Microsoft chair Bill Gates today noted at a European news conference that sales of Windows Vista have reached 140 million copies worldwide. The update is the first since the company crossed the 100 million mark at the start of the new year, although Gates doesn't clarify when the company reached the newer threshold. This demonstrates that Vista continues to sell at a "very rapid" rate, according to the Microsoft co-founder. If tracked between January and April, the number represents about 10 million copies of Vista sold per month in the first third of 2008 and signals a slight increase in the sales rate for the operating system, which averaged at just over 9 million copies sold per month in 2007. However, the sales rate is half that of the Windows update's initial results in the first two months of its launch, when it sold as many as 20 million copies per month to cater to early demand.

Most of Microsoft's Vista sales are commonly thought to stem from licenses for new computers as part of users' regular upgrade cycles rather than interruptions spurred by specific demand for the new OS. Last year, Vista was pre-installed on less than half of all new PCs despite being on sale for all but one month.

Via [Electronista]

Recently, I reinstalled the software on our testbed for another long run of benchmarks. Amongst those software were some DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 games. After installing them, I realized that one of the games, BioShock did not work. Whenever I tried loading BioShock, it would just hang with a black screen.

At first, I thought it was the new version 1.1 patch because the other DirectX 10 games I installed worked. So I reinstalled BioShock without applying the patch. Still no go. It still hung when I ran it. Once again, I did an intense search online that didn't really reveal much. Take-Two Interactive's support site claimed it was the driver, so I tried a different driver. No success there either.

Read More @ TechARP

Solitaire Green Background on Vista

For most people using a computer means using Windows and over the years Microsoft’s operating system has become easier to use.

However, there is always room for improvement, so in this feature we have compiled 50 of the finest tips for Windows XP and Vista. These can help to make Windows even better, easier to use and faster. Most don’t even require you to install any extra software, so if you want to make your copy of XP or Vista better, it’s possible to get started immediately.

1. Access My Documents from the Taskbar (XP and Vista)
   Right-click an empty section of the Taskbar and select toolbars, then New Toolbar. Navigate to the My Documents (XP) or Documents (Vista) folder and click the OK or Select Folder button. In its default position to the far right of the Taskbar, the toolbar provides menu access to the entire contents of the folder.
   
2. Extra speed with Readyboost (Vista)
   Plugging in a USB memory key is one of the easiest ways to speed up Vista. When the Autoplay menu appears, select ‘Speed up my system’, or right-click the drive in Computer and select Properties. Move to the Readyboost tab, tick ‘Use this device’ and use the slider to choose how much space should be given up. Not all USB memory keys are fast enough to provide this boost.
   
3. Save folders after a crash (XP)
   If you have lots of folders open in Windows XP, when one of them crashes, they will all close. This can be avoided by using a hidden option. Open the Control Panel, then choose Folder Options. Move to the View tab and scroll down through the list of options until you get to one called ‘Launch folder windows in a separate process’. Place a tick next to it, then click OK.
   
4. Disable Aero Glass (Vista)
   Vista’s Aero Glass transparency effects may look great, but they also drain a computer’s processing power. To speed up a struggling computer, right-click the desktop and select Personalize. Click the link ‘Window Color and Appearance’ at the top of the screen and untick the ‘Enable transparency’ box before clicking OK.
   
5. Save memory (XP)
   When you run programs, Windows XP stores files known as DLLs in memory. When you close the programs, it usually leaves them there for later use but this can slow down the computer. If you are fine editing the Windows Registry, this can be fixed – but make suitable backups first and take great care. Click Start, then Run, type regedit and press Enter.

More Tips @ ComputerActive

MalWarrior, also known as Mal Warrior 2008, a rogue anti-spyware application by itself but advertises itself as a removal tool. As a matter of act, it is one of the latest counterfeit anti-spyware software that causes troubles for our innocent computer users today. Generally, MalWarrior usually installed itself onto your PC without your permission, through Vundo Trojan, Zlob Trojan, Virus or fake software. MalWarrior will display fake system alerts or fake security alerts to trick user to buy the paid version of MalWarrior, in order to remove the potential and reported problems. Not only does it cause your machine to slow down or degrade dramatically, it would also put your privacy and data in risk. To avoid further damages, it’s highly recommended to remove MalWarrior if your computer is infected.

Download SpyHunter* Spyware Detection Utility.

Manual Removal Instructions:

Stop MalWarrior Processes:
(Learn how to do this)
MalWarrior.EXE
mwlauncher.exe

Find and Delete these MalWarrior Files:
(Learn how to do this)
MalWarrior.exe
MalWarrior.url
mwlauncher.exe

Remove MalWarrior Registry Values:
(Learn how to do this)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\adsl software limited\malwarrior 2007
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\adsl software limited\malwarrior 2007\4.0
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\adsl software limited\malwarrior 2007\4.0\config
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\uninstall\malwarrior 2007_is1

Download SpyHunter* Spyware Detection Utility.

You can also download the free version of Avira Antivir to remove the spyware (update)

I caught up with Deryl McCartney, Marketing Manager for the Windows Vista Logo Program, to get a general update on Certified for Windows Vista product as of today.

Just to re-cap: Certified for Windows Vista products are products that carry the above logo. This logo represents a group of applications and hardware that have gone through an extensive certification process that means they work great with Windows Vista. We want users who are looking for devices, applications, or PC components to easily be able to identify the ones that will give them the best experience in Windows Vista today. When I go into a store looking for something for my PCs I always "look for the logo".

As of April, we currently have over 5,000 products that are Certified for Windows Vista. Since last July, the amount of Certified for Windows Vista products has almost doubled!  As you can see - we've seen quite a bit of growth with new Certified for Windows Vista products entering the market.

Deryl is very excited about some of the new Certified for Windows Vista products hitting the market today and wanted me to share a few with you:

• Logitech Quickcam Ultra Vision SE & Logitech Quickcam Orbit AF (Logitech has quite a bit of Certified for Windows Vista webcams)
• Philips Webcam SPC900NC
• Gigabyte GA-EX38-DS4 Motherboard (perfect for building your own PC)
• Epson Stylus Photo R1900
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio PCI Express Sound Card

He also tells me that there is a special section off http://www.windowsvista.com/ designed to showcase all the great Certified for Windows Vista products (right-hand side) worth checking out.

And there is even a Sidebar Gadget for you to add to your Windows Vista desktop that keeps you up-to-date with all the Certified for Windows Vista products and lets you search for specific products to see whether they are certified or not. Download the Gadget here.

I've covered my experiences with several Certified for Windows Vista devices here on the Windows Experience Blog recently:

• Roadtrip around Central Washington with Canon Digital Rebel XTi (with several panoramic shots created with Windows Live Photo Gallery).
• ATI TV Wonder 600 USB to watch TV shows in Windows Media Center.
• Logitech Cordless Desktop S 510 (keyboard and mouse set).
• Microsoft LifeCam VX-7000.

I expect to be talking about some hot new Certified with Windows Vista devices in the very near future. And of course I expect to get regular updates from Deryl too!

And stay tuned as I have something else planned in regards to Certified for Windows Vista I think you'll like as well.