Now that I’ve written the most informal white paper ever published about operating system deployment, I’ve been inundated with requests to talk about piloting Windows 7. There were some excellent resources written in the Windows Vista timeframe from MVPs, but as they have pertained to Windows Vista and not Windows 7, not many people are finding or using them.
Monthly Archives: February 2010
MDOP 2010 Opens Doors for Faster Windows 7 Deployment
Wow, can you believe it’s already been four months since we launched Windows 7? I wish I could say we’ve all been on vacation, but we’ve actually used much of this time for in-depth conversations with our customers, partners and analysts to find out what they really think of Windows 7 and how it’s influencing their business. I’d like to share what we’ve heard in terms of economic impact and how today’s launch of App-V 4.6 and release of the MED-V SP1 Release Candidate will help customers deploy Windows 7.
Microsoft to demo Windows Mobile 7
Microsoft is expected to show off the long-awaited Windows Mobile 7 operating system for smartphones at Mobile World Congress, as the company attempts to resurrect itself in this arena and better compete against rivals Apple and Google.
Over 70 Windows 7 RTM Cracks to Be Tackled by Microsoft This Month
Microsoft has apparently done its homework when it comes down to the plethora of cracks designed to illegally activate the latest iteration of its Windows client. The Redmond company identified in excess of 70 illegal activation bypass methods and has been cooking a small surprise for pirates. Come next week, Microsoft will start tackling what it referred to as the known and potentially dangerous activation exploits for Windows 7.
Windows 8, the Mind-Blowing Factor
In a recent interview, Steven Sinofsky, president, Windows and Windows Live Division noted that there simply was no way of telling how Microsoft would be able to outdo Windows 7 with the forthcoming Windows 8. And yet, a Program Manager on the Windows team, working on Windows Update, published a blog post in which he enthusiastly promised that Windows 8 would end up being completely different than everything customers expected of a Windows release.
32% of Pirated Windows 7 and Win 7 Cracks Infected with Malware
Almost a third of the pirated copies of Windows 7 and the activation cracks for the operating system are infected with malicious code, and will cause users to infect their own machines, according to Microsoft. Joe Williams, general manager, Genuine Windows, cited data from a study performed by Media Surveillance, a German-based anti-piracy solutions company. At the end of 2009, Media Surveillance grabbed in excess of 500 pirated copies of Windows 7 and exploits designed to bypass the activation process of the OS. The company found that no less than 32% of all the items downloaded contained malicious code.
How to replace default Windows 7 Recovery Environment in Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset
This guide described how to create ERD ISO image by using Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset and then replacing the default Windows RE boot image with DaRT boot image on Windows 7 & Server 2008 R2.
Microsoft releases Free Winter Sports themepack for Windows 7
Microsoft has released yet another themepack, called the Samsung Winter Sports themepack for Windows 7 at its Windows 7 Personalization Gallery.
Microsoft Affirms BSOD, Halts Windows Patch
This time the patch in question (MS10-015) was for a long-unaddressed Windows kernel bug that could enable elevation-of-privilege control by an attacker. The patch, which was contained in Tuesday’s mammoth security update, was based on a security advisory that Microsoft released in late January.
Windows 7 ‘genuine’ nagware winging its way to OS
Microsoft has been keeping a surprisingly low profile about its recent nagware win – could that have anything to do with its latest efforts to sink marauding software pirates?
The company confirmed yesterday that it would pump out a Windows Activation Technologies patch for Windows 7 before the end of this month.
Windows 7 Application Compatibility List for IT Professionals Published
The Windows 7 Application Compatibility List for IT Professionals is a Microsoft Office Excel-based spreadsheet listing software applications which have met Windows 7 Logo Program testing requirements for compatibility with 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7, and have thereby earned the right to display the Windows 7 Logo Program logo with the application. These products are identified with the compatibility status “Compatible – Windows 7 Logo.”
Windows 7 BitLocker Ready for TPM Hacks
Microsoft will continue to recommend BitLocker technology in concert with Trusted Platform Module (TPM) hardware to customers looking to protect sensitive data on mobile computers in the eventuality that the device is stolen or lost, the company said. Paul Cooke, Microsoft director, Windows Client Enterprise Security, notes that attackers can potentially access the secrets stored on TPM hardware inside a computer running Windows 7 with BitLocker, but that the company had labored to make such a scenario highly unlikely.
Microsoft: Windows Activation Technologies Update for Windows 7
In the coming days, we’ll be deploying a new update for Windows Activation Technologies, the set of built-in activation and validation components built into Windows 7. Called Windows Activation Technologies Update for Windows 7, this update will detect more than 70 known and potentially dangerous activation exploits.
Windows 7 Blue Screens of Death for No Apparent Reason
Windows 7 is in a different league compared to its predecessor Windows Vista, in terms of user experience; however, albeit considerably less, issues do exist and affect the latest iteration of the Windows client. Microsoft notes that Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 can crash for no apparent reason. The crashes are accompanied by a blue screen error, the now infamous blue screen of death (BSOD) and by the following error message: “STOP: 0x0000000A.”
Installing Windows 7 from a Windows Phone
As far as traditional methods of installing Windows go, the latest iteration of the Windows client can be easily deployed from media such as DVDs and CDs. But in addition to the default installation method for retail flavors of the operating system, Windows 7 can also be deployed via the OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) included in the OEM System Builder Pack, through the Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK), via USB sticks and even from a Windows Phone.
Windows 8 Development Has Started
Microsoft has already kick started the development process which will ultimately end up producing the successor of Windows 7, claims a third-party source. Russian website Wzor notes that the Redmond company has apparently set on a course to building Windows 8, and even provided the Build strings for a few assembles of the next iteration of Windows available exclusively in Redmond.
Windows 7 eclipses Vista on Steam, 64-bit dominating 32-bit
We already know that Windows 7 is growing faster than Vista was when it was released, but how fast are gamers adopting it? Pretty darn quickly, according to January 2010 data from Steam, the leader of the digital distribution market. Last month, the percentage of users on Windows 7 eclipsed the number of users on Windows Vista.
Microsoft Released Icelandic, Welsh Windows 7 Language Interface Packs
Microsoft has released the Icelandic and Welsh Language Interface Packs (LIP) for Windows 7, and are now available for download.
Users dispute Microsoft’s explanation of Windows 7 battery problems
Windows 7 does not ruin notebook batteries or issue premature warnings that the power is exhausted, Microsoft’s head of Windows said Monday in response to customer complaints. Within minutes, Windows 7 users who have experienced those problems disagreed, calling the explanation “hand washing” and noting that if the company’s conclusion was correct, then many affected users must be “under some sort of bizarre bad battery curse.”