What Is Visual Studio  What can you really do with Visual Studio? James Avery discusses some of the various applications you can build using Visual Studio, some of its most compelling development features, and what you need to know to get started writing quality applications in Visual Studio. James is the author of Visual Studio Hacks.   [ONDotnet.com]

What Is a Pivot Table  Pivot tables are a hidden gem in Excel. While many otherwise experienced spreadsheet users avoid them because they seem too complicated at first glance, the real problem is that pivot tables are rarely explained properly. This article illuminates how your life will be better when you learn to use pivot tables, then walks you through how to build a basic pivot table.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

A First Look at IE 7  IE 7 is finally here, and Wei-Meng Lee has the goods for you, from tabbed browsing to RSS support and more.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Hacking Access  In these three excerpts from Access Hacks, learn how to populate a listbox with values from more than one source; how to put a watermark on your reports; and how to use Word's Compare and Merge Documents feature to identify discrepancies between similar tables.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Important Notice for Windows DevCenter Readers About O'Reilly RSS and Atom Feeds  O'Reilly Media, Inc. is rolling out a new syndication mechanism that provides greater control over the content we publish online. Here's information to help you update your existing RSS and Atom feeds to O'Reilly content.  [WindowsDevCenter.com]

An In-Depth Look at Vista, Part 1  The long wait for the first beta of Microsoft's new Windows OS is finally over. Wei-Meng Lee took it for a spin and gives a detailed overview of Vista.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Internet Security Annoyances  Spyware, Trojans, worms, viruses, phishing, and now pharming--all security issues that can lead to a disenchanting internet experience. This excerpt from Internet Annoyances can help you prevent these kinds of security breaches with tips on configuring your home router for maximum security, constructing your own personal firewall, and more.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Defining a Baseline Audit Policy  It's vital that you create a baseline audit policy to audit for security events on critical systems. Mitch Tulloch, author of Windows Server Hacks, helps you define the best audit policies for Windows Server 2003 server roles.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Refactoring in Visual Basic 2005  Refactoring is the one-size-fits-all name given to a set of coding shortcuts that help you rework code on the fly. C# developers have such a tool, but Visual Basic developers were not so lucky--till now. Matthew MacDonald, author of Visual Basic 2005: A Developer's Notebook, reviews Refactor, the free VB 2005 tool, and offers some how-to techniques for using it.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Making Internet Phone Calls Using Skype  Skype lets you use the internet to make phone calls to other Skype users and also to regular telephones. Wei-Meng Lee shows you how to set it up and start talking.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Watching Ports with Port Reporter  Here's another cool tool from Redmond. It monitors port usage for security reasons and for troubleshooting network connectivity problems. Mitch Tulloch, author of Windows Server Hacks, shows you where to get it and how to make the most out of it.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Using Log Parser 2.2  Log Parser is one cool tool, and it can help you analyze all kinds of logs with ease. Mitch Tulloch, author of Windows Server Hacks, shows you where to get it and how to make the most of it.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Cooking with Windows Server, Part 2  In this excerpt from Robbie Allen's Windows Server Cookbook, Robbie shows you how to build web sites and how to mailbox-enable a user.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Getting Your Bluetooth Headset to Work in XP  With Bluetooth support built into SP2, getting a Bluetooth headset to work should be a breeze. But it ain't necessarily so. Wei-Meng Lee shows you how to do it.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Is This Security Alert Really from Microsoft?  An excellent way to get information about Windows updates is via email with Microsoft Technical Security Notification Services. But how do you know what's real and what's a spoof? Mitch Tulloch, author of Windows Server Hacks, shows you.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Easy Scripting  Windows scripts are far more powerful than mere batch files--and much harder to use as well. Mitch Tulloch, author of Windows Server Hacks, gives you hard-won advice on how to more easily create scripts, and offers many helpful resources.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Cooking with Windows Server, Part 1  In this excerpt from Robbie Allen's Windows Server Cookbook, Robbie shows you how to activate Windows Server 2003, how to find large folders and files on a volume, and how to hide a file or folder.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Navigating SharePoint  Where to begin if you're getting started with SharePoint? Jeff Webb, author of Essential SharePoint, gives you the basics in a few short steps.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Run Multiple OSes with Virtual PC and VMware Workstation  Need to run multiple operating systems on your PC? Virtual OSes are the way to go. J.W. Olsen gives you the lowdown on Virtual PC and VMware Workstation.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Powering Up Terminal Services with Service Pack 1  Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 includes useful enhancements to Terminal Services. Mitch Tulloch, author of Windows Server Hacks, has details and offers tips on how to make the best use of them.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Using Tabbed Browsing in Internet Explorer 6  You don't need to wait for Internet Explorer 7 for tabbed browsing--with the latest MSN Toolbar, you can use it in IE 6. Wei-Meng Lee shows you how to use it.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

A Guided Tour of the Newest Longhorn Build  What's the current state of Longhorn? Wei-Meng Lee takes a look at the latest build of Longhorn and gives you a guided tour.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Using the Security Configuration Wizard  One of the enhancements in Service Pack 1 for Windows Server 2003 is the new Security Configuration Wizard (SCW), a tool designed to help admins secure their servers against attack. Mitch Tulloch, author of Windows Server Hacks, shows you what it does, how it works, and how you can use it.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Using Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool  The Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool can rid your PC of malware, even if you're already protected by antivirus software. Mitch Tulloch, author of Windows Server Hacks, shows you the ins and outs of how to use it.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

A Look at Google Web Accelerator  The beta of Google Web Accelerator was released to great fanfare, and then quickly pulled. Does it actually work--and what are the privacy implications? Jake Ludington gives you the inside scoop.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Ferreting Out Near-Identical Records in Access  Working with lists of contacts is a common database activity, but as a list grows, so do the chances for duplicate records. Ken Bluttman shows one technique for ferreting out these near-identical records in Access using the InStr function to find when one value in one field is inside the value of the same field in another record. Ken is the author of Access Hacks.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Some Useful Scripts from Readers  Readers often offer the best advice for nagging problems. In this article, Mitch Tulloch, author of Windows Server Hacks, shares reader scripts for remotely enabling Remote Desktop, and controlling a default printer in a roaming profile.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

How to Boost XP Performance  PC feeling a bit sluggish? It's not tough to juice up its performance. Mitch Tulloch, author of Windows Server Hacks, shows you how to do it in a few easy steps.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Which Is the Best Desktop Search Tool?  There are plenty of desktop search tools out there--but which one is the best? Jake Ludington puts Google Desktop Search, Windows Desktop Search, and Copernic Desktop Search through their paces, and tells you his top choice.   [WindowsDevCenter.com]

Copy Scheduled Tasks to Remote Machines  There are times when for ease and security reasons, you'll want to schedule a task to run on a remote PC. Where to begin? Mitch Tulloch, author of Windows Server Hacks, gives you step-by-step instructions for getting it done.   [O'Reilly Network]