Microsoft’s Nelly Porter confirmed the rumor that has been going around for some time now: Longhorn (Terminal) Server will have its own “universal printer” functionality. This functionality will be included for the first time in the upcoming Beta 3 of Windows Server 2008.

Microsoft calls it Easy Print. It’s based on the Microsoft XPS document standard (which is similar to PDF). The “Easy Print” feature of is quite comprehensive though and is more than just a universal print driver in that it:

• Supports (nearly) every printer
• Compresses the data stream send to the terminal server client
• Enables you to use the properties (UI) of the native printer driver
• Allow you to specify which printer gets redirected into your terminal server session

Source: Bink.nu - read more about Easy Print here.

Bink has some ideas of which the Windows Server “Longhorn” products will be called. It’s still thought that the final product names will be Windows Server 2008 but with a small extension describing the type of edition. He’s come up with:

Windows Server “Longhorn” Standard Edition
Windows Server “Longhorn” Enterprise Edition
Windows Server “Longhorn” Datacenter Edition
Windows Server “Longhorn” for Itanium-based Systems
Windows Web Server “Longhorn”

Source: Bink.nu

Windows Media Player does a good job of automatically finding images to fill as your album art when in the library view. However, sometimes it doesn’t work and can’t find it. But if you can find the album art cover on the Internet, you can easily paste it into the library item and it’ll stay there.

1. Go to Start , All Programs, then Windows Media Player.
2. In the Library tab, find a song or a track from an album which doesn’t have album art, and just has an image saying “Paste Art Here”.
3. Search the web for an image which you find acceptable to place as the album art.
4. Right click the image, select Copy.
5. Go back into Windows Media Player, right click the blank album art, and select Paste Album Art.

Windows Media Player takes on a lot of music, video and picture files automatically in Vista, so all you do is open a file and Windows Media Player opens it. However if you have other programs for other things, you can set what Windows Media Player actually opens and what it doesn’t. To do this:

1. Go to Start , All Programs, then Windows Media Player.
2. Click on the Alt key to display the menu, Tools then Options.
3. In the File Types tab, select all the different types of media you wish Windows Media Player to open.
   (We recommend you keep checked asf, wma, wmv, avi and dvr-ms)
4. Apply then OK.

Video and some music files need to be “converted” before they are played back, and this is what a codec does. It converts a file from a certain type into a readable format so it can be heard or watched. Some codecs are required to watch and listen to certain media, and when one is needed it is downloaded from the web. You can enable this to download automatically; to do this:

1. Go to Start , All Programs, then Windows Media Player.
2. Click on the Alt key to display the menu, Tools then Options.
3. In the Player tab, ensure the “Download codecs automatically” box is checked.
4. Apply then OK.

Enabling media sharing lets you share your music, pictures and videos with other computers and users in the same house or the same network as you. To enable media sharing:

1. Go to Start , All Programs, then Windows Media Player.
2. Click on the Library tab, then select Media Sharing from the menu.
3. Check the “Share my media” button, then press OK. (This might take a few seconds to complete as it modifies firewall settings.)

If you have a high definition audio device in your computer (most onboard audio solutions are now high definition, or HD), then you should have the ability to use Audio Enhancements. However, if you are not planning on using these enhancements then it is recommended that you disable them completely.

1. Right click on the sound icon in the notification area and from the context menu that appears click on “Playback Devices”.
2. Select your output device (most commonly labelled “Speakers”), right click on it, and then click on Properties.
3. Click on the Enhancements tab.
4. Tick/check “Disable all enhancements”.
5. Press OK to dismiss the dialog.

Big thanks to Kristan Kenney for the heads-up.

Windows Vista has many different in built tools which protect against software piracy, and if you get caught out then some functionality gets reduced. You can’t update, you won’t be able to get Windows Ultimate Extras if you have the Ultimate Edition, and Windows Aero won’t work.

To ensure that you have a genuine copy of Windows Vista, validate now. Alternate methods are available here.

As DreamScene plays videos, the videos which have sound also play but sometimes people can’t hear it. If you know that your video definately has sound (such as a home movie), then follow these steps:

• Make sure your DreamScene video is running: right click an area of the desktop, select Play DreamScene.
• Make sure your speakers are on and turned up: this is essential for any sound to come out at all.
• Turn the system volume up: click the volume meter in the notification are and select Mixer. Ensure that all sliders (the important one is Windows Sounds) is turned up high, and that they are not muted.

If none of these work, ensure that your sound card is working properly and that your drivers are installed.

Internet Explorer 7 isn’t automatically placed on the desktop; this is because it is available in your Start menu and Vista is designed to be clean and fresh, and have little on the desktop except the most important things.

Simply go to  Start, and click and drag the Internet Explorer icon onto your desktop, then rename it to what you like.

BitLocker is split into two areas - hardware and software. Some computers have a TPM chip inside the computer which holds a secure key which BitLocker uses to secure the hard disk. Some computers don’t have a TPM chip but still stores the secure key on the hard disk itself. BitLocker isn’t easy to set up, but here’s a quick overview to getting there.

1. Go to Start , then Run (or press Windows key + R), type in gpedit.msc then press OK.
2. In the left hand pane, select Computer Configuration then Administrative Templates, then Windows Components.
3. Expand the menu to select BitLocker Drive Encryption.
4. Now look for Control Panel Setup: Enable advanced startup options
5. If you highlight this option and then look on the left hand side of the window you will see a description of what this does.
6. You’ll see a link marked ‘Properties’. Click on this link to open the properties window.
7. In the properties window click the radio button next to the ‘Enable’ option and then click OK
8. Finally Go to Control Panel and click on the Bitlocker Icon. You should see a link now for enabling BitLocker.

Source: John Barnett

ClearType is a technology used in Windows XP and Vista which smooths screen fonts to make them appear better on flat-screen monitors. In Vista, it is enabled by default unlike XP which it wasn’t, and you can easily turn it on and off.

1. Push Start , then Control Panel, then Personalisation.
2. Click the Windows Color and Appearance link
3. Click the link for “Open classic appearance properties”.
4. Press the Effects button, then tick the box to enable ClearType, or untick the box to disable it. Make sure you select ClearType from the drop down menu option.
5. Click OK, OK then close the Personalisation window.

If you’re having trouble getting Windows Movie Maker to work in Vista, there is an update which will benefit users in getting the software to work. Some users experience the message, “Windows Movie Maker cannot start because your video card does not support the required level of hardware acceleration or hardware acceleration is not available.” If this is the case, you can download the update from Microsoft.

If you don’t experience this message or problem, then there is no need to download an update. The update, which will update Windows Movie Maker from the RTM version to 2.6, and can be obtained here.

Source: Bink.nu

You can’t buy Windows Media Center seperately for Vista editions which don’t have it installed. You can only get Windows Media Center in Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate Editions.

A Media Center Extender is a bridge between your Windows Media Center device and the rest of the devices in your home, such as in other rooms and speakers, including games consoles like the Xbox 360. Using your computer as a Media Center Extender, you can have the functionality of Windows Media Center in other rooms in your house.

By having your computer as a Media Center Extender, you can:

1. Listen to music in other rooms and on other devices in your house.
2. Look at photos in other rooms and on other devices in your house.
3. Watch videos and DVD’s in other rooms and on other devices in your house.
4. Watch or record television in other rooms and on other devices in your house.
5. Listen to radio from over-the-air or via broadband in other rooms and on other devices in your house.

For all this, generally you need a networked TV or DVD player which can communicate with your Windows Media Center computer. Your Xbox 360 can act as a Media Center Extender also if you have one, and a wired or a wireless network in your house so the devices can communicate with each other.

You have two options - Internet Radio in Windows Media Player 11, or actual FM radio in Windows Media Center.

• Listen to radio online using Windows Media Player 11 now.

You need a TV-tuner in order to listen to radio or watch television on your computer, and these can cost from $20 to $100 depending on where you are. It will enable you to listen to FM radio nationally and locally from 86FM to 107FM and other bands (depending on hardware).

1. Go to Start, All Programs, then click on Windows Media Center.
2. Select Music, then scroll across to Radio then click on it.
3. If you know the number for the station, enter it into your keypad then press Enter.
4. If you don’t know the number for the station, select the + and - under Seek and Tune to find your station.

You can also search for Internet radio stations using Windows Media Center. To do this:

1. Go to the start screen by selecting the button within Windows Media Center.
2. Scroll to Online Media, then click on Program Library.
3. Click on Music and Radio, and then continue to click on More Music and Radio to see a list of radio stations available.
4. Click on the station you want to listen to, and it’ll begin streaming through your Windows Media Center display.

It’s really simple. You don’t need to attach your computer to your television or any other devices, but what you will need is a TV-tuner card which needs to be bought and installed manually into your computer. If you already have one, then you can proceed to watching television.

To watch television in Windows Media Center:

1. Go to Start, All Programs, then click on Windows Media Center.
2. Wait until Windows Media Center loads up.
3. Scroll to TV at the main menu and you should be set up fine.

Note: if you get a warning regarding a TV-tuner card, you may not have one installed and you’ll need to buy one seperately.

Windows Photo Gallery has a number of different tools which enables you to make pictures look different, and in some cases look better than the original. These features are free with Windows Vista and are there so users can edit their photographs.

To remove red-eye from a picture:

1. Find the image you want to edit, right click and select Open With, then click on Windows Photo Gallery.
2. By selecting the Fix button, select the Fix Red Eye button.
3. Simply select the red-eye area on the photo that you wish to remove, and repeat as necessary.
4. You can also select the Auto Adjust button if the red-eye removal doesn’t work, and then try removing the red-eye again.

Windows Photo Gallery has a number of different tools which enables you to make pictures look different, and in some cases look better than the original. These features are free with Windows Vista and are there so users can edit their photographs.

To crop/resize a picture:

1. Find the image you want to edit, right click and select Open With, then click on Windows Photo Gallery.
2. By selecting the Fix button, select the Crop picture button.

From here you have these options:

• Custom - crop the picture to any proportion of your liking (drag the selector tool to make the new size of the image)
• Original - keeps the proportions exactly the same by reverting it to the original image.
• Rotate frame - enabling you to crop the picture horizontally or vertically.

Windows Photo Gallery has a number of different tools which enables you to make pictures look different, and in some cases look better than the original. These features are free with Windows Vista and are there so users can edit their photographs.

To adjust the brightness/contrast in a picture:

1. Find the image you want to edit, right click and select Open With, then click on Windows Photo Gallery.
2. By selecting the Fix button, select the Adjust Exposure button.

From here you can change the:

• Brightness - the amount of light that the image has.
• Contrast - a select difference between the brighter points and the darker points on-screen.

Windows Photo Gallery has a number of different tools which enables you to make pictures look different, and in some cases look better than the original. These features are free with Windows Vista and are there so users can edit their photographs.

To adjust the colours in a picture:

1. Find the image you want to edit, right click and select Open With, then click on Windows Photo Gallery.
2. You can click Auto Adjust to make the picture seem more realistic using the Photo Gallery’s workings.

• Colour temperature - makes the picture look warmer (more red) or cooler (more blue).
• Saturation - increases or decreases the amount of colour in your picture.
• Tint - removes the green from the image to give it a tinted look.

What’s the largest amount of flash that I can use for ReadyBoost?
You can use up to 4GB of flash for ReadyBoost (which turns out to be 8GB of cache with the compression)

Why can’t I use more than 4GB of flash?
The FAT32 filesystem limits our ReadyBoost.sfcache file to 4GB.

What’s the smallest ReadyBoost cache that I can use
The smallest cache is 256MB. After Beta 2, we have dropped it another 10 MB or so.

OK… 256MB-4GB is a pretty big range… any recommendations?
Yes. We recommend a 1:1 ratio of flash to system memory at the low end and as high as 2.5:1 flash to system memory. Higher than that and you won’t see much benefit.

Isn’t this just putting the paging file onto a flash disk?
Not really - the file is still backed on disk. This is a cache - if the data is not found in the ReadyBoost cache, we fall back to the hard disk.

Aren’t hard disks faster than flash? My hard disk has 80MB/sec throughput.
Hard drives are great for large sequential I/O. For those situations, ReadyBoost gets out of the way. We concentrate on improving the performance of small, random I/Os, like paging to and from disk.

What happens when you remove the drive?
When a surprise remove event occurs and we can’t find the drive, we fall back to disk. Again, all pages on the device are backed by a page on disk. No exceptions. This isn’t a separate page file store, but rather a cache to speed up access to frequently used data.

Isn’t user data on a removable device a security risk?
This was one of our first concerns and to mitigate this risk, we use AES-128 to encrypt everything that we write to the device.

Won’t this wear out the drive?
Nope. We’re aware of the lifecycle issues with flash drives and are smart about how and when we do our writes to the device. Our research shows that we will get at least 10+ years out of flash devices that we support.

Can use use multiple devices for EMDs?
Nope. We’ve limited Vista to one ReadyBoost per machine

Why just one device?
Time and quality. Since this is the first revision of the feature, we decided to focus on making the single device exceptional, without the difficulties of managing multiple caches. We like the idea, though, and it’s under consideration for future versions.

Do you support SD/CF/memory stick/MMC/etc.?
Mostly. In Beta 2, we added support for a small number of SD/CF cards on internal USB2 & PCIe busses. RC1 has a much broader support range.

Why don’t you support SD on my USB2.0 external card reader?
We unfortunately don’t support external card readers - there were some technical hurdles that we didn’t have time to address. In general, if a card reader shows a drive without media in it (like a floppy drive or CD-ROM does), we can’t use it for ReadyBoost.

Will it support all USB drives, regardless of how they are ID’d to the OS (”hard disk drive” or “Device with Removable Storage”)?
We have no way to tell what is on the other end of a USB cable so we do some basic size checks (since no one has a 200GB flash device ) and then perform our speed tests. HDD will not, however, pass our speed tests, and there is no benefit to using a USB HDD for ReadyBoost.

Can you use an MP3 player to speed up your system?
Not currently. MP3 players use the ‘plays for sure’ interfaces to expose themselves to Windows. We require that the device appear as a disk volume. These aren’t currently compatible.

How much of a speed increase are we talking about?
Well, that depends. On average, a RANDOM 4K read from flash is about 10x faster than from hard disk. Now, how does that translate to end-user performance? Under memory pressure and heavy disk activity, the system is much more responsive; on a 4GB machine with few applications running, the ReadyBoost effect is much less noticable.

I can’t get my device to work with ReadyBoost… can I lower the performance requirements?
Unfortunately, no. We’ve set the perf requirements to the lowest possible throughput that still makes your system faster. If we lowered the perf requirements, then there wouldn’t be a noticeable benefit to using ReadyBoost. Remember, we’re not adding memory, we’re improving disk access.

Which manufacturers support ReadyBoost?
Well, I hope that all of them do, eventually. Right now, we’re working with manufacturers to create a program that will allow them to identify ReadyBoost capable devices on their packaging.

Source: Tom Archer’s Blog

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