Can you upgrade an old XP PC to Windows 7? Should you?

Tuesday, September 29, 2009
How old is too old? I had a chance to think about this question twice over the weekend. Once while pondering my fifty-somethingth birthday (as of today, I am the same age as Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons combined), and the other while deciding whether to upgrade my friend Lisa’s four-year-old Sony notebook to Windows 7.

The birthday will happen whether I want it or not. But as for that Sony? That took a little more thought. It would have been a no-brainer had this been a two-year-old PC that Lisa had downgraded to XP to avoid the tribulations of Vista. But this machine, once a triumph of Sony hardware engineering, could easily be deemed ready to retire.

After careful consideration, I finally decided to go ahead with the upgrade, taking careful notes and snapping lots of screen shots along the way. The XP-to-7 odyssey was an interesting one, with surprising results and several lessons I can share with anyone contemplating a similar adventure. Along the way I also tried out a new edition of Laplink’s PCmover software, which is specifically designed to ease this sort of migration. I found some surprises there as well.

Microsoft Windows Users and iYogi Predict a Surge in Tech Support for Windows 7 Upgrades

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Survey Shows That Nearly Half of Consumers Think Upgrading to a New Operating System Will Require Technical Assistance

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 16, 2009 -- iYogi, the on-demand tech services company with a unique global delivery model, announced today the results of a consumer poll regarding support concerns and predictions for the upcoming launch of the new Microsoft Windows 7 operating system. Based on responses from more than 1,000 Windows XP and Windows Vista users, 52 percent think that moving to a new operating system and moving their data is a hassle, suggesting some real frustrations on the near horizon. Nearly half (47 percent) think upgrading to Microsoft Windows 7 may require a call to technical support - potentially causing a huge backlog of support needs, as up to 40 million copies of Windows 7 are expected to be sold in 2009, according to IDC.

"We predict that more than 40 percent of XP users will generate support calls and inquiries globally this year and even more in 2010 as mass adoption kicks in and people face the prospect of dealing with an entirely new interface," said Vishal Dhar, President Marketing & Co-founder of iYogi. "We estimate twice as many support calls for current Windows XP users than Windows Vista users, since Microsoft Windows XP users will require a 'clean' install including migrating applications, settings and drivers--a potentially arduous, time-intensive task."

Additional survey findings reveal:

  • 58 percent of users think they will or may upgrade to Windows 7, an encouraging number considering some of the backlash surrounding Vista

  • Only 39 percent of users are aware that Windows 7 is launching soon, suggesting an increased flurry of help questions in the coming months as more people become aware of the upgrade options

iYogi has more has more than 90,000 annual subscribers and provides thousands of single incident sessions every day on a 24/7 basis. Its Global Delivery Platform delivers on the highest customer satisfaction benchmarks in the industry and gets smarter with every customer interaction, building a powerful knowledge base that provides unique customer insights on predictive needs to tech support.

ABOUT IYOGI
iYogi is a global on-demand services company that provides personalized computer support for consumers and small businesses in United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. iYogi's unique model, including proprietary technology iMantra and highly qualified technicians, is designed to eliminate computer-related stress and keep millions of digitally dependent consumers and small businesses always protected and productive. Only iYogi -- with its proven global expertise delivery model, intelligent customer insight systems, easy-to-use self-help tools and automated PC optimization and computer support services - offers users a simple yet comprehensive path to digital serenity. iYogi has perfected the remote technical support model to overcome the current limitations of in-store, on-site, or call center services to become the fastest growing provider of support in the industry. Major resellers and technology companies are increasingly turning to iYogi to improve customer satisfaction, reduce return rates, and deliver a compelling new-value added offering to customers. For more information on iYogi and a detailed list of technologies supported, visit: www.iyogi.net.

How to Optimize Your Windows Vista

Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Did you just buy a PC, maybe a laptop or a desktop computer and recently noticed that his high-tech, state of the art in a year (or maybe months) the computer system seems to get slower than passing day. The truth is that his team will not remain the same after being charged with dozens of tools and programs such as antivirus software (both anti-malware and spyware removal), and many other Internet downloads. The slowdown tends to occur gradually and may not notice, until it becomes virtually impossible to open a file or document, then finally dawn on his team needs a little service.

But relax, do not worry! no matter what the cause may be, the good news is that there is a solution for that, because there are many ways to help speed up your Windows Vista and also make a better performance of your PC without having to upgrade the computer hardware. Here are some tips to help you optimize your Windows Vista to perform better and faster.

Run a virus check

By the time you notice that your PC is running slowly, the first thing to do is check that viruses and spy-wares. Viruses have a way to slow down a computer and makes it run slower than it used to.

Defragmentation can be defined as a process that helps reduce the amount of fragmentation in a file system. The fragmentation makes the hard drive to work more than necessary and this can slow down your computer. Disk Defragmenter is what you need.

Disk Defragmenter rearranges fragmented data and put them together so that the hard disk can have more space and better results. Disk Defragmenter can be found on the PC with Windows Vista, go to the icon "Start" on your computer, click "All Programs" open "Accessories" then "System Tools" and finally click "Disk Defragmenter".

Boosting memory of your computer

Using Windows Ready Boost to boost your computer memory. The Windows Ready Boost lets you use the storage space on removable devices such as flash drives, to increase the speed of your computer. This is a preferable way to increase the memory in your PC, that opening up the computer hardware.

Uninstall the software and programs you never use

Do you know that most of the test versions of the limited editions of programs you find on your computer when you bought it can slow down your computer? These tests use the software valuable disk space and memory, so if you do not intend to upgrade to a full version of the program or software is recommended to uninstall from your computer to save disk space, memory, and even processing power .

Clean your hard drive

If you want to help your computer run faster, you can also delete unimportant files on the hard drive and empty the Recycle Bin by using the Disk Cleanup. Here is a step by step instructions on how to do this.

1. First start by clicking the icon "Start", click "All Programs" then "Accessories", open "System Tools", click and then "Disk Cleanup".

2. You have the option to choose if you want to clean up your personal files only or all files on your computer.

3. In the Options dialog box Disk Cleanup If the box mounts, select the hard drive to be cleaned, and then click OK.

4. Select the tab Disk Cleanup and click the boxes of files to delete and click OK.

5. Finally, click "Delete Files" to confirm the complete elimination of unwanted files.

Reduce the implementation of programs

When you put on your computer, you notice that some programs load automatically at startup, these programs take up disk space and memory waste and also reduces the power load on your PC. Most of these programs are designed by software vendors to load automatically when Windows starts, some of them even run in the background, where you can not see, and are only designated by their icons in the notification area of the taskbar of your computer screen. So to help his team Windows Vista faster and more efficient, eliminate those that do not use often.

Manual Solution To Enable RUN Command In Windows Vista

Monday, September 14, 2009

Open My Computer –> C drive –> Windows –> System32 –> Locate gpedit.msc file and run it. See the figure below

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While you have opened Group Policy see in the left pane and in the User Configuration Expand Administrative Templates and select Start Menu and Taskbar now in the right pane locate Remove Run Menu from Start Menu and double click it. See the figures

screenshot005.jpg

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Select Disabled in the properties dialogue and press apply then OK

Now close all open Windows you will see the Run has been restored in Start Menu. See the figure now

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Kodak extends line of midrange multifunction printers

Thursday, September 3, 2009

This morning, Kodak introduced two new models to its collection of all-in-one printers. The ESP 325O and ESP 525O both take aim at consumers who need a printer also need printer support for the home for light-duty snapshot and document printing, but don't necessarily need extra features (like an auto-document feeder or a duplexer) that typically push printers past the $200 threshold. As such, the new models are essentially stripped-down versions of the ESP 3 and ESP 5 printers we reviewed last year, but with a few updates:


Kodak ESP 3250

Kodak ESP 3250 - $130
  • 1.5-inch LCD Display
  • Manual duplexing for double-sided printing
  • Low Power Standby Mode saves energy during downtime
  • Built-in memory card reader

Kodak ESP 5250

Kodak ESP 5250 - $170
  • 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi enabled (802.11n not supported)
  • 2.4-inch LCD Display
  • Intelligent paper tray (included with 3250 as well)

The Kodak ESP 3250 and ESP 5250 are available now on the Kodak