Not everyone gets to know the exact date they’re going to die and most people don’t want to know. But millions of computers worldwide are staring a kind of death right in the face. In just over two years Microsoft will stop supporting Windows XP. On April 8, 2014, to be exact.

That doesn’t mean that every XP computer will shut down, give up the ghost, and crawl into the grave. It does mean that there will be no more updates, bug fixes, security patches, or anything of that sort. XP computers will be on their own.

Of course, Microsoft only promises 5 years of support for consumer versions of the OS and 5 extra years for businesses. As Ed Bott lays out here, that’s how things have worked for a long time. Which would normally mean that Windows Vista would reach the end of its mainstream support line in April of this year.

Wow… has it really been just five years since Microsoft unleashed the horror that is Vista upon an unsuspecting world? How time does fly.

At any rate, Microsoft is bending their own rules and extending the end of life for XP, Vista and Windows 7 a little bit longer than normal. XP is over 10 years old at this point, but there are still business and mainstream users clinging to it after seeing everyone else get burned by Vista, which then engendered a distrust of Windows 7. Maybe that’s why the company quietly went ahead with the extension. They have a lot of bridges to mend.

Vista support ends in 2017 and Windows 7 support ends in 2020. By then maybe everyone will be brave enough to start thinking about giving Windows 8 a try.

Windows XP Will Reach Its End Of Life In April of 2014, Vista In 2017 is a post by K. T. Bradford from Notebooks.com.

Do you often find yourself accidentally hitting the wrong keys on your laptop because of poor design or just messy typing?

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.

Over the past few years computers have gotten extremely powerful, which has made things once possible only on large server computers common on desktops and laptops. Virtualization is one such utility which is now available and affordable on most systems.

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.

Apple is expected to debut its next major release of Mac OS X, the Company’s flagship operating system for its Macintosh computer. Apple describes this release as advancing the world’s most advanced operating system. When I look at some of the highly touted features, its hard not to point out that these features have been in Windows for a long time. Lets take a look at these new features and some of the hard to accept changes Mac users will have to face.

vs

1. Full Screen Applications on Lion vs. Full Screen Applications on Windows 7

Apple marketed this like the greatest invention since the graphical user interface. Some Mac users have complained about the inability to fully maximize their applications. Windows users have been able to do this for a long time, here is a look at it in action;

Here you can see I have a PowerPoint presentation set to full screen. If want to auto-hide the Windows 7 Taskbar, you do that too. Here is how you do it.

Taskbar

Click Start, type: taskbar

Control Panel

Hit Enter on your keyboard

Taskbar properties

Under Taskbar (tab) > Taskbar appearance, check the box ‘Auto-hide the taskbar. Click Apply and OK

Full Screen Application on Windows 7

2. Purchasing Mac OS X digitally vs. purchasing Windows 7

I believe this is more of a disadvantage for Mac OS X Lion, since this is the only way to purchase the new version of Mac OS X. Microsoft has been offering Windows 7 as a digital download from the Microsoft Store since its debut in 2009. You can also purchase Windows 7 at almost any electronics store.

One of the immediate disadvantages is for people who don’t have a fast enough Internet connection to purchase Mac OS X as a digital download. Microsoft realizes this and provides Windows 7 both as a digital download or a box license you can purchase in a store. In addition to that you can order a reinstallation disk if you need one from the Microsoft Store or download and burn your own.

Apple doesn’t provide the option to burn an OS X Lion disk. Power users will likely find a workaround, but basic users will be left out.

3. Reinstalling Mac OS X Lion vs. Reinstalling Windows 7

Another problem with Mac OS X Lion when it comes to reinstallation is, in order to reinstall you must first connect to the Internet and validate your Mac’s serial so Apple can determine if it’s approved.

Windows 7 provides product activation too, but it’s not strict like Mac OS X Lion. In fact, you can do a clean install or in place upgrade with the Windows 7 Upgrade disk if you wish, you are given 30 days activate or you can activate by telephone. In fact, if your 30 days are up, you can extend your activation grace period for up to 120 days. So if you are in some remote location where there is no Internet Access or telephone, you can use Windows 7 for a long period of time with ample time to get your installation reactivated.

Recently a Mac user emailed Steve Jobs asking about the options for doing a clean install with Mac OS X Lion:

On Jun 20, 2011, at 9:57 PM, xxxx wrote:

Steve,

I’m really exited about Lion, but I’m a bit anxious about the absence of any physical media in the event of a crash where I need to do a clean install. Will Lion still provide a way to make a bootable image in the event that I need to start from scratch?
And Steve’s typically short response:

From: Steve Jobs
Subject: Re: Lion clean install
Date: June 21, 2011 7:55:05 AM PDT
To: xxxx

You can clean install Snow Leopaard [sic] first.

Sent from my iPhone

You have to authorize your Mac first before you can reinstall Lion on “your” Mac. With Windows, the only thing you have authorize is “Windows”.

Microsoft license agreement does recommend that you have a qualifying operating system installed (Windows XP or Vista) in order the use the Windows 7 Upgrade disk, but based on my experience it is not required. You can do a clean install using the upgrade disc and reactivate by telephone. Also, you have the option of backing up a working image of your Windows 7 installation that’s already activated and restore it without the need to reactivate. Mac OS X requires that you connect to the Internet to reactivate your Mac OS X installation use it.

Speaking of qualifying operating systems, users running older versions of Mac OS X such as Leopard or Tiger will have to upgrade to Snow Leopard to qualify to use Mac OS X Lion. In fact, Snow Leopard is the only way you can download Mac OS X Lion since the App Store it is only available on that version of OS X. So that’s two upgrades required, which works out to more than the $29 Apple advertises for Lion. Windows 7 on the other hand requires either Windows XP or Vista as a qualifying operating system and you can do in place upgrades from Windows Vista.

4. Internet and Restore Utilities vs. Windows 7 System Recovery Environment

System Recovery option in Mac OS X Lion (image: Cult of Mac)

Apple describes its new Restore Partition as something new and unique to Mac OS X Lion, but these are features many Windows PC OEM’s such as DELL, HP, Acer, Lenovo and many others have been offering for years, Apple just caught up in July of 2011. Windows has carried a recovery environment since the release of Vista, with the release of Windows 7, Microsoft made the system recovery environment installed on the hard disk boot drive. So you don’t need to have your Windows installation disk to access it. Just start your computer, press F8, select ‘Repair Computer’ and Hit Enter on your keyboard.

The Apple Restore utilities will let you restore your Mac from a Time Machine backup, reinstall Mac OS X, run Disk Utility or use Safari.

System Recovery Options in Windows 7, available since Vista

Well, you can do most of these features in Windows 7 today, the System Recovery Environment in Windows 7 lets you fix start-up problems, restore a system image and do advanced task such as partition hard disk and other diagnostics tasks. Another great thing, if your hard disk dies or gets corrupted, you always have your Windows 7 reinstallation disk and you can even create your own System Repair disk if you need to repair your Windows 7 installation.

5. AirDrop vs. Windows 7 HomeGroups

AirDrop is Apples simple new solution for sharing files using your local area network. Windows 7 innovated on this front with its New HomeGroups feature which lets you easily network multiple Windows 7 PC’s and share files and even stream media such as music and videos and movies to other PC’s in the home. To even prove how amazing Windows 7 media streaming capabilities are, you can stream music and videos from your Home PC to your Work PC over the Internet. You can enhance this with free tools such as Windows Live Mesh and Windows Live Sync so you can remotely access your files on other computers and keep your files across multiple devices synced.

6. No more Rosetta vs. Compatibility Troubleshooter, Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode

Application compatibility will be an interesting case with Lion; there have been numerous complaints amongst Mac users about how they will run their legacy applications that depend on PowerPC code. With the removal of the real time code translation technology Rosetta, many Apple users will not be able to run some of their favorites old apps. Examples include older versions of Office for Mac 2004, X and programs like Quicken 2007.

Work arounds have been suggested, such as dual booting Snow Leopard and Lion, which will be a chore for many or consider investing in a copy of Windows 7 and virtualization program such as Parallels or VMWare Fusion. One of the hallmarks of Windows has always been compatibility; Microsoft definitely ensures that many legacy programs or older applications can work with the latest version in the most convenient way possible. Some common options include Compatibility Troubleshooter, which allows you to run a program designed for an older version of Windows such as Windows XP or Vista.

Another option if you are running Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate is the free Windows Virtual PC with Windows XP Mode software. Windows XP Mode will let you seamlessly run older applications side by side with modern Windows 7 applications. You can pin them to your Taskbar and switch between them like you were running them natively.

7. Hardware Requirements

Windows 7 ultimately takes the cake here. I have Windows 7 running on my 7 year old Dell Dimension 8300 flawlessly. This computer is powered by an Intel Pentium 3.2 GHz Northwood 32 bit processor. The only computers Apple sold back in 2004 were PowerPC Macs, so obviously they could never run Mac OS X Lion or even Snow Leopard.

Mac OS X Lion calls for a Core 2 Duo, Xeon or Core 2 Quad capable Mac. That means, Intel Macintosh computers that came out in early 2006 won’t be able to run the latest version of Mac OS X because they are 32 bit only, all Core Duo Macs are left behind. Windows 7 on the other hand runs on a variety of processor models, whether its Core Duo, Intel Pentium, Xeon, Core 2 Quad, Centrino and the next version of Windows will run on ARM processors from a variety of manufacturers. Unlike Mac OS X, Windows does not rule out still capable hardware and does not require a lot to run it. The minimum memory requirement for Lion is 2 GB of RAM, while Windows 7 requires a minimum 1 GB of RAM.

Conclusion

The intention of this article is not to put Apple in a bad light, but the execution of this release seems more troublesome than welcome. Upgrading to Lion seems more like a hassle than a necessity, the system requirements, the requirements to download and install it, the requirements to reinstall it if necessary make Windows 7 a better operating system almost two years after its release to market. When you compare the key feature set, Lion is just catching up with some of the features Windows had for years.

Windows 7 versus Mac OS Lion: 7 Reasons Windows 7 is Better is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

A number of people have told me they are interested in giving Windows XP the boot, but at the same time, they are afraid of letting go of some of Windows XP’s familiarity. This is understandable, you have been using the same operating system for almost 10 years now and to jump into a modern version of the same operating system, is like fast forwarding 10 years into the future.

Thankfully, Windows 7 is a very customizable and convenient operating system to use and you can make it work the way you like. Of course, you are not going to be able to have it look exactly like Windows XP, or work exactly like it either, so you will have to still familiarize yourself with some of the great improvements the new version of Windows has to offer. I suggest you check out our Notebooks.com article for Windows XP users moving to Windows 7.

How to Make Windows 7 Look Like Windows XP

Taskbar – the Windows Taskbar has been greatly improved in Windows 7, featuring powerful features such as Jump List, Thumbnail previews of open applications, Aero Peek for previewing the desktop and the ability to move around shortcuts or open applications on the Taskbar. Some people prefer the Classic Taskbar which was first introduced in Windows 95, if you would like that appearance, here is how you do it.

Right click an empty spot on the Taskbar and click Properties

Under the Taskbar tab, check Use small icons under Taskbar appearance, click in the Taskbar buttons: list box and select ‘Never combine. To confirm the changes, click Apply and OK.

If you also want to disable the Taskbar Aero Peek Thumbnail Previews (these are the small windows that are composed when you hover the mouse pointer over an open application icon on the Taskbar), you can do it a couple ways.

Before doing this, please make sure you backup your Windows Registry, since this option will work best for users running Windows 7 Home Premium edition:

• Click Start, type regedit then right click it and click Run as administrator
• Navigate to the following location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Advanced
  
• Create a new DWORD (32-bit) value named ExtendedUIHoverTime
• Double-click ExtendedUIHoverTime and click Decimal
• To increase the hover delay to 5 seconds, type 5000. Type 10000 for 10 seconds…
• Restart the computer to confirm changes.

OR if you are running Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate editions, you can use the Group Policy Editor to change this behavior.

• Click Start, type: gpedit.msc
• Hit Enter on your keyboard
• Under User Configuration
• Expand Administrative Templates
• Select Start Menu And Taskbar
  
• Select Turn off tasbar thumbnails
• Right click it and click Edit
• Select the Enabled radio button click Apply and OK

Start menu – the Windows 7 Start menu have so many key benefits, I honestly don’t know why you would want to change this. For example, the convenient Power Options button, powerful search capabilities, and a more clean and elegant design that gets out of your way, no cascading menus filling up your screen and running wild. If you still want to maintain that ‘familiar’ look here is how you do it.

Please note, this will not work exactly like the Classic Start menu of old and requires a bit of configuration.

* Right click on the taskbar then click Toolbars then click New toolbar…

* Browse to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu then click Select Folder

* You will now see a Programs menu on the Taskbar, right click the taskbar and click unlock taskbar

* A separator will now appear on the Taskbar, right click the separator and uncheck both “Show text” and “Show title”

* Hold down on the separator and drag it the extreme left until it appears at the extreme of left the Taskbar shortcuts, see above (it will look a bit messy initially).

* Resize the taskbar shortcuts by dragging them to the extreme left, continue dragging the separator to the left until only one icon remains

* It should look like the following

* Right click the Taskbar and click Lock the taskbar to keep it in its current position.

You can add folders such as Accessories, by browsing to C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

Here are some third party alternative Classic Start menu options you can also try:

• Vista Classic Start Menu –  Vista Start Menu – Convenient alternative to Start menu
• MenuApp – another “classic start menu” solution

Enable Drop down menu bar in Windows Explorer

If you like using the Drop Down menu bar instead of the Command bar in Windows Explorer, you can enable it by doing the following:

What about the Blue Luna, Olive and Luna themes?

This one should be very easy. Windows XP came preloaded with three themes Blue, Olive and Silver. You can achieve a similar experience using Windows 7’s built in Personalize Explorer. Right click the Desktop and click Personalize then click Color.

Select one of the desired colors familiar to Windows XP users and click Save changes.

The only thing you have to do is add the Bliss Windows XP wallpaper and you should feel a bit more at home. You can do a quick web search using your favorite search engine. Just type ‘Windows XP Bliss Wallpaper’

Its not exactly Windows XP, but there are familiar element’s you can still enjoy even while running Windows 7.

How To Make Windows 7 Look and Act Like Windows XP is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

Previously we have looked at how to dual boot Windows 7 and Windows XP with Windows 7 installed first, now we are going to look at a more straightforward method of installing Windows 7 with Windows XP installed first.

The aim of a dual boot system is to provide a smooth transition to Windows 7 by maintaining compatibility with legacy applications, games and hardware devices; while still taking advantage of the latest that Windows 7 has to offer. To complete this task, you will need to have a full version Windows 7 license because the upgrade version requires that there be a qualifying version of Windows already installed on a drive to qualify for the upgrade. Because we will be installing Windows 7 on a blank partition, we need the full version.

First we need to create the partition. This is a bit more difficult in Windows XP, but not impossible. Windows XP has a built in utility called Diskpart, but it requires the command line and it seems to be a hit and miss when comes to creating partitions. I decided to go for something much quicker and simpler. Gparted-Live is an open source partitioning tool that makes it easy to create partitions. So, the first thing I recommend you do is download it.

Next, you will need to burn the image to a blank disc. After you have burnt the .ISO image file, make sure the disc is inserted and your computer is set to boot from the disc drive.

When you boot from the GPart disc, it will automatically boot into the GPart Partition Editor setup. By default GPart Live (Default settings) should be selected, hit Enter on your keyboard

Setup will run through a series of commands, don’t be alarmed, this information will go by really quick.

Go with the default Don’t touch keymap then hit Enter on your keyboard

Choose a number to select your default language, 33 which is for US English was automatically entered. Press Enter on your keyboard to continue

Press Enter

Once you have reached the graphical interface, we are ready to setup a partition to install Windows 7 on. As you can see in the above screenshot, displayed is the system partition along with yellow highlight indicating the amount space used which 3.01 GBs (Windows XP). We need to set aside some space for Windows 7.

To resize the drive, click the Resize/Move button on the toolbar. This will display partition editor dialog. Since I am using a 20 GB drive for this article, I will need to make sure I set aside enough space for Windows 7 while at the same time leaving enough space behind for Windows XP. In the Free space preceding field, I will enter 14 which is 14 GB, the press tab. This should automatically calculate the amount space that will remain after for the boot drive (Windows XP). In above screenshot, you will see the drive space after is 5.7 GBs. Click Resize/Move

You will now see the resized space listed as unallocated. Next step is to apply the changes. Click Apply on the toolbar

Click Apply

Wait while the wizard applies changes to the partition, in the above screenshot, a simulation (or trial run is being run)

Making changes to the partition.

Click Close when complete

Our partition is almost ready for Windows 7

Click the GPart menu, click Quit

Select Reboot click OK

Remove the disc and press Enter to reboot your computer.

Once you have rebooted into Window XP, the new partition will be detected, click Yes apply changes.

After restarting, open Disk Management. (Start > right click Computer > click Manage > expand Storage > click Disk Management) You will now see the partition we created listed as Unallocated.

Right click the Unallocated space and click New Partition

This will start the New Partition wizard, click Next

Select Primary partition then click Next

Go with the default, click Next

Go with the default options, click Next

Select Format this partition with following settings: enter an optional name for the volume, I chose WIN7, click Next

Click Finish

Our partition is now ready

Insert your Windows 7 DVD, then click Install now

Wait while setup copies files to assist with installation

When the setup menu is displayed, click Custom (advanced)

Select the partition we created for Windows 7 earlier click Next

Follow the on screen instructions for installing Windows 7

When setup is complete, you will now be offered an option on the Windows Boot Manager. To boot into Windows XP, select the Earlier Version of Windows menu and hit Enter on your keyboard.

How to dual boot Windows 7 and Windows XP – Part 2 is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

If you are planning to do a reinstall of Windows 7 , then this article might be of interest to you. If you didn’t know, Microsoft sells Windows 7 in both a Full Package Product version and an Upgrade version. What are the differences? Simply put, the upgrade version is cheaper and you need to have a previous version of Windows to use it.

Upgrade version: Requires that you have a previously installed, qualifying and activated version of Windows such as Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7. Not easily transferable to another computer because of certain licensing restrictions regarding having a qualifying license installed.

For instance, say you have a computer that came preloaded with Windows Vista Home Premium (OEM license), if you upgrade that computer using the Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade DVD, it is tied to that machine because it used the base license as a qualifying product. The only way you could transfer the upgrade license to another machine, you will first need to reinstall the original license. This version can be used to do a clean installs as well as the obvious in place upgrade.

Full version: With the full version, you don’t need to have a qualifying license installed. You can transfer it to another computer easily just as long as you reinstall the original license that came with the computer. Also, full versions of Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate are used as qualifying products for volume license versions of Windows. You can do both clean installs and in place upgrades with the full version DVD. Basically, it carries less restrictions than the upgrade versions.

Reinstalling with a Windows 7 Upgrade DVD:

If you initially bought a Windows 7 Upgrade, upgraded your computer and decided later you want to reinstall Windows 7 you might be wondering what you need to do if you want to reinstall Windows 7 without installing your old version of Windows 7 first.

Microsoft made some changes to how validation works, part of this is to reduce casual copying and piracy. Previous versions of Windows such as Windows XP Upgrade simply requested that you insert a qualifying disc during the installation. Now anybody could simply borrow a disc, whether it was Windows 98,  ME or 2000 which there are no shortage of, to use as a qualifying product. Of course, this is in the best interest of Microsoft’s financial bottom line at your expense. This inconvenience can be minimized with a smart little trick when using the Upgrade DVD. First lets look at what happens when we do a clean install with the upgrade DVD:

This is the message you will receive when you attempt to enter a product key for a Upgrade version of Windows 7. The simple workaround is to skip entering your product key for the time being and click Next. Complete task such as setting up your account name, password, time zone etcetera.

Once you arrive at the Windows 7 desktop, click Start, right click Computer then click Properties.

Scroll down to Windows Activation, then click the link that says xx days to activate. Activate Windows now

Enter your product key, then click Next

Click Show me other ways to activate

Click Use the automated phone system

Click Next again

Select your country

Call the number displayed on your screen to get a confirmation ID. Please hold on to speak with a live person, skip using the automated system. Explain your situation with the agent and they will provide you with a confirmation ID to enter into the blank fields. Click Next and Windows 7 should be activated. A minute or two longer than using the internet, but faster than doing two installations.

Isn’t this illegal?

Well, it depends. This option is recommended if your system previously came with a qualifying license installed. This can be determined by the Certificate of Authenticity sticker on the machine chassis. See below.

As long as the sticker is there on the machine with a Windows XP or Vista COA’s , the machine was genuinely licensed and you’re OK to use this upgrade path.

Technorati Tags: How to Reinstall Windows 7 with an Upgrade DVD Without Installing your Old OS

How to Reinstall Windows 7 with an Upgrade DVD, Without Installing your Old OS is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

For users who opened up Paint in Windows 7 and couldn’t figure out how to adjust the size of brushes, erasers and more, fear not. Microsoft hasn’t removed this feature, it has just moved it around.

Here’s how to adjust the eraser size, crop, cut and paste in Paint on Windows 7.

Adjust Eraser Size:

Click the Eraser under the Tools group located in the Home tab.

Click In the size Pop out menu, Select the size of the eraser you want 4x, 6x, 8x, 10x .

After selecting the size, hover over the image and you will see the size of the eraser.

Cut, Copy and Paste is located under the Home Menu in the Clipboard group.

How to Crop an object

Next to the Clipboard group is the Image group, there you will find tools to Crop or resize your image.

Make sure you have an open image or graphic.

Click the select box, you can also click the pop out Select menu to choose a free form option.

Make your selection then click Crop.

How to Adjust Eraser Size, Crop, Cut and Paste in Paint on Windows 7 is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

As we go further into 2011, the user base for Windows 7 will increase, at the same time, there will be users who still want, or need, to use legacy applications that will not work with the new operating system. Of course, there are solutions available for Windows 7 such as Windows Virtual PC with Windows XP Mode, but because of certain performance issues, like memory and the lack of accelerated graphics, it’s not such a viable solution.

So what is a former Windows XP user to do to get those applications or games you still want to use and play working? Compatibility mode might be an answer (and it might not be an answer). If your intention is to use an old hardware device or game that will never work or be updated to support Windows 7, then the next best option is to dual boot Windows XP with Windows 7. This guide will show you how to dual boot Windows XP and WIndows 7.

Nothing is wrong with that and its part of the concession of running the latest in technology. Some might ask, why upgrade then? This is really about getting the latest advances in computing, while still being able to use what you want, it’s a tough compromise sometimes and there will be some chores. For instance, if you set up a dual boot with Windows XP just for games, then you decide you want check some email or do some Office productivity you will have to restart your computer and boot into Windows 7 to do that.

What is dual booting?

Dual boot is a method of configuring your computer to run more than one operating system. In fact, you can setup your computer to run multiple copies of the same operating system, different versions of the OS or even different types of operating system as long as your computers processor supports it. Doing so takes planning though and you need to evaluate, what your needs are. If your intention is to run an old legacy application such as Microsoft Word 2000 or Photoshop 4.0, then Windows XP Mode would probably be best. If it’s a game, a custom written application or a legacy hardware device, then dual booting might be a better option since it will be running on real hardware and will be running on an operating system its specifically designed for.

What you should know be fore dual booting?

Because a lot of modern laptops and desktops are phasing out support for Windows XP, you need to first check the manufacturer’s website where you purchased your computer to find out if the machine still supports Windows XP. This means, things like drivers for each component in the system are supported, whether it’s the chipset, SATA drivers, the track pad, the card reader, bluetooth, video card etc. Make sure they are all supported before attempting to setup a dual boot configuration since you might likely need these components working in Windows XP to do what you need with it or even to complete a successful installation

Setting up a partition

You will need to install Windows XP somewhere. For this, you need to set aside some storage for Windows XP. You need to also make sure its ample space for your needs. Games tend to use a lot of space and while you are in Windows XP, you probably will want to run a few applications while you are in it. So making sure you configure the system to support your needs is very important. So, the first thing we are going to do is setup the partition to run Windows 7. Windows XP needs a minimum 1.5 GBs of disk space, but to be realistic, 30 to 40 GBs would be recommended. This is my personal recommendation, look at your setup, your application usage patterns and determine what’s best for you.

Licensing

Of course, you will need to have a valid license for Windows XP, this means, you will need to have a full version Windows XP Home, Professional or Media Center 2005 disc to do the installation. If you don’t, then you will need to buy one or purchase an OEM System Builder license from a reputable source.

How to Create the partition

What is a partition by the way?

A partition, sometimes also called a volume, is an area on a hard disk that can be formatted with a file system and identified with a letter of the alphabet. For example, drive C on most Windows computers is a partition.

Click Start, then right click Computer then click Manage

This will load the Computer Management Microsoft Management Console. In the left pane, expand Storage then click Disk Management. In Disk Management we will see all our installed and connected storage devices, whether it’s the local system partition, recovery partition, external hard disk, thumb drive, they will all show up here. The important one we will be dealing with is the system partition, often called the C: drive or where Windows is installed.

Select the C: drive, we will be reducing the size of it to make enough disk space to install Windows XP. Right click the C: drive then click Shrink Volume.

Please wait while it initializes

On the Shrink window, you will see various fields and options available. The important one is Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB. Here you will enter the amount of space you would like to allocate to Windows XP. In my case, I am using a small drive, so I will give it about 5.8 GBs of disk space just for the purposes of this article. You can choose more depending on the amount of space you have. This will also indicate how much space is left for Windows 7, as you can see, I will have 14.5 GBs remaining. Once you have confirmed everything, click Shrink to create the partition.

You will now notice the new drive appears, but it’s still not ready, since it’s in a state called unallocated. We will need to prepare it to be ready for use, this means formatting it with a file system supported by Windows XP which is NTFS.

To do this, right click on the Unallocated disk space and click New Simple Volume.

This will start the New Simple Volume Wizard, click Next to continue

We have confirmed the amount of space we will be using, you have the option of further reducing the size if you believe it’s too much. Click Next

We will assign a driver, a default should already be selected, Click Next

By default, the option to Format should already be pre-selected, the default file system is NTFS. For identification purposes, we will give the partition a name, in this case WINXP, Click Next

A summary of the changes made, click Finish to confirm and apply

You will now see the partition appear in Disk Management along with its file system and partition size.

The drive should also show up in Computer explorer.

This means we are now ready to install Windows XP. But before we do so, let’s do a few things to be on the safe side.

• Create a backup, learn more here
• Create a recovery disk
• Download EasyBCD by NeoSmart Technologies – a very important utility, store it on a thumbdrive

Insert your Windows XP CD, then restart your computer.

When prompted to boot from the CD, do so. This requires pressing any key on your keyboard.

Windows XP will go through its setup process.

Once you arrive at the Welcome Setup, press Enter on your keyboard to begin the setup process

Press F8 on your keyboard to accept the license agreement

You will see a list of partitions, select the partition we created earlier in Windows 7. Choose the one we just created.

Select Format the partition using the NTFS file system

Press F on your keyboard to begin the formatting.

Installation files will now be copied to your hard disk

Your system will be restarted, Windows XP setup will continue

Warning: Do NOT press any key, this will only start the setup process all over again.

We have now reached the graphical portion of setup, let Windows XP do its thing, when prompted to select a language, account name and other usual task required of the Out of Box Experience, do so.

We are now back in Windows XP. So you will be able to run those game, applications, devices that you need from time to time.

Before we do that though, we need to get our Windows 7 installation back in working order. To do that, insert your Windows 7 DVD. Restart your computer.

Press any key to boot from the DVD

Windows 7 is loading files

Select a language, a time, a currency, and a keyboard or another input method, and then click Next.

Click the link that says Repair your computer

Wait while Windows 7 diagnostics tools are loaded

Click the operating system system that you want to repair, and then click Next

In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Command Prompt

Type BOOTREC /FIXMBR and then press Enter

Next, type BOOTREC /FIXBOOT and then press Enter

Type x:bootBootsect.exe /NT60 ALL then press Enter

x: represents the name of your Optical Drive where the Windows 7 installation media is located. In my case, E: is the name of my DVD drive.

The output from the command which indicates the Boot Manager has been fixed.

Close the command prompt

Click Restart

We are now able to boot into Windows 7 once again, but we have once again lost Windows XP. To fix that remember that tool named EasyBCD by NeoSmart Technologies I told you to download? Now is a good time to have it.

EasyBCD provides a graphical front end to the BCDEdit Command line that makes it easy for you to define start-up settings and edit boot entries on the Windows 7 Boot Manager. You can download it at from Neosmart.

Go ahead and install EasyBCD

Launch EasyBCD when Setup is complete and go to Add/Remove Entries area of the program

Click in the Type: list box and select the type of boot manager you want to add, in this case, select the Windows NT/2K/XP/2K3 option.

Give it a name, then click Add Entry then click Save under Manage Existing Entries

When you restart or start your computer, you will now see a boot entry for Windows XP, use the navigation arrows on your keyboard to select it and press Enter on your keyboard. You can now boot into Windows XP or Windows 7 anytime you want.

Back in business.

How to dual boot Windows 7 and Windows XP (Part 1) is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

We know. You want to ask what we are thinking, downgrading from Windows 7 to Windows XP, but despite our desire to move forward there are still users and organizations who rely on legacy applications and devices that won’t run on Windows 7, a problem that can get worse with Windows 7 64-bit mode.

You might say, that there is Windows XP Mode, which is an excellent solution for specific scenarios, I personally use XP Mode with my GPRS Modem since it does not work properly in Windows 7 64 bit. But then there are devices that just don’t work in Windows XP Mode at all, devices with sophisticated requirements, specifically multimedia programs and games that depend on the accelerated graphics in your system, something you won’t find available in Windows Virtual PC.

The best option, if you want the best of both worlds while transitioning to Windows 7, is to downgrade and think about setting up a dual boot scenario (which I will be looking at in a future article).

For today, we will look at how to downgrade to Windows XP from a Windows 7 installation. We recently looked at how to migrate from Windows XP to Windows 7 and recover personal files using Windows.old. This will play an integral role in ensuring that we are able to downgrade. I had recommended in that article you do not delete the Windows.old folder just in case you want to downgrade. If you didn’t, great! If you did, not to worry, I am still going to look at how you can still setup a dual boot with Windows 7 and Windows XP.

Step 1: Click Start > Computer > open the C: drive where Windows 7 is installed. If you see the Windows.old folder, then we are good to go. If not, then it does not make any sense going to further.

Step 2: check the size of Windows.old folder by right-clicking and then selecting properties. You need to make sure that Windows.old folder must be less than two times the amount of free hard drive space available on Windows 7 system drive (C drive). If the Windows.old folder size is two times larger, disable system restore utility and also use disk cleanup tool to get some free space. In our case, we have ample free disk space.

Step 3: Insert your Windows 7 installation disc into DVD-ROM and restart your system. Press any key when prompted to boot from DVD.

Step 4: Choose your language, time, keyboard type and then click on Next button to continue. In the Install Windows screen, click Repair your computer option to get System Recovery Options.

Step 5: Now select your Windows 7 OS and note your Windows 7 Drive letter before clicking on Next. If you are prompted to do a System Restore, click cancel.

Step 6: In the next window, click Command Prompt to start downgrading from Windows 7 to XP.

Step 7: At first you need to transfer all the data of your Windows 7 drive to a folder. So type the following commands one by one and then press enter after each command (here we’re assuming that “D” is your Windows 7 drive letter).

D:

Md Win7

Move Windows Win7Windows

Move “Program Files” “Win7Program Files”

Move Users Win7Users

Attrib –h –s –r ProgramData

Move ProgramData Win7ProgramData

Rd “Documents and Settings”

Step 8: Next, you need to copy all the contents of Windows.old folder to the drive. Again, follow all the commands given below one by one and then press enter after each command.

move /y d:Windows.oldWindows d:

move /y “d:Windows.oldProgram Files” d:

move /y “d:Windows.oldDocuments and Settings” d:

Step 9: Next, you need to restore the boot sector by typing the following command:

E:bootbootsect /nt52 d:

Step 10: At last restore the boot.ini file by entering the following commands:

Attrib –h –s –r boot.ini.saved

Copy boot.ini.saved boot.ini

Step 11: Now type Exit and restart your system to get back to Windows XP again.

Resources

Eligibility for downgrade rights. Please note if you bought a computer with Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate editions, you are eligible for downgrade rights to any of the following editions and versions of Windows: Windows Vista Ultimate or Business, Windows XP Professional. Please note, the downgrade rights are on a case by case depending on the OEM. So, even though you are eligible, the option might not be available and it might specific to the model computer you purchased from the manufacturer. If this is the case, then you will need to provide your own full version license.

Volume License customers have all rights to downgrade to any edition or version of Windows they wish, so if you are using a Company PC purchased with Windows 7, contact your Administrator about downgrade options available to you.

If you are running consumer editions such as Starter edition, Home Basic or Home Premium, you will have to provide your own full version license for the edition or version of Windows you would like to downgrade to.

Understanding Downgrade Rights

Downgrade Rights Details & FAQ

Downgrade Rights Chart

How to Downgrade From Windows 7 to Windows XP is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.