Despite its big push for Vista, Microsoft is quietly allowing PC makers to offer an option that lets users "downgrade" to Windows XP, allowing customers to purchase new PCs but stick with the older operating system.
Monday was the last day on which Windows XP will be sold as a boxed product or licensed to PC manufacturers.
Facing a 30 June deadline to stop selling PCs with Windows XP, the world's largest computer makers are getting creative, with Dell and HP's Australian offices staying cagey about their intentions.
Bowing to pressure from customers and computer makers, Microsoft plans to keep Windows XP around a little longer.
US consumers bought more Windows Media Centre-equipped PCs than the standard edition of Windows XP last month and sales of Media Centre will reach 10 million by the end of March, a Microsoft executive said on Tuesday.
Within hours of arriving at the AusCERT conference in the Gold Coast on Monday, my PowerBook decided it would rather commit suicide than listen to Microsoft's top security executives answer questions about Vista.
The internet has been awash with rumours about Windows 7, with a pre-beta release being handed out to attendees at the Professional Developers Conference in the US this week. But how many Windows 7 versions will there be?
My rant earlier this year about the uselessness of Microsoft's ActiveSync synchronisation manager appeared to strike a chord with readers, and unfortunately that's a gong that Microsoft appears determined to keep banging.
Not ready for a Vista laptop? Simply want to stick to good old XP? Here are your options on the market.
The Enterprise and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista offer BitLocker, a new data protection feature that does volume-level encryption on your hard disk drive. BitLocker complements, and in some cases replaces, Windows EFS (Encrypting File System). Walk through the steps for enabling BitLocker with this gallery.
There appears to be no doubt that Windows 7 will be significantly more popular in Australia than Vista was, a reality that will help Microsoft entrench its wider software portfolio even further into the enterprise.
Vendors Symantec and McAfee have looked into the future and don't want to become the next Netscapes.
Vista can be a performance hog, but there are many ways you can tweak the OS components to speed it up. See what actions you can take to remove bottlenecks and optimise Vista.
Windows Vista Home Premium is essentially warmed-over Windows XP Home Edition. If you're currently happy with Windows XP SP2, we see no compelling reason to upgrade. On the other hand, if you need a new computer right now, Windows Vista Home Premium is stable enough for everyday use.
Windows Vista Business is essentially warmed-over Windows XP. If you're currently happy with Windows XP SP2, we see no compelling reason to upgrade. On the other hand, if you need a new computer right now, Windows Vista is stable enough for everyday use.
Windows Vista Home Basic is essentially warmed-over Windows XP, Windows XP SP3. If you're currently happy with Windows XP SP2, we see no compelling reason to upgrade. On the other hand, if you need a new computer right now, Windows Vista is stable enough for everyday use.
Windows Vista was officially released in Australia at midnight. At Harvey Norman's Alexandria, Sydney store, the first official copy of Vista Ultimate -- autographed, rock star-style, by Bill Gates -- was sold to tech professional William Tsang.
Windows Vista Ultimate is essentially warmed-over Windows XP. If you're currently happy with Windows XP SP2, we see no compelling reason to upgrade. On the other hand, if you need a new computer right now, Windows Vista is stable enough for everyday use.
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Google open-sources JavaScript tools
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