Articles about Windows

Microsoft UK .NET platform product manager Ian Moulster wrote in a post to his personal Web log that the company will cut access to Windows Vista Beta 2 on Friday, as the company has reached the number of testers it was looking to give access to through its Customer Preview Program.

Moulster gave some tips to those who want to beat the cutoff and ensure they have access to a copy of the Vista beta and Release Candidate builds. Users should start their downloads today, as Microsoft plans to maintain download servers until July 14, which means the download could be stopped and restarted later.

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Microsoft late Friday delivered the first build of Windows Vista to follow the release of Beta 2 at WinHEC in May. Build 5456 is available to technical beta testers, and includes better user interface performance along with User Account Control tweaks to lessen the number of authentication notices.

UAC is designed to keep applications running in a reduced privilege mode, so malicious programs cannot do extensive damage to the operating system. However, many Vista beta users have found the feature frustrating, as seemingly basic operations require multiple confirmations. Microsoft will not make interim Vista beta builds available to Customer Preview Program customers, who must wait until RC1 for a new release.

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Microsoft this week provided greater detail on hardware requirements for its Windows Vista Basic and Premium logo programs. The Redmond company said that in order to be certified as "Vista Ready," a device must meet all of the requirements.

"To qualify for a basic system logo, the devices of a basic system that includes embedded or add-in devices must comply with the basic requirements (if a logo program exists for the device categories)," Microsoft explained.

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The legality of hosting a BitTorrent tracker may be a gray area, but not for Microsoft when it comes to Windows Vista. The company on Wednesday handed down a cease-and-desist order to VistaTorrent.com, which was setup to help users download Vista Beta 2 without waiting on Microsoft's overloaded servers.

Those eager to try out the first public release of Microsoft's next generation operating system have struggled with slow download speeds and timeouts. The company has even recommended that users place an order for a $6 DVD copy rather than wait for the downloads, which have been intentionally capped.

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Microsoft senior vice president Bob Muglia opened up TechEd 2006 in Boston Sunday evening by proclaiming that Windows Vista was the most secure operating system in the industry. But a bold statement can only go so far, and much of this week's conference has been spent reinforcing that point.

From the network perimeter to deep inside the Windows client, the significance of security has permeated into every facet of technology. Norman Mailer said that 20th century man's default status was anxiety. We have barely dipped our toes into the 21st, and our default status has already been elevated to outright fear.

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With Microsoft struggling to keep up with the demand for Windows Vista Beta 2, tech personality Chris Pirillo has taken the initiative to publish the 3.2-gigabite download using BitTorent. But Microsoft recommends against using a third party to obtain Vista code.

Those eager to try out the first public release of Microsoft's next generation operating system have been met with slow download speeds and timeouts. The Redmond company has even recommended that users place an order for a DVD copy rather than deal with the download wait times.

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One of the most important features shipping in Windows Vista has also become the most contentious: User Account Control. While businesses and users alike have asked for improved security, the feature's barrage of pop-up windows has left those running beta builds simply annoyed.

In response, Microsoft says changes are on the way.

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In the seemingly never-ending list of features to be stripped from Windows Vista, yet another has fallen by the wayside. Microsoft made a decision to remove PC-to-PC synchronization from Windows Vista, Microsoft Watch reported on Wednesday.

The feature, which would have allowed a user to synchronize files between two Vista computers, was removed from Beta 2 in late May when it was first shipped to industry partners and developers.

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Taking a page from Linux, Microsoft on Wednesday took the lid off its Vista Customer Preview Program, which could provide the company with millions of eager testers. Users are able to download a copy of Beta 2, released to a limited number of technical beta testers last month.

Excitement over the program was evident late Wednesday, with readers reporting to BetaNews that connections were frequently timing out as customers rushed to get the code.

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Windows Vista will be one of the most accessible operating systems that Microsoft has ever released, the company said Monday. New features for those with disabilities take into account three years of research by Microsoft, and is being led by Rob Sinclair.

Sinclair is the new director of Microsoft's Accessible Technology Group. "Developing new ways to make technology easier for people to use has always been one of my passions," he says. "I've really been pursuing the same goals throughout my career."

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Security firm Secunia warned Thursday of a new flaw within Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 that could cause a denial of service issue. The vulnerability can be exploited to cause a buffer overflow, which in turn would cause Windows to crash. Labeled as a "less critical" vulnerability, the flaw could be used to execute arbitrary code, but Secunia was unable to prove that in tests.

Microsoft said that it was investigating the issue, however was not aware of any attack vectors that attempt to exploit the problem. "The vulnerability has been confirmed on a fully patched system with Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and Microsoft Windows 2003 Server," Secunia wrote in its advisory. It is unclear if Microsoft plans to address the flaw on its next Patch Tuesday, scheduled for June 13.

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In order to differentiate between Internet Explorer 7 on Windows XP and Vista, Microsoft on Friday announced "IE7+." The special branding is designed to highlight the additional features IE7 will receive in Vista, including Protected Mode, parental controls, and improved network diagnostics.

"There are no feature differences between IE7 and IE7+ beta 2 other than the ones I mentioned above; we have, however, fixed a bunch of bugs between the two releases," explained IE team member Tony Schreiner. "As always, I’d love to hear your feedback on this naming as well as the product. We’ll have more information on how to sign up for Windows Vista beta 2 with IE7+ shortly."

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With Windows Vista Beta 2 slated to become public through a Customer Preview Program in the coming weeks, testers may find themselves facing a major problem: many antivirus suites don't yet work with the new operating system. Computer Associates is aiming to remedy this issue by offering free copies of eTrust EZ for Vista.

The trial subscription will last for one year, at which customers will need to pay to continue receiving virus definition updates. With Microsoft planning to ship its own antivirus capabilities with Windows OneCare and Windows Live Safety Center, companies such as CA have been looking at ways -- such as free promotions -- to ensure they still have a place on the desktop.

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Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates kicked off the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in Seattle Tuesday, heralding the arrival of the Beta 2 releases of Windows VIsta, Office 2007 and Longhorn Server. Both Office and Vista betas will be available for public download in order to garner more feedback as the products near completion.

The announcement marked the first time Microsoft has simultaneously released test versions of its flagship products. The Redmond company says it has focused on four main areas with the new releases: simplifying how people work together, better content protection and management, improved search and more robust security.

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Symantec filed suit against Microsoft on Thursday, accusing the Redmond company of infringing on its patented technology in Windows Vista and Longhorn Server. The suit asks for damages, as well as an injunction that would halt the sale of both operating systems.

The complaint involves technology in Symantec's Volume Manager program, which allows an operating system to store a large amount of data. Microsoft had licensed a basic version of the software from Veritas in 1996, and used it in its Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 operating systems.

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