Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.
Ryan Carter and Jason Clarke haven't disappeared -- they've just moved sideways a little. Ryan and Jason's all-out coverage of Microsoft is now part of Download Squad, our blog about all kinds of software and online services.
You can roll your Download Squad experience in several different ways:
BOOKMARKS
Main blog: http://www.downloadsquad.com
The Microsoft category: http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/microsoft/
All Ryan Carter all the time: http://www.downloadsquad.com/bloggers/ryan-carter/
All Jason Clarke all the time: http://www.downloadsquad.com/bloggers/jason-clarke/
RSS FEEDS
Main blog: http://www.downloadsquad.com/rss.xml
The Microsoft category feed: http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/microsoft/rss.xml
The Unofficial Microsoft Weblog will remain exactly where it is, with its tremendous archive of blog entries. Use it as a reference point, and point your browser/newsreader to Download Squad for the continuous Microsoft updating you've come to expect. Thanks for reading!
I just wanted to let all of you know that this will be my last post on The Unofficial Microsoft Weblog. As of this morning, I have moved over to a tiny little blog you might have heard of called DownloadSquad. It is a new opportunity and a new challenge for me, so I hope you will join me over there, and continue reading if you aren't a huge fan of DownloadSquad already. You will get a better mix of everything over at Download Squad including Google, VoIP, Microsoft, and many other topics. They already have a huge following that is definitely well deserved. If you haven't yet, come check it out. You can even continue to get Microsoft-only feeds if you wish, there are instructions on Download Squad on how to do this. I will be bringing you a wider range of topics, not just Microsoft, so it should be a great ride. Thanks for everything, all the comments, thoughts, and opinions. It has been fun.
Having dipped my toe into the Windows Vista beta 2 waters, I found myself in want of anti-virus to secure my OS. I remembered Ed Bott reported about free anti-virus options for Windows Vista so I went looking, and found this article. Ed reports that there are free versions of both eTrust EZ AntiVirus and Trend Micro's PC-Cillin products available. Happy antivirusing!
Almost anyone who has applied Windows Updates during their day has been annoyed by this issue. Once Windows finishes its update, it asks you to reboot. You click "later". Ten minutes later, a window pops up asking you to reboot again. If you're unfortunate enough to be in the middle of typing, this can actually trigger the "Reboot" button (the default is this button, so simply pressing the space bar while that window is in focus will do it) effectively losing whatever you've been working on.
There's a solution for this issue, which is that the length of time Windows waits before hassling you again is configurable. Colin Mackay has the details.
The last post regarding Marc Orchant`s OneNote article was the first that I have posted here running the Windows Vista and IE 7 betas. After making the post, I viewed it in IE to double-check that everything rendered correctly, and was greeted with a warning that The Unofficial Microsoft Weblog may indeed be a phishing site.
Now I commend Microsoft for doing something about the phishing problem that plagues the web - it`s certainly not going away, and anything the tools we use can do to help us not get taken in by these scams is welcome by me. Of course, it`s quite disconcerting to discover that one`s own site is considered to be a potential threat.
But, consider that we are a site that has `Microsoft`right in our sub-domain, even though we`re not part of Microsoft`s microsoft.com domain. And we collect information, if you call asking for a name, email address and URL to comment on posts as collecting information, which in fact it is. So it`s reasonable that software might consider us as a potential threat.
Fortunately, Microsoft foresaw that the tool might pick up many false positives, and offers a form right on the warning to allow site owners to alert the Phishing Filter team to the problem. There also appears to be a voting mechanism so that if enough regular site visitors tag the site as either legit or not, the site will be considered that way. Pretty cool, as long as that is not easily abused.
Kudos to Microsoft for attempting to further protect us. I can`t say that I`ll stick with IE7 for longer than it takes to get a feel for it - in my opinion Firefox is still leaps and bounds ahead of IE in terms of usability and extensibility. But so far IE7 is a welcome update to a sorely outdated browser.
Marc Orchant, who most of you will remember as the sole voice of this Microsoft-focused blog for many months before his departure, today had an article posted at Microsoft's Office 2007 preview site. The article highlights all of the new innovations in OneNote that have turned it into a real personal information hub, collaboration powerhouse as well as a time and task management tool. Rather than steal any of Marc`s thunder, I`ll just point you to the article which is well worth a read.
Posted Jun 27th 2006 11:45AM by Jason Clarke Filed under: XP
Chris Pirillo points us to a freely downloadable calculator from Microsoft that is head and shoulders beyond the default Windows calculator in terms of features. Of course, as with most downloads from Microsoft these days, this one requires Windows Genuine Advantage certification. If that makes you nervous, steer clear, but if you're looking for a new calculator application that gives you conversions including currency exchange conversions (it can even download exchange rates), give this one a try.
The newly revamped "Hibernate" function works flawlessly, even on archaic hardware like mine. It saves everything, so you can completely turn off your PC, and later turn it back on to the same turn in your favorite game. Very cool. Also, the sleep feature works well too, and doesn't leave you hanging either! One of the most amazing things about Vista thus far for me is that my drivers would not install correctly for a few devices (although it recognized more devices than my XP install did right off the bat) until I went in through the update driver option. This allowed Vista to find my driver file and install everything the way it wanted to, which worked famously. Vista did crash on me completely a few times, but at this point, I am not sure whether this is Vista's or my aging hardware's fault. To tell you the truth, I can't wait to buy a brand new PC, just to hot-rod Vista in all it's muscle. I know it has many flaws, but I think once Microsoft puts on the finishing touches, there is enough there to really please fans and critics alike.
A sigh of relief, a breath of fresh air, all because the wicked witch of MY is dead! Microsoft axed the whole stupid "my" routine in Vista, along with the verbose and dumbly named "Documents and Settings" folder. Thank (your favorite deity here)! It is now simply Documents, Computer, Pictures, Music, and the new Games folder. Another thing I like is that Vista places all these things into a C:\Users\username folder for better organization. This is the best way they have done it ever. Windows NT used to have these files under C:\winnt\profiles\username and XP had C:\Documents and Settings\username with all of the My pictures, My music, etc under the My Documents folder. Finally someone realized that Pictures and Music and Videos are NOT DOCUMENTS! Rock on!
Vista sports the new organizational structure that allows much easier browsing and finding of folders using a side-arrow and a drop down on every folder currently in your directory path. I also like Vista's new picture viewing application is excellent, even providing a slideshow view. The new search and all programs views let you type or click on what you want, and the results of both come up in the pane formerly reserved for only pinned items on the left. So instead of far reaching menus you must drill down through filling the screen, you can easily drill down via a faster, better tree-like interface. One thing I found interesting is that you can type run or calc, or notepad, and without further ado, Vista displays it, smartly knowing what I wanted, though these items, like run are not shown on the main start menu. On the integration front, Vista's new start button goes hand in hand with the new 2007 Office system beta's start-button common to most Office programs. There are many such improvements that make it easier for users to get the idea of how to use the system, since things look the same. Even display properties are interestingly arranged, while a little confusing to a seasoned user, will be very simple for a newbie.
So, as I write this on my laptop PC currently running windows Vista, I am thinking back over the last week that I have had Vista installed. The big verdict for me is that Vista is pretty good at some things, a little annoying with the security warnings, a little clunky yet, and not perfect, but for a beta, it is good. I have an older machine running 512MB RAM, and a 1.6GHz AMD Athlon 2800 chip and a whopping 40GB hard drive. Vista does make pretty good use of my ancient hardware. I tried out the ReadyBoost feature, which allows you to plug in any flash based memory stick, thumb drive, etc to help improve the performance of Vista and thusly your computer. This works surprisingly well, and makes me want to run out and buy a 2GB flash drive, just to see what it will do with that. My PC is rated by Vista as a 1, so it isn't the greatest of performances, and I don't even have the 128MB video card needed to run Aero, but I still like Vista quite a bit. There are some significant improvements to XP, better organization, and lots of little things that make computing easier. I love the new live preview of any picture, making it easy to tell your photos apart even on the desktop, without looking at the filename. Built in support for Clear-Type fonts is cool, making everything look ethereally slick.
That's right folks, Microsoft Windows Vista Public Beta 2 is now available for download. I am personally going to install Vista tonight and see what works, and what doesn't for myself. For example, video games, applications, hardware, etc. The reviews I have seen say that most things work, with the exception of a few driver issues. Robert Scoble even said that Vista has made him so much more productive even with the quirks, so I look forward to testing it out in everyday use. Check out the download page for the public preview, though be aware that so many people are downloading it right now, that you may not be able to get in.
With over 100 million unique visitors, MSN Spaces is the largest blogging service worldwide according to comScore Media Metrix. It is amazing how blogging has taken off. With popular sites like MySpace and MSN spaces, it is safe to say that almost everyone is doing it. Who ever thought that someone's random inner wonderings would actually mean something to someone else, enough to post it on the Internet? Apparently, we all like the more human element in information publishing. Blogs such as post secret draw people in by the droves, because somehow blogging reaches people in a sincere way, and sometimes a deep way. Personally I love blogging, and though I haven't set up my own blog on MSN spaces, I do like their format and options. So swing on by and see what is hoping over there. There is a new service scheduled to take the place of MSN spaces called of course, you guess it "Windows Live Spaces" later this year, and it will have more social networking, to no doubt compete with mySpace. You can read Microsoft's full story here.
This is a really good product. Microsoft did their homework on this one. I had downloaded and tested this product and it really does help people keep their systems safe and up to date. The features include anti-virus, a decent firewall, anti-spyware, PC tune-up, back-up, restore, and even email, phone and chat tech support, yup, included in the same package at the same price. The OneCare suite is available online for download, and also in most Best Buy stores and a bunch of other retailers as well. A quick Google search (sorry Microsoft) yielded that both CompUSA and MicroCenter have OneCare available for around $50 for a year's subscription. OfficeMax and OfficeDepot did not seem to have it in their search at least, as of this writing.
Over at ZDnet, Marc Orchant writes about the "Office UI retraining canard." The catchy title aside, Marc states that the new user interface for Office 2007, including the "ribbon" and the newly grouped sections will eventually win users over. Marc goes on to write that the new interface was designed with a non-existent learning curve in mind. Apparently most users will take to the new UI like a flock of (your favorite waterfowl here). I suppose he is right by saying that "the biggest pushback will come from the most knowledgeable users. They have developed habits that will require some adjustment with the new UI." I certainly fall in that category, and I think a lot of people do. All I want is the option to use the new format or that old one. Though I favor the old way (who doesn't) I am starting to see some advantages to the new UI. I may come around. Stay tuned.
Ryan Carter and Jason Clarke haven't disappeared -- they've just moved sideways a little. Ryan and Jason's all-out coverage of Microsoft is now part of Download Squad, our blog about all kinds of software and online services. 
I just wanted to let all of you know that this will be my last post on The Unofficial Microsoft Weblog. As of this morning, I have moved over to a tiny little blog you might have heard of called DownloadSquad. It is a new opportunity and a new challenge for me, so I hope you will join me over there, and continue reading if you aren't a huge fan of DownloadSquad already. You will get a better mix of everything over at Download Squad including Google, VoIP, Microsoft, and many other topics. They already have a huge following that is definitely well deserved. If you haven't yet, come check it out. You can even continue to get Microsoft-only feeds if you wish, there are instructions on 
Almost anyone who has applied Windows Updates during their day has been annoyed by this issue. Once Windows finishes its update, it asks you to reboot. You click "later". Ten minutes later, a window pops up asking you to reboot again. If you're unfortunate enough to be in the middle of typing, this can actually trigger the "Reboot" button (the default is this button, so simply pressing the space bar while that window is in focus will do it) effectively losing whatever you've been working on. 
Marc Orchant, who most of you will remember as the sole voice of this Microsoft-focused blog for many months before his departure, today had an article posted at Microsoft's Office 2007 preview site. The article highlights all of the new innovations in OneNote that have turned it into a real personal information hub, collaboration powerhouse as well as a time and task management tool. Rather than steal any of Marc`s thunder, I`ll just 
The newly revamped "Hibernate" function works flawlessly, even on archaic hardware like mine. It saves everything, so you can completely turn off your PC, and later turn it back on to the same turn in your favorite game. Very cool. Also, the sleep feature works well too, and doesn't leave you hanging either! One of the most amazing things about Vista thus far for me is that my drivers would not install correctly for a few devices (although it recognized more devices than my XP install did right off the bat) until I went in through the update driver option. This allowed Vista to find my driver file and install everything the way it wanted to, which worked famously. Vista did crash on me completely a few times, but at this point, I am not sure whether this is Vista's or my aging hardware's fault. To tell you the truth, I can't wait to buy a brand new PC, just to hot-rod Vista in all it's muscle. I know it has many flaws, but I think once Microsoft puts on the finishing touches, there is enough there to really please fans and critics alike.
A sigh of relief, a breath of fresh air, all because the wicked witch of MY is dead! Microsoft axed the whole stupid "my" routine in Vista, along with the verbose and dumbly named "Documents and Settings" folder. Thank (your favorite deity here)! It is now simply Documents, Computer, Pictures, Music, and the new Games folder. Another thing I like is that Vista places all these things into a C:\Users\username folder for better organization. This is the best way they have done it ever. Windows NT used to have these files under C:\winnt\profiles\username and XP had C:\Documents and Settings\username with all of the My pictures, My music, etc under the My Documents folder. Finally someone realized that Pictures and Music and Videos are NOT DOCUMENTS! Rock on!
Vista sports the new organizational structure that allows much easier browsing and finding of folders using a side-arrow and a drop down on every folder currently in your directory path. I also like Vista's new picture viewing application is excellent, even providing a slideshow view. The new search and all programs views let you type or click on what you want, and the results of both come up in the pane formerly reserved for only pinned items on the left. So instead of far reaching menus you must drill down through filling the screen, you can easily drill down via a faster, better tree-like interface. One thing I found interesting is that you can type run or calc, or notepad, and without further ado, Vista displays it, smartly knowing what I wanted, though these items, like run are not shown on the main start menu. On the integration front, Vista's new start button goes hand in hand with the new 2007 Office system beta's start-button common to most Office programs. There are many such improvements that make it easier for users to get the idea of how to use the system, since things look the same. Even display properties are interestingly arranged, while a little confusing to a seasoned user, will be very simple for a newbie.
With over 100 million unique visitors, MSN Spaces is the largest blogging service worldwide according to comScore Media Metrix. It is amazing how blogging has taken off. With popular sites like 
This is a really good product. Microsoft did their homework on this one. I had downloaded and tested this product and it really does help people keep their systems safe and up to date. The features include anti-virus, a decent firewall, anti-spyware, PC tune-up, back-up, restore, and even email, phone and chat tech support, yup, included in the same package at the same price. The 
Over at ZDnet, Marc Orchant writes about the "
