One of the major change when Vista was launched was the security feature of User Account Control which was called an annoyance by many. But with Windows 7, UAC has gone in for lot of changes. UAC basically controls the way in which applications are executed by different users and it runs as standard user, but many applications which needs to be run as administrator might not work properly when UAC is enabled. VistaUACMaker is free utility which is designed to make any application compatible with Vista and Windows 7.

To make any application Vista UAC compliant it has to embed a manifest file specifying the privilege required by the application. Manifest file mainly contain 2 important information, privilege required by the application and UI interaction of application with other windows.

There are 3 types of privileges that can be mentioned in the manifest file.

• requireAdministrator : Run as administrator
• asInvoker : Run as same privilege as parent process
• highestAvailable : Run with highest privilege available for user

So with this application, you can specify which type of privilege is required by the exe file when it is installed on Vista or Win 7. To use this application, browse for the executable file of the application, select the project description and then select the required privilege and you can also select if the application interacts with high privilege on desktop.

Download VistaUACMaker (for Windows 7 as well)

Microsoft will be releasing the (PRODUCT)^RED version of Windows Vista Ultimate on December 15th. Initially this product was exclusive to Dell computers, but now you will be able to purchase the standalone version. Amazon has already began listing a product titled Windows Vista Ultimate with SP1 Upgrade (Project Red Edition) to be released on December 15, 2008.

So what is the difference between the Red edition and the normal edition of Windows Vista Ultimate? Red Edition is enhanced with (PRODUCT)^RED wallpapers, gadgets, and a unique screen saver and DreamScene. More than these goodies, a portion of the proceeds from sales will help distribute AIDS medications to patients in Africa. Windows Vista Red edition has a retail price of $219.95.

And if you’re a college student planning to get the Red edition, then visit www.theultimatesteal.com where you can download Windows Vista Ultimate Red at an exclusive discount price, saving money while still saving lives. The student edition of Red is priced at $64.95.

Amazon Listing of Product RED Edition [Via istartedsomething]

Previously we had covered Notepad 2008 which brought the ribbon features to the notepad in Vista and XP. This was developed by Devianart user Solo-Dev. The same developer has updated his previous application with more features and released it as WordPad 2008. WordPad 2008 has ribbon like features which are by default available in the upcoming Windows 7.

WordPad 2008 is a portable application which does not require any installation. .Net framework is required for this application to function properly.

Features of WordPad 2008;

• Preview of fonts in selection box
• Drag and drop Text files to open
• Drag and drop images
• Featuring new Windows 7 Icons

Download Wordpad 2008 [Via AskVG]

Ultimate Windows Tweaker is a Tweak UI Utility for tweaking and optimizing 32-bit & 64-bit Windows Vista. This freeware application is released by WinVistaClub and written by Ramesh Kumar, a fellow MVP. The application release was done by Howard Lo, Microsoft’s Regional Team Manager (APAC) at MVP South Asia Open Day at Goa. The utility features 130 registry tweaks, but is only 370 KB in size. It does not require any installation and can be run from the USB drive as well.

The application allows you to create a system restore point before doing any tweak. The tweaks are classified under seven categories and can be accessed through a common interface, just like your Windows Vista Control Panel.

1. Personalization,
2. User Accounts & UAC,
3. System & Performance,
4. Security,
5. Internet Explorer (IE7 / IE8)
6. Network Optimization
7. Additional Options

You can check out the complete list of tweaks available in various categories from here. Ultimate Windows Tweaker is developed for Windows Vista and supported in all available editions under 32 and 64 Bit and this application is not  supported on earlier version of Windows – Windows 95, 98, ME, NT and XP.

Ultimate Windows Tweaker is a must have application for all Vista users specially for the fact that its light weight and also portable.

Download Ultimate Windows Tweaker

Aero Snap is a new feature which was added to Windows 7, where in you can drag any window to the top of your screen to maximize it or take it to the left or right to snap it to the side and re-size by 50 per cent and when you drag it back to the last position, the window size will be restored. This feature is now available for XP and Vista. AeroSnap is a simple but powerful application that allows you to resize, arrange or maximize your desktop windows with just drag and drop. Aero Snap supports both Windows XP as well as Vista.

You can see Aero Snap in action in the video below.

The application is currently in beta, so you might get some bugs while using it. You will also need .Net Framework 2.0 or higher for running Aero Snap.

Download AeroSnap [via]

One of the noticeable changes in Windows 7 was the revamped look of calculator. The new calculator was available in the pre-beta build of Windows 7  and the good thing about this calculator is that it works with Windows Vista as well. Windows Vista users who want to try out the more advanced Calculator program from Windows 7, can download the calculator of Windows 7 and use it with Vista.

Note: Please take a back up of the existing files before modifying as this calculator is from pre-beta build.

You can use the calculator in two ways, either run separately as Windows 7 Calculator or replace the default Vista Calculator.

Steps (Run as Windows 7 Calculator):

1. Download the Windows 7 Calculator

2. Run the file Calc.exe to get the Windows 7 Calculator

Steps to replace Vista Calculator

1. Download and extract the files.

2. Copy calc.exe to \Windows\System32\, and calc.exe.mui (in en-US folder) to \Windows\System32\en-US\ folder. You will need to take ownership of these files to overwrite it and do not forget to take a back up of the existing file.

Thanks WinVista Club

Dazzo’s Wallpaper Changer will automatically change wallpapers in Windows. The wallpaper changer will monitor your chosen folder and recognize when new pictures are added or old pictures are removed. This application requires .Net framework for working properly. The application has options to set the wallpaper rotate time once the folder is selected. It also displays a progress bar for the next wallpaper change.

Features:

• Folder Monitoring
• Auto Start
• Recursive folder search
• Change Desktop color to match image color
• Rotate wallpaper every N length of time
• Progress bar displays when next change will take place
• Image filename on image

There are few known bugs in the program which the author has mentioned on his site, apart from that Wallpaper changer looks like a good application. This application will work only on Vista.

Download Wallpaper Changer

Windows 7 seems be becoming hot topic of discussion ever since it was previewed at PDC 2008. There are lots of themes, wallpapers, taskbars etc being created based on Windows 7 for Windows Vista. We had previously covered Windows 7 themes, wallpapers and boot screen for Vista. This post covers resources required to transform your Windows Vista to the look and feel of Windows 7.

1. Windows 7 Theme:

Download Windows 7 Theme

2. Windows 7 Boot Screen:

Download Boot Screen [ Installation]

3. Windows 7 Logon Screen

Img Credit: AskVG

Download Windows 7 Logon

4. Windows 7 Wallpapers

Download Wallpapers

5. Windows 7 Icons on Taskabr:

Instructions

With these themes, hacks and wallpapers, you Vista would now look more or like Windows 7.

Apart from the few changes to UI in Windows 7, another cosmetic change was the boot screen. Vista has a plain boot screen and of you liked the new boot screen of Windows 7, then you have a similar type of boot screen in Vista as well. Vishal from AskVG has created the Windows 7 boot screen for Vista. The boot screen is similar to the one in Windows 7, but without the startup animation.

Installation of Boot Screen:

1. Download the Windows 7 boot screen for Vista

2. Open the folder “%windir%\System32\en-US” and replace the existing “winload.exe.mui” file with the one in zip file. You will need to take ownership of the file before copying it. Check out this article on how to take ownership of files in Vista. Please take a back up of the actual file before replacing it.

3. Start->Run->msconfig and in the Boot tab and select “Microsoft Windows Vista” entry and enable “No GUI Boot” option and apply it. Restart your system to take affect and watch the new boot screen in action.

Ribbon was one of the highlighted features of Windows 7 which was unveiled at the PDC 2008. Looks like the ribbon features are coming to Vista also as Microsoft wants everyone to use it. In a session at PDC, Microsoft outlined Ribbon development and also urged developers to include it in their applications. Windows 7 will have the ribbon features in-built and Vista will get ribbon features through a redistribution package.

Img Credit: Neowin

Windows Ribbon for Vista will be available next year for use within applications too.