PlanetSide 2 – Launch Trailer

PlanetSide 2 – Launch Trailer

Check out the launch trailer for the newly released PlanetSide 2 title. This massively multiplayer online game is available now on Microsoft Windows platform. Watch the trailer after the break.  [product page]

More about → PlanetSide 2 – Launch Trailer

FIFA Soccer 13 Video Review

FIFA Soccer 13 Video Review

FIFA Soccer 13 is the twentieth edition of Electronic Arts’ highly-acclaimed association football FIFA video game series. The video game is available for the Wii U, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Portable, Microsoft Windows, and iOS platforms. Watch the video review after the jump.  [product page]

More about → FIFA Soccer 13 Video Review

Borderlands 2 Launch Trailer

Borderlands 2 Launch Trailer

2K Games has released the launch trailer of Borderlands 2. Developed by Gearbox Software, this video game will be released in North America on September 18th, 2012 for the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Windows PC. The game is advertised as a space western first-person shooter/action role-playing. Video after the jump.

More about → Borderlands 2 Launch Trailer

Super Crate Box Is Free On Steam

The Super Crate Box is now available on Steam for free. In the video game, gamers will fight endless hordes of enemies and collect every weapon crate. The Super Crate Box requires a PC with the Microsoft Windows XP or above, a 2.2 Ghz processor, a 512MB RAM and a 100MB hard disk drive space.

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Monster Hunter Frontier G To Be Released In Japan

Monster Hunter Frontier G will be released in Japan on April 17th, 2013 for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Windows. The video game features 10 new monsters, over 300 G-class weapons and armor sets, over 30 new skills and four new elementals.

More about → Monster Hunter Frontier G To Be Released In Japan

Resident Evil Operating Raccoon City Release Date Unveiled

Resident Evil Operating Raccoon City Release Date Unveiled

Capcom has confirmed the availability of Resident Evil Operating Raccoon City for the Microsoft Windows OS. The video game will be launched on May 18th, 2012. The PC version supports all the features of the console version. Watch the video after the jump. [source]

More about → Resident Evil Operating Raccoon City Release Date Unveiled

Gotham City Impostors Release Date Delayed

Gotham City Impostors Release Date Delayed

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment have recently confirmed that the launch of Gotham City Impostors has been changed to February 2012. As a reminder, this video game was originally due for release on January 10, 2012. Gotham City Impostors will be available in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation Network and Windows PC. Stay tuned for more updates. [source]

More about → Gotham City Impostors Release Date Delayed

Thanko’s Spy Button Camera Receives An Upgrade

Tokyo-based Thanko has started selling the second version of the Spy Button Camera that comes with a new feature. This spy camera is now able to record sound. Weighing 20grams, the Spy Button Camera records AVI videos in 720 x 480 (30fps) and JPEG pictures in 1,280 x 1,024 pixels. It is powered by a Lithium-ion battery, allowing you to record up to 70 minutes of video. All the recorded videos and pictures can be transferred to your PC via USB, but only Windows XP/Vista and 7 machines are supported. The new version of the Spy Button Camera doesn’t have a remote control anymore, which means that you have to push a button on the device itself to start the recording. If you are interested, you can purchase the Spy Button Camera for $55. [Product Page]

More about → Thanko’s Spy Button Camera Receives An Upgrade

Windows 7 can boot more slowly than Vista

Although Windows 7 has been praised for loading and shutting down faster than prior versions, according to one software company, in many cases the new operating system can take longer to get started than Windows Vista.

Iolo Technologies, which sells PC tune-up software, said its lab unit found that a new machine running Windows 7 takes one minute and 34 seconds to become usable, as compared to one minute and six seconds for Windows Vista. Iolo said it measured not the time it takes for the desktop to appear — which can be as little as 40 seconds on a fresh installation of Windows 7 — but rather the time it takes to become fully usable, "with CPU cycles no longer significantly high and a true idle state achieved".

More about → Windows 7 can boot more slowly than Vista

Mozilla Disables, Reinstates Microsoft Plugin for Firefox

Update
After blocking Microsoft's WPF plugin for Firefox due to what it believed was a security vulnerability, Mozilla has removed the block. The blocklist has been updated, but will take some time to propagate to clients, which will then be able to continue using the WPF plugin.

Original story
Mozilla has temporarily disabled Microsoft's WPF plugin for Firefox in order to protect users from a security vulnerability that was recently uncovered in the component. The vulnerability can be exploited when users visit malicious Web pages that contain specially crafted XAML content.

Microsoft issued an Internet Explorer patch to fix the vulnerability through its Windows Update mechanism on Tuesday. The IE patch is said to fully resolve the vulnerability for Firefox users in addition to users of Microsoft's own browser. Mozilla is concerned, however, that not all users have performed the Windows update yet. In order to protect users who are not yet patched, Mozilla has added Microsoft's plugin to its add-on blocklist, causing it to be automatically disabled by the browser. more detail: linux.com/....firefox

More about → Mozilla Disables, Reinstates Microsoft Plugin for Firefox

Chrome for the Mac moves nearer to beta

Programmers have mostly overcome a crucial hurdle to releasing a beta version of Chrome for the Mac — printing support — but several Windows 7 features will not make the cut for the present 4.x version of the browser.

Mac printing support has now been added, according to the Google browser's issue-tracking system, although there are "minor remaining issues" remaining and the new features are not yet distributed with the software.

Google has previously cited printing support as an obstacle holding back a Mac version of the browser. Mac support is important for the company's ambitions to spread the browser and its fast-web philosophy to mainstream users. The Linux version, while less mainstream, is also important as it is the foundation of Google's Chrome OS project to build a browser-based operating system for Netbooks.

More about → Chrome for the Mac moves nearer to beta

Google Translator in Skype

Now every-time you want to translate any chat message while you are in “chatting mode” in Skype, you can use Google Translator. Yes right know you can use Google Translator along with your Skype Messenger by using Google Translator Add On for Skype.

That means, you can chat with the stranger without worried that you can’t understand their language. The Translating process is pretty fast that you’ll make fast converting. You can chat with different people from different language and country. As we knew, Google Translator supports almost 20 different language all around the world.

This Add-On Skype Google Translator would translate the “content” of the message in Skype. There would be a new tab open when the skype user translated the messages. When the new tab window open there is an option whether the message would be directly translating or not.

We should inform you that this add on is Third Party Add on of Skype. That means it developed unofficially.

Download Skype Google Translator Add On
This Add on only works for Windows operating system and requires .NET Framework 2.0. You can download the add on here (recommended). Alternatively you can also view the download page at here.

More about → Google Translator in Skype

DigitalPersona Personal Premium

Since 1996, DigitalPersona delivers products that enable commercial enterprises, hardware OEMs, software ISVs and consumers to use fingerprint biometrics to secure their identities. DigitalPersona Personal is a software solution aimed to home and small office users. The application I have tested came bundled with the company's U.are.U 4500 Reader - a small, yet powerful USB fingerprint reader. The software version I have used was DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 running on a Windows XP PC.



Installation
Currently, DigitalPersona Personal software works just on Windows operating systems. The application is installed using the software CD included in the product box. The company is selling the software application both as a standalone product and as a "Premium" package that contains the fingerprint reader (as previously mentioned).

The installation is pretty straightforward. Just follow the screen instructions and plugin the USB device when needed.



Getting started
After a successful installation, you need to do some initial customization to generate your user profile. To build your identity you have to choose the Windows account to "pair" it with and then go through the process of capturing your fingerprints.

The USB reader works immaculately - in over three weeks of usage, fingerprint recognition was 100% successful. Recording your fingerprints for the first time is a no-frills procedure which will take just a couple of minutes of your time.



Windows logon
Logging into your Windows computer using your fingerprint is definitely a step up in security for every PC user. While passwords are easy to figure out, getting your biometric information is much tougher. I am not saying this is impossible, as we are all familiar with biometric bypass techniques. I'm just saying that using a fingerprint instead of a password is definitely a more secure option.

If the USB fingerprint reader is connected to the computer, the Windows logon screen will show a new widget which opens up the possibility of using the identity you just setup for successfull authorization.



Secure password repository
DigitalPersona software offers the possibility of storing web site passwords, as well as using them for the automatic (when authorized) login procedures in recognized sites.



There are two ways of setting up your passwords:

1) Manual input or import
After starting DigitalPersona application, you can manually write in a list of web sites, usernames and passwords. If you have a previous backup or an export of the DigitalPersona password database, you will be able import the proprietary .dpxd file (Online Account Data).

2) Automatic - recommended way
When DigitalPersona is running on your computer, navigating your browser to any login page will show a fingerprint icon next to the form. If the fingerprint has a green plus sign over it, it means that this username/password combination is not yet stored in your database and that you can save it right now. This is done by filling the form and placing your finger on the fingerprint reader.



If you just navigated to a web site for which user credentials are already stored in the database, just authorize with your finger and you will automatically get logged into your account.

The software application also contains a "Security Check", a quick and simple function that analyzes your passwords and determines and indicates their strength, adding to this "report" some tips on protecting your personal information.

File Protection
File Protection is an additional application that can get installed from the software CD (if you have DigitalPersona Personal with File Protection), or you can buy it from their online store.

When the application is installed, right-clicking any file or folder will now present a new option - "Encrypt Files". Chose a file to encrypt, place your finger on the scanner and that's it - crypto comes in play.



Technical specs
In case you are wondering, here are the technical specifications for the U.are.U 4500 Reader:

• Pixel resolution: 512 dpi (average x, y over the scan area)
• Scan capture area: 14.6 mm (nom. width at center) 18.1 mm (nom. length)
• 8-bit grayscale (256 levels of gray)
• Reader size (approximate): 65 mm x 36 mm x 15.56 mm
• Compatible with USB 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0 (Full Speed) specifications

Final thoughts
In a combination with U.are.U 4500 Reader, DigitalPersona Personal provides home and SOHO users with a good security mechanism for securing both their offline and online identities. It eliminates the need for writing down or memorizing loads of passwords and ensures that you are the only one who can access specific private data, use personal and business passwords and logon to your Windows computer.

More about → DigitalPersona Personal Premium

More on Windows XP Service Pack 3...

We'd like to provide more information and address reports you may have heard about "continuous reboot loops" occurring upon the update to Windows XP SP3.

After investigation, we’ve determined this problem occurs on AMD-based machines with Windows XP images that were originally captured by an OEM on an Intel-based machine. The problem is a registry value, present on images created w/ Intel processors, that causes a driver (intelppm.sys) to load at boot. When intelppm.sys attempts to load on an AMD-based system upon the install of SP3, it causes a blue screen and the continuous reboot. We’re planning to add a filter to prevent Windows Update from offering SP3 to affected systems and are investigating a fix. Any customers affected by this issue should contact Microsoft Customer Support Services for assistance. More information is available in KB88372 and here.

On a related note, we've heard a few questions about SP3’s distribution. To clarify our earlier post, SP3 is currently available as a High Priority update on the Windows Update website. This means that if you go to WU and do an express or custom install - you should see SP3 listed. We’re planning to begin automatic distribution (via AU) of SP3 sometime in early summer.

More about → More on Windows XP Service Pack 3...

IE8 Security Part II: ActiveX Improvements

Per-User (Non-Admin) ActiveX

Running IE8 in Windows Vista, a standard user may install ActiveX controls in their own user profile without requiring administrative privileges. This improvement makes it easier for an organization to realize the full benefit of User Account Control by enabling standard users to install ActiveX controls used in their day-to-day browsing.

If a user happens to install a malicious ActiveX control, the overall system will be unaffected, as the control was installed only under the user’s account. Since installations can be restricted to a user profile, the risk and cost of compromise (and, in turn, the total cost of administering users on a machine) will be lowered significantly.

Per-User ActiveX was designed with compatibility in mind—most existing ActiveX controls will not have to be rewritten to benefit from this feature; the only change will be repackaging. As in Internet Explorer 7, when a webpage attempts to install a control, an Information Bar is displayed to the user.

By clicking on the information bar, users can choose to either install the control machine-wide, or install it only for their own user account. The options in this menu will vary depending on the packaging of the control and the rights of the user.

The available options depend on Group Policy settings for per-user ActiveX installations and whether or not the control has been packaged to allow per-user installation.

While this feature offers the possibility of lowering total cost of ownership, IT Administrators running managed environments may elect to disable this feature via Group Policy. For more information regarding Per-User ActiveX, please refer to the Non-Admin ActiveX Controls article in MSDN’s IE8 Beta 1 Whitepapers.

ActiveX Opt-In

Recognizing that any binary extensibility mechanism increases attack surface, ActiveX Opt-In was introduced with Internet Explorer 7.

By default, ActiveX Opt-In disables most controls on a user's machine. When the user encounters a Web page with a disabled ActiveX control, they will see an Information bar with the following text: "This website wants to run the following add-on "ABC Control" from "XYZ Publisher". If you trust the website and the add-on and want to allow it to run, click here …" The user can then choose to enable the ActiveX control from this Information bar.

ActiveX Opt-In allows some controls to run by default:

• A small list of common controls intended for use in the browser.
• Controls which were used in IE on a user’s machine before upgrading to IE8.
• Controls which are installed through IE.

For more information on ActiveX Opt-In, please refer to the MSDN Article Best Practices for ActiveX.

Per-Site ActiveX

When a user navigates to a Web site containing an ActiveX control, IE8 performs a number of checks, including a determination of where a control is permitted to run. This check is referred to as Per-Site ActiveX, a defense mechanism to help prevent malicious repurposing of controls. If a control is installed, but is not permitted to run on a specific website, an Information Bar appears asking the user whether or not the control should be permitted to run on the current website.

Users can use the Information bar to allow the control for a specific Web site or allow the control for all Web sites.

IT Professionals administering a system of computers running Internet Explorer 8 may choose to preset allowed controls and their associated domains. Such settings can be configured using Group Policy.

For more information regarding Per-Site ActiveX, please refer to the Per-Site ActiveX article in MSDN’s IE8 Beta 1 Whitepapers.

Enforcing Per-Site with ATL SiteLock Technology

If your ActiveX control is designed for use only on your web site, then locking it to the domain of that Web site will make it harder for other sites to repurpose the control in a malicious manner. See Developing Safer ActiveX Controls Using the Sitelock Template for more information.

Reducing Exploit Risk with DEP/NX, “Killbits,” and Servicing

Working with your processor and Windows, IE8 helps reduce the exploitation of vulnerable controls through Data Execution Prevention. See the previous post in this series, IE8 Security Part I: DEP/NX Memory Protection, for more information on how to ensure that your ActiveX controls are DEP/NX compatible, as well as information on how to opt-in to other available protections.

If a vulnerable control has been exploited, IE has included a poison-pill option—the “killbit”— to block usage of specific controls within the browser. Vendors who are aware of a vulnerability in their control should contact Microsoft to setup a killbit for a future software update package. For more information, please refer to Knowledge Base article 240797, How to stop an ActiveX control from running in Internet Explorer.

As with standard desktop software, it is important to keep controls up-to-date to ensure compatibility with newer systems and lower the risk of compromise through evolving security threats. For more information on updating ActiveX controls, please refer to the IE Blog entry Good Practices for ActiveX Updates.

Working with Users through Manage Add-Ons

While most end users aren’t aware of the inner-workings of ActiveX controls or their enterprise policy on them (if applicable), users are able to find out information about the controls installed for use in Internet Explorer through Manage Add-Ons. It is important for developers to ensure that their controls are not only performant and secure, but also open in the information they provide.

Controls are identified by Name, Publisher, Version, and Class ID within the Manage Add-Ons interface. Given this, control developers are encouraged to include this metadata in release builds of their controls.

For more information on making sure that your ActiveX control properly conveys information about itself to users, please refer to Christopher Vaughan’s post Add-on Management Improvements in Internet Explorer 8 as well as the MSDN Article Best Practices for ActiveX.

Thanks for your help in ensuring your ActiveX controls are secure!

More about → IE8 Security Part II: ActiveX Improvements

IE and Windows XP Service Pack 3

Windows XP SP3 contains some new updates, and a number of bug fixes and security improvements. You can learn more about XPSP3 features by reading the white paper located here. We expect XPSP3 will be publicly available shortly and want you to have this information prior to its final release to the web.

Internet Explorer 6 Users

XPSP3 will continue to ship with IE6 and contains a roll-up of the latest security updates for IE6. If you are still running Internet Explorer 6, then XPSP3 will be offered to you via Windows Update as a high priority update. You can safely install XPSP3 and will have an updated version of IE6 with all your personal preferences, such as home pages and favorites, still intact.

If you are currently running IE7 or IE8 on Windows XP SP2 (XPSP2) and you are thinking of upgrading to XPSP3, read on.

Internet Explorer 7 Users

If you are currently running IE7 on XPSP2, Windows Update will offer you XPSP3 as a high priority update. If you choose to install XPSP3, Internet Explorer 7 will remain on your system after the install is complete. Your preferences will be retained. However, you will no longer be able to uninstall IE7. If you go to Control Panel->Add/Remove Programs, the Remove option will be grayed out.

This behavior is by design and here is why. When we install IE7 on Windows XP SP2, we backup the existing IE6 files in an uninstall directory. Those IE6 files are the ones that shipped on XPSP2 plus all the security updates you’ve installed while using IE6. Windows XP SP3 contains a newer version of the Internet Explorer 6 files. If you have XPSP3 on your system and uninstall IE7, your system would revert to the backed up (older) version of the IE6 files rather than the newer XPSP3 version. You would end up in a mixed file state in Windows where most files would be the upgraded XPSP3, except for the IE6 files restored when uninstalling IE7. This state is not supported and is very bug prone. To ensure a reliable user experience, we prevent this broken state by disabling the ability to uninstall Internet Explorer 7.

If you must uninstall IE7 after you have upgraded to XPSP3, then you have to first uninstall XPSP3, and then uninstall IE7. After this series of uninstalls, you will be reverted back to a XPSP2, and a stable version of IE6, so feel free to upgrade to XPSP3 again.

If you install IE7 after you install XPSP3, then you will be able to uninstall IE7 at any point and be reverted to the newer IE6 version that ships in XPSP3. The restriction on uninstalling only applies to when you install a Windows Service Pack release on top of a standalone IE release.

Keeping this in mind, you might want to uninstall IE7, upgrade to XPSP3 and then install IE7 again so you can uninstall IE7 in the future if need be.

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 Users

Installing IE8 Beta1 on Windows XP SP3 is fully supported, so go ahead and upgrade your computers to XPSP3 and then install IE8 Beta 1 to try out our new features. You will be able to uninstall IE8 Beta 1 at any point to revert back to either IE7 or IE6 depending on what you were using before.

However, if you already have IE8 Beta 1 installed on XPSP2, Windows XP SP3 will not be offered to you via Windows Update. This is because after you update your system to XPSP3, you will no longer be able to uninstall IE8 Beta 1 and the Remove option will be grayed out under the Add/Remove programs in Control Panel. The reason is the same as in IE7 case described above. Since people are more likely to uninstall beta software, we strongly recommend uninstalling IE8 Beta 1 prior to upgrading to Windows XP SP3 to eliminate any deployment issues and install IE8 Beta 1 after XPSP3 is on your machine.

More about → IE and Windows XP Service Pack 3

XP SP3 Build 5512 Final (21 March Release)

Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all previously released updates for the operating system. This update also includes a small number of new functionalities, which do not significantly change customers’ experience with the operating system.

Released on MSDN on 21 April 2008
To be released on Windows Update on 29 April 2008
Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) provides new proactive security technologies for Windows XP to better defend against viruses, worms, and hackers along with increased manageability and an improved experience for users.

Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 3 fixes a range of bugs in Windows XP. It doesn't matter what XP updates you have previously applied to your system, SP3 will update any unpatched, partially patched or completely updated system (it includes all previously released patches and updates). XP SP3 fixes the security holes so you won't get attacked.

Microsoft periodically combines updates, fixes, and other improvements into a single package - Service Pack. Microsoft develops updates, fixes, and other improvements that address issues reported by the company's customers and partners. To make it easier for customers to get these updates and enhancements, Microsoft periodically combines them into a single package, and makes that package available for all Windows customers.

These packages are called service packs", Microsoft revealed in the introduction of the Overview of Windows XP Service Pack 3. With the Release Candidates of Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 heading to increased testing pools the past week, and with Microsoft cooking the first public build of the first refresh for its latest Windows client, the official overview for XP SP3 is the only crumb from the service pack fiesta over at the Redmond company. The Release Candidate of XP SP3 in a pre-final stage has already shipped to MSDN and TechNet subscribers.

FILE: WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe

BUILD: 2600.xpsp.080413-2111 : Service Pack 3, v.5512
MD5: BB25707C919DD835A9D9706B5725AF58
CRC 32: C411A9DA
Homepage: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/

(RapidShared)
Download Part1
Download Part2
Download Part 3
Download Part 4

Install Instructions:

Download ALL FOUR PARTS

Right click on the file with name WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.7z.001, and click open archive under 7-Zip context menu. OR open the same file with 7-Zip File Manager.

Check to ensure the CRC 32 Checksum to be C411A9DA or MD5 Checksum to be BB25707C919DD835A9D9706B5725AF58.

Right Click on the single file that you see, and extract to any location.

Install by clicking on WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe file

Enjoy =)

Below are the install notes for XP SP3 taken from MSDN

This document provides information about installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3). Both this document and the installation screens will guide you through the installation process.

General Requirements

To install SP3, your computer must meet the hardware and operating system requirements listed below. In addition, your computer must at least be running Windows XP with Service Pack 1 installed.

We recommended that you have Service Pack 2 installed before installing SP3. You can download Service Pack 2 at the Windows XP Service Pack 2 website.

Hardware requirements

To install SP3 on a single computer, your computer must have a CD-ROM drive and at least the following:

• A 233 megahertz (MHz) processor
• 64 megabytes (MB) of RAM
• 900 MB of available disk space during installation

Operating system requirements

You can use SP3 to update the following operating systems:

• Windows XP Home Edition
• Windows XP Professional
• Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 (Note: If you install SP3 onto a computer running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, your operating system is upgraded to Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005.)

Note: the following operating systems cannot be updated using SP3:

• Windows XP Professional x64
• Windows XP Embedded

Before You Install Service Pack 3

To prepare for your installation of Service Pack 3

1. Start your computer and log on as an administrator. Administrators have complete and unrestricted access to the operating system and its settings. You can either log on with the user name Administrator, or use another account that is set up as a member of the Administrator group. To determine which group a user is set up for, click Start, click Control Panel, and then open User Accounts.
2. If your computer is running on battery power, plug it in so that your computer does not lose power during the installation.
3. If you use Fast User Switching, make sure all other users are logged off. For more information, see "Fast User Switching" in Help and Support Center.
4. We recommend that you perform a full backup of the files that you keep on your computer to an external location, such as an external hard disk, DVD, CD, USB flash drive, or network folder. You can use the Backup and Restore Wizard to back up documents, pictures, and other files. For more information, see "Backing up files and folders" in Help and Support Center.
5. If your computer is running Windows XP Professional, we recommend that you create an Automated System Recovery (ASR) set before you begin the installation. This helps repair your setup if the installation fails. For more information, see "To create an Automated System Recovery set using Backup" and "To recover from a system failure using Automated System Recovery" in Help and Support Center. (If your computer is running Windows XP Home Edition, ignore this step; ASR is not available for Windows XP Home Edition.)
6. Close all open programs.
7. Proceed with the installation, as described in the following section.

Important

• If the configuration of your antivirus software prevents certain system files from being changed, SP3 installation might fail. Try temporarily disabling your antivirus software. You can usually do this by right-clicking your antivirus program icon (which typically appears in the bottom right-hand corner of the computer screen) and clicking Disable.
• If you disable your antivirus software before you install the service pack, be sure that you are aware of the risks involved, and be sure to enable it after the service pack is installed.

Installing Service Pack 3

You can install SP3 either from the Service Pack 3 CD or from the Windows XP Service Pack 3 website (Link available only after SP3 launched officially on Windows Update). The website provides a link to Windows Update, where you can install SP3.

To install Service Pack 3

1. If you install SP3 from the Service Pack 3 CD, the Welcome to Windows XP Service Pack 3 window should automatically open when you insert the product CD. If this window does not appear, click Start, click Run, type Drive:\Autorun.exe (where Drive: is the drive letter associated with your CD-ROM drive), and then press ENTER.
   
   If you obtain SP3 from the website, to install immediately, click Open or Run and follow the instructions on your screen. To install the program later, click Save and download the installation file to your computer. When you are ready to install the service pack, double-click the file.
2. On the Welcome to Windows XP Service Pack 3 window, click Continue.
3. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
4. After the installation is complete, click Finish to restart your computer.
5. If you disabled your antivirus software, enable it again.

Removing Service Pack 3

You can use Add or Remove Programs to remove SP3 and restore your computer to its previous state.

To remove Service Pack 3 by using Add or Remove Programs

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Add or Remove Programs, click Windows XP Service Pack 3, and then click Remove.
3. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.

Important

• If you choose to remove SP3, a dialog box displays a list of the programs that you installed after you installed SP3. If you continue with the removal, these programs might not work correctly.

More about → XP SP3 Build 5512 Final (21 March Release)

Installing IE8

When you install Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 there are a few important things to do before you start. First, I recommend you review the system requirements to make sure IE8 is supported on your computer. Second, take a look at the IE8 Release notes to find known issues and workarounds, so you’ll know what to expect during installation. Third, if the installation fails, we have a knowledge base article on Troubleshooting IE8 installation that guides you through a few workarounds.

Here is some additional information that you might find useful when installing IE8.

Which platforms can I install IE8 on?

IE8 is supported on the following operating systems:

• Windows Vista
• Windows Vista SP1 (final version only - Currently available to MSDN and TechNet Plus subscribers and Volume License customers)
• Windows XP SP2
• Windows XP SP3 (RC2 candidate - Build 3311 or higher)
• Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
• Windows Server 2003 SP2
• Windows Server 2008 (final version only)

IE8 is not supported on pre-release versions of Vista SP1 and XP SP3. When installing on earlier builds of Vista SP1, IE8 just won’t install and you will see this error “The installation does not support your operating system’s current Service Pack version.” When installing on earlier builds of XP SP3, the wizard will proceed but your system will be missing KB946501 which is required for IE8, and hence, your installation will be terminated.

What Operating System languages can IE8 be installed on?

The IE8 beta is currently available in English only. You can install it on any supported localized operating system. For example, if you are running German Windows Vista, you can install IE8. When you switch between languages in the Windows Vista UI, IE8 will continue to appear in English.

How can I tell if I successfully installed IE8?

After IE8 installation is complete, the final screen of the Install Wizard indicates that Internet Explorer installation completed successfully.

After you restart your computer and launch Internet Explorer, you can open the Help->About Internet Explorer dialog to see the version number 8.0.6001.17184

How do I uninstall IE8?

On Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 Platforms:

• Open the Windows Control Panel and click Add or Remove Programs
• Select Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 and click Remove
• Your computer will be reverted to IE6 + previous IE6 security updates or IE7 + previous IE7 security updates
• You can confirm that by going to Tools->Help About next time you launch IE
• Be sure to check for any new security updates

On Vista or Windows Server 2008 Platforms:

• Open Control Panel and click Programs
  • Click Programs and Features, and click View installed updates, and then select Windows Internet Explorer 8
  • Click Uninstall this update
• Your machine will be reverted to IE7 + previous IE7 security updates
• You can confirm that by going to Tools->Help About next time you launch IE
• Be sure to check for any new security updates

Are there any required updates for IE8?

There are 2 required updates for IE8:

• KB943302 –This update is required for Vista RTM installs only. It will be installed for you automatically as long as you leave the “Install the latest updates” option checked when going through the Setup Wizard.

If this update is not on your computer when you try to launch IE8, you will be prompted to manually install this KB.

• KB946501 –This update is required for multi-core XPSP2 x86 computers only. Similar to the one above, this update will be installed for you automatically as long as you keep the “Install the latest updates” option checked when going through the Install Wizard.

If this update fails to install or you unselect the checkbox, you will not be able to install IE8 until this update is on the computer.

You can find out more about updates that get installed during IE8 setup from knowledge base article KB94856.

What do I do when I run into issues installing IE8?

Check out the knowledge base article on Troubleshooting IE8 installation. If after trying the recommended workarounds you still can’t install IE8, go to the IE Beta Newsgroup to see if there are any known solutions available. Microsoft MVPs and IE Team members are monitoring this newsgroup and they will help address your issues.

More about → Installing IE8

IE8 and IP Licensing

Some of the first things users may notice in the Beta 1 release of Internet Explorer 8 are new features such as Activities and WebSlice. We recognize that the technology behind Activities and Webslice relies on innovations that have come out of the community, which of course has had a critical role in the development of the Internet. We also appreciate the community’s deep commitment to permissive IP licensing and to ensuring the continued ability to innovate.

So with these new features and other initiatives we’re launching in Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1, we want to highlight the ways in which we’re using new approaches to licensing the various intellectual property components involved. We carefully chose these new licensing models because they are the models, or facilitate the kinds of free and open uses, that the relevant communities have adopted for themselves. While we will still evaluate the most appropriate way to make specifications and test cases available on a case-by-case basis, here we concluded that the Public Domain, Creative Commons and BSD licenses (for copyrights) and the Microsoft Open Specification Promise (for patents) are the best vehicles for making these technologies available.

In this post I’ll briefly describe how these are all being used, and also point you to links where you can find additional information about them.

Creative Commons and Public Domain for Copyrights in the Specifications

For the OpenService Format and WebSlice Format specs, we’re using two separate Creative Commons vehicles to allow developers to freely use and build on our work. We’re licensing our copyright in the OpenService Format Specification under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License. This license lets others copy, distribute, modify and build upon the specification, even for commercial uses, as long as they simply give credit to Microsoft and license their own changes under the same terms. This license is also consistent with the license adopted by the OpenSearch community, whose work relates to the OpenService Format spec.

We’re setting a new precedent with the WebSlice Format Specification by dedicating our copyright in it to the public domain using the Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication, the first time we’ve used a public domain dedication in connection with one of our specs. This allows anyone to freely copy, distribute, modify and build upon the specification for any purpose, without any additional conditions or obligations whatsoever. In this case, our public domain dedication is in keeping with the expectations of the hAtom Microformats community.

Our use of Creative Commons solutions in connection with these two specs continues our many years of support for and collaboration with that important organization. In addition to using Creative Commons licenses in conjunction with other other specs (including one used in conjunction with Internet Explorer 7) and on websites, Microsoft and Creative Commons have partnered on the creation of an add-in for Microsoft Office that automates the inclusion of Creative Commons licenses into Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. We’re happy to continue our enthusiastic engagement with Creative Commons with the release of these specs today. For more information about Creative Commons, including how you can use Creative Commons licenses on your own works, please visit http://creativecommons.org.

Microsoft Open Specification Promise for Implementations of the Specifications

Microsoft has developed the Open Specification Promise (“OSP”) to provide a simple and clear patent promise to reassure the broad audience of developers and customers that a given specification can be used for free, easily, now and forever. The OSP was developed with feedback from customers and the open source community, and we’re happy to be making both the OpenService Format and WebSlice Format specifications available under the OSP. The use of the OSP confirms that that these two specifications can be implemented for free. Please refer to this page for complete information and details concerning the OSP.

BSD License for Copyright in the Cascading Style Sheets 2.1 Test Suite

Finally, in connection with the Beta 1 release of Internet Explorer 8, we’re also posting a set of tests to validate our interpretation and implementation of the Cascading Style Sheets (“CSS”) 2.1 Specification. In this case, we hope to get feedback from web designers and developers on the tests we’ve submitted to the W3C for inclusion in the W3C’s CSS Working Group Test Suite. We’re licensing this test suite under the BSD License, which allows redistribution and modification of the tests in source and binary forms, subject to a familiar three-paragraph set of conditions. The BSD License is the license the W3C CSS Working Group has proposed using for the rest of its test cases, thus we’re using it here so that our tests can seamlessly transition over to the W3C CSS Working Group.

More about → IE8 and IP Licensing

Mac OSX TigerV v 5.1 for Windows

No windows Blinds Needed.
I bet you've heard numerous of times that a lot of Windows Vista interface is copied from Mac OSX. Want to check out Mac OSX interface yourself but can't afford one or can't get the Intel version of Mac OSX installed? Your last option would be to install a Mac OSX theme on Windows.
Here's one of the best Mac OS X theme for OSX and non-OSX users who want the look of OSX on Windows.


Features:
# 7 styles to choose from! (Tiger, Pinstripe, Smooth Metal + bonus Milk Glass� plus graphite alternatives)
# Compact Style without Spotlight
# 3 font choices� Lucida grande 8, Bold 8 and Bold 7 (Install the fonts included!)
# Pixel Perfect Finder
# OSX Cursors (with inf installation and are applied via the theme files)
# Tiger wallpaper (applied via the theme files)
# Iceman�s OSX Sounds (applied via the theme files)
# ObjectDock theme package
# Lucida Grande Fonts

Unfortunately, installing the theme is not a one click thing. However, it's not that hard if you follow the steps below.

.. Install Uxtheme Multi-patcher 5.5(Included in .rar File) (StyleXP would work but because it's shareware, I'd opt for Uxtheme)
2. Click on the Patch button.



3.Uxtheme will identify your Windows version and confirm.
4. In a few seconds, you'll get a Windows File Protection popup like the picture below. It is IMPORTANT that you click on the Cancel button.



5. It will again prompt you "Are you sure you want to keep these unrecognized file versions?" Click YES.
6. Restart your computer.
7. Copy the TigerV folder and TigerV .theme files to XP's defaulttheme directory which is usually located atC:WINDOWSResourcesThemes. You can directly go to the Themes folderby double clicking the "Shortcut to Themes".
8. Right click on your Desktop and select Properties. Click on the Theme dropdown and you'll see "Tiger V" in the list.



Select Tiger V and click OK button to change your theme to Mac OSX.

More about → Mac OSX TigerV v 5.1 for Windows