New from Brandon over at the Windows team blog on the Windows 7 upgrade program. Windows 7 is coming on October 22, 2009. For customers in certain markets, here's an easy way to get it fast and save a bundle: Pre-order a Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade for $49 or a Windows 7 Professional Upgrade for $99 at this link on the MS Store site. (or visit the Store here today). That's about half off the estimated retail prices.
Finally, as a way of saying thank you to our loyal Windows customers, we are excited to introduce a special time limited offer! We will offer people in select markets the opportunity to pre-order Windows 7 at a more than 50% discount. In the US, this will mean you can pre-order Windows 7 Home Premium for USD $49.99 or Windows 7 Professional for USD $99.99. You can take advantage of this special offer online via select retail partners such as Best Buy or Amazon, or the online Microsoft Store (in participating markets).
This program begins tomorrow in the U.S., Canada and Japan. The offer ends July 11th in the U.S. and Canada and on July 5th for Japan or while supplies last. Customers in the UK, France and Germany, can pre-order their copy of Windows 7 starting July 15th and will run until August 14th (or supplies last) to ensure folks don’t miss out on this. Act fast if you want to be the first in line to get Windows 7 at this screaming deal! Note: The special low pre-order price will vary per country.
For more information on this special pre-order offer, click here
Brandon sat down with Brad Brooks to talk about these announcements...
Announcing the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program & Windows 7 Pricing
The Windows Blog
Tags: Windows 7, media, Windows 7
Clubhouse Tags: clubhouse, Challenge-Windows 7, media, Windows 7
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A quick post during a break in the day, as I've been executing a clean install on my PC with Windows 7 Release Candidate OS, and that means transferring my settings and files. Windows Easy Transfer simplifies the process.
As noted here on the Engineering 7 blog about the upgrade experience, I have great appreciation for the clean installation of the OS and how Windows Easy Transfer can expedite and simplify the process of getting your current Windows Vista PC ready for the general availability (aka "GA") of Windows 7 in October. (You may also be considering migrating your Windows XP computer to Windows 7: I briefly noted my experience in migrating my old Windows XP era Tablet PC in Even lower cost Netbooks- the case for a Revitalized Notebook.)
I love the simplicity of Windows Easy Transfer: with it, you can migrate your personal user accounts, as well as all the associated application settings, documents in the user volume, IE broswer favourites and more. I also like that it not only provides a list of what was transferred to my new PC, but a list of the applications that I may need given what was transferred.
As Brandon notes in his blog post, one of the new features in the latest version is Windows Easy Transfer Reports, where you can view a report after your migration that covers the items that were moved.
I like that this post-migration report also includes links to the relevant software provider web sites, so I know where to get more information on an application. Seeing the list of commercial apps is a benefit, so I can quickly reference which installers I need to access and reinstall (either a disc or installed over the network). (Note to self: ask the planning team to see if we can note serial numbers or keys associated with these apps in future releases.) And as a number of the applications or widgets on my PCs are free of charge -- like the Windows Live suite and Delicious tags -- I appreciate the prompt with a URL on where to visit on the web to reinstall these applications.
Also of interest:
Brandon covered some of the improvements in WET in Windows 7.
TechNet articles covering scenarios to upgrade or migrate files and settings to Windows 7:
- Upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7. This scenario provides steps to upgrade a computer that is currently running Windows Vista to Windows 7. You can also use these steps to upgrade to a more recent build of Windows 7.
- Migrate files and settings to a new computer. This scenario provides steps to migrate files and settings from a computer running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 to a new computer running Windows 7.
- Upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7. This scenario provides steps to upgrade a computer that is running Windows XP to Windows 7 by migrating files and settings to the new operating system.
Tags: Windows 7, media, Windows Easy Transfer, Windows 7
Clubhouse Tags: clubhouse, Challenge-Windows 7, media, Windows 7, Windows Easy Transfer
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New on the Springboard Series Blog, highlights from the latest Virtual Roundtable on Application Compatibility for Windows 7. I'm looking forward to having the full programme posted online.
<![CDATA[<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-US&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:7372d3d7-4c99-4561-9591-7fd338650d58&showPlaylist=true&from=msnvideo" target="_new" title="VRT Promo">Video: VRT Promo</a>]]> Missed it? Well, here is a promo video of some of the highlights. Watch for details later this week here on where to view the full program.
Tags: Windows 7, Mark Russinovich, App Compat, Application Compatability
Tags: articles, blogs, Windows 7.
Clubhouse Tags: Clubhouse, how-to, Windows 7, video, migration, Windows XP, Challenge-Windows 7
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Also available at http://tinyurl.com/mbc3ac
The Windows Security Essentials beta is now available for download on a new Microsoft site dedicated to Security Essentials. Windows Security Essentials will replace Windows Live OneCare. The new software package will provide a basic level of antimalware and virus protection, defenses against worms, Trojan horses, rootkits and spyware.
What is Microsoft Security Essentials
You're too busy to spend a lot of time worrying about protecting your PC. With Microsoft Security Essentials Beta, you get high-quality protection against viruses and spyware, including Trojans, worms and other malicious software. And best of all, there are no costs or annoying subscriptions to keep track of.
Security Essentials is easy to install and easy to use. Updates and upgrades are automatic, so there's no need to worry about having the latest protection. It's easy to tell if you're protected – when the Security Essentials icon is green, your status is good. It's as simple as that.
When you're busy using your PC, you don't want to be bothered by needless alerts. Security Essentials runs quietly in the background, only alerting you if there's something you need to do. And it doesn't use a lot of system resources, so it won't get in the way of your work or fun.
This beta is available only to customers in the United States, Israel (English only), People's Republic of China (Simplified Chinese only) and Brazil (Brazilian Portuguese only).Please visit the more information page to learn more about system requirements, our End User License Agreement and other important information.
To get the beta, just click here or visit the Microsoft Security Essentials Beta Home page to get to the appropriate page on Microsoft Connect. There you'll answer a few questions and be able to download the Security Essentials beta.
Tags: articles, blogs, Windows 7, security, OneCare.
Clubhouse Tags: Clubhouse, how-to, Windows 7, download, OneCare, Security
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Also available at http://tinyurl.com/knhzm2
A quick note, as I have been way too busy prepping for a slew of work this month…
New on Microsoft.com: a new site dedicated to Windows Home Server for small businesses, " to organize and safeguard your work for up to 10 computers."
Windows Home Server for Home Office and Small Office
Tags: announcements, Home Server.
Clubhouse Tags: clubhouse, Windows, Home Server
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Also available at http://tinyurl.com/lbszjp
Of interest is the upcoming June Chat with the Internet Explorer team this Thursday, as Allison from the product team notes here…
Join members of the Internet Explorer team for an Expert Zone chat this Thursday, June 18th at 10.00 PST/17.00 UTC. These chats are a great opportunity to have your questions answered by members of the IE product team. Thank you to all who have attended our previous chats!
If you can’t join us live, the transcript for all chats are available here.
Thanks! See you Thursday.
Tags: articles, what I read, Windows 7.
Clubhouse Tags: clubhouse, Windows 7, Internet Explorer
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Thanks to Lourdes, with a note of the Optional Fix-it that is now available for Daylight Saving Time changes in Bangladesh this year.
As reported in the Bangladesh Government’s Gazette, Bangladesh has announced the introduction of Daylight Saving Time (DST). The start of DST for 2009 is on June 19th at 11:00
Microsoft has produced an automated workaround (called a fix-it) to implement the DST Start time change for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. The Fix it solution is a MSI file so it is deployed as any other MSI based software package.
If interested in downloading this workaround please refer to KB972423 titled:”An optional update is available to update the Daylight Saving Time for Bangladesh for the year 2009 for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 based computers”
For other Windows versions, please refer to KB 914387 “How to configure daylight saving time for Microsoft Windows operating systems” on how to update the time zone registry key.
Public service announcement: As noted in a prior post, our product teams are moving to a regular rhythm to update their products and services to reflect these time changes. (For each update release, Microsoft accepts change requests up to a few months prior to the release date.) But changes such as these – and without official notification – are difficult for sysadmins and IT professionals around the world to manage.
And here's my regular advice for governments: in support of these types of changes, we provide guidance and Microsoft's Policy in Response to DST/TZ Requests. It's important for countries and territories to work towards seamless transitions to new DST and time zones policies, providing ample advance notice (of a year or more) with published confirmation of planned changes.
In addition – and this is important – we suggest that entities considering the changes implement changes at the next clock tick after 01:59:59 rather than at 23:59:59, 24:00:00 or 00:00:00. Making the change at midnight can impact daily systems, such as back ups, data pulls or other automated tasks.
Just sayin'.
Tags: Microsoft, Daylight Saving Time, Daylight Savings Time, RSS, DST, Clubhouse, Windows Vista, Windows XP, DST, hotfix; 17,90,000 (up from 3.4M a year ago); 18,000,000 (up from 900K a year ago)
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Of interest, a new post on the Microsoft On The Issues blog from Dave Heiner, on Working to Fulfill our Legal Obligations in Europe for Windows 7...
"Earlier today CNET reported that Microsoft had sent a memo to computer manufacturers and retailers about our plans for Windows 7 in Europe. We’re getting quite a few calls on this, so we thought it would be helpful to explain our plans."
Tags: articles, what I read, Windows 7.
Clubhouse Tags: clubhouse, Windows 7, Internet Explorer
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As you already know, the big news this week was the announcement of the date for general availability (GA) of Windows from the Windows 7 Team Blog, posted by: Brandon LeBlanc (Jun 02, 2009) – "This is one of those posts where I’m truly excited to be writing. I get to tell you when Windows 7 will be on store shelves! According to input from customers and partners we’ve made a lot of progress with Windows 7. Our milestone-to-milestone approach for Windows 7 is built on a great deal of feedback from customers and testers. This has been pivotal to the development of Windows 7. I blogged a few weeks ago that it’s looking like we’ll have Windows 7 ready in time for the holidays."
Also of interest is this article on Why Microsoft Built Its Own content delivery network (aka CDN), as Rich Miller covers the announcement that Microsoft "will begin providing on-demand access to the full versions of retail video games. That means titles like BioShock (6 Ggigabytes) and Mass Effect (7 GB) can be downloaded through the Xbox Live online gaming service, which has more than 17 million members. The growth of these type of bandwidth-draining services has been a major driver in Microsoft’s decision to build its own content delivery network."
Let’s talk about Windows 7 Starter - Windows 7 Team Blog - The Windows Blog – "There has been a lot of talk recently about Windows 7 Starter, so I thought I’d dive a little deeper into what it means to have this edition of Windows 7 running on a small notebook PC (a.k.a. a netbook). Today, the Starter edition of Windows is designed for entry level PCs and available only in certain regions. We first introduced a “Starter edition” with Windows XP, and did again with Windows Vista. Starter comes with limitations, such as being able to run only 3 concurrent applications on a PC at a time (this excludes background processes such as anti-virus applications, wireless and Bluetooth, and system tools like Explorer and Control Panel)."
Microsoft reverses Windows 7 Starter limit - Tech and gadgets- msnbc.com updated 9:42 a.m. PT, Sat., May 30, 2009 SEATTLE - "Microsoft said on Friday it would not limit the number of applications available at one time on the Starter edition of its upcoming Windows 7 operating system, reversing its earlier strategy of limiting its capabilities and urging users to upgrade. The move is a significant reversal for Microsoft as it looks to keep a hold on the fast-growing market for small, cheap personal computers — known as netbooks — which are the principal market for the most basic version of Microsoft's new operating system, expected to roll out later this year. (Msnbc.com is a Microsoft-NBC Universal joint venture.) The world's largest software company had originally planned that users could run only three programs at one time using Starter. The new plan would not limit the number of applications that could be used."
We have the Kodak EasyShare W1020 10-Inch Wireless Digital Frame, and PC World posted this review. "The wood-framed, glass-fronted Kodak EasyShare W1020 is easy to use, with or without Kodak's proprietary software." Kathleen Cullen, PC World, June 4, 2009 SanDisk CEO concedes: "You can't out-iPod the iPod" – "It's a truth that many open-minded observers have known for awhile now: Apple rules the roost in the portable media player market, and everyone else is just trying to keep up. Sorry, but it's true. So true, in fact, that SanDisk's own CEO has finally come forward to admit it, recently stating in a Fortune interview that "you can't out-iPod the iPod." And believe us, such a statement probably wasn't easy for Mr. Eli Harari to make. Remember, this is the same fellow that spent boatloads of dough on an "iDon't" anti-iPod campaign back in 2006. 'Course, SanDisk is still a (very distant) second place in the sector, and its flash memory is used in all manners of PMP devices. Still, it's a huge relief to finally hear the mastermind behind slotMusic confess that he doesn't actually believe such gimmicks will put it on a fast track to first place. Then again, crazier things have happened."
Building Community One Brick At A Time : Are Your PCs Ready for Windows 7? – "When planning for migration to Windows 7, specific knowledge about each computer on the network and its readiness for migration is essential. Manually conducting a detailed network inventory is time consuming and costly; and existing assessment management tools typically require software agent installation on each machine, creating a security risk. How do you gather comprehensive knowledge about your existing IT environment quickly and cost effectively? The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 4.0 Beta gathers essential infrastructure information to answer the question “are your PCs ready for Windows 7?” This tool also assists you with Windows Server 2008 R2 readiness assessment."
DHS names key cybersecurity staff By Jaikumar Vijayan June 2, 2009 05:05 PM ET Computerworld - "U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano tapped Philip Reitinger as director of the National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC), replacing Rod Beckstrom, who quit the post earlier this year citing turf battles with other agencies. Reitinger will be responsible for collecting, analyzing, integrating and sharing cybersecurity information among federal agencies, the DHS said in a statement Monday. Reitinger, a former Microsoft Corp. cybersecurity executive, will also continue in his current role as deputy undersecretary of the DHS..."
Federal CTO Aneesh Chopra’s Priorities in Cheeky Fresh (June 2, 2009) - This morning at the IAC/ACT Management of Change Conference in Norfolk, VA the newly confirmed Federal Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Aneesh Chopra outlined his priorities. Based on personal notes taken during the talk, here they are. What do you think of them? Google’s Android to Run Laptops, Taking On Microsoft (Update2) - Bloomberg.com By Tim Culpan, June 2 (Bloomberg) -- "Google Inc.’s free mobile-phone operating system will begin running computers next quarter, entering a market dominated by Microsoft Corp.’s Windows and deepening the rivalry between the two companies. Acer Inc., the world’s second-largest laptop maker, will release a low-cost notebook featuring Android in the third quarter, Jim Wong, head of information-technology products at the Taipei-based company, said today. Asustek Computer Inc., pioneer of the sub-$500 laptops known as netbooks, also developed a model that runs on Google’s software, Chairman Jonney Shih said."
Asustek puts Android netbook on ice | Mobilize – InfoWorld By Dan Nystedt and Sumner Lemon June 2, 2009 - "A day after an Asustek Eee PC running Google's Android operating system was shown at Computex Taipei, top executives from the company said the project will be put on the backburner for now. The Eee PC with Android is not ready yet because the technology is "not mature," said Jonathan Tsang, vice chairman of Asustek, on the sidelines of a press conference at the show Tuesday. "For the time being this project is not a priority because our engineering resources are limited," he added.
Windows on Small Notebook PCs: The Momentum Continues in the US and the UK - Windows Experience Blog - The Windows Blog Posted by: Brandon LeBlanc Jun 01, 2009 -- "On the eve of the Computex, the largest computer exhibition in Asia and the second largest in the world, we got word that PC World, the largest electronics retailer in the UK, is de-assorting (i.e., getting rid of) all of the Linux small notebook PCs in their stores and going all-Windows. It’s pretty big news from across the pond that they’re making this move, but what’s even more important is the “why” behind the decision. In April I wrote about why Windows market share on small notebook PCs has jumped from under 10% in February 2008 to 96% a year later (that number has increased since then...more on that below), and PC World agrees with our thinking. You can read the entire PC World press release, but to save you some time, I’ve pulled out the key points: http://bit.ly/e07Uh
HEXUS.net - News :: Shuttle's X50 all-in-one flaunts Microsoft's Windows 7 at Computex Taiwan news: "There's all sorts of tech on show at this year's COMPUTEX, but two items are clearly prevalent - Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system and touchscreen all-in-one PCs. If 2008 was the year of the netbook, 2009, it seems, is shaping up to be the year of the touch-enabled nettop. Although Taiwan's annual trade show doesn't officially kick off until tomorrow, we've been browsing what's on display and there's a huge number of touchscreen all-in-ones from many of the industry's big names." Shuttle's X50 award winning all-in-one PC demo'ed w/ Windows 7: "smooth as silk" http://bit.ly/15Nkfy
Different Types of Sleep Disorders Triggered with Daylight savings | Tips to Stop Snoring – AirWare, Inc., maker of Brẽz premium nasal breathing aids, the first commercially available device for inside the nose that is clinically proven to reduce snoring and increase overall sleep quality for the bed partner, today released five tips to help consumers easily transition to Daylight Savings Time. The company asked Michael J. Breus, PhD, a leading sleep specialist certified in clinical sleep disorders and author of Beauty Sleep, to offer some easy to follow methods for coping with the transition to one less hour of sleep.
Lifehacker - Build a $14 Video Camera Stabilizer - Video camera - "Professional video stabilizers are prohibitively expensive. You won't get $10,000 worth of stabilization out of a $14 DIY model, but you will get radically smoother video for a tiny fraction of the price. How does the DIY model provide smooth video? Instead of the complex arrangement of balancing mechanisms, resistance bands, and springs, the DIY stabilizer relies on a simpler system. Your arms and a counter weight at the bottom of the stabilizer work together to minimize the movement. Camera shake is radically reduced when the weight of the camera is offset by a equal or slightly heavier weight at the bottom. Sound about right for your needs? You'll need some pipe, a disc weight, some hand tools and a power drill to put this one together. For photos and a step by step build guide, check out the PDF below. If you need to stabilize video in a car, check out how to make a dashboard stabilizer out of a sponge."
Satisfy Me : Want to know more about Bing? Live webcast on June 1, 2009 @10:00AM Pacific Daylight Time – Want to know more about Microsoft's new Bing? Then take a look at the new Bing Interactive Product Guide, the Virtual Press kit (filled with screen shots, fact sheets and more) On Monday, you'll have a chance to learn even more in a live, interactive webcast where you will see examples of Bing and can ask the Bing team questions.
'IT is the central nervous system of the company' - Hardware - Breaking Business and Technology News at silicon.com By Tim Ferguson Published: 26 May 2009 17:15 BST Show related articles CIO John N Johnson oversees an IT department of more than 5,500 staff in over 50 countries who support some 80,000 employees across the company - and all of them working for one of the biggest technology companies in the world, Intel. Johnson originally arrived at the chip giant in 1981 and joined the IT department in 1999 before becoming CIO in 2005. His team is responsible for developing enterprise applications used across all of Intel's departments as well as running the company's data and voice networks and datacentre operations. silicon.com caught up with Johnson to talk about the company's big projects, the magic of wireless and Gen Y.
Windows Virtualization Team Blog – Information and announcements from Program Managers, Product Managers, Developers and Testers in the Microsoft Windows Virtualization team.
Lifehacker - Properly Erase Your Physical Media - Hard Drives By Jason Fitzpatrick, 4:00 PM on Sun Feb 15 2009, 111,000 views -- "A whopping 40% of the used hard drives on eBay contain easily recoverable personal data. Use the following guide to ensure your personal data never makes it out into the wild. Kessler International, a computer forensics company from New York, conducted a study of used hard drives available on eBay. Almost half of the hundred drives they sampled, purchased in random bulk lots, contained data that was easily recovered. A shocking amount of them required no more recovery effort than plugging them in and powering up. They found personal photos, financial records, emails, personal and corporate correspondence, corporate secrets, and more..."
Tags: articles, what I read, twitter, Windows 7.
Clubhouse Tags: clubhouse, Challenge-Windows 7, media, Windows 7
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Have you seen the http://www.readyset7.com/ site for hardware and software manufacturers preparations for WIndows 7?
It's a comprehensive site for ISV and IHV developers to help in the effort to ensure compatibility with Windows 7.
Partners can get more info on the Windows 7 Ecosystem Readiness Program to access Windows 7 builds, support, and toolkits. We also make available new white papers and documentation via the WHDC Developer Tools Site and much more.
ISVs can leverage the Windows 7 Application Quality Cookbook helps you verify the compatibility of your applications. It discusses the few known application compatibility issues in Windows 7, points out differences in performance, reliability, and usability, and provides links to detailed white papers and other developer guidance. Also review the Windows 7 software logo requirements.
As I noted on Twitter yesterday the various news reports regarding Windows 7, it's now official: Windows 7 is on the way, with Oct. 22 officially announced as the release date, as noted on Microsoft Presspass today.
June 2, 2009: At Computex 2009 in Taipei, Microsoft OEM vice president Steve Guggenheimer reveals release-to-manufacture and release-to-public dates for highly anticipated operating system; Windows Server 2008 R2 is on same schedule.
You can read the transcript of Steve Guggenheimer’s keynote address at Computex in Taiwan
Tags: Windows 7, Windows 7
Clubhouse Tags: clubhouse, Challenge-Windows 7, media, Windows 7
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According to news reports today, Windows 7 is slated for debut on October 22, as noted in the lead story from Ina Fried at CNET News, Windows 7 to launch October 22…
"Microsoft confirmed on Tuesday that it is planning for Windows 7 to hit retail shelves and start showing up on new PCs on October 22.
"To reach that milestone, Microsoft plans to wrap up development of the operating system by the middle or end of next month, Senior Vice President Bill Veghte said in an interview.
"The feedback from the release candidate has been good," Veghte said.
"Microsoft made the near-final release candidate version available last month. Shortly after its release, Microsoft finally confirmed that it was aiming Windows 7 for a holiday 2009 release, something that was widely anticipated, but not confirmed by those in Redmond.
"In an interview, Phil McKinney, chief technology officer of Hewlett-Packard's computer unit, said that he feels good about Microsoft's launch date.
"We're locked and loaded for the launch," McKinney said. "The quality of code is just absolutely stellar."
Yes, I get all my news on Windows 7 from Bing.com… and Steve Clayton ;)
Today, there's also this post from Brandon on the Windows Team Blog, "The Date for General Availability (GA) of Windows 7 is…"
"… in stores beginning October 22nd.
"I don’t know about you but I can’t wait to see Windows 7 sitting on store shelves!
"Some people may not be able to wait for Windows 7 to arrive before having to order a new PC (like parents who are sending their sons or daughters off to school who need of a PC to take with them). Fortunately, there is no need to wait. Soon, customers will be able to take advantage of the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program. This program enables participating retailers and OEMs to offer a special deal to upgrade to Windows 7 for customers purchasing a qualifying PC. I’ll be doing another blog post about this program with a date and more details when we get closer to availability.
"Obviously, Release To Manufacturing (RTM) is an important milestone on the path to GA. We anticipate that we’ll be able to make the RTM code for Windows 7 available to our partners sometime in the 2nd half of July. We also expect to be able to make RTM code for Windows Server 2008 R2 available to our partners in this time frame as well."
FYR, the terms and details of the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program have not been released.
Other news stories:
Confirmed: Windows 7 Launches October 22 (Industry Standard) – It's official: Windows 7 will make its debut on October 22. Microsoft confirmed the late-October launch date with PC World, details of which leaked out earlier today. Windows 7 development should finish up in July…
Windows 7 Goes On Sale October 22 (Digitaltrends.com) – Microsoft has announced Windows 7 will officially go on sale to consumers on October 22, 2009. Microsoft has been consistently saying it plans to release the next version of its flagship desktop operating system, Windows 7…
Windows 7 arrives on October 22 (Ars Technica) – Those waiting anxiously for the next version of Windows now have a date to anticipate. Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 7 will be launched on October 22, 2009. After the software giant unleashed the official Release Candidate on May 5,…
Microsoft Windows 7 To Hit Market In October (Post Chronicle) – Microsoft Corp said on Tuesday its new Windows 7 operating system will be generally available on October 22, well ahead of its original schedule and in time for the holiday shopping season.
Microsoft Windows 7 to hit market end-October (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp said on Tuesday its new Windows 7 operating system will be generally available on October 22, well ahead of its original schedule and in time for the holiday shopping season.
Windows 7 to be released October 22 (Beta News) – The news comes in advance of comments being planned for the Computex conference in Taiwan early tomorrow morning, by Microsoft Corporate Vice President for OEMs Steve Guggenheimer. There he is scheduled to officially deliver the news that Windows 7 general availability worldwide will begin on Thursday, October 22. Microsoft's spokesperson gave Betanews a heads-up to expect comments from Guggenheimer concerning a program being called Windows Upgrade Option. That's precisely the title of an FAQ that was leaked to the public last month by the technology blog TechARP. That FAQ, which appeared to contain language directly from Microsoft, spoke about a low- or no-cost upgrade option for recent purchasers of consumer SKUs of Windows Vista.
Windows 7 On Sale October 22 | Technology & Pop Culture – geeky guide to gadgets, new media and all things digital.
Windows 7 to launch October 22; RTM next month | Ed Bott’s Microsoft ... A Microsoft spokesperson just confirmed for me the news I first read a few minutes ago in a story by Ina Fried of CNET News. The official date on which Windows 7 will be available for general purchase is October 22, 2009. The RTM code will be delivered to partners at the end of July.
Windows 7 Launching October 22 | GottaBeMobile.com – Microsoft conformed that Windows 7 will start selling on October 22, which just happens to be my wife’s birthday. I don’t think she’d appreciate a gift-wrapped copy of Windows 7, but a lot of people probably have Windows 7 on their shopping lists.
Tags: Windows 7, Windows 7
Clubhouse Tags: clubhouse, Challenge-Windows 7, media, Windows 7
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Also available via http://tinyurl.com/qaq5ho
Want to know more about Microsoft's new Bing? Then take a look at the new Bing Interactive Product Guide, the Virtual Press kit (filled with screen shots, fact sheets and more)
On Monday, you'll have a chance to learn even more in a live, interactive webcast where you will see examples of Bing and can ask the Bing team questions. This courtesy of Stefan Weitz over at Bing:
Want more Bing? How about an interactive Webcast where we’ll walk you through all the cool features in our new decision engine. Sure you could read the Product Guide (located here) but that would require, you know, reading. Better just to watch.
Plus, while you can talk to the Product Guide it likely won’t respond (and if it does let us know - I thought we fixed that bug). Our webcast will let you interact with the presenter by asking questions throughout the session!
How do you join in the fun? Three easy steps:
1) Set your alarm clocks for 10AM Pacific Daylight Time, Monday, June 1.
2) Point your browser to http://ms.istreamplanet.com/search (I’d do this before 10AM just to make sure you’ve got what you need to watch the stream)
3) Sit quietly and watch the ‘cast OR engage by typing questions in the player.
That’s it! Tell your friends. Tell your neighbors. Tell people you don’t even know. Post it on Facebook. The Bing Webcast– no prompters, no scripts, 100% danger.
Tags: Microsoft, webcast, Bing, Search, Clubhouse, Bing, Search, Windows Live, webcast
Also available via http://bit.ly/44hXzy
As Lourdes posted here on the Daylight Saving Time and Time Zone blog, a new hotfix is available for Morocco 2009 Daylight Saving Time for the Windows platform. This is an update for the Daylight Saving Time for the "(GMT) Casablanca" time zone this year (2009) for computers running Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008…
"Morocco has announced the start of DST for 2009 on June 1st at midnight. The clock will move one hour forward at midnight between May 31st and June 1st, and then move one hour back at midnight between August 20th and August 21st in 2009. There was no DST for Morocco in 2009 prior to this update.
Hotfix Download Available
View and request hotfix downloads
"More specifically, this update sets DST for Morocco as follows:
- DST starts at 23:59:59 on May 31st, 2009
- DST ends at 23:59:59 on August 20th, 2009
"Microsoft has produced a hotfix to implement this change. If interested in downloading this hotfix, please refer to KB 970613 titled: “A hotfix is available to update the Daylight Saving Time for the "(GMT) Casablanca" time zone for the year 2009 for Windows XP-based, Windows Server 2003-based, Windows Vista-based and Windows Server 2008-based computers”.
Public service announcement: As noted in a prior post, our product teams are moving to a regular rhythm to update their products and services to reflect these time changes. (For each update release, Microsoft accepts change requests up to a few months prior to the release date.) But changes such as these – and without official notification – are difficult for sysadmins and IT professionals around the world to manage.
And here's my regular advice for governments: in support of these types of changes, we provide guidance and Microsoft's Policy in Response to DST/TZ Requests. It's important for countries and territories to work towards seamless transitions to new DST and time zones policies, providing ample advance notice (of a year or more) with published confirmation of planned changes.
In addition – and this is important – we suggest that entities considering the changes implement changes at the next clock tick after 01:59:59 rather than at 23:59:59, 24:00:00 or 00:00:00. Making the change at midnight can impact daily systems, such as back ups, data pulls or other automated tasks.
Just sayin'.
Tags: Microsoft, Daylight Saving Time, Daylight Savings Time, RSS, DST, Clubhouse, Windows Vista, Windows XP, DST, hotfix; 17,90,000 (up from 3.4M a year ago); 18,000,000 (up from 900K a year ago)
Also available via http://tinyurl.com/ld6wvd
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On the news today is this blog post from the Seattle PI about how the folks at Gizmodo got a demo of the new Zune HD, "Microsoft's answer to Apple's iPod Touch, set to be released this fall".
Zune HD Video Hands On from Gizmodo on Vimeo.
Very cool. I do think that there is a market for the small form factor 4/8GB units, of which I am fond (next to our tried and true 30GBs).
Tags: Microsoft, Zune. Clubhouse, Zune, demo, video
http://tinyurl.com/lwl235
