Chat With Us At Microsoft Technical Chat

By DustinPosted on

Today at 10:00am PST (11:00 MST), meet up with friends, colleagues, and new faces at a Microsoft chat. Up for discussion is Windows 7, Office 2010, and other general discussion. Should be very informative for all! Hope to see you there!

Would you like to learn more about the cool new features in Office 2010 and Windows 7 and what has changed since previous versions? Do you use Microsoft Office but would like to learn tips and tricks to be more productive at home, school or at work? Perhaps you are a new user who has questions on how to get started with Windows 7 or using the Office ribbon? Or would like to learn how to protect your computer from malware and viruses. Or perhaps you are just stuck and need answers. The Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) are here to help! The MVPs are the same people you see in the technical community as authors, trainers, user groups leaders and answerers in the Microsoft forums. For the first time ever we have brought these experts together as a collective group to answer your questions live. MVPs will be on hand to take questions about Microsoft Office 2010 or Office 2007 products such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Project, OneNote and more. As well as the Windows 7 and earlier versions such as Windows Vista. In addition to Microsoft Office, the chat will cover Windows related topics such as upgrading, setup and installation, securing your PC, Internet Explorer, personalizing your computer desktop or having fun with Windows Live Essentials to share photos, make movies and more. All levels of experience are welcome from beginners and students to intermediate power users. Please join us for this informative Q&A style chat and bring on your basic and your tough questions!

Is Quality Enough For Windows Phone 7

By DustinPosted on

Neowin attempts to answer the question “Is Quality Enough for Windows Phone 7”? There is no doubt that Windows Phone 7 is any good; it is. Now, it just has to persuade the consumers that they NEED it. From what I’ve seen already, I may look into replacing my Android powered phone. Of course, I need to wait a bit until my apps are able to be replaced (Google Sky Maps, Maps, GPS, etc.). If Microsoft and/or other developers can do that, I will have a new phone straight away! I am already looking into doing a little development on the platform myself. Nothing major, just a few little utilities.

If we could pretend that iOS, Android, and WP7 all came out at the same time, WP7 would be my easy pick for front-runner. Personally, I’m a fan of the Android OS and of open source products in general. However, if they tried to compete with WP7 after a simultaneous release, they wouldn’t stand a chance in the consumer market. Mircosoft’s retail marketing machine would indeed be an extremely difficult opponent to overcome. However, reality is reality, and Google Android has had a huge head start on the market that Apple wasn’t able or willing to gobble up. Android will take a solid hit with the release of a decent competitor, but it will take some serious marketing and industry tactics, both strong areas for Microsoft, to actually surpass Android’s continual chokehold on the mobile OS industry.

Upcoming Windows Phone 7 Games

By DustinPosted on

Sure, we all use our phones to call people. But, anybody can make a phone that does that. Where they really shine is when you are sitting in a waiting room for an hour or two, bored, and wanting to waste some time. Most phones have internet browsers, but what most people want are the games! Microsoft has a decent lineup of upcoming games to be available when the phones are finally going out the door. Judging from the videos, these phones are going to be beasts and should be pretty darn good in the graphics department. Of course, I don’t get the whole Zombie appeal these days. What’s with that? Now, just as with the phone, there begs the question: Will they be any good?

Microsoft is pushing games as a big reason to buy the phones. At a press conference Monday morning, the company showed off some titles gamers can look forward to from Electronic Arts and others, and previewed the way the phones will integrate with the Xbox Live online gaming service for Xbox 360. (Msnbc.com is a joint venture of NBC Universal and Microsoft.)

Microsoft Addresses Zeus Malware in Latest Update

By DustinPosted on

Microsoft has updated their Malicious Software Removal Tool to include the new Zeus malware. This comes two weeks after law enforcement officials busted up the gang responsible for the malware infection.

On Tuesday, Microsoft started detecting Zeus with its Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) — a widely used virus removal program that’s free for Windows users. That should make it harder for the many criminals who use Zeus to keep running their software on computers that don’t have antivirus software installed — often an easy target up until now.

Windows Phone 7: Not That Different

By DustinPosted on

Well, there is always someone to rain on Microsoft’s parade, this time over at Fortune Magazines website. I think I can assume she owns an iPhone, probably. While I’ve yet to see any Windows Phone 7 devices in person, from what I hear, I have been proven very wrong. I have said in the past that it may be too little, too late. Well, it certainly isn’t too little. As far as too late, only time will tell if they can rip back some market share.

But good is not enough. I’m not talking about a couple of missing feature like copy and paste, which the company promises will arrive shortly. Can Microsoft create a platform that stands out enough to compete with Android and Apple? Will it be different enough that consumers are hungry for it? Will it be pervasive enough that developers want to invest limited resources in making appls for it?

Verizon Likes Microsoft, Not Windows Phone 7

By DustinPosted on

Verizon has said that they will be supporting Apple, Google and RIM Blackberry instead of Microsoft. Microsoft messed up some up their reputation when they launched and then killed the KIN a couple months later.

The comments come ahead of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 event in New York, which will involve America’s number-two wireless carrier AT&T. T-Mobile, the US number-three, will also talk about devices it plans to ship once Windows Phone 7 is available.

Microsoft to Patch 49 Holes Next Tuesday

By DustinPosted on

Next Tuesday, you may need to take an extended break if you are doing manual Windows Updates, with 49 of them coming down the hatch. It makes sense to have them set to automatic, if you don’t already.

Microsoft will fix a record 49 vulnerabilities in its Patch Tuesday release next week that will involve 16 security bulletins affecting Windows, Internet Explorer, Office, and the .NET framework.

IE Most At Risk For DLL Attacks

By DustinPosted on

I’ve been an on again/off again user of Internet Explorer, and think I am staying with IE9 (for now!). But, IE users are most at risk for DLL highjacking attacks. I’m not sure if this will affect IE9, but it makes sense to stay updated. There have been times when Firefox has been hit with a big vulnerability and I jump ship to Opera or Chrome until it is fixed, and I don’t mind doing it with IE9 if needed.

When running on Windows XP, Internet Explorer 6 (IE6), IE7 and IE8 do not warn users when they click on a malicious link that automatically downloads a malicious dynamic link library, or DLL, to the PC, said Mitja Kolsek, the CEO of Slovenian security company Acros Security.

Most IT Shops Still Use Server 2003

By DustinPosted on

Similar to Windows XP, most IT shops are staying with Server 2003 even though it has dropped mainstream support and is in Extended Support until July 2015. This puts a lot of businesses in risk for a security breach or outage. I guess “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” applies for a bit longer…. Until it breaks and they go down for a bit. I’m quite a bit more proactive in supporting my servers. I stay up to date. If the new version doesn’t have many new features, I’ll hold off, but not at the expense of security or stability.

“The greater the changes, the less likely Microsoft will fix even security problems,” Cherrysaid. “Looking at the degree of change in Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2, it is becoming riskierto continue to run on Windows Server 2003.”

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FixWin: A multi problem fix tool for Windows

By DustinPosted on

TheWindowsClub has posted another free program, this time it is FixWin, which is a GUI for fixing common problems with Windows Vista and Windows 7. Always good those users that want a quick solution for a problem. Always be sure to create a Restore Point before doing any of these automatic fixes (unless, of course, your System Restore isn’t working!).

Does your Recycle Bin not refresh correctly? Or maybe you find that for some reason your right click context menu has been disabled in Internet Explorer! Or perhaps things are not fine with your Windows Media Center and you need to flush & rebuild Windows Media Center database! Maybe you opted to be not-warned while deleting Sticky Notes and you now want the warning dialog box back! Or then perhaps, post a malware attack you find that your task manage or cmd or your Registry Editor has been disabled! Fixes for these and many more such common Windows problems are being offered here.

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