Top all time news:
New Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Driver 2K/XP
This download contains an
improved version of the
drivers found on the Sound
Blaster Audigy, Audigy 2
series, and Audigy 4 series
installation CDs. It also
supports Microsoft Windows
XP Professional x64
Edition.
This
download supports the
following audio devices
only:
- Creative Sound
Blaster Audigy including
Platinum and Platinum eX
series
- Creative Sound
Blaster Audigy 2 including
Platinum, Platinum eX, and
Value series
- Creative
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS
including Platinum and
Platinum Pro
series
- Creative Sound
Blaster Audigy 4 Pro and Sound
Blaster Audigy
4
- Creative Sound
Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook
PCMCIA
This download
also includes the following
application:
Creative Audio
ConsoleThe
application enables you to use
the Sound Blaster Audigy,
Audigy 2 series, and Audigy 4
series features and
functions.
Requirements:Windows XP Professional x64
Edition, Windows XP Service
Pack 2, or Windows 2000
Service Pack 4
Audio
devices listed above
Download:
Creative
Sound Blaster Audigy, Audigy 2
series and Audigy 4 series
Driver 02.09.0016 ~
39MB
News
source:
Joeware in
Back Page News Read full story.....
neowin.net -
10.10.2006NEC Ships Hybrid Blu-ray/HD DVD Chipset
NEC Electronics revealed to
the Japanese trade publication
AV Watch today that it is now
shipping an LSI chipset that
incorporates all the logic
necessary for manufacturers to
produce either HD DVD or
Blu-ray players and recorders.
But does this mean the era of
hybrid equipment is finally at
hand?..
betanews.com -
10.10.2006Norman Generic Malvare Fix 2006/12/20
NGenFix is a free utility that
may be used to detect and
remove specific malicious
software (malware). Note that
it should not be used as a
substitute for running normal
proactive antivirus
protection, but rather as a
reactive tool to handle
systems that are already
infected.
By
downloading and running the
program below it will clean an
infected system completely:
* kill running
processes that are infected
* remove infections from
disk (including ActiveX
components and browser helper
objects)
* restore
correct registry values
* remove references created by
malware in hosts file
*
remove windows firewall rules
for malicious programs
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
20.12.2006Microsoft Announces Extended Support for XP Home/ MCE
Today, Microsoft is announcing
the addition of an Extended
Support phase for the Windows
XP Home Edition and Windows XP
Media Center Edition operating
systems, providing consumers
with an additional phase of
support.
With the
addition of Extended Support,
the support life cycle for
Windows XP Home Edition and
Windows XP Media Center
Edition will include a total
of five years of Mainstream
Support (until April 2009) and
five years of Extended
Support, matching the support
policy provided for Windows XP
Professional.
The
Microsoft Support Lifecycle
policy standardizes Microsoft
product support policies for
business and developer
products as well as for
consumer, hardware, multimedia
and Microsoft Dynamics
products.
News
source:
MS
Presspass Read full story.....
neowin.net -
24.01.2007Office 2007 SP1 Installation/Slipstream Guide
Some of you may be wondering how to do a clean install of Office 2007 using an Office 2007 RTM image along with SP1 at the same time. As you may know,
Office 2007 makes use of the Updates folder in the installation media to install any new updates that it finds in the folder however updates have to
be in the .msp file format for them to be recognized. Since the Office 2007 SP1 update file is delivered in the .exe format, an extra step is required
before being able to proceed:
First, you should copy the contents of the Office 2007 RTM image to a temporary folder. For our
example we're using C:O2007Temp. We have also copied the Office 2007 SP1 Update file (office2007sp1-kb936982-fullfile-en-us.exe) to the D:
drive.
Then, using the Run command in Windows XP/Vista (WinKey+R), run the following command:
D:office2007sp1-kb936982-fullfile-en-us.exe /extract:C:O2007TempUpdates
replacing D: with wherever you stored
the Office 2007 SP1 update file and C:O2007Temp with wherever you stored the Office 2007 RTM files. After agreeing to the Microsoft Software
License Terms, SP1 will be extracted to C:O2007TempUpdates.
That's it! Just start the setup for Office 2007 and the
updates for SP1 will then be picked up and installed during the setup. The same method applies to any other Office 2007 SP1 update.
News Source:
In-House..
winbeta.org -
12.12.2007Demand for Nvidia G80 chips weak as market expects G84/86
Nvidia's launch of its
DirectX 10-compliant GeForce
8800 GPU (codenamed G80)
earlier this month seems to
have failed to significantly
stir up demand for high-end
graphics cards, although the
new chips took a lead in 3D
computing processing,
according to sources at
Taiwan-based graphics card
makers.
Since the
G80 is preliminarily targeting
the high-end sector, the
sources pointed out that
Nvidia's forthcoming G84 and
G86 GPUs for the entry-level
and mid-range segments are
likely to play a key role in
the GPU market, with the two
new GPUs expected to debut in
the first quarter of 2007.
Although details of the G84
and G86 are still not
available, Nvidia has
completed the roadmap for the
two chips, with local graphics
card makers likely to receive
product samples in January or
February of next year, the
sources stated.
View:
The full
story News
source:
DigiTimes Read full story.....
neowin.net -
20.11.2006Battlefield 2 1.41 FULL Patch Released
EA has just released the
promised 1.41 patch for the
still very popular Battlefield
2 multiplayer slugfest. The
patch fixes one single
"intermittent sever side
crash bug" on the server
side, and there is no client
side changelog. But EA has
only released a full 536
monster update here, there is
no incremental patch folks.
More than likely the
"intermittent server side
crash" is the only bug they
fixed in this patch for both
servers and clients, and were
to lazy to make a smaller
incremental patch available.
Then again, maybe not. Who
knows.
536 megs
in this day and age isn't
really that much now is it? So
who am I kidding, all the BF2
players, myself included will
download the patch and happily
install it, so yeah. GG EA.
There is a separate
patch for clients and servers,
but I won't link the server
patch, since it is listed on
most of the links I will list
anyway. All you need to is go
to the server page to get that
version of the patch. Also
since there is no smaller
patch, all links are to the
full 536 meg monster of a
patch:
Download:
3D
Gamers |
3D
Downloads |
File
front |
Filep
lanet |
Fileshack |
Gamershel
l |
Internode
Network
Download:
Patch Scrolls |
Strategy
Informer |
W
orthplaying Read full story.....
neowin.net -
16.11.2006AMD Broadens Energy Efficient Processor Lineup
When introduced in mid-2006,
Advanced Micro Devices'
lineup of dual-core energy
efficient processors with 65W
thermal design power (TDP)
consisted of just five models
(3800+, 4000+, 4200+, 4400+
and 4600+) and the dated
roadmap indicated that the
only update to the family
until Q2 2007 would be the
4800+ processor. At this point
AMD's lineup of Athlon 64 X2
chips with 65W TDP includes
nine processor models (3600+,
3800+, 4000+, 4200+, 4400+,
4600+, 4800+, 5000+ and 5200+)
with different specs and made
using 90nm or 65nm fabrication
process. AMD's
energy-efficient chips are
priced from $102 to
$232.
In
addition, AMD ships six
processor models for
applications that require
power consumption as low as
35W, two processors that fit
into 45W thermal envelope, two
chips for previous-generation
socket 754 platform with 51W
and 59W TDP as well as tens of
chip models with typical
thermal power of 62W.
Unfortunately, the company
does not indicate thermal
design power of its processors
within the model number,
making the information harder
to find for end-users and
system integrators seeking
low-power chips.
News
source:
Xbit
Laboratories Read full story.....
neowin.net -
06.03.2007How To Warm Boot Windows XP/Vista
Unless you have to, it is many
times advantageous to warm
boot, or rather warm reboot,
Windows. In a warm reboot,
Windows restarts, but the
computer doesnt, skipping the
whole pre-Windows boot
screen/BIOS/startup sequence.
You an
easily specify a warm boot
in both Windows XP and Windows
Vista. Just hold down SHIFT on
your keyboard before clicking
Restart in Vista, or before
clicking OK in the restart
dialog in XP. Enjoy the extra
20 seconds!
Technically, the use of
the term warm boot is a bit
misused here, but the small
amount of time saved by not
re-running the BIOS can be
worth it.
News Source:
InsideMicros
oft..
winbeta.org -
17.08.2007Star Trek Legacy Q/A
Gaming
Target has a nice
interview with Gary Conti from
Mad Doc Software talking about
the upcoming Star Trek Legacy
RTS game for the PC and Xbox
360. Here is a small part of
the
interview:
GT:
Star Trek: Legacy's gameplay
seems to be highly
multifaceted. For starters,
please tell us about the
mechanics of controlling a
single ship in Legacy? How
much control will the player
have over the various aspects
of a typical
vessel?
Gary
Conti: The player
will be tasked with
controlling their warship in
full 3D space. They will
exercise control over
direction and movement in 3D,
targeting and weapons control,
warping and communication
commands, and discretionary
power
allocation.
GT:
Would you kindly give our
readers a sense for Star Trek:
Legacy's
pacing?
Gary
Conti: Pacing can
vary greatly between the
different missions. Some
missions will have the player
rolling like a wave of
destruction through an enemy
infested system, while some
will have the player
scrambling to defend helpless
refugees from a Borg
onslaught. Certain missions
will focus more on cunning and
guile than brute force. True
to Star Trek, the player will
have to use their brain to
assess their tactical
situation and choose a style
of play
appropriately.
;
GT: Between the depth of
Legacy's gameplay and the
time periods it stretches
across, Legacy looks to be a
lengthy endeavor. How long do
you think it will take the
average player to complete
their first play-through?
Additionally, what do you feel
will have players wanting to
run through the game a second
time and generally lend replay
value to Star Trek:
Legacy?
Gary
Conti: We look to
provide around 15 hours of
gameplay in the single player
campaign. Part of the beauty
of our mission design is that
most missions can be completed
in different ways - do you
want to divide your fleet and
lure the enemy out? Or do you
want to drive your task force
like a spear into the heart of
the enemy formation? Both may
work out for you. Or it could
end in
disaster!
Additionally, for all
those playing on the Xbox 360,
the achievement system we have
in place will assuredly
warrant more than one play
through.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
22.10.2006MSN Premium 9.5 Released
Much to our surprise, MSN
released version 9.5 of MSN
Explorer/MSN Internet Access
to subscribers as an update on
Friday. The release appears
to fix a number of issues
surrounding upgrades to
Windows Internet Explorer 7
and Windows Live Messenger.
The release also introduces
Digital Image Suite as a new
piece of software to the suite
MSN Premium was originally
advertised as a benefit.
View:
MSN
Premium 
News
Source:
LiveSide
At launch
Microsoft said, "If purchased
separately, the services
combined in MSN Premium would
cost more than $350 a year and
require customers to
independently manage and
update them." With an MSN
subscription, Microsoft also
bundles a premium version of
Encarta and MSN Money online,
Microsoft Office Outlook
Connector and PictureIt!
Express 9. Now PictureIt!
Express 9 has finally been
upgraded to the Standard
Edition of Digital Image
Suite. MSN has updated the
core, MSN Explorer, as well as
Outlook Connector, but the
original suite of software has
remained the same until now.
Unfortunately, with the update
of 9.5, there is no update for
Outlook Connector
compatibility with Outlook
2007, but Vista has been
reported to work fine with MSN
Premium.
Some
additional updated features
include:
- New
Microsoft? Phishing Filter
service helps block known
phishing or fraudulent Web
sites and allows you to report
new sites or provide feedback
to the Microsoft? Phishing
Filter Web site about
potential Phishing Web sites.
- Search now enables
users of Windows? Desktop
Search to search your PC for
images, music files, and
documents fast. The new Search
bar allows you to search the
web Web or your PC right from
the dashboard. Includes a list
of recent searches on a quick
pick list!
This
is a big surprise since
Microsoft has been so
aggressive in segregating
services from content between
Windows Live and MSN,
respectively. However, if
version 10.0 comes along, we
might see Windows Live
Premium/Explorer instead.
Microsoft obviously doesn't
want to jump ship for fear
that MSN Dial-up/Premium
customers might switch to AOL
. We probably
won't see Microsoft
discontinue MSN Explorer until
Windows Live Mail Desktop and
other services launch in final
versions, since MSN will need
to transition customers to the
new software. They've
already set up a way to easily
transition Dial-up customers
with seperate software, MSN
Connection Center.
Most customers have most
likely received the update as
it was scheduled for the third
week of November, according to
a Technical Support
Representative from MSN.
There is an auto-update
feature in MSN Explorer,
although the software can also
be updated manually through
Add/Remove Programs. The
auto-update will only install
MSN Explorer 9.5, other
features like Digital Image
Suite will have to be updated
manually with a 245 MB
download. Hopefully updated
CDs will be going out soon,
they can be ordered at
cdorder.msn.com...
jcxp.net - 21.11.2006
MS: IE7 Flaw Really in Outlook Express
Microsoft responded Thursday
to reports of the first
exploit affecting Internet
Explorer 7, which cropped up
less than 24 hours after the
browser's official launch.
Christopher Budd from
Microsoft's Security Response
Center says the flaw lies not
in IE7, but in an Outlook
Express component...
betanews.com - 20.10.2006
Sharp to Ship 6x Laser for Blu-ray, HD DVD Drives
Sharp Corporation has
announced its new 210 mW
(milliwatts) blue-violet laser
diode, the most powerful in
the world when it ships in
May, that will triple the
write times for high-end DVD
and optical disc recorders.
Sharp's new GH04P21A2G lasers
takes advantage of crystal
growth technology developed
for infrared, red, and
blue-violet low-power laser
diodes. The 210 mW products
also feature a newly developed
laser chip with a proprietary
facet structure, with
improvements to the face from
which laser light is emitted.
Sharp also claims that the new
component will provide an
record breaking service life
of 10,000 hours.
Most currently-shipping
Blu-ray and HD-DVD format disc
recorders top out at 2X record
speeds, though a few can
manage 4X speed. The good
news, according to Sharp, is
that consumers won't have
long to wait for new optical
disc recorders with records
speeds of 6x, based on the new
210 mW lasers. After releasing
sample quantities in May,
volume production of 250,000
units per month is scheduled
to commence in June. Sample
pricing for the Sharp
GH04P21A2G component has been
announced at 50,000 yen, or
about $423 U.S.
dollars.
News
source: DailyTech
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 15.03.2007
Intel: 45nm UMPC Processor on the Way
In the case of the
Ultra-mobile PC (UMPC)
platform, battery life has
been a major issue since the
devices typically use
processors originally designed
for notebook computers.
Currently, UMPCs using
Intel-based notebook
processors range from the
lowly 900MHz Celeron M ULV
processor (Asus R2H, Samsung
Q1) to the 1.2GHz Core Solo
U1400 processor (Sony VAIO UX)
and although they provide the
same performance as they would
in a larger notebook, they are
paired with a much smaller
battery pack on UMPCs. The
giant chip maker is currently
developing mobile processor
made with Intel's 45
nanometre manufacturing
process that is specifically
aimed at the UMPC market to
help ease the battery drain.
The relief, however, won't
come immediately according to
Intel CEO Paul Otellini:
"The first UltraMobile
devices we'll see in the
latter part of the
year."
News
source: DailyTech
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 22.03.2007
Get 'Very High' in Crysis with Windows XP
Oh happy day, Crysis at the locked (but for you, unlocked!) highest detail settings runs like a dream on my DirectX 9 Windows XP
"take-a-hike-Windows-Vista-ain't-gonna-miss-ya-dee-ex-10" PC.
What's he talking about? XP vs. Vista. Have the latter and you
can run Crysis full bore; have the former and you can only crank the visual throttle up to three-quarter, tops.
Unless of course
you simply copy and paste a few lines of text in a handful of game directory CFG files, at which point the ostensibly DX10-only 'very high' special
effects for water, shadows, shaders, textures and more can be yours, sweetened by Windows XP's superior performance.
View: Enable 'Very
High' In Crysis with Windows XP
View Full Article: PC World..
winbeta.org - 30.10.2007
ESS/ESET Antivirus beta 2 available
ESET has released a new beta version of ESET Smart Security beta 2 and introduced a stand-alone antivirus ESET NOD32 Antivirus (beta 2).
Both products can be downloaded from ESET's web site:
Eset Smart Security Beta 2:
32-bit version: http://download1.eset.com/special/es...s_nt32_ENU.msi
64-bit version: http://download1.eset.com/special/es...s_nt64_ENU.msi
ESET NOD32 Antivirus Beta 2:
32-bit
version: http://download1.eset.com/special/es...a_nt32_ENU.msi
64-bit version: http://download1.eset.com/special/es...a_nt64_ENU.msi
The installers are designed to install over older versions. In the event of problems with installation, uninstall the current
version you might be using and restart the computer prior to installing the new beta version.
View Full Article: Wilders Security Forum..
winbeta.org - 24.08.2007
Flight Simulator X Service Pack 1 Now Available
Flight Simulator X
Service Pack 1 is now
available for download. It is
http://blogs.msdn.com/ptaylor/
archive/2007/05/15/fsx-sp1-pre
paring-to-install.aspx>recomme
nded to install SP1 on a clean
install of FSX as many 3rd
party add-ons may cause
crashes, especially if they
load dlls.
SP1 addresses
these post-release customer
concerns:
-
Activation and installation
- Third-party add-on
issues
- Performance
enhancements
- Content
issues
Also, it is
worth noting that SP1 does not
include the DirectX 10 update
for FSX. The
http://blogs.msdn.com/ptaylor/
archive/2007/01/31/fsx-progres
s-update-sp1-and-dx10.aspx>DX1
0 update should be released
later this year as a separate
feature update.
Download:
Flight
Simulator X Service Pack 1
News
Source: FSInsider ..
winbeta.org - 16.05.2007
Microsoft delivers Expression, WPF/E Betas
The Microsoft Expression team
has made available two new
beta builds that folks
interested in Microsoft's
evolving design-tool products
and strategy might want to
check out.
There's a new build (Beta
2) of Expression Blend (the
product formerly code-named
"Sparkle") and a first
full-fledged beta build of
Expression Design (formerly
code-named "Acrylic")
available for download.
The February CTP
of WPF/E (Windows Presentation
Foundation/Everywhere ?
Microsoft's Flash competitor)
is now also available for
download.
Download:
Expression
Design Beta 1
Download:
Expression
Blend Beta 2
Download:
WPF/E
February CTP
View: Microsoft
Expression Homepage
News
Source: ZDNet..
jcxp.net - 02.02.2007
Refreshed 4/8GB Zunes Coming?
From Long Zheng's blog:
"Several hours ago Microsoft released the Zune Spring 2008 Update with a new Zune software package (version 2.5).
Embedded in the resource files is an interesting image of a new red "Scorpius" (4/8GB) Zune. Instead of the model available today with a silver
backing and red touchpad, this had a black backing and black touchpad.
For any skeptics out there, the two images have notably different
positioned logos which confirms these are not the same images colored differently."
News Source and Images: istartedsomething..
jcxp.net - 09.05.2008
IE7/WMP11 Launch News
Thanks to windows
tester and Jason He
from the forums for the heads
up!
According to a
new Vista-related press
release on Microsoft's site,
Windows Media Player 11 will
be released to the public on
October 24th.
"Windows Media Player 11
will be available via free
download beginning Oct. 24
and will enable users to take
advantage of an elegant and
intuitive user interface, a
new level of online store
integration, especially with
MTV's URGE service, and
improved navigation for larger
music libraries."
An obscure post over on the
MSDN blogs, states that
Microsoft is targeting October
18th as the release date for
Internet Explorer 7. Looks as
though Microsoft is planning
to release IE7 automatically
on November 1st:
"The final release of
Internet Explorer 7 is
targeted for release October
18th and will be
delivered to customers via
Automatic Updates starting
November 1st, a few weeks
after it's available for
download. Are your Web sites,
extensions, and applications
ready? Microsoft recommends
that Web sites and
applications be reviewed and
made ready for the release of
Internet Explorer 7 this
month."
View:
Windows
Media Player 11 News
View:
Internet
Explorer 7 Posting (MSDN)
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 13.10.2006
Backup4all 3.7 released
Backup4all is a backup utility
that allows you to easily
backup to any local or network
drive, backup to FTP (with
support for SSL encryption,
proxy server, passive mode),
backup to CD/DVD, or other
removable media (such as USB
drives).
Main
changes in version
3.7:- Option added to
make Backup4all settings
available for current user/all
users
- New parameters
for command line installation:
CURRENTUSER,
SETTINGSFOLDER
- Option
to change location of Settings
folder
- All settings
are now kept in .ini files
(were stored in registry
before)
- Fixed: CRC
checking and independent
splits
corrections
- Fixed:
Clear backup did not clear the
folder created on
FTP
- Fixed: Invalid
parameter when clicking first
time on OTB button
Download: Backup4all
3.7 | 7.6MB (Shareware)
View:
Backup4all
Screenshot: >>
Click here <<
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 23.11.2006
The Countdown to Ad-Aware 2007
Ad-Aware 2007 is coming soon
to a computer near you.
Lavasoft is currently
putting the finishing touches
on the release candidate with
the help of our loyal VIP
beta-testers. The developers
have been hard at work for
months on the latest version
of the anti-spyware tool used
by more than 200 million
computer users around the
world today.
"Thanks to the input from our
users around the world, I am
thrilled to bring a new
Ad-Aware product to the market
that is designed to meet the
needs of today's computer
user," says Lavasoft CEO
Ann-Christine kerlund. "As
soon as Ad-Aware 2007 hits the
market, we will be turning our
attention to the next
generation of Lavasoft
products."
Ad-Aware 2007 will be
available in Free (formerly
known as Personal), Plus and
Pro versions. An updated
version of Enterprise will be
launched at a later date.
Along with an updated product,
we have given Ad-Aware's icon
and retail box design a
makeover; the new looks are
familiar, but fresh.
View: Full
Story
Link: Lavasoft Home Page
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 06.01.2007
1/3 of Workers Write Down Passwords
A new study released Tuesday
indicates that corporate
employees are compromising
security through poor password
practices. Over one-third
either electronically record
or write down their passwords,
the study found...
betanews.com - 18.10.2006
AMD: With Vista, Time to Re-evaluate Price/Performance
In its multi-faceted campaign
to wrest back the title of
performance leader in
consumers' minds, AMD is
leveraging its fusion with ATI
and ATI's cooperation with
Microsoft to make a bold new
case for itself: Now that the
Windows Vista era is upon us,
AMD's executives and managers
believe the time has come to
throw out the old XP-based
benchmarks, and re-evaluate
AMD's current line of
processors using more updated
metrics...
betanews.com - 03.02.2007
Major OEMs to enable DEP/NX in Vista PC BIOSs by default
Activewin reports that Michael Howard
mentions on his
blog that recently MS had
all the major OEMs on campus
to discuss SDL (Security
Development Lifecycle). MS
asked the OEMs to enable
DEP/NX in the BIOS by default
on all their shipping PCs in
time for Windows Vista.
The reason for this
ask is pretty simple, for ASLR
to be effective, DEP/NX must
be enabled by default too.
Michael mentions that
all the major OEMs (you know
who they are) have agreed to
not disable DEP/NX in their
BIOSs by default.
View:
Full
Article @ Michael Howards
Web Log
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 06.12.2006
Vista Activation Cracked By Brute Force
Thanks to voidunknown
for submitting this to the
Front Page.
It
appears that Keznews forum
member Snooza has discovered a
method that effectively
obtains a Windows Vista key
which can then be activated.
The idea is a simple brute
force attack: the software
generates keys and when it
finds one, you manually have
to check if it activates. The
8-step method can take
anywhere from two minutes to
two days. Members of the forum
have verified the strategy and
claim it works. This technique
should worry Microsoft, not
because they are losing
customers to piracy again, but
because the customers who are
actually spending the money on
the latest Windows version may
start being unable to activate
the software with a legally
purchased key. It seems that
the main issue is time, and
with today's modern PCs, it
really isn't that much of a
problem. Evidently, pirates
would rather wait a couple of
hours, than go to work and
make the money needed to
purchase a legal copy. The
author of the article over at
Keznews has a disclaimer which
emphasizes that, "under no
circumstances should anyone
sell the key that they
generate. I do not support
Piracy, this was simply an
experiment in which i used to
practice my vbscripting. This
was just for fun and was a
complete accident! I strongly
encourage everyone to purchase
windows vista, and be a
genuine customer!"
That hasn't stopped
him from offering his crack as
a public download.
Link: Forum
Discussion
News
source: the
Inquirer
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 02.03.2007
BioShock Frame Rates: DirectX 9 Vs. DirectX 10
Want a serious performance boost in BioShock? Play it on DirectX 9. Sad, but true. As DirectX 9/10 hybrid games have trickled to market, we've been
testing them to see whether the newer, Vista-only API library is worth its salt. We've done it with Company of Heroes, Lost Planet, and more. In
every case, DirectX 9 performance was far better than that of DirectX 10.
Add another game to the pile. Using FRAPS to measure
frame rates, we've discovered that BioShock plays much more smoothly on DirectX 9. We ran the informal test on a Vista machine with an AMD ATI Radeon
HD 2900 XT graphics card, an Intel QX6700 CPU overclocked to 3.19 GHz, and 4GB of memory.
Playing through five very similar
minutes of the game with FRAPS and timing the frames per second, we shot up a batch of splicers in DX10 and then in DX9, with all other settings being
equal (high quality defaults at 1680x1050). In DirectX 10, FRAPS showed an average of 61.658 fps; in DirectX 9, the average was 80.300 fps.
The game looks pretty much the same in either mode. You certainly don't notice a difference in graphical splendor when you're running
breakneck through the Rapture, dodging grenades thrown by splicers while looking for the telekinesis upgrade.
While we continue
to wait for a game built upon DirectX 10 from the ground up to wow us with its performance, evidence mounts that DirectX 10 just isn't all it's
cracked up to be compared with its predecessor.
News Source: ExtremeTech..
winbeta.org - 23.08.2007
Changes afoot in Vista SP1 RC0/Windows 2008 RC0 kernel memory dumps
With the advent of Windows Vista there are changes made in how the operating system determines if it can take a kernel memory dump or not. Starting
in Vista the amount of memory allocated for kernel mode could vary dynamically. If the pagefile is not big enough, switching to minidump at dump time
cant be done easily. So the dump stack initialization is happening at the time of boot where this check for the pagefile size is done.
What does this mean? It means if you don't have a pagefile as large as physical memory at boot, and your system is configured for a kernel
dump, you'll end up getting a minidump. If you permit me to opine, this makes sense in the client space where a valid dump is more critical than a
corrupted kernel dump, as the results usually would get uploaded to Microsoft via WERCON or another mechanism. If further triage is needed MSFT could
contact you with the ability to setup a kernel capture.
View Full Article: TechNet Blogs..
winbeta.org - 16.10.2007
Hackers Find New Vista Activation Crack
With all the talk about
Microsoft's stepped up
efforts to curb piracy through
Vista's new activation
methods, it may all be for
naught after some crafty
hackers figured out a way to
crack the Vista Activation
Server...
betanews.com - 09.12.2006
FSX Acceleration, FSX SP2, DirectX 10 Support... Time to Dispell the Myths...
Sebastien St-Laurent: Now that the Acceleration expansion pack and FSX SP2 have finally RTM'ed, I can start discussing some of the specifics relating
to the changes and improvements made to both of these. I know this has already been covered in other blog posts but for this post I wanted to start
with an overview of the upcoming changes.
Of course, since I am one of the graphics engineers on the project, my future posts
will focus mostly on the graphical improvements and also improvements and changes which are related to the DirectX 10 support introduced by SP2.
Before I start, I wanted to note that we purposefuly RTM'ed on the expansion pack and SP2 at the same time so that the Acceleration Pack does also
contain (and takes advantage) of all the bug fixes as well as performance and graphical improvements.
As Phil Taylor mentioned on his blog...
View Full Article: Sebastien St-Laurent's WebLog..
winbeta.org - 06.10.2007
Optimizing Windows XP Media
Center Edition 2005 and Media
Center Extender Networks
Columnist Barb Bowman explains
how to enjoy digital
entertainment throughout your
home by setting up a wireless
Media Center Extender network...
WindowsXP/expertzone - 21.08.2006
Volume License Key Changes,
End to VLK Piracy?
"Corporate Edition" versions
of Windows have been the
blessing of both IT workers
and casual pirates since the
days of Windows 95, when the
operating system first started
asking for a license key on
installation.
Large firms and OEMs who did
not want to go through the
hassle of typing in a CD key
for every install received
Volume License Keys (VLKs)
that could be used on as many
installs as necessary.
Microsoft relied on the honor
system to ensure that
companies did not abuse this
privilege, but it looks as if
with Vista this system may be
ending:
"We
are making changes to the
process to Vista and a new
approach to VLK licensing,"
Mike Sievert, corporate vice
president of Windows client
marketing for Microsoft told
CRN during a recent interview.
"We're training our
enterprise customers and
we'll do some key management
for customers that's more
automated and makes reporting
easier."
Click on read more
to get more info from this
article!
News
Source: ArsTechnica<
/a>
The
exact details of the "new
approach" to VLKs haven't
been made clear, but Ward
Ralston, a senior technology
product manager at Microsoft,
has confirmed that the company
is "introducing the notion of
a key management server" for
Windows Vista Server.
This program will
require licensed customers to
check in their keys and Client
Access Licenses (CALs) every
30 days, via an automatic
reporting process. The
procedure for the Vista client
will likely not require a key
management server, but may
also "phone home"
periodically to report on the
status of various VLK
installs...
jcxp.net - 28.06.2006
Windows Vista Recovery Disc Download
If you're like most PC users, you got Windows Vista with a new PC or laptop. And if you're like 99% of the population, you get your new machine
from one of the major manufacturers. Dell, Acer, HP, Toshiba, Lenovo, all have one thing in common: they don't give you a real Windows Vista
installation disc with your purchase. Instead, they bundle what they call a "recovery disc" (that's if you're lucky - otherwise you'll have a
recovery partition instead).
It doesn't matter that you just paid a thousand dollars for a machine that comes with a
valid Windows Vista license - they just don't want to spend the money (or perhaps take on the responsibility) of giving you a Windows Vista
installation DVD to accompany your expensive purchase.
View Full Article/Download:
The NeoSmart Files..
winbeta.org - 19.01.2008
XP/Vista IGMP Buffer Overflow Explained
With all the hoopla about the remotely exploitable, kernel-level buffer overflow discussed in today's security bulletin MS08-0001, what is the actual bug that triggers this? The
bulletin doesn't give all that much information. This movie (Flash required) goes through the process of examining the 'pre-patch' version of tcpip.sys and comparing it against the 'post-patch' version
of tcpip.sys. This comparison yields the actual code that causes the overflow: A mistake in the calculation of the required size in a dynamic
allocation.
News Source: Slashdot..
winbeta.org - 09.01.2008
Vista Transformation Pack 8.0 Released!
After much anticipation, Vista Transformation Pack 8 has been released to the public.
Improvements include the hotfix issue being
eliminated, various software updates and a new feature in which users no longer need WindowBlinds to gain the 'Aero Glass' effect.
A full list of changes can be found at the link below, along with various official download links.
Download: VTP8 from RapidShare
View: Discussion Thread | Support Thread
News Source: In-House
..
jcxp.net - 29.11.2007
Connect an A/V receiver to
your Media Center PC
Software Test Engineer Nishant
Murarka takes you one step
closer to having an amazing
home theater setup in your
living room with your Media
Center PC...
WindowsXP/expertzone - 04.01.2006
First Windows Vista SP1 Prerequisite Update for Ultimate/Enterprise Users Now Available
Two or three updates are required before you install Windows Vista Service Pack 1. The updates that are required depend on the edition of Windows
Vista that you are upgrading. Prerequisite update 935509 is only applicable to Windows Vista Enterprise and to Windows Vista Ultimate. The other
prerequisite updates that are discussed in this article apply to all editions of Windows Vista.
Before Windows Vista SP1 is
released, these prerequisite updates will be delivered to most users through Windows Update as part of regularly scheduled monthly updates. These
updates will be installed together with other updates that will require that you restart the computer. An additional restart will not be required.
Therefore, this delivery method will simplify installation of these prerequisite updates.
Customers who decide to install Windows
Vista SP1 by using the stand-alone installer, instead of by using Windows Update, will not have to install the prerequisite packages separately. The
prerequisite packages will be installed by the stand-alone installer if they are necessary.
Download: Update for Windows Vista (KB935509): (x86) (x64)..
winbeta.org - 08.01.2008
Microsoft Demonstrates Return of S/MIME E-mail for Outlook Web Access
In a blog post on Monday, the development team for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 showed screen shots of an enhancement to Outlook Web
Access that enables encrypted e-mails to be sent and received through a Web browser. The demo marks the return of S/MIME support, which had been
introduced to OWA before, but which had temporarily disappeared with the first release of ES 2007...
betanews.com - 23.08.2007
Update: Re-Testing Vista w/2GB RAM, Office 2003
exo.blog: Many of our members have requested that we re-test Vista SP1 with 2GB of RAM instead of the 1GB we used in our original tests. So, without
further delay, we present our revised results table:
Analysis: By providing Vista (SP1) with an additional 1GB
of RAM (that's a total of 2GB for those of you keeping score) we managed to achieve a "whopping" 4% improvement in OfficeBench throughput.
View Full Article: exo.blog..
winbeta.org - 28.11.2007
Blu-ray/HD DVD Combo Discs Delayed
Warner Home Video's answer to
the rift in the
high-definition DVD industry
will not arrive in the second
half of this year as planned,
instead reaching the market in
2008. 10-20 movies will be
initially offered using the
"Total HD" technology,
which includes both HD DVD and
Blu-ray on a single disc...
betanews.com - 29.06.2007
Another Vista Activation Crack Appears
Buzz about a Windows Vista
zero-day vulnerability is
troubling enough (although
probably overblown). Now,
there appears to be a second
product activation hack, this
one designed to fool the
activation timer into not
counting down. The activation
hack is quite different from
the first one, which involved
setting up a Key Management
Service server. Microsoft also
released an update blocking
hybrid testing/final Vista
"Monster" code that could
bypass product activation.
"Recently it has been
reported that activation of
Microsoft's Windows Vista
operating system has been
compromised," a Microsoft
spokesperson said in a
statement in response to a
Microsoft Watch inquiry.
"Microsoft is investigating
this reported activation
breach; however, there is no
concrete evidence that this
breach has been automated to
the point that it is widely
deployable." The not "widely
deployable" statement, while
likely true, isn't denial of
an actual activation breach.
I've read
instructions, which I won't
link to, and comments from
people successfully trying the
so-called Time Stopper hack; I
haven't tested it and
wouldn't because of possible
security breach when applying
a downloaded crack as part of
the process. As the Microsoft
spokesperson acknowledged,
there are reports about the
crack, which requires setting
a computer's BIOS clock to
2099. The hack does work on
32-bit Windows Vista
installations but not
necessarily 64-bit versions.
The process requires some
other Windows changes and
eventual clock reset from
within Vista leading to a
perpetual state of 30 days to
activation.
View:
The
full story
News
source: MS-Watch
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 28.12.2006
Microsoft to ease XP activation with SP3
Microsoft Corp. will change how users activate Windows XP when Service Pack 3 launches in the first half of 2008, a company white paper said.
New installations of Windows XP SP3 will give users the same 30-day grace period currently offered to Windows Vista customers before they're
required to enter a product activation key, the 25-character code that proves the copy is legitimate.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 28.12.2007
Windows Vista Beta 2 /
Longhorn Server Update
Microsoft have started
releasing updates during the
Windows Vista/Longhorn beta,
this one is of particular
interest due to the fact that
many people -including myself,
have a hyper-threaded system
with Windows Vista Beta 2
installed on it (not my
primary system, in case you
were wondering).
Update for Windows
Vista Beta 2 and Windows
Codename Longhorn Server Beta
2 (KB919946)
Install this update
to fix an issue where in the
presence of Internet Protocol
security (IPsec) or Windows
Firewall, a race condition can
be hit on multi-processor (or
hyper-threaded) systems
causing memory corruption,
leading to a system
crash.
It is
unknown if this affects the
recently released build 5456,
fiile date is 27th so it
probably does.
Download:
Update Patch
(KB919946) -622 KB-
News
Source: Bink.nunr
..
jcxp.net - 28.06.2006
Windows Live / MSN Messenger to force security upgrade
Anand, a Security PM for Windows Live Messenger, posted (yesterday night) on the Inside Windows Live Messenger blog that rolling out in the next few weeks, if you haven't
already upgraded your Messenger to at least 8.1 (the current version released version), you will soon be forced to do so.
According to Anand:We will soon configure the service such that any user on Windows XP or later system has to use Windows Live Messenger
8.1. When a user using an older version of Messenger tries to login, the client will help the user with a mandatory upgrade to Messenger 8.1.
Some of you might feel this inconvenient, but in order to protect you and protect the health of the network we have chosen to take this
step
And like it or not, the "health of the network" is a pretty valid reason for taking this extra step. It all boils down to Security Bulletin MS07-054, "Vulnerability in MSN
Messenger and Windows Live Messenger Could Allow Remote Code Execution (942099)". This vulnerability, which has been fixed in 8.1 and the beta
version 8.5 "could allow remote code execution when a user accepts a webcam or video chat invitation from an attacker. An attacker who successfully
exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of the affected system."
Whatever users out there who are still using
Windows 98 or 2000 are vulnerable as well, and for those systems a newer
version of MSN Messenger 7 was released today. Available now, the MSN Messenger 7 upgrade will be forced as well, once the Windows Live Messenger
upgrades have completed
News Source: LiveSide..
winbeta.org - 13.09.2007
Dark Messiah Patch News
This forum
post at the Ubisoft forums,
describes the upcoming patch
for the newly released Dark
Messiah of Might and Magic.
And thi
s news piece from
Worthplaying lists all of the
patch notes in one go. Also of
note was a "ninja" patch
that was released over Steam
either earlier today or
yesterday at some point, which
fixes a load of stability and
crashing issues already. Here
are some of the upcoming
fixes/changes for the 1.01
Dark Messiah SP/MP patch:
Singleplayer:
- Crash fixed
on Save/Load if player
has an object in their
hands.
-
Health and poison effects are
no longer displayed during
credits.
-
Player's hands don't appear
behind the credits when you
combine the Skull of
Shadows with an equipped
spell.
- All
game menus are hidden when a
video starts.
- Problem fixed when the
player tries to switch between
Xana mode and an
equipped scroll.
- Indestructible shields are
now really indestructible
- Crash fixed
when the player tries to throw
a dagger, then immediately
jumps and parries.
Multiplayer:
- Can't find
background image
materials/console/startup_load
ing.vtf' error: Due
to incorrect registry key
setting for Steam language,
now fixed
-
Loading Progression lockup:
Fixed
-
Loading bar: Now displays
progress information
- Remembering skills on
disconnect: When a player
reconnects to a server
the game should return him to
his previous level. This will
not work across
campaigns (new campaign wipes
all skills).
-
Scoreboard fonts: Changed the
scoreboard to ensure it
displays 32 players
even at low officially
unsupported resolutions (e.g.
640x480)
-
Main Menu: We have made sure
the main menu displays even at
low resolutions (e.g.
640x480)
-
Battle Begins Message Flicker:
Fixed
-
Backstab improvements: We have
made yet more improvements to
the backstab system,
making it smoother to trigger
and preventing 'lockup'
situations
There are alot more fixes for
both SP and MP, so head on
over the Worthplaying and
Ubisoft links to check them
out and the discussions on
both.
Link: Wor
thplaying Patch Notes
Link: Ubisoft
Forums
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 05.11.2006
New Windows Vista Wallpapers Released
Since the final stages of
Vista's development, many
have been wondering why no
official Windows Vista branded
wallpaper had been included,
unlike in Windows XP and
earlier versions of Windows.
Today,
Microsoft unveiled a new set
of "Windows Vista Ultimate"
branded wallpapers on the Ultimate
Extras site.
There are two
wallpapers available, one of
which features a large version
of the start orb, while the
other features the new
"flare" design as seen on
the new Windows Vista
packaging. Both wallpapers are
available in a wide variety of
sizes.
So, maybe Microsoft finally
heard us... or maybe they were
just keeping it a suprise?
Download:
Windows
Vista Ultimate Wallpapers
News
Source: AeroXperienc
e
..
jcxp.net - 13.03.2007
Intel Outlines Processor Roadmap
By the second half of this
year, Intel plans on producing
the first of its Penryn family
of 45-nanometer processors and
the company also plans to move
ahead with its next-generation
architecture in 2008. On March
28, Intel executives delved
into some additional details
of its Penryn line of
processors and also offered a
glimpse at its Nehalem
architecture, which the
company said could offer up to
eight cores per chip, as well
as integrated graphics and
memory controllers.
The Santa Clara, Calif.,
chip maker has 15 different
45-nanometer processors-which
use the company's Hi-k
processor technology-in
various stages of design and
will have two fabs dedicated
to manufacturing these chips
by year's end. By the second
half of 2008, Intel plans to
have four fabs dedicated to
45-nanometer chip
manufacturing.
View: The full
story
News
source: eWeek
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 29.03.2007
Mozilla Sunbird/Lightning 0.3
The Mozilla Calendar Project
is pleased to announce the
release of Sunbird and
Lightning 0.3. Thanks to the
hard work of our localizers,
both Sunbird and Lightning are
available immediately in 17
different locales.
You may prefer Mozilla
Sunbird if...
*
you prefer your calendar to be
separate from your email
client
* you don't
currently use Mozilla
Thunderbird for your email
* you don't like adding
add-ons (such as extensions or
themes) to your
applications
You
may prefer Lightning if...
* you send or
receive meeting invitations
via email
* you
already use Mozilla
Thunderbird for email
* you customize your
applications with add-ons
(such as extensions or
themes)
Download: Mozilla
Sunbird/Lightning
View:
Sunbird
Release Notes | Lightning
Release Notes
View:
Neowin
Forum Discussion
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 11.10.2006
Office 2007 Nukes the Insert
Key
Overtype mode, i.e. the way
Microsoft Office apps, in
particular Word, will
overwrite text in front of the
cursor as you type, without so
much as a beep, if you happen
to have pressed your Insert
key, has long been the scourge
of typists the world over, and
for a good long time there's
been real no reason for its
existence at all.
Finally Microsoft seems to
have realized this, as
according to Jan Miksovsky at
flow|state, Office 2007 will
have overtype mode, no matter
how many times you press the
Insert key, disabled by
default.
Of
course, there's still a
preference to re-enable the
"feature" since, as
Miksovsky says, "with a user
base the size of Microsoft's,
it's virtually guaranteed
that a large corporate
customer has a vocal
department that swears they
need Overtype mode, so
dropping the mode was probably
out of the question." Now,
can we get rid of the CAPS
LOCK key, next?
News
Source: Download
Squad
..
jcxp.net - 16.07.2006
FCC Approves AT&T / BellSouth Merger
After AT&T's offer late
yesterday of expanded
concessions, including some
that would guarantee
neutrality in its network and
routing pricing arrangements,
the US Federal Communications
Commission voted to approve
the merger of AT&T Inc.
and BellSouth, the former
Regional Bell Operating
Company (RBOC) that was spun
off from AT&T Corp. in
1984...
betanews.com - 02.01.2007
