Traffic Circle 2.0

The home networking chapter from my book Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed: an Insider’s Guide to Supercharging Windows Vista is now available online.

Windows Vista’s networking features are among the biggest changes compared to Windows XP, and this chapter will help you understand how to master new features like the Network Center, network mapping, setup and management of wireless networks, helping Windows XP and Windows Vista coexist on a single network, and network troubleshooting. Whether you’re already using Windows Vista or planning to take a look at it this year, it’s a must-read.

Q: What’s even better than Windows Vista SP1 RC?

A: Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh, of course!

Just days after being released to beta testers, Microsoft has now rolled out an improved version of Windows Vista SP1 RC, the Refresh version. Learn how to get it (available only via Windows Update) as easily as possible here.

If you’ve been waiting for a good reason to try Windows Vista, Service Pack 1 (now available in its Release Candidate version) is that reason. It provides huge improvements in reliability, performance, and features. I’ve been running it for about a month on my laptop (a two-year old single-core Turion 64) and it’s solid, reliable, and faster than before.

If you’re considering taking Windows Vista for a spin (you can grab a 30-day trial of the Enterprise edition that runs under Virtual PC 2007), check out these new articles available at InformIT.com:

• Gaming with Windows Vista: Playing Games Through the Games Explorer; discover how the Games Explorer lets you manage your gaming experience and keeps the kids away from games for grownups
• Upgrading Your PC for Vista - Beyond RAM, CPUs, and Graphics; learn how to turn Vista into a multimedia powerhouse

Answer: they’re three of the most obscure products developed by a certain West Coast technology company:

• Mach 10 was a processor board upgrade for the IBM PC
• Booster was a mouse, clock, and memory upgrade for the IBM PCjr
• Bob was a short-lived friendly front-end for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95

And that company was Microsoft (or, as in early ads, MicroSoft). With Microsoft founder Bill Gates riding off into the sunset this week after his final keynote address at CES, I figured it was time to rediscover some of Microsoft’s strangest products ever. Have other nominees? Let us know.

Many thanks to the men and women who attended my talk on Windows Vista SP1, “What’s In It for Business?” yesterday at Owensboro’s Colby’s Restaurant. The Greater Owensboro Territory Information Technologists (GETIT) asked a lot of great questions about Windows Vista and SP1. Some also purchased my new book Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed - a great gift for Vista users.

Both GOTIT and its sister organization in Evansville, GETIT, sponsor outstanding speakers on technology issues monthly. Check out upcoming events at the GETIT/GOTIT information page hosted by the Evansville Public Library’s website.

Windows Vista users: 

If you’re looking for a way to…

• Get your hands on over 450 updates and hotfixes
• Improve reliability and performance
• Make your system more secure

… you need Windows Vista SP1 RC - today! You can use it until the final SP1 release comes along, and this near-final release provides a lot of relief for nagging Windows Vista problems. Find the links you need here.

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Get yourself up to speed on Vista or help a Windows newbie out - pick up a copy of Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed today. It’s available at Amazon.com, and has recently received a 5-star review:

I have just finished this book, and was very impressed with how it opened my eyes to Vista…I would recommend this book to anyone new to Vista.

I’ve been working hard on a couple of new Windows projects lately:

•  some chapters for the upcoming Second Edition of Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows
• My forthcoming book Unleashing Microsoft Windows Vista Media Center

And, in addition to those, I’ve also been covering the Windows beat at Maximum PC’s website. If you haven’t dropped by lately, here’s what you haven’t seen yet:

• Learn how to protect yourself from Windows Vista’s activation problems
• Find out what reviewers think about Windows Vista’s backup, Windows Live Photo Gallery, and Windows Movie Maker HD utilities
• Discover why your Windows XP system downloaded the performance-robbing Windows Desktop Search, and how to banish it - for good.
• Find out how to protect your Windows XP system from the Mailto URI threat in Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader.
• Learn how to become an unofficial beta tester of Windows Vista SP1 by making a few simple changes to your system.
• And, on the brighter side, find out how the Atari 2600 VCS (now 30 years old!) inspired today’s booming console and PC gaming industry.

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Discover how Windows Media Center, Windows Media Player, Windows Movie Maker and Windows Photo Gallery work together to make Windows Vista the most compelling multimedia platform for Windows yet. Get Mark’s new book Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed: an Insider’s Guide to Supercharging Windows Vista. It’s available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, BooksaMillion, and other fine bookstores.

I’ll be speaking to the Greater Evansville Territory Information Technologists (GETIT) group on Wednesday, October 3 from 11:30AM to 1:30PM:

Windows Vista: Hardware Hog or Multimedia Maven?

Browning Events Room B
Evansville Vanderburgh Central Library

200 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
Evansville, IN 47713

Discover

• Why Windows Vista needs more powerful hardware than previous Windows versions
• How Windows Vista makes digital photography, music, and video easier to manage and more fun
• The benefits of other new features included in Microsoft’s latest operating system.

If you’ve never seen Windows Vista in action before, it’s the perfect opportunity to see how it works, what makes it different, and how it’s better than previous Windows versions. You don’t need to be an IT “propellorhead” to drop in, and attendance is free. Bring lunch, or stop in the newly reopened library cafe and pick up a meal.

I’ll have copies of my new book Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed: An Insider’s Guide to Supercharging Windows Vista and other recent books available at special prices, and I’ll be signing books too.

I’ve been using Windows Vista daily for over a year and writing about it and other Windows topics for Maximum PC’s website, so I’m ready to answer your questions. I hope to see you there!

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For more information about GETIT and Owensboro’s sister organization, GOTIT, see the GETIT page at the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library website.

In several of my recent articles at the Maximum PC website, I’ve put on my investigative journalism cap to find out what’s behind the headlines of some major stories:

• Learn more about how Skype’s VoIP system works - and why it stopped working in August.
• Discover how Sony created yet another potential entry point for malware in the driver software for its USB memory stick/fingerprint reader
• Find out the disadvantages of the new Microsoft Office 2003 SP3 - and how to get around them
• Explore the reasons why Monster.com’s security breach reveals that today’s phishers want to make it ‘personal’ - and thus, harder to stop

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For more no holds barred analysis, see what I think about the new and improved features in Microsoft Windows Vista, and how to use them better, in my book Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed: an Insider’s Guide to Supercharging Windows Vista. It’s now available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, BooksaMillion, and other fine bookstores.

See me discuss my new book, Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed, on Evansville’s Fox TV affiliate, WTVW Channel 7, on Monday, September 17, at 7:24AM. For cable TV users, tune into Channel 8 on Insight, WOW (formerly Sigecom), and Time Warner services.

Set your TiVos, Replay TVs, DVRs, and Windows Media Center devices on ‘Record.’ My WMC box is ready!