Windows Vista SP1 RTM Optimized Desktop
With the advent of Windows Vista at the end of 2006/the beginning of 2007, Microsoft has started pouring a consistent amount of efforts into enabling optimized desktops.
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30.4.2008 Windows Vista SP1 at the Basis of the Optimized Desktop
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is at the basis of Microsoft's vision for the Optimized Desktop. Of course that the Redmond company is building a comprehensive strategy that involves additional resources and solutions on top of its Windows client.
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4.9.2008 Microsoft: Take Advantage of the Vista SP1 Desktop Optimization Pack
The Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack is designed to help customers get the most out of their Windows Vista clients, according to Microsoft's official description of the solution.
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16.7.2008 Vista SP1 Desktop Optimization Pack 2008 R2 RTM
Since the introduction of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, the Redmond company has sold in excess of 10 million units of the package of solutions, and on September 15, the R2 version of MDOP 2008 was released to manufacturing.
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16.9.2008 Download Windows 7 Remote Desktop Connection 7.0 for XP SP3 and Vista SP1 and SP2
While Windows 7 technologies are, as a general rule, available exclusively with the latest iteration of the Windows client from Microsoft, there also are exceptions.
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4.11.2009 Windows Vista Build 5728 Availability Window Closing Soon
Nick White has posted this on the Vista team blog yesterday, thought I'd give everyone who is interested in testing the latest build of Vista a heads up on the limited availability.
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26.9.2006 Microsoft Office 2007 RTM'ed, Window Vista 99% RTM
On Monday Microsoft will announce that the 2007 Microsoft Office system products have been released to manufacturing (RTM).
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6.11.2006 Gates opens entertainment window
Though Bill Gates is in town to tout his hot new Xbox 360 to the hordes in attendance at the huge Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), his horizon extends to the Hollywood hills ? and beyond.
Video games are key, but the Microsoft chairman also has his hand in much of the behind-the-scenes wrangling over entertainment and the Internet.
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12.5.2006 Window Seizer 1.00 Beta
Windows Seizer and a standalone freeware utility which lists all the windows you have open on your PC.
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31.3.2007 Napster hangs "for sale" sign in front window
Napster is evaluating the possibility of a sale by hiring of an investment bank. Citing "recent third party interest," the company has asked UBS Investment Bank to explore strategic partnerships or an outright sale of the company.
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20.9.2006 New Window Management System for Windows 7 Pre-Beta
The window management system is one piece of the Windows 7 graphical user interface which will evolve starting with the pre-Beta version of the operating system.
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3.10.2008 Secunia round 3: Internet Explorer 7 Window Injection Vulnerability
A vulnerability has been discovered in Internet Explorer 7, which can be exploited by malicious people to spoof the content of websites.
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30.10.2006 Disable Aero Snap Auto Maximize and Arrange Window in Windows 7
Windows 7 includes a new feature called Aero Snap that intends to improve open windows management on the desktop. Aero Snap allows user to drag a window to the top of the screen to maximize the window automatically, or to the left or right side of the screen to resize the window to fill and take up half of the screen estate on the moved side automatically.
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19.5.2009 Hack to Activate and Switch Window in Windows 7 By Mouse Over Hover Without Click
When there are many windows open on desktop of Windows 7, normally users will click on another window in order activate the window into front or foreground and switch to the task or window.
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19.5.2009 Windows Vista 3D Desktop
Microsoft indicated early that Vista will feature a three-dimensional interface with transparency, moving objects, anti-aliasing and other effects. Thanks to portos for this download.
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10.7.2007 Vista Desktop Search Annoyance
I thought people might find this fix interesting because it annoyed the hell out of me when I first started using Vista. Thanks to pacpis for this news.
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5.9.2007 Turn on Remote Desktop in Windows Vista
Remote Desktop is disabled by default in Windows Vista, but its easy enough to turn it back on. If you need to access your Vista PC from another box, its an essential thing to turn on.
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26.1.2007 Vista Sidebar showcases desktop-Web integration
Long Zheng has published some fantastic Windows Vista screencasts, which display the power of the Vista OS - released as a developer beta last week. The screencast that I was most interested in was the Sidebar. Similar in appearance and functionality to the Dashboard feature of Mac OS X Tiger, the Vista Sidebar allows users to manage their gadgets (Microsoft's term for widgets) and other content such as RSS feeds.
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14.6.2006 Disable Windows Vista Evaluation Watermark from Desktop
If an user install Windows Vista in trial or demo or evaluation mode, by skipping and not keying in any Windows product registration key when asked during installation of Windows Vista.
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24.11.2006 Windows Vista Desktop Optimization Pack Updated
Microsoft has announced that it wrapped up its Desktop Optimization Pack for Windows Vista and that an updated and complete version of the offering will be made available for download on July 1 2007.
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5.6.2007 Microsoft agrees to change Vista desktop search
Microsoft agreed Tuesday to make changes to the desktop search feature in Windows Vista in an effort to assuage Google and head off a further antitrust battle with U.S. regulators.
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20.6.2007 Vista RTM Evaluation Copy Desktop Watermark Patch
Hi there people, here's a little guide on how to get rid of that stupid "evaluation copy" watermark in the bottom right corner of your Windows Vista RTM. Some may not see it yet, but believe me it will show up after a few reboots.
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14.11.2006 Restore/enable the Internent Explorer Icon on Vista Desktop
Restore, Enable and Display the Missing Internet Explorer (IE or IE7) Icon on Windows Vista Desktop.
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12.2.2007 Connect Windows 7 with XP SP3 Vista SP2 via Remote Desktop Connection 7.0
Microsoft is gearing up to release a tool that will permit users of Windows Vista and Windows XP computers to connect to Windows 7 machines, and to take advantage of features that only the latest version of the Windows client brings to the table.
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12.9.2009 .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 for XP SP3 and Vista SP1
Microsoft has made Service Pack 1 for .NET Framework 3.5 for Windows Server 2008 available for download. Designed to integrate seamlessly with Windows Vista SP1, Windows XP SP3, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008, .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is now live on the Microsoft Download Center.
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11.8.2008 Making 64-bit Vista SP1 Say It's Vista SP1
Making a 64-bit copy of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 confirm that it is actually Vista SP1 might require a minimum amount of effort on behalf of the end user, such as right-clicking My Computer and selecting Properties, but things are a tad different when an application is programmed to identify the operating system versions or the service pack releases.
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25.8.2008 32-bit Vista SP1 = 1GB 64-bit Vista SP1 = 1.5GB
If you think that Windows Vista was a fast operating system, then just wait for the first service pack. According to data released by Microsoft, Vista SP1 with weigh in at a maximum of 1.5 GB.
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30.8.2007 Yodm 3D - 3D Desktop for Windows XP and Vista
Thanks to hwh1226 for this download link.
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17.4.2007 The Windows 7 Desktop
Microsoft is laboring to deliver a new level of personalization, choice and control with the Windows 7 desktop, according to Senior Vice President, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group, Steven Sinofsky.
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3.11.2008 64-bit Vista SP1 Runs Faster than 32-bit Vista SP1 and 32-bit XP SP3!
The 64-bit edition of Windows Vista delivers not only support for larger quantities of system memory, with the high-end editions supporting as much as 128 GB of RAM, but also some extra horse power hidden under the hood.
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29.4.2008Power efficiency enhancements in Vista SP1
Long Zheng: Most if not all the attention surrounding Windows Vista Service Pack 1 has been around performance, reliability and compatibility, but you
probably didnt know SP1 also makes short strides in terms of
Vistas power efficiency. And by short, I really do mean short because were talking about improvements in the magnitude of only a
couple percents. That in the context of 5 hours battery life is a mere additional 6 minutes. Having said that, some is better than none.
The first of two improvements is in the display subsystem. As you are probably aware of, the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) in Vista utilities
the 3D rendering capabilities of your graphics card to draw the desktop and windows.
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13.02.2008Performance improvements in WPF in .Net 3.5 / 3.0 SP1
Below is a list of the performance improvements that you can expect to see in WPF in .Net 3.5 and .Net 3.0 SP1:
1. Animations
Smoothing Improvements
- WPF Animation in .Net 3.0 SP1 is much smother.
- These improvements are more noticeable on Vista and
especially in upcoming Vista SP1, which includes additional smoothing in the Desktop Windowing Manager (DWM).
2. Layered Windows
Improvements
Layered Window performance was one of top customer complaints. They are now addressed with a QFE/Hotfix.
These hotfixes
are not available for direct download. End users should call Microsoft PSS to obtain them.
Developers and OEMs can contact Microsoft
PSS to discuss redistribution rights.
The hotfixes will be included in the next service pack of Microsoft OSs
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11.10.2007Vista SP1 serves up its own sets of problems
Every technology site is full of information regarding Vista SP1, even our own. But, not everyone is happy with the way it performs, for some,
entirely new problems have cropped up after installation.
While Vista SP1 will not fix existing compatibility problems
with older applications and hardware, it can improve the reliability of most systems but may introduce new complications.
The
Daytona Beach Journal Blog
reports in its test that one laptop was upgraded to Vista SP1 without problems but the test desktop reported that Vista was no longer valid after the
installation and wanted a new license key.
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19.12.2007Why 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.....
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20.03.2008Interview: What Vista SP1 means to you
The first service pack for Windows Vista is slated for release to manufacturing in the first quarter of 2008. The announcement was made via Microsofts
Windows Window Vista Blog by Nick White, a product manager at Microsoft. We got a chance to sit down with White to talk about
SP1.
On the blog post, White made it a point to mention this service pack is quite different from other service packs offered for
previous versions of Windows. Microsoft is taking full advantage of Windows Update to send improvements to Windows Vista customers rather than relying
on one big service pack. That being said, the message for Windows Vista SP1 is dont expect new features, but some components do gain new
functionality.
So, the biggest question is what will be in Windows Vista SP1? The first is quality improvements (security,
reliability, and performance) including all previously released updates. Next, SP1 will include additional support for hardware and standards
including an Extensible Firmware Interface (ESO) and an Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT). Probably, the biggest group to benefit from Windows
Vista SP1 is administrators.
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30.08.2007Windows 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.
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12.02.2008Vista SP1 Offers Power Efficiency Enhancements
Most if not all the attention surrounding Windows Vista Service Pack 1 has been around performance, reliability and compatibility, but you probably
didn’t know SP1 also makes short strides in terms of Vista’s power efficiency. And by short, I really do mean short because we’re
talking about improvements in the magnitude of only a couple percents. That in the context of 5 hours battery life is a mere additional 6 minutes.
Having said that, some is better than none.
The first of two improvements is in the display subsystem. Starting from SP1, the VSync in the
Desktop Window Manager (DWM), intended to give a glitch free experience, no longer runs continuously. Instead, the interrupts are disabled after a
short timeout period where no screen updates has occurred. The catch is that a screen update can be anything from a blinking cursor to a flashing
network icon, so the chances of a screen idle might be a lot less than you would imagine. The second improvement is in the audio subsystem and only
concerns those with HD Audio codecs. Whereas in the RTM, the sound card would never idle even if there was no activity, in SP1, the default idle
timeout for has been changed to 30 seconds; after the time, the OS will switch the audio device to a D3 power state, meaning the device should not
consume any energy at all.
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23.02.2008Vista SP1 Offers Power Effiency Ehancements
Most if not all the attention surrounding Windows Vista Service Pack 1 has been around performance, reliability and compatibility, but you probably
didn’t know SP1 also makes short strides in terms of Vista’s power efficiency. And by short, I really do mean short because we’re
talking about improvements in the magnitude of only a couple percents. That in the context of 5 hours battery life is a mere additional 6 minutes.
Having said that, some is better than none.
The first of two improvements is in the display subsystem. Starting from SP1, the VSync in the
Desktop Window Manager (DWM), intended to give a glitch free experience, no longer runs continuously. Instead, the interrupts are disabled after a
short timeout period where no screen updates has occurred. The catch is that a screen update can be anything from a blinking cursor to a flashing
network icon, so the chances of a screen idle might be a lot less than you would imagine. The second improvement is in the audio subsystem and only
concerns those with HD Audio codecs. Whereas in the RTM, the sound card would never idle even if there was no activity, in SP1, the default idle
timeout for has been changed to 30 seconds; after the time, the OS will switch the audio device to a D3 power state, meaning the device should not
consume any energy at all.
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23.02.2008Free Vista Sunday, 3D desktop with Real Desktop Light
Jonathan Schlaffer: Vista has been an all-around disappointment and even those with SP1 have reason to complain. Those with problems are probably
more outspoken than those that dont but the issues keep piling up and Microsoft does little about them. This program may brighten up your Vista
experience a tiny bit.
Real Desktop comes it two
forms, Real Desktop Standard and Real Desktop Light; major differences set the two apart. With Real Desktop Standard you get all the features and
with Light, not so much.
The light version gives you a basic, fully 3D desktop environment. You can stack icons, drag them
anywhere on the desk, flip them around, upside down and several other neat things. What you cant do is change the wallpaper or orientation of the
camera. The other thing thats annoying is the light version lacks the ability to reset the icon positions; as you can see below, its very easy to
mess them up.
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02.03.2008Deployed: Windows Vista SP1 RC on ALL of my PCs
Brandon LeBlanc: Today Nick announced the availability of the release candidate for Windows Vista SP1. I had a chance to get the RC build of Windows
Vista SP1 installed a few days ago. I decided to roll the RC out on all of my PCs which showcase a variety of device types and scenarios:
- My Main Desktop PC running Windows Vista Ultimate x64 - check.
- My Test/Work PC running Windows Vista Business - check.
- My Dell Vostro 1500 Laptop running Windows Vista Ultimate - check.
- My Samsung Q1 UMPC running Windows Vista Home Premium - check.
- My Digital CableCard PC running Windows Vista Home Premium - check.
In installing the RC on my PCs, I did a combination of
using the standalone installer and Windows Update. Before proceeding to install the SP1 RC bits, I first needed to uninstall the SP1 beta bits first.
Users looking to install the Windows Vista SP1 RC will need to uninstall any previous version of SP1 prior to the installation of the RC from either
Windows Update or the standalone installer.
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06.12.2007Photos: 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.
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28.09.2007Microsoft to Remove Eolas Barrier in IE
Microsoft has begun advising customers on planned changes to IE now that it has licensed technology from Eolas, however it may have accidentally let
slip a release window for VIsta SP1 and XP SP3 to boot...
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09.11.2007Windows XP SP3 Yields Performance Gains Over Vista SP1
After a disappointing showing by Windows Vista SP1 (see previous post), we were pleasantly surprised to discover that Windows XP Service Pack 3
(v.3244) delivers a measurable performance boost to this aging desktop OS. Testing with OfficeBench showed an 10% performance boost vs. the same
configuration running under Windows XP w/Service Pack 2.
Since SP3 was supposed to be mostly a bug-fix/patch consolidation release - unlike
w/Vista SP1, Microsoft made no promises of improved performance for XP - the unexpected speed boost comes as a nice bonus. In fact, XP SP3 is
shaping-up to be a "must have" update for the majority of users who are still running Redmond's not-so-latest and greatest desktop
OS.
Of course, none of this bodes well for Vista, which is now more than 2x slower than the most current builds of its older sibling.
Suffice to say that performance-minded users will likely choose to stick with the now even speedier Windows XP - at least until more "Windows
7" information becomes publicly available.
Read full story.....
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24.11.2007Improved startup repair tool, media throttling among Vista SP1 changes
To reassure customers that it really has been addressing consumers' concerns about Vista, Microsoft has made its change log to Windows Vista SP1
publicly available early...
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11.12.2007Changes 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.
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17.05.2008Windows Vista SP1 Application Non-Compatibility List
Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista is an important update for Windows Vista. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) contains many security, reliability, and
feature updates for Windows Vista. A program may experience a loss of functionality after you install Windows Vista SP1. However, most programs will
continue to work as expected after you install Windows Vista SP1.
This article lists programs that have been reported to
experience a loss of functionality when they are installed on a Windows Vista SP1-based computer.
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19.02.2008Vista SP1 fails to spark migration
Microsoft's latest efforts to persuade customers to upgrade to its much-maligned Vista operating system have met with a cool response from users.
Historically, Microsoft's first service pack for one of its marquee products – such as Windows – provides the impetus for users to
upgrade. As Gartner analyst, Stephen Kleynhans recently noted, customers see SP1 as the sign that the OS has reached maturity and is ready for
enteprise deployment.
But even the offer of free support for using installing Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) and tools to lower implementation
cost, the user response has been one of stony indifference. Vista SP1 includes a number of fixes for bugs that have plagued the operating system, as
well as improved support for drivers. It initially became available to download from Microsoft's website and will be included as part of the
Window's Update feature from mid-April.
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28.03.2008Language Packs and Windows Vista SP1
Nick White: We have some information we'd like to share in regards to Windows Vista SP1 and folks running Language Packs. Some of you may have
noticed that after installing Windows Vista SP1 on Windows Vista Ultimate - the Language Packs fail to appear on Windows Update (
KB947875).
We will be releasing Windows Vista SP1 in two
"waves". The first wave will only provide Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Vista Ultimate PCs running the following 5 Languages: English, French,
German, Japanese and Spanish. The second wave will follow shortly after - supporting all 36 languages.
winbeta.org -
04.03.2008Vista SP1 to be just 45MB over Windows Update?
Mary Jo Foley got a chance to
see a note sent to certain
testers of Vista SP1 earlier
this month and quite a few
interesting factoids have
turned up in it:
Q: How big is SP1?
A: Windows Vista
SP1 is approximately 45 MB
when delivered over Windows
Update and is designed to not
significantly change the UI or
regress application
compatibility.
Q: What are some examples
of support for emerging
technologies and
standards?
A:
With SP1, Windows Vista can
boot via EFI (Extensible
Firmware Interface) on an x64
machine. SP1 supports ExFAT, a
new file format that will be
used in flash memory storage
and consumer devices Support
for SD Advanced DMA Support to
improve transfer performance
and decrease CPU utilization
is part of SP1
winbeta.org -
30.07.2007The Vista SP1 saga: the best ad for Mac and Linux yet?
Alex Zaharov-Reutt: First, it was a 5 year delay for Vista minus plenty of features, drivers and software compatibility. A year later, Vista SP1
launches, but few can get it yet. Then two SP1 pre-updates launch, only to have many reports of endless rebooting. What more can Microsoft do to
convince people to try a Mac or Linux?
I wouldnt exactly call the delay of Vista SP1 a comedic situation, but the whole thing
seems to have gone from comedic to shambolic in less than three weeks since the February 4 announcement that Vista SP1 had gone to RTM.
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21.02.2008
