For those of you still unaware, Microsoft has yet unveiled another new reset feature for its latest Windows 8 operating system, the “Push-Button”. And as such, this new addition is being rumored to be Microsoft’s solution to a previously irresolvable problem, what we already refer to as a system crash.

Now according to Microsoft, Windows 8 will offer two direct options to recover a machine that has just crashed. This is either by resetting the computer or by refreshing it. The same two options are as detailed below:

• “Reset” function will remove all personal data, apps, settings and reinstall a fresh new copy of Windows 8 on the machine
• “Refresh” function will reinstall Windows 8 on the machine while also saving in personal data, Metro-style apps and other important settings

(Note: Only Metro apps will be preserved and that you will personally have to reinstall all desktop apps yourself)

Push Button Lifesaver in Windows 8

It has also been suggested that Windows 8 will feature two new interfaces, application development and input models namely the classic desktop and then the new Windows Phone inspired Metro (it has been so reported that the same has already been geared for touchy tablets and its market).

Microsoft also explains that the reason against its decision in not saving desktop apps is that often a single rogue app can easily result to Windows 8 problems leading to the performance of your machine slowing down again and even a possible system crash.

And as quoted on the problem, the people at Microsoft had previously said “We do not want inadvertently re-install ‘bad’ apps that were installed unintentionally or that hitched a ride on something good”.

Microsoft also suggested that on its version of Windows 8 Beta (an introductory version of Windows 8 featuring a few new upgrades), some of the important settings that will be preserved after having performed a system “Refresh” following possible Windows 8 problems would include Wireless Network Connections, Mobile Broadband Connections, Microsoft BitLocker and BitLocker To Go settings, drive letter assignments and other personalized settings such as desktop wallpaper.

Whereas for the rest of the other settings, it will be dumped for the reason that as misconfigured settings, it can still cause Windows 8 problems for the computer.

Windows 8 Problems as a result of Metro UI breakdown

For those of you still unaware of what we mean when we say “Metro” should know that it is the new User Interface Microsoft has introduced with its latest venture, Windows 8 operating system.

The current Windows UI today as many will definitely agree still has considerable room for improvement and simplification. And this can be done without causing too much of a disruption for Microsoft’s loyal base of users. Take for example, Windows 7’s “don’t-call-it-a-dock” Dock. It actually helped a lot of non-technical users on their Windows operating systems without upsetting its experienced users.

And as such, many a seasoned Windows users appreciate the “Jump Lists” for example. While for many of those who don’t, well they can happily ignore it for it is definitely not intrusive.

The new “Metro” User Interface causing Windows 8 Problems?

Now in getting back to the aim of our article, it’s a shame that the new Windows 8 operating system even with all of its underlying code showing considerable improvement against earlier versions, fails at where it should have actually begun.

Windows 8 aimed at bearing the fruits of several quiet years for Microsoft by throwing out the craft and refactoring all vital portions of the software for maximum performance.

However, let us not all forget some of the improvements it has made in light of such Windows 8 problems. For in doing so, Windows 8 boots much faster

Metro UI Result for Windows 8

allowing applications to spring to life in a matter of seconds. And common operations just feel more responsive and crunchier all on the same hardware. Come to think about it, Windows 8 without the Metro UI could have even been the best version of Windows by Microsoft.

So looking at it logically, Windows 8 can very well be released like Apple’s Snow Leopard (a minor $20 upgrade) that boasts of overall performance improvements even without any additional new features. But of course, Microsoft doesn’t work that way.

The accounts team will want their margins, the marketing bureaucracy requires something to do and an industry hangs off this. Consultants smell the prospect of fees while bloggers hope to cash in with “How-To” books. Disinterested parties are hard to find.

The one problem with Metro in Windows 8 is rather one of policy than of execution. And at the end of the day, it is like one of those funky widget layers resembling Dashboard, Yahoo! Widgets and even a lock down launcher like At Ease.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jM6pHbYd5c

GB to MB:
http://www.convertunits.com/from/GB/to/MB

DOWNLOAD LINK:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516

Windows 8 Transformation pack has arrived! This transformation pack will transform your Windows 7 into what Windows 8 will look like. This is a great feature and I have been using this pack ever since I started creating this tutorial. The only issue with this transformation pack is that the clock is bugged when the task-bar is at the bottom of the screen. However, I have actually gotten used to and like it better when the task-bar is on the left hand side, especially when I use two screens. . This tutorial will take you through the steps of creating a system restore point, downloading the pack and installing it. I have also added a preview of what it looks like at the end. I also showed the bug with the clock and how I fixed it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqOO58e5rzM

Download link:

http://technojourney.com/windows/download-windows8-windows7-transformation-pack-skin-pack-theme-pack/

If for some reason you do not like this pack I found an alternative; however, it is not as good and I do not have a tutorial on how to install it:

http://windows7themes.net/windows-8-themes

In the hard to believe category, Microsoft’s Bing has been found to be much more effective than Google. Information Week is reporting that Bing actually worked better than Google.

Experian Hitwise, a service that monitors search engine usage, found that 80.04% of Bing searchers opened a web page during a search. Only 67.56% of Googlers did the same thing. This is not big news to average folk, but it should be a real eye-opener for people in the online marketing business.

People buy advertising which supports search engines because of the click through or hit rate. That is the number of actual human beings that click on an ad and go to a site. It is the basis of the Google fortune and the huge stock prices they enjoy.

Despite this change, Google is still king of the search engines. 66.05% of Americans choose Google when they search. Only 12.98% of people use Bing and 15% use Yahoo. Yes folks, Yahoo is apparently still in business and somebody out there is using it. These results are actually better for Bing because Yahoo is now “powered” by Bing. That means when you do a Yahoo search, you’re actually using Bing. So Microsoft now controls Yahoo which is pretty scary.

The bad thing for Google is that its search engine use rate is falling by about 2% a month according to Experian Hitwise. If that keeps up, Google could loose 24% of its market share in a year, which could hurt the giant company.

Now Google obviously is not going to take this lying down. The Googleplex is going to strike back and strike back hard. Google has already alleged that Microsoft, Oracle and Apple are conspiring against it. My guess is that Google will launch a major attack in the search engine area.

percentage of u.s searches among leading search engines

Google has already entered Microsoft’s field, namely operating systems with Chrome OS. It has also successfully entered the browser arena with Chrome. So it should expect some competition in the Search engine battleground.

The growing competition in search engines shows us how fragmented the tech world is becoming. Nobody is solely a search engine or operatin

g system company anymore. Everybody is doing everything. Apple is building computers and operating systems and becoming a dominant player in the Wireless field.

Google has moved into hardware and Microsoft is in the search engine field. The market is growing and so is the amount of competition, even if the profits may not be there.

Google’s Next Move

Google’s next move is fairly easy to predict: it will quietly promote Chrome OS and Chromebooks. The way the company grew to be the biggest search engine was to bring out a search engine that actually worked. It concentrated on the technology rather than the marketing and the hype.

Microsoft Bing

This worked in search engines and most of the other fields Google has entered including browsers. Over the years, Google has found out that having technology that actually works is the marketing strategy. It worked with search engines, browsers and most of all with Android. Making the technology open faced so it was cheap or free and easy to use helped as well.

This could make it tough as Google enters a new arena: namely computer sales. Selling actual devices in the form of a Chromebook will require a lot of hype and marketing. Apple is the dominant force in that business because it is great at hype and marketing. The media act like trained seals, when Apple holds a press conference, and show up to worship Steve Jobs.

Perhaps Google has found a way around Jobs – selling computers through Wal-Mart. It has already made a fortune selling Android devices there. Now, sales through Wal-Mart and Target are not as glamorous as sales through the Apple Store, but there a lot more people shopping at Wal-Mart and Target.

google bing

Google will have to take some action in the Search arena because it’s obvious that the company has been neglecting its core business. Perhaps Google has grown too big or too messy. It has spent too much time developing things other than search engines. It may have also wasted too much time and effort on cars that drive themselves and alternative energy.

Google needs to forget about the social networking – in which it is lousy – and go back to what it does best. Instead of trying to be Facebook, Google should try to be Google. Of course, nobody knows who or what Google really is, so that could be tough.

Microsoft has also shown once again that it still has a vast amount of technical expertise. It can still beat one of the biggest companies in the business at its own game. Any co

mpany that can build something as effective as Bing is not to be taken lightly. Especially if it can team up with Facebook or better yet, buy Facebook.

This could be more important for Microsoft than Windows 8. It could also mean that Microsoft’s business model is changing from an operating system company to a search engine provider or portal service. That could make sense since both Windows 7 and Windows Vista have failed to attract large numbers of new users.

It is unclear how this will affect Windows 8 which is scheduled to launch next year. After all, tens of millions of people are still searching on Bing and Google from Windows XP. Consumers have quietly revolted against Microsoft by refusing to use its new operating systems. This means that the business is still in flux and as fragmented as ever.

What that means for those of us who still use XP is that Windows will keep sending out updates and security patches for XP until sometime in 2014. Microsoft has also promised to keep patching XP through April 9, 2014.

You will still be able to keep using XP after the 1,000 days are up. You just won’t receive any support for it in 2014. In Microsoft’s Springboard Series Blog, Stephen L. Rose, the IT community manager for Windows, announced that Microsoft will stop sending out hotfixes and patches for XP on April 9, 2014. Rose also said that other companies that make applications that run on XP will stop doing the same thing on that date. He did not name the companies that will do this or applications that they put out.

Is XP Really Obsolete or is Microsoft Just Trying to Force us to Buy Windows 7 and Windows 8?

Rose’s blog entry sounded like a threat to Windows XP users and a sales pitch for Windows 7. He said that Windows XP would be vulnerable to security threats after that date. Note to Mr. Rose: XP is already vulnerable to security threats and so is Windows 7.

He then rattled off a whole bunch of reasons why you should buy Windows 7 and even tried to direct users to Windows 7 sales material. So this changeover could actually be a sales pitch.

It also makes Microsoft sound desperate to sell Windows 7, which it apparently is. The real reason for these threats could be that Microsoft has not been able to sell Windows 7, and may not be able to sell Windows 8 when it comes out next year.

Microsoft is having a Hard Time Selling Windows 7

The problem is that Microsoft has had a very hard time selling the public on every operating system it has put out since Windows XP. PC World reports that only 27% of computer users use Windows 7 but 51% of them use Windows XP. That means you’re not alone if you’re still using XP. Businesses are even less enthusiastic about Windows 7; 60% of them are still using XP.

What this means is that Windows 7 is basically a flop. Nobody seems to be buying it and Microsoft is scared. They need to start selling large numbers of new Windows operating systems to get their stock prices up. When the markets closed on August 5, you could buy a share of Microsoft for just $25.68.

The smart thing here might be for Microsoft to bring out a new version of XP or try working with XP users. Yet Microsoft isn’t. It is trying to force Windows 7 down computer users’ throats. In other words, Microsoft is acting like Microsoft.

 The best hope for Microsoft would be for Windows 8 to come out and for it to be really awesome. Even that might not help Microsoft because Windows XP works really well. In today’s economy, a lot of users are going to say “my computer works great, so why should I spend money on a new operating system that I don’t need?”

Unless you’re in the Mafia, threatening customers is not a good business plan. But that’s what Microsoft seems to be doing here. I have a feeling it is going to backfire and really hurt Microsoft. Many users will simply turn elsewhere.

Internet Explorer 9 Will Not Work with XP

Rose’s blog post is not only the latest threatening move towards XP users from Microsoft. The latest version of Internet Explorer, Explorer 9, will not work with Windows XP. How this will help Microsoft is hard to see because it will just drive XP users to switch to Google Chrome, Apple Safari or Mozilla Firefox.

The fact that Microsoft does not see this shows what is wrong in Redmond these days. The folks at Microsoft don’t seem to realize that the business environment has changed and they have competition.

Google Could Benefit

Not surprisingly, the biggest winner from this will be Google. Many people fed up with Microsoft and not wanting to shell out big bucks for Windows 8 or Windows 7 could switch to Google Chrome OS. Chrome OS is easy to use and it is free.

It is also obvious that Microsoft is still reeling from the Windows Vista debacle. Many people who were burned by Vista and its failures do not want to touch Microsoft again. Apple has cashed in on this big time and Google stands to make even bigger gains.

Another huge market that will probably emerge in the years ahead is service for Windows XP. Instead of buying Windows 7 or Windows 8, a lot of XP users will simply turn to other providers for XP service. We’ve already seen this in the browser market where people simply download Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome OS instead of buying Windows 7 so they can run Explorer 9.

Many companies will undoubtedly be cashing in by putting out fixes including security fixes and hot fixes for Windows XP. If you’re a programmer or software developer and you’re good with XP, you could pick up a few extra bucks by servicing the operating system or writing for it.

It will be interesting to see how Microsoft deals with this. Will they start trying to sabotage these developers next or take legal action against them? Don’t be surprised; Microsoft is already threatening Windows XP users.

If you want to see what Windows 8 might look like, take a look at Microsoft’s platform for cloud computing. This platform for business cloud computing contains many of the features that we will probably see in Windows 8 next year.

That means Windows 8 could be Windows Azure for average people. Everybody will be using Azure for cloud computing if Microsoft gets its way.

So What is Windows Azure?

So what exactly is Windows Azure and how does it work? Well, the best way to think of Windows Azure is to think of it as a sort of super Windows operating system that can run on a lot of different computers at once. Instead of buying a separate Windows for every computer, the company would buy Azure then everybody would log into it on the server.

It can also be thought of as an open architecture operating system like Linux or Ubuntu. The difference is that this system is based on a central server rather than on one computer. That means employees can use company applications and the company’s OS without a computer.

There is something out there a lot like Windows Azure – it is called Google Chrome OS. The major difference is that Azure is currently only available to business customers through Microsoft Online Services. It runs on Microsoft Data centers using a special set of servers called Fabric.

The big advantage that Azure gives an organization is the ability to create, publish and distribute proprietary applications and solutions in-house. The only place employees can get the proprietary software is through the company data center. An organization does not have to worry about hundreds or thousands of laptops and desktops floating around with copies of all of its proprietary software on them.

How Azure Works

The Azure Platform is a specialized operating system that works through Windows Servers using Windows Server 2008 and a customized version of Hyper V. The customized version of Hyper V is the Windows Azure Hypervisor.

What this does is to create a sort of operating system within an operating system on individual computers through hardware assisted virtualization. That way, a person in a company using Windows Azure can have both his own Windows OS and the company’s Windows OS on his computer. Microsoft is planning to make Hyper V 3.0 a next generation virtualizer, a feature of Windows 8, which is due out next year.

That means that Microsoft thinks cloud computing is the future or a big part of it. Microsoft also recognizes that more than one operating system is the future.

Microsoft is currently offering five services through Azure: Live Services, SQL Azure, AppFabric, SharePoint Services and DynamicsCRMServices. These offer a host of solutions for businesses, similar to those offered by Oracle.

SharePoint creates a company specific web portal for organizations and corporations. This could enable persons working at home to be able to log into company functions such as accounting software, for example. It also lets persons at branch offices share documents and functions company-wide.

Live Services offers companies a sort of company-wide social network similar to Facebook. In other words, it makes it easier for the boss to pester you with useless messages and prevent you from getting any work done. Okay, that may not be a very good or useful feature.

DynamicsCRMis a customer relationship software platform. In theory, this is supposed to enable companies to keep track of all their dealings with one customer. The idea behind this is when you call a company and ask about your account, there will be one place where all of your information is stored, so customer service can actually help you. Not surprisingly, health insurance and cable companies have no plans to take advantage of this application. Using it would require them to actually provide something like customer service to their customers.

The important thing about Azure is that it gives us a good preview of what Windows 8 should look like. Many of the features in Windows 8 appear to be copied from Azure. That could mean that Azure is also a test platform for Windows 8.

Windows 8 is supposed to give average people the same capabilities that big companies now have. Just as companies are able to do all of their Windows functions through a Windows server and store everything on it, so will you. This means you can log into your desktop from your laptop, your tablet, your mobile devices or even your computer at work.

Another intriguing possibility this opens up is that in the near future, we could be able to design customized applications and software for Windows 8. This means you could create proprietary software for your work at home business.

You could design a special application to do your particular job or some part of it. For example, an architect could write her own customized program to design houses. Then she could have it on a server and access it from any computer with an HAV capacity.

Another thing about Windows Azure is that it is an open architecture program, so it is clearly designed to compete with Linux and Google Chrome OS or at least keep Microsoft from losing business to them. By making a program open architecture, you eliminate the need for individual operating systems on computers.

Google Chromebooks already do this. Instead of an operating system on a Chromebook, you have a Google Chrome browser that lets you access everything on Google’s server. So Windows 8 might let you use Windows books that let you use a Windows Server like Google’s.

So if you want to see Windows 8 looks like, find somebody who works at a company that uses Windows Azure. That way, you can not only see what Windows 8 will look like, you might even be able to use the features that we will see in Windows 8 next year.

The low price is probably an indication that Steve Jobs is afraid of Google’s free Chrome OS Linux based system. Mr. Jobs may also be afraid of the Acer and Samsung Chromebooks that are now on sale in some areas. Of course, you will have to lay out the big bucks to buy a Mac in order to use an OS X Lion.

The interesting question: What effect could this have on Windows 8, which is supposedly due out next year? Will Microsoft actually lower the price in order to compete with Google and Apple? They may have no choice, which would be good for computer users.

Now that Mac’s Lion, which is the replacement for Snow Leopard, has been trotted out, we have to wonder if it is any better. There are some interesting facets to Mac OS Lion. Something called Mac OS Lion X 10.7 will allow you to centralize your content on Mac’s iCloud. The iCloud is a server or online backup service.

That way, you could do your work at the office, leave work, get on the bus, continue your work on your tablet, and finish it at home. Persons should be able to access everywhere they go on every device that they have. An interesting point here is security: What will the Apple Zombies do when they realize hackers can get into the iCloud and steal their data?

Mindless Steve Jobs fans, also known as Apple Zombies, will think that this is a major advance that will change the world. Online backup services have been available for years and Google Docs have been out for months.

What will happen to Mr. Jobs’ little empire when people realize that they can do everything that Mac OS Lion 10.7 can for free? My guess is Jobs will start giving Mac OS Lion 10.7 for free in order to buy their loyalty.

The most interesting thing about Mac OS Lion is that it is a standardized operating system for a variety of devices. Cnet reports that it can be used to interface with iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches, and other devices. Some of the apps on it will be transferable to Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad (don’t ask what these are). Apple users probably think they really are magic because the great wizard Steve Jobs had something to do with them.

Lion vs. Windows (Mac is still behind the times)

In another sign that Apple is still 10 years behind the times, Mac OS X Lion features full screen apps. That means you can have an App that covers your computer screen and blow documents up to a size big enough to work with. Now, us poor backwards Windows users have had this for what, 10, maybe 15 years.

There’s also something called Mission Control, which sounds a lot like a Windows Task bar. Get this, it is a place on your screen where you can see all the apps running on your computer. Just like that little icon in the bottom right hand side of your Windows screen.

There is also a feature that will allow you to quickly launch apps much like you would with an iPad. This is probably evidence that Mac is actually a computer for people who hate computers and are mad they don’t talk like they do on Star Trek.

The most bizarre feature of Lion OS X is, get this, a screen pictured above that looks a lot like a Windows screen. When I see this, I have to wonder what in the world Mac users are paying for? What’s the difference between this and Windows? Or, for that matter, between this and Google Chrome OS or Linux, or Ubuntu.

Another feature is airdrop, which lets you drag and drop documents to other users. Whom haven’t we Windows users have that since dinosaurs roamed the Earth?

Oh yeah, there’s a new look to Apple’s Mail which is supposed to make it better. I suppose this means Apple’s Mail will now look like an AOL mail box circa 1993, which will be a big advance to Mac users.

Also noticeable is what’s missing from the descriptions of Lion OS X. There’s no virtualization feature, so you cannot run other operating systems or programs written for other operating systems on your Mac. Media reports indicate that Microsoft’s Hyper V 3.0 virtualization program will be standard in Windows 8.

Windows Still Beats Mac OS

Anyway, Lion will be available only in the Mac App Store for $29.99. It will be about 4GB in size, and you can use it on all your authorized Macs.

Despite its backwards features, Lion OS X does have some features that will be replicated in future operating systems. You will be able to purchase one license for all of your authorized devices. Microsoft is supposedly working on this for Windows 8. It is also only delivered digitally online, which is how all operating systems will be sold in the near future.

The bottom line is if you want an alternative to Windows, use Google Chrome OS or Ubuntu. They’re both free and they offer all the same features as Lion OS X without having to shell out $29.99. If you want a truly advanced cutting edge operating system, wait until next year when Microsoft rolls out Windows 8.

As you can see above, Google Chrome does have a clean and simple look to it. It will be easy to use but you can get a similar look by simplifying your windows.

Something that those who are consider switching to Chrome should realize is that you may not be able to run most Windows apps and programs in it. This includes Microsoft Office and the ever popular Word and Excel. So know that you will not be able to do a lot of everyday work tasks in Chrome.

It also means that you will probably have to use a virtualizer or virtual operating system to run Windows programs on your Chrome machine –something that companies like Acer and Samsung are not telling the cheapskates buying the Chrome netbooks they’re shipping out. Another problem is that your computer will have to have Hard Activated Virtualization or HAV capability to run a virtualizer.

Therefore anybody who thinks that he or she will be able to do everything on a Chrome notebook that he or she can on a Windows laptop is going to be badly disappointed.

If you just want to search the web and perform very basic tasks like texting and e-mail Chrome might work for you. If you want to do other things like write documents that other people will be able to open and read you will probably out of luck. Nor will you be able to do most school work or work for the office on your Chromebook.

A Good Alternative to a Chromebook

If you’re looking for a cheaper notebook or netbook, a better alternative would be to head to the used computer store. There are tons of really good older model laptops on the market these days. Many people are dumping their laptops for tablets and iPads so you should be able to pick up some bargains. Why people want to perfectly good technology for something new is beyond me.

I guess a lot of supposedly grown up adults never got out of high school. They want the latest fad, even if it makes absolutely no sense.

Oh well, that does make things easier for the rest of us who just good basic technology that works and meets our needs.

It will be best to try and find a computer store that gets a lot of corporate returns. Big companies, especially ones that are laying off people, often dump unused or little used machines onto the market. Websites including eBay and Dell.com have some pretty good deals on used stuff too.

The reason why a used laptop can be better is that you can get one with a full Windows package for the same price as the toys they’re pushing on the market as netbooks. That means you can get a real computer for less than what other people are paying for a Smart Phone with a keyboard and a big screen.

Something else to remember is that you can pick most Microsoft programs including full Windows operating systems up online fairly cheap. That means you can have something that runs everything including all the Microsoft Office applications for the same price as a Chromebook.

Should You Use Google Chrome?

Windows users who have the capability to run a virtual operating might consider using Google Chrome. It does look good and it will give you access to a lot of programs and applications you cannot find elsewhere. It is also free and so are most of the apps on it.

If you’re doing something like developing new applications you might want to have Google Chrome OS. After all a lot of people are going to be using it in the near future, so there should be a market for apps written for it. It can also be fun to play around with.

This site lets you download the Chrome OS Linux. This is not Chrome but a variant of Linux that mimics it. Since Chrome is nothing but a glorified version of Linux it should serve as a pretty good substitute.

http://getchrome.eu/download.php

Downloading Chrome and setting up a Chrome virtual machine are a little tricky but you can do it. If you do want to run Google Chrome on your PC you will need a virtual machine. That means you’ll need to have a virtualization program like VM Ware or Oracle’s Virtual Box up and running. If you don’t have this and HAV capability on your computer you’re out of luck.

If you do have HAV capability you can get a virtual machine that will run Chrome OS on a PC. Something called Hexxen lets you download a virtual machine that supposedly contains the latest version of Chrome form Google HQ. They call it the Mountain View Chocolate Factory but that’s a nickname for Google Central which is located in Mountain View, California. You can download this here:

http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/vanilla.php

Installing Chrome OS in a Windows environment is not for the faint of heart. Most of the Chrome OS variants out there are not that stable. Most of the geeks online recommend that you have some experience as a programmer and a 64 bit Linux system if you want to do that. If you are an average person with an everyday computer stick with Windows.

If you want to run Chrome on your PC, wait until Windows 8 comes out. It will supposedly have a much better virtualization feature called Hyper V 3.0 which will making run a Chrome OS virtual machine on a PC a piece of cake.

This will be hard for a lot of us to believe but the latest versions of Windows and fully updated older versions of Windows could be far more secure than we think. In his Security Answers blog over at Info World, security analyst Roger Grimes noted that he had a hard time hacking Windows 7.

Grimes, a security architect at Microsoft, was shocked to find that common hacking strategies such as the Google attack, the RSA attack, social engineered Trojans and the Advanced Persistent Threat did not work against present Windows Security measures. Grimes tested his thesis by simulating attacks against one of his clients’ systems and found that Windows security measures actually work.

This means that all you may need to do to protect yourself from hacking etc. is to install the latest Windows fixes. Hard to believe but it does sort of make sense.

Why Windows Security Measures Work

Microsoft is a for profit company that wants to make money. Obviously Microsoft does not want to see a lot of its cash going out the door in the form of lawsuit settlements and increased insurance payments. That is what could happen if the latest Windows were full of holes Malware could get through.

Grimes found it was hard for most common hacks to get through the multiple defenses. He also noted that for the bad guys to get through users had to ignore a warning.

The moral of the story is that our computers may not be as vulnerable as we think. Most of the security measures work, if we actually bother to use them. Both the built in measures in Windows and the antivirus and anti-malware programs we order will keep the crooks out, if we actually use them.

Grimes also noted that for the attacks to work he had to use versions of programs that were several years or older. He found to his surprise that the protection features in Microsoft Office 2010 actually eliminated malicious code before it could do any damage.

How to Protect Your Computer and Your Data

Newer versions of Windows may be more secure than we think

Even though Windows is probably more secure than we think there are some things that we can do to protect ourselves. The first is to try and get the latest versions of Windows or at least the patches available for older versions.

The second is to make sure that your security features are turned on. You can check to see if Windows security features are actually turned on by checking User Account Control or UAP. To do this, go to the control panel in start and click on User Account. If it is turned off you can turn it on.

You should also make sure that Data Execution Prevention is turned on. DEP is a set of hardware and software functions that prevent malicious code from working. To see if it is turned on go to the Data Execution Prevention tab in System Properties. You can also access it like this:

• Got to start

• Click Run

• Type in: sysdm.cpl and click OK

• Click on advanced

• Click the settings button next to performance.

• Click Data Execution Performance

• Chose turn on Data Execution Performance for all programs and services except those I select. This means Windows will automatically run DEP on everything except what you specify. You will have to restart for this to work.

Another suggestion is that if you are using Explorer 9 make sure the Smartscreen Filter is turned on. This device actually detects 90% of the threats and stops them.

Microsoft Security Intelligence Report

Microsoft actually does try to keep its users safe from threats like Malware and other security threats. Its Security Intelligence Report actually does a real good job of identifying the latest threats and telling you how to defend yourself from them. They even post videos that show you how to remove common Malware there.

Other features include charts that track where the threats are coming from. For example it shows you how much Malware is detected in a specific country so you where the threats are most likely to come from.

The Featured Intelligence Section provides a spotlight on a threat such as a specific virus then tells you how to get rid of that pest. There is even a wanted list of the most active Botnets. Botnets are one of the most common kinds of Malware out there.

Anybody can access Microsoft Security Intelligence Report here:

http://www.microsoft.com/security/sir/default.aspx

Every IT professional should take a look at this resource occasionally because it shows you what the threats are and how to deal with them.

Human Beings are the Biggest Security Threat

The biggest security threat to most systems is not Malware but the people using the system. Most security threats get in because some user lets them in. For example, a person who opens what looks like a kinky video that is shared through Facebook. Instead of Lady Gaga and a horse the “video” contains a Trojan that sends all the data on your Excel spreadsheets to Byelorussia. Common sense should tell you that this is threat but you’d be surprised how many people will actually open that kind of thing.

In many cases your system will actually detect the threat and try to warn you. That means all you have to do is pay attention to Windows. Windows Security actually works unfortunately Windows users don’t always use it.

What could be Windows 8 was previewed at the D9 Conference in Ranchos Palos Verdes, California, June 1, 2011. This was the first time an operating system called Windows 8 was officially unveiled by Microsoft. Whether the OS previewed at D9 was actually Windows 8 or not remains to be seen.

Microsoft has a history of being late with new operating systems. Neither the much maligned Vista nor Windows 7 was released on schedule, so it is entirely possible Windows 8 might not show up next year. From media reports it is hard to determine what level of progress the boys in Redmond have actually made on Windows 8.

It is entirely possible that they are simply generating hype to keep the media happy. It is also possible that Microsoft is trying to keep Wall Street happy because all of the hype about Windows and Google Docs could drive investors to dump Microsoft stock and buy shares of those companies. Apple has achieved a lot of publicity and presumably moved its share value up by effectively hyping its next generation operating system Lion.

What We Know About Windows 8

Although concrete details about Windows 8 are not known at this time it is safe to make guesses about based upon media accounts and Microsoft press releases.

Ina Fried, a reporter with the All Things D website noted that the mockup of Windows 8 presented at D9 looked a lot like Windows Phone 7. Fried also noted that it contained a lot of features that look like they could belong on a phone including a lock screen. This could mean that Microsoft feels that mobile devices like tablets are the future of computing.

What Windows 8 might look like from a mockup unveiled at the D9 Conference.

Even the basic design of Windows 8 was apparently created with mobile devices in mind. Windows 8 is also the first Microsoft operating system designed to run on ARM-based processors. ARM or Advanced RISC Machine is a 32 bit processor architecture that is widely used on mobile devices.

Microsoft’s President of Windows (yes Windows has its own President), Steven Sinofsky confirmed this in an interview with All Things D9. He said, Microsoft wants an operating system that could run equally well on a powerful desktop or an 8 inch tablet.

Such a universal design would be easier to market and would obviously generate vast amounts of income for Microsoft. That is if Windows 8 can become as widely adopted as earlier versions of the product.

This could also be an attempt by Microsoft to head off an attempt by Google to move its wildly popular Android onto all sizes of devices. It could also be aimed at Apple which has captured a large share of the mobile market.

Windows 8 Features

Despite all the speculation a basic picture of what Windows 8 might look like and what could do has emerged from D9.

The centerpiece of the new OS is a tile interface similar to the one on Phone 7. Persons navigate by clicking on “tiles” on the screen rather than browser buttons. This feature seems designed to be used with touch screen technology. If it works as advertised users should be able to navigate with their fingers.

The reports indicate that Windows 8 will have feature two different applications. The first is a desktop that looks suspiciously like the Window 7 desktop. This could indicate that Windows 8 is not a new operating system at all but a souped-up version of Windows 7, bundled with an improved version of Phone 7.

Reports that Microsoft’s improved virtualization software Hyper V 3.0 will be a key element of Windows 8 seem to bear this out. Instead of being a new operating system, Windows 8 could actually be a virtualization program like Oracle’s Virtual Box which is designed to run more than one operating system at once.

This could also be an admission by Microsoft that Windows will no longer be the dominant operating system in the near future. Instead it will share the market with several other systems including Android, Mac OS, Ubuntu, Kubuntu and various Linux variants. Windows 8 could be designed accommodate that reality.

The second application will be written in HTML5 and Javascript and it looks like a mobile OS (Phone 7). It looks a lot like Explorer 10 which is available now. There will be several widget type apps that allow users to check on the news, and things like stock prices and the weather.

Is the Microsoft App Store in Our Future?

Not surprisingly, the “sneak peak” of Windows 8 has given rise to a lot of speculation that Microsoft is planning to create a Windows App Store to compete with the Apple Mac App Store and Google’s possible entry into the software business. It could also be an attempt to stop efforts to commercialize shareware operating systems like Ubuntu.

The Microsoft App Store Could Be in Our Future

Users would be able to go to the Microsoft App store and purchase programs directly like they can from the Apple Mac store. That way a person who needed Microsoft Word could simply go online and buy a copy that would pop right up on his desktop. It could even possible to buy an entire Windows operating system online!

The main reason Microsoft wants to duplicate the App Store is –of course, money. The vast revenues that Apple has generated from its App Store are just too good for Microsoft to pass up.

Apple App Store is a Cash Cow

One thing is clear, however. Windows 8 is not going to look anything like any previous version of Windows. It will be completely different because the technology marketplace has changed completely in the last few years.