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Windows 7 sales are up and Microsoft is please with the success of its Windows 7 upgrade. While Apple seems to be content with “going negative” when it comes to commercials touting its computing products, Microsoft has taken a different route with Windows 7. Apple has focused more on bashing Windows 7 (and the faults of its predecessors) rather than focus on the main strengths of the OS X platform. Microsoft, on the other hand, has created positive ads which tout the new features in Windows 7. It appears that Microsoft’s positive route — along with relatively positive reviews —...

Behind the taskbarComment Much better than Vista, and the best Windows yet. That seems to be the consensus view on Windows 7, and after two and a half months with the final build, I more or less agree - despite the niggling voice that says behind the new taskbar it is not really so different from Windows Vista. Nevertheless, Windows 7 on its launch today is a better experience than Windows Vista was when released in early 2007, thanks to a UI polish, faster hardware, better drivers, and new features that users actually enjoy - Taskbar, Libraries, Aero Peek -...

I know I need Windows 7. But, I have used xp for years. Just got a laptop with Vista a few weeks ago. My pc died and now I'm stuck temporarily with my vista laptop. Here's my problem that is driving me crazy!! Sometimes copy/paste will work with right click, sometimes not(on web sites/email, never when it used to) Spellcheck will show the misspelled word, but the right click does nothing!! Why??? No right click page reload either! Is this just one of the reasons people hated Vista?? This is insane!

Yes, Windows 7 didn't even hit the market until Thursday. But that hasn't stopped a fog of myths from enveloping the newest version of the much loved--and much hated--PC operating system from Microsoft. [Slide Show: The Best of What's New in Windows 7.] The software giant hoped that wide exposure to Windows 7 would help smooth its entry. Microsoft let millions of consumers and professionals download test versions of the operating system. And by a wide margin, testers have found the new system to be the best yet from Microsoft. Version 7 is leaner, more useful, and prettier than past...

XP's long reign over the hearts and minds of corporates will end on October 22 when Windows 7 is launched, predicts analysts Forester. Soothsayers in Forester's tarot reading division have pulled the Death card for Windows XP on the corporate desktop. Forrester’s Benjamin Gray said that businesses needed refresh aging IT infrastructure. There was also a predicted end to XP support and getting copies of the operating system was becoming trickier. Windows 7 had an XP mode which means that most of the software that businesses have will run on the new operating system. This will improve the OS's chance...

I am a Mac user by choice, but my work computer is an HP Pavilion laptop running Vista. I am in NO way trying to bash MS (though I generally am no fan of Gates and his MS beast), but I am seeking real discourse and help. I am a fairly experienced computer users, and have spent a good deal of time over the last few years helping in the technology department at my previous employment. Back in the spring (machine was still under warranty), the HD died (supposedly, I am not convinced) right after a large Windows update (that...

My wife was working on a PowerPoint 2002 presentation on her Sony Vaio laptop, using Vista home. She saved the file, then kept working on it. Then, PowerPoint suddenly ended/crashed. When she restarted PowerPoint and attempted to reopon the file, she got the message that the file caused a serious error, and did she want to open it? She answered yes, and PowerPoint simply hung up while trying to open the file. Since that time, I have tried creating a new presentation and inserting slides from the other one, but that method didn't succeed. I also have tried simply double...

This morning I turned on my computer which started fine and I got this message: STservice.exe unable to find Then I got another pop up saying if Windows finds a solution to the matter it would let me know. I have no clue what this is. Running Windows Vista Home Premium

My windows vista had me download 3 updates today. Told me they where "Important" one was called Vista Service Pack 2. After downloading them I can not get to any web pages except Free Republic. I am guessing its a DNS problem but Free Republic must be a SuperPage. It's faster then a speeding vista problem, able to leap DNS problems with a single bound,etc,etc.

Parents do not trust the Educator-in-Chief and his "comrades." You can take Obama from the radicals in Chicago. But you can't take the Chicago radicalism out of Obama. – Michelle Malkin On Tuesday the President of the United States will speak to school children across the nation in a television address. A large number of parents will keep their children home in the belief that this is an inappropriate use of the bully pulpit. But what did they expect from a community organizer whose playbook is Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky? (To understand Rules for Radicals, see my previous...

From a reader: Jonah, The following quote from your column was spot on: "This suggests that the White House still thinks it has a communication problem, and if only it dispels the cloud of “lies” belched up by the opposition, there will be nothing but blue skies ahead. Funny how the people who run the most sophisticated communication operation in the history of the presidency keep concluding that their difficulties stem from their inability to get their message out and never from what their message actually is." Marketers make this mistake all the time, which ensures that marketing consultants like...

[THIS IS A GOOD OLE' FASHIONED VANITY] OK, so my son calls me from Auburn ... Right after downloading and installing the latest updates from our friends in Redmond, the OS crashes into a memory dump/ BSOD. Vista Home Premium 64 bit on an HP notebook duo core 2 quad etc etc. It'll boot and run in safe mode, but something Microsoft sent out conflicts BIG time. I called Geek Squad to set up an appt for him, and the gentleman at Geek Squad said they had been getting a LOT of calls about laptops crashing after a Windows update....

OK - so - I do 90% of my work using my Macs - a 12" iBook (last generation) and a PowerMac Dual G5 desktop. The other 10% I spend with an HP Pavilion Laptop (Vista). So - Working with Powerpoint on both platforms - I have found that there is a huge difference in functionality - with the Mac version generally being for more tolerant of media files (both audio and video) With Powerpoint 2008 (Mac), I can throw pretty much any popular format audio file or video file and it just works. Take that same presentation (saved on...

How long does Microsoft plan to keep selling copies of its Windows Vista operating system after the upcoming launch of Windows 7? The company isn't saying. With previous versions of Windows, Microsoft used a transition period when old and new versions of Windows were available to help corporate customers manage their transition to the new version of the operating system. This time Microsoft aims to put the ghosts of its Vista troubles to rest as soon as possible, and could stop selling Vista as soon as Windows 7 is released. "We are still not sure if [computer makers] will be...

SEATTLE -- Microsoft Corp. said Thursday its quarterly revenue fell from the previous year for the first time in its 23-year history as a public company, and its profit fell more sharply than Wall Street was expecting. The shortfall illustrated the toll the recession has taken on the world's largest software maker, even though Microsoft remains one of the richest and most profitable companies. In January, Microsoft said it needed to resort to its first mass layoffs, cutting 5,000 jobs, and on Thursday it announced it would do away with merit pay increases for employees in the next fiscal year.

Can any freepers give me some advice on how to get rid of the Rapid Antivirus that appartently has infected my laptop? I am desperate. I have some deadlines and even my Internet Explorer, Firefox won't operate. FRUSTRATING!! Thanks in advance for any advice.

Several months ago, my computer crashed on me. Wouldn't even get to the beginning stages of boot up. Lights flickered if you hit the button, but beyond that, nothing. So, I took it to Best Buy where I bought it and where it was still under warrantee. They determined it was a fried motherboard. Consistent with the warrantee, the Geek Squad replaced it. Ever since that time, it takes about 2-3 minutes to boot up. Everything else seems to run fine, but boot up is excruciatingly slow. Any ideas why what normally took 30 seconds or so now takes 5...

New data shows that the vast majority of corporate IT departments won't touch Microsoft's next OS until at least 2011. Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) may need to keep its Windows XP operating system around a little longer -- at least for its deep-pocketed corporate customers.... The survey, of more than 1,100 IT professionals, is one of the first extensive looks at Windows 7's early sales prospects. It found that a whopping 83% of enterprises plan to skip the OS in its first year. While the business market typically tends toward caution when it comes to new products, the figure is nonetheless...

AUSTIN — It could be “Hasta la vista, baby” to state agency purchases of Microsoft’s Windows Vista information technology under a proposed state budget provision. The “rider” in the proposed two-year, $182.2 billion state budget — expected to be taken up Wednesday by the Texas Senate — would require state agencies to get written approval from the Legislative Budget Board before buying Vista technology related to an operating system, equipment or licenses. Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen, added the provision in committee and said it’s meant to block purchases of the technology, which has been targeted by criticism: “Don’t buy it,...

Fidel laments that the Cuban linux variant is named "Nova," but believe it or not, there's an even bigger mistake in the computer world. NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and please refrain from copying the cartoon in this thread. Thanks!

I've used 2 different wireless cards (Linksys and Encore) on my desktop they randomly disconnect...

It's official, Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system gets the prize for being the most overhyped, underperforming information and communication technology (ICT) project. Windows Vista garnered 5,222 of 6,043 votes (86 percent) entered via the Web to snag top honors in the first-ever Fiasco Awards announced in Barcelona, Spain, today, beating out other contenders, including Google's Lively virtual world, the One Laptop per Child computer (developed by the Nicholas Negroponte-chaired One Laptop Per Child Association, Inc.) and Second Life. Second prize went to SAGA, the oft-malfunctioning administration and academic management system developed by Spain's Catalan Education Department for public school teachers...

Microsoft To Kill Vista, XP Upgrade Blockers The software maker is warning customers that tools designed to prevent automatic installation of service packs are nearing expiration. By Paul McDougall, InformationWeek Feb. 2, 2009 Microsoft wants users of its Windows operating systems to move to upgraded versions of the software, so it's killing a tool that prevents upgrades from automatically self-installing. "I have some important information for those of you who have installed the Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows XP or Windows Vista," wrote Brandon LeBlanc, Microsoft's in-house Windows blogger, in a Friday post. "The Service Pack Blocker Tool temporarily...

The software maker is warning customers that tools designed to prevent automatic installation of service packs are nearing expiration. Microsoft wants users of its Windows operating systems to move to upgraded versions of the software, so it's killing a tool that prevents upgrades from automatically self-installing. "I have some important information for those of you who have installed the Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows XP or Windows Vista," wrote Brandon LeBlanc, Microsoft's in-house Windows blogger, in a Friday post. "The Service Pack Blocker Tool temporarily prevents the installation of a service pack through Windows Update, typically for one year...

I jsut yesterday purchased a Dell Studio 17 (S1737) laptop computer with Windows Vista(x64)Home Premium factory installed. Upon starting it for the first time, I went through the usual info entry bits and pieces, and Windows Update wanted to install a bunch of updates... It went through the process quite normally; however, upon restart, Windows BSOD'ed me and the system went through an extensive attempt to do a startup repair... I had to restore Dell factory settings and such and it will now still not allow the updates to work without the BSOD reappearing and having to do the whole...

Here is what AVG reported: "Object name";"C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\l97pzuzg.default\cookies.sqlite:\freerepublic.com.99c35e71" "Detection name";"A file caused a crash of the scanning engine at address 774659c3." "Object type";"File" "SDK Type";"Core" "Result";"Object is in whitelist" "Action history";""

Due to Microsoft's Vista Capable marketing program, the company could stand to lose as much as $8.5 billion in efforts to settle accounts with those customers affected by the campaign. However, this figure is a drop in the bucket compared to the potentially $100 billion Microsoft has taken in revenue thus far for Vista.Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman released figures from the class-action lawsuit that claims Microsoft mislead its customers in the months before the January 2007 release of their Vista operating system. Microsoft has said that the estimate is inflated, and that if damages were granted it...

The Conficker virus has opened a new can of worms for security experts. Drives such as USB sticks infected with the virus trick users into installing the worm, according to researchers. The "Autoplay" function in Vista and early versions of Windows 7 automatically searches for programs on removable drives.

LAS VEGAS — Microsoft Corp.'s next version of the Windows operating system is almost ready for prime time. That's one message Chief Executive Steve Ballmer delivered on the eve of the official opening of the International Consumer Electronics Show.

Microsoft Corp.'s next version of the Windows operating system is almost ready for prime time. That's one message Chief Executive Steve Ballmer delivered on the eve of the official opening of the International Consumer Electronics Show. The world's largest software maker also disclosed deals to make its Live Search programs the default search engines on more personal computers and mobile phones. And it announced a new version of its Ford Sync in-car technology that folds in the voice-operated directory service TellMe, which Microsoft bought in 2007. For years, the opening keynote at CES belonged to Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, whose...

Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) is extending the deadline for making its supposedly retired Windows XP operating system available to custom PC builders. Under the plan, system builders will be allowed to take delivery of XP licenses and media through May 30. Previously, Microsoft had announced a Jan. 31 XP cutoff date for system builders, which are typically smaller, build-to-order vendors. The news was first reported Friday by InformationWeek.com sister site ChannelWeb.

Posted in The Bleeding Obvious, The Iron Coccyx of the Law | No Comments » Windows 7 Beta Invitations Sent Out, RSVP by Text Message, Instant Message, Email, YouTube, Twitter, or Cell Posted by Anthony Sacramone on December 17, 2008 010So the great “Vista Do Over” of 2009 is upon us. Will it increase speed, compatability, manageability, security, and connectability? Or will it be a hulking overstuffed lumbering piece of digital doggie doo? And how many versions will there be? One-Step-Above-DOS Useless, Basic, Home, Business, Premium, Ultimate, Triple No-Backsies Ultimate, Oh My Heavenly Lord This Thing Weighs a Ton Drop-Dead...

Bill Gates: I'd Work in Obama Administration Microsoft founder Bill Gates has met with Vice President-elect Joe Biden and said he's open to a role aiding the incoming Barack Obama administration. Gates is in Washington this week to promote the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's education and global health agenda. "Certainly my full-time job is being chairman of the foundation," he told The Washington Post. But he added: "If there was some committee or pretty focused task where I could contribute, I'd be glad to consider that, and I hope that the things we've learned about education, including the mistakes...

Windows Vista, Office 2007 Planned For 30,000 U.S. Military PCs It might not be the most popular operating system with civilians, but that's not stopping the U.S. Department of Defense from embracing Windows Vista. Military IT technicians on Friday will start the process of upgrading about 30,000 personal computers used by Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine personnel on the Korean peninsula from Windows XP to Windows Vista, according to an official military publication. The servicemen and women also will get their hands on Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) Office 2007 for the first time. The computers must be upgraded in order...

Report cites Frank's proposal to cut military 25% President-elect Barack Obama raised questions during an election campaign stop in Colorado Springs when he asserted the U.S. needs a "civilian national security force" that would be as powerful, strong and well-funded as the Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force, but few of those questions have been answered. But now one report is proposing a possible solution for part of the equation: From where would the money for such an organization come? Democrats in Congress now are floating the idea of cutting U.S. military spending by 25 percent, or $150 billion a...

My initial evaluation of Windows 7 shows that it's really just Vista with a fresh coat of paint I have seen the future, and it is bleak. Windows 7, the next big version, the one that was supposed to fix everything that was wrong with Vista, is here (at least in pre-beta form), and I can now say -- with some confidence -- that Microsoft has once again dropped the ball. Based on what I saw in today's keynote speech, and on what I discovered while testing the Windows 7 M3 build during some down time this afternoon, Windows 7...

Finally the iPhone unleashed! Break away from the stranglehold Jobs & Co. have on you and your iPhone. Download and install the software you've really been wanting to use. Never again suffer from "windows" envy or be ridiculed for having a small software repository. Upgrade NOW to the NEW, Dual Boot Windows iPhone Mobile...Coming in Jan. 09.

Last year I was meeting with the CEO of a PC company who offered to give me a demo of his company's gorgeous new top-of- the-line notebook, a machine that cost several thousand dollars and came loaded with Windows Vista, the latest version of Microsoft's operating system. He flipped open the laptop, pressed the power button, and … nothing. We waited. And waited. It was excruciating. He tried control-alt-delete. He tried holding down the power button. Finally he removed the battery and snapped it back into place. The machine started up—slowly—while the CEO sat there fuming. [snip]......... "Nobody here looks...

Anyone see the new Microsoft commercial with Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates? Is that a piece o work or what??? Methinks Bill oughta give up his closet hopes of being a big media star and at least attempt to bring us a reliable, secure OS.

From the "who needs a pre-load when you're embedded" files: Dude - if you're getting a Dell then you're getting Linux. No you don't have to order one of those fancy Ubuntu pre-load deals. This is an embedded Linux that will be available on a whole bunch of new Dell Latitude laptops in a feature called Latitude ON. This is a feature that uses an embedded Linux to allow for instant on access to email, calendar and Internet.

WERE advertisements rather than sales the yardstick, Apple would have dominated the computer industry for decades. First there was the legendary spot “1984”, in that same year, which is often considered the best ad in history. Directed by Ridley Scott, then basking in “Blade Runner” fame, and produced by Chiat/Day, Apple’s advertising agency to this day, it depicted Apple as the individualist and cool brand, in contrast to oppressive conformity, then understood to mean IBM. Ever since then, the same man, Lee Clow, at what is now TBWA\Chiat\Day, part of Omnicom, a giant marketing group, has been socking it to...

scribbles89 sends in a story that originally ran in SearchSecurity; it sounds like it could be a game-changer. "While this may seem like any standard security hole, other researchers say that the work is a major breakthrough and there is very little that Microsoft can do to fix the problems. These attacks work differently than other security exploits, as they aren't based on any new Windows vulnerabilities, but instead take advantage of the way Microsoft chose to guard Vista's fundamental architecture. According to Dino Dai Zovi..., 'the genius of this is that it's completely reusable. They have attacks that let...

i've got black bars on either side of my vista image. how do i eliminate these so that vista can occupy the whole screen on my samsung 2693hm? thanks. ken

Are you currently running Windows and Linux in a dual-boot setup? You're going to have major headaches with Vista SP1, Microsoft has admitted. If you’re dualbooting Windows Vista Enterprise or Ultimate alongside a Linux distro, and have installed the Linux bootloader into the MBR, then you’re guaranteed to run into problems when installing Vista Service Pack 1, Microsoft has admitted. The service pack has a couple of prerequisite updates and one of them, KB935509, contains an update to the Windows Vista bootloader. However, this bootloader is often replaced by open source bootloaders like Grub when installing Linux onto a system....

Many have said they’re not interested in Windows Vista, that Windows XP is just fine for them. And in fact, you could go so far as to say some of them actually hate the OS. Still, a new OS, Mojave, may just be the key to a new marketing campaign. Last week Microsoft told a focus group in San Francisco they were being shown a new version of Windows, codenamed Mojave. Feedback was quite positive; more than 90% gave positive feedback. Afterwards they were told that Mojave was actually Windows Vista.

Business PC buyers are still overwhelmingly opting for XP, computer giant HP has revealed. HP's revelation, made at the launch of a new range of business notebooks, flies in the face of Microsoft's persistent PR claims that Vista has sold tens of millions of copies — and is selling at a faster rate than XP ever did. However, HP explained how Microsoft is coming up with these "Vista" sales figures. "From the 30th of June, we have no longer been able to ship a PC with a XP licence," said Jane Bradburn, Market Development Manager, Commercial Notebooks for HP Australia....

When you buy a new PC today, unless you hunt down a Linux system or you buy a Mac, you're pretty much stuck with Vista. Sad, but true. So, when I had to get a new PC in a hurry, after one of my PCs went to the big bit-ranch in the sky with a fried motherboard, the one I bought, a Dell Inspiron 530S from my local Best Buy came pre-infected with Vista Home Premium. Big deal. It took me less than an hour to install Linux Mint 5 Elyssa R1 on it. As expected, everything on this 2.4GHz...

Does anyone recommend a fax software since it is not included in the Vista Home Premium? I've read a bit about Snappysoftware.com but would prefer opinions and suggestions from folks on FR. Thank you!!

Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) is now acknowledging it screwed up with its initial launch of Windows Vista, and is ready to try again. "We broke a lot of things. We know that, and we know it caused you a lot of pain. It got customers thinking, hey, is Windows Vista a generation we want to get invested in?" So Brad Brooks, Microsoft's VP of Windows Vista consumer marketing, fessed up publicly this week. Speaking at a keynote address at Microsoft's annual Worldwide Partner Conference, Brooks signified that Microsoft was ready to admit mistakes and reposition itself to tell a better story...

Net Applications' Operating System stats for June 2008 show Apple's Mac hit a new all-time high with 7.94% share of the operating systems visiting Net Applications' network of websites worldwide. The stats also show Apple iPhone with 0.16% share and Apple iPod with 0.04%. Net Applications noted last month, "Apple has confirmed that its online inventories for the original version of the iPhone are sold out in the U.S. and U.K. Apple appears to be clearing out its inventories in preparation for the iPhone 2.0 release. This, in conjunction with customers holding off purchasing until 2.0 is released has temporarily...