xp

Microsoft has faced the first major test of its policy to phase out support for some versions of Windows XP. A major security patch last week was only available to users who had upgraded to the third and final Service Pack (SP3). As previously ... reported, Microsoft issued an out-of-cycle update (known more casually as an emergency pack) to patch a Windows shortcut flaw. The issue was particularly serious because it meant machines could be hacked if a user opened a folder containing the infected shortcut file, even if they didn't click on the shortcut itself. The shortcut flaw was such a clear ... (view more)

Just days after media reports suggested that the Windows XP downgrade function would be available in Microsoft operating systems until 2020 , the software company has now announced that the feature is unlikely to last quite that long. In an ... announcement about the release of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 on the official Microsoft Windows Blog on Monday, Brandon LeBlanc made a side-note on the timeline for Windows XP downgrade rights -- in short, the ability to revert to Windows XP while using Windows 7. WinXP Downgrade Rights Extended "[W]e have decided to extend downgrade rights to Windows XP ... (view more)

An independent software company is offering a program it says will smooth the process of upgrading from XP or Vista to Windows 7. But there are questions about whether or not it breaches Microsoft licensing conditions. The package, called Desktop ... Upgrade to Windows, comes from Parallels. The firm specializes in virtualization software, most notably a package allowing Mac users to run Windows, which can be particularly useful for those making the leap from a PC to a Mac. The software aims to deal with two major upgrading headaches: one is that, with the exception of moving from one edition of ... (view more)

The relationship that Microsoft shares with their Windows XP operating system can be likened to the same kind of relationship shared between Dr. Frankenstein and his monster: what began as a beautiful creation must now be destroyed at all costs. ... While a tad extreme, this is essentially the message that Microsoft is sending out to the world after announcing that the next version of the free Windows Live Essentials software will not run on XP. In a recent blog post, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of the Windows Live Experience Chris Jones confirmed the news, although web-based versions of ... (view more)

Windows 7 launched on October 22, 2009 -- just over five months ago -- but has already gained substantial ground on Microsoft's previous operating system (OS), Windows Vista. According to a recent report from industry analysts Net Applications, ... Windows 7 now accounts for an impressive 10 per cent of the total OS market share. Windows Vista, which launched over three years ago now, is slowly but surely watching its share of the pie decline. (Source: rcpmag.com ) For the record, it took Vista over a year to hit the 10 per cent plateau. Windows 7 is expected to surpass Vista in total market ... (view more)

Tactics used to make new hard drives more efficient could cause problems for Windows XP users. It may mean any new drive bought after next year could be noticeably slower to use on the operating system. The issue involves the way hard drives are ... broken down into individual sectors. Until now, it has always been standard for hard drive sectors to be 512 bytes in size. However, not all of each sector is used for storing data. Instead, there is a marker to denote the start of the sector: a space used for codes which are used to check if there is any error with the sector and its contents, and a ... (view more)

A Seattle judge has dismissed a "downgrade" from Windows Vista to Windows XP fee lawsuit that alleged antitrust violations. The class-action suit was filed by Emma Alvarado of Los Angeles in February 2009 after she was charged $59.25 to downgrade ... the operating system (OS) on a newly purchased Lenovo laptop. Alvarado alleged that Microsoft abused its monopoly by trying to cash in on the popularity of Windows XP over Windows Vista. Lawsuit Failed to Prove that Microsoft Received 'Unjust Enrichment' Judge Marsha J. Pechman, of U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, said ... (view more)

Microsoft is reminding users that support for several editions of Windows will end beginning April 13, 2010. It will mean no more security updates, though users can easily upgrade to supported editions without charge. The affected editions are ... Windows XP with the second service pack (SP) and Vista with no service pack applied. In other words, if you haven't already installed at least Windows XP Service Pack 3 or Vista Service Pack 1, your computer will be exceedingly vulnerable to security exploits (and hackers). Service packs are collections of security and software updates which are ... (view more)

XP Syspad XP SysPad is a Windows system monitoring utility that allows easy access to Windows system information and Windows system utilities, such as the individual control panel applets. With XP SysPad, you can easily access hundreds of Windows ... operating system utilities and system monitoring information. http://xtort.net 64 Things Every Geek Should Know Think you're a geek? Do you know what RAM, USB, and GPU mean? If not, then here's an essential checklist of must-have geek skills and terms that will help you show off for friends and keep the girls away. http://caintechnews.wordpress.com ... (view more)

Index Of Commands For Windows XP Become a command line guru with Index of Commands for Windows XP, one of the most useful new tools for the very popular Microsoft operating system. If you're hesitant to make the upgrade to Windows Vista or Windows ... 7, you need to read this guide! http://ss64.com Vista Switcher VistaSwitcher is an elegant and powerful task management utility for Windows OS. Once installed, it replaces the default Windows Alt-Tab dialog with a box that shows a list of all running tasks, with their names and preview snapshots. http://www.ntwind.com Today's fresh software picks ... (view more)