Microsoft to beef up anti-piracy checks in Vista SP1

Microsoft will change the user experience of its automatic anti-piracy checks in Windows Vista and also make it harder for hackers to bypass the system in the first service pack for the OS due out early next year.

Once Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) is installed on a PC, that computer will no longer go into limited functionality mode if a user or administrator fails to activate Vista on that system in 30 days, or if the system fails Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation, which checks to see if a version of Vista is pirated or counterfeit. In Vista, WGA is called the Software Protection Program feature.

In limited functionality mode, a computer will shut down after 60 minutes and then allow only browser use. Now, instead of going into that mode, a version of Vista that has not been activated in 30 days will start up with a black screen and a dialogue box that gives users the choice of activating Vista now or later, said Alex Kochis, a group product manager at Microsoft.

If users choose to activate now, the screen prompts will lead them through the proper activation system. If users choose to activate later, all the usual functions of Windows will start up, but with a black screen in the background instead of whatever customized background screen a user had set for the system.

Then, after 60 minutes of use, a balloon dialogue box will appear on the screen reminding the user to activate Vista. It also will reset the background to black even if a user had replaced the black screen with a customized view.

The experience will be similar for machines that fail the WGA validation, except that users will be reminded that their copy of Vista is not valid and that they need to purchase a valid copy of the OS.

Kochis said it was feedback from business and enterprise customers that inspired Microsoft to make the changes to the user experience. Many of these customers have been waiting until SP1 to upgrade to Vista, which means Microsoft has gotten their feedback on the Software Protection Program only recently. SP1 is expected to be available in the first calendar quarter of 2008.

Business and enterprise customers were concerned about the idea that desktop computers in their organizations would cease to function in the usual way if a machine were not activated or validated properly, Kochis said.

"In some cases, it was a simple reaction to this concept, as in 'We don't like this,'" he said. The complexity of getting a large number of users up and running again on Vista was also a concern.

source: computerworld.com


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There Is a Good Reason to Get Vista SP1

Microsoft plans to do away with that nasty 30-day off switch. Maybe some IT organizations should rejoice and take a few darts out of their pictures of Bill Gates.

But there's a catch: The visual indications that Windows is counterfeit will be a whole lot more obvious—and in the end user's face. Also, Microsoft isn't doing away with that pesky re-validation requirement. Many enterprises will still need to maintain activation servers so that volume-licensing keys can be revalidated. Nutshell: Businesses won't get out of having their employees re-validate software on 180-day cycles. Consumers will revalidate whenever downloading Microsoft software.

Microsoft will introduce the anti-piracy mechanism changes with Windows Vista Service Pack 1.

Caveats aside, the off-switch turn off removes a potential IT headache: Unvalidated Vista copies shutting down within 30 days when not reactivated. The new visual cue also will be a stark reminder to employees that they must re-validate their copy of Windows Vista..

The changes men that Microsoft's anti-piracy notices will be much more in end users' faces, so to speak. From the 31st day after failing to activate or validate, "There will be a plain black background and a message in the lower right hand corner over the system tray telling them that their copy of Windows is not genuine," Alex Kochis, Microsoft's group product manager for Windows Genuine Advantage, told my eWEEK colleague Peter Galli. End users will get hourly notices that their software needs to be activated. If they changed the desktop background color, Vista will revert to black.

Microsoft might as well have used a skull and cross bones. Who knows, maybe Microsoft will yet make Vista popular. How about a Gothic Windows fad, where black-and-white backgrounds on unactivated Vistas are the poster-child protest against DRM?

Microsoft claims that the 30-day change is coming because enterprises complained that the feature targets consumers and small businesses. I don't see that. Microsoft's big piracy problem: Leaked volume-licensing keys. It's why Microsoft put the burden of 180-day revalidation on businesses. If a key is leaked, Microsoft can invalidate it. Consumers and small business activate Vista once. The process is ongoing for enterprises.

Way I see it: Microsoft is responding to enterprise complaints about the off-switch, and the company is feeling generous because Vista activation is working. My sources tell me that the early piracy reduction numbers are so significant, even some Microsoft executives can't believe they're true. Fifty-percent reduction is the number I heard from some Microsoft elves (they escaped from Santa's workshop).

Number that high is somewhat unbelievable. Absolutely, Vista's tougher Windows Genuine mechanisms could be working better. Or, maybe, pirates favor Windows XP because it's easier to pirate and more people want the older operating system. The truth lies somewhere between, methinks. XP is more popular, and 180-day volume-license key revalidation is reducing the number of pirated keys.

source: microsoft-watch.com


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Microsoft releases Office Mobile 6.1

f you've got a Windows Mobile 5.0 or Windows Mobile 6 phone or PDA, you'll want to grab this update.

The update is free for anyone who has an existing copy of Office Mobile, which should cover most Windows Mobile users. it adds support for Office 2007 documents including DOCX, XLSX and PPTX files. There's also enhanced viewing capabilities for Excel Mobile, the ability to add SmartArt in PowerPoint Mobile. Users can also view and extract files from ZIP folders.

If you don't have a previous version of Office Mobile, you can buy a full version of Office Mobile 6.1. This is the first time Microsoft will be offering a full version of Office Mobile for sale. We can't find a purchase link right now, so we're not sure how much Microsoft will be charging for Office Mobile 6.1 But odds are you can get it for free anyway.

Download:
Microsoft releases Office Mobile 6.1


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A Mac-to-Vista Switcher in Pink

This weekend, my 13-year-old daughter and I set out to replace her first-generation MacBook. She instead picked a pink Sony VAIO running Windows Vista Home Premium.

I bought her the MacBook on launch day, May 16, 2006, at one of Apple's two Bethesda, Md., retail stores. The computer came configured with a 2GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 512MB of RAM (which I upgraded to 1GB), 64MB dedicated integrated graphics memory, 60GB hard drive, DVD burner, 802.11b/g wireless and Bluetooth. She does lots of video editing, which was getting increasingly difficult because of the puny hard disk, system RAM and graphics memory.

My daughter also had some interest in Windows Vista because of certain applications not available for Mac OS X. We went to Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego looking at a new MacBook or a pink VAIO VGN-CR290EAP. The VAIO would mean a switch from the Mac. The mall has Apple and Sony Style stores.

Based on value for hardware, the Sony VAIO handily beat the MacBook.

MacBook specs:
13.3-inch glossy display, 1280 x 800 resolution
2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
1GB of RAM
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (64MB, shared up to 144MB)
120GB hard drive
Dual-layer DVD burner
Integrated WebCam
802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth
Two USB ports; one FireWire
Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard"
White
$1,299

VAIO VGN-CR290EAP specs:
14.1-inch glossy display, 1280 x 800 resolution
2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
2GB of RAM
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (128MB, shared up to 358MB)
200GB hard drive
Dual-layer DVD burner
Integrated WebCam
802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth
Three USB ports; one FireWire
Windows Vista Home Premium
Cosmopolitan pink
$1.319.99

Before Apple switched to Intel processors, this kind of Mac to Windows PC comparison would have been difficult. Oh, how have times changed. While the two computers use the same basic hardware architecture, for an extra $21, the VAIO comes with twice the system and video memory and 80GB more storage capacity. The VAIO's extras appealed to my sense of value; my daughter liked the computer's appearance more than the white MacBook.

Something else: Sony would give up to $319 credit for a trade-in on the MacBook. However, a friend offered $500, removing the trade-in value from consideration.

Initially, my daughter had been thinking about sticking with the Mac and dual-booting Mac OS X and Windows Vista. But the MacBook's hard drive wasn't big enough for her needs or my budget. I was willing to spend $1,400 with tax but no more for this early and ridiculously expensive Christmas present. The preconfigured 120GB would be as much as she could expect from the MacBook.

One 13-year-old girl is by no means a scientific study of Mac OS X compared with Windows Vista. But her thinking is revealing, nevertheless. At no time while evaluating the two platforms did my daughter mention Apple's Leopard as a consideration. She would miss iLife applications but reasoned that iTunes would be enough if necessary. She also worried that "young people think Macs are cool." But how many of her friends would have a pink laptop? I let her make the decision on which computer, with little influence.

Six months earlier, I would have interceded. The Windows Vista experience was broken and Leopard promised so much. But now: Vista delivers a darn good experience, and Leopard isn't such a cool cat after all. Between Leopard and Vista, I would pick Windows.

My daughter chose neither. She ended up with the pink VAIO because she liked the laptop's appearance more than the MacBook; she recognized the better value for base hardware; and she didn't see any huge benefit to Leopard over Vista. Operating system was not much of a consideration at all.

Still, she recognizes that security attacks besiege Windows more than Mac OS X. While I did some basic setup on the VAIO, my daughter used the MacBook to get some new HTML code for her MySpace page. She was concerned about malware pop-ups on many of the sites offering free MySpace layouts. After changing the layout, my daughter boasted that she also had removed the sponsored links from her new MySpace page. I didn't tell her that some of these links pose security problems, so I was surprised.

As for VAIO setup, I took responsibility for e-mail and data migration. My daughter had used Apple's .Mac for mail but would add an @live.com account, too. I considered using Outlook for both e-mail accounts. Instead, I opted for the Windows Live Mail client. I hadn't used the software since beta days a year ago and was uncertain about what to expect. Damn, Windows Live Mail impresses. The user interface is surprisingly clean, base features are robust and there is support for Microsoft's proprietary Hotmail protocol and IMAP (which .Mac offers). If not for Exchange Server, I would dump Outlook and switch to Windows Live Hotmail.

source: microsoft-watch.com


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Change Logon Background in Windows Vista

I caught this via Steve Clayton (who caught it via Jeff Sandquist showing off his home) - Stardock has a really neat application called LogonStudio that allows you to change the background of your logon screen in Windows Vista. I absolutely love the space background.

LogonStudio is available as a free download and also allows you to create your own backgrounds as well as download logon backgrounds via Stardock's WinCustomize Gallery too. Folks who create their own backgrounds can submit them to the WinCustomize Gallery. Give it a try. Let me know what you think.

Download:
LogonStudio XP
LogonStudio VISTA

source: windowsvistablog.com

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Check Out the Official Release Notes for Windows XP Service Pack 3

Mind blowing! Simply mind blowing! Shocking! And last, but definitely not least, a true revelation. Microsoft has published the official release notes for Windows XP Service Pack 3, and, boy, are you in for a treat! I bet you didn't see this coming in the least.

At this point in time, there are but scarce details available on the third and final service pack for XP. The Redmond company has postponed its release several times, taking it from 2006 as far back as the first half of 2008. The abstract launch dated sometime by mid 2008 is the sole aspect of XP SP3 that has officially been confirmed. But this is all about to change... Or is it?

Just take a look at the official release notes for XP SP3, while, of course, keeping in mind that "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," as the company has put it. And, of course, that by this point you have visited the link to the release notes for XP SP3 and have been disappointed by the extended level of transparency that Microsoft has offered on this service pack for XP.

"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," Microsoft added. "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."

And the Redmond company even manages to finish at an apex of user frustration, by revealing that "release notes are not available for the Windows XP SP3 beta release." Windows XP SP3 RC has been made available to all MSDN and TechNet subscribers on December 3.

source: news.softpedia.com


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Microsoft: Less Vulnerabilites in IE7 compared to Firefox

Microsoft today published a report that evaluates the security performance of Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox through a detailed comparative look at vulnerabilities.

The “Web Browser Vulnerability Analysis” report finds that over a period of three years, Internet Explorer proved to have fewer vulnerabilities than Mozilla Firefox.

The report research, conducted by Jeff Jones, Security Strategy Director in Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing group, examines in detail the volume and severity of vulnerabilities in the two browsers and includes these key findings:

• Microsoft has fixed 87 total vulnerabilities (across all supported versions of Internet Explorer) while Mozilla has fixed 199 vulnerabilities in supported Firefox products

• Internet Explorer experienced a lower volume of reported vulnerabilities across all categories of severity (high, medium, low)

Microsoft quitely announced the findings via the IE Blog.

source: blogs.msdn.com


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