If you’re looking to buy a new PC, you might want to wait a little while. Microsoft is going to release its next Operating system, called Windows 7, on October 22nd and it is much better than Vista.

Windows 7 is what Vista was supposed to be. It has all the features that Windows Vista does but in a faster and superior way. Windows 7 is fast and lean where Vista was slow and fat. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes posted some preliminary benchmark scores in this article. These numbers are a bit old but I think they make the point.

If you have to purchase a PC before October 22nd, I would recommend checking out this Microsoft site because details how you can get a free upgrade from the Vista that comes with your PC to the new Windows 7.

In case you’re wondering why I am hyping this new version of Windows, I can tell you that I have had it on my laptop since the Beta first came out and I think it’s great. I even switched a client to it while it was still in Beta and she loved it. That requires confidence because as a rule, I don’t recommend using pre-release products. Using beta or release candidate software, you never know what bugs or problems you’ll run into. Windows 7 has been a dream and I’ve had no major issues with it. Try saying that about Vista…

So, wait to buy your next PC and upgrade your Vista computer to Windows 7. You’ll be glad you did.

Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

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About their PowerLine XE102G networking units, NetGear says “For a simple way to bring the Internet to any room, look no further than NETGEAR’s PowerLine Ethernet Adapter. It plugs into an electrical outlet and uses your existing electrical wiring to give your entire household access to your Cable/DSL connection.” And they are absolutely correct.

I recently used the NetGear PowerLine XE102G to connect a Windows Vista desktop computer to a network that was located in another part of the house. I admit that I was a bit skeptical about how well these devices would work but as soon as I had them working, my doubts were eliminated.

The box contains 2 units for instant networking. There is no need to purchase 2 boxes unless you have multiple locations to network devices together.

The devices install so easily it is funny.  First, connect the first unit to your router or switch (you must have a device providing routing features) via an Ethernet cable and plug the unit directly into a wall power outlet. Powerstrips do not work with these units. Second, go to where the computer or other device is located and plug the Ethernet cable into the computer and the PowerLine XE102G unit and plug the PowerLine unit into a wall power socket. Assuming that your computer’s network connections work and are enabled, that’s all there is to it.

The advertised speed of these units is 14 Mbps which is faster than most home Internet connections. They typically run about 1.5 to 2 Mbps so these are much faster than your Internet connection. The only issue I have with the NetGear PowerLine XE102G is that they advertise a 14 Mbps transfer speed but say they only provide a 10BaseT physical connection which is limited to 10 Mbps. Thankfully this is still faster than home Internet connections.

So my thoughts? If you need a network connection and don’t trust Wireless connections like WiFi, try the PowerLine XE102G. It is as simple as network connections come and your neighbors can’t steal your Internet connection.

Happy Computing,
Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

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HP has just announced a laptop that boasts a battery that will power the laptop for 24 continuous hours on a single charge. The HP EliteBook 6930p Notebook PC sports SSD (solid state digital) drives in place of the standard hard drives that you and I have in our laptops. HP gives you 4 options for Operating Systems. You can get Vista Business 32, Vista Home Basic, Vista Business with downgrade to Windows XP Professional custom installed or FreeDOS.

When the unit is released, you can purchase one from Biden PC as we are an Authorized HP Reseller.

Happy Computing,
Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

If you found this post to be informative, consider subscribing to our Biden PC’s RSS feed.