Here are some photos about my brand new PC (I was talking about it in this post). I must admit that I couldn’t wait for showing them!
Summing up, because many of you have asked me, here is the hardware configuration:
Case: Antex Twelve Hundred
Power suppl: Antex SG-650 da 650 W (80 Plus Bronze certification)
Motherboard: Intel Desktop Board DP45SB ATX
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad 9550
RAM: 8 GB DDR3 1.333 MHz, Kingston
Hdd 1: WD VelociRaptor 150 GB (10.000 rpm)
Hdd 2: WD Caviar Black 1 TB (7.200 rpm)
GPU: AMD Radeon Sapphire HD 4870-780 Toxic, 512 MB RAM GDDR5 (overclock to 820 MHz for clock and 1200 MHz for memory)
Burning ROM: CD/DVD: Plextor PX-800A
CD/DVD player: Samsung SH-D163B
Keyboard and mouse: Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 3200 Laser
Operating system: Windows Vista 64 Ultimate
I must admit (once again!) that working with such a machine is really satisfying, even the most heavy job is quickly accomplished and the PC never seems to choke. And Vista 64 simply flies… 
While Windows 7 gets prepared for its first public release at the PDC at the end of October, rumors talk about it more and more and a clear revolution is rising, starting from the inside but that keeps a back-compatibility with Windows Vista for drivers and applications.
CPU technological evolution push toward the advanced multi-core direction, that will result in 32 simultaneous cores, a little too much for the home based operations that are targeted by Windows 7. The new Microsoft OS will have to support always more cores and to do that it needs an "inner revolution". […]
Complete article here.
My opinion: it’s the very right moment to buy a quad core, now they cost really a little, compared to the features they offer (I suggest the new Q9xxx series, eg.: Q9450, Q9550, Q9650, bades on Penryn: 12 MB L2 cache, 1333 fsb, 45 nm).
Have you ever wished to know if and how much you working day has been productive? How long have you been distracted by email? By your instants messaging contacs? By browsing on your favourite web sites or by your beloved videogame? How much time have all this kept you off from your work? Well, CyberTaskTimer perfectly answers to this need!
CyberTaskTimer is a little freeware utility whose only target is to monitor any application is used, timing its using time. At system start-up it tasks place near the Windows clock (tray area) and it activates immediately.
Its user graphic interface (GUI) is simply made of two lists. One, the "applications log", is the history of all the used applications (or, more precisely, of all the windows brought to front, whose application they belong to will be automatically detected by CyberTaskTimer), reporting the executable file, title, date, start-up time and time of use. Two, the "statistics", activated by clicking on the same name tab, shows a classification of the most used applications, summing up the using times of all the windows belonging to the same application (so the using time will be grouped by application) and a chart of the most 10 used applications.
CyberTaskTimer may be also used to log all applications run on your own computer and even more, not only the applications, but all the windows that have been showed (even the screensaver and the browsed web-sites). This way you can detect improper use of your system/account and prohibited use of the account where CyberTaskTimer is installed to.
A note: CyberTaskTimer is able to deactivate itself automatically when current session is terminated, so not only when current user get disconnected from Windows, but even when he locks the session or uses the fast-user-change mode of Windows XP and above (<WIN> + <L> to activate it); the same when the screensaver activates. This way only the real use of the PC will be timed and not the inactivity time.
IMPORTANT: at any time you can deactivate CyberTaskTimer by clicking with right mouse button on its tray-icon, that will show up the control menu. A double click on the tray-icon will open up its main window.
PRIVACY NOTES:
CyberTaskTimer does not contain any malware at all and does not communicates in any way to any Internet server or in any other way.
The created database is placed in user Documents (in sub-folder "CyberTaskTimer", with "dat" extension, text-plain) and everything occurs hiding nothing to the user.
If you have any tips, implementation requests, or bug-reporting, please contact SilverCyberTech at the following email address: info@silvercybertech.com
The developing team will be happy to listen to you!
If you wish to definetely remove the User Access Control (UAC) from Windows Vista, enforcing at the same time the Administrator account giving it the same root rights exactly as in previous Windows versions, so that it can have complete control over the whole system, just follow this instructions:
- log-in with the account created during the installation of Vista
- from Start menu, go to "All programs", "Accessories"
- click with right mouse button on "Command prompt" then choose "Run as administrator"
- click on "Allow" from ConsentUI prompt
- in the window that will open-up, write "regedit" and press <enter>
- in RegEdit, go to key HKLM\Software\Microsoft\WinodwsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
- add a new key at that level, calling it "SpecialAccounts"
- in "SpecialAccounts" just created key, create a sub-key calling it "UserList"
- now the path is: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList
- in "UserList" just created key, create a new DWORD value (32 bit) calling it "Administrator" and set it a value of "1"
- from command prompt input: “net user Administrator /Active:yes”
- reboot system
- now it is possible to log with Administrator account with maximum root rights
I haven’t verified this instructions personally, but they seem to work properly. However, in my opinion, the Windows Vista protection system, also known as User Access Control (UAC), if used together with the limitations to user account rights, even for the administrative users, should not be disable, if you don’t want a reduced system security and potential more likely malicious attacks from installed application or from outer sources. [to be continued in a next article . . . ]
Anyway, some user feel the need to have full power over the system for their Administrator account, as in Windows 2000/XP, without being asked for confirmation or, worse, without that the system denies the execution of some critical operations. For this reason I’m giving you this information, that slightly touch the borderline with "hacking" and thus are to be executed at your own risk.
I think it was necessary to make these considerations. And to strongly hilight my opinion that disabling UAC is the worst thing a Vista user could do…
And now, I can wish you all a happy Vista experience!
If you have the need to start a process (executable) with administrative rights under Windows Vista, without using the pop-up menu and the "Run as Administrator…" item, so that the user just double click on it, then it’s possible to use a manifest file with the following content:
<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”UTF-8″ standalone=”yes”?>
<assembly xmlns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1″ manifestVersion=”1.0″>
<assemblyIdentity version=”1.0.0.0″ processorArchitecture=”X86″ name=”isVista” type=”win32″/>
<trustInfo xmlns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v2″>
<security>
<requestedPrivileges>
<requestedExecutionLevel
level=”requireAdministrator”/>
</requestedPrivileges>
</security>
</trustInfo>
</assembly>
This will automatically elevate the executable rights, but the user will be prompted for an administrator password (if he does not belong to the Administrators group).
An already compiled file can be found here. As all manifest files, it must be placed in the same folder of the .exe file and renamed in the following way:
<executable name>.exe.manifest
If you do not want the user to see the manifest file, it is possible to use MT (a Microsoft utility downloadable from here) to embed the manifest inside the executable itself. With this tool you can write the following line from the command prompt. Eg. supposing you have a test.exe file and a test.ext.manifest file you can write:
mt.exe -manifest “test.exe.manifest” -outputresource:”test.exe”
This way you will obtain a test.exe file with the manifest file embedded in it. The user will see the executable file only and he’ll just have to run it to execute the application with administrative rights (a password will be asked, of course).
More information here.
The registration of some among the most used VB6 components, can be a real pain under Windows Vista. Trying to register the following components, in fact, Vista will answer us with a nice "nope".
Here is the list of the ActiveX that generate the issue:
- msflxgrd.ocx
- comdlg32.ocx
- msbind.dll
- mswinsck.ocx
- msderun.dll
- msinet.ocx
- mswinsck.ocx
- mscomctl.ocx
- msdatlst.ocx
- msflxgrd.ocx
- msmask32.ocx
- tabctl32.ocx
- mscomm32.ocx
- msdbrptr.dll
- msdatgrd.ocx
- mscomct2.ocx
- mshflxgd.ocx
- msadodc.ocx
- msvbvm60.dll
- olepro32.dll
- comcat.dll
- msstdfmt.dll
So, how can we use these components in our applications running under Windows Vista? Easier than you thought: just unregister the component through the command:
RegSvr32 /u <file name>
Then simply register the same components again:
RegSvr32 <file name>
Thus, for each component you wish to use, you have to unregister it before, then register it immediately after. Eg., for "msflxgrd.ocx" component, just write this in the command line prompt (choose "Run as Administrator" from the pop-up menu on the Command Prompt link):
regsvr32 /u /s msflxgrd.ocx
regsvr32 /s msflxgrd.ocx
To make things easier for you, I prepared a batch file (.bat) that will do the dirty job for you, for every component of the list. The file can be downloaded here.
And to make things even much more easier, you can use CyberInstaller Suite 2008, that can easily manage package distribution on Windows Vista (and on every else Windows version). Use it and you’ll never have to worry about anything!
Name: Sergio