This new webpage will comprise of Notices, News and/or Recommendations related to Windows Vista.

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FAX Software

Just in case you are not aware yet, Windows Vista Home Basic and Windows Vista Home Premium do not come with any FAX software built-in as standard. Only Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Ultimate do. Therefore. If you are a Windows Vista Home user, with a new computer that has a built-in fax/modem for example, you will more than likely need to buy some FAX software for it. If you have an old computer with a newly installed Windows Vista you may be lucky enough to get its old fax/modem software working with Windows Vista, provided you have the old FAX software disk(s) of course.

There are currently three major FAX software vendors on the internet at the moment who have Windows Vista compatible FAX software for sale - RKS, SnappySoftware and FaxTalk. They vary in features and price but you should find one that is appropriate to your needs/budget - You can always search the internet for reviews on these products before buying any of them, which I strongly recommend you do. Another company doing FAX software is VentaFax which offers a Home version for $49.95 and a Business version for $99.

If you have a P.A.Y.G (or Anytime) ISP Dial-Up account, with or without a fax/modem built-into your computer, and want to save money I recommend doing what I did recently. Buy yourself a £15 USB Fax/Modem that comes supplied with FaxTalk Communicator SE 4.7, from PCWorld. That way you have a portable USB Fax/Modem that plugs straight into Windows Vista without the need for driver software. You only need to install FaxTalk Communicator SE 4.7, which is straight forward. And at the time of writing you can upgrade to FaxTalk Messenger Pro 7.5 Upgrade for only $44.95, instead of paying the normal $88.95.

Overview Links:  RKS Fax ($19.99)      Snappy Fax ($29.95)      VentaFax ($49.95)      FaxTalk Messenger Pro ($89.95)


Internet Explorer 8 (Beta 2)

Internet Explorer 7 is the web browser that is built-in to Windows Vista as standard. Microsoft has now released Internet Explorer 8 (Beta 2) which is said to be Faster, More Private and More Secure than ever before. It is also said to be More Responsive with new pages and tabs; and opens up fast and reliably.

As with all Beta (Not Final/Still Testing) releases you either want to test it out now or you wait for the final version to be released (which is supposed to be towards the end of 2008). If you do decide to download/install/test it now there is a Discussion Group you can go to for free help & advice.

Download Link: Internet Explorer 8 (Beta 2)      Discussion Group: IE8 Newsgroup


Software Compatibility

If you want to know if a piece of software or hardware is compatible with Windows Vista you should check that manufacturer's website first. In many cases though a manufacturer might not have a website or might have a website but not a webpage detailing a specific piece of software or hardware, for whatever reason(s), especially if that software or hardware is old.

Fortunately. Microsoft has created the Windows Vista Compatibility Center to help you check if a specific piece of software or hardware is compatible with Windows Vista. Microsoft also has an Excel file called Application Compatibility that you can download. It lists almost 4,000 Applications that are either "Compatible" or "Works With Windows Vista".

Download Link: Application Compatibility  Excel file.


Windows Mail - Database Software

If you want to compact and/or repair your Windows Mail database, which should be compacted and defragmented on a regular basis in order to function with maximum efficiency, you can download the Free-To-Use utility called WMUtil from OEHelp.

Although Windows Mail does automatically compact the database every 100 times (see the COMPACT THE DATABASE ON SHUTDOWN EVERY ??? RUNS setting under TOOLS >> OPTIONS >> ADVANCED >> MAINTENANCE) WMUtil allows you to compact and/or repair the database manually. This is ideal if you are having problems with Windows Mail generally (i.e. when its database has become corrupt and is therefore crashig Windows Mail).

Download Link: Windows Mail Utility


Windows Vista SP1

Windows Vista SP1 (Service Pack 1), which was released on 18th March 2008, is the latest major update for Windows Vista (Released on 30th January 2007). In addition to previously released updates (via Windows Update) SP1 also contains changes that are focused on Reliability, Performance and Compatibility issues; Supporting new types of hardware and adding support for several emerging standards.

Windows Vista SP1 can automatically be downloaded/installed from Windows Update or it can be manually downloaded as a Five Language Standalone version (onto a Flash Drive for example) and later installed. The Winows Update version/download is a lot smaller than the Five Language Standalone version because it automatically checks to see if you have previously downloaded/installed any updates (throughout the year). And if you have it will not download/install those updates again, as they are already installed of course. The Five Language Standalone (manual download) version on the other hand assumes you have never downloaded/installed any updates, hence why it contains updates from the previous year. The Five Language Standalone version can be installed on systems with any of the following language versions: English (US), French, German, Japanese, or Spanish (Traditional).

Download Link: Windows Vista SP1




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