In the first half of June 2008, when they gave a taste of the new features cooking for Internet Explorer 8 which are planned for integration starting with Beta 2, Jane Maliouta - IE Program Manager and James Pratt - IE Product Manager pointed out that IE8 would come with slipstream support by default. This is valid as early as the Beta 1 Build of Internet Explorer 8, but only with Windows Vista RTM, Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008. Microsoft has left Windows XP SP3 out of the IE8 slipstream equation, this is nothing new for XP, as slipstreaming was also not supported even with Internet Explorer 7. "With IE8 and Windows Vista, you are able... [read more >>] That's right! There is a hack available that will permit you to access, download and install the official release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 straight from Microsoft. The first service pack for Vista was initially released in pre-beta stage in mid July 2007, concomitantly with the original preview of Windows XP Service Pack 3. Microsoft subsequently dropped another pre-beta version of Vista SP1 in August and revealed that the first fully-fledged beta for the service pack would be delivered by the end of September. And the fact of the matter is that in the last week of the past month, the beta of Windows Vista SP1 Build 6001.16659 w... [read more >>] With Windows Vista, Microsoft shifted from the development path of Windows XP wide open to tampering with zero reaction, and has integrated an anti-piracy infrastructure into the platform. In direct correlation with the Windows Genuine Advantage and the Activation mechanisms, Windows Vista will be able to detect and blacklist non-genuine product keys, crack attempts, and identify the expiration of the initial 30-day grace period. The operating system will react to all by moving first into a non-genuine state and then into Reduced Functionality Mode. The reduced Functionality Mode in Windows Vista is the now infamous Black Screen of Death. J... [read more >>] Windows Vista is a resource hog. Microsoft’s latest operating system will swallow every last bit of hardware resources you throw at it in the race for a top user experience, a concept synonymous with high performance. And yet, there are scenarios in which Vista will eat away CPU cycles, huge amounts of random access memory, completely hug a ReadyBoost USB device and still underperform. The operating system will choke even on the most common of tasks, abandoning the user to slowdowns in system performance and to unresponsive processes catalyzed by nothing more than routine and mundane actions. No doubt, Vista has a few rough corners in terms... [read more >>] Nothing in life is free. And certainly not Windows Vista or Windows XP. Well, that's not entirely true. Both variants of the Windows platform can be accessed as free downloads directly from Microsoft, with the adjacent shortcomings, but more than worth a try. Free in this context means users will be able to get their hands on time-bombed versions of Windows Vista Enterprise and Windows XP Service Pack 2. Microsoft's generosity with the Vista and XP was catalyzed by the company's need to supply testing resources for developers, customers and partners involving its latest operating system but also Vista's predecessor. Judg... [read more >>] The sky is not the limit when it comes down to Windows Vista and hardware emulating technologies. Far from it in fact. Virtualization is still a largely unexplored territory and in this context restrictions are inherent. Even before the release of its latest operating system, the Redmond Company debuted on a trajectory designed to bridge the Windows platform with virtualization. Microsoft has little choice in the matter. Behind the company's decision to make Virtual PC a free download there is an entire agenda focused on driving adoption of Windows Vista. Virtualization is a valid alternative to traditional hardware and software testin... [read more >>] Microsoft's latest operating system Windows Vista comes in a luxuriant range of flavors; still, in the end, the choice is between Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate editions. Apple would argue that multiple editions are synonymous with consumer confusion and that a single operating system version is more than sufficient. This is also valid, more or less, for Microsoft as the company has included all editions of Windows Vista on a single media. My Windows Vista Business DVD for example, also allows me to install Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Basic N, Home Premium, Business N, Ultimate and even the Starter edition. The Redm... [read more >>] The famous line used by auto enthusiasts - "need for speed" - can be easily applied in the internet field as well, due to the high demand for faster internet connections. The old dial up dies slowly while broadband connections spread all over the world. Even so, no matter how much bandwidth we are provided with we will always want more. There are numerous guides to teach the user how to tune up the PC and especially the operating system in order to increase the internet speed though one more won't harm anyone. Among the various reasons which cause the pages to load slower is the DNS response time. The Domain Name System is actually a s... [read more >>] There is no doubt that Windows Vista delivers the next stage in operating system evolution compared to Windows XP and even to Mac OS X Tiger. One aspect of that evolution and a crucial detail for that matter, is the way Microsoft has understood to provide automatic networking capabilities for the platform. Still when it comes to integrating Windows Vista-based computers into a network, or establishing an Internet connection, the operating system does not always "play well with others". In this article I will deal with issues that strictly affect Windows Vista. But just to get the idea through I will provide you with two examples of what you... [read more >>] 1. Introduction to the New Windows Vista Boot ArchitectureAdvanced boot architecture management in Windows Vista has to begin with a basic exploration and understanding of the boot environment introduced by the operating system. Windows Vista brings to the table a pre-operating system boot architecture. First off, this means that the old and familiar Boot.ini file is not longer a part of the boot environment, and when it is not ignored it is completely missing.And along with Boot.ini Windows Vista has also lost Bootcfg used for boot configuration editing. This is true and not quite. Let me explain. Bootcfg is still a valid command prompt in... [read more >>] | 
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