Microsoft has warned anyone using Windows XP or Server 2003 to apply a workaround to a serious security problem in Internet Explorer. The issue, which doesn’t yet have a patch for a permanent solution, is already being exploited by hackers.

A year after Windows XP was withdrawn from sale – and a month before it’s next expiry deadline will surely be ignored – it’s still the system of choice among businesses buying Vista machines. And while only a small majority of home users have downgraded, Microsoft is struggling to win over the holdouts.

Regular updates to the operating system or components of it are a necessary evil for anyone running Windows on their computer. Some are essential, many are not, but Microsoft really wants you to download and install them to your system. So much so that it will sometimes make you do so whether you want to or not.

Microsoft has confirmed that people buying machines with Windows 7 pre-installed will be able to downgrade to XP until April 2011. It strongly appears this has been increased after a poor reaction to initial plans.

When Microsoft announced plans to inject $300 million into the Russian economy, cynics suggested it was an attempt to stave off the interest of competition officials. If that was the case, it appears to have failed.

There are currently three Windows operating systems which you can legitimately choose from to use on your computer. Windows XP is still the OS of choice for many, despite being almost eight years old. While Vista is still the choice for anyone buying a new PC today. But Windows 7 is just around the corner and already having an impact on its two older siblings.

While most of us are currently awaiting the release of Windows 7, the U.S. Army is only now thinking about upgrading to Vista. Oh, and forget Office 2010 for the time being, the U.S. Army is about to upgrade to Office 2007. There’s nothing like being at the cutting edge of technology.

Windows 7 includes an add-on feature to run a virtual copy of XP to take care of application incompatibilities. But the feature is getting mixed feedback, most notably because it won’t work on all PCs.

Customer satisfaction is a key tenet for any business. Get it wrong or fair badly and the chances are you’ll lose that customer forever. Get it right and make the customer happy and they’ll likely stick with you for life. Judging by the latest Forrester Research survey this fact is good news for Apple and bad for every Windows-based PC manufacturer.

Windows XP has taken one step closer to retirement with today marking the end of “mainstream support”. But users should not panic as help is still available.

Windows XP really will never die. Computer firms look set to be allowed to continue selling new machines with XP for a year past the latest deadline and will also be able to offer Windows 7 > Vista downgrades.

Windows Vista has been an unmitigated disaster for Microsoft. Sure, it has made the company oodles of money, as every operating system does, but in terms of public relations, Vista will take some getting over.

We’re finally on the home stretch to the release of Windows 7, Microsoft’s new operating system which it hopes will put the nightmare that was Vista behind it. However, Vista, and Microsoft’s business practices involved in getting the OS universally adopted, still has the ability to come back and haunt the company.

IIS, or “Internet Information Services,” is an integral part of Windows for any developer, but is also useful for anyone who wants to create things for the Web using a Windows-based machine.  Here’s how to install and configure IIS in both XP and Vista.

Windows Vista hasn’t got long left. Its successor, Windows 7, is almost finished, and many have sampled it thanks to the recent beta testing initiative. But even at the end of its life cycle, Vista continues to receive awards, unfortunately, not of the good variety.