Shark Lady Tech

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Posts Tagged ‘microsoft’

Yet Another IE Security Problem

February 4th, 2010

It’s not new – we already know it. Internet Explorer is a flawed browser, with many security holes – and it just ripped itself a new one.

Microsoft has issued Security Advisory (980088), which basically says that Internet Explorer, for those who use Windows XP or who have disabled Internet Explorer Protected Mode, allows access to files with an already known filename and location. In other words – hackers can browse your files vie IE.

Browser versions affected are: Internet Explorer 5.01 Service Pack 4 on Microsoft Windows 2000 Service 4; Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 on Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4; and Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, and Internet Explorer 8 on supported editions of Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows XP Service Pack 3, and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2. Protected Mode prevents exploitation of this vulnerability and is running by default for versions of Internet Explorer on Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008.

Microsoft continues to encourage customers to follow the “Protect Your Computer” guidance of enabling a firewall, applying all software updates and installing anti-virus and anti-spyware software. The company hasn’t issued a patch yet.

I have a better tip for you: USE FIREFOX.

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Posted in Hacking and Security, Internet, Software and Apps

Tags: browsers firefox ie microsoft security security advisory security flaw xp

Windows 7 Eats your Batteries

February 3rd, 2010

Microsoft has announced it was looking into a problem concerning Windows 7 and laptops.

Windows 7 users have been complaining of battery issues for a while now. The OS seems to report a drained battery in the laptop – long before the battery is actually exhausted. Microsoft claimed that the problem was in the Windows 7 tool that decides when the battery needs to be recharges.

“We are investigating this issue in conjunction with our hardware partners, which appears to be related to system firmware (BIOS),” a Microsoft spokeswoman said today, “The warning received in Windows 7 uses firmware information to determine if battery replacement is needed.”

Some users believe that the problem isn’t a faulty report – they claim that Windows 7 actually ruined their laptop battery. Users that rolled back to Windows XP claimed that the batteries showed poorer performance. In other words, Windows 7 might eat your batteries.

Last year, reviewers of Windows 7 said the OS cut battery life by almost a third when compared to XP.

Windows 7 is gaining popularity.It now accounts for 1 in 10 computers accessing the Web, according to Net Applications. Still, it seems like there are a lot of people out there who aren’t ready for an upgrade.

In other words, like with most Microsoft products – don’t rush to upgrade. If you have a laptop or a netbook with XP on it, you might want to wait just a while longer before switching an OS or buying a new laptop with Windows 7 on it.

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Posted in Computers, Netbooks, Laptops and Tablets, Tech News

Tags: batteries laptops microsoft os problem xp

Steve Ballmer Signs a Mac

January 25th, 2010

Say what you will, this guy isn’t without a sense of humor. Here’s Steve Ballmer, ex-CEO of Microsoft, signing a student’s Mac.

The signature and the complete story, here on Useless Universe.

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Posted in Fun Stuff, Video

Tags: funny mac microsoft sign steve ballmer students

Is Apple Going to Kick Google Out of the iPhone?

January 21st, 2010

BusinessWeek reports that Apple and Google are having a serious row:

“Amid an accelerating rivalry with Google, Apple is discussing ways to make Bing the default search engine on the iPhone”.

And the reason? It seems that Apple will get more money from Microsoft than it gets from Google. Apple also wants to cut Google off from some of the search data, which as we know, is worth a lot of money, too. It’s also possible that Apple wants to develop its own search engine, and then they won’t need either company.

Read more on why Apple might dump Google

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Posted in Business, Mobile Phones, Tech News

Tags: apple battle bing google iphone microsoft search engines

German Government Warns Against Using IE

January 17th, 2010

The German government has recommended internet users to find an alternative browser (such as FireFox) and use it instead of Internet Explorer to protect security.

The warning from the Federal Office for Information Security comes after Microsoft admitted IE was the weak link in recent attacks on Google’s systems. Curiously enough, Google’s corporate network was hacked because its workers were using IE to browse the internet – and not the company’s browser, Chrome.

StatCounter Global Stats show that FireFox is already the most popular browser in Germany, with about 60% market share. IE is way behind with 27% and still dropping.