HP has teamed up with 31 sites to offer 31 notebooks in 31 days. Not just just any notebook, but the HP HDX Dragon Entertainment Notebook. This features a hi-res 20.1 inch screen which is HD-ready up to a resolution of 1080p. Is accented by dual TV tuners (HDTV and analog) and Blu-Ray reader. It also features the Intel Extreme Processor X9000, 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS, 4 GB of RAM, 2 x 250GB hard drives, and Windows Vista 64-bit Ultimate [full review]. In addition, there is a sweet suite of software included. The price of each package if purchased would be over $5,000!

So how can you win one of these?

Read the rest of this entry »

• 1 Comment

Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista was released to Windows Update today. We’ve been using it since the early beta versions, and we’ll share some of what you can expect when installing on your system(s).

If you remember XP SP1, you may be underwhelmed with Windows Vista SP1. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Microsoft has been telling anyone who will listen that there’s no reason to wait for SP1 before installing Vista. They may have been right. While SP1 contains a number of improvements in performance, and overall quality; most of those have already been available through Windows Update.

Advances in Windows Update, as well as the widespread availability of broadband Internet means that you no longer have to wait for a service pack. Updates are introduced continuously. A service pack is just a roll-up of those updates conveniently packaged. Gone are the days of waiting for a service pack to introduce new applications, and features.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 1 Comment

Everyone is always looking for ways to spend less $$$ while maintaining a quality PC, here are some of my favorite upgrades for a new or old PC:

Wireless Keyboard/Mouse- it’s always a great feeling to get rid of those crummy wires- plus if you choose a nice set, you can control volume, media players, get shortcuts to emails/word documents…the sky is the limit- it’s controlling your entire computer from a couple easy buttons on your keyboard/mouse (ladies,this means you can even match your monitor or speakers for better looking computer desks!)

Wireless Internet Cards/Routers- for those of you with laptops who are still plugging in blue ethernet chords…just stop! YOU are outdated if you still use those blue cat5 cables with your laptop. Most laptops come standard now with a wireless card to connect to the internet from anywhere around the house/yard. This also is a great segway to a new router. Routers are becoming the talk of the tech world now with such new innovations that are providing to be useful more then ever. Some of the newest routers contain features like build in harddrives to have a network ready storage bin for everyone in the family to share documents or for users who like to work on a desktop and then work on that same file on a laptop as well

Read the rest of this entry »

• 6 Comments

I’ve been getting a good deal of emails about people complaining about the speed of their complain about the speed of there new computers and how it got “so slow so fast!” Its rare how few of people realize the importance of maintenance on a computer is as equal as the maintenance of your car. You wouldn’t leave the brand new Lexus out to sit and bake with the same oil for 50,000 miles! The same rules apply to your computer! Do yourself AND the computer a favor and follow some of these tips:

Get Rid of Some Startup Programs:

One of the most common problems I see is most users wait 5 minutes for the computer to be ready to use after they start it up. Some of my friends use to boot up their machines, take a shower, and come back and still wait for some of the programs to finish loading….GET RID OF SOME! You do NOT need all these programs starting during the boot of your memory, they just hog memory and slow down your CPU. Remove the ones you don’t want…

Read the rest of this entry »

• 5 Comments

While Windows Vista has received mixed reviews, most everyone agrees that security is much improved. Security was a priority with Windows Vista. Some may even say they went too far (see User Account Control). However, whether reviewing the posts in our malware removal forum, reading security blogs, or comparing the number of first year vulnerabilities. It’s clear Microsoft has done a great job with security in Windows Vista.

Jeff Jones (Director at Microsoft) recently released a One Year Vulnerability Report (PDF). A picture is worth a thousand words:

Read the rest of this entry »

• 4 Comments

Microsoft and Dell have joined forces with (Product) Red. For every (Product) Red branded Dell product sold, Microsoft and Dell will make a donation to this charity that provides global AIDS support, with a focus on women and children in Africa. At no extra cost to the buyer.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 1 Comment

Windows Vista recently displayed the following message:

Do you want to send more information about the problem?

Additional details about what went wrong can help Microsoft create a solution.

Should I send the information? What does it contain, and what’s done with it?

Answer to “Do you want to send more information about the problem?”

• 2 Comments

Who says only Apple can be cool and hip?

Bill’s Last Day: The CES Keynote video

(requires Silverlight to view)

• 0 Comments

What happened to my free, over-the-air TV? If you’re reading this, odds are that it doesn’t apply to you. But, it may apply to someone close to you.

Beginning Feb. 18, 2009, anyone who does not own a television with a digital tuner will cease to receive their programming via over-the-air antennas. They will no longer receive an analog signal. That day analog signals will go dark, and only digital signals will be broadcast free. Goodbye black-and-white, goodbye color, hello digital high-definition television. It has not only arrived, it will be the only signal broadcast by “free” over-the-air TV after Feb. 18, 2009.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 2 Comments

Webroot has begun offering their Spysweeper antispyware product free for one year. Sounds like a great deal, right? A couple of years ago, we would have whole heartedly agreed. Spysweeper was once a darling. Effortlessly removing infections like Nail, and Aurora when manual removal efforts required much more effort.

However, Spysweeper hasn’t kept pace with recent infections, and we rarely recommend it. It’s mostly irrelevant these days. Even worse they’ve chosen to install the Ask! toolbar by default. While this leads to more revenue for them, it potentially leads to less privacy for its users.

Read the rest of this entry »

• 2 Comments