XP SP3 Can Kill All Update Installations
Deploying Service Pack 3 directly on top of a fresh installation of Windows XP Service Pack 2 will kill all subsequent updates from Microsoft's servers.
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4.8.2008 Fix Windows 7 Update Stopped Working with Fix WU
Often due to missing dlls or other files windows functionality like firewall, automatic updates etc stops working.
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10.11.2009 Who wants or needs 64 bits?
It looks like the world isn't clamoring for 64-bit desktops just yet.
Nearly two and a half years have passed since 64-bit processors started going into PCs. But the software to take full advantage of these chips remains scarce, and customers aren't buying much of what's out there. The 64-bit chips provide greater performance than their older 32-bit counterparts, but that's because of speed upgrades and other architectural enhancements.
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7.3.2006 Microsoft To Ship All OS Bits With Every Version Of Vista
Microsoft plans to market several versions of Vista but will distribute all of the OS bits with every product shipped so users can easily unlock and step up to more full-featured versions using electronic keys, sources said.
"No matter which edition you buy you get all the bits and a key to unlock it. Everyone will have all the bits," said one source familiar with Microsoft's plans. "Right now we maintain master images for each version of Windows XP and it's a lot of work. Now there's just one master image."
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9.1.2006 BITS Repair Tool for Windows Vista Available updated
The BITS Repair Tool will help you fix a problem caused by the corruption of BITS state files. The problem stops the host process for Windows Services, which prevents you from using BITS to transfer files. Thanks to pacpis for this download.
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2.9.2007 Windows Vista SP2 32 bits FREE download!
Thanks to portos for reporting this in the forum.
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25.10.2008 Working for Xbox as Fun as Playing It
There are two benefits in working at a game company: First, you can play `Halo’ or `FIFA 06’ in the office and pretend that it's work.
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20.8.2006 MySpace Working to Foil Pirates
MySpace adopts video-filtering system to keep users from uploading copyrighted material.
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14.2.2007 Microsoft working feverishly on answer to iPhone?
Thanks to pacpis for this post. You've already seen bits and pieces of this morning's Today Show, but another segment in the broadcast managed to grab a trip inside Microsoft's Mobile Design Lab where engineers and "audio geeks" look to be hard at work as they try to "redefine cool."
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30.6.2007 Microsoft India centre working on Windows 7
Designers and engineers at Microsoft R&D centre in India have a new mandate for development of Windows 7, the next generation operating system from Microsoft Corporation, slated for release in 2009-10. Thanks to pacpis for the news.
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4.8.2007 Is Microsoft working on software center for Windows?
Questions arise as to why Windows Vista and Windows 7 have renamed the "Add and Remove Programs" to "Programs and Features", alongside "Windows Updates".
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23.1.2009 Workaround to get Win2k3 AdminPack working on Windows Vista
People have been asking why they can't use the Admin Pack on Windows Vista. It can be installed, but it gives error messages and many of the administration tools seem to be missing or are not properly configured.
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28.12.2006 Gates: Xbox 360 strategy working 'perfectly'
Speaking to the San Jose Mercury News reporter Dead Takahashi, Bill Gates has spoken with unmasked glee about the position the Xbox 360 finds itself in moving into 2007.
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19.1.2007 Microsoft's fix for Automatic Updates lockup not working
Windows XP systems are still locking up during patch update attempts -- even after users deployed the fix suggested by Microsoft Corp.
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12.5.2007 Microsoft Dispels the Confusion, Confirms It Is Working! on Windows 7
If there is any doubt in you mind, Microsoft confirmed that it is WORKING on the next iteration of Windows, that will succeed Windows Vista. Windows 7...
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30.1.2008 Microsoft Starts Working on Windows 7 Parallel Computing
Microsoft has debuted work that will prepare Windows 7, the next iteration of the Windows client, and the successor of Windows Vista, to handle the imminent evolution of parallel computing.
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19.3.2008 Windows Mobile 7 info 1000 engineers working on project
Microsoft has confirmed that the current team of 1,000 developers, working on Windows Mobile 7, are planning to feature social networks as a key element of Windows Mobile 7.
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17.9.2009 Will BlackBerry kill the iPhone?
Just a few short weeks after the Mac trounced competitors in a customer satisfaction survey, the iPhone has repeated the same trick for Apple in the smartphone market.
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7.5.2009 MS KILL BILL AIO
Are you tired of dealing with the antics of Bill Gates and company from the small
town of Redmond? Are you willing to do something about it?
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15.2.2007 MSXML4 is going to be kill bit-ed
We are going to kill bit MSXML4 in the October – December timeframe of this year. Kill Bit applies to Internet Explorer only. After the kill bit , applications will not be able to create MSXML4 objects in the browser.
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22.3.2007 Kill switch dropped from Vista
Microsoft is to withdraw an anti-piracy tool from Windows Vista, which disables the operating system when invoked, following customer complaints.
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5.12.2007 Google to kill 6 of its failed projects
Google has decided to terminate several products that weren't up to the Google's standards or now redundant.
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15.1.2009 Microsoft to kill Encarta later this year
Microsoft has announced that it is discontinuing its Encarta line of products. The software products will be gone by June 2009 and the website will go down October 31, 2009.
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30.3.2009 Microsoft CEO: 'I'm going to f---ing kill Google'
Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer vowed to "kill" internet search leader Google Inc. in an obscenity-laced tirade, and Google chased a prized Microsoft executive "like wolves," according to documents filed in an increasingly bitter legal battle between the rivals.
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Microsoft plans to issue non-update update for Win 7
Microsoft will spit out dummy updates for Windows 7 beta testers next week that will probe the forthcoming operating system’s updating abilities.
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20.2.2009 Bizarre Virus Threatens to Kill File-Sharers
A strange virus which taunts file-sharers and threatens to report them to the police and even kill them, is being distributed on the Winny network.
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2.3.2007 Warning: ZoneAlarm 7.1 Reported to Kill Vista Cracks
VistaLoader and Paradox gone! The day has come, it is over the happy Vista cracking era, and no it is not Microsoft it is a 3rd party security software. Thanks to Steve Jobs who report this on his blog.
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3.7.2007 Microsoft to Kill Windows XP Blue Edition
Microsoft is attempting to kill the “Blue Edition” of Windows XP. In mid-2008 the Redmond company discontinued the availability of retail and OEM licenses of Windows XP, with the exception of copies of the operating system going onto ultra-low-cost laptops and desktops.
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4.12.2008 Microsoft to Kill Pirated Windows XP Professional
Having dealt with the SoftMod Windows Vista activation crack, Microsoft will start hunting down and “killing” pirated copies of Windows XP Professional, the flavor of the operating system labeled by the company as most popular with pirates.
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25.3.2009 Microsoft to kill Hotmail via Outlook Express on September 1
If you're still using Outlook Express for checking your Windows Live Hotmail, listen up.
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4.6.2009Report: Android will also come with a kill switch
Google's Android Marketplace carries a warning that Google has the power to remotely remove applications that violate the developer distribution
agreement, putting the G1 on par with the iPhone at least in the kill switch department...
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17.10.2008BITS Repair Tool for Windows Vista Available
The BITS Repair Tool will help you fix a problem caused by the corruption of BITS state files. The problem stops the host process for Windows
Services, which prevents you from using BITS to transfer files. Use this tool to resolve the corruption and re-enable BITS transfers. After you
install this item, you may have to restart your computer.
This update is provided to you and licensed under the Windows Vista
License Terms.
winbeta.org -
01.09.2007Microsoft: 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
Office 2007 Also Has Kill Switch
Apparently Microsoft is
putting the same kind of
'kill switch' into Office
2007 that is reportedly being
used by Vista. The kill switch
limits the program's
functionality once activation
has been bypassed a certain
number of times.
But now Microsoft's
intentions are clear: Just as
it is doing with Vista,
Microsoft plans to incorporate
what basically amounts to a
'kill switch' into Office
2007. Office 2007 users who
can't or won't pass
activation muster within a set
time period will be moved into
"reduced-functionality
mode", according to
Microsoft's Knowledge Base
article.
jcxp.net - 21.11.2006
Symantec: Windows Update Downloader Can Spread Malware
Researchers at Symantec have
published a report
highlighting how the
Background Intelligent
Transfer Service (BITS) -- a
main component of Windows
Update -- is being used by
Trojans to download malware
that bypasses firewalls and
security controls...
betanews.com - 15.05.2007
Hackers hijack Windows Update's downloader
The Background Intelligent
Transfer Service used by
Microsoft Corporation's
operating systems to deliver
patches via Windows Update, is
being used by hackers to sneak
malware past firewalls,
according to Symantec
researchers. BITS, which
debuted in Windows XP and is
baked into Windows Server 2003
and Windows Vista, is an
asynchronous file transfer
service with automatic
throttling, meaning downloads
don't impact other network
chores. It automatically
resumes if the connection is
broken.
Elia
Florio, a researcher with
Symantec's security response
team, outlined why some Trojan
makers have started to call on
BITS to download add-on code
to an already compromised
computer. " For one simple
reason: BITS is part of the
operating system, so it's
trusted and bypasses the local
firewall while downloading
files. It's not easy to check
what BITS should download and
not download. Probably the
BITS interface should be
designed to be accessible only
with a higher level of
privilege, or the download
jobs created with BITS should
be restricted to only trusted
URLs ."
Symantec first caught
chatter about BITS on Russian
hacker message boards late
last year and has been on the
lookout for it since. A Trojan
spammed in March was one of
the first to put the technique
into practice. " It's free
and reliable, and they don't
have to write their own
download code ," said
Oliver Friedrichs, director of
Symantec's security response
group. Although BITS powers
the downloads delivered by
Microsoft's Windows Update
service, Friedrichs reassured
users that there was no risk
to the service itself.
" There's no evidence to
suspect that Windows Update
can be compromised. If it has
a weakness, someone would have
found it by now. But this does
show how attackers are
leveraging components and
becoming more and more modular
in how they create
software ."
neowin.net - 11.05.2007
Docs: Ballmer Vowed to
'Kill' Google
Court documents publicly
released late last week in the
increasingly nasty battle
between Microsoft and Google
over the hiring of Kai-Fu Lee
include an outburst by
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
where he vowed to
"kill" Google. Ballmer
also had a few choice words
for Google CEO Eric Schmidt...
betanews.com - 06.09.2005
Microsoft Ships IE 6 Update
Microsoft on Tuesday posted a
non-security-specific update
to Internet Explorer (IE) 6.
While the
Redmondians didn't advertise
it as such, the new bits are a
direct result of the
multimillion-dollar patent
spat with Eolas Technologies.
The update
modifies the way that IE
handles ActiveX controls.
jcxp.net - 02.03.2006
No Vista SP1 bits for users until mid-March
Mary Jo Foley: Customers who’ve been waiting for Microsoft to release
the final Vista Service Pack (SP) 1 bits are going to have to wait another month or two to actually get their hands on them at least through legal
channels.
In a posting to the Windows Vista team blog, Corporate Vice President of Windows Product Management Mike Nash explained
how and when users can get
the Windows Vista Service Pack (SP) 1 bits. Microsoft released Vista SP1 and Windows Server
2008 to manufacturing on February 4.
According to Nash, the schedule looks like this:
Mid-March:
Microsoft releases SP1 to Windows Update in five languages (English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese) and to the download center on
microsoft.com. “If Windows Update determines that the system has one of the drivers we know to be problematic, then Windows Update will not
offer SP1,” Nash explained. “Since we know that some customers may want to update to SP1 anyhow, the download center will allow anyone who
wants to install SP1 to do so.”
Mid-April: Microsoft begins delivering Vista SP1 via Automatic Update. “That said,
any system that Windows Update determines has a driver known to not update successfully will not get SP1 automatically,” Nash explained.
“As updates for these drivers become available, they will be installed automatically by Windows Update, which will unblock these systems from
getting Service Pack 1.” (And remember, there is a Vista SP blocking tool available for users who don’t want SP1 to install
automatically.)
April: SP1 will RTM for the remaining languages.
PC makers are getting the Vista SP1 bits
this week and will be able to start preloading Vista SP1 on new systems once they’ve sufficiently tested it. That could be weeks to a month,
based on previous track records.
winbeta.org - 04.02.2008
Google includes controversial kill switch in Android
There was outrage last month when
it was discovered Apple had
included a "kill switch" into the iPhone software.
The kill switch meant that any applications Apple did not approve of or were dangerous
could be disabled remotely by Apple themselves.
In the terms and conditions of the Google android fine print Google has said they "may discover a product that violates the developer distribution agreement ... in such an
instance, Google retains the right to remotely remove those applications from your device at its sole discretion".
The T-Mobile G1 is the first phone to run the Android software developed by Google and goes
on sale Oct. 22.
Will Google get the blogger world and mainstream press up in arms like Apple did?
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 16.10.2008
Microsoft My Phone update and feature request(s)
Microsoft My Phone Team has announced that an update is available for My Phone application to address some of the known issues. Users will receive a
prompt to download and install the update the next time their phone syncs with their online account. The update can also be obtained by visiting the
My Phone installation page from the phone's browser. My Phone service will stop working if the update is not installed within 7 days of receiving
the prompt. Meanwhile in another blog post by the My Phone team, the team has acknowledged some of the great feedbacks discussed on the forums.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 04.03.2009
Take two: Microsoft says business licensees to get Windows 7 bits on September 1
Last week, it seemed Microsoft was going to make Windows 7 bits available to business customers
with volume licensees right after the product was released to manufacturing in July.
But on July 13, Microsoft officials said
business users with volume license agreements won’t be able to get the Windows 7 bits until September 1. Microsoft isn’t providing further
information as to why customers will have to wait more than a month after RTM to get the final bits.
winbeta.org - 13.07.2009
Ex-Microsoft employee: Free software will kill the company
CIO has posted an article about a man named Keith Curtis, a previous programmer for Microsoft, who has come out with the dramatic statement that free
software will be the downfall of the Redmond company. Curtis, who was with Microsoft for 11 years, believes that free and open source software is
technically superior to the proprietary alternative because it lets developers collaborate and innovate.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 27.05.2009
Vista SP1 gold bits on track for this week
After both public and private betas galore, Microsoft is set to make the final, gold Windows Vista Service Pack (SP) 1 bits available, most likely
this week.
Last week, I’ve been getting reports of SP1 bits being available on torrents. I asked Microsoft earlier last week if these
builds were, as some were saying, the final Vista SP1 bits. And, as usual, the Windows client team wasn’t saying a whole lot.
On
January 29, a Microsoft spokeswoman said Vista SP1 had yet to be officially released to manufacturing. The recent SP1 Release Candidate (RC) Refresh 2 is not the RTM build, the
spokeswoman said. “And we’re not commenting on the build number,” she said, when I asked whether the “18000″ build
number was the RTM version.
Read
full story.....
neowin.net - 04.02.2008
How Facebook could kill Twitter, and why it won't
Before I start rambling, I'd like to start off by saying that I never really got into the whole microblogging scene. I tried, time and time again,
but it just never kept me interested for very long. Maybe that's why one day I went as far as getting down on my knees and begged God for
microblogging to go away so that I wouldn't have to keep hearing about the latest Twitter outage from all my favourite news sites. As time went by
though, I quickly realized that Twitter, and microblogging in general, was here to stay. That's why today you're seeing me post my first ever
microblogging-related story, and as much as I find the whole ongoing development very interesting, it will probably be my last.
So why do I
say that Facebook could kill off Twitter? Well, because it had microblogging before Twitter was a baby (yeah, I know, Twitter still is a damn baby).
You can argue day and night that wall-to-wall posts aren't mini blog posts, but you can't deny that Status Updates are exactly what Twitter
has been doing from the very start. Think about it. Status Updates = Tweets. Don't believe me? Well, there is one difference between the two, and
this is really the key to microblogging's success. On Twitter, you can follow anyone you would like, without their approval. Facebook just
won't let you do that.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 31.08.2008
Windows XP SP3 Released to Manufacturing
According to a Microsoft representative at the TechNet Forums, Windows XP Service Pack 3 has now been released to manufacturing (RTM), and XP SP3 bits are working their way
through Microsoft's manufacturing channels to be available to OEM and Enterprise customers.
Microsoft are also in the final stages of
preparing the release to web, which is scheduled for the 29th of April, and will be distributed via Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center.
Online documentation for Windows XP SP3, such as Microsoft Knowledge Base articles and the Microsoft TechNet Windows XP TechCenter, will be updated
then.
For customers who use Windows XP at home, Windows XP SP3 Automatic Update distribution will begin in early summer.
jcxp.net - 22.04.2008
Is Microsoft working on software center for Windows?
Questions arise as to why Windows Vista and Windows 7 have renamed the "Add and Remove Programs" to "Programs and Features", alongside "Windows
Updates". It is possible that Microsoft is planning to release a software center that will be able to find updates for all your programs that are
deemed safe by Microsoft, right inside Windows Update. This type of software already exists in programs like FileHippo.com's Update Checker that
scans installed programs on your machine, and compares the updated version on FileHippo.com.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 22.01.2009
WLM 562 Cleared Up
With the release of Windows
Live Messenger build 562 just
a few weeks ago, many of the
testers were in speculation
that it was a full update, but
we were wrong.
The 562 build was in fact
just a preview of the final
refresh. It turns out that the
562 build only contained some
of the minor updates and was
only a small update for the
current testers. The full
refresh is expected to have
many more updates and should
come "real soon now".
"The 562 build some
of you got was a preview of
the final update build. There
are only a few differences
from that build but I don't
want to spoil any surprises"
said the WLM team.
The final refresh is
suppose to come via automated
update when you sign into WLM.
However the update is expected
to be slightly delayed from
the originally planned date
due to a flooding problem
after a water line dumped
hundreds of gallons of watter
into the 1st floor offices of
the redmon building including
the WLM team offices.
In the meanwhile,
the employees have been
grouped into offices and
workers are working quick to
dry the building and get it in
working condition again.
jcxp.net - 23.02.2006
Just over 30 days until Office 2003 SP3 available via Microsoft Update automatic distribution
The MU and Office Team: Just wanted to give you a heads up on our promised 30 days notice before making Office 2003 SP3 available via Microsoft Update
automatic distribution (for Vista and XP). We released SP3 for Office 2003 to customers about 4 months ago. Since then weve heard some great
feedback on what it is doing for customers be it in the enterprise, consumer, or other segments. In some cases people probably dont even know that
its working for them, which is just perfect. The security improvements are working just like they should in that case :).
That
said, we wanted to use the MU blog as one of many avenues to alert our customers to the fact that we will be distributing SP3 automatically via
Microsoft Update approximately 30 days from January 27th. We say approximately because the availability will happen gradually and not everyone will
see it at the same time. Think of the 27th as the marker and no sooner than 30 days from then is when SP3 will start to become available to
customers' systems.
winbeta.org - 26.01.2008
AT&T new TOS kills off streaming, Skype and Hulu
AT&T has altered its terms of service to kill off any type of high bandwidth applications. In a nutshell the new TOS will not allow you to use your
Slingbox, Skype, or watch Hulu using AT&T's mobile data services. AT&T states "downloading movies using P2P file sharing services, customer
initiated redirection of television or other video or audio signals via any technology from a fixed location to a mobile device, web broadcasting,
and... any applications that tether the device... to Personal Computers or other equipment." We will all have to wait and see how AT&T goes about
enforcing these new rules.
Read full
story.....
neowin.net - 03.04.2009
