Making a box shot for your own software can be difficult if you're using an image editing program. What you really need is some software that is made just for doing such a task, but the problem is finding one that is free! When I was looking for something else I came across a program called 3D Box Shot Maker, and it does everything that I would expect it to.
We've got a treat for you if you're a Windows user and you've been lusting over a sweet 3D Desktop. Shock 4Way is a free application that gives you four virtual desktops to work with. I wouldn't say it is quite as good as the DeskSpace app, but it also doesn't cost $20 to buy.
It almost seems as though Windows Vista is another Windows ME, the operating system that consumers will forgo until something "better" comes along, and I think Microsoft may be starting to realize this.
It seems as though there are some big fans of the Mac OS Leopard Dock that will be launching later this year with the new operating system. Well, they might be Leopard fans, but they're running Windows. :)
If you're one of those that installs a lot of applications or saves documents to your desktop, it doesn't take long before you're staring at a sea full of icons and you can't find the one you're looking for. Often times, most of those icons can go unused for months at a time which means they're just taking up space and making the important icons harder to find.
“Code Names” have been around for hundreds of years, although the reasons they are used have varied. For example, militaries around the world have used code names, as do some governments and corporations . A series of posts Mary Jo Foley over at ZDNet has done regarding some of Microsoft’s code names got me intrigued with how they come up with the names that they use, and the meaning behind them.
Back in July we created a screencast of a great freeware app called Vista Virtual Desktops that made use of Vista's advanced Aero interface. The program has since gotten a much requested upgrade which includes support for the Windows XP operating system.
How many times have you seen someone take a post-it note, write their password on it, and slap it to their monitor? Unfortunately this type of thing is more of a common occurrence than it should be, but the problem is that people can never remember their darn passwords!
I'm going in and out of Windows Explorer all day since I have a bunch of files I'm always trying to manage. One of the nice things in Windows Vista is that you can add favorite folders and locations to the sidebar for fast access, but I don't think anything is as fast as Side-by-Side Explorer.
Hard drives are becoming huge these days, and most applications have begun to make use of the abundant space that barely ever gets filled up. I’m a big proponent to full-featured applications as long as they serve a purpose, but size isn’t always the best representation of quality. To prove that, I set out to find 15 top-notch apps that take up little to no room on your hard drive.
I’m astonished at how many tweaking utilities have been released for Vista thus far. We’ve got TweakVista, VistaTweaker, TweakUAC, Vista Sidebar Styler, and Vispa. Now we’ve got one more that we can append to that list: XdN Tweaker. This one is a little more unique than the others, and the reason for that lies in its cross-compatibility.
AutoPatcher is an application that hundreds of thousands of people, especially those working in IT, depend on and use regularly. It’s a simple and free application that has been around since 2003. It has served a vital purpose for many people by providing Windows Updates in one consolidated package that could be downloaded.
Everyone wants their computer to restart as fast as possible, and I for one am always looking to shave a little time off of that number. As it stands right now my laptop (running Vista) can bootup and become usable in about 45-seconds, but a fraction of that time is spent loading the BIOS.
When Microsoft released Windows XP SP2, (as well Vista) they imposed a connection limitation on the operating system. It’s not something that you can readily notice without digging to see if it occurs, but the chances are good that your computer has hit this limit at some time or another.
Ahhh, Microsoft definitely has a hard time these days keep downloads behind closed doors. We just announced yesterday that XP SP3 was in the hands of select testers, and now 24-hours later it can be found on the file sharing networks. The information appears to match up to the real thing, but you should be careful because this hasn’t officially been released by Microsoft.
There has been a lot of talk lately regarding the status of Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1), but Microsoft has stayed clear from confirming both the expected features and release date. Several different sources have confirmed that Vista SP1 is indeed being tested by a small group of people, but it’s not in the form of an update yet.
Stardock just released WindowBlinds 6 Beta, which is a milestone when it comes to skinning. This version adds a host of great new features for both Vista and XP users, with the most notable thing being the blur effect.
We’ve covered several utilities in the past that can be used to tweak Vista: TweakVista, TweakUAC, and Vispa. All of those provide some nice functionalities when it comes to tweaking Vista, and there is a new one that was just released called VistaTweaker (Download Mirror).
A popular site called Net Applications is often referenced when it comes to the market share of browsers. They also keep note of operating systems to see which ones are the most popular, and looking at some of the stats over the last several months shows that Vista is on a steady upward trend while Mac OS X appears to have leveled off.
Microsoft has finally come forward with information regarding their Windows Live Folder service, as well as announcing a new Windows Live Photo Gallery for both Windows Vista and XP SP2.
