The Matrix screensaver, a timeless classic

I just updated one of my favorite screensavers:  The Matrix Screen Saver, to Version 1.14 (of 2 August 2010), by Meticulous Software in the UK, a company founded in 1999 by Phil Symons. I will have to explore the other cool applications they carry including iPhone Apps; you can tell easily that this is quality software. In the release notes of this screensaver, you can read that a problem with a multi-monitor setting, when the primary screen is not number 1, was fixed. The author also suggests to use version 1.11b if the performance of version 1.14 in Windows 7, as reported by some users, is not optimal. I will post about that if something comes up. For the time being I can notice that it does not run within the tiny screen of the Screen Saver Settings dialog box, as other screensavers do, so I was not able to take a screenshot, the way I did when I wrote about Windows Vista screensavers in Windows 7. In the meantime I'm running version 1.14. It's impressive!

What's with Flash player in Internet Explorer?! ...and Firefox, and...

I had it already and I came to this sort of conclusion/question (at any rate, still a puzzle): Apparently if IE does not work properly (no PDF viewing, no Flash player, always asking for an update, even when Firefox or Chrome work fine doing the same, etc.) that is a sign of Windows problems. It could be spyware (?) How about Flash10u.ocx instead of Flash10e.ocx? What about the difference between the Shockwave Flash Object and the Flash Player? It seems to be that these are two different names for the same "add-on", not sure. In addition, there's Activex Version: 10.3.181.34 (as of this date) and Plug-in version 11.0.1.152. In addition, there is the Flash Player Settings Manager in the Control Panel, but that it's only for the 32-bit version. In other words, sort of confusing. Was this the reason why Steve Jobs (r.i.p.) literally censured this technology, back in 2010 ("we know that Flash is the number one reason Macs crash") and I would add the number one reason why Internet Explorer crashes and/or performs poorly sometimes.  Well, at least Adobe has a page on the subject. Solving this puzzle may be the key to a number of issues in Windows, and that goes for other Adobe products. Oh, yes, and for the other browsers!

We are already 7 billion, and yes, still in the PC era

Today, according to the United Nations, will mark the day when the world population reaches the worrisome figure of 7 billion inhabitants!  "Occupancy by more than 7 billion inhabitants is dangerous and unlawful" should read a big sign visible from outer space. Seriously, this piece of news that cannot pass unnoticed, brings many thoughts and conjectures about the availability of resources. I want just to point to the fact that the PC, that marvelous invention of the 20th century, is here to stay for many centuries to come. Think about this: the automobile, no matter how sophisticated has become and will continue to improve, specially in the energy consumption department, is already part of the tools that mankind uses to function on a daily basis. By the same token, the PC, sort of the second invention of the wheel, will continue to be part of our daily tools for centuries to come. I totally disagree with what some "analysts" wrongly call the "post-PC era" just because the inroads PC tablets (iPad and the like) are making. Undeniably, computing activity has moved from the desktop to the mobile realm, but it does not mean it is a substitute for the personal computer on a desk or even a laptop computer. That would be tantamount to saying that the sandals represent the "post-shoe era" or something to that effect. Nonsense. There is a lot of people that needs to be catered with computers and, no, people won't be productive just tapping on a screen with their fingers. Keyboards, mice and other input devices will continue to be around.

Need a really good reason to upgrade to Windows 7? Try XP mode

For those still hesitant to upgrade their already-old Windows XP system, "fearing" that their current applications are not compatible, there is a very good reason to upgrade to Windows 7 in the form of Windows XP mode, let alone that almost everything that runs in XP can run in Windows 7. Basically, you  seamlessly can run any Windows XP-compatible application within Windows 7 through the use of a Virtual PC. Both, the latter and the former, can be downloaded for free. It's neat, it's useful and works unobstrusively. You don't even need to start the virtual machine if you enable the "integration features". Each application will run in a separate window like any other native Windows 7 application, the only difference being the upper-right hand control buttons look and feel. Take a few minutes of your time and watch this enlightening video on how to do the whole setup. Give it a try, if you have Windows 7, or have someone give you a demo. You won't regret it and would think, how in the world I didn't do this before?! Really. Read more...

From XP to Windows 8? Not necessarily

More than a month after I got my copy of Windows Developer Preview (aka Windows 8 Preview), I am convinced that it is a great addition to the saga of Microsoft operatings systems and that it will serve its purpose very well: to provide a versatile and nimble OS for tablet devices using either Intel or ARM processors. There is no doubt that Windows 8 is a technology event to reckon with now, in the near future and beyond. However, and this is just my personal opinion, I would suggest to those still pondering an upgrade to Windows XP to not skip Windows 7, specially if you are a heavy desktop computer user. Not that Windows 8 is not capable of heavy duty computer power, but Windows 7 will, in turn, continue to be an operating system of choice for powers users: developers, designers, writers and editors, engineers, architects, and yes, artists. "Does Windows 8 really change everything?" Read on.

THINK Exhibit: when IBM is cool again

Yesterday, Sunday the 23rd, was the last day of this great IBM exhibit, at the newly renovated Lincoln Center 'campus', of which I had a hint a few days before its opening, in mid September, as a regular visitor to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The good news is that I got a new gig for the rest of this year, and in the process I did not visit (sigh) this exhibit, and that's the bad news! I totally missed out this extraordinary display of technology and imagination celebrating the 100th birthday of IBM. How I wish they could leave it open for the rest of autumn... (IBM people, are you listening...?)

The real US immigration problem

New York's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, in a speech delivered at the Immigration and American Competitiveness Conference sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Partnership for a New American Economy, seems to be the first politician (that I know of) who makes sense out of serious immigration problems in the US. No, it's not about the repeated ad nauseam "11 million undocumented immigrants" and how to grant them "the path to citizenship" (as ill-informed and lazy journalists keep repeating) it is about four major issues, as outlined by Bloomberg.
ONE "Every year, we admit more than one million new permanent residents. But 85 percent of the visas we hand out are for those seeking family re-unification or refuge from harm, while only 15 percent of visas are given for economic reasons."
TWO " Foreign students who are earning advanced degrees in technical fields from our universities should be eligible to work here permanently."
THREE "We [the US] should stop turning away so many entrepreneurs who want to come here and start businesses. "
FOUR "Business leaders and mayors agree that we should expand and streamline our existing tools for attracting talent to our country."
Read the whole story here.

Now it's Windows 8 turn

"The rearticulation of the mouse cursor with the finger" (or fingers), all of them, that's succinctly the new Windows 8 multitouch interface, named Metro UI (based in the Windows Phone 7). In other words, you can use simultaneously more than one finger each one engaged on a different complementary operation on the same screen (and I don't mean just enlarging or reducing the size of a picture!) That's but one of the many features present in this new iteration of Microsoft Windows introduced officially this week, in Anaheim, California, at the BUILD conference, the first place to dive deep into the future of Windows. I missed being there, with thousands of developers, to get a free Samsung Windows 8 tablet powered by ARM mobile computing architecture (in other words, beyond the traditional Intel, and that's a big departure). I found this well documented site with a a list of 300+ Windows 8 features that Microsoft didn’t show.

Don't set files and folders permissions manually!

...unless you have to do it and as your last resort. My late father used to say, in a sort of philosophical way, something to the effect of "messing up is how you learn." And that's exactly what happened this weekend. I wasted many hours in the process trying to fix the access to my personal folders and files located in a separate partition, some 8 GB! But I learned a great deal. By default, any folder or file you create in your computer will have an owner (the person logged in to Windows) and "everyone" will have full access to them. Don't ask me how I decided to change these settings manually, really not knowing what I was doing, I admit. Next thing, access denied (!) to most of those files and the ones still visible had the dreaded little padlock icon. Then after much manual fixing, a Windows 7 (Vista and NT as well) utility came to the rescue: icacls. This command line utility is capable of displaying and modifying Access Control List (ACL) on folders and files explicit permissions. Warning: use it at you own risk; only advanced users should try it. This tool comes in handy when you have to make permissions changes to hundreds and even thousands of files at once. You can start by opening a DOS console with admin rights and then type icacls /? to see all the possibilities, but, let's face it, this is more complicated that it seems. Yet on the other hand, let me give you the skinny with actual examples (you replace parameters accordingly).

1. Before assigning permissions you need to take ownership of the files and folders, assuming the owner is not the current logged user (as it should be). Use this syntax:
   takeown /F YourPath /A /R
   Notice how we are using still another application (takeown.exe) where /F is for the filename or directory, /A gives ownership to the administrators group instead to the current user (a necessary step, before you can assign it manually to the current user, by rather using the GUI tool —right-click on the file or folder / Properties / Security tab, etc.), /R applies changes to directories and subdirectories. You may have to repeat this operation a number of times for other folders since not always the changes trickle down to all files and folders. To learn more, type takeown /?
2. Now, this is the command line for assigning or reassigning the actual permissions:
   icacls YourPath /inheritance:r /grant:r Everyone:(OI)(CI)F /T
   /inheritance:r removes all inherited ACEs (note that each assignment of permissions to a user or group is represented in the system as an access control entry or ACE); /grant:r assigns the specified user access rights but with the :r switch the explicit permissions previouly granted are replaced; (OI): object (file) inherit, (CI): container (folder) inherit, F: full access, /T: operation performed on all files/directories below the directory specified in YourPath. Once this command line has run, you may still have to do some manual adjustments using the GUI tool.  

Please NOTE: these command lines have worked for me, but this may not be your situation. Use them at your own risk, and, again, this resource is to be used only when you are in trouble. Do not use this for normal assignment of permissions. Leave the OS and/or an experienced administrator take care of that. No wonder, information and documentation for these 2 utilities (takeown.exe and icacls) is not readily available, in a sort of "handbook" form, but I'm sure I overlooked a lot of information out there. Here, for example you can watch at your leisure this bunch of videos on the subject. Finally, given the complexity of this subject, I have to say that I did not even start to scratch the surface of it.

What's with the Calendar gadget?!

One of the emblematic Windows 7 gadgets, the calendar, has its way o misbehaving (see snapshot, right). It basically does not show anything except a solid orange box. Trying to fix it by restarting it did not work. Upon a search on the Internet I could not find anything of value to help solve the issue, not even in the Microsoft websites (!) and I gave up and, worse! I uninstalled it and I have no way to know how to reinstall it. Go figure! Until a new version is relesead (beyond 1.0), I will stop using this gadget. I'm not going to bother with this issue. However, when I'm in a better mood for gadgets I will try and review the Windows Gadget Platform (in Vista it used to be called the sidebar and the gadgets were all together in one block). A nice Windows shortcut to bring to the front all the gadgets, buried under open applications, is Windows Key + G.

The healing power of Words

In this day of remembrance for New York and the world, memories from ten years ago—when I was already an adopted New Yorker—come rushing through my mind, but I try and keep only the most vital. For instance, back in the summer of 2001 when I visited a wonderful and moving photo exhibit in the Vanderbilt Hall of Grand Central station, called M.I.L.K. (Moments, Intimacy, Love, Kinship) I came across a line of the American writer Thornton Wilder that profoundly touched me, as the whole exhibit did:
"There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning."
Powerful words to keep us going, that came to the rescue in the darkest hour, as it is always the case with poetry.

Robocopy: A practical way to backup your files on the go

One really great tool in Windows 7 (also available for Windows Vista) is the robocopy command, which is the "robust file copy for windows" that allows you to copy an entire folder, and subfolders, from one destination into another, in a much better fashion than using xcopy. It's perfect for quick backups into flash memory drives, hopefully encrypted with Bitlocker to Go, first, though not necessary. The syntax, in a DOS or a PowerShell console is

robocopy [source] [destination] /MIR 

the latter, an option switch which stands for "MIRror a directory tree." In other words, you get an exact copy on the destination drive, adding or deleting folders and files, accordingly, with a complete summary at the end of the operation. Let me give you an example with a complete batch file I programmed. It will ask you first for the drive letter of the destination directory. Why this? Sometimes the drive letters of removable drives may change when other devices are added or removed. In addition, should the destination folder not exist, robocopy will create it.  Here's the batch file, in which you only have to modify the fourth line accordingly. For example's sake, your source folder is D:\CollegePapers and the destination folder is in drive M. Once you run this batch file, you should type the corresponding drive letter, here M, and then press Enter. Sorry, there's no error trapping included. Very useful and practical. Please, give it a try. REMINDER: if you delete directories and/or files in your source and then run this batch file, those same directories and/or files will be deleted in the destination drive. Remember: the /MIR switch is used to create a mirror, identical, copy. Use with caution!

@echo off
set /P drLetter=Please enter drive letter: 
set "thisDrive=%drLetter%:"
robocopy D:\CollegePapers %thisDrive%\CollegePapers /MIR

More wonderful Windows 7 themes

It's a very nice surprise to find more and more Windows 7 themes in the Microsoft website. The last time I visited for this purpose, to be honest, it was a few months ago. But now, lo and behold! a great assortment of subjects is right there ready to download. No need to install, just "Open" and voilà! Change the mood of your computer and perhaps yours too. All sorts of animals, art, automobiles, games, holidays, seasons, movies, landscapes and places are waiting for you. Wishing you a great weekend, with of without hurricane Irene...

Who is actually using Windows 7?

Other than millions of non-commercial consumers who is actually using Windows 7, enterprise-wise? I have a few examples, noting that the companies mentioned, use a mix of operating systems and not one exclusively.  Pixomondo, an international visual effect company with 10 worldwide studios, runs Thinkbox's Deadline software in Windows 7. Boeing, one of the world's leaders in aerospace technology, deployed Windows 7 Enterprise to its entire work force. BMW, an early adopter of this OS and my distant favorite automobile brand after Audi, is implementing a full deployment for a better remote management and a more productive mobile workforce. Maybe they have a nice job for me...

Credential Manager is a nice security feature but it could be puzzling too

Credential Manager, a security feature previously introduced in Windows Vista, now improved, allows you to store credentials, such as user names and passwords that you use to log on to websites or other computers on a network. In the search box (available when clicking on "Star" or when pressing the "Windows Key", to the left of ALT) type 'credential' and then click on "Credential Manager" when it appears. Same as "Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Credential Manager." If you are connected to a network you should be able to see the computers you usually interact with listed in the Windows Credentials section. There is however a puzzling entry in the Generic Credentials section called virtualapp/didlogical which appears to a puzzle for a lot of folks on the Internet, including myself. In Channel 9, people behind the scenes at Microsoft, somebody asks: can someone ​at ​Microsoft ​confirm, ​whether the ​"virtualapp​/didlogical" ​entry in ​the ​Credential ​Manager was ​created by ​Windows ​Live?...

Granted. Microsoft 2010 is supercool, but why preferably in 32-bit version?

One of my favorite features among the many nice, useful features in Office 2010 is the readily available screenshots of the applications (windows), running in your computer at a given time, that you can insert right there into the document you are creating. In the Ribbon, go to the 'Insert' tab and click on the 'Screenshots' icon. Neat. However, on a more general note, it would be interesting to know exactly why the 32-bit Office version (installed by default) is recommended over the 64-bit version, even for 64-bit systems. Perhaps this TechNet article about the 64-bit editions of Office 2010 gives some clues.

Microsoft buys Netflix, Ballmer steps aside... could it happen?

There has always been some sort of symbiosis between Microsoft and Netflix, in spite of initial problems with Silverlight, even his CEO, Reed Hastings, has said publicly that he likes Windows 7, and the idea of the former buying the latter is not as farfetched as it may sound, but for reasons that go beyond likability. In one insightful article that appeared recently in CNNMoney (a service of CNN, Fortune and Money), the author asserts that the best way for Microsoft to turn the stock price around isn't Bill Gates returning, but "Microsoft buying Netflix and Ballmer sharing the CEO spot with Hastings." Netflix could be the core of Microsoft's answer to Apple's iCloud...?

Want to run Windows 7 in legacy hardware?

There's a way, with one of the Microsoft Desktop Virtualization solutions, and it's called Microsoft Windows Thin PC (WinTPC). However, it's only available to Software Assurance (SA) volume licensing customers, in other words, for business purposes. Windows Thin PC has been developed using the Windows Embedded Standard 7 codebase, which in turn has been derived from the proven Windows 7 platform.

Solution: When Windows XP mode does not start...

When you are unable to run Windows XP mode, which is no other than a XP virtual machine running under Virtual PC (a free Microsoft application), one of the reasons may be that the virtual hard disk has been mounted as read-only. How to solve this? Well the simplest of the solutions is to make the folder, subfolders and files, where the virtual XP machine is located, read-write using the shell command ATTRIB /S -R. However, you may run into an ugly "Acces denied" message even with elevated privileges. What to do, then? The only solution that has worked for me in virtual environments, including VMWare virtual machines, is a quick and dirty one. Simply take that unruly folder and:  1) copy it in the same disk or partition with a different name, and 2) then run the command mentioned above. It should work just fine and the read-only attribute will be cleared; 3) Try and rename the original folder (this is important); 4) Rename the copied folder with the exact name as the original. You may not need to follow these steps if you make sure to install first the Virtual PC program and then the Windows XP application that can be downloaded for free, as well. When setting up the XP virtual machine you will have to go through a similar setup process as with a hard machine, including providing a password for the administrator. For more information and to avoid any confusion, please follow this guide: Install and use Windows XP Mode in Windows 7.

Programming for Windows Phone 7 is fun too

In the ongoing competition to create Mobile applications, I started to see more and more books and "treaties" dedicated to iPhones and iPads, and the popular Android phones, very well designed and written and I was starting to get jealous till I finally came across this book: 101 Windows Phone 7 Apps, Volume I (Volume II, applications 51 to 101, is to be released in the near future), by Adam Nathan, published by Sams Publishing. This is a beautiful and practical book with well thought out explanations and examples to create useful and fun to develop applications. Incidentally I could not find an appropriate Web page to link directly to the publisher, so I resorted to Amazon. Begining iOS 4 Application Development, by Wei-Meng Lee, is a good example when it comes to comparing how Microsoft had been resting on its laurels... and then came along the iPhone and the iPad and the iPhone Touch... I don't mean to say, however, that there is not already a good deal of books on WP7 development and programming...

Don't mistake Microsoft Lync for Microsoft Linq

Just a curiosity amidst the jungle of acronyms and technologies in the Microsoft universe. When the news came out last week that Microsoft acquired Skype, the anaylist started to see the strategic value, and perhaps the overlapping, of this business move with mentions to Lync, an instant messenger client formerly known as Microsoft Office Communicator. Rightfully so, since Microsoft Lync 2010 is truly a unified communication client with instant messaging, meetings, and voice. On the other hand, Linq, or Language Integrated Query, is a development technology, specifically a set of extensions to the .NET Framework that came out a few years ago, and extends C# and Visual Basic with native language syntax for queries. No confusions, after all. Lync is for end users whereas Linq is an "insider" term for developers and geeks.

This is the week of Tech-Ed 2011, this time in Atlanta

Exactly ten years later, Tech-Ed, the Microsoft annual conference for IT professionals and developers, is taking place again in Atlanta, beginning today, Monday 16. With 917 sessions, 114 pre-event Webcasts and 312 exhibitors, the event will focus this year on the following areas or tracks: Cloud Computing & Online Services / Database & Business Intelligence / Developer Tools, Languages & Frameworks / Development Practices & Architecture / Exchange & Lync / Middleware & Integration / Office & SharePoint / Security, Identity & Management / Virtualization / Windows Client / Windows Phone / Windows Server. I attended Tech-Ed Atlanta in 2001 and Tech-Ed San Diego in 2004. This time I am following the event from New York.

All you can do in Windows 7 using the command prompt

This time I would like to recommend this really practical, useful and well crafted book: Windows 7 Portable Command Guide, by Darril Gibson, with "all the commands in one compact, portable resource" for MCTS 70-680 (Configuring Windows 7), and MCITP 70-685 (Enterprise Desktop Support Technician) and 70-686 (Enterprise Desktop Administrator) Microsoft certifications. Although you may find this information in the Web, you won't find it in one single place as organized, neatly presented and with relevant examples, as within this book. Using the command-line interface with elevated privileges (cmd, Windows Powershell or better yet, the Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment) you can do this and then some: Windows 7 installation, upgrades and deployment, User and application migration, Windows 7 deployment, Physical and virtual hard disk configuration and management, Windows Update, Device and application configuration, Internet Explorer configuration, Networking (including TCP/IP configuration), Firewall settings, Mobile and remote computing, Secure access control for local and shared resources, System performance management and monitoring, Backups, system recovery and file recovery. Having a powerful "console" is no longer the province of Linux geeks, I figure.

"IL CIBO: necessità primordiale e piacere infinito"

I just discovered Eataly, in New York City, today at sunset time, and I had the most incredible experience in this shrine of gastronomy, savour, design, lust for life and everything Italy encompasses. I know I will come back many more times, but this first time I only had a luscious cremespresso as a epilogue to my poetic encounter not only with the whole venue but with the book that holds the story of Oscar Farinetti, the founder of this Italian gourmet emporium. His biography, Il mercante di utopie (roughly translated as "The merchant of utopias") tells in a most poetic, romantic and with journalistic precision, his extraordinary story and how against all odds, from the ground up, even from a place of doubt, Eataly became the great success is now in all over Italy, Japan and New York (opened in autumn of 2009). You have no idea how much I cherish the Italian language and the Italian culture and, of course, il cibo (Italian for "food, meal", and everything of family, and intimacy and coziness it entails) which is "a primal necessity and an infinite pleasure" (a statement taken from one of the pages of the book, which gives the title to this post. [Incidentally, I noticed they use W7 in their restaurants].

Microsoft & Skype: a foretold business juncture

Though at the tune of $8,5 billion... Skype, one of my favorite software tools to be in touch with the world, is now part of Microsoft as a new business division as they entered today into a definitive agreement. "The combined companies aim to deliver the future of real-time communications to consumers and businesses around the world" and that means more healthy competition to Apple and Google, among others. So now this is how Microsoft's opening into multiplatform operability starts to solidify,  and "will continue to invest in and support Skype clients on non-Microsoft platforms." In this respect, Microsoft has made already inroads into iPhone, iPad and Android markets with tools such as OneNote, Azure for smartphones, and other open source projects. 

WPF and extreme user interfaces like StreetSmart edge™

Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), introduced with Windows Vista, is an state-of-the-art presentation system for building Windows client and web-hosted applications with visually stunning user experiences. Curiously enough, the encyclopedic books about Vista and Windows 7, like the traditional Resource Kits, mention this technology in passing, mainly because it is part of the .Net Framework and intended mostly for developers, as its cousin Silverlight. One of these developers, Projekt202, an Austin, Texas, company, which without a doubt knows a great deal of usability and UI design, used WPF controls in the design of Charles Schwab's StreetSmart edge™, a very intuitive online trading application that has received good reviews since its release at the end of 2010. It runs in Windows 2000 and up and also in Mac 10.3 or higher.

Translation on the fly with Internet Explorer 9

Among the many features that make IE 9 once again my default browser, after a Firefox hiatus, is the "built-in" translation service that can be easily accessed by right-clicking on a word or expression and then selecting "Translate with Bing" in the menu. Sure enough, the service easily detects the source language, no need to select it from a list of languages, and then provides a translation in the target language, which usually is English (or any default language you may choose). See the example above, while on a jobs Website in German. This free service for online automatic translation is Microsoft translator, also known as Bing Translator, which allows real-time, in-place translations of the Websites you are reading or your own Website for a global audience. Explore the Translator V2 API & Widget, mobile tools, the ESL (English as a Second Language) Assistant and even an English Language Search for Chinese Speakers. Developers and linguists will be delighted.

So, what about Windows 7 Enterprise?

Midway between Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate is Windows 7 Enterprise (I know, is a lot of similar names). You may think, and rightfully so, that Ultimate is the most appropriate version for your company, but it's actually the Enterprise version that makes the cut. To name a few features: DirectAccess, BranchCache, Federated Search, BitLocker, AppLocker, Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and licensing rights to four virtual operating systems. Last, but not least, a subsystem for UNIX-based Applications (SUA)that can be used to compile and run POSIX applications in Windows. In addition, Windows 7 Ultimate has its drawbacks in the Enterprise like no volume licensing, the inclusion of consumer features, like Media Center, not easily managed using Group Policy and support is limited to only 5 years as opposed to a 10-year support with Windows 7 Enterprise. To know more jump to this page. Also, get a 90-day trial version of Windows 7 Enterprise.

Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE)

This is but one of the many nice and useful features of Windows 7. The Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE), which is a new Windows command-line shell designed especially for system administrators. And that's in addition to the Powershell that replaces the old black window console (from the times of DOS). The Windows PowerShell ISE enables IT professionals to develop scripts without installing additional tools. To know more and give it a try yourself visit, for example, this blog entry: Windows PowerShell ISE Color Objects.

iomega StorCenter: nice hardware, poor software performance

How many times did anybody see this or a similar message?!

This is one of those products that overpromise and underdeliver. After trying to make work the iomega StorCenter ix2-200 network storage (that only recently is advertised as "cloud edition") flawlessly for two weeks I quit and returned it for a full refund. To be truthful, it worked but intermittently: sometimes yes, sometimes no. The most common fault was a "network path not found" and that happened both in Windows 7 and Windows Vista systems, let alone the time it took me to make it "discoverable" in my LAN. In other words, the connection between the StorCenter and the computer(s) will always be interrupted in the middle of a backup operation. Let alone all the inconsistencies in the user interface AND the on-screen messages, from the very moment of the installation, where two setup programs start running almost simultaneously (!). Another example is one of the software products included with this NAS system: Retrospect Express edition which has a clumsy interface that is neither Windows, nor Apple, nor Linux. It's a shame that such a beautiful iomega product (hardware-wise) comes with substandard software. My verdict: stay away from this product, at least in Windows Vista and Windows 7 environments. I have plenty of screenshots to prove my point.

Keep your sanity: create a system repair disc

I cannot stress enough the importance of having that magic CD labeled "System Repair Disc" (Windows 7 64-bit, in my case) readily available. This bootable CD will save you a big headache if something goes wrong with your system. Create one right now. Here's how:  click on the Start button (or simply press the Windows key), then type "system repair" and click on "Create a System Repair Disc". You will be asked for your system administrator password if you have UAC enabled (you'd better do). Insert a blank CD and follow the prompts. That's all there is to it. Extremely useful, a lifesaver. The beauty of it is that you can use the same CD to "rescue" another PC, but it has to have the same operating system. Caveat: this repair disc is only for the operating system, not for your data or personal settings. However, it is most likely that your data is safe and what needs fixing is the operating system.

Now my default browser is Internet Explorer 9

Finally, after the release of its final version, a week ago, I decided to make Internet Explorer 9 my default browser. I had dropped almost completely this browser, for Firefox, which I still like, but after sporadically using IE 7 and IE 8 and the previous IE 9 beta versions, and noticing their potential I was just waiting for the RTM version, download it, test it and make my decision. IE 9 is faster, leaner, more secure, full of features, compliant with the latest and, I would say, future Web standards, and definitely a perfect match for Windows 7. Learn more about it and get it here. The other browser I like is Opera, neat and fast, as well.

When your laptop needs a hard drive upgrade

In order to run all the virtual machines I carry in my laptop and to have more space for the host operating system (Windows 7) partition I needed more space so I went from a 320 GB to a 500 GB hard drive and I did everything manually. Obviously I always have partitioned the hard drive, as the best choice for organizing your data, your system and your upgrades. I could have created an image of the partition but instead I decided that re-installing the OS was a better idea, and I was right. My laptop, with the same programs I had before, now boots, runs and shuts down faster. The way Windows 7 was intended to be. Since I always put all my important data (documents, pictures, web sites, development, reference material, logs, etc.) in a single partition (it was A:\ before) other than C:\ I copied through my wired LAN all the data partitions and did not mind about "system images", e-mail profiles, etc. Everything is recreated later without a problem. HARD DRIVE: I went for the Seagate Momentus XT 500 GB, which is not entirely a solid state drive but uses some of this technology, after doing my homework. PARTITIONING: I didn't allow the OS setup disc to take care of partitioning the new hard drive but rather let Seagate DiscWizard, powered by Acronis, take care of the job. Excellent. SYSTEM SETUP: the OS setup disc took care of it. Caveat: even having an OEM setup disc (Dell) I had to reinstall all the drivers and utilities manually. It does not do it for you. That's probably the hardest part. This is my list, first to last, of what you should install once Windows 7 is fired up for the first time in the new hard drive.

RECOMMENDED ORDER (just my suggestion):

1. Dell (or your manufacturer) Wireless driver (Wireless WAN, WWAN)
2. Intel Gigabit and then Intel Centrino  (or the corresponding network devices)
3. NVidia drivers (or corresponding)
4. Go immediately online and install all Windows 7 updates (50, in my case) or if possible go for the SP1 at once
5. Devices and printers (I assigned my PC to download directly from Internet 'realistic' icons and corresponding drivers)
6. Other drivers: touchpad, sensors, etc.
7. Now you are ready to start installing your applications: Office, Adobe CS, Microsoft development tools (which will take care of the .NET Framework), etc.

Your system performance should be by now even better than before with the added bonus of extra hard drive space.

Do you care about your data? Use BitLocker To Go

You probably carry important documents in a USB Flash drive, care-free, assuming it's not likely it could get lost. But when it happens anyone can take hold of your precious documents. Fortunately you can encrypt your flash drive with Windows 7 Bitlocker To Go technology. Nobody except you and whoever knows the password you assign to the encrypted drive can get access to it. There are some caveats, though. In Windows XP and Windows Vista it will have read-only access and if you forget your password and did not create a "recovery key" your only choice is to reformat the flash drive. You can also use it in external storage and certainly in the internal hard drive your system is running on. Watch this very educational video on the subject.  I lost a 4GB flash drive... I learned my lesson.

Service Pack 1: a safer and more reliable Windows 7

Two weeks ago, today, Service Pack 1 RTM (release to manufacturing or final version) for Windows 7 (and for Windows Server 2008 R2) was available to the general public after the beta version had circulated for several months. KB 976932 reported then that "SP1 for Windows 7 and for Windows Server 2008 R2 is a recommended collection of updates and improvements to Windows that are combined into a single installable update." Learn how to get and install SP1 and if you are more into the tech side see the Deployment Guide for both operating systems. I had previously tested the beta version in a Windows 7 Enterprise version running in a virtual machine and was just expecting for this final release to install it in my Windows 7 Ultimate machine. So far, everything all right.

Linksys AE1000 wireless adapter: just forget it

The Cisco Linksys AE1000 "High Performance Wireless-N USB Adapter" does not even install neither in Windows 7 nor Windows Vista. The setup program, no matter what you do trying to follow the "instructions" on the screen, does not go beyond the screenshot shown here. The "wireless connection manager", mentioned here, does not exist in Windows 7, it's a thing of the past, so at this point of installing this adapter the situation turns hopeless. Trust me, I've tried everything conceivable. Long story short: product returned for a full refund.
There are three more reasons for disappointment: 1) the package has the "Compatible with Windows 7" logo, acting as a bait, 2) the only "help" available in the user guide is "Double-click your CD-ROM drive" (in my computer) and then, on page 4, "After you have installed the Adapter" (!) ... and 3) other unsuspecting customers were equally disappointed. Whatever happened to quality assurance?!

Oops! What was that...?

These two almost simultaneous dialog boxes, one with absolutely no information, and the other with a runtime error message, showed up while I was trying to open Internet Explorer 9 beta and then, or was it before?, when I tried to use the Snipping Tool, I don't recall exactly in what order. I assume that, since I'm using a beta version of IE this programming error ("calling a pure virtual function", read more here) just had to show up, but the other dialog box is really a puzzle. On the other hand, the green color has nothing to do with this technical anecdote. It is just the background color I always choose, instead of white, when I'm typing long documents. This happened in the last week of 2010.

Windows Vista screensavers in Windows 7

Two of my favorite screensavers in Vista (see left picture) can also run in Windows 7 without a problem: Aurora and Windows Energy. If you have a computer with Windows Vista installed all you have to do is to go to the C:\Windows\System32 directory and copy these two files: ssBranded.scr (7,949 KB) and Aurora.scr (1,339 KB) into the same location in the Windows 7 computer. Then right-click anywhere on the desktop and choose Personalize (the last menu choice) and then click on Screen Saver (at the bottom right corner). Choose Branded for "Windows Energy" or Aurora. If you don't have these two files hunt for them; you may find them in the Web.

The promise of T-Mobile 4G. Just about that: a promise

This post should have been written two months ago when, of necessity, not having other choice and simply because I like T-Mobile, I decided to purchase the services of T-Mobile broadband. The customer service representative in the store was very helpful and knew her lines, but she did not give me straight answers to whether this wireless broadband service was in fact 4G-capable, that is, fourth generation wireless. Not at the moment of signing a 2-year contract and not a month later when I brought up, once again, the issue of slowness and not being able to watch YouTube videos and video news clips without a hiccup. Even with the best broadband modem or "laptop stick", in their parlance, the T-Mobile® Rocket 2.0 4G Laptop Stick, I get ridiculous download speeds, how about 6 kilobytes or maximum 30 kilobytes per second? (!), and that's in Manhattan, not in the middle of nowhere,  not to mention that watching an online video is frankly frustrating because the signal keeps "buffering" (20%...30%...). This post was motivated by reading an article at ZDNet where the authors state that "T-Mobile is actually fourth among the big four in the US when it comes to maximum network speeds, and explain how T-Mobile and AT & T "conjured 4G networks out of thin air." There, they have an explanation for what I perceived from the very beginning. Oh, and if you go to a store of T-Mobile or AT&T and even Verizon, they invariably, and by coincidence (?) don't have a live demo of the 4G capabilities, go figure. The answer, however, is pretty simple: they don't have much to show for it. Period. Not in my experience.

How to finally figure out .NET technologies and start something

Let this be one of the New Year's resolutions: to finally master the Microsoft .NET Framework, which is undoubtedly, and this is true at the beginning of 2011, among the best technologies in the Internet world to create and maintain not only top quality Websites but also applications for devices, including the newest and cool Windows Phone 7, web services and more. I find in this book, Professional ASP.NET 4 in C# and VB, a good antidote to counteract the overwhelming amount of documentation available to learn and study these technologies. This book, of course not for beginners, offers a big-picture view of ASP.NET 4 with an excellent editorial layout covering the essential subjects and concepts with a wealth of examples. This is now one of my favorite reference books.

New York in 2011, back to the 1980's? Authorities off the map?

This is an MTA bus stranded in the middle of an important Queens street (not a "tertiary" street) for two days during the recent snow blizzard. It was "abandoned" there, like hundreds of other public buses in the city, some time on Monday 27 December 2010 and removed from the street only on Wednesday 29, time enough for graffiti vandals to stamp their signature... this could only happen in New York, a city I heard more than once  being called the World Capital of the Third World... But we still love this little town blues... Happy New Year!