Windows Archive

System Maintenance with Windows Vista

Submitted by CIozzio 2007-04-11 Windows 24 Comments

"We often wonder if we are getting the most out of our computers, especially as we sit drumming our fingers waiting for some process to begin or end. But what can you do get the system into shape and keep it that way? " Here's what you need to know about Vista's performance tools, the new Windows Experience Index, Problem and Health Reports, and routine maintenance (including Disk Cleanup and Defragmenter), to get your OS humming along.

Submitted by Flatline 2007-04-11 Windows 66 Comments

"Anyone else remember when Microsoft used to talk about making Windows Vista (or Longhorn, as it was then known) a fast-booting operating system. Fast, as in cold boots that were 50 percent faster than those possible with Windows XP? Something obviously went awry. As Computerworld is reporting, a number of Vista users are none too happy about Vista boot-up times. Some are questioning whether Microsoft is advocating that users just put Vista into sleep mode, as opposed to shutting down systems on a daily basis, to mask the sluggish boot up."

Submitted by rx182 2007-04-07 Windows 155 Comments

Paul Thurrot writes about Windows XP SP3: "If you were looking for any glimpse into the mind of Microsoft, this is it: the company has completely abandoned Windows XP, and it has absolutely no plans to ever ship an XP SP3. My guess is that Microsoft will do what it did with the final Windows 2000 Service Pack: claim years later that it's no longer needed and just ship a final security patch roll-up. This is the worst kiss-off to any Microsoft product I've ever seen, and you'd think the company would show a little more respect to its best-selling OS of all time."

Windows Longhorn Server April CTP Available

Submitted by Andrew Higgins 2007-04-06 Windows 5 Comments

Microsoft has just made the Windows Longhorn Server April CTP available for download to tech beta testers. It features several improvements to the core and has implemented a lot of new features to fill in the holes present in the February CTP.

Submitted by netpython 2007-04-05 Windows 75 Comments

Comparisons, conjecture, and controversy. Microsoft's new operating system is here, but is it ready for primetime? We spent 30 days with Windows Vista to see if it's worth the leap or if Microsoft should go back to the drawing board.

Submitted by jayson.knight 2007-04-04 Windows 16 Comments

"Hey Folks - this is Mike Reavey. We're all glad that MS07-017 - the Security Bulletin that fixes the vulnerability in Animated Cursor Handling - has been released, helping to block attacks on that vulnerability. While we released it within 5 days of being notified of attacks, we have received questions from customers about why it took us 3 months to develop and release the fix for this vulnerability. I wanted to provide some insight into the history of this vulnerability, and while doing so, hopefully provide insight into the overall security update lifecycle, including testing, which consumes the greatest amount of time."

Submitted by shykid 2007-04-04 Windows 22 Comments

At the Black Hat Conference in Amsterdam, security experts from India demonstrated a special boot loader that gets around Vista's code signing mechanisms.

Speed Up Windows Vista

Submitted by Jeremy 2007-04-03 Windows 63 Comments

"Unlike previous Microsoft operating systems, Windows Vista is pretty streamlined right out of the box. It makes terrific use of a system's resources, but it's built as much for pretty looks and increased stability and security as it is for horsepower. It's time now for a course of action that will take the ball and chain off this baby and let it fly. The ink on Windows Vista's EULA is barely dry, so it's very likely that more speed tips, registry hacks, and deep settings will be revealed in the weeks, months, and years to come. For now, here's our set of tweaks that can help you turn up the throttle on your new operating system."

Microsoft Changes Vista Licensing to Cover New Deployment Models

Thom Holwerda 2007-04-02 Windows 9 Comments

Microsoft has made changes to its licensing model for Windows Vista to meet the needs of enterprise customers in the finance and government sectors using bleeding-edge technologies. The software giant will announce April 2 a subscription license called Windows Vista Enterprise Centralized Desktops, which allows customers to use Windows in virtual machines centralized on server hardware. It is also giving its Software Assurance customers using Windows Vista Enterprise the license right to use Vista on diskless PCs - essentially machines without hard drives.

Windows Patch Due Early

Submitted by Dale Smoker 2007-04-02 Windows 66 Comments

Microsoft has decided to rush out a fix for a flaw in Windows, saying that the problem has become too serious to ignore. The flaw, which will be patched on Tuesday, was originally disclosed to Microsoft in December, but it was not publicly reported until last week. The bug lies in the way Windows processes .ani Animated Cursor files, which are used to create cartoon-like cursors in Windows.

Microsoft Unlocks Windows Home Server

Submitted by Dan Warne 2007-03-30 Windows 68 Comments

As momentum grows around its new Windows Home Server line, which is due for release towards the end of this year, Microsoft is looking to keep the love flowing with its hardware partners, software developers and end users alike. Joel Sider, Senior Program Manager for Windows Home Server, told APC that the company intends to release a software development kit for the platform early next month.

How to Customize Windows Vista

Submitted by Corinne Iozzio 2007-03-27 Windows 58 Comments

Just when you finally thought your Windows XP settings were just right, here comes Windows Vista. Fear not: PC Magazine has teamed up with Wiley Books to bring you Windows Vista Solutions to guide you through the ins and outs of your new OS. This week's excerpt helps you navigate the control panel to make your computer fit you. Personalize your computer with new themes, wallpaper, sounds, menu options and more. Here's how.

Stacking Vista Licenses Too High

Thom Holwerda 2007-03-27 Windows 28 Comments

"Microsoft's claim of 20 million Vista licenses sold simply doesn't add up when trying to assess who realistically bought them in the time frame - 'in the opening month' - stated in today's press release. Further, the press release claims that 'Windows Vista made a splash in its debut'. What kind of Kool-Aid are they drinking up there in Redmond? Who spiked the Windows Vista-logo soda cans?"

Microsoft Says Vista Sales Strong

Thom Holwerda 2007-03-26 Windows 39 Comments

More than 20 million copies of Windows Vista were sold globally in February 2007, the first month of sales since its widespread consumer release. That is significantly more than the 17 million copies of Windows XP that were sold in the first two months following its release in October 2001, Kevin Kutz, a director in Microsoft's Windows client group, told eWeek in an interview on March 26.

Windows Software Development Kit Update for Windows Vista

Thom Holwerda 2007-03-24 Windows 21 Comments

"The Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit Update for Windows Vista provides documentation, samples, header files, libraries, and tools you need to develop applications that run on Windows. This release of the SDK supplies updated compilers and documentation. The updated compilers are the same ones that recently shipped in Visual Studio 2005 Service Pack 1. This SDK also includes the samples, tools, headers, and libraries that shipped in the Windows SDK for Vista in November, 2006."

Windows Vista: More Than Just a Pretty Face

Eugenia Loli 2007-03-20 Windows 142 Comments

Windows Vista has had something of a troubled birth. Hyped features were pulled, and the project as a whole took far longer to complete than expected, partly due to standing still while MS dropped everything to work on WinXP Service Pack 2, but in part also due to a decision to "reset" and scrap much of the new development. This has led some commentators to dub the project a "train wreck."

A Look at Vista’s Speech Recognition

Eugenia Loli 2007-03-18 Windows 22 Comments

It's Sunday afternoon here, there is no better time to spend by having some fun with some of the abilities of operating systems. There is definitely quite some rocky road still for speech recognition and in extend natural language & artificial intelligence. Hopefully we will still be alive when that happens.

Microsoft Wants Vista Bugs Rated Less Serious

Submitted by Dale Smoker 2007-03-16 Windows 32 Comments

Microsoft's own bug hunters should cut Windows Vista some slack and rate its vulnerabilities differently because of the operating system's new, baked-in defenses, according to the developer who is often the public persona of the company's Security Development Lifecycle process. Michael Howard, a senior security program manager in Microsoft's security engineering group, said that the Microsoft Security Response Center is being too conservative in its Vista vulnerability rating plans. Because Vista includes security techniques and technologies that Windows XP lacks, the MSRC should reconsider how it ranks Vista when a vulnerability affects both Microsoft's new operating system and its predecessor, he said.

Submitted by Serious_T 2007-03-13 Windows 36 Comments

With an absence of fanfare, but otherwise on schedule, Microsoft opened up its download page for Service Pack 2 of Windows Server 2003, both 32-bit and 64-bit editions. Perhaps most importantly, enterprises won't have to wait until Longhorn to be able to utilize Windows Deployment Services, the company's new image-based system for pre-composed, remote Windows installations.

Vista Ain’t So Bad

Guest post by Stephen Reilly 2007-03-12 Windows 153 Comments

I have been both a Windows and Linux user for a long time (I started with Windows 3.1 and RedHat 5.1 kernel 2.0.x if I recall correctly) and have stuck with both for various reasons. I'm writing this article not as a DIY lofty vantage platform by which I can bash MS nor as a 'Why you should switched' flame bate piece, but have tried to keep an open mind and reflect the actually experience that I have had with Vista so far, regardless of OS political propaganda. Please keep in mind this is still an opinion piece and most probably to be taken with a pinch of salt.