Posted 11/02/09 at 08:07:24 AM by Paul Lilly

National computer repair outfit Rescuecom admits "there are some compelling reasons for both business and home users to move to Windows 7, but is also cautioning Windows users not to be in such a rush to upgrade until the dust settles (and bugs are squashed).

"Transferring all their data, their digital life essentially, is one of the most common, most troubling issues that users have," said Josh Kaplan, president of Rescuecom. "Even if you're doing an in-place [upgrade], if you don't have a proper backup, you're still at risk. Without the proper preparation, moving ot a new OS is risky for anybody."

According to Kaplan, putting off an upgrade until a later date sports several advantages. Drivers will inevitably mature as more computers are designed for Windows 7, and upcoming patches will help ensure a safer upgrade. But those weren't the only reasons Kaplans says Windows users should sit tight.

"Given the economy, is that really a necessary expense right?," Kaplan questions when referring to the price of Windows 7.

Read More

Posted 10/29/09 at 04:25:26 PM by Bart Salisbury

Making good on its promise, Canonical is right now pushing out the door version 9.10 of Ubuntu, the infamous “Karmic Koala.” Ubuntu is one of the more popular renditions of open source Linux, that small, but dedicated, niche in the operating system universe that follows the path less taken.

And quite the path it is. Renai LeMay, of Cnet News, judged the current version, 9.04, to be “as slick and beautiful as Mac OS X and Windows 7.” Version 9.10 builds on this, adding faster boot times, a better driver for Intel integrated graphics, build in cloud storage, and a Software Centre that permits better management of applications. Ubuntu offers a suite of office applications, plus games, music, video, photo, email and chat software. And, naturally, includes Mozilla’s Firefox 3.5 for browsing the web. 

Ubuntu is at home on PC or Mac hardware, and comes in 32-bit. Ubuntu also comes in a server edition. And a netbook version, Kubuntu, is also available. Get everything you need to know about Ubuntu 9.10 from our guide.

Read More

Posted 10/19/09 at 04:54:02 PM by Bart Salisbury

For individual users the decision to upgrade to Windows 7 is straightforward--there’s only a PC or two to deal with, and our time is our time. For businesses, however, the decision is a bit more complex. It’s not just having to update multiple machines, it’s having to update the entire information technology infrastructure as well--which can be a costly proposition. And as their time is money it is not a decision to be lightly made.

Dell is working to make the process of business migration to Windows 7. Dell has launched a service that walks businesses through the decision of whether to upgrade, and to make the upgrade process “worry-free.” One part of Dell’s support is a FAQ that walks business owners through the big questions about Windows 7: What hardware is required? Will my software still work under Windows 7? Are there drivers for my peripherals? Dell also helps business owners decide which of the three Windows 7 editions: Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate, will be suit their needs. There’s also advice on the hardware needed to upgrade from XP or Vista.

Windows 7 won’t be officially released until October 22, but Dell is currently taking pre-orders for businesses on its Latitude laptops, OptiPlex desktops, and Precision workstations with Windows 7 installed.

Read More

Posted 10/14/09 at 05:01:08 PM by Jason Barry

The latest Flip MinoHD was announced today featuring a sizable memory upgrade, an aluminum shell and a half-inch on the screen.

With the new MinoHD, you can record up to 120 minutes of HD (720p) video onto the internal 8GB of memory, doubling its predecessor. It sports a 2-inch (diagonal) screen running at a resolution of 960x240. They wrapped it all in an aluminum shell. The folks at Gizmodo got their hands on one and said “The aluminum shell feels great: Much more solid and smaller in the hand than the previous plastic version.”

The newest Flip also supports the latest Flip Video Engine, which adds some onboard editing and clipping features.

Price only jumped 30 bucks to $229 over the $199, 60 minute/4GB version. It is probably worth checking out if you’re in the point-and-shoot video recorder market.

Read More

Posted 09/12/09 at 06:46:44 PM by Justin Kerr

(Click To Enlarge)

Upgrading your operating system using the “in-place” approach has always come at the cost of some performance and stability, but never would we have imagined that it could take up to 20 hours to complete!

According to a new study released by Microsoft software engineer Chris Hernadez, upgrade times can range wildly depending upon your hardware configuration, and the amount of data it needs to migrate during the install. The worst time recorded during their testing was a whopping 20 hours and 20 minutes for a “Super User” that had roughly 650Gb of data, and about 40 applications installed prior to the upgrade. This might sound like a pretty niche scenario to some of you, but I imagine at least a few of our readers (myself included) fall into this category.

A quick look at the chart reveals that even “Medium Users” are facing upgrade times that are about 3-4x longer than a clean install. If we haven’t talked you out of “in-place” upgrades by now, we probably won’t be able to, but at least the chart shown above can help you figure out how much time you need to set aside.

Read More

Posted 08/07/09 at 09:25:01 AM by Paul Lilly

Looking to make life easier for everyone planning on upgrading to Windows 7, Microsoft this week published a chart detailing which OSes are eligible for an "In-Place Upgrade," and which ones require a "Custom Install."

The chart includes every OS from XP up to Windows Vista Ultimate, and even tosses in Windows Vista Starter, only found in developing nations. It appears daunting at first, but simply find the OS you're upgrading from in 32-bit or 64-bit form and match it to the version of Windows 7 you're planning to install. Owners of 32-bit Vista Home Premium, for example, can perform an In-Place Upgrade to 32-bit Windows 7 Home Premium or Ultimate. This means the settings, files, and programs will be preserved. For all other versions, including 64-bit, upgrading from 32-bit Vista Home Premium requires a Custom Install, otherwise known as a clean install.

All XP users will have to perform a clean install no matter which version of Windows 7 is selected.

Read More

Posted 08/01/09 at 04:11:59 PM by Justin Kerr

The announcement of a Windows 7 family pack should have come to much applause, but instead Microsoft faced an angry mob of customers who were worried that they overpaid when ordering multiple copies during the pre order promotion. If you count yourself among this crowd, it’s time to pack away the pitchforks since the pricing falls very much in line with what you would have paid for three copies anyway.

Windows 7 Home Premium family packs will retail for a very reasonable $149, but it now stands in stark contrast to the individual upgrade price of $119. I think most people would agree that the new family pack pricing is a pleasant surprise, but who would buy an individual upgrade copy when for only $30 more you can get 3? I suppose if you only have one PC this makes sense, but it still seems somewhat disproportionate.

Windows Anytime Upgrade pricing has also been revealed which allows users to pay for the option of “stepping up” to a higher product edition. Moving from Windows 7 Starter to Home Premium will run you $79.99, while the move from Home Premium to Professional will set you back $89.99. If you find you need more, you can also make the jump from Windows 7 Professional to Ultimate for a cost of $139.99. The equivalent upgrades in Vista were about 12% higher, continuing the trend of lowering the cost of Windows for consumers.

What do you think about the pricing?

Read More

Posted 06/30/09 at 04:35:50 PM by Mark Edward Soper

While Windows 7, unlike Vista, runs well on netbooks, there are two big problems that must be overcome to make Windows 7 easy to install on netbooks:

• Most netbooks lack CD or DVD drives
• Netbooks run Windows XP or Linux, neither of which are supported for upgrade installations of Windows 7

As far as problem number one is concerned, there may be a solution: Cnet's Ina Fried reports that Microsoft is mulling over the idea of providing Windows 7 on USB thumbdrives to make upgrading netbooks easier without connecting an external CD or DVD drive. As we demonstrated earlier this year, you can install Windows 7 from a USB key after a bit of finagling. Creating a version of Windows 7 that's USB key-friendly would make the process a lot easier for clean installs.

However, what about Windows XP netbook users who want an easy upgrade? Fried reports that Best Buy's Geek Squad is looking at developing Windows 7 upgrade services.

Windows 7 does include Windows Easy Transfer to move user accounts, email, and data files from Windows Vista or XP systems, but is there a better solution that also works with programs? How about Linux netbook users? Any apps or scripts that can at least get the data over to Windowsland safely? We're looking for better suggestions for making the move from Windows XP or Linux on a netbook or other PC to Windows 7 as painless as possible for non-technical users. Think simple, think reliable, and join us after the jump to pass them along. 

Read More