May 28, 2008 | computers, hardware, Vista, WinXP
I’m starting to get annoyed when I sit down at a Windows XP computer because it’s missing so many things that I take for granted in Vista. I just reformatted a hard drive and installed Windows XP from scratch for a client and it required far more work than...
May 27, 2008 | computers, Dell, hardware, mobile, Vista
On a Dell laptop, it is crucial to DISABLE one “power-saving” feature guaranteed to drive you mad. In Vista’s “Power Options” panel, the bottom item on the left is “Dell Internal Network Card Power Management.” It is intended...
May 27, 2008 | computers, hardware, mobile, Vista
Vista is very smart about power management! Use the default settings, you might be pleasantly surprised. As always, the goal is to make a computer more like other appliances – ready to be used within a few seconds after turning it on. Any computer –...
May 24, 2008 | computers, Microsoft, security, WinXP
A number of people have had the same problems after installing Windows XP Service Pack 3: Device Manager is emptySystem Restore is emptythe Network Connections screen is emptyother USB devices are not workingin some cases, My Computer will not open up or starts...
May 22, 2008 | computers, hardware
The same problem has now turned up twice in two weeks. So far I’m not aware of any recent update or change that makes this happen, but keep this in the back of your mind in case it comes in handy. The symptom is a black screen and a blinking cursor after the...
May 19, 2008 | computers, Internet, OneCare, security, Vista, WinXP
The best security software will not protect you if you click “OK” and install something from a web site. Adware/spyware was at epidemic levels until a couple of years ago when Microsoft released Windows Defender and the antivirus vendors reluctantly...
