Windows Vista
Vista Security exploit - without the hype
There’s been some wild and panicky stuff in some of the Tech press lately about a potential exploit that could bypass Vista’s security model. It all sounds pretty drastic but please bear in mind that most reports have been pretty sensationalist about it.
A ZDNet blog post contains a bit more ‘measured’ information about it along [...]
Keyboard shortcuts for Vista
Here’s a handy little list of useful Vista keyboard shortcuts:
Win + d - show Desktop
Win + f- search for files
Win + g - cycles through Gadget selections
Win + l - lock your computer
Win + m - minimize windows
Win + t - cycles through Taskbar programs
Win + u - activate the ‘Ease of Use’ Center
Win + x - cycle through the ‘Mobility’ Center
Win [...]
Microsoft officially ends sales of XP
Microsoft is proceeding with plans to stop selling the Windows XP operating system to retailers and major computer as from June 30th.
Once major manufacturers such as Dell and HP have cleared their stocks of machines loaded with XP, then new machines will only be issued with Vista, and anyone wishing to revert to XP will [...]
Microsoft Releases Windows Search 4
Microsoft has released its Windows Search 4 to the web, updating its Vista, XP, Server 2003 and Windows Home Server offerings.
Microsoft said that this release followed an earlier preview that was downloaded some 300,000 times and has resulted in a lot of feedback, and as a result, a number of quality improvements.
One improved area is [...]
Next Microsoft Operating System Has Touch Controls
Microsoft Corp plans to give users of the next version of its Windows operating system touch screen controls as one option for controlling the software, its top executives said on Tuesday.
Chairman Bill Gates and Chief Executive Steve Ballmer showed off new Windows features based on software it calls “multi-touch” that will be part of Windows [...]
Vista Selling Really Well, Says Ballmer
Steve Ballmer is in no way disappointed with Windows Vista. It is selling “incredibly wellâ€, he told a press conference in Herzeliya, Israel today.
“Vista sells on almost 100 per cent of all the new consumer PCs around the world,” the Microsoft CEO proclaimed. He added that the operating system was also selling on, “45 percent [...]
Developers Favour XP Over Vista
Software developers are still writing applications for Windows XP, Windows 2003 and Linux in preference to Windows Vista more than 16 months after its worldwide release.
A survey by Evans Data questioned 380 US software developers and found that just eight percent are developing applications for Vista.
Almost half the respondents are focusing development efforts on Windows [...]
Enable the (Hidden) Administrator Account in Windows Vista
Many people have asked me where on earth the Administrator account has gone in Windows Vista. Quite simply, it hasn’t gone anywhere, it still exists however, Microsoft made a very smart move as far as I’m concerned and disabled the Administrator account by default.
To be quite honest, the average home user and, dare I [...]
Microsoft Continues With XP and Vista Updates
Microsoft will resume two major Windows updates it had stalled due to a conflict it caused with one of its lesser-known software products.
A week ago, Microsoft delayed the release of Windows XP Service Pack 3 because of a problem that could lead to data loss when running the XP update in conjunction with its Microsoft [...]
Vista Service Pack 1 Auto Updates Halted
Microsoft confirmed on Tuesday that it has stopped automatic updates of Vista to Service Pack 1 in the wake of a newly discovered glitch.
The problem, which has also halted the availability of Windows XP Service Pack 3, prevents Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System from working with either operating system update.
“We are temporarily holding any additional [...]
Tool Created to Bypass Windows Vista UAC
Software developers claim they have created a tool to bypass Windows Vista’s “annoying” User Account Control (UAC) security feature.
The developers from NeoSmart said on their Web site that the UAC feature was “only there to give the impression of security”.
UAC is a controversial feature of Vista designed to stop users from installing or executing arbitrary [...]
Windows Vista auto-updates to SP1
Microsoft on Wednesday kicked off automatic distribution of Windows Vista Service Pack 1, the first major update to the year-and-a-half-old operating system.
The company finalised the Vista update in February but held off until now pushing it directly to individuals.
This Microsoft has started sending it to Vista users who have the automatic update feature turned on. [...]
Ballmer admits Vista is ‘a work in progress’
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer has told delegates at the software giant’s Most Valuable Professionals Summit in Seattle that Windows Vista is “a work in progress” and that the company is trying to learn from its mistakes.
“I think we did a lot of things right, and I think we have a lot of things we [...]
How to activate Windows Vista
Activation is required in all versions of Windows Vista. After you install Windows Vista, you have 30 days to activate it online or by telephone. If the 30-day activation period expires before you complete the activation, Windows Vista does not work as expected. You cannot create new files, and you cannot save changes to existing [...]
Built-in Quick Launch Hotkeys in Windows Vista
I discovered something today which I found quite useful, and I think you might as well - built in hotkeys for the first 10 items in the Quick Launch toolbar.
The first 10 items in toolbar are assigned a number automatically from 1 to 9 with 0 representing 10.
For example, here is my toolbar:
1. Show Desktop
2. [...]
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