Microsoft launches second big trial of new Windows
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Microsoft Corp. said it is  launching on Tuesday its second major test version of the  Windows Vista operating system, which the company has said it  plans to debut next year.
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Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday released new test versions of what company co-founder Bill Gates called its three most important products: Windows Vista for desktop computers, Windows for servers and the Office business software suite.
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(InfoWorld) - Microsoft Corp. has released another test version of an update to its virtualization software, which will be built into the next version of the Windows Server OS. On Thursday Microsoft released Beta 2 of Virtual Server 2005 Release 2 Service Pack 1 (R2 SP1), an update that will add new functionality to the existing version of Virtual Server 2005 once it is generally available. The software, which should be in full release by the first calendar quarter of 2007, can beÂ downloaded for free. New features included in Beta 2 of the software are support for Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s virtualization technology, as well as new integration with Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft said. The software also includes what is called a Volume Shadow Service, which improves the server backup process, according to Microsoft. Instead of scheduling downtime to back up each virtual machine individually, the software will take snapshots of physical machines. Those physical machines will in turn take snapshots of all the virtual machines on the physical host. This enables server administrators to keep virtual machines up and running even while backing them up. Beta 2 of Virtual Server R2 SP1 also includes new offline virtual hard disk (VHD) mounting, which enables customers to view and manipulate files in a VHD without having to start a virtual machine. This enables administrators to easily deploy scripts and perform virus scans across VHDs without having to start each virtual machine, Microsoft said. Microsoft introduced Virtual Server in October 2004. The product enables virtualization of Windows so multiple instances can run simultaneously on one server as if they were running on multiple servers. Microsoft has said virtualization capabilities that are available in its Virtual Server 2005 product will be built into the next version of Windows Server OS, code-named Longhorn, which is slated to be available sometime next year.
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Microsoft Corp.  launched  Windows Vista for businesses on Thursday, unveiling the first  major upgrade of its dominant operating system in five years  and predicting that over 200 million people will run new  Windows, Office or PC server software by the end of 2007.
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With Windows XP Service Pack 2 out the door, Microsoft turns its sights to the next operating system.
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Microsoft's attempt to win over new users with a cut-down version of Windows has come in for strong criticism.
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Microsoft Corp.  released on  Friday the final test version of its upcoming Windows operating  system and said the launch for the highly-anticipated upgrade  is running on schedule.
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The new version adds more than 50 new features, including the ability to open any file from Windows or Mac OS X using an application from either operating system.
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Although the next version of Windows is still about two years from release, Microsoft on Friday offered developers an early look at the new graphics engine that will accompany it.
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Microsoft on Thursday released a free trial copy of antispyware software it purchased last month, marking the company's entry into the fast-growing market for products that block surreptitious snooping programs, and promised monthly releases of tools to stop new malicious software.
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Microsoft released a refresh of its first service pack for Vista to beta testers on Thursday, indicating the final release might be near.On Thursday, beta users of SP1 received an e-mail from Microsoft alerting them that Vista SP1 refresh 2 is available for download. Microsoft released the latest build, which addressed a small number of bugs that testers encountered in the previous version, to around 15,000 beta users, the company said.Microsoft issued Vista SP1 Release Candidate in December&#160;and a refresh earlier this month. It has said that the&#160;final Vista SP1 will be available to the public during the first quarter of this year, with some reports suggesting that it might come out as soon as Feb. 15.The fact that Microsoft even has a beta of SP1 and has now issued two refreshes to it indicates that the company is trying to be very careful in testing the software and ensuring compatibility, said Andrew Brust, chief of new technology for consulting firm twentysix New York. &quot;They are working hard to under-promise/over-deliver,&quot; he said. &quot;Given the dynamics around the initial release of Vista, that is a prudent course to pursue.&quot;Because it&#39;s quite unusual to issue a beta and multiple refreshes, Microsoft is likely very close to issuing the final public version of SP1, Brust said.That will depend, however, on any problems that testers may find in the newest refresh. If something is broken, Microsoft will have to spend time fixing it, said Chris Swenson, an analyst at NPD Group. &quot;We&#39;re just in wait-and-see mode,&quot; he said.The release of a second refresh doesn&#39;t provide many more clues about when to expect the final version of SP1, agreed Michael Cherry, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft. &quot;The only thing is that we know they are making progress, but we don&#39;t know how close they are,&quot; he saidStill, the initial indication from people who have been testing SP1 is that it&#39;s pretty solid, so it&#39;s reasonable to think the final version might come out in a couple weeks, Swenson said.The final public release of SP1 could boost Vista sales, at least among enterprise users, since&#160;some companies have said they are waiting for the release of SP1&#160;before upgrading from XP to Vista. Consumers, however, don&#39;t appear to have decided to wait. Retail PC sales were up last year and less than 1 percent of all computers including Macs that sold in retail outlets last year had XP, Swenson said. &quot;It&#39;s more of an issue for businesses,&quot; he said.
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The European Commission has opened two new antitrust investigations of Microsoft&#39;s activities.The first case is in response to a complaint from the European Committee for Interoperable Systems, a Brussels-based trade group of which Opera Software is a member, and concerns the interoperability of Windows with other software, the Commission said Monday.The second investigation is looking into Microsoft&#39;s tactic of bundling software products with its Windows operating system. This follows a complaint to the Commission by Opera, a Norwegian browser developer.Both issues featured in the Commission&#39;s landmark March 2004 antitrust decision against Microsoft, which the company unsuccessfully challenged in court.(More to come.)
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Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O said on Tuesday   that is has begun widespread testing of Windows Vista, the   long-awaited new version of the operating system that sits on   more than 90 percent of the world's PCs.
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Seattle -- There&#39;s only one problem with Microsoft&#39;s Service Pack 2, a key upgrade to the popular Windows XP operating system: It turns some computers into large, expensive doorstops.
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(InfoWorld) - Microsoft kicked off the day-long launch of itsÂ Vista operating system,Â Office 2007 suite, andÂ Exchange Server 2007Â applications for enterprise users with events at three locations in Asia Thursday. It's the first time that new versions of Windows and Office have been launched simultaneously since 1995 and that makes it one of Microsoft's biggest launches in years. The three products became available Thursday to volume licensing customers. Consumer versions won't be available until next year. "I'm super excited about this launch today. It's been a very long journey but now I can say that we have truly arrived," said Darren Huston, president and chief executive officer of Microsoft's Japan unit. The launch, which began with an event Sydney and was followed with similar events in Tokyo and Beijing, provided Microsoft a stage from which to talk-up the three products and showcase some of the businesses that have already committed to roll-outs. Microsoft Japan already has 57 companies that have said they'll roll out at least one of the three products. The list includes some big names like Sharp, Sanyo Electric, McDonalds Holdings Company (Japan), Nikon, major electric power generator Chubu Electric Power Co., computer game maker Capcom Co., and trading company Itochu. Interest from potential usersÂ in Japan has been high, said Huston. Of 5 million downloads and 1 billion user sessions conducted as part of the beta testing for Windows Vista, about 20 percent have been by users in Japan. The country accounts for about 10 percent of the global IT market. Speaking in Tokyo Jay Jamison, leader of Microsoft's Windows business group in Japan, said, "We are hopeful and optimistic that in Japan Windows Vista will be the most successful business OS release of Windows ever." In Australia companies including BDO Chartered Accountants & Advisers and alcoholic beverage manufacturer and distributor Lion Nathan have already begun testing the products. Later Thursday Microsoft will hold launch events in Munich, London, Paris, Toronto, and New York. A consumer version of Windows Vista is due on Jan. 30 next year in many countries. (Rodney Gedda of Computerworld Australia contributed to this report)
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REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft's coming-out party for Windows Vista, its long-anticipated operating system, has a Cecil B. DeMille feel. The new Windows is the product of a cast of literally millions: more than 2 million consumers and businesses who tested it and offered their advice; tens of thousands of hardware and software partners who have helped mold the visually gripping operating system; and thousands of Microsoft employees who have sweated out the details.
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Customers using Windows XP Embedded will be able to use a downloadable preview to test the new software for conflicts with existing drivers.