The company promises that Windows 7 will be the best version of its operating system yet, critical acclaim has often eluded Redmond. We've decided to count down the ten best products ever to come out of Redmond, from DOS 5 to Flight Simulator and NT 4.0

BitLocker first reared its head in Windows Vista, but the scope of the encryption software has been extended in Windows 7. Since Vista's launch, lost or stolen USB drives have become an enormous security liability.

Last week, in honour of the Windows 7 launch, we covered Microsoft's biggest successes in the computing field. This week, in the interest of balance, we're looking to the company's dark side..

Disable spyware functionality within Windows

In the September issue of PC Authority, we gave you the inside scoop on how the Windows 7 Release Candidate stood up to our tests. Here's a recap of our gaming benchmark results

Host multiple virtual operating systems

People are still willing to queue up in the middle of the night to buy the first few copies of Windows 7

Windows 7 can't stop Mac OS X The latest figures from Net Applications suggest that Windows 7 has failed to attract any interest and the Mac is set to become the dominant operating system in the world

Firewall for your home computer

Test virtual operating systems

Host a virtual operating system

Host a virtual operating system

So, the last big name has fallen. HP gave out in April 2008, and both Dell and Toshiba's resistance crumbled by the autumn. But it's taken Sony until the middle of 2009 to produce what it confesses to be a netbook, the VAIO Mini W Series.

Mark Shuttleworth, the founding angel and CEO of Canonical, which distributes Ubuntu Linux, has praised Microsoft's newly released Windows 7.

Portable system cleansing & optimisation tool

System cleansing & optimisation tool

The company said that its new Kindle Books application will allow Windows PC users to purchase, download and read e-book titles from Amazon's Kindle Store service..

Not quite the consumer/business crossover it aims to be, but there’s a lot to like in this clever mix of old-style business laptop and feature-packed modern machine

It may be lovely, but Sony’s under-powered P-series costs too much and features features poor battery life.

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