The year is rapidly approaching its end so I thought this short tour of Microsoft products released in 2009 would be of interest. It was put together by our Windows Guide, Keith Ward:

Microsoft's Top 5 New Products for 2009

What do you think about the year for Microsoft? Was it a win... or a wash... or a crash and burn?

From a guest poster in the PC Support Forum:

Ok so today my mom was on the computer in the early afternoon and turned it off normally. A few hours later when she goes to turn it on nothing happens! I checked the plugs and they're fine. The light on the little power button starts to flash slowly.

Any ideas?

I'm sure you're seeing a lot of holiday gift guides around the web this year - Best Gifts for Dads, College Student Gift Guide, Top Gifts for 2nd Cousins Once Removed... you get the idea.

Here's another one that you in particular might find really useful - a PC Holiday Gift Guide.

Mark Kyrnin, About.com Guide to PC Hardware / Reviews has put together an excellent "Best Of" collection that's all about PCs. He makes it incredibly easy to pick out the best budget laptop, all-in-one PC, netbook, 26-inch LCD monitor, and much more.

Don't miss this excellent opportunity to make the best choice possible for someone on your list:

PC Holiday Gift Guide

From Edw11 in the PC Support Forum:

How might I convert a downloaded flv file to a file that will play in a dvd player. It will play in real player but can't, after burning, get it to play on a dvd player.

Media format issues are always fun. With so many file formats and devices out there, figuring how how to get File A to play on Device B can be challenging.

Any advice for Edw11?