Your Gadget operating system
If you are
presently running anything less than windows XP for example ME, 2000. 98, NT 95 or any earlier variant of windows,
it would be advisable for you to do a full upgrade of your hardware and software.
Check with your
local government for special pickup or facilities that offer recycling service for your old
computer.
If you are presently running Windows XP and want to just
upgrade your hardware it might be possible for you to transfer your existing license to your new
upgrade.
If you are using some other
operating system other than windows then you will have to consider if it is worthwhile continuing to use the
operating system that you are presently using. G Cube Media has a number of systems that ship with Linux .
Click here to find out more
Have Vista?
Here are some vista tips to make living with
the operating system more toleranle. Don't use Vista's defragger it really sucks. Check this link out to get a
really cool defragger for free http://www.piriform.com/defraggler.
Spare yourself the headache of endless pop-ups thanks to UAC
(User Account Control), Vista's overbearing security pop-up system. If you're an even remotely sophisticated user,
turning off UAC should be job one. It's easy to do: Visit the User Accounts control panel and click 'Turn User
Account Control on or off,' then uncheck the box on the following screen. If you just want a little more control
over UAC (without turning it off altogether). download TweakUAC (www.tweak-uac.com ), which suppresses UAC
messages
Run Vista Command
Line as Admin
Don't let the OS limit command-line rights Typing
cmd in the Start menu's search box will bring up the familiar command-line window, but depending on your machine's
configuration, you might be stuck in a restricted
mode even if you're logged in as an administrator. To launch an unrestricted Admin
command line, type crd at Start, then press Ctrl-Shift-Enter. You can also do this by right-clicking the CMD.exe
result in the search box and selecting Run as Administrator in the drop-down menu. You'll notice you're in Admin
mode by the Administrator prefix in the window's title bar. Now you can move and copy tiles and folders from the
command line and run system tools such as msconfig: by default these
privileges are locked out.
Fix VistaNetworking
Get PCs talking
seamlessly In the name of security, Vista wholly
revamps the way networking operates. The Network and Sharing Center (part of the Control Panel) can be daunting and
confusing when you want to share files on your local network. Here's the easy way to get the
job done. fl First, make sure you juse the same workgroup name on all PCs. In Vista, this setting is in the System
control panel.
Click Change Settings on the main page to join another workgroup.
Second, you'll have a far easier time if you use the same username and
password on all PCs you want to network. In Vista, you set up users in the User Accounts control panel.
Administrator rights make this considerably easier, though it's officially discouraged.Now you're ready
to set preferences in the Network and Sharing Center control panel. Here's how it should look:
• Network discovery: On This makes your PC visible on the network.
• File sharing: On The equivalent of installing File and Printer Sharing on XP. You need it to do anything.
• Public folder sharing: Up to you The Public folder is a special folder Vista creates in which you can put data
you know you want to share across the net-work with multiple users. You might store your pictures, videos, and
music here, for example. It's just like any other folder, except it can be simply managed and shared with one click
here. Turn it on (either
read only or read/write) and you'll see the Public folder in the Computer view directly under the Desktop
folder.
• Printer sharing: Up to you Only if you want to print across the network.
• Password protected sharing: On This is the setting that lets users with a valid login on the Vista PC reach
shared folders on that cornputer.
Turn password-protectrirl edsharingoffanduserscan do just about anything. Leave it on for better security.
• Media sharing: On I' This is largely useless, unless you stream music to your Xbox or another UPnP device, but
leave it on. why not? Your last step is to select and share folders. This process is much like it is in XP. Just
right-click any folder and select Share. If you followed
the above instructions, you can accept the defaults at the following menu: 'Share to your username only and with
owner rights assigned." Click Share again to seal the deal!
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