A lot is going on with Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 8, which is expected to be released sometime this year. Now there is also talk about Microsoft’s new OS version for their next installment of Windows Phone. Call it Windows Phone 8, or Apollo as it is called in Redmond. In it, the rumor is that Windows Phone OS will make a swap out to the new variant of Windows 8.

Problems with Windows Phone 7 Kernel

One of the biggest overall complaints about Windows Phone, starting with Windows Phone 7 and continuing through NoDo and Mango, is the lack of 3rd-party native mode application support. Developers have problems because they do not wants to embed Windows CE’s idiosyncrasies in new apps. Again some of that is reliability and some is a desire to make apps portable across the three-screens (PC, Phone, TV) and a cloud world.  So by moving to WinNTk this eliminates the CE idiosyncrasy problem and makes native mode applications (and particularly WinRT-based ones) possible.

Three other issues also play into having one operating system for the devices. One is that when you do the same things twice (a computer operating system and a smartphone operating system) it is almost impossible to have them both be completed at approximately the same time, and  be truly compatible with one another, and also be of equivalent quality. Secondly, the cost of staffing to repeatedly do the same thing twice is nonsense, even for a company the size of Microsoft. And finally, the closer you get to wanting two things to be almost the same provides less the justification for having two different things at all!

RedHawk

So developers want better integration with the Kernel. Or so it seems. So Microsoft has come out with Redhawk. It is a new managed-code execution environment that would be more lightweight and more appealing to developers who have been put off by the perceived overhead of the current Common Language Runtime (CLR) at the heart of the .Net Framework.

That said, it appears that Microsoft is making changes in more ways than one, and is certainly trying to streamline it OS kernel to make it a more compatible development environment. The challenge for Microsoft is that as a descendant of Windows 7, Windows 8 must be as good as if not better, and Windows Phone 8 should be a lot better in order to increase the Microsoft market share in the smartphone arena.

Source: Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8: Cousins or Siblings

Zdnet

Windows Phone 8 – RedHawk 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.

Tech blogger Paul Thurrott has said that Microsoft are bringing the family pack for Windows 7 back for the 2010 Christmas holidays.

More information won’t, apparently, be forthcoming from Microsoft until september or October but the pack, which gives three licences for Windows 7 at a discounted price, is a great way to get new copies of Windows 7.

Previously the pack sold for around £150 and included three licences for Windows 7 Home Premium.  No other version of Windows 7 is available in the family pack.

Previously the family pack was only available to buy in a limited number of countries.  This time the pack will apparently be available worldwide.

The family pack, which was only available for sale for a limited period during the launch of Windows 7, is something that Microsoft really should not have withdrawn.  As an argument against the pricing of OS X for the Apple Mac.  Windows is frequently criticised for being too expensive.  This is even though over 90% of people get their copy of Windows bundled with a new PC.

With Windows 7 however the retail sales have been far higher than with previous versions of Windows.  This was probably due to people who got a copy of Windows Vista with their new PC and are, frankly, desperate to get shot of it.  The way PC hardware has gone over the last few years is now making it less and less likely that people will need to upgrade their PC every few years.  It’s really now a case that PCs will continue to be used until they die.

There’s been no official confirmation yet from Microsoft about this announcement, Paul may put more information on his blog.

Windows 7 Family Pack coming back for Christmas 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.

I reported yesterday that Google was moving away from Windows7 PC at their home site and using Mac or Linux based PC’s instead. The primary reason given by Google was the security concerns it had about Windows7.

To recap, Google was attacked earlier this year from hackers in China. Several secret and important pieces of code and information were compromised.  Google took this incident very seriously, as you would expect.  See: New approach to China.

Now Google is taking the additional step of removing Windows7 based PC from their offices. Linux or Mac will be available to their employees, and only with permission from higher ups will Windows 7 based pc’s be available. See Google Moving Away from Windows 7.

How did the attack occur? Apparently it was people, not the program itself. Reportedly the attack was successful because a Google employee opened up an e-mail in explorer and set the cascading events. People, not Microsoft’s Internet Explorer vulnerability, was how attackers gained access to Google’s systems.

Microsoft has now responded to this.  In a blog post, Windows and Security: Setting the Record Straight, Microsoft basically said, that their size makes them a bigger target, not their program design. However, the post also details how the other companies, Google with gmail, and Apple with it Macs are just as vulnerable to hacker attacks.

This is an unusual blog because it admits that Windows7 is vulnerable…but so is everyone else! Readers are left to wonder how secure the product is. The blog says,

“When it comes to security, even hackers admit we’re doing a better job making our products more secure than anyone else. And it’s not just the hackers; third party influentials and industry leaders like Cisco tell us regularly that our focus and investment continues to surpass others.”

Let us hope so…in the meantime Google may be working against Microsoft for other reasons, that have nothing to do with Windows 7, but more to do with wanting it’s employees to get ready to move to their own operating system. Google Chrome, that is in the wings waiting to be deployed.

Follow up: Microsoft Responds to Google’s Move From Windows 7 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.

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.

Windows 7 SP1 to Feature Performance Improvements 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.

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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Rumor has it that Microsoft has had 35 builds since January 11 and March 2 for Service Pack 1 in Windows7. The exact nature of the service pack content is still a mystery, but with that many builds it may mean that there must be many changes that Microsoft would like to see in Windows7. The latest build is 7601.16518.100302-1530, and it is expected to ship in April 2010.

The conventional wisdom of the past has been for organizations to wait for the first service pack to deploy before they obtain a new client OS. For many this used to be a necessity. With the availability now of beta software to test the new product, which was not as broad in the past as it is today, and furthermore, people expected the initial release to be buggy and unstable. But that has changed.

Service Pack1 - Windows 7

The first Service Pack usually would ship somewhere between 9 to 12 months after the initial OS shipment. Typically, the service pack would usually represent an improvement in stability. Today, SP1 does not represent the milestone it used to be. Windows7 has changed the modus operandi of a service pack.

What is expected in Service Pack 1?

At the top will be the patches and bug fixes and security updates that have already been delivered to customers. On top of these patches and bug fixes will be tweaks and fixes, and enhancements based on feedback received by Microsoft from customers. If you are expecting ground-breaking changes or updates here, you’ll be disappointed. It will mostly be under the hood tweaks.

But there is likely to be support for technologies that have materialized in public but not made it into Windows7. USB 3.0 is likely to be at the top of a short list. Enhancements to the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi stacks may also be added.

Image Source view here.

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CentrumXP has revealed what is supposedly the official packaging for Office 2010. Although all leaks must be taken with some degree of uncertainty, CentrumXP was the first to leak the correct Windows 7 packaging, so this is most likely the genuine deal.

Since its release, the Office 2010 Beta has been in high demand, with over one million downloads in just two weeks. Possibly the most significant update in the next major iteration of the suite is the Office Web Applications feature, which is similar to Google Docs in that a user can view, edit, and save documents completely in-browser.

Microsoft has announced that Office 2010 will be released sometime in June, available in six different versions: Starter, Home and Student, Home and Business, Standard, Professional, and Professional Plus. Starter is a streamlined Office, with only Word and Excel available with advertisements and limited functionality. However, Starter will be completely free and provided to OEMs for pre-loading onto PCs, with the upgrade option already installed. As a result, a user simply has to purchase a plastic card for a single-use license from various major retailers such as OfficeMax to completely enable the suite.

Other new features include OpenDocument support, 64-bit editions (but only for Vista and Windows 7), improved jumplists, and much more. The Office 2010 Beta is available right now for anyone to test, completely free and fully functional until its expiration on 31st October 2010.

Microsoft Office 2010 Official Packaging Leaked 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.

Ok…let’s rework this. Last week there was excitement and anxiety about the Windows7  BSOD, Black screen of death. Not to be confused with the other famous BSOD, the blue screen of death, most Microsoft Windows users are familiar with.  Prevx, a British security consulting firm made the claim that Microsoft’s November download patches were responsible for the problem.

The problem was that on occasion, users would lose everything on their screen and be left looking at a black screen. There would be no start button, no task bar…nothing to work with.

The Black Screen of Death (BSOD)

There were several posts on this site talking about the problem and providing fixes.

Microsoft immediately went to work on the problem. It concluded that their were convinced that their patches were not responsible for the problem.

A week later, it appears that Prevx is backing off of its claim, and has issued an apology to Microsoft.

They make two points in their retraction:

1) they were not convinced that Microsoft’s update patches were the principle cause of the problem, just that they were looking at the problem, by first focusing on the security downloads.

2) they made it appear that Microsoft was responsible, but they regret that observation since they now believe that the occurrence is inconsistent, and not caused by the downloads.

Either way the damage had been done. But in the longer term the damage is common to many incidents going through the news cycle that are not properly vetted. When gossip and rumor become the mainstay for public information, the public is hurt. As a Microsoft Spokesman Roger Habeer said: “For me, the ultimate source for information [that] you should build your assessment on is neither Twitter nor your brother’s sister-in-law’s father’s brother, but our Web site.”

Public relations, as practices by corporation is different than blogging. The former is carefully vetted, the latter is not. This incident with Prevx was based on the company blog.

But in all of this fray, the problem with the BSOD as to its cause, is still not solved.

More BSOD…Maybe It Really Wasn’t Microsoft’s Fault After All 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.

Microsoft has wanted to stop software piracy since its early days. As their software got more sophisticated, so did their methods to separate legitimate from pirated copies of their software. Product keys, evaluation time periods, activation processes are all designed to make the product a genuine copy.

Two Windows Activation Technologies,  the Software Protection Platform (SSP) and the Software Licensing Client (SLC), manage and handle licensing and activation matters on the operating system to the core components or files which are required for its operation. When the programs are put in operation SLUI will start and the activation process is in play.

Now however, rumor has it that two hacker products, RemoveWAT and Chew-WGA, have created activation work arounds. The software doesn’t provide you with a product key or an activation number, rather it allows the users to keep using the OS indefinitely.

Windows Activation Technologies are completely removed by the Windows 7 Crack RemoveWAT, allowing users to validate illegal copies of Windows.  The hack is permanent and RemoveWAT works with all versions of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.  Chew-WGA Windows 7 crack takes a slightly different approach by supressing Windows 7 components, allowing pirated copies of Windows 7 to be activated.

The hack process is based on recognizing what happens when the activation period is at an end. When the evaluation activation free period of 30 days as expired, a reminder screen notifies the user to activate Windows 7. The notifications may appear from balloon tip at notification system tray, or when launching  NotePad, WordPad, the Calculator, or even when launching the Control Panel. The hack bypasses the notification.

Hackers have came up with tools or utilities which deals with all “side-effects” that follow the after is disabled and removed, so that Windows OS will continue to operate as it should so there is no automatic log off or shutdown.

A Microsoft spokeman said they were aware of the technique, and were working to shore up the activation procedure. This work around may be something that will appear in an update soon, or a service pack.

Windows 7 Activation Hacks Created 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.

Yesterday, PCR trade magazine carried out an interview with Simon Aldous, Microsoft’s partner group manager. The interview was running smoothly until the Microsoft employee was asked: “Is Windows 7 really a much more agile operating system, in terms of the specific uses it can be moulded to?”

Aldous gave out a response which would - most likely - start another endless PC vs. Mac debate. For some reason he claimed that the Windows 7′s graphical user interface (Windows Aero) was “borrowed from Mac OS X”. He then criticized Mac OS X for not being as stable as Windows Vista. Here’s the full quote:

One of the things that people say an awful lot about the Apple Mac is that the OS is fantastic, that it’s very graphical and easy to use. What we’ve tried to do with Windows 7 – whether it’s traditional format or in a touch format – is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics. We’ve significantly improved the graphical user interface, but it’s built on that very stable core Vista technology, which is far more stable than the current Mac platform, for instance.

Do you see any similarity between the Windows 7 interface and Mac OS X?! Unsurprisingly, his statement spread through the internet. Although the claims are NOT true, this wasn’t good news to the Redmond company, which has been trying hard to avoid any bad publicity for its latest operating system.

Microsoft spokesman, Brandon LeBlanc, quickly responded to the issue on The Windows Blog saying that such information is incorrect and described his discontentment to the fact that it came from the company’s own employee, who didn’t take part in any aspect of designing Windows 7:

An inaccurate quote has been floating around the Internet today about the design origins of Windows 7 and whether its look and feel was “borrowed” from Mac OS X.  Unfortunately this came from a Microsoft employee who was not involved in any aspect of designing Windows 7. I hate to say this about one of our own, but his comments were inaccurate and uninformed.

For more information about the designing of Windows 7 Aero, you can read this Engineering Windows 7 blog post  and/or this guide which I had written earlier this week.

“Windows 7 GUI Inspired by Mac”… Not True 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.

Obviously Microsoft is already working away at the first Service Pack for Windows 7, but thats about all we know. Well now the Russian site wzor.net, which gave away lots of leaks leading up to the final release of Windows 7 has released time frame information about the release of the first Windows 7 service pack.

According to this rumor Windows 7 SP1 will have two betas and two release candidates. It’s also possible that developers will get the first beta as early as December 2009. The finally RTM version of SP1 is set to be released in summer 2010 and will be RTW ( Release To Web ) by autumn 2010. Now this is all according to Russian site wzor.net and nothing has been announced officially be Microsoft.

Arstechnica attempted to translate the original article by wzor using Google:

Since the end of September 2009, Microsoft has resumed intensive work on the first service pack for Windows 7, the assembly gathered, the work in full swing, we observe the processes taking place in a company and as soon as work on SP1 significantly advance to the “interesting stages, so we just try to give you know about this.

Now we will not “spook” the leadership and development team, leak test assemblies SP1 Beta 1.

To our knowledge the first Beta 1 version of SP1 for Windows 7 may appear at the end of December this year, just before the Christmas holidays, and after the new year, SP1 Beta 1 will be given to the TAP Testori.

The public phase of testing SP1 for Windows 7 will begin in early January 2010.

Total scheduled to launch two beta versions of SP1 for Windows 7 and two release candidates.

Output the final version of SP1 for Windows 7 is scheduled for the autumn of 2010, PC makers will get the updated distributions of Windows 7 with SP1 as always much earlier ie in the summer of 2010.

According to this rumor, Microsoft will be releasing a SP1 much quicker than they did with Vista. Windows Vista SP1 had a 5 month Beta Program. It included a Beta, a Release Candidate Preview, a Release Candidate, a Release Candidate Refresh, and a Release Candidate Refresh 2 ( Which went on to be the final RTM ) Whats more Vista was released in November 2006 and the SP1 wasn’t available until March 2008.

If this rumor appears to be true then Windows 7 SP1 could be released in autumn 2010 which would only be a year after the RTM release of Windows 7. And as Arstechica rightly pointed out, delays are bound to occur, although they didn’t with the Windows 7 release.

When do you think the SP1 will be released? What would you like to see in it?

Sources:

Arstechnica

Windows 7 SP1 Here By Summer 2010? 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.

Last week, a bug was discovered in the Windows 7 RTM (build 7600) that was distributed to TechNet and MSDN subscribers. The bug occurs when a user (with administrator privileges) runs the “chkdsk /r” command on a non-system drive, and causes the following:

• “chkdsk.exe” consumes a lot of memory (over 90%)
• the computer becomes non-responsive and crashes

Unsurprisingly, the news had spread on various forums and blogs very quickly. Some described the bug as a “showstopper”, while others claimed that it could derail the Windows 7 launch. There are also several screen shots that have been posted on the internet.

Memory usage after running the 'chkdsk' command using 'r' parameter

Microsoft has responded to the issue through the Engineering Windows 7 blog in an article discussing how they deal with bug reports, focusing on the ‘chkdsk.exe’ bug. Microsoft said that they didn’t find any reported crashes of ‘chkdsk’ after looking through crash telemetry and existing bug reports:

We first looked through our crash telemetry (both at the user level and “blue screen” level) and found no reported crashes of chkdsk. We of course look through our existing reports of issues that came up during the development of Windows 7, but we didn’t see anything at all there. We queried the call stacks of existing reported crashes (of all kinds, since this was reported) and we did not find any crashes with chkdsk.exe running while crashing.

Then they had to face the fact that they were unable to reproduce the bug despite all of the tests that they’ve conducted to try to do so:

We then began automated test runs on a broad set of machines—these ran overnight and continued for 2 days. We also saw reports related to a specific hardware configuration, so we set up over 40 machines based on variants of that chipset, driver, and firmware and ran those tests. We were not hitting any crashes (as mentioned, the memory usage was already understood). Because some were saying the machines were non-responsive we also looked for that in manual tests and didn’t see anything. We also broadened this to request globally to Microsoft folks to try things out (we have quite a few unique configs when you think of all of our offices around the world) and so we had several hundred more test runs going. We also had reports of the crash happening when running without any virtual memory—that could be the case, but that would not be an issue with this utility as any program that requests more memory than physically available would cause things to tip over and this configuration is not recommended for general purpose use (and this appears to be the common thread on the small number of non-reproducible crashes).

Meanwhile they tried checking forums and external blogs to gather more information about the bug but failed to find any technical details or a crash dump. Microsoft says it will keep on working on it until they are satisfied that they have systematically ruled out the crash or defined the circumstances where it can happen.

I’ve tried running the command on my F drive (using “chkdsk /r F:“) and did notice a surge in the memory usage (by “chkdsk.exe), however didn’t witness a crash. Do think this is really a ‘critical’ problem? Or is it just making a storm in a tea cup (in other words, giving it a lot of unnecessary attention)?

Sources: Engineering Windows 7, Neowin and InfoWorld

Microsoft Still Working on ‘chkdsk.exe’ Bug 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.

Microsoft has just released a statement to CNET News confirming the fact that hackers managed to crack the windows 7 RTM Ultimate activation. The statement says:

We are aware of reports of activation exploits that attempt to circumvent activation and validation in Windows 7, and we can assure customers that Microsoft is committed to protecting them from counterfeit and pirated software. Microsoft strongly advises customers not to download Windows 7 from unauthorized sources. Downloading Windows 7 from peer-to-peer Web sites exposes users to increased risks–such as viruses, Trojans, and other malware and malicious code–that usually accompany counterfeit software. These risks can seriously harm or permanently destroy data and often expose users to identity theft and other criminal schemes.

The software giant (obviously) isn’t happy about what happened and has stated that it is ‘committed to protecting [its customers] from counterfeit and pirated software’ and advises its customers to only download Windows 7 from trusted sources.

One of our readers mentioned that Microsoft ‘has tricks up its sleeve’ and will break the crack a day or two before Windows 7′s official release. What do you expect Microsoft’s response to be??

Meanwhile, Another Crack hit the Wild

Few hours ago Orbit30, a very active uploader, uploaded a crack for Windows 7 RTM named “7Loader”. Several releases have made it on various file-sharing and torrent sites, with “release 4″ being the latest.

Windows 7Loader Slic Activation with OEM Information

It allows users to either choose an OEM or nothing (the “None slic” option) for the activation Information and permanently activates Windows 7. People who’ve downloaded it claim that it works. However, it’s still not clear whether it can also activate other SKUs (Home Basic, Home Premium and Professional) or not.

It’s interesting to see how fast these cracks are created and uploaded in less than week after Windows 7 was RTM’d. Windows7News does not endorse/support/advise piracy in any form whatsoever (and ask you to support Microsoft by buying their products).

Sources: Softpedia, Releaselog

Microsoft: “We are aware of reports of activation exploits…” 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.

Yesterday, SolidBlogger reported that the LIPs (Language Interface Packs) or MUI (Multilingual User Interface) for the Windows 7 RTM have been leaked on various torrent sites.

Language Interface Packs allow users to display windows, menus, dialogs, welcome screens, etc. in their preferred language. Currently, Windows 7 supports 35 languages (apart from English):

Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonianm, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hong Kong Chinese, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian or Latin, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Ukrainian

According to The Windows Blog, all language packs should be available for download to MSDN and TechNet subscribers by October 1st. For those interested in downloading the leaked RTM language pack images, please ensure that they match the checksums below to avoid getting malware or modified ISO files:

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.LANGUAGE.PACK.35.LANGUAGES.RTM.7600.16385.X64.DVD
File Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_client_langpacks_1-GRMCXLP1_DVD.iso
Size: 2,306,793,472 bytes
SHA1: 5AB13E8534FA
6E17DB2EDEDEAD0D219E9B99A794
MD5: 4FD12AD4C946DD145A67C3230650AB8B
CRC: 5EA0988F

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.LOCALPACK.20.LANGUAGES.RTM.7600.16385.X86.DVD
File Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_client_localpacks-GRMCLPCKFRE_DVD.iso
Size: 75,689,984 bytes
SHA1: 9CEB5A53910337DEBB76148F4DCF5D305D84D804
MD5: 7C5AA4B2F7B9B2D64F50257A121E816F
CRC: D9D70D72

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.LANGUAGE.PACK.CHINESE.TRADITIONAL.RTM.7600.16385.X64.DVD
File Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_client_langpacks_2-GRMCXLP2_DVD.iso
Size: 133,793,792 bytes
SHA1: E0B7FEB2812D6B8B240D6E7BBBC385BB283FF1FB
MD5: 725209E3F76719C1DC71EB93FC636B17
CRC: 7431C668

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.LOCALPACK.20.LANGUAGES.RTM.7600.16385.X64.DVD
File Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_client_localpacks-GRMCLPCKXFRE_DVD.iso
Size: 75,683,840 bytes
SHA1: 8FF188C287F764CC5801FD0E3B698DE712078D8F
MD5: 4D7B984F6DB0A7790DACE128370D1E09
CRC: 26E584D9

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.LANGUAGE.PACK.35.LANGUAGES.RTM.7600.16385.X86.DVD
File Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_client_langpacks_1-GRMCLP1_DVD.iso
Size: 1,936,062,464 bytes
SHA1: 9A04B246F132D929CDE04B14DD07FCF5F14D2F23
MD5: 0DDB893B76F27B184C48284A064D5049
CRC: 45A48C46

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.LANGUAGE.PACK.CHINESE.TRADITIONAL.RTM.7600.16385.X86.DVD
File Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_client_langpacks_2-GRMCLP2_DVD.iso
Size: 111,949,824 bytes
SHA1: 4A9F997BDC5DDBDF0CFF95AA1612133BF2EDBD16
MD5: C6C59A248E727765FA049DA40F480ED8
CRC: C40F8E55

Images with ‘localpacks’ in their filename contain regional themes and wallpapers. Language packs are only available to users running the ULTIMATE edition of Windows 7 and will be available via Windows Update.

How to install a language pack

If you’ve downloaded a language pack image, extracted the ISO file’s content and want to install it, here’s how:

• Click ‘Start’
• Type “display language” in the search bar
• Choose “Install or uninstall display languages” under ‘Control Panel (5)’
• (if the above step doesn’t work, try typing ”%SYSTEMROOT%System32lpksetup.exe” in the search bar)

The “Language Pack Installer” window should appear with two options.

• Choose “Install display languages”
• Since the Windows Update doesn’t provide language packs at this time, choose “Browse computer or network”
• Select the file “lp.cab” of the downloaded language pack from its location and click “OK”

The LIP information should appear in the list box.

Selecting Language(s) to Install

• Check it and click “Next”
• Choose “I accept license terms.” if you agree to the terms and click “Next”

Windows 7 will start installing the language pack. As already stated on the window, installation might take a long time. So you’ll just have to wait…

Installing a Language Pack

• Once installation is complete, Click “Next”

You will be provided with the list of installed languages, select the new language pack and click “Change display language”.

Changing the Display Language

What if you’d like to switch back to English, or another installed language? You can easily change the display language used by doing the following:

• Click ‘Start’
• Type “region” in the search bar
• Choose “Region and Language” under ‘Control Panel (2)’
• (if the above step doesn’t work, try typing ”%SYSTEMROOT%System32cmd.exe” in the search bar and then type the following in the Command Prompt window that appears: “C:WindowsSystem32rundll32.exe C:WindowsSystem32shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL C:WindowsSystem32intl.cpl”)
• Go to “Keyboards and Languages”
• Click on the combo box under “Choose a display language” and choose the language pack you want to use
• Click “Apply”

That’s it!

Windows 7 RTM Language Packs Leaked 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.

Again, another build leak. Maybe this is the RTM, but let’s not get too hopeful like last time.

Nonetheless, Wzor has stated that 16385 is “very, very possible FINAL RTM build.” However, they were wrong last time.

Here are the iso details (both x86 and x64 have been leaked by the Chinese).

x64:
7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULFRER_EN_DVD.iso
SHA1: 326327CC2FF9F05379F5058C41BE6BC5E004BAA7

x86:
7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULFRER_EN_DVD.iso
MD5: 5395DC4B38F7BDB1E005FF414DEEDFDB16DBF610

According to a screenshot on Wzor, Microsoft gave the final build to manufacturing on the morning of the 14th, so this could finally be it. Nevermind. That was a transcript error.

Let’s wait and see.

Windows 7 Build 7600.16385 Leaked 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.

After the EU’s antitrust case against Microsoft for ‘abusing its dominant position’ in the browsers usage share by bundling Internet Explorer along with Windows 7, Microsoft has decided to ship an “E” version of Windows 7 for European countries which won’t come with any browser. This made many users wonder how they’ll be able to obtain a browser (from the internet) since there’s no way to browse the internet in the first place!

Microsoft has provided instructions for installing the Windows 7 E editions on the Windows 7 (United Kingdom) website. The instructions included the additional step of saving a preferred browser on a storage medium (CD/DVD, USB or external hard drive…) before installing Windows and obviously, reinstalling it once the setup is complete. This means that users will not be provided with a list of browsers to choose from after installing Windows 7 as some expected (or wished).

If you’d like to save and install your preferred browser before installing a Windows 7 E edition, simply:

• Download your preferred browser (ordered depending on usage share according to the Wikipedia):

Internet Explorer	http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/default.aspx
Firefox	http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ie.html?from=getfirefox
Safari	http://www.apple.com/safari/
Chrome	http://www.google.com/chrome
Opera	http://www.opera.com/

• Copy installation file to a storage medium (e.g. memory stick, CD, etc.)
• Install Windows 7
• Install the browser and start browsing the internet!

It is also expected that browsers may be sold on CDs with the operating system, as Neowin mentioned:

Microsoft has made Internet Explorer 8 available for order, on disk. The disk costs £3.44, excluding VAT. For many users, this will not be necessary, but Amazon.de is offering the Internet Explorer 8 disk as an extra anyway, for €3.99. Firefox is also available to order, from the Mozilla Store.

However, there isn’t sufficient information available yet about this issue. Lastly, there will be a Windows 7 “N” version which is similar to the “E” version, but excludes the Windows Media Player as well.

Installing a Browser in Windows 7 E 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.

Several rumours concerning the Windows 7 RTM (Release to Marketing) jammed the internet in the past week. Some people (including myself) thought that Microsoft has finally signed off an RTM build with the string: 6.1.7600.16384.win7_rtm.090710-1945.

However yesterday (the day Windows 7 was expected to RTM) Microsoft spokesman Brandon LeBlanc, mentioned in The Windows Blog that the Windows 7 RTM is still not ready and hasn’t been signed off. Instead, the RTM is expected to be ‘completed’ by the second half of this month.

…when we do a specific build internally of Windows 7 we have an extensive step-by-step validation process to ensure quality. This process takes time. Just because a single build may have “leaked” it does not signal the completion of a milestone such as RTM.

The RTM is the final process of the development of Windows 7, where it will be distributed to Microsoft partners (including software vendors) to create their final images of the Windows and manufacture computers and hardware that support it. I am very excited about the RTM as it’s the last step before the GA (General Availability) of Windows 7, where it will hit the market in October 22^nd. But it isn’t a small step, rather the beginning of a new “process” for Windows 7 as Steven Sinofsky stated in the Engineering Windows 7 blog in May.

Once the Windows is complete, it’ll be available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers and VL (Volume License) Customers within a few weeks after its announcement. As for now, those interested can continue using the RC (Release Candidate) of Windows 7.  If you’d like to install the leaked build 7600, make sure that it has the exact hash codes listed in “CONFIRMED – Windows 7 RTM, Server 2008, and Office 2010 Beta Leaked” to avoid getting malware. You can use a program such as FileAlyzer to obtain the checksum of the downloaded file.

Last but not least, the leaked build 7600 has:

• a big jump in build string numbers (from 7200 to 7600!)
• the “setup.exe” digitally signed
• no build string information on the desktop

This made many believe that it is the RTM release, as seen from one of the comments on the post “Update on Windows 7 RTM”. Mike Ybarra, a Microsoft employee, explained in reply to the comment:

Build numbers change all the time and is related to a number of different things.

When we release a build we then have hundreds of ISOs to validate and so it takes time to go through all of these checks and balances to ensure the code meets our broad quality bar.  This is all part of the “RTM” process.  What we can tell you is that we have not released Windows 7 to manufacturing and our process is still underway. Any leaked builds out “there” could very well include a virus, malware or other harmful exploits.

I personally will stick with the release candidate and don’t mind waiting another few weeks.

Brandon LeBlanc: “We are close, but have not yet signed off on Windows 7″ 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.

There are reports tonight that the ‘reputed’ RTM build (7600.16384.090710-1945) of Windows 7 has already leaked to the internet.  Actually I got this story from my mother which I’m sure will amuse a few people 

[Start slideshow]

1234...121314►

Windows 7 RTM x86 ISO: 7600.16384.090710-1945_x86fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULFRER_EN_DVD.iso
Windows 7 RTM x64 ISO: 7600.16384.090710-1945_x64fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULXFRER_EN_DVD.iso

Hashes for Windows 7 RTM Build 7600.16384.090710-1945 x64 iso is:

Windows 7 RTM 7600.16384.090710-1945_x64fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULXFRER_EN_DVD.iso

7600.win7_rtm.090710-1945

SHA1 0×31849B315290EFABFD81F967ED3C553D82925E4C

There’s no confirmation yet and we can be sure that some copies, if this is true, will contain trojans.  Nothing more to report at this stage.

Windows 7 RTM build 7600 leaked? 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.

Russian Twitter user Deeper2k recently tweeted a picture of an official mailing from Microsoft to Russian reseller partners, saying that business users with Software Assurance contracts before 31 August will be able to:

“have the rights to upgrade to Windows 7 on PCs they purchased starting on August 1, 2008”, with 15 per cent off”.

This is a significant change of strategy for Microsoft, as unlike the launch of Vista where business users were able to buy Windows Vista 2 months earlier than consumers, the original plan for the business and consumer launches of Windows 7 were for them to occur at the same time.

Microsoft are clearly desperate to cash in on the success and popularity of Windows 7 as quickly as possible.  All the signs are pointing to the fact that Windows 7 will be a major success for Microsoft, and well thought out features like Windows 7 XP mode will surely convince many businesses who decided not to upgrade to Vista, to make the leap to Windows 7.

I certainly hope my firm does, as it’s getting to the point were I’m struggling to use Windows XP as it’s so unfamiliar!

Windows 7 Launched Early For Business Users End Of July 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.

Two new candidate builds, 6.1.7264.0.win7_rtm.090622-1900 and 6.1.7265.0.win7_rtm.090624-1905, have been assembled in the RTM branch (win7_rtm), according to WZor. Therefore, the current builds in the RTM branch are:

• 6.1.7260.0.win7_rtm.090612-2110
• 6.1.7261.0.win7_rtm.090615-1900
• 6.1.7262.0.win7_rtm.090617-1900
• 6.1.7263.0.win7_rtm.090619-1900
• 6.1.7264.0.win7_rtm.090622-1900
• 6.1.7265.0.win7_rtm.090624-1905

The build with the name “6.1.7264.0.win7_rtm.090620-1900” is a fake as the build 7264 was assembled on 22nd of June and not 20th. More candidate builds may appear in the forthcoming weeks; however no leaks are expected until the signing of an RTM release (on 13th of July, according to the RTM schedule).

The RTM stands for “Release to Manufacturing” or “Ready to Market” and is sometimes referred to as “going gold”. It’s the last step before general appearance where Windows 7 will be available to marketing on 22nd of October of this year. This will only take place after the signing of the final RTM release that meets the defined quality level set by Microsoft.

New Candidates Assembled in RTM builds 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.

Is this the road to RTM? Wzor has posted details about what could possibly be the RTM schedule. Although Microsoft is keeping a tight lid so far on what that exact schedule might be. Have a look. As reported from neowin.net.

• FINAL ROADMAP FOR WINDOWS 7 [CLIENT-SERVER]:
• 6/1 – 6/19 BUILDING RTM ESCROW – already assembled RTM ESCROW.
• 6/22 – 7/10 RTM RECALL – assembly and search for candidates to the final RTM release.
• 7/10 WINDOWS 7 RTM FINAL BUILD TARGET – build day “gold code”.
• 7/13 WINDOWS 7 RTM SIGN-OFF – the date of signing the final RTM release!

While this is great news, if it is true, I am holding off for a fresh Retail copy of Windows 7. But it does mean that we might be one step closer to the Oct. 22nd release of Windows 7.  Which is fantastic, if Microsoft puts on a great marketing plan. If they don’t get the word out about Windows 7 to the masses, and soon. It could be disastrous. Remember Vista anyone! I understand Windows 7 is not out, so how can they advertise for it. But they can and they should, as soon as possible!

Let’s get the word out to everyone. That Windows 7 is not Vista. It has better features. Easier to use, and is faster in general!  So it should be advertised as such!

Windows 7 RTM Schedule? 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.

Microsoft have confirmed the rumour that it has decided to give a much longer span of time for businesses to choose whether or not they want to downgrade their computers from Windows 7 to Windows XP after purchase.   The original deadline was only 6 months, which would have been a disaster for many corporates who haven’t even upgraded to Vista yet, or don’t plan to upgrade to Windows 7 within that period.

The new deadline for companies to roll back their purchases to XP is April 23, 2011. However, if one attempts to downgrade after the April 23 release date, they can scale down only to Vista. It was an unexpected, yet considerable move by the corporate giant to give businesses and consumers a chance to test drive their new operating system with the ability to return to one which they know is stable.

The downgrade only applies to Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate purchases, which is a bit sneaky as corporates will be paying a huge price premium for an OS they won’t be using.

Could this be a bad move by Microsoft? If they do happen to release a version of Windows 7 that is covered in bugs, then this could lose new users right off the bat. The public in general does not want to pay for patience, and the arrival of a service pack to fix the problems that could arise wouldn’t come for months. It seems Microsoft is trying to prepare for the worst by offering this, but they could easily be shooting themselves in the foot. Luckily, however, Windows 7 does appear stable enough for release. But as we all learned from Bill Gates, anything can happen.

Windows 7 to XP Downgrade Details Confirmed 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.

According to the Russian news portal, WZor, the assembly of the RTM (Release to Manufacturing/Marketing) may have taken place. The RTM refers to the final stage of development of software before the GA (General Availability), where it will be made available commercially (22nd of October). This information is not confirmed yet, however the Microsoft Connect website shows evidence of this from the announcement:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: ALL file downloads will be OFFLINE from Friday, June 19th at 7:00 pm PDT until Sunday, June 21st at 4:00 pm PDT for a system upgrade. Also, Microsoft Connect will be offline this Saturday, June 20th from 9:00 am – 11:00 am PDT for a version upgrade.

This could mean that the website is being renovated due to release the RTM builds of Windows 7. Again, this information is still not confirmed as the Russian news portal still doesn’t have adequate information about the signing of the release and the technical parameter of the final RTM builds.

Assembly of Windows 7 RTM Started? 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.

A few days before joining Windows7News I wrote on my own site that I had been informed by a reliable source that the cause of the recent split of the Windows build trees, the release candidate tree and release to manufacturing tree, was the fact that an interface change was coming.

I was told that this wouldn’t involve any changes to functionality, it would merely be a new ‘skin’ to change the look and feel.

Now I have no proof one way or the other, just the word of a reliable source.  I was looking back through my previous emails today with Microsoft Senior Vice President for Windows etc. fella Steven Sinofsky when I came across an email I had sent him about the taskbar.

I was heavily critcising it’s look and feel, it’s been one of my major bug bears since the technical beta began.  His reply to me didn’t make a lot of sense at the time, and I could be reading too much into it now.  He simply said…

Give it some time.

Does this mean anything?  Did he know a change was coming back then?  The email was sent back in January so they would certainly have been working on such a thing by then. 

Certainly all the feedback technical testers were getting through the connect site said either “by design” or “won’t fix”, Microsoft’s way of saying they weren’t interested as they’d already locked that functionality down.  If they were planning a new look and feel, these answers would be consistent with this.

This may turn out to be nothing, however I thought such a potentially interesting tid-bit might turn out to be a clue.  So if it pans out, remember you read it first on Windows7News.

Windows 7 interface change? A clue from Steven Sinofsky? 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.

It’s been confirmed that Windows 7 Build 7100 is the official RC release. Complied on 21 April 2009 it is tagged as 7100.0.winmain_win7rc .090421-1700. More recent internal builds have been released, but 7100 is the official RC build.

The Windows 7 Release Candidate will be available for download on May 5th, although expect it to be leaked before then particualarly as MSDN and Technet subscribers will get it beforehand. Already fake torrents have been seen in the wild.

Builds 71XX will be based on RC1, and RC2 builds expected around August 2009 will be Builds 72XX. Given the pace of Windows 7′s development, if I were a betting man, I would put money in on the Windows 7 Release Date being before Christmas 2009.

Windows 7 Official Release Candidate Is Build 7100 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.

Although they haven’t set it as an official objective, it seems Microsoft have set an unofficial target of achieving a sub 15 seconds boot time with Windows 7.  On the Windows 7 Engineering blog Michael Fortin stats that:

In the lab, a very good system is one that boots in under 15 seconds.

The fastest I’ve ever managed to get a Windows system to boot is just over a minute, so I’d be amazed if Microsoft do achieve a sub 15 second boot time for Windows 7.  I don’t think they will be able to do this alone and will probably need hardware and software manufacturers to play ball.

Do you think it’s achievable?

Can Microsoft Achieve A Sub 15 Seconds Boot Time With Windows 7? 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.

Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley believes that Windows 7 may be released in ‘components’ where customers will be able to choose which features they want to install, rather than every part of Windows 7 and the kitchen sink as well being installed as a default e.g. if you don’t want the mail, photos or video features then you could choose to not install them.

Although this approach will allow Microsoft to avoid attacks from competitors and regulators that they are forcing all of their features onto users, I just can’t see Microsoft doing this as it is one of their clear business tactics. Do you think Internet Explorer would have such a high adoption rate if it weren’t bundled with Windows? Would anyone use Live Search if it wasn’t rammed down users’ throats at every opportunity?

Modular installation could help keep installation sizes down, as I’m sure Windows 7 will need at least 3 times the disk space that Vista does.

Windows 7 May Be Broken Up Into Components 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.

Paul Thurrott gets a lot of inside scoops from Microsoft and he recently updated his Windows 7 FAQ page. There’s some interesting facts in here, including Paul’s ‘belief’ that Windows 7 will only be released as a 64-bit version.

Q: Is Microsoft working on an operating system after Windows Vista?

A: Yes. The next client version of Windows was originally codenamed “Blackcomb,” though the company renamed it to “Windows Vienna” in early 2006 and to “Windows Seven” or “Windows 7″ more recently.

Q: Why Windows 7?

Since Windows Vista is really Windows 6.0, Windows 7 will presumably be version 7.0.

Q: Is Windows 7 the final name?

No. Like Vienna, Windows 7 is just a codename and will likely change prior to the OS’ official release.

Q: I heard that Windows Vista will be the last major OS release from Microsoft. Is that true?

A: No. Windows-based PCs will continue to form the center of our digital lifestyles, and as Microsoft executives have noted in recent days, there are still plenty of areas in which Microsoft can improve Windows. Some obvious examples include voice recognition and storage.

Q: So is Windows 7 going to be a major Windows version?

A: Yes. Windows Vista was a major release, and Windows 7 will be also be a major update. Microsoft is currently on a development path where every other Windows version is a major release, so it’s possible we’ll see a minor OS update between Vista and Windows 7.

Q: When will Windows 7 ship?

A: Microsoft currently plans to ship Windows 7 in 2010, about four years after Vista. (Windows Server updates are on a similar cycle.)

Q: What features will be included in Windows 7?

A: Microsoft hasn’t publicly committed to any features for Windows 7 and the company is currently still deciding what this next Windows release will look like. We do know a few things about Windows 7, however: It will include a new version of Windows Explorer that is being built by the same team that designed the Ribbon user interface in Office 2007. It will likely include some form of the “Hypervisor” (Windows Virtualization) technologies that will ship shortly after Windows Server 2008. It will also likely include the WinFS (Windows Future Storage) technologies, though they won’t be packaged or branded as WinFS. Microsoft says it might also make a subscription-based version of the OS available to consumers, but that’s still in flux. In December 2007, a Microsoft product manager said that Windows 7 would include new touch features that expand on what’s available in Vista.

Q: That’s it?

A: Yes, but remember it’s early yet and Microsoft is being very secretive about future Windows versions. However, the company has publicly issued a bit of information about the broad capabilities it intends to include in Windows 7. This information comes from a publicly-available Microsoft slide deck:

Easier. Windows 7 will make it easier for users to find and use information. Local, network and Internet search functionality will converge. Intuitive user experiences will be further advanced. Automated application provisioning and cross-application data transparency will be integrated.

More secure. Windows 7 will include improved security and legislative compliance functionality. Data protection and management will be extended to peripheral devices. Windows 7 will advance role-based computing scenarios and user-account management, and bridge the inherent conflicts between data protection and robust collaboration. It will also enable enterprise-wide data protection and permissions.

Better connected. Windows 7 will further enable the mobile workforce. It will deliver anywhere, anytime, any device access to data and applications. It will enable a robust ad-hoc collaboration experience. Wireless connectivity, management and security functionality will be expanded. The performance and functionality of current and emerging mobile hardware will be optimized. The multiple device sync, management and data protection capabilities in Windows will be extended. Finally, Windows 7 will enable flexible computing infrastructures including rich, thin and network-centric models.

Lower cost. Windows 7 will help businesses optimize their desktop infrastructure. It will enable seamless OS, application and data migration, and simplified PC provisioning and upgrading. It will further efforts towards non-disruptive application updating and patching. Windows 7 will include improved hardware- and software-based virtualization experiences. And it will expand the PC self-help and IT Pro problem resolution diagnostics in Windows.

Q: Will Windows 7 be available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions like Vista?

A: Though I had expected Windows 7 to ship only in 64-bit versions, Microsoft now says it will be the final Windows version to ship in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

Q: Will Microsoft release any Windows updates between now and Windows 7?

A: Yes. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1, codenamed “Fiji”) will ship simultaneously with Windows Server 2008 in early 2008 and will include a new kernel version that makes that release up to date with the kernel version in Longhorn. And one might logically expect a new Media Center update before Windows 7 as well.

More: Paul Thurrott

Updated Windows 7 FAQ 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.

News about Windows 7 are rare because Microsoft tends to concentrate on Windows Vista nowadays and comments only when it is absolutely necessary. The last time I heard something about Windows 7 directly from Microsoft was when they announced the Windows 7 milestone release.

That milestone release was distributed to technology partners throughout the world. Since no one but Microsoft really knows how Windows 7 at this current stage looks like it is hard to tell if the following posted video is genuine. The Blair Witch like camera does not help proving the point either.

I personally do think it is legit if alone for the reason that no one refuted it. There are thousands of guys out there who received the Windows 7 milestone and you could think that at least one would have mentioned – probably anonymously – that those videos that are currently distributed are fake.

This has not happened to my knowledge, so enjoy this video of Windows 7.

<object width=”425″ height=”355″><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/-crFaYLW-xk&rel=1″></param><param name=”wmode” value=”transparent”></param><embed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/-crFaYLW-xk&rel=1″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” wmode=”transparent” width=”425″ height=”355″></embed></object>

A shaky Windows 7 video emerges 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.

Some details about what features might be included in Windows 7 are starting to emerge.

TarryBlogging have featured an excerpt from an interview on Windows 7 that seems to indicate that Windows 7 will include some form of the “Hypervisor” Windows Virtualisation technologies that will ship shortly after Windows Server.

The interview also claims that Windows 7 might include the Windows Future Storage (WinFS) technology.

Windows 7 To Include Hypervisor? 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.