From Cnet News: Microsoft says it has stopped automatically updating machines to Vista Service Pack 1 after discovering a bug that can cause problems between the OS and another of the company’s products. View Original Article Blogged with the Flock Browser
Apparently, there’s a last minute fix for the long awaited service pack for the venerable Windows XP: An anonymous reader sends word that Microsoft Windows XP SP3, which had been scheduled to hit the Web today, was pulled back at the last minute. SP3 apparently broke a Microsoft application, Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System. Their [...]
The newest and probably last Service Pack for Windows XP is scheduled for release on April 29th. The folks at Cnet have a hands-on preview: Microsoft says the service pack includes functionality previously released as updates. Perhaps that’s why the download and installation for SP3 was effortless on our test system. XP SP3 took only [...]
Alex Eckelberry at Sunbelt Software just heard a rumour We just got this in from a credible source: I have just been advised by my Dell representative that Dell will be offering XP on Optiplex and Latitude computers through 2011 at no extra cost. Vista media will be available for those who think they might [...]
The end is in sight for Windows XP, and what a great run it’s been! From Mary Jo Foley’s All About Microsoft blog: Microsoft made it official on April 3: There will be no new reprieves for Windows XP (other than on Ultra Low-Cost PCs). Some customers and partners had been hoping the company might [...]
One person’s experience with Geek Squad/Best Buy, also from The Consumerist: Still think using Geek Squad to repair your computer isn’t such a bad idea? That’s what reader Nicole thought when she took her laptop in for a warranty covered repair. The laptop was sent off to a service center, “repaired”, then sent back. She [...]
We all hate calling technical support or dealing with customer service representatives on the phone. An interesting article lays out some practical tips to get through the process and increase the odds of getting a satisfactory result. So read the article, print it out and keep it by the phone next time you have to [...]
An excellent article at esecurityplanet.com shows why the choice of your wireless password is so important. WPA Security Tips […] With access to your wireless network, a hacker could intercept sensitive information, such as e-mail messages or even access-shared files. More commonly, a hacker might not want your personal data, but to abuse your network [...]
The TidBITS article is here and is well worth a read. adamengst tips an article up on TidBITS that explores the persistent reluctance of many nerds to embrace fully new communications media such as IM and Twitter. In this thoughtful article Joe Kissell explores, from the inside, the mind of the introvert and how this [...]
I know this flies in face of all the people who are convinced that video games lead to an increase in violent behaviour, but this study accord with my own experience. I come home at the end of a hard day; a beer and some Call of Duty 4 relaxes me and then I’m ready [...]
Sad but true! Damn, but XP had a good run! An anonymous reader writes “Though the Redmond software giant may be extending the lifetime of XP on low-end laptops, the end is nigh for the aging OS. That extension makes perfect sense, as recent studies have shown XP is far faster than Vista across a [...]
It’s brought to our attention by Alex Eckelberry of Sunbelt Software, on his blog: This afternoon, we got a highly customized email purporting to come from the IRS, which of course, does nothing more than load malware. The email is made out to a key financial contact here at Sunbelt (name obfuscated for this post). [...]
This is a disturbing story. The full Washington Post article is here. dstates writes “The Washington Post is reporting that some Internet Service Providers (ISP) have been using deep-packet inspection to spy on the communications of more than 100,000 US customers. Deep packet inspection allows the ISP to read the content of communications including every [...]
Interesting use of mobile technology. Amazing what people dream up. The possibilities are truly unlimited. esocid writes “In a modern equivalent of flashing your headlights to warn other motorists of police speed traps, you can now warn fellow drivers with a cell phone or personal digital assistant about speed traps, red-light cameras, and other threats [...]
Apparently so, according to this article: Nice colors and a new ad agency won’t change the biggest problem in Round Rock: The computer market has fundamentally changed and Dell hasn’t. View Original Article Blogged with the Flock Browser
Unfortunately, I don’t like coffee! Chroniton writes “The BBC has a story that many Slashdot geeks will be happy to hear: the caffeine from a cup of coffee a day can help prevent Dementia, by blocking the damage of cholesterol. (At least in rabbits) This is in addition to the already-known protection against Alzheimer’s Disease. [...]
Quantrell writes “A leaked e-mail shows that Apple hit the #1 spot for music sales in January. The article speculates that consumers cashing in their holiday gift cards may have played a role; but of course Wal-Mart and the other retailers sold gift cards too. The news is a mixed bag for the record labels. [...]
This is just vile and disgusting: An anonymous reader tips us to a story up at Wired reporting on what may be the first computer attack to inflict physical harm on victims. Last Saturday, griefers posted hundreds of bogus messages on the support forums of the nonprofit Epilepsy Foundation that used JavaScript and strobing GIFs [...]
I see drivers doing all kinds of crazy things while driving: reading, applying makeup, shaving. Now, we’ll see drivers surfing the internet and checking email while cruising down the interstates! Turn Your Car Into A Travelling Wi-Fi Hotspot Internet addicts rejoice. You can now surf to your heart’s content in your moving car, a veritable [...]
Wireless security depends on the quality of the passphrase used to encrypt traffic, as this article so aptly demonstrates: WPA Security Tips Wireless networking might not rank up there with flying cars, but it’s still plenty cool and very useful. (Plus, it actually exists.) But wireless data can be exposed to interception, and although we [...]
