Windows Vista RC1 is complete
Microsoft Windows boss Jim Allchin just posted the details over at the Windows Vista blog.Technical beta testers can now download Build 5600 in x86 and x64 versions, which I'm doing right now.
The Ed Bott Report
Get outspoken insights and expert advice on the products and companies that define today's tech landscape, from a source who knows these technologies inside and out.
Ed Bott
Ed Bott is an award-winning technology writer with more than two decades' experience writing for mainstream media outlets and online publications.
Latest Posts
On the trail of the $1000 Vista PC
Yesterday, I debuted my Vista Mythbusters series with a discussion of how much hardware you really need to run Windows Vista. Today, I spotted that myth in the wild. A so-called enterprise user claims that "Vista will NEVER run on a $1000 PC." Oh really? Check out my shopping list.
Vista Mythbusters #1: It's not a hardware hog
I'm continually amazed at just how much misinformation is out there when it comes to Windows Vista. Between Microsoft's confusing messages and a committed anti-Microsoft crowd, how do you get the facts? Start here. This is the first in a series of myth-busting posts designed to help the Windows community make sense of the Vista landscape.
Vista fans, circle January 30 on your calendar
Forget that leaked Canadian price list. Two weeks ago, Amazon loaded preliminary prices for Windows Vista on their website, along with a ship date of January 30, 2007. Glad that's out of the way.
Vista prices revealed!
Windows Vista Ultimate for $349? Vista upgrades for $99? Those are smart guesses for the final U.S. prices, based on a retail price list posted - apparently by accident - by the good folks at Microsoft Canada.
Windows without viruses and spyware? Yes, it's possible
How do you protect Dad, Grandma, or Little Ricky from viruses and malware? The convention wisdom is to install multiple layers of antivirus and antispyware software and then come back once a month to clean up the mess. That's wrong. Here's my eight-step program for creating a practically bulletproof Windows XP machine.
IE7 marches toward completion
The most interesting part of today's announcement that an IE7 release candidate is now available is the almost complete lack of news. If you're using a previous beta version, the upgrade is a must; for everyone else, it's a yawn.
A closer look at Windows Update problems
Two weeks ago, I reported on widespread problems with Microsoft's Automatic Updates and Windows Update services. Microsoft confirmed those problems a few days later, assuring Windows users that the delays in downloading updates were "perfectly normal." I've put together a new image gallery that illustrates substantial problems with Microsoft's update process. But they're not willing to talk about it.
How much is Windows worth?
If you walk into a retail store, you'll find shrink-wrapped copies of Windows on the shelves for as much as $299. But these days, you can a whole PC for that amount of money. As a result, consumers have a distorted view of what Windows should cost. Do Microsoft's artificially high retail prices encourage piracy and discourage legal upgrades?
Whose new tools are more open?
Microsoft has a browser toolbar. So does Google. Microsoft has a blog-authoring tool. So does Google. One is surprisingly open, the other is mostly closed. Guess which is which?