microsoft

Microsoft is releasing a set of tools aimed at detecting and undoing attempts to bypass Windows 7 anti-piracy checks. It's mostly meant for corporate networks, but the release is also intended as a security warning. The toolset is an update for ... Windows Activation Technologies, one of the systems which checks that a copy of Windows 7 is legitimate. The update will search for and eliminate 70 known tactics for attempting to bypass these checks. (Source: windowsteamblog.com ) Microsoft Touts Antipiracy Tools Obviously, anyone who is knowingly using a pirated copy of Windows 7 is not going to ... (view more)

Microsoft Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center (CEOP) to release a new version of Internet Explorer 8 that boasts a number of online safety features. However, while it is being heralded as a "child-friendly" version of the popular web ... browser, it proves to be nothing more than an informational source. There is no doubt that a tremendous need exists for the protection of youngsters against the dangers that lurk online. According to Microsoft, almost 64 per cent (two thirds) of those under the age of 18 have been contacted by a stranger while online. Further research reveals that 41 ... (view more)

A Microsoft blogger recently posted a description of Windows 7's successor, internally codenamed as Windows.Next, otherwise known as Windows 8. The post, however, appears to have been removed from Microsoft's Development Network (MSDN) website at ... the time of this writing. Rumor: Windows Kernel Overhauled The post claims that the "minimum that folks can take for granted is that the next version will be something completely different from what folks usually expect of Windows." It also says that the "themes that have been floated truly reflect what people have been looking for years ... (view more)

It's still a few days till Valentine's, but already Microsoft has provided its February security gift for Windows users. In yesterday's Patch Tuesday release, the Redmond-based software firm has unveiled fixes for 26 vulnerabilities, almost ... one-fifth of which are marked "critical". Critical Fixes for Windows, MS Office Suite The recent patches address flaws in Microsoft's Windows operating system and its Office software suite. Five of the vulnerabilities have been ear-marked "critical," Microsoft's highest threat rating, and another seven "important". One is considered "moderate". Across the ... (view more)

In what would be a major change of policy, Microsoft is rumored to be removing multitasking capabilities in the next edition of Windows Mobile. That means that it likely won't be possible, for example, to write an email while checking a webpage. ... It's expected the system will be demonstrated next week at the Mobile World Congress industry event, though it's likely to be a glimpse rather than a detailed presentation. The PPCGeeks site reports that multitasking won't be available, though it will be possible to put one application on pause while running another. (Source: ppcgeeks.com ) Change ... (view more)

Late last week, a number of Windows 7 users lit up Microsoft's TechNet forums with complaints that they were experiencing a dramatic decline in the battery lives of their laptop computers after upgrading from XP or Vista to Windows 7. In a recent ... statement, however, Microsoft denies the charge and has stressed that these issues are strictly hardware-related. Windows 7 Not Poisoning Batteries In some cases, un-tethered notebook PCs were going into hibernation or shutdown mode after an incredibly short period of time, leaving recent Windows 7 adopters wondering if the operating system (OS) was ... (view more)

Microsoft is warning that those who downloaded Windows 7 RC ( release candidate ) sometime between May and October of last year are facing bi-hourly shutdowns if they do not upgrade (or downgrade) their operating system. Microsoft offered its ... release candidate software for its then highly-anticipated Windows 7 operating system back in May 2009. It generated an unprecedented number of downloads, as users of Windows XP and Vista looked to the Redmond-based firm for something better. Windows 7 RC: to be Banned, No Updates Unfortunately for all those RC users, beginning February 15, 2010, ... (view more)

Just a week after digital content distributor Steam announced nearly a quarter of its members had already made the switch to Windows 7 , Microsoft Corp. has revealed that its latest operating system is now the most-rapidly adopted OS in the history ... of PCs. Win7: 60 Million Licenses and Counting Microsoft released Windows 7 on October 22 of last year. Over the course of Microsoft's second quarter within the last fiscal year, the Redmond-based firm reported selling some 60 million Windows 7 licenses, making it the hottest OS in the history of personal computers. In a recent report, industry ... (view more)

The most anticipated Microsoft product since the release of Windows 7 this past October has to be the company's next version of MS Office, Office 2010, which is now nearing its final release. The software suite has now entered the "Release ... Candidate" (RC) stage, meaning it's very close to the final version. Office 2010 On Track for June Release According to reports late yesterday, it would seem that Microsoft has now shipped to early testers a nearly complete "release candidate" edition of its highly anticipated Office 2010. That means the program should be available to home and business ... (view more)

Laptop owners who upgrade their Windows XP and Windows Vista machines to Windows 7 are complaining that Microsoft's new operating system (OS) is severely reducing their available battery life. Many users are voicing complaints on Microsoft's TechNet ... forums that after upgrading their notebooks, battery life is dropping from two hours to a half hour. (Source: microsoft.com ) The problem appears to be caused by a new tool Microsoft designed to alert users when their battery needs to be replaced. According to some of the TechNet posts, the alert appears time and time again, even as a battery ... (view more)