Posts Tagged ‘Windows 7’

Windows 7 is arriving on October 22. Are you ready?

October 16th, 2009

Why do we have to live under constant threat of crime?

Microsoft is going to deliver Windows 7 in a week’s time. I have many questions for Microsoft. Will this version work okay in my old steam driven computer or will I have to change that for a later model? I’m always nervous when a change like this looms and is a potential threat to my very stable way of life. Not that I’m against change, but the older one gets the longer it takes to settle down after a major change. For me, any change on the computer is major.

My computer goes like a dream

My computer, after many years of arguing with me, finally got the message and is now my slave. It does what I ask it to do. No arguments and no refusals. It works like a dream, smooth as butter. Now you say I must upgrade to Windows 7. I’m ready to try it. It won’t harm my computer, will it?

Others are waiting too

Guess who else is waiting for Windows 7 with bated breath? Cybercriminals, that’s who! These people, part of the virus, scam, spam and pirate crowd are circling around out there, waiting for an opportunity to make some money out of a change, or something new. Not for them anything that’s legal – their minds are focused on the dishonest and fraudulent and causing damage. On the other hand they have had a major hand in the development of anti-virus and anti-spam software, original software checking programs, anti-copy systems and a host of other anti-criminal stuff, a whole secondary computer industry, so to speak.

I buy original

I used to use a copy of software that a friend gave me, but once I started writing and doing work for clients and paying tax on the proceeds, I went legal and bought original software. My partner, the tax department, paid his share as well. But not everyone does that. I still receive odd requests for a copy of this or that program and I simply refer the asker to the computer store.

The latest cybercriminals

According to a spokesman at Microsoft, illegitimate distributions of our latest Windows operating system, Windows 7, are rampant. Be warned. You could damage your data and even your computer by using illegally copied software. On the other hand, Microsoft, the theft and pirating of your products puts you in good company with the car manufacturers, the clothing copiers, the watchmakers and just about every other legitimate business there is. Take it as a sign that you have made it, you have arrived and you are worth stealing.

The possible bad news

Windows 7 sounds promising. How now, Intel, can you cope with this innovation or are you going to develop a new chip and tell us that we must all upgrade our computers in order to get the best out of Windows 7?

Tags: Cybercriminals, Intel, Microsoft, Upgrade, Windows 7
Posted in Personal / Internet | No Comments »

Disaster strikes – You have to buy a new computer

October 12th, 2009

This is going to cost you money…

It happens to all of us. We are used to the computer we have; it does what we want exactly as we trained it and we are scared that a new computer may not behave properly. And then, of course, there’s the matter of finding un-budgeted money.

The hard part

The only really hard thing about buying a computer is choosing where to buy it. Ideally, buy from someone you trust to give you unbiased advice and the technical support you hopefully will never need.

The good news

The good news is that the entry-level or basic minimum PC these days is more than good enough for most computing tasks. These tasks include office work, fiddling with digital photography, e-mail, surfing the web and playing less involved games. The entry-level PC will be fine for those pursuits, although consider adding memory so that the machine has at least 2G of RAM. These machines are not likely to have separate network and video cards – these will be built into their motherboards and there is nothing wrong with that.

Choosing

Choosing a computer does become more complex when you want to engage in activities such as video editing, high-end gaming or advanced image manipulation, which need more resources to be viable. If you are going to be playing some of the sophisticated games, look at the requirements on the box or the leaflet of the games package. Programs, including games and video editing packages, always list the minimum requirements they need to run and often suggest configurations.

The screen

Most of the monitors available today have LCD screens. It seems the higher the contrast ratios and lower the response times, the better the screen. Take a good look at the difference between the cheaper and more expensive models – don’t be talked into buying an inferior screen simply because it’s larger.

Laptops

Choosing a laptop or notebook also seems complicated, but it also means buying a machine to suit your purposes. The most basic are the so-called Netbooks, which are fine for web surfing, some word processing or sending e-mail. Laptops have smaller screens, but make up for that with a greater battery life and enhanced portability. You have to decide if you can live with the smaller screen and keyboard. As with their desktop cousins, the entry-level notebooks are fine for just about any task and you really only need something better if you have a special requirement. Upgrade to at least 2G of RAM and a wireless networking facility built into the machine.

Operating systems

I wouldn’t buy a machine with Microsoft Vistage. Windows 7 is due out soon and I would insist on a free upgrade to that or I wouldn’t buy. I’d also consider using a Linux variant, such as Ubuntu, if I could get Linux versions of all the software I intend to use.

Tags: Computer, Software, Un-budgeted money, Windows 7
Posted in Finance, Personal / Internet | No Comments »