There are still major hardware driver issues with Vista and peripherals, such as printers, scanners, so much so, you are better to wait. For example I have a laser printer I purchased last fall and HP advised the Vista driver may be available between now and July 2007. Older hardware drivers may not work well with Vista. So my advice is to wait at least 6 months to upgrade to the new operating system.

In January after extensive testing My PC Consultant launched Remote On-line Support. Clients who sign a service agreement receive this service complimentary as part of their agreement. Check out what is offered.

In this issue, we have some interesting articles, tips and software.

Safe Computing

Robert

In the News:

Apple issued a security update late Tuesday to plug dozens of security holes in both the client and server versions of Mac OS X 10.4.9. Read the story.

Grisoft SRO rolled out two security products on Tuesday for small businesses that want simple management, the company said. Read more.

Microsoft pushes out several high priority patches, including two for Windows Vista. Read what to expect

Photocopiers: The Newest ID Theft Threat - Newer models equipped with hard drives record what's been duplicated and at tax time, that's a problem. Find out why.

Microsoft officials say the worst of the problems regarding the daylight-saving time change have passed, but some customers are still complaining of "nightmare" issues. Find out more

We've been hard on Symantec recently. Its products have been lacklustre and consumed way too much system resources. But the ship that Norton built seems to have been righted, and is sailing off on a new and more useful tack. Witness PC World’s review of the new Norton 360, a product designed to provide complete soup-to-nuts security. It actually works without all the annoying interruptions. It's not perfect, but it was still good enough to get PC World’s Editors' Choice seal of approval. It's a winner for just about everyone. Find out why in PC World’s detailed review.

Three years after it first appeared, the Bagle Worm is still in business, with many anti-virus engines unable to keep up, a security vendor claims. Read about what they say

Computing Tips:

WordArt is handy for creating type treatments in Microsoft Word. If you want to customize the look of your WordArt objects, check out these tips from MARY ANN RICHARDSON and get more creative with your WordArt.

Rename many pictures at once - If you import digital photos, you're going to love this tip.

1. Open the folder where you've saved your pictures. Select your first batch of pictures to rename.
2. Right-click the first picture selected and then click Rename.
3. Rename the first picture to whatever you like (for example, Boston Vacation), then click any empty space within the window to deselect the pictures.

Your pictures automatically rename themselves ("Boston Vacation (1)," "Boston Vacation (2)," etc.). This tip also works to rename any collection of files.

Make your folders private - There are a couple of ways to keep other users from viewing your PC files. First, you can make every folder under My Documents private, so only you can access these folders and their contents. Here's how:

1. Right-click your My Documents folder and then click Properties.
2. Click the Sharing tab, select the Do Not Share This Folder checkbox, and then click OK.

If you don't need this much privacy, you can simply follow the same steps above to make individual folders private instead.

The above two tips are courtesy of the book Windows XP Killer Tips by Kleber Stephenson.

Interesting Articles

For Windows Vista

What's changed from Windows XP? Are you wondering where some of your old favourite features are? Make the transition to Windows Vista easier by learning exactly how things have changed and moved. For Windows XP Stop Windows Messenger from signing in Don't feel like talking? Learn how to turn off Windows Messenger.   How to share and stop sharing files Expanding on the Featured Tip, learn how to let different users on your network connect to your folders and documents--but only when you allow it. Be more productive 35 things every PC user should know Want to speed up your broadband connection? Diagnose mysterious crashes? Find step-by-step instructions for these and other common PC tasks here.   Make a Wi-Fi connection almost anywhere Get some simple hints and troubleshooting tips that make connecting to a wireless network easier.   Manage your Inbox automatically while out of the office You may use Out of Office Assistant to respond to incoming mail when you're away. But you can also use it to automatically manage messages, so they're not so overwhelming when you return. Learn how. Retire that old computer more safely Help protect yourself by removing personal data from your computer's hard disk drive before you unplug it for the last time.