Here’s what you do:

1) Register here between November 9th 2009 - December 31st, 2009;

2) Complete and rate all four of these courses:
Internet Explorer 8 for Developers: Developer Tools;
Internet Explorer 8 for Developers: Accelerators;
Internet Explorer 8 for Developers: Web Slices;
Internet Explorer 8 for Developers: AJAX Development with IE8;

3) Additionally, complete and rate any four of the following courses for a full copy of Expression Studio 3:

Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2008 R2: Introduction to New Features
Business Intelligence: Moving your AS/400 applications to Windows
Windows Server: Moving Your Open Source Applications to Windows
Any from the Windows Server 2008 Developer Web Seminar Series
Any from the Windows Server 2008 Fundamentals Web Seminar Series
Any from Windows Server 2008 Technical Drill Down Web Seminar
Any from Windows Server 2008 (7 parts)

SQL Server

SQL: Moving your MySQL Application to Microsoft SQL Server
Any from SQL Server 2008 R2 Series
Any from SQL Server 2008 Developer Fundamentals
Any from Essential SQL Server 2008 for Developers
Any from Building Your Business on Microsoft: SQL Server 2008
Any from MySQL/SQL Server 2008 Web Seminar Series
Any from SQL Server 2008 Training for ISV Developers
Any from PHP On Windows Series

Expression

Selling Expression Studio - Winning with Designers & Developers (60 minutes)
Any from Microsoft Expression Web Essential Web Seminar Series
Any from Microsoft Expression for Designers
Any from Microsoft Web Solution Series

Sharepoint

Designing, Developing & Deploying Windows on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 as a Development Platform
Silverlight & SharePoint: Rich Internet Applications
SharePoint: A Developer Introduction - Workflow C#
.NET, SharePoint and SQL Server: Deliver Innovative Applications by Leveraging the Latest Microsoft Technologies
Any from Building Custom Office Applications Using Microsoft Visual Studio Team Systems

Silverlight

The ISV Developer Community Presents: Composite Rich Internet Applications
Any from Microsoft Silverlight 3 Series
Any from XAMLfest Online
Any from Microsoft Web Solutions Series

This guide was written specifically about Windows XP and Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder version 2.01, but should also work on Windows 2000, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and with newer versions of MJBK.

Read all of this guide carefully and back up your data before starting the Product Key recovery. I’m assuming you have a basic familiarity with hand tools and basic mechanical ability. If you’ve never unscrewed a screw before, this isn’t the time to start. However, if you’ve built models or repaired anything (especially anything with a motor or bicycles), then you’ll probably be OK.

Try to collect any documentation about your computer you can before starting removal of a hard drive. Study it for any descriptions or pictures that may help you. Service manuals will have the most detailed descriptions and best pictures. Almost all of the larger manufacturers have manuals available for download from their websites.

Remember that screws in computers are usually easy to tighten or loosen except for the last or first half turn. If it’s difficult to put in or remove, stop and see if you’re doing something wrong. Also, computers aren’t usually subject to vibration or environmental degradation as autos, motorcycles, bikes, etc. are, so go easy when loosening or tightening them up. If you don’t, you may strip a screw or two and create a metal shaving - which you DON’T want floating around inside a computer where it might bridge a couple of circuit board traces.

I cannot judge your ability and this guide cannot foresee or describe every possible circumstance. You are responsible for using your own skills, intelligence, and good judgment while attempting to follow this guide. In other words: Don’t blame me if you screw something up. Every repair person makes mistakes - otherwise he/she wouldn’t be human. The shop makes mistakes too - they just add a percentage of a mistake’s cost to everyone’s bill.

Get The Product Key From The COA

The best way to get the Product Key is from the Certificate of Authenticity sticker on your computer or from the sticker on the packaging. If your computer was purchased with Windows already on it, it’s supposed to have a COA sticker on it. If the computer wasn’t purchased with Windows on it - or has had a new version put on - there is a sticker on the package Windows came in with the Product Key on it.

This is one type of Certificate Of Authenticity. Others can be seen here.

There’s No COA Sticker/I Can’t Find The Windows Packaging! What Now?

If the label is illegible or missing, you can use one of the following methods to recover the Product Key but that’s not as desirable as using the one printed on the COA sticker. Many manufacturers use a generic Product Key to install Windows on the many computers they build and Windows will usually fail activation with this recovered Product Key if activation is done over the internet. You’ll have to telephone the activation number, go through some hoops, and probably tell your story to the support person to get the code from them which will activate Windows. Never fear! I’ve telephoned to activate Windows a hundred times or more and have never been refused.

Can you Log On To Windows?

Can you log on to the computer you want the Product Key from (the Recovery Subject) - either normally or in Safe Mode? http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315222 If you can, the utility I use for such situations is the Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder: http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/

You won’t be able to get on the internet in Safe Mode unless you choose Safe Mode with Networking - even then it may not be possible. You may have to view this and download any files while on another computer that has internet access.

Download the keyfinder onto another computer (if that computer is running Windows 2000, you’ll need an unzipping utility such as WinZip if there’s not one already on it). Double click keyfinder.2.0.1.zip, copy keyfinder.exe and paste it onto something to transfer it to the Recovery Subject computer - a USB stick or floppy disk, or record it to CD/DVD. Put the media containing keyfinder.exe into the Recovery Subject computer. Double click keyfinder.exe and it will show the Microsoft software installed in the left pane and its associated Product Key in the right pane.

I Can’t Log On To Windows - Not Even In Safe Mode!

If you cannot logon at all or even start the computer, you should be able to recover the Product Key with Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder if you remove the hard drive and attach it to a functioning Windows 2000 or newer computer (Host Computer). If you prefer to hire a technician to do this for you, it won’t take him/her any longer than one hour to remove the hard drive, attach it to another computer, run MJBK, remove it from the other computer, and replace it in yours. It will take you longer if you’ve never worked on a computer before.

Take Pictures Or Make Sketches

It’s a good idea after opening the case and before removing the drive to take some pictures with your digital camera of the hard drive, its cabling, and the other data cables going from other hard drives, optical drives, or floppy drives to the motherboard. You could also make a sketch or two. Use them as a reference if you dislodge one accidentally.

What Do I Need?

You will need a standard #1 Phillips screwdriver (a small one) for a laptop, or a #2 Phillips screwdriver (regular size) for most desktops to remove the drive. You will also need an external drive enclosure, USB adapter, or internal adapter (the internal adapter will allow you to attach your drive to a desktop computer only - the first two will work on a laptop or a desktop) of the correct type for your drive like one of these:

USB adapter:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812200155
Enclosures:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817801038
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817155701
Internal adapter for use in a desktop computer:
For IDE drives only (usually not needed for SATA drives)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812200053

If your hard drive is SATA and the desktop was bought in Jan. 2007 or later, it probably has one or more SATA drives in it. You may need a SATA cable and maybe a 1 to 2 Y power connector for an SATA drive, depending on the motherboard and power supply in the computer. You might also need a 1 to 2 Molex Y connector. A canned air duster is optional but recommended.

Of course Fry’s, Tiger Direct, other mail order houses, and local retailers sell similar products. I like the customer reviews and the pricing at Newegg.com. If you have to take the drive to another location to attach it to the Host Computer, you’ll also need an antistatic bag to transport it in. They’re usually free for the asking at a computer store.

Identifying Your Drive’s Type

The pictures below will help you identify your drive’s type so you can get the correct adapter. SATA is Serial ATA. IDE drives are sometimes called P(arallel) ATA drives.

Shown are both types of laptop hard drives - SATA and IDE

A Western Digital desktop SATA hard drive - note that the connectors used are the same as those on a laptop SATA drive

A Seagate IDE desktop hard drive

General Procedures and Warnings

Shut down your computer to power off before removing the hard drive - NEVER remove parts from a computer that is on, in standby mode, or in hibernate mode. Then turn off the power switch on the back of the computer if it has one, or unplug it if it doesn’t. Hard drives are extremely fragile; even a slight bump can damage the drive. If the drive gets bumped, it might kill the drive and the data on it. If you remove the hard drive from the computer when the drive is hot, do not touch the metal housing of the hard drive.

You MUST take appropriate precautions against static discharge while working on the computer - failing to do so could damage the hard drive or other electronic parts making them unusable. Wear an antistatic wrist strap and ground yourself before removing the hard drive, while handling it, and while replacing it. A ground can be a cold water pipe, a piece of metal driven deeply (2 feet or .5 metres) into the soil, or the bare unpainted metal chassis of an appliance (like a computer, washing machine or a portable dishwasher) that has a grounded (three prong) plug and is plugged into the wall - NOT into a power strip.

What I do is plug a three prong power cord into the wall that has had the two power (flat) prongs removed. I make sure that the strap is touching bare skin on my wrist, then I attach the clip of my antistatic strap to the wire that’s connected to the ground prong. I then ground myself on the ground wire. You can also ground yourself - DO NOT move your feet after grounding yourself - and periodically reground yourself while working on the computer if you aren’t using an antistatic strap (using a strap is much safer and easier).

Laptop Hard Drive Removal

First shut down Windows and wait until the laptop is powered off before starting to remove any screws. Use antistatic precautions before touching the drive, then remove the hard drive. Instructions for removing and replacing a hard drive in one Dell laptop model are here:
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/latd505/sm/hdd.htm#1123687. In other laptops, the hard drive may be in a similar location, or underneath an access panel on the underside of the laptop. Some older laptops have the hard drive underneath the keyboard - it will have to be removed before you can remove the hard drive.

You may have to remove additional screws to release the hard drive after any plastic covers are taken off. This is where the laptop’s documentation may be worth its weight in gold. If you have to take the drive to another location to attach it to a Host Computer, put it in the antistatic bag at this time with the connectors at the bag’s open end. That way you can handle it by the bag without having to take antistatic precautions.

Desktop Hard Drive Removal

To remove a hard drive from a desktop computer, you will most likely have to remove both sides of the case and then the hard drive. Drives are usually fastened into the case with four screws, but sometimes quick release arrangements are used. There’s a video here showing how to add an additional hard drive to a desktop computer - most of what’s shown is applicable to removing one. You do not have to change the jumpers - they are already set up correctly.

First shut down Windows and then turn off the power switch on the back of the computer after it’s powered off or unplug it if there isn’t one. Carry out your antistatic precautions, then open the case by taking the case’s left and right sides off (left or right on a computer is the left or right side when you’re looking at the front of it).

The method of opening the case differs between cases. Usually there’s two or three screws on the rear vertically near the left and near the right hand edges. The sides should then slide back and then off. Sometimes there are screws all around the rear edge and the entire cover lifts off. Sometimes it’s sliding catches or buttons of some kind - you may have to look at the manual. And sometimes the screws are hidden under the case’s front bezel (this was more common, but is rare now). You pull off the front bezel or unscrew and remove it, and then remove the screws underneath and slide the covers off (there aren’t always screws underneath). There are many different ways to open a case - I can’t describe them all.

Clean Is Good

This is a good time to blow out the computer with a canned air duster and get rid of the dust that’s hindering cooling (yo to do this outdoors)u may want. Work from top to bottom and get into all of the crevices. Use the plastic tube provided with the duster to go into slots or between fins on heat sinks. The cleaner a computer is, the cooler it operates, and the longer it will last.

Unplug the power and data cables from the hard drive, then unscrew the screws or unfasten the catch or catches keeping it inside the computer. Remember your antistatic precautions and then remove the drive. Again, if you have to take the drive to another location to attach it to a Host Computer, put it in the antistatic bag at this time with the connectors at the bag’s open end. That way you can handle it by the bag without having to take antistatic precautions.

Using a USB Enclosure or USB Adapter

If you’re using a USB enclosure or USB adapter, you can put your laptop or desktop drive in or attach your drive to the device as appropriate. Look at the pictures below for help with the connectors.

Make sure the Host Computer is in Windows, attach the power to the enclosure or adapter and plug it in, turn the power switch on (if there is one), and plug the USB cable into the Host Computer. Windows should automatically find and install the drive. You’ll get a pop up when it’s ready that says something like ‘Your device is installed and ready to use’. Now go down to the section, “Running Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder”.

Internally Attaching An IDE Drive To A Host Computer

If using an adapter to attach your laptop IDE drive or attaching your desktop IDE drive to a desktop Host Computer internally, first copy Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder to the Host Computer’s hard drive while the HC is in Windows. Then shut down the HC to power off and remove the side so that you can see the motherboard - similar to the picture below. Usually the left side is the one to remove. It’s a good idea to blow the dust out of the computer with a canned air duster.

The IDE 0 and IDE1 labeling in the photo isn’t relevant to this guide. In these photos you can see a red marking on the edge of some of the IDE data cables. It’s on all of them but not always visible. That denotes the #1 wire in the cable, and tells you how to plug the connector into its socket. The cable is always plugged into its socket so that the #1 wire is closest to the power connector. The plug and socket are keyed so it can’t be put in backwards, but remembering how it should go will save you from trying it the the wrong way.

A picture of cables and drives

If there isn’t an available power plug (Molex plug) inside the desktop, disconnect one from a CD/DVD drive or you can purchase and install a Y connector.

Molex Y cable for adding another power plug if there isn

Shown below are two male Molex plugs. Notice that two corners on the same side are cut off - they are keyed. This is so you plug them in correctly - they only fit one way.

White male Molex power plug

Black male Molex power plug

Then remove the IDE (ribbon) data cable from the CD/DVD drive(s).

IDE cables and CD drive from inside the computer

The rightmost group of pins on the laptop IDE drive (inside the red circle in the picture below) is for power. Attach the appropriate plug to them - it comes with the adapter and has a Molex female socket on it. Attach the adapter to the drive, the free end of the ribbon cable that you just unplugged to the adapter, and the Molex socket to a Molex plug from the computer. If attaching a desktop hard drive, attach the IDE cable you just removed to the drive and a Molex plug to the drive’s socket. Be careful not to knock any other cables loose - it’s easy to do. Reattach them if you do.

The power pins are circled

It’s OK to let the drive hang from a cable for the short time it’ll be inside the Host Computer - but if you do, be very cautious that you don’t set it swinging so that it bangs into a part of the computer. Don’t do anything that will cause the drive to be bumped. If the drive gets bumped, it might kill the drive and the data on it. I’ve done it a few times by accidentally dropping a drive. Luckily it’s always been mine, not a customer’s. I’m extra super double cautious when handling a loose drive that doesn’t belong to me.

Note the yellow IDE cable in the picture below. Running just above its lower section is a red SATA data cable. Fortunately, laptop and desktop SATA drives take the same connectors for data and power. They are keyed so that they can’t be connected to the wrong plug or in an incorrect orientation.

Red SATA data cable just above the yellow IDE data cable

Connecting A SATA Hard Drive Internally

The procedures for attaching a SATA drive to a Host Computer are similar to those used in attaching an IDE drive (see above) - the connectors are just a bit different. You should blow the dust out of the computer with a canned air duster before attaching the added drive.
.
The SATA data connectors in the Host Computer will look like the black or red sockets below. They’re on the computer’s motherboard.

Motherboard SATA connectors

Here’s a picture of someone installing a SATA cable onto a motherboard. It’s the same process to plug the cable into a drive. If there aren’t any empty sockets, you can take off the cable from a SATA CD drive.

Installing an SATA data cable

Plug the drive into a spare power connector in the computer. The connector will look like the picture below. If there aren’t any spares, you can remove one from a CD/DVD drive and use it, or purchase a Y connector or a Molex to SATA power plug adapter and hook it up.

SATA power connector

Be careful not to knock any other cables loose - it’s very easy to do. Reattach them if you do. Again, it’s OK to let the drive hang from a cable - but if you do, be very cautious with the computer that you don’t set the drive swinging so that it bangs into a part of the computer. Don’t do anything that will cause the drive to be bumped.

Now That The Drives Are Hooked Up Inside The Host Computer…

Once hooked up to the appropriate cables and to the computer, you can close the side of the computer’s case. It’s a good idea to do this so that the cooling inside works how it was designed to. You don’t have to replace all of the screws if that’s what you had to do to take the case’s side off - just put one back in.

Plug the computer back in, start it, and go into Windows. You’ll have some bubbles pop up near the time display in the lower right hand corner of the monitor notifying you of Windows’ progress in installing drivers for the added hard drive. Eventually one will say something like ‘Your new hardware is installed and ready to use’.

Running Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder

Now double click keyfinder.exe wherever it is on the Host Computer. Click Tools > Load Hive. Then point it to the Windows installation on the disk you’ve hooked up to the HC. It should be located at [letter assigned to added drive]:\windows\system32\config (for Windows 2000, the path will be: [letter assigned to added drive]:\winnt\system32\config). If the Host Computer has Windows Vista on it, you may have to right click on keyfinder.exe and then click Run as administrator. Respond appropriately to any prompts. Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder will show any Microsoft software installed in the left pane and its associated Product Key in the right pane. Write down the Product Key.

You can now remove the drive from the Host Computer and replace it in your computer. You can then run a repair installation or fresh install of XP if needed and enter the Product Key you retrieved in the right spot during Setup. You may have to activate Windows XP right away to be able to log on, and you may have to do it over the phone. Once Windows is activated, connect to the internet and remember to first update your antivirus and then update Windows (click Start > All Programs > Windows Update or Microsoft Update).

MS found that folders in the My Documents folder with a path length that is too long can cause the problem. I’ll reproduce the steps posted by Microsoft forum moderator Kevin Hau below (I’ve edited them for spelling, grammar, and clarity). Please read the instructions over before attempting them. (The original post is here - use the Find feature of your browser to locate the string “Friday, November 13, 2009 2:41 AM” (without quotes)).

The other cause, discovered by Jerry Ham, is if the default location for My Documents has been redirected. This page shows how to change it back.

If either of these solutions work for you, please go to the forum where the posts are displayed and post a reply stating that the fix worked. It’s important that Microsoft knows what works so that they can focus efforts on finding a procedure for users who have not succeeded in correcting their problem.

Hello,

We have identified a resolution for some of these reboot loops. Please see the steps below for details:

We will start by booting into Windows Recovery Environment using the same steps above. I will list them again here for completion’s sake:

1. Boot using the Windows 7 installation DVD
2. Choose your language settings and hit “Next”
3. Click on “Repair Your Computer” link at the bottom of the screen. This will launch Windows RE [Windows Recovery Environment].

NOTE: Do not click on “Install Now”

4. Choose the OS to repair, and take note of the Drive Letter assigned to the operating System.
5. You should see “Windows 7″ and D:\ (the drive letter may be different)
6. Click Next and you should see a list of the recovery tools
7. Click on “Command Prompt”
8. You will see “X:\Sources>” in white on a black background - you can type commands here

Now please follow the steps below:

1. Type “cd c:\users” at the command prompt [and press Enter]. [After X:\Sources>, type cd c:\users. It should look like this before you press Enter: X:\Sources>cd c:\users ]
2. Type “dir /s /p”, [press Enter], and look for the words “is too long”. [If you see this, write down the path of the folder.]
3. If you don’t see “is too long” on the first page, press a key to get the next page
4. Look on the second page for “is too long”.
5. Continue to press a key to advance in pages until you find all the strings “is too long”. (This may take quite a few pages to get to the end)

NOTE: You may see more than 1 entry that has “is too long”, please take a note of each entry as we will need the folder names in later steps [meaning write down the path of the folder for every is too long entry].

Once you have identified all the folders with “is too long” we will need to move them into a temp location.

7. Type “move” followed by the path of the folder, [then a space], then the name of the temporary location to move to, [then press Enter]:

EXAMPLE: MOVE C:\USERS\BOB\DOCUMENTS\DOCUMENTS C:\TEMP
[If the path contains a space, enclose the path in quotes.]
[EXAMPLE: MOVE "C:\USERS\BOB'S\DOCUMENTS\BOB'S DOCUMENTS" C:\TEMP]

8. Once all the invalid folders have been moved, repeat steps 1 and 2 to verify that there are no other folders with “is too long”
9. Once completed, restart the computer and you should be able to successfully boot into Vista.

10. Once back into a working Vista, open “Computer” and navigate to C:\Users and open your username folder.
11. Right click on each folder one by one and choose “Properties”.
12. Click on the Location tab and confirm that the path shown is correctly displaying the path for this folder.

Example: The properties / location of C:\Users\BOB\Documents should have the same correct path listed on the location tab: “C:\Users\BOB\Documents”.

13. If any folder’s location is not correct, click on “Restore Defaults” and repeat
14. Once all the folders have been corrected, please reboot the computer and try the upgrade process again.

I have unlocked this thread, please let me know if you see success with the above steps.

The third is that Spirit is dragging its right front wheel. The rover was designed with one motor powering each of its six wheels, but one motor stopped working in March, 2006. Spirit now has to drag that wheel against the resistance of a non-functioning motor.

The Mars rover Spirit landed January 3, 2004 PST with a planned mission length of 90 days. 2142 days later - over 23 times longer than the planned task - Spirit is still transmitting data and responding to commands. I’m cheering for the little robotic miracle of science to free itself!

The other failing upgrade scenario from Vista to Seven has the upgrade hanging at 62% completed. Microsoft believes that this issue might be caused by the iphlpsvc service hanging at this point. The entry in the setupact.log file repeats about every 15 minutes and is:

Warning [0x080b50] MIG AsyncCallback_ApplyStatus: Progress appears to be stuck. Current progress: 62

They also say that there may be other services hanging at the same point and causing the same entry in the setupact.log file. They state, “If this entry is not occurring in the log file or you are hanging at a percentage other than 62% this workaround should not be attempted.” Knowledge Base article 975253 has a workaround that should allow the upgrade to complete successfully the next time it is started.

I’d advise anyone wanting to do an upgrade installation to Windows 7 to not start it until Microsoft has determined what the issue is and come up with a fix. UPDATE: Following the instructions in Knowledge Base article KB974078 may allow you to escape the reboot loop and restore your Vista installation. An alternate method is here - look for the post by frankenstynerjcr starting “@ JSchneider21: @ FJP57:”.

I do not recommend an upgrade (please see my comments here starting at the paragraph below the Upgrade Chart). Windows - in my experience - has always ran better as a clean installation (that’s what Microsoft calls a Custom Installation). It is an extremely good idea to run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor and read the Upgrade Compatibility Report before trying to upgrade. Uninstall any non-compatible software or upgrade it to a compatible version before starting the upgrade (see “I am running An Acer Aspire M3640 desktop, on Vista SP2, with Kaspersky IS 2010.” and the answer to it later on down on this page). There’s a Microsoft guide to upgrading a computer from Windows XP to Windows 7 here - most of it is applicable to a Vista to Seven upgrade also.

Let me put this very loudly: BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES TO YOUR COMPUTER, ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR FILES. Even something as simple as a software patch or a small program installation can disclose a hardware problem, software conflict, or some other issue that may result in a (temporarily) unusable computer - and if it’s your only computer, you’re going to suffer some pain until someone figures out what is wrong. There are plenty of online backup services available and some are free - or you can copy files to a USB drive, external hard drive, CD or DVD, another computer, etc. If you cannot do this a knowledgeable friend might, or you can hire a competent technician.

Even paying a technician can sometimes result in an issue. I regard myself as being a good computer technician. I have three Microsoft Certified Professional certifications, and ran a onsite repair business that I started from nothing and built into a $40,000 annual business that supported its only employee (me) very well and had many, many happy customers. I saved many computers, a lot of data, and a lot of time, money, and frustration for my customers.

Yet I’ve destroyed my own data once when trying to correct a problem with the RAID on my computer (I lost my entire My Documents folder - no backup). I also once erased a customer’s hard drive when installing a fresh copy of Windows - having forgotten to back up her files first.

Borking all her grandchildren’s photos still haunts me. I changed the way I repaired computers after that and I now use a checklist when I have to repair a computer - but people make mistakes, I’ve done it and could do it again, and it could happen to you. Please, please, please! BACK UP YOUR FILES! Here’s another skilled computer user who lost all of his files (three years of work) - it can happen to ANYONE.

Microsoft has released the official Upgrade Chart for migrating from Windows XP or Windows Vista to 7.

Windows 7 Upgrade Chart

BUT:
Upgrading an OS is like taking the chassis out from under a car and sliding in a whole new one – it’s amazing that it works at all. I’ve never been a MS apologist (it’s more a love/hate relationship), but XP was coded when the security environment was *much* more benign. The technicians’ mailing list I’m on reports a rootkit infection *every day* that the tech is having trouble removing – and our list isn’t a high volume one. When XP was conceived the only people who had thought about rootkits were computer scientists (mostly in academia) in the lab. They didn’t exist in the wild.

And if you’re running XP, are you sure you want to put Win7 on that box? Computers do best with software created about the same time that they were. I’m writing this on a basic Dell Inspiron 1501 with an Athlon 64 dual core TK-55 processor and 1 GB of RAM. They offered either Vista or XP on it – I chose XP for performance. I now have it dual-booting XP and Windows 7 Ultimate gold (gold = production code) and, although I use Win7 mostly, it’s a bit slower than XP is on it and I wouldn’t mind to try it with some more RAM. The Windows Experience index has me at 2.9 (3.0 minimum recommended for using the Aero overlay) due to the video card but I think it’s integral to the motherboard… :-(

Does forcing a clean install for XP users increase Microsoft’s profits? Yes, by reducing their expenses. Is it the best practice? YES. Any tech will agree with me. If you really want Win7, do yourself a favour and buy a new machine with enough RAM and a decent video card for it – and give the old computer to your kids, make it into a media server, or donate it to charity – *after* a format, fresh install, and updates.

Or buy the new machine and put Windows Home Server on the former XP box. This is a cool product – it’s inexpensive, makes a great media server, PLUS it backs up any XP or newer computer to it (you have to install software on the client machine) and it makes running a home network almost painless. You’ll need to buy an OEM version for installation on an existing computer – Newegg.com (among others) sells it that way. Of course you can also buy it on a new computer (HP, Acer, others, and at Best Buy, Newegg, Fry’s, Amazon, Staples, Tiger Direct, and others). I’m so stoked on WHS than I’m studying it for a certification and I want to offer it as one of my specialties.

Windows Home Server info:
http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&q=Windows+home+server+&meta=&fp=58658b2190507a24

120 day evaluation version:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/eval.mspx

Buy it where?
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/buy.mspx

Photo courtesy of NASA

Jennifer Chu of Technology Review writes:

A new approach primes antibodies to instantly attack cancers, HIV, and other diseases.

The body’s immune system is often likened to an army, and vaccines to training exercises…

Pomegranite excess

But it’s a very clever promotion.

If your Vista computer is slow, try the Win7 beta on it - it’ll be faster. It’s still available from Microsoft as of February 2, 2009 (or you can try a torrent):
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx

Minimum recommended requirements are:
* 1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
* 1 GB of system memory
* 16 GB of available disk space
* Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory (to enable the Aero theme)
* DVD-R/W Drive
* Internet access (to download the Beta and get updates)

I went to a Windows 7 install fest held in the Vancouver, B.C. area on January 17, 2009 and installed the Ultimate beta build 7000 on the laptop I’m composing this post on. Specs: Dell Inspiron 1501 laptop (second from the bottom of the line when I ordered it in Nov. 2007), AMD 64 Athlon X2 TK-55 (1.8 GHz/512KB cache), 1 GB DDR2 533 MHz RAM, 120 GB HD, ATI RADEON Xpress 1150 with 256 MB HyperMemory. I’m dual booting with Windows XP Home on C: (the original and my primary OS) and Win7 on the D: partition. Windows 7 is very good on this computer - almost as good as XP.

The install went smoothly, and Win7 had drivers for everything except the video card, and that was downloaded when I visited Windows Update. At the install fest I also installed Avira AntiVir Personal Edition Classic antivirus, GoogleTalk, and Railroad Tycoon II Platinum (gotta have that game!). All those apps work OK (the AV updates properly, GoogleTalk chat and voice works, I could start RRT II) but I haven’t tried an AV scan or playing a game in RRT II yet. One oddity was that Win7 didn’t assign a drive letter to the WinXP partition - I had to assign it in Disk Manager (I gave it B: as Win7 - like Vista - calls the system partition C:).

I first tried Office XP before eventually installing Office 2003 (I didn’t have access to my Office 2003 CDs at the time). I wanted to get Outlook working so I could use the same .pst file as in WinXP which has Office 2003 Professional. I had some oddities which I believe were related to file and folder permissions. I could not create a new .pst file in the default folder in Outlook XP (I didn’t have sufficient rights) and I couldn’t open a .pst file that was in the root of the Win7 partition (again, insufficient rights). I got it working by renaming the .pst file in the default Outlook folder location and then putting my .pst file there.

It would receive mail to my .pst file but couldn’t send (it might have been damaged - I had a bit of trouble with it in WinXP the previous week and performed a repair January 24). After the repair I didn’t try it again in Outlook XP on Win7).

I attended a Q & A with some Microsoft folks on Monday Jan. 19 that was put on by VANTUG (the local MS user group with ties to MS) and found out that the permissions between XP and Win7 are different even if the user account in both OSes is a member of the Administrators group. I got my Office 2003 CDs back and uninstalled Office XP and installed Office 2003 (the oldest version of Office that’s supported on Win7) and updated it at Microsoft Update.

I gave my user account (which is an Administrator account) the rights to the .pst file and the folder it was in as well as Outlook’s default folder for the .pst file but am unsure if this cured the issue I had in Outlook XP, if the installation of Office 2003 fixed it, or even if there was an issue with Outlook 2003 opening my .pst file. Office seems to work OK - at least Outlook, Word, and Front Page are fine. I haven’t tried Excel.

I’m very impressed by the speed of Win7 and the quality of the beta - both are far better than the Windows Vista Release Candidate 1 I tried in 2007. I have turned off most of the Aero effects as I prefer plainer window title bars, Taskbar, etc. This computer’s Windows Experience was 3.0 overall and ratings for components were: processor 4.2, RAM 3.9, graphics 3.0, gaming graphics 3.2, and HD 5.1. I’m going to play with it some more and try to use it as much as possible - that’s why I wanted Outlook working (otherwise I’d only use Win7 for games - there’s a mahjong game with it that’s addictive).

Dislikes: I don’t like that the Quick Launch toolbar has been dropped (instead, you can pin an app to the Taskbar - it’s not the same). I don’t like the double height Taskbar and changed it right away. Maybe that makes sense on a 17 or 19 inch monitor, but not on a 15.4 inch laptop screen. I couldn’t find where to make the Desktop icons smaller at first - Google told me to hold the CTRL (Control) key down while moving the mouse’s wheel would change their size. I don’t like that the equivalent of the Show Desktop button is on the very right side of the Taskbar and I can’t find a way to move it beside the Start button/orb where I and my muscle memory are used to having it. I don’t like that Windows Mail has been dropped - but with lots of people using web mail or mail on their phones/PDAs I guess that it makes sense.

Vista RC1 on my previous laptop was bog slow and took between 7 - 10 minutes for the hard drive to stop working after booting. I hated it and rarely used it but I’m considering using Win7 as my primary OS.

Dan Kaminsky, uncharacteristically, was not looking for bugs earlier this year when he happened upon a flaw at the core of the Internet. The security researcher was using his knowledge of Internet infrastructure to come up with a better way to stream videos to users. Kaminsky’s expertise is in the Internet’s domain name system (DNS), the protocol responsible for matching websites’ URLs with the numeric addresses of the servers that host them. The same content can be hosted by multiple servers with several addresses, and Kaminsky thought he had a great trick for directing users to the servers best able to handle their requests at any given moment.

The rest of the article is here.

He was part of a team that built a fibre WAN that now stores about 60% of the city’s data, including e-mails, law enforcement records and payroll documents. Childs started taking photographs on June 20 of the new IT security head after she began an audit of who had password access to the system. She was frightened by Childs’ behavior and locked herself in an office.

He set up a password that locks everyone else out of that data and refused to reveal it even when threatened with arrest (it’s unclear whether he did that before or after the audit began). He was then arrested and is currently being held in jail as he cannot raise the $5 million bail demanded for his release (murderers are released won $1 million bail - what are they afraid of)?

Officials have said they feared that Childs may have enabled a third party to gain access to the computer system by telephone or other electronic device and order the destruction of hundreds of thousands of sensitive documents. However, they have found no evidence of such a device in searches of his home and car.

[Mayor Gavin] Newsom said Tuesday that Childs’ actions prevented administrators from making changes to the city’s computer network, so if the system were to crash, workers could not undertake repairs or upgrades.

“There’s nothing to be alarmed about, save the inability to get into the system and tweak the system,” Newsom said. “Nothing dramatic has changed in terms of our ability to govern the city.”

Is there a way to fix Vista Explorer’s address box?
QUESTION:
Okay, I know it’s a “feature” but I hate it - the new format for the path/address in Vista Explorer. I want my old familiar format (c:\Data\Publications\New) instead of the new one with the little arrows. Yes, I know you can click anywhere in the path and go there, but I just want it back the way it used to be. Is there any way? Thanks! - Don L.

This ‘breadcrumb’ ‘feature’ is Number One on my list of most unusable/annoying things about Windows Vista. I was happy to see that they found a third party application created by Andreas Verhoeven, AveNoBreadCrumb.exe [mirror], that will eliminate it. Screenshots of it in action are here. They also have instructions on how to get it to run at startup so that breadcrumbs are disabled whenever you’re using your computer - but I’m not sure that they are completely accurate (I’m unable to test as I don’t have any Vista computers yet). Here’s how I’d do it:

Unzip AveNoBreadcrumb.zip.

Put the two executable files (AveNoBreadcrumb.exe and breadcrumbhook.dll) into a suitable folder and location (I suggest C:\Program Files\AveNoBreadcrumb).

Open an explorer window and type in shell:Startup into the address bar to get to your startup folder.

Create a shortcut to AveNoBreadcrumb.exe (Right click in an empty area in the folder, click New > Shortcut. The location is C:\Program Files\AveNoBreadcrumb\AveNoBreadcrumb.exe and I’d name it AveNoBreadcrumb.)

Reboot.

TAA DAAH! No more breadcrumbs!

Mr. Verhoeven has some other interesting add-ons for Vista. Shown are Glass Toasts (gives the balloon notifications the Aero Glass look), 3D User Picture (creates a 3D animated user pictur in the Start menu), Thumbnail Sizer (allows you to change the size of the thumbnails that show when you hover over the taskbar button for the window), AveDesktopSites (a limited replacement for the no longer existing Active Desktop), Desktop Effects, (adds special effects to your desktop), Extra Desktops (adds extra desktops), Vista Folder Background (makes custom folder backgrounds possible), HTML Explorer Thumbnails (allows thumbnails of HTML files), and AveExplorerButtons (changes two little used Explorer buttons to two more used buttons). AveNoBreadcrumb isn’t shown here yet - it’ll probably be here soon.

Those of you who were using Netscape, switch to Firefox or SeaMonkey. It will work almost the same as what you’ve been used to - plus look at the cool stuff you can do…

Microsoft says, “the e-book… includes content from two recent publications: Introducing Windows Server 2008, by Mitch Tulloch and the Windows Server Team at Microsoft, and Microsoft Windows PowerShellT Step by Step, by Ed Wilson… Bookmark this Web site to access your benefits anytime.

“E-book chapters and special offers will be updated periodically. Eventually, the entire text from Introducing Windows Server 2008 will be available. Please keep this URL handy, and visit the site for additional chapters.”