What can you do with a Kinect for Windows? Not much right now. This release is more for the developer community (the Kinect Windows SDK and runtime is available for download today). It won’t be long before we start seeing some native apps that work with the Kinect that don’t involve clever hacking.

When Microsoft first introduced the Kinect for Xbox consumers fell in love. Using your body as a controller isn’t so great when moving through menus, but when playing games like Dance Central or the various fitness titles it added a new and fabulous layer to gaming.

Shortly after its introduction hackers and DIYers began poking at the Kinect to see what it was capable of. Since it connects to the Xbox via a standard USB port it could also connect to a regular computer. Within weeks someone had cracked the device and a slew of fun innovations followed. The Kinect was used as a 3D video camera, a sensor on self-driving robots, and to control a computer with gestures.

At first Microsoft appeared appalled by this turn of events, chiding people for appropriating their accessory in this way. Then within days they changed their official stance, embracing the DIYers. And soon after that they went even further and started working on a release version of the SDK, which allows developers to create apps or hook the Kinect’s functions into a program.

While the Kinect for Windows will likely bring the body as game controller thing to PC gaming, I’m more excited for other prospects. Gesture control for Windows isn’t even a far-fetched idea. Last week Josh wrote that there are already prototypes of laptops with a Kinect sensor embedded. That’s a little ways off from being a commercial product, but not that far.

I can’t wait to see what developers create for Kinect on Windows. Windows 8 in particular. Swiping around a computer as if it’s a tablet while not even touching the screen? Yes, please. And that’s a minor implementation. I expect to be wowed.

(Related: Tobii Demos Gaze Interaction For Windows 8)

Kinect For Windows Starts Shipping Today, SDK Ready For Download is a post by K. T. Bradford from Notebooks.com.

I know your pain. Some keys just get in the way.

The solution to this problem is simple: re-map troublesome keys so they act like different ones or turn them off all together.

You don’t need to manually edit the registry or have a lot of technical expertise to do this. There’s a program for Windows that will do it for you no matter what kind of PC you have.

Here’s how to turn off or change any key’s behavior:

Step 1: Download SharpKeys 3.5, compatible with Windows 7 on down to Windows 2000, and install.

Step 2: Make a backup of your registry just in case.

Step 3: Open SharpKeys and click Add.

The left column shows a full list of keys on your computer. Choose the key you want to change here.

You can also click the Type Key button underneath to quickly add the key in question.

Step 4: In the right column is the same list of keys. This is where you’ll choose what the key does going forward.

You can change it to a more convenient key — for example, when using the IdeaPad U400 I changed the pesky Home key to Backspace just in case I miss the real Backspace key.

If you want the key to do nothing, choose Turn Key Off (first choice in the list).

Step 5: Hit OK.

To can re-map multiple keys, start again at Step 1.

Step 6: Once you’ve added all the keys you want to re-map or turn off, click Write To Registry.

Step 7: Reboot or log off for the changes to take effect.

Now those pesky keys you don’t need will no longer trouble you. And the process is reversible. Just go back to SharpKeys again to delete or change key re-maps.

How To Turn Off Or Change Troublesome Keys In Windows is a post by K. T. Bradford from Notebooks.com.

Windows notebooks in particular are seeing good sales. With consumers looking for deals, it’s not surprising that they’ll turn to PCs when Macs start out at $999. Not exactly tight budget friendly.

While I’m sure that low prices had a lot to do with this — we’re still in a financial crisis, after all — I wonder if the surge had to do with consumers facing reality. For the past couple of years the tech world has indulged in a love fest over tablets, going so far as to suggest they’re great for students. Tablets are a good tool for students when used in conjunction with a good computer, not instead of. But for a while students and parents were getting bad advice (or, at least, wrong implications) on that score.

I wonder how many people bought an iPad, used it for a few weeks, and went, “Oh crap, I need a real computer!” and pounced on the end of August sales.

Or maybe it was just the good promos, like NPD said.

What are your thoughts, readers?

Windows Notebook Sales Surge At The End Of August is a post by K. T. Bradford from Notebooks.com.

What is Virtualization?

Virtualization is the ability to run more than one operating system on top of another operating system using virtualization software. Virtualization makes running multiple operating systems convenient and less invasive than older methods, such as setting up partitions and configuring boot options. Virtualization is also a great solution for handling compatibility with older applications.

In this article, we take a look at some of the other virtualization programs out there, and how to install and set them up.

Windows Virtual PC

We took a look at installing and using Windows Virtual PC with Windows XP Mode a couple years ago, so I will not go into too much detail since you can refer to that article for detailed instructions. Windows Virtual PC is provided as a free download to customers running Windows 7. If you are running Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise or ultimate editions, Windows Virtual PC is included along with Windows XP Mode. This is a preconfigured Windows XP Professional SP3 .VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) file you can use to run your older programs that are not designed for Windows 7. If you are running Windows 7 Home Premium, you can download Windows Virtual PC and use it with your own Windows license if you wish.

Let’s take a look at setting up a Virtual Machine in Windows Virtual PC.

First you need to download Windows Virtual PC:

You need to install Windows 6.1-KB958559-x64 or x86 depending on the architecture of Windows 7 you are running, 32 or 64 bit.

Windows Virtual PC can be downloaded from http://www.windows.com/business/downloads.

For more information on system requirements, go to http://www.microsoft.com/virtual-pc.

Once Windows Virtual PC is installed, click Start > All Programs > Windows Virtual PC > Windows Virtual PC. If it is not listed, try the following:

Click Start, type: turn windows features on or off, then hit Enter on your keyboard.

Make sure that Windows Virtual PC is checked. Click OK, restart your computer if prompted.

If all goes well, launch Windows Virtual PC from Start menu > All Programs.

The Windows Virtual PC interface looks like a typical Windows Explorer. I already have a virtual machine setup, but if I would like to add another one I can do so. Let’s take a look at doing that. On the command bar, click the ‘Create virtual machine’ button.

This will start the Create a virtual machine wizard. In the above wizard page, you can enter details about the Virtual Machine such as its name to help identify it if you have more than one Virtual Machine setup. You can also choose a location where you would like to store this virtual machine. In regards to virtual machine, just go with the defaults. Once you have filled in these details, click Next.

Depending on the version and edition of Windows you would like to run, you might need to allocate more memory than the default 512 MBs of RAM. Versions of Windows such as Windows Vista and Windows 7 will need more. This also means the host system will need to have enough memory to run it and the virtual machine at the same time. When it comes to virtual machines, the more memory the better. Since I am using Windows XP for this article, 512 MBs should be more than enough. But if you plan on running many older programs, consider increasing that to at least 1 GB (1024 MBs).

Another option is Networking, if you plan on keeping the virtual machine maintained and updated, you will need to have an Internet connection for Windows Updates, and obtain any available application updates. This is especially important for protection software such as Antivirus utilities in your Virtual Machine. Once you have made the appropriate adjustments, click Next.

The above screen provides several options for adding a virtual hard disk which will be used to store and access the operating system. I recommend you go with the default since it will be less complicated and easier to manage. You can run into limitations if you create a fixed virtual hard disk and later find out you didn’t create it with enough space. If you already have an existing .VHD file, you can add it and use it. In this particular case, we are creating a new one. After selecting the appropriate options, click Create.

Go back to the Virtual Machines window. There you will see the virtual machine we just created listed. Its status at the moment is powered down. To install Windows, insert your Windows disc in the disc drive. Select the virtual machine and click Open on the command bar.

The virtual machine will boot from the Windows disc and setup will begin loading files. It functions just like you normally would expect on a physical machine. Follow the on screen instructions to install your desired version of Windows.

Installing Windows XP in Windows Virtual PC on Windows 7

Using a virtual machine is just like using a physical PC

The above screenshot shows virtualization software, which is a computer within a computer.

After you have setup Windows in Windows Virtual PC you can do some additional tasks, like install the integration components which will make the virtual machine perform better and easily switch between the virtual machine and host operating system.

At the top of the Windows Virtual PC window, click the Tools menu and click Install Integration Components.

Click Continue.

This will start the setup wizard in the virtual operating system. Follow the on screen instructions. If you don’t meet the minimum requirements you will need to resolve those issues first before continuing. As you can see, Windows Virtual PC requires that Windows XP has SP3 installed before it can proceed.

When you are finish using the virtual machine, you can shut it down by clicking the close button. You will be prompted for an action, whether you want to put it to sleep, shut it down or turn off the computer. Choose the desired action and click OK.

How to Use Virtualization Software: Virtual PC is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

There is one caveat though, you need to be running the Ultimate edition of Windows 7 to obtain and install different languages. If you are a volume license customer (large business), you might have access to the business equivalent of Windows 7 Ultimate called Enterprise edition. If don’t have either edition installed, you will need to do a Windows Anytime Upgrade from your current edition of Windows 7 to Windows 7 Ultimate. Click here to learn more about Windows Anytime Upgrade.

Before you can start using a language in Windows 7 Ultimate, you must first download and install it. Microsoft offers up to 35 different multi-lingual user interfaces through its Windows Update service. Lets take a look at how to install and configure one. For the purposes of this review, we are gonna install Spanish.

First, launch Windows Update.

Click Check for updates.

Click the optional updates are available link.

Here you will see a list of available languages for download. Check the desired language you would like to have installed, then click OK.

You will be taken back to the main screen, click Install update.

Wait while the update is downloading.

Installing the Language Pack

After the installation has completed, we will now enable the language pack.

Click Start, then type: language.

Hit Enter on your keyboard.

Click on the Keyboard and Languages tab.

Under Choose a display language, click in the list box and select the language you want to have displayed.

Click Apply and then OK.

You will be prompted to Log off now. Do so then log back in.

That’s it, you are now operating in Windows 7 using a different language.

When you are ready to change back to another language, just reopen the Region and Language dialog and select your default language.

That’s It!

Resources:

How to use Windows Anytime Upgrade
Language Packs in Windows 7
How do I get additional Display Languages

How to Install and Use Languages in Windows 7 Enterprise and Ultimate is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

The Install Font Dialogue Box, circa 1992

Install Font Dialog in Windows Vista, year 2006

Fonts can be installed multiple ways in Windows 7: using a simple drag and drop into the Fonts directory, or double clicking on the Font wherever it is located and clicking Install in the preview window. Apart from these simple improvements, some which already exist in Windows Vista, the Font Control Panel item offers some lovely aesthetic improvements, such as real time previews of your fonts with the ability to quickly delete, show or even hide fonts installed on your computer.

Going back to installing fonts, a Font Settings window features a new way to conserve space on your computer. If you often work with typography, you might end up installing numerous fonts that rarely ever get used. You can now choose to install a shortcut to a font file instead of the file itself. So you can have a collection of your favorite fonts stored on a thumb-drive or external hard disk, and use them when you need to without having to install them to your local disk. Having a lot of fonts can sometimes affect the performance of your PC, so this is a great improvement.

Font Control Panel displaying previews of active and hidden fonts

For added convenience, you can hide fonts that are not designed for your input language settings, so if you don’t use or need Chinese characters in Microsoft Word you can do so. Its very easy to re-enable when you want to.

The Fonts window Details Pane provides quick information about your fonts such as status, style, use, category, designer and edibility.

The Windows Team also added 50 new fonts:

…many of the new fonts are for non-Latin scripts. In fact, Windows 7 will be the first version of Windows to ship with more fonts for non-Latin scripts than for Latin-based scripts. One major area of improvement is for the languages of India. To the nine (9) fonts for Indian languages that shipped in Vista, Windows 7 adds forty (40) more. Windows 7 will now include multiple fonts (often in multiple weights) for each of the official languages of India.

Besides new fonts, we have also improved many of the existing fonts. For example, we have added over two thousand (2,000) glyphs to Consolas, Calibri, Cambria Bold, and Cambria Math. But the most dramatic improvements have been to some of the non-Latin scripts. For example, Windows 7 does a much better job rendering the common Lam-Alef ligature in Arabic (see the illustration below) and in the placement of vowel marks.

Learn more here

Although you might not work with Fonts a lot, when you need to or you are involved with graphic design and typography, Windows 7 adds more convenience to your work flow. Its some of the small improvements like this that make Windows 7 a joy to use.

Resources

Engineering Windows 7 for a Global Market

Engineering Changes to ClearType in Windows 7

How to: Working With Fonts in Windows 7 is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

The Windows Memory Dump Screen

The appropriate name for this screen is ‘Memory Dump.’ It is rare on Windows these days, but it does happen occasionally. The common trigger for it is when an application or driver try to access a location in memory they do not have permission to access. This usually happens due to a poorly written device driver or application.

Common culprits:

• Video Card
• Network Adapter
• Faulty Memory Modules
• Faulty/Failing Hard disk
• Antivirus utility
• Attached devices (external USB hard disk)
• Antivirus or any application or utility that needs low level access in the operating system such as the kernel (the heart of Windows).

Diagnosing the problem.

Restart: By default, Windows 7 should automatically restart when a BSOD occurs. If it restarts and boots up normally then, you can check the Event Viewer and Action Center (see below) to see what might have caused the problem.

The Memory Dump screen will usually provide solutions you can attempt to resolve the problem with, while also providing information about what might have caused the problem. In the screen shot near the start of the article, you will see suggestions for what might be causing the problem and a recommendation to update the driver or disable it. The Memory Dump provided some technical information as to what system file is associated with this problem. In my case, its luafv.sys. Of course this is cryptic, but you might be able to resolve it, although you might not get far since it would make more sense to a software engineer. The first thing I will do is a web search to find out what luafv.sys is.

Here is what the web search results found:

luafv.sys (LUA File Virtualization Filter Driver) file, which is part of User Account Control.

Resolution:
Search your computer for luafv.sys, and make sure, it’s located in C:\Windows\System32\drivers folder.
You need to enable view of hidden, AND system files before you start search. If you have User Account Control turned on, try to turn it off, and see, if it helps with crashes.

Of course, not all Memory Dump issues are that easily resolvable. Others might be hardware related. Here are some things you can try:

If you continually experience a Blue Screen, it could be hardware added to the system recently, such as a USB printer. Remove it to see if the error reoccurs. The SCSI card in your System Unit many not have a compatible driver. If you have recently upgraded your graphics card, try reinstalling the old card and see if it resolves the problem. If the computer repeatedly displays the Blue Screen and you have tried everything, such as removing any external hardware devices with exception to the keyboard, mouse and monitor – try removing PCI cards. You should run hardware diagnostics supplied by the system manufacturer. For details on these procedures, see the owner’s manual for your computer.

Update BIOS:

Your computer just might need a special kind of update to work reliably with Windows 7. BIOS updates, although recommended as a last resort, can improve compatibility with installed or upgraded devices such as a video card or externally attached peripherals. BIOS updates are normally available from the manufacturer’s website. If you built your system yourself, the first place to check is the motherboard manufacturer’s website and search for the model number.

The Windows Event Viewer can help find what might have caused the problem, if you are able to successfully boot to the Windows desktop. Click Start, type: event viewer, then hit Enter on your keyboard. Expand Windows Logs and look through the log for the most recent error, this will compose information in the General pane indicating what might have caused the error.

Use the Windows Action Center:

Using the Windows Action Center can also provide information about an application or hardware device that might be causing system instability along with a solution.

To resolve a faulty system service problem as indicated by the action center: Disable the service and confirm that this resolves the error. If so, contact the manufacturer of the system service about a possible update.

If the error occurs during system startup, restart your computer and press F8 when you see a character-mode menu that displays the operating system choices. At the resulting Windows Advanced Options menu, choose the Last Known Good Configuration option. This option is most effective when only one driver or service is added at a time.

Resolving an antivirus software problem:

Disable the antivirus program, restart, and confirm that this resolves the error. If it does, contact the manufacturer of the program about a possible update.

Check your hard disk for errors:

Run Chkdsk /f /r to detect and repair disk errors. You must restart the system before the disk scan begins on a system partition. If the hard disk is SCSI, check for problems between the SCSI controller and the disk. You can learn more about how to run Check Disk here.

Faulty Memory

If you have recently upgraded the memory modules it’s a possibility that either the memory modules faulty or loose and need to be fitted properly. It’s useful, then, to check your memory modules for errors.

To access the System Recovery Environment in Windows 7, simply boot your PC, and just before the system loads the Windows operating system; hit the F8 key on your keyboard. This will launch the Advanced Boot Options menu. There you will see a new option for Repair Your Computer. Select this option and hit Enter on your keyboard.

On the system recovery screen, click Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool. Your computer will be restarted and the test will be run. If you are unable to boot into Advanced Boot Options, try booting from the Windows 7 installation DVD.

If an issue is discovered, it is possible that one of the memory modules is faulty. If you have recently installed new memory modules, check to make sure they are matching pairs and they are running at the same speed. One of the memory modules could be defective, so try booting with a single module at a time to see which one it could be.

Software:

If you have recently installed any programs since you started experiencing Blue Screens, try uninstalling the programs to see if it resolves the problem. If you are unable to boot into Normal Mode, try booting in Safe Mode, then remove the program.

Another thing to do in Safe Mode is disable Start Up items to see if any of them make a difference.

Reinstall Windows 7:

This is a tough one and the last recommendation when you have exhausted all other options. To avoid deleting your data, try doing a custom install over the current installation, that way, you can recover your data from the Windows.old folder. To do that:

• Boot from the Windows 7 DVD
• Click Install Now
• Accept the License Agreement
• When the option is displayed to select an installation type, click (Custom Advanced)
• Select the disk partition where you would like to install Windows 7 and click Next.

You will receive the following warning:

The partition you selected might contain files from a previous Windows Installation. If it does, these files and folders will be moved to a folder named Windows.old. You will be able to access the information in Windows.old, but you will be able to use your previous version of Windows.

At this point do NOT click anything named Format or Delete or Partition. This way even doing a custom install, your personal files are still preserved. Click OK.

Setup will now start the installation. During the installation, your machine will be restarted several times.

When the installation is complete, you will complete the Out of Box experience of having a new system, such as selecting your machine name, creating a username, password, and setting up your time zone. You can then proceed to download the latest updates for Windows and reinstall your applications and drivers.

You can then recover your personal files from the Windows.old folder and reinstall all your applications and drivers as detailed here.

If you continue to experience Blue Screens, this could be a serious sign of hardware failure, such as your hard disk or motherboard going bad. Take your computer to a reputable PC Repair Shop for further analysis and diagnosis. Write a note detailing all the steps you have already taken and make sure you have copies of your recovery software for the PC Repair Technician along with any documentation that came with your computer.

The Technician might also need access to your user account to make changes. I suggest you setup an account with Administrator privileges so they can effectively carry out their task.

How To Diagnose and Resolve Blue Screens of Death (BSODs) is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

There seems to be some problems with the Microsoft Activation Center at this time.

If you happen to be experiencing this problem yourself, call the Microsoft Genuine Advantage Department at 1-866-530-6364, they will verify that your license has been blocked and issue you a new one.

You might have to call on Tuesday since Microsoft support may be closed for Labor Day.

If you continue to experience any problems and your license was purchased at the Microsoft Online Store, contact the Microsoft store, they should be aware of this problem and will be able to assist you.

Microsoft Windows 7 Activation Assistance

• US Customer Service - 1-877-696-7786
• Canada Customer Service
• Additional phone numbers for Microsoft Activation Centers Worldwide
• Direct Activation number: 1-888-725-1047
• Microsoft Support Contact Information
• General Microsoft Customer Support - 1-800-642-7676 (1-800-MICROSOFT)

These Microsoft support centers should be able to help you activate your copy of Windows 7 over the phone fairly quickly, but you may need to wait longer to speak to a representative thanks to a higher than normal call volume.

How To Get Support for Windows 7 Activation Issues is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

Anyway, lets take a look at how to setup Windows to log in automatically:

Click Start, then type: remove netplwiz into the box.

Hit Enter on your keyboard.

On the User Accounts window, select your account name then uncheck the box Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer. Then click Apply.

Enter your password and confirm it then click OK.

Click OK.

You will now be able to log into your computer automatically.

How To Automatically Log Into Windows 7 is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

The first thing I recommend you do is check your Windows Update History to see when last you updated Windows. To do that, open Windows Update and click View Update History.

The View Updates History window indicates that the last updates were installed August 3rd 2011 on this machine. Which is not too long ago, but this was before the latest patch. Of course, your setup might be different, so you might need updates dating back farther. To do that, click the following link:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/913086

Here you will see a list of links to updates for each month dating back to January 2006 provided as .ISO images. .ISO files are a sort of replica of a CD or DVD: basically a virtual image of it. You have the option of mounting it in Windows, or burning it to a blank DVD that you can then use to install the update.

If you have not updated since say March 2011, I would recommend you download the updates from that period going forward. There is a small disadvantage to using this method, and it’s the fact that these .ISO images contain updates for not just Windows 7, but different versions and editions of Windows operating systems such as Windows 7, XP, Vista, Windows 2000, Home Premium, Enterprise, Ultimate 32 and 64 bit versions. Thankfully the installation will automatically install the appropriate updates for your version and edition of Windows.

Once you have identified the Windows Updates you need, click Download.

Recommendations

If you are able to have your machine updated on a fast connection, do so to reduce the need to download a lot of these .ISO’s, so going forward you can simply download the latest Windows Update .ISO file.

How to manually download and install Windows Updates is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.