Is Internet Explorer 8 not performing for you? Just read this great post from Ed Bott, on ZD Net on how you can speed up your Internet Explorer experience.

Apparently it stems from corrupted add-ons, and Adobe Flash Player being the most common :-(.

Anyway check out the great step by step instructions at http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=1694&tag=wrapper;col1.

As a follow up to the recent IE security vulnerability. Microsoft has released an out-of-band security update to protect the recently reported remote code execution hack.

You can see more details here

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms10-002.mspx

If you have Automatic check for updates enabled, you should get this update automatically.

There has been a huge amount of media regarding the current security concerns of using Internet Explorer as a browser on your machine. Reports are indicating that the French and German governments are instructing people to change to another browser to fix the problem.

Our advice for users of Internet Explorer today is to ensure they upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer, Internet Explorer 8.

Now the questions that everyone will ask is, will that actually make a difference? Aren’t all Internet Explorer versions at risk?

Lets start with the vulnerability itself. Essentially it involves what is called an invalid pointer reference within Internet Explorer, which a specifically crafted attack could reference to enable remote code execution.

To do this, a user would have to navigate to a website that was specifically created to take advantage of this exploit, not your average everyday site, in fact you would have to be tricked to go the site via something like though an email message or an instant message, so in most cases Junk email filters should help to block these emails and you should never click on links from anyone you don’t trust or seem suspicious.

Now lets say for instance that you managed to get tricked to going to a site that had the attack created. The code would enable the attacker to get the same level of access as the current user. It is for this reason, we encourage average users not to operate under administrative privileges. As a standard user the attacker would have less permissions to try and do things on your PC.

Now finally, if you went to the site with attack code as an administrator user, Internet Explorer 8 has another benefit that protects users called Data Execution Protection (also known as DEP). DEP essentially blocks any code that is trying to be executed in a memory space that has resulted when an error occurs. Which is essentially what this attack is trying to do. So people using IE8 are protected because of the DEP turned on by default.

Now where is DEP enabled and in what configurations. There is a good table created on the Security Research & Defense Blog, which really simplifies the evaluation of the threat.

If you really want to check if you have DEP turned on for your machine, you can download a program called Process Explorer from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx, this is a small app we have via our acquisition of a company called Sysinternals, its completely free. When you run this you will be able to see all the processes running, and to check if DEP is enabled do the following;

1. Click View

2. Select Columns

3. Ensure that “DEP Status” is enabled

Then you should be able to see as in the picture below, that DEP is enabled.

As you can see there are many technologies in place that actually protect users from the vulnerability that many people are talking about in the news and blogs etc.

So in summary, the ways users can protect themselves

1. Install IE8, it has the best technologies to protect users from the threat.

2. Unless absolutely necessary try and run as a standard user on your PC and not as an administrator

3. Be extra vigilant on clicking links in emails or instant messages, and ensure your email filters are up to date. You can do this by ensuring that you turn automatic updates on in Windows.

For all the latest updates check out http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/.

Wow, for just a moment you stop take stock and look back and say to yourself…

“Where did that time go?”

For me this is my ninth year at Microsoft and I feel I am at a point where life is truly exciting. Windows 7 is out, people are enjoying… I am loving it in my home. There is so much to be happy about.

So with the launch out of the way, I am going to try and spend more time with the blog and showing people what can be done with Windows.

To that end I am working on a couple of home-grown projects with Windows and see if its things we can share. Those projects are;

1. HTPC: Building the ultimate Home Theatre PC

2. CarPC: Integrating a computer platform in to your car, and what it lets you do.

3. Gaming PC: Building the key gaming PC yourself.

Most of these projects will be running at the same time, but I will try and tag them appropriately so as to not make it such a chore to sort though the information, which I hope people find valuable.

Anyway, time to get started, please ping me if there is anything you want to discuss.

There are certainly a lot of different information about how a company can implement specific technologies to help reduce costs in the areas of TCO etc… however what about just basic off the operation of a business bill cost? Lets take electricity consumption for example. Windows Vista introduced new power savings features in to the OS which enabled the Vista OS to gracefully shut down hardware as it wasnt being used. The Info-Tech group has a free report you can download on this topic, and they showed for a couple of different desktops what the power savings features were when comparing Windows XP and Windows Vista. They found that in one instance over the period of a year, per PC you could save as much as $33.54 on a Vista PC rather than a Windows XP PC. Report can be found here http://www.infotech.com/partners/GreenerComputing/GreenerComputing0408.aspx?WT.mc_id=GreenerComputing

So I decided to do something similar, while I don’t have the luxury of a research team at my disposal, I have done some rough calculations & tests on an old Windows XP machine I have, which I bought when I moved to Singapore over five years ago. Here are the specs…

Shuttle XPC

1 Gb RAM

Pentium 4 3.2Ghz Chipset

256 Mb Video Card

First off I went and installed Windows 7 RC on the machine, to my delight, everything worked out of the box straight away, with a Windows Experience rating of 4.2, not bad for an original Windows XP machine.

So we started running the machine through a power monitor for an hour to see how the power savings kick in. On average we saw the power consumption with monitor added at about 100 Watts. When he computer was not in use for a period of time the system started to shut down the various elements of the hardware, and the consumption went down to approx 60 watts.

I then went back and did a clean install of Windows XP SP3 on the same machine, and ran the same visual test. This time even after an hour, Windows XP does not power down resources gracefully to help conserve power. So there were no power savings whether you were using the computer or not.

Results

This is pretty significant in that if you have employees who leave their machine on all the time, their are substantial electricity savings your organization can have. However there is always the argument that people turn their machines off overnight when they go home, and that is fair enough. My one retort to that statement is, what happens during the lunch hour… what happens during meetings away from your computer.

The balanced power plan, which is the default for Windows 7, sets the power to shut down devices gracefully as follows;

Conclusion

While power consumption wont vary while you are using the computer be on Windows XP or Windows 7, its the times when you are not using the computer that the substantial power savings will kick in for you. Maybe not overnight… but for the lunch hour or the 15 min coffee break.

So I am working on a session for my good buddy Dennis Chung at MS to present Windows 7 to the IT Pro community. Its always interesting presenting to the IT Pro community as they are probably one of the most honest and enjoyable audiences to talk to. Marketing fluff is not high on the agenda for these guys and gals and I love that. What I do find interesting is that we constantly present the strategy and features relevant to a business, however when I think about it, they are just like everyone else in their personal life, they are also a consumer… a very tech savvy consumer :-).

So here is my dilemma, how much do you focus on the commercial aspect of Windows 7 vs. the consumer aspect of Windows 7?

Well I have 75 mins to present apparently, so what that does mean is plenty of time for some great demonstrations… no one gets excited at slides :-).

So maybe we check out the following;

1. UI Enhancements
2. Play-To
3. Desktop Virtualization
1. Booting from a VHD
2. Windows XP Mode
4. Remote Media Streaming

There are lots of things I guess, anyone got any suggestions on things they would really like to see?

I am very excited to announce that I have just accepted the role as the Windows Client Business Group lead for Singapore. This has been a dream role of mine for a long time, and I am excited to be given the opportunity to run this segment of the business for Microsoft. The Windows operating system has and continues to help people achieve their goals both professionally and personally when it comes to using computers.

With Windows Vista SP2 and Windows 7 on the way there is a lot to be excited about and I look forward to working with the large expanse of passionate people in Singapore using their PCs to do more with technology.

If you have any ideas on what we can be doing better with you for Windows, please do not hesitate to let me know,

Thanks for your continual support,

Matty Hardman

My good friend Dennis has just posted a “How-To” video on installing Windows 7 from a USB drive. Apart from the practicality of having it on a USB driver rather than a DVD, its a really fast install!

Installing Win7 using a USB Stick | Media | TechNet Edge

I am hoping most people have not been affected by these email spreading around. There is a proliferation of SPAM emails going around suggesting that you have received an Ecard from someone… DONT CLICK ON THE LINK.

The downside of a connected social experience is that as users we become a bit lax with regards to protecting ourselves against such devious attacks.

I love the concept of social networking, but just remember a few things…

1. Is the email from someone you know? Even if it is… I would be weary of it… if it says something like this…

Michelle has posted an e-card.

Visit the following web address to see it:

You can see your card at any time within 40 days

I guarantee you its a SPAM email trying to get you to head to a link to get infected.

2. If you dont know the person that is sending it to you, then they probably dont know you… they are phishing for you to get infected and further proliferate the virus.

So what should you do?

1. Have anti-malware software installed, you can get Windows Defender for free from here…

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/defender/default.mspx

2. Ensure your anti-virus signatures are up to date.

Hopefully we can avoid the nefarious actions these emails are trying to get out there!!!

So it would be silly to blog about the fact that Windows 7 is out there in beta now, and from everyone’s opinion its a solid build… very very solid build. I am running this on my production machine at work on a Lenovo T61p and on my Acer Aspire 9500.

One thing which continued to irritate the crap out of me was that I could not get the wireless drivers for the Aspire 9500 installed. Every time I tried to install the Vista drivers for wireless the process would timeout and error on me.

*SOLUTION*

Finally I tried the Win XP drivers for the wireless and it worked flawlessly. The internet is running fast and happy now on my Aspire, and I have to say working better than ever.

This is a great OS and I am excited that people are sharing my enthusiasm, even some of the most critical people internally are also telling me how excited they are about Windows 7.

If you want to get a copy, download it now…

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx

I'm really excited about this announcement. This is a great step forward in making protection of your PC available for all. In the second half of 2009 we will be releasing code-name Morro that will protect customers from trojans, viruses, spyware, rootkits etc.

The big thing for people to realise that with technology it is always a two part problem, there is the technology and then there is the human element. Hackers etc. are using social engineering tactics to gain the trust of the user to perpetrate hacks and unauthorized access, so we need to also be self aware of this tactic.

However to make security protection free for all means there is no reason not to have the technical element of your software secure.

Microsoft to offer free consumer security suite | Security - CNET News

I am excited about this one, being an avid owner of a Nissan 350Z Fairlady Roadster, its exciting to see that the next Nissan Z is having its coming out, in a video game of all places. Ever since I heard about the 370Z I have wanted one, at least this way my wife wont be too upset if I fork out the price of an XBOX360 game to get one... albeit virtually!

The 370Z in Need for Speed Undercover

The 370Z in real life

Nissan unveils 370Z in 'Need for Speed Undercover' - USATODAY.com

Getting out to LA for a Microsoft event is not always the easiest thing for people to do, so great to hear that all of the sessions from PDC are being hosted so you can watch them after the actual event. I remember the last few PDCs where you had to wait a couple of months before you could get the recorded sessions, now they are being released within a day… awesome progress for online media.

UPDATE: The technology behind this is cool, Silverlight and Streaming means you can easily and quickly jump around the content and video without having to worry about the buffering. Very Cool!

PDC 2008 / Agenda / Sessions

So what is Smooth HD?

The definition from the Akamai web site says...

"SmoothHD.com is an early glimpse of cutting edge new technology from Microsoft and Akamai that will raise the bar on the consumer video experience.

SmoothHD.com is powered by Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) 7.0 Smooth Streaming – a unique adaptive streaming technology that dynamically adapts video quality in real-time based on local bandwidth conditions - and Akamai AdaptiveEdge Streaming for Microsoft® Silverlight™ , a new solution for enabling high-quality, scalable video experiences over Akamai's global HTTP network of more than 36,000 servers around the world. "

Check it out at the following link! This is amazing stuff high definition content streamed instantly through your browser!

Smooth HD

Cant wait to get this home and on the XBOX360, I need a thrilling game after finishing the awesome DeadSpace! If you are in to horror action games that have you on the edge of your seat, forget the rest, get yourself Deadspace, I have never had so much fun being scared out of my wits.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/d/deadspace/