Yesterday, we began our week-long series on desktops and the different ways you can “skin” your background to provide both entertainment and functionality. Our first article, titled Desktop Departures – Escape With a Wallpaper Change, focused on suggestions for PC users with multiple displays. Today, we take things in a new direction, with a fresh idea for users of any number of monitors and just about every version of Windows that is still used today…. Wallpaper Slideshows.
Introduced in Windows 7 as a standard feature (for all versions except Windows 7 Starter), the wallpaper slideshow provides users with a utility that automatically changes the background picture at regular intervals, using a select group of images. Users are no longer forced to stare at the same image for hours, days or even years. With this application, the desktop can change every 30 minutes, giving you a fresh desktop. As with many features found in newer operating systems, this type of feature has been recreated (under other names) for use in Windows XP and Vista as well.
One of the most popular services we offer at JumpstartMyPC.com is a PC Tuneup. Why? Because people want speed from their computer and they have steadily watched their PC slow down, down…. down to a crawl. We have highlighted numerous ways that anyone can improve their own PC performance (like defrags, registry cleans and deleting unnecessary files) but today we tackle the simplest tweak possible, power settings. Most people have no clue that their computer is designed to monitor and control power usage. This feature is built into Windows and changing the settings is super easy.
WARNING: Before jumping into the step-by-step, it is important to note that changing these settings may very well provide you with a performance boost, but it might come at a price. Pay close attention to the temperature of your system (especially with laptops). I have seen cases where increasing the power settings has resulted in a system that “runs hot.” While this is not the standard, it is something to keep an eye on. It is also important to keep in mind that these settings are to be used while the computer is plugged into a constant power source. If you are using a laptop and are concerned about prolonging the battery life, be certain that you change the “running on batteries” settings or “power plan” accordingly.
JumpstartMyPC.com was created to help PC users get the most out of their computer and there are few products that have demonstrated this concept as much as avast! Free Antivirus. Since the first day the company was drawn out on a bar napkin (isn’t that how they all start) we envisioned a Tools page with avast! positioned firmly at the top. Today, that top spot just got a little brighter, as avast! has served up a shiny, fresh-off-the-production-line model, with version 5.0 of their amazing, FREE software.
Normally, I would prepare an article like this and hold on to it for a few days before posting it to our blog, but my faith in the makers of the avast! product (which they have earned without compensating me in any way) tells me that I can safely cover and promote this update. Why, because I have used the avast! product on countless computers, for myself and others, and have never had a complaint. The software has always been easy to install, easy to use and VERY effective. Of course, all of this could be said about other antivirus softwares, but those other applications are not FREE! How can you beat FREE and functional?
“Windows 7 is here and it’s not going to have any of the problems that Vista had.” That’s the quote from “PC” in the newest series of Apple commercials aimed at cutting Microsoft and Windows off at the knees. Starting yesterday, at least 3 new commercials started running regularly over the airwaves. These new spots are witty, clever and dead on when it comes to calling out the issues that consumers have (or will have) had with upgrading their PC to the latest version of Windows. I am a PC fan, but I still love these commercials and laugh every time they nail another Windows issue.
Normally on the release day of a highly anticipated new movie, game or album, I would find myself 30 people back in a line outside of a “big box” store. Somehow, the level of excitement is elevated by the fact that I’m sharing the last few moments of life without the new media amongst a group of people with the same interest. We’d talk about how we had read magazine articles and found information on the internet that said this or that. Then, the doors open and we poor into the store for our bounty.
That excitement is not there for me today, as I will be waiting on snail-mail (US Postal Service) to bring me my hard copy of Windows 7 on disk, as part of the FREE upgrade program that I have talked about so much. My patience is a small price to pay for that FREE $125 enhancement. Instead of getting my copy this morning and spending the rest of the day tinkering and testing, I will be preparing for when the disk does arrive. As promised in yesterday’s article, I have been testing a piece of backup software and I now bring you the results.
It is the last day of the Vista era and, even though many of us will still be using XP and Vista in some capacity, tomorrow marks a new dawn for computing. Before you can make the dash to the next generation, there are some things you are going to need to do. For those of you who will NOT be making the change, don’t change the channel just yet. You will benefit from today’s topic as well, backups!
Yes, backups! You have more than likely heard the term at your office before, but have you considered it for your home computer? There are a million reasons why you should back up your data, but very few people actually do it. Just think, what happens if there is a natural disaster, your computer is stolen, your hardware crashes or you accidentally hit delete in the wrong area? Chances are, you have already experienced one of these events and lost precious data, yet you still aren’t regularly backing up your system. In the ultimate “pot calling the kettle black” I am still not backing up my laptop either, but today that is going to change.
Windows 7 week is upon us. That’s right, the Vista apology (which also serves as an operating system) that has been promised for well over a year now is going to be delivered on Thursday (10-22-2009). To “celebrate” the release of this new-and-improved operating system, the articles this week will focus on Windows and we will offer our opinions on upgrading/buying a new PC with Windows 7 already installed.
While most individuals will not run out and purchase an upgrade or make the decision to buy a new PC just because the new version of Windows is out, you might find yourself shopping at an opportune time. We’ve already highlighted the fact that you might be eligible to get a $30 or FREE copy of Windows 7 in our article Windows 7 for $30 or FREE – Do You Qualify. There are amazing deals on laptops and desktops everywhere and it seems that retailers are clearing out their “old” Vista PCs to make way for the “new” Windows 7 PCs. The irony here is that the hardware is almost identical.
It takes a special type of person to be truly excited about the release of a new/updated operating system, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of us you should be sitting idly by while Windows 7 hits the streets. The folks over at Microsoft have been working extremely hard to bring you a product that will make up for its last effort (Vista) and they have already begun “persuading” some of us to make a very easy decision (see our blog post Windows 7 for $30 or FREE – do you qualify?). If you haven’t spent some time contemplating an upgrade to Windows 7, it’s time to put your thinking caps on.
October 22nd is the official release date of Windows 7, but you might get your hands or eyes on a copy any day now. Not only have promotional “test” copies already made their way into the hands of IT professionals and students, but a recent article on Engadget.com suggests that some custom PC makers will be shipping out new units, running Windows 7, the week of October 13th. Should you be interested? Here are some reasons that we think you might find important:
Windows 7 is coming, like it or not. Many are turning their nose up at the next “amazing, cutting edge, fix all your problems” version of Windows. They like their Windows XP and that’s that… or is it. Recent blog posts and interviews with Microsoft officials make it sound as if you may not have a choice. Windows XP is still available to purchase, but once they pull the plug they might not continue to support it with patches and security updates. This could leave you stuck.
So what are your options? We’ll explain how many of you can get the newest version of Windows for $29.99 or FREE, when it is released on October 22nd, 2009. Even if you don’t plan on updating, you might want to read on and get the details, for a friend or family member.
Normally on the release day of a highly anticipated new movie, game or album, I would find myself 30 people back in a line outside of a “big box” store. Somehow, the level of excitement is elevated by the fact that I’m sharing the last few moments of life without the new media amongst a group of people with the same interest. We’d talk about how we had read magazine articles and found information on the internet that said this or that. Then, the doors open and we poor into the store for our bounty.
It is the last day of the Vista era and, even though many of us will still be using XP and Vista in some capacity, tomorrow marks a new dawn for computing. Before you can make the dash to the next generation, there are some things you are going to need to do. For those of you who will NOT be making the change, don’t change the channel just yet. You will benefit from today’s topic as well, backups!
Windows 7 week is upon us. That’s right, the Vista apology (which also serves as an operating system) that has been promised for well over a year now is going to be delivered on Thursday (10-22-2009). To “celebrate” the release of this new-and-improved operating system, the articles this week will focus on Windows and we will offer our opinions on upgrading/buying a new PC with Windows 7 already installed.
