1. Right-click on the desktop and choose Personalize, then click on the link for “Window Color and Appearance”

2. Make sure that Windows Aero is selected in the list, and then hit the Apply button.

This should re-enable Aero. IF not, read on….

If that doesn’t enable Aero, type sysdm.cpl into the start menu search/run box, choose the Advanced tab and then the Settings button under Performance:

Make sure that at least “Enable desktop composition” and “Enable transparent glass” are selected (Or just choose Best Appearance), and then go back into the desktop properties and choose the Windows Aero theme again (although you really shouldn’t have to do this step)

If that still doesn’t work, close out of all your open applications, and verify that the Desktop Window Manager service is running in Services under Control Panel:

At this point, you should hopefully be able to re-enable Aero.

Source Article

Post from: EveryJoe

Re-enable Aero Theme for Windows Vista

1. Install the updated Microsoft UAA HD Bus Driver via Microsoft
2. Remove the UAA Bus driver and your existing sound drivers and install them again.
3. Get the updated driver here: KB888111

Version 1.0a of the Universal Audio Architecture (UAA) High Definition Audio class driver for Microsoft Windows has been released. This release supports the High Definition Audio and Modem implementations that are known to Microsoft as of August 1, 2004. This is the second version of this driver.

Version 1.0a of the UAA High Definition Audio class driver does not work on High Definition Audio implementations that were disclosed to Microsoft after August 1, 2004.

You must uninstall version 1.0 of the UAA High Definition Audio class driver before you install version 1.0a. For more information about version 1.0 of the UAA High Definition Audio class driver, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Post from: EveryJoe

HD Audio driver not installing?

Mozilla has identified 10 high-priority bugs in Firefox 3.0, three of them pegged “critical,” but won’t decide until next week whether to release the browser anyway or restart the final stretch by issuing a second release candidate (RC2).

“We are making a go/no go decision early next week, as we are still collecting feedback [on Release Candidate 1],” Mike Schroepfer, Mozilla’s vice president of engineering, said in an e-mail Thursday.

Firefox 3.0 Release Candidate 1 (RC1) launched a week ago, but Mozilla has not yet committed to RC2. Previously, the company has only said it is targeting June as the release window for the final code.

On the “mozilla.dev.planning” newsgroup, Schroepfer also said that on May 27 Mozilla will either call Firefox 3.0 finished with RC1, or build RC2 with fixes for the 10 bugs that have been collected.

In the meantime, testing will begin on the 10 bugs. “If we need to do an RC2, they’ll be ready to go,” he said. “If we ship RC1, we can get them in the 3.0.1.”

Read the full article here

Post from: EveryJoe

Mozilla: Newest Firefox Beta has Critical Flaws

A link in the spam leads to a site posing as an iTunes billing update page; that phony page asks for information including credit card number and security code, Social Security number and mother’s maiden name.

The theft attempt is a new twist on the usual phishing attack, said Lochart. “We’ve gotten used to seeing the usual companies and brands attacked,” he said, “like PayPal, eBay and Citibank. But we’ve never seen Apple as the target.”

In a way, said Lochart, the phishing campaign is almost a compliment. “It’s probably indicative that the bad guys see Apple’s online presence as large enough to be a target. It’s part and parcel of the success that Apple has enjoyed lately.”

Lochart also speculated that the identity thieves aimed the new attack at iTunes users because of the service’s perceived demographics. “I wonder if the bad guys are thinking that [iTunes users] are younger than those for some of the other phished sites, like banks and eBay,” said Lochart. “The way that teenagers and young adults use the Internet, they show a certain level of trust or openness when they post their name and age and school on MySpace.”

On one hand, Lochart added, young people who grew up with the Internet are considered technologically savvier than their elders. “But then you see the way they use something like MySpace in a way that’s considered risky behavior.”

Although the phoniness of the link to the bogus iTunes account page might be overlooked in the spam e-mail, the URL is clearly not part of the official iTunes domain. “They’ve actually done a pretty poor job,” Lochart, said of the phishers.

Source

Post from: EveryJoe

Phishers target users of Apple Inc.’s iTunes

The good part about going virtual is that you don’t have to worry about leaving your data or software on the wrong machine when you’re away from the office. The bad part, of course, is when you can’t reach the Internet. Even then, however, more and more online applications are offering offline access so that you can keep working while waiting for Road Runner or Comcast to restore your Net connection.

Here are five ways you can make your business virtual, too.

Read more via PC World.

Post from: EveryJoe

How to build your Virtual Office

Now, try to get into Safe Mode by pressing F8 at the next reboot. You may need to press F8 repeatedly. Once in Safe Mode, follow the steps Microsoft lists in this support document to disable the intelppm.sys driver if you suspect that’s the problem.

If that doesn’t work, Johansson suggests trying the more advanced Recovery Console, which can be run from the XP install CD if it hasn’t previously been added to the PC. For detailed directions on installing and using the Recovery Console, check out this Microsoft support document . Again, disable the intelppm.sys driver.

If your PC is not an HP or Compaq with an AMD processor, your best bet — in lieu of anything official from Microsoft — is to read through Johansson’s post for possible solutions.

Isn’t there an easier way? We’re not sure, but you can try to offload the heavy lifting to Microsoft by using the free tech support it’s offering for any install or upgrade problems related to XP SP3.

Although Microsoft normally refers users who obtained XP as part of a new PC to the computer manufacturer or reseller when problems pop up, it will provide free-of-charge XP SP3 install support until April 14, 2009. You can contact Microsoft by phone, e-mail or online chat. (E-mail and chat are available only in the U.S. and Canada.)

Source

Post from: EveryJoe

Stop the Endless Windows XP SP3 Reboots

Take your hands off that mouse. I know, you’re ready to grab XP SP3. But slow down a sec and read my quick tutorial. It could save you some time and make your life with the new Service Pack less harrowing.

Wait a minute! You say you haven’t followed the XP SP3 saga? Read “Early Tests Say SP3 Speeds Windows XP” and Robert Strohmeyer’s “Windows XP SP3: First Impressions.”
Reading Materials

Start with Microsoft’s “Steps to take before you install Windows XP Service Pack 3,” a handy set of instructions to ensure a pleasant experience. It talks about “fast user switching” issues (like making sure everyone’s logged off), administrator rights, and error messages you may encounter.

Then take a quick look at the Service Pack’s Release Notes. Among other things, you’ll discover that if you installed Internet Explorer 7 (or the IE 8 beta) before installing SP3, you won’t be able to remove IE–unless you first uninstall SP3. It’s not an issue for most users, but it may be for you. If it is, be sure to uninstall IE7 or IE8 before installing the Service Pack….

Read the full article here

Post from: EveryJoe

Installing Windows XP SP3?

Go to Start-> Run and type in “regedit” . This step opens up the regitry for us tp add a registry key to disable the key. If youre not sure about editing your registry, get this file instead.

In “HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout”, create a REG_BINARY key called “Scancode Map”, and add the following values:

00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
02 00 00 00 00 00 52 E0
00 00 00 00

Reboot the computer for the tweak to take effect.

Source

Post from: EveryJoe

Disable the Insert Key

Right-click Start, select Properties, choose the Taskbar tab, click Customize, scroll to Safely Remove Hardware, and make the behavior Always Show. Alternatively you can keep the icon hidden (and your Systray uncluttered) and force it to appear when you need it by creating a desktop shortcut. Right-click your desktop, choose New, Shortcut, insert the line C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll in the ‘Type the location of the item:’ field, and click Next. Rename the shortcut USB Remove.

Source

Post from: EveryJoe

Restore the Safely Remove Hardware Icon

The latest versions of the popular free antivirus products from avast! and AVG both now include spyware protection as well, and they’re quite effective. ThreatFire 3.5, from PC Tools, eliminates malware by monitoring its behavior: It doesn’t need any advance knowledge to stop a threat from harming your computer.

You do have to pony up cash for the paid version to use these products in a commercial setting, but you can get a very good idea of their power by running the free versions at home first. Of course, not every free app is a huge success, so read our reviews carefully before deciding which one’s right for you.

Read the full article here

Post from: EveryJoe

Comparison of Free Security Products