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Ask Your Vista Questions Here.
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ireland
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25. December 2006 @ 09:08 |
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December 25, 2006
Flaws Are Detected in Microsoft’s Vista
By JOHN MARKOFF
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 24 — Microsoft is facing an early crisis of confidence in the quality of its Windows Vista operating system as computer security researchers and hackers have begun to find potentially serious flaws in the system that was released to corporate customers late last month.
On Dec. 15, a Russian programmer posted a description of a flaw that makes it possible to increase a user’s privileges on all of the company’s recent operating systems, including Vista. And over the weekend a Silicon Valley computer security firm said it had notified Microsoft that it had also found that flaw, as well as five other vulnerabilities, including one serious error in the software code underlying the company’s new Internet Explorer 7 browser.
The browser flaw is particularly troubling because it potentially means that Web users could become infected with malicious software simply by visiting a booby-trapped site. That would make it possible for an attacker to inject rogue software into the Vista-based computer, according to executives at Determina, a company based in Redwood City, Calif., that sells software intended to protect against operating system and other vulnerabilities.
Determina is part of a small industry of companies that routinely pore over the technical details of software applications and operating systems looking for flaws. When flaws in Microsoft products are found they are reported to the software maker, which then produces fixes called patches. Microsoft has built technology into its recent operating systems that makes it possible for the company to fix its software automatically via the Internet.
Despite Microsoft assertions about the improved reliability of Vista, many in the industry are taking a wait-and-see approach. Microsoft’s previous operating system, Windows XP, required two “service packs” issued over a number of years to substantially improve security, and new flaws are still routinely discovered by outside researchers.
On Friday, a Microsoft executive posted a comment on a company security information Web site stating the company was “closely monitoring” the vulnerability described by the Russian Web site. It permits the privileges of a standard user account in Vista and other versions of Windows to be increased, permitting control of all of the operations of the computer. In Unix and modern Windows systems, users are restricted in the functions they can perform, and complete power is restricted to certain administrative accounts.
“Currently we have not observed any public exploitation or attack activity regarding this issue,” wrote Mike Reavey, operations manager of the Microsoft Security Response Center. “While I know this is a vulnerability that impacts Windows Vista, I still have every confidence that Windows Vista is our most secure platform to date.”
On Saturday, Nicole Miller, a Microsoft spokeswoman, said the company was also investigating the reported browser flaw and that it was not aware of any attacks attempting to use the vulnerability.
Microsoft has spent millions branding the Vista operating system as the most secure product it has produced, and it is counting on Vista to help turn the tide against a wave of software attacks now plaguing Windows-based computers.
Vista is critical to Microsoft’s reputation. Despite an almost four-and-half-year campaign on the part of the company, and the best efforts of the computer security industry, the threat from harmful computer software continues to grow. Criminal attacks now range from programs that steal information from home and corporate PCs to growing armies of slave computers that are wreaking havoc on the commercial Internet.
Although Vista, which will be available on consumer PCs early next year, has been extensively tested, it is only now being exposed to the challenges of the open Internet.
“I don’t think people should become complacent,” said Nand Mulchandani, a vice president at Determina. “When vendors say a program has been completely rewritten, it doesn’t mean that it’s more secure from the get-go. My expectation is we will see a whole rash of Vista bugs show up in six months or a year.”
The Determina executives said that by itself, the browser flaw that was reported to Microsoft could permit damage like the theft of password information and the attack of other computers.
However, one of the principal security advances of Internet Explorer 7 is a software “sandbox” that is intended to limit damage even if a malicious program is able to subvert the operation of the browser. That should limit the ability of any attacker to reach other parts of the Vista operating system, or to overwrite files.
However, when coupled with the ability of the first flaw that permits the change in account privileges, it might then be possible to circumvent the sandbox controls, said Alexander Sotirov, a Determina security researcher. In that case it would make it possible to alter files and potentially permanently infect a target computer. This kind of attack has yet to be proved, he acknowledged.
The Determina researchers said they had notified Microsoft of four other flaws they had discovered, including a bug that would make it possible for an attacker to repeatedly disable a Microsoft Exchange mail server simply by sending the program an infected e-mail message.
Last week, the chief technology officer of Trend Micro, a computer security firm in Tokyo, told several computer news Web sites that he had discovered an offer on an underground computer discussion forum to sell information about a security flaw in Windows Vista for $50,000. Over the weekend a spokesman for Trend Micro said that the company had not obtained the information, and as a result could not confirm the authenticity of the offer.
Many computer security companies say that there is a lively underground market for information that would permit attackers to break in to systems via the Internet.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/25/techno...agewanted=print
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ireland
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25. December 2006 @ 15:55 |
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Windows Vista Capable and Premium Ready PCs
Choose a Windows Vista Capable or Premium Ready PC for the Windows Vista edition that's right for you.
Are you looking to buy a Windows XP-based computer today but want to make sure that it can run Windows Vista? There's no need to wait. When you buy a new PC that carries the Windows Vista Capable or Premium Ready PC designation, you’ll be able to upgrade to one of the editions of Windows Vista while taking advantage of all the opportunities offered by Windows XP today.
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A new PC that carries the Windows Vista Capable PC logo can run Windows Vista. All editions of Windows Vista will deliver core experiences such as innovations in organizing and finding information, security, and reliability. All Windows Vista Capable PCs will run these core experiences at a minimum. Some features available in the premium editions of Windows Vista—like the new Windows Aero user experience—may require advanced or additional hardware.
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* A graphics processor that is DirectX 9 capable.
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To get an even better Windows Vista experience, including the Windows Aero user experience, ask for a Windows Vista Capable PC that is designated Premium Ready, or choose a PC that meets or exceeds the Premium Ready requirements described below. Features available in specific premium editions of Windows Vista, such as the ability to watch and record live TV, may require additional hardware.
A Windows Vista Premium Ready PC includes at least:
* 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor1.
* 1 GB of system memory.
* Support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)2, Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel.
* 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.
* DVD-ROM Drive3.
* Audio output capability.
* Internet access capability.
Read all of the Windows Vista Capable footnotes.
Review the Windows Vista minimum supported system requirements.
Windows Marketplace has a selection of Windows Vista Capable and Premium Ready PCs that are available today.
Windows Vista enterprise hardware planning guidance is available on TechNet.
Can the Windows Vista experience vary on different PCs?
Yes. Windows Vista is the first Windows operating system with a user experience that adapts to take advantage of the capabilities of the hardware on which it is installed.
All Windows Vista Capable PCs will be able to run at least the core experiences of Windows Vista.
All Windows Vista Premium Ready PCs can deliver even better Windows Vista experiences, including the new Windows Aero user experience.
Does buying a Windows Vista Capable PC mean that I will receive a free upgrade to Windows Vista?
No. A PC that is Windows Vista Capable or Premium Ready means that the PC is ready for an upgrade from Windows XP. You would still need to purchase the edition of Windows Vista that you want to install on your Windows Vista Capable or Premium Ready PC.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/capable.mspx
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ireland
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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26. December 2006 @ 14:50 |
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Is Vista Really Bug-Plagued as the NY Times Claims?
By Scott M. Fulton, III, BetaNews
December 26, 2006, 6:36 PM
Last week's discovery of a non-critical bug affecting the old 32-bit Windows API, which BetaNews reported on at the time, was picked up by The New York Times this morning, although its severity was substantially elevated in the process. Under the headline "Flaws Are Detected in Microsoft's Vista," the message box problem was touted as triggering "an early crisis of confidence in the quality of its Windows Vista operating system."
Yet tests of the flaw conducted by BetaNews suggest that, while the bug can crash Windows XP, its roots in the Win32 API dating back to Windows 3.1, coupled with the fact that the source code for the proof-of-concept appears to be straight ANSI C, directly contradict the Times' implication that the bug somehow afflicts Internet Explorer 7.0.
In fact, BetaNews' tests of the original proof-of-concept code, as posted to a Russian security researchers' group Web site, turned up a significant flaw in that code, which would prevent it from being compiled on a modern operating system.
It's a "type" violation, as in "type of variable:" The characters which the code passes to the MessageBox API function are declared in a standard 8-bit-per-character string that has not been terminated by a zero value. Versions of the API in use since Windows 95 use Unicode characters for strings instead, meaning the 8-bit string must be explicitly converted to a wider, 16-bit string before being passed to the newer function.
The omission of this critical conversion -- which is a single-line ANSI C macro, but an obvious one nonetheless -- suggests that perhaps security engineers and journalists alike merely took the programmer at his word without questioning his accuracy first.
Still, after we made that small modification to the code, it did indeed crash Windows XP. The code makes up to 10 repeated calls to the MessageBox function with the use of a particular flag whose purpose is to bypass the home application, so that the message is displayed as though it were being sent by the operating system itself. After the seventh call to that function within the loop, XP displays the infamous Blue Screen of Death.
But what a check of the event log failed to reveal was any evidence of an elevation of privilege, which is the event that the Times report claims the Russian developer warned about. In fact, both the original post and a mailing list message apparently written by the same developer which links to that post, merely specify that the bug causes memory corruption, perhaps due to a fault with event logs processing - evidence of which BetaNews was able to detect in the logs. The developer's mailing list post warns of the possibility of a "potential remote exploitation vector," but does not list details.
In fact, it was the Determina security advisory which posited that a logged on user could be enabled to run arbitrary code with system-level privileges. However, it did not go on to explain how such a feat would be possible after the system crashed.
A recent Secunia security advisory lists the bug as "less critical," acknowledging reports of its having apparently been witnessed on Windows Vista, but refraining from saying that the bug affects Vista explicitly. Instead, it lists recent versions of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows 2000, but intentionally leaves out Windows NT.
Next: BetaNews tests the proof-of-concept code for itself
At first, we attempted to address this matter by compiling the proof-of-concept code in Visual C++ Express in Vista, though we were precluded from doing so in short order, for reasons having more to do with integrating the old Win32 library into Vista than with the specific message box call. So we built a C++ project in Visual Studio 2005 under Windows XP using a compatible profile, and moved the resulting executable file into the Vista environment.
Indeed, after the third invocation of the MessageBox function, Vista did crash. Following a reboot, we noticed what appeared to be a corruption of the Security log files. Events were recorded during the period of the crash, including the "previous system shutdown...was unexpected" event. But not being able to detect what happened by virtue of a bug that corrupts the log file, is a serious problem.
With the Security log being corrupt, we then noticed certain critical administrative functions which would normally invoke UAC from a standard user account, in order to elevate privilege in order to run, simply denied access to the standard user account instead.
Our Windows XP Professional logs were not corrupted by the bug. However, in XP, no security events were recorded. Instead, the logs indicate that the application did attempt to have Windows record an event in a log file to which the application had not been granted access: specifically, SQL Server Express, whose services are not used by the application. XP's log files also acknowledged the unexpected system shutdown.
Based on the evidence we were able to see with our own eyes, here's what's appears to be happening:
An old Win32 function was designed to present messages to the user as though they came directly from the operating system, without any security checks beforehand (in the early '90s, few thought they'd ever be necessary). We know from searching existing documentation on the function that it does check the first one or two characters of message data for certain control characters, such as an exclamation point that indicates Unicode designed for typing right-to-left (called the RTL code, reserved for Arabic, Hebrew, and other scripts).
When the MessageBox function receives what may be a control code, specifically \??\, prior to the crash point, the application apparently attempts to access a log file. Maybe it's using an old method to gather this file, but in any event, it's the SQL Server Express log file (at least on our setup) that responds with an access denial. At some point when this attempt is repeated, Windows crashes.
Determina believes that this legacy code allocates a memory buffer, which it then leaves open after the application crashes. But since the crash apparently takes the system down with it, there doesn't appear to be a window of opportunity for a malicious user to execute random code.
Certainly there's a serious problem here -- one that has not been resolved in Windows Vista, despite a year-and-a-half of beta testing -- but our testing reveals no evidence of that problem fitting the standard template of a malicious user elevating his privilege and assuming control of Windows. Instead, any exploit involving this code would be limited to "nuisance code" that crashes Windows, and perhaps corrupts security files.
But this exploit code is not browser code, and that's important because it clearly falls outside the all-too-familiar profile, invoked by the Times description this morning, where "Web users could become infected with malicious software simply by visiting a booby-trapped site."
http://www.betanews.com/article/Is_Vista...aims/1167176211
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ireland
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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28. December 2006 @ 08:27 |
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Vista's Suicide Bomb: who gets hurt?
Mostly Wintel, we reckon
By Andrew Orlowski → More by this author
Published Thursday 28th December 2006 17:41 GMT
Analysis So have fun fighting the battle against CPRM and alike but please do not be surprised when you fail, after all the war has been lost, long live the new world order: proprietary devices, proprietary interfaces, copy protection, limited functionality, and prepare you credit card accounts for all those monthly rental and service charges you will be paying for every "computer controller consumer electronics device" you use.
- Hale Landis, March 2001
If you read just one thing over the holiday break, make sure it's Peter Gutmann's cost analysis of Windows Vista, that we noted here. It's an eye opening 20 minutes.
Gutmann describes in great detail the various measures Microsoft has taken to lock down Windows on behalf of Hollywood. This isn't a comprehensive look at all of Vista's DRM - Gutmann barely touches on Microsoft's new activation framework; this is beyond the scope of his enquiry.)
To recap: in order to playback HD-DVD and BluRay content, Microsoft agreed to degrade video and audio functionality in Windows. Gutman points out that when "premium" content is being played, component video - YPbPr - and S/PDIF interfaces are disabled. Third party hardware that fails to obey these orders may have its be "certified" status revoked by Microsoft - leaving the user with minimal (eg VGA) functionality.
Additional hardware specifications decreed by Microsoft, which are intended to alert the system that the "secure path" may have been compromised, open up a potentially devastating new vulnerability for net-connected PCs. As Gutman describes it -
Vista's content protection requires that devices (hardware and software drivers) set so-called "tilt bits" if they detect anything unusual. For example if there are unusual voltage fluctuations, maybe some jitter on bus signals, a slightly funny return code from a function call, a device register that doesn't contain quite the value that was expected, or anything similar, a tilt bit gets set. Such occurrences aren't too uncommon in a typical computer... Previously this was no problem - the system was designed with a bit of resilience, and things will function as normal. In other words small variances in performance are a normal part of system functioning.
This creates a new attack vector for malware:
Non-US governments are already nervous enough about using a US-supplied operating system without having this remote DoS capability built into the operating system.
With the introduction of tilt bits, all of this designed-in resilience is gone. Every little (normally unnoticeable) glitch is suddenly surfaced because it could be a sign of a hack attack. The effect that this will have on system reliability should require no further explanation.
In short, the Vista specifications explicitly cripple the PC. We say "specifications" quite deliberately, for in a sense this is a game of chicken.
This DRM only affects the playback of next-generation DVDs; which isn't a real problem for anyone quite yet: players cost $1,000 at the moment and there's next to no content available for them. In the coming few months, far more ordinary users will be affected by the DRM designed to prevent unlicensed use of Windows itself, than by these Hollywood mandates.
Nevertheless, Gutmann calls Vista multimedia DRM the "longest suicide note in history" - a phrase with some resonance to British voters [***].
This is evocative, but perhaps errs on the side of understatement. It may be more accurate to think of Vista's DRM as a suicide bomber waiting to go on his mission. For if and when Windows Vista optical multimedia DRM is activated, it destroys Windows Vista DRM reputation in the market as a multimedia playback device. The blowback will be felt most by Microsoft, the PC industry, and third party hardware manufacturers. In other words, the biggest loser would be the Windows market.
Quite rightly, Gutmann points out immediate disadvantages - such as the increased cost to hardware manufacturers who have been obliged to "secure" their digital pathways because Hollywood and the CE industry couldn't be bothered to secure their own. (The i/o interface S/PDIF is wide open). This is a cost which is passed on to consumers, whether we use the functionality or not.
DRM explodes - not many dead?
But if implemented, and the "big switch" is finally turned on, how much would it really matter?
Often discussions about DRM degenerate into self-serving hysteria about "the end of culture". So we're grateful that Gutmann took the time to state a fact so obvious, that it's often overlooked:
"If I do ever want to play back premium content," he wrote, "I'll wait a few years and then buy a $50 Chinese-made set-top player to do it, not a $1000 Windows PC. It's somewhat bizarre that I have to go to Communist China in order to find vendors who actually understand the consumer's needs."
Quite so. (I hardly think my "culture" is being thwarted when I can simply slip my over-priced next-generation DVD into an over-prived next-generation DVD player. Or download the file via Bittorrent.)
Compromising the open PC platform for the sake of playing back BluRay and HD-DVD simply nukes the PC in the consumer electronics market - but that's somewhere it arguably should never have been in the first place. Despite Wintel's best efforts, the PC makes for a lousy home entertainment hub. It's still too fussy, complicated and expensive: a case of technological overkill driven solely by the vendors, led by Microsoft and Intel.
Exactly six years ago, we broke the story of what was (and perhaps still is) the most nefarious stunt ever attempted on the open PC platform: the attempt to add CPRM into the specification for industry-standard hard drives, ATA. This provided a mechanism for content producers to lock down media to a specific machine, and would have arrived on the market by stealth. After the resulting outcry, the plans were dropped, and CPRM lives on as the standard DRM for removable flash media such as SD cards.
Consumers are now better educated, and we can be far more confident that a restricted PC will land on the market with a dull thud - and never be heard of again.
But some of the issues remain, not least for free software authors. As Richard M Stallman eloquently described it at the time:
"If users accept the domination of centrally-controlled data, free software faces two dangers, each worse than the other: [our emphasis] that users will reject GNU/Linux because it doesn't support the central control over access to these data, or that they will reject free versions of GNU/Linux for versions "enhanced" with proprietary software that support it. Either outcome will be a grave loss for our freedom."
But we'd be more confident if consumer groups and governments kept the manufacturers to a minimum standard of disclosure. For the market to arrive at an informed buying decision, it needs all the information.
So should Vista DRM require such technical counter-measures to play next-generation DVDs, then so be it: but these must be marketed as such.
And despite protests, Microsoft has proved itself perfectly able to produce a "reduced functionality" - in its own words - version of Windows on demand. It once cheerfully produced a version that didn't boot at all, for a US district judge.
Naturally, this reduced functionality version should be marketed separately. We suggest clear labelling - such as putting the shrink-wrap version in a BioHazard bag.
And the name? "Windows Vista SE".
For "Suicide Edition", of course. ®
Bootnote The phrase is attributed to right-wing Labour MP Gerard Kaufmann describing his party's 1983 election manifesto.
Related stories
Windows DRM is the 'longest suicide note in history' (27 December 2006)
Surprises inside Microsoft Vista's EULA (29 October 2006)
Sony fiasco: More questions than answers (23 November 2005)
Microsoft eyes disposable, play-once DVDs (5 October 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/28/vista_drm_analysis/
more info here
Analysts say Vista signed DRM suicide note
http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/8281.cfm
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 28. December 2006 @ 08:53
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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28. December 2006 @ 09:15 |
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Irleand
thats where 3rd 4th and 6th parties save the day if corperations wont make better games/programs smaller business's fill the holes be providing tools to make stuff work or function better.
Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy!
Ah modern gaming its like modern film only the watering down of fiction and characters is replaced with shallow and watered down mechanics, gimmicks and shiny-er "people".
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/ |
AfterDawn Addict
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28. December 2006 @ 14:45 |
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Yet people will mindlessly buy Vista. And bitch about it too. How many incarnations of poorly written software from Micro$oft can the world stomach before they say enough? JM2C
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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28. December 2006 @ 14:49 |
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Originally posted by garmoon:
Yet people will mindlessly buy Vista. And bitch about it too. How many incarnations of poorly written software from Micro$oft can the world stomach before they say enough? JM2C
people are still buying movies and music and the quailty virus has spread over to gamedom,all in all sheeple will keep them in business long after we are dust.
Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy!
Ah modern gaming its like modern film only the watering down of fiction and characters is replaced with shallow and watered down mechanics, gimmicks and shiny-er "people".
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/ |
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ireland
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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29. December 2006 @ 14:30 |
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After one month, no rush to adopt Vista
IDG News Service 12/27/06
Robert McMillan and Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service, San Francisco Bureau
Windows Vista has been on the market for nearly a month now, but enterprise users and industry experts agree that Microsoft's latest and greatest OS still isn't yet ready to replace XP.
The problem is not with the software itself -- by most accounts, Vista is technically solid -- but with myriad peripheral issues that Microsoft must work out to take the pain out of using Vista.
Take patching, for example. On Dec. 12, Microsoft released an Internet Explorer 7 fix that improved the performance of IE's phishing filter. The software had been bogged down by Web sites with a large number of frames, and users had been complaining.
Microsoft patched the problem for Windows XP and Server 2003 users, but not for Vista. That update will come after the consumer release of Vista hits the market some time in January, according to a spokeswoman for Microsoft's public relations agency. And although Microsoft is now issuing security patches for Vista, performance-related updates such as the phishing filter are being handled on a case-by-case basis, she said.
Microsoft won't say why it is holding off on some Vista patches even though the product is commercially available for business customers, but Russ Cooper, a senior information security analyst at Cybertrust, has a theory.
"I say Microsoft never intended anybody to run Vista prior to January," he said. "What works on Vista, beyond Office 2007?" he asked. "I'm going to Vista ... when my VPN supplier tells me that they have drivers that work, and when my anti-virus vendor tells me that they have non-beta versions that work."
Cooper brings up a good point: Application compatibility is another problem for Vista, and VPN (virtual private network) and anti-virus software are among the applications at the top of the list that users say must work before they will move to Vista. Right now, the most popular software in those categories, as well as other mainstream applications many business customers use, won't be available for Vista until after the consumer version of the operating system is released on Jan. 30, 2007.
Some of the applications that still aren't compatible with Vista include IBM Corp.'s Lotus Notes e-mail and collaboration suite; Cisco Systems Inc.'s and Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.'s VPN clients; Intuit Corp.'s accounting software QuickBooks 2006 and earlier versions; and anti-virus (AV) software from Trend Micro Inc.
Intuit even took time in mid-December to warn QuickBooks users in a note that they should hold off on upgrading to Vista until after the U.S. tax season ends in April, citing compatibility with older versions of its software and "potential reliability issues" with Vista.
IBM said Lotus Notes will support Vista by mid-2007; Lotus Notes 8, the next version of the suite, also will be available at that time on Vista. Cisco's VPN will support Vista some time in the first quarter of 2007.
QuickBooks, Check Point's VPN client and Symantec and Trend Micro's AV software will support Vista following the consumer release. However, in some good news for users, McAfee Inc. already has Vista AV software on the market.
Even some of Microsoft's own products still don't run on Vista. SQL Server 2005, the latest version of Microsoft's database, won't be available for Vista until after the consumer release.
Still, while there may be some lag time in Vista adoption as users wait for applications to catch up to the new OS, companies will eventually have to make the switch to Vista no matter how painful it is. Most analysts predict that enterprises will begin moving over to Vista in earnest by 2008.
"Once Vista is being shipped by OEMs on all new PCs, we won’t be debating why people should move," said Andrew Brust, chief of new technology with consulting firm TwentySix New York. "It will be clear that they will need to do so, sooner or later. And honestly, people can argue until they’re blue in the face about how XP is fine, but the reality is that it’s five years old, technology has changed and a new OS is necessary."
Bob McMillan is U.S. Correspondent for the IDG News Service.
http://security.itworld.com/4940/061227vistaadopt/page_1.html
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Member
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3. January 2007 @ 02:34 |
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Mmm I think I'll stick with my Windows 3.1 :-)
Only joking, but I waited a while before going from W95 to XP, thats why I have SP2 and my friends have a more buggy 1st release, so I think I'll wait a year or so before upgrading/purchasing Vista.
I take it this new operating system was originally called "Longhorn"?
I used to be open minded but my brain fell out.
Time is an illusion; at lunchtime-doubly so (HHGTTG)
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Senior Member
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3. January 2007 @ 13:20 |
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Yep.
But why "upgrade" unless you absolutely need to, especially considering that Vista will cripple many features and programs?
-Do you believe you own your computer and shouldn't be told what you can run and do? Then say *NO* to Microsoft Vista!
-Since half the questions here involve media problems, here ya go: Only use Verbatim or Taiyo-Yuden discs (get your TYs from Rima.com, not Supermediastore or meritline). Forget the rest, no matter what "brand" they sell under. Always burn at 4x speed regardless of the speed rating of this discs or your drive. If you have burn problems with these then you have to update your drive's firmware. For double-layer discs, only use Verbatim DVD+R DL and burn them at 2.4x speed.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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3. January 2007 @ 14:03 |
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Originally posted by PeterEdin:
Mmm I think I'll stick with my Windows 3.1 :-)
Only joking, but I waited a while before going from W95 to XP, thats why I have SP2 and my friends have a more buggy 1st release, so I think I'll wait a year or so before upgrading/purchasing Vista.
I take it this new operating system was originally called "Longhorn"?
I dunno XP abit before SP1 after activation was "fixed" XP was a good OS.
I'll take SP1 over SP2 SP2 has alot of nuances tog et use to...
Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy!
Ah modern gaming its like modern film only the watering down of fiction and characters is replaced with shallow and watered down mechanics, gimmicks and shiny-er "people".
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 3. January 2007 @ 14:04
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Junior Member
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3. January 2007 @ 15:01 |
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I think it is up to us to actively refuse to use this shitty OS.
I have already instructed all of my clients to avoid "downdating" to Vista and that if they ignore me and update anyway: I will have to wipe their hard drives and re-install XP.
Also, it is up to us to contact computer manufacturers and tell them we do not want to buy computers with Vista on them.
I just recently got MCE. Nothing wrong with that, and I will be using MCE next year for all of my installs rather than Vista.
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The_Fiend
Suspended permanently
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3. January 2007 @ 16:51 |
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Same here, we have instructed clients that we refuse to service systems with Vista, we even changed the adds for the company to reflect that.
Hell, even the website states we do not sell or endorse vista.
If people want to be hip, they can do that without us.
irc://arcor.de.eu.dal.net/wasted_hate
Wanna tell me off, go ahead.
I dare ya !
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Senior Member
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3. January 2007 @ 19:28 |
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ditto, vista can stick it thier gege hole.
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Member
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4. January 2007 @ 02:50 |
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yup, same here. thumbs down for vista.
some time ago i was just too naive (in the neighbor of stupid, really) to see vista as a technological advancement. the reality is that it is an abusive repressive operating system.
Chuck
"Men are slower to recognize blessings than misfortunes." Titus Livius (59BC-17AD)
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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4. January 2007 @ 07:08 |
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Originally posted by tranquash:
yup, same here. thumbs down for vista.
some time ago i was just too naive (in the neighbor of stupid, really) to see vista as a technological advancement. the reality is that it is an abusive repressive operating system.
the trouble with vista is its in some ways like XP it has its technological advancement and it has alot of other issues,XP didn't like older hardware and programs vista will be like that to but the real down side of vister is the iron fist it holds.hell Vister is exactly like XP when it came out only with DRM hell tacted onto it 0-o
Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy!
Ah modern gaming its like modern film only the watering down of fiction and characters is replaced with shallow and watered down mechanics, gimmicks and shiny-er "people".
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4. January 2007 @ 19:40 |
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and thats exactly why I say to hell with vista, people say they will wait about a year to get all the bugs out before converting, hell the big bug is the DRM, and you know they wont eliminate that, so screw them now and later.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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4. January 2007 @ 20:16 |
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Originally posted by FredBun:
and thats exactly why I say to hell with vista, people say they will wait about a year to get all the bugs out before converting, hell the big bug is the DRM, and you know they wont eliminate that, so screw them now and later.
Oh? so you are saying in a year or 2 vister wont be broken?
they already got HD/BR dvds running on XP i time vister will be "fixed" to,I mean come on,you wil always need a 3rd part program get the best from windose, I see a line of cheap retail copy and back up programs being made PDQ,not to mention free offerings from the net,frankly vister is not ready for the real world and after acoupel years will be changed to suit it.
Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy!
Ah modern gaming its like modern film only the watering down of fiction and characters is replaced with shallow and watered down mechanics, gimmicks and shiny-er "people".
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/ |
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4. January 2007 @ 21:34 |
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Quote:
you wil always need a 3rd part program get the best from windose
I won't even have windows if it wasn't for 3rd party programs. I don't upgrade OS unless I "HAVE" to. I'll stick with xp for awhile.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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4. January 2007 @ 21:40 |
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Quote:
[quote]you wil always need a 3rd part program get the best from windose
I won't even have windows if it wasn't for 3rd party programs. I don't upgrade OS unless I "HAVE" to. I'll stick with xp for awhile.
thats the beauty of windose,without 3rd party programs it would be nothing and with them you can fix the OS to where it works hassle free.
Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy!
Ah modern gaming its like modern film only the watering down of fiction and characters is replaced with shallow and watered down mechanics, gimmicks and shiny-er "people".
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 4. January 2007 @ 21:42
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ireland
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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8. January 2007 @ 09:43 |
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January 7th, 2007
Microsoft lifts the curtain on Vista Ultimate Extras
Posted by Mary Jo Foley @ 11:07 pm Categories: Vista, Windows client, Corporate strategy, Code names, CES 2007
For months know, Microsoft has made it known that it planned to position its downloadable Vista Ultimate Extra add-ons as icing on the top tier of the Vista cake. What Microsoft hadn't made public — until January 7 — was exactly what would be part of the Ultimate line up.
But at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2007 kick-off keynote by Bill Gates on Sunday night, Microsoft showed a bit of what Microsoft has planned for the first wave of Ultimate Extras. And at Microsoft's Windows Vista Lab, an event for about 60 bloggers, Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) and Windows community members held in Las Vegas on January 6 and 7, Microsoft officials filled out details on the rest of its Extras strategy.
Microsoft plans to make available only to Ultimate customers starting on January 30 — the day that that Vista becomes available in the retail channels — the following Extra downloadables:
* A Vista-customized version of the Texas Hold 'Em poker game
* Multi-user interface language (MUIL) packs, designed to allow individuals fluent in different languages to share the same PC. Microsoft plans to make MUILs available for 35 languages, in addition to English. (MUILs also are available to Vista Enterprise customers.)
* BitLocker Online Secure Key Storage. Ultimate customers will be offered a secure place to store their BitLocker encryption keys in the Online Vista Marketplace. That way, if they lose their keys, they will be able to retrieve them over the Web. (BitLocker encryption is a feature of the Ultimate and Vista Enterprise SKUs only.)
* Windows DreamScene, animated wallpaper technology that allows users to run high-resolution video inside the Vista Aero Glass user interface. Microsoft and selected partners, starting with Stardock Corp., will be providing sample content. DreamScene has been known by the codenames "Motion Desktop," and, more recently "Borealis."
* "Digital publications," a bunch of tips and tricks, blog links and other resources for getting the most out of Ultimate. These are just the first few offerings under the Ultimate Extras banner. Microsoft is planning to roll out downloadables over time, company officials said.
Justin Hutchinson, a group product manager for Vista, showed off during Gates' keynote a bit of the capabilities of DreamScene. He also put through its paces a new a "photo-imaging" Extra developed by Microsoft Research. GroupShot allows users to combine elements of multiple pictures together into a new image.
At the Vista Lab, Microsoft officials said that GroupShot. is an example of the kinds of next-generation Extras that Microsoft has in the development pipeline and won't be available as part of the first round of Ultimate Extra downloads. Microsoft isn't going public yet with its packaging or delivery time frame for the next wave of Extras.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=189
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ireland
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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8. January 2007 @ 09:51 |
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Who's Inflating Vista Security Expectations?
Opinion: Unsatisfied with Microsoft's boring, conservative claims, critics invent new and unreasonable ones that they can blame the company for not meeting. As I see it, the biggest question in the security business this year is how well Windows Vista will hold up against what will be the most concerted attack in the industry's relatively short history. The standards for a fair analysis of this question are more complicated than many would have you believe: Vista doesn't have to be perfect in order to hold up well. As even Microsoft will tell you, if you actually listen to what the company says, nothing's perfect, and a big part of hardening a product against attack is to be prepared for when a failure occurs.
More info can be found at :
Source
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,207...3129TX1K0000614
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Senior Member
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8. January 2007 @ 13:02 |
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After a grueling week of intense Vista RTM testing, I still can't get Vista stable on my primary computer yet even though I've swapped out all the bad memory. This same PC has worked with and continues to work with Windows XP just fine. Even with the good memory in the computer, it locks up every hour or two and forces me to hard shut the system to reboot. Apparently I'm not the only one with stability issues since reader DAC-Tech who's a Systems Engineer with a big company was having issues with his brand new ASUS based motherboard.
I've informed Microsoft almost a week ago of this along with all the other nagging issues I list below and I have not heard back from them. If Microsoft wants to clarify anything in this blog they're always welcome to do so and I'll put their responses on this blog. My other server that I built out of scrap parts laying around is stable but there are still too many issues for me to want to use Vista. The way it stands now, I can't or won't use Vista on any of my computers full time until these serious issues have been fixed. Here is a list of grievances that I tested on my stable Vista system and some of these bugs were pointed out in my RC2 review.
DVD playback in Windows Medial Player or Media Center will only play in interlaced mode making it VERY ugly.
If I replace the MPEG-2 DVD codec with K-Lite Cinepack codec, the interlacing issue goes away but it conflicts with Media Player's translucent controls and delivers low frame rates with slow screen paints that are especially noticeable when the entire screen on the video moves. Windows Media Player Classic will work smoothly though it forces Aero to shut down temporarily and it can only play one file at a time making in impractical for full DVD movie playback. I'm not sure if the slow playback has something to do with the inability of an old codec to paint an Aero 3D screen efficiently or not but I wouldn't have this problem if the built-in Microsoft DVD codec would de-interlace the video properly.
Media Player screws up captured 1080i HDV playback by playing it in a tiny window until you click on the movie to force it to play back at 50% size. While that's not a problem with a mouse, not sure how you would deal with this on an HTPC. Not everyone will know they're suppose to click on the movie to make it play back at 50% size.
1080i full screen playback in general is a problem even with content captured digitally from OTA Over-the-air HDTV broadcasts. The exact same hardware (NVIDIA GeForce 6200 or ATI 9600 Pro with a Pentium 4 2.4 GHz with hyperthreading) that works fine in Windows XP on HD playback at full screen but NOT in Windows Vista. Even though this isn't Microsoft software, it doesn't change the fact that I can't use this server as an HTPC for my living room big screen HDTV.
Media Center crashes when library browsing some folders which is totally unacceptable. This might be caused with a bad interaction with the DivX and XviD CODECs from the K-Lite mega pack, but it doesn't change the fact that I still need to be able to play those videos.
Media Center can't play DVD folder rips on the Hard Disk Drive which makes it worthless for DVD library playback. I can't believe this isn't supported. What's the point of having an online DVD library?
Movie Maker HDV preview is shifted downwards until you toggle widescreen preview. Minor bug but I mentioned something about this in my RC2 review.
Movie Maker only lets you retrieve entire HDV tape, not selections like the old Movie Maker in Windows XP. These last two issues I warned about in my RC2 review and they've not been fixed yet.
The "open with" feature is gone. When I use to right click on a data file, you can click "open with" and choose a new program to open the file or pick something on the list of applications you've used before. That list of recent applications for opening data files is gone which is very frustrating.
Power save settings are hidden in a deep mess. Tweaking the settings don't always stick. Default hybrid sleep mode (explanation here) is very annoying if system crashes because on the next reboot, it takes minutes to reload a gigabyte from hard drive and it stays that way until you shut down properly shut down Vista. I had to struggle with the UI to turn off this feature and change the power button in the start button to off mode and to get my settings to stick. The fact that my main PC is crashing didn't help the situation, but it would be nice if MS could ask if you want to boot normally instead of trying to recover the previous state. For most desktops, going from 150 watts idle to 145 watts in sleep mode just doesn't make any sense. I have yet to find a Desktop PC that can go in to sleep state level 3 which only uses a few watts of power.
Minor changes in hardware will sometimes prevent Vista from booting up. So much for the great driver independent imaging model I'd been hearing about though I haven't tested Vista deployment tools yet. I had read that Vista was suppose to be able to adapt to different hardware but maybe I just haven't found that feature yet.
IE7 embedded Windows Media Video playback won't support anamorphic video and forces the video to play in 4:3 mode as oppose to widescreen 16:9 mode. I had complained about this to Microsoft two months ago under Vista RC2. Example here.
While I've read from Jim Allchin that audio features have improved and Polycom is telling me about the new multiple Mic feature that allows you to pin point voice out of a noisy room, some things seem to be missing that shouldn't be missing. Windows XP allowed you to set separate Audio and Voice input/output preferences. That means voice applications like Skype will use one set of speakers and microphone while games will spit out sound from a different sound card. That feature is now gone and you only get to set one set of record and playback preferences. Maybe this is less confusing for beginner users but it's an unacceptable dumbing down of Vista.
That's all I can think of now though I'm sure there were other grievances.
Does this mean I don't like Vista? No there are still security features like IE7 Protected Mode and UAC which beats having to log out and back in to do any administrative tasks. I really want to make Vista work but these types of serious bugs simply means that Vista RTM isn't ready yet. At this point in time I'm going to give up on using Vista as my primary operating system and wait for fixes on at least most of these problems to go away.
BY George Ou, From RealWorld IT
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The_Fiend
Suspended permanently
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8. January 2007 @ 13:55 |
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All i can say to that one Fred, is :
Mwuahahahahahaha !
That guy just proved our points on vista, and then some.
irc://arcor.de.eu.dal.net/wasted_hate
Wanna tell me off, go ahead.
I dare ya !
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janrocks
Suspended permanently
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8. January 2007 @ 14:18 |
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Microsoft's Connected Lifestyle
Joe Wilcox
Joe Wilcox
In Bill Gates' view of the future, Microsoft will give people something to do during waking hours. The company hasn't conquered sleep yet.
The sentiment, expressed during Microsoft Chairman's closing remarks, capped off a full-packed but typically dry Consumer Electronics Show keynote. Gates is at ease on stage, but not persuasive.
As I predicted last week, Gates' keynote focused on six product areas: Windows Vista, Office 2007, Windows Live, Windows Mobile, Zune and Xbox 360.
Gates' message didn't carry the night, however. Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, spent a good chunk of the keynote time on stage. While the venue was appropriate for Bach, his content and length of presence on stage is yet another sign of the three group presidents' influence and Microsoft's larger operations acting more like three associated but independent companies within the company.
The night's theme was connections and how Microsoft would help people make them across different venues, whether work, home or play.
Windows Vista took early, center stage, with promises of never-before-discussed features. Yawn. The headliner: Search across Windows Vista PCs on home networks. I wouldn't call this exactly new, or never discussed.
The other new features are part of Media Center and really are little more than new content deals. Surely, Microsoft was going to have some, given the new Windows version. Microsoft and FoxSports.com are partnering on SportsLounge, which will provide TV programming and real-time sports scores. Microsoft also announced content partners ShowTime Interactive and Vongo.
All three services will be delivered through Media Center's Online Spotlight feature. The online mechanism is underrated, or so I think. It's a real bridge between the two most important consumer connected entertainment devices, the TV and PC.
By the way, Microsoft's partners have sold 30 million Windows Media Center PCs, Bach revealed. For perspective, in April 2006, the number was 6.5 million, which is a staggering increase in about 10 months. During his presentation, Bach alluded to the consumer appeal of Media Center driving sales, which is laughable. Success is probably more about choice, meaning none. In the absence of Windows Vista, PC manufacturers are putting Media Center on almost everything. Tonight, I saw a cute 12.1-inch Averatec laptop on sale at the local Staples for $799, with Windows XP Media Center Edition installed.
Bach revealed that, later this year, Windows Vista users would have access to Xbox Live. The idea is to bring the connected gaming experience from Xbox 360 and Xbox Live to the Windows PC. Through XNA, Microsoft has sought to make it easier for developers to create games for Xbox and Windows. Xbox Live for Windows would create another bridge between the desktop and console.
But Xbox wouldn't be the only Live on the desktop or the only one delivering desktop games. Xbox Live and Windows Live share the same surname for good reason. Right now, they're related siblings separated at birth. Microsoft has a big future planned for these kids.
PlaysForSure may be pushing up daisies, but that doesn't mean Microsoft has totally abandoned its other music strategy. Bach began by reaffirming Microsoft's comment to MTV URGE and Windows Media Player 11, which debuted at CES 2006. So, not all Microsoft partners will get trashed in the quest to Zune the iPod.
URGE is a terrific music service, by the way, and the integration into WMP 11 is competitive to Apple's iTunes. While Apple provides great content and supporting editorial, URGE has better programming, IMHO. Surely, a media company like Music Television knows a few content programming and presentation tricks.
That's scary.. I saw gates spouting on about how they want vista and M$ to run out homes and lives (with the permission of the MPAA and RIAA no doubt).. I see that as something more akin to.. letting the trojans run our house, leaving the doors open, and giving granny the tv remote....
Don't these bastards have enough of most peoples lives already?
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 8. January 2007 @ 14:20
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