is a pain-free process what you’ll face if you make the move? Not exactly.

Where are the bumps in the upgrade road? How difficult will the migration really be? Excellent questions.

We’ll try to answer them.

Can I upgrade from Windows XP straight to Windows 7? You betcha. And no, you don’t have make Vista a middleman.

There’s always a catch. What’s the catch this time? Unlike people running Vista, you can’t do an “in-place” upgrade from XP to Windows 7 (even though that was offered as an upgrade choice to Vista, and Microsoft’s bragged numerous times about how Windows 7 “is Vista, a lot better.”

Presumably, Microsoft doesn’t want to repeat the drama — and complaints — that XP users generated when they threw up their hands over in-place upgrades to Vista. It hinted as much in an April post to the “Engineering Windows 7″ blog: “We realized at the start of this project that the ‘upgrade’ from XP would not be an experience we think would yield the best results. There are simply too many changes in how PCs have been configured (applets, hardware support, driver model, etc.) that having all of that support carry forth to Windows 7 would not be nearly as high quality as a clean install.”

Whatever the reasons, you’ll have to do what’s called a “clean” install of Windows 7, which means you’ll need to restore backed up data, recreate settings throughout Windows and reinstall all applications. (“Clean install” isn’t a choice on the Windows 7 install-type selection screen; you’ll pick “Custom” from the two-option list.)

What are the system requirements for Windows 7? They’re very similar to those for Vista. According to Microsoft, here’s what you need:

• 1GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1GB RAM (32-bit) or 2GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Take those with a grain of salt. Vista runs slowly on a PC with just 1GB of memory; Windows 7 may do better, but you’re still likely to be disappointed.

How do I know if my XP machine can handle Windows 7? Run the “Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor,” which as of July, was in beta. Start here, download and install the advisor, then run it.

The advisor will give you a bottom-line appraisal of your XP-based hardware and give you the green light, tell you the machine won’t make it as is or spell out what you need to beef up.

Can I buy the cheaper Upgrade edition of Windows 7, or do I have to fork over a small fortune for the “full” version? Yes to the first, no to the second.

Windows 7’s Upgrade editions, such as Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade — $120 suggested list — check to see if there’s a legitimate, activated copy of Windows on the PC before it lets you proceed. At the least, Windows XP and Windows 2000 qualify here. (Even older editions, such as Windows 98 may be eligible — Microsoft’s not been clear — but it’s very unlikely that hardware that old will take the Windows 7 strain.)

I’m running XP Home now. What are my Windows 7 choices? You can upgrade to Home Premium ($120), Professional ($200) or even Ultimate ($220) if you want.

If you were smart, you bought your upgrade during the two-week sale that Microsoft ran from June 26 through July 11, when Home Premium was priced at $50, Professional at $100. Unfortunately, those discounts are done.

I’m running XP Professional. What are my Windows 7 choices? Same as if you were running XP Home now: You can upgrade to Home Premium ($120), Professional ($200) or Ultimate ($220).

What’s the process going to be like? We won’t know for sure until Microsoft makes final Windows 7 Upgrade discs available, but the company will help you back up and then restore settings and data with the Windows Easy Transfer utility it includes on the Windows 7 DVD.

The process is too long to spell out here, but Microsoft posted a step-by-step back in January, while BlogsDNA added screenshots to those instructions.

What should I do before I start the upgrade? Tops on our list: Make a disk image of your XP machine as it exists now so that, if you later decide Windows 7 isn’t worth the disc it’s written to and you want to revert to the ancient XP, you can do so without a lot of hassle.

There are scads of free and for-a-fee backup programs for XP, some of which create a disk image, a bit-for-bit copy of the hard disk. Among the free choices are Macrium Reflect and DriveImageXML, which run on XP and let you create an image on a CD/DVD, external drive or flash drive.

I hear that the Windows 7 media comes on a DVD. I don’t have a DVD drive, just a CD-ROM drive, on my XP PC. What do I do? Start crying.

Microsoft recommends that you “rent, borrow, or buy one if you want to do the installation yourself. Alternatively, you can take your PC and DVD to a service provider that has a DVD drive available that can be used to do the upgrade.”

Right. The $50 to $120 you’ve laid out for Windows 7 Home Premium just wasn’t enough to spend, was it?

Rumors have circulated that Microsoft may offer Windows 7 Upgrade on a flash drive — a 4GB thumb drive has more than enough room — but, so far, it’s only wishful thinking on the part of the drive-less, like people running netbooks.

You can do it yourself by buying Windows 7 as a download from Microsoft’s own e-store — the only one that now offers that delivery method — then build a bootable USB drive. There are several how-to-do-that guides on the Web; our favorites are by noted Windows blogger Long Zheng, and this step-by-step.

Can I upgrade to a 64-bit edition of Windows 7? Yes, if the processor inside your PC supports 64-bit.

Retail copies and electronic downloads of Windows 7 will ship with both the 32- and 64-bit versions of the operating system, and since you have to do a clean install anyway — also a requirement if you’re moving from, say Vista 32-bit to Windows 7 64-bit — you can move up to 64-bit if you want.

Download and run the free “SecurAble” utility to see whether your processor supports 64-bit; as an added bonus, it also says whether you’ll be able to run the Windows XP Mode available to users of Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate.

Will I be able to run my old Windows XP software? Yes, if you bought the upgrade to either Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate.

Those two editions let you run Windows XP Mode, an add-on (and separate download; it doesn’t come on the DVD), that creates an XP virtual environment running under Virtual PC, Microsoft’s client virtualization technology, within Windows 7.

XP Mode comes with a fully-licensed copy of Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3), so you don’t have to spring for an additional license. The mode, however, requires processor-based virtualization support. To determine whether your PC’s CPU provides that support, download and run the free “SecurAble” utility.

A beta of XP Mode can be downloaded from here and run with Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC).

I’m not forking over another $80 to Microsoft just to run programs in XP mode. What are my options? You have several.

First, you can wait until you upgrade to Windows 7, then install and try out the software you’ve been running on XP. It might work fine. (Most likely to have fewest problems: Products from Microsoft and other major vendors.)

If the program won’t run, you can try to run it in “compatibility mode.” Right-click on the program’s shortcut, select “Properties,” then click the “Compatibility” tab. Next, check the “Run this program in compatibility mode” box, and in the drop-down list, choose the version of Windows, in this case Windows XP.

Or you can run free virtualization software on Windows 7, such as Sun’s VirtualBox, with a copy of Windows XP as the “guest” OS within the virtual environment. You’ll need an XP license to install inside the virtual machine.

That may be your biggest hurdle, since if the copy of XP you’re now running came with the PC, you’re not allowed to transfer it to another system, even a virtual one (even if that PC is now running Windows 7). And if you’re upgrading from XP to Windows 7, no matter how you acquired the license for XP, the activation key on the XP CD will probably not work. (During the upgrade, the PC sends a key-cancellation request to Microsoft’s servers to nullify the XP activation/product key and link the machine to the new Windows 7 key.)

You can still buy copies of XP, but they’re pricy. On Newegg, for example, we found a copy of XP Home (the OEM edition, designed for small computer makers, but you can use it, too) for $90.

What happens if I hate Windows 7. Can I revert to Windows XP? Yes, you can, but you’ll have to do another “clean” install, this time scrubbing the drive of Windows 7 and replacing it with XP.

Before you do that, you’ll need to back up your data files and note your settings. Don’t bother with Easy Transfer Utility, which is available for XP; it’s a one-way street and doesn’t help in “downgrade” scenarios, which is what we’re talking about here.

You’ll need to reinstall all your applications on XP, too.

If you thought of this before, you’d simply wipe the drive and restore from the disk image you made earlier (see “What should I do before I start the upgrade?”).

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9135440/FAQ_How_to_upgrade_XP_to_Windows_7?taxonomyId=89&pageNumber=1,2,3,4

10 nifty things you didn’t know Bing could do

The handy hidden features you might have missed.

Google may be famed for its hidden features, but Bing has plenty, too

Bing, Microsoft’s new search engine, has had several weeks to prove its worth. It’s proved popular, picking up market share from both Yahoo and Google to become the second most used search service on the web.

But there’s more to Bing than first meets the eye. Like Google, it has hidden depths and additional features. Here are ten useful bits of Bing you may have missed.

1. Get more from the US

Most of Bing’s mash-up functionality is embedded in the US version of the site. You don’t need an anonymised proxy – like hidemyass.com – to fool the site though. All you need to do is click the country link at the top right of the main page. In the UK it will say “United Kingdom” by default. Choose “United States” instead. Done.

2. Search for wallpaper

Using Bing Image search to find desktop wallpaper? Do your search by keyword, then click “Size > Wallpaper” in the sidebar. Not only is the search narrowed to desktop wallpapers – it’s narrowed down to your computer monitor’s current screen resolution. If it’s set to 1280 x 1024, for example, it only returns images with those dimensions.

GET WALLPAPER: Search for wallpaper on Bing and it returns the right size for your monitor, automatically.

3. Remove the background

Bing’s main search page has a background image embedded by default. Want a cleaner page? Step one: enter www.bing.com/?rb=0 in the address bar and hit return. Bing’s front page now appears without any background clutter. Step two: drag the Bing favicon in the address box to your favourites or bookmarks bar. Next time you want to Bing something, click that link.

CLEAN BING: Bing with a clean clock: no hot air balloons, no white water rafting, not distractions.

4. Boolean searches

Bing’s all about simplicity, but it still does Boolean searches. With multiple keywords “AND” is inferred, but you can exclude terms from searches with – or NOT. For example “auction sites NOT ebay” will exclude eBay from your results. Like Google, using the + operator requires that the specified keyword appears in the page. You can also use “OR”, for example “HD DVD OR Blu-Ray” will return results containing either search term.

5. Find instant Answers

Like Google, Bing has built in smart algorithms for location data, word definitions, weight and currency conversion and even complex arithmetical calculations. Try “define computer” for a dictionary definition or “$20 into pounds” to sample Bing’s conversion capabilities. Want to know the weather in your local area? Try the term “weather” followed by your nearest town or city. You can even search the status of specific flights. Just type “Flight status of <airline>”. You’ll be prompted to enter a flight number.

Bing goes even further – pulling data from partner sites in response to requests for statistical data. The query “What is the UK population” returns results from online census data, for example.

FACTS AND NUMBERS: Most of the same calculation and conversion functionality in Google can also be found in Bing.

6. Find your site

Is your site listed in Bing? Type in url:yourdomain.com to find out. Once you’ve established that Bing has you listed, type site:yourdomain.com to see how many of your pages Bing has listed. If nothing turns up, you can submit your site for indexing.

7. Save results for later

“Save and Share” is an experimental feature powered by Silverlight. Click “See All” in the Search History section of the sidebar – then “Save and Share”. Select the search query you want to save in the list then click “save to”. Choose “Saved searches” or create a new folder. Searches can also be emailed or published to you Facebook wall. If you decide you no longer want to use the service, click “return to your history”.

SAVE SEARCHES: Save and Share can be used to save search results to your Skydrive if you have an account.

8. Convert Search to RSS

An RSS feed of a search result is a handy thing to have – whether you’re keeping tabs on a developing news event or want to track the performance of your web site. Like Windows Live Search before it, Bing results pages can be saved as RSS feeds.

On your results page, click the RSS symbol in IE then click “Subscribe to this feed”. In Firefox, you can choose to add the feed to Google Reader instead. To add to other feed readers, select and copy the URL in the address bar, paste it into your RSS reader and add “&format=rss” to the end of the address before saving.

9. Add Bing to your Browser

Do you use Chrome but want to search Bing from the address bar? Right click on the address bar then choose “Edit search engines” from the context sensitive menu. Click “Add” and, giving the name “Bing” – enter the URL www.bing.com/search?q=%s

To add Bing to Firefox’s quicksearch bar, you’ll need an add-on. Install the official Microsoft Bing extension.

10. Quick Add in Hotmail

Hotmail recently added Bing integration. Log in to Hotmail and create a new message. In the Quick Add sidebar click images or video. Use the search box to find suitable content, then click “Insert”. The new content is formatted and added to the body of your message.

QUICK ADD: It’s easy to pass around viral videos and pictures with Bing integration and Quick Add in Windows Live Hotmail.