Microsoft presenting at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas
Hi everyone, Stephen Toulouse here. As you probably know, all throughout the year we attend various security researcher conferences all over the world. One of the biggest and the best is the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. And of course the MSRC, as well as a number of other Microsoft teams, will be down there this August.
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11.6.2006 Vista SP1 RC Leaves XP SP2 in the Dust, but What About XP SP3?
Although Microsoft has indicated a strong disapproval of benchmarking tests involving development milestones of Windows Vista Service Pack 1, the temptation is simply too big to ignore.
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17.1.2008 Microsoft Makes Its Own Vista SP1 vs. XP SP2, Leaves XP SP3 Out
Ever since the advent of Window Vista, at the end of November 2006 for businesses and in January 2007 for the general public, Microsoft has virtually invited the comparison between the two operating systems.
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8.5.2008 Windows XP Service Pack 3 - Will it turn XP into Vista?
Microsoft is currently cooking the third and last service pack for Windows XP. Released back at the end of 2001, and overhauled in 2004 with the introduction of Service Pack 2, the next refresh for XP is long overdue.
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19.10.2007 Vista SP1 Is Out, XP SP3 Old News, the Pink Edition of Vista Is In
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is now nothing more than water under the bridge, now that the service pack was released to manufacturing on February 4, 2008, shipping to general users on March 18.
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27.3.2008 Tell Hasta la Vista to XP - Time to Upgrade to Vista SP1
Like it or not, this is the right time not only to upgrade to Windows Vista Service Pack 1 but also to tell hasta la vista to Windows XP.
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30.6.2008 Vista SP1 RC1 Flies Past Vista RTM and Windows XP SP2
Despite the fact that Microsoft has expressed its official position regarding testing Windows Vista Service Pack 1 ahead of its finalization, there is simply too much of a hunger for the service pack.
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27.12.2007 Microsoft Hands out XP SP3 beta – Final SP for XP
In an email sent to selected testers telling them they have been accepted to begin testing XP SP3, Microsoft has also informed them that this will be the final Service Pack for the now aging OS.
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5.10.2007 Will Vista SP1 Go Where Vista Never Went? Even with XP SP3 and Windows 7?
Throughout 2007, it became painfully clear to Microsoft that the main competitor for Windows Vista was not Apple's Mac OS X or even the open source Linux operating system but Windows XP, and, in fact, specifically XP SP2.
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1.3.2008 VISTA vs. XP
Want to know the differences between Vista and it's biggest competitor, Windows XP? An
online article in the US has some basic information, but we thought it needed a bit more detail. So here's a much better rundown on the differences to expect!
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7.1.2007 XP SP3 Does Not Support Windows XP
Believe it or not, but Microsoft does not support Windows XP with XP SP3. Well, maybe that's not entire true. But it is true nonetheless. End users will find they they are unable to deploy XP SP3 on top of XP. What is the catch?
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16.1.2008 Vista and XP Comparisons
Microsoft has promised the largest upgrade since Windows 95 in Windows Vista. In this article we take a look at build 5270, which will probably be one of the last intermediate releases (this one is actually labeled Beta 2 on the desktop) before the feature complete Beta 2 release. In this article we will look at what this upgrade means in real terms by comparing it with the venerable Windows XP.
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13.1.2006 Vista Pack for XP
The Vista Pack for XP is for customize your Windows XP in Windows Vista Style. It give your Windows XP the look and feel of Vista with these great tools with a new Firefox Vista black theme, Windows Visual styles, tools, and wallpapers.
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22.2.2007 Farewell Vista, Hello XP
How to make the switch back and deal with the gnarly problem of transferring your Vista e-mail, contacts, and user data back to the old standby operating system.
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10.12.2007 Why isn't Vista loved as much as XP?
Lately there are a lot of articles bashing Windows Vista for its lack of driver support, stability or poor performance. All of these concerns are true just like all previous Windows versions.
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16.1.2008 Another take on Vista vs. XP benchmarks
As anyone who’s ever worked in a PC performance lab knows, the #1 rule of benchmarking is: Your mileage may vary.
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20.2.2008 Vista is still more secure than XP
Last October, roughly one year after the release to manufacturing of Windows Vista, I did a comparison of how well Windows Vista was living up to its promise of being more secure than its predecessor, Windows XP (see “One year later, Vista really is more secure”).
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28.7.2008 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 Vista 5744 Sidebar 4 XP
ricktendo64 made a easy 5744 Sidebar and VAIO Installer for XP.
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14.12.2006 Vista vs. XP in Performace Test
Our user thepodest on
his blog compare performance tests of Windows Vista and Windows XP on his computer. Here are the results.
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22.5.2007 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 Should You Upgrade from Vista to XP SP3?
Windows Vista was released to manufacturing and to businesses in November 2006, and the operating system hit the shelves only at the end of January 2007.
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27.12.2007 It All Comes Down to Going Either for XP SP3 or for Vista SP1
Starting with May 6, 2008, the question is no longer about Windows Vista RTM vs. Windows XP SP2, but rather about Vista SP1 or XP SP3.
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9.5.2008 Windows SteadyState for Vista and XP
Microsoft has made available for download the Windows SteadyState for the 32-bit editions of Windows XP and Windows Vista.
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10.6.2008 Vista SP1 or XP SP3?
Windows users are at a juncture in terms of operating system choices at this point in time, caught between Windows Vista SP1, Windows XP SP3 and Windows 7.
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24.6.2008 Process Monitor 2.0 for Vista and XP
At the start of September 2008, Microsoft Technical Fellow Mark Russinovich revealed that he was cooking a major update for Process Monitor, one of the components of the Sysinternals suite.
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1.10.2008 Windows 7, Vista, XP – There Will Be Blood
When two is a crowd, Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP will suffocate the market, with all three operating systems available concomitantly, albeit XP will be the most handicapped of the three, but still up for grabs, and even available through downgrade options.
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28.3.2009 Windows 7 Benchmarks vs Vista and XP
Now that Windows 7 has RTMed and companies have had some time to refine their drivers, Windows 7 benchmarks will become a more accurate representation of its true performance
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3.8.2009 WindowBlinds 5 Brings Vista UI to XP
One of the most anticipated features in Windows Vista is its redesigned user interface that features glass-like title bars and alpha blended windows. But with the upgrade a year away,
Stardock has released
WindowBlinds 5 to offer Windows XP users the same capabilities right now.
Version 5 of Stardock's flagship Windows customization software has been in the works for over a year, according to company CEO Brad Wardell. Initially, Wardell's team was dubious that such features could be added without severe performance lag to Windows XP, which lacks Vista's new advanced graphics subsystem.
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TopDesk - Vista Program Switching in XP
JK points out that the venerable application switcher TopDesk has added a mode that allows you to flip through open windows in much the same way that Windows Vista's new Windows-Tab key combination offers. It's definitely very cool to look at, and Otaku Software has done a good job of making the application very fast, considering XP is not geared in a native way to provide a 3D view of open windows. The classic TopDesk views are also worth a look, providing Expose-style overviews of all open windows.
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26.2.2006Five 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.
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03.04.2008New Vista Slogan for CES
It's not surprising Microsoft
will be touting Windows Vista
at the upcoming Consumer
Electronics Show (CES) in Las
Vegas. But the slogan the
company has chosen to tout its
new version of Windows may
catch some off-guard.
There will be an entire
Vista pavillion outside the
main convention center,
dedicated to showing off Vista
and new Vista machines.
Additionally,
according to a couple of
sources, Microsoft is using as
a key component of its Vista
marketing material the phrase:
"WOW!" "When you
see it, you'll say
it."
Supposedly, we'll all see a
lot of that message over the
next week on banners all over
Vegas.
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04.01.200750 Windows XP & Vista Tips & Tricks
Computer Active has compiled a list of 50 tips to improve performance of both XP and Vista.
For most people using a computer means using
Windows and over the years Microsoft’s operating system has become easier to use.
However, there is always room for improvement, so
in this feature we have compiled 50 of the finest tips for Windows XP and Vista. These can help to make Windows even better, easier to use and faster.
Most don’t even require you to install any extra software, so if you want to make your copy of XP or Vista better, it’s possible to get
started immediately.
Read full story.....
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09.05.2008Windows 7 Beta 1 Vs Windows Vista Vs Windows XP
After Windows 7 beta 1 leaked, many bloggers caught hold of it very soon and started testing/using Windows 7. We saw Ed Bott from ZDnet reporting
about the changes in the Windows 7 beta 1 license agreement. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes from ZDnet has benchmarked Windows 7 with its successors Windows
Vista and Windows XP. The Windows 7 build 6.1.7000.0.081212-1400 was considered for testing. Since its 32bit, it was tested against 32bit versions of
Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3.
Read full story.....
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03.01.2009Get Vista's Best Features in XP
Despite the fact that most of you
prefer XP to Vista and would rather
Microsoft extended XP's shelf-life, several new and improved features
available in Vista would be great to have in XP. This new functionality may not be enough to get you to switch to Vista, but that doesn't mean
you're out of luck. Let's take a look at a few ways you can incorporate Windows Vista's best features into your current XP PC for free.
We're going to focus on Vista's small and large features that are missing from XP, separated into three categories: applications,
functional, and aesthetic (e.g., transparency is aesthetic, the new start menu search is functional). This list is not exhaustive, but it does cover
the features readers feel make Vista worth it.
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14.05.2008XP SP2 vs. Vista RTM vs. Vista SP1: Gaming benchmark
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Here are the benchmark results that many of you have been waiting for - a look at how well ten popular games work on XP SP2,
Vista RTM and Vista SP1.
Its been nearly a year since I took a look at the state of gaming under the Vista OS. The last time I
compared XP SP2 to Vista, I was disappointed with Microsofts new OS as a gaming platform because I could get far more bang for my bucks out of XP than
I could out of the new OS. Partly I put this down to immature drivers, but on the whole I was convinced that at the core of the problem was Vista.
So, is Vista worth bothering with as a gaming platform?
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28.02.2008Vista or XP? How about both?
Scott Lowe: Now that Windows Vista SP1 is peeking out from around the e-corner, many śpre-SP1 adverseť organizations will probably begin the process
of evaluting Vista in their organizations. However, for the foreseeable future, there will be those that swear by Windows XP and its stability and
performance. So, whos right? Why not both?
As much as it will pain some to admit it, Vista does have some redeeming
qualities. And, for others, Windows XP continues“and will continue“to serve a very useful purpose in the enterprise. So, what are some of the
situations in which it might make sense to run both Windows Vista and Windows XP in the organization? And, what are the challenges involved in doing
so?
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22.02.2008Rumor: Vista SP1 coming February 18, XP SP3 on March 23
French tech website
PC INpact is reporting that
it got its grubby little hands on the exact release dates of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 as well as Windows XP Service Pack 3. According to a source,
Vista SP1 is to be released on the night of February 18 while XP SP3 will be released on the night of March 23.
Although Microsoft has not
given a tight timeframe for when to expect XP SP3, it did state earlier that Vista SP1 will be available in mid-March. The screenshots should be
therefore taken with a grain of salt. It is possible that these memos were sent out before Microsoft delayed Vista to mid-March. Could it be that the
Vista date is wrong but the XP one is correct?
Read full story.....
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07.02.2008OEMs to Continue Shipping XP
If you already own an XP license and are still hesitant to switch to Vista, Microsoft's "downgrade rights" policy, which initially began to be
exercised in 2001, may be in your favor if you would still like to purchase a machine running Windows XP after the June 30, 2008 deadline when
Microsoft will stop offering the operating system. OEMs such as Dell have said that they still have no plans to stop offering XP as an option:
"Dell has the ability to exercise 'Windows Vista downgrade rights' on your behalf in the factory if your business is still reliant upon
Windows XP and you'd prefer to have Windows XP Professional preinstalled on your PCs," according to their new downgrade policy section for XP.
"Downgrade Rights means that anyone with a Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate operating system can downgrade to Windows XP
Professional provided they have the media for Windows XP Professional."
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27.04.2008Ballmer tells companies to upgrade from XP
CEO of Microsoft Corporation, Steve Ballmer, has warned companies to upgrade from Windows XP, or else they will face anger from employees. The reason
for this is because, according to Steve, "If you deploy a four or five-year old operating system today, most people will ask their boss why the heck
they don't have the stuff they have at home". Many of you know that many companies chose to stick on Windows XP when Vista was released, due to
poor driver support on Vista, and the fact that XP did everything they needed. However, PC World states that 31 percent of IT decision-makers said
they are beginning the switch to Windows Vista.
Read full story.....
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06.02.2009Microsoft: XP SP3 won't
arrive until '07
Aiming to keep its focus on
Windows Vista, Microsoft is
now targeting 2007 for its
next Windows XP service pack
update.
In a
posting to its life cycle Web
site, Microsoft set a
preliminary date of the second
half of next year for the
release of Windows XP Service
Pack 3 for both home and
professional editions. That
puts its debut well past the
arrival of Vista, which is
slated for the second half of
this year and later than both
outsiders and some insiders
had originally
predicted.
"We
will be releasing another
service pack for XP over the
course of the product life
cycle, and we are tentatively
targeting the second half of
2007 for release," a
Microsoft representative said
in an e-mail to CNET News.com.
"However, right now our
priority is Windows
Vista--we'll have more
information to share about the
next service pack for XP after
Windows Vista ships." ..
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18.01.2006Windows 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 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.
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28.02.2008XP downgrade program may continue to hurt Windows 7
Most people know that come the release of Vista, most businesses chose to hang onto to Windows XP due to lacking reviews of the new OS, and the fact
that XP did everything they wanted. Of course, many plan to make the move to the upcoming Windows 7, bypassing Vista entirely, but according to
InfoWorld, this could be harder than expected.
Read full story.....
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17.06.2009New Features Discovered in Windows XP SP3: Is It Better Than Vista?
The principal reason given for the tremendous under-the-hood changes to Windows unveiled early this year in Vista was the need to overhaul the
security model. Now it seems many of those changes are also coming to XP in SP3...
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10.10.2007Windows Vista vs. Windows XP: The duel
Columnist Derek Torres
compares the improved features
of Windows Vista to Windows XP
so that you can make an
informed decision about
upgrading...
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09.12.2006Official: Microsoft extends Windows XP's stay
Bowing to pressure from customers and computer makers, Microsoft plans to keep Windows XP around a little longer.
Large PC
manufacturers were slated to have to stop selling XP after January 31. However, they have successfully lobbied Microsoft to allow them to continue
selling PCs with all flavors of Windows XP preloaded until June 30, a further five months. Microsoft also plans to keep XP on retail shelves longer
and will allow computer makers in emerging markets to build machines with Windows XP Starter Edition until June 2010.
The move
indicates the continued demand for the older operating system, some nine months after Windows Vista hit store shelves.
In recent
weeks, several PC makers launched programs that allow new PC buyers to more easily "downgrade" their Vista Business and Vista Ultimate machines to
Windows XP. Fujitsu, which was among those lobbying for the change, has started including an XP restore disc in the box with all of its laptops
running Vista Business. ..
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28.09.2007Windows XP SP3 Specifics Revealed
If you have recently found yourself yelling “Down with Vista! Where’s my XP SP3?”, you’ll be happy to know Microsoft
hasn’t forgotten users of its currently most popular OS. Over the last few weeks, the software giant has provided XP downgrades for unhappy
Vista customers, announced that Windows XP sales would be extended to June 30, 2008, released a new build of Internet Explorer 7.0 for Windows XP that
doesnt require product activation, and released a Service Pack 3 beta to a select group of testers. Vista may be the next big thing, but the gap
between the two operating systems has created more problems than Microsoft would have hoped for. Thankfully, the company has decided against pushing
Vista at all costs and (hold your breath MS haters) is listening to its customers.
Read full story.....
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10.10.2007Is Microsoft Playing Games With XP SP3?
Call it a Hamlet moment for the PC industry, filled with political intrigue and machinations worthy of the great Shakespeare play: to wait for XP SP3
or move to Vista now that Microsoft has released Vista SP1? Or in other words: "To XP, or not to XP?" That is the question.
It's a
question that is burning up the blogosphere with some speculating that Microsoft has delayed XP SP3, a long awaited release that could boost the
performance of XP, to get more users to adopt Vista, a potential cash cow for Microsoft and PC makers given the operating system's robust hardware
refresh requirements.
With many in the blogosphere speculating that Microsoft could release the final version of XP SP3 this week,
Microsoft late Tuesday snuffed out all hope that users would see the service pack, originally slated for release in 2006, any time soon.
Read full story.....
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26.03.2008Microsoft: Vista piracy rate is half that of XP
Microsoft said Monday that it's seeing piracy rates for Windows Vista that are half those of Windows XP.
Now cyncial me wanted
to write this up as "even pirates prefer XP two to one over Vista," but that wouldn't be fair. In reality, the decline in piracy rates is largely
due to the fact that Vista is much tougher to fake than XP.
"Piracy rates are lower because it's harder," Microsoft Vice
President Mike Sievert said in an interview Monday.
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04.12.2007
