预装Windows XP对话
预装Windows XP
Q. I am in the market for a new Windows computer, but I prefer the Windows XP operating system, not Vista. I understand Microsoft has now barred the major PC vendors from selling XP systems. Is there a way I can get around this?
A. If you want a new, brand-name PC that comes pre-loaded with the seven-year-old Windows XP operating system, you can still get one through an odd and circuitous process. Most major PC makers will sell you selected Vista models with an option, which sometimes costs extra, officially called a "downgrade," but sometimes marketed as an "upgrade" or "bonus." You may have to hunt through the selections offered by the computer makers to find one that has this XP option.
When you order a PC in this fashion, you are technically buying a Vista machine, and Microsoft counts it as a Vista sale. But the computer company actually loads XP on the new hardware, in place of Vista, before it leaves the factory. In many cases, you also get discs containing Vista, in the event you wish to switch to the newer Vista operating system later.
Q. I was wondering if you could give me some suggestions of a small, light portable radio-type gadget with earbuds that would be good for me while I do athletic activities like riding my bike. I want something that will give me different pre-programmed selections of music, not something that I have to load with music (I don"t remember names of songs). I love my Sirius satellite radio in my car.
A. My first reaction is to suggest you simply get the portable, small, personal Sirius radio that is meant for carrying on your person. It"s called the Stiletto 2 and costs around $300. Like the one in your car, it does require a subscription, but it is much smaller. I haven"t tested it, but you can get more information at sirius.com.
However, this unit isn"t in the smallest class of portable music players, so another alternative might be to get a very small portable player, which, while it allows you to download music, also has a built-in FM radio. Among these is the smallest Microsoft Zune, called the Zune 4 GB, at about $100, and the Sansa Clip, starting at about $35. Neither requires a subscription fee. Information is at zune.com and sansa.com.
The popular Rhapsody subscription music service is also available on portable players, and offers pre-programmed channels of music. Some of these players also include FM radios. Information on these is at learn.rhapsody.com/devices.
Q. Last week, you said you didn"t know of a dedicated gadget that simply allows people to both send and receive emails. What about the MailBug?
A. Thanks for reminding me. The MailBug, which I haven"t tested, is a small, text-only terminal for sending and receiving email over a dial-up connection. It costs about $125 and requires a companion email service that is about $100 a year. It"s made by a company called Landel and can be ordered at mailbug.com.
While the device itself can"t send or receive photos or other nontext attachments, account holders with access to a computer can view such attachments via a Web-based version of their email accounts.
问：我想买一台新的Windows电脑，但我喜欢Windows XP操作系统而不想要Vista。我知道微软(Microsoft)现在已经禁止主要的PC厂商销售XP系统。有没有办法能让我实现这个愿望呢？
答：如果你想要一台新的PC品牌机，预装已有7年历史的Windows XP操作系统，你还是可以通过一种奇特的间接方式来实现。大多数大型PC生产商都会在特定的Vista机型中提供一个选项（有时需要加钱），官方称为“降级”，但有时以“升级”或“馈赠”的名目进行推广。你可能得在电脑生产商提供的机型中找出有这种XP选项的型号。
当你定购这种电脑时，从技术上说，你买的是一台Vista电脑，微软也将它作为Vista的销售量。但在电脑出厂前，电脑公司实际上是在新的.硬盘上装了XP代替Vista。在多数情况下，你得到的也是Vista的安装盘，以备你将来想换成新一些的Vista操作系统。
问：能不能给我推荐一种轻便小巧、带耳塞的便携式收音机那样的装备，以便我在运动时收听，比如说骑自行车。我希望能听到预先编排好的各种音乐，而不用自己去添加（我记不住歌名）。我很喜欢自己车里的Sirius卫星广播收音机。
答：我的第一反应是建议你就买Sirus的便携式小型个人收音机Stiletto 2，它就是让你随身携带的，价格为300美元。它跟你的车载收音机一样需要付费，但体积要小得多。我还没有对这种装备进行测试，但你可以在sirius.com了解更多信息。
不过，这并不是体积最小的便携式音乐播放器，还有更小巧的便携式播放器，它可以让你下载音乐，同时还有内置的FM收音机。其中之一是Microsoft Zune系列中最小的Zune 4 GB，价格约100美元，还有Sansa Clip，35美元起。二者都无需付费收听。可登录zune.com和sansa.com网站查阅相关信息。
广受欢迎的Rhapsody音乐订阅服务也可以在便携式播放器上使用，并有预先编排的音乐频道。一些这类播放器也有FM收音机。在learn.rhapsody.com/devices上有相关信息。
问：上周，你说你不知道只能让人们收发邮件的专用装置。那MailBug怎么样？
答：谢谢你提醒我。MailBug是一款仅限于文本的小型终端，通过拨号连接收发电子邮件。我还没有测试过这种装置。它的价格约为125美元，并要求采用相应的电子邮件服务，收费为每年100美元左右。它是由一家名为Landel的公司生产的，可以通过mailbug.com定购。
虽然这种装置本身无法收发照片或其他非文本附件，但用户如果有电脑，就可以通过其电子邮件帐户的网络版查看这类附件。
