Microsoft today shipped patches for at least 11 documented security vulnerabilities, including one that’s already being hit with “limited, targeted attacks.”   The vulnerability under attack — now fixed today with the MS12-027 bulletin — exists in Windows Common Controls and can be exploited to launch remote code execution attacks if a user simply surfs to a malicious website. The vulnerability is caused when the MSCOMCTL.OCX ActiveX control, while being used in Internet Explorer, corrupts the

Last week, Microsoft cut the number of Windows and Office product keys it includes for TechNet subscribers. Readers tell me that doesn’t matter, because every key is good for multiple activations. But is that really true? My investigation says yes, although exact details are murky.   Over the years, I have written tens of thousands of words about the mysterious workings of Microsoft’s Windows activation technology in XP, Vista, and Windows 7. It might be one of the most arcane and misunderstoo

BARCELONA — Microsoft showed off the newest version of the company’s operating system, called Windows 8, on Wednesday. Windows 8 is the biggest redesign of the company’s software since Windows 95, said Steve Sinofsky, the president of Windows, who introduced the new operating system during the Mobile World Congress at a poolside event where waiters handed guests glasses of champagne and small tapas and snacks were served. “Windows 8 is a generational change in the Windows operating system in t

Windows 8 Consumer Preview ISO images       Windows 8 Consumer Preview ISO files (.iso) are provided as an alternative to using Windows 8 Consumer Preview Setup. If you are on a PC running Windows and want to install the consumer preview on another partition, another PC, or a virtual machine, we recommend you download Windows 8 Consumer Preview Setup and use the built-in tools for converting an ISO image into installation media, such as a DVD or USB bootable flash drive. You can find additio

We have said that Windows 8 is a complete reimagination of the Windows operating system. Nothing has been left unexplored, including the Windows logo, to evaluate how it held up to modern PC sensibilities. The Windows logo is a strong and widely recognized mark but when we stepped back and analyzed it, we realized an evolution of our logo would better reflect our Metro style design principles and we also felt there was an opportunity to reconnect with some of the powerful characteristics of prev

For all intents and purposes, this is only a minor change, and were this any other operating system or graphical environment, it would never warrant an entire news item. However, we're talking Windows, the most popular desktop operating system of all time, here. After 17 years of trusty service, Microsoft has removed the Start button from the taskbar in the upcoming Consumer Preview release of Windows 8. When Windows 95 was launched, one of its most important changes over Windows 3.11 and earli

For those not familiar with the Security Compliance Manager, SCM is a free tool from the Microsoft Solution Accelerators team that enables you to quickly configure and manage your computers, traditional data center, and private cloud using Group Policy and Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager. In addition to Windows 7 SP1, Windows Vista SP2, Windows XP SP3, Office 2010 SP1, and Internet Explorer 8, SCM 2.5 now offer additional baselines for Exchange Server 2007 and Exchange Server 2010.

Summary: The coming Windows 8 beta is looking more and more like it will be called the “consumer preview.” Why the change in nomenclature?   Is Microsoft going to position the coming Windows 8 beta as a “consumer preview”? And if so, why? Microsoft officials have repeated recently that the Windows 8 beta release is on track for late February 2012. But one public relations official with the Windows team provided a slightly different message — and one that escaped notice by most of those who re