The third and last service pack for the 32-bit version of Windows XP has debuted on the path to automatic distribution today, July 10, 2008. Initially, Microsoft was shy about pinpointing the actual deadline for XP SP3's availability through Automatic Updates, and only referenced an abstract "early summer" in order to give users a clue as to when they should get ready.

Windows XP SP3 was released to manufacturing on April 21, 2008. But just as it was the case with Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Microsoft delayed the availability of the gold bits for over a week, especially when incompatibility problems regarding Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) were involved.


At the beginning of May 2008, XP SP3 RTM went live on Windows Update and on the Microsoft Download Center. Now, over two months later, Microsoft is releasing the service pack through AU. This means that XP users that haven't implemented the service pack as of yet, and with the AU settings configured to "automatically download recommended updates for my computer and install them" will receive the final bits of SP3 without lifting a finger.

Still, the Redmond giant informed that not all XP users will be able to see the final version of XP SP3 through AU on June 10. According to Microsoft SP3 distribution through AU will take some time, as the rollout will be performed in stages. The Microsoft Service Pack blocker toolkit is available to block the delivery of SP3 for users with AU enabled that want to postpone the deployment of the service pack.

Download Windows XP Service Pack 3

Source : Softpedia News

Bitlocker was introduced when Vista was in the works, and Bitlocker became one of Microsoft’s key feature in pushing Windows Vista to the corporate customers.

For the people who doesn’t know what Bitlocker is: Bitlocker is a drive encryption technology by Microsoft. Unlike EFS (Encrypted File System) which is a file level encryption technology, Bitlocker will encrypt the entire disk or volume or partition. OS and data files would be encrypted.

The bad news is, Bitlocker comes only in Windows Vista Business/Enterprise/Ultimate editions…

If you need a full disk encryption but do not have the $$$ to purchase any of the above Windows Vista license, introducing - TrueCrypt 6.

TrueCrypt 6 is a full disk encryption just like Bitlocker, but it can do more than Bitlocker (sorry Microsoft!). Depending on the password that you input during the bootup, TrueCrypt will load the respective operating system the password corresponds to. So if you are being “knife-pointed” and was asked for your OS password, you can provide the thelf/attacker the password to load a not-so-important-operating system. Savvy?

Creating a volume in TrueCrypt

So how is it better/worse than Bitlocker? Here is my breakdown:

Pros of TrueCrypt:

- Much more flexible/More options VS Bitlocker: Simple straightforward wizard
- Different password to load different OS VS Bitlocker: Can only protect one OS/Not so straightforward if 2 or more OSes need to be protected.
- Type of encryption can be specified VS Bitlocker: Microsoft sets the Encryption for you.
- Protect/Hide different volumes VS Bitlocker: Not supported…

Cons of TrueCrypt:

- Too many options - Normal users tend to stay away VS Bitlocker: Straightforward process.
- Not easy/Not hard to setup VS Bitlocker: Easy to setup if using Bitlocker Drive Preparation Tool.

So which one do you prefer? Which is better? Why? Have your say!

No more service packs, no more security patches, no more critical updates, you are officially SOL if you choose to run Windows XP in the near future. Is this what we are facing if we choose not to upgrade to Windows Vista once Microsoft no longer offers free mainstream support for Windows XP?

Microsoft is rolling out the last service pack update for Windows XP, Service Pack 3 (SP3). Many of us know about the upcoming date (April 2009) next year where Microsoft will no longer provide mainstream support for Windows XP. This will affect thousands of computer users worldwide leaving them with a bitter taste in their mouth. We know how often updates are pushed out to solve a security issue or patch a discovered vulnerability in Windows XP. We can’t think that Windows XP will never be attacked again, that would be very naive of us. Realizing that Windows XP will be attacked without a fix in reach is the harsh reality that some of us will face very soon.

Can’t we pay for updates or help from Microsoft after the cut-off date?

If we opt for extended or paid support from Microsoft we will be able to get free security fixes but we will be required to pay extra for other help. Once Microsoft ceases mainstream support for XP it will only be a matter of time before more security holes are discovered within XP. Unfortunately Microsoft will not be able to save us from being attacked for free this time. We will be required to dig deep into our gas money stash if we want something “fixed” in Windows XP.

With this said, do you prepare to upgrade to Vista now or just wait it out like other procrastinators? Do you wait for Windows 7 to come out (year 2010) and hopefully that will be your savior? Will you keep Windows XP until it crashes just like people keep cars until the wheels fall off? It is your choice, choose your poison wisely.

You want to re-enable a login account in Windows Vista that has been previously disabled or restricted by your brother. But the problem, he  forgot already how to enable the logon account. Here’s my Quick Tip for you Jasper…

Error Message "Logon failure: Account currently disabled"

Open the command prompt as administrator, Type cmd in the Start Menu Search > CTRL+SHIFT and press Enter

Command to Disable the account

Net user USERNAME password /active:no

Command to activate or re-enable the account

Net user USERNAME password /active:yes

Example:

Net user LawrenceAlbert p@ssw0rd /active:yes Net user LawrenceAlbert p@ssw0rd /active:no If there is no password: Net user LawrenceAlbert /active:no

If you want to only hide the User Account for Local and Remote Users, here

Simple? Enjoy!

 

Related Articles:

NETPLWIZ, Advanced User Accounts Control Panel

Login Automatically in Windows Vista

"Access denied", opening a file or folder in Windows Vista

When you use Microsoft Office Outlook, you need a place to keep your e-mail messages, calendar, tasks, and other items. This storage place, known as a data file, allows you to keep your data on your computer. Outlook Support Offered for the help of Outlook Email Support and saving data in your Personal Folder an Offline Folder.

When Outlook saves items to your computer, it uses a type of data file called an Outlook Personal Folders file (.pst) (Personal Folders file (.pst): Data file that stores your messages and other items on your computer. You can assign a .pst file to be the default delivery location for e-mail messages. You can use a .pst to organize and back up items for safekeeping.). If you are using a Microsoft Exchange Server account, your items are usually delivered to and saved on the mail server. To allow you to work with your messages even when you cannot connect to the mail server, Outlook offers Offline Folders, which are saved in another type of data file called an Offline Folder file (.ost) (Offline Folder file: The file on your hard disk that contains offline folders. The offline folder file has an .ost extension. You can create it automatically when you set up Outlook or when you first make a folder available offline.) on your computer.

The primary distinctions between the two types of Outlook data files are:

• The Outlook .ost files are used only when you have an Exchange Server account and choose to work offline or use Cached Exchange Mode.
• The Outlook .pst files are used for POP3 (POP3: A common protocol that is used to retrieve e-mail messages from an Internet e-mail server.), IMAP (IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol): Unlike Internet e-mail protocols such as POP3, IMAP creates folders on a server to store/organize messages for retrieval by other computers. You can read message headers only and select which messages to download.), and HTTP accounts. When you want to create archives or back up your Outlook folders and items on your computer, including Exchange Server accounts, you must create and use additional .pst files.

A huge number of things are happening at any one time on a server: Users are logging in and accessing files, drives are spinning away, and processors are trying to make sense of it all. Each of these instances is considered an event. Being able to monitor these events and use them to interpret the health of your servers is an important aspect of administering a Windows Server 2008 network.

As its name suggests, the Event Viewer is used to view events. Although it is more of a passive tool (it doesn't supply you with the real-time data that you see in the Performance Monitor), it does give you access to a great deal of information.

You can view the events related to a particular role by selecting that role node in the Server Manager. For example, you can view the events related to file services on a file server by clicking the File Services node in the Server Manager node tree.

Although the Server Manager provides quick access to events related to a role, let's take a closer look at the Event Viewer, which can be opened as a separate snap-in. The Event Viewer accumulates events in a number of log files: Event Viewer can help you monitor hardware, application, service, and security issues.

The Event Viewer (Start, Administrative Tools, Event Viewer) provides two main categories of logs: Windows logs and Applications and Services logs. The Windows logs include the following:

• Application log— This log records events about the various applications running on the system. The developer typically presets these events in the software. The application log also records alerts configured in the System Monitor.

• Security log— This log records events related to the audit policies that you configure in Group Policy, "Deploying Group Policy and Network Access Protection"), such as the auditing of file access or the logon of a particular user or group of users. This log also tracks events related to resource use (such as files) on the network shares.

• Setup log— This log records events related to application installation and setup. This includes events regarding the adding or removal of server roles, information events when a role is added successfully, and warning events when a restart is necessary to finalize the addition of a role.

• System log— This log provides log entries based on a number of Windows Server 2008 presets. This includes information on things such as driver failures and services that fail to load. Anything to do with services or system resources can show up in this log.

A new set of logs, the Applications and Services logs, provide event logging for individual applications and server components. The default Application and Services logs include the Hardware Events (events related to hardware installation and failure), Internet Explorer (Internet Explorer–specific events) and Key Management Service (which is related to the use of encryption keys when sending and receiving data to other computers on the network). Other logs available in this category depend on the software and roles installed on the server.

A system of icons is used to classify the type of event that has been recorded in a particular event log. In the System log and the Application log, you can find the following event categories (each represented by a different icon in the Event Viewer):

• The Information icon— Denotes the logging of successful system events and other processes

• The Warning icon— Shows a noncritical error on the system

• The Error icon— Indicates the failure of a major function (such as a driver failure)

To view a specific log in the Event Monitor, select the log's node in the node tree. The events recorded in that log appear in the Details pane.

Two additional icons are found in the Security log:
• The Success Audit icon— Shows that a security access event was successful (such as the access of a certain folder or file on the network)

• The Failure Audit icon— Shows that an audited security event failed (such as the failure of a user logon)

To view the properties of a particular event in a log, double-click on the event's icon in the Details pane. For example, you may want to see the details related to an Error event logged in the System log.

Microsoft now provides event-specific help for logged events. For more information on a logged event, click the Event Log Online Help link in the event's Properties dialog box. You are informed that the Event Viewer will send the information related to the event over the Internet. Click Yes to continue.

Internet Explorer opens and provides additional information on the event. This information includes an explanation of the event and possible actions to be taken to remedy the problem related to the event.

Source of Information : Sams Teach Yourself Windows Server 2008 in 24 Hours