Why PCs Should Get More Sleep
Energy and cost savings can really add up with Windows Vistas innovative power management capabilities. A single incandescent 100-watt light bulb left on around the clock for a year costs more than US$80 to power.
microsoft -
comments -
22.3.2007 Latest Windows 7 Updates Cause BSOD: Fix
TechARP had been providing giving updates on the Windows 7 Downgrade Rights Program. Now Microsoft has confirmed the same in a blog post, regarding the Windows 7 Downgrade rights program.
windows -
comments -
16.4.2009 How-To: Remove the Windows BSOD icon in Leopard, make OS X a little less smug
It's pretty clear that Apple left no stone unturned in Leopard, making changes and fixes throughout the new operating system.
common -
comments -
31.10.2007 Vista SP1, and then Windows 7, Windows 8 and Non-Windows Midori
2008 saw the release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Windows XP Service Pack 3 and Windows Server 2008, but Microsoft's journey on the Windows path is far from over.
windows -
comments -
5.8.2008 Windows 7 RC Brings Windows XP Mode Beta and Windows Virtual PC Beta
The Release Candidate of Windows 7 will bring with it the first Beta development milestones for Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC.
windows -
comments -
29.4.2009 Windows Reactivator 2.0 - Backup & Restore Activation Status of Windows XP with Windows Reactivator
Every time you reinstall your windows XP you need to reactivate it online using your product key & worst if you lost your Windows XP product key.
download -
comments -
3.6.2009 Windows Vista SP1 vs. Windows Vista RTM vs. Windows XP SP2
Feb 26th, 2008. Principled Technologies has released two Microsoft commissioned reports on Windows Vista SP1 performance. In these tests, Principled Technologies measured responsiveness of Windows Vista SP1 vs. Windows Vista RTM vs. Windows XP SP2 when performing a set of common business and home tasks.
windows -
comments -
28.2.2008 Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 9 1 Billion and Counting
Is Windows dead? Or, at least, is this the beginning of the end for Microsoft's proprietary operating system?
windows -
comments -
15.9.2008 Week in Microsoft: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 9
This week in Microsoft, we covered 128-bit support possibly coming to Windows 8 and Windows 9, Windows 7, Windows Mobile 6.5, Bill Gates, Office 2010 Starter, Microsoft MVP status, Windows Live Hotmail, the EU, and Microsoft Security Essentials.
windows -
comments -
10.10.2009 Windows Vista Build 5231 and Windows Media Player 11 Leaks!
Windows Vista Build 5231 has leaked to the web. The new build is said to include Windows Media Player 11 included. View the screenshots below! This is a Main branch build that was released on September 12th, 2005 at 8:20PM.
windows -
comments -
Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3: Official Release Dates
A French website, PC Inpact, has posted the official Microsoft product change request forms for Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3.
windows -
comments -
6.2.2008 Download Free Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2 Straight from Microsoft
Via the Internet Explorer Application Compatibility VPC Image. That's right! Microsoft is offering access to free downloads of Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2.
download -
comments -
6.3.2008 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.
windows -
comments -
27.5.2008 Windows Fiji Has RTMd as Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008
Microsoft officially confirmed that Windows Fiji has been released to manufacturing.
windows -
comments -
18.7.2008 Windows 7 Beta Doesn't Play Nice with Windows Azure Cloud OS Tools
The promise for Windows 7 is that it will deliver an evolution when it will come down to stretching into the Cloud compared to its precursor, Windows Vista.
windows -
comments -
16.1.2009 Internet Explorer 8 MUI packs for Windows XP, Windows Server 03
As detailed in our previous blog post, the following Internet Explorer MUI packs shipped today.
download -
comments -
17.5.2009 Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta adds Windows 7 support
Microsoft announced the release of Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta, along with news that it will feature Windows 7 support.
windows -
comments -
20.7.2009 Check for RAM Error or Defect in Windows 7 and Vista with Windows Memory Diagnostic
Memory or RAM is one of the most important electronic hardware component on a computer systems, not only in term of speed or clock frequency and size, but also the reliability of hardware ecosystem of the RAM sticks or memory modules and its subsystem.
common -
comments -
1.10.2009 The Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98 Threat Mitigation Guide
Well, Microsoft still puts effort in old Windows versions...
microsoft -
comments -
31.3.2006 Windows Vista comes with 19,500 drivers on DVD more on Windows Update
Ever needed to find a driver for a product and wished Windows would either just have the driver in it, or that their Windows Update service could provide it? With Vista, it can and new features and updates will be forthcoming too. Its about time!
windows -
comments -
20.11.2006 Windows XP Home No Longer Qualifies for Windows Vista Upgrades
Windows XP Home Edition no longer qualifies for Windows Vista Business Upgrade or Upgrade + SA through Volume Licensing.
windows -
comments -
17.10.2007 Microsoft Offers a Complex Windows Vista vs. Windows XP Perspective
A new standard of security is an integer aspect of the evolution puzzle represented by the move from Windows XP to Windows Vista.
windows -
comments -
3.11.2007 Windows XP SP3 to Drop Concomitantly with Windows Vista SP1?
Yes, it's time for every Windows user's favorite obsession: Windows XP Service Pack 3. The third and final service pack for Windows XP has been quite elusive for the past three years.
windows -
comments -
25.11.2007 Windows Vista vs. Windows 9x/Me, NT Server, 2000 and XP
If at just a couple of weeks short of the first anniversary since Windows Vista hit the shelves you are still looking for reasons to upgrade to the latest Windows client, then Biplab Paul, Partner Technical Consultant with Microsoft India, has an impressive, and exhaustive list of features that are bound to tilt the balance in Vista's favor.
windows -
comments -
14.1.2008 Free Windows Vista Business and Windows XP SP2 on Parade
Free Windows... Not a concept you would expect from Microsoft. With a business strategy focused on proprietary software, the Redmond company is by all means at the opposite technology spectrum from open source and free software.
windows -
comments -
9.3.2008 Microsoft Presents the Lost Comparison: Windows Vista vs. Windows XP
With both Windows XP and Windows Vista being available concomitantly on the market, Microsoft is doing nothing more than inviting the consumers to compare the two operating systems.
windows -
comments -
20.4.2008 Windows Server 2008 = Windows Vista SP1 Minus the Pain
Windows Server 2008, formerly codenamed Longhorn, is essentially intimately connected with Windows Vista Service Pack 1, to the level in which the RTM version of Microsoft's latest server operating system features the
SP1 label
windows -
comments -
6.5.2008 Windows Embedded NavReady 2009 - Latest Windows Platform from Microsoft
The latest Windows operating system is available for download as of June 16, 2008. And no, it's not a new release of Windows 7, nor the first taste of Windows 7 Server.
download -
comments -
16.6.2008 Free Windows for Supercomputers Available for Download - Windows HPC Server 2008
Microsoft made the latest iteration of its Windows operating system for supercomputers available as a free download.
windows -
comments -
23.9.2008 How to Install Windows 7 or Windows Vista on Physical Machine Without DVD Media
A lot of Windows Vista and Windows 7 license has been sold media-less nowadays, where buyers only receive a piece of authenticated certificate with a genuine and legitimate product key printed on it.
windows -
comments -
23.12.2008Vista flexes its power
Companies have long known the
benefits of making sure their
workers get a good night's
sleep--and they would be wise
to let their PCs do the same,
Microsoft says.
With Windows Vista,
Microsoft plans to put
machines to sleep after an
hour of inactivity. While
businesses and consumers can
change that setting, the
software maker said that they
would be smart to let their
computers nod off.
Microsoft estimates that
allowing a PC to go to sleep
during off hours, as compared
with leaving it on all the
time, saves anywhere from
็ a year to ๖
annually, depending on the
type of monitor.
The company has done work in
the upcoming Vista update to
make sure that the PC can rest
more easily. With Windows XP,
programs could veto a user's
request for the PC to go to
sleep. In some cases, that
meant that laptop owners
thought they had put a PC to
sleep, only to discover a few
hours later that the machine
had remained on and their
notebook's battery had been
drained.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
17.10.2006Beat those bluescreen blues: what a Windows bluescreen actually means
The Windows Blue Screen of Death is hated and maligned, but it's really just trying to help. Read on to find out what it's trying to tell you.
Dan Warne recently
had a cheeky dig at what
some consider to be the quintessential interactive Windows screen the blue screen of death, or BSOD.
Certainly, the unfriendly,
its all over for you vibe which every BSOD gives off has given Windows system faults a bad reputation over time. Personally, I rather like these
haiku error messages...
winbeta.org -
20.11.2007Mini How-To: Remove the Windows BSOD icon in Leopard
Make OS X a little less smug
Its pretty clear that Apple left no stone unturned in Leopard, making changes and fixes throughout the new operating
system. Unfortunately, that also included an upgrade to its crucial smugness subsystem: the image you see above of an old school CRT monitor with a
blue screen of death is actually the not-so-subtle gag icon Leopard uses to represent Windows machines on your local network. (Is it any wonder why PC
and Mac fanboys tend to get in so many fights?) Granted, many Leopard beta users have seen this icon since the early releases, but we didnt actually
think the shipping version would include something so pompous and galling to the other 90%.
neowin.net -
31.10.2007Mobiles linked to disturbed sleep
Using a mobile phone before going to bed could stop you getting a decent night's sleep, research suggests. The study, funded by mobile phone
companies, suggests radiation from the handset can cause insomnia, headaches and confusion. It may also cut our amount of deep sleep - interfering
with the body's ability to refresh itself. The study was carried out by Sweden's Karolinska Institute and Wayne State University in the US.
Funded by the Mobile Manufacturers Forum, the scientists studied 35 men and 36 women aged between 18 and 45. Some were exposed to radiation equivalent
to that received when using a mobile phone, others were placed in the same conditions, but given only "sham" exposure. Those exposed to radiation
took longer to enter the first of the deeper stages of sleep, and spent less time in the deepest one.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
21.01.2008Electronics lead to "junk sleep" in teenagers
The ubiquitous presence of electronics and gadgets in the home is affecting kids' ability to get a good night's sleep, according to a new survey by
The Sleep Council. The UK-based sleep advice organization took an online poll of 1,000 teenagers between 12 and 16 years old and found that many do
not get the recommended amount of sleep on an average night, in part due to TVs, music, or video game consoles.
23 percent of
those surveyed said that they regularly fell asleep while watching TV, listening to music, or with "other machinery" still running. The Council says
that this is not surprising, given that 98.5 percent of the teenagers have phones, music systems, or TVs in their bedrooms (almost two-thirds had all
three).
Even at the younger end of the group, electronics in the bedroom are prevalent58 percent of 12- to 14-year-old boys
reported having a phone, music player, TV, or game console in the bedroom.
winbeta.org -
28.08.2007Gadget Overload Keeps Kids Awake at Night
According to a new study by The Sleep Council, teenagers are increasingly sleeping less and experiencing lower quality sleep due to a huge increase in
entertainment gadget ownership. In the study, almost all of the 12 to 16 year-olds reported having either a phone, music system or TV in their
bedrooms, with two-thirds having all three. Additionally, 58% of 12 to 14 year-old boys have a phone, music player, TV and video game console in their
bedroom. According to the research, this plethora of entertainment options is causing teenagers to lose sleep, with 30% saying they get just four to
seven hours sleep, instead of the recommended eight to nine hours for this age group. Almost a quarter admit to falling asleep watching TV and/or
listening to music or with other gadgets still running more than once a week.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
29.08.2007Microsoft: We want your computer to talk in its sleep
Microsoft Research in partnership with USCD are working on a USB device, called the "Somniloquy" (which by definition means to "Talk in one's
sleep") which allows your computer to carry on performing network processes while it is asleep or in a low power state. The Somniloquy allows a
computer to process network traffic, even if the computers CPU, hard disk, display and I/O buses are powered down, without losing network
connectivity. As described in the research paper, the interface could manage many network-related tasks such as maintaining a remote desktop
connection, receiving instant messages, torrenting and managing a VOIP account, while the computer itself is asleep.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
24.08.2009Windows Vista: The Facts
When choosing a new operating system, the first thing many people ask is, "What will it help me do?" In answer, much of this site shows you the
great experiences Windows Vista helps you have. The second thing many people say is, "Prove that it's better." In particular, many of you have
asked about performance and safety improvements. The following information provides specific proof that Windows Vista is faster and safer.
- The
majority of Windows Vista-based PCs boot in less than a minute, which can be an improvement over Windows XP boot times. And the new Windows Vista
sleep and resume features can bring your PC to life in a snapin fact, the vast majority of all Windows Vista-based PCs resume from sleep in less than
6 seconds.
- PCs running Windows Vista that are equipped with 512 MB memory experience a performance boost of up to 40 percent with Windows
ReadyBoost. Just plug a USB flash drive into your computer, and Windows Vista will automatically start using it to speed up memory access to important
data.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
20.01.2008Engineering Windows 7: Boot Performance
Michael Fortin: For Windows 7, we have a dedicated team focused on startup performance, but in reality the effort extends across the entire Windows
division and beyond. Our many hardware and software partners are working closely with us and can rightly be considered an extension to the team.
Startup can be one of three experiences; boot, resume from sleep, or resume from hibernate. Although resume from sleep is the
default, and often 2 to 5 seconds based on common hardware and standard software loads, this post is primarily about boot as that experience has been
commented on frequently. For Windows 7, a top goal is to significantly increase the number of systems that experience very good boot times. In the
lab, a very good system is one that boots in under 15 seconds.
winbeta.org -
30.08.2008Microsoft Studies the Big Sleep
It was a server. The kind of server that would make a bishop kick a hole in a stained glass window.
As the sentences above show,
melding the lingo of novelist Raymond Chandler with data center technology proves awkward. But Microsofts willing to give it a shot...
winbeta.org -
25.02.2009BSoD Takes On a Whole New Meaning
The definition of the Blue Screen of Death acronym BSoD may soon be replaced by a more ominous meaning, Black Screen of Death. In an e-mail sent to
Windows distributors a Microsoft representative laid out the details of what unlicensed Vista users can expect.
"Good afternoon, as of
this week, Microsoft has activated a function in Vista called 'Reduced Functionality.' This is a specific function in Vista that effectively
disables non genuine copies of Windows. Therefore anyone who has a pirated copy of Vista will experience:
A black screen after one hour of
browsing
No start menu or task bar
No desktop
Please communicate this anti piracy initiative from Microsoft to your resellers --
note this function has only just been activated in Vista worldwide and therefore any issues with non genuine versions will start to arise from now
onward."
While it isn't unusual for Microsoft to impede upon the functionality of unlicensed or falsely licensed copies of Windows,
this seems to be a new direction in regards to their stance on warning users. Typically users of unauthorized copies of Windows have been alerted to
the status of their software legitimacy via Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA). The new "Reduced Functionality" approach is certainly more aggressive,
and according to the Microsoft representative, will reduce the functionality of an unauthorized Windows system to the point of being near useless
until properly licensed.
neowin.net -
12.09.2007Make Your PC Wake From Sleep Automatically
A lot of people these days are becoming more aware of the energy savings to be had by shutting down unused equipment when its not in use. And while
its no problem to shut off the TV and the end of the evening a lot of people have trouble doing the same for the PC. This is mainly because its nice
to have all your work on your computer right there where you left it when you return in the morning. Of course, this is what sleep mode is for you
can save energy without losing your place...
winbeta.org -
09.07.2008Microsoft uses green tactics to push Vista
Briony Smith: <...> In a pro-Vista move, the company commissioned a report from Info-Tech Research on the power consumption of Windows XP versus
Windows Vista, which was released today, and announced Vistas energy-efficient supremacy over XP when it comes to sleep mode. The default settings of
Vista put the system into sleep mode much faster and automatically than XP triggers its own standby mode.
Jennifer Colasanti, a
research consultant with Info-Tech Research, said that tests were run on two different laptops and two different PCs in several different states. The
advanced default settings had a definite impact on power consumption. If your business is running a fleet of Vista PCs, then you can reduce your
carbon emissions by half, she said.
winbeta.org -
21.02.2008Dreaded Blue Screen of Death mars some Leopard installs
Apple support drones are getting an earful from Mac users who are getting the dreaded Blue Screen of Death while trying to update to the latest and
greatest version of OS X. This
thread on an official
Apple support forum has more than 200 posts left in 25 hours at time of writing. A large percentage of the writers report getting a persistent
blue screen that forces them to abort their installation of Leopard.
Among the signs that something is awry is the following post
from a Mac user in Australia:
I've just been on the phone to Apple AU support for an hour (around half of that spent on
hold, but on-and-off as they sometimes consulted other techs), and they definitely know of the BSOD issue, said they started taking calls from 9am
Friday as the first (early courier!) deliveries of Leopard were installed, and they've been flat out, "phones ringing non-stop" since then. Implied
that Apple stateside has been swamped (as you can imagine) and they haven't been able to pinpoint the issue causing the BSOD but "they're looking
into it".
It's still not clear what's causing the snafu...
winbeta.org -
27.10.2007Windows 7 allows remote blue-screen attacks
Windows 7 when it ships next month will be vulnerable to an attack that hasn't been possible since 1999, a new vulnerability
found by a security researcher shows. Sending a deliberately
malformed network negotiation request can force a Windows 7 system into a page fault that triggers a "blue screen of death" error, even without the
user's help in launching the code. The attack affects both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the OS.
winbeta.org -
08.09.2009Building Vista Images with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) - hit a BSOD
Doug Klokow: While putting together a Vista image using MDT (RTM), I assembled a group of drivers to support a number of HP machine models. After
assembling a list of machines I downloaded a number of drivers directly from HP's website, and added them into the out-of-box drivers in MDT.
I had several machine models which were blue screening after the first reboot, and finally determined that the Blue Screen was the
result of a driver I had included to support ATI graphics for a nc6400 laptop. The HP file was
SP36487 and included the ATI video driver to support the laptop,
and also a small driver identified as a ATI PCI Express (3GIO) Filter Driver, and was accompanied by MSI which when run was identified as a North
Bridge Filter Driver.
winbeta.org -
07.12.2007Vista: Whatever happened to fast boot?
Anyone else remember when
Microsoft used to talk about
making Windows Vista (or
Longhorn, as it was then
known) a fast-booting
operating system. Fast, as in
cold boots
that were 50 percent faster
than those possible with
Windows XP?
Something obviously went
awry.
As
Computerworld is reporting, a
number of Vista users are
none too
happy about Vista boot-up
times. Some are
questioning whether Microsoft
is advocating that users just
put Vista into sleep mode, as
opposed to shutting down
systems on a daily basis, to
mask the sluggish boot up.
(And it's not just
boot up speeds that are
troublesome. Vista shutdown is
as slow as molasses, too,
Computerworld is reporting
users as saying. And
app-loading times are nothing
to write home about,
either.)
Microsoft
has been touting the
sleep/hibernate modes as the
preferred ways to "shut off"
Vista systems.
neowin.net -
12.04.2007Blue Screen of Death Survival Guide: Every Error Explained
Picture this: Its late at night, youre sitting at your computer playing a game or working on a project when, suddenly, Windows freezes completely. All
your work is gone, and you find a blue screen full of gibberish staring back at you. Windows is dead, Jim, at least until you reboot it. You have no
choice but to sigh loudly, shake your fist at Bill Gates and angrily push the reset button. Youve just been visited by the ghost of windows crashed:
The blue screen of death.
Also known as the BSoD, the Blue Screen of Death appears when Windows crashes or locks up. Its actually
a Windows stop screen, and is designed to do two things: tell you the reason for the error, and to calm your nerves, hence the use of the color blue
(studies show it has a relaxing effect on people). Though Blue Screens are difficult to decipher, all the information you need to figure out what
caused it is right there in front of you in blue and whiteand thats where we come in. Were going to show you how to dissect the blue screen error
details, so you can fix the problem thats causing them.
winbeta.org -
01.05.2009Sony Puts AIBO Robot Dog to
Sleep
While surprising analysts by
reporting that third quarter
fiscal year 2005 sales and
profits had jumped to all-time
highs, Sony's restructuring
has not been without
casualties: the company has
ceased developing its AIBO and
QRIO robots, and will halt all
sales by the end of this
quarter...
betanews.com -
27.01.2006Windows Vista Power Savings help you save costs
A new report has recently been published demonstrating the hard savings available from Windows Vista's Power Saving functionality. If your company
has hard C02 reduction targets, or you would like to tell your management that you can save them $11 per desktop in direct costs then go ahead and
read this report.
The headlines are:
- Windows Vista can reduce electricity costs. Businesses can save up to
$11 per system, per year by switching to Windows Vista, due to the default power management settings. For a company with 5000 users, this means up
to $47,000 of bottom line dollars can be saved annually.
- The Vista Sleep state is more reliable than XP. Computers resume from Sleep in
two seconds, which is about the same time it takes a screen to resume from Idle mode in Windows XP.
- Power consumption reduction translates
into direct CO2 savings. Carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by up to 67 kg of carbon dioxide per desktop PC, per year. For a company with 5000
users, this is 288 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions reduced.
neowin.net -
17.04.2008
