The XP alternative for Vista PCs
While Microsoft is still pushing Vista hard, the company is quietly allowing PC makers to offer a "downgrade" option to buyers that get machines with the new operating system but want to switch to Windows XP.
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23.9.2007 Vista RTM and SP1 Windows Fiji – Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008
Developed under the codename Windows Fiji, and released to manufacturing under the label Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008, the first major update to the Windows Media Center component included by default in the Home Premium and Ultimate SKUs of Windows Vista RTM and SP1, is right on track to be a disappointment.
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11.8.2008 VMLite Alternative to Windows XP Mode for Windows 7
Windows 7 has many new features out of which one feature is Windows XP Mode which lets you to run Windows XP on your Windows 7 however in order to use Windows XP mode you must have Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate and your computer must have hardware level virtualization support.
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14.11.2009 EASEUS Partition Manager Home Edition - Partition Magic Free Alternative
Partitioning your hard drive in order to accommodate all the stored files in an organized manner is definitely not a daily task for any user.
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30.9.2008 First Looks at Windows Vista Media Center
Microsoft's Media Center Edition of Windows XP has had a hard time. Though it's hard to call it a poor seller, MCE certainly has a market penetration that represents only a tiny fraction of the many millions of computers running Windows XP. And why should it? Most users don't have nice hi-def TVs hooked up to their PCs, or TV tuners, or really any need to enjoy their music, video, and TV stored on their PC via a 10-foot user interface. It doesn't help that the first edition of Media Center wasn't very good, either. Then again, Microsoft bounced back with its second effort, Media Center Edition 2005, one of the most improved software products ever.
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1.12.2005 Windows Vista Media Player Screenshots
Here is a sneak peek at what the new Media Player with the glass effect is going to look like in Windows Vista.
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Windows Vista Media Center Now with Netflix
The latest step in the evolution of Windows Media Center in Windows Vista is synonymous with the integration of the Netflix service directly into the default component of Windows.
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20.5.2009 Microsoft starts Windows Vista Media Center Beta applications
Microsoft recently began surveying current beta testers of Windows Vista to see which testers qualify for an upcoming Windows Vista Media Center Beta. The survey, which only current Vista testers can take, is located at Microsoft Connect.
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New IE, Media Player Features Expected to Debut in Windows Vista Refresh
Testers will soon have a new Community Technology Preview build, the second one that Microsoft has issued for its next-gen Windows client. Beta 2 is looking like December, sources say. windows -
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Position Changer Add-In updated for Media Center in Windows Vista
Stephen Toub : Back in early 2005, I wrote an article for MSDN on implementing add-ins for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.
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5.1.2007 XP and Vista to get new media player
Microsoft plans to jazz up its music player in Windows Vista, the company's next operating system. But at least some of the new features will debut much sooner.
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18.4.2006 Cumulative Update for Media Center for Vista Available
This update addresses issues with Media Center for Microsoft Vista. For complete listing of issues included in this cumulative update, see KB941229. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer. Thanks to pacpis for this news.
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2.10.2007 Installing Vista Beta 1 (x86) without DVD media
I know, I know - Everyone should have a DVD burner these days... but I don't. Here's a rough guide on getting Vista Beta 1 (x86) installed without the use of DVD media. I am not responsible for lost partitions, data, etc!
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Vista Media Center update "Fiji" delayed
Fiji, the suspected codename for the next version/upgrade of Media Center might be held up by a lack of frequent flyer miles. The beta program, which many of you may have registered for isn’t exactly moving along.
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19.6.2007 Vista Media Center takes over the living room
In June, I recounted my out-of-the-box experience with a new Dell PC running Windows Vista, starting with a failed BIOS upgrade, undergoing a successful repair, and establishing that the basic hardware and software setup was rock-solid.
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24.8.2007 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.
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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.
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23.12.2008 .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 Windows Vista to Windows XP Downgrades Media
With the advent of Windows Vista, the issue of downgrading to Windows XP came into the limelight and got a consistent amount of play throughout 2007.
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9.1.2008 Adding Blu-ray and HD DVD to Vista Media Center
As part of my ongoing Vista Media Center project, I’m about to add Blu-ray and HD DVD playback capabilities to my living room system. I already know that the system is fully capable of recording and playing back over-the-air high-definition content.
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1.9.2007 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 Windows Media Center
Windows Media Center has been a part of my life several years. I've watched functionality improve in each new version, and I'm already using beta versions of Windows Media Center in Windows Vista Ultimate as part of my daily routine.
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7.6.2006 Media Streaming with Windows 7
We’ve blogged about a number of features related to home networking and media in Windows 7. A scenario which brings all these together in a pretty cool way is Media Streaming.
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12.5.2009 Still 'no demand' for media-player-free Windows
A major U.K. retail store and three of the largest PC vendors worldwide still have no plans to sell the version of Microsoft Windows that does not contain its media player, five months after the version was released.
Microsoft started offering Windows XP N, a version of Windows without a bundled media player, in June of this year to comply with last year's antitrust ruling by the European Commission.
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19.11.2005 Windows Media Player 11 Interview
I just put online my first interview here at The Insider. I ask a few questions I've seen asked here in the community in regards to Windows Meda Player 11 to Geoff Harris who is the Product Unit Manager for WMP 11.
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6.5.2006 Windows Media Player 11 Released
As promised and revealed by Neowin, Microsoft has released Windows Media Player 11 for Windows XP.
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30.10.2006 Windows Media Player Sidebar Gadget
This sidebar gadget has all the capabilities of WMP as embedded in a web page including the ability to play playlists, moves, audio, etc (.wpl, .wmv, as.
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12.2.2007 Windows Media Player Firefox Plugin
Have you been itching to enjoy your media content on Firefox? The Windows Media Player team put a lot of work into evolving media playback on Windows Vista through the new Media Foundation pipeline, and has also been actively monitoring feedback on WMP and playback in general.
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17.4.2007 Media Pack for Windows XP N SP3
Having taken Windows XP to Service Pack 3 in the first half of this year, Microsoft is continuing the evolution of the operating system.
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28.11.2008Improved 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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11.12.2007Why 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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20.03.2008Changes 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 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.....
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27.05.2008Windows 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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19.02.2008Windows Vista SP1 Deployment Info
A few quick bits that are noteworthy from the
Windows Vista SP1
Whitepaper regarding deployment.
Windows Vista SP1 will support the following delivery methods:
- Express. Requires an
Internet connection but minimizes the size of the download by sending only the changes needed for a specific computer (approximately 50 MB for
x86-based operating systems).
- Stand-alone. Recommended for computers with limited Internet connectivity and for applying the service
pack to multiple computers. The download size is larger than the express package, but customers can apply a single package to any Windows Vista
version and language combination (within a platform). Distribution tools like System Center Configuration Manager 2007 use stand-alone packages to
deploy Windows Vista SP1.
- Slipstream. The slipstream version of Windows Vista SP1 is media that already contains the service pack,
which companies can use to deploy the operating system to new computers or to upgrade existing computers. Availability will be limited. Microsoft will
update Windows Vista retail media with Windows Vista SP1 slipstream media in the future. Slipstream media will also be available to Volume Licensing
customers.
As also stated in the Whitepaper, "customers cannot apply SP1 to offline Windows Vista images," meaning that the Vista SP1 update
cannot be manually slipstreamed into a Vista RTM ISO. However, a method of repacking an install.wim with Vista SP1 integrated is available using our
Vista SP1 Integration Guide which still requires a complete install
of Vista RTM in order to reverse integrate it. While this may not be the most ideal method, it is at the moment the only method if one doesn't have
access to Microsoft's fully slipped SP1 ISO since availability will be limited.
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29.08.2007Language 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.
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04.03.2008Photos: 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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28.09.2007Windows Vista SP1 RC released to public
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RC is now available through Windows Update. Experience the WU based Vista SP1 installation by following 4 simple steps.
Windows Vista SP1 RC distributed through Windows Update will be applicable to Windows Vista machines that are running on any of the 36 languages
supported by Vista RTM.
If you already installed the Service Pack to your machine by using the standalone package, you must uninstall
before you scan Windows Update for Windows Vista SP1.
Systems running on Windows Vista RTM require as many as three updates before SP1 can
be installed. These updates are permanent to your Windows Vista systems. Windows Update will detect your system configuration and offer the
prerequisite packages that are applicable to your system.
neowin.net -
12.12.2007Windows Vista SP1 downloadable now, ships tomorrow
Just a few hours after Amazon told its customers that Windows Vista SP1 packages would be shipping tomorrow, Microsoft made Service Pack 1 for Vista
generally available. The update is 435MB for the x86 version...
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18.03.2008Vista 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: śWindows Vista
SP1 is approximately 45 MB
when delivered over Windows
Update and is designed to not
significantly change the UI or
regress application
compatibility.ť
Q: What are some examples
of śsupport for emerging
technologies and
standards?ť
A:
śWith 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
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30.07.2007Screencast: Vista SP1 outperforms Windows XP in network IO
Michael Kleef: Its interesting that people seem to think that Vista underperforms 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!
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08.05.2008Windows Vista SP1 availability for technical customers
Mike Nash: On Monday (February 4th), we announced the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1). Overall, people are
excited to hear that we have reached this milestone, but some are disappointed they are not able to immediately download it.
<...> We've heard the feedback and I want to update you on our plans and progress for making SP1 available to our beta participants, our Volume
Licensing customers, and our MSDN/TechNet Plus subscribers:
- Late Friday we made SP1 RTM available to individuals and companies
who participated in the SP1 beta program
- At the end of this week we will be making the English version of Windows Vista SP1 available to
Volume Licensing customers. Other languages will follow soon after
- Later this month, SP1 will be available to MSDN and TechNet Plus
subscribers
For broad availability, we are still planning to release in mid-March, since we want to be sure that everyone has the
smoothest experience possible.
I want to be super-clear on one point: Windows Vista SP1 is final. It has been fully released to
manufacturing and we do not plan to make any changes to the SP1 code prior to public availability. We are confident in the quality of Windows Vista
SP1 and know that it will help improve our customers' experiences with Windows Vista.
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11.02.2008Screencast: UAC Improvements in Vista SP1
Michael Kleef: Today
I posted a short and sharp
screencast just showing the differences in Vista RTM to Vista SP1 in UAC prompting. We have worked hard in making sure that the original intent of
system integrity is preserved though sometimes excessive prompting was occurring for a single task. My screencast shows this difference and how we
have worked to improve. This screencast links
back to my previous
post on UAC and Windows Vista being somehow less secure than Windows 2000.
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15.05.2008Deployed: 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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06.12.2007Windows Vista SP1 vs. Windows Vista RTM vs. Windows XP SP2
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. The
results show that SP1 performs on par with Vista RTM and Windows XP.
The test show that as with Windows Vista RTM, overall performance is
on par with Windows XP. It’s important to remember that Windows Vista is a more advanced operating system, which includes many more capabilities
than Windows XP. By default, Windows Vista includes antispyware, a search indexer, and the shadow copy service. All these work in the background,
providing important services to customers, but they of course take up a portion of the PCs memory and processor resource.
On several common
business and home operations Windows Vista SP1 was noticeably more responsive after rebooting than Windows XP.
neowin.net -
28.02.2008Windows Vista SP1 Update Resumes Tomorrow
From the Windows Vista Blog: I have a quick update for you about Windows Vista SP1. The Microsoft Update Blog contains some important information
about updates to the SP1 prerequisite distribution plan. Starting tomorrow, we are resuming the automatic update and installation of the Servicing
Stack Update.
In mid-April, we will begin distributing SP1 (in the first 5 languages) using the Automatic Update system. We have a lot of
Windows users, so not everyone will get it on the same day. In fact, it will go to a small percentage of Windows Vista users each day. The exact
timing of when you will receive it depends on when your PC is ready for Windows Vista SP1.
In addition to starting the automatic delivery
of the first 5 languages, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you that also we're on track for the initial release of SP1 in the remaining
languages in mid-April.
neowin.net -
07.04.2008Windows 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. So just when do our friends from France say Microsoft is
planning on releasing our little Service Pack friends? Well, according to them, we will be seeing Vista SP1 a little earlier than previously
anticipated:
Windows Vista SP1: February 18th or 19th
Windows XP SP3: March 23rd or 24th
winbeta.org -
06.02.2008.NET Framework 3.0 SP1 & 2.0 SP1 on Vista RTM?
Aaron Ruckman: I've received the following type of question a few times and would like to give the answer with some background:
Q. Where is the .NET Framework 3.0 SP1 & 2.0 SP1 for Vista RTM?
A. .NET Framework 3.0 & 2.0 released with Vista as OS Windows
Components, which means that they are serviced as any other windows Component. Therefore, the .NET Framework 3.0 & 2.0 Service packages will be
officially released as part of the Vista Service packages. When Vista SPX is shipped then .NET Framework 2.0 & 3.0 might also include updates in that
service package.
In this case the .NET Framework 3.0 & 2.0 have a service package that will be shipped with Vista
SP1. Vista SP1 RC is available now (
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsvista/bb738089.aspx)
NOTE: The same logic stated for Vista and .NET Framework will also be true for Windows2008 & .NET Framework 2.0 & 3.0, only Windows
Server2008 will release with .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 & 3.0 SP1 in the OS.
winbeta.org -
21.01.2008Updated: Windows Vista SP1 downloadable now, ships tomorrow
Despite Amazon's messages on Tuesday that it would be shipping commercial packages with Windows Vista SP1 starting today, those messages this morning
were found to be replaced with new notices that the new boxes aren't in stock yet...
betanews.com -
19.03.2008
