Make Firefox Look Fancy in Vista (and a little in XP too!)

Anyhow, I was looking around this afternoon for some Firefox appearance tweaks for Vista, and I came across a number.  Now, if you know me, you know I really like Microsoft’s latest and greatest operating system.  Nothing out there beats it right now.  Possibly not even Ubuntu.  That goes a long way considering I’m a huge Ubuntu fan.  So, here’s what you can do to make Firefox in Vista look like this:

First of all, let’s get that nice glass look on the navigation toolbar.  Download the Glasser addon from Mozilla Addons.  It works perfectly in Firefox 3.  It is “experimental,” but go ahead and download it anyway (you might need to make a Mozilla account).  Just a tip: you need to have Firefox 3 (why don’t you already?!) to use most of these tweaks. (If you don’t have Vista, just find another Vista looking theme)

Next we’re going to hide that menu bar at the top.  You can download the Personal Menu addon for this.  Once you’ve downloaded (and restarted Firefox), you can just right-click on the menu bar and deselect “Menus Toolbar” to remove it.  If you ever need to bring it back up, just hit the Alt key, and it will appear temporarily.  Looking nicer already, eh?

Now we want the Vista Explorer-like bookmarks toolbar.  For this we’ll need the Stylish addon.  Now hit the Alt key to bring up the menu bar, and click Tools–Add-ons.  Open up the Stylish options dialogue.  Click on Write to create a new CSS style.  Copy the following code, and click Save.

@namespace url(http://www.mozilla.org/keymaster/gatekeeper/there.is.only.xul);

#main-window #navigator-toolbox #PersonalToolbar
{
border-top: 0 none !important;
-moz-appearance: none !important;
background-image: url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAAfCAYAAAAmyadiAAAAAXNSR0IArs4c6QAAAARnQU1BAACxjwv8YQUAAAAgY0hSTQAAeiYAAICEAAD6AAAAgOgAAHUwAADqYAAAOpgAABdwnLpRPAAAAAlwSFlzAAALEgAACxIB0t1+/AAAAAd0SU1FB9cCEwYDIgFDQ7MAAAAYdEVYdFNvZnR3YXJlAFBhaW50Lk5FVCB2My4wOGVynOEAAACjSURBVBhXY9hw4sZ/hvpl+/8zVC/e+5+hbMHu/wyFc3b8Z8iesfU/Q9rUzf8ZEiZs+M8Q1bP2P0NIx6r/DL7Ny/4zeNQv+c/gVL3wP4Ntxbz/DJalc/4zsHiUgoiS/wysIILdE8jl8C77z8DtU/6fgd+/6j+DSHDtfwapiMb/DAqxrf8ZNNN6/jOYFE39z2DfOP8/g9cEoPGTD5z7z8Ck4fgfAAdOR5a0f2FqAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC) !important;
padding: 2px 3px 3px 3px !important;
color: white !important;
}

#main-window #navigator-toolbox #PersonalToolbar toolbarbutton
{
padding: 0 5px !important;
}

#main-window #navigator-toolbox #PersonalToolbar toolbarbutton > label
{
color: white !important;
}

#main-window #navigator-toolbox #PersonalToolbar .toolbarbutton-menu-dropmarker
{
list-style-image: url(arrow-dn.gif) !important;
}

Now your bookmarks toolbar should look like that clean, Vista Explorer bar you’re (hopefully) used to.

And now finally, we want to make the progress bar appear in the location bar, as in Explorer.  For this download the Fission addon.  Then open up the Stylish options again and create another new CSS style.  Copy the following code in:

#urlbar[fission="fusion"] > #statusbar-icon .progress-bar{
-moz-appearance: progresschunk !important;
background-color: transparent !important;
opacity: .5 !important;
}

.autocomplete-textbox-container-fission{
opacity: .999 !important;
}

Windows XP Support

The unprecedented step by the corporation Microsoft – providing technical support to users operating system, which was published in 2001, and at the time of termination by the corporation technical support it will be full 13 years! Senior Vice President of Microsoft Corporation Bill Veghte, in his letter to customers said that software developers will continue to provide security updates and other critical updates for Windows XP until April 2014.

“Our continued support Windows XP operating system is the result of our recognition that people use their Windows-PCs for many years” – writes Bill Veghte. Typically, Microsoft OS support ceases for a period of ten years since its release. For example, it plans to discontinue support for Windows 2000 in 2010.

Microsoft may not have choice but to implement technical support Windows XP for a long period, given that most of its major business customers have not upgraded their personal computers and laptops with the new operating system Windows Vista.

Virtual CD-ROM

Recently, I downloaded a huge .iso image.  I didn’t have a blank DVD handy.  Instead of rushing to the store to buy a blank DVD, I used Virtual CD-ROM from Microsoft.  It is very easy to use.

The program runs on Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional.  I don’t have Vista.  So I don’t know if it works.

1. Download Virtual CD-ROM from Microsoft.

2. Run the exe.

3. Follow the instructions in README.TXT.  Eventually, the .iso image will be mounted to a drive and you can click the setup program to install whatever program is on the .iso image.

Here is the content of the README.TXT.

Readme for Virtual CD-ROM Control Panel v2.0.1.1

THIS TOOL IS UNSUPPORT BY MICROSOFT PRODUCT SUPPORT SERVICES

System Requirements
===================
- Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional

Installation instructions
=========================
1. Copy VCdRom.sys to your %systemroot%\system32\drivers folder.
2. Execute VCdControlTool.exe
3. Click “Driver control” 4. If the “Install Driver” button is available, click it. Navigate to the %systemroot%\system32\drivers folder, select VCdRom.sys, and click Open.
5. Click “Start”
6. Click OK 7. Click “Add Drive” to add a drive to the drive list. Ensure that the drive added is not a local drive. If it is, continue to click “Add Drive” until an unused drive letter is available.
8. Select an unused drive letter from the drive list and click “Mount”. 9. Navigate to the image file, select it, and click “OK”. UNC naming conventions should not be used, however mapped network drives should be OK.

You may now use the drive letter as if it were a local CD-ROM device. When you are finished you may unmount, stop, and remove the driver from memory using the driver control.

Megaman 9 Comming for Wii

A frenzy of anticipation was kicked up a few weeks back when Mega Man 9 was found to be rated on the Australian Classification Board. Now that the dust has settled, Mega Man rests securely on Nintendo’s WiiWare lineup. Though I haven’t found news of an actual date, I’m sure we’ll be hearing, and seeing, more of this game at E3 in the following month.

The Blue Bomber is going back to his roots in the upcoming title; Mega  Man 9 will be using sprites from the NES in all 8 glorious bits. There will be new items as well including the pendulums seen in the above scan. Also new to the series is a female robot boss named Splash Woman – the first female boss in the Mega Man series. The other bosses include Magma Man, Galaxy Man, Jewel Man, Concrete Man, Hornet Man, Plug Man, and Tornado Man.

Capcom might just pull in a huge win with this one and the timing couldn’t be better either. With gamers constantly referencing retro games on T-shirts and the like, it definitely calls for some old school call backs. Given the fact that they’ll be reusing some 20 year old images, producig this game shouldn’t be very costly and could turn out a lot of profit.

Are Wii Rockin’ Yet?

I was lucky enough to get the last copy of Rock Band for Wii at the nearest Wal-Mart.

I opened it, had a little fun with the guitar, pulled out the microphone, had some fun with the drums, and hated the broken drums I got. Now I realize I don’t like the game.

I’m taking it back and I better get my money back. It’s not worth it…

Wii Fun Center

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Determined to help lift the spirits of seriously ill children and their families, Nintendo of America Inc. and Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation have committed to placing hundreds of popular Fun Centers, now featuring Wii™ game systems, in hospitals across the United States and Canada this year. Nintendo of America is manufacturing 1,250 new Fun Centers in their first run, and Starlight expects to have about 500 of them placed in hospitals by the end of the year. In a continuation of the organizations’ 16-year partnership, the portable Fun Centers with the new Wii technology will be enjoyed by thousands of hospitalized kids.

The new Fun Centers feature a Sharp AQUOS™ flat-screen television, a DVD player, a Wii system and a selection of family-friendly Wii games like Super Mario Galaxy™, Wii Sports™ and Mario Party® 8. The Fun Centers were created specifically to offer children an entertaining respite during difficult hospital stays.

Strong Bad’s Cool Game For Attractive People Game Interview

Strong Bad’s Cool Game For Attractive People (SBCG4AP for short) is perhaps one of the most anticipated upcoming WiiWare releases. When it was first announced it came as a real surprise, as people were not expecting a point and click adventure game based on one of the most popular flash cartoon series at all!

We recently caught up with Mark Darin, a designer at Telltale Games, to ask some questions about the first episode of SBCG4AP, Homestar Ruiner, which will be hitting WiiWare sometime soon.

The population is still tire!

WiiWare World: Plenty of mini-games were created for the Homestar Runner site already. Who came up with the idea to make a full-fledged game on a console?

Mark Darin: Most of the mini-games on the Homestarrunner.com site are really just jokes. Nostalgic references to the videogame era of the 80’s. What stood out to us were the characters themselves and the stories they would find themselves in on a weekly basis in the Homestarrunner.com cartoons. Homestar, Strong Bad and the rest of the cast were colorful, funny and wonderfully absurd… a perfect fit for the episodic storytelling that Telltale is known for!

WW: We know what the first episode will be about – Will the rest of the episodes continue where the first one ends, or will they all feature completely separate stories?

MD: We are approaching the storytelling almost like a sitcom. Each of the episodes are self-contained stories. You won’t need to have played the first one to jump right in and be comfortable. But, like a sitcom, as you play more episodes, you’ll start to pick up on subtle character traits, running gags, and self-referential material that can really enhance the experience.

WW: Homestar Runner is the character the website was made for – Why did you decide to make a game featuring Strong Bad instead of Homestar?

MD: As Strong Bad himself exclaims on the website, “You don’t know it yet, but I’m the reason you’re here.” Strong Bad’s crazy, self-centered, and mischievous antics are what really make the game (and the website) fun. Everybody wants to be the cool guy, and in the Homestar universe you just don’t get any more awesome than Strong Bad.

WW: You’ve created two seasons of Sam & Max games, and the third season will start in the near future – How similar to the Sam & Max games will Strong Bad be?

MD: They are similar in the fact that they are both point & click style adventure games, and that they are both really funny. But they’re funny in different ways. Strong Bad really has a style all his own. We have also made an effort to add more side activities to do in SBCG4AP, things that aren’t part of the story. Players can wander off at any time and just screw around. We have retro-style video games that Strong Bad can play, mini-quests, and even the ability to pull out your trusty Taranchula Black Metal Detector to search the environments for buried items!

WW: The game will feature all main characters. Will we also see some of the more popular minor characters, like Trogdor, Homsar and the past/future versions of the main characters?

MD: We are trying to squeeze in as many characters as we can that fit the stories we are writing. Don’t be surprised if you see a few of fan favorites making cameo appearances in upcoming episodes.

WW: We’ve seen that the game will include some mini-games, such as Snake Boxer 5. Can we expect a lot of these, and is there a chance we might even see some games from the site?

MD: We’ll be including at least one of these retro style arcade games in each episode. We’ve decided against replicating the actual games from Homestarrunner.com within the game because… well… they’re already on the website. Whether you have a Wii or a PC, these games are already pretty accessible and we felt that giving paying customers something they could play elsewhere for free would be a bit of a cop-out. We want to make sure to keep everything fresh and new!

WW: The Sam & Max games had loads of interactivity – Will there be tons of objects and characters to interact with here as well?

MD: I think on average we have a few more characters to interact with, but fewer objects in the environments. The Homestar Runner universe just isn’t that dense. Early in the design phase we decided that if we started cluttering up the environments with items just so you’d have something to look at and interact with, it wouldn’t feel like Homestar Runner anymore. Instead of junking up the world with stuff that didn’t feel right, we took the route of including more side activities for the player to engage in.

WW: About how long would you say the first episode is?

MD: It usually takes me about 3 hours to play straight through an episode, and I know exactly what I am doing every time. That’s without asking all the questions, taking the side quests, playing the mini-games and so on. The more you play and discover all the secrets and collectables (did I mention there are also achievements and hidden items to collect?!), the higher Strong Bad’s “awesomeness level” becomes. To max that out, you’ll probably end up having to play a lot longer. We made a conscious effort to make sure that the game doesn’t end just because you have completed the story.

WW: The Strong Bad section of the website has almost 200 emails now – How many emails will there be for Strong Bad to answer in the game?

MD: Not 200.

WW: Will some of Strong Bad’s emails feature Easter eggs, like on the website? (i.e. being able to click certain words to see secret clips or pictures?)

MD: Well, if we told you, it wouldn’t be an Easter egg!

WW: Do you have any other WiiWare releases in the pipeline?

MD: Not at the moment. We will be bringing Sam & Max to the Wii very soon, but it will be a retail release containing all six episodes of Season One… much too large for WiiWare!

WW: Will we finally figure out the mystery of how Strong Bad types with boxing gloves on?

MD: YES! …I mean no. No, you won’t. Sorry.

Make Windows Automatically Maintain Itself

Tired of manually cleaning temp files, defraging your harddrive, and scanning for spyware? Here’s an easy way to have all of that done automatically.

The free software you will need:

CCleaner: CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system – allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. (source: official website)

Spybot Search and Destroy: Spybot – Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications. (source: official website)

Follow these steps below after you are done installing the above software.

Steps

• Allow windows Vista to create a batch file

Open my computer and select the “organize” tab, scroll down the drop down menu and select “folder and search options”.

• Create the batch file

Right click on your desktop, select “new”, and then select “Text Document”.

Rename the text document to maintenance.bat

Make sure the file ends with “.bat” and not “.txt”

Right click on the batch file and click “edit”.

Type the batch commands into the text box that opens. To create a batch file that automatically defrags your hard-drive, cleans temp files, and removes spyware use these commands.

To automatically clean temp files

“C:\Program Files\CCleaner\CCleaner.exe” /AUTO

If ccleaner is installed in a different directory, you will have to change the command to match it.

To automatically search for and remove spyware

“C:\Program Files\Spybot – Search & Destroy \SpybotSD.exe” /taskbarhide /autoupdate /autoimmunize /autocheck /autofix /onlyspyware /autoclose

If spybot is installed in a different directory, you will have to change the commands to match it.

To defrag your hard-drive(s)

Defrag C:

You can always add more hard drives if you wish to do so

The screenshot below uses the following commands for a typical setup

You can copy and paste this into the batch file

“C:\Program Files\CCleaner\CCleaner.exe” /AUTO

“C:\Program Files\Spybot – Search & Destroy \SpybotSD.exe” /taskbarhide /autoupdate /autoimmunize /autocheck /autofix /onlyspyware /autoclose

Defrag C:

This is what it should look like while it’s running. (the commands in the following screenshot may differ from yours).

• Setup your task scheduler.

Now that you’ve got the batch file working, you can set it up to run on schedule by placing it on your task scheduler. Don’t forget to place your newly created batch file into a permanent folder like your “documents”.

Type in “task scheduler” into your windows search box.

Create a basic task

Give your task a name and description

Set the schedule date and frequency.

Pick the day of the week that you want your batch file to run

Select “Start a Program”

Use the “browse” button to find and select the batch file

Click on the finish button and close the program.

Assuming you completed the steps successfully; you would have setup your batch file to maintain your computer automatically.

A minor annoyance with this method is that the batch file will popup and may distract you when it’s on schedule. To remedy that, we can create a shortcut to the batch file, and use that as the primary file in the task scheduler. To create a shortcut, right click on your batch file and select “create shortcut”.

Right click on the shortcut and select “properties”, select the “shortcut” tab, change the drop down menu under “run”, from “normal window” to “minimized” and click “ok” to complete the process. This will force the shortcut to run while minized.

This guide does not include other necessities in PC security such as an anti-virus and firewall; there are numerous programs that offer those services for free with built in automation. If you are curious about my preference of those applications; I use Avast anti-virus and the built in windows firewall.

100 Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows

Microsoft windows keyboard shortcuts. You might know most of these shortcuts, but probably not all of them. If you have more keyboard shortcuts, please let me know

• CTRL+C (Copy)
• CTRL+X (Cut)
• CTRL+V (Paste)
• CTRL+Z (Undo)
• DELETE (Delete)
• SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)
• CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)
• CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)
• F2 key (Rename the selected item)
• CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)
• CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)
• CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)
• CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)
• CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)
• SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)
• CTRL+A (Select all)
• F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)
• ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)
• ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)
• ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)
• ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)
• CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
• ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)
• ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)
• F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)
• F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
• SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)
• ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)
• CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)
• ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu)
• Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)
• F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)
• RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)
• LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)
• F5 key (Update the active window)
• BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
• ESC (Cancel the current task)
• SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)

Dialog Box Keyboard Shortcuts

• CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs)
• CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs)
• TAB (Move forward through the options)
• SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options)
• ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option)
• ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button)
• SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box)
• Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons)
• F1 key (Display Help)
• F4 key (Display the items in the active list)
• BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box)

Microsoft Natural Keyboard Shortcuts

• Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)
• Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)
• Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)
• Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)
• Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)
• Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)
• Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)
• CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)
• Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)
• Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)
• Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)
• Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)

Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts

• Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off)
• Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off)
• Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off)
• SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off)
• NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off)
• Windows Logo +U (Open Utility Manager)

Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts

• END (Display the bottom of the active window)
• HOME (Display the top of the active window)
• NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder)
• NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder)
• NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) (Collapse the selected folder)
• LEFT ARROW (Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder)
• RIGHT ARROW (Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder)

Shortcut Keys for Character Map

• After you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid by using the keyboard shortcuts:
• RIGHT ARROW (Move to the right or to the beginning of the next line)
• LEFT ARROW (Move to the left or to the end of the previous line)
• UP ARROW (Move up one row)
• DOWN ARROW (Move down one row)
• PAGE UP (Move up one screen at a time)
• PAGE DOWN (Move down one screen at a time)
• HOME (Move to the beginning of the line)
• END (Move to the end of the line)
• CTRL+HOME (Move to the first character)
• CTRL+END (Move to the last character)
• SPACEBAR (Switch between Enlarged and Nor mal mode when a character is selected)

Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Main Window Keyboard Shortcuts

• CTRL+O (Open a saved console)
• CTRL+N (Open a new console)
• CTRL+S (Save the open console)
• CTRL+M (Add or remove a console item)
• CTRL+W (Open a new window)
• F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
• ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the MMC window menu)
• ALT+F4 (Close the console)
• ALT+A (Display the Action menu)
• ALT+V (Display the View menu)
• ALT+F (Display the File menu)
• ALT+O (Display the Favorites menu)

MMC Console Window Keyboard Shortcuts

• CTRL+P (Print the current page or active pane)
• ALT+Minus sign (-) (Display the window menu for the active console window)
• SHIFT+F10 (Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item)
• F1 key (Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item)
• F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
• CTRL+F10 (Maximize the active console window)
• CTRL+F5 (Restore the active console window)
• ALT+ENTER (Display the Properties dialog box, if any, for the selected item)
• F2 key (Rename the selected item)
• CTRL+F4 (Close the active console window. When a console has only one console window, this shortcut closes the console)

Remote Desktop Connection Navigation

• CTRL+ALT+END (Open the m*cro$oft Windows NT Security dialog box)
• ALT+PAGE UP (Switch between programs from left to right)
• ALT+PAGE DOWN (Switch between programs from right to left)
• ALT+INSERT (Cycle through the programs in most recently used order)
• ALT+HOME (Display the Start menu)
• CTRL+ALT+BREAK (Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen)
• ALT+DELETE (Display the Windows menu)
• CTRL+ALT+Minus sign (-) (Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)
• CTRL+ALT+Plus sign (+) (Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing ALT+PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)

Internet Explorer navigation

• CTRL+B (Open the Organize Favorites dialog box)
• CTRL+E (Open the Search bar)
• CTRL+F (Start the Find utility)
• CTRL+H (Open the History bar)
• CTRL+I (Open the Favorites bar)
• CTRL+L (Open the Open dialog box)
• CTRL+N (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address)
• CTRL+O (Open the Open dialog box, the same as CTRL+L)
• CTRL+P (Open the Print dialog box)
• CTRL+R (Update the current Web page)
• CTRL+W (Close the current window)

WAHOO!

Rock Band is out for Wii!