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!

Sony Announces Vaio Ultraportable Netbooks

 A few moments ago Sony announced the Vaio X at IFA 2009. This netbook is a half inch thick, an 11.1 inch display and a battery life that "will set the new standard for stamina." The computer just weighs 1 and a half pounds, and is made out of carbon fibre. We have no word on the specs of the machine, but I’ll keep digging.

Update: I have just found the first photos of the Vaio X, which are below:

Update 2: We now know why this netbook has such a long battery life, it has a weak Atom processor. I would not take these specs too seriously, considering that Sony still has to confirm them.