Vista SP1 is officially only available for enterprise customers, but the reports about problems caused by this service pack are piling up. This post contains a list of all SP1 issues I am aware of.
I have discussed some of them before, but I thought it might be a good idea to create a list of all known Vista SP1 issues to keep track of them. I will update this post whenever I encounter new ones.
Device driver problems
This issue was the reason why Microsoft postponed the general release of SP1 to mid-march. It seems not to be a big problem for tech savvy Vista users. This article (KB 948187) has more.
Programs that have problems with Vista SP1
I mentioned before that Vista SP1 doesn’t solve compatibility problems, but it causes new ones. This article (KB935796) lists all known programs that don’t work properly with Vista SP1. I suggest you check them out before you install this service pack. Please, let us know if you experienced troubles with other apps that are not in this list.
Click to continue reading "List of Vista SP1 problems"
Written by ShaDow on February 27th, 2008 with no comments.
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My post on the Vista SP1 activation hack has generated a lot of feedback (especially in the form of questions) from both individuals and other media outlets. I’ve put together this post in order to answer some of these questions.
First off, the hack. The hack in question is another OEM BIOS hack but packaged under the name of Vista Loader. This hack is similar to the Paradox OEM BIOS. The Paradox hack was the most commonly used Vista activation hack (which is why Microsoft pulled the plug on it) but this one seems to have been quite popular, so I’m not sure why Microsoft didn’t pull the plug on this one too. Since other outlets have now named this hack as working on Vista SP1 I don’t have any problem with naming it here.
As you can see from the video above (or the gallery - I’ve put up a separate gallery because the video is rather small), this hack can take a non-genuine Vista SP1 installation and turn it into one that appears genuine to the OS.
After the reboot you can see a product key being entered - this is one of many...
Click to continue reading "Information on the Windows Vista SP1 activation hack"
Written by ShaDow on February 14th, 2008 with 1 comment.
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Windows Genuine Advantage, system currently in place in Windows Vista. There are actually two different scenarios in place, the first is called Reduced Functionality Mode which Vista will start in if the user does not activate the product in time. The second is if a WGA check fails which will make Vista run in Non-Genuine Mode. Both modes impose certain penalties upon the user like logging him off after an hour or disabling features like Aero or Readyboost.
The good news is that both modes described above are gone. Users will not be logged off automatically anymore which is great. Microsoft however decided to change tactics and nag the user to death - eh registration / activation - instead. Users will experience the following if their Vista installation fails the WGA check or if they fail to activate Vista in time.
“A nag screen to activate at logon that cannot be dismissed for 15 seconds.
Every hour the desktop background is switched to black (it can be changed back, but after an hour it’s set to black again).
Activation dialogs and balloon dialogs appear regularly.
Optional Windows Updates aren’t delivered.“
You can also get a list of changes…
Click to continue reading "What are the WGA Changes in Windows Vista SP1"
Written by ShaDow on February 10th, 2008 with no comments.
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Vista fans, yup here is it! Long awaited Service Pack 1 in RTM version released .What RTM - “Release To Manufacturing” does stands for? Well, in short it’s exact same version which will appear in March aka final version.The leak is some kind of a standalone executable and has the build 6001.18000.080126-2040. Another leak has it as 080118_1840, but its a pretty early timestamp (18-01-2008) which suggests that its a fake. These builds are probably escrow and candidate for the final RTM.
Check wiki for more details about RTM. Keep in mind that this is only Service Pack 1 itself, it’s not Vista SP1 ISO! So, you can download it and install on any (32bit) Vista edition. Also make sure to READ NFO for more details & explanation. For those ones who have pirated copy of Vista (well, who doesn’t?), I’m not sure will this work with that popular OEM BIOS emulation crack by PARADOX (Microsoft’s states something like - No way dude).
You might want to take a look here too RTM Build 6001.18000
Written by ShaDow on February 7th, 2008 with no comments.
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