Posted 11/02/2009 at 05:00:00pm

Need a new portable media player? We're giving away a Zune HD 16GB (Black), courtesy of Nvidia. This kick-ass video and music player is powered by Nvidia's Tegra APX 2600 system-on-a-chip, a sports a vibrant 3.3" OLED screen. This Zune also comes with a custom engraving on the back. But enough of the technical babble. We're going to make it super easy for you to enter the contest, so hit the jump to get the full scoop on getting your name in the random drawing. In fact, you may already be entered!

The contest ends in less than two weeks, so read on for the full rules!

Posted 10/22/2009 at 08:00:00am

So after reading our review of Windows 7, you’re ready to take the plunge and upgrade to Microsoft's new OS. You’ve read our upgrade guide, decided whether you want 32- or 64-bit Windows 7, and bought your retail box. But what if you want to install Windows 7 on a netbook or other computer without an optical drive? Fortunately, you’re not out of luck, because Windows 7 (and Vista, for that matter) can be installed from a USB storage key. Not only does installing from a USB key remove the need for a DVD drive, the install time is also greatly reduced – we shaved off minutes from the total install time. Our step-by-step guide will have you rocking the new version of Windows in no time!

 Read on to get started!

Posted 10/19/2009 at 02:15:44pm

 It's almost here. After almost three years since the launch of Vista, we're gearing up for public release of Windows 7. And as far as launches go, this is going to be a big one. Microsoft is opening the first of their new retail stores in Arizona to celebrate, and we're hosting a special Windows-themed week here at Maximumpc.com. We'll be posting retrospective looks on the history of Windows, essential Windows 7 launch guides, and plenty of pro-tips to get you accustomed to the new OS. Windows XP and Vista users won't be left out, either. Just look for the Windows 7 Week banner on top on articles this week, or hit this link. And if you haven't read our review of Windows 7 yet, that should be your first destination!

Kylie said it best: More happy is coming!

Posted 10/14/2009 at 10:00:00pm

Possibly the media pirate's perfect movie and music streamer

 Yesterday, Western Digital officially announced the second generation of their WD TV HD media player. In our review of the original device, we loved its ability to play back almost any video we tossed at it, but lamented its inability to handle encrypted media files. Since then, Western Digital has issued a series of firmware updates that improve format compatibility (including DivX), but the new WD TV Live adds new hardware features as well. Most notable is the addition of an Ethernet port to connect the WD TV Live to your home network. That means you can not only stream movies from your desktop PC or NAS boxes to the WD TV Live, but also get video, music, and photo content from the internet. We received a retail sample of the new system, and tested it to see if these new features are worth the $50 price bump. 

Read on for our unboxing and impressions!

Posted 10/08/2009 at 11:00:00am

Your PC’s hard drive is probably packed to the platter’s edge with hundreds of ripped DVD videos, gigabytes of digital photos from your camera, and tens of thousands of songs. And that’s not even counting the high-definition digital video from your last family vacation that you’re still planning to unload. But with terabytes of media just gathering dust on your desktop PC, you risk losing years of aggregated files when your hard drive inevitably gives out (don’t even think about backing it all up to the cloud). Our solution: Keep all your data backed up on a Windows Home Sever. More than just a generic NAS box, Windows Home Server maintains backups, streams media files, and works as a file share across your home network. And the best part is that you can build one yourself—we’ll show you how!

Continue reading after the jump!

Posted 10/08/2009 at 09:00:00am

A bootable USB key is a convenient way to install operating systems on netbooks without optical drives, or carrying around a Live OS with you at all times. It especially makes sense if you're installing software on a machine that otherwise has no need for an optical drive, such as a Windows Home Server. Here’s a definitive guide to making a bootable USB key with either Vista or Windows 7 in just 9 steps.

Read on to get started!