Install Windows 7 from your thumb drive

With the release of Windows 7, Microsoft has seen something of a resurgence in its standing, delivering on promises that past versions of their operating system has failed to fulfill. ?Microsoft offers users the opportunity to download an .ISO image of Windows 7. This is convenient if you have a netbook to which you?d like to install the program.

If you?re looking for a quick and painless way of simply taking that .ISO image and installing it with a thumb drive, which is particularly useful if you want to use Windows 7 with a netbook, the following tool will allow you to do so.

Called the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool , this utility creates a bootable flash drive ? or, if you so choose, a DVD –from the .ISO image, taking just a few steps to have a quick solution for whenever you wish to install Windows 7. For those using a flash drive, you?ll require one with a capacity that?s equal to or greater than 4GB.

This is a quick solution for installing Windows 7 on your netbook, but it?ll also prove helpful if you?re someone who opted to download Windows 7 from Microsoft rather than order the installation DVD.

You can get the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool here.

Device Doctor updates your drivers with ease

Ensuring that the latest drivers are installed on your computer can go quite a distance towards shielding you against the much dreaded ?Blue Screen of Death.? Drivers are files? upon which your software and hardware depend, facilitating conflict-free communication between the various programs and devices comprising your computer system.

For streamlined solutions that scan your computer for outdated drivers and provide the necessary updates, you?re usually looking at a fee. However, there is one solution that comes at no expense to you, provided as an absolutely free alternative that effectively assesses and addresses your driver needs.

Called Device Doctor, this utility is very easy to use, limited to just one screen from which you?ll be able to see what drivers are needed and how to obtain them. All you need to do is click the ?Begin Scan? button, which will commence with a thorough appraisal of your system?s drivers, ending with a list that shows you which drivers needed to be updated. After the scan is complete, you?re prompted to download each update.

 

Although the drivers aren?t installed automatically, it?s still fairly straightforward, with very little chance of error. On the page for downloads, you simply click on that driver you want to install and sit back while it updates the driver.

With such a staggering variety of hardware all serving the same essential purpose, the number of drivers is just as varied, requiring you to be attentive to just what it is you?re updating. There is always the slight chance of Device Doctor linking you to an incorrect driver or one that has since been replaced by a more current one. If that happens, they provide a link for you to alert the developers of this utility to the error.

 

Saving you the time of hunting down each specific driver, this is a great tool that simplifies and hastens the important process of updating your drivers.

You can download Device Doctor here.

Send the Recycle Bin to your taskbar in Windows 7

Windows 7 is fast becoming Microsoft?s most popular release of their seminal operating system. More reliable than previous versions, with faster performance and considerably greater stability, this is an operating system that has returned Microsoft to an enviable position that they were displaced from because of problems encountered when using the two most recent installments ? XP and Vista.

With Windows 7 being a new version of the operating system, despite having many familiar holdovers from past installments, there are several new options that add ease and functionality which previously didn?t exist.

One of those is the ability to send the Recycle Bin to your taskbar.

For those of you handling multiple operations on your PC, accessing the Recycle Bin (which is very useful for those of you who?re mindful of that data which you absolutely no longer need) can become a tedious routine. Windows 7 offers a fast way to permanently affix it to your taskbar, making it readily available for those times it?s needed.

To place the Recycle Bin in your taskbar, the following short steps are required:

You?ll want to create a shortcut on your desktop. It?ll ask you for the location of your shortcut, for which you?ll enter the following in the field:

explorer.exe shell:RecycleBinFolder

 


To proceed, click Next.

You?ll then be asked to name it. Some might call it ?Recycle Bin,? while others may want to be creative; either way, it?ll still have the functions of your recycle bin.

 

Once that?s finished, you?ll need to modify the look of the icon so that it reflects the trash bin we normally associate with this function.

Right-click on the icon and select ?properties.?

 

Click on ?Change Icon.?

 

In field that asks where you?d like to look for the icon, type:

%SystemRoot%system32imageres.dll

 


The Recycle Bin icon will appear in the new assortment of available icons.


Once you?ve applied that, click on OK to exit the Recycle Bin properties screen. As you?ll see, the Recycle Bin now looks like that familiar container. To send it to your task bar, you can either drag it there or right-click on the icon and choose ?Pin to Taskbar.?

 

And, That?s it. This is nice way of bypassing steps that eventually weigh down on those involved with routine tasks. Instead of having to open the Recycle Bin each time you use it, it?s sitting right in your task bar, awaiting whatever trash you see fit to dispose of.

Microsoft Security updates may be causing Issues

If you?re a user of Microsoft?s most recent operating systems ?XP, Vista, and the recently unveiled Windows 7 ? you may want to heed the latest warnings about new ?Microsoft Security updates released. According to reports, these recent security updates may be what?s precipitating a spate of system crashes that render the computer a lifeless black screen. Coming by way of PrevX, a UK based security company, users of its security software began complaining of the problem last week. It would seem that Microsoft made significant changes to the ACL (Access Control List), which contains permissions for user accounts. This list of permissions communicates with the registry keys, making observable changes to the desktop such as the addition of a sidebar. Unintentionally, however, the recent Microsoft security patches are amending those registry keys. As a result, being unaware of those registry changes, a number of applications are responding with confusion ? explaining the black screens during their use. We should note that those applications which seem? most affected are security programs. For those affected by this problem, PrevX has released a patch that would seem to correct the issue, bringing the registry in line with the ACL settings introduced by the security updates. Not everyone is being affected by this problem, but if you feel as if you?re one of those unlucky users who recently suffered a black screen that may be tied to your recent download of Microsoft security updates, PrevX has released a free fix that can be downloaded here. If you continue to experience problems, always feel free to give us a call.

Windows 7 AppLocker allows you to limit access to applications on your computer.

Windows 7 AppLocker allows you to limit access to applications on your computer.

Many computers are shared by multiple people, be it a family or a small office filled with employees. If you have administrative privileges, provided the computer is your property, Windows 7 grants you the ability to determine just what applications can be accessed by the users of that computer with the use of AppLocker.

There could be an application that only one or two people in your office are authorized to utilize, or you could be a parent who wants to restrict the use of games by children during homework hours.

You must be logged in as an administrator to use AppLocker. First, click on the start menu, which will bring you to search field. In that field, you will enter: gpedit.msc and press Enter.

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Looking at the ?Local Computer Policy? tree, you will go to: Computer ConfigurationWindows SettingSecurity SettingsApplication Control PoliciesAppLocker

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Once you’ve selected that, you will see the controls for the applications, which is where you?ll begin setting those privileges.

Click on the ?Configure Rule Enforcement? link.

 

On the ?AppLocker Properties? panel, you?ll see an unchecked box immediately beneath ?Executable Rules.? Click on that.

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Now, press OK.

As an example of how this process works, we?ll use the example of ?Jack,? someone who whittles away time playing games while his productivity in the office declines. We?re going to restrict his access to games.

On the ?Overview? panel, click on ?Executable Rules.?

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With being the first time you’ve implemented this feature, you?ll find that there are no rules defined. If you right-click on that clear window, you can then ?Create New Rule.?

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You?re now at the ?Create Executable Rules? wizard.

After selecting ?Permissions? on the left hand bar, you will then choose ?Deny.?

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You will then add Jack as a user who you?d like to place a restriction on.

 

After he?s added, press OK, which will allow you to toggle him with the ?Deny? action.

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The “Conditions” panel enables you to determine those conditions under which his access is denied. Selecting ?Path? will allow you to deny him access to those games.

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Clicking on ?Browse Folders,? you can now prevent him from using any of the games within the ?Microsoft Games? folder.

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You?re given the option to select the name for this restriction, an option that allows you to monitor several restrictions if you so choose to add them.

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Once that?s complete, a message will read ?The default rules are currently not in the rule list for this rule collection.? With it being necessary to know what this rule or restriction entails, you should click ?Yes.?

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Looking at the list, you?ll notice that Jack is now restricted from accessing the Microsoft Games directory.

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When accessing his user account, Jack will see that he can no longer play those games, which is indicated by a window that will pop up and alert him to this restriction each time he attempts to do so.

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This is how you can deny certain applications to those users you specify, being just one of many features included with Windows 7. With it, productivity is guaranteed to be increased — in the office and, if you have children who need to do their school work, at home.

If you have additional questions about Windows 7 and its powerful set of tools, Computer Geeks is here to assist you.

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