HelpWithWindows Newsletter

01. Microsoft Releases Internet Explorer 8 Release Candidate 1

by Arie Slob

Hello Windows users,

Early this week Microsoft announced the release of Internet Explorer 8 Release Candidate 1 (RC1). This release is the first update sice the public Beta 2 release last August.

According to Microsoft, IE8 RC1 is "Platform Complete", which means that Microsoft won't be adding (or removing) any futures from IE8. Dean Hachamovitch, General Manager of Microsoft's IE development team pointed out a new security feature that was added after Beta 2: "We've worked closely with people in the security community to enable consumer-ready clickjacking protection. Sites can now protect themselves and their users from clickjacking attacks "out of the box," without impacting compatibility or requiring browser add-ons."

According to Dean Microsoft also made some changes to the InPrivate function. This function lets you control whether or not IE saves your browsing history, cookies, and other data (popularly known as "porn" mode).

Users who have already installed a beta of IE8 will soon be offered an upgrade to RC1 automatically via Windows Update, but if you can't wait, I have the direct download link below.

If you like to try IE8 RC1, I must strongly urge you to read the Release Notes first. There are several applications that will need updating or that will not work at all with RC1, so make sure you check before you install.

Operating System

IE8 will run on these operating systems:

Windows Vista x64 and x86
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) x64 and x86
Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)
Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Windows Server 2008 x64 and x86
Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2) x64 and x86

You can download IE8 RC1 from Microsoft's Windows Internet Explorer 8 page. IE8 RC1 is available in 25 languages.

Note: If you are running Windows 7 Beta, you will not be able to install IE8 RC1. You will get an error message saying that your operating system is not supported since IE8 already ships in Win7. According to Microsoft Windows 7 users will get an updated IE8 with the next update of Windows 7.

Your Comments.

02. Windows 7 Public Beta Availability

Microsoft had originally stated it wanted to cap the download of Windows 7 Beta 1 to the first 2.5 million downloads. But as they (initially) struggled with the enormous (according to Microsoft - unexpected) demands, Microsoft made some changes to the availability. On January 10th Microsoft announced that the beta would be available true January 24th. But on January 23rd Microsoft announced the following:

The beta will be available for download through February 10th
Users who have started but not completed the download process will be able to do so through February 12th

Product keys for the Windows 7 Beta will continue to be available. So if you have the Windows 7 Beta but didn't get a product key you will be able to do so even after February 12th.

MSDN and TechNet Subscribers will continue to have access to the Windows 7 Beta bits throughout the Windows 7 Beta phase. The above dates do not apply to MSDN and TechNet Subscribers.

03. Recommended Book: Windows Vista for XP Professionals

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Tutorial for Administrators, Intermediate and Advanced Level.

Raymond Comvalius is an independent consultant and trainer from the Netherlands. Since 1996 he has developed and implemented network infrastructures based on various Microsoft products at business and governmental sites. He recently played a significant role in designing the new Windows Vista-based desktop for a large Netherlands bank. Since 1998, he has been training and presenting a wide range of infrastructure and security-related courses. Comvalius regularly publishes articles on the Internet.

To Order: USA (USD 36.46) | UK (GBP 31.99)

04. Recent Support BBS Postings

Poll: What is your Favorite Laptop Brand?

Last newsletter I asked Would you consider replacing your desktop with a laptop? 62.6% said No, 23.2% said Yes and 14.1% of you already replaced their desktop with a laptop.

Office 2003 on Vista? - Windows Vista
Lost defrag and system restore - Windows XP
Why Do Certain Favicons Not Appear in Favorites? - Internet Explorer
What is the difference between 32 bit and 64 bit - General Discussions
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 drives failing - Hardware

05. Windows 7 Beta 1 Review

I had hoped to complete my review of Windows 7 Beta 1 in time for this newsletter, but I'm still busy writing it. If you want you can check out the HelpWithWindows Web site, I expect to finalize the review sometime next week.

06. Latest Microsoft & Windows News from around the Internet

Latest Microsoft & Windows News from around the Internet

07. Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3 Blocker Removal Tool

This week Microsoft announced the Blocker Tool for Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3 will be removed on April 28th and May 19th, respectively. Service Packs will not automatically install on a machine even after the Service Pack Blocker tool expires. For service packs, you must accept the offering before installation will start. If Automatic Update is turned on, WU will alert you that it has an important update to install. If you do not want to install the update (Service Pack) simply decline to install and/or hide the update. If you do not have AU turned on, the service pack will not be offered until you open Windows Update and "Check for Updates."

08. Windows SideShow for Windows Mobile

Windows SideShow for Windows Mobile (Beta) is an application for Windows Mobile 5 and 6 PocketPCs and Smartphones that allows you to use your Windows Mobile device as a Bluetooth SideShow device

More Info & Download

09. 10. Adobe Unveils Another Set of Critical Patches

For the second time in one week, Adobe Systems has released a set of critical vulnerability patches.

Adobe released six critical patches for Flash Player 9 last Thursday and eight patches for five-month-old vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 8.1.3 on Tuesday.

Read eSecurity Planet Article