Keeping an eye on Windows and other things tech!

As I usually do, I have been hoarding away RSS feed links and other stories I come across as I browse the web.  Many of these I find interesting or want to explore more in depth later when more time is available – which actually seems very rare.

Anyway, what I tend to do with all these little tidbits is draft up a blog post and thrown the links here and leave it up to you to click on what might also interest you and go from there.

So with that being said – here is a list of things from my current collection:

• Windows Live to replace Mail, Photo Gallery, and Movie Maker in Windows 7
• User Interface: Starting, Launching, and Switching
• Photo Gallery Beta Cheat Sheet
• Microsoft Tinker Extra Released to Windows Vista Ultimate Users
• Yahoo unveils Messenger 9.0
• Usernamecheck knows where your name is still available
• Wallpapers from MSN – Beta
• Live Space Talk Now Available 24/7 On NASA Web Site
• Enhance Windows XP Look & Feel the Easy Way
• Send your name on the Glory Satellite
• Windows Home Server Add-In: WHS Outlook Beta 2
• Nero Liquid TV: TiVo for your PC
• Why Windows Home Server Does Not Use RAID
• Stupid Geek Tricks: Shrink the XP Volume Control
• A New Resource about Windows Update is Available
• The Countdown has begun to the billionth tweet
• Custom Themes for your Micro Blog
• Ford ‘MyKey’ to limit teens’ speed,
• Windows Home Server Add-In: My Movies for Windows Home Server v1.0.0.3
• Flight 4 Launch Update
• What really happens when you shutdown Windows?
• Windows Home Server Add-In Update: TiVo Publisher for Windows Home Server 1.31
• Xbox Fit
• Windows Desktop Search
• Open Office 3.0: download officially out
• Xbox 360 Experience: discounted hard drives and free memory
• I’m a PC - Messenger Theme Pack
• Microsoft to deliver Windows Vista SP2 before Windows 7
• MSN Groups to Close: Windows Live Groups to begin Nov. 17

And that is my inbox caught up with.  The latest stuff is down here on the bottom.  Enjoy!

I posted a few weeks ago about installing Vista Ultimate x64 Edition on my desktop and how that experience went.  Since that time I have probably booted into Vista x64 less than 10 times and as for spending any amount of time in the OS – almost nothing – zip – zilch – nada.  Now that is certainly not a case of trying to convert to the 64 bit operating system.

Well I have decided today to make that move and really start using the 64 bit version of Vista to see if there is truly a difference in the reliability and use of the system.

I started with all my regular applications that I use and worked to get them installed.

What has worked so far:

• Outlook 2007 (Outlook Connector as well)
• Symantec Anti-Virus Corporate Edition
• Windows Live Messenger
• Windows Live Writer
• Windows Home Server Connector Software
• ActivClient Card Reader Software
• Synctoy 2.0
• Woopra Client
• IE8 Beta 2
• Twhirl (a Twitter client)

I did have an error after installing the most recent ATI/AMD drivers for my x1650 video card (yes I did use the 64 bit version).  Upon booting into the system after the installation Vista would not let the control center run.  I went ahead and just uninstalled the control center itself and left the drivers intact – so far I have not had any other errors.

I also think a power outage caused my computer to enter a strange sleep mode and I could not wake it up with the keyboard or mouse.  I think this is unrelated to X64 itself but I will keep an eye on it and update the blog with anything I discover about that.

So from today forward the default OS for my desktop system is the x64 bit version of Windows Vista Ultimate – hear we go into the wild blue yonder I guess!