Climb the steps all the way to Windows guru status with our invaluable selection of tips and shortcuts for XP and Vista.

Don't be confused; this XP has little to do with Microsoft. It's what happened when software developers pushed the best practices of programming to the edge, to the extreme.

Dont be confused; this XP has little to do with Microsoft. It is what happened when software developers pushed the best practices of programming to the edge, to the extreme.

As Vista and Windows 7 share the same core code, Microsoft has decided to merely nudge up the version number (Windows Vista was 6) so that applications are tricked into thinking it's Vista they're dealing with

The hot little seller makes the big leap from Linux to XP, with a small price jump.

Microsoft has published a release candidate of XP Mode for Windows 7

Microsoft this week released public previews of the 64-bit editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 as it changed the official names of the high-end operating systems.

The Athlon XP 2700+ represents a significant leap forward for the Athlon line – it solves a long-term problem by stepping up the default frontside bus (FSB) speed from 266MHz to 333MHz.

Is Vista’s suave new interface and menu system window dressing or a radical improvement in usability?

Are your Windows 95 apps not running under XP? Tim Dean goes through a few tricks to help you get it running.

Don't want to settle for rolling green hills on your desktop? PC Authority looks at the alternatives with our guide to the latest desktop enhancements.

FAQ: 10 Frequently Asked Questions about Sony DVD players

How to Do Everything with Office XP

An often irreverent look at some of the past week's other news.

Will a beefed-up firewall, User Account Control and disk encryption make Vista a safer choice than XP?

Your wireless network is more powerful than you imagine. Use this guide to fully understand and utilise it.

Two new vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer 6.0 were unveiled by a security firm this week that hackers could exploit to bypass security features even in Microsoft's most secure OS, Windows XP SP2.

The Techmart SOHO is the only system in this roundup to be supplied with a copy of Windows XP Home rather than XP Professional. This highlights Intermedia's emphasis on the small office, home office environment with this system, where the additional networking features of XP Pro aren't necessary. Even so, it does mean you'll be restricted to using a peer-to-peer network, and you'll need an upgrade if you ever want to set up a client-server system. For the extra $90, it might be worth future-proofing and upgrading to Pro.