November 2009 Meeting Topic

November 3, 2009

gavelMeeting Date: Wednesday, November 18th at 6:00 PM

Windows 7 – It’s finally here! After looking at the beta version earlier this year, we’ll be looking at the actual shipping version. Because of an update to my virtualization software, I’ll be able to show all of the Aero effects that are built into Windows 7.

If we have time, I can show some of the other software that you can install in Windows 7.


November 2009 Links

October 28, 2009

earthWindows 7: 77 Windows 7 Tips – My (Bob) boss sent me this link today from Microsoft’s TechNet. It has some nice Windows 7 tips. There were one or two that were new to me.

How to Clean Install Windows Vista with Upgrade Media – You might be wondering why I (Bob) picked this article when everyone is talking about and, possibly, moving to Windows 7.

It’s simply because Windows 7 expects you to have your previous operating system on your computer if you’re using an upgrade version. Since I had removed Vista awhile ago and didn’t want to put Windows 7 on top of XP, it looked like I was stuck. However, this article told me how to do it. As an aside, I didn’t like the fact that the Windows 7 installation program only told me my product key was invalid. It never said I had to install an operating system first.

TweakNow PowerPack 2009 – This is the first “tweak” product I’ve seen that supports Windows 7. It allows you to do dangerous stuff like cleaning your registry. You’ll definitely want to do a backup before trying that. However, it also has the standard access to your startup items which can be hard to find depending on how the developer decided to make the program run on startup.


October 2009 Meeting Topic

October 20, 2009

gavelMeeting Date: Wednesday, October 21st at 6:00 PM

To be determined – Don’t worry. We’ll come up with something.


After September 2009 Meeting Links

September 29, 2009

earthGamefly – This is a website that Olive told me about that allows you to either rent video games or buy used games at a reduced price.

Movieberry – Kathy sent me this website which allows you to rent movies very cheaply ($1.00) and play them on your computer or some TVs.

Microsoft’s grinning robots or the Brotherhood of the Mac. Which is worse? - I happened to run into this article while browsing the web. It’s not your typical “PC vs. Mac” article. I found it quite funny.


September 2009 Links

September 15, 2009

earthWindows 7 Upgrades: Block out a day – While the headline is sensationalized, it reports on some testing done by Microsoft on how long a Vista to Windows 7 “in place” upgrade might take.


September 2009 Meeting Topic

September 12, 2009

gavelMeeting Date: Wednesday, September 16th at 6:00 PM.

Windows 7 vs. Mac OS X Snow Leopard: Point/Counterpoint

Both Apple and Microsoft have, or soon will be, releasing new versions of their operating systems. See what’s the same and different about each operating system.


August 2009 Meeting Topic

August 18, 2009

gavelMeeting Date: Wednesday, August 19th at 6:00 PM

Meeting Topic: Nintendo Wii Sports Resort

Since it’s the end of summer, we’re doing something a little different this month. We’ll be playing around with the Nintendo Wii. While it isn’t a computer, it’s a good place to find many classic video games and it’s unique interface has opened up video gaming to many more people than ever before.


After July 2009 Meeting Links

July 18, 2009

earthUnited Breaks Guitars – This is an interesting video that I (Bob) first heard about on CNN. I always enjoy unique forms of protests. Since almost everyone has been at the mercy of the airlines at one time or another, I think anyone can commiserate with this song.


July 2009 Meeting Topic

July 11, 2009

gavelMeeting Date: Wednesday, July 15th at 6:00 PM

Meeting Topic: Spotmau™ PowerSuite 2009 – Olive just purchased this program and it looks like a nice diagnostic tool. This is especially useful if you’re trying new programs all the time like she does. I’m looking forward to seeing this program.


July 2009 Meeting Links

July 10, 2009

earthMicrosoft unveils ’screaming deals’ for Windows 7 – Microsoft is trying an aggressive campaign to get people to upgrade to Windows 7. For a limited time (I know it sounds like an informercial), you can get upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium for only $49.99. You’ll be able to upgrade from either XP or Vista. I (Bob) have already purchased a Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade from Amazon. I’ve been using the release candidate of Windows 7 and I’ve been happy with it.

System Explorer – This free program gives you a lot more information than you’d find in Task Manager. It also gives you the ability to search for a process name on Google or ProcessLibrary.com.