Reality Bites
Bad news for Dell. With quarterly earnings reports in, their year-over-year revenue has dropped 15% to just shy of $13 billion, and their net income dropped 54% to $337 million. Surprisingly, Dell’s home PC business is up 17% from last year, but they’re making less money off it, with revenue in that sector down 10%. [Electronista]
If you have a shared access computer, it can be aggravating when other users make a bunch of changes to the settings. Today we take a look at SteadyState for Windows Vista and XP which lets you return the computer to the original state after a user session.
Windows SteadyState
Not only does SteadyState return the PC back to its original state, but you can set it up to restrict what the user can access. You can lock down virtually every aspect of the computer from programs to websites and more. Of course you’ll need to be the administrator, and the first thing to do is install current drivers and Windows Updates. Then install programs and configure settings you want to how you want the machine to be every time it’s restored. Once everything is set up and you create different user account, you can let the public have at it. Any changes they make to the configuration will be undone just by restarting the machine. Here we take a look at SteadyState running on a Windows XP machine.
When you install SteadyState you’ll need to validate your copy of windows with Genuine Advantage. If you don’t have the WGA tool already on your machine you will be prompted to download and install it.
Add and Restrict a New User
When SteadyState starts you’ll get an overview of User Settings and Global Computer Settings. Now the fun part begins, you can make access as strict of lenient as you want.
In the first part of the SteadyState wizard, add the username, password, and picture. Notice you can create the user on the system drive or an alternate partition or drive.
In the next step you’ll start with General settings and adjust the time the user can spend on the system. Make sure to lock the profile so they can’t make permanent changes themselves.
In Windows Restrictions you can restrict them from several aspects of the OS. You can set the restrictions from High, Medium, Low, none or customize them according to your needs. You can hide certain drives from the user as well, so they can’t mess around with any data on them.
In Feature Restrictions you can lock down Internet access through IE and program menus and settings. The cool feature here is you can set the user home page and also create a Whitelist of sites they will have access to.
In the Block Programs section you determine which programs a user can access.
Windows Disk Protection helps protect system settings and data on the drive where the OS is installed. It is turned off by default and to turn it on click Protect the Hard disk.
In the next screen you can turn it on and to complete the process a restart is required.
After the restart you can choose a level of protection for the disk from always removing changes, retaining them temporarily, or allowing all changes.
You can change the cache file size if you need to free up disk space. The minimum amount of space you can use is 2GB.
Schedule Windows Updates and other program updates. You can also use your own script to schedule a time.
Getting this to work in Windows 7 is rather tricky. I installed it using compatibility mode on Windows 7 32-bit, however not everything worked. Right now I see no official support for it. They were going to include a similar feature but it was scrapped. If you still have a public XP or Vista machine however, it is still a great choice.
![2222-11-19-[21-15-56]](http://www.howtogeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/22221119211556.png "2222-11-19-[21-15-56]")
Conclusion
This is a great program for a public computer at a coffee shop, at a school, a library or just from keeping your young ones messing things up. It officially works with XP and Vista…Maybe some of you have gotten it to work on Windows 7? Leave a comment and let us know.
| Similar Articles | Tinyhacker – Tiny Geek Hacks |
| Latest Software Reviews | Super User Daily |
| Geek Arcade | Popular Forum Threads |
If you have a shared access computer, it can be aggravating when other users make a bunch of changes to the settings. Today we take a look at SteadyState for Windows Vista and XP which lets you return the computer to the original state after a user session.
Windows SteadyState
Not only does SteadyState return the PC back to its original state, but you can set it up to restrict what the user can access. You can lock down virtually every aspect of the computer from programs to websites and more. Of course you’ll need to be the administrator, and the first thing to do is install current drivers and Windows Updates. Then install programs and configure settings you want to how you want the machine to be every time it’s restored. Once everything is set up and you create different user account, you can let the public have at it. Any changes they make to the configuration will be undone just by restarting the machine. Here we take a look at SteadyState running on a Windows XP machine.
When you install SteadyState you’ll need to validate your copy of windows with Genuine Advantage. If you don’t have the WGA tool already on your machine you will be prompted to download and install it.
Add and Restrict a New User
When SteadyState starts you’ll get an overview of User Settings and Global Computer Settings. Now the fun part begins, you can make access as strict of lenient as you want.
In the first part of the SteadyState wizard, add the username, password, and picture. Notice you can create the user on the system drive or an alternate partition or drive.
In the next step you’ll start with General settings and adjust the time the user can spend on the system. Make sure to lock the profile so they can’t make permanent changes themselves.
In Windows Restrictions you can restrict them from several aspects of the OS. You can set the restrictions from High, Medium, Low, none or customize them according to your needs. You can hide certain drives from the user as well, so they can’t mess around with any data on them.
In Feature Restrictions you can lock down Internet access through IE and program menus and settings. The cool feature here is you can set the user home page and also create a Whitelist of sites they will have access to.
In the Block Programs section you determine which programs a user can access.
Windows Disk Protection helps protect system settings and data on the drive where the OS is installed. It is turned off by default and to turn it on click Protect the Hard disk.
In the next screen you can turn it on and to complete the process a restart is required.
After the restart you can choose a level of protection for the disk from always removing changes, retaining them temporarily, or allowing all changes.
You can change the cache file size if you need to free up disk space. The minimum amount of space you can use is 2GB.
Schedule Windows Updates and other program updates. You can also use your own script to schedule a time.
Getting this to work in Windows 7 is rather tricky. I installed it using compatibility mode on Windows 7 32-bit, however not everything worked. Right now I see no official support for it. They were going to include a similar feature but it was scrapped. If you still have a public XP or Vista machine however, it is still a great choice.
Conclusion
This is a great program for a public computer at a coffee shop, at a school, a library or just from keeping your young ones messing things up. It officially works with XP and Vista…Maybe some of you have gotten it to work on Windows 7? Leave a comment and let us know.
| Similar Articles | Tinyhacker – Tiny Geek Hacks |
| Latest Software Reviews | Super User Daily |
| Geek Arcade | Popular Forum Threads |
There are loads of Apple haters out there (even some among our commenters), and they deserve great tech gifts just as much as that guy who thinks all PMPs are called iPods. Here are some very un-Apple gift ideas.
BTW, if you hate the gallery format as much as the Grinch hated Christmas, click here.
Zune HD + ZunePass and HD Dock: If your Apple hater is in the market for a PMP, there’s no better option than the Zune HD—in terms of media capabilities, it kicks the iPod Touch's standard-def ass with HD radio, 720p video output, a killer OLED screen and a gorgeous, media-centric UI. It'll play any file your iPod can (that aren't iTunes protected), and can also handle video up to 720p. (iPods can't go there yet.) The ZunePass, which gives unlimited music downloads for $15 a month, is a killer supplement, and the HD dock, which outputs high-def video to TVs, is a must-have add-on. Put them together and you will bestow your Apple hater with bragging rights over those poor, deprived iPod owners. $290, $70 (dock), $15/month (ZunePass). [Link; Zune HD, HD Dock, ZunePass]
HP TouchSmart 600: The new iMac is nice and all, but try poking it in the face and see what happens. Here, I'll spoil it for you: Nothing. The HP TouchSmart 600 isn't perfect, but its multitouch media capabilities offer a wow factor no Mac desktop can boast. And that's what it is now—there's no telling what developers will do with Windows 7's integrated touch. Plus, it's comparatively cheaper, spec for spec, than the iMac, and you can get a Blu-ray drive built-in, with no philosophical kerfuffle from Apple about the future of digital media. You want to watch Planet Earth in HD on Blu-ray right now, dammit, and you shouldn’t have to wait for the HD stream to trickle in. $1,110. [Link; Amazon]
Whatever the Hot PC Game Is Right Now: I don’t play videogames that don’t feature Mario prominently, but even I know that anyone with a passing interest in computer gaming has to have a Windows PC. Apple haters will love a copy of Dragon Age: Origins or Left 4 Dead 2 on PC, not just because they're great games (or so I hear—thanks Will!) but also because you can't play 'em on the Mac OS. $40 each. [Dragon Age: Origins, Left 4 Dead 2]
Motorola Droid: Sure, Matt may have called the Droid "the second best smartphone you can buy," the best being the iPhone 3GS, but Apple haters will find plenty to love about the Droid—and plenty to loathe about the iPhone. I won't rehash our review (or Verizon's intimidating "Droid Does" ad campaign), but anybody who's into tech enough to hate Apple will really be into the distinctly un-Apple Droid. Multitasking, open-source, a ballsy industrial design, and a hardware keyboard: Droid's got it, iPhone doesn't. $200. [Link; Verizon]
Logitech Performance MX Mouse: I don't care if Apple's Magic Mouse is the best Apple mouse ever—in my opinion, one shared among Apple lovers and haters alike, Apple's mouse pedigree is nothing to be proud of. Style over ergonomics, awkward touch scrolling, high price—the Magic Mouse is an easy gadget to hate. The Logitech Performance MX isn't. Logitech crammed in an amazing new laser technology that even works on glass, it fits comfortably in the hand and has real buttons, dammit, like in the good old days. If you're not desperate for something to match your Mac, and certainly your Apple hater is not, the Logitech Performance MX is the right choice. $80. [Link; Amazon]
Acer Aspire One: Apple doesn't think netbooks match up with their premium brand reputation, but the public doesn't care—netbooks are huge sellers, and the Acer Aspire One AOD250 is one of the most interesting yet. It dual-boots not one but two non-Apple OSes (Android and XP), offers a whopping nine hours of battery life, and its diminutive 10.1-inch size is just right for travel—perfect for somebody who wants to point out the gaping 8-to-12-inch hole in Apple's lineup. $330. [Link; Amazon]
Note: In an earlier version of this post, I accidentally described a not-yet-released notebook from Asus, not this sweet little netbook. Sorry for the confusion.
Tickets to a Girl Talk Show: Aside from putting on a damn fun show, mash-up artist Girl Talk (real name Gregg Gillis) is not only one of the most prominent electronic musicians working today but the only exclusive Windows user in that genre who comes to mind. Plus, a major part of his shows, since there's no, you know, band, or anything, is inviting the crowd up on stage in a sweaty, hipstery, dancey mass while he mixes music live on his PC—with Saran Wrap taped all over it, for protection against flying perspiration. Girl Talk proves that Apple doesn't have a monopoly on music production, and your Apple hater will have a great time to boot. $15-25. [Link; Girl Talk, Image from Pedestrian.tv]
DON’T BUY HP Envy 13: But why not buy this well-reviewed, recently released, Windows-7-running laptop? I'll tell you why. The HP Envy 13 is a photocopy of a photocopy of the 13-inch MacBook Pro—same aluminum case, same black bezel around the screen, same chiclet keyboard with reversed Fn keys, same multitouch clicking trackpad. It's definitely not a bad laptop, and does have a few advantages over the MacBook Pro (like a better screen and crazy battery life) but it's also got weaknesses: No optical drive, for one, but also an unforgivably high price. The Envy 13 starts at $1700, $500 more than the MacBook Pro. Although if it were one day given the Hackintosh treatment, it would be the creepiest Mac clone ever, it’s currently quite un-Hackintoshable (if that’s a term). [Link; HP]
Don't forget to recommend your own favorite Apple-hating gifts in comments—include pics and pricing if possible.
All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favorite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We’ll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.
NBC’s “Chuck” will return Sunday, Jan. 10, before moving to Mondays at 8 p.m. starting the next night.
Full story at The Live Feed
Until today, Google’s Chrome OS has been little more than a wordy concept. Now, finally, we truly know what it is, what it looks like, and how it works. Here’s the breakdown:
Google went to great pains to emphasize that today's event wasn't a launch—that'll come a year from now, apparently, with a public beta still well over the horizon. This is all about a seeing the OS for the first time; understanding in real terms how it's different from what's out there; figuring out why you might actually want to use it; etc. So! Here's what we knew going in:
Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks” and “most of the user experience takes place on the web.” That is, it’s “Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel” with the web as the platform. It runs on x86 processors (like your standard Core 2 Duo) and ARM processors (like inside every mobile smartphone). Underneath lies security architecture that’s completely redesigned to be virus-resistant and easy to update.
Like I said, there were plenty of questions. Onwards:
• It’s basically just a browser: meaning that it'll be based around preexisting web services like Gmail, Google Docs, and so on. There are going to be no conventional applications, just web applications—nothing gets installed, updated, or whatever. Seriously.
• It only runs web apps: It’s going to integrate web apps into the operating system deeper than we’ve ever seen before, meaning that a) they’ll seem more like native apps than web apps and b) they’ll be able to tap into local resources more than a typical web app in Firefox, for example. They’re web apps in name, but they’ll have native powers.
• How, exactly?: With HTML 5. This is the next version of HTML, which gives the browser more access to local resources like location info, offline storage—the kinds of things you'd normally associate with native apps. More on that here.
• Chrome is Chrome: The user’s experience with Chrome OS will basically be synonymous with their experience on Chrome Browser. Technically speaking, Chrome OS is a Linux-based OS, but you won’t be installing Linux binaries like you might on Ubuntu or some other Linux distribution. Any “apps” you have will be used within the browser. Chrome OS is effectively a new version of Chrome, that you can’t leave. There are a few reasons Google’s pushing this, which we’ll get to in a bit.
• And as you’ve probably guessed, it’s super-light. It starts up in a matter of seconds, and boot straight into the browser. Likewise, the Chrome browser is apparently very, very optimized for Chrome OS, so it should be faster than we’ve ever seen it.
• It won’t support hard drives, just solid state storage. I mean, hard drives are dying, sure, but this is pretty bold. Hardware support sounds like it’ll be pretty slim, because:
• You’ll have to buy a Chrome OS device: You might be able to hack this thing onto your current machine, but you won’t just be able to install it to replace Windows, or opt for it on your next laptop, for example. You’ll have to buy hardware that Google approved, either component by component, or in a whole package. They’re already working on reference designs.
• For now, it’s for netbooks. It’s not intended for desktops, to the point that Google is saying that the first generation of Chrome hardware will be secondary machines.
• It looks like Chrome browser—specifically, like the leaked shots we saw before. As in a browser, you have tabs—these have to serve as a taskbar as well. To the left of the tabs, you have a sort of start menu, which opens up a panel full of shortcuts. These are your favorites. These are your apps. (Get used to this weird feeling, btw. That Google whole point here.
• You can peg smaller windows, like chat windows or music players, to sit above your tabs at all times. This feature looks a lot like the Gchat feature in Gmail, which is to say, it’s a box in the corner.
• Along with tabs, it’s got its own version of virtual desktops. This means you can have multiple “windows” of Chrome OS to switch between, each of which is a different set of tabs. Think one desktop for work, one for play, on for porn, etc etc etc. It’s a bit like using Spaces on Mac, except only with the browser.
Google's staying specifics on the exact release date—it'll be sometime next year—but the source code for the project is published now. That doesn't mean it's ready, really, but rather that they're just planning on developing it in the open from here on out. Expect builds to start showing up online, which'll probably work wonderfully in a virtual machine app like VirtualBox.
The code is available as part of the Chromium OS (the Chromium/Chrome distinction should be familiar to anyone who’s wrestled with the open source Mac version of Chrome) project, posted here.
With Chrome OS, Google is taking (or in a way, forcing) the operating system to go totally online. As Google’s freshly designated evangelists are eager to tell you, the browser is already the center of most people’s computing experience. The idea here is to make the browser powerful enough to render the rest of the operating system, and its native apps, moot.
It’s more pure than a lot of people expected: When Google said that Chrome OS would be centered around the web, I think most people just assumed it would be a lightweight Linux distribution with deep integration for Google web services. It’s not that. It’s a browser.
But it’s a browser that runs different processes for each tab, that will have access to local OS resources, will to some extent work offline. In other words, it’s not really a browser in the sense that we use the word, and the web apps that we’ll be using won’t be like the ones we’re used to now, either. The idea, here, it seems, is to replicate most, if not all, of the functionality in a native OS, while keeping the lightweight, ultra-secure framework of a thin client. In other words, Google’s not asking much of its users in terms of changing how they do stuff; they’re trying to change the way the operating system lets you do those things, transparently.
Think of it this way: now, the buttons in your taskbar or dock are now tabs; your email client now runs within your browser, but stores stuff offline just like Mail or Outlook; your documents will still open with a few clicks, but they’ll be stored remotely (and locally only if you choose). It’s all the same stuff, given to you in a different way.
Update: you can download it here. [Chrome on Giz]
Google had a low-key event today to preview Chrome OS, its new operating system based on Linux and the Chrome browser. Things are still pretty early — it’s not even in beta yet, let alone on shipping products — but that’s the first official screen shot right there, and the big features are all roughed out. The entire system is web-based and runs in the Chrome browser — right down to USB drive contents, which show up in a browser tab, and the notepad, which actually creates a Google Docs document. Web apps are launched from a persistent apps panel, which includes Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and Hulu, among others, and background apps like Google Talk can be minimized to “panels” that dock to the bottom of the screen. Local storage is just used to speed up the system — everything actually lives in the cloud, so all it takes to swap or borrow machines is a login, and you’re good to go. Google also said it’s “very committed” to Flash, and that it’s looking to hardware accelerate whatever code it can — although Google didn’t have a solid answer to give when asked about Silverlight. Overall, Google was upfront in saying that Chrome OS is focused on very clear use cases for people who primarily use the web, and that it’s not trying to do everything: “If you’re a lawyer, editing contracts back and forth, this will not be the right machine for you.”
As far as going to market, Google’s not talking details until the targeted launch at the end of next year, but Chrome OS won’t run on just anything — there’ll be specific reference hardware. For example, Chrome OS won’t work with standard hard drives, just SSDs, but Google is supporting both x86 and ARM CPUs. That also means you won’t be able to just download Chrome OS and go, you’ll have to buy a Chrome OS device approved by Google. Interesting move, for sure — but since the entire OS is totally open-source as of today, we’re sure it’ll be hacked onto all kinds of hardware soon enough. (And for the record, the demo was run on an off-the-shelf Eee PC.) Check Google’s intro videos after the break!
Gallery: Google Chrome OS event
Gallery: Google Chrome OS PR screenshots
Continue reading Google’s Chrome OS revealed — with video!
Google’s Chrome OS revealed — with video! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Lenovo’s new X100E ultrathin laptop just leaked out, and it’s looking pretty sweet: 11.6-inch screen, redesigned chiclet keyboard, a supposed starting price of less than $500, and colors. Colors, you guys. On a ThinkPad.
The X100E looks to be a substantial physical redesign from Lenovo, who typically falls so thoroughly on the function side of the form vs. function debate that they may not even be aware there is another side. The new chiclet (or “island”) keyboard looks great, much less busy than previous ThinkPad layouts, and the overall design seems to have calmed down significantly. Hell, it’ll even be available in colors. Colors! From Lenovo! (Looks like red, white and black are the extent of the palette, but still).
It should be packing a low-power AMD Athon “Neo” processor, 4GB of memory, up to 500GB of hard drive storage, and boast a 5.1-hour battery life while weighing less than 3 pounds. But the most enticing part has to be the price: Previous ThinkPads have been extremely pricey, often even more than equivalent Macs, yet the X100E is rumored to come in at $500 to start. No info quite yet on a release date, but we’ll keep you updated. [Ubergizmo]
The Archos 9 has had the #1 spot in the Portal for some time now, it’s pretty clear that people are excited for it, despite the fact that it may be a slate.
Unfortunately for everyone out there looking forward to the Archos 9, you’ll have to wait a little bit longer. We had been expecting the Archos 9 to be released on October 22nd as we had heard at IDF 09, but we’ve watched that date come and go and been scratching our heads since.
I’ve recently contacted Archos about availability of the Archos 9, and was told that pre-orders made through www.archos.com should be shipping in “early December”. Retail store availability (Amazon, Walmart, etc.) is expected in Q1. That’s all we’ve got to go on for now; sorry for the folks that have been holding out, but hopefully you’ll get your hand on this device before something else comes along and catches your eye!
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Theo Fleury says he wants to pursue charges against Graham James, the junior hockey coach he alleges sexually assaulted him as a teenager, but it might not be entirely up to the former NHL forward.
Windows: Wanna give Office 2010’s online document syncing, Windows 7 taskbar integration, and killer quick steps a go? Microsoft has thrown open the doors on a free beta of Office 2010 Professional—for those who can wait out the download.
As with the Windows 7 beta and most Microsoft offerings, this one requires grabbing a license key, registering or signing in with a Windows Live/Passport account, and fighting it out with the many others trying to grab the download from the servers. The download is 684 MB, and Microsoft is suggesting users uninstall previous versions of Office before downloading—as well as asking that you "don't test Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta on your primary home or business PC."
Okay, sure thing, Redmond. Let us know if you’ve grabbed the beta, or found any helpful mirror links, in the comments. Office 2010 Professional beta is a free download for Windows XP SP3 and later systems.
[Yet another useless fact] Women should wear clothes that bare 40 per cent of their flesh to maximize their chances of attracting men, new scientific research indicates.
Ford, Subaru and Volkswagen lead the U.S. insurance industry’s annual list of the safest new vehicles while Toyota and BMW were shut out.
Last week we asked you to share your favorite online backup tools and then we rounded up the five most popular options for a vote. With nearly half the vote at 42%, Dropbox takes home the trophy for favorite online backup tool. It doesn’t offer the volume of storage or computer-wide backup that Mozy (21%) and Carbonite (11%) offer but the ease-of-use factor is high and readers loved the simple file syncing.
For more information on the winner and runners up, check out the full Hive Five.
The possibility of having Jarome Iginla, Dion Phaneuf, Robyn Regehr and Jay Bouwmeester on the Canadian Olympic team, and goalie Miikka Kiprusoff and Olli Jokinen representing Finland has helped the Calgary Flames.
One of my favourite TV shows is returning to air a little early now that the better part of the NBC lineup has all been canceled. I was reading a story about Zachary Levi which talked about Chuck’s early return and extended season (which makes me very happy) and his role in the Alvin and the Chipmunks Squeakquel.
But what caught my eye was that Levi was originally cast as one of the Warriors Three in Branagh’s Thor?
NBC originally asked for a 13-episode third season, and then ordered six more. That turned out to be a positive for Chuck but a negative for director Kenneth Branagh’s movie Thor, which starts filming in January. Levi was cast as Fandral, one of Thor’s Warriors Three in the comic book adaptation, and the actor had even been working out especially for the role, but had to walk away when they got the extra pickup. (Levi admits that producers had asked him to audition for the role of the usually beefy God of Thunder, but told them no. “I’m tall and in pretty good shape, but I’m not big and girthy like that,” he says.)
Levi always has to keep his dashing good looks and physique hidden under his Nerd Herd shirt in the show, and he does a great job playing off the insecure lord of the geeks who doesn’t think he deserves the distractingly hot superagent Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski)
But he is the last person I would have thought they would hire for a Warrior Three. Sure, Hollywood stars have been known to chub out or slim down for a role, even pack on the muscle as needed, as we will see this weekend with Taylor Lautner in Twilight. That kid like doubled in size.
Would have been interesting to see Levi on Thor, but it means we get Chuck sooner, then I can deal with the sacrifice.
The first betas of Adobe Flash 10.1 and AIR 2.0—delivering full GPU acceleration of H.264 for buttery smooth HD Flash video playback and multitouch gesture support—are out. You should get them now.
This is, to be clear, just the desktop version of Flash 10.1—the full-fledged Flash for Android, webOS, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile is still a ways down the pipe. It's worth getting excited over anyway, since I've watched an HP Mini 311 with an Ion graphics chip tear through an HD YouTube clip without breaking a sweat. For now, graphics acceleration is limited to Windows, unfortunately. But still, perfect timing, really, since YouTube's launching 1080p video this week (perhaps not so coincidentally).
The new version of AIR acts more like a native app, with full support for mass storage, multitouch gesture support, communication with actual native apps, and access to USB peripherals, p2p networking, and faster WebKit rendering, among other perks for developers. Maybe I’ll stop hating it so much now.
They’re both in beta, but god knows, they can’t be any crashier or resource-whoring than anything else Adobe’s foisted upon the internet. [Adobe via TechCrunch]
BitTorrent is extremely useful for lots of downloading and file-sharing, but if a less tech-inclined friend of yours doesn’t understand BitTorrent or you can’t install a BitTorrent client, new web site httpTorrents lets you download files of popular torrents directly via HTTP.
Not every torrent out there is available to download through httpTorrents, although trying to download one that they don’t have will automatically add it to their list for future uploads. Right now the site is integrated with torrent tracker KickassTorrents, but in the future it could support other torrent sites, provided they display a torrent’s hash on listings. If you’ve got a torrent hash, using the site is simple: Go to your favorite torrent search engine, get the hash of the torrent you want, copy it, and paste it into httpTorrents’ search bar. If they have the files hosted on their server, it will start the direct download.
Windows: Microsoft’s SyncToy is a simple but effective tool for mirroring folders across hard drive locations, networks, or USB devices. With a 2.1 update, it’s been retooled to run faster, back up configurations, and handle errors much better.
We’ve previously featured SyncToy as a handy way to sync files between computers and share an iTunes library. It also ended up ranking among our readers’ five favorite syncing tools. 2.1 isn’t a huge update with new features, but it does utilize a new syncing framework, and a few annoyance fixes that will win over those who dig this “toy”:
- Better Performance: The speed of file copy operations is significantly increased across the board.
- Improved Robustness: Much more resilient to transient network and file system errors and better error reporting which pin-points which file the sync failed on in case there’s a fatal error that stops the sync.
- Folder pair configuration backup: Folder pair configuration is automatically backed up under %localappdata%\microsoft\synctoy\2.0. User can replace SyncToyDirPairs.bin with the backup copy to resolve last saved configuration.
There are also a few bug fixes—notable among them is a fix for NAS syncing failure. SyncToy 2.1 is a free download for Windows systems, including 7, only.