Microsoft

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What’s your favorite input device? Maybe your favorite is your mouse or a track pad. Have you thought about trying something different – maybe a tablet surface, in conjunction with a stylus and a mouse? As long as your computer has a USB port, you can control it using either the stylus or the mouse!

Read more on Do You Want a Tablet for Your PC or Mac?…

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What is your favorite operating system? XP has been a great operating system. I think it’s been around as long as I’ve been alive. You may be attached to it, along with your computer. Did you know that Windows XP doesn’t have to be attached to your computer in order to use it?

Read more on How to Run Windows XP on a USB Drive…

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I keep trying to tell Pixie that she can’t help someone remotely without installing some type of software that will allow her to do so cross-platform. GoToAssist will do this easily for her. I wanted to demonstrate the software for her, and for all of you. I decided to help Danny Minick with some questions he had about MSConfig. When’s the last time you used MSConfig to toggle any settings? What did you change and why?

Read more on What Do You Toggle in MSConfig?…

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Sometimes, it’s easy to upgrade to the latest and greatest version of a piece of software. Other times, you may have a lot of trouble. That’s the fun of working with software. Microsoft rolls up a whole bunch of patches and bug fixes, and throw them out there. Those are called service packs, of course. Windows XP is on service pack 3 currently. Louis from the PCPitStop community wrote in to ask about a compatibility issue with XP SP3. He says he never had these issues when he was still using SP2, and wonders what he can do to fix it – such as diagnostics of some sort.

Read more on Having Problems on Windows XP SP3…

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I guess I need more memory, since I keep forgetting my own name! Sadly, I can’t just buy and install some in my brain. The question that Lynn sent in to PCPitStop is centered around the amount of memory her computer has. She purchased a computer with 128MB of memory, which is running Vista. The store clerks keep telling her she needs more RAM, but she is wondering if they are just trying to get her to spend more money.

Read more on How Much Computer Memory Does Windows Need?…

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They say that when God closes a door, he makes you use Windows. Of course, it depends on what kind of God you have as to what version he makes you use. My God would make you use Windows 7. Your God may not be so nice, and make you use Windows Vista. We have to deal with Windows, even if we don’t use it on a regular basis. Michael from the PCPitStop community wrote in asking about using Windows XP on his Vista machine. Michael says that his Acer machine currently runs Windows Vista, but he prefers to use XP Pro. He says he ‘knows’ that the operating system is burned onto the HDD, and so he thinks he’ll have to change the HDD.

Read more on Can a Windows Vista PC Run Windows XP Instead?…

The Windows 7 Professional Upgrade will not be available until October 22, 2009. However, if you want to pre-order now, Amazon has a great deal, which saves you a hundred dollars.

Read more on Save $100 on Windows 7 Professional Upgrade…

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Did you ever know how most presentations suck? It’s bad enough that people doing them tend to suck, as well. It’s not their fault, though. Most of the presentation software is just not that good. A good presentation shows pictures, and don’t have much text. The worst ones to watch are where the speaker just reads every word from the slides! They drive me nuts! What do you use to create presentations? Tell me you aren’t using desktop software! Adobe has thrown their hat into the ring. They have a basic, online office suite and a new presentation software!

Read more on What’s Better Than Microsoft PowerPoint?…

People ask me all of the time if registry cleaning software is safe to use, and which one I would recommend. The truth of the matter is – I don’t recommend using any of them! I did a video about this last year, with the help of some very knowledgeable people.

Read more on Are Registry Cleaners Safe to Use?…

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Do you Ubuntu? If not, what’s your excuse? You don’t have to run it as your primary operating system, but all the cool kids are using it! Linux is sorta like ice cream – there are a ton of different flavors! It doesn’t even matter which distro you choose… go with what tastes right to you.

Read more on Compiz Fusion in Ubuntu Inside a Virtual Machine…

Every major news service on the planet is carrying stories about the tragedies and possible escalation of problems concerning the swine flu outbreak. It is a serious problem with the possibility of becoming significantly worse. One of the first responders to this global concern is the hacking / malware community. Hackers and criminals are viewing this swine flu problem as an opportunity. Slick malware may be on its way, if it is not propagating at this very moment. It is only a matter of time. These hackers may be seen as first responders of the very worse kind.

Read more on More Malware on its Way – Protect Yourself…

As you may have already read on the Microsoft Live Search Blog, we have initiated a Will Code for Green contest! A few minutes ago, @msngreen tweeted it. It’s all true – you have an opportunity to showcase your skills, improve the planet, and possibly win some dough (the spending kind, not the baking kind).

Are you a developer? Do you know a developer? Have at it!

COMMON TERMS USED IN THESE RULES:

These are the official rules that govern how the Microsoft “Will Code for Green” contest will operate (”Contest”).

In these rules, “we” “our” and “us” refer to Microsoft Corporation and Lockergnome Inc., the Sponsors of the Contest. “You” “yourself,” “I,” “me,” and “my” refers to an eligible Contest entrant.

1. CONTEST DESCRIPTION:

This is a skill-based Contest. The object is to create a publicly-accessible Web site application or “mashup” that will provide users of the application tools and information in one of the following two content categories:

1. How to deal with the worsening global economy (”Economy Category”)
2. How to take steps to improve the ecology of the planet Earth (”Ecology Category”)

For purpose of this Contest, each Web application you create and submit in the Contest will be called an “Entry.” All eligible Entries received will be judged using the criteria below, and the judges will select winners to receive prizes as described below.

2. WHAT ARE THE START AND END DATES?

Entries may be submitted from Noon PT on June 1, 2009 until 11:59 PM PT on August 12, 2009 (”Entry Period”). Entries must be received within the Entry Period to be eligible.

3. CAN I ENTER?

You are eligible to enter this Contest if you meet the following requirements at time Entry:

• You are a legal resident of the 50 United States (including the District of Columbia) and are 18 years or older; and
• You are NOT an employee of Microsoft Corporation or an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary; and
• You are NOT involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Contest; and
• You are NOT an immediate family (parent, sibling, spouse, child) or household member of a Microsoft employee, an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary, or a person involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Contest.
• This Contest is void outside the geographic area described above and wherever else prohibited by law.

4. WHAT CONSTITUTES AN ELIGIBLE ENTRY?

To be eligible for judging an Entry must meet the following content / technical requirements:

• The Entry must consume Live Search APIs as described at http://search.live.com/developers
• The Entry must conform to the Live Search APIs Terms of Use. http://search.live.com/developers/tou.aspx
• The content displayed by the application and content behaviors within the application must conform to prohibited content guidelines. In addition to a prohibition against collecting personally identifiable information, prohibited content includes but is not limited to images or text that in the sole opinion of Microsoft is found to be offensive or contain any sexually explicit, disparaging, defamatory, libelous, obscene, or other inappropriate content or any content that would present Sponsors in unflattering light.

Aside from utilization of Live Search data/APIs, the Entry is not required to use any other Microsoft technologies in the execution of its function(s), however, if any other Microsoft online services are used the Entry must comply with their terms of use as well.

In addition:

• Your Entry must be your own original work; and
• Your Entry cannot have been selected as a winner in any other contest; and
• You must have obtained any and all consents, approvals or licenses required for you to submit your Entry; and
• Your Entry must not otherwise violate the rights of any other person or company by using their trademarks, music, logos, names or images without their express written consent.

Other than what is set forth below, we are not claiming any ownership rights to your Entry. However, by submitting your Entry, you:

• Are granting us an irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide right and license to: (i) use, review, assess, test and otherwise analyze your Entry and all its content in connection with this Contest; and (ii) feature your Entry and all into content in connection with the promotion of this Contest in all media (now known or later developed);
• Agree to sign any necessary documentation that may be required for us and our designees to make use of the rights you granted above;
• Understand and acknowledge that the Promotion Parties may have developed or commissioned materials similar or identical to your submission and you waive any claims you may have resulting from any similarities to your Entry;
• Understand that we cannot control the incoming information you will disclose to our representatives in the course of entering, or what our representatives will remember about your Entry. You also understand that we will not restrict work assignments of representatives who have had access to your Entry. By entering this Contest, you agree that use of information in our representatives unaided memories in the development or deployment of our products or services does not create liability for us under this agreement or copyright or trade secret law;
• Understand that you will not receive any compensation or credit for use of your Entry, other than what is described in these Official Rules

Please note that following the end of this Contest your Entry may be posted on a website selected by us for viewing by visitors to that website.

We are not responsible for any unauthorized use of your Entry by visitors to this website. While we reserve these rights, we are not obligated to use your Entry for any purpose, even if it has been selected as a winning Entry.

If you (or, if you are a minor, your parent or legal guardian) do not want to grant us these rights to your Entry, please do not enter this Contest.

5. HOW DO I ENTER?

If you wish to participate in this Contest, you must complete the registration Webform, select the Category you’re entering, and include the URL where the judges can find your website application. The website must be publicly accessible, cannot require an id/password to access and the application must remain posted online until August 23, 2009.

We will only accept two Entries per entrant and e-mail address; one per Category.

In other words, two people may not enter using the same email address you each must enter using a unique email address. We are not responsible for Entries that we do not receive for any reason, or for Entries that we receive but are not decipherable for any reason.

We will automatically disqualify:

• Any incomplete or illegible Entry; and
• Any Entries that we receive from you that are in excess of the Entry limit described above.

6. HOW ARE WINNERS SELECTED?

All eligible Entries will be posted online at gnomedex.com from 12:01 AM PT on June 1 to 11: 59 PM PT on August 12, 2009 and website visitors will be invited to vote for their favorite application. Each visitor will be limited to one vote per Category.

On or around August 19, a panel of Microsoft judges will review all eligible Entries received and select five Semi-Finalists; 2 from each Category, and 1 from either Category based on the following criteria:

• 50% effectiveness in helping users address the Category problem
• 10% innovation in display or usage of Live Search data
• 20% usability/user interface design
• 20% customer appeal (would people use this, as determined by initial community voting on gnomedex.com)

All Semi-Finalists will be demonstrated at the Gnomedex conference August 20-22, 2009. Attendees at the Gnomedex conference will be invited to vote to determine a Grand Prize winner in each Category and three runner-up winners from both Categories combined.

The decisions of the judges are final and binding. If we do not receive a sufficient number of Entries meeting the Entry requirements, we may, at our discretion, select fewer winners than described above.

In the event of a tie between any eligible Entries at any level, the tie will be broken by an additional judge who will judge the tied Entries based on the criteria listed above.

8. WHAT ARE THE PRIZES?

The Grand Prize winner in each category (Economy & Ecology) will receive the following:

• $10,000 Cash
• A 3-year BizSpark membership (Estimated Retail Value, $100)

3 Runner Up Prizes:

• $3,000 Cash
• A 3-year BizSpark membership

We will only award one prize per person during the Entry Period.

If you are selected as a potential winner of this Contest:

• You must agree to keep your application live on a publicly accessible website until September 22, 2009; and
• You may not exchange your prize for cash or any other merchandise or services; and
• You may not designate someone else as the winner. If you are unable or unwilling to accept your prize, we will award it to an alternate potential winner; and
• If you accept a prize, you will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes related to accepting the prize; and
• If you are a minor in your place of residence, we may award the prize to your parent/legal guardian on your behalf; and
• Unless otherwise noted, all prizes are subject to their manufacturers warranty and / or terms and conditions.

If for any reason an advertised prize is unavailable, we reserve the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value as permitted.

9. HOW WILL YOU KNOW IF YOU’RE A WINNER?

If you are a semi-finalist, we will notify you by sending a message to the e-mail address, the phone number, or mailing address (if any) listed on your Entry within seven (7) days of winner determination. If the notification that we send is returned as undeliverable, or you are otherwise unreachable for any reason, we may award the prize to an alternate winner.

If there is a dispute as to who is the potential winner, we will consider the potential winner to be the authorized account holder of the e-mail address used to enter the Contest, or the person residing at the mailing address listed on your mail-in Entry.

If you are a potential winner, we may require you to sign an affidavit of eligibility, liability/publicity release and W-9 tax form. If you do not complete the required forms as instructed and/or return the required forms within the time period listed on the winner notification message, we may disqualify you and select an alternate winner.

10. WHAT OTHER CONDITIONS ARE YOU ARE AGREEING TO BY ENTERING THIS CONTEST?

By entering this Contest you agree:

• To abide by these Official Rules; and
• To release and hold Microsoft and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees and agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this Contest or any prize won; and
• That Microsoft’s decisions will be final and binding on all matters related to this Contest; and
• That, by accepting a prize, Microsoft may use of your proper name and state of residence online and in print, or in any other media, in connection with this Contest, without payment or compensation to you, except where prohibited by law.

12. WHAT LAWS GOVERN THE WAY THIS CONTEST IS EXECUTED AND ADMINISTRATED?

This Contest will be governed by the laws of the State of Washington, and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts of the State of Washington for any disputes arising out of this Contest.

13. WHAT IF SOMETHING UNEXPECTED HAPPENS AND THE CONTEST CAN’T RUN AS PLANNED?

If someone cheats, or a virus, bug, catastrophic event, or any other unforeseen or unexpected event that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled, (also referred to as force majeure) affects the fairness and / or integrity of this Contest, we reserve the right to cancel, change or suspend this Contest. This right is reserved whether the event is due to human or technical error. If a solution cannot be found to restore the integrity of the Contest, we reserve the right to select winners from among all eligible Entries received before we had to cancel, change or suspend the Contest.

If you attempt to compromise the integrity or the legitimate operation of this Contest by hacking or by cheating or committing fraud in ANY way, we may seek damages from you to the fullest extent permitted by law. Further, we may ban you from participating in any of our future Contest, so please play fairly.

12. HOW CAN YOU FIND OUT WHO WON?

We will post the names of confirmed major winners online at gnomedex.com. This list will remain posted until Sept 22, 2009.

13. WHO IS SPONSORING THIS CONTEST?

Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052

Lockergnome.com
1420 NW Gilman Blvd. #2543
Issaquah, WA 98027

What can you buy for ten dollars? It would be difficult to buy a large pizza for ten dollars, let alone much else. However, for a limited time it is possible to buy one of the best firewalls on the market. Those who have been online for a while will remember the Kerio Personal Firewall. Kerio is now a part of the Sunbelt Software product line and is called Sunbelt Personal Firewall. The Sunbelt people are the security experts who offer VIPRE, the anti-virus and anti-spyware program that has been featured on these pages.

Read more on Get a Top-Rated Firewall at an Amazing Discounted Price!…

You already have zero privacy – get over it. That was the famous quote from Scott McNealy, then the CEO of Sun Microsystems, ten years ago. It may be one of the most misinterpreted quotes with regard to privacy. Although there are various intrusions on our privacy, it remains our responsibility to protect our sensitive, confidential data. One program that offers an additional layer of computer protection is Invisible Secrets.

Read more on Huge Savings on Another Layer of Computer Protection…

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Yes, it’s possible to have Linux and Windows installed on the same PC – and why wouldn’t you have both? You can install Linux using a live CD or even a USB drive. You could also use something like VMWare Fusion, as well.

Read more on How to Run Linux on Windows (Ubuntu)…