"Hidden" Windows Utilities

For those running Windows on their netbooks, here's a list of "hidden" programs you can run -

To run any of the following go to Start > Run and type the executable name, e.g.: charmap

1. Character Map = charmap.exe (very useful for finding unusual characters)

2. Disk Cleanup = cleanmgr.exe

3. Clipboard Viewer = clipbrd.exe (views contents of Windows clipboard)

4. Dr Watson = drwtsn32.exe (Troubleshooting tool)

5. DirectX diagnosis = dxdiag.exe (Diagnose & test DirectX, video & sound cards)

6. Private character editor = eudcedit.exe (allows creation or modification of characters)

7. IExpress Wizard = iexpress.exe (Create self-extracting / self-installing package)

8. Mcft Synchronization Manager = mobsync.exe (appears to allow synchronization of files on the network for when working offline. Apparently undocumented).

9. Windows Media Player 5.1 = mplay32.exe (Retro version of Media Player, very basic).

10. ODBC Data Source Administrator = odbcad32.exe (something to do with databases)

11. Object Packager = packager.exe (to do with packaging objects for insertion in files, appears to have comprehensive help files).

12. System Monitor = perfmon.exe (very useful, highly configurable tool, tells you everything you ever wanted to know about any aspect of PC performance)

13. Program Manager = progman.exe (Legacy Windows 3.x desktop shell).

14. Remote Access phone book = rasphone.exe (documentation is virtually non-existent).

15. Registry Editor = regedt32.exe [also regedit.exe] (for hacking the Windows Registry).

16. Network shared folder wizard = shrpubw.exe (creates shared folders on network).

17. File signature verification tool = sigverif.exe

18. Volume Contro = sndvol32.exe (I've included this for those people that lose it from the System Notification area).

19. System Configuration Editor = sysedit.exe (modify System.ini & Win.ini just like in Win98!).

20. Syskey = syskey.exe (Secures XP Account database - use with extreme care, it's virtually undocumented but it appears to encrypt all passwords.

21. Mcft Telnet Client = telnet.exe

22. Driver Verifier Manager = verifier.exe (seems to be a utility for monitoring the actions of drivers, might be useful for people having driver problems. Undocumented).

23. Windows for Workgroups Chat = winchat.exe (appears to be an old NT utility to allow chat sessions over a LAN, help files available).

24. System configuration = msconfig.exe (can use to control starup programs)

25. gpedit.msc = used to manage group policies, and permissions

Microsoft Extends Windows Offering to Nettop Devices

From Microsoft -

TAIPEI, Taiwan — June 3, 2008 — Today at Computex, Microsoft Corp. announced that following the success of Windows on netbooks, the Windows offering is being extended to include nettop devices. Netbooks are commonly referred to as ultralow-cost PCs (ULCPCs) and were originally intended for students and other first-time PC customers in emerging markets. Nettop refers to desktops that are ultralow-cost.

In April, Microsoft announced the worldwide extension of the availability of Windows for this emerging class of devices that are primarily used for e-mail, accessing the Internet and instant messaging, and the company is seeing much demand among industry partners who want to ensure that customers can have the benefits of Windows on both new and existing devices.

Customers are asking for Windows on these devices because the experience is familiar to existing PC users and easy to learn for customers who are new to computing. Customers want to be able to take advantage of the wide range of applications, devices and online experiences supported by Windows today. Microsoft partners also appreciate Windows-based solutions for these computers because they already know how to build and support high-quality systems that are powered by Windows.

The marketplace for this emerging class of computers has expanded, and Microsoft and its partners are now seeing interest in these devices in developed markets as well, especially as companion devices in multi-PC households. As demand for this new category has grown, both customers and partners have expressed their strong preference that Windows be the operating system on these devices.

“Customers and partners have made it clear to us that they want Windows on their netbooks and nettops,” said Steven Guggenheimer, corporate vice president of the Original Equipment Manufacturer Division at Microsoft. “We are committed to providing Windows solutions for these devices, helping to ensure a high-quality experience for both our partners and customers.”

The company has been investing in this emerging hardware category in a variety of ways, with its efforts around Windows in emerging markets and by extending the availability of Windows to developed markets worldwide. The special class of mobile and desktop devices known as netbooks or nettops is optimized for Internet-based activities such as e-mail, Web browsing and instant messaging. By making it possible for OEMs to offer Windows on these devices, Microsoft enables consumers to have the familiar computing experience they have come to expect, as well as a robust platform that can integrate with their other computers and devices.

“We have seen much demand for Windows on the Eee PC,” said Jerry Sheen, CEO of ASUSTek Computer. “It is great that Microsoft is addressing this customer demand and providing a Windows solution on these devices, which will provide a familiar computing experience.”

“The Asus Eee PC has been and continues to be a very successful product for Cellnet,” said Julian Phua, general manager of Cellnet Group Ltd. “The feedback from our customers in retail and the reseller channel is that they overwhelmingly prefer to sell the Eee PC running with Windows. To move our existing Linux inventory, we are now offering our channel the option of purchasing Windows XP with their Eee units so they can provide a compelling offering for customers.”

Microsoft is working with more than 20 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) including Acer Inc., ASUSTek Computer Inc., BenQ Corp., Dell Inc., First International Computer Inc., Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd., HP, Inventec Corp., Lenovo, Medion AG, Micro-Star International Co., Positivo Informatica, Pegatron Corp., Quanta Computer Inc. and Wistron Corp. to deliver Windows-based offerings for consumers.

Linux vs. Windows Metrics -- Nothing Is Quite What It Seems To Be

In a reaction piece to the Linux Loop blog post titled “Linux Eee PC Far Faster Than Windows Version” Caitlyn Martin of the Linux Dev Center continues the debate over the criteria used.

The original piece had concluded Linux was faster based on three tasks - boot up, loading Firefox, and shutting down. Obviously this was not comprehensive and very inconclusive especially for users who are heavy users of certain apps such as MS Works or MS Office vis-a-vis OpenOffice. Hence the arguments.

Ms. Martin, while obviously a Linux supporters, also claims a bias against hype and BS. And she did right in clarifying that the numbers actually only compared Xandros on the Asus Eee PC and Windows XP on the same subportable. And more importantly, she reminded everyone not all Linux distros are created equal. Thus, the metrics mentioned are about one specific laptop, one specific distribution and version of Linux, and Windows XP only, nothing more.

As for the comparison themselves, shutdown/start up time is a straightforward and Xandros is clearly faster than XP. All the arguments dismissing this as unimportant doesn’t change the fact that Xandros is faster at this given task. On identical hardware running an identical application (e.g. Firefox), Xandros is also significantly faster than XP. Any comparison of dissimilar apps (IE vs FIrefox or Works vs. OpenOffice) is an apples and oranges comparison and tells us nothing about the speed of the underlying OS.

But what does this all prove? Not much, really. But just that. Xandros runs faster than Windows XP on the Asus Eee PC. :)

You can read the entire article here.