Get XP SP3 (via a registry hack) and other MS miscellany

UT is getting pounded smacked down by the Aggies.

Dearest wife is telling me to start packing up for the trip home from "the sticks".

Alvis is tired of me hogging the laptop all day in the in-laws' family room.

Sounds like it is time for a quick linkfest:

Beta Service Packs, Get your hot Beta Service Packs....from a MS home-office escapee...

Hack Attack : Get Windows XP SP3 Through Windows Update - Don't know why anyone would want to do this since it is still in beta status...but if you do...here you go. -spotted on Download Squad

Download Windows Vista SP1 with a registry hack - Download Squad - since we were on the subject.

From the "I didn't realize Vista could actually be helpful" home office:

Windows Vista Search and Preview Pane - Conrad Agramont's Blog - Great post that details all the wonderful features to be found in the Vista Search and Preview pane.  I didn't realize just how powerful this tool was!  Lots of quality screen-shots.

From the "Why get Vista Ultimate" home office:

DeskScapes 2.0 = DreamScene for the Vista masses - Josh's Windows Weblog - Windows Vista Ultimate really does have some great additional "power-user" features that Windows Home Premium doesn't have.  Sure, you can work around most of them with various freeware alternatives, but the biggest thing most home users would like get sold on would be the DreamScene eye-candy.  This basically allows your desktop wallpaper to run animations. Cool, but not worth the extra $ in my book.

Now Stardock has announced it will be releasing both free and $ versions of it's next DeskScapes software release.  This is pretty cool.

More via Long Zheng's blog: Stardock to announce DeskScapes 2.0 – animated desktop backgrounds no longer just a Vista Ultimate Extra

From the "How to Remove Useless Vista Stuff" home office:

Kristan Kenney: Confessions of a Windows Enthusiast : Hide "TV + Movies" in Windows Media Center 

"Don't have a TV tuner installed in your computer but still enjoy using Windows Media Center?  If so, there is a simple registry modification that you can make to disable the "TV + Movies" item in Media Center." 

From the "ERD Commander isn't dead after-all" home office:

Back before I got all wicked l33t with Linux Live CD's, BartPE disks, and now Win PE 2.0, the ERD Commander emergency disk we had in our shop was golden. We would fight over the right to carry it.  Now with all those other tools and Microsoft's assimilation of Sysinternals, I figured ERD Commander had gone the way of Nessie...often loved and remembered, but rarely seen.

I was wrong.

The Windows Experience Blog : Giving the Microsoft Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) a Try

[Give] the Microsoft Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) 6.0 - a try. DaRT is an excellent set of tools for IT Professionals to troubleshoot unresponsive PCs and removing viruses and malware off infected PCs in their environment. DaRT 6.0  also now has the ability for IT Professionals to conduct offline removal of malware and viruses from infected PCs.

The first thing I noticed when I started using DaRT is that it provides two options to the IT Professional: a way to analyze crash files from unresponsive PCs through the Crash Analysis Wizard, and a way to create a startup disc with the necessary tools in fixing an unresponsive PC that is unable to boot into Windows called ERD Commander.

Like I said, there are so many great freeware options available now for Windows system recovery, but I suppose there are some enterprise shops that would find this great to have.  For more information on DaRT follow this yellow-brick road: Windows Vista Enterprise: Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset

Finally...

From the "If you have to reinstall your Windows system...why stay with Windows?" home office:

Reinstall Windows and outfit your system with all freeware programs - via freewaregenius.com

Samer did a clean-install of Windows XP and provides a list of 53 fantastic freeware utilities and applications that handle most all daily-pc usage needs.

It is a great list and loaded with quality program descriptions and links.

I found a number of new programs worth adding to my systems.  Go take a look and snag some freeware of your own.

Game's almost over.

The 12th man appears to have been a deciding factor.

Time to pack and head home.

See you in the skies!

--Claus