Windows Media Player - Burn CD

Windows Media Player has been around since Windows 95. A crude form has been around since Windows 3.1. Today, Windows Media Player has a lot of tools that at value to the Windows Vista operating system.

Next to playing music, most intermediate computer users, want to burn files to CD's or DVD's. This can be done in Windows Media Player.

In the top menu is a link labeled, Burn. This opens up two windows on the right side of Media Player. The top window is the status of the CD in your burning optical drive. The bottom window is where you can drag in the files or music you want to burn.

Once you have the music or files you want to burn in the burn list window. the Start Burn will darken, then all you have to do is left click on it. The CD will start burning.

Outlook 2007 - Junk Mail Filter 2

Outlook has a quick way you can send email to you Junk Folder or block an annoying email. The process is not one of rocket science.

All you have to do is right click on the email you want to start blocking. Then select Add Sender to Blocked Senders List by left clicking on it. Then anymore email from that email address will go into your junk email folder.

What Is Going and Coming From Your Computer

Gas prices are on the rise. Money is getting tight. More and more people are turning to the internet for their shopping. Many are looking to the World Wide Web for their movies, music, along with free applications. This gives criminals a larger opportunity to make money.

Other than email scams, there are programs that hidden in screen savers, and news channel software that will take over your computer to relay information. You may say that you do not have enough money for any criminal to go after. Well your computer may help them gain access to your bank's database.

In the Windows operating system is the Task Manager. The Task Manager has a tab for seeing your network traffic. This is the amount of one's and zero's that go and come from your computer.

I personally use something that gives me little more detail. It is called Net Meter. I keep in in the sidebar of my screen. Periodically, I will glance at it to see if there is an unusual amount of uploads (displayed by yellow) and downloads (display by red) from my computer.

You don't need to know every little item that uses the internet from your computer, but if you see a drastic increase is it time to be concerned.

Outlook 2007 - Junk Mail Filter

In Windows Vista, there is no Outlook Express. Instead Microsoft renamed it to Windows Mail. However, if you get or have Microsoft Office 2007 Pro you will have Outlook.

Outlook has it's own junk email filter. It is a little more extensive. You can even add third party email filter to Outlook. Considering the vast amount of virus infections that come through email, it would be a good idea.

I use Avast along with Outlook's filter and Windows Defender. This works quite well for me.

Windows Mail - Phishing

Phishing spelled with PH is where you get an email where the sender wants to buy something or click on a link in the email. In other words the email mail is a hook. If you bit then you may not lose your life, but you bank account will be definitely smaller.

Fortunately, there is a large data base of some of these scams. Windows Mail is connected with that phishing filter. You can elect to have the known phishing email moved to a junk email box where you can review them before deleting them.

Reviewing what is in your junk email box is good. Just in case a business you do business with gets classified as bad, by some disgruntled customer.

Windows Mail - International

Even if you do not regularly send or get email from other countries, this filter will help cut down on the amount of junk email you get.

It has long been known that Russia and Nigeria are the two biggest sources of spam or phishing email. This is where you can disallow email from certain countries from putting email in your inbox.

Top-Level Domain's refer to blocking email from countries that you would have no reason to receive email.

I periodically receive an email from a bank in England. When I investigate it the email originates from Russia. So to keep from getting that type of email again, I block any email that orginates in Russia.

Blocked Encoding List refers to email from people who use other languages. If you do not want to receive email from people of other languages who use special character of that language, would be a good thing. This will prevent some malicious program being placed on your computer.

Windows Mail -Block LIst

The next tab in our look at Windows Mail is Block Senders. In this window you can block email from certain email addresses.

By left clicking on the Add button you can at email address which you do not want to receive email. This is nice when you get reoccurring email from a certain email address.

I have noticed that spammer will send their junk from a certain email until a large number of people have blocked, then they switch to another email address. By putting that first email on a Block Sender list you get temporary relief.

Windows Mail - Safe Sender

One way of keeping spam away from your computer is by left clicking on Tools in the menu. Then go down to Junk email options. At the top of the next window that opens left click on the second tab, that reads Safe Senders.

It is here you can put in email address you only want to receive email. On warning here. Make sure you have on this list anyone who says they want to send you email. If you don't it will be bounced back to them.

Windows Mail - Junk Mail

In the first three months of 2008, it has been reported that 92.3% of all email we receive is spam. How is a person to filter out the good email from the junk. It is not wonder that some good email gets deleted.

I know that I have covered the email filter options, Windows Mail. But in light of the latest report about junk email, I feel it is important to go over this subject again. This week we will review, along with going into more detail. On April 29, Vista Is Here To Stay will be dedicated to email and filtering out the junk.

For today, open Windows Mail. Go to Tools and left click on Junk Email Options. The first tab gives you general, basic options for filtering your email.

Icons Are More Than Icons

Yes, Vista does require a lot of processor power. It does use a good deal of Memory. Over and above the security features, Windows Vista give you some nice key graphics.

By default Vista will give your PDF's a preview thumbnail view. Folders let you see if documents or other folders are inside that folder.

I know to some people this is an unnecessary feature. If you feel that way you can turn it off. However, I am in need of all the help I can get when it comes to keeping track of what I got in different folders.

Just when you think that Windows vista can be dull and borning. Check out the latest video from Microsoft.

Sidebar - Removal

The sidebar of gadgets is a default display item in Windows Vista. However, it takes up memory that could be used else where. Especially if the user's computer just verily meets the needs of that computer's user or users.

If this is the case there are a couple things that can be done.

1. Add more memory
2. Reduce the number of applications that are running at the same time.

When choosing option number 2, the first thing that can be turned off is Vista's Sidebar. In removing the side bar go to the icon in the lower right side the taskbar. Right click on it and left click on proprieties. Then uncheck the box a the top which reads, "Start Sidebar when Windows starts.

Windows Defender - Quick Scan

If at anytime you question that your Vista computer might have an infection from some malicious program. There is a step you can take before you have to wipe the hard drive and reinstall the operating system.

Once you open Windows Defender left click on the top link that reads Scan. This will take you to another window that will start a quick scan of your hard drive.

This scan will scan your hole C drive.

Defender - Allowed Items

Allowed items are risky programs that you want to run unblocked in Windows Defender. This goes back to what I wrote about concerning "just in case" you get a false positive.

Some security software, and diagnostic tools will give you a false positive when is comes to almost any security software. That is why this exception section is here.

If Defender gives you a warning about a piece of software. You can tell it to allow it or remove it. This is your decision. Of course you will have to do some intelligent research to where that specific software is safe for you to run on your computer.

Defender will give you a perceived threat level and recommendation. In addition to looking at Defenders recommendation, I would do a Google search. That way you can see what other people are saying about a specific program.

Defender - Quarantined Items

Quarantined items are programs and/or data that is suspicious. When something is put into quarantine Defender will give you an alert level and date. It is up to you to decide if you want to keep or remove the item from your computer.

The reason why Defender uses the quarantine step is because of what is called False Positives. This is where a potienal infection is removed, but in actuality it is not a dangerous program. This way you can tell Defender and your computer it is a safe program, thus you are accepting the risks.

Defender - Software Explorer

In the lower right corner of the Tools window is a link the is titled Software Explorer. When you click on the link you a new window comes up. The right window lists the programs that start up when you start your computer. After you left click on a program you see the details of that program in the right window.

I opened Software Explorer to discover that there were two programs running that I did not recognize. They were both had the name Macrovision FLEXnet. So I did a Google search to find out what they were.

It turns out that these two programs have to deal with Digital Rights Management. In simple terms copyright protection of some material I have on this computer.

If you look in the lower right corner of the screen shot, you will see three buttons grayed out. That means this program from Defender can not be disabled or removed. When you click on certain programs in the left window, these button will only become ungrayed with ones you are allowed to disable or remove.

Defender - SpyNet

In Defender programs are classified as spyware or not. The information for any submitted programs by the users of the product are available to all users. It is displayed as a graph that shows the percentage of people who have allowed, blocked, or removed a particular program. This method of spyware classification allows even the most uncommon software spyware to be categorised from people who have sent in information about a particular software.

To be part of the reporting system.

• Open Defender and left click on Tools
• Then click Microsoft SpyNet
• Select the level of participation that you want by clicking Join with a basic membership or Join with an advanced membership, and then click Save.

I would take time and read through each membership plan to decide which one would be most fitting for the level you want to be involved. Take note of the privacy statement. This is where most people are the most concerned.

Defender - Menu

Once you open Defender and see the status of you computer. The top menu allows you to navigate through Defenders many features.

• On the left, is your Forward and Backward arrows that you will see on all Windows Vista programs. This gives you similar functionality of Internet Explorer.
• The next, from left to right, is a little house to the left of the word Home. by left clicking on either will bring you to the Window that you get when you open Defender.
• The magnifying glass and the word Scan is to scan you computer for infection. If you suspect something virus or Trojan has gotten onto your computer, it is always good to do a out of schedule scan.
• The next icon is the same one you have in Internet Explorer, along with the word History. To the right of it is the word History. Here you will have not doubt this is where you will pull up the history of scans.
• Tools comes with settings you can make to increase or decrease your level of protection. You also can increase how Defender will warn you when there is a possible infection.
  

Defender - Options

Windows is a great addition to Windows Vista. Especially, when it comes to protecting your computer. Defender does not give you many customization options. However, depending upon on the programs you run, they can make a big difference in the level of protection.

In the top menu bar is an icon of a gear that is labeled tools. Left click on this and you will get your Tools/Options window.

In this windows it is broke down into two sections.

1. The top section is titled Automatic settings. This one has to deal with scanning and updating you definitions of dangerous files.
2. The bottom section is all about what kind of action to take when Windows Defender detects a problem. You can choose what to do according the the level of all that Defender sees.
1. High, Medium, and Low alerts are associated with the degree of threat Defender sees.
2. I leave my action at the default level. This is for me works the best. For the individual that goes to website that are known for giving false positive alerts, the Ignore options may be best.
   

Desktop Wallpaper

Windows Vista raised the bar when it comes to desktop wallpaper. One really needs a good graphics card on their computer along with a nice monitor to see some of these beautiful pictures.

You can view them from the Start Orb then Pictures. Then go to Sample Pictures. There you can view them a thumbnails or in Photo Gallery.

Now, on the Microsoft website there is more stunning pictures you can use as wallpaper. These are winners of a PhotoVista competition in Singapore. After looking at these photos, I never thought that Singapore was so beautiful. Go out there and check them out for yourself.

All you need to do to set one of these pictures as a background is right click on it, go down to Set As Desktop Background and then left click. You will then be given options to stretch, center, or tile the image. I usually choose to stretch.

Taskbar Thumbnails

As computers get faster, the availability of nice cute features become more common. One if these features is a thumbnail preview when you hover the cursor over an item in the task bar.

It may not seem important, but if you are like me who has several programs open at the same time. I do forget what is on a particular application.

In the screen shot to the right. I had paused iTunes several minutes earlier to answer a phone call. Then I got busy looking at a webpage. I had forgotten what I had been watching iTunes. So I just moved my cursor over the iTunes link in the taskbar.

Up pops the window of iTunes. Now I am reminded that I was watching DLTV with Veronica Belmont and Robert Herran.

Snipping Tool

In Windows Xp, I would press the Print Scrn key if I wanted to take a screen shot of what is on my desktop. Then I would paste and edit it in Photofiltre or Paint. Windows Vista comes comes with what is titled Snipping Tool. This allow you to take screen shots and edit within one little application that is part of Windows Vista.

You can get to the Snipping Tool program by going to Accessories folder in the All Programs section. Once open you will be asked to highlight the area of your desktop you want to capture as a screen shot. Afterwards that area is put inside the application. From there you can highlight certain areas with a pen and then save it.

This is great when you want to share part of your desktop with someone else.

There Is Always Help

One of the things that make the World Wide Web so great is the availability of information. No matter what the subject there is several website or blogs that contain information on the subject.

This Sunday morning I have listed the top 10 websites that I go to for help about Windows Vista.

1. PCmag.com
2. Support 4 Vista
3. Cnet Forums
4. Life Hacker
5. Windows Vista Magazine
6. Windows Super Site
7. Microsoft's Vista
   
8. Win Vista Club
9. ITs Vista
10. Windows Vista Blog
    

Media Center - Online Media

I have seen more and more people turning a computer into a media center. One of the overwhelming motivator to drive this trend is the available content that one can get over the internet.

Microsoft, through Media Center puts this content at your finger tips. All you have to do is open Media Center, then go to Online Media. Now explore the movies and music sources that are available for download to your computer.

I clicked on Movielink, because I like movies. There I given a selection of popular movies I could download to my computer. I selected Alvin and the Chipmunks. Media Center when to the Movielink website where it show me a summary of the movie. It also told me that I could download it for unlimited viewing for $19.99.

Now I am looking a building a computer to connect to replace my entertainment center's tuner.

Media Center - CD/DVD Burning

Back on January 19th I wrote about using third party software to burn CD's and DVD's. On April 8th the Podcast Vista Is Here To Stay. Today I would like to write about CD/DVD creation in Windows Media Center.

Yes, there is media burning software built into Windows Vista. Once you open Media Center, under the Task menu select burn cd/dvd. Then it will walk you through the process.

You need to have the material you want to burn in a folder on your hard drive. I would recommend that you put that folder in the pictures, music or video folder. This makes it easier to find when you start walking through the Window Media Center Wizard.

Media Center - Picture Slideshow

After opening Windows Media Center from All Programs, I selected the sample picture folder. Then I selected slide show and pressed the play icon. To my amazement, my eyes were not prepared for what I was about to see.

My eyes observed a high quality slide show that did not just flash images before my eyes. Each peaceful image of nature slowly came before my eyes, then paned from one side to the other. Then the next picture came before my eyes.

I had calming Christian music playing on iTunes in the background. All this gave me a peaceful refreshing experience to start writing this blog.

As I was viewing the show, my wife walked into my office. She asked if she could get a new computer if nothing else, but for Media Center in Windows Vista.

Media Center - Video Output

No matter what how powerful processor, or size of hard drive, if you do not have a good monitor and video card you experience will be disappointing. Think about it if you have a cheap CRT monitor, you will get a substandard picture. This holds true for the video card.

If you are pulling your video single from your motherboard, you are loosing performance. Don't expect a optimal experience. By adding a PCI Express video card you adding memory back to your computer and giving memory dedicated to your visual experience.

As newer video cards come out with increase in speed and power the slower card go down in price. Today, a good video card will set you back around $60 to $125. The visual experience will be noticeable. Your computer will be faster.

I recommend the XFX 8600 GT for several reasons. The price won't empty your wallet. It has a double life time warranty, which means that if you sell your computer the warranty transfers to the individual to whom you sell it. This card has dual out puts. Depending upon your monitor, there is a VGA and DVI outputs. In fact, you could connect two monitor to this card.

Media Center - DVR

I am seeing people are integrating their computer into their entertainment center. I dare to say that a computer is becoming the hub of the family entertainment.

Over the past year or so, there has been websites that have popped up on the internet that will stream video. Then there are file sharing services, like Limewire, where you can download TV shows and movies. Through Windows Media Center and a video capture card you can turn you computer into a digital video recorder and play back movies and television shows at your leisure.

All you need is to run a coaxial cable from you cable modem box to your computer. Once the specific driver for the card are install, You will need to run the setup wizard in Window Media Center.