Windows

Microsoft sought today to downplay the recent, but unpublicized, automatic update of system files on Windows XP and Vista machines as "normal behavior." ZDNet blogger Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has been writing the last two days about a "stealth" update that occurred on his and other machines in late August, even though those machines are set to not install automatic updates. "I just don't like the idea of having updates foisted upon systems without being aware that they are coming in and having the option to postpone them," he wrote.

A Microsoft spokesperson said, "… Read more

Many, if not most, Windows computers are used by a single person with a single userid. Even shared machines are likely to have a single Windows logon. Defensively speaking, this is not good. Anything can break, including a Windows userid.

Twice I've worked on Windows machines where just after logging in with a userid and password, I got logged off. Like the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld, Windows was saying, "no computing for you." Because I always create two userids on each machine that I maintain, this was no big deal. Windows itself wasn't brutally broken, the … Read more

Thunderbird is the best e-mail program for Windows users, and the portable version is the best version of Thunderbird.

On August 31st I explained why I think Thunderbird is the best client-side e-mail program for defensively thinking Windows users (see There is only one e-mail program). Earlier the same day I discussed my personal e-mail backup scheme (Backing up e-mail). Here I'll tie both these previous postings together.

To begin with, a portable application is one that does not need to be installed. The entire application exists in a single folder. It does not store anything in the Windows … Read more

It saddens me to think of all the ill advised people buying new computers running Windows Vista, when they could have chosen XP. As Mr. T was fond of saying back in the 1980s, I pity the fool.

Let me be clear, my point is only about the choice between XP and Vista and has nothing to do with Macs or Linux, many of whose devotees feel this way about all Windows users. I'm also not here to defend Windows XP, whose faults are many. My point is simply that if you are buying a new computer to run … Read more

There is only one email program for Windows users. No, I haven't lost my mind, and yes Windows users can chose from many client side email programs. But this is a Defensive Computing blog and speaking defensively, that is, with the hope of avoiding problems in the future, there is only one choice when it comes to email programs (webmail is another topic entirely - if you use webmail exclusively you can stop reading here).

Outlook is out because it stores all your email in a single file. You don't need to be a techie/nerd to … Read more

When last we left Microsoft's Windows Home Server software, it was off to manufacturing and we expected to see WHS-equipped hardware show up at our doorstep shortly thereafter. After a post on Microsoft's official Home Server blog, we get the company line as to why we haven't seen HP's MediaSmart Server yet. As follows:

"We've identified a number of ways to make the product even better since the initial release. As with most Microsoft products, updates to Windows Home Server will be automatically available throughout the lifecycle of the product, and the WHS team … Read more

Editor's note: This blog was updated at 12:40 p.m. PDT with additional information from the Department of Justice filing and a link to Microsoft's report.

With most of Microsoft's antitrust settlement with the government poised to expire this November, federal and state prosecutors overseeing the Windows giant's compliance were divided Thursday on the deal's past and future effectiveness.

One one hand, attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice and a posse of state plaintiffs known as the "New York group," which also includes Maryland, Wisconsin, Ohio and Louisiana, proclaimed the 2002 consent decree with the Bush administration … Read more

Windows Server 2008 is apparently going to live up to its name, with Microsoft acknowledging Wednesday that it won't be able to finish work on the product this year, as scheduled.

"Windows Server 2008, which we have been saying would Release to Manufacturing (RTM) by the end of the calendar year, is now slated to RTM in the first quarter of calendar year 2008," Microsoft said on its Windows Server blog.

As for the reasoning, the company said "while we're very happy with the feedback we're getting and the overall quality of the latest … Read more

Earlier I had a trilogy of postings about DropMyRights (Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3) that included the warning to run Microsoft Office applications in restricted mode in case a file (Word document, Excel spreadsheet, etc.) carried a virus or some other type of malicious software.

But what do you do if a Word document or Excel spreadsheet doesn't display or work properly when the application is run in restricted mode? A decision needs to be made whether to trust the file and open it in unrestricted mode.

If the file was sent to you by e-mail, you'… Read more