HelpWithWindows Newsletter

01. Microsoft Launches Windows Home Server

by Arie Slob

Hello Windows users,

Early October Microsoft launched Windows Home Server, a product first previewed at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. According to Microsoft, Windows Home Server will help families with multiple PCs connect their home computers, digital devices and printers, in order to easily store, protect and share their treasured photos, music, videos and documents. By automatically backing up home PCs, centralizing a family's digital "stuff" and allowing access to it away from home, Windows Home Server will help simplify and enhance family life.

"As computers and digital media become more and more central to family life, we need better ways to organize, share and protect digital content and information at home," said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. "Windows Home Server makes it easy for families to save, protect and access digital memories and experiences so they can focus on using technology to organize their day-to-day lives, explore their interests and share their memories with the people they care about."

Windows Home Server will primarily come preloaded on hardware like the recently announced HP MediaSmart Server, a small "headless" (no keyboard, mouse, or monitor) home server. Other PC manufacturers are likely to follow. Microsoft has recently released a system builder version, letting enthusiasts build their own solutions.

Windows Home Server is a product that you never thought you had a need for, but it addresses several real problems that users have at times. I think the Windows Home Server team has done a wonderful job with this initial release, and I'm looking forward to see what they will do to improve the product in the future.

You can read my Windows Home Server review on the HelpWithWindows.com Web site.

02. Microsoft Security

Microsoft Windows Security Bulletin Summary for October, 2007

The security update for October 2007 includes two updates for Microsoft Windows, one for Outlook Express/Windows Mail and one for Internet Explorer.

Severity Rating: Critical

Severity Rating: Important

Vulnerability in RPC Could Allow Denial of Service (933729)

03.

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04. Windows Updates

Microsoft issued a number of updates for Windows Vista and Windows XP in the past weeks:

Windows XP

KB936357 - Update to improve the reliability of systems with Intel processors.
KB925066 - Update to resolve an issue where Windows Explorer stops responding on client computers running Windows XP x64 Edition in a domain environment where CPU usage on the primary domain controller is high.

Windows Vista

KB905866 - Update for Windows Mail Junk E-mail Filter [October 2007].
KB941542 - Update to resolve an issue where connecting to a non-UNC (Uniform Naming Convention) printer fails on a system running Windows Vista.
KB943544 - Update to resolve an issue where a duplicate or incorrect date is displayed on the Windows Vista Sidebar Calendar gadget.
KB940069 - Update to resolve an issue where an indexing service query, using a LIKE predicate, returns an incorrect result on a system running Windows Vista.
KB942813 - Update to resolve an issue where the computer continually restarts with Microsoft Windows Pre-installation Environment (Windows PE) 2.0 on an AMD Barcelona processor, and the Operating System Capabilities ( _OSC ) method enabled in the BIOS.
KB938929 - Update to resolve suspend and resume issues on Windows Vista systems configured with a digital cable tuner.
KB942903 - Update to resolve an issue where the Language Pack update failed to install on systems running Windows Vista.
KB942089 - Update to resolve an issue where Omniquad Firewall and TT Firewall Version 2.0.3 fail to install on systems running Windows Vista.
KB941649 - Update to resolves some compatibility and reliability issues in Windows Vista. By applying this update, you can achieve better reliability and hardware compatibility in various scenarios.

05. Recent Support BBS Postings

Poll: Which version of Windows are you running?

Folder Options? - Windows Vista
Move Shared Folders in Windows XP - Windows XP
Configuring Dual NICS for Redundancy - Networking
Internet Explorer Information Bar - Internet Explorer
Are Vista's Security Features Enough? - General Security

06. Free Download: BgInfo v4.11

BgInfo automatically displays relevant information about a Windows computer on the desktop's background, such as the computer name, IP address, and service pack version.

Supported OS: Windows 95 and higher.

More Info & Download

07. 08. Newsletter Delays

Due to family issues no newsletter was published last month. I'm hopefull that I'll be able to pick up my bi-weekly schedule for the remainder of this year.

09. Latest Microsoft & Windows News from around the Internet

Latest Microsoft & Windows News from around the Internet

10. Basic Storage Versus Dynamic Storage in Windows XP

In Windows XP, you can choose between two types of disk storage: basic or dynamic, although dynamic disk storage is not available on Windows XP Home Edition, or on portable computers.

Read Full Article

11. Windows XP Troubleshooting: Icon Text not Transparent on Desktop

When the text under the icons on your desktop are not transparent, there are a few things you can check.

Read Full Article

12. Trojan attacks jump 500 per cent

Microsoft's most recent Security Intelligence Report shows that attackers are increasingly targeting personal information to make a profit. The report found that during the first half of 2007, 31.6 million phishing scams were detected, an increase of more than 150 per cent over the previous six months.

Read vnunet Article