Windows 7 is coming October 22nd !

Windows 7 is coming OCTOBER 22nd

If for some reason you haven't heard, Microsoft will be releasing on October 22nd the new version of Windows - Windows 7, to replace Windows Vista (and Windows XP).

According to a recent article by PC World Magazine, the new Windows 7 from Microsoft is only marginally faster than Windows Vista on standard 32-bit machines. However on the new generation of 64-bit hardware, Windows 7 adds much-needed improvement.

Even if you purchase a Windows Vista machine now, after submitting proof of purchase to the manufacturer, you'll be sent a free upgrade to Windows 7 as soon as it is released.

Should users upgrade existing XP machines to Windows 7? In short, NO -- because you'll still be working with less-powerful hardware. Upgrading newer Vista machines is OK, but your best bet for flexibility is to look for 64-bit hardware PCs with Vista Business installed and a free downgrade to XP Professional. These machines will also be eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 7 Professional -- when you and your other networked PCs are ready to make the change together.

If you're not sure and you need to replace a PC that you want to last a long time, get 64-bit hardware, a machine with a downgrade to XP for compatibility, and you'll automatically get the free Windows 7 upgrade for flexibility.

Will Columbus Day change anytime soon?

I guess we won’t be changing any Columbus Day celebrations, even though it’s pretty clear that the Vikings were on North America first. Vinland was located where Canada’s Newfoundland is today……

July 2009 article http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE56G58320090717 or http://tinyurl.com/n73ceu

Hi-Res Map: http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/photos/2002/vinland.jpg or http://tinyurl.com/yj5lhre

This map was carbon-dated to be circa 1440 -- 52 years before Columbus first landed in San Salvador.


Compare it to a Google Maps’ Mercator projection (which distorts polar land masses such as Greenland):

Google Maplink: http://tinyurl.com/yglh5eu

Found in 1898, the Kensington (Minnesota) Runestone bears the date 1362 (130 years before Columbus). It was found over 3,000 miles west of Newfoundland, but only 200 miles from Duluth MN at the western tip of Lake Superior.

Here's a recent (October 2009) article about it: http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/136096/group/Local%20News/

Modern day researchers think the Kensington Runestone was actually a land claim; the runes are similar to those carved on medieval tombstones by Cistercian monks of the Swedish island of Gotland (over 6,400 miles from Kensington).

This 6-minute video (March 2009) is by scientists who have been examining and dating the runestone: http://www.newsnet14.com/2009/03/30/proof-that-the-vikings-were-here-first/

For modern day adventure seekers, there’s even a possible tie-in to the Knights Templar, whose persecution had begun 30+ years prior to the Kensington MN Runestone land claim.

Automatic disk Defragmentation for Windows XP

Over time, the files on a computer's disk drive become fragmented just due to normal deletions, additions, extensions, updates, etc. Windows Vista now includes automatic disk defragmenting, but while Windows XP has a disk defragmentation utility, it's not automatically scheduled to run on a regular basis.

If you have the free McAfee Internet Security from AT&T or Comcast, read no further. In addition to antivirus and firewall software, McAfee includes scheduled disk defragmentation.

But if you're using another security suite, here’s a tutorial from Microsoft on how to setup a ‘Scheduled Task’ to regularly defragment your disk drive.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/tips/defrag.mspx

You don't need to do this daily; monthly is usually adequate.