We’ve been testing the Windows 7 Release Candidate recently launched by Microsoft.
I must say this is very impressive, and I think it is very likely that Microsoft will be able to make a quality delivery of this new version of Windows to the marketplace in time for the 2009 Christmas season.
This release is what some say Vista should have been. More posts to follow.

I was working on a client’s PC, tuning it up, etc. The client mentioned that Quickbooks would always hang when posting a duplicate check. It turns out that the previous IT guy had disabled the sound card, since this was a “business computer”. Quickbooks was trying to generate an audible notice on a duplicate check and was not gracefully handling the fact that no sound card was available. I re-enabled the card, muted the sound, and quickbooks was happy again.

Google Sync for BlackBerry synchronizes your Google Calendar and Contacts with your handheld. Once set up, Google Sync works automatically in the background. Changes to your Calendar events or Contacts will be updated on your handheld wirelessly.

Download it from Google here

Rebooting is a wonderful technique when used properly, especially on sophisticated machines. A Blackberry is actually a sophisticated computing device, more powerful and complicated than the computers used to send Apollo to the moon and back.

To keep your Blackberry in tip-top shape, you should periodically reboot it by removing its battery, counting to 10, and then re-inserting the battery.

PDF is the de facto standard for the distribution and exchange of electronic documents and forms around the world. CutePDF Writer allows you to easily create PDFs on any 32-bit or 64-bit Windows PC. CutePDF Writer installs itself as a “CutePDF” printer. Once it is installed, you can open a document / webpage / whatever and print to the CutePDF printer. Your print output is then saved as a PDF. FREE for both commercial and non-commercial use, with no watermarks or pop-up ads.

You can get it here

Fill in your information (first/last name, zipcode) and your name will be included with others on a microchip on NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory rover heading to Mars in 2011!

Link: marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/participate/sendyourname

Sometimes it seems that your internet connection is not as fast as it should be. Intermittent problems are hard for ISPs to fix, but it helps if you can give their technicians some accurate information to work on. Use the site www.speakeasy.net/speedtest to run several speed tests on your connection, choosing a server from the menu that resides in a city nearby your location. Run the test several times, perhaps using several PCs if you have a network. If your problem is intermittent, you may need to keep a log over several days and give the resulting information to the ISP’s technicians.

This is a fix for one of those annoying messages in Vista Media Center - unable to connect to internet to update guide data - error 13.

• Make sure %windir%\ehome\mcupdate.exe is allowed by firewall
• Launch a CMD prompt
• NET STOP “Background Intelligent Transfer Service”
• NET START “Background Intelligent Transfer Service”

If you are on a budget, the free antivirus / antispyware product AVG is available for download from GRISOFT at free.avg.com

AVG is reasonably light on system resources, and includes a linkscanner to assist you in determing if the links pointed to by search engine results are indeed safe to click on.