The American Craftsman windows are vynil windows that do no need painting and look great for as long as you own your home and because of the insulated glass, you will save money on your energy bills.  The windows’ sashes tilt in for easy cleaning from inside the home.  The dual weatherstripping creates a virtually weather-tight seal between you and the elements, attractive, colonial exterior detail creates curbside appeal, and are actually easy to install yourself instead of hiring someone to do it.  The screen on the window is included for natural ventilation and is backed by a lifetime warranty, but you don’t have to worry about that because the window is made with quality materials and is safe to have in your home, on your window frames.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Being that it is Bill’s special day and all, we figured we’d give you a shot at stepping into his shoes and shaping Microsoft into something even more dominant that the juggernaut it is. Just imagine taking a seat in the biggest corner office Redmond has to offer, getting your Outlook set up, fiddling through a mess of old floppy discs and finally conjuring up a business plan. How in the world would you tweak / overhaul / etc. Microsoft if you were suddenly dubbed the big kahuna? We know this one’s wide (and we mean gaping wide) open, so feel free to write a book down there.

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Hey, if Bill can give away tens of billions of dollars, the least we can do to celebrate his last day is to give away some Microsoft-powered stuff, right? Next up: a full, non-upgrade copy of Windows Vista Ultimate.

• Leave a comment below. Tell us about your favorite Microsoft-powered product. Or your favorite Apple product, too, since Bill totally bailed those guys out back in ‘97.
• You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you’ll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
• If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you’ll be fine.
  
• Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
• Winner will be chosen randomly. That winner will get a brand new full, non-upgrade copy of Windows Vista Ultimate. Approximate value is $200.
• Entries can be submitted until Sunday, June 29th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
• Full rules can be found here.

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Filed under: Desktops

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/microsoft/Fastest_ever_Windows_HPC_cluster_nets_68_5_teraflops’; In the grand scheme of supercomputers, a homegrown cluster constructed by Microsoft is just a boy among men. However, said rig has set at least one record by becoming the “fastest-ever Windows HPC cluster.” At the International Supercomputing conference in Dresden, Germany, it was announced that this beast ranked 23rd in the world “with a problem-solving performance of 68.5 teraflops.” The National Center for Supercomputing Applications utilized a beta version of Windows HPC Server 2008 to hit the aforesaid mark, and if you’re curious as to what it took to get there, try 9,472 cores of processing power. There’s more where this came from for the hardcore nerds in attendance right in the read link.

[Via Slashdot]

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

While Bill Gates’ imminent retirement from Microsoft is understandably a cause for some quiet moments of reflection for some, it’s also given folks an excuse to dig up some tidbits from Gates’ tenure that have somehow gone unnoticed or unheralded in the past few years, one of the juiciest of which comes in the form of a 2003 email that Todd Bishop of the Seattle Post-Intelligence has thankfully given fresh light. In it, Gates rips into “how Windows Usability has been going backwards” as he details his long, arduous attempts to download Moviemaker and buy the then new Digital Plus pack. While there’s far to many gems to include here, a few of Gates’ stand-out observations include how “crazy” it is that it took six minutes to install “a bunch of controls” before he was able to install Moviemaker, and his disappointment that he had to reboot his machine even though he reboots it every night. Eventually, after (apparently) getting Moviemaker installed, Gates decided to go digging in the add/remove program options to ensure that it was installed, only to find it missing, which prompted him to declare that, “someone decided to trash the one part of Windows that was usable,” adding that, “this program listing was one sane place but now it is all crapped up.” Needless to say, we’d recommend hitting the read link below to check out the full must-read email.

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Filed under: HDTV

Here it is folks, the matchup you have (or haven’t, that’s cool) been waiting for: Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Linksys’ DMA2100 and D-Link’s DSM-750 have been pit against one another and put to the test in order to find the champion of Media Center Extending. Here’s a hint — the race is a lot tighter than you probably think. Check out the full rundown (video included) over on Engadget HD.

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

When the clock strikes midnight on June 18th, Dell will discontinue its sales of XP systems. The move allows Dell to meet the imposed June 30th deadline which requires the industry to cease shipment of XP machines. That is, unless you’re in the market for a netbook and nettop in which case Microsoft is happy for vendors to continue shipping XP in order to stifle Linux’s penetration into consumer computing give consumers a consistent user experience. After June 18th, certain Dell products will still be offered with a factory installed, XP Professional “downgrade” at the cost to you or your business of an unused Windows Vista Business or Vista Ultimate license and presumably, a small fee as we heard earlier. However, according to TGDaily, the downgrade will only be offered on XPS 630 and XPS 720 H2C desktops or the M1730 laptop — not the 11 laptops and 10 desktops Dell currently ships with an XP option.

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Filed under: Laptops

It’s gotta mean something when Windows XP is still making headlines by showing up on relatively standard hardware, but so it goes — and here’s Everex’s Cloudbook, now with 100% less gOS. The Cloudbook SC1200T is basically the same as the regular-spec Cloudbook, only with 1GB of RAM and limited availability — that “T” stands for “Taiwan-only.” No word on if Everex is planning on bringing this bad boy Stateside, but really, it’s not like we’re hurting for ways to run XP on an underpowered VIA C7M, you know?

[Via Liliputing]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

For those with identity crises, great senses of humor, or serious cases of Vista Fever, Spec-Works’ VistaPerfection theme for the iPhone brings all the splendors of Windows Vista — well, the important visual aspects, anyway — to your pocket in a way that we can safely say Microsoft never intended. If the wow hadn’t already started, ladies and gentlemen, it certainly has now.

[Via IntoMobile]

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Filed under: Laptops

It’s been a controversial decision, but it looks like the OLPC XO has completed its transition from revolutionary education project to just another tiny Windows laptop with a useless keyboard — albeit one with a pleasantly whimsical design. Yep, it’s official: Microsoft and OLPC just put out a joint press release saying that XP-loaded XOs will be available starting in August or September, with some countries to get the machines as soon as next month. Users will get all the regular functionality of XP — it’s basically the same build as on the Eee and other ultraportables — but Microsoft’s spent over a year developing specialized drivers for the XO’s various features like e-book mode, the writing pad, and camera. (We’re pretty certain that doesn’t include mesh networking, but WiFi is supported.) XP is too big for the built-in 1GB flash chip, so it’ll come preloaded on a 2GB SD card, leaving just about 1.5GB free total for apps and media. It seems like Microsoft is thrilled about this partnership, but it’s a not going to make NickNeg’s search for new vision at the top any easier. As for Sugar? You’ll still be able to get it, but we have a sinking feeling about its future. Demo video after the break.

Continue reading OLPC XO officially gets Windows XP, children of the world to be assimilated

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Well, Microsoft finally got SP3 out the door for you stubborn Vista-resistant XP users, and we’re dying to know how you like it. That’s right, you. See, our resident guinea pig intern hasn’t felt any performance improvement, we’ve received tips from people who have seen a speed bump, and problems have cropped up as well — we’ve heard reports of sporadic reboots and crashes, some of them AMD-related. But hey, forget all of them… how has SP3 changed your life?

View Poll

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Filed under: Laptops

HP’s got some new 2133 configs out as of tonight, including options for “downgrading” to Windows XP on models over $700 — more or less as expected. They’re up to eight base configs ranging from $500 to $820, so if you’ve been thinking of picking one up you’ve certainly got plenty of options to choose from.

[Via HP 2133 Guide]

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

At last the moment you’ve been waiting for. Microsoft wants to hit your version of Windows with an update, and this time you don’t have to go rummaging around the internet to find it: just fire up Windows Update and let Microsoft do all the work. After a few false starts XP users get the much-anticipated SP3 update, which promises speed boosts and some of the fancy security features found in Vista. If you’re a Vista user you’re also in luck, since Microsoft has restarted its Vista SP1 distribution after some compatibility problems with Microsoft Dynamics RMS. Sounds like a party.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Steve Ballmer kicked up a little dirt last week when he said that Microsoft could “wake up smarter” and keep selling XP after the June 30 cutoff date if customer feedback demanded it, but as you’d expect, the company is busily trying to “clarify” that statement by saying that while it always listens to customers, XP is definitely going to die on the 30th. Well, apart from the ultraportable exception that’ll last until 2012 or so. And the backlog of licenses still in reseller’s hands. Oh, and a little company called Dell, which, as rumored, is going to take advantage of a Vista licensing loophole that allows it to sell a copy of Vista but preload XP instead. Yep, that’s the plan — Dell’s going to report a Vista sale to Microsoft, but deliver an XP box with Vista upgrade DVD to customers. (That sound you just heard was a million accountants sighing in appreciation.) The program will be available for Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision, Vostro, and XPS systems (some with a minor fee), and Dell says it’ll keep going as long as Microsoft supports the “downgrade” license option, which could be forever. Looks like June 30 just got a lot less scary for XP fans, no?

Read - Microsoft clarification of Ballmer’s comments
Read - Dell to keep selling XP

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Filed under: Laptops

What do you know? The former OLPC head of software and content did indeed resign at least partially over NickNeg’s growing fondness of Windows XP. In a recent soul-spilling interview with xconomy, Walter Bender made clear that he resigned his post at the non-profit due to the general de-emphasis of “radical projects like Sugar,” the innovative XO user interface which Mr. Bender was unsurprisingly neck-deep in during his stay. Essentially, he felt as if the outfit had stopped trying to “be disruptive” and started “trying to make things comfortable for decision-makers,” hence Walter darting out “to do his own thing.” Needless to say, the lead developer of Sugar isn’t satisfied with seeing his work forgotten, and while details have yet to be worked out, he is looking to “find a new central home for the community of educators and software developers who have been creating Sugar-compatible applications.”

[Image courtesy of The New York Times]

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Windows XP has a date with destiny scheduled for June 30, but it looks like the plucky OS just isn’t ready to go: Ultraportable OEMs will be able to preload XP until “one year after the general availability of Windows 7,” whenever that is, and now we’re hearing reports that Dell’s telling customers it’ll sell XP on professional systems until 2012. The Dell thing is just a rumor for now, but what’s Steve Ballmer doing telling reporters that although XP is EOL, “if customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter” and extend XP sales? Um, Steve? Customers have been feeding back like crazy and Microsoft has kind of ignored them, remember? Maybe it’s time for a quick nap.

Update: That was pretty funny for a totally unintentional typo, wasn’t it?

Read - CNET article quoting Ballmer
Read - Dell rumors

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Last year Microsoft really carried on about fulfilling its commitment to all the power users that anted up to get untold future Vista Ultimate Extras — yet none really materialized besides the disappointing early stuff like DreamScene and Texas Hold ‘Em. Well, get ready to feel a whole new wave of Ultimate justification wash over you, because today Microsoft is releasing a trifecta of new Extras: sound schemes, DreamScape animations, and OS language packs. Oh yeah, there’s definitely some Vista “Wow” in here — but it’s mostly from being kind of appalled at these sorry post-apologetic excuses for “ultimate”-grade software additions. Someone wake us when Microsoft decides it cares about making good on its many unfulfilled promises to Vista users.

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/microsoft/Windows_XP_SP3_goes_to_manufacturing_will_be_released_April’;It’s not nearly as big a deal as Vista SP1, but it looks like Windows XP SP3 will be out in just eight short days — Microsoft just confirmed that it’s been released to manufacturing, and that it’ll be in Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center on April 29th. No word on if OEMs and devs got access today like we’d heard, but it shouldn’t be long now — here’s hoping that rumored 10 percent speed boost is for real.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Though we originally expected (read: hoped) that Microsoft would dish out Service Pack 3 for Windows XP late last month, it seems the deed may actually get done before May dawns. According to an “internal schedule” fetched over at Neowin, OEMs, volume license, Connect, MSDN and TechNet subscribers will have access to the update on April 21st, while most average joes / janes won’t notice it until April 29th when it hits the Microsoft / Windows Update download center. For folks too busy carrying on to worry over which SP their XP is running, they could very well overlook the automatic update scheduled to land on June 10th. (Re)mark your calendars, won’t you?

[Via InformationWeek]

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/microsoft/Microsoft_to_sell_XP_intill_on_2010_on_the_EEEPC’; We puzzled over Microsoft’s cryptic statements at CeBIT that the Eee’s “other requirements” would lead to an adjustment of the Windows 7 timeline, and it looks like our first guess was spot-on: Microsoft will be making Windows XP available for Eee-class ultraportables until 2010, and possibly later. Demand for XP on devices like the Eee and Intel’s Classmate machines has prompted MS to reconsider axing XP entirely this June: the company will now sell XP Home through at least June 2010, and for one year after the release of Windows 7 — which means sales of XP could stretch into 2012. There’s no word on if the build of XP Home targeted at the ultraportable laptop set will be different from regular XP builds, but we doubt there’ll be many changes — it’ll be awfully sad if people are still clamoring for XP more than a decade after its initial release, though.

[Thanks, JP]

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