Microsoft Office

The most popular office software in Linux is OpenOffice.org, which importantly, has been designed to be a replacement for MS Office and so can open up and save documents created in Microsoft Office. OpenOffice.org includes Writer which is word processor and can also edit webpages like MS Frontpage, Calc spreadsheet software, Impress presentation software, Base database designer, Draw vector drawing program and Math formula editor. In the most popular Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, OpenOffice.org comes installed as default. There are also Windows and Mac versions.

Microsoft Publisher / QuarkXPress

A great program that I really enjoy is Scribus, which is a desktop publishing program that is constantly improving and is even being used by professional businesses. It can be used to create items from PDF presentations to books, posters, magazines and brochures and includes some good example files for these. More examples and templates of professional quality created by other users can be downloaded.

Microsoft Outlook / Outlook Express

I would recommend either of two programs. The first is Evolution which includes an e-mail reader, contact manager, sticky-notes, to-do list and a calendar and comes pre-installed in many Linux distributions. The second program is Mozilla Thunderbird which is a popular e-mail program that has a great feature in that many user created extensions that can be downloaded that improve the program in many different ways, from themes to dictionaries.

MSN Messenger / AIM / Yahoo Messenger

The most popular messenger program is Pidgin, which not only allows you to long into your msn account, but also includes support for multiple messenger services such as Yahoo, AIM, ICQ, GoogleTalk and others that I've never heard of. Other good programs include aMSN which tries to copy the feel of MSN and Kopete for the KDE desktop environment.

Internet Explorer

The most popular alternative on both Linux and Windows is Mozilla Firefox which is a great web-browser that like the Thunderbird e-mail software can be changed and configured with various themes and a great number of add-ons such as advertisement blockers, RSS readers, spell-checkers and many more. An alternative is the Opera browser which is very quick at opening web-pages. Also, The Konqueror file manager can even be used as a web browser.

Skype

Even though the most popular alternative is Ekiga, Skype runs perfectly in the most popular Linux distributions so there isn't really a point to changing.

BitTorrent / uTorrent

Azureus is probably the most popular choice for downloading .torrent files, however I think the Transmission or Deluge programs are just as popular and tend to use less system resources to run.

Photoshop

Even though it's not yet as feature-rich as Photoshop, a program called The Gimp is a great alternative and there is constant development on it to improve it.

Itunes / Windows Media Player

For listening to music and organizing your music files the two most popular programs are either Amorak or Rhythmbox which come with many features such as CD player, library, playlist, MP3 player support and online radio station support.

For playing videos, VLC is a great program that can play all types of video formats, DVD's and music files.

Partition Magic

GParted is a great free program for managing partitions which is included in most of the major Linux distributions and can even be downloaded and booted separately of a CD.

Nero / DVD and CD Burning

For burning video CD's and DVD's I recommend an excellent program called DeVeDe, and for burning audio, data, image files and copying disks, Brasero is an excellent program (and also includes video burning)

However, if you want to install Linux but don't want to change from the Windows software, some Windows programs such as MS Office can be run from within Linux. This is done by using an emulator such as the free WINE or the not so free crossover Office which can successfully install and run some Windows programs from within Linux.

It's a powerful antivirus tool which is often overlooked by quite so many people.

Most people use all kind of famous antivirus programs and some perhaps are efficient until a certain point, when simply they just cannot handle powerful trojans or any other malware that might seriously damage your computer.

Or maybe, at the first glance, they got rid of the problems on your computer, but they might still be there lurking in some hidden files.

Malwarebytes it's an extremely powerful and useful tool.

Personally, i tried all kind of antivirus you can find on the market today.

I'm not going to list them here because it's not proper, but it's quite easy to figure it out.

Anyway, Malwarebytes removed the most powerful malwares, including different versions of trojans, that couldn't be removed by other antivirus tools.

Also, Malwarebytes has an antivirus guard incorporated, so it runs on your computer in the background.

Malwarebytes doesn't just detect them, but completely removes them without a trace.

2. AC3Filter Audio Codec:

AC3Filter is a high quality free audio decoder and processor filter.

It allows media players to playback movies with AC3 and DTS audio tracks.

Also it can process any audio track, much of processing options allows to adjust the sound in almost any way.

It's extremely useful when listening to music or watching movies as well.

3. Storm Codec:

Storm Codec has all the necessary codecs, so your multimedia player faces all the formats and codecs for video compression, so you may enjoy the clips and preferred movies without interruptions.

It's an amazing complex video codec pack, all you need is a video player and you have all the movies set up perfectly.

4. Winamp Audio Player:

Nullsoft Winamp is a fast, flexible, high-fidelity music and video player for Windows.

Winamp supports MP3, CD, WAV and other audio formats, custom appearances called skins, plus audio visualization and audio effect plug-ins.

Additional features including free-form skins, a new decoder, and built-in cross fade, and an advanced Media Library.

It's famous, it's practical, and it never lets you down. Also has a very nice and friendly interface, and customizable skins.

5. BSplayer Video Player:

BSplayer is an application that plays back all kinds of media files

(avi,mpg,asf,wmv,wav,mp3...) and specializes in video and divx playback.

In short, in can play any kind of videos in any format, if you have a proper codec pack that goes with it.

6. Opera Internet Browser:

A full-featured Internet browser, Opera includes pop-up blocking, tabbed browsing, integrated searches, and advanced functions like Opera's groundbreaking E-mail program, RSS News feeds and IRC chat.

Personally, i found opera to be more practical and safer than any other browser available on the market.

It looks very pleasant, it's fast, very nice customizable skins, and with its capability of memorizing all the pages on the internet you left behind, it makes it one of the most appealing browsers on the web.

7. Yahoo! Messenger:

Is there anyone who hasn't heard of it? Hardly. It is one of the world's most popular programs for chat, or talk over the internet.

Yahoo! Messenger is an advertisement-supported instant messaging client and associated protocol provided by Yahoo!

The latest version looks extremely pleasant, and has lots of customizable skins incorporated; also there are many available for download.

8. uTorrent File Sharing:

Today in the world of sharing files over the internet, music, movies, programs, we need a useful tool that is especially fast.

It was designed to use as little cpu, memory and space as possible while offering all the functionality expected.

9. Adobe Photoshop Elements:

Adobe Photoshop is a professional image-editing standard and leader of the Photoshop digital imaging line, delivers more of what you might expect.

Groundbreaking creative tools help you achieve extraordinary results.

Unprecedented adaptability lets you custom-fit Photoshop to the way you work.

And with more efficient editing, processing, and file handling, there's no slowing you down.

In other words, it's just fantastic; it's the best tool ever for anyone dealing with images.

10. WinRAR Compression Tool:

WinRAR is a powerful archive manager.

It can backup your data and reduce size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP and other files downloaded from Internet and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format.

Archive file formats supported are ZIP, RAR, ACE, CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ, BZ2, UUE, JAR, ISO, 7Z and Z.

Anything you want to pack or unpack, WinRAR will do it for you, and does a fine job too.

Ad-Aware This program removes Adwares that invade your computer, every time you surf the Internet. Each page that you visit sends out cookies, they say to allow you faster access to their sites, but with some kinds of cookies, your computer can be invaded, so if you have Ad-Aware and use it each time you log off the Internet your computer will be all that much safer. You can find Ad Aware at Ad Aware.com and it's a free download.

Zone Alarm is a firewall. A firewall in case you don't know, protects your computer from being hacked and this program is also a free download. It can be found at Zone Alarm.com or Tuscows which ever site you wish. You can't have enough security on your computer as Windows Firewalls aren't enough, you should have at least two firewalls on your computer. Double the protection. Double the safety.

AVG Anti Virus. This free version is just great. I've used it for years now and have never had a virus problem. AVG Anti Virus is also a free download and can be found at AVG.com 

PC Tune-Up. I bought this particular program as they aren't free on the net. What this program does is scan your computer for glitches in the programming sections of your computer, and fixes them at the click of a button. You don't have to have any knowledge of computers for this program, its so easy to use, it's just remarkable and should be run at least once a week.

With these programs on your computer they won't slow you down one bit, not like Norton Anti Virus, which personally I find a bit much strain on most systems. They say it's the best, but it costs a bundle to buy and AVG Anti Virus does everything that Norton Anti Virus does, for free.

On a closing note. Good maintance of  your computer takes you a long way from the repair shop, as they too aren't cheap. If each time you log off the Internet, you run Ad Aware, you will be sure there are no tracking cookies on your system, but it has to be done each time, no exceptions, as you may regret not running this program, if one of your cookies happens to have a Virus in it.

Computer users can never be too secure. Do take care of your computer and it will last for years. The one thing I never do is turn my computer off, and there's a good reason for this. When a person starts their computer up, tiny strands of Electricity go through the Mother Board and various circuts. If there is any dampness in your computer, you won't know it, until it crashes. Keeping your computer in sleep mode while you aren't using it will avoid possible problems in your life with your computer.

Paul Faulkenham November 13,2008

Companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars on computer security. Unfortunately most of this expense is smoke and mirrors. They install security software and monitoring tools. Controls are document and reviewed on a regular basis (think Sarbanes Oxley and laugh if you are in the business). And all to what purpose? Mostly "Show and Tell" for internal Auditors and executives that have no idea of the real exposures they face. But it all looks good on paper.

Contrary to popular belief, these exposures do not have to be exploited by computer geniuses. Often, only a rudimentary understanding of a system or program will provide a wide open door to the company jewels. In fact, many security breaches are accomplished by computer literates. So before you authorize another million dollars on the latest and greatest security product, take a look at the simple stuff that shoots management in the foot every day.

You have strict standards for all Platforms and Operating systems. So what makes you think they are really followed? Oh, the auditors said they were.

Ask your staff if development systems are ever directly upgraded to production
systems. If they are (and I assure you many are) it is likely that one or more conditions exist:

• The developer still has administrative access to the operating system,Data Bases and Applications.

• Software was installed with the vendor Userid and Password and was never changed (first thing a hacker looks for)

• There are shared Userids and passwords still on the system that were used for testing
• Standard Operating System Parameters required for production were not set prior to development and programs will not work as developed if standards are turned on now.
• The system was developed using real customer data and that data is still sitting somewhere unprotected from developers.

Your Policy says that Sensitive and Confidential data must be secured. They show you the security they have in place to accomplish this.

Ask some direct questions:

• Do you know every place in the network that this data is stored (I assure you they do not - but there are $ways to find out)
• Can authorized people print it out and leave it around for anyone to see or copy?
• Can the same people attach this data to an Email and send it outside the network unencrypted? (Probably happens every day)
• Is any of this data on unsecured, unencrypted Laptops that can be lost or stolen?

What about Web Applications? Expect to be reassured that security on Routers, Firewalls, and Intrusion Appliances are strong and constantly monitored.

But when was the last time you:

• Conducted a Network Penetration Attack Study? (Outside parties such as Price Waterhouse Coopers or Ernst & Young will almost certainly identify serious oversights that should be corrected).
• Are the Web Applications themselves secure? Chances are that the code is not all that good and provides opportunities for malicious behavior (have high-risk application code reviewed.

Then there is my personal favorite; Passwords. Strict standards are adhered to. These are enforced by Network Software and we force password changes every thirty days. Impressive!

But not all passwords are changed every thirty days.

• System Support (the propeller heads) commonly use a single Userid and Password for multiple systems. Any intruder gaining access to these lists can rip through your network at will.
• Who keeps a list of these Userids and Passwords (I assure you there are many).
• Who has access to the directory and files where they are stored (make them show you the access list right then and there).
• Are the files encrypted? Not likely. (Remember, these Userid and Password are the keys to the kingdom).
• So when you fired the last System Administrator you changed all the Administrative Userid and Passwords? Not likely.

    Note: Log on Userids and Passwords are not sufficient for this level of access 

There is nothing here too "Techy" to be understood. If you can get control of these common problems you will have closed huge holes in your Information Security Program.

Old saying - If you can’t dazzle-um with your brilliance, baffle-um with your Bull S___. Don’t let-um do it to you!

Multitasking - Projecting the impression that it (the CPU) is performing many tasks simultaneously is known as “multitasking”. Modern CPUs contain multiple processing pipelines and the newer CPUs of today actually have multiple processing cores each with its own full complement of multiple processing pipelines.

This latter development (multiple complete processing cores) has indeed given the CPU the capability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously and not merely just seem to be doing so. The way in which processing tasks are managed and distributed among the multiple processing pipelines of the multiple cores is however; still achieved in pretty much the same way that it has always been done.

Multitasking Operating System - When using multitasking operating systems (like Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux etc.) users tend to have multiple programs, utilities and applications running concurrently/simultaneously. For example you may be: editing a word document, downloading from the Internet and listening to music.

In order to be able to do this the CPU will share its processing time among the tasks requiring its attention including user initiated tasks, the operating system, programs, utilities, memory management and quite a few “background” services and routines. It only appears that the processor is doing many things at once because of the incredible speeds that modern CPUs are able to switch between tasks.

Communicating with the CPU - The majority of the subsystems in a PC need to send information to and receive information from the CPU and system memory (RAM). Most also expect to be able to get the CPU's attention when they do so.

In order to improve a computer's overall efficiency the CPU also needs to balance the data transfers between itself and the various other subsystems of the machine. In addition; some of a computer's subsystems such as input/output (I/O) devices and human interface devices, all tend to require “special” attention.

Different Requirements - Another influential factor here is that different devices require different amounts of CPU time at various different irregular intervals.

The mouse; for example, needs far less attention than a hard disk involved in the transference of a large multi-gigabyte file. Thus; in the interest of a more efficient use of a computer's finite resources, it is most beneficial if the amount of CPU time assigned to each device reflects the type of device and the nature of the operation and processing tasks involved.

In the above example of the resource needs of the mouse versus those of the hard drive; more resources can be allocated (even dedicated) to the hard drive for the duration of its current operation(s) while the mouse gets a smaller amount of CPU time.

When the hard drive is finished its current task(s) it may not be required to perform any transactions for various irregular periods of time. The system will then reassign those resources that were being used by the hard drive to other devices and processes as and when required.

Managing Processes - The computer (via the CPU) must also ensure that all active (running) processes and tasks are managed in the most efficient organized manner possible. There are basically 2 ways in which this can be done: CPU polling and device initiated interrupting.

Polling - Polling is the process whereby the CPU systematically locates and asks each device in turn if it requires any help or CPU processing time. This strategy (polling) is a very inefficient process because it is a waste of finite resources.

With polling the CPU is required to continually perform the same tasks (asking each device if it needs the CPU's attention) over and over again. More often than not the device will not require the CPU's attention. Statistically; the most likely answer or result of a hardware polling query is that which it received last time (offer declined).

With polling the CPU will continue to ask each device in sequence the same question ad infinitum. To overcome polling's inefficiency a different strategy; known as “Interrupting”; also referred to as Interrupt Request (IRQ), was developed.

Interrupting - The other way that the CPU (processor) can employ to handle CPU required processes and data transfers is to have the devices requiring the CPU's attention to issue a request for attention as and when they require it. This is the basic concept of interrupt requests.

Thus when a device has data to transfer, it generates an interrupt that says "Mr. CPU I need your attention now, please". The processor then stops what it is doing and deals with the device that requested its attention. Modern CPUs can handle many such requests at a time. In the event of multiple simultaneous interrupt requests the CPU uses a priority system that gives a priority status to interrupt requests based upon the priority associated with the device issuing the request. This is known as Interrupt Request Management.

Supply and Demand - One way of looking at interrupt requests is from a supply and demand perspective. While; having the CPU interrupted all the time may at first glance appear to be an inefficient way to run a computer, when examined closer reality proves otherwise. A large part of the reason is that the modern CPU is literally light years ahead; in terms of speed, when compared to the vast majority of devices conducting transactions with it. To put it into perspective let us consider the following scenario:

Let us suppose that a typist is typing at a rate of 120 words per minute and that on average there are five letters per word. This equates to the typist producing 600 characters of keyboard input per minute. This means that an old 200 MHz Pentium class CPU will process 20,000,000 instructions between each keystroke.

This is why having the processor spend a lot of time asking the keyboard if it needs any help would be wasteful, especially since the typist may at any time you might stop for a minute or two to review the copy, or do something else like make a cup of coffee. In fact; even while handling a full-bandwidth transfer from a 28,800 Kb/sec modem, which of course moves data much faster than the typist's fingers, the processor has over 60,000 instruction cycles between the bytes it needs to process.

Hardware Interrupts - Hardware interrupts such as those mentioned above (typing/keyboard input and modem transfers) are distinguishable from software interrupts by the fact that they generally originate from a device outside the CPU. Table 1 below shows the default IRQs in order of descending priority.

Software Interrupts - There is another type of interrupt that occurs in modern PCs; known as software interrupts. These are generated by the operating system, programs and various other software applications and are used by various software programs in response to different events that occur as the operating system and applications run.

In essence a software interrupt represents the CPU interrupting itself (as the interrupt originates from within the CPU) and is part of the reason of how the CPU is able to do many things at once.

Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) - A computer's BIOS provides various software routines (subprograms) that can be called by higher-level software such as DOS, Windows, or their applications, to perform different tasks. This includes actions like reading and writing from the hard disk, processing information received from devices, etc.

BIOS Access - Another performance enhancing functionality that software interrupts make possible is facilitating system software (DOS or the operating system), applications and other software to directly access one another via BIOS routines without having to know where the target application resides in memory.

Interrupt Vector Table - Normally, to call a software routine you need to know its address (location) in memory. However; with interrupt requests a table called an interrupt vector table is created and this is used to bypass the need to explicitly know the correct address in memory. Now every time the system is booted, the BIOS puts addresses representing where its routines are located for each interrupt that it is configured to respond to.

So whenever DOS, the operating system or other applications want to use a BIOS routine, it generates a software interrupt. The system processes the interrupt, looks up the value in the interrupt vector table and then automatically jumps directly to the appropriate BIOS routine. Modern operating systems and applications as well as DOS can also directly use this interrupt vector table.

BIOS Bypass - More recently newer operating systems bypass the BIOS totally as this does help improve system performance.

BIOS Assigned Logical Names - The BIOS assigns logical names to devices based on their IRQ number and memory address. For example:

IRQ 3 and I/O address 2F8-2FFh becomes Com2.

Legacy Devices Default Settings - For older systems; such as those based around the ISA bus, it is often the case that the default IRQ assignments must be preserved. This necessity is most common with older software and games that require the ISA SoundBlaster sound card to be accessible using the following configurations:

IRQ 5, I/O Address 220h and DMA 1

Failure to comply will result in; at best no in game sound and at worst no game at all.

Interrupt Summary - In short; interrupt requests are a mechanism that allows the various devices and software that make up a computer to jump the processing queue in order to have tasks of a predetermined “higher” priority to be executed “out of turn”. BIOS services are accessed using software interrupts, which are similar to the hardware interrupts except that they are generated inside the CPU by programs instead of being generated outside the CPU by hardware devices.

So what are we actually going to be doing you may ask? I will be showing you how to turn off some of the unwanted and useless programs that are running on your computer so you will be able to do many more things with your computer.

First, we'll check all of the things that are running on your computer. I bet you don't even know what half of these processes are. Simply hit Ctrl + Alt + Del. Then click on the processes tab. Look at all that junk! You don't even need a quarter of that stuff running on your computer.

Next, i will show you how to shut them down. Click on the "Start" menu and click on "run" or hold the "windows key" and press "R". When the run box appears type in "MSCONFIG" (without the "'s of course). Wait for the window to fully load. Now, go over to the services tab. On the bottom check the check box the "Hide all Microsoft Services". This is because most, if not all, of the Microsoft Services you need to run your computer.

Now you can start un-checking boxes that are not important. Say you have "iPod Service" running and you dont have an iPod anymore, you would uncheck that box. Another example is "PnkBsterA". It is for a game i dont play anymore. Only try to uncheck boxes that have an Unknown Manufacturer. Go thorugh the whole list, using your own judgement, to shut down programs.

After you have completed the "Services" tab, do the same thing with the "StartUp" tab. I would leave a majorty of these programs running but you can shut down a few if you wish. Look for the ones that don't have the "HKLM/Software/Windowns" or "HKCU/Software/Windows" location becuase these are required when to run your operating system.

Finnally, click the "OK" button. The MSCONFIG window will close and another pop-up box will come up. It will ask you to restsart your computer. I recomend doing it imediatly but if you choose to, you can do it later. Now when your computer restarts, look how much faster it is and how little time it takes to boot up. One more thing, follow this guide often because you are always installing new things on your computer. Thanks for reading and Good Luck!

Final Words

All these programs can make your life that little bit easier, and hopefull you will give them a shot, and see just how good these programs are. After all their all free, and they are all easy to uninstall should you decide that their just not right for you.

Bonus: Run Check Disk (AKA: ChkDsk Utility. Use this utility to check your computer for errors. Corrupt or bad sectors will bog down your computer and also take up memory.

Vista: Computer -> right-click on the drive you want to check -> Properties.
Select Tools tab -> click "Check Now".

A box for ChkDsk will appear, check both options and click start. A message that Windows needs to restart in order to run ChkDsk might appear. Click ok.

XP: My Computer -> right click on the drive/disk you want to check -> Properties.
Click on the Tools tab -> click "Check Now"

A box pops up, check both options and click start as in Vista you might have to restart in order to start ChkDsk.

If you found these useful or have any comments please let me know. Also, have any other ideas or tips? Like? Dislike? Share with the class and post a comment about them.

1. Mozilla Firefox 3

   When it comes to prevention, no program can spare the user more virus/spyware/identity theft headaches than Firefox. This popular open source web browser comes loaded with built-in anti-phishing, anti-hijacking, anti-spyware, and anti-anything else that sounds scary features. In addition, Firefox can be tweaked enough to satisfy the fussiest power user, but it also comes with a clear, easy to follow interface that even a newbie can follow.

2. FileHippo.com Update Checker

   The free UpdateChecker is small, lightweight, and fast. Weighing in at about 100kb, this nifty program will keep you up to date with all your software in just one click. Activating the utility will direct you to a filehippo.com webpage listing all the updates available for your programs. Just click and download the updates you want. Run this baby once a month and you will never have to worry about being left out of the newest features or security updates.

3. CCleaner

   For clearing out the junk, nothing beats CCleaner. Fast and thorough this program will search out temporary files, useless folders, cookies, and the like and nuke them with just one click. It will do the same for your registry, but users are advised to use the built-in backup function before sweeping the registry….just to be safe!

4. Spybot - Search & Destroy

   The industry standard for spyware detection, this power utility can take a long time to scan, especially on an older system, but you will rest secure knowing that your computer is clean of malware. It also sports options for erasing user tracks, real time protection, and a comprehensive startup program cleaner that lets you know exactly what's going on when you start your system.

5. Auslogics Disk Defrag & Registry Defrag

   These two programs meet and expand upon the functionality of Window's built-in defrag utility. Fragmentation is inevitable in Windows, and defragmenting every few weeks is essential to keeping your system running smoothly. These two programs are faster than their Window's counterpart, inform you exactly how much you've improved performance, and take care of the registry to boot. I would also like to recommend Auslogics BoostSpeed 4, which although it costs $30USD, offers the defrag tools, as well as a disk cleaner and scores of Window's tweaks.

6. avast! Antivirus

   The best free antivirus out there, in my opinion, avast! is thorough and unobtrusive. It updates itself and consumes minimum system resources, all the while offering your PC excellent protection. You will probably forget it's even installed until one day it pops up a warning that you just downloaded a virus and asks you what to do.

7. Revo Uninstaller

   A vast improvement over the Windows uninstaller, Revo loads quicker and does a more thorough job. In addition to running the program's uninstaller, Revo searches for post-uninstall remaining files and registry entries and lets you delete them, reducing system clutter. Revo also offers a user track wiper and a junk files cleaner.

8. PeerGuardian

   A massive database of harmful IP addresses, PeerGuardian was originally designed to protect file sharers. However, this program is also a wonderful tool for blocking spyware and ad-related IPs.

So there you have it! Run these 8 simple tools monthly and your computer should last forever. Well, maybe not forever, but it will definitely last at peak performance until your next upgrade - be it months or years from now.

Xp had the nice decent Luna design. Windows Explorer had all the settings on the top with extra folder options to a sidebar on the left. That's all fine. Now comparing it to Vista's upgraded Windows Explorer. What the heck? On the top, you have the navigation and search bar? Where are the File, Settings, and other options? It just so happens to be under a button called Organize, although this may be changed. Honestly, that is the last place I would search. Where is the nice friendly design? I may be wrong but in XP, the search had that cute dog. Where is he now. It sure is user friendly to the younger audience. How about the people not familiar with keyboard shortcuts? Where is the Cut, Copy, Paste, Undo, Delete, and Properties buttons. They have been taken away from their nice decent location.

Here is a big change to Windows and that is the visual style. Windows Vista uses the new Aero design while Xp uses the Luna design. The Luna design offers a few colors and is a big improvement to the overall design of Windows. Windows Aero takes it to the next level. The Aero design offers a customized color. Aero offers a totally new addition to the UI. Transparency gives it the nice sleek and glassy look to Vista. A huge let down is how much RAM it uses. Sure it looks nice but it puts a lot on the computer not to mention kills batteries on laptops. My laptop runs 40 minutes longer with the sidebar and Aero disabled.

Next is some of the new software offered in Vista. Windows defender is a decent antivirus program but it is also pretty bad. It is probably a good idea to find an antivirus online and disable Defender. Windows Media Player 11 on Vista is significantly different then WMP on Xp. The design is transparent like Aero and changes its color to the assigned on Aero. Plus, the logo is different. Windows Movie Maker is significantly different. It runs better on Vista and freezes/holds less than on Xp. Strangely; the version of Movie Maker on Xp is 2 while the version on Vista is 6 which is a large difference. The Vista move Maker offers new transitions and support for HD devices and video formats. Another new piece of software is the sidebar. The sidebar offers widgets that are able to be taken off the bar and placed all around the desktop. The bar can be set to be on top of all other windows of behind. An alternative for XP is Google Desktop which offers its own widgets. Like Aero, this program also uses a load of RAM. More new programs and upgrades are added to the start menu, Windows Mail (formerly Outlook), Windows Calendar, Photo Gallery, Windows DVD Maker, Windows Media Center, Windows Mobility Center, and Games Explorer.

These are only a few of the major differences found between Vista and XP. Be sure to find out what you are getting before you actually get it.