Release of IE 9 Garners 2.35 Million Downloads in 24 Hours

At 12:00AM EST Tuesday I was sitting in front on my computer eagerly awaiting my install of Internet Explorer 9 RTW. After several months of beta testing and even more months of testing the Platform Previews for IE 9, I was thoroughly excited about finally getting my hands on the final product. In fact, I … Continue reading Release of IE 9 Garners 2.35 Million Downloads in 24 Hours →

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Now Available

If you’ve been anticipating the public release of SP1 for Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2, the wait is over. Last week, Microsoft made SP1 available for TechNet and MSDN subscribers, but it’s now available to the general public in either a (gasp!) 2GB ISO file, or via Windows Update. If you’re going for speed … Continue reading Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Now Available →

Windows 7 SP1 RTM Available for TechNet and MSDN

Yesterday, Microsoft made available the final Windows 7 RTM bits for MSDN and TechNet users (along with, it seems, volume licensing partners as well). There isn’t a whole lot to talk about with the Windows 7 SP1, of course, there’s a lot more on the Server end. However, I finally got around to installing it … Continue reading Windows 7 SP1 RTM Available for TechNet and MSDN →

IE 9 Tip: Using Software Rendering versus Hardware Rendering (for older PCs)

One of my favorite features of the new IE 9 Beta is support for hardware rendering. This feature takes advantage of a modern computer’s GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) in order to render web pages versus the old, less efficient manner of rendering pages virtually or via software rendering. Using hardware rendering, the pages are processed … Continue reading IE 9 Tip: Using Software Rendering versus Hardware Rendering (for older PCs) →

Installing Windows 7 From a USB Key

Installing Windows 7 can be done in a multitude of ways. There’s the normal installing from a DVD approach, installing directly from the hard drive, and even installing via a network, among many other methods. My favorite, however, is installing Windows 7 directly from a USB drive. This allows a couple of benefits. First, it’s … Continue reading Installing Windows 7 From a USB Key →

Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0

Yesterday, Microsoft released the next version of its Microsoft Security Essentials software. It’s been a number of months since Microsoft first unveiled the beta on the Microsoft Connect site, and most recently the revised beta or RC version. However, months of beta testing has led to an even better and more refined product since the … Continue reading Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 →

Windows 7 Tip: Disable the Highlight New Programs Feature

Ever since the days of Windows XP, Windows users have had to deal with the irritating (in my opinion) feature of having their newly installed programs to become highlighted in the Start Menu. Of course, there are viable and realistic reasons for having this feature, users may have quite a few programs installed on their … Continue reading Windows 7 Tip: Disable the Highlight New Programs Feature →

Windows 7 Tip: Using Checkboxes to Select Files and Folders

To begin a new (and hopefully, continuous) series of articles dedicated towards getting the most out of Windows 7, this week’s tip will be quite simple. Of course, there’s many ways in which users can select files to transfer to another folder, drive, etc. There’s using the CTRL + Mouse Click and selecting individual files, … Continue reading Windows 7 Tip: Using Checkboxes to Select Files and Folders →

Microsoft’s “Be What’s Next” Advertising Campaign

Microsoft has finally released some new marketing material that uses it’s anticipated “Be What’s Next” slogan. The material was found by Long Zheng fellow Microsoft enthusiast and then made even more popular by Tom Warren of WinRumors and Neowin fame. The marketing material spells out what Microsoft hopes for its software products to be now … Continue reading Microsoft’s “Be What’s Next” Advertising Campaign →

Microsoft Releases Update to Windows Service Pack Blocker Tool

Microsoft recently released an anticipated update to its Windows Service Pack Blocker Tool to include Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1. The Blocker Tool allows IT admins (and other Windows Techies) to block Service Packs from being installed on machines either in a network or separately for up to one year … Continue reading Microsoft Releases Update to Windows Service Pack Blocker Tool →