Soldato
A very useful page to show the meaning of all the startup processes can be found here . Its well worth spending ten minutes to disable the bumph that various software puts there.
Guides, links, useful stuff, Microsoft Licensing info and 64bit FAQ
- Thread starter Orifice
- Start date
- Status
A very useful page to show the meaning of all the startup processes can be found here . Its well worth spending ten minutes to disable the bumph that various software puts there.
Underboss
heres one by "Carter"
(Windows XP)
to remove windows messenger 4.7
start - run
then copy + paste the folowing :
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\inf\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove
i had a problem whn i installed MSN 6 (or any others)
when u load windows MSN loads
then when u load outlook Express Windows Messenger 4.7 kicks in, and closes MSN 6.
the above method gets rid of the old version for u so it wont load when OE loads
(Windows XP)
to remove windows messenger 4.7
start - run
then copy + paste the folowing :
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\inf\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove
i had a problem whn i installed MSN 6 (or any others)
when u load windows MSN loads
then when u load outlook Express Windows Messenger 4.7 kicks in, and closes MSN 6.
the above method gets rid of the old version for u so it wont load when OE loads
Last edited:
Soldato
For a good compression program, try ICEOWS, it will open and create most things (including ZIP and RAR files) and can be nicely integrated into Windows.
Remote access of Windows PCs can be done with Ultr@VNC, it's probably the fastest and most featured of the VNC servers. With a bit of bandwidth (512K ADSL is awesome) you can use a machine as if you were in front of it. Great if you have more PCs than monitors, or you need an simple free alternative to Remote Desktop. You can use the Ultr@VNC client (recommended), or the RealVNC client or any of the others (so can be accessed from MacOS, Linux etc.), and it includes a Java client that can be used from pretty much any machine without installing anything.
Remote access of Windows PCs can be done with Ultr@VNC, it's probably the fastest and most featured of the VNC servers. With a bit of bandwidth (512K ADSL is awesome) you can use a machine as if you were in front of it. Great if you have more PCs than monitors, or you need an simple free alternative to Remote Desktop. You can use the Ultr@VNC client (recommended), or the RealVNC client or any of the others (so can be accessed from MacOS, Linux etc.), and it includes a Java client that can be used from pretty much any machine without installing anything.
Associate
Re: Guides, links, and useful stuff.
Broken link, i think you want this instead:
http://www.thewonderfulicon.com/pages/features.htm
Broken link, i think you want this instead:
http://www.thewonderfulicon.com/pages/features.htm
Soldato
There appears to be a very similar site above in the sticky, but theres a site here which is imo easier to navigate than the one before, which shows all the different processes you see in task manager and what they do Clicky
Hope people find this useful
Hope people find this useful
Soldato
Come get your free Antivirus Software & Zone Alarm Pro !
Im new here so this has probably been done but I think it is a very good deal.
http://www.my-etrust.com/microsoft/index.cfm?
You basically get a FREE subscription to the Computer Associates EZTrust Antivirus Software and Firewall suite (Zonealarm Pro) for 1 year .
The antivirus software is very very good, it has updates daily right now.
Zonealarm Pro is what it is - no explanation needed.
Hope this is useful to you all
Im new here so this has probably been done but I think it is a very good deal.
http://www.my-etrust.com/microsoft/index.cfm?
You basically get a FREE subscription to the Computer Associates EZTrust Antivirus Software and Firewall suite (Zonealarm Pro) for 1 year .
The antivirus software is very very good, it has updates daily right now.
Zonealarm Pro is what it is - no explanation needed.
Hope this is useful to you all
Firefox Hints & Tips
The Firefox browser is becoming more and more popular amongst forum users. So here is a collection of hints, tips and links for users of the browser.
Thanks to
Anarchy, Augemented, Baddass, Ben, Kainz and Sagalout.
Extensions
There are ~ 173 extensions available for Firefox. Here are just a few of the better ones. For a more complete list see here
about:config - Type this into your address bar. Not an extension but a powerful way to tweak your settings.
Adblock - Allows you to block adverts from web pages, while still retaining the correct page format.
It works using URL masks, and uses * as a wildcard so you can get rid of a lot of ads just by blocking:
"*.ad.*" "*.ads.*" "*/ad/*" and "*/ads/*".
Calculator - A simple calculator extension.
Calendar - An iCal compatible Calendar for Firefox. You can download calendars for you favourite sports teams etc from iCal Share
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle United
EditCSS - Allows you to edit any site's CSS file on the fly.
IE View - Adds "View page in Internet Explorer" links to the content menu.
Mouse Gestures - Allows you to assign commands to mouse movements whilst holding down a mouse button.
Mozilla Optimizer - A simple GUI based optimize.
Optimoz - Enables show/hide sidebar automatically.
Quick Note - Adds notepad like functionality to Firefox.
RSS Reader Panel - An extension which allows you to read RSS and ATOM feeds.
Show Failed Url - Displays failed URLs in the URL bar when XUL error pages are enabled. Do do this go to about:config (see above) and then set the value of browser.xul.error_pages.enabled to true
Tabbrowser Extensions - Adds new functionality to the tabbed browsing.
Web Developer Extension - Must have extension for anyone dabbling in web design.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Add Bookmark Ctrl+D
Back Backspace or Alt+Left Arrow
Bookmarks Ctrl+B orCtrl+I
Caret Browsing F7
Close Tab Ctrl+W or Ctrl+F4
Close Window Ctrl+Shift+W or Alt+F4
Complete .com Address Ctrl+Enter
Complete .net Address Shift+Enter
Complete .org Address Ctrl+Shift+Enter
Copy Ctrl+C
Cut Ctrl+X
Decrease Text Size Ctrl+-
Delete Del
Downloads Ctrl+E
Find Again F3 or Ctrl+G
Find As You Type Link '
Find As You Type Text /
Find Previous Shift+F3
Find on page Ctrl+F
Forward Shift+Backspace or Alt+Right Arrow
Full Screen F11
History Ctrl+H
Increase Text Size Ctrl++
Increase Text Size Ctrl++
Move to Next Frame F6
Move to Previous Frame Shift+F6
New Tab Ctrl+T
Next Tab Ctrl+Tab or Ctrl+PageDown
New Window Ctrl+N
Open File Ctrl+O
Open Address in New Tab Alt+Enter
Page Info Ctrl+J
Page Source Ctrl+U
Paste Ctrl+V
Previous Tab Ctrl+Shift+Tab or Ctrl+PageUp
Print Ctrl+P
Redo Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y
Reload F5 or Ctrl+R
Reload (override cache) Ctrl+F5 or Ctrl+Shift+R
Restore Text Size Ctrl+0
Save Page As Ctrl+S
Select All Ctrl+A
Select Location Bar Alt+D or F6 or Ctrl+L
Select Next Search Engine in Search Bar Ctrl+Down
Select Previous Search Engine in Search Bar Ctrl+Up
Select Search Bar Ctrl+K
Select Tab [1 to 9] Ctrl+[1 to 9]
Stop Esc
Undo Ctrl+Z
Mouse Shortcuts
Back Shift+Scroll down
Decrease Text Size Ctrl+Scroll up
Forward Shift+Scroll up
Increase Text Size Ctrl+Scroll down
New Tab Double-Click on Tab Bar
Open in Background Tab Ctrl+Left-click or Middle-click
Open in Foreground Tab Ctrl+Shift+Left-click or Shift+Middle-click
Open in New Window Shift+Left-click
Reload (override cache) Shift+Reload button
Save Page As Alt+Left-click
Scroll line by line Alt+Scroll
Searches
Bookmarks
All the Web
http://www.alltheweb.com/search?cat=web&cs=utf8&q=%s&_sb_lang=pref
Ask Jeeves
http://web.ask.com/web?q=%s&o=0&qsrc=0&askbutton.x=0&askbutton.y=0
BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?q=%s&x=0&y=0&tab=www&go=homepage
Dicitonary.com
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=%s
Hotbot
http://search.hotbot.co.uk/cgi-bin/pursuit?query=%s&cat=hb_loc&enc=utf-8&SITE=uk&command=
IMDb
http://uk.imdb.com/find?tt=on;nm=on;mx=20;q=%s
Google News UK
http://news.google.co.uk/news?hl=en&edition=uk&q=%s&btnG=Search+News
Lycos
http://search.lycos.co.uk/cgi-bin/p...=web&matchmode=and&idx=all&enc=utf-8&x=4&y=13
MSN
http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=%s&FORM=SMCRT
Overture
http://www.overture.com/d/search/?type=home&mkt=uk&Keywords=%s
Slashdot
http://slashdot.org/search.pl?query=%s&op=stories&author=&tid=§ion=&sort=1
Teoma
http://s.teoma.com/search?q=%s&qcat=1&qsrc=0&Search.x=0&Search.y=0&Search=submit
Yahoo!
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%s&sub=Search&fr=fp-top
Vivisimo
http://vivisimo.com/search?query=%s&v:sources=Web&x=0&y=0
Wikipedia
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%s...iso-8859-1&sitesearch=http://en.wikipedia.org
Bookmarking one of these searches
1. - Right-click on the link choose Bookmark This Link.
2. - Go to Bookmarks then Manage bookmarks.
3. - Drag your new bookmark into the Quick searches folder.
4. - Then right-click on your bookmark then click Properties and then give it a Keyword.
5. - Keywords can be as short as one character or they can be longer.
Using your Quick Search
1. - Type your keyword and then your search term in the address bar eg If the keyword is "G" and the search term is "Overclockers UK" then you simply type "G Overclockers UK" (obviously without the quotation marks).
OR
1. - Highlight a word on your currently selected page then right-click on it.
2. - Then go to search for "your selected word" on
3. - Click on one of you Quick Searches to search for the word you have just selected.
Power Searches
Alltheweb - "PowerSearch"
For this search I have chosen to serach only sites from the .org, .edu and .ac.uk domains. This is useful for academic research etc because theoretically it excludes commercial urls.
http://www.alltheweb.com/search?avk...o[y]=2004&size[p]=&size[v]=&size[x]=0&hits=10
Google - "Powersearch"
http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=...inurl:.edu+OR+inurl:.ac.uk&btnG=Google+Search
Quick searches
1. Go to the webpage of your chosen search engine.
2. Search for something eg overclocking.
3. If using google the result would be something like: http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=...&as_qdr=all&q=overclocking&btnG=Google+Search
4. Replace "your search term" with "%s" (without the quotation marks) eg http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&as_qdr=all&q=%s&btnG=Google+Search
5. Copy the modified url
6. Goto Bookmarks-->Manage Bookmarks-->New Bookmark
7. Paste you modified url where it says Location
8. Give you quicksearch a name eg Google
9. Give your quicksearch a keyword, note this can be one character or more. For google search I use "G" (without the quotation marks) Obviously shorter keywords are better.
10. To search on your chosen engine all you need to do is type "Your Keyword + your search term" (without the quotation marks) in the address bar. eg "G overclocking"
You can also bookmark advanced searches using the same technique. Just try a search and replace your search term with %s. Simple!
Subdomains
A number of sites such as Google use subdomains to seperate out different sections eg http://answers.google.com/ and http://labs.google.com/
With Firefox you can quickly go to subdomains by using keywords.
1. - Go to a subdomain of your chosen website eg http://ask.slashdot.org
2. - Go to a different subdomain from the same website eg http://apple.slashdot.org
3. - Notice which part of the url is changing eg it is always http://something.slashdot.org
4. - Bookmark the address and change the URL so that the bit that changes is replaced by %s eg http://%s.slashdot.org
5. - Assign the bookmark a keyword eg my Slashdot keyword is S. To go to http://games.slashdot.org I simply type "S games".
Also available
Mozilla Sunbird - Beta version of a standalone calendar based upon the mozilla engine. Download it here.
Mozilla Thunderbird - An email and newsgroup client for the Mozilla suite. Download it here.
Links
Downloads
Download Firefox
Downlaod Firefox (Beta Version)
Firefox Themes
Firefox Extensions
Help / News
Firefox Help Forums
Official Firefox hints and tips
Introduction to Firefox
Firefox Development News
The Firefox browser is becoming more and more popular amongst forum users. So here is a collection of hints, tips and links for users of the browser.
Thanks to
Anarchy, Augemented, Baddass, Ben, Kainz and Sagalout.
Extensions
There are ~ 173 extensions available for Firefox. Here are just a few of the better ones. For a more complete list see here
about:config - Type this into your address bar. Not an extension but a powerful way to tweak your settings.
Adblock - Allows you to block adverts from web pages, while still retaining the correct page format.
It works using URL masks, and uses * as a wildcard so you can get rid of a lot of ads just by blocking:
"*.ad.*" "*.ads.*" "*/ad/*" and "*/ads/*".
Calculator - A simple calculator extension.
Calendar - An iCal compatible Calendar for Firefox. You can download calendars for you favourite sports teams etc from iCal Share
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle United
EditCSS - Allows you to edit any site's CSS file on the fly.
IE View - Adds "View page in Internet Explorer" links to the content menu.
Mouse Gestures - Allows you to assign commands to mouse movements whilst holding down a mouse button.
Mozilla Optimizer - A simple GUI based optimize.
Optimoz - Enables show/hide sidebar automatically.
Quick Note - Adds notepad like functionality to Firefox.
RSS Reader Panel - An extension which allows you to read RSS and ATOM feeds.
Show Failed Url - Displays failed URLs in the URL bar when XUL error pages are enabled. Do do this go to about:config (see above) and then set the value of browser.xul.error_pages.enabled to true
Tabbrowser Extensions - Adds new functionality to the tabbed browsing.
Web Developer Extension - Must have extension for anyone dabbling in web design.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Add Bookmark Ctrl+D
Back Backspace or Alt+Left Arrow
Bookmarks Ctrl+B orCtrl+I
Caret Browsing F7
Close Tab Ctrl+W or Ctrl+F4
Close Window Ctrl+Shift+W or Alt+F4
Complete .com Address Ctrl+Enter
Complete .net Address Shift+Enter
Complete .org Address Ctrl+Shift+Enter
Copy Ctrl+C
Cut Ctrl+X
Decrease Text Size Ctrl+-
Delete Del
Downloads Ctrl+E
Find Again F3 or Ctrl+G
Find As You Type Link '
Find As You Type Text /
Find Previous Shift+F3
Find on page Ctrl+F
Forward Shift+Backspace or Alt+Right Arrow
Full Screen F11
History Ctrl+H
Increase Text Size Ctrl++
Increase Text Size Ctrl++
Move to Next Frame F6
Move to Previous Frame Shift+F6
New Tab Ctrl+T
Next Tab Ctrl+Tab or Ctrl+PageDown
New Window Ctrl+N
Open File Ctrl+O
Open Address in New Tab Alt+Enter
Page Info Ctrl+J
Page Source Ctrl+U
Paste Ctrl+V
Previous Tab Ctrl+Shift+Tab or Ctrl+PageUp
Print Ctrl+P
Redo Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y
Reload F5 or Ctrl+R
Reload (override cache) Ctrl+F5 or Ctrl+Shift+R
Restore Text Size Ctrl+0
Save Page As Ctrl+S
Select All Ctrl+A
Select Location Bar Alt+D or F6 or Ctrl+L
Select Next Search Engine in Search Bar Ctrl+Down
Select Previous Search Engine in Search Bar Ctrl+Up
Select Search Bar Ctrl+K
Select Tab [1 to 9] Ctrl+[1 to 9]
Stop Esc
Undo Ctrl+Z
Mouse Shortcuts
Back Shift+Scroll down
Decrease Text Size Ctrl+Scroll up
Forward Shift+Scroll up
Increase Text Size Ctrl+Scroll down
New Tab Double-Click on Tab Bar
Open in Background Tab Ctrl+Left-click or Middle-click
Open in Foreground Tab Ctrl+Shift+Left-click or Shift+Middle-click
Open in New Window Shift+Left-click
Reload (override cache) Shift+Reload button
Save Page As Alt+Left-click
Scroll line by line Alt+Scroll
Searches
Bookmarks
All the Web
http://www.alltheweb.com/search?cat=web&cs=utf8&q=%s&_sb_lang=pref
Ask Jeeves
http://web.ask.com/web?q=%s&o=0&qsrc=0&askbutton.x=0&askbutton.y=0
BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?q=%s&x=0&y=0&tab=www&go=homepage
Dicitonary.com
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=%s
Hotbot
http://search.hotbot.co.uk/cgi-bin/pursuit?query=%s&cat=hb_loc&enc=utf-8&SITE=uk&command=
IMDb
http://uk.imdb.com/find?tt=on;nm=on;mx=20;q=%s
Google News UK
http://news.google.co.uk/news?hl=en&edition=uk&q=%s&btnG=Search+News
Lycos
http://search.lycos.co.uk/cgi-bin/p...=web&matchmode=and&idx=all&enc=utf-8&x=4&y=13
MSN
http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=%s&FORM=SMCRT
Overture
http://www.overture.com/d/search/?type=home&mkt=uk&Keywords=%s
Slashdot
http://slashdot.org/search.pl?query=%s&op=stories&author=&tid=§ion=&sort=1
Teoma
http://s.teoma.com/search?q=%s&qcat=1&qsrc=0&Search.x=0&Search.y=0&Search=submit
Yahoo!
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%s&sub=Search&fr=fp-top
Vivisimo
http://vivisimo.com/search?query=%s&v:sources=Web&x=0&y=0
Wikipedia
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%s...iso-8859-1&sitesearch=http://en.wikipedia.org
Bookmarking one of these searches
1. - Right-click on the link choose Bookmark This Link.
2. - Go to Bookmarks then Manage bookmarks.
3. - Drag your new bookmark into the Quick searches folder.
4. - Then right-click on your bookmark then click Properties and then give it a Keyword.
5. - Keywords can be as short as one character or they can be longer.
Using your Quick Search
1. - Type your keyword and then your search term in the address bar eg If the keyword is "G" and the search term is "Overclockers UK" then you simply type "G Overclockers UK" (obviously without the quotation marks).
OR
1. - Highlight a word on your currently selected page then right-click on it.
2. - Then go to search for "your selected word" on
3. - Click on one of you Quick Searches to search for the word you have just selected.
Power Searches
Alltheweb - "PowerSearch"
For this search I have chosen to serach only sites from the .org, .edu and .ac.uk domains. This is useful for academic research etc because theoretically it excludes commercial urls.
http://www.alltheweb.com/search?avk...o[y]=2004&size[p]=&size[v]=&size[x]=0&hits=10
Google - "Powersearch"
http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=...inurl:.edu+OR+inurl:.ac.uk&btnG=Google+Search
Quick searches
1. Go to the webpage of your chosen search engine.
2. Search for something eg overclocking.
3. If using google the result would be something like: http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=...&as_qdr=all&q=overclocking&btnG=Google+Search
4. Replace "your search term" with "%s" (without the quotation marks) eg http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&as_qdr=all&q=%s&btnG=Google+Search
5. Copy the modified url
6. Goto Bookmarks-->Manage Bookmarks-->New Bookmark
7. Paste you modified url where it says Location
8. Give you quicksearch a name eg Google
9. Give your quicksearch a keyword, note this can be one character or more. For google search I use "G" (without the quotation marks) Obviously shorter keywords are better.
10. To search on your chosen engine all you need to do is type "Your Keyword + your search term" (without the quotation marks) in the address bar. eg "G overclocking"
You can also bookmark advanced searches using the same technique. Just try a search and replace your search term with %s. Simple!
Subdomains
A number of sites such as Google use subdomains to seperate out different sections eg http://answers.google.com/ and http://labs.google.com/
With Firefox you can quickly go to subdomains by using keywords.
1. - Go to a subdomain of your chosen website eg http://ask.slashdot.org
2. - Go to a different subdomain from the same website eg http://apple.slashdot.org
3. - Notice which part of the url is changing eg it is always http://something.slashdot.org
4. - Bookmark the address and change the URL so that the bit that changes is replaced by %s eg http://%s.slashdot.org
5. - Assign the bookmark a keyword eg my Slashdot keyword is S. To go to http://games.slashdot.org I simply type "S games".
Also available
Mozilla Sunbird - Beta version of a standalone calendar based upon the mozilla engine. Download it here.
Mozilla Thunderbird - An email and newsgroup client for the Mozilla suite. Download it here.
Links
Downloads
Download Firefox
Downlaod Firefox (Beta Version)
Firefox Themes
Firefox Extensions
Help / News
Firefox Help Forums
Official Firefox hints and tips
Introduction to Firefox
Firefox Development News
Associate
- Joined
- 22 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 139
cool - great list of links - very useful -= only just found em!
Associate
dont know if anyone has spotted this but this thread has been ripped off and taken credit for on another forum i happened to see
take that as a compliment or an insult i guess
i know i am not supposed to post links to other forums, so if Orifice or any other mods see this (not anyone that just fancies a look
) mail me
take that as a compliment or an insult i guess
i know i am not supposed to post links to other forums, so if Orifice or any other mods see this (not anyone that just fancies a look
) mail me
Mort mate, why not just e-mail one of the dons via [email protected]
FANTASTIC post, used this so many times I can't count, never got round to posting conga-rats on a job well done.
Ant
FANTASTIC post, used this so many times I can't count, never got round to posting conga-rats on a job well done.
Ant
Soldato
If your dvd/cd drive isnt autoplaying, download TweakUI and that should sort out the problem.
Soldato
For amazing themes and the Windows theme patcher (patches your theme dll file so no need for after market theme programs) head on over to www.neowin.net
Associate
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 2,240
The Windows XP x64 Edition FAQ
In another effort to stem the influx of repeated 64bit related threads, I have compiled a FAQ from the questions asked in here. Please feel free to comment on the content, or suggest additions.
We also have a thread in the archive here, which has some great links for downloads/drivers related to x64.
What is it?
The x64 editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 are versions of the operating system that support x64 extensions to the x86 architecture. The "64-bit" designation refers to many aspects of the architecture: the width of the general purpose registers; the widest integer and logical operations supported by the processor; the size of values pushed and popped from the stack; and the width of the pointer data type, or virtual addresses.
Do I need it?
If you have to ask this question, then the answer is probably no. As far as gaming is concerned, there is no compelling reason to swicth to x64 from a performance point of view. You shouldn't experience any compatability issues with your 'old', 32bit games, but that doesn't mean you wont, and there's certainly no performance gain to justify the move. Specific applications that can benefit from the 64bit extensions provide a stronger appeal for those that use them. If you rely on virtualisation software, or program compilers for instance, there are applications out there which will directly benefit from a native 64bit environment - and in theory run faster.
This isn't to say that, if you dont use any of these applications, you couldn't see any benefit from the x64 editions, if you have a suitable setup. Systems with 2gb of memory plus, or SMP (multi-processor/core) systems for instance could see a noticeable benefit by running x64 - however it isn't a black and white decision. The first hurdle you need to overcome is finding drivers for all your hardware, which might not be as easy as you'd hope. Drivers for x64 are gaining in number as the weeks go by, so check out the links in our archived x64 thread to see if you can turn one up.
The other thing to consider, is that compared to the 32bit versions of Windows, x64 is very much a product in its infancy, and there is a significantly smaller amount of information available on the internet, possibly making it harder to find support if you need it. This is much more of a concern with third party applications, rather than the OS itself. If you're running some 32bit software on x64 and stumble across a bug - it's unlikely you'll get support from the developers if they dont officially support the platform.
Many people (myself included) report very few, if any problems when it comes to 32bit emulation, but it's still a chance you take.
What does it require?
A 64bit processor from AMD or Intel - These are the Athlon 64 processors from AMD, and the EM64T processors from Intel. You'll also want hardware from vendors that support the 64bit architecture.
Can I just upgrade to x64?
Unfortunately not, moving to x64 requires a fresh install. The same is true of the reverse (reverting to 32bit Windows from x64).
Can I dual boot?
You certainly can, many people go down this route first while they try all their drivers and software. General multi-boot information can be found in the sticky.
Can I run my old, 32bit programs?
x64 does indeed support 32bit software emulation, and it's very good. Rarely do people report problems running their 'old' software, and the few problems that are reported can often be solved with a quick update. There are, of course, occasional exceptions to this. It's rare, but some bits of software (often small freeware apps), or features within them, simply wont work. A good compatability guide can be found over at 3dvelocity here.
Processes running in 32bit emulation mode are highlighted in task manager by '*32' at the end of the process name.
What firewall/antivirus can I run on x64?
Both products come with Windows Firewall as standard, and it works very well, but if you need outbound program control (something which wont be apart of Windows Firewall until Vista), then you need to look at one of the
following alternatives. Credit to Xee for the info:
As for antivirus, a credible free option available is Avast! - a personal favourite of mine. If you dont mind paying a little money, then NOD32 is sited on this here forum as one of the best packages available. I believe the x64 support is still in beta, however.
I cant find a driver for 'x' device, what do I do now?
Not a lot unfortunately. 64bit drivers are absolutely required running x64, and if there are none available for your hardware device, then it just cant be used. Email the manufacturer and ask the question, and check around the links in our archived threads for news from them.
Sources
Wikipedia
Microsoft.com
These hyah forums
Me.
In another effort to stem the influx of repeated 64bit related threads, I have compiled a FAQ from the questions asked in here. Please feel free to comment on the content, or suggest additions.
We also have a thread in the archive here, which has some great links for downloads/drivers related to x64.
What is it?
The x64 editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 are versions of the operating system that support x64 extensions to the x86 architecture. The "64-bit" designation refers to many aspects of the architecture: the width of the general purpose registers; the widest integer and logical operations supported by the processor; the size of values pushed and popped from the stack; and the width of the pointer data type, or virtual addresses.
Do I need it?
If you have to ask this question, then the answer is probably no. As far as gaming is concerned, there is no compelling reason to swicth to x64 from a performance point of view. You shouldn't experience any compatability issues with your 'old', 32bit games, but that doesn't mean you wont, and there's certainly no performance gain to justify the move. Specific applications that can benefit from the 64bit extensions provide a stronger appeal for those that use them. If you rely on virtualisation software, or program compilers for instance, there are applications out there which will directly benefit from a native 64bit environment - and in theory run faster.
This isn't to say that, if you dont use any of these applications, you couldn't see any benefit from the x64 editions, if you have a suitable setup. Systems with 2gb of memory plus, or SMP (multi-processor/core) systems for instance could see a noticeable benefit by running x64 - however it isn't a black and white decision. The first hurdle you need to overcome is finding drivers for all your hardware, which might not be as easy as you'd hope. Drivers for x64 are gaining in number as the weeks go by, so check out the links in our archived x64 thread to see if you can turn one up.
The other thing to consider, is that compared to the 32bit versions of Windows, x64 is very much a product in its infancy, and there is a significantly smaller amount of information available on the internet, possibly making it harder to find support if you need it. This is much more of a concern with third party applications, rather than the OS itself. If you're running some 32bit software on x64 and stumble across a bug - it's unlikely you'll get support from the developers if they dont officially support the platform.
Many people (myself included) report very few, if any problems when it comes to 32bit emulation, but it's still a chance you take.
What does it require?
A 64bit processor from AMD or Intel - These are the Athlon 64 processors from AMD, and the EM64T processors from Intel. You'll also want hardware from vendors that support the 64bit architecture.
Can I just upgrade to x64?
Unfortunately not, moving to x64 requires a fresh install. The same is true of the reverse (reverting to 32bit Windows from x64).
Can I dual boot?
You certainly can, many people go down this route first while they try all their drivers and software. General multi-boot information can be found in the sticky.
Can I run my old, 32bit programs?
x64 does indeed support 32bit software emulation, and it's very good. Rarely do people report problems running their 'old' software, and the few problems that are reported can often be solved with a quick update. There are, of course, occasional exceptions to this. It's rare, but some bits of software (often small freeware apps), or features within them, simply wont work. A good compatability guide can be found over at 3dvelocity here.
Processes running in 32bit emulation mode are highlighted in task manager by '*32' at the end of the process name.
What firewall/antivirus can I run on x64?
Both products come with Windows Firewall as standard, and it works very well, but if you need outbound program control (something which wont be apart of Windows Firewall until Vista), then you need to look at one of the
following alternatives. Credit to Xee for the info:
Xee said:
As for antivirus, a credible free option available is Avast! - a personal favourite of mine. If you dont mind paying a little money, then NOD32 is sited on this here forum as one of the best packages available. I believe the x64 support is still in beta, however.
I cant find a driver for 'x' device, what do I do now?
Not a lot unfortunately. 64bit drivers are absolutely required running x64, and if there are none available for your hardware device, then it just cant be used. Email the manufacturer and ask the question, and check around the links in our archived threads for news from them.
Sources
Wikipedia
Microsoft.com
These hyah forums
Me.
ZoneAlarm is available as an open free beta on WindowsXP 64bit:
http://download.zonelabs.com/bin/free/beta/index.html
http://download.zonelabs.com/bin/free/beta/index.html
Man of Honour
Windows Licensing Info now including Vista!
What are the differences between XP home and XP Professional?
Windows XP Professional is geared to a business environment whilst Home is as you’d imagine, built for the standard home user. Professional edition can do everything that home can do and more. But it's worth remembering that they use the same kernal and therefore, are at heart, the same OS. Windows Professional's main advantage is its ability to integrate into a Windows domain, allowing the computer to get group policies from the domain as well as remote software deployment and roaming profiles. Professional can also use offline file access and remote desktop. Apart from the networking accessibility, Professional also supports up to two physical processors, where as Home only supports uni-processor systems. Professional Edition also supports NTFS encryption which may be needed for people who keep confidential files on their computer. In most situations Home Edition is sufficient for most applications in the home and small office and is cheaper then Professional Edition.
What are the differences between Windows XP and Windows Media Center Edition 2005?Designed to become the central digital media hub in any entrainment system, Windows Media Center 2005 brings new features to the operating system such as: HD TV Tuner Support, Dual TV Tuner Support, Enhanced DVD-Burner / DVD Writer Support including Direct to DVD Recording, Caller ID (Screen Pop) support which aren’t included in XP as standard. Another key feature is remote control support, so that you can have a customisable remote interface. Windows MCE is a superset of XP with only one exception. As with Windows Home Edition, a MCE system cannot be a member of a Windows Domain and therefore isn’t usually suitable for an office environment. Windows MCE is only available as an OEM edition, which means you do not get the flexibility of a retail license. It also means that as you are technically a System Builder and must adhere to the OEM System Builder License as well as the MCE EULA (if it’s your system). It also means there is no upgrade variety of MCE. With the fact that if you purchase MCE with the intention to install it on your machine and therefore a ‘System Builder’ kept in mind; you need to realise a key drawback: there is no end user support from either the reseller or Microsoft, other than what they have on their website.
What are the differences between all the versions of Vista?
There are foureditions of Vista aimed at the consumer retail market. These are Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate. They are aimed at different segments of the market and have different features and functionality included. As per XP, all editions are fundamentally the same OS as they have the same kernel, although they have different features. A full comparison table is available from Microsoft on this link: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choose.mspx
Some of the key differences to note are:
Edition 32bit 64bit
Windows Vista Ultimate 4 GB 128 GB
Windows Vista Enterprise 4 GB 128 GB
Windows Vista Business 4 GB 128 GB
Windows Vista Home Premium 4 GB 16 GB
Windows Vista Home Basic 4 GB 8 GB I have an original disc, so I have a legal version of the software, right? Wrong. When purchasing software there is a key concept to understand: you are purchasing the right to use the software under the terms of the End User Licence Agreement (EULA). Even though you may be able to install a product and activate it, it still may be unlicensed. Also, if you break the terms of the EULA, your license is usually revoked. Also, some software EULAs may allow you to use a backup copy of the software from somebody else as long as you are properly licensed; just because you have a copied disc doesn’t necessarily mean that you are using illegal software.
What is the Windows Activation Process and how does it affect the licence?
Activation is mandatory for all versions of Vista. Activation is a process in where a hardware signature is sent to MS to prevent software piracy. On OEM versions, if the hardware hash is substantially different (a motherboard has been replaced for example), MS shouldn’t allow activation unless you have a sufficient reason, such as a warranty replacement. It is important to note that just because you have activated does NOT mean that you are fully licensed and legal.
There are three ways that you can be assigned a product key:
· OEM
· Retail
· Volume Licensing Agreements
From these vendors, there are several types of license key.
OEMs can distribute two types of keys. Small OEMs will distribute keys that will need to be inputted on installation and are probably the most common type available. However, some larger OEMs preinstall or have recovery media that needs to be activated. They do this by using SLPs which the end user has no access to.
Retail editions have a licence key that acts very similarly to the standard OEM keys.
Windows XP VLA edition did not have mandatory activation. This has changed in Vista. All VLA purchases are now subject to Volume Activation 2.0. There are three types of key in this category: MAK (Multiple Activation Key), KMS (Key Management Service) and MDSN keys.
When you install Windows you have a grace period to activate your product. This is NOT a trial period and to install and use the product you must be licenced.
I can activate Windows; therefore I have a legal Windows installation, right?
No. Windows Product Activation is purely a technological means to prevent unlicensed software. It is possible for Microsoft to allow you to activate even though you are not licensed. For example you have changed a motherboard for performance upgrades rather then under a warranty claim.
Should I install the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows?
There is a debate as to whether 32 or 64bit software is better, especially if you run a 64bit capable platform. To run a 32bit program on a 64bit version of Windows hardware emulation needs to be performed in the form of WOW64 instructions. However, it does not have the hit on performance that emulation historically has.
NathanE explains:
One of the problems that has plagued Vista on release is the patchy support from other hardware manufactures in the form of device drivers. However, this isn’t really a deciding factor on whether to choose which edition as all drivers that are certified by MS (WHQL) must have both types of drivers. Even if they aren’t WHQL certified, vendors generally develop for both platforms.
A benchmark test performed by FatRakoon (http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=8490298&postcount=61) has shown that the differences in performance are very slim at best and so there is no reason not to use the 64bit version if your platform supports it.
Otacon has written an FAQ regarding Windows XP 64 which still seems applicable: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/sh...01&postcount=36
What are the differences between OEM and Retail editions?
With an OEM edition of Windows there are certain restrictions in the EULA which differentiate it from the full retail version. Firstly, the OEM license is said to be ‘non-transferable’. This means that once the license has been attached to a particular PC, it cannot be moved to another, even if the OS has completely been removed from the first computer. The full retail version is slightly different. With the retail edition you are granted one concurrent license. This means that you can move the OS from one machine to another as long as you remove it from the first machine. It also means that you can change the hardware within the computer without it affecting the license validity. Also, with the retail license you are entitled to free technical support from Microsoft. The OEM edition has support provided by the OEM itself and support may not be complete or free.
Vista OEM can be 'cross-graded' between 32 and 64 bit without the need for a new license.
The retail editions only include the 32 bit DVD. To procure a 64bit DVD you must purchase the media from MS. The Cost including shipping is around £7. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/1033/ordermedia/default.mspx
What components can I change in my system before I invalidate the OEM License?
There is a general consensus that the OEM license is paired with the motherboard. You can generally change any other component bar the case where the COA is attached. If you change the case, and the COA isn't physically attached, this breaks the terms of the EULA. Also, if you do buy a new OEM license, but don't attach the COA, the same applies, you are not licensed. If you change a significant amount of hardware you may be asked to reactivate, but this doesn’t mean that you are necessarily unlicensed. However, you can change the motherboard under a warranty claim if the motherboard was faulty. A warranty claim is defined as replacement of the original board from the company that your purchased it from, under a warranty scheme. You cannot simply buy yourself another board if there was a problem with your existing motherboard and still be fully licensed. If you are simply upgrading for feature or performance enhancements, you would need a new OS license.
Revision 2.0.2 Now Vista Updated! Revised 23/09/2007
What are the differences between XP home and XP Professional?
Windows XP Professional is geared to a business environment whilst Home is as you’d imagine, built for the standard home user. Professional edition can do everything that home can do and more. But it's worth remembering that they use the same kernal and therefore, are at heart, the same OS. Windows Professional's main advantage is its ability to integrate into a Windows domain, allowing the computer to get group policies from the domain as well as remote software deployment and roaming profiles. Professional can also use offline file access and remote desktop. Apart from the networking accessibility, Professional also supports up to two physical processors, where as Home only supports uni-processor systems. Professional Edition also supports NTFS encryption which may be needed for people who keep confidential files on their computer. In most situations Home Edition is sufficient for most applications in the home and small office and is cheaper then Professional Edition.
What are the differences between Windows XP and Windows Media Center Edition 2005?Designed to become the central digital media hub in any entrainment system, Windows Media Center 2005 brings new features to the operating system such as: HD TV Tuner Support, Dual TV Tuner Support, Enhanced DVD-Burner / DVD Writer Support including Direct to DVD Recording, Caller ID (Screen Pop) support which aren’t included in XP as standard. Another key feature is remote control support, so that you can have a customisable remote interface. Windows MCE is a superset of XP with only one exception. As with Windows Home Edition, a MCE system cannot be a member of a Windows Domain and therefore isn’t usually suitable for an office environment. Windows MCE is only available as an OEM edition, which means you do not get the flexibility of a retail license. It also means that as you are technically a System Builder and must adhere to the OEM System Builder License as well as the MCE EULA (if it’s your system). It also means there is no upgrade variety of MCE. With the fact that if you purchase MCE with the intention to install it on your machine and therefore a ‘System Builder’ kept in mind; you need to realise a key drawback: there is no end user support from either the reseller or Microsoft, other than what they have on their website.
What are the differences between all the versions of Vista?
There are foureditions of Vista aimed at the consumer retail market. These are Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate. They are aimed at different segments of the market and have different features and functionality included. As per XP, all editions are fundamentally the same OS as they have the same kernel, although they have different features. A full comparison table is available from Microsoft on this link: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choose.mspx
Some of the key differences to note are:
- · Home Basic does NOT include the flip 3D and Aero interface.
- · Ultimate includes DreamScene, a full motion background wallpaper.
- · Vista Home editions do not allow hosting of remote desktop sessions. However, they can connect to other sessions hosted on Business and Ultimate editions.
Edition 32bit 64bit
Windows Vista Ultimate 4 GB 128 GB
Windows Vista Enterprise 4 GB 128 GB
Windows Vista Business 4 GB 128 GB
Windows Vista Home Premium 4 GB 16 GB
Windows Vista Home Basic 4 GB 8 GB I have an original disc, so I have a legal version of the software, right? Wrong. When purchasing software there is a key concept to understand: you are purchasing the right to use the software under the terms of the End User Licence Agreement (EULA). Even though you may be able to install a product and activate it, it still may be unlicensed. Also, if you break the terms of the EULA, your license is usually revoked. Also, some software EULAs may allow you to use a backup copy of the software from somebody else as long as you are properly licensed; just because you have a copied disc doesn’t necessarily mean that you are using illegal software.
What is the Windows Activation Process and how does it affect the licence?
Activation is mandatory for all versions of Vista. Activation is a process in where a hardware signature is sent to MS to prevent software piracy. On OEM versions, if the hardware hash is substantially different (a motherboard has been replaced for example), MS shouldn’t allow activation unless you have a sufficient reason, such as a warranty replacement. It is important to note that just because you have activated does NOT mean that you are fully licensed and legal.
There are three ways that you can be assigned a product key:
· OEM
· Retail
· Volume Licensing Agreements
From these vendors, there are several types of license key.
OEMs can distribute two types of keys. Small OEMs will distribute keys that will need to be inputted on installation and are probably the most common type available. However, some larger OEMs preinstall or have recovery media that needs to be activated. They do this by using SLPs which the end user has no access to.
Retail editions have a licence key that acts very similarly to the standard OEM keys.
Windows XP VLA edition did not have mandatory activation. This has changed in Vista. All VLA purchases are now subject to Volume Activation 2.0. There are three types of key in this category: MAK (Multiple Activation Key), KMS (Key Management Service) and MDSN keys.
MSDN keys including MDSN:AA only allow you to activate up to 3 times depending on the type of key.Microsoft said:
When you install Windows you have a grace period to activate your product. This is NOT a trial period and to install and use the product you must be licenced.
I can activate Windows; therefore I have a legal Windows installation, right?
No. Windows Product Activation is purely a technological means to prevent unlicensed software. It is possible for Microsoft to allow you to activate even though you are not licensed. For example you have changed a motherboard for performance upgrades rather then under a warranty claim.
Should I install the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows?
There is a debate as to whether 32 or 64bit software is better, especially if you run a 64bit capable platform. To run a 32bit program on a 64bit version of Windows hardware emulation needs to be performed in the form of WOW64 instructions. However, it does not have the hit on performance that emulation historically has.
NathanE explains:
Windows x64 also has the advantage larger physical memory support as detailed above.NathanE said:
One of the problems that has plagued Vista on release is the patchy support from other hardware manufactures in the form of device drivers. However, this isn’t really a deciding factor on whether to choose which edition as all drivers that are certified by MS (WHQL) must have both types of drivers. Even if they aren’t WHQL certified, vendors generally develop for both platforms.
A benchmark test performed by FatRakoon (http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=8490298&postcount=61) has shown that the differences in performance are very slim at best and so there is no reason not to use the 64bit version if your platform supports it.
Otacon has written an FAQ regarding Windows XP 64 which still seems applicable: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/sh...01&postcount=36
What are the differences between OEM and Retail editions?
With an OEM edition of Windows there are certain restrictions in the EULA which differentiate it from the full retail version. Firstly, the OEM license is said to be ‘non-transferable’. This means that once the license has been attached to a particular PC, it cannot be moved to another, even if the OS has completely been removed from the first computer. The full retail version is slightly different. With the retail edition you are granted one concurrent license. This means that you can move the OS from one machine to another as long as you remove it from the first machine. It also means that you can change the hardware within the computer without it affecting the license validity. Also, with the retail license you are entitled to free technical support from Microsoft. The OEM edition has support provided by the OEM itself and support may not be complete or free.
Vista OEM can be 'cross-graded' between 32 and 64 bit without the need for a new license.
OEM.Microsoft.com said:
The retail editions only include the 32 bit DVD. To procure a 64bit DVD you must purchase the media from MS. The Cost including shipping is around £7. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/1033/ordermedia/default.mspx
What components can I change in my system before I invalidate the OEM License?
There is a general consensus that the OEM license is paired with the motherboard. You can generally change any other component bar the case where the COA is attached. If you change the case, and the COA isn't physically attached, this breaks the terms of the EULA. Also, if you do buy a new OEM license, but don't attach the COA, the same applies, you are not licensed. If you change a significant amount of hardware you may be asked to reactivate, but this doesn’t mean that you are necessarily unlicensed. However, you can change the motherboard under a warranty claim if the motherboard was faulty. A warranty claim is defined as replacement of the original board from the company that your purchased it from, under a warranty scheme. You cannot simply buy yourself another board if there was a problem with your existing motherboard and still be fully licensed. If you are simply upgrading for feature or performance enhancements, you would need a new OS license.
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Man of Honour
What is a COA?
A Certificate of Authenticity is a small sicker that contains your product key.
It is compulsory, under the terms of the OEM licence agreement for the system builder to affix the COA to the system it is licensing. However, the COA isn’t definitive proof of a license.
But it is a good indication if the PC is licensed.
However, it is possible you have a fully licensed version of Windows without a COA, if you are under a Volume License Agreement or similar.
On the COA it says “1-2 CPU”. What does this mean?
This means that the License allows either one or two physical CPUs to be installed on the system. A dual core machine would only have one physical processor. All home editions only support one physical processor. Vista Business, Enterprise and Ultimate all support 2 physical processors. All versions without exception support multiple cores.
What is the different about an Upgrade License?
The upgrade license is available to user who has a previous qualifying Windows product and withes to upgrade to the current version. Because you are using the same product, you are generally rewarded by having a cheaper upgrade license then a full retail or OEM license. To use a Windows upgrade CD, you must have either a genuine previous version on accessible media such as a CD or DVD or have an existing installation. You must have a legal and licensed version of the previous version for the upgrade to also be legal. If you have an existing installation, all of your current settings and applications will usually stay intact unless there is an incompatibility.
The upgrade license is transferable, but the software must be removed from the previous machine and the new machine must also have a license for a qualifying product for the upgrade to be valid.
With the Vista upgrade licence is it Microsoft’s intention that you need to install and activate the qualifying product and then installing Vista from the previous version, thus doing an in place upgrade. However, there are workarounds available to allow a fresh installation without having to activate the qualifying product. These work arounds currently do not break the EULA.
What is a Windows Anytime Upgrade?
A Windows Anytime Upgrade allows a Vista user to unlock features available on the installation disc and therefore upgrade to a different edition of Vista. There are only specified upgrade paths and the licences are non transferable.
The upgrade paths are as follows:
Home Basic > Home Premium
Home Basic > Ultimate
Home Premium > Ultimate
Business > Ultimate
MS has more info here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/windowsanytimeupgrade/overview.mspx
What is the Windows Genuine Advantage Program?
The Windows Genuine Advantage Program is Microsoft’s initiative to curb piracy of Windows without having a public relations disaster. Microsoft has been actively seeking to forcibly prevent people from using unlicensed software by adding a particular update to Windows Online Update Service. The update validates the user’s Windows installation and users who have been detected to be using an illegal copy of Windows are offered to purchase a retail license of Windows XP Professional under a special deal of £92 or £61 for XP Home. However, if you have a professionally pirated version of the OS, you can get a free license of Windows. However, you will need to send the CD or DVD to Microsoft as well as saying where it was purchased. Under the scheme, users can change their existing installation to a legal, licensed Windows installation. If a user chooses not to buy a legal copy, the system prevents them for getting programs and services from Microsoft such as OS updates and utilities such as Windows Defender and Windows Media Player 11.
Do we get media with the Genuine Advantage Program?
Yes. When you have purchased a retail license from Microsoft’s WGA site, you are issued with a new license (product) key and a software tool that allows you to change the assigned licence key to your existing installation. A Genuine Advantage Kit CD will also be posted 4-6 weeks after the confirmed order.
What is XP Corporate?
‘XP Corporate’ is the name commonly used to describe a set of media usually bought by large organisations on a Volume Licensing Agreement with Microsoft. This set of media is unlicensed unless you are covered by your companies licence and should only be distributed by your companies IT department. This version of XP does not require activation and is therefore distributed illegally online with an associated VLK (Volume License Key). Any organisation that has a Volume Licence Agreement with Microsoft has a duty to keep the VLK confidential under the terms of license. If an organisation leaks it’s VLK into the internet through negligence they are breaking their license and therefore all clients using that Windows under the Volume Licence have their license revoked. Therefore this media is seldom distributed to employees without the VLK integration into the setup package (therefore keeping it secret). VLKs that are distributed and caught by Microsoft are blacklisted and any client using an unlicensed OS will be offered to buy under the Genuine Advantage Program.
What is MSDN:AA?
The Microsoft Developer Network Academic Alliance is a scheme in where higher educational institutions supply MS software to students within computing related faculties. The software can be downloaded via a link provided by the university and will supply product keys. The licence provided is based on a volume licence agreement and has similar terms to retail editions as it can be transferred. MSDN software cannot be used in a commercial environment but the MSDN:AA software does not need to be uninstalled once you leave higher education.
If I have an XP Professional License could I run Windows 2000 Professional legally? Can I downgrade from Vista?
Yes. Under the terms of the XP license you have the right to downgrade to the following versions legally: Windows 2000 Professional, Windows NT Workstation version 4.0, Windows 98 (Second Edition). However, you not provided with the media or product keys and Microsoft are not obligated to provide them to you. If you are running XP Media Centre Edition or XP Tablet PC Edition, you are not granted any downgrade rights.
However, you may not run both in a dual boot without another licence.
You have similar rights with Vista:
A Certificate of Authenticity is a small sicker that contains your product key.
It is compulsory, under the terms of the OEM licence agreement for the system builder to affix the COA to the system it is licensing. However, the COA isn’t definitive proof of a license.
Microsoft said:
But it is a good indication if the PC is licensed.
Microsoft said:
However, it is possible you have a fully licensed version of Windows without a COA, if you are under a Volume License Agreement or similar.
On the COA it says “1-2 CPU”. What does this mean?
This means that the License allows either one or two physical CPUs to be installed on the system. A dual core machine would only have one physical processor. All home editions only support one physical processor. Vista Business, Enterprise and Ultimate all support 2 physical processors. All versions without exception support multiple cores.
What is the different about an Upgrade License?
The upgrade license is available to user who has a previous qualifying Windows product and withes to upgrade to the current version. Because you are using the same product, you are generally rewarded by having a cheaper upgrade license then a full retail or OEM license. To use a Windows upgrade CD, you must have either a genuine previous version on accessible media such as a CD or DVD or have an existing installation. You must have a legal and licensed version of the previous version for the upgrade to also be legal. If you have an existing installation, all of your current settings and applications will usually stay intact unless there is an incompatibility.
The upgrade license is transferable, but the software must be removed from the previous machine and the new machine must also have a license for a qualifying product for the upgrade to be valid.
With the Vista upgrade licence is it Microsoft’s intention that you need to install and activate the qualifying product and then installing Vista from the previous version, thus doing an in place upgrade. However, there are workarounds available to allow a fresh installation without having to activate the qualifying product. These work arounds currently do not break the EULA.
What is a Windows Anytime Upgrade?
A Windows Anytime Upgrade allows a Vista user to unlock features available on the installation disc and therefore upgrade to a different edition of Vista. There are only specified upgrade paths and the licences are non transferable.
The upgrade paths are as follows:
Home Basic > Home Premium
Home Basic > Ultimate
Home Premium > Ultimate
Business > Ultimate
MS has more info here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/windowsanytimeupgrade/overview.mspx
What is the Windows Genuine Advantage Program?
The Windows Genuine Advantage Program is Microsoft’s initiative to curb piracy of Windows without having a public relations disaster. Microsoft has been actively seeking to forcibly prevent people from using unlicensed software by adding a particular update to Windows Online Update Service. The update validates the user’s Windows installation and users who have been detected to be using an illegal copy of Windows are offered to purchase a retail license of Windows XP Professional under a special deal of £92 or £61 for XP Home. However, if you have a professionally pirated version of the OS, you can get a free license of Windows. However, you will need to send the CD or DVD to Microsoft as well as saying where it was purchased. Under the scheme, users can change their existing installation to a legal, licensed Windows installation. If a user chooses not to buy a legal copy, the system prevents them for getting programs and services from Microsoft such as OS updates and utilities such as Windows Defender and Windows Media Player 11.
Do we get media with the Genuine Advantage Program?
Yes. When you have purchased a retail license from Microsoft’s WGA site, you are issued with a new license (product) key and a software tool that allows you to change the assigned licence key to your existing installation. A Genuine Advantage Kit CD will also be posted 4-6 weeks after the confirmed order.
What is XP Corporate?
‘XP Corporate’ is the name commonly used to describe a set of media usually bought by large organisations on a Volume Licensing Agreement with Microsoft. This set of media is unlicensed unless you are covered by your companies licence and should only be distributed by your companies IT department. This version of XP does not require activation and is therefore distributed illegally online with an associated VLK (Volume License Key). Any organisation that has a Volume Licence Agreement with Microsoft has a duty to keep the VLK confidential under the terms of license. If an organisation leaks it’s VLK into the internet through negligence they are breaking their license and therefore all clients using that Windows under the Volume Licence have their license revoked. Therefore this media is seldom distributed to employees without the VLK integration into the setup package (therefore keeping it secret). VLKs that are distributed and caught by Microsoft are blacklisted and any client using an unlicensed OS will be offered to buy under the Genuine Advantage Program.
What is MSDN:AA?
The Microsoft Developer Network Academic Alliance is a scheme in where higher educational institutions supply MS software to students within computing related faculties. The software can be downloaded via a link provided by the university and will supply product keys. The licence provided is based on a volume licence agreement and has similar terms to retail editions as it can be transferred. MSDN software cannot be used in a commercial environment but the MSDN:AA software does not need to be uninstalled once you leave higher education.
If I have an XP Professional License could I run Windows 2000 Professional legally? Can I downgrade from Vista?
Yes. Under the terms of the XP license you have the right to downgrade to the following versions legally: Windows 2000 Professional, Windows NT Workstation version 4.0, Windows 98 (Second Edition). However, you not provided with the media or product keys and Microsoft are not obligated to provide them to you. If you are running XP Media Centre Edition or XP Tablet PC Edition, you are not granted any downgrade rights.
However, you may not run both in a dual boot without another licence.
You have similar rights with Vista:
Microsoft said:
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- Status