How does one choose the hard disk drive (HDD) from all of the available vendors and capacities? First, it’s important to recognize that it’s not a highly critical decision; I’m not likely to choose a vendor or capacity that is unsuitable, and drives are not a huge expense any more, so I can add or replace drives later (or sooner) if necessary.

My existing system has 23 Gb available out of 100 Gb total capacity, so I’m using about 77 Gb. Disk usage has grown from about 15 Gb in 1999 to 77 this year, which means that it grew by a factor of five in the intervening eight years. That suggests I should buy five times the amount of disk that I am now using, or about 400 Gb, to last the next eight years. Maybe so.

But maybe not. New technology is on the horizon. It is already possible to buy a 64 Gb flash drive with no moving parts for about $900. How soon will the price/performance curve of flash or some even-better technology approach that of moving-head disk drives? …

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• Wait six months after SP1

…

Now is the time and the time is now: let’s talk about Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1). Much has been made of what will or will not be included in SP1 and when it will be released (some accurate, some otherwise). I’m here to set the story straight: we’re in the process of developing and deploying a Beta version of SP1. This post will describe for you what to expect from that effort and how you can be involved in the process.

First, a note on service packs. As you are aware, service packs are part of our traditional software lifecycle; they’re something we do for most major products as a commitment to continuous improvement. But, the servicing situation has changed with the advent of Windows Vista, as we no longer rely solely on service packs as the main vehicle used to deploy system fixes and improvements. (more…)

application compatibility, driver quality, Hardware, hardware side, major products, performance issues, service pack 1, Software, software lifecycle, software partners,

 Just a quick post: for those of you that were not aware, in our Support Forums (support for all NeoSmart software, Windows Vista & co., Linux, and more), there is a thread dedicated to beta builds of EasyBCD (and other software betas soon to come).

We’ve just uploaded EasyBCD 1.61 RC2 and highly encourage all our EasyBCD fans out there to grab it and test it as much as possible; it has a bunch of awesome new features we’re itching to get out there in a final release ASAP, so don’t hesitate to rip it to shreds. If all goes well, the next final (stable & fully supported) version of EasyBCD will be released in a timely fashion.

We have just released an update to our free daylight saving patch to include support for the New Zealand timezone changes.

You can download it from here (Scroll down to the middle of the page)

The Windows 98 patch has not been updated yet. If we get enough demand for it we will make the change.

At the same time our Network Administrator program has been updated (It helps you easily distribute the patch across you network)

You can also download it from here (At the top of the page)

The nice part is Network Administrator can be used to check your machines and see if they are updated. So even if you only have XP and 2003 workstations Network Administrator will let you know if the MS DST patch is installed.

Windows 2000, and NT will have no patches released by MS…so if you have one of those systems still running and you are in New Zealand this is an easy way to fix them.

General Overview:

What is Windows Vista Service Pack 1?

Windows Vista SP1 is an update to Windows Vista that, along with improvements delivered to users via Windows Update, addresses feedback from our customers. While SP1 contains valuable updates to Windows, organizations don’t need to wait to deploy and can experience the improved security, management and deployment benefits of Windows Vista today.

In addition to previously released updates, SP1 will contain changes focused on addressing specific reliability and performance issues, supporting new types of hardware, and adding support for several emerging standards. SP1 also continues to improve upon the IT administration experience. SP1 is not intended to be a vehicle for releasing new features; however some existing components do gain enhanced functionality in SP1.

Windows Vista SP1 is designed to not significantly change the UI or to cause regressions in application compatibility.1

When will the Windows Vista SP1 beta be released?

The beta will be released to a moderate size audience in a few weeks.

What guidance would we like MVPs to share with customers considering waiting until SP1 before evaluating Windows Vista?

Customers do not need to

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