How Windows XP will survive death

Come June 30, and sun will set on probably one of the most loved operating systems: Windows XP. With just two weeks left to the XP's official "kill" date, it seems fans have not been successful in persuading the Redmond giant to extend the XP deadline.

Here's looking into how XP, which analysts term as the biggest competition for Microsoft's latest OS Vista, can continue to live after its termination.
XP will be available on PCs from smaller computer makers known as "system builders" until January 31, 2009.

Also, the low-end Windows XP Starter Edition will continue to be available in emerging markets until June 30, 2010.

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XP will be available for so-called ultra-low-cost-PCs until June 30, 2010. According to Microsoft documents outlining the programme for PC manufacturers, Windows XP Home will only be available on systems with the following specs:

* A 1GHz or slower single-core processor (with exceptions for the Via C7 and Intel Atom N270)

* Up to 1GB of memory

* Hard drives up to 80GB

* Displays that are 10.2 inches or smaller

* No touch-screen

For companies manufacturing PCs that meet these specs, Windows XP will be available.

Copy Command Line Output to Windows Clipboard Directly

Windows XP offers no easy solution for copying the output of DOS commands to the clipboard.

You have to select Mark from the contextual menu, use the mouse to highlight text that has to be copied and then press Enter.

Some DOS veterans use the redirect operator (> or >>) that puts all the command line output to a text file which can be opened in Notepad. (Also read: "Most Useful Windows DOS Commands")

Since both the above methods involve way too many steps, we look at a simple alternative - use Clip - a free DOS utility from Microsoft that is included in Windows Server 2003 resource kit but works just fine for Windows XP or Vista.

Just copy this clip.exe [14 kb] file to your Windows folder and then use it with a PIPE (|) operator in your DOS commands. Here are some examples:

dir /h | clip - Copy the help manual for DIR command to the clipboard

tracert www.labnol.org | clip - Trace the path from your computer to another website - the output is automatically copied to the clipboard and not displayed on the screen.

netstat | clip - Check if your computer is connecting to websites without your knowledge.

The clip.exe utility can also be used to copy contents of text files to clipboard directly from the command line.

clip < C:\AUTOEXEC.bat - this will copy all the text from autoexec.bat to your Windows Clipboard.



The clip.exe file comes only with the Windows 2003 or Windows Vista so I am not sure if they are distributing the original Windows file on petri.co.il or written something similar on their own.

Add Power to ur windows

Add Power to your Windows

Wanna add some Power to your Windows? How about some PowerToys to add fun and functionality to your Windows experience.

Wondering what these PowerToys exactly are. PowerToys are primarily additional programmes that developers work on after a product has been released. These though are released by the company are not under technical support.

Here are some interesting PowerToys to add to your Windows XP experience.

Windows XP SP3 RC Now on Microsoft Download Center

Microsoft has just added the Windows XP Service Pack 3 (release candidate) installer to their download website.

This Windows XP SP3 installer weighs around 336 MB and includes all patches, bug fixes and security updates ever released by Microsoft since the launch of Windows XP OS.

Nothing major introduced in XP SP3 but there’s a new activation scheme which will not require a product key during XP installation on a new machine.

And unlike XP SP1 or SP2, you can easily uninstall XP SP3 from your PC using the Add Remove programs module.

Release notes for XP SP3 | Download Link [windowsxp-kb936929-sp3-x86-enu.exe]

Does Your Computer Take Too Long To Boot Up ? Try This

If your Windows PC is taking a lot of time to start-up, chances are that too many programs and Windows services are configured to launch automatically when you log on.

To fix this issue, you can either manually clear the start-up folder and registry entries or just download the excellent Autoruns 9.0 utility from Microsoft.

Autoruns shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and the entries are in the order in which Windows processes them.

You can select the services, executables and registry entries that may be responsible for the long start-up time and uncheck them to disable.

AutoRuns for Windows

Have a Computer Problem? Consult CrossLoop For Live Support

CrossLoop, which is an excellent desktop sharing software, could also be the next Elance for hiring tech support professionals who can remotely fix your computer problems in real-time.

Today, they have launched CrossLoop 2.0 that adds a “social” element to this already popular remote desktop sharing software and makes it extremely lucrative to IT Helpdesk staff and tech support personnel.

You can now create a personal profile on CrossLoop website that details your areas of expertise. When you provide remote help to others using CrossLoop, they can rate the session and that feedback is automatically added to your public profile.

See some screenshots of CrossLoop 2.0:

This “CrossLoop reputation” will become an important factor when you go beyond friends and family and decide to provide professional help to potential customers. They can view your history on CrossLoop and decide whether they want to avail your service or not.

Going forward, this CrossLoop database could become the one-stop shop for finding good tech support personnel. And best of all, CrossLoop is still free.

The only downside is that CrossLoop is only available for Windows so they could be missing a large chunk of users who may be running Mac or Linux platforms. In April, Mrinal did hint that were are planning to make CrossLoop available across various platforms.

Converting Pirated Windows XP Into a Legal Copy

If you are running a pirated copy of Windows XP Professional (or Home Edition), you can very easily convert it into a properly licensed version by just updating your XP Product Key that comes with the Get Genuine kit.

This is definitely a good offer for “unlicensed” Windows XP users who wish to legalize their software without having to reformat the computer or re-install the OS.

But a surprising part of the story is that software pirates, who later go genuine through the amnesty route, get a “better deal” from Microsoft than customers who buy legal software first-hand.