Every time I install Windows XP, I forget about a thing I must do, and that is to disable the low disk space warning. Why disable it? Obviously, there are a lot of methods to find out that your drive is low on free space or not, and Microsoft's operating systems also have a different opinion than mine regarding what "low disk space" is...


<-234x60 Half Banner - left->The good part is that you don't need a Computer Science degree to get rid of the annoying Low Disk Space warning, and to make things even better, there are 3 ways to do this, as you're going to see right now...
1. Edit the registry

First of all, there's the 4-year old method that was made public by no one else than Microsoft. This method describes how to create a registry key to disable the Low Disk Space notification in Windows XP, and since this is the most notorious one, I'll tell you about it before the others, but don't hurry up to apply it yet!

- Open the Run dialog, using the Windows key+R shortcut or Start menu>Run, type "regedit", and then click OK.


- Browse the registry until you find the key located at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Policies\Explorer.
- From the Edit menu, pick New, and then choose DWORD Value.


- Baptize the new registry value as NoLowDiskSpaceChecks, and press Enter to finish this step.

- Now, change the value of this item to 1, by selecting it and choosing Modify from the Edit menu.
All done here, let's move on to the second method!


2. Ninja-style removal

While I was surfing the Internet today looking for hot tips and tricks that I didn't discover yet, I had a revelation - there is an incredibly easy solution for the Low Disk Space problem, and this one involves only one command line that needs to be entered at the command prompt!

Here's what you need to do...

- Open a command prompt window, by typing "command" in the Run dialog or by opening the Start menu and going to Programs>Accessories>Command Prompt.

- Copy and paste "regini HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Policies\Explorer "NoLowDiskSpaceChecks" = REG_DWORD 1", and it's all done! (be careful to remove the space before "Policies" first!)

Probably you figured it out, the command above creates the registry key mentioned before without having to go through all the hassle of browsing the registry, creating a new value and changing its contents.


3. Call a friend!

Well, if you have some computer geeks in your phone's memory, you can try this too, but I was thinking about a virtual friend. To be more precise, I am thinking about a software helper. Why? Here's my reason...

Sooner or later, you are going to use a specialized program to tweak your computer and unleash all the power of your operating system, so why not use it to disable the Low Disk Space warning? The only problem remaining is to choose the right program to do that, but that shouldn't be that hard to solve - after all, you're in the Software District here...

At this time, I suggest that you take a look at TweakNow PowerPack, a very nice system optimization suite that may help you with a lot of things, and also keep an eye on our Reviews area, where you can find this kind of programs pretty often, so... stay close!

Windows Vista is the most notorious operating system in the world at this time, but this doesn't mean it's also the fastest. While I can't help you solve those well known driver problems or hardware compatibility issues, I will try to give you some quick hints on how to improve the speed of this operating system.


<-125x125 Button - left->No matter if your computer is a low-end one or a "space ship", if you optimize your Windows Vista, things are going to improve for sure, but it's also obvious that people using low and mid-range systems are going to enjoy this more than the happy ones having Quad Core CPUs and 4GB of memory or more...

These being said, prepare to find out about 5 ways to speed up Windows Vista, from using the new disk caching technology called ReadyBoost, to something that everybody should know already, but too many simply forget about, and that is keeping your software environment up to date. Are you ready?


1. Use Windows Vista's ReadyBoost feature

For a long time, Windows operating systems were notorious because the speed of the hard drive had a great impact on the overall performance of the system, especially when the computer didn't have a huge amount of memory.

Now, the ReadyBoost technology introduced with Vista allows you to get a more responsive system with the help of a fast flash drive, SD card or another type of flash memory, as long as its read speed is at least 2.5MB/s for 4KB random reads and the write speed is above 1.75MB/s for 512KB random blocks.

These being said, let's leave the tech stuff behind and answer the big question: how to do it?

- First logical steps to take are to get a flash memory (purchase, borrow, rent it, that's your problem...) and connect it to your computer.

- Next, select Speed up my system in the AutoPlay window that pops up. If you have disabled this feature, you can right click the icon of the device in My Computer.

- After your drive passes the speed test, you'll find yourself inside the Properties dialog box.

- Here, enable the use of this device for ReadyBoost and choose how much space you want to dedicate for this purpose. Remember that once you have selected to use 1GB of your 2GB flash drive for disk cache, you won't be able to use 2GB to store additional data on it.

That's all! Now work with Vista and see how your performance increases. In some cases, you can get a really serious improvement, but this depends a lot on the programs you are using, the speed of the flash device and, of course, the overall configuration of your computer.


2. Fix the slow file transfers problem

After moving from XP to Vista, a lot of users noticed that file transfers suddenly became slower, and that's not something one would expect to happen, obviously. If you notice this happening on your computer too, there are two ways to solve this problem...

The first thing to do is disable Remote Differential Compression, and to do this you have to follow the next steps:

- Press the Start Orb, and then open the Control Panel.

- Here, go to Programs and open the Programs and features applet.

- In the left pane, locate and click Turn on or off Windows features.

- At last, uncheck Remote Differential Compression.

Once you have done all the above, restarted the computer, and the problem still persists, there's one more thing to try - apply a patch from Microsoft.

The patch I mentioned can be downloaded from the Microsoft site here (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=938979), and I really hope you'll get lucky and get rid of the slow file operations issue after the first step, or after applying the patch, because some users report that none of these methods worked for them. If you're one of the unfortunate ones, I am sorry, but I can't give you any wonder cure at this time...


3. Turn off useless features and services

As it happened with Windows XP, Windows Vista also has a lot of services that start by default, but most users don't get to use them. This way, your system runs useless processes that use CPU time and eat your valuable free memory. Exactly as with XP, the only thing to do is shut down those useless features and regain the system resources used by them for your needs...

While we're going to talk about the details of purging useless stuff that runs in the background in the future, I'll give you some basic instructions now.

First of all, remove the unwanted features by using the Uninstall a Program applet, located in the Control Panel...

- Here, click Turn Windows Features On or Off in the Tasks pane.

- Check the existing features by hovering your mouse cursor above them - this way, you will see details about them, so you'll be able to decide which one is needed and what needs to go away. Obviously, searching on the Internet additional details about them won't hurt at all...

- Click the + sign to expand features that have sub-lists, and then uncheck anything you're sure is not needed.

If anything goes wrong and you start getting various error messages related to the features you have disabled, don't worry. Simply check again the disabled feature(s) that caused your problem.

Stopping unwanted services should be even easier, so here it goes...

- Press the Start orb, type services.msc in the Search bar and hit Enter.

- In the Services applet, look for Automatic ones - these are the services that are started automatically with Windows. Check their details - right click a certain service, and then select Properties.

- The safest choice for Automatic services is to switch them to Manual, when you're not sure. This way, if a program needs them, they'll be started when this is required.

At last, you should know that Remote Registry, Tablet PC Input Service or Windows Error Reporting are services that can be easily disabled on a desktop computer without any problems, but you should also be careful not to disable the ones like Multimedia Class Scheduler, Plug and Play, Superfetch, Windows Audio, Windows Driver Foundation or the Task Scheduler.


4. Speed Up the interface

The first thing to think about when talking about speeding up your Vista's interface, especially when your computer's setup is near the minimum system requirements of this operating system, is to disable some of the eye candy, and there are more ways to do it...

The most radical solution is to simply disable Aero and get back to the classic Windows interface. For example, some onboard graphics chipsets have DirectX 9 capabilities and, at least in theory, they are able to run Aero. Theory is theory, but practice kills it, so if the new shiny Aero makes your compter react like a turtle, simply disable it, and this is how to do that...

- Right click on the desktop and select Personalize from the menu that appears.

- Here, select the Window Color and Appearance option.

- To get the best performance, but lose some eye candy, be sure that Enable Transparency is not checked.

- If your system's speed of response is still low, click the Open classic appeareance properties for more color options link, located at the bottom of the window.

- Now, simply select a non-Aero theme, such as Windows Vista Basic, Windows Classic or Windows Standard.

...if your computer's interface isn't moving faster than before, then you either have a high end computer and you weren't aware of that, or something else is slowing down your computer.


5. Keep your system up to date

Last, but not the least, I have to tell you a few words about keeping your system up to date. There are three major things to take care about - Windows updates, drivers and software applications.

Usually, Windows Vista updates itself automatically, so you should only be careful to check what happened if some updates failed. Since the operating system gives you a lot of information about he update process, and if something goes wrong, you can easily find your way out, let's move to a more delicate problem...

Windows always claimed to be able to automatically update your drivers from the Internet with the latest version available for your hardware, but not even today this feature reached perfection, so my suggestion is to check the official sites of the hardware producers for the last drivers. The hardware items that are more likely to cause problems due to outdated drivers are the video card and the mainboard, so be sure to check for their driver updates first.

A lot of people don't care about keeping their applications up to date, but in most cases, this is a big mistake. For example, let's consider instant messaging programs. In most cases, their updates concern the improvement of the security, as well as repairing some bugs. When a software application has an automatic update feature, be sure to turn it on, but since nothing is perfect, it's always better to do it yourself and check to see if you're running the latest releases of your favorite programs.

As we were able to see, there are plenty of things to do to improve your Vista experience, and the 5 topics we had here today are only a small part of an entire armada. In the future, we'll also show you some quick registry hacks and other optimizations, as well as various tips and tricks for Windows Vista's components, together with reviews for software built to help you clean up and tweak Vista and more, so keep your eyes on SoftSupplier!

Some people think that writing requires a natural talent, and maybe also some studies in the field. Apart from these, I must add that before writing,you have to read a lot, and I can't advice you to use your computer for that, because I always loved real books, and not virtual ones. Anyway, if you're writing scripts on a regular basis, a program specialized for this purpose is a smart choice, and there's enough to say that a lot of notorious people use today's application, including James Cameron and J.J.Abrams. This program comes from Final Draft, Inc., and its name is exactly Final Draft.




Setup

<-234x60 Half Banner - left->Final Draft's current version is labeled 7.1.3, and in the About screen I also noticed that I have installed "build 42". Priced at 229$, this program is available for a free trial that has some minor nags and only two serious limitations - the printed pages are watermarked, and you can't save documents longer than 15 pages until you register, but 15 pages should be enough to see what can be done with this piece of code...

The setup file is available for download inside a ZIP archive, and you won't be able to download it unless you enter your name and email address on the official download page. Once the 29.4MB archive arrived safely on your hard drive, simply unpack the setup package and run it. As you can see in the screenshots above, installing this program is really a piece of cake, with a few (useless, in most cases) steps less than an average Windows program.


Interface

Considering the price of the application, I was expecting to see some eye candy here, but it seems this is not the case. Final Draft has a very simple interface, with a menu bar, a toolbar with a few buttons on it and the main work area. Since writers need to concentrate on their work, I can't say the lack of the stunning graphics offered by other programs is a problem. After all, Final Draft's interface doesn't look bad at all, is well organized and very easy to use, and that's what really matters, after all.


Features

Final Draft doesn't come with any built in templates, so you'll have to get your inspiration from somewhere, because this is not one of those programs that allows you to get something already done and customize it to your will. In turn, you get things already done to use as guides for your creative writing, because there are a lot of standards when it comes to writing scripts, and you should follow them, if you want to stand a chance against your competitors.

When you create a new document, a windows that allows you to choose one of the many file types available shows up, and doesn't leave me room for second thoughts - this is a program for professional script writers! For example, the scripts types include items such as Broadway Musical, Half-Hour Sitcom, BBC Screenplay or One-Hour TV Drama.

For each of the file types available, there are various text formatting choices to make. Since scripting is done following strict guidelines, you won't be able to choose the font to use, since this is done automatically, according to the purpose of a certain text block. As an example, let's take titles. They use capital letters, while dialogs use regular text, but centered differently when compared to the description of the actions in a scene.

Final Draft has the purpose of providing you with the quickest way between thinking about a script and having it nicely printed out, so the ruler in the work area makes the print preview almost useless. Nevertheless, the print preview function is also available, together with the useful capability to split the work space vertically or horizontally and work on two chapters or documents at the same time.

At last, I must tell you that the Thesaurus and Spell Checker are excellent, but you have to try them out for yourselves to agree with me, of course! Other than those, you will also get macros, a very useful Format Assistant, a Names Database tool and many other features targeting the professional writers, or the ones on the way to that stage...


The Good

Final Draft is very easy to use, reliable and packed with lots of outstanding features for those in the writing business. The trial version allows you to fully experience what you'll get after paying the not-so-small price.

The Bad

At first sight, the price of this program may seem to be a bit high, but once you see what's capable of, there isn't much to say. Maybe only an improved interface and a Help file that looks better would sweeten the pot...

Conclusion

A tool for writers won't make you become one, but if you got a bit of talent, using Final Draft can help you get the most out of it, and even more, this program helps you work efficiently, minimizing the time you'd loose otherwise for various research tasks or to re-read your scripts again and again.

Developer: Final Draft, Inc.
Price: $229
Trial Link: Download

Today, the time has come to talk again about being organized. After having the chance to work a little with the excellent ConceptDraw MINDMAP Professional from Computer Systems Odessa, now I just got my hands on another one of their products, and this time we're moving from mind-mapping to planning and diagramming websites and applications, with a product called ConceptDraw WebWave...


Setup

The last version of ConceptDraw WebWave is 5.8.1, and the trial can be used without any limitation for as long as a month. Priced at $299, the full version doesn't have anything extra compared to the trial one, only that it comes without a nag screen, it won't cease to function after 30 days, and you also get technical support from the producer, of course.












Available inside a ZIP archive for download, the setup package of this program has 58.7MB in size, while the archive has only 0.9MB less. Since this is not such a big gain, I don't know why they didn't make the executable file available for download as it is, but that's not a problem, after all, because installing ConceptDraw WebWave is very easy, as you can see in the screenshots above...


Interface

If I compare it with its kin, MINDMAP, I can't say that WebWave is much different when it comes to the interface. We have the same well thought layout that manages to gather an entire army of features and hold them together, making it easy for the user to concentrate on its task. Nevertheless, a beginner needs to check the video tutorials page accessible from the so-called "Control Panel" (see the screenshot to the left), as well as the product manual, before anything else.

As a side note, be careful to access the documentation from the Start>Programs>ConceptDraw WebWave folder, because you can only open the XML Reference from the Help menu of the program... One more thing - it's interesting to note that despite the fact that I selected to Launch the program when I press finished, the program didn't start, so I had to launch it manually. These being said, I guess you got the idea - if you have some patience, using ConceptDraw WebWave can get really easy in a matter of hours, so let's move on and check the goodies under its hood!


Features

Designing a website nowadays is a really tough job, especially since you can't get away with one homepage, a contact page and two pages with additional information. Even if you're going to use a CMS (Content Management System) to build your sites, there are a lot of steps to be taken, and organizing your work before starting to do it is a must, so this is where WebWave comes into the scene...

With more than 5000 graphics included, WebWave makes choosing the way to graphically express your plans harder than building your site maps and page mock-ups in your head, but that's only true in the beginning, so I'll return to where we started - the Control Panel.













Accessible from the File menu, the Control Panel gives you an excellent overview of the features offered by Webwave, grouped in categories. There are four groups here, concerning the planning of your site's structure, designing wireframes, wizards and miscellaneous.

Also available in the first menu of this program, the Template Gallery looks absolutely great, and opens a lot of gates for a beginner. Now, where should I start? To create a new document, best way for now is to pick a category, double click a template, and then change it. Apart from doing a serious job, you can also have a lot of fun, believe me!

When it comes to saving your work, there are plenty of options. First, you can export your diagrams to a lot of file formats, including HTML, PDF, Flash, SVG and more. Second, the built in FTP client allows you to save your work straight to a FTP server, making team work much easier.

Before leaving you to try the program for yourselves, I have to mention one impressive feature - the Web Site Mapper. To access it, simply click Generate Site Map in the Control Panel, and then enter your URL and be prepared to wait a little, depending on the depth level selected. With this tool, you can find that a site that seems simple is not simple at all, when dissected... but let's get to the conclusions now, shall we?


The Good

ConceptDraw WebWave is an excellent program with lots of useful features, an impressive library of built in graphics and the best part of it is the fact that you are able to experience all the features of the full application without any really annoying nags for as long as 30 days.

The Bad

The libraries are not searchable, and the price of the program seems to be high for home users that are just starting to learn the basics of web design but feel the need to get organized using an additional tool.

Conclusion

If you want a program that can be learned in an instant, this is not your best choice, but ConceptDraw WebWave is a software application that you should give a try, for sure. That's all, and I won't add anything else, until I see your feedback below... good luck and have fun with this excellent piece of code!

Developer: Computer Systems Odessa
Price: $299
Trial Link: Download

Three days ago, in London, Canonical Ltd. announced that since today, Ubuntu Sever, Desktop, Kubuntu and Edubuntu Linux will be available for download as new releases, bearing the 7.10 version number. Today, I just got an email announcing me about the availability of these releases for download, but you can also get CDs through mail if you ask them here. Anyway, before anything else, let's find out more about today's hot releases, shall we?



<-120x240 Vertical Banner - left->First of all, you should know that the latest Ubuntu Desktop edition comes with improved support for display systems and hardware management, as well as improved compatibility with Windows , including write support for NTFS partitions. As expected, the user interface has been enhanced, including simple 3D screen effects and other minor visual improvements. At last, you should know that most popular plugins for Firefox are now validated by Ubuntu, to improve your Web browsing experience and spare you of trying dozens of plugins until you find the right one for your purpose.

Next, the big family of Ubuntu Desktop derivatives also gets updated to version 7.10, and the list includes Edubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Gobuntu. While the first three of these releases are updates of their 7.04 versions, Gobuntu is a new member of the family, entirely composed of open source software that lacks any restriction. Being the first release, if you don't want to experiment, then you should grab one of the other ones, but since there are live CDs available for every Ubuntu version, there are no risks involved.

At last, the heavyweight Ubuntu Server comes with enhanced security, an improved kernel with new power saving features and optimized for use in virtualized environments, as well as updated modules for improving the performance of mail and print servers, without forgetting to add a new Python release and support for OpenMP in gcc 4.2. Additional information about the latest server edition of Ubuntu can be found here.

Existing users of Ubuntu 7.04 can upgrade their systems easily to the last version by using the update manager included in the system. Support for the current version will be offered by Canonical for 18 months, and if you want to grab a LTS release, you should go back to 6.06 or wait until the next one, due in 2008.If you want to know more about the version that's right for you, enter your comments below and we'll do our best to help you, because we're not here just to give you news, we're also doing all that we can to provide you with the support you need, too!