Tech Link (Operating System): Vista Service Pack 1: It lives

I just saw it on my email InBox, zdnet Blogger Marley Jo Farley blogged about an alleged Service Pack One for Vista. Below is the screenshot referred by Farley, which links to the article over at WinHEC 2007.. Expand if you would like to read the Blog from Farley..

With all the Microsoft-created confusion out there around when — and even whether — the company plans to deliver the first service pack (SP) for Windows Vista, it’s nice to see some concrete proof that Vista SP1 does exist.

The WinFuture.de folks managed to grab a quick snapshot of a machine running a build of Vista SP1 during one of the Rally talks at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in Los Angeles this week. Plain as day, it says: “Windows Build 6001 Service Pack 1, v113.”)

I also saw a PowerPoint slide mentioning the existence of Vista SP1 during a WinHEC chalk talk on “The Future of Input” at this week’s show. (The context: A shim for the kernel-mode driver foundation version of the digitizer driver will ship as a Windows Driver Kit sample in Vista SP1. That was it.)

Given all the mumbo-jumbo coming from the Windows brass lately about SP1, I actually was starting to wonder whether Microsoft might to try to go without one and just use Automatic Update and Windows Update Services to roll out all of the Vista fixes and updates.

I asked Directions on Microsoft analyst Michael Cherry before the Vista SP1 screen-shot sighting this week whether he thought Microsoft might try to do away with client service packs, starting with Vista. Cherry’s response:

“It appears that a number of people within Microsoft think that the full fledged service pack is no longer needed, because Windows Update provides a mechanism to get fixes to customers. Because everyone can download the fixes they need as soon as they are released, there is less need have rollups or service packs.

“The only thing keeping me thinking they would do a service pack was to formalize the delivering of the PatchGuard API (application programming interface) to the software vendors who need it.

“Key to keep in mind when discussing Service Packs–I can find nothing that obligates Microsoft to produce any. Any killing them kills the ‘wait for SP1 mindset.’”

Now we just need an SP1 date, beyond the “simultaneous with Longhorn Server” one that Microsoft execs provided last year. Anyone got any updated SP1 timing info to share?

Source:Vista Service Pack 1: It lives

Tech Link (Operating System): Run Vista Legally Without Activation (For Awhile)

While I have known this even before Vista launched earlier this year, there is now a public document or link on the web that actually explains this "extension" of activation (PCWorld). It is interesting actually, it is now less annoying to activate the license, unlike before that you will be denied logon to OS once the license expires.

Please read thru the document, it is helpful in its own way, yay. But of course, the bottom line is, after the extension, you'll still be needed to activate the copy to ensure full functionality. Expand for more...

Windows Vista can be used for as long as 120 days without agreeing to its product activation antipiracy software, the company confirmed Friday. That's four times longer than the 30 days the company has widely used as the maximum time span the operating system can be used before it shuts down.

Several bloggers and Windows experts, including Brian Livingston, who publishes the Windows Secrets newsletter, have posted details on how to extend the 30-day grace period a maximum of three times, for 120 days. "All versions of Vista allow a 30-day period without activation, except the corporate-oriented Vista Enterprise, which supports only a three-day trial," said Livingston in the latest issue of his newsletter. "If you know the secret, however, you can extend the activation deadline of editions such as Vista Home Premium and Vista Business up to four months past the original install date."

The one-line command of "slmgr -rearm" changes the activation deadline to 30 after the current date, Livingston said.

A Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed the feature and command on Friday. "Yes, 'rearm' can be run up to three times from the release media from Microsoft," she said in an e-mail response to some questions. "This means [that] a total of 120 days total time is available as a grace period to customers that take advantage of rearm."

Microsoft has documented this option on its Vista Volume Activation 2.0 support site. Although the bulk of the technical information posted is aimed at corporate administrators, the sections dealing with repeated activation also apply to consumer users of the operating system.

Extending the grace period, the spokeswoman continued, is not a violation of the Vista End User License Agreement (EULA). Microsoft introduced product activation in 2001's Office XP and next used it in that year's Windows XP. The feature was toughened up for Vista, however; after the grace periods, nonactivated PCs running Vista drop into what Microsoft calls "reduced functionality" mode. In reduced mode, users can only browse the Web with Internet Explorer, and then only for an hour before being forced to again log on.

Some critics have argued that the new activation rules and reduced functionality combine to make what's essentially a "kill switch" -- a way for Microsoft to disable PCs running counterfeit copies of Vista. Microsoft has repeatedly rejected that characterization.

Source:Run Vista Legally Without Activation (For Awhile)

Tech Link (Operating System): Build a Windows Vista Upgrade Parachute

THG has posted an article which I find is really nice and right on time. I can't believe I sifted through all pages (12 of them) and read them all with interest, I barely spend time reading past the conclusion nowadays. Do take time to read through it, I believe the article is well thought out and free from a lot of crap and focuses on the bare essentials necessary for the topic. Check it out...

The purpose of this article is to guide you through the myriad options for upgrading to Windows Vista. My goal here is balance: I will not slavishly regurgitate Microsoft's hype, but neither will I join the growing army of Microsoft bashers.

The choices for creating a Vista computer are bewildering. Since there are so many possibilities, let me start by offering you a default solution to the main question: "what should I do about Vista?" My default advice is that you wait until June 2007 - then buy a new machine with either Vista Home Premium or Vista Business pre-installed.

From that default position, I'll review the other options for Vista. My goal is to give you the information necessary to make the best decision for your particular circumstances.

Source:Build a Windows Vista Upgrade Parachute

Tech Link (Industry): Finally, Vista Makes Its Debut. Now What?

You gotta love Bill Gates' reply on Newsweek questions. While I find the article a nice read, knowing what Bill Gates has to say on all the (negative) publicity the new Vista* OS is getting, I really find how he reacts to the new Mac* ads really funny and entertaining! I embedded one of YouTube Mac* ads for your viewing pleasure. If you want to read more, just expand. And oh, here's a quote from from the news:

Are you bugged by the Apple commercial where John Hodgman is the PC, and he has to undergo surgery to get Vista?
I've never seen it. I don't think the over 90 percent of the [population] who use Windows PCs think of themselves as dullards, or the kind of klutzes that somebody is trying to say they are.

NEWSWEEK: If one of our readers confronted you in a CompUSA and said, “Bill, why upgrade to Vista?” what would be your elevator pitch?
Bill Gates: The most effective thing would be if I could sit down with them and just take them through the new look for a couple of minutes, show them the Sidebar, show them the way the search lets you go through lots of things, including lots of photos. Set up a parental control. And then I might edit a high-definition movie and make a little DVD that's got photos. As I went through, they'd think, “Wow, is that something I could use, would that make a difference for me?”

Source:Finally, Vista Makes Its Debut. Now What?

Tech Link (Operating System): Windows Vista Arrives with a Thud

The day has finally arrived: the retail launch for Windows' new ambitious operating system. Surely with an event as highly anticipated as this one there would be PS3-like mayhem in the streets. Except there's not. We give our thoughts on why.

I can not agree more on this, I also can't convince myself why I need to upgrade to this operating system. Read the whole editorial by expanding this article.

Why We're Not Excited
As this goes to print, Windows Vista is available in the retail channel. Can you feel the buzz? I can’t either, because there isn’t one. If anything, the buzz has been negative, and more along the lines of “Tell me why I need this again?” than a laundry list of Vista features that users can’t wait to get their hands on.

This is obviously not the position Microsoft wanted to be in leading up to launch day. I remember meeting with Microsoft last year at E3 where I had my backside filled with smoke for an hour by the Vista PR crew. The gist of our hour-long meeting was, “It’s going to be awesome!” I kept asking them specifically about DirectX 10 and what it would bring to the table, and they said that since no DX10 hardware was available at that time, they didn’t want to comment. But it would, without question, “be awesome!” They also didn’t have a lot of specifics about how Vista would specifically and tangibly be better than XP, but man oh man, it was going to be great.

Fast forward to July of 2006, and I’m sitting in a room (along with many other journalists) with Peter Moore, who is in charge of Microsoft’s new Games for Windows initiative. Several people ask him questions about Xbox live and other console questions, but finally I raise my hand in the air and say, “Mr. Moore, we’ve heard all this talk about how great Vista is going to be for gaming. Can you tell me specifically how gaming on Vista will be better than on XP?” He thanked me for my question, and then rattled off a PR-laden answer that is best summarized by “It’s going to be awesome!” He finished his answer with a claim resembling, “Just wait, you’ll see.”

Finally, a short time later, I get an email saying Microsoft’s Games for Windows and Vista people want to meet with me to show me how awesome Vista and PC gaming are going to be. I readily agree, but tell my co-worker before entering the room “If they tell me it’s going to be awesome one more time…” We enter the meeting and proceed to be snow-jobbed for a half hour once again. This time, however, the meeting focused on one solitary feature of Vista - parental controls. Now, I agree that is a good feature, but I don’t have kids so this feature doesn’t mean much to me. Besides, we were there to see how good Vista was at gaming.


What was interesting though, was they were running Vista on a Voodoo PC. At the end of the presentation they asked us, “Isn’t this running great on this Voodoo PC?” We said something like, “Sure, it looks great,” while shrugging to one another. The Microsoft representative then looked at us with a big smile and said, “We’ll send you a Voodoo PC next week, so you’ll have a super-fast PC to run Vista on in your lab.” This not-so-subtle art of diverting attention is semi-common in the hardware industry, but we were surprised to see a company as powerful as Microsoft stoop to this level.

While Microsoft was running a full-court press to convince journalists of Vista’s capabilities, it was also trying to convince a delay-weary public that despite Vista’s long, winding road to market, it would all be worthwhile. The problem is that a large percentage of potential customers stopped caring about Vista some time ago, especially when key features were cut and the OS kept getting delayed. The appearance of numerous articles and editorials describing the fledgling OS as an impending disaster for Microsoft also did not help Microsoft’s PR campaign.

Now that Microsoft’s largely ineffective marketing campaign is coming to a close, we’re all faced with the question of whether or not we should upgrade. To be fair, however, most of us know that we will eventually upgrade due to Microsoft’s inclusion of DirectX 10, so it’s not really so much a question of “if” but rather “when.” Indeed, DX10 is practically the only feature most of us want, and we’ll have to pay for it, as Vista is the only way to get it. Microsoft deserves credit, in a Darth Vader type of way, for tying DX10 into Vista in order to force consumers to upgrade.

But putting DX10 aside, what other features does Vista offer that are must-haves? I think the answer is none. We all know how lacking Windows 95 and 98 were (I won’t even bother mentioning the disaster that was Windows Millennium), and both those OSes clearly needed to be improved. When XP arrived, it basically fixed most of the problems people were having with the older OSes, and a lot of people – myself included – have been perfectly happy with XP for some time now. It’s surely not perfect, but it’s damn good and very stable. All applications and games work fine, drivers abound and it’s easy to work with. What more could a computer enthusiast ask for?

That is the vexing question Microsoft is seeking to answer, and it’s a tough one since most people seem to be rather happy with XP, in all of its iterations. However, in the interest of science, I’ve been using Vista for the past six months and it’s left me completely underwhelmed. Rather than being a major step-forward in User Interface (UI) design, accessibility, and ease-of-use, it’s largely a step backward. Everything from the wonky Start Menu to the broken address bar navigation is a mess. And I won’t even get into the unbelievably cluttered Control Panel, the Network Places confusion, and the constant “this program needs your permission” dialogue boxes that pop-up for something as mundane as transferring files from a Compact Flash card to your hard drive.

There are literally so many things that irritate me about Vista, it’s not even worth going into detail on each of them. Let me just summarize by saying Vista is the opposite of what I would call “user friendly,” and a lot of steps Microsoft has taken to make things easier have had the opposite effect. Throw in the discombobulated driver support, lack of support for third-party hardware, benchmarks that show Vista to be slower in games than XP, and its steep price tag and you’ve got an OS that most people don’t see the need for, and quite frankly, don’t really want.

Sadly, none of these issues will slow the adoption of Windows Vista. It’s been reported that Microsoft makes 80 percent of its operating system revenue from pre-built machines, which will fuel the adoption rate and allow for Vista to achieve widespread market penetration this year, despite the consumer’s reluctance to upgrade. Unlike with previous OSes from Microsoft, it seems that almost all Vista sales will be for pre-built PCs, rather than enthusiasts buying a copy for the PC they already own.

And enthusiasts won’t buy it because of a simple reason; at this time, there’s no compelling reason to do so. John Carmack, of the id Software fame, said it best recently in an interview with Gameinformer.com where he said, “I suspect I could run XP for a great many more years without having a problem with it.” He concluded by adding, “They’re [Microsoft] really grasping at straws for reasons to upgrade the operating system.”

Source:Windows Vista Arrives with a Thud

Tech Link (Operating System): Microsoft Reveals Downloadable Vista, Office

DailyTech posted that Microsoft* Vista will also be available as a "download" purchase. It actually makes sense, now that high speed broadband seems more affordable, relatively speaking of course. For dial up users, well, I don't think it's a viable option ;). Check it out...

Microsoft will be selling its latest operating system and office suite online for customers to download


Microsoft today detailed three new distribution methods for customers looking to buy, upgrade or license multiple copies of Windows Vista. One such method involves Microsoft selling a copy of its operating system via the Internet for the user to download onto his or her system, marking a first for the software giant.

Microsoft will make Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 available for direct download via Windows Marketplace starting January 30 at suggested retail prices (but without the discs, packaging and manuals of the retail version). Windows Vista editions offered through Windows Marketplace will be available in English only, in either 32-bit or 64-bit versions. Windows Marketplace visitors also can find a wide variety of Windows-compatible hardware and software, including products carrying the Certified for Windows Vista logo.

Microsoft also detailed its Windows Anytime Upgrade program, a new option that allows customers to upgrade their existing edition of Windows Vista to a higher-grade edition by way of an online transaction. For example, if a Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Business user decides he or she wants more capability — perhaps to join his home PCs to secure domains at the office, or to experience the multimedia capabilities of Windows Vista on his work laptop — the user can click on the Windows Anytime Upgrade option in the Start menu, select the desired upgrade edition, purchase it online to secure a new digital key, and then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the upgrade. It was previously revealed that Microsoft would be shipping all versions of Vista on a single DVD, meaning that those who purchase the operating system on DVD will not have to download additional parts of the operating system for the upgrade.

The manufacturer's suggested retail prices to upgrade to more premium editions of Windows Vista are as follows: Home Basic to Home Premium $79, Home Basic to Ultimate $199, Home Premium to Ultimate $159 and Business to Ultimate $139.

The third part of Microsoft’s announcement today reveals a limited-time offer for customers who buy retail copies of Windows Vista Ultimate. From January 30 through June 30, the Windows Vista Family Discount will allow North American customers to license two additional copies of Windows Vista Home Premium for use on other PCs in the home at the reduced price of $49.99 each. Before completing the order online, customers will need to enter one valid full or upgrade Windows Vista Ultimate key from their retail boxed product. After eligibility is verified online, the customer can purchase licenses to install Windows Vista Home Premium on one or two additional Windows-based computers.

"With the consumer launch of Windows Vista so close, we're excited to announce three new ways to make the purchase and upgrade experience easier than ever," said Brad Brooks, general manager of Windows Client Marketing at Microsoft. "These new programs give our customers more flexibility and choice to ensure they get the edition that's right for them."

Source:Microsoft Reveals Downloadable Vista, Office

Tech Link (Operating System): Vista, Office 2007 cracked. Kind of.

Well, this just sucks. Err, I guess for some people it's a blessing but for the honest ones this is just unfair. Hey, it's piracy, stop stealing people's money off some workers at MS!

Microsoft has had a long history of battling against piracy, ever since Bill Gates' Open Letter to Hobbyists in 1976, long before there was even a personal computer software industry to speak of. Now, Microsoft finds itself in its latest piratical engagement, with the recent cracks of Windows Vista and Office 2007, both of which just hit gold release status. Torrents of the cracks are already finding their way around pirate sites.

The crack for Windows Vista (which is called "Vista BillGates") is not a true crack, as it replaces components from the final version of the operating system with those from earlier betas. This allows the would-be pirate to use a product key that worked with Beta 1, Beta 2, RC1, or RC2, with the Gold release of the operating system. This allows the OS to be activated normally over the Internet, but does not bypass the activation system itself. Microsoft had made these earlier betas available to the public on a limited basis.

The other piratical news today is that a copy of the Enterprise edition of Office 2007 was also made available on the 'Net. This version, like other "Corporate" editions of Microsoft products, uses a volume license key (in this case, Volume Activation 1.0) and does not require activation over the Internet.

Of course, Microsoft has methods of fighting back against these latest leaks. The company can push updates through Windows and Office Update that deactivate the pirated copies. As the company did with Windows XP Corporate Editions, Microsoft can invalidate corporate volume license keys that have leaked out at a later date. This latter strategy worked moderately well for Microsoft—at least a few people whose pirated copy of XP had its VLK invalidated did bite the bullet and replace it with a legitimate version. Also, Microsoft can continue their strategy of using Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) to restrict access to certain non-essential updates. Internet Explorer 7 was an example of a product offered only to users who passed WGA.

Microsoft's aim is to make piracy annoying enough that casual users will stop bothering with it, despite the fact that dedicated pirates will still manage to break it again and again. Still, it's clear that the battle between pirates and those who would wish to stop them is far from over.

Source:Vista, Office 2007 cracked. Kind of.

Tech Link (Industry): Computer-On-a-Stick™

If you aren't into making your own USB stick as mentioned by THG here but needed to have one, then why not buy one?

The Computer-On-a-Stick (COS) is a USB Flash Drive featuring its own onboard Operating System, a Microsoft Office-compatible suite, PDF Creator, and tons more...

The Computer-On-a-Stick (COS) also boasts the powerful Mozilla Firefox Web Browser, Evolution email, and Yahoo & MSN compatible Instant Messenger for superior Internet connectivity

Plug the Computer-On-a-Stick (COS) into your PC or Laptop and instantly transform your old environment into a new and powerful secure workstation - without a hard disk!

The combination of low cost and a powerful Onboard Operating System provides users with all the benefits of a thin client solution without changing their existing PC hardware or software.

• Use the Computer-On-a-Stick when your PC or Laptop’s existing OS slows to a crawl or even fails.


• Use the Computer-On-a-Stick to continue working on Windows-compatible documents.


• The Computer-On-a-Stick is compatible with files created in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Paint, and more…


• No need to pay for expensive new software releases or upgrades $$$ !


• View and create Adobe PDF files


• Share a pool of office PCs or work from home without changing your own desktop each time you use the device.


• Reduce your exposure to viruses, worms and spyware by running applications from a read-only partition on the device.


• Connect to remote servers with secure connectivity tools, including VNC, SSH and RDP.

Source:FingerGear

Tech Link (Operating System): Microsoft Dual Core HotFix

I just got a tip that there's a dual core hotfix from Microsoft*. I personally haven't tested it, but you may want to give it a try. According to Microsoft*, without the hotfix, there will be degradation of performance.

SYMPTOMS
Computers that are equipped with multiple processors that support processor power management features, such as Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) processor performance states, require Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Additional updates are available to optimize performance and behavior on computers that are running Windows XP SP2. Without these updates, computers that are equipped with these power management-capable, mobile, dual-core processors may experience decreased performance or unexpected behavior

.

Source:Microsoft

Let me know if you notice any improvement.

Tech Link (Security): Windows owned Linux/Unix in 2005 US-CERT Report

Wow, according to US-CERT (United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team), Windows has lesser securities and vulnerabilities versus Linux/Unix.

I remember sometime ago, that Microsoft already released a similar report, but many scoff at that report, saying it shouldn't be a surprise that the report showed Microsoft having a better standing since it was a Microsoft sponsored survey. However, this time around, Microsoft's claim is verified and vindicated as can be shown by the latest report. Microsoft Windows shows 812 vulnerabilities accounting for ~15.62%, while Linux/Unix totalled a whooping 2328 vulnerabilities accounting for ~44.78%, and the remaining ~39.59% (2058 vulnerabilities) falls under the multiple operating systems vulnerabilities. Interesting to see Linux/Unix is the "highest pointer" in this report.

I am not a fan of any Operating System, but I mostly use Microsoft Windows and I am brain dead when it comes to Linux/Unix so I can't say any fanboyism stuff, however, I care about how fast OS developers to deploy patch when there's a need, and in this regard, I like Microsoft Windows (but of course, I am not saying Linux/Unix is slow in deploying patch, I just don't have enough experience with them). Below is the CERT report summary:

Cyber Security Bulletin 2005 Summary
2005 Year-End Index

Information in the US-CERT Cyber Security Bulletin is a compilation and includes information published by outside sources, so the information should not be considered the result of US-CERT analysis. Software vulnerabilities are categorized in the appropriate section reflecting the operating system on which the vulnerability was reported; however, this does not mean that the vulnerability only affects the operating system reported since this information is obtained from open-source information.

This bulletin provides a year-end summary of software vulnerabilities that were identified between January 2005 and December 2005. The information is presented only as a index with links to the US-CERT Cyber Security Bulletin the information was published in. There were 5198 reported vulnerabilities: 812 Windows operating system vulnerabilities; 2328 Unix/Linux operating vulnerabilities; and 2058 Multiple operating system vulnerabilities.

Source:US-CERT 2005 Year-End Index report