Windows XP validation programme launched in UK
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Microsoft has begun a short-term validation programme aimed at tackling software piracy. Users are invited to have their copies of Windows XP analysed, with the promise that they will be replaced free of charge if found to be counterfeit.
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underpar writes &quot;According to this ZDNet.com article, Microsoft &#39;has launched a pilot program in which some visitors to the main Windows download page are being asked to let the software maker check to see whether their copy of the operating system is
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Security-focused Windows XP update can be tough on applications. Guidelines are meant to help professionals "test and mitigate."
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Several weeks ago The News-Press featured an excellent article on what the Windows XP user should expect when Microsoft releases Windows XP Service Pack 2. So I&#39;m pretty sure most Good Booters are aware if they&#39;re in doubt as to whether or not to install
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With the latest update to Microsoft Corp.&#39;s Windows XP operating system, personal computers will soon join parents, bosses, teachers and spouses as a source of nagging in your life.
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Welsh language campaigners welcome Microsoft's move to run Windows XP and Office 2003 in Welsh.
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A pilot program at the Microsoft Download Center will require users to validate their Windows license in exchange for access to file downloads. Users with counterfeit software may find themselves locked out altogether.
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Windows XP Service Pack 2 promises to raise the security bar for the sometimes beleaguered operating system. Unfortunately, one of the new features could be spoofed so that it reports misleading information
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Microsoft is making a major push to get Windows users to embrace the security-focused overhaul to its XP computer operating system.
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Federal agencies required to ensure security of their Windows XP and Vista PCs by the end of February are going to get some tools to help them.
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Microsoft&#39;s big Windows patch gets snapped up by consumers, but many businesses are still testing it. By John Foley. Microsoft&#39;s Windows XP Service Pack 2 is now in the hands of more than 100 million users, the company disclosed on Wednesday.
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Microsoft and several partners launched on Monday two IT training programs in the U.K. in an effort to increase the employability of those who lack basic computer skills.
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Microsoft is warning Windows XP users to check for and remove any spyware that may be installed on computer systems before installing the Windows XP service pack 2 (SP2), security update.
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The long awaited âService Pack 2â for Windows XP has finally been released, not without problems though. If youâve got a good bit of computer experience, then installing
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Barely hours after home users started securing their PCs with a key update for Windows XP, security experts have found ways around it.
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Earlier this year Microsoft released a major security update for Windows XP, which was designed to strengthen the operating systemâs defences against attack from viruses and hackers.
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(InfoWorld) - Microsoft blamed human error for aÂ Windows Genuine Advantage problem that identified legitimate Windows users as piratesÂ last week. "Nothing more than human error started it all," Alex Kochis, senior product manager for Windows Genuine Advantage at Microsoft wrote on the company blog Tuesday night. New software was accidentally loaded onto the live servers running the system, he said. That ultimately caused the servers to decline activation and validation requests that were good, he wrote. While Microsoft quickly noticed the problem and rolled back the changes within a half hour, the problem continued to affect the validation service, he said. The activation process was fixed in that time frame, he said. The company is implementing some changes to make sure a similar incident doesn't happen again. It is improving monitoring in order to find out sooner if there is a problem, he said. Microsoft is also adding checkpoints that should prevent accidental changes to the servers. Kochis' explanation is fine but the incident is still troubling, said Michael Cherry, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft. "I think it's unsettling for people when it doesn't validate," he said. While it's great that Microsoft has put some new procedures in place, Cherry was surprised that it was even "feasible" for someone to accidentally load the wrong code into the live environment. "It just raises the question of what other things have they not done," he said. In his blog post, Kochis clarified that an existing policy will automatically validate all users if the WGA servers are down but that in this case, the servers weren't down, so that policy didn't kick in. With that policy in place, Cherry wonders why Microsoft didn't just take the servers down while they were diagnosing and fixing the problem so that legitimate users wouldn't continue to have issues. The problem began on Friday evening and lasted through Saturday afternoon. During that time, some users incorrectly failed the validation process, leaving them unable to use certain features including Windows Aero, Windows ReadyBoost, and some features of Windows Defender and Windows Update. Affected users also saw a message in the corner of their screen that said "This copy of Windows is not genuine." WGA has been criticized since its unveiling in 2005. The system, which works for Windows XP and Vista users, is meant to help Microsoft disable software pirates, but some users say it's cumbersome. In addition, Microsoft faces two class action suits that characterize WGA as spyware and cite concerns over how Microsoft uses data it collects about users through the program.