Microsoft to offer Windows Home Server perks
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The company plans to release Power Pack 1, a collection of fixes, enhancements, and features to its software for servers in the home.
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(InfoWorld) - Microsoft will introduce a new system for fighting software piracy with its upcoming Windows Vista and Windows Longhorn Server operating systems, the company said Wednesday. Called the Microsoft Software Protection Platform, it's a collection of technologies that aims to do better at detecting pirated versions of Windows, and will also force unauthorized versions of its software into a limited-functionality mode, encouraging users to obtain a legal copy. People using unlicensed copies of Vista will be blocked from accessing certain features, including a new interface design called Windows Aero, and software for fighting pop-up advertisements called Windows Defender, Microsoft said. The company has already used a reduced functionality mode with Windows XP. Users with an unlicensed versions of Windows will also see a persistent reminder message in the corner of their screen, reading "This copy of Windows is not genuine." The new software is bound to come under scrutiny. Microsoft's previous attempt to reduce unauthorized use of its software, Windows Genuine Advantage, was partially rolled back after it wasÂ criticized as "spyware"Â for stealthily installing itself on users' PCs and reporting information back to Microsoft. Microsoft said the new technologies are necessary to fight software piracy, and said end-users can also benefit because they are less likely to be exposed to faulty or compromised software. End-users installing pirated Vista copies, or who don't register their software using a product key within 30 days, will have their OS functionality reduced. The product key is an ID number assigned to customers for each purchase of Windows. The company said it will also be able to track more easily when products are activated with product keys that have been stolen from a business. Regardless of the authenticity of their Vista copy, all users will have access to Microsoft security updates, the company said. For businesses that use volume license keys for Vista and Longhorn Server, Microsoft will introduce new, policy-based tools for activating those systems. The new tools, called Microsoft Volume Activation 2.0, won't be linked to Microsoft's software billing systems, the company said. Windows Vista and Windows Server Longhorn -- the code name for the next version of Microsoftâs server software -- will be the first products to ship with the antipiracy technologies, but they'll eventually be used in more of its products. Around 35 percent of all software installed worldwide in 2005 was pirated or unlicensed, Microsoft said, citing a figure from the Business Software Alliance, an industry group. More information isÂ available here.Â
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MICROSOFT Corp announced the broad availability of its Windows Storage Server 2003 (WSS2003) solution for South Asia markets, in conjunction with the TechEd 2004 developer conference here yesterday.
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Blog: Microsoft announces public download of Windows Home Server Release Candidate
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Microsoft Corp. plans a Dec. 1 release for the latest version of its server software that aims to give companies more secure instant messaging and other corporate communications tools.
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Progress can be seen in security enhancements being made to Windows Server 2003, says Microsoft&#39;s CEO. By Associated Press. Microsoft Corp.
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Microsoft wants to make it easy for users to upgrade among editions of the next Windows.
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Microsoft's Windows Server 2008 could now be released in March or April of next year.
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Microsoft plans to ship the first release candidate of Service Pack 1 for Windows Server 2003 by year's end and will release a developer's kit for the high-performance computing version of Windows Server next month.
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Microsoft's technology-laden home of the future will feature smart appliances connected by Web services and controlled by tablet PCs or cell phones.
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SAN FRANCISCO - Microsoft Corp. has started recruiting testers for the first beta of Windows Server 2003 R2, an update to Windows Server that the vendor plans to ship in October next year.
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Microsoft said it plans to offer tools based on Giant&#39;s technology that will help protect Windows PCs from spyware and other deceptive software.
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Microsoft said Tuesday that it has released a near-final test version of updates to its Windows and Windows Server operating systems.
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Microsoft plans to ship the first feature update to Windows Home Server "sometime this spring," says an exec. But there was no word on when the company will patch a data corruption bug.
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Microsoft has unveiled a mid-range storage system that it said will make it quicker and easier to back-up and recover files from Windows servers.
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Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled the 2004 version of its Host Integration Server (HIS) product, which is designed to integrate IBM mainframes and servers with Windows systems.
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As we detailed earlier this week, Windows Home Server -- Microsoft's latest iteration of Windows designed for linking together multiple computers in a home network and sharing media -- has reached Release Candidate 1 status. A 30-day trial download is now available.