windows vista

When Microsoft shipped Windows Vista, one new feature that was introduced was a firewall that monitored both inbound and outbound traffic. What Microsoft failed to mention about the firewall is the fact that monitoring outbound traffic is disabled ... by default. Microsoft claims it was disabled because administrators wanted more control over it. Even more interesting is the fact that you can't enable outbound filtering through the Windows Security Center in Windows Vista. The user is required to manually configure the firewall if you want to filter that outbound traffic. To do this in Windows ... (view more)

A recent survey of more than 250 CIOs, CSOs, IT managers and network administrators across Europe, Asia Pacific, and the U.S. conducted by PatchLink shows that fewer businesses are now planning a migration to Windows Vista than seven months ago. ... More businesses are saying they'll either stick with the Windows thay have, or they'll switch to Linux or Mac OS X. The poll also shows that corporations are afraid of zero-day vulnerabilities. Of the more than 250 businesses polled, 2% said they're already running Windows Vista. 9% said they plan to roll Vista in the next three months. 87% said they ... (view more)

After coming across the information from the "Does Windows Vista Send Information to the Government?" story , I decided to do a little research on Microsoft, the Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Security Agency (NSA). What I found was ... very interesting, and it raises some serious questions. It's not clear what software was being used by my source as I wrote that previous post. He may be using some sort of file sharing or peer 2 peer (p2p) program. He posted pictures of a log from the peerguardian 2 program, software that isn't listed as compatible with Windows Vista. Just because ... (view more)

At a time when Microsoft didn't need any more bad Windows Vista news, reports are beginning to surface about problems with the product activation system. For some users of the not-ready-for-prime-time operating system, updating some hardware drivers ... can cause the Software Protection Platform code in Windows Vista to require reactivation. No changes are made to the hardware itself, just the drivers. Software Protection Platform code in Windows Vista is part of the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA). It's a program required by Microsoft as part of their fight against software piracy. It gets ... (view more)

Is there more to Windows Vista being big brother than was originally thought? There appear to be features and services bundled into Windows Vista that stay in touch with the government and their associates, too. If this is true, Microsoft has gone ... too far. This post was in an abandonia.com forum, and appeared to get overloaded from all the attention it was getting. Whitedust.net had a copy of it on their site. A forum user switched to Windows Vista a month ago and actually had some good luck with it. He began noticing latency on his home network connection. He used port sniffing software and ... (view more)

Vista Compatibility and Vista Certified seem to mean many different things to both Microsoft and other manufacturers of software applications. It would be nice to get a clearer definition of each, if that's at all possible. One of the latest fiascos ... involving Vista compatibility involves Roxio's Easy Media Creator. In September 2006 when Sonic Solutions introduced the program, Vista compatibility was a point of emphasis. Roxio was touted as a "Windows Vista Premier Launch Partner" when Vista was rolled out. Sonic bragged that their DVD burning technology was being incorporated by Microsoft in ... (view more)

Is Microsoft finally beginning to get it or is this more smoke? According to Softpedia.com , Microsoft has decided to continue focusing on desktop products. This means Windows Vista and the 2007 Office System will be followed by Windows Seven and ... Office 14. Kevine Turner, Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft, emphasized the fact that Windows Vista will not be the last big operating system release from Microsoft. That also holds true for Office 2007. "There will be another release of and launch of a Vista type operating system. There will be another release of Office, and we're going to ... (view more)

Windows Vista Ultimate director Barry Goffe has apologized for Vista's 'Ultimate Extras.' What are 'Ultimate Extras'? Ultimate Extras were initially a key selling point for the Ultimate edition of Windows Vista. When the operating system (OS) first ... launched in January of this year, four extras were released: Windows Hold'Em, 16 language packs, Secure Online Key Backup, and Windows BitLocker Drive Preparation Tool. But since then, the ultimate extras have fallen flat. In fact, not a single extra has been released since January, except for a beta version of a feature known as DreamScene. ( ... (view more)

... continued from Part 1 (of 3). Recently, I laid out some of the reasons why Microsoft's marketing offensive for Windows Vista has overextended the supply lines of reality. Although it looks great and might have potential, there are only a handful ... of reasons to upgrade now. So, what are those flashy features being pushed by Microsoft? Let's take a look at some of the new tools that the company believes make purchasing Vista worthwhile. BitLocker BitLocker is a security enhancement and works by encrypting the data on your hard drive using a hardware key and pass phrase -- but is only ... (view more)

Flashback to late January 2007 -- Microsoft releases Windows Vista consumer versions of their "latest and greatest" new operating system (OS) with the marketing hype of "the wow is now". The Vista web site even offers 100 reasons you'll be ... speechless. The top reason? "It makes using your pc a breeze" (provided your computer runs once you've installed Vista). Your chances of effectively using Vista improve if you purchase a new computer with the finicky operating system already loaded. Upgrading older computers is a waste of time and money. Unfortunately for Microsoft, their marketing tactics ... (view more)