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Researchers said Windows XP Service Pack 3 delivers a measurable performance boost when compared to Windows XP with Service Pack 2.Windows XP runs some applications up to 10% faster with the latest service pack installed, a research firm has found. "We were pleasantly surprised to discover that Windows XP Service Pack 3 (v.3244) delivers a measurable performance boost to this aging desktop OS," wrote staff at exo.performance.network, in a blog post. The researchers found that a PC loaded with Microsoft's XP SP3 completed the OfficeBench test suite in less than 50 seconds. A similarly configured system running Windows XP with...

Summary: Microsoft are disabling WebDAV access to all hotmail.com accounts. This means Hotmail Pop Links and Outlook Express access to hotmail.com accounts will stop working at the end of June 2008. {snip} ...Microsoft have changed to using a new protocol. Rather than offering an open and standard protocol such as POP or IMAP, they’re using a new one they call DeltaSync for their live.com and new hotmail.com accounts. This protocol is not an open or standardised protocol. It’s a Microsoft proprietary one and only works with their Windows Live Mail, Vista Mail and Outlook Office Outlook Connector.

I Just installed XP3. System seems okay.

If you didn’t have your calendar marked this day (04/29/2008) is an important day; the third service pack for Windows XP has been released to Windows Update today. It may not be trickling down just yet but several sites have already posted manual updates that can be downloaded. DailyTech reports that Microsoft hasn’t yet posted an official download for SP3 but BetaNews does have a download link that goes straight back to Windows Update. Windows XP SP3 is more than just a regular Service Pack including more than 1,100 hotfixes/patches which has new features such as Network Access Protection and...

I have learned over a long-time here that there are many incredibly gifted folks who occasionally pass time here at FR; now I am in need of some help on a technology question.

I'm running IE on VISTA with Adobe Flash Player. The only consistent problem I have is videos. They freeze up. Right now I'm trying to watch my nephew playing Amen Corner at the Masters and it's driving me CRAZY! Earlier, I uninstalled Flash Player and reinstalled. Didn't help a bit. Anyone have any suggestions?! Thx

The User Account Control in Windows Vista improves security by reducing application privileges from administrative to standard levels, but UAC has been widely criticized for the nagging alerts it generates. According to oneMicrosoft (NSDQ: MSFT) executive, the annoyance factor was actually part of the plan. In a Thursday presentation at RSA 2008 in San Francisco, David Cross, a product unit manager at Microsoft who was part of the team that developed UAC, admitted that Microsoft's strategy with UAC was to irritate users and ISVs in order to get them to change their behavior."The reason we put UAC into the platform...

TheStreet.com Video - Microsoft's Vista OS is just plain awful, says Michael Comeau. (Contains some profanity. Viewer discretion is advised.)

The researchers damn Windows in current form, urge radical changes Calling the situation "untenable" and describing Windows as "collapsing," a pair of Gartner analysts yesterday said Microsoft Corp. must make radical changes to its operating system or risk becoming a has-been. In a presentation at a Gartner-sponsored conference in Las Vegas, analysts Michael Silver and Neil MacDonald said Microsoft has not responded to the market, is overburdened by nearly two decades of legacy code and decisions, and faces serious competition on a whole host of fronts that will make Windows moot unless the software developer acts. "For Microsoft, its ecosystem...

Excerpt - Microsoft’s Windows juggernaut is collapsing as it tries to support 20 years of applications and becomes more complicated by the minute. Meanwhile, Windows has outgrown hardware and customers are pondering skipping Vista to wait for Windows 7. If Windows is going to remain relevant it will need radical changes. That sobering outlook comes courtesy of Gartner analysts Michael Silver and Neil MacDonald. Half of a full room of IT managers and executives raised their hands when asked whether Microsoft needed to radically change its approach to Windows. “Windows is too monolithic,” says Silver. ~ snip ~

Researches have unearthed what they say is the biggest botnet ever. It comprises over 400,000 infected machines, more than twice the size of Storm, which was previously believed to be the largest zombie network. Machines from at least 50 Fortune 500 companies have been observed to be running the malicious software that's at the heart of "Kraken," the botnet that security firm Damballa has been tracking for the last few weeks. So far, only about 20 percent of the anti-virus products out there are detecting the malware. Just as a con artist might throw off detectives by changing his hair...

Microsoft said today it will continue to sell Windows XP Home beyond its scheduled June 30 kill-date for the emerging class of "ultra-low-cost PCs," or ULCPCs. The operating system has been granted a reprieve until mid-2010, but only for the diminutive laptops such as the Asus Eee PC and Intel Classmate PC which lack the hardware necessary to run Windows Vista adequately. The cut-off date for XP licenses in mainstream boxes remains the end of June, 2008. Free live support and warranty-based technical support will dry up next April. After that, customers need to pay for phone support until April...

Symantec, Windows users beset by Vista SP1 flaws By Tom Espiner, ZDNet UK Monday, March 24, 2008 10:56 AM Security vendor Symantec has said that updated drivers to replace those adversely affected by Windows Vista Service Pack 1 are not yet available. The company said users will have to wait for the updated drivers, which will be available "in the coming weeks". The drivers in question are for Endpoint Protection and Network Access Control, two of Symantec's flagship enterprise security products. Microsoft released Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) to Windows Update on Tuesday. However, in the Vista team blog, Vista...

According to Microsoft's timeline, XP is on its way to becoming an ex-operating system. The approaching death of Windows XP may upset you, but it shouldn't come as a surprise. Microsoft Corp.'s product life-cycle guidelines have foretold the fate of XP since 2001. In fact, Microsoft has been killing off one version of a product as it is replaced with another for years now. But this time around, the approaching demise of XP is getting more attention than, say, the final passing of Windows 2000. Why? For a couple of reasons: XP is the most widely used operating system on...

Sony has begun offering Fresh Start, a controversial practice to clean its systems of unnecessary software. Initially available only with the VAIO TZ ultraportable, the option removes both VAIO-specific programs as well as games and other trial software. The practice is meant to "free up valuable hard drive space and conserve memory and processing power" before the system ever leaves the factory, according to Sony. However, the offer has already received criticism for its $50 cost, which lifts the price of the system despite restoring the performance that would be present with a default installation of Windows. The practice has...

For the first time in ages, the sale of new PCs with Windows as a percentage of the PC market is declining sharply. The new winner is the Mac, but, while no one does a good job of tracking the still-new, pre-installed Linux desktop market, it's also clear that Linux is finally making impressive inroads into Windows' once unchallenged market share. The Mac numbers are especially revealing. NPD, a global market research company, has revealed that Apple's share of the U.S. computer market jumped to 14 percent in February 2008. This was up from 9 percent in February 2007. In...

SEATTLE (AP) -- A major package of updates and security fixes for Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Vista operating system will be available for download Tuesday, according to Amazon.com Inc.'s Web site. The retailer is selling copies of Vista without the service pack and advising customers that they can download the free SP1 upgrade starting Tuesday. Amazon is also taking pre-orders for boxed copies of Windows Vista Service Pack 1, which it said it will start shipping Wednesday. In an e-mailed statement, Microsoft said it is on track to release SP1 in mid-March. The software maker acknowledged Amazon's claim that the upgrade...

However, persons still operating legacy servers such as Windows 2000 were dismayed to learn that Microsoft was sticking to its guns regarding their Windows 2000 EOL(End of Life). Hotfixes were made available for Windows XP and Server 2003, but the Windows 2000 hotfix (which does exist) has not seen public release. In order to obtain it, one must order it from their Microsoft Account Manager. I believe the current list price is $4000 for a site license to use the hotfix - a large sum for a systems administrator looking to update a small amount of servers.

My computer is infested with this crap and I can't get rid of it. None of the free services can solve the problem, and I might even pay for such a service, except that all of them seem to be just folks willingly to take advantage of you and charge you more money, and possibly infect you more. Has anyone here seen this? How should I and anyone else deal with this?

Just spent my weekend dealing with new computers for the kids that have Vista installed. I found this short video that I think that all of you who have experienced Vista will appreciate. http://blip.tv/file/340692/

When I think about what works really well in open source development and technology, the following things stand out: Modular architectures, Programming language agnostic, Feedback-driven development, Built-for-purpose systems, Sysadmins who write code, and Standards-based communication.

Class Action Suit Airs Intel and Microsoft's Vista Dirty Laundry Jason Mick (Blog) - February 29, 2008 1:07 PM One of the most iconic images of Microsoft's Windows Vista launch in January 2007 was the small "Windows Vista Capable" stickers on computers months before, reassuring customers that when the new operating system came out, their computers could be updated to the latest and greatest. Unfortunately for the consumer it appears that the capabilities that these stickers promised were intentionally exaggerated to benefit Microsoft and chipmaker Intel. A class action suit filed against Microsoft in April 2007 accused Microsoft of intentionally...

Ric Weiland, who helped his friends Bill Gates and Paul Allen launch Microsoft, was a quiet philanthropist. But his final gift has provided one of the most powerful financial boosts ever to the gay-rights movement. Weiland has left $65 million to the Pride Foundation in Seattle and 10 nonprofit organizations, believed to be the largest estate gift ever given to the gay and lesbian community in the U.S. His generosity didn't stop there. Weiland left $160 million, the majority of his estate, to charity. That includes a gift to Stanford University estimated to be worth $60 million, which the university...

I got an interesting problem with Microsoft Office 2007 that I need to find out if anyone else has seen. I've been running Office 2003 for quite some time now and it does what I need it to do. One of these days I'm going to try using Linux but that's a ways off. My job at a military base is making it mandatory to use Office 2007. Why the military is pushing Vista and Office 2007 I'll never know because it causes all kinds of headaches with our XP programs. I decided to get the Home Use Office 2007...

I love my Xbox 360s, I think Popfly rocks (Silverlight will bring much needed competition to Flash). Plus, I canÂ’t live without Exchange and its server-side rules. I love my Microsoft mouse more than any other mouse in the world. Surface looks totally awesome, too. Microsoft does some amazing things - very amazing things. My choice, however, for a primary desktop operating system is no longer Windows - itÂ’s Mac OS X. Duh. ItÂ’s rather difficult to admit that officially, if only because well, I think Microsoft does amazing things. TheyÂ’ve also been quite supportive of my own efforts over...

Quoting extensively from internal Microsoft Corp. e-mails, plaintiffs' lawyers argued Friday that the company knowingly misled consumers by allowing PC makers to emblazon "Windows Vista Capable" stickers on PCs that could run only the most bare-bones version of the operating system. The new documents are the latest development in a lawsuit filed against Microsoft last year, charging that the company deceived consumers into thinking that the PCs they were buying could run Vista's most highly promoted features, even when they couldn't. The slogan was part of a campaign by Microsoft to maintain sales of Windows XP computers during the 2006...

One of the “big� features discussed in early speculation of Windows Vista SP1 was the kernel upgrade, which was supposed to bring the operating system into line with the Longhorn kernel used in Windows Server 2008. And yet with Vista SP1 going RTM, there hasn't been so much as a peep from Microsoft about the mooted kernel update. Has it happened?

I want to start by telling a story. Bare with me. Once upon a time there was a software engineer. He wrote code, windows code, embedded firmware. He was happy. Then one day a new project is put before him, a project unlike any other he had encountered. It was going to require all new hardware, and the features, wow. Something like this is going to require a full blown Operating System not the usual rinky dink assembly program. Research leads to the inevitable conclusion, Linux. Further Research leads to a graphical toolkit called Qt A request was made and...

Ha! No Windows 7 in 2009 Tue Jan 29, 2008 11:25AM EST Sorry folks, but the news seemed a little too good to be true and the celebrations were a bit premature: Windows 7, Microsoft's follow-up to the overwhelmingly hated Windows Vista, probably won't arrive in 2009 as was previously rumored. Says Microsoft: Windows 7 has not even begun development, and when it does, it will take three years to finish. The Inquirer is pegging a real release date at 2011... at the earliest. (Which is especially sad, since 2010 was the formerly rumored release date.) Of course, that would...

WHAT’S the best-selling notebook computer on Amazon.com? If you guessed the new MacBook Air, guess again. Five of the 10 best-selling notebooks, including the top three models this weekend do not run Windows or Mac OS X. In fact, they are different models of the same diminutive notebook the Asus Eee PC—that runs on Linux. The significance of this development is easy to miss, particularly if you have your head buried in the Windows or Mac OS X world. (The other five models on Amazon’s list over the weekend were versions of the MacBook; there were no Windows machines in...

I run Ubuntu on several machines. 7.04 Feisty, 7.10 Gutsy, and 8.04 Hardy, running Gnome on all. I'd like to hear viewpoints on the merits, or lack of merits, on the various Desktops others use and have experience with.

Security researchers yesterday said they'd discredited Microsoft's claim that the year's first critical Windows vulnerability would be "difficult and unlikely" to be exploited by attackers. On Tuesday, Immunity Inc. updated a working exploit for the TCP/IP flaw spelled out Jan. 8 in Microsoft's MS08-001 security bulletin, and posted a Flash demonstration of the attack on its Web site. The exploit, which was released to customers of its CANVAS penetration testing software -- but is not available to the public -- was a revised version of code first issued two weeks ago. "This demonstrates conclusively that the MS08-001 IGMPv3 vulnerability is...

Microsoft released Windows Vista to the world one year ago with ads likening the new PC operating system to such awe-inspiring moments as the first American spaceflight and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Charles Walling just wants it to work with his printer. The retired Seattle warehouseman has spent hours on the Dell tech support line, installed all the drivers and, yes, double-checked all the cords and plugs. No luck. The cause of the problem isn't clear, but Walling knows one thing: The same printer worked with Windows Vista's predecessor, Windows XP. "You can see the frustration," Walling said...

Please excuse the vanity, but I know many of you have very definite (and often informed) opinions about PC v. MAC. I have an opportunity to upgrade my home desktop and laptop with designated funds from work. In other words, somebody else’s money, enough to seriously soup up a Mac Pro desktop and a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air. If I choose PC, then I'll upgrade only my laptop. No need to upgrade my PC desktop - the drudgery of re-installing software far outweighs the little jump I'd make in PC desktop technology. If knowing about my PC use is...

"The KDE desktop environment is going cross-platform with support for the Windows and Mac OS X operating systems. In addition to porting the core KDE libraries and applications, developers are also porting popular KDE-based software like the Amarok audio player and the KOffice productivity suite. New KDE binaries for Windows were released yesterday and are now available from KDE mirrors through an automated installer program. The Mac OS X port is made available via BitTorrent in universal binary format."

Excerpt - A recently-release roadmap for the next major Window release – Windows 7 – indicates that Microsoft is planning to release the new operating system in the second half of 2009, rather than the anticipated release date of some time in 2010. There are apparently three “milestone” builds planned for 2008, and the first one – M1 – has already shipped to key partners for code validation. M1 is for the English language build only, but is available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Microsoft has announced that Windows 7 will most likely be the last Windows operating system...

I have a desktop computer with a printer attached. I also have a second computer, a laptop, that can use the desktop printer, via my wireless connection. Both use XP. They have the same workgroup name. I just added a second laptop, a Sony Vaio, which runs Vista. I checked the system parameters, and this Vaio has the same workgroup name. However, when I try to add a printer, it doesn't see the remote desktop-attached printer. I just downloaded, for the desktop computer, the LLTD Responder, from Microsoft. How can I get the Vista computer to see the desktop printer?...

Windows Vista, One Bad Year Later A year since the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft is cringing at the poor sales of the new operating system. It was initially touted as a landmark new development to reinvigorate the IT industry, prompting expectations of wide-ranging “Vista effects.” Instead, Apple’s new operating system, which now also works on PCs, is stealing the thunder. Microsoft has hurriedly responded by developing a new version of the old XP. ◆ Windows Vista flops According to market researcher Net Applications, Apple is enjoying the largest-ever share in the global operating system market with Leopard, the...

The KDE Community is thrilled to announce the immediate availability of KDE 4.0. This significant release marks both the end of the long and intensive development cycle leading up to KDE 4.0 and the beginning of the KDE 4 era.

Security experts are warning about a stealthy Windows virus that steals login details for online bank accounts. In the last month, the malicious program has racked up about 5,000 victims - most of whom are in Europe. Many are falling victim via booby-trapped websites that use vulnerabilities in Microsoft's browser to install the attack code. Experts say the virus is dangerous because it buries itself deep inside Windows to avoid detection. Old tricks The malicious program is a type of virus known as a rootkit and it tries to overwrite part of a computer's hard drive called the Master Boot...

We asked a simple question: what Microsoft product could have used a little more polish before release? The answer astounded us. We would just like to thank Bill Gates for his honesty and his openness.

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. might not be the unbeatable giant it once seemed to be, but Chairman Bill Gates made the case Sunday night that its technologies are becoming even more flexible and powerful as they seep into automobiles, Internet-based TV networks and living rooms. A few months away from leaving his daily duties at Microsoft to focus on his philanthropy, Gates used his traditional kickoff keynote at the International Consumer Electronics Show to highlight how Microsoft is extending the reach of its software beyond desktops and servers, and incorporating alternative inputs like voice and touch. "The first...

A flaw in Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)'s Windows Home Server could lead to data loss under certain circumstances, the company has confirmed. Windows Home Server, released over the summer, aims to offer home users centralized media storage and home backup capabilities for networked PCs. Microsoft last week updated a support document acknowledging that files edited using certain programs and then stored on Windows Home Server could become corrupted. "Microsoft is researching this problem and will post more information in this article when the information becomes available," the Microsoft help documentation explains. "Until an update for Windows Home Server is available, we...

As is my wont, I'm going to do another of my periodic updates on the usage of Firefox by PCWorld.com visitors, as shown in our Web analytics numbers. And since 2007 is practically over, I'll expand my report to look at some other notable numbers, too. First, let's look at browsers... 2007 has seen the first full year of competition between Internet Explorer 7--Microsoft's first sorta-modern browser--and the upstart known as Firefox. IE7 has steadily grown in usage over the year, going from around 24 percent usage to 37 percent today. But despite some predictions that it would strike a...

TOYMAKER Apple has decided that Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage is so wonderful that it is trying to patent something similar. Apple have been doing wonderful things this year to really miff its loyal fan base and it seems it wanted to close the year by nicking the thing that annoys even the most loyal Microsoft user.

The inaugural version of OpenDisc has hit the streets! Featuring major updates for FileZilla and OpenOffice, and new versions of Blender, ClamWin, Firefox, Pidgin and WinSCP. Also by popular demand the Tux Paint stamps package makes a return to the disc. As per usual printable disc covers and labels are included, but if you’d like to view them online simply visit the cover art section. Most importantly there are five new programs on OpenDisc 07.10, three of which were added due user suggestion; Dia, GnuCash and the ever-popular VLC are now featured, as is the streamlined Sumatra PDF and TrueCrypt.

December 26, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Microsoft Corp. has warned Windows Home Server users not to edit files stored on their backup systems with several of its programs, including Vista Photo Gallery and Office's OneNote and Outlook, as well as files generated by popular finance software such as Quicken and QuickBooks. "When you use certain programs to edit files on a home computer that uses Windows Home Server, the files may become corrupted when you save them to the home server," Microsoft said in a support document posted last week. The document went on to list the software, which includes Windows...

It’s official, manufacturers are starting to dump Windows XP support entirely and some new models won’t even have Windows XP drivers or any kind of support available, anywhere. One reader, “Mark” contacted us regarding installing Windows XP on his HP V6610 (AU) laptop which is the V6620 in the US. “Mark” said when he went to the HP driver/downloads section that very few Windows XP drivers were available for it and he was right, there were almost no useful drivers for the laptop there. His call to HP support didn’t get very far as “HP is no longer supporting Windows...

Anybody know? Walmart? Circuit City? Ain't got the patience for Vista.

The love-hate relationship between Microsoft and its users has always centered on the performance of its operating system. And during the past year, Windows Vista has given us reasons to be both positive and negative about the future of the PC. Before it came out in January, Vista got good reviews, though some critics complained Microsoft should have taken bigger steps to change the look and functions of Windows, much as it did with Office 2007. But as the year wore on, there were reports about bugs and security issues. And then came the insultingly titled book "Windows Vista Annoyances"...