Category: Microsoft

Microsoft to dump 32-bit CPU version after Windows vista

Windows Vista will be the last version of Windows for Pentium 4 and Core Duo owners. Microsoft has used its annual hardware engineering conference to announce that Windows Vista and Server 2008 will be the last versions of Windows to run on 32 bit computing.

According to APC Magazine

After the software giant has gotten over its hangover from partying like it’s 1999 with the release of Windows Server 2008, it will have one last 32-bit hurrah with a “release 2” update to Windows Server 2008, and that’ll be it.

32 bit CPU: if you have one, learn to love Vista — you're stuck with it.32 bit CPU: if you have one, learn to love Vista — you’re stuck with it.There will be no more versions of Windows — on desktop or server — that will work on 32-bit CPUs like Pentium 4 or Core Duo (first-gen MacBook owners, take note, Windows Vista will be the last version of Windows installable on your machine.)

You can use Ubuntu Linux on 32 bit computer. It supports office apps, browsing, IM, email etc.

Windows vista beta, RC1, RC2 users upgrade to final release

If you are using Windows Vista Beta 2, RC1 and RC2, prepared for upgrade as set to expire. According to WindowsVista blog:

On 31 May 2007, all Customer Preview Program (CPP) pre-release versions of Windows Vista will expire. If you are running a pre-release version of Windows Vista (Beta 2, RC1 or RC2), you will begin to receive warning notifications about the upcoming expiration on 18 May. To avoid work disruption and loss of data, we strongly recommend that customers running any of these pre-release versions of Windows Vista migrate their PCs to the final version of Windows Vista prior to 31 May.

Now the scary part:

After 31 May 2007, customers who continue to use pre-release versions of Windows Vista will be able to log in for 2-hour sessions to retrieve data. After 2 hours of use, the PC will automatically reboot without providing the opportunity to save data. The opportunity to log in normally for these 2-hour sessions will only be available until 28 August 2007. It is strongly recommended that PC users running any of these pre-release versions of Windows Vista migrate their PCs to the final version of Windows Vista or another operating system prior to 31 May.

So you must upgrade if you like Windows Vista or if you just use PC for Internet browsing and office work you can try out new Ubuntu Linux ;)

Read more…

Howto connect MySQL PostgreSQL server to Microsoft Office Application using ODBC

Learn how to connect Microsoft application such as Excel and other to MySQL and PostgreSQL database server running on Linux. This is an excellent information / howto.

In cases where business applications have been built on open source databases, it may be necessary to connect other Windows applications, such as Microsoft Access or Excel, to these databases for reporting or business intelligence purposes.

One potential application of this process is to use Excel as a front-end for data analysis. Data can be pulled from views or tables and then further analyzed, graphed, and the like. Even pivot tables can be used to create even more powerful reporting solutions.

This how-to walks through this process using Excel as an example application. Although in this example, the MySQL and PostgreSQL servers are running on Linux, the steps are no different if the software is running on Windows. These steps are:
1. Setting up authentication
2. Installing the ODBC Drivers
3. Configuring the data source
4. Importing the data.

=> Connecting Office Applications to MySQL and PostgreSQL via ODBC

Tips for Upgrading to Windows Vista

So how do you make sure that your computer is ready for the edition of Windows Vista?

The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor will help you to determine if your Windows XP-based PC can run Windows Vista. You can also use the Upgrade Advisor to determine if your Windows Vista-based PC is ready for an upgrade to a more powerful edition of Windows Vista.

There are also some tips posted by Computerworld:

Microsoft’s new OS is saddled with problems that may dissuade would-be upgraders. If you do decide to upgrade, though, it’s easier than ever before. Here’s the smart way.

Upgrading to Vista: The Gotchas and the Good News

Download of the day: Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2) is a cumulative service pack that includes the latest updates and provides enhancements to security and stability. It includes updates, fixes and enhancements to a Windows oses. Service packs are the means by which product updates are distributed.

If you are using any one of the following version, you need to use this service pack:

  • Windows Server 2003 with SP2
  • Windows Server 2003 R2 with SP2
  • Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions with SP2
  • Windows Server 2003 R2 x64 Editions with SP2
  • Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems with SP2
  • Windows XP Professional x64 Edition with SP2

Download link

This is a released to market (RTM) only. You can download service pack by visiting this site. (release note, found via MSDN blog)

20 most wanted Firefox extensions

There is a good list of 20 must-have Firefox extensions published at computer world web site. These plug-ins give you souped-up functionality, better look and feel, and streamlined development tasks.

Currently I am using following two add-ons
1) Google Toolbar
2) Stumble! Toolbar

You can find some other Firefox add-on information here :)

A freshly installed copy of Firefox is a great software package, but what makes this open-source browser so special is the ability to customize it via extensions and themes to really make it yours. The problem is, there are so many available add-ins, it’s tough to know what’s worth installing and what’s just going to junk up your system.
* Tools for taming the Web
* Visual improvements
* Matters of convenience
* Information gatherers
* Web developer essentials

=> 20 must-have Firefox extensions

Download 32 bit and 64 bit Windows XP / 2000 3dfx Voodoo3 drivers

Voodoo3 was a series of computer gaming video cards manufactured and designed by 3dfx Interactive. 3dfx Interactive was a company which specialized in the manufacturing of cutting-edge 3D graphics processing units and, later, graphics cards.

After bankruptcy, its intellectual assets (and many employees) were acquired by its rival, NVIDIA Corporation.

Download 32 bit and 64 bit Windows XP / 2000 3dfx Voodoo3 drivers
3DFX DIED IN the fourth quarter of 2000 and Windows XP came to life a year after.

But seven years after, drivers for 3dfx cards still appear. First of all, it is nearly incredible that enthusiast community managed to support an operating system which was still in the works. Secondly – it is incredible that drivers that support both 32- and 64-bit Windows have just came out.

This is ninth SFFT driver release based on the new Unified Architecture supporting by one package all Voodoo3 family, including Voodoo3 2000, Voodoo3 3000 and Voodoo3 3500 cards, as well as all 3dfx VSA-100 products and so Voodoo4 4500, Voodoo5 5500 and Voodoo5 6000 cards. It is designed and developed to work with both Windows 2000/XP (32 bit) and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition (64 bit) Microsoft Operative Systems.

Download link

Understanding Windows Vista Kernel

Mark Russinovich, Technical Fellow at Microsoft in the Platform and Services Division has published a three part series article called – Inside the Windows Vista Kernel: Part 1, 2 ,and 3 (yet to publish)

First part covers:
The areas of processes and threads, and in I/O. Future installments will cover memory management, startup and shutdown, reliability and recovery, and security.

From the second part:
Every release of Windows improves scalability and performance, and Windows Vista is no different. The Windows Vista Memory Manager includes numerous enhancements, like more extensive use of lock-free synchronization techniques, finer-grained locking, tighter data-structure packing, larger paging I/Os, support for modern GPU memory architectures, and more efficient use of the hardware Translation Lookaside Buffer. Plus, Windows Vista memory management now offers dynamic address space allocation for the requirements of different workloads.

Four performance-enhancing features that use new technologies make their operating system debut on Windows Vista: SuperFetch, ReadyBoost, ReadyBoot, and ReadyDrive. I’ll discuss them in detail later in this article.

Installing and using Java on Windows Vista

Java on Vista: Yes, it Works :)

This blog post from Chet Haase describes in detail what has been done to make the Java platform run well on Vista.

From the post:
Nope. The rumor is not true; we actually work great on Vista. (The rumor about Larry, on the other hand…). In fact, we have been tuned into this release and making Java work on it since it was named after a breed of cattle. Between regular calls with Microsoft, interaction with their engineers when problems or questions arose, and regular testing and engineering during Vista’s development, we have been building a rock-solid release of Java for Vista.

So how did this bizarre rumor originate? Well, older versions of Java do have problems on Vista, and that’s what the original report was about; someone tried running some older version of Java on Vista and noted some problems. But that’s like saying that your favorite XBox game, Bloody Mess X, doesn’t work on XBox360. Of course it doesn’t; the original game was written for a completely different system. Why should you expect it to work out of the [x]box on this new platform? Presumably, given the popularity of Bloody Mess X, the developers are working on a port of the game to the new console (“Even more blood!”), so you will still be able to run your favorite game on this new system.