Tag: Microsoft
October 08, 2009 by
Jason
For most PC users, the migration to Microsoft’s new version of Windows will go smoothly with a little preparation.
Spending a few minutes getting your system ready before you insert that Windows 7 installation disc may save you hours of troubleshooting and repair afterward.
- “If any of your products have a limit on the number of times they can be installed with the same serial number, you might be denied permission to install them as part of a fresh install of Windows 7. Most of the time, there’s nothing you can do about this. You just have to try the installation and hope that you’re under the limit.
“However, some software companies allow you to deactivate the serial number from your old computer and reactivate it when you reinstall. This keeps you under the limit. Adobe in particular does this. For example, in Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional, you can go to Help, Activation and click Deactivate. By doing this, you’ll stay under the limit and you’ll be able to reinstall the product.”
A reader who goes by the name Alrock discovered a couple of quirks when he used Microsoft’s Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor: Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
October 07, 2009 by
Jason Over a year ago, Microsoft revealed that it considered 15 seconds the ideal startup time for Windows 7 under laboratory conditions. While 15 seconds was half the time it took Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) to boot, some critics pointed that the 15-second boot was a pipe dream. Well, Windows 7 did manage to provide its fair share of surprises when it comes down to boot performance, and the latest involves a startup that takes just 10 seconds. Just watch the video embedded bellow in order to get an idea of just what is involved in getting from a cold boot to a fully functional Windows 7 desktop in just 10 seconds.
“At (…) Intel Developer Forum, a company called Phoenix debuted new BIOS technology that allows Windows 7 to boot up from black screen to desktop in only 10 seconds. Called “Instant Boot BIOS,” the Phoenix BIOS uses new UEFI technology to power on several system devices at once instead of one-by-one. It also runs only those processes that are necessary to hand control over from BIOS to OS,” revealed Channel 10’s Sarah Perez (initially reported by LaptopMag).
The boot speed improvements over Windows Vista became clear very early on in the development process of Windows 7, via the now famous boot drag race. Read More»
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October 07, 2009 by
Jason Confronted with increasingly bulletproofed Windows operating systems, the threat environment shifted toward targeting vulnerabilities in the code designed to run on top of the platform. With security enhancements such as User Account Control, Address Space Layout Randomization, Kernel Patch Protection and driver signing, but also with the new development methodology set in place via the Microsoft Security Development Lifecycle, vulnerabilities in Windows Vista and its successor Windows 7 have become harder to exploit, in the eventuality that attackers do come across critical security holes.
The biggest advantage in terms of security Vista and Windows 7 have over precursor Windows clients is the Security Development Lifecycle. And with the threat environment changing focus onto third-party Windows applications, Microsoft is ready to share the SDL secrets with third-party developers. An illustrative example in this regard is the Microsoft Security Development Lifecycle (SDL): Developer Starter Kit.
“The Microsoft SDL – Developer Starter Kit offers content, labs, and training to help you establish a standardized approach to rolling out the Microsoft Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) in your organization—or enrich your existing development practices,” Microsoft revealed.
Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
October 05, 2009 by
Jason Redmond-based software company Microsoft released several months ago its own solution aimed at offering Windows 7 RC users the possibility to enjoy compatibility with the older Windows XP operating system, the Windows XP Mode. Available for download initially in a beta flavor, the RC iteration of Windows XP Mode is currently up for grabs for those who installed the RC version of Windows 7, and is bound to become final in the near future.
A recent post on the Windows 7 Team Blog states that Windows XP Mode was released to manufacturing on October 1 and that the final version of the solution is expected to become available for download as soon as Windows 7 hits the market, on October 22, to be more precise. The RTM version of this solution is meant to offer OEMs the possibility to include the XP Mode within the PCs they will bring to the market, the post also notes.
“Windows XP Mode is designed to provide small business and mid-sized businesses running Windows 7 Professional (or higher) the ability to run Windows XP productivity applications that may not be natively compatible with Windows 7. We expect many Windows XP applications to be compatible [with] Windows 7 however Windows XP Mode is meant to serve as an added safety net so small and mid-sized businesses can migrate and run Windows 7 without any road blocks. Windows 7 Professional is designed to meet the needs of small and mid-sized businesses,” Brandon LeBlanc describes the software solution. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7, Windows XP | 1 Comment »
October 04, 2009 by
Jason
Following the same behavioral pattern as with the release of Windows Vista, software developers have striven to offer the masses the possibility to disguise Windows XP as Windows 7. There are plenty of freeware products on the market ready to emulate various features of the yet to be officially released operating system from Microsoft.
Seven Transformation Pack is the most prominent piece of software in the bunch, which has a tradition in making XP emulate the looks of ulterior operating systems launched by Microsoft. Vista Transformation Pack was created by the same developers and raked up positive attention. Also, there are various pieces of software dedicated to imitate different features in Windows 7, such as the new taskbar and system tray layout, Start Menu and even the font and icons, as well as the glass effect given by Aero theme.
SevenMizer is not a superset of all of the above, but comes with an extremely easy installation at the end of which you’re going to receive a makeover of the old, dusty XP look, turning it into a very close resemblance to the interface in Windows 7. The best part is yet to come: you don’t have to make any sort of configuration and what you see is all there is to know about the application. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7, Windows XP | No Comments »
September 27, 2009 by
Jason The final version of Microsoft’s Security Essentials (codename Morro), the basic security solution the Redmond company is working on delivering for Windows, is expected to become available in a matter of weeks, at least this is what the software giant announced on Sunday in a note sent to beta testers. The MSE solution should come to the company’s client as the replacement for Windows Live OneCare, which will end its life cycle as soon as the new security software arrives.
“The final version of Microsoft Security Essentials will be released to the public in the coming weeks. If you are running the older version of the beta (1.0.1407.0), we encourage you to upgrade to a newer version of the beta (1.0.1500.0),” is what Microsoft reportedly said to the participants to its beta testing program. Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 beta went live officially on June 23 this year, and we’ve already seen a series of updates leaked on the web and made available for download.
According to some estimations there are more than 400,000 beta testers for Morro out there, with 75,000 people downloading the Security Essentials during the first day of public availability, thus allowing Microsoft to reach its aimed number of testers in only a day. The final version of Microsoft’s new security solutions is expected to come to Windows users for free, offering them an alternative to paid antivirus software in case they are unable to purchase such a solution. Read More»
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September 27, 2009 by
Jason Windows 7 is set to come out through Microsoft’s gates as soon as October 22, and the Redmond-based company already fired up the machine to be prepared for the demand its client is expected to register from those users willing to upgrade to the new platform iteration as soon as it is available for purchase. There are some offers that students or families can benefit from, when they are upgrading from an earlier version of the OS, including Windows Vista or Windows XP, as well as a series of options aimed at businesses that plan on migrating to Windows 7.
For starters, we should mention the fact that those who plan on upgrading to Windows 7 will have to walk into a store to purchase the upcoming operating system, or head to the Microsoft Online Store to get their copy of the platform. The OS won’t be available for purchase prior to October 22, yet users can already place pre-orders for it on the aforementioned Online Store. Eligible college students can get Windows 7 for only $29.99 by visiting http://www.win741.com/, while the Windows 7 Family Pack Offer, available for a limited time come October 22, provides 3 Upgrade Licenses for $149.99.
As for the upgrade process in itself, things are different when it comes to Windows Vista and Windows XP users. Vista can be easily upgraded to Windows 7, yet users should note that their current edition of Windows Vista will only move to a corresponding edition of Windows 7. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
September 19, 2009 by
Jason The latest updates to DirectX resources from Microsoft have been tailored to the most recent iteration of the Windows client. In this regard, the Redmond company revealed that both DirectX End-User Runtimes (August 2009) and the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer come with support for Windows 7. Earlier this month, the software giant made available an update for the DirectX Software Development Kit (SDK) bringing to the table Direct3D 11, DXGI 1.1, Direct2D, and DirectWrite. The August 2009 (even though it was released in mid-September) DirectX SDK enables developers to build and distribute Direct3D 11 programs designed to play nice with DirectX 11 not only in Windows 7 but also in Windows Vista.
DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer – “provides updates to 9.0c and previous versions of DirectX — the core Windows technology that drives high-speed multimedia and games on the PC. Microsoft DirectX is a group of technologies designed to make Windows-based computers an ideal platform for running and displaying applications rich in multimedia elements such as full-color graphics, video, 3D animation, and rich audio. DirectX includes security and performance updates, along with many new features across all technologies, which can be accessed by applications using the DirectX APIs,” Microsoft noted. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
September 19, 2009 by
Jason Are you running an older computer with Windows Vista or Windows XP and looking to upgrade to the latest iteration of the Windows client once it becomes available on October 22nd, 2009? Then you need to know that Microsoft has done its best to streamline the evaluation process of existing machines when it comes down to Windows 7 upgrade readiness. All you have to do is download Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor and run it locally on the computer you’re looking to upgrade to Windows 7. A Beta development milestone of the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor is currently available via the Microsoft Download Center.
When it comes down to Windows 7 upgrades,meeting the hardware requirements is just a part of the equation. Fact is that more complex details are involved. And while it might be easy for end users to tell whether their system’s hardware configuration matches the Windows 7 requirements, when it comes down to application compatibility and device driver support, things are a tad more complicated. Except if you turn to the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.
“Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor scans your PC’s system, programs and devices to check if it’s able to run Windows 7. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
September 19, 2009 by
Jason
Windows 7’s evolution compared to Windows Vista is undeniable, and the lucky few that so far have had access to the RTM bits of the latest Windows client can confirm this. But fact of the matter is that even in Beta Build 7000 development stage, Windows 7 bested Vista, and the boot time performance drag race is an illustrative example in this regard. However, Windows 7 startup speeds manage to leave its precursor in the dust. Some of you might remember reading about the 11-second boot Windows 7 delivered in a demonstration courtesy of Ruston Panabaker, Microsoft’s principal program manager of strategic silicon partnering. (via PCMag and Beyond Binary)
Yes, Windows 7 booting in just 11 seconds. My first question was, what kind of computer was Panabaker running, for obvious, and geeky, reasons. So I went ahead, and shot an email to Microsoft asking for details about the hardware configuration of the 11-second Windows 7 boot machine. Here is the answer a company spokesperson provided me: “This was ran on a Quad-core 1.7 GHz Nehalem [Core i7] processor on a Calpella chipset, 2GB of memory, 80 GB Intel X25-M SSD (1st gen). In the set up, the log-in screen was turned off in the user control panel.”
However, the Microsoft representative noted that the 11-second boot represented just the startup time for Windows 7. “Note: BIOS post is in addition to this,” the company spokesperson added. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
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