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Vista SP1 Beta Download Next Week? Windows XP SP3 Missing in Action

Microsoft is hard at work cooking the upcoming releases of Windows Vista SP1, Windows XP SP3 and Windows Server 2008 RC 0, formerly codenamed Longhorn.
windows - comments - 21.9.2007

Windows 7 Features Complete Features List with Demo Videos

Windows 7Windows 7 is next iteration of almost-monopolistic Microsoft Windows operating system, after Windows Vista.
common - comments - 21.7.2009

Do you need more than Windows 7 Home Premium?

One of the most frequent questions I get these days comes from people who’ve been running the Windows 7 beta and RC and are planning to upgrade to the final version when it’s available on October 22. “Which edition of Windows 7 do I need?”
windows - comments - 1.7.2009

Windows Vista Premium Ready PCs….Really???

Thanks to thepodest who wrote this article for his blog. These are the specs requirements for Premium Vista PCs according to Microsoft.
windows - comments - 16.6.2007

Windows 7 Home Premium beta released to testers

A trusted source has indicated that Microsoft has released Windows 7 Home Premium beta to a select group of 1000 users to get a firsthand look at the next major release of Windows.
windows - comments - 8.1.2009

Windows 7 Home Premium full edition for £45 [UK]

If you're a brit and in need of a cheap copy of Windows 7 then its bargain day for the UK today.
windows - comments - 14.9.2009

MSN Premium releases 9.5 version, not dead yet

Much to our surprise, MSN released version 9.5 of MSN Explorer/MSN Internet Access to subscribers as an update on Friday. The release appears to fix a number of issues surrounding upgrades to Windows Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Live Messenger.
microsoft - comments - 21.11.2006

Premium Vista PCs fare well in first week

Microsoft's wish that consumers purchase the premium versions of Windows Vista rather than the most basic version of the OS may be coming true, according to the findings of a research report released Thursday.
windows - comments - 10.2.2007

Hybrid Drives to Become Vista Premium Logo Requirement

At a discussion of flash memory technologies to be included in Windows Vista and "Longhorn" here at TechEd 2006 this morning, Microsoft's program manager for Windows Client Performance Matt Ayres confirmed that inclusion of hybrid hard drives will be a requirement for mobile systems that carry the Vista Premium logo, beginning in June 2007.
windows - comments - 14.6.2006

MS pushes premium versions of Vista, download options

Microsoft wants to make sure consumers and small businesses know there are myriad ways they can acquire Windows Vista -- particularly in premium versions -- when it becomes generally available on Jan. 30.
microsoft - comments - 18.1.2007

Windows Vista Home Basic vs. Home Premium vs. Business vs. Ultimate

Microsoft applauded shipping in excess of 60 million Windows Vista licenses in the operating system's first six months of general availability. However, the Redmond company is right on track to correct this little slip up.
windows - comments - 20.8.2007

Windows 7 Professional $99.99 and Home Premium $49.99 Discounts Now Live

On the same day that it announced officially the pricing of Windows 7, Microsoft also revealed that customers would have the opportunity to buy the two main editions of the next iteration of Windows at discounted prices.
windows - comments - 26.6.2009

Buy Windows 7 Ultimate for Just $99.99, Home Premium for Just $49.99

While the Windows 7 SKU official pricing is nothing short of being on par with that of Windows Vista's editions, with the exception of Home Premium, Microsoft does have something special in stores for consumers.
windows - comments - 25.6.2009

Windows Vista Features

Additionally, Vista will include many other new features. Please note that not all of these features are guaranteed to be in the final Windows Vista release, these are simply features that have been mentioned as likely being part of Windows Vista but may be pulled due to development limitations. Also note that each specific version of Windows Vista will contain a slightly different feature set.
windows - comments -

Windows Vista Features 2

Overview

Improvements to reliability and performance in Windows Vista offer something for everyone. Users will love the fast start-up time and even faster return from Sleep state. The IT department will face fewer support issues, and will experience easier diagnosis and repair when problems do occur. And the company as a whole will benefit from less downtime, fewer IT hassles, and greater productivity.
windows - comments -

18 Features Windows Should Have

Some of the coolest OS features are nowhere to be found in Windows XP or Vista. Here are 18 brilliant features that Microsoft should beg for, borrow, or steal--plus tips on how you can add many of them to your PC now.
windows - comments - 29.4.2008

Windows 7 Features on Parade

Microsoft' claims that Windows 7 was “Engineered by us. Inspired by you,” which is the culmination of the Redmond company's constant highlighting of the fact that it managed to listen closely to end users when developing the next iteration of the Windows client.
windows - comments - 6.7.2009

Windows Vista's new security features

Microsoft's new operating system won't be out until late 2006, but here's a look at some of the new security features expected.

It seems that every time I sit down with Microsoft to discuss Windows Vista, something has been changed or added, which is good. In some cases, something has been removed, which is bad. One and a half years from launch, I understand that beta code changes frequently. Here's my standard disclaimer: the following article is based on the last build from Microsoft, Windows Vista build 5219, released September 2005.
windows - comments -

Windows Mobile 6 Features and Screenshots

Next week, the Windows Mobile Team is set to reveal Windows Mobile 6. This release is set to unleash some pretty cool features for your Windows Mobile device.
windows - comments - 8.2.2007

Windows Vista Defragmentation Features

Although it is virtually handicapped in terms of the options it actually provides to the user in comparison to Windows XP, the hard disk defragmentation utility in Windows Vista is an evolution of the equivalent from the predecessor operating system.
windows - comments - 8.10.2007

More than Sixty New Features Requested for Windows 7

A wishlist for Windows 7, the code-name for the desktop operating system that will replace Windows Vista, has been leaked online.
windows - comments - 14.11.2007

Gates hints at Windows 7 features

Well, good afternoon. I'm very excited to be here to talk about the Windows PC and where it can go in the future, connecting to all the great innovations taking place. There's a lot of milestones I think that are taking place now.
microsoft - comments - 13.5.2008

Windows 7 Direct3D 11 Features

As of November 2008, Microsoft is delivering the first taste of DirectX 11 for Windows 7 for download. A release aimed at developers, The November 2008 DirectX Software Development Kit, brings to the table the successor of Direct3D 10.1, namely Direct3D 11.
windows - comments - 27.11.2008

New Windows 7 Anti-Piracy Features

Windows 7 will not reinvent the anti-piracy wheel for Microsoft. Instead, the next iteration of the Windows client will be based on Windows Vista's Software Protection Platform, especially in regard to the activation and validation experience.
windows - comments - 7.5.2009

Windows 7 Filtering Platform New Features

Interested in building networking filtering applications tailored to the next iteration of the Windows client? Then you need to get up to date with the new features that have been added to Windows Filtering Platform for Windows 7.
windows - comments - 3.7.2009

Microsoft adds new features to Windows Live

Microsoft Corp. this week introduced enhancements to its Windows Live portal, the entry point for users to access its Web-based services.

New features include a "gadget" that recommends TV shows and the integration of images into Live.com RSS feeds, according to several bloggers who were present when Microsoft introduced them at its Search Champs event.
windows - comments - 28.1.2006

New Features and Improvements in Windows 7 Since Official Beta

Microsoft has released Windows 7 Beta more than 2 months ago to general public for free download. Although there is no more newer build been officially released, but the development on Windows 7 to perfect its features has been going on behind the scene, as evident in Windows 7 Build 7022 (64-bit download link) and Windows 7 Build 7048 that makes the round to the torrent sites. Microsoft also refined Windows 7 based on user’s feedback.
windows - comments - 3.3.2009

10 Windows 7 features IT Professionals and enthusiasts need to know about

By now, I’m sure most of you have seen the “main” features in Windows 7 targeted towards the general pubic such as Homegroups, Aero Shake, Aero Snap, Aero Peek, and the Superbar, among a few others.
windows - comments - 13.11.2009

Final Names for Windows Vista Performance Features

Windows PC Accelerators is the new term that encompasses Windows Vista's new performance-enhancing technologies.
windows - comments - 7.4.2006

Critical Features Cut from Windows Server Virtualization

Facing what he called "universal truths about product development," Microsoft general manager for virtualization strategy Mike Neil concluded a multi-page blog post this afternoon touting the progress made with Windows Server Virtualization, code-named "Viridian," by announcing the removal of three of the service's most highly anticipated features: live migration of running virtual machines between servers; "hot-adds" of virtual components such as storage, processors, and memory; and support for more than 16 logical processing cores.
windows - comments - 13.5.2007

Windows 7 Home Premium beta released to testers

A trusted source has indicated that Microsoft has released Windows 7 Home Premium beta to a select group of 1000 users to get a firsthand look at the next major release of Windows. The Home Premium beta comes listed with an assortment of features, few less than the public release of Windows 7 due on Friday to everybody, mentioned in tonight's annual CES keynote. The Home Premium is a perfect suit for home users, with a cheaper price tag, compared with Vista Home Premium, to Vista Ultimate, and a few less built in programs, that are only available to the full version.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 08.01.2009

Discover Windows Vista Home Premium

Columnist S.E. Slack shares her favorite features of Windows Vista Home Premium...
microsoft.com/windowsvista - 23.11.2006

Windows Live Mail: Account Expiration Extended

Hotmail users have a 30 day expiration limit if they don't have the premium service. No worries with Windows Live Mail now! The expiration date will soon be changed to 120 days. This change will now rival Yahoo!'s free e-mail expiration date, which is also 120 days, but is still far away from Gmail's expiration date, which is 9 months.

Though this is a great change for people using free accounts, it jeopardizes the benefits of being a Windows Live Premium member. So far, premium Live Mail members get no ads and no expiration date. However, this new change endangers the latter benefit.

New features for premium members are coming soon, and hopefully, it will give more reason to become a premium member.


jcxp.net - 09.04.2006

Microsoft: We Are Not Ripping Off Users With MSN Premium

Microsoft reacted to reports comparing MSN Premium with Windows Live Hotmail, defending its subscription web-based service centered around email. The reaction from the Redmond company came to criticism that the features, functionality and capabilities it is offering via MSN Premium for approximately $10 per month have equivalents that are available free of charge to all Windows Live Hotmail users running either Windows XP or Windows Vista. Of course, Microsoft has rejected the criticism claiming that there are multiple reasons why MSN Premium users are charged for the service. As a consequence, the company has explained the subtle differences between what MSN Premium has to offer and what Windows Live Mail brings to the table.



"MSN Premium was designed to appeal to a different audience than the free Windows Live services and we continue to support this service and our subscribers. MSN Premium
offers customers a single integrated client experience that simplifies web access, multiple accounts, service integration, and access to information via the 'Dashboard'. While Windows Live includes many comparable services, MSN Premium includes software as part of the subscription, including Encarta Premium, and offers additional functionality such as download manager and SpySweeper. Many customers are also attracted to MSN Premium's advertisement-free experience, while Windows Live services are ad-funded", Microsoft replied as cited by SeattlePI.




winbeta.org - 04.01.2008

Windows 7 Home Premium and Server betas available to public

Microsoft released the Windows 7 betas to the public last week. The software company also sent out a hardware newsletter to its ecosystem partners on Friday January 9th detailing the Windows 7 beta. In the newsletter the spokesperson mentions "If you are a hardware partner but do not have a Winqual account, you can access the Windows 7 Beta by entering invitation ID Win7-3HQW-RF74 on the Microsoft Connect homepage." By using this ID on the Connect site you can gain access to Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Server betas. Last week We revealed that Microsoft is currently only offering the Home Premium bits only to 1000 testers for Windows Any Time Upgrade testing.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 15.01.2009

Bargain: Windows 7 Home Premium full edition for £45 [UK]

If you're a brit and in need of a cheap copy of Windows 7 then its bargain day for the UK today. Tesco is currently offering Windows 7 Home Premium for £49.97, coupled with a discount code from the folks at HotUKdeals, you can get the full edition of Windows 7 Home Premium for £44.97 delivered. Here's how:Visit the Tesco listingadd to basketcheckoutuse voucher code TDX-SFFT If you're not sure whether Home Premium is good enough for you then checkout our feature comparison chart to see the difference between the editions. Obviously the copy won't arrive until October 22 when Microsoft's latest OS is released. Enjoy.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 13.09.2009

Opera opens its Mobile 9.5 beta for PocketPC

The first beta of Opera Mobile 9.5, initially only available for touchscreen Windows Pocket PCs running Windows Mobile 5 or WM6, is still missing about a third of Opera Mobile 9.5's expected features...
betanews.com - 18.07.2008

Another Laptop with Vet Info Missing

The Department of Veterans Affairs disclosed Monday that a laptop containing data on up to 38,000 veterans has gone missing. The loss of the data is the result of a possible theft of a laptop from third-party contractor Unisys...
betanews.com - 08.08.2006

Xbox 360 Premium Gets HDMI Port

Microsoft has quietly updated its mid-range Xbox 360 Premium model with an HDMI output, making the game console compatible with high-definition televisions and receivers. The HDMI port had been a major selling point of the high-end Xbox 360 Elite, which costs $100 more and features a larger hard drive...
betanews.com - 09.08.2007

Windows 7 Editions Revealed

Windows Blogger Paul Thurrott has released a list of the various versions in which Windows 7 will be shipped. There are quite a few versions, but contrary to the Vista confusion, there will only be two highly-marketed versions: Windows 7 Home Premium, and Windows 7 Professional. That's right, we're back to the good ol' XP days!

One of the largest criticisms of Windows Vista was the overwhelming amount of product editions to choose from. You either had to sacrifice some features or pay the Ultimate price (ha).

In total, six versions of 7 will be shipped. Most of them however, will be offered only for small niches or emerging markets. Here's a short breakdown of the versions we can expect:

Windows 7 Starter - Expected to be installed on many netbooks; it can only run 3 apps simultaneously, cannot create HomeGroups, and does not feature the Aero Glass UI. It does however, feature the enhanced taskbar.

Windows 7 Home Premium - Will be broadly marketed in new computers, and as a retail product; features the most widely-used features such as HomeGroups, Aero Glass, the new taskbar, and multi-touch.

Windows 7 Professional - Will be broadly marketed in new computers, and as a retail product; this version builds on the Home Premium version by adding features such as location-aware printing, advanced backups, and offline folders.

Windows 7 Enterprise - This version will only be available as a VLK (Volume Licence); this buils upon the Professional version, adding sought-after features such as Direct Access, Branch Cache, and BitLocker (and BitLocker To-Go).

Windows 7 Ultimate - This version will only be marketed at a very low scale, such as during special promotions, or with very high-end computers; it features all the same features as the Enterprise version, but without the VLK capability.

The 6th version is the "Home Basic" version, but it will only be offered to emerging markets; it will not be available as a retail product and thus it will mostly be ignored by the general public.

Unlike Vista, Windows 7's editions will all be true supersets of each other. This means that Home Premium will include all of Home Basic's features, and Professional will include all of Home Premium's features (so on, so forth). It is a clear and straightforward upgrade from edition to edition. No more confusing sets of overlapping features to choose between.

Although the product line hasn't shrunk at all, the the bulk of consumer knowledge and interest will be with the two most prominent versions. It should be a lot easier for people to decide between the versions now. It seems Microsoft has thought long and hard about it, and come up with a decent plan.

Read a full description of all the versions at Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows


jcxp.net - 04.02.2009

Get Vista's Best Features in XP

Despite the fact that most of you prefer XP to Vista and would rather Microsoft extended XP's shelf-life, several new and improved features available in Vista would be great to have in XP. This new functionality may not be enough to get you to switch to Vista, but that doesn't mean you're out of luck. Let's take a look at a few ways you can incorporate Windows Vista's best features into your current XP PC for free.



We're going to focus on Vista's small and large features that are missing from XP, separated into three categories: applications, functional, and aesthetic (e.g., transparency is aesthetic, the new start menu search is functional). This list is not exhaustive, but it does cover the features readers feel make Vista worth it.




winbeta.org - 14.05.2008

Windows 7 to support DivX natively

One of the new features announced at the recent Windows 7 Reviewers Workshop in LA is that Windows 7 will natively support a number of popular media formats, so that users don't have to worry about finding, installing and downloading third-party codecs. This is an evolution in media support which is similar to the inclusion of native MPEG-2 playback in Windows Vista, providing the DVD playback functionality which was missing in Windows XP. News source: Source

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 04.01.2009

Microsoft confirms no Windows 7 restrictions on netbooks

Microsoft announced that they have removed the netbook restrictions that previously prevented users from installing any version of Windows 7 on their netbook. The lifted restriction means users can install Windows 7 starter on a netbook, and that the three application restriction has been removed as per consumer's request. "OEMs and ODMs have the choice to install any version of Windows on a netbook," a Microsoft UK spokesperson said. " Starter is an entry version and doesn't have many of the consumer or business features. The three application limit isn't there anymore." Windows 7 Starter and Home Basic variety only come in 32bit versions and are missing a variation of features from the higher end versions.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 28.09.2009

Windows 7 pre-order sales remain strong

After Microsoft started selling Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional upgrades at a discount, consumers were flocking to take advantage of these discounts resulting in strong sales, and according to Information Week, those pre-order sales continue to remain strong. Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade continues to remain number one in Amazon's software category, while the Professional version remains at number two. This is good news for Microsoft, which saw Windows sales fall 16% in the most recent quarter. Currently, Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade is being sold for $49, while Windows 7 Professional upgrade is being sold for $99 until July 11th or "while supplies last".

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 08.07.2009

AppStore to offer ready-made ringtones

The AppStore has been missing a few features from their online store for the iPhone, one of those is ready-made custom ringtone versions of songs, used for incoming calls.. Apple will be revealing the ready-made ring tones next week at their press conference, only if they are able to get them ready in time. The custom ringtones have been missing from the iPhone since its debut, limiting consumers to a selection of preloaded ringtones featured on the iPhone. Currently consumers have to edit their own ringtones through third-party software or use iTunes to edit their own music to create ring tones for their device.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 03.09.2009

18 Features Windows Should Have (but doesn't)

Some of the coolest OS features are nowhere to be found in Windows XP or Vista. Here are 18 brilliant features that Microsoft should beg for, borrow, or steal--plus tips on how you can add many of them to your PC now. Love it or hate it, Microsoft Windows is the world's most dominant operating system. But when you look at some of the hot features found in competitors such as Linux and Mac OS X, both XP and Vista can seem a little incomplete.

From intuitive interface features like Apple's application dock and Cover Flow to basic media capabilities such as ISO burning, Windows often falls short on built-in goodies. And some features that other operating systems offer by default-- such as 64-bit processing and business-networking tools--require a premium-version license in Windows.

We took a good look at a variety of OSs, from the Mac to Linux to PC-BSD and beyond, and we rounded up a list of our favorite features--few of which come standard in any version of Windows. We even considered some operating systems of yore, and recalled a couple of cool features that Microsoft still hasn't caught on to. Some of these features simply aren't available for Windows at all, owing to the way the OS is designed. But you can add most of them to XP or Vista with the help of third-party applications, and we'll show you how to get them.


neowin.net - 29.04.2008

Microsoft to offer Family Pack for Windows 7 Home Premium

Ed Bott: Thanks to a tip from Kristan Kenney, I took a close look at the agreements embedded in the License folder of the latest leaked builds of Windows 7. This is no longer a beta license agreement and is presumably very close to the final agreement that customers will accept. The agreements for retail copies of Windows 7 Home Premium contain this eye-opening clause...




winbeta.org - 02.07.2009

Are you missing some icons?

So you downloaded the new 8.0.0689 refresh, you sign in and all is well. You sign out and then sign in again some time... but wait, where did some of your icons go?

The WLM Beta team received several reports from users that some of their dashboard icons and features were missing when signing in the second time and every time after.

The problem was a result of errors within some of the programs entry points which caused them to vanish. However, the problem was fixed by the team and a fix has been sent out. For the fix to apply, you must sign out of WLM and sign back in. If your icons are not back, you have to wait about 30-60 more minutes and then try again as it takes time for the fix to reach every country.


jcxp.net - 05.05.2006

Windows HPC Server 2008 Beta1 Observations

Phil Pennington: HPC Pack Beta1 was recently announced at the Super-Computing convention in Reno (i.e. "SC'07"). Executing on release milestones with hard dates, as with the convention date, is always a project management night-mare. The task illustrates the classic struggle between time, resources, and features. Generally, features are sacrificed and resources are increased (i.e. the product team works overtime).



Such is the case with HPC Server 2008 beta1. Yes, there are missing features and certain features that present a nice "Easter Egg" type of surprise for those willing to give the product a spin. Although, the beta generally accomplishes what beta's are supposed to accomplish. That is, the user community is given a good idea of where the product is headed and the beta also give us an opportunity to provide feedback which will ultimately positively influence the product.



With this perspective, it seems appropriate to keep a running-list of observations that might help you get past some of the features that were first scattered amongst the resources and subsequently gathered into beta1...




winbeta.org - 02.12.2007

Google Earth Gets Featured Content

Google on Wednesday plans to deliver an update to its Google Earth application that includes content from a number of premium sources. The features are overlaid atop areas in a map so users can learn about their significance.
Photos: View images of the Google Earth features..
betanews.com - 13.09.2006