Which Vista is Right for You?

According to Mr. Gates of Microsoft, 90% of us computer users use Windows. Also according to him we should all be using or getting ready to use the latest operating system, Windows Vista, from Microsoft. Now the questions - who should really upgrade and which version is the right version for your use - Standard, Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise or Ultimate?

If you are using the latest version of Windows XP Professional, and are up to date on the patches, don't rush for an upgrade unless you are buying a new computer or are an IT professional developing technology based on the Vista platform.

You may not have noticed but Windows XP also has many versions - Standard, Home, Professional, Enterprise, Tablet PC and Windows Media Center. Very few people use the Standard Version and Enterprise is for the very large enterprises. So I will skip them in my review.

Windows Vista Basic is the upgrade over Windows XP Home with fewer crashes, a brand new interface and improved security. You will also get limited access to Windows Mobility Center and Meeting Place. What you do not get is Pluggable log-in authentication architecture, Aero, Rights Management Services (RMS) Client, Tablet PC, DVD Maker, Media Center, Movie Maker regular/HD, Domain join for Windows Small Business Server, Encrypting File System, Integrated Smart Card management, Group Policy support, Roaming user profiles, Virtual PC Express, BitLocker Drive Encryption, Fax and Scan or ShadowCopy.

Windows Vista Home Premium is the upgrade for previous Windows XP Media Center with fewer crashes, a brand new interface, improved security and graphics including DirectX for gaming. You will also get limited access to Windows Mobility Center. What you do not get is Domain join for Windows Small Business Server, Encrypting File System, Integrated Smart Card management, Group Policy support, Roaming user profiles, Virtual PC Express, BitLocker Drive Encryption, Fax and Scan or ShadowCopy.

Windows Vista Business is the upgrade for previous Windows XP Professional & Tablet PC with fewer crashes, brand new interface and improved security. This is the version I recommend to my customers. What you do not get is DVD Maker, Media Center or Movie Maker regular/HD, which are not really essential for a business professional.

Windows Ultimate has all the features of Basic, Home Premium, Business and some extras - but for a hefty price. Most systems sold by custom PC makers HP, Toshiba, Dell and Lenova do not come with Ultimate installed. Microsoft recommends a $199 upgrade Ultimate from Home Premium and Business.

Visit Microsoft Vista's website for an explanation of all features as well as comparisons between the different versions.

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Best Free Anti Virus Software

Determining the best free anti virus software to use on your home computer is a fairly daunting task especially for your average home user. Protecting your computer against virus threats is a critical part of your computer’s security. The 2 main issues selecting the best free anti virus software are determining whether you can trust the site you are downloading the software from and whether the software you download will actually be effective removing viruses.

The good news is that Google has provided an answer. In 2006 Google announced “Google Pack” which is a collection of over 10 free software programs including a number of Google’s own software products like Google Desktop and the excellent Picasa 2 Photo Editor. Also included within Google Pack was a free anti virus software program supplied by a world-class security software vendor.

Symantec originally provided a version of Norton AntiVirus 2005 for Google Pack. The Norton AntiVirus range of products has been recognised for a number of years as one of the leading anti virus solutions for the home. The scanning and removal capability continuously performs well in independent tests. There was however one major limitation. Symantec was only prepared to provide virus definition updates which are central to product for a limited 6 month period and then the user needed to upgrade to a paid version.

At the beginning of 2007 Google addressed this issue with Symantec. The result was that Norton AntiVirus 2005 replaced by a new product called “Norton Security Scan.” Whilst, the new product was missing some of the more advanced features, it still retained the powerful scanning and removal capabilities of the Norton AntiVirus products. More importantly, Symantec agreed to provide free virus updates which were not limited to 6 months.

Given the fact the Norton Security Scan is based on the Norton AntiVirus products and the download is from a trusted Google site, Norton Security Scan is the best free anti virus software available today.

Danny Jones runs a number of computer related sites. He recommends Free Download Norton Anti Virus from Google Pack to protect your computer.

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Windows XP Tweaks to Speed Up a Slow Computer

Now that Vista has arrived with more of a thud than thunder, people are asking the question, “What can I do to speed up my slow computer?” A good answer is to customize your existing operating system for speed an performance. So, why not keep XP. It is Microsoft most stable operating system. Vista will not be stable until the first major service pack update is released. Until then, Vista is about as stable as a house of cards in a tornado. Also XP to Vista migration causes slow computer performance. If you are one of these people who rather kick XP up a notch than pay for a system that meets Vista outrageous specs for optimum performance, read on for some expert tips to speed up a slow computer using XP tweaks.

Windows XP’s stability makes it the most “tweakable”. There are more than a few areas that are specifically ripe with opportunities to improve slow computer performance and remedy a slow computer. Let’s start with getting your hard drive running smoothly.

XP Tweaks for Slow Computer Tip #1—Turn Off Windows Indexing Service

If you have ever wondered why your hard drive makes so much noise when idle, this is due to your files being indexed in order to help your CPU find these files easier. However, even the most insignificant files are indexed. This service puts a huge strain on your hard drive which ironically makes things easier for Windows. Because of this conundrum, most techs have deemed this Indexing Service insignificant and the cause of slow computer hard drive access. You can turn off service with the following steps.

1. Double-click My Computer, point to Explorer Bar on the View menu, and click Search.
2. Click Change preferences, and then click Without Indexing Service.
3. Click No, do not enable Indexing Service, and then click OK.


XP Tweaks for Slow Computer Tip #2— Speed Up Your Hard with NTFS.

Windows XP offers NTFS hard drive configuration. This offers better compression, security and encryption. However, this conversion from FAT to NTFS standard requires a bit more space on your hard drive nevertheless you will be reward with a faster drive. You can easily switch to this system by following directions below:
1. Click Start
2. Click Run
3. Type cmd press Enter.
4. At the command prompt
Type convert X:/FS:NTFS(X is your hard drive letter)
5. Hit Enter


XP Tweaks for Slow Computer Tip #3—Disable Unnecessary Startups

Now let’s tweak Windows to run faster. A slow computer can be attributed to how well your monitor and manage your programs and processes. Windows XP gives you complete control over what programs and processes are loaded into your configuration. There are only six vital programs needed to run your computer. However, there are probably dozens running as soon as you startup your PC. No wonder you have a slow computer. You can manage your startup configuration by following these instructions.

1. Open your Start menu.
2. Click Run
3. In the command screen type: msconfig.exe
4. In the "system configuration utility", click either "service" or "startup" tab
5. Uncheck all programs that you don't want to use.
6. Click OK


XP Tweak for Slow Computer Tip #4—Increase Virtual Memory

Your computer uses physical memory, RAM, and virtual memory. Virtual memory is used to simulate more RAM when your computer is reaching its maximum CPU and RAM usage. It is very similar to a bucket filling up with water, in this analogy your RAM is the bucket and water being computer processes and programs. However, your bucket size is limited by your amount of RAM. The more programs and processes you use cause the bucket to become full. However, you can use a spare bucket to quickly help meet the demand; Virtual memory is that spare bucket.

You can change your virtual memory by altering amount of resources for reserved for it, in a sense making the spare bucket bigger. Virtual memory uses free space as a resource. So you can change the amount free space reserved for the Virtual memory Check out the "How to clean up a slow computer" for efficient ways to clean up your drive.

Increasing your Virtual Memory is easy. There are some important facts to remember. When you get to the Virtual Memory menu select the Custom Size check box, then choose the initial size and the max size. Depending on how much free space you have you can choose what amount of free space you want reserved for the paging file. Its better to keep the initial and maximum size the same to cut down on your CPU access. This will stop your CPU from constantly changing your Virtual memory paging file size. Also set the size at least 1.5 times higher than your physical memory. If you are still confused this link below for a visual step by step instructions.

1.Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2.Click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
3.On the Advanced tab, under Performance, click Settings.
4.Under Virtual memory, click Change.
5.Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file that you want to change. In most computers its C:
6.Under Paging file size for selected drive, click to Custom size check box. You can enter the amount of memory you would like to reserve for Virtual memory by entering the initial and maximum size.
7.Click Set


In addition to these tweaks. You can take it one step further in you quest to make your slow computer a distant memory. This requires you to perform some registry editing. I suggest you clean your registry before attempt any editing. After your registry is clean, you can perform several tweaks to speed up your slow computer. The site below provides more tips and tutorials to increase PC performance. http://www.delete-computer-history.com/general-pc-performance-tips.html

There is no doubt that many of the program and services names are foreign to most. Check out http://www.delete-computer-history.com for a list of unnecessary programs that can cause a slow computer syndrome.

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