There are many ways to curry your Windows machine with a new look. Thanks to the new programs evolving in recent times, changing the default Windows theme to Apple Mac OS is not that complicated any more.

Apparently, people love changing themes, especially the Windows users. I mount new themes on my Windows XP every month or so just to give that fresh look — and it’s fun to watch your friends wondering how we did it.

For the most part, a theme can deliver a new OS experience on your machine which can foster productivity. Changing Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP, into Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is visually appealing. It’s refreshing. Although sometimes the memory can get pretty wonky!

Keeping all this aside, if you have a powerful PC enough to handle the changes, then this theme pack is for you:

What you need?

All you need to do is invest some time; download couple of files off the Internet and you’re good to go.

Here’s what you need to do to change your Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 OS into the latest Apple Mac OS X 10.7 Lion:

Step 1: Download these tools:

— Download the CustoPack tool for your Windows system. This is a free tool to customize your Windows experience by installing packs. This program works on Windows XP (32-bit), Windows Vista (32 or 64-bit), and Windows 7 (32 or 64-bit).

— The Lion pack is available on the same website which can be downloaded from here. Also, if you are interested in other packs, feel free to browse the site — there are nuggets of gold hidden there.

Step 2: Installation:

The rest of the process is easy. Install the CustoPack tool on your Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 Machine. Launch the program, click on Choose a CustoPack and install the Mac OS X Lion pack.

Follow the rest of the process to install Mac OS X Lion theme on your Windows machine.

You can read the original blog post here Change Windows 7, Windows XP to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion [Theme Pack].

When it comes down to paying for an antivirus program, PC users, especially the irregular ones, will have to think twice before forking out their hard-earned money. Added to this is the competitive antivirus market which makes it difficult for us, the consumers, to choose the right program for safeguarding our system.

With that said, here’s a chance to grab a very popular Security Suite program for free. Anyone operating on Windows platform can download the Norton 360 Security Suite free of charge. You can use this program to scan your Windows system for infected files, viruses and fine-tune your machine as and when you like. All this and much more can be done at the cost of nothing.

Norton 360 works on Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP machine.

Download Norton 360 Trial

I’ve been using Norton 360 Security Suite for some time now, and I have to admit: the nifty interface kills the rest of the competitive products in the market. Not to mention the Norton 360 Suite has been claimed as the industry’s fastest and the most effective all-in-one security solution for your machine.

Thanks to Symantec and Microsoft for making this product available to the masses. I’d recommend every Windows user to try out the trial — works for 90 days — which comes with fully-fledged components and features like automated backup, parental control, recovery and so on.

Also, it is up to you if you want to extend the period after the expiration of 90 days. If you like the product, then renew the subscription only after the trial expires.

To grab Norton 360 v5.0, head over to this link and the downloading should begin immediately.

You can read the original blog post here Download Norton 360 Trial — Working 90 Days Trial For Windows 7, Vista and XP.

Update: Windows 8 Developer Preview is available for download.

The successor of Windows 7 will take a new shape, and, if the rumors are true, we will very soon be able to use the Windows 8  OS on our Tablets and PCs.

While Microsoft refuses to drop any hints on the upcoming Windows 8, the online ninjas have yet again managed to predict the launch of the OS. From the news surfaced on the web, Windows 8 beta is scheduled for a launch in the month of September. Exact release date? Not known.

Also, it is confirmed that Microsoft is on the verge of finishing their second build of Win8. Windows 8 will have support for ARM-based processors and will be ported on tablets with touch-optimized UI. There is a lot to talk about the Windows 8 beta, but rumors and assumption is all we have for now.

We shall not dig deep into the “rumored” features the OS has to offer, but one thing is for sure: Microsoft will leverage Windows 8 to their advantage and compete against the likes of their competitor.

Leaked Screenshot of Win8 OS

Related: Learn how to install Windows 8 on Mac.

The notorious leak of the early build of Windows 8 OS was first spotted on ZDnet. One must admit: the screenshot looks pretty much Win7-ish. Lets hope that Microsoft will spruce up the UI and tack on never-seen-before functionality.

You can read the original blog post here Leaked Screenshot of Win8 OS; Windows 8 Beta to be Available in September.

While leaked copies of the Windows 7 SP1 RTM rolled out on the torrent sites last week, Microsoft has, after a long-wait, made the download link available — the very first service pack of the Windows 7, Windows 7 SP1 RTM, can be downloaded for free.

After selling over 300 million copies of licensed Windows 7 (not to forget that this doesn’t include the vast number of copies that are pirated from torrent sites), upgrading to the Service Pack 1 will be an exciting experience for the Win7 users.

The update tacks on a new 3D experience for remote users with the feature called “RemoteFX.” This will provide a completely new remote experience for the users with improved video streaming. Also included in the incremental update is fixing of bugs and closing of the security issues.

Download Windows 7 SP1 RTM

I haven’t downloaded the file yet, but I’ll. If you have a licensed copy of Windows 7, then it is recommended that you should update to this service pack. Needless to say, this is a healthy update for Win7 users.

The file is in .ISO format, available for both x86 and x64 Architecture. To snag a copy of this Windows 7 SP1 RTM, all you need to do is click on the direct link below.

Download Windows SP1 ISO File (x86 and x64)

You can read the original blog post here Direct Download Windows 7 SP1 RTM .ISO File [x86 and x64 Architecture].

While there are several fine-looking Mac Windows 7 themes floating around the web, here is one theme that I liked the most and deserves a fair bit of attention for its perfection.

This Mac theme for Windows 7 platform designed by giannisgx89 is the only theme that comes close in giving a sharp Mac look to your Windows 7.

Download Snow Leopard theme For Win7 OS

Although the theme is not yet in its final version, but the beta2 version is definitely going to raise eyebrows if you haven’t tried any Mac theme on Windows 7 before! Worth the download? Definitely.

Click here to download [4.5MB]

You can read the original blog post here Download Mac Theme For Windows 7.

Though the Apple iPad and Android powered tablets are doing great these days, more tablets are expected to flood the market very soon. So, the day may not be that far when you will perhaps buy a Windows 7 tablet. But the question is whether Windows 7 is an ideal foil for tablets, which are all about touch.

But Windows 7 has few inherent touch-friendly features, and basically it’s meant to be operated with a keyboard and mouse. So how will the default user interface fit in the scheme of tablets? The answer lies in the amount of work put in by companies such as UI Centric to develop a user interface meant with to work for Windows 7 tablets.

And UI Centric being one of the leading user interface designers, has come out with a tablet interface meant specifically for the Windows 7, named the Macallan. While this interface will not work with mobile operating systems or touch enabled notebooks and computers, it promises to give you unmatched user experience.

Macallan UI on the upcoming Windows 7 tablet

And when you actually compare it with other tablet user interfaces, it does seem to hold a distinct edge. After all Windows 7 Macallan comes preloaded with amazing features such as native multitasking, camera and video chat functions, USB and data card support. The Adobe Flash plug-in allows you to open the latest web pages with complex Flash features, with consummate ease.

UI Centric has been making interfaces for along while now and companies such as Microsoft, Panasonic and BT have benefited greatly from their work. So, there is no reason to think that Macallan for Windows 7 tablets will be a let down.

The only letdown, if any right now, is that it’s not yet known which will be the first Win 7 tablet to house the Macallan UI. However, if rumors are to be believed, this could be revealed very soon, before the third quarter ends.

And it is not the end-user who has the right to feel delighted with the Macallan on the horizon. Even companies planning on Window 7 tablets, should feel great that they now have the problem of choosing a suitable UI put to bed!

You can read the original blog post here Macallan for Windows 7 Tablets: Touch Friendly Macallan UI on Win 7 Tablet.

I still remember when Windows XP was considered as one of the best Windows operating systems. It was launched with a rock solid combination of stunning looks and brilliant performance. Even the launch of Windows Vista had very less effect on the popularity of Windows XP.

On the other hand, the latest Windows 7 is a real killer. Win 7 comes with the power packed combination of Windows XP’s performance and Vista’s glossy looks.

That being said, there’s no doubt Windows XP still has a lot of users in different corners of the world. And lately a lot of Windows XP themes have been developed that can help you easily incorporate the Windows 7 look into your Windows XP. To help you cut through the clutter, I have hand-picked some of the best Windows 7 Themes for XP.

Top Windows XP Themes Based on Windows 7

1. SevenVG RTM Theme – If you are looking for the perfect Windows 7 look, there’s no theme that can match the features of this beautiful theme by Vishal Gupta. It is one among the closest replica of the Windows 7 interface.

2. Windows 7 V2 – This beautiful theme gives you a complete Windows 7 experience added with 2 great taskbar customizations – Glass style and Aero.

3. Windows 7 Alpha – Windows 7 Alpha Pack by Black Energy is a really classy theme for Windows XP that completely mimics the Windows 7 interface. It also comes with a custom logon that blends well with the entire theme.

4. Aero Seven XP RC5 – This theme is one among the most advanced Windows 7 Theme for XP. It includes improved taskbar, buttons, frames, various sub-styles and much more.

5. Windows 7 Complete – Windows 7 Complete is a complete transformation pack for XP that can completely transform your XP to Windows 7. It is an easy-to-use transformation pack and provides you with lots of customization options.

6. Windows Se7en Superbar for XP – Windows Se7en Superbar for XP is yet another beautiful theme that can make your Windows XP look just like Windows 7. The taskbar, start button, window frames etc. are matched to perfection.

Have any other windows 7 theme recommendation for Windows XP? Share it through the comment section!

You can read the original blog post here Top Windows 7 themes for XP.

If you want to resize your hard drive and migrate everything (from files to boot sectors) from your current or old hard drive to your new one, this could be very helpful to you. You need to understand that copy-and-paste will not work because it will miss out the boot sector and other important parts and partitions. Windows may have hidden partitions that you will likely need if you reinstall your operating system.

There are two ways to duplicate your current hard drive: imaging and cloning.

In imaging, a very large single file will be copied to a separate media like external hard drive (or anything that can store large files). Cloning, on the other hand, will copy everything directly from your old hard drive to your new hard drive. With this, cloning is a better choice for copying or duplicating everything from your old hard drive.

It is vital that you have access to both hard drives at the same time when you do cloning. If you are using a desktop computer, you can install another hard drive that will serve as the second internal drive. This will become your first hard drive when you remove your old hard drive. On the other hand, if you are using a portable device like laptop or you don’t like dealing with cables and other complicated stuff, devices like BYTECC USB 2.0 TO IDE/SATA Adapter are your allies so that you can turn your new drive as a temporary drive.

You can use EASEUS Disk Copy software to create a bootable CD. This software is a free ware that you can download as an .iso image file, if in case you can’t launch the disc-burning program, this means that you have to download the ISO Recorder (a free software too).

You will encounter a problem with the Disk Copy if you have Windows XP as your operating system because partitions cannot be resized. But if you are using Windows 7 or Vista, resizing the partitions may not be that of a problem.

For Windows XP — use EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition instead, because it can resize the partitions and it can clone the hard drive too. The wizard will help you throughout the process so you don’t have to worry.

The only problem that you will encounter with the Partition Master is when you have Windows XP x64 version because the Partition Master doesn’t work in 64-bit environment.

There you go, I hope this article helped you in migrating files to your new hard drive.

You can read the original blog post here Moving Files From Old Hard Drive to New Hard Drive.

Microsoft never fails to introduce something new to its customers. The company has introduced very useful tools that people can use in their everyday lives. Last June 24, 2010, Microsoft released the free Windows Live Essentials Beta that’s available for public testing.

Windows Live Essentials is an Internet application for people who use Windows Vista and Windows 7 that includes programs like Windows Live Photo Gallery, Writer, Movie Maker, and Windows Messenger. The Beta is available in English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, French, Japanese, Portuguese, and Dutch.

Since many people are dependent on Internet and computer applications when it comes to their daily routines, the Windows Live Essentials beta connects the programs in the package to the web so that users can organize and can easily share their blogs, photos, and videos.

Features of the New Windows Live Essentials Beta

Some of the sites where the beta connects the applications are blogging sites like Blogger and WordPress, social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, and sharing sites like SkyDrive and YouTube. Web-mails are also included like Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo Mail.

Another useful feature of the Windows Live Essentials Beta is the Sync feature. It is very useful to everyone especially for those who have multiple PCs because they can now synchronize their files across multiple PCs and even on the Internet.

This is because of the remote desktop feature that allows the users of the package to remotely access their files via the Internet.  This was affirmed by experts who said that the Windows Live Sync may be the best and useful choice for people who have multiple PCs.  Experts also said that this can be the foundation of other future Microsoft products.

Face Recognition, Movie Maker and more..

Face recognition in which the users can easily tag their friends and family in the photos. Once the user tagged his or her friends and family, the beta will automatically recognize the faces in other photos and tag them automatically. Movie Maker also received an update in which there are now additional tools for better navigation and addition of titles, captions, transitions, and soundtrack.

Related: Face Recognition Complete Guide.

The Live Sync feature of the beta makes it easy for people to share their videos from the Movie Maker. An update for the Live Mail is also available making it look like Microsoft Outlook. The Live Mail has now a calendar pane to help people in organizing their schedules. Lastly, the Windows Live Essentials beta has safety controls for enhancement.

You can read the original blog post here New Windows Live Essentials Beta Provides Great Features.

Isn’t it ironic how after years since the XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) was released by Windows, people are still holding on to the old XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)?

Thankfully on July 13 — Microsoft is finally going to pull the plug for those users who have over-enjoyed the Windows XP SP2 and Windows 2000 Professional.

It is very clear why Windows 2000 Professional should be stopped: after providing support for this operating system for the last ten years, shouldn’t people have had enough? I’d say stop it buddies! Yea, right now!

If you want to continue using Windows XP SP2, then sorry my readers, you won’t be able to get patches to keep your system secure. After July 13, you’ll have to find another way to seek the Extended Support for Windows 2000 Professional, which you will never find. Go ahead, I dare you.

I don’t understand the resistance to which some people display in continuing to patronize their old systems. If you’re being cheap and would rather try your chance with fate, then I’d be glad to inform you that the XP SP3 is free. Yes, there are no hidden charges and other catches.

What’s your reason for not upgrading? Upgrades are called ‘upgrades’ for a reason: they increase the level of a program’s efficiency. Windows XP SP3 is far superior to the old SP2. SP3 is faster, more stable, and works best with other Windows software.

Perhaps you don’t depend as much as I do on your computer. I mean, I work using my computer. I earn a living using my computer. I buy things online using my credit card. If I continue to use SP2 after Windows said that they will not release security patches is just plain stupid. It’s like handing over my house keys to a burglar and saying, “My car keys are in the kitchen. Feel free to eat everything then get whatever you want.”

In my house I take particular care to close the windows and bolt the doors. For my computer, using XP SP3 is the safest, sanest route I can take to security.

You can read the original blog post here Windows XP SP3: The Critical Need to Upgrade.