upgrading

FAQ: Making sense of Windows 7 upgrade options

While it's true Windows 7 doesn't arrive on retail shelves and new PCs until October, Microsoft has announced two programs designed to give a head start to those who know they want the new operating system.

The Windows Upgrade Option, which runs through early next year, allows those buying a new Vista PC to get a free copy of Windows 7 after it hits shelves in October. The other program, which runs only through July 11, allows Windows XP and Vista users to pre-order a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium for $49 or Windows 7 Professional for $… Read more

More major, minor iPhone upgrade problems and how to fix them

Some iPhone Atlas readers, and posts on Apple's Discussion boards, have reported additional problems--some large, some small--after upgrading to iPhone OS 3.0 or the iPhone 3GS. The following procedures will solve a number of the reported problems.

Reset your iPhone by holding down the Sleep and Home buttons until the Apple logo appears. Restore your iPhone: In iTunes, click the Restore button under the Summary tab. Restoring the phone will erase contacts, calendars, photos, and other data on the phone, but will restore automatically backed-up information including text messages, notes, call history, contact favorites, sound settings, widget settings, … Read more

More on the Windows 7 upgrade program

Although Microsoft is on track to deliver Windows 7 for the holidays, the new operating system will miss the back-to-school buying season.

For that reason--and to prevent the stall in sales that can precede any new operating-system release--Microsoft has been working for months on the free-upgrade program it announced earlier Thursday.

Under the program, those who buy a PC with Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate will get a free upgrade to the comparable version of Windows 7, once it is released in October. Microsoft is hoping that will help juice PC sales a bit.

"With PC prices … Read more

Windows 7 upgrade program nears launch

If you are thinking of buying a Windows Vista PC in the next day or so, you might want to hold off just a bit longer.

Microsoft has said that it will have a program whereby Vista PC buyers will be able to get a free copy of Windows 7, but only if they purchase after a certain date. Well, that date would appear to be June 26.

That is the date pointed to by enthusiast site TechARP and in a leaked Best Buy memo we reported on earlier this month. The Best Buy memo also mentioned a pre-order program … Read more

Major, minor iPhone upgrade problems and how to fix them

A number of iPhone Atlas readers, and numerous more on Apple's Discussion boards, have reported a bevy of problems--some large, some small--after upgrading to iPhone OS 3.0 or the iPhone 3G S. The following two procedures work to solve a number of the reported problems:

Reset your iPhone by holding down the sleep and home buttons until the Apple logo appears. Restore your iPhone: In iTunes, click the Restore button under the Summary tab. Restoring the phone will erase contacts, calendars, photos, and other data on the phone, but will restore automatically backed-up information including text messages, notes, … Read more

Moxi DVR adds network media streaming, Rhapsody

Digeo is adding several networking features to its Moxi DVR via a free firmware upgrade. Available to Moxi owners by the end of the week, the new functions are as follows:

Media Link: Stream digital media (videos, photos, and music) from DLNA-certified devices on your home network.

PlayOn: Watch Internet-based videos from a variety of online providers, including Hulu, YouTube, Netflix, and ESPN. This requires a PC running PlayOn's software. (It's normally $40, but Digeo is offering a free license key to current and new Moxi owners for a limited time.)

Rhapsody: Onscreen access to the Rhapsody subscription … Read more

Older Slingboxes incompatible with Sling iPhone app

Sling Media has announced that the first few models of the Slingbox won't work with new Sling software, including the much-anticipated SlingPlayer for iPhone.

The company, which is now owned by EchoStar, informed Slingbox owners on the Sling Media Web site Wednesday, saying that owners of the original Slingbox, Slingbox AV, and Slingbox Tuner were encouraged to upgrade to either a Slingbox Pro, Slingbox Pro-HD, or Slingbox Solo and that the company would offer those owning discontinued boxes a $50 discount to upgrade. (The Solo is the entry-level product and costs $180).

The reason? Because "software like SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone … Read more

'Steamworks' has some work done

If you enjoy (legally) downloading PC game content over the Internet, then you're most likely familiar with Valve Software's Steam, a platform for the delivery and management of PC games.

On Tuesday, Valve announced an upgrade to "Steamworks," a suite of publishing and development tools available to, well, publishers and developers for free.

The first of the new notable features include Custom Executable Generation (CEG) technology. According to Valve, CEG makes unique copies of games for each user, allowing them to access the application on multiple machines without install limits and without having to install root … Read more

Iomega adds remote access and other features to its StorCenter ix2

I reviewed Iomega's StorCenter ix2 NAS server four months ago and complained that it didn't offer any remote-access solutions. Now that has changed.… Read more