There is a Google gadget that i wish it could be on my sidebar ever since i started picking up korean, that is 'Korean Audio Word of the Day'. Searching around the Internet leads me to a piece of free software that allows me to do just that.

The Amnesty Generator allows users to convert any big boys' gadgets to one that could be installed onto windows 7/vista sidebar.

So here's how it goes :D

Select the web widget that you are intending to convert, hit Open Site in Browser

Search for the intended gadget, click Add to your webpage



Customise to your liking, you could adjust the width and height in the amnesty generator, but there is no preview mode. When you are done, click Get the Code. Copy and paste the HTML from the textbox to amnesty.



The name will appear as the Name field will be the one used to identify the gadget from the library. You could also add an image to identify your own gadget. Click Generate, and the your Gadget will be created in your windows' gadget library!

P.S. The window will close when Generate is being clicked.





Those interested to backup the gadget, its located in the following directory
C:\Users\Wen Qiang\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Sidebar\Gadgets\

To publish some of the applications, you could right click on the Start button, choose Open All Users' from the menu. Create the shortcut for the applications in the popup folder.

Some applications are excluded by default, to enable them,
1. launch registry editor by pressing Win+R, and type "regedit" without quotes.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Virtual Machine\VPCVAppExcludeList
3. Search for the application and remove the entire entry
4. Restart XP and this application will be published to W7!

Seems like Microsoft decided to continue the Vista way for unicode programs, so only one unicode language will be supported at any time by going to the settings for system locale.

For me, i'm running CJK programs concurrently, so i need another solution.

The ancient old AppLocale still works for Windows 7. To install,
1. Press the windows key
2. Type 'cmd' without the quotes, press Ctrl + Shift + Enter
3. The above steps will launch the command prompt in administrator mode, the UAC will prompt you, permit it to continue
4. Navigate to the directory where the apploc.msi is locate and start the setup :D

The following link is a patch to the AppLocale to remove the nag screen
http://opcode0x90.wordpress.com/2008/01/09/patch-for-applocale/

It seems like the preview thumbnails take forever to popup, here's something you could do to speed it up.

1. Press Win + R
2. Type "regedit" without the quotes
3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Mouse
4. Modify the value of MouseHoverTime from 400 to around 100 or less

Restart the computer and you are done :D

After so many years, Microsoft finally do it right. The home networking is much more simplified and easier compared to the previous version found in other windows.

Hook up all the computers and turn them on. Windows 7 will automatically detect whether there's an available Homegroup. Joining the network is as easy as entering the password on other computers and you can straightaway begin sharing files :D

Asking for password to join homegroup

Other computers appearing on the homegroup


There is still one issue with the homegroup, it is not compatible with earlier version of windows. To share files with older windows, users still have to go through the hard way. It seems like they are taking 2 steps forward, and 1 step back.

Hopefully Microsoft will iron this out before the retail release.

Those adventurous should try this, the new virtual pc and XP mode for Windows 7
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/

Currently still in beta, but pretty stable in my opinion.

After installing the virtual pc, you gotta install the XP. The installation of XP and necessary driver is largely automated, but it took around 10 minutes for the entire process.

First issue i have encountered is the lack of East Asian languages, Microsoft doesn't provide a copy of the necessary files. I have to dig for my XP disc for the installation eventually.

Additionally, you could not run the virtual XP and the xp mode programs parallel. By default, the virtual XP goes into hibernation when you closes it. But this prevents you from executing the xp mode programs, though you get a prompt to either activate XP or the program. On top of that, aero peek/snap doesn't work for XP mode programs, and they share a single icon on the taskbar :( Luckily aero shake still works for these programs.


To install any program, only way is to launch XP and installs from there. It would be more intuitive to have the installer be able to install off 7.

Looking at the way Microsoft takes it, XP mode doesn't seems to target average user. If they could iron out the parallel execution and installing on Windows 7. This tool will be neat!

The whole installation appears to be slower as compared to the beta version that i have tested earlier. But, its still much faster than its predecessor. The installation took around 25 minutes, inclusive of the reboot, input and stuffs.

Breakdown of the installation process (all values are approximated):
Loading setup files - 2 min 30 sec
Expanding Windows files - 9 min 40 sec
Completing installation - 4 min (This is the final step listed in the installer)
The rest are left out as they do not take much time.

Playing around for awhile, and i'm loving it :D
Besides the webcam, W7 is able to locate the drivers necessary for all my devices on my Dell XPS M1210. I have tested the webcam drivers from Dell, it could only work for 32bit W7, while it crashes the 64bit OS.

Nice OS. Watch out for the next post on the new XP Mode

Public beta is released now, the direct link to the downloads are as follows
Win 7 32-bit ISO
Win 7 64-bit ISO

and PS, here's how you can get the official windows 7 beta key

1. Visit TechNet Downloads, sign in at the top right.


2. After the page has loaded, copy and paste the following url
   https://www.microsoft.com/betaexperience/scripts/gcs.aspx?Product=tn-win7-64-ww&LCID=1033


3. This will give you a product key for 64-bit, it works for the 32-bit OS and vice versa. The server is overloaded, you will need to refresh the page a lot of times before you get the key. While stock list thou, there is only 2.5 million keys to cycle around. Good luck