If you’ve been chomping at the bit to get your Vista PC more stable and efficient, you can get your paws on the release candidate of Service Pack 1, now available to the public for download. This is the release candidate, not the final release, so only brave, impatient testers should apply. The SP1 RC is a free download for Vista users from Microsoft; if you install this now you’ll still have to install the final release when it drops.
Microsoft Corp.’s Windows XP operating system is about to get faster and Windows Vista isn’t, according to a report that caused a stir online this week as industry watchers speculated that a zippier XP could keep customers from upgrading to Vista.
Microsoft, however, said it’s too early to evaluate the two service packs it plans to release next year.
Early versions are already in the hands of testers like Devil Mountain Software Inc., which helps big financial services companies track trading-floor computer performance.
Wellington, Fla.-based Devil Mountain Software ran several versions of XP and Vista through a test simulating common desktop computing tasks. It found the original Vista performed 50 percent to 100 percent slower than the prevalent XP Service Pack 2, or SP2.
Vista SP1, due out in the first quarter of 2008, barely improved the operating system’s performance.
But XP SP3, scheduled for the first half of 2008, did improve on XP’s earlier performance, running 10 percent faster than SP2…
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Windows XP vs. Vista: The Benchmark Rundown
Windows Vista is one year old today. Microsoft’s latest operating system was released to business users on 30 November, 2006, and its first year of availability has seen what could politely be described as a mixed reaction.
Eighty-eight million copies of the operating system have been sold to to businesses and consumers so far: the consumer versions of Vista have been available since the end of January this year. Yet analysts at Gartner say “the uptake of Windows Vista in the PC installed base is taking longer than previously expected, with Vista becoming the dominant operating system only in 2009″.
A survey released last week suggests only 13 percent of businesses are planning to move all their desktops to Vista. For businesses, the problem seems to be twofold.
Firstly, Vista does not seem to offer many immediate benefits over its predecessor, XP. In fact, testing of upcoming service packs for both operating systems has given XP a marked edge in performance over Vista.
Secondly, there are currently few applications that run on Vista only. Until that happens, analysts suggest, most businesses may find it hard to see why they should invest in new PCs to support the hardware demands of Vista.
Microsoft’s Pete McKiernan, a senior product manager for Windows, told CNET News.com that one of the purposes of a service pack is to include all the patches that have been released in one package. Windows Vista SP1 will have that, but little else for the home user.
Unlike the buzz surrounding Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista SP1 won’t include a new version of Internet Explorer, and won’t include any new features that are considered must haves. Most of the enhancements within Windows Vista SP1 are under the hood and for enterprise customers. In short, Windows Vista SP1 lacks “wow.”
Currently, Microsoft is beta-testing the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 on about 12,000 machines worldwide. As the beta continues, more users will be invited, but the numbers will not match the estimated 5 million that tried the operating system prior to RTM (release to manufacturing) last summer. CNET obtained an official copy of the Windows Vista SP1 beta for review.
After dancing around the subject for months, Microsoft finally opened up Wednesday and said it will release the first Service Pack for Windows Vista in the first quarter of 2008 with a wider beta version coming in “a few weeks.” The announcement confirms Microsoft comments in a Department of Justice filing in June that the company would have a test version of SP1 out before the end of the year.
“We’re feeling good about Windows Vista,” said David Zipkin, a Microsoft senior product manager for Windows Client, in an interview. He pointed out that among other metrics, Windows Vista had 12 security issues in its first six months compared with Windows XP’s 36 during its first six months. “At the same time, we are getting notes back that some people are having not so great experiences.”
Microsoft has seen a number of setbacks with Windows Vista thus far. Earlier this year, Dell decided that it would again sell Windows XP systems due to high customer demand and then announced it would be selling computers pre-installed with Linux. Many businesses, meanwhile, have opted to hold off on installing Vista indefinitely until Microsoft works out compatibility problems and other kinks. Last month, Microsoft CFO Chris Liddell changed an earlier prediction for an 85% to 15% split between sales of Vista and XP in 2008 to a 78% to 22% split…
Microsoft slashed the price on its Windows Vista operating system in China by more than half, in a bid to lure buyers away from pirated versions of the software. From Aug. 1, Microsoft cut its retail price for the Vista Home Basic package to CNY499 ($66) from CNY1,521, and for the Vista Home Premium package to CNY899 from CNY1802, the company said in a statement. The reduction will allow more household customers “to enjoy the legal version of Windows Vista,” Microsoft said.
The price cut is the latest tactic by Microsoft in its efforts to spread legitimate products in the China market, which is a hotbed for software piracy. A study by research firm International Data Corp. estimated that 82% of software used in China in 2006 was pirated, down from 86% in 2005. In early 2006, China started requiring computer makers to install at the factory legitimate copies of operating-system software, quickly leading to increased sales of legitimate software.
Professionals usually don’t do much immediately after they are done with 642-825 and 640-863. Later, as all aim for 642-642, they first go for 642-432. A smaller group instead opts for 640-801 too.
Quote: We wanted to see how well games performed in Windows Vista compared to Windows XP. We tested four video cards, ranging from the high-end GeForce 8800 GTX down to the mainstream Radeon X1650 Pro, to see how Nvidia’s and ATI’s Vista drivers compared to their XP counterparts. We also compared the operating systems using different amounts of system memory because we wanted to see if Vista’s increased memory usage hindered game performance. Note that we’re only examining DX9 game performance in this feature, and we’re in the process of testing OpenGL games for a future update. Visit CNET’s complete guide to Windows Vista or our Windows Vista Hands-On preview for an overview of the new operating system…
While we saw a great deal of changes between our initial review of Windows Vista Beta 2 and Release Candidate 1, it should come as no surprise that there have been far fewer changes between RC1 and the final version we are looking at today. For better or worse, RC1 was the last chance for Microsoft to implement any changes in Vista that were design changes; everything since then has been in the realm of last-minute polish and bug fixes. As a result, certainly Vista is in better shape than ever before, but at the same time it means that design issues we identified have not been resolved…
Microsoft Corp. has failed to deliver on its promise of downloadable extras for the highest-priced version of Windows Vista, critics claim.
Dubbed “Extras” and exclusive to Vista Ultimate, the downloads were touted before, at and after the launch as one of a handful of features that separated the $399 operating system from the $239 Home Premium. On Ultimate’s marketing site, Microsoft currently says of Extras: “These cutting-edge programs, innovative services, and unique publications provide a richer computing experience for Windows Vista Ultimate users.”
Trouble is, according to critics like Scott Dunn, an editor with the popular “Windows Secrets” newsletter, Microsoft hasn’t followed through. Since January, when Vista was released to consumers, no new finished Extra have been offered to Ultimate users.
“Extras is not a minor feature of Ultimate,” Dunn argued. “It’s one of the things that sets it apart from Home Premium, and one of the few unique things that has been promised Ultimate users.”
Microsoft issued three Extras when Vista debuted, including a poker game; an add-on to BitLocker, Vista’s whole-disk encryption tool; and language packs for the operating system’s Multilingual User Interface. The next month, Microsoft posted DreamScene, a video screensaver, in beta form; DreamScene has not shifted out of beta since then.
“Some of these so-called extras should have been included with Ultimate,” Dunn said, citing the BitLocker add-on. “Without that, it’s very difficult to even use BitLocker.”…
A new version of Autodesk Maya Personal Learning Edition (PLE) software is now available for download in English and Japanese at www.autodesk.com/maya-trial. Based on Maya Complete 8.5 software, this Maya PLE provides free access to Maya 3D animation, modeling and rendering software for non-commercial use by students, industry professionals and others interested in learning the application.
Free Windows Vista/XP themes, icons, screensavers and wallpapers available to give your pc the most unique look available. We pick only the best resouces in each category for inclusion. If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to email me.
