Windows Vista was one of the most awaited operating systems from Microsoft. It is one of the most ambitious projects for Microsoft and also one of the largest software projects.

Windows Vista was released worldwide, five years after Windows XP has been introduced, which is the longest gap between Microsoft releases. It was launched with much aplomb with several new and better features and huge promises of a better computing experience. A lot was expected of it, especially due to the long wait.

Windows Vista has the visual sophistication not seen in the previous operating systems and the ease of use is remarkable. The Windows Start menu has been made much faster than the previous versions, with the integration of the Instant Search feature that helps find almost anything on the PC instantly. Windows Aero, which is the first of its kind in a Windows operating system has translucent window borders and icons. Taskbar tabs show graphical preview of the window’s contents. Windows layout has changed for the better.

However, Microsoft’s primary objective with Vista was to increase the security in the Windows operating system, which was a cause for complaints in their previous operating system, Windows XP. Vista is certainly the most secure version of Windows yet. It is aimed at protecting the PC from worms, spyware, viruses and other unwanted software and is a huge step forward from Windows XP security. The User Account Control (UAC) feature which is one of the significant changes, is felt to be annoying and obtrusive. Accessing files over a network is slower in Vista that the other operating systems. Although, there is a whole lot more security in Vista, unnecessary extra features bog down network sharing. Windows Vista is slower than XP.

Although, Windows Vista was found favorable when it was launched, this sentiment has not been shared by too many Windows users. Surprisingly, Microsoft faced competition for its Windows Vista from none other than its very own Windows XP.

Windows Vista faced severe post-launch pains and all of Microsoft’s efforts at creating magic with their news desktop OS in five years, fell flat. Microsoft tried its best to reiterate why Vista is a great successor to XP, in a market where users do not appreciate change. However, they failed to do this convincingly, in part due to a technological mishap. (more…)

Microsoft has the reputation of fading out the old products on the release of a new one, in order to create a demand for the new product. Sometimes, after getting used to something, it hurts to see it go, as it happened with their operating systems. The general consensus is that XP is far better than Vista, but the fading out of XP has begun.

But the same cannot be said about their service packs. Windows XP Service Pack 3 has been recently released to manufacturers on April 21, 2008 and to the web on May 6, 2008, after a long delay. It the latest and last entry of XP service packs, and is a much awaited product that comes with all the updates for the operating system, that have been released earlier, as well as some new functionalities. Since the release of the XP, Microsoft has brought out several fixes for the operating system and according to Microsoft, a total of 1174 fixes are packaged in Windows XP Service Pack 3.

This service pack supports many operating systems, including Windows XP, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Professional N, Windows XP Starter Edition, any version of Windows XP Media Center Edition and any version of Tablet PC Edition, but cannot be used with x64 version of Windows XP.

The new functionalities that Microsoft talks about are nothing major and are features that improve the security and reliability of the system. (more…)

Most computer users like toys. After all, a computer is nothing less than a big toy for even the most professional webmasters. But sometimes smaller gadgets and widgets make us smile with their useful natures and ease of use. New tools are appearing online constantly that serve one purpose or another and often as soon as we get something downloaded, we being to wonder how we ever lived without it.

Microsoft is not exempt from offering toys of their own through various websites. The goodies offered by Microsoft vary in function and features, but some are truly enjoyable.

Microsoft XP PowerToys
The Microsoft XP website offers more than tutorials and frequently asked questions about the operating system. It also gives XP users some freebies. Programs are available to download through the site which include very functional features that are hard to live without – at least they are once you download and experience them.

Power Calculator
The puny calculator that comes standard with all Microsoft operating systems is easily deleted and even more easily replaced. But don’t settle for a basic calculator when you can have the Power Calculator. Anyone with an engineering or math background can appreciate the Power Calculator. It’s essentially a graphing calculator for the computer. Of course it still does basic arithmetic, but is also plots integers and performs complex functions. Even if you don’t have complex quadratic functions on a daily basis, it still feels good to have the capabilities – just in case. (more…)