This Thread Is About Vista, Please Comment About Your Likes And Dislikes And Problems About Vista

What’s Really Behind the “Death” of XP

Apr 15, 2007 - 9:57 AM - by Digital Dave
Why I (your website host) believe Windows XP is being shoved out the door.

Trust me folks... it's not what you think.

Digital Dave - Winxpcentral.com

What’s Really Behind the “Death” of XP - Today, 09:12 AM
Morning everyone…

Microsoft say’s you have to do Vista. This is non-negotiable and is not up for any type of argument from anyone. Not from OEM’s. Not from resellers. Not from you.

As we all read the news and scratched our heads (or the body part of your choice) and a slight tilt of our head pondering why MS was being so firm with the demise of Windows XP.

My Personal Opinion…

Over the last couple of weeks MS has been touting the “death”, if you will, of Windows XP which has caused quite the uproar. Everyone seems to have an opinion on this. The “Blogs” are all over this with opinions ranging from anger all the way to “oh just bite the bullet and upgrade”. But, notice I didn’t say OEM’s. Why not OEM’s? Because they need to sell new hardware and, as you all know, Vista really does need some of the latest and greatest if you want to fully utilize all the features in the new OS.

But is it right for MS to push Vista so hard and basically ostracize XP users and corporate customizers even at the cost of possibly loosing some clients? Sure it is, and personally I think it’s for other reasons than sales of the OS.

In my personal opinion MS has, what I like to call a “Security Perception” problem. All of you have heard and read about the numerous security holes with XP and Internet Explorer. Almost daily new security issues pop-up and MS scrambles to fix the problem before the latest threat gets out of hand.

Handling all these security issues is costly to not only MS, but also to companies and end users who run the OS. Patching and securing any system whether it be a server, a desktop, laptop, hell even a Media Center PC is time consuming, and sometimes dangerous due to the fact we all need to apply what I like to call “finger crossing patching” which happens every time any of use apply a patch (anyone here remember the Exchange 2003 “send as” fiasco?).

Rebooting a server is not something ANY admin looks forward to doing and when you take into account medium and large corporations who must maintain the utmost security to preserve data and client trust, trust me folks they are none too happy to have to patch and reboot servers which, in some cases host hundreds if not thousands of users, to protect themselves from end users who have local Admin rights to their systems and decide to open the email that say’s “you won the lottery” which, in-turn launches the virus from hell taking down ½ the company.

Well, guess what folks… MS knows this and I honestly believe they are trying to do something about it.

Now, once you get past all the marketing crap what is MS really doing here? What is the goal? Why would a company run the risk of alienating millions of end users? In my personal opinion MS has no choice. It’s time they hit “Ctrl-Alt-Del” and reset the world to, what they believe is a more secure and robust OS and they are taking EVRYONE for the ride… like it or not.

Microsoft is pushing, pulling, kicking, dragging, shooting, whatever it has to do to get you off XP and to Vista and not because they want to sell more copies, I truly believe it’s because they need to prove to the world they can build a secure, stable, “next generation” OS. Not only are billions and billions of dollars riding on this gamble, but also the perception of the company as a whole is riding on MS being able to deliver what they keep on saying is the most secure OS they have ever developed. MS is banking the entire desktop market on Vista, and folks that’s a gamble on a MASSIVE scale! MS TRULY feels Vista is much, much, more secure than XP ever could be and ya know what… they better be right cause we as the end users and corporate IT folks are going to be their harshest critics if they are wrong.

MS is FULLY aware they are pushing XP out the door. They know the gamble they are taking here. My only real fear here from the corporate side of the fence is Microsoft’s next server version, code named Longhorn. If I start to read about how “true security from the desktop” can only be achieved with a combination of “Longhorn” and Vista… I’m a gonna be a tad ticked-off.

Folks, this is a reset not unlike the jump from Windows 3.x to Windows 95. At the time Windows 95 needed more memory, larger drives, faster processors, and better video. Vista needs the same, and yes I know it can be expensive, but with SO many “bad guys” trying to get at my data for me at least it’s worth the pain and the cost. Do I feel it’s the “end-all” of OS's? Hell no… but then again I am an early adopter and I am eagerly awaiting SP1 due later this year. I think a lot of things are going to get “fixed” with SP1.

Is it worth it for you? Well… that’s up to you. But, you will be going to it at some point… lots and lots of people are going to make sure of that whether it be your IT department, or the company you buy your next computer from you will join the masses (insert evil laugh here).
http://forums.winxpcentral.com/showthread.php?t=20593

 

Reasons not to upgrade to Windows Vista (part 1) - Today, 09:54 AM
Everyone has an opinion.

Windows Vista is a step by Microsoft to keep gaming on Windows, and force content providers to be tied into Windows. You are basically buying their patches, which can be achieved for free using the steps below, some new graphics, which again, you can find for free using the Microsoft theme patch (to allow you to install you own themes on XP…) and DirectX 10. Don’t be fooled.

Do not upgrade to windows vista. Why you ask? Here are 100 reasons given by Microsoft to upgrade to Windows Vista, and 100 reasons why you shouldn’t:

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Windows Vista. Basically paying $239 or $399 to buy Direct X 10, and some design and fixes to IE on top of Windows XP. That is $399 in the era of the ‘$100 laptop’ (admittedly the $100 is a goal, estimates currently lying at around $160).

Windows Vista is a step by Microsoft to keep gaming on Windows, and force content providers to be tied into Windows. You are basically buying their patches, which can be achieved for free using the steps below, some new graphics, which again, you can find for free using the Microsoft theme patch (to allow you to install you own themes on XP…) and DirectX 10. Don’t be fooled.
Do not upgrade to windows vista. Why you ask? Here are 100 reasons given by Microsoft to upgrade to Windows Vista, and 100 reasons why you shouldn’t:

I have interspersed it with the 10 reasons Microsoft gave to upgrade to Windows XP.

If you use WindowsXP you should certainly either wait until the NEXT Windows, or switch right now to Apple or Linux. Don’t upgrade to Vista. Tell your friends.

1. It makes using your PC a breeze

Windows Vista features a breakthrough design and easy-to-use organizational tools that make it simpler to get things done and get on with life! Find what you need instantly, on your PC or on the web, with Instant Search. Bring more clarity to your tasks with the spectacular Windows Aero user experience and Windows Flip 3DA, allowing you to see everything you’re working on at a glance.

Windows XP:

Easy to UseEasy to Use

The clean, simple design of Windows XP puts the features you use most often at your fingertips, helping you find them quickly.

Windows XP does this. If you buy Windows Vista you are paying for a graphical face lift and some features ripped off an Apple computer.

Verdict: Strike 1. Your going to pay twice to fix the mistakes Microsoft made with XP? You think you’ll pay the upgrade just for some shmancy graphics?. Don’t upgrade to Windows Vista.

2. Because all of your music is just a remote control click away

Navigate and play your music collection with just the click of a remote control! Windows Media Center and a compatible remote controlM let you quickly search and select tracks visually by album art, or by artist, album title, song, year, or genre. Share your Media Center screen and remoteM and give everyone the chance to mix and play their favorites.

This is entirely unrelated to Windows Vista. A lot of PC’s come with remote controls that that you play music off them and other stuff. If you want to do this, buy a remote control, don’t buy Vista and a remote control.

Verdict: Strike 2. Remote controls are not a reason to upgrade. Don’t upgrade to Windows Vista.

3. It’s the safest version of Windows ever

Windows Vista provides better protection for your PC, your personal information, and your family than any previous version of Windows—with new security tools like Windows Defender, anti-spam and phishing filters, and Parental Controls. Automatic backups, Performance Self-Tuning, and built-in diagnostics help you keep your data protected and your PC running smoothly.

Hahahahahaha. The number 1 reason to buy WindowsXP was:

Help Protect Your PCHelp Protect Your PC

Automatically keep your PC up-to-date with the latest security enhancements including the Windows Security Center, Windows Firewall, and more to help protect it from viruses and worms that can spread through the Internet.

Download a free firewall. Use Firefox. Don’t buy Vista and then have to download a firewall and use Firefox as well.

Verdict: Strike 3. Windows Vista already has bugs in it, and the copies are already shipping to the shelves, you’ll still need to and want to use Firefox, and IE7 is a resounding failuire. Don’t upgrade to Windows Vista.

4. See your world in a whole new light

The breakthrough design of the Windows AeroA user interface brings new clarity to your PC experience. With spectacular visual effects, like translucent glass-like menu bars that let you see behind your application window, you’re one click away from everything you’re working with.

Erm. What did I say about paying all that money JUST for a graphical upgrade? You can reskin windows XP to look like Vista if you are that impressed - after all Microsoft spent more money on Vistas graphic design, marketting and shiney packaging than developing it. [2]

Verdict: Strike 4. Windows Vista is copying graphical effects from Apple and Linux, if you want nice effects, try them for Free. Don’t upgrade to Windows Vista.

5. It can find your stuff

All-new search and organization tools in Windows Vista will help you quickly find what you need on your hard drive or on the web. Instantly find and launch a document, photo, e-mail, song, video, file, or program on your PC with Instant Search.

What I LOVE about this one is that, Microsoft planned for this feature in Vista before they had finished coding Windows XP. What do I mean? That they delayed this feature?

No, I mean Microsoft deliberately crippled WindowsXP’s search capabilities JUST SO they could improve them in Vista. I find it functional to search for files under Windows 2000, yet dysfunctional to search for files under WindowsXP, even after some registry hacking.

Verdict: Strike 5. Don’t pay Microsoft for disabling searhc in WindowsXP, making it lethargic and opening all your zip files. Use Google Desktop search on your Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Don’t upgrade to Windows Vista.

6. Because you’re always on the run

Windows Vista offers new mobility features that let you stay productive and entertained on the go. Windows Mobility Center, Network and Sharing Center, and Sync Center help you stay connected and keep your PC and portable devices up to date with your latest calendar, contacts, and music. Choose an ultra-light Tablet PCA and use a digital pen to handwrite notes or make sketches on the run. Take a break and enjoy your favorite TV shows, movies, music, and games wherever you find yourself, with Windows Media CenterM on your notebook PC.

Networking works in WindowXP. There is NOTHING that you can do in Vista that you cannot do in WindowsXP. Oh, Microsoft would if it could, they would make a new protocol that only ran on Vista and force the world to upgrade, but they can’t. Sync Center is just a rehashed activeSync. Everything can be done with mobile devices today on Windows 2000, Windows XP, Linux and Apple, works. There is nothing new here.

Verdict: Strike 6. Rehash and bug fixes to previous versions of software (hey isn’t that what Vista is anyway?) being branded and sold as new features. Don’t upgrade to Windows Vista.

7. Because you can freeze time

Organize a lifetime of photos and home movies with ease using Windows Photo Gallery. Tag your photos by date, keyword, star rating, or any identifying label you choose—so you can find them when you want them.

Someone should really sue Microsoft on this one. You can’t freeze time with Windowa Vista. Oh. You mean:

7. Look at photos and organise them

Ooooh! Yeah, that is new. Haven’t done that before. Oh, and Windows XP said:

Communicate and Share Memories Easily with Family and FriendsCommunicate and Share Memories Easily with Family and Friends

Now it’s easier than ever to communicate via text, voice, or video using Windows Messenger. In addition, you’ll find it’s easy to organize, edit, and share pictures and home movies using My Pictures and Windows Movie Maker.

Verdict: Strike 7. Download Picassa 2 and use Picassa Web Albums. And Flickr. And the myriad of other websites. Don’t upgrade to Windows Vista.

8. Your PC can take care of itself

Performance Self Tuning, Self-Healing technologies, Built-in Diagnostics, and repair tools keep your computer running at its best and provide automatic fixes, so you can spend less time dealing with problems and enjoy a more reliable PC experience.

I promise you that you will suffer, I mean, Suffer if you try and upgrade to Vista. There will be issues. Self-healing technology? Is that to compliment the self-destructive technology? It breaks itself, but hey, most of the time it can fix it, you just loose the last thing you were doing… here is what Windows XP said:

Recover Easily from Problems Caused by System or Application ChangesRecover Easily from Problems Caused by System or Application Changes

If something goes wrong with your computer, you can easily remove and roll back any system or application changes without losing files and other valuable information.

Diagnostic and repair tools? Flash back to the annoying ‘repair’ programs being sold over download center websites. Speaking of problems, surely the last 5 versions of Windows are the reasons why you had those problems in the first place.

How do you think Microsoft will sell its next version of Windows? ‘Fixes all the problems with Vista’. That’s right, as soon as they sell 80% of their dwindling catch they expect, the rumours of the new version will come out, and they will have to have forged some pretty monopolistic game / content / network deals to ensure people have to upgrade by that time.

Verdict: Strike 8. Considering stability was used to sell XP, now Vista, and will be used to sell the next Windows, you can clearly ignore this. Don’t upgrade to Windows Vista.

9. Unchain your mobile PC

Network and Sharing Center lets you set up a wireless networkN at home so you can experience the freedom of working from your living room, backyard, or anywhere in your home.

Wireless networks. Not new. My Linux, Windows 2000, XP, all do wireless. The “Wow” started about 7 years ago. And it wasn’t anything to do with Windows. Windows XP was sold as:

Set Up and Share Your Computer Quickly and EasilySet Up and Share Your Computer Quickly and Easily

Quickly set up and connect all the computers, printers, devices, and an Internet connection in your home with the all new Network Setup Wizard. Sharing a computer with others has never been easier; quickly access your personal files and accounts without having to close applications or restart the computer.

Quickly Connect to Wireless NetworksQuickly Connect to Wireless Networks

Windows XP provides rich, wireless network support, helping you simply and easily connect to wireless networks whether in your home, office, or out on the road.

Verdict: Strike 9. Wireless networking has nothing to do with Windows Vista. They are trying to sell you the basic features that operating systems should have as ‘new’ things. Is Windows Vista’s wireless networking ‘richer’?. Don’t upgrade to Windows Vista.

10. Surf more safely

Dynamic Security Protection in Windows Internet Explorer 7 helps protect your PC and your personal information when you’re online. Internet Explorer 7 also includes many new features designed to help protect you against malware.

Well this is a classic. IE 6 was the most secure Browser. Microsoft care so little about you they didn’t update it until their hold was threatened by other browsers. They let you wait with IE6 until they felt they needed to do something.

Streamline and Safeguard your Web Browsing Experience Streamline and Safeguard your Web Browsing Experience

Internet Explorer 6 simplifies Web browsing tasks as well as helping keep your personal information private. It blocks most annoying pop-up ads, provides warnings regarding security issues, and helps stop downloads that could harm your PC.

Windows XP, Windows 2000, Linux, Apple, they all run Firefox, and other browsers such as Opera. Use them. Don’t use IE. IE7 sucks, it is merely IE6 with some minor changes and some updates so it wouldn’t ruin the only thing you pay for in Vista… the graphics.

Verdict: Strike 10. IE7 sucks wether you are on Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista. Use Firefox. Don’t upgrade to Windows Vista.

11. Help protect your kids online

Manage family access to Internet sites through centralized Parental Controls that let you set browsing controls that restrict access to inappropriate sites and give your children a safer Internet experience.

WindowsXP has a setting for parental controls, but as most people know these setups do not work well (since it relies on websites, forums and personal websites to implement the proprietary tags and rating systems). If you have children accessing the web you should look at free / open source parental control apps such as CensorNet. You can be sure that these will be actively developed by those with an incentive to do so, the same people who use them!

Verdict: Strike 11. Possibly the most misleading claim made by Microsoft, as it seems this ‘feature’ does nothing more than that in Windows XP. Don’t upgrade to Windows Vista.

Of course note the ‘help protect’. You also have to be sure about who they are talking to online… what they are watching and downloading from P2P.

12. Schedule showtime on your time

Windows Media CenterM makes it simple to get your favorite television shows on your own time. Use a compatible remote control and the built-in television guide to find, schedule, and record live TV—and watch your shows on your desktop PC, laptop, or television screen. Don’t miss a single episode!

Yeah, your TV already does this, and there are open source offerings to do this. You do not need Vista to do this. You can watch and record TV on a windows 2000 machine using one of the many new USB tuners. Windows XP can do this as well - install VLC and / or Democracy (I didn’t like it that much) or Joost (I also found it a bit lacking but I like the idea of a fullscreen dedicated youTube app).

If you are looking for a real next gen operating system, or to relegate one of your machines, setup, or find a local linux group to help you setup MythTv. It’s Awesome.

Verdict: Strike 12. Media Center PC’s are cool. Save the money you would spend on Windows Vista and By Apple’s appleTV (almost called it iTV). What would you buy with you $399? Don’t upgrade to Windows Vista.

13. Because you need to know who the bad guys are

The Phishing Filter and anti-phishing technology in Windows Internet Explorer 7 give you a warning when you browse suspicious or known malicious websites—so you can help protect your personal information against fraud.

The bad guys are Microsoft, and they are trying to take you hard earned $399+ dollars just so they can consolidate their market for a few more years and sell you another upgrade. Use Firefox and you wouldn’t need there phishing filters. These features are entirely features of IE7, and therefore you do not need Windows Vista for this. If you are stupid to use IE, at least use IE7. But, give the developers a break and use FireFox, it uses google to check for sites integrity, or let’s you use FireFox’s centralized phishing site db.

Verdict: Strike 13. Unlucky Microsoft, those $399 are looking more and more like a waste, money for old rope, with a new lick of paint. Microsoft and similar companies thrive on new Jargon. Phishing sounds so scarey you feel like you want to upgrade. Use Firefox. Don’t upgrade to Windows Vista.

14. Make any room a media room

With Windows Media CenterM, you can access and project your TV, music, photos, and movies to any room in your house when you connect an Xbox 360 and other Media Center Extenders through your wired or wireless home networkN. Just grab the remote control, select your favorite entertainment from your TV or PC screen, and let the fun begin!

As we mentioned, remote controls are not Vista specific. Neither are Xbox’s. Media Center Extenders… I am guessing here but that sounds like a box that supports Microsofts proprietary media formats, and can talk to your Computer. Again, not Vista specific.

Verdict: Strike 14. There are a store of third party media boxes, speakers, screens, converters etc. Buy these to do what you want, use your computer as a media server. You don’t need Vista to do that. Don’t upgrade to Windows Vista.

15. Because your PC remembers to back up for youWindows Backup and Restore Center offers improved backup and restore functions, with automatically scheduled backups to preserve priceless digital photos, music, movies, and documents.

There are plenty of backup solutions, and as we near the age of google hosting your photos, docs and email, backup on your own machine becomes less prevalent. But, there are solutions packed with every DVD writer, tht backup your my docs to wonderful optical media. yummy.

Verdict: Strike 15. Computer backups have been around since before computer monitors. You don’t need Vista to do easy backups. Don’t upgrade to Windows Vista.

16. Get your new computer up and running in no time

Windows Easy Transfer makes it easier to set up your new computer by automatically transferring your important content, like files, folders, settings, and e-mail messages, from your old computer to your new one.

This one is important!! But not for Windows Vista. One day your memory will corrupt, your motherboard will succumb to the salty sea air around your secret volcano lair. Or you will just want to play the latest games (in openGL of course!) . When they happens you will want to buy a new machine. Right now companies are offering transfer services from windows when you buy a new Windows Vista PC. But, next time you want to spend $400 on a new machine (you have a screen already right?) why spent another $400 on your operating system? Especially since it does *nothing* new?

Ask the guys if they can copy your old windows XP license to a fresh windows XP install, then copy your data, and apps. This means you get a new computer with ZERO cost. How many people do you know who ended up paying for windows XP more than once because they didn’t bother to check? Don’t upgrade to Windows Vista.

Part 2 coming soon! If you know another reason not to get Windows Vista, let everyone know!

Also, what to buy with the $399 you save? Buy a Playstation 3, not Vista. You can also read another article on why not to buy Vista.

 

^^^ isn't that what I was asking last week?? What's new?, oh.. some pretty graphics..(see article below for more details about those "pretty graphics") so.. what else is new??

Vista vs Linux.. a matchup made in hell...

http://www.desktoplinux.com/articles/AT9727687530.html




There are many reasons to switch to Linux, but well-known technology journalist Charlie Demerjian reminds us of one of particular importance to PC hardware junkies in an Inquirer article: Vista reactivation.

Demerjian is no Linux fan. He wrote, "I will say that none of my desktops run Linux now. I am a marginally disgruntled Windows user that could become quite gruntled if Microsoft backed off on its stupidities."

Microsoft's chief stupidity, as far as Demerjian is concerned, is its "licensing and the activation/DRM infection." In particular, "Microsoft, in possibly the most shortsighted move in the company's history, decided to lock Vista down to the first PC it is installed to and not allow you to move it legally. If you call it up, whine and lie, you can socially engineer a few reactivations, but technically this is a license violation. I won't do that."

The long and short of it is that if you change out your motherboard, or make other unspecified changes to your hardware, Vista will stop working. For users like Demerjian, who are always testing or playing with new PC hardware, this makes Vista the next best thing to unusable.

To legally keep up with Vista, Demerjian estimates it would cost him $57 a day to keep Vista running on his systems. Besides his main work machine, he has seven other work PCs "all with legitimate XP licenses. Vista will work for none of them. Ubuntu, Redhat, Mandriva and Xandros will, while Novell is not an option any more because of patent stupidities."

For Demerjian, "It simply is not worth it anymore, I can't use Vista." Before now, "I had no reason to switch, but Microsoft has given me the choice of becoming a criminal or going to Linux."

So he, for one, will be switching to Linux in a few days.




Novell has just launched a Vista/Linux comparison site, in anticipation of the Jan. 31 arrival of the retail version of Windows Vista. Unsurprisingly, Novell's site reminds users that SLED 10 (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop) is already here, and promotes it as the better upgrade for Windows business users.

While Microsoft and Novell may be partners now when it comes to Windows and Linux interoperability, don't think for a second that they've become bosom buddies. In this Web site, Novell bashes Vista both on TCO (total cost of ownership) and on usability grounds.

Novell claims that "With SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, you receive over 90 percent of the functionality of Vista and Office for less than 10 percent of the price." In the pricing section, Novell walks you through the cost differences between SLED and Vista and Vista/Office 2007.

When it comes to dollars and bytes, SLED is the clear winner. It only costs $50 and it comes bundled with a full-function office suite, OpenOffice.org 2.x. IN contrast, the Windows Vista Business upgrade price is $179. If you buy straight retail, it's a cool $299. Vista, of course, doesn't come with an office suite. Microsoft Office Professional 2007 for Windows Vista costs $499 per user at list. The upgrade price isn't cheap either, at $329.

Of course, all this pricing information presumes you can run Vista on your existing PCs. SLED 10 will run on any recent PC. Vista, for all practical purposes, requires a system with at least a 1GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor, 1GB of system RAM, a graphics card that is DirectX 9-capable with WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model) drivers, and at least 128MB of graphics memory.

It's not just the upfront client software pricing, though. Novell points out that the per-user maintenance costs for an enterprise user with Windows Vista Business will run an additional $87 per year.

To manage 25 Vista desktops with Microsoft SMS (Systems Management Server) 2003 your management software cost will be $6,055. That breaks out as $3,999 for a Windows Server 2003 license to manage 25 Vista desktops (Windows Server + 25 Client Access Licenses), and $2,056 for a SMS 2003 license to manage 25 Vista desktops (SMS + 25 Client Management Licenses). Novell? You'll get comparable functionality using ZENworks Linux Management 7 for $69 per user, or $1,725 for 25 users.

Price, though, is only one of the matters that Novell considers. For all of Microsoft's bluster about Vista being more secure, Novell points out that "Windows was designed without security as a key principle and was allowed to grow into a monolithic collection of code."

Microsoft can say what it wants, but it's still pretty much the same old insecure kernel underneath Vista. The proof? The first confirmed Windows Vista flaw, a denial-of-service issue that was publicly released on an underground Russian hacker site, is still unpatched. And, yes, it hits both Vista and older versions of Windows.

Need to know more? Novell will be happy to tell you in even greater detail why SLED, rather than Vista, should be your next business desktop.


I can feel the M$ fanboys squirming... Before they start whining "it's only for geeks" they better look at this list of business users. http://www.novell.com/servlet/CRS?r...uage_id=0&region_id=0&country_id=0&industry=0

 

@ireland

I know that I can cycle through those threads and read all those articles, but is there like a short list of advantages and disadvantages that I can read without going through all that? I don't really do TONS of things on my computer that requires the best everything, I just kinda like the way Vista looks and if it's not THAT bad then I may upgrade.

P.S. If I have a Vista CD that says it's meant for a Dell, will it work for an HP?

 

ireland, thanks for the article on Vista, I'll be looking forward to Part 2. Thanks

 

@ jazo.. trying to be reasonably impartial..

Vista advantages..

Pretty graphics (if you have 512 dedicated graphics ram and 2 gig of main ram)

DirectX 10 (or 11 or some such nonsense)

Familiar windows environment... It's still buggy and it still crashes every day (at least once). Our old faithful friend the blue screen of death is still with us it seems. Wouldn't be windows without him..

Disadvantages..

Price

DRM

IE7

Poor hardware support (most modern linux distros support more wireless and sound hardware)

Virus and trojan exploits, mostly the same ones as XP

Familiar windows environment (see above)

Resource monster

Stupid once only install licence. Don't go making random hardware changes if you want to keep installing it.

Compulsory " force it on everybody" attitude.. very wrong.

I can go on a while, but those seem to be the main points.

 

the license is down to once only at this point.


that's just frickin' pathetic.

 

with all those great advantages in vi$ta, i still don't understand why people don't like it. wtf [0_o]

 

My ssid on my router is disabled; after manually connecting to the router, I thought it would be automatic. I was wrong. It doesn't automatically connect to my router like the Old XP. I have to manually connect it to my router everytime I turned it on or off. Pain in the Neck and very time consuming.

 

Top 12 Vista Tweaks

If you are looking for a collection of useful tips, tricks and tweaks for Windows Vista, look no further than our Top 12 Vista Tweaks article at [H] Enthusiast.

So you've installed Vista, perhaps against your better judgment, and now you’re wondering what you can do to spruce it up a bit. We’re right there with you, and have poured over the Web looking for the coolest, most-useful tweaks we could find. We searched high and low, and completed this list of tweaks so that you did not have to.


Top 12 Vista Tweaks

We've filtered and sorted through the hundreds of Vista hints and tweaks to find the ones that we think the most readers will find useful. While Vista still feels new, these hints and tweaks might help you settle into your OS.

Introduction

So you've installed Vista, perhaps against your better judgment, and now you’re wondering what you can do to spruce it up a bit. We’re right there with you, and have poured over the Web looking for the coolest, most-useful tweaks we could find. We searched high and low, and completed this list of tweaks so that you did not have to. We have personally tested all of these tweaks and employ most of them on our own systems.

Our sources for this article include this monster thread on our very own forums and Tweakvista.com.

Tweaks 1-6

Tip 1: Customize the size of desktop and file icons.

For some time, it has been possible to adjust font size in office documents and Web browsers simply by holding down the CTRL key while rolling your mouse wheel up and down. In Vista, the same action lets you tweak the size of your desktop icons. Just click on an empty area of the desktop, hold down CTRL, and spin your mouse wheel until the icons are the size you want. You can also adjust the size of your file or folder icons in Windows Explorer by doing the same thing. This is extremely handy for viewing thumbnails of images.

Tip 2: Increase SATA drive performance.

This tip “enhances” drive performance by allowing the drive in question to perform more write caching to system memory. The danger is if your system loses power and you do not have a backup power source (UPS), whatever data is cached to system memory will be lost. If you’re the adventurous type and want a bit more responsiveness out of your system, click Start, type Device Manager in the Search box, click the Device Manager, open up the Disk drives tree, right-click a drive, and select Properties. Go to the Policies tab and check “Enable Advanced Performance.” Click OK.

Article Image

Tip 3: More widescreen Vista wallpapers.

When Microsoft went shopping for panoramic, widescreen wallpapers for Vista, it tapped Hamad Darwish to shoot some photos. Some of his photos made it into the initial shipping version of Vista, but many did not. Now Darwish is offering all of them for download, absolutely free. Some of them are absolutely remarkable, in our opinion, so go ahead and check them out.

Tip 4: Speed up Flip3D.

This tip will be useful for notebook owners or anyone whose PC is packing less than stellar graphics processing power. The Flip3D animation can bog down weaker graphics cards if it has to flip a lot of windows, so this is a tweak that lets you set the number of windows that will be rendered in 3D at one time.

• Click on the Start Button, type regedit in the Search bar, and press Enter.

• Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER, Software, Microsoft, Windows, and DWM.

• Create a new DWORD and call it Max3DWindows.

• Set the value of this to something between four and nine (“4” and “9”) depending on the performance of your card (a higher number requires more video card power). You should then feel free to experiment to find the best value for your computer. Restart your PC to finalize the change.

Article Image

Tip 5: Two must-have Sidebar Gadgets.

At first blush, we thought the Windows Sidebar was rather useless. The default Gadgets were not useful (who wants an analog clock when you have a clock on the Taskbar?), and it seemed like a poor rip-off of Yahoo Widgets. However, we’ve now come across some rather useful Gadgets at both of these Microsoft websites.

The first is Multi-Meter, which is the first Gadget we’ve ever seen that can measure CPU activity for multiple cores. You can download it here.

Another Gadget we’re quite fond of is DriveInfo, as it displays the free space on multiple volumes. Since we have several hard drives on our home machines, we love this Gadget. It also allows you to access the drives by simply double-clicking them in the Gadget. Download it here.

Article Image

Tip 6: Discover what applications are linked to certain processes.

The Processes tab of the Windows XP Task Manager was a confusing, barren wasteland of cryptically-named processes. If you wanted to find out which application was responsible for a certain process, all you could do was to copy down the name of the executable, and then search for it in Windows to locate it or Google it. This was an annoying process. Thankfully, Microsoft has fixed this in Vista by adding an “open file location” option when you right-click any process. Doing so opens the folder the process is running from, which can help you figure out if a certain process can be turned off or not.

You can also click “View” at the top of the Task Manager and click Select Columns to select which columns to display.

Article main page

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTMyNywxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==


Tweaks 7-12

Tip 7: Use ReadyBoost.

There’s been a lot of talk about Vista’s ability to use Flash drives to “boost” system performance. Traditionally, Windows will cache files both to system memory and to your hard drive. The cached files on your hard drive reside in the Page File, which is also known as “virtual memory.” The problem with this approach is that even the fastest hard drives are sluggish when compared to flash drives, at least when it comes to seek times, which are nearly instantaneous on solid-state memory. Readyboost tries to address this situation by allowing Vista to use the Flash drive for its Page File, rather than the slow hard drive. It’s important to note that the actual Page File is still cached on the hard drive, but is being accessed from the Flash drive - which means that you're not at risk for losing your data.

So, how do you enable it? Simply insert a “Readyboost capable” Flash drive that is 1GB or larger in capacity into one of your system’s USB ports, and when the pop-up box appears asking what you want to do, scroll down to find the option, “Speed up my system using Windows ReadyBoost.” You can then specify how much space to make available on the device.

This is a hotly-contested feature in Vista as some users claim a decent performance gain (mostly people with less than 1GB of RAM), but others say the benefit is negligible. If you’ve got a spare USB drive laying around, why not give it a shot? We didn't notice a profound difference in performance, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you won't.

Article Image Article Image

Tip 8: Partition drives in Vista.

Back in the XP days, if one wanted to partition a drive from within the OS, he had to purchase expensive, third-party software to do so. Not anymore. Vista includes built-in drive partitioning which is – we can’t believe we’re saying this – totally awesome. The reason it’s so awesome is that you can partition drives on the fly, from within Windows. For example, if you have a 400GB hard drive with 200GB of free space, you can shrink the original 400GB partition down to whatever size you want, and then create a new partition out of the new unpartitioned space. Here’s how you do it.

Right-click My Computer, select Manage, and click on Disk Management. You will see all of your volumes listed. Right-click whatever volume you want to shrink, and click “Shrink Volume.” (You can also extend volumes as well.) Type in the size of the partition, then click Shrink. After a few seconds, the partition will be shrunk, and you’ll now have a whole lot of unallocated space. Right-click it and select “New Simple Volume.” We fooled around with this utility, both shrinking and expanding volumes that had data on them and we experienced no data loss or problems whatsoever.

Article Image Article Image

Tip 9: Stretch your wallpaper across two displays.

We love our dual displays, but we don’t like staring at two instances of the same image all day. Thankfully, Vista lets us stretch our wallpaper across both displays quite easily. This was also possible in XP, but it was not an intuitive process. Keep in mind, however, that stretching an image across two displays obviously requires a picture that is large enough to stretch all the way across both displays, so you’ll need to add up the resolution of both displays and find an image that is of those dimensions.

Right-click the desktop, select Personalize, and then Desktop Background. Select your image, and then select the middle option for “tile” to stretch it across both displays.

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Tip 10: Turn off unneeded Windows features.

This one is self-explanatory. Do you need Tablet PC components installed? Probably not, unless you are using a Tablet PC. So turn off whatever you don’t need in the name of keeping your Windows install as lean as possible.

Click Start, Control Panel, then under Programs at the bottom click “Uninstall a Program.” In the left-hand pane you’ll see “Turn Windows Features on or off.” Ba-da-boom, ba-da-bing. Uncheck whatever you don’t need.

Article Image

Tip 11: Enable Aero mouse pointers.

This is odd. Microsoft made new Aero-based mouse pointers for Vista, but the default mouse pointer is the old 3D white scheme. To enable the new mouse pointers and animations, right-click the desktop, select Personalize, then Mouse Pointers. Click on the drop-down box under the word Scheme, and select Windows Aero (system scheme). Click OK.

Article Image

Tip 12: Make XP computers show up in your network map.

Vista uses a new protocol named Link Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD) to display a network “map” of all computers in a network, but the protocol is only in Vista, so XP computers do not show up in this map.

Microsoft has generously released the software for XP, and it must be installed on an XP machine for it to show up in the Vista map. Click here to download the software for Windows XP SP2.

Conclusion

There you have it; some quick and easy tips to make Vista easier to use and more effective. This was not meant to be an all-encompassing “every tip in the world” article, but a short and sweet how-to on making Vista more efficient and user-friendly. We hope you saw some things you can use, and as always, feel free to comment or leave your own tips on our forums.

 

NVIDIA - Windows Vista 32-bit and 64 Bit Drivers
Apr 17, 2007 -
Hot off the FTP...

Vista 32 bit
http://www.nvidia.com/object/winvista_x86_158.18.html
Vista 64 Bit
http://www.nvidia.com/object/winvista_x64_158.18.html

 

Windows Vista's Phishing Filter: A User's Guide


Apr 17, 2007 - 12:01 PM - by Digital Dave
Nice article for those who are not the "oh, just let it run..." types of people.

Windows Mail now boasts an additional tool to the typical arsenal of antimalicious mail weaponry, and that is the integration of Microsoft’s Phishing Filter. Initially a part of Internet Explorer and the MSN toolbar, the Phishing Filter automatically analyzes URLs presented to and clicked by the user in Windows Vista and compares them to a local copy of the blacklists maintained at Microsoft (these local copies are updated as part of Microsoft Update).

itmanagement



Windows Vista's Phishing Filter: A User's Guide
April 17, 2007
By Tony Piltzecker

“Phishing” is when an e-mail is sent with the intent of extracting personal information from the recipient. Typically, the information being sought is both personal and financial. As such, the authors of these phishing efforts typically disguise the e-mail as a very professional and courteous correspondence from a trusted source such as a bank, insurance company, or even educational institution. Within the body of the e-mail is a hyperlink to a fraudulent Web site which will present a similarly trusting face to the ensnared victim and then require perhaps two or three pieces of information to “update their database” or “process their re-enrollment.”

In addition to posing as a familiar face to the victim, these Web sites portray themselves as extremely security-conscious and require great levels of “authentication” before continuing. It is in the information provided for validation that the scammers reach their goal in gaining passwords, Social Security numbers (SSNs), and account numbers. Their ploy is to present themselves as everything that they’re not; secure, professional, and out for your best interests.

Windows Mail now boasts an additional tool to the typical arsenal of antimalicious mail weaponry, and that is the integration of Microsoft’s Phishing Filter. Initially a part of Internet Explorer and the MSN toolbar, the Phishing Filter automatically analyzes URLs presented to and clicked by the user in Windows Vista and compares them to a local copy of the blacklists maintained at Microsoft (these local copies are updated as part of Microsoft Update).

Windows Mail can take the Phishing Filter service even further by analyzing incoming messages to not only see whether the URLs listed in the body of the message are known for phishing, but also whether the actual links in HTML messages are the same as the URLs displayed to the user. Messages caught by the Phishing Filter can be accepted or rejected.

Scanning from the Start

In accordance with Microsoft’s continued effort to provide applications and platforms that are secure out of the box, the Phishing Filter built into Windows Mail is enabled by default. In fact, very few settings are available to the user. The only place to adjust settings for the filter is within the settings for the Junk Filter. You can access these settings via Tools | Junk E-mail Options.

Five tabs are exposed for configuring all junk-mail-related options, the last of these being the Phishing Filter.

Go to page: 1 2 3 4 Next

The Phishing Tab

By default, the Phishing Filter is set to protect the user’s Inbox against “phishing,” though not to move the mail in any way out of the Inbox. The options available to the user are to accept this protection, remove the protection altogether, or choose to have the protection enabled and all detected e-mails moved into the Junk E-mail folder.

Because the updates for the Phishing Filter take place within Windows Update and have little to do with human interaction, there are no settings to modify this within the Windows Mail user interface. Rather, Windows Vista handles the security and the updating for the utility on behalf of the user.

It is important to understand that the default behavior of the Phishing Filter is not regulated by Windows Mail, but by Internet Explorer. If the Phishing Filter is not set to automatically check in with Microsoft’s blacklists (which is the default setting), the filter (which is enabled automatically within Windows Mail) checks URLs in messages only against the local copy of the blacklist.

A point for clarification is the distinction between junk e-mail and phishing e-mail. Junk e-mail is mail identified as having a certain level of content that is sinister, erroneous (smart speak for “bogus”), advertisement-related, and so on. Phishing, on the other hand, is very specific and typically requires that the user take action to be forwarded to a Web site or form. Windows Mail handles these two types of electronic garbage differently. If a message has a high probability of being junk mail and is considered to be only “potentially” fraudulent, that message will be moved over to the Junk E-mail folder.

The settings for junk e-mail on the Options tab take precedence as the e-mail is not actually considered to be a phishing attempt. A message is classified as a phishing attempt if the sender, subject, or content/URL in the body of the e-mail is verified with the local copy of the Microsoft blacklist. The Phishing Filter service performs these checks in real time, allowing for a very high degree of security before messages are even opened.

Working with Filtered Mail

When Windows Mail receives a potentially malicious message, it immediately scans the message for any fraudulent links. If it does not detect such a link, Windows Mail will determine whether the message should go to the Inbox or to the Junk E-mail folder.

The first action that is actually visible to the user is the pop-up security window, where the user is given the opportunity to navigate to the Junk E-mail folder (where the message resides), navigate to the Junk E-mail Options page, or set Windows Mail such that it will never prompt on such an occurrence again.

A Suspicious E-Mail Alert

Unless told to no longer display the message (via the “Please do not show me this dialog again” checkbox), Windows Mail will display this alert at every instance of suspicious mail. If the user chooses the default option (Close), he is redirected to the Junk E-mail folder where the suspect message is awaiting review.

The Junk E-Mail Folder Populated with a Suspicious Message

At this point, the user can fully view the “suspect” message and give it a “not Junk” status. If the Phishing Filter confirms that a message is malicious, it behaves slightly differently. First, it does not move the message to the Junk E-mail folder. Second, it displays it in the Inbox with a red header/banner that provides the user with a very clear warning that the link or sender is known for phishing (see Figure 8.16). The message header information is set to a bold red font and the now familiar Security Shield (first introduced in Windows XP) is appended to the message displayed in the Inbox.

Notification of a Confirmed Phishing Threat

Lastly, Windows Mail removes all images and hyperlinks, further shielding the user who chooses to investigate the e-mail from the dangers of accidental enabling or browsing. Although this may initially seem somewhat restrictive, consider that many unwise users may not be up-to-date on matters such as antivirus, leaving them very vulnerable to the threats brought about by accidentally launching a Web site.

Program Improvement

It is only a matter of time before a Windows Mail user receives a message that contains a link to a Web site that is fraudulent and wonders why the great and powerful Phishing Filter has not caught it. The answer has less to do with a deficiency in Microsoft code and more to do with today’s electronic culture.

At the time of this writing, Microsoft has averaged an addition of 17,000 URLs per month to the Phishing Filter service. These are updates provided by the users of Hotmail and Live Mail who sent suspicious URLs to Microsoft for research. Since the release of Internet Explorer 7, users of the program have reported close to 4,500 potential phishing sites per week. Needless to say, the rate at which new scams and forms of spam are released into the Internet is truly staggering, and there are simply no applications that can boast 100 percent effectiveness at providing security and detection.

To ensure that the Phishing Filter can continue to provide you with accurate information, you have the option to report suspicious Web sites to Microsoft. This feature, however, is not on by default, and you must configure it from within Internet Explorer. In fact, to ensure that your Phishing Filter is checking more than just the local copy of the Microsoft blacklist, you need to enable the full functionality of the feature. To do this, simply go to Internet Explorer and choose Tools | Phishing Filter.

Adjusting the Phishing Filter via Internet Explorer Tools | Phishing Filter

The options available to you are:

• Check This Website This establishes a connection to Microsoft’s blacklist to query the URL for the Web site you are presently on. If the Web site is found, you will be alerted that the site is known for phishing.

• Turn ON/OFF Automatic Website Checking This option must be set to On to ensure that the Phishing Filter goes beyond the local copy of the Microsoft blacklist. With this setting off, Windows Mail can incorporate filtering only against your local copy of the Microsoft which is updated only on occasion.

• Report This Website This is where you can send Microsoft a notification that the Web site you are currently visiting seems suspicious and request that the site be researched. Microsoft does not offer a guarantee of when you can expect to find the site you’ve reported on its list.

•Phishing Filter Settings This brings you to Internet Explorer’s traditional Advanced Settings window, where you can toggle Automatic Website Checking on or off or disable the Phishing Filter altogether.

The Advanced Tab of Internet Options for the Phishing Filter

It has taken a great deal of “group” effort for perpetrators of phishing campaigns to become as successful as they have. It stands to reason, then, that the user community will need to meet the effort with as solid a unifying effort to combat their assault. The Microsoft Phishing Filter is a phenomenal tool, but one that is only as good as its updates. Taking the time to enable the feature and the communication is definitely worthwhile.

Although the Phishing Filter offers you little granular control over the application and virtually none via Windows Mail, it is still an incredible tool for securing the e-mail experience for Microsoft Vista users. Now, the security once regulated only to Microsoft’s Hotmail and MSN servers is available for free to Windows Mail users, and this means fewer add-ons, no third-party applications, and a more streamlined experience for all.

http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/entdev/article.php/3671981

 

Thanks Janrocks. I don't think I'm going to install until a improved version comes out.

 

The Vista PC Diet Plan


Apple's new 'Stuffed' commercial pokes fun at preinstalled applications - better known as craplets - loaded up on new Windows PCs. Apple isn't alone in the craplet disdain. Wall Street Journal columnist Walt Mossberg wrote columns on April 5 and April 12 about the craplet dilemma. Mossberg identified two problems: "One is the plethora of teaser software and advertisements for products that must be cleared and uninstalled to make way for your own stuff. The second is the confusing welter of security programs you have to master and update, even on a virgin machine."



April 17, 2007 5:50 PM
The Vista PC Diet Plan


Joe Wilcox


Apple's new "Stuffed" commercial pokes fun at preinstalled applications—better known as craplets—loaded up on new Windows PCs. Apple isn't alone in the craplet disdain.

Wall Street Journal columnist Walt Mossberg wrote columns on April 5 and April 12 about the craplet dilemma.

Mossberg identified two problems: "One is the plethora of teaser software and advertisements for products that must be cleared and uninstalled to make way for your own stuff. The second is the confusing welter of security programs you have to master and update, even on a virgin machine."

For Microsoft, the problem is one of experience. The company wants people to have a "Wow" experience with Windows Vista, which an overly preloaded PC could greatly diminish. But Microsoft also benefits from software developer support of its platform, and many partners rely on preloads for lucrative subscription revenue or upsell to fuller product versions.

PC manufacturers benefit from bounties they collect for preloading software, so the economics would appear to work against clean Vista PCs. The bounties help cushion already tight margins.

For many enterprises, craplets are little issue, because of re-imaging. Smaller businesses are more likely to get whatever OEMs put on the PC. But if enterprises re-image, what value do software and services providers get from paying bounties for PC placement? Google paid Dell a billion bucks for search placement, but what's the value if big businesses, which are big PC purchasers, re-image?

In March, we asked Microsoft Watch readers to opine about craplets. Commenter Matchwalk expressed common sentiment: "It's so refreshing to hear others saying the same things I think about. Why do (almost) all PC makers have to include all the crap that comes with the OS, other than to make extra money from advertising and sponsorship?"

The Windows Vista Welcome Center is one potential craplet remedy. Rather than load up unwanted software, PC manufacturers could place links to software—either for download or on the PC but not installed—in the Welcome Center. The latter option would put the software on the computer, but give the end user the choice to install or not.

Such a tact might appeal to Microsoft Watch commenter Alsiladka, who said about preloaded software: "I would personally prefer no Craplets installed without my approval. I dont mind the setup asking me if i would like to install this or that. I can always say no to that, but there may be some users who would like things automated, so this would be a nice option for them too."

The option of removing the software may seem like a good idea for customers, but with razor-thin margins PC manufacturers would have to recover the revenue elsewhere. Pay-more to get-less option is a good alternative. Customers could pay a premium over the computer's purchase price for a clean system.

Problem: Some of that preloaded software, particularly for security protection, fills in for stuff not included in the operating system. One solution would be to let customers choose the trial software they want and give them an option to receive CDs or download fulfillment instead of preinstallations.

Microsoft's potential role in diminishing craplets is likely limited by its U.S. antitrust settlement. For the benefit of preserving the purity of the Vista experience, Microsoft could offer OEMs incentives, such as discounts or marketing support, for shipping some PCs without craplets. Sure as anything, someone would cry antitrust foul. Antitrust concerns aside, OEMs would still get money to replace the bounties while offering customers more by giving them less.

Craplets should be a concern for Microsoft and OEMs. A bad desktop experience could convince more people to stick with Windows XP longer and extend functions using applications on the Web. There, revenue comes from craplet's kin, advertising—the loose relationship being paid placement. The difference: Except for overly large animated ads, end users won't see the performance hit from advertising that they would get from craplets.
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/desktop_mobile/the_vista_pc_diet_plan.html

 

Tuning Windows Vista security: The firewall
Apr 18, 2007 - 7:03 AM - by Digital Dave
An older article but still pretty good. It does explain some stuff you might not know.

The problem with the firewall's user interface is that it is easy to assume that the configuration options shown within the user interface are the only options available. However, you can actually gain much more control over the Vista firewall by configuring it using Group Policy Editor.

searchwindowssecurity.techtarget.com


ARDENING WINDOWS TIPS
Tuning Windows Vista security: The firewall

Brien M. Posey, Microsoft MVP
09.20.2006


At first glance, the Windows Vista firewall is disappointing to say the least. On the surface, it looks like a Windows XP leftover. In fact, the firewall's user interface in Windows Vista is nearly identical to the interface found in Windows XP. There aren't even any new configuration options available.

The problem with the firewall's user interface is that it is easy to assume that the configuration options shown within the user interface are the only options available. However, you can actually gain much more control over the Vista firewall by configuring it using Group Policy Editor.

To do so, open Vista's Group Policy Editor and load the local security policy. Next, navigate through the console tree to Local Computer Policy | Computer Configuration | Windows Settings | Security Settings | Windows Firewall with Advanced Security. When you select the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security container, you will see a summary of the Windows Firewall configuration, as shown in Figure A.


A summary of the Windows Vista firewall configuration is displayed within the Group Policy Editor.

As you look at the figure, you will probably first notice the various profiles that are available. Microsoft introduced the concept of multiple profiles when it released Windows XP Service Pack 2. The idea was that if a domain controller could be contacted, then Windows would use a domain profile for the firewall and a standard profile if no domain controller was available. It was a neat idea, but there are many situations in which Windows XP incorrectly uses a standard profile.

In Vista, Microsoft still allows a domain profile to be used when a domain controller is detected. Many of the kinks seem to be corrected, and domain controller detection seems to be more reliable than before.

If you look at the various profiles in Figure A, you will notice that there is no standard profile. In Windows Vista, Microsoft has chosen to do away with the standard profile and offer public and private profiles instead. To understand why, consider the way a mobile user operates. Some days the user is in the office with her laptop directly connected to the corporate network. Other times she might work at home or from an airport, coffee shop, etc.

Mobile users at home probably have home networks in place and might need to connect to resources on their networks, such as a network printer. Doing so would likely require the user to open firewall ports in order to facilitate communications. Since there is no domain controller on most home networks, the solution in Windows XP was to open the necessary ports in the standard profile. The problem is that when users would use their laptops at airports, hotels or coffee shops, the standard profile was still in effect and those ports were still open.

Windows Vista's Public and Private firewall profiles allow the user to have one profile (the Private profile) for working on a home network and another profile (the Public profile) for connecting to public networks. Unfortunately, Vista has no way of differentiating between a public and private network, so Windows will actually ask users whether they are attaching to a public or private network at the time that the connection is established.

The configuration process is fairly simple. You just select either the inbound or outbound rules container and click the New Rule link in the Actions pane. When you do, Windows launches a wizard that walks you through the creation of the firewall rule. One of the wizard's screens asks you which profiles should include the new rule.

This is a little off topic, but we need to talk about it. In the paragraph above, you might have noticed that I mentioned an Outbound Rules container. In the past, the Windows firewall has drawn a lot of criticism for not blocking outbound traffic (although Windows XP SP2 offered limited support for outbound traffic filtering). Lack of support for outbound rules was an issue in the past because many malware programs are designed to "phone home" through obscure TCP or UDP ports. If the firewall is not blocking outbound traffic on these ports, then there is nothing to stop the malware from transmitting sensitive information across the Internet.

Don't expect Vista firewall's outbound rules to be a long-term solution to this problem though. Initially, the outbound rules feature will probably go a long way toward keeping your private data private -- assuming you properly configure the rules. I don't expect this to hold up as a long-term solution because today's malware is not designed to circumvent Windows firewall rules. I think it will only be a matter of time, though, before disabling outbound filtering becomes standard practice for malware.

If you don't believe me, then think about it this way: Can a compromised operating system really protect you? If someone is able to infect your system with malware, do you honestly expect the infected system to be able to defend itself against the malware sending outbound traffic? It's kind of like expecting a thief not to steal anything after he has gone through the trouble of breaking into your house.

In conclusion, though, I believe Windows Vista firewall is a huge improvement over the Windows XP version. The catch is that most of the new features are not available through the firewall's user interface; they are only accessible through the Group Policy Editor. Windows Vista is still in beta testing, and I myself am still learning about the capabilities in the new firewall. I can tell you this: You can create some fairly sophisticated rules, and the firewall has been designed as a complement to the IPsec protocol. Sadly, I don't think most home users will ever see the true benefit of this firewall unless Microsoft chooses to change some of the default configuration options.

About the author: Brien M. Posey, MCSE, is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with Windows 2000 Server and IIS. He has served as CIO for a nationwide chain of hospitals and was once in charge of IT security for Fort Knox. As a freelance technical writer, he has written for Microsoft, TechTarget, CNET, ZDNet, MSD2D, Relevant Technologies and other technology companies. You can visit his personal Web site at www.brienposey.com.
http://searchwindowssecurity.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid45_gci1217062,00.html

 

Only 244 Genuine Windows Vista's Sold in China
Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday April 18, @11:21AM
from the not-good-odds dept.
Windows
morpheus83 writes "Whilst Microsoft was bragging about the sales number of their latest OS Windows Vista, few would actually know that they have only managed to sell 244 copies in the whole of China in the first 2 weeks. You heard that right, and that's the number quoted from the headquarters of the Windows Vista chief (90% national volume) distributor in Beijing."

http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/only_244_copies_of_genuine_windows_vista_sold_in_china.php

 

Top 10 Vista Hacks
Apr 19, 2007 - 9:53 AM - by Digital Dave
Killer dude...
http://www.computerworld.com/action...rticleId=9015738&taxonomyId=18&intsrc=kc_feat
You've run Windows Vista, you've played around with the Aero interface, and maybe you've even mucked around a little bit in Vista's innards to see what makes it tick.

Now what?

Now is when the fun begins. There are plenty of ways you can hack Windows Vista, make it jump through hoops, bend it to your will and generally make it behave the way you want it to behave, not the way Microsoft does.

computerworld.com

Top 10 Vista Hacks
Itching to make Windows Vista behave the way you want it to, not the way Microsoft does? Take these fun and useful hacks for a whirl.

April 17, 2007 (Computerworld) -- You've run Windows Vista, you've played around with the Aero interface, and maybe you've even mucked around a little bit in Vista's innards to see what makes it tick.

Now what?

Now is when the fun begins. There are plenty of ways you can hack Windows Vista, make it jump through hoops, bend it to your will and generally make it behave the way you want it to behave, not the way Microsoft does.

Where to begin? I've put together 10 of my favorite hacks for Windows Vista. They'll let you do everything from speed up Windows Aero to unlock a supersecret administrator's account and juice up the right-click context menu -- and yes, even hack the dreaded User Account Control. So if you want to take control of Windows Vista, read on.

A word of warning: Some of these tips involve editing the Windows Registry, which can be a dangerous thing to do. So before you touch the Registry, use System Restore to create a restore point so that you can revert to the previous version of the Registry if something goes awry. To create a restore point, choose Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Restore files from backup > Create a restore point or change settings.

Top 10 Vista Hacks

1. Hack User Account Control

2. Unlock the supersecret Administrator
account

3. Tweak Aero's glass borders

4. Protect your privacy by removing Windows
Vista metadata

5. Power up Windows Vista's context menu

6. Speed up or turn off Windows Aero

7. Bypass the Windows Vista log-on screen
on multiaccount PCs

8. Hack Vista's blinking cursor

9. Hack Vista's screensavers

10. Make Windows animation go slo-mo


1. Hack User Account Control

Windows Vista's User Account Control (UAC) is the new operating system's most universally reviled feature. Sure, it helps protect you, but it also annoys you to no end.

If UAC drives you around the bend, you can turn it off. There are several ways to do it. One way is to choose Control Panel > User Accounts and Family Safety > User Accounts, then click Turn User Account Control on or off.

Alternately, you can run the System Configuration Utility (a.k.a. msconfig) by typing msconfig at the command line or search box. When the tool runs, click the Tools tab and scroll down until you see Disable UAC. Highlight it and click the Launch button, then reboot. To turn it back on again, follow the same steps and choose Enable UAC.

If you're a fan of the Registry, you can also disable UAC using the Registry Editor. Launch the Registry Editor by typing regedit at the Start Search box or a command prompt and pressing Enter. Go to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\EnableLUA

and give it a value of 0. You will need to reboot in order for the change to take effect.

UAC is also the culprit for another nagging Windows Vista annoyance. When you run some commands from the command prompt, you're told that you don't have administrative rights to run them, even if you're currently logged in as an administrator.

That's because UAC requires you to run the command prompt as an administrator -- what's called running an elevated command prompt. Simply being logged in as an administrator isn't good enough; you still have to run an elevated command prompt.

One way to do it is to type cmd into the Search box on the Start menu, right-click the command prompt icon that appears at the top of the Start menu, then select Run as administrator.

But if you don't want to go about doing that each time you run a command prompt, there's a simpler way. You can create a desktop shortcut for an elevated prompt, or pin the elevated prompt to the Start menu.

To create a shortcut on the desktop:

1. Right-click the desktop, and select New > Shortcut.

2. In the text box of the Create Shortcut dialog box that appears, type cmd and then click Next.

3. On the next screen, type a name for the shortcut -- for example, Elevated Command Prompt. Then click Finish.

4. Right-click on the shortcut you just created and select Properties.

5. Select the Shortcut tab and click the Advanced button.

6. Check the box titled Run as administrator. Click OK and then OK again.

Now, when you want to run an elevated command prompt, simply double-click the shortcut.

If you'd like the elevated command prompt to appear on the Start menu, drag it from the Desktop to the Start button and place it where you would like it to be.


2. Unlock the supersecret Administrator account

Deep inside the bowels of Windows Vista, there's a secret Administrator account, and it's different from the normal administrator account you most likely have set up on your PC. This Administrator account is not part of the Administrator group. (Confused yet? You should be.) It's a kind of superadministrator, akin to the root account in Unix, and by default it's turned off and hidden. (In describing this hack, we'll always use the capital "A" for the secret Administrator account, and a lowercase "a" for a normal administrator account.)

In versions of Windows before Windows Vista, the Administrator account wasn't hidden, and many people used it as their main or only account. This Administrator account had full rights over the computer.

In Windows Vista, Microsoft changed that. In Vista, the Administrator account is not subject to UAC, but normal administrator accounts are. So the Administrator can make any changes to the system and will see no UAC prompts.

Turning on the Administrator account is straightforward. First, open an elevated command prompt by typing cmd into the Search box on the Start menu, right-clicking the command prompt icon that appears at the top of the Start menu, then selecting Run as administrator -- or just use the shortcut you created in the previous hack.

Then enter this command and press Enter:

Net user administrator /active:yes

From now on, the Administrator account will appear as an option on the Welcome screen, along with any user accounts you may have set up. Use it like any other account. Be aware that it won't have a password yet, so it's a good idea to set a password for it.

If you want to disable the account and hide it, enter this command at an elevated command prompt and press Enter:

Net user administrator /active:no

3. Tweak Aero's glass borders

The borders around system windows, such as dialog boxes and the Control Panel, are transparent in Windows Vista's Aero interface. These borders are hackable; you can shrink them, make them larger, and change their colors and transparency levels.

To make the borders larger or smaller:

1. Right-click the desktop and select Personalize.

2. Click Window Color and Appearance.

3. Click Open classic appearance properties for more color options.

4. From the dialog box that appears, make sure that Windows Aero is selected as the color scheme. Click the Advanced button on the right side of the dialog box. The Advanced Appearance dialog box appears.

5. Select Border Padding in the Item drop-down menu. To change the size of the border, type a new size for the border. (The default is 4.) Click OK, then OK again. The sizes of the borders will now change.

There's more you can do to the borders as well. To change the border color, transparency and more, right-click the desktop and select Personalize > Window Color and Appearance.

1. Choose a color for your windows on the top of the screen, or custom-build a color by clicking Show color mixer and then moving the sliders that appear to mix your own color.

2. To change the transparency of window borders, move the Color intensity slider to the left to make them more translucent, and to the right to make them more opaque.

3. To turn off transparency, uncheck the box next to Enable transparency.


4. Protect your privacy by removing Windows Vista metadata

One of Vista's more useful features is also one of its more dangerous ones -- the use of metadata. Metadata is information about files that you don't normally see but that can help you search for them.

For example, music files typically contain the name of the composer, type of music and so on. And a photograph usually contains data on when the photo was taken, who took it, the camera model and other information, such as ISO speed. Documents and spreadsheets contain a wide variety of information about their creators, including who created the document, how much time was spent editing it, who reviewed the document and so on.

In many cases, programs automatically generate their own metadata when a file is created. Users can also easily create or edit metadata. Right-click a file, choose Properties, and select the Details tab. Then click any field and type in metadata. Keep in mind that some metadata, such as the last time a file was printed, can't be altered.

This metadata can be quite useful, because Windows Vista search uses it. So if you want to find every music track on your PC that was composed by Mozart, for example, type Mozart into a search box, and Vista will search the metadata to find all the Mozart tracks.

But there are times when you don't want your files' metadata to be viewed by others or by people outside your organization. Analyst firm Gartner Inc. points out that businesses might embed metadata into files about a customer -- for example, "good customer" or "bad customer" labels -- and a business certainly wouldn't want others to see that. There may similarly be personal metadata in your documents that you don't want others to see.

It's easy to remove any metadata from any file:

1. Open Windows Explorer and right-click the file.

2. Choose Properties.

3. Select the Details tab. A screen that displays the document's metadata appears, like the one shown below.



The metadata associated with a Word file. (Click image to see larger view.)

4. Click the Remove Properties and Personal Information link at the bottom of the screen. The Remove Properties dialog box appears.

5. Select Remove the following properties from this file and check the boxes next to all of the metadata you want removed. Click OK. The selected metadata will be removed.

6. Alternatively, you can create a copy of the document with all the metadata removed. Select Create a copy with all possible properties removed and click OK.

You can also remove metadata from multiple files at once. Select all the files from which you want to remove metadata, then right-click them and follow the directions in this hack for removing the data. In order for this to work, though, the files have to have common metadata fields so that the metadata can be removed from all of them at once.

5. Power up Windows Vista's context menu



An expanded context menu.
The right-click menu (also called the context menu) in Windows Explorer under Vista is quite useful. Right-click a file, and a menu appears, letting you take a variety of actions, such as opening the file, printing it, deleting it, copying it, creating a shortcut to it and so on. The exact options that appear vary depending on your system setup and what programs you have installed.

If you want to, you can add options to the context menu. Hold down the Shift key as you right-click a file, and you'll see several new menu options, marked with arrows in the image to the right.

Here are the new options you get and what each one does:

Open as Read-Only: As the name says, it opens the file as a read-only file.

Pin to Start Menu: This pins a shortcut to the file you've right-clicked in the top section of the Start menu. To remove the shortcut from the Start menu, right-click the shortcut and select Remove from this list.

Add to Quick Launch: This adds a shortcut to your file in the Quick Launch toolbar, on the left side of the taskbar. To remove the shortcut, right-click it and choose Delete.

Copy as Path: This copies the file name and location to the Windows clipboard -- for example, C:\Budget\2007 memo.xls. You can then paste that path wherever you want.



6. Speed up or turn off Windows Aero

Windows Aero may add pizzazz to the interface, but depending on your hardware, it may also slow down your system. You can speed up your PC by turning it off altogether, or by turning off some Aero features but leaving others on.

To turn off Aero:

1. Right-click the Windows desktop and select Personalize > Window Color and Appearance.

2. Click Open classic appearance properties for more color options.

3. In the Color scheme drop-down box, choose Windows Vista Basic or Windows Vista Standard, and click OK. Aero will now be turned off.

What if there are some things you like about Aero, such as window animations, but others you don't like, such as transparent windows? You can turn off some Aero features to speed up your PC but leave on others that you like using.

To do it, select Start > Computer > System Properties. Click Advanced system settings, then, in the Performance section, click the Settings button. A screen like the one shown below appears. Select Custom, uncheck those features that you want to turn off, then click OK.

7. Bypass the Windows Vista log-on screen on multiaccount PCs

When you have more than one user account on a Windows Vista PC, every time you restart your PC you'll see a welcome screen listing all the accounts on the machine. You'll have to click one and then type in your log-on information in order to start using Windows Vista.

But what if, like many people, you use one primary account nearly all the time and use others only on occasion? You'd like to bypass the welcome screen listing all the user accounts and automatically log in whenever you start Windows Vista -- but Vista can't seem to accomplish this simple task.

Actually, you can do it, as you'll see in this hack. Follow it, and you'll automatically log in on your primary account and then be able to switch to any other account when you wish:

1. At the Search box or a command prompt, type control userpasswords2 and press Enter. The User Accounts screen appears.

2. Highlight the account that you want to automatically log on with, then uncheck the box next to Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer. Click OK.

3. The Automatically Log On dialog box appears. Type in the password for the account that you want to log on automatically. (If the account shown isn't the one that you want to log on automatically, type in the username and password for the correct account. Click OK.)

4. From now on, you'll automatically log in using that account. When you're logged in, if you want to switch to another account, use Fast User Switching: Click the Start button, click the arrow in the lower-right corner of the Start menu, and select Switch User. You'll come to a screen listing all users on your PC, where you can log in as any other user.

8. Hack Vista's blinking cursor

Windows Vista's blinking cursor is razor thin, and sometimes it can be very hard to find, especially if you're using a laptop. But it's easy to make the cursor thicker -- pretty much as thick as you want. Select Control Panel > Ease of Access > Optimize visual display. Scroll toward the bottom of the screen, until you come to Make things on the screen easier to see, as shown below.



Making Vista's cursor easier to see. (Click image to see larger view.)
From here, you can fatten up Windows Vista's cursor. In the drop-down menu next to Set the thickness of the blinking cursor, select a number. The larger the number, the fatter the cursor. You'll see a preview of the cursor in the Preview box next to the drop-down menu. Click Save. The cursor throughout Windows Vista will now be fatter and easier to see.



9. Hack Vista's screensavers

For reasons inexplicable to mere mortals, Microsoft doesn't allow you to customize how Windows Vista's screensavers work -- for example, by changing how the bubbles look in the Bubbles screensaver, or the number or thickness of the ribbons in the Ribbons screensaver.

If you're willing to get your hands dirty by using the Registry, though, you can customize both. For the Bubbles screensaver, for example, you can turn the bubbles metallic or keep them transparent, configure whether the bubbles should have shadows, and display the bubbles against the desktop or instead against a solid black background. For the Ribbons screensaver, you can change the number and thickness of the ribbons.

To customize the Bubbles screensaver, launch the Registry Editor by typing regedit at the Start Search box or at a command prompt and pressing Enter. Then:

1. Go to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Screensavers\Bubbles

Select Edit > New DWORD (32-bit) Value, and create a new DWORD called MaterialGlass. Type 1 in the Value data field if you want glassy, transparent bubbles, or type 0 for metallic bubbles.



Setting the DWORD value.

2. Create a DWORD called ShowShadows, and give it a value of 1 to display shadows below the bubbles, and a value of 0 to have no shadow displayed.

3. Create a DWORD called ShowBubbles and give it a value of 1 to show the bubbles on the desktop, and a value of 0 to show them against a solid black background.

4. When you exit the Registry Editor, your new settings will take effect.

You can similarly hack the Ribbons screensaver. To do it, open the Registry Editor and then:

1. Go to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Screensavers\Ribbons

Select Edit > New DWORD (32-bit) Value, and create a new DWORD called NumRibbons. Click Decimal, and then type in the number of ribbons you want to be displayed. The minimum number of ribbons is 1; the maximum is 256.

2. Create a DWORD called RibbonWidth, click Decimal, and then type in a number to determine the width of each ribbon. The smaller the number, the narrower the ribbon.

3. When you exit the Registry Editor, your new settings will take effect.



The Ribbons screensaver with its default settings (left), and after we've tweaked the number and width of the ribbons (right).

If you want to change any of the settings for either screensaver, you'll have to go back into the Registry, find the appropriate DWORD and change the value. To revert to your original settings, delete the Registry keys that you created.

10. Make Windows animation go slo-mo

Now that you've gotten your hands dirty in the Registry, here's a final fun hack for you. It serves absolutely no useful purpose except for entertainment and eye candy. It lets you slow down the animations that occur when windows minimize and maximize to and from the taskbar on your command.

To do it, you'll first edit the Registry. After that, when you want to slow down animations, hold down the Shift key. Release the key to make animations go at their normal speed.

Launch the Registry Editor by typing regedit at the Start Search box or at a command prompt and pressing enter. Then:

1. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM.

2. Select Edit > New DWORD (32-bit) Value and create a new DWORD called AnimationsShiftKey. Give it a value of 1.

3. Close the Registry Editor, log off of Windows, and then log back in again, or else reboot.

4. Hold the Shift key and minimize or maximize a window. The animation will be slowed down considerably. To make the animation go at normal speed, let go of the Shift key.

Preston Gralla is a contributing editor to Computerworld, and the author of Windows Vista in a Nutshell, from O'Reilly Media.

 

Vista – End of the Dream?
Apr 29, 2007 - 9:25 PM - by Digital Dave
Wow... and the Blogs just keep on coming.

As you may remember, Windows XP was already out by the time that source code got leaked. In fact, back in 2004, Microsoft had been talking about Longhorn/Vista for three years. Just a few months after the leak, it was announced that WinFS, the flagship relational file system, wouldn’t ship with Vista after all. And I knew why: unmaintainable.

Microsoft have managed to cobble together a new look and feel for Windows, but a lot of folks are scratching their heads wondering what other advantages there are in upgrading your graphics card and adding another GByte of RAM? What’s the reason? Unmaintainable.

regdeveloper.co.uk

link to article
http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2007/04/29/vista_end_dream/

 

Contest Winner: Vista More Secure than Mac OS X
Linked by Eugenia Loli-Queru on 2007-05-01 00:35:09 UTC
Dino Dai Zovi, the New York-based security researcher who took home USD b10000 in a highly-publicized MacBook Pro hijack on April 20, has been at the center of a week's worth of controversy about the security of Apple's operating system. In an e-mail interview with Computerworld, Dai Zovi talked about how finding vulnerabilities is like fishing, the chances that someone else will stumble on the still-unpatched bug, and what operating system - Windows Vista or Mac OS X - is the sturdiest when it comes to security.

http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/04/30/daizovi/index.php