Posted by Mary Jo Foley
October 15th, 2007
A (slight) update on last week’s report that some Windows users are seeing their Vista PCs automatically update themselves and reboot.
From Nate Clinton, a Microsoft Update Program Manager, via the Microsoft Update Product Team blog:
“We have been hearing some questions recently regarding Tuesday’s update release changing automatic updating settings. We have received some logs from customers, and have so far been able to determine that their AU settings were not changed by any changes to the AU client itself and also not changed by any updates installed by AU.
“We are still looking into this to see if another application is making this change during setup with user consent, or if this issue is related to something else. We are continuing the investigation, and as I have more information I will update this post.
“If you are running into this issue, your help would be greatly appreciated. You can contact support, and they can walk you through the steps necessary to provide logs and other useful data.”
So, it doesn’t seem to be Automatic Update (AU) or the patches themselves at fault. So what caused last Past Tuesday’s patches to be installed automatically and machines to be rebooted for a group of cheapest generic cialis users who had chosen not to allow automatic installation of patches — as originally reported on the AeroXperience site? It’s still not clear whether it is Vista only (or also XP) that is affected and whether Windows Software Update Services (WSUS) users have seen the same problem.
More to come when there’s new info to share.
Pasted from <http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=832&tag=nl.e539>
Has your Recycle Bin icon ever disappeared from your desktop? Perhaps the icon was in place one night before you went to bed, but in the morning when you started up your computer again, it was long gone. Where did it go? What happened to it? But more importantly, how can you get it back? Well, there are a few things you can try to get your Recycle Bin icon back where it's supposed to be. So, if you've run out of options, give these a try!
The first thing you can do is right click on your desktop and choose Properties. Once there, hit the Desktop tab and then click on the Customize Desktop button. In the middle of that box, you will see some of the more common desktop icons. Click on the one for the Recycle Bin (it looks like a trash can) and then hit the cheap generic cialis Restore Default button. Click OK and then go take a look at your desktop. The Recycle Bin icon should be back, but if it's not, don't lose hope, because there are a couple other things you can still try!
For the next option, go down to your taskbar and right click in any open space. From the menu that pops up, click on Toolbars, Desktop. The word "Desktop" will then appear at the end of your taskbar with a double arrow beside it. Right click on those arrows and you will see an option for the Recycle Bin. Next, drag and drop that Recycle Bin icon to your desktop. That should reinstate your icon for you, but if you're still having trouble, try this. Right click on your taskbar again and go to Toolbars, New Toolbar. There should be an option there for the Recycle Bin as well. You can then drag and drop that icon to your desktop. Doing either of these three things should bring your Recycle Bin icon back and you can get on with your daily computing!
by Greg Shultz | Jan 4, 2006
Takeaway: Did you know that unless you uninstall a device driver on a Windows XP machine that it still may be sucking up valuable system resources? Here are step-by-step instructions on how you can view and remove these unnecessary devices.
When you install a device driver on a Windows XP machine, the operating system loads that driver each time the computer boots regardless of whether the device is present—unless you specifically uninstall the driver. This means that drivers from devices that you have long since removed from your system may be wasting valuable system resources.
Follow these steps to view and remove these unnecessary device drivers:
1. Press [Windows]+[Break] to bring up the System Properties dialog box.
2. Select the Advanced tab and click the Environment Variables button.
3. Click the New button below the System Variables panel.
4. In the New System Variable dialog box, type devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices in the Variable Name text box and 1 buying cialis without prescription in the Variable Value text box.
5. Click OK to return to the System Properties dialog box and then click OK again.
6. Select the Hardware tab and click the Device Manager button.
7. In Device Manager, go to View | Show Hidden Devices.
8. Expand the various branches in the device tree and look for the washed out icons, which indicate unused device drivers.
9. To remove an unused device driver, right-click the icon and select Uninstall.
Pasted from <http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10877_11-6017628.html?tag=nl.e064>
Microsoft has bowed to pressure from customers and will allow large manufacturers to continue selling PCs with Windows XP preloaded until June 30, 2008. This is an additional five months from the original January 31, 2008 date.
If you recall, we reported just last week on how Microsoft has softened its stance and has been quietly allowing PC makers to furnish a “downgrade” to Windows XP for customers who request it. Allowing PC makers to furnish a downgrade, or selling it with XP preloaded, reduces the hassle to system administrators. This is especially true for larger orders.
Microsoft now plans to keep XP on retail shelves even longer. In fact, computer makers in emerging markets will be allowed to build machines with Windows XP Starter Edition until June of 2010.
Excerpt from Microsoft extends Windows XP’s stay on News.com:
Kutz [Kevin Kutz is a director in Microsoft’s Windows Client unit] said Microsoft had seen similar demand patterns with past releases and noted that in the past, old operating systems remained available for around 18 months after the release of a new operating system.
“While Windows Vista sales are still going strong… we recognize there are some customers that need more time,” Kutz said.
Any wagers that the June 30 date will be pushed back again?
Pasted from <http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/tech-news/?p=1262&tag=nl.e064>
Customize Windows XP’s General tab
- Date: October 3rd, 2007
- Blogger: Greg Shultz
It’s easy to customize Windows XP’s General tab in the System Properties dialog box with your support contact information and your company’s logo just by using Notepad. Here’s how:
- Launch Notepad and type the following text, replacing the dummy information shown here with your own:
[General]
Manufacturer=Jim’s Computers
Model=5551212
[Support Information]
Line1=Call 555-1212 for technical support
Line2=Call 555-1212 for technical support
Line3=Call 555-1212 for technical support
Line4=Call 555-1212 for technical support
- Save the file in the C:\Windows\System32 folder as Oeminfo.ini.
- To add your logo to the General tab, create a 256-color BMP file that is 96 by 96 pixels in size.
- Save the file in the C:\Windows\System32 folder as Oemlogo.bmp.
After you create the files, you can check the results immediately by pressing [Windows][Break]. This will quickly bring up the System Properties dialog box.
Note: This tip applies to Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional.
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Pasted from <http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=523&tag=nl.e064>
