Archive for October, 2008
How to downgrade Vista to XP
If you have a Vista machine and are so unhappy that you want to go back to Windows XP, you can find a beginner’s guide Downgrading Windows Vista Back To Windows XP at PC Stats. I’m not sure that downgrading is the best solution and I would personally try dual-booting or even a virtual machine. [...]
Netbooks costing $99?
That’s Mike Elgan’s prediction. He writes:
Subnotebooks like the Asus Eee PC, the Dell Mini 9 and the HP 2133 Mini-Note will soon cost as little as $99. The catch? You’ll need to commit to a two-year mobile broadband contract. The low cost will come courtesy of a subsidy identical to the one you already get [...]
Hundreds of thousands of bank accounts compromised
Here’s still more bad news about cybercrime from Gregg Keizer. He reports that a sophisticated Russian gang has stolen the log-ons to more than 300,000 online bank accounts by using Trojan horses.
How to make a million
A million dollars isn’t what it used to be so make that $5 million. All you have to do is go into business running Web scams. Gregg Keizer gives some of the depressing facts in his article, Crooks can make $5M a year shilling fake security software.
Netbooks galore
Everybody’s getting into the act. It looks like netbooks are going to be part of the PC line from all major OEMs (and some not so major). HP and Lenovo have announced new models and eWeek gives a rundown on some of the latest offerings.
The latest HP model is getting a lot of attention. [...]
Another battery recall
Lithium ion batteries from Sony are giving problems again. eWeek reports:
Sony, along with Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba and Dell, are recalling as many as 100,000 laptops worldwide that used faulty, Sony-made lithium-ion battery packs. In the U.S., this could impact about 35,000 notebooks that were sold between 2004 and 2006. So far, the U.S. Consumer Product [...]
A little sanity in patents
I have often railed about the inanity of some of the patents that have been granted for things that were really just procedural changes, mathematical algorithms, or even more trivial methods like clicking a mouse once instead of twice. The appeals court that deals with patents has finally begun to see the light. It has [...]
New version of Ubuntu Linux
Almost lost amid all the talk about Windows 7 is the latest release of Ubuntu Linux. Continuing the alliterative animal notation, this release is called Intrepid Ibex. Some details about it are at Ars Technica.
PC buying guide
Walter Mossberg is out with his annual fall PC buying guide. It’s just the bare bones for buying suggestions but is a place to start if you don’t know much about computers and their components. It ends with this sage advice, “Remember, pay only for the computing capabilities you need.”
Windows 7 looking good?
Love it or hate it, most of us are using Windows in one way or the other. So we are very curious about what Windows 7 will bring. Because Vista has been disappointing, human psychology has us hoping that the good things we expected but didn’t get in Vista might be delivered with Windows 7. [...]
AVG update causes some people trouble
An update to the AVG anti-virus program is causing some systems to lose Internet connectivity. The troublesome update is AVG version 8.0.196. The AVG site says, “In case that some components are inactive or you are experiencing blocked internet connection after the last AVG 8.0 program update (8.0.196), please try to restart your computer.” If [...]