Garrett Kelley

Power Pack 3 for Windows Home Server is now available via Windows Update. You can either wait for Windows Update to automatically check for updates or, if you are impatient like me, force a check for updates via the WHS console. Paul Thurrott has a good overview on his SuperSite for Windows of what is included in Power Pack 3. You can read the article here.

If you haven’t already, check out Microsoft’s new anti-virus and anti-malware protection. It is free for genuine Windows users and available for Windows XP, Vista, and 7 in both 32-bit and 64-bit varieties. Be sure to uninstall your current anti-virus solution first.  I have it installed on my notebook and I’ll be giving MSE a thorough test drive. If you’d like to learn more Ars Technica has a nice review of MSE here. Alternatively, if you’d like to jump right in you can get Security Essentials here.

Here is an interesting article on an MSDN blog comparing the development process of Windows Vista and Windows 7. It sounds as though Microsoft is moving the in the right direction to build a better product.  Engineering 7: A view from the bottom

Are you running the Aero theme in Vista? Do you enjoy the transparency effect Aero provides? Are you annoyed when you maximize a window and transparency is turned off? Well, do I have the handy little utility for you! Check out: VistaGlazz. VistaGlazz patches the following system files so that transparency is maintained while a window is maximized: ThemeUI.dll, UxTheme.dll, Shsvcs.dll, aero.msstyles.

I’ve been running this mod on my Windows Vista 64-bit installation for a few days. No longer am I annoyed with the lack of transparency while a window is maximized! Great success!