PC Buyer Beware! is a PC/computer information website covering desktop and laptop PCs that helps solve hardware and software problems and provides the knowledge required to make sensible buying, building, upgrading, recovering, repairing and computer-security decisions.

The Latest Computer-Related News...

Is it advisable to update to Internet Explorer 8 (IE8)?

June 27, 2009. - Users of Microsoft's latest browser, Internet Explorer 8, have reported numerous problems with it. Click here! to read a Q&A on whether of not to update from an earlier version.

Windows 7 is to be released in Europe minus the Internet Explorer browser and initially no upgrade versions will be available

June 25, 2009. - Windows 7, comprising the latest versions of Microsoft's computer operating system, is due to go on sale on 22 October 2009 around the world. However, the European Commission is preparing to rule on antitrust charges brought against Microsoft in January 2009. The company has been accused of protecting its web browser, Internet Explorer, from competition by incorporating it into its operating system, Windows, and making it the default browser.

Dave Heiner, of Microsoft, wrote the following in a blog: "Given the pending legal proceeding, we've decided that instead of including Internet Explorer in Windows 7 in Europe, we will offer it separately and on an easy-to-install basis to both computer manufacturers and users."

This means that instead of having Internet Explorer as the default browser, users will be able to install alternative browsers instead of additional browsers. Internet Explorer 8 will be provided on a separate DVD disc included with all of the versions of Windows 7.

However, it also means that there will be no upgrade version of Windows 7 in Europe, because the setup program cannot as yet remove Internet Explorer, which is incorporated into Windows XP and Windows Vista, and then install Windows 7. A clean installation of Windows 7 will be required until Microsoft overcomes the problem and issues upgrade versions of Windows 7. This, in turn, means that users will have to reinstall all of their software and copy their data files into Windows 7, which is usually a major time-consuming undertaking. Therefore, it is probably safe to say that the take-up of Windows 7 in Europe, including the UK, will be slow in spite of the fact that the full version is to cost the same as an upgrade version in Europe until the end of this year.

The full versions of Windows 7 Home Premium will initially go on sale for £80, the Professional edition for £190 and the Ultimate edition for £200. The upgrade editions will eventually be made available. When Microsoft is ready to release upgrade versions in Europe, the prices for the full versions will rise to £170, £220 and £230.

As is customary with new versions of Windows, Microsoft is to offer the equivalent version of Windows 7 to the version of Windows Vista that is preinstalled on new computers free of charge to users who buy desktop and laptop PCs in the run-up to the October 22 2009 launch. Anyone who buys a PC preloaded with Windows Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate editions from 26 June 2009 will qualify for the free upgrade, which is to be managed by the PC manufacturers. Users who buy PCs with Vista Home Basic or Windows XP will not qualify for a free version of Windows 7. Since most netbook computers still come with Windows XP Home Edition preinstalled because of its lower hardware requirements compared to Windows Vista, their owners will have to buy a copy of Windows 7, which has hardware requirements low enough to run on a netbook computer.

Since the prices in the US are the same numbers in US dollars ($1 is currently worth 61p) Windows 7 is currently priced 40% higher in the UK than in the US.

In 2000, a US judge decided that Microsoft was breaking the law by combining Internet Explorer browser and the Windows operating system. However, even though the most serious violations of the law were upheld on appeal, but Microsoft has continued incorporate its web browser into Windows.

Windows 7 prices slashed - but Brits are hit hard again -

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/258586/...

Microsoft's Security Bulletin for June 2009

June 9, 2009. - Today is Patch Tuesday. This is a big-update month with 6 updates rated Critical, 2 rated as Important and 1 rated as Moderate. A Critical and an Important update often patches code that allows remote code execution that allows unauthorised access to a computer or network from the Internet.

Microsoft Security Response Center Security Bulletin Severity Rating System (Revised, November 2002) -

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/rating.mspx

Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification for June 2009 -

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-jun.mspx

If you have Automatic Updates (Windows XP), and Windows Update (Windows Vista) enabled in the Control Panel to install the updates, or inform you of their availability so that you can choose when to download and install them, you need take no other action to install them. However, there might be a delay between the announcement today and when they are made available for automatic download. If that is the case and you want to install them immediately, Microsoft Update - http://update.microsoft.com/ - will examine your PC and provide you with a list of missing updates, which you can elect to install individually or entirely.

The technical details of every released security update to date can be found on this page:

Microsoft Security Bulletin Search -

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/current.aspx

Visit the following page if an update refuses to install and keeps being announced as being available to install. You can download and install any particular update manually from there. Scroll down the page for the update links.

Windows service packs & updates for Windows XP and Windows Vista -

http://www.softwarepatch.com/windows/index.html

When run, the Belarc Advisor, under FREE DOWNLOAD on http://www.belarc.com/, tells you if your computer has all of the available updates installed. It also provides a System Security Status report that gives your computer a security rating out of 10, created by the benchmark tests of the Center for Internet Security (CIS), which is at http://www.cisecurity.org/ (available for Windows XP Professional, not Windows XP Home).

Intel has introduced a star-rating system to identify the features of its processors at a glance

June 3, 2009. - Intel has introduced a new way of helping desktop and laptop computer buyers to identify which of its processors is most suitable for their computing needs - a star-rating system. Each processor is given between one and five stars to indicate the number of features and the capabilities that it possesses. The higher its rating the more features and capabilities that a particular processor possesses. The new system is supposed to help computer buyers to distinguish between processors in the same range and indicate differences between the processor ranges. The current desktop and laptop ranges are Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad (Socket LGA775 processors) and Core i7 (Socket LGA1366 processors).

However, Intel has not said what will happen as new ranges of processors are introduced and the older models given high ratings deserve lower ratings by comparison. This situation will arise when the company announces a new range of processors in September 2009.

Intel® Processor Ratings -

"Each processor is assigned between one and five stars depending on a combination of features, including cores, GHz, cache, and other technologies. More stars indicate greater features and increased capabilities compared to other Intel® processors." -

http://www.intel.com/consumer/rating.htm

Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) is available

May 27, 2009. - Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) has been made available for download. The 348MB download for 32-bit versions of Vista (577MB for 64-bit versions) encompasses all of the updates released since Vista SP1 became available. Unfortunately, the download contains SP2 for both Vista and Windows Server 2008, thereby increasing the size of the download (bad news for dial-up connections). The user's computer will choose which service pack to install. A few new or enhanced features are provided by the Vista update, which include an improved Windows Search, support for Bluetooth 2.1 and the option to burn Blu-ray discs from within Windows. a

Vista SP1 must be installed before installing SP2, which should soon be made available via Windows Update. It will be downloaded and installed automatically if that option has been selected under Windows Update in the Control Panel.

Click here! to download the 32-bit version.

Click here! to download the 64-bit version.

Create your own official Vista Service Pack 2 disc -

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/news/253462/...

TalkTalk becomes the largest UK ISP by taking over Tiscali

May 8, 2009. - TalkTalk, the Internet service provider (ISP), owned by Carphone Warehouse, has purchased the UK division of the Italian-owned ISP, Tiscali, for £236 million. The buy-out of Tiscali makes TalkTalk the largest residential broadband supplier in the UK, with 4.25 million customers.

This page on TalkTalk's website - http://www.talktalk.co.uk/tiscali - provides the details of the deal to Tiscali's customers.

Tiscali's customers might be concerned about TalkTalk's continued commitment to use the controversial advertising system, Phorm. Tiscali had stated that it had no intention of using it.

The Home Office and Phorm -

". . As part of our ongoing series on data protection and security, we are bringing you updates on Home Office plans for the storing and surveillance of your data. Now, it seems, the Government and Home Office might be proposing the involvement of the controversial ad-targeting technology, Phorm." - http://www.tiscali.co.uk/members/...

About the PC Buyer Beware! website...

The site is devoted to providing useful and enlightening information on every aspect of personal computers, which include desktop PCs, laptop/notebook PCs, and Media Center PCs.

To get an idea of the coverage, look at the links to the main pages in the orange navigation bar on the left.

Extensive information is provided on all of the internal components of a PC - processors, motherboards, hard disk drives, CD and DVD optical drives/writers, CRT and LCD monitors, video/graphics cards and sound cards, dial-up modems, wired and wireless networking adapters, computer cases, power supply units, and RAM memory. Information is also provided on external peripheral devices - printers, USB and FireWire devices and adapters, wireless network Access Points and routers.

The Software and Diagnostics pages provide information of the various versions of Windows used by home-computer users (including Windows Vista) and software applications, and the Linux pages are devoted to that ever-improving much cheaper alternative to Windows.

The Problems & Solutions pages are devoted to answering the most common kind of problems that desktop and laptop/notebook PC users experience. Security issues are of paramount importance. Extensive information on the subject is provided on the Security section of this site. Other pages on this site well worth reading are: Using Windows Vista, Warranties, Networking, and the Build Your Own PC pages.

Make no mistake about it, buying a personal desktop or laptop/notebook computer, or the components to build a desktop PC, can be an unnecessarily involved or costly minefield.

This site has been designed to provide you - directly or indirectly in the form of links to other sites - with all of the information you need to know about PCs in order banish your ignorance and protect yourself from the spyware, adware, scams, and rip-offs of the vendors and the snoopers out on the web eager for personal marketing information, and from the hackers looking for prey.

Because of the modular design of a desktop PC, there should be no reason why anyone who can use a Philips screwdriver could not easily build one from its components. - Components that you can choose yourself to suit your computing needs instead of any need of vendors to profit from your ignorance.

Computer diagnostics: How to solve or fix common PC problems

To diagnose and troubleshoot specific and general problems with Microsoft's software (Windows 95, 98, Me, and XP, Internet Explorer, and Outlook Express) using the MS Knowledge Base, visit the Diagnostics page on this site.

Click any of the relevant links below to visit the information it describes on this site:

1. - Recovering and repairing Windows XP when a computer crashes or fails to boot

2. - Recovering and repairing Windows Vista when a computer crashes or fails to boot

3. - Windows Vista problems: How to fix problems with Windows Vista

4. - Windows XP: How to troubleshoot and fix shutdown, restart (reboot), and startup problems

5. - Typical DLL (Dynamic Link Library) device driver problems

6. - Software problems: How to fix problems with Windows, programs, and utilities

Also visit the Software pages on this site for more information on specific software-related information and problems.

7. - Motherboard and power supply problems: How to fix common problems with faulty motherboards (mainboards) and power supplies (PSUs)

8. - RAM memory problems: How to fix problems with the Random Access Memory

9. - Hard disk drive problems: How to fix computer hard disk drive (HDD) problems

10. - CD/DVD drive problems: How to fix problems with CD and DVD drives and discs

11. - Processor problems: How fix common processor (CPU) problems

12. - Video/graphics card problems: How fix common computer video and graphics problems

13. - USB and FireWire problems: - How to fix common USB and FireWire problems

14. - Network problems: How to fix common wired and wireless networking and internet problems

15. - Laptop/notebook problems: How to address or fix the most common laptop/notebook problems

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How to fix problems with device drivers in Windows XP

Although the information on the following page is specific to Windows XP, much of the advice is relevant to the earlier versions of Windows. Click here! to read Troubleshoot Device Driver Problems.

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Visit the Build a PC page for information on how to build a desktop PC and solve self-build problems, and visit the other pages, such as the Video/Graphics, Sound, Motherboards, and Monitors pages for more problem-solving information, all of which can be accessed via the menu items and jump menu on the orange navigation bar, or via the site search engine at the top of each of the main pages.

The Tips & Tricks pages of this site contain additional useful tips, tricks, and problem-solving advice.

Media Center PCs

It is now possible to build your own Media Center PC that is specifically designed to provide home entertainment, because the version of Windows that runs such a computer - Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 - can now be purchased on its own instead of only as part of a Media Center PC. Moreover, Windows Vista Home and Windows Vista Ultimate editions come with Media Center built into them.

Visit the Media Center PCs page on this site for information on them.

Visit the Using Windows Vista section of this site for information on the new versions of Windows.

Upgrade checklists

Visit the Upgrade Checklists pages on this site for checklists and useful information that cover upgrading the main componenents of computers of various ages.

The safest way to upgrade RAM: Use the UK and US Crucial Memory Advisors

Paul Mullen, the highly-respected computer guru of the Helpfile at ComputerShopper.co.uk - "I have recently been buying my memory only from Crucial Technology. I would rather pay the extra cost than waste time trying to track down the obscure program faults that bad memory can cause."

The memory requirements of the versions of Windows Vista

Most of the versions of Windows Vista require more RAM memory to run optimally on a computer that doesn't use memory-hungry applications than Windows XP. A video-editing application is an example of memory-intensive software. Only Windows Vista Home Basic has a recommended minimum amount of memory of 512MB, which is the same amount recommended for Windows XP. Windows Vista Home Premium, the most popular version, and Windows Vista Ultimate require a recommended minimum of 1GB (1024MB) of memory, which is twice the amount of minimum memory recommended to run Windows XP. For more information on computer memory, read the RAM pages of this site.

UK - Crucial Memory Advisor - UK

USA - Crucial Memory Advisor - USA

For example, if your computer has an Asus motherboard, open the menu, scroll down to ASUS, and click GO. If, say, you have a Dell computer, scroll down to DELL, and do likewise. You will be taken to the relevant information on Crucial's website.

If you don't know the make and model of the motherboard installed in your computer, here is a good free utility - Belarc Advisor - that creates an analysis of the hardware and software on a personal computer. Look under FREE DOWNLOAD - http://www.belarc.com/. Another utility that also provides detailed information on the memory itself is CPU-Z.

Desktop PCs and laptop/notebook computers

If you need to get a good idea of the components that are used in current desktop PCs and laptop/notebook computers, all you need to do is read the reviews of the latest machines on the market. Then you can read the detailed information provided about those components on this site. Here are links to review pages and pages on this site on desktop and laptop PCs to get you started:

Desktop computers -

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/shopper/archiveproductsearch/2/Desktop-computers

Visit the Desktop PCs page on this site for information on desktop computers.

Laptop/notebook computers -

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/shopper/archiveproductsearch/9/Laptops

Visit the Laptop PCs section of this site for information on laptop/notebook computers.

Using Windows Vista

Click here! to go to the page on this site that deals with Windows Vista, Microsoft's replacement for Windows XP.

COMPUTER SECURITY

For PC security information visit the main Security section of this site, or make use of the site search engine at the top of each of the main pages to search for references to specific information on, say, viruses, firewalls, spyware, adware, etc.

DISCLAIMER

While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained on this site, the author assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

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