Business

Users of Microsoft's Hotmail email service weren't welcomed by holiday greetings from their friends this past weekend. In fact, they didn't get any messages at all. Recent reports state that many users of the service found their entire email history ... deleted without warning. The deletions don't appear to be a few select cases. Instead, a significant number of Hotmail users complained of the issue on Microsoft's Windows Live support web forum. Those affected by the problem are reporting that their "Sent," "Deleted," and "Inbox" folders have been completely wiped out. Entire Hotmail Accounts ... (view more)

Update 2010/12/28: The Windows 7 Discount Link is further down the page in a box similar to this one. You may continue reading the article to find out more about this offer, or click here to access the Windows 7 discount though Amazon.com now . ... Non-USA users, please read this page . Microsoft's popular Windows 7 Family Pack deal finally appears to be nearing the end, approximately 1 month later than last year's offering. On the product's web site, Amazon.com a definitive message stating that "This product is available for a limited time and will be available to purchase until December 31, or ... (view more)

Microsoft is reportedly working on a brand new edition of Windows specially designed specifically for tablet devices. The goal would be to overcome battery life problems with existing portable Windows machines. The key to the new edition would be ... how it interacts with the processor. The CPU (or "processor") is the the chip in any computing device that carries out calculations and processes information. There are two main types of processors in common use for portable devices: Intel's x86 architecture and the ARM chip. The two chips are very different inside, which means that the ... (view more)

Yesterday we reported on a new critical flaw in Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) that allows hackers to circumvent the operating system and take control of MS Windows. In most instances, a Trojan is deployed on affected systems and spyware is ... installed. The flaw affects users of Windows XP through Windows 7. Microsoft recently acknowledged the vulnerability's existence, and has provided a limited workaround for the issue. Internet Explorer Flaw "Not Serious Enough" to Warrant Emergency Patch The Internet Explorer flaw was discovered earlier this month by a French security company ... (view more)

A new Internet Explorer (IE) security vulnerability has been found. The flaw, which is related to Internet Explorer's HTML engine, allows hackers to infiltrate systems running Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. The issue was first discovered early in ... December by French security company Vupen . The company says this flaw could be exploited with the processing of a CSS (or Cascading Style Sheets) file intended for use by web designers. Rigged Website Key to Attack Those running Internet Explorer could find themselves under attack if they're (knowingly or unknowingly) directed to a specially- ... (view more)

Microsoft has released its second edition of its popular security software package, Security Essentials. Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) 2.0 features a new scanning engine, integration with Windows Firewall, plus network traffic monitoring. ... Microsoft Security Essentials: Free, Decent Software The original MSE was released last year for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, as a successor to Microsoft's less-than-successful Live OneCare. Up that point most free antivirus programs had done little more than detect security threats before petitioning users for a costly upgrade in order to fix them ... (view more)

For those of you who dislike the pesky anti-piracy measures used by software companies, here's good news: Microsoft will discontinue its program of additional anti-piracy monitoring for its MS Office software. A few years ago Microsoft introduced ... Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), an anti-piracy measure that checked the validity of user operating systems by dialing into their computers. PCs found to be running illegal copies of Windows had their operating system desktop screen turned black with a message that their PC may be running counterfeit software. Microsoft Office Genuine Advantage ... (view more)

Google's Chrome operating system (OS) took one step closer to wider release recently when the company announced it had begun shipping netbooks equipped with the operating system to selected beta testers. But despite reports (mostly from Google) that ... Chrome will trump Windows' speed and security features, at least one analyst says there's nothing for Microsoft to fear just yet. In a presentation to announce Chrome OS' move toward more rigorous testing, Google CEO Eric Schmidt pointed to the operating system's faster startup and installation times, in addition to impressive security features, ... (view more)

New figures suggest that sales of Windows Phone 7 handsets have effectively flat-lined at a statistically insignificant level. It's led one research firm to suggest Microsoft will have to find a completely different way to make money from the mobile ... market. There have been several indications that sales of handsets running the new system, launched in Europe in October and North America last month, have been disappointing. Statistics from the Windows Phone 7 launch include an estimate that just 40,000 people bought a Windows Phone 7 device on its launch day (the respective figure for iPhones ... (view more)

PC security and fraud analysts are today warning users of the alarming online spread of fake defragmentation tools for Microsoft's Windows operating system (OS). These fraudulent programs, referred to as scareware, are sold to consumers to "fix ... their PC," based on an illegitimate warning message, but perform no necessary function. Bogus Defrag Tools Flood Online Market GFI-Sunbelt Security recently posted a warning online their blog, stating that many bogus defrag tools have made their way online in recent weeks. The company recommends users steer clear of several deceptive products ... (view more)