Windows Archive

Microsoft Renames Windows Mobile to Windows Phone

Windows 11 Comments
"The name Windows Phone applies to Windows Mobile 6.1, 6.5 and multitouch Windows Mobile 7. At least something in the Windows universe is forwards and backwards compatible. Features of the new platform (that is WM 6.5, a.k.a. Windows Phone) include back-up of all SMS and email content into Microsoft's cloud, remote disabling of the handset and inclusion of an iTunes-alike Windows Mobile software repository called Market Place."
Read More

‘Windows 7 Ultimate Activation Cracked with OEM Master Key’

  Submitted by JayDee Windows 18 Comments
"Windows 7 Ultimate has been cracked. The pirate milestone, reached almost three months before Windows 7 is set to hit General Availability on October 22, 2009, was achieved via OEM instant offline activation that passes Windows Genuine Advantage validation and keeps the operating system permanently activated. Previous cracks weren't as solid: while they may be working now, they can easily be disabled by Microsoft. This one won't be so easy."
Read More

Vize, xpize Update XP, Vista Graphics, Sevenize Underway

Windows 26 Comments
A lot of our readers are still happily using Windows XP - 36% of our users use XP, 12% Vista, and 6% Windows 7. While Windows XP is showing its age in a lot of areas, there is at least something you can do to prettify the operating system at minimal cost. In Windows XP, and to a lesser extent Windows Vista, there are still a lot of old-style icons and graphics that should be updated to more modern variants. There are free tools that do just this (thanks to IStartedSomething).
Read More

‘Windows 7 Will Give Boost to PC Hardware’

Windows 42 Comments
"Windows 7 will be more than just a better interface. Under-the-hood changes will allow chips from Intel, Nvidia, and Advanced Micro Devices to ratchet up Windows 7 performance above previous Microsoft operating systems. Microsoft on Wednesday said it has finalized the code for Windows 7, set to ship with new PCs starting October 22. Improvements will include how Windows handles multitasking, graphics acceleration, and solid-state drives."
Read More

Microsoft To Offer Browser Ballot, Caves to EU Pressure

Windows 43 Comments
The browser saga between Microsoft, the EU, and various browser makers just got a new chapter. We all know how the EU and Microsoft are in a legal tussle over the inclusion of Internet Explorer with Windows. Microsoft surprised everyone in June by announcing that Windows 7 would ship without Internet Explorer in Europe, a move it had hoped would silence the EU. The EU and Opera, however, were not impressed, and now Microsoft has caved in to the pressure.
Read More

‘Microsoft Exec: Vista Perceptions Could Change’

Windows 42 Comments
"Windows Vista has been dragged through the IT industry mud for most of its life, in some cases for good reason. But Microsoft's OEM chief believes that Windows 7's success will help repair the damage to Vista's reputation and polish its legacy. Windows 7 and Windows Vista share much of the same code, and over time, this could cause Windows Vista bashers to soften their views, said Steve Guggenheimer, vice president of the OEM division at Microsoft. 'I think people will look back on Vista after the Windows 7 release and realize that there were actually a bunch of good things there,' Guggenheimer said in a recent interview. 'So it'll actually be interesting to see in two years what the perception is of Vista.'"
Read More

Windows 7, Server 2008 R2 Complete, Hit RTM

Windows 32 Comments
It's been a three year long ride. Windows Vista was released January 2007, and its reception by the press was very negative, which made sure public perception was very negative as well. Sales were slow, people wanted Windows XP, and businesses didn't care about Vista either. Microsoft needed something that would make the world forget about Vista, and it needed it fast. The journey is over: Windows 7 has gone RTM.
Read More

When Will You Get Windows 7 RTM?

Windows 11 Comments
"I recognize this is an important question to have answered. Many of you have said you want to know exactly when you will be able to get your hands on RTM. Last Monday, I gave an update on RTM to close out some myths. In that update, I also gave a broad timeline on when different groups of people - or 'audiences' - would get the final RTM code. While I have nothing new to add regarding RTM today, I do however have more precise information to give on when you will be able to get RTM. Again, when you can get RTM depends on who you are."
Read More

Microsoft’s Kevin Dallas on Windows Embedded

  Submitted by caffeine deprived Windows 6 Comments
Microsoft plans to use Windows Embedded to combat rival operating systems in smartbooks and a number of other devices meant to always be connected to the Internet that Microsoft calls CIDs, or consumer Internet devices. In this interview Kevin Dallas, the general manager of Microsoft's Windows Embedded business, discussed Microsoft's strategies for smartbooks and other devices, such as the company's Haiku concept device.
Read More

Source Code to UAC Injection Flaw Released

Windows 48 Comments
Here at OSNews I have hammered and hammered on a few times already about the major flaw in Windows 7's default User Account Control, which allows people or software with malicious intent to completely bypass UAC in such an easy manner that you wonder why UAC is there in the first place. Well, the source code to this flaw has been released - since Microsoft has made it clear they have no interest in fixing it anyway - and Long Zheng, fellow advocate of fixing this bug, made a very clear demonstration video.
Read More

Improving Audio Glitch Resilience in Windows 7

Windows 12 Comments
"Have you ever used your PC to play an MP3 or a DVD? If you answered yes, you're among the overwhelming majority of PC customers who use their computer for audio and video applications, encompassing everything from watching a movie to playing a game to viewing a YouTube clip. But you may have also had an experience where your audio or video wasn't quite perfect - perhaps the video was a bit choppy or the audio stuttered. We call this a 'glitch' - a perceived discontinuity in your audio or video that interrupts the playback experience. In this blog post, we'll be focusing on audio glitching: we'll examine the ecosystem challenges that can cause glitches, and we'll discuss the work we've been doing to improve the Windows 7 experience."
Read More

Windows 7 Will Ship Sans Internet Explorer in Europe

Windows 70 Comments
In a move to basically outflank the EU antitrust investigation, Microsoft has announced that all version of Windows 7 shipped in Europe will not include Internet Explorer 8 by default. This is reminiscent of the Windows XP N editions, which did not include Windows Media Player, but the difference here is that Microsoft will not ship versions of Windows 7 with Internet Explorer 8 in Europe.
Read More

Microsoft Won’t Fix Windows 7’s UAC

Windows 46 Comments
Not too long ago, we ran a story informing you of how the auto-elevation feature in Windows 7 is broken in a way that allows malicious programs to silently gain administrative privileges. We wondered if Microsoft was ever going to fix this one before Windows 7 goes final, and even though we're not there yet, a recent article by Mark Russinovich seems to imply pretty strongly that no, Microsoft is not going to fix this.
Read More