Microsoft explains Vista's most misunderstood features

In its continued attempt to convince business customers to adopt Vista, Microsoft has outlined and tried to explain some of what it calls the OS's most 'misunderstood' features in a document posted to -- then mysteriously removed from -- its Web site this week. ...continue reading 'Microsoft explains Vista's most misunderstood features'

Ballmer calls Windows Vista 'a work in progress'

As PC users clamor for Microsoft to continue to support Windows XP, company CEO Steve Ballmer called the Vista OS "a work in progress" at an annual Seattle event on Thursday. ...continue reading 'Ballmer: Windows Vista is a work in progress'

Microsoft to resume Vista 'endless reboot' update Tuesday

Microsoft Monday said it would resume automatic distribution of a Windows Vista update on Tuesday that two months ago sent some users' PCs into an endless wave of reboots. ...continue reading 'Microsoft to resume Vista 'endless reboot' update Tuesday'

PWN 2 PAWN: Why the Vista hacker turned to eBay

Curious about what a market price would be for a zero-day exploit, Shane Macaulay tried to sell the Fujitsu U810 laptop (complete with exploit code) that he won in a hacking contest last week. Soon after it was posted, the listing was pulled from eBay. In this interview, Macaulay explains that Adobe Systems plans to patch his Flash bug on April 8, the day his auction was set to end, and so he would have been practicing responsible disclosure, releasing details of a flaw that had already been patched. ...continue reading 'PWN 2 PAWN: Why the Vista hacker turned to eBay'

EBay yanks sale of laptop with Vista attack code

Shane Macaulay's attempt to sell a hacked laptop complete with Windows Vista attack code did not last long. ...continue reading 'EBay yanks sale of laptop with Vista attack code'

With Vista breached, Linux unbeaten in hacking contest

The MacBook Air went first; a tiny Fujitsu laptop running Vista was hacked on the last day of the contest; but it was Linux, running on a Sony Vaio, that remained undefeated as conference organizers ended a three-way computer hacking challenge Friday at the CanSecWest conference. ...continue reading 'With Vista breached, Linux unbeaten in hacking contest'

IT budgets to rise as Vista bites

U.K. companies' IT spending is likely to grow above inflation this year, with Windows Vista and mobile computing hardware consuming much of the increase, a new study from the National Computing Centre (NCC) has said. ...continue reading 'IT budgets to rise as Vista bites'

Microsoft cuts retail Vista prices

Microsoft Corp. on Thursday said it plans to slash prices for retail copies of Windows Vista up to almost 50% for certain editions in poorer countries, in order to boost sales that one analyst said have failed to meet expectations. ...continue reading 'Microsoft cuts retail Vista prices'

Microsoft responds to Save XP petition

Microsoft's decision to discontinue OEM and packaged sales of Windows XP at the end of June - leaving businesses and consumers with the less-than-celebrated Vista as their only choice of Windows operating system on new PCs - has drawn considerable criticism and led to an outpouring of support for the continuation of XP sales. Microsoft's response: We will continue to respond to the needs of our partners and customers. ...continue reading 'Microsoft responds to Save XP petition'

Microsoft: Vista more secure than XP and open source

Windows Vista was hit by significantly fewer publicly disclosed security flaws in its first year than Windows XP and open source rivals in their first years, according to a report from Microsoft. ...continue reading 'Microsoft: Vista more secure than XP and open source'

Study: Small businesses moving to Vista fastest

Nearly half of businesses are in some phase of preparing to update desktops to Windows Vista, with small businesses moving the fastest to implement the OS, according to a new report released Monday. ...continue reading 'Study: Small businesses moving to Vista fastest'