Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage

If you were wondering what it is and should you install it here is a brief explanation. Many people out there may have come across this less than subtle crackdown on illegal piracy of Windows XP and Microsoft Office products. Once installed you find you PC pretty much at the mercy of Microsoft in respect of you receiving any further updates Microsoft started with an ActiveX component to force owners of Windows XP to validate their version before downloading security updates. This was pretty much rendered useless by various workarounds. If you are a legit user there is nothing to fear about having this tool but if you are not you may find your windows being rendered useless.

Vista or Stick

With the recent release of Windows Vista, you might be tempted upgrade to the latest and possibly one of their best to date. There are different trends of thought on this. Some prefer to wait until the release of the first service pack to ensure a more stable version is available whilst others jump in with both feet. I think for the novices out there it is best to wait for the service pack as you may spend time trying to resolve issues that are beyond you but if you have a good working knowledge why not consider a dual boot system and have the best of both worlds.

An important Step before you rush out to buy a copy, make sure you take a look at the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. This page has a tool which you can download and use to analyze your system to see if it is capable of running Vista. But it can only be used as a guide and you might want to consider some additional homework such as what type of Software you wish to run etc.