Bad Windows

Windows Vista can be completely killed by pressing a simple combination of just two keys. All you need to crush Microsoft's latest operating system and put the much-applauded Wow at an end is two fingers. Thanks to odeeee for this news.

This issue has been reported independently of Microsoft, and the Redmond company has failed to issue any official comment at the time of this article. The immediate question which comes to mind is if the problem is a security vulnerability or a simple bug.

Read more at DABCC 

"I am surprised that nobody seems to have mentioned this here yet. Possibly after one of the latest updates in Windows Vista, two strange things happened: first, the Uninstall option is no longer available in the Control Panel when you right-click on older programs (most likely, those installed prior to the update in question, because uninstall works fine for recently installed programs — the Uninstall button is also missing on the toolbar at the top); second, some programs are no longer shown on the applications list in Control Panel (e.g., Yahoo Messenger). A Google search returns quite a few hits on this issue (e.g., one, two, three, and four) but everybody seems to be waiting patiently for a sign from Microsoft. But the company seems to have no clue or they would have fixed it already. I am just curious how many of you are experiencing this nuisance."

Slashdot 

Microsoft has admitted that all the 11.6 million faulty Xbox 360s sold in the last 19 months are faulty.

In a statement, Volish spinsters said that all of the consoles suffer from a design flaw which could cause the machine to fail.

However, the outfit said that while it is extending the warranty coverage from one to three years to compensate consumers, it had no plans to recall or exchange the boxes.

More here.

While Wednesday marked the official unveiling of Oracle Corp.’s 11g database and a look at its new features, pricing and availability information was pretty thin on the ground. All the vendor would confirm is that the Linux version of 11g will ship this quarter, probably in August.

“It’s our intention to do a pricing announcement closer to the release date,” said Chuck Rozwat, executive vice president, server technologies at Oracle. “It’s just a matter of weeks before we make that announcement.”

He was speaking during a question-and-answer session following a more than two-hour 11g launch event in New York.

Oracle wouldn’t comment on when 11g would be available for the other operating systems the database will support including Microsoft Corp.’s Windows.

What also remained unclear was which of the 400 features on display would end up being part of 11g and so free to customers upgrading from previous versions of the database and which functionality will Oracle charge users for as additional options for 11g. Rozwat said he couldn’t make that call on Wednesday, but that the information would also be forthcoming next month.

Read more at PC World

Microsoft will not ship its Windows Server 2008 operating system until February, breaking with the previous scheduled release date of "late 2007".

The platform will be officially launched at an event in Los Angeles on 27 February, Microsoft revealed at its Worldwide Partner Conference in Denver.

The delay is another setback for the software vendor, which has been struggling to get Windows Vista and Office 2007 out of the door in a timely fashion.

The server operating system was formerly known by its 'Longhorn' codename. The launch will coincide with the official unveiling of Visual Studio 2008 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008.

Microsoft tried to put on a brave face about the delays. In a posting on its Windows Server blog, the company claimed that the software will still be "released to manufacturing" this year.

Read more at vnunet.com 

support.com, a service which provides consumers with Instant Technology Relief(SM) from their frustrating computer problems, today announced the top call drivers into support.com about Microsoft's new operating system, Vista.

According to a recent independent survey from support.com, of 1,000 computer users in the U.S., more than two-thirds, or 77 percent, expected some sort of problem with Vista, including 30 percent who expected problems due to the new user interface. Anthony Rodio, chief marketing officer responsible for support.com, noted that the top three consumer call drivers regarding Vista since its release six months ago include:

    1. Navigation problems - The new Aero user interface is causing confusion       among consumers trying to locate files or operate basic functionality       due to the fact that people are accustomed to using the interface in       Windows 2000 or Windows XP.    2. Device incompatibility - Consumers who purchase computers with Vista       installed or who upgrade their current system cannot connect their       devices, including printers, MP3 players and digital cameras, due to       outdated drivers.

Read more at CNN 

Here is new Microsoft Windows Vista computer.

In Vista is "very" easy to delete desktop shortcuts…

Microsoft is issuing six patches on Patch Tuesday on June 10, one of which addresses a critical .Net Framework vulnerability that has the potential to affect a wide array of applications on all of Microsoft's actively supported platforms.

Microsoft's .Net Framework, a component that's included with the company's operating systems or which can be added to them, contains chunks of code for common program requirements. It's a core piece of Microsoft's product offerings, particularly since it's intended to be used by new applications created for Windows. As such, its code library covers many important moving parts in applications, including user interface, data access, database connectivity, cryptography, Web application development, algorithms and network communications—all of which are crucial security points.

Read more at eWeek 

System builders and VARs are not taking chances into using Vista for reasons of hardware and software compatibility issues. Reports gathered revealed that they are in fact at full speed ripping and replacing Vista for XP.

Jay Tipton, vice president of Technology Specialists, a Fort Wayne, Ind., Microsoft Gold partner, told CRN that “We are ripping it off systems 99 percent of the time. There are too many issues especially in the medical vertical market. It hasn’t been tested with any of the medical software out there.”

“I just can’t in good faith put Vista on a client’s network and expect all their software to work,” Tipton added.

However, Tipton sees that ripping and replacing would soon stop when Microsoft has fix Vista to make the older software work.

Glen Coffield, president of Smart Guys Computers, an Orlando, Fla.-based retail chain with six stores in central Florida, disclosed that XP is outselling Vista by 95 percent. In Smart Guys, over 1,000 Vista has been ripped and replace with XP in the last 90 days, he said.

Read more at VISTA.BLORGE