Super fast Windows 8 boot time demoed
In a lengthy blog post explaining the whys and wherefores of how Microsoft teased the software into an 8 second boot-up, Gabe Aul explains that the new solution is "a fast start-up mode which is a hybrid of traditional cold boot and resuming from hibernate."
It's all down to hibernating the kernel session rather than closing it down completely and starting it back up again.
In addition, the development team added a new feature that uses all the cores in a multi-core system in parallel; this splits the work of reading the hibernating kernel file and decompressing the contents - so both can be done at once, hence a faster load time.
Aul addes, "Another important thing to note about Windows 8's fast startup mode is that, while we don't do a full "Plug & Play" enumeration of all drivers, we still do initialize drivers in this mode.
"Those of you who like to cold boot in order to "freshen up" drivers and devices will be glad to know that is still effective in this new mode, even if not an identical process to a cold boot."
Want to see the mega speedy boot up with your own fair eyes? Check out the video below (we assume Microsoft wouldn't be so sneaky as to cut a few frames out…).
WinRAP, Protect, Hide Running Applications In Windows
The portable software WinRAP has two core features. The first option is to hide applications in Windows which hides the open application window from appearing in the taskbar. If you leave it at that, someone else could still see that the software is running by opening the task manager or looking at the system tray. To avoid that, it is possible to disable the task manager and hide the taskbar in locked status.
Windows 7 users can customize the system tray to hide application icons and notifications there natively, which would leave the task manager to find out that a specific program is running on the system.
You can lock the application which adds password protection to the program. Users who want to access the list of programs need to enter the correct password to do so. The WinRAP icon itself is fully transparent in the system tray in this state.
The default password (1234) can be changed in the options. This is also the place where a new hotkey can be set for unlocking the program’s stealth mode.
WinRAP does not offer 100% protection against users who snoop around on a PC system. One option would be to install a third party process manager like Process Explorer to get a listing of all applications and processes running on the system.
Windows users can download WinRAP from the program website over at Sourceforge. The program is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows operating system.
Download WinRAP
10 best international online radios
Here is a list of best international online radio stations,
1. Radio Paradise
Radio Paradise or RP is a delightful link taking you to the world of music that has many blends, styles, and genres of music. This is possible to hear mixed music using this internet radio station. On this radio, you will be able to listen to all kinds of music like classic rock, modern music, world music, electronica and many more. This gives you a good amalgamation of music from all over the world with random computer generated playlists or mind numbing commercials. They specialize in giving all kinds of music in harmony and make your listening experience pleasuresome.
2. Yahoo! Music
This is the king of internet radio, which is the first one to be tried by any international radio listener like me, for the reliability on the brand name of Yahoo! This radio station also keeps up to the expectation of the brand name, and though not as good as Pandora, still provides you with a range of good music. You will not feel like tuning to another radio station once you land here, so why not you give a try!
3. Last.fm
This is more than a radio station, this is also a social networking site that can connect you with other users who have similar interests like you and learn to share the music that you enjoy the most. This also helps to create exclusive playlists by voting for the songs you love and hate the most. This radio station aims in pleasing their listeners than in creating a standardized radio station. However, the service to this radio station is not at free of cost as you will be paying 3 dollars a month.
4. Canadian Web Radio
As the name suggests this is a compilation of traditional Canadian music to the latest hits in the Canadian music. They are linked with traditional Canadian radio stations that also stream their shows across the web. If you are curious to know what some of these Canadians are yapping about music and talk shows, eavesdrop to find them discussing with all enthusiasm about the Canadian Web Radio.
5. Pandora
Pandora has turned out to be one of the best internet radio stations that you use to some level of low-level artificial intelligence, by trying to play music that suits your needs and interests. Unfortunately, though they have now restricted their services only to US customers. Despite, the popularity, you will find Pandora is still new and has made this far by out beating many of the competitors, giving you the best output for every song that you play using Pandora.
6. RIPROCK Radio
This is one of the stylish single channel sites that have been dedicated for classical rock music using FM radio for reaching the end users. This site plays everything of the traditional to the latest classical rock music. Even if you are new to radio on the internet, this is worth checking to listen to some of the best rock music on the net while you are on the go.
7. Live 365
Hundreds of individual radio channels, an immense breadth of music genres, and minimal advertising = a good Internet radio station. The interface is a little cumbersome at first, and it isn't as clean as Rip Rock and other stations, but definitely give Live365 a try.
8. Grooveshark - Self-Directed Radio
This is yet another crowd pleasing internet radio station. What is not good about this is that this does not have an easy navigation, however you can choose your own songs, and create your own playlists, making you an internet DJ.
9. Maestro.fm
This internet radio station is much similar to last.fm, which also encourages social networking people with similar musical interests, so that they could share and listen to their favorite music, trade playlists, and discover new artists through conversations. They also permit you to store those musical pieces that are not copyright protected.
10. Accuradio
This is one of the solid music destinations and has been in the business successfully for several years, with an unsurpassable position in the internet radio market. The radio station has a number of high quality sounds, if you have streamlined the output from your PC to high quality sound reproducing speaker systems. They also host a number of fascinating radio channels.
