Run Windows XP Apps in Windows 7 With Windows XP Mode

Windows XP Mode allows users to seamlessly run Windows XP applications in the Windows 7 environment. This means that all of your old software that runs on Windows XP will work in Windows 7. Before you get started take a look at the system requirements which I listed below:

• Operating System(s): Windows XP and Windows 7 Ultimate Professional or Enterprise.
• Processor: Processor capable of hardware virtualization, with AMD-V™ or Intel® VT turned on in the BIOS.
• Ram / Memory: At least 2 GB
• Hard Drive: At least 20 GB for Windows XP

If you need to check if your processor supports hardware virtualization, refer to your manual, call your computer manufacturer or download SecurAble, to determine if your processor supports XP mode.

You will now need to download some software.

You will need to download and install both Windows Virtual PC RC and Windows XP mode RC which you can find here.

Once you’ve completed the install click Virtual Windows XP in the start menu and choose a username and password. Make sure to remember these credentials, or XP mode wont work.

Once you’ve done that you should see a window, which will set up Windows XP for use. This can take a while so, go get a cup of coffee read the news paper and wait until it’s complete.  If you receive a message that hardware virtualization is not enabled, reboot your computer and check that the BIOS option is enabled, usually found under the advanced settings page. Call your hardware maker for more information.

If your computer chooses not to misbehave you should see a window with the regular Windows XP desktop in it.

 

You will now need to install all of your Windows XP applications in the Virtual Windows XP Window. Make sure to select install for all users when you install programs, or XP mode just wont work.

If you can't install for everybody, you can simply choose "Open All Users" on the start menu, and copy a shortcut to the application into the start menu's programs folder.

Once you install all of your programs they will be listed in the Windows 7 start menu under the Windows Virtual PC -> Virtual Windows XP Applications folder.

 

 

Depending on what the situation is, when clicking a XP mode application in Windows 7 you’ll be prompted to do different things. No matter what the window says XP mode should work.

The whole process of setting up XP mode should now be complete. When launching applications in Windows XP mode you’ll find that they look like they did in Windows XP except they are in Windows 7. Enjoy!

Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7

You’d think that upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 would be easy considering that 60% of PC’s worldwide run it. Unfortunately upgrading form Windows XP to Windows 7 is not as easy as simply pressing the upgrade button, because Microsoft did not add upgrade support. But don't feel sad because your not out of luck, there is a somewhat easy way to upgrade.

What you'll need are:

• A USB flash drive or another form of external media
• A copy of Windows 7
• A computer running Windows XP (that is Windows 7 compatible)

For a strange reason some people recommend that you upgrade to Windows Vista first then upgrade to Windows 7. I don’t recommend that method at all because it is a waste of your money. The other method (which Microsoft and I recommend) is a clean install which would obliterate Windows XP and replace it with Windows 7.

If you've been using Windows XP for the past 8 years chances are you have quite a bit of important data on the computer so its a good idea to back it up.

To back up or data insert the Windows 7 disk into the computer. If auto run opens click don’t run. Now, browse the DVD for a file named migsetup.exe, which is the Windows Easy Transfer tool. Windows Easy Transfer is designed to help easily move all of your documents and settings to a new operating system. Easy Transfer will not transfer or applications so remember to keep all of the product keys for your paid programs, and the download link for the free ones.

When the Windows Easy Transfer welcome screen opens you will be prompted to select three options for where you want to save the data to. I personally prefer the external hard drive or USB flash drive option because it’s easiest, but you can click whichever you prefer.

When the next window pop up just click “This is my old computer”

The Easy Transfer Tool will scan for user accounts settings and documents. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours so be patient.

You will then be prompted to type in a password so you can archive. This is used to prevent people from getting access to your data just incase you loose the USB flash drive. When you’ve installed Windows 7 you will need to type in that password so you can get access to the data.

Its now time to install Windows 7 so, reinsert the install disk and click install now. Because your upgrading from Windows XP you will need to click the custom install option.

You can now install Windows 7 as you normally would. You can see screenshots of the process here. Ignore the first 6 setup screenshots.

Once Windows 7 is installed and running on your machine, attach the external hard disc that you used to take the backup, to the machine, browse over to it and double click on the backup file that you’d created earlier.

The Windows Easy Transfer utility will then start, ask for the password that you’d set earlier and migrate all your XP settings and data to Windows 7.

Windows 7 RTM Installation Screenshots

Ready to manufacturers (RTM) is the final stage in Windows 7 development. PC manufacturers are given the final code for installation on new computers, DVDs are pressed, boxed and packaged up, and stores can begin to prepare to offer machines with the new OS installed. In other words, Windows 7 is completed.

Below I’ve embedded a slideshow showing the installation process of Windows 7. Its basically the same as Windows 7 Beta’s installation, except for the slightly quicker installation.

Microsoft Confirms Windows 7 Upgrade Rules

As October 22 quickly approaches, Microsoft is releasing starting to release more details about Windows 7. The latest tidbit about Windows 7 is about upgrades. A company spokesman confirmed that users of the Windows 7 Release Candidate will not have to "reinstall an older version of Windows before using a Windows 7 upgrade disk.” Unfortunately, people who choose to do this will  have all of their files put into the folder “windows.old” when they upgrade. Interestingly, if you need to do a clean install of Windows 7 using your upgrade disk, you'll need to install and activate Windows Vista.

Windows 7 ISO Verifier

One huge problem people face when downloading a Windows 7 ISO from sketchy services is that they have to verify that it was not tampered with.  In other words, they need to verify that the Windows 7 they asked for is the Windows 7 they got.

The Windows 7 ISO Verifier has been created by Long Zheng and Sven Groot, and allows users to test to see if the ISO of Windows 7 they have has not been tampered with. ISO images can simply be dropped onto the exe after download.

The program calculates the hash of the local ISO and compare it with an online database, which is constantly updated. The process is very fast. It can obviously happen that a hash is not listed in the online database either because the release is to new, human error or because it has been tampered with (say another language was added).

Is Windows Installing Updates Without Your Permission?

Several reports say that Windows XP and Windows Vista are installing updates, at system shutdown, when the user configured the computer to ask to install updates first.

This Windows Secrets article explains it all. The problem comes up when Windows is configured to use Automatic Updates either to (Vista terminology here) "Download updates but let me choose whether to install them" or "Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them".

Now every tech know-it-all you talk to will tell you that you should have automatic updates set to “Install updates automatically”. There have been times when Automatic Updates shut down internet access to Zone Alarm users, but that is rear and the risks outweigh the benefits. People in the aggregate are better off installing updates automatically.

Scott Spanbauer in Windows Secrets explains what might have happened. The June 9th update was a rather large update. which addressed 10 updates and 31 vulnerabilities. Microsoft Knowledge Base explains how some problems can occur when a traffic is heavy on the update server. 

Spanbauer puts forward one possible avenue for users who really want to avoid this problem:

If you consider it important to research patches before they're installed, one possible workaround involves selecting AU's option 2 or 3. Then, run Microsoft Update (a superset of Windows Update, both of which require IE) and specify every patch to be installed or not installed -- every time you plan to shut down or reboot. Running Microsoft's updater should eliminate any queued downloads that might install unexpectedly.

This doesn't seem quite right to me in a few ways. First, neither Windows nor Microsoft Update on Vista use IE, but they do on XP. Second, I have at least one system where running Microsoft Update does not eliminate queued downloads, and in fact Microsoft Update fails in that case; I have to let Automatic Updates proceed. Third, this sounds like a major pain.

Microsoft May Sell Windows 7 on Flash Drives for Netbooks

Sources have told CNET, Microsoft is planning to consider selling Windows 7 on flash drives, which would save netbook users lots of headaches. Windows 7 was designed to be a netbook friendly operating system. There are no further details at this time.

Windows 7 RC Download Deadline is August 15

Microsoft will turn off Windows 7 RC downloads on August 15 2009.

The download program closes August 15. After that, you won't be able to get the download, but you can still install the RC and get a key if you need one," Microsoft employee Stephen Rose said.

Microsoft released the final public preview of Windows 7 on May 4. At the time Microsoft said that Windows 7 will be available through July and changed its policy when there was an overwhelmingly high amount of downloads.

Windows 7 will be launched on October 22 2009.

Windows 7 RC will not expire until June 10 2009 and will shut down at two-hour intervals starting March 1, 2010.

Testers who still use Windows 7 Beta will experience automatic shutdowns much sooner than Release Candidate users. You need to move to the RC and fast," a Microsoft employee said.

People who want to download the Windows 7 RC can do it here.

Morro Beta Released Today

Just a quick reminder: Microsoft plans to allow the public to download a beta version of “Morro,” now known as Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) on June 23, starting around 9 a.m. PT.

Update (8 a.m. PT): The beta download is now live. Or maybe not. It was for a minute, there….

MSE is the free antivirus/anti-malware product that is replacing Microsoft’s paid Windows Live OneCare subscription service. It is aimed primarily at users who can’t or won’t pay for security software.

Here are the details about today’s beta kick-off:

Who is eligible: Anyone in the U.S., Israel or Brazil who wants to try MSE on XP SP2, Vista or Windows 7 (Beta or Release Candidate) can grab the beta. Last week, Microsoft officials told me there was no cap planned for the beta, but  shortly thereafter a spokesperson said the beta will be capped at 75,000. “This could change though depending on what the download scenario is,” he added.

Download site: Testers will be able to download MSE beta from Microsoft Connect by going to this page: http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Versions: The MSE beta will be available in 32- and 64-bit flavors. It will be available in English and Brazilian Portuguese on June 23 and simplified Chinese some time later this year. Update: The beta is restricted by country. The beta site says: “This beta is available only to customers in the United States, Israel (English only), People’s Republic of China (Simplified Chinese only) and Brazil (Brazilian Portuguese only).”

How long will the beta be available: Microsoft plans to keep the beta open until the cap is reached or the final product is available, whichever comes first.

When is the final MSE release due: Official word is before the end of calendar 2009. I’ve seen several bloggers saying this fall.

If you’re among the testers who grab a copy of today’s beta of MSE, I’d be interested in hearing what you think. How does MSE compare to other free and paid third-party security offerings and Windows Live OneCare?

How to Add an Extra Hard Drive

1. Check if you need the IDE (parallel ATA) or Serial ATA. While older computers support IDE (Parallel ATA), new ones may only support Serial ATA. If you are not sure, open the computer case and try to determine the type of the used drives from the view. It is safer to use the same type that is already installed, even if the sockets for another type also appear to be present.

• IDE drives use a wide, flat ribbon cable and may have jumpers that need to be set.
• SATA drives have a thinner cable and no jumpers to worry about.

2. Make sure you have room for an extra hard drive, here's one way to do this:

1. Restart your computer and go into the BIOS menu.
2. Go to the "Standard CMOS Settings."
3. In this menu, you will find four settings labeled as follows: PRIMARY MASTER:, AUTO/PRIMARY SLAVE:, SECONDARY MASTER:, SECONDARY SLAVE:. Change all fields to auto detection.
4. Reboot your computer
5. On the first or second screen, you will see something like the screen above and it will say detecting (drive(prim/sec)) : (name of the drive if present). If any of them say none, remember which drive it is. If all of them have a drive name, all your bays are filled and you can't add a new hard drive without removing a disk drive or hard drive. Consider making an external USB drive.

3. Get the actual hard drive. Go to your local computer store or buy online from Newegg or another retailer. Make sure that the type (SATA or IDE (PATA)) matches. If you plan on replacing your existing hard drive (see warning on replacing drives), be sure to get one with enough space to compensate for what you're losing.

4. Shut down your computer.

5. Unplug all of the cords from the back of your computer and pull the computer out from the desk.

6. Remove the case screws. If you have a Dell, you only need to push down on the release latch(s) on the back or sides. If you're having difficulty, it's a good idea to consult your manual on how your particular case is removed. Put the screws in a safe place so you don't lose them. Remove the side panel and place it out of the way.

FIG. 2:The thumb screw.

FIG. 3:The ribbon cable connection.

7. Find the area where all the flat ribbon cables (or SATA cables, which are smaller and usually red) connect to the main board.(fig. 3) Find the cable that corresponds to the free drive that was detected in step 1-6, either primary or secondary.

8. Set the jumpers so the drive knows whether to act as a master or slave. The jumpers are the set of pins on the back of the hard drive. They'll have a couple of rubber or plastic blocks covering some pins. Find the diagram or instructions for your new drive on to set the jumper for the master/slave. Note that if both the master and the slave are available on the slot you are using (primary or secondary), set the hard drive to master. (fig. 4) Note that if you are using a SATA drive, the jumpers do not need to be changed, because each SATA device uses its own cable, and multiple IDE devices can share a cable.

FIG. 4:The jumper in the slave position. If it says to remove a jumper completely, put it on the single pin so you don't lose it.

9. Find the empty bay in your computer case. Using the screws that came with the drive or computer case, mount the drive. (fig. 5)

FIG. 5:The hard drive mounted in it's holster.

10. Connect the cable that you found in step 6 to the hard drive. If it won't go in, make sure that the safety bump is aligned with the hole.(fig. 6)

 

FIG. 6:The ribbon cable installed.

11. Connect a Molex power cable, (a smaller connector with red, yellow, and black wires.)(fig. 7) A SATA drive will have a different type of power cable on the power supply.

FIG. 7:The power cable is installed.

12. Put the side panel back on the computer and put the screws back in.

13. Plug all of the cables back into the rear of the computer, and connect them to their power sources if you unplugged them.

14. Boot up the computer. Go into your BIOS at startup (most likely by pressing F10 or DEL as the computer starts). Check the BIOS auto detect to ensure the second drive is detected. On the screen that shows that primary master/slave, secondary master/slave you should see the name of your new hard drive.

Windows 7 Build 7232 Leaked Along With New Wallpaper

UX Evangelist has leaked a new Windows 7 wallpaper and build. For people who are addicted to downloading every single Windows 7 build Windows 7 Build 7232 can be found on BitTorrent.

A new wallpaper has also been included with the build:

Does Bing have Google Scared?

Microsoft may have developed a contender for the dominate search engine, Google. 

In a New York Post story it reports that the launch of Bing has upset Google co-founder Sergey Brin that he has top engineers working on "urgent upgrades" to Google's service. Brin is said to be leading a team to determine the difference between Google’s top secret search algorithm and Bings algorithm. The tabloid also notes that it's rare for Google's co-founders to have such a hands-on involvement in the company's daily operations.

"New search engines have come and gone in the past 10 years, but Bing seems to be of particular interest to Sergey," an anonymous source described as an "insider" to the newspaper.

Microsoft, which launched as Bing as its default search engine earlier this month, is reportedly spending $80 million to $100 million in an ad blitz to tout its latest search effort. Rival Google, meanwhile, spent just $25 million total on advertising last year, according to an AdAge report.

Bing’s launch increased Microsoft’s search market share from 9.1% to 11.1%.

However, that initial increase didn't impress Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who was pretty tight-lipped earlier this week when queried about Bing's arrival.

"It's not the first entry for Microsoft, They do this about once a year." Schmidt said Tuesday

Add or Remove File Association in Windows Vista

Back in the good old days with Windows XP, things were a little easier with performing simple tasks. One that comes to mind is file types. With XP you can easily associate and unassociate file types to a program or application, from the Control Panel or by selecting: Tools \ Folder Options on the menu of a folder.

With Vista, for some unknown reason, you can only associate file types, but you can not unassociate (delete) a file type completely. The only option allowed is to associate the file to another program or application. Until now…

First, let's look at two ways to find where File Type Associations lives in Vista. The easiest way is from the Start Menu, by clicking on Start \ Default Programs.

Then click on Associate a file type or protocol with a program.

The second way is from the Control Panel by clicking on Start \ Control Panel \ Programs then clicking on Make a file type always open in a specific program (under Default Programs).

Once you have accessed the window for file type association, you can easily associate (add) or change (modify) an existing file type, by highlighting a file type, then clicking on the Change Program… button.

NOTE: You will need to click the small down arrow  to see the list of Other Programs.

To remove (delete) a file type association, you can use a great utility found on winhelponline.com to unassociate file types.

Just download, unzipp and click on Unassoc.exe. No install is required.

To use, just find the file type you want to delete and click on the Remove file association button. The file type association will be deleted from the registry. Vista will then treat it as an unknown file type.

Now, the only functionality missing with File types in Vista, compared to XP, is the capability to change icons and create a new file type. If you come across how to do this, let us know!

Setup a Windows Media Center TV Signal

The very first thing most people would do when getting a new Windows Media Center PC is watch TV on it.

This guide will show you how to setup your TV signal and TV guide.

In this guide I’ll set up one digital (HD) antenna and programming guide for my area. Setting up a cable or satellite connection will be similar to this guide.

Setup TV Signal

1. Start Windows Media Center (WMC) by going to the Start orb, All Programs, and open Windows Media Center.

2. Navigate to Tasks, and select settings in WMC.

Note: Once WMC is running, navigating WMC with a Windows Media Center Remote Control is the best way to experience WMC. You could also use your mouse to point and click or your keyboard’s arrow keys to move around and the spacebar to select.

3. Select TV.

4. Select Setup TV Signal.

5. Select Next in the Set Up Your TV Signal section.

6. Select Yes, use this region to configure TV services if the Region is correct and then select Next.

7. WMC will download up-to-date TV setup options for your region.

8. Select to Configure my TV signal automatically in the Automatic TV Signal Setup section and then select Next.

9. WMC will scan for Cable, Satellite, and Antenna signals.

10. If everything goes well WMC will pick up your connection(s). If everything is right, select Yes and then select Next.

11. Let’s set up the Program Guide by selecting Next in the Programming Set Up Guide.

12. Select Yes when WMC asks you if you want to use their guide.

13. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the Terms of Service, select I agree, and then select Next.

14. Enter your ZIP code and then select Next.

15. The programming guide for your ZIP code will be downloaded from the internet.

16 When the download is complete, select Next.

If you’re using a digital antenna it’ll give you the option of adjusting your antenna and programming guide.

Select Next.

04 The next screen shows you all of the channels you could catch according to the programming guide you just downloaded.

WMC will scan for every channel listed in the guide and tell you the signal strength of each. Uncheck each channel with a low signal so they don’t show up in the programming guide. You can also use the signal meter to adjust the antenna. Checked off channel are continuously scanned and updated for signal strength. Click Next when you’re done.

18. That’s it! Select Finish and you’re done.

19. Click the green button on your Windows Media Center Remote Control or click the green orb in the top left corner of the WMC screen to go back to the main WMC screen. Go to TV + Movies, select guide.

10. Select the program you want to watch and you’re in business!

European Union Demands that Windows 7 Comes With Browser

European competition officials said that they were unimpressed by Microsoft's move to ship a version of Windows 7 without Internet Explorer or any other browser.

"If the commission were to find that Microsoft had committed an abuse, the commission has suggested that consumers be offered a choice of browser, not that Windows should be supplied with no browser at all," the European Union's European Commission said in a statement.

Microsoft on Thursday said that it would release a version of it’s next operating system called Windows 7 E, which would not include Internet Explorer. The firm said that it would be up to consumers and PC manufacturers what internet browser they install. The EC said that it could do more harm then good.

"Given that over 95% of consumers acquire Windows pre-installed on a PC, it is particularly important to ensure consumer choice through the computer manufacturer channel. Microsoft has apparently decided to supply retail consumers with a version of Windows without a Web browser at all. Rather than more choice, Microsoft seems to have chosen to provide less," said the EC.

Earlier this year the EC said that Microsoft’s bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows violated European anti-trust laws (funny that they don’t fine Apple). The EC has also find Microsoft with $1 billion in the past.

"Given the pending legal proceeding, we've decided that instead of including Internet Explorer in Windows 7 in Europe, we will offer it separately and on an easy-to-install basis to both computer manufacturers and users. This means that computer manufacturers and users will be free to install Internet Explorer on Windows 7, or not, as they prefer. Of course, they will also be free, as they are today, to install other Web browsers," wrote Dave Heiner, Microsoft's deputy general counsel.

In Europe Microsoft offered a version of Windows called Windows N, which did not include Windows Media Player. Windows N was highly unpopular with consumers.

Heiner said Windows 7 E will be available in 23 European languages and will ship the same time Windows 7 is delivered to the rest of the world " Oct. 22.

Windows 7 Build 7229 Now Available at Your Local Pirate Site

A new build of Windows 7, build 7229, has leaked to torrent sites and is available for anyone to download. Download at your own risk. To get an illegal copy visit your favourite torrent.

Partition a Drive in Windows Vista

No need for third party programs to partition hard drive today we will look at how to create partition in Vista for free.

Note: It’s always a good idea to backup before partitioning drive.

Click “Start” now point to “Computer” and right click on it, and select “Manage” from the menu. Now the “Computer Management” window will appear. Look at the menu to the left, click on the “Storage” pointer to drop down the menu and select “Disk Management”. It will show you the current partition.

The image below shows three partitions on my drive, the first two partitions are used for my Ubuntu Linux operating system. The last partition is used by Vista. You most likely only have this one partition on your drive.

Before we can create a partition we need to free up some space and we can do that by shrinking the current one. Right click on your existing partition and choose “Shrink Volume”.

Choose the amount of space you want for the new partition. For the sake of this article I will only do 18mb, remember these figures are in megabytes if you want 2 gigabytes for example you would enter “2048″ which equals to 2gb. Click “Shrink” when finished.

When Vista finishes creating the new partition right click on it and choose “New Simple Volume”

The Windows Wizard will pop up. You can select the size, then the drive letter, format the drive in “NTFS” and name the partition and hit “Next” it will give you a recap of everything click “Finish”.

After formatting your new partition in Vista will be ready. You can check it out by go to Start > Computers. How lovely is that.

Who Wins with a Browser-less Windows 7

Microsoft has made a move to include a version of Windows 7 without any browser to make the EU (European Union) happy, but it may make life difficult for Europeans, particularly those who want to upgrade from Windows Vista.

As reported by CNET News there are plans to ship Windows 7 to both consumers and computer manufacturers without Internet Explorer.

Now, most people will get Windows 7 on a new PC. Presumably, in that case, the computer maker will chose to add back Internet Explorer, include one or more rival browsers, or do both.

"Microsoft recommends that OEMs pre-install either IE8 or at least one other browser of their choice before distribution. If you do this, your end users in the European territory should be able to access the Internet without any additional steps or inconvenience.” Microsoft said in a memo to PC makers.

The real hassle is for people who want to upgrade to Windows 7.

Upgrading from Windows 7 from Vista c an normally be done by simply be done by placing an upgrade disk in the computer, which would preserve the users data. However, because it removes the browser, moving to the "E" version of Windows 7 can only be done with a clean installation.

Because of that the users have no browser, therefore no way to download anything, including web browsers. So if they want to upgrade to Oprah or Firefox there is no easy way to do it. For its part, Microsoft plans to make it as easy as possible for them to get IE. It will offer it via CD-ROMs at retail stores and via FTP, an old file downloading technique that has been largely sidelined due to modern browsers.

So who benefits from a browser-less version of Windows? The PC manufacturers do! They now have a more valuable piece of real estate to sell. In the past, they could offer deals to include rival browsers as the default on a new PC, but they were still shipping a PC with Internet Explorer. Presumably now, a browser maker could strike a deal to be the only browser on a machine.

An expert said that he expects most computers to come with Internet Explorer even though the PC manufacturers will have an option.

As for Microsoft they plan to offer an Internet Pack Internet Explorer and its Windows Live programs.

Create a Wireless Network in Windows

1. If buying router and adapter separately, ensure your wireless router is at least as new as your wireless adapter so that they use compatible standards (known as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n). For maximum compatibility choose Tri-mode or dual-mode 802.11b/g standards.

2. If you are not using Windows XP, check that drivers are available for the chipset of the wireless adapter for your operating system before you buy.

Set up your new router

1. If you want to share a broadband connection via a wireless router, plug the new wireless router into your internet connection point (filter/splitter if ADSL, directly into phone socket if DSL)

2. If you have one, turn on your broadband connection and existing external modem FIRST (wait for all lights to return to normal).

3. Plug your router into your PC with an ethernet cable

4. Turn on your new wireless router SECOND (wait for it to start up fully).

5. Go to your internet browser and type http://192.168.0.1 (Belkin), http://192.168.1.1 (Linksys), http://192.168.2.1 (Others) and enter your username and password for your router (often this is "admin" for username and "admin" or "password" for password)

6. Enable wireless capability (SSID) and enter your username and password given to you by your internet service provider.

7. Choose WPA (or WEP if your card cannot handle WPA) security and enter a passkey and write it down.

Detecting your wireless adapter

1. Note the manufacturer and model of your wireless adapter then plug it into your PC.

2. If your operating system does not recognise the wireless adapter then get drivers from any discs that came with the adapter or, failing that, from the internet.

3. In Windows XP, either right click on the .inf file and click install, or enter Device Manager and Update Drivers on the Unknown Device.

4. Once Windows XP recognises your wireless device it should appear in Network Connections and offer you a choice of routers to connect to within range.

Connecting to a network

5. Choose your router (usually the manufacturer name aka SSID), the security method and enter the passkey in order to connect to it. Use Auto DHCP unless otherwise instructed.

6. This should find the wireless router (click refresh until it does) and connect to the network through the new router.

Bing Beats Yahoo in Less Than a Week

It has only been about an week since Microsoft's next generation search engine was released and we’re already seeing how it is making a mark in the search industry.

Bing now accounts for 16% of searches on the internet which is 6% more that Yahoo’s 10%.

The United Kingdom is one of the last countries to jump on the Bing bandwagon with only 2.9% of the market share in the UK.

Google still has its lead but Bing took 2nd place at Google expense, says StatCounter.

"It remains to be seen if Bing falls away after the initial novelty and promotion but at first sight it looks like Microsoft is on to a winner," said Aodhan Cullen, CEO of StatCounter, which analyses four billion of page-loads each month.

Microsoft held a big launch party for Bing here in Seattle earlier this week, and is still beaming a giant searchlight into the sky to celebrate Microsoft's rebranding and revamping exercise.