The Hotfix - Vista SP1, XP SP3, IE8, Home Server, and more!

Microsoft has quite a bit in store for the Zune with its new Zune version 2.5 software update. The greatest additions are the new Zune Card integration and TV show downloads on Zune Marketplace. Those features as well as much-requested features like gapless playback, improved syncing controls, meta data editing, auto playlists and other tweaks have also been included.

On the marketing front, Microsoft is really pushing the Zune Pass going forward, and will be launching a new TV commercial to help plug it. Subscribers will particularly benefit from the new Zune Card sharing, which lets you automatically score copies of your pals' favorite songs, artists and recent plays -- non-subscribers can view that Zune Card info, but will have to buy the tracks if they want to have a listen. You can either download the software directly, or you’ll be prompted for an update the next time your open your Zune software.

Source: Engadget

While we don't usually do these kind of late-night TV infomercials, this one should be of interest to a few of you. Amazon.com is currently running a $30 rebate on Windows Live OneCare 2.0, which means after rebate you get it for free. Its US-only (sorry!) but here's the link if you're interested:

Get Windows Live OneCare 2.0 @ Amazon.com

Source: LiveSide

We knew it would come sooner or later, and from the looks of it widespread 64-bit computing might be on the horizon. Just yesterday we posted the results of our poll asking whether you’re running a 64-bit operating system, and only about a quarter of you are. That could be changing as more PC manufacturers start to push 64-bit machines.

TG Daily noticed that Gateway had started to ship consumer PC’s that are running a 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium. They dubbed Gateway the “first large PC vendor” to make this move, but after looking around I noticed that others are doing the same thing. HP is offering a 64-bit Vista option on many of their laptops and desktops, and some are as low as $449… nearly half the price of Gateway’s cheapest 64-bit computer. A little more digging revealed that some ASUS notebooks are also shipping with a 64-bit version of Vista.

Now we’re just sitting back waiting for other manufacturers to start adopting the technology. It’s definitely nice to see the transition to 64-bit starting to take place, and hopefully by large vendors like HP jumping on board some of the compatibility issues will be eliminated for those adopting 64-bit.

The next time you go shopping for a PC don’t be surprised if you’re walking away with a 64-bit operating system!

Source: Cybernet

availability saga of the first service pack for Vista is now in its final stage, namely delivery through Automatic Updates. Two days after the RTM of Windows XP Service Pack 3, Microsoft started pushing Windows Vista SP1 through AU. In this manner, the service pack was delivered and deployed automatically to all Vista RTM users that had Automatic Update enablers.

On April 29, the day Microsoft was supposed to start serving the gold bits of XP SP3 Build 5512 via Windows Update and the Download Center, the company revealed that it was postponing the availability of the last service pack for XP, as well as discontinuing the distribution of Vista SP1 through AU due to an incompatibility problem. According to the Redmond company, both service packs had issues integrating with the Dynamics Retail Management System.

Since last week, Microsoft has built and set up a filter on Windows Update designed to prevent the two service packs being offered to Microsoft Dynamics RMS customers. The company advised Dynamics RMS users not to install any of the service packs and for those that have already deployed Vista SP1 and XP SP3 to contact Microsoft Customer Support Services. Still, with the filters now in place. Vista SP1 RTM downloads through AU are live yet again, even though the service pack was available all along on WU and the Download Center.

"You may have heard about an incompatibility Dynamics Retail Management System has with SP3 and Windows Vista SP1– we’ve added a filter to block WU from offering Windows XP SP3 or Windows Vista SP1 to systems w/ RMS for now and will make a fix available soon. You may have also heard that we temporarily suspended automatic distribution of Windows Vista SP1 for this - we’re now also happy to report that we’ve resumed automatic distribution of Windows Vista SP1," revealed a member of the Microsoft Update Product Team.
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 All Language Standalone is available for download here.

Source: Softpedia

A PCWorld article yesterday is saying that AMD needs to double its current market share (13%) to survive. AMD has long been propped up by the netroots community, but in my opinion has had its image fade in the online community for some time now. 

While AMD once held the undisputed performance edge in processors, which many of us see a critical benchmark, this performance edge also buy something that is less understood, longevity of life out of your purchase.  Lately they have been touting the performance to price metric, which might be true, but to me is a false argument.  I want the better raw performer as it will get me the most life out of the chip as well as the immediate perceived value.

I know that AMD will find it hard to compete with Intel on a resource level, so they need to get back to what brought them to the table.  RAW performance, and the only way to do this is to out innovate Intel.  Which is probably going to be harder a second time.

What are your current thoughts on AMD?  Are they really on life support? Can they pull out of this perceived tail spin?

Source: Windows Connected

We knew it was coming, and after waiting for quite some time for Freesat to go from concept to reality, television viewers across the UK can finally indulge. If you'll recall, a recent survey found that just 5% of Europe's HDTV owners actually bothered to tune into HD programming, but now that number is likely to change. Effective today, 98-percent of the UK can fork out a one-time fee of £49 ($96) to £120 ($234) in order to acquire a FreeSat set-top-box, and after an £80 ($156) installation, users will have subscription-free access to BBC HD, ITV HD (coming soon), Channel 4's digital service and around 70 other TV / radio channels. Better still, that number is slated to rise to 200 before the year's end, and unsurprisingly, the launch is expected to boost available high-def offerings in the region. Anyone across the pond have their equipment set up already? How's the service?

Source: Engadget

After a pricing spat with Apple led NBC to pull its video content from iTunes, the broadcaster has struck a deal with Microsoft's Zune online store.

On Tuesday, as part of an announcement about new Zune features, Microsoft planned to say that it will start selling television programs at the Zune store for viewing on its portable music player. NBC is among the broadcasters supplying videos for the service.

The videos, which also come from Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Turner Broadcasting and VH1, will cost US$1.99 each. Users will be able to choose from 800 episodes.

The price is significant because it is the same that Apple charges for most TV programs in iTunes. However, at the time of the dispute between Apple and NBC last year, Apple said NBC wanted to increase its wholesale price of each episode by so much that Apple would have to charge $4.99 per episode. Apple said it wouldn't agree to that price change.

At the time, NBC disputed Apple's version of events and said that NBC wanted to offer customers a variety of pricing options, including bundles of programs for set fees. When NBC's contract with Apple expired in December last year, it was not renewed.

Microsoft's flexibility over price was one reason NBC wanted to sell its content through the Zune store, according to Microsoft. "We have worked closely with them around flexibility and protection of IP," said Julio Estrada, general manager for Zune Social. "Zune will control the price of the episodes, but we're open to understanding which episodes can be priced lower and how we may introduce premium content which may be priced higher than $1.99," he said.

Source: PC World

Sun Microsystems on Monday said it has released OpenSolaris, an open source version of its Solaris operating system, and announced a deal with Amazon.com. The OpenSolaris project has been under development for more than three years. Sun hopes to popularize the operating system with developers, students and other traditional Linux users.

n addition, Sun said it has partnered with Amazon.com to release OpenSolaris as an on-demand service as part of Amazon.com's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). OpenSolaris will be available for operating system and storage services as part of the overall EC2 service, which starts at 10 cents per CPU-hour, the company said. Sun touts OpenSolaris as the most robust Unix-flavored operating system.

OpenSolaris will offer some interesting features intended to appeal to the curious, such as the ability to run the operating system from CD and a system for easily rolling-back installations.

Source: PROnetworks

So I build a new Windows XP ISO with SP3 integrated, this is a Volume License editions (VOL) which only accepts Volume License Keys (VLK). When I want to install it on a clean machine, I noticed that setup prompts for a product key and it does not allow me to continue, which should be a new feature in XP sp3. OK so I fill in the VLK but it does not accept it, I try another one from a customer of mine, does not work either.

I found out that the problem is when you do the XP Sp3 slipstream process on a WIndows Vista machine, the API gives a different response and screws up the PID process. This is a bug and Microsoft knew about this in December, still the bug remained and made it all the way to RTM, nice work Microsoft.

So XP SP slipstream only on XP or 2003 machines!!!

Source: Bink

"We continue to believe that our proposed acquisition made sense for Microsoft, Yahoo and the market as a whole," Ballmer said in the letter posted on the Microsoft website.

"Despite our best efforts, including raising our bid by roughly five billion dollars, Yahoo has not moved toward accepting our offer.

"After careful consideration, we believe the economics demanded by Yahoo do not make sense for us, and it is in the best interests of Microsoft stockholders, employees and other stakeholders to withdraw our proposal," said Ballmer.

In the letter, addressed to Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang, Ballmer said that in conversations earlier in the week "we conveyed our willingness to raise our offer to 33 dollars per share, reflecting again our belief in this collective opportunity.

"This increase would have added approximately another five billion dollars of value to your shareholders, compared to the current value of our initial offer. It also would have reflected a premium of over 70 percent compared to the price at which your stock closed on January 31.

"Yet it has proven insufficient, as your final position insisted on Microsoft paying yet another five billion dollars or more, or at least another four dollars per share above our 33 dollars offer.

"It is clear to me," Ballmer wrote, "that it is not sensible for Microsoft to take our offer directly to your shareholders."

News Source: AFP

Mike Nash, Corporate Vice President of Windows Product Management, has a tough problem on his hands.Microsoft and its hardware/software partners have done a lot in the past 16 months to make Windows Vista a better operating system. With Service Pack (SP) 1, Microsoft has addressed some of the performance and reliability problems that has made Vista the butt of so much bad press when it launched.

But convincing the PC-buying public that Vista isn’t their worst nightmare has proven challenging — especially as the result of continued press reports, comments on blogs and in forums (almost always from anonymous users who may or may not have actually tried using Vista in the past month or two) and clever ads, especially by Apple, which disparage Vista and anyone dumb enough to install it. Ask the average consumer on the street about Windows and many will insist XP is less annoying, more stable and works just fine, thanks.

If you were Nash & Co., what would you do to try to turn the public tide?

The Windows team is continuing to take the high road by pushing new data showing how much Vista has improved.

On May 1, Nash took the time to call a bunch of press and bloggers to share updated Microsoft stats on Vista performance, compatibility and reliability.

Microsoft says it has sold 140 million copies of Vista. There are 2,700 logo’d Vista apps (ten times more than existed at launch). Ninety-six percent of new system runing Vista have all their drivers just working out of the box. More than 200 enterprise applications are now guaranteed to be Vista-compatible. Vista SP1 systems start up in 45 (rather than 90) seconds, according to Microsoft, and shut down in 11. And, according to a new Microsoft-commissioned study, 86 percent of consumer customers using Vista would recommend it to their friends.

Source: Bink

The full Windows XP install with SP3 integrated (also referred to as the Slipstream build) is now available for TechNet Plus subscribers to download.  The following languages are currently available: Chinese-Simplified, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese-Brazil, and Spanish.  Additional languages will be added as they become available so watch on TechNet Plus Downloads for new languages.