Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007

May be installed on up to three non-commercial home computers.Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 is the essential software suite for home computer users and includes 2007 versions of Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and OneNote. This system enables you to quickly and easily create great-looking documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, and organize your notes and information in one place, making it easier and more enjoyable for you to get things done.

The new streamlined workspace and easy-to-browse tabs make program features easier to find and use. View larger.

Insert graphics and charts such as these into your documents to make them more appealing. View larger.

Use the new diagram and improved charting tools to create rich and stunning visuals and charts. View larger.

Quick and easy-to-use table styles help your tables look great and consistent across Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations. View larger.

The Document Inspector helps find and remove potentially sensitive "hidden" information from your documents, presentations, and spreadsheets. View larger.

Office OneNote 2007 enables you to gather, organize, and search almost any type of information. The powerful search tool is shown here, with results highlighted in yellow. View larger. This updated version features a new streamlined user interface that exposes commonly used commands, enhanced graphics, and formatting capabilities that let you create high-quality documents, plus a powerful note and information organization tool, and more reliability and security with the document inspector tool and improved automatic document recovery. With these enhancements, Home and Student 2007 makes it a pleasure to complete schoolwork and other tasks at home. Which edition of Office is right for you? View a comparison of Microsoft Office 2007 editions. Create High-Quality Documents
Home and Student 2007 gives you access to updated graphics, formatting galleries, and an intuitive user interface that exposes commonly used commands. These features enable you to easily produce high-quality documents that will make you proud. Improved picture, charting, and graphics tools help you produce better-looking documents, spreadsheets, and presentations more quickly, while a large library of standard charts, quick formatting tools, and SmartArt diagrams make it easy to include rich and stunning visuals and charts. The results-oriented user interface makes it easier for you to find and use product features so you can enhance your documents according to your specifications. More stable bullets and numbers, SmartArt diagrams, and graphics and charting galleries provide you with a wealth of other formatting choices. Meanwhile, document themes help ensure a consistent appearance among the documents you create in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, to make working across the programs you use most more convenient. PowerPoint also features context-sensitive tabs and easy-to-use galleries that make it simple for you to include tables and other graphics in your documents. Enhanced Reliability and Security Features
With an improved automatic Document Recovery tool and the new Document Inspector tool for removing personally identifiable information from your documents, Home and Student 2007 helps you work with more confidence and security. Thanks to these two features, you'll never have to worry about losing documents after a system failure or exposing your personal identification information or unwanted comments to others before sharing your documents.

Formatting galleries make it easier to find and apply formatting changes. View larger. User-Friendly Operation
Packed with innovative features and improvements, Home and Student 2007 has a streamlined interface and an enhanced Help system, including online tutorials with step-by-step instructions, so you can quickly learn the product and find the answers to your questions. In addition, command tabs on the results-oriented Ribbon reveal commonly used commands that previously appeared only in lengthy drop-down menus. The Help system also offers a smooth transition between the Help menu in the Microsoft Office system and Help on the Internet (when connected). Larger, more informative ScreenTips provide help concerning commands, and the command tabs themselves are context-sensitive, changing automatically depending upon the task that you are trying to complete, so you won't waste time figuring out the appropriate command. When you need more guidance, online tutorials provide step-by-step instructions for common tasks. Organize Notes and Information
Home and Student 2007 includes OneNote, a digital notebook that helps you gather, organize, and search many types of information in one place. This means you can consolidate typed text, images, audio and video recordings, digital handwritten notes, Web clippings, and more on the same page. OneNote also provides flexible note-taking tools to help you organize information the way you want. Categorize important projects or information in a way that makes sense to you, using an easy-to-use layout of notebooks, sections, and pages. Type or organize content anywhere on the page and track important items with customizable note tags. To help keep you on track, the powerful Instant Search feature helps you to find information you are looking for quickly. With it you can even search handwritten notes, the text in images and scanned documents, and spoken words in audio recordings. Preview Changes and Spot Trends
Home and Student 2007 saves you time by making it easier to format your Office documents with Live Preview. This tool lets you quickly preview proposed changes to your document while you're working on it without having to repeatedly search through layers of menus. Taking a look at your proposed formatting before committing to it lets you experiment without risk and can help minimize future edits. Excel features highly visual conditional formatting with new data bars, more colorful gradients, and icons that you can use to format data based on specific rules, so you can more easily identify key data trends, which can help you study and prepare written papers or reports. Create and Save Custom Slide Layouts
PowerPoint lets you create presentations with ease using prebuilt and user-defined custom slide layouts. With the custom layout feature you can quickly create the precise layout you envision without being bound

• Essential software suite for home computer users makes it a pleasure to complete schoolwork and other tasks
• Includes 2007 versions of Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and OneNote
• Intuitive user interface that exposes commonly used commands; updated graphics and formatting galleries help you to easily produce high-quality documents
• Work with confidence and security thanks to the improved automatic Document Recovery tool and the Document Inspector tool, which removes personally identifiable information from your document
• Enhanced Help system includes online tutorials with step-by-step instructions; includes OneNote, a digital notebook that helps you gather, organize, and search many types of information in one place

Rating: (out of 1904 reviews)

List Price: $ 149.95
Price: $ 109.99

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 Reviews

Review by pm444:

While Office 2003 offered a refreshed look and some improvements in functionality, the basic structure remained the same. While veteran users were able to easily navigate the familiar menus, it had become increasingly difficult to locate some features (for instance, in Word, would you find "insert new rows" to a table in the "insert" or "table" menu?).

With Office 2007, Microsoft offers the "ribbon", a new and more intuitive way to access features that we used to find in the menus. While the features are basically the same, they are now grouped together according to when and how you would normally use them. These groupings are accessed by clicking on tabs, which are organized in the order you'd use them. The best way to get a better understanding of this change is to check out the screenshots, or download a free trial version of Office from Microsoft. While Office 2007 was released at the same time as Vista, you do not need Vista in order to run it. The program ran fine on my Windows XP laptop, which only had 512 MB of RAM, and it runs even better on my Vista laptop with 2 GB of RAM.

As for which version of Office to buy, this is the third time I've opted for the Home and Student version (which has had other names in previous releases, but is still being sold for 9). I need Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and this is the most cost-effective way to get those programs. I was disappointed that Microsoft dropped Outlook from the Home and Student version. In order to continue to use Outlook, I installed Outlook 2003 and haven't had any problems.

Instead of Outlook, you get OneNote, a program that uses notebooks and tabs to save and organize all sorts of files and documents. I haven't had much time to play with OneNote yet, but the more I use it, the more impressed I am with it. It looks like one of those programs that you can personalize to meet your own needs and not have to fight with it to get it to do what you want.

This is a significant upgrade and should allow all users, new and experienced, to work more efficiently and quickly.

Review by John Robertson:

Well, it's been a week now, and while I still have Office 2002 (virtually identical to 2003) and Office 2007 on my laptop, I've pretty much stopped using 2002. I give '07 a thumbs up.

I have used Office since 1994 for just simple letters and spreadsheets until the last year, where I started becoming a heavy user of some really odd features, like non-standard line spacing, different headers within the same document, embedded Excel sheets in a Word doc, embedding images in headers and footers, charting, tables, etc. I was worried if all these newly discovered features that I just learned would suddenly disappear in the changing ribbon that everyone was talking about.

Despite using weird features, or maybe because of it, I am a little more tolerant of looking up how to do things. But I didn't want to relearn everything, and I haven't had to. The default blank document has tabs for Home, Insert, Page Layout, References, etc, which really are not much different than the categories in the classic drop-down menus. Once clicking on these tabs, you are offered the same choices as before...charts, insert picture, bookmarks, wordart, etc., and a few new ones, like references, balloons and highlighting, footnotes, and more. It IS a different layout, but to this point, I don't think it ever took me more than 10 seconds to find something.

I'm surprised no one is talking about the ability to save documents in .pdf (what was once exclusive to Adobe). I know other software has allowed this for sometime, but the ability to make a document that will launch in Adobe Reader with all the functionality of Word or Excel is something I've been waiting for. In 2 years, we'll all wonder how we did without it. This is important to me because once in .pdf, the formatting is locked in, and won't change depending on how it's previewed or printed.

Another thing that is important is the new, modern looking charts and tables. This isn't just the 'pretty' factor, but more effective to understanding lots of data more easily. Office 2000/2002/2003 just looked old and unimpressive. It's true that Microsoft is just catching up to Apple, Adobe and others, but they've at least done it. Equally important is the ability to instantly see changes to formatting before you've committed it to the whole document. I've probably wasted a month's time over the course of the last year reformatting documents to do it a better way. If only I authored them in 2007, which was available a year ago, I would have saved so much time.

One reviewer said his Home/Student version "did not have all the features as the full version". I've tried to investigate this, and as far as I can tell, Home/Student's versions of Word/Excel/Powerpoint are no different than any other version.

I don't want to get too personal here, but all the reviewers who are angry that their saved homework or important business document was saved in .docx and therefore was not readable by anyone else really are just wanting to be victims. Office 2007 makes it abundantly clear that you will be saving in .docx, and if you don't want to, you don't have to. It tells you how and where to save it as a compatible .doc file (or .xls, etc.) and whether you want this as your default setting. I'm sorry, but if you're a student and you ignore all those messages, I think you're going to have more problems in school than using this version of Office.

The Grammar check seems to be improved, catching problems that my Office 2002 did not. Hot keys like Ctrl K for hyperlinks or Ctrl C to copy all still work. I'm not sure if they removed others as some reviewers have said, but so far it has not affected me. The concept of Add-Ins (plugins) is a little bit annoying, as to get certain features like the ability to save .pdf requires you go online and install the add-in. Then again, this gives Microsoft the ability to add features from time to time (hopefully they'll use it that way - I think a big reason for add-ins is to give Microsoft a way of periodically checking your software to ensure it's legal). I also like the always-on word count, something that Amazon probably wishes I would use in my reviews.

I'm at day 7 and counting, and I don't feel much reason to ever open my Office 2002 again.

Buy Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 now for only $ 109.99!

Microsoft Office 2010 Home & Student

Microsoft Office 2010 gives you powerful new tools to express your ideas, solve problems, and connect with people.With Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010, you and your kids can create great schoolwork and home projects from multi-page bibliographies to multimedia presentations. Capture ideas and set them apart with video-editing features and dynamic text effects. Then easily collaborate with classmates without being face-to-face thanks to new Web Apps tools. The results go well beyond expectations with a little inspiration, a lot of creativity and Office Home and Student 2010. Traditional Disc Version This version of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 includes the software on disc, with a product key. It is licensed for installation on three PCs in the same household. For customers buying a PC who need Office for their new PC only, and don't need to upgrade other home PCs, a Product Key Card provides another way to purchase Office with a PC. Capture Ideas and Set Them Apart Enjoy Flexibility
Now you can easily post your Office documents online and access, share and edit them with Office Web Apps. It's an ideal way to extend your Office 2010 experience to the Web. Work Together
Brainstorm ideas, share notes and work on documents with others simultaneously thanks to the new co-authoring tool in Word, PowerPoint and OneNote. Find It on New Backstage View
Replaces the traditional File menu to give you one go-to spot to conveniently save, open and print documents. Customize the tab commands to fit your individual needs so you can navigate tasks effortlessly. Programs You Rely On
Microsoft Office 2010 is an industry standard offering our latest, innovative tools to make your documents richer and more informative. Included Programs Enjoy the same great features you know and love with Office and get some new ones when you upgrade to Office 2010. Word 2010
School fundraisers and neighborhood events come together efficiently when you use Word 2010. Create documents using new photo-editing features, lively text effects, then easily share them online and invite others to collaborate. Get more new features with Word 2010: Add impact to your document with new picture-editing tools. Better illustrate your ideas with diagrams by turning bullet-point lists into compelling SmartArt graphics. Apply new formatting effects to your text such as shadow, bevel, glow and reflection. Capture and insert screenshots directly into your document. Communicate with ease in many languages with improved translation tools. Excel 2010
Saving for retirement, changing homes, cutting expenses--all are important financial decisions. Excel® 2010 offers useful direction with simple templates to help you build budgets and track expenses so you can focus on financial goals. Get more new tools with Excel 2010: Highlight data trends by creating data charts in a single cell with new Sparklines. Find the right data quickly with new filter enhancement in PivotTable views. Analyze data quickly. Highlight specific data with new and improved Conditional Formatting options. Display data in a dynamic and interactive way with PivotChart views. Spend less time sifting through data--use the new search filter to narrow down pertinent data to display. PowerPoint 2010
Pressed for time on a major assignment? Get ideas down fast with ready-made templates, new photo- and video-editing features and eye-catching transitions all with Microsoft PowerPoint 2010. Get more new features including: Embed and edit video files directly in your presentation. Set videos to fade in and out and apply a variety of video styles and formats. Broadcast your presentation online with new Broadcast Slide Show. Captivate your audience with new transitions and improved animations. Use slide sections to navigate, organize and print your presentation. OneNote 2010
Gather a wealth of information and resources all in one spot with OneNote 2010. Post, share and edit notes for group projects online so everyone can work at the same time with real-time updates. Get more new features with OneNote 2010: Use quick filing to organize notebooks, ideal when you're working on multiple projects. Apply styles and formatting to selected text to another paragraph with the new Format Painter. See results as you type with improved Search functionality and view a prioritized list of Search results. Easily organize and jump between your notebooks with the improved notebook Navigation Bar. Take notes while working in Word, PowerPoint or in Internet Explorer and automatically link them. Looking to stay connected?
Step up to Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010 and you'll get another helpful program--Outlook 2010. Now you can access projects, people and plans wherever your work takes you. Use efficient new email, calendar and social networking tools to manage your world from your PC, mobile phone or online.

• Rich and powerful new ways to deliver your work on your computer, Windows Mobile-based smart phone or a web browser
• Easy-to-use Tools, customizable templates, color schemes, and photo-editing capabilities
• Work with people from different places at the same time with the new co-authoring experience
• More ways to access your files from almost anywhere, Office 2010 puts you in control of getting things done according to your schedule
• Simplifies your tasks and creates amazing results

List Price: $ 149.99
Price: $ 149.99

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home & Student Edition

Provides the basics of Office 2008 for Mac for home users and students. Whether your projects are around the house or in the classroom, the reinvented Office 2008 for Mac experience makes it easier than ever to create professional-looking work. Includes: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Entourage.Homework and Home Work will be easier than ever with Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition. Get better results faster and create high-quality documents you can be proud of, with less frustration and more enjoyment. Five Great Reasons to Get Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition: Universal applications: Office 2008 runs natively on both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs. Intuitive interface: Reduce the time and frustration of learning new software and creating documents with visual galleries that present the right tools when you need them. Your Mac, more compatible: Office 2008 for Mac and Windows-based 2007 Office products share the Open XML file formats and features like the Office Art graphics engine, so you'll be confident when sharing documents with colleagues, friends, and family across platforms. Beautiful documents: Good design is a click away with hundreds of new templates, Smart Art graphics, Publishing Layout View, and professional quality clip art and photos. Priced for home users: Don't need Microsoft Exchange Server Support or workflow management? Home and student users pay for just the features they need. Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition comes with three licenses of non-Exchange-enabled Office 2008 licensed for noncommercial computers. Which Version of Office 2008 is right for you? View this comparison chart. Simplify Your Work
Your presentation will make an impact. Your documents will be professional. Your analysis will be insightful. And Office 2008 will be there.
The latest version of the industry standard for productivity software on the Macintosh platform, Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac is more powerful and easier to use. Office 2008 combines Microsoft Word for Mac, Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac, Microsoft Excel for Mac, Microsoft Entourage for Mac, and Microsoft Messenger for Mac and lets you easily create high-impact documents and seamlessly share your ideas with others, whether they are on the Mac or Windows platform. What's New in Office for Mac?
Universal versions of the most popular productivity applications on the Macintosh platform (Universal applications run natively on Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs.) Microsoft Office for Mac natively supports the Open XML file formats for compatibility with Windows-based 2007 Microsoft Office products. A redesigned user interface and powerful new tools for simplifying work, creating great looking documents, and exchanging ideas and information with others. Highlights of Office 2008 for Mac
Office 2008 is a Universal Binary, was built by Mac users for Mac users, and includes many features which take advantage of underlying technologies of the Macintosh platform. Office 2008 uses Open XML file formats for compatibility with Windows-based 2007 Microsoft Office products. XML file formats help reduce the risk of lost information due to damaged or corrupted files and also result in smaller file sizes--up to 75 percent smaller than comparable binary documents. Office 2008 for Mac is backward-compatible with earlier file formats and users can continue to use the older .doc, .xls, and .ppt binary formats. Elements Gallery is the foundation of the new user interface, and gives easy access to the most commonly used tools and templates. With the new UI, you'll harness the capabilities of Office for Mac more easily than ever before. Office 2008 includes OfficeArt, the powerful graphics engine also used in the Windows-based Office 2007 products. You get great cross-platform file fidelity and easy access to stunning visual and graphic effects. Your words will make an impact with the modern styling of SmartArt graphics, which makes transforming text and bulleted lists into professional diagrams and graphics one-click easy. A new Themes capability simplifies the process of applying a consistent look and feel across documents. Easily apply a complete set of colors, fonts, and effects to your Office 2008 documents, and change them as easily as changing your mind. Automator Actions for Workflows in Microsoft Office enables you to automate Office 2008 with more than 70 pre-defined actions built to simplify your work and extend your productivity. (Available in Office 2008 for Mac and Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition.) Entourage 2008, the hub of Office 2008, helps it to happen, one task at a time. Enjoy powerful new tools, over 100 designer templates, rich themes, and an intuitive user interface in Word 2008. Entourage 2008
Your e-mails will spark ideas, you'll schedule meetings where creativity abounds. Entourage 2008, the hub of Office 2008, helps it to happen, one task at a time. My Day keeps you connected to the action. Schedules, tasks, and priorities in one easy, standalone interface. Time will have no choice but to be well-managed. Use color-coded categories, status indicators, and flexible To-Do list management humble even the most hectic schedules. Office 2008 for Mac and Office 2008 Special Media Edition enable users to access their Microsoft Exchange server accounts with Entourage. Improved Junk E-Mail filtering capabilities and phishing protection tools help shield your inbox from the scourge of junk. Your inbox will breathe a sigh of relief. Projects submit to your superior management skills when you unleash the power of Project Center, With project details like e-mail

• Streamlined user interface runs natively on both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs
• Open XML file formats, the Office Art graphics engine, and other features that result in compatibility and file fidelity
• Professional design is within your power with hundreds of new customizable templates and suite-wide themes, SmartArt graphics, and the new Publishing Layout View in Word 2008
• My Day keeps you connected to all of the day's action. Command your calendar, tackle your tasks, and simplify your day
• Includes: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Entourage

Rating: (out of 548 reviews)

List Price: $ 149.95
Price: $ 110.00

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home & Student Edition Reviews

Review by C. Fuller:

This version of Office 2008 is an improvement over Office 2004 in that it runs natively now on an Intel Mac. It is a major improvement in speed. And the stability has improved in that it has not crashed on me in the week it has been in use. Office 2004 used to crash almost daily before. If you do not have an Intel Mac do not bother with this upgrade. You are better off with Office 2004.

The look on Office 2008 is aesthetically pleasing and is more consistent with the elegant look of OSX.

That is about the best I have to say for this new upgrade. Word is so buggy I feel like I am working with a Beta version. I work a great deal with Spaces in Leopard and I have found that Word documents will jump to other windows. I have also found that when working in the notebook layout it can become unstable and partially disappear on me. The work arounds I have been using to stop this is I minimize the documents or I open another program in the Spaces window and then return to the document.

Word is still an excellent word processing program. The Notebook layout is essential for the note taking that I have to do, which other word processing programs don't have. Since I have to share documents with others it is handy to have a standard program with which to work.

The default format in Word is now Microsoft's .docx (xtml), which can be changed in the preferences to the more universal .doc.

When I have gone to the Microsoft website they have admitted that many of these problems are bugs and that they are being addressed. Another work around that MS recommended in Word was to create a new template from which to operate as it seems that the present template can be easily corrupted.

Since Office 2008 no longer works with macros and Visual Basic I have had to abandon the Excel self-calculating Invoice template I used to use all the way back to my PC days. I am now using a template that is in Pages - that works beautifully. The reason I am sticking with Excel over Numbers is that Excel is still a more powerful program. It keeps track of things that Numbers won't keep track of.

I am happier that Entourage is now more stable and responds better than the 2004 version. The My Day widget is a nice idea, but there is almost no room for customization and really makes no difference to how I organize my day.

I am left wondering if Microsoft is planning to go out of business. It seems that their products are getting worse. It is as if they have become bereft of any sense of creativity or innovation.;0) I had read that Office 2008 was designed by Mac enthusiasts. I think that was Microsoft propaganda. The impression I get is that Microsoft does not care about Mac business.

Is this a worthwhile upgrade? Not yet. If you can wait for the bugs to be worked out it will be a more satisfying upgrade. If you are dependent upon Visual Basic, or are operating on a PPC, save your money.

Review by Values Privacy:

I was running office 2004 and waiting for this. This review is limited but I was looking for specific things.

The good:

-universal binary (faster on intel macs)

-PowerPoint now shows the slides on the left instead of just the text outline.

-you can install it alongside office 2004 and run both versions on the same computer

The bad:

-dragging images from other apps doesn't work anymore

-when you paste an image in word or PowerPoint, it gets converted to a different format so that if you put it back to the original app it's a simple picture instead of an editable one. (for example if you make an illustration in OmniGraffle, paste it in word 2008, you come back a week later and decide you want to tweak it, you can no longer copy the image back to OmniGraffle and edit it. You either must have saved the original or start over. Office 2004 didn't do this and so sadly I'm more productive with office 2004).

-installation is not drag and drop anymore and it installs things like silverlight without asking you. I feel my Mac got dirty now with who knows what installed where.

What didn't change

-you still can't generate motion paths in PowerPoint (to move objects around on a slide) like you can in the PC version since a few versions ago. But you can play this back fine if you generated the PowerPoint on a PC.

Conclusion

-intentionally crippled.

-a step backward for me as I want to use it for lectures in my class but now I'm afraid to because I have hundreds of diagrams and illustrations that now will be locked in PowerPoint.

-I'm going to completely use Keynote/Pages (iWork) from now on. Unfortunately some 3rd party apps require Office so I'm stuck with it. And it doesn't have all the features yet of Office.

-Unfortunately OpenOffice/NeoOffice exhibit the same image formating problem and they have their own issues.

Disappointing.

EDIT:

I have since reformatted my computer and sold Office to a Colleague who needed it. Good Riddance. So long Microsoft.

EDIT #2:

To add a hopeful note, I discovered Nisus Pro word processor. It does (technical writing) things Pages doesn't (e.g. index) and seems better than MS Word.

EDIT #3 (Oct 2009)

I'm doing fine without MS Office for a long time now. For very math heavy documents I use Lyx (free, little complicated to start but worth it). For casual word processing, I use Pages or Nisus or openoffice (typically one of these will open a doc or docx file correctly). I use Keynote for presentations with LaTeXiT (free) for math equations. And Numbers or openoffice has been adequate for spreadsheets. Since the new OS (snow leopard) has built in exchange support (which this version of office doesn't), there is nothing lacking.

Buy Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home & Student Edition now for only $ 110.00!

Microsoft Office Standard 2007 FULL VERSION

Microsoft Office Standard 2007 has the key tools and features that users have wanted, to make their computing experience easier. With its improved menus and toolbars, enhanced graphics and formatting, time and e-mail management tools & enhanced security, you'll be so impressed that you'll wonder how you got along without it. Office 2007 makes it easier and more enjoyable to get things done. New calendar views and appointment tools help you organize your time and communications Simple signup to RSS feeds Outlook 2007 has a new Instant Search tool helping you find any information you need -- e-mail, calendars, tasks and more Enhanced security features protect against junk e-mail and phishing Share documents securely with Document Inspector -- detect & remove unwanted comments, hidden text & other informationMicrosoft Office Standard 2007 offers the core Microsoft Office applications, but significantly updated for faster, better results. Comprised of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook, this software suite empowers you to create high-quality documents and presentations, build powerful spreadsheets, and manage your e-mail messages, calendar, and contacts. With improved menus and tools, enhanced graphics and formatting capabilities, new time and communication management tools, and more reliability and security, Office Standard 2007 makes it easier and more enjoyable for you to get things done at home or work.

The new look and feel of the 2007 Microsoft Office system automatically displays the menus and toolbars you need when you need them. View larger.

Office Excel 2007 makes it easy to analyze data. View larger.

Including charts in Office PowerPoint 2007 is easy. View larger.

Tasks are easy to follow up on because they are included on the new To-Do Bar and within Outlook reminders. You can also drag tasks onto your calendar. View larger. Which edition of Office is right for you? View a comparison of Microsoft Office 2007 editions. Improved User Interface
The Office Standard 2007 user interface makes it easier for people to use Office applications. The streamlined screen layout and dynamic results-oriented galleries let you spend more time focused on your work and less time trying to get the application to do what you need. As a result, the Office Standard 2007 interface can help deliver great looking documents, high-impact presentations, effective spreadsheets, and powerful desktop database applications. The Ribbon
Office Standard 2007 features the Ribbon, a new device that presents commands organized into a set of tabs, instead of traditional menus and toolbars. The tabs on the Ribbon display the commands that are most relevant for each of the task areas in the applications. For example, in Word, the tabs group commands for activities such as inserting objects like pictures and tables, doing page layout, working with references, doing mailings, and reviewing. For added convenience, the Home tab provides easy access to the most frequently used commands. Excel has a similar set of tabs that make sense for spreadsheet work including tabs for working with formulas, managing data, and reviewing. These tabs make it simple to access features because they organize the commands in a way that corresponds directly to the tasks you perform in the application you're using. The Microsoft Office Button
Many of the most valuable features in previous versions of Office were not about the document authoring experience and instead focused on all the things you can do with a document: share it, protect it, print it, publish it, and send it. Although this focus had its advantages, previous releases lacked a single central location where a user could see all of these capabilities in one place. Office Standard 2007's new interface, however, bring together the capabilities of the Office system into a single entry point: the Microsoft Office button. This button allows for two major advantages. First, it helps users find these valuable features. Second, it simplifies the authoring process by allowing the Ribbon to focus on creating great documents. Contextual Tabs
Office Standard 2007 features contextual tabs which bring important and appropriate command options to the user's attention precisely when they're needed most. Certain sets of commands are only relevant when objects of a particular type are being edited. For example, the commands for editing a chart are not relevant until a chart appears in a spreadsheet and the user is focusing on modifying it. In current versions of Office applications, these commands can be difficult to find. In Excel, however, clicking on a chart causes a contextual tab to appear with commands used for chart editing. Contextual tabs only appear when they are needed and make it much easier to find and use the commands needed for the operation at hand. Galleries
Galleries are at the heart of the redesigned applications, and they deliver a set of clear results to choose from when working on your documents, spreadsheets, presentations, or Access databases. By presenting a simple set of potential results, rather than a complex dialog box with numerous options, galleries can simplify the process of producing professional looking work. For those who prefer a greater degree of control over the result of the operation, the traditional dialog box interfaces are still available. Live Preview
Office Standard 2007 features Live Preview, a fresh and innovative technology that shows the results of applying an editing or formatting change as you move the pointer over the results presented in a gallery. This dynamic capability streamlines the process of laying out, editing, and formatting so you can create excellent results with less time and effort.

• Software suite offers the core Microsoft Office applications, but significantly updated for faster, better results
• Includes the 2007 versions of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• Create high-quality documents and presentations, build powerful spreadsheets, and manage your e-mail messages, calendar, and contacts
• Offers improved menus and tools; enhanced graphics and formatting capabilities; new time and communication management tools; and more reliability and security
• Features the Ribbon, a new device that presents commands organized into a set of tabs, instead of traditional menus and toolbars

Rating: (out of 108 reviews)

List Price: $ 399.95
Price: $ 205.00

Microsoft Office Standard 2007 FULL VERSION Reviews

Review by Mark:

Microsoft's Office Standard 2007 is the version that includes the programs most people will be looking for in an office suite: Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook. While Microsoft did make some improvements, many changes have users frustrated and mad.

Pros

+ Standard version includes the 4 programs you actually want!

+ Like most new MS suites, allows for easier transfer between machines

+ Allows you to use on your home desktop AND your laptop!! Huge plus!!

+ New open document format based on xml - good for techies

+ Alternatively, you can still use the doc format you know and love

+ Excel now supports larger documents with more fields!

+ Cool new Powerpoint extras

+ Once you do overcome the learning curve, design has some plusse

+ Preloaded with Vista OEM computers, so install is MUCH faster than old version

Cons

- A list price of 0 means many will forgo Outlook and buy Home & Student suite for MUCH LESS

- The ribbon puts things in WEIRD places

- Microsoft disabled classic menus so you can't find stuff ... ARGH!!!

- Startup times seem a little slower ... why????

- Strangely slow performance with Word

The general hatred for the ribbon is well known. Microsoft Word and Excel have drawn the most heat. It took everybody years to learn those nested menus and hard to find functions. Now they are all moved!!!!

Actually, the ribbon wouldn't be so bad if you could have your regular old classic menus above it. Once you learn the ribbon, there's some logic to the way things have been relocated. Still, this was a huge blunder and I wonder if MS will back track on that.

This guy also includes Outlook, which is a MUST for me since I have to use Outlook on my work PC. I tried using the exported files in the new vista calendar apps, and none of them really worked that well. The professional Microsoft Office Professional 2007 FULL VERSION and ultimate Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 FULL VERSION [DVD] suite versions also include outlook.

Yet why the list price of 0? The Home and Student Office 2007 suite Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 is 0 and includes everything here except for Outlook. Is Outlook worth 0 now? To be fair, there are cheaper upgrade versions. Still, I may be switching to a new email / calendar / productivity program all-together.

The new XML doc format is Microsoft's way of getting away from the proprietary .doc format. This will aggravate some people too, but you can just save everything in the 2003 format. I like the new format and I think it will catch on with time.

Despite the short comings, once you get past the learning curve the programs themselves are improved.

Enjoy!!!

Review by Graham:

The product requires activation, which includes sending machine identification information to Microsoft.

The good news is that the Office Standard license allows installation on both a desktop system and a laptop. It also allows you to transfer the license to new systems, over time.

From the license: "Before you use the software under a license, you must assign that license to one device. ... You may install another copy on a portable device for use by the single primary user of the licensed device. ... You may reassign the license to a different device any number of times, but not more than one time every 90 days."

Buy Microsoft Office Standard 2007 FULL VERSION now for only $ 205.00!

Microsoft Office Professional 2007 FULL VERSION

Microsoft Office Professional 2007 is a complete suite of productivity and database software that will help you save time and stay organized. Powerful contact management features help you manage all customer and prospect information in one place. Develop professional marketing materials for print, e-mail, and the Web, and produce effective marketing campaigns in-house. Create dynamic business documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, and build databases with no prior experience or technical staff. You will learn new features rapidly using improved menus that present the right tools when you need them. Main FeaturesManufacturer: Microsoft CorporationManufacturer Part Number: 269-11094Manufacturer Website Address: www.microsoft.comSoftware Sub Type: Office SuiteSoftware Name: Office 2007 Professional - Complete ProductFeatures & Benefits: Work more efficiently and effectively: Spend less time learning new software with improved menus and commands that present the tools you need when you need them Find what you need faster and more easily using Instant Search Protect yourself with improved junk mail and anti-phishing filters Produce professional-looking documents, spreadsheets, and presentations that are publication-ready without spending hours on formatting and refinements Schedule tasks in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 that also will appear on your calendar Use the new Office Outlook 2007 To-Do Bar that presents a consolidated view of tasks, calendar information, and e-mail messages flagged for follow up Use new templates and tools in Microsoft Office Word 2007 that make it easier to reuse content, apply professional formatting, and quickly preview changes Use new tools in Microsoft Office Excel 2007 for filtering, sorting, and visualizing information to help you analyze business data more effectively

• Complete suite of productivity and database software helps increase productivity
• Includes the 2007 versions of Publisher, Excel, Outlook, Outlook with Business Contact Manager, PowerPoint, Access, and Word
• Edit and analyze a financial spreadsheet, create an important presentation, or build a customer database; find and use the features you need faster and more easily
• Create and publish a wide range of marketing materials for print, e-mail, and the web with your own brand elements including logo, colors, fonts, and business information
• Intuitive look and feel, including task-based menus and toolbars that are automatically displayed based on the feature you are using; work offline on your laptop or Pocket PC and then synchronize data when you return to the office

Rating: (out of 263 reviews)

List Price: $ 499.95
Price: $ 359.95

Microsoft Office Professional 2007 FULL VERSION Reviews

Review by Atlantic:

I reluctantly have to say that Office 2007 is one of the worst products I've used. I'm forced to provide at least one star, but I wish I could give it ZERO stars, so how about it Amazon. Isn't it time we can give zeros??

I've been using Word for over 20 years and have used Excel, Access, and Powerpoint heavily for the past 10-15 years. I'm an advanced user of the tools and MS Office suites (including Project, Visio, Outlook,, et. al). If you have experience with any previous Office suite, run away now. If you've never used any previous versions of Office, you won't realize how bad this is so try it at your own risk, but I'd still say skip it.

MS's "ribbon" has got to be one of the worst ideas any company has ever forced on its customers. It is not a productivity feature, instead it's an untenable waste of real productivity and time. It is however, a testament to MS's ignorance and that of their "test users" and researchers. While that may sound rough, read the other reviews here; the same negative theme gets repeated and there's a good reason. The tools we've all used for so long are simply gone, the ability to accomplish simple tasks are gone, and the worst thing is there's no quick way to get them back. This product is not evolutionary, it's a genetic dead end and simply unrelated to anything meaningful...

I'm not going to go into every problem as I'm sure there's a limit on how much I can type here and how much you may want to read, but I will tell you that after spending more time than it's worth to accomplish simple tasks like opening templates (or even seeing them), I've decided to uninstall this application and go back to Office 2003 on all our PCs. I tried this software for several months and I can't stand it. MS should find a new product manager for the Office suite because the current one either deliberately wanted to alienate existing customers or didn't consider them. Either reason is cause for dismissal...

The negative reviews here should warn you; there's are serious and fatal problems with Office 2007. If you have any doubt as to what to do, I'll say it clearly; DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT! NOT RECOMMENDED!!!!

Review by Dave Millman:

Twenty minutes ago, a senior engineer with advanced degrees and 18 years experience with Microsoft office came to me and asked, "How do you draw a line in Office 2007?"

This seemed like a strange question, since I knew that this individual had been drawing lines in Office for a decade or more. I went to MIT, and have been using Office since before it was Office, starting with Word in 1986, so I was confident that between the two of us we'd figure it out.

Wrong!

The engineer wanted to draw a line between two objects. He did NOT want this line to snap to one of the connection points on these objects. In other words, he wanted a LINE, not a CONNECTOR in Office 2003 lingo. Connectors are fun little things for drawing org charts, but we wanted a plain old LINE.

We tried every variety of line or arrow we could find. Every one snapped to the connection points. After 10 minutes (at our combined billing rate, more than the cost of Microsoft Office), we resorted to the documentation.

We found the answer! The icon for LINE is not a LINE. It is a blobular shape with a right angle on the bottom and a curvy part on top, called a "Freeform". It turns out that all other line-shaped tools have been promoted to connectors, and Freeform is the only tool you can use to draw a line that is NOT a connector. This is a bit awkward, since a line has two ends, and a freeform has infinite inflection points, so you have to double click at the end of your freeform to indicate that you just want a simple two-point line.

Wow!

I am really not interested in becoming the tech support guy who has to retrain experienced, educated people that "When you want a line, choose the blobular tool called 'freeform' because that's what Bill Gates says you should do." I wonder what Microsoft could have accomplished with their development dollars if they had focused on real enhancements instead of changing lines to blobular freeform thingies. We're loyal Office users, but we won't be buying any new copies this time around. Maybe they'll get it right in Office 2010.

Buy Microsoft Office Professional 2007 FULL VERSION now for only $ 359.95!

Microsoft Office Small Business 2007 FULL VERSION

Microsoft Office Small Business 2007 is a powerful and easy-to-use suite of productivity and contact management software with new tools to help you save time, stay organized, and deliver better customer service. Easily manage your prospect and customer information in one place. Quickly create dynamic documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Develop effective marketing materials for print, e-mail, and the Web, and produce campaigns in-house. You can manage your calendar, tasks, and e-mail more efficiently, and filter out unwanted e-mail messages to help keep your computer safe and secure. And you will spend less time learning new features with improved menus that present the right tools automatically.Find and use the features you need.
The new and more intuitive look and feel of the 2007 Microsoft Office system makes it easier and faster to find and use the software features you need when you need them. The appropriate menus and toolbars are automatically displayed based on the task you are working on.Search, manage, and prioritize your e-mail.
Advanced search features in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager help you quickly find critical information. The Color Category feature helps you more easily sort and manage e-mail messages. And the improved junk mail and anti-phishing technologies help you filter out undesirable e-mail. Learn more about Office Outlook 2007.Manage time and tasks more efficiently.
Office Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager includes a new To-Do Bar that presents a consolidated view of tasks, calendar information, and e-mail messages flagged for follow-up. Tasks scheduled appear on your calendar, and you can allocate time for tasks with drag-and-drop functionality to help you stay well organized. Learn more about Office Outlook 2007.Manage all your customer and prospect information in one place.
Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager includesMicrosoft Office Small Business 2007 is a powerful and easy-to-use suite of productivity and contact management software with new tools to help you save time, stay organized, and deliver better customer service. Comprised of the 2007 versions of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Outlook with Business Contact Manager, this software package empowers you to create professional looking documents and presentations, build powerful spreadsheets, and manage your e-mail messages, calendar, and contacts.

The new look and feel of the 2007 Microsoft Office system automatically displays the menus and toolbars you need when you need them. View larger.

Tasks are easy to follow up on because they are included on the new To-Do Bar and within Outlook reminders. You can also drag tasks onto your calendar. View larger.

You can customize the new information dashboard in Office Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager to display your sales pipeline. View larger.

Business Contact Manager also combines contact, customer, and project information in one place. View larger.

Create, preview, and send personalized e-mail publications with Office Publisher 2007 using new E-Mail Merge. View larger. In addition, Outlook with Business Contact Manager integrates powerful contact management features into Outlook that allow you to access and track all customer information and communications in a central location. With improved menus and tools, enhanced graphics and formatting capabilities, new time and communication management tools, and more reliability and security, the Small Business 2007 package makes it easier and more enjoyable for you to get things done at home or at work. Which edition of Office is right for you? View a comparison of Microsoft Office 2007 editions. Work More Efficiently and Effectively
The more intuitive look and feel, coupled with the improved tools, make Small Business 2007 the ideal software system to help you work faster to complete routine tasks and create more professional documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Task-based menus and toolbars automatically display the commands and options you can use, making it faster and easier to find the software features you need. Thanks to the Instant Search function to save you time, junk mail and anti-phishing filters to protect the security of your computer, and new graphics capabilities to help you produce publication-ready documents, (complete with logo, colors, fonts, and business information), this software can increase both your productivity and efficiency, while giving you more time to spend with your customers. And to help minimize time-wasting future edits, the Live Preview feature makes it easy to sample your changes before you apply them.

Office Excel 2007 makes it easy to analyze data. View larger. Improved Time Management
When work is busy, it's sometimes difficult to stay on-top of appointments and tasks. This is why Small Business 2007 lets you schedule tasks in Outlook that will appear on your calendar, while the To-Do bar presents a consolidated view of tasks, calendar information, and e-mail messages flagged for follow-up. To help effectively manage your time, take advantage of the templates and tools in Word, all of which make it easier to reuse content, so you don't have to start from scratch whenever you create a new document. And keeping track of important information is a snap thanks to new Excel tools for filtering, sorting, and visualizing information to help you find and analyze business data more effectively. Manage Contact and Customer Information in One Place
To help you manage contact and customer information, Outlook with Business Contact Manager includes a complete contact management solution for small businesses that helps you deliver better customer service. This software enables you to organize all of your contact, prospect, and customer information, so it's easier to manage prospects, respond to customers, and manage your sales process in one place. Enhanced reporting features include over 50 reports that you can easily modify for your unique business needs, and new filtering capabilities help you forecast and close sales. You can also record all types of communications with a customer in one place-- including all e-mail, phone calls, appointments, notes, and documents-- and view a consolidated view of your sales pipeline by using a variety of flexible reports that you can easily modify

• Powerful and easy-to-use suite of productivity and contact management software features new tools to help you save time, stay organized, and deliver better customer service
• Includes the 2007 versions of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Outlook with Business Contact Manager
• Create professional looking documents and presentations, build powerful spreadsheets, and manage your e-mail messages, calendar, and contacts
• Intuitive look and feel, and improved tools; task-based menus and toolbars automatically display the commands and options you can use
• Instant Search function saves you time; junk mail and anti-phishing filters protect the security of your computer; new graphics capabilities help you produce publication-ready documents

Rating: (out of 59 reviews)

List Price: $ 449.95
Price: $ 236.60

Microsoft Office Small Business 2007 FULL VERSION Reviews

Review by Cheryl Laures:

After spending days reviewing everything I could find about Small Business 2007... from the videos at the Microsoft site, to reviews from the private sector, chatting with Microsoft pre-sales to ask all my questions, 1-800-426-9400, (about 7 times over 3 days) and the reviews on Amazon, I decided to take the plunge.

While reviews from some folks left me concerned about leaving Office 2003 behind after 3 years of heavy daily use, I pressed on.

I was glad for the tip about cutting through the clear tape (it's hard to see its there) around the hard plastic package in order for the red tape/tab to be pulled to open the box.

The install went great. Tip- if you have a previous version of Office on your machine, remove it from your system using the control panel-> add/remove programs. After the removal is complete, re-start your machine before installing 2007. (Some of the pre-sales folks at Microsoft told me 2007 would install over 2003.... wrongo!)

Initiating Outlook was easy. 2007 remembered all my settings from 2003 and all my folders, sub-folders, signature files and settings and installed them intact. Very nice. (I did make a .pst back-up from 2003 and didn't need to use it. I do think however, it's a good idea to have a back-up.)

I've already created some very cool graphics and training forms that I couldn't do in 2003. Probably a 'user deficit'! So I guess this bears witness to how intuitive the interface really is for me.

A lot of folks are bashing the new 'ribbon' interface and talking about it functioning slowly and it being difficult to use. This is not my experience at all.

I have only 512 MB of RAM on the XP OS and 2007 runs no differently than 2003.. no lag time or hour-glass waiting... even with changing between word - power point - and excel docs all open at one time. I guess it depends on what other programs you have running in the background- drawing off your RAM resources. I don't let anything run in the background except for my anti-virus program and printers. Everything else I open as I need it from my start menu. This is all in how you've configured your start up options as your computer boots.

The ribbon menus are very straight forward, and with mouse over tells you exactly what everything does. Also, if you're in word and want to do something you used to do in 2003 and can't figure out how, you can type this phrase into the search field inside word -> "Office 2003 Interactive" (without the quotes).

This will open a window in your internet browser that will have a view of 2003. You click on the menu selection or item you used to use in 2003, (right on your screen, this is why its called 'interactive') and it will show you what you need to do in 2007 to achieve the same task. That's pretty handy.

All in all I'm pleasantly surprised. I feel I made a good buying choice after doing my research.

My recommendation is to do your own research, and look at the videos Microsoft has available which demonstrates how 2007 is different. At least this gives you a visual.

http://www.microsoft.com/office/newday/default.mspx?WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=DF7DDF87-E82B-4DFF-B637-7A7198470DCE

(If this link gets chopped up in the post, be sure to copy and paste the whole link into your browser.)

And:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/FX101635841033.aspx

Chat with the pre sales folks. If you have a question that is technical in nature and they can't answer it, they get you in touch with a technical expert specific to the program in office your inquiry is about, at no charge to you. Also you can always download a free trial, and if you don't like it at the end of the trial don't buy it.

I really felt a social obligation to write about my experience to help those who are on a 'due diligence journey' as I was. Hope this has been helpful. ;->

Review by Joshua Nelson:

The new ribbon design is supposed to make it easier to learn and use. It may be for some new users but for experienced users, it isn't. This version takes away some critical nuts & bolts customization features and many tasks now take longer to perform. This is not due to the learning curve, it is the inherent nature of the way the ribbon works. Once you are familiar with the program, nothing is faster than the old menu structure. If Microsoft added an option to allow users to choose between menus and ribbons, it would be the best of both worlds, satisfying the needs of both new and experienced users. The new version does not run macros as fast however. My recommedation for existing users: keep Office 2003 for as long as you can and consider going to Open Office when Microsoft no longer supports 2003 (unless they restore the functionality in a newer release of 2007).

Buy Microsoft Office Small Business 2007 FULL VERSION now for only $ 236.60!

Microsoft Office 2010 Home & Business

Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010 is the essential software suite for managing small businesses and working from home. Enhanced tools and features help you run your business, connect with customers, and organize your household more efficiently. Office Home and Business 2010 features new photo, video, and text effects for creating standout documents and presentations. New communication tools in Outlook 2010 help you stay in touch and organized. Office Home and Business 2010 makes it easier than ever for you to manage things in the office, at home, or in between.Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010 brings together the roles of managing a business, running a household and helping with homework. Get the benefits of all the programs you need to be productive including Microsoft Outlook 2010--so you can tackle your busy day efficiently with powerful email, scheduling and social networking tools to keep your life and work in sync. Traditional Disc Version This version of Microsoft Office Professional 2010 includes the software on disc, with a product key. It is licensed for one user to install on two PCs--a primary machine and a portable PC. For customers buying a PC who need Office Home and Business 2010 for their new PC only, and don't need to upgrade other home PCs, a Product Key Card provides another way to purchase Office with a PC. Tackle Your Busy Day Efficiently Enjoy Flexibility
Now you can easily post your Office documents online and access, share and edit them with Office Web Apps. It's an ideal way to extend your Office 2010 experience to the Web. Work Together
Brainstorm ideas, share notes and work on documents with others simultaneously thanks to the new co-authoring tool in Word, PowerPoint and OneNote. Find It on New Backstage View
Replaces the traditional File menu to give you one go-to spot to conveniently save, open and print documents. Customize the tab commands to fit your individual needs so you can navigate tasks effortlessly. Programs You Rely On
Microsoft Office 2010 is an industry standard offering our latest, innovative tools to make your documents richer and more informative. Included Programs Enjoy the same great features you know and love with Office and get some new ones when you upgrade to Office 2010. Outlook 2010
Whether you're working from home or on the road, Microsoft Outlook 2010 helps you communicate with important contacts, manage email conversations and monitor your schedule from your PC or remotely. Simply post documents to online folders to access and edit remotely. Get improved features including: Sync multiple email accounts from services such as (Hotmail, Gmail) or just about any other provider to Outlook 2010. Condense, categorize and even ignore lengthy email exchanges with a single click using Conversation View. Save time with Quick Steps and customize the tasks you use the most down to a single click. Share your calendar with others and access theirs, plus save frequently used groups of calendars with the new Schedule view. Gain attention with your emails by using new graphic and picture-editing tools. Word 2010
From school fundraisers to company reports when you use Microsoft Word 2010 it all comes together efficiently. Create documents using new photo-editing features, lively text effects, then easily share them online and invite others to collaborate. Get more new tools with Word 2010: Add impact to your document with new picture-editing tools. Better illustrate your ideas with diagrams by turning bullet-point lists into compelling SmartArt graphics. Apply new formatting effects to your text such as shadow, bevel, glow and reflection. Capture and insert screenshots directly into your document. Communicate with ease in many languages with improved translation tools. Excel 2010
Saving for retirement, keeping track of tax information, tracking business expenses--all are important financial decisions. Microsoft Excel 2010 offers clear insight with simple templates to help you build budgets and track expenses so you can focus on financial goals. Get more new features with Excel 2010: Highlight data trends by creating data charts in a single cell with new Sparklines. Find the right data quickly with new filter enhancement in PivotTable views. Analyze data quickly. Highlight specific data with new and improved Conditional Formatting options. Display data in a dynamic and interactive way with PivotChart views. Spend less time sifting through data--use the new search filter to narrow down pertinent data to display. PowerPoint 2010
Pressed for time on a major project? Get ideas down fast with ready-made templates, new photo- and video-editing features and eye-catching transitions all with Microsoft PowerPoint 2010. Get more new tools including: Embed and edit video files directly in your presentation. Set videos to fade in and out and apply a variety of video styles and formats. Broadcast your presentation online with new Broadcast Slide Show. Captivate your audience with new transitions

• New photo, video, and text effects for creating standout documents and presentations
• New communication tools in Outlook 2010 to help you stay in touch and organized
• Makes it easier to manage things in the office, at home, or in between
• Clarify and manage your financial data with new and improved analysis tools, charts, templates and color formatting in Excel 2010.
• The new Microsoft Office Backstage view replaces the traditional File menu found on previous versions of Microsoft Office, to make it easier to navigate tasks, as well as access and manage files.

List Price: $ 279.99
Price: $ 279.99

Microsoft Outlook 2007

Office Outlook 2007 provides an integrated solution for managing your time and information, connecting across boundaries, and remaining in control of the information that reaches you. Office Outlook 2007 delivers innovations you can use to quickly search your communications, organize your work, and better share your information with others, all from one place. Main FeaturesManufacturer: Microsoft CorporationManufacturer Part Number: 543-03007Manufacturer Website Address: www.microsoft.comSoftware Sub Type: Mail ManagementSoftware Name: Office Outlook 2007 - Complete ProductFeatures & Benefits: Manage Your Time and Information: Instantly search all your information Instantly search all your information Get better results faster using a redesigned user interface Visually identify information Preview attachments in one click with Attachment Preview Connect Across Boundaries: Create and subscribe to Internet calendars Send your calendar information to anyone with calendar snapshots Publish your Internet calendar to Microsoft Office Online Fully integrate with Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services technology information Experience increased functionality and collaboration with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Work with RSS Subscriptions from within Office Outlook 2007 Customize and share electronic business cards Remain Safer and Stay in Control: Prevent junk e-mail and reduce exposure to malicious sites Improved protection and security enhancements with Exchange Server 2007 Control distribution of sensitive work Maintain compliance with managed e-mail folders Help ensure e-mail legitimacy with Office Outlook 2007 E-mail PostmarkLanguage Support: EnglishPlatform Support: PCLicense Type: Complete ProductLicense Pricing: StandardLicMicrosoft Office Outlook 2007 provides an integrated solution for managing your time and information, connecting across boundaries, and remaining in control of the information that reaches you. By delivering innovations you can use to quickly search your communications, organize your work, and better share your information with others, this software keeps you connected and up to date, at work dealing with colleagues and customers, or at home corresponding with friends and family.

Office Outlook 2007 provides an integrated solution to help you better manage your time and information. View larger. Keep Better Track of Your Daily Priorities
Outlook 2007 now features a re-designed interface within the authoring experience, making composing, formatting, and acting on e-mail an easier and more intuitive experience. Specifically, all of the rich features and capabilities of Outlook 2007 are now accessible and easy-to-find within the message. For instance, you can use the To-Do Bar--which gives you a consolidated view of your calendar, upcoming appointments, tasks, and flagged mail--to organize your day and manage your priorities. Manage Your Time and Information
Outlook 2007 gives you a wide variety of time-saving options, including Instant Search to help you quickly locate all the information you're looking for right from within the Outlook 2007 interface. Not only can you search by keyword through your information, but Instant Search also looks for those keywords within your e-mail attachments. For more directed search results, the Instant Search pane provides helpful criteria to narrow your entry.

Calendar overlay view makes it easy to navigate your personal calendar and your team calendar at the same time. View larger. Visually Identify Information
Using Outlook 2007 Color Categories, you can easily personalize and add categories to any type of information. Color Categories give you an easy, visual way to distinguish items from one another, so it's a snap to organize your data and search your information. Preview attachments in one click with Attachment Preview and avoid having to re-send attachments repeatedly. Connect Across Boundaries
Outlook 2007 lets you share all types of information with coworkers, customers, friends, and family. First, you can create and subscribe to Internet calendars (which provide a way to view and remain up to date on industry events) or personal interest calendars and schedules. Then, send your calendar information to anyone with calendar snapshots, an HTML representation of your calendar that lets you share this information with anyone. Or you can publish your Internet calendar to Microsoft Office Online. Using Microsoft Passport credentials, you can then invite a group of your coworkers, customers, friends, or family to view and work with your calendar so that everyone has the latest information. Enjoy Full Integration with Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services Technology
With Outlook 2007, you can fully interact with information stored in Windows SharePoint Services technology anywhere, anytime, and connect Windows SharePoint Services calendars, documents, contacts, or tasks. Once you've done so, you'll enjoy full editing capabilities, so that any changes you make to the information stored in Outlook 2007 can be reflected in the server version. Increased Functionality and Collaboration
You also have the option of enjoying increased functionality and collaboration with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. Using Outlook 2007 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 in conjunction results in increased collaboration capabilities and security enhancements. Exchange Server 2007 provides the latest in dynamic mailbox connections, unified messaging features, and improved protection from junk e-mail.

Use Instant Search to locate the information you want within an integrated, familiar interface. View larger. You can also send text messages from Outlook with one easy click, thanks to Outlook Mobile Service, a feature that allows you to send and receive text and picture messages between Outlook 2007 and any mobile phone. Outlook Mobile Service also enables you to forward Outlook e-mail messages, contacts, appointments, and tasks to yourself or other people as text messages. You can even set Outlook 2007 to automatically send e-mail messages, reminders, and your daily calendar as text messages right to your mobile phone. Work With RSS Feeds
You can now fully subscribe to and interact with Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Feeds right from Outlook 2007, the most natural place to manage this kind of information. It's easy to get started adding RSS Feeds using the RSS Subscriptions home page within Outlook 2007. Electronic Business Cards
Outlook 2007 lets you customize and share electronic business cards so you can create, customize, and share your information with customers, clients, or friends. Effortlessly add photos, company logos, or other personal information

• Integrated solution for managing your time and information, connecting across boundaries, and remaining in control of the information that reaches you
• Helps you quickly search your communications, organize your work, and better share your information with others
• Instant Search minimizes the time it takes to locate information; redesigned interface makes composing, formatting, and acting on e-mail an easier and more intuitive experience
• Color Categories give you an easy, visual way to distinguish items from one another, so it's easy to organize your data and search your information
• Fully interact with information stored in Windows SharePoint Services technology anywhere, anytime, and connect Windows SharePoint Services calendars, documents, contacts, or tasks

Rating: (out of 220 reviews)

List Price: $ 109.95
Price: $ 88.33

Microsoft Outlook 2007 Reviews

Review by Scotty:

The new version of Outlook is VERY similar to the previous version. Cosmetics are neater, but wholesale revamping of the user interface that took place in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint missed this version. Usability is good, and I hope that security is improved, but I see no "burning" need to upgrade to the new version.

Review by T. Pallen:

Potential buyers need to know--and Microsoft will NOT tell them--that Office 2007 products, including Outlook, do not exist side-by-side happily with older versions. For example, if you upgrade one Office product, such as Outlook, everytime you start an older Office program, such as Word 2003, it will "reinstall" itself. Then, when you start Outlook 2007, it will "reinstall" itself, etc. Furthermore, if you install an Office 2007 suite that does not include Outlook, it will be impossible to install an older version of Outlook.

Buy Microsoft Outlook 2007 now for only $ 88.33!

Microsoft Office Home & Student 2010 Product Key Card

Microsoft Office 2010 gives you powerful new tools to express your ideas, solve problems, and connect with people.With Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010, you and your kids can create great schoolwork and home projects from multi-page bibliographies to multimedia presentations. Capture ideas and set them apart with video-editing features and dynamic text effects. Then easily collaborate with classmates without being face-to-face thanks to new Web Apps tools. The results go well beyond expectations with a little inspiration, a lot of creativity and Office Home and Student 2010. Key Card Version About Microsoft Office 2010 Product Key Cards
A Product Key Card provides another way to purchase Office with a PC. It includes a 25-character Product Key designed to activate Office software on a preloaded PC. Product Key Card features
Includes 25-character Product Key only, no disc. Designed to activate Office on 1 PC preloaded with Office 2010 suites. For a limited time, customers buying a PC without Office 2010 preloaded, can download the software at www.office.com/productkeycard. Licensed for 1 install on single PC only. License cannot be transferred to another PC. Download backup available at www.office.com/productkeycard. Recommended for:
Customers buying a PC who need Office for new PC only; don't need to upgrade other home PCs. Customers buying a PC who don't require DVD media and/or are okay downloading software (if Office not preloaded). Customers buying a new PC (best experience if customer simply uses the Product Key to activate a PC already preloaded with Office 2010 suites) For customers who require Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 with a license for three machines in the same household, Office may be purchased in a traditional disc version. Capture Ideas and Set Them Apart Enjoy Flexibility
Now you can easily post your Office documents online and access, share and edit them with Office Web Apps. It's an ideal way to extend your Office 2010 experience to the Web. Work Together
Brainstorm ideas, share notes and work on documents with others simultaneously thanks to the new co-authoring tool in Word, PowerPoint and OneNote. Find It on New Backstage View
Replaces the traditional File menu to give you one go-to spot to conveniently save, open and print documents. Customize the tab commands to fit your individual needs so you can navigate tasks effortlessly. Programs You Rely On
Microsoft Office 2010 is an industry standard offering our latest, innovative tools to make your documents richer and more informative. Included Programs Enjoy the same great features you know and love with Office and get some new ones when you upgrade to Office 2010. Word 2010
School fundraisers and neighborhood events come together efficiently when you use Word 2010. Create documents using new photo-editing features, lively text effects, then easily share them online and invite others to collaborate. Get more new features with Word 2010: Add impact to your document with new picture-editing tools. Better illustrate your ideas with diagrams by turning bullet-point lists into compelling SmartArt graphics. Apply new formatting effects to your text such as shadow, bevel, glow and reflection. Capture and insert screenshots directly into your document. Communicate with ease in many languages with improved translation tools. Excel 2010
Saving for retirement, changing homes, cutting expenses--all are important financial decisions. Excel® 2010 offers useful direction with simple templates to help you build budgets and track expenses so you can focus on financial goals. Get more new tools with Excel 2010: Highlight data trends by creating data charts in a single cell with new Sparklines. Find the right data quickly with new filter enhancement in PivotTable views. Analyze data quickly. Highlight specific data with new and improved Conditional Formatting options. Display data in a dynamic and interactive way with PivotChart views. Spend less time sifting through data--use the new search filter to narrow down pertinent data to display. PowerPoint 2010
Pressed for time on a major assignment? Get ideas down fast with ready-made templates, new photo- and video-editing features and eye-catching transitions all with Microsoft PowerPoint 2010. Get more new features including: Embed and edit video files directly in your presentation. Set videos to fade in and out and apply a variety of video styles and formats. Broadcast your presentation online with new Broadcast Slide Show. Captivate your audience with new transitions and improved animations. Use slide sections to navigate, organize and print your presentation. OneNote 2010
Gather a wealth of information and resources all in one spot with OneNote 2010. Post, share and edit notes for group projects online so everyone can work at the same time with real-time updates. Get more new features with OneNote 2010: Use quick filing to organize notebooks, ideal when you're working on multiple projects. Apply styles and formatting to selected text to another paragraph with the new Format Painter. See results as you type with improved Search functionality and view a prioritized list of Search results. Easily organize and jump between your notebooks with the improved notebook Navigation Bar. Take notes while working in Word, PowerPoint or in Internet Explorer and automatically link them. Looking to stay connected?
Step up to Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010 and you'll get another helpful program--Outlook 2010. Now you can access projects, people and plans wherever your work takes you. Use efficient new email, calendar and social networking tools to manage your world from your PC, mobile phone or online.

• Rich and powerful new ways to deliver your work on your computer, Windows Mobile-based smart phone or a web browser
• Easy-to-use tools, customizable templates, color schemes, and photo-editing capabilities
• Work with people from different places at the same time with the new co-authoring experience
• More ways to access your files from almost anywhere, Office 2010 puts you in control of getting things done according to your schedule
• Simplifies your tasks and creates amazing results

List Price: $ 119.99
Price: $ 119.99

Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 FULL VERSION [DVD]

Item #: 62934D. Office Ultimate 2007 will give people working at home access to the full lineup of 2007 Microsoft Office applications so they can create, find, manage and share information across boundaries using the toolset they're familiar with at the office. Product Description
Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 - complete package
Category: Office applications
Subcategory: Office applications - office suite
License Type: Complete package
License Qty: 1 PC
License Pricing: Standard
Language(s): English
Localization: United States
Platform: Windows
Distribution Media: DVD-ROM
Package Type: Retail
OS Required: Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or later, Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or later
Customers also search for: Technology\Software\Software Suites Discount Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 - Complete Package - 1 PC - DVD - Win - English - United States, Buy Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 - Complete Package - 1 PC - DVD - Win - English - United States Wholesale Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 - Complete Package - 1 PC - DVD - Win - English - United States, 0882224281560, 76H-00325, Software SuitesMicrosoft Office Ultimate 2007 provides people at home or work with a comprehensive set of tools that help them gather and consolidate virtually any type of information, find what they are looking for quickly, and easily share information with others across geographical or organizational boundaries so they can deliver better results faster. Building upon Office Professional 2007, Ultimate 2007 includes core applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Access, and Outlook with Business Contact Manager,

The new look and feel of the 2007 Microsoft Office system automatically displays the menus and toolbars you need when you need them. View larger.

Create workspaces and collaborate with ease with Office Groove 2007. View larger.

Tasks are easy to follow up on because they are included on the new To-Do Bar and within Outlook reminders. You can also drag tasks onto your calendar. View larger.

You can customize the new information dashboard in Office Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager to display your sales pipeline. View larger.

Create, preview, and send personalized e-mail publications with Office Publisher 2007 using new E-Mail Merge. View larger.

With Access tracking templates, you can create databases and generate reports quickly. View larger. as well as powerful 2007 versions of Groove, OneNote, and InfoPath that make working from home a new experience. Ultimate also offers electronic forms, advanced information rights management and policy capabilities, and integrated enterprise content management. Which edition of Office is right for you? View a comparison of Microsoft Office 2007 editions. Streamlined User Interface
Get better results in less time with Ultimate's streamlined user interface that helps you create documents faster, more easily, and more intuitively. Reduce the time and frustration of learning new software with commands that present the right tools when you need them. Improved picture, charting, and graphics tools let you produce better-looking documents, spreadsheets, and presentations and a large library of standard charts, quick formatting tools, and SmartArt diagrams make it easy to include rich and stunning visuals and charts. Work Anywhere
Ultimate 2007 provides people who work from home with the familiar tools they may use at the office to efficiently create, gather, analyze, and share information. It also includes Groove, an innovative application that lets users create and customize Groove workspaces in minutes and invite colleagues, partners, and customers to join-- all with enhanced security and without requesting IT resources. Groove stores all your workspaces, tools, and data right on your computer so there's no need to connect to the corporate network to access information. You stay productive whether you're working in the office, at a customer site, on the road, or from home. This software also keeps copies of your workspaces and files, which are synchronized across your own computers, even if they are not online at the same time.

Office Excel 2007 makes it easy to analyze data. View larger. Effortless Collaboration
Ultimate 2007 lets you collaborate easily with colleagues, partners, and customers--all with one program. There's no need to switch tools when you need to work with people outside your organization. In addition, increased support for Portable Document Format (PDF) and XML Paper Specification (XPS) file formats helps ensure broader distribution of your documents with others. Manage Notes and Information
Ultimate 2007 includes OneNote, a digital notebook that provides a flexible way to gather notes and information, powerful search capabilities so users can find what they are looking for quickly, and easy to use, shared notebooks for teams to work together more effectively. It enables greater efficiency while mobile so you can gather and view notes and other information on a Smartphone or Pocket PC mobile device and sync it with your OneNote notebook on your portable computer. In addition, OneNote enables you to gather all needed content in one place, regardless of data format, further simplifying information exchange between colleagues. Create and Manage Content
Ultimate 2007 provides tools that help you create and manage content more efficiently and effectively than ever before. Use audible and text alerts that notify you of specific changes to monitor document changes and gain greater visibility of the most up-to-date project information in Groove. The new Instant Search in Outlook helps you quickly find e-mail messages, while Excel makes it easier than ever to analyze data with powerful visualization options. You can also compile and track information from different sources in Access, allowing you to filter data when you need to. When it's time to analyze important data, Ultimate 2007 lets you visualize key data trends using conditional formatting, which includes improved data bars, more colorful gradients, and icons so you can format data based on specific rules and easily identify key data trends with visual cues.

Including charts in Office PowerPoint 2007 is easy. View larger. Stay Organized
Outlook features a new To-Do Bar for organizing tasks, appointments and e-mail messages flagged for follow-up. You

• No-compromise software package provides people at home or work with a comprehensive set of tools
• Includes core applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Access, and Outlook with Business Contact Manager, as well as powerful 2007 versions of like Groove, OneNote, and InfoPath
• Streamlined user interface that helps you create documents faster, more easily, and more intuitively; improved picture, charting, and graphics tools let you produce better-looking documents, spreadsheets, and presentations
• Large library of standard charts, quick formatting tools, and SmartArt diagrams makes it easy to include rich and stunning visuals and charts
• Includes Groove, an innovative application that lets users create and customize Groove workspaces in minutes and invite colleagues, partners, and customers to join

Rating: (out of 51 reviews)

List Price: $ 679.95
Price: $ 200.00

Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 FULL VERSION [DVD] Reviews

Review by mhnstr:

Having used the Office programs for some time, I was a bit put off by the new ribbons which replace the old menus. I guess that Office needed a new look, but I am not sure if I buy the advertising that the ribbon will make my work more productive.

Some things that you should know about Office 2007 and Ultimate in general. The licensing agreement allows you to install Office 2007 Ultimate on two computers, one of them being a laptop. I found this clause in the legal agreement and even called Microsoft Legal to confirm.

If you make modifications to the Quick Access Toolbar (and who won't do that?) and you want to take these changes with you to another computer, the files for the toolbars are located at:

C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Office

Where username is your username. Something I have found handy when working with my two computers.

One thing that I don't like is that the file name extensions have changed. Gone is the familiar .doc for Word documents. Now the file extension is .docx. If you want to create a document that can still be opened by prior versions of Word, you must purposefully choose to create a .doc file, but you lose some of the functionality of the new files. The .docx file This format is not the same as the OpenDocument standard. Microsoft promises that older versions of Word can still open the .docx files, but I have not tried it and I don't buy into everything that Microsoft promises until I see it happen. Why couldn't Microsoft just leave the files the same as they have always been?

Office 2007 does look slick and I anticipate that I will warm up to it in the future as I get used to the new command structure.

Review by B. Chambers:

I chose Office Ultimate 2007 as it seemed to not only have everything I could possibly need to run a business, but also easy functionality that would keep me from pulling my hair out because of software or design issues.

Ultimate 2007 certainly doesn't disappoint!

- Set up was fairly easy: two disks came with the package. Disk One contains most of the software and Disk Two contains applications that guarantee that you are the owner of the software and have the right to all of the Accounting and key business functions.

- Ribbon technology removes the old "hunt and find" menu method (although for those of us that took the time to memorize and learn the location of every buttom and drop-down it did take a day or two to get used to the new set up).

- Integration with the web and other programs is virtually seemless.

- Excel is no longer the chore it once was because of the above mentioned ribbon.

- Accounting software is included.

- Ink and Crossword. I'm not one for games on my business pc, but for anyone that likes to doodle or zone out with crosswords, ULTIMATE lives up to its name by including an art program designed for pen users and excellent crosswords.

- OneNote. I like post-its (perhaps a little too much *L*) and always used the Post-It Note software on my business computer to keep notes. I used OneNote 2003 sparingly because I simply found the Post-It Note software easier to use on my desktop, BUT...with my Tablet PC One Note 2007 added a new dimension to my notetaking that I feel will work well with my business: the earlier mentioned web and application integration and handwriting to text functionality. I may still use Post-It now and then for quick notes or perhaps the Windows "Stickys," but the long note pages, pasting of images and other web info, and pen to paper note taking makes this product invaluable.

- Word. What can I say? This is my primary software tool and I use it on a tablet pc. The 2007 applications were made for my computer type. I can easily click on formatting tools with the touch of my Wacom pen and I don't have to stop mid-thought to make a change or wait until I finish the document to then make my edits.

- PowerPoint, Publisher, Access, Groove, InfoPath et cetera (also included): I am still delving into these, but they appear to have all of the perks of the other programs.

So, did I have any dislikes?

1. The INK program doesn't respond to my Wacom pen as well as the Windows journal or Microsoft OneNote. It also doesn't have easy to use tools within the software. Since it was an "extra" and will not be my primary desktop publishing, design, or art tool - I'll probably remove it at some point from my tablet.

2. Microsoft does not include an instruction manual or reference book with this program. As a result, after installation of the first disk and Microsoft's statement that all of my programs were installed, I couldn't find my Accounting software, had no idea that the Accounting software was on the second disk (the second disk, when loaded, doesn't mention that the software is on the disk until AFTER the software installation is complete and instead mentions other business applications), and wasted over an hour trying to find it. Also, I'm a "hands on" person and although I have access to the internet whenever I need it, I enjoy having an actual book in my hands from time-to-time while learning. Ultimate is made with enough simplicity that a manual isn't really necessary (i.e. most questions can be answered by the "Help" window), BUT...for the hefty price tag, I don't think it would have been too much to ask Microsoft to include a basic "this is how you install the programs and this is what to expect" booklet. Also note: athough Microsoft, through their downloads e-mail updates, provided a "Getting Started" tab with a "how-to" for each major software applications, the tabs had to be added "after the fact" and many of you might find yourselves frustrated with the lack of upfront instructions on how to use the software.

Beside those few quirks, I fully stand behind my 5 star rating of this product and purchasing this product through Amazon (i.e. Amazon's pricing was less than the big boy retailers or online vendors).

Shipping turnaround with Super Saver: 2 days.

Buy Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 FULL VERSION [DVD] now for only $ 200.00!

Norton Internet Security 2010 1-User/3PC

Norton Internet Security 2010 delivers fast and light comprehensive online threat protection. It guards your PC, network, online activities and your identity with innovative, intelligent detection technologies optimized to combat today's aggressive, rapid-fire attacks. Improved Norton Safe Web technology blocks Internet threats before they can infect your PC. So you can browse, buy and bank online with confidence. It even warns you of unsafe web sites right in your search results. Plus, unlike other Internet security suites, it provides easy-to-understand threat and performance information to help you avoid future threats and keep your PC running fast. Fast and light comprehensive online threat protection. Click to enlarge. Norton Internet Security 2010 Key Benefits Stops online identity theft, viruses, spyware, bots, Trojans and more--Guards your PC, online activities and your identity with comprehensive award-winning protection against all types of Internet threats.

Stops attacks before they get on your PC--Blocks hackers from accessing your PC and prevents dangerous software that could harm your computer or steal your identity from automatically downloading onto your PC when you surf the web.

Delivers clear performance and threat explanations--Tells you how files and applications affect PC performance, what actions threats have taken, and where they came from to help you avoid future attacks.

Identifies unsafe web sites right in your search results--Provides safety ratings for web sites listed in your search results so you can avoid visiting sites that are likely to cause problems.

Uses intelligence-driven technology for faster, fewer, shorter scans--Identifies and scans only files at risk to detect and eliminate dangerous software. Norton IdentitySafe On-the-Go lets you access your most up-to-date log-ins and passwords on any Norton Internet Security 2010 protected PC. Click to enlarge. Norton Safe Web identifies unsafe and dangerous web sites right in your search results. Click to enlarge. Norton Insight scans only files at risk for fewer, shorter scans and the fastest scanning times in the industry. Click to enlarge. Download Insight warns you of dangerous downloads before you install and use them. Click to enlarge. Maps and monitors your home wireless network so you can see everything connected to it. Click to enlarge.

Norton Internet Security 2010 Features Intelligent Protection
New--Norton IdentitySafe On-the-Go lets you access your most up-to-date log-ins and passwords on any Norton Internet Security 2010 protected PC. New--Norton Safe Web identifies unsafe and dangerous web sites right in your search results. New--Analyzes downloads, files and applications and tells you if they can be trusted before you install and use them. New--Parental Controls give you insight into your kids' online activities so you can teach them good Internet habits and help keep them safe. New--Professional-strength antispam protection uses the same technology as many large businesses to effectively block unwanted emails. Improved--Norton Protection System delivers multiple layers of security that work together to provide comprehensive Internet threat protection. Improved--Norton IdentitySafe offers one-click log-ins and automatic form filling to prevent key loggers from stealing your information as you type. Improved--Vulnerability Protection guards security holes in your operating system, applications, browsers and browser plug-ins. Improved--Detects and gets rid of even the hardest to find Internet Explorer and Firefox cookies. Improved--Norton Bootable Recovery Tool repairs, restores and boots severely infected, unbootable PCs. Industry-leading anti-phishing technology authenticates safe sites and protects you from visiting unsafe and fraudulent web sites. Smart Firewall stops hackers and makes intelligent security decisions for you. Engineered for Speed
Improved--Proven fastest, lightest security suite for protection that won't slow you down, get in your way, or swallow up system resources. Improved--Norton Insight scans only files at risk for fewer, shorter scans and the fastest scanning times in the industry. Uses less memory than any other security suite. Won't slow you down when you download, copy, or edit files, or install applications. Combats today's rapid-fire attacks
New--Norton Insight Network uses Symantec's global security network to provide real-time protection from the latest-breaking threats. New--SONAR 2 (Symantec Online Network for Advanced Response) uses online intelligence and proactive monitoring to detect and stop new threats. Norton Pulse Updates provide rapid mini updates every 5 to 15 minutes for up-to-the-minute local protection against the latest threats. Prevents bots from taking control of your PC. Finds and removes rootkits. Prevents Internet worms from getting on your PC. Tells you which application processes currently running on your PC are safe and which are at risk. Norton Bootable Recovery Tool provides a deep level of cleaning for heavily infected PCs. Provides info on threats, downloads and files
New--Norton Download Insight warns you of dangerous downloads before you install and use them. New--Norton Threat Insight tells you if threats were detected, what actions the threats

• Norton Internet Security 2010 delivers fast and light comprehensive online threat protection, guarding your PC, network, and your identity without slowing you down
• Gives you greater insight into downloaded applications and files by telling you where they came from, if they can be trusted, and how they may impact your PC’s resources and performance
• Warns you of dangerous web sites and suspicious sellers so you can surf and shop online with confidence
• Stops online identity theft, viruses, spyware, bots and more--guard your PC, online activities, and your identity against all types of Internet threats
• Proactively blocks hackers and prevents dangerous software from downloading to your computer when you surf the web

Rating: (out of 296 reviews)

List Price: $ 69.99
Price: $ 29.99

Norton Internet Security 2010 1-User/3PC Reviews

Review by Gene Cloner:

This is my fifth year of using NIS to protect my home computer and laptop. With the noticeable improvements last version, Norton came back with a bang. While NIS2010 still has some flaws, the good trend seems to continue this year as well.

Installation: Installation was very quick similar to NIS2009. It does require a restart which seems to be the case for most virus protection software. Norton for some reason wants us to download and install parental control separately. just a hazel. If you are an existing NIS user you can upgrade from Norton's upgrade website before deciding to purchase the new version. The upgrade will retain your 2009 subscription and your license will be retained as well. NOTE: If you install from CD, your old license will be over written.

Performance: I don't think NIS2010 is a resource hog. Norton also has performance meters where you can check how much of the system resources are being used by Norton. It seems NIS 2010 uses most system resources only during a complete scan. NIS2010 upgrade virus signatures on the background during idle time just like NIS2009. So you dont feel that it exists. Quick scans during idle times also seem to be pretty quick. I havent noticed any loss of performance in the one week that I have been using NIs2010.

Virus protection: Based on tests by PC world and CNET Norton is only behind the not well known G-DATA internet security in virus detection. I havent used G-DATA so I cant compare them. However, NIS has gotten better at malware detection. It did detect a number of malware that adaware and other security software that I use (e.g. Advanced system care). NIS2009 missed a number of these malware.

Network protection: Although NIS claims that when NIS is installed in all PCs on your network, it can detect and keep a trusted network, it has not worked for me. NIS detected my skype phone (ofcourse didn't protect it), but didn't detect my other PC on the network that also has NIS2010 installed. I am not sure if this 'trust' is of any use to me anyway.

Internet security: Norton identified websites that you visit (amazon, bank and ccard websites for example) as trusted ones based on IP address and other data. so you can be safe you are not entering your password on a phishing website. It is very handy for me. I always look for the 'trusted' sign from both Firefox and NIS before entering my passwords.

Password manager: I dont know if I will trust NIS to be my password manager. You need just one password for Norton and it can manage your other passwords and form filling information. However, it seems to be easy to break in to NIS to obtain the password manager's password list. Although the hacker needs physical access to your computer to do this, it is a concern if your laptop gets stolen for example. NIS2010 offers to have the password manager's list reside on removable media which is a somewhat safer alternative. Norton safe search which identifies safe websites on your serach list is also helpful, but google can do this as well.

Over all, it is a good virus protection for your PC, checks files on the fly, can scan emails and attachemnts, IM text and links. Not very good for password management and parental control.

Review by Busy Executive:

While most of Symantec's competitors seem to be struggling with software "bloat", it's good to see one of the big guys heading back to more of a streamlined approach.

I installed the software on two PCs so far...one a Vista Ultimate having no existing security software, and the other a Windows XP with McAffee's product. The installer suggested removing the McAffee product (which I did) and the installation was similarly uneventful on both of my systems from there on. It does force a reboot, and between the initial install plus downloading any updates, it took longer than I expected - about half an hour end to end.

As for performance, there is a slight (but noticeable) increase in the reboot time when Norton starts up - perhaps an extra 30 seconds total. And if you're sensitive to performance, you can also tell when the product is updating virus signatures in the background, or performing one of its quick virus scans.

The basic anti-virus protection seemed fine. Not too obtrusive, although it's difficult to really assess the quality of the virus scanning, since I've yet to actually encounter a virus. I tend to be careful, but still, being one of the better known products, Norton gives you a sense of security in case you do something silly and let an infected file in.

I didn't activate the network protection features that come with the product. I tend to rely instead on a router with a strong firewall capability, and then I keep my "internal" network fairly open. The product did detect a number of networked apps I use, stopping to ask my permission before letting them open whatever ports they were using. Would have been nice to set this sort of policy globally, rather than having to bump into applications one at a time.

One feature I would have liked to see is the ability to designate one of my PCs as the "master" for policy decisions and updates, with my other PCs driven from the master. For instance, on kids PCs, I'd like to set a strict policy, record any unusual activity, and know that my policies can only be changed from my central master computer. Big corporate AV systems do this - would be nice to have the same capability at home.

Like the network protection, I also didn't find myself using the password management features of the product. My PC is a ThinkPad with the built-in fingerprint scanner, and I prefer to use the IBM security software, which provides this same function. The biometric device (fingerprint reader) seems more secure, and it would be nice if Norton provided integrated support for these types of authentication devices.

The internet security feature is sort of helpful, but if you know what you're doing, you can do this on your own by looking at a sites digital certificates. Norton automates this, telling you that it's okay to trust a particular site. Not sure I'd buy the product just for this capability, but it's a nice add-on feature.

Overall, I was also glad to see that the product seemed to be fairly stable and to operate without all that much overhead. Compared to a few of the others I've tried, Norton is about the best mix of usability, capability and efficiency.

It's sort of sad that we need this type of software in today's world...I'd rather be spending my money on software to make me more productive or entertained. But, if you accept that you need protection, Norton is as good a choice as any.

Buy Norton Internet Security 2010 1-User/3PC now for only $ 29.99!

Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 3-User

Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 provides the world's most advanced PC security with premium protection from all malware threats. When you buy Kaspersky, you get more than just a box of software. You'll benefit from unique technologies that deliver the best protection, performance, and security utilities available. Raise your defenses against the ever-increasing threat of cybercriminals!The most advanced Internet security software with premium protection from viruses, spyware hackers and spam. Also includes comprehensive identity theft and phishing protection, parental and privacy controls, and superfast performance. Automatically determine the safety of your applications and applies the appropriate security level. Click to enlarge. Premium protection from viruses, spyware hackers and spam. Click to enlarge. Vulnerability scanning helps guarantee that your applications are fully patches, up-to-date, and secure Click to enlarge. With Kaspersky Internet Security, You Get: Advanced up-to-the-second threat intelligence Built for fast, optimal PC performance Ideal for banking, shopping and surfing online Comprehensive identity theft & phishing protection Powerful anti-spam and two-way firewall Parental and privacy controls Free technical support Here's What You Can Expect from Kaspersky Internet Security 2010: Safely surf the web, totally worry free Protect your private data, personal identity and banking information Socialize securely with friends and family Share pictures, videos, and documents with confidence Email and IM without annoying spam or infected messages Download and run new applications with complete confidence Ensure all applications are fully updated and secure Protect your family by blocking access to inappropriate online content Maximize the full potential of your PC's resources and performance Better gaming experience without interruption Free U.S.-based technical support via phone, email, and chat What Makes Kaspersky Different is What Makes You Safer--Check Out the Features You Will Find Only With Kaspersky: Whitelisting & Application Control
Automatically determines the safety of your applications and applies the appropriate security level. iChecker & iSwift Scanning
Adjusts scanning for superfast performance. Ideal for gamers! Urgent Detection System
Instantly verifies every web address against the most current list of known malicious sites. Security Analyzer
Vulnerability scanning helps guarantee that your applications are fully patches, up-to-date, and secure. Safe Run
Runs any application or browser in a protected virtual environment or sandbox. Virtual Keyboard
Protects your personal data, passwords and online banking information when using the Web

• Internet Security 2010 offers premium protection from viruses, spyware and all malware threats
• Advanced up-to-the-second protection and threat intelligence
• Built for fast, optimal PC performance
• Comprehensive identity theft and phishing protection
• Powerful anti-spam and two-way firewall

Rating: (out of 100 reviews)

List Price: $ 79.95
Price: $ 32.34

Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 3-User Reviews

Review by Hugo D. Hackenbush:

I own a 3-year-old Dell XPS 410 with an Intel Core 2 6700 CPU @ 2.66GHz, equipped with a RAID 0 650 GB dual hard drive, 4 GB DDR2 RAM and an Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB "Direct X 10"-compatible graphics card; for the most part, I have been displeased with the performance of my computer ever since my initial purchase... and this disappointment extended to the performance of my chosen internet security suite, KIS 2007-2010.

After several years of using the miserably sluggish, sporadically buggy Vista Ultimate 32-bit OS, I have recently upgraded my computer to Windows 7 Ultimate 64-Bit (all I can say is WHAT A DIFFERENCE... for those interested, upgrade ASAP). After a clean install, I reluctantly decided to reinstall KIS 2010 and see how well it would perform with my new OS. I wasn't too impressed with KIS 2010's overall performance when I ran it on Vista Ultimate 32-bit (although it was improved over KIS 2009), but running it on Windows 7 Ultimate 64-Bit is another story altogether.

The Good:

A newly-streamlined interface makes it far more user friendly than previous editions;

There's lots of smart configuration tweaks for experienced users;

It uses a lot less system resources to run than the last few versions;

It works extremely well with Windows 7 Ultimate 64-Bit (which I have just upgraded to), with no slowdown or start-up hangs;

Firewall, malware and virus protection is among the best of any current security suite;

The "safe run" sandbox virtual environment is a nice new feature;

The free software upgrades means you only have to continue renewing your subscription, as opposed to shelling out twice as much for annual software upgrades.

However, there are a few cons:

My experience with KIS 2010 on Vista Ultimate 32-bit was erratic, as most of the time it would work well, but on occasion would tremendously slow down my computer's start-up time, sometimes to the point where I would have no choice but to re-boot the computer;

The spam filter needs work;

The interface could still stand to become a bit more user-friendly for novices in the settings section;

There is an issue with KIS 2010 that blocks the "Windows Experience Index" from completing in Windows 7 (UPDATE: a recent patch finally seems to have corrected the issue);

Scanning is fairly slow with large hard drives.

Still, for the several weeks that I have been using KIS 2010 with Windows 7 64-bit, I must say I am quite pleased with the smooth, quick and reliable performance it has exhibited, as none of the issues that marred KIS 2009 and 2010 while using Vista Ultimate 32-bit are occurring with Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit.

Overall, my recommendation is if you are using Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit, I'd give Norton Internet Security 2010 a shot before KIS 2010. However, if you (like me) are using Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, Kaspersky 2010 Internet Security Suite does its job quite well and I would strongly encourage users to give it a try.

Review by Hayford Peirce:

I've used just about every security system in the world over the years and a year ago settled on Kaspersky 2009, which is easy to use, runs well, and does everything perfectly.

Then, in September, it came time to renew my annual license. I paid my money, and, instead of just renewing me, Kaspersky sent me their new program, 2010. I installed it with no problem. The interface is more complicated but not *really* hard to figure out. After a while, however, I started noticing that there were various sites that I couldn't get to on the Internet (I use Chrome as my browser). Then I discovered that some programs, such as Eudora and Agent were taking longer and longer and longer to shut down when I clicked the X in the corner. And that almost *all* programs I opened or *all* websites that I went to were *much* slower in starting up than they had been before. I tried getting help for various issues at the online Forum where various people send in their problems and other people, including, I guess, some types hired by Kaspersky, try to help them. I got various answers but not very good ones.

I finally discovered by reading a number of anguished threads in the Forum that *lots* of people were having terrible slow-down problems with Kaspersky 2010, even though 2009 had run smoothly. A few people said that the only way they fixed their problems was to uninstall 2010 completely and to reinstall 2009. Finally, after 2010 suddenly vanished from my screen and disappeared *entirely*, I used "Revo Uninstaller" (a *great, free* program, by the way, that everyone should have) to uninstall 2010 and then, using my CD that I had bought a year earlier, finally managed to reinstall 2009. It was hard, though, and took me several hours, countless reboots, and various clean-ups that hadn't been necessary when I first installed it a year ago. Now my system is once again humming along with 2009 and all the problems that I experienced with 2010 are gone.

Buying 2010 is like buying Microsoft Vista and installing it if you had previously been running XP -- a big mistake, and don't do it! It's nothing but a piece of over-priced bloatware that is full of bugs and should never have been released. Users of Internet Explorer 8, particularly: take warning! According to the Forum threads, it's *really* a problem with that browser!

PS -- For the Teckies: My computer is a Compaq Presario, with XP Home Edition, Service Pack 3, Pentium 4 CPU, 2.80 GHz, 1.00 GB of RAM, running Google Chrome as the *only* browser on the system.

Buy Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 3-User now for only $ 32.34!

McAfee Internet Security 3User 2010

McAfee Internet Security software offers comprehensive PC and online security with accelerated performance. It’s now available with revolutionary Active Protection technology, enabling the fastest updates and highest levels of detection against malicious threats. It provides anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-phishing, identity and two-way firewall protection. Additionally, anti-spam, parental controls and a powerful website safety advisor are included.McAfee Internet Security software offers comprehensive PC and online security with accelerated performance, and helps keeps you and your family safe. It's now available with revolutionary Active Protection technology, enabling the fastest updates and highest levels of detection against malicious threats. It provides anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-phishing and two-way firewall protection. Additionally, anti-spam and parental controls are included. McAfee Internet Security software also features McAfee SiteAdvisor technology, a powerful website safety advisor that uses simple color codes to identify risky websites so you can safely surf the Web and transact online. With continuous and automatic updates, McAfee helps ensure that you are running the most current security to combat the ever-evolving Internet threats. Comprehensive, award-wining PC security to freely explore online McAfee SecurityCenter provides an easy-to-read security status screen and puts you in control with fully customizable options. When using popular search engines, McAfee SiteAdvisor's safety ratings appear next to your search results. To see more information about the web site, roll your mouse over any SiteAdvisor safety rating. Anti-virus and antispyware
Detects, blocks, and removes viruses, spyware, and adware. Anti-phishing
Alerts you to websites that may try to steal your identity. Identity protection
Helps you to shop, bank, and trade online safely. Two-way firewall protection
Confidently use the Internet 24/7 knowing hackers can't get access to your PCs. Website safety ratings
Warns you with color-coded ratings about unsafe websites. New 2010 Product Features Active Protection
Our revolutionary Active Protection technology provides the fastest protection against malicious threats to your PC. New and emerging threats are analyzed and blocked in milliseconds, so you don't have to wait for regular updates to arrive. Quickscan
Checks for threats in the areas of your computer that are most often attacked. Faster performance
Now with quicker startup, shutdown, and scan times, it runs silently in the background without slowing down your PC so you can play games, watch videos, and use applications uninterrupted. Enterprise-class anti-spam
Upgraded with powerful industry grade spam protection that helps keep your inbox free from unwanted, fraudulent, offensive, and phishing emails. Power optimization
Extends the battery lifetime of notebook PCs by deferring scheduled scans until the computer is plugged in and can be set up to shut down automatically after running a scan to help save energy. Age-appropriate searching
Automatically sets the proper content filtering levels of popular search engines. Parental controls support for Google Chrome
Lets your children choose Google's latest web browser and still be protected. The McAfee Advantage McAfee security products use award-winning technology, are easy to install, and come with unlimited email and instant message chat assistance. With continuous and automatic updates, McAfee helps ensure that you are running the most current security to combat the ever-evolving Internet threats for the duration of your subscription. McAfee SecurityCenter
Provides an easy-to-read security status screen and puts you in control with fully customizable options McAfee SystemGuards Warns you when your computer shows specific behavior that may signal virus, spyware, or hacker activity. Stealth Mode
Makes your computer invisible to hackers. Shredder
Allows you to effectively remove any and all traces of confidential files from your computer. Parental Controls
Allows your children to go online safely. Data Backup
Automatically saves copies of your most valuable files on a CD/DVD, USB, external, or network drive. Protection Without Interference
You can watch movies or play games uninterrupted as McAfee security service intelligently defers tasks, updates, and alerts when you're in full-screen mode.

• McAfee Internet Security 2010 provides comprehensive, award-winning PC security to freely explore online
• Detects, blocks, and removes viruses, spyware, and adware
• Alerts you to websites that may try to steal your identity
• Identity protection helps you to shop, bank, and trade online safely
• Confidently use the Internet 24/7 knowing hackers can't get access to your PCs

Rating: (out of 95 reviews)

List Price: $ 69.99
Price: $ 16.95

McAfee Internet Security 3User 2010 Reviews

Review by Quoizimodo:

With Bit Defender and Kaperski, McAfee rates in the top 3 on many internet security reviews (#2). Here are my 10 cents worth after using all 3 of the above. Bit Defender has an excellent firewall but during a full scan, it tends to slow down the computer quite a bit. Of the 3, Kaperski has the fastest scan. Both Mc and Ski have very good firewall. But only Mc's firewall was certified by ICSA labs in 2009. Of the 3, I found Mc's Antivirus to be superior to the other 2 ( a solid A minus - B+ for the others). It was particularly well suited in detecting malicious items from foreign websites. The user interface in Mc's was more friendly than the other 2. Although ski's is only slightly just a notch behind. Mc's uses simple to understand traffic lights. Red: warning do not click into the website. Yellow: use caution. Green: OK! What could be more simple. In terms of price Mc's is stuck between the two.

Therefore here is the verdict: Bit defender - Excellent Firewall and above average AntiVirus. Slow scan and excellent price. Kaperski: very good firewall and Antivirus. Fastest Scan. It does everything very well, but does not excel in one particular area. Downside: a little pricey. Reviewer's choice: McAfee. A very good firewall and excellent Antivirus. Scan speed C+. Full of features and user friendly (a 7 year old could understand their color code). McAfee has set the standard for your complete computer protection. It's a no brainer.

Review by Ernie:

I purchased this on a goldbox deal and installed it on two computers in the last week.

As the title says: it is what it is.

It's a "protection package" that you basically buy for the antivirus . . . the rest is basically social engineering.

Firewall & "Internet Protection" is subjective -- if you only surf and e-mail, it's helpful, but otherwise it blocks ports, which you could be using for one protocol or another. Adding a firewall to an average person's machine is terribly frustrating if a port needs to be opened. Worse, if they need support to talk them through doing so, if the software isn't VERY intuitive it can add to this experience. I've yet to encounter "home" software that is good at this.

Antivirus - it's one of the leading brands; not much to expect, not hard to meet the expectation.

Backup & Restore - honestly, there's nothing better than making your own backups. Lots of good software exists to automatically back up your software, but I wouldn't purchase this package for this particular reason.

Web Filter - again, there are better and there are worse. If you're REALLY concerned about the parental filtering, you need to get a dedicated service that is proactive about updates, not an afterthought on a package. Some browsers have features like this built-in, but I've yet to find one that didn't have false positives (as I don't visit sites with malware).

Updates . . . if you just "fix" security issues, it may enable MS updates. This led me on a 2-hour reinstall of drivers . . . but that's a Microsoft issue, not necessarily this software. You should keep your Windows updated, but you need to set aside time to do updates and MAKE SURE things work afterwards . . . it's just a peril of Windows.

==============================================================================================================

Update - I have to, unfortunately, send this to the "do not buy" list.

On my mother's work computer, my father was (reluctantly) trying to catch up on e-mails and clicked on a "forwarded" message URL which brought him to the most convincing scareware site I'd ever seen. It did an install of an "antivirus" program which totally and utterly rendered McAfee useless without so much as a peep from the real antivirus. The result was a set of self-downloading viruses and trojans that I was only able to exercise through safe-mode (disable EVERYTHING that starts up) then use of Panda online, Symantec online (and something else I can't remember). Each removed malware & viruses that the others managed to leave behind.

After I'd corrected those issues, McAfee was monopolizing the processor and memory starting on login and had to be uninstalled.

It's a shame that people have to go through this - I had a hard time and know (relatively speaking) what I'm doing. Panda and Norton (in my experience) may not have prevented you from clicking on something that scares you into installing it, but they would have prevented some of the additional infections and at least notified you of the problem. McAfee was easily circumvented.

Good luck folks.

Buy McAfee Internet Security 3User 2010 now for only $ 16.95!

Internet Security 3 User - 2 Year Subscription

We know you want to focus on what’s important to you when you’re online, not worry about security all the time. We take care of your security for you. AVG’s unique Identity Protection is the world’s smartest ID theft protection, stopping thieves before they can access your passwords, account information, and credit card numbers. AVG’s patent-pending LinkScanner is the first technology to check websites and search results when you’re about to click that link. AVG’s new scanning system only scans files changed since the last scan, so it won’t slow down your system. Our redesigned firewall keeps hackers out of your computer but doesn’t get in your way and high-speed spam and scam detection cleans your inbox without holding up the mail. While you’re surfing and searching the web, Identity Protection keeps your private information safe from known and unknown threats. LinkScanner SurfShield ensures every website you visit is safe – even before you go there while LinkScanner SearchShield gives safety ratings to all your Google, MSN and Yahoo search results. Enhanced Firewall prevents hackers from seeing inside your computer and LIVE Research checks to make sure web pages really are what they appear to be. While you’re emailing, IMing or on your social networks WebShield lets you download and exchange files without risking virus infections. Email Scanner keeps viruses and phishers out of your inbox and Anti-spam blocks spammers and scammers from clogging your system. Whether you’re online or offline Anti-Virus & Anti-Spyware makes sure you can’t get or spread a virus. Anti-Rootkit ensures even the toughest and most sophisticated threats are kept out. Game mode keeps you safe and doesn’t interrupt you while you’re playing. System tools optionally customize how Internet Security works with your system and Update Manager guarantees you’re always safe from the latest threats – automatically. 2009 Global Product Excellence Award – Security Solution for ConsumersAVG Internet Security--Complete protection for everything you do. Worried You Don't Have Enough Protection When You Go Online? With AVG Internet Security, you get a worry-free experience every time you go online. Multiple layers of protection mean you don't have to worry about identity theft, spam or viruses. It'll even stop you visiting harmful sites before you can click on them. Complete protection for everything you do on your computer--online or off. It's faster, smarter security that won't slow you down. Safely bank and shop online without fear of identity theft LinkScanner for safe web searching and surfing Safely exchange photos and files over instant messaging and social networks Safely download music, files, and applications Email inbox that's clear of phishers, spammers, and scammers High-efficiency virus scanner for great system performance Two Vital Extra Layers of Protection You Won't Find in Any Other Security Software LinkScanner takes over where anti-virus can't go--into the depths of web pages you haven't even visited yet. Whenever you're on the web, the moment you go to click on a link, LinkScanner analyzes the page behind that link to tell you whether there's something nasty hiding there. For added peace of mind, you also get safety ratings for your Google, Yahoo! and Bing/MSN search results. Identity Protection makes sure your passwords, credit card information, bank account details, and other valuable data are safe from even the newest and most sophisticated threats. It's constantly on guard, watching to make sure no program on your PC is doing something it shouldn't. If it finds something misbehaving, it simply shuts it down. So your data is safe. Think about it. Just one software package to protect you from every trickster, scam artist, cybercriminal, hacker, and spammer lurking out there--including brand-new threats that haven't been identified by other security software companies. Why AVG? We know what's important to you when you're online--sharing photos and music, chatting, managing your finances, shopping, keeping in touch with friends and family. You don't want to be worrying about security. AVG takes the uncertainty out of going online, protecting you wherever you go and whatever you do. It's important to use the right level of protection for your needs.
See how AVG's layered protection products compare. All AVG products give you:
Free automatic updates and version upgrades1 Hassle-free security that won't slow you down2 And if you ever need help with your AVG protection, just head on over to our support website at http://www.avg.com/support and our experts will get you back on track--fast. 1 For the term of your license.
2 All security software uses memory and processor power, and can therefore result in slower system performance. AVG has been built to minimize these effects.

• AVG Internet Security offers multiple layers of protection so you don't have to worry about identity theft, spam or viruses
• Complete security featuring AVG Identity Protection and LinkScanner to keep you safe online
• Unlimited automatic updates and version upgrades for the life of your license
• Bank and shop online without fear of identity theft; stay safe from dangerous websites; exchange files over IM safely
• Stop scammers and spammers from clogging your email; block known and unknown threats round the clock

Rating: (out of 15 reviews)

List Price: $ 89.99
Price: $ 34.99

Internet Security 3 User - 2 Year Subscription Reviews

Review by Matthew K. Morgan:

AVG is best known for their free antivirus though they have offered for years a full security suite. I had never bothered to try AVG Internet Security (AVG IS), mainly because it is an expensive package in comparison to most of the other offerings on the market. That said, it is a solid product and worth consideration in spite of the cost.

I should start by stating, for the record, that I had a dreadful install experience. AVG IS partially installed itself and then errored out. After a reboot, AVG IS was alive but outdated, and what was broken was the ability to update. Worse, the uninstall was also broken. After getting the uninstall ironed out, I tried to install again and this time everything was much smoother.

AVG IS is organized and clean with a very clear and easy-to-understand overview dashboard. At a glance you can tell what is active and what is not active. Double-clicking on any of the icons in this view gives access to adjustment controls by which the component in question can be manipulated and set as desired. I like this particular view. One thing that is not clear, though, is that to get to the real nuts and bolts of the various components' configurations, one must use the pull-down menus, not the icons.

AVG's firewall appears to do a good job of hiding the system on the net, locking down service ports and cutting off ping responses. I was unable to break it. However, where it gets interesting is in the control afforded the user - individual applications can be locked down, policies set for different networks, and so much more. Other firewalls do this, but AVG's organization in the interface is better than average.

AVG's track racord as an antivirus vendor is well known. However, with versions prior to 9.0 their antivirus was slow, intrusive and hard to interrupt. AVG seems to have gotten the idea of how to improve this - it took about 90 minutes to scan over 1,000,000 items if you include the registry and even running at full speed I hardly noticed except for the fact that I had the task manager open and saw an occasional spike in CPU activity. I launched several applications, typed a lot, and even searched for a file on the hard drive and saw no real impact on the system. Cycles consumed seemed to be consistently under 10%.

AVG throws a lot of other things into the mix that you'd expect in a decent suite - antispam, antispyware, rootkit detection, and several other components. What surprised me was to find a process viewer that has the ability to kill processes, accessible from the dashboard under system tools. I have never worked with a security suite with that built-in as part of the package. Included is a connectivity viewer and even a startup process viewer, with the ability to manipulate the entries within. That's a very nice plus.

I've been unable to work with the antispam up to this point, as I get no spam. Even so, there are many, many settings that can be adjusted to the antispam, such as adding a blacklist server such as spamcop to assist with checking, Bayesian training and a lot more. Based on the feature set I suspect this antispam is very effective.

AVG IT includes a McAfee-style system of evaluating returns from search engines, marking unsafe links in the results window. It is not as thorough as McAfee's Site Advisor, but it is effective in giving you heads-up when there is a possible danger ahead.

There are two things that AVG does not have that I wish were present. First, there is no parental control module. It looks like AVG made no effort at all to include a parental controls module, and while that's ok it is something that most other security suites include. I was unable to even find a manual block list - if it's there, I cannot find it. Second, I found no ability to see the presence of other computers on the network. It is not something that I have found in a lot of suites but it's a very nice-to-have.

AVG has put together a very nice internet security suite. The main components, the antivirus and the firewall, are both very effective and all of the other components seem to be working nicely. There is room for some improvement/expansion, as is true with most security suites, but what is here is very polished and clean. AVG is a little pricey when compared to most other suites, but in spite of that cost it is very much worth consideration when looking at computer security suites.

Review by NeuroSplicer:

I am using AVG INTERNET SECURITY 9.0 for over a month now. But I never bought it. What I did buy was an older AVG security suite (v7.5), 2 years ago. Nevertheless, whenever a later version becomes available, the suite updates itself to the latest version -- FREE! It happened at least three times over these past years, with versions 8.0, 8.5 and recently 9.

You have to respect a company that does this! With AVG a 2 year license means you shall have the latest security suite for 2 years (and not just new database definitions). Can you imagine buying McAfee or Norton 2009 in October and in March been offered their later release, free?

As a security suite, AVG is light and reliable. It does not tax my system resources either idle or actively scanning, and one can trade speed for resources with a scalable slider. The interface is user friendly and intuitive. The default settings will protect the initiate user from confusing alerts and warnings. On the other hand, the experienced user can dive in and configure the suite to suit him best.

The only thing I did not like with v9.0 are the icons in the main interface, which I found bland and boring. But appearances are a very minor thing when it comes to security suites.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Buy Internet Security 3 User - 2 Year Subscription now for only $ 34.99!

Trend Micro Internet Security Pro 3.0

You need comprehensive protection against cybercriminals when you shop or bank online or travel with your laptop.  Get Trend Micro Internet Security Pro so you can protect your personal data anytime anywhere when you shop bank or browse online. Shop bank and invest online with peace of mind Trend Micro Internet Security Pro safeguards your personal information from hackers and cybercriminals whether you are at home or away: Remotely secure confidential files and folders in case your computer is lost or stolen. Automatically check the legitimacy of Wi-Fi hot spots when using your laptop on the road. Prevents data thieves viruses SMS text message spam and other malware from invading your smartphone. Remotely erases data from your smartphone if it s stolen. Inspects web page content in real-time so you re protected even if you re the first visitor to a new unsafe website. Back up as much as 2GB of your critical data to a secure online site.Smart features tailored to your activities Trend Micro Internet Security Pro not only defends your computer from the latest spyware viruses and phishing scams and goes one step further: Keep your protection current with automatic updates. Prevent unauthorized users from changing your critical applications without impacting your PC s performance. Pause security updates or scans when you give presentations watch movies or play games. Automatically prevent suspicious software on USB devices from opening. Helps you to easily manage all the devices connected to your home network. Easily customizable parental controls to protect your children against inappropriate content. Get a complete and customizable snapshot of security activities on your computer.Optimized PC Performance Trend Micro Internet Security Pro includes powerful easy-to-use tools to keep your computer running smoothly: 20% smaller file size 20% faster scan time. Clean up registry and temp files and manage starTrend Micro Internet Security Pro provides the most comprehensive, easy-to-use protection for your personal data so you can shop, bank, or browse with confidence. The most comprehensive, easy-to-use protection for your personal data so you can shop, bank, or browse with confidence. Click to enlarge. Easy-to-use, comprehensive protection Shop, bank, and invest online with peace of mind
Trend Micro Internet Security Pro safeguards your personal information from hackers and cybercriminals whether you are at home or away: Remotely secure confidential files and folders in case your computer is lost or stolen Automatically check the legitimacy of Wi-Fi "hot spots" when using your laptop on the road Prevents data thieves, viruses, SMS text message spam and other malware from invading your smartphone Remotely erases data from your smartphone if it's stolen Inspects web page content in real-time--so you're protected even if you're the first visitor to a new unsafe website Back up as much as 2GB of your critical data to a secure online site Smart features tailored to your activities
Trend Micro Internet Security Pro not only defends your computer from the latest spyware, viruses, and phishing scams, and goes one step further: Keep your protection current with automatic updates Prevent unauthorized users from changing your critical applications, without impacting your PC's performance Pause security updates or scans when you give presentations, watch movies, or play games Automatically prevent suspicious software on USB devices from opening Helps you to easily manage all the devices connected to your home network Easily customizable parental controls to protect your children against inappropriate content Get a complete and customizable snapshot of security activities on your computer Enhance performance and privacy by recovering disk space, cleaning up your registry and startup settings, removing cookies, and clearing your browser history. Click to enlarge. Take charge of when and where your children go on the Internet. Block websites with inappropriate content, prevent access at specific times, and even stop kids from entering personal information onto webpages. Click to enlarge. Improved security policies find and stop unwanted attempts to change your operating system and critical software. Click to enlarge. Get a comprehensive and customizable snapshot of all the security activities on your computer through easy-to-use charts and graphs. Click to enlarge. Lock confidential files and folders inside a secure vault on your hard drive in case your computer is lost or stolen. Click to enlarge. Optimized PC Performance
Trend Micro Internet Security Pro includes powerful, easy-to-use tools to keep your computer running smoothly: 20% smaller file size, 20% faster scan time Clean up registry and temp files and manage startup programs to boost PC performance Surf the web with confidence
Detects

• Trend Micro Internet Security Pro 2010 provides the most comprehensive, easy-to-use protection for your personal data so you can shop, bank, or browse with confidence
• An award-winning anti-virus engine protects against computer viruses, worms, Trojan horse programs, and related security threats
• Enhanced parental controls help you to protect your children from inappropriate content when they go online
• Remotely secures confidential files and folders in case your computer is lost or stolen
• Enhance performance and privacy by recovering disk space, cleaning up your registry and startup settings, removing cookies, and clearing your browser history

Rating: (out of 60 reviews)

List Price: $ 69.95
Price: $ 28.99

Trend Micro Internet Security Pro 3.0 Reviews

Review by Dennis A. Amith (kndy):

Having tested a good number of security software, I wanted to give Trend Micro's Internet Security Pro Version 3.0 a chance. With McAfee's Security program on one laptop, I wanted to see how Trend Micro's latest software compares on my other PC laptop.

I. INSTALLATION

When I install anti-virus or security programs, things usually take about 20-25 minutes but surprisingly Trend Micro's Internet Security Pro 3.0 took less than 10 minutes (and this on a laptop that is 90% full). Trend Micro advertises that the software is 20% smaller in file size and 20% faster in scan time and so far, that has remained to be true. Installation was easy, but it does require you to have an internet connection ready and also to enter your personal information before accessing the software (after installation). But this is probably the quickest Internet Security software I have ran thus far.

II. Interface

After installation, accessing the software is easy and quick. Updating the software is all within a click of a button. You get an overview, virus and spy ware controls, personal firewall controls, internet and e-mail controls, other settings and subscription and pro features. Interface is pretty basic and for newbies, it should be easy to navigate. When checking each section, there is a button that shows on or off. So, you know what is working immediately.

Where most of the sections are self-explanatory, the Pro Features is quite interesting as it allows you to go further into Internet Security with:

- Trend Micro Vault - Password-protected vault folder where you store sensitive files that seals if you lose your computer. I definitely like this feature, especially the fact that you can report your computer as missing/stolen and the vault where sensitive files are stored will automatically seal.

- System Tuner - Improve the performance of your computer, recover hard disk space/cleans up registry files and safeguard privacy on the Internet. Personally, I didn't want to mess with the registry using this function until I did a back of files.

- Trend Micro Toolbar that checks the safety of the websites, hyperlinks and wireless networks - I tested this and where McAfee's test of sites would take you to their webpage with user-based reviews, Trend Micro's toolbar gives you a color code if it's safe.

- Protection for mobile telephones and PDA's from span and viruses. Another good feature for those who want to protect their smart phones and PDA's.

III. Overview

The virus scan was definitely quicker than any anti-virus software that I have used before and that is definitely a positive. The software does what it says on the back of the box, protecting the PC from viruses and spyware, prevents unauthorized changes, blocks e-mail and image spam, malicious downloads and also via "My Home Network", you can see who is utilizing your computer.

At first I was wondering why they separated the pro features but after checking them out, it's something that you don't want newbies messing with especially if it deals with registry and a automatic sealing vaults. So, it makes sense to keep the pro feature as something you need to self-install and limits the user-errors.

So, which is better? McAfee or Trend Micro? Personally, I think that they are even but with McAfee, they have a better looking graphical interface, they've been around longer and the online checker has more integration with their website. But Trend Micro is quicker, faster and is quite simple for the beginning computer user. Quite simply both offer similar protection.

Similar to McAfee's Internet Security 2010, Trend Micro's Internet Security Pro 3.0 offers a 3-user license and a one year license agreement. Also, 2GB of online storage and ability to back up critical data to a secure online site.

Overall, Trend Micro's Internet Security Pro 3.0 is a solid release. Both are solid brands known for their security service. McAfee is known for anti-virus, Trend Micro for anti-spam. So, really it all comes down to which brand you prefer and price. But one thing that Trend Micro's Internet Security software does have an edge versus its competitors is speed. Install, scanning and registry/system cleanup is very quick. So, if speed is a factor in your decision-making, Trend Micro is the way to go!

Review by ut158:

I installed this on a Windows 7 computer (Win 7 beta, Virtual PC installation running on a Windows XP host). The installation took a little over 13 min. from the time I stuck the disc in to the time the installed UI came up (although I could have shaved a minute or so off if I hadn't read through the EULA and if I had used the "regular installation" instead of the advanced/custom install--I wound up using all the defaults, anyway).

The initial update took another 8 minutes to download and install (the file was 35 MB and my DL took under a minute--most of the 8 min. was installation time). One quirk was that when the update completed, the windows just closed--they didn't give any other indication that they were done or what the success status was.

I ran a quick scan after the update was done and it took a mere 45 seconds and found 2 "potential threats" (cookies). I next tried a full scan and that completed in 43 seconds and found another 2 problems--I needed to install 2 Windows updates. That has to be the fastest complete scan I've ever done... it makes me a little suspicious... it really couldn't have looked at everything in that amount of time, right? I mean, my drive has 8.5 GB of files to search through. Assuming we look at the vast majority of the available files (since it is a FULL scan, after all), you would have to sustain nearly 200 MB/s from the hard drive. Even with my RAID (4 disk, 0+1) array, that's pushing it.

The suite sports a full set of features including a fully customizable firewall, parental controls, and a spam filter as well as 2 GB of online storage (2x the normal) and a nice "vault" feature which you can supposedly lock remotely if your computer gets stolen. I haven't played with that feature yet, but as far as I'm aware, it is a unique offering. I thought the parental controls were pretty good, but not as good as BitLocker's.

Things I was concerned about, but I suspect have only to do with my VM setup and so may not have any bearing:

1) Upon starting the installation, I got the following pop up:

This computer's clock speed falls below the minimum recommended for Trend Micro Internet Security Pro. Installing the software will slow down this computer. Do you still want to continue?

I'm running a Core2 Quad Q6600 over-clocked to 2.7 GHz. I know the VM only sees one of those cores and I'm not sure what clock speed it is seeing, so this is probably a non-issue. The box says that Win7 needs 1 GHz (800 MHz minimum), so let that be a guide for you.

2) After installing, my computer kept crashing, but I suspect that has to do with the fact that I'm using a beta OS. This is far to obvious to be an issue on released OSs. On the plus side, I found out that the virus scanner has a special "safe mode" scanning function you can use. I thought that was pretty cool.

Bottom line: a solid offering from Trend Micro. Scans are very fast (if not too fast), the install was easy and there are plenty of bells and whistles to keep advanced users happy.

Buy Trend Micro Internet Security Pro 3.0 now for only $ 28.99!

Trend Micro Internet Security 2010

Trend Micro Internet Security 2010 protects you and your family against cybercriminals and inappropriate content without slowing down your computer. An award-winning anti-virus engine protects against computer viruses, worms, Trojan horse programs, and related security threats. Automatic updates immunize you against new computer virus outbreaks for the full duration of your subscription. With easy-to-use security features, Trend Micro Internet Security protects your personal information when you email or surf the Web. Includes enhanced parental controls help you to protect your children from inappropriate content when they go online.Trend Micro Internet Security 2010 provides easy-to-use protection for your home network, identity, and online activities from the present and future web threats. Trend Micro Internet Security protects you and your family against cybercriminals and inappropriate content without slowing down your computer. Click to enlarge. See the computers and other devices connected to your network at a glance, manage the security of other computers remotely, and block wireless home network intruders from accessing yours. Click to enlarge. An award-winning anti-virus engine protects against computer viruses, worms, Trojan horse programs, and related security threats. Automatic updates immunize you against new computer virus outbreaks for the full duration of your subscription. Click to enlarge. Smart Protection for Your Family Easy-to-use security for your home
Trend Micro Internet Security protects you and your family against cybercriminals and inappropriate content without slowing down your computer. Surf the web with confidence
With easy-to-use security features, Trend Micro Internet Security protects your personal information when you email or surf the web: 20% smaller file size, 20% faster scan time Detects and removes viruses, spyware, and other malicious threats from your computer, email, instant messages, and downloads Proven leadership in anti-spam technology, including email and image spam Finds and blocks untrustworthy links in email and instant messages Stops websites from installing dangerous downloads on your computer Quick Scan allows you to quickly find and remove most malware when you are running short on time. Protect your children online
Enhanced parental controls help you to protect your children from inappropriate content when they go online. Block websites with inappropriate content based on specific categories Choose when and for how long your children are allowed to go online Monitor online activity reports to fine-tune your controls if necessary Enjoy smart features tailored to your activities
Trend Micro Internet Security safeguards your computer and personal information against the latest threats: Prevent unauthorized software from changing your critical applications, without impacting your PC performance Pause security updates or scans when you give presentations, watch movies, or play games Automatically prevent suspicious software on USB devices from opening. Helps you to easily manage all the devices connected to your home network Security made easy
Protect your personal information with easy-to-use Trend Micro Internet Security. Surf the Internet without slowing down your computer. Key Features of Trend Micro Internet Security Get Essential Protection Protects against current and future viruses
An award-winning anti-virus engine protects against computer viruses, worms, Trojan horse programs, and related security threats. Automatic updates immunize you against new computer virus outbreaks for the full duration of your subscription. Defends your personal information with anti-spyware technology
Powerful anti-spyware technology guards your personal information and privacy against spyware, rootkits, and other malicious software. Safeguards against attacks with a personal firewall
Prevent your computer from exchanging data without your approval and defend against attacks from the Internet. Prevents unauthorized changes
Improved security policies find and stop unwanted attempts to change your operating system and critical software. Offers customizable security warnings
Decide how often you want to receive warnings about security threats. Safeguards Multiple Computers
Install Trend Micro Internet Security on up to three PCs per household. Surf the Web Safely Protects against web threats
Steer clear of online phishing scams that try to steal your credit card or bank account numbers. Continuous updates identify the newest risky websites. Secure Web surfing
Find and block malicious or untrustworthy hyperlinks in email, websites, or instant messages. Blocks image spam
Stop seeing spam that tries to evade filters by delivering images instead of just text. Device Access Control
Automatically prevent suspicious software on USB devices from opening. Protect Your Children Online Enhanced Parental Controls
Take charge of when and where your children go on the Internet. Block websites with inappropriate content, prevent access at specific times, and even stop them from entering personal information onto web pages. Smart Features for Your Online Activities Home Network Map
See the computers and other devices connected to your network at a glance, manage the security of other computers remotely, and block wireless home network intruders from accessing yours. Security Activity Dashboard
Get a comprehensive and customizable snapshot of all the security activities on your computer through easy-to-use charts and graphs. State Aware
Work on your presentations, watch movies, or play games without security updates or scans getting in the way.

• Trend Micro Internet Security 2010 detects and removes viruses, spyware, and other malicious threats from your computer, email, instant messages, and downloads
• Enhanced parental controls help you to protect your children from inappropriate content when they go online
• Prevent unauthorized software from changing your critical applications, without impacting your PC performance
• Quick Scan allows you to quickly find and remove most malware when you are running short on time
• Helps you to easily manage all the devices connected to your home network

Rating: (out of 62 reviews)

List Price: $ 49.95
Price: $ 13.99

Trend Micro Internet Security 2010 Reviews

Review by Matt Charles:

This produce has really come a long way. I am happy with my purchase. My computer runs much faster after I took off the 2007 version and installed this version. It was cheaper to buy a whole new produce instead of renewing with the company. Amazon is the best!

Review by H. Graham:

Using this product to clean up a nasty self replicating trojan was painfull and time consuming

The virus interfered with internet downloads, so executing the required updates had to be down from another computer. The download batch file provided failed. Pasting the ftp command lines from the batch file into my browser worked for 2 of the 3 needed files, but the name was wrong for the third. I was able to find the required file on the ftp site and download it. Not a process for a computer novice.

The System Cleanup application appears to have worked but provided no human readable log file and no message indicating success or failure

I expected less work for me and better performance from the software

Buy Trend Micro Internet Security 2010 now for only $ 13.99!

Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 (3 User)

Kaspersky® Internet Security 2009 protects computers and laptops from all Internet threats. Kaspersky Internet Security protects you while you and your family work play email IM surf theInternet bank or shop online. Compute confidently. Harness the Internet for all its value. Kaspersky Internet Security will keep you safe and not burden your system. Essential Protection Protects from viruses Trojans and worms. Blocks spyware and adware. Scans files email messages and Internet traffic. Protects instant messengers (lCQ MSN). Improved! Provides proactive protection from unknown threats. Improved! Extended Protection Two-way personal firewall. Improved! Safe Wi-Fi and VPN connections. New! Intelligent application handling and control. New! Intrusion Prevention System (IPS). Preventative Protection Scans operating system and installed application for vulnerabilities. New! Analyzes and closes Internet Explorer vulnerabilities. New! Disables links to malware sites. New! Global threat monitoring (Kaspersky Security Network). New! Advanced Protection & Recovery Can be installed on infected computers. Self-protection from being disabled or stopped. Restores correct system settings after removing malicious software. New! Tools for creating a rescue disk. Data and Identity Theft Protection Disables links to phishing web sites. Improved! Blocks all types of keyloggers. Virtual keyboard for safe entry of user names and passwords. New! Prevents theft of data exchanged via HTTPS/SSL. New! Blocks unauthorized dial-up connections. Cleans up any traces of user activity (deletes temporary files cookies etc.). New! Content Filtering Parental Controls. Improved! Anti-spam protection (plugins for Microsoft Outlook Thunderbird). Improved! Blocks banners on web pages. Usability Automatic configuration during installation. Improved! Wizards for common tasks. New! Visual reports with charts and diagrams. New! Automatic or expert user modes. New! Automatic datKaspersky Internet Security protects you while you and your family work, play, email, IM, surf the Internet, bank or shop online. Compute confidently. Harness the Internet for all its value. Kaspersky Internet Security will keep you safe and not burden your system. Kaspersky Internet Security protects you while you and your family work, play, email, IM, surf the Internet, bank or shop online. Scans files, email messages and Internet traffic. Click to enlarge. Scans operating system and installed application for vulnerabilities. Click to enlarge. The navigation bar provides quick access to the application's functions, including anti-virus scans and updating tasks. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 protects computers and laptops from all Internet threats. Protects Your PC From:
Viruses and worms Spyware and trojans Hijacking and botnets Identity theft Network Attacks Spam Includes:
Proactive defense Two-way firewall Virtual keyboard Parental controls Kaspersky Users are Making the Smart Choice
People have challenged the Anti-Malware industry. Application incompatibilities and slow performance are simply not acceptable. Meanwhile, the alarming growth in cybercrime is making the Internet an increasingly dangerous place to work and play. A new approach is needed. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 is designed specifically to meet these challenges. Our award winning products have been upgraded with revolutionary new security technology: Application whitelisting leaves trusted applications unhindered Application filtering restricts suspect applications from doing harm Vulnerability analysis closes potential weakness Proactive defenses block new threats even before updates are received Virtual Keyboard and Anti-Phishing provide fail-safe protection for usernames and passwords Collective intelligence protects you from threats other Kaspersky users have encountered And we've drastically improved performance. Faster and safer without getting in your way. It's the smart choice. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 has everything you need for a safe and secure Internet experience. Essential Protection
Protects from viruses, Trojans and worms. Blocks spyware and adware. Scans files, email messages and Internet traffic. Protects instant messengers (ICQ, MSN). Provides proactive protection from unknown threats. Extended Protection
Two-way personal firewall. Safe Wi-Fi and VPN connections. Intelligent application handling and control. Intrusion Prevention System (IPS). Preventative Protection
Scans operating system and installed application for vulnerabilities. Analyzes and closes Internet Explorer vulnerabilities. Disables links to malware sites. Global threat monitoring (Kaspersky Security Network). Advanced Protection & Recovery
Can be installed on infected computers. Self-protection from being disabled or stopped. Restores correct system settings after removing malicious software. Tools for creating a rescue disk. Data and Identity Theft Protection
Disables links to phishing web sites. Blocks all types of keyloggers. Virtual keyboard for safe entry of user names and passwords. Prevents theft of data exchanged via HTTPS/SSL. Blocks unauthorized dial-up connections. Cleans up any traces of user activity (deletes temporary files, cookies, etc.). Content Filtering
Parental Controls. Anti-spam protection (plugins for Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird). Blocks banners on web pages. Usability
Automatic configuration during installation. Wizards for common tasks. Visual reports with

• Complete Internet security protection with anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-phishing, anti-spam and anti-hacker technologies, plus parental controls and virtual keyboard perfect for home or small office
• Scans files, email, and Internet traffic; protects instant messengers; Blocks unwanted web banners
• Protects from unknown threats; blocks all types of keyloggers; cleans traces of user activity
• Parental controls filter, block, or report inappropriate content; limit Internet time to hours and amounts that you set
• Automatic database updates; free technical support

Rating: (out of 237 reviews)

List Price: $ 79.95
Price: $ 29.00

Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 (3 User) Reviews

Review by S. Barnes:

As background, I've used quite a few internet security suites: ZoneAlarm, Norton, McAfee, OneCare, and previous Kaspersky products. With Kaspersky, I've come to expect a product that is top-tier for protection, but requires some technical understanding to configure. Its actually why I stopped using the previous version - While I have a technical background, I really don't want to spend my time on a computer configuring the security software, I want to use the PC.

Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 is a complete change, and even manages to improve the protection in the process. First, the Automatic Mode (where Kaspersky takes care of new applications, internet connections, etc.) is now worth using in my opinion. This takes a lot of the "manual" work out of the picture.

Kaspersky licensed technology from Bit9 in this release for whitelisting. Whitelisting is using a list of "known good" applications that can be trusted to go to the internet. For example, Microsoft's Internet Explorer is a known piece of software, so it can be trusted. For applications not on the whitelist, the software determines from its actions if it may be malicious, and categorizes them as such (and therefore, pays more attention to them). What does this mean for you? Less overhead using applications it knows it can trust - Faster browsing, using your PC, etc.

Finally, the last addition that I think is perfect is the security analysis it performs during full scans. Besides checking for viruses, malware, etc., it also checks your applications to see if there are known, patchable vulnerabilities. One of the most prevalent ways bad stuff gets on your PC these days is through unpatched "holes" in software. Kaspersky will alert you to these holes, so you can patch them before someone can get to your computer. An ounce of prevention being better than a pound of cure, so to speak (although with Kaspersky, you get both).

I have no noticeable slowdown on my machine, the product is using less than 25MB of RAM presently, and I know I have one of the best security products protecting my data. I highly recommend this product!

Review by An Architect:

Starting originally with Norton Internet Security I've been through recent versions of just about every popular programs out there: McCafee, System Works (with some other thing added to it), Bitdefender, Trend Micro PcCillin. The complaints from me are always the same: Too intrusive! These people just don't understand that my business and life don't revolve around maintaining my computer. They hang up the system at inconvenient times. They pop up annoyingly when I'm in the middle of something. The auto update has to be totally turned off because it is constantly taking over computer resources. Everything runs slow as molasses while the security program is loaded. System start up takes forever.

Reading reviews, I discovered that the NEW Norton Internet Security had been redesigned and was no longer the memory hog I had experienced earlier. But there were other reasons why I hated Norton IS: First, it would only protect 1 computer and I have 3, whereas other companies are reasonable about the fact that one owner should not have to pay full license fee for both desktop and laptops (I think Norton may now have met the competition on this). Second, instead of giving you a reduced price for an upgrade, Norton has this scam where you pay full price and then have to spend an hour filling in rebate forms, copying the bars on the side and the receipt. To top it off, Norton denied my last rebate after giving me very little time to turn it in and I missed their deadline by a few days (Believe me, I was more irate over the time lost than the money and they lost themselves a customer!) Lastly, I went to Norton's website to see if the SPAM protection was compatible with Thunderbird (one of the most common email programs), and could find no technical information whatsoever -- just sales fluff (I had already been burned on Trend Micro because they claimed to support Thunderbird, but did not support it for SPAM protection -- in fact, with Trend Micro you get no SPAM protection whatsoever unless you use Outlook).

Enter Kaspersky Internet 2009. The first thing I found is that it took almost as little memory as the new Norton IS. It certainly takes less than any of the other IS programs I had used. The second was that their website was quite informative and told me clearly that I would get the Kaspersky toolbar in Thunderbird as well as Outlook (To be sure I downloaded a free trial version and yes, SPAM filtering worked fine in Thunderbird.) Third, it protects three computers for a very reasonble price (and at Best Buy there was a terrific sale which required no time consuming rebate nonsense).

Now, I'm running it like a breath of fresh air. The hourly auto updates are not too intrusive, but if they bother you, it's easy to schedule exactly when you want them (mine are for 2am daily). There seems to be little hesitation when the system loads and no intrusion into my daily work. If it detects an intrusion or virus it lets you know, otherwise the only thing you see is when you first start a new program: a small screen briefly comes up in the left lower corner to let you know that a program is starting and how they classified it. Another reviewer mentioned the "white list" and "black list". These are accessed easily (at least in Thunderbird) by clicking on the Kaspersky icon which is installed in the TBird interface. The console screen which controls Kaspersky is very well organized and easy to understand. They provide a full scan and a quick scan. Both scans seem to get it over with much quicker than other IS programs. I appreciate the fact that, unlike other programs, Kaspersky doesn't scream and yell and pop up warnings because you don't run the full scan whenever it thinks you should, as some programs do (Don't they understand that I'm looking up information for a client on the phone and the last thing I want to do is make them wait a half hour for my IS program to do some thing that can wait til later?)

I highly recommend this program.

Buy Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 (3 User) now for only $ 29.00!

Norton Internet Security 2009 [OLD VERSION]

Nowadays, it's absolutely necessary to protect your PC against viruses. Norton Internet Security 2009 is strong on protection and light on system resources, so you'll be protected without dealing with hang-ups on your computer. Surf the Web and play games online without worry, even when you're out and about. Connect securely to any wireless hotspot. This version offers 1-Year Protection.

Block Internet worms at point of entry Surf the Web and play games online without worry Stop spyware from tracking you online Block spyware from hijacking your computer Bank, shop, and invest online with confidence Guard against online identity theft Inspect Web sites to make sure they're not fakes Safely download photos, music, and software Remove dangerous threats from files you download Block suspicious programs Allow only authorized programs to connect to the Internet 1-Year ProtectionMinimum System Requirements Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic/Home Premium/Business/Ultimate Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 Home/XP Pro/XP Media Center Edition 300 MHz or higher processor 256 MB of RAM Minimum 300 MB of available hard disk space Standard Web browser Email scanning supported for POP3- and SMTP-compatible email clients. Support for AntiSpam feature - Microsoft Outlook 97 or later, Microsoft Outlook Express 6.0 or later Supported instant messenger clients - AOL, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Trillian Browser support for Browser Defense and Phishing Protection features - Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 (32-bit only) and later, Mozilla Firefox 2.0 and laterNorton Internet Security 2009, the fastest, lightest on your PC and most up-to-the-minute security suite available, protects against all types of online threats. It safeguards your computer, identity, and home network without slowing you down. Completely reengineered for faster, fewer scans and rapid updates, it sets a new standard for speed and makes online shopping, banking, and browsing safer and more convenient than ever. The Norton Protection System is a multilayered system of technologies that work in concert to stop threats before they impact you. Relying on the intelligence-driven Norton Insight technology, it targets only those files at risk, resulting in shorter and fewer scans. Industry-leading browser protection safeguards you from Web-based attacks. And Pulse Updates every 5 to 15 minutes deliver the latest updates faster than anyone else. Key technologies include: The fastest, lightest on your PC and most up-to-the-minute security suite available. Click to enlarge. Antivirus Antispyware Two-way firewall Identity protection Antiphishing Bot protection Rootkit detection Browser protection Intrusion prevention OS and application protection Web site authentication Network monitoring Pulse Updates Norton Insight technologies SONAR behavioral protection Antispam Parental Controls Recovery Tool Strong on protection, light on system resources. Proven fastest and lightest security suite available--Spend more time using your computer and less time waiting for your security software to perform. New--Pulse updates for up-to-the-minute protection--Delivered every 5 to 15 minutes to detect and eliminate new threats. New--Intelligence-driven for faster, fewer, shorter scans--By leveraging a unique online intelligence system, Norton Insight technology targets only those files at risk. Stops viruses, worms, spyware, bots, and more--Keeps your system protected against all types of malicious threats. Prevents virus-infected emails and instant messages from spreading--Feel secure while you keep in touch. Blocks browser exploits and protects against infected Web sites--Surf the Internet with confidence. Improved--Blocks online identity theft--Buy, bank, and browse online wherever and whenever you want. Improved--Secure network connections--Monitor your home network and more safely connect to Wi-fi networks. Improved--Blocks threats and hackers--Two-way firewall automatically makes security decisions for you. Features Engineered for Speed
New--Proven fastest and lightest security suite available.** New--Intelligence-driven Norton Insight technology targets only those files at risk for faster, fewer, shorter scans New--Installs in under one minute on average requires less than 7 MB of memory.*** Up-to-the-minute Protection
New--Delivers up-to-the-minute protection with rapid pulse updates every 5 to 15 minutes.* New--The Norton Protection System provides multilayered protection technologies that work in concert to stop threats before they impact you. New--Real-time SONAR (Symantec Online Network for Advanced Response) helps prevent bots from taking control of your PC. Improved--Prevents threats from entering through your firewall. Detects and automatically removes online threats. Improved--Defends against Web-based attacks with patent-pending technology. New--Recovery Tool boots and repairs badly infected PCs.* New--Delivers our most complete deep-cleaning scan possible. Prevents bots from taking control of your PC. Norton Ongoing Protection provides continuous protection updates and new product features as they become available throughout your product subscription period, helping to keep your computer protected against the latest Internet threats and risks. Norton Automatic Renewal Service helps to ensure that youÕre protected by automatically renewing your product subscription before it expires. Norton Identity Safe
Improved--Keeps your online identity safer than ever when you buy, bank, browse, and game online. Advanced phishing protection keeps your personal identification out of the hands of fraudulent Web sites. Stores and encrypts your passwords and

• Norton Internet Security is the proven fastest and lightest security suite available--spend more time using your computer and less time waiting for your security software to perform
• Pulse updates for up-to-the-minute protection--delivered every 5 to 15 minutes to detect and eliminate new threats
• Intelligence-driven for faster, fewer, shorter scans--by leveraging a unique online intelligence system, Norton Insight technology targets only those files at risk
• Stops viruses, worms, spyware, bots, and more--keeps your system protected against all types of malicious threats
• Prevents virus-infected emails and instant messages from spreading--feel secure while you keep in touch

Rating: (out of 366 reviews)

List Price: $ 69.99
Price: $ 16.99

Norton Internet Security 2009 [OLD VERSION] Reviews

Review by Phillip M. Dampier:

After years of running Norton Antivirus products, with ever increasing demands on system resources, as well as slowing down the machines these products were installed on, the completely rewritten version of Norton Internet Security 2009 has gone a very long way towards correcting years of bloatware code that was made worse with every new release.

This version installs fast, runs fast, and is almost entirely unobtrusive, with one very major exception.

This software will break your home or small business network.

In a well-documented bug first discovered in October 2008, Norton interferes with, and eventually blocks access to other machines on your home network. Norton admits there is a problem, and has been stalling customers for months with promises for a fix, yet keeps pushing the release date out further and further.

Install Norton 2009, and eventually all of the computers on your home network under My Network Places will disappear, and will eventually be blocked from access. While you can frequently manually reach your other networked machines by typing their addresses directly into an address bar, software that depends on access to your other networked machines directly (index, backup, small business collaboration tools, etc.) usually cannot work this way, and you are effectively cut off from using those applications. Worse, over time, Norton will begin periodically cutting off access to your networked machines. Suddenly file copying between machines fails, extremely long delays in accessing other computers on your network occurs, and your frustration level mounts.

Norton admits the only current solution to this problem is to completely uninstall Norton 2009 Antivirus/Internet Security products. There is no other workaround.

Worse yet, the responsiveness of the company to major software bugs has been less than acceptable. It literally takes months for even the most urgent bugs to get identified, corrected, and then put through a laborious test procedure. To add insult to injury, it then takes up to six additional weeks for the fixed code to be incorporated into their slow update release schedule and finally reach every customer.

This truly mars an otherwise promising product and makes it an unacceptable option for those dependent on networked machines, such as a home or small business network. If you are dependent on your network to access remote hard drives or collaborate in an office environment, Norton 2009 products are absolutely not acceptable for use and I strongly recommend you look elsewhere until the company finally fixes the problem.

A very lengthy discussion about this problem can be found on the Norton Community Forum. Simply search for "NAV blocks access to hard disk." The later discussions in the thread contain the most pertinent information.

Review by Gene Cloner:

(Product same as one that says 'No operating system', but can be installed on 3 PCs)

I have been using NIS since 2006 for both my desktop and laptop for virus protection. While none of them have given significant problems to me, this is by far the best NIS yet!

Installation: Installation was a real snap. It was amazingly quick. Removal of NIS2008 (automatic) took a few minutes and with one restart the whole installation and live update was finished in under 10 minues (My PCs dont have the latest processors: one is a pentium D 3.0G/1g memory and the other is a centrino 1.8 with 2G memory).

Interface: The interface looks very similar to NIS2008, but more sleek and informative. The phising protection and log=in key cards in your browsers look better than before. much smaller though!

Configuration: NIS2009 retained all my configurations regarding which networks are safe and all other preferences from NIS2008. This was great! I didnt have to reconfigure anything (except the add-on; see below), saving me a lot of time. For new users, there are many options configured by default and easy to change.

Anti-virus and internet protection: After installation, I just browsed a number of websites that I usually do. In one website, I got a download installator warning from NIS and the problem was immediately resolved with out any damage to the computer. Looking at the 'history', I could see a number of Low risk issues resolved by NIS with out any annoying popups. Ofcourse, you can set NIS to popup for every risk (even the low riks ones) if you like.

More than anything, it retains your subscription to NIS2008. So you dont have to use your new key until your current susbcription expires. You will continue to get NIS2009 virus updates as well. (I recd a couple of comments: Use Norton online account for saving your keys rather than entering the new key during installation) - Read my comment below.

Add-on package: If you used the parental control and privacy protection add-on package with 2008, it gets uninstalled and NIS 2009 does NOT automatically update it!! So, you need to manually install the add on package which can be done from the config window easily. User-specific parental cotrols are carried over from 2008 though! NIS 2009 offers custom parental control settings as well, a little better than 2008 version.

Performance: This is really not a resource hog which use to be one major con of Norton products. It does virus updates more frequently and when the computer is idle. So you dont feel its presence. Only thing that takes long time and consumes resource is the full scan which you dont have to do that often or can schedule it during lunch time!

So I really like it so far!

Buy Norton Internet Security 2009 [OLD VERSION] now for only $ 16.99!

McAfee Internet Security 1User 2010

McAfee Internet Security software offers comprehensive PC and online security with accelerated performance. It’s now available with revolutionary Active Protection technology, enabling the fastest updates and highest levels of detection against malicious threats. It provides anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-phishing, identity and two-way firewall protection. Additionally, anti-spam, parental controls and a powerful website safety advisor are included.

• Comprehensive, award-winning PC security to freely explore online
• Anti-virus with Active Protection and Super Mode
• Anti-spam, Anti-spyware, Anti-phishing, Two-way Firewall and Web Security
• QuickClean to help optimize your PC, Battery Mode and Data Backup
• Identity Protection and Parental Controls with Age Appropriate Searching

Rating: (out of 5 reviews)

List Price: $ 49.99
Price: $ 16.88

McAfee Internet Security 1User 2010 Reviews

Review by Hal Lowe:

The following is a combination of my experiences and problems with McAfee Internet Security and my opinions about this product. I'm sure about my experiences, but my opinions may or may not be right: 1) McAfee's recommended install method doesn't work, which is to install from the Internet (instead of from the out-of-date CD that came in the box). It installs, but then doesn't allow one to register the product. In response to it being unregistered, the product then shuts itself off every hour, saying that something needs to be fixed, but there is no way to fix it. McAfee tech support finally admitted their recommended install method doesn't work, and that I had to uninstall everything and start over using the not recommended method of installing from the CD. 2) I have a trusted program that the McAfee program kept putting in quarantine. McAfee would allow me to restore it, but as soon as it was restored McAfee would immediately (within 1 or 2 sec.) rediscover my program and quarantine it again. There is a trusted program list, but no way to get anything on it. The documentation says that restoring a quarantined program will put it on the trusted list, but this doesn't happen. McAfee tech support admitted there was no way to get something on the trusted list. They then proceeded to scold me for having a program on my computer that they didn't approve of. They wanted to see a copy of it, which I didn't object to, but regardless of whether they approved it or not, I still trusted and wanted this program on my computer. I was told that I simply could not have a program on my computer, if they didn't approve of it being there. Well excuse me, but I would like to be the final authority for what is and is not on my computer, not McAfee. 3) The McAfee SiteAdvisor feature doesn't work for Google searches running on Firefox. 4) The McAfee user interface is not easy to use or intuitive. Some status is hidden in very illogical places. 5) Some McAfee status and user actions are blocked from user access, if you don't have everything turned on that McAfee thinks should be turned on. For example, you can't turn off multiple things, then turn them back on one at a time. McAfee requires you to turn them ALL back on at once (it's all or nothing). 6) McAfee automatically turned on Automatic Microsoft Updates on my computer, when I did not want this turned on. When I agreed to the generic McAfee install question about automatic updates, I clearly thought I was agreeing to updates of the McAfee program and database, not Microsoft Updates. 7) The Basic McAfee user menu has some things on it that are not present on the Advanced menu. Most people would expect a Basic menu to be a subset of the Advanced menu, but this isn't so with McAfee. I suspect the provided facility to remove the McAfee product from a computer doesn't remove everything (via control panel, add/remove programs). When I was working with tech support because their product didn't install right, he wanted me to completely remove the previous install and start over. He sent me 2 programs to do this removal. If he had to give me 2 special programs to do this, I suspect this means their provided remove doesn't do it right. After running the 2 provided programs, I still found some McAfee remnants remained on my computer. 9) When doing the install I wanted to save a copy of the license agreement I was forced to agree to. I could select the agreement text, but McAfee blocked me from copying it to the clipboard (so I could save a copy). 10) I finally gave up on this product and had to restore my whole C: drive partition from a previous backup, to undo the damage this product did to my system. Problem #2 above was the final straw, when I was told I simply couldn't have anything on my computer that McAfee didn't approve of. This McAfee product cost me 7 days of my life, to discover, debug, and recover from the above problems. In my opinion, I know low quality software when I see it, and I have seen it in this product.

Review by Jeffrey W. Behm:

For a long time I depended upon McAfee products to protect my computers. I have no idea what's happened over there, but maybe they have gotten fat , dumb & happy, because this product is so bad, it nearly rendered my computer non-functional. Scans are extremely slow (hours long sometimes), and the incessant scanning during typical daily use sucks up so much processor power and memory, that you will relive those days of yesteryear with a 286 microprocessor & 14.4 dial-up speeds. Just to be sure I wasn't doing something wrong, I actually uninstalled & reinstalled the product twice (with McAfee's assistance). The problems did not go away. And God help you if you try to stop the scan mid-way through, because it might just crash your machine. It did it to mine twice, then there was a two hour reinstall & recovery process.

In short, if you use this product, you may become a slave to your security software. Check Consumer Reports and you will see what I mean about the slowness of the scans. I switched to Trend Micro....so much easier to install & run. Scans are very quick. One last thing, once you actually become a McAfee customer just try finding any sort of useful contact info on their Website! And once you do, it will lead you through a long series of irrelevant questions, before you have the privilege of waiting in a ten minute phone queue.

McAfee, I am through with you. You have been uninstalled.

Buy McAfee Internet Security 1User 2010 now for only $ 16.88!

Bitdefender Internet Security 2010 - 3 Pc/2 Yr

Internet Security 2010 Value Edition 3PC / 2 Year includes Antivirus Antispyware Antiphising Antispam Firewall Laptop Mode Parental Control Hourly Updates IM Encryption Network Management Windows 7.0 compatibleThe Industry's Best Value! BitDefender Internet Security 2010 provides 3 PCs 2 full years of protection against viruses, hackers, spam, and identity theft, without slowing them down. Includes: Firewall, Parental Control, Instant Messaging Encryption, File Vault (encrypts sensitive files), Laptop Mode (prolongs battery life), Gamer Mode, hourly updates and more. Provides 3 PCs 2 full years of protection against viruses, hackers, spam, and identity theft, without slowing them down. Click to enlarge. Select from Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced views. Click to enlarge. Automatically modifies firewall protection settings to suit location. Click to enlarge. Improved parental control tools. Click to enlarge. Manage the security of your entire home network from one PC. Click to enlarge. Prevents personal information from leaking via e-mail, Web or Instant Messaging. Click to enlarge. Maximum Security, Maximum Speed Securely download music, movies, and files from the Web, friends, and family.
Scans and removes viruses and spyware New--Advanced protection that continually monitors your system to catch threats that lay dormant, before they attack Scans all Web, e-mail and instant messaging traffic in real-time Proactively protects against new virus outbreaks using advanced heuristics Protect your identity: shop, bank, listen, and watch, privately and securely.
Stops attempted identity theft (phishing) Prevents personal information from leaking via e-mail, Web or Instant Messaging File Vault encrypts and stores personal information or sensitive files Blocks concealed programs that track your online activities Security that won't slow down your PC.
New--Scans 60% faster than even last year's lightning-fast edition! Uses minimal system resources Laptop Mode prolongs battery life Guard your conversations with top-of-the-line encryption.
Instant Messaging Encryption (Yahoo! and MSN Messenger) Connect securely to any network at home, in the office, or on the road.
Automatically modifies firewall protection settings to suit location Wi-Fi monitor helps prevent unauthorized access to your Wi-Fi network Parental Control.
Blocks access to inappropriate websites and e-mail Schedules and limits kids' access to Internet and to applications, such as games Gamer Mode.
Reduces the system load and postpones scans/updates, allowing for secure gaming at top speed Be in control, stay in control.
Manages the security of your entire home network from one PC Use the dashboard to fix security issues with just one click Automatically decides best security actions to take Designed for ease of use.
New--User Profiles (Standard, Parent, Gamer, Custom)--set up your security to best match your computing activities New--See only what you need! Select from Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced views New and Improved in BitDefender 2010 More Protection
Many of today's stealth viruses are designed to avoid antivirus detection by initially laying dormant only to attack your PC when it is most vulnerable. BitDefender 2010 features a cutting-edge security system, Active Virus Control, which constantly monitors all of the processes on your PC, 24/7, blocking any malicious behavior before it can cause any damage. More Speed
The abundance of new viruses calls for faster ways to detect them. BitDefender's Optimized Scanning avoids the scanning of files that are known to be safe. The result? BitDefender 2010 scans your PC in half the time needed by previous versions, while using less resources. Easier to Use
Whether you're a security expert or a novice, with the new BitDefenderUser Profiles you can easily manage your PC's security. The product interface adapts to the chosen profile and provides quick access to the main security functionalities you are most likely to need (Parental Controls for parents, or Gamer Mode for gamers). BitDefender 2010 also features three dashboard views--Novice, Intermediate, and Expert--to better accommodate users with different levels of PC knowledge. Improved Parental Control
The Parental Control module features a newly added reporting system allowing parents to view what websites their children visit. Moreover, parents can set specific time intervals in which their children are allowed to access the Internet or use certain applications. Improved Intrusion Detection
BitDefender detects and blocks attempts to change critical system files or registry entries on your PC and warns you about attacks performed by code injection (DLL injection). Improved In-Product Technical Support
You can get answers to the most common product-related questions or contact technical support directly from the product using its easy-to-use self-service module.

• BitDefender Internet Security 2010 keeps your Internet-connected family safe--lock out viruses, hackers & spam, while providing parental control and firewall protection
• Scans all web, e-mail and instant messaging traffic for viruses and spyware in real-time
• Proactively protects against new virus outbreaks using advanced heuristics
• Shop, bank, listen, watch privately and securely; blocks attempted identity theft (phishing)
• Prevents personal information from leaking via e-mail, web or instant messaging

Rating: (out of 107 reviews)

List Price: $ 59.95
Price: $ 24.69

Bitdefender Internet Security 2010 - 3 Pc/2 Yr Reviews

Review by John Williamson:

I looked forward to trying Bitdefender Internet Security 2010 as it was a product that seemed to have a number of decent features. But let's get right to the point: there are better products on the market today worth considering. And with such products as the latest AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition, to name one, it's hard to recommend this one from Bitdefender, unless you're new to computing and just want an easy-to-install product.

I initially installed this product on two computers, an HP Presario notebook running Windows Vista, and on a Sony VAIO running Windows XP Professional. Both computers had all available software updates and Service Packs installed. There were no problems with the installation on either computer other than a number of mildly annoying little pop-ups and reboots, but if you've installed security and anti-virus applications before, then you are probably familiar with this happening.

Getting down to details...

Installation: For the most part, and other than the above noted minor annoyances, the setting up process was smooth, as should be expected with a contemporary package of this type.

Ease of Use: Bitdefender Internet Security 2010 was as good as any of the other "major" anti-virus and security packages on the market today. If you've been looking for an alternative to some of the other security products, then this operates as well as and in some cases even better than some of the higher prices packages.

Functionality/Protection: As one who has dealt with computer security and Internet protection for a number of years, this was the area that mean the most. In each case, the product handled any of the older viruses and isolated Trojan horses that I keep on CD for such testing. Also visited a number of older and newer familiar malware sites, and this Bitdefender application blocked each one.

Conclusion: Bitdefender offers a decent package for those who are looking for a reasonable computer security application at a fair price. The interface is good, as is the overall product, but there may be better choices worthy of consideration, such as the latest AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition (noted above), or Vipre AntiVirus + AntiSpyware, which which this reviewer found to be a superior product overall, and one that I reviewed here some months ago.

In any case, Bitdefender Internet Security 2010 is a reasonably good product and deserves a 4-star rating form this reviewer, but it's just not a stellar product. It would pay to look at all of the recent security offerings, both free and paid for before you make your final choice.

Review by Luke Kwong:

I had used Bitdefender Antivirus 2008 and 2009, and despite some unsolved problems, they were never serious. So when it came time to renew, I thought I should upgrade to the more powerful Bitdefender Internet Security 2010 (IS2010). It was a big mistake!!!

After installing IS2010 on my Windows Vista notebook:

1. the parental control software (ComputerTime) would not work properly, even though this software served me wonderfully for over 4 years

2. my wife and daughters had difficulties logging into their Windows account - their screen will remain blank and nothing can be done unless the machine is rebooted, and I have to let them use my account

3. the IS2010 services would keep dying unexpectedly and I would have to reboot my machine. This happened daily and for today alone, it happened 3 times in 2 hours!

Of course, you may be wondering if all these problems were really due to IS2010. I wondered, too, and between contacting Bitdefender Support 3 times and awaiting their response, I experimented with re-installing IS2010, ComputerTime, etc. The problems remained until I totally uninstalled IS2010. Then all my problems went away and the whole family was happy again.

As for Bitdefender Support, they never responded to me at all even after a week. Of course, I'm mad. My computer is totally defenceless. I'm now demanding a refund but I seriously doubt they would respond.

I don't know how some software reviews could rate Bitdefender so highly. Maybe they are bought or impartial.

So save yourself the grief - AVOID THIS PRODUCT AND THIS COMPANY. They are flawed.

Buy Bitdefender Internet Security 2010 - 3 Pc/2 Yr now for only $ 24.69!

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade

If you're already running XP or Vista, you probably know some of the many benefits of being a Windows user. Now, with the Upgrade Version of the latest Windows edition, you can get current with all the best new and classic features of the world's most popular operating system, all without paying the full price for the new version.Upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium. Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. You can even watch, pause, rewind, and record TV (a broadcast TV tuner may be required). Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium. Do you use your PC for work, run Windows XP programs, or require enhanced security? Consider Windows 7 Professional. Windows 7 is designed to make your PC simpler--to be more reliable, more responsive and to make the things you do every day on your PC easier. Click to enlarge. Upgrade to Windows 7 All editions of Windows XP and Windows Vista qualify you to buy an upgrade license. 1. Choose your edition of Windows 7
Explore key features and choose the edition that's best for you. Be sure to check the expanded list of extended features in Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, and Windows 7 Ultimate. System requirements vary for each edition of Windows 7 because some features might require special hardware. 2. See if your PC has what it takes to run Windows 7
In general, if your PC can run Windows Vista it can run Windows 7. To make sure, download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to do a quick check. If you want certain features, such as HomeGroup or Windows Media Center, check to see if your PC has the hardware that's needed. 3. Check which operating system your PC is currently running
How you make the move to Windows 7 depends on your current operating system. Windows Vista
The transition to Windows 7 should be pretty smooth, although you may need to update your system to the latest service pack first.

Windows XP (or any other operating system)
Windows 7 is best experienced on a new PC with the latest hardware, but if your computer meets the minimum specifications, you can install Windows 7 on a PC running Windows XP. Windows 7 must be "custom" installed (also known as a "clean" installation) over Windows XP. Before beginning the installation, you'll need to copy your files and settings to an external drive. After Windows 7 has been installed you will need to re-install all of your programs using the original installation media and then copy over the files and settings you backed up to your external drive. Because Windows 7 requires a custom installation, we strongly recommend that you get help with this process from your local computer service provider. More work, more play, and more of everything in between. Click to enlarge. Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Click to enlarge. With Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Click to enlarge. Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar and Start menu. The best entertainment experience on your PC Easiest Windows to use ever
Simplify your PC with new navigation features like Aero Shake, Jump Lists, and Snap. Customize Windows to look and feel the way you like by changing themes and taskbar programs. Setting up a home network and connecting to printers and devices is easier than ever. Windows 7 Home Premium supports the latest hardware and software. It's faster
Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker. Takes full advantage of 64-bit PC hardware and memory. Connecting to wireless networks is fast and easy. Best PC entertainment experience
Watch, pause, rewind, and record TV with Windows Media Center. Blu-ray read/write support for data files. Includes integrated video and Dolby audio codecs. Simplifies Everyday Tasks Simple to use Preview
Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail previews and full-screen previews of open windows. Pin
Open files and get around your PC faster with the improved taskbar. You can easily pin programs you use often to the taskbar and launch them in just one click. Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Click to enlarge. Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC right from the Start menu with Windows Search. Click to enlarge. Turn your PC into a TV with Windows Media Center, and enjoy your favorite videos and music with Windows Media Player. Click to enlarge. Jump Lists
Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar previews and Start menu. Snap
Windows 7 has simple new ways to manage open windows. For example, with Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Peek and Shake
Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Windows Search
Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC, from documents to emails to songs, right from the Start menu, with Windows Search. Easy to connect Setting up wireless connections is easier with consistent, one-click connections

• Windows 7 Home Premium (includes 32-bit & 64-bit versions) makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music--you can even watch, pause, rewind, and record TV
• Make the things you do every day easier with improved desktop navigation
• Start programs faster and more easily, and quickly find the documents you use most often
• Make your web experience faster, easier and safer than ever with Internet Explorer 8
• Easily create a home network and connect your PCs to a printer with HomeGroup

Rating: (out of 327 reviews)

List Price: $ 119.99
Price: Too low to display

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Reviews

Review by Just Anonymous:
I'll admit, I've been running Windows 7 for six months now: the preproduction version of it and have just upgraded to the gold code. So I have quite a bit of experience with the operating system. Let's get to the nitty gritty:

Should you upgrade from Windows Vista? YES! I mean it - upgrade today.

Windows 7 is quite simply faster, more stable, boots faster, goes to sleep faster, comes back from sleep faster, manages your files better and on top of that it's beautiful to look at and easy to use. Even the preproduction version of Windows 7 was better than my Vista with SP2.

Should you upgrade from Windows XP? Maybe, but for different reasons.

XP is a good operating system and if you don't need to add new hardware or software, XP is good. However, XP is old as an operating system. Also chances are that if you're running XP, you might not meet the minimum requirements for Windows 7 - check the compatibility site at Microsoft to see if your system will support Windows 7. That said, Windows 7 is light years ahead of Windows XP in terms of functionality, ease of use, etc - to me it's worth buying a new system.

64 bit or 32 bit?

If you don't know what I'm talking about, that's ok skip this section. If you have a core2 duo or core 2 quad or a multi cpu machine, go with the 64 bit OS, it handles memory and the CPUs much better. If you have a single core CPU, one CPU or run special programs that require 32bit, then stick with 32 bit for now.

BEFORE INSTALLATION:

I recommend you have:

-a core 2 duo or core 2 quad machine

-4gig of RAM (That's about in today's market)

-good hard drive with (200 gig - it doesn't need that much but that's another )

-back up your files to a USB drive like Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive WDME5000TN (Midnight Black)

-check to make sure your computer is compatible with Windows 7

INSTALLATION:

Installation was very straight forward. You put in the CD and reboot your machine. You might have to enter your bios and enable the "boot from CD" option. Once the machine reboots a nice screen comes up to guide you through the installation. You have the option to upgrade your PC or do a clean installation. I did an upgrade and it brought in all of my files and settings from my windows Vista system. It worked great.

The upgrade did take about 2 hours for me so definitely consider.

I noticed that early on in the installation the operating system went out to Microsoft's site to look for the latest and greatest updates, so I think this should help Microsoft respond quickly to any hiccups with compatibility.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK:

The driver from my old HP Inkjet printer for 2001 doesn't work on Windows 7 so there are some things that will not transition. I had to use a generic HP driver which doesn't give me the quality that I got from an injet - so overall, I'm up and running with that printer but I'm degraded on the inkjet front. That said, I recently upgraded to a HP CP2025DN Color LaserJet Printer that I love so no real loss there. I'll likely pick up a cheap inkjet for the occasional photo that I might need to print. Everything else upgraded.

BENEFITS

-faster boot time

-faster go to sleep

-faster wakeup

-faster about 20% to 30% faster at running applications than my Vista - seriously (but those are my results without any benchmarks or anything like that, just seeing how fast Adobe Illustrator loads, and how fast all the applications respond)

-joining wireless networks is much easier

-the interface is just plain beautiful

-my wallpapers are now a slideshow that can be set to change every few minutes (I'm not stuck with the same picture)

-Gadgets - these are wonderful little small applications that you can drag onto your desktop. I have a weather gadget and a calendar gadget on my desktop that tell me

-Better taskbar management - hovering over the taskbar icons shows me mini windows of what's running

-Better file management - I can organize my files into Libraries that are sortable not only by type but by folder or other data. It's great! I can browse through my presentations or illustrator files!

-Windows Media appears to be smoother which I love.

-You get some virus protection and firewall with Windows 7 but consider something more comprehensive like McAfee Total Protection 3User 2010. Yes, it'll make your computer run a bit slower but

CONS:

- Some older programs might not work and some drivers might not be available like my inkjet driver.

- Other than that, there aren't too many drawbacks to Windows 7 - it's a great OS.

WHICH VERSION SHOULD I GET?

I got the ultimate version because I have clients who ask, "is your hard drive encrypted?" -- I wanted to be able to say yes and have sensitive data encrypted one of my computer volumes - Bitlocker is only available in the Ultimate version. Ultimate also includes Multilanguage support.

If you're a home user that doesn't do a lot of networking, you might consider just the home premium edition. If you're using a laptop and connect to networks at work, you might want the Professional version of the operating system to help you with domain joining. Also Windows Professional gives you the option to run applications in XP mode so if you have old applications you can use that nifty feature. I already have 1 application running in XP mode - it's nifty to run an old application.

NOTE:

The box contains both the 32 bit and 64 bit OS.

OVERALL:

It's very hard to write a comprehensive review on an entire operating system so I didn't even try - I'm sure magazines will devote entire articles to the operating system and several books will come out. My goal here is just to give everyone a glimpse of what I've found to date with this new OS. I do hope this has helped you in making a decision.

Hats off to Microsoft on Windows 7. It's more of a refined Windows Vista than an entirely new operating system but it was needed. Thank you.

Review by Pyanfar Chanur:
Windows 7 Home Premium is the best version to choose for older machines and/or simpler networks. The "Backup" offered in 7 Pro can be done easily with free tools, and unless you need complex networking, 7 has what it takes to manage a home network. Last, the 'XP Mode' promised in 7 Pro and above will only work on hardware new enough to support "Virtualization Technology" (stop by Microsoft's website to learn more). This isn't the same as "XP Compatibility Mode", which you will still have for all versions of Windows 7 (there's a great video explanation of this on CNET's website in their Windows 7 Center at CNET TV).

Some very important things you need to know about upgrading:

1) There are two types of upgrade: "in-place" (where a Vista machine upgrades to 7 and you get to keep all your programs) and "clean" (where you lose all your old programs and settings).

2) Anyone going from XP to 7 will have to go "clean".

3) Anyone going from a different Vista to 7 (for example, Vista Home to 7 Pro, or Vista Ultimate to 7 Home) will also have to go "clean".

If you have to do 2) or 3), all is not lost--I'll explain in a moment.

Before you even buy 7 for your machine, stop by Microsoft's website for two things:

a) download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. Run it with every device connected to the machine that you'll ever want to use in 7. It'll thoroughly examine your machine for any roadblocks and give you good advice about upgrading.

b) Go to the Windows 7 Compatibility Center and double-check anything that came up negative in the Upgrade Advisor (or didn't show up at all). This site lists detailed compatibility info on a LOT of different devices.

Anything major, like a video card or sound card driver, I'd recommend double-checking with the manufacturer's website to be sure. This almost burned me on two of the machines that I upgraded.

Last, make a backup. There's a free tool called Macrium Reflect that can do this for you.

Do you have to do a "clean" install, but just want to carry over your user accounts and settings? Microsoft makes a program called Windows Easy Transfer that's already in Vista (and can be downloaded from Microsoft for XP) that will export your accounts and settings and let you import them back again. It's very easy to use and does a good job of putting your accounts back together again, even going from XP to 7.

Do you have to do the "clean" install, and you don't want to reinstall all your programs? Laplink has an offer for .95 that will let you use a special version of their program "PC Mover" to upgrade one machine one time. Read the documentation in detail.

The most important thing to doing a "clean" install is that in the Upgrade setup you choose "Custom". Windows will take all of your major files and place them in a folder called "Windows.old". PC Mover and the Easy Transfer program will use this folder to reconstruct your system from, so this is VERY important.

I wish I had more space to go into detail here...bottom line is, if you plan ahead a bit, upgrading to 7 will go very easily (and if it doesn't, you'll have something to fall back on).

Buy Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade now for only Too low to display!

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

With Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System Software, you'll get the best entertainment experience on your PC!. Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. You can even watch, pause, and rewind TV or record it to watch whenever and wherever you want.* For the best entertainment experience on your PC, choose Windows 7 Home Premium.Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. You can even watch, pause, rewind, and record TV (a broadcast TV tuner may be required). Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium. Do you use your PC for work, run Windows XP programs, or require enhanced security? Consider Windows 7 Professional. More work, more play, and more of everything in between. Click to enlarge. Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Click to enlarge. With Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Click to enlarge. Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar and Start menu. The best entertainment experience on your PC Easiest Windows to use ever
Simplify your PC with new navigation features like Aero Shake, Jump Lists, and Snap. Customize Windows to look and feel the way you like by changing themes and taskbar programs. Setting up a home network and connecting to printers and devices is easier than ever. Windows 7 Home Premium supports the latest hardware and software. It's faster
Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker. Takes full advantage of 64-bit PC hardware and memory. Connecting to wireless networks is fast and easy. Best PC entertainment experience
Watch, pause, rewind, and record TV with Windows Media Center. Blu-ray read/write support for data files. Includes integrated video and Dolby audio codecs. Simplifies Everyday Tasks Simple to use Preview
Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Pin
Open files and get around your PC faster with the improved taskbar. You can easily pin programs you use often to the taskbar and launch them in just one click. Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Click to enlarge. Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC right from the Start menu with Windows Search. Click to enlarge. Turn your PC into a TV with Windows Media Center, and enjoy your favorite videos and music with Windows Media Player. Click to enlarge. Jump Lists
Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar and Start menu. Snap
Windows 7 has simple new ways to manage open windows. For example, with Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Peek and Shake
Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Windows Search
Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC, from documents to emails to songs, right from the Start menu, with Windows Search. Easy to connect Setting up wireless connections is easier with consistent, one-click connections to available networks. Click to enlarge. Enjoy the photos, music, and videos on your home PC when you're away from home with remote media streaming. Click to enlarge. Windows Touch makes PCs with touch screens easier and more intuitive to use. Click to enlarge. Manage Backup and Restore and other features through Action Center. Click to enlarge. Search, organize, and edit files across a network in the same way you would

• Windows 7 Home Premium (includes 32-bit & 64-bit versions) makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music--you can even watch, pause, rewind, and record TV
• Make the things you do every day easier with improved desktop navigation
• Start programs faster and more easily, and quickly find the documents you use most often
• Make your web experience faster, easier and safer than ever with Internet Explorer 8
• Easily create a home network and connect your PCs to a printer with HomeGroup

Rating: (out of 85 reviews)

List Price: $ 199.99
Price: $ 106.90

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Reviews

Review by Mute208:
Here comes Windows 7, nearly three years after Windows Vista and eight years after Windows XP. By most accounts, Windows 7 is what Vista should have been. Do we finally have a worthy successor to XP?

PROS:

- Fast startup and performance

- Stable

- Nice aesthetic and functional changes to the desktop

- Improved networking, power management & security

- 32-bit & 64-bit versions included

- Windows Media Center

- Windows XP Mode (Professional & Ultimate only)

CONS:

- User Account Control still annoying

- Upgrade can be challenging

- Expensive

There are only two Microsoft operating systems I've personally skipped since DOS 6.x-- Windows ME and Windows Vista. Windows ME was so terrible that PC World coined it the "Mistake Edition." Vista, when initially released, was considered to be bloated, relying on higher hardware requirements than XP, while being outperformed by XP on identical hardware. With Microsoft fast-tracking Windows 7, I decided to skip Vista altogether and upgrade to 7. This review briefly touches upon some of the key features and enhancements of Microsoft's latest OS.

PERFORMANCE & STABILITY

One of the welcome enhancements Microsoft made was start-up time. The shutdown time has been improved as well. Also, in my non-benchmarked experience, Windows 7 has been at least as fast as XP if not faster. The kernel changes and ability to run the 64-bit version probably has a lot to do with that. Most benchmarks from around the Internet seem to support my observations.

64-BIT

I am elated to finally upgrade to a 64-bit operating system in order to take advantage of more memory support and modern processors. I have Intel Core 2 Duo processors in both my systems with 4GB of physical RAM but XP only allowed 3.25GB for system use.

DESKTOP

At first login, you'll notice the changes to the taskbar. The taskbar is no longer just a place to store quick launch icons and view open windows. It now provides functionality in the form of Jump Lists, which allow you to select your most frequently opened files or links from the apps you have "pinned" on the taskbar. The clock and calendar are improved and the Show Desktop icon is now integrated in the far right corner. Other desktop enhancements include Aero Peek, Aero Shake, Snap, new themes and wallpapers. You also get gadget support. All of these features combine to create a much improved and enjoyable desktop experience.

LIBRARIES

Windows 7 introduces a new feature called libraries. Previously, your system had shortcuts to My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, etc. which had files residing in only those specific folders. Files can now reside anywhere on your system and be organized inside libraries. It's similar to how many music and photo applications organize files.

NETWORKING

Even as good as XP was, networking was cumbersome. Windows 7 makes connecting two or more Windows 7 systems together easy, using HomeGroup. This enables easy sharing of files and devices. One downside is that HomeGroup is only supported between Windows 7 systems. File transfer performance between computers has been vastly improved and connecting to a wireless network has never been easier on a Windows machine.

SECURITY

Security in Windows 7 is good and comes with Windows Firewall and Defender. Still, you'll probably want to invest in a more comprehensive Internet security suite, like Norton Internet Security 2010 or Kaspersky Internet Security. User Account Control (UAC) has been tweaked in order to give user accounts more flexibility in controlling their own security as well as providing more detailed information so the user can make better decisions about whether to allow certain actions. Coming from XP however, it is still annoying and I choose to turn it off. Also, in Windows 7 Ultimate, you can encrypt entire hard drives as well as external portable storage devices, like USB thumb drives. Though this is a welcome integrated feature, much of the functionality can be found in a popular open-source program called TrueCrypt. If you want encryption but not multi-language support, you could just get Windows 7 Home Premium and use TrueCrypt.

POWER MANAGEMENT

Power management has been improved overall and you should be able to squeeze more battery life out of your laptop, even when using your DVD drive. Sleep and resume has also been improved. XP wasn't always consistent when entering or resuming from sleep mode, but Windows 7 has been perfect.

WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER

I've only briefly played around with WMC but it looks promising. It has some fun options for media, especially when you're connected to the Internet. It may even be an adequate replacement for component DVR's should you choose to use it as the centerpiece to your entertainment center. The biggest advantage for me is that Windows 7 now includes a DVD decoder. This means that I can now watch DVD's natively. WMC is available in all Windows 7 editions except Starter.

WINDOWS XP MODE

For applications that ran in XP, but won't on 7, there is now XP Mode. It isn't perfect and your system has to have virtualization support and turned on. Go to your system BIOS to check. If supported, then install Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode. Check your hardware if you intend to use XP Mode. XP Mode is only available in Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate editions.

RECOMMENDATIONS

If you're an XP holdout, like I was, I recommend upgrading. Vista SP2 users may have less reason to upgrade but might want to just for the changes to the taskbar and the UAC improvements. For users who don't need to use their computers in a corporate environment, then Windows 7 Home Premium edition is a good choice. I'm guessing most power users will choose Professional, which adds XP Mode and Domain Join. Ultimate also adds drive encryption and multi-language support. I suggest a clean install for best results. If you're a Mac OS X user, there is probably nothing in Windows 7 compelling enough for you to consider switching.

SUMMARY

Windows 7 is the premium Microsoft OS that Windows users have been waiting for. It's fast, secure, stable, visually appealing and fun to use. Windows 7 will make your old system feel fresh and new again. New system owners with Windows 7 pre-loaded can feel confident that they're getting the best Windows OS ever produced.

Review by Just Anonymous:
I'll admit, I've been running Windows 7 for six months now: the preproduction version of it and have just upgraded to the gold code. So I have quite a bit of experience with the operating system. Let's get to the nitty gritty:

Should you upgrade from Windows Vista? YES! I mean it - upgrade today.

Windows 7 is quite simply faster, more stable, boots faster, goes to sleep faster, comes back from sleep faster, manages your files better and on top of that it's beautiful to look at and easy to use. Even the preproduction version of Windows 7 was better than my Vista with SP2.

Should you upgrade from Windows XP? Maybe, but for different reasons.

XP is a good operating system and if you don't need to add new hardware or software, XP is good. However, XP is old as an operating system. Also chances are that if you're running XP, you might not meet the minimum requirements for Windows 7 - check the compatibility site at Microsoft to see if your system will support Windows 7. That said, Windows 7 is light years ahead of Windows XP in terms of functionality, ease of use, etc - to me it's worth buying a new system.

64 bit or 32 bit?

If you don't know what I'm talking about, that's ok skip this section. If you have a core2 duo or core 2 quad or a multi cpu machine, go with the 64 bit OS, it handles memory and the CPUs much better. If you have a single core CPU, one CPU or run special programs that require 32bit, then stick with 32 bit for now.

BEFORE INSTALLATION:

I recommend you have:

-a core 2 duo or core 2 quad machine

-4gig of RAM (That's about in today's market)

-good hard drive with (200 gig - it doesn't need that much but that's another )

-back up your files to a USB drive like Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive WDME5000TN (Midnight Black)

-check to make sure your computer is compatible with Windows 7

INSTALLATION:

Installation was very straight forward. You put in the CD and reboot your machine. You might have to enter your bios and enable the "boot from CD" option. Once the machine reboots a nice screen comes up to guide you through the installation. You have the option to upgrade your PC or do a clean installation. I did an upgrade and it brought in all of my files and settings from my windows Vista system. It worked great.

The upgrade did take about 2 hours for me so definitely consider.

I noticed that early on in the installation the operating system went out to Microsoft's site to look for the latest and greatest updates, so I think this should help Microsoft respond quickly to any hiccups with compatibility.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK:

The driver from my old HP Inkjet printer for 2001 doesn't work on Windows 7 so there are some things that will not transition. I had to use a generic HP driver which doesn't give me the quality that I got from an injet - so overall, I'm up and running with that printer but I'm degraded on the inkjet front. That said, I recently upgraded to a HP CP2025DN Color LaserJet Printer that I love so no real loss there. I'll likely pick up a cheap inkjet for the occasional photo that I might need to print. Everything else upgraded.

BENEFITS

-faster boot time

-faster go to sleep

-faster wakeup

-faster about 20% to 30% faster at running applications than my Vista - seriously (but those are my results without any benchmarks or anything like that, just seeing how fast Adobe Illustrator loads, and how fast all the applications respond)

-joining wireless networks is much easier

-the interface is just plain beautiful

-my wallpapers are now a slideshow that can be set to change every few minutes (I'm not stuck with the same picture)

-Gadgets - these are wonderful little small applications that you can drag onto your desktop. I have a weather gadget and a calendar gadget on my desktop that tell me

-Better taskbar management - hovering over the taskbar icons shows me mini windows of what's running

-Better file management - I can organize my files into Libraries that are sortable not only by type but by folder or other data. It's great! I can browse through my presentations or illustrator files!

-Windows Media appears to be smoother which I love.

-You get some virus protection and firewall with Windows 7 but consider something more comprehensive like McAfee Total Protection 3User 2010. Yes, it'll make your computer run a bit slower but

CONS:

- Some older programs might not work and some drivers might not be available like my inkjet driver.

- Other than that, there aren't too many drawbacks to Windows 7 - it's a great OS.

WHICH VERSION SHOULD I GET?

I got the ultimate version because I have clients who ask, "is your hard drive encrypted?" -- I wanted to be able to say yes and have sensitive data encrypted one of my computer volumes - Bitlocker is only available in the Ultimate version. Ultimate also includes Multilanguage support.

If you're a home user that doesn't do a lot of networking, you might consider just the home premium edition. If you're using a laptop and connect to networks at work, you might want the Professional version of the operating system to help you with domain joining. Also Windows Professional gives you the option to run applications in XP mode so if you have old applications you can use that nifty feature. I already have 1 application running in XP mode - it's nifty to run an old application.

NOTE:

The box contains both the 32 bit and 64 bit OS.

OVERALL:

It's very hard to write a comprehensive review on an entire operating system so I didn't even try - I'm sure magazines will devote entire articles to the operating system and several books will come out. My goal here is just to give everyone a glimpse of what I've found to date with this new OS. I do hope this has helped you in making a decision.

Hats off to Microsoft on Windows 7. It's more of a refined Windows Vista than an entirely new operating system but it was needed. Thank you.

Buy Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium now for only $ 106.90!

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Upgrade

With Microsoft Windows Pro 7 Operating System Software Professional, you'll be able to run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP mode* and recover your data easily with automatic back-ups to your home or business network. You'll be able to connect to company networks easily and more securely with Domain Join. And with entertainment features like Windows Media Center, it's great for home as well as for business.Upgrade to Windows 7 Professional. With Windows 7 Professional, fewer walls stand between you and your success. You can run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode and recover data easily with automatic backups to your home or business network. You can also connect to company networks effortlessly and more securely with Domain Join. With all the exciting entertainment features of Windows Home Premium, it's a great choice for home and for business. Need to use multiple languages on your PC or help protect your data with enhanced BitLocker security? Get Windows 7 Ultimate. Windows 7 is designed to make your PC simpler--to be more reliable, more responsive and to make the things you do every day on your PC easier. Click to enlarge. Upgrade to Windows 7 All editions of Windows XP and Windows Vista qualify you to buy an upgrade license. 1. Choose your edition of Windows 7
Explore key features and choose the edition that's best for you. Be sure to check the expanded list of extended features in Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, and Windows 7 Ultimate. System requirements vary for each edition of Windows 7 because some features might require special hardware. 2. See if your PC has what it takes to run Windows 7
In general, if your PC can run Windows Vista it can run Windows 7. To make sure, download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to do a quick check. If you want certain features, such as HomeGroup or Windows Media Center, check to see if your PC has the hardware that's needed. 3. Check which operating system your PC is currently running
How you make the move to Windows 7 depends on your current operating system. Windows Vista
The transition to Windows 7 should be pretty smooth, although you may need to update your system to the latest service pack first.

Windows XP (or any other operating system)
Windows 7 is best experienced on a new PC with the latest hardware, but if your computer meets the minimum specifications, you can install Windows 7 on a PC running Windows XP. Windows 7 must be "custom" installed (also known as a "clean" installation) over Windows XP. Before beginning the installation, you'll need to copy your files and settings to an external drive. After Windows 7 has been installed you will need to re-install all of your programs using the original installation media and then copy over the files and settings you backed up to your external drive. Because Windows 7 requires a custom installation, we strongly recommend that you get help with this process from your local computer service provider. More work, more play, and more of everything in between. Click to enlarge. Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Click to enlarge. With Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Click to enlarge. Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. Everything you need for work and home Simplifies everyday tasks
Improved desktop navigation features like Snap, Peek and Shake, make it easier to manage all of your open windows. Creating a home network has never been easier. You can even share files and printers with all the PCs with Windows 7 on the network. Find virtually anything on your PC – from documents to songs to email – just by typing a word or two with Windows Search. Works the way you want
Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker. Takes full advantage of the power and multi-tasking capabilities of the latest 64-bit PCs. Makes new things possible
Watch, pause, rewind and record TV with Windows Media Center.Includes integrated video and Dolby audio codecs. Simplifies Everyday Tasks Simple to use Preview
Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Pin
Open files and get around your PC faster with the improved taskbar. You can easily pin programs you use often to the taskbar and launch them in just one click. Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Click to enlarge. Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC right from the Start menu with Windows Search. Click to enlarge. Turn your PC into a TV with Windows Media Center, and enjoy your favorite videos and music with Windows Media Player. Click to enlarge. Jump Lists
Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. Snap
Windows 7 has simple new ways to manage open windows. For example, with Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Peek and Shake
Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Windows Search
Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC, from documents to emails to songs, right from the Start menu, with

• Windows 7 Professional (includes 32 & 64-bit versions) lets you run Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode, recover data easily with automatic backups to your home or business network, connect to company networks effortlessly and more securely
• Make the things you do every day easier with improved desktop navigation; start programs faster and more easily, and quickly find the documents you use most often
• Make your web experience faster, easier and safer than ever with Internet Explorer 8
• Watch, pause, rewind, and record TV on your PC
• Easily create a home network and connect your PCs to a printer with HomeGroup

Rating: (out of 120 reviews)

List Price: $ 199.99
Price: Too low to display

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Upgrade Reviews

Review by Mute208:
Here comes Windows 7, nearly three years after Windows Vista and eight years after Windows XP. By most accounts, Windows 7 is what Vista should have been. Do we finally have a worthy successor to XP?

** CLEAN UPGRADE UPDATE BELOW 10/29/09 **

PROS:

- Fast startup and performance

- Stable

- Nice aesthetic and functional changes to the desktop

- Improved networking, power management & security

- 32-bit & 64-bit versions included

- Windows Media Center

- Windows XP Mode

CONS:

- User Account Control still annoying

- Upgrade can be challenging

- Expensive

CLEAN UPGRADE UPDATE 10/29/09 **

It seems that a lot of upgraders have been complaining about the upgrade process, especially from XP. Most of us expected to be able to format our hard disks and be prompted for either the XP disc or product key. Alas, this is not the case. The upgrade is much more complicated than it should be and some workarounds have been discovered

Method A (simplest)

If you already have an older version of Windows on the hard drive, finish the Custom Install, without entering the product key. After installation, go to your System Properties and click the link to activate Windows. Enter your product key and it should activate. This has worked for me twice.

Method B (hardest)

If Method A doesn't work, try the registry hack.

1. Finish the custom install without entering the product key then click Start and type regedit.exe into the "Search programs and files" box.

2. In the registry, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Setup/OOBE/. In the pane on the right, you'll see an entry for MediaBootInstall. Double-click on it and change the value from "1" to "0" and click OK.

3. Close regedit and go to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories then right-click on Command Prompt and select "Run as administrator." You'll get a UAC alert, click Yes.

4. At the command prompt, type: slmgr /rearm and hit Enter. Reboot.

5. Now try to activate. If it fails, make sure there are no pending Windows Updates to install. If there is, install them, reboot and start over from Step 4.

Method C (most time consuming)

Perform the Custom Install and skip the product key. Once completed, run the upgrade again from within Windows 7 but this time, enter the Windows 7 upgrade key and then activate Windows.

** END UPDATE **

I had been running the Windows 7 release candidate for 3 months and the full version 2 weeks before official release date. The experience convinced me to finally upgrade my Windows XP systems to 7. This review briefly touches upon some of the key features and enhancements of Microsoft's latest OS.

PERFORMANCE & STABILITY

One of the welcome enhancements Microsoft made was start-up time. The shutdown time has been improved as well. Also, in my non-benchmarked experience, Windows 7 has been at least as fast as XP if not faster. The kernel changes and ability to run the 64-bit version probably has a lot to do with that. Most benchmarks from around the Internet seem to support my observations.

64-BIT

I am elated to finally upgrade to a 64-bit operating system in order to take advantage of more memory support and modern processors. I have Intel Core 2 Duo processors in both my systems with 4GB of physical RAM but XP only allowed 3.25GB for system use.

DESKTOP

At first login, you'll notice the changes to the taskbar. The taskbar is no longer just a place to store quick launch icons and view open windows. It now provides functionality in the form of Jump Lists, which allow you to select your most frequently opened files or links from the apps you have "pinned" on the taskbar. The clock and calendar are improved and the Show Desktop icon is now integrated in the far right corner. Other desktop enhancements include Aero Peek, Aero Shake, Snap, new themes and wallpapers. You also get gadget support. All of these features combine to create a much improved and enjoyable desktop experience.

LIBRARIES

Windows 7 introduces a new feature called libraries. Previously, your system had shortcuts to My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, etc. which had files residing in only those specific folders. Files can now reside anywhere on your system and be organized inside libraries. It's similar to how many music and photo applications organize files.

NETWORKING

Even as good as XP was, networking was cumbersome. Windows 7 makes connecting two or more Windows 7 systems together easy, using HomeGroup. This enables easy sharing of files and devices. One downside is that HomeGroup is only supported between Windows 7 systems. File transfer performance between computers has been vastly improved and connecting to a wireless network has never been easier on a Windows machine.

SECURITY

Security in Windows 7 is good and comes with Windows Firewall and Defender. Still, you'll probably want to invest in a more comprehensive Internet security suite, like Norton's. User Account Control (UAC) has been tweaked in order to give user accounts more flexibility in controlling their own security as well as providing more detailed information so the user can make better decisions about whether to allow certain actions. Coming from XP however, it is still annoying. Also, in Windows 7 Ultimate, you can encrypt entire hard drives as well as external portable storage devices, like USB thumb drives. Though this is a welcome integrated feature, much of the functionality can be found in a popular open-source program called TrueCrypt.

POWER MANAGEMENT

Power management has been improved overall and you should be able to squeeze more battery life out of your laptop, even when using your DVD drive. Sleep and resume has also been improved. XP wasn't always consistent when entering or resuming from sleep mode, but Windows 7 has been perfect.

WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER

I've only briefly played around with WMC but it looks promising. It has some fun options for media, especially when you're connected to the Internet. It may even be an adequate replacement for component DVR's should you choose to use it as the centerpiece to your entertainment center. The biggest advantage for me is that Windows 7 now includes a DVD decoder. This means that I can now watch DVD's natively. WMC is available in all Windows 7 editions except Starter.

WINDOWS XP MODE

For applications that ran in XP, but won't on 7, there is now XP Mode. It isn't perfect and your system has to have virtualization support and turned on. Go to your system BIOS to check. If supported, then install Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode. Check your hardware if you intend to use XP Mode.

RECOMMENDATION

If you're an XP holdout, like I was, I recommend upgrading. Vista SP2 users may have less reason to upgrade but might want to just for the changes to the taskbar and the UAC improvements. For users who don't need to use their computers in a corporate environment, then Windows 7 Home Premium edition is a good choice. I'm guessing most power users will choose Professional. I suggest a clean install for best results. If you're a Mac OS X user, there is probably nothing in Windows 7 compelling enough for you to consider switching.

SUMMARY

Windows 7 is the premium Microsoft OS that Windows users have been waiting for. It's fast, secure, stable, visually appealing and fun to use. Windows 7 will make your old system feel fresh and new again. New system owners with Windows 7 pre-loaded can feel confident that they're getting the best Windows OS ever produced.

Review by T. R. Collins:
"Windows Vista(tm) Home Premium cannot be upgraded to Windows 7 Professional.

You can choose to install a new copy of Windows 7 Professional instead, but this is different from an upgrade, and does not keep your files, settings, and programs. You'll need to reinstall any programs using the original installation discs or files. To save your files before installing Windows, back them up to an external location such as a CD, DVD, or external hard drive. To install a new copy of Windows 7 Professional, click the Back button in the upper left-hand corner, and select "Custom (advanced)".

Simply said you cannot upgrade Home Premium, keeping your programs and files, you must start over similar to a clean install.. To install Windows 7 on top of Home Premium while maintaing all of your files, programs, settings etc., you must purchase the Ultimate Upgrade for more.

This will allow people who are not "computer friendly" upgrade without the hassle of backing up files, re-installing programs etc. especially if you don't know where the original program CD(s) are...

trc

Buy Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Upgrade now for only Too low to display!

Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate

With Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System Software Ultimate, you'll be able to run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP mode* and recover your data easily with automatic back-ups to your home or business network. You'll be able to connect to company networks easily and more securely with Domain Join. And with entertainment features like Windows Media Center, it's great for home as well as for business.Windows 7 Ultimate is the most versatile and powerful edition of Windows 7. It combines remarkable ease-of-use with the entertainment features of Home Premium and the business capabilities of Professional, including the ability to run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode. For added security, you can encrypt your data with BitLocker and BitLocker To Go. And for extra flexibility, you can work in any of 35 languages. Get it all with Windows 7 Ultimate. More work, more play, and more of everything in between. Click to enlarge. Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Click to enlarge. With Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Click to enlarge. Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. Designed for people who want it all Easiest Windows to use ever
Simplify your PC with new navigation features like Aero Shake, Jump Lists, and Snap. Customize Windows to look and feel the way you like by changing themes and taskbar programs. Easy to network (with or without a server). Back up your complete system over a network. Help protect data on your PC or portable storage device against loss or theft with BitLocker. Faster and more flexible
Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker. Takes full advantage of 64-bit PC hardware and memory. Windows XP Mode gives you the business flexibility you need. Switch between any of 35 languages. Best PC entertainment experience
Watch, pause, rewind, and record TV with Windows Media Center. Blu-ray read/write support for data files. Includes integrated video and Dolby audio codecs. Simplifies Everyday Tasks Simple to use Preview
Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Pin
Open files and get around your PC faster with the improved taskbar. You can easily pin programs you use often to the taskbar and launch them in just one click. Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Click to enlarge. Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC right from the Start menu with Windows Search. Click to enlarge. Turn your PC into a TV with Windows Media Center, and enjoy your favorite videos and music with Windows Media Player. Click to enlarge. Jump Lists
Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. Snap
Windows 7 has simple new ways to manage open windows. For example, with Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Peek and Shake
Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Windows Search
Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC, from documents to emails to songs, right from the Start menu, with Windows Search. Easy to connect Setting up wireless connections is easier with consistent, one-click connections to available networks. Click to enlarge. Enjoy the photos, music, and videos on your home PC when you're away from home with remote media streaming. Click to enlarge. Windows Touch makes PCs with touch screens easier and more intuitive to use. Click to enlarge. Manage Backup and Restore and other features through Action Center. Click to enlarge.

• (Includes 32 & 64-bit versions) Combines remarkable ease-of-use with the entertainment features of Home Premium and the business capabilities of Professional--get it all with with Windows 7 Ultimate
• Make the things you do every day easier with improved desktop navigation; start programs faster and more easily, and quickly find the documents you use most often
• Run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode; watch, pause, rewind, and record TV on your PC
• Easily create a home network and connect your PCs to a printer with HomeGroup; connect to company networks easily and more securely with Domain Join
• Recover your data easily with automatic backup to your home and business network; help protect data on your PC and portable storage devices against loss or theft with BitLocker

Rating: (out of 68 reviews)

List Price: $ 319.99
Price: $ 148.99

Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Reviews

Review by Stephen:
Let me preface this review with my qualifications so that you may understand the extent I've gone to with operating systems to end up proudly claiming, "I'm a PC."

I use Linux (RedHat) at work, I've tried Ubuntu and Lycoris long before it, I've tried Debian and Slackware and however many other flavors of *nix in the past just to say I tried them. I've messed with BeOS (Zeta development was an exciting time), I've played with Mac OS X on numerous occasions (beautiful OS), and I've tried countless obscure operating systems that I doubt even 1% of those reading this would know about (and trust me; there's a reason for you not knowing about them, lol). Why have I messed with them all? Because I enjoy operating systems and I find them to be amazing achievements. There's no denying that Mac OS X is a beautiful OS that performs quite well within the structured hardware environment Apple has created. Linux is hella useful on an enterprise level (though Windows Server is easily comparable these days) and even home flavors of Linux have become quite nice (Ubuntu)! The fact of the matter is that I'm partial to Windows through my experiences with having tried just about every flavor of every OS out there over the past 10 years or so. I used to collect beta versions of operating systems (not just Windows, but others as well), so I've not only tried the final products, but I've also gained appreciation for them by seeing them and playing with them through their development cycles. Where Windows is concerned, at one point or another, I've instally just about every build of every version currently out there (and trust me, there are TONS of builds - alpha and beta bits from every version of Windows, including obscure bits like Windows Neptune). I've ridden the roller coaster through the highs (Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, and now 7) and lows (Windows ME, Windows Vista's initial release) and I couldn't be happier that I've stuck it out.

Enter Windows 7.

Windows 7 is amazing. There is no other way to put it. It's being hyped as, "Vista done right," or something of that nature. Well, Windows 7 is soooo much more than that. True, the user interface may resemble Windows Vistas, but only at first glance. The single-most revolutionary aspect of Windows 7 is the new task bar. It has provided so much additional functionality that you would never know you wanted (or needed). The ability to pin tasks, the ability to move items around on the task bar, the privacy of not having titles of your windows down in the task bar for anyone to see, the new interactive thumbnail previews, the new placement of the show desktop button... I could go on. It may take you a bit to get used to the new task bar, but trust me... you will and you will absolutely come to love it. Going back to anything less just won't feel right.

Next on the docket is HomeGroups. Look, file sharing between home computers has never been easier. NEVER. I have Windows 7 on my desktop and on my laptop. The desktop, I recently built, so while awaiting my wireless card for it, I wanted to see if I could tether my laptop's internet connection. In the past, it wasn't exactly difficult to set it up, but it was much more involved than it is now. All you need is a regular ethernet cable, connent one end to your laptop and the other to your desktop, give permissions to share (made simple through HomeGroups) and voila! I can use the internet on my desktop via my laptop's internet connection. And not only that, I was able to set up the laptop and desktop to share files between one another via the same cable... and it was incredibly simple! I won't walk through the steps here since this review is already getting a bit lengthy, but the long and the short of it is that file and resource sharing between Windows 7 computers is RIDICULOUSLY intuitive.

Lastly, are you still on XP? Are you one of those business who decided way back when that you would just skip Vista and roll out Windows 7? Well, guess what? Windows 7 is here and it's time you make good on your decision. As the title to my review implies, Windows 7 bests both Vista and XP. There is no longer any excuse for you to stick with XP when Windows 7 performs EVEN BETTER. The only learning curve for XP users will be getting used to the new user interface and the change in location of certain files/folders (which admittedly irked me at first, but those changes came about in Vista, so I've been long used to them). Bite that bullet. It's worth it, trust me. Oh, and cost? Windows 7 is worth its weight in gold. It's an operating system. Think about everything it does for you, all the applications it allows you to run, the tasks it allows you to perform... in the grand scheme of things, the cost of Windows is one of the best investments you can make for yourself, so go ahead and treat yourself to Windows 7. Seriously. Don't buy into the stupid Mac hype videos of, "more of the same" and pay no mind to the Microsoft commercials where people say Windows 7 was their idea. Go try it for yourself. Download a free evaluation copy, install it, and give it a whirl. See for yourself.

Since Amazon removes links from posts now, search Google for Windows 7 Enterprise 90-Day Evaluation. You will need a Windows Live ID and though it's an evaluation of Windows 7 Enterprise, it looks and feels like every other SKU.

-Stephen

MSFTKitchen (Google it)

I thought about placing this review on all the SKUs of Windows 7, but since I use Ultimate on a regular basis and not the other SKUs, I think it's only appropriate to leave it here, as-is. Thanks for reading (if you made it this far, that is)!

Review by Rico:
When I got my copy of Windows 7 Ultimate, I really wasn't sure what to expect. I had not been running any beta or release candidate, so I had no idea how I would like Windows 7 or even the install process. I am running a Dell XPS desktop, and I had recently installed 8GB of memory in anticipation of formatting and installing Windows 7 64 bit edition. Sounds like overkill I know, but I got a great deal on the memory and wanted to go to a 64 bit version when Windows 7 came out. I will get into some of the differences shortly, but let me just say that the installation was painless...I mean really painless. My desktop is a few years old, and I expected to be hunting device drivers online to get everything working. I didn't have to! I was quite surprised when the install process completed and everything was working great. I didn't have to download a single device driver...and that IS a first for me when changing operating systems!

There is a small learning curve because some things have changed and you will have to spend a few minutes trying to find them, but it's not a big deal.

I wold suggest spending some time just looking around to see where things are located as well as what new shiny bells and whistles are available.

The Start Menu: I was one of those guys who always changed my start menu back to the Windows 2000 type. I hated the XP menu with a passion.

Imagine my horror when I figured out there was no way to change it in Windows 7! I was certainly upset at first, until I started actually using the new menu.

I have a habit using the old start-run option and typing in some of the programs I use. For example, I would use start-run winword to open Microsoft Word. I know, it sounds crazy, but my computer days started with DOS, so I still have some love for the command line! I noticed in Windows 7, there is no run command...but after using it I realized it didn't need one because the search box actually does the same thing. Once I figured out how to pin programs to the start menu, I realized that I am finally happy using a new menu interface.

Windows 7 32 bit or 64 bit?

Windows 7 comes with two disks, one for 32 bit and one for 64 bit. You can choose which one you want to use based upon your devices, and your needs.

If you are upgrading from another version of Windows, you can't change unless you do a fresh install. If your computer supports 64 bit and you aren't using extremely old software, I would suggest going to 64 bit if you are doing a new install anyway. It will still run 32 bit programs, and you will may benefit from the 64 bit version. You might consider adding some memory as well if you want since you can use more than 4GB memory with the 64 bit version. If you are using an older computer with minimal memory anyway, I would just stick with the 32 bit version. Microsoft has a nice feature on their Windows 7 website to check compatibility with Windows 7 in both 32 bit and 64 bit, so you can see which of your programs may be an issue.

Summary:

I am really happy with Windows 7. Not only was it easy to install, without needing me to find any drivers, etc...but the interface is also easy to use. You won't be having to make a hundred changes just to do something as you may have in Windows Vista. There are no more major issues with User Account Control for those of you who are using Vista now! Is Windows 7 worth the upgrade? I think it is. I have two versions, one is the full version of Windows 7 Ultimate and the other is Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade for my laptop (currently running Vista). I have found Windows 7 to be stable, with no cryptic error messages to stop me from doing what I want to do. I believe Windows 7 is an operating system that people will actually enjoy using...it's a big improvement from Vista, and I think most people will be happy to finally have a reason to upgrade from Windows XP.

Buy Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate now for only $ 148.99!

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional

With Microsoft Windows Pro 7 Operating System Software Professional, you'll be able to run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP mode* and recover your data easily with automatic back-ups to your home or business network. You'll be able to connect to company networks easily and more securely with Domain Join. And with entertainment features like Windows Media Center, it's great for home as well as for business.With Windows 7 Professional, fewer walls stand between you and your success. You can run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode and recover data easily with automatic backups to your home or business network. You can also connect to company networks effortlessly and more securely with Domain Join. With all the exciting entertainment features of Windows Home Premium, it's a great choice for home and for business. Need to use multiple languages on your PC or help protect your data with enhanced BitLocker security? Get Windows 7 Ultimate. More work, more play, and more of everything in between. Click to enlarge. Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Click to enlarge. With Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Click to enlarge. Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. Everything you need for work and home Simplifies everyday tasks
Improved desktop navigation features like Snap, Peek and Shake, make it easier to manage all of your open windows. Creating a home network has never been easier. You can even share files and printers with all the PCs with Windows 7 on the network. Find virtually anything on your PC – from documents to songs to email – just by typing a word or two with Windows Search. Works the way you want
Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker. Takes full advantage of the power and multi-tasking capabilities of the latest 64-bit PCs. Makes new things possible
Watch, pause, rewind and record TV with Windows Media Center.Includes integrated video and Dolby audio codecs. Simplifies Everyday Tasks Simple to use Preview
Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Pin
Open files and get around your PC faster with the improved taskbar. You can easily pin programs you use often to the taskbar and launch them in just one click. Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Click to enlarge. Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC right from the Start menu with Windows Search. Click to enlarge. Turn your PC into a TV with Windows Media Center, and enjoy your favorite videos and music with Windows Media Player. Click to enlarge. Jump Lists
Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. Snap
Windows 7 has simple new ways to manage open windows. For example, with Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Peek and Shake
Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Windows Search
Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC, from documents to emails to songs, right from the Start menu, with Windows Search. Easy to connect Setting up wireless connections is easier with consistent, one-click connections to available networks. Click to enlarge. Enjoy the photos, music, and videos on your home PC when you're away from home with remote media streaming. Click to enlarge. Manage Backup and Restore and other features through Action Center. Click to enlarge. Search, organize, and edit files across a network in the same way you would a single folder.Click to enlarge. Wireless setup
With Windows 7, setting up wireless connections is easier with consistent, one-click connections to available networks, whether those networks are based on Wi-Fi, mobile broadband, dial-up, or corporate VPN. HomeGroup
Connect Windows 7 PCs on a home network in just four clicks and easily get to the photos, music, and files on each one--even share printers--with HomeGroup. Easy to browse the web Internet Explorer 8
Visual search helps you quickly find the information you want by adding visual cues and previews to search results from top search providers including Live Search, Wikipedia, Yahoo, Amazon, and others. Internet Explorer 8
Use Web slices to conveniently keep up with changes on frequently updated websites, like eBay auctions or traffic sites, directly from the IE8 toolbar. Easy to communicate and share Windows Live Photo Gallery
Windows Live Photo Gallery makes share your photos to your favorite photo site easy. Windows Live Mail
Windows Live Mail makes managing multiple email accounts easy. Windows Live Family Safety
Keep your child safe by managing what sites they can visit and who they can send/receive emails and im communications from. Note: Windows Live components need to be downloaded separately. Works The Way You Want Faster and More Reliable Resume from sleep
We designed Windows 7 to help PCs sleep and resume from sleep more quickly by improving the way Windows 7 manages drivers, programs, and power. Faster and more reliable
We reduced the amount of memory your PC needs for open windows and to execute commands to help it be more responsive to commands. Fewer clicks and less interruptions
Makes New Things Possible Media on your terms Windows Media Center
Turn your PC into a TV with Windows Media Center. Windows Media Center
Watch shows for free when

• Windows 7 Professional (includes 32 & 64-bit versions) lets you run Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode, recover data easily with automatic backups to your home or business network, connect to company networks effortlessly and more securely
• Make the things you do every day easier with improved desktop navigation; start programs faster and more easily, and quickly find the documents you use most often
• Make your web experience faster, easier and safer than ever with Internet Explorer 8
• Watch, pause, rewind, and record TV on your PC
• Easily create a home network and connect your PCs to a printer with HomeGroup

Rating: (out of 44 reviews)

List Price: $ 299.99
Price: Too low to display

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Reviews

Review by Mute208:
Here comes Windows 7, nearly three years after Windows Vista and eight years after Windows XP. By most accounts, Windows 7 is what Vista should have been. Do we finally have a worthy successor to XP?

PROS:

- Fast startup and performance

- Stable

- Nice aesthetic and functional changes to the desktop

- Improved networking, power management & security

- 32-bit & 64-bit versions included

- Windows Media Center

- Windows XP Mode

CONS:

- User Account Control still annoying

- Upgrade can be challenging

- Expensive

There are only two Microsoft operating systems I've personally skipped since DOS 6.x-- Windows ME and Windows Vista. Windows ME was so terrible that PC World coined it the "Mistake Edition." Vista, when initially released, was considered to be bloated, relying on higher hardware requirements than XP, while being outperformed by XP on identical hardware. With Microsoft fast-tracking Windows 7, I decided to skip Vista altogether and upgrade to 7. This review briefly touches upon some of the key features and enhancements of Microsoft's latest OS.

PERFORMANCE & STABILITY

One of the welcome enhancements Microsoft made was start-up time. The shutdown time has been improved as well. Also, in my non-benchmarked experience, Windows 7 has been at least as fast as XP if not faster. The kernel changes and ability to run the 64-bit version probably has a lot to do with that. Most benchmarks from around the Internet seem to support my observations.

64-BIT

I am elated to finally upgrade to a 64-bit operating system in order to take advantage of more memory support and modern processors. I have Intel Core 2 Duo processors in both my systems with 4GB of physical RAM but XP only allowed 3.25GB for system use.

DESKTOP

At first login, you'll notice the changes to the taskbar. The taskbar is no longer just a place to store quick launch icons and view open windows. It now provides functionality in the form of Jump Lists, which allow you to select your most frequently opened files or links from the apps you have "pinned" on the taskbar. The clock and calendar are improved and the Show Desktop icon is now integrated in the far right corner. Other desktop enhancements include Aero Peek, Aero Shake, Snap, new themes and wallpapers. You also get gadget support. All of these features combine to create a much improved and enjoyable desktop experience.

LIBRARIES

Windows 7 introduces a new feature called libraries. Previously, your system had shortcuts to My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, etc. which had files residing in only those specific folders. Files can now reside anywhere on your system and be organized inside libraries. It's similar to how many music and photo applications organize files.

NETWORKING

Even as good as XP was, networking was cumbersome. Windows 7 makes connecting two or more Windows 7 systems together easy, using HomeGroup. This enables easy sharing of files and devices. One downside is that HomeGroup is only supported between Windows 7 systems. File transfer performance between computers has been vastly improved and connecting to a wireless network has never been easier on a Windows machine.

SECURITY

Security in Windows 7 is good and comes with Windows Firewall and Defender. Still, you'll probably want to invest in a more comprehensive Internet security suite, like Norton Internet Security 2010. User Account Control (UAC) has been tweaked in order to give user accounts more flexibility in controlling their own security as well as providing more detailed information so the user can make better decisions about whether to allow certain actions. Coming from XP however, it is still annoying and I choose to turn it off. Also, in Windows 7 Ultimate, you can encrypt entire hard drives as well as external portable storage devices, like USB thumb drives. Though this is a welcome integrated feature, much of the functionality can be found in a popular open-source program called TrueCrypt. If you want encryption but not multi-language support, you could just get Windows 7 Professional and use TrueCrypt.

POWER MANAGEMENT

Power management has been improved overall and you should be able to squeeze more battery life out of your laptop, even when using your DVD drive. Sleep and resume has also been improved. XP wasn't always consistent when entering or resuming from sleep mode, but Windows 7 has been perfect.

WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER

I've only briefly played around with WMC but it looks promising. It has some fun options for media, especially when you're connected to the Internet. It may even be an adequate replacement for component DVR's should you choose to use it as the centerpiece to your entertainment center. The biggest advantage for me is that Windows 7 now includes a DVD decoder. This means that I can now watch DVD's natively. WMC is available in all Windows 7 editions except Starter.

WINDOWS XP MODE

For applications that ran in XP, but won't on 7, there is now XP Mode. It isn't perfect and your system has to have virtualization support and turned on. Go to your system BIOS to check. If supported, then install Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode. Check your hardware if you intend to use XP Mode.

RECOMMENDATIONS

If you're an XP holdout, like I was, I recommend upgrading. Vista SP2 users may have less reason to upgrade but might want to just for the changes to the taskbar and the UAC improvements. For users who don't need to use their computers in a corporate environment, then Windows 7 Home Premium edition is a good choice. I'm guessing most power users will choose Professional, which adds XP Mode and Domain Join. Ultimate also adds drive encryption and multi-language support. I suggest a clean install for best results. If you're a Mac OS X user, there is probably nothing in Windows 7 compelling enough for you to consider switching.

SUMMARY

Windows 7 is the premium Microsoft OS that Windows users have been waiting for. It's fast, secure, stable, visually appealing and fun to use. Windows 7 will make your old system feel fresh and new again. New system owners with Windows 7 pre-loaded can feel confident that they're getting the best Windows OS ever produced.

Review by X. Liu:
I have been using Windows 7 Professional for over a month now. (Received an early copy) I must admit the upgrade experience is a hassle but once you install Windows 7 you will be pleasantly surprised. I recommend a clean install for all users. Windows 7 has a noticeably snappier boot time than Windows Vista. What users will notice most are the changes to the interface. It took some time to get adjust new taskbar but once I became familiar with the new interface, I found it to be an improvement over previous Windows versions. Windows 7 also includes a comprehensive device drivers, I have only had an issue with an old printer where Windows 7 could not find the drivers. But with Virtual XP this was no problem, I simply installed the Virtual XP, and used my printer within the virtualized environment. I also noticed improved power management, including once of my favorite features which is the auto dimming of my laptop monitors once my computer is not being used.

Improvements/Pros/New Features

-New Taskbar interface, each program is represented by an icon for a clutter free taskbar

-Quicker boot times

-Comprehensive driver library

-Supports many devices out of the box

-Less annoying

-Virtual XP (for those who still need Windows XP)

-Networking

Recommendations

-Microsoft Security Essentials: A free antivirus program provided by Microsoft that fights viruses, spyware, rootkits, and Trojans. This program is a separate installation, and is also compatible with XP, Vista, and 7.

-Ninite: Free program that provides easy PC Setup, and helps to install Multiple Applications at once. Is a lifesaver for Windows 7 upgrades. Caveat, limited to popular programs such as pidgin, flash, firefox, skype, itunes

-FYI, if you are a student with a .edu email address, you can get Windows 7 Professional from Microsoft for . Just google "Ultimate Steal"

Buy Microsoft Windows 7 Professional now for only Too low to display!

Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade

With Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System Software Ultimate, you'll be able to run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP mode* and recover your data easily with automatic back-ups to your home or business network. You'll be able to connect to company networks easily and more securely with Domain Join. And with entertainment features like Windows Media Center, it's great for home as well as for business.Upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate. Windows 7 Ultimate is the most versatile and powerful edition of Windows 7. It combines remarkable ease-of-use with the entertainment features of Home Premium and the business capabilities of Professional, including the ability to run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode. For added security, you can encrypt your data with BitLocker and BitLocker To Go. And for extra flexibility, you can work in any of 35 languages. Get it all with Windows 7 Ultimate. Windows 7 is designed to make your PC simpler--to be more reliable, more responsive and to make the things you do every day on your PC easier. Click to enlarge. Upgrade to Windows 7 All editions of Windows XP and Windows Vista qualify you to buy an upgrade license. 1. Choose your edition of Windows 7
Explore key features and choose the edition that's best for you. Be sure to check the expanded list of extended features in Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, and Windows 7 Ultimate. System requirements vary for each edition of Windows 7 because some features might require special hardware. 2. See if your PC has what it takes to run Windows 7
In general, if your PC can run Windows Vista it can run Windows 7. To make sure, download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to do a quick check. If you want certain features, such as HomeGroup or Windows Media Center, check to see if your PC has the hardware that's needed. 3. Check which operating system your PC is currently running
How you make the move to Windows 7 depends on your current operating system. Windows Vista
The transition to Windows 7 should be pretty smooth, although you may need to update your system to the latest service pack first.

Windows XP (or any other operating system)
Windows 7 is best experienced on a new PC with the latest hardware, but if your computer meets the minimum specifications, you can install Windows 7 on a PC running Windows XP. Windows 7 must be "custom" installed (also known as a "clean" installation) over Windows XP. Before beginning the installation, you'll need to copy your files and settings to an external drive. After Windows 7 has been installed you will need to re-install all of your programs using the original installation media and then copy over the files and settings you backed up to your external drive. Because Windows 7 requires a custom installation, we strongly recommend that you get help with this process from your local computer service provider. More work, more play, and more of everything in between. Click to enlarge. Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Click to enlarge. With Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Click to enlarge. Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. Designed for people who want it all Easiest Windows to use ever
Simplify your PC with new navigation features like Aero Shake, Jump Lists, and Snap. Customize Windows to look and feel the way you like by changing themes and taskbar programs. Easy to network (with or without a server). Back up your complete system over a network. Help protect data on your PC or portable storage device against loss or theft with BitLocker. Faster and more flexible
Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker. Takes full advantage of 64-bit PC hardware and memory. Windows XP Mode gives you the business flexibility you need. Switch between any of 35 languages. Best PC entertainment experience
Watch, pause, rewind, and record TV with Windows Media Center. Blu-ray read/write support for data files. Includes integrated video and Dolby audio codecs. Simplifies Everyday Tasks Simple to use Preview
Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Pin
Open files and get around your PC faster with the improved taskbar. You can easily pin programs you use often to the taskbar and launch them in just one click. Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Click to enlarge. Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC right from the Start menu with Windows Search. Click to enlarge. Turn your PC into a TV with Windows Media Center, and enjoy your favorite videos and music with Windows Media Player. Click to enlarge. Jump Lists
Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. Snap
Windows 7 has simple new ways to manage open windows. For example, with Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Peek and Shake
Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Windows Search
Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC,

• (Includes 32 & 64-bit versions cd-rom) Combines remarkable ease-of-use with the entertainment features of Home Premium and the business capabilities of Professional--get it all with with Windows 7 Ultimate
• Make the things you do every day easier with improved desktop navigation; start programs faster and more easily, and quickly find the documents you use most often
• Run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode; watch, pause, rewind, and record TV on your PC
• Easily create a home network and connect your PCs to a printer with HomeGroup; connect to company networks easily and more securely with Domain Join
• Recover your data easily with automatic backup to your home and business network; help protect data on your PC and portable storage devices against loss or theft with BitLocker

Rating: (out of 104 reviews)

List Price: $ 219.99
Price: $ 131.29

Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade Reviews

Review by Just Anonymous:
I'll admit, I've been running Windows 7 for six months now: the preproduction version of it and have just upgraded to the gold code. So I have quite a bit of experience with the operating system. Let's get to the nitty gritty:

Should you upgrade from Windows Vista? YES! I mean it - upgrade today.

Windows 7 is quite simply faster, more stable, boots faster, goes to sleep faster, comes back from sleep faster, manages your files better and on top of that it's beautiful to look at and easy to use. Even the preproduction version of Windows 7 was better than my Vista with SP2.

Should you upgrade from Windows XP? Maybe, but for different reasons.

XP is a good operating system and if you don't need to add new hardware or software, XP is good. However, XP is old as an operating system. Also chances are that if you're running XP, you might not meet the minimum requirements for Windows 7 - check the compatibility site at Microsoft to see if your system will support Windows 7. That said, Windows 7 is light years ahead of Windows XP in terms of functionality, ease of use, etc - to me it's worth buying a new system.

64 bit or 32 bit?

If you don't know what I'm talking about, that's ok skip this section. If you have a core2 duo or core 2 quad or a multi cpu machine, go with the 64 bit OS, it handles memory and the CPUs much better. If you have a single core CPU, one CPU or run special programs that require 32bit, then stick with 32 bit for now.

BEFORE INSTALLATION:

I recommend you have:

-a core 2 duo or core 2 quad machine

-4gig of RAM (That's about in today's market)

-good hard drive with (200 gig - it doesn't need that much but that's another )

-back up your files to a USB drive like Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive WDME5000TN (Midnight Black)

-check to make sure your computer is compatible with Windows 7

INSTALLATION:

Installation was very straight forward. You put in the CD and reboot your machine. You might have to enter your bios and enable the "boot from CD" option. Once the machine reboots a nice screen comes up to guide you through the installation. You have the option to upgrade your PC or do a clean installation. I did an upgrade and it brought in all of my files and settings from my windows Vista system. It worked great.

The upgrade did take about 2 hours for me so definitely consider.

I noticed that early on in the installation the operating system went out to Microsoft's site to look for the latest and greatest updates, so I think this should help Microsoft respond quickly to any hiccups with compatibility.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK:

The driver from my old HP Inkjet printer for 2001 doesn't work on Windows 7 so there are some things that will not transition. I had to use a generic HP driver which doesn't give me the quality that I got from an injet - so overall, I'm up and running with that printer but I'm degraded on the inkjet front. That said, I recently upgraded to a HP CP2025DN Color LaserJet Printer that I love so no real loss there. I'll likely pick up a cheap inkjet for the occasional photo that I might need to print. Everything else upgraded.

BENEFITS

-faster boot time

-faster go to sleep

-faster wakeup

-faster about 20% to 30% faster at running applications than my Vista - seriously (but those are my results without any benchmarks or anything like that, just seeing how fast Adobe Illustrator loads, and how fast all the applications respond)

-joining wireless networks is much easier

-the interface is just plain beautiful

-my wallpapers are now a slideshow that can be set to change every few minutes (I'm not stuck with the same picture)

-Gadgets - these are wonderful little small applications that you can drag onto your desktop. I have a weather gadget and a calendar gadget on my desktop that tell me

-Better taskbar management - hovering over the taskbar icons shows me mini windows of what's running

-Better file management - I can organize my files into Libraries that are sortable not only by type but by folder or other data. It's great! I can browse through my presentations or illustrator files!

-Windows Media appears to be smoother which I love.

-You get some virus protection and firewall with Windows 7 but consider something more comprehensive like McAfee Total Protection 3User 2010. Yes, it'll make your computer run a bit slower but

CONS:

- Some older programs might not work and some drivers might not be available like my inkjet driver.

- Other than that, there aren't too many drawbacks to Windows 7 - it's a great OS.

WHICH VERSION SHOULD I GET?

I got the ultimate version because I have clients who ask, "is your hard drive encrypted?" -- I wanted to be able to say yes and have sensitive data encrypted one of my computer volumes - Bitlocker is only available in the Ultimate version. Ultimate also includes Multilanguage support.

If you're a home user that doesn't do a lot of networking, you might consider just the home premium edition. If you're using a laptop and connect to networks at work, you might want the Professional version of the operating system to help you with domain joining. Also Windows Professional gives you the option to run applications in XP mode so if you have old applications you can use that nifty feature. I already have 1 application running in XP mode - it's nifty to run an old application.

NOTE:

The box contains both the 32 bit and 64 bit OS.

OVERALL:

It's very hard to write a comprehensive review on an entire operating system so I didn't even try - I'm sure magazines will devote entire articles to the operating system and several books will come out. My goal here is just to give everyone a glimpse of what I've found to date with this new OS. I do hope this has helped you in making a decision.

Hats off to Microsoft on Windows 7. It's more of a refined Windows Vista than an entirely new operating system but it was needed. Thank you.

Review by Pyanfar Chanur:
If you're looking at Ultimate, chances are it's for one of these three reasons:

1) You have Vista Ultimate and don't want to lose all your programs/settings (more on this in a moment)

2) You want BitLocker hardware-level encryption. You'll need to do some tinkering with a USB key or have hardware that supports it (see comments to this review for details)

3) You regularly work in multiple languages and need to easily switch from one to the other

Unlike Vista Ultimate, Windows 7 Ultimate doesn't offer DreamScenes or any other eye candy different from its cousins Home and Pro. In fact, if you were a fan of the Windows Vista DreamScenes, you should know that you will be losing them when you step up to Windows 7.

Some very important things you need to know about upgrading:

1) There are two types of upgrade: "in-place" (where a Vista machine upgrades to 7 and you get to keep all your programs) and "clean" (where you lose all your old programs and settings).

2) Anyone going from XP to 7 will have to go "clean".

3) Anyone going from a different Vista to 7 (for example, Vista Home up to 7 Pro, or Vista Ultimate down to 7 Home) will also have to go "clean".

If you have to do 2) or 3), all is not lost--I'll explain in a moment.

Before you even buy a 7 upgrade for your machine, stop by Microsoft's website for two things:

a) download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. Run it with every device connected to the machine that you'll ever want to use in 7. It'll thoroughly examine your machine for any roadblocks and give you good advice about upgrading. Even very new machines will have one or two programs that need some checking.

b) Go to the Windows 7 Compatibility Center and double-check anything that came up negative in the Upgrade Advisor (or didn't show up at all). This site lists detailed compatibility info on a LOT of different devices.

Anything major, like a video card or sound card driver, I'd recommend double-checking with the manufacturer's website to be sure. This almost burned me on two of the machines that I upgraded.

Last, make a backup. There's a free tool called Macrium Reflect that can do this for you.

Do you have to do a "clean" install, but just want to carry over your user accounts and settings? Microsoft makes a program called Windows Easy Transfer that's already in Vista (and XP users can download it from Microsoft) that will export your accounts and settings and let you import them back again. It's very easy to use and does a good job of putting your accounts back together again, even going from XP to 7.

Do you have to do the "clean" install, and you don't want to reinstall all your programs? Laplink has an offer for .95 that will let you use a special version of their program "PC Mover" to upgrade one machine one time. Read the documentation in detail.

The most important thing to doing a "clean" install is that in the Upgrade setup you choose "Custom". Windows will take all of your major files and place them in a folder called "Windows.old". PC Mover and the Easy Transfer program will use this folder to reconstruct your system from, so this is VERY important.

I wish I had more space to go into detail here...bottom line is, if you plan ahead a bit, upgrading to 7 will go very easily (and if it doesn't, you'll have something to fall back on).

Buy Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade now for only $ 131.29!

Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit OEM 1pk

Windows 7 Ultimate is the most versatile and powerful edition of Windows 7. It combines remarkable ease-of-use with the entertainment features of Home Premium and the business capabilities of Professional, including the ability to run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode. For added security, you can encrypt your data with BitLocker and BitLocker To Go. And for extra flexibility, you can work in any of 35 languages. Get it all with Windows 7 Ultimate.Upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate. Windows 7 Ultimate is the most versatile and powerful edition of Windows 7. It combines remarkable ease-of-use with the entertainment features of Home Premium and the business capabilities of Professional, including the ability to run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode. For added security, you can encrypt your data with BitLocker and BitLocker To Go. And for extra flexibility, you can work in any of 35 languages. Get it all with Windows 7 Ultimate. Windows 7 is designed to make your PC simpler--to be more reliable, more responsive and to make the things you do every day on your PC easier. Click to enlarge. Upgrade to Windows 7 All editions of Windows XP and Windows Vista qualify you to upgrade. 1. Choose your edition of Windows 7
Explore key features and choose the edition that's best for you. Be sure to check the expanded list of extended features in Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, and Windows 7 Ultimate. System requirements vary for each edition of Windows 7 because some features might require special hardware. 2. See if your PC has what it takes to run Windows 7
In general, if your PC can run Windows Vista it can run Windows 7. To make sure, download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to do a quick check. If you want certain features, such as HomeGroup or Windows Media Center, check to see if your PC has the hardware that's needed. 3. Check which operating system your PC is currently running
How you make the move to Windows 7 depends on your current operating system. Windows Vista
The transition to Windows 7 should be pretty smooth, although you may need to update your system to the latest service pack first.

Windows XP (or any other operating system)
We recommend that you experience Windows 7 on a new PC. While we don't recommend it, you can opt to upgrade your current PC from Windows XP or another operating system to Windows 7. We recommend that you get help with this process from your local computer service provider. You'll need to back up your current files and settings, perform a custom (clean) installation, and then reinstall your files, settings, and programs. More work, more play, and more of everything in between. Click to enlarge.
With Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Click to enlarge. Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. Designed for people who want it all Easiest Windows to use ever
Simplify your PC with new navigation features like Aero Shake, Jump Lists, and Snap. Customize Windows to look and feel the way you like by changing themes and taskbar programs. Easy to network (with or without a server). Back up your complete system over a network. Help protect data on your PC or portable storage device against loss or theft with BitLocker. Faster and more flexible
Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker. Takes full advantage of 64-bit PC hardware and memory. Windows XP Mode gives you the business flexibility you need. Switch between any of 35 languages. Best PC entertainment experience
Watch, pause, rewind, and record TV with Windows Media Center. Blu-ray read/write support for data files. Includes integrated video and Dolby audio codecs. Simplifies Everyday Tasks Simple to use Windows® Taskbar
Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows.
Open files and get around your PC faster with the improved taskbar. You can easily pin programs you use often to the taskbar and launch them in just one click. Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Click to enlarge. Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC right from the Start menu with Windows Search. Click to enlarge. Jump Lists
Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. Snap
Windows 7 has simple new ways to manage open windows. For example, with Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Aero® Peek
Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Windows Search
Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC, from documents to emails to songs, right from the Start menu, with Windows Search. Easy to connect Setting up wireless connections is easier with consistent, one-click connections to available networks. Click to enlarge. Enjoy the photos, music, and videos on your home PC when you're away from home with remote media streaming. Click to enlarge. Windows Touch makes PCs with touch screens easier and more intuitive to use. Click to enlarge. Wireless setup
With Windows 7, setting up

• With True Enhanced Performance.
• Latest Technical Development.

Rating: (out of 29 reviews)

List Price: $ 228.00
Price: Too low to display

Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit OEM 1pk Reviews

Review by Frank E. Trinkle:
This is an OEM full-version of 64-bit Windows 7 Ultimate. It is licensed ONLY to be sold for use with NEW computer equipment (primarily for self-builders). You cannot upgrade an existing Vista computer with this pack unless you completely reformat your hard drive and re-install EVERYTHING. Win 7 has been reviewed in other areas, and I gave it four stars in a full review, but wanted to warn customers about being SURE they are purchasing what they expect with this edition.

Review by P. Alexander:
I purchased this version of windows 7 to load into VM Fusion to run on my MacBook Pro. The installation was flawless and it has met all of my expectations. I am able to access and run all of the programs I used that require a windows OS.

Buy Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit OEM 1pk now for only Too low to display!

Microsoft Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade [Home Premium to Professional]

Windows 7 Professional includes all the Home Premium features you love and the business features your work demands. Connect to company networks easily and more securely and share files across the various PCs in your home. In addition, you can run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode and recover your data easily with automatic back-ups to your home or business network.If you want more features than you currently have in your existing edition of Windows 7, you can upgrade to another edition using Windows Anytime Upgrade. Upgrades from Windows 7 Home Premium edition to Windows 7 Professional edition. With Windows Anytime Upgrade, you can upgrade to a more advanced edition of Windows 7 in as little as 10 minutes. Click to enlarge. Windows Anytime Upgrade No disks, no delays. And no leaving the house: With Windows Anytime Upgrade, you can upgrade to a more advanced edition of Windows 7 in as little as 10 minutes. That way, you get to take advantage of extra features while keeping your current programs, files, and settings intact. In the past, upgrading Windows could be a bit of a hassle. In Windows 7, the software you need comes preinstalled. All you have to do is purchase an upgrade key from Microsoft or another authorized retailer to unlock those shiny new features. Get more now. Move up to Windows 7 Professional. Windows 7 Professional has everything you need for work and home. Run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode2 and keep important information safer with file encryption and automatic back-ups. Connect to business networks and move more easily between business and home networks. And with all the great entertainment features of Windows Home Premium, like Windows Media Center, it’s great for home as well as for business. Simplifies everyday tasks
Improved desktop navigation features like Snap, Peek and Shake, make it easier to manage all of your open windows. Creating a home network has never been easier. You can even share files and printers with all the PCs with Windows 7 on the network. Find virtually anything on your PC--from documents to songs to email--just by typing a word or two with Windows Search. Works the way you want
Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker. Takes full advantage of the power and multi-tasking capabilities of the latest 64-bit PCs. Windows XP Mode gives you the business flexibility you need. Makes new things possible
Watch, pause, rewind and record TV with Windows Media Center. Includes integrated video and Dolby audio codecs. * Requires either OEM pre-installation or post-purchase download of Windows XP Mode (which runs on Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate) and a virtualization technology such as Windows Virtual PC. Customers can download Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC free-of-charge from http://www.windows.com/business/downloads/ when available. Windows 7 Professional. Everything you need for work and home. With Windows 7 Professional, fewer walls stand between you and your success. You can run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode and recover data easily with automatic backups to your home or business network. You can also connect to company networks effortlessly and more securely with Domain Join. With all the exciting entertainment features of Windows Home Premium, it's a great choice for home and for business. Need to use multiple languages on your PC or help protect your data with enhanced BitLocker security? Get Windows 7 Ultimate. More work, more play, and more of everything in between. Click to enlarge. Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Click to enlarge. With Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Click to enlarge. Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. Simplifies everyday tasks
Improved desktop navigation features like Snap, Peek and Shake, make it easier to manage all of your open windows. Creating a home network has never been easier. You can even share files and printers with all the PCs with Windows 7 on the network. Find virtually anything on your PC – from documents to songs to email – just by typing a word or two with Windows Search. Works the way you want
Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker. Takes full advantage of the power and multi-tasking capabilities of the latest 64-bit PCs. Makes new things possible
Watch, pause, rewind and record TV with Windows Media Center.Includes integrated video and Dolby audio codecs. Simplifies Everyday Tasks Simple to use Preview
Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Pin
Open files and get around your PC faster with the improved taskbar. You can easily pin programs you use often to the taskbar and launch them in just one click. Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Click to enlarge. Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC right from the Start menu with Windows Search. Click to enlarge. Jump Lists
Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. Snap
Windows 7 has simple new ways to manage open windows. For example, with Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Peek and Shake
Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Windows Search
Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC, from documents to emails to songs, right from the Start menu, with Windows

• Move up to Windows 7 Professional from Windows 7 Home Premium with Windows Anytime Upgrade
• Watch, pause, rewind, and record TV on your PC
• Easily create a home network and connect your PCs to a printer with HomeGroup
• Run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode
• Connect to company networks easily and more securely with Domain Join

Rating: (out of 24 reviews)

List Price: $ 89.95
Price: Too low to display

Microsoft Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade [Home Premium to Professional] Reviews

Review by J. Jaeger:
I don't see much commentary here about the actual product performance. There is a lot of confusion about this upgrade in the retail outlets, so I thought I'd explain to those with questions.

I researched Windows 7 before I bought my computer, and knew I wanted Win 7 Professional in case I wanted to run XP programs. Most retail outlets only had Win 7 Home Premium installed on their computers. The computer stores had the Win 7 Pro computers on backorder. Through some investigation at Microsoft, I found out that all versions of Win 7 are preinstalled, and you just need to get a key to "unlock" the higher versions. This is that key.

It took a total of 14 minutes to install this upgrade on my new computer. The hardest part was typing in the multi-digit key. (In other words, not hard!) It ran for 12 minutes, and then it was ready to go!

I haven't tried the features of Win 7 Pro to rate it, but this upgrade works as promised.

Review by Roger J. Buffington:
Most laptops/notebooks seem to ship with Windows 7 Home Premium rather than Windows 7 Professional. That is probably fine for most users. However, if you need your Windows 7 Notebook to be part of a business domain network, you need Windows 7 Professional. This upgrade is how you accomplish the change.

It turns out that Windows 7 Home Premium already contains Windows 7 Professional; it is simply not enabled. When you buy this upgrade you are getting an upgrade key. No disk, just a key sticker and very brief instructions. Key it in pursuant to the laughably simple instructions and within minutes you will be running Windows 7 Professional. One caveat: apparently you cannot upgrade from Windows 7 32 to Windows 7 64 bit. This will affect very few users as I do not believe that hardly any computers are shipping with 32 bit Windows 7. Nor should they. Windows 7 64 bit is very compatible with existing 32 bit software, and in the future we can expect lots of 64 bit software and we all want to be ready for it.

Some have criticized Microsoft for charging for the upgrade from Home Premium to Professional, but my opinion (which is only that) is that Microsoft makes its living by selling operating system software and this is one way for them to do it. At least the upgrade is easy, painless, and quick. RJB.

Buy Microsoft Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade [Home Premium to Professional] now for only Too low to display!

Windows 7 Ultimate 32 Bit OEM 1pk

Windows 7 Ultimate is the most versatile and powerful edition of Windows 7. It combines remarkable ease-of-use with the entertainment features of Home Premium and the business capabilities of Professional, including the ability to run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode. For added security, you can encrypt your data with BitLocker and BitLocker To Go. And for extra flexibility, you can work in any of 35 languages. Get it all with Windows 7 Ultimate.Upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate. Windows 7 Ultimate is the most versatile and powerful edition of Windows 7. It combines remarkable ease-of-use with the entertainment features of Home Premium and the business capabilities of Professional, including the ability to run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode. For added security, you can encrypt your data with BitLocker and BitLocker To Go. And for extra flexibility, you can work in any of 35 languages. Get it all with Windows 7 Ultimate. Windows 7 is designed to make your PC simpler--to be more reliable, more responsive and to make the things you do every day on your PC easier. Click to enlarge. Upgrade to Windows 7 All editions of Windows XP and Windows Vista qualify you to upgrade. 1. Choose your edition of Windows 7
Explore key features and choose the edition that's best for you. Be sure to check the expanded list of extended features in Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, and Windows 7 Ultimate. System requirements vary for each edition of Windows 7 because some features might require special hardware. 2. See if your PC has what it takes to run Windows 7
In general, if your PC can run Windows Vista it can run Windows 7. To make sure, download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to do a quick check. If you want certain features, such as HomeGroup or Windows Media Center, check to see if your PC has the hardware that's needed. 3. Check which operating system your PC is currently running
How you make the move to Windows 7 depends on your current operating system. Windows Vista
The transition to Windows 7 should be pretty smooth, although you may need to update your system to the latest service pack first.

Windows XP (or any other operating system)
We recommend that you experience Windows 7 on a new PC. While we don't recommend it, you can opt to upgrade your current PC from Windows XP or another operating system to Windows 7. We recommend that you get help with this process from your local computer service provider. You'll need to back up your current files and settings, perform a custom (clean) installation, and then reinstall your files, settings, and programs. More work, more play, and more of everything in between. Click to enlarge.
With Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Click to enlarge. Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. Designed for people who want it all Easiest Windows to use ever
Simplify your PC with new navigation features like Aero Shake, Jump Lists, and Snap. Customize Windows to look and feel the way you like by changing themes and taskbar programs. Easy to network (with or without a server). Back up your complete system over a network. Help protect data on your PC or portable storage device against loss or theft with BitLocker. Faster and more flexible
Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker. Takes full advantage of 64-bit PC hardware and memory. Windows XP Mode gives you the business flexibility you need. Switch between any of 35 languages. Best PC entertainment experience
Watch, pause, rewind, and record TV with Windows Media Center. Blu-ray read/write support for data files. Includes integrated video and Dolby audio codecs. Simplifies Everyday Tasks Simple to use Windows® Taskbar
Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows.
Open files and get around your PC faster with the improved taskbar. You can easily pin programs you use often to the taskbar and launch them in just one click. Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Click to enlarge. Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC right from the Start menu with Windows Search. Click to enlarge. Jump Lists
Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. Snap
Windows 7 has simple new ways to manage open windows. For example, with Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Aero® Peek
Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Windows Search
Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC, from documents to emails to songs, right from the Start menu, with Windows Search. Easy to connect Setting up wireless connections is easier with consistent, one-click connections to available networks. Click to enlarge. Enjoy the photos, music, and videos on your home PC when you're away from home with remote media streaming. Click to enlarge. Windows Touch makes PCs with touch screens easier and more intuitive to use. Click to enlarge. Wireless setup
With Windows 7, setting up

• With True Enhanced Performance.
• Latest Technical Development.

Rating: (out of 4 reviews)

List Price: $ 228.00
Price: Too low to display

Windows 7 Ultimate 32 Bit OEM 1pk Reviews

Review by Diana H. Dukes:
I bought this version because it was the best price and was in stock. The OEM version was easy to install.The 32 bit I feel was the best for drivers. It runs better than XP. Boots faster and is alot smarter. The learning curve has not been too bad not having seen Vista (glad I didn't) I would recommend it for Vista users to convert. Once the companies upgrade there software to better Accomodate Window 7, it will be even better. Vista driver seem to work well, as do some of the XP drivers. I ran the Beta (free) version before I made this decision.

Review by James R. Davidson:
I really like the looks of Windows7.

I like the fact that I can move the task bar around.

Being able to have your own pictures as your background change every 5mins.is nice.I'm sure there are some other features that I like but I can't think of them right now.

Buy Windows 7 Ultimate 32 Bit OEM 1pk now for only Too low to display!

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack (3-User)

Windows 7 Home Premium offers a rich, dynamic entertainment experience on your PC, making it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. You can even watch, pause, and rewind TV or record it to watch whenever and wherever you want.Get three Windows 7 Premium licenses in one convenient package. Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. You can even watch, pause, rewind, and record TV. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium. Do you use your PC for work, run Windows XP programs, or require enhanced security? Consider Windows 7 Professional. Get Windows 7 for the whole family Introduce your family to a whole new way to stay productive, connected, and entertained. Windows 7 Home Premium makes the things you do every day on your PC faster and easier, and makes your PC work the way you want it. And with Windows 7 on all your PCs at home, your family can do more than you imagined possible. More work, more play, and more of everything in between. Click to enlarge. Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Click to enlarge. With Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Click to enlarge. Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. The best entertainment experience on your PC Simplifies everyday tasks
Creating a home network has never been easier. You can even share files and printers with all the PCs with Windows 7 on the network. Find virtually anything on your PC--from documents to songs to email--just by typing a word or two with Windows Search. Improved desktop navigation features like Snap, Peek and Shake, make it easier to manage all of your open windows. Makes new things possible
Watch, pause, rewind and record TV with Windows Media Center. Includes integrated video and Dolby audio codecs. Works the way you want
Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker. Takes full advantage of the power and multi-tasking capabilities of the latest 64-bit PCs. Simplifies Everyday Tasks Simple to use Preview
Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Pin
Open files and get around your PC faster with the improved taskbar. You can easily pin programs you use often to the taskbar and launch them in just one click. Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Click to enlarge. Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC right from the Start menu with Windows Search. Click to enlarge. Turn your PC into a TV with Windows Media Center, and enjoy your favorite videos and music with Windows Media Player. Click to enlarge. Jump Lists
Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. Snap
Windows 7 has simple new ways to manage open windows. For example, with Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Peek and Shake
Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Windows Search
Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC, from documents to emails to songs, right from the Start menu, with Windows Search. Easy to connect Setting up wireless connections is easier with consistent, one-click connections to available networks. Click to enlarge. Enjoy the photos, music, and videos on your home PC when you're away from home with remote media streaming. Click to enlarge. Windows Touch makes PCs with touch screens easier and more intuitive to use. Click to enlarge. Manage Backup and Restore and other features through Action Center. Click to enlarge.

• Install Windows 7 Home Premium on up to three PCs in your household
• Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music--you can even watch, pause, rewind, and record TV
• Make the things you do every day easier with improved desktop navigation
• Start programs faster and more easily, and quickly find the documents you use most often
• Easily create a home network and connect your PCs to a printer with HomeGroup

Rating: (out of 164 reviews)

List Price: $ 149.95
Price: $ 331.00

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack (3-User) Reviews

Review by Mute208:
Here comes Windows 7, nearly three years after Windows Vista and eight years after Windows XP. By most accounts, Windows 7 is what Vista should have been. Do we finally have a worthy successor to XP?

** CLEAN UPGRADE UPDATE BELOW 10/29/09 **

PROS:

- Fast startup and performance

- Stable

- Nice aesthetic and functional changes to the desktop

- Improved networking, power management & security

- 32-bit & 64-bit versions included

- Windows Media Center

- Windows XP Mode (Professional & Ultimate only)

- Family Pack value

CONS:

- User Account Control still annoying

- Upgrade can be challenging

** CLEAN UPGRADE UPDATE 10/29/09 **

It seems that a lot of upgraders have been complaining about the upgrade process, especially from XP. Most of us expected to be able to format our hard disks and be prompted for either the XP disc or product key. Alas, this is not the case. The upgrade is much more complicated than it should be and some workarounds have been discovered

Method A (simplest)

If you already have an older version of Windows on the hard drive, finish the Custom Install, without entering the product key. After installation, go to your System Properties and click the link to activate Windows. Enter your product key and it should activate. This has worked for me twice.

Method B (hardest)

If Method A doesn't work, try the registry hack.

1. Finish the custom install without entering the product key then click Start and type regedit.exe into the "Search programs and files" box.

2. In the registry, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Setup/OOBE/. In the pane on the right, you'll see an entry for MediaBootInstall. Double-click on it and change the value from "1" to "0" and click OK.

3. Close regedit and go to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories then right-click on Command Prompt and select "Run as administrator." You'll get a UAC alert, click Yes.

4. At the command prompt, type: slmgr /rearm and hit Enter. Reboot.

5. Now try to activate. If it fails, make sure there are no pending Windows Updates to install. If there is, install them, reboot and start over from Step 4.

Method C (most time consuming)

Perform the Custom Install and skip the product key. Once completed, run the upgrade again from within Windows 7 but this time, enter the Windows 7 upgrade key and then activate Windows.

** END UPDATE **

I had been running the Windows 7 release candidate for 3 months and the full version 2 weeks before official release date. The experience convinced me to finally upgrade my Windows XP systems to 7. This review briefly touches upon some of the key features and enhancements of Microsoft's latest OS.

PERFORMANCE & STABILITY

One of the welcome enhancements Microsoft made was start-up time. The shutdown time has been improved as well. Also, in my non-benchmarked experience, Windows 7 has been at least as fast as XP if not faster. The kernel changes and ability to run the 64-bit version probably has a lot to do with that. Most benchmarks from around the Internet seem to support my observations.

64-BIT

I am elated to finally upgrade to a 64-bit operating system in order to take advantage of more memory support and modern processors. I have Intel Core 2 Duo processors in both my systems with 4GB of physical RAM but XP only allowed 3.25GB for system use.

DESKTOP

At first login, you'll notice the changes to the taskbar. The taskbar is no longer just a place to store quick launch icons and view open windows. It now provides functionality in the form of Jump Lists, which allow you to select your most frequently opened files or links from the apps you have "pinned" on the taskbar. The clock and calendar are improved and the Show Desktop icon is now integrated in the far right corner. Other desktop enhancements include Aero Peek, Aero Shake, Snap, new themes and wallpapers. You also get gadget support. All of these features combine to create a much improved and enjoyable desktop experience.

LIBRARIES

Windows 7 introduces a new feature called libraries. Previously, your system had shortcuts to My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, etc. which had files residing in only those specific folders. Files can now reside anywhere on your system and be organized inside libraries. It's similar to how many music and photo applications organize files.

NETWORKING

Even as good as XP was, networking was cumbersome. Windows 7 makes connecting two or more Windows 7 systems together easy, using HomeGroup. This enables easy sharing of files and devices. One downside is that HomeGroup is only supported between Windows 7 systems. File transfer performance between computers has been vastly improved and connecting to a wireless network has never been easier on a Windows machine.

SECURITY

Security in Windows 7 is good and comes with Windows Firewall and Defender. Still, you'll probably want to invest in a more comprehensive Internet security suite, like Norton Internet Security 2010 or Kaspersky Internet Security. User Account Control (UAC) has been tweaked in order to give user accounts more flexibility in controlling their own security as well as providing more detailed information so the user can make better decisions about whether to allow certain actions. Coming from XP however, it is still annoying and I choose to turn it off. Also, in Windows 7 Ultimate, you can encrypt entire hard drives as well as external portable storage devices, like USB thumb drives. Though this is a welcome integrated feature, much of the functionality can be found in a popular open-source program called TrueCrypt. If you want encryption but not multi-language support, you could just get Windows 7 Home Premium and use TrueCrypt.

POWER MANAGEMENT

Power management has been improved overall and you should be able to squeeze more battery life out of your laptop, even when using your DVD drive. Sleep and resume has also been improved. XP wasn't always consistent when entering or resuming from sleep mode, but Windows 7 has been perfect.

WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER

I've only briefly played around with WMC but it looks promising. It has some fun options for media, especially when you're connected to the Internet. It may even be an adequate replacement for component DVR's should you choose to use it as the centerpiece to your entertainment center. The biggest advantage for me is that Windows 7 now includes a DVD decoder. This means that I can now watch DVD's natively. WMC is available in all Windows 7 editions except Starter.

WINDOWS XP MODE (Professional & Ultimate Editions ONLY)

For applications that ran in XP, but won't on 7, there is now XP Mode. It isn't perfect and your system has to have virtualization support and turned on. Go to your system BIOS to check. If supported, then install Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode. Check your hardware if you intend to use XP Mode.

RECOMMENDATIONS

If you're an XP holdout, like I was, I recommend upgrading. Vista SP2 users may have less reason to upgrade but might want to just for the changes to the taskbar and the UAC improvements. For users who don't need to use their computers in a corporate environment, then Windows 7 Home Premium edition is a good choice. I'm guessing most power users will choose Professional, which adds XP Mode and Domain Join. Ultimate also adds drive encryption and multi-language support. I suggest a clean install for best results. If you're a Mac OS X user, there is probably nothing in Windows 7 compelling enough for you to consider switching.

SUMMARY

Windows 7 is the premium Microsoft OS that Windows users have been waiting for. It's fast, secure, stable, visually appealing and fun to use. Windows 7 will make your old system feel fresh and new again. New system owners with Windows 7 pre-loaded can feel confident that they're getting the best Windows OS ever produced.

Review by Just Anonymous:
If you're like most people, you have several computers running throughout your house: a desktop, a laptop, a kid's laptop etc. This 3 license package is a great way to upgrade all of your PCs in your home for one low price.

Here's my generic Windows 7 review:

I'll admit, I've been running Windows 7 for six months now: the preproduction version of it and have just upgraded to the gold code. So I have quite a bit of experience with the operating system. Let's get to the nitty gritty:

Should you upgrade from Windows Vista? YES! I mean it - upgrade today.

Windows 7 is quite simply faster, more stable, boots faster, goes to sleep faster, comes back from sleep faster, manages your files better and on top of that it's beautiful to look at and easy to use. Even the preproduction version of Windows 7 was better than my Vista with SP2.

Should you upgrade from Windows XP? Maybe, but for different reasons.

XP is a good operating system and if you don't need to add new hardware or software, XP is good. However, XP is old as an operating system. Also chances are that if you're running XP, you might not meet the minimum requirements for Windows 7 - check the compatibility site at Microsoft to see if your system will support Windows 7. That said, Windows 7 is light years ahead of Windows XP in terms of functionality, ease of use, etc - to me it's worth buying a new system.

64 bit or 32 bit?

If you don't know what I'm talking about, that's ok skip this section. If you have a core2 duo or core 2 quad or a multi cpu machine, go with the 64 bit OS, it handles memory and the CPUs much better. If you have a single core CPU, one CPU or run special programs that require 32bit, then stick with 32 bit for now.

BEFORE INSTALLATION:

I recommend you have:

-a core 2 duo or core 2 quad machine

-4gig of RAM (That's about in today's market)

-good hard drive with (200 gig - it doesn't need that much but that's another )

-back up your files to a USB drive like Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive WDME5000TN (Midnight Black)

-check to make sure your computer is compatible with Windows 7

INSTALLATION:

Installation was very straight forward. You put in the CD and reboot your machine. You might have to enter your bios and enable the "boot from CD" option. Once the machine reboots a nice screen comes up to guide you through the installation. You have the option to upgrade your PC or do a clean installation. I did an upgrade and it brought in all of my files and settings from my windows Vista system. It worked great.

The upgrade did take about 2 hours for me so definitely consider.

I noticed that early on in the installation the operating system went out to Microsoft's site to look for the latest and greatest updates, so I think this should help Microsoft respond quickly to any hiccups with compatibility.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK:

The driver from my old HP Inkjet printer for 2001 doesn't work on Windows 7 so there are some things that will not transition. I had to use a generic HP driver which doesn't give me the quality that I got from an injet - so overall, I'm up and running with that printer but I'm degraded on the inkjet front. That said, I recently upgraded to a HP CP2025DN Color LaserJet Printer that I love so no real loss there. I'll likely pick up a cheap inkjet for the occasional photo that I might need to print. Everything else upgraded.

BENEFITS

-faster boot time

-faster go to sleep

-faster wakeup

-faster about 20% to 30% faster at running applications than my Vista - seriously (but those are my results without any benchmarks or anything like that, just seeing how fast Adobe Illustrator loads, and how fast all the applications respond)

-joining wireless networks is much easier

-the interface is just plain beautiful

-my wallpapers are now a slideshow that can be set to change every few minutes (I'm not stuck with the same picture)

-Gadgets - these are wonderful little small applications that you can drag onto your desktop. I have a weather gadget and a calendar gadget on my desktop that tell me

-Better taskbar management - hovering over the taskbar icons shows me mini windows of what's running

-Better file management - I can organize my files into Libraries that are sortable not only by type but by folder or other data. It's great! I can browse through my presentations or illustrator files!

-Windows Media appears to be smoother which I love.

-You get some virus protection and firewall with Windows 7 but consider something more comprehensive like McAfee Total Protection 3User 2010. Yes, it'll make your computer run a bit slower but

CONS:

- Some older programs might not work and some drivers might not be available like my inkjet driver.

- Other than that, there aren't too many drawbacks to Windows 7 - it's a great OS.

WHICH VERSION SHOULD I GET?

I got the ultimate version because I have clients who ask, "is your hard drive encrypted?" -- I wanted to be able to say yes and have sensitive data encrypted one of my computer volumes - Bitlocker is only available in the Ultimate version. Ultimate also includes Multilanguage support.

If you're a home user that doesn't do a lot of networking, you might consider just the home premium edition. If you're using a laptop and connect to networks at work, you might want the Professional version of the operating system to help you with domain joining. Also Windows Professional gives you the option to run applications in XP mode so if you have old applications you can use that nifty feature. I already have 1 application running in XP mode - it's nifty to run an old application.

NOTE:

The box contains both the 32 bit and 64 bit OS.

OVERALL:

It's very hard to write a comprehensive review on an entire operating system so I didn't even try - I'm sure magazines will devote entire articles to the operating system and several books will come out. My goal here is just to give everyone a glimpse of what I've found to date with this new OS. I do hope this has helped you in making a decision.

Hats off to Microsoft on Windows 7. It's more of a refined Windows Vista than an entirely new operating system but it was needed. Thank you.

Buy Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack (3-User) now for only $ 331.00!

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut]

Guidance for all your personal tax situations. Federal forms and State forms. Step-by-step interviews guide you through a customized experience relevant to your tax situation. Everything you need to prepare your federal and state taxes in one complete program.H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything you need to easily complete your federal and state taxes, plus five free federal e-files. With a new, easy-to-use interface, H&R Block At Home Deluxe searches for hundreds of deductions to get customers the biggest refund. Everything you need to easily complete your federal and state taxes, plus five free federal e-files. Click to enlarge. Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income. Click to enlarge. Ideal for homeowners and investors, the program includes personalized tax guidance and features available only from H&R Block, such as built-in expertise and audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent customers in the event of an audit. At Home Deluxe Investors / Homeowners
The right choice for customers with more complex tax situations to easily complete their federal and state returns. Includes five free federal e-files and built-in expertise available only from H&R Block! Includes these features: Customized interview process to help customers easily complete their federal and state taxes.

Five free federal e-files.

Personalized tax guidance for popular occupations and specific deductions, plus answers to FAQs.

Audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent you in the event of an audit. Included when you file a federal return.

Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income.

Advice, tips, and planning tools for the upcoming year.

Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return.

Quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, Microsoft Money, and H&R Block DeductionPro software.

H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations.
Compare At Home Editions

• Ideal for homeowners and investors, H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything you need to easily complete your federal and state taxes, plus five free federal e-files
• Customized interview process helps you easily complete your federal and state taxes
• Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return; quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and Microsoft Money software
• Automatically double-checks returns for errors; built-in expertise and audit support with guidance
• Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income; H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations

Rating: (out of 262 reviews)

List Price: $ 44.99
Price: $ 26.47

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] Reviews

Review by CS:
(Note: This review also shows up in the reviews for the download version. Don't ask me why Amazon doesn't show the reviews in both places for what's really the same product, with just different delivery mechanisms. I bought the box version, if you want to know.)

This part written Dec 9, 2009 (see updated comments below)

This is of course a preliminary review (written Dec 9 based on use in the last few days). At this time one can't do more than a rough cut estimate of the tax return -- the IRS forms aren't finalized, the state forms aren't available, and of course the various income reports (W2, 1099, etc.) aren't out yet.

I don't have a super complicated tax situation this year: it just requires some things that a good tax program should handle easily. So far this program seems to do just fine. I found it easy to use, and found that imports from Quicken and from TXF files worked without any problems. Schedules A, B, and D worked just fine, and the related screens were easy to use and understand. Excess FICA was calculated correctly, as was the child tax credit. The AMT calculation does of course remain weirdly complicated (once a year I mutter to myself about all politicians in DC), but the program does take care of it with no apparent problems.

I used TaxCut last year -- chose it over TurboTax just because of cost, and was quite satisfied. I'm not convinced this year either that you get value for the extra you pay for TT. (Incidentally, note that if you have investment income you probably need to get TT Premium, so the price would be nearly double that of HRB Deluxe.)

A warning I wrote in my review last year seems worth repeating: Don't expect a tax program to apply tax laws correctly in all circumstances; for anything at all out of the ordinary, make sure you double-check against an IRS guide or another guide like JK Lasser's. The folks who design and write and test the programs make mistakes, too. And for the same reason, give the calculations a sanity check, don't just use the program blindly, or you could get tripped up by a software bug that wasn't caught.

I will update this review in Jan/Feb when I've had a chance to do more with it.

Update Jan 29, 2010:

I have now done a first complete pass on my taxes, based on W2s, 1099s, and some projected 1099s. I also have had an opportunity to use TurboTax Deluxe (I got a free copy, legally), so have been able to compare the two products.

I continue to like HRB Deluxe. It's easy to use, and has been trouble-free. There are a couple of things I particularly like, that might be worth mentioning. (1) They show you when the next update is expected, so you don't waste your time running the update check until there is something. (2) Entering info from interest paying mutual funds that might have muni income (tax-free for Fed) is simple: HRB gives you a simple way to enter the amount that's tax-free in your state, and takes care of it without hassle. TT can also deal with this, but I don't like their way as much (they create a separate 1099 to split the income into two parts).

Interestingly, TTD is also noticeably slower starting up than HRBD. Don't know why.

The one advantage TT does have over HRB is on coverage of automated downloads: TT can download your 1099 info from a larger set of institutions than can HRB. W2 downloads look the same between the two. This does save some time, and could be sufficient to be a decider for some. Not for me.

Review by D. Yip:
I've used H&R Block's tax software for the last four years and haven't had a problem until the 2009's version. In general, the software is comparable to others in its simplicity and user-friendliness. This year, I bought the Deluxe Home Edition which comes with a state; however, when I tried downloading my free state program, it was indicated that I had to pay .95. To make a long story short, I spent 45 minutes speaking with a customer representative before she finally sent me the state link. I was very disappointed as the person initially told me she could not help me because I did not purchase the software directly from H&R Block. When I asked to speak to the manager, I was put on hold for long periods of time. For an issue that has occurred on multiple occasions (as indicated from these reviews), I was highly disappointed with the length of time it took the representative to come up with a solution. Also, had I not insisted on speaking with a superior (who apparently didn't think my issue was worthy of attention) the representative had originally asked me to go ahead and pay for the state and submit paperwork for a refund. It's odd that the program would encounter such a problem and I am very disappointed with the way the situation was handled.

Buy H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] now for only $ 26.47!

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download]

Guidance for all your personal tax situations. Federal forms and State forms. Step-by-step interviews guide you through a customized experience relevant to your tax situation. Everything you need to prepare your federal and state taxes in one complete program.H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything you need to easily complete your federal and state taxes, plus five free federal e-files. With a new, easy-to-use interface, H&R Block At Home Deluxe searches for hundreds of deductions to get customers the biggest refund. Everything you need to easily complete your federal and state taxes, plus five free federal e-files. Click to enlarge. Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income. Click to enlarge. Ideal for homeowners and investors, the program includes personalized tax guidance and features available only from H&R Block, such as built-in expertise and audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent customers in the event of an audit. At Home Deluxe Investors / Homeowners
The right choice for customers with more complex tax situations to easily complete their federal and state returns. Includes five free federal e-files and built-in expertise available only from H&R Block! Includes these features: Customized interview process to help customers easily complete their federal and state taxes.

Five free federal e-files.

Personalized tax guidance for popular occupations and specific deductions, plus answers to FAQs.

Audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent you in the event of an audit. Included when you file a federal return.

Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income.

Advice, tips, and planning tools for the upcoming year.

Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return.

Quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, Microsoft Money, and H&R Block DeductionPro software.

H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations.

• Ideal for homeowners and investors, H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything you need to easily complete your federal and state taxes, plus five free federal e-files
• Customized interview process helps you easily complete your federal and state taxes
• Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return; quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and Microsoft Money software
• Automatically double-checks returns for errors; built-in expertise and audit support with guidance
• Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income; H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations

Rating: (out of 86 reviews)

List Price: $ 44.99
Price: $ 24.99

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download] Reviews

Review by CS:
(Note: This review also shows up in the reviews for the download version. Don't ask me why Amazon doesn't show the reviews in both places for what's really the same product, with just different delivery mechanisms. I bought the box version, if you want to know.)

This part written Dec 9, 2009 (see updated comments below)

This is of course a preliminary review (written Dec 9 based on use in the last few days). At this time one can't do more than a rough cut estimate of the tax return -- the IRS forms aren't finalized, the state forms aren't available, and of course the various income reports (W2, 1099, etc.) aren't out yet.

I don't have a super complicated tax situation this year: it just requires some things that a good tax program should handle easily. So far this program seems to do just fine. I found it easy to use, and found that imports from Quicken and from TXF files worked without any problems. Schedules A, B, and D worked just fine, and the related screens were easy to use and understand. Excess FICA was calculated correctly, as was the child tax credit. The AMT calculation does of course remain weirdly complicated (once a year I mutter to myself about all politicians in DC), but the program does take care of it with no apparent problems.

I used TaxCut last year -- chose it over TurboTax just because of cost, and was quite satisfied. I'm not convinced this year either that you get value for the extra you pay for TT. (Incidentally, note that if you have investment income you probably need to get TT Premium, so the price would be nearly double that of HRB Deluxe.)

A warning I wrote in my review last year seems worth repeating: Don't expect a tax program to apply tax laws correctly in all circumstances; for anything at all out of the ordinary, make sure you double-check against an IRS guide or another guide like JK Lasser's. The folks who design and write and test the programs make mistakes, too. And for the same reason, give the calculations a sanity check, don't just use the program blindly, or you could get tripped up by a software bug that wasn't caught.

I will update this review in Jan/Feb when I've had a chance to do more with it.

Update Jan 29, 2010:

I have now done a first complete pass on my taxes, based on W2s, 1099s, and some projected 1099s. I also have had an opportunity to use TurboTax Deluxe (I got a free copy, legally), so have been able to compare the two products.

I continue to like HRB Deluxe. It's easy to use, and has been trouble-free. There are a couple of things I particularly like, that might be worth mentioning. (1) They show you when the next update is expected, so you don't waste your time running the update check until there is something. (2) Entering info from interest paying mutual funds that might have muni income (tax-free for Fed) is simple: HRB gives you a simple way to enter the amount that's tax-free in your state, and takes care of it without hassle. TT can also deal with this, but I don't like their way as much (they create a separate 1099 to split the income into two parts).

Interestingly, TTD is also noticeably slower starting up than HRBD. Don't know why.

The one advantage TT does have over HRB is on coverage of automated downloads: TT can download your 1099 info from a larger set of institutions than can HRB. W2 downloads look the same between the two. This does save some time, and could be sufficient to be a decider for some. Not for me.

Review by Gordo:
I'm mostly only writing my review to offset the wave of negative comments. I had absolutely no problems with the Amazon software download tool. If you are concerned that you might have a problem with it, just test it out first by downloading a free game or something. Next, someone complained that the amazon downloader tool remains on your system after the download - this is true unfortunately, but its also not a big deal, it shows an icon in the bottom right corner of your screen, and you can simply right click it, and close it, it will then ask you if you want to load it when windows starts, just uncheck this, and it will no longer be running on your computer. Finally, some people complained that they didn't get their product code. I don't know if this was a bug that was fixed or what, but the downloader software clearly displayed my product code (used for e-filing your return), furthermore, you can get the code at any time via Amazon.com, just click on the "Go to your software library" button.

The H&R Block software loaded fine on Vista with no problems. If you are using user account controls, you should right click the install file and choose "Run as Administrator". After the software installed, the first thing it did was update itself. Now I must admit it did appear to hang during this update process for some reason showing it was 100% on the download, and I had to click "cancel" but then it installed the update with no problems after that.

The tax software is very nice, most detailed reviews I've read comparing various software rank H&R Block (formerly TaxCut) and TurboTax as the two best, and they mostly say they are almost identical but as far as I know, only H&R Block offers audit support. You can import last years files from either software so switching from year to year is not a problem. Every year these programs get better and better, with more features and forms, and simpler interface. I love the simple question and answer format, and the easy free federal e-File. I also like that it includes the state software too. Instead of paying extra to e-File my state return, I just print it out and mail it in (for only the cost of a stamp). This software handles everything I want to do including Schedule D creation, and even schedule F for farm income. Overall its a good value.

Buy H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download] now for only $ 24.99!

TurboTax Deluxe Federal + eFile + State 2009

Find and maximize your deductions.If you own a home, made donations or have medical expenses, TurboTax Deluxe will easily get you every tax deduction you deserve. Get Your Refund Fast: Efile Your 2009 Taxes with TurboTax
Here's how efile works: Start your return and efile with TurboTax today. The moment the IRS starts accepting returns, scheduled for January 15, 2010, TurboTax will submit your efiled return. The IRS will confirm receipt by e-mail within 48 hours. Here's how it works: Asks easy questions
We customize questions to your unique situation, transfer your info from last year, and put it all on the right tax forms for you. Maximizes deductions
We search for more than 350 deductions to get you the biggest refund possible
guaranteed. Efile for a fast refund
<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-alt:"Calisto MT"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-alt:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> Efile with direct deposit to get your refund in as few as 8 days. Five federal efiles included. Prepare and print unlimited single state filings. Additional state forms and state e-file are available for an additional charge. Why TurboTax Deluxe is the easiest choice for you TurboTax Deluxe was designed to make it easy for you to get the biggest tax refund possible. Choose TurboTax Deluxe if any of the following apply to you: You own your home You donated to charity You have significant education or medical expenses You have childcare expenses You have lots of deductions If you own investments or rental property, choose TurboTax Premier. It has everything in Deluxe PLUS will provide extra guidance so you get the most from your investments. If you are a sole proprietor, consultant, 1099 contractor, or single-owner LLC, TurboTax Home & Business has everything in Premier and will help you make the most of your business and personal deductions. If you own an S Corp, partnership, C Corp, or multiple-owner LLC, choose TurboTax Business. Compare TurboTax Software Everything you need to do your taxes with ease. Finds All Deductions and Credits You Deserve to Get Your Biggest Refund Stimulus Ready
Updated with all of the latest tax laws to help you get all of the deductions and credits you deserve--including the new 2009 Stimulus Plan credits for homebuyers, new car purchases and more. Maximizes Your Tax Deductions
Asks simple questions about your income, family situation and changes in your tax situation and credits. Then, based on your answers, searches for more than 350 deductions and credits to get you the biggest tax refund--guaranteed. Looks for Deduction Opportunities as You Go
Shows you which deductions you've taken. Which deductions you haven't. And tells you how to qualify for just about any deduction, so you don't miss any opportunities to save. Gets You the Maximum Deduction for Donations
ItsDeductible (included) helps you accurately value items you donate to charity–no more guessing. Plus, it tracks other donations such as cash, mileage and stocks, to help you get every charitable deduction you're entitled to. Handles Your Life Changes
Changed jobs? Got married? Bought a home? Had a baby? TurboTax guides you through common life changes, explains how the changes will impact your taxes, and tells you what you can deduct. Helps with Medical Expenses
Does all the math and tells you if you qualify to deduct your medical expenses for maximum tax savings. Includes Downloadable Audit Support Center
Being contacted by the IRS can be confusing and stressful, but it doesn't have to be. That's why we've created the TurboTax Audit Support Center, included for FREE with all TurboTax products. Only about 1% of all personal tax returns were audited, so it is unlikely, but if you are contacted by the IRS, we'll help you to: Find out why the IRS contacted you Determine what it means Prepare your next steps With downloadable step-by-step guidance, including what different types of IRS letters may mean, you'll know exactly where you stand and what to do next. Remember, TurboTax guarantees 100% accurate calculations. If you pay an IRS or state penalty or interest because of a TurboTax calculation error, we'll pay you the penalty and interest. Helps You Reduce Audit Risk Tracks Your Audit Risk
Audit Risk Meter checks your tax return for common audit triggers. Shows whether your risk is high or low. And provides tips to help you reduce your chance of an audit. Includes Downloadable Audit Support Center
Gives you step-by-step guidance on everything you need to know and do if the IRS contacts you. Also Available: Audit Defense
Provides full-service representation by a trained tax professional. You will never have to meet with the IRS, unless you want to. Does the Hard Work for You Asks Easy Questions, Tailored to You
Guides you step by step through your tax return and puts your answers on the right tax forms for you. Skips interview questions that don't apply to you, so you can finish your return faster. Improved Automatically Fills in W-2 and 1099 Info
Gets your W-2 and 1099 data directly from over 100,000 participating employers and financial institutions and automatically puts it in the right tax

• TurboTax Deluxe guarantees your biggest tax refund by finding and maximizing your deductions
• Uncovers over 350 deductions including mortgage interest, charitable contributions, and more
• Guides you through changes in your tax situation and lets you know how they will impact your taxes
• Audit Risk Meter helps you reduce your chance of an audit
• Free Federal E-File—receive IRS confirmation and get your refund in as few as 8 days

Rating: (out of 386 reviews)

List Price: $ 59.95
Price: $ 35.00

TurboTax Deluxe Federal + eFile + State 2009 Reviews

Review by AnthonyCA:
I have always used turbotax but this year but they changed their pricing. The package says one free state download. True, you can download one state of your choice. However, you only get to prepare one state only. All additional state preparations are at via download of even the same state. Thus for example, you have two family members living in California. The first person downloads the free California state download. If the second family member, who also needs to file the California state return, the second family member needs to pay to turbotax via the software, to prepare the second state return, again, even if it is the same state. Contacted turbotax and it took several tries until they stated that this is the case. The first few times they would not confirm it but rather dodge the question and give an ambiguous answer, not admitting to the change.

1/16/10 update: after installing an online software update yesterday, it seems that turbotax has now changed their policy/software back to the way it was in previous years (probably due to the numerous complaints that they have received). Now, as with last year's edition, you can do more than one state preparation for the same state, for the one free state that you have download. I have now given it 4 stars instead of the previous 1 star, with 4 stars becuase turbotax, as stated above, tried to previously limit the one free download to also mean one state prep (which is not the case now). Other than the previous frustration regarding the state download problem, turbotax has always given me great results. Great advice/info when you tag the help function. The help function will guide you for whatever is currently on the screen, thus you do not have to hunt for the information.

2/17/10 update

I have still been hearing that some people cannot do more than one state prep for the free included one state download. I have downgraded the star ratings from a 4 previously to a 2 now because the state download/prep problem still exists for some people. If the problem is fixed, I will upgrade the star rating then.

Don't know if it is real but "Bob Meighan, VP of turbotax" wrote to one of my comments on the deluxe version stating that:

****************************

Bob Meighan says:

Anthony... TurboTax does not charge extra for preparing multiple state returns for the same state. There was no change in our pricing policy this year. I believe if you received a different story from one of our agents, I suspect it was because they probably thought you were referring to TurboTax Online, where you are charged for each return.

Bob Meighan

VP, TurboTax

****************************

Again I don't know if Bob is for real. If so, I would kindly ask Bob if he could change the turbotax website to state officially, for once and for all, that a buyer of the desktop version shall have unlimited state preps for the same free included state download.

I have also heard from another buyer that turbotax said this was due to a software flaw and should be fixed by Feb 25. We shall see. In the meantime, even though I can do multiple returns on the same state, many others cannot, thus buyer beware.

2/28/10 update:

The problem seems to be fixed. I am upgrading the ratings from 2 stars to 4 now, after it seems to be finally working now. I have received a comment stating that now it is possible to prepare more than one same state return from the free one included state download. Please let us know if it IS or IS NOT working for you.

Review by Tony Smith:
Given all the negative reviews of Turbo Tax last year, I bought Tax Cut. This was after years of using Turbo Tax. I agreed with those that pointed out how Intuit was trying to make more money off their product by the way they packaged their product. Unfortunately, one of my most tedious tasks in tax preparation is reporting stock transactions. Tax cut provided absolutely no way to download my transactions from Fidelity. Turbo Tax has agreements with most major brokerage houses for automatic down loads of your brokerage records.

So, I also bought Turbo Tax and finished my return. Until other products offer this feature, it's not worth it for me to switch.

Buy TurboTax Deluxe Federal + eFile + State 2009 now for only $ 35.00!

TurboTax Premier Federal + State + Federal efile 2009

Guides you step-by-step through investments and rental property income.If you own stocks, bonds, mutual funds or rental properties, TurboTax Premier makes it easy to keep more money in your pocket. Get Your Refund Fast: Efile Your 2009 Taxes with TurboTax
Here's how efile works: Start your return and efile with TurboTax today. The moment the IRS starts accepting returns, scheduled for January 15, 2010, TurboTax will submit your efiled return. The IRS will confirm receipt by e-mail within 48 hours. Here's how it works: Asks easy questions
We customize questions to your unique situation, transfer your info from last year, and put it all on the right tax forms for you. Maximizes deductions
We search for more than 350 deductions to get you the biggest refund possible
guaranteed. Efile for a fast refund
<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-alt:"Calisto MT"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-alt:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> Efile with direct deposit to get your refund in as few as 8 days. Five federal efiles included. Prepare and print unlimited single state filings. Additional state forms and state e-file are available for an additional charge. Why TurboTax Premier is the easiest choice for you TurboTax Premier was designed to help you make the most of your investments and rental property deductions, so you get the biggest tax refund possible. Choose TurboTax Premier if any of the following apply to you: You sold stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or options for an employee stock plan You own rental property You are the beneficiary of an estate or trust (received a K-1 form) If you are a sole proprietor, consultant, 1099 contractor, or single-owner LLC, choose TurboTax Home & Business. It has everything in Premier, PLUS expanded guidance to help you maximize home office, vehicle, and other business deductions. Compare TurboTax Software Helps You Get the Most from Your Investments TurboTax customizes questions to your unique situation, transfer your info from last year, and put it all on the right tax forms for you. Click to enlarge. TurboTax searches for more than 350 deductions to get you the biggest refund possible--guaranteed. Click to enlarge. Exclusive--Imports Your Investment Info
Saves time by automatically importing your investment info directly from your financial institution. Helps You Accurately Report Investment Sales
Walks you through reporting sales of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Automatically calculates capital gains/losses and keeps track of those that carry over to future tax returns. Determines Your Cost Basis
Finds your accurate purchase price for stock sales, in three easy steps. Helps with Employee Stock Plans
Guides you through reporting sales and automatically determines your correct basis for selling shares purchased at different times or different prices. 401(k) Maximizer
Shows you how to increase your 401(k) contribution without decreasing your take-home pay. Exclusive--Helps You Find Every Rental Deduction
Finds over 20 deductions for landlords, from travel to advertising to repairs to insurance. Exclusive--Shows Your Best Rental Depreciation Method
Simplifies reporting rental property depreciation and shows which depreciation method will get you the biggest tax deduction. Maximizes Refinancing Deductions
Guides you through deducting points, appraisal fees, recording costs, and more so you don't miss a single chance to save. Helps with New Rental Properties
Shows you step by step how to set up new rental properties. Finds All Deductions and Credits You Deserve to Get Your Biggest Refund Stimulus Ready
Updated with all of the latest tax laws to help you get all of the deductions and credits you deserve--including the new 2009 Stimulus Plan credits for homebuyers, new car purchases and more. Maximizes Your Tax Deductions
Asks simple questions about your income, family situation and changes in your tax situation and credits. Then, based on your answers, searches for more than 350 deductions and credits to get you the biggest tax refund--guaranteed. Looks for Deduction Opportunities as You Go
Shows you which deductions you've taken. Which deductions you haven't. And tells you how to qualify for just about any deduction, so you don't miss any opportunities to save. Gets You the Maximum Deduction for Donations
ItsDeductible (included) helps you accurately value items you donate to charity--no more guessing. Plus, it tracks other donations such as cash, mileage and stocks, to help you get every charitable deduction you're entitled to. Handles Your Life Changes
Changed jobs? Got married? Bought a home? Had a baby? TurboTax guides you through common life changes, explains how the changes will impact your taxes, and tells you what you can deduct. Helps with Medical Expenses
Does all the math and tells you if you qualify to deduct your medical expenses for maximum tax savings. Includes Downloadable Audit Support Center
Being contacted by the IRS can be confusing and stressful, but it doesn't have to be. That's why we've created the TurboTax Audit Support Center, included for FREE with all TurboTax products. Only about 1% of all personal tax returns were audited, so it is unlikely, but if you are contacted by the IRS, we'll help you to: Find out why the IRS contacted you Determine what it means Prepare your next steps With downloadable step-by-step

• TurboTax Premier guides you step-by-step through investments and rental property income
• Assists with stocks, bonds, mutual funds and employee stock plans
• Provides extra guidance for rental property income, expenses and refinancing
• Free Federal E-File—receive IRS confirmation and get your refund in as few as 8 days
• Plus, includes a download of one TurboTax State product--a .95 value

Rating: (out of 135 reviews)

List Price: $ 89.95
Price: $ 39.75

TurboTax Premier Federal + State + Federal efile 2009 Reviews

Review by AnthonyCA:
I have always used turbotax but this year but they changed their pricing. The package says one free state download. True, you can download one state of your choice. However, you only get to prepare one state only. All additional state preparations are at via download of even the same state. Thus for example, you have two family members living in California. The first person downloads the free California state download. If the second family member, who also needs to file the California state return, the second family member needs to pay to turbotax via the software, to prepare the second state return, again, even if it is the same state. Contacted turbotax and it took several tries until they stated that this is the case. The first few times they would not confirm it but rather dodge the question and give an ambiguous answer, not admitting to the change.

1/16/10 update: after installing an online software update yesterday, it seems that turbotax has now changed their policy/software back to the way it was in previous years (probably due to the numerous complaints that they have received). Now, as with last year's edition, you can do more than one state preparation for the same state, for the one free state that you have download. I have now given it 4 stars instead of the previous 1 star, with 4 stars becuase turbotax, as stated above, tried to previously limit the one free download to also mean one state prep (which is not the case now). Other than the previous frustration regarding the state download problem, turbotax has always given me great results. Great advice/info when you tag the help function. The help function will guide you for whatever is currently on the screen, thus you do not have to hunt for the information.

2/17/10 update

I have still been hearing that some people cannot do more than one state prep for the free included one state download. I have downgraded the star ratings from a 4 previously to a 2 now because the state download/prep problem still exists for some people. If the problem is fixed, I will upgrade the star rating then.

Don't know if it is real but "Bob Meighan, VP of turbotax" wrote to one of my comments on the deluxe version stating that:

****************************

Bob Meighan says:

Anthony... TurboTax does not charge extra for preparing multiple state returns for the same state. There was no change in our pricing policy this year. I believe if you received a different story from one of our agents, I suspect it was because they probably thought you were referring to TurboTax Online, where you are charged for each return.

Bob Meighan

VP, TurboTax

****************************

Again I don't know if Bob is for real. If so, I would kindly ask Bob if he could change the turbotax website to state officially, for once and for all, that a buyer of the desktop version shall have unlimited state preps for the same free included state download.

I have also heard from another buyer that turbotax said this was due to a software flaw and should be fixed by Feb 25. We shall see. In the meantime, even though I can do multiple returns on the same state, many others cannot, thus buyer beware.

2/28/10 update:

The problem seems to be fixed. I am upgrading the ratings from 2 stars to 4 now, after it seems to be finally working now. I have received a comment stating that now it is possible to prepare more than one same state return from the free one included state download. Please let us know if it IS or IS NOT working for you.

Review by bobinstl:
In addition to the well documented price increases, in-your-face suggestive sales pitches throughout the program, and proprietary tax file format which doesn't work with other programs, you may add 'install problems'. Just received my TY '09 Turbotax Premier and it took two hours to install. Got a 'Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP 1 error' right out of the gate. Tried it on another computer with the same results. Check the Intuit website- apparently this is a known problem because the site directs you to verify installed MS .NET installations and then remove the corrupted items. Let me save you some time. Uninstall MS.Net thru Add/Remove program then use the removal tool from the Intuit website, restart, then reinstall MS .NET and install Turbotax. Wish I'd have known this earlier. Two hours in and just starting my taxes...

Buy TurboTax Premier Federal + State + Federal efile 2009 now for only $ 39.75!

TurboTax Home & Business Federal + State + Federal efile 2009

Includes everything you need for your self-employment and personal income taxes.If you're a sole proprietor, consultant, contractor or single-owner LLC, TurboTax Home & Business will get you the biggest tax savings. Get Your Refund Fast: Efile Your 2009 Taxes with TurboTax
Here's how efile works: Start your return and efile with TurboTax today. The moment the IRS starts accepting returns, scheduled for January 15, 2010, TurboTax will submit your efiled return. The IRS will confirm receipt by e-mail within 48 hours. Here's how it works: Asks easy questions
We customize questions to your unique situation, import your info from last year, and put it all on the right tax forms for you. Maximizes personal and business deductions
We search for more than 350 personal and self-employment deductions to get you the biggest tax refund possible--guaranteed. Efile for a fast refund
<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-alt:"Calisto MT"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-alt:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> Efile with direct deposit to get your refund in as few as 8 days. Five federal efiles included. Prepare and print unlimited single state filings. Additional state forms and state e-file are available for an additional charge. Why TurboTax Home & Business is the easiest choice for you TurboTax Home & Business was designed to help you take full advantage of your personal and business deductions so you get the biggest tax refund possible. Choose TurboTax Home & Business if any of the following apply to you: You are a sole proprietor, consultant, 1099 contractor, or single-owner LLC You receive income from a side job or self-employment You prepare W-2 and 1099-MISC forms for employees or contractors You file your personal and business taxes together If you own an S Corp, partnership, C Corp, or multiple-owner LLC, choose TurboTax Business. Compare TurboTax Software Everything you need to easily do your personal and business taxes. Guides You Step by Step Through Self-Employment Income, Deductions and Credits for your Biggest Refund Customizes questions based on your business profile (sole-proprietor, consultant, 1099 contractor, and single-owner LLC) and gives you step-by-step guidance for entering income and expenses. TurboTax customizes questions to your unique situation, transfer your info from last year, and put it all on the right tax forms for you. Click to enlarge. TurboTax searches for more than 350 deductions to get you the biggest refund possible--guaranteed. Click to enlarge. Helps Find Small-Business Tax Deductions
Shows you which expenses you can deduct for your vehicle, supplies, utilities, home office expenses, and more, so you get every business deduction you deserve. Identifies Industry-Specific Deductions
Walks you through tax write-offs by industry to help you spot commonly overlooked deductions. Gets You the Biggest Vehicle Deduction
Shows you whether you'll get a bigger deduction using actual expenses or the standard mileage rate. Provides extra help for splitting vehicle expenses between business and personal use. Makes Entering Income Easier
Shows all business income types on a single page so you know you've covered all sources of business income. Creates W-2 and 1099 Forms
Helps you prepare unlimited forms for employees and contractors. Does all calculations and prints on plain paper. No special forms needed. Mac users must have Internet access to create W-2 and 1099 forms. Simplifies Asset Depreciation
Helps you determine which depreciation method will get you the biggest deduction, then guides you through calculating and reporting depreciation. Streamlines Expense Entry
Walks you through all expense categories and provides additional tax deduction suggestions along the way so you can maximize your savings. Offers Extra Guidance for New Businesses
Shows the startup deductions new businesses can take. Also includes everything in Premier: Helps You Get the Most from Your Investments Exclusive--Imports Your Investment Info
Saves time by automatically importing your investment info directly from your financial institution. Helps You Accurately Report Investment Sales
Walks you through reporting sales of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Automatically calculates capital gains/losses and keeps track of those that carry over to future tax returns. Determines Your Cost Basis
Finds your accurate purchase price for stock sales, in three easy steps. Helps with Employee Stock Plans
Guides you through reporting sales and automatically determines your correct basis for selling shares purchased at different times or different prices. 401(k) Maximizer
Shows you how to increase your 401(k) contribution without decreasing your take-home pay. Exclusive--Helps You Find Every Rental Deduction
Finds over 20 deductions for landlords, from travel to advertising to repairs to insurance. Exclusive--Shows Your Best Rental Depreciation Method
Simplifies reporting rental property depreciation and shows which depreciation method will get you the biggest tax deduction. Maximizes Refinancing Deductions
Guides you through deducting points, appraisal fees, recording costs, and more so you don't miss a single chance to save. Helps with New Rental Properties
Shows you step by step how to set up new rental properties. Finds All Deductions and Credits You Deserve to Get Your Biggest Refund Stimulus Ready
Updated with all of the latest tax laws to help you get all of the deductions and credits you deserve--including the new 2009 Stimulus Plan credits for homebuyers, new car purchases and more. Maximizes Your Tax Deductions
Asks simple questions about

• TurboTax Home & Business helps you get the biggest refund for you and your business
• Includes everything you need for your self-employment and personal income taxes
• Expanded interview guides you step-by-step through entering business income and expenses to help you maximize business and personal deductions
• Creates W-2 and 1099-MISC forms for your employees and contractors
• Free Federal E-File—receive IRS confirmation and get your refund in as few as 8 days

Rating: (out of 153 reviews)

List Price: $ 99.95
Price: $ 59.77

TurboTax Home & Business Federal + State + Federal efile 2009 Reviews

Review by AnthonyCA:
I have always used turbotax but this year but they changed their pricing. The package says one free state download. True, you can download one state of your choice. However, you only get to prepare one state only. All additional state preparations are at via download of even the same state. Thus for example, you have two family members living in California. The first person downloads the free California state download. If the second family member, who also needs to file the California state return, the second family member needs to pay to turbotax via the software, to prepare the second state return, again, even if it is the same state. Contacted turbotax and it took several tries until they stated that this is the case. The first few times they would not confirm it but rather dodge the question and give an ambiguous answer, not admitting to the change.

1/16/10 update: after installing an online software update yesterday, it seems that turbotax has now changed their policy/software back to the way it was in previous years (probably due to the numerous complaints that they have received). Now, as with last year's edition, you can do more than one state preparation for the same state, for the one free state that you have download. I have now given it 4 stars instead of the previous 1 star, with 4 stars becuase turbotax, as stated above, tried to previously limit the one free download to also mean one state prep (which is not the case now). Other than the previous frustration regarding the state download problem, turbotax has always given me great results. Great advice/info when you tag the help function. The help function will guide you for whatever is currently on the screen, thus you do not have to hunt for the information.

2/17/10 update

I have still been hearing that some people cannot do more than one state prep for the free included one state download. I have downgraded the star ratings from a 4 previously to a 2 now because the state download/prep problem still exists for some people. If the problem is fixed, I will upgrade the star rating then.

Don't know if it is real but "Bob Meighan, VP of turbotax" wrote to one of my comments on the deluxe version stating that:

****************************

Bob Meighan says:

Anthony... TurboTax does not charge extra for preparing multiple state returns for the same state. There was no change in our pricing policy this year. I believe if you received a different story from one of our agents, I suspect it was because they probably thought you were referring to TurboTax Online, where you are charged for each return.

Bob Meighan

VP, TurboTax

****************************

Again I don't know if Bob is for real. If so, I would kindly ask Bob if he could change the turbotax website to state officially, for once and for all, that a buyer of the desktop version shall have unlimited state preps for the same free included state download.

I have also heard from another buyer that turbotax said this was due to a software flaw and should be fixed by Feb 25. We shall see. In the meantime, even though I can do multiple returns on the same state, many others cannot, thus buyer beware.

2/28/10 update:

The problem seems to be fixed. I am upgrading the ratings from 2 stars to 4 now, after it seems to be finally working now. I have received a comment stating that now it is possible to prepare more than one same state return from the free one included state download. Please let us know if it IS or IS NOT working for you.

Review by Tom in Bellevue, WA:
I have used previous versions for about the last 10 years. All my previous experience was with the "Premier" version. The only reason I bought this version this year is that for some reason, they moved the Schedule C functionality from Premier to the Home and Business version, and thereby increased the price by about for the same thing. That is the only reason I downgraded the product: I feel that they are gouging small business customers with this change, and I think they should correct it by putting this functionality back at the Premier price level.

As for the use of the program, I just downloaded and installed it. Installation was flawless. In a quick overview of the program, it seems to be stable so far, unlike the reviews for the CD version of the same software. I like the new format for "Explore on My Own" to take you out of the guided process and allow easier handling of specific tax topics: Turbotax has always had a similar function -- I just like this view of it better than before. The importing of my previous tax year info and personal info was easier and more seamless than in prior versions.

Another reason I came back to Intuit this year was that even though they occasionally have bugs with their products, they stand behind them with excellent tech support. My recent experience with conflicts between Quickbooks and Microsoft Vista and 7 operating systems resulted in numerous hours on the phone with their tech support -- they were both persistent and generous with tech support time until they found a work-around to the incompatibilities. Knowing that they take this approach was a huge factor in having the confidence to proceed with their TurboTax product again this year.

Buy TurboTax Home & Business Federal + State + Federal efile 2009 now for only $ 59.77!

H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download]

Guidance for all your personal tax situations. Federal forms and State forms. Step-by-step interviews guide you through a customized experience relevant to your tax situation. Everything you need to prepare your federal and state taxes in one complete program.H&R Block At Home Premium includes everything you need to easily complete your federal and state taxes, plus five free federal e-files. Everything you need to easily complete your federal and state taxes. Click to enlarge. Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income. Click to enlarge. Personalized tax guidance for popular occupations... Click to enlarge. ...and specific deductions Click to enlarge. With a new, easy-to-use interface, H&R Block At Home Premium searches for hundreds of deductions to get customers the biggest refund. Ideal for homeowners, investors, rental property owners, and self-employed Schedule C filers, the program includes features available only from H&R Block, such as built-in expertise, live tax advice from an H&R Block tax professional and audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent customers in the event of an audit. At Home Premium Self-Employed / Rental Property Owners
The right choice for customers with more complex tax situations to easily complete their federal and state returns. Includes five free federal e-files and built-in expertise available only from H&R Block. Includes these features: Customized interview process to help customers easily complete their federal and state taxes.

Five free federal e-files.

Personalized tax guidance for popular occupations and specific deductions, plus answers to FAQs.

Live tax advice from an H&R Block tax professional.

Audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent you in the event of an audit. Included when you file a federal or state return.

Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income.

Money-saving tools for self-employed Schedule C filers.

Advice, tips, and planning tools for the upcoming year.

Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return.

Quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, Microsoft Money, and H&R Block DeductionPro software.

H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations.

• H&R Block At Home Premium includes everything you need to easily complete your federal and state taxes, plus five free federal e-files
• Ideal for homeowners, investors, rental property owners, and self-employed Schedule C filers
• Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return; quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and Microsoft Money software
• Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income; H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations
• Money-saving tools for self-employed Schedule C filers; Advice, tips, and planning tools for the upcoming year

Rating: (out of 16 reviews)

List Price: $ 59.99
Price: $ 35.14

H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download] Reviews

Review by Philip Klatte:
This program was very easy to us, and it was surprisingly easy to go back and change things after half filling it in. I filled out most of the form long before I got my W-2 and 1099s, and going back was no problem. When going back in the form, the only thing I recommend is using the tabs to go to the right section ("Personal", "Dependents", "Income", "Adjustments", etc.) and then clicking on the "Go To" link for the _summary_ of that category. This allows you to hone right in on what you want to find; it's easy to get stuck in the linear input process if you don't use some direction.

The biggest problem was that you have to find the "key code" that comes with this version of the program, allowing for 5 free e-files. All the in-program help said that if you downloaded the program, the code would be mailed to you, and it even showed what such an email might look like. I checked the email I have registered with Amazon, and my email I might have put in during registration (I couldn't remember if there had been a registration process), and I couldn't find the "key code". It turns out that there is no email. ...you need to go to the Amazon folder that gets put in your Start Menu, as a part of installing the downloader. In that folder ("Amazon"-->"Amazon Games & Software") there is an icon labelled "Go to Your Games & Software Library". If you click on that, then click to "view order key", it will show you the "key code". The key code does not look like the example that H&R Block shows you ("ABCD-1234"), it _is_ four characters -dash- four characters, but it's totally random looking (not letters on one side and numbers on the other -- e.g. "HQ8F1-RG29L" -- I almost didn't recognize it after looking at the example that H&R Block had in their Help text).

I used TurboTax last year. I switched this year to H&R Block At Home because I wasn't happy with it and someone in a review had mentioned this program. I am much happier with H&R Block than TurboTax -- it seems much less like a random series of questions, and I can guess what it's getting at on the forms when it' asking me questions.

Review by Cat Herder:
I have been using this product since 2004. I liked it better than Intuit's TaxCut when I compared them head to head.

Sure, it was clunky, but it seemed to have the tax code down pat and the step by step methodology was effective.

This year H&R Block renamed the product and put a slightly slicker interface on the product. Unfortunately, they seemed to have missed a few things under the hood.

I've spent about three hours with the software this evening and have found two problems. One minor and one major. They are both related to the sale of our old house and purchase of another house in 2009.

The minor issue is that the software makes it easy to enter the data to support a home office deduction. For the last two years we have been claiming my wife's office as it was qualified in all respects. We sold that house last year and while doing the interview on the sale, it wanted me to calculate who much depreciation IT calculated in prior years. Umm, if the darn software can read last year's return, surely it could extract last year's depreciation. It would be reasonable to expect it to ask for other Taxcut save files to extract add'l years depreciation. But it can't/won't. That's minor compared to my next discovery.

We have read and re-read IRS publication 5405 - related to the Federal Homebuyer's credit. The form seems clear. We appear to be eligible for 00 for helping the economy. A nice surprise! The software even has the right IRS form, with the right date, and it calculates correctly. Yet.....the INTERVIEW doesn't address the November 2009 extension covering existing homebuyers hwo buy a new home. That's looking like a defect to me.

So, I availed myself of the support options:

1. I called the 800 # (nice that it's 24x7 this time of year). Waited a modest 4 minutes, and a nice lady with perfect English. She asked for my email, and then we were disconnected.

2. Good thing I also had the CHAT page up and another tech showed up. I explained the issue and he asked me to double check that the software was indeed up to date (I told the software to update 3 times). All he could offer was an apology and did not know of anyway for me to report what appears to be a defect. He did offer that if I filed and there was an error and a fine, H&R Block would cover me up to ,000. I explained an omission may be an error, but it there wouldn't be a fine. Thus H&R Block was not going to cover this situation.

Frankly, if I finish my return using this software I'm going to need whiteout to add the credit when I follow the IRS requirement to print the return (and supporting documents) and mail it in. [DRG - see updated notes below].

I hope this is so obvious that H&RB knows about it - perhaps the economy is so bad I'm their only customer fortunate enough to buy a house this year? I don't know. I'm going to give their corporate office a call tomorrow and see what happens when I "ask for the President's office". If that doesn't work then Amazon can refund my money and Intuit can suck me a little bit drier as I'll have to become one of their Zombies this year.

Updated 3/1/2010

I called their HQ during the day and asked for a manager, after some quick forwarding I was talking to a manager and explained the situation and why I felt that there was an incomplete feature. The outcome was two fold:

1. I was shown that you can use the attached IRS forms in lieu of the interview. The credit did calculate correctly - I just have to avoid using that particular interview.

2. I spoke with a support tech who knew how to handle tech savvy customers and professionally represent his company. After taking exquisite notes, and reading them back to me, he assured me that they were going to get this over to "engineering". I believe him.

So I continue on feeling much better about the situation.

Buy H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium Federal + State + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download] now for only $ 35.14!

H&R Block At Home 2009 Basic Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut]

Guidance for all your personal tax situations. Federal forms. Step-by-step interviews guide you through a customized experience relevant to your tax situation. Everything you need to prepare your federal taxes in one complete program.H&R Block At Home Basic includes everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files. Ideal for simple tax situations and easy for first-time users, H&R Block At Home Basic guides customers through their return with a step-by-step Q&A in a new, easy-to-use interface. Everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files. Click to enlarge. The program automatically double-checks for errors and includes features available only from H&R Block, such as built-in expertise and audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent customers in the event of an audit. At Home Basic Simple Tax Situations
The right choice for customers with simple tax situations to easily complete their federal returns. Includes five free federal e-files and built-in expertise available only from H&R Block! Includes These Features: Customized interview process to help customers easily complete their federal taxes.

Automatically double-checks returns for errors.

Five FREE federal e-files included-get your refund in as few as eight days

Prepare and print unlimited federal returns for FREE

Audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent you in the event of an audit. Included when you file a federal return.

Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return.

Quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and Microsoft Money software.
Compare At Home Editions

• H&R Block At Home Basic includes everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files
• Customized interview process helps you easily complete your federal taxes; ideal for simple tax situations and easy for first-time users
• Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return; quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and Microsoft Money software
• Automatically double-checks returns for errors; built-in expertise and audit support with guidance
• Five free federal e-files included--get your refund in as few as eight days

Rating: (out of 24 reviews)

List Price: $ 19.99
Price: $ 5.22

H&R Block At Home 2009 Basic Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] Reviews

Review by Allan Ray Miller:
There are two bugs that affect H&R Block At Home 2009 for some Apple Mac users. Since both problems prevent customers from updating the program from the H&R Block web servers, customers must correct both problems manually before any updates from H&R Block are possible. I already discussed this in the Comments section on John Young's review, however I realize that not everyone follows the Comments link, plus this new description is more concise. So you get it again.

Who it affects: Mac customers who both: 1) have multiple login accounts on the Mac and 2) attempt to run H&R Block At Home 2009 from a non-admin account.

Problem #1: During the installation process the initial update fails due to file permissions. Error message is: "1008:5,-5000 Access denied error. You do not have enough access privileges for this installation"

Resolution: 1) Stop the program installation and log in under the admin account, 2) open a Finder window, 3) open the Applications folder, 4) uninstall the H&R Block 2009 program by dragging the icon to the Trash, 5) in the Finder window open the Utilities folder, 6) run the Disk Utility program, 7) select your hard drive as the disk upon which to operate, click on the "Repair Disk Permissions" button and wait for that process to complete, 9) reinstall the H&R Block 2009 program under the admin account.

Problem #2: When running H&R Block 2009 using a non-admin login account, the program crashes immediately upon launch due to file permissions. Error message is: "Initialization Failed. Exception thrown during initialization: File open failed. File = /Users/Shared/H&R Block/2009/update.tim in open:MacFileWriterImpl"

Resolution: 1) Exit the program and log in under the admin account, 2) open a Finder window, 3) open the Macintosh HD icon, 4) open the Users folder, then the Shared folder, then the H&R Block folder, 5) right-click on the 2009 folder, 6) select "Get Info" on the menu, 7) on the pop-up window in the "Sharing & Permissions" section set ALL permissions that say "Read Only" to instead say "Read & Write", return to the Finder window and open the 2009 folder, 9) right-click on the update.tim file, 10) select "Get Info" on the menu, 11) on the pop-up window in the "Sharing & Permissions" section set ALL permissions that say "Read Only" to instead say "Read & Write".

Upon successful resolution of both of these problems the customer will be able to run H&R Block 2009 from a non-admin account to do their taxes. As of the date of this note however (1/22/2010) all program updates must still be made using the admin account.

I discovered and diagnosed this on my own machine. Fortunately I'm a geek and so was able to figure out the problem & share it with others. Obviously H&R Block did not test this scenario before they shipped the program. Dunno if a similar problems exists on Windows machines. Also dunno if there will be further problems when I download & install the State program. I haven't gotten that far yet.

UPDATE Problem #3: I installed the Maryland state program tonight (1/27) when it became available for download. Given the problems above I used the admin account to do the install and then switched back to my normal account. Ran the program: no Maryland state tax program installed! And you're only allowed to download it one time without paying again! Turns out the state program downloads into the directory ~/Library/Application Support/H&RBlock/2009/ (for non-techies ~ means starting at your home directory) and a non-shared plugin is created. This thwarts other accounts from using the state program.

Resolution: Using a Finder window in the admin account copy the file ~/Library/Application Support/H&RBlock/2009/Completed Updates/md.dmg (for other states replace md.dmg with your state's abbreviation e.g. va.dmg for Virginia.) Paste this into a shared directory such as Macintosh HD/Users/Shared. Go back into your normal account and copy that same file from the Shared directory into your own ~/Library/Application Support/H&RBlock/2009/Completed Updates/ directory. Double click on that file (md.dmg in my case.) A new window will pop up and you'll see a new file which starts with your state's two-letter abbreviation. In my case it was called MD.TCstate09. Double click on that file. Another window will pop up which says it is installing the state plug-in. After that, you'll be able to use the state program under your normal user account as you intended.

Don't ask me how to update all of this mess at this point when H&R Block is ready to push out new program updates. Do you use the admin account? The user account? Who knows? It might even depend upon whether you are updating the Federal or the State return. What a mess!

H&R Block really blew it this year on multi-user account support, at least on the Macs. I tried relaying this to their Customer Service (3 phone calls and 2 online Chat sessions) but they had no one who understood the Macs and no way for me to email to them my diagnosis and solutions. They were nice and tried to be helpful but I'm not sure they got exactly what I was saying. I hope so though.

I have liked H&R Block in the past and they are cheaper than TurboTax. This year, however, makes it difficult to remain a loyal customer. We'll see what I do in tax year 2010.

Anyway, I hope my pain is able to help other Mac users get up and running.

Review by Alan W. Harris:
Having used TaxCut Basic last year, I received two CD copies in the mail of this year's tax program from H&R Block, but both keyed to the "Premium" level program, at "premium" price. For me, all I am looking for is the equivalent of a spreadsheet that propagates entries into all the relevant forms and schedules and does the sums. The "Basic" level program is good enough for that, even though my return is fairly complex; it covers all forms and schedules for federal filing. The difficulty is getting one's hands on the "Basic" version, H&R Block is so aggressive in peddling the higher level programs that it can be difficult finding the "Basic" version -- thanks, Amazon.

An annual annoyance is state returns. For most states, mine (California) included, filing state taxes is so simple, once the Federal is done, and so automated on the state web site, that I don't waste money on state tax options. Too bad H&R Block and TurboTax don't price their state products closer to what they're worth. In the meantime, I just waste some paper and file by mail.

Buy H&R Block At Home 2009 Basic Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] now for only $ 5.22!

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download]

Guidance for all your personal tax situations. Federal forms. Step-by-step interviews guide you through a customized experience relevant to your tax situation. Everything you need to prepare your federal taxes in one complete program.H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files. With a new, easy-to-use interface, H&R Block At Home Deluxe searches for hundreds of deductions to get customers the biggest refund. Everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files. Click to enlarge. Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income. Click to enlarge. Ideal for homeowners and investors, the program includes personalized tax guidance and features available only from H&R Block, such as built-in expertise and audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent customers in the event of an audit. At Home Deluxe (No State) Investors / Homeowners
The right choice for customers with more complex tax situations to easily complete their federal returns. Includes five free federal e-files and built-in expertise available only from H&R Block! Includes these features: Customized interview process to help customers easily complete their federal taxes.

Five free federal e-files.

Personalized tax guidance for popular occupations and specific deductions, plus answers to FAQs.

Audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent you in the event of an audit. Included when you file a federal return.

Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income.

Advice, tips, and planning tools for the upcoming year.

Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return.

Quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, Microsoft Money, and H&R Block DeductionPro software.

H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations.

• Ideal for homeowners and investors, H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files
• Customized interview process helps you easily complete your federal taxes
• Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return; quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and Microsoft Money software
• Automatically double-checks returns for errors; built-in expertise and audit support with guidance
• Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income; H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations

Rating: (out of 9 reviews)

List Price: $ 29.99
Price: $ 26.58

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download] Reviews

Review by Dion A. Antonio:
The purchasing and downloading process was a breeze. Although I'm not a big fan of installing Amazon's download application (why couldn't they just give us a direct link to download the program?), it went without a hitch. As far as installation, that went well too. No errors.

I have Windows 7, 64 bit. The H&R Block website states that this software works on both 32 and 64 bit versions of the OS. So I was surprised when I went to run the application that it wouldn't work! A pop-up immediately came up and states that the application crashed. I tried various "Compatibility" modes and even tried to "Run as an Administrator". None worked. I checked the Windows Event logs and the H&R Block application crash does show up. I uninstalled and reinstalled the program, again to no avail.

Long story short, I didn't feel like messing around much more. So I just fired up VMWare, installed Windows XP 32-bit, and installed the B&R Block software. It now works perfectly! It sucks that I had to do that just to get the software to work. So I give a 3 because it works great now, but loses 2 points for not working as advertised (on a Windows 7, 64-bit machine).

Review by A. Varney:
I have used the Taxcut software for the past few years and have always been happy with the product and price. This is the first time I have tried the downloaded version. I'm happy to say it downloaded quickly, installed easily and worked as flawlessly as the boxed versions I have used in past years. I was working on my taxes within 10 minutes instead of waiting for my software in the mail. I also liked that downloaded version is more enviromentally friendly since there isn't all that added packaging and shipping. Just an FYI, you will need a to redeem a "keycode" in order to file your federal return for free. This keycode is in your download library in your Amazon account.

Buy H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] [Download] now for only $ 26.58!

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut]

Guidance for all your personal tax situations. Federal forms. Step-by-step interviews guide you through a customized experience relevant to your tax situation. Everything you need to prepare your federal taxes in one complete program.H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files. With a new, easy-to-use interface, H&R Block At Home Deluxe searches for hundreds of deductions to get customers the biggest refund. Everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files. Click to enlarge. Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income. Click to enlarge. Ideal for homeowners and investors, the program includes personalized tax guidance and features available only from H&R Block, such as built-in expertise and audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent customers in the event of an audit. At Home Deluxe (No State) Investors / Homeowners
The right choice for customers with more complex tax situations to easily complete their federal returns. Includes five free federal e-files and built-in expertise available only from H&R Block! Includes these features: Customized interview process to help customers easily complete their federal taxes.

Five free federal e-files.

Personalized tax guidance for popular occupations and specific deductions, plus answers to FAQs.

Audit support with guidance, plus an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent you in the event of an audit. Included when you file a federal return.

Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income.

Advice, tips, and planning tools for the upcoming year.

Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return.

Quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, Microsoft Money, and H&R Block DeductionPro software.

H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations.
Compare At Home Editions

• Ideal for homeowners and investors, H&R Block At Home Deluxe includes everything you need to easily complete your federal taxes, plus five free federal e-files
• Customized interview process helps you easily complete your federal taxes
• Easily import W-2, 1099, and data from last year's return; quickly import data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and Microsoft Money software
• Automatically double-checks returns for errors; built-in expertise and audit support with guidance
• Guidance for reporting investments, dividends, home sales, and retirement income; H&R Block DeductionPro software to maximize tax savings from donations

Rating: (out of 49 reviews)

List Price: $ 29.99
Price: $ 21.50

H&R Block At Home 2009 Deluxe Federal + eFile [Formerly TaxCut] Reviews

Review by M. Spalmacin:
The H&R At Home Deluxe Federal + E-file CD received from Amazon installs quickly enough. On attempting to start the installed program I immediately receive a message saying that At Home is not running on the computer it was originally installed on. That's silly because this is the only computer I have. But I follow the suggestion to un-install, then re-install the software. I get the same result, At Home won't start.

My on-line chat with H&R Support eventually leads to their request to check into Microsoft Update and install any missing "Critical" updates. There are none. But there are some "Important" ones. However, they're for programs I don't have (e.g., Office 2003, Server 2005, etc.) or don't want (e.g., Internet Explorer 8). H&R Support can't be any more specific about which updates might be necessary and I can't tell from the explanations of the updates which one(s) might affect At Home's inability to know where it's running.

I'm stuck.

I'm not going to install 8 updates willy-nilly, hoping one (or more) of them will solve the problem. At Home is obviously checking some internal value somewhere that tells it where it thinks it was installed against some value stored in the bowels of 64-bit Windows Vista, but H&R Support can't tell me what At Home is looking for.

So I still have no clue why At Home won't even start up. Has anyone else stumbled across this problem in 64-bit Vista (w/Service pack 1) and solved it? If not, I'm going to have to return H&R Block At Home (2009) and see if I have any better luck with Turbo-Tax for 2009.

I'm frustrated because last year I switched from Turbo Tax to H&R Block Tax Cut and found it easy and simple to use. Oh, well, back to Turbo Tax.

*** Update, Jan 12th, 2010 ***

An H&R At Home representative contacted me at home (no pun intended!) after reading the above review. He apologized for the failure and said that I had encountered a known problem that wasn't related to "critical" Vista-64 updates. The problem affects some but not all Vista-64 users. Anyway, nothing I might have done during or as a result of the on-line chat would have solved my problem. He said they have a fix in hand for the problem and that they expect to have it available for download on Jan 15th. All in all, well handled by H&R and a good public relations endeavor. My opinion of them has risen substantially as a result of our conversation.

Review by Allan Ray Miller:
There are two bugs that affect H&R Block At Home 2009 for some Apple Mac users. Since both problems prevent customers from updating the program from the H&R Block web servers, customers must correct both problems manually before any updates from H&R Block are possible.

Who it affects: Mac customers who both: 1) have multiple login accounts on the Mac and 2) attempt to run H&R Block At Home 2009 from a non-admin account.

Problem #1: During the installation process the initial update fails due to file permissions. Error message is: "1008:5,-5000 Access denied error. You do not have enough access privileges for this installation"

Resolution: 1) Stop the program installation and log in under the admin account, 2) open a Finder window, 3) open the Applications folder, 4) uninstall the H&R Block 2009 program by dragging the icon to the Trash, 5) in the Finder window open the Utilities folder, 6) run the Disk Utility program, 7) select your hard drive as the disk upon which to operate, click on the "Repair Disk Permissions" button and wait for that process to complete, 9) reinstall the H&R Block 2009 program under the admin account.

Problem #2: When running H&R Block 2009 using a non-admin login account, the program crashes immediately upon launch due to file permissions. Error message is: "Initialization Failed. Exception thrown during initialization: File open failed. File = /Users/Shared/H&R Block/2009/update.tim in open:MacFileWriterImpl"

Resolution: 1) Exit the program and log in under the admin account, 2) open a Finder window, 3) open the Macintosh HD icon, 4) open the Users folder, then the Shared folder, then the H&R Block folder, 5) right-click on the 2009 folder, 6) select "Get Info" on the menu, 7) on the pop-up window in the "Sharing & Permissions" section set ALL permissions that say "Read Only" to instead say "Read & Write", return to the Finder window and open the 2009 folder, 9) right-click on the update.tim file, 10) select "Get Info" on the menu, 11) on the pop-up window in the "Sharing & Permissions" section set ALL permissions that say "Read Only" to instead say "Read & Write".

Upon successful resolution of both of these problems the customer will be able to run H&R Block 2009 from a non-admin account to do their taxes. As of the date of this note however (1/22/2010) all program updates must still be made using the admin account.

I discovered and diagnosed this on my own machine. Fortunately I'm a geek and so was able to figure out the problem & share it with others. Obviously H&R Block did not test this scenario before they shipped the program. Dunno if a similar problems exists on Windows machines. Also dunno if there will be further problems when I download & install the State program. I haven't gotten that far yet.

UPDATE Problem #3: I installed the Maryland state program tonight (1/27) when it became available for download. Given the problems above I used the admin account to do the install and then switched back to my normal account. Ran the program: no Maryland state tax program installed! And you're only allowed to download it one time without paying again! Turns out the state program downloads into the directory ~/Library/Application Support/H&RBlock/2009/ (for non-techies ~ means starting at your home directory) and a non-shared plugin is created. This thwarts other accounts from using the state program.

Resolution: Using a Finder window in the admin account copy the file ~/Library/Application Support/H&RBlock/2009/Completed Updates/md.dmg (for other states replace md.dmg with your state's abbreviation e.g. va.dmg for Virginia.) Paste this into a shared directory such as Macintosh HD/Users/Shared. Go back into your normal account and copy that same file from the Shared directory into your own ~/Library/Application Support/H&RBlock/2009/Completed Updates/ directory. Double click on that file (md.dmg in my case.) A new window will pop up and you'll see a new file which starts with your state's two-letter abbreviation. In my case it was called MD.TCstate09. Double click on that file. Another window will pop up which says it is installing the state plug-in. After that, you'll be able to use the state program under your normal user account as you intended.

Don't ask me how to update all of this mess at this point when H&R Block is ready to push out new program updates. Do you use the admin account? The user account? Who knows? It might even depend upon whether you are updating the Federal or the State return. What a mess!

H&R Block really blew it this year on multi-user account support, at least on the Macs. I tried relaying this to their Customer Service (3 phone calls and 2 online Chat sessions) but they had no one who understood the Macs and no way for me to email to them my diagnosis and solutions. They were nice and tried to be helpful but I'm not sure they got exactly what I was saying. I hope so though.

I have liked H&R Block in the past and they are cheaper than TurboTax. This year, however, makes it difficult to remain a loyal customer. We'll see what I do in tax year 2010.

Anyway, I hope my pain is able to help other Mac users get up and running.

Buy