Yesterday we covered the hardware I chose for building my HTPC, which I'm using solely for watching and streaming video content from sources that are online as well as on my local network. After I got the hardware all put together I started to dive into the software, and I made some notes that may help anyone else who is trying to optimize the performance of their XBMC computer.
Welcome to the WrapUp by CyberNet. This is a collection of news stories, downloads, and tips that we have collected over the last few days, but never got around to writing about.
Windows only I know a bunch of people who customize the appearance of their desktop, but many don't know that Windows 7 supports themes that rotate between desktop backgrounds and automatically adjusts the color of the Aero interface.
Windows only Windows 8 will usher in a new version of Windows Explorer that is polished up with the Ribbon interface, which is something users tend to either love or hate.
Windows only If you're one of those people that have to suffer with a PC that takes minutes to boot up this is something you'll want to consider doing. It can be frustrating when restarting a computer that takes forever because many times you can't just walk away and come back to it ready to be used.
Windows only Microsoft added a lot of great features in Windows 7 that makes managing your windows a lot easier, such as Aero Snap and Aero Shake. For some users, however, these features may actually become even more useful if they are tweaked just a little bit. AquaSnap is a free program that adds a new twist to the way some of those things work:
Welcome to the WrapUp by CyberNet. This is a collection of news stories, downloads, and tips that we have collected over the last few days, but never got around to writing about.
Windows only Once you've had the pleasure of using dual monitors it can be tough trying to go back to a single screen. There are, however, some things that Windows doesn't handle so gracefully.
Windows only I consider Dexpot to be one of the only viable virtual desktop applications available on Windows because it's constantly being improved and has many of the features you look for in a program like this.
Windows only Windows 7 Home Basic users are restricted from doing a lot of things... including changing the color of the primary theme. This is feature that Microsoft chose to leave out in hopes of getting people to upgrade to a more expensive version of Windows 7.
Windows only When Microsoft released Windows Vista they had a lot of great innovations in it despite the constant complaints people had with the OS. One of the best things that came out of Vista is Aero, which is what powers the Flip 3D (Windows Key + Tab), the Taskbar thumbnails, the blurred border around all the windows, the thumbnails used in Alt+Tab, and more.
Welcome to the WrapUp by CyberNet. This is a collection of news stories, downloads, and tips that we have collected over the last few days, but never got around to writing about.
Windows only Several years ago we wrote about a program called Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder that could retrieve product keys for many items that you've previously installed on your computer.
Windows only When I'm at work I always like charging some of my devices while at my desk, and I generally do it through the USB connection on my computer. Some devices, such as the iPhone, will popup each time asking what you want to do with it (unless you have iTunes installed), and this can get pretty annoying since all I'm trying to do is charge my phone.
Windows only I'm not a big fan of desktop widgets, but when I saw this clock I have to admit that I was pretty impressed. It displays both the date and time wrapped up in a beautiful HTC-style skin... all of which sits comfortably on your desktop.
Welcome to the WrapUp by CyberNet. This is a collection of news stories, downloads, and tips that we have collected over the last few days, but never got around to writing about.
Windows only I am a huge fan of the redesigns that the Windows Start Menu went through in Vista and Windows 7, but I know everyone doesn't share the same enthusiasm. Microsoft's decision to not include a classic Start Menu layout irked many, but at the same time that opened the door to plenty of third-party developers.
Windows only Last year we wrote about a useful program called WizMouse that would let you scroll windows that were in the background (i.e. a window not in focus). I use this kind of functionality all the time when writing articles, but it also carries over into other situations. For example, the other day I had two spreadsheets open and was comparing values between them.
Welcome to the WrapUp by CyberNet. This is a collection of news stories, downloads, and tips that we have collected over the last few days, but never got around to writing about.
Windows only I'm a huge fan of the new-style Taskbar in Windows 7 and am regularly pinning apps to make them easier to access. The downside is that there are some things Microsoft prevents you from adding to the Taskbar though, but as you'd expect there are plenty of workarounds for that. One nice utility is the Windows 7 Taskbar Items Pinner that lets you do exactly what the name implies.
