Playing games is always a great way to relax yourself and have fun. Now, you can increase the level of fun and further enjoy playing 100′s of new free games without the trouble of searching for them. Game Downloader for Windows is a small open source portable game download client that lets you download open source, indie or freeware games.

Game Downloader basically has a large server-side library of free games. You can use the Windows client program of Game Downloader to browse and download the games easily. It makes your life easy by letting you download games without even visiting the official website. Other than making your life easy, using Game Downloader you can discover new games. It divides the games into several categories. And each category lists many free and open source games. Further, the program displays a description of the game, displays a screenshot of the game, allows you to view YouTube videos related to the game you want to play, lets you visit the official home page of the game, lets you know the estimated download size before downloading, and obviously lets you download the game of your choice.

Game Downloader’s main user interface is divided into six parts. At the top, you will find the Category drop down menu. Available categories include Action, Adventure, Arcade, Board games, Card Games, Fighting, First Person Shooter, Music, Platform, Puzzle, Racing, Real-Time Strategy, RPG, Simulators, and Turn based strategy. Below the drop down menu, you will find the Games list and Version information, Further you will find the About information of the game and a Screenshot of the game. At the bottom of the user interface, you will find four buttons: YouTube button lets you search the game on YouTube, Game Website button takes you to the home page of the game, Get File Size button gets the download file size of a game and the Download Game button lets you download the selected game. If you want to change the download folder and change other settings, right-click on the program’s tray icon and access Settings.

Update: Game Downloader 2.5 is released with a revamped user interface. You can now search for your favorite games. The file size is displayed along and now you don’t have to click on a button to get it. Also the settings menu has been added to the main interface. Using the right-click context menu, from the tray icon of the program, you can now check for new version of the program.

To download a game using Game Downloader, you have to follow a simple procedure. At first, you have to select a Game Category using the Category drop down menu. Upon choosing a category, the Games section is populated by a list of games available in that category. Select a game from the list to see a small description about the game in the About section, a small screenshot, latest version number. The Yes/No flags are used to show whether the game is single player or multiplayer. If you want to download the game, simply click on the Download Game button to start the download.

Game Downloader will run on any computer system that boots into Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating system. It requires .NET Framework 3.5 to run. You can download the program from SourceForge.

P.S. We are resuming normal daily updates, My Technology Guide will now be back to normal.

Windows operating system comes with a built-in firewall to protect the system. Windows Firewall like all other software firewalls available out there, protects your Windows system from unauthorized access while allowing legit network to pass through. Unfortunately, configuring the firewall settings is a daunting task for most users.

For all users who are looking for the ease of use in configuring Windows Firewall should check out Windows Firewall Notifier.

Windows Firewall Notifier is a freeware portable application for managing Windows Firewall rules in Windows 7 and Vista. Using this small portable application, configuring both inbound and outbound firewall rules is very easy.

After you have downloaded Windows Firewall Notifier and extracted it to your preferred location, launch it. It will enable the Windows Firewall, if not already enabled. It then blocks all inbound and outbound network connections for which no rules exist. Then it enables inbound connection notifications and outbound connections logging, if disabled. It will then show a notification balloon allowing or disabling incoming and outgoing connections, just like you see in many advanced commercial and freeware firewalls. From these prompts, you can choose to allow (temporarily or permanently) or block connections from being established by applications.

Upon clicking on the notification, you will see the following prompt on the screen with options to: temporarily allow the application, create a rule for the application, block the application once only, always block the application.

As you can see, the prompt also displays more information such as the application name, system path and target IP or hostname.

The application is intelligently built and creates a task in the Windows Task Scheduler. This task is basically linked to the firewall event log entries. Thus, whenever any network activity occurs for which no firewall rule exists, this task will automatically launch Windows Firewall Notifier. Thus this application will not even run in the background and hog any system resource.

If you ever felt that you do not need Windows Firewall Notifier anymore, you can be easily disable it by launching the executable file of the program again and selecting Yes. The program will also provided the option to disable the firewall and revert back the settings to default.

Windows Firewall Notifier is a must have application for Windows Vista and Windows 7 (compatible with both 32-bit and 64-bit edition) users who rely on the built-in firewall. It is available as a free download from the developer’s website.

Windows Firewall is a built-in, host-based, stateful firewall that is included in Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows XP with Service Pack 2 and later, and Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 and later. Windows Firewall drops incoming traffic that does not correspond to either traffic sent in response to a request of the computer (solicited traffic) or unsolicited traffic that has been specified as allowed (excepted traffic). Windows Firewall helps provide protection from malicious users and programs that rely on unsolicited incoming traffic to attack computers. In Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, Windows Firewall can also drop outgoing traffic and is configured using the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security snap-in, which integrates rules for both firewall behavior and traffic protection with Internet Protocol security (IPsec).
Microsoft Technet

Microsoft through Connect has released a beta version of Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper. It is basically a system recovery software disguised as a recovery CD or USB application that Windows users can use to remove malware from a system. It can start an infected PC and performing offline scan to help find and remove rootkits and other advanced malware.

The security application can effectively remove viruses, trojans, rootkits and other forms of malware. In addition, the security application can be used if you cannot install or start an antivirus solution on your PC, or if the installed solution can’t detect or remove malware on your PC.

System Sweeper is available as a free download for both Windows 32-bit or 64-bit version users. Users will need an active Internet connection and CD or DVD to burn all contents, or a USB stick with at least 250 MB of space.

Download and run the application, it will help you to create the bootable media required to run the software on your PC.

Select the media you want to use for creating the System Sweeper recovery bootable disk.

After the bootable media is ready, to use it, users need to boot from the CD/DVD disc or USB device. Ordinarily, the bootable media is created on a computer that is not infected.

After booting, the tool will load and will offer options to scan the PC and recover it. It will load the Windows Preinstall Environment to run the Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper application for scanning and removing virus and malware from the infected system.

The security program requires Windows XP SP3 to Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit editions to work properly. If you have a 32-bit operating system, which is infected, then you need to download and install the 32-bit version. If your system is a 64-bit operating system, that’s infected, you need to download the 64-bit version of the recovery software.

Interested users can download Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper from the official project website.

Note: The standalone tool is not a replacement for an antivirus solution providing real-time protection; it’s meant to be used in situations where you cannot start your PC due to a virus or other malware infection. For free real-time antivirus protection against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software, download Microsoft Security Essentials or AVG or Avast.

Comodo Internet Security is a free, multi-layered computer security suite that keeps malware and hackers at bay while protecting your computer and private information. Comodo guarantees protection against viruses and malware by focusing on prevention not simply detection.

Comodo Internet Security Pro 2011 offers real-time protection against Viruses, Trojans, Adware, Spyware and other Malware threats. Other Antivirus products depend on signature updates alone but Auto Sandbox Technology means you’re protected from even unknown threats.

Features:

Firewall: Comodo’s Firewall consistently ranks among the highest in industry tests.

Defense+ Technology: Proactive protection to automatically isolate threats from suspicious files so they can’t cause harm actually preventing infections not just detecting them. Cloud based whitelisting of trusted publisher easily identifies a safe file and vendor.

Auto Sandbox Technology: To reduce interruption to the user, unknown files can only run in a secure virtual environment where they can’t damage Windows, its registry, or important user data.

Minimal Interruptions: Comodo Internet Security Pro 2011 relieves you of the responsibility of deciding whether to block or allow untrusted files – it makes the decisions for you. Game Mode suppresses operations that could interfere with a user’s gaming experience such as alerts, virus database updates or scheduled scans.

Spyware Scanning: Spyware Scanner detects and cleans malware infections in PC registry and disks.

Cloud based Antivirus: Cloud based antivirus scanning detects malicious file even if a user does not have up-to-date virus definitions.

Unlimited GeekBuddy Support: Expert support offering 24/7 live chat service to assist with everything from setup to virus removal and Windows issues at no additional charge.

Compatibility: Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP (32-bit and 64 bit versions available).

Normally, Comodo Internet Security Pro is priced at $49.99 for 1-year license. But now, Comodo is running a promotional giveaway program for all. Interested users can download a pre-activated full version of Comodo Internet Security Pro, valid for 1 year from the date of install, free of charge.

To grab 1-year FREE trial copy of the Comodo Internet Security Pro, simply click on the direct download link of the special setup installer:

cispro_1year_installer.exe (32/64 bit combined installer, 60 MB)

cispro_1year_installer_x86.exe (32-bit installer, 35 MB)

cispro_1year_installer_x64.exe (64-bit installer, 37 MB)

After downloading, install the security suite, you will find it to be valid for 365 days.

Ever faced a situation where after uninstalling a software, you find that it has left behind its service or driver references in the registry, and when Windows tries to load them at every boot, it fails displaying an error? This mostly happens with the security programs (though other applications also causes trouble) that fails to remove its installed services or drivers. Even though we posted an ultimate list of antivirus removal tools, but it is not enough.

We need something which will solve the problem in general for almost every Windows applications that causes trouble. In this article, we will show “how to easily remove an orphaned or unwanted service or driver from your Windows system.”

Basically there are three methods to deal with the problem. You can either use Windows in-built sc.exe command, or use the Registry Editor, or using Microsoft Sysinternals Autoruns for Windows utility.

Warning: Use this tutorial with caution, once you delete a service from Windows system, it’s gone, and it will be very difficult to install it back.

The first thing that you’ll need to do is identify the name of the service. To do so, open Services through the Start Menu or Control Panel or press Windows + R key and type services.msc then press Enter. Find the service in the list that you want to delete. Now, double-click on the service name to open up the Properties dialog-box. Now, highlight the “Service name” value and press Ctrl + C to copy it to the clipboard. You’ll need this name to remove it. For more information, see the article: How to find the short names of services.

Remove unwanted services from Windows using sc.exe command

The sc.exe is a command-line tool in Windows 7/Vista/XP. It can be used to create, edit or delete Services. From the TechNet documentation, sc.exe:

Communicates with the Service Controller and installed services. SC.exe retrieves and sets control information about services. You can use SC.exe for testing and debugging service programs. Service properties stored in the registry can be set to control how service applications are started at boot time and run as background processes. SC.exe parameters can configure a specific service, retrieve the current status of a service, as well as stop and start a service. You can create batch files that call various SC.exe commands to automate the startup or shutdown sequence of services. SC.exe provides capabilities similar to Services in the Administrative Tools item in Control Panel.

Windows 7 and Vista users are needed to open up an elevated command-prompt, that is, right-click the command prompt and choose Run as Administrator. Windows XP users can open a simple command prompt but the account should have administrative rights.

The sc.exe command syntax used to delete a service is:

sc delete ServiceName

Where the text in emphasis/italics represents the short name of a service (which you have already copied as shown earlier in this article), and not its display name. For example, the short name for Automatic Updates service is wuauserv, but its display name is Automatic Updates.

Now if you press the F5 key to refresh Windows Services list, you’ll see that the service is gone for good.

The second method involves using the Registry Editor

If your edition of Windows XP or Windows Vista does not ship with sc.exe console tool, then you may have to edit the registry manually. Simply use the underlined steps:

1. Start Regedit.exe and navigate to the following branch:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
2. The Service and driver entries are present under the above registry key. Each sub-key represents a driver or a Service. You should be able to identify them easily by looking at the DisplayName and ImagePath values in the right-pane in the Registry Editor.
3. Once you spot the Service/driver entry, right-click on the key and choose Delete.

Warning: Before modifying or removing a Service, create a System Restore point and/or a complete Registry backup, just in case something happens.

The third method is easy compared to the earlier two and involves using Autoruns for Windows app

Autoruns is a must-have tool for Windows users which helps you manage Windows startup, services, drivers, Winsock providers, Internet Explorer add-ons, Shell extensions and much more.

1. Simply download Autoruns and run it. Windows 7 and Vista users are needed to run it as an administrator. To do so, simply right-click on the Autoruns.exe file and select Run as Administrator.
2. Click on Options, tick on Hide Microsoft Entries, so that you can filter out legitimate Microsoft Windows system Services and see only third-party entries. This make it easy for you to spot a third-party driver or Service.
3. Press F5 key to refresh the listing.
4. Now, click on the Services tab and you can easily remove unwanted drivers and Services from there.

Important: Before deleting any service think hard, search for it using any search engine like Google, Bing, etc to find out if that service is important or not, because it’s very difficult to get them back once they are gone. Deleting any important service needed by Windows may cause instability or may lead to loss of data. We will not be liable to you in any way for any kind of data loss that occurs due to mishandling of this information. Use with high caution!

Microsoft’s February Patch Tuesday was very critical with 12 updates fixing 22 vulnerabilities, out of which three are 0-day vulnerabilities. The bulletins address issues in Windows, Internet Explorer, Office, Visual Studio and IIS. March in comparison with last month is fairly quiet month for Patch Tuesday patches. This month’s Patch Tuesday will have just three bulletins going out, two for Windows operating system and one for Groove 2007 users. These three bulletins are going to patch a total of four vulnerabilities.

Out of the two bulletins for Windows, one bulletin rated critical; the Groove bulletin and the other Windows bulletin rated as important. All three bulletins “may” need a restart after installation.

As ever, Microsoft has issued no information about which publicly disclosed vulnerabilities–if any–will be included in the patches. The critical rated bulletin will fix a flaw in Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 systems. The second bulletin, rated important, will fix a flaw in all supported versions of Windows, including Server products. The third bulletin affects Microsoft Groove 2007 SP2 product. All three bulletins marked as Remote Code Execution exploits. However, confirmation of this is not possible until the patches are released next week.

Microsoft seems to have missed to patch Internet Explorer ahead of next week’s Pwn2Own hacker contest. It’s not yet clear whether Microsoft has failed to patch the MHTML vulnerability before the Pwn2Own hacker contest, which kicks off next week in Vancouver, Canada. The Register reports that both IE browser rivals Mozilla and Google patched Firefox and Chrome earlier this week in preparation of the event. The MHTML vulnerability affects Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and all supported Windows Server releases. The vulnerability exists due to the way MHTML interprets MIME-formatted requests for content blocks within a document. It is possible for this vulnerability to allow an attacker to run script in the wrong security context. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could inject a client-side script in the user’s Internet Explorer instance.

The bulletins will be released on Tuesday at 10:00am PST. Microsoft will as usual host a webcast to address customer questions on the security bulletins on March 9, 2011, at 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada). You can get more information at Microsoft Security Bulletin.

Windows and Mac users know WinZip for their compression utility. WinZip Computing, a Corel company is expanding its product portfolio beyond compression and encryption with the debut of the WinZip System Utilities Suite. A complete collection of easy-to-use and affordable PC utilities that helps keep computers stable and running at peak performance.

WinZip System Utilities Suite offers powerful system tools to fix common problems, improve system stability and rev up your computer’s speed. Designed for easy, automated operation, and it provides everything you need to restore the zip to your PC. It automatically performs regular maintenance, reducing the likelihood of common problems like crashes, system errors and reduced speed.

WinZip System Utilities Suite is composed of about 20 different system utilities to improve computer performance. Just like the earlier system utility reviewed by us, TuneUp Utilities 2011, WinZip System Utilities Suite’s different tools are nicely organized into one single “launcher UI.” You can even access these tools separately from not just the menu options within the “launcher UI” but from its own separate Start Menu entry, which is again nicely organized. Each utility is having its own individual user interface thus you can directly open only the utility which you want to.

Even though with 20 different system utilities, WinZip System Utilities Suite may seem very complex for novice users but it isn’t at all. Thanks to the master launcher UI, which offers you one big button “Start Smart PC Care” to optimize your computer system. The idea behind this single click optimization is that this would be the first thing new users would run, and once that’s done, they could simply use the separate tools as needed to further optimize specific aspects of their Windows PC.

Smart PC Care is a general PC health tool that performs the following vital system jobs with one simple click:

• Clean junk data and free up disk space
• Defrag your hard disk for optimized performance
• Clean hidden privacy-exposing traces
• Scan for outdated or missing drivers
• Clean registry errors
• Optimize your registry for better performance

Click on the screenshots below for an overview of how Smart PC Care works in our test run on our computer and how it optimized our system:

Other utilities included are:

• Registry Cleaner – Scan for and clean registry errors
• Registry Optimizer – Organize your registry for better performance and a faster computer
• System Cleaner – Remove junk data and free up disk space
• Disk Optimizer – Defrag your hard disk for optimized performance
• Disk Tools – Check your hard drives for file system and disk errors
• Disk Explorer – Review disk usage by files and folders
• Memory Optimizer – Free unused allocated memory for better system performance
• Driver Updater – Automatically download and install the latest drivers required by your system
• Game Optimizer – Optimize for game play to reduce freezing, crashing or interruptions
• Privacy Protector – Clean hidden privacy-exposing traces
• Secure Delete – Permanently delete confidential data so that it cannot be retrieved
• Secure Encryptor – Password-protect your personal files from unauthorized access
• Undelete – Recover accidently deleted data
• Backup Manager - Back up your important files and documents
• System Files Backup and Restore System Files – Back up and restore important system files
• PC Fixer - Fix common problems instantly
• System and Security Advisor – Fine tune your system settings
• Duplicate Files Remover - Remove unneeded duplicate files
• Startup Manager – Remove unnecessary programs to improve the speed of system startup
• Uninstall Manager - Remove unnecessary programs and free up disk space

Designed for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, WinZip System Utilities Suite is available for $39.95(USD) for a single license. For a free scan, users can download the WinZip System Utilities Suite to identify issues that may be affecting the performance and reliability of their PC.

10-license giveaway of WinZip System Utilities Suite exclusively for My Technology Guide readers is coming up in our next update.

In Windows, you can use the shell: command to quickly open any special folder directly from the Start Menu, Search menu or the Run dialog box.

Suppose, if you want to launch the Documents folder of your user profile, you’ve to type shell:Personal. In Windows 7, if you want to get access to Libraries, you’ve to type shell:Libraries.

There are many shell: commands available in Windows. These shell: commands are very useful if you want to quickly access or open special folders in Windows. If you want to have all the shell: commands list, for quick reference, we have compiled the list of ultimate complete shell: commands available for Windows 7, Vista and Windows XP.

You may be also interested in Beyond Windows 7 “GodMode” — 94 More Secret Windows Shortcuts Unveiled and 140+ Useful Windows Keyboard Shortcuts.

Complete Windows XP shell command list

shell:Common Programs
shell:Favorites
shell:My Video
shell:System
shell:CommonVideo
shell:LocalizedResourcesDir
shell:Cookies
shell:My Pictures
shell:Cache
shell:AppData
shell:My Music
shell:InternetFolder
shell:Profile
shell:Start Menu
shell:Common AppData
shell:ConnectionsFolder
shell:Administrative Tools
shell:PrintersFolder
shell:ProgramFiles
shell:Common Startup
shell:ControlPanelFolder
shell:SendTo
shell:ResourceDir
shell:ProgramFiles
shell:PrintHood
shell:CD Burning
shell:Common Start Menu
shell:Templates
shell:Programs
shell:Recent
shell:Desktop
shell:CommonPictures
shell:RecycleBinFolder
shell:Common Templates
shell:Startup
shell:Common Desktop
shell:NetHood
shell:Common Administrative Tools
shell:SystemX86
shell:History
shell:Common Documents
shell:Local AppData
shell:Windows
shell:Fonts
shell:Personal

Complete Windows Vista shell command list

shell:Common Programs
shell:GameTasks
shell:UserProfiles
shell:MyComputerFolder
shell:SyncSetupFolder
shell:DpapiKeys
shell:SamplePlaylists
shell:Favorites
shell:My Video
shell:SearchHomeFolder
shell:System
shell:CommonVideo
shell:SyncResultsFolder
shell:LocalizedResourcesDir
shell:Cookies
shell:Original Images
shell:CommonMusic
shell:My Pictures
shell:Cache
shell:Downloads
shell:CommonDownloads
shell:AppData
shell:SyncCenterFolder
shell:My Music
shell:ConflictFolder
shell:SavedGames
shell:InternetFolder
shell:Quick Launch
shell:SystemCertificates
shell:Contacts
shell:TreePropertiesFolder
shell:Profile
shell:Start Menu
shell:Common AppData
shell:PhotoAlbums
shell:ConnectionsFolder
shell:Administrative Tools
shell:PrintersFolder
shell:Default Gadgets
shell:ProgramFilesX86
shell:Searches
shell:Common Startup
shell:ControlPanelFolder
shell:SampleVideos
shell:SendTo
shell:ResourceDir
shell:ProgramFiles
shell:CredentialManager
shell:PrintHood
shell:MAPIFolder
shell:CD Burning
shell:AppUpdatesFolder
shell:Common Start Menu
shell:LocalAppDataLow
shell:Templates
shell:Gadgets
shell:Programs
shell:Recent
shell:SampleMusic
shell:Desktop
shell:CommonPictures
shell:RecycleBinFolder
shell:CryptoKeys
shell:Common Templates
shell:Startup
shell:Links
shell:OEM Links
shell:SamplePictures
shell:Common Desktop
shell:NetHood
shell:Games
shell:Common Administrative Tools
shell:NetworkPlacesFolder
shell:SystemX86
shell:History
shell:AddNewProgramsFolder
shell:Playlists
shell:ProgramFilesCommonX86
shell:PublicGameTasks
shell:ChangeRemoveProgramsFolder
shell:Public
shell:Common Documents
shell:CSCFolder
shell:Local AppData
shell:Windows
shell:UsersFilesFolder
shell:ProgramFilesCommon
shell:Fonts
shell:Personal

Complete Windows Vista shell command list

Note: All the shell commands available in Windows Vista works in Windows 7, so we are not repeating them here. We have listed below only the new shell commands that are available in addition to the shell commands available in Windows Vista here:

shell:Libraries
shell:MusicLibrary
shell:VideosLibrary
shell:OtherUsersFolder
shell:Device Metadata Store
shell:PublicSuggestedLocations
shell:SuggestedLocations
shell:RecordedTVLibrary
shell:UserProgramFiles
shell:DocumentsLibrary
shell:User Pinned
shell:UsersLibrariesFolder
shell:PicturesLibrary
shell:ImplicitAppShortcuts
shell:UserProgramFilesCommon
shell:Ringtones
shell:CommonRingtones

Note: We have not given any description beside each shell: command as you can easily make out what they are supposed to do by looking at its name. If you are still confused about any of the command, simply comment below, we will help you out. If we missed out any command that you know or if you’ve found any errors in the above, do comment below.

If your computer is running Windows 7, or Vista, or Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 R2 and it freezes or stops responding when you try to rename a folder, then applying this hotfix KB980382 released by Microsoft may come handy.

The problem occurs in the following scenario:

• There is a volume in an NTFS file system on your computer. There are lots of files that are in a folder on this volume. For example, assume that there are more than 5000 files in this folder.
• Many files in the folder were opened at least one time previously.
• You try to rename the folder name.

In this scenario, the computer stops responding for some time. Therefore, the computer responds to a mouse button click or to a screen update very slowly.

Note: If the Failover Clustering feature is installed on the computer, the cluster resources that are hosted on the computer fail over to the other nodes because of this issue.

The rename operation for a directory checks whether a file in the folder is opened by a user. During this operation, a volume control block (VCB) lock is obtained, and any other I/O requests to the volume are blocked. If the number of files in the directory is large, this process of checking whether a file is opened may take an unnecessarily long time. Therefore, the computer stops responding for this long time. However, the computer eventually recovers.

To apply this hotfix, you must be running one of the following operating systems:

• Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1)
• Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2)
• Windows Server 2008
• Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (SP2)
• Windows 7
• Windows Server 2008 R2

[ Download Hotfix KB980382 ]

My friend called me yesterday to help him in getting back Windows 7 in the boot menu. What he did was, repair his Windows XP installation and now after repair he cannot find Windows 7 in the boot menu. Now, he was having a dual-boot configuration with Windows XP and Windows 7. The problem that he was facing is very common and every user who is having a similar dual-boot configuration also faces this problem when they try to repair or reinstall an older Windows version.

If you install Windows 7 or Windows Vista as a second operating system on a computer system where Windows XP is already installed, the Windows boot menu incorporates the options from the older boot menu. But, let us suppose, if you install a fresh copy of Windows XP or on a system that is already running Windows 7, Windows will overwrite the MBR with the old one that doesn’t recognize the Windows 7 boot loader. Each time you install any version of Windows, it rewrites the MBR to call its own boot loader.

But there is solution available to repair the MBR damage. Follow the steps below and you will be able to get back the MBR settings that was lost. (This guide will work for Windows XP, Vista, 7.)

After booting into the older Windows (in this case Windows XP), insert your Windows 7 DVD. Now, open Command Prompt window (type cmd in the Run dialog box and press Enter) from within the older operating system. Run the following command from the Windows 7 DVD, substituting the letter of your DVD drive for x here:

x:\boot\ bootsect.exe /nt60 all

Now, after you restart your computer system, you should see the Windows 7 boot menu. But, wait a second, what happened to the entry to your earlier operating system? Well, don’t panic, to restore the menu entry for your earlier version of Windows, open an elevated Command Prompt window (right-click on cmd in Windows 7 or Vista, select Run as Administrator) and type this command:

bcdedit /create {ntldr} —d "Menu description goes here"

Substitute your own description for the placeholder text, being sure to include the quotation marks. The next time you start your computer, the menus should appear as you intended.

An even easier solution is to use boot-editing utilities like EasyBCD that supports Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2003 or 2008. EasyBCD can also be used to switch quickly from a Windows XP-style boot loader to its Windows 7 counterpart and back again.

Microsoft published 16 Security Bulletins addressing 49 vulnerabilities on “Patch Tuesday,” October 12. Patch Tuesday got its name as Microsoft releases security patches and updates every second Tuesday of a month while only highly critical vulnerabilities receive out-of-band security patches. Compared to last month’s record Patch Tuesday, this month’s list is massive. In fact, this is the highest number of bulletins Microsoft has ever released in one month, as well as the most vulnerabilities that are being fixed.

Out of the 16 Security Bulletins that addresses 49 vulnerabilities, four of the vulnerabilities are rated “Critical,” 10 vulnerabilities are marked as “Important,” and the last two as “Moderate.” All of the Critical vulnerabilities earned their rating through a remote code execution impact, meaning a hacker could potentially gain control of an infected machine. At least eight of the 16 patches will need a Windows system restart.

The list of affected operating systems includes Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2. Microsoft Office XP, Office 2003, Office 2007, and Office 2010 are also being patched, as well as the supported Mac versions of Microsoft Office: Office 2004 and Office 2008. Also for the first time, Microsoft Office Web Apps is also included on the list.

According to the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC):

Looking at the number and type of updates this month, we have a fairly standard number of bulletins affecting products like Windows and Office. This month we also have a few bulletins originating from product groups that we don’t see on a regular basis. For example, SharePoint, the Microsoft Foundation Class (MFC) Library (which is an application framework for programming in Windows), and the .NET Framework. It’s worth noting that only six of the 49 total vulnerabilities being addressed have a critical rating. Further, three of the bulletins account for 34 of the total vulnerabilities.

The video below provides additional viewpoints on the priority bulletins and explains why each should be at the top of your list to install:

The exact breakdown of the bulletins follows:

• MS10-071: Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (2360131) — This security update resolves seven privately reported vulnerabilities and three publicly disclosed vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. The most severe vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
• MS10-075: Vulnerability in Media Player Network Sharing Service Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2281679) — This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in the Microsoft Windows Media Player network sharing service. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if an attacker sent a specially crafted RTSP packet to an affected system. However, Internet access to home media is disabled by default. In this default configuration, the vulnerability can be exploited only by an attacker within the same subnet.
• MS10-076: Vulnerability in the Embedded OpenType Font Engine Could Allow Remote Code Execution (982132) — This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in a Microsoft Windows component, the Embedded OpenType (EOT) Font Engine. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system remotely. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
• MS10-077: Vulnerability in .NET Framework Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2160841) — This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft .NET Framework. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution on a client system if a user views a specially crafted Web page using a Web browser that can run XAML Browser Applications (XBAPs). Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights. The vulnerability could also allow remote code execution on a server system running IIS, if that server allows processing ASP.NET pages and an attacker succeeds in uploading a specially crafted ASP.NET page to that server and then executes the page, as could be the case in a Web hosting scenario.
• MS10-072: Vulnerabilities in SafeHTML Could Allow Information Disclosure (2412048) — This security update resolves one publicly disclosed vulnerability and one privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft SharePoint and Windows SharePoint Services. The vulnerabilities could allow information disclosure if an attacker submits specially crafted script to a target site using SafeHTML.
• MS10-073: Vulnerabilities in Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (981957) — This security update resolves several publicly disclosed vulnerabilities in the Windows kernel-mode drivers. The most severe of these vulnerabilities could allow elevation of privilege if an attacker logs on to an affected system and runs a specially crafted application. An attacker must have valid logon credentials and be able to log on locally to exploit this vulnerability. The vulnerability could not be exploited remotely or by anonymous users.
• MS10-078: Vulnerabilities in the OpenType Font (OTF) Format Driver Could Allow Elevation of Privilege (2279986) — This security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities in the Windows OpenType Font (OTF) format driver. This security update is rated Important for all supported editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. All supported editions of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2 are not affected by the vulnerability. The vulnerabilities could allow elevation of privilege if a user views content rendered in a specially crafted OpenType font. An attacker must have valid logon credentials and be able to log on locally to exploit this vulnerability. The vulnerability could not be exploited remotely or by anonymous users.
• MS10-079: Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Word Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2293194) — This security update resolves eleven privately reported vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office. The vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Word file. An attacker who successfully exploited any of these vulnerabilities could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
• MS10-080: Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Excel Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2293211) — This security update resolves thirteen privately reported vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office. The vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Excel file or a specially crafted Lotus 1-2-3 file. An attacker who successfully exploited any of these vulnerabilities could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
• MS10-081: Vulnerability in Windows Common Control Library Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2296011) — This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in the Windows common control library. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user visited a specially crafted Web page. If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
• MS10-082: Vulnerability in Windows Media Player Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2378111) — This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Windows Media Player. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if Windows Media Player opened specially crafted media content hosted on a malicious Web site. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
• MS10-083: Vulnerability in COM Validation in Windows Shell and WordPad Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2405882) — This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted file using WordPad or selects or opens a shortcut file that is on a network or WebDAV share. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
• MS10-084: Vulnerability in Windows Local Procedure Call Could Cause Elevation of Privilege (2360937) — This security update resolves a publicly disclosed vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. This security update is rated Important for all supported editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. All supported editions of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2 are not affected by the vulnerability.

  The vulnerability could allow elevation of privilege if an attacker logs on to an affected system and runs specially crafted code that sends an LPC message to the local LRPC Server. The message could then allow an authenticated user to access resources that are running in the context of the NetworkService account. An attacker must have valid logon credentials and be able to log on locally to exploit this vulnerability.

• MS10-085: Vulnerability in SChannel Could Allow Denial of Service (2207566) — This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in the Secure Channel (SChannel) security package in Windows. The vulnerability could allow denial of service if an affected Internet Information Services (IIS) server hosting a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) enabled Web site received a specially crafted packet message. By default, IIS is not configured to host SSL Web sites.
• MS10-074: Vulnerability in Microsoft Foundation Classes Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2387149) — This security update resolves a publicly disclosed vulnerability in the Microsoft Foundation Class (MFC) Library. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user is logged on with administrative user rights and opens an application built with the MFC Library. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could obtain the same permissions as the currently logged-on user. If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take complete control of the affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
• MS10-086: Vulnerability in Windows Shared Cluster Disks Could Allow Tampering (2294255) — This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Windows Server 2008 R2 when used as a shared failover cluster. The vulnerability could allow data tampering on the administrative shares of failover cluster disks. By default, Windows Server 2008 R2 servers are not affected by this vulnerability. This vulnerability only applies to the cluster disks used in a failover cluster.

The patches should by now be available to Windows users via Windows Update and Microsoft Download. Microsoft has also released the October 2010 Security Release ISO Image containing all references security patches and Knowledgebase articles.

What is Windows Product Activation or Windows Activation?

Microsoft to curb piracy introduced Windows product activation system since Windows XP. Activation is an anti-piracy technology designed to verify that Microsoft software products are genuine. Most of the Windows users are aware of Windows Product Activation as it is so common now. Users are now required to activate their copy of Windows with Microsoft either online or over the phone within the grace period or trial period to continue using the Windows operating system.

In this article you will find some simple commands or ways by which users can check Windows Activation status easily.

How To Check Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 Activation Status?

Even though Windows XP has less stringent Windows Product Activation algorithm when compared with Windows 7 or Vista but it does need product activation. Only exception is when users use OEM and VLK product key to register Windows XP. Computers that are pre-installed with Windows XP licensed using OEM license key (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and Windows XP Professional when installed using a VLK (Volume License Key), does not need users to activate Windows online or by phone as they are automatically activated.

To check the current status of Windows Product Activation, open the Run dialog box. (Press [Windows Key] + [R] to open the Run dialog box.) Now, type in the following command and press Enter:

oobe/msoobe /a

An “Activate Windows” window will open that will show the current Windows activation status. If Windows XP is already activated, the message “Windows is already activated. Click OK to exit.” will appear.

Info: You will find msoobe.exe under C:\Windows\System32\oobe\msoobe.exe

How can I tell if Windows 7 or Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 and later activated?

You can check the activation status of Windows 7 and Vista by two ways.

First method, click on the Start Button and in the Start search box or in the Run dialog box, type and execute the following command:

slui

Users can find slui.exe under C:\Windows\System32\slui.exe

Second Method, Open System by clicking the Start button, then right-clicking Computer, and then clicking on Properties. Now, under Windows activation, you can view your current activation status.

Microsoft released the final version of Windows Live Essentials 2011, now available free download. But if you try to download it from the website then you will get a web installer that when you run downloads and installs the program for you. If you want to have more control or wondering “How do I install Windows Live Essentials 2011 without an internet Connection?,” below you will find a list of links to the offline installers of all available languages.

Supported languages includes Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Czech, Danish, German, Greek, English, etc. Indian languages like Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu are also available for download. Simply download the localized version of Windows Live Essentials 2011 offline installer from the corresponding link below.

Thanks to Windows Live Help Center for the offline installer links.

In our previous we talked about how to use a system repair disk for rescuing Windows 7 or Vista in case of problems. In the System Recovery Options that Windows system repair disk offers, there is an option System Image Recovery that lets you recover your computer using a system image created during a backup.

In today’s article, we take a look at creating a backup image of your machine without the need for a third-party utility like True Image or Norton Ghost. In case of problem, you can choose the System Image Recovery option provided by the system repair disk and use this image to recover your Windows.

All editions of Windows 7 comes with a pretty impressive backup utility which lets you easily create an image of the system very easily. In case of Vista, only Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise editions allow you to create a system image, but Vista Home and Home Premium users don’t have the option. So if you are a Vista user running those supported editions you can follow this article.

What is a system image?

A system image is an exact copy of a drive. By default, a system image includes the drives required for Windows to run. It also includes Windows and your system settings, programs, and files. You can use a system image to restore the contents of your computer if your hard disk or computer ever stops working. When you restore your computer from a system image, it’s a complete restoration–you can’t choose individual items to restore, and all of your current programs, system settings, and files are replaced with the contents of the system image.

Creating a System Image in Windows 7

Note: To create a system image of a drive, it must be formatted to use the NTFS file system. If you save the system image on a hard drive or USB flash drive, it must be formatted to use the NTFS file system.

1. Open Backup and Restore by clicking the Start button, then clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Backup and Restore.

2. In the left pane, click Create a system image. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

3. Decide where you want to save the system backup image. You can choose an external drive, burn to multiple DVD’s, or store it on a network location.

4. At the confirmation screen check the amount of disk space the system image may take. If something doesn’t look right or you want to change something, you can still go back from this point and make adjustments.

5. After confirmation, a progress meter is displayed while the system backup image is created.

   

6. After the process is complete you will get the option to create a system repair disc (see our article on creating a system repair disk in Windows 7).

If you’re saving your system images on an internal or external drive, or on CDs or DVDs, you can keep several versions of system images. On internal and external hard drives, older system images will be deleted when the drive runs out of space. To help conserve disk space, you can manually delete older system images.

If you’re saving your system images in a network location, you can only keep the most current system image for each computer. System images are saved in the format of drive\WindowsImageBackup\computer name\. If you have an existing system image for a computer and are creating a new one for the same computer, the new system image will overwrite the existing one. If you want to keep the existing system image, you can copy it to a different location before creating the new system image by following these steps:

1. Navigate to the network location of the system image.

2. Now, copy the WindowsImageBackup folder to a new location.

Creating system image in Vista

The process is similar in Windows Vista as shown for Windows 7 above.

1. Open Backup and Restore Center by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, then clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Backup and Restore Center.

2. Click Back up computer, and then follow the steps in the wizard. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

   

If your install of Windows 7 won’t boot or has started giving you problems and you are thinking of reinstalling. Think again, you may only need to use the System Repair Disc to fix the problems. This will definitely save you a lot of trouble and may also save your data and user settings. Windows System Repair Disc is designed to rescue your system and lets you boot Windows when everything else fails. It provides several options for repairing the failing system and revive it.

For this to work, you either need the original Windows installation DVD or better if you have already created the system repair disc (see our article on creating a system repair disk in Windows 7). If you can’t create a repair disk, you can download one (see our article on downloading a system repair disk for Windows 7 or Vista).

If you don’t create one, you limit your recovery options as the recovery disk that came with your computer is not the same as this disk. This repair disk will not reinstall Windows 7 and it won’t reformat your computer and just provides access to Windows’ built-in recovery tools.

Use a System Repair Disc to Restore Windows 7

• Insert the System Repair disc in the DVD drive and restart the computer.
• For just a few seconds, the screen displays Press any key to boot from CD or DVD. Press any key to boot from the disk.
  If you aren’t quick enough, you’ll have to restart the computer again.
  
• Enter into the Windows Setup [EMS Enabled].
  
• When System Recover is finished searching for Windows installations, click Next.
  
• Choose Use Recovery Tools That Can Help Fix Problems Starting Windows. Click Next.
• Windows will offer several tools that you can use to repair your system, including using the system image, if you have one available. Choose from different recovery options to help you get your machine back up and running.
  

Recommendation: Try to revive your computer by using the first three options in the order listed, restarting after each one.

Exactly What Each Windows Recovery Options Do?

Startup Repair: This option automatically fix common problems that are preventing Windows from starting properly.
System Restore: It helps you Restore Windows to an earlier time. Choose this option if Windows 7 starts, but due to some change since a recent installation or update it is not working properly. You’ll pick a restore point based on date and time (start choosing the most recent). Note: Using this option you may lose recent program changes, but not your data.
System Image Recovery: Recover your computer using a system image you created during a backup. Choose this option if the first two don’t fix a problem and you have a relatively recent system image.
Note: With System Image Recovery, you will lose data created or changed since the image was created, unless you have that data on a separate device, such as a portable flash drive.
Windows Memory Diagnostic: Check your computer for memory hardware errors. This diagnostic tool won’t do any damage and might uncover the reason your PC hangs, freezes, or crashes.
Command Prompt: Open a command prompt window. Mostly used for advanced recovery or by advanced users. Use this if you’re familiar with typing commands at a prompt.

After using any of these tools, click Restart to see if it worked else click on the Shut Down button if you’ve had enough.

Note: Windows Vista Repair options are very similar to Windows 7, so if you are a Vista user, you can use this as reference.

AeroTweak is freeware application for Windows 7 and Vista that allows you to easily change about 50 system settings and tweak Windows. The settings includes those that affects the user interface, system performance and system security. It is a standalone portable utility and does not need any installation as such.

AeroTweak also lets you recover your Windows 7 or Windows Vista product key. You can also view general system information. It lets you create System Restore point using only a click of a button before you make changes to your system, so that you can later revert back to old settings if you face a problem.

Many Windows XP users probably know about Microsoft TweakUI. It is a Windows XP system tweaker by Microsoft. For some reason Microsoft never released any utility similar to TweakUI for Windows 7 and Vista. According to the developer of AeroTweak, they created AeroTweak to fill up the void created by the non-existence of proper free tweaking utilities for Windows Vista and above.

AeroTweak interface supports only Russian and English languages. It is fully portable and consists of only one file “AeroTweak.exe” which is around 1 MB in size, thus you can carry it around in your USB flash drive.

[box type="download"]Download AeroTweak[/box]

You have just brought a brand new PC or laptop or netbook that came pre-installed with Windows 7 from one of the major manufacturers, viz. Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer, Toshiba, etc. But the problem that you face when buying from them is you won’t receive any Windows 7 installation media with your purchase. Instead, you will receive either a “recovery disc” (if you’re that much lucky) with your purchase or you’ll have a “recovery partition” built-in your machine.

You may ask what is the problem here, as you can easily recover your Windows 7 or Vista, using the “recovery disk” or “recovery partition.” Well, the problem is, when you use the recovery disks/recovery partition to recover Windows 7 or Vista, it will delete all your files and restore your computer to the state it was in when you first purchased it.

Windows 7 and Windows Vista DVD installation media comes with a “recovery center” that allows you to fix common Windows operating system related problems without restoring the whole computer back. If you do not have this DVD, Microsoft have made a recovery disc for this purpose. The Windows 7/Vista Recovery Disc can be used to access a system recovery menu, giving you options of using System Restore, Complete PC Backup, automated system repair, and a command-line prompt for manual advanced recovery.

NeoSmart Technologies is hosting a copy of the Windows 7 Recovery Disc and a copy of Windows Vista Recovery Disk for your convenience. Windows 7 Recovery Disk 32-bit version is 143 MB in download size while the 64-bit is 165 MB in download size. Windows Vista Recovery Disk is 120 MB in download size. All these recovery disks are in the standard ISO format, ready to be burned directly to a CD or DVD.

Note: You cannot use the recovery disc to install Windows 7 or Windows Vista from scratch or reinstall Windows.

• Download Windows 7 Recovery Disc
• Download Windows Vista Recovery Disc

Update: NeoSmart Technologies is no longer hosting the downloads. Instead, you are being directed to SystemDiscs.com by them. SystemDiscs.com charges $9.75 for downloading.

Don’t wait until your PC crashes, we suggest you to create your own Windows 7 repair disc or create a system image of Windows 7/Vista and keep the disc safely, before any disaster happens.

Microsoft Security Response Center has released a notification that Microsoft will issue 10 Security Bulletins addressing 34 vulnerabilities on Tuesday, June 8, 2010. Microsoft Technet will host a webcast to address customer questions about the security bulletins the following day.

The list of affected operating systems includes Windows 2000, Windows XP (32-bit and 64-bit), Windows Server 2003 (32-bit and 64-bit), Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit), Windows Server 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit), Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit), and Windows Server 2008 R2. In terms of the Microsoft Office suites, all supported versions are affected on both Windows and Mac OS X. Three of the vulnerabilities are rated “Critical” and seven are rated “Important.” At least two of the 10 patches will need a restart. February’s Internet Explorer flaw and April’s SharePoint vulnerability will both be patched this month.

The exact breakdown of the security bulletin is as follows:

• Bulletin 1: Critical (Remote Code Execution), Windows
• Bulletin 2: Critical (Remote Code Execution), Windows
• Bulletin 3: Critical (Remote Code Execution), Windows, Internet Explorer
• Bulletin 4: Important (Elevation of Privilege), Windows
• Bulletin 5: Important (Remote Code Execution), Office
• Bulletin 6: Important (Elevation of Privilege), Windows
• Bulletin 7: Important (Remote Code Execution), Office
• Bulletin 8: Important (Elevation of Privilege), Office, Microsoft Server Software
• Bulletin 9: Important (Remote Code Execution), Windows
• Bulletin 10: Important (Tampering), Windows

Along with these patches, Microsoft is also planning to release the following on Patch Tuesday:

• One or more non-security, high-priority updates on Windows Update (WU) and Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)
• One or more non-security, high-priority updates on Microsoft Update (MU) and WSUS
• An updated version of the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool on Windows Update, Microsoft Update, Windows Server Update Services, and the Microsoft Download Center

Microsoft has been known to rush patches or to pull them if necessary, so this information is subject to change.

X-Setup Pro is the best Windows system configuration and tweaking utility. X-Setup Pro is extremely easy to use and it allows you to nearly change 1800 hidden Windows settings and configurations that no other tweaking tool provides. X-Setup Pro wizards help you when you changing critical Windows configurations.

But it is sad to know that the development of X-Setup Pro has been shutdown and the last available version is made available for its fans as a free download.

All comes to an end …

Dear Customers,

Because of the insolvency of WUG all operations regarding X-Setup Pro have been shut down.

We thank all customers, partner and friends for their support during this time. We hope you had as much fun using X-Setup Pro as we had making it.

We wish you all the best,

TeX and Eric

P.S.:

You can still download the last version from Major Geeks: www.majorgeeks.com/download4083.html

In case you lost your serial number use this one instead: XSA092-11TA9R-8K12YT

As said in the announcement, you can still download the last version of X-Setup Pro from Major Geeks and use the serial number above to register it in-case you don’t have a serial number. If you are a Pro user, then you can use your existing serial number.

Microsoft has released a free download manager, dubbed the Microsoft Download Manager, is designed to integrate seamlessly with Windows 7. It is now available as free download from Microsoft. Microsoft Download Manager utility is designed to help users control their downloads beyond the boundaries of the browser. It is specifically designed for downloads from Microsoft pages on the Internet but it can be used for any HTTP based downloads.

The Microsoft Download Manager enables you to download files from the Internet in a more reliable and faster way than using a browser alone. Using the Download Manager makes it easier to download large files such as an application or multimedia files.

More often than not, when users try downloading very large files, they face all kinds of problems, especially in the context of an unreliable connection. In such situations a download manager comes to rescue the user and helps the user to complete any download tasks, a feature which is missing in the browsers.

Upon installation users will find that Microsoft Download Manager features basic download manager functionality. The basic interface enables the user to add, pause, resume and delete downloads. Users can open the download folder after the download is complete. It also allows for some customization, featuring options such as the number of automatic retries, and the maximum number of simultaneous connections (up to 16 simultaneous connections). It also allows the user to configure a destination folder for the downloads or a proxy server for the application to use.

Microsoft Download Manager is a lightweight program and the download size is only 1.1 MB, which can be attributed to the lack of many advanced features. Microsoft Download Manager will be good enough for users who download files mostly from Microsoft website and occasionally from the Internet.

Microsoft Download Manager can be downloaded directly from Microsoft. Microsoft Download Manager supports not only Windows 7, but also for Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2 and SP3. Microsoft Download Manager is designed to work with Internet Explorer 8, Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 6, Firefox 3, Firefox 2.