SuperSite Blog

December 2008 - Posts

• Zune 30s succumb to software glitch (with January 1 update)

  If you’re one of the 17 people who actually own a first generation Zune 30 (I am, by the way), you awoke this morning to discover that the device will not boot. The problem, apparently, is a software glitch tied to the date (December 31, 2008). I can confirm that this is the case with my own Zune 30, and I’m awaiting word from Microsoft on a resolution. (Pardon the pun.) Update: Tom Warren tipped me off that Microsoft is working on a fix. On their Zune support page, Microsoft acknowledges the issue like so: Status: Customers with 30gb Zune devices may experience issues when booting their Zune hardware.  We’re aware of the problem and are working to correct it.  Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for your patience! Update 2: Problem solved Microsoft has figured out what went wrong. As expected, no big deal. Here’s a post from yesterday: The issue should be resolved over the next 24 hours as the time change moves to January 1, 2009.   We expect the internal clock on the Zune 30GB devices will automatically reset tomorrow (noon, GMT). By tomorrow you should allow the battery to fully run out of power before the unit can restart successfully then simply ensure that your device is recharged, then turn it back on.  If you’re a Zune Pass subscriber, you may need to sync your device with your PC to refresh the rights to the subscription content you have downloaded to your device. BTW, I love how the press over-reacted to this. The Zune 30 was only sold in North America (and mostly in just the US) and is the poorest-selling Zune model. The Mac/Apple community has been particularly childish about it. Weird that they’d have such a hang-up over such a non-competitive device, eh? Sorry it wasn’t more serious, guys. Posted Dec 31 2008, 12:07 PM by pthurrott with 117 comment(s) Filed under: Zune

• Ed Bott on Windows 7 EULA surprises

  Looks like everyone over at ZDNet is resorting to downloading the pirated version of Windows 7 build 7000 (Beta). In doing so, Ed Bott has discovered some interesting End User License Agreement (EULA) changes: One of the first things I did before installing the software was to read the end user license agreement (EULA), carefully. Most of it was boilerplate, but I found a few surprises hidden within the legalese, including a revision code at the end, “EULAID:Win7_B.1_PRO_NRL_en-US,” which indicates that this is indeed Beta 1. Here’s a summary of some other interesting additions: You can install as many copies as you want. The software expires on August 1, 2009. Activation and validation are alive and well [and] are not permitted to circumvent validation. Check out the article for more additions and information. Posted Dec 30 2008, 03:53 PM by pthurrott with 27 comment(s) Filed under: Windows 7

• Sony’s PS3: Complete disaster or just utter disaster?

  Well, one thing’s for sure: The New York Times, at least, can’t decide whether the PlayStation 3 is doing well or not. In the con category, we have: Hope Fades for PS3 as a Comeback Player Early results from this holiday season aren't promising. U.S. sales of the PS3 fell 19% last month from a year earlier, while sales doubled for the Wii console and rose 8% for the Xbox 360, according to research firm NPD. Analysts say they expect PS3 sales for this month to be flat or lower than last year, while sales for its rivals are likely to rise. And Sony may not reach its goal of selling 10 million PS3 consoles in the fiscal year through March, analysts say. Sony's strategy of selling a pricey game machine with advanced features and cutting-edge components appears to be backfiring as a deepening recession has U.S. consumers more price sensitive than ever. If Sony doesn't close the gap with its rivals, it could risk making the PS3 an afterthought to game publishers, who focus most of their resources on the machines with the most users. At the end of September, the Wii had a wide lead with nearly 35 million units sold since its launch in 2006 compared with about 22 million Xbox 360 consoles and 17 million PS3 machines. Nintendo last month sold 2 million Wii machines in the U.S., while Microsoft sold 836,000 Xbox 360s and Sony sold 378,000 PS3s, according to NPD. Meanwhile, over in the pro category, yet another NYT article provides a slightly rosier outlook: New Sony Game Nears Breaking Even Sony is closer to breaking even on its new-generation PlayStation 3 videogame console because it costs 35% less to make than the previous model, according to technology-research firm iSuppli Corp. Integration and key changes in components has brought the latest PS3's cost down to $448.73 from $690.23 for the first-generation model, said iSuppli. The PS3 sells for about $399 in the U.S., at least $150 more than Wii and Xbox 360. However, the PS3 accounted for 16% of global videogame-unit shipments in the second quarter of 2008, second only to Nintendo's Wii, which accounted for 54% of the market. Andrew Rassweiler of iSuppli predicted the PS3 may be able to break even in 2009 with further hardware revisions. Just so we’re clear, the good news here is that Sony may soon stop selling the PS3 at a loss, not that it will somehow “break even” on overall PS3 costs. If these figures are correct, however, Sony still loses $50 for each console it sells. Not counting packaging and royalty expenses. Sounds like a gangbuster business to me. :) Posted Dec 30 2008, 03:49 PM by pthurrott with 52 comment(s) Filed under: Video games

• Windows 7 Device Stage

  I mention in my Windows 7 Beta review that I don’t have a Device Stage compatible device so I can’t test that feature.  But I was told via email by Andrew that the Sansa Clip works, and sure enough, I do have one of those. Here’s a shot: Nice! Posted Dec 29 2008, 03:41 PM by pthurrott with 17 comment(s) Filed under: Windows 7

• HP launches next-generation MediaSmart home servers

  I thought they were going to wait for CES for this, but I’m happy to report that I’ve been using one of these second-gen MediaSmart Servers for a few months now and they’re a huge improvement over an already-excellent product. I’ll have a review up in very early January. HP Launches New Home Server for PCs and Macs HP MediaSmart Server centralizes digital media and files for backup, remote access, sharing and uploading to social media sites Dec. 29, 2008 – HP today launched a home server designed for use with both Windows and Mac computers. Based on the Microsoft Windows Home Server platform, the HP MediaSmart Server ex485/ex487 is a central repository for automatically backing up and accessing digital music, videos, photos and documents from multiple computers on a home network. The MediaSmart Server automatically organizes files across all PCs, streams media across a home network and the Internet,(2) and publishes photos to popular social networking and photo sharing sites. “A growing number of digital-savvy households have both Windows and Mac computers, with hundreds and sometimes thousands of media files and documents scattered across these devices,” said Jason Zajac, vice president of strategy, Worldwide Attach Group, HP. “The HP MediaSmart Server protects, stores and organizes this content from anywhere on a network so consumers can access and share it any place they are connected.” “HP continues to innovate on the Windows Home Server platform giving consumers even more options to enjoy and protect their precious memories and valuable data,” said Charlie Kindel, general manager, Windows Server Solutions, Microsoft. “We believe consumers will embrace the new MediaSmart Server as one of the most exciting computing products for the home.” MediaSmart Server ex485/ex487 features include: HP Media Collector: conveniently schedules the MediaSmart Server to copy and centralize digital files and libraries from networked PCs Media Streaming: remotely streams photos and music to any Internet-connected PC or Mac Server for iTunes: centralizes iTunes music libraries on the server for playback to any networked Mac or PC running iTunes HP Photo Publisher: easily upload photos to Facebook, Picasa Web Albums and Snapfish HP Photo Viewer: allows easy sharing of photos with friends and family PC Hard Drive Backup: backs up networked PCs via the Windows Home Server backup feature Mac Hard Drive Backup: backs up Macs running Leopard using Apple Time Machine software Server Backup: duplicates designated shared folders to a separate hard disk drive Online Backup: duplicates designated folders to Amazon’s S3 online backup service for an additional layer of protection Smart Power Management: can schedule times for server to go to ”sleep” and ”wake up,” saving on energy costs Processor: Intel Celeron, 2.0 GHz 64-bit. Two gigabytes (GB) of 800-MHz DDR2 DRAM now standard on MediaSmart Server Expandability: additional drives can be added for up to 9 terabytes (TB) "Customers are always looking for the right mix of features and ease-of-use when choosing digital home products," said Danielle Levitas, group vice president, consumer, broadband and digital marketplace at IDC. "HP's focus and investment in software allows it to deliver a home server with compelling features for Mac and PC users while offering a great customer experience that helps simplify the complexity of the connected home. This unique offering will help expand the home server market." Pricing and availability Manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the HP MediaSmart Server ex485 with 750 GB of hard disk storage is $599 while the HP MediaSmart Server ex487 with 1.5 TB is $749.(4) The HP MediaSmart Server can be pre-ordered beginning on Jan. 5, 2009, from Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Buy.com, Frys.com and NewEgg.com; it is expected to ship in February. The first 200 consumers who visit HP Home & Home Office (www.hpshopping.com) or call +1 888 271 2982 between Jan. 5 - 11, 2009, to reserve a MediaSmart Server and use coupon code “AC5674” will receive a $50 savings off their purchase. Good stuff. If you’ve been waiting on Windows Home Server, your wait is now rewarded. Posted Dec 29 2008, 11:02 AM by pthurrott with 38 comment(s) Filed under: Windows Home Server, Windows Live

• Windows Azure Q & A with Amitabh Srivastava

  I should have posted this days ago, but it’s been so crazy with the holidays. Bryant over at AeroExperience has posted an excellent interview with Windows Azure lead Amitabh Srivastava. How would you define “cloud computing?” Amitabh: Microsoft believes the cloud is fundamentally about enabling the developer eco-system to reduce complexity of delivering software. Today, as an industry, we have made some strides, but most of that innovation has come around removing the complexity of installing, maintaining and optimizing hardware. We think that there is a huge opportunity to move beyond hardware, and remove the complexity of the application platform itself; letting customers focus on their applications and end user experiences. What kind of customers are you targeting with the release of Windows Azure? Amitabh: Windows Azure was designed with developers in mind. This is about enabling developers within ISVs, System Integrators and businesses to quickly and easily create, deploy, manage, and distribute web applications and services. What was Windows “Strata?” Amitabh: Microsoft often uses code names for products during their early developmental phases. Strata was the code name for “Azure” There’s a lot more at the source interview, of course. Check it out. Posted Dec 25 2008, 12:04 PM by pthurrott with 9 comment(s) Filed under: Cloud computing, Windows Azure

• Access Google Docs from your Desktop

  Google’s relentless moves onto the desktop continue with their latest utility, a way to access your cloud-based Google Docs from Windows (and Linux, as it turns out): The Google Desktop team is pleased to release a Google Docs Gadget for Google Desktop. It allows you to search and open your Google documents right from your desktop. And as an added bonus, we've included drag-and-drop uploading for documents. Google Docs works well in a fast-paced work environment because you can create and share documents freely without worrying about saving them to your machine, passing around email attachments, and of course, finding them later. However, there are times when we just need to bring up the same few documents continually throughout the day. Some examples are a data entry spreadsheet, a technical manual, or that steamy romance novel you've been secretly penning during work hours. You can instead bring up the gadget and, in an instant, search and open your Google documents (hint: pressing the shift key twice brings up all your hidden Desktop gadgets). Another handy feature is drag-and-drop uploading of files. Let's say you have a dozen documents you'd like to upload and convert to Google Docs. We'll make the claim that it is easier and faster to drag the files onto the gadget, rather than uploading them one at a time. I find it curious that Google continues to build desktop utilities that rely on Google Desktop. Why not just create an Explorer shell extension that adds your online Google Docs to your Documents folder and then keeps them in sync? Is that too obvious? Posted Dec 22 2008, 07:20 PM by pthurrott with 24 comment(s) Filed under: Microsoft Office, Google, Cloud computing

• Microsoft pulls a Barbie

  Microsoft explains how it missed a serious IE bug for NINE years or, as the company chooses to title this blog post, MS08-078 and the SDL: Every bug is an opportunity to learn, and the security update that fixed the data binding bug that affected Internet Explorer users is no exception. The bug was an invalid pointer dereference in MSHTML.DLL when the code handles data binding. It's important to point out that there is no heap corruption and there is no heap-based buffer overrun! Memory-related TOCTOU bugs are hard to find through code review; we teach TOCTOU issues, and we teach memory corruption issues, and issues with using freed memory blocks; but we do not teach memory-related TOCTOU issues. We will update our training to address this. Our static analysis tools don't find this because the tools would need to understand the re-entrant nature of the code. In theory, fuzz testing could find this bug, but today there is no fuzz test case for this code. Even though Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 have both ASLR and NX enabled by default, Internet Explorer 7 does not opt-in to these defenses owing to compatibility issues with many common applications. Internet Explorer 8 enables these defenses by default. On Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, this is a major defense that comes into play against the currently circulating exploits. When the exploit code runs, it's running at low integrity because IE runs at low integrity, and this means the exploit code cannot write to higher integrity portions of the operating system, which is just about everywhere! For our server platforms, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008, Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration also prevents the exploit from working because the vulnerable code is disabled. How was the bug found? We really don't know how the bug was found, but some of the security people in Internet Explorer and the Trustworthy Computing Security teams suggest that the bug was either "stumbled upon" or found through directed fuzzing. The finder could spend as long as he or she wanted to find this one bug. This is one of the things that makes security hard - security is a highly asymmetric problem: software developers must get the code right 100% of the time in a very short amount of time, while attackers can spend as long as they want to find one bug.  This isn't an excuse; it's a fact of life. As you can see from this post, many defenses in Windows did not come into play, but all it takes is one defense to help stop or reduce the chance that an exploit will succeed, and in the case of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, Internet Explorer's Protected Mode was that defense. So I’m going to call this the Barbie defense (as in, “math is hard!”). Maybe it will catch on. :) Posted Dec 22 2008, 04:55 PM by pthurrott with 23 comment(s) Filed under: Internet, Internet Explorer, Security

• New folder icons in Windows 7? No

  Tom Warren over at Neowin has a post about a Windows 7 build 7004 that was shown off recently. Here’s a shot: He suggests that Microsoft has changed the folder style in Windows 7. But those are just Live Mesh folders. UPDATE: Just spoke with Tom and he’s already updated the post. Nothing to see here.  :) Posted Dec 20 2008, 11:30 AM by pthurrott with 24 comment(s) Filed under: Windows 7

• Xbox Live users: Beware the video game police

  CBC News in Canada reports on Microsoft’s efforts to combat stupidity on Xbox Live. And trust me, there’s a lot of it: Many gamers aren't aware of the fact that at any given time, they may be playing with one of these cops, whose job is to patrol and make the online world safe from video game miscreants. But they are there, and they're willing and able to dispense their own brand of justice. Stephen Toulouse, lead program manager for policy and enforcement for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox Live service, discussed his job in a keynote speech at the SecTor security conference in Toronto on Wednesday. After his speech, he sat down with CBCNews.ca to talk about maintaining law and order in Microsoft's online world. Toulouse: My team really handles three key things for the Xbox Live service. The first thing, which is our sort of bread and butter, is the terms-of-use stuff. I have a team that does that 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and what they do is pull complaints out of the complaint system. These are complaints that users have filed against other users. The second thing they handle is some of the policies around privacy and security-of-user information. As I mentioned in my talk, it's a little bit about what are the reasonable expectations that a user might have about being marketed to and when are we going to hand that data over and when are we not. Those policies and procedures are basically subsets at the corporate level. The third thing my team takes care of is any law enforcement requests. Subpoenas or things of that nature, where we might be able to help in an investigation. Maybe an Xbox is stolen, maybe there's information on the Xbox that law enforcement might need. So. Hm. Two things here. First, I see abuse on Xbox Live every single day. People with offensive gamertags. People just being downright annoying, by doing things like playing their radio into their headset or just babbling incessantly. Cheating, particularly with two well-known glitches in COD5. (And why aren’t those fixed yet btw?) As far as I can tell, this is all talk. I’ve never heard of anyone being banned in any way on Xbox Live. It should happen more often, I can tell you that. Second, I actually known Steven pretty well. As well as you can know someone that you’ve never physically met, that is. I’ve talked with him many, many times about various Microsoft security issues. He is absolutely credible and believable. I wasn’t aware that he was over working on Xbox stuff, so I wonder if this is a relatively new development for him. If so, maybe he clean up this town. It’s desperately needed. Thanks to Taber B. for the tip. Posted Dec 19 2008, 05:30 PM by pthurrott with 5 comment(s) Filed under: Xbox 360, Video games, Commentary

• Microsoft job listings reveal Zune expansion plans

  Todd Bishop serves up some interesting information about Microsoft’s Zune plans: "Zune Services is building an entertainment store for a wide range of Zune clients or 'tuners,' " reads a Dec. 2 posting for a Web services development job. "Today these tuners include the Windows PC client, the Zune web site and the Zune device; in the future there will be more. Each of these tuners access a set of rich web services implemented by Zune and soon by Musiwave as well." "The Zune organization is making a strategic change from a 3rd party content provider to in-house," reads a Dec. 2 posting for a software development job in Microsoft's Musiwave subsidiary. "We need to rebuild, re-architect, and revitalize a content ingestion pipeline that powers the entire Zune business. And we have a very short time to do it." i.e. this needs to be ready for the Fall 2009 Zune (4) update. But wait, there’s more … A Zune Xbox? Blogger Matt Rosoff … found another Zune listing that refers to a "Zune Xbox" -- evidence that the company will connect it digital music initiative and video-game console in new ways. "The Zune Design team seeks a visual designer who is passionate about software design, software innovation and consumer entertainment experiences," reads the Oct. 21 posting for a user experience designer. "We are looking for a strong, collaborative designer to work closely with the creative directors to propose innovative designs and content solutions for the Zune Device UI, Zune Xbox and Zune PC Application." So. What’s a “Zune Xbox.” Here’s my guess: All you have to do is look at the paltry music, photos, and movie playback experiences that still exist for the Xbox 360 in the new UI (New Xbox Experience) to quickly realize they’re in drastic need of updating. Putting the Zune UI on the Xbox 360 as the UI for digital media (alongside Media Center, I guess) makes perfect sense. In fact, when you consider that virtually the entire Xbox 360 dashboard was replaced as part of the NXE—except for the digital media playback bits—it’s pretty obvious. If true, I can’t wait. This is one case were symbiosis just makes sense: The Xbox controller is not much of a replacement for a traditional remote control, but if you look at what’s possible with just a Zune Pad and a few buttons on a typical Zune device, you can see, too, that making that UI work on the Xbox 360 will be child’s play. Posted Dec 19 2008, 01:38 PM by pthurrott with 29 comment(s) Filed under: Xbox 360, Zune, Windows Mobile, Digital media, Smartphone

• Windows 7 Beta imminent?

  Looks like the rumors of a December 19 release of the Windows 7 Beta 1 may, in fact, be accurate. Microsoft has added the following info to their public Windows 7 Web site today: Download the Windows 7 Beta The link errors out (for now). Most interesting! Thanks to Tom Warren from Neowin, who IM’d me from his iPhone. Now, that’s dedication! :) Thanks man. Posted Dec 19 2008, 12:33 PM by pthurrott with 59 comment(s) Filed under: Windows 7

• Skyfire browser for Windows Mobile

  In the wake of my look at Windows Mobile 6.1, I’ve gotten several emails from people recommending the Skyfire browser for Windows Mobile. I’m surprised to say I’d never heard of it before. But it looks very interesting: Skyfire is a free, downloadable mobile web browser that allows you to experience the internet on your phone exactly like on your PC. Now, you can use the full web from your mobile phone with unprecedented speed and simplicity – without the typical restrictions and limitations that current ‘mobile web’ efforts offer. It’s “The Web”, not some mobile web. Mobile browsing exactly like your PC With Skyfire on your phone you can for the first time ever shop, watch web video, listen to web music and stay connected on your social network -- just as you would on your PC. We're talking about full-featured PC versions of your favorite websites. Skyfire gives you speedy page loads, full audio, images and video. From Myspace, Facebook, YouTube to Hulu - it's the full web experienced on your phone. The real web, served-up right Unlike other mobile browsers, Skyfire supports the desktop version of Adobe Flash applications so sites, including those that serve-up video and music, are rendered exactly as you would expect - just like your PC. You will instantly recognize the content, be familiar with the page layout -- which is not true for most mobile browsing experiences. We support all that's good about today's web - not just Flash, but also Silverlight, Ajax, QuickTime and more. And even better: Skyfire evolves with the newest capabilities without you having to do anything. Go anywhere, see anything Not only do we deliver video and audio, we also deliver everything else you routinely do on the web. Get maps, check sport scores, view weather forecasts, read the news, check flights, and stay active on your favorite social networks. From the Top 10 of websites all the way down to the obscurest of pages - you'll do it all from your mobile phone just like you do on your PC. Blazing fast Skyfire is faster than any mobile web browser you've ever used. You'll load web pages as fast as your PC and eliminate the long delays and error messages you get with other mobile browsers. Don't take our word for it, check out this bake-off by Laptop Magazine and see how we handily outclassed the iPhone 3G. Easy to use It's easy to experience the PC web on your phone with Skyfire's clickable content and intuitive navigation. We know it's a small screen and that's why we made navigating intuitive with full screen, thumbnails and adaptable zooming modes. You simply and quickly get to exactly where you want to be on a page - navigating at speeds that make the experience enjoyable. Quick content and simple search All the places you routinely visit are a click away. We have handy links to popular websites on the start page. Your bookmarks and your browsing history is just a click away. Better yet, you can even bookmark your specific view (zoom level, position) of content on a web page to get exactly to the right place in one click. We made search simple. Use our nifty SuperBar to perform a search or enter a URL from a single field. We even suggest the most commonly used search keywords as you type. Plus the search results are from Google and Yahoo and are presented in easy to read tabs for each category: web, images, and videos, and maps. Simple and it's all a click away. Plenty of handy features We're always adding new features as we roll out our beta releases. Recently, we made it easy to share and easy to find mobile sites. Discover something on the web that you want to share? Now you can send it to your friends from Skyfire via a text message. We even shorten the URL to easily fit into a single SMS text message with room to spare for your own words. Don't like the big web page on your small screen? Want to go to the mobile site instead? If we find a mobile version of the same site, Skyfire lets you know - then you decide if you want the mobile or full website. Simply look for a 'Mobile Version' link at the top left of a page. Skyfire even renders iPhone specific web sites nicely. On the phone you own - and free! You can load Skyfire on your existing Windows Mobile (version 5 or 6) or newer Symbian Series 60 phones in a few steps. In a matter of minutes, you can install it either over the air or via your PC. It's free - what more can we say. No need to buy an expensive new phone and get locked into a new contract just because you want a better mobile internet experience. Other options include both Opera Mobile and Opera Mini, one of which is a paid retail product and the other which is free but limited. Skyfire appears to be a superior alternative, but any of these is better than Pocket IE or whatever they’re calling it these days. Thanks to everyone that wrote in about this. Posted Dec 18 2008, 10:11 AM by pthurrott with 48 comment(s) Filed under: Windows Mobile, Mobile, Cloud computing

• Windows 7 Beta Testing

  I get a lot of email about getting on the Windows 7 beta. Here’s the info from a Microsoft spokesperson: “We are in the early stages of soliciting beta testers for Windows 7, but do not have any additional information to share at this time. For updates on the development of Windows 7, please visit the Engineering Windows 7 and Windows Team blogs for updates.” Also of note is this letter, which is being sent to Windows 7 beta testers: Please do not respond to this e-mail. This mailbox is not monitored. Please note: due to Microsoft security requirements, the hyperlink(s) contained in this e-mail may not automatically open your browser. If this happens, please copy and paste the link into the address bar of your browser. The contents and messaging in this email are confidential and proprietary information of Microsoft Corporation. Recipients may not reproduce, store in or introduce into a retrieval system, or transmit in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), the information in this email for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation Dear [First Name], The Microsoft Windows® beta team would like to extend an invitation to you to participate in the Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows Server® 2008 R2 beta program planned for early 2009 as announced at the Professional Developers Conference Oct 2008. Accepting this invitation will allow you to access pre-release versions of the next version of Windows for the purpose of evaluating and providing feedback. We highly value your past feedback and know we can count on you again to help us build a great new version of Windows! The beta version is not available quite yet but we need to assemble a great team of beta testers early so you are ready to go when we are! If you accept this invitation you’ll be notified when the beta version becomes available. In the meantime you can visit http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows7 and http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008R2 to learn more about what’s coming. What you will get if you choose to participate · Early access to downloadable beta copies of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 · Access to private newsgroups to discuss the beta with other testers and with Microsoft staff · Access to various online events that will highlight new features and allow you to interact with the development team · The ability to report bugs and track their status · An opportunity to help us build a better Windows by assisting us in finding and fixing issues What we will ask of you if you choose to participate · We request that you download, burn to DVD and install Windows and/or Windows Server on at least one PC · We ask that you actively participate in discussions on the newsgroups and share your opinions with us and others · We also request that you file bugs if you encounter them as well as respond to surveys as you can. · We may ask you to consider being a press reference or invite you to share your Windows 7 user experience with others Things you should know about Windows 7 and the beta program · The beta will be available in English, German, Japanese and Arabic. A language pack for Hindi will also be provided · Availability will be via download only. No media will be provided so you’ll need a DVD burner to create installation media · PCs that support and run Windows Vista should allow you to run Windows 7. · Servers that support and run Windows Server 2008 should allow you to run Windows Server 2008 R2 · Participating in the beta does not necessarily mean you will receive a free final product. · Participation is strictly voluntary but we ask that if you do accept this invitation you report bugs as you see them as well as actively participate in the newsgroups and other events. · Spots are limited and from time to time we may remove inactive participants in order to make space available for others who are willing to actively provide feedback. Accepting Your Invitation To accept this invitation and become a member of this program, follow this link: <Link to Microsoft Connect Will Go Here>. If this link does not work for you, copy the full link and paste it into the Web browser address bar. You may be prompted to sign-in with your LiveID credentials. Getting Started While beta will not be available until early 2009 we, know you are excited to get started so we have opened the microsoft.beta.win7.lobby so you may begin renewing acquaintances with previous participants as well as meeting new testing peers. After accepting the invitation, you will be able to sign into Microsoft Connect and click on the “Windows 7 Beta Program” link for more information on accessing the newsgroups. As well, to better understand our audience and how we are asking you to complete the following three surveys to tell us about yourself. Each survey has 20-40 questions and each should take you approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. You don’t have to take them all at once nor do you have to do it right now. We ask though that at some point you find time to complete them. As a thank-you for completing these prior to the end of the calendar year (Prior to January 1st, 2009) each participant who completes all three surveys (or indicates “already taken”) will be put into a drawing and five winners selected to receive some Windows 7 logo’ed toys! Participant Survey Part 1 - http://connect.microsoft.com/Survey/Survey.aspx?SurveyID=7322&SiteID=488 Participant Survey Part 2 - http://connect.microsoft.com/Survey/Survey.aspx?SurveyID=7323&SiteID=488 Participant Survey Part 3 - http://connect.microsoft.com/Survey/Survey.aspx?SurveyID=7324&SiteID=488 The team would like to thank-you in advance for helping make this our best OS release to date and we look forward to hearing what you have to say! Regards, The Windows Customer Connection Team If you do not wish to receive e-mail messages from this specific program, you need to "Decline Participation" on the Microsoft Connect My Participation page, since receiving program-specific e-mail is a mandatory part of your participation. If you do not wish to receive any e-mail messages from Microsoft Connect in the future, please send e-mail to mchelp@microsoft.com with the subject, "Remove Me From Microsoft Connect," and all your information will be completely removed from Microsoft Connect. If you need Microsoft Connect support for any other reason, visit the Microsoft Connect Contact Us page. This is an unmonitored e-mail address, so please do not reply to this message. Posted Dec 16 2008, 05:24 PM by pthurrott with 73 comment(s) Filed under: Windows 7

• Introducing Windows Live Solution Center

  I’ve gotten a lot of questions lately about how people can provide feedback about Windows Live to Microsoft. Today, the company finally revealed a formal process for this: The Hotmail team really values your feedback and experience when using our products. We currently get feedback from many different places, including usability studies on new feature designs, surveys of existing Hotmail customers like you, the Hotmail feedback link, our support team, and other sources. We use these many sources to prioritize which new features to add, how to make Hotmail easier to use, and to identify problems that we need to fix quickly because they block you from using Hotmail. While our blog posts give us a good way to communicate new features that we add to the product, a blog is not a complete solution. We want to have two-way communication with our customers and decrease the time that it takes to solve problems that users are having with their accounts. We are proud to announce a new and better way to interact: Windows Live Solution Center! What can you do on this new website? Get fast answers to common questions, such as “How can I stop receiving spam?” Get up-to-date status reports about Hotmail service issues or outages Work to resolve issues you’re having with Hotmail  Talk with other Hotmail users about issues you’re having, or exchange tips and tricks Hotmail support staff may be contributing to, moderating, and monitoring the site. The Windows Live Solution Center at www.windowslivehelp.com is the best place to go to report a problem with Hotmail or get help with your account. The Windows Live Solution Center is just for Hotmail right now, but other Windows Live services will be part of the site in the future. We look forward to talking with you more on the www.windowslivehelp.com site! - Windows Live Hotmail team Posted Dec 16 2008, 10:37 AM by pthurrott with 31 comment(s) Filed under: Windows Live, Cloud computing