NEW YORK - Tired of Windows? The next generation of laptops may let you jump from one operating system to another to play movies, surf the Web or read e-mail.

Users running Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition (SE) or Windows Millennium Edition (ME) won’t be able to count on Microsoft for help after July 11. The computer software company is doing away with security updates and tech support for the antiquated operating systems.

Attentive water system operators from around Arizona, who face a January 2006 deadline to meet stringent new standards for arsenic in drinking water, studied technology and services offered by about two dozen vendors Wednesday to help them comply.

Q. I recently purchased a new laptop with Vista. I am very frustrated with it, and since I have a new copy of XP professional I would like to dump Vista and load XP. How should I go about this? - Hugh

PHOENIX - US Airways said Tuesday its operations were returning to normal after computer glitches started shutting down hundreds of check-in kiosks over the weekend.

Q: What manufacturers of computers will give you a copy of the Windows CD when you purchase one of their machines? — Dave

Boeing will expand its operations at Williams Gateway Airport and a Tucson company will lease enough hardto-find hangar space there for 30 general aviation aircraft, the airport’s authority announced Monday.

Q: I’m currently running Windows 98SE and would desperately like to upgrade to XP. I’ve asked two different computer stores and have received two different answers, so I thought I’d ask you. Can I install XP over 98 and keep all the data intact, or will I lose everything with the install? — Tyler

LOS ANGELES - Bill Gates offered a peek Monday at the next incarnation of Microsoft Windows, promising it will offer computer users robust security and let them more easily search for files spread across varying programs.

Arizona has launched a $200 million update of its telecommunications system, including statewide adoption of voice over Internet protocol technology for phone calls.

Tempe-based US Airways’ plan to combine reservations for US Airways and America West flights is on schedule for an early Sunday takeoff.

Arizona’s university system comprising of only three public universities is insufficient and broken. One consequence of this is the expansion of the Arizona State University empire with the satellite campuses now charging the same tuition rate as the overcrowded main campus.

Home security used to be just about keeping bad guys out. Today the term encompasses an expanding list of services designed to protect homeowners from fire, accidental flooding and even themselves. Jennifer Geisler likes the security system she and her husband had added to their Gilbert home because it adds a level of comfort.

Every move some East Valley students make — from the time they step on the school bus to when they enter the classroom — is being followed by a camera.

Pilots are suing Tempebased US Airways for merging reservation systems before integrating the work force.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Apple Inc.'s next-generation operating system, Mac OS X "Leopard," will be available Oct. 26 for $129, and Apple's online store is taking pre-orders, the company said Tuesday.

RALEIGH, N.C. - Retailers across the country stayed open through the wee hours of Tuesday morning to sell the long-awaited Windows Vista operating system, even though most knew customers wouldn't be lining up out the door for the midnight launch of Microsoft Corp.'s latest product.

Computer chip manufacturer Intel plans to begin construction this month on a $3 million system to combat a foul odor emanating from the company's Chandler evaporation ponds, of which neighbors have complained since 2005.

About 5,000 Scottsdale businesses so far have signed on with a free national alert system that notifies them about crimes pertinent to their industries, an executive with the company said.

June 27, 2004

The first study that could actually put commuter rail on track in the Valley is speeding ahead.

Nineteen Valley cities and towns participate in a satellite-assisted dispatch system operated by the Phoenix Fire Department.

Integrated Information Systems, the Tempe-based information technology consulting firm that barely survived the dot-com meltdown, has announced its second consecutive quarterly profit.

We are hearing a lot these days from tea party advocates about the need to restore free enterprise, an implication that it has been taken away. We are told that democracy is built only upon the free enterprise system.