So you have the luxury of running a secondary monitor next to your primary one, which is great for dumping reference material on to while you work on something on the primary monitor. However by default when you set up two monitors in Windows, the wallpaper of the primary monitor will also be applied to the secondary monitor.

This can be annoying for two reasons: 1) You want a different wallpaper on that second monitor as a preference and 2) The two monitors may have different aspect ratios and so on the secondary monitor the wallpaper will either get squashed or cropped. The settings don’t appear to allow you to change the wallpaper of the second screen when you set up dual monitors, but in this short tutorial you will be shown how to achieve just this within Windows XP. It doesn’t involve any hacks to Windows or extra software. The process described below may be different for Windows Vista and 7...

1. After you have the two monitors set up, right click the desktop and go to 'properties'.
2. Click the 'Desktop' Tab
3. Click 'Customize Desktop'
4. Click the 'Web' Tab
5. Click 'New' and then 'Browse'
6. Navigate to where the wallpaper for the second monitor can be found, Click 'Open' and then 'OK' on the original screen.
7. Keep clicking 'OK' until all the windows are closed.
8. On the primary desktop you should now have the wallpaper displayed. Hover the cursor towards the top of the wallpaper and a menu bar will appear. Click and drag on the menu bar to move the wallpaper over to the secondary monitor.
9. On the left of this menu bar there is an arrow, click it and in the drop down menu click 'Cover Desktop'.
10. Job done, now you have a wallpaper for each desktop. Nifty eh?

You could of course have anything displayed here, even a web page such as iGoogle or the like without having to have your browser open all the time.

In a move that will surely confuse rather than help most Windows users', Microsoft has rolled out it's browser ballot screen at the behest of the EC. This brings an end to a long standing dispute between Microsoft and developers of other web browsers who feel that Microsoft was abusing it's market leading position with the Windows platform by bundling Internet Explorer with Windows.

From yesterday anyone using Internet Explorer as their default browser, who updated their Windows machine would have been greeted with a message asking them if they would like to choose a different browser. With IE still dominating the browser market, it is likely that many millions of people in the EU will be greeted with this pop up screen.

When the popup presents it's self it will tell users that there's "An important choice to make: your browser". When the user clicks "OK" the screen will change so that twelve browsers are shown to the user. The most popular browsers, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and IE will be presented at random on the first screen while the other browsers in the ballot, Green Browser, Maxthon, Avant, Flock, K-Melon, Slim and Sleipnir will be shown at random on the next screen. Each of the browsers will have a button that will provde more information about the browser when the suer clicks the button and one to install the browser. When the browser is installed it will automatically become the default browser and will append it's self to the users Start Menu.

With twelve browser choices the move will surely confuse and in some cases anger many people who aren't that tech savvy. Many will probably end up blaming Microsoft even though it's others that have brought about these changes. Some might even see the pop up as a threat to their system as they may think their computer has been taken over by a virus. It is not yet clear if this solution will do anything to entice users away from Internet Explorer and have an impact on it's market share.

Source and Images: Microsoft Blog

In an official Windows 7 blog post, Microsoft has stated that in the near future it will be rolling out a new activation system for Windows 7. The new activation technology's will detect more than 70 known activation exploits and loop holes that allow pirate copies of Windows 7 to bypass or trick the activation procedures currently in place, say Microsoft.

Microsoft is committed to keeping consumers and partners alike secure from the potential risks of running dodgy versions of Windows 7. The software giant says that one in four web sites offering illegal downloads of Windows attempt to install malicious code or programs such as Trojans and other unwanted junk.

If you suspect your copy is not legitimate after buying a new computer from reseller you should check the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) to verify that the PC is running a genuine copy of Windows. Users can also seek further help from Microsoft's 'How to Tell' web site.

The voluntary update (which can be un-installed) is designed for all editions of Windows 7 and will be available at www.microsoft.com/genuine from February 16th and on the Microsoft Download Center from February 17th. Following this the update will be available via Windows Update as an 'Important' update later in the month.

If any activation exploits are found after installing the update, Windows will alert the user periodically and offer further guidance to resolve the issue, which includes how to acquire a genuine copy of Windows. Their desktop wallpaper will also be switched to a plain one with a persistent watermark in place to alert and remind them of the situation. Users with genuine copies should not be aware the system is running in the background.

Microsoft's General Manager Joe Williams stresses that the customer will not see any reduced functionality of their system and that all their applications will function as they would normally do. He also stressed that the update will not transmit any personally identifiable details to Microsoft.

However the update will run periodic validations every 90 days initially and when doing so it will download the latest 'signatures' that are used to identify new activation exploits and use them to ensure the integrity of Windows licensing files remains intact.

With the release of Windows 7 yesterday Microsoft looks set to have a winning product on it's hands after the success of its pre-launch testing and a hugely successful pre-order period.

When it comes to installing Windows 7 though, pretty much everyone who purchases the shiny new OS, will install it via their DVD drive or it will come pre-installed on OEM/pre-built systems. However one group of consumers typically haven't the luxury (or bane depending on your disposition) of a DVD drive. Netbooks users, that quickly growing demographic of computer users until today did not have a way to get Windows 7 onto their systems.

If your a Netbook user do not despair though, as not to leave anyone out of the Windows 7 party, Microsoft through it's US and UK online stores is allowing consumers to purchase a downloadable copy of Windows 7 for installation via a USB Storage device - hooray. Oddly though it would appear that UK consumers can only get the download version as an upgrade, but US consumers can download either the full or upgrade versions are pictured.

You will probably need to tell your Netbook to boot from your USB Storage Device by altering the boot settings in the BIOS to get this working, or you might just be lucky and the machine will detect bootable media on the drive for you.

Microsoft are offering a download option for NetBook users wanted to install Windows 7

The US store even has a Netbook section that states, "If you’ve got a netbook, you probably don’t have a CD or DVD drive – so you may be wondering how you can upgrade to Windows 7. We’ve got your answer. The Microsoft Store is the only place where you can get a downloadable version of Windows 7. Download Windows 7 directly onto a USB drive on your netbook – no CD or DVD drive necessary – and start taking advantage of the best Windows yet". Looking around the UK store a bit didn't reveal a section dedicated to Netbooks but the downloadable option for Windows 7 is there.

Prices appear to be in-line with their retail/upgrade boxed counterparts, for Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate, so it doesn't look like there's any discount for downloading a digial copy for each version. Windows 7 Family Pack can only be shipped so that is not included as a download. 

• Microsoft Store: Windows 7 for Netbooks Page
• Microsoft Store: Windows 7 Product Page
• Microsoft UK Store: Windows 7 Product Page

Last week Microsoft proposed changes to its EU browser ballot screen that would see Apple's Safari browser listed first followed by, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera getting the short stick and listed last.

Previously Microsoft had proposed to the European Commission that the browsers' be listed in order of market share, which would mean Internet Explorer being listed first, followed by Firefox. However, that proposal was turned down by the EU as they said it's antitrust action against Microsoft was started as a result of competition being squeezed out of the market and not being given a fair enough representation because IE was being bundled with Windows. Listing IE first the Commission argued would only give it a biased advantage, in the eyes of most users.

As a result of this Microsoft went back, thought about it and decided it would list the browsers in alphabetical order of the companies that make each browser. This would mean that Apple's Safari browser would be listed first, followed by Google Chrome, Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and still in last position Opera. 

Microsoft's updated browser ballot screen - Click the image to see it enlarged

Without this situation becoming even more ridiculous than it already is, you can't ask fairer than that and the European Commission welcomed the proposal and Microsoft went home as happy as it could, given the circumstances of the situation.

Today though it has emerged that a Mozilla employee is not happy with their positioning on the ballot screen and propose that Microsoft go back to the EU with a change that would see their Firefox browser listed first on the screen; oh the irony.

What's even more shocking is that the employee says on her blog that the ballot screen should list the browsers' in order of market share, with the exception of IE. As a result of Microsoft possibly being listed last on a ballot screen which is meant to list the browsers in terms of market share, Firefox would be promoted to first place. Jenny Boriss, who is a Firefox user experience designer argued in her blog post that the current proposal is "the worst option possible".

She went on to say, "Microsoft wrote in their proposal that 'nothing in the design and implementation of the Ballot Screen and the presentation of competing web browsers will express a bias for a Microsoft web browser or any other web browser,' but this is exactly what the current design does. Windows users presented with the current design will tend to make only two choices: IE because they are familiar with it, or Safari because it is the first item".

She stated on her blog that placing Safari first on the screen would give it a distinct advantage as people in western countries read and scan from right to left. Studies have shown she argued that items placed first on a ballot typically end up being selected more than those not listed in first place.

Another proposal Boriss suggested is to randomize the order in which the ballot screen presents the browsers' to the user, so each person will see a different browser order on their screen. The problem with this though is that one of the browsers' is still going to be listed first and by her own argument people will tend to choose the first option.

One other proposal, is for everyone to grow up and accept that somebody has to be first as its a law of physics or to place each browser in a circle arrangement, that way no one is first and no one is last. They could take it a step further and have the browser logos spinning around so fast when the screen loads that none of the browsers' can be distinguished. The wheel could then slow down enough for the user to select a browser.

My other idea is that they could just tell Microsoft to make a screen with a big red button saying 'surprise me', and Windows in an unbiased fashion chooses whichever browser it decides upon. The user then has an anxious wait to see if they get the browser they really wanted or the lame duck that they would never choose. It could become a best seller.

This whole situation arose in December 2007 when Opera went to the EU, complaining about Microsoft bundling Internet Explorer with their market dominating Windows Operating System. The EU investigated and eventually charged Microsoft for violating it's antitrust laws in January 2009.

Microsoft made several proposals to sort the issue out, one of which involved Windows 7 being shipped without Internet Explorer, but they later proposed a ballot screen which was accepted by the EU in July. However since the idea of this ballot screen emerged, it has caused a lot of controversy over the ordering of the browsers' as each company wants fair representation.

Fair representation may not be that easy, given that every man and is dog knows the IE icon and brand name. Why would those that aren't tech savey choose anything else?

Source: computerworld.com via neowin.net

Microsoft is preparing to release a bumper set of patches for some of it's more popular products on, when it releases updates on Tuesday 13th (that's tomorrow) that should patch 34 vulnerabilities in it's software. These updates will be deployed through a set of bulletins of which 8 out of 13 are listed as critical by Microsoft.

Affected software includes Windows 2000, XP, Vista and 2003/2008 Server editions. The updates include both 32-bit and 64-bit OS architectures. Other software included in the update includes Silverlight, Internet Explorer, Office, SQL Server, Development Tools and Forefront Security. 

Windows 7, Microsoft's shiny new OS which is due to be released on October 22nd will also get it's first set of updates. There are 5 bulletin updates for Windows 7, one of which is critical and covers a hole in Internet Explorer 8.

Most people need not worry about getting the updates as they will get them automatically through Windows Update. However if you have Windows Update turned off then you will find links to the updates on Microsoft's Update site where you can install them manually.

Listed below are the Bulletins with critical updates and the software they affect:

Bulletin 1:

• Windows Vista for 32 and 64-Bit architectures - also includes systems with SP1 and SP2 applied
• Windows Server 2008 for 32 and 64-Bit architectures - also includes systems with SP2 applied
• Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based architectures - also includes systems with SP2 applied

Bulletin 2:

• Windows 2000 SP4
• Windows XP SP2 and SP3
• Windows XP Pro 64-Bit Edition for SP2
• Windows Vista for 32 and 64-Bit architectures - also includes systems with SP1 and SP2 applied
• Windows Server 2003 SP2 for 32 and 64-Bit architectures
• Windows Server 2008 for 32 and 64-Bit architectures - also includes systems with SP2 installed

Bulletin 3:

• Windows 2000 SP4
• Windows XP SP2 and SP3
• Windows XP Pro SP2 for 64-Bit architectures
• Windows Server 2003 SP2 for 32 and 64-Bit architectures

Bulletin 5 - Includes critical updates for several versions of Internet Explorer on the following editions of Windows:

• Windows 2000 (IE 5.01 SP4 and IE 6 SP1)
• Windows XP (IE 6, 7 and 8)
• Windows XP Pro for 64-Bit architectures (IE 6, 7 and 8)
• Windows Vista for 32 & 64-Bit architectures (IE 7 and 8) - also includes systems with SP1 and SP2 applied
• Windows 7 for 32 & 64-Bit architectures (IE 8)
• Windows Server 2003 SP2 for 32 and 64-Bit architectures (IE 6, 7 and 8)
• Windows Server 2003 SP2 for Itanium-based systems (IE 6 and 7)
• Windows Server 2008 for 32 & 64-Bit architectures (IE 7 and 8) - also includes systems with SP2 applied
• Windows Server 2008 for Itanium based Systems (IE7) - also includes systems with SP2 applied
• Windows Server 2008 R2 for 64-Bit systems (IE 8)

Bulletin 6:

• Windows 2000 SP4
• Windows XP for SP2 and SP3
• Windows XP Pro 64-Bit Edition with SP2

Bulletin 11:

• Office XP - Outlook 2002 SP3
• Office 2003 - Outlook 2003 SP3
• 2007 Microsoft Office System for SP1 and SP2
• Visio Viewer 2002
• Visio Viewer 2003
• Visio Viewer 2007 - Includes installations with SP2 and SP3 applied

Bulletin 12:

• Windows XP with SP2 and SP3
• Windows XP Pro 64-Bit Edition with SP2
• Windows Vista for 32 and 64-Bit architectures - also includes systems with SP1 and SP2 installed
• Silverlight

Bulletin 13:

• Windows XP SP2 & SP3
• Windows XP Pro 64-Bit Edition with SP2
• Windows Vista 32 and 64-Bit architectures -  Also includes systems with SP1 applied
• Windows Server 2003 32-Bit, 64-Bit and Itanium-based systems with SP2
• Windows Server 2008 for 32 & 64-Bit architectures
• Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based systems
• SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services SP2
• SQL Server 2005 SP2 and SP3 for 32-Bit, 64-Bit and Itanium Based Systems

Although the above information has been checked for accuracy before posting it, you should check the official Microsoft TechNet Security Bulletin which outlines these and other updates in greater depth.

Over the years Microsoft's Windows Operating System has become a household name and the most used Operating System amongst consumers. As such it has also become the most targeted OS for hackers and malware to try and exploit, not least because it is a Microsoft product. e9i4fdj28c

With this in mind Microsoft has often been criticized in the past for not doing more to protect it's Windows users from these attacks. In fact Microsoft has been blamed for creating an environment that's ripe for attack, by not detecting and closing security holes quickly enough. Early versions of Windows did not even have a basic firewall included. This feature was added to Windows XP and was improved upon in Vista. Windows has also never been bundled with a virus or malware scanner much to the delight of Anti-Virus companies that for years have milked money out of consumers through subscription based services.

Screenshot of Microsoft Security Essentials

In recent times however Microsoft has been turning its attention to providing a more secure environment for it's Windows users. Amongst other new features Vista saw the inclusion of User Account Control which was Microsoft's attempt at trying to stop applications (malware included) from running with administrator privileges which is how things operated in previous versions of Windows.

This past Monday, Microsoft announced a new product called Security Essentials that will provide virus and malware protection to genuine Windows users. What's more Security Essentials is provided complete free of char and "requires no registration, trials or renewals" as stated by Microsoft for consumers, though businesses will still need to pay to get a similar service.

The move by Microsoft to provide a free anti-virus product that requires no yearly subscription might be of some concern to most anti-virus companies as many of them expect you to pay each year to continue using their products. For years anti-virus companies have made a fortune on subscription based anti-virus products. Now all of a sudden Security Essentials with the power of the Microsoft brand behind it could make that £29.99 yearly subscription a little harder to sell to the consumer.

Microsoft says that Security Essentials is designed to run quietly in the background whilst taking up very little resources and will only alert the user when it detects a potential issue. The package will also update it's definition lists automatically when they become available, so the user is always protected with the latest updates and definitions.

Security Essentials is available right now from Microsoft and is compatible with Windows XP SP2 & 3, Vista and the soon to be released Windows 7. It will also work with Windows XP mode in Windows 7.

Newegg.com has revealed special pre-order pricing for OEM copies of Windows 7 that offer up to a 50% reduction in price compared to retail versions. As stated on the product pages the offer is available until October 20th. OEM copies of Windows 7 come with no support, retail packaging and have to be installed on a new computer. Once installed they should not be installed onto another computer.

The pricing Newegg is offering the OEM copies of Windows 7 are as follows (pricing is the same regardless of whether you go for a 32 or 64-bit copy):

Prices are/were correct at publishing time.

If the pre-deals of around £50 weren't good enough, Microsoft today has stated through neowin.net that students in the UK will be able to buy Windows 7 for £30. According to the Microsoft Student Offer Site, the discount is valid from the 1st of October and will only be available for a limited time. 

To qualify you have to have a valid email address provided to you by your college or University, for example Suzanne@leeds.ac.uk (and you obviously have to still be enrolled with that institution). You also have to own a genuine copy of Windows Vista or XP and have a PC capable for running Windows 7. If you are already running Windows Vista then this should not be an issue. Windows 7 for £30 is incredible value given Microsoft's previous high pricing for new Windows releases. 

Source: neowin.net.