WINDOWS 7 UPGRADES

There was some confusion when I wrote about Windows 7 upgrades a couple of months ago, so let me try to be completely clear about how you should plan to get Windows 7 later this year. You should get Windows 7 with a new computer. You should not plan to upgrade a...

VISTA VS. WINDOWS 7

I’m frequently asked whether to buy a computer now or wait until Windows 7 is available in late October. If you buy a Vista computer now that has the hardware I recommend, you will have a fabulous time. It will be speedy and responsive and you’ll have a secure and...

INSTALLING USB DEVICES

Microsoft has accumulated a remarkable library of drivers for all the hardware devices and gadgets and gizmos that we hook up to computers with USB cables. The drivers that are built into Vista/Windows 7 and the drivers available online are so complete now that I’ve...

TIPPING POINT TO 64 BIT

We’ve reached the tipping point. Many of you will buy 64-bit versions of Vista on your new computers from now on, and almost all of you will buy a 64-bit version of Windows 7. Here’s Microsoft’s description of what that means, and here’s an article boosting the 64-bit...

ERRONEOUS SECURITY WARNINGS IN VISTA

Starting on July 14, some Vista computers began displaying erroneous warning messages from the Windows Security Center. If you run Windows Live OneCare on a Vista machine, you may see a shield with an X in the lower right corner. Opening the Windows Security Center...