The long-anticipated first service pack for Vista has been released by Microsoft.

It is available via a standalone package that can be downloaded from the Microsoft website. It should appear through Windows Update soon as well.

Service Pack 1 improves network performance, enhances security (supposedly), improves system performance and provides support for even more hardware.

Squeezing extra performance out of your Windows XP installation might help you get added value from your PC.

With the release of Service Pack 3 imminent, early reports suggest that adopters can expect up to a 10% increase in performance over SP2. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to make sure you are squeezing every last drop of horsepower out of your computer. Handily, Steve’s Tech Guide has a useful tweaking guide to ensure you can do just that. (more…)

I think I have a virus, but I am not sure. I do have Norton AntiVirus running, but it might not be up-to-date. Now, when I try to update the virus definition files using LiveUpdate, it doesn’t let me (I get an error). What steps should I take now?

Firstly, it is important that LiveUpdate works - as this ensures that you have the latest virus definition files, and if your definition files are out-of-date, you are not necessarily protected against the latest threats. (more…)