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The wonderful world of Microsoft and their operating systems, Windows XP, Windows 2000, NT, 98, Longhorn, Windows 2003, Windows ME, etc, are ever changing, with news and info coming at you from all directions. We try to wade through the crap to bring you Windows XP news and info you can rely on, and return too again and again.
We hope you find what you are looking for here on the Windows Tips website, we cover many operating systems, from Windows 95, Windows Me, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows NT, to applications like Office 95, 97 and XP, Frontpage, Outlook Express, Internet Explorer, Netscape's Internet browser, Quicken and many more, as well as many links to all kinds of Computer Hardware. Links to these pages and many more are located on the left side of the page. You should also check out the Windows Help Guides from www.windowsreinstall.com, they contain a HUGE amount of great Windows info, a great Free Newsletter, and lots and lots of info on Windows XP, it's a very helpful site, visit and bookmark it today!
Or visit the Tech forums for specific help on computers, operating systems, error messages, case mods, gaming pc's, and lot's more, or just stop by and chew the fat with the rest of us, someone is always there!
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You'll also want to check out the new windows xp networking webpage, for all those people who are having trouble with windows xp networking, internet connections and internet connection sharing through routers, and the wireless internet page, the latest hot thing in IT. We scour the internet collecting tips from sites such as Microsoft, CNet and others, while adding some tips and experiences of our own, if you can't find what you are looking for now, you will soon so check back daily.

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Microsoft warns of a score of security holes

Oct 13 2004-Microsoft released on Tuesday fixes that cover at least 20 Windows flaws, several of which could make versions of the operating system vulnerable to new worms or viruses.
At least six of the flaws could make the OS susceptible to programs similar to the MSBlast worm and its variants, which have infected more than 8 million computers since last August. Another flaw affects a common file used by Internet Explorer, Outlook and Outlook Express and opens the way for the type of virus that executes when PC users click a specially crafted Web link.
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Microsoft warns of 22 new security flaws

Oct 12 2004-Microsoft on Tuesday published 10 software security advisories, warning Windows users and corporate administrators of 22 new flaws that affect the company's products.
The advisories, and patches published with the bulletins, range from an "important" flaw affecting only Microsoft Windows NT Server to a collection of eight security holes, including three rated "critical," that leave Internet Explorer open to attack. Microsoft's highest severity rating for software flaws is its "critical" ranking, while "important" is considered slightly less severe.
One flaw, in Microsoft Excel, even affects Apple Computer's Mac OS X.
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Microsoft to tune up Media Center PC

Oct 10 2004-With the next generation of Media Center PCs, you'll be able to have your TV and record it too.
For the first time, Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition is supporting multiple tuners, meaning that consumers will be able to watch one channel while recording another or record two stations at once, CNET News.com has learned. The feature is one of several improvements Microsoft has made with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, an update that the company plans to announce next week.
At the same time, Microsoft is also allowing computer makers to create Media Center PCs that lack the TV recording feature altogether, a move that will allow computer makers to offer PCs with the operating system for less than $800. It's all part of an effort by Microsoft to position Media Center as a more mainstream consumer OS.
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Millions of Dell power adapters recalled

Oct 09 2004-About 4.4 million AC adapters sold worldwide with Dell notebooks between September 1998 and February 2002 were recalled Friday.
Dell sold the adapters with its Latitude, Inspiron and Precision series of computers, as well as separately. Delta Electronics, based in Taipei, Taiwan, manufactured them.
As part of the recall, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission advised consumers who suspect they have one of the adapters to contact the company. Dell will send free replacements to customers with the recalled adapters. The recall website is here.
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Oracle e-mails urge scare tactics

Oct 07 2004-Three days before Oracle publicly announced its intention to buy PeopleSoft, the deal was already viewed as a way to sow seeds of doubt in the minds of PeopleSoft customers.
Mark Jarvis, who was Oracle's chief marketing officer at the time, suggested in an internal June 3, 2003, e-mail that the company "use this news in order to create FUD with prospects and customers alike." FUD is a common term in the computer industry that describes a campaign to spread misinformation or exaggerations.
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HP tells Sun to get its facts straight

Oct 05 2004-Hewlett-Packard has formally demanded that Sun Microsystems and its president, Jonathan Schwartz, stop publishing what it calls "misleading and factually incorrect statements" about HP's commitment to its version of Unix--but Sun is standing firm.
On Sept. 28, HP sent Sun a letter criticizing Sun publications saying the HP-UX operating system is doomed, due mostly to the chips that HP is pairing with the operating system. HP said its strategy is sound and Sun's assertions are completely unfounded. "We want our customers to know we're committed to HP-UX for the long term," Don Jenkins, vice president of marketing for HP's Business Critical Systems group, said in an interview.
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Ballmer calls security a never-ending battle

Oct 04 2004-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says the task of trying to stay one step ahead of virus writers and hackers will be a never-ending battle.
Speaking at a gathering of U.K. press, Ballmer said Microsoft's "trustworthy computing" is far more than just a one-off initiative.
"We will be working on 'trustworthy computing ' for the rest of my days at Microsoft, which I hope are many. There are bad people out there in cyberspace and they are not going to go away. We are going to have to be vigilant. That's going to last for the duration," he said.
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Microsoft to offer anti-spyware

Oct 01 2004-Microsoft plans to offer its own anti-spyware software, Chairman Bill Gates said Friday.
Gates said Microsoft will offer software to detect malicious applications and that the company will keep it up-to-date on an ongoing basis. He did not say when the software would be available or whether Microsoft would charge for it.
Although progress is being made against spam and viruses, Gates said the adware and malware problem is getting worse.
"This malware thing is so bad," he said in a speech at the Computer History Museum here. "Now that's the one that has us really needing to jump in."
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Desktop Linux a vehicle for pirating Windows

Sep 30 2004-PCs running Linux are growing in popularity in part because they can be loaded with a pirated copy of Windows, according to a study from analyst Gartner.
The consulting firm issued a report on Wednesday stating that about 40 percent of Linux PCs will be modified to run an illegal copy of Windows, a bait-and-switch maneuver that lowers the cost of obtaining a Windows PC.
In emerging markets, where desktop Linux enjoys wider popularity, the trend is even starker. Around 80 percent of the time, Linux will be removed for a pirated copy of Windows. Pirated copies sell for around $1 in the streets of Shanghai and other cities in Asia and Eastern Europe, but can also be bought in stores selling brand name PCs.
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Start-up OQO to launch hand-size PC

Sep 29 2004-The company that first popularized the concept of a PC that fits in your hand will launch its first model next month, after two years of delays.
OQO will launch its tiny computer Oct. 14 in San Francisco, according to an invitation from the company. The upstart has created a full-fledged Windows XP computer, called OQO model 01, that is about the same size and shape as a Palm organizer or Pocket PC. The unit can also be inserted into a docking station.
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Microsoft focuses on camera connections

Sep 29 2004-Microsoft announced several new efforts this week to make it easier to connect digital cameras to PCs.
The software giant announced at the Photokina trade show in Germany that it will extend Media Transfer Protocol (MTP), technology it introduced earlier this year for connecting portable media devices with Windows PCs, to include cameras and other digital imaging devices.
MTP support will be added to Windows XP through planned updates and incorporated into future versions of the operating system, McLauchlan said. The upshot is that cameras will be able to connect to PCs without the installation of special drivers, PC software created by the device manufacturer to govern the device's connection with the PC operating system.
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IBM supercomputer sets world speed record

Sep 29 2004-An IBM machine has reclaimed the title of world's fastest supercomputer, overtaking a Japanese computer that had caused shock waves at U.S. government agencies when it set a computing speed record in 2002.
Supercomputing technologies were widely viewed as indicators of national industrial prowess in the 1980s and 1990s. They are used extensively in weapons design.
More recently, federal officials have become concerned that lagging investment in high-performance computing could leave the United States vulnerable to competition in industries ranging from biotechnology to materials science.
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Industry veterans bet on open-source model

Sep 28 2004-A team of computer industry veterans, including a former Microsoft executive, are launching an open-source company that aims to be the Dell of the software industry.
The company, called SourceLabs, will provide certification, testing and ongoing support services for open-source software components. On Tuesday, the company announced that it has received $3.5 million in initial funding from Ignition Partners and Index Ventures.
The idea behind SourceLabs is that corporate customers need a reliable partner to procure and maintain open-source products, much as they rely on Dell to provide computing gear, said Brad Silverberg, lead investor at Ignition and a former Microsoft senior vice president who helped expand the software giant's Windows business. SourceLabs is the first open-source start-up he has been involved in.
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Russia gets budget version of Windows, Windows XP Starter Edition

Sep 27 2004-Microsoft will release a low-price version of Windows in Russia by the end of the year, an effort to wean consumers in that country off pirated software and Linux.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant will also announce later in the week that it will bring a version of Windows XP Starter Edition, a relatively inexpensive and slimmed down version of Windows, to a fourth, as-yet-unidentified, Asian country, bringing the total number of countries in the program to five.
Windows XP Starter Edition is Microsoft's attempt to gain more customers in the developing nations, the fastest growing markets in the world. The OS differs from regular Windows in a number of respects. Users can run only three programs on the operating system at once, for instance, and home networking has been deleted.
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HP discontinues its Itanium workstations

Sep 25 2004-Hewlett-Packard, one of the most aggressive promoters of Intel's Itanium family of processors, is 86ing its line of workstations that use the chips.
The decision by the Palo Alto, Calif.-based computing giant will likely be interpreted as a large symbolic blow to Itanium's fortunes. HP co-designed the basic Itanium architecture with Intel and has committed to adopting the chip extensively in its high-end server line.
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Microsoft to secure IE for XP only

Sep 23 2004-If you're one of about 200 million people using older versions of Windows and you want the latest security enhancements to Internet Explorer, get your credit card ready.
Microsoft this week reiterated that it would keep the new version of Microsoft's IE Web browser available only as part of the recently released Windows XP operating system, Service Pack 2. The upgrade to XP from any previous Windows versions is $99 when ordered from Microsoft. Starting from scratch, the OS costs $199.
That, say analysts, is a steep price to pay to secure a browser that swept the market as a free, standalone product.
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Code to exploit Windows graphics flaw now public

Sep 22 2004-A sample program hit the Internet on Wednesday, showing by example how malicious coders could compromise Windows computers by using a flaw in the handling of a widespread graphics format by Microsoft's software.
Security professionals expect the release of the program to herald a new round of attacks by viruses and Trojan horses incorporating the code to circumvent security on Windows computers that have not been updated. The flaw, in the way Microsoft's software processes JPEG graphics, could allow a program to take control of a victim's computer when the user opens a JPEG file.
"Within days, you'll likely see (attacks) using this code as a basis," said Vincent Weafer, senior director of security response for antivirus-software company Symantec. "This is dangerous in a sense that everyone processes JPEG files to some degree."
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Sun: We've turned over a new leaf

Sep 22 2004-Sun Microsystems' executives have rarely been known for meekness, but the company's new chief operating officer took a tone of humility while arguing that the company has mended its ways.
After the dot-com bubble burst, COO Jonathan Schwartz said, Sun wasn't able to supply what customers wanted--servers using Intel processors and products that work with Microsoft software and IBM mainframes.
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Barbarians at the digital gate

Sep 20 2004-Karesten M. Self, who oversees a children's computer lab at a youth center in Napa, Calif., spends about a half-hour each morning electronically scanning 10 PCs. He is searching for files and traces of code that threaten to hijack the computers by silently monitoring the children's online activities or by plastering their screens with dizzying--and nearly unstoppable--onslaughts of pop-up advertisements.
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Microsoft: Can we check your software license?

Sep 18 2004-Microsoft is trying to get to know its pirates a little better.
The software maker 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 licensed.
Visitors do not have to partipate in the program to get their downloads. They'll also get their downloads if they do participate and their copy of Windows turns out to be unlicensed. But Microsoft said the program is a first step in trying to provide a better experience for customers using legitimate copies of Windows.
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With new OS, Microsoft seeks couch potatoes' eyes

Sep 16 2004-With its eyes firmly set on the living room, Microsoft plans to release next month a new incarnation of Windows XP Media Center Edition, an entertainment-oriented version of Windows XP.
The company has scheduled an Oct. 12 event in Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium, where it's expected to release an update to the operating system, as well as introduce the first crop of Media Center extenders--devices that allow television shows recorded on a Media Center PC to be watched on a television in another room.
The new version of Media Center, along with the extender devices and a gaggle of Portable Media Center handhelds, are a key part of Microsoft's fall marketing campaign to pump up sales of Windows XP.
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Major graphics flaw threatens Windows PCs

Sep 14 2004-Microsoft published on Tuesday a patch for a major security flaw in its software's handling of the JPEG graphics format and urged customers to use a new tool to locate the many applications that are vulnerable.
The critical flaw has to do with how Microsoft's operating systems and other software process the widely used JPEG image format and could let attackers create an image file that would run a malicious program on a victim's computer as soon as the file is viewed. Because the software giant's Internet Explorer browser is vulnerable, Windows users could fall prey to an attack just by visiting a Web site that has affected images.
The severity of the flaw had some security experts worried that a virus that exploits the issue may be on the way.
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Worm speaks to Windows users

Sep 13 2004-A worm that contains an embedded audio message has been bending the ears of Windows users
The Amus worm, which may be Turkish, uses the Windows Speech Engine, embedded on Windows XP, to play the following message:
"How are you. I am back. My name is Mr. Hamsi. I am seeing you. Haaaaaaaa. You must come to Turkey. I am cleaning your computer. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. 0. Gule gule."
"Gule gule" means "bye-bye" in Turkish.
The worm, which runs after the Windows XP boot-up music has played, also deletes certain files, causing Windows to fail. It spreads automatically via an e-mail titled "Listen and Smile" and alters home page settings in Internet Explorer.
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Microsoft ready to ship Virtual Server

Sep 10 2004-Microsoft plans to announce next week that it is at last ready to ship Virtual Server, a product that allows a server to run multiple operating systems, or multiple copies of the same operating system at a single time.
The software maker has finished development work on Virtual Server 2005 and a representative said the final version should be generally available by Oct. 1. The company is pitching the program as a way for companies to reduce the number of servers they have to maintain, noting that companies typically use just a fraction of their servers' capacity.
In particular, Microsoft has long touted the software as an option for companies that have been holding off upgrading to newer server operating systems such as Windows Server 2003 because they still have programs that require an older OS. With Virtual Server, those programs can run the older OS, while the rest of the server's workload runs on the newer system. Fast-food chain Jack in the Box has been an early customer using Virtual Server for such a purpose.
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Longhorn to put squeeze on gadgets

Sep 09 2004-Windows makes it easy to quickly download files to iPods and other portable storage devices--a little too easy in the minds of many IT managers.
In the next version of Windows, Microsoft will give big companies an easy way to block use of such devices, while making it easier for consumers to connect their home systems to them, a company representative told CNET News.com.
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Intel demos dual core, uncorks Napa

Sep 08 2004-Intel on Wednesday took the wraps off a pair of upcoming chip technologies.
Company executives gave the first demonstration of its much-anticipated dual-core desktop processor at the Intel Developer Forum here and revealed details of Sonoma, the next version of the Centrino wireless technology, and gave the first hints of its successor Napa.
"That's the biggest thing here," Insight64 analyst Nathan Brookwood said of the dual-core desktop demonstration.
Intel is looking to dual-core chips, along with new mobile platforms, wireless notebooks and entertainment PCs, to create demand from existing business customers and to open up consumer markets. Last week, the chipmaker lowered it revenue projections for the third quarter, citing lower-than-expected demand for products, including its PC processors.
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Microsoft extends block to SP2 auto update

Sep 08 2004-Microsoft is doubling the number of months that corporate customers can block automatic delivery of Windows XP Service Pack 2.
The company on Tuesday altered its policy for preventing the automatic download of SP2 through Automatic Update or Windows Update, two services for automatically downloading important Windows updates to PCs via the Internet.
Corporate customers now have about eight months--or until the middle of April--to prepare for the security-related update, which may require testing for compatibility with other business applications before installation.
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Jobs offered to let Sony into iTunes, report says

Sep 08 2004-To counter Microsoft's planned entry into the digital-music market, Apple Computer offered to sign a strategic agreement with Sony, according to a Sept. 2 report in Japanese daily Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun, which quotes sources from Sony.
According to the sources, Apple CEO Steve Jobs made his offer to Nobuyuki Idei, head of Sony, in January during a golf tournament organized by the Japanese company in Hawaii. Apple, it seems, was ready to open up its iTunes Music Store and make the song downloads there compatible with Sony's digital-music players.
Apple and Sony representatives declined to comment.
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Spyware Can Foul Up SP2 Deployment

Sep 04 2004-SP2 is all about security. But SP2 itself cannot do much if a machine is already polluted with spyware -- and that shows to be a problem in some cases. Redmond is warning XP users to clean their systems and remove spyware before downloading SP2. Barry Goff, a MS group product manager, said some spyware could cause computers to freeze up upon installation of the update.
There are many categories of spyware, depending on who you talk to. It often comes as an unwanted parasite with file-sharing programs, starts tracking behavior and then triggers pop-up ads. And that's only one relatively harmless category of at least three dozen.
There are several freeware and for-pay products on the market to clean systems and spyware removal. Redmond recommends that you clean workstations of spyware and make backups before turning on the SP2 auto update feature. IDC estimates that by now, about 260 million copies of WinXP have been sold.
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PC makers: Look before taking SP2 leap

Sep 02 2004-Although Microsoft has recommended consumers turn on Windows' Automatic Update feature to get Windows XP Service Pack 2, PC makers are reminding Windows XP users to do their homework before installing the security update.
Major computer makers recommend consumers install the update, but in many cases they also have a list of revised drivers and other software patches that should be installed before downloading and installing the operating system update.
For example, Dell notes that owners of Inspiron 9100 or XPS laptops with certain ATI graphics cards should update their drivers, as should those with an internal Bluetooth wireless card.
Go here for more. Here for Dell's SP2 page, here for Sony's, and here for the one from HP and Compaq and here for info from Gateway.

Will XP update give tablets a boost?

Aug 30 2004-After nearly two years on the market, makers of tablet PCs based on Windows XP Tablet PC Edition have yet to prove that the pen is mightier than the keyboard.
But manufacturers are hopeful that Tablet PC Edition 2005, a new version of the operating system unveiled last week, will mark a turning point by making tablets easier to use.
Tablets are laptop-like portable computers that allow people to jot down notes using a pen and a touch-sensitive screen. They can convert handwriting into typed text and sketches into image files. But sales of devices based on Windows XP Tablet PC Edition have been lukewarm since the introduction of the operating system in November 2002.
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Gates: Longhorn changed to make deadlines

Aug 27 2004-Microsoft on Friday set late 2006 as the deadline when it will ship Longhorn, the next major version of Windows.
But to make that date, it had to delay the full implementation of WinFS, an ambitious file system geared at letting users search through all of their files at once.
Whether Microsoft makes this latest deadline will likely be one of the dominant issues for the tech industry over the next two years. The operating system was originally expected in 2004, and many have predicted that further delays could dampen PC sales.
Meanwhile, the growing popularity of Linux has begun to nibble at Microsoft's dominance on the desktop, while Google has emerged as a major competitor on the Internet. Will Longhorn be dazzling enough to undercut these trends? The fate of the industry hangs in the balance.
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HP tips its hand on new iPod

Aug 27 2004-Hewlett-Packard turned on the music a little early Friday morning, revealing on its Web shopping site the details of the new HP-branded iPod music player clone.
The Palo Alto, Calif., computer giant wasn't expected to unveil the details of the product until a news conference later Friday in Miami, where CEO Carly Fiorina will announce the beginning of a broader consumer electronics push for the holidays.
According to the Web site, the company will offer two versions of Apple Computer's iPod.
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