Newsletter Archives

• New version of Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

  Posted on September 18, 2009 at 05:27 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Microsoft has just released an updated version of the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor beta.

  It’s a good tool for testing your Windows XP or Vista computer, to see if there will be any known problems in switching over to Windows 7. The Upgrade Advisor looks at all of the hardware attached to your PC, and scans your installed programs, and warns you if something is known to cause headaches.

  I was surprised to find that one of my printer drivers on my Vista machine is out of date. It’s amazingly thorough.

  Well worth downloading and running – or telling your friends.

  Windows News Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

• August 2009 Cumulative Time Zone Updates for Windows available

  Posted on September 1, 2009 at 00:46 CDT by EP • Comment in the Forums

  In case many of you Windows users have not noticed, Microsoft has released the August 2009 Cumulative Time Zone Updates for most versions of Windows listed in Microsoft Support article 970653. If you have not installed any previous Time Zone updates, you may want to install the most recent one. This one is optional, IMO.

  The KB970653 Time Zone Updates should now be available on Windows Update. The KB970653 updates replace/supersede previous Time Zone patches like KB955839, KB951072, etc.

  Windows News august 2009 cumulative time zone updates windows

• Install any version of Windows 7 from the Ultimate DVD – and get 120 free evaluation days to boot

  Posted on August 20, 2009 at 08:16 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  My latest Windows Secrets Newsletter column just hit and it contains a couple of tricks that you might want to peruse.

  To my mind, the really amazing news is that you can install any version of Windows 7 – Ultimate, Pro, Home Premium, or the others – from any Windows 7 DVD. That means if you ripped or ripped off a copy of the final version of Windows 7 Ultimate, say, you can use the DVD (or ISO file) to install Windows 7 Home Premium.

  The trick doesn’t change the “bittedness” – if you have a 32-bit Windows 7 Ultimate DVD, you can only use it to install 32-bit copies of Home Premium, for example – but you can easily change the DVD so it’ll install Ultimate, Pro or Home Premium.

  Here’s why that’s important to those of you who have a copy of the Win7 Ultimate DVD (or ISO file). If you go ahead and install Win7 Ultimate right now, Microsoft gives you 30 days before you have to type in an activation key. If you use the trick in my Secrets column, you can extend the free time up to 120 days – which pushes you out beyond the October 22 ship date. So you can start to use the “real” Windows 7 right now, no sweat, perfectly legally in all respects.

  But if you install Windows 7 Ultimate right now, when time comes to activate, you have to supply an Ultimate key. And Win7 Ultimate costs two arms and two legs.

  Chances are good that you want to install Windows 7 Home Premium right now. (A few of you may really want Pro, but almost everybody will do just fine with Home Premium.) Unfortunately, unless you know the trick, that Windows 7 Ultimate DVD you have right now only installs Windows 7 Ultimate – and you’ll get stuck with either a whopping bill when Windows 7 ships, or you’ll be faced with re-installing Win7.

  So check out the column, follow the tricks, and get a copy of Home Premium installed right now. It’s all legal, all legit – if you know how.

  Windows News extend activation time period t 120 days, install different versions Windows 7, Windows 7 Ultimate DVD, Windows Secrets

• Win7 to sell in UK for half the US price? Nawwwww…

  Posted on August 20, 2009 at 08:04 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Nate Lanxon at CNet UK has an article that breathlessly declares that you folks in UK will be able to get Windows 7 for half the price charged to us Yanks.

  In the UK, full versions of Windows 7 Home Premium — not an upgrade edition — are going to cost around £65. That’s less than the price the Yanks have to pay just for an upgrade version — $120 (£72) — and half what they’ll have to cough up for a full version — $200 (£122).

  What Nate says is absolutely true. But he doesn’t mention the Windows 7 Family Pack, which should give those on the left side of the little puddle three licenses for Windows 7 Home Premium for a paltry US $ 150, or about £30 each.

  As I mentioned three weeks ago, it isn’t clear from Microsoft’s announcement whether the Family pack consists of three full licenses, or three upgrades. But, clearly, it’s difficult to put together an apples-to-apples comparison.

  Right now, if you live in the US or have a friend in the US, the best approach appears to be installing the RTM version of Windows 7 Home Premium, and buying the Family Pack. If you don’t need all three copies, you surely can find a couple of people who do. When the Family Pack arrives, use the keys in the box (or have your friend in the US email you the keys) and you’re in like Flinn.

  Windows News Win7 UK pricing, Windows 7 Family Pack

• Software Development Kit (SDK) for Windows 7 now available

  Posted on August 16, 2009 at 20:53 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  The Win7 SDK has just been posted, and it’s freely available for download.

  Many of the important parts of the SDK are available online, but if you do a lot of puttering with Windows 7 – particularly if you try to program anything under Windows 7, even if it’s just VBA macros – the SDK is a worthwhile download.

  Windows News software development kit, Windows 7 SDK

• Free Windows 7 Pro at Launch Events all over the US

  Posted on August 16, 2009 at 17:34 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  WinGeek reports that Microsoft is giving away free copies of Windows 7 Pro if you register and show up for one of its US launch events. If you’re interested, do it NOW because these are bound to fill up very, very quickly.:

  Starting September 28th through November 4th Microsoft is hosting free Windows 7, Server 2008 R2 and Exchange Server 2010 launch events across the country for IT Professionals and Developers.  Part of “The New Efficiency” marketing campaign the events will showcase the new products and what they mean for IT professionals and developers.  Visitors will be able to choose to focus on either IT or developer sessions and then pick what product they want to “Deep-dive” into for the afternoon.  All professionals attending will receive a free copy of Windows 7 Professional while supplies last.

  Here is a full list of events across the US:

  • Atlanta – Sep. 28
  • Baltimore – Nov. 9
  • Boston – Oct. 5
  • Chicago – Oct. 20
  • Cleveland – Oct. 12
  • Dallas – Nov. 4
  • Denver – Sep. 24
  • Detroit – Oct. 28
  • Houston – Nov. 9
  • Kansas City – Nov. 4
  • Los Angeles – Oct. 28
  • Miami – Sep. 24
  • Minneapolis – Sep. 24
  • New York City – Oct. 20
  • Orange County – Oct. 26
  • Philadelphia – Sep. 28
  • Phoenix – Sep. 28
  • Pittsburgh – Sep. 30
  • Portland – Oct. 14
  • San Diego – Oct. 26
  • San Francisco – Oct. 20
  • San Jose – Oct. 5
  • Seattle – Oct. 12
  • St. Louis – Nov. 9
  • Washington – Nov. 4

  Hurry and register if you are interested!

  Windows News Free Windows 7, Windows 7 launch event

• Windows 7 Release Notes

  Posted on August 8, 2009 at 06:28 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Microsoft has just posted the Windows 7 Release Notes. Since the dawn of DOS (sounds like a good title for a movie, eh?), the Release Notes have documented known problems with a new operating system, and given some workarounds.

  The problems listed are few and minor. The only relatively interesting one is this:

  If you use a computer that has Windows Search enabled (Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP with Windows Search installed) and have chosen a custom index location that has a path name longer than 128 characters, the indexer will not start after you have upgraded the computer to this release.

  Of course, you can’t upgrade a Windows XP computer to Windows 7, so I have no idea why the Release Notes include the XP exhortation.

  Windows News

• Why you might want Windows 7 – and how to get it

  Posted on August 7, 2009 at 18:57 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  If you’re still undecided about Windows 7 – whether you really need it, and how to get it if you decide to take the plunge – I would like you to read three articles. Actually, parts of three articles.

  Mark Minasi, a well-known Windows lecturer and mahaguru, puts together a series of newsletters. He’s devoted a big chunk of his two latest newsletters to explaining why a Windows XP stalwart and/or Vista victim might – or might not – want to shift to Windows 7. Mark knows whereof he speaks. Check out “Windows 7: To Adopt or Not to Adopt?” in newsletters 78 and 79.

  Then, if you’re still interested, Ed Bott has just posted the first thorough and accurate Windows XP/Windows Vista-to-Windows 7 upgrade chart on his blog. You have to wade through some well-deserved criticism of Microsoft’s marketing minions at the beginning, but Ed’s chart at the end of the article gives you the straight scoop on the good, the bad and the ugly of upgrades.

   

  Windows News Windows 7 upgrade
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