Windows Vista Beta 2 is now available via BitTorent thanks to Chris Pirillo and Jake Ludington, who has created VistaTorrent with instructions on downloading the file through Bittorent and pointing users to the Microsoft site which will generate a key for the software. But, don’t expect the download to be a breeze unless you have fiber, Vista is a whopping 3.2 gb (Product Guide is 72 mb). The other option to obtain Vista B2 would be in a form of a DVD. Miscrosft is shipping these as we speak.

Microsoft has a marketing site up called See Windows Vista, where Tom Skerrit invites you click on links to view videos describing the value Vista can bring.

Although the site is nicely published I am still not impressed by what Microsoft brings to the table with Vista. That can be due to the fact that I’m an Apple user and all the features that is “so Hip” in Vista are already available to use on OSX 10.4 Tiger. Anyhow for all you people that want to see what Vista can do or what is already available to you on an Apple Computer check out See Windows Vista.

Since Apple’s switch to the Intel Platform, people were wait for a solution to be release that allowed Microsoft Windows to run on Apple Hardware.

Apple was first to the Market with “Boot Camp” which allows users to run Windows and other operating systems natively on an Apple computer. While Parallels and a host of other companies have created virtualization software that allows you to run an operating system inside Apple OSX. Both are great products and are sure to boost Apples market share but, you may tend to favor one over the other, depending on your needs.

I have used both of these options and I like Parallels Desktop over Boot Camp. Why? Because I tend to use a lot of windows applications for programming and business so I tend to switch back and forth from Mac OSX and Windows frequently. Parallels provides the best solution given that it’s a virtualization software and not an emulator like Virtual PC. With Parallels desktop you are getting close to native performance, without the need to reboot every time you desire to use a different OS, unlike Apple’s Boot Camp. With that said Apple’s Boot camp is suitable for users that spend large amounts of time on a single platform and don’t feel the need to transfer frequently from one OS to another. It’s a great solution to run games natively on an environment other then OSX without performance loss. However, the draw back of running an OS natively means that you must house it on a separate hard drive or on one that is partitioned versus Parallels option of a virtual drive.

One important note to keep in mind when running Windows is even on an Apple Machine you will get viruses. Please do invest in Anti Virus software!

Installation

Apple’s Boot Camp is a Beta release that will be incorporated into Apples next major OSX update, 10.5 Leopard. The installation is precise and must be followed in order for it to work properly. You begin by downloading the necessary software from the Official Apple Site. Once the download is completed run the install file in OSX. You will need a blank cd-r when prompted to burn the drivers for your machine. After this process your machine will restart and you will then have to go through the typical Windows install (About 25-35 Minutes excluding updates and service packs). Lastly it will prompt you to install the drivers with the cd that you created earlier on. And that’s it, your all done! The Next time you start your computer a Boot loader will appear prompting you to use the OS of choice you wish to Boot. Again with this option you will be running Windows or a 2nd OS natively so you will be getting 100% performance, just as you would running it on a PC.

Parallels Desktop is also under Beta but and will soon be a final release (Price at $79.99, $39.99 if you pre-order). Installation for Parallels is a breeze. You begin by going to Parallels official website to download their latest release client and request an activation key. The activation key will be sent to your email within a matter of seconds. To install Parallels you launch the installer in OSX and it takes you through a process of windows with simple directions to follow (Less then 2 minute). When that is completed you can then launch the application and create a guest OS profile. With the guest OS profile the user can allocate virtual memory to the OS they wish to run as well as a host of other features. Once that is done you would then be required to install the OS of choice by going through the ordinary OS install procedures (Windows would take 25 to 35 minutes excluding updates).

Another virtualization option available is OPenOSX WinTel. It’s similar to Parallel’s Desktop however it lacks the support and features Parallel’s provides.

Apple, yesterday unveild “Boot Camp” A beta test software that will allow you to dual boot windows and OSX on a Mac. This software is still in its early stages of development and may still be unstable. You can download it to test at the moment however; the test software will expire and become unstable after September 2007. Apple plans to feature the new Boot Camp software in its upcoming version of Mac OSX 10.5 code-named “Leopard.”

System Requirements

Boot Camp requires an Intel-based Mac with a USB keyboard and mouse, or a built-in keyboard and TrackPad; Mac OS X version 10.4.6 or later; the latest firmware update; at least 10GB of free space on the startup disk; a blank recordable CD or DVD; and single-disc version of Windows XP Home Edition or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later.

On a second note did anyone notice Apple’s stock upon releasing the news, boys did I miss out. Wall Street predicts the move by Apple to allow Windows to boot will boost worldwide market share from 3 to 4 percent. It’s stock had realized gains of over 10 percent bring its marketing$57.04 billion (an increase of more than $5.1 billion).

With all the security threats floating around these days, your better off backing up your valuable files. It could be those papers that you spent endless nights writing or contracts that are waiting to be proposed, but whatever it is you can save yourself a lot of trouble by performing a couple of quick painless tasks.In my experience, you can simple backup by dragging the necessary files you would like to backup to a secondary source such as a CD, external hard drive, disk, USB key, etc. But, if you keep version of the document on your pc and your drive, you’re eventually going to run into trouble when they get out of sync and you overwrite something new with something old.

The best way to backup and work efficiently is through synchronization. There are in fact many ways you can do this. The two best, I found from experience, is using either the built in tool on your windows operating system or a software extension called SnycToy by Microsoft.

For all you early Windows adopters, you are probably familiar with something called Windows Briefcase. Well it’s still available in XP. You can simply accesses it by opening a windows explorer, selecting the drive you wish to back up on and clicking File * New * Briefcase. Then copy the files from your hard drive that you wish to back up into the briefcase folder. To keep the files synchronized with the source file on the PC, simply select the briefcase and chose Briefcase * Update All. A dialog box will appear informing you what needs to be updated and offers you the option move forward with the update.

A second way to synchronize is via a software extension by Microsoft called SyncToy. It offers more options then the simple briefcase method and is recommended for advance users. SyncToy allows the user to specify whether updates go both ways or only one way, and it handles renamed files. For more info on SyncToy click Here

Microsoft announced that there will be six editions of Windows Vista available to the public. Three of the six are directed towards home users, two of the remaining three are more suited for business users, and the final edition will be a Vista without Windows Media Player for countries that forbid the bundling of the two (Not U.S.).

Rumors has it that Microsoft will be offer a “try on upgrade” program, were users will be able to upgrade there Vista editions to more advance ones over the web for a small fee as their needs for more tools become evident. The launch date and the prices tags for the new operating systems has not been made public yet, but is expected to be launched by the end of 2006.

The 6 Editions of Vista:

1. Vista Business – includes tools for large and small companies to organize and manage all computers more efficiently
2. Vista Enterprise – all features of basic plus additional encryption for security and bit blocker to protect confidential data
3. Vista Home Basic – only for those that want: internet, email, word processing, search tools, and basic security
4. Vista Home Premium – all features of basic edition with new the aero theme and media center which links to xbox 360
5. Vista Ultimate – all the features of business and home in one package
6. Vista Starter – a low-cost edtion, which is cut down of most features and is target towards developing nations