Windows 8 M3 build 7989 leaked

Its not been quite few hours since we intimated about Windows 8 build 7989 leaked screenshots and build 7989 have been leaked over a private FTP server.

This build belongs to Milestone 3 stage and has been uploaded to win7vista private FTP , which is only available to VIP members.This build also accompanies Windows 8 Beta fish , which was also present in Windows 7 builds.

Windows 8 leaked build details :

File : 6.2.7989.0.amd64fre.winmain.110421-1825.iso
Size : 3.54 GB
MD5 : 4480F94C 0E11CE58 DC9B7330 678F07DD
SHA1 : C09CDCEC 2540D93E EBE650B5 21B2F7AE 477A300A

This new build is accompanied with a wallpaper as well, and we are very sure that this build would be available in torrents and many other sites very soon.

Unlocking Windows 7 GodMode

Unlocking Windows 7 GodMode

The Windows Master Control Panel shortcut or Windows 7 GodMode basically lets users access all of the operating system's control panels from within a single folder like one huge control panel for all the OS settings.

  

This is very simple to unlock, all you have to do is create a folder in a directory of your choice and name it with the following string:

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

How to Disable and Remove OGA Office Genuine Advantage (Uninstall KB949810)

After installing Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) Notifications (KB949810) from Windows Update, OGA Validation will perform genuine test on installed Microsoft Office XP, Office 2003, Office 2007 and Office 2010 software. If Office product is validated as not genuine, “This copy of Microsoft Office is not genuine” notification message will be displayed on notification area (system tray), at splash screen during Office program (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) startup, and at Office’s toolbar or ribbon with extra “Get Genuine Office” tab or element.

KB949810 OGA Notifications update is designed so that end-user cannot uninstall or removed the update using “Add and Remove Programs” or “Program and Features” in the Control Panel, in a bid to encourage end-users to buy genuine Microsoft products. But, if you’re a legit Office users, and the OGA validation has returned false-positive result, use the one of the following hacks to disable and remove Microsoft Office not genuine notification messages displayed by OGA Notifications
Note: Hack below simply remove and disable OGA Notifications so that no notification message about Office not genuine is not displayed, and works on most versions of OGA Notifications. It doesn’t crack or patch OGA Validation component, OGACheckControl.dll, which does the validation process to determine if the Office product is genuine or not.



Hack 1: Disable OGAAddin.dll from Loading with Office Applications
OGAAddin.dll (and OGAVerify.exe) is a few files that been installed by OGA Notifications. OGAAddin.dll allowed OGA Notifications to install as an add-in to applications in Office productivity suites to display not genuine reminder message to illegitimate and illegal copy of Office. By stopping the OGAAddin load behavior and preventing OGAAddin.dll from loading, the Office Genuine Advantage Notifications message can be suppressed.

1. Run Registry Editor (RegEdit.exe).
2. Press Ctrl-F to open search box, and search for OGAAddin.connect registry key.
3. In the right pane, right click on Load Behavior and select Modify.
4. Change the value data from 3 to 0.
5. Repeat for each and every OGAAddin.connect found.

With this hack, Windows still treat OGA as installed, and will not prompt user to install again.
Hack 2: Disable and Remove OGAAddin from within Office Applications

1. Run one of the Office app such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher and etc as administrator.
   
   Note: Open Windows Explorer, go to %SystemDrive%\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12 (may be different depends on version of Office installed and x64 OS uses Program Files (x86) folder), and right click on Office app executable, e.g. winword.exe, excel.exe, powerpnt.exe and etc to run as administrator.
   
   
2. Go to Options (at the bottom of menu triggered by Office button) -> Add-Ins.
3. Select COM Add-ins under Manage drop menu list, and click Go.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Disable or remoev the OGAAdmin.
5. Repeat above steps for each and every Office applications installed.

Hack 3: Delete and Remove (Uninstall) Office Genuine Advantage Notifications Components
Although Microsoft does not allow OGA Notifications to be uninstall, but that does not mean that individual file components of OGA Notifications cannot be deleted, removed or uninstalled manually.
To disable OGA Notifications and uninstall KB949810, close and exit from all Office applications (including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Publisher, Visio and etc.), and search for the following files in %SystemDrive%\Wndows\System32 folder and %SystemDrive%\Windows\SysWow64 folder (for 64-bit OS x64 only).

OGAVerify.exe

OGAAddin.dll
Delete the above files. It’s also possible rename the files so that system cannot find them.

Hack 4: Remove OGAAddin.connect Registry Key in System Registry
Pretty much similar to method 1 and 2, but it’s quicker and will complete remove trace of OGAAddin.connect from registry. Unlike hack 1, Windows Update may prompt you to install again.

1. Run Registry Editor (RegEdit.exe).
2. Go to each and every of the following registry keys, and any other which contains OGAAddin.connect registry value sub-key:
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Word\Addins
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Excel\Addins
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Powerpoint\Addins
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins
   
   
3. Delete the OGAAddin.connect registry value.

Hack 5: Properly Uninstall KB949810 OGA Notification via OGANotifier.msi
Tip by AnonyMouse


Easy to uninstall. Just follow these steps:

1. Go to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download\8998da55d52b36c0e98ba016ddd50de0\ folder or Download Here
   
   Note: The directory may be different, so if not found search for OGANotifier.cab.
   
   
2. Extract OGANotifier.cab with WinRAR (or using the Expand command at command line) to get a file named OGANotifier.msi.
3. Right click on OGANotifier.msi, and select Uninstall.
4. Remember to block the update from been installed again in WU.

There is also an official Windows Installer method of uninstalling OGA, Belt-and-Braces approach submitted by one of the reader, shown below:

1. Remove ‘Office/Windows Genuine Advantage’ from Office Programs:
   
   
   
   • Word / Excel / PowerPoint / Access
     
     Quick Access Toolbar – More Commands – Add Ins – Manage ‘Comm Add Ins’ – Go – Remove OGA Add In
     
     
   • Outlook / Visio
     
     Tools – Trust Centre – Add Ins – Manage ‘Comm Add Ins’ – Manage – Go – Remove OGA Add In
     
     
     
   
   
   
2. Reboot into Windows ‘Safe Mode’
3. Rename in \windows\system32 (by adding .bak to end of file)
   
   
   
   • LegitCheckControl.dll (create empty file)
   • OGAAddin.dll (create empty file)
   • OGACheckControl.dll (create empty file)
   • OGAExec.exe (create empty file)
   • WgaTray.exe (create empty file)
   • WgaLogon.dll (create empty file)
   
   
   
4. Edit Registry (Navigate to WgaLogon folder)
   
   
   
   1. HKey Local Machine
   2. Software
   3. Microsoft
   4. Windows NT
   5. Current Version
   6. Winlogon
   7. Notify
   8. DELETE Wgalogon folder
   
   
   
5. Disable OGALogon Task
   
   
   
   1. \Windows\tasks
   2. Select OGALogon and the ‘Properties’
   3. On Task Tab
   4. Disable as follows (Uncheck):
      
      
      
      • Run only if logged on
      • Enabled (Scheduled task runs at specified time)
      
      
      
   5. On Settings Tab
   6. Disable as follows (Check):
      
      Delete the task if it is not scheduled to run again
      
      
   
   
   
6. Restart Windows Normally
7. Block Programs in Firewall (Prevents running IF there is an automatic Update)
   
   
   
   • OGAExec.exe **create empty file (If not done in 3)
   • WgaTray.exe **create empty file (If not done in 3)
   
   
   

With any one of the hacks above, no more Office Genuine Advantage notification message will be displayed and showed on system, regardless of genuine status of the Office software, unless of course, end-user chooses to reinstall KB949810.

Mega List of Windows 7 Drivers

Windows 7 has just been released all over the world and I am sure many of you are gearing up to upgrade the OS of your PC to Windows 7. One thing which comes to my mind immediately when I think of upgrading my OS, is about the compatible drivers.

A lot of older hardware and software were not designed for Windows 7 (or even Vista for that matter), so they may require an update or new driver in order to operate correctly on Windows 7. The decision to provide a Windows 7 driver or update will lie with the developer/manufacturer of the product. The good thing is manufacturers are now releasing Windows 7 drivers for their products. Updating to the latest Windows 7 drivers may help keep your PC running at its best.



The below section lists popular driver and software updates to download for Windows 7. Please feel free to suggest any Windows 7 driver download that I have missed. The list is inspired from about.com and enhanced further.

Acer Drivers (Desktops and Notebooks)

Windows 7 drivers are available for Acer desktops or notebooks, they can be downloaded via Acer’s Service and Support site, linked below. They have not grouped the Windows 7 drivers together. So, I would suggest you to go to this page and select your country from the list. Under Service & Support tab you will see a link for “Driver Download”. Click on that, choose your desktop/notebook/netbook model and select Windows 7 as the OS in the dropdown available. Example link (Acer India site)
Download the latest Acer drivers for Windows 7

ASUS Drivers (Motherboards)

ASUS Windows 7 drivers can be downloaded via ASUS’s Windows 7 Compatible ASUS Motherboards list, linked above. ASUS has made available Windows 7 drivers for many of their motherboard lines including those based on AMD, Intel Socket 775, Intel Socket 1366, and more.
Download the latest Asus drivers for Windows 7

ATI Radeon Driver

The latest ATI Radeon Windows 7 driver is the ATI Catalyst 9.10 Suite. This Windows 7 driver from AMD/ATI contains the entire Catalyst suite including the ATI Radeon display driver, ATI WDM driver, and the Catalyst Control Center. This Windows 7 driver is compatible with ATI Radeon HD series GPUs.
Download the latest ATI Radeon drivers for Windows 7

BIOSTAR Drivers (Motherboards)

BIOSTAR Windows 7 drivers are listed on BIOSTAR’s Windows 7 Ready motherboard list. The above listed BIOSTAR motherboards have passed Windows 7 WHQL logo testing completely and yield best user experience. The Windows 7 ready motherboards include those based on socket 1366, 1156, 775, AM3, and AM2+ designs.
Download the latest Biostar drivers for Windows 7

C-Media drivers (Audio)

Windows 7 drivers for C-Media are available for download from C-Media’s standard support site, linked below. Currently, the drivers present are for RC version of Windows 7. Note that the Windows 7 beta drivers do not support to record the playing digital audio (WAVE).
Download the latest C-Media AC97 drivers for Windows 7

Canon drivers (Scanners & Printers)

Canon hasn’t yet officially released the drivers for Windows 7. For most of the products, the drivers for Windows Vista SP1 would work on Windows 7 as well. When digging through the Canon website, I could see that, for some scanner models like CanonScan LiDE 100, LiDE 200 and LiDE 700F, Windows 7 compatible drivers are already available. As per one support ticket, Windows 7 drivers for following Canon scanners will be available – link. Link for Inkjet printers

Compaq Drivers (Desktops and Laptops)

If any Windows 7 drivers are available for Compaq computers, they can be downloaded via HP’s standard support site, linked below. Compaq is now part of HP. Compaq’s newer computers typically come with Windows 7 installed and of course have Windows 7 drivers available. HP’s site may have Windows 7 drivers listed for older Compaq computers as well.
Download the Latest Compaq Drivers for Windows 7

Creative Sound Blaster Drivers (Audio)

Windows 7 drivers for Creative are listed on Creative’s Driver Availability Chart. Creative has made available Windows 7 drivers for many of their popular Sound Blaster products including their X-Fi, Sound Blaster Live, Audigy, and more. The chart also has details of Windows 7 drivers for MP3 players, Speakers, headsets, cameras and others.
Download the Latest Creative Sound Blaster Drivers for Windows 7

Dell Drivers (Desktops and Laptops)

Windows 7 drivers for Dell desktop and laptop computers can be downloaded via Dell’s standard support site. Check out the updated list of their computer systems that they have successfully tested with Windows 7 – Microsoft Windows 7 Compatible Dell Systems
Download the Latest Dell Drivers for Windows 7

Gateway Drivers (Desktops and Notebooks)

Windows 7 drivers for Gateway desktops and notebooks will be available via Gateway’s support site, linked below.
It is surprising that Gateway doesn’t seem to have any Windows 7 drivers available at this time. I also did not find any list of Gateway computers that were otherwise compatible with Windows 7 but chances are that the more recent models are. Keep a check on the below link for updates
Download the Latest Gateway Drivers for Windows 7

HP Drivers (Desktops and Laptops)

Many of HP’s desktop and laptop PCs have Windows 7 drivers available. Any available Windows 7 drivers for HP desktop, laptop, and tablet computers can be downloaded via HP’s standard support site, linked below. Check it out.
Download the Latest HP Computer System Drivers for Windows 7

HP Drivers (Printers and Scanners)

The most current information on Windows 7 drivers for HP printers and scanners is available from the HP Imaging and Printing Software and Driver Information for Windows 7, linked below. It includes HP Deskjet, Officejet, Photosmart, LaserJet, Designjet, or Scanjet imaging devices.
Download the Latest HP Printer/Scanner Drivers for Windows 7

Intel Drivers (Motherboards)

Windows 7 drivers for Intel motherboards can be downloaded via Intel’s Microsoft Windows 7 page, linked below. Intel lists the various motherboards that have passed WHQL testing and also links to the various motherboard models where Windows 7 drivers are available. The few motherboard driver download pages I looked at showed Windows 7 drivers for Intel’s integrated video, audio, ethernet controller, and more.
Download the Latest Intel Motherboard Drivers for Windows 7

Intel Chipset Drivers (Motherboards)

The latest Intel Chipset Windows 7 driver is version 9.1.1.1020 which was released on 9/17/2009. This Windows 7 driver download contains both 32-bit and 64-bit driver versions for Windows 7. The page clearly mentions the chipset models which are fully compatible with Windows 7. Do not install this driver on a motherboard not listed.
Download the Latest Intel Chipset Drivers for Windows 7

Lenovo (Desktops and Laptops)

Windows 7 drivers for Lenovo desktop and laptop computers can be downloaded via Lenovo’s support site, linked below. It states that these are for Windows 7 RTM so that’s the real deal and may be worth checking out by Lenovo owners pulling an early upgrade. There seems to be a lot of drivers, covering a ton of Lenovo systems. This post lists out Windows 7 beta drivers for all Lenovo products.
Download the Latest Lenovo Drivers for Windows 7

Lexmark Drivers (Printers)

Windows 7 drivers for Lexmark printers are available from the Windows 7 Printer Drivers list on Lexmark’s site, linked below. You can check if your specific Lexmark printer will work best with the native Windows 7 driver, with the latest Windows 7 driver downloaded directly from Lexmark, or with the latest Windows Vista driver, also available from Lexmark.
Download the Latest Lexmark Printer Drivers for Windows 7

Microsoft Drivers (Keyboard, Mouse, Etc.)

In addition to creating operating systems like Windows 7, Microsoft also produces hardware like keyboards, mice, game controllers, webcams, and more. Microsoft hardware products with Windows 7 drivers are listed on on their Microsoft Hardware Support for Windows 7 page, linked below.
Download the Latest Microsoft Hardware Drivers for Windows 7

NVIDIA GeForce/ION Driver (Video)

The latest NVIDIA GeForce/ION Windows 7 driver is version 191.07 which was released 2009-10-05. This Windows 7 driver is compatible with NVIDIA GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, and 200 series GPUs and also NVIDIA ION GPUs. You might also wish to check out your motherboard manufacturer’s website for NVidia Windows 7 driver that better fits your hardware. This must hold good for NVIDIA 3D vision as well.
Download the Latest NVIDIA GeForce/ION Driver for Windows 7

Realtek AC97 Driver (Audio)

The latest Realtek AC97 Windows 7 driver is version 6305 which was released on 2009-09-07. This download contains both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of this Windows 7 driver. It is important to note that the AC97 chipset may be a part of your sound card or motherboard but Realtek only created the chipset. This means that it’s possible there’s a Windows 7 driver that better fits your hardware available from your actual sound card or motherboard manufacturer.
Download the Latest Realtek AC97 Driver for Windows 7

Realtek High Definition Driver (Audio)

The latest Realtek High Definition Windows 7 driver is version R2.35 which was released on 2009-10-12. This download contains both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of this Windows 7 driver.
Download the Latest Realtek High Definition Driver for Windows 7

Sony Drivers (Desktops and Notebooks)

Any Windows 7 drivers for Sony desktop or notebook computers can be downloaded via Sony’s eSupport site, linked below. The Sony Windows 7 upgrade page has all the information required about Sony PCs and Windows 7, including a handy tool to see what Windows 7 drivers and other information is available for your specific Sony computer.
Download the Latest Sony Drivers for Windows 7

Toshiba Drivers (Laptops)

Windows 7 drivers for Toshiba laptop computers can be downloaded via Toshiba’s standard support site, linked below. Toshiba has a list of Windows 7 supported laptops here: Toshiba laptop models supported for use with Windows 7. Toshiba also has a roundup of various Windows 7 information on their Windows 7 Support page.
Download the Latest Toshiba Drivers for Windows 7

VIA Drivers (Audio, Video, Ethernet)

Windows 7 drivers for VIA ethernet, Audio and integrated graphics can be downloaded via VIAARENA’s standard support site, linked below. You need to select the OS, type of driver and the specific model to be able to make it Windows 7 compatible.
Download the latest VIA drivers for Windows 7

Migrate Your Drivers from Vista / XP to Windows 7 With Double Driver

As you might know by now, most of the Windows Vista drivers would work on Windows 7. And if you are looking to migrate those drivers from Windows Vista or XP to Windows 7, then check out Double Driver, which can make the whole process quick and easy. Double Driver makes the backup of all drivers and then pack them all in a compressed zip file.

By default it will detect and select all the recommended drivers, all other listed drivers will be third party drivers installed by various applications or system drivers which you probably won’t need in Windows 7.

Once compressed backup of all drivers is ready, you just need to extract this zip file in Windows 7 and run Driver Backup to restore them instantly. It will restore the drivers one by one and would take some minutes to complete.

Related Read: Mega List of Windows 7 Drivers Download

Features of Double Driver:
• Provides full details of the drivers like name, version, date, provider etc.
• Backup or restore many drivers in one go.
• Freeware.
• View, backup, restore, save or print drives.
Download Double Driver

How To Identify and Find Drivers for Unknown Devices in Windows

Device driver installation and maintenance has always been an headache for many Windows users all the while, be it in Windows 95 or Windows Vista. Especially while migrating from Vista or XP to Windows 7, one might have come across various problems pertaining to device identification and driver maintenance. It has been a common complaint that Windows fails to identify the device installed or connected to the computer, and Windows cannot or unable to find proper or correct driver for the device.

In Device Manager, the device will be listed as unknown device with yellow question mark. Check the image below for instance.

In the case of any unidentified, unknown or no-driver installed devices, user can manually download from Internet or use driver CD to install the driver. However, user has to identify and know what’s the unknown device prior to installing correct driver. Here are some ways to find unknown device drivers in Windows.

Ways to Identify and Find drivers for unknown devices

1. Manually Identify an Unknown Device

This is possibly the toughest way to identify the device. First, we need to find out the device instance ID which is made up of Vendor ID and the Device ID. To find the device instance ID go to Device Manager –> Right click the unknown device –> Properties –> Details.

Now, from the drop down menu select Device Instance Path (Windows Vista & 7)/ Device Instance ID (Windows XP)

It will give you a string value which contains the vendor ID and the Device ID. The string is like this:
PCIVEN_1180&DEV_0592&SUBSYS_02BE1028&REV_124&31FC8C23&0&0BF0
where VEN_1180 is the vendor ID and DEV_0592 is the Device ID. Note down both of them.

Now, go to the PCI Database website at http://www.pcidatabase.com/, an user-supported centralized database of PCI device IDs.

Enter the device ID in the textbox as shown above and click on Search. You must be able to get the details of the device. With the vendor name or manufacturer name found, visit the support website to search and download latest version of device driver for the corresponding device driver.

In case you cannot find the information at PCI database, you can try the alternative websites – http://www.pcisig.com/membership/vid_search/ or http://pciids.sourceforge.net/

2. Unknown Device Identifier software

Unknown Device Identifier enables you to identify the yellow question mark labeled Unknown Devices in Device Manager. And reports you a detailed summary for the manufacturer name, OEM name, device type, device model and even the exact name of the unknown devices. With the collected information, you might contact your hardware manufacturer for support or search the Internet for the corresponding driver with a simple click. With this utility, you might immediately convert your unidentified unknown devices into identified known devices and find proper driver on the Internet and contact the hardware device manufacturer or vender. Known devices recognized by Microsoft Windows will also be analyzed independent of the operating system.

- Identify USB 1.1/2.0/3.0 Device
- Identify IEEE 1394 Device
- Identify ISA Plug&Play Device
- Identify AGP Bus Device
- Identify PCI, PCI-E, eSATA Device
- Multilingual interface: English, French
- Find Drivers for Hardware Devices
- Contact Hardware Vender directly
- Save or Print Hardware information

Download Unknown Device Identifier or here

3. Unknown Devices

Unknown Devices utility helps users find what those unknown devices in Device Manager really are. By checking Device Manager for unknown devices and extracting information from it, the program attempts to figure out what the device is, so that users do not have to open the PC casing or look up random numbers off of PCI cards to figure out what they are.

Unknown Devices supports Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows Me, Windows 2K, Windows XP, Windows 2003 (but not Windows NT), with beta version supports Windows Vista, and possibly Windows 7. Unknown Devices is portable and does not require installation, so it runs fine from a CD or floppy. Unknown Devices is available for free download.

Download Unknown Devices 1.4.20 Beta
Download Unknown Devices 1.2