DirectX 11 coming to Vista Submitted Wednesday, November 04, 2009 @ 01:51 AM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) neowin.net -- As with Windows Vista, the newest version of Windows brings with it a newer version of Microsoft's DirectX. Windows 7 was released with Direct X 11 support, and it was initially thought that Direct X 11 support would remain a 7-only technology. See the complete story here.Intel Pulls X25-M G2 TRIM Firmware Update Submitted Wednesday, November 04, 2009 @ 01:44 AM Intel company information - ( Intel News ) tomshardware.com -- Just one day after Intel released a firmware update for its second-generation 34nm X25-M SSD, Intel has decided to temporarily pull the TRIM update and the associated SSD Toolbox software. Various reports on the Intel Support Community indicate that the firmware was bricking drives under Windows 7 rather than providing the promised 40-percent speed boost. See the complete story here.Microsoft teams with 'Family Guy' creator to promote Windows 7 Submitted Tuesday, October 13, 2009 @ 10:08 PM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) latimes.com -- Microsoft Corp. is going back in time to promote its new Windows 7 operating system.
Taking its inspiration from Texaco Star Theater, a Milton Berle-hosted 1950s variety show that was television's first big hit, the computer giant is teaming with "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane to sponsor a 30-minute show to air on the Fox network next month. See the complete story here.Avoid Windows Malware: Bank on a Live CD Submitted Tuesday, October 13, 2009 @ 09:51 PM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) voices.washingtonpost.com -- An investigative series I've been writing about organized cyber crime gangs stealing millions of dollars from small to mid-sized businesses has generated more than a few responses from business owners who were concerned about how best to protect themselves from this type of fraud.
The simplest, most cost-effective answer I know of? Don't use Microsoft Windows when accessing your bank account online. See the complete story here.Microsoft Patch Tuesday Update Sets Record Submitted Friday, October 09, 2009 @ 04:27 PM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) crn.com -- Microsoft's upcoming Patch Tuesday update will set a record as the largest yet, with 13 patches that fix a total of 34 vulnerabilities -- including two zero-day flaws.
Microsoft gave eight of the 13 patches the highest severity ranking of critical, indicating that they repair errors that allow hackers to launch malicious attacks remotely, typically to steal information.
Thus far, Microsoft's patch record has been 12 in one month, which it reached both in February 2007 and October 2008. See the complete story here.HP Envy 13 unboxing and first impressions Submitted Wednesday, September 30, 2009 @ 12:53 AM HP company information - ( HP News ) engadget.com -- We've got one of HP's sexiest laptops ever staring us down here, the brand new Envy 13. It hits the streets on October 18, running Windows 7 and brazenly demanding a $1,700 base price tag. Worth every penny? Perhaps. We'll be going more in depth with the laptop over the next few days, but here are a few first impressions. See the complete story here.Rivals mock Microsoft's free security software Submitted Wednesday, September 30, 2009 @ 12:44 AM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) computerworld.com -- Although one of the top consumer security vendors welcomed Microsoft's Security Essentials to the market, another dismissed the new free software as a "poor product" that will "never be up to snuff."
Earlier today, Microsoft launched Security Essentials, its free antivirus and antispyware software suite, which has been in development for almost a year. See the complete story here.Microsoft gets big patent verdict overturned Submitted Wednesday, September 30, 2009 @ 12:25 AM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) news.cnet.com -- A federal court on Tuesday reversed an earlier ruling that Microsoft's product activation technology infringed on another company's patent, overturning a $388 million verdict in the case.
In a ruling on Tuesday, the court vacated the earlier decision and decided the case in Microsoft's favor. See the complete story here.Windows 7 Performance Tests Submitted Wednesday, September 30, 2009 @ 12:23 AM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) washingtonpost.com -- Windows Vista never was particularly speedy in most people's eyes. Whether it deserved the reputation or not, the word on the street was that Vista was both slow and bloated.
Given that, it's no wonder that improving performance was one of Microsoft's design goals with Windows 7. Many reviewers have said that the new operating system feels faster than Vista. In our extensive PC World Test Center evaluations comparing the two, we found an increase in speed, though the overall improvement wasn't dramatic. See the complete story here.Microsoft unveils shield for critical Windows flaw as attack ... Submitted Wednesday, September 30, 2009 @ 12:13 AM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) computerworld.com -- With attack code that exploits a critical unpatched bug in Windows likely to go public soon, Microsoft wants users to run an automated tool that disables the vulnerable component.
The bug in SMB (Server Message Block) 2, a Microsoft-made network file- and print-sharing protocol that ships with Windows, affects Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and preview releases of Windows 7.
When the flaw was first disclosed Sept. 7, it was thought that attacks would only crash PCs, causing the notorious Blue Screen of Death. Since then, however, researchers have figured out how to create exploits that can be used to hijack a vulnerable computer. See the complete story here.First look: Microsoft Security Essentials impresses Submitted Tuesday, September 29, 2009 @ 11:59 PM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) arstechnica.com -- Microsoft's new antimalware solution, Microsoft Security Essentials, is now available for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Ars puts MSE through its paces and finds an unobtrusive app with a clean interface that protected us in the dark corners of the Internet. See the complete story here.Microsoft Launches Office Web Trial Submitted Friday, September 18, 2009 @ 03:11 PM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) informationweek.com -- Microsoft is making the new, Web-based version of its Office productivity suite available to a limited number of users under a trial program.
The limited Technical Preview, as Microsoft is calling the program, is accessible through the company's Windows Live SkyDrive storage portal, Microsoft said. See the complete story here.Microsoft: Students to get Windows 7 for £30/$30 Submitted Friday, September 18, 2009 @ 03:08 PM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) neowin.net -- Microsoft has taken the wraps off an amazing offer for UK and US students today.
Students in the UK and US with a valid email address (an email address given by the college or university, e.g. name@leeds.ac.uk) will be able to purchase Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Professional (upgrade versions) for £30 and $30 respectively. The offer will run until 3 January 2010 when the prices will revert to normal. See the complete story here.Updated Microsoft Zune released Submitted Tuesday, September 15, 2009 @ 02:41 PM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) news.bbc.co.uk -- The latest incarnation of Microsoft's digital music player the Zune is on general release.
The touch-screen Zune HD will be able to download high-definition videos, with the display enhanced by the use of a high-efficiency organic LED screen. See the complete story here.Confirmed: Microsoft Is The New Owner Of Office.com Submitted Saturday, August 08, 2009 @ 08:23 AM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) washingtonpost.com -- We speculated about this when we first reported on Microsoft's recent announcements regarding its software-in-the-cloud strategy, and now it's official: istartedsomething and Download Squad have confirmed that the domain name office.com is now a property of the Redmond software behemoth, based on a simple WHOIS query. See the complete story here.Deciphering Windows 7 Upgrades: The Official Chart Submitted Thursday, August 06, 2009 @ 02:12 PM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) mossblog.allthingsd.com -- Over the past two weeks, in my Personal Technology columns, here and here, I’ve explained some of the challenges and limitations that will be involved in upgrading an existing Windows XP or Windows Vista PC to the forthcoming Windows 7 operating system, due out October 22. Several readers asked me to publish a chart showing which current versions of Windows could be easily upgraded to which planned versions of Windows 7, and which couldn’t. So I asked Microsoft to supply such a chart we could publish, and the company graciously did so. It is reproduced below, unaltered. You can click on it to make it larger. See the complete story here.Microsoft confirms Windows 7 family pack Submitted Wednesday, July 22, 2009 @ 03:49 PM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) news.cnet.com -- Microsoft on Tuesday confirmed that it does plan to offer a "family pack" for Windows 7 that can be used on up to three PCs.
The software maker acknowledged the move as part of a blog entry Tuesday afternoon. However, it still isn't saying how much it will charge for the family pack, which allows three installations of the home premium version of Windows 7. See the complete story here.Windows 7 Passes The Test, Is Ready For Manufacturing Submitted Wednesday, July 22, 2009 @ 01:56 PM techcrunch.com -- Microsoft’s newest version of its operating system, Windows 7, is finally in the release-to-manufacturing (RTM) stage, so the OS will soon be preloaded on new computers. Though not officially released yet, Windows 7 is expected to be a hit. For instance, after just eight hours on Amazon UK, Windows 7 pre-orders outpaced the total number of pre-orders for Vista over a period of 17 weeks. See the complete story here.Microsoft closing YouTube rival Submitted Tuesday, July 21, 2009 @ 01:33 PM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) Google company information - ( Google News ) news.cnet.com -- Microsoft is closing Soapbox, its onetime video-sharing rival to Google's YouTube, the company said Tuesday.
Last month, Microsoft told CNET News it planned to significantly scale back Soapbox. Now it turns out Soapbox will be scaled all the way down to nothing. See the complete story here.Microsoft Linux Move Puts Pressure on VMware Submitted Tuesday, July 21, 2009 @ 01:27 PM Microsoft company information - ( Microsoft News ) pcworld.com -- Microsoft's historic embrace of Linux technology could have wide-reaching impacts on the virtualization market and Microsoft's rival VMware.
By allowing greater ability to run Linux on the Hyper-V virtualization platform, Microsoft is making a compelling case that it could be the virtualization vendor of choice for consolidation of Windows and Linux applications, says Gartner analyst George Weiss. Microsoft still lags behind VMware in enterprise features such as live migration. But once Microsoft proves itself "good enough" in terms of functionality, many customers will be intrigued by Hyper-V as a lower-cost alternative to VMware, Weiss says. See the complete story here.
