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Posts Tagged ‘Windows 7’
If Windows 7 doesn’t work, it’s your fault
October 23rd, 2009 | 
Author: When, like Microsoft, you’ve suffered more criticism for your operating system than Tom Cruise has for his height, you have to really think deeply when you launch something new.
You could go out and continue to tell people that you’re very clever. But then they’d be a little more reluctant to believe you.
You could tout Windows 7 as the brainspawn of a whole new generation of terribly clever engineers. But then consumers might have a vision of an operating system created by pot-smoking, pot-bellied youths with the body odor of mousetrapped rats.
So you reach the conclusion that you’ve listened to both the great washed and unwashed out there and designed a new operating system completely according to their needs.
Full story plus video :
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10381692-71.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Windows 7, Vista zero-day flaw reported
A security researcher has said there is a zero-day vulnerability affecting Windows 7 and Vista.
The flaw in Windows 7 could allow an attack which would cause a critical system error, or “blue screen of death,” according to researcher Laurent Gaffie.
Gaffie wrote in his blog that the flaw lies in a Server Message Block 2 (SMB2) driver.
“SRV2.SYS fails to handle malformed SMB headers for the NEGOTIATE PROTOCOL REQUEST functionality,” wrote Gaffie in a blog post Monday.
Gaffie said he had contacted Microsoft. Comments on his blog by other users said that the flaw could lead not only to denial of service, but could also lead to remote code execution.
Computer security publication “The H” wrote on Tuesday that its German sister publication had tested the proof-of-concept code, and that while the exploit had caused a reboot on Vista, the exploit had not worked on Windows 7.
Metasploit creator HD Moore said in a tweet on Tuesday that an SMB bug appeared to have been introduced into Vista SP1. Coder Josh Goebel said in a blog post that he had added the exploit code to Metasploit.
Microsoft had not responded to a request for comment at the time of writing.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10346664-83.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Posted in Microsoft, Vista, Windows, Windows 7 | 
Tags: blue screen of death, critical system error, exploit, Microsoft, Vista, vulnerability, Windows, Windows 7 | 
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Microsoft releases preview of Windows 7 embedded edition
Microsoft has released a technical preview of its new Windows 7-based embedded edition, the company said Tuesday.
Designed to run on everything from ATMs to digital photo frames, Windows Embedded Standard 2011 is now available for download as a trial edition. The finished version is expected in the second half of 2010.
The community technology preview of Windows Embedded gives businesses and developers a chance to evaluate it on their devices and offer feedback to Microsoft. The company said that Windows Embedded lets manufacturers choose only those components they need to drive their equipment, eliminating the need to develop a full platform on their own.
Windows Embedded is used in a variety of markets, including industrial automation, entertainment, and consumer electronics. In the business world, the software is typically found in thin clients, kiosks, medical equipment, and point-of-service devices. On the consumer side, Windows Embedded is used in GPS devices, gaming consoles, networked TVs, and portable media players.
Microsoft said the latest embedded version offers several new features. Businesses will be able to manage their devices using Active Directory group policies and virtual desktops. The new edition will support 64-bit CPUs, the Windows Aero interface, and Windows Touch for touch screens. Windows Embedded Standard 2011 will also incorporate Internet Explorer 8 and Windows Media Player 12.
To help manufacturers, the company will offer Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist certification, a preparation kit, and training software. More information can be found on the Windows Embedded Training site. The company will also let businesses and developers register for free Webinars.
Source :
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10322875-75.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Mac OS Snow Leopard: Great news for Windows 7, too
OS X 10.6 includes Boot Camp 3.0, a new collection of software drivers that make Windows run much better on Mac hardware.
(Credit: Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET)
Every time I see the “I’m a Mac/I’m a PC” ads on TV, I can’t help but wonder, “Why not both?” And it has never been a better time for that.
It’s been a three weeks since I first got my hands on Apple’s new Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. (If anything, this means lots of hard work benchmark testing the product while trying to keep my mouth shut about it till now, which was even harder.)
Overall, personally, I found that while the new Mac OS doesn’t warrant a “wow,” it’s still definitely worth the $29 upgrade price.Mac users can read more about Snow Leopard in my colleague Jason Parker’s full review. On the other hand, for Windows users, especially Windows 7, the release of Snow Leopard is straight-on great news.
Full Story :
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10315168-1.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Windows 7 to get NY launch
Apparently Microsoft isn’t doing everything with Windows 7 differently from how it did Windows Vista.
As was the case with Vista, Windows 7 will get its formal launch< in the Big Apple. CEO Steve Ballmer will preside over the Oct. 22 event, with the usual array of hardware partners showing off their latest wares.
Microsoft used a human billboard to help mark the NY launch of Windows Vista.
(Credit: Caroline McCarthy/CNET News)
But that’s not the only Gotham event for Microsoft in October. The company is also doing a consumer open house at the Park Avenue Armory, led by Robbie Bach, on Oct. 6. Microsoft plans to highlight everything from the Zune and new phones to hardware products like keyboards and mice.
Microsoft is hoping to turn that event into an annual event.
New York was also the site of Vista’s launch, which included a fancy lunch at Cipriani with the press, a human billboard as well as a trip to Best Buy for Steve Ballmer.
Microsoft finalized the code for Windows 7 last month. It will hit retail shelves and start showing up on new PCs on Oct. 22, though some large businesses with volume licenses can already get the code if they wish.
Source :
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10319392-56.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Snow Leopard could level security playing field
Friday’s release of the new version of the Mac OS, dubbed Snow Leopard, could include some security features that would make it secure, or at least push it closer to the level of security that Vista and Windows 7 have, experts said this week.
Contrary to popular Mac fanboy belief, Macintosh is not more secure from a software standpoint than modern Windows; it’s merely safer to use because malware writers prefer to target the platform with the biggest install base, according to Charlie Miller and Dino Dai Zovi, co-authors of The Mac Hacker’s Handbook, which came out this spring.
“Apple hasn’t implemented all the security features that Vista has,” Miller said. “They made some improvements in Leopard, but they are still behind.”
If there is any truth to rumors circulating about Snow Leopard, the operating system security playing field could become more level as of this weekend and Mac users will really have something to brag about.
Full story :
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10318943-245.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Posted in Apple, Mac, Safari, security, Tech |
Tags: Apple, Mac, OS X, Safari, security, Snow Leopard, Vista Microsoft, Windows 7 |
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Free Software Foundation trashes Windows 7
There’s nothing like trashing the competition.
The Free Software Foundation is using the launch of Windows 7 to try to convince businesses to dump Windows in favor of an open-source operating system.
(Credit: Free Software Foundation)
And that’s exactly what the Free Software Foundation plans to do on Wednesday, staging a demonstration in Boston where it will encourage businesses to throw away Microsoft Windows in favor of free alternatives.
In addition to the public display, the foundation is sending letters to the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, warning that Windows is a threat to their businesses’ privacy, security, and freedom.
Although the demonstration and letter center around Microsoft’s imminent release of Windows 7, Free Software Foundation Executive Director Peter Brown says the protest has to do with Microsoft’s approach in general and not with the specifics of Windows 7.
“Any time Microsoft tries to push them to a new version, it’s a good time to make that case,” Brown said in a telephone interview on Tuesday.
With Windows 7 getting fairly positive reviews, Brown said he knows it could be tougher to garner public support than was the case with the oft-criticized Vista.
“There’s kind of this attitude of ‘Well, it’s better than Vista,’” Brown said, “so we are kind of working against the grain.”
But, he said, the stakes are high–and it’s about more than just which operating system gains market share. Brown points to Amazon.com’s recent deletion of e-books from the Kindle as an example of the kinds of action that could become commonplace if the world becomes more filled with digital rights management technologies.
“That’s the kind of power that proprietary software gives to these corporations,” he said. “When we give that power, sooner or later somebody comes knocking, whether it is the government or the corporations themselves. Free software is kind of the answer to that.”
Although the letter focuses on Microsoft, he said the group is also concerned with other products, including the new Snow Leopard operating system from Apple, which goes on sale on Friday.
“It’s not just Microsoft,” Brown said. “It’s a problem generally for society that we should accept proprietary software when there is an alternative.”
Source :
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10317591-56.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Posted in Microsoft, Tech, Windows |
Tags: Free Software Foundation, Microsoft, Windows 7 |
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Intel, Microsoft event to highlight Windows 7 improvements
Intel and Microsoft will hold an event next week to discuss collaboration on improvements to Windows 7.
The event next Tuesday in San Francisco will “share how the two companies collaborated on key enhancements during the development of Windows 7,” according to Intel. Steve Smith, vice-president and director, Intel’s Digital Enterprise Group Operations, and Michael Angiulo, General Manager of Windows Planning and PC Ecosystem at Microsoft will talk at the event.
Windows 7 collaboration will be demonstrated and illustrated by engineers from both companies, according to Intel. Not surprisingly, Microsoft is working closely with Intel, whose chips will power the vast majority of PCs running Windows 7.
In a blog posted in July, Intel described how Microsoft and Intel “saw unique opportunities to optimize Windows 7 for Intel processor technology” in the areas of performance, power management, and graphics.
The blog points to improvements to multitasking based on “SMT Parking,” which provides additional support to the Windows 7 scheduler for Intel Hyper-threading Technology. With Hyper-threading, the operating system sees a single processor core as two cores (i.e, a dual-core chip becomes a virtual quad-core processor), thus potentially improving multitasking–or doing tasks (threads) simultaneously.
Improvements over Vista for boot and shutdown times have also been targeted.
Intel also lists desktop motherboards on its site and associated drivers that have passed logo certification for Windows 7.
Another beneficiary of improved Windows 7 technology: Intel solid-state drives, which are typically faster than hard-disk drives and gaining ground in niche markets such as high-end laptops, gaming PCs, and servers. SSDs will be able to take advantage of Windows 7 technology called the Trim Command. Trim will allow blocks of data to be freed up for reuse to better maintain the performance of the SSD.
Windows 7 will also do more than previous operating systems with graphics via DirectX 11. Advanced Micro Devices has described DirectX 11-related technology that enables games developers to create smoother, less blocky and more organic looking objects in games. And, beyond games, Windows 7 has the potential to turn a graphics processing unit (GPU) from AMD or Nvidia into a general-purpose compute engine, used to accelerate everyday computing tasks like a central processing unit, or CPU. Specifically, “the compute shader” can be used to speed up more common computing tasks. The buzz word used to describe this technology is a mouthful: GPGPU or general-purpose graphics processing unit.
Source :
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-10315957-64.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Last chance to get legal, free Windows 7
While Microsoft’s Windows 7 will go on sale in just about two months, there is still a little time to get a free copy of the operating system.
Well, at least a free test copy of Windows 7, anyway. Users have until Thursday to download the “release candidate” version of the software–the final test version of the operating system. It’s a good option for those who have a spare machine to try out the software or for Mac users looking to experiment with running Windows either in virtualization software or via Boot Camp.
Full Story…
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10311993-56.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Source :
CNETNews Last chance to get legal, free Windows 7 http://bit.ly/t4ZRy
Windows 7 bug likely not a ‘showstopper’
Microsoft said on Wednesday that it is looking into reports of a potential bug in the final version of Windows 7. However, Microsoft’s top Windows executive said in a blog posting that the issue appears to be neither widespread, nor the “showstopper” that some are claiming it to be.
(Credit: Microsoft)The issue, noted on several enthusiast sites this week, involves a fairly arcane process used to check for problems in a particular disk. Under certain scenarios, the site suggested Windows 7 would siphon off all the available memory to perform the scan, potentially crashing the system.
Full Story…
CNETNewsWindows 7 bug likely not a ‘showstopper’ http://bit.ly/3SidC
