One of the really nice things that Microsoft added to Vista was three different power plans, and also provided the ability to create your own if you so desire. By default the operating system ships with a power saver, balanced, and high performance plan.
We knew it would come sooner or later, and from the looks of it widespread 64-bit computing might be on the horizon. Just yesterday we posted the results of our poll asking whether you're running a 64-bit operating system, and only about a quarter of you are. That could be changing as more PC manufacturers start to push 64-bit machines.
As we mentioned last week, our featured CyberNotes articles on Mondays will now focus on both Microsoft and Mac instead of just Microsoft. You could say we're broadening our horizons a little... Today's article will be the first in a series of several, focusing on comparing a feature in Vista with one in Mac OS X 10.5.
Earlier this month we asked CyberNet readers, "How old is your primary computer?" Over 950 of you responded and as it turns out, 30% of you, larger than any other group, are using a computer that's less than one year old. Coming in next was 21% of you who said that you are using a computer that's 1-2 years old.
Back on April 15th, we wrote about how Dell was offering a Windows Downgrade Service which would give buyers the option to have XP factory-installed on their computers. Part of the deal is that Dell gives the buyer the DVD for Vista so that when they are ready (if ever), they can install it.
Microsoft has made some good efforts to make Vista a lot more secure than previous versions of Windows by locking down files and folders on your system. They must have figured if it's verging on painful for you to move or delete the files then it would probably be difficult for viruses to do the same. What if you wanted to modify or delete a system file for one reason or another?
Any time that Vista Ultimate Extras were brought up last year (here, here and here), it was usually to talk about how disappointing that they were. Even though Vista launched in January, it took too long and too much silence from the Ultimate Extras team before they got anything pushed out the door.
Late last year I highlighted what I believed to be the 5 best features in Vista that often don't get any recognition. Among those features I talked about the file previews in the new Windows Explorer, which can be opened by going to Organize -> Layout -> Preview Pane.
I was starting to become skeptical as to whether it was possible to have an Aero Glass theme for Firefox much like that of Internet Explorer 7, but there is now proof that it can be done. One top-notch developer took it upon himself to create an extension that would create a fancy eye-catching interface . The result is the Glasser extension.
Ever since the very first version of Windows launched, technology has changed and improved by leaps and bounds. Today we're looking at the history of Windows system requirements which by itself, helps to show how technology has changed. We'll start with Windows 1.0 and work our way up to Windows Vista. As you can imagine, the changes that have occurred are pretty drastic. Take a look:
For Today's MyFive, we're taking a look at the computers that we (meaning Ryan and I) have owned over the last several years. We're also interested in hearing what computers you've owned over time and which you have found to be the best.
June 30th is quickly approaching and you know what that means, don't you? It means there are going to be a lot of unhappy people because that's the day that Microsoft is going to stop selling OEM and shrink-wrapped copies of Windows XP. People will be forced to purchase Windows Vista, an operating system that many aren't too eager to switch to.
Rumor around the web today is that Microsoft plans on opening retail stores, much like what Apple has done. Their first two stores opened up in May of 2001, and they currently have over 200 of them open. Now it appears Microsoft wants to follow in Apple's footsteps.
Finally! Well over a year ago I wrote about how a Microsoft blog was outlining how to make a Vista "PowerToy" gadget. The gadget that they were using for their demonstration was a Vista Search Index controller where you could pause or start indexing on-demand. For one reason or another the gadget was never actually released... until now!
It's always amusing to read why people think one operating system is better than the other. Of course we are all titled to our own opinions, but people can really get defensive when it comes to their operating system of choice even if they have no knowledge of, or have never used the other operating system.
Grouping similar Taskbar buttons in Windows is either a feature you love or hate. It's nice because when your Taskbar starts to get full it will start grouping applications together to conserve space.
It's often a lot of fun to push things to the limits, and that's one reason a year and a half ago we installed 200 extensions in Firefox to see how well it would perform. Needless to say Firefox became a little sluggish, and there was very little viewable space since the toolbars occupied a large portion of the screen.
How often do you open and save files on your computer? I'm sure that even the most casual users will do it several times throughout the day. Whether it be adding an attachment to an email, uploading a photo to a website, or simply saving a document you've been working on... opening and saving files is a part of our computer-driven lives.
Google Apps users who have years (or just a few months worth) of emails stored in Outlook, Outlook Express or Thunderbird, now have a very simple way to upload those messages to a Google Apps mailbox (Gmail). Google just launched an open source desktop utility called Google Email Uploader that gets the job done.
If you've got a video recording device and two minutes to spare, you could end up with a $10,000 Digital Home Makeover, courtesy of Microsoft. They started a contest to help celebrate the availability of several new Extenders for Windows Media Center.
