Dish Network DTVPAL for $60 or EchoStar TR-40 for $40 
Apparently there were two products planned, the Dish Network DTVPAL for $60 and the EchoStar TR-40 for $40. The DTVPAL can now be bought online but the TR-40 has no release date yet. Also have to ponder how good the TR-40 will be, might be a waterdown version of the DTVPAL which makes it a lot less attractive. It would have been nice of EchoStar to make this information clear from the start.
Dish Network DTVPAL = $60 can be bought here
Echostar TR-40 CRA = $40 (now available) (limited edition while supplies last)
CNET review of the Dish Network DTVPAL:
The good: Excellent electronic program guide, with several days worth of data; can search for programs by title; solid video quality and reception; good aspect ratio controls for handling wide-screen programs on standard TVs; analog pass-through; can work with TV Guide On Screen devices.
The bad: Overcomplicated remote can’t control TV volume and power; no front panel buttons means you’re out of luck if the remote goes missing; composite audiovisual cable not included.
The bottom line: The Dish Network DTVPal is a great DTV converter box with a best-in-class electronic program guide and should be your top choice, unless you value the simplicity and superior remote of the RCA DTA800.
Guide Menu:
♣ continue reading Dish Network DTVPAL for $60 or EchoStar TR-40 for $40
AwesomeBar Tweak Guide
The suggestion to adjust in about:config is the key. This is where the real changes can be made, and avoids the need for extensions. I’ll list the ones relevant with a bit about the value that will achieve your most desired behavior.
browser.urlbar.maxRichResults
This setting is only really useful if you either want to remove the autocomplete function entirely, or limit the list to a shorter length on your screen real estate, now that titles are a part of the result. Setting to 0 (zero) will just stop all autocomplete results.
browser.urlbar.matchBehavior
This setting will have the greatest impact on how your results are found, regardless of what sort of results you remove from the ones available (which will be limited in following entries). I’ve not seen results as I’d expect from this setting yet, but I’m not done working with it. A setting of 0 (zero) should give you a result of finding your URLs based on what you type being anywhere in the URL or page title. A setting of 1 should result in placing of what you type anywhere in the title or URL being first, followed by the URL or title beginning with what you type. A setting of 2 should result in only showing results based on what you type being at the beginning of the URL or page title.
places.frecency.unvisitedBookmarkBonus
This preference set to 0 (zero) will remove the bookmarks you haven’t visited from your results.
places.frecency.bookmarkVisitBonus
This preference set to 0 (zero) will remove the bookmarks you have visited from your results.
places.frecency.unvisitedTypedBonus
This preference set to 0 (zero) will remove URLs that you haven’t visited from your results, but I can’t quite understand where it’s getting the URLs from based on this pref’s name. I don’t think many of us type a URL we don’t then visit. At any rate, setting this to zero should preclude some odd results you don’t want from showing up.
The Stylish Way:
Stylish Plus this: http://userstyles.org/styles/8067
Addons:
Hide Unvisited Addon: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/7429
OldBar Addon: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6227
Old Location Bar: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/7637
Location Bar Limit: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/7674
Mozilla:
How to disable the Smart Location Bar: http://support.mozilla.com/en-…the+Smart+Location+Bar
Video: Disable Firefox 3’s ‘awesome bar’: http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9971026-2.html
Vista Shell command shortcuts
To use a Shell command, all you need to do is press [Windows]+R to access the Run dialog box or the start search box, not all the shell commands work with all editions of Vista.
* shell:ChangeRemoveProgramsFolder - opens the Programs and Features (Add/Remove Programs) window.
* shell:Sendto - opens the SendTo folder so that you can easily add more locations to the Send To list.
* shell:Common Administrative Tools - opens the Administrative Tools menu as a folder
* shell:Desktop - opens the Desktop as a folder.
* shell:Downloads - opens your Downloads folder.
* shell:Quick Launch - opens the Quick Launch folder.
* shell:Searches - opens the Search folder showing all your saved searches.
other useful Shell commands:
* shell:AppUpdatesFolder - opens the Installed Windows Updates location in Program and Files.
* shell:Cache - opens Internet Explorer’s temporary Internet files folder.
* shell:CD Burning - opens the folder where Windows Vista temporarily stores files to be burned to a CD.
* shell:Common Desktop - opens the Public User’s Desktop folder.
* shell:Common Documents - opens the Public User’s Documents folder.
* shell:Common Programs - opens the Start menu shortcuts folder.
* shell:Common Start Menu - opens the Start Menu as a folder.
* shell:Common Startup - opens the Startup folder.
* shell:Common Templates - opens the Templates folder.
* shell:CommonDownloads - opens the Public User’s Downloads folder.
* shell:CommonMusic - opens the Public User’s Music folder.
* shell:CommonPictures - opens the Public User’s Pictures folder.
* shell:CommonVideo - opens the Public User’s Video folder.
* shell:ConflictFolder - opens the Sync Center Conflicts folder.
* shell:ConnectionsFolder - opens the Network Connections folder.
* shell:Contacts - opens your Contacts folder.
* shell:ControlPanelFolder - opens the Control Panel.
* shell:Cookies - opens the cookies folder
* shell:Favorites - opens your Favorites folder.
* shell:Fonts - opens Vista’s Fonts folder.
* shell:Gadgets - opens your Windows Sidebar Gadgets folder.
* shell:History - opens the Internet Explorer history folder.
* shell:InternetFolder - opens Internet Explorer.
* shell:Links - opens your Links folder location.
* shell:MyMusic - opens your Music folder.
* shell:MyPictures - opens your Pictures folder.
* shell:MyVideo - opens your Video folder.
* shell:MyComputerFolder - opens Computer window.
* shell:NetHood - opens Network Shortcuts folder.
* shell:NetworkPlacesFolder - opens the Network Places location.
* shell:Original Images - opens Windows Photo Gallery Original Images folder.
* shell:Personal - opens your Documents folder.
* shell:PhotoAlbums - opens your Slide Show folder.
* shell:Playlists - opens your Playlists folder.
* shell:PrintersFolder - opens Printers in the Control Panel.
* shell:Profile - opens your main folder.
* shell:ProgramFiles - opens the Program Files folder.
* shell:Public - opens the Public User folder.
* shell:Recent - opens the Recent Items folder.
* shell:RecycleBinFolder - opens the Recycle Bin folder.
* shell:Start Menu - opens the Start Menu folder.
* shell:Startup - opens the Startup folder
* shell:System - opens the System32 folder location.
* shell:Templates - opens the Templates folder location.
* shell:UserProfiles - opens the Users folder.
* shell:UsersFilesFolder - opens your main folder.
* shell:Windows - opens the Windows folder.
Cleanup the MSCONFIG startup listings
Cleanup the MSCONFIG startup tab listings in Windows
MSCONFIG (System Configuration Utility) is a frequently used tool to manage the startup applications. This utility, however does not have an option to delete the entries. The entry which you’ve unchecked a long time back may still show up, while the application may have been uninstalled already. To remove the invalid entries in the System Configuration utility, you need to edit the registry or use a third-party utility.
Locations of the entries in MSConfig
The enabled/checked items are populated from the following registry locations:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Run
-and-
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Windows
Values named Run & Load
The disabled entries are present in these locations:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Shared Tools \ MSConfig \ startupreg
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Shared Tools \ MSConfig \ startupfolder
To remove the entries, start the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and navigate to the above paths. Backup the key before deleting it.
