Win 7
Latest
PSA: Botched AVG 2011 update might be why your PC won't start today
Did you update your free copy of AVG 2011 today, in the hopes of evading a nasty bug? In a set of mildly familiar circumstances, the antivirus company has inadvertently unleashed an even nastier one. Users running 64-bit editions of Windows 7 and AVG 2011 are reporting a STOP error after a mandatory antivirus update this morning, which is keeping some from booting their machines into Windows at all. The buggy update has since been pulled and there are a couple ways to preemptively keep it from happening if you're staring at the message above, but if you've already been stung, you're looking at some quality time with a recovery disc or repair partition to fix your Windows boot files. Find all the solutions, including the preemptive ones, at our source link below.
Ocosmos OCS-1 and O-Bar eyes-on, plus a smattering of prototype sliders (video)
Though arguably the most exciting thing about Ocosmos's five-inch Oak Trail handheld is the promise of a pocket Zerg rush, there's a good bit more to the OCS-1 than gaming prowess -- it claims to be able to replace a full mouse and keyboard with just the two "OMOS Keys" on the front. Though they look like Sidekick II-era directional pads, they're actually stacked two levels tall, with a D-pad on top of an PlayStation Portable-style analog nub that click and slide in each of eight directions (and press in like gamepad analog sticks) for 34 functions in total. That's before we consider there's also a pair of shoulder buttons, a volume rocker, a sliding QWERTY keyboard and a capacitive touchscreen to boot -- and did we mention that the OMOS Keys themselves have multiple user / game profiles?
ASUS' Intel CE4100 Companion Box with Windows Media Center Embedded, there and back (to the ether) again
Seriously, blink and you might've missed it. ASUS had its own Intel CE4100-powered companion box on display running what our memory recalls was Windows Media Center Embedded. We'd love to confirm for the 5 percent of our brain that's uncertain, but by the time we went back for pickup shots of the adjacent (and awesome) Acer box, it was already gone. (Did the RevoPad scare it of that badly?) At any rate, this ASUS device has no drives, but it does boast an ATSC antenna, component and composite video. It's slated for the first half of next year, though representatives weren't willing to talk price just yet. Some more pics in the gallery below. %Gallery-102066%
Colombia pumps out 10-inch Android and Windows 7 tablets (video)
Sure, popular belief equates Colombian exports with tons of coffee beans, but two Bogota-based companies presently have 10-inch tablet computers on the brain. Compumax has got an Android-powered Tegra 2 device on tap with a dual-core 1GHz Cortex A9, 512MB of RAM and a 32GB hard drive, and Smart PC's looking at a netbook-specced Windows 7 slate with an Atom N450 processor, a DVD burner, up to 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive, a folding stand and a pair of peripheral-friendly USB ports alongside what looks like a fairly responsive multitouch screen. Intriguingly enough, the companies claim the devices aren't rebrands and are actually built in Colombia from foreign parts -- the "Hyper" Android slate is reportedly already on sale for COP 700,000 (about $387), and you can expect the "Smart Touch" Windows machine to debut for COP 1,099,000 (about $608) when it debuts in Peru next month. See the latter machine in action right after the break. Update: We often make light of stereotypes at Engadget, hoping to expose them as such, but the one formerly posted here was not in the best of taste. We've replaced it, and would like to apologize to any offended by our original choice of words.
Windows 7 hits 150 million licenses: that's seven copies a second
If Steve Ballmer's still pumped eight months later, there's a good reason -- Windows 7 has reportedly sold its 150 millionth copy, just two months after crossing the 100 million mark. If you run the numbers -- and we have -- that translates to roughly seven licenses sold per second since launch, a very convenient number for Microsoft to tout in their marketing communications from here on out. Perhaps execs can celebrate with a nice Windows 7 Whopper, topped with a fresh .dll pickle.
Western Digital announces WD TV Live Plus HD with Netflix streaming
We have even more news from Western Digital regarding its WD TV line (and this time around it doesn't involve bricking your set-top box with a firmware update). Besides the usual suspects (including Pandora, Live365, and YouTube), the WD TV Live Plus HD is shipping with Netflix. Get ready to browse titles, manage your Instant Queue, and stream your favorite episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation on your HDTV -- in addition to accessing your sizable collection of legally purchased digital media via the device's USB connection and / or Windows 7 "Play To" functionality. Available now for $150. PR after the break.
Wi-Fi Sync now compatible with Windows and iPad
Wi-Fi Sync is quite the gem (at least we think so) but it had some limitations -- namely, it only worked on OS X for desktop, and only with iPhone / iPod touch. Developer Greg Hughes pinged us earlier today to let us know he's thrown the gates off such restrictions. The jailbroken app now works for both iPads and Windows -- XP, Vista, and 7. The desktop client is free to download but it still cost just a hair under $10 for the appropriate mobile device. Worth the price of breaking free from wires? Your call.
WD TV Live HD gets 'Play To' functionality, full Windows 7 compliance
This silvery-set top box above may look rather drab, but never fear: its next production run will sport a nice, colorful Windows 7 sticker. That's because Western Digital recently signed an agreement to make its WD TV Live HD network media players compatible with Microsoft's "Play To" feature, allowing you to push media right to your TV from a Windows Media Player 12-equipped PC. While the feature actually snuck its way into firmware revision 1.02.21 in late March, WD only just began trumpeting its inclusion today... possibly to let memories of its disastrous prior update fade. Whatever the reason, the box is not the "first network media player compatible with Windows 7" -- Denon has four receivers that predate it. Press release and an example of what 'Play To' looks like, right after the break.
Microsoft reports $6.66b Q1 net profit, Windows 7 'fastest selling OS in history'
Microsoft's gotta be pretty happy with its second quarter results, especially after two previous quarters of somewhat downtrodden reports. The company's posting a record $19.02 billion in revenue, a 14 percent increase year-over-year. Net income / profit was $6.66 billion. Buoyed by all that is $1.71 billion in deferred revenue for Windows 7 pre-sales, which in laymen's terms means money the company made before the fiscal quarter began but couldn't then claim it because the product (Windows 7) hadn't yet been delivered to the consumer. Speaking of the platform, Microsoft is claiming to now have "the fastest selling operating system in history" with 60 million licenses sold. A much better way for the gang in Redmond to the start the year, so now let's see how the rest of 2010 plays out.
ASUS delivers Eee PC T91MT to Amazon.com, completes world tour
It was only two weeks ago when the ASUS T91MT -- the first-ever Windows 7 convertible netbook -- dropped by Amazon's German site, and now the Eastern wind from Taiwan has finally reached US soil. Amazon.com buyers are offered pretty much the same configuration as their European counterpart: Intel Atom Z520, 8.9-inch multitouch swivel screen, 1GB RAM and Windows 7 Home Premium. While there's only one color option available for now, those who're cool with white will be spoiled with a 32GB SSD -- twice as much as the German version yet $200 cheaper. Any students out there going to pick one of these up for some improved note-taking before Christmas exams? [Thanks, Bernard]
HP Pavilion dv3 with multitouch screen spotted in the wild, we go hands-on
Our curious British fingers managed to stumble upon a European HP Pavilion dv3 blessed with Windows 7 and multitouch on both the screen and the trackpad. The keyboard was great to type on with negligible flex, but the trackpad suffers from the same glossy issues on other recent HPs -- although it responded to our multitouch gestures better than the capacitive screen did. Our major annoyance came from the attempts to rotate pictures on the screen: we learned the hard way that the laptop (or Windows 7 itself) seemed to prefer more exaggerated rotation gestures than the MacBooks -- perhaps one would get used to it over time. The hinge is fairly solid, but we still preferred holding the screen while touching it. On a brighter note we totally dig the inclusion of an HDMI port and an eSATA port, plus you'll get up to seven hours of sweet battery juice from this 2.24kg (4.94 pounds) machine. Read on for our hands-on video and photo gallery. %Gallery-76595%
The Queue: Windows 7 and the Kalu'ak
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Adam Holisky be your host today. Patrick Stewart doesn't look good in glasses. Many of you asked... "How am I going to do the Kalu'ak Fishing Derby when I raid at 8pm on Wednesday night?"
Apple welcomes Windows 7 the only way it knows how, with a new commercial (video, updated)
Can't argue with a wig like that, right? Video after the break.Update: Two more added. Are these still fun?
Belkin's refreshed Easy Transfer Cable makes Windows 7 migration a little too easy
Okay, so maybe nothing can really be too easy, but Belkin's really stretching things by asserting that you need a dedicated cable to use Windows Easy Transfer, an application bundled with Windows 7 and detailed by yours truly right here. At any rate, you may recall that this very outfit milked the whole upgrade situation in a similar fashion when Vista hit the scene, and now a slightly redesigned version is out to transfer files easily between your existing Vista / XP-based machines and what will become your new Windows 7 system. Of course, this thing's really only important if you're buying a new Win7 machine rather than upgrading the rig you already own, and if you're willing to pay $39.99 to have your hand held through the migration process, you can be our guest on October 23rd.
Gateway introduces One ZX series of multitouch all-in-one desktops
It's been done before by the likes of MSI and HP, but given the finger-friendly nature of Windows 7, we aren't shocked at all to hear that Gateway's getting in on the action. The splotchy PC maker is unveiling the One ZX lineup tonight, which will initially be comprised of the ZX6800 series and ZX4800 series. Both crews will ship with Win7, and Gateway's hoping that you'll fall in love with its custom suite of multitouch-supporting media management tools. If you're curious about specs, the ZX6810-01 will include a 23-inch multitouch LCD (1,920 x 1,080), 2.33GHz Core 2 Quad Q8200S CPU, 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4670 GPU, 8GB of DDR3 memory, an 8x slot-loading DVD burner, a 1TB HDD (or 64GB SSD), WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet, six USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA socket, bundled wireless keyboard and mouse, integrated HD webcam, a hybrid TV tuner and built-in speakers. The lower-end ZX4800-02 steps down to a 20-inch LCD (1,600 x 900), a 2.1GHz T4300 CPU, GMA X4500HD integrated graphics, 4GB of DDR2 RAM and a 750GB SATA HDD. Both lineups should be in US stores later this fall, with prices starting at $1,399.99 and $749.99, respectively.%Gallery-74874%
Windows 7 party pack fittingly arrives on party-filled Cayman Islands
Well, would you look at that? With the launch of Microsoft's next operating system merely 21 days away (give or take a few hours based on time zone), the Redmond giant seems to be proactively sending out Win7 Launch Party packs already. The first "unboxing" we've seen comes to us from a most unusual spot, one that Microsoft wasn't actually equipped to ship to when the program first started. After a stern email or two sent over several bodies of water and through countless Stimulus-inspired road construction hang-ups, the bundle you see laid out above landed in the beautiful Cayman Islands. Within was a Steve Ballmer Signature Edition of Win7 (so, we're up to seven versions now?), a pack of Win7 playing cards, a poster, some napkins (to wipe the drool from your friends' faces after they experience Aero Shake for the first time) and even a puzzle. So, should we book a flight to Grand Cayman, Little Cayman or Cayman Brac? This is one shindig we definitely won't miss.[Thanks, Jared]
Windows 7 coming to netbooks in all its myriad forms
It would seem that the humble netbook owner's Windows 7 options just keep improving as the grand new OS comes closer to release. After plans to limit netbooks to running three apps at a time were thankfully scrapped, Microsoft has now confirmed with us that it is going to allow OEMs to splash any version of Windows 7 they desire onto their Atom-powered miniature laptops. That's right, you can totally rock Windows 7 Ultimate and Aero visualizations on a machine that can handle neither. Joking aside, it's pleasing to see the Redmond brain trust steer clear of arbitrary limitations on customer choice.[Via GadgetMix]
Upgrading to Windows 7? Set aside 21 hours, just in case
We can say for sure that our own Windows 7 upgrade experience didn't take, oh say, a whole day, but according to Microsoft, your own just might. The boys and girls in Redmond set out with a goal of seeing the Vista to Windows 7 upgrade accomplished around five percent faster than an upgrade to Vista, and while it seems that they succeeded, the staggeringly wide range in install times has us a wee bit concerned. A variety of testing situations were put in place, and nearly every profile was tested on low-, mid- and high-end hardware. A clean install of Windows 7 on mid-to-high-end hardware took just a half-hour, but a 32-bit upgrade on a mid-range machine with 650GB of data and 40 applications took an astounding 1,220 minutes, or just under 21 hours. The wild part here is that it's not all that uncommon for a power user / all-around nerd to have a half-terabyte of information and two score programs, and in anticipation of one install actually taking over a day, the team didn't even bother testing this path on a low-end rig. Good thing our imaginations are in check, huh?[Via ArsTechnica. thanks Martin]
Microsoft rolls out Windows 7 packaging
We could swear we've seen this before, but nonetheless, Microsoft's Windows blog has unveiled what it's calling the official Windows 7's packaging -- as in, this it what we'll be seeing in stores when it launches this fall. It's apparently 37 percent lighter and has a 50 percent better econometrics score over the Vista box, which we can't help but draw mental parallels to the platform's overall performance and mindshare improvements. See it for yourself in the gallery below -- couldn't hurt to get a peek now at what you'll be picking up come October 22nd.
Windows 7 E coming to Europe without Internet Explorer
Likely being mindful of the ever-watchful eye of the European Union, Microsoft's announced its Euro version of Windows 7, affectionately and officially dubbed Windows 7 E, will not come packaged with Internet Explorer, or any other browser for that matter. Of course that's not the whole story, as OEMs will be provided free copies of IE8 to bundle themselves alongside / instead of other browser options, and consumers can pick up their own copies via CD, FTP, or retail channels. This is undoubtedly in response to the antitrust cases the EU keeps throwing Microsoft's way, and while we wouldn't be surprised to see it end up on almost every European computer sold, we do wonder if this will at all speed up IE's already rapidly diminishing share in the war of web browsers.
