Upgrade Windows 7 on your PC

It is simple to upgrade from Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7. MSN shows you here how to make the switch quickly and what to look out for.

First Step: Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor
“Just put the DVD in and hit install” may work for installing normal programs, but the same does not apply when installing a new operating system. If installed incorrectly, it is possible to lose data and a lot of time. Microsoft knows this of course and has developed a software program called “Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor” that walks you through the most important steps of the installation. The software can be downloaded from this location: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx. Don’t worry, it is free!

After a short installation, click the ‘Start Check’ button. The important thing to remember here is to make sure all of your network cables, USB devices and other peripherals are connected to the PC in order for the Upgrade Advisor to install necessary drivers. This way all of your devices will work straight out of the box when Windows 7 installation is completed.

The Upgrade Advisor runs through a checklist of processor, RAM, hard-drive, and external devices to see if your PC is capable of running Windows 7. It also checks if your machine can run the new ‘Windows Aero’ interface.

If all of the performance requirements check out, then you can move on to step 2.

Second Step: Back-up your data
Installing an operating system is a bit like moving house, it is important to take everything with you, so make sure to back-up your personal effects. Make a checklist of all the items and folders on your computer where you keep you data; like My Documents, My Music, My Pictures and so forth. Don’t forget to find all those saved e-mails, favourites, pictures, music and videos too. It is a good idea to back up all of this information once a month just in case your hardware crashes or you inadvertently fall victim to a virus, but it is doubly important to do so before changing operating systems.

The quickest and easiest way to back-up your data is to copy all of it to an external hard-drive or USB stick, however purists may prefer trusting their data to CD or DVD. For those of you still using Windows XP, there is a handy back-up tool fit for just this occasion! To find: Open the Start menu, click on ‘All Programs’, then select ‘Accessories’, The back-up utility can be found hiding in the ‘System Tools’ folder.

If using Vista you have even more choice, with two backup options at your disposal:

Create a complete backup of your system. Visit the Start menu and navigate to ‘All Programs’, ‘Maintenance’. Open the backup software and click on ‘Back-up Computer’ to begin the process. This will create an image of your hard disk but won’t save your user accounts, settings, internet preferences or favourites..

Windows Easy Transfer tool. The Windows Easy Transfer tool essentially backs-up all your important data; user accounts, folders, settings, internet settings and favourites. Open the Start menu and type “easy” in the search box, Windows Easy Transfer should appear in the search results Once started it will suggest that you close all other programs for best results and even offers to close them for you with one helpful button. Follow the prompts and when your PC has rebooted select a destination for the backed-up data.(again, choose from external hard-drive, USB stick, CD or DVD). Once Windows 7 is successfully installed Windows Easy Transfer will return and configure your PC using your saved settings.

Third Step: Make Room
Officially Windows 7 requires 16GB of hard-drive space, but ideally set aside 30GB. With this extra room you can easily install any other desired programs alongside your new operating system.

Advanced tip: Want to create a partition on your hard-drive to install Windows 7 on? Type ‘computer management’ into the search box on the Start menu. Under the storage section, click on ‘Disk Management'. Right-click on the drive that will host Windows 7 (usually your C:/ drive) and select the option to make the hard-drive smaller. This will free up space for you to create an additional partition.

Fourth Step: Update or New Install
Windows 7 can be installed as an update for machines still running Vista. For anyone running Windows XP, it is highly recommended that Windows 7 be installed as a new installation. With Vista, it is very easy. After completing the earlier steps, just insert the Windows 7 DVD and follow the directions in the install wizard program to update your system. For XP users, after completing the preceding steps, boot up your computer from the DVD and the install wizard program guides you through the process. The complete installation takes only around 30 minutes, which is impressively fast when you think about it.

Old and New in Dual Boot Mode
If you are still not sure if you are ready for the upgrade to Windows 7, you can also install it alongside an existing operating system. This way you can make the transition easily and learn to use Windows 7 without having to completely abandon your older and more familiar surroundings. If possible, Windows 7 should be installed on its own hard-drive, or at least in its own partition if your system has only one hard-drive.

Source: http://events.ie.msn.com/Windows-7

Windows 7 Professional $29.99 for students

Windows 7 Home Premium for $29.99. Turns out that they are offering Windows 7 Professional for the same price on theUltimateSteal website! This deal can save students $170 US off the newsstand price. Upon purchase, you will be required to provide your .edu email address as proof that you are a student at a qualified institution. If you are not from the US, select your localization from the menu in the top right corner. If you do not see Windows 7 listed, click on Additional Products in the sidebar.

Windows 7 Professional $29.99 for students

Unlike the Win741 program, there weren’t any specific details provided as to when this deal would expire. The offer is only available in some countries and prices do vary within the different countries, but are still substantially cheaper than the newsstand price.

Some colleges and universities offer complimentary MSDNAA (Microsoft Developer Network Academic Alliance) accounts to their students, which will allow you to download Windows 7 for free. You can check here to see if your school is enrolled in the MSDNAA program.

Click here to purchase Windows 7 Professional for $29.99 from theUltimateSteal website

Recovery Tips for Windows 7

Windows 7 is still in its baby-steps beta phase, with what is assumed to be the first release candidate having made its mark in the land of torrents just last week. However, what happens when you encounter a problem with software that hasn’t been tried and tested yet in the field by those on the front lines testing the beta? You do the only logical thing – retreat and recover.
In this regard Windows 7 offers a bevy of recovering options – for this article, we’ll be analyzing the two most practical ones:

System Recovery
If there’s one thing newer versions of Windows have incorporated astoundingly well, it is the ability to system restore to just about any point in the past. Now, so long as the problem you’ve been having is relatively recent, you’ll be able to be back in business in no time.

Just follow these steps to getting your system back to the way it’s supposed to be running:

1. Go to Start → Programs → Accessories → System Tools → System Restore
2. As a new feature in Windows 7, your computer analyzes the best point in the past to go to, in order to solve any issues you’re having – just be patient, it’ll take a second.
3. After the system restore tool has looked into your restore points, it’ll suggest the best one to return to → if you know that point is compromised, select the option to “see more restore points”, if the point is good however, initiate the system restore.
4. This next step can take a few minutes, so you might want to work on something else – your computer is rebuilding itself back to what it used to be before things went horribly wrong.
5. Assuming the restore went well, you should boot back up to find your desktop waiting for you and working well.
6. If the restore didn’t go well, you’ll want to go to our second featured way to restore Windows 7. Ultimately, for those users who aren’t too familiar with computers, this method is user friendly and tends to work in about 75-80% of all cases. However, when you tinker with computers as much as I do (and I bet many of you do), this option simply isn’t enough, which is why you should try…

Making a Boot-Up CD (or USB Drive)
Diagnostically speaking, a boot CD or USB drive is the most valuable tool in your current arsenal for tackling your problem. Even more importantly, the boot CD also includes several tools that can fix and repair hard drives and networks – most important to helping you resolve the problem after you’ve diagnosed it.

There are two essential boot CDs you need to resolve any problem:

- The Ubuntu Boot CD
- Ultimate Boot CD for Windows

The tools on the disk include everything necessary to run from the CD and continue your diagnosis of the computer’s problems. The pros are quite simple – it’s extremely simple to make, resolves practically any software related problem and works off a network as well.
If you’re hard-pressed for time, go for the System Restore before you make the LiveCD or the Boot CD. This will ensure that if the problem is easily fixable, it’ll get done quickly.

Precautionary steps before installing avast! Free Antivirus software

Why upgrade to Windows 7 from your XP or Vista OS?

Microsoft’s newest operating system, Windows 7, has made computing simple and easy by incorporating better ways to find and manage files. The Snap, Peek and Shake features give the operating system a new approach to juggle all the open programs. Microsoft has a more focused approach in designing Windows 7, an incremental upgrade to the Windows line.

Microsoft Vista/XP Operating System doesn’t facilitate backup to files and folders. On these systems, it also becomes complicated while synching multiple devices and individual folders to Vista or XP PCs on your network. Vista lacks in Windows Meeting space, and it has no common whiteboard and built-in VoIP features. It has a huge User Account Control problem. Windows 7 has cruised through all the menaces of Vista/XP and tried to overcome them. Microsoft has made Windows 7 UAC easier and quicker to use and make system changes.

Windows 7 has been comprehensively redesigned for its users to have a smarter look, easy to understand applications and friendly user interface. It includes a slew of new desktop backgrounds, wallpapers, and slide show applications that display rotating pictures on your desktop. Windows 7 is designed to run speed-sapping background services and gives you the freedom to use them whenever you want. It takes less memory and can boost your computer’s overall performance. It is also designed to search external hard drives, networked PCs and libraries. You can also narrow down your search by date, file type and other useful categories.

You can connect two or more computers running on Windows 7. HomeGroup application makes it easier for you to automatically start sharing your music, picture, video, and documents with other people in the same network. Windows 7 is equally concerned about your privacy as you are. It gives you an option to protect your HomeGroup by password and keeps your computer under your control. It has a feature of “read only,” wherein others can look at your document but cannot moderate it.

Unable to Find Inbox Repair Tool in Windows 7

Microsoft Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) is a .pst file repair utility. The tool can fix PST corruption related issues, mostly when the file header is affected. It performs item-wise recovery, but can delete the damaged data, what it finds unable to understand. If you use Windows 7 run computer system, the chances are that you may fail to find the tool in an attempt of repairing a corrupted PST. The causes could be that you don't search it at the correct location or the file is not visible because of its hidden attribute.

For instance, consider a condition when you PST gets damaged for reasons, like unexpected shutdown, virus attack, network sharing, version upgrade or application bugs. The file is stored on a Windows 7 system. As suggested, you try to run Scanpst tool, but fail to locate it.

Cause

The most probable reasons for this behavior are:
1.You are not looking at the default location of Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe)
2.The Scanpst.exe file has been moved from its original location
3.The Scanpst.exe is a hidden file by default. The above behavior can occur if you don't enable the view of hidden files and folders.

Solution

You should try these fixes to resolve the issue:
1.You should search for Scanpst.exe file at the correct default location, which is
2.C:usersusernameAppDataLocalMicrosoftOutlook
3.If the file has been moved, you need to run tool from there
4.You need to enable the view of hidden files and folders before searching for the tool.

For this, click Start | Start Search and right-click the Control Folders. Type 'Run as administrator' and double-click the Folder Options. Next, click on View tab and select Show hidden files and folders option under Hidden files and folders. Click Ok to save the settings.

Run Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) and check if the tool works for repairing the corrupted PST. If not, you need more powerful solutions for fixing the corruption. The third-party repair utilities for PST have high-end scanning methods and graphically-rich interface to allow for complete and easy file repair.

Windows 7 Password Recovery

Need Windows 7 Password Recovery options so you can recover your Windows 7 password? If you need to get your Windows 7 password recovered, then I will help you to do this.

I will help you to do this by giving you the best Windows 7 password recovery options. This way, you'll be able to recover your Windows 7 password on the easiest, fastest and safest way.

2 Windows 7 Password Recovery Options To Recover Your Windows 7 Password

There aren't many Windows 7 password recovery options. In fact, there are only 2. The first option is that you start re-installing your Windows 7 system to get your password recovered. While this sounds good, and while many people are recommending this option, I don't.

You see, when you are re-installing your Windows 7 system, it will take lots of your time because you need to uninstall, re-install windows 7 and then you'll need to install all your old programs.

Also, there's a chance that your personal files will get deleted too. Therefore, for these reasons I highly recommend you to go for option 2.

Using A Windows 7 Password Recovery Program To Automatically Recover Your Windows 7 Password

In my opinion, the best way to recover your Windows 7 password is by using a Windows 7 Password Recovery program. This way, you'll be able to automatically recover a Windows 7 password.

The program is called Password Resetter, and It will automatically start resetting your password so you can log back into Windows 7.

This is how it works:

1 – At first, Password Resetter will automatically create your bootable USB or CD. It will then start copying your Wndows 7 files over to the bootable USB or CD.
2 – After that, Password Resetter will start locating your system user.
3 – Once located, it will automatically start resetting your password.
4 – Once completed, you simply restart your computer and you'll be able to login to Windows 7 without using a password.

So, in order to recover your Windows 7 password, you can do 2 things. You either do this by re-installing Windows 7 which takes quite some time and you take the risk of losing your personal files. Or, you use a software program that will automatically start resetting your password.

Unix like Operating Systems

Unix like Operating Systems
We are all aware of the fact that Unix is an open source operating system. By open source, we mean that its source code is kept free for changes. No doubt, for a full version Linux, you will need to have the license key from the vendor from whom you are getting the operating system. There are various vendors like Red Hat, Fedora, etc. who design Linux operating system.

History of Computer Operating Systems - Unix
Unix operating system is designed by many vendors today. However, the success of UNIX can be many attributed to the AT&T's Bell Laboratories from where it was desiged and released in 1970's. By the end of the 1970's most people who had done pioneering work in the success of this operating system were holding important positions in the computer world. They insisted on using UNIX. Educational institutions, Government bodies and electronic companies, all continued to use Unix. This led to various vendors entering into this market and producing their own versions of Unix. In 1980, 'The Open Group' or X/Open Company Ltd. was formed by a group of vendors to limit the encroachment by larger companies who wanted to control the system interface. Open Systems had to meed specific standards and Unix system was chosen as the platform for the open systems. In 1993, AT&T sold its Unix System Laboratories to Novell and in 1995, SCO bought the same from Novell. In 1995 X/Open introduced the Unix 95 brand for computer systems. It was meant to guarantee the Single Unix specification.
We are describe all windows 7 features.

Updated Windows 7 News

Windows 7 is a benchmark in the software development history of Microsoft. It has been designed with acute sharpness to deliver qualitative performance in a best and secure way. Since its launch on 22nd October, last year, it has earned net revenue of $6.66 billion approximately, which is many folds higher than Windows Vista.

Feature, usability and recommendation
From my prospective, Windows 7 update is an important option, which has been included for the smooth performance of your operating system, dependent application software and peripheral devices, such as printer and scanner.
I faced the most difficult situation in my computing life, when I found my computer equipped with Windows 7 in an absolute “no boot” condition. It was showing software conflicts repeatedly. But once I updated the Microsoft’s applications with the latest patches available on its website, I got everything resolved.
But things were not so easier, if I had not kept my Windows update enabled. From Windows update I came to know about the latest patch for my computer’s operating system and other application software and when I implemented those updates I got my computer back in sound condition.

Hence, Windows 7 update is essential to maintain the performance and security of computer. It dedicatedly searches for the latest available patch required for loaded operating system and application software.
Microsoft is still working to energize its latest Windows 7 operating system. There is a news is in the air about development of an update patch known as Service Pack 1 or SP1, which is expected to be available around September 2010.
So, the best thing is to keep your Windows updated with latest patch via Windows update option, which is not a bit difficult. It can be done as, Click Start > Control Panel>System and Security>Windows Update. Click OK to apply it finally.
Limitation
Running a computer is always at a risk if you don’t update your computer on regular basis, there can be risk of hardware failure/computer crash or stealing of important personal details through spyware or adware. So never compromise and get the best update from Microsoft’s website.

Conclusion
Over and all Microsoft has done a great job with the introduction of self update feature in latest Windows 7. It helps to get quick and automatic access to latest update available from manufacturer and hence you

Windows 7: faster or just smarter?

Features
After experimenting with a series of operating system form Microsoft and others, I have concluded that there is no alternative for Windows 7 Professional in the present date. Once, I had installed it I took a sigh of relief as it is much stable and user-friendly and miles away from software conflictions. I am pretty much sure that its features, like JumpList, Aero, HomeGroup, Domain Join and XP Mode are enough to challenge any OS.

Usability
Windows 7 Professional has simplified my task. Now, I can easily connect my PCs at home to share files, music, video and even my printer without any hassle. Earlier, it was never possible without help of technicians. In addition, I can maintain my privacy too with the password protection feature. I don’t face difficulty while working with multiple Windows because Aero Shake minimizes unessential applications within an eye blink by just shaking them with the mouse. I can access file located in remote section of my computer network easily and quickly with smart search of Windows Search option. When I just enter an alphabet in the search box, it gives a list of relevant files. It was never so easy with Windows Vista’s “Instant Search.” With the Tab Group feature in Internet Explorer you can easily manage multiple tabs, which was not possible in earlier versions of IE. Hence, it’s a totally a never-before experience with Windows 7 Professional.

Limitation
Although, I have a good experience with Windows 7 Professional, but I think Microsoft should have been a bit liberal with the users on the compatibility front. I faced issues while doing custom install on one of my old computer. It showed software conflicts a number of times, when I had to do install device drivers.

Conclusion:
Above and all, Windows 7 professional is a good presentation from Microsoft. There are some new features, which will be soon adaptable for me. I liked it mostly on account of its enhanced performance with least of software conflicts and strong security features, which were tough challenge in earlier versions.

Windows 7 Microsoft-A Way To Success

Microsoft’s Windows 7, which was introduced on 22nd October, 2009, has climbed the new charts of popularity. Try this new Windows operating system to experience a new level of computing.
Performance accelerator

With latest Windows 7 loaded on your computer, managing your files and folders gets pretty easier. You can keep your frequently required files on your finger tips, with the help of JumpList and Aero Pin features of Microsoft’s Windows 7. Windows Search will help you to quickly access files, photos and other important documents which are occasionally used. Aero Snap will make your job easier, if you have to do work related to reading, organizing, and comparing windows.

Easy networking
Microsoft’s Windows 7 has introduced Home Group, which will simplify your home network, so that you can easily share your files and peripheral devices with a single click. Moreover you can customize your sharing job.

If you have a requirement to share your office or home network, you can make use of Direct Access. To maintain the security of your data you can implement BitLocker encryption feature.

Security and Maintenance
A lot of improvement has been done on the security front with the introduction of Multiple Active Firewall Policies, DirectAccess, BranchCache, BitLocker To Go, AppLocker and Biometric enhancement. Windows 7 Action Center is a user-friendly feature, because it offers a common platform to system maintenance information, security information and computer troubleshooting.

So, don’t wait and install Microsoft’s Windows 7 on your computer to get the best computing experience.

How to backup in windows 7

Create copies of data files and system image which includes system settings, programs and files with Windows Backup. Choose custom location in Windows 7 for data backup. You can check for this option under System and Security in your Control Panel and can also access it through Action Center.

Some vital functionality was missing in Windows Vista which Microsoft has tried to cover up in Windows 7. Windows 7 has build on the new features in Windows Vista Backup. Windows 7 provides you with in-built tool to back up your data. Microsoft has introduced consolidated Backup and restore Center in Windows Vista but Windows 7 has in-built backup center. It’s in-built “Shadow Copy” feature restores the previous versions of files and folders and makes repetitious backups when required, if certain part of the file has been changed then it only transfer that part and copy it over.

Backup and Restore Center will show you the backup device you have selected, the space left on it, the space occupied by windows Backup and how far you are into the process if you are currently running a backup. Windows 7 backup facilitates you by providing access to your previous system image files for deletion, it also displays how much space is being used by each of its backup components.

Try the following steps to create backup:

1 Start the process of creating a backup from the Backup and restore center in the Control Panel.

2 Choose the location where you want to create your backup.

3 Network location can be selected to create backup. Add your network path by clicking Add New Location.

4 Choose what to backup, once you have chosen the location.

5 You can choose your own files as well as Windows chosen file.

6 Start backup process. the Backup and Restore center notifies that backup is in progress.

7 Restore the files once backup process is over.


But it is far more easier to backup your files over the network, if you are using Professional or Ultimate edition of Windows 7 then you need not keep the drives as you also have the option of backing up your files to a network.

You can set up your network to save the copies of critical files. It will surely proved to be a worthwhile investment as a Home Network backup can easily maintain the copies of the electronic data files thus securing the data in case of theft, disaster and computer failures. You have the option to choose from online service or Home Network backup. There are different methods using which you can set your data on Home Computer Network such as backups to CD-ROM or DVD-ROM discs, network backups to a local server and online backups to a remote hosting service.

In network backup to a local server you don’t require to burn several disks considering setting up a backup server on your home network. A backup server has a large hard disk drive and network to receive other home network files. In Network backup to a Remote Hosting Service many Internet sites offer backup hosting services which results in automatic network backups.

All these features help the user to have the full control over the flies which are backed up and you can have automatic backup capability with suitable software in Local Servers Backup. In Remote Hosted Backup your data is saved with lower risk from theft.

Deployments of Multilingual User Interface for Windows 7

Based on your company's current geographic and IT infrastructure, you need to determine your language and country/region requirements, as well as your hardware requirements and limitations to deploy the appropriate language configurations of Windows 7 and configure country/region support.

You will also need to:

* Determine the roaming user needs in your organization.
* Evaluate the hardware requirements for multilingual support.
* Determine whether your organization will need to deploy a single global image or specific country/region builds for different offices in your organization.

Assessing hardware requirements for multilingual support
Supporting multiple languages can impact your hardware requirements in two areas:
Hard disk space: Some languages require more hard-disk storage space than others. The more languages installed on a computer, the more hard-disk space consumed.
Specialized hardware devices: Some languages or users require special keyboards, IMEs, or alternative input devices.

Determining the requirement of language and country/region
If you have polyglot office environments or you do business in multiple languages then you need to know which languages or bids your organization requires. Also you need to know that whether these languages require input devices or input method editors (IMEs).

You must determine whether currency, time zone, or calendar formats vary between the different countries/regions if you do business on international level. Additionally, you must determine which line-of-business applications you have that must accommodate such country/region differences.

A four-column planning table can help you determine your language and country/region needs. You can organize the table as follows:

* In column one, list your offices or divisions.

* In column two, list the languages or dialects used in those offices or divisions.

* In column three, note the corresponding Windows 7 language collections and locales that support those languages or dialects. For tables listing Windows 7 language packs and settings, see Supported Language Packs and Default Settings.

* In column four, note special standards and format settings, input language support, or default languages for non-Unicode programs required for your offices or divisions.

So, as release date of Windows 7 is close, we find ourselves with revolutionary and new Microsoft OS: Windows 7. Windows 7 seems poised to succeed where Vista couldn’t as it is built on the latest technologies introduced with Vista, but with a renewed focus on performance and compatibility. We’ve finally received a final build of Windows 7 and have run it through the wringer in both the Lab and in the real-world. Here’s what we found.