SuperWasp

Productivity tips, reviews, tools, software and gadgets.

Update for Windows Vista Media Center released

Microsoft has released the Cumulative Update for Windows Media Center for Windows Vista (KB932818), the first update to the Media Center components of Windows Vista. Media Center functionality is available for the Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate editions.

Here's the list of improvements:

Hotfix replacement information

This is a cumulative update. This update replaces the following updates:

929011 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929011/)
Windows Media Center does not correctly configure a combo TV tuner that supports both ATSC and NTSC signals on a Windows Vista-based computer

932753 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932753/)
When you resize the Windows Media Center window in Windows Vista, video playback may stop

Issues that are resolved by this update

In addition to the fixes that are contained in the updates that are listed in the "Hotfix replacement information" section, the April 2007 Cumulative Update for Media Center for Windows Vista resolves the following issues:

•	The video may appear to freeze when the movie begins in some DVDs.
•	When you rotate a picture during a slide show in Windows Media Center, the wrong photo may be rotated.
•	The cover art for recorded TV movies may not appear in the DVD library view.
•	When you delete a picture in Windows Media Center, you may receive an error message that resembles the following: AUDIO ERROR The Url contains one or more invalid characters.
•	When you try to play a DVD by using Autoplay, you may receive an error message that resembles the following: Tuner not installed

Improvements that are in this update

The update also provides the following improvements:

•	Online Media support has been added for Windows Media Center on 64-bit versions of Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate.
•	Video Playlist support has been added for Windows Media Center Extenders.
•	Improvements have been made to Online Media caching.

Labels: download, Home Premium, MCE, Media Center, Microsoft, patch, Ultimate, update, Windows Vista

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  Posted by oVan on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 | PermaLink | 0 comments

BUG: Windows Vista Sidebar

The long-awaited Sidebar in Windows Vista is a bit flawed.

You can detach the gadgets so that you can place them anywhere on your desktop. Some gadgets, like the beautiful weather gadget, even give you a larger view when they are undocked.

The main problem is that upon every reboot, the gadgets will move a few pixels to the left. If you're like me and want to place them on a specific place (in my case: at the right edge of the screen), you'll soon notice that it's futile to resist. They'll march away a little bit everyday:


Some reasons why I want those gadgets to stay undocked:

• When you dock them to the right side, they'll move to the top of the screen. I prefer them to the bottom of the screen.


• Also, there's no known way to make the sidebar larger/wider.


• Similarly, some gadgets show less information than when undocked (see weather gadget as example)


• Above the top gadget, you'll always see that plus sign and the double arrow. I know, it's a detail... but every bit counts.
  

Something I don't quite understand: when you close the Sidebar, when your active gadgets are floating on your desktop... why are there still two Sidebar.exe processes running? I thought I just closed one?

And why don't the docked gadgets expand when you click on them? That would make a lot of sense to me...

Oh well, I guess that will be stuff for SP1?

Labels: bug, gadget, Microsoft, RTM, Sidebar, Ultimate, Vista, Windows

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  Posted by oVan on Wednesday, November 22, 2006 | PermaLink | 0 comments

Windows Vista RTM available!

Windows Vista has appeared on MSDN & Technet as one big 2.5Gb DVD ISO file for x86 and another for x64 edition.
The product key will determine what version is installed. Currently the following keys are offered to MSDN subscribers:

• Windows Vista Business


• Windows Vista Home Basic


• Windows Vista Home Premium


• Windows Ultimate

Some subscribers of MSDN & Technet reported only some of these keys were available, but that's probably solved by now.

Let the hunt for driver updates begin...

Labels: Business, Home Basic, Home Premium, key, Microsoft, MSDN, RTM, TechNet, Ultimate, Vista, Windows

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  Posted by oVan on Friday, November 17, 2006 | PermaLink | 0 comments