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Home>Does Vista already have Windows 7's new kernel?

Windows Secrets Newsletter • Issue 169 • 2008-10-02 • Circulation: over 400,000


Table of contents 
  • Windows Secrets: Long live audio! Free e-book for subscribers
  • Introduction: Subscribers in London debate discussion forums
  • Top Story: Does Vista already have Windows 7′s new kernel?
  • Insider Tricks: DVD rippers let you watch movies anywhere
  • Known Issues: Just how much RAM does 32-bit Windows support?
  • Wacky Web Week: A parody that’s as American as apple pie
  • Best Software: Locate the important files hidden on your PC
  • Windows Secrets: Improve security by running apps in isolation
  • Patch Watch: Tips for taking the 64-bit Vista plunge

 
Windows Secrets

Long live audio! Free e-book for subscribers

Most of us have old vinyl albums and cassette tapes that we thought we’d never enjoy again. But in this helpful e-book, Converting Vinyl LPs and Cassette Tapes to CDs and MP3s by Jake Ludington, you get straight-forward solutions to preserve your memories using the playback equipment you probably already own. He rates free and low-cost software that makes it easy for you to convert your LPs and cassettes.

We’ve licensed this content so all Windows Secrets subscribers, free and paid, can get it. Simply visit your preferences page by Nov. 5, 2008, click the Save button, and you’ll see a download link. Enjoy! —Brian Livingston, editorial director

All subscribers: Set your preferences and download your bonus

 
Introduction

Subscribers in London debate discussion forums

By Brian Livingston

Several dozen Windows Secrets subscribers in London, England, skipped a sunny Saturday morning on Sept. 27 to give me their tuppence on the idea of launching a new discussion forum for Windows sufferers.

The consensus seems to be that it’s a great idea, so long as we don’t wreck the quality of content that we now send out from our experienced columnists.

W081002 Before London Meeting Subscribers in London debate discussion forums Figure 1. Early arrivers chat before the start of the London meeting. From left: Charles Moore, Pat Shirreff-Thomas, Fursey McHugh, and yours truly.

I announced last week that I’d hold a meeting in the London area to get feedback from subscribers (see Figure 1). This is the second in a series of free seminars I’m holding in the few hours between changing planes in various airports of the world. The first seminar was held on June 15 in Hong Kong (see my June 19 report).

It’s always been a dream of mine for readers to have a structured, online way to help each other and get help in return. We may be able to realize this goal as early as next year.

I asked readers to let me know about high-tech user forums that they already visit, and what they like and dislike about them. Here’s a list of some of the forums that were submitted, in case you haven’t heard of them all:

• AutoPatcher
• Experts Exchange (specifically, the forum on Microsoft products)
• Dell Support
• DigitalSpy
• Donation Coder
• Google Groups
• Infoworld
• Microsoft Software Forum Network (independent, not affiliated with Microsoft)
• Neowin Forum
• PC Pro
• The Register (comments on articles)
• Techworld (described by one reader as “now moribund”)
• Yahoo Groups
• Zone Labs User Forum

As to what readers dislike about these forums, Ray Burnley sums up many people’s experiences when he reports:
  • “The biggest problem I find is that it is sometimes difficult for a ‘semi-techie’ — one who can find his way around with advice/guidance — to explain his problem so that others can understand what he’s getting at.

    “Too often, as well, I have found myself (and others) being ‘flamed’ for not being able to explain our problems in technical terms, whereas the fact is, if we had that level of knowledge/understanding, we wouldn’t need the advice!

    “Incidentally, that’s just why I subscribe to Secrets — whilst a lot is technical, it does usually explain things in simplified terms.”
Another participant in the Sept. 27 meeting emphasized that he likes the fact that Windows Secrets columnists are experts who can be trusted. Discussion forums on the Web often contain comments by people whose advice can’t be relied on. In this reader’s view, it’s important for us to keep a clear separation between experienced writers vs. contributors who have varying levels of experience.

I wholeheartedly agree. Watch this space in the months to come as we explore these ideas further.

Would you like a free seminar to come to your area? Make sure your locale is entered correctly on your preferences page. We use this information to decide where enough Windows Secrets readers live to make a meeting possible. Visit your preferences page

Thanks for your support!

Brian Livingston is editorial director of WindowsSecrets.com and co-author of Windows Vista Secrets and 10 other books.

 
Top Story

Does Vista already have Windows 7′s new kernel?

Stuart Johnston 1 Does Vista already have Windows 7s new kernel? By Stuart J. Johnston

For those waiting for a faster, better-performing version of Windows, you’ll have to wait at least nine months for Windows 7.

But if you can’t wait, Vista Service Pack 1 may provide a peek into Microsoft’s plans to equip Windows 7 with a dramatically smaller, more agile operating-system kernel.

The new kernel is meant to deliver the kind of performance boost that users have been demanding ever since Vista first shipped nearly two years ago. In fact, the new kernel may already be in Vista SP1. (An operating system’s kernel is a core piece of the system that manages the computer’s resources.)

Unfortunately, Microsoft isn’t saying whether Vista’s kernel has been updated.

According to an analysis performed by Australian tech publication APC Magazine, Vista’s first service pack sports the same kernel as Windows Server 2008: version 6.0.6001. The original release of the Vista kernel was version 6.0.6000, APC said.

Sharing a kernel wouldn’t be too much of a stretch, considering that Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 were released to manufacturing (RTM) on the same day.

“We are going to build on the success and the strength of the Windows Server 2008 kernel, and that has all of this [kernel] work that you’ve been talking about,” Steven Sinofsky, senior vice president of Windows and Windows Live engineering, told CNET in May.

“The key there is that the kernel in Windows Server 2008 is an evolution of the kernel in Windows Vista, and then Windows 7 will be a further evolution of that kernel as well,” Sinofsky added.

Vista SP1 may already have ‘MinWin’ on board

While Vista SP1 does show some relatively small performance improvements over the original release, that’s nothing compared to what Microsoft is hoping to deliver with Windows 7 — that is, if the company follows through on its previous public statements about the OS.

A benchmark test of SP1 done last winter by PC World found small but incremental improvements over Vista RTM in specific areas of performance. For instance, compared to the original release, SP1 was 9% faster on a file-copying test. Meanwhile, results were unchanged from Vista RTM when it came to system startup and shutdown speeds.

Windows 7 — the codename for the next Windows release due by early 2010 — will contain a more evolved version of the kernel, which Microsoft has somewhat confusingly named “MinWin.” The company’s goal is to dramatically shrink the amount of the code that runs at the heart of the operating system.

“[MinWin] is running in 40MB of memory, a lot less than the 2GB that you’re used to” with the original Vista kernel, Microsoft Distinguished Engineer Eric Traut told a group at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign last October.

In his presentation, Traut was adamant that Windows 7 will sport the new, much smaller kernel.

“The core of the system is really streamlined,” Traut said.

Since Traut’s address, however, Microsoft executives have been less than clear about what MinWin really is. Also, Microsoft pronouncements as to when MinWin will enter the production code base for Windows have been squishy at best.

For instance, last December, Microsoft Technical Fellow Mark Russinovich, who founded Winternals and is a member of the Windows Core Architecture group, told an interviewer on Microsoft’s Channel 9 developers’ site that the version of MinWin incorporated into Windows Server 2008 is not the same as the MinWin coming in Windows 7.

Making things even murkier, company officials — particularly Sinfosky — decline to discuss MinWin, choosing instead to focus on a point that is many users’ hot button: assuring them that applications and drivers will remain compatible even if the kernel changes. In fact, the new kernel may have already debuted in Vista.

“We’re very clear that drivers and software that work on Windows Vista are going to work really well on Windows 7; in fact, they’ll work the same,” Sinofsky told CNET.

Users expect Windows 7 to be faster than Vista

It may be that customers’ fears about the effect of a new kernel on the compatibility of device drivers and applications have kept Microsoft officials from being more forthcoming. Still, the confusion has left even savvy technology analysts scratching their heads.

“I have heard that there wouldn’t be major changes to the kernel in Windows 7,” Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT, told Windows Secrets, though he admits that the question could ultimately be a matter of semantics.

If Microsoft slips a new kernel into Windows 7, will anyone really care? Should they care?

“Issues around the kernel should be transparent to users,” King added.

Michael Cherry, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, echoes King’s sentiments regarding both the confusion and users’ awareness. “I’m not convinced that MinWin isn’t already in SP1,” he said. “The kernel mode code is not something that the user touches or is even aware of,” Cherry added.

The confusion — as well as Microsoft’s reluctance to talk about MinWin — may be cleared up on Oct. 28, when the company kicks off its annual Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles. At the event, officials will present keynote speeches and more than 20 technical sessions on Windows 7. Additionally, all attendees will receive copies of the pre-beta code for Windows 7 to try out.

Microsoft officials have not yet said when end-user beta testing of Windows 7 will start. No release date has been set for the public beta, although news reports state that Microsoft is shooting to issue a beta in mid-December and to deliver the final product in June 2009.

To date, the company has been willing to say only that Windows 7 will be released roughly three years after Vista’s consumer launch on Jan. 30, 2007.

Stuart Johnston is associate editor of WindowsSecrets.com. He has written about technology for InfoWorld, Computerworld, InformationWeek, and InternetNews.com.

 
Insider Tricks

DVD rippers let you watch movies anywhere

Scott Dunn 2 DVD rippers let you watch movies anywhere By Scott Dunn

In case the urge to watch Superbad strikes while you’re waiting for the bus, you can rip the DVD to your hard drive, copy the file to your phone or other handheld device, and press Play — no DVD drive required.

Of course, there’s another very good reason to rip your DVDs: the discs are prone to scratches, which could render your videos unwatchable and your data inaccessible.

DVD rippers let you copy the data from a DVD to your hard disk to serve as a backup or for watching on a computer. You can then burn the data to a DVD-RW disk or, depending on the product, copy it to an iPod, iPhone, or other device.

Most of the DVD rippers I looked at are easy to use, which is good, since few — if any — have what I consider to be an adequate help system.

Although most of these products can output in a variety of formats (CloneDVD being the exception), all of them require that the source files be a DVD or a DVD ISO or IFO file. If you need a product that can convert between various video file formats, see my review of video converters from Sept. 25.

For each of these products, I tried copying a single episode of a TV show from a commercial DVD to a format that could be played on my phone.

#1: XILISOFT DVD RIPPER ULTIMATE
$56 version
82
More info
The best mix of ripping options and ease of use

Xilisoft DVD Ripper Ultimate is the best-looking of this bunch of apps. The program’s attractive interface is coupled with helpful quick-start instructions in the main screen to get you off on the right foot. Select your source (DVD input) and output (file format and location), and away you go.

If you’re not ripping an entire DVD, Xilisoft shows you a detailed list of the DVD’s contents, complete with checkboxes you can use to select the sections you want to copy. Unfortunately, the list doesn’t tell you anything about the content, though you can use the product’s preview pane to check out a selected title before you rip it.

While most of the DVD rippers I tested let you split a DVD into multiple files, DVD Ripper Ultimate includes easy-to-use features for merging multiple source files into one, cropping and trimming, customizing subtitles, adding watermarks, and even applying special effects. I’m not sure why you would want your video to look like an oil painting, but at least this option is available to you in this product.

The program supports a variety of output formats (or “profiles”) and even lets you tweak the settings of each.

W081002 DVDRipper1 DVD rippers let you watch movies anywhere
Figure 1. DVD Ripper Ultimate’s interface simplifies the recording process.

Bottom line: DVD Ripper Ultimate combines features you won’t find elsewhere without sacrificing attractiveness or ease of use.

#2: CUCUSOFT ULTIMATE DVD CONVERTER
$46 version
79
More info
User-friendly ripper lacks advanced features

Cucusoft Ultimate DVD Converter is easier to use than any other DVD ripper I looked at, but the program lacks some of its competitors’ more-sophisticated features.

Like Xilisoft DVD Ripper Ultimate, Cucusoft Ultimate DVD Converter lists some quick-start instructions in bold type when you first launch it. But unlike the Xilisoft ripper, Ultimate DVD Converter lets you select the chapter or program you want via a preview screen, which you can navigate to from the DVD menu just as if you were watching it on your TV. Too bad none of the other products I tested had this capability.

If you prefer to work with a checklist of your disc’s contents (as in Xilisoft’s tool), you can go that route simply by clicking the “batch mode” button.

The Cucusoft site promises a “1-Click Mode” to help “dummies” (their word) open and operate the program in one fell swoop. However, I was unable to locate this new feature; perhaps it hasn’t made it to the trial version yet.

Ultimate DVD Converter provides a variety of output format options. The program even lets you rename items directly in the menu of format choices. Some limited cropping and resizing tools are available to help you work with widescreen vs. traditional television aspect ratios.

Although not as sophisticated as the Xilisoft product, Ultimate DVD Converter has most of the features the average PC user will need for backing up and copying DVDs, and for preparing the discs’ content for playback on another device.

#3: MAGIC DVD RIPPER
$35 version
75
More info
Low-cost ripper focuses on the basics

Magic DVD Ripper did as good a job as any of the tools I tested in converting a TV episode on DVD into a QuickTime-compatible movie. Like the other DVD rippers, the program was able to deal with region restrictions and overcome commercial copy protections. Magic DVD Ripper is easy to use and supports a handful of file-format options.

Like most of the rippers I tried, Magic DVD Ripper lets you tweak the settings of output profiles. You can manually preview a title before you output it, but you can’t use the DVD’s own menus to find your desired episode the way Cucusoft’s Ultimate DVD Converter lets you do.

One handy feature in Magic DVD Ripper is the Backup tab in the main interface. The choices here make it one-click easy to back up an entire disk or the main movie only. You can also split a DVD-9 into two DVD-5 discs, and you’re given the option to compress the output to fit on a single-layer disc.

Magic DVD Ripper lacks any cropping or resizing features but does a good job of ripping DVDs just the same.

#4: REALNETWORKS REALDVD
$50 version
72
More info
Real’s DVD ripper is a one-trick pony

Real Networks recently jumped into this category with RealDVD; I tested a pre-release beta version of the program. Although RealDVD is capable of ripping copy-protected DVDs to your hard drive, it attempts to avoid legal entanglements by transferring the copy protection along with the video data. In addition, a message on the main screen warns you to use the product only for DVDs you own.

RealDVD sports a simple but attractive interface that shows the box cover of the DVDs you’ve ripped and links to sites where you can read reviews and rate the discs yourself.

Unlike other rippers, RealDVD gives you very little control over the process. You can copy only the entire DVD to your hard drive (not individual episodes for a disc with a TV series, for example). Nor does the program offer controls for cropping, resizing, changing the file format, and other operations. The app’s three main controls are Play, Save, and Play & Save.

When it comes to parental controls, however, RealDVD provides a feature the other rippers lack. The program lets you choose a content level (based on the moving rating system of G, PG, PG-13, and so on) for playback of saved DVDs. Only someone with the parental-control password can change the show’s rating.

RealDVD debuted on Sept. 30 with an introductory price of $30, but $50 is expected to be the standard price going forward. If you want to view videos on more than one PC, you can use RealDVD on up to four more computers for an additional $20.

#5: SLYSOFT CLONEDVD 2
$42 version
67
More info
CloneDVD 2 is not for commercial DVDs

This program is in some ways the easiest to use of all the rippers I tested. CloneDVD’s wizards step you through the process of opening a DVD and selecting a title. The tool’s preview pane is fast and responsive, and you can output the content you rip as DVD files, an ISO image, or a writable DVD disk.

In addition, the program’s help system is far better than the equivalents in the other rippers I tested.

However, CloneDVD’s interface is sometimes too friendly to actually be helpful. For example, the program’s Web page promises a chapter on splitting and trimming videos, but I couldn’t figure out how to do this.

Moreover, CloneDVD supports only DVD and ISO formats, so forget about using this tool to play your videos on a portable device (unless they can accommodate DVD files).

In addition, CloneDVD cannot get past common copy protection schemes such as the Content Scrambling System (CSS). Unless you have another program that can do this, don’t expect to use this product with many commercial DVDs.

For 30 euros (U.S. $42), you can find a product that is just as easy to use but does a lot more.

Is all this legal? At least one of these products, Cucusoft Ultimate DVD Converter, addresses that issue head-on in its license agreement. Customers are asked to agree that they are the owner of the DVDs they rip and that they will not distribute the output files in any way.

Such disclaimers by themselves, however, are not likely to satisfy the Hollywood studios, which on Sept. 30 filed suit against Real Networks over its RealDVD product. According to a New York Times story by Brad Stone, Real has also filed its own suit, asking for a judgment that users are entitled to rip their own lawfully owned DVDs to their computers. It may take a court decision to settle the issue.

Scott Dunn is associate editor of the Windows Secrets Newsletter. He has been a contributing editor of PC World since 1992 and currently writes for the Here’s How section of that magazine.

 
Known Issues

Just how much RAM does 32-bit Windows support?

Dennis OReilly 1 Just how much RAM does 32 bit Windows support? By Dennis O’Reilly

In his Sept. 25 lead story, associate editor Stuart Johnston reported that the 32-bit version of Windows Vista provides users with “only 3GB of memory, a limitation that the 64-bit edition doesn’t have.”

Other 32-bit operating systems have similar memory constraints, but Stuart pointed out that 64-bit versions of Vista can address 8GB to 128GB of RAM, depending on the edition (Home Basic, Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate).

Several subscribers commented that the total amount of addressable RAM on 32-bit systems is 4GB, not 3GB. Reader K. Boriskin explains it this way:
  • “The various versions [of Windows] reported 3GB because that’s all that was available to the user. The rest is used internally for housekeeping, which certainly makes it supported. That has been fixed with [32-bit] Vista SP1, which now reports all installed memory up to 4GB.

    “See, for a start, [Microsoft Knowledge Base] article 946003.”
Stuart’s story was referring to the practical RAM limit — the amount of memory that’s available for applications after the OS claims 1GB. But it’s always a good idea to clarify the difference between this usable memory and the total memory that may be installed on a motherboard.

Password-cracking utility sets off false alarms

Contributing editor Ryan Russell’s Sept. 25 column in our paid content reviewed the free Cain & Abel utility. This program is designed to find and reveal all the passwords that are stored on a PC’s hard disk, which can be useful to legitimate admins as well as nefarious intruders.

It’s understandable that such a program would trigger alerts from your antivirus application. Unfortunately, several readers begged off downloading the program as a result of such antivirus alerts. Brett Shand writes:
  • “FYI, Cain & Abel is producing a hit with Avast AV for [the] Win32:Oliga Trojan. It’s probably a false positive, and the forums have a reassuring reply from the coders that the program can be whitelisted. But I’m not game, especially for this type of software.”
Few programs are indispensable. If your suspicions are raised about any application, leave it be. However, we’re confident that the program Ryan recommended is safe to use and malware-free. In fact, that goes for all the products we review.

In a future Perimeter Scan column, Ryan will examine in greater detail the issue of antivirus false positives. Stay tuned!

Readers K. Boriskin and Brett Shand will each receive a gift certificate for a book, CD, or DVD of their choice for sending tips we printed. Send us your tips via the Windows Secrets contact page.

The Known Issues column brings you readers’ comments on our recent articles. Dennis O’Reilly is technical editor of WindowsSecrets.com.

 
Wacky Web Week

A parody that’s as American as apple pie

W081002 Wacky3 A parody thats as American as apple pie By Katy Abby

In the U.S., campaigns are heating up in the month preceding the presidential election. As the candidates dust off their “A” games for the final debates, there are about as many different opinions as there are voters. This hilarious political satire pokes fun at all of ‘em!

Put down the newspaper, take your eye off the stock ticker, and de-stress with some good old-fashioned campaign humor from JibJab (the makers of the famous Bush/Kerry satire video four years ago). After all, if you can’t laugh at yourself, laugh at some politicians! Play the video


 
Best Software

Locate the important files hidden on your PC

Ian Gizmo Richards 1 Locate the important files hidden on your PC By Ian “Gizmo” Richards

Your documents, images, and other data and system files are strewn throughout the far corners of your hard drive.

Here’s a cheat sheet to help you find lost e-mail, shrouded Windows system files, and every other type of file you may need.


Make sure you’re seeing all there is to see

In my Sept. 11 column on backup options, I mentioned that one of the difficulties of backing up your data is finding exactly where your e-mail, browser bookmarks, and other important files are located.

In an ideal world, these files would all be situated in your My Documents folder (Documents in Vista). Backing up would then be easy: simply copy that folder to another storage device and you’re done.

Alas! With Windows, we are a long way from this ideal. Windows scatters vital files across many different locations. Worse still, the file locations vary, depending on which version of Windows you’re using.

If this sounds like a mess, it’s because it is a mess, and you can thank Microsoft for creating it. However, it’s not so bad a mess that we can’t work our way through it.

This article is part of our paid content. Subscribe.

Already a paid subscriber? Click here to login.


 
Windows Secrets

Improve security by running apps in isolation

Mark Edwards 1 Improve security by running apps in isolation By Mark Joseph Edwards

Your most important programs run in the same environment as your operating system — which means if they pick up malware, Windows does, too.

A free utility lets you run each app in its own virtual environment to prevent any interaction with your vital system files.


Stay safe by siloing your running applications

Maintaining your PC’s security requires a multilayered approach. You probably use a firewall, antivirus software, spyware catchers, and spam filters. But there’s one security layer that’s probably missing from your system: virtualization.

The technology works by running one or more of your programs in a virtual PC environment, or virtual machine, that’s isolated from the rest of your system. That way, a malware infection can get no further than that virtual environment.

The Software Virtualization Solution (SVS) from Altris works a lot like a virtual machine at the application level. (Note that Altris was acquired by Symantec in January 2007.)

For example, if something goes wrong with a browser that’s running inside an SVS wrapper, you can simply reset the program back to its defaults and be rid of the problem.

This article is part of our paid content. Subscribe.

Already a paid subscriber? Click here to login.


 
Patch Watch

Tips for taking the 64-bit Vista plunge

Susan Bradley 1 Tips for taking the 64 bit Vista plunge By Susan Bradley

The move from 32-bit Vista to its 64-bit counterpart can be rocky, so be sure to check for device drivers beforehand.

I’ve got some other early-implementer advice on how to keep the migration to 64-bit computing a smooth ride.


Disable UAC before you upgrade Vista to 64-bit

My office recently deployed its first 64-bit Vista system. Last week, associate editor Stuart Johnston’s Top Story recommended that XP users who wish to upgrade to Vista do so only to the 64-bit version — rather than 32-bit — to get advanced features such as better memory utilization.

On our inaugural 64-bit Vista machine, our line-of-business applications and printers were deployed without a hitch. The trick for us was to open the System Configuration utility (msconfig.exe) to the Tools tab and disable User Account Control (UAC) prior to installing the software. Once the installation was complete, we re-enabled UAC and everything ran perfectly.

By contrast, when we had previously installed the same apps and drivers on 32-bit Vista systems, we merely had to choose Run as Administrator rather than disable UAC altogether.

Before we started the migration, we made sure our printers had 64-bit drivers. Multifunction devices — which combine printing, scanning, copying, and other features — are the most likely to encounter driver conflicts. Before you purchase 64-bit Vista, ensure that 64-bit drivers are available for all your peripherals.

This article is part of our paid content. Subscribe.

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YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

The Windows Secrets Newsletter is published weekly on the 1st through 4th Thursdays of each month, plus occasional news updates. We skip an issue on the 5th Thursday of any month, the week of Thanksgiving, and the last two weeks of August and December. Windows Secrets is a continuation of four merged publications: Brian's Buzz on Windows and Woody's Windows Watch in 2004, the LangaList in 2006, and the Support Alert Newsletter in 2008.

Publisher: WindowsSecrets.com, 1218 Third Ave., Suite 1515, Seattle, WA 98101 USA. Vendors, please send no unsolicited packages to this address (readers' letters are fine).

Editor in chief: Tracey Capen. Senior editors: Fred Langa, Woody Leonhard. Copyeditor: Roberta Scholz. Program director: Tony Johnston. Contributing editors: Yardena Arar, Susan Bradley, Scott Dunn, Michael Lasky, Scott Mace, Ryan Russell, Lincoln Spector, Robert Vamosi, Becky Waring. Product manager: Andy Boyd. Advertising director: Eric Gilley.

Trademarks: Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. The Windows Secrets series of books is published by Wiley Publishing Inc. The Windows Secrets Newsletter, WindowsSecrets.com, Support Alert, LangaList, LangaList Plus, WinFind, Security Baseline, Patch Watch, Perimeter Scan, Wacky Web Week, the Logo Design (W, S or road, and Star), and the slogan Everything Microsoft Forgot to Mention all are trademarks and service marks of WindowsSecrets.com. All other marks are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

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Copyright © 2012 by WindowsSecrets.com. All rights reserved.

Table of contents

Top-scoring articles in the past 12 months
  • Leaving long cookie trails throughout the Web 5.00
  • Windows-like security for Android devices 5.00
  • Win7′s no-reformat, nondestructive reinstall 4.56
  • LizaMoon infection: a blow-by-blow account 4.46
  • RPV: Win7′s least-known data-protection system 4.35
  • Recovery: the last step in total data security 4.31
  • The sorry tale of the (un)Secure Sockets Layer 4.30
  • Time for a .NET update we can’t ignore 4.30
  • Getting the most from Windows Search — Part 1 4.25
  • Revising printing habits saves money and trees 4.25
  • Upgrades end in erratic, partial hangs 4.25
  • Get wired performance from your Wi-Fi network 4.24
  • Caution: Bumps in the road to IPv6 4.23
  • Patch Watch adds problem-patch update chart 4.23
  • ZeuS Trojan reinvents itself as bots rock on 4.22
  • Pros and cons of a ‘keyfile’ password 4.21
  • April brings showers of browser patches 4.20
  • Readers comment on the LizaMoon infection story 4.20
  • Office 2007 gets its final service pack 4.19
  • Putting Registry-/system-cleanup apps to the test 4.19
  • The advanced system-recover toolkit 4.18
  • One year and 99 security bulletins later 4.18
  • Don’t pay for software you don’t need — Part 3 4.17
  • What to do when Windows refuses to boot 4.17
  • Make the most of Windows 7′s Libraries 4.16
  • Keeping you up to date: say no to .NET — again 4.16
  • Internet Explorer gets another round of patches 4.15
  • Vacation’s over; it’s a big round of patches 4.15
  • Big-time Wi-Fi security for the small office 4.14
  • Office File Validation patch leads to problems 4.14
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Trademarks: Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. The Windows Secrets series of books is published by Wiley Publishing Inc. The Windows Secrets Newsletter, WindowsSecrets.com, WinFind, Windows Gizmos, Security Baseline, Patch Watch, Perimeter Scan, Wacky Web Week, the Logo Design (W, S or road, and Star), and the slogan Everything Microsoft Forgot to Mention all are trademarks and service marks of iNET Interactive. All other marks are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.
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