Update your drivers with DriverAccess

Can't able to find the right driver for your new hardware? Or is your old hardware not working properly on your new computer? Tired of searching many sites for the right driver? If so, Chill out then! You have come to the right place.

This site DriverAccess.com is an all in one site that boasts of a large collection of drivers for a variety of devices. It not only allows you to download drivers but also allows driver update.  You can find all your computer drivers including windows drivers and also sound drivers for many different PC configurations in one place.

All you have to do is download the DriverAccess software, install it and then allow it to scan your system. It automatically detects all devices and updates them with the latest drivers available. So why waiting? Just log on to DriverAccess and start updating your devices in no time!

How to shift from XP to Windows 7

Microsoft's much-awaited operating system Windows 7 is finally here. After the disappointing performance of Vista, Microsoft is banking high on Windows 7 to give it the much required fillip in the PC market.

Two-year old Vista failed to make a dent in the market. The OS' biggest rival turned has been not an OS from a rival company or from the Open Source community, but Microsoft's own operating system XP. According to Forrester Research (done few months ago), 86 per cent of corporate PCs continue to rely on the eight-year-old Vista predecessor Windows XP.

However, most analysts believe that it is time that XP users too start planning their migration path to Windows 7. Here's a guide for XP users to help them smoothly migrate to the new operating system, Windows 7.

Which version to install?

Windows 7 packs both 32-bit and 64-bit installation discs. 64-bit operating systems can handle large amounts of memory roughly 4GB RAM. However, not all computers are 64-bit capable.

To check, right click on My Computer and click Properties. If you don’t see "x64 Edition" listed, then you are running the 32-bit version of Windows XP. If "x64 Edition" is listed under System, you are running the 64-bit version of Windows XP and can run the 64-bit version of Windows 7.

How to check compatibility with your hardware

To check for the Windows 7's compatibility with your computer's hardware, devices, or programmes that might affect the its installation, download and run the free Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.

It will list any issues that it finds and gives recommendations on what to do before you upgrade to improve your PC's compatibility with Windows 7.

Moving files and settings

Microsoft recommends using Windows Easy Transfer, a free download, which will help users move their files and settings to another location before they install Windows 7. Later they can use Windows Easy Transfer again to move files and settings back to PC after Windows installation is completed. However, Windows Easy Transfer doesn't move programmes. Users will have to reinstall their programmes manually after Windows 7 installation is complete. Windows Easy Transfer will provide you with a list of programmes that you are currently using with Windows XP.

In case you don't go for Windows Easy Transfer, you will need to copy files manually to an external location, such as CDs, DVDs, an external hard disk, or a USB flash drive before installing Windows 7, and then move them back after Windows installation is completed.

Installing Windows 7

To get started, connect your PC to the Internet so that you can get installation updates during the process. Select either the 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7 installation disc, depending on your system requirements.

Enter the Windows 7 installation disc and Setup should start automatically. If it doesn't, click Start, click My Computer, open the Windows 7 installation disc on your DVD drive, and then double-click setup.exe.

On the Install Windows page, click Install now. On the 'Which type of installation do you want?' page, click Custom. Choose the partition containing Windows XP (this is often the computer's C: drive), and then click Next. (Do not select your external USB hard drive.) In the Windows.old dialog box, click OK.

Moving your files and settings back

After the installation is over, users can run Windows Easy Transfer again and move files and settings back to the computer.

Be sure you run Windows Easy Transfer before you reinstall your programmes. This is because Windows Easy Transfer moves your files back to where your old programmes will expect them to be when you reinstall them.

Ensure that your external hard disk or other storage device that contains Windows Easy Transfer migration file is connected to the computer. Click the Start button, click Computer, and under Hard Disk Drives, double-click your storage device. Browse to the location where you saved the Easy Transfer file, called Windows Easy Transfer - Items from old computer, and double click the file.

On the `Choose what to transfer to this computer' page, a user can decide how the user accounts from Windows XP are transferred to Windows 7.

Reinstall programmes and update drivers

Once your files and settings are back on your computer, you can reinstall your programmes and check for new or updated drivers.

Windows Easy Transfer provides a report detailing the programmes you used in Windows XP that you might want to reinstall. To reinstall your programmes, you need to use the installation discs or setup files.

What makes Windows 7 so much cooler than Vista

Beyond a shadow of doubt, Windows 7 is better than its predecessor Windows Vista in more ways than one. It is faster and consumes less system resources despite maintaining the eye candy. But that's not all. We will tell you exactly why we love it more than any of the previous versions of Windows.
 
1. No more worrying about missing drivers

The first thing you notice about Windows 7 after installation is that, it is more likely that you will not have to install any hardware driver, as most of it has already been included in the OS. If at all you need an updated driver, you can always get it quickly and without hassle from Windows Update. You are therefore likely to see a clean device manager like shown above as there will be no device with a driver issue or a conflict.

2. Problem Steps Recorder

This is a very important and probably a lifesaving feature of Windows 7. This feature lets you record a particular problem you are experiencing with your PC, so you can send it to someone who may be better equipped to solve the problem. All you need to do is to open the Problem Steps Recorder, click 'Record', after which a screenshot is taken with every mouse click. You can also add comments if required in between. A properly formatted HTML document with all the screenshots in steps and comments is created and placed inside a ZIP archive on the desktop to be attached and emailed to an expert.
 
3. Pin to Start Menu or Windows Taskbar

While you do not have the Quick Launch Bar, which made things so much convenient in Windows XP, you can easily "Pin" frequently used items and programs to the Start Menu as well as to the Windows Taskbar by simply right-clicking on the item in the Taskbar and selecting 'Pin to Start Menu' or 'Pin to Taskbar' as required. The item or program then becomes readily available and your desktop becomes clutter-free.

4. Superior Touch Navigation
Since "Touch" is the keyword today and an increasing number of gadgets come with a touch interface, it is imperative that the future PC will also move on to such an interface. Windows 7 makes it a point to have better touch navigation. It has a larger taskbar with large icons, which makes it easier to navigate using your finger tips. It also sports multi-touch gestures, similar to the Macbook, on various applications that will dramatically change the way you interact with them. It automatically detects Touchscreen hardware and enhances the size of the Start Menu and icons accordingly.

5. Windows Disc Image Burner

Finally, an ISO image is no longer burnt as a data file to an optical disc, but as an ISO image in this version of Windows. All you need to do is double-click on the ISO image, which starts the Windows Disc Image Burner application. You can select the burner where you wish to burn, in case you have more than one burners installed. You can even verify if the data is burnt properly by checking a checkbox.

6. Snazzy preview or peek panes

In Windows Vista you could preview the minimized window of an application by simply hovering the mouse cursor over the application item in the taskbar. Now, Windows 7 goes a step further. Not only can it show live preview of the application window, you can also see or "peek" at the full size window in the foreground by simply moving the cursor over this mini preview without actually bringing the window to the foreground. There is also a close window X at the upper right corner in the preview pane, so that you can directly close the application this way. Pressing Win + T lets you scroll along previews in the taskbar.

7. Virtual Windows XP

For those of you still in love with XP, fret no more. Like Windows Vista, Windows 7 too will have the same problems running applications meant for XP, but there is something that will make you feel relieved. Microsoft offers an XP Mode for Windows 7, which can be downloaded from here http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx, and works in conjunction with Windows Virtual PC, which is also a free download. This is effectively a virtual machine running in this operating system. You can access the complete hardware of your actual PC inside this virtual environment, including the USB flash drives connected to ports and also optical drives. What's more, this comes free, so you don't have to shell out extra for this OS.