Knowing how to check the source, as in the raw "code," of an email is important because there will be times when you need to do it. Why? To check authenticity of an email. Spam and phishing emails are getting more tricky to identify all the time, and your best weapon against this is knowing how to check the source of an email.

Unfortunately it is the case where the process of getting the source of an email is distinctively different per provider or mail client, so here’s a quick cheat sheet on how to do it:

Hotmail

1. Right-click the email you want to view the source of.

2. Left-click View Message Source.

Example:

Important note: This can only be done when your emails are shown as a list. If you double-click to open an email whereas the message list is not seen, there isn’t a way to view the message source from there. You must right-click specifically on the email in list view (regardless of whether the reading pane is on or off.)

Yahoo! Mail

There are two ways in Y! Mail to view the source.

1. While in list view, right click the email you want to view the source of.

2. Left click View full headers. It will be last in the list.

Example:

or..

Whether reading a message or having it highlighted in list view, click the Actions button then Full Header.

Example:

Yahoo! Mail Classic

1. Open the email you want to view the source of.

2. Scroll all the way to the bottom and look for the tiny text on the extreme right that says Full Headers and click it.

Example:

Gmail

1. Open the email you want to view the source of.

2. Click the small down arrow on the right to drop down a menu.

3. Select Show original.

Example:

Windows Live Mail or Microsoft Outlook Express 6

The super-annoying long way

(This is not the way you want to do it because it takes too many steps. See super-easy way below this.)

1. Right-click the email you want to view the source of.

2. Select Properties, like this:

3. From the window that opens up, select the Details tab, like this:

4. In that same window, click the Message Source button, like this:

The super-easy way

1. Highlight or open the email you want to view the source of.

2. Press CTRL+F3

The F3 method is a completely undocumented feature, both in OE 6 and WL Mail. But trust me, it’s there. Try it for yourself.

Mozilla Thunderbird

1. Highlight any email in the message list or open an email.

2. Click View then Message Source.

Example:

or..

1. Highlight any email in the message list or open an email.

2. Press CTRL+U

Incidentally, this is the exact same keystroke used to view web page HTML source in the Mozilla Firefox web browser.

What headers should you check in the source?

Okay, so you know how to view the source of an email, but what do you look for?

The easiest thing to check is the Received: header. This will tell you up front where the email came from originally. The part that’s most important is the very end of the line where the dot-com/net/org is.

Example:

This email came from google.com (it was a Gmail address,) so I know this email is safe. What’s before the google.com doesn’t matter much as it’s the tail that counts. Spam and phishing attempts will attempt to fool you into thinking the mail was delivered from a trusted domain by inserting said domain in the middle. For example, a spam/phish would show as google.com.some.bad.site.ru or something similar. The google.com is in there, but not at the tail. That’s bad and it’s a spam/phish attempt.

Keep an eye on the tail side of a Received: header and you’ll easily be able to identify true trusted domains from spam and phishing attempts.

Windows 7 had its wide release yesterday, and there are a few of you out there who are still nervous about upgrading. In response to that, I decided to put together a list of things I don’t miss about XP.

1. XP’s taskbar

 
Windows XP Taskbar

I have a few gripes about XP’s taskbar.

First is the fact that in single-tier view (which is the default,) you don’t see the date next to the clock. If you want to see that, you must extend it to two-tier view. But then that makes the Start button look messed up with a big space underneath it, and if you have any QuickLaunch icons, those get all shuffled around. If you have many taskbar icons next to the clock, the taskbar by default "shrinks" them with a clickable arrow that expands to the left. But by the time you find the icon you want, that menu shrinks again too quickly.

 
Windows 7 Taskbar

You get the date in default view along with the clock. Running programs can be "pinned" (very cool feature) for easy-access in the future. That maddening "shrinking" of taskbar icons has been replaced with a small up-arrow which is clickable that opens a menu that stays there (important) to find the stuff you want.

And let’s not forget the program previews, the nicely shadowed borders over open programs, and.. well.. it’s simply wonderful to work with.

2. XP’s search options

The quickest way to find a file in XP using a mouse is to open My Computer then click the Search button at top. At that point you are not presented with a search box but rather the question, "What do you want to search for?", accompanied by a stupid animated dog. Yes, a dog. This is the "search companion," as XP calls it.

Windows XP Search Companion

Let’s say you clicked on "All files and folders." At that point you’re simply given too many options:

 
Windows XP Search Companion, "All Files" search

When searching, this is what it looks like, and it just takes way too long to finish.

 
Windows XP Search Companion, actively searching for a file

(The dog by the way is not bowing his head in shame, although he should be.)

As for the results you get, I can guarantee it won’t be what you’re looking for.

Where’s the search in Windows 7? Right on the start logo:

One click and ta-da, search is right there. And the moment you start typing, search results start showing up. And not only will it search for files, but content within files, programs and anything else you have. You don’t have to tell it what you want. Just type it and Windows will find it.

That’s awesome.

3. XP’s Help

The Help and Support area of XP is something I’ve never known anybody to use. When you click Start and then Help and Support, XP has to "think" about it before actually doing it. Then when it finally loads, you’re greeted with a bevy of tiny text.

Windows XP Help and Support Center

To date, there is absolutely nothing in the XP help area that has actually helped me. Sure, it contains oh-so basic information, but for almost anything advanced, it’s simply not there.

Windows 7’s help area on the other hand is something I actually have used.

Before continuing – my screen shots are probably going to differ from the full release as I’m still using the RC at the time I write this.

Windows 7 Help and Support

Right up front the whole experience is friendlier, and it loads faster too.

There was a point where I was trying to load something from a command prompt where 7 stated I needed "elevated" privileges. Confused as to what that meant, I headed to the help section and searched for elevated.

I found exactly what I was looking for in seconds:

 
Windows 7 Help and Support search results

I found the information I needed; that’s what we call legitimately helpful.

4. XP’s lack of native software monitor color calibration

XP does not natively have any monitor color management options other than "Color Quality" and "Color Management" that uses what’s called "Color Profiles" that nobody ever uses. In order to get real calibration options, you must use 3rd-party software by nVidia, ATI, Intel or whatever OEM made your video card. And of course when you use one of those, that in itself is a challenge to figure out because it’s not native to Windows (the menu systems in those 3rd-party apps are seriously messed up.)

Windows 7 has a Calibrate color option:

Windows 7 Appearance and Personalization / Display

This to me was a very big deal because I did not have to manually adjust the color via the monitor itself (which you can never seem to get right,) or use some wonky 3rd-party program. Calibrating the color on a native level is built-in to 7, and it’s easy. Very cool.

I don’t want to claim that 7 doesn’t need nVidia or ATI specific drivers, because it does. But the point is that you don’t have to use them just to make simple adjustments.

5. XP’s infamous disappearing status bar

For whatever seriously stupid reason, XP’s status bar for Explorer windows will periodically disappear.

Example:

Windows XP My Computer without status bar

Okay, so I want the status bar active so when I highlight drive C that it will give me information about the drive. So I click View then Status bar so I see it:

Windows XP My Computer with status bar

You see at bottom the status bar right there as it should be. But then it will magically go away for literally no reason at some point in the future. It doesn’t matter how often you reset this feature, because it will happen.

This has irritated me to no end ever since I’ve been using XP. Windows NT and 2000 did not do this. XP does and it’s always been a mystery as to why.

Windows 7 "Computer"

The Windows 7 OS on the other hand never loses the bar unless you specifically, and I mean very specifically, instruct it not to be there. And that’s the way it should be.

Are you are 7 user? What do you like about it over XP?

Today, being October 22 2009, is the day Windows 7 is officially available as a wide release in the U.S. This means it should be available on the shelves at your nearest electronics retailer.

As many have been saying right along, Win 7 is a good product. It runs on even the most minimal of hardware (even a netbook,) has huge support for tons of different peripherals (if your printer didn’t work in Vista, it will probably work in 7,) and a whole host of other features.

The bundled disc comes with both 32 and 64-bit editions. And if you’re wondering which of the versions to buy, the only one needed is Home Premium. The rest do not have any significant features most would need from my perspective. This is why the upgrade edition I bought was Home Premium and not Ultimate.

Also bear in mind Windows 7 is available at popular online retailers such as NewEgg (who is including free shipping by the way.)

For you nervous nellie’s out there who say, "I’ll wait until the first service pack before I buy," that’s a waste of your time. All of us, including myself, who used Windows 7 RC had already been using this OS for several months. It works. It has had an overwhelmingly positive response. I personally use it as my primary operating system on both my custom PC tower and netbook.

You’re in good shape with 7. I say that with utmost confidence.

Many unfortunately remember the infamous "Vista Capable" logo disaster. A whole bunch of new computers at the time Windows Vista was launched had a little logo that was supposed to indicate yes, they were capable of running Vista. But as we all found out, many of those new computers were barely "capable." Instead computer owners were treated to a less-than-pleasant computing experience – putting it very nicely.

One of the best things Microsoft ever did was release Windows 7 RC to the general public for testing. A ton of people, including myself, use this OS. I use it as my primary right now. This allowed everybody on both sides (corporate and consumer) to do the best live field testing of Windows since the product came into existence; this has served everybody very well.

Microsoft will be using a logo program again for Windows 7, so you will see those little stickers on new computers if you haven’t already. This time around the requirements to get the sticker are far more stringent compared to the Vista logo debacle.

The logo means the product must work with both 32 and 64-bit editions. This is particularly important for peripheral devices, because it means the driver disc included will have 32 and 64-bit versions included. It also means more rigorous testing has been performed to ensure that yes, it will work.

Part of this program includes "Ready. Set. 7." You can check out right now what developers are building 7-compatible items at www.readyset7.com. The list is extensive, and that’s great because it means that many of the products on store shelves will be compatible right out of the box.

In the end however, what has mattered most concerning 7’s readiness has been end-user testing from Win 7 RC use. I use 7 RC, and this OS proved its worth beyond any doubt by running nearly flawlessly on my Dell Inspiron Mini 10v netbook, which houses only a single core 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, shared video memory and a 160GB 5400rpm HDD.

As far as I’m concerned, if Win 7 can run on this smoothly (which it does,) it can run on just about any computer made in the last 5 years without the need to upgrade.

The logo program is good and is being far better managed, granted, but it’s been the users of this OS that have had the most influence on people. If I thought Win 7 sucked, I would say so without hesitation. If other people thought it sucked, they would say so as well. We’ve all been nothing but honest in our reviews of this OS. And it’s the general consensus that Win 7 doesn’t suck. Not in the slightest. In fact, we all really like it. That’s why we dare to run an RC as our primary operating system. Ordinarily that’s considered computer suicide, but the blunt honest truth is that 7 really is that good.

Have you ever changed the priority of a process in the Task Manager?
Do you have to do it often?
Do you want your database server or media player to know the priority it should work with?

If so, you have two choices: do it manually every time or automate/manage the process. If you prefer the latter then a tool you should check out is Prio Process Priority Saver.

Once installed, you just set the priority preferences of the processes you want to modify and then make sure the option to save is checked. Then the next time the program starts your saved settings will be applied automatically. This utility is ideal for power users or system admins who are looking to get more control over their server processes.

If you use a Windows Live email address, that being any address that ends in @hotmail.com, @msn.com or @live.com, you can access the account right now in the Windows Live Mail client.

The immediate advantages of using WL Mail:

• No ads anywhere in the client
• No ads sent on outgoing mail
• Allows for local caching of mail for faster access and being able to read your mail offline
• Easier to attach files
• Faster than using the web interface

There are more but those are the biggies.

The way a Hotmail account is configured in WL Mail by default is to download a copy of every mail in your account (and no that does not mean once downloaded it deletes from the web version.) This unfortunately includes the Junk and Deleted folders, so every time your perform a mail check, anything in those folders is downloaded as well.

You can easily configure Hotmail to download only the headers by simply right-clicking on the folder and choosing the appropriate option.

It’s as simple as this:

Pictured above is done by doing the following:

1. Right-click the Junk e-mail folder.
2. Hover over Synchronization settings.
3. Click Headers only.

What this will do is download just the header and not the actual message. You will see the subject line but the mail will not be downloaded unless you actually open it.

I suggest doing this for both the Junk and the Deleted Items folder, because when you delete something you obviously don’t want it locally cached. Don’t worry, your deleted mail will still be there on a server level for 30 days unless you specifically choose to empty the Deleted Items folder.

Any folder in your Windows Live mail account can be set to Headers Only. This may prove to be an advantage for those that have bandwidth caps imposed by their ISP, or a slow internet connection. Headers are nothing but very small files and download almost instantly.

The WL mail client has no ads anywhere in it. Using it in combination with the headers only option makes it one of the speediest mail systems you can use.

Quick questions answered

Does the Windows Live Mail client use IMAP for Windows Live accounts?

No. Windows Live mail uses a proprietary protocol by Microsoft called DeltaSync. It allows for two-way synchronization of mail/contacts/calendar/notes, so it in fact does a whole lot more than just mail.

If I have a folder set to headers only and I delete a mail, does it get moved to the Deleted Items folder even though I don’t have to re-download it?

Yes. The way in which it works is that the WL Mail client has seamless synchronization with the web-based version. When you delete a mail and then click the Sync button (or just wait until the client performs another mail check), what you do on a local level will be reflected exactly in the web-based version, and can be loaded the same way on either platform. Even if you did not read the mail and deleted it, it will still be moved to the appropriate location.

Is there any way I can turn off the reading pane so I don’t automatically download an email when I click on it?

Yes, you can turn off the reading pane. First it should be noted that the reading pane is by design disabled whenever viewing the Junk e-mail folder. So even if you have it enabled and go inside the Junk e-mail folder, it will turn itself off when in there. However if you want it off all the time, press ALT+V to bring up the View menu, then click Layout.

You will see this:

Simply uncheck the box for Show the reading pane, then click Apply then OK.

Will adjusting synchronization settings for my Windows Live account affect any other Live or other POP/IMAP accounts I have in WL Mail?

No. Whatever you adjust for sync settings will only affect that specific account. It does not "carry over" to others.

Are headers re-downloaded every time I start the WL Mail client?

Yes. WL Mail ordinarily performs a mail check (what it called a "Sync") on startup unless you configured it otherwise. Being that headers are so small in size this will not be a cause for concern.

Will choosing headers only for specific folders affect the way I search mail in WL Mail?

Yes. Any search performed in a folder you have set to headers only will only search to/from addresses and subject line, but not the body of the message since it isn’t downloaded locally at that point. To perform full searches that include the body of the message, you will have to have full synchronization or use the web-based version.

If I currently have a folder set to full synchronization and switch to headers only, are the local copies removed for the mail in that folder?

No. If you want to configure a Live account with headers only for everything, remove the account from WL Mail and re-add it. On first check of mail, stop the process (click "Sync" twice to see the window and hit the stop button), set all folders to headers only, then perform another sync.

Got another question about Live mail and the WL Mail client? Leave a comment and ask.

Windows Vista users, if Service Pack 2 hasn’t hit your Windows Update yet it probably will very soon. So if you are curious about what is in this upgrade, here are the full details from Microsoft.

Overall, there is nothing really to get excited about for home users (in my opinion at least). A few notable changes:

• SP2 improves performance for Wi-Fi connections after resuming from sleep mode.
• SP2 integrates the Windows Vista Feature Pack for Wireless, which contains support for Bluetooth v2.1 and Windows Connect Now (WCN) Wi-Fi Configuration.
• SP2 removes the limit of 10 half open outbound TCP connections.

Of course, SP2 rolls up all the previous hotfixes as well which is convenient if you have fallen behind on your updates.

I am going to upgrade my work machine sometime this week when I go home for the night. Has anyone else already installed Vista SP2 and if so, what was your experience?

In Windows Live Mail (as in the e-mail client and not the web site) the default method for an e-mail signature is nothing but plain text, like this:

You can however create advanced e-mail signatures using the freely available Nvu web page editor.

Here’s how it’s done.

1. Download and install Nvu. It’s free.

2. Copy any images you plan to use to the folder My Stationary.

My Stationary is a folder you already have on your computer, located under My Documents. This was created when you installed WL Mail originally. Any images to be used in a signature must reside in this folder, else it will not work.

For the example below I’m going to use a small image of myself:

The above is a 48×48 pixel image. You should keep whatever image you use small so you don’t annoy the people you send mail to. If you’re asking the question, "How big is too big?", try not to use anything over a 100×100 image.

If you have an image you’d like to use but it’s too big, you can resize it quickly using Pixlr editor. This is a free in-browser editor (no need to install anything). Load that site, open the image you want to edit, click Image then Image Size from the black bar at the very top and resize to 80×80 or smaller, then save as PNG or JPEG.

When your images are ready, copy any you intend to use to the My Stationary folder.

4. Launch Nvu and save a blank signature first.

When you first launch Nvu you will be given a blank web page to edit, much like editing a new document a word processor. The first thing we’ll do is save this file. This is necessary to do first so that images can be added in more easily.

Click the Save button. You will be prompted to title the page. Call it signature, like this:

Click OK.

You will be be prompted to save the file somewhere. Navigate to the My Stationary folder and save your file as signature, like this:

The file will be auto-saved with the .html file extension.

5. Edit and save your signature.

First we’ll add in the image. Click the Image button at the top of Nvu. A new window will open.

Click the Choose File button.

Example:

You will be automatically placed into the My Stationary folder to find the image you want. If not, navigate to My Documents then My Stationary. Find the title of the image you want to add, then double-click to open it. 

After that, tick the option for Don’t use alternate text (if you don’t, Nvu will force you to use alternate text for images, which is not necessary).

You should have something like this:

Click OK.

Your image will be inserted into the page.

After that, type in some text you want in your signature.

For any text you want linked to another web site, highlight the text and click the Link button at the top of Nvu.

Here’s an example of what you could have:

The last thing we’ll do is change the font.

Press CTRL+A to highlight everything in the page.

Click the drop-down menu that states Variable With or Mixed and pick Helvetica, Arial like this:

It is strongly suggested that you only use Helvetica/Arial, Times or Courier as everybody has these fonts installed on their computers. If you choose a font that is non-standard, chances are high that it will show up as nothing but Times New Roman (or other standard serif font) on the recipient’s computer.

Lastly, adjust the font size by using the font increase/decrease size buttons:

Remember that you can highlight and select different text just as you would in a word processor program, adjusting some to be one size and other text a different size.

Here’s an example of what you could have:

When we’re all finished, simply click Save and close Nvu.

6. Enable the signature in Windows Live Mail.

In WL Mail, press ALT+M to bring up the menu, then click Options:

For the new window that appears, click the Signatures tab, then tick the option File at bottom, like this:

Click the Browse button to the right of File.

From the Open window that appears, change Text Files to HTML Files, like this:

Navigate to your My Stationary folder and select signature (this is the file you just saved a few moments ago).

At this point you will see the file path next to File, similar to this (the path will be different on XP computers because My Documents is in a different location):

Make sure Add signatures to all outgoing messages is checked:

Click Apply then OK.

7. Compose a new e-mail to yourself to test it out.

If all goes well…

Success! Your new advanced signature works!

Questions answered

My signature doesn’t look the same as it did in Nvu. Did I do something wrong?

No. You’re probably viewing and/or composing mails in plain text only.

In Options/Read, uncheck Read all messages in plain text, like this:

In Options/Send, the Reply to messages using the format in which they were sent checkbox must be unchecked, the Mail Sending Format must ticked as HTML, like this:

How do I re-edit my signature?

Launch Nvu and open the signature file from the My Stationary folder. Make any edits you wish, then save. It will instantaneously take effect in WL Mail on any future mails you send out.

Are the images I use in my signature attached as inline?

YES. They are attached to your e-mail and sent inline without any need to host them externally on other web sites like ImageShack or PhotoBucket. Your signature will never "break" because it will be not be dependent on any external image hosting whatsoever.

Can I use colors when editing my signature?

YES. You can highlight any text and make it any color you want.

Can I use advanced features when editing my signature such as tables, horizontal rules, paragraph alignment and so on?

YES. You can use all those things.

What can’t I do with my signature?

You can’t do anything that involves scripting of any kind. For example, if you entered in some JavaScript, that absolutely would not work. Everything in your signature file must be static in nature (which it is by default).

Why must the signature file itself and images I use be in My Stationary and not in a more convenient spot?

WL Mail has a feature called Stationary. It is something not too many people use simply because the stationary choices are terrible, and the way to create them is even more terrible (File / Save as Stationary doesn’t work, and the Stationary Wizard via the Options/Compose tab/Create New button isn’t too much better).

The signature file itself must reside in My Stationary for any signature images to work. For example, the image I used was menga48.jpg. When in the My Stationary folder, the HTML markup written by Nvu has src="menga48.jpg" in the <img> tag for the file path. If it were in any other directory, Nvu as well as any other editor would write something like src="file:///some-local-location/menga48.jpg", and that simply will not work.

Images for signature use almost must reside in My Stationary for file path reasons as well. When you have both the signature HTML file and the images in My Stationary, everything works.

Can I "export" my signature?

YES. Copy the signature.html file and whatever images you use to a USB stick, go to any other computer with Windows Live Mail installed on it, copy the files to the My Stationary directory on that computer, then follow steps 6 and 7 above.

What e-mail account types will this work on?

The signature will work regardless of account type, be it POP, IMAP or HTTP (Hotmail).

Is it absolutely required that I use Nvu?

No. Dreamweaver will work as will coding your HTML file "by hand" even with something as simple as Notepad. The editor is not necessary. I only mention it because it’s easier for most people to work with.

Can I use my word processor to export an HTML for use as a signature?

I highly recommend against doing that because word processors export HTML files with lots of useless junk code – so much so it may crash WL Mail on attempt to use it as a signature.

I use Outlook Express 6 and not Windows Live Mail. Will these instructions work if I’m using that software?

Yes, but the stationary folder on most XP computers is this:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Stationery

You will have to substitute My Stationary for the this folder if you want to do this in OE6 using the above instructions.

Also remember that signatures are not shared. If you use a signature in OE6, it will not import over to WL Mail so you will have to manually copy the files from the OE6 Stationary folder to the WL Mail one.

The GUI which is the fastest of them all is the one which is an absolute no-frills environment.

"No-frills" defined:

• No wallpaper
• No animations
• Solid-colored application window borders
• No color gradients in title bars
• No anti-aliased fonts (i.e. font smoothing)
• No application window shadows
• No transparency/translucence
• Squared-off corners of application windows only (no curved corners)

Why would anybody want a no-frills GUI environment?

Here are a few reasons:

• Screen draws/redraws are near-instantaneous (fastest possible environment)
• You gain screen space because the borders are thin without shadows (you can fit more windows on your screen, gain more application space)
• It’s easier to read text in many instances
• Switching between tasks is faster
• Dragging windows is faster (border-only instead of full-window-copy as you move it)

There are more, but you get the idea.

  Microsoft’s Windows Vista and 7…

…can be configured to be no-frills but it takes some effort. Windows XP is in fact the last Windows OS that can go completely "bare", GUI-wise. Windows Vista and 7 cannot because there are some animations that absolutely cannot be turned off. If you go to the Optimize visual display (available by a search from the Windows logo), there is a checkbox that states verbatim:

Turn off all unnecessary animations (when possible)

It’s the "when possible" that irks me. That means it disables most but not all animations.

XP and previous editions of Windows on the other hand can be completely "de-animated". Even the startup animation can be disabled.

  Apple’s Mac OS X…

…has animations everywhere, some of which require the Terminal to disable. By default, things in OS X fade in/out, jump around ("bouncing" icons), slide, zoom in/out, tilt slightly("Stacks" feature), etc. You name it, it has it. I’m not saying this is a bad thing because it’s part of the whole Apple experience, but when it comes to disabling every animation in that OS, it can prove to be a chore.

   The UNIX/Linux desktop environment…

…is the only one where you can choose to be as glitzy or as Spartan as you wish.

In the glitz department, using Compiz can make a UNIX/Linux desktop disgustingly animated. You can have "wobbly" windows, "burning" minimize/maximize, a desktop that "rotates" using the prism-like Cube and so on.

However it’s the Spartan options that really make a UNIX/Linux desktop a lean mean machine.

Getting UNIX/Linux desktop to be Spartan but powerful in the GUI can be as easy as picking the right desktop environment. Once such example is Xfce. Another is fluxbox. Both of these are very lightweight by design and can be easily configured to be completely no-frills.

  Which is the fastest?

This is largely dependent on what hardware you have in your computer, but overall a lightweight UNIX/Linux environment still rules the roost as the fastest GUI you can use.

While it’s true that nothing can ever outrun the command line in terms of speed, the most diehard command line user still prefers a GUI multitasking environment – even if the GUI is nothing but terminal windows.

  Can you multitask with no GUI?

You could, if so desired, multitask from the command line in UNIX, being there is bg to send a running process to the background and fg to bring it back to the foreground. Jobs in UNIX are assigned numerical IDs so it’s not difficult to perform job control once you get used to it, should you dare to go with no GUI at all.

But in all honesty, using nothing but a CLI environment for multitasking is a bit time consuming because you don’t see your tasks in front of you as windows (as in application windows, not MS-Windows). If UNIX had a DESQview-like offering, that would be a lot more friendly and usable with multitasking in no-GUI land.

DESQview was arguably the best text-mode multitask environment usability-wise because you could whizz thru it like nobody’s business. Someone even said it was one of the 5 Best Operating Systems You Never Used. Yes, it really was that good.

This is not a review of Windows 7 the operating system, but rather www.windows7sins.org. I suggest reading thru that web site before reading this article. Some will agree with every point made on that site while others will say, "Um.. I don’t think so."

Here’s my two cents on each "sin".

1. Poisoning education

I disagree solely for the reason that Apple computers, which all run OS X, have a large presence in schools, colleges and universities.

You could argue that Apple equally "poisons" children just as bad as Microsoft does.

2. Invading privacy

I agree. I’ve never been comfortable with the fact you have to "activate" Windows and "validate" software just to use it.

3. Monopoly behavior.

I disagree. Large PC manufacturers, Dell included, have sincerely tried to get people to use alternative operating systems like Ubuntu. When netbooks (the hottest selling computer at the moment) first appeared, most of them came preinstalled with Linux. What happened? Returns aplenty. What happened when they started getting shipped with XP? Sales went thru the roof and continue to do so. That’s not monopolistic behavior on Microsoft’s part, that’s the market demanding what they want. It is painfully obvious just from return figures alone that people wanted Windows.

4. Lock-in

I agree and disagree.

Disagree: Windows 7 requires far less hardware requirements than Vista did. On YouTube there are even videos of people running 7 on Pentium III PCs. I’m not kidding. Doesn’t look like lock-in to me. On my own netbook, which is a 1.6GHz with only 1GB RAM, Windows 7 runs flawlessly. I’m using it right now to type this article on.

Agree: Windows does force updates if you have auto-update turned on, and it is aggravating when you leave the computer on overnight only to find it rebooted itself automatically from certain updates that came down the pike. Not cool.

5. Abusing standards

Agree. Microsoft does try consistently to make Word’s DOC the only format anybody would use. It is well known that the OpenDocument format is better, safer, easier and runs on any OS. Microsoft really needs to get with the times here and understand that proprietary software formats are a dumb idea. That time has long passed yet Microsoft clings to it viciously.

6. Enforcing Digital Restrictions Management (DRM).

Disagree. Microsoft would have happily left the Windows Media Player DRM-free but were essentially forced to do it by Big Media due to preexisting relationships. You will notice Microsoft didn’t lift a finger to enforce DRM until Big Media, such as NBC, specifically asked them to do it. Some would say, "Microsoft should have refused!" Should they have? And shoot themselves in the foot? I think it’s obvious why they agreed with NBC in the first place.

7. Threatening user security.

Agree – but to a point.

Nobody knew in the mid-1990s that the internet was going to take the world by storm. Then came in the tsunami of new computer users and it caught Microsoft completely off guard.

Why did Windows have the security of a wet napkin for so long? Mainly because prior to internet, Windows didn’t need any as a not-connected-to-internet PC.

Even in 2001 when XP was released, the internet was still an unsure bet back then.

Where I agree is that Windows had more holes than Swiss cheese for far too long. The stretch between XP and Vista/7 was far too long. The stretch between IE 6 and 7/8 was far too long. Only now, finally, in 7 do we have a Windows OS that is at least on par with other major offerings.

I know there will be those that vehemently disagree with me on this point, and if that’s the case, so be it. Win 7 is the most secure Windows to date. In some instances it’s even safer than a Mac. But the jury is still out on that one because we’ll see what really happens when Win 7 is officially released in October ‘09 and how it stacks up to Apple’s latest Snow Leopard.

The true threat as far as I’m concerned comes from OS activation and WGA. I see that as an invasion of privacy as noted in point 2 above. I find it absolutely disgusting that Windows requires "activation" just to work after a set number of days. It is absolutely wrong that the OS takes inventory of what you have installed and sends it to other places (Microsoft) thru this validation process.

Windows may even come to a point where it’s required for it to be connected to the internet just to work. At present that’s not necessary. If you have to, you can still mail in a registration card (which is almost just as bad). But if it happens that all future Windows OSes are "internet required just to work".. I don’t even want to think about it.

What do you think?

Is Windows7Sins.org correct with all points? Some? None? Voice your opinion.

Back when Windows 95 was first released there was an optional add-on purchase called Microsoft Plus! This added in screen savers, wallpaper, some styling changes and of course, WAV sound effects.

Several of these sound effect packages are still available direct for download from Microsoft’s web site. You can get them from here:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/135315

Scroll down slightly more than half way and download the files Jungle.exe, Musica.exe, Robotz.exe and Utopia.exe.

The way to install these sounds on Windows XP is to first create a blank folder, download the .exe file to there and run it. A command prompt window will appear. Press Y to extract the files. Afterward, right-click the .INF file and left click Install. This will install the WAV sound set as a selectable sound theme in Windows XP.

I haven’t tried this in Vista or 7 but I assume it would work the same way. Again I will say that I have not tried it in Vista or 7, so do so at your own risk.

And yes, I understand that this not all the sound sets from the Plus! pack. “Science”, “The ’60s”, “Golden Era” and a few others are missing. However it’s better than nothing.

For those that remember the classic MacOS sounds, don’t worry because you’re not left out.

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/19079

This includes all the sounds in both AIFF and WAV format, so they will play in Mac or Windows.

It includes all the ones you remember, such as Droplet, Indigo, Monkey, Quack, Sosumi and several others.

This is a plain ZIP file so you’ll have to manually place the sounds where they’re supposed to go. In Windows the folder for this is C:\WINDOWS\MEDIA.

Got a place for cool WAV sound effects?

Feel free to post a link or two below.

The default Windows XP theme is called Luna. This is the rather disgusting blue taskbar, program title bars/borders and the big green Start button. It looks awful.

Luna can be changed to either Olive Green (equally disgusting) or Silver (the only which looks good out of the set for Luna).

Many people can’t stand Luna and switch to the “Windows Classic” theme. But wouldn’t it be great if there was a theme in between Luna and Windows Classic that feels “just right”? HmmXP is it. It’s got the perfect blend of form and function as far as an XP theme goes.

HmmXP works for Windows 2000 (will not work in 2000), Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP. I guarantee you will like it.

The video below shows exactly how to get it installed and running. It only takes a few minutes and it’s easy.

Note: This is for Windows 7 users only.

In Windows XP and Vista, when you use the Windows Live Mail client, you can right-click the icon at the bottom so that it only appears as such when the app is minimized:

When using the Windows Live Messenger, by default it will also have a small icon:

However the problem is that these Windows Live applications do not do this by default in Windows 7. Instead they show as large icons to the left.

The way to get them to minimize to small taskbar icons is to set the compatibility mode to Windows Vista for each. This is easy, and once done they will act as they did in XP/Vista concerning how they look in the taskbar.

See video below for details.

Microsoft has recently achieved the milestone of Release To Manufacturing (often abbreviated simply as RTM) for the Windows 7 product. This is the last step before the final shipped product arrives on store shelves.

As most of you know, Windows 7 will be widely available on October 22, so you can be sure to see tons of deals on laptop and desktop computers. It is a given that all the OEMs (ex: Dell, HP) and online retailers (ex: NewEgg, TigerDirect) will be offering some really good deals come later October – so watch for that.

The RC of Windows 7 is still available for download, and will continue to be until August 20. Product keys for that will be available until March 2010.

For those that want to get ahead with announcements concerning technical resources for the OS, it’s suggested you subscribe to Microsoft’s Springboard Series Insider.

If you are using Windows 7 now and wanted a way to provide feedback to Microsoft now, the easiest method is to use input.microsoft.com. Yes, you need a Windows ID (ex: Hotmail account), and once in the system you can weigh in your opinion on a boatload of different stuff:

…so if you wanted a voice, there you go. There’s no better way.

Remember all those complaints that Microsoft never listened to its user base? That’s certainly not the case any longer.

Lastly, if you want to see the blogs authored by Microsoft concerning the Windows 7 product, they are all here: http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/

Big name players post blogs there, including but certainly not limited to: AMD, nVidia and Lenovo to name a few.

Did you find any of these resources useful?

Microsoft put a huge effort into not only informing but listening to the audience (that’s you) concerning the Windows 7 product. Do you find any of it useful or was it not what you were looking for? Weigh in with a comment or two.

How are pre-order sales of Windows 7 doing in the UK? Very well. However there are two major differences compared to the US version.

First, it is required to have a clean install. For most people this means the drive must be wiped in order to use it to get rid of the old Windows (Vista or XP).

Second, there is no Internet Explorer in the UK version. This is probably the reason why the clean install is mandatory for 7. UK’s 7 doesn’t have IE because of a European Commission anti-trust ruling.

Can you install IE 8 after you install the OS? Yes. It will most likely be listed as an optional (keyword there) download in Windows Update. There may even be an icon purposely placed on the desktop that says "Download Internet Explorer" or something similar. And to be honest I hope that’s the case because otherwise a whole bunch of people wouldn’t really know how to get it.

You can’t say, "Download Firefox to a USB stick from another PC, plug it in to the new one and install to 7 that way", because if it’s the only PC the user has, what are they going to do? Go to a command prompt, connect via FTP over to ftp.mozilla.org and get a browser that way? Would you want to instruct a newbie how to do that? Probably not.

This marks the first time Windows will be sold without a browser since Windows 95. For those who remember, the very first edition of 95 did not have IE preinstalled.

It is also clear that Microsoft does appear to have a winner on its hands with Windows 7 on both sides of the pond, even though the UK version is IE-less.