Free Anti-Virus Software For Windows 7 Vista and XP

There are plenty of paid antivirus software like Norton out there for Windows, but what if you want a free anti-virus. The good news is that there is plenty of free Anti Virus software that are out there.

Below I’ve listed the best of the free security software that is compatible with Windows 7, Vista and XP.

Microsoft Security Essentials

Many reviews say that Microsoft Security Essentials is the best free antivirus out there. MSE is very lightweight and effective, but it does have some issues when detecting false positives. If you want to use MSE you can download here.

Panda Cloud Antivirus

Panda Cloud Antivirus is security software in that works in the internet. The software is very lightweight, but it takes a very long tome to scan for infections. You can download here.

COMDO

COMDO has been really popular for a long time now. Like the other two options I mentioned it performs well and has OK detection. Click here to download COMDO. COMDO has different options for 32 Bit and 64 Bit PC’s so choose correctly.

AVG 9

Of all the software I’ve mentioned AVG is the most popular, but it does not mean its the best. Over the years AVG has went from performing excellently to just being plain awful. If you feel confident enough to try AVG you can download it here.

Avira

Avira is a very popular free Antivirus app. It has excellent detection and the scan speeds are the best you’ll find out of all the free apps.

The one big downside is the annoying nag screen asking to upgrade.  If your willing to put up with nag screens you can download it here.

Avast! 4.8

Avast is one of the favorite security apps of experts. Its lightweight, fast and it includes a DOS-based boot time scan, which is abnormal for free Antivirus software. You can download Avast here.

Looking at screenshots and deciding which antivirus has the good looks and which is ugly is easy. The hard part is choosing the one with the highest detection. Luckley PC world has orginised a chart with the detection rates. Here they are:

Panda: 99.4%

Avira: 98.9%

Avast: 98.2%

MSE: 97.8%

AVG: 95.8%

Comodo: 74.6%

What ever software you choose I recommend you download Both AVG's LinkScanner and Comodo Firewall as add-ons.

Remember to voice your opinion in the comments section.

Save $80 When Buying Windows 7 With a Few Hacks

The trusted Windows expert, Paul Thurott have figured out how to use a Windows 7 Upgrade disk to do a clean install of Windows 7. This is really great because the Windows 7 Upgrade costs a whole $80 less then the regular version.

Here are the installation instructions:

1. When installing Windows 7 do a clean install. You should have no problems doing this.

2. Make sure there are no Windows Updates pending -- if there's an orange shield icon next to the Shutdown button in the Start Menu, that means you need to reboot before attempting the next steps.

3. Open the Windows Registry Editor.This can be done by clicking start and type “regedit” (without quotes).

4. In the Registry Editor navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Setup/OOBE/

5. Change MediaBootInstall from '1' to '0'

6. Open Command Prompt. This can be done by clicking start and searching for “CMD”.

7. Type slmgr /rearm -- and press enter.

Your PC will restart and run the Activate Windows utility. Then like magic, everything works and you’ve got another $80 in your pocket.

The Today Show Helps to Launch Windows 7 by Showing in on a Macbook

Thank the lord the Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer did not turn around when he was launching Windows 7 on the today show, or he would have had a heart attack. Someone at the today show must really like Macbook’s or was pulling a funny prank because, as you can see in the above image, Windows 7 is shown on a Macbook.

We also have to consider that Ballmer may have noticed and just did not care. He may have just thought that it just promotes Windows 7 because it shows the wide verity of systems the Windows 7 can run on. Anyways you can watch the video above.

Overpriced Gadget of the Week: $101,353 Dell Laptop

It may be another mistake by Dell or, a joke, or a complete rip off. Either way Dell is selling a Intel Core i7 Laptop for $101,353.

The Studio XPS 16 with a 1.6 GHZ i7 chip costs $101,353, but if you want to upgrade to a 1.73 GHZ chip you only have to pay about another $350. The good news is that they are taking $100 off faster memory, but frankly Dell I don't think that helps.

The Journey to Windows 7

In the development of Windows 7, several things have been speculated and screenshots were leaked. I could not think of a better day than today, the launch of Windows 7, to look back at the development. Below is a series of screenshots which have been collected over the past two years.

Windows 7 Milestone One

When Windows 7 Milestone One was leaked, the blogosphere went wild with rumors and reports. Something as little as an out of place button caused crazy speculation. When bloggers, including myself, look back and read this speculation it makes me stop and wonder what we was thinking.

Windows 7 M1 was a very small step forward from Windows Vista. At that point the two OS’ were almost identical except for a few minor changes. Of course, Redmond has lots of things up their sleeve. You can see more screenshots here.

Windows 7 Milestone 2

There is not much to say about Milestone 2 other than it improved the stability and speed of Windows.

Windows 7 Milestone 3

Windows 7 Milestone 3 was without doubt, the biggest leap in the operating system’s development. Not only did it feature a radically different interface than Windows 7 M2, it had plenty of enhancements under the hood. It also gave us our first look at features like Homegroups and Library's. Windows 7 Milestone 3 was also the first version of the OS that Microsoft released to the public.

Windows 7 Beta

Compared to Windows 7 M3, the Beta provided more under the hood enhancements than anything. There were a few visible changes, nothing too major. Windows 7 Beta did set in stone what the Windows 7 UI would be like, setting to rest any wild rumors.

Windows 7 RC

The release of the Windows 7 RC came as a shock to most people because, abnormally, there was no Beta 2 or 3. That just went to show how confident Microsoft was in reliability of their product.

The RC debuted a a feature called Windows XP mode which will greatly change how compatibility worked. In previous versions of Windows, if you wished to use a program designed to work in a old operating system in a new one, you had to run it in a virtual PC. With Windows XP mode people no longer have to do that. If you want to read more about Windows XP mode you can do so here.

Windows 7 RTM

The RTM marked the end of Windows 7’s development. The RTM was not very different than the RC, but it is without doubt the most important stage in an operating systems development. When the RTM is completed it means the the operating system is finalized, and that computer’s are beginning to be shipped with Windows 7. Remarkably the development of one of the best OS’s only took 2 years.

Watch The Windows 7 Launch Live on TUWB

Yes, its here. Windows 7 is really here. If you want to watch the launch of the worlds best Operating System you can watch it on this link.

Apple Releases Sales Figures: Mac Sales Grow 17%

I would not trust anyone who said there is no such thing a recession proof company because, Apple just released their sales figures and its much better than expected. Last quarter, Apple sold more iPhones & iMacs then ever before: 3.05 million Macs and 7.4 million iPhones. But, this quarter was not a perfect one for apple. The failing iPod continued the falling sales trend. This is most likely because smart phones, particularly the iPhone, provide all the things the doomed iPod have to offer.

If you are wondering how much profit Apple has made the quarter here it is: $9.87 billion. That is the second largest revenue Apple has made, next to last Christmas season.

Mac sales grew over 17% which is a huge leap considering the mere 2% of growth the industry totaled overall. Laptops were 74% of all Macs sold. Please take not that the the 17% growth is not market share. Apple still holds only about 9% of the desktop market share. Half of the Macs sold are still sold to first time Mac buyers.

Here are the somewhat disappointing iPod sale figures. 10.2 million iPods were sold which is down from the 11 million units sold last year (down 8%). Here is the crazy thing; iPod touch sales grew 100%! Surprisingly 50% of iPod bought were going to first time buyers. The iPod still has 70% of the market share. Sorry Zune HD.

Most Profitable Quarter Ever; Record Mac and iPhone Sales

CUPERTINO, Calif. Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2009 fourth quarter ended September 26, 2009. The Company posted revenue of $9.87 billion and a net quarterly profit of $1.67 billion, or $1.82 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $7.9 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.14 billion, or $1.26 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 36.6 percent, up from 34.7 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 46 percent of the quarter's revenue.

In accordance with the subscription accounting treatment required by GAAP, the Company recognizes revenue and cost of goods sold for iPhone™ and Apple TV® over their estimated economic lives. Adjusting GAAP sales and product costs to eliminate the impact of subscription accounting, the corresponding non-GAAP measures* for the quarter are $12.25 billion of "Adjusted Sales" and $2.85 billion of "Adjusted Net Income."

Apple sold 3.05 million Macintosh® computers during the quarter, representing a 17 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 10.2 million iPods during the quarter, representing an eight percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 7.4 million iPhones in the quarter, representing seven percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter.

"We are thrilled to have sold more Macs and iPhones than in any previous quarter," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We've got a very strong lineup for the holiday season and some really great new products in the pipeline for 2010."

"We are delighted with our September quarter and fiscal 2009 results," said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's CFO. "For the full year, we grew revenue by 12 percent and net income by 18 percent in extraordinarily challenging times. Looking ahead to the first fiscal quarter of 2010, we expect revenue in the range of about $11.3 billion to $11.6 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share in the range of about $1.70 to $1.78."

Apple will provide live streaming of its Q4 2009 financial results conference call utilizing QuickTime®, Apple's standards-based technology for live and on-demand audio and video streaming. The live webcast will begin at 2:00 p.m. PDT on October 19, 2009 at www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq409/ and will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter.

Overpriced iPhone App of the Week: Wolfram Alpha

The Wolfram Alpha iPhone App is so overpriced, its not even funny. It costs a whopping $50. I don’t even think the biggest Wolfram Alpha fans are willing to give up that kind of money, to get a “computational engine” that you can use for free by simply pointing Safari to their website.

The people at Wolfram Alpha are selling this as as a half-priced graphic calculator, with the added benefit that it uses the existing Wolfram Alpha “computational engine”. But even with that wonderful selling point I cant get over the fact that you can get the same thing free by going to their website. Really Wolfram, do you think that the public is so stupid that they will give up their had earned $50, so that they can use a service that they can get for free at the Wolfram website.

Wolfram Alpha rep Josh Dilworth had this to say in an email to Gizmodo:

"How many people will buy it? We're not sure, but looking at the other apps that are $50+, we think that we're of at least comparable in utility and functionality, if not more. And, part of what the company is also doing is making a statement about the non-trivial nature of WolframAlpha's capabilities, and how much the system has matured since launch."

Mr. Dilworth, I'm sure that the Wolfram Alpha app is as good as any $50+ app in the app store, but who is going to buy this app when they can get the exactly same thing in their browser.

Your free to go ahead and pay $50 for this app, but personally I’ll just go to their website. 

How to Win Free Stuff By Simply Searching the Internet

If you are like most people you are probably looking to save a few bucks. Good thing that there are several websites that just gives away things with no strings attached. I scanned the web looking for the best freebie website and I think I found it. Its called Swagbucks. On Swagbucks you can get thousands of items absolutely free ranging from pencils, to laptops, just by searching the internet.

You’re probably wondering how this works. To get free items you need to collect Swagbucks; there are two ways to earn them.

One method of getting Swagbucks is by searching the internet. When searching the internet using Swagbucks search, people will randomly be selected to receive free Swagbucks. Generally people will receive 5 Swagbucks a day just from searching using Swagbucks search. I highly recommend that you use this method. You do not need to be concerned of the quality of the results because Swagbucks Search is powered by Google.

The other method is Swagcodes. Every day a new Swagcode is released which is worth some Swagbucks. All you need to do is find those codes and enter them in the website. You can find daily Swagcodes here.

If you want to sign up for Swagbucks, so you can start collecting your free prizes, click this link.

Rumor: ATI to Provide Graphics For Next Xbox

A source at Fudzilla suggests that Microsoft was so impressed with the graphics that ATI provided for the Xbox, that they will continue to use their graphics chips in their next console. Chances are this chip will have 28-nanometer technology.

Most Sidekick Data Recovered by Microsoft

It looks like all of your precious Sidekick data was not lost after all. On the T-Mobile sidekick forums a Microsoft employee confirmed that "most, if not all, customer data" will be returned as soon as possible. You can expect your most important data such as your contact’s contact list to be returned first.

The data loss was caused by a system failure which deleted all data including the backup data.

You can read the full letter below:

Dear T-Mobile Sidekick customers,
On behalf of Microsoft, I want to apologize for the recent problems with the Sidekick service and give you an update on the steps we have taken to resolve these problems.

We are pleased to report that we have recovered most, if not all, customer data for those Sidekick customers whose data was affected by the recent outage. We plan to begin restoring users' personal data as soon as possible, starting with personal contacts, after we have validated the data and our restoration plan. We will then continue to work around the clock to restore data to all affected users, including calendar, notes, tasks, photographs and high scores, as quickly as possible.

We now believe that data loss affected a minority of Sidekick users. If your Sidekick account was among those affected, please continue to log into these forums for the latest updates about when data restoration will begin, and any steps you may need to take. We will work with T-Mobile to post the next update on data restoration timing no later than Saturday.

We have determined that the outage was caused by a system failure that created data loss in the core database and the back-up. We rebuilt the system component by component, recovering data along the way. This careful process has taken a significant amount of time, but was necessary to preserve the integrity of the data.

We will continue working closely with T-Mobile to restore user data as quickly as possible. We are eager to deliver the level of reliable service that our incredibly loyal customers have become accustomed to, and we are taking immediate steps to help ensure this does not happen again. Specifically, we have made changes to improve the overall stability of the Sidekick Service and initiated a more resilient backup process to ensure that the integrity of our database backups is maintained.

Once again, we apologize for this situation and the inconvenience that it has created. Please know that we are working all-out to resolve this situation and restore the reliability of the service.

Sincerely,
Roz Ho
Corporate Vice President
Premium Mobile Experiences, Microsoft Corporation

PS3 May Get Cross Game Audio Chat

Some major news just came out of the PlayStation official forums. An employee of Sony has just made a huge mistake and confirmed that cross game audio chat may be coming to the PS3 when the next firmware is released. The posting was abruptly removed by Sony.

Cross game text chat has been around for a while now but the console is yet to get audio chat support. It is quite possible that the next firmware update will bring cross game audio chat to the system, but I would not count on it considering the bad track record’s of forum posts.

Acer Overtakes Dell as Number 2 PC Maker

Remember how earlier on today Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci, said that the company would overtake Dell as the number 2 worldwide PC maker. Well it appears that Mr.Lanci  is some sort of physic because according to Big Pie Chart™ that is what just happened. As you can see in the chart above HP is in the number 1 spot 19.9% market share, Acer is in the number 2 spot with 15.4% market share and Dell is third with only 12.8% of market share. Acer may not have beat Dell in worldwide like Mr.Lanci said but its a start.

Vaio L Series Announced

Along with the VAIO CW and VAIO X, Sony has decided to release a touch-screen, all-in-one desktop called the VAIO L. Like the CW and the X, it runs Windows 7 which should integrate nicely with the VAIO L’s 24-inch touch-screen. Apparently, Sony is actually billing it as part HDTV and part PC because it can play Blu-Ray discs and has a built-in TV tuner. The VAIO L will cost $1300 when released. Not bad

US to Bomb Moon – It’s Official The Nation is Crazy

I admit, the title is a little misleading. NASA is not really going to bomb the moon, rather they are just going to smash a billion dollar spacecraft into it.

On Friday, October 9, at 7:31AM Eastern/4:31AM Pacific, NASA is going to launch an Atlas 5 rocket headed to the moon which will blast Centaur (the upper stage of the Atlas 5 rocket) towards the Cabeus crater at 5,600 MPH. Surprisingly all of this drama will only create a crater the size of a football field. Not exactly like in the movies.

Like most people, you are most likely wondering, why does NASA want to smash an expensive spacecraft into the moon to create a little crater. Well, when they smash the spacecraft into the moon it will create a plume projected to be thirty miles high which will be visible from from another spacecraft travelling through the debris field. NASA will then measure the proportion of water—ice to dust ratio—in lunar regolith. This is all to see how much water is on the Moon. NASA choose the Cabeus crater because it is most likely to show definitive proof of water on the Moon.

If you want to watch NASA bomb the moon there are three ways to do it:

Attend one of the many public events organized by observatories throughout the country. You can see a list of events here.

• Watch NASA TV, which will broadcast the event.

• Use Slooh, the site that lets you control telescopes around the world.

Lets just hope that this does not obliterate the moon.

Apple Tablet Arriving Q1 Next Year?

If the Apple Tablet really exists it is believed that it will be manufactured by Foxconn. Now DigiTimes is reporting that 400,000 tablets will be ready by the 1 quarter of next year.

Also of note, is that Foxconn has its own Innolux Display subsidiary which might be used instead of Wintek.

I would not take these rumors too seriously though because we don't even know if the Apple Tablet even exists.

Google Experimenting With a New Homepage

Google is apparently experimenting with a new homepage to simplify the design of the the popular search engine.

The new design hides all content except to Google logo and the search, the other content only will appear when the user places their mouse over the webpage. Surprisingly the experimental design completely removes the Google Search and the I’m Feeling Lucky Buttons, which can be an issue for users who don’t know they can press the enter key to search.

Check out the demo below, and voice your opinion!

Flash Coming to All Smartphone's Except iPhone

Adobe has promised that Flash will be on most Smartphone's including Windows Mobile, Palm Pre, Android, Symbian, Blackberry and NVIDIA powered netbooks by years end. One smart phone notably missing from this list is the popular iPhone.

Adobe said that Flash is not coming to the iPhone because the iPhone and Apple in general is a “closed device”. Despite pressure from developers to make the iPhone more open, Apple still believes that a closed device is better than an open one.

A very interesting think about Flash 10.1 is that it will support graphics chip acceleration on NVIDIA netbooks which means that you can view content on a netbook without slowing your netbook down to a snails pace. Adobe AIR will also see improvements with Flash 10.1. Lets just hope that Adobe can deliver on its promises.

Windows 7 Arrives at Stores

No, its not a dream. Windows 7’s launch is a little over 3 weeks away. The launch is so close that the Windows 7 retail packaging is arriving at a retail stores. It’s now time to say goodbye to Visa (or XP) because more happy is coming October 22nd.

Run Windows XP Apps in Windows 7 With Windows XP Mode

Windows XP Mode allows users to seamlessly run Windows XP applications in the Windows 7 environment. This means that all of your old software that runs on Windows XP will work in Windows 7. Before you get started take a look at the system requirements which I listed below:

• Operating System(s): Windows XP and Windows 7 Ultimate Professional or Enterprise.
• Processor: Processor capable of hardware virtualization, with AMD-V™ or Intel® VT turned on in the BIOS.
• Ram / Memory: At least 2 GB
• Hard Drive: At least 20 GB for Windows XP

If you need to check if your processor supports hardware virtualization, refer to your manual, call your computer manufacturer or download SecurAble, to determine if your processor supports XP mode.

You will now need to download some software.

You will need to download and install both Windows Virtual PC RC and Windows XP mode RC which you can find here.

Once you’ve completed the install click Virtual Windows XP in the start menu and choose a username and password. Make sure to remember these credentials, or XP mode wont work.

Once you’ve done that you should see a window, which will set up Windows XP for use. This can take a while so, go get a cup of coffee read the news paper and wait until it’s complete.  If you receive a message that hardware virtualization is not enabled, reboot your computer and check that the BIOS option is enabled, usually found under the advanced settings page. Call your hardware maker for more information.

If your computer chooses not to misbehave you should see a window with the regular Windows XP desktop in it.

 

You will now need to install all of your Windows XP applications in the Virtual Windows XP Window. Make sure to select install for all users when you install programs, or XP mode just wont work.

If you can't install for everybody, you can simply choose "Open All Users" on the start menu, and copy a shortcut to the application into the start menu's programs folder.

Once you install all of your programs they will be listed in the Windows 7 start menu under the Windows Virtual PC -> Virtual Windows XP Applications folder.

 

 

Depending on what the situation is, when clicking a XP mode application in Windows 7 you’ll be prompted to do different things. No matter what the window says XP mode should work.

The whole process of setting up XP mode should now be complete. When launching applications in Windows XP mode you’ll find that they look like they did in Windows XP except they are in Windows 7. Enjoy!

Here We Go Again – Palm Web OS Available, Fixes Media Sync

Here we go again. Palm has just announced the availability of Web OS 1.2.1 for the Palm Pre. This fixes some Microsoft Exchange issues and media sync with iTunes 9.0.1, which Apple broke. Yes, this does mean that you can upgrade to the awful looking iTunes 9.0.1 without having to give up your Pre’s syncing ability. We know what Apple’s going to do next so enjoy it while it lasts. 

iPhone OS 3.1 for 3GS Now Jailbroken

The iPhone OS 3.1 has finally been jailbroken, and freed from the evil grips of Apple. The problem is that you need to have already Pwnd it at 3.0 or 3.0.1—you can't jailbreak 3.1 directly, but its a start.

Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7

You’d think that upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 would be easy considering that 60% of PC’s worldwide run it. Unfortunately upgrading form Windows XP to Windows 7 is not as easy as simply pressing the upgrade button, because Microsoft did not add upgrade support. But don't feel sad because your not out of luck, there is a somewhat easy way to upgrade.

What you'll need are:

• A USB flash drive or another form of external media
• A copy of Windows 7
• A computer running Windows XP (that is Windows 7 compatible)

For a strange reason some people recommend that you upgrade to Windows Vista first then upgrade to Windows 7. I don’t recommend that method at all because it is a waste of your money. The other method (which Microsoft and I recommend) is a clean install which would obliterate Windows XP and replace it with Windows 7.

If you've been using Windows XP for the past 8 years chances are you have quite a bit of important data on the computer so its a good idea to back it up.

To back up or data insert the Windows 7 disk into the computer. If auto run opens click don’t run. Now, browse the DVD for a file named migsetup.exe, which is the Windows Easy Transfer tool. Windows Easy Transfer is designed to help easily move all of your documents and settings to a new operating system. Easy Transfer will not transfer or applications so remember to keep all of the product keys for your paid programs, and the download link for the free ones.

When the Windows Easy Transfer welcome screen opens you will be prompted to select three options for where you want to save the data to. I personally prefer the external hard drive or USB flash drive option because it’s easiest, but you can click whichever you prefer.

When the next window pop up just click “This is my old computer”

The Easy Transfer Tool will scan for user accounts settings and documents. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours so be patient.

You will then be prompted to type in a password so you can archive. This is used to prevent people from getting access to your data just incase you loose the USB flash drive. When you’ve installed Windows 7 you will need to type in that password so you can get access to the data.

Its now time to install Windows 7 so, reinsert the install disk and click install now. Because your upgrading from Windows XP you will need to click the custom install option.

You can now install Windows 7 as you normally would. You can see screenshots of the process here. Ignore the first 6 setup screenshots.

Once Windows 7 is installed and running on your machine, attach the external hard disc that you used to take the backup, to the machine, browse over to it and double click on the backup file that you’d created earlier.

The Windows Easy Transfer utility will then start, ask for the password that you’d set earlier and migrate all your XP settings and data to Windows 7.

Dell Reviles “Future Proof” Desktop

We all know that the future is great, and that technology is advancing exponentially. The issue is that a product you buy now will most likely be outdated a year from now. Dell has decided that they are not going to be bullied around by constantly advancing technology, and has developed a “future proof” Vostro 430 desktop PC. This innocent looking box is fully configurable with the most advanced tech out there which includes, your choice of Core i5 or Core i7 processors and ATI or NVIDIA discrete graphics, along with up to 16GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, an optional Blu-ray drive, a 19-in-1 memory card reader, a couple of PS/2 and serial ports to support your older devices and, of course, plenty of room for further expansion (including no less than 10 USB ports). Surprisingly this powerful box starts at $699. You can get the high end options for under $1,000, Lets just hope all that tech does not end up like the rest of them; Outdated!