Computer / Software

At a special event held in Shanghai back in May, Microsoft unveiled the fifth-generation Surface Pro, which benefits from many of the lessons the Surface team learnt whilst developing the Surface Studio.

Is it possible to transfer everything from your existing Windows music computer to a new machine, or should you start afresh?

Microsoft’s latest OS offers potential benefits for musicians and recording engineers — but is now the right time to move to Windows 10?

The baby brother of the Surface Pro 3, this is the first non–Pro Surface tablet to run full Windows 8.1...

A consumer preview version of Windows 8 has been released to mixed reviews — but what does the horizon look like for musicians?

If youre upgrading to Windows 7, you might be considering buying a 64-bit version to access more RAM. But will you still be able to use all your 32-bit plug-ins?

To buy or not to buy? That's the question, as Windows 7 finally makes its debut.

Our monthly round-up of news and tips for PC musicians takes in faster AMD quad-core processors, assesses Microsofts innovative Songsmith program, and offers a guide to the mysteries of defragging.

The newly released Service Pack 3 will be the last one ever issued for Windows XP — and XP itself is due to go 'off the market' at the end of June. Are there any implications for the thousands of XP-using musicians out there?

Vista's now a year old — but is it loved or loathed by musicians?

Will you notice a big improvement in software performance if you switch to a multi-core processor? And will performance suffer if you switch to Windows Vista? Find the answers to these and many other questions in this month's PC Notes...

As a PC user, one job you're almost sure to have to do at some point is a clean install of Windows, whether because you've built your own PC, as outlined in last month's issue, have suffered a serious crash, or have decided to change to a new OS. Here's what you need to know...

After a long wait, the new Windows Vista OS is actually on the horizon — so should we all be rushing to upgrade?

Windows XP works better for audio than any other Windows OS so far, but musicians still seek those ultimate go-faster tricks, so this month we bring you a guide to those that are worth doing and those that are worth avoiding.

With advantages such as more efficient processing and the ability to address up to a Terabyte of RAM, Windows XP Professional x64 has a lot to offer PC-based musicians — in theory. We put the fully 64-bit system idea to the test.

If you're thinking about a new PC, do you need to make sure it's ready for the forthcoming Windows XP replacement: Vista? We examine the relevant issues for the musician.

Can Harbal's new automatic track EQ solve your equalisation problems with one click? We find out, as well as exploring the mysteries of the Windows Driver Model...

We'd probably all prefer to keep our music PCs insulated from viruses, spyware, adware, phishing and the general nastiness of the Internet, but the way music software is developing makes this increasingly difficult. Find out more...

If you've ever been confronted by the dreaded Blue Screen Of Death, suffered random reboots or faced the frustration of inexplicable PC crashes, read on for some preventative measures...

The 64-bit Windows XP x64 edition is on the shelves, but musicians should stick with their trusty 32-bit OS for the moment. PC Notes explains why, as well as offering some constructive soundcard feature suggestions to manufacturers.

We explore the relevance of User accounts and the vital contents of the Windows Documents and Settings folder.