Showing posts with label Tentang Windows. Show all posts

10.26.2009

Microsoft Luncurkan Windows 7

Windows Vista sepertinya sebentar lagi akan segera tergantikan oleh OS baru yang dikeluarkan oleh Microsoft yaitu Windows 7, OS baru tersebut akan segera dilaunching pada Kamis, 22 Oktober 2009, Microsoft akan resmi menerbitkan sistem operasi terbarunya ini di dunia termasuk di Indonesia.

Tidak bisa dipungkiri bahwa Windows 7 merupakan penerus dari Windows Vista. Seperti yang kita ketahu bahwa Windows Vista semenjak kemunculannya dianggap kurang berhasil. Dan seperti Vista, Windows 7 mengadopsi gaya tampilan Aero. Tentunya, di Windows 7, Microsoft menambahkan beberapa hal pada Aero.

Di permukaan, Aero adalah tampilan windows yang 'kemilau'. Maksudnya, tampilan Windows itu berusaha meniru tampilan transparan dan berkilau dari kaca.

Namun di balik 'kilau' itu, Aero mencakup perilaku jendela-jendela pada sistem operasi dan juga beberapa fungsi seputar user interface.

Aero Peek
Jika diperhatikan, pada pojok kanan bawah Windows 7 akan terlihat sebuah kotak yang nyaris tersembunyi. Kotak 'kaca' itu adalah Aero Peek.

Guna Aero Peek adalah mengintip Desktop Windows tanpa mengecilkan (minimize) jendela aplikasi yang sedang bertumpuk. Jika pengguna mengarahkan pointer mouse ke atas Aero Peek itu, jendela aplikasi akan berubah transparan dan permukaan Desktop pun akan terlihat.

Lalu, untuk apa mengintip permukaan Desktop? Di Windows 7 Microsoft meniadakan Sidebar, sehingga semua gadget jika mau menggunakannya akan terpasang di permukaan Desktop. Nah, Aero Peek adalah cara cepat untuk mengintip gadget tersebut.

Namun jangan coba-coba mengklik salah satu gadget saat mengintipnya dengan Aero Peek. Seketika saat pointer mouse bergerak keluar dari kotak kaca itu, jendela aplikasi yang tadinya transparan akan kembali muncul.

(Catatan: Untuk mengecilkan semua jendela aplikasi dan membuka permukaan Desktop, gunakan shortcut Windows+D)

Aero Snap
Jika Aero Peek mungkin tak banyak yang akan menggunakan, Aero Snap sebaliknya. Mungkin Anda nantinya ketika sudah menggunakan Windows 7 beranggapan fungsi ini merupakan salah satu tambahan yang paling bermanfaat.

Fungsinya sederhana saja: seret (drag and drop) sebuah jendela aplikasi hingga menempel pada tepi layar (kiri atau kanan) dan ia akan segera berubah ukuran untuk memenuhi separuh layar. Ini jelas berguna saat pengguna butuh membuka dua layar aplikasi pada saat yang sama: tinggal seret masing-masing jendela ke tepi kiri dan kanan layar.

Bagaimana dengan memaksimalkan ukuran jendela sepenuh layar? Cukup seret jendela ke tepi atas layar dan 'snap!' jendela aplikasi akan memenuhi layar.

(Catatan: menggoyang-goyangkan jendela aplikasi bisa digunakan untuk 'mengusir' jendela aplikasi selain yang sedang digoyangkan. Fitur ini dinamai Aero Shake)

Aero Thumbnails
Ingin tahu apa yang berlangsung di satu jendela aplikasi tanpa membuka jendela itu? Microsoft menyediakan Thumbnails yang akan muncul saat pointer berada di atas icon aplikasi di Taskbar.

Tampilan yang muncul dalam 'jendela kecil' itu akan menunjukkan kondisi sesungguhnya sebuah aplikasi. Misalnya, jika di salah satu jendela sedang membuka halaman web yang agak berat pengguna bisa mengintip apakah halaman sudah terbuka penuh atau belum dengan fungsi ini.

Jika pointer mouse berada di atas 'jendela kecil' itu, maka jendela aplikasi yang dimaksud akan nampak di layar sementara jendela yang lain akan menjadi transparan.

Sama seperti Aero Peek, jika pointer bergerak keluar dari area Thumbnail maka tampilan akan kembali ke jendela aktif. Dalam prakteknya perilaku ini bisa mengganggu karena pengguna 'kaget' mengira jendela aplikasi sudah berpindah.

Themes
Themes paket tampilan desktop yang mencakup warna jendela, gambar Wallpaper, screensaver hingga suara sistem sudah kembali. Kali ini pengguna bisa saling berbagi Themes yang mereka buat dengan mudah.

Salah satu yang menarik dari pengaturan Themes adalah pilihan untuk menggunakan beberapa gambar sekaligus sebagai Wallpaper. Pengguna bisa memilih berapa lama gambar-gambar tersebut dirotasi, mulai dari 10 detik hingga beberapa jam sekali.

Fungsi bernama 'Slideshow Wallpaper' ini berguna bagi mereka yang kerap bosan dengan tampilan permukaan Desktop-nya. Efek saat berganti Wallpaper pun boleh dibilang cukup memanjakan mata.

Banyaknya gaya 'kaca' pada Aero di Windows 7 memang memberikan kesan tersendiri. Kesan transparan akan makin terasa bagi pengguna sistem operasi ini, seakan-akan setiap jendela aplikasi memang sebuah jendela yang terbuat dari kaca.

Source: www.microsoft.com

2.16.2009

deddynoer: Windows XP Pro SP3

Description:
Here is the windows xp pro sp3 corporate february 2009 release.
Sit back, read and enjoy!!!

RELEASE INFO
Release Date …. February 2, 2009
Program Type … OS
Platform ………… Windows XP Professional SP3 Corporate
Language ………. English
Image Type ……. ISO
Size…….698Mb

INSTALL NOTES
1. Unrar and burn with Nero/UltraISO
2. License Product key intergated.

RELEASE NOTES:
Design base on Original Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3
Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3 - VL (x86) - CD (English)
Date Posted (UTC):5/2/2008 12:05:18 AM
Windows XP Professional with SP3 VL English
FILE: en_windows_xp_professional_with_service_pack_3_x86 _cd_vl_x14-73974.iso
Size: 589.14 MB
MD5: 5BF476E2FC445B8D06B3C2A6091FE3AA
SHA1: 66ac289ae27724c5ae17139227cbe78c01eefe40
ISO/CRC: FFFFFFFF

Drivers Intergated:
+Sata/Raid drivers intergated so supported newest Laptop/Desktop
+Intel ICH7R/M, ICH8R/M, ICH9R/M or ICH10R/D S-ATA AHCI and RAID Controllers
+nForce2/3/4 SataRAID and PataRAID systems

Applications Intergated:
Windows Media Player 11
Internet Explorer 7
Windows Vista bootscreen

Intergated all Windows hotfixs&update up to February 02, 2009
Applications Intergated:
Windows Media Player 11
Internet Explorer 7
Windows Vista bootscreen

Intergated all Windows hotfixs&update up to February 02, 2009
KB281981 - Disconnected sessions retain the original variable
KB887606 - FIX: The Microsoft XML Parser (MSXML) uses cached credentials incorrectly
KB889320 v2 - When you disable the Windows Firewall service on your Windows XP Service Pack 2-based computer, the computer Browser service stops after five minutes and Event ID 7023 is logged in the Event Viewer
KB898461 - Software update 898461 installs a permanent copy of the Package Installer for Windows version 6.1.22.4
KB909520 v1 - Description of the software update for Base Smart Card Cryptographic Service Provider
KB915800 v4 - A hotfix is available for Windows Desktop Search document IFilters in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003
KB917275 - How to obtain Windows Rights Management Services with Service Pack 2
KB922120 v6 - Network Map in Windows Vista does not display computers that are running Windows XP
KB927436 v2 - Error message when you attach a device that loads the Serscan.sys driver to a computer that is running Windows XP SP2, Windows XP SP3, or Windows Server 2003: “DRIVER_VERIFIER_IOMANAGER_VIOLATION (c9)”
KB932521 - A Windows XP-based client computer uses an archived certificate for network authentication after a new certificate is auto-enrolled in a wireless Active Directory domain
KB932578 - Event ID 55 may be logged in the System log when you create many files on an NTFS partition on a Windows Server 2003-based or Windows XP-based computer
KB932716 v2 - Description of the Image Mastering API v2.0 (IMAPIv2.0) update package that is dated June 26, 2007
KB934401 - When you run the “Ipconfig /displaydns” command in Windows Server 2003, the results are incomplete
KB938759 - You cannot distribute or install a software package in Windows Server 2003 if the software package contains a very large signed file
KB940648 - Error message when you try to open the My Documents folder on a Windows XP-based computer after you resume the computer from hibernation: “You might not have permission to use this network resource”
KB942288 v3 - Windows Installer 4.5 is available
KB943232 v2 - An application that uses the Sxs.dll file crashes when you run the application on a Windows XP SP 2-based computer
KB943729 - Information about new Group Policy preferences in Windows Server 2008
KB944043 v3 - Description of the Windows Server 2008 read-only domain controller compatibility pack for Windows Server 2003 clients and for Windows XP clients
KB945060 v3 - There may be inconsistencies in the Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) and Exchangeable Image File (EXIF) values for an image file in Windows Vista and in Windows XP
KB945436 - Error message when you try to uninstall or unload the driver for a multifunction USB device on a Windows XP-based computer: “STOP: 0×000000D1 DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL”
KB946648 - MS08-050: Description of the update for Windows Messenger 4.7 for Windows XP: August 12, 2008
KB947460 v3 - Error message when you try to open a mapped DFS folder after the computer comes out of standby in Windows XP Service Pack 2: “:\ is not accessible”
KB948101 v3 - A USB keyboard does not work after you restart a Windows XP-based computer that has an NVIDIA 680i motherboard installed
KB948277 - A blank desktop may appear when you log on to a Windows XP-based computer
KB948720 - You cannot install device drivers in a Windows Server 2008 cluster environment if the drivers contain LZ-compressed files
KB948877 v2 - After you copy multiple files from a computer that is running Windows XP to a PCMCIA SRAM card, one or more files on the card are corrupted
KB949033 - You may experience severe video degradation and a Stop error when you connect a USB Webcam to a Windows XP-based computer
KB949127 v2 - You cannot establish a wireless connection by using EAP authentication on a Windows XP-based client computer if the Service Set Identifier (SSID) includes a comma
KB949764 - A USB device no longer works after you resume a Windows XP-based computer from hibernation (S4)
KB949900 - The RunOnce.exe process may stop responding during the driver installation process on a Windows XP-based computer
KB950234 - Error message when you try to open a shared file in Windows Explorer on a Windows XP-based computer: ” is not accessible. Access is denied”
KB950312 - Error message when you try to start a console-based application, such as Cmd.exe, on a Windows XP-based computer: “The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000142)”
KB950616 - An audio application that uses the Portcls.sys file may stop responding when you run the audio application on a computer that is running Windows XP
KB950760 - MS08-032: Critical security update of ActiveX kill bits
KB950762 - MS08-036: Vulnerabilities in Pragmatic General Multicast (PGM) could allow denial of service
KB950820 - The system stops responding during the logoff, shutdown, or restart process on a computer that is running Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP and that has the Japanese IME installed
KB950974 - MS08-049: Vulnerability in Event System could allow remote code execution
KB950982 - A list of ODBC system DSNs is truncated when the total number of characters that are used in all the DSN names is more than 7,500 on a Windows XP-based computer
KB951066 - MS08-048: Security update for Outlook Express and Windows Mail
KB951163 - When you try to use the MSTSC command from Terminal Services Client 6.0 to connect to the local Windows XP-based computer, a black screen may appear for several minutes
KB951312 - When you run an application that uses a timer queue on a Windows XP-based computer, the application may stop responding
KB951347 - A memory leak occurs when you use the IFaxIncomingMessageIterator interface to query incoming fax messages on a fax server that is running Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP
KB951376 v2 - MS08-030: Vulnerability in Bluetooth stack could allow remote code execution
KB951531 v2 - The W32Time service does not synchronize the CMOS clock time to the Internet time on a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003-based computer after the W32Time service stops
KB951618 v2 - A black screen issue occurs on a Windows Vista-based computer or a Windows XP Service Pack 2-based computer that has Onekey Recovery 5.0 installed when you upgrade the operating system
KB951624 - A 30-second delay occurs during the initialization of some network-based applications when Windows XP Service Pack 2 starts
KB951698 - MS08-033: Vulnerabilities in DirectX could allow remote code execution
KB951709 - Event ID 26 when you attach two IDE ATA/ATAPI devices as master and subordinate IDE devices on a Windows XP-based computer
KB951822 v2 - You receive an error message, the print operation fails, or partial pages are printed when you try to print to a Citizen printer or to an Alps printer in Windows XP Service Pack 3
KB951978 - Script output is not displayed as expected when you run VBScript or JScript scripts in Windows Vista Service Pack 1, in Windows Server 2008, or in Windows XP Service Pack 3
KB952117 v2 - When you try to put a Windows XP-based computer into hibernation or into standby, the computer stops responding
KB952206 - A printer-driver upgrade operation fails on printer clients that are running Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP when multiple printer queues are upgraded at the same time
KB952909 v2 - When you try to print a document to a PostScript printer in an application, the application exits unexpectedly, or you find that an invalid PDF file is created from the incorrect data in the PostScript file
KB952954 - MS08-046: Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows Image Color Management could allow remote code execution
KB953024 - Rich Text Format (.rtf) files may not print correctly in Windows XP when you use an application that uses the RichEdit control
KB953028 - On a computer that is running Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP, an application experiences an access violation and then crashes if the computer has more than four cores or more than four logical processors
KB953155 - MS08-062: Vulnerability in Windows Internet Printing service could allow remote code execution
KB953609 - Error message when you try to add a wireless network to a Windows XP-based computer that has hotfix 917021 applied: “At least one of your changes was not applied successfully to the wireless configuration”
KB953760 - When you enable SSO for a terminal server from a Windows XP SP3-based client computer, you are still prompted for user credentials when you log on to the terminal server
KB953761 - Some DHCP Options are not recognized on a Windows XP SP3-based client computer when the DHCP server offer includes option 43
KB953930 - The Fc.exe command does not work correctly on a Windows XP-based computer when the two files that you are comparing have the TAB or SPACE character around the 128th byte in a string of characters
KB954193 - Description of the Jet 4.0 Database Engine cumulative hotfix package for Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP1 and SP2, Windows Vista, Windows Vista SP1, and Windows Server 2008: July 2, 2008
KB954232 - The On-Screen Keyboard behavior on a Windows XP-based computer does not mimic the physical keyboard behavior in certain scenarios
KB954430 - MS08-069: Description of the security update for XML Core Services 4.0: November 11, 2008
KB954434 - A multiprocessor computer that is running a Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Vista stops responding on a black screen after you resume the computer from hibernation
KB954600 - MS08-076: Description of the security update for Windows Media Player 6.4: December 9, 2008
KB954708 - An update to add support for the serialization of complex Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) data types in the Windows Imaging Component
KB954879 - The LSASS.exe process crashes and the computer restarts when you try to start the Network Access Protection Agent service on a Windows XP Service Pack 3 -based client computer
KB954920 v2 - When an application requests a result set from new SQL Server 2008 collations, you may receive an “MSG 40242″ or “MSG 40205″ error when the ODBC driver for SQL Server is used or an “MSG 40234″ error when the SQL OLE DB provider is used
KB955043 v2 - A memory leak may occur when you run an application that uses the DHTML Edit control on a Windows XP-based computer
KB955069 - MS08-069: Description of the security update for XML Core Services 3.0: November 11, 2008
KB955109 - Error message when you run an application that uses the Application Desktop Toolbar (AppBar) component on a computer that is running Windows XP SP2 or Windows XP SP3: “0xC0000005 (Access Violation)”
KB955356 - When you try to start a Windows XP SP3-based computer that is connected to an external IEEE 1394 hard disk, the system may stop responding before the logon screen appears
KB955417 - Protected storage (PStore) uses a lower-quality cryptographic function when the system locale is set to French (France) on a Microsoft Windows-based computer
KB955567 - Memory usage gradually increases in the AntigenInternet.exe process, and e-mail messages remain in the SMTP outgoing-mail queues in Antigen 9.0 for Exchange with Service Pack 1
KB955576 - TAPI-based applications stop responding, and you cannot disconnect telephone calls on a Windows XP-based telephony server
KB955832 v2 - An SSL connection may fail when you use Internet Explorer to make an SSL connection to an HTTPS Web site that is certified by a Digital Signature Standards (DSS) certificate on a Windows XP-based computer
KB955839 - December 2008 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems
KB955843 v4 - An ADO-based application may stop responding when it uses the adAsyncExecute option to open a Recordset object in Windows Server 2003 or in Windows XP
KB955988 - The Win32_Environment WMI class does not return the value of the PATH environment variable if the variable consists of more than 1,024 characters on a Windows XP-based computer
KB956072 - Windows XP-based terminal server does not allow RDP connections whose encryption level is set to Low
KB956391 - Microsoft Security Advisory: Cumulative security update for ActiveX
KB956588 - The job-level PrintTicket is associated with the document-level PrintTicket and with the page-level PrintTicket when you print a document to an XPS driver on a Windows XP-based computer
KB956625 - After you run Internet Explorer 7 for a long time on a computer that is running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, Internet Explorer becomes unstable or crashes
KB956807 - The Unicode hyphen character (U+2010) is not drawn when you use an application that uses GDI+ API functions in Windows Server 2008, in Windows Vista, in Windows Server 2003, and in Windows XP
KB956841 - MS08-064: Vulnerability in Virtual Address Descriptor manipulation could allow elevation of privilege
KB957218 - A user name that contains Unicode characters is not handled correctly in Windows XP Service Pack 3 during the EAP authentication
KB957263 - Changes to the custom properties of a program that supports custom properties may not be saved on a Windows XP-based computer
KB957264 - Error message when you try to run an application that you developed by using the “return quickly” feature of the Windows COM port driver: “Error reading comm device”
KB957495 - The action controls in Sound Recorder are missing or only partly visible if you set the font size to Large or to Extra Large in a non-English version of Windows XP
KB957502 - Error message when you try to open some MMC 3.0 snap-ins in a localized version of Windows XP Service Pack 3: “MMC could not create the snap-in. The snap-in might not have been installed correctly.”
KB957808 - After you start or stop the Network Access Protection Agent service on a Windows XP Service Pack 3-based client computer, the value of the IKEFlags registry entry may change
KB958149 - Performance decreases when you stream isochronous data on a Windows-based computer that has a Texas Instruments (TI) IEEE 1394 host controller installed
KB958071 - You receive error code 1206 when you run an application that uses the WLanSetProfile function on a Windows XP Service Pack 3-based compu
KB958106 - Some components of an application may not be displayed correctly in a Terminal Services session if you connect to a terminal server by using RDC 6.1 from a client computer that is running Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP1, or Windows Server 2008
KB958200 - The Defrag.exe tool stops responding when you run the Dfrgntfs.exe tool to defragment a hard disk on a Windows XP-based computer
KB958244 - The system may stop responding when you restart a Windows XP-based multicore computer
KB958282 v2 - Stop error message when an application calls the NtGdiRectInRegion function on a Windows XP-based computer: “Stop 0×00000050″
KB958347 - After you hot unplug a device that is connected through a 1394 FireWire hub on a Windows XP-based computer, the device is still present in the system
KB958644 - MS08-067: Vulnerability in Server service could allow remote code execution
KB958655 v2 - Error message when you use Windows Installer (MSI) 4.5 to install multiple MSI packages in Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP: “API call rejected - No actions in Context”
KB958687 - MS09-001: Vulnerabilities in SMB could allow remote code execution
KB958752 - The version of AFD.SYS that is released together with security update 956189 (MS08-037) and security update 956803 (MS08-066) has an application compatibility issue
KB958817 - The Automatic Update window may stop responding when you use a WSUS server to deploy Windows Internet Explorer 7 and cumulative security update 944533 on a Windows XP-based client computer
KB959237 - FIX: Internet Explorer may crash when you browse a Web page that constantly fetches a recordset asynchronously and filters the recordset at the same time from an instance of SQL Server
KB959267 - After you repeatedly dock and undock a Windows XP-based portable computer that is connected to a docking station, you may be unable to change the state of an attached network device
KB959334 - Text that has the font set to Arial Black and the font style set to bold may change so that the font is set to Arial Black and the font style is set to talic when you open the document on a computer that is running Windows XP
KB959439 - After you upload encrypted files from a Windows XP-based computer to a WebDAV share, the files remain encrypted
KB959465 - Write protection does not always work on SD memory cards that are plugged into a computer that runs Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2008
KB959554 - Only the header and footer information in an XPS document are printed when you print the document on a computer that is running Windows XP, Windows Vista SP1, or Windows Server 2008
KB959682 - FIX: A Message Queuing 3.0 message is rejected on the receiver when you send the message by using an external certificate from a Windows XP Service Pack 3-based computer
KB959873 - You cannot send Start TLS requests from a computer that is running Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP Professional x64 Edition to a server that is running OpenLDAP Software
KB960071 v2 - An access violation occurs when you use an application that calls the SQLExecDirect function of the SQL Server ODBC driver to run a long query in Windows Server 2003 or in Windows XP
KB960139 - After a Windows XP-based multiprocessor computer or multicore processor computer resumes from Sleep mode, you may be unable to shut down or restart the computer if a smart card is left in the smart card reader
KB960380 - A hyperlink control that is used to open a file or an e-mail message fails in an application that uses MSXML 6.0 on a Windows XP-based or Windows Vista-based computer
KB960417 - When you run an application that uses the SystemTimeToTzSpecificLocalTime function in certain Windows installations, the application performance is very poor
KB960680 v2 - A hotfix is available to update the Slovak koruna currency symbol (Sk) to the Euro currency symbol (€) and to update the Turkish currency symbol from Yeni Trk Lirasi (YTL) to Trk Lirasi (TL)
KB960763 - Severe system performance problems occur on a Windows Vista or Windows XP-based computer after you install HP printer software, version 11

Internet Explorer 7 update:

KB889333-IE7 - Print queue shows incorrect number of pages when you print a Web page in Internet Explorer 6 or Internet Explorer 7
KB928090-IE7 - MS07-016: Cumulative security update for Internet Explorer (corpol.dll)
KB935560-IE7 - When you use Remote Desktop Connection to connect to a terminal server, PNG images do not appear in Internet Explorer 7 during that RDP session
KB938127-IE7 - MS07-050: Vulnerability in Vector Markup Language could allow remote code execution
KB958215-IE7 - MS08-073: Cumulative security update for Internet Explorer
KB960714-IE7 - MS08-078: Security update for Internet Explorer

Windows Media Player 11 update:

KB928788 - FIX: Windows Media Player 11 may not work correctly when you use the Media Sharing feature to stream Windows Media format video content across a home network
KB929399 - You repeatedly receive a message to install update 929399 on a computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows XP
KB929773 - FIX: You hear an unexpected noise or a problem in the audio playback when you play back a Windows Media Audio (WMA) file on certain hardware devices
KB932390 - FIX: The encoder cannot use the Windows Media Audio 9 Voice codec after you install Windows Media Player 11 on a computer that uses Windows Media Encoder 9 Series
KB933547 - FIX: Windows Media Player 11 may crash if you plug in certain flash memory devices while you use Windows Media Player in Windows XP
KB935551 - FIX: Device connection is disconnected when you synchronize lots of files between Windows Media Player 11 and a Windows Mobile device
KB935552 - FIX: Windows Media Player 11 may stop responding when you transfer media to a device that uses the Media Transfer Protocol and then you cancel the transfer process
KB939209 - FIX: When you use an application to play DRM-protected video content in Windows XP, the application may fail
KB939683 - FIX: Update for Windows Media Player 11 for Windows XP
KB941569 - MS07-068: Vulnerability in Windows Media file format could allow remote code execution
KB944882 - FIX: The memory for an application increases for each file that you transfer when you transfer media from a computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows XP to a portable device
KB952069-v2 - Vulnerabilities in Windows Media Components Could Allow Remote Code Execution (959807)
KB954067 - FIX: You see lower quality video when you use Windows Media Encoder 9 Series or a similar Windows Media Format SDK-based encoder to encode a video
KB954154 - MS08-054: Vulnerability in Windows Media Player could allow remote code execution
KB959199 - FIX: Windows Media Player seems to crash when you click an Outlook 2007 link to a local file or a UNC path

Update:

DirectX for WinXP Post-SP3 February Update (including DirectX for Managed Code for .NET 1.x - only if integrated along with Onepiece .NET 1.1 True Addon)
Microsoft & Windows Update v7.2.6001.788
Microsoft Update Catalog Web Control v7.0.6000.569
(KB892130) Windows Genuine Advantage Validation v1.8.31.9/(KB905474) Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications v1.8.31.9
(KB890830) Malware Removal Tool v2.6
Windows Search 4.0 (KB940157 & KB961184)
Microsoft European Union Expansion Font Update 1.2
(KB955305) Microsoft Silverlight v2.0.31005
Adobe Flash Player v10.0.12.36
(KB931125) Root Certificate Update - January 2009
QFEcheck v6.2.29.0
(KB873374) GDI+ Detection Tool

2.04.2009

deddynoer: Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA)

Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) is an anti-piracy system created by Microsoft that enforces Microsoft Windows online validation of the licencing of several recent Microsoft operating systems when accessing several Microsoft Windows services, such as Windows Update, and downloading Windows components from the Microsoft Download Center. Specifically, WGA covers Windows XP,Windows Vista and current testing versions of Windows 7. It does not cover Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003 or the Windows 9x family.

It also advertises Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, which requires manual intervention to disable. Previously voluntary, it became mandatory for use of these services in July 2005.

Features
The WGA validation process validates the present installation of Windows and its license key against the hardware involved and determines if the Software was licensed from Microsoft. It is accessible by either a stand-alone program, or as an ActiveX control within Internet Explorer, the latter of which is relevant to any attempt to access Microsoft updates via its browser. It includes the following steps:

* Upon their first visit to the Microsoft Download or Update Center, users receive a message requiring them to validate their copy of Windows by downloading an ActiveX control which checks the authenticity of their Windows software. If successful in validating Windows, it stores a license file on the PC for future verification.
* After successful validation, the regular update download can continue.

If the software decides the instance of Windows does not have a valid license, WGA displays a specific notice to the user and prevents non-critical updates from being downloaded from Microsoft.

The ActiveX control is downloaded on the first validation and when a new version is available, but the validation itself can be performed any time the user connects to a Microsoft website to update.

* On Windows Vista, WGA validation failure has a greater impact. In addition to persistent notification and the disabling of non-critical updates, WGA also disables Windows Aero, Windows Defender, and ReadyBoost. The user is given a grace period in which to then pass validation, after which most of the operating system is disabled and Windows reverts to reduced functionality mode, which has been removed in Service Pack 1 of Windows Vista along with reduced functionality mode in favor of prominent notices on systems believed unlicensed.

Software
WGA, Validation Tool
When a user installs Windows Genuine Advantage, an Internet Explorer add-on is installed labeled "Windows Genuine Advantage". In early releases the tool could be readily disabled with the IE Add-on Management feature. A Windows Group Policy was added by later updates, causing this option to be unavailable by default, but still accessible if the policy were removed. As of July 2006, the latest update blocks management by other means.

There also exists a plugin for Firefox. To remove the plugin delete npLegitCheckPlugin.dll from the Mozilla Firefox/plugins/ folder. IE probably uses a similar NPAPI plugin in its plugin/ folder.

The program uses either a stand-alone program to generate a key or an ActiveX control to discover whether the license key is valid; either way an Internet connection is required. If WGA determines that a user's copy of Windows is unauthorized but was installed from seemingly-legitimate media (i.e., the CD and holographic emblem present on real copies of Windows seems genuine), then Microsoft will supply the user with a new CD. Microsoft also offers discounts to people who want to purchase a legitimate copy of Windows but do not have a valid CD. Microsoft has indicated that they will continue to deliver critical security updates through their Automatic Updates service as well as via the Microsoft Download Center, so that all systems, including those that fail to pass validation, will still continue to receive critical security updates.

The company has made installation of Windows Genuine Advantage a requirement for use of the Windows Update website (and its close cousin Microsoft Update), in part to be sure that customers who use support resources of the company are aware when their software is unlicensed. According to Microsoft themselves, it is legal to run Microsoft Windows without Windows Genuine Advantage[citation needed]. However, since non-critical Windows updates are not presented by Automatic Updates, installation of WGA is required for installation of such non-critical updates, which are only available through Windows Update or the Microsoft Download Center.

WGA Notifications
Beginning April 25, 2006, Microsoft began distributing Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications as "critical update" KB905474 to Windows users. Users with pirated copies were exposed to alerts at startup, login, and during use of the Windows OS, stating that they do not have a genuine copy of Windows. Users with legitimate copies are not supposed to see the alerts (although some do anyway). On May 23, 2006, Microsoft updated the program, closing some forms of circumvention, but reportedly not all. It was updated again on May 30, June 6 and June 27, 2006, though some forms of circumvention are still usable. The latest versions do not roll out worldwide at the same time: the dates given are the earliest dates on which the versions appeared, so the actual version being offered in some places will be an earlier version than the latest release. It is still possible to opt out of receiving this update using the "do not show" option at the Windows Update site. In addition to these notifications, Windows Genuine Advantage will also notify users with the message "This version of Windows XP is no longer secure" if users on an XP Operating System are not using Service Pack 3, it will provide a link to help users to upgrade their systems to the new service pack.

The version of Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications released November 29, 2006 had a changed install process to inform the user of what the program does, and can also be set to automatically update to newer versions of Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications. It also informs users that may have a non-genuine version of Windows why their Windows version isn't being reported as genuine. However, unlike previous releases, it is currently only automatically delivered to Windows machines that are using four widely-distributed product keys. It will be distributed to all other machines in the coming weeks.

WGA Validation Library
Microsoft includes the Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Library in several products like Windows Defender, Microsoft Private Folder and Windows Media Player 11 to validate about the Windows installation. Internet Explorer 7 no longer requires the user to pass a Windows Genuine Advantage test in order to download or install the software. Older versions, however, did. Microsoft has also launched the Office Genuine Advantage program, which validates installations of Microsoft Office.

Circumvention
In September 2005, Microsoft filed lawsuits against a number of companies that sold unauthorized copies of software based on leads from customers who learned they had counterfeit software via the Windows Genuine Advantage program.

On November 16, 2005, Microsoft released a standard Netscape WGA plug-in to complete the Windows validation process from Mozilla Firefox and other Gecko-based browsers (including Netscape) - although it does not use the Firefox extensions system, and thus is not supported by the latest version of the browser. This has garnered more criticism, since it still does not work in other NPAPI supported browsers such as Opera. Another workaround was released on December 25, 2005 to bypass WGA authentication by using a valid hash generated by a remote system. Microsoft responded with a cease and desist letter to the website host, and the workaround was taken down on January 6, 2006. Many people continue to validate on the Microsoft website from a public computer using a genuine copy of Windows, then write down the hash and continue to use it at home or work. As of July 2006, Microsoft has not devised a way to prevent this method of circumvention. On May 4, 2006 Microsoft announced lawsuits for allegedly distributing unauthorized copies of Windows against eDirectSoftware of Montana, and Chicago-area resellers Nathan Ballog and Easy Computers.

Various workarounds to get past WGA authentication have been released on the Internet. Before Microsoft issued official instructions[8] on removing the WGA Notifier (a desktop application which resides in the system tray and periodically displays messages, reminding users to authenticate their operating system), users simply had to remove 2 files in order to get rid of the software from their system (four files: one executable and one dynamic link library in C:\Windows\system32\ and their exact copies in C:\Windows\system32\dllcache\; only an administrator can rename/delete these files).

In September 2006, Microsoft dropped various required validations on programs such as ActiveSync. Recently it has been found that it is possible to validate with WGA when running Linux.

Notifications and firewalls
Some personal firewalls, though not one embedded in Windows, may alert on the method by which wgatray.exe is started, in the case of Outpost firewall, it is identified as a "hidden process". The wgatray.exe process itself can be firewall blocked, without apparent problems. A tool has been released by a firewall vendor to prevent WGA Notifications transmitting information from one's PC.

Data collected
Windows Genuine Advantage checks the following components:

* Computer make and model
* BIOS checksum.
* MAC address.
* A unique number assigned to your computer by the tools (Globally Unique Identifier or GUID)
* Hard drive serial number.
* Region and language settings of the operating system.
* Operating system version.
* PC BIOS information (make, version, date).
* PC manufacturer.
* User locale setting.
* Validation and installation results.
* Windows or Office product key.
* Windows XP product ID.

Criticisms
Time bomb
Even if WGA does not really make the program unusable, no updates except critical ones can be downloaded from Microsoft. Rather than just disallowing updating, Windows Vista originally ran in reduced-functionality mode if found by WGA to be compromised if a product has not been considered genuine which has made some people compare WGA to time bomb software. Windows Vista SP1 has removed this behavior and reverted back to the nag-only methods of Windows XP.

Spyware accusations
The notification tool has been accused of spyware-like behavior, "phoning home" on a daily basis. Microsoft subsequently admitted the behaviour, but denied that it amounted to spyware. Following pressure, Microsoft announced that in future the tool would only phone home once every two weeks, instead of every day. Microsoft has also provided removal instructions for the pilot version of WGA.

Despite this, Microsoft is currently being sued under anti-spyware statutes over WGA's non-disclosed "phone home" behaviour. The outcome of the lawsuit has not been determined.

False positive rate
The WGA program can produce false positives (incorrectly identifying a genuine copy of Windows as "not genuine"). This can happen for any number of reasons. Microsoft has established a forum to help users encountering problems. Recently,[when?] a "Not Sure" section was added to the program, in case of an incorrect reading.

According to an editorial on the arstechnica.com technology website, WGA reported around 22% of 500 million Windows computers as failing the test; of these less than 0.5% were due to pirate software, with the balance (over 20%, or 90% of all positives) related to non piracy issues. Microsoft "refused to comment on the rate of pure false positives" beyond saying it was "under 1%" (or as stated, at most around 5 million users affected).

False negatives
On the other hand, on June 18, 2007, news surfaced that it is possible to positively validate as a "Genuine Microsoft Product" user (and – as a result – be able to download certain software from Microsoft's official website) using Internet Explorer with ies4Linux and Wine, running on Linux, without even having a Windows-family system installed.

Major failures in WGA system
From the first moment that WGA was released, it had a fatal system flaw that allowed a typical user to remove the program without uninstalling its root key, causing windows to think that the software is installed despite the fact that no "nagging" process or RAM usage occurs. This flaw has not yet been fixed.

On October 5, 2006, a WGA failure occurred, incorrectly flagging some systems as being non-genuine. On August 25, 2007, the Microsoft WGA servers suffered an outage, resulting in many legitimate copies of Windows XP and Vista being marked as counterfeit.[35] The issue was solved about twelve hours later. According to Microsoft, "fewer than 12,000 systems were affected worldwide". On July 18, 2008, reports of Microsoft's WGA and OGA servers being offline surfaced again. Microsoft later responded that only offline verification was temporarily down.

1.27.2009

deddynoer: Microsoft steps up browser battle

By Maggie Shiels
Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley

Microsoft has stepped up the battle to win back users with the latest release of its Internet Explorer browser. The US software giant says IE 8 is faster, easier to use and more secure than its competitors.

"We have made IE 8 the best browser for the way people really do use the web," said Microsoft's Amy Barzdukas.

"Microsoft needs to say these things because it continues to lose market share to Firefox, Chrome and Safari," said Gartner analyst Neil MacDonald. Recent figures have shown that Microsoft's dominance in this space has been chipped away by competitors. At the end of last year, data from Net Applications showed the software giant's market share dropped below 70% for the first time in eight years to 68%.

Meanwhile Mozilla broke the 20% barrier for the first time in its history with 21% of users using its browser Firefox.

Focus
The beta version of IE 8 was released last March and today the company has put out its first release candidate for the public. This is the last stage for the browser before it is finalised, although very few changes are expected. Ms Barzdukas told the BBC: "What we are seeing for many consumers in particular is that their computing experience is a browsing experience.
IE8 address bar
The 'smart address bar' makes finding previously visited sites easier

"The role of the browser has become more and more important. Our focus is on delivering the best experience possible and one that is faster, easier and more secure."

To that end IE 8 offers performance upgrades to speed up page loading, new navigation features and tab isolation so that if you hit a bad site only that tab closes and not the whole browser.

WebSlices will give users a way to keep updated about a particular item on a web page like stock prices, the weather or an eBay auction.

Accelerators let users access Web services like maps or translations in a small window without having to leave the page. "We believe with IE 8 much of the performance discussion is off the table," said Ms Barzdukas.

Security
Microsoft is making much of its security enhancements, which Ms Barzdukas said makes IE 8 "hands down the most secure browser on the market."

These include "InPrivate Filtering" which means users can see and block when a third-party content provider might be tracking their activities on the Web in an effort to target advertisements. Intenet Explorer 8 is being touted as faster, easier and safer than ever

Web publishers and online advertisers have in the past expressed concern over this feature because it could "frustrate the business model". "InPrivate Browsing" is also being touted as a major improvement which allows a user to start a browsing session during which the history of sites viewed will not be recorded.

Some bloggers have nicknamed the feature "porn mode" because it keeps online activity a secret and prevents those with access to a PC from seeing where other users of the same PC have been.

Online privacy advocates like the Centre for Democracy and Technology have called the features "a great step forward in terms of giving users more control".

Defectors
So will this be enough to persuade defectors to return to the IE fold?

"Microsoft does have the advantage of its browser being shipped with its operating system so people that want to shift have to do a lot of work to shift," said Mr MacDonald, a vice-president of analyst firm Gartner.

"It's an area the European Union is looking at and I will let the lawyers figure that out but I don't think this will bring back the defectors. However it shows that competition in the browser space is good for innovation and good for the industry," said Mr MacDonald.

The EU last week accused Microsoft of harming competition by bundling its IE browser with its Windows operating system. The Redmond-based company has said it is examining the preliminary finding and has not ruled out requesting a formal hearing.

Greg Sterling of Search Engine Land said if the product delivers, users will stick with it and others may well return. "If this is a truly significant improvement, it will gain users loyalty and lure others back.

"At the end of the day if it has the functionality and features people want, they will respond to it. For those who have an emotional stake in this, and who like the idea of the underdog like Firefox, it's unlikely to sway them," said Mr Sterling.

Microsoft's Ms Barzdukas refused to get drawn into the numbers game but said she is positive IE 8 will hold its own against competitors. "We have long advocated providing choice to customers and respect peoples' ability to choose. "You can accuse me of bias, but I believe with IE 8 we will deliver the browser people will want to choose," said Ms Barzdukas. disadur dari: BBCNews

1.20.2009

deddynoer: Windows 7

Windows 7 (formerly codenamed Blackcomb and Vienna) is the next release of Microsoft Windows, an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, Tablet PCs, netbooks and media center PCs. Microsoft stated in 2007 that it is planning Windows 7 development for a three-year time frame starting after the release of its predecessor, Windows Vista, but that the final release date will be determined by product quality.

Unlike its predecessor, Windows 7 is intended to be an incremental upgrade to Vista, with the goal of being fully compatible with device drivers, applications, and hardware which Windows Vista is already compatible with. Presentations given by the company in 2008 have focused on multi-touch support, a redesigned Windows Shell with a new taskbar, a home networking system called HomeGroup, and performance improvements. Some applications that have been included with prior releases of Microsoft Windows, most notably Windows Mail, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Photo Gallery, are no longer included with the operating system; they are instead offered separately (free of charge) as part of the Windows Live Essentials suite.

Development of Windows 7
Originally, a version of Windows codenamed Blackcomb was planned as the successor to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Major features were planned for Blackcomb, including an emphasis on searching and querying data and an advanced storage system named WinFS to enable such scenarios. Later, Blackcomb was delayed and an interim, minor release, codenamed "Longhorn" was announced for 2003. By the middle of 2003, however, Longhorn had acquired some of the features originally intended for Blackcomb. After three major viruses exploited flaws in Windows operating systems within a short time period in 2003, Microsoft changed its development priorities, putting some of Longhorn's major development work on hold in order to develop new service packs for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Development of Longhorn was also "reset" in September 2004.

Blackcomb was renamed Vienna in early 2006, and again to Windows 7 in 2007. In 2008, it was announced that Windows 7 would also be the official name of the operating system.

Bill Gates, in an interview with Newsweek, suggested that the next version of Windows would "be more user-centric. "Gates later said that Windows 7 will also focus on performance improvements; Steven Sinofsky later expanded on this point, explaining in the Engineering Windows 7 blog that the company was using a variety of new tracing tools to measure the performance of many areas of the operating system on an ongoing basis, to help locate inefficient code paths and to help prevent performance regressions.

Senior Vice President Bill Veghte stated that Windows 7 will not have the kind of compatibility issues with Windows Vista that Vista has with previous versions. Speaking about Windows 7 on 16 October 2008, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer confirmed compatibility between Vista and Windows 7. Ballmer also confirmed the relationship between Vista and Windows 7, indicating that Windows 7 will be an improved version of Vista.

On 27 December 2008 Windows 7 Beta was leaked onto the Internet. According to a performance test by ZDNet, Windows 7 Beta has beaten both Windows XP and Vista in several key areas, including boot and shutting down time, working with files and loading documents. On 7 January 2009, the 64-bit version of the Windows 7 Beta (build 7000) was leaked onto the web.

The official beta, announced at the CES 2009, was made available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers on 7 January 2009 and was made briefly available for public download on Microsoft TechNet on 9 January 2009 before being withdrawn and replaced with a coming soon message. The servers were experiencing difficulty in dealing with the number of users who wished to download the beta. Microsoft had to add additional servers to cope with the large volume of interest from the public. Due to the unexpectedly high demand, Microsoft has also decided to remove its initial 2.5 million download limit and make it available to the public until January 24th 2009.

Features new to Windows 7
Windows 7 includes a number of new features, such as advances in touch, speech, and handwriting recognition, support for virtual hard disks, improved performance on multi-core processors, improved boot performance, and kernel improvements.

Windows 7 adds support for systems using multiple heterogeneous graphics cards from different vendors, a new version of Windows Media Center, Gadgets being integrated into Windows Explorer, a Gadget for Windows Media Center, the ability to visually pin and unpin items from the Start Menu and Taskbar, improved media features, the XPS Essentials Pack being integrated, Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE), and a redesigned Calculator with multiline capabilities including Programmer and Statistics modes along with unit conversion.

Many new items have been added to the Control Panel including: ClearType Text Tuner, Display Color Calibration Wizard, Gadgets, Recovery, Troubleshooting, Workspaces Center, Location and Other Sensors, Credential Manager, Biometric Devices, System Icons, Action Center, and Display. Windows Security Center has been renamed the Windows Action Center (Windows Health Center and Windows Solution Center in earlier builds) which encompasses both security and maintenance of the computer.

The taskbar has seen the biggest visual changes, where the Quick Launch toolbar has been merged with the task buttons to create an enhanced taskbar or what Microsoft internally refers to as the "Superbar". This enhanced taskbar also enables the Jump Lists feature to allow easy access to common tasks. The revamped taskbar also allows the reordering of taskbar buttons.

Screenshots have appeared demonstrating a new feature called 'Peek'. Peek is a quick way of making all visible windows transparent for a quick look at the desktop. A Microsoft spokesman said that "this will be useful for users who want a quick look at the news" in reference to RSS gadgets on the desktop.[citation needed]

Unlike Windows Vista, window borders do not turn dark when maximized when Windows Aero is applied. Instead, it remains in Aero Transparency even when maximized in Windows 7.

For developers, Windows 7 includes a new networking API with support for building SOAP based web services in native code (as opposed to .NET based WCF web services), new features to shorten application install times, reduced UAC prompts, simplified development of installation packages, and improved globalization support through a new Extended Linguistic Services API.

At WinHEC 2008 Microsoft announced that color depths of 30-bit and 48-bit would be supported in Windows 7 along with the wide color gamut scRGB (which for HDMI 1.3 can be converted and output as xvYCC). The video modes supported in Windows 7 are 16-bit sRGB, 24-bit sRGB, 30-bit sRGB, 30-bit with extended color gamut sRGB, and 48-bit scRGB. Windows 7 adds online versions of Spades, Backgammon and Checkers.

Features removed from Windows 7

* In Windows 7, Windows Mail, Windows Photo Gallery, and Windows Movie Maker are part of Windows Live Essentials.
* Windows Meeting Space
* Windows Sidebar (Gadgets will remain, sitting freely on the Desktop)
* InkBall

Antitrust regulatory attention
As with other Microsoft operating systems, Windows 7 is being studied by federal regulators who oversee the company's operations following the 2001 United States v. Microsoft settlement. According to status reports filed, the three-member panel began assessing prototypes of the new operating system in February 2008. Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Jupiter Research said that, "[Microsoft's] challenge for Windows 7 will be how can they continue to add features that consumers will want that also don't run afoul of regulators."
Editions

Windows 7 editions
Windows 7 editions will include one for netbooks and sub-notebook computers, at least one for consumers, and at least one for enterprises. The Windows 7 Beta (build 7000) installs Ultimate Edition by default.

Hardware requirements
Microsoft has published some recommended specifications for a system running the Windows 7 beta.

Windows 7 Beta recommended specifications
	Beta Recommended Specs
Processor Speed	1 GHz (Either 32-bit or 64-bit)
Memory (RAM)	1 GB
Graphics card	DirectX 9.0 capable
Graphics memory	128 MB
HDD free space	16 GB
Other drives	DVD-ROM
Audio	Audio output

12.31.2008

deddynoer: Windows XP

Windows XP is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. The name "XP" is short for "experience".Windows XP is the successor to both Windows 2000 Professional and Windows Me, and is the first consumer-oriented operating system produced by Microsoft to be built on the Windows NT kernel and architecture. Windows XP was first released on 25 October 2001, and over 400 million copies were in use in January 2006, according to an estimate in that month by an IDC analyst.It is succeeded by Windows Vista, which was released to volume license customers on 8 November 2006, and worldwide to the general public on 30 January 2007. Direct OEM and retail sales of Windows XP ceased on 30 June 2008, although it is still possible to obtain Windows XP from System Builders (smaller OEMs who sell assembled computers) until 31 July 2009 or by purchasing Windows Vista Ultimate or Business and then downgrading to Windows XP.

The most common editions of the operating system are Windows XP Home Edition, which is targeted at home users, and Windows XP Professional, which offers additional features such as support for Windows Server domains and two physical processors, and is targeted at power users, business and enterprise clients. Windows XP Media Center Edition has additional multimedia features enhancing the ability to record and watch TV shows, view DVD movies, and listen to music. Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is designed to run ink-aware applications built using the Tablet PC platform. Two separate 64-bit versions of Windows XP were also released, Windows XP 64-bit Edition for IA-64 (Itanium) processors and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition for x86-64. There is also Windows XP Embedded, a componentized version of the Windows XP Professional, and editions for specific markets such as Windows XP Starter Edition.

Windows XP is known for its improved stability and efficiency over the 9x versions of Microsoft Windows.It presents a significantly redesigned graphical user interface, a change Microsoft promoted as more user-friendly than previous versions of Windows. New software management capabilities were introduced to avoid the "DLL hell" that plagued older consumer-oriented 9x versions of Windows.It is also the first version of Windows to use product activation to combat software piracy, a restriction that did not sit well with some users and privacy advocates. Windows XP has also been criticized by some users for security vulnerabilities, tight integration of applications such as Internet Explorer 6 and Windows Media Player, and for aspects of its default user interface. Later versions with Service Pack 2, and Internet Explorer 7 addressed some of these concerns.

During development, the project was codenamed "Whistler", after Whistler, British Columbia, as many Microsoft employees skied at the Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort.
As of the end of November 2008, Windows XP is the most widely used operating system in the world with a 66.31% market share, having peaked at 85% in December 2006.

Service Pack 2
Service Pack 2 (SP2) (codenamed "Springboard") was released on 6 August 2004 after several delays, with a special emphasis on security.[39] Unlike the previous service packs, SP2 adds new functionality to Windows XP, including an enhanced firewall, improved Wi-Fi support, such as WPA encryption compatibility, with a wizard utility, a pop-up ad blocker for Internet Explorer 6, and Bluetooth support. The new welcome screen during the kernel boot removes the subtitles "Professional", "Home Edition" and "Embedded" since Microsoft introduced new Windows XP editions prior to the release of SP2. The green loading bar in Home Edition and the yellow one in Embedded were replaced with the blue bar, seen in Professional and other versions of Windows XP, making the boot-screen of operating systems resemble each other. Colours in other areas, such as Control Panel and the Help and Support tool, remain as before.

Service Pack 2 added new security enhancements, which include a major revision to the included firewall that was renamed to Windows Firewall and is enabled by default, Data Execution Prevention that takes advantage of the NX bit that is incorporated into newer processors to stop some forms of buffer overflow attacks, and removal of raw socket support (which supposedly limits the damage done by zombie machines). Additionally, security-related improvements were made to e-mail and web browsing. Windows XP Service Pack 2 includes the Windows Security Center, which provides a general overview of security on the system, including the state of anti-virus software, Windows Update, and the new Windows Firewall. Third-party anti-virus and firewall applications can interface with the new Security Center.

On 10 August 2007, Microsoft announced a minor update to Service Pack 2, called Service Pack 2c (SP2c).[41] The update fixes the issue of the diminishing number of available product keys for Windows XP. This update will only be available to system builders from their distributors in Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Professional N operating systems. SP2c was released in September 2007.

Service Pack 3
Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) was released to manufacturing on 21 April 2008 and to the public via both the Microsoft Download Center and Windows Update on 6 May 2008.

It began being automatically pushed out to Automatic Update users on 10 July 2008.A feature set overview which details new features available separately as standalone updates to Windows XP, as well as backported features from Windows Vista has been posted by Microsoft.A total of 1,174 fixes have been included in SP3.Service Pack 3 can be installed on systems with Internet Explorer versions 6 or 7, and Windows Media Player versions 9 and above.Internet Explorer 7 is not included as part of SP3.

New features

* Turns black hole router detection on by default
* Network Access Protection client
* Windows Imaging Component
* Credentials Security Service Provider
* Descriptive Security options in Group Policy/Local Security Policy user
interface
* An updated version of the Microsoft Kernel Mode Cryptographic Module that is
FIPS 140-2 certified
* Installing without requiring a product key during setup for retail and OEM
versions

Slipstreamed retail and OEM versions of Windows XP with SP3 can be installed and run with full functionality for 30 days without a product key, after which time the user will be prompted to enter a valid key and activate the installation. Volume license key (VLK) versions still require entering a product key before beginning installation.

Although service packs have, until now, been cumulative, installing SP3 on an existing installation of Windows XP requires that the computer must at least be running with Service Pack 1 installed.However, it is possible to slipstream SP3 into the Windows XP setup files at any service pack level—including the original RTM version—without any errors or issues. Slipstreaming SP3 into Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is not supported.

Service Pack 3 contains updates to the operating system components of Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, and security updates for .NET Framework version 1.0, which is included in these Windows XP SKUs. However, it does not include update rollups for the Windows Media Center application in Windows XP MCE 2005.SP3 also omits security updates for Windows Media Player 10, although the player is included in Windows XP MCE 2005. The Address Bar DeskBand on the Taskbar is no longer included due to legal restrictions.It also includes Windows Installer 3.1.

Problems
For computers with local hard drive size limitations (such as the Eee PC) the 1 GB of space required on the local hard drive during download and installation of the service pack is preventing installation and forcing unlimited downloading by the automatic updates, as the service pack is continuously redownloaded after each unsuccessful attempt. A workaround for this has been found, which involves downloading SP3 from the Microsoft download site and installing from an external drive,then moving the ServicePackFiles folder to another drive and using Regedit to edit the Service Pack Source Path in the registry.

On certain machines with non-Intel CPUs, SP3 can trigger a stop error which prevents Windows from booting. This happens in cases where the manufacturer wrongly set up a non-Intel machine using an image from an Intel machine. As a result, a key in the registry incorrectly indicates an Intel processor, thus causing SP3 to erroneously attempt to load the Intel driver during startup. Microsoft has posted multiple methods for resolving this problem.

Support lifecycle
Support for Windows XP without a service pack ended on 30 September 2004 and support for Windows XP Service Pack 1 and 1a ended on 10 October 2006.
Windows XP Service Pack 2 will be retired on 13 July 2010, almost six years after its general availability.As per Microsoft's posted timetable, the company stopped general licensing of Windows XP to OEMs and terminated retail sales of the operating system on 30 June 2008, 17 months after the release of Windows Vista. However, an exception was announced on 3 April 2008, for OEMs installing to subnotebooks or UMPCs either until 30 June 2010, or one year after the availability of the next client version of Windows, Windows 7—whichever date comes later. On 14 April 2009, Windows XP will begin its "Extended Support" period that will last for 5 years until 8 April 2014.

System requirements

System requirements for Windows XP Home and Professional editions as follows:
Minimum Recommended
Processor 233 MHz1 300 MHz or higher
Memory 64 MB RAM2 128 MB RAM or higher
Video adapter and monitor Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher resolution
Hard drive disk free space 1.5 GB or higher (additional 1.8 GB in SP2[32] and
additional 900 MB in SP3[33])
Drives CD-ROM drive or DVD drive
Input devices Keyboard. Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
Sound Sound card. Speakers or headphones

Note 1: Even though this is Microsoft's stated minimum processor speed for Windows XP, it is possible to install the operating system on any computer with a compatible processor running at 100 MHz or faster.

Note 2: Using 64 MB of RAM allows the user to complete simple tasks, such as browsing the web or reading email. The user's experience would be "equivalent or superior to that of Windows Me running on the same hardware."

Windows XP features a new task-based graphical user interface. The Start menu and search capability were redesigned and many visual effects were added, including:

* A translucent blue selection rectangle in Explorer
* Drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop
* Task-based sidebars in Explorer windows ("common tasks")
* The ability to group the taskbar buttons of the windows of one application into
one button
* The ability to lock the taskbar and other toolbars to prevent accidental changes
* The highlighting of recently added programs on the Start menu
* Shadows under menus (Windows 2000 had shadows under mouse pointers, but not
menus)

Windows XP analyzes the performance impact of visual effects and uses this to determine whether to enable them, so as to prevent the new functionality from consuming excessive additional processing overhead. Users can further customize these settings.Some effects, such as alpha blending (transparency and fading), are handled entirely by many newer video cards. However, if the video card is not capable of hardware alpha blending, performance can be substantially hurt, and Microsoft recommends the feature should be turned off manually.Windows XP adds the ability for Windows to use "Visual Styles" to change the user interface. However, visual styles must be cryptographically signed by Microsoft to run. Luna is the name of the new visual style that ships with Windows XP, and is enabled by default for machines with more than 64 MiB of video RAM. Luna refers only to one particular visual style, not to all of the new user interface features of Windows XP as a whole. Some users "patch" the uxtheme.dll file that restricts the ability to use visual styles, created by the general public or the user, on Windows XP.

In addition to the included Windows XP themes, there is one previously unreleased theme with a dark blue taskbar and window bars similar to Windows Vista titled "Royale Noir" available for download, albeit unofficially.Microsoft officially released a modified version of this theme as the "Zune" theme, to celebrate the launch of its Zune portable media player in November 2006. The differences are only visual with a new glassy look along with a black taskbar instead of dark blue and an orange start button instead of green.Additionally, the Media Center "Royale" theme, which was included in the Media Center editions, is also available to download for use on all Windows XP editions.

The default wallpaper, Bliss, is a BMP photograph of a landscape in the Napa Valley outside Napa, California,with rolling green hills and a blue sky with stratocumulus and cirrus clouds. The Windows 2000 "classic" interface can be used instead if preferred. Several third party utilities exist that provide hundreds of different visual styles. Microsoft licensed technology from WindowBlinds creator Stardock to create its visual styles in XP.

11.07.2008

deddynoer: Mengakses Gmail dg Outlook Express

Mempunyai alamat email yang banyak kadang sangat memakan waktu jika kita harus ngecek satu persatu dengan melalui webnya masing-masing. Sekarang ini kebutuhan memiliki satu buah account email bagi kita yang aktif di internet tidak bisa dihindari karena account email tersebut memang bermanfaat untuk menggunakan fasilitas pelayanan yang ada di web. Misalkan, Kita memanfaatkan fasilitas Google seperti Google Webmasters Tools, Blogger, Google Adsense, dll mau tidak mau harus memiliki Account Email di Google (Gmail), demikian pula kadang kita tidak bisa hindari juga untuk memiliki Account di Yahoo karena ingin menikmati fasilitas lain dari Yahoo seperti Yahoo Massenger, atau untuk mengirim sitemap web ke Yahoo.

Untuk menghemat waktu membuka beberapa email kita di beberapa website, kita dapat menggunakan satu program aplikasi saja, misalkan menggunakan Outlook Express, Opera atau Netscape Mail.

Berikut akan saya jelaskan cara setting jika kita ingin membuka account Gmail kita dengan menggunakan Outlook Express. Untuk membuka Gmail dengan Oulook Express kita dapat menggunakan diantara POP atau IMAP.

Setting Gmail dengan Outlook Express menggunakan IMAP

Setting IMAP access di Gmail diaktifkan dengan cara masuk ke account Gmail terlebih dahulu dan klik menu setting yang ada dibagian kanan atas, setelah itu klik menu tab Forwarding and POP/IMAP. Kemudian IMAP access diaktifkan dan simpan perubahan.

Setting Gmail

Klik Tools | Accounts… dari menu di program Outlook Express.
Klik Add.
Pilih Mail….
Masukkan Nama.
Klik Next >.
Masukkan alamat di Gmail (misalkan “emailku@gmail.com”).
klik Next > sekali lagi.
Pilih IMAP dalam drop down menu My incoming mail server is a __ server.
Ketik “imap.gmail.com” di Incoming mail (POP3 or IMAP) server: field.
Ketik “smtp.gmail.com” di Outgoing mail (SMTP) server:.
Klik Next >.
Ketik user name pada Gmail di Account name: (contoh : “emailku”).
Masukkan Password di Gmail di Password: field.
Klik Next > sekali lagi.
Klik Finish.
Sorot imap.gmail.com di bagian Internet Accounts
Klik Properties.
Pilih tab menu Servers.
Kasih tanda cek pada My server requires authentication dibawah Outgoing Mail Server.
Pilih tab menu Advanced.
Kasih tanda cek pada This server requires a secure connection (SSL) dibawah Outgoing mail (SMTP): dan Incoming mail (IMAP):.
Ketik “465″ di Outgoing server (SMTP):.
Klik OK.
Klik Close.
Sekarang, Pilih Yes untuk download daftar folder pada Gmail ke Outlook Express.
Klik OK.

Setting Gmail dengan Outlook Express menggunakan POP

Setting POP access di Gmail diaktifkan dengan cara masuk ke account Gmail terlebih dahulu dan klik menu setting yang ada dibagian kanan atas, setelah itu klik menu tab Forwarding and POP/IMAP. Kemudian POP access diaktifkan, sesuaikan pilihan dengan kebutuhan dan simpan perubahan.
Klik Tools | Accounts… dari menu di program Outlook Express.
Klik Add.
Pilih Mail….
Masukkan Nama.
Klik Next >.
Masukkan alamat di Gmail (misalkan “emailku@gmail.com”).
klik Next > sekali lagi.
Pilih POP3 dalam drop down menu My incoming mail server is a __ server.
Ketik “pop.gmail.com” di Incoming mail (POP3 or IMAP) server: field.
Ketik “smtp.gmail.com” di Outgoing mail (SMTP) server:.
Klik Next >.
Ketik user name pada Gmail di Account name: (contoh : “emailku”).
Masukkan Password di Gmail di Password: field.
Klik Next > sekali lagi.
Klik Finish.
Sorot pop.gmail.com di bagian Internet Accounts
Klik Properties.
Pilih tab menu Servers.
Kasih tanda cek pada My server requires authentication dibawah Outgoing Mail Server.
Pilih tab menu Advanced.
Kasih tanda cek pada This server requires a secure connection (SSL) dibawah Outgoing mail (SMTP): dan Incoming mail (POP3):.
Ketik “465″ di Outgoing server (SMTP):.
Klik OK.
Klik Close.