If you have a microphone and a desire to speak to your computer and tell it what to do, this guide is for you. In this guide, you’ll learn how to calibrate Windows Speech Recognition and where to learn how to use it.

(...)
Read the rest of Use Speech Recognition in Vista [How To]

Windows 7 – The Pocket Guide v0.2.2 is now released and ready for download. Preview the book here.

Download Windows 7 – The Pocket Guide (v0.2.2) (Free Newsletter signup required.) Direct Link for newsletter subscribers

What’s New?

Here is a subset of what is new with the latest release:

Document Improvements

I’ve made the following improvements:

• Document inconsistencies fixed.
• Grammar check and update.
• Updated guide on improving external hard drive performance.
• Guides ready for translation.

Meet the Translators

Earlier this week, I asked for volunteers to help with translation. 28 35 people responded and are currently working on version 0.2.2 to translate it into 18 24 different languages. These translators will receive a byline in the credits section of both their translation and the English-language edition of the book. The translators are:

• Waldo A (Afrikaans)
• Nesrine R (Arabic)
• Omar Z (Arabic)
• Marce D (Czech)
• Mike F (Dutch)
• Mobidoy (French)
• Adrien (French)
• Uta R (German)
• Alon (Hebrew)
• Anindya S (Hindi)
• Sunil S (Hindi)
• Untung (Indonesian)
• FSoft (Italian)
• Shivam M (Kannada)
• Darko S (Macedonian)
• Xander (Norwegian)
• Armin I (Persian)
• Jolanta S (Polish)
• Angelo Moretto (Portuguese)
• Guilherme V (Portuguese)
• Gustavo B (Portuguese)
• Keith J (Portuguese)
• Radu M (Romanian)
• bojkohb (Slovenian)
• James K (Spanish)
• Dina V (Spanish)
• Juan C (Spanish)
• Jose P (Spanish)
• Felipe G (Spanish)
• Gerd von A (Spanish)
• Andreas R (Swedish)
• Elayathambi T (Tamil)
• KiT (Thai)
• cubes (Traditional Chinese)
• Triết Học Nguyễn (Vietnamese)

Thank you so much for all volunteering! It’s not too late to offer help in translating, email me for details.

Download Windows 7 – The Pocket Guide (v0.2.2) (Free Newsletter signup required.) Direct Link for newsletter subscribers

Further Reading

• Download Free Vista/XP Virtual Desktops PowerToy
• XP Image Resizer Powertoy Edits Image Size from Right Click Context Menu
• Windows 7 – The Pocket Guide v0.2.1 Released
• Free Extended Task Manager [Featured Download]
• ESET Smart Security 4.0 [Security Software]

Windows 7 – The Pocket Guide v0.2.1 is now released and ready for download. Preview the book here.

Download Windows 7 – The Pocket Guide (Free Newsletter signup required.) Direct Link for newsletter subscribers

What’s New?

Here is a subset of what is new with the latest release:

New Guides:

New guides on the following topic are now included in the book:

• Virtual XP Mode.
• Web Browsing Ad Blocking.
• Search Index.
• Remove Shortcut Overlay Icons.
• Version Comparison and Purchase Links.
• Easy Transfer.
• Anti-spyware Software.
• Firewall Software.
• Install Windows 7 as a Virtual Machine.
• Create a System Restore Point.
• Burn CD/DVD/Bluray Media.
• Burn ISO Images to Disc.
• Boot Comptuer from DVD.
• More…

Document Improvements

I’ve made the following improvements:

• All images and instructions compliant with Windows 7 RTM.
• Improved image captioning.
• Cross referenced guides.
• Appendices for common tasks.
• Better, more detailed version history.
• Acknowledgements and credits.
• Updated style conventions.
• New cover page.
• More detailed contents page.

Download Windows 7 – The Pocket Guide (Free Newsletter signup required.) Direct Link for newsletter subscribers

Further Reading

• ESET Smart Security 4.0 [Security Software]
• Best Windows Freebies and Guides 18 [September 2009]
• Radar Sync Keeps Your Software and Drivers Updated
• IObit Security 360: Complete PC Tool-Suite for 2009 [Reader Review]
• Free Matrix Desktop Screensaver [Featured Download]

Windows Free Extended Task Manager provides additional Windows process management features and information about disk activity and network port usage. If you are a geek, who likes to know everything about your computer, this program is a must.

Extended Task Manager features

• Displays disk input/output activity with information about related applications
• Displays network port activity with IP addresses of external computers
• Displays information about applications that utilized most of the CPU or memory at any time presented on the charts
• Displays all files locked by a select process
• Finds all processes locking a specified file
• Includes “Summary” tab for quickly assessing the overall state of the Windows system
• Allows freezing individual Windows processes
• Offer various visual and functional improvements over the standard Windows Task Manager

Free Extended Task Manager

Further Reading

• ESET Smart Security 4.0 [Security Software]
• Zip Tools: The Best Alternatives to WinZip and WinRar
• Resize Pictures and Photos with Paint.NET
• Free Mac/Windows/Linux Icon Packs [Set 15] PNG/ICO
• Best Windows Freebies and Guides 18 [September 2009]

ESET Smart Security is, arguably, the best virus detection Software available for PCs. I don’t like to review paid software on Windows guides because this site is all about free stuff; I save the paid software for Windows Forums. However, the reason I am reviewing ESET Smart Security 4.0 is twofold: this program is simply excellent and worth every penny and because I’m giving away six fully licensed copies, in conjunction with ESET, in a competition that starts on Sunday, April 26, 2009.

In this review, I will explain the basic functionality of the software and show why I think it is such an excellent antivirus solution.

(...)
Read the rest of ESET Smart Security 4.0 [Security Software]

If you’re making changes to your system and using programs such as CCleaner or Advanced SystemCare, you should always make a restore point before. There is the argument that by creating a restore point you take up almost all the space you are freeing up of these programs. This is true; however, cleaning your system can improve performance significantly and is good practice when using your PC.

(...)
Read the rest of Create a System Restore Point in Vista [How To]

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]]> http://js-kit.com/rss/mintywhite.com/p=2530 9 http://mintywhite.com/software-reviews/maintenance-software/ccleaner-cleans-your-pc-so-it-runs-like-new/ http://mintywhite.com/software-reviews/maintenance-software/ccleaner-cleans-your-pc-so-it-runs-like-new/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:50:04 +0000 Rich http://mintywhite.com/tech/?p=2529

Windows 7 Media Center Customization Handbook | Get FREE books (Password: ilikefree)

Windows 7 Media Center Customization Handbook | Get FREE books (Password: ilikefree) I previously covered CCleaner when I first started this website. I still think this is a great tool and the in lieu of writing about Advanced SystemCare this evening, I felt it would be good to remind readers of or introduce them to CCleaner. [...]]]>

Windows 7 Media Center Customization Handbook | Get FREE books (Password: ilikefree)

I previously covered CCleaner when I first started this website. I still think this is a great tool and the in lieu of writing about Advanced SystemCare this evening, I felt it would be good to remind readers of or introduce them to CCleaner. CCleaner’s purpose is to clean your computer of temporary files, junk files, and invalid file references. CCleaner is highly recommended by Windows Forums members and I suggest, after making a system restore point, that’s you tried this program out to see just how much you can improve your PC.

(...)
Read the rest of CCleaner Cleans Your PC so it Runs Like New

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]]> http://js-kit.com/rss/mintywhite.com/p=2529 3 http://mintywhite.com/windows-7/7maintenance/speed-up-your-computer-with-advanced-windowscare-3/ http://mintywhite.com/windows-7/7maintenance/speed-up-your-computer-with-advanced-windowscare-3/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:05:12 +0000 Rich http://mintywhite.com/tech/xp/speed-up-your-computer-with-advanced-windowscare-3/

Windows 7 Media Center Customization Handbook | Get FREE books (Password: ilikefree)

Windows 7 Media Center Customization Handbook | Get FREE books (Password: ilikefree) This comprehensive PC-care utility has a one-click approach to helping protect, repair and optimize your PC. Advanced WindowsCare Personal Edition helps protect, optimize, and repair your PC –– with daily use. I have used Advanced Windows Care for over a year now and I [...]]]>

Windows 7 Media Center Customization Handbook | Get FREE books (Password: ilikefree)

This comprehensive PC-care utility has a one-click approach to helping protect, repair and optimize your PC. Advanced WindowsCare Personal Edition helps protect, optimize, and repair your PC –– with daily use. I have used Advanced Windows Care for over a year now and I highly recommend using it. Update April 14, 2009: many Windows Guides readers have expressed how much they like this program and for all you new readers, I thought it would be good for you take a look. I’ve updated the download link, and Advance SystemCare Pro is better than ever. I run this program on all of my computers and couldn’t recommend it more.

(...)
Read the rest of Speed up Your Computer with Advanced SystemCare Free

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]]> http://js-kit.com/rss/mintywhite.com/p=359 5 http://mintywhite.com/software-reviews/maintenance-software/safely-disable-unnecessary-services-in-vista-howto/ http://mintywhite.com/software-reviews/maintenance-software/safely-disable-unnecessary-services-in-vista-howto/#comments Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:00:52 +0000 Rich http://mintywhite.com/tech/?p=1252

Windows 7 Media Center Customization Handbook | Get FREE books (Password: ilikefree)

Windows 7 Media Center Customization Handbook | Get FREE books (Password: ilikefree)You may have heard or read about disabling Windows services to improve performance, but may be unsure of which services to disable. You can try an understand the technical jargon from some websites and manually disable them yourself; however, you may find you make [...]]]>

Windows 7 Media Center Customization Handbook | Get FREE books (Password: ilikefree)

You may have heard or read about disabling Windows services to improve performance, but may be unsure of which services to disable. You can try an understand the technical jargon from some websites and manually disable them yourself; however, you may find you make a mistake and cause problems on your computer. In this guide, you’ll learn how to use Vista Services Optimizer, which safely disables unnecessary services on your computer.

Vista Services Optimizer

Vista Services Optimizer takes the guess work out of disabling services and does the hard work for you. The program has a fairly clean interface which guides you through the features of the program.

Vista Services Optimizer will ask you some questions and determine which services you need and then let you disable the ones you don’t need.

Download Vista Services Optimizer

Further Reading

• Windows 7 – The Pocket Guide v0.2.2 Released
• Create a System Restore Point in Vista [How To]
• Windows 7: Rate and Improve Your Computer’s Performance [How To]
• Easy Ways to Boost PC Performance
• Will Windows 7 be a Worthwhile Upgrade?

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]]> http://js-kit.com/rss/mintywhite.com/p=1252 3 http://mintywhite.com/windows-7/7news/seven-days-with-windows-7-boot-up-and-first-impressions/ http://mintywhite.com/windows-7/7news/seven-days-with-windows-7-boot-up-and-first-impressions/#comments Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:14:37 +0000 Rich http://mintywhite.com/tech/?p=1951

Windows 7 Media Center Customization Handbook | Get FREE books (Password: ilikefree)

Windows 7 Media Center Customization Handbook | Get FREE books (Password: ilikefree) Windows Forums member, MSherwood spent seven days using Windows 7 and nothing else. In this two-part series, he shares his impressions, likes, dislikes, and recommendations for Windows 7. The first part of this series covers his initial impressions and thoughts on Windows 7. Check [...]]]>

Windows 7 Media Center Customization Handbook | Get FREE books (Password: ilikefree)

Windows Forums member, MSherwood spent seven days using Windows 7 and nothing else. In this two-part series, he shares his impressions, likes, dislikes, and recommendations for Windows 7. The first part of this series covers his initial impressions and thoughts on Windows 7. Check back tomorrow for more advice and tips on other aspects of the operating system.

(...)
Read the rest of Seven Days with Windows 7: Boot-Up and First Impressions

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