Windows Vista Discussion

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mikee said:
does the school provide it legally to you?

people sort of steal it from my school where they rip the sticker off the side of the computer and use the license key on their own computer because the school has corporate edition.

MSDN Academic Alliance
 
Notebook PC users who upgrade to Microsoft's Windows Vista may have to disable some of the new operating system's flashy graphics features to avoid seeing a decrease in battery life compared to when running Windows XP.

The drop will come from the extra power needed to run the high-end processors, graphics cards, and memory capacity required to support Vista. Microsoft has designed the new OS to deliver novel visual effects such as the translucent "Aero" windows on the desktop interface and to offer improved performance as a digital media hub. The business version of the OS was released last month, with the consumer version due out next month.
More Power at a Price

PC and hardware vendors see Windows Vista as a windfall because it requires faster, more powerful computers. But the extra power comes at a price.

"Vista demands more computer resources for a given application than XP does. So you need a heavier battery, or you will have shorter battery life because of the greater demand for watts," said Phil Hester, chief technology officer of Advanced Micro Devices, in remarks made at the company's annual analyst day in New York last week.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20061219/tc_pcworld/128252
 
Today, Phillips Consumer Electronics unveiled a new web page outlining the new series of Media Center remotes for Windows Vista.

Contrary to what Long Zheng posted in his well known "istartedsomething" blog last month, the 'box like' design will be the final remote for Windows Vista, but it's not alone.

Along with the Basic remote that looks as if it came straight from lego land, are three other remotes as well as three different models of the Basic remote.

For more detailed information on the remotes as well as pictures visit the link below;

http://www.remotecontrol.philips.com/index.cfm?id=1336
 
Initial feedback for Microsoft's new Vista software development interfaces appears to be largely positive, which could signal an end to lingering doubts over the company's willingness to grant sufficient access to the kernel of its latest operating system.

Microsoft shared an initial set of drafts for its new Vista APIs with security software developers Dec. 19, delivering documentation and technical criteria for the additional code that it first promised to hand over to partners in mid-October 2006.

The company was convinced to produce the expanded development tools by security applications makers who complained publicly that PatchGuard, the kernel protection technology included in the 64-bit version of its newly released Vista OS, would not allow some of their products to interact properly with the software.

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2075846,00.asp
 
Microsoft has updated its Get Ready Web site to include the minimum system requirements to run Windows Vista.

A Windows Vista Capable PC must include at least a CPU running at 800MHz, 512 MB of RAM, a DirectX 9 graphics card capable of at least 800x600, a CD-ROM drive and a 20 GB HDD with at least 15 GB free for the install. Of course, systems with bare minimum specifications will be unable to run Vista in the Aero interface.

In order a PC to be certified as ?Windows Vista Premium Ready,? it must have at least a 1 GHz CPU, 1 GB of RAM, a DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, 128 MB of graphics memory, Pixel Shader 2.0, DVD-ROM drive, a sound card, internet access and 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.

For Windows XP, users who did not meet the minimal requirements for XP Home (300 MHz, 128 MB) were still able to install and run the operating system, albeit rather slowly. It remains to be seen if Windows Vista will allow installs on machines lesser than minimal specification.

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5410
 
MSRC Blog: We are closely monitoring developments related to a public posting of proof of concept code targeting an issue with the Client Server Run-Time Subsystem. The PoC reportedly allows for local elevation of privilege on Windows 2000 SP4, Windows Server 2003 SP1, Windows XP SP1, Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista operating systems. Initial indications are that in order for the attack to be successful, the attacker must already have authenticated access to the target system. Of course these are preliminary findings and we have activated our emergency response process involving a multitude of folks who are investigating the issue in depth to determine the full scope and potential impact to Microsoft?s customers. Currently we have not observed any public exploitation or attack activity regarding this issue. While I know this is a vulnerability that impacts Windows Vista I still have every confidence that Windows Vista is our most secure platform to date. As always, we here at the MSRC encourage everyone to enable a firewall, apply all security updates and install anti-virus and anti-spyware software.

Regardless of it being the holiday season the MSRC will be monitoring overall threat conditions for this and any other issue reported to us. If we do see anything that we believe puts Microsoft customers at risk, or significant new developments, we will update everyone through our standard mechanisms including this blog and if need be, an Advisory with additional details.

http://bink.nu/Article9157.bink
 
Exhibitors may not want to use Vista, as the applications they are showing off in their booth may not be compatible with the new OS.

Microsoft is apparently looking to get some free advertising for Windows Vista before the OS's official consumer release on Jan. 30. The company is offering exhibitors at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) free copies of Vista to run on computers they are using in their booths at the show.

There will be 2,700 exhibitors and 140,000 attendees at the CES show this year, according to the CES Web site. The show, which is the technology industry's largest conference in the U.S., runs from Jan. 8 to 11 in Las Vegas.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/12/21/HNcesfreevista_1.html
 
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I can't count how many times people have asked me if Windows XP would be available on new PCs following Vista's release.

In the near term, the answer is as much a factor of user demand and OEM and system builder policies. That said, Microsoft will make Windows XP available from 12 to 24 months after Vista's general availability, depending on the sales channel.

According to Life-Cycle Policy Website, Windows XP Home, Professional, Tablet PC, Media Center and 64-bit editions would be available in direct OEM and retail licenses for 12 months following Windows Vista's general availability, which is scheduled to be Jan. 30, 2007. System builder licenses would be available for another 12--or total 24--months from Vista's general availability.

License availability doesn't necessarily mean operating system availability. I presume Microsoft will get Windows XP off retail shelves as quickly as possible after Vista ships. OEMs are another matter. While I generally like Windows Vista, I agree with some users of the "gold" code that say the operating system feels unfinished, like a work in progress. Some customers choosing to wait may ask OEMs or system builders for Windows XP.

http://www.microsoft-watch.com/cont...xp_availability.html?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535
 
Proof-of-concept exploit code for a privilege escalation vulnerability affecting all versions of Windows?including Vista?has been posted on a Russian hacker forum, forcing Microsoft to activate its emergency response process.

Mike Reavey, operations manager of the Microsoft Security Response Center, confirmed that the company is "closely monitoring" the public posting, which first appeared on a Russian language forum on Dec. 15. It affects "csrss.exe," which is the main executable for the Microsoft Client/Server Runtime Server.

According to an alert cross-posted to security mailing lists, the vulnerability is caused by a memory corruption when certain strings are sent through the MessageBox API.

"The PoC reportedly allows for local elevation of privilege on Windows 2000 SP4, Windows Server 2003 SP1, Windows XP SP1, Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista operating systems," Reavey said in an entry posted late Dec. 21 on the MSRC blog.

"While I know this is a vulnerability that impacts Windows Vista I still have every confidence that Windows Vista is our most secure platform to date," he added.

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2076062,00.asp
 
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