I recorded some TV on Windows Media in DVR-MS. I know that I can get a converter from Green Button but Green Button has a problem with new system and I cannot join or do anything. Can I get this convertor or a similar convertor elsewhere?
- Andy

If have about USD 40 to spare, you can buy the Digital Media Converter, one of the popular commercial tools for converting DVR-MS files to other formats. You will need their free MPEG 2 decoder to help do the job. Now lets talk about the free option to achieve the same.

How to convert DVR-MS to a MPG/ DivX/ XviD/ AVI/ WMV/ other formats using free tools:

1. Download/ install the DVRMSToolbox.
2. Open C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Recorded TV to view your recorded tv files or the location where your DVR-MS files to be converted are located.
3. Go to the Windows’ Start Menu and click on DVRMStoMPEGGUI to launch it.
4. Enter the complete path of the input file in the appropriate text box. (You can find the name of the episode by selecting the DVR-MS file in My Computer or Windows Explorer and reading the information given in the status bar)
5. Enter the complete path of the destination file in the appropriate box. Make sure you give it the correct extension (mpg).
6. In the profile drop down list, choose which action you want the utility to perform. For converting to .mpg you will need to choose Convert DVRMS to MPEG. (You should convert it to MPEG if you plan to convert to DivX/XviD)
7. Click Run. Wait for this process to complete. You may be prompted to save a copy of the log to a file.
8. You should have your file ready.
9. If you plan to convert it to DivX or XviD format you need to install VirtualDub-MPEG2.
10. After installing VirtualDub-MPEG2, you need to open the MPEG video file in it (It may take a few minutes for it to parse the data) and follow this tutorial.

Hi Jayant, You have a lovely site. The problem that I am facing with Vista is that I am not able to delete the main folders of Vista. I have tried booting with other OS, or even Vista from other Drives. I tried connecting the drive from which I want to delete Vista as Slave and also as an external USB Drive. I have even disabled the User Imporant File protection but all in vein. Please guide me know how I can delete those folders and free that space. I just want to get rid of Vista.
- Vishal

Thanks Vishal.

In order to safely remove Vista and get back that Windows XP’s bootloader we need to perform the following steps:-

1. Boot into Windows XP
2. Open Command Prompt. To open command prompt click ‘Start’ > ‘Run’. Type ‘cmd’ without quotes and press OK.
3. Type ‘cd c:\boot\’ , (where ‘c:’ is your Windows XP’s installation drive) without quotes and press Enter key.
4. Now type the command ‘fixntfs -xp’ without quotes and press Enter key.
5. Restart the machine. Windows XP’s bootloader should be back now.
6. Save any data that you wish to keep from the Windows Vista partition by copying it into the Windows XP’s partition.
7. Now lets format the Windows Vista partition. If you do not wish to format your Vista partition, but just delete the Vista files, skip to step 10. Go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management.
8. Click on Disk Management.
9. Right click the Windows Vista’s partition and click Format and follow the instructions.
10. If you do not wish to format your partition and just wish to delete the Windows Vista’s folders, you can follow the steps given in “Permission denied” - Data recovery in Windows XP. Follow the steps that talk about taking ownership of the data/ folders to take ownership of Windows Vista’s folders. One you have taken the ownership of the Windows Vista folders you will be able to delete them.

I have downloaded the Windows Vista Beta 2 ISO as per the instructions on your site. How do I install Windows Vista using it? When I double click it, I get a Nero DVD burning dialog.
- Vijay

I do not have a combo drive which has a DVD reader but does not have a DVD writer. I have downloaded the Windows Vista Beta 2 ISO file. Is there a way I can install it? I tried mounting the ISO file on the Image Drive of Nero. It started well, but I could not install it completely as it restarted in between. Please help. Can I use someone else’s DVD burner? Will that DVD work on my drive?
- Sam

After finishing the download of the ISO file, we need to burn it to a DVD. This implies that we need to have a DVD burner with appropriate software. We will have to burn to new blank DVD. To ensure highest quality error free burning, it is recommended that you burn it at the lowest speed supported by your DVD burner. If you do not have a DVD burner of your own, you can safely burn the ISO file to a DVD using your friend’s DVD writer.

Instructions to burn a .ISO using Nero:

1. Launch Nero
2. Choose Recorder/ Burn image
3. Browse to the location of the ISO file and select the ISO file you want to burn to DVD
4. Click on “Burn” now
5. Wait till the burning process finishes
6. Click the ‘OK’ button

Microsoft has closed the Microsoft Windows Vista Beta 2 program. Though no more product keys are being given. The download sites are active right now. The download sites will remain open till Friday, July 14 after which you not able to download Microsoft Windows Vista Beta 2. For people who have taken the product keys using the instructions given here, make sure you complete your download before July 14, 2006.

If you need any help in installing or using Windows Vista, just ask me the question.

There are many people searching for more vista sidebar gadgets. Check out the official Windows Vista Sidebar Gallery! You might already know the gallery on microsoftgadgets.com having gadgets that work with live.com. Well they also have some Vista gadgets as well. You can check out the gadgets tagged as Vista and dont forget checking out their blog once in a while.
Credits: Windows Vista Weblog from b5media.

How can I check if my machine is Windows Vista compatible? Will I be able to run/ use Aero?
- Rohit

You can download and run the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor to know if your system can run Windows Vista or do you need a hardware upgrade. You can select the features you need and it will tell you if your machine needs an upgrade.

Instructions to check capability:-

1. Download and install the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor.
2. Connect all USB, Firewire, other devices that you plan to use with Windows Vista. Run the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor, you will get a screen which has a button titled ‘Start System Scan’
3. Click that button.
4. You will see a screen where you can select the features you will like to use/ run. Select the ones you need/ will use. To check for Aero, make sure you check the option that says Elegent User Experience with Windows Aero.
5. At the bottom of the selections, click ‘Next’. You will see the results about the ability to run the Windows Vista core and other options that you selected like Windows Aero.
6. Click on the ‘Next’ button to view the details about availability of drivers for various devices you plan to use.

Due to some reason my Windows OS is not working now. So right now my harddisk is a device with data but no working operating system. I plugged in the drive at the friend’s machine. I am able to access all data (picture, text data, etc) in D, E, .. drives, all data in C drive can be accessed except in folder “C:\Documents and Settings\anant” which is the administrator profile (Username). The Error message I get is “Access is denied”.

I am accessing the data in my harddisk by connecting to my friend’s PC and making my harddisk as slave so that my drives are viewed in his My Computer. My PC also had 2 other profiles ( non-administrator profiles) which can accessed.

Please give me input on how I can access my administrator profile.
- Anant

This has occured because that folder was created on an NTFS file system volume by using a some other installation of Windows XP, and then accessing from another Windows XP and the security ID doesn’t match the security ID of the owner of the folder and so you cannot open.

To resolve this issue, you must turn off Simple File Sharing, and then take ownership of the folder. The steps are as follows:-

1. Turn off Simple File Sharing:
   1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
   2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options, and then click the View tab.
   3. Under Advanced Settings, click to clear the Use simple file sharing (Recommended) check box, and then click OK.
2. Taking Ownership:
   1. Right-click the folder that you want to take ownership of, and then click Properties.
   2. Click the Security tab, and then click OK on the Security message, if one appears.
   3. Click Advanced, and then click the Owner tab.
   4. In the Name list, click your user name, Administrator if you are logged in as Administrator, or click the Administrators group.
   5. If you want to take ownership of the contents of that folder, click to select the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects check box.
   6. Click OK.
   7. You may receive the following error message, where Folder is the name of the folder that you want to take ownership of:
      

      You do not have permission to read the contents of directory Folder. Do you want to replace the directory permissions with permissions granting you Full Control? All permissions will be replaced if you press Yes.

   8. Click Yes.
   9. Click OK, and then reapply the permissions and security settings that you want for the folder and the folder contents.

Disclaimer: I do not guarantee that this will save your files. All I can say is that I’ve done it successfully on dozens of machines.

I wish to take a screenshot of my screen in Windows Vista and save it as a graphics file, so that I can email it to my friend. How can I do this? Do I need to download any free or commercial software to do this for me?
- Rohit Sharma

Taking a screenshot in Windows Vista is quite easy. Free and commercial softwares do come do help you do this job, but you can do without them as the screenshot function is built into Windows. Just press the PrintScreen (or Prnt Scrn) button on your keyboard and Windows will copy the entire screen image to the system clipboard. Use Alt+PrintScreen if you want only the currently active window.

This done, we just need to get the screenshot image out of the clipboard and save it to a file. If you have a favorite graphics or photo editing program that you prefer, open that program now. If not, open the Microsoft Paint program. To do so, press Start, Run, type MSPAINT at the prompt, then press Enter key.

When MS Paint opens, click on Edit, then Paste. The screenshot image will be pasted from the clipboard into your MS Paint window. You may now save it as an image file, click on File, then Save As. Enter a file name that you can remember, then select JPG in the Save as type box (you may also select any other format like PNG, or BMP). Make note of the folder where you’re storing the file in and press Enter or click the Save button to save the file.

You may now attach the image to an email and send it to your friend.

Microsoft released Windows Vista Beta 2 for download to masses last week. Download English | German | Japanese (Note that due do high load, it may take a very long time for download to begin). Many people have been wondering on how can one obtain the key/ serial to install the beta version. Well Microsoft is giving them for free. Each serial can be used to activate upto 10 computers.

Instructions to obtain Windows Vista Beta 2 Key/ Serial:

• Go to the Microsoft’s Windows Vista Customer Preview Program site.
• Towards the bottom of the page, you will see the heading ‘Download Instructions‘
• Just above the heading is a selection box for selecting the country.
• Select your country and click the button labelled ‘Go’ or try using the form here:
  
  Select your locationAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArubaAustraliaAustriaBahamasBahrainBarbadosBelgium (Dutch)Belgium (French)BelizeBermudaBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBulgariaCameroonCanada (English)Canada (French)Cayman IslandsChileChinaColombiaCongoCosta RicaCote d’IvoireCroatiaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEstoniaEthiopiaFinlandFranceFrench GuianaGabonGambiaGermanyGhanaGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuatemalaGuyanaHaitiHondurasHong Kong (Chinese)Hong Kong (English)HungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJordanKenyaKoreaKuwaitLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaliMaltaMartiniqueMauritiusMexicoMonacoMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew ZealandNicaraguaNigeriaNorwayOmanPakistanPanamaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalPuerto Rico (English)Puerto Rico (Spanish)QatarRepublic of Rwanda ReunionRomaniaRussian FederationSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSan MarinoSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbia and MontenegroSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSomaliaSouth AfricaSpainSt Vincent & the GrenadinesSurinameSwazilandSwedenSwitzerland (French)Switzerland (German)Switzerland (Italian)TaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTogoTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurks and Caicos IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.YemenZambiaZimbabweOther
• You will have to login to your Live account, if not already logged in.
• You will see a form, fill up the details properly. Make sure you fill a correct email address as you will get your product key at that email address.
• Keep filling up the required forms and clicking ‘continue’.
• When all finishes, you should see the download URLs as given above along with the serial number. You will also get the serial number by email.
• Note that, each serial can be used to activate upto 10 computers. You can obtain upto 2 such serials using your Windows Live Id/ account.

Do share your experiences of Windows Vista with me using the contact form. Feel free to ask Windows Vista related tech support questions, tips and tricks over here.

Update (September 10, 2006): Windows Vista RC1 is now available for download. To learn more how to download and get the free product key, see this.