With Windows Vista Microsoft introduced a new way of obtaining its operating system by offering the option to download it. That’s all well and good but what you don’t get is the full version, all you get is the upgrade version which must be run within XP. As any good techie will tell you it is always best to perform a clean install of any operating system regardless of how well the manufacturer claims the upgrade will go.
Microsoft’s announcement that Windows XP will no longer be available on new PCs from 2008 makes upgrading to Windows Vista almost inevitable for many business users.
Windows Vista is the most elegant operating system to come from Microsoft with its transparency effects, Flip 3D view mode, revised Alt-Tab mode and numerous security enhancements. This applies to Vista Home Premium, Business, Ultimate and Enterprise; Windows Vista Basic users will not be able to take advantage of anything in this post or the aforementioned features. That’s why I don’t (no one) recommends buying Vista Home Basic unless the computer is ancient.
Windows XP has been the iconic operating system since it debuted in October of 2001. By today’s standards the computers made back then were little more than large calculators but perhaps I am exaggerating that point. Since that time Windows XP was installed on every single computer sold but now the sun is going to set on the operating system that was known as Windows XP.
Millions of people testing beta and release candidate (RC) versions of Windows Vista need to decide if they want to move to Windows Vista or back to Windows XP before their trial runs end on June 1. The road to upgrade or to downgrade from Vista beta testing installation may not be a smooth as details on how to proceed best are very limited.
Those with Windows XP have the option to install Windows Defender; those that have Vista installed already have Windows Defender. The short history of Windows Defender goes back a few years when Microsoft decided to acquire Giant AntiSpyware. Beta 1 and Beta 2 of Windows Defender were just rehashes of Giant AntiSpyware.
It seems there are those diehard fans of the classic menu system available in Office 2003 and earlier. I would tell you the only reason to upgrade to Office 2007 is to experience the new ribbon interface which never ceases to impress but it is bound to confuse users used to the old menus and give new users something else to learn.
Microsoft is studying the reported Windows Vista BIOS product activation hack that could allow illegal copies of Vista to be widely installed, though the company has no immediate plans to take action.
All of us should now be well acquainted with the ANI flaw which is present in all versions of Windows right up to Vista. For those who aren’t familiar with it the ANI flaw allows a hacker to take control of a system through specifically crafted websites with the use of animated cursors and can use that to steal information.
If the security flaws, optimization flaws and limited backwards compatibility of Vista aren’t bad enough it has gone to an entirely new level with users now getting angry at Microsoft for claiming faster start up and shut down times on Vista and not delivering. Greg Keizer of Computer World decided to check out exactly what was going on with this so he rounded up a few comments from the Performance and Maintenance forum where several users of Vista complained about the slowness of Vista compared to XP running on identical systems, in some cases.
Two weeks after a class-action lawsuit alleged that Microsoft engaged in deceptive practices by allowing PC makers to label their computers as “Vista Capable”, even if the machines weren’t able to run Vista’s “signature” features, Microsoft has redefined the meaning of “Vista Capable”.
I realize that Microsoft likes to keep its company secrets like all companies do but ever since the launch of Vista earlier this year, it was a well known public fact that Service Pack 1 for Vista was already in the works. What mystifies me and others is why Microsoft continues to lie or refuse to comment about Vista SP1 in public.
Google has closed a security hole in its newly launched Chinese language Input Method Editor (IME) software, Pinyin, after Internet Security firm, Rising, announced that the software brings potential risks to Windows Vista users.
Microsoft initially overlooked something when they released Vista (besides the security flaws and missing features). Vista includes a new version of Windows Movie Maker, for all intents and purposes should be called Vista Movie Maker. The problem is GottaBeMobile discovered this version of Movie Maker is not compatible with systems that have integrated graphics not capable of running Aero Glass, the new GUI (graphical user interface) in Vista.
Those who purchased a Windows XP based machine between October 26, 2006 and March 15, 2007 were eligible to get a free upgrade to Vista via the “Express Upgrade†program offered by Microsoft. This program was started to help users that wanted a Vista based machine last year, when Vista was supposed to be released, to get a free upgrade. The program is now in full swing, upgrades are coming in late, they are error prone and some serial keys aren’t working.
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