Localization:

For those of you tuned in from around the world – welcome. I’m a Kiwi (a person from New Zealand) and this article was written primarily to address NZ Windows Media Center users lack of access to the Electronic Program Guide from Sky Broadcasting.

Having said that, there are topics covered herein that could well be of use to others beyond the borders of New Zealand. Our primary tool in this article is “Big Screen EPG” that’s now being used by many people around the world to push the contents of an XMLTV file (the EPG information) into the Windows Media Center database. If this sort of thing is of interest to you, please read on.

Did you miss the previous posts in this series?

• Big Screen EPG Puts the “E” in Electronic Program Guide [Part 1 of 3]
• Big Screen EPG Puts the “E” in Electronic Program Guide [Part 2 of 3]

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You’ll recall from New and Improved EPG that Big Screen has just released a final (not a beta) version of their Big Screen EPG program that grabs program guides from the internet, prepares them, and loads their data into Windows Media Center’s Program Guide to use in conjunction with the WMC Live TV function. We ran through a basic setup of the program in part I, in part II we’ll cover the setup process in more detail, examining the options and perhaps arriving at a transparent process that will provide you with the best EPG for the New Zealand broadcast area.

Did you miss the previous post in this series?

• Big Screen EPG Puts the “E” in Electronic Program Guide [Part 1 of 3]

Read the rest of this entry »

Getting attacked by virus and Trojans in itself is an annoying experience. And if you’ve been so lucky as to get one of those intruders that delete or turn off Windows features… I feel your pain. Even when the virus or Trojan are removed, users are still facing the possibility of spending many hours going through the registry and other tools to get everything back up and working. Most users would be forced to re-install Windows at this point.

Another solution might be this one:

Re-Enable v.2

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Windows Guides’ Rating	Compatible with	System
4 out of 5

PROS: Provides comprehensive information on the components, software, and changes on your PC. CONS: The interface is a little ugly and the information isn’t helpful for casual users. VERDICT: Use this if a knowledgeable friend is helping you fix your PC or if you want to know and keep tabs on what’s going on with your PC. PRICE: Free VERSION REVIEWED: v2 DOWNLOAD: LookInMyPC

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Windows Guides’ Rating	Compatible with	System
5 out of 5	[ratings id=8250]

Some of you already guessed it, I know. If you didn’t see the review on JV16 PowerTools 2010 you might want to do so now. jv16 PowerTools is the ultimate Windows optimization and tune-up utility suite, and by far the best tool I have every put to the test.

Now, Macecraft (the geniuses behind JV16 Powertools) are about to give you the opportunity to get your own copy – free to keep. All you have to do is entering this giveaway competition and you might just be one of the lucky 10 winners.

Competition runs for an entire week, so make sure you tell everyone you know to enter.

On to the Competition

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Batch-Files are small yet powerful tools that you can create to easy your daily chores. Back in the day when Windows was glass covered holes for letting air and light into your house, Batch scripting was an essential and every day tasks. Today, most people don’t even know it exists.

This time we’ll explore how to create a multiple choice menu that can trigger files, website and functions.

Create a multiple choice menu in a batch-file

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