betanews.com - 20.01.2009

Windows Vista SP1 outperforms Windows XP SP2 in file copy.

"Its interesting that people seem to think that Vista under performs in every area of the system which is quite an incorrect perception. In this demo I show how Vista outperforms Windows XP and I show the under the covers process traces of just how it achieves it."

"Demo environment consists of two images. One Vista SP1 and the other Windows XP SP2 both on the same HDD IO and communicating across my home wireless network to a Windows Server 2008 box on my main LAN. Once the two images get going latency gets introduced and things start to slow down....except Vista doesnt slow down." Watch and see at Edge TechNet.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 27.05.2008

Vista SP1 vs. XP SP2 - Part Deux

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Following the benchmarks I carried out last week, I decided that the PC Doc HQ lab rats needed to pull a few all-nighters and carry out some more benchmarking tests on Vista SP1 and XP SP2. Is it possible to determine conclusively which is the faster, more responsive OS?



One of the main criticisms of my initial benchmark tests was that I overlooked the fact that, under the hood, Windows Vista SP1 works differently to XP SP2 in the file copy department. The difference is down to caching and how Vista carried out uncached I/O while XP caches the files. On top of that is the further complication that the file transfer progress bars are coded to work differently. Vistas file copy dialog box goes away when the cache is committed, while under XP the copy dialog goes away while the committal is still pending. In other words XP is coded to appear fast...




winbeta.org - 18.02.2008

Caption Contest: Win Vista and Office!

Want a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate or Office 2007, but don't want to fork over the cash? You're in luck: we're giving away one copy of each! All you need to do is come up with a witty caption for the following two pictures from the Vista Launch event in New York City...
betanews.com - 31.01.2007

Actual Performance, Perceived Performance

Jeff Atwood: If you've used Windows Vista, you've probably noticed that Vista's file copy performance is noticeably worse than Windows XP. I know it's one of the first things I noticed. Here's the irony-- Vista's file copy is based on an improved algorithm and actually performs better in most cases than XP. So how come it seems so darn slow?




winbeta.org - 03.03.2008

Microsoft asks just $15 for each XP netbook

Microsoft's determination to wrest control of netbooks from Linux has seen it drop the bulk price of Windows XP for the systems to under $15 per copy, according to a leak from an unnamed source. Although Microsoft has never publicly disclosed its pricing for netbook licenses, the Wall Street Journal now hears that a copy of XP Home for the budget portables is less than a third the price of a Windows Vista copy for a typical notebook, which costs the PC maker between $50 and $60 per copy in large batches. The price is well below the usual $30 asked for the Starter Edition of Windows, which is meant for PCs in the developing world.




winbeta.org - 20.04.2009

Vista file copying showdown: RTM vs SP1

Long Zheng: Copying files is the Achilles heel of Windows Vista, œcalculating time remaining¦� the blue screen of death equivalent. If anyone tells you Windows Vista isnt slow at copying files, then they obviously havent downloaded any DVDrips and tried to move it onto another computer. It was anticipated Windows Vista Service Pack 1 would fix this problem amongst other things.



As announced this week, the first beta build of SP1 (6001.16659) has been released on Microsoft Connect. The initial reaction from most tester has been largely positive noting improvements in file operations such as moving, copying and deleting files. However I havent seen anyone post any benchmarks or evidence to prove it is indeed faster.




winbeta.org - 28.09.2007

Weird Windows Vista File/Folder Manipulation "Bug"

I think this could be considered as one of the weirder but non-critical "bugs" in both Vista RTM and Vista SP1. Thanks to Plax for the find:



1. Create a folder somewhere and put a file inside

2. Then open an Open file dialog from some application

3. Go in the folder with the file and cut the file then rename the folder and paste the file somewhere else

4. Then you'll find out that instead of the file a folder appeared




winbeta.org - 12.02.2008

Nuclear reactor isn't using a licensed copy of WinCC

When building a multi-million dollar nuclear reactor there are few areas that nobody would want to skimp on. When a leak of radiation could effectively kill and make a vast area inhabitable for quite some time you would think that no details would be overlooked right? Below is a picture of the console of a newly built nuclear power plant in Iran. The console, for those who don't know, runs the entire plant and maintains that all safeguards remain active and in place; effectively, it prevents an entire meltdown. With such a high valued piece of equipment you would think that the Iranians would have splurged for a licensed copy of WinCC!

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 17.03.2009

Microsoft Vista Undelete Sparks More Facts

The Inquirer's recent examination of the 'undelete' technology in Windows Vista has become more important since Apple formally announced 'Time Machine' in Leopard, the next iteration of OSX.

Unfortunately Apple's Time Machine requires a separate disk, dedicated to the backing-up of data on your primary drive. Useful in the case of a hard-disk failure, but not exactly the cheapest option. It also seems to have an esoteric GUI, which may or may not work well in real-word usage.

Windows Vista's alternative backup application is very similar, albeit without the over-the-top interface, and also comes with a Shadow Copy feature that's integrated into the normal file/folder menus, and has some interesting attributes of its own.

Click on "Read More" to view the rest of this article


jcxp.net - 17.08.2006

Proposed flash standard to reduce card clutter

A new flash memory card specification has the backing of three major mobile phone companies and other parts of the electronics industry.



The Unified Flash Storage (UFS; not to be confused with Unix File System or Unified File System) specification is intended to eliminate the need for adaptors by defining a single memory card format that is suitable for any consumer device including cameras, phones and PDAs.



If manufacturers can't agree to use any one of the formats currently in use, why would they go along with a new one? The answer appears to be that UFS is being designed to overcome various limitations of existing formats, including capacity, performance and power consumption.



There seems to be no end to customer demand for increased memory for cameras and other devices (especially as image resolution improves), and without greater transfer speed it will take longer and longer to dump memory card contents into a computer or a mass storage device. UFS aims to reduce the time taken to transfer a 4G file from three minutes to a few seconds. The specification will improve both the bandwidth and latency of memory access...
winbeta.org - 17.09.2007

First Conviction Handed Down in HP Leak Case

A Colorado private investigator has pleaded guilty to identity theft and conspiracy charges, both felony counts, in association with the boardroom leak scandal that shook electronics maker Hewlett Packard to its core...
betanews.com - 15.01.2007

Microsoft Windows Vista: Clear

The Windows Vista visual experience improves clarity, productivity, and focus. For example, instead of static, generic icons for files, in Windows Vista file icons are live—each file icon shows you the actual content of that file, making it easier for you to locate the information that you want. Windows Vista also introduces a new way to organize your information, so that you can store, manage, find, and organize the data that you work with every day however you want to. You'll make the most of your time—and have more time for new ideas, to solve problems, to be artistic, or just to relax and be entertained...
microsoft.com/windowsvista - 15.09.2005

Adobe Labs releases new Photoshop Lightroom and Camera Raw RCs

Adobe Labs has made Photoshop Lightroom 2.3 and Photoshop Camera Raw 5.3 release candidates available for download. Both release candidates provide additional raw file support for the Nikon D3X and Olympus E-30 cameras. Lightroom 2.3 also fixes a memory leak that was discovered in the 2.2 release...
betanews.com - 24.01.2009

Microsoft denies Sony's Vista hardware claims

Microsoft has denied Sony's claim that the current release of Vista supports neither Intel's Turbo Memory technology nor hybrid hard drives.

The spat between the companies arose after Sony revealed to ZDNet.co.uk that it would not include Turbo Memory an embedded flash memory module formerly known by its code name Robson in this summer's Vaio notebooks because Vista will not allow the benefits of Turbo Memory to be utilised until Service Pack 1 (SP1) of the operating system is released later this year.

Turbo Memory is an optional component of Intel's Centrino Pro/Duo platform (previously known as Santa Rosa), which makes use of Vista features such as ReadyBoost and ReadyDrive. These features use non-volatile "third-stage" memory alongside a computer's RAM and traditional hard drive to boost performance and start-up time. Most manufacturers are ready to release Centrino Pro notebooks that include Turbo Memory, although HP has turned it down due to worries over cost efficiency and the limitations it places on users who want to use external flash memory to boost performance...
winbeta.org - 07.06.2007

Windows 7 upgrade details leak out

A document has leaked out that details the upgrade plans for users who purchase PC's with Vista this summer. According to the document obtained by Tech Arp titled " The Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade Program Rev 2.1" states that computers purchased after July 1st will be eligible to upgrade to Windows 7 free of charge. The plan will follow in a similar path the Windows XP and Vista transition occurred. The idea behind the plan is to not prohibit people from purchasing computers as they wait for Windows 7 to be launched.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 12.02.2009

Vista "Out of Memory" Error When Copying Files Hotfix

You just can’t seem to throw enough memory at Vista.

There have been a number of issues that Vista users have reported relating to copying and moving data, especially large numbers of files. Often there can be multiple errors at play making it difficult for Vista users to track down the problem, in fact very often there is little indication that file copy operations haven’t completed correctly. It’s only when the user checks the number of files in source and destination that they realize they have a problem.

These don’t have to be large files and the problem can also occur when copying smaller groups of files that in total exceed 16,400 files between reboots. Following the “Out of Memory” message a range of other errors can occur such as menus and tabs disappearing within the Windows environment and even reboots and BSODs are reported.


neowin.net - 17.10.2007