So you have probably heard some of the hype surrounding Microsoft’s upcoming operating system, Windows 7. What you may not know is that it the RC (Release Candidate) is available from Microsoft’s website for free. Although not the exact version that will ship at the official release time, it is the ‘finished’ product minus any minor bug fixes or issues that may arise during the final testing phase. I would recommend installing this on a spare partition or hard drive because you will have to start from scratch installing the final release version.
In order to download the product, you must have a MSN Live account (which is also free by the way). The download is available in 32 and 64 bit versions and weighs in at around two and a half gigabytes. It is also packed as an .ISO so you will need software to burn it to a DVD (ImgBurn is a good freeware program that can easily do this).
Windows Vista users have the option to upgrade their current system or perform a fresh install however XP users will have to perform a fresh install. Fortunately the Migration Tool included makes things easier to back up you’re ‘My Documents’ and personal files but you will have to reinstall your software.
The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor is a tool by Microsoft to let you know which hardware and software is compatible with Windows 7. There is also no need to rush as the download and product keys are available through June 2009.
Download, system requirements, and further information is located here.
If you’re on the web all day at work and you find yourself short on self control, LeechBlock can help. LeechBlock is free, works wherever Firefox does.
It seems like every other day lately there is a new zero day exploit for Adobe Acrobat
and Reader.You don’t have to worry about these exploits any more. An excellent alternative is Foxit PDF Reader.Some of the key
advantages to Foxit PDF Reader are:
Extremely lightweight in size and memory consumption
Does not suffer from numerous Adobe exploits
Interface closely setup to mimic Adobe’s so there is hardly any learning
curve
Runs extremely quick
Customizable to load inside a browser window (there is a Firefox extension
even)
Although there are many Pro’s to this.There is
a con, but it can be easily worked around.The con is that it will
try to install a toolbar and other adware.This can be overcome by
following these simple steps during installation:
During Installation, choose ‘Custom Install’
Choose not to install the Foxit toolbar
In the next screen choose not to add shortcuts to eBay
After installation, open the program and under the view menu uncheck the
advertisement (this will permanently disable the internal advertisements, thus
nag free)
The little bit of extra time to install this reader nag free
is definitely worth the alternative of risking your PC’s security and speed using
Adobe’s Reader.
,
It seems like every other day lately there is a new zero day exploit for Adobe Acrobat
