Chris Pirillo » windows-7

What do You Want for the Holidays?

Chris — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:46:05 +0000

What do You Want for the Holidays? is a post from Chris Pirillo

If you could choose any one Geeky gift this holiday season, what would it be? Money is no object. Let’s just close our eyes, and pretend that someone out there has very deep pockets, and wants to buy us each the gift of our dreams. How do you narrow down your list? Do you know what you’d want? Is it possible to choose just one thing?

For me, I honestly couldn’t choose. There are a lot of Geeky things I want. Many of them are expensive, which is why I don’t already own them! Even if I were rich, I still couldn’t afford to keep myself happy with all of the gadgets, gizmos, devices and toys that are out there for sale. Places like ThinkGeek taunt me with all of the cool stuff they have. How could I ever decide?!

It seems a lot of you are getting into the holiday spirit. I came across several posts on our sites today revolving around Thanksgiving and even Christmas. It put me in such a holiday mood that I turned on some Christmas music earlier, and let it play over my live stream. I listened to it and hummed along as I caught up on everything going on in our community.

Our downloads center is hopping right now with new and updated products. Check back daily for the best new deals we can find!

L’eggo My Eggo!!

Chris — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:09:05 +0000

L’eggo My Eggo!! is a post from Chris Pirillo

Wait. Back up. Hold the phone. Rewind a moment. PAUSE! STOP!!!! What the hell is going on?! No more Eggos?! Someone has lost their freaking minds!!

Kellog’s has had to close their Atlanta plant – the second such closure in recent days due to operational issues. They claim to be working hard to re-stock all of the stores that carry their famous waffles. But for now… there is actually a shortage. Many thousands of people are going to have to go through painful withdrawals every morning! This, folks, is a crisis of epic proportions!

Breakfast without Eggos is like… macaroni without cheese… peanut butter without jelly… Bert without Ernie! It just doesn’t work. It’s not cool. It should be illegal!!! I think I need a paper bag. So this is what hyperventilating feels like!

How are you going to survive your Eggo withdrawal? Will you replace your old standby with something new, or simply starve every morning until they return to your grocer’s shelves?

Losing out on Eggo’s isn’t even the only newsworthy event that has been written about in our community today. People are talking about all kinds of things. I hope you haven’t missed any of them!

Even the downloads center has been busy today! We have a few excellent new Apps for you to check out!

How to Have a Chris Pirillo Live Gadget on your Windows Desktop

Chris — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:19:53 +0000

How to Have a Chris Pirillo Live Gadget on your Windows Desktop is a post from Chris Pirillo

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We’ve uploaded several awesome screencasts lately. All of you are sending in informative and high-quality tutorials for us to share with the world. It’s not too late for you to get your screencast on our channels, you know! Get busy and create something wonderful! Gabriel is a fan of our live stream, and has come up with a simple tutorial to show you how to add a gadget on your desktop to make tuning in to my stream even easier!

With just a few clicks, you’ll have a widget right on your desktop for our live stream. It even has a volume control, so that you can mute me whenever you’re busy working on other things. Why anyone would want to mute me, I have no clue! But there ya go. You have that option.

Just head over to my gallery page, and click on the “Download” button over on the right. Now click “Install”, and then choose “Open With Windows Desktop Gadgets”.

That’s all you have to do in order to have a widget right on your desktop that streams my live feed. You no longer have to visit my site, or my Ustream page! Drag the window wherever you want it on your desktop, and resize it to fit your needs. You can even close it whenever you want. Re-open it by right-clicking on your desktop and then clicking “gadgets”.

Thanks so much to Gabriel for sending in this excellent screencast!

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Do You Welcome Conversation from Rude People?

Chris — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:14:37 +0000

Do You Welcome Conversation from Rude People? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Last night, I wrote here on my blog about people interrupting conversations, and asked for comments as to how to filter out “noise”. I’ve received several follow-up comments and emails today, and I appreciate them. I want to use some of them to facilitate even more discussion, so keep your eyes open for that in the coming days.

Kevin was one person who wrote in, talking about his disgust with people who are rude, and who try to force their opinions on him. He makes several very good points, and I wanted to share them with the community.

I read your recent article on how people often get involved in flaming other people’s online discussions, and thought about that for awhile.
On one hand, I am on your side totally because I like healthy debate and I respect that any other person has a right to an opinion. What I object to is when a person is influential in some way, and figures they can command changes that many of us mere mortals do not support or like.
When this happens, who is right… and who is wrong? The answer is that both camps are, because whatever they are discussing and supporting matters to them. One is not “wrong” because of something they believe in. Just because it is different than what I think or believe, does not mean that I feel a person is wrong.
People who add to discussions online often need to remember that much of what they say is a matter of personal opinion. So often, I don’t even see people bother to try and back up what they claim with any type of cold, hard facts or evidence. Unfortunately a lot of modern day computing is personal taste and I resent someone else trying to force their idea of what works for them down my throat.
I have made significant effort to try and work with Windows 7. I don’t like it very well, but I expect I will have little choice going forward. Sadly, the Windows 7 lovers are too busy trying to shove the product down my throat to stop and listen to what I have to say about the operating system. I am 58 years old, and have worked in IT for more than 30 years. I may be a plodder, but am also a survivor. I value the views and opinions I make through proper testing, solid analysis and a bit of “personal taste” thrown in for good measure.
The fact is that I don’t really like Windows 7. I find a few very large flaws with it for people who are used to XP. There is a problem with not properly upgrading from XP to Windows 7 that is not being addressed as far as I can see. There is no classic start bar feature as we would expect. There is also no repair/restore feature like XP had. These things are killer omissions for die-hard XP users.
When I attempt to talk to people who are touting Windows 7 as the next great product of all time, they don’t want to hear what I have to say. They don’t want any opinion that differs from their own. I get flamed for daring to speak out against the o/s in any way. It’s very annoying to have made an informed opinion, based on facts and evidence, only to be told to basically shut up and go away. My opinion doesn’t count to many people, simply because they feel they are right.
When will people wake up, and remember to respect other people’s views, and take the time to learn more themselves by welcoming opinions that are different than theirs?

Kevin is right. Too often these days, people don’t like to listen to things that are outside of their comfort zone. They don’t want to hear anything that goes against what they think is “right”.

What are your thoughts on this? Are you finding yourself up against a seemingly endless stream of negativity at every turn, or are there only a handful of us experiencing this?

Google Goes Sesame Street

Chris — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:57:19 +0000

Google Goes Sesame Street is a post from Chris Pirillo

I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that Google is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street this week. A few days ago, Big Bird graced the famous search engine’s page. Next up was the Cookie Monster!! (Who doesn’t love cookies?). Today, I see Bert and Ernie smiling out at me. What’s up next? Will we see Elmo tomorrow? Personally, I vote for Grover. Grover was always my favorite.

While it’s whimsical and fun to remember our childhoods every time we load Google, some people are quite upset over this celebration. One of our community members “left” Google this week in disgust. He changed over to Bing as his search engine of choice, and vows to never return to Google. Why is he so upset? He feels it is a slap in the face to Americans that Google refuses to acknowledge the events of 9-11 with a remembrance on the site, while they embrace children’s television as though it were far more important than a day that shaped our history – and our country.

He makes a good point, you know. Of course 9-11 isn’t a day to “celebrate”. But who says that everything has to be a celebration? A simple but elegant tribute on September 11th on Google’s page would show that we haven’t forgotten. It would show that Google truly cares about the people they serve, and not just the numbers they rack up on a daily basis. It would show – much more so than Sesame Street does – that Google has humans running around in their offices somewhere.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you feel that Google is “right” in not commemorating the attack on America, instead favoring things like the anniversary of the Muppets? What else have you read or talked about today that might provoke a good debate or discussion? I know that there has been a lot going on in our community.

Don’t forget to take a few moments to check out all of the latest new software and app updates that we have found for you. You can get a lot of excellent titles at little to no cost!

Who Loves Windows Vista?

Chris — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:26:08 +0000

Who Loves Windows Vista? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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During a recent live call, Charles nearly knocked me out of my chair when he proclaimed that he LOVES Windows Vista. I was honestly shocked, especially since the calls were supposed to be about Windows 7. Charles stated emphatically that he never had issues with Vista, and that it actually just worked for him. He fully admits that he may be the only person in his entire town – or state! – who feels this way. We did, of course, end up discussing his views on Windows 7, and about Microsoft in general.

I feel that Windows Vista was, of course, one of the worst things to happen to Microsoft. Also, of course, the iPhone was bad for Microsoft, as well. The iPhone has been probably the most sought-after gadget in recent years, which only enhances Microsoft’s lackluster products. Even people at Microsoft have admitted that Vista wasnt’ fully baked, so how was the public supposed to like it?

Charles actually liked the fact that there were five different versions of Vista. He didn’t want to pay for features he wasn’t interested in. However, I don’t feel that languages should have been part of any type of upgrade, such as in the Ultimate edition. It should be built right in to the operating system as a core component!! Having so many different versions of one operating system creates confusion amongst the public, at least in my opinion. People who don’t know better automatically assume that they need the best they can afford, whether they truly need those additional features or not. That’s just not always the case. Often, they end up having paid for things that they never end up using.

What are your thoughts? Do you feel Microsoft is consumer-friendly, and that there should be many different versions of each Windows release? Or are you thinking what I’m thinking…

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What Would You Do With a Million Dollars?

Chris — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:10:55 +0000

What Would You Do With a Million Dollars? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Over on Geeks today, people have been talking about what they’d do if they suddenly won a million dollars. It’s funny to read the answers, and touching as well. Many people would donate to charities, which I would do more of myself if I won that kind of money. I’d also invest plenty of it, in order to retire at an early age!

But we all know me, and we all know that I would be going on a massive Geeky shopping spree! There’s so many gadgets and USB gizmos out there that I don’t have yet!! Don’t lie – you know you’d be buying some, as well. So come on… tell us… what would you do if you had a cool million in your bank account?

I had a look through what’s new at our downloads site today. Holy cow there are some excellent pieces of software. Did you realize you can find everything from games to productivity software… for your Windows machine, your Mac AND your phone?

What Technology of Today Will be Obsolete Tomorrow?

Chris — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:18:41 +0000

What Technology of Today Will be Obsolete Tomorrow? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Earlier on Geeks, I read a thread someone had started asking what basic technology that we use today will not even be around in the future. The author lists such things as the keyboard and mouse, a land-line telephone, public Wi-Fi, and even operating systems! Wait, what? You don’t think operating systems will be around in the future? Well, you could be right, actually. With more and more computing being done in the Cloud, that’s something we may yet see in our lifetimes.

What pieces of everyday tech do you feel will become obsolete in the near future – or at least during your lifetime? It’ll be interesting to see everyone’s lists and reasoning, and to compare our thoughts. You can leave a follow-up comment here, or reply directing in the thread on Geeks.

Even on Halloween, we have some excellent deals (and freebies!) on various types of software and applications. You’ll find thing for your phone, even, so be sure to check them out.

What Does Windows 7 Bring to the Table?

Chris — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:54:27 +0000

What Does Windows 7 Bring to the Table? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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During live calls recently, the main topic of discussion was Windows 7. Ross was happy to get through, and immediately asked what he felt I think Windows 7 brings to the table for an average or intermediate computer user. I have my own opinions, of course. I’m interested in seeing what all of YOU think. So, let’s hear it!

I feel there are a variety of features that Windows 7 brings to the table. The most prominent ones are the taskbar and Start Menu changes. Those are excellent, for sure. Some people are complaining about them, of course, wishing they were more like very old versions of Windows. Personally, I think it’s about time they were so different! Functionality-wise, everything works very well on these.

I feel there is an epic UI fail, but that’s just me. Maybe it’s because I’m anal-retentive? Do you think? But I just don’t like that the popup menu where it shows recent programs has huge gaps between the program names. However, the normal “all programs” menu is missing those gaps. That just bugs me, but I’ll survive.

Ross also wanted to let all college students know that if you go to Win741 and use a college.edu email address – you can buy Windows 7 Home Premium for only $29.99! That’s official folks, and one heck of a great deal for students!

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Happy Halloween!

Chris — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:56:04 +0000

Happy Halloween! is a post from Chris Pirillo

I love Halloween. It’s so much fun to see all the kids in their little costumes. Heck, it’s sometimes even fun to see the grownups in their costumes, as well! But most of all, I love to see Wicket and Pixie all dressed up for the day. I’ve even been known to dress up in recent years, myself.

What sort of traditions do you have for Halloween? What are you dressing up as this year – and are you actually going trick-or-treating? Let’s hear about your celebration, and be sure to link pictures for us!

Do you ever even stop to think about the history of Halloween? I knew that it was based in old Celtic traditions, and that October 31st is a very sacred holiday for many in the Pagan world – Samhain. There is much interesting lore to be read if you want to stretch your mind a little.

You can also learn new things every day by keeping an eye on our community! People post about anything and everything – even sometimes, the kitchen sink!

In this tough economy, you have to try and cut corners wherever you can. This is where our downloads center comes in handy. Every day, we feature excellent software and applications at excellent prices – some are even free!

What Will the Internet Look Like in Ten Years?

Chris — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:32:22 +0000

What Will the Internet Look Like in Ten Years? is a post from Chris Pirillo

I came across an interesting question on Lockergnome earlier this morning: What will the Internet look like in ten years?. The author states:

… the idea of adverse changes, in my mind, is anything that would change the complete freedom that we have to do just about anything. Certainly crime should not be allowed, but anything that is not criminal should be fully allowed.

That’s an interesting thought. Sure, I agree that crime shouldn’t be allowed on the Internet. However, how the heck are we ever going to stop it? Thousands upon thousands of people fight hard every day to try and curb the growth of crime online. Sadly, for every criminal they take down, more are waiting in the wings to step up.

The author states at the end of the article:

The internet policy is something almost as important as health care, and no matter where you stand on health care, you can see that much twisting of the truth is coming from all parties. How much like that will the fight over the progress of the internet be?

Chilling to think about, for sure. It’s also likely very true. Everyone wants to control the Internet. How ugly do you think that fight for control will get? What direction do you see the Web going in over the next ten years? I’m interested in hearing your thoughts.

This wasn’t the only great article I read today. If you have something you want to share that I haven’t already highlighted here, please pass it along. I’m always looking for something interesting, funny or thought-provoking to read.

In our downloads center, you’ll find tons of great software and applications for anything and everything you could possibly imagine. Keep your eye on what’s new, what’s hot, what’s on sale, and what may be completely free.

Virtual Machines Love Windows 7

Chris — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:11:08 +0000

Virtual Machines Love Windows 7 is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Josh called in last week during live calls to talk with me about Windows 7. His general opinion at first was just that Windows 7 is a “great operating system”. I had to chuckle at that, because I of course agree. As we talked more, we got into a bit of a discussion about how much better Windows 7 runs on our Macs inside of Boot Camp. In my opinion, anyway, Vista never did run well on any type of virtual machine. It just plain stunk.

In a virtual machine environment, such as with VMWare Fusion, Windows 7 just – works. It runs clean, and it runs fast. When I used to try and run Vista in the same environment, with the same hardware and same configuration… it never worked. It was buggy. It would crash. It was slow. Things wouldn’t – work!

Don’t forget that I have an awesome Windows 7 eBook available for only $7.00! It’s filled with 70 excellent tips and tricks, to help you make the transition to Windows 7 even easier.

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Windows 7 – Better for Gamers?

Chris — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:21:51 +0000

Windows 7 – Better for Gamers? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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During a live call session the other night, people were on the phone to gab about Windows 7. We talked about everything from security to aesthetics. This particular caller, Sonu, is a member of our live community on a regular basis. He is a gamer, and had something interesting to note in favor of Windows 7 that I hadn’t yet heard. I’m wondering if you are experiencing this, as well.

Sonu has been using Windows Vista for awhile now, and has only recently upgraded to Windows 7. He has the exact same hardware setup, and all of the same software installed now as he did with Vista. However, he’s noticed one very large – and very welcome – change: he is getting 10-15 frames-per-second (FPS) more than he did back when he used Vista.

Is this something you other gamers out there are noticing as well? I imagine that this absolutely is a very good upgrade for you if you are. Let’s hear from you gaming Geeks… are you getting more FPS now on Windows 7 than you did on other operating systems?

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Windows 7 – How Soon Should You Upgrade?

Chris — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:02:06 +0000

Windows 7 – How Soon Should You Upgrade? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I opened the phone lines a few nights ago, asking the community to call in to talk about Windows 7. We had some excellent discussions. This particular call was from Ray, asking me about whether he should upgrade his Windows 7 RC 1 to the full/final release now… or wait a bit. We also talked about differences in the different versions available of Windows 7, and what may work best for his needs.

As I mentioned, Ray is using RC 1 still on his computer. He says he isn’t having any issues or problems with it. He was wondering if he “should” go ahead and buy the full version now, or if it was ok to wait until the RC ran out. I told him that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Seriously, if his version isn’t causing any problems, wait to buy the full version until there’s a coupon or sale going on. Save yourself some money!

We also talked a bit about the various versions. He had heard from someone that with Windows 7, the Home Professional version is actually better to use than the Ultimate version. I do know that the big difference between Professional and Ultimate is additional language packs, and BitLocker. Kat and I discussed BitLocker a bit in a previous video. If those are things you need, then it would be worth it to get Ultimate.

Personally, I don’t think those things are value adds. I think they should just be part of the operating system, no matter which version you buy. But who am I to make the rules?

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SuperBiiz Coupons + Windows 7 Coupons

coupons — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:20:28 +0000

SuperBiiz Coupons + Windows 7 Coupons is a post from Chris Pirillo

SuperBiiz.com (eWiz.com) - Wiz Bargains - Posted on 10/17/09 and Expires on 12/31/15

Find Coupons for over 1100 Stores

How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

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Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code CHRIS7, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com.

VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.