Snipping Tool
Posted by Brian Gallutia on Aug 29, 2010
There is a little-known utility that is lurking in the Accessories area on all Windows Vista and 7 operating systems that we at PCS use on a daily basis, but no one seems to be aware of: the Snipping Tool.
The Snipping Tool can be used to capture a screen shot, or snip, of any object on your screen and then annotate, save, or share the image.
The mouse can be utilized to capture any of the following types of snips:
Free-form Snip: Draw an irregular line around an object
Rectangular Snip: Draw a precise line by dragging the cursor around an object to form a rectangle.
Window Snip: Select a window, such as a browser window or dialog box, that you want to capture
Full-screen Snip: Capture the entire screen when you select this type of snip.
After the snip is captured, it is automatically copied to the mark-up window where you can annotate, save or share the snip.
Personally, I use this tool in my day-to-day communications with clients via email. It is invaluable in allowing me to illustrate a concept, problem or solution with a program by taking a “snip” of my screen and then pasting that snip in a quick email.
I know a few clients are in the habit of emailing a screen capture by hitting the Print Screen (PrtScn) key on their keyboards, pasting the capture in Word, editing the capture and then mailing the document as an attachment. Hopefully this tool will make that process a lot easier for some folks.
Win7 Business PC
Posted by Brian Gallutia on Jul 7, 2010
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PCS Windows 7 mR Business Workstation Intel G41RQ Motherboard Intel Dual Core E5300 (2.6Ghz) CPU Kingston 2GB DDR2 RAM (2 x 1GB) Black Mid-Tower Case w/ 350 Watt PS Western Digital 500GB 7200 RPM SATA HDD 36 in 1 USB Internal Card Reader Sony OptiArc 24X SATA DVDRW Drive w/ Software Integrated Sound/Video/LAN Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64 bit) Logitech PS2 Keyboard and Mouse $649* *Sales Tax, Shipping and Delivery/Installation not included in price |
Win7 High-End PC
Posted by Brian Gallutia on Jul 7, 2010
Win7 Entry-Level PC
Posted by Brian Gallutia on Jul 7, 2010
Win7 Notebook Special
Posted by Brian Gallutia on Apr 16, 2010
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Asus NB EN K50IJ-G1B 15.6inch T6570 Notebook
Display – 15.6 inch $849* *Sales Tax, Shipping and Delivery/Installation not included in price |
Will My PC Run Win7?
Posted by Brian Gallutia on Oct 12, 2009
The questions of “should I or shouldn’t I?” related to a Windows 7 upgrade on existing hardware have already begun, and hopefully we at PCS are doing a good job of providing appropriate answers. Since computer companies and PC resellers are expecting their copies of Win7 this week and the official retail roll-out happens October 22nd, we figured it would be a good idea to provide a simple outline as to what types of systems can and cannot be upgraded to Windows 7.
Please use the following points below to help you determine your upgrade path to Windows 7. If you have any questions about what is touched on, please feel free to post your comments and questions or drop us a line here.
If your PC is already running Windows Vista…
You should be able to upgrade your system to Windows 7. Unfortunately, we cannot tell you that all systems that currently run Vista can run Windows 7 due to one of the reasons that Vista got a bad name in the first place: low-end hardware.
When Vista was first released by OEMs and put “out there” for consumption, system manufacturers would put Windows Vista Basic on hardware that barely ran the fledgling OS. If you have one of these systems, you may want to consider either a memory upgrade to at least 2GB or a total system replacement. Windows 7 is a great OS, but it’s no miracle-worker and will only run as well as the hardware that it’s on.
If you purchased your PC in the last two years..
Windows 7 is right up your alley. You should have the CPU and the memory necessary to run new new OS efficiently and effectively.
If your PC is more than three years old..
A hardware audit to know for sure if your system is “up to snuff” is in your future, with the primary focus being on (a) processing power and (b) RAM memory available. Keep in mind that the minimum requirements for running Windows 7 are:
- 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
- 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
- 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
- DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
If your PC came with WindowsXP and it’s more than five years old..
Forget it – it’s time for a complete system upgrade. You’ve gotten a LOT of use out of your old system and you should feel good about that, but the truth is that you’re rockin’ an 8 year old operating system and its days are numbered. Sooner rather than later, Microsoft will discontinue support for XP (Windows 2000 is already on the chopping block) and we’d rather see you upgrade because you want to, instead of upgrading because you have to.
Win7 Tip: Go 64 Bit
Posted by Brian Gallutia on Oct 7, 2009
Windows 7 is the second major Windows release to fully support 64-bit, which means that the x64 architecture has definitely arrived on the desktop.
If you’re contemplating an upgrade to Windows 7, make sure that your system can handle it by either referencing your computer’s documentation or getting with a PCS representative to run a hardware audit.
The 64 bit version of Windows 7 is snappy both on boot times an in program execution. You won’t be disappointed.
Win7 Upgrade Paths
Posted by Brian Gallutia on Aug 18, 2009
Want to know how to get there from here with Windows 7? The following outlines supported and unsupported upgrade paths for multiple editions of the Windows 7 OS:
Unsupported Upgrade Scenarios
Upgrades to Windows 7 from the following operating systems are not supported:
- Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows XP, Windows Vista® RTM, Windows Vista Starter, Windows 7 M3, Windows 7 Beta, Windows 7 RC, or Windows 7 IDS
- Windows NT® Server 4.0, Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server® 2003, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 R2
- Pre-release in-place upgrades across milestones (for example, Windows 7 RC to Windows 7 RTM) are not supported.
Supported Upgrade Scenarios
| From Vista | Upgrade to Windows 7 |
| Business | Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate |
| Enterprise | Enterprise |
| Home Basic | Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate |
| Home Premium | Home Premium, Ultimate |
| Ultimate | Ultimate |
| From Windows 7 | Upgrade to Windows 7 |
| Enterprise | Enterprise |
| Home Basic | Home Basic |
| Home Premium | Home Premium |
| Professional | Professional |
| Starter (x86 only) | Starter (x86) |
| Ultimate | Ultimate |
| From Windows 7 | Anytime Upgrade to Windows 7 |
| Home Basic | Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate |
| Home Premium | Professional, Ultimate |
| Professional | Ultimate |
| Starter | Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate |
Win7 Upgrade Advisor Beta
Posted by Brian Gallutia on Aug 18, 2009
Microsoft has released a tool called the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor Beta that can be installed and run on any PC that is running Windows7 RC, WindowsXP with Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista.
The tool is a little over 3MB and installs easily. Please use the link below to snag the installer:
Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor Beta
Please keep in mind that the software is in Beta, so take all results with a grain of salt when running.
Win7 System Requirements
Posted by Brian Gallutia on Aug 18, 2009
In case you were wondering if your current system can handle Windows 7, Microsoft has released a list of requirements necessary to run the new OS:
- 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
- 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
- 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
- DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
Additional requirements to use certain features:
- Internet access (fees may apply)
- Depending on resolution, video playback may require additional memory and advanced graphics hardware
- Windows Touch and Tablet PCs require specific hardware
- HomeGroup requires a network and PCs running Windows 7
- DVD/CD authoring requires a compatible optical drive
- BitLocker requires Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2
- BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive
- Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM, an additional 15 GB of available hard disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on
- Music and sound require audio output
Product functionality and graphics may vary based on your system configuration. Some features may require advanced or additional hardware. If you need further assistance in determining if Win7 is the right fit for your current computing environment, please drop us a line and let PCS help.
