CIO — If your business is still running Service Pack 2 of Windows XP, security problems are lurking around the corner, according to new research from IT services vendor Softchoice stating that almost 80 percent of organizations surveyed risk a security breach if the do not upgrade to SP3.
Why should SP2 users fear the reaper? Because Microsoft is ending support for SP2 on July 13, a date that was established when Windows XP SP3 was released on April 21, 2008. Paid support and security updates for SP2 will no longer be available, although Microsoft has stated that Windows XP SP2 users will still be allowed to access Microsoft online Knowledge Base articles, FAQs and troubleshooting tools.
All free technical support, warranty claims and design changes for Windows XP ended in April 2009 when the OS moved from Mainstream Support to the Extended Support phase. Extended Support includes paid support (charged on an hourly basis or per incident), security update support at no additional cost, and paid hotfix support.
Similar to this ArticleCompanies who choose not to update their SP2 systems to SP3 could, "create unnecessary security risks as hackers continue to look for vulnerabilities knowing that software updates will no longer be forthcoming from Microsoft," according to a release about the research report.
Windows XP SP2 users can download the SP3 software package from Microsoft's support site if they want to continue receiving security updates. Microsoft will also terminate support for Windows Vista RTM and Windows Server 2000 on July 13.
The Softchoice report is based on an analysis of 278,498 corporate and public sector PCs across 117 organizations from industries such as financial, healthcare, manufacturing and education.
Softchoice's data shows that 46 percent of these PCs are still running Microsoft Windows XP SP2. In addition, it is estimated that 77 percent of these organizations have enough SP2 in their environments to warrant immediate updates.
What happens for companies that don't update? Well, an unsupported service pack means no security updates, hotfixes or assisted support from Microsoft customer service. Essentially, you will no longer receive software updates from Windows Update to protect PCs from viruses, spyware and other malware, or that improve Windows reliability, including new drives for hardware.
Slideshow: Windows 7 Hardware in Pictures: The Latest and Greatest Laptops
Slideshow: In Pictures: Pro Sports Teeming with Tech Partnerships
Slideshow: Fighting the Dark Side: Tech's Heroes and VillainsWhile Windows XP SP2, released in 2004, was a major overhaul and therefore was delayed by many businesses, SP3 is more of an incremental upgrade, says Dean Williams, Services Development Manager for Softchoice.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Death of Windows XP SP2 Support a Security Risk - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
How to Enable Windows 7 GodMode
Here’s a neat Windows 7 trick that’s been doing the rounds on the Internet. It enables “GodMode,” a term devised by the Microsoft development team, which provides a single place to access all Windows settings without needing to browse options and folders in the Control Panel.
To use it:
- Create a new folder.
Rename the folder to
GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
(note that you can change the “GodMode” text, but the following period and code number are essential).
- The folder icon will change — double click it to show the GodMode window:
The window shows nearly 50 sections with quick links to configuration options. Strictly speaking, it’s not a God Mode since all the options are available elsewhere. It’s more akin to an “all tasks” list — but you may find it easier than stumbling through Windows numerous screens and panels.
Big Red Warning!
The trick appears to work on both the 32 and 64-bit versions of Windows 7. Vista 32-bit and Windows Server 2008 32-bit should also work. However, it is known to crash 64-bit versions of Vista — and you may need to boot in safe mode or to the command line to delete the folder.
New Year, New Windows
Since it’s the new year, you may be considering an upgrade to Windows 7. I’ve been watching the prices closely since Microsoft’s Windows “E” fiasco and they should have risen on January 1, 2010. However, that does not appear to have occurred just yet … perhaps it won’t be long? movie downloads
US Amazon.com:
- Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade — $110
- Windows 7 Home Premium (full version) — $180
- Windows 7 Professional Upgrade — $175
- Windows 7 Professional (full version) — $255 (down $5)
- Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade — $200
- Windows 7 Ultimate (full version) — $292
UK Amazon.co.uk:
- Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade — £65
- Windows 7 Home Premium (full version) — £90 (down £20)
- Windows 7 Professional Upgrade — £133 (down £6)
- Windows 7 Professional (full version) — £160 (up £10)
- Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade — £150
- Windows 7 Ultimate (full version) — £170 (up £4)
Tags: hack, microsoft, trick, windowsRelated Posts
« Previous in Category Next in Category »
- Share this on del.icio.us
- Digg this!
- Share this on Reddit
- Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon
- Share this on Facebook
- http://b2l.me/n63y7+" title="Tweet This!" rel="nofollow">Tweet This!
- Subscribe to the comments for this post?
Posted on January 5, 2010 in News & Trends. The views and opinions in this blog post are those of its author.
Simplifying your control panel! Found this to be quite useful. Nothing new from a functionality standpoint, just ease of access to the features.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Seven Features in Windows 7 You Probably Don't Know About - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership
Seven Features in Windows 7 You Probably Don't Know About
From streaming Netflix movies in Windows Media Center to eye candy desktop Themes to a calculator that does a lot more than arithmetic, here's a slideshow of cool but unappreciated Windows 7 features.
By this point if you're using Windows 7 you've Aero Snapped, Peeked and Shaken, you've jumped to Jump Lists and taskbar thumbnails, and shared photos and music using HomeGroup. But there's a plethora of hidden gems in Windows 7 that don't get nearly enough attention.
Here's our photo collection of seven underrated Windows 7 features and instructions on how to use them.
-->Sticky Notes
If yellow notes stuck to desks and computer monitors rule your life, it's time to go digital with Sticky Notes in Windows 7. The Sticky Notes app can be found by clicking the start button in Windows 7, typing in "sticky" and pressing enter. A new note appears on the desktop. Let the digital "to do" lists begin. With Sticky Notes in Windows 7, you can format a note's text, change colors, collapse, resize and flip through notes. Sticky Notes is available in Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate.
[ For complete coverage on Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system -- including hands-on reviews, video tutorials and advice on enterprise rollouts-- see CIO.com's Windows 7 Bible. ]
-->
Reducing the cost of deployment will significantly reduce the total cost of ownership - especially in combination with cost-saving features in Microsoft Windows 7.Microsoft Windows 7 overwhelmingly met the requirements and showed improved performance and stability compared with Microsoft Windows XP.Enterprises should begin Windows 7 migration soon to avoid losing support for their environments from independent software vendors, even though Windows XP is supported through 2014.Compatibility mode smoothes transition from Windows XPThe Fast Track to Windows 7This Webcast discusses the highly scalable, superior IT optimization and workload consolidation that System z deliv...More Slideshows
Windows 7 in Pictures: The Coolest New Hardware
Microsoft put eye-catching hardware on display at last week's Windows 7 launch event. From netbooks and ultrathins to standard-size laptops and All-in-One touchscreen PCs, here's a closer look at some of the shiniest new Windows 7 machines.
Windows 7 in Pictures: 10 Cool Desktop Features
In anticipation of Windows 7 being released into the wild on Oct. 22, here is an up-to-date pictorial guide to the most compelling navigation and networking features of the OS.
13 of Microsoft's Most Important Product Releases for 2009
Microsoft filled 2009 with product releases that include clients, servers, management tools, browsers, search engines, Web apps, mobile operating systems, media players and more. Plus one surprise release that stunned the industry.
8 More PowerPoint Train Wrecks
We thought we had seen presentation disaster at its worst with the last set of PowerPoint slides. We were wrong. These train wrecks, captured in all their not-so-fiery infamy, show what truly terrible PPT slides can do to burn innocent audiences everywhere.
Some interesting findings...
