Archive for the ‘Microsoft’ category

Problems connecting your HTC HD2 to WMDC

August 10th, 2010

Been trying to upgrade my HTC HD2 Phone (currently on Vodafone) to the latest ROM version. The first problem I encountered was that my phone just would not connect to Windows Mobile Device Centre. The phone took charge from the cable and I even tried two different cables.

Finally after a lot of searching on the internet about registry changes, Problems with Windows 7 64bit etc I found a post that solved the problem of connecting your HTC HD2 to active sync.

What worked: on phone, go to: Start -> Tools -> Active Sync -> Menu -> connections and deselect “when in cradle [x] all pcs … and then reselect it.

All started working fine! now just going to try a ROM update then going to load Android.

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Posted in Microsoft, Mobile Phones, Software, Windows 7

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Microsoft warns of Windows 7 graphics flaw

May 20th, 2010

A flaw with the graphics driver in Windows 7 could compromise the stability and security of Windows 7 PCs, Microsoft has warned.

The vulnerability lies in the Windows Canonical Display Driver (cdd.dll) for the 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

“If exploited, it would likely cause the affected system to stop responding and restart,” Jerry Bryant, group manager of response communications warns on the Microsoft Security Response Center blog.

Microsoft claims that the vulnerability only affects machines running the Aero graphics interface, and advises that customers “may choose to disable Windows Aero as a workaround to protect against potential threats” until the company releases a fix.

Microsoft also claims that the chances of the flaw being exploited in the wild are low, and have awarded the bug the lowest possible score on its Exploitability Index.

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Posted in Microsoft, Windows 7

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Are you running all the latest security updates?

March 8th, 2010

Windows users need to patch their systems an average of every five days to stay ahead of security vulnerabilities, according to a study this week.

The numbers come from a company called Secunia which just happens to be developing an all-in-one patching tool to reduce update headaches for consumers.

Secunia’s free Personal Software Inspector tool show the average home user needs an average of 75 patches from 22 different vendors to be fully secure. The complexity of patching means that most users are not even in the race, meaning that hackers hoping to exploit software vulnerabilities to infect vulnerable systems stay well ahead of the game.

Matters are further complicated by the variety of different update mechanisms applied by differing suppliers.

You can download this free tool from Secunia to help you keep up to date with multiple updates from different companies which will help keep your computer secure.

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Posted in Microsoft, Viruses

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Windows 7 RC shut downs start next month

February 2nd, 2010

Microsoft will soon put the screws to those still running last year’s free preview of Windows 7 by incessantly shutting down their PC.

Starting on February 15, Windows 7 Release Candidate will begin displaying a friendly notice every few hours to either get paying or get bent. Come March 1, the PC will begin a regiment of automatic, bi-hourly* shutdowns to drive home the message.

Escape from the harassment will only come after a clean install of a paid-for copy of Windows. The company has previously stated, however, that users can use an upgrade edition of Windows 7 to move from the RC to a release copy.

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Posted in Beta, Microsoft, Windows 7

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How Dixons is (mis)selling Windows 7

November 2nd, 2009

dixons_camera_shop_ukIf you’ve been into a Dixons Group shop lately (i.e. PC World or Currys Digital), you’ll have seen the place festooned with posters and displays declaring that the arrival of Windows 7 means it’s “time for a new PC”.

From a marketing point of view, it’s an obvious message for Dixons to be pushing. But in reality, as we all know, one of the great merits of Windows 7 is that most of us don’t need a new PC to run it. Windows 7 can run happily on an Atom-powered Samsung NC10 netbook. If there was ever an edition of Windows that didn’t mean “time for a new PC”, this is it.

With Microsoft getting so much right in Windows 7, it’s a disappointment to see it permitting (perhaps even supporting) such a misleading marketing slogan. And I think it’s a mistake. In the coming years Windows is going to be increasingly threatened from multiple directions.

Yet this slogan seems designed to deliver precisely that outcome. Dissatisfied customers won’t appreciate being told they must write off their old PC to escape their unsatisfactory OS. Many who can’t afford a new PC will stick with Vista and remain disgruntled with it. And those who know the truth – that any machine that runs Vista will run Windows 7 better – will resent Microsoft’s apparent collusion in an attempt to get them to waste money on an unnecessary new PC.

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Posted in Microsoft, Windows 7

Microsoft pirate crackdown nets 11 UK companies

August 13th, 2009

piracyMicrosoft claims to have reached out-of-court settlements with 11 UK companies it accused of selling illegal versions of its software.

The software giant launched legal action against the companies for a range of practices from illegally downloading the software from the internet, to using one licence to install software on multiple PCs. The company would not divulge the terms of the settlement, or whether any financial agreements were made.

As if the legal action wasn’t enough, Microsoft subsequently published the names of the companies caught in the clampdown with contrite confessions explaining how they’d been wrong and would never do it again.

According to Microsoft, the majority of its legal action against companies is driven by customer complaints. The company also claimed it was now taking down over 250 internet auctions each week, and taken legal action against more than 100 UK high-street shops in the last eighteen months.

The company vowed to continue pursuing SMEs selling or using unlicensed software, and even offered a warning to Enterprises, of which it claims 1 in 3 are using illegal copies of software.

The 10 other businesses that settled with Microsoft were Computer Clinic in Bolton; Computer Port in Walsall; Eazy PC in Redcar; Goldcast Computers and Matrix Computers in Stockton-on-Tees; PC Assist in Oldham; Personal Touch Computers in Portsmouth; Platinum Computers in Hartlepool; Spacebar Computers in Liverpool; and The Little Computer Shop in Pontypool.

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Posted in Microsoft, Software

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