Windows Vista SP2 RTM + Windows Vista SP1 Blocker Tool Removed

Today we are announcing the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. SP2 represents the latest step in Microsofts commitment to continuous improvement. It includes all updates that have been delivered since SP1, as well as support for new types of hardware and emerging hardware standards. As we have mentioned before, here are some of the key benefits of Windows Vista SP2: Windows Search 4.0 for faster and improved relevancy in searches Bluetooth 2.1 Feature Pack supporting the most recent specification for Bluetooth Technology Ability to record data on to Blu-Ray media natively in Windows Vista Adds Windows Connect Now (WCN) to simplify Wi-Fi Configuration Windows Vista SP2 enables the exFAT file system to support UTC timestamps, which allows correct file synchronization across time zones. And since it comes with a single installer for both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, SP2 will be easy for IT Pros to manage, deploy, and support. For a complete overview of the changes introduced in SP2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, check out the notable changes document on TechNet. Business customers with Windows Vista will find that the transition from Windows Vista to Windows 7 will be significantly more straightforward due to the high degree of compatibility between Windows Vista and Windows 7. If your Windows Vista SP1 deployment is already underway we recommend you continue with SP1 as planned. Then you can deploy SP2 using your systems management infrastructure. If you are in the early stages of deployment or still planning Windows Vista deployment our best advice is that you plan on testing and deploying Windows Vista SP2. For more, I suggest reading this blog post from Gavriella Schuster in regards to guidance on Windows deployments. We expect Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 to be publicly available in Q2 2009. As a quick reminder, Windows Vista SP1 Service Pack Blocker Tool is being removed today, as we announced back in January. For customers who previously had the blocker tool in place, Windows Vista SP1 will now be offered to them via Windows Update.

Vista tip: How to Disable Automatic Windows Defender and Speed up Your Computer

 

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Windows Defender - built-in malware protector from Microsoft is very poor at protecting your computer from external threats. You are much better off using a 3rd-party software program for total protection like XoftSpy or other antivirus program.

Disabling Automatic Windows Defender will just improve your Windows Vista performance and speed up your computer.

To disable:

1. Click the Start button
2. Type services into the Start Search box
3. Find Windows Defender in the list of programs
4. Double-click on Windows Defender
5. Choose Tools from the top menu
6. Select Options
7. Uncheck Auto Start at the bottom of the window
   

Vista drivers: All drivers for Microsoft hardware

When choosing hardware it is necessary to pay attention that our piece of hardware will correctly work with our operating system. When we are talking about a specific hardware manufacturer, and in this article that's Microsoft, where we are talking about a typical hardware that we use during working with computer, like keyboard, mouse, and keyboard with integrated Fingerprint Reader technology. If you are Windows Vista user and you are looking for specific driver installation, than you will find useful this site "Microsoft Hardware Windows Vista Support. On this site you can find and download drivers for Microsoft hardware, which will be necessary in the work with the Vista operating system.

Vista tip: How to turn off built-in CD burning utility

January 30, 2009

Since most computers come with 3rd party programs that are easier to use than Windows Vista's CD / DVD burning build-in utility, you can turn this off with a simple registry edit and with that increase speed of your computer. To turn off Windows Vista built-in CD Burning follow next steps: Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer Create a new DWORD key NoCDBurning Give it a value of 1 Reboot

Expiration of Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows Vista & Windows XP

January 29, 2009

I have some important information for those of you who have installed the Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows XP or Windows Vista. The Service Pack Blocker Tool temporarily prevents the installation of a service pack through Windows Update, typically for one year after general availability of the service pack. We are announcing the upcoming expiration dates for the Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3: Windows Vista SP1: April 28, 2009 Windows XP SP3: May 19, 2009 After April 28th, Windows Vista SP1 will be delivered via Windows Update. And after May 19th, Windows XP SP3 will also be delivered via Windows Update. For more information on the Service Pack Blocker Tool, please see this Q&A.

How to change start up settings in Vista

Here is how to use MSCONFIG in Windows Vista to disable some of the unnecessary programs that automatically load on start-up. Disabling these programs will help your computer boot faster and crash less. [For step-by-step instructions on how to use MSCONFIG in other versions of Windows, please visit my main How to Use MSCONFIG page.

1. Click on the Vista start icon in the bottom left corner of your screen.

2. Type MSCONFIG in the search box and then either press enter on your keyboard or double-click on the MSCONFIG program that appears in the search results.

3. To prevent you from accidentally making changes that could destabilize your computer, Vista asks you for permission to continue. You may see a box asking you to key in your computer's administrator user name and password.

Or, if you're already logged into Vista as an administrator, you may see a box asking you if you would like to continue.

Either way, follow the on-screen prompts to give Vista permission to continue.

4. Once you have successfully passed through Microsoft's User Account Control roadblock, Vista will launch Microsoft's System Configuration Utility. Click on the Startup tab.

4. This takes you to a page with a list of "startup items." Startup items are programs that are automatically loaded every time you turn on your computer. Some startup programs are absolutely necessary, others are simply a waste of RAM.

In Windows Vista, all of Windows' essential programs are loaded through something called "Windows Services." This means that most of the startup items you see in Vista are completely optional and can be turned off. However, a good rule of thumb is to disable only those programs that you recognize and don't need to have running all the time. When in doubt, leave it on. Or, better still, check out Paul "PacMan" Collins' huge "Startup Applications" list at http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php. This list of over 13,000 startup items you may encounter in MSCONFIG tells you which items are absolutely necessary, which items are optional, and which items you should definitely uncheck.

Here's a good example. On my computer I have a mess of MP3s and I listen to those MP3s with a program called WinAmp. For some reason or other, WinAmp decided that it should always be running on my computer even when I am not using the program. That's silly. To prevent WinAmp from automatically starting every time I boot my computer, I ran MSCONFIG and unchecked "WinampAgent." That's it.

Remember, disable only those programs that you recognize and don't need to have running all the time. When in doubt, leave it on.

5. Click on the OK button.

6. A message will pop up telling you that you must restart your computer before these changes will take effect. Click on "Restart" and your computer will automatically reboot.

7. That's it! Your computer should now boot faster and crash less.

And if you ever want to turn on any of the startup items you disabled with MSCONFIG, just run MSCONFIG again.

Vista tip: How to fix Access Denied error when open folders

If you are getting Access Denied errors when trying to open folders like Documents and Settings, Application Data, Local settings and you like to fix it here are the steps: Right click on the Folder Select Properties Click on the Security tab Click on the Advanced button Click on the Owner tab Click on the Edit button In the Change owner to box, highlight your account Check Replace owner on subcontainers and objects Click on Apply Click on Yes to replace all permissions Continue to click on OK until you

Vista tip: How to fix Corrupted Winsock Registry entry

If you cant connect to the Internet with your Windows Vista, and seems that all settings for connection are in right place, you can suspect that you have a corrupted Winsock Registry Entry. To fix this problem you must run following command from Windows Vista Command Prompt as administrator: Open the Start Menu Right click Command Prompt Select Run as administrator Type: netsh winsock reset Reboot

Microsoft Vista Service Pack 2 delayed

According to some information, the final version of the second Service Pack for Vista could be available in May or June. Microsoft could delay the release of the second Service Pack for Vista for the summer of this year. According to the latest plan, Microsoft last release candidate (RC) version will release in March, while the final RTM version for consumers and OEM partners should appear somewhere in the second quarter. So, release of the final Vista SP2 will be available for general population in May or June, several months after the original plan (The original plan of publishing Service Pack 2 was the spring of this year). The second Service Pack, according to previous information is a significant upgrade to Vista, which among other things should improve stability, add the possibility of recording Blu-ray disks and better support to play streaming HD video and also improve the performance of wireless networks and DirectX graphics. Microsoft has not officially commented on this information. [via]