windows7
windows7
I’ve been really excited about the Windows 7 sensors and location platform since the get-go, but I’ve been pretty disappointed by the lack of actual products to take advantage of it. Finally someone has built a software –based tool that uses IP and WiFi location services (from Google) to find your location. It’s not as accurate as GPS, of course, but it’s good enough to get city which works well for weather and general proximity applications. It’s free and available for either 32-bit or 64-bit. Get it now! http://www.geosenseforwindows.com/
I’ve been a great fan of the Windows API Code Pack for some time now (since it replaced the Vista Bridge anyway!). It’s got great functionality to replace the need for interop when using new features of Windows 7. I was having some trouble with a Jumplist and I decided to check if there was a new version. Sure enough, when I wasn’t looking they released a new version of November 18th! It’s got a few new features, and a lot of bug fixes. It even fixed my trouble with nothing but a recompile! If you haven’t checked it out...
I’m so happy! I’ve had a chronic problem with Windows 7 for a build or two now (including RTM). Every time I would create a new folder in Explorer, it would hang for a minute or so before coming back. Then I realized that it was actually the rename operation that was the culprit. Any file rename would cause the window to hang. Strangely, if I checked at a command prompt it was immediately renamed. The final weirdness was that a rename worked instantly from a command prompt. So what was Explorer doing? It turns out that the...
My latest MSDN Coding 4 Fun article, Windows 7 Taskbar, has been published. I’m a bit behind the times actually, since it’s already been out a week or two! In case you haven’t seen it though, it’s an introduction to using the Windows API Code Pack to take advantage of new Taskbar goodness in Windows 7. Hopefully some good info there with Windows 7 release coming up soon! Link: http://blogs.msdn.com/coding4fun/archive/2009/08/25/9874533.aspx
I do a lot of math work at home with my boys, and creating random problems for them to solve can be challenging. I just discovered a Microsoft Education Labs project that generates worksheets based on a sample problem. Kind of like Pandora (music), give it a problem you “like” and it comes back with more, with a similar difficulty. The problems are embedded directly into Word with solutions on the last page. You can do basic math, algebra solving, and more. Use the Math Input Panel in Windows 7, or use their specialized syntax. Very easy! App in...
As you may or may not know, Windows 7 finally adds native support for MPEG-4. This is excellent news and reduces much of the need for adding additional codecs to be installed on the system. Unfortunately, Microsoft did not see fit to incorporate support for the Matroska (mkv)container format (they still like AVI and ASF more). There was good support out there from open source projects, but not for 64-bit systems. Now Divx has made available a preview of a high-performance, Media Foundation implementation (successor to DirectShow released with Vista) of a Matroska container reader that works with both 32-bit...
So I’ve tried to install the LEGO Mindstorms NXT software on Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit. It’s definitely a disappointment so far. I didn’t even want to install at first. That was easily enough remedied though. Be sure to run setup.exe as Administrator and run it in Vista compatibility mode. As it installs it warns about an unknown Bluetooth driver. I’m just using the built-in Microsoft stack. The install completely successfully after that warning. Upon launch of the application, all is well. I can perform all operations related to programming. I can create a program, save it, and load...
If you get the error “Error encountered while copying audio stream” after recording a project in Captivate (eLearning screen/demo capture software), then there’s hope for you. I found this post that distills info from an Adobe thread and fixes the issue by just registering a COM DLL. The issue is stated as affecting Vista 64-bit, but I got the same issue on Win7 64-bit. Hopefully they’ll fix it soon! LINK: http://www.codeblog.co.uk/2009/07/18/other-stuff/adobe-captivate-4-error-encountered-while-copying-audio-stream-vista-x64/
I’m loving Windows 7 64-bit so far, but I get a few very strange issues. Both DemoMate and Adobe Captivate fail to capture effective and consistently. I’m working with DemoMate to figure this out, but I only have a trial of Captivate so I’m not sure how good support would be. For the most part I’ve had good luck with 32-bit software running when there’s no 64-bit executable, but lower-level stuff just crashes and burns! Most machines in the past 2-3 years have had support for 64-bit. Few people seem to use it since XP and Vista made it...
The boards given away at WinHEC and PDC for Windows 7 sensor development are now available for sale from Freescale: http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summary.jsp?code=JMBADGE&tab=Buy_Parametric_Tab&fromSearch=false These are a great way to experiment with the new sensors such as light, gyroscope, and accelerometer. The price is pretty fair, and it’s a nice compact board. Even better, the Windows API Code Pack support it nicely in managed code. Have fun!
Well, so far I haven’t gotten Daemon Tools to work. Apparently it’s not DT itself, but rather the SCSI Passthrough device (SPTD) that isn’t compatible with the new low-level changes. I also couldn’t get Elby Virtual CloneDrive to work. It installed fine, but just hung when I tried to mount a disc. Fortunately, I’ve found a solution. I’ve never even seen something like this before, but a company called Pismo Technic, Inc. has created an application that mounts an ISO file (and many other formats) as a folder. It’s not a virtual drive at all, just a way to...
Well, despite my previous post to the contrary, I have periodic issues with the Atheros networking drivers on my Aspire One. They worked most of the time under Vista. They work rarely under Windows 7. The wireless device either simply disappears or just won’t connect to anything. The Windows troubleshooting/repair functions do nothing to fix it. I have no idea what I need to do, except, I suspect I’ll need to wait for newer drivers. Atheros doesn’t seem to offer direct downloads for what I need, so this is a severe slam for the Aspire at this point! By...