Netflix integration in Windows Media Center 7

The HTPC, or Home Theater PC, has been an elusive beast. For years, people have bandied about the concept of building a PC that is a dedicated home entertainment hub rather than a general-purpose computer. Up until very recently, building an HTPC has been a difficult journey to find the sorcerous combination of parts and software that would enable exactly everything one wanted the PC to do.

Luckily, everything has recently started coming together. Retail availability of key technologies such as efficient power supplies, cool and quiet processors, HDMI-enabled and 1080p-capable GPUs, massive storage capacities, and–perhaps most importantly–an HTPC-optimal OS have all come together in a ballet of technology which can provide a seamless and graceful HTPC experience.

We have put together an amazingly high performance and relatively low cost HTPC just in time for the 2009 holiday season. While we did operate with a liberal cost philosophy when it came to component choices, we feel that this remains an affordable project for those in the market for a full-featured home entertainment hub.

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Windows 7 is here, and a new operating system makes for a raft of new questions. While you could certainly spend your days plugging away at Google for the answers, Icrontic has made it easy for you by putting all of them in one place.

This FAQ covers questions related to Windows 7’s development, editions, licensing, installation, features and applications. This is a living document, which means it will be updated frequently with questions we find, and questions you ask of us. Questions which can be concretely answered will be added to this guide, while questions with multiple variables will be answered in the comments as they come.

Without further ado, let’s get down to business.

Development

Q: When did Windows 7 begin development?
A: There is no precise date, but estimates place the beginning around Vista’s release in January of 2007.

Q: What was Windows 7’s codename?
A: Windows 7.

Q: I thought Windows 7 was codenamed Vienna?
A: Windows 7 is based on the Vienna project, which itself was based on the hugely-delayed Blackcomb project. However, Vienna was renamed to Windows 7 when development began in 2007.

Q: How long was Windows 7 in development?
A: Windows 7 was in development for approximately 30 months.

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You spent the weekend trudging through a reformat to load Windows 7, and now you want to know what your time and money have earned you. There are plenty of toplists that could give you the skinny, but none quite like ours. Sure, we paid lip-service to old news like Jump Lists and Aero Peek, but we’re hot for lesser-known goodies like ATA TRIM and WDDM v1.1. So, if you’ve been hunting for the real scoop on Microsoft’s newest, put your peepers on these 20 brand spanking new features.

Aero Snap

Windows of Microsoft past used ugly phrases like “tile windows vertically” to ask the question: “Hey, do you want to put these windows side by side?” Windows 7 kicked that to the curb with a little feature called Aero Snap. Simply drag a window to the left or right edges of the screen and it will automatically be resized to fill half of the screen’s vertical real estate. Windows can also be maximized by dragging them to the top of the screen.

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Apple has stated on their website that Boot Camp will support Windows 7 on Intel-based Macs “before the end of the year.”

As Boot Camp already supports OS X/Vista configurations, one wonders why it will take Apple any length of time to implement this feature given the bootloader similarities between Vista and 7.

In the interim, Some Apple customers have successfully used a work-around to install the RC of Windows 7 without issue.

Fooman and Hitman, my sister and brother respectively, were in town this week. Only a fool would believe that they would leave me alone. When I wasn’t dealing with their tomfoolery, I was thinking about Windows 7! The brand-spankin’-new OS was released on Thursday, and no one is more ready for it than Icrontic.

In an ultimate display of progression, Icrontic laid Windows Vista to rest (RIP). We also give some suggestions on what you can do with Vista’s newer, hotter sister. Of course, what is talk of Windows 7 without a little DirectX 11 action? The stunning trailer to Shattered Horizons has been revealed, and it is beautiful.

Finally, the community is exploding in activity. The third annual Icrontic Sekrit Santas is underway, and we are but a single week away from Oktoberfest 2009. It’s going to get epic up in here real quick. Enough talk, time to watch. Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air.

Windows 7 is officially launching across the globe right this very moment. Make your life simple with one of our following tutorials:

• Install Windows 7 from USB using an ISO (TechNet/MSDN subscribers)
• Install Windows 7 from USB using a DVD (Retail/OEM buyers)
• Upgrade your Windows 7 Release Candidate install to any final version

Also, check back very soon for a pictorial which explores twenty hot new features on Windows 7 that are definitely worth your time. Lastly, Windows XP users that are afraid to upgrade should be on the lookout for our upcoming guide which explores the top five reasons why it’s time to make the leap to 7. Stay tuned!

This guide details how to prepare a Windows 7 DVD for flash drive installation. If you have a Windows 7 ISO, please go here.

Windows 7 is officially on the prowl, and that means a huge crop of users just got their hands on a minty fresh DVD. Sure, you could install it from the disc and be on your way, but that’s so ordinary, and Netbook users are still up the creek. Why not build a little geek cred and install Windows 7 from USB? We’ll show you how to do it in just four simple steps.

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Cliff Forster came up with the idea, and Semper Media Group provided the original soundtrack for us.

Harry Potter may have defeated Voldemort, but he can’t beat Windows 7. Amazon reports that Microsoft’s newest OS has just surpassed the boy wizard for the highest number of pre-orders in the UK.

“The launch of Windows 7 has superseded everyone’s expectations, storming ahead of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as the biggest grossing pre-order product of all-time at Amazon.co.uk, and demand is still going strong,” says Brian McBride, Amazon UK MD.

This pre-order rate is of little surprise given that Windows 7 sold more pre-orders in its first eight hours than Vista did throughout its entire pre-order period.

(Ed: I’m happy for you, and I’ma letchu finish, but Windows 7 had one of the best pre-orders of all time. ALL TIME).

This week I retreated to the safety of my home where I cannot be bothered by Dunigan and his boozing antics. I also come bearing a beard; get your man on, Icrontic.

NVIDIA talked and gave us some goods regarding their stance on Bullet Physics. Left 4 Dead 2 is pulling in an incredible amount of preorders and is on track to be one of Valve’s best selling titles yet.

Also, big news with [redacted], so definitely don’t miss that! Thrax tells us how to upgrade from RC to RTM once Windows 7 is released, and the final boss of Icrontic, Primesuspect, is chosen to be on the judging panel for Last Gadget Standing at CES 2010. Finally, I have an old Dell, and it is no longer working.

If it’s Friday, it’s Mind of UPSLynx.

The EU and Microsoft have jointly announced that the two parties have come to an agreement that will settle the Internet Exploring bundling dispute that began earlier this year.

A mockup of the ballot screen approved by the EU

Under the terms of the agreement, European copies of Windows 7 will automatically download and present a “ballot screen” to users. The screen will give customers the opportunity to choose from browsers other than Internet Explorer, at which point IE will be disabled.

“We welcome today’s announcement by the European Commission [EC] to move forward with formal market testing of Microsoft’s proposal relating to web browser choice in Europe,” said Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith in a prepared statement.

The fuss over bundling very nearly cost European residents the ability to purchase the significantly cheaper upgrade editions that will soon be available on US shores. Microsoft had planned to withhold upgrade licenses until December so it could validate that upgrades would work if the final OS had no Internet Explorer code.

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Updated 6 October, 2009: After investigation, we are the first to discover that it is possible to upgrade the Windows 7 release candidate to any retail (RTM) version of Windows 7. This procedure is now reflected in step 3

Windows 7 launches on October 22, and that means it will soon be time to jump ship on the release candidate. If you thought it would be as easy as popping in the retail disc and upgrading to the final version, think again: Microsoft put the kibosh on that idea by blocking upgrades from the RC. Luckily for you, there’s a workaround, and Icrontic will show you exactly how it’s done.

No upgrades for the Windows 7 RC? Lies and slander!

Fair warnings: Microsoft hit RC-to-Retail upgrades with the big, red denied stamp to avoid undesirable conflicts between files, settings and registry entries from differing versions of Windows 7. We think the risk is exaggerated, but this is the last stop for those who are squeamish about a clean OS. Ready to gamble? Read on!

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