Saw this via @SecurityGarden on Twitter

Please be aware that beginning next month, we will start an upgrade to the Windows Update and Microsoft Update services. As a part of the service upgrade, an update to the Windows Update and Automatic Updates client code will be required. We will start this infrastructure update in late August, and it will take a couple of months to complete the rollout. Updates to the services and Windows code are required from time to time to maintain and improve service quality, reliability, and operations. The last update occurred in November of 2008.

This update will not change your current Windows Update or Automatic Updates settings. It will improve the user interface for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 computers running Windows Update, adding a more visible and detailed description of updates as well as improvements in how users are notified about service packs. This update will not change the look and feel of Automatic Updates.

Read the entire article here

Not sure, but this is most likely hinting of an implementation of Windows 7's improved Windows Update explorer interface which is more detailed and manageable. I did a preview of it back in November 2008 and I am very pleased with some of the improvements that have been added. In Windows 7, there are some slight changes, mostly visual, the main Windows Update page displays a large yellow banner with information such as the amount of available updates and the total size of updates which is new. You can immediately review and download the most important updates or select only optional updates to install from the main page. You have the option also in Change Settings to Allow standard users to install updates which is something I am glad to see.

Resources

A Look at Windows Backup and Windows Update in 7

Looks like its not on the agenda at all according to this response to Emil Protalinski over at Arstechnica from Scott Guthrie Corporate Vice President of Microsoft's .NET Developer Division.

“Right now our plan is to run SL in 32-bit mode (and not have a 64-bit native version). This is mostly because other browser plug-ins (and most browsers) don't support 64-bit yet. We are looking at adding native 64-bit support in the future though.”

Read the entire article here

Its a shame really, especially with 64 bit Windows doing so well lately. Last September, I expressed my thoughts on the matter.

“…its strange Microsoft is not up on the 64-Bit bandwagon, in critical areas as this. With this being a fresh technology, I would have hoped that 64-bit development would have been there in mind at the start. Oh, well, I am not being hampered, but it just clues me in that 64-Bit development at Microsoft might be hassle.”

Mary Jo Foley of All About Microsoft talks about Microsoft discontinuation of Digital Locker, Vista’s built in storage management solution for software titles and product licensing bought through Windows Marketplace.

Quote : Microsoft has sent a note on December 11 to registered Marketplace customers alerting them of its plans to discontinue Digital Locker. From the note:

Dear Digital Locker Customer,

This is to notify you that on November 20, 2008 Windows® Marketplace  transitioned from an e-commerce site to a reference site. On Windows Marketplace you will find links to sites such as Microsoft Store, Windows Vista® Compatibility Center, and other destinations with compatible software, hardware and devices that support Microsoft platforms.  As part of this transition, the digital locker service affiliated with Windows Marketplace will be closed in August, 2009.

Read the entire post here

I personally have never used the service, but it seemed like a good idea. I don’t know if Microsoft is working on anything better. But the link to Digital Locker usually found under the Task Pane in Programs and Feature in Vista is not available in Windows 7, so it looks like this decision was made a long time ago.

Resources:

Windows Marketplace Frequently Asked Questions page.

Wow, this was a long time coming, but its finally here. For the past couple of weeks now, I have been encountering problems trying to get the most recent Windows Vista Ultimate DreamScene Content Pack 4 to show in Windows Update. I don't know what was causing the delay on my machine running Vista x64, but its now finally here.

Yep, its finally here.

Previously:
Where are my Ultimate Extras and DreamScene Content Pack 4?

Resources:
Microsoft releases new Ultimate Extras - Microsoft Tinker
Windows Vista Ultimate Extras
Ultimate PC
New Ultimate Extras: Microsoft Tinker and Dreamscene Content Pack 4

From the Windows Vista Team Blog

Last week I posted a about the impending release of Windows Vista SP2. Now the Windows Vista Team  are finally confirming:

Hi there, Mike Nash here. 

As you know we are getting ready to talk about Windows 7 at the PDC next week.  Before we do that, I thought I would give you an update on our latest work for Windows Vista.

We are committed to continually improving Windows, and we've been getting some questions about the timing of the next service pack for Windows Vista.  Following the success of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 last spring, we have been working hard on Windows Vista Service Pack 2. As a part of the development and testing process, we're going to start by providing a small group of Technology Adoption Program customers with Windows Vista SP2 Beta for evaluation next Wednesday, October 29. The final release date for Windows Vista SP2 will be based on quality. So we'll track customer and partner feedback from the beta program before setting a final date for the release.

Read the entire post here

Windows Vista SP2 won't be a major update as some persons are correlating with Windows XP SP2 which was significant in respect to security. Vista SP2 will be a normal maintenance update that aggregates all post SP1 updates along with support for some new technologies, Mike Nash noted will be coming:

In addition to previously released updates since the launch of Windows Vista SP1, Windows Vista SP2 contains changes focused on supporting new types of hardware and adding support for several emerging standards:

• Windows Vista SP2 adds Windows Search 4.0 for faster and improved relevancy in searches.
• Windows Vista SP2 contains the Bluetooth 2.1 Feature Pack supporting the most recent specification for Bluetooth Technology.
• Ability to record data on to Blu-Ray media natively in Windows Vista.
• Adds Windows Connect Now (WCN) to simplify Wi-Fi Configuration.
• Windows Vista SP2 enables the exFAT file system to support UTC timestamps, which allows correct file synchronization across time zones. 

Looks like this will be a solid update.

Resources:

My Early Preview of Windows Vista SP1 BETA
Information about Windows Vista Service Pack 1
Up Next: Windows Vista SP2

The innovative version of Yahoo!'s Messenger for Vista has been discontinued according to the Company. A state sent to CNET notes:

Quote: 'Yahoo has made the strategic decision to discontinue external releases of the stand-alone Yahoo Messenger for Vista client and focus on delivering one Windows experience that is optimized for Windows users today," Yahoo's Terrell Karlsten said in a statement to CNET News. "This decision will help Yahoo increase efficiencies and deliver one consistent, full-featured solution for Windows users--whether they are using XP or Vista."

Read the entire post here

I only used this program a couple times on a friends Windows Vista laptop, it looked greate but I didn't see the key differentiator or uniqueness of it except for its semi-dark transparent interface and big bold profile pictures for contacts. The first test release didn't even work on Windows Vista 64-bit, so from early on it was pretty much a disaster. I do hope for Windows 7 to feature more innovative programs that support the Windows Presentation Foundation (formerly Avalon) with new apps. The Windows Live suite is looking like a likely candidate.

Back in February, Microsoft released Windows Vista Service Pack 1 which is a collection of updates and performance improvements. Along side SP1 was the release of Windows Server 2008, which came with Service Pack 1 already integrated. This has streamlined the development of Windows, since both Client and Server now share same codebase. Of course Microsoft never stops working and so the Company is already giving early hints of the next maintenance update to Windows Server 2008 and Vista, Service Pack 2. A Microsoft Knowledge Base Article gives us some early confirmation about its expectancy:

Quote:

“Information about Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2
Article ID : 948465
Last Review : October 2, 2008
Revision : 2.1
Beta Information

This article discusses a beta release of a Microsoft product. The information in this article is provided as-is and is subject to change without notice.
No formal product support is available from Microsoft for this beta product. For information about how to obtain support for a beta release, see the documentation that is included with the beta product files, or check the Web location where you downloaded the release.

INTRODUCTION
This Microsoft Knowledge Base article will be updated with more information about Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (SP2) and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) when the information becomes available. Currently, the product release notes and related information about Windows Server 2008 SP2 and Windows Vista SP2 are not available.”

Check out the KB here

Service Pack 2 for Windows Server 2008 and Vista is probably coming around spring 2009, although its always subject to change, since there will be a lot of projects in development such as Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Office 14. So, the progress and the ability to maintain compatibility across these products will determine how soon SP2 arrives. Microsoft is also working to deliver the next Service Pack for Office 2007 around mid 2009.

Resources:

Information about Windows Vista Service Pack 1

My Early Preview of Windows Vista SP1 BETA

Ed Bott continues the debate over Microsoft’s SKU strategy with Windows today. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes yesterday made mention of reducing the complexity in Windows 7 to two or just one. Ed disagrees and  believes the current strategy is working but is flawed in its marketing.

Quote:

“Currently, Microsoft has a tiered pricing system for Windows. For OEM copies sold with a new PC (and remember, that’s how 9 out of 10 copies are sold), that price is buried in the cost of the system and isn’t broken out. But for the sake of argument, here are my best estimates of how much each Windows Vista edition adds to the cost of a new PC:

• Home Basic $20
• Home Premium $60
• Business $130
• Ultimate $190

Microsoft brings in a steady stream of revenue from this current mix, revenue that is the biggest part of its bottom line. If you were to replace those four editions with a single edition for a single price, my back-of-the-envelope calculation says the new price would have to be in the neighborhood of $90. That would add $70 to the cost of entry-level PCs, many of which are currently being sold to budget -conscious businesses with Vista Home Basic. For a $400 bare-bones PC, that’s a 17.5% price increase. Yikes!”

Read the entire article here

There was never a problem when there was just two SKUs (XP), now it is? In fact it worked so well, Microsoft is having hard time getting rid of XP, with the two stand out SKU’s still number one on desktops – XP Home and Professional. A lot of what Ed Bott says seems to be defending Microsoft's huge bottom line, not consumers sanity or small businesses focus on delivering value. I have had my frustrations with this new matrix, I realize Microsoft wants to make it easy for end users to obtain the OS they want with the features they really need. But when you have a features like 'Complete PC Backup' that is not standard across all SKU's, it shows Microsoft is only doing this SKU thing for up sell 'Anytime Upgrade' anyone?

Still waiting for that Exclusive Experience

Lets not forget Vista Ultimate and its Ultimate Extras. You might say anyone investing in Ultimate just for Extras deserve what they got. But I remember this feature being touted as exclusive only to 'licensed' Ultimate customers. The premise was to deliver value beyond box. Cutting-edge programs, innovative services, unique publications. I don't consider a bunch of animated wallpapers, a few games and encryption utility to be real value beyond the box. You can read my suggested solution to this issue here

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes over at ZDNET gives us a tour of a new utility in beta from Symantec that aims to improve upon Microsoft’s much derided Account Privilege security implementation – User Account Control.

Norton User Account Control (ZDNET)

Quote:

“Norton UAC Tool (which, I will warn you right from the start is currently in beta) is a replacement to the UAC prompts that you normally see. It has two usability-related features to offer:

It offers a “Don’t ask me again” feature so that the next time you carry out a certain action there’s no UAC prompt displayed”

Read the rest here

Yesterday, I noted that I personally want an option to check off areas of the system I deem to be safe so I don't see the prompt anymore. The need to wait for or upgrade to Windows 7 is looking more dim for Windows Vista users. Microsoft just yesterday announced their intention to improve the user experience for UAC in Windows 7. But with third party company's such as Symantec aiming to fix UAC now, a lot of what Microsoft is promising as an upgrade is looking less interesting. I am sure 7 will present new improvements, but do I really need to invest in a brand new version of Windows to get all of them? I don't think so too.

Resources:

UAC under Windows 7 – Expect Improvements

ActiveWin.com Windows Vista Review

J. Peter Bruzzese over at InfoWorld brings up the topic of back lash against Microsoft’s latest desktop operating system. He points out some interesting facts that adhere to some of my own plans concerning deployment of Vista on a large scale especially where evaluation is concerned.

Quote:

“Here were some of their key findings:

* 48 percent of respondents indicate that their organization is evaluating, testing, or implementing Vista. That doesn't sound dead to me.
* 30 percent of respondents have organizations that are currently implementing or have already implemented Vista.
*50 percent of the respondents said Vista is performing "above expectation" on key features.”

I have been rolling out some new Dell Optiplex 755 systems for the past 4 weeks at a Government Agency and the procurement includes both Windows Vista Business and XP Professional media. The systems are preloaded with XP because they are just not ready for Vista, some of the custom applications need to be updated. But Vista is definitely on their agenda, but it will take some time before they start rolling it out and it will most likely be incremental.

Quote:

“…there are enhancements to Group Policy settings (over 800 new settings in Vista) that allow for a greater level of administrative control over such items as power use. These days, we are all about going green, and here Vista is an OS that can help us thanks to the added ability to adjust the amount of power your system uses. Other enhancements allow for greater security control within the enterprise, preventing users from plugging in USB devices and other removable media, User Account Control, and more.

Vista also introduces BitLocker protection which is great for encrypting your entire system. Hundreds of thousands of laptops with confidential company data on them are lost or stolen each year. Without encryption of the drive, it is just a matter of time before a thief can access the contents. With BitLocker, that worry is removed. As a business person -- perhaps one who has had their laptop stolen -- would you mock that level of protection? Most likely not.”

Waiting on Windows 7 to skip Vista does not make sense especially for businesses, since the same kernel will be used which means, any incompatibilities today moving from XP to Vista will also be there when trying to move from XP to 7. The strategy for most enterprise roll outs is to use a proven and tested product, which Vista will further be by 2010, by then the second Service Pack should also be out. I don't see a mass deployment of Windows 7, its the same case for most versions of Windows in the past.

We need to also understand how businesses procure licenses and software from Microsoft. That's through Software Assurance and Enterprise Agreement. Which means Vista is on their schedule, not Microsoft. We are talking about an OS that Microsoft plans to support until 2016.

I don't know what users find so drastically different about Aero that they use it as a deterrent to not move to Vista. Yes, the interface has made improved changes. For instance the unwieldy cascading All Programs menu has been tamed by the new searchable interface and a more friendly hierarchical structure. Yes, shutting down your computer is different because of the single menu, but Microsoft is recommending users hibernate their computers instead of shutting them down. So, that's the only hurdle I see to overcome. Users moving from 2000 can still enable the Windows Classic theme if they need the time to get acquainted with the changes to Explorer.

Then again, I am not forcing anyone to move to Vista based on XP's ability to stay secure in the foreseeable future. Since Microsoft obviously must believe that XP is secure enough to be around even in 2010 on netbooks.

Read the entire post here 

A couple days ago I saw post over at NeoWin.net informing users that new Ultimate Extras updates for Windows Vista Ultimate customers were released 'silently' through Windows Update. Unfortunately I was at work, and I wouldn't be back home until the weekend. But here I am, checking Windows Update and the only thing I see is a few optional updates for Windows. I am not sure if its only showing for US customers since my local is set to English (Jamaica).

Tinker, new in Ultimate Extras

One of the the highlights of the new update is the inclusion of a new game called Tinker, the game revolves around a robot who has somehow lost his way in a confusing world and needs to find his way back home with the help of you of course. The last time a new game was included in Ultimate Extras was back in early 2007 when Microsoft released 'Texas Hold'Em Poker'.

New Ultimate Extras, hello where are you?

Resources:

Microsoft releases new Ultimate Extras - Microsoft Tinker
Windows Vista Ultimate Extras
Ultimate PC
New Ultimate Extras: Microsoft Tinker and Dreamscene Content Pack 4

"Windows Vista hasn't fared so well since its debut. Its generally low reputation among customers has led one Forrester analyst to dub Microsoft's latest OS "the New Coke of tech," while some studies have suggested that nearly a third of customers who buy a PC with Vista pre-installed may actually be downgrading those machines to XP. Still other customers seem to wish the whole thing will just go away. They don't want to hear about Vista at all -- they'd rather hear about Windows 7, the upcoming OS from Microsoft that will be Vista's successor. And given the dismal consumer reaction to its latest attempts to market Vista, Microsoft seems willing to oblige."

Read the entire article here

From Windows Ultimate via ActiveWin

"We are pleased to announce the release of the remaining 19 languages packs for Windows Vista Ultimate. This Ultimate Extras release brings the total number of language packs for use with Windows Vista Multilingual User Interface Pack (MUI) to 35. Windows Vista Ultimate enables users install multiple languages on their system and quickly switch between them by associating a system language with their login name."

Learn more here

The additional supported languages are:

• Arabic
• Bulgarian
• Croatian
• Czech
• Estonian
• Greek
• Hebrew
• Hungarian
• Latvian
• Lithuanian
• Polish
• Portuguese (Portugal)
• Romanian
• Serbian
• Slovak
• Slovenian
• Thai
• Turkish
• Ukrainian

Also, this release includes an update to the lpksetup.exe installation component, correcting issues that affected some customers at installation. We recommend you download and install this component before installing any language packs; the updated component can be found here.

NeoWin.net

From Microsoft

The Internet is a vast place--and not every site is friendly. How do you help protect yourself online? With Windows Internet Explorer 7. Already, the Internet Explorer 7 Phishing Filter prevents nearly one million visits per week to known dangerous websites. In just a few clicks, see how the latest version of the world's most popular web browser can help you be safer online.

• Download it now (it's free!)

• Take a tour of Internet Explorer 7

• Why should you upgrade from earlier versions?

Already have Internet Explorer 7?

• See how to navigate the web more safely

• Learn easy keyboard shortcuts

• Personalize it with add-ons

Long Zheng over at istartedsomething.com takes a look at the new Recovery Disc tool coming in Vista's first Service Pack due sometime in early 2008.

"One of the new administrative tools Windows Vista Service Pack 1 provides is the ability to create a recovery disc. At first, the name might fool you into thinking the type of discs system manufacturers provide to you when you purchase a new computer to restore your computer to a factory state, but this is not that. A more appropriate name would be “Windows repair disc”.

Kinda disappointed, I was hoping the Vista Team would resolve the issue of OEMs only giving users a Recovery Disc instead of a separate Operating System disk. Yes, a recovery environment is nice, but, the ability to create a backup OS disk would have been nicer so you can reinstall your drivers and just the OS without all the OEM Junk.

Check out the tutorial here

Part of Windows Vista Ultimate's much anticipated feature/service Ultimate Extras finally went RTW today, well partially. But it looks like things are finally coming together, months after the Ultimate Extras team announced that they would delay the release because of stability and performance issues associated with installing the add-ons. Here is what the team had to say:

In early July, I wrote about The Ultimate Team’s intention to ship the remaining promised Ultimate Extras (DreamScene and the remaining Language Packs) by the end of the summer. Unfortunately summer never really came to Seattle this year—so we missed our cue. That being said, we are pleased to announce that Windows DreamScene is now available.

As most of you already know, Windows DreamScene transforms your desktop from a static wallpaper image into a full-motion video. In conjunction with Stardock, we’re pleased to also offer a number of cool, new animated DreamScene desktops, including “Aurora”. Additionally, you can use your own videos as DreamScene desktops or visit Stardock’s Dream.WinCustomize.com website to download Stardock’s DeskScapes (an add-on to DreamScene) as well as a collection of fabulous content created by Stardock and members of the Ultimate community.

The Ultimate Extras team also explained the changes to the Ultimate Extras page in Windows Vista SP1 which was released to a broad group of testers yesterday:

On a different topic, as the broad beta for Windows Vista SP1 nears, people have noticed that the screen which welcomes customers to Windows Ultimate Extras has changed. Our intent in making this change was simply to broaden the definition in anticipation of a broader range of Ultimate Extras being available in the future—that do  not necessarily map to the original, narrow definition.

Read the entire announcement here

I am happy to at least happy to know that development is still on going and the team is committed to delivering the value Vista Ultimate customers were promised. Windows DreamScene was announced in late 2006 just before Windows Vista was RTMed, it was originally code named Motion Desktop.

Related:

How to enable Windows DreamScene

Oh my Goodness - the new DreamScenes are HOT!

Resources:

Has Ultimate Extras failed?

The Windows Ultimate Extras Drought

DreamScene - The Issues So Far
Forza 2 DreamScene for Windows Vista

Today we take a look at another popular Windows Vista resource managed by  Ciprian Rusen (Co-Editor).

Windows Vista 4 Beginngers is a unique site that focuses on the end user using Windows Vista for the first time or upgrading from Windows XP. This is a wonderful website that carefully guides the user through helpful, well written, detailed articles and tutorials.

Mission Statement

Microsoft's new operating system - Windows Vista™ brings lots of new features and changes compared to Windows XP. Some of them are significant and some are not. The transition from Windows XP to Windows Vista is a big step for everybody. Even so, IT professionals will learn and adopt Windows Vista faster than most people. But what about the other people, who are not working in the IT business? After years of working with Windows XP, Windows Vista might be much too different and difficult to use.

Windows Vista for Beginners is here to help you. The team behind this site will try to provide simple and easy to understand tutorials about Windows Vista. We will try to cover as many topics as possible, starting with the most simple things like playing music on your Vista PC. You will see the site expand continuously as we will try to include as much content as possible.

Check it out here: http://www.vista4beginners.com

Previously:

Introducing Vistabase

From All About Microsoft

Quote:

"The Windows installed base will hit the 1 billion mark by the end of Microsoft’s fiscal 2008 (which ends on June 30), according to Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO.

“There will be more PCs running Windows than automobiles at that point,” Ballmer told attendees of the company’s annual Financial Analyst Meeting (FAM) in Redmond on July 26. (I’m here in person, up in the media rafters.)"

Read the rest here

From Reuters.uk

Quote:

"Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile , Research) had sold 60 million Windows Vista licenses as of the end of June, including 20 million copies sold since mid-May, the company said on Thursday.

The world's largest software maker disclosed the new sales figures on Vista, the latest version of its dominant Windows operating system released on Jan. 30, at its annual meeting with financial analysts."

Read the rest here

From Windows Vista Team Blog

Damn! The counterfeiters are improving their techniques more and more. Hmm, I wonder which one is fake?

Quote:

"Earlier today the Chinese Public Security Bureau and the FBI announced the largest bust of counterfeit software manufacturing or distribution ever.  The bust took place in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong and includes arrests that took place over the last couple of weeks.  While the value of the software actually seized is estimated at about five hundred million dollars, we're estimating that the value of software produced and distributed over the last few years by this particular group is closer to two billion dollars."

Read the rest here

As for the counterfeit Vista disk, its the one on the right. You can notice subtle differences such as washed out look of the copper hologram and the inner hub labeling is not centered properly. Its still a bit difficult to tell, especially for the average consumer, but with Windows Genuine Advantage and more education and awareness its really doing a great job.

Resources:

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/howtotell/