Updates and Task Manager Disabled by New Windows XP Worm
The Windows functions are always under attack because disabling a vital function of the operating system automatically means an open door for the hacker, who would be able to infiltrate into the computer and conduct his malicious activities.
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24.1.2008 Border Skin - Enable Aero Glass Transparency Effects in Windows XP
Ever wondered how could you get the famous Aero Glass experience on your Windows XP machine? komalo of deviantArt has released a skin for Windows XP users called Border Skin which will give you Aero Glass UX from Windows 7 and Vista right on your PC running Windows XP!
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30.7.2009 Vista SP2 and XP SP3 June 2009 Patches ISO Image Available
This month’s release addresses 31 total vulnerabilities with 15 rated as “1” on our Exploitability Index, meaning there is a high likelihood that reliable exploit code may be developed in the next 30 days,” stated Jerry Bryant, Sr. security program manager lead.
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12.6.2009 How to Turn On and Enable Aero in Windows 7 (Enable Aero Peek)
Windows Aero features in Windows 7 has been greatly enhanced and improved with new features such as Aero Peek. Without Windows Aero Glass Transparency effect, the many premium user interface (UI) goodies and extravaganza visual experience such as windows with translucent glass design and new windows colors in Windows 7 won’t be enjoyed by the system users.
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12.1.2009 Windows Registry Editor, Task Manager and Folder Options Disabled by New Infection
January 2008 comes with a new trend when talking about computer security because lots of worms, Trojan horses, viruses or other pieces of malware attempt to disable important Windows functions in order to hide their files.
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14.1.2008 Keep Windows XP Until 2009, Analysts Tell Microsoft
Microsoft may have pushed a too-aggressive XP transition schedule because of how long it took to release Vista, an analyst suggests.
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9.2.2008 Vista Aero Battery Saver
I get a bit irked when I see stuff that can be solved but people just complain about it.
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8.5.2007 Dell to Sell Windows XP Professional with PCs Through 2009
In a letter to some of Dells customers, they said that "XP Professional is available for OEM installation on your Dell PC purchases through at least 2009 and likely longer."
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9.6.2008 No Aero Glass for Illegitimate Copies of Vista
Microsoft is pulling out a new tool from its antipiracy toolbox. Aero, the new whiz-bang UI for Vista, will only be available to registered users of Windows. That's right, no matter how fast your CPU and graphics card are, if Microsoft determines you are running a pirated version of Vista then it's the toned-down interface for you.
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16.4.2006 Windows XP Mainstream Support Ends April 14, 2009
On April 14, 2009, Microsoft plans to cut off mainstream support for Windows XP and Office 2003. As a consequence, both products will move in the Extended support phase, which will last for the next five years.
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14.4.2009 Aero Glass is the final UI for Windows Vista
Back in 2001 Microsoft's early betas of Windows XP contained a user interface dubbed "Watercolor". But only months before the operating system shipped Microsoft completely replaced it with an entirely different look and feel called "Luna" which became known as "Windows XP Style".
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9.1.2006 Enable both Aero and Glass in Vista Home Basic
I'm gonna give u some tips for people who are stuck up with Vista Home Basic
I really never wanted to have the Vista Home Basic. But when i got my Lappy i had no other option, but to stick on with this OEM version.
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28.10.2007 From Windows Aero to the Windows Vista Sound Schemes
One aspect made clear by Microsoft from the get go is that, with Windows Vista, it had worked to achieve a complete user experience by bridging the graphical user interface with the sound schemes of the operating system.
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16.6.2008 Nick White on Aero and battery life
Nick White, Vista's Product Manager, has responded to an article entitled “Vista, Aero, battery life . . . and Doom” by Dwight Silverman, the tech reviewer at the Houston Chronicle, regarding the impact that the Aero theme has on battery life and performance.
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15.5.2007 Hack to Force Enable Aero in Windows 7
Windows 7 has a nice little Windows Aero troubleshooting tool to find and fix problems with transparency and other visual effects, and then enable and turn on Aero support (and also Aero Peek) in Windows 7.
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12.1.2009 Enable Aero Glass in Windows Virtual PC
Windows Virtual PC along with XP Mode (RC) was released yesterday for Windows 7 Ultimate, Enterprise and Professional users.
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6.8.2009 Microsoft: Vista follow-up likely in 2009
With Vista just out the door, Microsoft is now drawing up plans to deliver its follow-up client operating system by the end of 2009, according to the executive in charge of building the product's core components.
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10.2.2007 Microsoft Claims Vista's Aero Interface Doesn't Slow PCs
Running Windows Vista's new Aero graphical interface doesn't impact PC performance, a study sponsored by Microsoft claims.
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2.1.2007 Windows Aero Is Old News – Introducing LucidTouch User Interface
If you think that Microsoft's journey into the development of natural user interfaces has stopped with the availability of Surface, then think again. The Redmond company is hard at work in a collaboration with Mitsubishi Research to produce LucidTouch.
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24.8.2007 Windows 7 Aero Snap Development Started in Early 2007
Back on February 13, 2007, just a few weeks after Windows Vista hit the shelves, Kevin Kutz, director, Windows Client, revealed that Microsoft had started working on the next iteration of the Windows client.
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18.3.2009 Businesses delay Vista plans until 2009
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.
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29.11.2007 Life after Aero, Microsoft Cooking Improved User Interface for Windows 7
It might not sound like all that much, but it is a definite confirmation that there is life after Windows Aero. And as far as the scarce details on Windows 7 go, any palpable piece of information goes a long way.
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24.5.2008 The Secret Windows 7 Pre-Beta Build 6801 Aero Shake
Despite the fact that Windows 7 pre-beta build 6801 was showcased and subsequently released at the Professional Developers Conference at the end of the past month in Los Angeles, Microsoft still has some aces up its sleeve when it comes down to the next iteration of the Windows client.
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3.11.2008 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 VMWare Private Beta Build 185517 Has Support for Windows Aero
For those of you running Windows Vista or 7 in a virtualization client, I’m sure you miss having the nice, satisfying Windows Aero eye candy, especially with the Aero Basic skin looking the way that it does now.
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1.9.2009 Windows 7 debut in 2009? Another reason to skip Vista
If Windows 7 really is scheduled to make an appearance during the second half of 2009, does this mean that making the move to Vista is now a pointless effort?
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18.1.2008 Vista SP2 and Windows 7 by the End of June 2009
The evolution of the Windows client, involving both Windows Vista (now with Service Pack 1) and Windows 7, appears to be closer than Microsoft is ready to acknowledge officially.
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18.10.2008 The First Anniversary of the Windows Vista Grace Timer 2009 Crack
Windows Vista is a tad under a month away from its first anniversary, taking into consideration the January 30th, 2007 consumer launch of the operating system. In November 2006, Vista was released to manufacturing and, then, Microsoft Chief Executive Officer, Steve Ballmer, gave businesses the green light to Vista.
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3.1.2008 Windows Vista successor scheduled for a H2 2009 release?
Several industry sources have confirmed to TG Daily that a very early version of Windows 7, previously code-named Blackcomb Vienna, already has been shipped to “key partners” as a “Milestone 1” (M1) code drop for validation purposes.
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16.1.2008 Windows Vista successor scheduled for a H2 2009 release?
Several industry sources have confirmed to TG Daily that a very early version of Windows 7, previously code-named Blackcomb Vienna, already has been shipped to “key partners” as a “Milestone 1” (M1) code drop for validation purposes. A roadmap received by TG Daily indicates that the new operating system will be introduced in the second half of 2009.
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17.1.2008Microsoft: Vista UI Uses Little Battery Life
Responding to a number of
recent articles claiming that
Vista's new "Aero"
user interface causes laptops
running the new operating
system to drain their battery
faster, Microsoft has
published its own results. The
company says Aero consumes
only 1% to 4% more battery
life than when the feature is
disabled...
betanews.com -
15.05.2007Microsoft responds to concerns regarding Aero and battery life
Responding to a number
of recent articles claiming
that Vista's new "Aero"
user interface causes laptops
running the new operating
system to drain their battery
faster, Microsoft has
published its own results. The
company says Aero consumes
only 1% to 4% more battery
life than when the feature is
disabled:
Dwight Silverman, the
tech reviewer at the Houston
Chronicle, has written about
the impact that the Aero theme
has on battery life and
performance (under the
provocative title
"http://blogs.chron.com/techb
log/archives/2007/05/vista_aer
o_battery_life_and_doom.html>V
ista, Aero, battery life . . .
and Doom" -- he's referring
to the game Doom3, BTW).
It's a good post and I'd
like to take a minute to
expand on what Dwight has
written.
First off,
yes, as Dwight correctly
points out, the Aero theme
drives the GPU harder and
therefore uses more power.
But in the big picture, it's
really not that much more.
For example, the display on
most laptops will consume
somewhere between 15-25% of
your "power budget" when you
are running on battery. ..
winbeta.org -
15.05.2007How To: Get Windows 7 Aero in a Virtual Machine
This week, Microsoft made the XP Mode RC available to Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate users. Most Virtual Machine emulating software
has not offered support for Aero previously, including Microsoft's own Virtual PC 2007. Now, thanks to the powerful set of "Integration
Components" in Windows 7 Virtual PC and the enhanced, updated version of Remote Desktop in 7, we can now have the full Aero Glass experience in
Windows 7 Virtual Machines, provided the host can handle Aero, and has it enabled. Here's how to get it: This assumes you already have Windows
7 installed on your PC in Virtual PC. Step 1: Enable Aero on your host machine.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
07.08.2009Microsoft Claims Vista's Aero Interface Doesn't Slow PCs
Running Windows Vista's new
Aero graphical interface
doesn't impact PC
performance, a study sponsored
by Microsoft claims.
According to speed
measurements of more than 60
common business chores, which
were conducted by North
Carolina-based Principled
Technologies for Microsoft,
using the Aero interface "had
little or no negative effect
on Windows Vista's
performance."
Matt
Ayers, a program manager with
the Windows Client Performance
team, touted the results on
the group's blog. "We put
quite a bit of effort into
making sure that the new
visuals were as efficient as
possible, and it really paid
off," he wrote. "You can run
Aero without guilt!"
Principled Technologies
measured performance with Aero
on and off using a Dell XPS
M170 notebook equipped with 1
Gbyte of RAM, a 2.0-GHz Intel
Pentium M 750 single-core
processor, and a graphics card
with 256 Mbytes of memory. The
laptop's configuration met or
exceeded Microsoft's own
minimum system requirements
for what it calls a "Vista
Premium Ready PC," which is a
system with sufficient
horsepower to run Aero. Those
requirements, for example,
specify a graphics card with
at least 128 Mbytes of
memory.
Aero, which
can be disabled by the user,
is automatically ditched for a
simpler, Windows XP-style
interface, when Vista is run
on lower-powered PCs.
The Vista performance report
can be downloaded as a
PDF file
from hereneowin.net -
02.01.2007Dell to Sell Windows XP Professional with PCs Through 2009
In a letter to some of Dells customers, they said that " XP Professional is available for OEM installation on your Dell PC purchases through at
least 2009 and likely longer." The "official" OEM and retail end date from Microsoft is June 30, 2008, just a few weeks away. There has been
much talk of whether Microsoft would bow to the demand of the consumers to keep XP alive, and with this it is still hard to tell if Dell bought a
years stock of licenses ahead of time, or if this is the precursor to an announcement from Microsoft.
Dell's plan for users is to have
Windows XP Professional installed on their machines, but include the Vista install disk for when they are ready to upgrade. "With XP installed,
we will send media for both Vista and XP with each PC so that when you are ready to migrate to Vista you may at no addition upgrade cost." The
demand seems high, so let's hope others follow suit to allow companies the time and resources to fully upgrade.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
10.06.2008Microsoft's IE 7 Ignores
Windows Setting
Microsoft is defending its
decision to turn on its
ClearType font rendering
technology in
Internet
Explorer 7 even if users
have switched it off
system-wide.
ClearType, which debuted
with Windows XP, is designed
to make text more readable on
LCD screens. By default, it's
disabled in Windows, but
Microsoft's IE 7 team has
decided to enable it for the
browser, even if the user has
not turned on the feature
Windows-wide.
ClearType can be disabled in
IE 7 Beta 2 Preview via the
Tools/Internet
Options/Advanced dialog. To
turn ClearType off, uncheck
the box "Use ClearType"
under the Multimedia section.
Unlike Windows XP, the
upcoming Windows Vista will
enable ClearType by default...
jcxp.net -
07.03.2006Showcase: Aero Xtreme 7 XP (Developed by InTime Applications)
jcxp.net - 05.09.2009
Businesses 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."
winbeta.org - 29.11.2007
Aero Glass is the final UI for
Vista
Back in 2001, Microsoft's
early betas of Windows XP
contained a user interface
dubbed "Watercolor". But
only months before the
operating system shipped,
Microsoft completely replaced
it with an entirely different
look and feel called "Luna"
which became known as
"Windows XP Style".
That move has created
speculation that current
Windows Vista look and feel,
called Aero glass, would be
replaced by a different look
and feel later in the beta
process.
However, this week
"PowerUser.TV" has released
a podcast which contains an
interview with Microsoft
developers who have confirmed
that there will be no major
change to the look and feel of
Windows Vista from what is
being shown in build
5270.
In other
words, Aero-Glass it is. Yes,
Disappointing news we
know.
jcxp.net - 11.01.2006
Windows XP gets another stay of execution
Microsoft has extended the final OEM and reseller delivery date for the Windows XP from January 31, 2009 to May 30, 2009. The cut off date for PC
makers to obtain licenses for the software was January 31, 2009. Still, vendors have to place their orders before the official cutoff date of January
31, but they dont have to take delivery until May. Microsoft granted the reprieve largely because of customer's preference for XP. Microsoft also
recently extended the Vista "downgrade" deadline for OEMs to July 31 and netbooks and low-cost laptops will be able to run XP until at least June
2010, so chances are you'll be able to get XP until Windows 7 ships.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 23.12.2008
Vista vs XP performance: Some informal tests
Tim Anderson: After posting about the inadequacy of a recent test report I
thought it would be interesting to conduct my own informal tests of Vista vs XP performance. I do not run a computer laboratory, but I guess my tests
have the benefit of being real-world.
I tested several conditions on three computers. On two of them I was able to test XP 32-bit
vs Vista 32-bit. I tried various combinations of Aero on or off, visual effects on or off, and UAC (User Account Control) on or off. I also tried
setting Vista to run only basic services, using Msconfig.
winbeta.org - 05.12.2007
Sony laptops disable Windows 7's XP Mode
It's not looking good for Sony Vaio owners who were looking to get their hands on a hot, fresh release of Windows 7 - Sony has disabled hardware
virtualization in their laptop range, thus rendering Windows XP Mode in Windows 7, and many other Virtual Machine Based products, such as VMware and
Virtualbox pretty much useless. Sony claims that they are disabled for "security" reasons - which doesn't really seem to make any sense; Sony
has also said that they will re-enable hardware virtualization on "select" laptops from the Vaio range.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 11.08.2009
Windows 7: Designing Aero Snap
Steven Sinofsky: Heres a behind the scenes look at the design of the Aero Snap feature in Windows 7. We thought it would be fun to take a look at the
overall design process of the feature and the tools and techniques used. This feature poses a unique design challenge in that you just use the
feature without any user-interface specifically to invoke it. As with all features this is a collaboration across all of our engineering disciplines.
For this post, Stephan Hoefnagels, a Senior UX designer, presents the design perspective.
winbeta.org - 17.03.2009
Expiration dates for Vista SP1 and XP SP3 blocks announced
If you're an IT professional and currently using Microsoft's Service Pack Blocker, the software giant recently announced that the current
blocks for Vista SP1 and XP SP3 are going to expire in a few months. The Service Pack Blocker Tool only temporarily prevents Windows from the
installation of a Service Pack via Windows Update, and the block is only effective for one year after the Service pack is released to the market via
Windows Update. Effective April 28th, 2009, Windows Vista SP1 will no longer be blocked by the tool and will be delivered via Windows Update. The
same goes for Windows XP SP3, but the block will be lifted on May 19th, 2009.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 30.01.2009
Microsoft Extends XP Media Availability to July
Microsoft has now extended the availability of Windows XP on new PCs by six months.
Computer makers that "downgrade" machines from
Windows Vista Business or Vista Ultimate to Windows XP Professional will be able to obtain media for the latter through the end of July 2009, a
Microsoft spokeswoman said Friday.
The new date is a change in policy. Previously, Microsoft had planned to halt XP Professional media
shipments to major computer makers after Jan. 31, 2009.
jcxp.net - 13.10.2008
Can Microsoft juggle three operating systems?
Microsoft's tricky balancing act in 2009 will be to phase out Windows XP while boosting demand for Windows Vista and building anticipation for
Windows 7. Compounding this challenge is that Vista has been Microsoft's most embattled operating system, and though recent reports say that Vista
has improved over the past year, there are also reports of a growing indifference from users. Many are sticking with Windows XP for now (or even
requesting to "downgrade" to XP with new computer purchases) with the hope that Windows 7 will be more nimble and efficient than Vista.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 16.12.2008
Vista Leads the 15 Biggest Tech Disappointments of 2007
#1. No Wow, No How: Windows Vista
Five years in the making and this is the best Microsoft could do?
It's not that Vista is awful. The integrated security and
parental controls are nice, and the Aero interface is as whizzy as it gets. Searching and wireless networking are much faster and easier than under
XP.
It's just that Vista isn't all that good. Many of the innovations the operating system was supposed to bring--like more
efficient file and communications systems--got tossed overboard as Microsoft struggled to get the OS out the door, some three years after it was first
promised. Despite its hefty hardware requirements, Vista is slower than XP.
winbeta.org - 17.12.2007
The Advantages of Upgrading From Vista To XP
This article does have quite a unique twist to it...
Coding Sanity: I have finally decided to take the plunge. Last night
I upgraded my Vista desktop machine to Windows XP, and this afternoon I will be doing the same to my laptop.
Look & Feel
Windows XP has quite a cartoony look and feel compared to the slick look of Aero Glass; this is mostly offset by the lack of strange
screen artifacts caused by malfunctioning graphics code. You know, almost like static on the screen. This was a once or twice monthly occurrence on my
laptop, and happened on my desktop whenever I logged in, and also whenever I played a 3D game after leaving Vista running for a couple of hours. I
also miss the "orphaned windows" I got on Vista, dialog boxes that would not go away, in a sense they became part of the desktop, since you could
drag a selection from within them, despite the fact that the Glass would render the selection below them. Such crazy graphics bugs appear to be a
thing of the past.
winbeta.org - 16.12.2007
Five reasons why XP will never die
Preston Gralla: Microsoft is doing its best to kill Windows XP, but that's not going to happen. No matter what the company does, the operating system
will live on. Here are five reasons why XP will never die.
Enterprises want XP
There's no escaping the
simple fact that enterprises have snubbed Vista, and show no signs of abandoning XP. Just a few days ago, Forrester said that a survey of 50,000
enterprise users found that throughout 2007, Windows XP use remained at a steady 89%. Vista grew from zero to 6% in that same time, but that came
about because users moved from Windows 2000 to Vista, not from XP to Vista. Don't expect corporations to switch to Vista from XP in 2008.
winbeta.org - 03.04.2008
Vista Beta Sucks up Battery
Juice
Windows Vista delivers some
pretty snazzy new graphics,
but all that "wow" can be a
real drain.
With the new version of
Windows, Microsoft has created
an operating system that
offers advances in many areas,
but laptop battery life is not
one of them. Going by internal
tests at one hardware maker,
which declined to be named,
there is noticeably lower
battery life when Vista runs
in its "average power"
mode.
Microsoft
has said that the current
versions of the update deliver
less battery life than Windows
XP, but the company has also
said it hopes to close the gap
in the coming months.
One of Vista's most
visible changes is its Aero
interface, which offers
spiffier graphics when people
navigate through the operating
system. Its advanced Aero
Glass effects include
translucent windows and
animated transitions, as well
as the ability to move between
windows and documents by
selecting from miniature
versions of those items.
jcxp.net - 05.06.2006
