Increase game performance on Windows with Game Booster!

As described on their site :

Designed to help optimize your PC for smoother, more responsive game play in the latest PC games with the touch of a button, Game Booster helps achieve the performance edge previously only available to highly technical enthusiasts. It works by temporarily shutting down background processes, cleaning RAM, and intensifying processor performance. That means you can keep all the features of Microsoft® Windows Vista® and XP® ready for when you need them, but turn them off when you are ready to get down to serious business – gaming.

I tried it before playing Left 4 Dead, and did notice smooth play, especially during horde attack.

Info + Download : [Click]

Three new Ultimate Extras!

Microsoft has released three new Ultimate Extras for Windows Vista Ultimate Edition users. These include a game called Microsoft Tinker, Ultimate Extra sounds from Microsoft Tinker and Windows DreamScene Content Pack #4. You can download them from Windows Update.

Microsoft Tinker is a puzzle based game where players get a set amount of moves to move a robot around a puzzle and solve the level. Sound scheme lets you change your computer’s sound profile to that of Microsoft Tinker. And DreamScene Content Pack includes some new high definition videos.

Cheers!

Block ads without Ad-Block

Let’s admit, many of us don’t like ads while surfing websites, much less those flashy and ultra-cool (read irritating and dumb) ads. If you use Firefox, there’s a good chance that you are using Ad-block or similar extension. Opera has something similar too. But what of those ads that you see when (rarely) you use Internet Explorer? Or what of those ads integrated in Messenger windows?
To block these relatively harmless (and other potentially dangerous) ads, you can use Hosts file created by MVPS. According to them :

The Hosts file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. This file is loaded into memory (cache) at startup, then Windows checks the Hosts file before it queries any DNS servers, which enables it to override addresses in the DNS. This prevents access to the listed sites by redirecting any connection attempts back to the local (your) machine. Another feature of the HOSTS file is its ability to block other applications from connecting to the Internet, providing the entry exists.

You can use a HOSTS file to block ads, banners, 3rd party Cookies, 3rd party page counters, web bugs, and even most hijackers. This is accomplished by blocking the connection(s) that supplies these little gems.

You can get more information and download link at MVPS website.

Windows 7 Milestone 3 (6780) Screenshots!

Thinknext.net has posted many new screenshots of Windows 7’s M3 build. Looks like Microsoft is going for a lighter UI and there are some promising changes elsewhere in the OS as well. (Paint and Wordpad finally get a new look)

Some changes :

1. A lighter interface than Vista
2. Ribbon interface in Wordpad and Paint.
3. Some changes in looks of Start Menu
4. Calculator UI changed.
5. A new term Libraries is introduced which is equivalent to Documents
6. A few changes in Windows Explorer’s toolbar.
7. System Tray icons setting option in Control Panel
8. Few more options in control panel like Locations and Other Sensors, Credential Manager and Biometric Devices.
9. New Theme options for windows
10. Homegroups
11. Some display setting changes
12. Games updates in Games Explorer
13. Some changes in Windows Media Player
14. New PowerShell

Hop over to Thinknext for screenshots!!!

Update : I think he has taken off the screenshots after receiving an email from Microsoft 😦

Suppress the elevation prompts of UAC in Vista

TweakUAC(TM) is a free software tool that you can use to quickly turn UAC (User Account Control of Windows Vista) on or off, or to make UAC operate in the quiet mode.

What is Quiet Mode?

This option does not turn off UAC; instead, it only makes UAC to operate in the quiet mode. In the quiet mode, UAC does not display the elevation prompts for the administrators. That is, when you attempt to do an administrative task, you will be allowed to proceed automatically, without prompting you to confirm the operation. All other features of UAC would still be enabled: the programs will run with the standard user permissions by default, and the standard users will still see the elevation prompts (the quiet mode applies to the administrator accounts only).

Download TweakUAC : [Click]