Redmond puts key Vista update on ice
Microsoft has suspended distribution of one of the updates required for Vista service pack one (SP1), after customers complained that their PCs wouldn’t boot up properly once KB937287 had been applied.
The servicing stack update, which was pushed out to the Windows Update site last week, is an essential part of the Vista SP1 puzzle - without it, the operating system’s full service pack can’t be installed.
Despite Microsoft’s decision to hold the update back until its engineers fix the PC reboot error, Redmond insists that Vista SP1, which was released to manufacturing on 4 February and is already available to MSDN subscribers, will still be available for general consumption in mid-March as planned.
Has Microsoft Disavowed Vista?
It seems that Microsoft is already giving up on
Technically,
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Don’t Upgrade to Vista, UK Gov’t Agency Tells Schools
British schools should not upgrade to Microsoft’s Vista operating system and Office 2007 productivity suite, the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) said in a report on the software. It also supported use of the international standard ODF (Open Document Format) for storing files.
Schools might consider using Vista if rolling out all-new infrastructure, but should not introduce it piecemeal alongside other versions of Windows, or upgrade older machines, said the agency, which is responsible for advising British schools and colleges on their IT use.
12 Windows Vista Tweaks To Boost Your PC’s Performance
Soon after Windows Vista came out, many suggestions for tweaking the operating system to improve performance emerged. Unfortunately, most of those tweaks turned out to be pretty disappointing: they either provided the illusion of better performance but did nothing of substance, or they were rehashes of existing Windows XP tips that might note even be valid on Vista.
Still, there are plenty of things that can be done to make Vista run better. Over the past several months I’ve kept an eye peeled as to what actually works, what doesn’t, and why. With less work than you might think, it’s entirely possible to have Vista running quite snappily.
Year-End Stats: IE7, Firefox, Vista, Mac
As is my wont, I’m going to do another of my periodic updates on the usage of Firefox by PCWorld.com visitors, as shown in our Web analytics numbers. And since 2007 is practically over, I’ll expand my report to look at some other notable numbers, too.
First, let’s look at browsers…
Extending the Windows Mobility Center with third party tiles - Rafael releases “Display Off” tile
The Windows Mobility Center is hands down the best feature for mobile PC users in Windows Vista. It’s so simple in concept, easy to use and useful that I don’t know how much time I’d waste without it every day. Having said that, I’ve always wished it did a little more than what Microsoft has provided as the basic set of eight tiles or functions.
Back in April, I made the suggestion to implement third-party tiles for the Mobility Center. Instead of building full-blown applications with a specialized user interface which had to be installed and always running in the background - wasting resources when really you only need once a day, ideally they could just build a Mobility Center tile.
Windows Vista SP1 Includes More Than 300 Hot Fixes
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.
Microsoft Offers Free Copy of Windows Vista Ultimate if you Surrender Privacy
Need a free copy of Windows Vista Ultimate? Are you incredibly trusting of big corporations? Well I have the deal for you, with a new program through Microsoft called the Windows Feedback Program. For the small price of privacy and perhaps some dignity, you can let Microsoft watch your every move for 3 months, in return for some software of your choice. Surveys are also required, one at the start, and then another in 2 week intervals, but compared to the bigger issue those are pretty painless. Some might find this to be an excellent deal, with software prices high, and cost of your free time to be almost nothing at all.
Microsoft publishes detailed Vista SP1 “changelog”
Leading up to next week’s public beta-test release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Release Candidate, Microsoft today has published a 17-page document outlining in fine detail exactly what difference SP1 makes to Vista.
Some of the contents has been shared in bits in the past, but this is so far the most comprehensive “changelog” we’ve ever seen and probably will see as the final version is not expected to differ much from the RC, with the exception of WGA modifications as described below. I’ve highlighted some of the most interesting changes which you may or may not already know.
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