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Microsoft has just released an important update for Windows Vista Sp1 named KB952709. This update is intended to solve a series of issues in order to improve performance, stability and reliability. Here is a detailed list of fixes and improvements available in this update:

• Improves the stability of Windows Vista SP1-based computers by addressing some crashes that may occur when you try to check e-mail by using a POP3 e-mail client such as Windows Mail or Mozilla Thunderbird. The crashes may occur on a Windows Vista SP1-based computer in the following scenario:
  • Incoming POP3 and outgoing SMTP traffic monitoring is enabled.
  • Both a third-party antivirus application and an antispyware application are installed, such as the following applications:
    • ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite by Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.
    • SpySweeper by Webroot Software, Inc.
• Improves the reliability of the Windows Vista SP1 based-computers by addressing some problems that occur when you delete user accounts by using the User Accounts item in Control Panel. When this problem occurs, the system may stop responding (hang).
• Improves the reliability of Windows Vista SP1-based computers that experience issues in which large applications cannot run after the computer is turned on for extended periods of time. For example, when you try to start Excel 2007 after the computer is turned on for extended periods of time, a user may receive an error message that resembles the following:EXCEL.EXE is not a valid Win32 application
• Improves the reliability of Windows Vista SP1-based computers by reducing the number of crashes that may be caused by the Apple QuickTime thumbnail preview in Windows Live Photo Gallery.
• Improves the performance of Windows Vista SP1-based computers by reducing audio and video (AV) stuttering. Such AV stuttering may occur when the audio or video component is streaming high definition content from a Windows Vista SP1-based computer that has a NVIDIA network adapter nForce driver version 67.5.4.0 that is installed to a Windows Media Center Extender device.

This update will take Windows SP1 to  version 6001.18063.080425-1930 (from 6001.18000.080118-1840) . If you want to download this update here are the links: 32-bit package and 64-bit package. Of course to download them you will have to overcome the genuine Windows validation. Anyway if you want to skip tthe validation, here are the direct downloads: 32-bit KB952709: Windows6.0-KB952709-x86.msu , 64-bit KB952709: Windows6.0-KB952709-x64.msu Remember, you are entitled to download this update just if you have installed the SP1 on your computer.

If you thought that after installing Windows Vista SP1 all of your Vista related problems would disappear, well you’d better think twice! As a matter of fact a lot of users are reporting an incredible quantity of issues and you could be the next one. ( I know that you are touching wood right now). Anyway, here is another Vista SP1 issue. After installing Vista SP1 you could experience one of these issues:

• A device driver won’t install and and and exclamation point appears next to the device driver in Device Manager.
• A device driver stops working normally despite it is installed correctly.

To fix these issues follow these tricks:

First Method

1. Click Start
2. Type Device Manager in the Searh Box and press Enter.
3. If you see a exclamation point next to a device driver, continue reading, otherwise go to the Second Method.
4. Assuming that you saw an exclamation point, click Start, All Programs, Windows Update.
5. Check for Updates.
6. Click View Available Updates.
7. Check for the device you are looking for and install the update
8. Done.

Second Method

If the device driver seems to work, but it does not work, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, type Device Manager in the Start Search box, and then press enter.
2. In the Device Manager look for the device that is not working properly.
3. Right click on it and click on Properties.
4. Uninstall its driver.
5. Make sure that the Delete the Driver Software for this device check box is cleared, and then click OK.
6. In the Device Manager dialog box, click the Action, and click Scan for hardware changes.
7. You should get back that a device is being installed and that a new device is now ready in the Device manager.
8. If the hardware device driver is not installed, scan for new updates by following the first method.

There are a lot, really a lot of reasons not to be happy about the just released Windows Vista SP1, if you want a comprehensive list of issues and their solutions, visit this link here. What you can find here instead is a small list of issues (and the relative tricks to fix them) which are well known to Microsoft itself.

• Software which have issues with Windows Vista SP1. As you should know Vista SP1 doesn’t solve many incompatibility issues but, wherever possible, it does its best to create new ones. Microsoft acknowledge this and released a list of what you can not install in your computer. Read this article (KB935796).
• Because of an update (KB937287), you computer can go into endless reboots. If you want to fix this issue, read this article (KB949358).
• After installing Windows Vista SP1 your computer may experience random crashes when you try to wake it up from sleep mode. The solution to this is to upgrade your BIOS.
• Some people report sound system issues. Again, this problem is not totally unknown to Microsoft which dedicates a full article to it. Article (KB948481)

After installing Vista SP1 you may experience a lot of failures. One of the most irritating one which is strictly related to the famous USB “unknown device” issue, is the Readyboost feature which stops working all of a sudden. Basically the USB key is not recognized anymore. To fix it, follow this trick:

1. Click Start.
2. Click Run…
3. Type Regedit.
4. Find this key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\EMDMgmt
5. Remove all the sub values. They looks like folders. They should look like this: _??_USBSTOR#Disk&Ven_Multi&Prod_Flash_Reader&Rev_1.00….
6. Re-insert the USB key.
7. Now, reopen Regedit and change the following values in the memory stick settings Vista has just created: “CacheSizeInMB”=dword:000003c0 “CacheStatus”=dword:00000001 “DeviceStatus”=dword:00000002
8. Close Regedit, right click on the USB Key on My Computer, Set the cache of your ReadyBoost
9. Done!

Source: forums.microsoft.com

Some days ago I posted the whole saga of Windows XP Sp3’s release which was set for the 29th of April but, after some incompatiblity issues, was withdrawn and postponed to be defintly released a few days later. For those of whom don’t trust all the leaked versions which can be found on bittorent websites, here are the links to download the official copy of Windows XP SP3 directly taken from Microsoft’s servers:

• English: WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe 316.4 MB
• Danish: WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-DAN.exe 305.9 MB
• Dutch: WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-NLD.exe 305.8 MB
• Finnish: WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-FIN.exe 306.6 MB
• Swedish: WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-SVE.exe 305.7 MB
• French: WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-FRA.exe 309.2 MB
• German: WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-DEU.exe 313.1 MB
• Greek: WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ELL.exe 308.9 MB
• Italian: WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ITA.exe 308.0 MB
• Spanish: WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ESN.exe 308.6 MB
• Turkish: WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-TRK.exe 303.0 MB
• Japanese: WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-JPN.exe 325.6 MB
• Chinese (Traditional): WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-CHT.exe 320.9 MB

If you want to download the CD image files to create an update CD for Windows XP Service Pack 3, here is the link to follow.

A few days ago I posted the links where you could download the leaked and original Windows Xp SP3 (just the Service Pack). Today I am going to post here the full leaked original Windows XP with SP3 integrated. Of course if you are looking for the hacked version, you are in the wrong place. As a matter of fact,  you need the product key to activate Microsoft’s operative system. If instead you are looking for a way to have your original Windows XP without the hassle to go to the shop and get it, this is the right place! The downloads here are ISO images of the original CD and come in two. The first one is the Retail version which doesn’t require any activation product to work. It will just work for 30 days. After that you need to activate it. The second one is Volume licence costumers. This version needs of a volume licensing product key (VLK) to be installed.

• Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3 (x86) Retail CD (English)
  Download via HTTP: en_windows_xp_professional_with_SP3_x86_cd_x14-80428.iso
  Download with BitTorrent Torrent Client: Windows_XP_Professional_SP_3_(x86)_Retail.4169906.TPB.torrent
  Size: 589.14 MB
  MD5: F424A52153E6E5ED4C0D44235CF545D5
  SHA1: 1c735b38931bf57fb14ebd9a9ba253ceb443d459
  ISO/CRC: FFFFFFFF
• Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3 (x86) VL CD (English)
  Direct Download via HTTP: en_windows_xp_professional_SP3_x86_cd_vl_x14-73974.iso
  Download with BT Torrent Client: en_windows_xp_professional_SP3_x86_cd_vl_x14-73974.iso.torrent or Demonoid Link
  Size: 589.14 MB
  MD5: 5BF476E2FC445B8D06B3C2A6091FE3AA
  SHA1: 66ac289ae27724c5ae17139227cbe78c01eefe40
  ISO/CRC: FFFFFFFF

If you are looking for more versions such as: chinese, french, german, spanish etc click here. If you want to download Windows Vista, click here. If you are looking for a good, free burner, click here.

Source: tipandtrick.net

Another big issue users are experiencing after updating their computers with the brand new Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is the USB system not working anymore. This issue involves every USB related device such as: mice, USB dongles, keyboards, external or portable hard disks etc. The USB device is simply not recognized or not detected and the computer returns this message: “Unknown Device”. Microsoft acknowledges this issue even after installing KB938371 and states: “We are aware of concerns that a recent Microsoft update may be causing problems with USB devices. We are investigating the matter, and at this time, do not have any information to share”. Anyway on TechNet forum a guy posted the fix. Here is the trick:

1. Go to Control Panel –System and Maintenance — System — Device Manager.
2. In the Device Manager, expand the tree of Human Interface Devices.
3. Update the driver for all Unknown Device.
4. Of course Windows Vista won’t find any new device. When prompted select Browse my computer for driver software.
5. Enter or browse to C:\Windows\winsxs as the driver location and press the Next button.
6. If the system warns you about unsigned driver, just go on.
7. At this point windows Vista should install the right driver for your device.
8. Done!

Source: TechNet forum

If you thought you were safe and bug free after downloading Windows Vista Sp1, you’d better think otherwise. As a matter of fact a lot of users are reporting scattered issues on their computers due to Windows Vista Service Pack. One of the most irritating one is the computer being unable to go into hibernation mode. For a change it will give you back a blue screen of death (BSoD) or it will just shutdown without any error message. This issue may be due to corrupted or invalid Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store file. To fix it, simply follow this trick:

1. Run Cmd.exe as Administrator.

2. Run the following command: bcdedit -enum all

   Look for “Resume from Hibernate” in the output from the command above(example below):

   Resume from Hibernate

   ———————

   identifier {3d8d3081-33ac-11dc-9a41-806e6f6e6963}

   device partition=C:

   path \Windows\system32\winresume.exe

   description Windows Vista (TM) Enterprise (recovered)

   inherit {resumeloadersettings}

   filedevice partition=C:

   filepath \hiberfil.sys

   pae Yes

   debugoptionenabled No.

3. Once you have found it, copy the value for identifier (in this example - {3d8d3081-33ac-11dc-9a41-806e6f6e6963})
4. Run the following command: bcdedit /deletevalue {3d8d3081-33ac-11dc-9a41-806e6f6e6963} inherit.
5. Test hibernation.

Source: forums.microsoft.com