• Google Chrome Browser
• Google Earth
• Google Toolbar for IE
• Norton Security Scan
• Spyware Doctor Starter Edition
• Google Desktop
• Picasa
• Google Photos Screensaver
• Adobe Reader
• Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar
• Google Talk
• Skype
• RealPlayer

The problem of course being that if you are using Windows 7 and go to the Google Pack website at http://pack.google.com/intl/en/pack_installer.html you will see the following error: “Google Pack requires Windows XP or Vista”

Well we wont a little thing keep us from getting our Google Pack goodness on Windows 7.  First we need to do a little impersonation using Firefox.  First go download and install Firefox 3 if you haven’t already installed it at: http://www.getfirefox.com

Once that is setup you need to download the User Agent Switcher plugin at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/59

Once that is installed open up Firefox

Go to Tools –> User Agent Switcher –> Internet Explorer 7 (Windows Vista)

Now go to http://pack.google.com/intl/en/pack_installer.html and you will see the error message is gone.  You can now choose which software you want to install.

Choose which packages you want to install and then click Download Now

You will see a recap of the packages that you have chosen to install and click Agree and Download.

You will now get a notice that you are about to download Google Updater.exe, click on Save

Once it is finished downloading navigate to the location of Google Updater.exe.  Right click on the file and left click on Properties.

On the Properties page click on the Compatibility Tab and under Compatability mode select Run this program in compatibility mode for: and in the dropdown choose Windows Vista. 

Click Ok when done.

Double click on the Google Updater executable and then you will be asked to confirm that you want to run the file.

Confirm by clicking Run. If UAC is still enabled you will get a popup confirming you want to run it. You will now see Google Updater downloading your requested files.

Once the downloads finish the application will now install the requested software.

There you go, you can now run Google Updater and Google Pack software on Windows 7.

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1. Install Windows 7 Beta For those

• 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)

Those are very similar to what was recommended for Vista and we know what kind of outcry went out in the world over performance even if it was slightly off mark.  So I wanted to see out of the box what the memory footprint was for each OS, nothing too scientific, just right after install I went into Task Manager and grabbed a shot of what the memory was at.  First up is Windows Vista Ultimate SP1, again right after basic install:

As you can see it is sitting ~471MB, which is at 43% of available memory.  Not too bad…

Lets see what Windows 7 Ultimate install is at right after startup :

Windows 7 is at ~295MB so that is at 25% of available memory which is a pretty significant difference from Vista without any tweaking.  It looks like at least so far into this Beta build 7000 they have indeed listened to the Vista criticism and responded. While I don’t think the Vista build was ever that sluggish on my laptop, I won’t complain about a slimmer operating system.

You should go ahead and give it a try!

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1. Install Windows 7 Beta For those

• Processor: 1Ghz 32-bit or 64-bit
• Memory: 1GB of System Memory
• Hard Drive: 16GB of available disk space
• Video Card: Support of DirectX 9 (Aero compatibility requires 128MB)
• Drive: DVD-R/W
• Internet: Required for updates

Pretty light requirements so this should run well on most systems.  I am seeing reports on Twitter that while running it is taking much less memory than Vista did, though I haven’t been able to take benchmarks yet myself.  Now that you know you have the right amount of hardware you need to go ahead and download the Windows 7 Beta software.  You can download the version you want from the link below:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx (Note: You will need to sign in with a Windows Live account)

Once you choose the version you want and fill out their contact form you will also receive a serial number, make sure you note that down for later.  After you download the Windows 7 ISO if you aren’t going to be testing using a virtual machine you will need to burn it to a DVD.  I wont go into to how to burn an ISO, because frankly if you don’t know how you probably shouldn’t be messing around with this beta.

WARNING!

This is a BETA you should not be installing this on a production machine or any other machine you care about the data.  Even if you do get it up and running as your primary machine remember this version expires on AUGUST 9th 2009 and you WILL NOT be able to upgrade to the RTM version from the beta so the machine will require a clean install when it is released. Whatever you choose to do BACKUP everything and don’t cry to me if you lose data… really… I won’t be able to help you…

Installing Windows 7 Beta

1) Go ahead and boot from your ISO and after a few seconds you should see the following screen:

Choose your settings from the drop down menu and click on Next to move forward.

2) Much like the Windows Vista & Server 2008 install at this point you have the big option of Install Now which you should click now to start the install.

3) You will see setup start then you will be presented with the licensing agreement you will need to accept by placing a check next to I accept the license terms

4) On the next screen you get the following options:

Upgrade: Upgrade to a newer version of Windows and keep your files, settings, and programs

Custom(advanced): Install a new copy of Windows

For this demo I am going to do a clean install so I am going to choose Custom, because per my warning above you shouldn’t be installing this on your primary machine.

5) Now we come to the disk options, as you can see I have an unformatted 16GB hard drive available for use.  In this screen shot I have already clicked the Disk(advanced) button so that is why you see options that you might not see right away.  I am not going to do anything here but use the 16GB, but if you wanted you could create a system and data drive or if you had multiple drives choose where you want to install the Windows 7 OS.  Again I am not going to go into this in too much depth because if you are going to play with this Beta you should now how to manage your disk drives.  Choose the drive you want to use and select Next.

6) At this point your install will start and you can monitor its progress

As you can see after it finished it does a restart, when it comes back up it will finish the install

7) Once it completes the installation you will be asked for the following:

Name: I am going to use Dave but feel free to use your own

Computer Name: Again, feel free to use something different from mine

Once you enter your value click on Next

Next comes to the security portion of the install.  You will be asked for the following:

Password: Like I would tell you guys!

Retype your password: Good try but I’m not giving it up!

Password Hint: Put in a hint that will point you to your password

After you input your information click Next

9) Hopefully you saved your license key from when you downloaded the beta software because now is the time to use it!  Go ahead and place your key where provided, then choose if you want it to activate when you are online next.

When you are done click on Next.

10) The next thing you need to configure is how you want to deal with updates.  There are several options:

Use recommended settings: Handle everything the Microsoft way and send info home when things go bad

Install important updates only: Only install security updates and other important updates

Ask me later: Go it alone in the cold cruel world… leave you open to possible exploits as you won’t get security patches as vulnerabilities are discovered

For this demo I am going to choose Use recommended settings, go ahead and choose yours

11) Ok, on to setting the time and time zone.  Choose your time zone from the drop down menu, then set the correct time and click Next.

12) The next option is to set the type of network you are connected to.  Since I am working off my home network, I am going to choose Home Network. The options you have are:

Home Network: You can participate in a homegroup and see other computers on the network

Work Network: You can not participate in a homegroup, but you can see other computers on the network

Public Network: You can not participate in a homegroup or access other computers on the network.  This is a setting you would use at your public Wifi spot at the coffee shop to keep the local hackers out of your computer.

Select your network type to continue.

13) Since I selected Home Network I am now being given an option to start a homegroup.  In this case I do not need that so I am going to select Skip. (Never fear, if you need homegroup info I will be covering that in an upcoming article.)

14) You will now see Windows 7 finalizing your installation

That’s it!  Congratulations and enjoy your Windows 7 Beta experience!

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I didnt really think much of it when I first worked with the poster, I was just happy to help, but since then I have seen it come up on at least 3 different forums and 1 twitter, hopefully this will come up with a relevant search and maybe help resolve the issue quicker for someone looking for an answer.

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If you just need to search a single file server or even are going to be using Server 2008 as a desktop OS for yourself, the Windows Search Service will be more than enough for your needs.

Let’s go ahead and install Windows Search Service

1. Open Server Manager and select Roles in the left pane.  Then in the center pane click on Add Roles.
   
   
2. If you get the Before You Begin page just click Next, depending on if you have installed a role before and chose to skip this page in the future you might not see it.
   
3. Select Server Roles window go ahead and select File Services and then click Next.
   
4. The next page will discuss the File Services Role and what you can do with it. After reading go ahead and click Next.
   
5. In the Select Role Services page place a check next to Windows Search Service and then click Next.
   
6. The next page will ask you to select the volumes you want to index.  Place a  check next to the volumes you want indexed and then click Next. As a note this is a test server so I don’t have separate data drives, be careful indexing your system drive as it can cause performance issues.
   
   
7. Confirm your selections by reviewing the information and then click on Install.
   
   
   
8. Hopefully you see a Installation Succeeded message and you can click Close.
   
   

That’s it!  You will now be able to execute searches on the Windows server through Windows Search Services.

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Dave

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If you have been following along this week I am sure you are sick of seeing me show you how to get to the Network & Sharing Center console, but remember some people just get to this one article first

1. Click on your start menu and right click on Networking and choose Properties
   
2. Right above your graphical mini map you will see the words “View Full Map”, go ahead and click on that
   

   View Full Map

3. Once you click it another Window will pop up and you will see a message “Windows is creating a network map”
   

   Creating Network Map

4. Next you will see a topology layout of your network
   

   Network Topology

How the Network map works is by using Link Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD) and for computers or devices to respond properly they need to have the LLTD responder loaded.

As you can see the Xbox 360 got a update that gave it LLTD functionality. Unfortunately Windows XP machines do not have the LLTD responder by default and that is why you see the two computers at the bottom. This was fixed in Microsoft KB 922120, you can download the responder from there and install it on your XP machines.

Now if you move your pointer over one of the devices on the map you will see its IP address and also its MAC address. Very helpful if you are troubleshooting or trying to isolate a machine quick and easy.

Isolate Machine On The Network

If you need greater information on the device you can right click on them in the network map and you will have several options including enabling or disabling and getting the properties

Device Context Menu

The properties can give you access to the devices manufacturer website and model numbers

Network Device Properties

You can also connect to the machines right from the Map by clicking on them, though if they require authentication you will still have to provide those credentials.

Also if you are connected to multiple networks through different NICs then you can use the dropdown menu to see your other network maps.

NIC Dropdown Menu

One limitation that must be noted is that the LLTD protocol is not routable so for this to work all the devices have to be on the same subnet.

Though the Network Map looks a little bit like fluff on the surface, as you closer at the functionality you can see that it adds real value when working on a home network for users that might not be as tech savvy as some.

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Lets walk through the different features and options of the public folder.

The public folder is shared by everyone with a user account on the same PC by default. Also by default access to the Public folder from the network is turned off and needs to be enabled. Luckily it is a very easy process and it starts by going to the Network & Sharing Console. There are many ways to get to the console as you can read in that article I am just going to use one randomly so lets go.

1. Click on the Start Menu and right-click on Network and choose Properties
2. In the center pane of the console look for Public folder sharing, and click the arrow to the right to bring up the different options you have.
   
   
3. Choose the option you want the choices are:
   • Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can open files
   • Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can open, change, and create files
   • Turn off sharing (people logged on to this computer can still access this folder)

   Once you make your change click Apply
   

   Note: Depending on UAC and security settings you may be asked for Administrator credentials.

4. An additional level of control on this share is exercised by the setting “password protected sharing” just below the Public Folder Share setting in the Network & Sharing console. This setting only allows access to shares by using local account credentials. If you attempt to connect to any share remotely it will ask for a username/password from the computer the share resides on. This is an additional layer of security and it is really up to you if you need it or not. The only options are on or off. Choose which you want and click Apply
   

After that is done you should be good to go for setup. Now lets get into the different parts of the public folder. As always there are many ways to get to things in Vista I am going to pick one that I feel is easier.

1. Click on Start Menu and then click on Computer
2. You will see it in the upper left pane under Favorites, there is a Public Folder, go ahead and click it
   
   
3. Now in the right pane you will see all the various sub folders for the Public folder. This can help you keep things organized easier.
   

Most of these are self explanatory, but there are two I want to touch on specifically so you are clear on what they do.

• Favorites – If you place Internet Explorer shortcuts in this folder they will be accessible to everyone on the PC.
• Public Desktop – Placing a document or shortcut into this folder will make it appear on everyones desktop on that PC that logs in.

All in all a very useful tool for Vista and home network users. I would recommend that you only put documents and files into the Public File Share that you are comfortable with almost anyone having access to in case of a misconfiguration. If you have need to share something with someone in particular, it would be better to make a private share and place it there with security.

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