connect your Laptop/PC/Computer to your TV

I’m writing this post on how to connect your PC or computer to a TV because last week I returned from a trip in India and wanted to show all of my pictures and videos to my family from my laptop onto our HDTV, but unfortunately I did not have the correct cords and so after fumbling around for 30 minutes trying to connect my computer to the TV, I had to tell everyone that they would have to wait till the next weekend! Pretty annoying considering the times we live in, it should be quite easy to connect the two together!

So here’s a quick walk-through of all the methods that I know (if you know any more, please comment) to connect a laptop or PC to your TV:







1. S-Video – This is probably the most common method out there currently because an S-Video cable is cheap as heck and just about every TV under the sun has a S-Video port. You’ll have to make sure you laptop is equipped with this port. Remember, there are two types of S-Video cables: 4-pin and 7-pin. Most laptops and PC’s are equipped with a 7-pin port, so if your TV only has a 4-pin S-Video port, then this method will not work.

2. VGA – If you have a HDTV, then you will be better off connecting using a VGA cable. It gives much better quality than S-Video and as with S-Video, the cable is very cheap. You usually won’t find a VGA port on regular TV’s though, so this option is if you have an HDTV.

3. DVI - DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface with “digital” being the key word there. The digital signal will give a higher quality picture than either S-Video or VGA. Of course, your computer will need to have a DVI connection and your TV will need to be an HDTV. This cord is definitely not cheap, it ranges anywhere from $40 to $80.

4. HDMI – Using HDMI will give you the best quality by far. No computers that I know of yet have HDMI ports, but you can get a DVI to HDMI cable to connect it to your HDTV. HDMI is compatible with DVI.

5. Scan Converter Box – This is the last method that I could think of and it involves using a scan converter box, which takes a VGA signal and converts it into S-Video or component video.

Here’s a graphic I created with some pictures of the various cables:

Hope this helps someone! If you have any other ideas or suggestions, please feel free to comment!!! Thanks!

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Download Office 2010 Performance and Stability Update (kb980028)

The first performance & stability update for Microsoft Office 2010 Beta is available for download today. Microsoft has released an update for Microsoft Word 2010 Beta 32-Bit Edition and for Microsoft Word 2010 Beta 64-Bit Edition. This update provides the latest fixes for Microsoft Word 2010 Beta 32-Bit Edition and for Microsoft Word 2010 Beta 64-Bit Edition. Additionally, this update contains stability and performance improvements.

This update also fixes a problem in Microsoft Outlook 2010 Beta in which the size of an e-mail message is unexpectedly large. For example, if you send yourself a blank e-mail message, the HTML source of the message contains many entries under /*List Definitions */ even though there are no lists in the message. The list definitions cause the message size to increase unexpectedly.

The update is available only for Microsoft Office 2010 Beta Build 14.0.4536.1000 and not for the latest released Office 2010 RC version.

Download Office 2010 Performance and Stability Update
the office-kb980028-fullfile-x86-glb.exe. (Office 2010 32-bit)

the office-kb980028-fullfile-x64-glb.exe. (Office 2010 64-bit)

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5 Useful Tools to Access Linux Partition from Windows

If you currently have Windows OS running and you need some files for your work which you have stored on the Linux installation, you no longer have to shut down Windows and boot Linux!
Explore2fs
Explore2fs is a GUI explorer tool for accessing ext2 and ext3 filesystems. It runs under all versions of Windows and can read almost any ext2 and ext3 filesystem.
 


Download From Here

Latest Version : 1.7 Size : 380 KB

Ext2 Installable File System For Windows (Ext2IFS)

It provides Windows NT4.0/2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008 with full access to Linux Ext2 volumes (read access and write access). It also support ext3 File System. This may be useful if you have installed both Windows and Linux as a dual boot environment on your computer.



Read More & Download

DiskInternals Linux Reader
DiskInternals Linux Reader is a program plays the role of a bridge between your Windows and Ext2/Ext3 Linux file systems. This easy-to-use tool runs under Windows and allows you to browse Ext2/Ext3 Linux file systems and extract files from there.



Download From here

Ext2FsdExt2Fsd is an ext2/ext3 file system driver for Windows 2000, XP, Vista. It’s a free software and everyone can distribute and modify it under GPL2.

Download From Here

rfsd : Access RiserFs from Windows
ReiserDriver is an Installable File System Driver (IFSD), used to easily read ReiserFS disk partitions under Microsoft Windows (2K/XP) by allowing ReiserFS partitions to appear as additional disks to the Windows operating system.

Download From Here

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open a WinRAR archive without a password

What do you do with a password protected WinRAR archive? You hack it - naturally. And how do you hack it? First, download RAR Password Recovery v1.1 RC17 then follow along with this video to crack almost any WinRAR password. So much for security.

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How to Check if Telnet Is Running on a Server

Telnet (TELecommunication NETwork) is a unsecured network protocol used on the Internet or local area network (LAN) connections popularly to remotely access a server from client. The problem with Telnet is that the session is unencrypted with user name and password transmit across network in plain text, greatly increase security risk.


If you want to identify and check if the Telnet service is running on your server, especially on web server or web host which exposes to worldwide attacks, here’s an easy way to perform the verification on Telnet process.


The easiest way to check if the Telnet process is running or not on the server is by using ps command that displays the currently running processes. To check for any running Telnet process, login to the server via SSH (or physically using console, if you can Telnet into the server, obviously the Telnet service is running), and run the following command:


ps -aux | grep telnet


If the result returns any other processes other than “grep telnet” line means that some Telnet process is running or session is opened.


Alternatively, scan your server for open port 23, which Telnet normally uses to connect to. If the port 23 is not closed, mean Telnet service may be running. To check if port 23 is closed or opened, you need to have nmap installed on server. The command to use is:


nmap -sT -O localhost

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HowTo Disable Windows 7 Media Player Network Sharing Service (wmpnetwk)

By default, Microsoft has configured Windows 7 to enable and turn on background services when needed. However, some of these background processes are not always in use or required. When they are constantly running, they will consume a large amount of resources and slow down the system’s performance. One of these background processes that many users have highlighted is the wmpnetwk.exe file. The “wmpnetwk.exe” is the key executable for the Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service and it is used to share Windows Media Player libraries (Windows 7 is using Windows Media Player Version 12). Windows Media Player may not be your preferred player and you may not want to have wmpnetwk.exe running to free up some memory, reduce RAM usage and CPU resources. In that case, Windows 7 offers you an alternative to disable and turn it off.

To disable and turn off wmpnetwk.exe, users just need to type “services.msc” in the Windows search box to open Windows 7 Services Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in. MMC allows users to manage and configure Windows services that are running on the computer.

Select “Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service”, right click, and click “Stop” to disable it.

Users can go to the Resource Monitor to check and confirm that wmpnetwk.exe is no longer running. Even though users have successfully disabled wmpnetwk.exe and turned off Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service, this process will be restored every time users restart the computer.

To permanently disable this process, users can go to MMC again, select and right click “Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service”, in the shortcut menu, click “Properties”. Look for “Startup type” item, select “Disabled” so that this process will be permanently disabled even when users restart the computer.

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How to Install Perl on Windows XP

1. Download Perl   2. Create Hello World program 3. Learn More



We will now install Perl on your computer using the file you just downloaded.


1. Double-click the ActivePerl icon.

2. Click Next .

3. Click I Accept... and then click Next .

4. Click Next .

5. Leave the two boxes checked and click Next .

6. Click Install .

7. Wait about 7 minutes.

8. Uncheck the box and click Finish .

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HowTo Run Squid Proxy Server in Windows XP

It is better to use Linux for this purpose. , You can make an experiment in your windows and switch to Linux.


installing squid on windows

Download squid for windows from :

http://squid.acmeconsulting.it/download/squid-2.6.STABLE18-bin.zip


Full Installation Instructions are in the documentation.


Change the c:\squid\etc\squid.conf from the default :


acl home src 192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0 # (change it for your subnet)


http_access allow home


cache_dir aufs c:/squid/var/cache 1000 16 256


dns_nameservers 208.67.220.220


run the following commands :

mkdir c:\squid\var\cache

c:\squid\sbin\squid -z


Done,
Now your squid is ready.

squid

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Howto Restore Ubuntu After Windows Installation Using LiveCD

Windows will overwrite the grub boot loader , So You cannot access Linux partition after Windows Installation.


Tools Required : Ubuntu LiveCD

First you have to boot your system with a ununtu LIVECD
Then Open a terminal ( Applications --> Accessories --> Terminal)


($sudo -i Will give # Prompt then you can avoid sudo in every command)


Now you can start
$ sudo grub this will give you a new prompt

Type the command

> find /boot/grub/stage1 This will give you a output like (hd0,2) in this case it will vary depends on your system

> root(hd0,2) ( use your hd number and there is no space between root and (hd0,2)

now type
> setup (hd0,2)

then
> quit
Now you can restart your system

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How to extract icons from EXE, DLL, OCX, and CPL files

Wish you could extract all of icons stored on your computer? If I were to ask you how many icons you have stored on your computer, would you be able to tell me? Probably not! Nor can I! Actually, most applications store their icons directly in the EXE (executable) file itself, which indirectly hides those icons from you.

I sometimes enjoy changing the icons on my computer for a specific application or maybe for a certain file that I use very often and want to visually differentiate from everything else. You can quickly change the icon on a program, file, document, photo, etc by simply right-clicking on it and going to Properties. Click on Customize and then click Change Icon.

This is great for the most part, but the problem comes in trying to find a suitable icon to replace the current one with. By default, when you change the icon for a folder or program, Windows will bring up a list of icons from SHELL32.DLL, which has a bunch of generic-looking and crappy icons. Now going around and randomly clicking on EXE files or DLL files to find icons is not fun nor efficient.

IconsExtract is a cool freeware application that you can use to automatically find icons that are stored in EXE, DLL, OCX, CPL, and other file types. You’ll be amazed at the actual number of icons stored on your computer after using this program!

The program is a standalone executable and does not require any installation at all, which means you can run it on any computer easily! You can also filter the search by icons or cursors, by icon size, and even by the number of colors.

You have 2 main search options when you start up the program:

1.Select only a single file. For example: C:\WINNT\System32\shell32.dll You can either manually type in the filename into the textbox, or select it from a dialog box by clicking the “Browse Files” button.

2.Select multiple filenames by using wildcard characters (? and *). You can select the folder that you want to scan by clicking the “Browse Folders” button. If you check the “Search Subfolders” check-box, all of the subfolders of the main folder will also be scanned.For example: if you type “c:\*.*” in the filename text-box, and check the “Search Subfolders” option, IconsExtract will search for icons in all folders and files on your C: drive.

After the search is complete, you will find the icons displayed in the main window of the program. You can then save the icons into ICO files by selecting the ones you want to save and then choosing Save Selected Icons from the File menu.

You can also copy a single icon to the clipboard and paste it into another application by pressing the standard CTRL + C key combo. This will copy the icon in the standard dimensions of 16×16 or 32×32. If you want to copy a different size, double click on the icon and select the specific image in the properties window and click Copy Selected Image.

Overall, this is a very cool application for anyone who likes to customize their icons or who wants to take a cool icon from a program as use it as a Fav Icon or something similar. Definitely worth check out! Enjoy!

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How to Add Printer to Router With Wireless Laptop and Vista

A printer connected to a wireless router allows anyone connected to the router to print from that printer. Wireless routers also provide laptop users the ability to move around a room and still be able to print. Windows Vista makes it easy to connect a laptop to a printer via a wireless router.


Step 1
Connect the printer to the router. If the printer has wireless capabilities, connect it to the router without using any wires. Simply push "Menu" on the printer and find "Connect to Router." If you do not have a wireless printer, connect the router to the printer via a USB cord.

Step 2
Turn the router and the printer on. These devices need to be turned on for the laptop to detect their existence.

Step 3
Turn on the laptop. Click on the "Wireless Connection" tray icon at the bottom right corner of the desktop. This opens your wireless connections. Click "Refresh" to detect your router. Click on the router to connect to it.

Step 4
Go to "Control Panel" and choose "Add New Printer." Allow the computer to scan for a new printer. When it finishes the scan, select the printer connected to the router and click "Install." If the computer cannot find a driver for your printer, insert the disk that came with the printer into the laptop and follow the onscreen instructions.

Step 5
Print a test page from the laptop to the printer to make sure the connection is working. If you have problems printing, check that the printer driver is installed and the wires are plugged in or connected tightly.

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Hardware Checklist for Windows 2000

Windows 2000 Hardware Diagnostic Procedure.


1.Check compatibility of the computer by going here. Check the hardware compatibility list (HCL). If the hardware is not on the list it is not supported.

2.If the device is on the list, it may be that the hardware is compatible but the customer may have to download the drivers from the manufacturers web site.

3.If the device is in the HCL and still does not function properly try using the Hardware Trouble Shooter in Windows Help:

Click on the Start Button and go to Help. Next click on the "Index" tab and type Hardware Trouble Shooter. A listing of keywords will come up and one should be Hardware Trouble Shooter. Double click on the device that is having problems and then follow the trouble shooting dialogs.

4.Check the device manager for errors. You can get to the device manager by right clicking my computer and then clicking on the "Hardware" tab. Next click on the "Device Manager Button". This will bring up a listing of all the devices that Windows sees or if it is having problems with devices.

5.To start Windows 2000 using the last known good configuration, click Options, and then click Print to print these instructions. They will not be available after you shut down your computer in step 2.

a.Click Start, and then click Shut Down.

b.Click Restart, and then click OK.

c.When you see the message Please select the operating system to start, press F8.

d.Use the arrow keys to highlight Last Known Good Configuration, and then press ENTER. NUM LOCK must be off before the arrow keys on the numeric keypad will function.

e.Use the arrow keys to highlight an operating system, and then press ENTER.

Notes
■Choosing Last Known Good Configuration provides a way to recover from problems such as a newly added driver that may be incorrect for your hardware. It does not solve problems caused by corrupted or missing drivers or files.


■When you choose Last Known Good Configuration, Windows 2000 restores information in registry key HKLMSystemCurrentControlSet

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How to create a zip folder in Windows (OS)

To create a zipped, compressed folder


1.Open My Computer.

2.Double-click a drive or folder.

3.On the File menu, point to New and then Folder.

4.Type a name for the new folder, and then press ENTER.

5.Copy files to be compressed to the new folder and right click folder name and select{or send to} Compressed (zipped)



NOTE:

■To open My Computer, click Start, and then click My Computer.

■You can also create a zipped compressed folder by right-clicking the desktop, pointing to New, and then clicking {or send to} Compressed (zipped) Folder.

■You can identify compressed folders by the zipper on the folder icon.

■If you share compressed folders with users on other computer systems, you may want to limit the compressed folder names to eight characters with a .zip file name extension.

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Internet Fax using Windows OS

Windows XP


Windows XP provides you with complete fax facilities from your computer. You can configure fax settings, send and receive faxes, track and monitor fax activity, and access archived faxes. Using Fax, you can choose to send and receive faxes with a local fax device attached to your computer, or with a remote fax device connected to fax resources located on a network.

Fax is not installed by default during Windows Setup.

To install the Fax component:

       ■Open Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.

      ■Click on Add/Remove Windows Components.

      ■In the Windows Components Wizard, select the Fax Services check box

       ■follow the instructions on your screen.

Notes:

To open Fax after installation:

       ■Click Start

       ■Point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to Communications,

       ■Click Fax Console.

For more information on using Fax, click Help in Fax Console.

Additional information is available here [pdf]


Windows 2000

The following is excerpted From the Windows 2000 Help by Microsoft Corporation:

"You can fax a text document or graphic image as easily as clicking Print from an open document in a Windows-based program.

"Fax supports scanned graphic images and will automatically convert graphics to a .tif file format before you fax them. Also, you can use mail programs to send e-mail and fax messages simultaneously.

"To send and receive faxes all you need is Windows 2000 and a fax device, such as a fax modem. Your fax device must support fax capabilities and not just data standards. While some modems offer both capabilities, the two are not interchangeable. Fax supports classes 1, 2, and 2.0. For more information on modem compatibility with Fax, see the Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility List at the Microsoft Web site( http://www.microsoft.com/). Fax for Windows 2000 does not support shared fax printers. This means you cannot share your fax printer with other users on a network.


"When you attach a fax device, such as a fax modem, Windows 2000 detects it at startup and installs the fax service and a fax printer. If these components are not detected at startup, the Add/Remove Hardware wizard can search for and install these components.

"Although you may send and receive faxes using more than one fax device, all faxes are filtered through only one fax printer (printer port). Fax allows you to create multiple copies of the fax printer. With each copy you can define individual printing preferences such as the time to send, paper size, and orientation. You can also define customized printing preferences such as billing codes, which can be tracked in the fax event log. Use the Add a Fax Printer button in Fax in Control Panel to set up multiple fax printers.


"...[a table is provided in the help providing a brief explanation of each fax command]...If you have a fax device installed, click Start, click Programs, click Accessories, click Communications, and then click Fax to see each command.

To add a fax printer:

    ■Click Start

    ■Point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Fax.

    ■On the Advanced Options tab, click Add a Fax Printer.

Notes:

"A fax printer is automatically added to the Printers folder when you complete this procedure. To add additional fax printers, repeat the procedure.


"By creating additional fax printers you can easily customize printing preferences. You may designate different billing codes and different times to send your faxes. For example, you can have one printer for sending faxes now and another for sending faxes when discount rates apply.

"You will not likely need to reinstall the original fax printer since Windows 2000 looks for new hardware each time you start your computer.

"You can view the printers in the Printers folder by clicking Start, pointing to Settings, and then clicking Printers.

"If you are unable to add a fax printer, you may have insufficient user rights."


Windows ME

There is no fax program incorporated in the Windows ME Operating systm, but your modem may have fax capabilities. Check the modem documentation that came with your computer or your modem.



Windows 98

There is no fax program incorporated in the Windows 98 Operating systm, but your modem may have fax capabilities. Check the modem documentation that came with your computer or your modem.


_______


Although Windows 98 and Windows ME do not come with Fax programs built into the Operating System it is still possible to send and receive faxes. You will need a third party fax software application. Most Fax Modems come with such a program, but if they do not you will need to purchase such a program.

An Internet search on Internet fax also yields a number of alternatives which may meet your needs.

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How do I make Dial-Up Networking Redial Automatically?

In Windows Vista:


By default, a dial-up connection redials three times (at one-minute intervals) if it cannot reach the remote access server. Also by default, a connection does not redial if the line is dropped. To change this, go to the Start menu, to Control Panel, then Network and Internet, Network and Sharing Center, and click Manage Network Connections. Right-click the dial-up connection to change and select Properties. On the "Options" tab, you can change the redial attempts and time between redial attempts.


In Windows XP:

In the Start menu, right-click on "My Network Places" and choose Properties. In the Network Connections window that will open, right-click on the dial-up connection icon and choose Properties again. Redial settings are on the "Options" tab.


In Windows 95/98:

Double-click on the "My Computer" icon. When the My Computer window opens, double-click on the "Dial-Up Networking" icon. Go to the Connections pull-down menu and choose Settings. Place a check in the box marked "Redial" and then configure the number of times to retry and how long to wait between dial attempts to your preference.

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How to determine client (Windows/Mac) IP address

To find the IP address of a computer to which you have physical access:


■Windows 95/98/ME
           ■Click on Start -> Run. Type winipcfg, and click OK or press the Enter key.

■Windows NT/2000/XP
           ■Click on start, run, type cmd, and at the prompt type ipconfig.
           ■Type exit to close the command prompt window.

■Mac OS X
              ■From the Finder, under Applications -> Utilities launch Network Utility. Select the correctethernetinterface. Information and utilities are available from the tabs above.


■Mac OS versions prior to OS X.
        ■Open Control Panel and click to open TCP/IP. Select the correct ethernet interface in the "Connect via:" pull down menu.

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How To Repair And Restore Windows Vista Master Boot Record (MBR)

The Master Boot Record (MBR) will be created when you create the first partition on the hard disk. It is very important data structure on the hard disk drive. The Master Boot Record contains the Partition Table for the hard disk and a small amount of executable code for the Windows Vista boot start. The location of Master Boot Record files is always the first sector on the hard disk.When you start your Windows Vista computer, the BIOS (basic input/output system) looks for the MBR on the first sector of your hard drive. The MBR tells the BIOS which partition on the hard drive contains the operating system.

 When we try to boot after hardware testing procedures, we see just blank screen without any messages. It means the piece of code at the beginning of the MBR could not be executed properly. That’s why even error messages could not be displayed.Also when we try to boot into Windows Vista, we see an error message like “Operating System not found” and this error occurs with a broken Master Boot Record (MBR).

To Restore corrupted Windows Vista Master Boot Record(MBR),follow the simple procedures.

 You can use the Bootrec.exetool in the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) to troubleshoot and repair the following items in Windows Vista:

• A master boot record (MBR)
•  A boot sector
•  A Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store

 Note:When you are troubleshooting startup issues by using the Windows RE, you should first try the Startup Repair option in the System Recovery Options dialog box. If the Startup Repair option does not resolve the issue, or if you must troubleshoot more steps manually, use the Bootrec.exe tool.ote

 To run the Bootrec.exe tool, you must start Windows RE. To do this, follow these steps:

•  Put your Windows Vista installation disc in the disc drive, and then start the computer.  
• Press a key when you are prompted.  
• Select a language, a time, a currency, a keyboard or an input method, and then click Next.  
• Click Repair your computer.  
• Click the operating system that you want to repair, and then click Next.
• In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Command Prompt.
• Type “Bootrec.exe”, (without the quotes) and then press ENTER.

Note: To start the computer from your Windows Vista installation DVD, your computer must be configured from BIOS to start from the DVD drive

 Bootrec.exe options

 The Bootrec.exe tool supports the following options. Use the option that is appropriate for your situation.

 /FixMbr

The /FixMbr option writes a Windows Vista-compatible MBR to the system partition. This option does not overwrite the existing partition table. Use this option when you must resolve MBR corruption issues, or when you have to remove non-standard code from the MBR.

/FixBoot

 The /FixBoot option writes a new boot sector to the system partition by using a boot sector that is compatible with Windows Vista. Use this option if one of the following conditions is true.

• The boot sector has been replaced with a non-standard Windows Vista boot sector.  
• The boot sector is damaged.
• An earlier Windows operating system has been installed after Windows Vista was installed. In this scenario, the computer starts by using Windows NT Loader (NTLDR) instead of Windows Boot Manager (Bootmgr.exe).

/ScanOs

 The /ScanOs option scans all disks for installations that are compatible with Windows Vista. Additionally, this option displays the entries that are currently not in the BCD store. Use this option when there are Windows Vista installations that the Boot Manager menu does not list.

 /RebuildBcd

The /RebuildBcd option scans all disks for installations that are compatible with Windows Vista. Additionally, this option lets you select the installations that you want to add to the BCD store. Use this option when you must completely rebuild the BCD.

Note: If rebuilding the BCD does not resolve the startup issue, you can export and delete the BCD, and then run this option again. By doing this, you make sure that the BCD is completely rebuilt. To do this, type the following commands at the Windows RE command prompt:

• bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup
• c:
• cd boot
• attrib bcd -s -h -r
• ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old
• bootrec /RebuildBcd

 Note: If you are running a RAID array, if this does not help and you are recieving errors. Check in your BIOS and make sure the BIOS did not convert back to IDE.Windows Vista needs to see the compleate MBR, In a RAID setup the MBR is split between two drives.

 Popularity: 100%

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How to Shutdown Windows machine remotely from Linux command line

The easiest way to shutdown a Windows machine from Linux is by using Samba’s net command. The following command will send an RPC call to the Windows machine, telling it to shutdown;



net rpc SHUTDOWN -C "Comment here" -f -I xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx -U username%password

If successful, we’ll be presented with the following mesage;

Shutdown of remote machine succeeded

Change "Comment here" with whatever shutdown comment that you would like for the shutdown, and replace xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx with the IP address of the Windows machine that we are to shutdown. A valid username and password also need to be supplied as a parameter to the the -U switch.

For this command to be successful, the user we use must have shutdown privilege on the windows machine. The Windows machine also need to have RPC enabled, and no firewall is blocking port 135 as the port used by RPC. The net command itself however is only available if Samba is installed

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how to install Windows 7 ( with Tutorial)

The Windows 7 is finally here. It's released for beta testers a few days ago and I am here with a small step by step picture guided tour through the installation process. I downloaded the x86 version of the M3 build ( build No: 6801) from Microsoft Connect site, which is 2.72 GB ISO. The x64 version is around 3.2 GB in size.




The installation process was just like vista setup and to my surprise completed in just around 20 minutes in my low end Virtual hardware. This surely indicates the performance improvements Microsoft has put on this windows vista replacement.



The TestMachine



I decided to install Windows 7 in a VMware workstation first to make sure that the DVD I burned is perfect. VMware is great for taking screen shots and screen captures also.



VMWare Version: VMWare Workstation 6.5
Virtual HArddisk : 9 GB
RAM : 512 MB
Processor : Single Core
Windows Version : Windows 7 Ultimate M3 v6801-0-080913-2030





Preparing the DVD from the ISO image

Since most the people are installing Windows 7 in a real hardware, a DVD should be burned from the downloaded ISO image. You will need a DVD Burner, a DVD burning software and a blank DVD-R or DVD-RW to prepare the installation disk. I used a Sony single layer DVD-R as media and used Nero 8 as the DVD burning software. But for those who don't have Nero installed, CDBurnerXP is a free Alternative.

So using the DVD burning software of your choice burn the Windows 7 ISO image to the DVD. Make sure you choose the a very low burning speed, 4x or 8x, for better results.





Setting up your Computer & BIOS changes ( If required)


Now reboot your computer after popping in the all new Windows 7 DVD you just created in to the DVD Drive. In most cases if you do this you'll automatically boot in to the Windows 7 Installation DVD. But in some cases if the Boot device order is changed in the BIOS it may boot in to your older OS, instead of our DVD. In that case you'll need to change the BIOS settings to gt it done ( More details in a different tutorial).



Booting Up and First Installation Steps



Steps from here are pretty straight forward. Read the descriptions in each pages before clicking the Next button to avoid any disasters. IF there is options to choose in these steps you may find them with each images.

You may choose your Language options by selecting the dropdowns 'Language to install', 'Time and Currency format' and 'Keyboard or input method' here. I decided to leave everything to 'US' but it would be better for selecting the correct settings here for non-english users.

This screen is where the installation wizard begins. The install now options will leads to the advanced install options. For repairing a corrupt installation the 'Repair your computer' button located at the bottom-left can be used. For fresh installs just click the Install now button.

Tick the 'I accept the license terms' checkbox and click 'Next' to proceed.

Which type of installation do you want?

This screen provides two options, Upgrade and Custom (advanced). The upgrade option is for those who wish to upgrade an existing installation of older version of Windows to Windows 7. It is confirmed that Windows Vista can be upgraded to Windows 7 with out any issues, but Windows XP is still a problem.

We will opt for the second option here, the Custom install.

Where do you want to install Windows?

Clicking on the 'Custom' button brings the install location selection screen. In the test machine we have an un-partitioned empty disk. But in the case of a normal installation all your hard drive partitions (e.g. C:\ , D:\ etc.) will be listed here. Choose the drive as you like (a 15 GB size is recommended). Make sure the drive don't have any important data or the Windows 7 installation will wipe-out the contents of that partition. You can backup the data to another partition (e.g. for installing in D:\ drive move important files from there to say E:\ drive or to an external usb drive) for safe keeping.

Partitioning /Creating or Modifying Partitions

Click the Drive options (advanced) for advanced partition management options like 'Delete', 'Format', 'New' and 'Extend'. To create a new partition click the New button. But if you have list of partitions in the previous screen, choose the one where you are planning to install windows 7 and click

Format. Then click 'Next' to proceed.

The 'New' option provides a text box to enter the size of the partition you wish to create in MBs. A 15 GB (15*1024 = 15360 MB) is recommended. In this case I opted for the full size of my virtual drive, i.e. 9216 MB. Click the Apply button to continue. You may be greeted with a message To ensure that all Windows features work correctly, windows might create additional partitions for system files. . This is a new feature in Windows 7 to have a small boot partition for system files. Click Ok to continue.

So here we are, A new primary partition of 8.8 GB is created along with a System type partition of 200 MB. Select the partition you just created and

 click Next to continue.

The Windows 7 installation is now complete Now Enjoy New os

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