In January, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes put together 23 real-world scenarios to see if the 32-bit operating system out of Windows 7 build 7000, Windows Vista SP1, or Windows XP SP3 would be the quickest to complete all of the tasks (as opposed to using benchmarking programs). The Windows 7 beta build won by a landslide. Now, ZDNet's Kingsley is back with the 64-bit versions of Windows 7 build 7000 and build 7048, as well as eight additional tests, bringing the total number to 31. Again, the results are very interesting.

via arstechnica.com

How does the latest leaked build of Windows 7 (7048) compare to the beta 1 (build 7000), Vista SP1 and XP SP3 in terms of performance? According to my Hardware 2.0 inbox, this is a question that you want answered. Let’s see if I can answer it for those of you who are interested! Note: Before I go any further I feel I need to make a point, and make it clear. The builds I’m testing of Windows 7 (build 7000 and 7048) are beta builds, and as a rule beta builds are usually more geared towards stability than performance. That said, the performance of this build should give us a clue as to how the OS is coming along.

via keznews.com

Aigo have confirmed that the much-anticipated Windows XP version of their touchscreen MID will be made generally available, in addition to the existing Linux model. Up until now, anybody wanting XP on the compact slider device had to do so unofficially. Where the current Aigo MID has just 4GB of onboard flash storage, the company has doubled that for their Windows XP version. Unfortunately they’ve done this by fitting two 4GB drives, rather than one big 8GB drive.

via slashgear.com

Microsoft will continue to offer Windows XP for netbooks even after it starts selling Windows 7, a company executive has confirmed, saying it will take customer preference into account in its netbook OS plans. Neil Holloway, Microsoft International's vice president of business strategy, told ZDNet UK on Thursday that the company expected Windows 7 to be more popular than XP. However, Microsoft will ultimately decide which operating system it will offer for netbooks depending on customer preference, he said.

via news.zdnet.co.uk

By and large, big business has shunned Windows Vista, and the big question for Microsoft (MSFT) over the next year is: Will the enterprise upgrade to (and buy hundreds of thousands of licenses for) Windows 7, or will they stick it out with XP for years to come? Microsoft is hedging its bets. The team behind the next version of MS Office -- called "Office 14" inside Microsoft, no brand yet -- has insulated themselves against the very real possibility of low Windows 7 adoption rates: O14 will run on Windows XP, so it can be sold to corporate clients that shun 7.

via bink.nu

Windows XP’s Backup utility does not allow you to directly select any type of recordable optical media (i.e., CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, or DVD-RW) as a backup destination — even though you can copy files to recordable optical media from within Windows Explorer. However, there is a workaround that will allow you to indirectly make the Backup utility use recordable optical media as a backup destination.

via blogs.techrepublic.com.com

If you are looking for a Windows XP Professional License but can't seem to get it at the right price, buy Windows XP License for £65 and get a free IBM computer delivered for free. The IBM Thinkcentre desktop is a slim small form factor computer that comes with a Pentium 4 2.66GHz, 512MB RAM, a 40GB hard disk drive, a DVD ROM and a 3-month return to base warranty. There's also a 10/100mbps NIC, 4 USB Ports and built in sound module. Note that there's no cables, keyboard or mouse. Furthermore, you will get a Win XP Pro License, OS is pre-installed but no Restore Discs are supplied.

via itproportal.com

It's a downgrade from its predecessor, introduces no killer features and is regarded by some as a cynical attempt by Microsoft to squeeze more money from us. The release of a new desktop operating system (OS) is always a hot topic among PC enthusiasts, but this time Microsoft has failed to provide us with a major incentive to make the switch. Furthermore, those who've taken the plunge have expressed their dislike for the interface and reported incompatibilities with essential software.

via pcadvisor.co.uk

By and large, big business has shunned Windows Vista, and the big question for Microsoft (MSFT) over the next year is: Will the enterprise upgrade to (and buy hundreds of thousands of licenses for) Windows 7, or will they stick it out with XP for years to come? Microsoft is hedging its bets. The team behind the next version of MS Office -- called "Office 14" inside Microsoft, no brand yet -- has insulated themselves against the very real possibility of low Windows 7 adoption rates: O14 will run on Windows XP, so it can be sold to corporate clients that shun 7.

via bink.nu

Manager Deluxe or KeePass are better places than PicturePIN-XP for holding large volumes of login and other encrypted data. PicturePIN is better seen as a technology in search of a decent application. The mind can accurately recall pre-selected areas on an image, even quite a complex image, more reliably than it can a sequence of numbers and characters, or so it is said by the makers of a new password management application, PicturePIN-XP.

via techworld.com

While Microsoft, Mozilla and Google are laboring to finalize Internet Explorer 8, Firefox 3.1 and respectively Chrome 2.0, Opera is cooking Opera 10.0, the next iteration of its proprietary browser. But at the same time, the Norway-based security company is delivering updates for its current release of Opera, namely version 9.6. In this regard, Opera 9.64 is now live and available for download. Opera 9.64 is a security upgrade designed for all end users running versions of the browser prior to 10.0 Alpha.

via news.softpedia.com

Long-time OSNews reader Kaiwai has written down his experiences with his Acer Aspire One, Linux, and Windows. He concludes: "After a hectic few weeks trying to get Linux to work, I am back to square one again - a netbook running Windows XP SP3 as it was provided by Acer when I purchased it. I gave three different distributions a chance to prove themselves. I expected all three distributions to wipe the floor with Windows XP - after all, these are the latest and greatest distributions the Linux world have to offer.

via newmobilecomputing.com

If you’re looking for some fun free PC games for Windows XP to while away the time, we’ve got forty lined up. Some are the full games, others demos and all of them are free. We’ve also included the download link to save you from searching. Games are listed in alphabetical order. 1.Acespeeder - Up for some hovercraft racing? Then you’re all set to tackle this futuristic racing. It features cool racing tracks and a variety of hovercrafts.
2.Age of Robots - A computer virus called Big Crunch has started incubating and building a robot army. You’re task in this action puzzle game is to destroy it.

via tech.blorge.com

According to data released my Net Applications, Microsoft was able to grow its operating system market share from 88.20% in January to 88.42% in February. Apple lost 0.28 points in the same time frame and is now estimated to hold about 9.61% of the market. Linux continued its upward trend and is listed with 0.88%.
We suspected Windows 7 to be behind the increased Windows market share number, but Net Applications’ data suggests this was not really the case.

via tgdaily.com

The world knows it's official: Microsoft has stated that the best option to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 is by not skipping the upgrade to Vista. That recommendation did not go unheeded as reviewers in the CRN Test Center set out to find the most efficient and easiest way to get Windows 7 deployed on XP clients. But after a series of tests on older and newer hardware, a number of noteworthy issues emerged: Microsoft's statement that if hardware works with Windows Vista it will work with Windows 7 appears to be.

via crn.com