Aged OS shuffles off clutching P45

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

With the cut-off for XP sales fast approaching, what do you do if you're opposed to switching to Vista? Alex explains why you'd be best off with the "downgrade" option., and what it all means.

You've been raising some big questions in the forums about 64-bit. Here's our FAQ to 64-bit Vista vs XP, and whether it's worth the hassle if you're not a workstation user, but a gamer or power user.

The price war among Netbooks and mini-notebooks is hot at the moment, especially leading up to Christmas. We source the best prices from around the net this week.

Microsoft is planning to further extend the retail life of Windows XP, adding another six months to the time in which vendors can offer the legacy operating system as an option with new computers..

Have you ever sat back and thought to yourself "Self -- why doesn't Microsoft accuse me of being a thief more often?". You may think this is a thought pattern that's never crossed your mind, but according to Microsoft, you're wrong.

Will splashing out on expensive RAM make a real difference to PC performance? And if so, how much should you buy? We supply the benchmarks and lay the details bare

Customise your Windows XP setup CD

Customise your Windows XP setup CD

Customise your Windows XP setup CD

Customise your Windows XP setup CD

Customise your Windows XP setup CD

The battle of the mini-notebooks heats up. We get our first peek at Acer's new pint-sized Eee PC challenger, the Aspire One.

And guess what? There's ONE price for Linux or Windows XP, and price drops for existing models.

Since the release of the Eee PC 701, the 'Notebook' has dominated. Easy to use, cheap and able to be left on the coffee table next to the remote, Notebooks are true appliance computing. The choice of which one to buy comes down to personal preference, but it's hard not to prefer those with the best usability. Our rundown of your options covers their performance, battery life, and design.

An improvement over the Eee PC 900, with longer battery life and sleeker looks – but its rivals are catching up

If you're installing Windows XP SP3 on multiple machines, or you still haven't got around to downloading it at all - you'll be pleased to learn Microsoft has released SP3 as an ISO image you can burn to CD, and then install from disc.