Windows 8 – After Windows 7

As Microsoft is wrapping up Windows 7, with the release to manufacturing deadline just around the corner and the general availability deadline set for October 22, the company is also looking forward to the next version of Windows. In this context, the software giant already confirmed officially that planning for Windows 8 had started long before Windows 7 was even close to Release Candidate stage. At the same time, Microsoft has also started hiring people to work on specific future features that will end up in Windows 8.

Still, don't expect the Redmond company to come out with details just yet. But there is some talk of where Windows is heading. Following the release of Windows Vista, questions and speculation began to circulate on whether the successor of Windows XP was the last mammoth Windows release that Microsoft would produce. Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer denied the possibility, and Windows 7 proves that it wasn't the case. Windows 8 will not stray far from the client-side operating system concept that Microsoft has been executing with each release.

Ray Ozzie, Microsoft chief software architect, managed to offer confirmation of this to BBC. Asked whether Windows 7 would be the last dedicated version of Windows that Microsoft would release, Ozzie replied “No, by no means.”

“Windows 7 is a tremendously exciting release. It has many innovations in the real of Natural User Interfaces and other such things. Computers will always need an operating system. Something that makes it very friendly for users to use. The nature of the operating system is indeed changing because of the ubiquity and utility of the Internet. The operating system is increasingly connected to those activities that happen on the Internet. Windows plus Windows Live deliver that within Windows 7 and that kind of integration of experience just gets better and better over time.”

At the same time, the man who replaced Bill Gates at the lead of Microsoft along with Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer, doesn't see a prevalence of Cloud platforms over client-side operating system. You'll see the combination of desktop-based, phone-based and TV-based systems that are all connected to the net. We don't do everything that we do in a browser. When we have phones we carry those phones with us and we do activities on those. PCs have very useful things that we do on the PC, just tremendous experiences. Same with the television. We have yet to see even the beginnings of the kind of innovation that we're going to have when every television itself becomes a computer that's connected to the Internet.

Source: http://goo.gl/PMQLK

How to Upgrade Your Computer Operating System

There may be good reasons to upgrade your computer operating system (OS), especially if you are still using outdated system on your PC. You could decide to upgrade your operating system to a newer version or even completely to a different one or just to have a completely new version of a particular one.

Each time the world's most recognized computer companies comes up with a new version of operating system, so many people always wonder if they should change their present OS. Whatever decision you take is completely up to you. But you should never forget that to UPGRADE your now older version is going to cost you extra money, especially when the new version is still new in the market.

You should never forget that Older computer operating system can't just handle the new OS, mainly due to size and compatibility requirements. So you do need to think of this first. Let's say you've got a PC with only 512 megabytes of memory, you certainly won't be able to upgrade Windows 98 to a newer version with much success.

It is easy to Upgrade your computer operating system than most people think. But the first thing you must have to do is to save all your existing data just in case your Upgrade fails to work. Lots of downloadable programs are available on the web today that can assist you in doing this. Norton Ghost and SOS Backup are just two of them.

To Upgrade your older version on your computer with the new Operating System after backing up all your original system files, simply insert the disc which normally comes with every new computer operating system. Your Upgrading will instantly begin. You may have to answer few simple questions that'll come up on your screen whenever they appear. Bear in mind that Upgrading your system do take a lot of time. So be ready to waste that time while waiting for the installation to complete and never turn off your computer while this is still in progress.

After installing the new software, just have some fun playing around with it. If it fails to satisfy your test or requirements, you can still remove the new OS. Just use the Backup Disc to reinstall your system to the older Operating System. Don't forget that any existing software you had on your computer must be reinstalled after upgrading your system.

Source: http://goo.gl/0zEsY

Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7 Smartphone and Operating System Comparison

Here is a comparison of three Smartphones by three different manufactures with three different operating systems, to see which Smartphone comes out on top and for what reasons. For a fair comparison, the comparison is broken down into four categories which include the handset design, operating system, multimedia features and technology.

The Smartphone's in question include the HTC 7 Mozart (a Windows Phone 7 Smartphone), the BlackBerry Torch 9800 (which runs on the BlackBerry operating system) and the Samsung I9000 Galaxy S (which is powered by Android).

Handset Design

The HTC 7 Mozart has a touch screen form casing with a 3.7 inch widescreen WVGA touch screen. Its casing weighs 130 grams and measures 11.9cm by 6.02cm by 1.19cm and it has a brushed aluminium casing with a stunning swirl effect etched into the back of the casing.

The BlackBerry Torch 9800 has a slide opening form casing with a HVGA touch screen measuring 3.7 inches in size. Its casing weighs 161.1 grams and it measures 11.1cm by 6.2cm by 1.46cm plus it comes in a dark grey coloured casing with stylish chrome effect edging. This is the only Smartphone with a slide out full QWERTY keyboard.

The Samsung I9000 Galaxy S Smartphone has a touch screen form designed casing complete with a 4 inch super AMOLED display. The casing weighs 118 grams and measures 12.24cm by 6.42cm by 0.99cm and it comes with a sleek black coloured exterior.

In conclusion to the handset design the Samsung I9000 Galaxy S is a clear winner due to it having the largest and clearest touch screen. It is the lightest Smartphone to hold although it has the widest casing design due to its larger screen, plus this is the most stylish and attractive handset of the three.

Operating System

The 7 Mozart supports a Microsoft Windows Phone 7 operating system with an easy to use user interface which supports many apps including a HTC Hub app and social network integration. The tile layout interface is extremely user friendly and the touch screen is highly responsive.

The Torch comes with a BlackBerry 6 operating system complete with a BlackBerry use interface which is easy to use and operate especially for BlackBerry users. It has a user friendly interface and a classic BlackBerry style and performance.

The Galaxy S however comes with an Android operating system and with a fun user interface, complete with a colourful and customisable home screen and highly useable user interface.

In conclusion to operating system it would be a tie between the Galaxy S and the 7 Mozart, as both Android and Windows Phone 7 are so much fun to use and offer the user a great range of apps and most importantly provide high quality usability.

Multimedia

The HTC 7 Mozart has a built in music player and supports a Zune music hub plus it comes with high quality SRS surround sound support and Dolby mobile. It has a8 megapixel camera with video record support. There is a built in video player and it supports amazing gaming thanks to its Xbox LIVE integration.

The BlackBerry Torch 9800 has an integrated media player which supports music and video playback plus there is a colourful album art display provided and a track listing function. It has a 5 megapixel camera lens with flash, zoom and image stabiliser. Games can be downloaded and the Torch provides a fun gaming experience.

The Samsung I9000 Galaxy S comes with a music player which has easy to use touch screen controls plus album art display and music storage facility. There is a 5 megapixel camera which comes with an automatic focus, smile detection, LED flash and video recording capabilities. Video playback and downloadable games provide more entertainment on this Smartphone.

In conclusion the HTC 7 Mozart is the hands down winner regarding multimedia features as it comes with an amazing digital camera feature, highest quality sound features and highly useable and an outstanding gaming experience via Xbox LIVE.

Technology

The 7 Mozart supports 3G HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and assisted GPS navigation with Bing™ maps. It has 8 gigabytes of internal memory plus 512 megabytes of ROM and 576 megabytes of RAM. Talk time can vary depending on features being used but approximately 5.5 hours of talk time can be gained over a 3G network.

The Torch 9800 supports many technologies including 3G HSDPA and HSUPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and assisted GPS with BlackBerry maps. It has 512 megabyte of internal memory plus comes with a 4 gigabyte memory card and will support up to 32 gigabytes via its memory card slot. An estimated 5.8 hours of 3G talk time can be expected from a fully charged battery.

The I9000 Galaxy S Smartphone supports 3G HSDPA and HSUPA, Wi-Fi technology, Bluetooth technology and assisted GPS with Google Maps. It is available in two memory options which include a 8 or 16 Gigabyte internal memory option plus it can hold up to 32 gigabytes of external memory via its memory card slot. It battery provides an estimated 6. 3 hours of talk time over a 3G network but this can vary depending on features being used.

The technology category is the hardest to judge as all three Smartphone have similar or identical technologies and capabilities, but in conclusion to technology features the Samsung I9000 Galaxy S would have to be the winner as the assisted GPS navigation was preferred with Google Maps support, and its memory option was large providing ideal storage for the Smartphone.

Source: http://goo.gl/ouD0b

Creating a Hidden Operating System

Most people will wonder why a person need's a secondary operating system. But if your are sharing a computer with another person nor you are been held up for your valuable information on your computer or laptop that would be a worse case scenario as they might steal nor copy your valuable information.

If your traveling overseas and your laptop need to be search then having a decoy operating system would come in-handy. The truecrypt will create a decoy operating system that will allow you to have two operating system on a single laptop or computer.

The system is plain simple it helps you keep all your important document in another operating system allowing you to have another plain operating system that only has normal document as a decoy and this will be a life saver even your computer is been hacked nor been infected by virus as the operating system is installed on a different patition of the computer.

Not only that it comes with different login and password to access the two operating system. You can use it for multiple boot from any operating system that is available in the market.

What good a secondary operating system does:

- Creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real disk.
- Encrypts an entire partition or storage device such as USB flash drive or hard drive.
- Encrypts a partition or drive where Windows is installed (pre-boot authentication).
- Encryption is automatic, real-time (on-the-fly) and transparent.

It provides two levels of plausible deniability, in case an adversary forces you to reveal the password:

1) Hidden volume (steganography) and hidden operating system.

2) No TrueCrypt volume can be identified (volumes cannot be distinguished from random data).
even by searching the hold hard drive.

Files can be copied to and from a mounted TrueCrypt volume just like they are copied to/from any normal disk simply by drag-and-drop operations. Files are automatically being decrypted on-the-fly while they are being read or copied from an encrypted TrueCrypt volume. Similarly, files that are being written or copied to the TrueCrypt volume are automatically being encrypted on-the-fly in RAM.

Source: http://goo.gl/qQ6oo

How Can an Operating System Slow Down a Computer?

I was asked an interesting question recently. It is not only an interesting question but it is a very important one. The answer makes it easy to understand what happens to a computer that becomes slow or sluggish. Hopefully, this article will answer this question and point you in the right direction to help keep your computer fast.

The question was asked by a young woman who had talked to a geek friend of hers. This fellow told her it was her operating system making her computer respond slowly. He suggested she backup all her files, reformat her hard drive, and reinstall her operating system.

How an Operating System Slows Computer Processes

Actually, I believe his method would work but I know there is an easier way. Before I get into this easier way, let's talk about two ways an operating system can slow down a PC. They are:

Upgrading to the operating system with an older PC and,

Having registry corruption build up in the operating system's registry.

Of course, the first problem can only occur if you have changed the operating system on your PC or upgraded to a newer one. The fact of the matter is each Windows operating system is larger than its predecessor and so the computer ends up with less free resources than it had when the old OS was running it. Fewer resources equals a slower computer; simple.

Registry Develops Corruption

Also, fairly simple is the topic of registry corruption. Every Windows operating system uses a registry to keep track of all parts of the computer. It also keeps track of all files added and moved on your hard drive. While this is an oversimplified explanation of a Windows registry, it does show that everything you do on your computer goes through the registry.

There are millions of steps needed to perform computer operations. Over time, registry files become bloated. Because of this, the steps needed to do operations can multiply. The result of this multiplication is your computer needing to wait as your microprocessor looks long and hard in the registry to find what it needs. The computer would have been able to do this operation quickly if the registry had all its fat cut out.

The Registry is an Integral Part of the OS

The registry clearly is a part of the operating system and when it needs to be cleaned out, it will cause the computer to be slow. It may also cause a computer to freeze and crash.

Spyware, adware, viruses and other parasites will also cause a computer to slow down. However, they are not part of the operating system; they are programs. They run without you realizing it and use your computer resources. In other words, they steal the computer's speed.

Source: http://goo.gl/2dJCH

Tips to Reinstall Windows XP

First, locate the Windows CD that shipped with your PC, along with the CDs for your application software. If you downloaded your antivirus, firewall, or other programs, copy those downloads to a CD or to some other type of removable media. (If your system didn't ship with a Windows CD, your reinstallation files are situated on your hard drive; I'll describe how to access them in just a minute.) Also, dig up the instructions that your ISP sent you for configuring your network settings, and keep them close at hand.

Copy the contents of your 'C:\Documents and Settings' folder (or whichever folder you store your personal files on) to a CD or other removable medium. Then grab any other critical data and back it up. It helps to collect the installers for the latest drivers for your PC's graphics card and other hardware, too.

Ready to Reinstall

Now insert the Windows CD that came with your PC, and reboot your system. If you didn't receive a Windows disc with your machine, the files you need are sitting in a hidden partition on your hard drive. To access them, press the keys indicated on your screen when you reboot, but before Windows loads. The keys differ from vendor to vendor, so contact your PC's manufacturer if you don't see the prompt.

In many instances, the only available option is 'Return the drive to its factory condition', which destroys all documents, photos, and other data files on your PC. That's why you made a copy of your data folders.

You get more options--including the ability to preserve your files and settings--when you use Microsoft's own Windows XP installation disc. Make your selection, and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the reinstallation.

Starting Over

Regardless of which option you choose, you'll have to reconfigure your network connections, reinstall some of your device drivers, and update XP and your applications manually.
To configure your Internet connection, right-click My Network Places, click Create a new connection, and follow the prompts, entering the appropriate information you received from your ISP.

Once you've re-established your Internet link, you must reinstall and update your firewall, anti virus and antispyware programs.

Next, check to see which of your device drivers need updates: Right-click My Computer and select Properties, Hardware, Device Manager. Look for entries with yellow question marks or red exclamation points. A question mark indicates that Windows is using a generic driver for that device instead of one specifically designed for it; an exclamation point means that the device is not working.

The drivers for graphics boards, sound cards, and printers are most likely to need an update. If you haven't already done so, visit the vendors' Web sites to download updated drivers to your PC. Run the installer for each updated driver, allowing XP to reboot when needed, or right-click the entry in Device Manager, choose Update Driver, and step through the wizard, selecting No, not this time to the Windows Update question, and choosing the specified location option when it appears. When you can navigate to the driver file, select it and click OK to install it. When you finish updating your drivers, close all open windows.

Updates Galore

Your next stop is Microsoft's Windows Update site. Click Start, Windows Update, and follow the prompts. Since you'll probably be downloading many megabytes of updates, you might want to find yourself a good book or seek some other diversion while you wait.

When the downloading is complete, you'll be ready to reinstall and update your applications. Don't forget to update your critical apps as well. Microsoft Office, in particular has some important updates. Download them at the Microsoft Office Online Downloads page.

Once you've restored your applications, begin replacing your data. The first priorities are the My Documents and Application Data folders, which you'll find in the folder with your logon name inside 'C:\Documents and Settings'. To bring back your Internet Explorer favorites, restore the contents of the Favorites folder. Also restore the Shared Data and Application Data folders inside 'C:\Documents and Settings\Shared Documents'. Once you've reintroduced all of your data, your Windows refresh will be complete.

Resource: pcworld.com

Phantom Operating System to kill Windows AND Linux

Russian programmer Dmitry Zavalishin is working on a revolutionary new concept for an operating system. In Zavalishin’s Phantom OS, snapshots of the entire system will be continually saved to disk, preserving state for running applications and active data. There are no files in the traditional sense, instead a file is merely an object with persistent state. Neat!

Phantom is new, but it can currently boot, execute applications, and continually save system state to disk. A GUI is planned, as are cross-development tools. The new OS is planning to support interpreted scripting languages like Ruby and Python, and virtual machine programming languages like C# and Java. What, no perl?!

The saved-state nature of Phantom makes it a real contender for both the mobile market, as well as servers. Switch off your phone running Phantom and then turn it back on with no loss of data or apparent interruption in what you were doing. For server environments, a power loss may no longer be a big deal.

It’s great to see real innovation in the OS space. Challenging the status quo may mean that Phantom has an uphill battle before it, but it’s refreshing to see people really thinking outside the box.

Source: techcrunch.com