Windows Vista is now improved with its Service Pack 1 Release.  For more stability and reliability, you may download and install Microsoft’s Service Pack 1 for Vista.  This service pack contains numerous patchs to resolve current bugs and issues.  

Mainly, it is focused on resolving computer performance and reliability issues as well as supporting new types of hardware.  Without Service Pack 1, there was a problem with recognizing many types of printers, scanners, and usb devices.  Without being able to have Vista support, such peripherals forced Windows users to have paperweights instead of useful equipment.  The Service Pack 1 is supposed to support more of these devices. 

Further, IT administration for rolling out Vista is supposed to be easier.  No specific mention of how IT administration would be easier, but we imagine this deals with being able to easily migrate a Vista computer into a current Windows environment.  Also, we will be beta testing this Service Pack 1 to see if Windows VPN / remote support will be more reliable.

Additional features and add-ons will be coming out separately in future releases.  For now, hopefully this SP1 will make Vista more of a reliable stable Windows operating system.

Standby mode on your computer allows you to close your computer while still saving your settings.  So, if you are working within Outlook, Word, and have a few Internet pages open, you can close your laptop lid or select standby mode on your desktop.  Then, your computer will go into a sleep-like mode so that it essentially uses minimal power.  Finally, when you open your laptop lid or move your mouse on your desktop, your computer will revert to your previous settings.

This is a good way to conserve your computer’s power, and allows you quicker access to your last session.  Further, this can help those with short-term memories to not worry about what they were last doing on their computers.  Please note that computers sometimes freeze during this mode if there are viruses, spyware, or problematic software applications.  Such computer issues could prevent your computer from getting out of standby mode since it is attempting to access your computer processing.  If you notice issues with standby mode, you can contact New York Computer Help for technical support.

Did you know Windows has its own built-in alarm clock and scheduling reminder?  Not many people know this hidden secret.  You can find it by going to:

Start->All Programs->Accessories->System Tools->Scheduled Tasks

Click “Add Scheduled Task” and click on browse.  Then, select a song from your itunes or other folder.  Then, select when you’d like the song to play.  This can act as your musical alarm clock.

The Windows Vista Sidebar looks very similar to the desktop icons the mac has had for years.  It is a vertical toolbar that has icons, now called gadgets, on it.  It displays everything from the current time, notepad, pictures, and games.  The cool part about the sidebar is that you can add dynamic gadgets (icons) to it, such as news/sports updates, weather, announcements, stocks, and more. 

These are not just the static icons that you have to click for updates.  These gadgets will update on their own.  How does this work?  Well, if you want constant news updates from NBC, you set up a gadget for this and then the gadget continually links the gadget to the NBC website for ongoing news.  As news stories unfold, the gadget displays the latest news.  It’s almost like a stock ticker, but it does stream so you have to follow it.  The image stays in place and just shows you the updates almost like a TV.

How do you set up a new gadget in the sidebar?  Right-click the Windows Sidebar icon on the taskbar -> Choose Add Gadgets -> Click Download to Sidebar -> Double-click gadget

This is a fun way to customize your desktop.

Surely, you’ve surfed on a lot of websites.  And maybe you don’t want anyone to see where you’ve been going to.  It is actually good practice to clean your website history to create space and to protect your privacy from other others.  For privacy reasons, if you share a computer or bring your computer to public places, you should remove your browsing history so that others may not find personal information, such as credit card information or saved website log-in information.  Typically, when you enter your username and password into a website, such as your e-mail, it saves your log-in credentials, making it easy for someone to view your e-mail with easy access to your computer.

In Internet Explorer 6, you go to Tools - > Internet Options -> Clear History

In Internet Explorer 7, you go to Tools -> Delete Browsing History

You should clean your browsing history in IE at least every few months.  This will ensure your computer is safer to potential hackers.

Has enough time for Microsoft to get all of the kinks and gliches out of Windows Vista?  Well, not really. 

Compatibility issues continue:  Still, Microsoft hasn’t made Vista compatible to Windows XP printers.  The only way for older printers and peripherals to be compatible is for the printer manufacturers, such as HP, Lexmark, and Canon, to provide these updated drivers.  Without these updated drivers, you are forced to replace your outdated devices to be compatible with Windows Vista.

Integrating Vista into an XP network takes some hurdles.  Meshing Vista into an XP network is possible, but sometimes needs third-party software and configurations for remote access, software sharing, and printer sharing.  It’s doable and we’ve seen enough network combinations to make it work, but it takes more time to set up, compliments of Windows Vista.

Security is good, on the plus side.  Vista adds an extra layer of security so that is definitely a good factor for avoiding viruses and spyware.  Special attention needs to be put forth to this security factor when configuring the computer with routers and networks so the Vista computer may connect efficiently.

Overall, we’re still not recommending Vista as a “go” just yet.  We’re waiting for Windows to release its first Service Pack Release for Vista before officially giving our “thumbs up.”  A Service Release is when Microsoft provides a download with fixes, patches, updates, and anything else to correct current issues.

Over time, your Windows XP computer might take a while to shut down.  Is this because of old age?  Well, sort of.  What happens is your computer develops a paging file, or memory of your temporary files and data over time.  When your system shuts down, it clears your temporary files and data to ensure that unencrypted passwords are not in your computer’s paging file.  This is an extra layer of security from Windows to ensure the utmost security.

With any type of extra security, there is patience or delays that come along with it, almost similar to airline security.  With passwords and anti-virus, this paging storage is not so critical or necessary.  So, if you can do without this extra security, you may tweak the registry so that your computer doesn’t take the extra time to remove the paging files’ contents:

Click Start -> Run -> then type regedit and hit return.

Navigate to and left click on: 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
Then, change the value of the ClearPageFileAtShutdown to 0.  Close the Registry and restart the computer.

Now, your computer should shut down quicker than before since it won’t take the extra time to clear the paging file.

Internet Explorer 7 is the newest release of Microsoft’s Internet browser to view websites.  When first released, this new version had stability problems, sometimes crashing systems or preventing site surfing.  However, IE 7 has been refined to resolve any initial glitches so that it is now recommended.

Internet Explorer 7 introduces tabbed browsing.  Yes, this feature may be found in Mozilla and other browsers, but this is a breakthrough with IE.  Tabbed browsing is the ability to still stay within the same webpage and open up another page without having to minimize the first webpage.  How do you get IE 7 and work with tabbed browsing?

First, make sure you have IE 7.  You can see if you already have it by clicking on Help and About Internet Explorer.  Your version will be displayed.  If you have it, great!  If not, download Internet Explorer 7.  Once you have IE 7, you may use tabbed browsing by first going to any website.  Then, press CONTROL key & the T key.  You’ll then see a new tab or small square box appear at the top of your web page.  Click the tab and you’ll be able to enter a new website.

Tabbed browsing is a big deal with IE 7.  Why?  IE 7 is the most secure browser out there compared to Firefox and Netscape.  Internet Explorer guards against more spyware and malicious threats that the other browsers don’t protect against.  Security along with great features, such as tabbed browsing, make Internet Explorer a great Internet browser to have.

Not bad.  We’ve installed Vista on many computers already and have noticed seamless upgrades from Windows XP Home and Professional.  The viewing experience and navigation is georgous.  Yes, it does remind us of the Mac interface, but there is something more glass-like or translucent about the windows of Vista that seams a little different or more extreme on this new operating system.

Of course, with a few new features come some glitches.  Here are some pitfalls to watch out for:

-1GB RAM is recommended.  Some computers running 512MB, although the minimum recommended amount of RAM, do run slowly after the Vista upgrade

-ZIP compression is done internally through Windows Vista so there is no need to buy Winzip or another compression utility.  We have seen the extraction process take long on some systems and no rhyme or reason has been shown why even with a lot of RAM.

-Windows XP Professional cannot be upgraded to Windows Vista Home or Home Premium.  XP Pro can only be upgraded to Vista Business or Vista Ultimate. 

Please feel free to consult with us if you need further upgrade help or support with Microsoft Vista.  Vista is recommended, but you just need to be aware of some factors before you take the step.

Not yet unless you really need one.  Windows Vista is right around the corner which means that many brands will be featuring innovative computers to go along with the new operating system.  Also, the majority of computers will offer discounted rates to entice consumers. 

Further, if you don’t mind sticking with Windows XP, you’ll be able to buy a new computer with this operating system for significantly less when Vista arrives.  Of course, the manufacturers will want to clear their shelves of Windows XP computers when Vista arrives, so this strategy of purchasing an older operating system version is quite clever.

For those who have no choice since your current computer is not operable, there is still hope.  You may buy a Windows XP computer now and will receive a free express upgrade to Vista when Vista is launched.  This means you’ll receive a free upgrade CD of Vista when Vista comes out.  Just make sure the manufacturer provides some assurance of this.