microsoft

Rumor has it the first service pack update for Windows Vista will be out on 15 February. A 'service pack' is a single download produced by Microsoft to fix many different problems and add general improvements to a version of its Windows operating ... system. Microsoft have so far only confirmed that the update will be out in the current quarter (by the end of March). It's thought Microsoft may be confident about releasing Service Pack 1 early because a test version, which users download at their discretion from the company website, has proven successful. The official service pack releases ... (view more)

Microsoft has warned that several older versions of Excel contain a bug that could be exploited by hackers. It affects both Windows and Macintosh users. The bug could make it possible to execute code remotely. That means a hacker would be able to ... gain some degree of access to a user's computer, with the potential to steal personal information. The problem affects versions of Excel (including the stand-alone viewer) dated up to and including 2004. However, if the user has downloaded Office Service Pack 3, the bug will have been removed. Those versions dated 2007 or 2008 do not have the bug. To ... (view more)

In the world of hardware, Microsoft is -- gasp! -- an underdog. It took a full generation for the company's Xbox project to sweep up a respectable segment of the video gaming population, a goal it has now achieved with its successor, the Xbox 360. ... In the world of digital music, the Redmond-based company still has a ways to go, but a major facelift is starting to turn heads. When it first launched over a year ago, many techies were underwhelmed by Microsoft's Zune music player. A drab rendition of Apple's iPod, its brown, black, and white visage paled in comparison to the much sleeker and more ... (view more)

Microsoft is currently experimenting with one of their first "technovations" of 2008 which, if successful, could forever change the way we go about our grocery shopping. The new device is a technologically advanced console that assists customers in ... finding various items on their shopping list. The consumer can also use their cart-mounted device to scan the products as they lift them off the shelves and place them into the cart. With the push of a button, the consumer can also pay for their groceries directly on the cart itself. (Source: yahoo.com ) These new "smart" carts have been one of ... (view more)

Regulators from the European Union (EU) have begun two investigations to find whether Microsoft is again constructing a tidy monopoly abroad. The first probe examines a complaint by the Norwegian firm Opera, rival Internet browser to Microsoft's ... Internet Explorer. Opera say it's illegal for Microsoft to include Internet Explorer free of charge with Windows, arguing that Microsoft should either include a range of browsers or none at all. A second investigation is currently peering into claims Microsoft didn't give other software firms enough information on how to make their programs compatible ... (view more)

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That seems to be the attitude of Microsoft now that Warner Bros has decided to back Sony's Blu-ray in the high definition movie format war. Although the Redmond-based company once stood firmly behind Toshiba's rival ... HD-DVD, things appear to be changing very quickly in the Pacific northwest. For those who haven't heard, Warner Bros recently dealt Blu-ray a pair of aces ('bullets') in the high stakes game for next generation's movie format. By turning its nose up at HD-DVD, Warner may have finally put the final nail in Toshiba's coffin; although the tech company ... (view more)

While in Las Vegas this past weekend, Gates boasted that Microsoft has served more than 100 million copies of Windows Vista since the OS was launched to consumers last January. At first 100 million sounds impressive, but in fact it indicates that ... Microsoft's once dominant grip on the operating system is loosening. Based on what Gates said, Windows Vista was only on 39% of PCs that shipped in 2007. Statements at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) by Bill Gates this week show that Windows Vista is proving far less popular with new PC buyers than Windows XP did during its first year in the ... (view more)

What a difference a year makes! At this time twelve months ago, Google was the darling of the online world. As 2007 progressed, however, the search firm found itself under scrutiny for 'collaborating' with the Chinese government, questions arose ... about Google's role in privacy issues via its web advertising, and it is in the middle of a lawsuit with Viacom over proprietary content on YouTube. Perhaps the most interesting development is the head-to-head battle between Google and Microsoft, the undisputed heavy-weight champion of the software world and new contender for the advertising crown. A ... (view more)

Google Microsoft Search Search just Microsoft-related sites using Google's famous engine. http://www.google.com/microsoft.html Hide Folder The free Hide Folder is computer security software meant to help hide your private files. Others will not know ... where your personal files exist and they will not be able to accidentally view them. You can hide folders simply with a few mouse clicks. Hide Folder is protected by a password that you can change or remove at any time. http://www.cleanersoft.com/hidefolder/free_hide_folder.htm (view more)

Updates are supposed to help us, aren't they? Not always. In this case, a recent security update from Microsoft has completely blocked a number of users from accessing the web with the company's own browser, Internet Explorer. For those who are ... reading this in Explorer after downloading update MS07-069, consider yourselves lucky. The bulletin was released December 11th, and since that time users have been flooding Microsoft's support forums with complaints that they can no longer regularly connect to the Internet. In some cases, the browser shuts down about 50-60% of the time, displaying an ... (view more)