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Installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 sends some PCs into an endless series of reboots, according to posts to a Microsoft support forum. Jesper Johansson, a former program manager for security policy at Microsoft and a prominent Windows blogger, has worked with users to tentatively identify the problem as involving only machines using processors from Advanced Micro Devices. Messages from frustrated users began accumulating on the XP SP3 support newsgroup Wednesday, just a day after Microsoft released the update to the general public.
"I just installed Windows XP SP3 and after completing the processes and when the system reboots, the system cannot proceed to load the Windows," said a user labeled as "Olin" in a message that kicked off a long thread. "It just displays the flash screen of Windows then after it reboots again."
Most users who left messages on the forum said that they were unable to boot into Windows Safe mode -- a last-ditch way to sidestep the normal boot process for troubleshooting purposes -- or revert to a previously saved System Restore point. Some were understandably upset. "Way to go, Microsoft, releasing the pile of dung called SP3 that hoses your system so bad even Safe Mode isn't working!" said a user identified as Mike Voss. "Props to your QA guys, they certainly have done their job."
 Full story: InfoWorld
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| Last comment was by luke.mccormick
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Depending on how you spin this information, it’s either good news or bad. A study by a decidedly partial observer, security vendor PC Tools Software, showed that Windows Vista, while much improved over Windows XP, is still far too vulnerable. Not that we needed a study to tell us that …
The study was developed by using data from PC Tools’ ThreatFire program. According to the data, Vista allowed 639 threats per thousand computers through its built-in security, compared with 586 for Windows 2000, 478 for Windows Server 2003, and 1,021 for Windows XP. So, rather than Windows Vista being Microsoft’s most secure OS, as it’s advertised, it’s really Windows Server 2003? Simon Clausen, CEO of PC Tools, said in a statement:
“Ironically, the new operating system has been hailed by Microsoft as the most secure version of Windows to date. However, recent research conducted with statistics from over 1.4 million computers within the ThreatFire community has shown that Windows Vista is more susceptible to malware than the eight year old Windows 2000 operating system, and only 37% more secure than Windows XP.”
Full story: RealTechNews
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| Last comment was by Petrarca
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The release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 not only heralded a long-awaited update of the operating system, it also meant the end of two common Windows Vista anti-activation exploits - the Grace Timer exploit and the Paradox OEM BIOS activation crack. But those who think they can escape by not updating to Service Pack 1 would be sadly mistaken.
That's because Microsoft has surreptitiously released an anti-hack detection update via Windows Update. Those who chose to have Windows Vista install updates automatically would have this update installed and running by now. If you chose to manually select updates to be installed, you should find this update listed.
Full story: Tech ARP via Neowin
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| Last comment was by No one
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Microsoft is launching a programme to promote the use of its Windows OS in ultra-low-cost PCs. One aspect of this scheme will be to limit the hardware capabilities of this type of device. Microsoft plans to offer PC makers steep discounts on Windows XP Home Edition to encourage them to use that operating system (OS) instead of Linux on ultra low-cost PCs (ULPCs). To be eligible, however, the PC vendors that make ULPCs must limit screen sizes to 10.2in and hard drives to 80GB, and they cannot offer touchscreen PCs.
The program is outlined in confidential documents that Microsoft sent to PC makers last month, and which were obtained by IDG News Service. The goal apparently is to limit the hardware capabilities of ULPCs so that they don't eat into the market for mainstream PCs running Windows Vista, something both Microsoft and the PC vendors would want to avoid.
Full story: PC Advisor
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| Last comment was by No one
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While Microsoft was supposed to release Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) on April 29, 2008, the service pack only became unofficially available on the download.windowsupdate.com domain. Today, XP SP3 has officially hit the Release to Web (RTW) milestone. In other words, SP3 is available both on Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center.
The final build of SP3 (5512) reportedly includes 1,073 fixes, including every security update, out-of-band release, and hotfix released since Windows XP SP2 hit Microsoft's servers back in August 2004. The release notes for SP3 have also been updated, as has the MUI pack. Also, make sure you know what to do with your version of Internet Explorer before installing the service pack.
 News source: ArsTechnica
View: XP SP3 Release Notes
 Download: Network Installation Package | XP SP3 - ISO CD Image | XP SP3 Checked Build | Windows Update
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| Last comment was by severach
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Windows XP SP3 contains some new updates, and a number of bug fixes and security improvements. You can learn more about XPSP3 features by reading the white paper located here. We expect XPSP3 will be publicly available shortly and want you to have this information prior to its final release to the web.
XPSP3 will continue to ship with IE6 and contains a roll-up of the latest security updates for IE6. If you are still running Internet Explorer 6, then XPSP3 will be offered to you via Windows Update as a high priority update. You can safely install XPSP3 and will have an updated version of IE6 with all your personal preferences, such as home pages and favorites, still intact. If you are currently running IE7 or IE8 on Windows XP SP2 (XPSP2) and you are thinking of upgrading to XPSP3, read on.
If you are currently running IE7 on XPSP2, Windows Update will offer you XPSP3 as a high priority update. If you choose to install XPSP3, Internet Explorer 7 will remain on your system after the install is complete. Your preferences will be retained. However, you will no longer be able to uninstall IE7. If you go to Control Panel->Add/Remove Programs, the Remove option will be grayed out.
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| ...Read More | Last comment was by TravisO
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Microsoft last week announced that it had posted "slipstream builds" of Windows XP Service Pack 3 for download by subscribers of its IT professional and developer services. The company has yet to offer Windows XP SP3 to the general Windows-using public, however.
The slipstream builds integrate SP3 with the existing bits of Windows XP into a single .iso, or disk image, file that can be used to install the upgraded operating system on multiple machines without having to connect each to Windows Update or a WSUS (Windows Server Update Services) server. Slipstream builds are typically used to reimage a PC after its hard drive has been reformatted.
"Microsoft is pleased to make available integrated retail and volume license installs of Windows XP SP3, to MSDN and TechNet Plus subscribers," Chris Keroack, the company's XP SP3 release manager, said in a message posted to the TechNet support newsgroup late Friday. Only image files for the Chinese-Simplified, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese-Brazil and Spanish versions of XP SP3 have been added to the two services' download sections, Keroack said.
Full story: PC Advisor
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| Last comment was by No one
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Vista's SP1 was expected to solve a lot of problems; instead, it caused even more trouble. Here are fixes to some top complaints, from a Windows Update that won't update to endless reboot loops. When Microsoft rolled out Windows Vista Service Pack 1 to millions of users, people had king-sized anticipations about what SP1 would do for their systems. Sadly, for some people, that eagerness turned into an imperial-sized disgust at what SP1 did to their systems. Sometimes SP1 wouldn't install correctly; sometimes it wasn't installed at all; and sometimes it left their machines far worse off than before.
I'm going to profile some common disaster scenarios that crop up with Vista SP1 and talk about what can be done in each case. The vast majority of the problems that crop up with SP1 can be solved with a little care and diligence. Even if you have to completely reinstall, you can usually do so without torching your data.
One of the first problems that people reported with Service Pack 1 was that they weren't being offered SP1 for download through Windows Update in the first place. If they wanted to install it, they had to obtain and apply it manually.
Full story: InformationWeek
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| Last comment was by suryad
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So I build a new Windows XP ISO with SP3 integrated, this is a Volume License editions (VOL) which only accepts Volume License Keys (VLK). When I want to install it on a clean machine, I noticed that setup prompts for a product key and it does not allow me to continue, which should be a new feature in XP sp3. OK so I fill in the VLK but it does not accept it, I try another one from a customer of mine, does not work either.
I found out that the problem is when you do the XP Sp3 slipstream process on a WIndows Vista machine, the API gives a different response and screws up the PID process. This is a bug and Microsoft knew about this in December, still the bug remained and made it all the way to RTM, nice work Microsoft. So XP SP slipstream only on XP or 2003 machines!!!
News source: Bink.nu
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| Last comment was by Maleko
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Last year the Microsoft Expression team shipped a new suite of tools for creative professionals. This first release of Expression Studio marked a significant milestone in the history of development tools at Microsoft, delivering superior designer-developer workflow and providing designers a set of interaction design, graphic design, Web design, digital asset management and video production tools to deliver better user experiences on Windows and the Web.
I am pleased to announce, just one year later, the team has done it again with today’s release of Microsoft Expression Studio 2. I wrote about the beta release of Expression Studio 2 announced earlier this year at MIX08. Since then, the team has put the final touches on Expression Web, Expression Blend, Expression Design, Expression Media, and Expression Encoder delivering over 100 new features ranging from support for Silverlight, .NET Framework, Office 2007, and Office for Mac 2008 to PHP and Adobe Photoshop import capabilities. You can learn more about the latest Expression Studio features here.
News source: Somasegar's WebLog
 Homepage: Expression Studio 2
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| Last comment was by raw.james
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Microsoft has released a new free photo management utility for Windows called Pro Photo Tools as its looks to bulk up its enthusiast offerings. The principle draw of the software is the geotagging feature which allows users to add geographic information, including longitude and latitude and city name, on where the photograph was taken, making it easier to search for. This information can either be taken from a handheld GPS unit, or by dragging the photograph onto Live Maps and dropping it wherever the picture was taken.
While cynics may argue that Google has already beaten it to the punch with its geotagging feature in Picasa, Microsoft believes Pro Photo Tools has much more to offer. "Our software contains a much richer set of tools for geotagging, and offers very broad support for RAW files," says Josh Weisberg, of Microsoft's Rich Media Group.
Pro Photo Tools has grown out of Microsoft Photo Info, which allowed users to add metadata such as captions and copyright notices. The company now intends to bulk up the feature set with three new releases a year, though Weisberg wouldn't be drawn on what those may be.
News source: PC Pro
Homepage: Pro Photo Tools
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| Last comment was by pacoavenge
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In the 15 months since Windows Vista had its mainstream launch, Microsoft says it's made progress on a number of key metrics: things like application compatibility, availability of drivers, performance, reliability, and battery life. But there is one area where the company has struggled to gain ground: how Vista is perceived.
"There's certainly a perceptual gap there," Mike Nash, a Microsoft corporate vice president, said in an interview on Thursday. He pointed to Microsoft research that shows that 86 percent of those actually using Vista would recommend it to a friend.
"The perception of Vista is a lot better for the people that have used Windows Vista than [for] the ones who haven't," Nash said. "At some level, a little seeing is believing."
Full story: ZDNet News
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| Last comment was by crahak
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Concerned that customers are confusing the impending end of Windows XP retail availability with the end of support, Microsoft Corp. has reminded users that the aged operating system will be supported until early April 2014. Jared Proudfoot, a manager in Microsoft's support life cycle group, reiterated the final support dates for Windows XP in a post to a company blog.
"Recently, there have been a number of posts in the blogosphere about Windows XP and the upcoming end of direct OEM and retail license availability," said Proudfoot. "Some people are interpreting this as the end of support for Windows XP."
Not so, Proudfoot said. Windows XP will remain in what Microsoft calls "mainstream support" to April 14, 2009, and continue in "extended support" though April 8, 2014, he added. The former delivers free fixes -- for both security patches and other bug fixes -- to everyone. During the latter, all users receive security updates, but nonsecurity hot fixes are given only to companies that have signed support contracts with Microsoft.
Those are not new dates, Proudfoot reminded customers last week. In early 2007, for instance, Microsoft extended support for Windows XP Home and XP Media Center to the 2009 and 2014 dates to match those already set for Windows XP Professional.
News source: ComputerWorld
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| Last comment was by Santey
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Microsoft has said that the company may abandon its plans to discontinue Windows XP by June 30, 2008 if users request so, according to Reuters. The news agency has quoted Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, as saying: "XP will hit an end-of-life. We have announced one. If customer feedback varies we can always wake up smarter but right now we have a plan for end-of-life for new XP shipments."
The company received no such request so far and customers have been preferring Windows Vista to XP, he said.
News source: Datamonitor
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| Last comment was by No one
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MSFN Hosting, a subsidiary of MSFN.org, was launch in the summer of 2006. Started as MSFN.org, being one of the best and fast-growing forums on the Internet dealing with everything related to Microsoft that was started as a small group back in August of 2001 and have grown to be one of the most knowledgeable forums around, MSFN Hosting was born.
With one of the largest teams composed of highly qualified and devoted professionals, with diverse backgrounds, creating a powerful mix of high-quality web hosting services dedicated to providing our customers with top notch services in the web hosting industry, you can be assured your company or personal sites are safe with us. Blazing Fast, Rock-Solid Servers. Dual Core Dual-Processor Intel & AMD Servers w/min 2 GB RAM, RedHat Enterprise 3/4 Linux, Apache Web Server (Latest and Stable). View more features.
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| ...Read More | Last comment was by No one |
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