Windows 7 Release Candidate available for download

Many of us have tested the beta of Windows 7, and I am sure we all felt the improvements it offered over Windows Vista.

And soon before Windows 7 gets ready for final release, we have Windows 7 RC available for our testing now.

One can download it at:
http://technet.microsoft.com/hi-in/evalcenter/dd353205(en-us).aspx

You need to have technet member ship in order to download. The installer (32 bit) is around 2.3gb and will install the Windows 7 Ultimate RC. Installation is fast and it is suggested to do a Clean install. So if you have Windows 7 with you (as I had), you will need to reinstall all of your softwares after installing Windows 7 RC on top of it.

The Release Candidate will definitely offer better functionality and enhancements. I am yet to try out all, will post soon as and when I find few worth mentioning.

Few of these are:

• New Login screen: quite refreshing.
• Taskbar improvements: The notifications are clear and now you can hover over the taskbar thumbnails to see the actual window. Ability to define the length of jump list items.
  
• New themes: We have some new desktop themes such as Characters, United States, Nature etc.
• XP Compatibility view: with support for XP SP1, Sp2 & SP3 modes.
• Desktop enhancements: now we can separately hide desktop icons & desktop gadgets.
  
• Improve keyboard shortcuts.
• Latest Internet Explorer 8.
  
• And many many more...
  

To find out the great features/enhancements that Windows 7 Beta offered, read here: http://shoutwithrohit.blogspot.com/2009/01/windows-7-beta-tighten-your-seat-belts.html

If you have an idea, spread it.

It was once when I was deeply obsessed with http://www.howstuffworks.com. Why? Simply because it's addictive. Once you start reading one article on this site you will forget your lunch, your dinner, your sleep. Because it's just like a sea and the deeper you dig the deeper it feels. Mind you that you will be too tempted to dig, anytime. Though used regularly in a disciplined manner can help you eat on time and can also enlighten you 'bout the minutest details of so many things. It's one of the best resources on the internet today.

And now is the time when I again feel obsessed. This time it's http://www.ted.com. Why? The answer is the same. It's addictive too.

I watched one TED video link forwarded to me today. And in just one hour from then I had watched almost 6-7 more. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It's a site which brings together the next Einsteins, the next Newtons, the next Hawkings, the next Gates, the next Berners-Lees and many more. They are people who are normal like you and like me but have given 'time & thought' to their 'thoughts & ideas'. You see the results.


Once you start watching few of these people talking 'bout their ideas you may, yes you will, start feeling inferior and will immediately ask yourself..."what have I done something unique in my life?". But believe me, It's ok to ask so because not everyone can be a Marconi or an Edison.

Albeit if you can start accumulating your ideas in smallest ways on a regular basis & give a lil of your effort on it, not to achieve something greatest but to explore it deeper. I am sure you will be amazed by your own thoughts, your own creativity, your own ideas. Few people are blessed with higher IQ levels by birth, such as Einstein with around 160 and few have even higher than him but unexplored, unknown. What needs to be done is to feel it, to explore it. So go ahead, explore your ideas. You will jump in joy by announcing, "It's a new idea!"

People close to me know that my blogs & my talks are all full of links/websites/google. There are numerous occasions when I answer as "Just Google it". Simply because I do the same too. May be because I spend huge amount of time on internet. And in a great way depend on it too. For a fact, in last 4-5 years I have spent almost half of my life on internet. Not because its a part of my job but also because I am addicted to net. Yes, you can call me Net Savvy.

Though, on a funnier (or worrying?) side If I ask Google she gives me worries for this (even though she loves me too or may be because she loves me that's why). When I ask Wikipedia it puts me in the categories of those people who need healing. It says I am affected with IAD, the Internet Addiction Disorder syndrome. Quite a thought, huh!

Whatever it is, the fact is today my life is very much around internet almost like an inseparable part of my life today. And if you ask me to imagine my self for sometime without Google, God! I will feel brain-sick instantly.

Anyways, I am sure to watch tens & hundreds of more videos on the TED site in coming few days because its compelling to the core. In case you like it go ahead exploring it, don't worry it's ok to spend sometime of yours listening to the great ideas of others. There are people who keep their ideas to themselves to amaze/surprise others in future. And then there are those who love to share their ideas with others and get unimaginable & invaluable inputs from others, which actually helps them idealize better and enlighten the mankind. Which kind you are?


Give a thought.

Just Remember, If you have an idea, spread it.

Windows 7 Beta - Tighten your seat belts, b’coz we’re going to test drive it

If you have been using Microsoft Vista, you may have found yourself stuck at many places. If you were daring enough you would find your way outs, but if you are not you would throw away Vista and switch back to the dependable Windows XP. For a normal user, Windows XP is still the most dependable o/s for their day to day use.

And if you thought Vista needs lots of improvement, than you are right. Even Microsoft thinks so. Hence, they present to us the next operating systems from their magical box, named Windows 7.

Microsoft released the Beta version of Windows 7 just a week back and people all over the world are really looking forward to it, especially those using Vista currently (me included)…for obvious reasons.

I downloaded the Beta version (.iso format) which is around 2.4 GB from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx . It’s free for public testing and that means you can get your own personalized copy. The beta expires on 1^st August, 2009. The download is originally 30 day trial (that can be rearmed to 120days later on), but if you activate it with the serial key it provides (free, ofcourse) at the time of free downloading you can use it until its dead itself.

Updates: Download of Windows 7 Beta Installer has been STOPPED since 10th Feb, 2009. Though if any of your friends/colleagues has a copy of the existing download you can still use the same. Moreover, even though the download has been revoked, you can still get your personalized serial key from the above said link.

Note: the download is done via a special Download Manager of Microsoft. This will download the installer (.iso) in an organized fashion. But if you are looking to use your favourite Download accelerators (who won’t?), you can search the direct download link for the same too. Just Google and you would have the plate full.

Anyways, I finally downloaded and waited for the weekend to arrive so that I can test drive the new operating system, promising to be better than Vista. I was excited, as always :).

Installation was quite smooth taking somewhere around 25-30 minutes Only. My laptop configuration comprised of a Dell Latitude D630, Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2.6GHz with 3GB Ram, an external USB mouse (I hate to use inbuilt mousepad!). I have multi partitioned drive with Vista Enterprise running already, so that I have the option to dual boot when needed. The installation was impressively fast. And during installation it seems to have installed all the needed drivers for the cards & chips attached to my box. It also detected my wireless modem network. The entire installation took 2 restarts before I was presented with the Login screen. The login screen, cool blue colored with Lights coming from the top ;). Nice thought Microsoft!

I login with zest. Wait! Did I boot to Vista? Lemme recheck…I see! It’s Windows 7 only. I played around with it for first 10-15 minutes and found few cool features with nice enhancements. As I have been reading & following the news about Windows 7 for quite a long time I agreed to the following statement which I had been telling myself:

"Windows 7 is NO new operating system, it’s Vista overhauled."

And I was true!

But not bad, if one can take out the pains & troubles of past operating systems, even that is worth appreciating. And afterall its just the 1^st beta as of now. In the days to come it must be followed by Beta 2 & RC1 & RC2. I am sure by that time lots will evolve into it.

Before installing Windows 7, I asked few questions to Rohit (myself):

1. Will I be able to use Windows 7 for my daily operations?
2. Will Windows 7 run all my applications, desktop & web?
3. Will I be able to do software development on Windows 7 without concerning about compatibility issues?
4. Will Windows 7 run all my hardware?
5. Will Windows 7 detect my Nokia mobile via Nokia PC Suite?
6. Will Windows 7 end the era of Blue Screens Of Death (BSOD) finally? And what ‘bout Windows Update Restart Loop?
7. What new features Windows 7 has for me?
8. And What's Missing?
   
9. Other Miscellaneous/Known Issues!
   
10. And will Windows 7 do this too, will Windows 7 do that too????

Here are my findings & my answers to the above questions:

>> 1. Will I be able to use Windows 7 for my daily operations?

Yes, as of now. As I said, its 90% (or may be more) Vista only. And as I have been using Vista for more than a year now, seems it won’t trouble me much.

>> 2. Will Windows 7 run all my applications, desktop & web?

The biggest concern, for me & for all. I started installing things (which I had been running on Vista well) one by one. As below:

1. AVG 8 Free edition: Installed flawlessly. No issues in working.


2. Microsoft Office 2007 Professional Edition: Installed successfully. Had read few people facing trouble running Excel on Windows 7, but none for me to face.


3. Microsoft Outlook 2007: Configured with my business email, working perfectly.


4. Mozilla Firefox 3.0.5: Installed well, perfect import from old instance. Extensions working well too. It has immense rendering issue. But, Pages don't render completely on screen, and to see it you have to either resize the window or scroll up/down to cause screen rendering. This causes you to see patches of old screen & new screen on the browser. Even the toolbars & buttons are improperly rendered. Even when you switch tabs, firefox switches it well, but you can still see the old tab's page on the screen giving you a confusion whether you actually tabbed. If you move your mouse over the screen then, you can see new screen in bits & pieces. All screen looks like patched. Being my favorite browser, Firefox causing major issue with Windows 7 for me. Issues!


5. Google Talk 1.0.0.104: Installed well, no issues connecting. Though when I start the Voice Call using Google Talk, it takes 5-6 seconds before it starts receiving my voice via the inbuilt microphone. Seems its taking time connecting to the microphone. Issues!


6. Yahoo Messenger 9 9.0.0.1912: Installed well, works well. Though the icons on the system tray area doesn't seem to remember its Behavior customization. I set the icon to be visible always, but it loses the setting on subsequent exit & restart. Issues!


7. VLC Player 0.9.8a: All well.


8. Winamp 5.541: All well.


9. Word Web 5: All well.


10. Irfan View 4.20: All well.


11. xPlorer 2 v 1.7.2.1: All well.


12. CutePdf writer: All well. Got added to the list of my printers and writes pdfs well as expected.


13. Unlocker: All well.


14. Internet Download Manager 5.15: All well. Recognizes browser download as expected and downloads with lightning speed, as always.


15. TradeTiger 1.0.3.6: All well. As Windows 7 has .Net Framework 3.5 inbuilt, had to apply the rscoree.dll patch, works well after wards. (Download Patch from here: http://www.sharekhan.com/tradetiger/setup.htm. Look out for the section at the bottom of the page.)
    


16. Internet Explorer 8 Beta 8.0.7000.0: Windows Vista 7 comes inbuilt with the latest version of IE 8 Beta (version 8.0.7000.0). For everyone’s knowledge IE8 is the next version of the web browser from Microsoft which hopes to take his share back from browsers like Mozilla Firefox & Google Chorme. I have been using IE8 Beta for few months already and can tell you that its really fast. Features like Bookmark toolbar, Web slices, Web Accelerators, InPrivate Browsing, etc. are worthy to look forward to. And for those site which are not compatible with IE8 rendering engine, there is Compatibility Mode you can turn on for those site. And everything else works well!


17. MS JVM: Issues! I use a website which needs MS JVM to run applet (as its not compatible with JRE). MS JVM installed well. When I run the page with the applet (untrusted!), it started to load but then it ended in an error page containing some Security warning. When I clicked on more information it said “Windows Data Execution Prevention detected an add-on trying to use system memory incorrectly. This can be caused by a malfunction or a malicious add-on.”. I tried turning DEP off for IE, but it didn’t help. I Googled if I can turn of DEP altogether and found I can. Though turning DEP is not suggested, still I wanted to know if that’s the problem. I popped up a command prompt with Administrative privileges and run the following command:

bcdedit.exe /set {current} nx AlwaysOff

I restarted the o/s and voila now the applet opens. Seems like JVM didn’t have sufficient privileges with the Windows 7 DEP settings.

To know more 'bout enabling/disabling/checking-status of DEP, please visit here:
http://vistasupport.mvps.org/disable_data_execution_prevention.htm
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/01/01/how-to-verify-data-execution-prevention-is-enabled-or-disabled-in-vista

I wasn’t still happy with DEP turned off as it’s a security hazard, so I played around the IE options and found out finally! There is one setting in IE8 under Internet Options -> Advance -> Security section -> Enable Memory Protection. Disabling it made the MS JVM Applet run without having to tweak DEP. Ahem, It’s safer now!

18. Reliance Net Connect DataCard: Read point 4 below.
    


19. Nokia PC Suite 7.1: Read point 5 below.
    
    
20. Stickies v6.0c: All well.
    
    
21. VPN: Connects well. Though it's taking much longer to connect and seems to be authenticating twice.Issues!
22. Microsoft Outlook 2007: All well. Except it too loses its system tray icon behavior setting, same as YM. Issues!
    
    

There are many other s/w that I will be installing in the coming days, as and when I need them or come across. Hope it will run as always, because if it’s compatible with Vista it shall run here too….remember it’s Vista reinvented :)

>> 3. Will I be able to do software development on Windows 7 without concerning about compatibility issues?

I setup IIS 7 and it seems to be running well on its own. I am yet to setup Visual Studio 2008, SQL Server 2005, MS Chart on my box. I hope that will work too. Because, that’s the major requirement for me being a software engineer!

• Visual Studio 2008 : All well. Proper installation & expected behavior.
• SQL Server 2005: All well, once installed. Installation into deep deep trouble. Read the section 9. Other Miscellaneous/Known Issues below.
  

>> 4. Will Windows 7 run all my hardware?

LAN printers installing & working nicely. Other than that my USB Mouse (my savior), USB thumb drives all seems to be working well. More hardware to test in future.

I installed my Reliance NetConnect datacard which is a ZTE CDMA1X MODEM. The installation seemed incomplete as it didn't prompt me to insert the dongle. I then tried to plug it in and it seemed to have been detected as a PnP device. I run the internet dialer but it failed to detect a valid modem. I tried all my luck but it remained not working. I went to my "Devices and Printers" sections of the Control Panel and show the data card modem listed with a "!" sign. I knew something was wrong, as it notified me too. I tried reinstalling by driver update but no success. Again I tried to do driver update and this time let it search windows online update directly, it found 0.5mb of update! I knew thats the thing, the fish is caught. I let it update & as expected it works now. Bravo Microsoft!

I also use the broadband connection at home via a wireless modem. It uses PPPOE protocol to connect. But seems that the PPPOE connection that I use to connect to my broadband, is comparatively slower during initial dialing phase. It takes 5-6 seconds more compared to what it used to take in Vista, before it starts checking the login credentials. But once logged in & connected, its flawless. 5-6 seconds just once every connection is bearable enough.

>> 5. Will Windows 7 detect my Nokia mobile via Nokia PC Suite?

Issues!

This was trivial. Still, I run the Nokia PC Suite installer and Arghh..it says “Operating System not supported”. Seems like the installer explicitly checks for the OS name & version. Anyways, I did the workaround…I changed it’s compatibility to Windows Vista and run again. It ran this time. I plugged in the USB cable CA-42 and connected my Symbian S60 V3 mobile. It detected well and I can see my mobile in the explorer well, along with the memory card within.

At last, it worked well by changing the Compatibility Mode. For quick reference, to change compatibility to any program, right click to its exe of its shortcut, go to its properties->compatibility tab and set compatibility to a lower version of operating system. So the next time its run, it will assume itself to be working in the set operating system.

Still, as desired it should run without tweaking the compatibility and it will only happen once Windows 7 is finally released and Nokia provides the software for the latest platform.

>> 6. Will Windows 7 end the era of Blue Screens Of Death (BSOD) finally? And what ‘bout Windows Update Restart Loop?

On my Vista instance I get BSOD quite frequently, may be its because it seems not to be compatible with my laptop hardware. But since I have been running Windows 7, I have not faced even a single one. And that’s something I can WOW about.
[Update]
Life isn't as easier as it seems :). Got 2 Blue Screen back to back just 3 days after installing. Seemed to be some issues during operations (cut/copy/paste/share) with file path more than 256 characters. And once the BSOD started, it is approaching count of a dozen. Not bad though, still fewer than with Vista.

On windows update during Vista there was once a time when update got stuck in a loop of restarting, that was a known bug for Microsoft. They released patch for it successfully. As for Windows 7, I tried windows update once which provided with 3 updates, one for Windows 7 client, one for my Broadcom network card & one for my Reliance datacard. I installed and it asked me to shutdown. Ai Ai Sir! But it seemed to have got stuck at 30%. I waited for 20 mins and then hot reboot it impatiently. Fingers crossed, it restarted and didn’t show any issues. Windows update status was successful. May be as I had manually updated the Datacard driver previously, windows update couldn’t recognize it & got stuck overwriting it during update. Anyways no more issues after that on update, yet.

>> 7. What new features Windows 7 has for me?

This section will contain mostly the UI improvements & file/device management.

USB Install: To those notebook owners who miss Disk drives in their box, you can now install Windows 7 right from your USB disk. Just copy the files from the installer ISO to the USB drive & your machine will boot from it straightaway! I haven't tried it myself though, but the following link may be of your use (not tested though!):
http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7vista-from-usb-drive-detailed-100-working-guide

Windows Boot: You get a brand new bright animated logo :) Welcome to Microsoft!

Desktop: It seems as it was in Vista. By default it comes with a background featuring the blue fish with bubbles coming out. Nice. Now there is a story behind why there is a Fish on the desktop by default. The fish featured is called Siamese which is a Fish found in Thailand. Interestingly its also referred as "Betta" Fish. And now as the Windows 7 is in Betta (read Beta) phase, may be this fish resembles it the best! :-)
Added things for desktop contains ability to have a set of wallpapers which can shuffle within itself every xx minutes or when demanded. Just right click on the desktop and select “Next Desktop Background Picture” if it’s available. By default it changes every 30 minutes.

Taskbar: Taskbar icons are neatly organized. Hovering over them shows the thumbnails of the running programs and its a real pie to the eye.

Themes: Windows 7 comes with inbuilt o/s themes. Just right click on desktop and select Personalize, you can see few readymade sets of themes. You can set the Windows Color scheme, background & screensavers as always. And if you need more themes, wallpapers, etc. you can get it online free of cost too.

Sidebar: This proved to be a major resource hog in Vista. And hence when you run Windows 7 you don’t find it. Did Microsoft remove it? Nopes. It’s running but it’s not docked to the right hand corner of your screen. When you right click on your desktop you get an option called Gadgets that will enable you to add the old loved gadgets. And, now these gadgets can float anywhere by default.

It seemed to be working for me, bur for last few reboots clicking on Gadgets do nothing! I run the Sidebar.exe myself, but seems it’s broken for some reasons. Issues!

Updates/Fix: As said, the User Access Control is somehow controlling the Gadgets too. So, if you have put UAC off (As most of us do!), Gadgets will disappear too! So, in order to see the Gadgets put the UAC to the lowest level and it should work. Still for me it didn't work and finally had to hack the UAC Superseeding Gadgets via registry.
Open regedit and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Sidebar\Settings
Create a DWORD called AllowElevatedProcess and set the value as 1. Close the registry editor and you can see your gadgets even if the UAC is off! Phew!

Start Menu & Task Bar: Task bar has gone smarter by grouping the programs in a better way. And if you feel like opening a fresh instance of the running program, just middle click or shift+click on its icon in the task bar.

If you right click on any icon on the taskbar, you can see the history of related items open/run in the past. Microsoft calls this feature "Jump Lists". Its accessible also with the items pinned to the Start Menu. Now this is major privacy concern, because this can leave you with unwanted spies. And you can’t really put this off on per application basis. Though if you would like to disable it you can uncheck the option labeled "Store and Display Recently Opened Items in the Start menu and the taskbar" available under the Start Menu tab of the Task Bar & Start Menu Properties. This will remove the history for all the icons in the task bar & start menu and also clear the Rent Items list the moment you click on Apply/Ok. Though if you are only interested in clearning the Jump Lists once....uncheck the "Store and Display Recently Opened Items in the Start menu and the taskbar" checkbox then click on Apply (this clears all the lists), now Check it again & do Apply/Ok (this will again enable the feature for future lists). Take your pick.

Quick Launch: It seems to have gone smarter too but people at first will find it difficult as it iconize all open programs. And when you run one of those in the quick launch bar, it gets shaded with a bright square. But its still iconized. When you open more than one instances of the same program, you still see just 1 icon. When you hover over the icon, you see the thumbnails of the running instance(s) from there you can switch to one. And in case you want the old behavior of getting full length taskbar icons with its title visible, you can customize it using Start Menu properties. In the properties window, select Taskbar buttons dropdown from the Taskbar tab and change it to “Combine when taskbar is full”. I feel it should be the default o/s setting.

Show Desktop: You will suddenly find Show Desktop icon missing from the quick launch. It’s not missing, it’s relocated. If you watch closely you can see a small button (blank) on the right most corner of the task bar (next to the system clock). Clicking on that shows the desktop. And if you just hover your mouse over that button for few seconds, you can preview the desktop right away, the feature is called “Desktop Preview”. For those who are keyboard savvy like me, just press WinKey+Space to get the same.

System Task Area: The icons on the system tasks area used to be expanded with “<<” button, now they are visible by an up arrow like this “^”. Clicking on it will show a small window with hidden icons. Customizing icons is easier too now.

Libraries: Windows 7 introduces a feature called “Libraries” that can group together many locations under one virtual name. This is a cool feature which helps organize your files. Lets say for example you keep your photos in two locations one at “C:\FamilyPics” and another at “D:\Office Snaps”. Now you can create a Library named “My Pics” and add these folders to the library for easy access at one place. Nice feature. And the shortcut to get to the Libraries “Win+E”. Issues!

Updates/Fix: Finally Found the solution for Win+E Key. Thanks to the TechNet Forums & HowToGeek.com.
Read here:
http://www.howtogeek.com/forum/topic/in-windows-7-how-can-i-make-wine-open-my-computer-and-not-libraries

& just download & run this exe (checked..it works!):
http://www.howtogeek.com/geekers/WinE-MyComputer.exe
Make sure to copy this to your Startup folder so that this gets executed every time your machine starts. Just copy and paste this exe (or its shortcut) to your user startup folder. You can find your startup folder at:
:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Though when you click on Windows Explorer under Accessories or the Icon pinned to your task bar it still opens the Library section. Thankfully some hack is available to help you breath easy. If you want to open your My Computer...right click on it and select Properties. Under the Target box type the following:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /root,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
And apply. The next time you click that icon on your task bar, you will be right in your My Computer screen.

Start Menu Search: It has gone better & faster. And as program names & file names can be longer, when you start typing for search the start menu gives more space than before for search results.

Network Connections: The network connections icon in the system task area is worth appreciating as it groups all existing connections at one place and facilitates quick connect/disconnect.

File Management: Seems good enough. One good feature is very useful, when you try to delete/move/rename a file being used in some programs, Windows 7 shows you the File In Use window and tells you the name of the program which is using it. I used to depend on Unlocker for this, seems some relief for it.

User Interface: It has improved greatly without putting much pressure on your CPU & hardware. All windows and menus have drop shadow. User Interface & graphic effects are really seamless & a real pleasure to eyes.

Though at times I found my task bar & windows title bar with continuously flickering black patches. Opening Start Menu once cleared the patches. Seems like some rendering issue. Issues!

Send Feedback: As Windows 7 is in Beta stage, it assumes feedback. Hence, to make it easy almost every window contains a link called “Send Feedback” on the top right corner. When you click, it collects the system info and lets you provide more feedback with rating. If you are wondering what it collects, it notes down your o/s version, list of All the software installed, etc. in an xml format. I have been providing lots of feedback as and when I find. Please do so as it will make this o/s better when it comes out in its final release.

Ribboned Interface: The ribboned interface got popular with the Office 2007. And seems like Microsoft is all game to extend it. The applications such as Microsoft Paint, Wordpad now features Ribbon Interface. For those who are tech-savvy, it's good to know applications like these and even Calculator etc. uses WPF now.

Screen Zooming: Windows 7 comes inbuilt with screen Zooming features now. I used to use softwares like Zoomit for it (though I still use it for all other great features it offers), but now if you need a quick Zoom just pres WinKey and +. It also provides you with a quick toolbar for more other features, "Preview full screen" is very useful during zooming.

Window Docking: Windows 7 has one neat feature which allows you to dock any window on the screen occupying the left half/right half/entire screen. Just drag a window on the top/left/right corners and you can see an animated rectangle appearing, which suggests docking. It's really cool as it helps you manage window size easily. And the best part, it has shortcut keys for most of it! Windows+LeftArrow, Windows+RightArrow, Windows+UpArrow, Windows+DownArrow. Very useful. Another pleasant but surprising feature is "hide all windows but this". How it works is just hold the title bar of a window and shake it with your mouse. All the other windows in the background will be hidden, shake it again and they are back. Useful when you are discussing something with others, and want to quickly hide windows. Windows+Hone is the shortcut key for this, in case you need it quick.

Windows Disk Image Burner: Whenever we download a big application installer/operating-system-installer, we generally get it in the form of an .iso file, which is a DVD/CD disk image. And in order to use the files in it, we either need to burn it to a CD/DVD using an external buring software which can read .iso (I use Nero for it) or we need some .iso mounting software which can create a virtual drive from the files in the .iso (I use VirtualCloneDrive for it). But now with Windows 7, I can directly Burn an .iso with the inbuilt Disk Image Burner. Though it doesn't support creating a virtual disc but it's quite handy when you quickly need to burn an .iso to an optical drive.

The Problem Recorder: Now this is a real smart tool. If you ever need to send out help-ticket to your IT help desk or needed to show if something is not working on your box, you would prefer if you could just record & send the video or the screen shots. The Problem Recorder is just for that. Type record problem in the Start menu search and select "Record steps to reprodce a problem". The window that opens provides the Start Recording, once you click on that Windows 7 starts recording your mouse & keyboard. You can see that when you do a mouse click, a red dot flashes telling that your mouse click is recorded. You can also add comments during the steps recording. Click on Add comment and just type in addition details. Once done click on Stop Record. Wow! It lets you save the recording in Zip format which will include NOT video but ScreenShots so that it can be quickly seen without needing a media player by the IT help desk. This can be real handy! You can tweak the recording using the Settings option.

System Recovery Disk Creation: It happens at times when the operating system doesn't load and you are lead to doing System Restore, and for that you may need a bootable windows disk. Now Windows 7 can help you create in just few clicks. Type "repair" in Start Menu search and you will get the utility. Very handy and a life saver for me.


To find more 'bout what's new in Windows 7 visit http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/whats-new.aspx

>> 8.And What's Missing?

Issues! (actually)

Now this is a surprising section. I always knew that with Windows 7 I will get more than what I get in Vista. But I wasn't expecting few of the tools missing. Here is a small list, which I could find out:

Windows Movie Maker: No more available out of the box.
Windows Photo Gallery: No more available out of the box.
Windows Mail/Live: No more available out of the box.
InkBall Game: No more available out of the box. My cousin used to love this! (I am yet to find a Microsoft download link for that)
Windows Calender: No more available out of the box, as it was available in Vista. (which was said to be a replica of Mac iCal).

(may be few more to be discovered)

In Vista, the above mentioned softwares were available as a part of the o/s installation but with Windows 7 its not. Thankfully they are free tools and can be downloaded from http://download.live.com. Still that means an additional download of some good 100s of MBs. The web installer can be used to install the above and also Windows Writer, Windows Messenger, etc.


>> 9. Other Miscellaneous/Known Issues.

Issues! Issues! Issues!

Working with Windows 7 is being really an enjoyable feeling. And as it is in Beta stage, it pops out its head saying "I got you!" :) Few other issues face are:

Dual Booting with XP: I installed Windows 7 on my laptop which was already running Windows Vista, it worked well. The Dual booting works as desired. I then also installed Windows 7 on another laptop which was running Windows XP SP2 as the primary operating system. The installation was good. And as expected Windows 7 became the deafult during the o/s selection screen. I was able to select one or other during boot. Then I tried to make Windows XP the default o/s during boot so I went to System Configuration (Start->Run->msconfig). Voila! I just had Windows 7 in the Boot menu list. And that means I could change the deafult o/s. I immediately thought, did I lose XP? I rebooted. Selected Windows XP. It booted. Windows XP started. I took a sigh of relief. I went to System Configuration in XP. Voila Again! I had only Windows XP in the Boot menu list. This has left me in state of surprise. It not only means that I have to manually select Windows XP during boot, but it made me realize that its a bug with Windows 7, I hope. I tried a lil to edit the boot.ini manually but I just could not find more than one o/s in the list. This is really strange and definitely an Issue!

Windows Installer Crash: This came out as a big headache. I was installing SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition and it failed as there was some clash with SQL Express which got installed with Visual Studio 2008. I thought of uninstalling the SQL Express, I couldn't. I tried uninstalling Visual Studio 2008, it could not even. The uninstallation broke prematurely with an error "Windows Installator has stopped working". I knew it was the Beta effect. I went to the Event Viewer and looked at the entries. It reported "Faulting application name: msiexec.exe, Faulting module name: ntdll.dll". I realized something wrong with MsiInstaller. As always, I Googled! After searching for 10/15 minutes and trying few unsuccesful tweakings I found the solution. The MSIInstaller had issues. And as per the articles I read it made me feel that due to some reasons Windows had marked MSIInstaller as "Suspended". And hence no new installation/uninstallation could be performed.
Solution? 100%. Time for some registry tweakings. Here is what one has to do:
Open registry editor (Start->Run->Regedit).
Navigate to the following node:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\SQMClient\Windows\Disabled Sessions
You will find a DWord named as "MachineThrottling". This key is supposed to store some inforation of suspended applications (as far as I could understand).
Just rename it to something else (such as MachineThrottling_Old, etc) or delete is straight away. If you like to play safe, take a key backup before it.
That's all of it. I rn the installer for SQL Server again and it worked like a charm!

Desktop Window Manager/Display Driver breaking: It happens out of no where. Suddenly during working I see my screen resolution changing to 800 by 600, everything looks like a mammoth on screen & the screen color goes all messy. The system pops me an error saying that DWM has stopped working due to insufficient privileges. Even sometime the machine gets logged off. But clicking on Screen Resolution and selecting a higher setting resets all to one pleasant look. Ahem! Seems like something wrong with DWM and/or Graphic Driver.

>> 10. And will Windows 7 do this too, will Windows 7 do that too???

This & that….will keep popping up in my mind as usual. Interesting to see how do they fair. Will keep you updated.

So, that’s all on this post as of now. I can see it’s already so big, and it’s gotta be bigger.

Let me know if you find good features or face some issues with Windows 7. And remember to Send Feedback regularly, if any.

More to come soon about my experiene with Windows 7. Either I will update this post or will start a new one.

If you want to know more ‘bout Windows 7, visit now: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/

And are you ready for the this news? If rumors are to be believed, Microsoft is already working on Windows 8. :-)

Till then, happy surfing!

Cheers,

Rohit

'Mom' Is The Word.

What a lovely pic.....isn't it?

She is a Dalmatian in Leicestershire who has given birth to a possible record-breaking litter of 18 puppies. The happy mother, Button, is the daughter of a dog who starred as Dipstick in ‘102 Dalmatians’. She gave birth by a Caesarean section on December 23, 2008.

The pic depicts one of the very few reasons why Mothers are the best in this world. Just look at her face, she is one proud mother, like always.

And if you are one of those who think that only humans have care & concern for their young, try taking away one of the pups and you will be running for your life. I bet.

Love Is A Mother’s Gift

When God made mothers, He took great care
To fill their hearts with love so rare.
Their children are their greatest prize;
You can see the great love in your mother’s eyes.

Love, love is a mother’s gift
To their precious children, their hearts to lift.
Warm, tender and giving love
That grows them up healthy and happy.

Thank you, mother for all you give
To help me grow and to help me live.
I will love you forevermore,
My mother, my mom, whom I adore.

Love, love is a mother’s gift
To their precious children, their hearts to lift.
Warm, tender and giving love
That grows us up healthy and happy.

By Joanna Fuchs

Those Were Days! vis-à-vis Today. A walk down memory lane...

Bittu, wake up its time to get ready for school.

Me: Yes, 5minutes.

10minutes later…

Bittu, wake up, its getting late.

Me: yes, 2minutes more.

5minutes later…

Bitttuuuuuu!

Me: YES I got up.

Then getting ready, and going to school. The school prayer starts with joined hands. The class teacher starts attendance…”Yes, Madam”. Bell rings, hurray the class is over and for that 2mins break between periods the class turns into a vegetable market. Onion, Potato, Tomato and everything else seems to be selling. The 2^nd class starts…and this goes until lunch time. Mamaji (uncle) comes with a flask of hot milk & lunch. I was hungry. Lunch finishes. And then 15minutes of running & plying here and there. The 2^nd half resumes with a longing to get back home soon. The final bell……………..WOW! School is over, everyone is pumped up to go home. Mamaji arrives to pick me home. And here I was, one happy kid after the school.

Those were days! The beautiful primary school days.

Reaching home, changing in a jiffy and running to the field to play. Everyone was there waiting for each other and then the games starts. And what a variety, starting from Cricket to Gilli-danda to Kanche to Kho Kho to Aais Pais to Football to Pittoh to Patang Udana, anything you can name!

Dusk time and someone from the home comes calling, “Bittu come, its time”…yes you guessed it right, again the 5-minute-request ;) Finally, returning home with dirty cloths, why not? Stare from guardians, must have! It happens when you are child…child from every bit of your heart, mind & body.

Late evening….dinner & studying & television & preparing school bag for the next day. Finally a glass of milk & time to sleep. Zzzz.

Then came the High school days, a little grown up, going school alone, eating lunch by own & coming back on own too. Waking up on time and that means No more 5 minutes more requests L. After school is over coming back on my own, either early or a late by 10-15 minutes, because that was Ok then. Someone had grown up. Dirty cloths, not really. Even if it is sometimes, its ok, no stares from anyone.

The after school period was followed by Cricket, mostly. Cricket was one of the most loved games for all of us, and the days when it rained we had to have another game and did we have to think? NO! We can play football in water…eeshhhhhhhh….cloths all dirty but we used to love it, because we were all game. Then comes the Atchoo!…if you play in rain, you got to catch cold! But its ok too!

Those were days, really!

I remember on the result day in primary school, I used to be so excited that I will be called on stage to collect the annual result. My Nanaji, Mamaji will be there watching me from the crowd. And when the result is announced in reverse order, you have all the reasons to be the most happiest to be called last. God, that was the best feelings of the entire school life.

Monitoring the class, leading the school parade, taking parts in cultural programs, singing, acting, laughing…OMG! Those days will never come back.

Then came the college life, a college which I visited only 3 times or may be 4 in the entire 2 years. For collecting library card, depositing fee, filling up form & finally for collecting result. Previously every day school attendance was important, college changed that habit. One is a master of his own will, go or not go, even if you go you can hang out everywhere else but the class room. It was boring like hell. Things had changed. Nothing of that time is memorable; really, it was nothing more than a phase of growing up.

Then coming to Kolkata, getting into computer training classes....yes that was a lil fun, a lil…but it was not to last long either. It got over. First job…and then started the routine hours, routine life, routine thoughts. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy…made Rohit too. 3.5+ year of dullness. And that’s enough reason to miss the childhood today. A phase of life when everything was free, everything was open, every mistake was acceptable because that was a phase of grow-‘ing’ & learn-‘ing’. Aha….now it’s ‘grown’ and ‘learnt’. And that means no mistakes, no irresponsible act, no childishness….Ahem.

Some vis-à-vis:

Previously I used to ask…”Mausi, tomorrow is Sunday, I can sleep a lil longer na?”. And that one extra hour of sleep on Sunday was relaxing, real relaxing. Now, no one to calls me, “Bittu wake up.” I can sleep as long as I want and as long as I can. But its relaxing a bit. It’s just a drag. And on the weekdays the “Bittu wake up” is converted into the alarm bell and the 5-minutes-more request into Snooze.

Previously a long vacation meant a real long one. One month of summer vacation, one month long just imagine. I used to go to my parents in Deoghar (yes I am brought up at my Nanaji’s place….that’s another story). And I used to enjoy the vacations like anything, never wishing it to get over. Now…vacations means Sat & Sun, which comes every week and it has become such a part of life that it has no such special longing for. It comes & it goes away. A one month vacation….its not even in dreams now.

Previously I used to wait for the 1^st week of every month to go to the news-stand and collect a copy of Champak/Nanhe Samrat/Suman Saurabh/Nandan. That 5/- or 10/- book meant the world of information & entertainment for the days to follow. Today it’s the e-subscription, e-book, e-magazine, e-news & e-paper that informs me ‘bout happenings all around. See even Champak has an online version. What else? I remember previously I was so much into watching television, that even while studying in the room it used to be running. Today, I hate to watch television that’s why I don’t keep one.

Previously going to movie in a theater used to come very rare, may be once a year or two. And the tempo used to rise from many days before it. Wow, I am going to a theater! But today I am sitting amongst 10-12 cinema halls in 1km radius from my place. And it causes no tempo. The 1 samosa & gold spot in the interval of previous days are replaced with a bunch of popcorn, packed chips, canned cola (diet one mind you), etc. More than what we expend on movie tickets, twice of that goes in the eating between interval today making movie becomes less important than the other stuffs around. The money has lost its value too.

Previously 1 Re. means 20 toffees or 1 packet of colored saunf (fennel seeds) or 2 orange icecreams or 6 puchkas (just imagine 6pcs. in 1Re.). These things today take lots of bucks, may be tens or hundreds, still it doesn’t taste the same. Not even a bit.

Previously we used to play Ludo, Saanp Sidhi and winning in those were much more pleasant than winning a lawn tennis match or motor biking. Clearing one level of Mario to get closer to queen was much more celebrating than finishing a game on Xbox/PS3. Winning in Business game was much more strategic than the Age of Empires or any multi player online game.

Previous we used to wait for a week to watch Rangoli/Chitrahaar on DD National channel. It was one of the only few musical programs of the week. Today, there are tens of music channels running 24x7. Previously the national channel (Doordarshan) used to start at a fixed time in the morning (if I remember correctly it was around 5am) till 12pm around once, then two hours of break with the most famous striped rainbow idle screen. That used to give some time to rest for us too. But today, there are no breaks, no interruptions and channels boast their 24x7 availability, unknowingly leaving us with no implicit breaks for other things. Previously a breaking news meant a highly important one, today every news is a breaking news.!

Previously lunch & dinner had special charm. I remember I used to quest for dishes at home. Plz plz plz make chaat today, how about idli-dosa, its been so long I haven’t tasted a cake please make it today Mausi, naan also! Now…everything is all around, in Shops, and its charmless. Nothing charms like before. Nothing tastes like before. Yes I miss my home, Yes I miss my family. But I can’t do anything else than missing, for life has changed.

Previously a birthday celebration meant the whole world’s blessings. Gathering of friends at home with Gifts (those were the most awaited things of the entire day), getting real birthday cards by snail mails (yes real, so real that you can touch & feel them), cutting cake with everyone clapping around…That is the real kind of celebration. But today, a birthday means few emails from friends, few sms-es, few scraps, few calls, an official happy birthday mail from your HR, ‘few’ colleagues coming and wishing you (obviously after reading the mail only)…that’s it! And in case you happen to throw a birthday party, its more of a get together to show off your attire & to talk everything else other than the reason of party. Where previous birthday parties were followed by opening of gifts most curiously, now its followed by paying the bills with a sigh.

Am I complaining my current life? Yes, I am. Because when I think of today everything looks cosmetic. But then…whats the use complaining? Because at the end of the day, you have got to live this only. That’s how the scenario is today. Never mind.

There are so so many other things I can mention b’coz the list is endless but I will end here by saying the following lines:

“Kahwa gail ladikaiyan ho tani humke bata da,

hum ta padi tohri paiyan ho tani humke bata da”.

It means “Please tell me where my childhood has gone, I beg you please tell me where my childhood has gone.” It’s a lovely Bhojpuri song, which drags you back into your childhood days. I know it’s not possible to go back into your sweet childhood days again, but you can definitely cheer your life with those lovely memories. I am trying too.

"ye daulat bhii le lo, ye shoharat bhii le lo
bhale chhiin lo mujhase merii javaanii
magar mujhako lautaa do bachapan kaa saavan
vo kaagaz kii kashtii, vo baarish kaa paanii"

A very famous gazal by Jagjit Singh, talking 'bout longing the childhood.

Below is an excerpt taken off my mail box and it’s absolutely correct. I know I know that reading it once/twice will make you miss your old days, but trust me its ok to miss those days & cry a lil. And yes, remember….“You are never grown up enough to be childish sometimes”.

With sweet memories in heart & its cool feelings in eyes.!

Rohit

----------------

When Gulli-Danda & Kanche (marbles) were more popular than cricket.
When we always had friends to play aais-paais (I Spy), chhepan-chhepai
& pitthoo anytime ... When we desperately waited for 'Yeh Jo Hai
Jindagi' (Doordarshan serial)
When chitrahaar, vikram-baitaal, Dada Daadi Ki Kahaniyaan were so fulfilling.
When there was just one Tv in every five houses and...
When Bisleris were not sold in the trains and we were worrying if papas will get back into the train in time or not when they were getting down at stations to fill up the water bottle ...
When we were going to bed by 9.00pm sharp except for the 'Yeh Jo Hai Jindagi' day ...
When Holis & Diwalis meant mostly hand-made pakwaans and sweets and moms seeking our help while preparing them ...
When Maths teachers were not worried of our Mummies and papas while slapping/beating us ...
When we were exchanging comics and stamps and Chacha-Chaudaris & Billus were our heroes ...
When we were in Nanihaals every summer and loved flying kites and plucking and eating unripe mangoes and leechies ...
When one movie every Sunday evening on television was more than asked for and 'ek do teen chaar' and 'Rajani' inspired us ...
When 50 paisa meant at least 10 toffees ...
When left over pages of the last years notebooks were used for rough work or even fair work ...
When 'Chelpark' and 'Natraaj' were encouraged against 'Reynolds
& family' ...
When the first rain meant getting drenched and playing in water and mud and making 'kaagaj ki kishtis' ...
When there were no phones to tell friends that we will be at their homes at six in the evening ...
When our parents always had 15 paise blue colored 'Antardesis' and 5 paise machli wale stamps at home ...
When we remembered tens of jokes and were not finding 'ice-cream & papa' type jokes foolish enough to stop us from laughing ...
When we were not seeing patakhes on Diwalis and gulaals on
Holis as air and noise polluting or allergic agents ...
The list can be endless ...
On the serious note I would like to summarize with ...
When we were using our hearts more than our brains, even for scientifically brainy activities like 'thinking' and 'deciding' ...
When we were crying and laughing more often, more openly and more sincerely ..
When we were enjoying our present more than worrying about our future ...
When being emotional was not synonymous to being weak ...
When sharing worries and happiness didn't mean getting vulnerable to the listener ...
When blacks and whites were the favorite colors instead of greys ...
When journeys also were important and not just the destinations ...
When life was a passenger's sleeper giving enough time and opportunity to enjoy the sceneries from its open and transparent glass windows instead of some
super fast's second ac with its curtained, closed and dark windows ...
I really miss them…don't You?

Everyone deserves a Smile. Cause one Today!

Smiling is contagious,

you catch it like the flu,

When someone smiled at me today,

I started smiling too.

I passed around the corner,

and someone saw my grin,

When he smiled I realized,

I'd passed it on to him.

I thought about that smile,

then I realized its worth,

A single smile, just like mine,

could travel round the earth.

So, if you feel a smile begin,

don't leave it undetected,

Let's start an epidemic quick

and get the world infected!!!
- - -

This post is for those unlucky people who are out there 'just living their life everyday' or I can say, 'waiting for the death to touch them'. It sounds loud, but the reality is even louder.

Every day when we walk out on the road, running step by step with everyone...somewhere 'besides' the crowd is one of those people waiting for others to feed. There is one such kid trying to attract people by hitting the ground with one hand and raising the other for someone to fill. There is one such person with missing limbs lying on the ground and calling people by shivering his body continuously. There is one mother with her toddler on the lap trying to collect enough money for eating so that she can breastfeed. People call them 'The Beggars'. I dissent. Can we better call them "The Needies"?

We shall be thankful to god for blessing us with at least that much so that we can keep ourselves up & running. We shall be happy that we have a family and we can support it. We shall be happy that at the end of the day when we go to the bed our stomachs are full. We shall be thankful that we don't worry every night 'bout how will we stand the next day without any food in reserve, without a shelter on the head and without any cloths on the body. We are heavenly blessed.

But then there are people who are not blessed the same way. They are under-privileged and most of the time ill behaved too. It's a phenomenon that at times when there is one needy person on our doors we tend to close it with force, yelling at the needy not to come again as if s/he committed a big crime by knocking. When there is someone tapping on our car window, we pretend not to give any attention and wishing him/her to move away. When there is a fund raising for the needies/the-flood-affected/the-natural-calamity-affected we alibi for running low on finances. Who is asking you your entire fortune? All that is expected from you is a small help, a very nominal help; and for the needies...it can make their day!

Can't we stop smoking for a day and use the same for someone's meal for a day? Can't we spend a lil less on tobacco for someone's warmth in the winter? Can't we skip a cup of coffee in a swish cafe just to stop someone from crying out of starvation? And then when there is a celebrity show, when there is a cricket/tennis/football match, when there is a cozy late night dance party we don't give a damn to think twice before nodding, "Count me In, I am all game!". I understand it's important for you too, I understand you want to live & enjoy your life, you have full right too...but what's the harm if you can make someone at least live, let alone enjoy, few moments?

If every one of us starts helping the needies in one's own possible way, we can make world a better place to live. Start with "Help 1 person every day" routine and you will see the difference. Not just that the one you helped will bless you or will make your day with his/her smile every time you pass by but you yourself will feel proud the entire day. Just give a try, I am sure you will feel good. We can spend a hundred bucks for just 2-3 hours of pleasure by going to movies; can't we spend just a couple of bucks for a day long pleasant feeling also?

And remember, Helping is not only in the form of money. There are people who need love & affection more than money. Because this will make them feel valued, make them feel proud. You can help them heal their miseries by being a bandage sometimes.

Merriam-Webster defines 'Needy' as:

1 : being in want : poverty-stricken

2 : marked by want of affection, attention, or emotional support

Hope you can understand that need comes in various ways, forms & volumes.

Don't we see so many small children wandering on the street everyday? What do you think the future has for them? No education, not enough cloths on the body, half eaten and full starving, wounded & beaten. Can't you just help one?

And you don't need to ask "All is fine, but how do I start with?". You don't need to ask anyone how to help others. If you want you can start with the routine: "The first needy person I see every day, I will help him/her in any way I can." Isn't that easy? And if you want to be a part of a larger group who does that, there are many NGOs you can get attached to.

I am also in a lil touch (though virtually, not physically) with one such NGO called "Neev". They are mostly into helping the little children in and around Kokata. They prefer calling the children "Flowers", ain’t it true? And then there is another one I was talking to, it's named "Janhit Foundation". They are into Child helpline, Water Conservation, Water quality maintenance, sustainable agriculture, violation of human rights, environmental education, etc.

I know the images above are heart paining and they will continue to be such until we start willing to make a change, in one’s small way. And if we do, the world will smile together, see:

Everyone loves to be loved and needs to be needed. How True!

So, What are you waiting for, won't you like to cause a smile today?

A Martyr Dies in The Ear - The Epilogue

This continues my last post A Martyr Dies in The Ear.

Lacy was alive!

Yes. Last night as I was trying the home made therapies, things changed. I had poured some Mustard oil and after 2 hours of it tried with an ear bud to see if I can drag her dead body (as perceived). But I couldn’t. The ear was paining so much that I could not try more. The ear felt sick. I got strained. I thought, "Why me"? I was getting tensed.

Then I warmed a bucket full of water. Once it was lukewarm hot, I got up my place with a lil heavy heart, water bucket in my hand. Felt like I am going for a war and the bucket in my hand is the only ammunition I have to fight the enemies with. I held the faith that things will improve. But how can it? I wasn’t an ENT myself!

I took a mug full of water, tilt my head left and started to pour slowly. My heart was praying. I continued. I heard a ripple. Voila! I couldn’t believe my eyes. She dropped into the bucket and she was Alive. Was she?

For a second I thought that it’s some other fly, I looked around; there was nothing else but silence. I don’t have such insects at my place. Even when this incident happened last night, I was at one of my relative’s place.

I was sitting there, as one dumbfounded person, thinking of the stupidity of taking this carelessly. What if she was an insect with stings? What if she had bit me? What if she had crawled into my brain via my ear drums? What if she had multiplied herself? Phew! All the scary feelings came in a fraction of second and I was all wide eyes, frozen.

Lacy was fluttering her wings in the bucket, trying to come out. She couldn’t fly, she was inept. I tried to take her out on my finger. I could. There she was, resting on my finger silently. She wasn’t moving. I whispered to her, “Hello there! Can you hear me?” No one replied. I tried to shake her gently, she was unmoved. She had died, for the second time. And this time it was for sure.

For few seconds I thanked God to keep one innocent creature alive. Though, I was more worried seeing her alive than what I was when she was there dancing in my ears. May be she was so handicapped by the warm water the other night that she lost the energy to move, let alone dance. She was scared, she didn’t move for almost 18 hours. At 11pm last night she could come out. Thanks to me, thanks to the old age therapies and thanks to Google. May be she knew that she is going to die, and this was her one last wish before death…wish to see the world with her eyes for the last time. And as soon as her wish was met, she died in peace. God bless her soul, she was a real fighter, a Martyr indeed.

And then I could sleep well last night. One sound sleep after such a long time!

I am all happy ears, once again! :)