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Due for release this fall
and like Windows XP/Windows Vista, Windows 7 will have many versions to choose from.
This article explains each one fairly well.
Should you upgrade from
Windows XP? Unless you have a fairly new computer (two years or
less), or an overbuilt custom machine, we don't think it would be worthwhile. Instead, just wait a
couple years and when it's time to replace that older computer, the new
one will come with Windows 7. If, however, you have Windows
Vista, the
upgrade
may well be worthwhile.
Based on
this Cnet article, Vista users can expect upgrade prices of $119 for Home
Premium, $199 for Professional and $219 for Ultimate.
Even though Windows XP users
can apparently purchase an upgrade, they will have to do a
clean install, i.e., format the drive and start from scratch. This may
also be true if you downgrade your upgrade - sorry... What
that means is, if you have Vista Ultimate and decide to upgrade to
Windows 7, you would need to purchase Windows 7 Ultimate to do the simple
install. If you decide to purchase a Windows 7 Home Premium
instead, you will have to do a custom install and perhaps even a
clean install.
It is interesting to
find in this
Microsoft article, that while the Professional and Ultimate
versions will run Windows XP programs, the Home version will
not. What that really means is beyond us, but apparently indicates Home users may have to upgrade
any older applications they currently use.
This article
explains Windows 7 licensing in more detail, has information about
upgrading vs. clean install and a Q&A including this:
I am using Windows
Vista Home Basic now. How can I upgrade to Windows 7 Home Basic?
You can’t. At least,
not if you live in the United States, Western Europe, Japan,
Australia, New Zealand, or the rest of the “developed world.”
Beginning with Windows 7, Home Basic is available only in so-called
emerging markets.
No matter which, if you upgrade your computer, save
that data first!!!
Concerned with uncontrollable technologies? You probably should
be. Even those benign looking ATM machines have been found to be
infected. While this is mostly a European problem, it shows just
how vulnerable some technologies are...
The article.
Google will soon
offer an operating system mostly targeting Netbooks... Will it
eventually replace Windows or the Mac OS? Not likely according
to
this article -and-
Will Google's Chrome OS look rusty by late 2010?
The Google OS will probably have
their own Internet browser as the default, making us wonder what the European
Commission of the European Union will do...
While using the Internet
Explorer, keep in mind that the favorites list and history list are two
different things.
History consists
of
sites you have visited, which are available from the pulldown near the top
of the Explorer's window:
(IE7 and IE8) If you would like to
clear History, you can do so via Tools > Options > Browsing History's
Delete button. If you want to also clear the Autocomplete History,
that is available under the Tools > Options > Content (tab) > Autocomplete
Settings button.
Favorites on the other
hand, are those sites you have specifically saved. They are
available via the Favorites menu, but more importantly, unlike the
History they can
easily be saved onto a CD or Flash drive then copied to another computer.
To quickly find your favorites, use the Windows Explorer and navigate
to the C: drive's Documents and Settings folder then whatever specific user's folder.
Vista users look under the C: drive's Users folder.
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Can be found here
on the C: drive
>>>> |
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IE8 has an interesting
tool showing how long certain add-ons take to load.
Under Tools > Internet
Options > Programs (tab) > Manage Add-ons, stretch the window and you
will find that load time column. If IE8 seems slow to load, use
that information to determine slow loading toolbars or add-ons and
disable them. Note: Disabling the Diagnose Connection Problems
add-on usually helps performance.
| We see enough computers each month having bad
clusters or lost files to make this reminder
worthwhile. Either of these conditions will cause serious performance issues through excessive
drive use, but bad clusters are an indicator of a future drive
failure.*
Bad clusters and lost files can be corrected using the
Windows (disk) Error-checking utility:
- Open the (My) Computer icon
- Right click the Local C: drive
- Select Properties
- Tools Tab
- Check now button
When you get the window shown here, place a check mark
in both options. Click the Start button and when prompted,
"schedule" the check, then reboot the computer. |
This check could take a couple of hours. |
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Upon reboot you will see a screen similar to this -- >
Notice during this particular disk check, Windows found and is
correcting some problems...
If the check does not run, reports a "raw" drive or is
complete within a few minutes, try again. If it fails to
run the second time, there may be serious disk problems...
Note: Occasionally we will see the process stop with an
"unrecoverable error" message. That indicates the
drive must be replaced.
Do not power off the computer during this check and do not
start it when there is a possibility of power outage! |
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* While the
error-checking utility can lockout bad clusters so they are
not used, it cannot repair them as they are physical failures.
More performance hints
here.
If Outlook Express is
misbehaving, e.g., it will not receive or you cannot delete items, first
thing to do is try compacting all folders. That can be done via
OE's file menu > Folders menu.
Note: If you have a
lot of messages in only a few folders, compacting could cause a loss
of information. You may be able to avoid data loss by creating
more folders and moving messages into those new folders. See
Outlook Express limitations.
If compacting does not
help, you will likely have to delete the offending folder(s) completely
(losing everything).
Example: If OE does
not let you delete messages, the Deleted Items folder could be too large
(too full). And if you
cannot empty the Deleted Items folder, it would be necessary to recreate a
new Deleted Items folder.
See our January 08 newsletter.
Similarly,
problems can occur if other folders are too full, e.g., problems
sending may indicate the Sent Items is too full, problems receiving
may indicate the Inbox is too full, etc.
Outlook handles a
larger number of messages and attachments much more efficiently than Outlook
Express...
Outlook issues
If you are having Outlook
issues, the first thing you should do is "repair" the Outlook data file.
Here is more information about that process.
Microsoft is offering a new antivirus
application and according to
this article, it is superior to McAfee and others...
Ever have damaged luggage while flying?
You may
enjoy this...
Search Engine hints
It is frightening just how fast our money is
spent by (just) the Federal Government.
They are spending over $56,000 every second of every day, 365 days a year!
Our home page
shows what that is like.
So raising taxes has just begun...
Stop the madness...
Forced
healthcare insurance
This now
looks inevitable and with some very disturbing verbiage:
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So by
law, we will no longer be able to change our private health
insurance provider?
See
page 16
-
Most
individuals would be required to have qualifying health
coverage, with some exceptions. Those who choose not to participate
would face a tax penalty of at least 50 percent of the average
annual premium cost of the basic plan. Employers
would be required to offer health coverage to workers and pay
at least 60 percent of the premium, or pay $750 for each full-time
employee not offered coverage.
Source.
Note: While the $750 does not indicate
monthly or annually, based on the 60 percent of the premium
qualifier, we can only assume that would be a monthly penalty, and while that
does not affect businesses under 26 employees; Wouldn't
a 27th employee cost that business $243,000?
The article
Beware Big Brother healthcare offers some very interesting points
about the proposed healthcare act to include:
-
...when
you file your income tax for the year, if you cannot prove you are
adequately insured, you will be fined. At this point, the fine will
be $1,000.
-
...in the
future, it will most likely be part of a worldwide system. If you
can think that through a bit, you will understand that we could be
put into a worldwide pool that has us responsible to bring everyone
to the same level of coverage. What could that cost, and how do you
collect money from a country that has yearly personal income of
$100?
This should come as no surprise...
E-mails indicate EPA suppressed report skeptical of global warming
After reviewing
the scientific literature that the EPA is
relying on, Carlin said, he concluded that
it was at least three years out of date and
did not reflect the latest research. "My
personal view is that there is not currently
any reason to regulate (carbon dioxide)," he
said. "There may be in the future. But
global temperatures are roughly where they
were in the mid-20th century. They're not
going up, and if anything they're going
down."
Carlin's report
listed a number of recent developments he
said the EPA did not consider, including
that global temperatures have declined for
11 years; that new research predicts
Atlantic hurricanes will be unaffected; that
there's "little evidence" that Greenland is
shedding ice at expected levels; and that
solar radiation has the largest single
effect on the earth's temperature.
We will leave you with these...
Last year our school district
spent $100,000 on a new school bus so our kids wouldn't have to walk to school.
This year they spent $1,000,000 on a new gymnasium so the kids can get some
exercise!
The psychic gazed at her Tarot
cards and delivered the bad news: "I'm sorry, ma'am, but there's just no easy
way to say this: prepare to be a widow. Your husband will die a violent,
horrible death within the year." Visibly shaken, the woman stared at the single
flickering candle, then down at her hands. She took a few deep breaths, composed
herself and asked, "Will I get away with it?" --top
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