Technology Simplified™

I’m a true believer in the idea of separating data from the primary Boot Drive. I have recently moved all of my data to a NAS (Network Attached Storage) drive. It has worked out very well for me since I have 2 computers (Desktop and Laptop) and now they each can see all my data (including Outlook pst file) without having to sync between them. Plus I have the added benefit of having everything out of the PC/Laptop so chances of heat damage, short circuit, etc. is greatly reduced. Also, the NAS has a built-in web server so I could assign it an IP address and have access to my files from the web too! Some will ask (as Z did recently at lunch) how do you work on stuff outside of the office then, if all your files are on the network. In that case, I use SyncBack to monitor the folders on my Laptop and then sync everything when I dock it back at the office.

There are some computer gurus out there (especially the Linux variety) who recommend you put your data on a separate partition from your OS, for easier backup, transfer and upgrades. Would this be a good idea with Vista, and how would I go about it?

Source: Ask Lifehacker: How do I store my data on a separate partition in Windows Vista? - Lifehacker

Here is a great piece of freeware reviewed by FreewareGenius that takes XP and dresses it up as Vista. The author of the post is not a great fan of the new Vista look and I must agree with him. But I must say the price is right ($0) and you get to keep using a trusted and (mostly) reliable OS (XP SP2). It may be the perfect upgrade (Impress your friends and fool the neighbors). I would highly recommend trying this out in a Virtual PC first before installing it on my “production” PC since it does have some known bugs.
Link to Vista Visual Styles Pack Review & Download Link « freewaregenius.com

Here’s why the Mac fans hate Microsoft (OK not really, they hate MS for way more reasons than this). Apparently (because I haven’t upgraded to Vista yet and don’t plan to until SP1) MS allows Vista Home Basic/Premium users to back up user files using the built-in file backup program, but unless you upgrade to the more expensive versions of Vista you can’t retrieve those backups. Wild! I’m pretty agnostic when it comes to Microsoft, but this is a little on the Evil side.
Link to Tech Notes

MS is Unbelievable. I’ve been building up a list of topics/news stories to blog on over the past week and I realized that I have been neglecting the blog in the mean time. This story got my attention as one that had to be told. 

Microsoft always says it opposes “software pirates” who sell thousands of unauthorized copies of Windows.
But the Redmond company has made things a lot easier for pirates by adding a line to the Registry that can be changed from 0 to 1 to postpone the need to “activate” Vista indefinitely.

Source: Microsoft allows bypass of Vista activation

If you dual boot Vista then you want this utility. I’ve used it on several occasions to clean up the Vista boot file. Vista doesn’t use the boot.ini like XP, so you need a “user-friendly” version of the registry editor. Download VistaBootPro
Here is the link to the Lifehacker article on why you want this free software.

How to Build an inexpensive Vista PC Aero Enabled at J2s site
Found this link on Lifehacker today. Looks very good for those hardy souls willing to build it themselves. Around $500 in parts plus the cost of Vista $120-300.
Here are 3 more good links:
Another approach with different price points
How to video on building a PC from scratch (techteachers site-great podcast too)
Install Vista from USB Flash Drive