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Don't forget that DX11.1 mysteriously started working on Windows XP when Microsoft decided it could:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us...

( System requirements: Windows XP Service Pack 2 )

It was necessary evil to be able to publish new video driver model architecture with neat features, get over it.

LOL!

People managed to make DX10 run on XP without official support from MS/NVIDIA/AMD: https://www.google.es/search?q...

Later on...guess what? Microsoft decided to allow DX11 to run as well: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us...

There's no relation between an operating system and the feature set exposed by the video driver. It's just another API.

Better be for Windows 7 or devs will not use it

Perhaps you missed the announcements that have been coming from Redmond for nearly a decade. The core components, such as Direct3D and DirectInput, are considered part of the operating system .

Starting with Vista the version of DirectX is incremented with the version of the Windows SDK, and no back porting will take place. (powerpoint)

Since many people didn't catch it, they re-announced it with the platform update for WIndows 7: If you want DX11.1, you must get the service pack update .

The have already said announcement at GDC will not deviate their course; DirectX 12 is being announced late March as part of a series of press releases right before the new Windows SDK for the 8.1 Update is released in April. All of the updates are part of the Windows SDK for 8.1 Update. , much like the Windows 7 Update where they released a new Windows SDK to accompany it..

And a fifth time, just in case you missed it: Effective 2006, Microsoft has stopped distributing individual DirectX packages. It is now a core operating system component. They have not backported the drivers for nearly a decade, and they have repeatedly told people that the backports are gone. It will not be on Windows 7.

Got it? Can it be made more clear?

XP = DX9c. Vista = DX10. Vista SP1 = DX10.1. Vista SP2 = DX10.2. Win7 = DX11. WIn 7 SP1 = DX11.1. Win 8 = DX11.1. Win 8.1 = DX11.2. And now it looks like Win 8.1 SP1 = DX12. It really shouldn't be that difficult to grasp.

Better be for Windows 7 or devs will not use it

Perhaps you missed the announcements that have been coming from Redmond for nearly a decade. The core components, such as Direct3D and DirectInput, are considered part of the operating system .

Starting with Vista the version of DirectX is incremented with the version of the Windows SDK, and no back porting will take place. (powerpoint)

Since many people didn't catch it, they re-announced it with the platform update for WIndows 7: If you want DX11.1, you must get the service pack update .

The have already said announcement at GDC will not deviate their course; DirectX 12 is being announced late March as part of a series of press releases right before the new Windows SDK for the 8.1 Update is released in April. All of the updates are part of the Windows SDK for 8.1 Update. , much like the Windows 7 Update where they released a new Windows SDK to accompany it..

And a fifth time, just in case you missed it: Effective 2006, Microsoft has stopped distributing individual DirectX packages. It is now a core operating system component. They have not backported the drivers for nearly a decade, and they have repeatedly told people that the backports are gone. It will not be on Windows 7.

Got it? Can it be made more clear?

XP = DX9c. Vista = DX10. Vista SP1 = DX10.1. Vista SP2 = DX10.2. Win7 = DX11. WIn 7 SP1 = DX11.1. Win 8 = DX11.1. Win 8.1 = DX11.2. And now it looks like Win 8.1 SP1 = DX12. It really shouldn't be that difficult to grasp.

Better be for Windows 7 or devs will not use it

Perhaps you missed the announcements that have been coming from Redmond for nearly a decade. The core components, such as Direct3D and DirectInput, are considered part of the operating system .

Starting with Vista the version of DirectX is incremented with the version of the Windows SDK, and no back porting will take place. (powerpoint)

Since many people didn't catch it, they re-announced it with the platform update for WIndows 7: If you want DX11.1, you must get the service pack update .

The have already said announcement at GDC will not deviate their course; DirectX 12 is being announced late March as part of a series of press releases right before the new Windows SDK for the 8.1 Update is released in April. All of the updates are part of the Windows SDK for 8.1 Update. , much like the Windows 7 Update where they released a new Windows SDK to accompany it..

And a fifth time, just in case you missed it: Effective 2006, Microsoft has stopped distributing individual DirectX packages. It is now a core operating system component. They have not backported the drivers for nearly a decade, and they have repeatedly told people that the backports are gone. It will not be on Windows 7.

Got it? Can it be made more clear?

XP = DX9c. Vista = DX10. Vista SP1 = DX10.1. Vista SP2 = DX10.2. Win7 = DX11. WIn 7 SP1 = DX11.1. Win 8 = DX11.1. Win 8.1 = DX11.2. And now it looks like Win 8.1 SP1 = DX12. It really shouldn't be that difficult to grasp.

Better be for Windows 7 or devs will not use it

Perhaps you missed the announcements that have been coming from Redmond for nearly a decade. The core components, such as Direct3D and DirectInput, are considered part of the operating system .

Starting with Vista the version of DirectX is incremented with the version of the Windows SDK, and no back porting will take place. (powerpoint)

Since many people didn't catch it, they re-announced it with the platform update for WIndows 7: If you want DX11.1, you must get the service pack update .

The have already said announcement at GDC will not deviate their course; DirectX 12 is being announced late March as part of a series of press releases right before the new Windows SDK for the 8.1 Update is released in April. All of the updates are part of the Windows SDK for 8.1 Update. , much like the Windows 7 Update where they released a new Windows SDK to accompany it..

And a fifth time, just in case you missed it: Effective 2006, Microsoft has stopped distributing individual DirectX packages. It is now a core operating system component. They have not backported the drivers for nearly a decade, and they have repeatedly told people that the backports are gone. It will not be on Windows 7.

Got it? Can it be made more clear?

XP = DX9c. Vista = DX10. Vista SP1 = DX10.1. Vista SP2 = DX10.2. Win7 = DX11. WIn 7 SP1 = DX11.1. Win 8 = DX11.1. Win 8.1 = DX11.2. And now it looks like Win 8.1 SP1 = DX12. It really shouldn't be that difficult to grasp.

Better be for Windows 7 or devs will not use it

Perhaps you missed the announcements that have been coming from Redmond for nearly a decade. The core components, such as Direct3D and DirectInput, are considered part of the operating system .

Starting with Vista the version of DirectX is incremented with the version of the Windows SDK, and no back porting will take place. (powerpoint)

Since many people didn't catch it, they re-announced it with the platform update for WIndows 7: If you want DX11.1, you must get the service pack update .

The have already said announcement at GDC will not deviate their course; DirectX 12 is being announced late March as part of a series of press releases right before the new Windows SDK for the 8.1 Update is released in April. All of the updates are part of the Windows SDK for 8.1 Update. , much like the Windows 7 Update where they released a new Windows SDK to accompany it..

And a fifth time, just in case you missed it: Effective 2006, Microsoft has stopped distributing individual DirectX packages. It is now a core operating system component. They have not backported the drivers for nearly a decade, and they have repeatedly told people that the backports are gone. It will not be on Windows 7.

Got it? Can it be made more clear?

XP = DX9c. Vista = DX10. Vista SP1 = DX10.1. Vista SP2 = DX10.2. Win7 = DX11. WIn 7 SP1 = DX11.1. Win 8 = DX11.1. Win 8.1 = DX11.2. And now it looks like Win 8.1 SP1 = DX12. It really shouldn't be that difficult to grasp.

"They are based on older versions of Microsoft technologies, and your MCITP certification will decline in value as companies move to newer versions of our products. Take advantage of special upgrades to earn a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) certification, and protect your investment in certifications.

Most MCITP certifications will be retired by July 31, 2014. Please check the retired certifications and retired exams pages for specific retirement dates. Your retired certification will remain on your transcript."

http://www.microsoft.com/learn...

Sounds like you still want to teach so why not teach in the private sector? http://www.microsoft.com/learn...

This fellow is a teacher, but it's not clear what his depth is. He says he is "intrigued by topics like setting up e-mail servers, reading about cloud stuff like Office 365, and looking at information on collaborative technology" [emphasis mine].

It sounds to me like he needs to learn more before he can teach. But he has time -- I mean, he's only 30 years old FGS.

Sounds like you still want to teach so why not teach in the private sector? http://www.microsoft.com/learn...

I have a better idea. How about the Application Compatibility Toolkit? That is the right link, it's including with some other junk in true Microsoft style.

The component you're looking for is the Compatibility Administrator Tool. It saves its fixes to a database, so you can use it across a network if you're an admin.

If you need instructions, look here.

I used it to fix some vital software - Dungeon Keeper. :)

I have a better idea. How about the Application Compatibility Toolkit? That is the right link, it's including with some other junk in true Microsoft style.

The component you're looking for is the Compatibility Administrator Tool. It saves its fixes to a database, so you can use it across a network if you're an admin.

If you need instructions, look here.

I used it to fix some vital software - Dungeon Keeper. :)

I just checked how much Microsoft Office Home and Business costs when put on a Dell computer - 179 USD, right there on the Dell site, for a desktop computer. It costs 219 USD at Big Box Mart and Microsoft itself

So uh... yeah. They're charging for free software. It's just taking advantage of the ignorant. Who might be your grandma. Or a firefighter. Or a grocery store cashier.

Why the fuck is this being modded insightful? If you want to use the EULA to make an argument against Microsoft here, you probably should have read it first.

Per the EULA for XP:

11. LIMITED WARRANTY FOR PRODUCT ACQUIRED IN THE US AND CANADA.
Microsoft warrants that the Product will perform substantially in accordance with the accompanying
materials for a period of ninety days from the date of receipt.
If an implied warranty or condition is created by your state/jurisdiction and federal or state/provincial
law prohibits disclaimer of it, you also have an implied warranty or condition, BUT ONLY AS TO
DEFECTS DISCOVERED DURING THE PERIOD OF THIS LIMITED WARRANTY (NINETY
DAYS). AS TO ANY DEFECTS DISCOVERED AFTER THE NINETY (90) DAY PERIOD, THERE IS
NO WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND. Some states/jurisdictions do not allow limitations
on how long an implied warranty or condition lasts, so the above limitation may not apply to you.
Any supplements or updates to the Product, including without limitation, any (if any) service packs or hot
fixes provided to you after the expiration of the ninety day Limited Warranty period are not covered by
any warranty or condition, express, implied or statutory.

12. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES. The Limited Warranty that appears above is the only express warranty made
to you and is provided in lieu of any other express warranties (if any) created by any documentation, packaging,
or other communications. Except for the Limited Warranty and to the maximum extent permitted by applicable
law, Microsoft and its suppliers provide the Product and support services (if any) AS IS AND WITH ALL
FAULTS, and hereby disclaim all other warranties and conditions, either express, implied or statutory,
including, but not limited to, any (if any) implied warranties, duties or conditions of merchantability, of
fitness for a particular purpose, of reliability or availability, of accuracy or completeness of responses, of
results, of workmanlike effort, of lack of viruses, and of lack of negligence, all with regard to the Product, and
the provision of or failure to provide support or other services, information, software, and related content
through the Product or otherwise arising out of the use of the Product. ALSO, THERE IS NO WARRANTY
OR CONDITION OF TITLE, QUIET ENJOYMENT, QUIET POSSESSION, CORRESPONDENCE TO
DESCRIPTION OR NON-INFRINGEMENT WITH REGARD TO THE PRODUCT.

13. EXCLUSION OF INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL AND CERTAIN OTHER DAMAGES. TO THE
MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT OR ITS
SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS
OR CONFIDENTIAL OR OTHER INFORMATION, FOR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, FOR PERSONAL
INJURY, FOR LOSS OF PRIVACY, FOR FAILURE TO MEET ANY DUTY INCLUDING OF GOOD FAITH
OR OF REASONABLE CARE, FOR NEGLIGENCE, AND FOR ANY OTHER PECUNIARY OR OTHER LOSS
WHATSOEVER) ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY RELATED TO THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE
THE PRODUCT, THE PROVISION OF OR FAILURE TO PROVIDE SUPPORT OR OTHER SERVICES,
INFORMATON, SOFTWARE, AND RELATED CONTENT THROUGH THE PRODUCT OR OTHERWISE
ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE PRODUCT, OR OTHERWISE UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH
ANY PROVISION OF THIS EULA, EVEN IN THE EVENT OF THE FAULT, TORT (INCLUDING
NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF CONTRACT OR BREACH OF WARRANTY OF
MICROSOFT OR ANY SUPPLIER, AND EVEN IF MICROSOFT OR ANY SUPPLIER HAS BEEN ADVISED
OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

If you want unlimited free updates forever, move to Linux. If you want to continue operating in the Windows world, you have to accept that there is a limit to the amount of free updates you get.

I think you mean Windows XP Mode which is a VM appliance running inside a hypervisor. Windows XP mode is a full Windows XP installation.

http://windows.microsoft.com/e...

"XP Compatibility Mode" is different in that it puts an app in a quasi-sandboxed environment but is not fully compatible with XP and earlier apps. What that does is fudge a few environment variables.

http://support.microsoft.com/k...

Microsoft needs to do a few things before they will win customers over, the biggest of which is to bring Windows XP Mode and a proper Start Menu back, and to a lesser extent the classic start menu and Windows XP Mode (installed by default to make it easier for users).

Classic Shell is a hack solution that works but it runs on top of the not-metro UI, and is something many if not most end users are either unaware of or too afraid to install.

She is best off staying on XP or moving to Win Pro. You can run Windows XP Mode on Win by hacking the bios image in VirtualBox but it is too much of a bear for

Oh and while we're at it Microsoft why the fuck.did you think.the Metro interface is a good idea on a g.d. server? (Win2k12 I am glaring at you!!!)

I think you mean Windows XP Mode which is a VM appliance running inside a hypervisor. Windows XP mode is a full Windows XP installation.

http://windows.microsoft.com/e...

"XP Compatibility Mode" is different in that it puts an app in a quasi-sandboxed environment but is not fully compatible with XP and earlier apps. What that does is fudge a few environment variables.

http://support.microsoft.com/k...

Microsoft needs to do a few things before they will win customers over, the biggest of which is to bring Windows XP Mode and a proper Start Menu back, and to a lesser extent the classic start menu and Windows XP Mode (installed by default to make it easier for users).

Classic Shell is a hack solution that works but it runs on top of the not-metro UI, and is something many if not most end users are either unaware of or too afraid to install.

She is best off staying on XP or moving to Win Pro. You can run Windows XP Mode on Win by hacking the bios image in VirtualBox but it is too much of a bear for

Oh and while we're at it Microsoft why the fuck.did you think.the Metro interface is a good idea on a g.d. server? (Win2k12 I am glaring at you!!!)

POS Ready 2009 *is* Windows XP SP3 with a cheaper license ($99).
If you can get your hands on it, it's supported until 2019. Since end of support is 2019, they should still be providing security updates...
https://www.microsoft.com/wind...
They may be killing XP, but not it's lesser known twin.

http://social.msdn.microsoft.c...

Summary: over one million ad requests, got 21 euros. CPM of 0.03. To claim, line up, bend over.

"Power Pro - tell me you know what that is and you'll be the first, I've used it since Win95"
Windows PowerPro gives you the power to control your system and how you access programs because it allows you to choose the combination of how to activate and what to activate.

You'd think it was a fishing line, it's now delegated to the second page of resultshttp://powerpro.cresadu.com/

Thinking of subject after posting to it, I have programs that I use all the time without them being "to die for", just damn handy to have around like.

SndRec32 - open it up and play small sound bytes as fast as you can drop them on top of it, or use VLC (excellent in it's own right) to take it's sweet time to play a 2 second clip. SndRec32 isn't part of Win7, I had to bring it over from XP.

Just about anything by sysinternals http://technet.microsoft.com/e... or nirsoft http://www.nirsoft.net/

HTTRACK - website copier

PEEK is the program I couldn't remember that was handy as heck.
PEEK Version 1.1 for Windows95 and WindowsNT 4.0
Contextmenu Extension providing simple text extraction for any file.
XP broke it; but the read.me just might be enough to walk me through editing it to work with any Win OS (one can hope).

I found a program called "Universal Viewer" that claimed the same ability as PEEK, I tried it out on a batch of jpg's that are corrupt to see what I could find, It printed out: JPEG error #53 - I miss PEEK! :}

The NCPPR wasn't trying to get Tim Cook riled up....they were trying to make millions of stockholders aware that Al Gore, whom both the left and right recognize as a nutjob, is the board member driving some weird decisions at Apple, and that Tim is backing him.

That's a lot of nutjob conspiracy accusations without any evidence there. Dell has green initiatives, and I can without a doubt say Al Gore has nothing to do with them.

Al doesn't know the first thing about computers. And he's on the board of directors at Apple.

Dina Dublon knows nothing about software yet she's on the board of Microsoft. I daresay, most of IBM's board knows nothing about IT services. Having technical knowledge about a company's products isn't a requisite for most boards.

And he's working (and succeeding) at driving Apple board discussions away from how to make computing devices and into "how to fight climate change." He's shifting the company away from what they're good at into something new, and political.

Unless you are present and have firsthand knowledge of the Gore's interaction with Apple, you can't claim this.

"Hey! You guys hired Lisa, the former head of the EPA to be a decision maker at Apple. What sense does that make? What qualifications does she have to make decisions for a tech company?"

A simple Google search and Apple's announcement shows you that she's in charge of Apple's environmental programs. I would think that her job at the Environmental Protection Agency would qualify her for such a position.

That is not an improvement. How am I supposed to know when my product isn't supported? Do I plan to purchase something new, or should I just wait another month? For that matter, how does Apple know when my product isn't supported? How do OS X software developers know when products aren't officially supported?

With Microsoft, I can tell you to the day when support ends for previous versions, and I know exactly when support will end for current versions. You know exactly when your clocks start ticking, and you have 1-2 years of notice when new products are released before entering a limited support phase. They have a published life cycle policy, and it makes it very easy to see exactly how everything works: http://support.microsoft.com/l...

The vulnerability is a remote code execution vulnerability. The vulnerability exists in the way that Internet Explorer accesses an object in memory that has been deleted or has not been properly allocated. The vulnerability may corrupt memory in a way that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user within Internet Explorer. An attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit this vulnerability through Internet Explorer and then convince a user to view the website.

The vulnerability exists in IE version 9 & 10 themselves at http://technet.microsoft.com/e... (from TFA). The problem in this case is not about users hit the site which is already compromised, but it is that the browser being used allows exploitation to happen. Furthermore, MS has not come out with an official patch but rather suggested a work around.

If other browser has exactly the same vulnerability that can be exploited the same way, then your statement is somewhat valid. However, I doubt that other browsers would have it even though they may have similar vulnerability but cannot be exploited the same way.

Clearly the wild pointer read error is in IE not in the server. They need to hack the server to post the exploit code in their server. But they could also create the same vulnerability in a site owned by them. No need to hack. But it is more difficult to lure visitors to the newly created malware site. That is why they need to hack a well visited site to upload the hack. But all visitors to that site using Chrome and Firefox and other versions of IE are not affected. Fault lies solely on these versions of IE

At least Microsoft is conducting research to reduce bugs.
See for example: http://research.microsoft.com/...

Not sure where Apple stands.

Poorly implemented, huh? I suppose that means you'll be taking home the $150,000 Pwn2Own 2014 prize for breaking it, right? Shit, maybe you can collected Microsoft's $100,000 bounty, too! That is, of course, unless you're talking out of your ass.

I don't know what you're talking about with Exchange.... Activesync doesn't allow your Exchange Administrator to wipe your phone. He can only wipe the emails on your mail server, and THAT'S IT!

Must be a troll, given the bait-y capitalizations.

I'll just leave this right here Control + F , type remote wipe.
If "they" let YOU administer it from your own webmail interface, why WOULDN'T the server administrator with a vested interest in their company-attached device be mightier than the BYOD peons?
I turned it off and killed the permissions when I realized that vengeance, incompetence, or a virus might trigger this stuff.

They don't even implement this on laptops, which are more likely to have your work files than cellphones. So why so aggressive on the security hole of their preference anyway?
It's not access to data they're safeguarding, since they don't enforce even half of the wipe privs if you just browse your email on the smartphone.

Good luck using Firefox when your superiors have standardized on Chromebooks or on Software Restriction Policies that enforce use of either Chrome or IE.

It was. Early versions of NT still had OS/2 error messages in it.

Few examples:

MSDN lets you download software to develop and test against. I need to test some Microsoft software on various cloud providers. But before I do, I think I'll take a peek at my license agreements: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-u...
    "Qualified MSDN Cloud Partners. To run software on third party shared servers you must:" ... "Deploy your licenses only with Windows Azure Platform Services or Qualified MSDN Cloud Partners."

Does your company / marketing dept. want to put a Windows Logo on your product? Check your license, you might have to dumb down your Android or iOS version to get it approved.

It goes on, and on... Yes, most companies ignore these, but they are still in the agreements. At its heart, Microsoft hasn't changed yet.

Lync stores the info in two databases, LCSCDR and QoEMetrics. The first one has info on all sessions, other one has quality data. It's not like it's some super-secret database, MS has full specs in Technet, for example http://technet.microsoft.com/e... shows what's exactly stored in SessionDetails table.

Yes, such info *could* be used to do data-mining. Same info could be used to optimize least cost routing, gathering statistics on network performance, planning upgrades, and whatever you like. I've personally crafted a few reports from those DBs on how much folks are calling PSTN from Lync on various customer sites, so they can decide what is the priority in upgrading E1/T1 to VoIP-based PSTN connection.

It's not a conspiracy. Server admins can look at what kind of stuff you are doing on such servers.

There are converters for the older versions, which I won't say makes it worth it, but they are there. I used them on the Mac version so we didn't have to upgrade above 2000 era Office. Mac converter is just drag and drop, doesn't allow you to save back to it, not that anyone would want to.

DDoS/DoS CAN be stopped (Microsoft & Amazon are setup PERFECTLY vs. it in fact, read on below on that note)!

---

Microsoft Windows NT-based OS settings vs. DoS:

Protect Against SYN Attacks

FROM -> http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-u...

A SYN attack exploits a vulnerability in the TCP/IP connection establishment mechanism. To mount a SYN flood attack, an attacker uses a program to send a flood of TCP SYN requests to fill the pending connection queue on the server. This prevents other users from establishing network connections.

To protect the network against SYN attacks, follow these generalized steps, explained later in this document:

Enable SYN attack protection
Set SYN protection thresholds
Set additional protections

Enable SYN Attack Protection

---

The named value to enable SYN attack protection is located beneath the registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\TcpIp\Parameters.

Value name: SynAttackProtect

Recommended value: 2

Valid values: 0, 1, 2

Description: Causes TCP to adjust retransmission of SYN-ACKS. When you configure this value the connection responses timeout more quickly in the event of a SYN attack. A SYN attack is triggered when the values of TcpMaxHalfOpen or TcpMaxHalfOpenRetried are exceeded.

---

Set SYN Protection Thresholds

The following values determine the thresholds for which SYN protection is triggered. All of the keys and values in this section are under the registry key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\TcpIp\Parameters

These keys and values are:

Value name: TcpMaxPortsExhausted

Recommended value: 5

Valid values: 0?65535

Description: Specifies the threshold of TCP connection requests that must be exceeded before SYN flood protection is triggered.

Value name: TcpMaxHalfOpen

Recommended value data: 500

Valid values: 100?65535

Description: When SynAttackProtect is enabled, this value specifies the threshold of TCP connections in the SYN_RCVD state. When SynAttackProtect is exceeded, SYN flood protection is triggered.

Value name: TcpMaxHalfOpenRetried

Recommended value data: 400

Valid values: 80?65535

Description: When SynAttackProtect is enabled, this value specifies the threshold of TCP connections in the SYN_RCVD state for which at least one retransmission has been sent. When SynAttackProtect is exceeded, SYN flood protection is triggered.

---

Set Additional Protections

All the keys and values in this section are located under the registry key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\TcpIp\Parameters. These keys and values are:

Value name: TcpMaxConnectResponseRetransmissions

Recommended value data: 2

Valid values: 0?255

Description: Controls how many times a SYN-ACK is retransmitted before canceling the attempt when responding to a SYN request.

Value name: TcpMaxDataRetransmissions

Recommended value data: 2

Valid values: 0?65535

Description: Specifies the number of times that TCP retransmits an individual data segment (not connection request segments) before aborting the connection.

Value name: EnablePMTUDiscovery

Recommended value data: 0

Valid values: 0, 1

Description: Setting this value to 1 (the default) forces TCP to discover the maximum transmission unit or largest packet size over the path to a remote host. An attacker can force packet fragmentation, which overworks the stack.

Specifying 0 forces the MTU of 576 bytes for connections from hosts not on the local subnet.

Value name: KeepAliveTime

Recommended value data: 300000

Valid values: 80?4294967295

Description: Specifies how often T

Internet Explorer never will

I wouldn't be so categorical about it. A lot of people said that IE would never support WebGL, either, and yet, here we are.

This exploit relies on TWO concurrent vectors: 1) You must be running and using IE10 (which has already been superseded by IE11, which is immune to this attack) and 2) You must have Adobe Flash installed.

BOTH of these conditions are necessary for this attack to work. Anyone who has kept their updates up (and therefore has IE11), doesn't use Flash or has installed the EMET (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/jj653751) is immune to this attack which is, obviously, actually just ANOTHER Flash-based vulnerability! and yet you limit your spurious attacks to (an outdated version of) Internet Explorer (*surprise*) ...

Clearly the same ole /. FUD factory continues spouting it's age-old hypocrisy...

-AC

Reliable? In my experience, yes.

None of the free cloud service claims to keep your data. They always tell you that you must have a backup elsewhere. So cloud storage can't be used as your reference storage.

Sydrive is not different. From their Terms of service:

We strive to keep the services up and running; however, all online services suffer occasional disruptions and outages, and Microsoft isn't liable for any disruption or loss you may suffer as a result. You should regularly backup the content that you store on the services. Having a regular backup plan and following it can help you prevent loss of your content.

Because you can redistribute them with your software to allow it to be installed on windows systems that don't yet have those components. That doesn't mean you are allowed to redistribute them in other contexts.

Indeed. From here (which I picked at random after typing "microsoft redistributable license" into Google -- this particular one being for .NET Framework)

NOTE: IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A VALID EULA FOR ANY "OS PRODUCT" (MICROSOFT WINDOWS 98, WINDOWS ME, WINDOWS NT 4.0 (DESKTOP EDITION), WINDOWS 2000 OPERATING SYSTEM, WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL AND/OR WINDOWS XP HOME EDITION), YOU ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO INSTALL, COPY OR OTHERWISE USE THE OS COMPONENTS AND YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS UNDER THIS SUPPLEMENTAL EULA.

That said, I have an old XP license.

So it's not a problem for me in the first world, nor might it be a problem in the third world where such license is likely to be glued to the side of the computer.....

(IANAL, etc)

Seriously, it's built into every OS since, well, forever.

I think you have to consider the type of business. I work in healthcare and there are only a couple of applications they need to run. We lock down those applications on windows desktops using Software Restrictions.

Seriously consider, how often do you need to run a NEW application? Every 5 minutes? Really? Do you think most organizations don't have a list of approved applications that have been vetted through a security process and are maintained and updated by IT?

RDP has supported remote applications since 2007: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-u...

DDoS/DoS CAN be stopped (Microsoft & Amazon are setup PERFECTLY vs. it in fact, read on below on that note)!

---

Microsoft Windows NT-based OS settings vs. DoS:

Protect Against SYN Attacks

FROM -> http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-u...

A SYN attack exploits a vulnerability in the TCP/IP connection establishment mechanism. To mount a SYN flood attack, an attacker uses a program to send a flood of TCP SYN requests to fill the pending connection queue on the server. This prevents other users from establishing network connections.

To protect the network against SYN attacks, follow these generalized steps, explained later in this document:

Enable SYN attack protection
Set SYN protection thresholds
Set additional protections

Enable SYN Attack Protection

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The named value to enable SYN attack protection is located beneath the registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\TcpIp\Parameters.

Value name: SynAttackProtect

Recommended value: 2

Valid values: 0, 1, 2

Description: Causes TCP to adjust retransmission of SYN-ACKS. When you configure this value the connection responses timeout more quickly in the event of a SYN attack. A SYN attack is triggered when the values of TcpMaxHalfOpen or TcpMaxHalfOpenRetried are exceeded.

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Set SYN Protection Thresholds

The following values determine the thresholds for which SYN protection is triggered. All of the keys and values in this section are under the registry key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\TcpIp\Parameters

These keys and values are:

Value name: TcpMaxPortsExhausted

Recommended value: 5

Valid values: 0?65535

Description: Specifies the threshold of TCP connection requests that must be exceeded before SYN flood protection is triggered.

Value name: TcpMaxHalfOpen

Recommended value data: 500

Valid values: 100?65535

Description: When SynAttackProtect is enabled, this value specifies the threshold of TCP connections in the SYN_RCVD state. When SynAttackProtect is exceeded, SYN flood protection is triggered.

Value name: TcpMaxHalfOpenRetried

Recommended value data: 400

Valid values: 80?65535

Description: When SynAttackProtect is enabled, this value specifies the threshold of TCP connections in the SYN_RCVD state for which at least one retransmission has been sent. When SynAttackProtect is exceeded, SYN flood protection is triggered.

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Set Additional Protections

All the keys and values in this section are located under the registry key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\TcpIp\Parameters. These keys and values are:

Value name: TcpMaxConnectResponseRetransmissions

Recommended value data: 2

Valid values: 0?255

Description: Controls how many times a SYN-ACK is retransmitted before canceling the attempt when responding to a SYN request.

Value name: TcpMaxDataRetransmissions

Recommended value data: 2

Valid values: 0?65535

Description: Specifies the number of times that TCP retransmits an individual data segment (not connection request segments) before aborting the connection.

Value name: EnablePMTUDiscovery

Recommended value data: 0

Valid values: 0, 1

Description: Setting this value to 1 (the default) forces TCP to discover the maximum transmission unit or largest packet size over the path to a remote host. An attacker can force packet fragmentation, which overworks the stack.

Specifying 0 forces the MTU of 576 bytes for connections from hosts not on the local subnet.

Value name: KeepAliveTime

Recommended value data: 300000

Valid values: 80?4294967295

Description: Specifies how often T

At the risk of introducing information into the discussion ... some of the other respondents have taken oblique cue shots off this info, but to get it out on the table ... EMET is a software package that enforces otherwise existing security protections on programs that may not have them in place. For example, DEP, ASLR, SEHOP (very Windows-specific mitigation), heapspray prevention, and in 4.1 they added certificate pinning, to detect mitm attacks. (looking up acronyms left as an exercise for the reader)

The good news - these mitigations can be applied from outside the apps involved (as of 4.1, no more app recompiling or special-versions needed). The somewhat bad news - there are compatibility issues, and many apps are not compatible with the whole list of protections (see the MS KB article for more info). I also wonder if there are performance impacts from doing so, as opposed to compiling in the mitigations that can be compiled in - but don't quote me on that, I'm not sure

More bad news - it won't work with certain app features, e.g. any code that accesses certain system services at too low a level, so for example DRM-using apps (so many videogames are off the table); and it only intended for desktop apps (so they "do not advise" you use it with system services or server apps).

We tested the 3.0 version, focusing solely on the mitigations that could be imposed from outside the code even in that version - and found that many apps had issues with most, and some with all, of the mitigations (and, a killer for us, it wouldn't work with virtualized apps). Maybe that's improved, not claiming to know.

All in all - it has value if you're deploying legacy apps over which you have no control to a broad array of desktops, and it doesn't break your apps. Frankly, I don't know why the emphasis on IE11 ... I think the only protection that wouldn't already be compiled in is the certificate pinning, but maybe that alone is enough - or it makes it doubly difficult to break out of IE11 if you have the compiled in e.g. ASLR as well as the imposed-sandbox ASLR ... not sure.

To be clear ... it's NOT comparable to mandatory access control - it's more mitigation-specific than that. And also, by way of information, the open source operating systems often enforce the same kinds of mitigations on the apps that they support from their repositories (e.g., the Canonical Ubuntu team compiles every app in their repo with all possible mitigations -- see the Ubuntu security features page for more info). That's one of the big advantages of open source - you don't have to try to impose really-meant-to-be-compiled-in security features from outside.

I was curious about this "seemingly bulletproof" sandbox as described in the summary. But the opening paragraph on Microsoft's website explains:
These security mitigation technologies do not guarantee that vulnerabilities cannot be exploited

So much for the hyped-up summary...

I don't think it's me. See the description here: http://office.microsoft.com/en... and notice in particular that it says "To shrink the content to make it fit the width of the specified paper size, select the Scale content to paper width check box." The only alternative seems to be to clip the content, i.e. the content does not fit the paper. To demonstrate this, create a text box in OneNote that is fairly wide (wider than you think will fit on a printed page). Type a couple lines of text in, then print out the page. By default (with shrink off), the printout will clip the right-hand side; with shrink turned on, the font size for that text box will reduce.

Let me google that for you: http://technet.microsoft.com/e...

That, as well as the other comment much to the same, is very true.

However, it depends on your threat scenario. If you are the victim of a regular hack, i.e. someone gained entry over the network, then you know your hardware is unchanged, so you can keep it. That is the scenario I was referring to. If, of course, someone physically broke into your server room, you should mistrust your hardware unless you know exactly what they did and didn't do (say you have a video that you know was not tampered with).

I don't think much of Microsoft as anyone who's been following me on /. knows, but they have a good set of rules which includes "If a bad guy has unrestricted physical access to your computer, it's not your computer anymore".

It is pretty uncalled for to claim zealotry when you are uncompromisingly demanding an absolute 100% accuracy with MS-Office documents before LibreOffice could be used.

There are plenty of businesses where pixel perfect accuracy is not required when sending documents outside the company. If people really need to read my documents with absolute accuracy, then I can PDF it. If I want to test a slideshow then I can use the Powerpoint viewer (it even works under Linux using Wine).

Even without changing the version of Word, a document's pagination can vary wildly depending on the printer driver being used. You don't even change your software for Word to go wrong.

Excel can be a problem if you use complex macros, but 99% of the ones that I see are just being used a glorified table editors with basic calculations. I constantly move between different computers, using Excel, Calc and even the shareware spreadsheet Spread32 (when I want to view something quickly) and it all works better than I had expected. The bigger problem that I have is when a package doesn't implement a feature that you are used to. For example, if I want to search for something spanning the sheets of a workbook I will always use Excel because LibreOffice disables the "Find All" button when you choose the option to span worksheets.

But even you there may end up being some problems, you should not dismiss the use of LibreOffice within any business environment just because you might have some formatting problem.

Right here.

The 48.94 price was already adjusted for the split... the list price at that time was actually $97.88.

https://www.google.com/finance?q=NASDAQ:MSFT
http://www.microsoft.com/investor/Stock/StockSplit/stockcalc.aspx

No he isn't. Microsoft's own calculator ( http://www.microsoft.com/inves... ) says that if you invested in MS stock on 1/1/2000 and reinvested all dividends back into them then you've managed a -14.71% return (ignoring inflation).

If you had waited until 1/1/2001 on the other hand you would have managed a 129.18% return (again ignoring inflation).

Of course I'm sure that has nothing to with the dot.com boom and bust or anything...

You could always view it without having to buy expensive software. Here you go: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us...

At least with .doc/.docx you can edit the file if you need to. .PDF files are crap, and don't work well for those that need screen readers. Think of the handicapped!