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It’s one of those little things that nagged at me.

When you click on the Start button in Vista and Windows 7, there’s a power button next to the search bar. Everybody has a strong opinion about what that button ought to do. It turns out people rarely agree about what the right choice is.

By default, Vista sends your system to sleep with the power button.

By default, Windows 7 shuts down your computer.

You can change what happens when you click that button! The settings aren’t easy to find, and they got moved in Windows 7.

In Vista, you have to dig into Control Panel / Power Options, click on Change plan settings, and drill into Change advanced power settings. […] continued

Two weeks ago my son clicked OK on a message about some security problem. He called out and asked me about it after he clicked. By the time I walked in and unplugged the network cable, there were seven malware startup programs and services installed and over 700 files in C:, C:Windows, C:WindowsSystem32, and a few other places. He got lucky; I know some tricks and cleaned them out successfully.

Last week a Windows XP computer was discovered by a client in a closet where it had been sitting for three years. He brought it to the office and plugged it into an Internet connection. […] continued

I gave in to the allure of dual monitors. Maybe you should too.

If your computer runs Vista or Windows 7, it probably can run dual monitors without any fuss. Look in the back of the computer next to the place where your monitor is plugged in – you’ll likely find an unused monitor port. If that port is there, this process is easy. You’re looking for an unused port that looks like either of the ports in the picture below – probably the DVI digital port on the left. If you have a Dell computer, you may have a six inch dongle in the back of the computer with your monitor plugged into one of the two dangling ports and the other one waiting for a second monitor. […] continued

User Account Control (UAC) was introduced in Vista to make it harder for bad guys to write software that could take over your computer. By default, its volume has been turned down in Windows 7. Here’s some background about why you might want to turn it up again on your new computer.

At all times, your computer keeps track of how powerful you are. Earlier versions of Windows assumed you were always an administrator and anything you chose to do should always be obeyed, including installing programs and making changes to the computer.

That turned out to be an opening for the bad guys, since the computer stood by to do anything that looked like you started it. […] continued

Windows 7 is great. The combination of Windows 7 and improved hardware makes it far more likely that you will be satisfied with your next computer.

There is still one way that you might wind up frustrated – an old problem that has not gone away. Manufacturers are still stuffing new computers full of crapware. You’re all too likely to find your memory, hard drive space, and especially your startup times are crippled by trial versions of programs you don’t want; advertisements for useless services; poorly chosen security software; proprietary and badly written children’s software and games and media software; and toolbars and desktop icons and other crud chosen because the manufacturer did a bundling deal with another company for its own benefit and with no consideration for our experience. […] continued

Windows 95 introduced the Start menu.

Windows 7 represents a big step away from it.

Probably the most noticeable change in Windows 7 will be in front of you all the time, down at the bottom of the screen. The reworked taskbar is an ambitious rethinking of the whole concept of launching and running programs. I expect it will cause some anguish for everyone who resists change – and really, that’s all of us, isn’t it?

I can tell you that it gets better and better, the more you use it and discover its features. Almost against my will, I’ve fallen in love with it. […] continued

There are an overwhelming number of new computers on the market! It will be impossible to stay up to date on the brands and models – and almost impossible to get hands-on experience with more than a small fraction of what’s out there.

Click through to this article and take a look at some (but not all) of the new computers introduced by manufacturers on the day that Windows 7 was launched.

Random example – the first one on the list: Sony’s Vaio L is an all-in-one with a 24” touchscreen. You’re looking at the whole thing! There’s a computer in that thin monitor, with a BluRay disc drive that comes popping out the side. […] continued

There’s good news about shopping for a new desktop or notebook computer running Windows 7: they’re all good enough.

It’s such a relief! One of the important reasons that Vista got a bad reputation was its poor performance on underpowered systems. Consumers demanded cheap computers and manufacturers pushed out too many computers that could not run Vista well. What’s worse, it was done with Microsoft’s blessing in what stands out in my mind as one of the worst decisions in Microsoft’s history.

Three years later, prices have come down and specs have gone up on cheap hardware, and Windows 7 has been tuned to reduce reliance on the video components that developed differently than Microsoft predicted. […] continued

Run Microsoft’s Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor before making any decisions about upgrading your computer!

 Here’s a good summary from ZDNET writer Ed Bott:

Who should upgrade? And who shouldn’t? As always, I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all recommendations. But for a few categories, the choice is simple:

• If you’re running Windows Vista and gritting your teeth over it, you should upgrade as soon as possible. The relief will be immediate.
• If you’re shopping for a new PC, get one with Windows 7 on it. And if it doesn’t run properly on Day 1, return it and find another. OEMs that do a good job of matching PC hardware to Windows should be rewarded.

[…] continued

Windows 7 is available today in the stores and on new computers.

It is faster than Vista and does not rely as heavily on state of the art video cards. It benefits from three years of ironing out compatibility problems that marred Vista’s introduction. Windows XP users will discover a wealth of new features – Microsoft has been working hard in the nine years since Windows XP was introduced. Vista users will find that Windows 7 looks very familiar, more than the hype might lead you to expect, but there are tweaks and new features throughout the system.

Manufacturers will be introducing new models of desktop computers, notebooks, and netbooks. […] continued