Although Intel Macs can run Windows 7 in Boot Camp, for most users, the easiest and most hassle-free method will be to use virtualization. This way, you can test out all the features of Windows 7, without having to dual-boot. The big pitfall for virtualization: gaming and HD-video playback, are less an issue in Windows 7 because those areas are still being tweaked and aren’t ready for prime time anyway.

The three big players out there for virtualization on the Mac are:

* VMWare Fusion
* Parallels Desktop
* Sun’s VirtualBox

I’ve installed Windows 7 in the latest version of each program and tweaked the settings to get the best results.

Here are some overall settings to keep in mind:

* You’ll want to dedicate at least 1 GB of RAM to Windows 7 Beta
* For best performance on your Mac, it helps to have at least 2 GB of RAM dedicated to OS X, so that puts total RAM in the 3 GB and up range.
* Reserve about 40 GB of HD space for your virtual machine installation. If you don’t have the space on an internal drive, you can use an external drive without a problem (that’s what I do)
* Disable 3-D graphics support, as it really isn’t working in any of the virtualization programs right now and can be buggy

VMWare Fusion 2.0

VMWare Fusion doesn’t officially support Windows 7. But it installs just fine — even in Unity mode! Note, I used VMWare Fusion 2.0.1, but I’ve read reports that VMWare Fusion 1.1.3 works with Windows 7 as well. Unity might not work correctly, but everything else should be OK. Upgrading to 2.0 is free for 1.0 customers, so if you haven’t already upgraded, you might want to take the plunge. Fusion 2.0 has some great features and it really is worth the upgrade.

Tips and Tricks:

* Remember to use Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 64-bit as the OS of choice. Easy Install works just fine as long as Windows Server 2008 is what you pick.
* Disable shared folders. There is currently a permissions issue so it’s just best to disable it. This means mirrored folders won’t work and shared applications might be buggy.
* Again, disable 3D graphics because this causes some conflicts with certain DirectX appications

Additional thoughts:

* VMWare Fusion 2.0 was the only program that performed a true “auto-install.” This means you insert the activation code in a dialog box before the installation begins and everything is pre-configured, so you can actually just step away for a few minutes and come back to a Windows 7 virtual machine.
* This also means it automatically installs VMWare Tools, which while not specifically designed for Windows 7, do stuff like enable audio and video drivers so you can resize the screen at ease, use Unity and listen to music.
* Performance was solid, but more akin to running Vista rather than running XP.
* Unity mode works, but can slow down the system. If you don’t have at least 4 GB of RAM, use Windowed mode instead.

Parallels 4.0

The latest 4.0.3810 (released today) will automatically recognize and configure Windows 7. Previous Paralells 4 builds do work with Windows 7, but the new version supports Coherence Mode and performed better in my tests.

Additional Thoughts:

* Remember to install your Parallels Tools. Both in the previous 4.0 release and in 4.0.3810, the Parallels Tools installation hung and needed to be aborted. However, in both cases, after restarting the virtual machine (which coincided with the installation of the latest Windows 7 updates), the Tools were installed and working properly.
* The latest version supports Coherence and was pretty zippy.
* The auto-configuration of the VM was also a nice touch, though you still need to manually go through the entire Windows 7 installation. In my tests, the latest build of Parallels 4 had the best performance with Windows 7 on my machine.
* All forum accounts say that Windows 7 will NOT run well under Parallels 3.0

VirtualBox 2.1.2

VirtualBox is favorite for several of my fellow-Download Squad bloggers because it is free and is becoming fairly robust. The latest build, 2.1.2, even supports Windows 7 as a guest OS out of the gate.

Tips and Tricks:

* Remember to allocate 1 GB of memory to Windows 7. VirtualBox defaults to 512, but that really isn’t enough.
* Additionally, VirtualBox recommends 20 GB of space for the virtual machine but 40 is really better. You can create an expanding drive, so only what you use now is taken up, but let the system have some room to breathe.

Additional thoughts:

* The virtual machine creation process isn’t as streamlined as Fusion or Parallels. I’m not saying it is hard to figure out, it’s just clunky.
* By default, audio and USB support are disabled. After you install Windows 7, you’ll need to manually enable them in VirtualBox’s settings.
* Despite support for guest tools (VirtualBox’s version of Parallels or VMWare Tools), resizing Windows 7’s window is still a bit slower than the other two programs.
* Overall performance was a bit lower in VirtualBox than the other two programs, at least in my tests.

VirtualBox does have a Seamless mode, I just checked it and it works. Not as slick as the other two programs, but it exists! Thanks!

To repair your PST file, you’ll have to open the Scanpst.exe utility that’s included by default with Outlook. The only problem is that there’s no shortcut to it, so you’ll have to find it in the Outlook folder.

Open up explorer and then browse down to the following folder for Outlook 2007:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12

Or one of these folders for Outlook 2003 and earlier:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033
C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033

Once you open up the utility, you’ll have to find the location of your PST file by clicking the Browse button.
It will take a while to scan the file, and you’ll get a report at the end telling you whether you have errors in the file.

Click on the Repair button, and after a while you’ll finally get the “Repair complete” message.
If you are curious what was actually repaired during the process, you’ll find a text file in the same directory as your PST file with the same name as the PST file.

1. Geeksnerds Digital Photo Recovery Software

Free Digital photo recovery software can recovers digital image files from hard disk drives, flash drives and other storage devices supporting FAT file system. It supports BMP, PNG, JPG, JPEG, GIF and Tif images and provides options for searching in Sub-folders. The best thing of it is that user can stop the process at any time of scanning process and recover the desired files, which saves lots of time.
However, this software can only recover digital image files lost due to accidental deletion.

2. AnyFound Photo Recovery

AnyFound Free Photo Recovery Software supports recovery of photos, images, pictures and snap shots photographs by accidentally deleted, lost or missed from Windows hard disk partitions and removable storage devices.
Basically, Anyfound Photo Recovery is a good free photo recovery software. One of the weak points is that it can only recover image files. If you have some video in your camera, you can do nothing about it.

3. ArtPlus Digital Photo Recovery

Free Art Plus Digital Photo Recovery Software can help you recover lost images from corrupted or accidentally formatted digital camera memory cards. And this program can read all memory cards currently available on the market.

4. Smart Image Recovery

Free Smart Image Recovery Software is an image recovery tool for deleted images restoration (jpg, gif, png) from any devices. The software is able to recover graphics even a drive was formatted or you re-write some files.
It supports OS Windows NT/XP/Vista/Windows® 7 as well.

5. PicaJet Photo Recovery

Free PicaJet Photo Recovery helps you to recover deleted or formatted images from almost any type of media cards (just like MemoryStick, CompactFlash, SecureDigital, MicroDrive, MemoryStick, etc.) used by digital cameras.

6. MjM Free photo data recovery software

This free photo recovery software will only recover jpg photographs from formatted memory cards, deleted photos or corrupt memory cards. It is unable to recover photos from memory cards that are not recognized by windows as a device.
I believe that these free photo recovery software can be helpful. And when these software can’t help you get a desirable recovery result, you need to use a cost software. The price of most cost photo recovery software is at a range from $39 to $129. I personally recommend Wondershare Photo Recovery which has a lowest price $29 and is now on discount of only $19.

A cost photo recovery software like Wondershare Photo Recovery is simple to use. It can support recovery for comprehensive picture formats from any device. And it can not only recover lost photos but also lost videos in your camera. When users are using a free demo, they can scan to preview the recoverable images and only perform purchase when they think the recovery result is satisfying.

I know photos are really important to many persons and I understand how frustrating when you accidentally lost them. Hope that with all these excellent free recovery software, everyone can find the precious memory back!

Here’s the scoop:

1. In Outlook, on the File menu, click Import and Export.
2. Click Export to a file, and then click Next.
3. Click Comma Separated Values (Windows), and then click Next.
4. In the folder list, click the Contacts folder, and then click Next.
5. Browse to the folder where you want to save the contacts as a .csv file.
6. Type a name for the exported file, and then click OK.
7. Click Next.
8. Click Finish.

That gives you a comma separate list of your Outlook Contacts. Transfer that to your new computer, then you can import them into your new version of Outlook with the following steps:

1. On the File menu, click Import and Export.
2. Click Import from another program or file, and then click Next.
3. In the list, click Comma Separated Values (Windows), and then click Next.
4. Click Browse, locate your file, and then click Next.
5. Click your Contacts folder or another folder that contains contacts, and then click Next.
6. In the list, click the file that contains your address list, and then click Map Custom Fields.

If those steps are too complicated for you, here’s the hint, just copy personal folder file from your old place into the new one.
Usually it was stored inside this folder:
C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\xxx.pst
While for outlook express it was stored in:
C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book\xxx.wab

The convenience and quality of Photofiltre’s software is comparable to other popular choices, but it has the advantage of its free program offered for download. Like basic levels of Photoshop, the program allows users to crop and edit images, as well as remove or add elements from photos and graphic images.

Basic Editing
Basic editing features with Photofiltre are virtually the same as the basic features for Paintbrush, Photoshop, and other image software programs. Cropping and resizing functions include whole and partial images and canvas or frame size. These features allow users to shrink photos or images by pixel size or crop the edges from photographs.

Basic sepia and black and white functions allow users to alter images with an antiqued appearance with a single click. Functions for adjusting photo light levels and image contrast are on par with other programs, with an easy-to-use toolbar located just above the editing field.

Editing PhotosPhotofiltre’s software includes easy steps for removing “red eye” from photographs, a welcome improvement over many digital camera software programs whose automatic correction features leave something to be desired.

The “sharpen” and “soften” features allow users to correct some focus mistakes in photos or draw out artistic details in others. The user can sharpen colors or reduce harsh lighting in some photos using features like “gamma correct”, “contrast”, and “saturation” to modify the photo’s basic appearance.

Additional Features
Photofiltre’s free software program includes additional features that enhance artistic projects. Users can frame images with beveled or layered dimensional frames, or alter the color spectrum of an image, tinting the overall aspect in shades of green or pink. Photofiltre users can also layer text directly over an image without blocking out the underlying design, choosing from a variety of fonts and shadowing effects.
Editing details within images is also possible with Photofiltre. Graphic artists can cut items directly from an image or paste others in, using the image softening function to help blur the paste effect. Users can splice pieces of the background together to fill in the gap where an item has been removed.

Although the features are less impressive than advanced software like Photofiltre, the quality is advanced from Paintbrush or basic digital camera software programs, with a simple or user-friendly format that may appeal to less experienced artists.

Advanced Possibilities
Additional features provided allow users to alter an image to resemble charcoal or pen-and-ink sketches. Users can also employ the stamp function to add pre-chosen designs to an existing image, from snowflake lines to bird-like flock of miniatures.
Professional Photofiltre software includes functions on par with advanced Photoshop techniques, including advanced features for editing and improving photographs. The free program, however, will benefit most artistic users as well or better than many basic digital software program.

Commercial photo and image editing programs don’t always come cheap. Although there are many different freeware alternatives that can be used to replicate some of the features of commercial packages, many users find that they just don’t have the same clout as the big names.

GIMP’s photo editing free software package, however, is often favourably compared to Photoshop in terms of its functionality and features.

What is GIMP?
GIMP (the GNU Image Manipulation Program) was first conceived in 1995 and has seen various version releases over the years. The software is designed to allow users to edit, compose, manipulate and retouch photos and images.

As part of the GNU free software program, GIMP is free to download and to use. Users can simply use the base program if they wish or they can extend its functionality to suit specific needs via a wide range of free plug-ins.

What Does GIMP do?
The software can do just about anything in photo and image editing terms. This may, of course, depend on the plug-ins that are downloaded and used on projects. Some users will use it for simple tasks such as retouching occasional photos. Others may use it for more complex projects such as animation production and video editing. Some of the more popular features of the program include:
• Drawing/paint tools
• Video editing capabilities
• Animation tools
• Photo retouching/enhancement
• Image/photo editing and manipulation
• File format conversions
The software works via a series of different tabs or windows which can hidden or shown as the user wishes. This can be especially useful when working on more complex projects. Initially available for Unix users GIMP can now be downloaded on to various platforms, including:
• Microsoft Windows
• Mac OS X
• Sun OpenSolaris
• FreeBSD
It can, of course, still be run on GNU/Linux operating systems as well.

The Advantages of Using GIMP
One of the main advantages to using GIMP is that it can be as simple or as complex as its user wishes. The program is easy to learn how to use yet offers the kinds of features and functions that tend to be otherwise reserved for commercial products. Unlike many other freeware photo/image editing packages this solution probably comes closest in terms of matching overall functionality to the commercial market leaders.

Cost is also a primary factor for many users trying out this kind of package for the first time. The fact that GIMP allows a user to access advanced kinds of photo/image creation, editing and manipulation tools completely free of charge may make it worth a look. Given the high costs of commercial software packages in this sector, many will try out GIMP as an alternative first so this may be worth doing.