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[apex2000]

Windows 7 Might Block Third-Party Video Codecs

Something we love about Windows 7 is that it has much better native codec support, like H.264 and AAC. But the price might be high: It looks like Windows 7 might block third-party video decoders.

(Before we jump in, here's our ultimate codec primer, if all this "code" talk is confusing.) Here's how a directshow developer lays it out: MPEG-4 and H.264 codecs are hard baked into Media Foundation, and you can't override them, since Microsoft's list of preferred codecs in the registry can't be edited, even in admin mode. Which means basically that Microsoft has "blocked the possibility to use alternate codecs in their applications," according to the developer, so you couldn't use them in Windows Media Player or Windows Media Center.

The flip side is that we are talking about a beta (the 7057 build, in between the public beta and the upcoming release candidate), not a final release, so maybe this won't apply in the final version of Windows if developers bitch loud enough. Also, third-party applications should be able to find a workaround, postulates DigitalWerks, so VLC should be okay. Oh, and with so much codec support built in, it's likely the average person won't need third-party codecs anyway.

Still, pretty lame and non-open on Microsoft's part if it stays this way.

Source [url="http://i.gizmodo.com/5185390/windows-7-might-block-third+party-video-codecs"]http://i.gizmodo.com/5185390/windows-7-mig...ty-video-codecs[/url]
[/quote]

Thanks for your message. I have since read this on many sites and guess I will really have to wait for the Release Candidate. Actually, I'm downloading build 7068 right now, so I'll try that layer. If there's any success, I'll report back.

[Reimar]

For those who are able top print on CVD/DVD  or Labels for either, here the DVD Label Layouts for 32 and 64 bit in either black or white. You can also "burn" the Label on Lightscripe Disc's.

All you need to do is to add the Expiry Date and the Build number and you'll have a disc "near" the original!

[Reimar]

Regarding the activation of any Windows 7 installation, doesn't matter its an Beta or RC version, you can use any of the Keys posted below just need to separate the 32 and 64 bit version.

Without to use any Key while installing Windows 7 you can use that installation for an period of 30 days. While using on of the key's you can use the installation of the RC version until max. June 1. 2010 which give you one year of free using.

But one thing you all should keep in mind: After the RC period is over and Windows 7 RC expires, you will need to uninstall Windows 7 RC and either install the full (RTM) version of Windows 7 or any other OS!

OK, here the all the Keys MS has provided for the installation and use of Windows 7:



Activation Keys for Windows 7 RC 32 bit:
6JKV2-QPB8H-RQ893-FW7TM-PBJ73
TQ32R-WFBDM-GFHD2-QGVMH-3P9GC
GG4MQ-MGK72-HVXFW-KHCRF-KW6KY
4HJRK-X6Q28-HWRFY-WDYHJ-K8HDH
QXV7B-K78W2-QGPR6-9FWH9-KGMM7

Activation Keys for Windows 7 RC 64 bit:
7XRCQ-RPY28-YY9P8-R6HD8-84GH3
RFFTV-J6K7W-MHBQJ-XYMMJ-Q8DCH
482XP-6J9WR-4JXT3-VBPP6-FQF4M
JYDV8-H8VXG-74RPT-6BJPB-X42V4
D9RHV-JG8XC-C77H2-3YF6D-RYRJ9

[Reimar]

An interesting article about Windows 7 I found on: Microsoft Watch

Talking About Windows 7


News Analysis. Microsoft is smartly using April 30's Windows 7 Release Candidate release to MSDN and TechNet to prelaunch the new operating system.

There is just so much about Windows 7 marketing that reminds me of Windows 95. Perhaps most important is product evangelism, which if done right should be easier now than 14 years ago. Way back, enthusiasts gathered on AOL, bulletin boards, CompuServe, IRC (Internet Relay Chat) and Internet newsgroups. Today's communities are bigger and more consolidated than in the mid-1990s.

Not since Windows 95 have I seen Microsoft push marketing, end-user and partner outreach so aggressively so soon in the development process. Clearly, Microsoft is committed to making Windows 7 a success in all the ways Windows Vista couldn't be. For their marketing and partner value, some resources stand out, such as Web resources "Talking About Windows" and "Ready. Set. 7."

"Talking About Windows" is a new Website that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Windows 7 from the Microsoft engineers who helped build the product as well as showcasing real IT professionals talking candidly about their implementations and experiences in considering a more modern OS. This is done through a series of videos hosted on the Talking About Windows Website. "Ready. Set. 7." showcases Microsoft partner solutions, through videos, for Windows 7.

Please read the full article HERE

[Reimar]

Windows 7 has more than the visible Wallpapers/Themes available. Those pictures are hidden by default but if you like to get some of them to your desktop, you can do so. Just use the following command in Windows Explorers address bar: %WinDir%\Globalization\MCT

Cheers.

[mingtien]

Just a quick question about obtaining the beta version here in Thailand:

I tried downloading from Microsoft overnight, but after 12 hours, I had only got about 500 MB, and thus killed the download.  Ha any of you found a local mirror here in Thailand that is a bit faster?

Cheers!

[Reimar]

mingtien, on 2009-05-06 20:37:46, said:

Just a quick question about obtaining the beta version here in Thailand:

I tried downloading from Microsoft overnight, but after 12 hours, I had only got about 500 MB, and thus killed the download.  Ha any of you found a local mirror here in Thailand that is a bit faster?

Cheers!

Unfortunate NO!

MS has the only right for to submit that program on them's own way. So, legal you can download from MS only. About the leaked copies on torrents pp, we can't discuss that here. Sorry.

[mingtien]

Oh pity -- I was hoping for a *legal* local mirror, but I shall have to wait until I go somewhere with proper bandwidth (Hong Kong) and download from their US site to evaluate it.

[Reimar]

mingtien, on 2009-05-06 23:53:44, said:

Oh pity -- I was hoping for a *legal* local mirror, but I shall have to wait until I go somewhere with proper bandwidth (Hong Kong) and download from their US site to evaluate it.

I do believe the "problem" will be worldwide at the moment because of the high download traffic regarding Windows 7! Maybe in 1 o2 weeks it will be better.

Cheers.

[Reimar]

3 PDF Pages with Tips and Tricks for Windows 7.

Use links below for to download that PDF-Doc's.

Windows 7 Tips and Tricks 1

Windows 7 Tips and Tricks 2

Windows 7 Tips and Tricks 3

[Plus]

I got my Win7 off MS site three days ago and it was blistering fast, maxing out my connection.

I think it was cached by local ISP, though not techinically a mirror.

[Plus]

Earlier there was a post about Winows codec issues.

It has DviX/Xvid preinstalled but on some videos there are artifacts - green stripes in my case. VLC, the usual fall back option, installs and plays them fine.

Then there are .mkv files. Win7 is supposed to support x264 that is often used to encode those videos, but it won't play .mkv.

VLC works, but it has always been a resource hog for hi-def in my experience. Klight codec pack and Media Player Classic on Win7 were even worse, perhaps because of messing with Windows own settings.

So far the best player I found is Smplayer, installs and plays everything prefectly without touching Windows native codecs.

[raro]

had an update from my graphics card driver the other day. Acer 4720Z laptop. Since I have serious memory issues, crashes etc. Will install RC 1 ASAP and report back!

[Reimar]

Something a bit special for Acer Laptops: You'll need to install the Launch Manager from Acer to first!

That's quite important because many of the Acer's hardware could be accessed only 100% via the Launch Manager.

Regarding the Video  Driver, I strongly suggest to use the slightly modified driver from either: http://www.donotargue.com/ or http://www.guru3d.com

Both of that two specialized on Nvidia and Ati Video Cards. I've best experienmces with the drivers from them.

I also use an 3 years old Acer (5593) and everything just works fine with the Launch Manager installed and the Video Driver from Do Not Argue!

Cheers.

[raro]

Reimar, on 2009-05-12 16:06:47, said:

Something a bit special for Acer Laptops: You'll need to install the Launch Manager from Acer to first!

That's quite important because many of the Acer's hardware could be accessed only 100% via the Launch Manager.

Regarding the Video  Driver, I strongly suggest to use the slightly modified driver from either: http://www.donotargue.com/ or http://www.guru3d.com

Both of that two specialized on Nvidia and Ati Video Cards. I've best experienmces with the drivers from them.

I also use an 3 years old Acer (5593) and everything just works fine with the Launch Manager installed and the Video Driver from Do Not Argue!

Cheers.

The launch manager is installed from day 1.

Will try the video driver once RC1 is installed, and I never argue anyways....

/edit: what makes the comp crap out i apparently the Windows Mobile thingmy that synchronizes my PDA with the laptop. Eats up to 500 MB even after I disconnect the mobile!! This again makes FF 3.0 crash and by and by more programs get some memory errrors. After restart and NOT connecting the DPA everything seems normal.

Edited by raro, 2009-05-12 16:26:18.

[JamieP]

mingtien, on 2009-05-06 20:37:46, said:

Just a quick question about obtaining the beta version here in Thailand:

I tried downloading from Microsoft overnight, but after 12 hours, I had only got about 500 MB, and thus killed the download.  Ha any of you found a local mirror here in Thailand that is a bit faster?

Cheers!

It might be worth trying again since the demand may be lower now.  I downloaded it yesterday afternoon and it took about 3.5 hours.

[MaiDong]

Hi Reimar! I'm having a few problems with Aero, I've attached a couple of screen shots to explain my problem better:

The top red circled area was the view I got when I hovered over the taskbar, up until a day ago I could see the proper Aero enhancement

 aero_view.png   103.46K   10 downloads

The bottom red circled area is what I actually get now

I was told to try my Windows Experience Index but was unable to start it, I got the error message below

 error_msg.png   68.07K   7 downloads

Any ideas on how to deal with this would be appreciated

[MaiDong]

MaiDong, on 2009-05-19 15:15:38, said:

Hi Reimar! I'm having a few problems with Aero, I've attached a couple of screen shots to explain my problem better:

The top red circled area was the view I got when I hovered over the taskbar, up until a day ago I could see the proper Aero enhancement
The bottom red circled area is what I actually get now
Any ideas on how to deal with this would be appreciated

I managed to do the index but still have only text coming up when I hover over the tabs in the taskbar

[MaiDong]

MaiDong, on 2009-05-19 15:49:07, said:

MaiDong, on 2009-05-19 15:15:38, said:

Hi Reimar! I'm having a few problems with Aero, I've attached a couple of screen shots to explain my problem better:

The top red circled area was the view I got when I hovered over the taskbar, up until a day ago I could see the proper Aero enhancement
The bottom red circled area is what I actually get now
Any ideas on how to deal with this would be appreciated

I managed to do the index but still have only text coming up when I hover over the tabs in the taskbar

Well in the end everything went back to normal form a goold old restart...

I was reluctant to restart before because I had lots of windows open and I was concentrating

[Reimar]

Had downloaded the build 7137 today and i'm now on the way to "upgrade" my Laptop from build 7100 to 7137.

To be on the sure side, I used to first Windows Easy Transfer to transfer all important files pp. to an external HDD before was starting the upgrade. In case the upgrade fails about any reason, I still have all relevant data on external HDD for to transfer back

Windows Easy Transfer is part of Windows Vista and Windows 7 and could be found Start ->All Programs ->Accessories ->System Tools ->Windows Easy Transfer
Just follow the screen instruction and select all the files pp. you like to keep. Give WET the destination and run the transfer.

For Windows XP Windows Easy Transfer is available for download from Microsoft: http://www.microsoft...;DisplayLang=en

WET has some more advantages and one I really like is that I can save the main installation with all Programs, Settings pp. in case of emergency that I need to do a clean new installation of the OS. All other personal data I backup anyway everyday using the incremental function of my Backup Program NTI Backup Now. Using WET has also the advantage that in case of Hardware problems and the change of Hardware, a Drive Image maybe din't work anymore because a Drive Image is bound to the same Hardware which were used at the time the Image were created. And with WET you're also able to choose what you like to transfer back to the new system, there is no need to transfer completely.

You have different ways for to start the Upgrade: a) from DVD; Harddisk; c) from USB/Flash Drive. I use the USB Drive for the upgrade because I don't want to copy the whole Installation files to the HDD and using the USB Drive I can use them later on other machines for upgrades as well. And the USB is nearly as fast as from HDD while to use the DVD is the slowest way.

The upgrade is a lot more slow than a new clean installation but it may safes time later because you don't need to install all software again. Now the upgrade on my Laptop is finish and the time needed were 2 hours. Have to play around now a bit to see what differences are in this build. At the first look everything just works fine and even my special Log On Screen is the same. Also the Bluetooth which hat problems since XP Media Center work just fine as it does in build 7100!

Attached Files

•  winver.jpg   30.84K   2 downloads
•  winver_2.jpg   41.39K   3 downloads

[Wash]

Nice report on 7137 Reimar, Thanks.  It will be very interesting to see your report on what the differences are that you can detect between 7100 and 7137.  I will wait for that report before going through another lengthy download.

Again, Thanks

[Reimar]

Wash, on 2009-05-30 08:25:12, said:

Nice report on 7137 Reimar, Thanks.  It will be very interesting to see your report on what the differences are that you can detect between 7100 and 7137.  I will wait for that report before going through another lengthy download.

Again, Thanks

OK, here we go:

1. You can now add anything to the Taskbar.
2. Icons slightly expand when you hover over them on the taskbar.
3. The "System" menu is more simplistic, and easier to navigate.
4. You can change the login screen picture through the "Personalization" menu.
5. The menu/lists that pop up when you right click on things now have the Aero Glass effect.
6. The default icons for Folders have changed to be the transparent blue ones featured a long time ago.
7. The Minimize/Maximize/Exit buttons on the top-right of a window have changed icons, and are a bit smaller than the Vista/7 counterparts.
8. [BIG ONE]: There's an "Upload" feature for Pictures, files, and videos. If you right-click a file, and click "Upload", you can make it automatically upload to a website of your choice. After uploading, a pop-up will appear saying it's done, and clicking "OK" will cause the link/download link to the file to appear in the popup box. I tried ImageShack and Facebook, and they work.
9. Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese unicode(s) and settings are integrated, so one can run foreign apps or use foreign keyboards without changing languages & restarting.

It seems to be a bit more snappier and debug code was removed from it supposingly, which is why the file size is smaller compared to 7127.

So, now you can think about a change  

Cheers.

[Reimar]

Just finish with upgrading from 7137 which took 1 hour 20 minutes while the upgrade from 7100 to 7137 was need 2 hours!.

Using a 3 years old Acer Aspire 5593 Laptop, Core 2 1.66, 4 GB memory, 320 GB Scorpio Black WD HDD, that Laptop isn't high end. The WEI wit Vista were 2.7, with 7100 3.2, with 7137 3.4 and now 3.7.

The CPU is better by 0.3 and on the same level as the 3D Business Graphic now, the two lowest.

All programs running and the modified Log On Screen is still my special one.

Need to work a bit with it and than let see.

Cheers.

[wpcoe]

Is there a public Microsoft site for downloading v.7137 (or v.7200?), or is it not a public release?  If public, what is the URL?

[Reimar]

wpcoe, on 2009-06-06 00:19:33, said:

Is there a public Microsoft site for downloading v.7137 (or v.7200?), or is it not a public release?  If public, what is the URL?

No! For to get that you'll need to have an paid TechNet or MS Connect Account or you must be an invited Beta Tester from MS.

It even seems to be that the release of RC2 will be to the above mentioned only but not to the public. Official MS even didn't acknowledge the existing of RC2!

If you like to have more detailed infos, feel free to PM me.