Microsoft is preparing the release of Service Pack 3 for Office 2007. The release should come sometime before the end of 2011.

According to Microsoft in a post on October 6, on the Microsoft Office Updates blog:

“Service Pack 3 contains a roll-up of all 2007 Cumulative and Public Updates since Service Pack 2 for both Office client suites and applications as well as SharePoint Servers, in addition to some new fixes for issues discovered during the lifecycle of SP2.”

If users have been keeping their Automatic Updates for Office 2007 up to date then they already have installed most of what’s coming in SP3.

Another factor is size so it should be easier to install. SP3 is smaller than 2007 SP1, SP2 or even 2010 SP1. Microsoft expects to provide documentation detailing the changes and the affected packages on TechNet. Plus, unlike Office 2010 SP1, customers won’t be asked to deploy the accompanying Cumulative Update at the same time as the coming SP3.

Office 2007 SP3 Updates

Here is a list of the Applications that SP3 will initiate.

• Office Client 2007 Suites
• Office SharePoint 2007 Servers
• Office SharePoint Search Server 2007
• Office SharePoint Designer 2007
• Office Project 2007
• Office Visio 2007
• Office Proofing tools 2007
• Calendar Printing Assistant for Outlook 2007
• Office InterConnect 2007
• Office Compatibility Pack
• PowerPoint Viewer
• Visio Viewer
• Office Servers Language Pack
• Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
• Office Access Runtime and Data Connectivity Components

Update procedures

To get the update go to the Microsoft Download Center and begin the manual download. If you do it through the Microsoft Update feature, then it will appear as a optional update.

Office 2003 Upgrades and others

If your office version is 2003, Microsoft recommends that you bypass the 2007 Office version and proceed to the Office 2010. Microsoft will continue to offer free mainstream support for Office 2010 until 2015. Also, note that mainstream, free support for Office 2007 ends next April, 2012 and for Office 2003  free support ends April 2014. Microsoft is offering this upgrade to allow users the time to apply it and test that it doesn’t cause problems. After April 2012, that support will not be free.

Source: Microsoft Blog

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Windows 7 has been conceived as a fairly stable, well designed operating system so far. Some of the operating system’s users have however experienced random freezes in high memory situations, Microsoft notes on a new Microsoft Support page. Computers affected by the user stop responding randomly. Microsoft confirms that “the issue typically occurs when the memory usage is high and when the memory manager performs frequent paging in and paging out actions”.

Affected are not only the Windows 7 operating system but also the latest server client operating system Windows Server 2008 R2. The issue is not fixed by installing the latest service pack, as service pack versions of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 are also affected by it.

The freezes are caused by a “deadlock situation in the Microsoft Filesystem Filter Manager (Fltmgr.sys)”.

Microsoft has created a hotfix that resolves the issue on affected operating systems. It needs to be noted that the hotfix is only intended for installation on systems that experience freezes and not on systems who do not.

It is likely that the hotfix at one point or the other will be integrated into a future update of the operating system.

For now, users with freeze issues in high memory situations need to download and install the patch to resolve them. The patch basically replaces the old version of the Filter Manager with an updated version that resolves the issue.

The hotfix can’t be downloaded directly from Microsoft Support. Users need to fill out a small form (asking for their email and captcha). Microsoft then sends the link to the hotfix to that email address so that Windows users can download it.

The fix is available for the 32-bit, 64-bit and IA-64 versions of the operating systems.

Are you affected by the issue? Let us know in the comments.

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Many Windows 7 News visitors are first movers who have bought the Windows 7 operating system when it first came out. This could have been a purchase of a standalone version of the operating system, of a new computer that shipped with Windows 7 or an upgrade from an old copy of XP or Vista. The Windows 7 Service Pack 1 was released in February by Microsoft. Up until now there was only one option to get an integrated Windows 7 with SP1 installation if you owned a Windows 7 copy: Slipstreaming. Many users shy away from slipstreaming as it is perceived as technically complicated.

But it was the only option to avoid the following scenario: If you had to re-install Windows 7 you first needed to install the operating system, and then run a series of updates that included the service pack to bring the OS to the latest version. That may work on one computer system, but what if you need to re-install several computers on a network?

If you are not into slipstreaming you can now download the official Windows 7 with integrated SP1 from Microsoft’s distribution partner Digital River. Here are the downloads:

• Windows 7 Home Premium x86 SP1 (bootable) [download]
• Windows 7 Home Premium x64 SP1 (bootable) [download]
• Windows 7 Professional x86 SP1 (bootable) [download]
• Windows 7 Professional x64 SP1 (bootable) [download]
• Windows 7 Ultimate x86 SP1 (bootable) [download]
• Windows 7 Ultimate X64 SP1 (bootable) [download]

The downloads are provided as ISO disc images which you need to burn to DVD first. If you are running Windows 7 you can right-click the ISO after download to do just that. You will need a blank DVD for that.

The downloads can also be handy for users who have not received physical discs of the operating system, for instance if they have bought a PC or notebook with a preinstalled version of Windows.

The operating system needs to be activated after a 30-day free trial period.

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Have you updated the core Windows system browser to Internet Explorer 9 yet? Chance is that you noticed blurry fonts in the new version. This can be attributed to a change in font rendering in Internet Explorer 9. Internet Explorer 8 used whole-pixel positioned ClearType to render text by using the Windows Graphics Device Interface, whereas Internet Explorer 9 uses sub-pixel positioned ClearType to render text using DirectWrite.

This change caused the blurry font rendering on some Windows systems running Internet Explorer 9. We have seen several suggested fixes in the past, like installing a dll wrapper to change the font rendering.

Microsoft has now released an official update for computers running Internet Explorer 9 to improve the font rendering of several core system fonts. The fonts that received an update are Arial, Verdana and Tahoma in font sizes 8,9 and 10 points and regular styles.

The update is available for all operating systems that Internet Explorer 9 can be installed on. This includes the client operating systems Windows Vista and Windows 7, as well as the server operating systems Windows Server 2008 and Server 2008 R2.

The updates are provided as downloads from Microsoft’s official support website. Here are the direct links to the download pages:

• Windows 7 x86
• Windows 7 x64
• Windows Vista x86
• Windows Vista x64
• Windows Server 2008 x86
• Windows Server 2008 x64
• Windows Server 2008 IA-64
• Windows Server 2008 R2 x64
• Windows Server 2008 R2 IA-64

Please note that you need to pass a genuine verification check before the downloads become available on the support sites. A restart of the system is required before the update can be fully installed and applied to the system.

Windows users find further information about the “Text in some core fonts appears blurred in Internet Explorer 9 on a computer that is running Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2008 R2″ update at Microsoft’s Support website.

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The first service pack for Windows 7 has been available for nearly a month at this stage and by and large I think the roll out went without too many problems for most users. That was until today when I stumbled across a post on The Register.

Apparently a rake of “fatal errors” are hampering Windows 7 computers that have been updated since Microsoft released the first service pack. There are plenty of cases on forums where Windows 7 PC’s are booting with error messages and many users have had to rebuild their machines.

One Register reader, who has seen the errors appear on 15 machines had this to say

Basically, if you have an OEM machine connected to a server running WSUS [Windows Server Update Services] with the default settings it offers and installs SP1 automatically. This is killing machines and stopping them booting with a C00000034 fatal error

He also adds that Windows 7 SP1 deletes all restore points on your machine just before it begins to install, so you have no recovery points.

Some users have also reported falling into a reboot loop and encounter the error message Error C000009A applying update operation 120782 of 367890

The Microsoft forums and message boards have plenty to report on these issues which you can see here and here

Despite all these complaints, Microsoft still hadn’t figured out where it all went wrong until a couple of days ago. They’ve since issued a fix which will hopefully solve the error code 0xc0000034

Microsoft really want to be careful with this situation. They really should have tested Windows 7 SP1 in all situations to make sure nothing like this would have occurred. I feel they may have been rushing it out and that could have caused some of these slip ups. There’s no point in rushing out a first service pack if it’s just going to cause trouble, but I believe that reports like this can often be blown out of proportion somewhat.

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Users of a Canon printer who recently updated an older version of Internet Explorer to Internet Explorer 9 may have experienced failed print jobs when trying to print web pages in the web browser.

Common error messages that pop up include “Script error An error has occurred in the script on this page” and “Message from webpage There was an internal error, and Internet Explorer is unable to print this document”. Microsoft confirmed that users may see variations of error messages on their computer.

The problem affects all operating system that Internet Explorer 9 is compatible with, which means Windows Vista and 7, as well as the server operating systems Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2.

The issue appears to be only affecting systems with a Cannon printer connected that uses Canon printer drivers, not generic drivers.

Microsoft furthermore has informed us that the issues may occur when the Canon printer has been configured to print multiple pages on one sheet of paper, and when other applications are used to “apply the XPS Print API for print jobs”.

An update was released for all affected operating systems that is available for download at the official Microsoft Support knowledgebase page.

• All supported x86-based versions of Windows Vista [download]
• All supported x64-based versions of Windows Vista [download]
• All supported x86-based versions of Windows Server 2008 [download]
• All supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 [download]
• All supported x86-based versions of Windows 7 [download]
• All supported x64-based versions of Windows 7 [download]
• All supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2 [download]

Prerequisites

The update can only be applied to the following operating system versions:

Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2)
Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (SP2)
Windows 7
Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1)

Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 users furthermore need the following updates before they can update their operating system:

• 971512 Description of the Windows Graphics, Imaging, and XPS Library
• 2117917 Platform Update Supplement for Windows Vista and for Windows Server 2008

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Windows 7 SP1 hasn’t been out too long, but Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard have already said they are going to start shipping it pre-loaded on their machines. Laptops and desktops from Lenovo will be shipped with Windows 7 service pack 1 starting in early April. Hewlett-Packard have said they are planning shipments of business PCs preloaded with Windows 7 SP1 soon afer.

HP won’t be shipping consumer PCs with the service pack until around mid-June however, as they are going to wait until their back-to-school-product launch.

Windows 7 SP1 was made available at the end of February to the public, while Technet and MSDN subscribers got their hands on it about a week before. At the moment most users should probably have it installed if they have their Windows Update center configured to automatically download and install new updates.

SP1 didn’t contain any major fixes, but it does patch up and fix a few little bugs that Microsoft have discovered since Windows 7 was released by in October 2009.

Dell have declined to say when they are going to start shipping their machines with the service pack installed, but their CEO Michael Dell said in the past that PC’s with Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 could boost the client PC refresh cycle.

Microsoft haven’t yet released any Windows 7 installation media with SP1 to PC Makers, and we’re still not sure when they will. Currently PC Makers have to manually install SP1, a process which can take hours. More than likely, the sooner Microsoft release Windows 7 SP1 media, the sooner it will start shipping on machines.

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Windows 7 N and Windows 7 KN are special editions of Windows 7 tailored to comply with regulations in specific regions of the world. Microsoft offers these versions of the operating system in addition to the standard versions that are available worldwide. The differences? Windows 7 N and Windows 7 KN ship without Windows Media Player and related programs such as Windows Media Center.

Users who bought computers with Windows 7 N or KN installed or media of those operating systems can download the missing components free of charge. The Media Feature Pack for Windows 7 N enable the media functionality on those operating system versions.

Microsoft recently updated the media feature pack for compatibility reasons. The new Media Feature Pack for Windows 7 N with Service Pack 1 and Windows 7 KN with Service Pack 1 are now available for download for users of Windows 7 N or Windows 7 KN.

A genuine Windows system is required before the packs can be downloaded to the local system. They basically turn the system into a full Windows 7 system with media player support.

Interested users can download the media packs from Microsoft Download.

The media packs add the following functionality to Windows 7 N or KN.

• Play or create audio CDs, media files, and video DVDs
• Organize content in a media library
• Create playlists
• Convert audio CDs to media files
• View artist and title information about media files
• View album art about music files
• Transfer music to personal music players
• Record and playback TV broadcasts

Additional information about the media pack are available at the Microsoft Knowledgebase.

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The very first service pack for Windows 7 will be available to the public starting from February 22nd as confirmed by Microsoft just over a week ago. It’s already been delivered to OEM partners and to subscribers of the MSDN or Technet service as of February 16th.

Is there anything that the average PC user will have to do to get the service pack? Not really, it’s a fairly straightforward process for most. Microsoft will be making it available from the Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft recommend that single PC and home PC Users should be using Windows Update instead of the standalone installer from the Microsoft Download Center. Mainly because it’s much easier to do with very little input from the user, but also because of the disk space requirements.

The disk space requirements vary dramatically. Users who update the operating system via the recommened Windows Update method need 750 Megabytes for 32-bit systems and 1050 Megabytes for 64-bit systems. However a stand alone installation by downloading the service pack via Microsoft’s Download Center, requires 4.1 Gigabytes of memory for 32-bit systems and a whooping 7.4 Gigabytes for a 64-bit system. So do what’s recommended and update via the Windows Update method.

Only admins who are working with multiple computers may consider download the service pack from the Download Center for distribution purposes.

There are a couple of things that should be done prior to updating to SP1

• Just do a quick scan to make sure your free from malware and viruses
• Microsoft recommend turning off your antivirus temporarily as it may interfere with the installation
• Make sure your drivers are up to date
• Be sure to have a constant power source, plug in your laptop or netbook to it’s charger
• Make sure you have enough free disk space
• Back up any important data in the unlikely case something goes wrong

And finally for those of you who don’t want to upgrade to the first service pack just yet, you can download the Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Blocker Tool from Microsoft. The toolkit blocks the installation of the service pack for 12 months.

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The first service pack for the Windows operating system will be released to the public in the coming week. MSDN and Technet subscribers on the other hand are able to download Windows 7 Service Pack 1 from today on. The Windows 7 Service Pack 1 release documents have been published today as well by Microsoft, and they are available publicly unlike the service pack itself.

The Documentation for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 can all be downloaded from this Microsoft Download Center page. Validation is required before the download links are made available to the user. This is either done directly if Internet Explorer is used to access the sites or by downloading a small executable to generate a number that needs to be pasted into the form on the appearing page.

The following documents are available for download:

• Deployment Guide for Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1 and Windows 7 with SP1.doc – 213KB [direct download]
• Hotfixes and Security Updates included in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1.xls – 465KB [direct download]
• Installing Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1.doc – 94KB [direct download]
• Release Notes for Windows 7 with Service Pack 1.doc – 87KB
• Release Notes for Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1.doc – 87KB

The release notes are just pointing to the very same web page they are listed on. The interesting documents are the deployment guide for system administrators,

This guide is for IT administrators who are deploying Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 (SP1). This document includes technical information, procedures, and recommendations for installing SP1 in a business or corporate environment. Although this guide includes some basic operating system information, we assume that you already have a working knowledge of Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, and update installations.

the Hotfixes and Security Updates list,

“Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 includes all previously released updates for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Many of these updates are available to the public on the Microsoft Download Center and Windows Update, while others are only available to specific customers or partners. It is standard practice to include all of these updates in a Service Pack and as such they are included in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1.

This document contains a list of these updates with links to their descriptive webpage on http://support.microsoft.com. There are other updates in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 which have not been released as updates and therefore are not presented in this list.”

and the Installing this Release of Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1 document.

This document provides information about the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system with Service Pack 1, including steps to take prior to installation, installing the Service Pack, and how to uninstall the Service Pack. The Service Pack installation wizard guides you through the actual installation steps. This Service Pack updates all editions of Windows Server 2008 R2.

Please note that we have added direct download links for the three important release documents.

Microsoft furthermore updated the Knowledge Base article “Information about Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and for Windows Server 2008 R2″ with information about both service packs.

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Brandon LeBlanc over at the Windows Team Blog has just confirmed that Microsoft has “handed off the final release (RTM) of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1″ to their OEM partners. The first service pack for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 will be available on February 16 for MSDN and TechNet subscribers, and on February 22 for all customers via the Microsoft Download Center or directly via Windows Update.

For Windows 7, SP1 will help keep your PCs well supported by delivering ongoing updates, many of which have been made previously available through Windows Update.

Brandon confirmed that the final build number is indeed 7601.17514.101119-1850. Most users should however wait with the installation of the service pack until it becomes officially available, considering that it does not contain a lot of new features or new patches for the Windows 7 operating system. (via)

See Windows 7 SP1 Final Out In The Coming Weeks for a listing of all additional features.

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While there is no official confirmation yet by Microsoft, Winrumors are reporting that the service pack 1 for Windows 7 will be released on February 16 for MSDN customers and February 22 for all customers. Close Microsoft partners have apparently been information about the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) milestone and the release dates. The information has to be taken with a grain of salt because of the missing official confirmation.

According to their information, build 7601.17514.101119-1850 is the final RTM build indicating that it has been completed last year. It is likely that Microsoft will make an official release announcement shortly to inform customers and users about the upcoming release.

Only a few new features are added to the operating system by the service pack. Take a look at the listing below for an overview:

• Additional support for communication with third-party federation services – Additional support has been added to allow Windows 7 clients to effectively communicate with third-party identity federation services (those supporting the WS-Federation passive profile protocol). This change enhances platform interoperability, and improves the ability to communicate identity and authentication information between organizations.
• Improved HDMI audio device performance – A small percentage of users have reported issues in which the connection between computers running Windows 7 and HDMI audio devices can be lost after system reboots. Updates have been incorporated into SP1 to ensure that connections between Windows 7 computers and HDMI audio devices are consistently maintained.
• Corrected behavior when printing mixed-orientation XPS documents – Prior to the release of SP1, some customers have reported difficulty when printing mixed-orientation XPS documents (documents containing pages in both portrait and landscape orientation) using the XPS Viewer, resulting in all pages being printed entirely in either portrait or landscape mode. This issue has been addressed in SP1, allowing users to correctly print mixed-orientation documents using the XPS Viewer.
• Change to behavior of “Restore previous folders at logon” functionality – SP1 changes the behavior of the “Restore previous folders at logon” function available in the Folder Options Explorer dialog. Prior to SP1, previous folders would be restored in a cascaded position based on the location of the most recently active folder. That behavior changes in SP1 so that all folders are restored to their previous positions.
• Enhanced support for additional identities in RRAS and IPsec – Support for additional identification types has been added to the Identification field in the IKEv2 authentication protocol. This allows for a variety of additional forms of identification (such as E-mail ID or Certificate Subject) to be used when performing authentication using the IKEv2 protocol.
• Support for Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) – There has always been a growing need for ever more computing power and as usage models change, processors instruction set architectures evolve to support these growing demands. Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) is a 256 bit instruction set extension for processors. AVX is designed to allow for improved performance for applications that are floating point intensive. Support for AVX is a part of SP1 to allow applications to fully utilize the new instruction set and register extensions.

Expect a news update as soon as Microsoft officially confirms the service pack 1 release dates. (via)

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Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday is coming. This means that Microsoft plans to ship bulletins and fixes for vulnerabilities it has discovered on its operating system or Internet Explorer. Plan on seeing patches, and bulletins for 22 vulnerabilities that were uncovered. In fact, some were serious enough to allow hackers to have complete access to a Windows PC. Microsoft plans to present 3 bulletins with the critical rating.

This is severe with the patch batch applying to the Microsoft Windows operating system, the Internet Explorer browser, the Microsoft Office productivity suite, Visual Studio, and IIS.

Accordingly from their blog this is what is coming:

“As part of this month’s update, we’ll be addressing issues related to two recent Security Advisories, 2490606 (a public vulnerability affecting the Windows Graphics Rendering Engine) and 2488013 (a public vulnerability affecting Internet Explorer). Additionally, we will be addressing an issue affecting FTP service in IIS 7.0 and 7.5.”

Last week, Microsoft sent out an advisory that warned users of the availability of exploit code. It affected all supported editions of Microsoft Windows.

“The vulnerability could allow an attacker to cause a victim to run malicious scripts when visiting various Web sites, resulting in information disclosure. This impact is similar to server-side cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities. Microsoft is aware of published information and proof-of-concept code that attempts to exploit this vulnerability. At this time, Microsoft has not seen any indications of active exploitation of the vulnerability.”

So how does Microsoft propose to deal with the problem right now? Well in the absence of a patch for that issue, Microsoft recommends that users do the following:

• Enable the MHTML protocol lockdown.
• Set your settings to “High” for both the Internet and Local intranet security zone settings. This will block ActiveX Controls and Active Scripting in these zones.
• Have a prompt automatically activate to prompt before running Active Scripting or to disable Active Scripting in the Internet and Local intranet security zone.

Source: Advance Notification Service for the February 2011 Security Bulletin Release

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A reliability update for 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows 7 was released by Microsoft in January. It turned out that the 64-bit edition of the patch could cause problems on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 systems under certain circumstances.

Knowledgebase article 2498368 for instance describes a problem that users who have installed the update may see error numbers or experience that Windows Live Mail may fail to launch successfully. The update for 64-bit editions of Windows 7 was pulled again as a result.

Microsoft has now made available the Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems again. Windows 7 64-bit users can download it directly from Microsoft’s Download Center.

This is a reliability update. Install this update to enable a set of performance and functionality updates for graphics, Media Foundation, and XPS components on Windows 7 systems. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

32-bit users of Windows 7 do not need to do anything at all as the 32-bit update has not changed since it was released in January.

The update with the file name Windows6.1-KB2454826-v2-x64.msu has a size of 9.8 Megabytes. Users can simply run it after download to install it. The update can only be downloaded after a genuine Windows validation. A restart of the PC is required to complete the update of the system.

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Yesterday I reported on a story that the recent software update from Microsoft was prepping Windows 7 machines for the update to Windows 7 SP1. Then earlier today Martin covered the news that the Windows 7 SP1 RTM was in fact finished. Now there’s a third piece of news. If we are to go by the Russian Microsoft Technet site it’s ready to be released in the next 24 hours …

Now since it’s in Russian we cannot be entirely sure of its translation, but once you run it through a couple of translation sites, the general idea is that the “pack will 2be publicly available tomorrow” and that a more detailed description with download links are set to follow “tomorrow”. This post was written yesterday so in fact it’s referring to today, but as of yet we haven’t seen anything.

In the comments section of the post however, it’s added that the service pack will be released on January 15th “Redmond Time”

The post goes on to discuss virtualization improvements in Windwos 7 SP1 and Server 2008 R2 SP1.

We’re all still a bit unsure about things at this stage, it’s odd that it would just appear up on the Russian Microsoft Technet site. But the post also admits that an internal announcement has been made marking the completion of the service pack.

The reason I’m so unsure of this is because Microsoft have never released a service pack on a weekend, it’s normally either a Monday or Tuesday, and other sources believe that this update is only being released to OEM’s and not the general public.

So if the blog post is official or not remains to be seen, but I think it’s pretty definite that the first service pack for Windows 7 is imminent

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Microsoft haven’t officially given a release date for the first service pack for Windows 7, they’ve just said that it will be in the first half of this year, so that’s a 6 month window to wait for it. However if we’re to go by recent events it could be sooner than that.

A Windows 7 update that was released this week gives strong hints that Windows 7 service pack 1 is nearing it’s “RTM” stage. According to the Microsoft support page the update KB976902 makes changes to the operating system’s servicing stack, needed to install and remove software update,language packs,optional Windows features and service packs.

So this update looks like it is basically laying the brickwork for the final update to Windows 7 Service Pack 1.

“This update is necessary to successfully install and to remove any service packs to all versions of Windows 7 and on Windows Server 2008 R2″ the page reads.

As others have noted, a similar update was required before the installation of the beta and release candidate version of Service Pack 1 (released in July and October last year respectively) which would suggest that the finished service pack is nearing public release.

While Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 won’t really bring any new features to the table that most users will notice, it does bring one or two extra things that are hoped to attract the enterprises to give up on Vista and XP and make to move to Windows 7.

Traditionally Microsoft release service packs on Mondays or Tuesdays, so the soonest we could see this is January 18th, but I doubt that.

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The release candidates of the first service packs for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 leaked to the net earlier this week. This indicated the next major step in the development phase, and it was likely that Microsoft would offer the release candidates to the public at a later time as well.

Today now, the release candidates for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 are officially available for download. Microsoft aims at IT professionals, developers and tech enthusiasts who want to test the operating system update in their organization or for compatibility with their applications.

Downloads however are available to all users that have a valid Windows Live ID and a genuine Windows operating system.

Microsoft is offering three different downloads, which require a little bit of explanation:

• WUSignUpTool_x86.exe and WUSignUpTool_x64.exe enable the release candidate in Windows Update, so that it can be downloaded and installed via Microsoft’s updating service.
• windows6.1-KB976932-X86.exe and windows6.1-KB976932-X64.exe will install the release candidate to 32-bit or 64-bit editions of Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
• 7601.17105.100929-1730_Update_Sp_Wave1-B1SP1.0_DVD.iso, a standalone iso image to update computer systems.

Documentation is available as well, detailing the changes, hotfixes and security updates in the service pack release candidates. For Windows 7 they are:

• Additional support for communication with third-party federation services – Additional support has been added to allow Windows 7 clients to effectively communicate with third-party identity federation services (those supporting the WS-Federation passive profile protocol). This change enhances platform interoperability, and improves the ability to communicate identity and authentication information between organizations.
• Improved HDMI audio device performance – A small percentage of users have reported issues in which the connection between computers running Windows 7 and HDMI audio devices can be lost after system reboots. Updates have been incorporated into SP1 to ensure that connections between Windows 7 computers and HDMI audio devices are consistently maintained.
• Corrected behavior when printing mixed-orientation XPS documents – Prior to the release of SP1, some customers have reported difficulty when printing mixed-orientation XPS documents (documents containing pages in both portrait and landscape orientation) using the XPS Viewer, resulting in all pages being printed entirely in either portrait or landscape mode. This issue has been addressed in SP1, allowing users to correctly print mixed-orientation documents using the XPS Viewer.
• Change to behavior of “Restore previous folders at logon” functionality – SP1 changes the behavior of the “Restore previous folders at logon” function available in the Folder Options Explorer dialog. Prior to SP1, previous folders would be restored in a cascaded position based on the location of the most recently active folder. That behavior changes in SP1 so that all folders are restored to their previous positions.
• Enhanced support for additional identities in RRAS and IPsec – Support for additional identification types has been added to the Identification field in the IKEv2 authentication protocol. This allows for a variety of additional forms of identification (such as E-mail ID or Certificate Subject) to be used when performing authentication using the IKEv2 protocol.
• Support for Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) – There has always been a growing need for ever more computing power and as usage models change, processors instruction set architectures evolve to support these growing demands. Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) is a 256 bit instruction set extension for processors. AVX is designed to allow for improved performance for applications that are floating point intensive. Support for AVX is a part of SP1 to allow applications to fully utilize the new instruction set and register extensions.

Windows 7 SP1 RC details:

• Service Pack 1 Release date: First half of 2011.
• Upgrade possible from SP1 RC to final: No, the RC needs to be uninstalled first.
• Available languages: English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish.
• SP1 RC expiration date: You will be reminded beginning August 30, 2011. The RC will expire on November 30, 2011

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If you’ve been having issues printing since upgrading to Windows 7 from Windows Vista, Microsoft may have released a hotfix for you.

Microsoft today acknowledged and released a hotfix for a problem with the Windows print spooler that would occasionally cause single-processor computers to spike at 100 percent CPU usage. This issue affects 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 systems, but not Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 systems.

If you feel that your printing in Windows 7 is taking an especially long time, especially if you’re running on an older system or an Intel Atom-powered netbook (both of which are more likely to have single-core processors), open the Task Manager by right clicking on your taskbar and clicking Start Task Manager. Go to the Performance tab and print a test page while checking out the CPU Usage section. If the meter hangs at 100 percent for awhile, you should try installing the hotfix.

As always, though, Microsoft recommends downloading and installing the hotfix only if you’re experiencing the problem in question – it hasn’t undergone the thorough testing that normal security patches and hotfixes go through. For those who’d rather wait, Microsoft will probably release this and other hotfixes in Service Pack 1 when it comes out early next year.

Source: Microsoft

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We already know that the upcoming Internet Explorer 9 isn’t going to support the aging Windows XP, but a much newer operating system has also fallen short of compatibility: the final version of IE9 will not install on Windows 7 RTM.

This tidbit was included as part of Microsoft’s IE9 Beta FAQ for IT Professionals, which answers common questions about deploying Internet Explorer 9 in a corporate or office environment. Most of the information is of little interest to home users, so I’ve extracted the pertinent tidbit for your convenience:

When Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 9, will it require Windows 7 Service Pack 1?

Yes. Internet Explorer 9 will require Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Therefore, organizations must plan, pilot, and deploy Internet Explorer 9 as part of or after a Windows 7 SP1 deployment.

So, there you have it. Service Pack 1, previously a collection of unexciting hotfixes and USB 3.0 support, just became a more necessary update.

The FAQ also definitively puts to rest the rumors that Windows 7 SP1 will somehow bundle Internet Explorer 9 – note the “as part of or after” part of the excerpt above. Because of the trouble corporations sometimes have transitioning to a new Internet Explorer version, Microsoft as a rule doesn’t include major IE releases with service packs.

We have no solid release date for either SP1 or IE9, but based on this information SP1 will be released first, if both updates are not made available at about the same time.

What do you think? Will this news change your IE9 adoption plans? Tell us in the comments!

Sources: Microsoft, Ars Technica

Update: Internet Explorer 9 will run on both Windows 7 RTM and Windows 7 SP1. The web browser requires some additional components if it is installed on Windows 7 RTM, which are part of the Service Pack 1 for Windows 7. Those components are downloaded with Internet Explorer 9 during installation. So, SP1 is not needed to run the new browser.

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Some readers here are stuck with the notion that Windows 7 may not be all that it is cracked up to be. So you are either using XP or Vista. You may want to evaluate Windows 7, but you don’t have a copy to work with. Well now you can.

First let’s go over the system requirements to make sure that you system can handle the Windows 7 version. You need at the minimum:

1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
1 GB of RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit)
DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
DVD-compatible drive
Internet access
Note: Some product features of Windows 7, such as the ability to watch and record live TV, BitLocker, or navigation through the use of “touch,” may require advanced or additional hardware. Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM and 15 GB of available disk space; and a processor capable of hardware virtualization, with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on.

Here are the Guidelines to keep in mind for  this copy.

The 90-day Trial is the full working version of the Windows 7 Enterprise, this is the version many will be working with in your corporate environment. It will not require a product key because it is embedded with the download.

The 90-day Trial will shut down once every hour when you have reached the end of the 90-day evaluation period. Don’t install Windows 7 on your primary home or business PC without doing backups.

After the 90 day trial, you will have 10 days to activate the product. If not activated within 10 days, the system will shut down once every hour until activated.

After the 90-day Trial expires, you will required to purchase and perform a clean installation of Windows 7, including drivers and applications.

Download Windows 7 Evaluation Copy Here

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Microsoft recently released an urgent system patch for a security flaw that was beginning to rapidly spread, what was unusual was the fact that Microsoft released it before patch Tuesday. Even so, Microsoft has issued another 14 security bulletins on Tuesday to plug 34 holes, including eight that are critical, in Windows, Office, Internet Explorer, SQL and Silverlight. A new record for Microsoft. 8 out of these 14 updates are ranked as “critical” and the other 6 are marked as “important”

This will be the most bulletins we have ever released in a month; we have released 13 bulletins on a couple of occasions

These patches are for Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, IE6,7 and 8. As well as numerous versions of Office for both Mac and PC along with Silverlight 2 and 3.

The IE, Office, and Silverlight updates fix an increasingly used type of flaw “where attackers and malware go through the installed applications rather than through the core operating system,” said Qualys CTO Wolfgang Kandek

Out of all the updates, only 2 of the critical ones are destined for Windows 7, but when you factor in IE and silverlight, 10 of the 14 updates will find there way onto your machine.

Users who are still hanging onto Windows XP SP2 will no longer receive any of these new updates since Microsoft axed support for that version of the OS a couple of weeks ago. They are urging all users to upgrade to Windows XP SP3 or Windows 7 as soon as possible to continue getting updates.

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Microsoft has pushed out an emergency patch for Windows Vista and Windows 7 PCs, eight days before its next patch Tuesday. And with good reason too, attacks have begun to escalate which are taking advantage of the recent zero day flaw that was discovered in Windows machines.

Microsoft very rarely release these sort of updates out of sync with their regular patch Tuesday which occurs twice a month, and this is the closest a out of sync update has occurred to a patch Tuesday. The update is of course rated “critical” and it couldn’t have a come a moment sooner.

From Microsoft’s MS10-046 bulletin:

The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if the icon of a specially crafted shortcut is displayed. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

The exploit which took advantage of Windows .LNK files was mainly associated with shortcuts. Clicking them runs programs in the Windows Shell and could be started without your knowledge and consent. When connecting USB sticks or other devices to your machine, if they were infected they could autorun the exploit.

This patch couldn’t have come any sooner as attacks have begun to escalate on Windows machines as more and more hackers begin to take advantage of the hole in Windows.

So be sure to make sure all your Windows machines are up to date, but I’m afraid for any users running Windows XP SP2 or earlier, you aren’t covered since Microsoft dropped support the other month. The rest of you, make sure you update and install your patches to make your system as safe as possible.

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Up until now the Windows 7 SP1 Beta has only been available to Technet or MSDN subscribers, so us common users haven’t been able to get our hands on it. Well for those of you who are early adopters and anxious to try it out, now you can. All you need is a Windows Live ID which anyone can get (if you don’t already have one) and head on over to the Microsoft Eval Center to download the beta right now.

Now if you don’t fancy installing the beta of Windows 7 SP1, don’t worry because you’re not really going to be missing out on a whole lot to be honest. There is no new features coming in the first service pack for Windows 7 and Microsoft see it only as a minor update for the operating system, it’s just to fix the odd little bug here and there and improve security.

However, in reality, you probably have Windows 7 SP1 installed on your PC, it’s really just a combination of all the patches and security updates that have been released by Microsoft and in theory should have been installed automatically on your machine by the Windows Update facility.

And if you do go and install Windows 7 SP1, there’s probably quite a good chance that you will have to uninstall it sometime in the future when the code has been finalized. Very rarely will you find that a beta release is the same code as the final release.

The full RTM isn’t expected until Q2 2011 so maybe if you’re really eager to try out SP1, you should download it now if you can’t wait.

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Microsoft have already confirmed with us that Windows 7 SP1 won’t be made available to customers until the first half of 2011 at least. Initially we thought that maybe SP1 would arrive sometime towards the end of 2010, but it doesn’t look like that’s on the cards anymore. However a third party source who appears to have been correct with previous Microsoft predictions, reckons that Windows 7 SP1 RTM (release to manufacturing) will land in the first quarter of 2011.

Now the RTM and GA ( general availability) dates are normally quite close together, sometimes they can coincide, but generally the GA date is a couple of weeks after the RTM. This means that users running Windows 7 now will have to wait longer to have the service pack pushed to them through the Windows Update service. However after the RTM, Microsoft are expected to release the Service Packs (Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2) through the Microsoft Download Center as standalone downloads for anyone looking to get hold of Windows 7 SP1 sooner rather than later.

Microsoft are continuing to downplay the relevancy of the Windows 7 SP 1 for obvious reasons. Along with myself, Redmond don’t fell that a major service pack is needed for Windows 7, quite simply because there’s not a whole lot wrong with it that I can see. In fact if you’ve been letting the Windows Update center do it’s job and automatically install windows updates as they’re pushed through, you’ve basically got SP1 right there. All it really is is a patch made up of all the ones previously issued. At the recent Worldwide Partner Conference, Tami Reller, Corporate Vice President and CFO made it clear to us once again that Microsoft sees Windows 7 SP1 as nothing more than a minor update to the platform.

Source:

Softpedia

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Yesterday Robert broke the news that the official beta of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 has been released by Microsoft. His article contained the relevant information about the upcoming service pack, and the information that it was available for download for Technet subscribers only.

That last sentence was not entirely correct, as Windows 7 SP1 is offered to non-Technet subscribers as well, providing that they are working in IT or as developers.

The Technet Evaluation Center page links to the download registration. A Windows Live ID is required, as is the selection of the right occupation before the downloads are shown. IT Manager or developer will do fine on this screen.

Windows 7 SP1 Beta is offered via Windows Update or as an ISO image that needs to be burned before it can be used and tested.

windows 7 service pack

A small program is downloaded if the Windows Update option is selected. This tool will enable the service pack download in Windows Update, we have uploaded the 32-bit and 64-bit tool to our server for your convenience.

• WUSignUpTool_x86
• WUSignUpTool_x64

windows update windows7 sp1

It usually takes a moment before the updates become available via Windows Update. An important update is offered prior to the Service Pack 1 update.

Windows 7 users who ponder with the though of installing the update should consider the following: The Windows 7 SP1 will not add new features to the operating system which means that there is not a reason to install it on a home system.

The beta will expire on June 30, 2011 and needs to be either uninstalled or upgraded before that date.

System Requirements

*Windows 7 Minimum System Requirements:

* 1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
* 1 GB of RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
* 16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit)
* DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
* DVD-compatible drive
* Internet access (fees may apply)

Uninstallation of Windows 7 SP1

The easiest way to uninstall SP1 Beta is using Programs and Features.

If you’ve used the Disk Cleanup Wizard since you’ve installed SP1 Beta, the backup files needed to uninstall the service pack might have been removed from your computer. If that’s the case, then use System Restore to uninstall the service pack.

1. Click the Start button Picture of the Start button, click Control Panel, click Programs, and then click Programs and Features.
2. Click View installed updates.
3. Click Service Pack for Microsoft Windows (KB 976932), and then click Uninstall.

If you don’t see Service Pack for Microsoft Windows (KB 976932) in the list of installed updates, or if the uninstall option is disabled, use System Restore to uninstall the service pack.

Additional resources:

* Deployment Guide for Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1 and Windows 7 with SP1 [link]
* Documentation for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 Beta (KB976932) [link]

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Microsoft have just ended support for Windows XP SP2 at long last, and now they’ve announced the availability of a the beta release of Windows 7 SP1 for businesses. As we know, the first service pack for Windows 7 probably won’t be released until much later this year, and it doesn’t include any ground breaking new features. It’s mainly composed of some minor tweaks and bug fixes, since there’s not a whole lot wrong with Windows 7 as it stands.

Back in June Microsoft said that they would begin releasing beta releases of it’s first Windows 7 service pack this month, and it appears they’re sticking to their word.

According to Microsoft’s TechNet site targeting IT professionals, “This early release of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta is not available for home users. The SP1 Beta does not provide new end-user features, and installation is not supported by Microsoft.”  This has been the case with most recent service packs, which are mainly just composed of updates that are automatically delivered via the Windows Update center.

The service pack for the Windows 2008 R2 server has a bit more in it than the update for Windows 7. The two new big capabilities Service Pack 1 offers Windows Server both involve virtualization improvements: Dynamic Memory, and RemoteFX. The first allows Hyper-V virtualization servers to “pool available memory on a physical host and then dynamically dole that memory out to virtual machines running on the host, based on current workload needs,” according to the Windows Server 2008 R2 page

RemoteFX allows remote virtual desktops in Windows 7 SP1 to take advantage of 3D graphics such as Windows Aero, Video, Flash along with Silverlight and other 3D applications.

The trial versions of Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 are now available for download for Technet subscribers.

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Microsoft has released an update to the backward compatibility feature in Windows 7 and in Windows Server 2008 R2 that increases the compatibility of programs in specific scenarios.

We all know that the backward compatibility feature can set the dynamic context of a dll to either Windows 7 or Windows Vista which makes it possible to enable a Windows Vista context for software programs that have not been designed specifically for Windows 7.

It is under circumstances possible that Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 will set the dynamic context to Windows 7 / Windows Server 2008 R2 even if the program has been designed for an earlier version of Windows.

This is the case if one of the two following conditions are true:

• The DLL does not specify an RT_MANIFEST resource.
• The DLL calls an API that uses the dynamic compatibility context. For example, the DLL calls the GetOverlappedResults API.

Microsoft explains the issue in detail at the Help and Support Knowledgebase article.

However, if a DLL is not manifested correctly, the DLL may run in a Windows 7 context unexpectedly. This issue occurs because the Windows 7 compatibility mechanism incorrectly assumes that a DLL is compatible with Windows 7 if the DLL does not specify an RT_MANIFEST resource. This issue occurs especially if all the other DLLs in an application are not manifested or if the other DLLs are manifested with Windows 7 compatible GUIDs. This causes the “faulty” DLL to run in Windows 7 compatible mode. This behavior causes the application that loads the DLL to stop responding. Therefore, customers cannot run an application in Windows 7 context if the application loads at least one DLL in those two conditions

Windows 7 users who are experiencing compatibility issues, especially with old programs, might be able to resolve the issues by installing the Windows 7 patch.

The update requires a genuine validation before it becomes available. It is provided for both 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

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It was only a matter of time until someone posted a copy of a beta release build of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 publicly. The release is then spread via P2P services with no option to control or block the release from being downloaded.

The leaked Windows 7 SP1 release has the build number 7601.16562.100603-1800. It was originally distributed to select beta testers but has since then founds its way to P2P sites and other distribution services.

A word of caution for users who think about downloading this beta SP1 release. Malicious users often use releases of popular applications to spread their malware with those releases.

But there is another reason why users should wait with the downloading and installing: Windows 7 SP1 will not add any new features to the operating system. It is rumored that Service Pack 1 might include USB 3.0 support and enhanced Bluetooth and Wi-Fi stacks but that has not been confirmed by Microsoft yet.

The beta release will expire between April – July 2011. It is not clear yet if it will be possible to update from a beta Service Pack to the final release.

A public beta of Windows 7 SP1 is expected to be released in July

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Windows 7 SP1 may still be a couple of months down the line, but Microsoft have already begun assembling the group of testers who will receive the first beta of Service Pack (SP) 1 for Windows 7 along with Windows Server 2008 R2 in July.

The guys from Redmond have started sending out invitations to those who they wish to have involved in the program, so it wont be an open beta like Windows 7 itself was. According to the invitations, the SP1 beta will be in English, German, Japanese, French and Spanish.

At Microsoft’s TechEd conference last week, they did say to expect the Beta of SP1 to come along sometime in July, so it appears they are sticking to that promise. Zdnet, have reported that they expect it to be delivered in Mid-July around the time Microsoft holds its Worldwide Partner Conference in Washington.

We have no word on the official release of the first Service Pack for Windows 7, but the rumors so far point to a Q4 2010 release. We already know that SP1 won’t include any major changes or new features, instead it’s just going to clear up and fix any bug issues that are still lingering in the OS.

Of course Microsoft are stressing to the world and mainly businesses that you don’t have to wait for the first service pack before you upgrade to Windows 7. For once this is true, where as with Windows Vista, you really did need to wait, but Windows 7 is a different ball game all together.

Here’s a copy of the invitation below that’s been sent to testers;

You are receiving this invitation based on the quality of feedback you have provided on previous Windows programs and the Microsoft Windows release team would like you to participate in the Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) release program, to be available shortly, as announced at the Microsoft’s TechEd conference.

Accepting this invitation will allow you to access pre-release versions of the Service Pack for the purposes of validating the release readiness. We highly value your past feedback and know we can count on you again to help us build a great new version of Windows!

The SP1 release version is not available quite yet but we need to assemble a great team of program peers early so you are ready to go when we are! If you accept this invitation you’ll be notified when the release version becomes available.

What you will get if you choose to participate

• Early access to downloadable Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 releases
• Access to private newsgroups to share information about the release with other program peers and with Microsoft staff
• The ability to report bugs and track their status
• An opportunity to help us build a better Windows by validating the release readiness

What we will ask of you if you choose to participate

• Download and install Windows 7 SP1 or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 on at least one PC each
• File bugs if you encounter them as well as respond to surveys as you can.
• Validation we are seeking
o Set-up and installation
o Application Experience/Compatibility
o Device Experience/Compatibility
• We ask that you actively participate in discussions on the newsgroups and share your opinions with us and others

Things you should know about Windows 7 and the beta program

• The bits will be available in English, German, Japanese, French and Spanish.
• The beta is conducted in English (feedback / bug reports should be in English).
• Availability will be via download only of the SP1 update. You will need access to a PC with Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 already installed
• PCs that support and run Windows 7 should allow you to run Windows 7 SP1.
• Servers that support and run Windows Server 2008 R2 should allow you to run Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1

We appreciate your help in developing and releasing a high-quality Service Pack release for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, there will not be any free gift for participating in this program.

Getting Started

While the release is not quite available now, we know you are excited to get started so we have opened the newsgroups so you may begin renewing contacts with previous participants as well as meeting new testing peers. After accepting the invitation, you will be able to sign into Microsoft Connect and go to the “Windows 7 SP1 Beta” for more information on the newsgroups.

The team would like to thank you in advance for helping make this our best SP release to date and we look forward to your validation!

Regards,
The Windows Customer Connection Team

Source:

Zdnet

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While most of you, Apple fans and haters alike were probably focusing on the events that went on at WWDC earlier today, Microsoft also had their own little event, Teched. At it Microsoft revealed that they are working on service pack 1 (SP1) for Windows 7 and expect to have a public beta version available in July.

There’s been lots of speculation of the possible release date of Windows 7 SP1 and this is the first official news we have of a beta release. Word has it that Microsoft is trying to rush the release of SP1 to try and get more and more businesses etc… to adopt Windows 7 who aren’t generally early adopters like most consumers. Normally you will find that businesses and large corporations wait until SP1 is released to ensure all the bugs and fixes have been ironed out.

I don’t think this is necessary and Microsoft even said it themselves that there is no need to wait for SP1 since Windows 7 is already stable.

SP1 will not contain any new features that are specific to Windows 7 itself. For Windows 7, SP1 will simply be the combination of updates already available through Windows Update and additional hotfixes based on feedback by our customers and partners. In other words, customers can feel confident about deploying Windows 7 now!

Microsoft’s Gavriella Schuster said in a blog post

The Windows Server 2008 R2 is also getting a service pack beta as well and it does have one or two new features. According to the Windows Server Division blog, it will include Remote FX (which provides a virtualized 3-D graphical experience for remote users on both thick and thin clients), along with Dynamic Memory  (this gives users more control over memory usage on a physical host and the ability to dynamically distribute it to virtual machines without remote service interruption). The service pack will also feature virtualization tools that will help users prepare for cloud computing.

The official release of SP1 is expected by the end of 2010, it could possibly be in November. So IT admins should be ready for the SP1 beta next month which will give them a chance to carry out any compatibility and integration testing in preparation for making the transition to Windows 7 SP1.

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Since there is no new major update to the Windows OS coming up this year, Microsoft is hoping to keep it fresh with its latest update to the Windows Live Essentials Apps. This new version o f Live Apps will only work with Windows 7 and Windows Vista.

The Windows Live Apps are used for managing your photos and videos and keeping them in sync with various different services. The updates to Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live Movie Maker, Windows Live Mail, and Windows Live Sync will go into beta in the coming months.

From what I’ve seen of the new apps so far, it appears to be somewhat similar to Google’s Picassa tool. The next version of the Windows Live Photo Gallery tool will add facial recognition abilities and improved editing tools for removing blemishes or scratches. Up until now Microsoft has been somewhat behind on this front with Picassa and iPhoto all having the ability to detect faces. It could only detected the presence of faces in shots, but wasn’t able to recognize who was in the picture.

The new face recognition features draw on the company’s research efforts as well as accessing  the user’s existing network of social contacts to figure out who might be in a photo.

Microsoft are also making it easier for your take group shots. You can take multiple pictures and use one person’s expression from one shot and another person’s face in another shot, and then thanks to this new technology you can stitch them all together to form one picture. The new software also allows photos that are uploaded and then tagged on Facebook to have those tags brought back into Photo Gallery.

In fact Microsoft are so confident in these new features that they are claiming that “Windows is better for photos than a Mac, hands down.”

The updates to the Windows Live Movie Maker include the ability to upload directly to Facebook, YouTube and import photo caption data from Photo Gallery, along with some new themes.

The new Windows Live Sync lets users share an unlimited amount of files in a peer-to-peer fashion among a number of Macs and PCs, but limits cloud storage to 2GB. However this means you can access your pictures and videos anywhere on the go.

Check out the video below and let us know what you think of it

Source:

Cnet

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Patch Tuesday is usually a roll up of a few patches and updates to the various versions of Windows.  Occasionally something major happens, like a fix for a well publicised vulnerability, but today they appear to have gone loopy.

Microsoft have released 11 security bulletins to address no fewer than 25 vulnerabilities in various editions of Windows from Windows 2000 to Windows 7.  Five of these, which is a lot, are critical, five are important, which is also a lot,  and just about every Microsoft product seems to be included.

In a statement the company said…

Microsoft recommends that customers deploy all security updates as soon as possible. However, Microsoft’s guidance on deployment priority is that customers should consider MS10-019, MS10-026, and MS10-027 as the top priority bulletins for April.

So there you have it, top priority.  This is an excellent example of why the next release of Windows needs to completely dump the legacy code and use a ‘locked down’ version of XP running in a virtual machine to run older programs.  There are simply too many of these patches, now every month and still in large numbers, associated with older versions of the OS.

Anyway, if you don’t already have Windows Update switched on to pull down updates automatically, go and get these, and then switch it on.

Written by : Mike Halsey, www.Windows7News.com

Source : Supersite Blog

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Most Windows 7 users are expecting the Windows 7 Service Pack 1 to be released in 2010. Microsoft has already mentioned that it will not contain major changes or additions which some have interpreted as a way of saying “Why wait? Get Windows 7 now!”.

A beta release of the service pack 1 for Windows 7 is expected to be released in April or May depending on the progress made by the developers.

The guys over at GeekSmack are now reporting that a beta build of Windows 7 SP1 has leaked and that it is likely that it will be made available through the usual channels (that is P2P for instance) in the coming days.

The reviewer is not mentioning any changes to the system. Maybe he did not have the time to take a deeper look or there are not any major changes in this release just as Microsoft let us know.

Below are the screenshots from the installation of the Service Pack 1. What are your intentions? Will you happily install the beta version or wait until the final version is released before making the switch?

[Start slideshow]

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According to one of today’s posts on Softpedia, Windows 7′s first service pack may bring some more performance to the table as Softpedia cites a “third-party source.” Although Microsoft has stated that SP1 will contain nothing more than some minor fixes, the Redmond giant has been known to deny facts only to confirm them publicly later on.

As for the article, it discusses a potential performance boost to BitLocker, a disk encryption feature initially introduced with Windows Vista. It protects entire volumes through encryption, only available in the Enterprise and Ultimate editions of both Windows Vista and Windows 7; however, the latest version with Windows 7 allows BitLocker to also encrypt removable drives. Softpedia links to TechARP as the source that mentions performance improvements to this particular application.

Nonetheless, BitLocker is not alone as Softpedia pointed out that the same website also discussed performance improvements related to storage, but without any specific details. A move like this could help make Windows 7 more efficient for power users who handle a large amount of files, Windows file servers, and much more. Read/write speeds could also be improved.

Remember though, even if Microsoft has changed its stance before, the software company has also done the exact opposite. On the WindowsSteamBlog, it was indeed said that SP1 would really only contain minor updates:

For Windows 7, SP1 includes only minor updates, among which are previous updates that are already delivered through Windows Update. SP1 for Windows 7 will, however, deliver an updated Remote Desktop client that takes advantage of RemoteFX introduced in the server-side with SP1 for Windows Server 2008 R2.

Only time will reveal the secrets of SP1, so for now, let’s sit back and see whether or not SP1 will just be another update or something quite interesting.

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AMD and ATI today released the Catalyst 10.3 driver package for download. By itself, this is unremarkable – ATI drops new graphics card drivers once a month, and while they normally bring a host of small fixes, performance improvements and tweaks, they’re rarely more noteworthy than that. This month’s release, however, finally brings official driver support for laptop graphics cards under Windows 7 and Windows Vista.

Gamers with laptops have often been frustrated with driver updates from OEMs like Dell and HP – when they update their graphics drivers at all, they do it inconsistently and months behind the desktop drivers. This means that laptop gamers miss out not only on performance updates for games, but also on support for things like nVidia’s PhysX or graphics acceleration for the upcoming Flash 10.1. As a result, a healthy modding community has sprung up, and many sites and tools exist solely to help laptop gamers install desktop drivers.

ATI is actually a little late to the party here – nVidia’s Verde driver program has been providing quarterly mobile graphics updates for Windows XP, Vista, and 7 for about a year now, and Intel’s Windows 7 driver packages support both desktop and laptop chipsets (though one could argue that no driver update could make an Intel chip suitable for gaming). Still, it’s nice to see them throwing their hat in the ring, especially given the company’s competitive resurgence with the excellent 4000 and 5000 series cards.

Unlike nVidia, ATI is not offering notebook drivers for Windows XP, but otherwise the two companies’ mobile drivers are more or less on par with one another. OEMs have the option of opting out of the ATI driver updates – so far, Toshiba, Sony and Panasonic have all elected not to have their laptops updated by ATI’s new driver program.

The drivers support almost any of ATI’s DirectX 10 and DirectX 11-compatible graphics cards, including products from the 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000 series. The drivers can be obtained from AMD’s Web site. Enjoy!

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Today you may find that your Windows Media Center is downloading some updates, I just saw mine downloading some updates only a moment ago and now I know why it was. Personally I haven’t experienced any of these problems but apparently users have been having trouble with the TV Tuner and also some users are reporting a “Low Bit Rate” error.

Thankfully Microsoft have released 4 updates that are now available for download that fix these issues, hopefully once and for all.

The Low Bit Rate issue can impact Windows 7 machines used by customers to watch live analog TV in Windows Media Center via an analog TV tuner. It was somewhat of a nuisance for users. At random intervals, while watching live TV, the screen would suddenly turn blue and display a “Low Bit Rate Error” message. Users could still hear the audio, but the video would disappear for anywhere from 5-15 seconds.

Microsoft explained in a support article

Windows Media Center monitors the incoming bit rate of live TV. Without this monitoring, the bit rate drops very low when the analog TV input is weak or does not have a signal. This causes a black screen or a static screen to be displayed. With this monitoring, Windows Media Center displays an overlay message to indicate a possible issue with the incoming bit rate when the analog TV input is weak or does not have a signal. However, the method that is used to monitor the incoming bit rate on analog signals is too sensitive. This may cause a false detection of a low bit rate,

The second update is in relation to TV Tuners. When users are using a TV Tuner with Windows Media Center, Windows could produce different error messages, informing users of the existence of a “Tuner Conflict” or that there is “No tuner available to satisfy the current request.” In addition, the Windows Media Center Receiver Service (Ehrecvr.exe) can also freeze and remain unresponsive until a restart.

Microsoft said that this may be caused by changing channel too quickly.

This issue may occur if you change channels fast and frequently (also known as ‘channel surfing’), in Windows Media Center, These symptoms may be caused by other issues that are not related to this update. For example, you may receive similar symptoms when you try to query [the] current state of a TV tuner or of a malfunctioning hardware device.”

So hopefully those of you who where having these problems should be sorted now with this update. If they haven’t been downloaded automatically to your machine you can download them at the links below

Fixes for the Low Bit Rate overlay messages:

- For 32-bit (x86) Windows 7
- For 64-bit (x64) Windows 7

TV tuner functionality fixes:

- For 32-bit (x86) Windows 7
- For 64-bit (x64) Windows 7

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There’s almost a constant flow of rumors floating around the web as to when the next service pack from Microsoft will be released, not to mention what it might possibly include. We’ve heard news that it may include support for USB 3.0 and improved bluetooth support as well as several other things.

However we have still been left in the dark over a release date for SP1 and we’ve also been wondering, Does Windows 7 really need a Service Pack?

Well according to some good old speculation from Malaysian Site TechARP.com and some “reliable sources” Microsoft will send out 7 SP1 by Q4 of 2010.

Now in case you think that TechARP is just pulling our leg here, it would appear not. It seems there not too bad when it comes to figuring out when service packs from Microsoft are coming out. They were bang on target when it came to release dates for Windows XP and Vista service packs, so lets not doubt them too much here.

In January, a tech blogger discovered a Windows Registry Key that pointed to SP1 of the operating system. As a result some people concluded that Microsoft was planning to push out a service pack for Windows 7 soon.

But of course, we got a textbook response from Microsoft;

There is currently no news around this at the moment.”

However if we look at Microsoft’s past, we see that they didn’t release the first service pack for Windows Vista until 14 months after it was released, and lets admit it, there was a lot more bugs in Vista than in Windows 7. Windows 7 was released in October 2009, so Q4 of 2010 is right around the mark for releasing a service pack.

Source:

The Register

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Users got another reason to switch to Windows 7 today when Microsoft announced that a VBScript bug could be used to install malware on computers running Internet Explorer and Windows XP.

The hole was discovered by Maurycy Prodeus of iSEC Security Research, who posted a proof-of-concept hack this past Friday.

Unlike the high-profile bug that started forcing Google to disable its apps in IE6 in January, this issue affects Windows XP users running Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8. Microsoft has said that users running Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2 are safe from the exploit.

To make use of the security whole, a malware writer would have to get a user to open a malicious Windows Help (.hlp) file, and press F1 to allow it to run.

Microsoft has not said when a patch will be released to fix this problem, but has not yet seen evidence of any attackers exploiting the hole. Microsoft’s next batch of security updates come out on Patch Tuesday, March 9, but the company has been known to release out-of-band security updates to patch holes like this one in the past.

My recommendation to users, as always, is to ditch Windows XP for Windows 7 and Internet Explorer for Firefox or Google Chrome, which are both fully-featured and excellent alternatives.

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A while back I posted an article about the level of piracy among people installing Windows 7 in countries such as Russia and India, which you can read here. Then just a couple of days later Microsoft announced plans to release a new update to help combat pirates and people running illegal copies of Windows 7.

That update, has now gone live and is available through the Windows update center as an optional update.

This update to Windows Activation Technologies detects activation exploits and tampering key Windows system files. These exploits try to bypass regular Windows activation and are sometimes included within counterfeit copies of Windows.

I just checked my update center but there’s no sign of it there as of yet. Microsoft said they would make the update available on their site from 16th February and then roll it out via Windows Update by the end of this month. So it must be a gradual roll out.

Windows Update Center - Thanks To Engadget

So this update will “verify that the copy of Windows 7 that is running on your computer is activated correctly and is genuine” to combat the alarming levels of piracy in some countries.

The update isn’t very obvious to spot since it simply just says ? Update For Windows 7 KB971033 and it’s not until you highlight it and look in the description that you see it’s actually the Windows Activation Technologies Update.

For me and the majority of our readers I doubt there will be any problem installing this update, but for those of you who choose to run illegal, pirated copies of Windows 7, avoid this like the plague.

Source:

Engadget

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The news about the Windows browser ballot screen yesterday wasn’t the only ballot news appearing from Redmond.  Neowin have obtained an image of the forthcoming file-format ballot coming with Office 2010.

This screen will pop-up for the new versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint to give users a choice of whether they want to save files in the Microsoft Open XML format, the new secure format they introduced with Office 2007, and the popular Open Document Format, ODF.  Can you spot what’s missing though?

One of the biggest barriers to people upgrading to Office 2007 was the new ribbon.  This was like yeast extract, you either loved it or you hated it.  Either way there was still a learning curve and that was enough to make a great many people say they wanted to stick with their previous version, usually Office 2003.

Now there’s nothing wrong with this, for many years now every version of Office has done everything that people would want it to do most of the time.  Only those with very specific needs would require the latest functionality.  But this means that there are still a great many people, millions in fact, still opening and saving documents in the old Office legacy file formats of .DOC, .XLS and .PPT.  The ribbon has made its way through into Windows 7 however and I’m certain people will eventually get used to using it.

In my own personal experience of using Office 2007, the biggest single problem was not the ribbon, but people constantly saying that they couldn’t open the files I was sending them because their version of Office wouldn’t support them natively, and the file format compatibility pack, which is optional, was unknown to them.

I and many other people, were expecting therefore that any Office 2010 file-format ballot screen would contain an option to save files in these older formats, to help compatibility and promote harmony.  Sadly though this isn’t the case and until Microsoft make the compatibility pack for Office 2000 and Office 2003 mandatory, which they will never do, we’ll be stuck with people not being able to open the files we’re sending them for years to come.

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Microsoft has finally revealed the finished EU Browser Ballot Screen, and it’s set to begin rolling out next week. Microsoft came under fire last year from the EU about shipping Windows 7 with Internet Explorer pre installed. They had threatened to ship Windows 7 without a browser at all, but then came to their senses and decided to create a browser ballot screen.

Redmond’s deputy general counsel Dave Heiner warned Explorer users “what to expect”, in a blog posting.

The UK, Belgium and France will be the first to be shown the screen, which will be rolled out through Windows update to users who are running Internet Explorer as their default browser. A phased roll-out to the rest of Europe will begin from March 1, a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. Internal testing of the browser ballot screen is already under way.

We’ll begin a limited roll-out externally next week, and expect that a full scale roll-out will begin around March 1, a couple of weeks ahead of schedule

The browser choice screen software update will be offered as an automatic download through Windows Update for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. The software update will be installed automatically, or will prompt you to download or install it, depending on which operating system you are running and your settings for Windows Update.

Windows 7 users will also have Internet Explorer automatically “Unpinned” from the task bar as well. Users will then get a screen warning them that they have “an important choice to make”, before getting the following list of “leading browsers”.

To keep the EU happy, the list is presented in a random order but includes, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari and Opera. There is also another 6  browsers available to choose from if you scroll to the left.

From this windows users can take a look at each browser and easily get more information about it by clicking the ” Tell me more ” button. There is also an install button to make it quick and easy to install. The process is all very straightforward.

Source:
Microsoft Blog

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Microsoft has released a hotfix for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 users who are experiencing issues when burning dual layer DVDs in the operating system. Some Windows users experience a time-out when they try to burn DVD-R Dual Layer discs in Windows Explorer and in applications that use IMAPI v2 (Image Mastering API version 2.0).

The hotfix is only intended for Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 users who experience the time-outs.

The usual important words of caution for hotfixes:

A hotfix is intended to correct a specific problem.

Apply the hotfix only to systems that are experiencing the specific problem.

Installing the incorrect hotfix can cause damage to your system.

If you are not sure whether the hotfix is the correct one for your system, do not install it.

Hotfixes are included in subsequent service packs that are safer to install through Microsoft Update.

Microsoft basically asks users who experience time-outs to install the hotfix to fix the issue. Everyone else should not install the hotfix which will be included later on in service packs once they have been extensively tested.

The “The burning operation fails with a time-out error when you try to burn files to a DVD-R Dual Layer disc in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2″ hotfix can be downloaded here.

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Microsoft have been taking a look at some odd issues that are occurring not only in Windows 7 but also in Windows Server 2008 R2 and also some in Windows Vista. What’s different from these bugs is that they aren’t being fixed in Windows Updates as they only affect the minority. Instead Microsoft offer Hot fixes which should only be applied to systems experiencing the specific problem. So if you are not affected by any of these problems, you should not apply them, just hang out for a service pack.

There are the 4 main issues, some more severe than others;

1. Computer Crashing with BSOD ( Blue Screen Of Death )

This first issue occurs when the computer crashes after it runs for some time, with the user seeing the following BSOD (the four parameters vary depending on the computer):

STOP: 0x0000000A (parameter1, parameter2, parameter3, parameter4)
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

Microsoft have said that this issue is caused by an error with the Power Manager which causes a memory leak results in a system crash. If this is happening to you, here is the Hotfix provided by Microsoft.

2. Windows Displays Blank Screen And Mouse Pointer Upon Wake

While this issue isn’t to problematic, it can be annoying. This only affects laptops and netbooks but also affects Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2008.( KB958685 ) Say you put the computer to sleep while the lid is open and then close it after it has gone to sleep. When you go to wake it up again, Windows resumes but you only see a blank screen and a mouse pointer until you provide some user input such as a keystroke or mouse click. This issue is meant to be addressed in an update soon enough but there is also a Hotfix available here.

3. When You Use A USB Storage Device It Becomes Unresponsive

This issue only occurs with Intel 5 and 3400 series chipsets and a copy if either Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate and when the USB device has pending control and bulk traffic. The iPhone is mentioned as a culprit in KB978789 . Basically what happens is the Platform Controller Hub gets all confused and can’t determine which traffic has priority. As a result it stops responding, however this only affects a limited number of USB devices.

Microsoft don’t have a solution for this issue as of yet and say that you should contact the manufacturer of your Motherboard and get information on how to update your BIOS.

4. Microsoft Rebound Becomes Unresponsive On A Touchscreen Computer

This finally issue isn’t exactly a deal breaker but it may affect some of you. It affects all copies of Windows 7 and occurs mainly in Quad core machines with Multi touch. Basically all that happens is the Microsoft Rebound game becomes unresponsive when you try to launch it.

Microsoft are at fault here so a hotfix is available from here

Source:

Arstechnica

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Well isn’t this a coincidence, right after I wrote an article yesterday on the issue of piracy and Windows 7, Microsoft have gone ahead and announced an update to combat pirated copies of Windows 7. It appears that at least 25% of the copies of Windows 7 sold in Russia are pirated, and in China you can buy illegal copies of Windows 7 for as little as $10

Microsoft have said today, Thursday that it is planning an update to Windows 7 that will close a number of loopholes that counterfeiters have been using to thwart the operating system’s built-in antipiracy measures. The Windows 7 activation technologies update for Windows 7 will close off more than 70 “activation hacks”. The update will also check with a server periodically to see if there are further hacks that need to be addressed.

Joe Williams, General Manager at Microsoft of Microsoft’s Genuine Windows unit, responsible for anti-counterfeiting measures explained in an interview the dangers of using counterfeit software.

“We do see malicious code–everything from easily discoverable malware to keyboard recording,”"There’s all sorts of things we’ve seen that puts our customers at risk and their data at risk

The update will be available for manual download from Microsoft’s genuine Web site on Feb. 16 and from the Microsoft Download center the following day. Later this month, the update will also be offered through Windows Update as an “important” (but optional) update. This is strange as I thought Microsoft would have been eager to push this update and make it compulsory, as those running illegal copies of Windows 7 may well be aware of this update and choose not to install it.

Williams said that the update will certainly be optional and users may still continue to receive other updates if they wish. Personally I would have thought that Microsoft would force this update but Williams makes a fairly valid point.

“We are pretty realistic, People who are actively pirating will try to find ways to continue to pirate.”

I guess what he’s saying is true. Those who are aware of the fact they are running a pirated copy of Windows 7 will be smart enough not to update until they have found away around it. However it seems that with this update, Microsoft are aiming to catch out those who have purchased pirated copies of Windows 7 without actually knowing it.

Source:

Cnet

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A new group of security patches are scheduled for release on Tuesday Feb 9,2010. The image below shows what software will be affected and by how many updates and the type.

Security Patch

This month Microsoft will be releasing 13 bulletins – five rated Critical, seven rated Important, and one rated Moderate . At the heart they will be addressing 26 vulnerabilities.  In the first half of January 2010, Microsoft released one security bulletin that would impact Windows. But in February the number has grown to 13.

Here is how Windows 7 Vulnerabilities are to be handled.

Use the table to learn about the security updates that will be available and if you should install it. You should review each software program or component listed to see whether any security updates pertain to your installation. If a software program or component is listed, then the severity rating of the security update is also listed. The table also has information for windows 2000, XP, Vista, Server 2003, Server 2008, and Server 2008 R2.

Source: Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification for February 2010

Also as reported here in the post An Old Vulnerability from 1993 Rears Its Head in 32Bit-Windows7, Microsoft will be supplying a patch affecting the 32-bit (x86) versions of Windows, including Windows 7.  Advisory 979682 will address vulnerability in Windows Kernel Could Allow Elevation of Privilege

Source: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms10-feb.mspx

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Microsoft are getting ready to patch yet another 26 security flaws this coming patch Tuesday. One affecting the kernel of 32-bit versions of Windows and several holes in Office. Five of the 13 bulletins affect vulnerabilities that could lead to remote code execution and Microsoft have rated them as critical, seven are rated important, and one is rated as moderate.

The Office security flaws would require the user to be tricked into opening a “specially crafted” file that will then exploit a vulnerability in Office.

“The Office-related bulletins are both rated Important and would require user action to be exploited (usually in the form of convincing a user to open a specially crafted file),”

Jerry Bryant, a senior security communications manager at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post. It’s only older versions of Office that are affected by these vulnerabilities.

“The vulnerabilities only affect older versions of Office so customers on Office 2007 or Office 2008 for Mac will have no actions this month.”

The bulletins affect Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Windows 7, as well as Server 2003 and 2008, Office XP, Office 2003 and Office 2004 for Mac, according to the advisory released on technet.

Included in this security update are two fixes for holes in 32-bit versions of Windows which could allow someone to install programs, change data, or create new accounts with full user rights.

However there are still two underlying flaws Microsoft have yet to address – a hole in Internet Explorer that could lead to data leakage, which was disclosed on Wednesday, and a hole in the Server Message Block file-sharing protocol that was disclosed in November.

But Jerry Bryant said:

“We are not aware of any attacks on these vulnerabilities and continue to encourage customers to implement the mitigations and workarounds outlined in the advisories,

This chart shows the number of bulletins affecting the different versions of Windows and their rating of importance. (Credit: Microsoft)

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Today Microsoft issued emergency patches for Internet Explorer versions 5, 6, 7 and 8, the security update is rated as critical. The update patches 8 vulnerabilities including the one being used in the recent China attacks against Google, Adobe and several other companies.

The most severe vulnerability allows a remote computer to take full control of your computer. If a user enters a malicious website with malware using IE, they may become infected by the malware and allow another user to take complete control over the computer.

According to security company Symantec, this update needed to released as soon as possible, since they are seeing it spread beginning to spread rapidly to other sites on the web.

The new exploit is being hosted on hundreds of Web sites and Symantec detects the malicious HTML pages as Trojan.Malscript!html,”

Josh Talbot, security intelligence manager for Symantec Security Response

The pages contain a shell code that bypasses a warning dialog shown after downloaded file gets executed. The page replaces the code of “MessageBeep API ” so that the Internet Explorer process which attempts to play a beep sound will be terminated.

The end result is a malicious file is downloaded to your PC without you knowing, it’s no wonder that Microsoft rated the update as critical in their Technet Security Bulletin Obviously Microsoft are encouraging users to update their browsers as soon as possible, however they are also stressing the fact that users should be upgrading their browsers to Internet Explorer 8, the latest edition which provides “improved security protection“. Really people need to update to the latest version of IE, IE 6 is 10 years old and still holds nearly 15% of the market, and with that it has it’s outdated UI and as we keep discovering, a lot more vulnerabilities.

But I must say Microsoft are really keeping on top of issuing updates and patches for their browsers and Windows 7. Nearly every time I go to turn off my laptop, I see there is yet another update that’s been automatically downloaded and is waiting to install.

How do you think Microsoft is doing with issuing updates and patches etc…

Let us know in the comments

Source: Microsoft Technet, Eweek, Cnet

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Apple has finally updated its Boot Camp Windows software to support Windows 7 as of late yesterday. The update, version 3.1, was originally scheduled for 2009, but late in the year was pushed back to early 2010, leading some to question Apple’s dedication to supporting Windows on their platform.

The update, which comes in both 32-bit (380.73 MB) and 64-bit (274.58 MB) flavors, supports Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate. From Apple’s release notes:

This update adds support for Microsoft Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate), addresses issues with the Apple trackpad, turns off the red digital audio port LED on laptop computers when it is not being used, and supports the Apple wireless keyboard and Apple Magic mouse.

This update is highly recommended for all Boot Camp 3.0 users.

For more information, please visit this website:http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp/

An additional Windows 7 driver pack was released for the new 21.5″ and 27″ iMacs, along with an applicable graphics firmware update for iMacs and Macs Pro. It’s hard to say why Apple couldn’t have released one driver package for all their Macs, but it looks like we’ll have to take what we can get.

Oddly, these packages only officially support installation under Windows XP or Windows Vista, which can then be upgraded to Windows 7. I’m sure, however, that the package can be installed on a clean Windows 7 install, and I’ll be getting back to you with an update as soon as I have an opportunity to test this theory.

Update: On the current 13″ MacBook Pro, installing Boot Camp 3.0 on a clean Windows 7 install and then upgrading to Boot Camp 3.1 produced no problems, and fixed everything mentioned in the release notes.  A number of drivers, including video, wireless, and audio, were updated to very recent versions, and these updates have solved all of the Windows 7 problems I was having with the computer.

AppleInsider reported previously that some 2006 Intel Macs would still not receive Windows 7 support. I can neither confirm nor deny whether this is true, but I assume that there’s nothing stopping people from trying to install Windows 7 anyway.

Sound off in the comments if you have anything to add!

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A few screenshots purporting to be our first glimpse into an installable version of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 were released today on a Spanish site called Muy Windows. Let me sum everything up for those of you who don’t speak Spanish: There’s not a lot to see here just yet, and what we can see doesn’t reveal much we don’t already know.

From what the shots show, getting a Windows 7 service pack will be pretty much identical to getting a service pack in Windows Vista – it’s delivered through Windows Update, and the installation process is the same, as is the branding. The screen shots are below:

[Start slideshow]

Again, this process appears to be nearly identical to the install process for Windows Vista service packs. According to Muy Windows, the build number for the service pack is between 7600.20500 and 20700. We know that the service pack delivers a number of security updates, but little else of what it will bring.

There is speculation that SP1 will introduce support for USB 3 and improved wireless connectivity. Windows 7 News will continue to pass on information as we find it.

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It seems that Microsoft is working hard on getting the first service pack for Windows 7 out the door. Today there have been plenty of rumors going around the web, hinting at what could be in the first SP1 for Windows 7. According to sources at Microsoft, a preliminary version of SP1 will be in June 2010 and will be accessible only to testers, whereas the final version is expected by September 2010.

So what will be in the first service pack released by the guys over at Redmond? Well for a start, all the patches and updates the Microsoft have released up to the release date will automatically be included in it and maybe the odd tweak here and there based on feedback, don’t expect many major UI changes, it will be more than likely under the hood stuff.

SP1 is also said to be bringing in new support for hardware, including support for USB 3.0 and improved Bluetooth support as well as support for Wi-Fi Stacks. However according to IT Chuiko,some entirely new features that should raise the popularity of this operating system in the business sector.

But really that’s about all we know at this stage, one thing we pretty much know for certain is that SP1 is on the way and reports have emerged that some build numbers have been spotted with SP1. But does Microsoft really need a service pack for Windows 7 already? I don’t think so, but perhaps Microsoft are pushing ahead with the first service pack for a reason.

Many businesses and companies regularly wait for the first service pack, or sometimes even the second before they decide to upgrade to a new operating system. Perhaps Microsoft is pushing ahead with SP1 to encourage these businesses to make the switch to Windows 7 as soon as possible?

Let us know what you think in the comments

Source:

Infoworld

It-Chuiko

Zdnet

Details Of Windows 7 SP1 Start To Emerge is a post from Windows 7 News & Tips - Latest Microsoft Windows 7 News, Tips, Themes, Wallpapers & Guides. Visit Windows 7 News & Tips for the Latest Microsoft Windows 7 News, Tips, Themes, Wallpapers & Guides.