Vista has problems with being compatible with older software and drivers, but Microsoft may have a new weapon in its arsenal to combat that. It recently acquired Kidaro Technologies, a desktop-virtualization software vendor which could allow the company to produce virtualization for Vista that would eliminate some or all compatibility issues.
Vista has enough of its own problems without having to concern users with third party software issues, yet, they do exist. Symantec made a partial admission that its SymProtect feature was responsible for registry corruption during both Windows XP SP3 and Vista SP1 upgrades. The company recently delivered a software utility to locate and repair these registry problems.
I talked about people petitioning against Microsoft’s decision to retire XP by the end of the month yesterday. Now big sites are getting in on the action creating petitions for users to sign to make things more official.
The built-in search feature of Windows Vista is no match for the Spotlight search feature of Mac OSX which is unobtrusive when indexing, fast to find your files right off the bat and just smarter. Microsoft is playing catch-up with its search feature and with the latest update may just be getting there.
Icons that sit on the desktop are mostly shortcuts to programs but Microsoft decided to make the shortcut arrows larger and more obvious in Windows Vista. In addition to (optionally) hiding the icons you can also remove those unsightly shortcut arrows to make your desktop look just a little better.
I’ve talked about Iconoid in the past but it hasn’t yet been ported to work on 64-bit versions of Windows. There is still a way you can hide the icons on your 64-bit Vista installation.
Users testing out the new service pack 1 for Vista are reporting issues when using Windows Update for the latest sound drivers, experiencing problems with no audio after the update. This issue mainly seems to affect users with Sigmatel or now known as IDT high def sounds, which are used quite a bit on Dell’s PCs (mine included).
It seems as though the online community is uniting under one particular thought: with Vista faltering in the marketplace, many are simply waiting for news of the operating system that will take Vista’s place, now being called Windows 7. However, many are even less excited about Windows 7, because some are suggesting that Microsoft will take a modular approach to the distribution of its next operating system to consumers.
Or at least a few key points I think every intelligent reader should consider before simply taking what “authorities” have to say on the superiority of certain operating systems. I’m going to give you a great example of thoughtless Windows Vista promotion and explain why even your favorite websites might be getting it very wrong.
Just when everyone thought that Microsoft’s goose was near to fully cooked in all its greasy goodness, it seems as though the goose is getting some breathing room; though mounds of incriminating evidence against Microsoft in the “Vista-capable” lawsuit has been piling up in rapid fashion, the well-paid lawyers at Microsoft have found a loophole and earned a bit of time to either rally a defense or order a tombstone epitaph.
I’m still not sure whether I should even classify this as news, per se, but take it as you will: if you’re sitting in front of an operating system-less PC, holding a copy of Vista SP1 in your right hand and a copy of XP SP3 in your left, and you can’t decide which OS to go with, your now barren PC will run better with XP SP3.
The recent hullaballoo over the exploit that opens up Vista through Adobe Flash has the hacking community grinning from metaphorical ear to ear. The same can’t be said for Adobe, and what’s less of a surprise in the midst of the controversy is that Adobe is now claiming it knew about the exploit all along.
Ok, ok, we can all laugh and joke about some of the rather humorous ends eBay has gone to in the interest of protecting its customers, but there’s a real chance that the latest caper moves from lighthearted humor to rather arguable controversy. Ebay has removed a laptop that contains an attack code used to crack Vista in the interesting of its buyers’ “safety.”
The list of users who are experiencing more than a little difficulty with the new Service Pack 1 grows longer every day; it seems more and more users who boot multiple operating systems are experiencing grief as well. Before installing Vista Service Pack 1, be sure to check out the boot systems you’re currently using if you use Windows Vista Enterprise or Vista Ultimate, otherwise your PC might end up the victim of a faulty SP1 install.
Many Vista users are justifiably a bit skittish when talk drifts to service pack 1, recently released by Microsoft; though home installations aren’t particularly difficult (though they could make you a nervous nelly), many larger companies will doubtless spend a good chunk of cash on IT help to ease the transition. Microsoft has an answer for all those businesses who are looking for something a bit more streamlined, and it is a toolkit that should expedite the process quite nicely.
Technology News Mac news iPhone & Touch Mobile technology Green tech Buying guides Gaming news Photography tech
