Microsoft launch Fix-It Center to solve computer faults

Anyone with a Microsoft computer will know the huge frustration felt when faced with an error message or a frozen screen.

But those days could soon be over after the software giant released new 'Fix It' software, which is designed to be your own personal computer technician.

Microsoft said the new software is designed to fix early glitches before they develop into faults that crash your computer

A beta or test version of the software promises 'tools that help solve the issues you have now and prevent new ones.'

Once uploaded, the free program should automatically scan your computer and diagnose and common faults. It will then ask if you want it to be repaired.

It has fixes for around 300 of the most commonly encountered problems that stop Windows from working properly. The vast database of faults was created by automatic reports sent back by Windows computers that experienced crashes, bugs and so on.

It is primarily intended for Windows XP and Vista users.

The Fix It software works to resolve 300 common Microsoft computer problems

If the 'Fix It' program cannot solve the problem it provides detailed information that can be sent to Microsoft's support staff about what has gone wrong.

The free software can be downloaded from Microsoft fix-it center support pages. - www.dailymail.co.uk

Warning against using Microsoft browser Internet Explorer

Logo: Microsoft admitted last week that its browser was the weak link after hackers in China hacked Google

By Graham Smith-19th January 2010
France has followed Germany's lead and urged web users to avoid using Internet Explorer until Microsoft develops a patch to fix a security flaw that led to hacks against websites including Google.

Both French and Germans have now been instructed to use a browser other than Explorer to ensure their computer's security.

Certa, a French government agency that protects against cyber threats, warned against using all versions of the web browser.

The move comes just days after Germany's Federal Office for Information Security, or BSI, said even running Explorer in 'security mode' did not render it fully safe.

Microsoft admitted last week that its browser was the weak link after hackers in China hacked Google to pry into the email accounts of human rights activists.

It said the security hole can be closed by setting the browser's Internet security zone to 'high'.

Other German security experts have echoed the government warning, telling users to wait for Microsoft to develop a patch.

But the BSI insisted that setting Explorer's security setting to 'high' would not be sufficient enough to prevent further hacks.

'Using Internet Explorer in "secure mode", as well as turning off Active Scripting makes attacks more difficult, but can not fully prevent them,' the BSI said in a statement.

Thomas Baumgaertner, a Microsoft spokesman in Germany, said the company was aware of the warning, but did not agree with it.

He pointed out that the attacks on Google were by highly motivated people with a very specific agenda.

Mr Baumgaertner said 'These were not attacks against general users or consumers. There is no threat to the general user, consequently we do not support this warning.'

But Graham Cluley of anti-virus firm Sophos said instructions on how to exploit the flaw had been posted in detail online.

He said: 'This is a vulnerability that was announced in the last couple of days. Microsoft have no patch yet and the implication is that this is the same one that exploited on the attacks on Google earlier this week.

'The way to exploit this flaw has now appeared on the internet, so it is quite possible that everyone is now going to have a go.

'We've been working with Microsoft to see if the damage can be mitigated and we are hoping that they will release an emergency patch.'

'One thing that should be stressed is that every browser has its security issues, so switching may remove this current risk but could expose you to another.'-www.dailymail.co.uk

Windows 7 users hit by 'black screen of death'

Frustrated Windows 7 users are facing 'black screens of death' after logging on to their computers, Microsoft have confirmed.

The software giant said they were investigating a disabling glitch that seems to particularly affect its latest operating system.

However, they have denied reports that its latest monthly security update has caused the serious system problems.

Microsoft wrote in a blog posting: 'We have conducted a comprehensive review of the November Security Updates, the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, and the non-security updates we released through Windows Update in November.

An artist on the website 'Poorly Drawn Portraits' made this picture of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer using photos of crashed Windows computers showing the iconic 'blue screen of death'


A close-up of the Ballmer portrait showing the computer screens

'That investigation has shown that none of these updates make any changes to the permissions in the registry. Thus, we don’t believe the updates are related to the 'black screen' behaviour described in these reports.'

It had been suggested by Software firm Prevx that the blank screen problem was caused by the firm's latest security patch.

Prevx said millions of people may have been affected and issued a general fix it said would save many from the laborious process of reloading their machines.

However, they have since retracted this claim and suggested malware could be the culprit.

Prevx's Director of research Jacques Erasmus said: 'We apologise to Microsoft for any inconvenience our blog may have caused.'

Microsoft said that people who are affected by the problem should contact its customer service line.

The 'black screen of death' is a play on the 'blue screen of death' colloquialism used for the error screen that has plagued Windows users over the years.-www.dailymail.co.uk

The Windows 7 software is supposed to make it easier to become connected and share or to sync files

Nokia to enter PC industry with first netbook - Nokia Booklet 3G

HELSINKI (Reuters) - The world's top cellphone maker Nokia said on Monday it would start to make laptops, entering a fiercely competitive but fast-growing market with a netbook running Microsoft's Windows operating system.

Nokia had earlier this year said it was considering entering the laptop industry, crossing the border between two converging industries in the opposite direction to Apple, which entered the phone industry in 2007 with the iPhone.

Nokia has seen its profit margins drop over the last quarters as handset demand has slumped, and analysts have worried that entering the PC industry, where margins are traditionally razor-thin, could hurt Nokia's profits further.

"We are fully aware what has the margin level been in the PC world. We have gone into this with our eyes wide open," Kai Oistamo, the head of Nokia's phone unit, told Reuters.

"There's really an opportunity to bring fresh perspective to the PC world," he said, adding that Nokia would introduce extended battery life and continuous connectivity.

Nokia has produced PCs before, but divested the unit in 1991 when it started to focus on the mobile phone industry.

But Nokia's first netbook, the Nokia Booklet 3G, will use Microsoft's Windows software and Intel's Atom processor to offer up to 12 hours of battery life while weighing 1.25 kilograms. Netbooks are low-cost laptops optimised for surfing the Internet and performing other basic functions. Pioneered by Asustek with the hit Eee PC in 2007, netbooks have since been rolled out by other brands such as HP and Dell.

"The question is: How will Nokia differentiate? This is already a crowded market. If they manage to differentiate it's going to give them competitive advantage," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi. - www.reuters.com

If Your Computer Doesn't Meet Windows 7's Final Minimum System Requirements, I Feel Bad for You

With the Windows 7 release candidate now out in the open—partly, anyway—Microsoft has released the final minimum system requirements. If your computer doesn't meet them, I feel sorry for you.

• 1 GHz processor (32- or 64-bit)
• 1 GB of RAM (32-bit); 2 GB of RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB of available disk space (32-bit); 20 GB of available disk space (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

They're a little bit different from the minimum specs put out for the January beta, in that it slightly pumps up the requirements for the 64-bit version of the OS (but you want at least 4GB of RAM to really take advantage of 64-bit anyway). You'll notice they're practically the same as the requirements for Vista, but unlike Vista don't vary from version to version—these are the specs for every version of Windows 7. You can see how each OS fares on the same hardware right here, for something more concrete

And, while these specs might have been steep when Vista arrived, but if your computer doesn't meet them at this point, it's time to buy a new one (with Windows 7 installed, natch). [ZDNet]