by Brad Linder on April 29, 2008 at 03:00 PM

For the last week or two we've been telling you that Microsoft planned to release Windows XP Service Pack 3 through Windows Update today, meaning most Windows XP users would download and install it automatically. But then Microsoft decided to go and make liars of us, by holding off on the release. ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley reports that Microsoft discovered a compatibility problem that the company ...
by Brad Linder on April 21, 2008 at 07:00 PM

Microsoft has released Windows XP SP3 to manufacturers, which means it should start making its way to OEM and enterprise customers. What that means for you the consumer is that pretty soon you'll be able to purchase computers running Windows XP SP3 instead of SP2. That is, if Microsoft lets companies continue selling machines running Windows XP after the original June cutoff date. As expected, ...
by Brad Linder on April 8, 2008 at 05:00 PM

Sure, Windows tweaking applications are a dime a dozen. Cheaper really, since you can pick up a few excellent ones for free. But we're always a fan of any application that lets you customize your operating system without mucking around in the Windows registry manually. Nothing ruins your day as much as changing a few registry settings only to realize that you can't remember how to restore them ...
by Brad Linder on March 25, 2008 at 07:00 PM

A few weeks ago we could have sworn that Microsoft was getting ready to release the final build of Windows XP SP3 by the end of March. But today Microsoft released Windows XP SP3 RC2 refresh, which basically means it's a slightly modified version of the release candidate made available in February. There aren't really many new features or surprises in the latest build. The refresh basically has ...
by Brad Linder on March 25, 2008 at 06:00 PM

Come June, computer makers are supposed to stop offering Windows XP on prebuilt systems. Microsoft will continue to support the operating system for a while, but the goal is to phase XP out and phase Vista in. But Microsoft has already extended XP's lifetime due to widespread concerns over Windows Vista. CNet has an interesting article suggesting that Microsoft could give Windows XP another ...
by Ian Dumych on December 20, 2007 at 07:00 PM

Microsoft has released Release Candidate 1 of Windows XP to it's official site. Anyone can now download this eagerly awaited update to the world's most popular operating system. This update is sure to be a hit with consumers and professionals who have been less than enthused with Windows Vista. As we have previously covered, there is still a huge demand for Windows XP, despite the fact that it's ...
by Brad Linder on December 6, 2007 at 02:00 PM

Pretty soon you'll be able to run Windows on pretty much any PC you buy, no matter how small. Thanks to Boot Camp and Parallels you can run Windows on a Mac. And thanks to an aggressive push by Microsoft, you can run Windows on Asus's low-cost laptop the Eee PC (while the first units are shipping with Linux, they include instructions for loading Windows XP and Asus plans to sell units with XP ...
by Brad Linder on November 29, 2007 at 07:00 PM

Love the look of Windows Vista, but don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on to "upgrade" your operating system and potentially slow down your computer's performance? Vista Transformation Pack 8 gives you most of Vista's visual candy without the operating system's security enhancements, user account control, or power management features. We first looked at Vista Transformation Pack last year ...
by Alex Hung on October 22, 2007 at 09:00 AM

digg_url = 'http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2007/10/22/dev-chair-faster-better-cheaper-with-agile/';As NASA starts to wind down their Space Shuttle activity in the next three years, the space agency's effort to return to the Moon has been ramping up quietly in the background. With their new Orion/Ares space vehicle combination, crew automation will definitely be on the top of software ...
by Brad Linder on October 11, 2007 at 01:00 PM

Now that a handful of lucky folks have gotten their hands on Windows XP Service Pack 3, we're starting to think you might not want to upgrade to Windows Vista anytime soon. Okay, we already kind of thought that, but it turns out SP3 includes a ton of security updates, some Vista code, and a couple of brand spanking new features for Windows XP:
There's a new Windows Product Activation model ...
by Brad Linder on October 2, 2007 at 07:00 PM

How's this for a sales pitch? We know you've got a pirated copy of our software. We're willing to turn a blind eye to the fact that you shouldn't have it in the first place, and allow you to get an official license and ongoing customer support. But you'll have to pay us for both the license and the support. Isn't that better than free? Essentially that's what Microsoft is saying with its new Get ...
by Brad Linder on September 29, 2007 at 02:00 PM

It's been a busy week here at Download Squad headquarters. And we assume you've had a busy week too. So if you've fallen behind on your tech news, here are a few things you might have missed during the week ending September 29th, 2007. Download Squad interviews Evan Jones of 360desktop - Video Ever get the feeling that there's just not enough space for all the shortcuts, temporary files, and ...
by Chris Gilmer on September 28, 2007 at 12:30 PM

Bowing into pressure from customers, Microsoft has decided to continue selling the Windows XP operating system in stores for another five months. Previous versions of operating systems released by Microsoft have generally been available for up to two years after the shipment of a new OS. Microsoft had planned on cutting XP in stores just one year after the release of Vista, however, due to its ...
by Brad Linder on September 21, 2007 at 08:00 PM

Windows Vista is pretty. Nobody disputes the fact that the Aero interface is pretty, and in some cases even useful. And there are a lot of security measures built into the operating system. But many users have reported software they rely on isn't compatible with the latest operating system from Microsoft. Power management features often don't work the way they're supposed to. And sometimes too ...
by Sue Polinsky on August 30, 2007 at 04:00 PM

Jim Louderback leaves PCMag and Ziff Davis after 16 years as an editor and on his way out tells us what he really thinks of Microsoft Vista. In his words, "The litany of what doesn't work and what still frustrates me stretches on endlessly." Need new computers for your small business but are unsure what OS to put on them? Take a hint from Dell. For a while, Dell pushed Vista but after hearing ...