Free Republic

Please excuse the Vanity post - I am desperate! I have a new PC with Windows 7. At odd times I loose the Internet connection. I know cable internet signal is coming through the router as other PCs in the system have connections. At first the lost connection was happening each time I would reboot. Now it happens at seemingly "random" times .... I realize it's probly not random, but I can't see a correlation yet ... and the connection usually comes back when I reboot again. The Dell tech support wants me to reinstall the windows software. That would...

Microsoft has confirmed that it is investigating a problem described as the "black screen of death", which affects its latest operating system. The error means that users of Windows 7 see a totally black screen after logging on to the system. The firm said it was looking into reports that suggest its latest security update, issued on 10 November, was the cause the problem. Reports suggest the flaw also affects Vista, XP and other systems. Software firm Prevx, which has issued a fix for the problem, says "millions" of people may be affected. "Users have resorted to reloading Windows as...

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 —...

My thanks to @girlygeekdom on Twitter for highlighting what must be the most surreal Internet marketing plan ever - British girl band the Sugababes are being used to promote Windows 7. There is a website called 'sugababeslovewindows7' to announce it. I'm as flummoxed as anyone by this. Let's take to one side the fact that I'm a 44 year old man and not at all in the Sugababes' market - what exactly is this trying to say about the brand? That it's easy to use? OK, check - but surely it's no longer acceptable to dismiss young females as incapable...

A number of complaints are swirling around the Internet today about issues with Apple's new Core i7-based iMacs -- among them, reports of units showing up dead on arrival or even with cracked screens. New iMac users are reporting that their unit chimes as it should when the power button is pressed, but the display is blank and nothing else happens. Adding insult to injury, these customers are discovering that after returning their dead units, they face a lengthy wait of up to two weeks for a replacement. Apple's discussion support forum is filling up with such complaints according to...

The National Security Agency has been working with Microsoft Corp. to help improve security measures for its new Windows 7 operating system, a senior NSA official said on Tuesday. The confirmation of the NSA's role, which began during the development of the software, is a sign of the agency's deepening involvement with the private sector when it comes to building defenses against cyberattacks. "Working in partnership with Microsoft and (the Department of Defense), NSA leveraged our unique expertise and operational knowledge of system threats and vulnerabilities to enhance Microsoft's operating system security guide without constraining the user's ability to perform...

A Microsoft executive was quoted in an interview as saying "what we've tried to do with Windows 7...is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics". The comments, by partner group manager Simon Aldous, appeared in UK computing trade magazine PCR. Microsoft countered that Mr Aldous was not involved with the development of Windows 7. Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc said in a blog that Mr Aldous's comments were "inaccurate and uninformed". Suggestions that Microsoft has borrowed technology ideas has been rife for as long as the Windows and Mac operating systems have been around.

I have purchased Windows 7, and have downloaded it. I now have the file Win7-HP-Retail-en-us-x86. on my desktop. I would like to do a custom install (i.e. wipe out everything on the disk and reinstall software), not an upgrade. Therefore: - MUST I copy this win7 application to a CD or DVD? I'm thinking I should, because if I don't, won't the installation of Windows 7 wipe out the Windows installation file itself? - If I do have to burn a CD or DVD with this Win7 file, must I make it bootable? I need the computer to boot off...

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 -...

The brand new 27" iMac is suffering from major problems with video graphics while Windows 7 operating on the same machines is working fine. According to Apple bulletin boards, users started to notice that their Macs' pretty screens were running movies in browsers that were choppier than the North Sea in winter. With no help from Apple, Mac Fans have been trying to piece together what could be causing such a kerfuffle. Initially the thought was that it was probably some cheap Chinese component which was failing or overheating. However when Windows 7 appeared on the scene and users started...

Now that we in the northern hemisphere have had some time to digest the Windows 7 hype and settle in for the coming winter, we thought we would get some more hard data regarding Windows 7 security. On October 22nd, we settled in at SophosLabs and loaded a full release copy of Windows 7 on a clean machine. We configured it to follow the system defaults for User Account Control (UAC) and did not load any anti-virus software.We grabbed the next 10 unique samples that arrived in the SophosLabs feed to see how well the newer, more secure version of...

Ex-Microsoftie says that Windows 7 is doomed and Linux, free software, will ultimately dominate.A lot of open source advocates like to rage against the machine at Microsoft, but when a former Microsoft Research employee says that Windows 7 won't stop Linux from market domination, that's an opinion to note. Keith Curtis, author of the book After the Software Wars, says just that. But he goes further. He thinks Microsoft and its customers would be better off if the company ditched Windows and instead built its own version of the Linux operating system. These topics came up yesterday during my interview...

I was so hoping to have better news to share, but with all the conflicting reports and my own troubles testing this while on the road, it's been a messy 24 hours. However, after staying up late last night and working through a few different scenarios, I think I do have a (fairly) simple way to clean install Windows 7 with Upgrade media. That is, it should be easier than the old "install it twice" hack that I previously documented for Vista (though that should still work as well). Put simply, the goal here is to clean install Windows 7...

I am logged in, my sister wasn't biten by a moose, and I am going to keep Windows OS. However, if I decide to go to Windows 7 - How easy is it to switch? Would I just have to insert the W7 CD and the software would remove Vista and install windows 7 on its own or is it more complicated than that? I do not plan to do this anytime soon. Would I lose anything?

After nearly a year-long build-up, Microsoft’s ongoing pre-launch campaign to woo computer users has come to a close, with the public launch of Microsoft’s latest and greatest desktop OS, Windows 7.Windows 7 is being born in to a world of uncertainty, one Microsoft has never faced before to such a degree. Apple’s (and Mac OS X) market share is the highest it’s been in over a decade. Linux has finally gained however small a foothold in home computers through netbooks. And what was Microsoft’s next-gen operating system, Windows Vista, has taken enough backlash that it’s going to be in therapy...

Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 7, is on course to break sales records following its launch today. The online retailer Amazon said that it was the “biggest grossing pre-order product of all time”, having overtaken the likes of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Nintendo’s Wii. Speaking at the launch of Windows 7 yesterday, Jeremy Fennell, Category Director at DSGi, which owns Dixons, Currys and PC World, said: “We have sold more copies of Windows 7 in three weeks on pre-order than Vista sold in its first year.” At midnight, queues could be seen outside stores as computers users...

What has seven patties and a corporate sponsorship? This enormous Windows 7 burger. BY CHRIS GAYLORD America may be the home of the corporate tie-in and super-sized fast food. But Japan may have just outdone the US in both fields. In honor of Microsoft’s new Windows 7 operating system, Burger King has served up a seven-patty burger. This mighty monolith of meat, more than five inches tall, will only be available for seven days – and only in Japan.

Thought I would bring an fyi to freeper students and educators who have a valid .edu address. Microsoft has a time limited offer for Windows 7 and MS Office. You can purchase Windows 7 Professional upgrade version for 29.99 and MS Office for 59.95. Some schools have a partnership deal with MS and some others don't with this you can purchase software at the price the partner schools receive it. This is a time limited offer though as it ends on Jan 3, 2010.

A couple of weeks ago, I asked Hot Air readers if they would immediately upgrade from their current operating system to the newly-released Windows 7.  Only 16% said they would change operating systems immediately, while 37% said that they would keep their XP software until forced to change.  Surprisingly, 10% said they would stick with Vista, which has become a lot more stable, but is still a resource hog. Because I’m either a tech geek or a fool, I decided to upgrade immediately.  I have a high-powered laptop that consistently underperformed, at least in my opinion, under Vista.  While I...

The contenders: Microsoft Windows 7 vs. Apple Snow Leopard Microsoft Windows 7 (Professional) Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard It's not often that the two most popular operating systems get major updates so close to each other, so we couldn't resist throwing them into a cage match together. Already we can hear some of you screaming that Snow Leopard isn't a major update--we know this one's personal! But is Windows 7 nothing more than "Vista done right"? Microsoft's severe stumble with Vista aside, Windows 7 clearly positions the operating system for the future, with a new look that integrates heavily...