Managing Network Discovery
One of the new features that Vista had in the networking areas was the concept of different types of networks you connect to. The three types of network are as follows:
- Home
- Work
- Public Location
Not many people realize the ramifications of your choices when you make that first click. The biggest one being whether Network Discovery is turned on our not. Now the cry from the masses of “So?” is deafening 
Vista Network & Sharing Center
This week I am going to focus on articles that have to do with the Network & Sharing Center. This control panel console is used to help home users in sharing resources on their home network. Much more robust then its XP counterpart it has some nifty new features that are helpful. While the Network & Sharing console is included in every version of Vista, it will be more often used in the following editions:
- Home Basic
- Home Premium
- Ultimate
If you want to go in and take a look there are a few ways to get there.
- Double click the Network and Sharing Center icon in the Control Panel
- Right-click the Network item on the Start Menu and choose Properties
- Choose Network in the Start menu, and then click the Network and Sharing button from the context menu.
Limit the Number of Windows Displayed with Flip3D
Flip3D was one of those cool WOW things that Windows Vista marketing couldn’t show enough of. If you are using a low end machine and barely clearing the Aero performance bar you may want to limit the number of windows displayed to keep the performance hit to a minimum. If you haven’t seen it yet you can read my article about using Flip3D.
Add Vista Administrative Tools to the Start Menu
Sometimes as a Network Administrator I get on a home users machine and have to pause for a few seconds to get to the Administrator programs that I use to sort out the day to day trouble regular users get themselves into to.
This article will put those administrative tools in Vista at your fingertips through the Start Menu.
Restore Show Desktop Icon to the Quick Launch toolbar
I recently had a friend who was messing around with his desktop and accidentally deleted the Show Desktop icon from his quick launch toolbar. This useful little icon minimizes all open windows so you can get to your desktop quickly. It is not really a application but instead a script that causes all that minimizing goodness.
Hide Vista System Tray Icons Permanently
If your like me after a few months of loading problems your system tray can get overloaded with icons. There are several ways to handle this but I am going to show you the tactical nuke option. This registry edit will permanently remove all the system tray icons.
NOTE : This post discusses changing your registry directly. This can cause your computer to become a very expensive paper weight if done incorrectly. Use the instructions cautiously as I take no responsibility for any inability someone might have to not follow simple instructions. You have been warned.
Change Vista Start Menu Account Picture
If you want to have a more customized desktop you can change your startmenu picture to something different, either one of the
preinstalled ones or one of your own. This change also will be reflected on the welcome screen after bootup for the account picture.
Expanded Warranty for Xbox 360 Owners
Microsoft issued a press release today that extended the warranty on the Xbox 360 console. Any Xbox 360 customer who experiences a general hardware failure indicated by three flashing red lights will now be covered by a three year warranty from date of purchase. All other existing Xbox 360 warranty policies remain in place.
I think this is a great move by Microsoft as the three rings error has garnered quite a bit of negative press from bloggers and console owners. This new policy should help some of the fears. As a 360 owner myself, I always read the stories about powering up one day and getting the red light error with a tinge of loathing that one day I will face the same consequence and the rather hefty amount I invested in my gaming time will be a waste.
You can read the full press release
Remove RSS Feeds from the Vista Common Feed List
I was helping a friend of mine at the office with a new install of Vista and he wanted to remove the default RSS feeds from Microsoft that come with the sidebar Gadget. In Vista, Microsoft instituted a new RSS platform that allows a structured way for other programs to use the same feed instead of having to import and export via OPML. This is called the “Common Feed List“, and unfortunately I could not see an easy way to remove these default feeds from the gadget itself.
The quickest way is to do the following:
- Start Internet Explorer
- Open the Favorites Center (ALT+C)
- Click on the feeds menu
- Right click on the ones you want to remove and select “Delete“
That will easily remove the default feeds from the Common Feed List. You can also add feeds from IE to the list that the Feed gadget uses.
I think Microsoft should be commended for trying to make RSS feed management a little easier as for power users I know people that have over 100+ feeds easy that they skim through. Having a more clearcut explanation of what they were doing would have been nice.
Virtual Vista Released
Per one of my favorite authors Derek Torres at Unofficial Vista site you can get a 30-day evalualtion of Vista Enterprise via virtualization. Download Microsoft Windows Vista 30-Day Eval VHD
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