The Microsoft Small Business Community Blog has a blog entry linking to Microsoft’s Windows Vista Tips & Tricks web site.

Looks to me like this is a great site for anyone who is starting to use Vista — or has been using it for a while.

Two downloads there — the Windows Vista Tip Sheet and the Windows Vista Top 10 Tips & Tricks. Either should be worth your time to download…

Open your pocketbook!

Microsoft’s EULA for Windows Vista allows one transfer of a retail copy of Windows Vista to a new machine. Of course, an OEM copy (now referred to differently) will not be transferrable to a different computer — and it never was legally according to the licenses.

Unfortunately, Microsoft has been taking steps in recent years to redefine “what is a computer.” All too often, they’ve determined that that a motherboard replacement with the same model motherboard and CPU is not a new machine, but that an upgrade of motherboard, CPU and memory in your computer now makes it a “new computer.”

The new Vista version of WGA (“windows genuine advantage”) is even touchier than the XP system checker in terms of deciding what it thinks are too many changes.

I recall, with Windows XP, adding a network card, changing a network card, adding a new hard drive to the computer (temporarily to transfer data from the old hard drive) and then disconnecting the old hard drive — and having to call Microsoft to get a new number to enter into Windows XP. Apparently this many changes to the hardware triggered the “new system” test in XP.

Well, MS says the new system is even more sophisticated and sensitive.

PC enthusiasts that like to frequently change their systems are not happy.

Under the new system, retail copies will be able to moved to a new “device” one time. After that, it’s “buy a new license” or call MS Tech Support to plead your case. MS has not released any firm rules (if they ever will) on how this will work, either.

It’s amazing. Just who does Microsoft think really drives the acceptance of their new operating systems. It’s not the corporations or the manufacturers — it is the PC enthusiasts who hound their friends that still have old PCs and old operating systems.

Yet, MS is attacking the pocketbooks of those very people. Bad move. We may see a ground-swell of support for Linux…

Thinking about getting one of the Windows Vista upgrades for your current computer? Or, trying RC1 (Release Candidate 1) of Vista?

Microsoft has released a “Release Candidate” version of their Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor tool. You can download it to run on your existing computer to see what they think will work and what they believe won’t.

On RC1, at this point, I wouldn’t. Microsoft has a habit of requiring that a beta OS installation be reformatted before installing the real thing. That means that you’ll be starting over on that computer. Of course, if you realize that and want to go ahead, feel free… (shipping and handling extra).

I love that Yogi Berra saying “It’s Déjà Vu all over again!”

In the latest news, Microsoft is playing the consumer-manufacturer games that they did with the Windows XP introduction right after Christmas.

That’s right — according to an article at Seattle PI, Microsoft is offering some free upgrades to buyers of new computer systems during Christmas.

If I recall correctly, the manufacturers’ experience was that the pre-XP Christmas was one of their worst.

Interestingly, not all current XP OS versions will have a free upgrade! The most common Windows XP system sold to consumers has Windows XP Home. Unfortunately, the coupon for an upgrade to Vista will still cost $49.99 for the actual upgrade — plus shipping.

Manufacturers are free to price their upgrades the way they want to, so some may offer better (or worse) deals.

Moral of the story: If you want a new computer for Christmas, make the family a pretty gift certificate good for a Vista computer system. Don’t plan on buying an XP system and then upgrading immediately.

Amazing how MS can put such a positive spin on fixing the security problems it has allowed to fester and expand.

It’s good to hear that Microsoft is the Windows Vista security feature API’s with third-party security tool vendors, but I’m not sure how real this will be. And, apparently McAfee and Symantec aren’t either, based on the posting today it ITBusinessEdge.

This API sharing announcement has all the positive spin, and the potential for nothingness, of Microsoft’s “sharing” of code with open-source programmers.

From the Microsoft Windows Vista web page:

The new Document Explorer makes working with your files a snap. Find your files more quickly with the new Live Icon feature, and see what they contain without having to open them.

That’s just the kind of thing that Microsoft has been aiming for with all of its OLE (Object LInking and Embedding) that’s been such a security nightmare in Windows and Office.

I hope they’re getting it right this time. All we need is an Operating System-level “preview pane” that let’s scripts and other nasties run…

Reported in Gavilan’s WeBlog, not only does Vista know about Daylight Saving Time (just like previous versions of Windows have known and automatically adjusted for it), Vista actually tells you ahead of time that Daylight Saving Time is coming.

More importantly, and more significantly, double-clicking on the clock in the Status Bar no longer brings up the interface to change the system date and time.

Now, the double-click brings up a clock (what a novel idea) and a link that you can use on those rare occasions when you actually want to change the system’s time.

This same display is where Vista tells that Daylight Saving Time is approaching and that it will automatically adjust the computer’s clock.