loosy|goosy|ness - Blog

[QUTOE]
Today we released the final version of Windows Search 4.0 to Microsoft Download Center. Windows Search 4.0 updates search in Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Home Server. This release comes after a public Windows Search 4.0 Preview, which was a success thanks to great community participation - with around 300,000 downloads.   Since the Preview was released, a number of quality improvements have been made to the product based on feedback provided by the community.

Download: Windows Search 4.0 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 (x86)

Download: Windows Search 4.0 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 (x64)

More download packages are available on http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940157.

So, what's new in this release?

First and foremost: we've introduced some performance and reliability improvements. Queries are faster, as is indexing - how much faster depends on your machine and your data. Improved reliability means that system failures won't get in the way of the indexer and all of your data will be scanned and available for searches.

We've also extended remote index discovery, also known as PC-to-PC searches, which allows data to be searched quickly and efficiently across machines running Windows Search 4.0. This means that Windows Vista-to-Windows XP or Windows Vista-to-Windows Server 2008 queries are now possible.

Additionally, Windows Search 4.0 offers manageability improvements that IT Pros should take note of.

For starters, we have extended Group Policy to control more aspects of search functionality and made this control more granular with per-user policies. You can use Group Policy Objects to control how desktop search accesses remote resources - such as Microsoft Exchange Server resources or file shares - to manage network utilization.

Speaking of accessing Microsoft Exchange Server - if your organization selects not to use Microsoft Office Outlook in cached mode, you can set a Group Policy to index Exchange in online mode.  Windows Search 4.0 will then index with minimal impact to the server. Our internal testing of this configuration shows significant decrease in the load on the server and the network as compared to Windows Desktop Search 3.01.

IT Pros can deploy a new link that will be added to the Instant Search UI of Windows Vista (or Windows Search UI on Windows XP) on client PCs and allow the query entered in the search box to access your company's search server, by opening the search UI of the server in your browser and executing the query in it. With this functionality, users get a single launch pad for all of their searches. For more information on how to add customized links into the instant Search UI, click here.

Based on a large amount of customer feedback, we have added support for indexing files encrypted with EFS. Users in an organization can now encrypt files and still be able to search their contents. When running on Windows Vista, they also can get an additional level of data protection by using BitLocker and storing their index on the protected drive.

Today, Windows Search 4.0 can be downloaded for installation (download links from Microsoft Download Center listed above). If you need Windows Search 4.0 deployed in a large organization, you can use System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) or other infrastructure solutions.

In the future, we will make Windows Search 4.0 available on Windows Update as well. At that time you will be able to install Windows Search 4.0 off the update site directly or deploy it in your organization using WSUS.

Once Windows Search 4.0 becomes available on Windows Update various Windows users will experience the following:

• Windows XP users will see it as an "optional" update, which requires users to select the update for installation.
• Users running Windows Vista will see the update as "recommended." By default, recommended updates are installed automatically; however, users can prevent automatic installation of Windows Search 4.0. We will publicly post specific instructions prior to publishing Windows Search 4.0 on Windows Update.
• On Windows Server 2008, the update will be applicable only if the File Server Role is enabled.

More on the improvements in Windows Search 4.0 can be found here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940157.
[/QUOTE]

Source: http://windowsvistablog.com/

[QUOTE]
One of the “big” features discussed in early speculation of Windows Vista SP1 was the kernel upgrade, which was supposed to bring the operating system into line with the Longhorn kernel used in Windows Server 2008. And yet with Vista SP1 going RTM, there hasn't been so much as a peep from Microsoft about the mooted kernel update. Has it happened?

Well the answer is yes it has, and presumably the main reason for Microsoft’s silence on the subject is that as they’re keen to promote the improvements and enhancements to Vista, rather than placing emphasis on a kernel upgrade, which some people might see as a risk of newly-introduced instability.

The whole thing is still quite interesting. You can tell what build of Windows you’re running by a variety of means:

• if you open a Command Window it will immediately tell you what version you have
• or go Start --> Run --> winver
• or check out the properties of C:\Windows\System32\NTOSKRNL
• or open Regedit and navigate to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version.

All these methods will give you an idea of what version and build of Windows you’re running, although the last two give more detailed information.

Build info - Vista SP1 RTM

Build info - Server 2008 RTM

The version and build information of Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 (RTM) are exactly the same as each other. And yes, Vista's kernel has been replaced. Windows Vista pre-SP1 is Windows version 6.0 build 6000 (6.0.6000) whereas Windows Vista SP1 RTM is version 6.0 build 6001 (6.0.6001) – the same as Server 2008.

Don't ask me how I know what's in the RTM versions of Server 2008 and Vista SP1. (Zip it ... I said, don't ask me.)

Interestingly, if you do a winver on Server 2008, you’ll see that the version information is actually version 6.0 build 6001 Service Pack 1. No, it’s not Server 2008 Service Pack 1, but rather Service Pack 1 of the original Longhorn code (Windows 6.0).

So if you look at it one way, the Windows Vista “kernel upgrade” isn’t a fundamental update, but rather, an alignment of the two operating systems. In some ways, both can be said to be running Windows Vista SP1, which is interesting in a seriously geeky sort of way.

Windows Server 2008 WINVER

Still, makes you realise just how long SP1 code has been in the pipeline...
[/QUOTE]

Source: http://apcmag.com/

Related stories:

• LEAKED: Vista SP1 analysed in-depth

• Microsoft announces Vista SP1 RTM

• Don't wait for Vista SP1, pleads Microsoft

• Vista Service Pack 1 is coming

[QUOTE]
Hi, Mike Nash here from the Windows Product Management group at Microsoft.  Today we are excited to announce that we have released Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista to manufacturing (RTM) for our first set of languages (English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese).

Service Pack 1 is a very important milestone because it addresses many of the key issues that our customers have identified with Windows Vista over the last year both, directly and through programs like the Customer Experience Improvement Program.  With Service Pack 1, we have made great progress in performance, reliability and compatibility.  One of the great things about my job is that I get to play with the latest builds of our products -- I've personally been running Windows Vista SP1 pretty exclusively for a few months and I've noticed that my systems run faster and more reliably than they did with the "Gold" release of Windows Vista.

When we first released Windows Vista last year, there were lots of customers who had great experiences, but some had issues finding applications that worked well on Windows Vista; others had problems finding the right device drivers for some of the hardware devices that they used.  The reason for these issues is that in order to improve the reliability and security of Windows Vista, we made some important architectural changes to the system.  While this caused some issues in the short term, in the long term we know that these investments will improve both the reliability and security of the customer experience on Windows.  Check out this blog post about the first year of Windows Vista security to see how some of these changes are paying off.

The good news is that this last year has been a great year of progress for Windows Vista in terms of improving application and device compatibility.  For example, 98 out of the top-selling 100 applications have versions available for Windows Vista.  And through the great work of our hardware partners, we now have 78,000 devices and components supported by Windows Update, up from about 34,000 in November 2006.  As a result, we have licensed over 100 million copies of Windows Vista to date.

Service Pack 1 brings new improvements that are based on feedback we heard from our customers.  It further improves the reliability and performance of Windows Vista.  The information we collect thanks to tools like the Customer Experience Improvement Program, Online Crash Analysis, and Windows Error Reporting help us learn about where and when customers are having issues with Windows Vista and the applications that run on it.  Since these issues have a direct impact on our customers' experiences, we've invested time and energy to make this better.  While Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is an important milestone, we will continue to invest in the continuous improvement process.

SP1 also includes changes focused on improving the performance of Windows Vista in areas that impact the customer experience the most.  For instance, with SP1, copying or moving files around your PC, your home network or your corporate network should now be much faster -- up to 50% faster in some scenarios (according to our internal tests).  In addition, on many kinds of hardware, resuming a Windows Vista-based PC from sleep is faster on Service Pack 1.

The key learning over the last year is that when we change the operating system, it takes time to let the ecosystem make sure that the hardware and software that they build works well with Windows Vista.  So as we release Windows Vista SP1 to manufacturing, we are going to be thoughtful about when and how it gets distributed.

With today's RTM of SP1, a number of processes kick off as we deliver the update to customers.  Our OEM partners will get SP1 and start producing new PCs running Windows Vista with SP1 pre-installed.  We will also start the manufacturing process for retail product of Windows Vista with SP1.  Both will be available in stores for new Windows Vista customers in the coming months.  Today we also start the process to manufacture DVDs for our enterprise customers who get our software via our Volume Licensing program.

As we update our customers to SP1, we want everyone to have a great install experience.  We are going to stage our rollout of SP1 for current Windows Vista users to be approximately concurrent with the availability of Windows Vista SP1 on new PCs and in stores.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  Our beta testing identified an issue with a small set of device drivers.  These drivers do not follow our guidelines for driver installation and as a result, some beta participants who were using Windows Vista and updated to Service Pack 1 reported issues with these devices.  Because the issue was with the way the drivers were installed and not the drivers themselves, the solution was simply to reinstall the drivers.  While this worked fine for our more technical beta testers, we want to deliver a better experience for customers as we make the update broadly available.

While we know that most customers who update from Windows Vista to SP1 will NOT be affected, our approach is to improve the experience for all our customers.  To do this, we will begin making SP1 available through Windows Update in mid-March, giving us time to work with some of our hardware partners to make adjustments to the installation process for the affected drivers.  As SP1 gets delivered through Windows Update, we will only offer it to PCs that we detect don't have any of the affected device drivers installed.  We're taking the next month or so to continue our work of identifying as many of these devices as possible.

Here's the timing for SP1 availability for current Windows Vista users:

• In mid-March, we will release Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Update (in English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese) and to the download center on microsoft.com.  Customers who visit Windows Update can choose to install Service Pack 1.  If Windows Update determines that the system has one of the drivers we know to be problematic, then Windows Update will not offer SP1.  Since we know that some customers may want to update to SP1 anyhow, the download center will allow anyone who wants to install SP1 to do so.
• In mid-April, we will begin delivering Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Vista customers who have chosen to have updates downloaded automatically.  That said, any system that Windows Update determines has a driver known to not update successfully will not get SP1 automatically.  As updates for these drivers become available, they will be installed automatically by Windows Update, which will unblock these systems from getting Service Pack 1.  The result is that more and more systems will automatically get SP1, but only when we are confident they will have a good experience.
• The remaining languages will RTM in April.

New customers should feel great about buying Windows Vista today, knowing that when everything is ready, SP1 will be available to them via Windows Update.  In the meantime, remember that you can take advantage of the benefits of Windows Vista (including many improvements delivered via Windows Update) even without Service Pack 1.

This is an important milestone for our current and future Windows Vista customers around the world.  I want to take a minute to thank our customers for their feedback on Windows Vista and the beta of Service Pack 1.  I also want to thank our hardware and software partners for their continued efforts to deliver the best experiences on Windows Vista.

-Mike
[/QUOTE]

Source: http://windowsvistablog.com/

[QUOTE]
Microsoft released yet more test builds of both Windows XP Service Pack (SP) 3 and Windows Vista SP1 this week.

Microsoft made the newest test build of XP SP3, which it is calling XP SP3 Release Candidate (RC) Refresh 2, available to 15,000 testers on January 23, Microsoft officials said. It also released a new refresh of its Vista SP1 build, known as Vista SP1 RC Refresh 2, to the same 15,000 testers on January 24, execs said.

Microsoft made both builds available via its private Connect test site.

Microsoft released privately and then publicly an RC test build of Vista SP1 just a couple of weeks ago. The company released a public RC test build of XP SP3 in December 2007.

Microsoft has said the final version of Windows Vista SP1 is due to ship in the first quarter of 2008, and the final XP SP3 some time in the first half of this year. Microsoft has been delivering both private and public test builds of both service packs on a regular basis over the past few months.

The test group for both service packs includes “corporate customers, consumer enthusiasts, software and hardware vendors, and others,” Microsoft reiterated. However, neither of these new builds are available for public download — at least not right now.

Earlier this week, there were some reports floating claiming that Microsoft is planning to deliver the final Vista SP1 bits on February 15. I hear the delivery date might be sooner than that and could even sync up with the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows Server 2008, which sources say is could happen in the first week of February. Guess we’ll see soon….
Microsoft officials reiterated during the company’s Q2 FY 2008 earnings call on January 24 that the first Vista SP, a release awaited by many business users before they will deploy the latest Windows release, is on track for delivery in the first quarter of 2008.

So if you’re one of the chosen 15,000 testers, there are new SPs out there with your names on them. Any of you seeing any showstoppers in either Vista SP1 or XP SP3, at this point?
[/QUOTE]

Found on: http://blogs.zdnet.com/

[QUOTE]
We all know product placement in science-fiction television shows can sometimes get out of hand. But today’s episode of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” has left me puzzled over what might have been a placement for Windows Vista. I say “might have been” because it is definitely not the Windows Vista we’ve all seen and some love to hate. It was like if they shot the scene inside Microsoft’s Windows development labs. I didn’t know John Connor was such a beta addict.

Rafael Rivera has put a gallery of high-definition screencaps, here are some of the most interesting ones in order they appear in the episode. For those of you playing at home, it begins at about 15min43sec and lasts about 90 seconds.

Without giving too much away, John Connor (lead character from the Terminator franchise) is walking into a computer store inside a shopping mall, having just time traveled from 1999 to 2007. Fortunately for John, he missed the release of Windows Millennium Edition. Note how Solitaire is clearly the best way to test out a computer before you purchase it. Media Center running on the PC on the top shelf.

John sees Windows Vista for the first time, falls in love. Woman with “1337″ bag in the background.

Having time traveled also means John missed the introduction of the Apple iPod, AppleTV and new MacBooks. But like the loyal Microsoft fanboy he is, he doesn’t pay much attention to them.

John starts playing with Dell laptop, which happens to be connected to the huge LCD TV behind him.

John plays with his first Sidebar gadget, which happens to be a system performance multi-monitor of some sort displaying eight graphs. Note how the Sidebar has a white translucent background with a border (instead of the black fade in Vista RTM). The other gadgets from top to bottom include a hard drive monitor, the default CPU meter, a prototype Windows Media Player gadget from 2005, a chess piece and a quick launch tile.

Next he clicks on the Chess icon and a Chess game application fades in from the right. It looks very different to the one in Windows Vista - darker shadows, more realistic chess pieces and board and it also has a space background with stars and galaxies.

Somehow then John opens the control panel, or if you can still call it that. The window is filled with all the icons from the Vista classic control panel but without text labels. The background is translucent with a black overlay. Norton LiveUpdate icon also makes a cameo appearance.

John then discovers a search box with an Explorer style back and forward button. The default search engine is LeSearch.com. Watch out Google, the French are coming.

Naturally John starts searching about his past and finds articles about his “death”. What appears to be a browser window appears in the background. It shows only a back and forward button, an address bar and a standard toolbar.

Shortly after a sales person disturb John and tells him that he was showing everyone what he was looking at on the big screen. Offers to help him clear the browser history. Somehow she opens a menu for Internet Explorer in the taskbar, which seems to have some of the options you would find inside the application’s toolbar.

In the dialog that opens, she clicks on “Clear History”. Note how the buttons are styled like Windows XP buttons, even though this is inside Windows Vista with the glass frame and Aurora background. Scene ends.

Whilst it is true custom operating systems in TV shows and movies are nothing more than just optimizing what appears on screen so viewers can follow along more easily, but this seems a little more elaborate than most. I mean that Windows Media Player gadget was never released to the public, so how did that get there? I can’t help thinking Microsoft knew about this production either through licensing or a product placement deal, in which case, what is this?
[/QUOTE]

Found on: http://www.istartedsomething.com/

[QUOTE]
Adoption of Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system is starting to pick up among businesses in the U.S.

Just under half--48 percent--of IT decision makers in the U.S. are using or evaluating Vista, according to a poll by IT services firm CDW.

CDW's third Windows Vista tracking poll since October 2006, this survey shows a 19 percentage-point increase in adoption since February 2007.

Vista migration is also increasing, with 35 percent of those surveyed saying they are in the process of moving to Vista. Just 12 percent said this last February. Thirteen percent of these migrations are complete and another third are due to be finished by May 2008.

CDW claimed this shows Microsoft's latest operating system is now seen as a more viable option in the mainstream business market.

Of those still testing and migrating to Vista, almost half said its performance and key features are "above expectations," with the top-rated features being security, performance, productivity, search, and updates.

Mark Gambill, CDW vice president, said the past year was one of "adaptations and learning for Microsoft, industry partners, and adopters alike."

Gambill added that, since people have begun to understand the benefits of the operating system, there has been a "steady move towards adoption."

The CDW survey also found an increase in Microsoft Office 2007 adoption, with 24 percent of businesses saying they'd made the move, compared to just 6 percent in the last survey.

The poll was conducted by Walker Information and covered 772 IT decision makers.
[/QUOTE]

Source: http://www.news.com/

Microsoft will end OEM and shrink-wrapped sales of Windows XP on June 30, 2008, forcing users to shift to Vista. (System builders, meaning those who do white-box PCs, can sell XP through December 31.) Don't let that happen!

Millions of us have grown comfortable with XP and don't see a need to change to Vista. It's like having a comfortable apartment that you've enjoyed coming home to for years, only to get an eviction notice. The thought of moving to a new place -- even with the stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and maple cabinets (or is cherry in this year?) -- just doesn't sit right. Maybe it'll be more modern, but it will also cost more and likely not be as good a fit. And you don't have any other reason to move.

That's exactly the conclusion people have come to with Vista. For most of us, there's really no reason to move to it -- yet we don't have a choice. When that strong desire to stick with XP became obvious in spring 2007, major computer makers such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard quietly reintroduced new XP-based systems (but just to business customers, so as not to offend Microsoft). Come June 30, however, even that option goes away.

So what to do? Let Microsoft decide where your personal and enterprise software "lives"? Or send a loud and clear message that you don't want to move?

We're going for the loud-and-clear option. Join us, and tell Microsoft that you want to keep XP available indefinitely. Not for another six months or a year but indefinitely.

And ask your friends and colleagues to join in, too. Just point them to SaveXP.com for a quick link to this page. And if you'd like to publish our countdown animation on your Web site to help promote this petition, e-mail Executive Editor Galen Gruman for the code snippet.

Don't think Microsoft will listen? Consider this: Although Microsoft denies that anything is wrong with Vista or that most people don't want it, the company has already postponed XP's demise by six months. That's a start, but it's not good enough.

Microsoft doesn't have to admit failure; it can just say it will keep XP available indefinitely due to customer demand. It can take that opportunity to try again with a better Vista, or just move on to the next version that maybe this time we'll all actually want.

There is a precedent for that, too: In many respects, Vista is like the Windows Millennium Edition that was meant to replace Windows 98 in 2000 but caused more trouble than it was worth. At that time, Windows 2000 was promising but didn't support a lot of hardware, so users were stuck between two bad choices. Without admitting Millennium's failure, Microsoft quietly put Windows 98 back on the market until the fixed version of Windows 2000 (SP1) was available. Microsoft needs to do something like that again today.

Make your voice heard to Microsoft. Sign our petition to save XP today. We will present it to Microsoft.
[/QUOTE]

Source: http://weblog.infoworld.com

[QUOTE]
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. Indeed, Vista has proven to be a generally more secure operating system, though some vulnerabilities that apply to ordinary software impact Vista users just as much as any other.

But now, software analysts testing the latest build 3205 of the beta for Windows XP Service Pack 3 are discovering a wealth of genuinely new features - not just patches and security updates (although there are literally over a thousand of those), but services that could substantially improve system security without overhauling the kernel like in Vista.

According to preliminary reports from Neosmart, testers there found evidence that the company is hardening XP's network security with added features.

One of these features had actually been on Microsoft's list for some time, and might actually have caused problems for customers had it been omitted: Network Access Protection (NAP), which is due to be managed by the forthcoming Windows Server 2008. This new service disallows network clients from accessing a WS2K8 server without passing a minimum "health screening," which checks for the presence of updates and service packs (including SP3) and disallows access to failing clients until they upgrade.

When NAP's inclusion in WS2K8 was first confirmed in late August, a Microsoft spokesperson contacted BetaNews to make sure we reported it wasn't just for Windows Server and just for Vista. We assumed that meant it would find its way to XP as well, though the spokesperson declined to be pressed further at that time.

A one-two punch involving a rollout of WS2K8 and XP SP3 in the first half of next year -- which is Microsoft's current plan -- could pave the way for a hardening of endpoint security on Windows networks, at least somewhat. Contributing to that hardening will be the inclusion of new cryptographic algorithms in the kernel, by means of Kernel Mode Cryptographic Module (KMCM). Coupled with access policies provided by NAP, admins could theoretically implement a new, second layer of policies for encrypted communications and authentication between network peers, provided by Triple-DES algorithms accessible through the kernel.

In other words, enterprises that previously have had trouble embracing the idea of deploying across-the-board encryption may feel more comfortable trying it out, now that KMCM is a baseline feature. It premiered in Windows 2000, and its first implementation in a Windows client was for the first edition of Vista.

Neosmart also discovered evidence of hardening of Windows' IP stack, including the inclusion of Microsoft's new "black hole router" detection scheme. Way back in 1990, the IETF implemented a way for routers to detect in advance the shortest path to send a large number of datagrams, without having to fragment them too seriously along the way. The plan was referred to as Path Maximum Transmission Unit (PMTU), with the objective being for sending routers to seek receiving routers that mangle fewer datagrams.

As it turned out, some receiving routers that were pegged by sending ones as PMTU members were responding to datagrams with "do not fragment" messages by simply throwing them out. These were referred to as "black hole routers," and have been a perennial plague to streaming operations. The new router detection scheme enables IP routers along the way to flag misbehaving PMTU candidates in advance and steer around them.

This is a feature that Microsoft has updated just last month, and which it might not have had to include with XP SP3 to please customers. So its inclusion is being treated as an indication there are developers at Microsoft who are still willing to treat XP seriously, perhaps extending its viable lifetime well into 2009.
[/QUOTE]

Source: http://www.betanews.com

[QUOTE]
Six months is a much more interesting time frame, and gives us the opportunity to see if the early trend indicators are holding up, or if the early signs of progress were a short-term gain.  Also, I thought it was worth going a little deeper in the analysis to look at the total fixed and unfixed vulns as I did last time, plus these additional views:

• Include a comparison view of Linux distribution workstation builds that exclude vulnerabilities non-default optional components as well as OpenOffice and other applications that do not have equivalents on Windows XP.
• Include a comparison view that excludes Low and Medium severities to just focus on High severity vulnerabilities fixed and unfixed in the first 6 months, and
• A comparison view that combines both of these

For the full details, or to print the report, you can download the report in pdf.

For those that only want the executive summary, here is a key chart that shows the publicly disclosed High severity vulnerabilities during the first 90 days of availability, broken down by vulns fixed and vulns unfixed.  Note that this chart is showing the reduced Linux builds that exclude non-default and optional components without equivalents on WIndows.  (clicking the chart also gets you to the full report.)

The results of the analysis show that Windows Vista continues to show a trend of fewer total and fewer High severity vulnerabilities at the 6 month mark compared to its predecessor product Windows XP (which did not benefit from the SDL) and compared to other modern competitive workstation OSes (which also did not benefit from an SDL-like process).

If you share the opinion that Windows and applications ported to Windows get a higher level of researcher scrutiny than other OSes, then the 6-month results are even more positive.  If you don't share that opinion, then they still stand on their own ...
[/QUOTE]

Found: http://blogs.csoonline.com/

The more than 20 million copies shipped represent Windows Vista licenses sold to PC manufacturers, copies of upgrades and the full packaged product sold to retailers and upgrades ordered through the Windows Vista Express Upgrade program from January 30 to February 28 and there were also more than 4,500 “Certified for Windows Vista” products to date - 2,500 of which were certified just since the January 30 launch event - and more than 27.000 certified drivers for Vista.

Source: microsoft.com

[QUOTE]
Microsoft Corp. today announced the extension of the Xbox LIVE games and entertainment network to the Windows platform, bringing together the most popular online console game service with the most popular games platform in the world. Debuting on May 8, 2007, with the launch of the Windows Vista version of the Xbox blockbuster "Halo 2," Games for Windows -- LIVE will connect Windows gamers to over six million gamers already in the Xbox LIVE community. Then, launching in June, "Shadowrun" will for the first time connect Windows gamers with Xbox 360 players in cross-platform matches using a single service. "UNO," releasing later in 2007, will also support cross-platform play between Windows and Xbox 360.

The launch of Games for Windows -- LIVE marks a major expansion of the Xbox LIVE service across multiple platforms, uniting gamers with a single identity, a single gamertag, a single friends list and a single list of achievements attainable on the Xbox 360 and a Windows-based PC. Games for Windows -- LIVE gamers will be able to easily find and play supported titles online with their friends across a Windows computer or an Xbox 360. As a unified service with Xbox LIVE, Games for Windows -- LIVE will be available in every country and region supported today by Xbox LIVE.

Members of Xbox LIVE automatically receive the functionality of Games for Windows -- LIVE, using the same gamertag and friends list at no additional cost. For a single, unified service, the pricing of the LIVE services across both Xbox and Games for Windows is identical. In addition, Games for Windows -- LIVE introduces the best of Xbox LIVE functionality to please PC gamers, such as in-game voice chat, integrated achievements and dedicated servers. The offering of both Silver and Gold memberships will remain in place for gamers on the Xbox 360 and Windows PC. There is no cost associated with signing up for a Silver membership. Gold memberships will deliver the premium online network experience for $49.95 (U.S.) per year. Current Xbox LIVE Gold members will automatically have access to Gold features on Games for Windows -- LIVE titles.

Silver Membership Features:

• Single gamertag
• Common gamer profile
• Common gamerscore
• Single player achievements
• Private chat via text and voice
• Common friends list and online presence
• PC only multiplayer including browsing a list of active PC games
  

Gold Membership Features:

• All Silver membership features
• Multiplayer matchmaking with friends
• TrueSkill matchmaking
• Multiplayer achievements
• Cross-platform gameplay

[/QUOTE]

Read the full press release here.

Will you upgrade to Vista for DirectX 10? You just might after seeing these pictures.

DirectX 9

DirectX 10

One of the main (only?) improvements in Vista for gamers would be the inclusion of DirectX 10. And to make gamers upgrade, they made DirectX 10 a Vista exclusive. Is it worth it?

[QUOTE]
Live for Windows Vista will actually be the same exact price for Vista as it is for the Xbox 360. Just like with the Xbox 360 there will be a free Silver package as well as a Gold package which retails for $49.99 for a year subscription, $7.99 for one month, and $19.99 for three months.

Good news for gamers who already have an Xbox Live Gold Membership - you've already subscribed. Your Live membership works on the Xbox, Xbox 360, and Live for Windows.
[/QUOTE]

Source: gameinformer.com

Now that Windows Vista has shipped to consumers, it's time to start enumerating through each new feature of the OS. In Paul Thurrott's Winsupersite you can find a Windows Vista Feature Focus series.

The following Windows Vista Feature Focus showcases are currently available:

64-Bit (x64) Support Updated!
Anti-Phishing Technologies
Automatic Disk Defragmentation Updated!
Backup and Recovery Center
BitLocker Full Drive Encryption
Games Explorer and Windows Games
Internet Explorer 7.0
Internet Information Server
Kernel Patch Protection
Live Taskbar Thumbnails Updated!
Network and Sharing Center
Network Projection
Power Management
Previous Versions (Windows ShadowCopy)
Remote Desktop
Setup and Installation Improvements
Subsystem for Unix-Based Applications
Sync Center
System Search
Tablet PC Functionality and Touch Screen Support
Themed Slide Shows
User Account Control Updated!
Welcome Center
Windows Aero User Interface
Windows Anytime Upgrade
Windows Calendar New!
Windows Classic User Interface
Windows Defender
Windows DVD Maker
Windows Easy Transfer
Windows Explorer
Windows Fax and Scan
Windows Firewall
Windows Flip and Windows Flip 3D Updated!
Windows Mail
Windows Media Center
Windows Media Center Xbox 360 Media Center Extender
Windows Media Player 11
Windows Meeting Space
Windows Mobility Center
Windows Movie Maker 6 Updated!
Windows Photo Gallery
Windows ReadyBoost
Windows ReadyDrive
Windows Security Center
Windows Service Hardening
Windows Sidebar
Windows SideShow
Windows Ultimate Extras
Windows Update and Automatic Updates
Windows Vista Basic User Interface Updated!
Windows Vista Standard User Interface
Windows Vista Fonts
XPS and PDF Document Support

[QUOTE]
There's a reason why gamers choose the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller over other gamepads; it delivers a mean combination of precision, speed and accuracy. Windows gamers can take advantage of the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller and other Xbox 360 wireless accessories with the Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows, which is now available on store shelves.

As a great gift for yourself or for fellow gamers, the Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows costs $19.99 (MSRP) and is available at retailers across North America including, GameStop, Wal-Mart and Circuit City. For gamers that need both a wireless controller and receiver, Microsoft is offering the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows which includes both the receiver and controller in one package for $59.95 (MSRP).

The Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows opens up a whole new world of Windows gameplay by allowing the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows, Xbox 360 Wireless Headset and Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel to work on any Windows Vista or Windows XP (SP1 or higher)-based PC.
[/QUOTE]

Source: TeamXbox.com, xbox-scene.com

Auflistung zeigt nur von Microsoft geprüfte Produkte

[QUOTE]
Microsoft hat die Liste der Software aktualisiert, die kompatibel zu Windows Vista sind. Hierbei berücksichtigt der Konzern aber nur Produkte, die ein "Certified for Windows Vista"- oder ein "Works with Windows Vista"-Logo erhalten haben.

In dieser Vista-Kompatibilitätsliste nicht aufgeführte Software kann sehr wohl reibungslos unter Windows Vista seinen Dienst tun, auch wenn es keine Zertifizierung bei Microsoft durchlaufen hat. Denn die Auflistung erwähnt ausschließlich Produkte, die eines der beiden Microsoft-Logos erhalten haben, wozu Hersteller eine Prüfung durch Microsoft vornehmen lassen müssen.

Die Liste kompatibler Software unter Windows Vista steht in der Version 1.2 bereit und wird laufend aktualisiert.
[/QUOTE]

Quelle: Golem.de

[QUOTE]
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) chairman Bill Gates unveiled a slew of new products and content partners Sunday in his keynote address kicking off the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show, vowing to deliver access to video and data no matter where the consumer might be.

"It's a dream if you're a sports fan or there's a sports fan in your house," said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division and the company's chief liaison to Hollywood. Bach and Gates alternated introducing new products during Microsoft's CES presentation.

In addition, Microsoft said that it has signed Lionsgate (NYSE:LGF) to its roster of programming contributors to Xbox 360 Live Marketplace, joining Paramount and Warner Bros. Bach hailed the addition of a library of video content to Xbox Live that either can be streamed or downloaded, noting that 100 million downloads of games, TV episodes and movies have been generated over the past 13 months; he did not offer a separate account of how video alone has fared since Microsoft signed content partners including ABC, Comedy Central and the CW as of Nov. 22. Xbox 360 also will provide an IPTV service that can deliver video programming, essentially functioning as a set-top box.

Although that doesn't put Microsoft in the video distribution business, it opens up the possibility that the company could partner with AT&T (NYSE:SBT) (NYSE:T) to offer a mix of voice, video, data and wireless. Microsoft already provides software for AT&T's IP-based rollout, raising the specter that the telco's current U.S. service, U-Verse, could eventually be bundled with Xbox 360.

IPTV video has DVR and video-on-demand functionality and also will enable seamless switching between video programming and games, and even blur the two, demonstrating functionality that allowed a community of users to talk to their Xbox even while its in TV mode.
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: money.cnn.com

[QUOTE]
For those of you that already have Windows Vista and want to run XNA Game Studio Express on it, I have a few steps that you can follow to (hopefully) get a successful installation. I want to be clear on this though: XNA Game Studio Express is not officially supported on Windows Vista. If you follow my steps, you are doing it on your own volition and nobody can officially support you. In addition, don't send me email telling me you followed the steps and it doesn't work, or that it deleted your favorite movies or other visual entertainment, or that it made your bread go moldy, etc.. I do NOT guarantee success, I am merely offering the steps that have worked for me and others.
[/QUOTE]

Check out the full instructions on: letskilldave.com

A great, in-depth article on Readyboost and the performance gains you can expect to see with differing amounts of RAM. Bottom line seems to be that you get substantial gains from Readyboost if your system has 512 MB or (heavens forbid) less RAM but if you are packing 1GB and above, it doesn't have much impact.

Helpful in making decisions on where to put your dollars with your new/existing system.

http://www.tgdaily.com/2007/02/08/analysis_vista_ready_boost/

The Microsoft Windows Mobile Device Center was officially released by Microsoft. It enables you to set up new partnerships, synchronize content and manage music, pictures and video with Windows Mobile powered devices (Windows Mobile 2003 or later). The Windows Mobile Device Center is only supported on Windows Vista.

Windows Mobile Device Center Features Include:

• Streamlined setup - A simplified new partnership wizard and improved partnership management.

• Robust synchronization - Synchronization of business-critical data such as e-mail, calendars, contacts, tasks, favorites, and files.

• Enhanced user interface - A simple and compelling user interface helps you to quickly access critical tasks and configure your device.

• File browsing - A new device browsing experience enables you more quickly browse files and folders and open documents on your device directly from your PC.

• Photo management – Picture management helps you detect new photos on your Windows Mobile powered device, tag and import them to the Windows Vista Photo Gallery.

• Media synchronization - Use Microsoft Windows Media Player to synchronize and shuffle music files on your device.

The Windows Mobile Device Center is compatible with Windows Mobile 2003 devices and later.

Download: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/devicecenter.mspx

[QUOTE]
Operating systems: Today is the day Windows Vista is officially available for sale in stores. Speaking in New York, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates likened it to a predecessor. "Windows 95 was key to its era, and Vista is key to the era we have today." CEO Steve Ballmer, meanwhile, said that he expects Vista to sell five times as many copies as Windows 95, adding that Vista is not the final client OS. "We've got a very long list of stuff our engineers want to do ... There are so many areas where we need innovation." As is typical of new OS releases, Microsoft trumpeted right along with its harem of hardware vendors -- AMD, Dell, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Lenovo, among others -- all of whom are somehow involved in creating faster and more capacious PCs in accordance with Vista. Related: Ongoing coverage of Vista: the next generation.

Columnist's corner: Turning his skeptic's eye toward the recent marriage of Open Source Development Labs and the Free Standards Group, Neil McAllister suspects the real motive is somewhat less than philanthropic. "The Linux Foundation isn't really about open standards and it isn't about open source," he writes in this week's Open Enterprise. "It's an industry trade organization, the likes of which we've seen countless times before. Judging by its charter, its true goal is little more than plain, old-fashioned corporate marketing."

SOA: Confusion is stirring about loose coupling and SOA. Whereas the advantages are known to IT pros who have built architectures in the past, the business value is not as apparent, points out David Linthicum in Real World SOA. For one, IT "can change business systems as needed, with much more agility than if the architecture/systems was more tightly coupled."
[/QUOTE]

Source: http://weblog.infoworld.com/daily/archives/2007/01/at_long_last_vi.html?source=NLC-DAILY2007-01-30?source=NLC-DAILY2007-01-30

The first 2 Windows Vista Ultimate Extras can now be downloaded via Vista-Update:

SideLink, from Interlink Electronics, uses both Windows SideShow and Bluetooth® wireless technologies to put control of the Windows Vista Media Center in the palm of your hand from anywhere in the home.

Developed as a remote control interface for integration into Windows Vista Media Center products, Interlink's SideLink features a 2.5" color QVGA (320 x 240 pixels) display that enables menu navigation and viewing of Media Center content directly on the remote, independent of the main computer or TV screen. With SideLink, users can select songs, schedule recordings, navigate video clips and photographs, display TV program guides and even browse recorded TV shows--all right on the remote. SideLink uses Bluetooth RF wireless technology to ensure fl awless wireless communications at ranges up to 100'.

"SideLink from Interlink Electronics is the first Media Center remote control to enable Windows Vista SideShow technology," said Bill Mitchell, corporate vice president of the Mobile Platforms Division at Microsoft Corp. "SideLink is an excellent example of how Windows SideShow technology enables new benefits for users of Windows Vista. SideLink and the new Windows Vista Media Center gadgets enable features that users of previous Media Center Editions have requested, but were not possible with a single display."

Paper: http://interlinkelectronics.com/library/media/papers/pdf/20070108a.pdf

Video Preview: http://reviews.cnet.com/SideLink_Remote/4660-12760_7-6683680.html

[QUOTE]
When Microsoft introduces its long-awaited Windows Vista operating system this month, it will have an unlikely partner to thank for making its flagship product safe and secure for millions of computer users across the world: the National Security Agency (NSA).

For the first time, the giant software maker is acknowledging the help of the secretive agency, better known for eavesdropping on foreign officials and, more recently, U.S. citizens as part of the Bush administration's effort to combat terrorism. The agency said it has helped in the development of the security of Microsoft's new operating system -- the brains of a computer -- to protect it from worms, Trojan horses and other insidious computer attackers.

"Our intention is to help everyone with security," Tony W. Sager, the NSA's chief of vulnerability analysis and operations group, said yesterday.

The NSA's impact may be felt widely. Windows commands more than 90 percent of the worldwide market share in desktop operating systems, and Vista, which is set to be released to consumers Jan. 30, is expected to be used by more than 600 million computer users by 2010, according to Al Gillen, an analyst at market research firm International Data.

Microsoft has not promoted the NSA's contributions, mentioning on its Web site the agency's role only at the end of its "Windows Vista Security Guide," which states that the "guide is not intended for home users" but for information and security specialists.

The Redmond, Wash., software maker declined to be specific about the contributions the NSA made to secure the Windows operating system.
...
[/QUOTE]

Source and more Info's on: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801352.html

The Consumer Electronics Show Conference is over now.

Here's a video of the CES Keynote that was quickly encoded and uploaded to google video.

It's the complete keynote (over 1 hour, which includes Bill Gates Keynote and a part hosted by Robbie Bach from Microsoft's Entertainment Division, who tells you everything about the Xbox360 including the IPTV demo toward the end of the video).

Microsoft will release a high-quality video of the complete keynote very soon here.

Engadget has some high-res pictures of the Xbox360 IPTV interface.

Xbox-Scene has 2 press releases and a LIVE coverage of Bill Gates' Keynote at CES 2007.

Wenn man regelmäßig bei Dateioperationen oder auch nur beim Öffnen von Ordnern die Meldung "COM Surrogate funktioniert nicht mehr" erhält, dann liegt das meist an fehlerhaften Video-Codecs (nicht Vista-kompatible Codecs). Außerdem stürzt das Windows Media Center beim Zugriff auf das Videos Verzeichnis deswegen auch ab!

Bekannt als Auslöser für das Problem sind vor allem alle Nero-Versionen vor 7.5.9.0 !!! Nach dem Deinstallieren von Nero tauchte der Fehler nicht mehr auf!

James B. worked on Runtime's Transcode 360 (info) to port it to .NET v2.0 and make it work correctly under Windows Vista's Media Center (32 and 64bit):

[QUOTE]
Transcode 360 version 4.6 has been released today, this version is purely for Windows Vista users and is the foundation for the next few months of T360 development.

Carrying on from the magnificent work that Runtime 360 started, I have picked up the torch and bought T360 up to date and forward in to the Vista generation. At present there are no new features in this version it is the foundation release which allows it to run natively and error free on Windows Vista RTM and resolves several critical issues on the new operating system.

Please ensure you uninstall any older versions of Transcode 360 prior to installing this version. This is version 4.6 and is purely for Windows Vista (please don't try to install on MCE 2005).

The configuration at present is to use port 1401 (please don't change this).

UPDATE: I have removed the helper for opening the ports on your firewall until I can get it working with 64 bit windows and it stops crashing the installer, for now if you are running Vista for 32 bit you will need to click the link in your start menu to open the ports required for T360, for 64 bit Vista you will need to do this manually. The port required for T360 is 1401 and ensure Transcode306.exe and Transcode360Tray.exe to the allowed applications.

Fixed Issues
* This is a native .net application for Windows Vista and has been compiled on a Windows Vista PC, it does not require any .net downloads to be performed before installation.
* Stuttering - This appears to now be fixed on my 2 test PCs (1 dev and 1 live), the issue appears to have been a Mencoder issue and upgrading to RC1 repaired the problems.
* Weird errors - As many faults that I could find on the board relating to Vista have been fixed, errors such as invalid application, null object reference and transcode error have been fixed.
* You can now run the application in the recommended tray icon mode instead of being forced to use the service account under Windows Vista as you did on the previous version.
* Firewall utillities - The installer will run a helper application called openfirewall and closefirewall depending on if you are installing or uninstalling the application. If you have any problems please go to Program Files\Transcode360\Registration and run the application manually, once done check your firewall configuration to check they have taken effect.

Known Issues (features):
* The Transcode button no longer has the icon to show that you are transcoding, your video still transcodes if you leave it for about 5 seconds after clicking the button you will get the spinning wait symbol and your video will play.
* If UAC is switched on you might have to go to program files\transcode360 and right click transcode360.exe and transcode360tray.exe and go to the compatibility tab and tick run as administrator, I intend to fix this in the next release by ensuring T360 doesn't use the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry keys which should resolve the issue.
* On startup of the tray icon please ensure you say yes to unblocking the application.
* The configuration at present is to use port 1401 (please don't change) and to install to c:\program files\transcode360. If you change the location you will need to edit the configuration file from the start menu and ensure the locations are correct.

Any problems please post, remember this is a beta and my first release of T360!
[/QUOTE]

Official Site: n/a, by James B. (Transcode360 originally by Runtime)
Download: here
Source: http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/sep/EEyVAlAuuymnoFRaUP.php

[Quote]
Der Aktivierungsmechanismus für Windows Vista in Firmen ist offenbar bereits geknackt. Nach Online-Berichten ist in Tauschnetzwerken ein virtueller Windows-Server mit dem Key Management Service (KMS) von Microsoft erhältlich. Dieser Schlüsseldienst aktiviert in Unternehmen die Business- und Enterprise-Versionen von Windows Vista. PCpro hat in Cracker-Foren bereits Links zu einen VMware-Image des Windows-Servers gefunden. Zudem gibt es erste Erfolgsmeldungen von Usern, bei denen der virtuelle Aktivierungs-Server angeblich bereits läuft.

Für den Piratenserver lassen sich auch kostenlose Virtualisierungsprogramme wie etwa der VMware Player missbrauchen.

Vista Business und Vista Enterprise müssen nach jeweils 180 Tagen aktiviert werden. Geschieht das nicht innerhalb von 30 Tagen, schaltet das Betriebssystem die meisten Funktionen ab. Die Arbeit mit einem solchen PC ist erst dann wieder möglich, wenn der KMS-Server eine Lizenzprüfung erfolgreich durchgeführt hat.

Doch mit dem jetzt aufgetauchten virtuellen KMS könnten Firmen mit mindestens 25 Vista-Arbeitsplätzen und ausreichend krimineller Energie die Aktivierung der genannten Vista-Editionen ohne Kontaktaufnahme mit Microsoft-Servern erledigen. So könnten sie beliebig viele Vista-Arbeitsstationen auch ohne gültige Lizenzen immer wieder neu aktivieren.
[/Quote]

Quelle: http://www.testticker.de/news/professional_computing/news20061208035.aspx