Windows 7 UAC – Control, Control, Control
In the next version of the Windows client, end users will be able to customize the level of nagging that the operating system generates via the User Account Control, revealed Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group, on behalf of the team building the feature. Sinofsky emphasized that, as early as Windows 7 pre-Beta Milestone 3 Build 6801, users of the operating system would be able to see a reduction in the volume of prompts associated with UAC.
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16.1.2009 Microsoft: Some Free Vista (+SP1) to Go Along with the Free XP SP2 Downloads?
Free downloads of Microsoft's operating systems have been made available throughout 2007, and the Redmond company is ready to take it one step further.
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5.2.2008 Vista Firewall Control
Thanks to hermanhlam for this post in our forum. Vista Firewall Control Protects your applications from undesirable network incoming and outgoing activity, controls applications internet access.
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28.3.2007 Sphinx - Vista Firewall Control 1.0.2
Due to looking for Sphinx software on this forum....this ended up being double posted. Thanks to hermanhlam and odeeee for this download.
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22.7.2007 FREE DOWNLOAD of Windows Vista RC1 now
Windows Vista RC1 introduces a breakthrough user experience and is designed to help you feel confident in your ability to view, find, and organize information and to control your computing experience.
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6.9.2006 Windows Vista VHD - Free Download
Thanks to odeeee for this download links. Windows Vista Enterprise is now available for IT professionals and developers with MSDN and TechNet subscriptions. In the coming weeks, Microsoft will start the Windows Vista Customer Preview Program (CPP) for developers and IT professionals who are not members of the subscription services.
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24.5.2007 Download Free Windows Vista Enterprise
Microsoft is offering Windows Vista Enterprise as a free download in combination with the Office 2007 Professional System.
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7.11.2007 Download Free, Pre-Activated Copies of Vista
Being the loyal adept of a business model based on proprietary software, a free operating system is not exactly something that Microsoft customers can expect from the company.
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18.6.2008 Free Vista SP1 Deployment Toolkit Available – Nothing for XP SP3
With Windows Vista Service Pack 1 having RTM'd on February 4, 2008, and out to the general public as of March 18, Microsoft has made available for download its free toolkit designed to streamline and automate the deployment of desktop and server operating systems.
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22.3.2008 Free Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 Test Drive
Microsoft has started pressing the acceleration pedal of the marketing of Windows Vista, now complete with Service Pack 1.
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11.6.2008 Windows Vista SP2 32 bits FREE download!
Thanks to portos for reporting this in the forum.
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25.10.2008 Download Free Vista and XP from Microsoft as VHD Images
Microsoft continues to offer free copies of its Windows Vista and Windows XP operating systems for download, in a tradition that started approximately a couple of years back.
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28.8.2009 XP SP3 and Vista SP1 Will Own Linux-Free Desktops until Windows 7
Even though with the advent of Windows Vista the open source community saw the ripe moment for Linux to strengthen its grip over consumer PCs, the fact of the matter is that Windows still holds a firm grip over the vast majority of desktops worldwide.
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20.4.2008 SyncToy 2.0 - Free XP SP3 and Vista SP1 Synchronization Tool
Microsoft has made available for download a free synchronization tool tailored to Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and to Windows XP Service Pack 3, but also to earlier versions of the two clients such as Vista RTM and XP SP2.
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18.8.2008 Turn Off or Disable User Account Control (UAC) in Windows Vista
User Account Control (UAC) is a new security feature in Windows Vista that requires all users to log on and run in standard user privileges mode instead of as administrator with full administrative rights, thus prevent unauthorized or accidental changes that could destabilize the computers or allows virus and malware to exploit the system-level privileges provided to the local administrator to attack the network security, compromise computer safety and privacy, and damage files and settings in the network.
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19.12.2006 Jim Allchin explains Windows Vista User Account Control
One of the most basic conundrums in computer security is the constant trade-off between security and usability. At the end of the day, if security is too complicated to use, then it simply won't be used.
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24.1.2007 Download Free Vista and XP SP3 via IE App Compatibility VPC Images
Since 2007, Microsoft has been offering free copies of Windows XP and Windows Vista for download, in order to make up for a handicap specific to the Windows client, namely the fact that two different versions of Internet Explorer cannot be installed and run simultaneously on the same operating system.
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30.12.2008 Windows 7 ActiveX Killbits
Microsoft has released two downloads containing ActiveX Killbits for the 32-bit and the 64-bit flavors of Windows 7 Release Candidate Build 7100.
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16.7.2009 Internet Explorer ActiveX update
Microsoft is releasing a software update to Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 for Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) and for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1).
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4.4.2006 Microsoft ActiveX Analyzer Tool
The ActiveX Analyzer Tool is designed to scan for and identify object, applet, and embed tags in code. The utility will output the complete file path, line number, and literal script that the tag(s) reside in so that the user can easily open the file and locate the code.
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29.4.2006 ActiveX Is Vulnerable to Attacks Even Without Vulnerabilities
Internet Explorer users are vulnerable to attacks targeting ActiveX, even when ActiveX is vulnerability-free, claims security company Symantec.
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11.8.2008 IE Automatic Component Activation - Changes to IE ActiveX Update
Back in April 2006, we made a change to how Internet Explorer handled embedded controls used on some webpages.
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9.11.2007 Vista SP1 RTM Is Available for Download
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RTM has been made available for download after the bits went gold on February 4, 2008.
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12.2.2008 Windows Vista SP1 Beta Available for Download in September
Via TechNet, not the pre-beta, but the actual Vista SP1 Beta! The first beta build for Windows Vista Service Pack 1 will be made available for download in September via TechNet. As of yet, Microsoft has failed to reveal the actual release date of the beta build for the service pack of Windows Vista. pacpis report this too in our forum.
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23.8.2007 Control Panel
EXCLUSIVE: Download the Vista SP1 Pre-Release Beta!
The limited Windows Vista Service Pack 1 pre-beta release made available to a select group of testers in mid July was leaked to torrent trackers and is free for the taking.
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11.8.2007 Windows Update spoof allows early download of Vista SP1
Ever since Vista was released, there has been discussion of when Microsoft would deliver SP1, and whether or not that delivery would be a significant milestone in the OS's development.
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17.10.2007 Hack Available to Download the Official Vista SP1 Straight from Microsoft
That's right! There is a hack available that will permit you to access, download and install the official release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 straight from Microsoft.
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17.10.2007 Windows Vista SP1 Release Candidate RC Available for Download
Making headway with the development of the first service pack for Windows Vista, Microsoft has made available for download a new testing milestone of the refresh. On November 14, 2007, the upcoming service pack for Vista evolved into the Release Candidate phase.
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15.11.2007 Download Free Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2 Straight from Microsoft
Via the Internet Explorer Application Compatibility VPC Image. That's right! Microsoft is offering access to free downloads of Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2.
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6.3.2008Remote Desktop Web Connection ActiveX Control Available
The downloadable Remote
Desktop Web Connection ActiveX
control provides most of the
same functionality as the full
Remote Desktop Connection
software; however, the Remote
Desktop Web Connection is
designed to deliver this
functionality over the Web.
The Web package
Setup program installs the
downloadable ActiveX control
and sample Web page on a
server running Internet
Information Services (IIS) 4.0
or later.
Supported Operating
Systems: Windows 2000; Windows
95; Windows 98; Windows NT;
Windows Server 2003; Windows
XP
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27.07.2007Vulnerability in the ActiveX Control for the Snapshot Viewer for Microsoft Access
Microsoft is investigating active, targeted attacks leveraging a potential vulnerability in the ActiveX control for the Snapshot Viewer for Microsoft
Access. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Web page. When a user views the Web page, the vulnerability
could allow remote code execution. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the logged-on user.
The ActiveX control for the Snapshot Viewer for Microsoft Access enables you to view an Access report snapshot without having the
standard or run-time versions of Microsoft Office Access. The vulnerability only affects the ActiveX control for the Snapshot Viewer for Microsoft
Office Access 2000, Microsoft Office Access 2002, and Microsoft Office Access 2003.
The ActiveX control is shipped with all
supported versions of Microsoft Office Access except for Microsoft Office Access 2007. The ActiveX control is also shipped with the standalone
Snapshot Viewer.
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07.07.2008Microsoft: Ask us and we'll kill your ActiveX control
Microsoft this week said it would lock down other vendors' software using Windows Update-delivered fixes if those companies ask Microsoft to help
stymy attacks. The company explained its efforts after being asked about a security update that disabled a vulnerable ActiveX control used by Yahoo's
music player program.
"If an independent software vendor discovers that they have shipped a vulnerable
control, they
should e-mail secure@microsoft.com to work with Microsoft to issue a kill bit, disabling that control," Tim Rains, a spokesman for the Microsoft
Security Response Center (MSRC), said in an e-mail.
winbeta.org - 10.04.2008
Microsoft Rolls Out IE6
ActiveX Change
Microsoft this week delivered
a long-awaited update for
Internet Explorer 6 that
changes the way the browser
loads embedded ActiveX
control. The modification
comes as part of an ongoing
patent dispute with Eolas
Technology and the University
of California...
betanews.com - 01.03.2006
Changes to UAC in Vista SP1: Much less than meets the eye
A video is making the rounds showing how Vista SP1 has significantly improved Vista's immensely annoying User Account Control (UAC). But there
appears to be less to the improvement than meets the eye --- hardly any changes were made to UAC in SP1, and it remains a very big Vista annoyance.
Microsoft blogger Michael Kleef has
made a video that he says illustrates how much better UAC is under SP1 than before SP1. It very nicely shows that when you create a new folder in
Program Files, you only need to go through one UAC prompt under Vista SP1, rather than four previously.
winbeta.org - 17.05.2008
Microsoft warns of serious IE exploit discovered
A very critical security vulnerability has been discovered without a fix for it yet. The exploit can hijack a computer remotely by the victim simply
visiting a compromised web site. The attack allows hackers to exploit a hole into the victims computer through Microsoft Video ActiveX Control. The
"zero day" vulnerability affects only Internet Explorer users through compromised web sites through part of its software used to play videos. The
exploit can only attack users running Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 within the msvidctl.dll file that hosts this ActiveX Control. Microsoft
recommends removing support for this ActiveX Control within Internet Explorer.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 07.07.2009
Vulnerability in ActiveX Data Objects
This morning, Microsoft's
Security Response Center
acknowledged the discovery of
a vulnerability affecting its
key ActiveX Data Objects
database control. It's
another way to overload
Windows so that malicious
users can possibly execute
restricted areas of binary
code...
betanews.com - 28.10.2006
Windows Vista SP1 Update Available via Microsoft OEM site
It looks like Microsoft has posted the final Vista SP1 bits to their OEM site which is accessible to anyone that registers. The file is a 1.13GB .img which combines the 32-bit and 64-bit update
executables into one image:
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) is now available for download. Windows Vista SP1 will deliver
improvements and enhancements to existing features that significantly impact customers, but it does not deliver substantial new operating system
features.
Download Windows Vista SP1 here. The download contains Window Vista SP1 for five languages: English, French, German,
Japanese, and Spanish. Note Additional languages will be available soon.
Once you download the Windows Vista SP1 package, you
will need to extract the appropriate .exe file for the language you wish to install.
winbeta.org - 12.02.2008
Office 2007 SP1 Update Availability Clarification
Bobbie Harder: Posting this as I've noted just a little bit of confusion with how Office 2007 SP1 is made available for download after it's release
yesterday. As you know, Office 2007 SP1 was released yesterday to Microsoft Update, and to WSUS as part of the Tues, Dec 11th release.
As planned, Office 2007 SP1 was not pushed via Automatic Updates. There has been some confusion where Windows Vista customers are seeing
Office 2007 SP1 listed as available with an option to install in their Windows Update control panel applet. The new Vista experience of the Windows
Update applet combines the convenience of the Microsoft Update site, by isting all applicable available updates, and the best of the Automatic
Updates behavior. This allows users to specify what update types they want to automatically download and install (and when), as well as combines the
interactive experience of the Microsoft Update site.
winbeta.org - 13.12.2007
Vista SP1 x86 appears on Torrent Sites
In the last few days, certain Neowin forum members have reported that an image of Vista SP1 x86 Final has leaked to torrent sites. This file is
supposedly a slipstreamed image of the final Service Pack 1 for Vista x86. It is allegedly available in various languages, including English. Since
many believe that this is indeed the download that Microsoft will provide in the upcoming weeks, I would like to emphasize that this is not the case.
This release is not official, nor is it genuine. I repeat: Vista SP1 has not gone final.
Neowin members are reporting that the file in
question may be SP1 Refresh 2 slipstreamed or simply a malware-filled release. I would like to remind our members not to post links to any Vista SP1
build, unless it comes directly from Microsoft’s servers.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 28.01.2008
Releasing Windows Vista SP1 for more languages
Chris Flores: It has been almost a month since we released Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Update in 5 languages. To date: millions of people have
successfully installed Windows Vista SP1 on their PCs. So we're happy to announce the next step for Windows Vista SP1 availability.
We are excited to report that today we are making Windows Vista SP1 available to folks running Windows Vista in any of the supported languages.
Starting today, users will be able to choose to manually install Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update or download the standalone installer from the
Microsoft Download Center (x86 and x64) for any of the 36 supported languages, not just English, Spanish, German, French, and Japanese. For now, it is available
for users who visit Windows Update or the Microsoft Download Center. We encourage most users to get Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update-which will
provide the best update experience.
winbeta.org - 16.04.2008
Why installing Vista SP1 might fail via Windows Update
When you try to install Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update you can get error: Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is not available for installation from
Windows Update and is not offered by Automatic Updates.
To help ensure a positive update experience, Windows Update will temporarily not
offer Windows Vista SP1 to systems that have the following device drivers. In some cases, these device drivers are problematic on Windows Vista-based
computers when you update to Windows Vista SP1. By installing updated device drivers, you will resolve the issue and enable Windows Update to offer
Windows Vista SP1.
Click read more to view a list of drivers that don't work well with Vista SP1:
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 20.03.2008
Vista SP1 Release Dates
Note that these are the same dates Tech ARP posted about a couple
weeks back...
zainnab: I get a lot of question as to when Vista Service Pack 1 will be out. Here is the answer I
received today:
March 18, 2008
SP1 available on Windows Update, Download Center, MSDN & TechNet
April 18, 2008
SP1 pushed via automatic download
winbeta.org - 01.03.2008
Windows Vista SP1 RC released to public
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RC is now available through Windows Update. Experience the WU based Vista SP1 installation by following 4 simple steps.
Windows Vista SP1 RC distributed through Windows Update will be applicable to Windows Vista machines that are running on any of the 36 languages
supported by Vista RTM.
If you already installed the Service Pack to your machine by using the standalone package, you must uninstall
before you scan Windows Update for Windows Vista SP1.
Systems running on Windows Vista RTM require as many as three updates before SP1 can
be installed. These updates are permanent to your Windows Vista systems. Windows Update will detect your system configuration and offer the
prerequisite packages that are applicable to your system.
neowin.net - 12.12.2007
Windows Vista SP1 released to Automatic Update.
Windows Vista users will now receive the SP1 via the Microsoft Automatic Update service, Microsoft has said.
"We're excited about the
progress we've made with Windows Vista Service Pack 1. On March 18th, Windows Vista SP1 was made available for customers who chose to manually
download and install it from the Microsoft Download Center or Windows Update in English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese. Last week, we made
the remaining languages available - giving WU users the ability to download and install Windows Vista Service Pack in any of 36 supported languages.
Today, we're happy to announce that we are beginning automatic distribution of SP1 in English, French, German, Spanish, and
Japanese."
neowin.net - 24.04.2008
Free support doesn't lead to new love for Vista SP1
Microsoft is working hard to nudge customers onto the Windows Vista bandwagon, offering free support to those migrating to Vista SP1. But IT
administrators continue to resist making the kind of aggressive deployments Microsoft would like to see across the board.
Microsoft released Windows Vista SP1 last week, complete with security fixes and other patches Microsoft produced between Vista's launch in early
2007 and the end of last year. Many Windows administrators delayed installing Vista until at least the first service pack. Administrators who tested Vista SP1 in beta gave it poor reviews.
Attitudes haven't changed much since the service pack's release last week.
winbeta.org - 27.03.2008
Windows Vista SP1 availability for technical customers
Mike Nash: On Monday (February 4th), we announced the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1). Overall, people are
excited to hear that we have reached this milestone, but some are disappointed they are not able to immediately download it.
<...> We've heard the feedback and I want to update you on our plans and progress for making SP1 available to our beta participants, our Volume
Licensing customers, and our MSDN/TechNet Plus subscribers:
- Late Friday we made SP1 RTM available to individuals and companies
who participated in the SP1 beta program
- At the end of this week we will be making the English version of Windows Vista SP1 available to
Volume Licensing customers. Other languages will follow soon after
- Later this month, SP1 will be available to MSDN and TechNet Plus
subscribers
For broad availability, we are still planning to release in mid-March, since we want to be sure that everyone has the
smoothest experience possible.
I want to be super-clear on one point: Windows Vista SP1 is final. It has been fully released to
manufacturing and we do not plan to make any changes to the SP1 code prior to public availability. We are confident in the quality of Windows Vista
SP1 and know that it will help improve our customers' experiences with Windows Vista.
winbeta.org - 11.02.2008
ActiveX Under Seige: Facebook, MySpace Image Uploaders Vulnerable
Web surfers are urged to immediately disable ActiveX controls from IE to protect against a swath of publicly reportedand unpatchedsoftware
vulnerabilities.
The US-CERT is urging Web surfers to immediately disable ActiveX controls from Internet Explorer to protect
against a swath of publicly reportedand unpatchedsoftware vulnerabilities.
The US-CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team)
recommendation follows the release of exploit code for multiple zero-day flaws in image uploaders used by Facebook and MySpace and bugs in the ActiveX
control that ships with the Yahoo Music Jukebox software.
winbeta.org - 05.02.2008
Photos: Installing Vista SP1 beta
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Earlier today I downloaded the standalone installer for Windows Vista SP1 build 6001.16659 and installed it on a few systems
to see what it was like -- and I thought you might like to take a look at it.
Don't expect huge UI changes after installing SP1
-- the changes are small and subtle. In fact, if you're not familiar with Windows Vista, you might miss the SP1 changes. I've put together an image
gallery showing some of the most significant changes.
winbeta.org - 28.09.2007
Vista SP1 Rumored Release on Patch Tuesday
According to information on Amazon's website and with TechARP.com, Vista SP1 will be officially released to the general public. If you've been
waiting for the official release, this looks like the real deal.
Amazon currently lists Vista SP1 retail copies as available next
Wednesday, March 19, while TechARP.com, the Malaysian Web site that nailed the update's release to manufacturing (RTM) date several days early, said
users would be able to download SP1 starting Tuesday, March 18.
jcxp.net - 17.03.2008
