Vista News

Microsoft recently became aware of a third party kernel mode driver named “Atsiv” which provides a deliberate means of loading code that conflicts with the Kernel Mode Code Signing (KMCS) policy included in Windows Vista x64 editions. In Windows Vista x64 editions, the default KMCS policy is to only allow code to load into the kernel if it has been digitally signed with a valid code signing certificate. The Atsiv driver also provides a means to load unsigned kernel mode code in a manner that is not visible through operating system provided API interfaces (such as the EnumDeviceDrivers() API), and this may allow the code to hide from view of commonly deployed tools. Installing the Atsiv driver requires administrative privileges, so...

Microsoft Locale Builder enables users to extend and modify the set of locales included in Microsoft Windows Vista with his or her own regional and cultural data. The application was created to support users in regions without built-in Windows locales as well as users seeking to modify locales provided by Microsoft. Microsoft Locale Builder also allows corporations, governments, universities, and special-interest groups to create and easily share custom locales on Microsoft Windows Vista. Download:- Download details: Microsoft Locale Builder Source:- Microsoft Corporation

Source : Windows Ultimate Blog

Source : Betanews

Forget about the WGA! 20+ Windows Vista Features and Services Harvest User Data for Microsoft - From your machine! By: Marius Oiaga, Technology News Editor Are you using Windows Vista? Then you might as well know that the licensed operating system installed on your machine is harvesting a healthy volume of information for Microsoft. In this context, a program such as the Windows Genuine Advantage is the last of your concerns. In fact, in excess of 20 Windows Vista features and services are hard at work collecting and transmitting your personal data to the Redmond company. Microsoft makes no secret about the fact that Windows Vista is gathering information. End users have little to say, and no real choice in the matter. The...

It’s official: We are now in the under-promise and over-deliver era at Microsoft. Just when Microsoft had customers, partners and competitors all believing that it was going to delay the first service pack for Vista — not releasing a first beta of it until just before year-end — the company is set to deliver Beta 1 of Vista SP1 in mid-July. Word (from various sources who asked not to be named) is Microsoft is gearing up to drop Vista SP1 some time the week of July 16. And despite what Microsoft seemingly led Google, the U.S. Department of Justice and other company watchers to believe, the final version of Vista SP1 is sounding like November 2007. (November 2007 is also the release-to-manufacturing target for Windows Server 2008...

Source : Final Version of Windows Vista Network Monitor 3.1 Released

Network World is reporting that Microsoft Tuesday released the next beta version of Windows Server 2008 that adds options for installing Microsoft's newest Web server. The Community Technology Preview (CTP), which is Microsoft’s lingo for its release cycle of beta software, is available to MSDN subscribers, TechNet subscribers and Connect testers. This is the first CTP since Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 was released in April. Microsoft officials say 200,000 copies of Beta 3 have been downloaded. With the new CTP, Internet Information Server (IIS) 7.0 is now an installation option under the Server Core feature of the server. Server Core is made up of the Windows kernel and a set of infrastructure “roles,” which install only the...

Source: Microsoft may delay Vista SP1 Well its the Inquirer so anything can happen. (I hope they are wrong though :) )

Two days ago Kevin Remde from Microsoft posted about there not being an Admin Pack that will run on Windows Vista for administering Windows Server 2008 servers. He did this after learning this from another blog, and during e-mail discussion threads. The recommendation was to use RDP (Terminal Services) instead. Fortunately, there is a group that is indeed building a replacement: The final word was finally passed down from the group who are building a new tool to replace the Admin Pack for running on Vista, and I have received their permission to repeat it here. Here is the verbatim quote: “The new feature with codename “Remote Server Administration Tools” (RSAT – Client) for managing WS08 from Vista SP1 Business, Enterprise and...

Home server reaches RC for all you lucky betatesters :D

Now here's an odd one. Microsoft today posted updated documentation for the Windows Automated Installation Kit that includes support for both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista SP1 "Beta 3." See below for the download link if you're interested. The Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) is designed to help Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), system builders, and corporate IT professionals deploy Windows onto new hardware. The Windows AIK is a new set of deployment tools supporting the latest release of Windows. This guide describes the current methods, tools, and requirements for deploying Windows. Supported Operating Systems: -Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista Even though it may not be much, it's good to see...

Geeks to the Rescue: Best Buy Bolsters Its Field Technicians and Business Consultants With Microsoft Solutions Routing and dispatch solution on Windows Mobile and sales force automation tool using Microsoft Dynamics CRM help Geek Squad and Best Buy For Business deliver superior customer service. http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/dec06/12-18MSBestBuyPR.mspx?source=rss&WT.dl=0 Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:00:00 GMT Press Release

Microsoft Corp. has taken the wraps off Surface, a coffee-table shaped computer that responds to touch and to special bar codes attached to everyday objects. The machines, which Microsoft planned to debut Wednesday at a technology conference in Carlsbad, California, are set to arrive in November in T-Mobile USA stores and properties owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. and Harrah's Entertainment Inc. Surface is essentially a Windows Vista PC tucked inside a shiny black table base, topped with a 30-inch (76-centimeter) touchscreen in a clear acrylic frame. Five cameras that can sense nearby objects are mounted beneath the screen. Users can interact with the machine by touching or dragging their fingertips and objects such...

Taken from Microsoft KB932246. The March 2007 Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update is a package of software updates that address common application compatibility issues in Windows Vista. When you try to install and run certain legacy games or applications in Windows Vista, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms: •The game, the application, or the firmware may not be installed correctly. •The game, the application, or the firmware may cause system instability. •The primary functions of the game, the application, or the firmware may not work correctly. This update is cumulative and supersedes update 929427. In addition to the fixes that are contained in update 929427, this update improves support in...

SIDESHOW BASED designs have started to appear at various venues and conferences, but actual product is much harder to find. But now a company called Ricavision has released pictures and details of its lovely new Sideshow based products, each of which should fill a gap within your gadget needs. First-up are the Windows Vista media-player remotes, which come with an embedded Sideshow screen. Ricavision has two up-coming devices, pictured below. Of greater interest, considering many vendors have announced remote control devices, are the other more unique Sideshow products from the company. First-up is the MK140 FM Magnet/Scribbler, a portable device that is meant to function like an 'electronic note pad' with Sideshow...

Microsoft is readying a new Windows-Vista based version of its FlexGo hardware-software-services bundle aimed at emerging markets. As part of FlexGo ‘Next,’ Microsoft plans to shift its emphasis from pay-as-you-go to subscription-based pilots, company officials said at the Windows Hardware Engineering (WinHEC) conference in Los Angeles this week. Microsoft rolled out the first version of its FlexGo program in May 2006. With a group of hardware, telecommunications, retail and financial services partners, Microsoft began testing pay-as-you-go and subscription-based rentals of PCs and software in Brazil, India, Mexico and Russia. A year into the trials, Microsoft has decided to shift its focus to subsciption pilots with 20 or so...

This SDK is helps you create and add your own custom special effects and transitions to Windows Movie Maker in Windows Vista, and your own custom transitions, buttons, and menu styles to Windows DVD Maker in Windows Vista. System Requirements: - Supported Operating Systems: Windows Vista - Microsoft DirectX SDK (Summer 2004 or later) - Either Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Studio .NET Download: Windows Movie Maker and Windows DVD Maker SDK

New tools help businesses simplify and expedite planning and deployment. REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 20, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of six new deployment tools that will help expedite businesses’ migration to Windows Vista™. The recently released tools are the Microsoft® Solution Accelerator for Business Desktop Deployment (BDD) 2007, the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) 5.0, Windows Vista Hardware Assessment 1.0, the Volume Activation Management Tool, the Key Management Service for Windows Server® 2003 and Virtual PC 2007. “Broadly deploying a new Windows® client operating system starts with a testing and planning process, followed by a significant investment in time and effort to roll out...

Microsoft have launched their new Windows Ultimate site http://windowsultimate.com/ Now if I just had a copy of vista :cool: