More than 7800 virus and malware infections have been eradicated as a result of TimbukTech's “No Virus Tuesdays" war on computer viruses, spyware and junk e-mail.

We are incredibly pleased with our results so far!

We’ve had more than a dozen PC users bring in their computers to be examined, and have successfully removed dangerous infections on all of the affected machines.

In September, TimbukTech announced its “No Virus Tuesdays” program, offering computer users basic spyware and virus removal services at no charge each Tuesdays in October, November, and December.

Since Tuesday tends to be our slowest day of the week, we decided it would be better for our techs to be destroying viruses and spyware instead of sitting around twiddling their thumbs. That’s why we decided to give away this valuable scanning and disinfecting service for FREE on Tuesdays.

It’s clear that PC infections are on the rise, and in many cases, computer users aren’t aware they’ve got a problem.

Several computers we repaired were infected with trojan-horse type malware, which was tracking the users activity on the Internet.

One machine alone had 493 distinct infected files!

Of the computers we have examined, half either did not have anti-virus software installed, or the anti-virus software was disabled or expired.

We’re obviously very concerned about how safe computer users are when they’re on the Internet which is why we’re extending our “No Virus Tuesdays” program through the end of the year.

The TimbukTech “No Virus Tuesdays” program works like this: Users who would like their computers checked and cleaned of spyware can visit www.novirustuesdays.com to sign up. Winners will be drawn each Tuesday and the cleanups will be scheduled for the following Tuesday.

The computer will be evaluated, disinfected, and available for pickup as soon as it is ready, usually late Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.

Computers will be checked for over 1000 types of spyware, thousands of different viruses, as well as Trojans and keyloggers.

Any malicious software that is discovered will be removed, and a complete report will be provided to the client.

By having users pre-schedule their appointments, the company can plan for this work and provide the service at no charge, while still maintaining its normal weekly workload.

FAIR WARNING: This service is scheduled and is for in-store cleanups only. Names will be drawn and appointments will be scheduled one week in advance. Promotion valid for both new and current customers.

Often on TV we see commercials for Mac vs PC, but the truth of it is that Mac's are a big jump for PC users. A huge startup cost, learning an entirely new os and style of computing, and even compatibility issues (most of what you see at Walmart is aimed at PC's, and most PC repair shops don't double dip into Mac repair) will keep most people from switching. Mac and PC aren't just products, they're cultures.

The truth of it is, Mac didn't gain much market share from all the Vista hate, and neither is it in danger of losing customers to new versions of windows.

So where's the real struggle for Microsoft?

XP users. And to a lesser extent, Vista Users.

XP is probably still my favorite operating system, but it's limited by older features and traditionally software manufacturer's tend to only support the current os and the one right before it. XP's functionality was aimed to support a wide range of computers, from faster ones to slower ones, and Vista really needed a next gen system to use it without frustration.

In addition to slower load times, Vista touted user friendly features designed to hand hold newer and inexperienced users. Unfortunately, that translated into layers of features asking if you really really wanted to do what you wanted to do, even for something as simple as opening the installation file for a program.

How does Windows 7 compare? Honestly, I've only used it a little bit, but enough to get a good impression. It loads fast, it installs fast, and it's intuitive without thinking the user doesn't know what they're doing. It took what things I actually did like about Vista, and either kept them or improved them, and for the most part got rid of the bits that annoyed almost the entirety of its user base.

It still hand holds, but it's not nearly as bad about it. It's an unfortunate trend for software in general to think that adding inflated layers of overloaded features is what customers want (I want a hammer, I do not want a hammer with a fuzzy comfort handle and a built in mp3 player.) but at least Windows 7 has minimized it more than Vista.

These are generalities, but they're impressions of first experiences. What's the bottom line?

If you have XP, keep it.

If you have Vista and don't mind it, don't worry about switching.

If you have Vista and hate it, Windows 7 can be worth the upgrade.

Windows 7 can run on your old XP machine, but the money would be better spent in just getting a new computer. Windows 7 isn’t Vista Lite, but it is Vista Better.