Buyers’ Guide: Upgrade to Windows 7 or buy a new PC?

As the launch date of Windows 7 nears, users are becoming more and more puzzled whether to get an upgrade on an existing computer or to get a new PC altogether installed with Microsoft’s newest operating system. Moreover, with retailers flooding the market with several attractive pre-order schemes, users are hurrying and scurrying to get the best deals.

A quick analysis will make things a lot easier. If you have a PC which has been used for less than 5 years then an upgrade will simply do the trick for you. According to Microsoft, the Windows 7 will run on a 1GHz processer, 16GB of disk space, and 1GB of RAM.

But if you seriously plan to run the operating system on these requirements then it is a good idea to run Microsoft’s Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. It will check for any compatibility issues that you may have with your hardware and software settings. One important observation here is that Windows 7 runs on the same specs requirement with Vista. So if you have Vista already installed in your computer, then Windows 7 will run on the same or even better on the same hardware.

However, this tip is just to meet the basic requirements. If you want to enhance and milk on its features, then you should consider settling for a new hardware to avail services of software like multi-touch support which comes with Windows 7 and optimize its use. Other enhancements include the SSDs running on Windows 7. It is a unique feature which is only available on Windows 7.

For users of Professional and higher, the XP mode is a brilliant feature again. For users who are more familiar with Windows XP, it enables users to run applications. It depends largely on Windows Virtual PC and has bigger memory and CPU requirements. It is important to compare the memory that a PC can handle when it comes to cost benefits. For anyone who uses more than 3GB memory, it makes more sense to get the 64-bit Windows. It will come handy in editing and manipulating HD images and running virtual machines. For office applications and web surfing, the 32-bit Windows would do just fine. The Upgrade advisor will relate the necessary changes for your CPU.

The cost for an upgrade of Windows 7 will be anywhere at and around $200. That is surely a lot cheaper than the amount of money you will have to shell out to get a new laptop. Its a good steal considering you will be getting a new hardware with the edition of Windows 7 of your choice with it. The Home Premium will come for $120. If you have a computer which meets the requirements and if you are still quite satisfied with its performance, then you should not hesitate to retain it and get an upgrade for Windows 7. It makes more sense and will be easy on your budget as well.

ZoneAlarm Security Suite 2010 Features

Get ZoneAlarm, an essential antivirus, anti-spyware, and firewall protection for Windows 7

What are the key features and benefits of ZoneAlarm?

ZoneAlarm is “Windows 7 Ready” and compatible with the operating system. Once Windows 7 is officially released by Microsoft on October 22, customers with valid ZoneAlarm subscriptions will receive a free compatibility update. For those who wish to run ZoneAlarm on pre-released versions of Windows 7, there is bad news as the Antivirus and Hard Drive Encryption components of ZoneAlarm are not officially supported.So, if users want to use ZoneAlarm on Windows 7 they can purchase its new version compatible with Windows 7. A virus is a kind of software program whose role is to interrupt the normal mode of computer operation thereby either corrupting the data, deleting it or performing any unnecessary and unavoidable destructable role. It has the ability to spread from one computer to another with a motive to interfere with its normal working.Thus to prevent these viruses to show their harmful effects, antivirus programs are designed.

The Antivirus program is a kind of utility or a sofware whose role is to search the computer drives for viruses and if they are found then its role is to remove or quarantine them. These programs can also be used to remove various kinds of adwares, spywares and many others.
Advantages of ZoneAlarm security Suite 2010 are as:-

● Analyzes downloading in three different ways before they can infect your computer and warns if they are malicious.
● Keeps your identity safe with daily credit report monitoring and provides victim recovery services.
● Provide protections against Cyber criminals by making your PC invisible online and blocking intrusions.
● Blocks fake websites that trick you into entering personal data.
● Monitors changes within your computer to spot and stop new attacks that bypass traditional anti-virus protection.
● Quick detection and removal of viruses, spyware, Trojan horses, worms, and other Internet threats.
● Filters and blocks inappropriate websites.
● Filters out annoying and potentially dangerous email.
● Detects and stops latest viruses that others miss.
● Identity thieves, and other online threats. Automatic Wireless Network Security detects wireless networks and automatically applies the most secure firewall protection setting.
● Provides real-time security updates, quick response to breaking threats, and leverages threat data from millions of users to protect your PC from the latest attacks.
● Protects data with encryption, and offers offline ID protection services.
● Easy to use and customize.

System Requirements for ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite are as:Microsoft Windows 7 32-bit / 64-bit , 2 GB RAM, 2 GHz or faster processor, 250MB of available hard-disk space are required for ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite.

ZoneAlarm Security Suite's new version compatible with Windows 7 helps users in protecting their systems from malwares,viruses and other malicious programs. All this is possible with the advent of new Windows 7 operating system.

What to Do If Windows 7 Won’t Boot After a Forced Shutdown

It is reported that forcing a shutdown in Windows 7 (only 32-bit version) can cause your computer can not boot the next time the boot process stops at a black screen. Forcing the closure means that you press the off button physical and although not recommended doing this (turning off the computer using the power menu instead), here is a way to solve this problem and make sure they won’t happen again.

The thing is that Windows 7 will not start due to one of the following reasons: the computer is configured to hibernate or standby when you press the power button, you are using the version in Chinese or Japanese, Korean, and Windows 7 DEP (Data Execution Prevention) is disabled or from the operating system or BIOS.

In any case, to make your computer windows 7 start up again you have to insert an installation DVD for Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 and boot from it. Restart your computer and boot from the hard drive in normal mode. This should do the trick.

To make sure that this will not happen against, click here to download the KB974719 hotfix from Microsoft. Install it and this problem will never return again.

Would you like silence at Windows 7 questions?

Since the release of Windows 7 is about many questions are emerging. Is this, like Microsoft Vista? Will it be stable? Why did Microsoft get it right this time? ... And the list goes on and on.

I wrote an article a few weeks ago after installing Windows 7 reports that I think is really the "Real Deal". They are still behind those words as the release date approaches. This is the most stable operating system I've used since Windows NT 4.0. I've been so close to zero problems with it since I installed the RTM version the day it was available.

Note that I am not the "normal" user or computer. I am a software engineer and use my computer for a living. They rarely turn off or restart my computer and I am taxed to the limit every day I'm working. I jumped on the train before Windows Vista and there were several issues to format my computer is Windows XP and put it back in it.

Not going back to XP, Vista or any other operating system now. Windows 7 has made a believer out of me and I will stand behind this operating system. The only, and I do mean only one issue I had with installation was a driver problem with my video card. I was able to quickly find the driver I needed, installed it and my sound has been working properly since.

I am also an avid gamer. Windows 7 gets up and offers in this area. It seems that Microsoft has paid little attention to memory management with this operating system too. I am able to run all my games in windowed mode and do not seem to impact performance at all.

I know that questions continue to accumulate in the release date nears, but I firmly believe that this operating system have met all the skeptics out there. I admit I was a little skeptical when I installed it, but has made a believer out of me and I think it'll make you one too.