Cloudy with a chance of Licensing
Latest news on Microsoft licensing, Cloud, and AI
Good news for all netbook owners is that MS have decided to remove the 3 application limit from Windows 7 Starter Edition, as first reported by Paul Thurrott.
I wasn’t convinced that the limit of 3 separate running applications was particularly troublesome but it can’t hurt for it to be removed can it?!
I’ve recently started contributing articles to www.windows7center.com, so feel free to head over there and see what else they’ve got going on 🙂
It’s almost exclusively Windows 7 focused (as the name suggests) and has got some great articles on screenshots, XP Mode etc.
The Windows 7 kernel has a new feature called “Safe Unlinking”, to help increase security and prevent vulnerabilities known as pool overrun attacks. This will make the experience of using Windows 7 faster, more reliable and above all, safer by making it harder for people to launch these attacks.
It sits in the memory allocation section of the kernel and performs a series of checks to detect memory corruption, and potential pool overrun attacks. This is the latest in a succession of new security features that MS have been adding over the last few years including:
Peter Beck, from Microsoft’s Security Research & Defense team says:
“This simple check blocks the most common exploit technique for pool overruns. It doesn’t mean pool overruns are impossible to exploit, but it significantly increases the work for an attacker”.
What is an overrun attack?
Wikipedia explains it as:
“Memory (on the heap) is dynamically allocated by the application at run-time and typically contains program data. Exploitation is performed by corrupting this data in specific ways to cause the application to overwrite internal structures such as linked list pointers.”
Safe Unlinking will also help improve the reliability of Windows 7 by performing a Bug Check as soon as an overrun is detected, which will prevent further memory corruption, crashes and errors.
More detailed technical information can be found on the MS Security Research & Defense blog here.
To mark the “anniversary” of Windows 7 Multi-Touch, (AKA Windows Touch) being discussed at the D: All Things D conference in 2008, Microsoft have released the Windows 7 Touch Pack. This is a set of 6 multi-touch enabled apps that will be available with Windows 7; it is comprised of 3 games and 3 MS Surface applications.
Microsoft Surface Globe: This is based on the Virtual Earth 3D engine and, using multi-touch, allows users to navigate different area of the globe as well as getting local info and “pinning” top locations. A demo video can be found here.
Microsoft Surface Collage: Users can arrange photos with their fingertips to create personalised desktop backgrounds.
Microsoft Surface Lagoon: A screensaver that supports multi-touch interaction. “Ripple” the water with your fingers or watch fish gather around as you press down.
Microsoft Blackboard: A game which may also educate! In this physics based teaser, users must arrange various gears, fans and levers to move objects towards the finish.
Microsoft Rebound: A touch based, electrified version of air hockey that can be played online.
Microsoft Garden Pond: A modern version of a Zen garden, this app allows you to guide your Origami creations around the peaceful ponds and pools with your fingers.
It will be up to the OEM’s whether they include some, all or none of these applications however, following general availability of Windows 7, Microsoft will look to expand this.
Some may see these a great features, some may see them as nothing but filler but if nothing else, they do a great job of showing how clean, easy and fresh multi-touch application can be on Windows 7.
You can see even more over at the Windows Team Blog.
At today’s TechEd, Microsoft revealed that Windows 7 will be available “by the holiday period” (so by Xmas); this was their first public announcement that Windows 7 will be with us in 2009, rather than early 2010.
The inclusion of “XP Mode” in Windows 7 is great news, the ability to run legacy apps inside the Windows 7 desktop is going to allow so many more people to upgrade to Microsoft’s awesome new Desktop OS. There is however, one pre-requisite that might mean that not everyone can use this new feature-and that is the need for Hardware Assisted Virtualization (HAV) which is a property of the physical processor.
Intel call this Intel-VT(x) and AMD call it AMD-V and it is tricky because not all processors include this feature. Certainly most (if not all) processors older than 3-4 years won’t be HAV capable and it seems there are still some CPU’s available now that don’t have it. I have seen on blogs (Gizmodo/Engadget etc) and heard from co-workers and the like that finding which processors are compatible can be quite difficult so below is my attempt to clarify the situation. I would like to point out that I’m purely software so CPU’s aren’t my forte-thus if you see any errors/omissions in the below, please let me know 🙂
Intel Processors that support HAV:
Intel’s site is really rather good with great feature comparison charts for all their processors. I’ve made an Excel sheet (which I then had to convert in to a .ppt for WordPress) showing which do/don’t support Intel-VT which is here. Intel’s page is here.
AMD Processors that support HAV:
AMD’s site isn’t anywhere near as good and I had a tough time finding much useful info. The AMD-V page contained this:
and Wikipedia says:
“AMD-V operates on AMD Athlon 64and Athlon 64 X2 with family “F” or “G” on socket AM2 (not 939), Turion 64 X2, Opteron 2nd generation[1] and 3rd-generation,[2] Phenom, and all newer processors. Sempron processorsdo not include support for AMD-V.
On May 23, 2006, AMD released the Athlon 64 (“Orleans”), the Athlon 64 X2 (“Windsor”)and the Athlon 64 FX (“Windsor”)as the first AMD processors to support AMD-V. Prior processors do not have AMD-V.”
If anyone can shed any more definitive light on the AMD chips, please let me know.
**Update** I’ve got some more info and resources to help see if you can benefit from XP Mode.
I don’t know which Processor I have:
Not to worry, the document I put together above tells you which processors support Intel-VT and this link tells you if the CPU in your machine is one of those 🙂
http://www.intel.com/support/processors/tools/piu
Just download the small app and run it to find out if your Intel chip supports VT.
XP Mode still isn’t working:
Hardware Assisted Virtualization isn’t as straightforward as it perhaps could be, so there’s quite possibly one more step you need to take even if your CPU supports it. Often, HAV is turned off in the BIOS by default and so needs to be activated before you can start. This isn’t the same for every PC so Microsoft have put together some general instructions for Dell, HP & Lenovo here. (The AMD CPU Checker should also be available via that link but it’s not currently working for me).
As you can see, the vast majority of Intel chips that will be in use do support hardware assisted virtualization, and thus Windows 7 XP Mode, but it’s best to check to make sure.
If you find your processor doesn’t support HAV, I’d strongly recommend getting a new CPU/machine that does so you can fully take advantage of the new features of Windows 7.
I hope that helps 🙂
XP Mode is new feature of Windows 7 that will be available in the Release Candidate (it wasn’t in the beta) and I think it wil be a game changer.
It is a simple, yet quite brilliant, concept-using Virtual PC 7 as a base, it lets you run XP only applications inside Windows 7 🙂 You might think, “Well why not just use Virtual PC?”…the biggest problem with using Virtual PC, VMWare Workstation etc is that you have 2 separate desktop entities causing you to switch back and forth without much interoperability but that’s not an issue here. XP Mode lets you run the legacy applications actually inside Windows 7, this screenshot from Paul Thurrott’s Supersite for Windows shows IE 8 & IE 6 running alongside each other in Windows 7:
As a feature this really is a biggie. So many people, especially corporate, are still running on XP and the vast majority of them are doing so becuase of app compatability. For example, our CRM system doesn’t work with Vista so as much as I’d love to have that as my work OS I simply can’t…however that’s all changed now. I’ll be able to use Windows 7 with XP mode and, like Hannah Montana, have the best of both worlds 😉
From a licensing perspective, it’s worth noting that XP mode will only be available in Pro, Enterprise & Ultimate editions.
From a technical perspective, Windows 7 XP Mode requires processors with Hardware Assisted Virtualization. Not all CPU’s have this, so a list of those that do is here.
The Windows 7 Release Candidate will be available via Technet/MSDN on 30/04/09 and to the general public 05/05/09 but the leaked version is floating around El Torrento’s right now and Gizmodo have been checking out it’s new features…and these have got me EXCITED!
1) Stream your Windows Media Player library over the internet! You need a Windows Live ID that you associate with your Windows 7 user account using a tool you have to download. You need to have WMP 12 at both ends and then your home library will be listed under “other libraries”..as Giz says “Can’t do this in iTunes, buddy” 🙂
2) XP Mode: To encourage enterprise people to let loose and rock Windows 7, it runs a full-fledged Windows XP virtual environment using Microsoft’s Virtual PC. (Requires additional download)…this could be excellent for large corporates and increasing their adoption rates. More info on XP Mode here.
It also has loads of new , crazy backgrounds like this one:
The Windows 7 Release Candidate will be released to the world on May 5th and the many millions of beta testers will definitely want to download and use it; however upgrading straight from the beta to the RC won’t be easy.
Microsoft would prefer that you go back to Vista and then upgrade to Windows 7 RC, that way will give them the correct metrics to analyse the upgrade process. That’s fair enough but it’s a bit of a hassle doing that so there is a way to get from A to B without going via Vista:
Here’s what you can do to bypass the check for pre-release upgrade IF YOU REALLY REALLY NEED TO:
See more over @ the Engineering Windows 7 blog here.
Registration for the “Configuring Windows 7” beta exam will open next week:
Registration begins: April 27, 2009
You are invited to take beta exam 71-680: TS: Windows 7, Configuring. If you pass the beta exam, the exam credit will be added to your transcript and you will not need to take the exam in its released form. The 71-xxx identifier is used for registering for beta versions of MCP exams, when the exam is released in its final form the 70-xxx identifier is used for registration.
By participating in beta exams, you have the opportunity to provide the Microsoft Certification program with feedback about exam content, which is integral to development of exams in their released version. We depend on the contributions of experienced IT professionals and developers as we continually improve exam content and maintain the value of Microsoft certifications.
71-680: TS: Windows 7, Configuring counts as credit towards the following certification(s).
· MCTS: Windows 7, Configuration
Availability
Registration begins: April 27, 2009
Beta exam period runs: May 5, 2009– May 18, 2009
Receiving this invitation does not guarantee you a seat in the beta; we recommend that you register immediately! Beta exams have limited availability and are operated under a first-come-first-served basis. Once all beta slots are filled, no additional seats will be offered.
Testing is held at Prometric testing centers worldwide, although this exam may not be available in all countries (see Regional Restrictions). All testing centers will have the capability to offer this exam in its live version.
Regional Restrictions: India, Pakistan, China
You must register at least 24 hours prior to taking the exam.
Please use the following promotional code when registering for the exam: WIN7J
Receiving this invitation does not guarantee you a seat in the beta; we recommend that you register immediately.
To register in North America, please call:
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Prometric: (800) 755-EXAM (800-755-3926) |
Outside the U.S./Canada, please contact:
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Prometric: http://www.register.prometric.com/ClientInformation.asp |
Cloudy with a chance of Licensing 
