Factors to consider when thinking about security software.

With the release of Windows 7, Microsoft has improved a lot its operating system with a built-in firewall and an upgraded anti-virus protection. Given the fact that this represent a big improvement compared to what Windows has offered in the past, some people may feel secure enough already to the point of not thinking about adding anothher layer of protection to their investment. Unfortunately, in the world of computing, someone will always need a security software unless your computer get never plugged or connected to the Internet.
The good news is when it comes to security software, the choice is vast and can be a bit confusing. Fortunately, today's software security world is dominated by the so called security suites which almost take the work out of having one protect your computer. Once installed and configured, they run in the background requiring little or no human intervention.
But with the choice so dizzying, a little guidance to help navigate the choppy waters, will go a long way.
When considering a software security suite, there are a few things to keep in mind: the assurance that it is designed to take care of all your security needs (firewall protection, anti viruses, spywares and all kind of malicious software etc) and even some extra like parental control or spam filtering. Also very important is the fact that the security suite runs in integration or play nice with the rest of your computer system, eliminating any chance that it may slow down your machine.

For more, see pcmagazine.com

How to transform an old hard drive into a backup or storage unit after an upgrade.

With the holidays just around the corner and the release of Microsoft new operating system Windows 7 a few weeks ago, a lot of people may be thinking about getting a new computer, or upgrade the hard drive in the old one to a bigger size.
One question that will probably come up, is what to do with the old computer, or in the case of an upgrade, to the old hard drive?
Either way, it is never a good idea to just toss the old computer or hard drive for the obvious security reasons. Because, even if you transfer all the files from the old computer to the new one or to the new hard drive, it is common knowledge that almost every bit of information that was stored there, is perfectly retrievable.
With that in mind, you will have a few options that vary in terms of time commitment: The first and less time consuming, would be to store the computer or the hard drive in a safe and secure location; the second option would be to pick a hammer and smash the old computer or hard drive to pieces; the third option would be to give the old hard drive a new life as a backup or storage unit. That last option which allows you to kill two birds with one stone, is what we will be talking about here.
At first, it may sound intimidating for a non techie, but it is a real simple procedure that most people should be able to do on their own. To set the scene straight, there is not a lot fixing to do here, all you need is a hard drive enclosure kit. An enclosure is nothing but a casing that will act as a shell to protect the drive and provide the necessary ports for power and cables for U.S.B. connectivity to a computer.
For a starter, the main thing to be concerned with, is to get a same size model (3.5-inch drive for a PC, or a 2.5-inch drive for a laptop) compatible with the old hard drive.
In doubt about what you may need, several sites like eHow.com, will give you the run down on how to choose a new drive, and how to install it in the newly purchased enclosure.
Speaking of purchase, hard drive enclosure prices start at about $15 and you can get from sites like newegg.com, ultraproducts.com, or tigerdirect.com and some of them even sell an enclosure kit complete with cables an d software to transfer all your data over to the new hard drive before the old one is turned into new use.

For more, see NYTimes.com

Does upgrading to Windows 7 deactivates the license key for any prior version of Windows?

For many people, one of the reasons holding them back from taking the plunge for Windows 7, is the fear of the unknown and the general belief that upgrading to Windows 7 would prevent them from coming back to whatever previous version they owned. The true of the matter is that this is just not the case: owners of previous versions of Windows can always go back to that version if they are not happy with Windows 7 after trying it out, without losing the product key of the of their old versions.

The new Windows 7 lacks a built-in e-mail program.

It's has been less than three weeks since Windows 7, Microsoft much anticipated operating system has hit the market and the reviews are generally good not only from the experts, but from many regulars users.
The advantages of Windows 7 over its much maligned predecessor, Windows Vista, are numerous and include among others, a much secure, faster, reliable, less bloated system.
In order to achieve theose results and either by design or as a consequence, Microsoft has part way with many of the things that people usually associate with a Windows operating system. Among them, the most noticeable thing is the absence of a dedicated preloaded e-mail program in the new Windows 7 operating system.
That alone is quite a change that will have Windows based PCs users, needing to learn to move past the initial sense of lost. And all things considered, the ability for people to use a Microsoft e-mail program is not lost for good, it is just moved from being standard with every new PC built and shipped, to being on demand, in the sense that you can get it, but only if you want it.
Yes, Microsoft is still supporting an e-mail program with Windows 7, only this time users will have to make a separate trip to one of its Web site called download.live.com, to, you guessed it, download it.
On the same Web site, users can download more than just the e-mail program, they can download Windows Messenger for exchanging instant messages, as well as Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker and a program called Writer for composing blog posts.
But given the number of free Web based e-mail programs available out there today, to trade off a preloaded e-mail program on a new PC for some speed and less clutter, should not be a bad deal.

For more, see NYTimes.com

Laplink Software allows automated upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7

With the so much anticipated release of Windows 7 on October 22nd, users of PCs running on the old and reliable Windows XP operating system who may feel overwhelmed at the prospect of the cumbersome steps required to accomplish the move, may be wishing there were an automated way to do so. Well, according to the Wall Street Journal, such solution is offered by a Seattle based software company named Laplink Software. The company usually offers a software utility called PCmover for transferring data from an old PC to a new one. The automated upgrade package will be a new version of the PCmover which according to the company, will be able to do the upgrade itself and all the files and programs preservation needed.
It has not been tested by the Wall Street Journal or anyone that we are aware of, but more details can be found at the company Web site at Laplink.com.

How to migrate from old Windows operating systems to Windows 7.

The long awaited Microsoft new operating system, Windows 7 will be finally released on October 22 and the reviews have been generally good. Now remains the question of how easy will it be for users to make the transition? The answer to that question is two fold : one for the owners of computers with Vista as operating system, and one for the many more owners of computers running with Windows XP, Microsoft previous operating system.
For Vista run PCs, the transition should be an easy one because the new operating system shares most of Vista's underlying components ; Windows 7 should almost installs itself on Vista run PCs, preserving all files, folders, folders, settings and programs.
For Windows XP users, the transition poses more challenges as they have to start from scratch by wiping out everything on their old machine before any installation can take place. The disk wipe out process can be done automatically or manually. But there is a catch: the process will cause the loss of any current file or folder organization and any program. Personal files can be preserved by transferring them to an external hard drive or to another PC via a network or a cable.
Those files would need to be transferred back to the old PC and all other programs and software have to be reinstalled as well.
To help with the transfer of your personal files, Microsoft has set up a site that will automate the process for people who prefer not to do it themselves.
But even before step can be taken, people should be sure that their old machines has enough memory, hard disk space or graphics power to handle Windows 7.

For more, see WSJ.com

Windows 7 to be released sooner on October 22.

Moving ahead of schedule, Microsoft Corp announced last week that its much anticipated new operating system called Windows 7 , will be available in stores on October 22 to replace its often maligned current one, Vista.
Quoting Yahoo tech, by October 22, people will be able to buy new computers with Windows 7 installed, or pick up the software off the shelf to install on their old computer
Also, Microsoft confirmed that it will run a program whereby people who buy PCs with certain versions of Vista before October 22 can get a free upgrade to Windows 7, but it has not yet released details, nor any information on prices.

For more, see PCadvisor.com