Vista SP 1 Ships in 2008, the First Beta Drops in 2 Weeks!
After a long period of Windows Omerta, in which Microsoft gagged all details related to the future development plans for the Windows platform, the company has come out and confirmed the availability dates for the first beta of Windows Vista SP1, as well as for the final release of the refresh.
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29.8.2007 Microsoft Hands out XP SP3 beta – Final SP for XP
In an email sent to selected testers telling them they have been accepted to begin testing XP SP3, Microsoft has also informed them that this will be the final Service Pack for the now aging OS.
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5.10.2007 Vista Most Secure OS
Microsoft has applauded Vista from the get go as the most secure Windows platform, but according to a comparison put together by Jeff Jones, Security Strategy Director in Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing group, the status quo is also valid for rival operating systems.
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23.6.2007 Microsoft Must Turn To Virtual OS After Vista
Microsoft can't afford five-year gaps in between major operating system releases, Gartner says, and the way around the delays is with modules.
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8.9.2006 CompUSA Guarantees Vista, Will Reinstall Old OS If Necessary
CompUSA will guarantee that customers are satisfied with their Windows Vista update or the retailer will refund the purchase price and reinstall the PC's original operating system, the company announced Monday.
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23.1.2007 My Expose - cool OS X application for Vista
Thanks to Steve Jobs for this download. My Expose - Apple EXPOSE! from OS X Expose for Vista and its for free.
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7.5.2007 Mac OS X Leopard vs. Windows Vista
HardwareLogic has partnering up with Newegg to sponsor the User Guide Of The Month.
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8.5.2007 Last OS Standing: Make the Most of Windows Vista
Now that Windows XP is no longer being sold by Microsoft, PC users will be stuck with Windows Vista. Here's a roundup of PC World's best tips for making Vista easier to use.
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3.7.2008 OS X versus Vista, RAM division
As I noted earlier this week, I’ve begun using a MacBook (the basic white model) and keeping a log of my experiences.
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26.10.2008 Windows Vista Beta 1 vs. Mac OS X "Tiger
From Paul Thurrotte's SuperSite:
In part one of my comparison of Windows Vista Beta 1 and Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger," I looked at three key aspects of each system: Look and feel, desktop search, and data visualization and organization. For the most part, OS X came out well ahead of Windows Vista, as you'd expect, since it's a polished finished product. Vista, meanwhile, is all knees and elbows, an awkward teenager on its way to maturity.
. Microsoft will iron out the details, I'm sure, but the end result will likely not change much. Specifically, OS X will always be elegant, and Windows will almost certainly lag behind in the fit and finish department. The only questions are how much Vista will improve when compared to previous Windows versions, and whether it will be enough to keep customers from moving to OS X.
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29.11.2005 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 Windows Vista Bitlocker encrypts only OS partition
Just had a great session on Integrity in Windows Vista from Steve Riley. This security guy from Microsoft is allways great to listen to.
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13.6.2006 Microsoft Helps Those Upgrade to Vista from a Legacy OS
Microsoft launched a page that clearly explains how to upgrade your existing system in-place from a legacy Windows OS to any Windows Vista version; or, in the case of certain systems, whether you'll need to perform a completely clean installation.
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20.7.2006 Ballmer Dispels Notion of Vista as Last Client OS
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer today attempted to end rumors that Windows Vista will be the last Windows client operating system, claiming that Microsoft has "plenty more where that came from" at a press event to mark the consumer launch of the new OS and Office 2007 in New York.
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30.1.2007 Microsoft's new OS Vista spurs computer sales
US sales of computers carrying Microsoft's new operating system Vista soared in the week after it was launched, defying the expectations of analysts who gave Vista lackluster reviews.
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10.2.2007 Microsoft: Windows Vista Safer than OS X, Linux
Microsoft security strategy director Jeff Jones this week published a report comparing the security vulnerability profile for various high-profile operating systems in the 90 days of their existence.
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26.3.2007 Contest winner: Vista more secure than Mac OS
Dino Dai Zovi, the New York-based security researcher who took home $10,000 in a highly-publicized MacBook Pro hijack on April 20, has been at the center of a week’s worth of controversy about the security of Apple’s operating system.
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1.5.2007 Vista use grows as Mac OS X stays flat
Windows Vista's share of online users has increased every month this year, while rival Mac OS X -- to which Vista has often been compared -- has shown little, if any, growth, a metrics company reports.
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24.7.2007 Mac OS 10.5.2 = Vista made in Apple?
I’ve heard many different complaints about Mac OS 10.5.2 since it was released, from my own Skype/podcasting problems to issues with just about everything else, including: printing, third-party wireless routers, software freezing and problems with Time Machine.
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5.5.2008 Apple names Mac OS X Leopard: Windows Vista 2.0
Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference that started today will apparently be the host of a surprising and clear shot at Microsoft’s next-generation OS Vista. This is probably how Steve Jobs is hoping to attract attention on his Macintosh alternative, Leopard OS.
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7.8.2006 Windows Vista OS image creation and deployment guide
Windows Vista OS setup is built on an entirely new set of technologies than previous versions of Windows, and as a result the process of creating OS images and creating and using unattend files is different than you might be used to from the past.
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29.11.2006 Vista Beta Testers Face Looming OS Expiration
If you're one of the millions of Windows Vista beta and release candidate testers, your trial run ends on June 1.
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12.4.2007 Vista puts Mac OS X font rendering to shame
One of the first things I noticed when I switched to Windows Vista earlier this year was how much of an improvement in font readability Vista has over earlier versions of Windows for the screen fonts.
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17.8.2007 Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard to Take a Bite Out of Windows Vista?
The gap between the 2001 release of Windows XP and that of Windows Vista in 2007, created a window of opportunity for the growth of rival operating systems from Apple and the open source community.
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10.10.2007 Windows Vista vs. Mac OS X vs. Linux - for the Last Time in 2007
At the end of 2007 one thing is clear... Windows Vista is far from the Wow revelation that Microsoft aimed for with the late January worldwide consumer launch.
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1.1.2008 Vista: the Gender Challenged OS, After the Longhorn Sex Change
Windows Vista is a Microsoft gender-challenged operating system, after it has survived the Longhorn sex change. Just bear with me, it will all make sense in the end, I promise.
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22.3.2008 Vista SP1 and XP SP3 vs. Mac OS X and Linux
Despite constantly downplaying the relevance of Linux and Mac OS X, because of a variety of reasons, from high Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) to security risks and inferior shipment volumes, Microsoft is well aware of the real threat to Windows represented by the open source platform and Apple's operating system.
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1.8.2008 Microsoft Brings a Piece of Windows Vista to Linux and Mac OS X
Microsoft has announced that it will bring a small piece of Vista to both the open source Linux operating system and the UNIX based Mac OS X. The Redmond company's partners will work to extend Network Access Protection to Linux and OS X desktops.
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13.11.2007 Vista SP2 and Windows 7 More Secure than Linux and Mac OS X Leopard
Windows Vista Service Pack 2 is the absolute apex in security when it comes down to operating systems, Kevin Turner, chief operating officer for Microsoft, has indicated at the Midmarket CIO Summit earlier this week.
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12.4.2009 Vista Growing to Match the Lack of Security of XP, Mac OS X and Linux
Microsoft has touted Windows Vista as the most secure Windows operating system available, ever since the debut of the Wow.
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15.8.2007Microsoft promises SP 'milestone' for Visual Studio 2008
First, it was Windows XP SP1. Then Windows Vista SP1. Now its the Visual Studio and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, due by the end of summer. The connection?
Microsoft's service packs keep growing in importance as a means of updating key products between official releases.
Promoting
the first SP for Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5, officially launched just six months ago, Microsoft has said SP1 - like its predecessors -
is no ordinary SP.
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02.08.2008Desktop OS, Hold the Vista
Exclusive eWEEK research indicates that Microsoft's desktop Windows operating system is a rousing success.
Vista?
No, XP.
In a survey conducted by Ziff Davis Enterprise Editorial Research for eWEEK of enterprise IT professionals, just
2 percent of respondents said that Vista was the primary desktop operating system at their companies, while 92 percent indicated that XP was their
primary desktop OS.
The majority of respondents also indicated that the move to Vista will not be driven by any improvements the
new OS offers, but rather by new hardware.
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14.03.2008Market Share 2007: Mac OS gains 3.15%, Vista grabs 10.48%
Throughout 2007, according to reports by Net Applications, Mac OS increased its market share by 3.15% while Vista managed to grab 10.48% market share.
Windows XP lost 8.39% of the OS market share in the same time period, quite unsurprising considering Vista is its successor, while Linux increased by
0.26%. Nothing too mind-boggling, but definitely interesting, to say the least. At the end of December 2007, the (incomplete) standings are as
follows:
Windows XP - 76.91%
Windows Vista - 10.48%
Mac OS - 7.30%
Read full story.....
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09.01.2008XP SP2 vs. Vista RTM vs. Vista SP1: Gaming benchmark
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Here are the benchmark results that many of you have been waiting for - a look at how well ten popular games work on XP SP2,
Vista RTM and Vista SP1.
Its been nearly a year since I took a look at the state of gaming under the Vista OS. The last time I
compared XP SP2 to Vista, I was disappointed with Microsofts new OS as a gaming platform because I could get far more bang for my bucks out of XP than
I could out of the new OS. Partly I put this down to immature drivers, but on the whole I was convinced that at the core of the problem was Vista.
So, is Vista worth bothering with as a gaming platform?
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28.02.2008Why Vista? Good Question
Debra Donston: In a survey conducted by Ziff Davis Enterprise Editorial Research for eWEEK, respondents indicated that they have been underwhelmed by
Microsoft Windows Vista. And, it seems the future of Windows is ... XP?
Vista? What Vista? One year after Vistas release, just 2
percent of respondents said the OS is the primary desktop OS at their company. A whopping 92 percent said Windows XP was the primary desktop OS.
And it seems that enterprises are planning on sticking with what they have for the foreseeable future: 72 percent of respondents
said that the OS theyre currently using is the one they expect to be using in 2009. Looks like XP has a longer life than Microsoft plannedor
wanted.
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14.03.2008The Unexpected: Battery Life in OS X vs. Windows Vista
AnandTech has done a thorough review of the new Macbook and Macbook Pro including comparing battery life performance of Vista vs. OS X on the
Macbook Pro and Macbook Air. The results are quite surprising to say the least...
Anand Lal Shimpi: A while ago I started
testing the Lenovo X300 with hopes of comparing it to Apple's MacBook Air. The review never saw the light of day but the testing was mostly complete.
Obviously the X300 doesn't run OS X, but the MacBook Air can run Windows so I compared battery life between the two under Vista, which yielded some
unexpected results.
There are no scripted battery life tests under OS X, while under Vista we have things like MobileMark -
luckily, the tests I've put together for OS X can easily be reproduced under Vista. Let's take a look at my tests under OS X...
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23.10.2008Mary Jo Foley Will Windows Service Pack History Repeat Itself?
Mary Jo Foley: One of my editors at Redmond magazine -- the ever-doubting Ed Scannell -- recently posed an interesting hypothetical question about the
future of Windows. Might Microsoft yank some features planned for Windows 7 and put them into a Windows Vista Service Pack (SP) 2 that would include
not just fixes, but also new features?
In other words: Could Windows history repeat itself, with Vista SP2 taking the form of a
whole new operating system release -- in everything other than name -- a la Windows XP SP2?
Microsoft officials said last year
not to expect Vista SP1 to be anything like XP SP2. Vista SP1 was designed to be a collection of fixes and patches, aimed at improving security,
reliability and performance. But the 'Softies haven't said anything about their thinking in regard to Vista SP2. Might Microsoft use the next Vista
SP to deliver some of the features that otherwise might have to wait for Windows 7, currently slated for 2010?
As tasty as that
option might sound to some, I'd give it a very low likelihood for a few reasons.
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03.06.2008Fewer patches != safer OS
Urs P. Küderli: Does one OS having fewer security patches than another operating system mean that the OS with the fewer patches is the safest OS?
You know, Im not sold on that concept.
As we near the first anniversary of the consumer launch of Windows Vista well be seeing
pundits all over the media taking a look back at the Vistas first year. One aspect of Vista that some will undoubtedly be looking at is patches and
how many have been issued for Vista (in fact, my blogging colleague Ed Botts already done this). Many will interpret the fact that XP has had more
patches rated critical and important than Vista as an indication that Vista is safer than XP (in fact, this is the conclusion that Ed himself came
to).
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17.12.2007Vista use grows as Mac OS X stays flat
Windows Vista's share of
online users has increased
every month this year, while
rival Mac OS X -- to which
Vista has often been compared
-- has shown little, if any,
growth, a metrics company
reports.
According to
Net
Applications, in June
Windows Vista accounted for
4.52% of all systems that
browsed the Web, up from
January's 0.18%. Vista grew
its usage share each month
since its release to consumers
Jan. 30, hitting 0.93% in
February, 2.04% in March,
3.02% in April and 3.74% in
May. Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X,
meanwhile, accounted for 6.22%
in January, hit its high point
of 6.46% in May, but slipped
back to 6% in June.
If Vista's uptake trend
continues, it should pass Mac
OS X in Web usage share by the
end of August. ..
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23.07.2007Vista, Mac OS X gain users; Firefox loses market share
As Microsoft Corp.'s Windows
Vista and Apple Inc.'s Mac OS
X continued to grow their
share of the operating system
market last month, Mozilla
Corp.'s Firefox suffered its
biggest-ever drop in usage, a
Web metrics company reported.
By the end of May,
Vista accounted for 3.74% of
all operating systems on
machines connecting to Net
Applications Inc.'s clients'
Web sites. The total share for
Mac OS X -- which included
older editions running on
PowerPC processors as well as
version 10.4, or "Tiger," on
Intel-powered Macs -- was
6.46%. Vista was up about
three-quarters of a percentage
point from April, while Mac OS
X was up a quarter of a point.
Their gains came
largely at the expense of
earlier versions of Windows,
such as Windows XP and Windows
2000, although Net
Applications' "Other"
category, which is essentially
Linux, also faded slightly. ..
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19.06.2007Windows 7: Cheaper Than Vista (and Every Other Windows OS)
It turns out, even if you don't weigh in all the
slightly confusing Windows
7 upgrade deals, Microsoft's latest OS is its least expensive to date, and a real bargain compared to Vista.
Looking
at full (non-upgrade) pricing of consumer Windows editions really tells the story: When you compare sticker prices, you can see that most editions
hovered around the $200 mark, with a rare spike found in the $260 Vista Home Premium. When you adjust for inflation, that fairly regular pricing
becomes a downward cascade—except for that Vista price hike...
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26.06.2009Feature Comparison (Windows Vista vs Legacy Windows OS)
The combined features of Windows Vista create the best choice for a mainstream operating system for businesses of all sizes. Whether a corporation
deploys Windows Vista on a single computer or through a worldwide network, Windows Vista increases your computing power while lowering the total cost
of desktop ownership.
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13.01.2008Microsoft Hands out XP SP3 beta - Final SP for XP
In an email sent to selected testers telling them they have been accepted to begin testing XP SP3, Microsoft has also informed them that this will be
the final Service Pack for the now aging OS.
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As is
standard practice for operating systems nearing the end of their sales period, Microsoft will be releasing a final Service Pack for Windows XP in the
first half of 2008. Microsoft is pleased to announce the availability of Windows XP Service Pack 3 Beta Preview, to Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and
Windows Server 2008 beta testers.
Therefore it will be quite fitting to see the final Service Pack for XP -
arguably one of the most stable platforms Microsoft has created so far, landing around the same time as Service Pack 1 for Vista it's much maligned
latest OS. Lets us know which you would prefer as your OS of choice now by
voting in the poll attached to this news item.
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05.10.2007Microsofts painful blister: Windows Vista
Just days away from Microsofts first year anniversary of Vista Business RTM on Nov 30, the last year has felt like Vista has been in a perpetual beta,
just like all those Web 2.0 sites. As SP1 draws near, is the Vista blister finally healing, or should Microsoft scrap the lot as some pundits have
advised and go back to XP SP3?
What a year it has been for technology. Vista and Mac OS X 10.5 both launched, with Vista to
retail on Jan 30, although it was available to business from Nov 30 last year, while OS X 10.5 launched only a few weeks ago.
On
the graphical front, both Vista and OS X 10.5 have sported some nice eye candy, but the eye candy award of the year has to go to the Apple iPhone
interface, bringing the interface of handheld devices into the 21st century and showing desktop interfaces a thing or two about human interaction.
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27.11.2007Microsoft Bolsters Video Content Security in Vista
Move positions Windows Vista OS as a platform for home digital entertainment systems...
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01.09.2005No 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.
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04.02.2008Businesses delay Vista plans until 2009
CIO Jury: "It could be a long wait"¦
Businesses remain unconvinced about the benefits of moving to Microsoft's Windows
Vista operating system and most are delaying any plans to upgrade until 2009 at the earliest.
One year after the business launch
of Vista, only one of silicon.com's 12-strong CIO Jury IT user panel said they had plans to move to the new OS in 2008.
Most
plan to stick with the stability of Windows XP and implement Service Pack 3 for that OS before they even start thinking about Vista.
Adrian Hughes, head of IS for insurance company Amlin, said: "We are sticking with XP and look to take XP SP3 in 2009. Vista not until 2011,
unless there is a good reason to migrate, by which time the next OS may be out so we would then skip a generation."
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29.11.2007Trend Micro OS Protection beta released
Trend Micro today released
http://www.trendsecure.com/por
tal/en-US/threat_analytics/os_
protect.php?WT.cg_n=home_2nd_r
ight>Trend Micro OS Protection
beta for its Trend Micro
Internet Security 2007
customers. OS protection
includes Trend Micro Firewall
Booster and Trend Micro
Pre-Startup Scan.
Rather than rail against
various kernel changes within
Windows Vista as Symantec and
other did last fall, Trend
Micro says it wanted to work
in cooperation with Microsoft.
Trend Micro OS Protection
works on both the 32-bit and
64-bit editions of Windows
Vista.
The chief
benefit from Trend Micro
Firewall Booster is Windows
Vista users won't have dual
firewall technologies running.
Firewall Booster leverages
existing Windows Vista
Firewall capabilities, adding
protection provided by Trend
Micro. Trend Micro Pre-Startup
Scan runs before Windows Vista
boots, ferreting out sleeping
malware such as rootkits
before engaging the operating
system. Pre-Startup includes a
system restore checkpoint, so
that a user can always roll
back any changes made. The
process is not automatic,
allowing the user to decide
when and how the scans will be
done. ..
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23.06.2007Microsoft: Upgrade Your Vista Betas
Microsoft reminded users of
Windows Vista beta builds
Tuesday that their operating
system will expire on May 31.
However, those running the
free pre-release copies of
Vista may be happy to discover
they can simply purchase a
cheaper Upgrade version of the
OS...
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25.04.2007Small Businesses Switch to Vista Fastest, Study Says
Nearly half of businesses are in some phase of preparing to update desktops to Windows Vista, with small businesses moving the fastest to implement
the OS, according to a xreport released last week. The number of organizations evaluating and testing Vista increased from 29 percent in February 2007
to 48 percent by early November 2007, found the report, commissioned by reseller CDW and based on information collected by Walker Information from 772
IT decision makers. Moreover, about 35 percent of companies are currently implementing or have implemented Vista already, compared to 12 percent last
February, the report said. The report is the third of a wave of reports on Vista adoption that CDW has done since the OS was in its final testing
phases in October 2006. In the latest phase of release, which tracked Vista adoption from October 31 until Nov. 7, 2007, small businesses comprised 53
percent of those companies either using or evaluating Vista. The higher-education segment came in second, with 49 percent reporting that they are
evaluating or using the OS, while medium-to-large businesses were third, with 48 percent.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
21.01.2008
