Review: Windows Embedded Compact
Microsoft announced Windows codename Chelan at TechEd North America 2009. Windows Chelan is the codename of the upcoming Windows Embedded Compact, 
the successor of Windows Embedded CE 6.0.
Window Embedded Compact is expected to include new key features including:
- Dual Core Support (SMP, ARMv6)
- WIFI Positioning System
- Bluetooth 2.1 stack
- Cellcore
- DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance)
- DRM
- Media Transfer Protocol
- IE7 Rendering Rich Media Plug-Ins
- NDIS 6.1 support
- Multi Touch Input
- Rich UX* based on .NET 3.0/3.5
(*)UX include C++ XAML API using technologies like WPF and Silverlight for attractive and functional user interfaces.
Windows Embedded Compact OS has the same architecture and core of Windows Embedded CE 6.0, so the porting of WinCE 6.0 based BSPs “Board Support Packages” should be straight forward for compatibility issues.
Windows Embedded Compact will finally become a plug-in for Visual Studio 2008, however there is no news whether it will become a plug-in for the upcoming Visual Studio 2010 or not since the last one removed Smart Device programmability features from it.
Microsoft didn’t want to declare more news about the new Windows codename Chelan. I think they’re true in this step especially in the mean time.
A public beta of Windows Embedded Compact will be available in the next months.
Welcome to the Windows 7 Beta Customer Preview Program
Windows 7 is…
the next release of the Windows client operating system, built on the secure foundation of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Performance, reliability, security, and compatibility are core tenets of this release as we collect your feedback to meet our engineering goals of making Windows 7 the best-performing and most stable Windows operating system to date. New innovations in the product are designed to augment your ability as an IT professional to better provision and manage increasingly mobile PCs, protect data, and improve both end-user and personal productivity.
See Windows 7 for yourself
We are inviting IT professionals around the world to work with the Windows 7 Beta in their lab environments and secondary PCs to help ensure smooth adoption when the final product is available and to gather feedback from real-world settings.
How can you get involved?
1. Take a look at some of the new features and functionality in Windows 7 as part of our Springboard Series guidance on the Windows Client TechCenter on TechNet. As a partner you can also see additional resources on the Microsoft Partner Program portal.
2. Download the Beta for a hands-on trial. For a limited time, Microsoft is making this pre-release version of Windows 7 available to the first 2.5 million people who download. Ready to take a test drive? You can get one by trying the Windows 7 Beta. We think you’ll have the best experience if:
- You are willing to participate as an active beta tester and provide feedback to help us complete Windows 7.
- You have an extra computer available to dedicate to testing beta software.
- You can back up your PC, install and reinstall Windows, and reconfigure your home network connection.
- You’re comfortable troubleshooting your own PC problems. There’s no technical support available for the Beta.
- You understand how to burn an ISO file to a DVD using your computer’s DVD burner.
- You have a system recovery disc and know how to use it.
- You enjoy participating in an interactive community of beta testers, sharing experiences and feedback in real-time.
Microsoft isn’t providing technical support for the Beta and isn’t responsible for business-related downtime. Don’t install the Beta on your primary home or work computer. When the Beta expires on August 1, 2009, you’ll need to reinstall a released version of Windows to keep using your computer. (See Installation Instructions.)
These are the Microsoft minimum hardware recommendations for systems that will be running the Windows 7 Beta. These recommendations are specific to the beta release and are subject to change:
- Processor: 1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
- Memory: 1 GB of system memory
- Hard drive: 16 GB of available disk space
- Video card: Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128MB memory (in order to enable Aero theme)
- Drive: DVD-R/W drive
- Internet connection (to download the Beta and get updates)
Note: Some product features of Windows 7, such as the ability to watch and record live TV or navigation through the use of “touch”, may require advanced or additional hardware.
To learn more, see Windows 7 Beta: Frequently Asked Questions.
Source: Microsoft TechNet
In less than 45 minutes, Windows 7 Beta links were removed!
In an earlier report “Windows 7 Beta is Now Public!” , I’ve declared that Microsoft has removed the Windows 7 Public Beta links and soon Microsoft Windows Team Blogs posted this item:
“Due to very heavy traffic we’re seeing as a result of interest in the Windows 7 Beta, we are adding some additional infrastructure support to the Microsoft.com properties before we post the public beta. We want to ensure customers have the best possible experience when downloading the beta, and I’ll be posting here again soon once the beta goes live. Stay tuned! We are excited that you are excited!”.
Microsoft reposted this message at 4 PM Pacific Time:
“Thanks for your interest in the Windows 7 Beta. The volume has been phenomenal -- we’re in the process of adding more servers to handle the demand. We’re sorry for the delay and we’ll re-post the Beta as soon as we can ensure a quality download experience.”
So, we’re still awaiting!
Windows 7 Beta is Now Public!
Microsoft Corporation declared the release of the new operating system Microsoft Windows 7 Beta to public testers today.
Brandon LeBlanc, one of The Windows Team Blogs team stated that:
“On January 9th, the Windows 7 Beta will be available for Windows enthusiasts to download via the Windows 7 page on Windows.com. The Windows 7 Beta is going to be available download-only (we’re not sending out physical media) and available for a limited time to the first 2.5 million people who download the beta.
The Windows 7 Beta will be available in English, German, Japanese, Arabic, and Hindi, and each language will be available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions (except Hindi which will only be available in 32-bit). “
Other sources from Microsoft Partners website declared the exact time when the link will get published to public as:
“Partners with a MSDN or TechNet subscription can download Windows 7 Beta now. All other partners can download Windows 7 Beta starting January 9, 2009 at 12:00 P.M. Pacific Time. “
Once it became 12 PM, people could be able to access the following link to sign up for the product and receive product keys, when you choose your preferred version (86 or 64) and language and hit the continue (>) button, you will get “Server is too busy” page and won’t be able to proceed with sign-up process.
Few minutes later (12:40), links were soon removed and visitors only get: Windows® 7 Beta coming soon!
If you’re interested in downloading Windows 7 and were lucky to get in, here’s the link: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/dd353205.aspx
I hope that Microsoft would get links up again to let users enjoy the “Vista that users were looking forward to”.
Microsoft acknowledges vulnerability in Vista
A vulnerability that affects four versions of Microsoft Corp.’s operating system, including Vista, doesn’t appear to pose a great risk, according to one security vendor. Microsoft’s security blog said proof-of-concept code that targets the Client/Server Runtime Server Subsystem has been publicly released. The CSRSS performs functions such as launching and closing applications. A user could launch malicious code within the CSRSS that would elevate his privileges on a computer, such as going from an ordinary user to an administrator, said Thomas Kristensen, chief technology officer at Secunia AsP in Denmark.
To execute the attack, however, a user would already have to be logged onto a machine or have gained access to the network some other way, Kristensen said. Because of this, Secunia rated the vulnerability as “less critical,” he said. Still, the flaw could potentially let an attacker place a rootkit on a machine and scrub any trace of tampering with the machine, Kristensen said. “It’s still a significant vulnerability which administrators should pay a whole lot of attention to,” he said. Microsoft said it has not heard of any attacks using the vulnerability, but it is investigating the potential impact. The affected systems are Windows 2000 Service Pack 4, Windows Server SP1, Windows XP SP2 and Vista, Microsoft said.
Vista Exploit Surfaces on Russian Hacker Site
Proof-of-concept exploit code for a privilege escalation vulnerability affecting all versions of Windows—including Vista—has been posted on a Russian hacker forum, forcing Microsoft to activate its emergency response process. Mike Reavey, operations manager of the Microsoft Security Response Center, confirmed that the company is “closely monitoring” the public posting, which first appeared on a Russian language forum on Dec. 15. It affects “csrss.exe,” which is the main executable for the Microsoft Client/Server Runtime Server. According to an alert cross-posted to security mailing lists, the vulnerability is caused by a memory corruption when certain strings are sent through the MessageBox API.
“The PoC reportedly allows for local elevation of privilege on Windows 2000 SP4, Windows Server 2003 SP1, Windows XP SP1, Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista operating systems,” Reavey said in an entry posted late Dec. 21 on the MSRC blog. “Initial indications are that in order for the attack to be successful, the attacker must already have authenticated access to the target system. Of course these are preliminary findings and we have activated our emergency response process involving a multitude of folks who are investigating the issue in depth to determine the full scope and potential impact to Microsoft’s customers,” Reavey added.
Now Is Not the Time for Vista
"With nearly a month of Vista availability behind us, businesses don't seem to be in any rush to take the leap. An article on ITworld cites two significant
reasons for the foot-dragging. First, Microsoft's case-by-case approach to Vista patches, which is leaving some problems unpatched until after the consumer release in January.
Second, application (in)compatibility. From the article: "Some of the applications that still aren't compatible with Vista include IBM Corp.'s Lotus Notes e-mail and collaboration suite; Cisco Systems Inc.'s and Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.'s VPN clients; Intuit Corp.'s accounting software QuickBooks 2006 and earlier versions; and anti-virus (AV) software from Trend Micro Inc.'"
Microsoft Claims Vista’s Aero Interface Doesn’t Slow PCs
[
CRN] Running Windows Vista’s new Aero graphical interface doesn’t impact PC performance, a study sponsored by Microsoft claims. According to speed measurements of more than 60 common business chores, which were conducted by North Carolina-based Principled Technologies for Microsoft, using the Aero interface “had little or no negative effect on Windows Vista’s performance.” Matt Ayers, a program manager with the Windows Client Performance team, touted the results on the
group’s blog. “We put quite a bit of effort into making sure that the new visuals were as efficient as possible, and it really paid off,” he wrote. “You can run Aero without guilt!”
Principled Technologies measured performance with Aero on and off using a Dell XPS M170 notebook equipped with 1 Gbyte of RAM, a 2.0-GHz Intel Pentium M 750 single-core processor, and a graphics card with 256 Mbytes of memory. The laptop’s configuration met or exceeded Microsoft’s own minimum system requirements for what it calls a “Vista Premium Ready PC,” which is a system with sufficient horsepower to run Aero. Those requirements, for example, specify a graphics card with at least 128 Mbytes of memory. Aero, which can be disabled by the user, is automatically ditched for a simpler, Windows XP-style interface, when Vista is run on lower-powered PCs.
Lab Tests: Vista’s Fast If You Have the Hardware
With Microsoft’s Windows Vista finally released to manufacturers and on the verge of making its way to retail, we can at last get down to the business of examining precisely how well the new OS performs. In our first tests, we discovered that while Vista’s hardware requirements may be steep, it should run just fine–even with the Aero bells and whistles active–on machines that meet Microsoft’s Premium Ready specifications (1GB of RAM, and a DirectX 9-capable graphics board with at least 128MB of dedicated memory).
We installed the RTM (release to manufacturing) Vista Ultimate code on desktop and notebook systems of varying specs and ages, and then we ran a series of benchmarks to answer several key questions about Vista’s impact on performance. Our main findings:
Vista is generally slower than XP, but it’s better at multitasking on dual-core PCs.
Your PC should have 1GB of RAM at the bare minimum.
Aero won’t slow you down if you use a discrete graphics processor and enough memory.
Apps run slower on the 64-bit version of Vista, but adding RAM closes the gap.
Full story: Yahoo News
How to permanently activate Windows Vista, at least for now
[Digg]While Microsoft's Vista hasn't quite had time to make it out to us normal folk just yet, there's certainly versions floating around thanks to the November 30th corporate release, and we've already found a way to circumvent Redmond's most valiant efforts to make us activate the darned software. With the help of a few background apps, a little registry tweakin', and whole lot of deviousness, you can reportedly freeze the 30-day countdown timer within the operating system in order to prevent it from ever leaving the fully functional evaluation mode.
Purportedly, the TimerStop Vista crack works "on all 32-bit x86 editions" including Ultimate and Premium, but the success rate in 64-bit (x64) environments is "likely to be low." Notable, the folks behind the crack suggest that Windows Updates will still be accessible, as will Microsoft's "value-added software downloads" typically only available to those who pass the WVGA validation process. So if you're looking to hit up a new OS in the coming weeks, or you've already got ‘er up and running, be sure to peep the read link if you're interested in pulling this off—but don't count on Microsoft to sleep on this one, holiday break or not.