Microsoft slashes Windows Vista retail price in surprise move
Microsoft appears to be attempting to increase Windows Vista sales by making the operating system more affordable both in the United States and abroad.
In the US, the changes will only apply to the Premium and Ultimate upgrade versions of the software. Premium will fall from $159 to $129, while the Ultimate version will now be $219, down from $299.
Internal e-mails show concern over 'Vista capable' program
As the looming court battle over the "Windows Vista capable" program draws nearer, a federal judge unsealed internal e-mails which show that Microsoft may have been aware of potential problems long before the suit was filed.
These e-mails are likely to provide the plaintiffs a good deal of evidence that the Redmond company was indeed aware that some of their certified products could not run the more advanced features of the new OS.
Vista SP1 breaks ZoneAlarm, Trend Micro apps, among others
Microsoft has presented a list of applications which are adversely affected by the problematic Vista Service Pack 1, some of which cease to function entirely.
The problem apps are categorized in three groups: those that are blocked from starting, those that lose functionality, and those that do not run at all following the installation of Service Pack 1.
Endless reboots force suspension of Vista SP1 updates
The reason it's called "beta testing" is to anticipate and isolate problems. But a big problem reported by some -- not all -- Vista SP1 testers is causing Microsoft to take a step back.
The regular update cycle for testers of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 was suspended yesterday afternoon, following multiple reports of downloaders discovering their automatically updating computers stuck in an endless cycle of reboots. This would mark the second time in two months that pockets of testers reported such a problem.
Why you can't have Vista SP1 yet: Microsoft fixing driver problem
Despite being released to manufacturing last week, Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is not being made available to all customers because Microsoft is trying to resolve an issue in which hardware devices may stop functioning after SP1 is installed.
Apparently, there is a problem that can occur when the operating system re-installs drivers after SP1 is loaded onto a system. Microsoft says the drivers themselves are not at fault, but ostensibly because Vista SP1 is already finalized, the company has opted to work with hardware manufacturers to implement fixes.
Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista SP1 released to manufacturing
The party is on for February 27th, as Microsoft confirms its star attraction, Windows Server 2008, will be released on time. Admins everywhere may now be breathing a sigh of relief.
There will be no delay from here on out in Microsoft's release of Windows Server 2008. As one of the company's "heroes" for its gala rollout party in Los Angeles in just over three weeks' time, WS2K8 will arrive neither early like its "hero" partner Visual Studio 2008, or late like SQL Server 2008, which will actually ship at least six months after it "launches."
Vista SP1 'on schedule' for March RTM
With a major launch event next month serving as an unmovable anchor for Microsoft at this point, the ancillary launches for Vista Service Pack 1 and XP SP3 would probably raise suspicion if they were delayed.
A group of 15,000 private beta testers received what's being called "RC Refresh 2" of the release candidate for Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Microsoft confirmed to BetaNews this morning. Numbers for the actual release candidate or the beta number, judging from Microsoft's recent correspondence with us, are no longer being used, which could lead some to believe that this may not be the final "refresh" coming down the pike.
How is Windows Vista Service Pack 1 running?
Microsoft on Friday made available to the public a pre-release version of Windows Vista SP1. We want to know what you think, assuming you're willing to install the beta.
Service Pack 1 -- due out this quarter -- is slated to bring a number of major improvements to Microsoft's flagship operating system, but mostly behind the scenes. Performance and reliability has been boosted, in addition to improved compatibility with applications and drivers. Vista users have been clamoring for SP1 since the OS debuted one year ago, so we want to know: does it live up to the hype? Leave a comment below with your experiences, both good and bad.
Conspicuous by its absence, Vista is a no-show at CES
Scott Fulton, BetaNews: One of the consumer electronics industry's biggest brands has had an ever-diminishing presence at CES, and the trend continued this year. It's Windows, which this year moved from the backseat into Microsoft's trunk, as even Bill Gates himself touted products such as Mediaroom, Silverlight, and the Surface prototype while only mentioning Windows Vista in passing.
Last year, Sharon Fisher and I noticed the trend, and here's what we said about it at the time:
100 million copies sold, but Vista mostly absent at CES
Ahead of Bill Gates' keynote Sunday night, Microsoft said that 100 million copies of Vista have been sold, but the new OS has little presence here at CES.
In a meeting with BetaNews Monday, Aaron Coldiron, senior marketing manager for Windows Vista, acknowledged that Microsoft has done little to offer a compelling story for its flagship operating system, but promised changes were afoot.
Microsoft's 'Extender' for Vista and HDTV reaches reality
Microsoft's Extender for Windows Media Center isn't altogether new. But the extender products announced at CES 2008 -- from Samsung, HP, Linksys, and others -- are a different kettle of fish due to their use of Vista and HDTV.
First rolled out by Bill Gates way back at CES 2004, Microsoft's "Extender for Windows Media Center" finally seems to be approaching full throttle at this year's CES -- now that Samsung, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco-owned Linskys, and other hardware makers are producing extender hardware that works with HDTVs and the streaming media capabilities of Vista PCs.
One critical patch for Vista en route
Maybe they are busy prepping for CES, but Microsoft only plans to issue two patches for the first Patch Tuesday of the new year. Both patches will deal with code execution vulnerabilities in the Windows Vista operating system. One will be rated "critical," while the other received an "important" rating from the Redmond company.
The critical patch affects not only Vista, but all versions of the Windows operating system, while the important patch is also intended for Windows 2000, XP, and 2003. FrSIRT may provide some idea as to what these patches may be: it currently lists a critical buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft DirectX, and a "moderate risk" flaw in the Windows CFileFind class.
Powerline home networking could come to Vista
DS2 now claims to be the only powerline vendor offering on-board support for the LLPD network mapping protocol in Microsoft's Vista. But is LLPD really simple enough for use in home networking? And what are the chances anyway for a technology that runs over home electrical wiring?
Attempting to make it easier for consumers to figure out their home networking connections, DS2 -- a top maker of the powerline equipment that works over home electrical wiring -- has now added full support for a feature in Microsoft's Vista OS that supports the display of computers, network adapters, routers and other devices on an easy-to-read network map.
CES 'Better Questions' contest: Win Vista Ultimate, CS3, Zune and more
In preparation for CES 2008, which kicks off in Las Vegas on Sunday, we have decided to give away a number of products that have been gathering dust around the office. All you need to do to win is come up with a good question.
The rules are easy: leave a comment below with a question we should ask at CES. This question can be directed at a specific manufacturer or general technology. It should be something that would be interesting to other BetaNews readers and that it is possible to answer. We will post answers to the winning questions as we ask them during the event.
Microsoft acknowledges Vista kernel elevation vulnerability
What was not supposed to happen in Windows Vista apparently has: Despite a layer of protection that was supposed to prevent against processes elevating their own privileges, Microsoft now says someone found a way to do it.
A Microsoft security bulletin written earlier this week but publicized this morning cites security software engineers SkyRecon Systems as having discovered a way for processes in both 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista to elevate their own privilege to administrator level.
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