Nope, that's not a typo. Even though it may be a little hard to believe, I made no mistake when I said Internet Explorer 8. On March 5, 2008 (just this past Wednesday), the Microsoft Corporation announced the arrival of Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 and told the public it is now available for download. Isn't that amazing?! It hasn't even been two years since IE 7 was released and Microsoft has already come this far with a brand new version. Make sure you keep reading for the entire scoop. This one's a must see!

After the unveiling, Microsoft posted a link on their Web site that was titled "Beta 1 For Developers." Now, that basically means this beta version is mainly meant for developers and designers so that they can test out the layout, the new tools, the programming, etc. However, anyone can access cheap generic viagra online the link, so if you want to download and install the IE 8 preview, you most certainly can. Microsoft also made it clear that the IE 8 beta is available in separate versions for different operating systems (Windows XP, Vista, Server 2003 and Server 2008).

So, what can you expect from Internet Explorer 8? Well, there are going to be several "never seen before" features. One is a complete IE 8 Readiness Toolkit, which includes new tools like WebSlices and Activities. There will also be a newly redesigned Favorites bar, automatic crash recovery and improved anti-phishing filters. A lot of the new features are similar to what you'd find in the Safari Web browser for Macs, which is also pretty cool. Microsoft is obviously still working on putting IE 8 together, but if you download the preview, you can at least see some samples of what they're doing. You can check it all out right here. Grab your copy today!

IEFix is a general purpose repair utility for Internet Explorer that repairs it by registering its core DLL files and reinstalling them by using the IE.INF file. IEFix is suitable for Windows 98/ME/2000 and XP systems.

IEFix can fix the following problems:

• When you click a hyperlink in an e-mail message or on a Web page, you may experience one or more of the following issues:

  1.) Nothing happens.
  
  2.) The new window may be blank.
  
  3.) You may receive a scripting error message.

• When you use the Print command or the Print Preview command in Internet Explorer, nothing happens.

• When you try to connect to Web folders, you may receive the following error message: "The current operation could not be completed, because an unexpected error has occurred."

• The Internet Options Advanced tab is completely blank.

• The Internet Explorer About box version information is completely blank.

• The address bar search does not work.

• You're unable to type in text boxes on a search engine or on a Web site.

  

• Registers the core Internet Explorer libraries.
  

• Repairs Internet Explorer using the IE.INF method (in Windows XP).
  

• Fixes the application path setting (in Windows XP).

• Download IEFix right here and run it.
  

• Click the Apply button.
  

• You'll then be prompted for your operating system CD or your Service Pack Files location.

  1.) If you're using Windows XP, insert your operating system CD. For OEM systems, simply point to the operating system's source path when prompted. Mention the path as "C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\i386."

  2.) If you don't have your Windows installation CD and if the installation source files are not present on your hard drive, you may click Cancel. IEFix will still continue with the DLL registration part.

  3.) Restart Windows.

  

Do you have an LCD monitor that has a dead pixel somewhere on the screen? Those drive me crazy! But that won't be happening anymore, because now, there's something you can do to fix it! It isn’t a guaranteed fix, but it's definitely worth a shot, right?

Just drag the image over to the dead pixel and leave it there for an hour. The image will massage the dead pixel and canadian generic viagra try to stimulate it back to life. So, how does the massage work, you ask? Well, the image is rapidly changing the dead pixel and the pixels around it.

If after an hour, it's still dead, you can try another option. You can try the full screen version, but the downside is you have to leave it to do its work for 12 hours. Make sure you follow the directions carefully before you start the 12 hour massage.

You don’t want to leave any status bar visible during the process, because it may harm your LCD. Therefore, you need to put your Internet browser on full screen mode and hide all the bars.

This is fairly easy to use and it gives you a good shot at reviving those annoying dead pixels. If you ask me, it's definitely worth a try!

http://killdeadpixel.com/

Put your Registry-hacking knowledge to good use: hack your way to running Windows XP at top speed.

Creating and marketing tuning and customization utilities for the Windows XP operating system is quickly becoming big business. A Google search will turn up hundreds of sites and programs dedicated to tweaking Windows XP. But no matter what type of interface is developed to make system tweaking easier and safer for the average user, the end result is that the changes are reflected in XP by modifying the Registry. For some people, commercial tweaking utilities might be the method of choice, but with a few precautions and safeguards it’s possible to enhance system performance using only those tools supplied with Windows XP.

As you learned in Chapter 7, you can use the Registry Editor [Hack #83] to edit the Registry. Make sure you take the precautions outlined in that chapter and back up your Registry [Hack #86], no matter how comfortable you are editing the thing.

No single tweak is going to take an ancient PC and turn it into a gamer’s dream machine. It’s even unlikely that a number of tweaks will achieve substantial performance gains, but every little bit does help. As long as you keep your expectations realistic, you’ll learn something about the Registry and hopefully see a performance increase in the process.

Menu Speed

When XP first appeared, there was a lot of conversation about the new interface, both good and bad. In spite of the initial complaints, most users stick with the default settings rather than reverting to the Classic interface found in previous Windows versions. But you might want to change the delay you notice when you click the Start menu. I see no reason for there to be any delay when I click the Start menu. Effects are pretty, but I wouldn’t click it if I didn’t have business inside, so let’s get it open and get moving. The default speed can be adjusted with a quick Registry hack.

Go to the Registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\MenuShowDelay. The default value is 400. Set it to 0 to remove the delay completely, but if you do that it will be nearly impossible to move the mouse fast enough not to activate All Programs if you mouse over it en route to your final selection. Pick a number that suits your style, make the change, and then test it until you find a good compromise between speed and usability.

System Performance | 475

#110 More Power: Registry Hacks to Speed Up XP

Place Windows Kernel into RAM

It’s a given that anything that runs in RAM will be faster than an item that has to access the hard drive and virtual memory. Rather than have the kernel that is the foundation of XP using the slower Paging Executive functions, use this hack to create and set the DisablePagingExecutive DWORD to a value of 1.

Perform this hack only if the system has 256MB or more of installed RAM!

Edit the Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\DisablePagingExecutive to 1 to disable paging and have the kernel run in RAM (set the value to 0 to undo this hack). Exit the Registry and reboot.

Alter Prefetch Parameters

Prefetching (the reading of system boot canada viagra generic files into a cache for faster loading) is a commonly overlooked component that can have a significant impact on system boot time. This tweak allows you to select which components will make use of the prefetch parameters. To see which files are gathered using each setting, clear the prefetch cache located at C:\Windows\Prefetch and then enable one of the settings listed in this hack. Clear the cache and repeat for each setting.

Set the Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters\EnablePrefetcher to 0 to disable prefetching, 1 to prefetch application launch files, 2 to prefetch boot files, or 3 to prefetch as many files as possible.

Disable 8.3 Name Creation in NTFS

Files that use the 8.3 naming convention can degrade NTFS drive performance. Unless you have a good reason for keeping the 8.3 naming convention intact (such as if you’re using 16-bit programs), a performance gain can be achieved by disabling it.

Set the Registry DWORD key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem
\NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation to 1. Exit the Registry and reboot.

—Jim Foley