February 2007 Newsletter
Hello – I hope you’ve all managed to avoid the various flus and colds going round! The new version of Windows, Windows Vista, is out this month – as you’ve probably heard! So I’ll give you the low-down on what it really means for you.
Mini-article – Vista
Windows Vista is the new version of Windows. It’s the first new version for several years and has quite a few improvements from Windows XP. Originally Windows Vista was going to be out years ago but it ended up getting quite delayed as Microsoft fine-tuned it. Windows has been improved in a few ways:
- The most obvious one: it looks better! Microsoft have improved the design to make it look nicer.
- It’s easier to use. Microsoft have asked people which parts they found hard to use and then redesigned them. They’ve also added new features to make finding your files (for example) quicker and easier.
- It’s more secure. It has protection against spyware built in and it’s been designed in a way that makes it harder for viruses and other nasties to get into it.
There are a few other specific improvements, but those are the big ones.
There are different “editions” of Vista – Basic, Home Premium, Business & Ultimate. Basic is cut-down and cheaper, Premium is the main home edition and is probably the one I’d generally recommend. Business is for, well, businesses and Ultimate has the features of the Premium & Business editions – it’s aimed at people who work from home and use the same PC for work and fun.
Download of the month:
Since I’m writing about Vista, here’s a program you can download from Microsoft to check whether your PC is up to running Vista. www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready
Reader’s Question
What’s the best way to clean the monitor?
Generally you can just wipe over the screen with a dry cloth to get rid of the dust. If it’s particularly dirty you can use a damp cloth (with the screen turned off) or you can buy special screen wipes.
Word to the Wise – O/S (Operating System)
An Operating system is a program like Windows that actually controls how the computer works. You only need one and for most people it’s Windows of some version. Linux, Unix and Apple’s operating system (for Macs) are also Operating Systems.
That’s it for this month – have a good month.
Tim Wakeling
All the above © Tim Wakeling 2007