Vista Features You Can Disable Right Now

Posted by admin on Nov 4, 2008

There are a few features in Windows Vista that you can remove or disable, and probably not affect your use of the operating system at all.  Since running unnecessary processes in the background can rob you of system performance, it is a good idea to turn off what you do not use… especially if your system is less than top-of-the-line.

Remote Assistance – Click on Start, right-click Computer and select Properties. Click Remote Settings. Uncheck Allow Remote Assistance connections to this computer.

Internet Printing Client – Open the Programs and Features control panel and click the Turn Windows features on or off link on the left; you’ll get the Windows Features dialog box.  Expand the Print Services section and uncheck Internet Printing Client.  Click OK, and reboot when prompted.

Windows Meeting Space – Open the Programs and Features control panel and click the Turn Windows features on or off link on the left; you’ll get the Windows Features dialog box.  Simply uncheck Windows Meeting Space.

Tablet PC Stuff – First, open the Program and Features control panel and click the Turn Windows features on or off link on the left; you’ll get the Windows Features dialog box.  Uncheck Tablet PC Optional Components.  Then click on Start, tupe in services and press Enter.  Find and double-click Tablet PC Input Services.  In the Startup Type drop-down menu, select Disabled and then click OK.


Asus’s Unusually Compact Eee Box PC

Posted by admin on Nov 4, 2008

Taken from PCWorld Magazine, November 2008 Edition

Asus’s Eee Box features a smaller footprint and a slimmer profile than the average laptop – and yet it’s designed to sit on your desk.  The Eee Box is a bargain as a basic home PC, but the machine’s performance is not high-end.

The Eee Box comes with a 1.6 Ghz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 80GB Hard Drive.  It also has an integrated  Intel GMA 950 graphics chip that relies on shared video memory.

Though the Eee Box will do fine for browsing online and for word processing, it is hardly a robust unit.  In some ways, though, performance is not the point: The system is designed to be a basic, power-saving network-attached device.  Asus says that the Box draws just 15 to 20 watts of power – a smaller amount than most laptops use.

The Eee Box is a great value that’s geared toward students, as well as home and small-office users.  That the system comes with Windows XP Home, Microsoft Works and StarOffice only sweetens the deal.

ICS Note:  These small systems can even be mounted on the back of an LCD Monitor, making a very compact and user-friendly workstation.