Eugene's observations

To get a free copy of the upcoming release of MS Office you may visit

http://tinyurl.com/OfficeBeta

The version will be good until October 2010 by which time you should be able to buy a full copy. Note that the beta test edition may contain more bugs than the released code, but it is fairly stable.

Unless you are loading the same manufacturer's code when you renew your annual subscription, you must remove the old antivirus product and restart the computer before installing the new one.

A handy pointer to uninstallation tools for each main manufacturer is at:

http://support.kaspersky.com/faq/?qid=208280135

Those wise enough to buy a customised PC from the likes of 1ComputerCare need read no further. Owners of mass produced computers may be interested in what follows - largely taken from http://neosmart.net

If you're like most PC users, you probably got Windows with a new PC or laptop. And if you're like 99% of the population, you get your new machine from one of the major manufacturers: Dell, Acer, HP, Toshiba, Lenovo; who all have one thing in common: they don't give you a real Windows installation disc with your purchase. Instead, they bundle what they call a "recovery disc" (that's if you're lucky - otherwise you'll have a recovery partition instead) with your machine and leave it at that.

The problem is, with Windows, the installation media serves more than one purpose. It's not just a way to get Windows installed, it's also the only way of recovering a broken installation. The Windows DVD has a complete "recovery centre" that provides you with the option of recovering your system via automated recovery (searches for problems and attempts to fix them automatically), rolling-back to a system restore point, recovering a full PC backup, or accessing a command-line recovery console for advanced recovery purposes.

Thankfully, Microsoft realized this problem, and made a recovery disc for this purpose (later withdrawn). It contains the contents of the Windows DVD's "recovery centre". It cannot be used to install or reinstall Windows, and just serves as a Windows Preinstallation Environment to recover your PC.

http://neosmart.net/blog/2008/windows-vista-recovery-disc-download/

http://neosmart.net/blog/2009/windows-7-system-repair-discs/

Here's a few basic things that can help your wallet and computational enjoyment.

• When buying a new PC do not buy off the shelf.
• Use a surge protector and check that it is still functioning periodically.
• Every few months, follow the housekeeping guide as suggested at http://www.1computercare.co.uk/housekeeping.htm
• Especially, don't forget to take backup copies of important files and then confirm that they are indeed useable.
• Wipe the disk and reinstall Windows every three years. Performance will improve as all the accumulated rubbish is gone.
• If you do see a blue screen indicating that Windows has failed, or if you suspect virus activity, turn the PC off and seek help. Do not try a 'recovery' or even have one last attempt to see if it is now working as every such activity is significantly reducing the possibility of salvaging the files you have not backed up.
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