Windows Live Messenger 2009 Final v14.0.8050.1202 Offline/Standalone installer

Several weeks ago Microsoft released the final build of Windows Live Messenger (WLM) 2009. This final build, which is released after several beta versions, carries the version number 14.0.8050.1202. We have included download links to the web setup as well as to the standalone installer for your convenience.

With the standalone installer you can download the setup package once and then run it as many times on as many machines as you like, even while being offline. Note that this package contains all Windows Live applications including Live Writer, Live Mail, Photo Gallery, etc (You can select only the products you want to install).

Developer Description

The new Messenger has more than just a chat tool, it is fun and easy to communicate to facilitate the sharing of characteristics of a perfect fusion of community-based instant messaging software, whether it is the management of documents, photo album or with friends, classmates, colleagues , To keep his family closer links are easy. off-line to install packages in addition to Live Messenger software, also added a new version of Windows Live Movie Maker, Mail with Calendar synchronization, Writer, Photo Gallery, Family Safety and Outlook Connector, and other content with a total capacity of more than 100M.

Download

You can download either the web setup or the standalone/offline installer. As mentioned above the offline installer contains all Windows Live apps.

[Click Here] to download Windows Live Messenger 2009 Final web setup

[Click Here] to download Windows Live Messenger 2009 standalone offline installer + Other Windows Live apps

7 Better Alternatives To Common Windows Apps

There is no doubt, Microsoft is going to dominate the operating system market through Windows 7. Who knows where we will be after that. At that point we will likely be looking at some type of open source product, such as Ubuntu? Maybe even we’ll move to our smart phone(s) full time?

Whatever the case, the Windows operating system still holds dominance on the market. With dominance though, comes much feedback and much modification from the users.

No matter how much you like a certain feature of Windows, there is always someone out there modifying it some way or another. This not only includes some of the integrated features of Windows, such as the Start Menu or Windows Explorer, but also individual applications, such as Notepad and MS Paint.

I have put together a list of the some of the best Windows apps and feature replacements that I could come up with.

1. Vista Start Menu (Start Menu Alternative)

As confusing as the name is, Vista Start Menu not only gets you a Vista-like Start Menu in Windows XP, but also enhances and improves the Start Menu Interface in Windows Vista.

It adds the ability to tab items, quick access to shutdown options, zoom capabilities and simple shortcuts to search on both the local PC and Google.

Other Alternatives:

* JetStart
* Open Menu+

2. Replace Windows Taskbar with RocketDock

Rocketdock is a Windows taskbar replacement with a Mac-like feel. It’s essentially a combination of the quick launch toolbar, the taskbar and desktop widgets, all rolled into one. It looks incredibly futuristic, it has a very smooth feel, and it doesn’t eat up a lot of resources.

Other Alternatives:

* Moby Dock
* Object Dock

3. ExploreXP - Windows Explorer Replacement

ExplorerXP is a free file manager replacement for Windows Explorer. I have found ExplorerXP to be a much more stripped down version of some of its competitors, while still giving you everything you need at the same time.

It has built in tab ability, folder sizes, quick access to My Computer, Recycle Bin, My Docs, Desktop, multi rename tool, all running on just 410KB of size.

If you are looking to upgrade Windows Explorer with many must-have add-ons, while continuing to use many of its built-in capability, this is the freeware to get.

Other Alternatives:

* Explorer2 Lite
* Q-Dir
* XPlorer
* FreeCommander
* A43
* UltraExplorer

4. Process Explorer - Task Manager Alternative

Process Explorer from Sysinternals is a great Windows task manager alternative to get an in-depth look at all of the running processes on your computer, including where individual executables are located, search capabilities for individual DLLs, plus a much more detailed look at system resources, and where they are being allocated.

Other Alternatives:

* What’s Running
* Task Manager Extension 2.1
* MKN TaskExplorer

5. Notepad++ : Wordpad / Notepad Replacement

Notepad++ is a much more comprehensive, in-depth textpad editor, with built-in tab ability for multiple documents, drag and drop support, color print capability, zooming, auto completion, bookmarking, and even macros. It’s not your typical plain ole’ Windows notepad or wordpad. It’s built for code writers and programmers, but used and available to all. Overall, it’s a great Notepad replacement for Windows.

Other Alternatives:

* Notepad2
* Programmer’s Notepad
* PSPad
* MetaPad
* DocPad
* TED Notepad
* AkelPad

6. Defraggler - Faster Replacement for Windows Defragmenter

Defragmenting your hard drive has become an essential part of keeping your computer running at an optimal speed, and keeping your hard drive in tip top shape. It essentially takes all of the separated files on your hard disk, and pieces them back together so that everything just runs smoother.

Windows, for as far back as I can remember, has always had some type of defrag utility. The problem is that it’s never been that good. Fortunately with time, comes faster computers, smarter programmers and a much better interface. Defraggler appears to have all of this rolled into one. It is incredibly easy to use and understand. It has an incredibly nice interface and most important, it’s incredibly fast.

Other Alternatives:

* Auslogics
* Contig
* PageDefrag
* Five Programs To Defragment Your PC.

7. LogMeIn Free - Windows Remote Desktop Alternative

I was amazed when a co-worker referred me to this website, a couple of years ago. The incredible speed, security and capability sold me from day one. The LogMeIn Free version lacks printing and file transfers, but if you are simply trying to access your home or work computer without ever having to touch a firewall, LogMeIn is the best way to go. From all indications, it sounds like it’s the best free alternative to ‘GoToMyPC’ as well.

Other Alternatives:

* UltraVNC
* TightVNC
* CrossLoop

8. Replace Paint with Gimp

Gimp is quickly becoming a strong competitor to Adobe’s Photoshop. It comes bundled with a very similar interface, it has many of the same features as Adobe’s massive product, and it has plenty of tutorials via YouTube or blogs, to go along with it.

As far as a replacement for Microsoft’s Paint, I don’t think it even falls into the same category. However, it is free, and can easily become a full-time replacement for Paint. Keep your eye out for future MakeUseOf tutorials, in regards to Gimp. We had a few Gimp tips already.

Other Alternatives:
* Paint.NET
* PhotoFiltre

As you can see, there are plenty of alternative options out there for many facets of Microsoft Windows. I didn’t dive into the most obvious of items, such as Windows Media Player and Internet Explorer, but I gave a fairly in depth breakdown of many of the free replacment apps available for many different versions of Windows, but specifically for XP and Vista.

Do you have additional suggestions for alternatives? Do you have more items you’d like to see replaced in Windows? Please leave your feedback!

Written by T.J. Mininday - Techaholic, IT Field Engineer and Blogger for ConnectedInternet and TheWindowsFix.

400GB Blu-ray discs coming

According to a report on Digitimes.com, the upcoming Pioneer 400GB Blu-ray discs will be compatible will all current Blu-ray players, including the PlayStation 3.

"The technology of the super multi-layer read-only disc is based on Blu-ray Disc with a breakthrough in material of reflective layers. The specifications of the pick-up head (PUH) of the disc is the same as those for the PUH of blank BD discs, and therefore the Pioneer discs can be read on BD players." - Pioneer High Fidelity Taiwan.

Apparently, Pioneer plans to have read-only 400GB Blu-ray discs on the market by 2010, with rewritable discs in 2010-2012 and 1TB (1,000GB) disc in 2013.

Stay tuned for more information as it breaks.

Source

Get Windows 7's Best Features Right Now

If you're tired of hearing about Windows 7's upcoming features while you sit and stare at your aging XP or Vista desktop, take solace in a few free apps and themes that can give you a taste right now. While it's true that Windows 7 isn't much different from Windows Vista (inside and out), a few neat features are worth trying out, and you can do it without installing the Windows 7 Preview. Here are a few free apps and alternatives that simulate Windows 7's built-in features.

Pin Items to Your Taskbar

Windows 7 lets you pin programs and documents to your taskbar (instead of or in addition to creating shortcuts on your desktop). However, it's easy to do something very similar right now: using the built-in (but disabled by default) Quick Launch toolbar. To enable it, right-click on your tasbar, and from the Toolbars menu check off "Quick Launch." There you can drop shortcuts to folders, documents, and programs for easy access. (I like to use the large icons instead of the default small ones, as pictured; to turn those on, right-click on the toolbar and from the View menu choose "Large icons.")

Update: Helpful reader DieselLives points out that you can make a toolbar out of any folder of shortcuts or documents and dock it to any edge of your screen by just dragging and dropping it there.

For a fuller, dock-like experience, try the free RocketDock application. To turn open windows to just icons on the Vista taskbar, you can use Enhance My Vista.

Snap Your Windows to Size

One of the most useful Windows 7 features (especially for widescreen monitor owners) is its ability to half-size and dock a window to the left or right of the screen, as shown:

To get this same functionality (and much much more), give the free Winsplit Revolution a try—and you'll get much more customizable window arrangement options with keyboard combinations, too.

For the drag-and-drop action of Windows 7, try out the free AeroSnap application which mimics Windows 7's behavior almost perfectly (though without the glass overlay before you drop).

Try Out Aero Shake

The Aero Shake feature in Windows 7 clears away all the background windows when you "shake" the active window you're working with. Check out a demonstration of how that works here.

The free Aero Shake app clears your pre-Windows 7 desktop the same way.

Tame User Account Control

Instead of nagging you with "Are you sure?" dialogs at every turn like Vista does, in Windows 7 you can fine-tune what alerts and confirmation prompts you get for what. While the gorgeous slider Win7 offers to do that isn't available for Vista, you can always just turn off User Account Control to silence the nags entirely. Update: Adam reminds me that Norton's User Account Control for Vista users (our review) adds more control to UAC prompts without disabling them.

Customize Your System Tray

Windows 7 can tame those annoying yellow balloon notifications that show up in your system tray; in it you can configure which apps you want to get notifications from and which you don't. While that tuning isn't available for XP or Vista, you can disable balloon notifications in Vista entirely with a change to your registry. XP users can use TweakUI to disable the balloons.

In XP, you can customize your system tray behavior to a point, and tell Windows which icons you want to see and which to hide. Right-click on the Start button, choose Properties, then click the "Customize" button (next to "Hide inactive icons") to set which icons show up when.

Helpful reader Charax suggests the free, previously mentioned Emerge Windows shell replacement, which will also give you more control over what shows up in your system tray.

Speed Up Your Startup

One of the Windows 7 perks everyone is looking forward to is a faster startup time so you can get to work right away after hitting that Power button. Windows 7 beats out both Vista and Windows XP in the startup time department. The best way to speed up your pre-Windows 7 startup is to upgrade your rig to faster hardware, but failing that, there are several things you can do to Windows XP and Vista to make them reach a working desktop faster. See our complete guide to speeding up your PC's startup for more.

Upgrade Calculator and Paint; Get PowerShell

Windows 7 brings with it a few key upgrades to the ancillary programs it bundles, like Calculator, Paint, and WordPad. While you can't get the new Office 2007 ribbon in your WordPad right now, if you're a Paint user do consider upgrading to the free Paint.NET, which supports layers, multiple open images, and much more than regular Paint ever dreamed. To get you some powered-up Calculator action, XP users can install Power Calculator, and Vista users can don their eye patch and try getting this version of the Win7 Calculator to run on their system. Finally, Windows 7 comes with PowerShell pre-installed, but you can download and install PowerShell yourself right here.

For more souped-up Windows tools, see our power replacements for built-in Windows utilities.

Get the Windows 7 Theme

If you want your computer just to look like it's running Windows 7, you're in the right place. The Life Rocks blog runs down how to get the Windows 7 look and feel with the bootup screen, wallpapers, and login screen, too. Here's a direct link to the Windows 7 theme; and if you're new to theming your XP desktop, check out our step-by-step for using custom Windows visual styles.

Have More Control over Wi-Fi Networks

One of the most useful Windows 7 features for roaming laptop users is its one-click Wi-Fi network choice. While there isn't an exact match for that for XP and Vista, NetSetMan offers a more powerful way to manager multiple network profiles.

The big Windows 7 taskbar improvement that no one has replicated with a third-party app is the excellent Aero Peek feature, which adds multiple window previews to the taskbar, with the ability to close windows right from the preview. It doesn't seem like much, but my bet is that it's the one Win7 perk we'll all wind up using the most once 7 hits desktops.

Roll your own search results with Google's new SearchWiki

In an attempt to offer a more customized search experience—and to stay ahead of competitors—Google will soon be rolling out its SearchWiki feature to everyone using its services while logged into a Google account. The feature, which has been in testing with select users over the last few months, will allow people to shift around, annotate, add, and delete search results to their liking.

"Have you ever wanted to mark up Google search results?" asked a post on The Official Google Blog. "Maybe you're an avid hiker and the trail map site you always go to is in the 4th or 5th position and you want to move it to the top. Or perhaps it's not there at all and you'd like to add it. Or maybe you'd like to add some notes about what you found on that site and why you thought it was useful. Starting today you can do all this and tailor Google search results to best meet your needs." SearchWiki will actually live up to its name and act as a wiki so that users can see notes made by other users, and view what pages others have added or deleted.

As to what the point of the SearchWiki is, well, Google isn't saying just yet. Google is known for its secretive, magical PageRank system that promotes important search results while demoting others, and PageRank already has some degree of human input on the Google end. We're not sure whether Google plans to incorporate user feedback from SearchWiki into its normal search results, or whether the company simply planned to consider the extra data when determining the relevance of its own rankings.

Microsoft, on the other hand, makes no attempt to hide the fact that it plans to use its own user input to improve its offerings. The company launched U Rank last month, a feature that allows users to edit, organize, and annotate search results—very similar to Google SearchWiki. The company described U Rank as a search engine "research prototype, to help us learn more about how people use such technologies so we can continue to innovate."

It's no surprise then that Google is introducing SearchWiki to more people. At the very least, the company will have data from Internet users (and presumably many, many more of them than Microsoft) that it will be able to analyze for preferences and usage patterns. And theoretically, if the sample size is big enough, people will use SearchWiki in the same way they would use U Rank, ensuring that Microsoft doesn't gain even the slightest edge over Google. For those (like me) dying to try out SearchWiki, you'll just have to be patient. Google is introducing the feature slowly to more users, and it's not showing up yet for everyone just yet.

10 surprising things about Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2003 felt like a refresh of Windows Server 2000. There were few radical changes, and most of the improvements were fairly under the surface.

Windows Server 2008, on the other hand, is a full-size helping of "new and improved". While the overall package is quite good, there are a few surprises, "gotchas", and hidden delights you will want to know about before deciding if you will be moving to Windows Server 2008 any time soon.

#1: The 64-bit revolution is not complete

There have been 64-bit editions of Windows Server for years now, and Microsoft has made it quite clear that it wants all of its customers to move to 64-bit operating systems. That does not mean that you can throw away your 32-bit Windows Server 2008 CD, though! Over the last few months, I have been shocked on more than one occasion by the pieces of Microsoft software that not only do not have 64-bit versions, but will not run under a 64-bit OS at all. This list includes Team Foundation Server and ISA Server. If you are planning on moving to 64-bit Windows Server 2008, be prepared to have a 32-bit server or two around, whether it be on physical hardware or in a VM.

#2: Who moved my cheese?

While the UI changes in Windows Server 2008 are not nearly as sweeping as the Aero interface in Vista, it has undergone a dramatic rearrangement and renaming of the various applets around the system. In retrospect, the organisation of these items is much more sensible, but that hardly matters when you have years of experience going to a particular area to find something, only to have it suddenly change. Expect to be a bit frustrated in the Control Panel until you get used to it.

#3: Windows Workstation 2008 might catch on

In an odd turn of events, Microsoft has provided the ability to bring the "Vista Desktop Experience" into Windows Server 2008. I doubt that many server administrators were asking for this, but the unusual result is that a number of people are modifying Windows Server 2008 to be as close to a desktop OS as possible. There have always been a few people who use the server edition of Windows as a desktop, but this makes it much easier and friendlier. These home-brewed efforts are generally called "Windows Workstation 2008", in case you're interested in trying it out on your own.

#4: Hyper-V is good, but...

Hyper-V was one of the most anticipated features of Windows Server 2008, and it's surprisingly good, particularly for a version 1 release from Microsoft. It is stable, easy to install and configure, and does not seem to have any major problems. For those of us who have been beaten into the "wait until the third version" or "don't install until SP1″ mentality, this is a refreshing surprise.

#5: ...Hyper-V is limited

Hyper-V, while of high quality, is sorely lacking features. Considering that it was billed as a real alternative to VMWare and other existing solutions, it is a disappointment (to say the least) that it does not seem to include any utilities for importing VMs from products other than Virtual PC and Virtual Server. Even those imports are not workaround-free. Another real surprise here is the lack of a physical-to-virtual conversion utility. Hyper-V may be a good system, but make sure that you fully try it out before you commit to using it.

#6: NT 4 domain migration -- it's not happening

If you have been putting off the painful migration from your NT 4 domain until Windows Server 2008 was released, don't keep waiting. The older version (3.0) Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT) supports migrations from NT 4, but not to Windows Server 2008. The latest version (3.1) supports migrations to Windows Server 2008, but not from NT 4. Either migrate from NT 4 before changing your domain to be a Windows 2008 domain or get your NT 4 domain upgraded first.

#7: The ashtrays are now optional

In prior versions of Windows Server, a lot of applications came installed by default. No one ever uninstalled them because they did not cause any harm, even if you didn't use them or installed an alternative. Now, even the "throwaway" applications, like Windows Backup, are not installed by default. After installation, you need to add "features" to get the full Windows Server suite of applications. This can be frustrating if you are in a hurry, but the reduced clutter and resource overhead are worth it.

#8: Licensing is bewildering

Continuing a hallowed Microsoft tradition, trying to understand the licensing terms of Windows Server 2008 feels like hammering nails with your forehead. So maybe this isn't so much a surprise as a gotcha. The Standard Edition makes sense, but when you get into the issues around virtualisation in Enterprise and Datacenter Editions, things can be a bit confusing. Depending upon your need for virtual machines and the number of physical CPUs (not CPU cores, thankfully) in your server, Enterprise Edition may be cheaper -- or it may be more expensive than Datacenter Edition. One thing to keep in mind is that once you start using virtual machines, you start to like them a lot more than you thought you would. It's easy to find yourself using a lot more of them than originally expected.

#9: There's no bloat

Maybe it's because Vista set expectations of pain, or because hardware has gotten so much cheaper, but Windows Server 2008 does not feel bloated or slow at all. Microsoft has done a pretty good job at minimising the installed feature set to the bare minimum, and Server Core can take that even further. Depending upon your needs, it can be quite possible to upgrade even older equipment to Windows Server 2008 without needing to beef up the hardware.

#10: Quality beats expectations

Microsoft customers have developed low expectations of quality over the years, unfortunately, with good reason. While its track record for initial releases, in terms of security holes and bug counts, seems to be improving, customers are still howling about Vista. As a result, it has come as a real surprise that the overall reaction to Windows Server 2008 has been muted, to say the least. The horror stories just are not flying around like they were with Vista. Maybe it's the extra year they spent working on it, or different expectations of the people who work with servers, but Windows Server 2008 has had a pretty warm reception so far. And that speaks a lot to its quality. There is nothing particularly flashy or standout about it. But at the same time, it is a solid, high quality product. And that is exactly what system administrators need.

Hubert Chang Claims He Co-Designed Google

Who is Hubert Chang and what does he have to do with Google? Chang has emerged from obscurity this week with the audacious claim that he helped launch the search giant in 1997 along with acknowledged co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

Chang posted his story on the video sharing site Vimeo and it was picked up by the Web site Weberence. It spread virally from there, even to YouTube, a Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) property.

But far from adding another legitimate chapter to Google's storied history, the video leaves many questions unanswered.

Update: Here is Google’s comment:

There is no substance to Hubert Chang’s claims – he had no involvement in the creation of Google. Neither Larry or Sergey have any recollection of meeting him – however, given the number of people they’ve met in the last decade it’s impossible to say categorically that they never have. Rajeev Motwani, the Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at Stanford, believes he may have shared some emails from Mr Chang with Larry and Sergey in 1997 or 1998. But in any case PageRank had already been developed by that time and was a working prototype.

Also, Valleywag points to an archived page of Hubert’s homepage which indicates that either he believes he had influence in a lot more than just Google, or that Hubert’s just pulling pranks. Plus, TechCrunch has a statement by Stanford Professor Rajeev Motwani:

To the best of my knowledge, his claims about being a founder of Google, coming up with the name and/or the business plan etc, are completely unfounded in reality. I am sure I would have noticed a third founder, if one existed, since I was working closely with Larry and Sergey at Stanford the time.

I do recall receiving a couple of emails from Hubert Chang in 1997 or 1998. Its been such a long time that I don’t have any recollection of their contents but it’s probable I shared those emails with Larry and Sergey. In any case, by that time the basic idea of PageRank was already in place and there was a clear intent of building a company around this. I am pretty certain that none of the three of us actually met with Hubert Chang during that time period