Windows Vista SP1

Cool Price Monitoring Site - Poppik

2008-02-22T21:49:00.000-08:00

Just got a invitation code from a friend for Poppik.com. This web site helps you monitor product prices, simply enter a product detail url, select a few options then provide your email address. It'll then email you when the price changes. Pretty cool huh?

The invitation code is g7b5HqNhYU8yK08X.

How to backup your outlook accounts

2008-02-11T17:35:00.000-08:00

To backup your outlook account settings, fire up regedit.exe (start > run > type in regedit).

Browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles

Under profile, you should see your Outlook profile name, from there, just right click and export.

This should work on Windows Vista, XP with Office 2003 and 2008.

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RTM

2008-02-04T09:23:00.000-08:00

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) was released to manufacturing today and will start being available to customers in March, starting with Microsoft Volume Licensing customers. Windows Server 2008 was also released to manufacturing today and will be available for purchase to new customers on March 1. Microsoft Volume Licensing customers with active Microsoft Software Assurance coverage or an Enterprise Agreement will be able to download the server software toward the end of February as part of the joint Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 “Heroes Happen Here” launch event.

Here's the timing for SP1 availability for current Windows Vista users:
In mid-March, we will release Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Update (in English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese) and to the download center on microsoft.com. Customers who visit Windows Update can choose to install Service Pack 1. If Windows Update determines that the system has one of the drivers we know to be problematic, then Windows Update will not offer SP1. Since we know that some customers may want to update to SP1 anyhow, the download center will allow anyone who wants to install SP1 to do so.
In mid-April, we will begin delivering Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Vista customers who have chosen to have updates downloaded automatically. That said, any system that Windows Update determines has a driver known to not update successfully will not get SP1 automatically. As updates for these drivers become available, they will be installed automatically by Windows Update, which will unblock these systems from getting Service Pack 1. The result is that more and more systems will automatically get SP1, but only when we are confident they will have a good experience.
The remaining languages will RTM in April.

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Windows Vista Service Pack 1 coming next week

2008-02-02T20:55:00.000-08:00

Microsoft has scheduled Windows Vista Service Pack 1 for release to manufacturer (RTM) on Monday, February 4, 2008. That's just 3 days away! The OEMs will also receive Windows Vista Service Pack 1 during that week.
Microsoft will be deploying Service Pack 1 in two "waves". Wave 0, which is the one released on February 4, will only include five languages - English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese. The second wave, Wave 1, is scheduled for release 1-2 weeks later, and will cover all 36 basic languages, including Chinese.

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Report: Microsoft To Release Vista SP1 On Monday

Windows Vista SP1 Final Next Week Ve3d.com
Reports: Vista SP1 gold bits on track for next week ZDNet Blogs
Microsoft says Vista adoption is about 2% in enterprise Computer Business Review

First Windows Vista Upgrade Available to Public

2008-01-15T21:33:00.000-08:00

Reversing its initial decision to keep the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 release candidate restricted to private testers, Microsoft has made the near-complete upgrade available for download to the general public.

Although still not a final version of Vista SP1, the latest release is said to be on track with the estimated first quarter release date for the first service pack update for Windows Vista.

This is the first significant enhancement to Microsoft's latest desktop operating system, which was released in January of 2007, meaning that Vista's early adopters have had to wait almost a year for a refresh. Those holding on for the final release of SP1 will have to wait even longer. ZDNet Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley says that her sources put the final release date sometime in February.

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RC Refresh Public Availability Program

2008-01-11T13:38:00.000-08:00

Install Windows Vista SP1 Release Candidate through Windows Update
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RC Refresh is available to Beta testers through Windows Update. Experience the WU installation path for Windows Vista SP1 by following these simple steps and give us your feedback to improve our quality.

Before You Install
You must uninstall any previous versions of Windows Vista SP1 before installing Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh
To uninstall previous version of Windows Vista SP

Open the Programs and Features control panel and select View installed updates. In the Microsoft Windows section, right-click Service Pack for Windows (936330) and select Uninstall.
Your system will now uninstall the previous version of Windows Vista SP1 Beta and may reboot multiple times.
Please wait one hour after uninstalling a previous version of Windows Vista SP1 before installing Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh. The installer service needs to clean up and complete the uninstall prior to installing the RC. Failing to do this can result in installation errors when installing the RC version.

Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh is pre-release software and will change before the final release. Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh is for individuals, organizations, and technical enthusiasts who are comfortable evaluating pre-release software and is provided for testing purposes only. Microsoft does not recommend installing this software on primary or mission critical systems. Microsoft recommends that you have a backup of your data prior to installing any pre-release software.
Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh is time-limited software.
Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh will no longer operate after June 30, 2008 and should be uninstalled prior to that date. After installation your desktop will show the text “Evaluation Copy”. This does not mean that your system is no longer genuine but that you have installed a test version of software which is time-limited. The “Evaluation Copy” text will appear on your desktop after the second reboot after installing the service pack. Likewise, the “Evaluation Copy” text will remain on your desktop during the first reboot after uninstall the service pack, but will disappear after the next reboot.
If you install Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh it is strongly recommended that you install the final version of Windows Vista SP1 when it is released. To do this, you will be required to uninstall this RC version of Windows Vista SP1.
Assisted support (phone, email and online chat) is not available from Microsoft Help and Support for this RC release of Windows Vista SP1. Self-help and peer support is available through the Windows Vista SP1 forum.
You must have a genuine copy of Windows Vista installed prior to installing Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh.

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Microsoft releases another Vista SP1 refresh to 15,000 testers

2008-01-10T14:31:00.000-08:00

Microsoft made availble to testers on January 9 yet another refresh of Windows Vista Service Pack (SP) 1 Release Candidate (RC) test build.

Microsoft’s statement:

“Today, Microsoft released the latest pre-release build of SP1 – ‘Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh’ — to approximately 15,000 beta testers. This group includes corporate customers, consumer enthusiasts, software and hardware vendors, and others. The code is not available for public download.

“We are still on schedule to deliver SP1 RTM in Q1 CY08. The final release date is based on quality, so we will continue to track customer and partner feedback from the beta program before setting a final date.”

Microsoft released a publicly available test build of Windows Vista SP1 in December 2007.
Word on the Microsoft street is the Vista team is aiming to deliver the final SP1 code at the same time as Windows Server 2008 becomes available, which is expected in February (and some time before the big Windows Server 2008/SQL Server 2008/Visual Studio 2008 launch on February 27, 2008).

Microsoft also pushed out this week several new Windows Vista reliability and performance updates via Windows Update, as well as an update to the BitLocker encryption component of Windows Vista Enterprise and Windows Vista Ultimate that will be a prerequisite for SP1.
How’s Vista SP1 looking, you 15,000 chosen testers?

source

Gates on Vista: 100 Million Served

2008-01-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

Sales of the Vista operating system have hit the 100 million-mark, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said Sunday night at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, in what is expected to be his last keynote address.

Microsoft has not broken down what percentage of those sales were from enterprise customers but the company said that 96 percent of all Windows PCs sold through retail are now based on Vista, up from 77 percent last February, shortly after the official launch of Microsoft's latest client operating system.

Overall, enterprises have been slow to upgrade their Windows XP-based systems to Vista, according to industry analysts. Nonetheless, Gates crowed at last night's CES about hitting the 100 million-mark, up from 88 million licenses in late October.

"That's a very significant milestone for the kind of applications development, and special hardware work that we think is very important," Gates said.

Analysts expect enterprises to remain cautious with regard to Vista in 2008. The good news for Microsoft is that Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) is plugging holes in the Vista OS right now. Microsoft dropped the SP1 release candidate on Dec. 5 and expects to ship the final SP1 bits in the first quarter. By all accounts, the service pack has significantly improved matters.

(SUPER) Slow boot time with Vista SP1 x64 & 8GB Ram

2008-01-04T16:36:00.000-08:00

OK! Here's my hardware configuration.

Intel DP35DP Mobo,

Intel Q6600 Quad Core CPU

8GB RAM (4X2GB)

RAID0 160GB X 2 (for boot&windows)

nVidia 8600GT

Upon first boot after installing Windows Vista x64 w/SP1 RC, the boot time was about 5 minutes.

And yet, this annoying dialog is still working soooo hard on calculating the remaining time it needs to recycle (copy/move) my file(s) in SP1.

2/20/08

Intel just re-released a BIOS update for the
DP35DP, DG33TL, DG33BU, DG33FB series motherboards.

BIOS Version 0407

About This Release:
 February 18, 2008
 DPP3510J.86A.0407.2008.0218.0923
 VBIOS info:
Build Number: 1533 PC 14.27 08/28/2007 09:51:53
 SATA RAID info:
Intel(R) RAID for SATA - v7.6.0.1011
 SATA AHCI info:
Version UPSD src 12-03-2007 for ICH9
 PXE Nahum info:
Intel(R) Boot Agent GE v1.2.50 Beta-1
 ME firmware build: ME FW binary PV build 1104

New Fixes/Features:
 Fixed issue where S3 wake will fail intermittently on RAID
mode.
 Fixed issue of long boot time due to no media in SATA optical
drive when set to AHCI/RAID mode.
 Updated MRC to build 2.4.
 Fixed issue where L2 cache size will not be displayed in BIOS
setup.
 Fixed a problem where IERR got asserted on certain CPUs.
 Fixed a problem where the system would hang on S3 resume during
SMM relocation.
 Fixed issue where graphics cards that don’t support 800x600
mode will not display anything on screen during POST.
 Fixed language switching and ‘Exit discard changes’ could slow
down responsive of BIOS setup page.
 Fixed possible hang at POST code 0x5A with certain video cards
attached to the system.
 Added support to select the appropriate voltage based on CPU
and FSB speed.
 Fixed a problem where system would boot slow with 8GB of memory
in the system, and booting to a 64bit OS.

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Windows Vista SP1 Includes More Than 300 Hot Fixes

2008-01-03T21:54:00.000-08:00

Microsoft has made available a 47-page document that describes the fixes and says more may be added.

By Paul McDougall

InformationWeek

December 12, 2007 12:51 PM

Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) has released a detailed roster of the contents of its forthcoming service pack for Windows Vista, and the list includes more than 300 hot fixes covering everything from data protection to video performance.

The list, recently posted on Microsoft's Web site, can be downloaded as a 47-page document that the company says is not exhaustive. Microsoft plans to add more fixes and patches to Windows Vista SP1 before a final version is released to the public early next year.
For now, Vista users can entertain themselves by poring over the hundreds of updates that Microsoft says will be part of SP1.

Among them: a fix for a problem in which optical disks turn blank after being formatted with Vista's Live File System; a patch for a glitch that generates an error message when large files are copied from one Vista-based computer to another over a network; and an update designed to improve Vista's speed when its operating on a computer linked to a virtual private network.
Other updates are meant to improve Internet Explorer's streaming video performance and prevent data loss in USB devices connected to Vista PCs. There's also a fix that adds a Venezuelan time zone.

Windows Vista not likely to succeed in 2008

2008-01-03T21:52:00.000-08:00

It’s a new year and some would say “new beginnings,” but that’s probably not going to be the case for Microsoft’s flagship operating system, Windows Vista. The final version of Vista SP1 is due at some point in the coming weeks but that’s little consolation to users that already have mounds of compatibility problems that won’t be fixed in the service pack. With Windows 7 only two years away, there isn’t much motivation for most to upgrade to Vista.

All new computers are shipping with Vista but Microsoft was hoping to sell more upgrade versions or full retail editions but that just didn’t happen due to poor driver support, older peripheral support and several other nagging hardware issues such as a 3GB memory limitation in 32-bit versions which is still a problem.

Information Week says Windows XP is still the most common operating system running and that’s not likely to change any time soon. Support for that operating system continues through the end of 2011 but that will likely be extended because the XP user base will probably still be quite extensive.

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Download Windows Vista SP1 Release Candidate Now

2008-01-03T11:07:00.000-08:00

Download Windows Vista SP1 Release Candidate
Here are the three ways to download Windows Vista SP1 Release Candidate, based on your scenario or business needs. These downloads are for users who currently have Windows Vista installed.
Windows UpdateWindows Update is the recommended method for installing Windows Vista SP1 on an individual computer.
Windows Vista SP1 Release Candidate Standalone PackagesThese packages support installations on all versions of Windows Vista with one, five, or a combination of the 36 Windows Vista languages installed.
MSDN Subscribers: Get Windows Vista SP1 Release CandidateWindows Vista SP1 Release Candidate is now available on MSDN Subscriber Downloads.

Overview of Windows Vista Service Pack 1

2008-01-03T11:06:00.000-08:00

When developing Windows Vista, Microsoft set out to provide higher levels of productivity, mobility, and security, with lower costs. After more than six months of broad availability and usage, it’s evident that these investments are improving the Windows computing experience. For example, in the first six months of use, Windows Vista had fewer security issues than Windows XP (Windows Vista had only 12 issues, and Windows XP had 36). According to the Windows Vista 6-Month Vulnerability Report

by Jeffery R. Jones, Windows Vista had fewer security issues than all the popular operating systems he studied.
Although most companies are cautious when deploying a new operating system, many have already started testing and evaluating Windows Vista for deployment, and some have already deployed Windows Vista into their production environments and begun seeing the business benefits Windows Vista can provide.
Microsoft’s efforts to provide the best Windows experience ever in Windows Vista did not end with its launch. This white paper describes the ways Microsoft strives to continuously improve Windows Vista. It then introduces Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) and describes how the service pack will fit into the ongoing improvement process.
Organizations do not need to wait for SP1 to deploy Windows Vista; they are encouraged to begin their Windows Vista evaluation and deployment now:
•
Organizations currently evaluating and deploying Windows Vista should continue their evaluation, pilot programs, and deployment on the initial (“Gold”) Windows Vista release. Microsoft provides the tools and guidance needed to deploy Windows Vista today and will provide additional guidance, tools and support for moving to SP1 when the service pack is released.
•
Organizations just starting to evaluate Windows Vista should plan a pilot program, targeting the PCs that gain the most business value from Windows Vista (for example, many organizations will find that mobile PCs get the most benefits) and present the simplest upgrade from the gold release of Windows Vista to SP1 (How to Start a Windows Vista Pilot Deployment

describes best practices for running a pilot).
Organizations waiting for Windows Vista SP1 should start their compatibility testing on the gold release of Windows Vista now, and then begin their evaluation and pilot programs on the release candidate of Windows Vista SP1 when it is released. Windows Vista includes architectural changes relative to Windows XP that improve security and reliability. These changes can cause some applications which work on Windows XP not to work on Windows Vista. However, these architectural changes are also part of Windows Vista SP1. For this reason, testing applications on Windows Vista today will be a very good proxy for compatibility with Windows Vista SP1.

Introducing Windows Vista Service Pack 1
In addition to regular Windows Vista updates, application compatibility improvements, and device driver improvements, Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) is another way Microsoft will deliver improvements to the Windows Vista customer experience.
The goal of Windows Vista SP1 is to address key feedback Microsoft has received from its customers without regressing application compatibility. Windows Vista SP1 will deliver improvements and enhancements to existing features that significantly impact customers, but it does not deliver substantial new operating system features. For example, the service pack improves the performance of the desktop shell, but it does not provide a new search user interface or a new version of Windows® Media Center.

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Download Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) Release Candidate

2008-01-03T10:59:00.002-08:00

The Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Release Candidate (RC) is now available to the public. In addition to previously released updates, SP1 contains changes focused on addressing specific reliability and performance issues, supporting new types of hardware, and adding support for several new technologies. SP1 also addresses some management, deployment, and support challenges.

Things to know before you download
If you have a prior version of SP1 beta installed, you must uninstall it prior to installing SP1 RC.
Microsoft does not recommend installing this software on primary or mission critical systems.
Windows Vista SP1 Release Candidate is time-limited software.
Support is through self-help and peer support via the Windows Vista SP1 forum and FAQ page.
Additional information about the above items and others. Be sure to review.

Get Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RC (Update for existing Windows Vista users)
There are 3 different ways to access the Windows Vista SP1 RC depending on the unique business needs of individual users and their organizations.
Windows Update ExperienceThe recommended method for installing Windows Vista SP1 RC on an individual computer. Note: installing the release candidate of SP1 via Windows Update requires a number of additional steps that will not be necessary when the final SP1 is released.
Windows Vista SP1 stand-alone packagesThese packages support SP1 RC installations on all versions of Windows Vista with one, five, or a combination of the 36 Windows Vista languages installed.
TechNet Subscribers: Get Windows Vista SP1 Release CandidateWindows Vista SP1 Release Candidate is now available to TechNet Subscribers on Technet Subscriber downloads.

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Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Beta White Paper

2008-01-03T10:59:00.001-08:00

Introduction
When developing Windows Vista, Microsoft set out to provide higher levels of productivity, mobility, and security, with lower costs. After more than six months of broad availability and usage, it's evident that these investments are improving the Windows computing experience. For example, in the first six months of use, Windows Vista had fewer security issues than Windows XP (Windows Vista had only 12 issues, and Windows XP had 36). According to the Windows Vista 6-Month Vulnerability Report by Jeffery R. Jones, Windows Vista had fewer security issues than all the popular operating systems he studied.
Although most companies are cautious when deploying a new operating system, many have already started testing and evaluating Windows Vista for deployment, and some have already deployed Windows Vista into their production environments and begun seeing the business benefits Windows Vista can provide.
Microsoft's efforts to provide the best Windows experience ever in Windows Vista did not end with its launch. This white paper describes the ways Microsoft strives to continuously improve Windows Vista. It then introduces Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) and describes how the service pack will fit into the ongoing improvement process.
Organizations do not need to wait for SP1 to deploy Windows Vista; they are encouraged to begin their Windows Vista evaluation and deployment now:
Organizations currently evaluating and deploying Windows Vista should continue their evaluation, pilot programs, and deployment on the initial ("Gold") Windows Vista release. Microsoft provides the tools and guidance needed to deploy Windows Vista today and will provide additional guidance, tools and support for moving to SP1 when the service pack is released.
Organizations just starting to evaluate Windows Vista should plan a pilot program, targeting the PCs that gain the most business value from Windows Vista (for example, many organizations will find that mobile PCs get the most benefits) and present the simplest upgrade from the gold release of Windows Vista to SP1 (How to Start a Windows Vista Pilot Deployment describes best practices for running a pilot).
Organizations waiting for Windows Vista SP1 should start their compatibility testing on the gold release of Windows Vista now, and then begin their evaluation and pilot programs on the release candidate of Windows Vista SP1 when it is released. Windows Vista includes architectural changes relative to Windows XP that improve security and reliability. These changes can cause some applications which work on Windows XP not to work on Windows Vista. However, these architectural changes are also part of Windows Vista SP1. For this reason, testing applications on Windows Vista today will be a very good proxy for compatibility with Windows Vista SP1.
read more...

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1)

2008-01-03T10:56:00.000-08:00

Major update: In December 2007, Microsoft made a release candidate version of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) available to the public. This FAQ has been updated to reflect that update.
While most Windows service packs are hardly worth discussing, Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) has been steeped in mystery almost since before Vista itself was completed. With Vista, Microsoft has engineered a new update deployment technology that allows administrators and power users to "slipstream" service packs and other fixes into new Vista installations in a manner that is much simpler than with previous Windows versions. But the real issue with SP1 is in how Microsoft is handling--or mishandling, in my opinion--the dissemination of information about this release. For this reason, and because there are so many silly rumors floating around, I've created a FAQ for Vista SP1 that will be updated as new information is released. If it's not in this FAQ, it's just speculation.

Q: What is Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1)?
Q: Why all the secrecy?
Q: What features will Vista SP1 include?
Q: When will Microsoft release Vista SP1?
Q: But I heard that Microsoft would release the final version of SP1 by the end of 2007.
Q: Any word on when Microsoft will ship the much-need Media Center update?
Q: Why was Microsoft so secretive about SP1? They've even discussed Windows 7, an OS release that's not due until 2010
Q: Where can I learn more about Vista SP1?

Answers