August, 2007

Compatibility, Performance Updates for Windows Vista by Stuart Johnston

This post has been viewed 175 times since Wednesday 8 August 2007 @ 9:22 am

As reported today by the IDG News Service, Microsoft has released two new updates
for Windows Vista.

However, a Microsoft spokesperson I reached stopped short of saying that these
two updates will be part of the upcoming Service Pack 1, or SP1, for Vista.
In fact, in her e-mail, the spokesperson would only say that Vista SP1 is due
out in beta test form later this year – but not whether these two updates
will be part of that release.

Either way, if you’re a Vista user you’ll want to get both of them. These are
not security patches as we so often see, but are instead fixes for other types
of annoying bugs – some of which users have been bemoaning in online forums
since Vista first shipped.

First up is a compatibility update that looks like it’s mostly directed towards
fixing problems with various graphics drivers. For instance, it fixes a litany
of issues such as the screen ceasing to function when you upgrade the video
driver, or the screen going blank when you turn off an external display like
a projector connected to the computer, or video quality deteriorating when playing
some graphics-intensive video games.

It also fixes a few other aggravating bugs, including the printer spooler (software
that sends stuff you want to print to your printer in the background while you
do something else) ceasing to function, and the Windows Calendar closing unexpectedly
in certain circumstances.

Microsoft has also released a performance update for Vista. This is to fix
sluggishness in several areas but also to patch a few data corruption problems.
For example, when Vista is copying a large file, it may seem to take forever
for the "estimated time remaining" to be calculated. Or, when resuming
from hibernation, the logon screen may take a long time to appear.

Worse, for those of you who are seriously involved in digital photography,
you may experience data loss when editing RAW files created using Canon EOS
1D digital SLR cameras.

There are both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit versions of both updates available.

You can get these updates manually today from the links above (along with more
info). The Microsoft spokesperson said that they will also be available via
Windows Update "in the near future," but she wouldn’t say when.

Microsoft tracker and blogger Mary Jo Foley ventured a guess that will most
likely be next Tuesday which, since it’s the second Tuesday of the month, is
Microsoft’s "Patch Tuesday." I agree that’s the most logical deduction.

Title: Compatibility, Performance Updates for Windows Vista
Author: Stuart Johnston
Date: 7 Aug 2007
Source: PC World

Tags: Stuart Johnston

Comments (0) | Posted in Vista News

Microsoft cuts Vista’s price in China to curtail piracy by An Lu

This post has been viewed 168 times since Tuesday 7 August 2007 @ 6:53 am

Microsoft Corp. has slashed the price on its Windows Vista operating system in
China by more than half, in a bid to curtail piracy, The Wall Street Journal reported
on Monday.

Beginning Aug. 1, Microsoft cut the retail price for its Vista Home Basic
package to 499 yuan (66 dollars) from 1,521 yuan, and its Vista Home Premium
package to 899 yuan from 1,802 yuan, the report quoted the company as saying.

The price cut is the latest tactic by the Redmond, Wash., software company
in its efforts to spread legitimate products in the China market, said the report.

"Pre-installed Windows Vista is already getting popular in China,"
Microsoft spokesman Jim Lin was quoted as saying. "This program gives customers
who bought a computer before the Vista launch an opportunity to upgrade."

Title: Microsoft cuts Vista’s price in China to curtail piracy
Author: An Lu
Date: 07 Aug 2007
Source: China View

Tags: An Lu