mStartEX: Windows 8 Style Start Menu Replacement for Windows XP, Vista and 7

We are pretty much aware of the new Start Screen introduced by Microsoft in its upcoming OS Windows 8. Start Screen is a Start Menu replacement for Windows 8 which shows live tiles of installed programs and built-in tools in Windows. According to Microsoft, the use of big square tiles makes it easier to navigate through installed programs and launch them.

We have shared many free utilities which bring Windows 8 look-like Start Screen feature in earlier Windows versions such as Windows XP, Vista and 7. Some of them are Omnimo, Windows 8 Start Screen Full andMosaic.

Today in this topic, we are going to share another utility for Windows XP, Vista and 7 which is a little bit different than others. You can consider it as a Start Menu replacement for Windows.

"mStartEX" is a free utility for Windows created by our friend "Solodev" which shows all Start Menu programs and pinned items in tile view similar to Windows 8 Start Screen.

By default it sorts them alphabetically but you can disable the sorting using its Settings. Its highly customizable. You can change background color, transparency level, tile mode, screen position and much more.

It also allows you to show a metro style clock on Desktop similar to Windows 8. You can enable it from its Settings.

If you want, you can customize the tile background and icon style from the "Tiles" tab of its Settings page. You can also change Start ORB image using Settings page.

It also shows user avatar in the Start screen which launches Control Panel upon clicking. You can customize avatar look using the Settings page.

To access the main screen simply move your mouse cursor to the bottom-left corner of screen similar to Windows 8 and the Start Menu will appear on screen. To close Start Menu, click on the shut down icon given at the bottom-left corner of Start Menu.

Although its a free utility but it also comes with a paid version which can be activated by purchasing the product for a very small amount of $1.25 only. The paid version comes with a few extra features such as more tile effects, full screen mode which makes it look-like Windows 8 Start Screen, invisible mode to remove background, random background color similar to Windows 8 Start Screen, skinned icons, no sorting, etc.

Currently its under beta testing and more features will be added in future releases such as plugin system.

You can download it using following link:

Download mStartEX

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Flash Player exploit found on Internet Explorer fixed in patch

If you use Flash Player a lot on your Windows PC, specifically with your Internet Explorer web browser, you will definitely want to update to the latest version as soon as possible. Adobe has announced that it has releaseda new security update for Flash Player. While the update has been launched for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android versions, the main target is users of Windows and Internet Explorer.

Adobe states in its update bulletin:

These updates address an object confusion vulnerability (CVE-2012-0779) that could cause the application to crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system. There are reports that the vulnerability is being exploited in the wild in active targeted attacks designed to trick the user into clicking on a malicious file delivered in an email message. The exploit targets Flash Player on Internet Explorer for Windows only.

The update should be downloaded and installed if you have Flash Player 11.2.202.233 and earlier on Windows, Mac, and Linux ports, along with versions 11.1.115.7 or earlier on Android 4.x and versions 11.1.111.8 on Android 3.x and 2.x. Ars Technica also suggests that Mac users quickly update to the new version even though the exploit seems to be targeting Windows users at the moment.

Avira fixes antivirus update that crippled many PCs

If you use the Avira antivirus program, you likely got hit with a big problem for a number of hours late on Monday and earlier today. ZDNet reports that the software program downloaded a new update, along with a new antivirus definitions file, that caused the software to falsely detect malware in major PC programs.

The 8.2.10.64 update for Avira, for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 PCs, caused the software to say that malware existed in programs such as Explorer, Internet Explorer, Notepad, the Windows Task Manager and many more. In addition, the faulty update also blocked the use of a number of other Microsoft and third party programs.

This issue apparently lasted for about 12 hours for the many millions of PC users who have the Avira software installed. Earlier today, the company announced via its Facebook page that it has released yet another update to the software that should fix the problem. The message added, "We deeply regret any difficulties that this may have caused you. Thank you for your patience and understanding!"

This update issue only affected users of the paid version of Avira. The free version of the software does not receive the same kinds of updates and thus was not affected.

350 million Windows 7 devices to be shipped this year

Windows 7 has been another successful platform for Microsoft as the rock solid OS won the hearts of many after their tribulations with Vista. Having sold hundreds of millions of copies of the OS, Microsoft is now predicting that 350 million devices will be sold this year running Windows 7, a phenomenal number.

What is driving all of this growth? According to Bloomberg, corporate demand has been a key driver of success and is currently exceeding the company’s estimates. Steve Ballmer said that this will make Windows 7 the “most single popular system” on the market.

While Windows 7 is selling at a tremendous rate, Microsoft is about to launch its next generation of Windows, Windows 8. The upcoming OS is a stark contrast to Microsoft’s traditional offerings and goes as far as to remove the iconic start button.

The OS is not expected to hit retail until sometime this fall, most speculate in October, and it will also bring with it Microsoft’s tablet OS that will finally compete with the iPad and Android tablets.

As we sail off in to the Metro-fied sunrise of Windows 8, Windows 7 will keep the profits flowing until the next platform arises. If this report is any indication, it looks like Microsoft is on track to continue is healthy fiscal track right up to and through the launch of Windows 8. 

Hack allows any application to run on top of Windows 7 login screen

The hack has been well documented for some time, but it might be a bit of a surprise to regular users just how easy it is to compromise a machine you have brief access to. A article published by Carnal0wnage writes about replacing "Sticky Keys" on the login screen for Windows 7 with the "command line" executable, which essentially could let a user make all hell break loose.

It's as simple as briefly gaining access to an elevated command prompt on a workstation and typing the following code;

REG ADD "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\sethc.exe" /v Debugger /t REG_SZ /d "C:\windows\system32\cmd.exe"

After that, the user can return to the workstation at a later time and press the SHIFT key five times (which normally invokes sticky keys) and an elevated command prompt is launched. From there, you can launch any process -- even Explorer -- and do anything you like as you would if you were logged on. 

The hack has been unpatched for some time now, and appears to work in both Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Additionally, if the hack is in place, it's possible to perform a similar hack via RDP session. Once in place, it is virtually undetectable aside from the registry key. Essentially, the above code sets the debugger for Sticky Keys to the executable file for the command line applet, which is run at the system level when the machine is locked.

Update: This same hack works on Windows 8 Consumer Preview at time of writing. As noted by many others, this is not really an exploit and has existed for some time now, however, it can be a little fun to try on your own workstation.

Patch Tuesday: Microsoft fixing 27 vulnerabilities

June looks like a busy month for Microsoft, having set out to correct 27 vulnerabilities in total with the majority of the critical updates related to the company's web browser, Internet Explorer. As is the trend these days, Microsoft is patching most of the software due to holes in the software which allow for remote code execution and elevation of privilege by external intruders.

The updates will be available for download later today (Tuesday 12th June 2012) globally, but for most users who have Windows Update on automatic, they need not worry. Obviously those who update their computers or networks manually, we recommend updating as soon as possible.

Below is an overview of the affected software in this month's 'Patch Tuesday':

• Windows (XP SP3, Vista, 7, Server 2003/2008)
• Windows Remote Desktop
• Internet Explorer
• .NET Framework
• Windows Lync
• Microsoft Dynamics AX Enterprise Portal

Several of the updates (which are for both 32-bit and 64-bit systems) will require restarts in order for them to become effective. Microsoft has a page which lists all of the updates they send out each month, users canview specific details here.

Portable Apps for your USB Stick (for Mac and Win)

This stuff can be installed on any portable drive, i.e. USB thumbdrive, PDA or an iPod. You can use them at work, school, or any other place where you can plugin your device. Check them out, you can either scroll-down for relevant category, i.e office software, email tools, messengers, games, etc. or get a ‘all-in-one’ package (all essential tools) . While there are more apps for windows users, I tried to include a mac version for each essential tool. All free. Enjoy!

Update: After reviewing comments and suggestions on this articles as well as running a survey for best portable applications we came up with an ultimate list of apps. Check out our newly launched Best Portable Apps page. 

What is a portable program ? : A portable program is a piece of software that you can carry around with you on a portable device and use on any other computer. It can be your email program, your browser, system recovery tools or even an operating system. The coolest part about it, is that all of your data and settings are always stored on a thumbdrive so when you unplug the device, none of your personal data is left

behind.

1. Portable Office Software
2. Portable Email/Calendar/ToDo Programs
3. Portable Text and Voice Messengers
4. Portable Media Tools (Audio / Video)
5. Portable Graphics Viewers and Image Editors
6. Portable Browsers and Web Tools (FTP, Feedreaders, Torrent clients”¦)
7. Portable Security Software
8. Portable Games
9. Other Portable Utilities
10. Portable Developer Tools (Techies Only)
11. All-In-One Packages
12. Portable Operating Systems (‘HowTo’ Articles)
13. USB ThumDrive Tips

Portable Office Software

How tp Make a portable application with ThinApp

Introduction

ThinApp is a program that can be used to make some applications portable for the user. But you should do this only with applications that have not already been installed on your computer.

Below are instructions for using ThinApp

ThinApp is supported on Windows Seven since version 4.0.4

How to proceed

Select "All Programs" from the Start menu and choose VMWARE before double clicking the "ThinApp Setup Capture" shortcut.

When the ThinApp Setup Capture window pops up, click "Next"

Close all applications that might affect ThinApp's performance as well as the application that you want to make portable

Click Next

The application will scan for the files required and may take some time. Do not touch anything while this process is going on. It will let you know automatically when done

When it has finished, minimize the ThinApp window as indicated on the screen

Step 6: You can now install the application that you want to make portable (the application used in this example is Tune Up Utilities, available through the link: http://en.kioskea.net/download/download 1448 tuneup utilities)

If the application requires the serial number in order to run, enter it to validate the software. Do not forget to configure the software before proceeding to the next step

When the installation is done maximize the ThinApp window and click on Next to analyse your system again

Compilation

The analysis of the system will determine which folders and files are needed for the installation of the software to be able to create a portable version of it

When the user-accessible entry points window pops up, check the software that needs to be made portable and when this is done, click Next

You can now choose the flash disk device where you want the application to run and click Next when done

Leave the Merged Isolation mode checked and click Next

Choose the Fast Compression option to get the maximum space that will be required on the flash disk. Click Next

The folders that will be needed by the application will be put in the same directory

Once that process has finished, click Build Now

Choose the Browse Project option to get hold of the folder made specially for the portable software.

Browse for and open the Bin folder

Finally, copy the executable application to your flash disk