Tag: SP1
February 13, 2009 by
Jason
With the advent of Windows 7, users are bound to upgrade from Windows XP and even Windows Vista to the next iteration of the Windows client. For some, even XP’s SP3 or Vista’s SP1 and SP2 will not be sufficient an incentive to keep them away from Windows 7. However, in order to ensure a smooth transition, preparation is key for both home users and corporate customers. Of course, as market segments go, home users will have an easy task awaiting them, while companies will go through complex and painful evaluation processes lasting as much as a year and a half. Still, planning ahead is the right way to go, when preparing to upgrade from Vista, XP and previous releases of Windows to Windows 7.
As with Windows Vista, the biggest issues concern hardware support and software compatibility. Microsoft is promising that by making Windows 7 version 6.1 the vast majority of hardware products and software solutions currently tailored to Vista will continue to work seamlessly with its successor. At the same time, the Redmond company is engaging hardware and software developers to get their device drivers and applications ready for Windows 7 in due time. Read More»
Posted in Windows 7 | No Comments »
January 14, 2009 by
Jason Update Vista’s DirectX9 files for better game compatibility
One of the fixes for getting games to run in Vista that do not normally (such as FEAR and 3Dmark06 as two examples) is relatively simple. These games require the latest version of Directx 9. Vista does not actually contain a full installation of Directx 9, just some elements for compatibility purposes. So, install Directx 9.
To install Directx 9c on Windows Vista:
step 1: Download the latest DirectX 9 redistributable file from Microsoft.com here.
step 2: Unzip the file into a folder on your desktop or in your documents.
step 3: Run the DXSETUP file.
step 4: You can delete the folder after the install has finished.
Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista | No Comments »
December 23, 2008 by
Jason With Christmas just around the corner, Microsoft is offering an early gift to PowerShell users. On December 22, 2008, the Community Technology Preview 3 bits for Windows PowerShell 2 went live on the Microsoft Download Center and are now available for download. According to the software giant, Windows PowerShell 2 CTP is designed to kick the level of the usage and usability up a notch compared to previous releases, namely Windows PowerShell 1.0, but also v2 CTP 2. Essentially, the evolution from Windows PowerShell v2 CTP2 to CTP3 is synonymous with enhancing the control and manageability offered by the solution over the Windows environment.
“This release brings, among other things, performance improvements. [...] Things will be faster/more efficient than before. PowerShell remoting now allows implicit remoting where command execution appears to be local even though they are remote,” Hemant Mahawar, program manager Windows PowerShell, revealed. Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista, Windows XP | No Comments »
November 06, 2008 by
Jason Microsoft issued a warning related to the detection of new examples of malicious code in attacks attempting to exploit a vulnerability affecting various Windows client and server releases. In October, the Redmond giant put out an out-of-band security patch designed to plug a vulnerability residing in the Server Service on Windows systems. According to the company, a successful exploit of the security flaw would lead to remote code execution. The patch was released on October 23, 2008, and will render attacks useless.
“We have seen some new pieces of malware attempting to exploit this vulnerability this week. And while so far, none of these attacks are the broad, fast-moving, self-replicating attacks people usually think of when they hear the word ‘worm,’ they do underscore the importance of deploying this update if you haven’t already,” revealed Security Response Communications Lead, Christopher Budd.
Budd indicated that Microsoft was seeing consistent deployments of the MS08-067 patch, and urged customers that had failed to update so far to do so as soon as possible. At the same time, Microsoft provided a list of malware built to exploit the Server Service vulnerability, including: Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista, Windows XP | 1 Comment »
September 05, 2008 by
Jason
Despite being different releases associated with the evolution of the Windows client, Windows XP and Windows Vista share not only common elements and components through their architecture, starting with the kernel, but also flaws in the source code.
In this context, the Service Pack 1 and respectively Service Pack 3 refreshes for the two operating systems have done nothing to break the intimate connection between the two products. An illustrative example in this situation are the new Critical updates Microsoft is wrapping up for the 32-bit and 64-bit Vista SP1 and XP SP3, designed to patch security vulnerabilities in the two operating systems.
Next week, on September 9, 2008, Microsoft will make available three security bulletins impacting both the latest service packs for Vista and XP. According to the Redmond giant, the updates will patch vulnerabilities in Windows Media Player 11, Windows Media Encoder 9 Series, and Windows itself. Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista, Windows XP | 1 Comment »
Desktops 1.0 from Sysinternals is designed to kick the flexibility of the Windows desktop up a notch. The solution to an overcrowded working space has always been simple, and Microsoft is by no means reinventing the wheel. What the Sysinternals utility will do, is allow the end users to stretch across no less than four desktops, delivering much precious real estate area. Users will subsequently be able to jump between desktops using either keyboard shortcuts or the tray icon.
“Desktops allows you to organize your applications on up to four virtual desktops. Read email on one, browse the web on the second, and do work in your productivity software on the third, without the clutter of the windows you’re not using. After you configure hotkeys for switching desktops, you can create and switch desktops either by clicking on the tray icon to open a desktop preview and switching window, or by using the hotkeys,” reads the tool’s description.
Of course that Desktops 1.0 can be downloaded to the desktop and integrated with the operating system. Or it can be run remotely via Live.Sysinternals.com. The tool will integrate seamlessly with both Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Service Pack 3. In addition to Desktops 1.0, which went live on August 21, Microsoft has also updated AutoRuns for Windows which has now reached version 9.33. Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista | No Comments »
In the first half of June 2008, when they gave a taste of the new features cooking for Internet Explorer 8 which are planned for integration starting with Beta 2, Jane Maliouta – IE Program Manager and James Pratt – IE Product Manager pointed out that IE8 would come with slipstream support by default. This is valid as early as the Beta 1 Build of Internet Explorer 8, but only with Windows Vista RTM, Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008. Microsoft has left Windows XP SP3 out of the IE8 slipstream equation, this is nothing new for XP, as slipstreaming was also not supported even with Internet Explorer 7.
“With IE8 and Windows Vista, you are able to integrate IE8 into the image file of the original operating system in about 15 minutes. No more booting the OS image, manually installing IE and re-capturing the image. The slipstreaming support also extends to IE8 cumulative updates and language packages. Slipstreaming IE8 into an OS image will only be supported on Vista and Windows Server 2008 platforms. Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 do not currently offer a solution for slipstreaming Windows components, which are built using update.exe,” Maliouta revealed. Read More»
Posted in Internet, Windows Vista, Windows XP | No Comments »
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 stand-alone packages may not bring to the table the updated SP1 Help documentation, but at the same time Microsoft is offering a much better deal to users of its latest Windows client planning to install the first service pack. One year’s worth of free Windows Vista SP1 support. This means that between March 18, 2008, and March 18, 2009, Vista users will be able to tap the Redmond company for unlimited installation and compatibility, free of charge. The move is a standard practice for Microsoft when it comes down to the Service Pack policy for all its operating systems. And in this context, it will also be made available for Windows XP SP3, once the third and last service pack for XP will be released.
All Vista users “needing technical support regarding your installation of Windows Vista SP1 – please go to the following URL and choose the bottom option that says ‘Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (All Languages).’ You have a variety of options you can choose for support – all of which will NOT cost you any support fee. I repeat: support for SP1 will NOT cost you anything – as long as you choose the correct option for support. We can only point you in the right direction in hopes of having your issue taken care of. However I am relaying as much feedback you give here to the folks internally at Microsoft regarding SP1 so your feedback is most certainly not falling on deaf ears. I will continue to relay feedback moving forward,” stated Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc. Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista, Windows XP | No Comments »
Windows Vista SP1 stand-alone packages do not contain the updated Windows Vista SP1 Help files.The updated Windows Vista Help file packages are named “Update for Help Files.”
These files are packaged separately for each language. The updated Help files have been excluded from the stand-alone SP1 packages to reduce the size of the packages. However, the updated Windows Vista Help files are contained in the retail and OEM versions of Windows Vista that include SP1. Therefore, if you perform a clean installation of a version of Windows Vista that includes SP1, you do not have to add an updated Help file. Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista | No Comments »
Everything else has not failed… Well, maybe the Wow… So, when on the remnants of the failed Wow, Microsoft is now bringing in the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 cavalry. With Mark Russinovich, Microsoft Technical Fellow in the Platform and Services division at the lead, the Redmond company offered the Springboard Live! Interactive Virtual Roundtable the past week. Keyword being live, at this point in time, you can consider that you missed it. But not entirely. You can no longer participate in the roundtable, and as such the interactivity label is nothing but a label, but you can access the entire event via this link.
“Join Mark Russinovich and a panel of experts for a live, interactive discussion on adopting Windows Vista into a desktop infrastructure. Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista | No Comments »
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