The videos are intended to teach anyone how to setup a SSD or SSD RAID array in their computer.  SSD or Solid State Drives are much faster than hard drives and greatly improve your experience using your computer.  Using a RAID setup with SSDs can improve speed even more.

• Lesson 1 - SSD and RAID Basics
• Lesson 2 - Other Features of SSDs and RAID
• Lesson 3 - SATA and RAID Configuration
• Lesson 4 - Finding Drivers and Installing Windows
• Lesson 5 - Installing Drivers, disabling Defrag and backing up your C Drive

These videos are available for immediate online viewing by members of the site.  You can join here.  The same videos will be available on DVD for purchase by the end of July.

 

It took a little longer than expected but it's up and running.  The video is much higher quality and goes into more detail.  

Windows 7 Driver Update 2010 Video

It's been awhile, but it looks as if Microsoft has released an OS they can be proud of.  If you are still running XP I would say upgrade, as long as you have enough memory.  A minimum of 2GB for Windows 7 to run well, more RAM is better. If you're running Vista, absolutely upgrade.

The next consideration is which version to get.  Home Premium, Pro or Ultimate and 32bit or 64bit?

I would go with Home Premium.  You should take a look at the side by side comparisons of the flavors to see if Pro or Ultimate have something you absolutely need, but Home Premium is very feature rich.

On the 32bit vs 64bit front I would recommend 64bit for everyone with a 64bit capable processor (CPUs made in the last 3 years).  There are some remaining driver and program incompatibilities, but most have been fixed.  Go through your list of the hardware you run and make sure there are 64 bit drivers available for your components from the manufacturer.  Microsoft has a Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor that you can run that will tell you if there are any potential driver and software incompatibilities.

Buy the Full OEM Version of Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit at Newegg.com $109.99

This is the OEM version which means you won't receive any official, phone, chat or email support from Microsoft.  If you think you need the support, you can get the Retail Box full version here for $199.99, or if you have Windows Vista you can get the Retail Box upgrade version here for $119.99.

Since you're reading this you have either already built your own PC, or are about to build a computer, so you probably don't need support from Microsoft.

The release date to stores is October 22.  Hopefully we can all get this in OEM form or by some other method before that date.  The dark days of choosing XP or Vista are almost over.

The system builder pack has everything in it you need to install Vista on any computer.  That said, I highly recommend you use the Windows 7 RC1 for now. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/download.aspx 

It's free and you can get the full retail version of Windows 7 in Oct or Nov. If you just want Vista go ahead and open the system builder pack.