Mainstream support has been ended for XP, but it’s nothing to worry about… yet.

Basically, as planned, Microsoft ended Mainstream Support for Windows XP today. As far as I am aware, this means that Microsoft will no longer provide non-security updates to private users. As Extended Support is still available (and will be for years to come), Microsoft is still going to provide security updates for free as and when they are required. Microsoft is not planning to cut security updates for XP until April 8, 2014.

The company is also going to continue providing support both over the phone and on the web.

Basically, there’s not much to worry about. However, when Windows 7 is released, I would suggest that people start to think about moving to that rather than hanging on an earlier version of Windows that will only provide security fixes for a limited period.

The same Mainstream Support has ended for Office 2003, so users may also consider upgrading to Office 2007 or waiting until the next version of Office is released with Windows 7.

Update: It also seems to have become apparent that you need to be on Windows XP SP3/Office 2003 SP3 to continue to receive important security updates.

Test your typing skills for free – www.typeracer.com

I only recently discovered this, but it’s a really addictive game. Well, it’s not really a game – but it is really good fun.

Basically, you create your profile for free. Once you’ve done that, you can start by practising typing on your own. When you’ve typed out a given text, it will tell you your average words per minute (wpm). After you’ve had a little play-around on your own, you can start playing worldwide where other people from around the world compete with you to see who can type the quickest.

It’s actually really addictive. Plus, it’s also quite practical as it can teach you out of bad spelling habbits. All in a bit of fun.

The “game” is totally free and great fun – even quite addictive. Try it for free now – www.typeracer.com.

Why bother on a high capacity laptop battery when you can get a car inverter?

My laptop is fantastic – it’s dual core with 2GB of RAM and is powerful enough for most of the tasks I need it for. There’s only one downside – the battery. It won’t last more than about 1.5 hours even on a good day. Hopeless – even for watching a short film.

So I was thinking whether I should buy a higher capacity battery. They aren’t exactly cheap. And then there’s the thought that in a worryingly short amount of time, it will be worn out and will need replacing again. But then I thought where is the place I use the battery the most? After a good brainstorm, I discovered that the place I use my laptop most is in the car.

I’d heard about car inverters before, but had been told they were quite expensive and weren’t capable of producing very much power. Well when I was wondering around the Maplin electronics store, I suddenly bumped into one. It claimed it was capable of producing 150 watts constant and a 450 watt surge. In addition, it was just £20 to include the inverter, plus a spare fuse just incase it blew. So I thought it’s always worth a try and bought it. Then I went straight back to the car and plugged in the laptop. Worked straight out of the box.

I’ve discovered that laptop chargers generally only need between 35 and 75 watts of electricity to run, so a 150 watt inverter was easily enough to get it going. Plus there are a number of things you can run with that amount of electricity – phone chargers, camera chargers, fans, even small TVs. You can even attach a double socket and power your phone and laptop charger at the same time. So it could be perfect if you are on a camping trip and you need a bit of juice for your gadgets and gizmos. My inverter even came with a low battery warning to make sure you don’t run your car battery flat, plus it has an overheat/overload monitor.

I think it’s a great idea. It saves having to get car chargers and high capacity batteries. And it just plugs into any car cigarette lighter socket. For only £20, it’s hardly worth missing. Mine came with a year’s warranty, so you can’t go wrong. It’s ideal to keep the kids happy in the back as it can charge games consoles and the likes, or charge up your essentials on the way to work.

I’d really recommend one. They are available online and I just got mine from a Maplin store in town. You just plug it into the cigarette lighter and away you go.

Windows 7 will offer downgrade to Windows Vista and XP

Microsoft has confirmed to news site The Register that Windows 7 will offer a downgrade to Windows Vista and Windows XP for up to 6 months after general availability. The news page seems to suggest that the downgrade will be available for Windows 7 Pro and Windows 7 Ultimate.

I would guess that the downgrade availability would be becuase there are still a large group of people who prefer Windows XP to Windows 7 and Vista.

So, if you still love Windows XP, you don’t need to worry about buying a new computer. Personally, I think Windows 7 will be much better than any previous Windows version, so see what you think before you downgrade.

Which is the best free antivirus/firewall around?

Today, you don’t need to fork out money to get a good antivirus. There are plenty of free alternatives available that’ll do exactly the same job for you, without you having to burn a whole in your pocket.

And there aren’t just one or two free options anymore, there’s actually quite a lot to choose from. Some are better than others, but it’s still worth doing your research and doing a bit of testing to see what’s what. So that’s exactly what I did.

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