Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" ...

Here’s the deal. Dell agreed to Microsoft’s plan of allowing Windows XP sales after June 30, but at a surcharge over installing Vista. How much of one? $20 to $50. ComputerWorld says that customers ...

This is an amazing testament to how unpopular Vista is among regular folk. That companies are exploiting loopholes in order to just keep shipping XP a little while longer.

On my self-built computers I backup, bomb the HD and reinstall Win rather easily. I've resisted the urge to do so on my Inspiron 6000 because...well mainly because I'm a chicken when it comes to ...