DuncsWeb

Computing. Internet. Life.

Archive for July, 2009

Happy Birthday mob3!

Posted by DuncanM On July - 27 - 2009View Comments

For those who are new to the YouTube Channel or me in General won’t know about a forum that was created a year ago called mob3 (there is a link to this on 90% of the videos I have created on YouTube, yes I went through about 270 videos and added it in).

screenie

Above shows a screenshot of version 1 of mob3, used July 2008-July 2009 with the Dilber MC theme. Below shows version 2, used from July 2009 with a sleeker, slimline ECM theme.

mob3v2

useful Areas:

The Entire Software Review Board (over 200 topics!)

The Entire Free Games Board

The Entire Computing Guides Board

User Created Tutorials

Polls

mob3 Stuff:

mob3 Gallery containing over 400 Desktop Screenshots

mob3 Exclusive Content

Official mob3 Screensaver

mob3 Trackmania Nations Team (We still play)

mob3 Folding@Home Team (Currently ranked 5162 of 162402!)

Useful Posts:

This is where you come in, what post have you seen that is the most useful on mob3? Something else you would like to see added to the list?

Leave a comment below.

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I bought Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box quite a long time ago, and have found a few annoyances with it (I won’t get started on the time it takes to actually start a game). One of the biggest annoyances is to not have an option to start the game in a Window.

Fortunately there is a (quite old) tool out there that will allow you to do this. Enter DXWND, an application that will force games into Windowed Mode.

Here is what the software looks like on first run:

Untitled

As you can see it does not look like anything special. To add a game click edit then Add:

edit

Direct

Click the “…” and locate where your game is running (be careful not to locate game launchers, just the main game executable). You don’t need to change any other settings.

window

Now double click your game from the window and bask in the glory of Windowed Goodness:burnout

NOTE: With Burnout Paradise, it will knock you out of Windowed Mode when you connect to the Burnout Paradise Servers and load up the useless “Criterian Games” page. I have set mine to stay signed out so I can play windowed.

Currently this is the only game I have tested with the tool (most of my tiny collection of games allow me to have Windowed Mode), so feel free to add any comments of games that have/haven’t worked for you.

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You could see this coming, Windows 7 allows you to have a “Dock Style” interface so all programs (open or closed) will show as just the icons. Sooner or later you are going to run out of space on the taskbar (especially if you are using Windows 7 on a NetBook), so how do we solve this? The answer is stacks, popping up a group of icons when you configure and click a specific icon in the taskbar. This can be done in a variety of ways.

StandaloneStack2

Stacker

Very customisable, choose stack (OSX Style) or grid, add custom colours. Nice video effect similar to OSX while popping up, and works on Windows XP and Windows Vista.

DOWNLOAD

7Stacks

stackssss

Very simple to use, you can choose transparent background or not, and have Grid, Stack (Non-OSX Style shown in screenshot) and Menu. This will also work in XP & Vista.

DOWNLOAD

RocketDock Stacks Docklet

If you use RocketDock you can use the Stacks Docklet Here

Do you have another way of stacking icons? Having a problem doing this on your computer? Leave a comment.

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Custom Themes On Windows 7 RC/RTM/Final

Posted by DuncanM On July - 20 - 2009View Comments

NOTE: This post was intended for RC users, but the method also works for Windows 7 Final (Tested with Win7Pro). The themes shown MAY work for Final, but don’t come at me with a pitchfork if they screw your system.


With the Release Candidate being released for a couple of months now, it has given customizers and tweakers the chance to patch and add custom themes to it.

A lot of the guides out there tell you how to patch your Windows 7 System manually to allow custom themes, but people seem to have trouble with this. Fortunately you can grab a program that can do this for you:

Universal Theme Patcher

For guidance on using the patcher and applying a custom theme watch the following video:


The theme I installed was Seven Max Clear Live Black (Which is now 404, so a big thanks to NunoKaka85 for uploading: SMCLB)

I have compiled a list of themes available for Windows 7RC but most of these are untested and may require additional work to get them looking like their screenshots (I do not provide screenshots because I do not steal bandwidth):

LongHorn Multitheme for 7 RC

SiCo for Windows 7 RC

Alternative for Windows 7 RC

Seven Aero Blue Wave for Windows 7 RC

LongHorn for Windows 7 RC

Aero Hilled for Windows 7 RC

ThaImpact VS for Windows 7 RC

Gray Ice VS Windows 7 RC

Ribbon for Windows 7 RC

Seven Aero Shine Black for 7RC

Aero Xtreme 7 VS2 for Win 7 RC

Aero Big Window For 7 RC 7100

Red Ice VS Windows 7 RC

AeroCopy for Windows 7 RC x64

Base BETA for Win7


Are these working for you? Have you found any other really nice Visual Styles for Windows 7? Be sure to leave a comment.

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Obtaining Windows 7 – Stuff You Need To Know

Posted by DuncanM On July - 19 - 2009View Comments

Since creating my latest video using Windows 7, I have received a lot of questions on how I have the Operating System.

The answer is: I am using the Release Candidate of Windows 7

This is a full blown Windows Ultimate that we can test and use for free (I assume this is because Microsoft has learned their lesson from Vista when they essentially brought it out in “beta” form). This Windows 7 build is 7100.

The Release Candidate will expire June 1st 2010 BUT your system will be shutting down every 2 hours from March 1st 2010, so you will need to upgrade to the Full Version or find an alternate Operating System (you will most likely have the full version now anyway).

Tip: If you have Windows XP already on your machine and are looking to dual-boot, download MagicDisc (or use your favourite mounting program) to mount the Windows 7 ISO file, and install without having to burn a disc.

Microsoft have allowed users a free upgrade for All PCs bought with a Windows Vista license on or after July 1, 2009 to January 1, 2010. If you have purchased a PC within that time, you can pre-order the OS for a significant saving (it looks like some retailers have upped the price due to demand since the pre-order first began).

 

Do you have any more info on Windows 7? Leave a comment.

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***Arrived from YouTube? Skip down to “So how did I fix it?”***

A while ago I made a video on Installing XP to an Acer Aspire One via a USB Drive:

Unfortunately, I have had many messages with people having problems with this. One of them is “babyjoe00069” who says:

ive got an issue i was really excited when i saw the video on windows xp for the acer laptop well im following the steps n when i try to find a target path which would be the usb stick it tells me…
has NOT FAT FAT32 or NTFS Format and is not valid….., yet when i do the steps it is supposed to format it i dont understand what is wrong do i have to go find a kingston flash drive? im useing a cruzer disk 2 gb i went to wal mart all they had was a pny 2 gb im lost n really need this to wrk pls help

Yes, that is the type of poor spelling I receive on YouTube on a daily basis (no offense babyjoe, I assume you are young).

Anyway…

I have had this issue on my own 8GB Sony Flash Drive, whereby I would format with PEtoUSB and would get the following error:

error

and formatting the Stick through windows to FAT32 or NTFS would result in the following error when selecting “2”:

error1

So how did I fix it?

You may not know but there is a GUI (Prettier) version of this setup, and is called WinSetupFromUSB. Format your drive in Windows to FAT32 or NTFS (NTFS will be faster in the text mode of setup), and select your CD in WinSetupFromUSB, your window should look like this:

XPUSB

Go ahead and click the GO button.

At this point you may receive an error about the MBR (especially if you can only format your drive to FAT32), just ignore that and go ahead. All of your files will be copied to the memory stick.

Now when you go to install from the USB, the startup may look a little different, but has the same principle:

  • Boot to the USB and select “First Part of installation”
  • Format the drive you want to install to
  • let XP do the text mode setup of the install (that blue screen with the yellow bar), and reboot
  • Select “2nd Part of Installation” and it will go through the graphic part of the install
  • Reboot

Voila, you have now installed Windows XP via a USB drive. My recommendation would be to keep that drive as an install disc for the future, as they are cheap to buy now.

Did this work for you? leave a comment.

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andyrobo3 from the Feedback Page asks:

pleeeeeeeeease can you make a video on how to make your computer like new.
I have so many things clogging it up (like folders from downloads) and its starting to become REALLY slow.
All i want is a fresh start and a recommended anti-virus. please dunc.

Firstly, I apologise for not making a video, I tried for 45 minutes before giving up as I found I was missing things out and the Video ended up too long. I assume you are using Windows here.

For this, the quick answer would be:

  • Backup Your Stuff
  • Backup Your Drivers
  • Grab and Insert Your Windows Install Disk
  • Reboot the computer
  • Boot to the Disk
  • Choose which Partition to install to
  • Format the Partition
  • Watch it Install
  • Change Settings and Type Product Key
  • Watch it Install some more and finish
  • Restore your Drivers
  • Restore your Backup
  • Tweak the System (optional)

However, my assumption is that you do not have the Windows CD or you don’t want to go through that destructive process or you just want to keep your existing Windows Installation.

So lets begin..

Create A New User Profile

This is something I haven’t really brushed on before, but instead of reinstalling your whole Operating System, try creating a new user profile (Start –> Control Panel –> Users –> Manage Another Account –> Create Account), and be sure to make it an Administrator (use your name and add “2” on the end if it makes it easy)

user

Log out of your system and log in to the new profile, you should find yourself with the Default Visual Style and Wallpaper you would normally get if you installed fresh. You now have a clean profile.

As you have Administrator Status, you can copy the files you need from your old profile (“C:\Documents and Settings\Username” for XP, “C:\Users\Username” for Vista/7).

You can then delete the old profile in your new profile by going to “Delete Account”. You can then change your name to the old profile name (Duncan2 back to Duncan) by going to your own account and clicking “Change Name”

NOTE: Your folder will most likely stay the same as the name you created the new account with regardless of your name inside Windows

Uninstall Unnecessary Programs

Some people like to download every single program they can find, just to have it on their system, and never use it. This clogs up the system, and can reduce performance.

uninstall

Don’t use it? get rid of it!

Turn Unnecessary Windows Features Off

Similar to uninstalling a program, if you don’t use “Tablet PC Components” or “Windows Gadget Platform”, why have them on your system?

features

Check Your Processes

Go to Task Manager (right click the taskbar and select “Task Manager”) and click the processes tab to see what is running on your computer right now. Windows Vista/7 users will see a “description” column which gives a very brief insight to what is running (XP Users will just see an Image Name column):

processes 
End the Processes YOU KNOW you don’t need. Google the Description or Image Name if you need to.

Check Your Services

Windows starts A LOT of services when your computer starts, and you may find that you don’t need some of them. Type “Services.msc” into the run box, and you will see all the services that are started on your computer.

services

Some of them are started automatically, and could be safe to disable to gain some extra speed on the system. I recommend checking out The Black Viper’s XP Services Table or Vista/Win7 Services Table to see if they are worth disabling.

Check Your Start-up

Type “Msconfig” into the run box of your computer, and select the “Startup Tab” and untick the items YOU KNOW you don’t need. Google the name if you need to find out if you need them.

msconfig

As you can see from the picture above, I do not have many things running at start-up. This is because a lot of the programs that try to run at start-up can be ran later when needed.

Disable Eye Candy

Unfortunately, in terms of Windows, having something look better has a trade-off in terms of speed, so disable those unnecessary glitzy features of your install. Here is my Windows 7 Visual effects list:

eyecandy

Above, I have chosen a mixture between speed and looks. I get Windows Aero and Aero Peek but don’t have the minimize and maximize animations, this gives the computer a more snappy feel.

Clean Out The Crap/Recover Disk Space

As you browse the web, your system will cache certain information all over your computer in case you go there again. This stuff can be removed with Crap Cleaner

tempfiles

You can also see what is taking up the most space on your computer with i.diskdiskspace

If you have Windows Vista/7 you can delete “Shadow Copies” and recover large amounts of data (Recommended by Aly369 & Lorne96). You can see how to do this HERE


Clean/Fix Errors in Your Registry

When you install programs, and the uninstall them, some leave keys scattered all over your registry, or links will be broken. Fix these with Crap Cleaner
registry

Defragment Your Computer

A common suggestion to speed up access times is to “Defrag” your computer so that your disk does not have to work harder to find where stuff is. A lot of people do not recommend the Windows built-in Defragmenter. I recommend JKDefrag.

jkdefrag

Be Careful When Installing/Downloading Programs

I can not stress this enough, too many people tell me they have things on their computer and they don’t know where they came from, and more than likely they have got them from programs they have not downloaded from the original site, or have blindly clicked “next, next, next” through the setup process without looking at whats happening.

Recommended AntiVirus

I have stuck by AntiVir Classic for a good 5 years now, and rarely run into any issues. Although there is a popup when it updates itself, it is a “Set and Forget” AV.

However, you may prefer to use a different one, and can see a full list on my Freeware Page

 

So that is everything I can remember at this point in time. If I have missed anything or you have your own ideas to suggest, please leave a comment below.

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How Can I Get Vista Looking Like XP?

Posted by DuncanM On July - 16 - 2009View Comments

MarksterTutorials from YouTube asks:

Hello, i was wondering if i can get a xp theme on a vista machine.
markster tutorials, like your videos, I’m subscribing.

Firstly you will need to Patch your System

Then, you have the following Styles at your disposal:

XP’s Luna theme for Vista by ~Shifty102 | MCE’s Royale theme for Vista by ~Shifty102
Royale for Vista Basic by ~psycoB
Luna -blue- for Vista by =Satukoro | Luna -Olive- Port to Vista by =Satukoro
Luna-Royale Elements For Vista by =Satukoro

Know of any more? leave a comment.

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My Thoughts Come To Life: SortItOut

Posted by DuncanM On July - 15 - 2009View Comments

In an Earlier Blog Post, I had an idea about a Desktop Organisation tool that would allow us to keep our desktops cleaner.

I didn’t expect Xen042 to create a program in C# as quickly as he did. We talked for a short while and he now has the Program & Source ready to download.

The software is released under the GNU Public license

How To Use:


Latest Version: Download (32 & 64bit compatible)

Source Code: Download

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My (and MBTV’s) Current Statistics On YouTube

Posted by DuncanM On July - 15 - 2009View Comments

For anyone interested, these are the stats I have on my YouTube Account mobilephone2003:

stats2Stats

A big thanks again to everybody who has subscribed and watched my videos on YouTube and a big apology that I can’t answer all messages (don’t believe the message count, I answer LOTS of questions I receive), or accept friend invites as I have so many!

Here are the current statistics from MegaByteTV:

stats3 stats4

I am proud of both channels and I’m looking forward to producing more content for the future

Feel free to share your statistics on YouTube and your YouTube Channel in the comments :-)

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