Microsoft Windows XP
Windows XP News
Web site virus attack blunted
June 26 2004
Web surfers are no longer playing Russian roulette
each time they visit a Web site, security researchers
say, now that a far-reaching Internet attack has been
disarmed.
The attack, which had turned some Web sites into points
of digital infection, was nipped in the bud Friday, when
Internet engineers managed to shut down a Russian server
that had been the source of malicious code. Compromised
Web sites are still attempting to infect Web surfers'
PCs by referring them to the server in Russia, but that
computer can no longer be reached.
Still, Web surfers should take precautions, as the
Internet underground is increasingly using this type of
attack as a way to get by network defenses and infect
officer workers' and home users' computers.
Go here
for more.
Researchers warn of infectious Web sites
June 24 2004
Security researchers warned Web surfers on Thursday
to be on guard after uncovering evidence that widespread
Web server compromises have turned corporate home pages
into points of digital infection.
The researchers believe that online organized crime
groups are breaking into Web servers and surreptitiously
inserting code that takes advantage of two flaws in
Internet Explorer that Microsoft has not yet fixed.
Those flaws allow the Web server to install a program
that takes control of the user's computer.
Intruders are using compromised Web sites to infect
visitors' PCs though two Internet Explorer flaws.
This method of attack is increasingly being used by the
Internet underground. While it's unknown how many Web
sites carry the malicious program, Windows users should
turn their IE security to the highest setting or install
a third-party browser.
Late Thursday, Microsoft advised customers to increase
their browser security to the highest settings, although
that could cause some Web site functions to stop
working.
Go here
for more.
Microsoft confirms supercomputing plans
June 23 2004
Microsoft will sell a version of Windows for
high-performance computing--a niche in which rival Linux
is blossoming--with a first version planned for the
second half of 2005.
As first reported by CNET News.com, the Windows Server
2003 HPC Edition will include features for running
windows on clusters of machines interconnected by a
high-speed network to form a single computing resource,
Microsoft said in a statement Wednesday.
In the statement, Microsoft said it has enlisted support
for the new version from several major companies,
including IBM, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Advanced Micro
Devices and Intel. Other partners include Verari
Systems, one of whose specialties is cluster computing,
and the Cornell Theory Center, which has explored
Windows for supercomputing for years.
Go here
for more.
Cheaper Pentium Ms arrive
June 23 2004-Intel on
Wednesday delivered a pair of lower-price Pentium M
chips as part of its latest line of notebook processors.
The chipmaker added the Pentium M 715 and the Pentium M
725, which run at 1.5GHz and 1.6GHz, respectively, to
its recently introduced Pentium M 700 series of notebook
chips. The 715 and 725 follow the launch last month of
Intel's Pentium M 735, 745 and 755, which run at speeds
of 1.7GHz to 2GHz.
The 700 series Pentium Ms are made with new
underpinnings: a 90-nanometer processor design dubbed
Dothan, which Intel has said offers a performance boost
over its preceding Pentium M design, dubbed Banias. Like
the other 700-series chips, the new 715 and 725 will
also be offered as part of Intel's Centrino chip bundle
for wireless notebooks.
Go here
for more.
Windows XP SP2 RC2 Rolls Out
June 16 2004-As we pointed
out in January (Preview: Inside the Windows XP Service
Pack 2 Beta), Microsoft's Windows XP Service Pack 2 will
enhance the operating system's security and usability.
When Release Candidate 1 (RC1) appeared in March, it
provided fully realized implementations of many features
that were just promises in the beta. Release Candidate
2, available as of Tuesday, further refines the new
features. Its appearance encourages us to believe that
SP2 may indeed ship to the public by the end of summer.
Anyone wanting an early look at the current release
candidate can download it from
www.microsoft.com/sp2preview. The full download is over
270MB, but those updating just a single machine can do
so using a new version of Windows Update, for a mere
100MB download. Note that Microsoft does not support the
preview and does not recommend its use on production
systems.
Go here
for more.
Netscape takes aim at pop-ups, spam
June 14 2004-Netscape
Communications on Monday announced products designed to
help customers of its Internet service block
pop-ups and spam, as well as scan e-mail for
viruses.
Additionally, the technology allows customers to surf
the Internet at speeds of up to five times faster than
they could over a standard dial-up connection, according
to Netscape, which is a division of Time Warner's
America Online unit.
The product, called Web
Accelerator with Pop-Up Blocker, is an add-on that
can be used with the basic Netscape dial-up service.
The service's pop-up-blocking technology is designed to
stop most of the "annoying and time-consuming
pop-ups and pop-unders that interrupt normal Web
surfing," the company said.
Similarly, with the company's spam-blocking tool,
customers can block e-mails based on specific words,
Netscape said. Subscribers can also block e-mails that
contain clickable URLs.
Go here
for more.
Where, Oh Where Is Windows XP SP2?
June 11 2004-May has come
and gone without Microsoft releasing a promised second
release-candidate beta version of Windows XP Service
Pack 2 (SP2).
Microsoft said earlier this year to expect Release
Candidate 2 (RC2) of XP SP2 in May. Repeatedly, during
the past two weeks, Microsoft officials have said RC2
would ship "sometime in the next few weeks."
But as June 15 closes in, Microsoft still isn't offering
any new word on XP SP2's whereabouts.
Go here
for more.
Microsoft file patent faces exam
June 11 2004-A U.S.
government agency agreed this week to re-examine a
controversial Microsoft patent on the Windows file
format, following an objection from a public-interest
group.
In April, the Public Patent Foundation asked the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office to revoke a patent that
covers the FAT (File Allocation Table) file system--the
older of two main systems used by Windows to store
files. Last year, Microsoft said it was seeking to
license the FAT patent on reasonable terms as part of a
broader push toward sharing its intellectual-property
portfolio with the industry.
Go here
for more.
Windows XP update to fight malicious software
May 31 2004-Redmond software
company Microsoft Corp. plans to release an update to
its Windows XP operating system that will contain new
technology aimed at stopping viruses and other forms of
malicious software.
But the biggest change is only marginally technical.
It's the default setting for the firewall. With Windows
XP2, the firewall will turn on unless the computer user
knowingly turns it off. In the original version, users
had to turn it on themselves.
Go here
for more.
Verizon to offer naked DSL
May 26 2004-Verizon
Communications will soon become the second Baby Bell in
the United States to offer broadband to consumers
regardless of whether those customers also buy its local
phone service.
The company confirmed on Wednesday that it plans to
offer what's been called "naked" digital
subscriber line (DSL) service to customers within its
local phone region by the end of 2004. Qwest
Communications in February announced plans to offer a
similar service to its customers.
Go here
for more.
Microsoft creating Windows for supercomputers
May 25 2004-Microsoft has
launched an effort to produce a version of Windows for
high-performance computing, a move seen as a direct
attack on a Linux stronghold.
High-performance computing once required massive,
expensive, exotic machines from companies such as Cray,
but the field is being remade by the arrival of clusters
of low-end machines. While the trend could be considered
an opportunity for Microsoft, which has long been the
leading operating-system company, Linux has actually
become the favored software used on these clusters.
Now Microsoft has begun its response, forming its High
Performance Computing team and planning a new OS version
called Windows Server HPC Edition. Kyril Faenov is
director of the effort, and Microsoft is hiring new
managers, programmers, testers and others.
Go here
for more.
Cisco bets on new high-end router
May 24 2004-Cisco Systems on
Tuesday is expected to launch a new high-end router for
large telecommunications carriers, in a major bid to
outmatch rivals in a key market.
The product, code-named HFR (for huge fast router), will
be unveiled at an event marking Cisco's 20-year
anniversary, when it will be christened the Carrier
Routing System-1, or CRS-1, a source close to the
company said.
The new router is designed for carrier networks that
handle the highest volumes of Internet traffic. It is
the first product engineered by Cisco that will allow
several boxes to be clustered together to function as a
single router--a feature that is defining the next
generation of these products.
Cisco has been working on the CRS-1 for the past four
years, but it has kept quiet about details, even denying
the product's existence. Cisco declined to comment for
this article.
Go here
for more.
Dreams of Longhorn
May 23 2004-The desktop
version of Longhorn, Microsoft's next release of
Windows, may receive most of the ink. But it is the
server version that is more vital to the software
giant's long-run ambitions. That's because some of the
most heavily touted features of Longhorn--such as
mainframe-caliber computing, better security and
management and networkwide search--rely on Longhorn
Server.
Muglia, a 16-year veteran of Microsoft, is tasked with
building Longhorn Server, likely the most complex
operating system ever designed. What's more, Muglia must
keep a long train of updates and service packs for older
versions of Windows rolling off the production line.
Even though Longhorn Server likely won't make a debut
until 2007, it's already generated controversy.
Microsoft had barely acknowledged the product's
existence when the company admitted that one of the
software's most anticipated features, wide-scale search
of corporate networks, won't make it into the first
release.
Microsoft will also need to convince big companies that
Longhorn's more advanced features are worth the trouble.
And while Microsoft will spend the next three years
building Longhorn, Linux continues to gain in
popularity. Muglia sat down with CNET News.com to talk
about Longhorn, the evolving Linux threat and how
Microsoft builds Windows.
Go here
for more.
Google's desktop bet
May 22 2004-Google faces a
difficult task if it tries to transplant its successful
Web search business to the desktop.
The Mountain View, Calif.-based company is reportedly
preparing to release downloadable software that enables
people to search for text and files stored on their
computer's hard drive. The move would dramatically
expand Google's search business beyond the Web while
taking direct aim at Microsoft, which is itself getting
ready to take on Google's dominance in Web search with
its own technology.
"It's clearly a pre-emptive move," said
Richard DeSilva, a senior associate partner at venture
firm Highland Capital.
Go here
for more.
Cisco to patent security fix
May 19 2004-Cisco Systems
has applied for patents on technology that it claims
will fix a flaw that has recently been found in one of
the most common communications protocols.
Last month, Robert Barr, an in-house patent attorney for
the company, publicly acknowledged that Cisco has
applied for U.S. patents on fixes to a protocol called
TCP, or Transmission Control Protocol. A flaw in this
protocol, which is used for sending data over the
Internet, was discovered last month by security expert
Paul Watson, a security specialist for industry
automation company Rockwell Automation. Watson's
discovery resulted in a worldwide security warning that
affected many vendors' products.
Go here
for more.
A proposal to help fight deceptive Internet software
May 19 2004-At Google, we
put a lot of thought into improving your online
experience. We're alarmed by what we believe is a
growing disregard for your rights as computer users.
We've seen increasing reports of spyware and other
applications that trick you in order to serve you pop-up
ads, connect your modem to expensive toll numbers or
hijack your browser from the site you're trying to
visit.
We do not see this trend reversing itself. In fact, it
is getting worse. As a provider of services and
monetization for users, advertisers and publishers on
the Internet, we feel a responsibility to be proactive
about these issues. So, we have decided to take action.
As a first step, we have outlined a set of principles we
believe our industry should adopt and we're sharing them
to foster discussion and help solve the problem. We
intend to follow these guidelines ourselves with the
applications we distribute (such as the Google Toolbar
and Google Deskbar). And because we strongly believe
these principles are good for the industry and users
worldwide, we will encourage our current and prospective
business partners to adopt them as well.
Go here
for more.
German teenager confesses to creating Sasser Internet worm
May 08 2004-An 18-year-old
German man faces up to five years in prison after he
confessed to creating the Internet Sasser worm which
infected millions of computers worldwide, police said.
The teenager, whom police have not identified by name,
was arrested Friday after a raid on his parents' house
in Rotenburg, a small town in the northern state of
Lower Saxony, which turned up incriminating evidence.
Investigators seized several items from the house,
including the teen's personal computer.
Investigators said they got a crucial tip-off from
Microsoft, the world's biggest software firm. A
spokesman for the company in Germany said it had
"received a call from people who had information on
him and knew his identity."
Go here
for more.
Microsoft, Reward-Seekers Help Nab Sasser Creator
May 08 2004-A tip from
reward-seekers and information from Microsoft led to the
arrest of an 18-year-old suspected of creating the
"Sasser" computer worm, German police and the
software giant said on Saturday.
Spokesman Frank Federau for Lower Saxony police said
police were certain they had the man behind one of the
Internet's most costly outbreaks of sabotage.
"We are absolutely certain that this really is the
creator of the Internet worm because Microsoft experts
were involved in the inquiry and confirmed our
suspicions and because the suspect admitted to it,"
he said in an interview with Reuters Television.
Go here
for more.
Windows Tips & Tricks UPDATE
May 04 2004-This week, I
tell you why some Microsoft Remote Installation Services
(RIS) images aren't displayed on the RIS OS selection
menu and how to solve the problem, how to add a new
adapter to the list of supported RIS adapters, and how
to avoid having to press F12 during a RIS boot. I also
explain how to avoid receiving an 0x2015 error when you
use Ntdsutil to delete a nonexistent domain and how to
create an Active Directory Service (ADS) set.
Great questions and answers from John Savil, at Windows
& .Net Magazine.
Go here
for more.
Microsoft Sells 210 Million Copies of Windows XP
May 04 2004-The day before
opening its Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC)
2004 trade show in Seattle, Microsoft announced that it
has sold 210 million copies of Windows XP, most of which
were bundled with new PCs. However, Microsoft also noted
that actual XP usage is far higher than that figure,
because its sales figures don't include copies of XP
bundled with new machines under corporate licenses.
The last time Microsoft released sales figures for XP
was July 2003, when the company announced that it had
sold 130 million copies of the operating system.
Microsoft notes that it is selling approximately 10
million copies of Windows XP every month now, and sales
are actually accelerating month-over-month; last July,
the company was averaging 6 million copies of XP each
month.
Go here
for more.
Windows XP Service Pack 2 Delayed
April 28 2004-Microsoft now
says the update won't ship before July. Service Pack 2
for Windows XP, originally planned to ship in the first
half of the year, will now be released in July at the
earliest. The major, security-focused operating system
update doesn't yet meet Microsoft's standards, a company
spokesperson says.
Microsoft as recently as last week said Service Pack 2
for Windows XP was on schedule for release in the first
half of the year. The company has now decided to delay
the update to "some time in the third quarter"
because testing has not been completed and Microsoft
continues to make changes to the software based on input
from testers, the spokesperson says.
Go here
for more.
NVIDIA Issues Beta Drivers for 64-bit Windows XP
April 24 2004-The industry
is inching one step closer to the broad adoption of
64-bit computing. Computer graphics giant NVIDIA is
delivering 64-bit beta drivers for motherboards and
systems based upon its nForce3 media and communications
processors (MCPs). The drivers are designed for
Microsoft's Windows XP 64-bit Edition for Extended
Systems operating system, also currently in beta.
"Systems based on NVIDIA nForce3 MCPs and the AMD
Athlon 64 and AMD Opteron processors provide a
compatible, stable, and reliable computing platform for
users who wish to exploit the benefits of both 32-bit
and 64-bit computing environments," said Dwight
Diercks, vice president of software engineering at
NVIDIA.
Go here
for more.
Microsoft Preps Next Release Candidate For Windows XP Service Pack 2
April 20 2004-Microsoft
plans to make available Release Candidate 2 of Windows
XP Service Pack 1 in May in preparation for final
availability during the first half of 2004, company
executives said during a briefing on Tuesday.
During the company's April security briefing, Rebecca
Norlander, Group Manager of Microsoft's Security
Business and Technology Unit, gave a demonstration of
the much-anticipated service pack and said the company
is considering adding spyware capabilities to a future
version of Windows and/or service pack.
Go here
for more.
Windows Update Servers Slowed By Rush To Patch
April 19 2004-Microsoft's
April security problems didn't stop when it rolled out
four alerts and disclosed 20 vulnerabilities on Tuesday.
That day, and the day after, Microsoft's update servers
were plagued by slow downs that prevented some users
from obtaining the necessary patches.
The U.K.-based Web performance monitoring firm Netcraft
on Wednesday noted that Microsoft's Windows Update site
-- the primary means for users to download security
patches -- experienced "slow response times"
in the wake of the release of the numerous critical
updates.
Go here
for more.
Readers Criticize Microsoft Win XP Service Pack 2
April 16 2004-Microsoft's
upcoming Windows XP Service Pack 2 is pretty unpopular
among Security Pipeline readers, but critics were almost
evenly split whether SP2 makes security too tight, or
not tight enough.
We asked: "The upcoming Windows XP Service Pack 2
has very stringent security measures. According to
pre-release versions now available, the software is set
to, by default, automatically download and install
patches without user intervention. A built-in firewall
comes with the software, and it's switched on by
default. And a new Windows Security Center allows novice
users to increase security on their systems, but makes
it difficult to reduce security settings. Some or all of
this is likely to change by the time the software is
released, but based on what we know now, is SP2 too
secure?"
Go here
for more.
Microsoft reins in Longhorn for 2006 launch
April 11 2004-Microsoft said
on Friday that it is aiming to release Longhorn in the
first half of 2006--a move that will require the company
to scale back some of its more ambitious plans for the
next version of Windows.
The company said Longhorn will still include three major
advances: a new file system known as WinFS, a new
graphics engine dubbed Avalon and a Web Services
architecture known as Indigo.
"There may be specific features within those
subsystems that will be scaled back," lead product
manager Greg Sullivan said. Sullivan would not identify
which features have been trimmed but said such efforts
are typical of all new releases of the Windows operating
system.
Go here
for more.
Hack Your XP Start Button
April 08 2004-Change the
text and icon on your Start button by following these
simple steps. Sarah from Tech TV shares some great hacks
you can do to your start button, change the start text,
change your hover text, customize your start icon. Great
stuff. Before you get started, you might want to print
out this page for easy reference.
Go here
for more.
Windows XP SP 2 Delivers Some Promised Security Ehancements
April 03 2004-The highly
anticipated release of Windows XP Service Pack 2 looms
on the horizon, leaving many to wonder if operating
system update will be a cure for many of the security
ills surrounding Windows XP. Months in the making,
Microsoft promises the new service pack--set to ship by
the end of the second quarter--promises to better secure
Windows XP from attacks, such as the Blaster worm and
buffer overruns, while also reducing pop-up
advertisements and spam annoyances.
Go here
for more.
Windows XP security gets tighter
Mar 31 2004-XP is getting a
security makeover. Microsoft is preparing an update to
Windows XP that is intended to make the operating system
more secure. Dubbed Service Pack 2 (SP2) the update will
close some loopholes that virus writers and malicious
hackers have exploited to infect or take over PCs. The
add-on for XP will also include extras that block pop-up
ads by default and give users a clearer picture of how
secure their system is.
Go here
for more.
Microsoft: No Longhorn Until 2006...at the Earliest
Mar 27 2004-In an interview
with "Computerworld," Microsoft Senior Vice
President Bob Muglia revealed that the next major
version of Windows (code-named Longhorn) won't ship
until 2006 at the earliest, confirming the opinions of
analysts and others familiar with the company's problem
of shipping products on schedule. "2006 is the
earliest time frame we're looking at [for
Longhorn]," Muglia said, suggesting that perhaps
2007 is a more accurate date. "[The client and
server versions of Longhorn] will ship at different
times. Clients need slightly less bake time than servers
do." He also presented an interesting summary of
the features Microsoft plans for Longhorn. "There
are three major pillars for Longhorn. One is the new
user interface pieces in the Avalon UI, the graphical
UI. Another is WinFS. And the third is the Web services
infrastructure in Indigo."
Go here
for more.
Microsoft Rolls Out Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition
Mar 27 2004-In what can only
be described as the company's most low-profile OS
rollout since Windows Me, Microsoft released Windows
Mobile 2003 Second Edition this week, not that anyone
running a Pocket PC today will be able to get the OS
anytime soon. Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition (or
WM2K3SE, as I affectionately call it) adds several key
features to compatible Pocket PC devices, including
support for VGA (640 x 480) screens and
landscape-display mode. But in what is becoming an
increasingly frustrating and familiar strategy,
Microsoft isn't shipping the OS to customers directly
but is letting its hardware partners do so--with an
associated fee. So we'll likely wait months for
companies such as HP and Toshiba to release the update,
and many customers will be disappointed to eventually
discover that their particular devices won't be updated
at all. Adding insult to injury, representatives of
Dell, HP, and Toshiba were flashing users' devices to
the new OS at the Microsoft Mobile Developer Conference
(DevCon) 2004 in San Francisco this week at no charge,
including mobile devices that...ahem...won't be
officially upgradeable. Shame.
Go here
for more.
Microsoft Admits It Missed Internet Search Opportunity
Mar 27 2004-Let me get
something straight: First, Microsoft missed out on the
whole Internet boon by shipping a lackluster,
proprietary online service then called The Microsoft
Network just as the Internet was starting to take off.
Now, the company is admitting that it blew it big time
again by missing out on providing a world-class Internet
search service, letting an unknown company called Google
take off. "People say that Microsoft does it all,
but this is the case where we didn't do it all,"
CEO Steve Ballmer said, describing the company's
missteps with Internet search as its "biggest
mistake." Ahem. This kind of talk reminds me of
Microsoft's use of the term "bet the company,"
which it carts out at virtually every product launch. I
guess this scenario is "bet the company's"
antithesis.
Go here
for more.
EU Announces Final Microsoft Decision: "Near Monopoly;" Record Fine, New Windows Version Required
Mar 24 2004-The European
Union (EU) announced today that Microsoft is guilty of
abusing its "near monopoly" in desktop and
server OSs and fined the company a record $613 million.
Additionally, the EU gave Microsoft 90 days to offer
European computer makers a new Windows version that
doesn't include Windows Media Player (WMP) and 120 days
to give competitors the vital information they require
to write software applications that work more closely
with Windows Server products. The EU's restrictions and
requirements are limited to the European market only
"in deference to the competition authorities of the
United States and other countries," according to EU
Competition Commissioner Mario Monti. Microsoft says its
proposed settlement, which the EU shot down last week,
would have been better for consumers. The company vows
to appeal this decision to an EU court in Luxembourg.
Go here
for more.
DVD-copying sales ban reinstated
Mar 15 2004-A New York
federal judge on Monday reinstated a ban on sales of 321
Studios' DVD copying software. U.S. District Court Judge
Richard Owen had previously decided the program violated
federal copyright laws and told the company to stop
selling it, but had temporarily put his own order on
hold.
Owen's set of rulings have had little actual effect on
the market, since a California judge's ruling barring
sales of the DVD copying software remains in effect. 321
Studios is appealing both orders.
Go here
for more.
10-Gigabit Ethernet comes alive
March 15 2004-The market for
10-gigabit-per-second Ethernet switching got off to a
slow start, but now that corporate customers are looking
for more speed on their networks, the technology seems
to be hitting its stride.
Few applications currently require the full bandwidth
provided by 10-Gigabit Ethernet. But demand is picking
up amid sharp price cuts fuelled by new designs and
higher-density products. In addition, a new standard to
run 10-Gigabit Ethernet over copper cable could help
reduce costs and spur adoption later this year.
"It's really remarkable how quickly the prices have
fallen," said Zeus Kerravala, an analyst at The
Yankee Group. "And the falling prices have really
helped spur adoption".
The arrival of 10-Gigabit Ethernet, also known as
10-GigE, highlights the growing business demand for
bandwidth. In systems, it promises to leapfrog current
technology in much the same way that 1-Gigabit Ethernet
replaced the older Fast Ethernet. But 10-GigE's impact
could be even more profound in the long run, as it
offers a one-size-fits-all technology for IT
applications from supercomputing to networked storage.
Go here
for more.
Flaws level off, but worms still squirming
March 15 2004-The number of
public alerts about software security flaws leveled off
over the last six months, but worms continue to threaten
the Internet, according to a report security company
Symantec released Monday.
In 2003, information on 2,636 security vulnerabilities
was released to the public, according to Symantec's
biannual Internet Security Threat Report. That's an
increase of only 2 percent from the 2,587
vulnerabilities disclosed by companies and security
researchers in 2002, said Alfred Huger, senior director
of engineering for Symantec. From 2001 to 2002, there
was an 81 percent increase, Huger said.
Go here
for more.
McDonald's Wi-Fi recipe could define industry
March 12 2004-Signs at a
McDonald's in downtown San Francisco cordially beckon
customers to surf the Web using its wireless Internet
service, but no one is biting during a recent Wednesday
lunch hour.
In fact, none of the 20-odd patrons scattered about the
restaurant's two dining areas appears to have a laptop
computer or wireless PDA on hand. A few peer over
newspapers, while others talk quietly or stare out the
window over trays of french fries and hamburgers.
The scene is typical, says supervisor Margie deGroot,
whose restaurant near Market and Second streets became,
last year, one of the first McDonald's in the country to
offer wireless Net access to customers: "Why would
these customers use this service when they can go back
to their offices to use their computers?" she says.
She's not the only one asking the question. So-called
Wi-Fi wireless broadband technology is catching on fast
with computer users and sparking a new service industry
that aims to cater to an increasingly mobile Internet
audience. But it's still early in the game, and
companies aren't sure what formula--if any--will work
best to attract paying customers.
Go here
for more.
50,000 new homes to get free PCs
March 12 2004-Wireless
networking firm Abrocour is giving away 50,000 home
entertainment PC systems in a bid to convert new homes
to wireless.
The company claims that it will connect a third of all
new UK homes built in 2004 using wireless broadband
access.
It is giving away the Windows XP Media Center PCs with
32in flat screen displays to housing developers which
install them in new homes.
Go here
for more.
Windows XP SP2 could break existing applications
Mar 05 2004-When Microsoft
releases Service Pack 2 for Windows XP later this year,
some software developers may find their applications no
longer work on updated Windows machines.
Microsoft has made something of a trade-off with the
update, focussing on security improvements at the
expense of backward compatibility. The vendor is calling
on all software developers to test their code against
the beta version of Service Pack 2, or face the
possibility that the update will break their handiwork.
Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) is more than the usual
roll-up of bug fixes and updates. It is also being used
to make significant changes to the software that are
designed to improve security. These changes can render
applications inoperable, Microsoft warns.
Go here
for more.
Windows XP Embedded powers cinema ticketing kiosks
Mar 02 2004-Cinema operators
now have a modern, reliable way to provide convenient,
fast ticketing to patrons before they enter the theater
lobby, thanks to Radiant Systems's Outdoor Ticketing
Kiosk. The environmentally hardened, wireless,
self-service kiosk is designed to withstand direct
exposure of the kiosk to sun, rain, and snow and can be
used virtually anywhere -- including the gathering area
outside a theater's lobby, as well as mall entrances and
sidewalks leading from the parking lot.
Go here
for more.
Windows XP Reloaded May Debut Before Longhorn
Feb 27 2004-Microsoft plans
to release significant enhancements to Windows XP after
Service Pack 2 and before Longhorn as part of a project
known as Windows XP Reloaded.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant confirmed a
published report that there is a Windows XP Reloaded
project under way, but the company has not decided how
the functionality will be packaged or priced--if at all.
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for more.
Gates Touts Windows XP Service Pack 2 At Security Show
Feb 24 2004-Microsoft Chief
Software Architect Bill Gates Tuesday offered a sneak
peek at the features of the upcoming Windows XP Service
Pack 2. In his keynote address on the first full day of
the RSA Conference in San Francisco, Gates outlined
upcoming features to Windows XP SP2, including a Windows
Security Center that centralizes and manages security
settings. "SP2 is a release that is totally focused
on security," Gates said. "It is a major focus
of the Windows team. We have prioritized our resources
around security."
The Windows Security Center displays status and
recommends guidelines with actions that need to be
taken. All of the features are managed through Active
Directory group policy, said Zach Gutt, a technical
product manager who demonstrated the features ofWindows
SP2. Other features include central firewall management
and a pop-up blocker in Internet Explorer.
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for more.
Microsoft Internet Explorer Integer Overflow in Processing Bitmap Files Lets Remote Users Execute Arbitrary Code
Feb 17 2004-A vulnerability
was reported in Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) version
5. A remote user can execute arbitrary code on the
target system.
It is reported that a remote user can create a specially
crafted bitmap file that, when loaded by IE, will
trigger an integer overflow and execute arbitrary code.
The author states that this flaw was found by reviewing
the recently leaked Microsoft Windows source code. The
flaw reportedly resides in 'win2k/private/inet/mshtml/src/site/download/imgbmp.cxx'.
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for more.
Exploit code for Microsoft vulnerability circulating
Feb 16 2004-Security
researchers say code designed to exploit a recently
announced critical vulnerability in Microsoft operating
systems now is widespread on the Internet.
The code crashes targeted computers by exploiting a flaw
in Microsoft’s Abstract Syntax Notation 1 Library in
Windows NT, 2000 and XP. The exploit code was discovered
Saturday, four days after the vulnerability and a patch
to correct it was announced by Microsoft.
The exploit we discovered is fully functional and does
cause targeted computers to crash,” said Ken Dunham,
director of malicious code for iDefense Inc. of Reston,
Va. “The widespread distribution of this code has
significantly increased the threat level for ASN.1.
The report indicates that IE 5 is affected but that IE 6
is not affected.
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for more.
Another Microsoft Server Vulnerability - Critical
Feb 10 2004-Microsoft
Security Bulletin MS04-007 - ASN.1 Vulnerability Could
Allow Code Execution (828028)
Windows NT 4.0 (Workstation, Server, and Terminal Server
Edition) does not install the affected file by default.
This file is installed as part of the MS03-041 Windows
NT 4.0 security update and other possible
non-security-related hotfixes. If the Windows NT 4.0
security update for MS03-041 is not installed, this may
not be a required update. To verify if the affected file
is installed, search for the file named Msasn1.dll. If
this file is present, this security update is required.
Windows Update, Software Update Services, and the
Microsoft Security Baseline Analyzer will also correctly
detect if this update is required.
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for more.
Security Update for Internet Explorer
Feb 03 2004-Microsoft
released a security bulletin yesterday providing fixes
for three major security flaws related to its Internet
Explorer browser, one of which allows hackers to mask
the Internet address of a fake Web site.
This is a cumulative update that includes the
functionality of all the previously-released updates for
Internet Explorer 5.01, Internet Explorer 5.5, and
Internet Explorer 6.0. Additionally, it eliminates the
following three newly-discovered vulnerabilities...
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for more.
Ten Ways To Make Windows XP Run Better
Jan 30 2004-We thought we
would go ahead and link to Fred's previous story as
well, a good companion to the previous tip.
Fred Langa offers tips on how to optimize Windows XP for
your own work style so you don't have to live with its
default settings.
Microsoft ships each copy of Windows with
"default" settings that are designed to be
"good enough" for most people. The default
settings are a kind of lowest common denominator,
ensuring that the operating system will work okay for
the mythical "average user."
But, if you're reading this, chances are you're not an
average user. You probably know that you can unlock much
more of your system's potential by changing Windows'
default settings to suit your own particular working
style and circumstances.
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for more.
Ten More Ways To Make Windows XP Run Better
January 26 2004-Fred Langa
examines free add-ons and utilities that further refine
and improve your operating system.
In our original "Ten Ways To Make Windows XP Run
Better" we covered many fundamental tweaks and
adjustments that can help you to move XP out of its
bland and sometimes limiting default settings and into a
configuration that better fits your own personal needs,
preferences, and work style.
Of course, there actually are thousands of possible
adjustments you can make. In that original article, I
simply tried to pick the 10 I thought would help the
most people.
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for more.
New worm draws Sobig comparisons
Jan 20 2004-Computer
security experts fear a new worm that began spreading
rapidly across Australian e-mail networks on Sunday
could be a rehearsal for a more concerted attack in
coming weeks.
The worm--dubbed Bagle-A--carries an expiry date,
possibly indicating more robust versions of the worm
could be slated for release soon, said Daniel Zatz,
security director for Computer Associates Australia.
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for more.
IBM to add 15,000 new jobs
Jan 19 2004-IBM will hire
15,000 new employees--50 percent more than originally
planned--in areas such as software and services because
of a rebound in the economy, a top executive said
Saturday.
Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM, which has faced criticism for
its plans to shift some U.S. jobs to cheaper locations
such as India and China, will add about 4,500 net jobs
in the United States this year, said Randy MacDonald,
IBM's senior vice president for human resources.
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for more.
Justice Dept.: Microsoft's 'fallen short'
Jan 16 2004-The U.S. Justice
Department on Friday expressed concern that Microsoft
has not completely lived up to its agreement to disclose
Windows communications protocols, as required by a 2002
antitrust agreement.
In an 18-page filing with U.S. District Judge Colleen
Kollar-Kotelly, the government said the Microsoft
Communications Protocol Program has "fallen
short" of fully satisfying the settlement and that
"additional work still needs to be done."
In that settlement, designed to end seven years of
antitrust litigation, Microsoft agreed to disclose each
communication protocol used in Windows 2000 Professional
or Windows XP and to make them available for licensing
for a fee. Depending on the application, the fees range
from $8 to $950 for each copy sold by the third-party
developer, less any volume discounts.
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for more.
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