Over the past few weeks I’ve done a lot of research online for cars and have compiled my favorite car related websites.

1. Edmunds – This is my top choice for researching a new or used car. The website is very well organized and written. I especially enjoy their numerous comparison tests, Editors Most Wanted, and Used Car Best Bets.

2. Carpoint – I use for their easy to use Kelley Blue Book, New and Used car finder (most sites have this but Carpoints feels easier to use), and Consumer Reports articles such as “Best and Worst Depreciation“.

3. Craiglist Cars (Seattle) – You never know what you’ll find here, but it’s a good gauge to see what private sellers are asking for certain models. You’ll even find dealers listing “hot” models for more than sticker price. It’s probably more entertainment than research but it’s interesting.

4. Autobytel – I used this site a while back to buy a Nissan Pathfinder. You can research models here and then submit what model you’re after to a preferred dealer who will provide you with a price quote. For those that don’t like to haggle in person, this is a great option.

5. Cars.com has my favorite loan calculator as well as a quick loan approval process. I also like their “Best and Worst Resell Values” list.

6. CarSmart has a number of very good video reviews. While you’re here, check to see which models have rebates and incentives running.

If you’ve recently made the switch to Windows Vista you may already know some of your hardware will require driver updates not found on the Vista CD. If you’re luck, Vista will install a general driver so you’re device will at least run, but for optimal performance and stability, you’ll want to poke around the device manufacturers website to see if they have Vista drivers available for download.

Once you’ve installed Vista bring up the Device Manager (Windows Logo, Search, type “device”) and check to make sure that Vista found all your hardware. Vista will usually list a brand and model such as Nvidia GeForce 6600 GT for my video driver. If you see general names for hardware such as video cards, sound cards, or monitors that’s a hint that Vista probably wasn’t able to find the latest driver for that device. For such devices you’ll need to hunt down the latest Vista compatible drivers from the manufacturer’s website.

Below are a few devices and brands I’ve noticed the biggest improvement when I’ve been able to find the Vista compatible driver.

1. If you’re running an Nvidia video card you can download Vista drivers here. Vista compatible drivers for ATI can be found here.

2. If you’re running a newer Creative brand sound card such as the X-Fi series, you can download Vista drivers from here.

3. Microsoft has a number of updated drivers for their webcams, mice and keyboards you can find here. I bought a Microsoft Lifecam webcam yesterday and the drivers it came with were two versions old.

4. Dell has released a number of Vista compatible drivers for their monitors you can find here.

5. Search HP for updated Vista drivers here.

Other Resources:

RadarSync has a nice list of Vista drivers

If you finally got around to updating Windows Live Messenger to the latest build (8.1.0178.00) you’ll be happy to know that those gurus at Mess have been working just as hard to rid your instant messaging experience of those annoying ads found at the bottom of windows.

How do I get rid of the ads you ask?

1. Check to see what version of Windows Live Messenger you’re running. From the main window go to Help/About Messenger to find out.

2. If you’re running another other than build (8.1.0178.00) then install it from here.

3. Download the Mess Patch from here.

4. When you install the Mess Patch you see a few options. Look for the options under Main Window and make sure put a check next to “Remove advertising banner”. Under Conversation Window Options put checks next to “Remove bottom text advertisement” and “Remove advertising space area”. I also disable “Nudges” and “Winks”.

Enjoy your ad free messaging experience!

Customer: Will these headphones work with Windows Vista?

Office Depot Guy: I don’t see why they shouldn’t.

Customer: What about these speakers?

Office Depot Guy: Do you have a model in mind?

Customer: I was thinking about some Logitech

Office Depot Guy: Sir, whether or not those speakers will work with Vista has more to do your hardware, your sound card, than it does the model or brand. The Logitechs should work.

At this point the customer grabbed the speakers and walked one aisle over to where I was standing looking at the webcams. He took a look at the display and said to me, “You think any of those will work with Vista?”

The Consumerist has a humorous response to the reports that the US Postal service is removing all clocks from post offices so that customers don’t feel like they have been waiting in line for long.

A USPS spokesperson said, “”We want people to focus on postal service and not the clock”.

Did a group of higher ups at the USPS brainstorm ideas for better customer service, couldn’t think of anything substantial and decide, “well, if we can’t improve service, we’ll just make it more difficult for our customers to put a figure to the number of minutes they had to wait”?

What I’d like to see is fewer postal employee going on break when the line stretches out the door. Or how about training more than 2 people to work the register? Grocery stores under that when a lot of people need to check out, it’s smart to get more checkers working the registers.

Many companies that offer trial software for download require all sorts of personal information. Almost all require your email which they use to spam you with offers and reminders to upgrade to the full version. Most companies view this practice as the price we have to pay in order to test drive their products.

Well, here’s a nice change of pace. I downloaded the trial version of SnagIt from TechSmith and was surprised when I receive the email below. I like how they respect by time by opting me out of their mailing list unless I confirmed my address. Most companies do just the opposite. I like when companies make it easy for me to tell them to stop sending me junk. One trend I’ve noticed that’s really annoying is when companies require going to a website to “change my communication options”.

Kudos for TechSmith.

I hadn’t seen this mash up of the unintentionally funny Sony press conference at E3 last year until I came across a mention in this months Wired Magazine. This is classic!

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My brother-in-law told me about a very easy to use remote service called LogMeIn. You install a small piece of software on your computer and the computers you’d like to access and you’ll be able to control any computer over the internet through your web browser. I’ve tried a number of products but LogMeIn makes it very easy and they have a free version.

If you upgrade to the Pro version you are able to do file transfer and desktop collaboration in addition to some other features. I suspect the free version will work for many people who just need basic access to their home computers from work.