Windows

So, the dog didn't eat my homework. What made me late to work today was the new Windows Vista-compatible printer driver for my HP all-in-one printer.

My editor happens to have the same model I do, the Photosmart 3210. We've both been waiting for a full Vista-ready driver for a while now, making do thus far with a basic printer driver.

This morning, he sent me a note that the driver was finally ready. Throwing caution to the wind, I decided to try and install it in the half hour I had before I needed to leave the … Read more

Microsoft said late last week that it will make a change to the licensing terms for Windows Vista, allowing those who purchase a boxed copy of Vista and then upgrade to a pricier version to move that higher-end edition to other machines down the road.

The software maker had already changed the Vista licensing terms to allow retail buyers to move their copy to an unlimited number of new machines, so long as it was only on one PC at a time. However, Windows enthusiasts noted that the terms did not allow users to move a retail copy once it … Read more

A recent update to the Microsoft antivirus engine for Windows Live OneCare will quarantine the PST file used to store e-mail messages for Microsoft Outlook, preventing access to messages, appointments, tasks and journal entries. It affects versions of Outlook, including Outlook 97 and 2000, and Outlook Express running on Windows XP when the .pst file contains an infected attachment. Microsoft will issue an update on Patch Tuesday, March 13, 2007. In the meantime, in a post on one of the Microsoft forums, Microsoft representatives suggest the following actions to regain access to lost e-mail:

1. Close the Outlook or Outlook … Read more

Nikon has fixed a problem in software that caused problems with photos that people labeled and ranked using Windows Vista and the Microsoft Photo Info tool.

The camera maker published new codec software on its Web site that lets the Microsoft software understand its cameras' "raw" images, those taken directly from the image sensor without in-camera processing. With the earlier codec, if customers added metadata such as photo subjects and rankings such as four out of five stars, those images became unreadable in third-party editing software such as Photoshop.

"Updating an NEF (Nikon's raw format) file'… Read more

Microsoft would prefer that the press spend more time focusing on Windows Vista and less time writing about what will come next.

After a story in PC World last week quoted a Microsoft security executive saying the next Windows operating system would come in about two and a half years, the company put out a statement Tuesday saying discussion of the next Windows is premature.

"The launch of Windows Vista was an incredibly exciting moment for our customers and partners around the world, and the company is focused on the value Windows Vista will bring to people today," … Read more

Bill Gates apparently doesn't see much humor in Apple's "Mac vs. PC" ads.

In an interview with Newsweek, the Microsoft chairman defends the Windows-using masses.

"I don't think the over 90 percent of the (population) who use Windows PCs think of themselves as dullards, or the kind of klutzes that somebody is trying to say they are," he said.

He also takes umbrage at the notion that upgrading to Vista amounts to major surgery.

"Well, certainly we've done a better job letting you upgrade on the hardware than our competitors have … Read more

Bloggers are wondering if a teaser ad that Microsoft placed in a Consumer Electronics Show guide is a sign that Microsoft's rumored online storage service, Windows Live Drive, could be ready.

On first read, that seems a likely conclusion.

"All together now," the ad's headline reads. "Announcing a new way to share, protect and store what matters most."

However, a source close to Microsoftland says Live Drive is no longer, well, live. Instead, the ad appears to be more of a tease for some sort of local storage option, possibly some type of home … Read more

Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer still have travel plans to Iowa, but they can push off the trip for a while.

According to Microsoft, the plaintiffs in a class-action suit in the 29th state won't call the Microsoft chairman and chief executive. The plaintiffs, who allege Microsoft overcharged Iowans for Windows and Office, had won the right to call the pair of executives as part of their case.

Although the plaintiffs have changed their minds, Microsoft still plans to have Gates and Ballmer testify when it presents its case.

"This doesn't change our strategy to call Bill … Read more

The long road to the final release of Microsoft's Windows Vista refresh has taken another small step forward: On Friday morning, the company announced that it has released interim build 5728 of the much-anticipated operating system. In other words, selected beta testers--primarily developers and other technical audiences--will now have access to a more updated version of Vista that more closely mirrors what Microsoft will eventually release.

The interim build includes changes based on feedback to the Release Candidate 1 version delivered at the start of September, Microsoft said. Vista, which has been in beta since July and has seen … Read more