Turn Off System Restore in Windows 7

• Firstly, click the windows start orb and right-click on Computer. Then select ‘Properties’
  
• Select ‘System Protection’
  
• Click ‘Configure’
  
• Then select to turn-off system protection
  
• Finally Click OK, read the message and then click ‘Yes’ to continue
  

Turn System Restore On – Windows 7

• Firstly, click the windows start orb and right-click on Computer. Then select ‘Properties’
  
• Select ‘System Protection’
  
• Select ‘Restore system setting and previous versions of files’ and click OK
  

As a whole we’re very impressed with the program and think it’s got a lot of potential.  The software itself is very easy to use and provides a very effective and efficient service.

If the product was to be developed further we’d like to see a couple of new features added.  Firstly, we think that there should the option to select the image compression.  By this we mean you can select the extent to which the image quality is compromised.  Secondly, there could be some basic image editing software within the application.

Overall we’re impressed and think it’s worth downloading!

See Also:
Downloading and Installing – Image Resizer for Windows 7 and Vista

Downloading and Installing

1. Before you do anything you need to download the program.  The software can be downloaded from phototoysclone.codeplex.com.
2. Click ‘Download Now’ on the right
   
3. Click ‘Agree’ if you are willing to agree to the license.
4. Next save the file to your computer by clicking ‘Save File’ (Firefox Users, wording may vary between Web Browsers)
   
5. Now you need to open the downloaded file.  Internet Explorer users should click ‘Open’.  Firefox users should go to the downloads window and double-click on then file then click ‘OK’.
   
6. Click ‘Run’
7. Now follow through the installation process until the end.
8. Once the installation process is complete you’re ready to get resizing!

How to Resize One Image

1. Firstly ensure that you’ve downloaded and installed the software.
2. Secondly locate the image you wish to resize.  For example, most images on computers are stored in ‘my pictures’.
3. Once you’ve found the image you wish to resize right click on it and select ‘Resize Pictures’ (click to enlarge image)
   
4. If there is size option you’re happy with select it but clicking on it and then click OK.
   
   Alternatively, if you wish to choose specific dimensions click ‘advanced >>’.  This gives you the opportunity to create custom dimensions, ask the tool to make images smaller but not larger and also ask the tool to resize originals and not make copies.  When happy click ‘OK’
   
5. Your images will then appear resized (see example below for users who chose for copies to be made)
   

How to resize a selection of images in one folder

1. Firstly follow step 1 and 2 from the ‘How to resize one image’
2. Once you’ve located the images you wish to resize click on them all whilst holding down ‘Ctrl’ (Control) on your keyboard. If you would like to resize all press ‘ctrl + A’ (Click image to enlarge)
   
3. Next you need to Right Click on one of the images you have selected and then select ‘Resize Pictures’ (click to make the image bigger)
   
4. If there is size option you’re happy with select it but clicking on it and then click OK.
   
   Alternatively, if you wish to choose specific dimensions click ‘advanced >>’.  This gives you the opportunity to create custom dimensions, ask the tool to make images smaller but not larger and also ask the tool to resize originals and not make copies.  When happy click ‘OK’
   
5. Your images will then appear in the folder resized (click to make image bigger)
   

We’re impressed with this program!  Watch out for our review on it next week!

Scenario – new machine to add to the WHS network. Shoved the connector disc in and follow it through, but after entering the password we get the message “Can’t find the windows home server” try this…and non of the suggestions work. Sound familiar?

The cause is a simple one when you think about it like we did…we have had the WHS running for a few months now, and as with all Microsoft products there have been updates both to the server and the connector software!

The software that came on the disc no longer works and therefore you have to use the stuff on the server…so do this on the machine you are trying to connect to your home server

• Start and Run
• \servernamesoftwareHome Server Connector Software
• Double click the ‘setup.exe’ file
• The connector installation process will run and you will get connected!

Easy once you know how (if you remember!)

There are a lot of graphic and layout changes; albeit often small they are still there.

The only problems I have encountered so far is that IE8 crashes from time to time (no change there) and also when viewing the Games folder one the start menu it tends to hesitate before loading the logos for the games.  Nothing huge and I am sure in the final release this will be fixed.  For a beta version I think it is very nearly complete!  Maybe that is why Microsoft has said that they won’t be releasing a beta 2!  So bring on the RC1 version.

For noobs this is a review of what you are likely to use and notice, for power users you will want to go a bit further…but then you will have probably downloaded Windows 7 yourselves.

If they don’t do anything stupid in the RC1 and/or final release then I will be putting this on a few machines in the office when it is released for sure!

See Also:
Windows 7 Beta – First Glance
Nice and Simple – Windows 7 Features

Wireless Networks – In Vista I always found the connect to a network icon down by the clock a bit annoying, sometimes it would bring things straight up, other times it wouldn’t.  In Windows 7 you click it and immediately get a list of available networks along with the one you may be connected to.  From here you can easily connect to another one.  Nothing revolutionary, just something that worked made to work better!

Icons – Again this nice and simple touch is related to the task bar, the little icons that appear you install so many applications these days are now grouped in one area.  All you have to do to view them is click the arrow and a box appears with them in, see the image on the right to see what I mean.

Tile Windows – If you’re anything like me then you will often want to have two windows open at one time and be able to see some or all of them.  Commonly I use this for transferring files from one folder to another.  Arranging the windows like shown in the picture below can take time and if you are not used to using the mouse to do this it could be a fiddly process.  Now all you do is drag the windows to the left and then the right respectively and they align themselves as shown in that picture..nice and easy!

And on a similar note, if you drag a window that is not fully maximised to the top of the screen and let go…it maximises it!

Windows 7 really has been designed to make mundane tasks so much easier, it’s great!

See Also:

Windows 7 Beta – First Glance

First impressions are that it is very Vista-like!  But we are fans of Vista here so that is a good thing.  The install went very quickly and smoothly on a fairly basic Dell Optiplex 360 Intel Core 2 Duo machine.

So here is the desktop….

As you can see, it has the Vista Sidebar with the clock at the top, and the big Vista style icons.  The most noticeable change here is the taskbar at the bottom.  The quick launch icons have got bigger!  And the open applications are just the program icon which is nice.

One note about the Sidebar, this is actually no longer just a Sidebar because the gadgets that you can choose to have there can actually be positioned anywhere on the screen.

If you hover over one of the icons on the taskbar that is representing an open application you get a preview of what is open, see image below….

And then you just click on the one you want to work with.  Easy.

Also, if you right click on one of the icons on the quick launch/taskbar you get a menu specific to that application, rather then the good old standard right click menu.  So for example you might get recent documents if you right click on the word icon that is down there or shortcuts to desktop, pictures, music, videos etc if you right click on the documents folder.

The main aim here I believe is to make things more accessible for users, ways to quickly get where we want rather than having to wait for windows to load before we can get to pictures etc.

Another nice, yet simple feature I would like to bring to your attention is a change to the start menu,

You will notice that in the top picture that programs such as Word and Paint have arrows next to them, if you were to hover over the program for long enough or click the arrow and you get….yes you’ve guessed it, a list of recent documents (see  bottom image of the two above).  Now that is a feature we really like!

That’s it for the first glance, coming up soon will be some nice simple features of Windows 7 Beta!  Keep an eye out for that one.

See Also:
Windows 7 Beta

To enable check boxes do the following…

1. Click on the start orb and type ‘folder options’ into the search box.  Then click enter.
   
2. A new window should then appear.  Click the ‘view’ tab.
3. Scroll down and click in the box next to ‘use check boxes to select items’, so it has a tick in it. Then click OK.
   
4. You’ll now notice that you can click in check boxes by hovering over files and folder. (click on image to enlarge)
   
5. You can also select all by checking the box on the menu bar (Click on image to enlarge)
   
6. And it will also work on desktops
   

We like this feature and would recommend it to you! Any questions then ask below!