If you’ve installed an app under XP Compatibility mode inn Windows 7 and it hasn’t appeared under the hosts start menu, there’s an easy fix.
Applications will only appear in the host start menu if they’re installed to the “all users” start menu under XP. Copy the shortcut to the All Users menu and they’ll appear in Windows 7 within a few seconds.
If’ you ever need to modify your Hosts file on either Windows 7 or Windows Vista, you’ll probably hit a warning that you need to be an Administrator to modify it?
Now this may seem odd as you’ve also probably already got Administrative rights on the PC?
This is a new safety measure originally introduced in Vista to stop rogue (spyware) applications from modifying hosts and redirecting traffic to other sites.
However, you can still modify the file:
Right Click on “Command Prompt” icon, and select “Run as Administrator”
cd \windows\system32\drivers\etc
notepad hosts
You should now be able to save the file without any problems.
I’m often asked – “What’s the difference between the various editions of Windows 7″.
Here’s an excellent breakdown of the different features in each edition:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7_editions
The choices are easier than they were with Vista. For Home users I’d recommend Home Premium due to the inclusion of Media Center (once you’ve played with this you’ll see why).
For Business – I’m torn between Professional and Ultimate. One of the features in Ultimate which I’m keen to play with for businesses is “Direct Access”. I’m surprised this isn’t included in the Business edition – as it’s clearly aimed as a business feature? I’ll write another post once I’ve evaluated this feature against a 2008 R2 Server.
