Operating system how-tos

  • Wipe your hard drive clean

    09 Nov 2009 11:33 AM

    Get out your virtual scrub brush and let's get busy.

  • Burn an ISO image in Windows 7

    06 Nov 2009 11:00 AM

    Windows finally makes it simple to burn a disc image to a CD or DVD.

  • Make a Windows 7 system repair disc

    22 Oct 2009 2:02 PM

    Before anything has a chance to go bad, make an emergency disc for Windows 7.

  • Upgrade Windows Vista to Windows 7

    22 Oct 2009 1:50 PM

    In most cases you can do an in-place upgrade of Vista to Windows 7. Here's how.

  • Upgrade Windows XP to Windows 7

    20 Oct 2009 2:13 PM

    It's a painful install since Microsoft provides no direct upgrade path, but we can help.

  • Windows 7 demo: Search tools

    09 Oct 2009 1:14 PM

    Our colleague from ZDNet, Ed Bott, takes a closer look at the search tools in Windows 7 and shows you how you can use them to make your digital life a little more organised.

  • Windows 7 demo: Taskbar features

    08 Oct 2009 12:06 PM

    We show you how some new features in Windows 7 can help you keep track of dozens of open windows at once to multitask more effectively.

  • Windows 7 demo: Window management

    30 Sep 2009 2:46 PM

    Here's a cool new set of gestures and shortcuts to help you move, resize and arrange windows more intelligently in Windows 7.

  • Ask Us: How do I undelete files?

    09 Sep 2009 3:58 PM

    Had a change of heart about a file you thought you didn't need? Here are some tips to rescue deleted data.

  • Windows desktop bling

    16 Mar 2009 5:17 PM

    Just because your Windows computer comes with boring backgrounds and icons doesn't mean that you're stuck with them. We show you where to find themes, widgets and other desktop tools to jazz up your screen.

The Explain Series

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Reviews

  • Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6)

    Intel Mac users will like Snow Leopard's smartly designed interface enhancements, and its Exchange support is a must-have (especially with Outlook for Mac on the way). With a ton of technological improvements, Snow Leopard is worth the AU$39 upgrade fee.

  • Microsoft Windows 7 (Home Premium)

    Windows 7 is more than what Vista should have been — it's where Microsoft needed to go. How much damage Vista did and whether Windows 7 is enough for people to finally abandon Windows XP are questions that nobody has the answers to right now.

  • Microsoft Windows 7 (Professional)

    Windows 7 looks like the operating system that we've all been waiting for. Despite its imperfections, it shows a lot of promise for the future while presenting a stable platform that can compete comfortably with OS X.