Brightrev

If you're an IT Professional, aspiring IT pro, student, blogger or are just curious about testing full versions of Microsoft software, you can get access to almost all of Microsoft's operating systems, servers and non-developer applications by buying a $349 yearly TechNet Plus subscription.  TechNet Plus gives you access to install legal copies of Windows Vista, Office, Windows Server, Exchange Server, SQL Server, ISA Server and lots of other apps.  Keep reading for more details.

If you've tweaked your PC, overclocked your CPU or added a faster hard drive and want to know how much difference it makes, you need a benchmark utility.  Although there are large, complex benchmark suites available, I cover a few free, easy to use utilities that generate a score for your PC and its various components.

Popular Mechanics recently gathered a group of consumers to rate and test Macs versus PCs.  In some ways, the results weren't surprising.  Leopard is faster than Vista and the testers expressed a mild preference for the Macs over the PCs.  However, I like both operating systems and there is more to the test than just the results, which I discuss in my article. 

Windows Vista has excellent and often overlooked problem logging and diagnostic features.  When an application or the operating system crashes, Windows Vista logs the event and searches for solutions automatically.  If Vista can't find a solution right away, it's possible go back, look at the list and try again to see if solutions are available.  Keep reading to find out how.