|
|
|
|
|
|
Installing Windows Live Essentials
So far I have looked at working with core applications in the Windows Live Essentials suite: Photo Gallery, Messenger, Mail and Writer. I want to take a little time out to look at how you get the suite of these free applications installed on your PC. 
Windows Live Essentials Download web page. One thing users must note is that Windows Live Essentials is free! The only thing required is an Internet connection and going to the Windows Live Essential’s home page and download it. Microsoft recently created partnerships with PC OEMs such as Dell to have Live Essentials bundled on their systems world wide. 
The 1 MB Windows Live Web installer makes it easy to install just the applications you need. What’s included in Windows Live Essentials? - Windows Live Mail – For sending and receiving email and managing it off line, includes support for HTTP, POP3 and IMAP along with support for popular mail services such as Hotmail and GMAIL. Live Mail also features an integrated Calendar that supports synchronization with your Windows Live Calendar.
- Windows Live Photo Gallery – For managing photos, videos and publishing to online services, includes basic photo editing tools.
- Windows Live Messenger – Instant Messaging client with support for video conferencing and support for Yahoo! Contacts.
- Windows Live Writer – Blogging tool for publishing content to online journals such as Windows Live Space, Blogger, Live Journal and more.
- Windows Live Movie Maker – Still in beta, this simple video editor features basic capabilities for putting together short movies that can be published to MSN Soapbox.
Those five core applications make up a complete experience, but the suite goes beyond that. Windows Live Essentials includes add on’s for Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook, and file synchronization and collaboration. System Requirements Operating system: Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (32-bit edition only), Windows Vista (32-bit or 64-bit editions), Windows 7 Beta (32-bit or 64-bit editions), or Windows Server 2008. Note: Windows Live Movie Maker is not supported on Windows XP - Processor: 1 GHz or higher for Windows Vista; 800 MHz or higher for Windows XP
- Memory: 128 MB of RAM (256 MB or more recommended) for Windows XP; 512 MB for Windows Vista
- Resolution: Minimum 1024 x 768
- Internet connection: Internet functionality requires dial-up or broadband Internet access (provided separately). Local or long-distance charges may apply.
- Browser: Windows Live Toolbar requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or later.
- Graphics or video card: Windows Live Movie Maker requires ATI Radeon 9500 (or higher) or nVidia GeForce FX 5900 (or higher). I have Live Movie Maker working with a nVidia Geforce FX 5200 128 MB AGP, but if you like the Photo Gallery collages, you will need a video card that supports pixel shader 3.0.
Additional requirements The following components are needed for specific Windows Live programs, and may be installed for you if they’re not already on your computer. - For Writer: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or higher*.
- For Photo Gallery: SQL 2005 Compact Edition and Windows Imaging Codecs*.
- For Photo Gallery and Movie Maker: Some components of DirectX9.
- * Not required when installing on Windows Vista.
Note: To install or uninstall Windows Live products, you must have administrator rights on the computer.   
Setup: After launching the Windows Live Essentials setup, the Welcome Screen is displayed, next is the Service agreement page, which you must agree to then the programs page which list all the programs that come with Windows Live Essentials. 
Checking for open programs: Before Windows Live begins the installation, you must ensure that certain programs are closed such as Internet Explorer which installs add on programs such as the Live Toolbar, Silverlight for viewing dynamic content on web pages and for persons who use Microsoft Outlook, the Office Outlook Connector for managing your Live Hotmail email, Live Calendar and Contacts.    
Installing the applications: During the install wizard, you are given a quick over view of some of the capabilities of Windows Live Essentials.  
Completing Setup: Once installation is completed, you can have Live do some post setup task such as default your Search provider to ‘Windows Live Search’, set your default home page to MSN, submit feedback when you encounters an error using Windows Live Essentials applications and help improve Windows Live Search results – all of course optional. 
Accessing your Windows Live apps: You can start using your Windows Live applications by going Start > All Programs > Windows Live or click Start and type ‘Windows Live’. There are two ways of installing Windows Live Essentials, you can download the 1 MB web installer from http://download.live.com then pick and choose what you would like to have installed. You can run the program at a later date if you decide to install more applications. If you are on a slow connection and would prefer to avoid killing your bandwidth, you can download the full suite, but there is a bit of trick to doing so, I honestly wish Microsoft would just provide a direct link to the full installer, someone with 4 Windows based PC’s is not gonna want to run the web installer on all 4 when they could easily download the entire package and run it across three. Here’s how you get the full suite. Click the download link for the Live Suite, and then cancel it when the 1 MB download option appears. Click the Try Again button and you will be presented with the 134 MB installer, this option includes everything. Technorati Tags: Windows Live, Windows Live Essentials, Installation, Setup, Microsoft  , Photo Gallery, Mail, Messenger, Blogging, Applications, Windows 7 Beta Windows Live Tags: Clubhouse, Windows Live, Windows Live Essentials, Installation, Setup, Microsoft, Photo Gallery, Mail, Messenger, Blogging, Applications, Windows 7 Beta, How-to, Story Up Link Partner adacosta.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!E8E5CC039D51E3DB!21485.entry
|
GRAB SOME!
|
INFO: Comparing the 1 Million unit sellers between Xbox 360 & PS3
 This is a really interesting comparison.
The guys at Ripten published lists of the games that have sold 1 million or more units for each console, first with Playstation 3 and next with Xbox 360. Here’s their list for the Xbox 360, with the ‘millions of units sold’ next to each title. I’ve highlighted my personal favorites. I’m perplexed at how this list is missing Ninja Gaiden 2 and Valve’s Orange Box but being that this list is apparently missing a few titles…: Halo 3, Microsoft — 8.4 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Activision — 6.6 Grand Theft Auto IV, Take-Two Interactive — 6.2 Gears Of War, Microsoft — 5.3 Forza Motorsport 2, Microsoft — 4.1 Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft — 4.0 Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, RedOctane — 3.5 Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, 2K Games — 2.6 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Activision — 2.5 Madden NFL 08, Electronic Arts — 2.4 Guitar Hero II, RedOctane — 2.3 Call of Duty 2, Activision — 2.2 Tom Clancy Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, Ubisoft — 2.2 Tom Clancy Rainbow Six: Vegas, Ubisoft — 2.2 Call of Duty 3, Activision — 2.1 Gears of War 2, Microsoft — 2.1 Mass Effect, Microsoft — 2.1 BioShock, 2K Games — 2.0 Saints Row, THQ — 1.9 Rock Band, MTV Games — 1.9 Madden NFL 07, Electronic Arts — 1.8 Fight Night Round 3, Electronic Arts — 1.8 Dead Rising, Capcom — 1.8 Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, Ubisoft — 1.7 Lost Planet, Capcom — 1.7 Viva Pinata, Microsoft — 1.6 Need for Speed ProStreet, Electronic Arts — 1.5 Crackdown, Microsoft — 1.5 Fable II, Microsoft — 1.5 Project Gotham Racing 3, Microsoft — 1.5 Need for Speed Most Wanted, Electronic Arts — 1.5 FIFA 08, Electronic Arts — 1.4 Perfect Dark Zero, Microsoft — 1.4 Tom Clancy Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, Ubisoft — 1.4 Need for Speed Carbon, Electronic Arts — 1.4 Army of Two, Electronic Arts — 1.4 WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008, THQ — 1.3 Madden NFL 09, Electronic Arts — 1.3 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, LucasArts — 1.2 Tom Clancy Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Ubisoft — 1.2 Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, Eidos Interactive — 1.1 Devil May Cry 4, Capcom — 1.1 Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, Konami — 1.1 Project Gotham Racing 4, Microsoft — 1.1 Pro Evolution Soccer 6, Konami — 1.1 Dead or Alive 4, Tecmo — 1.0 The Simpsons Game, Electronic Arts — 1.0 Up Link Partner kurtsh.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!DA410C7F7E038D!4216.entry
|
GRAB SOME!
|
NEWS: E3 Highlights from my perspective
Here are a few things that seriously caught my attention at E3 today. 
FALLOUT 3 WILL HAVE XBOX-EXCLUSIVE DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT!
Fallout 3… produced by Bethesda Softworks… was announced to have, just as with earlier title, Elder Scrolls Oblivion: Shivering Isles, ’substantial exclusive downloadable content’…
…only available on Xbox 360. (And Games for Windows!)
- PORTAL: STILL ALIVE… XBOX-EXCLUSIVE!
Portal: Still Alive, the hit game from the Orange Box (The 5 title game set from Valve containing Half Life 2/Intro, Half Life 2/Episode 1, Half Life 2/Episode 2, & Team Fortress) will be coming this fall…
…only available on Xbox 360.
- FINAL FANTASY XIII COMING TO XBOX 360 AT RELEASE
WOW. This was a doozy. Final Fantasy XIII, after being a Sony exclusive for 13 iterations, will be released on the Xbox 360 the same day that it’s released on the Playstation 3. God bless Hironobu Sakaguchi.
- NEW SYSTEM CONSOLE CAN RIP OF GAME DISCS TO HARD DRIVE FOR FASTER PLAY
This was actually on Major Nelson’s blog – not the E3 announcement. There’s a feature in the new system console update coming this fall that will allow game discs to be copied to the hard drive for much faster load times and playback. You will STILL need to have the game disc in the system however game data will be loaded off the hard drive for high performance load times.
- XBOX 360 HAS MORE UNITS SOLD IN THE US THAN WII OR PS3
SVP Don Matrick, "When it comes to hardware, we're in fantastic shape. According to NPD, we're leading the market with the largest install base in the US, more than 5m ahead of PS3; in software, ahead as well, 2.7b in the last 12 months.
In the last year 3rd party revenue outpaced the Wii and PS3 combined. I'm willing to declare here, today, that Xbox 360 will sell more consoles worldwide than PS3 and Wii. We'll offer an array of consoles with prices for everyone. ...A year ago, 6m people were connected to Xbox live, and it's doubled, a new member joining every 5 seconds."
- 5 PLAYER COOP ON GEARS OF WAR 2
Gears of War 2, available November 7th, will have a special 5 player coop mode called Horde where you basically fight off waves and waves of enemies.
- XBOX PRIMETIME “1 VS 100”
Endemol & Microsoft will partner to bring a massively multiplayer online version of “1 vs 100” featuring real prizes.
- XBOX LIVE TITLES
Geometry Wars
UNO rush
Galaga Legions
(Note: This is a true sequel to the original Galaga by Midway. This looks really GOOD!)
- AND EVERYTHING ELSE
- Netflix Partnership
Partnership with NetFlix will make Netflix movies streamable to the console - New system console & avatars
New System Console will feature a 3D look and provide avatars… more on this later. This is SERIOUSLY going to rock. The people doing this console work really have been silently working on good stuff. - NBC Universal partnership
NBC Universal will be providing content to Xbox Live including movies & TV shows - GTA4 XBOX-EXCLUSIVE content
Grand Theft Auto 4’s XBox 360-exclusive content is still coming this fall, in case you forgot - New Game: SCENEIT? BOX OFFICE SMASH
A new version of the Big Button game and it will use the avatars of the new System Console. - New Game: YOU’RE IN THE MOVIES
Featuring the Xbox Live Camera which records scenes, digitally synthesizes items on you, and puts you in prescripted movies. - New Game: LIPS
Karaoke Game feature microphone and sing-along gaming with point matching people that hit the appropriate pitch. Up Link Partner kurtsh.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!DA410C7F7E038D!3378.entry
|
GRAB SOME!
|
VIDEO: “A Microsoft Guy Tries to Use All His Benefits in One Day”
 An Microsoft HR intern created this video called “Perks”.
It does nice job of summarizing many of the little oft unmentioned reasons why I love working for this company and haven’t even remotely considered leaving in my many years of employment at Microsoft. And yes - I’ve
worked at many other tech companies and even the absolute worst day here is better than the best day at so many other places.
Up Link Partner kurtsh.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!DA410C7F7E038D!3392.entry
|
BETA: Microsoft Assessment and Planning Tool Beta... with Hyper-V Assessment
 In case you're on the MAP tool beta before for the version 3.0, you should already have received a notification to join the Private Beta for MAP 3.1 slated to release in June 2008. This MAP 3.1 beta will include the much anticipated
Hyper-V modeling and assessment for server virtualization.
Due to massive demand, we are soon going to reach the capacity limit of this Private Beta. If you have not joined yet, please follow the 5-step process here to apply. - Visit the Connect site: http://connect.microsoft.com
- Enter Invitation Code: MP31-GT76-X98X
- Follow the rest of the on-screen instructions
- Wait for a notificiation email in the next few weeks for the Download Instructions
- Try out MAP 3.0 RTM version to take a quick test drive: http://www.microsoft.com/MAP
- The current release already support Virtual Server 2005 R2 assessments.
Up Link Partner kurtsh.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!DA410C7F7E038D!3029.entry
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
