computer

A Seattle judge has dismissed a "downgrade" from Windows Vista to Windows XP fee lawsuit that alleged antitrust violations. The class-action suit was filed by Emma Alvarado of Los Angeles in February 2009 after she was charged $59.25 to downgrade ... the operating system (OS) on a newly purchased Lenovo laptop. Alvarado alleged that Microsoft abused its monopoly by trying to cash in on the popularity of Windows XP over Windows Vista. Lawsuit Failed to Prove that Microsoft Received 'Unjust Enrichment' Judge Marsha J. Pechman, of U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, said ... (view more)

Security firm Sophos tells PC World that two security measures introduced in Windows Vista and expanded in Windows 7 have had a marked effect on levels of infection on computers. Nevertheless, several online security professionals have reminded ... users of Windows 7 that while the new operating system (OS) offers enhanced security over its predecessors, it's not invulnerable. They note that human vulnerabilities will always leave people at risk to hackers. Two New Security Features Mark Improvements Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) partially randomizes the order in which data is stored ... (view more)

Apple's much-hyped tablet computer could be on sale within a few months . But now Microsoft has responded by promoting its own tablet PC in partnership with HP. The Windows 7 Tablet: by HP Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer showed off the device as part of ... his major address to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Wednesday night. The computer is effectively a Windows 7 notebook but in the form of a single touchscreen rather than a separate keyboard and display. Pricing isn't confirmed, though reports are that it will be sold for less than $500. The new device is produced by HP, and not Microsoft. ... (view more)

The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) group has reportedly revealed the design for a new computer aimed at connecting children in the developing world. The original XO-1 model, previously known as "The $100 Laptop," first went into production in 2007. The ... new design for the XO-3 replaces the proposed XO-2 that was first shown in 2008, but has since been scrapped by OLPC. Rumors suggest that XO-3 is a slim-line touchscreen tablet PC that will be available in 2012 and will cost less than $100. The laptops have been designed for use by school children in remote and harsh environments and ... (view more)

When security officials decide to "go after" computer malware, most conduct their actions from a defensive standpoint. For most of us, finding a way to rid a computer of the malware suffices -- but for one computer researcher, however, the change ... from a defensive to an offensive mentality is what ended the two year chase of a sinister botnet once and for all. For two years, Atif Mushtaq had been keeping the notorious Mega-D bot malware from infecting computer networks. As of this past November, Mega-D had forced more than 250,000 PCs to do its bidding via botnet control. That's when Mushtaq ... (view more)

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has recently filed a lawsuit against Intel Corporation, alleging that the computer chip manufacturer waged a systematic campaign to shut out its rivals by cutting off their access to the marketplace. In doing so, ... the FTC believes that Intel deprived consumers of choice and innovation, and that Intel's anti-competitive tactics were designed to stop competitive products that threatened its monopoly in the CPU (Central Processing Unit) microchip market. (Source: ftc.gov ) Success at the Expense of Consumers According to the FTC complaint, Intel's strategy ... (view more)

Many consumers think it's less likely you'll contract a malware infection if you buy your computer software at a store rather than online. For one U.S. woman, however, her latest store-bought accessory corrupted her computer minutes into the ... installation process. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Anna Giesman bought a $10 webcam for her daughter to chat with her friend who had just moved to Germany. But when she put the CD that came pre-packed along with the Markvision Magnetic Webcam into her computer, a menu instantly popped up offering drivers and a link to the Markvision website. Trusting ... (view more)

I've decided to put together step-by-step instructions on how to use Acronis True Image 2010 to migrate from Windows XP to Windows 7. I'm doing this for two reasons: 1. We currently have a sale on Acronis True Image on our website at 25% off . The ... proceeds will go directly to support our site. 2. Most folks will have time during the holidays to perform the Windows XP to Windows 7 upgrade . It will take a few days to do because it will require you to do a fresh install of Windows. But before that you need to backup what you have and then be able to access the data later after Windows 7 is ... (view more)

Acronis True Image 2010 has recently been released and if you plan to take the plunge to from Windows XP to Windows 7 -- or even Vista to Windows 7, for that matter -- you will definitely want to use this program. From Windows XP to Windows 7: My ... Experience When I moved from XP to Windows 7, I used Acronis True Image no less than 15 times to regain access to my previous Windows installation in order to extract files I simply forgot to backup. In one instance, I used True Image to rescue a configuration file containing 25 email filters I had previously used on my old Windows XP system. I sure ... (view more)

Software designed by Microsoft to help law enforcement individuals access encrypted data has been leaked onto the web and available to the public via file-sharing services. The software, which is illegal for unauthorized people to use or download, ... brings together a number of common digital forensics capabilities into an easy-to-use automated tool. The software is known as the Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor (or COFEE ) and allows police to easily capture important "live" computer evidence at the scene in cybercrime investigations, without special forensics expertise. (Source: ... (view more)