Just after release of version 0.1.0 I found a few issues, the biggest being the task scheduler not working on Windows XP. As before you can find the latest version at the Liquid Download page.
Liquid 0.1.0 released
I’ve finally released the initial release of Liquid to the public, its available at the Liquid Download page. If you find any bugs please let me know by using the built in reporting system under the Help menu item.
Make older programs run in Windows 7
Windows 7 has many built in backwards compatibility features but a new one is the Program Compatibility troubleshooter. To run the troubleshooter follow the following steps:
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Open the Program Compatibility troubleshooter by clicking the Start button
and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type troubleshooter, and then click Troubleshooting. Under Programs, click Run programs made for previous versions of Windows. - Follow the instructions in the troubleshooter.
If you cannot install a program, insert the installation disc for the program and, using the troubleshooter, browse to the program’s setup file, usually called Setup.exe, Install.exe, or something similar. The troubleshooter is not designed to work on programs that have an .msi file name extension.
You can also open the Program Compatibility troubleshooter by right-clicking a program’s icon or shortcut and then clicking Troubleshoot compatibility.
Windows 7 system requirements
Core system requirements:
- 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
- 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
- 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
- DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
Additional requirements to use certain features:
- Internet access (fees may apply)
- Depending on resolution, video playback may require additional memory and advanced graphics hardware
- For some Windows Media Center functionality a TV tuner and additional hardware may be required
- Windows Touch and Tablet PCs require specific hardware
- HomeGroup requires a network and PCs running Windows 7
- DVD/CD authoring requires a compatible optical drive
- BitLocker requires Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2
- BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive
- Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM, an additional 15 GB of available hard disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on
- Music and sound require audio output
Product functionality and graphics may vary based on your system configuration. Some features may require advanced or additional hardware.
Restore the Quick Launch toolbar in Windows 7
One of the first things I noticed when I installed Windows 7 was the missing Quick Launch toolbar, this is mainly because the functionality has now been integrated into the main taskbar but if you desperately need it back you can follow the steps below:
- Right-click the taskbar and select Toolbars > New Toolbar
- In the folder selection dialog, enter the following string and click Select Folder:
%userprofile%AppDataRoamingMicrosoftInternet ExplorerQuick Launch
The quick launch toolbar has now been setup, to make it look like the old version you can remove the title and text associated with the icons by first unlocking the taskbar and then right-clicking the quick launch toolbar and deselecting ‘Show text’ and ‘Show title’. Whilst the taskbar is unlocked you can also rearrange to put it in your preferred place on the taskbar.
New PlayStation store content
The PlayStation store has been relaunched with the introduction of the new PSP Go, below is a list of the new PSP content at launch in the EU region.
PSP
| Beaterator | £23.99/€29.99 |
| Crush | £11.99/€14.99 |
| Exit 2 | £13.99/€17.99 |
| FIFA 10 | £29.99/€39.99 |
| Full Auto 2 Battles Lines | £11.99/€14.99 |
| God of War: Chains of Olympus | £14.99/€19.99 |
| Gottlieb Pinball Classics | £7.99/€9.99 |
| Gran Turismo | £21.99/€36.99 |
| Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories | £13.99/€17.99 |
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories | £13.99/€17.99 |
| IL2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey | £31.99/€39.99 |
| Iron Man | £11.99/€14.99 |
| Manhunt 2 | £9.99/€12.99 |
| Midnight Club 3 DUB Edition | £13.99/€17.99 |
| Midnight Club L.A. Remix | £13.99/€17.99 |
| MotorStorm Arctic Edge | £21.99/€36.99 |
| PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe | £9.99/€12.99 |
| Rock Band Unplugged (Starter Pack) | £3.19/€3.99 |
| Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny | £23.99/€29.99 |
| Thexder Neo | £6.29/€7.99 |
PSP Minis
| Alien Havoc |
You’re a pesky alien travelling to a distant planet to gather the local cows into your spaceship. The farmers, however, value their livestock and will do whatever they can to stop you.
|
£3.99/€4.99 |
| Bloons |
Pop your way through dozens of puzzling levels in this exciting puzzle adventure.
|
(£3.49/€3.99 |
| Brainpipe |
Brainpipe is a unique gaming experience where the ultimate objective is to transcend humanity. You do this by navigating the tunnels of your mind, exercising your hand-eye coordination while relishing in the funkadelic sights and sounds of your inner self.
|
£3.99/€4.99 |
| Breakquest |
Enjoy 100 fun action-packed levels, with vibrant graphics and crystal clear sound.
|
£2.49/€2.99 |
| Fieldrunners
SUBATOMIC STUDIOS |
Fieldrunners is a Tower Defense game in which you defend and control the field using a diverse selection of upgradeable towers.
|
£3.99/€4.99 |
| Fortix |
Experience a new type of strategy and arcade game as the knight Fortix, the sole hope for the desolate and tortured land of Fortiana to become the fertile land that it was before.
|
£3.49/€3.99 |
| Funky Punch |
In the unique world of Funkyville, a musical power called the Funky Flow has empowered some with amazing abilities. But Klyde has evil plans afoot and has built an army of Emoticons to do his bidding and control the flow for himself.
|
£3.49/€3.99 |
| Hero of Sparta |
As King Argos, embark on an epic odyssey from the Oracle’s Island to the depths of the Underworld. Faced with phenomenal monsters from mythology, battle like the fierce Spartan warrior you are to avoid a tragic death.
|
£3.99/€4.99 |
| Kahoots |
Guide your Kahoot to the exit of each of the 50 levels by dragging the blocks that form the floors of the platforms to create a safe path.
|
£2.49/€2.99 |
| Pinball Fantasies |
Pinball Fantasies is the official port of the classic Amiga pinball simulator originally released in 1992.
|
£3.99/€4.99 |
| Puzzle Scape Mini |
The block busting games genre is updated with power-ups and interactive 3D backgrounds, which the player builds while exploding chains of same coloured blocks.
|
£2.49/€2.99 |
| Tetris® |
One of the most popular games ever arrives on PSP for the first time with 12 unique mini-games that let you experience all-new ways to play a true classic.
|
£3.99/€4.99 |
| Vempire |
In this strategy based puzzle game, you collect artefacts and powers to tackle a series of levels and monsters. You’ll need to clear blocks of the same colour as they drop from the top of the screen, deleting the required number before time runs out.
|
£3.99/€4.99 |
Relaunched PlayStation store
The new PlayStation store has now been released and is accessible once you’ve updated Media Go to version 1.2. Upon loading you are first met with an age confirmation screen, after which you are then taken to the main store screen. It’s a lot better to navigate around than the old version and fits a lot more onto the screen. It would be handy if you could see how much the items in the Top Downloads and What’s New list were without navigating to them but definitely an improvement.
Age verification screen
New PlayStation store layout
Xfire shortcut keys
Xfire, the popular instant messaging service targeted at gamers, has various shortcut keys, for reference I’ve listed the default values below:
| Scroll Lock + X | Xfire In-Game |
| Scroll Lock + E | Edit Mode |
| Scroll Lock + C | Chat Window |
| Scroll Lock + W | Web Browser |
| Scroll Lock + S | Screenshot |
| Scroll Lock + T | Voice Chat |
You can modify the default shortcut keys by opening the Options window under Tools on the main Xfire window and then selecting the Chat tab.
How to disable real-time protection in Microsoft Security Essentials
Microsoft has just released their new free anti-virus product called Microsoft Security Essentials, it has been in public beta for a while now but just been released to the masses, I’ve only just installed it on the whole it seems as good as an anti-virus program from the makers of your operating system would be. One feature that I couldn’t easily find was how to disable the real-time protection on the fly which would be handy for when I want to play games without any interference from the real-time scanning. Currently the only way to do this is listed below:
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Open the main program window by either double clicking on the taskbar icon or running the Microsoft Security Essentials shortcut on your desktop.
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Click on the Settings tab and then click Real-time protection in the box on the left, to disable the real-time protection untick the tick box in the panel on the right and then click the Save changes button. It has now been disabled.
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Just in case you weren’t sure this was a bad thing the Home tab has now been changed to warn you that you are at risk, to turn real-time protection back on it is as simple as clicking the giant red Turn on button once you are ready.
Arrange windows side-by-side in Windows 7
Thanks to a new feature in Windows 7 you can now arrange two windows side-by-side which can be helpful when comparing documents or moving files from one folder to another.
- Drag the title bar of a window to the left or right side of the screen until an outline of the window appears.
- Release the mouse to move the window to that side of the screen.
- Repeat the steps 1 and 2 for the other window but with the opposite side of the screen.
