Business

Microsoft has warned users of its Windows Home Server technology that they could have problems using newer hard drives. It follows earlier warnings that the drives are also problematic for Windows XP users. Drives Use Advanced Format Technology The ... situation involves sectors, the individual chunks into which a hard drive is divided. The standard size of each sector has traditionally been 512 bytes, but some drives are already using a 4 kilobyte sector, and this will become the standard size for all drives after 2011. The new drives are referred to as having "Advanced Format" ... (view more)

Microsoft has voluntarily leaked more details about its upcoming Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) web browser via a Russian Internet portal. The company revealed several new features related to the browser's overall look, which is heavily inspired by a ... rival. To date, Microsoft has yet to reveal a user interface for Internet Explorer 9, even though several developer previews of the browser have emerged since the spring. This means the Russian leak gives us our first glimpse of IE9's navigational model. IE9 Navigation Similar to Google Chrome First impressions suggest Microsoft's next browser -- ... (view more)

Microsoft has addressed a vulnerability affecting the way certain Windows programs load DLLs (dynamic link library files). It has done so by releasing an advisory that explains how to avoid being exploited by hackers. Although the flaw was only ... recently reported, it's a variation of a decade-old issue affecting DLLs. Dynamic link library files are commonly shared amongst multiple Windows programs and are typically included inside Windows setup / install programs. The exploit works like this: if a hacker is able to convince a user into opening a file, they can force a program to load a ... (view more)

When Microsoft and Yahoo hinted at a possible alliance 13 months ago , few believed the tandem would work. What further put the merger at jeopardy was an unsuccessful attempt by Microsoft to capitalize on Yahoo's financial difficulties and overtake ... their counterpart with a proposed bid in 2008 . Since then, alliance talks were put on the back burner -- until now. Microsoft is currently powering the search engine on Yahoo's website in the US and Canada (with the shift in other countries planned for sometime in 2011/2012). The two companies have come to terms on an agreement that serves one ... (view more)

Microsoft has stepped up its marketing by explicitly targeting rival Apple and the Mac. The Redmond-based firm has produced a six-point checklist designed to show the "superiority" of PCs, albeit they're six carefully selected points. In many ... commercial markets the top-selling brand does not acknowledge rivals, while those smaller brands often make direct comparisons to their bigger competitors. Historically, that has been the case with personal computing: while Microsoft has simply touted its own strengths, Apple has run the ongoing "I'm a PC, I'm a Mac" campaign. Microsoft Follows Up on ... (view more)

Compared to Windows XP and previous Microsoft operating systems of years previous, one of the major differences of Windows Vista and Windows 7 is the User Account Control , or "UAC" for short. If you've used Windows Vista with UAC enabled (by ... default), then you know how annoying the feature can be. In fact, many users associate the failure of Windows Vista with the ill-functioning UAC simply because they felt it broke functionality and usefulness of the operating system. (Source: zdnet.com ) Recently, however, Microsoft defended its widely-criticized operating system Windows Vista, ... (view more)

According to a recent study by higher-education research company Student Monitor, more and more university and college students are buying up Apple laptops. Apple's growth in this lucrative market has led one analyst to question whether or not ... Microsoft is staying in touch with younger tech users. Student Monitor says about one in four laptops found on U.S. college campuses are Apple products -- a startling statistic, given that another tech research firm, Net Applications, not long ago estimated that Macbooks represent only about 5 per cent of computers used worldwide. Microsoft Unable to ... (view more)

Microsoft recently dismissed rumors which suggest that PC sales have slowed and are hurting Windows 7 and other Microsoft products. The response was meant to calm Wall Street investors, shortly after JP Morgan analyst Christopher Danely stated that ... PC makers Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Acer had slashed their production of semiconductors due to slacking demand. "We expect the weakness to show up in every end market for semiconductors, just as it always has during downturns," Danely said. "We continue to be cautious on the space due to the large amount of capacity coming online combined with ... (view more)

Microsoft's Windows XP continues to be, by far, the most popular operating system (OS) in the world today. Recently, Microsoft released a security patch for all versions of Windows, but not Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), one of the most-used ... versions of Windows XP. So, is this a strategy to get users off XP and on to the new Windows 7? Computerworld blogger Preston Gralla thinks so. In a report published last month, tech analysts Net Applications showed that Windows XP remains far more popular than either the recently released Windows 7 or 2007's Windows Vista. Almost 62 per cent of the OS ... (view more)

Microsoft two weeks ago cut support for its Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), essentially leaving millions of XP users without software updates to patch MS Windows from exploits (and hackers). However, a security researcher has revealed a new hack ... that can help SP2 users get access to the support many thought was forever lost. Microsoft's decision to cut tech support for SP2 was a controversial move, particularly when a shortcut flaw affecting the operating system emerged at the same time. SP2 users remain more exposed than users of Windows XP SP3 through Windows 7. (Source: neoseeker.com ) ... (view more)