microsoft

Microsoft has reportedly developed a small plug-in device that can be used by investigators to quickly extract forensic data from computers that may have been used in crimes. The Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor (COFEE) is a USB "thumb ... drive" that Microsoft quietly distributed to a handful of law-enforcement agencies last June. The COFEE device contains 150 commands that dramatically cut the time it takes to gather digital evidence. It can decrypt passwords and analyze a computer's Internet activity and data stored in the computer. COFEE lets the investigator scan for evidence on ... (view more)

The latest major update for Windows XP was due for release this week, though a last-minute hitch appears to have caused some problems. XP Service Pack 3 was originally scheduled for download through Microsoft's update service on Tuesday. However, ... the firm temporarily halted the updates after finding compatibility problems with Microsoft Dynamics RMS. That's a software package that helps small and medium businesses manage their supply chains. Microsoft is now putting a filter on the download service to identify which computers are running the Dynamics software. They'll then re-release the ... (view more)

It looks as if the low cost laptops designed for the developing world may run on Microsoft Windows. However, the news follows turmoil among the project's management with a third major figure departing. The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) scheme aims to ... produce cheap machines to sell in bulk to governments of developing nations. It involves a laptop (named XO) that's designed to be particularly easy to use, and durable enough to survive in a wide range of climates. Originally, the laptop was only designed to run a package of software named Sugar which includes music creation and photo features. ... (view more)

Microsoft has joined the revolution, creating their own version of a data storage and web software system called "Live Mesh". Microsoft aims to further blur the distinction between software running on the Windows operating system and a number of ... other services that will be offered to all sorts of present and future electronic devices. Located through a web browser, Live Mesh will not be so much an online operating system as it will be a control page for document files. What is unique about the documents stored on Live Mesh is that they will have no specific location, allowing them to be sent ... (view more)

Yahoo posted its first quarter earnings for 2008 on Tuesday, exceeding expectations by a small margin. The company posted a 9 percent increase in revenue for a total 1.81 billion dollars. This would seem to give strength to the Internet portal in ... its ongoing confrontation with Microsoft, which is hoping to buy Yahoo and become a stronger online competitor against Google. (Source: nytimes.com ) Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang made claims earlier in the month that Microsoft's current offer of $31 per share substantially undervalues the company, and refused to sell at that price. While Yang now has some ... (view more)

Microsoft released to manufacturers (RTM) the final code for Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3). The public version will be available for download from Microsoft on April 29, 2008. CNET reported that the upgrade will be effortless for most Windows XP ... users. Windows XP SP3 includes functionality previously released as updates. Other Windows XP SP3 updates relevant to home users include: Support for WPA2, the latest standards-based wireless security solution derived from the IEEE 802.11i standard. Improvements to black-hole router detection (detecting routers that are silently discarding packets ... (view more)

Microsoft is experimenting with the idea of renting its software rather than only having it available to buy out-right. The scheme, codenamed Albany, would allow US users to pay a monthly subscription for a package of software which would likely ... comprise Word, Excel, PowerPoint and anti-virus software. Users in some developing countries can already rent Office, and Microsoft's OneCare security package is already available for annual subscription in America. However, this would be the first time Office could be rented in a major market like the US. The company believes the biggest selling ... (view more)

It's usually Linux users who get most passionate about their operating system, followed by Mac advocates. However, Microsoft's plans to axe the Windows XP seem to have uncovered some serious devotees. A petition started by tech journalist Galen ... Gruman now has more than 100,000 signatures from people urging Microsoft to keep the system available beyond the planned withdrawal. As things stand, XP will continue to be available to buy separately (both in physical and download version) until the end of June. Hardware manufacturers can sell machines with XP until the end of the year. While XP has ... (view more)

It's bad enough when consumers opt for your last operating system over the new one. Worse still when an update to that new and not-so-hot OS is bricking USB devices. Microsoft recently admitted to the media that reports that a Windows Vista security ... update is disrupting USB devices are indeed accurate. Released last week, the Windows Defender update was intended to patch a critical hole in its spyware blocking program. While that may have been successful, Vista owners haven't been so pleased to find their mice and keyboards no longer function. In a statement, Microsoft admitted, "We are aware ... (view more)

As the official June 30, 2008 deadline for Windows XP sales for PC makers and retailers looms on the horizon, Business Week is reporting that a recent upgrade to the Mac operating system (OS) is moving Apple closer to challenging Microsoft for ... overall computing dominance, even in the corporate market. A new feature from Apple called 'Spaces' makes it easy to instantly switch between a Macintosh OS and a Microsoft Windows OS with two fingers. Easy toggling of OS' coupled with Apple's release of a tool kit for programmers to write applications for the iPhone will be followed by the June launch ... (view more)