Microsoft Security Essentials

Below is the introduction to an article in a paid subscription I have to Windows Secrets.

http://www.windowssecrets.com/

I read the whole thing and I must say I am impressed by what Woody has to say about the new Microsoft Security Essentials. I have an old laptop running XP, and I think I will download the Microsoft package and give it a try. I will report back on it in a couple of weeks.


Free MS Security Essentials are worth trying

By Woody Leonhard Fast, full-featured, and free, Microsoft's new security suite is drawing accolades from experts and howls of agony from competitors. If you're tired of your bloated and expensive security suite exhorting/extorting you for more money — and you can't stomach the way free AV products try to scare you into paying — it's time to try something new and better from an unexpected source.

Microsoft's new security suite in perspective

Last week, the 'Softies released the final version of Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). The initial reports are remarkably upbeat, particularly for a Microsoft product labeled "version 1.0."

MSE takes over antivirus and antispyware duties while tossing in antirootkit features for good measure. If you have Windows Defender installed — Defender is a separate download for XP but comes with Vista and Windows 7 — MSE zaps it. There's no need for Defender if MSE is running.

Windows 7 Upgrade Chart

I wasn't sure who created this chart, but I found it on Walt Mossberg's All Things Digital web site, and he says Microsoft created it for him, so here it is. You can click on it to see a larger version.

I found it here: http://mossblog.allthingsd.com/20090804/deciphering-windows-7-upgrades-the-official-chart/

You can't teach an old dog new tricks?

I have just taken over another website, this time for a charity in Maine. It has been developed using Joomla. Heretofore all of the web sites I have developed were done using Microsoft's Frontpage 2003, and I always had the privilege of developing from scratch. This time I have inherited the existing web site and will be responsible for maintenance and improvements.

So far Joomla is a totally different animal to me, and I will have a lot to learn, but like any other learning experience, will probably wind up being a good one for me. I am fortunate enough to have an excellent support person who developed the web site and who is the owner of the hosting company. He has provided me with lots of support, which I need since I am new to Joomla and also HTML.

http://www.joomla.org/

The site is for Rebuilding Together of Lincoln County, Maine, and can be viewed at http://rebuildingtogether-lc.org/

Buying a new PC?

I think I might have addressed this subject not too long ago, but I have some new information to share with you, and mind you this is just my opinion!

This is a terrible time to have to buy a new PC because of the near imminent release of Windows 7 on October 22. I have recommended that you defer your purchase decision so that you wouldn't have to buy a Vista machine. I find likers of Vista are few and far between! It's been a very bad chapter in the evolution of Microsoft's operating systems.

The new news is that I have been reading a lot about Windows 7 experiences on the trade web sites, and the reports are almost all good. Apparently Microsoft has done a good job of addressing the weaknesses in Vista and corrected them in Windows 7. Windows 7 is also apparently faster than Vista, but that's not saying much!

If I really had to buy a new PC now or soon, I'd still delay for some time, like several months if I could, and then go ahead and buy a machine with Windows 7 on it.

For those of you who would rather not take the plunge this early in the lifecycle of Windows 7, and who can blame you, then take a look at manufacturer web sites for reconditioned machines. The bigger companies like Dell and HP, and I am sure most of the others as well, sell reconditioned machines from their web sites.

And don't overlook the possibility of finally switching to a Mac or iMac or other Apple machines. You know your kids are telling you to go ahead and do that, so maybe you can humor them, do it, and get your kids to support your new machine!