PCTips Box

It’s possible to have Vista and chow down on your XP cake, too, if you apply a free — for now — virtual machine.

If you’re stuck with a Vista PC, but you really prefer using XP, I’ll show you how to set up XP as a virtual machine on Vista, plus some tricks you can use to get the most out of this setup.

Why you should give virtual machines a free try

It’s unarguable: Windows XP operates more quickly than Vista (a fact that PC World recently demonstrated even with the new Service Pack 1 installed on Vista). Additionally, no one who’s independent of Microsoft’s payroll suggests that device drivers are just as easily available for Vista as they are for XP, or that Vista supports as many software applications that people own. (more…)

Bulletproofing Internet Explorer 7 on the desktop is a process that can be customized in accordance with specific deployment scenarios. The level of personalization comes inherent with the flexibility of the security settings available in the browser. Although IE7 delivers by default a secure configuration, there is always space for tweaking security in order to either relax or increase restrictions. Always bear in mind that an equilibrium is necessary between limitations and usability. Microsoft is even offering a whitepaper designed to guide users in building an enhanced IE secure environment for the desktop.

“As more and more enterprises adopt Internet Explorer 7, we’ve been getting more questions about deploying and securing IE7 on the desktop. (more…)