PC Tips Box » Windows Vista

Vista SP2 and XP SP3 Patch Security Release ISO Image

Jason — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:59:35 +0000

A DVD5 ISO image file containing all the security bulletins made available on November 10th, 2009 for all supported Windows platforms, is now up for grabs via the Microsoft Download Center. As is the case every month, the Redmond company is accompanying the security patched it offers through Windows Update, Automatic Updates, and Microsoft Update with standalone downloads as well as with a package of updates. In this regard, the November 2009 Security Release ISO Image has become available for download earlier this week.

There are no less than six security updates packaged into the ISO image, four of which are now served through WU, AU, and MU to Windows users around the world. MS09-063, MS09-064, MS09-065, MS09-066 are all designed to patch security vulnerabilities in Windows server and client platforms, including versions such as Windows Vista SP2 and Windows XP SP3.

“This DVD5 ISO image file contains the security updates for Windows released on Windows Update on November 10th, 2009. The image does not contain security updates for other Microsoft products. This DVD5 ISO image is intended for administrators that need to download multiple individual language versions of each security update and that do not use an automated solution such as Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). You can use this ISO image to download multiple updates in all languages at the same time,” Microsoft explained.

However, in addition to the four security bulletins impacting Windows released this November, the Redmond company has also included two previously offered updates. This month the company plugged no less than 15 security holes across its two main cash cows, Windows and Office.

“Microsoft re-released Security Bulletin MS09-045 to add the detection for JScript 5.7 on Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (KB975542) to Affected Software and Security Update Deployment sections,” Christopher Budd, Microsoft security response communications lead, told Pctipsbox. “Microsoft re-released Security Bulletin MS09-051 to address the update for Audio Compression Manager on Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 to fix a detection issue. This is a detection change only; there were no changes to the binaries. Customers who have successfully updated their systems do not need to reinstall this update.”

November 2009 Security Release ISO Image is available for download here.

Tags: download, Security, security bulletins, security patch, Security Release ISO Image, security response, security update, security updates, vulnerabilities, windows update, windows vista, Windows Vista SP2, windows xp, windows xp sp3

Vista to Windows 7 Upgrades Kill Access to OEM Recovery Applications

Jason — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:09:38 +0000

Users that upgrade Windows Vista OEM computers to Windows 7 might find that the recovery applications set in place by the original equipment manufacturer are no longer accessible. This scenario is valid for some OEM machines that were acquired with Windows Vista pre-installed, the Redmond company explained. OEMs, in certain cases, will preload the Windows Recovery Environment inside the operating system. In this regard, users would be able to benefit from the System Recovery Options right in the graphical user interface (UI) and help topics.

“You have a computer that is preinstalled with Windows Vista by the computer manufacturer. After you upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7 on this computer, you notice that manufacturer-specific recovery applications are no longer available on the System Recovery Options menu,” Microsoft explained.

It is not uncommon for OEMs to customize the System Recovery Options. Original Equipment Manufacturers will in fact tailor Windows platforms to their specific needs, and always present custom build copies of the operating system along with their new computers. In this context, the Windows RE tools are customized in accordance with different OEMs. Customers will only be aware of the fact that Windows will come with manufacturer-specific recovery applications included by default. The general rule is that the apps will be offered through the Windows RE tools menu.

Upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7 is an action capable of cutting off access to OEM recovery apps. “When these systems are upgraded to Windows 7, the manufacturer-preloaded Windows RE option will be replaced with a Windows 7-compatible Windows RE,” the software giant added.

There is no hotfix or update from Microsoft to resolve this issue. The Redmond company only recommends that in order “to obtain the manufacturer-specific recovery applications for Windows 7, contact your computer manufacturer.”

Tags: Computer, fix, hotfix, manufacturer, Microsoft, Operating system, Recovery, recovery applications, Support, upgrade windows, Windows, Windows 7, windows recovery, Windows Recovery Environment, windows vista, windows vista oem

DirectX 11 Resources for Windows 7 and Vista

Jason — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:26:35 +0000

Microsoft has made available for download updated DirectX 11 resources tailored to Windows 7 and Windows Vista, but also additional Windows client and server operating systems. According to the Redmond-based company, the refreshed DirectX 11 release brings to the table the RTM version of Direct3D. Essentially, what it is offering is an update for the DirectX software development kit. Developers are free to grab the SDK via the Microsoft Download Center since September 8, 2009.

“The August 2009 DirectX SDK contains the first official release of the DirectX developer resources for Direct3D 11, DXGI 1.1, Direct2D, and DirectWrite. Developers can now publish and distribute Direct3D 11 applications and games that leverage all of the software and hardware features of DirectX 11 in Windows 7 and Windows Vista,” Microsoft noted. “ll headers, import libraries, and symbol files (.pdb files) are no longer marked as beta with the ‘_beta’ suffix and now link to the RTM versions of the runtimes. In addition, the HLSL compiler features for Direct3D 11 are now of release quality. The beta DLLs are no longer available in the DirectX SDK.”

With the August 2009 DirectX Software Development Kit update, Microsoft is offering developers the new Effects runtime for Direct3D 11. Devs will be able to access Effects 11 via its two parts, namely the D3DCompiler library and FXC. Microsoft underlined the fact that both components come with support for the new fx_5_0 target. Details on Effects 11 are available via the associated API documentation (Effect System Interfaces (Direct3D 11)).

“Features of this new target include support for all Direct3D 11 features such as hull shaders, domain shaders, interfaces, and DirectCompute, as well as grouping of techniques within a single Effect file using the fxgroup keyword. Please refer to the documentation for more information (Effects (Direct3D 11)). The Effects 11 runtime is provided as source in the Utilities directory, including Visual Studio 2005 and 2008 projects for building the runtime into a library for use in applications. Features include effect cloning for multithreaded operation, the new shader stages, unordered access views, interfaces, and extended user-defined state control,” the company stated.

In addition, the August 2009 DirectX 11 SDK offers a variety of new and enhanced samples for developers to leverage. The update introduces: Basic Samples, Shadow Techniques, Compute Shader, Tessellation, BC6H/BC7 Texture Compression, DDS File Format, Direct3D 10.1, Windows 7 Touch Messages, and Games for Windows Showcase S.6 (Direct3D 10 Sample).

“Included in the August 2009 DirectX SDK is the D3DCSX library, which includes new technologies for utilizing DirectCompute for advanced processing on the GPU. This first version includes implementations of scan and Fast-Fourier transform that utilize Direct3D 11 capable GPUs. Scan is a data-parallel algorithm for fast calculation of averages, sums, min, max, and other values from large data sets. The Fast-Fourier transform provides conversion from temporally sampled data to frequency information,” Microsoft added.

August 2009 DirectX Software Development Kit is available for download here.

Tags: 3d, Compression, DCSX, direct3d, Direct3D 11, directx, directx sdk, DXGI, effect, FXC, Game, games, GPU, Hardware, Kit, Microsoft, sdk, Software, software development kit, update microsoft, Windows, Windows 7

Vista SP2 Application Compatibility Update

Jason — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:06:10 +0000

Microsoft is constantly tending to the evolution of its Windows client and server platforms, not only through major upgrades, such as service pack releases, but also through minor updates made available through the Windows Update infrastructure. It is the case of the latest application compatibility update for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. The refresh is currently served through WU, but as of August 25th, 2009 the bits can also be grabbed as standalone download via the Microsoft Download Center. If you don’t want to use WU to grab the August 2009 Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Application Compatibility Update simply use the links at the bottom of this article.

“Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update is a software update that addresses common application compatibility issues in Windows Vista. Microsoft regularly releases application compatibility updates for Windows Vista and for Windows Server 2008,” Microsoft noted.

The Redmond company explained that Application compatibility updates were designed to introduce modifications in the way Vista and in Windows Server 2008 were dealing with various programs that posed incompatibility problems. In this regard, the compatibility refreshes can either hard block apps, preventing applications with known compatibility problems from running in Vista and Windows Server 2008. When it comes down to third-party programs, the developer needs to give Microsoft its consent for a hard block.

A soft block only provides users with a notification that incompatibility problems exist with a certain app. In addition, Microsoft can also introduce updates that would kick up a notch the functionality of certain apps in Vista.

The Redmond company has been releasing Vista compatibility updates since the operating system became available. However, the August refresh is the first that is designed to integrate with the second service pack for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

Below you will be able to find a list with all the applications included in the August 2009 update:

- Adds a hard block for Eusing Free Registry Cleaner to prevent users from deleting the registry value of the Software Licensing Service (Slsvc.exe) image path.

- Adds a soft block when users try to upgrade Windows Server 2003 together with the Active Directory Management Gateway Service to Windows Server 2008.

- Adds help messages for Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005 when Microsoft Forefront Client Security (FCS) is installed.

- Adds a hard block for the prerelease version of Hyper-V to prevent users from upgrading Windows Server 2008 together with the prerelease version of Hyper-V to Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (SP2).

- Adds a block for Microsoft Zune to prevent users from trying to upgrade Windows XP to Windows Vista for Zune 4.0.

Download links:

Update for Windows Server 2008

Update for Windows Vista

Update for Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems

Update for Windows Vista for x64-based Systems

Update for Windows Server 2008 x64 Edition

Tags: application compatibility, compatibility, compatibility issues, compatibility problems, download, Microsoft, service pack 2, software update, upgrade windows, Windows Server 2008, windows update, windows vista

Vista SP2 and XP SP3 Get Windows 7’s AutoRun

Jason — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:25:00 +0000

Even before the release of Windows 7 Release Candidate Build 7100 Microsoft announced that it would take extreme measures in order to increase end user protection and amputate the AutoPlay/AutoRun feature of the operating system. Over a months after Windows 7 has been released to manufacturing, Microsoft is applying the same security strategy to previous Windows releases. The Redmond company is making sure that the amputated AutoPlay/AutoRun in Windows 7 will make its way to Windows XP (including SP3), Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista (including SP2), and Windows Server 2008, for security reasons.

In this regard, Microsoft has already made available an update designed to limit the AutoPlay/AutoRun functionality in Windows 7’s precursors. Essentially, following the implementation of the refresh, the AutoPlay/AutoRun will no longer display the “Install or run program” option for USB drives.

“In Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2003, AutoRun entries were populated for all devices that had mass storage and had a validly formatted AutoRun.inf file in the root directory. This included CDs, DVDs, USB thumb drives, external hard disks, and any volume that exposed itself as mass storage. This update disables AutoRun entries in AutoPlay, and displays only entries that are populated from CD and DVD drives. Effectively, this prevents AutoPlay from working with USB media,” Microsoft explained.

Back at the start of 2009 the Conficker worm was making a rampage, spreading at a fast pace, and having already infected millions of computers. One of the preferred methods of self-spreading for the worm was to infect removable devices, including USB drives. When a compromised USB drive was inserted into a new machine, a malformed variant of the AutoPlay/AutoRun dialog box would pop up. In this case, the end users were presented with two “Open folder to view files” options that appeared similar. However they were anything but that.

As you can see from the screenshot on the left, only the bottom “Open folder to view files” option actually opens up the contents of the USB and allows access. Clicking on the first “Open folder to view files” option would instead “install and run program” namely the virus that had infected the USB, also compromising the computer.

“Users who install this update will no longer receive a setup message that prompts them to install programs that are delivered by USB flash drives. Users will have to manually install the software. To do this, users click Open folder to view the files, browse to the software’s Setup program, and then double-click the Setup program to run the program manually,” the company added. “Some USB flash drives have firmware that present these USB flash drives as CD drives when you insert them into computers. These USB flash drives are not affected by this update.”

- Update for Windows Server 2008 (KB971029)

- Update for Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems (KB971029)

- Update for Windows Server 2008 x64 Edition (KB971029)

- Update for Windows Vista (KB971029)

- Update for Windows Vista for x64-based Systems (KB971029)

- Update for Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition (KB971029)

- Update for Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems (KB971029)

- Update for Windows Server 2003 (KB971029)

- Update for Windows XP (KB971029)

Tags: autoplay, autorun, hard disk, Microsoft, usb flash drive, Windows, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, windows vista, Windows Vista SP2, windows xp, windows xp sp3

Tweak and Speed Up Windows Vista

Jason — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:03:59 +0000

Windows vista has lot more to offer when it comes to new features with enhanced user friendliness and other accessibility features being talked about in comparison with other previous versions of windows like windows 2000 and windows xp.Unlike previous Microsoft operating systems, Windows Vista is streamlined specifically according the needs of various types of users.

But when we talk about the resource consumption and their utilization it always need a lot of cpu and other memory to carry out even the simple operations like copying a file ,playing a video as compared to windows xp( Which according to me is the most stable and fast operating system by microsoft ever).

Today I going to share some crucial tips required to make windows vista as faster as windows Xp…

Follow the steps below to make your windows vista faster…

1. Disable the Aero Theme

Aero theme which is wonderful but a slow theme as the graphic effects consume a lot of memory which in turn makes other applications to run slower in vista.

How To disable Aero Theme:

a. Right click on the desktop > Personalize

b. Select one of the available theme i prefer windows vista classic but if you find it worse go for windows vista basic.

2. Increase the File Copy Speed in windows vista

One of the solutions to make file copying operations faster is to disable and remove the Remote Differential Compression feature in Vista.

How To disable Remote Differential Compression:

a. Open Control Panel and in the Programs node

b. In the Uninstall or Change a Program window, click on the Turn Windows Features On or Off link.

3. Disable TCP Autotuning Feature in windows vista

a. Click Start and type CMD.
b. Press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER to open the command Prompt with Administrative rights.
c. At the prompt in the Administrator: Command Prompt window, type the following command,(with out double quotes).
d. “netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled”
e. and then press ENTER:

4. Disable Indexing in windows Vista

Disable unnecessary indexing of files or folders

a. Open Indexing Options from the Control Panel.

b. Next, in the Indexing Options window, click Modify.

c. Now uncheck all the checkboxes you see, and leave just the start menu.

5. Turn Windows Features on or off

Some programs and features that are included with Windows, such as Internet Information Services, must be turned on before you can use them. Certain other features are turned on by default, but you can turn them off if you don’t use them. Disable Unneeded Features :

a. Open the Control Panel, click Programs,

b. click Turn Windows features on or off in the Programs and Features section.

Tags: command, command prompt, faster, Internet, Microsoft, speed, TCP, tweak, Windows, windows vista, windows xp

9 steps to get the maximum Windows Experience Index score

Jason — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:40:37 +0000

1. ACCURATE SCORE

Make sure you have an accurate WEI score. Follow our advice to optimise your PC, then close down all open applications and run the test again.

2. PERFORMANCE TWEAKS

If your CPU score is over 5 then overclocking, while risky, might help you reach the maximum. Check your BIOS setup program and documentation for advice.

3. FIND A REPLACEMENT

Upgrading your CPU may deliver the best results. Check your motherboard manufacturer’s web site to see which CPUs it supports, then comparison-shop at uk.shopping.com.

4. CHECK SPEEDS

Can this processor really deliver a 5.9? Visit shareyourscore.com/ ComponentScores.aspx to see how it performs on other people’s systems.

5. RAMP UP YOUR RAM

Tweaking memory timings in your BIOS setup program may deliver an extra point or two, but can also make your system unstable. Be very careful.

SOURCE AND MORE : http://www.hitsgarden.com/how-to-get-the-holy-grail-of-windows-vista-and-windows-7/

Tags: bios setup, index score, manufacturer, overclock, pc, Performance, performance tweaks, speed, tweak, tweaking, tweaks, Windows, Windows 7, windows experience, windows vista

Vista SP2 and XP SP3 Critical Updates

Jason — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:20:17 +0000

Microsoft released no less than eight security bulletins for the various supported releases of Windows client and server operating systems, including for the latest service packs of Windows Vista and Windows XP. Out of the total of patch packages impacting Windows, half feature a maximum severity rating of Critical, with the remaining four being rated as Important. The security updates are available through Windows Update since August 11, 2009, and customers are advised to deploy the patches as soon as possible in order to bulletproof their systems against attacks.

“Of note, Microsoft released MS09-043 to help protect customers from attacks on the Office Web Components vulnerability previously addressed by Security Advisory 973472. I also wanted to let you know that MS09-037 addresses five privately reported vulnerabilities in Microsoft Active Template Library (ATL). Security Advisory 973882 has been updated with a reference to MS09-037. Additionally, Microsoft has released Security Advisory 973811 to include a non-security update that enables new protection technology on the Windows platform,” revealed Christopher Budd, security response communications lead for Microsoft.

In total, Microsoft patched 15 security holes in various Windows releases. As far as Windows XP is concerned, users will need to deploy MS09-044, MS09-038 and MS09-037, all rated Critical. XP is also impacted by three Important security bulletins, namely MS09-041, MS09-040 and MS09-042. For Windows Vista three Critical security updates have been made available: MS09-044, MS09-038 and MS09-037, two Important MS09-040, MS09-036, and two Moderate MS09-042 and MS09-041. It’s worth mentioning that not all the security bulletins enumerated above apply to select Service Pack releases of Vista and XP.

Microsoft also “re-released two bulletins this month to address known issues with MS09-029 and to include additional updates for MS09-035. Specifically, the re-release of MS09-035 offers new updates for Visual Studio 2005 SP1, Visual Studio 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 SP1. For more information on this specific re-release, see Knowledge Base Article 969706 and Security Advisory 973882,” Budd added.

Tags: Important, Microsoft, patch, patches, Security, security advisory, security bulletins, security response, security update, security updates, SP3, specifically, updates, vulnerabilities, vulnerability, Windows, windows update, windows vista, windows xp, xp sp3

Install Windows 7 Alongside Windows Vista for a Dual Boot System

Jason — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:46:14 +0000

It’s always a bit tricky to beta test a new operating system. Most of us don’t have an abundance of extra hardware just sitting around, and it can be both time consuming and risky to rebuild your production machine with a pre-release version of the next OS.

But with Windows 7, it’s pretty easy to beta test on the machine you’ve already got. Hard drives have gotten much larger and much less expensive, and if you’re running Windows Vista, you already have built-in functionality to help you create a separate partition for testing.

To get started, open the Disk Management section of the Computer Management console on your Windows Vista machine. You can access this by clicking Start | Run and entering compmgmt.msc. Right-click your current system partition, likely labeled C:, and select Shrink Volume. Windows will query the disk for the amount of available space. You’ll probably want at least 20-30gigs of free space so you’ll have enough room for the Windows 7 beta installation, some data, and a few applications.

Just remember that not all free space on your drive will be available as shrink space. Windows reserves space on your system volume for items such as the page file, hibernation file, System Restore points, and so on. If you need to create more available shrink space, consider temporarily disabling these features. Just don’t forget to re-enable them once you’re done! If you still need to free up more shrink space, consider a thorough defragmentation of your drive. This helps by organizing file fragments on the disk, especially such system files as the Master File Table, which may be blocking available space.

Once you’ve allocated the desired amount of space, just click the Shrink button. Windows will create a new partition out of the free space you’ve allocated, all without even having to reboot.

When you’re ready, and have made sure you have a good backup of your data (just in case), simply boot to your Windows 7 beta DVD. When prompted, select your new, blank partition as the destination for your Windows 7 beta installation. Windows Setup will automatically detect your existing Windows Vista installation and create a boot menu that will allow you to select which OS you want to boot when starting the system. You can continue to use your production Windows Vista installation without having to migrate any data and still take the Windows 7 beta for a spin!

Tags: backup, Computer, computer management, defragmentation, disk management, dual boot, fragments, functionality, Hardware, hibernation, reboot, restore, system, Volume, Windows, Windows 7, windows setup, windows vista

Supersize PC gaming with Windows Vista

Jason — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:22:54 +0000

Microsoft’s latest operating system was built with the PC gamer in mind.

Every copy of Windows Vista includes DirectX 10, a set of software instructions that make photorealistic visuals run incredibly smoothly. And for the first time, PC gamers can engage in online matches against Xbox 360 players.

- Sign up for a Games for Windows Live Gold account and create a Live ID for playing online. (If you already have an Xbox Live Gold account and Gamertag, then skip this step. You can use the same account on your PC.)

- Start your Live-enabled game.

- Sign in using your Live ID when prompted.

- Access the game’s multiplayer mode to find a match to join or invite friends to play.

You can also find and launch your games more easily with the Games Explorer, which is accessible from the Start menu. Games Explorer lets you organize your collection, view box cover art and check your system’s technical specifications to ensure it can handle new games. Click Start > All Programs > Games > Games Explorer.

Finally, Windows Vista Parental Controls let Mom and Dad decide which games their kids can play. A game rated Mature, for example, might be password-protected for a 12-year-old.

To set up these restrictions, the administrator (a parent) can click on the Gaming options under Parental Controls and check off installed games unsuitable for kids. Select which ESRB -rated games are okay to play (such as Everyone 10+), or block games with violence or foul language. Children will be prompted for a password if they try to launch a game with questionable content. Parents can even select how much time children are allowed on the computer, even if there’s no one home to supervise.

I don’t want my girls, who play games on some web sites, to accidentally click and end up somewhere I don’t want them to be,” explains Peter Near from Milton, Ont. “As they grow up and move from online games to computer games on a CD, I intend as a parent to use the Parental Controls in Vista to help with choosing and running appropriate games.

Tags: Computer, directx, DirectX 10, Game, gamer, games, gaming, Live, Microsoft, Operating system, pc gamer, tips, tricks, Windows, windows vista, Xbox, xbox 360, xbox live, xperience

PC Tips Box » Windows Vista

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