These are the currently active BitDefender Beta campaigns:

• BitDefender Total Security 2009
• BitDefender Security for Exchange (2007) v3

Please provide your username (e-mail address) and password to enter the BitDefender Beta Center. By accessing the BitDefender Beta Center you can choose to participate in any of the active campaigns, download beta installation kits and add issues.

The most active beta testers involved in BitDefender Beta Campaigns will be rewarded for their effort with interesting prizes.

Source: Softwin

MeraWindows Community extremely happy to bring another exciting competition for you. This time around we are holding a “Review contest”.

We invite you to write a review on any of following:

• Windows Vista SP1
• Windows XP SP3
• Internet Explorer 8 Beta1

For more details visit following link: MeraWindows Review Contest

Need to apply non-Microsoft Visual styles in Vista and Windows Server 2008

How to Install

1. Login as a user with Administrative privileges -or- have Administrative
credentials ready (check under the keyboard for a slip of paper).

2. Navigate to %systemroot%\System32

3. Right-click uxtheme.dll and click properties.

4. Take ownership of the file and close dialogs.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for themeui.dll and shsvcs.dll

6. Right-click uxtheme.dll and click properties.

7. Give yourself (or group) Full Control permissions and close dialogs.

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for themeui.dll and shsvcs.dll.

9. Rename uxtheme.dll to uxtheme.old.

10. Rename themeui.dll to themeui.old.

11. Rename shsvcs.dll to shsvcs.old.

12. Copy patched files into %systemroot%\System32

13. Reboot (yes, this is really required)

14. Enjoy!

Download x86 version:6.0.6001.18000_x86.zip

Download x64 version:6.0.6001.18000_x64.zip

Everyone know, Windows Vista is resource hungry OS that require at least 512 MB of RAM to install. Here is a simple trick to install Windows Vista using less than 512 Mb of RAM that bypass the checking system requirements but I recommend to increase or upgrade your RAM to run Windows Vista simple, easier and faster.

1) Boot from Windows Vista DVD

2) Select your language, currency and keyboard setting and click NEXT.

3) At next screen click on Repair your computer and process next to get system Recovery Options.

4) Now click on Command prompt and run setup /nosyscheck and perform installation.

If you are getting boring of the default boot screen in Windows Vista, there is a better looking one hidden away:

1) Press the Windows button, type msconfig and press Enter.
2) If User Account Control prompts you to allow the action, click on Continue.
3) In the “System Configuration” window, click on the Boot tab.
4) Select your Windows Vista installation and under “Boot options”, check “No GUI boot”.
Press OK.
5) In the dialog that appears, check “Don’t show this message again”, and then click on Restart.
6) Your computer will now reboot, and you will see the Aurora boot screen with text that says “Starting Windows Vista”.

It’s important to keep your computer as secure as possible. One way to do so is to enable Secure Logon so that you are required to press Ctrl + Alt + Delete to log on.

Press the Windows button or click on start, type netplwiz or control userpasswords2 in start search or Run dialog box and press Enter.
Click the Advanced tab, select the Require users to press Ctrl + Alt + Delete check box, and then click OK.

This small tip helps to flush or re-enable aero glass in Windows Vista Home Premium or higher. When we run or execute non-aero supported application such Media Player Classic, WinAVI Convertor etc…Windows is switched to Aero Basic and also come back to aero after termination of specifice process. But sometime due to display WDDM driver issues…it doesn’t switch back to aero…….then What…..Here is my simple trick that far from a single click.

You can create a shortcut to flush & re-enable Vista aero glass…..just follow intructions:

Create a new shortcut and type

rundll32.exe Dwmapi.dll,DwmEnableComposition

in the location of item. Give appropriate icon and name and just click.

You can run rundll32.exe Dwmapi.dll,DwmEnableComposition in Run dialog box and as well as in Command prompt.

I hope you like this small tip !

I have read and seen at many forums that Nero 8 gives error on Windows Vista n I have got the solution to resolve this. It occurs sometimes when you trying to run Nero StartSmart in Windows Vista n it gives an error message like as: “getconfigset() failed!”

Its a simple tricky guide to fix this one…..by enabling UAC (User Account Control)

How to:
Run msconfig and go to Tools tab. Select “Enable UAC” and click on Launch button.
A cmd prompt appears with message “The operatiion completed sucessfully” Close this and restart to take effect.

Most of Users disable UAC to eliminate UAC persmission screen asking again n again to perform administrative tasks. So they can bypass the UAC by follwing steps:

1) Type “Local Security Policy” in Start Search without quote and run the Local Security Policy.
2) Navigate to: Security Settings >> Local Policies >> Security Options
3) Scroll the page at bottom and look for “User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode” and click to change approval mode n select “Elevate without prompting” in drop down list. Its silent mode of UAC.

Have fun …. its doesn’t prompt for approval to run adminstrative tasks and Nero StartSmart’ll run smartly.

We all know about Widows Vista contains some extra properties and features in comparison to Windows XP like We can format USB flash drive into NTFS format in Windows Vista. It’s a simple guide to format USB flash drive into NTFS format in Windows XP.

1) Plug USB flash drive (wait for detection process completion)
2) Run Device Manager
a. Right click on My Computer and go to Manage n click on Device Manger
b. Right click on My Computer and go to Properties n navigate to Hardware tab n click on Device Manager Button.
3) Under the devices tree Expand Disk Drives and right click on your flash drive and go to properties.
4) Navigate to Policies tab and select for Optimize for Performance and apply.
5) Run Command Prompt (just type cmd in Run Dialog box and hit enter)
Let’s say your USB flash drive letter is I:
6) Run the command

C:\>Format I: /FS:NTFS

OR

You can format the flash drive via right click on drive and click on format….you’ll be amazed..woo you will get NTFS option to perform formatting.
Complete the formatting process and accomplished.

Now Windows Vista SP1 has RTMed and available to install in three ways to upgrade to Windows Vista SP1.

• Windows Vista SP1 (Pre-integrated DVD or ISO)
• Via Offline Update Installer
• Via Windows Update

By using Offline Update Installer and Windows Update, we can upgrade SP level of pre-installed Windows Vista but after successful completion of installation, the system drive still contains junk of old SP0 (RTM) components to revert back to SP0 (To Un-install Vista SP1). Microsoft has included a new tool with SP1 called Vsp1cln.exe which can be used to remove older versions of components that have been upgraded to new versions in SP1 to save space. Once SP1 is installed, simply run Vsp1cln.exe in Command Prompt with Adminstrator rights.

It asks to remove old components permanently on this computer. Press Y to perform clean up.
Keep Clean & Happy Windows Computing !