There is a Windows tool made by... HP? that allows you to create a bootable USB drive (hp usb format tool), you could use this to boot into Hi-Ren's Boot CD (actually Hi-Ren's may have instructions on creating bootable drives themselves, apparently yes; http://www.hiren.info/pages/bootcd-on-usb-disk). Many image explorer programs also support creating boot sectors for USB drives. Most recent Linux distros support creating bootable USB drives. Again, I would recommend something like HiRen for fixing Windows machines.

(secondary note; if you only want to move the libraries, that is very straightforward: http://www.edbott.com/weblog/2006/06/windows-vista-tip-4-move-your-data-folders-to-a-separate-drive/ ; but it isn't as nice/clean as having it separated (or almost entirely so)

That way is the crazy way, there is a far easier way if you are just setting up your machine. The best way is to move the default profile accounts, delete existing accounts, and then create the new accounts you want, but unfortunately this requires a re-install. Basically do this (http://joshmouch.wordpress.com/2007/04/07/change-user-profile-folder-location-in-vista/), for Windows 7 (some of the keys may be a little different). I've done this on my computer, and the only thing that persists on C:\ are a couple of AppData caches, although I think they are junctions. Using mount points/junctions is a little messier (and you'll have the paths existing in C:\ as well), but may be easier.

Unfortunately, it requires hard coding the drive letter of the user partition, which may not be desirable for some people.

That said, Microsoft absolutely should support changing it optionally (they won't do it as default for compatibility with poorly written applications; this is why there is a junction at C:\Documents and Settings\ for C:\Users, etc.)

Games and applications can be installed on a separate partition, on a per-application basis. Not all applications support this, but for the most part it works well.

Some programs used their own temp settings, others use the system variable %TEMP% (which can be changed to the new partition if you'd like).

Moving existing accounts is frustrating (I've done it under Vista), but can be done.

Oh wait I'm number 5... Ha ha! In your face number 6!

You're right, but do you honestly believe the government could have that kind of collusion with companies and ISPs without the public having a greater uproar? I think the reason the average person doesn't care now is because it doesn't matter now. It could be abused, but I have faith that market forces, right to protest, judicial systems, and democracy would see that wouldn't happen rampantly.

Every time a technology is introduced to make the world look a little more Orwellian (and I hate the word) or not, there is a lot of discussion/dissent and backlash and the net result is positive. We (assuming you are from a 'Western'/modern country) live in a time where personal freedoms and liberties are higher than ever before, why wouldn't that trend continue? We have been faced with technologies which people thought would oppress us, and it has never stayed.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on it. To your credit and those who think like you, at this point in the game, it's harder to say exactly what will happen. I respect you for arguing for your freedoms.

tl dr; My only point is that TPM/TC is a technology, not a conspiracy. People are the ones who are oppressing, not technology, and oppression has a poor track record.

I don't know will be using an electron microscope to look at the chip is an attack that everyone will attempt to try. You could buy a house/a few cars/lots of computers for that kind of cost.

The point of security isn't total security. It's to make the effort not worth it.

I'll make an informative post.

A TPM or Trusted Computing scheme is a way to have a very difficult to modify part memory in the CPU where private keys can be stored. It does not mean trusting the user or trusting the machine, it is a way for the machine to verify software signed with a private key has not been altered. Period.

Obviously, Like all security (perhaps excluding quantum cryptography without a lot of luck) it can be broken. However, the idea is to make that break valid for one machine (keys are different, unless the generation scheme was broken with some fancy crytography) and involve a lot of time (like looking at the circuitry through an electron microscope.

As the GP said, there is potential for abuse. If you feel that this may happen, why would you run an OS that would want to abuse you in this way? If MS makes it so that Windows requires a TPM and scans your computer every minute, and that can't be disabled (as Windows would be modified/stop running), run Linux. A computer with a TPM (which, btw, have been out for awhile, you may already have one) doesn't require a "signed OS" or anything like that. That would be stupid, and would not actually work (as then the TPM would have to have knowledge of how the rest of the machine is running, which would mean that the chain of trust is broken, and the whole scheme could then be much more easily broken).

Right you are! I stand corrected. Thanks for proving I've lost my mind (I was typing this at work, on my Win7 Professional machine, while running XP mode...)

As the other poster said about Intel VT, and XP-mode is only available in Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise (i.e. the VLK version of Ultimate). It does not actually come with Windows 7 Professional, which most people would see as the business version. It does not come with Windows 7 Home Premium, which is what most end users would have.

The greatest problem Windows has is their licensing scheme and the people behind it. Engineers and developers do not run that company.

NO other games have ENERGY swords or anything. BROLLCALL!

http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=285

Try Darky's ROM for Android debices, such as SGS. Really good.

[Citation Needed]

Also it seems a little unfair to call having exposure to culture/content that is Canadian a "pet project". You make it sound as though the CBC is hiding in some garage, maliciously foisting Canadian content on others.

Not necessarily. Casual exposure would increase demand as most people would not actively seek Canadian content on that criteria alone. However, given the exposure, many people enjoy / feel a sense of pride at being part of a Canadian music.

Actually the Canadian banking system is rated as the best in the world... maybe I'm missing what you were trying to express?