Microsoft is starting to roll out a new version of its Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) software for Windows XP Pro, which the company describes as the "most pirated edition of Windows XP." WGA is the software Microsoft uses to detect versions of Windows using fake or stolen license keys.
If you're running Windows XP Pro, you'll probably receive the new version through Windows Update soon. If you just can't wait to find out if your operating system passes the test, you can also visit the direct download page.
The new version of WGA will work much like the anti-piracy software implemented in Windows Vista. Your PC will not be immediately disabled if it fails the WGA check. Rather when you login you'll see a black desktop background instead of your background of choice. You can change the background, but every 60 minutes it will reset itself to black.
There will also be a warning notice that you cannot make go away unless you enter a valid Windows license key.
One of the hardest aspects of managing email is keeping track of sent messages where a reply is expected. Do you have this problem? I know I do. Some of the people I correspond with are completely reliable, and I know that if I send them something, I will get a reply within 24 hours and often sooner. But some of my other regular correspondents are not so reliable.
At all.
It's really frustrating.
Luckily, if you're a Gmail user, there is a very simply method for keeping track of messages where you are expecting a reply. You see it every day, and you might even be using it for something else.
What am I talking about?
The Starred attribute. With a single key or button press, Gmail allows you to add a star to a message which prominently appears whenever that message or thread is in view.
This process is incredibly simple, but effective. Now, I should first point out that starring an email is for all intents and purposes the same as labeling a message with any arbitrary label. But I think stars work better as an expected response reminder than a label would. So follow along with me and see if you don't come to the same conclusion.
With the number of laptops I reinstall Windows on every day constantly on the rise, I've been looking for applications that might help boost my pitiful short-term memory - for some reason, my boss frowns upon me playing Brain Age at work.
And since 6AM isn't the best time to be shouting at something in my house (toddler, wife, etc.), I need something a bit more quiet to help me practice. Speed Read may be just the app for the job.
The idea is very simple: display the number of words you choose at a specified interval to improve your ability to recall groups of words and maintain attention to the subject. Speed Read will display text from any text file and comes packaged with 51 sample files.
You can, of course, add your own, which is a good idea. If you're serious about practicing, you may as well be reading something you enjoy. As your skill improves, increase the number of words displayed and turn up the speed to keep the exercise challenging.
It works quite well, and after sticking with it for about a week I definitely notice an improvement already in my ability to read quickly - and remember.
Microsoft built a lot of new functionality into Windows Vista's search feature, but what about those of us that are still sticking with our trusty old XP installs? Our default search is a decrepit old fart of a program, and one that still resembles the version from a decade ago.
Well, it's time for a change. Two great freeware programs do the job much better, so why keep dealing with a slow, lackluster search?
Portable application buffs should check out Locate32. When you launch the app for the first time, you'll need to tell it to build a database file. After that, it'll take a seat in your system tray and run updates on your specified schedule. You can further tweak by specifying a maximum CPU usage before starting the job to ensure indexing doesn't bog down your system during busy periods.
Indexing took just a minute and a half on my notebook's 120GB hard drive, and subsequent searches displayed results in a flash. Searches you want to execute frequently can be added to the presets button.
I can't remember when was the last time I actually used Internet Explorer as the default browser on one of my Windows computers. After posting my how to on making a DIY launcher with Explorer, I realized that I wasn't using another feature that's been part of Windows for ages: the favorites menu.
Most of us look at the menu, see all the factory links (like Windows Update, Windows Media, etc) and forget something: you can add local programs, drives, and folders to your favorites as well.
Why bother? Well, instead of using an app like Folder Guide you may just want to use the features Windows has already given you to work with.
Last month we told you about the new web calculator eCalc. Now you can not only use the calculator on the web, but also on yourWindows desktop.
The download and install is extremely fast and simple - I had my calculator up an running in under 90 seconds. The calculator can be used by clicking numbers and functions with a mouse or using them on your keyboard. The only thing I found that threw me off was that using the equal sign on my keyboard did not work. I had to press enter instead.
The desktop version is always on top unless you minimize it and takes up a good chunk of the side of your screen. If you need a scientific calculator, pressing the scientific mode button on the desktop version takes you to the web calculator and its' scientific capabilities.
I hope this won't make me sound too old but I found it easier to use than the regular Windows calculator because of the bigger buttons. It also features a lot more functions beyond addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
While I know it's no big deal to dump a couple of gigs of music onto my 8GB flash drive, sometimes it's nice to fire up some streaming radio for a change of pace.
Screamer is available both as an installable application and as a portable executable. Go with the portable version, and you'll be able to take your presets with you wherever you can plug in your USB flash drive.
Click on presets, and Screamer will bury you under a mountain of radio streams. Browse by genre, geographical location, network, or language. Once you make a selection, its category heading will automatically be added to the bottom of the preset list for easy channel changing.
I tune in The Edge, and Screamer adds the rest of the Modern Rock category for me. Slick.
Favorite your top feeds and Screamer saves them in a simple XML file - handy for emailing your faves to a buddy, if you feel like sharing.
Recording is supported, though only on streams that provide track information. You'll still need an app like StreamRipper for recording other feeds.
Development is very active, and new streams are added frequently. You can request a specific one by visiting their forums. Screamer is freeware, Windows only.
If you spend any amount of time moving files around using Windows Explorer, the repetitive clicking can get tiresome. Folder Guide is a context menu enhancement that speeds your navigation: add a folder to your Guide, and accessing it is a two-click operation from any explorer window or file dialog box.
Adding a folder to Folder Guide can be done two ways. Launch the main program, click the add button, set up an alias, and browse for your path. Oddly, the developers chose to use the explore view which means there's no access to the right-click shortcuts you've already created to make navigating easier.
The easier - and more logical way - is to simply browse for your folder and right-click it. Choose add to folder guide, and you're done. You won't be prompted for an alias, so to edit the default name you'll need to use the application itself.
Snce Folder Guide works with file dialogs it's available just about everywhere you want to make directory browsing faster: attaching files in GMail, selecting a save location for a screen capture, you name it.
Folder Guide is freeware, and Windows only, of course. No mention is made on the site of Vista or 64-bit compatibility.
You've no doubt learned to take the various claims software developers make about their products with a grain of salt, but the gang at Lastpass may be right on with theirs. Lastpass may just be the last password you'll ever have to remember.
Other DS bloggers have looked at plenty of other options, like Passpack and good ol' Keepass. Lastpass has put together an extremely worthy competitor, and I was impressed with how it performed in my test runs.
Lastpass installs as two parts: the core application and as plugins for both Firefox and Internet Explorer. All data is encrypted on your PC, and only your encrypted file is stored on the Lastpass servers. It's also cross-platform, so you can sync your password data to Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs.
During install, the manager effortlessly captures and imports local passwords from both browsers (which shows you just how much you need an encrypted password store) then gives the option to clear them. It also does imports from RoboForm, Keepass, Password Safe, and MyPasswordSafe.
In wake of the federal government's decision that they own your notebook computer plus all your flash keys and your first-born child, coupled with the costs and hassle of commercial flying, travelers are looking at alternatives to data-filled laptop computers. Besides, laptops are heavy, especially when you add in the battery, and then you have to schlep all those geeky-tchotchkes we stuff inside the bag. My eyes are a little too old to use my phone exclusively (it works for on-the-fly email and an occasional text message) but it doesn't get me quickly to web-based apps that I need for business. What to do?
Enter Ultra Mobile computing. From 7" to 11" screens, with Vista or XP operating systems, 2-lb ultra portable computers are entering the business landscape. Costs range from $300 - $2000 and up (US$) and what they offer may be just what you need. The trick is to buy only what you need so it's both portable and affordable. For example, I need Word and Excel when traveling but I hardly need to load Access or Publisher so a smaller hard drive works fine - what I really want is a web browser and speedy wireless Internet with the ability to VPN. We're a Windows shop, so Outlook Web Access (browser-based) takes care of email needs.
Fundamentally just a tiny computer, an ultraportable fits into a larger purse or in your briefcase (yay! no laptop bag to stuff into the overhead compartment!). Once you struggle through choosing to install only those programs you absolutely have to have because the hard disk is going to be significantly smaller than your 160+ Gb workstation, look into the free and low-cost portable applications that take little drive space and require almost no installation so your compact hard drive doesn't get crowded.
But what about hauling all my files with me if I don't have the luxury of a VPN or I haven't figured out yet how to remote into my desktop back in the office (which I remembered to leave ON during my trip)?
The key? For your ultra-portable machine, get applications that fit on a Flash key or iPod with as close to "zero footprint" as possible. Zero footprint? These are applications that remove all temporary files/registry settings once the program has exited. If you create a document, you can move it as well to a portable storage device, like a Flash key. No trace left behind and less for the TSA to explore when they seize your computer at the border.
Microsoft's Sysinternals team has released a new, free, light weight virtual desktop manager for Windows called Desktops. Yes, Microsoft already had a virtual desktop manager called, well, Virtual Desktop Manager. But Desktops offers a few advantages. First, it's a single, tiny executable file. No installation necessary, which makes this a good candidate for carrying with you on a USB flash drive. And second, Desktops offers a wide range of keyboard shortcuts to choose from, which could come in handy if your Alt+1 key combo is reserved for something else.
If you're scratching your head trying to figure out what a virtual desktop is, here's how it works. You can create up to four different desktop spaces and switch between them. In other words, you can load a few programs in desktop 1, a few more in desktop 2, and a few others in desktop 3. They'll all keep running as you switch back and forth. So if you have iTunes playing in desktop one, and an Office document to edit in desktop 2, you can keep listening to music while you're typing away.
The advantage is that if you've got, say a 1280 x 1024 pixel monitor, but you like to have umpteen applications open at once and there's no way to keep them all visible on that display. A virtual desktop gives you another 1280 x 1024 pixel canvas or two, or three to work with.
Ever on the lookout for a better screenshot application, I decided to give Jetscreenshot a chance. It's available free right now, so I figured it was worth a shot (pardon the unintentional pun).
Like other similar apps, it's a small download and doesn't consume much in the way of CPU or memory while running, and it hides out in your system tray waiting to grab an image. Use its settings screen to add your FTP server details and http path, and you get three-click screen-to-server captures.
That part impressed me.
What didn't was how Jetscreenshot started to freak out when I tabbed out of its capture window mid-edit. It didn't re-appear, and there's no option on the system tray icon to pull up your last capture. Still, after exiting and re-launching the program, it worked just fine again.
For quick screenshot chores that require minimal text overlays or MSPaint style arrow drawing, Jetscreenshot is a capable choice for Windows users. How does it stack up to your favorite grabber? Try it out, comment, and let us know!
There are many applications that allow you to snap snippets of text from web sites and mark, tag, and otherwise share them. It's not a new concept, and truth be told, I wasn't expecting to be too terribly impressed with Deepmemo.com. Their site seemed visually messy, and the mixture of Cyrillic and Roman character sets in the tag cloud area had me concerned, because it didn't seem to change when I selected my language.
The application and delivery of this service, though? Nicely done, guys. You changed my pig-headed mind.
So why does Deepmemo (DM) stand out from the pack? There are a few reasons. The DM toolbar can be used with Firefox, but...hold on to your hats... there is an IE7 version. I know more than a few developers who have no bones saying they'd love to port their add-ons to IE, but it ain't easy. This could be a huge advantage for the DM crew.
It also allows for logins with OpenID, Facebook, or any registered user name associated with a Google service. The caveat is that dm is a third-party application, and it asks for access to your Google (or Facebook) account. If that makes you uncomfortable, it is also possible to just register with dm directly.
There's no shortage of Windows Explorer replacements. While many offer features missing from Windows Explorer like dual pane viewing or tabs, UltraExplorer goes a few steps further. Here are just a few of the features packed into this light weight file manager for Windows:
Built in command line window that syncs with the open folder
Viewer window for previewing the contents of selected files
Dual pane viewing
Shortcuts for changing views (thumbnails, list, details, etc)
Probably the coolest feature is a "Drop Stack" window which is like a super-charged copy and paste clipboard. Just drag a file or group of folders to the Drop Stack, change folders, and drag them fromt the stack to your new window.
You can also install UltraExplorer on a portable USB flash drive by copying the contents of the installation directory to your flash drive.
Ok, I filed this under "fun," but once you give it a shot you might disagree with me.
I Wanna Be The Guy may be the most frustrating, hair-pulling game you ever play. As the developer states on one of his Zazzle shirts, it's "The game where everything kills you. Even the moon."
Within the first couple of minutes, I'd died more times than I cared to count, and that's the point. My poor keyboard nearly got smashed across the edge of my workbench. The game is so difficult (and addictive in a masochistic way) that you want to beat it just to say you did.
Levels have an old-school feel to them and borrow certain elements from some of your favorite classic games, like Bullet Bill and Zangief.
What makes it so hard? Anything can pop out from anywhere and kill you. Keep your eye on that wall, it'll start chasing you and then impale your unsuspecting butt.
IWBTG is kind enough to let you turn down the amount of splatter from your death, as well as music and sound effects - which can get a little irritating during an extended session.
This little baby is freeware, Windows only. If you're not ready for the full dose of insanity, grab the demo download and try the first few levels before taking the plunge.
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In wake of the 
