João Saramago » Windows

New Windows Kernel Vulnerability Bypasses UAC

js — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 12:17:39 +0000

xsee writes “A new vulnerability in the Windows kernel was disclosed Wednesday that could allow malware to attain administrative privileges by bypassing User Account Control (UAC). Combined with the unpatched Internet Explorer vulnerability in the wild this could be a …

Windows 95 Turns 15

js — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 17:15:54 +0000

In what has surprised me greatly, nobody has submitted anything to us regarding this day in the history of computing. Sure, memories of her may not be fond, and with the magical unicorn power of hindsight you’d rather forget you …

Windows DLL Vulnerability Exploit In the Wild

js — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:59:59 +0000

WrongSizeGlass writes “Exploit code for the DLL loading issue that reportedly affects hundreds of Windows applications made its appearance on Monday. HD Moore, the creator of the Metasploit open-source hacking toolkit, released the exploit code along with an auditing tool …

Windows 95 Turns 15

js — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:58:27 +0000

An anonymous reader writes “15 years ago on this day, Microsoft’s then new Windows 95 was released. Among other things it moved users away from the archaic file manager and program manager to Windows explorer and the start menu. Compared …

Death of Windows XP SP2 Support Is a Security Risk

js — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:04:20 +0000

With Windows XP SP2 support ending in three weeks, a new report highlights the security risks that come with running an unsupported service pack. Link to the original site

Windows 7 SP1 Public Beta Released

js — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:03:29 +0000

Speaking at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference in Washington, Corporate Vice President of Windows & Windows Live – Tami Reller announced the public beta. Microsoft revealed its plans for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 last month at …

Half of Windows 7 Machines Running 64-Bit Version

js — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:01:01 +0000

nk497 writes “Microsoft has said that nearly half of machines running Windows 7 are using the 64-bit version, up from just 11% of PCs running Vista. The 32-bit version is limited to 4GB RAM, while the 64-bit version allows 192GB, …

Windows XP SP2 Support Ends Tomorrow

js — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:00:56 +0000

Vectormatic writes “As can be seen on the product page for Windows XP, support for SP2 ends tomorrow, while the majority of Windows XP users still haven’t upgraded to SP3. This could open up millions of users/businesses to exploitation, since …

Windows Vulnerable To ‘Token Kidnapping’ Attacks

js — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:42:46 +0000

cuppa+tea writes “More than a year after Microsoft issue a patch to cover privilege escalation issues that could lead to complete system takeover, a security researcher plans to use the Black Hat conference spotlight to expose new design mistakes and …

Windows XP Remote Assistance Exploit Discovered

js — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:46:01 +0000

An insecurity expert has has discovered a vulnerability in older versions of Windows which pesky attackers could exploit to take over control of your PC. Somewhat ironically, the vulnerability afflicts the Help and Support Center for Windows XP and Server …

Microsoft Launches Windows Embedded Compact 7 CTP

js — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:18:58 +0000

And the award for Most Boring And Non-descriptive Press Release Title 2010 goes to Microsoft for “Microsoft Outlines Business Opportunities for Hardware Makers Across Windows Platform”. The press release itself appears to be about as interesting as watching paint dry, …

Ballmer Says Microsoft Wasted Time On Vista

js — Mon, 31 May 2010 11:41:35 +0000

Stoobalou writes “In a chat with fellow CEOs at Microsoft’s 14th annual CEO Summit, Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer came close to admitting Vista was a dog. ‘How do you get your product right? How do you help the customer? How …

Windows 3.0 Turns 20 Today

js — Mon, 31 May 2010 11:33:01 +0000

“The first truly successful Microsoft Windows operating system is twenty years old today; Windows 3.0 was launched on the 22nd of May 1990 and was the successor to Windows 2.1x. The Graphics User interface (technically it was not an operating …

Microsoft Kills Support For XP SP2

js — Fri, 14 May 2010 12:38:03 +0000

Trailrunner7 writes “Microsoft’s announcement this week that it is preparing to end support for machines running Windows XP SP2 not only represents a challenge for the thousands of businesses still running SP2, but also is the end of an era …

Win7 Can Delete All System Restore Points On Reboot

js — Thu, 13 May 2010 12:57:33 +0000

An anonymous reader writes “Astonishingly, the so-called system restore feature in Windows 7 deletes restore points without warning when the system is rebooted. This forum thread on answers.microsoft.com shows some of the users who have experienced the problem. Today I …

Windows 7 SP1 leaks, available now

js — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:08:44 +0000

By Tim Conneally, Betanews In March, the Windows team announced the upcoming release of Service Pack 1 for Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2, but did not set a date of availability. At the time, Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc said, …

Windows 7 SP1 leaks, downloadable now

js — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:08:38 +0000

10 Things Linux Does Better Than Windows

js — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:06:38 +0000

“To be clear about this article’s intent, it’s not to bash Microsoft, or Windows. Because to be fair, despite using Linux 95% of the time while I’m on the PC, I can find more faults with it than Windows. So, …

Outlook 2010 Bug Creates Monster Email Files

js — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:28:28 +0000

Julie188 writes with this snippet from Network World “Office 2010 is still in beta and a patch is already out. Microsoft is trying to fix a bug in the email program Outlook 2010 Beta that creates unusually large e-mail files …

Microsoft To Switch Focus To Windows 8 In July 2010

js — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:25:49 +0000

An anonymous reader noted a bit from Ars saying Microsoft will be switching internal focus from Windows 7 to Windows 8 in fiscal year 2010. Microsoft’s fiscal year starts in July, which is only eight months away. According to Microsoft’s …

Mark Russinovich on MinWin, the new core of Windows

js — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:21:23 +0000

By Scott M. Fulton, III, Betanews Since the first public news of Windows 7′s development back on October 2007, we’ve heard about a component of the operating system called MinWin — a tantalizingly titled element that sounds like some kind …

Microsoft Finally Open Sources Windows 7 Tool

js — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:09:36 +0000

Jan writes “Microsoft has open sourced the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool by releasing it under the GPLv2 license. The code is now available on CodePlex, Microsoft’s Open Source software project hosting repository, over at wudt.codeplex.com. The actual installer for …

Microsoft Kernel Engineers Talk About Windows 7′s Kernel

js — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:52:31 +0000

Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference is currently under way, and as usual, the technical fellows at Microsoft gave speeches about the deep architecture of Windows – in this case, Windows 7 of course. As it turns out, quite some seriously impressive …

Ubuntu ‘Karmic Koala’ RC Hits the Streets With Windows 7

js — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:04:43 +0000

oranghutan writes “Computerworld is reporting Canonical has made available the Release Candidate of its latest Linux-based operating system, Ubuntu 9.10, on the same day Microsoft launched the long-awaited Windows 7. ‘The upcoming Canonical release, which is code-named Karmic Koala, is …

Android / Windows 7 Dual Boot Netbook Disappoints

js — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:04:14 +0000

Barence writes “PC Pro has got its hands on Acer’s Aspire One D250 with both Windows 7 and Google Android installed. Anyone who’s played with an Android phone had better get ready for a let-down: Android is far from ready …

The Windows 7 launch: The cultural event of the entire afternoon

js — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:03:01 +0000

By Carmi Levy, Betanews Have you reserved your copy of Windows 7 yet? Did you book off work? Get a babysitter for the kids? Stock up on Red Bull and Doritos?…No? If you’re one of the dozens who pine for …

Windows 7 Released Early In UK

js — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:02:19 +0000

CNETNate writes “UK customers have been reporting that they received their copies of Windows 7 in the mail today. Currently the British postal service is threatening industrial action over pay, and planned walkouts may result in Windows 7 not being …

Windows 7 Enterprise 90 Day Free Trial

js — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:01:31 +0000

Can’t wait two more days? Microsoft Technet has a free 90 day trial of Windows 7 Enterprise for your evaluation pleasure. If you’ve been using the Windows 7 RC, this one is likely to have a bunch of bug fixes, …

IBM’s Answer To Windows 7 Is Ubuntu Linux

js — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:59:42 +0000

An anonymous reader writes “It looks like IBM isn’t much of a friend of Microsoft’s anymore. Today IBM announced an extension of its Microsoft-Free PC effort together with Canonical Ubuntu Linux. This is the same thing that was announced a …

Some Users Say Win7 Wants To Remove iTunes, Google Toolbar

js — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:56:09 +0000

Foofoobar writes “Due to a strike with the UK’s postal system, people in Great Britain are getting copies of Windows 7 early and have already posted their experiences about the install process. Some have an easy time but others post …

Mac Boot Camp to support Windows 7 by year’s end

js — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:55:49 +0000

By Tim Conneally, Betanews Apple today promised to update its Boot Camp partitioning tool to support Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate before the end of the year. In a support article posted to Apple’s site today, it says …

Live from the NYC Windows 7 press event

js — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:55:44 +0000

By Jacqueline Emigh, Betanews The world pretty much knows what Windows 7 contains, thanks to technology previews and early releases to developers. So what’s left for anyone to be surprised about? Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer gave a hint as to …

Windows 7: Vista without the crap

js — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:55:09 +0000

By Scott M. Fulton, III, Betanews Download Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor 2.0 from Fileforum now. Here is the essential information you need to know if you’re a Windows Vista user considering whether to upgrade to Windows 7: Yes. Up …

Windows 7 Ad Campaign Kicks Off, Focuses on Features

js — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:54:52 +0000

I never thought it was possible, but as it turns out, Microsoft has managed to produce some pretty good commercials for its brand new operating system, Windows 7. They are quite product-oriented, and carry the slogan “I’m a PC and …

Windows 7 Can Be a Success Without Hurting Apple

js — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:06:17 +0000

On October 22, Microsoft will unleash the much-anticipated Windows 7. After the commercial disaster that is Windows Vista, it is believed the new release will turn the tide for the world’s biggest software maker. A lot of people also believe …

Comparing Performance and Power Use For Vista vs. Windows 7 WIth Clarksfield Chip

js — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:52:26 +0000

crazipper writes “Back when Intel launched its Core i5/i7 ‘Lynnfield’ CPUs, Tom’s Hardware ran some tests in Windows 7 versus Vista to gauge the benefits of the core parking and ideal core optimizations, said to cut power consumption in the …

Acer Launching Dual Android/Windows 7 Netbook

js — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:13:04 +0000

Barence writes “Acer has unveiled an Aspire netbook that dual boots Google Android and Windows 7. ‘User demand is not there for [other forms of] Linux [but] we never give up. We adjust,’ said Jim Wong, Acer senior corporate vice …

Windows Embedded Enterprise: Introducing Windows 7 for Embedded Systems

js — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:16:13 +0000

In this webcast, learn about how the same technologies and features that are in the Windows 7 desktop operating systems are available for embedded OEMs to deliver a wide variety of reliable, high performance, market-differentiated products that meet the demands …

No, Windows 7 isn’t slower than Vista, even at booting up

js — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:35:12 +0000

By Scott M. Fulton, III, Betanews The manufacturer of a Windows maintenance toolkit featured on our Fileforum told CNET’s Ina Fried last week that it believes boot times for Windows 7 are typically slower than boot times for Windows Vista. …

Windows Server Trusts Samba4 Active Directory

js — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:07:22 +0000

Darren Ginter writes “A group of Samba v4 developers recently spent a week in Redmond to work with Microsoft on Active Directory interoperability(?!). The result? Windows Server will now join, trust and replicate a Samba-based Active Directory using Microsoft-native protocols. …

128-Bit Support in Windows 8, 9?

js — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:49:28 +0000

Microsoft has been thinking about Windows 8 for a while now even through the production of Windows 7. Some information has been gathered by our friends over at Ars, and all of this said information points to possible 128-bit versions …

Microsoft Leaks Details of 128-bit Windows 8

js — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:48:56 +0000

Barence writes “Microsoft is planning to make Windows 8 a 128-bit operating system, according to details leaked from the software giant’s Research department. The discovery came to light after Microsoft Research employee Robert Morgan carelessly left details of his work …

Windows Mobile 6.5 Launched, Panned

js — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:19:46 +0000

Barence writes “It’s not Windows Mobile 7, but at least it’s here. PC Pro has posted its full review of Windows Mobile 6.5, as found on the new HTC Touch2 handset, which is also reviewed. If you’re expecting something to …

The ‘Windows Phone’ era officially starts today

js — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:18:24 +0000

By Tim Conneally, Betanews Today, we finally welcome Windows Mobile 6.5 and the “Windows Phone” platform from Microsoft. As a part of today’s Windows Mobile 6.5 debut, the new Windows Mobile Marketplace app store has opened for business, the new …

Hidden Fees Discovered For “Free” Windows 7 Upgrade

js — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:17:41 +0000

An anonymous reader writes ‘Thousands of recent computer purchasers who are expecting to receive free upgrades to Windows 7 when it is released on October 22 may be surprised to learn that some big computer makers are quietly tacking on …

Windows Mobile to Lose Marketshare, but Continue Growing

js — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:16:52 +0000

Acer is the latest smartphone handset maker to shift its resources from Windows Mobile to Android. And with competing OSes grabbing marketshare and attention daily, an observer couldn’t be faulted for assuming that Microsoft’s mobile OS initiative is in terminal …

Windows Mobile 5 and 6 get a new interface

js — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:40:31 +0000

By Tim Conneally, Betanews As smartphones gained popularity outside of the business world, a division formed between devices made for consumers (lifestyle smartphones) and those made for enterprise deployments (professional smartphones). Professional devices tend to be more integrable into bigger …

Windows 7 OEM Prices Revealed

js — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:37:50 +0000

Windows 7 will be released October 22, and the pricing information for both the full and upgrade versions have been known for a while. However, as most of us geeks will know, there’s a third variant you can buy, apart …

What Windows 8 perhaps should be: Microsoft’s multi-kernel OS project

js — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:35:59 +0000

By Scott M. Fulton, III, Betanews Perhaps you’ve read an article this week purporting to offer new details on “Windows 8,” or whatever Microsoft’s next client operating system will be called, only to be perturbed at discovering at the end …

Top 10 Windows Server 2008 R2 Features #9: Processor core parking

js — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:35:36 +0000

By Scott M. Fulton, III, Betanews When you think of kids on the playground playing Star Trek make-believe, you see the guy who plays Scotty inevitably being shouted at to increase or decrease the power, and then the guy putting …

Ballmer Admits “We Screwed Up Windows Mobile”

js — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:31:29 +0000

Barence writes “Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer has blasted the company’s own mobile operating system at the firm’s Venture Capital Summit. One tweet from an attendee claims Ballmer said the company had ‘screwed up with Windows Mobile. Wishes they had already …

Windows 7 ‘Not Much Faster’ Than Vista

js — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:59:35 +0000

PLSQL Guy writes “Tests of the Windows 7 Release Candidate in a PC World Test Center found that while Windows 7 was slightly faster on our WorldBench 6 suite, the differences may be barely noticeable to users. The PCs tested …

Review: Microsoft Windows 7 RTM

js — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:02:29 +0000

ActiveWin has published their usual in-depth review of the new Windows release, in this case, Windows 7. It’s 70 pages long, and divided up into 26 sections. “Should you upgrade? Most certainly, there is no on the fence, ifâ€™s or …