I was actually surprised to find out that build 6801 of Windows 7 has the so called “Super Bar” hidden within. The first time the public got a glimse of the new toolbar was at PDC, in a later build than the one they gave out. To access it we need to trick the OS into thinking we’re authorized Microsoft employees with permission to access the hidden stuff, and this is done via a patch which I’ll mirror here for x86 and x64 but do check out the author Rafael’s site for the latest version first.

A lot has been said about the superbar so I won’t bother writing anything new except to say it’s damned awesome, especially how it shows the recently opened files in an application from the taskbar or windows menu, and logical grouping which makes sense.

The original version of Windows 7 that I reviewed was build 6780 32 bit, but today I finally got my hands on the 64 bit version of the same build. All instabilities with bluescreens have gone which must mean they were caused by 32 bit drivers. With a stable Windows 7 running I was disappointed to only have 30 days to try it properly. It was around then I recalled that I helped Microsoft beta test Windows Vista before it came out (hey I even reported a few bugs which were ironed out, though probably not because of my efforts). I remembered that I hit refresh when it displayed my key that time causing the website to spit out a second key (a well known flaw in their website), so I thought what the hell I’ll try out that second key I got from Vista with 7.

Oh my god it actually worked. I now have a fully activated and updated copy of Windows 7 x64 legally, with no stupid 30 day time limit and no need to use the classic re-arm trick. If you helped out test Windows Vista and have a key give it a go, it could just work!

By modifications I’m not referring to hacking up the system to run homebrew or back-ups. No, the modifications I refer to are of the old school aesthetic kind which we all adore and love. But what could people possibly do to make their PS3’s stand out from the rest? Of coarse there’s colorware stepping in to make it any colour you wish (including the controllers), but what else have people come up with? Here’s one of my favorites from the list brought forward by PS3 Maven:

This great remale of Rainbow Six Playstation 3 was found at Technabob with all its glory and concept. It is a sight to the eyes, making it an ultimate part of this PS3 Mod collection.

Now you too can say you’ve seen the PS3 made into a building (though they’ve all had a lot of work put into them to make them all great). Clicky to see the whole list.

Microsoft decided to be evil and prevent the latest beta versions of Windows Live Messenger and the Live Wave 3 applications from installing on Windows Server 2008. I can understand why they made the decision (hell it’s a server class operating system, not something which typical users should be using) but I still found it annoying. I know there are great alternatives like aMSN but out of principle I figured out how to get the thing installed while running server 2008 x64 (and likely others), and I’ll share it with you.

First thing to do is download resource hacker (free tiny download). We’re going to use it to modify the installer (the only real thing stopping us here; the applications work fine).

Once in resource hacker, go to file -> open. Select the wlsetup-web.exe file (could possibly change later). Now in the left pane open up CONFIG -> CONFIG0 -> 0. Click on the text field in the right pane and hit control+F to search for “os productType” (without the quotation marks). It should now be selected. Simply change the word to the right of it from “workstation” to “server”. Now just above the right pane hit the “Compile Script” button. Now go to File -> Save.

Run the installer and it should work!

Although I knew about a few of these, overall this list created by tech radar is pretty interesting for someone who’s curious about other things their Wii can do. Here’s one if you like the blue glowing:

2. Add a smooth, constant blue glow to your WiiThe blue lighting around the disc slot normally only glows when the Wii’s got some sort of announcement for you, and disappears once you’ve read it. However, you can lend your lounge a sci-fi feel by making that tastefull glow permanent. Just email your own Wii - using the system in the tip above - but never read the message (which can take up to an hour to arrive, incidentally). As long as it stays unread, that cheeky light will keep on twinkling.

Erm.. great, except you’ll always think you have Wii mail or there’s a new update out! You can read the list here.

It was just a matter of time before somebody harnessed all the processing power available in GPUs for evil.

Global Secure Systems has said that a Russian’s firm’s use of the latest NVidia graphics cards to accelerate WiFi ‘password recovery’ times by up to an astonishing 10,000 per cent proves that WiFi’s WPA and WPA2 encryption systems are no longer enough to protect wireless data.

I’m sure a GeForce 4 MX440 isn’t up to the task. Read the article via SC Magazine here.