Order Now!
Windows 7 for XP ProfessionalsUpdating Support Skills from XP to Windows 7by Bink.nu's Raymond Comvalius
There are 49 guest(s) online.
There are 0 member(s) online.
Download At Source
As previously mentioned in the IE8 Beta Feedback post back in March, we have several ways to submit feedback on the IE8 Beta. Currently the only way to directly file a bug with the IE Team is to be a part of the IE8 Technical Beta program on Microsoft Connect. Beta 2 is right around the corner and we are expanding our reach! If you wish to be a part of making IE better by contributing great bug reports then please email us at IESO@microsoft.com and tell us a little about yourself including why you’d be a great beta tester.
Continue At Source
The System Center Operations Manager team is excited to announce support of Windows Server 2008 by Operations Manager 2007 SP1 and Essentials 2007 SP1. This enables both Operations Manager 2007 and Essentials 2007 to successfully monitor, as well as be installed upon, the Windows Server 2008 platform.
Installing the core Operations Manager and Essentials roles, and their agents, on Windows Server 2008: Supported scenarios are as shown in the below table and will require installation of new hotfixes for Windows Server 2008, Operations Manager 2007 SP1 and/or Essentials 2007 SP1.
Details on the hotfixes:
The following hotfixes are all required to support both the installation of Operations Manager 2007 roles and Essentials 2007 on a WS08 platform, as well as install the Operations Manager agent on a WS08 platform, (i.e., to monitor that server and its workloads).
Note: All hotfixes are initially delivered in English-only. Localization of these fixes (where required) will take approximately 2 additional weeks. Continue At Source
Note: All hotfixes are initially delivered in English-only. Localization of these fixes (where required) will take approximately 2 additional weeks.
There appears to be a shift taking place in the PC industry: the move from 32-bit to 64-bit PCs.
We've been tracking the change by looking at the percentage of 64-bit PCs connecting to Windows Update, and have seen a dramatic increase in recent months. The installed base of 64-bit Windows Vista PCs, as a percentage of all Windows Vista systems, has more than tripled in the U.S. in the last three months, while worldwide adoption has more than doubled during the same period. Another view shows that 20% of new Windows Vista PCs in the U.S. connecting to Windows Update in June were 64-bit PCs, up from just 3% in March. Put more simply, usage of 64-bit Windows Vista is growing much more rapidly than 32-bit. Based on current trends, this growth will accelerate as the retail channel shifts to supplying a rapidly increasing assortment of 64-bit desktops and laptops.
64-bit PCs running 64-bit editions of Windows Vista typically have 4GB of memory or more. Compared to 32-bit systems, which top out at around 3GB of memory, 64-bit PCs can offer added responsiveness when running a lot of applications at the same time and have the potential for greater performance and new experiences as next-generations applications are written to take advantage of this new platform.
What started out as a gradual (some would say "glacial") movement toward 64-bit PCs, driven primarily by technology enthusiasts, seems to have turned into a swift transition, likely fueled by the falling cost of memory and consumers' desire to get the most out of their PCs.
This change begs a few questions:
Is the 64 bit market ready to go mainstream?
Will consumers realize the benefits from larger chips and 4GB or more of memory?
The answer to both of these questions is yes - but a qualified yes.
Today we're releasing an update to the Live Search home page that received positive feedback from customers in trials last month. The new design features background images that will change frequently, augmented with what we call "hotspots." These interactive areas highlight parts of the image and help you explore search results related to the highlighted area. Users who have tested this new home page have found it both engaging and a great place to start a search.
New images and hotspots
In our release last spring we laid the foundation for this page. In this home page release we've added background home page images that we'll change regularly and hotspots that click through to great search results. Hotspots gleam to the user when the page first loads then fade into the image. Users can discover them again by moving their mouse over them, revealing details about the image and a link to a related search result. To ensure that users can start a search immediately, our base page loads first with the images and hotspots loading quickly afterward. Users on a broadband connection may not notice the two steps. Today we're releasing the new home page in the U.S. only, with more markets to follow in the future.
If you like your Windows Vista in Georgian then you can download* the new Windows Georgian Language Interface pack (LIP):
Click here to download the Georgian Vista LIP
*Please Note A font-enabling package must be installed prior to installing the Vista LIP package. This font package contains important font update information that is required to view your language correctly. To install the font package, click here: Install font package.
David Worthington notified me that he has some internal details on project Midori:
“That sounds possible—I’ve heard rumors to the effect that he [Rudder] had an OS project in place,” said Rob Helm, director of research at Directions on Microsoft. He noted that it is quite possible that the project is just exploratory, but conceivably a step above what Microsoft Research does.One of Microsoft’s goals is to provide options for Midori applications to co-exist with and interoperate with existing Windows applications, as well as to provide a migration path.Building Midori from the ground up to be connected underscores how much computing has changed since Microsoft’s engineers first designed Windows; there was no Internet as we understand it today, the PC was the user’s sole device and concurrency was a research topic.Today, users move across multiple devices, consume and share resources remotely, and the applications that they use are a composite of local and remote components and services. To that end, Midori will focus on concurrency, both for distributed applications and local ones.According to the documentation, Midori will be built with an asynchronous-only architecture that is built for task concurrency and parallel use of local and distributed resources, with a distributed component-based and data-driven application model, and dynamic management of power and other resources.Midori’s design treats concurrency as a core principle, beyond what even the Microsoft Robotics Group is trying to accomplish, said Tandy Trower, general manager of the Microsoft Robotics Group.The Midori documents foresee applications running across a multitude of topologies, ranging from client-server and multi-tier deployments to peer-to-peer at the edge, and in the cloud data center. Those topologies form a heterogeneous mesh where capabilities can exist at separate places.In order to efficiently distribute applications across nodes, Midori will introduce a higher-level application model that abstracts the details of physical machines and processors. The model will be consistent for both the distributed and local concurrency layers, and it is internally known as Asynchronous Promise Architecture.
Since its general availability one month ago, several hosting providers have begun using Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, an engine that allows virtualization of mulitple operating systems on the same server. This week at HostingCon 2008, Microsoft is showcasing the Hyper-V adoption by four hosting providers and discussing how the new virtualization technology is designed to help maximize datacenter efficiency, scalability and manageability while lowering costs.
As part of Microsoft’s broader platform strategy for hosting providers, the Worldwide Hosting group is also featuring the latest tools and programs to further help partners to be successful in the world of software-plus-services. This includes Microsoft’s SQL Server 2008 early adoption program, as well as the Windows Hosting Deployment Accelerator (HDA) tool that now includes Hyper-V and SQL Server 2008.
Leading up to the HostingCon event, PressPass discussed Hyper-V’s momentum with John Zanni, general manager for Worldwide Hosting, and what the new technology can bring to customers and partners.
PressPass: First off, what is Hyper-V?
Zanni: Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V is a virtualization engine that provides what we call “hypervisor-based virtualization.” It is a feature built into select versions of Windows Server 2008 that allows virtualization of multiple operating systems, including Windows and Linux, on the same server.
PressPass: What are you conveying to partners this year at HostingCon?
Zanni: We’re highlighting how Hyper-V can help hosting providers reduce costs and boost efficiency by consolidating datacenter resources. In just over a month, a number of hosting providers have already experienced such benefits in deploying Hyper-V, including Layered Technologies, Hostbasket, SoftCom and SoftLayer. These providers participated in the Hyper-V Go Live program, which allowed them to deploy the beta version into live production, and engage in the testing process as early adopters.
In addition, we’re also announcing the upcoming addition of Hyper-V and SQL Server 2008 to the HDA tool in September. These accelerators will contain guidance and best practices for hosting providers implementing the technologies, enabling them to understand the features of Hyper-V and quickly deploy new offerings based on the latest technologies.
PressPass: Why is Hyper-V relevant from an industry perspective?
Zanni: With the growing adoption of virtualization technology, it’s evident that hosting providers across the industry are looking to retire old hardware and consolidate servers with fewer machines that are better utilized.
Addressing the existing concerns of hosting providers that stem from the limited availability of datacenter resources, Hyper-V significantly increases the efficiency and helps reduce many of the costs associated with running and managing datacenters by consolidating resources. As a scalable, reliable and highly available virtualization platform, Hyper-V allows hosting providers to continue to run heterogeneous environments by running both Windows and Linux on the same server using a single management interface.
In addition, Hyper-V allows hosting providers to offer businesses a secure development, testing and staging environment, business continuity services and dedicated virtual private servers (VPS). Hyper-V also makes it easy for hosters to create offers for developers, giving them a secure application development environment at a competitive price point.
As part of the Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition, Hyper-V also helps hosting providers reduce costs by allowing for unlimited virtual environments on a server for a predictable and low monthly licensing fee. Simplifying the migration process, Hyper-V also enables hosting providers to easily migrate existing physical servers to Hyper-V with only a few clicks of a mouse, minimizing time and associated costs.
PressPass: How does Microsoft help hosting providers manage Hyper-V?
Continue At HyperVoria.com
To address the growing security and management needs of today’s new PC user, Microsoft Corp. is working with 11 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including Sony Corporation of America and Toshiba Asia Pacific to preinstall trial subscriptions of Windows Live OneCare on select new PCs across North America, Europe and Asia. Windows Live OneCare provides all-in-one security and anti-malware protection for consumers and small businesses along with tools that automate and simplify PC management and performance.
“Microsoft and Sony share the same goal of helping our customers get the most from their PC experience,” said Xavier Lauwaert of VAIO product marketing at Sony Electronics. “Through this alliance, Windows Live OneCare will provide our customers with a simple solution to help them maintain and secure their new PC.”
Consumers in more than 12 countries can now better protect and maintain their new PC with a free trial of Windows Live OneCare with the following hardware providers:
MDG Computers Canada Inc.
LEO Gesellschaft für Computer & Kommunikation mbH
WORTMANN AG
OLIDATA S.p.A.
Hyrican Informationsysteme AG
Sotec Company Ltd.
TICNOVA QUALITY TEAM, S.L.
Sony Corporation of America
Toshiba Asia Pacific
“Consumers have told us they want an easier, more automated experience with the security and overall health of their PCs,” said Amy Barzdukas, senior director of Windows Live OneCare at Microsoft. “Through these alliances, we are addressing the needs of new PC users who want to easily protect, backup and maintain their new PC right out of the box.”
Easy PC Management and Certified Protection
As consumer demand for new PCs continues to rise, so does the need for an effective solution that helps optimize and secure today’s advanced hardware. From setting up a wireless home network and centralizing photo and document backup to eliminating unused programs that can slow down system boot time, Windows Live OneCare provides the all-in-one solution consumers need to simplify management, security and care of multiple PCs.
Consumers also can find peace of mind knowing that Windows Live OneCare is certified by ICSA Labs, an industry authority for research, intelligence and certification testing of security products. In addition, Windows Live OneCare has received a Checkmark certification from West Coast Labs, recognized as a leading standard in the United States and the de facto standard in Europe for security product certification and testing to real-world standards. Windows Live OneCare also works with built-in features in Windows Vista such as Parental Controls to enhance the Windows experience.
For those new to the Mojave Experiment, it's a focus group effort we initiated a few weeks ago. We interviewed and polled 120 participants in San Francisco, in hopes of better understanding everyday users' perceptions of Windows Vista and seeing whether there really is a gap between perception and reality. We wanted to see how people reacted to Windows Vista when they were not aware they were seeing Windows Vista. We recorded our discussions, and today you can see them for yourself.
Some other facts about the research:
Microsoft has a history of delivering award-winning software platforms for in-vehicle systems that offer fresh and innovative infotainment experiences for consumers worldwide. As one of the fastest-growing businesses at Microsoft, Microsoft Auto and Windows Automotive help partners reduce time-to-market, control costs and provide flexible solutions for in-vehicle infotainment. Best known for providing the software that powers Ford SYNC in North America, Fiat Auto Group’s Blue&Me in Europe and South America, and state-of-the-art navigations solutions developed by world-leading Japanese manufacturers, Microsoft is a committed software technology partner for the automotive industry. ABU is developing a platform targeted for release in 2009 that enhances Microsoft’s current in-vehicle products into an integrated automotive solution.
In what is a challenging time for the automotive industry, Microsoft is increasing its investment in the Automotive Business Unit by more than 30 percent this fiscal year. The commitment includes expanding its engineering resources for the in-vehicle software platforms that deliver new levels of partner innovation and create engaging, exciting experiences for consumers.
Full Story At Source
Flat-panel displays might be all the rage, but at least in some situations, Microsoft thinks the shape of things to come might be a sphere.
After months of rumors, Microsoft researchers are taking the wraps off a prototype that uses an internal projection and vision system to bring a spherical computer display to life. People can touch the surface with multiple fingers and hands to manipulate photos, play games, spin a virtual globe, or watch 360-degree videos.
Sphere, as it's known, is expected to be shown publicly for the first time Tuesday at Microsoft's Faculty Summit in Redmond. For now, it's purely a research project. The company says it doesn't currently have plans to offer it as a product. The idea is to see what the technology can do, and how people will use it.
"It's really an exploration of ideas," explained Hrvoje Benko, the Microsoft researcher spearheading the project, during a sneak preview Monday afternoon.
Continue At Source for Video
Developing technologies that work reliably on their own and as part of the computing ecosystem is core to our mission and is an important part of our commitment to Trustworthy Computing. Our customers and partners expect technologies and services they can depend on anytime, anywhere, and on any device. We focus on constant improvements to the dependability of our technologies and services.
For Internet Explorer, reliability means that the browser should always start quickly, perform well, connect to the Internet, and show Web sites without crashing or hanging. Most users want their browser to work, recover smoothly after a crash, and display the Web correctly. Users are not as concerned with what causes the problem, whether that be a poorly functioning add-on or poorly performing website. As part of our ongoing commitment to improve reliability, we have done a great deal of work in IE8 to make the browser more robust in all of these areas: performance, recovery and display. In particular I will discuss:Loosely-Coupled IE: An architectural feature that helps isolate different parts of the browser from each other for smoother browsing performance. Automatic Crash Recovery: A feature that is designed to get users back to browsing as quickly as possible after a crash. Windows Error Reporting: A way for our customers to provide us with information to improve the reliability of Internet Explorer.
At the ninth annual Microsoft Research Faculty Summit today, leaders from Microsoft Research outlined their vision for how Microsoft Corp. and academics can collaborate on research projects to develop technological breakthroughs that will define computing and scientific research in the years ahead.
Some of the tools available freely are :
Add-ins. The Article Authoring Add-in for Word 2007 enables metadata to be captured at the authoring stage to preserve document structure and semantic information throughout the publishing process, which is essential for enabling search, discovery and analysis in subsequent stages of the life cycle. The Creative Commons Add-in for Office 2007 allows authors to embed Creative Commons licenses directly into an Office document (Word, Excel or PowerPoint) by linking to the Creative Commons site via a Web service.
The Microsoft e-Journal Service. This offering provides a hosted, full-service solution that facilitates easy self-publishing of online-only journals to facilitate the availability of conference proceedings and small and medium-sized journals.
Research Output Repository Platform. This platform helps capture and leverage semantic relationships among academic objects — such as papers, lectures, presentations and video — to greatly facilitate access to these items in exciting new ways.
The Research Information Centre. In close partnership with the British Library, this collaborative workspace will be hosted via Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and will allow researchers to collaborate throughout the entire research project workflow, from seeking research funding to searching and collecting information, as well as managing data, papers and other research objects throughout the research process.
................Continue At Source
Microsoft has announced financial backing for the open-source Apache Software Foundation, joining Google and Yahoo. The backing was announced in a keynote speech at the Open Source Convention in Oregan by Sam Ramji, a director of platform strategy at Microsoft. Though Ramji did not confirm how much Microsoft will be contributing to the foundation which oversees development of open-source web server software, he did say it had become a platinum sponsor which requires a donation of at least £50,000 a year.The company has also pledged to open up some of its communications protocols ............ .............Continue At Source