Consumerist
windows
Posts Tagged “
Windows
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Lifehacker has instructions on how to turn your XBOX 360 into a Netflix player.Yay.
You will need:
- An Xbox 360
- Windows Vista with Vista Media Center (it's included by default in Vista Home Premium and Ultimate)
- A Netflix subscription
- The freeware vmcNetflix plug-in
windows
fail
Security Sticker Defeats Product Key In Showdown Of Annoying Security Devices
Our good friend Mr. Scott Kidder says,See, I try to be a good guy and purchase a retail copy of Windows XP to use on my Macbook. But the stupid security sticker is covering up the last five digits of the product key, and trying to remove the security sticker tears the label. I give up.Boy, that sucks. More »
A couple of weeks ago we wrote about the Windows Vista hearing, where Microsoft executives were shown to have complained internally about the misleading "Vista Capable" campaign. The judge has granted the case class action status. [Computerworld]
vista
Even Microsoft Execs Hated On "Vista Capable" Labeling
Microsoft's "Vista Capable" program was so misleading that even Microsoft executives complained about it according to emails revealed last week in court. The emails were read aloud at a hearing to determine class-action status for a related lawsuit against the company. One corporate vice president wrote, ""I PERSONALLY got burnt. ... Are we seeing this from a lot of customers? ... I now have a $2,100 e-mail machine." The co-president of another division wrote, "We really botched this. ... You guys have to do a better job with our customers." More »
not supported
AT&T: We Only Support Windows And Internet Explorer, No Safari
Reader Jen was having a hard time using AT&T's website. She says, "It was very slow, I was asked to log in several times, the fonts unreadably small in places (and not just fine print, either)." More »
buy
Who Should And Shouldn't Buy A Mac
Walter Mossberg wrote a guide for buying a Mac and we like the parts that say who should and who shouldn't get one. Mac vs PC debates are highly personal, often end in bloodshed, and usually make no sense, so it's nice to see a rational discussion of each system's attributes. In the end, it really matters what kind of user you are, and what your price point is... More »
Microsoft says it's hard at work and spending a "nontrivial" amount of money to optimize a version of Windows XP for the One Laptop Per Child's $188 XO laptop, as if impoverished children don't already suffer enough. [Reuters]
digital rights
Die Hard DVD Will Ship With Ripped Movie File Included
20th Century Fox has announced that the special-edition DVD for "Live Free or Die Hard" will include a "DRM-free" computer file of the movie, playable through Windows' PlaysForSure software. We suppose you can call this DRM-free, but it obviously doesn't mean it's not restricted. To access the file, you will have to insert the disc into your computer, then enter an authorization code that's included in the DVD case. Once it's copied over, you can play it on your PC or portable media players that use the PlaysForSure software. More »
dell
Dell Reintroduces Windows XP
After hearing from over 10,000 users wary of Windows Vista, Dell has decided to once again sell computers loaded with Windows XP. Most computer makers stopped offering XP after Vista's launch, even though many users, especially small businesses, are wary of the newfangled operating system. Dell did not consider these concerns reasonable at first.But on Dell's IdeaStorm Web site, where visitors can post suggestions for the company and vote on the ones they think are important, a plea titled "Don't eliminate XP just yet" racked up more than 10,700 votes.The consumer outcry has restored XP as an option to four Inspiron laptop models and two Dimension desktop models. Dell will only make Windows XP available to U.S. customers. Sorry foreigners, you are stuck with Vista. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER More »
microsoft
Microsoft Tells You To Call Dell For Windows Customer Service, Hangs Up
Recently we posted a Dell tech support chat in which the Dell rep cut the call short by blaming windows for a (probable) hardware issue, claiming a Windows Vista Upgrade was "third party software." Oddly, it seems that Microsoft likes to pull the same trick on Dell owners. More »
microsoft
Reasons NOT To Upgrade to Vista
The other day we linked an article that listed 15 reasons to switch to Vista. The article was from PC World. Now they have one called: "Wait! Don't Buy Microsoft Windows Vista!" Here are some of their reasons: More »
windows
How To: Upgrade to Windows Vista
Let's face it, you must want those semi-transparent windows or whatever, because they keep showing them to us. Look, look, "special windows!" Ok, awesome. But how do you get Vista onto your Windows XP machine? Can you even upgrade? Will your computer even run it? More »
windows
Vista Has Security Flaws Already, LOL
The New York Times is reporting that Microsoft Vista has security flaws. Yes, already. In addition to a flaw that lets users increase their own privileges and override all the new fancy Vista security, there's a "troubling" flaw in IE7. "The browser flaw is particularly troubling because it potentially means that Web users could become infected with malicious software simply by visiting a booby-trapped site." More »
vista
Warning: Vista May Drain Laptop Batteries
PC World is warning laptop users about the increased processor power that Windows Vista may use to power some of its flashy graphics. Thankfully, it seems like the problem can be avoided by using Vista's battery optimization features.- "If Vista is run in full Aero mode, with none of the Vista-provided power management settings turned on, it is likely to demand more power, and have an impact on battery life," said Dell spokesman Ira Williams, in an e-mail interview. "That said, if you run Vista in battery-optimized mode (using a non-3D interface), we would not expect the battery life to be significantly different from XP in that scenario."
So, if you're upgrading to Vista and you're really excited about those Aero windows, understand that they may come with a price, at least while on the go. —MEGHANN MARCO More »
us airways
US Airways: A Window Seat is an Upgrade?
From the Seattle Times:- "I had a ticket on a United Airlines flight that was the second leg of a trip booked though U.S. Airways, so I couldn't get a seat assignment until I arrived at the gate. When a gate agent got the podium around 11 p.m., I requested a window seat.
zune
Zune "is a Complete, Humiliating Failure."
The Chicago Sun-Times does not like the Zune. At all. In much the same way as we delight in reading all the really nasty movie reviews excerpted on Metacritic, we really enjoyed this particular write up of the potentially ill-fated Zune. Here are some choice zingers: More »
windows
