Windows 7

Features

• Asus unveils three tablets and a slate

  At CES 2011 today, Asus announced three new Android tablets and a Windows 7 based slate PC. The tablets, all Android-based, go by the moniker "Eee Pad" while the Windows 7 device is called an "Eee Slate." Each one offers some unique features, from stylus input options to sliding keyboards or docking stations. Unfortunately, we don't yet have exact shipping dates or prices for the Android tablets, and the Eee Slate looks to be fairly pricey.

• Is Linux really harder to use?

  Not surprisingly, the misperception that Linux is harder to use than other operating systems is also one that competing vendors routinely use to scare potential new users away from Linux.

• Microsoft, get back to work!

  Steve Ballmer assured analysts and the world that Microsoft is hard at work developing a Windows 7-based tablet to compete with devices like the Apple iPad.

• Five reasons it's time to switch to Windows 7

  Tomorrow is D-day for Windows XP SP2 users. Granted, Windows XP SP2 will still work, but tomorrow is the last Patch Tuesday for the venerable OS which means it will become more unstable and less secure as time goes on.

• The best Windows 7 downloads

  Not quite happy with the way Windows 7 works, or looking to get more out of the operating system? You've come to the right place. We're big fans of Microsoft's latest OS, but we're also big fans of making Windows better. In this article, we've rounded up the best Windows 7 downloads. They'll let you customize it in any way possible, give it features that Microsoft removed or neglected to include, and more. So get ready to download--you're about to take Windows 7 to a new level.

• 55 super software secrets

  The apps you use most--your Web browser, productivity tools, media managers, and Windows and its built-in accessories--are more powerful than you realize. They are loaded with unpublicized features that make your PC easier to use, they respond to superquick keyboard shortcuts that you've never heard about, and they support add-ons and plug-ins that can shave minutes or even hours off of mundane daily chores.

• SP1 coming soon to a Windows 7 PC near you

  While most of the attention of the tech world is focused today on the Steve Jobs keynote at Apple's WWDC event, Microsoft is hosting its own major event this week--TechEd. At TechEd, Microsoft revealed that it is working on service pack 1 (SP1) for Windows 7 and expects to have a public beta version available in July.

• Windows 7's worst features

  There's a lot to love about the Windows 7 operating system: it's fast, it looks great, and it has some cool features--like Jump Lists for quickly opening recently used files, Homegroup for sharing files between computers, and Aero Snap to help you quickly organize your open desktop windows.

• 21 free utilities to customise and upgrade Windows

  Windows 7 bling for your older OS.

• 9-year-old plots his fifth Microsoft certification

  Born with a passion for computing, 9-year-old Marko Calasan hasn't wasted any time becoming a high-tech pro with four Microsoft IT certifications.

• Microsoft's latest plan to win SMBs: Windows 7 Pro

  With Windows 7, Microsoft (MSFT) aims to please both consumers and businesses large and small.

• Is Windows 7 the last major chapter in Windows story?

  Microsoft Windows 7 may represent the last ever, large in-mass upgrade of the Windows client environment and define the line where the desktop PC was no longer the center of the end-user universe, according to IDC.

• Top 10 technology stories of 2009

  The Great Recession cast a shadow on all sectors of the economy in 2009. IT fared better than most, however, and the slump did not curb the dynamic nature of the industry. Acquisitions among big vendors continued to reshape the market, operating-system wars extended to mobile battlefields, microblogging became a powerful source of real-time information, and the take-up of small, 'Net-connected devices was stronger than ever. Here, in no particular order, is the IDG News Service's pick of the top 10 technology stories of 2009.

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  Windows 7: Seven Points of Imperfection

  Since its highly ballyhooed rollout near the end of October, Windows 7 has been applauded by many as Microsoft's best operating system yet. But no OS is perfect, and that goes for Windows 7.

• Fix the most common Windows 7 upgrade problems

  Experienced PC users know that not every operating-system upgrade goes smoothly -- but that bit of understanding does little to offset the annoyance we feel when we're faced with seemingly unresolvable installation problems. Windows 7 has presented some users with a few serious upgrade bugs of its own. Don't worry: We'll explain how to exterminate them.