Here's an update to the Windows 9X STREWTH! to 40MB story.

On Monday 17th March 2003, The Inquirer ran an article with the subject "Man claims he's reduce Windows OS to 40Mb". On reading the article I phoned the editor of The Inquirer (Mike Magee) to express my surprise that this chap had only managed to reduce Windows 9x down to 40Mb. I explained that around 1995/1996; I had created a version of Windows 3.11 which self booted from a single DOS floppy disk thus allowing me to carry around a 1 disk bootable version SOLitaire!

Digging around through Microsoft sites I have found some more patches for the most popular web browser around that were released after the Update for February 2003, Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1. Microsoft offers several patches that affect the same IE core files so I outline which update is necessary to download and which might me obsolete. Therefore pay special attention to all notes formatted in red.

Q331906 - Can't connect to the Internet after you install MS updates while using third party Proxy apps.
This new released patch for the IE6 SP1 fixes a problem related to heavy "Heavy NTLM Authentication Traffic".
Read more for download.

This document is a cumulative list of the articles that have been written to discuss hotfixes that have been released since the release of Windows 2000 Service Pack 3.

Read More.

This problem may occur if the programs you run frequently allocate and deallocate large blocks of memory. Changes in Windows XP SP1 in the memory management system have caused this operation to take significantly longer than with pre-SP1 Windows XP.

Thanks to Julio at the TechSpot.com for letting me know, that they have updated their OS updates page.

New important updates are now available in our OS updates section at TechSpot, be sure to take a look for all your WinXP, 2000, Me and 98se patching needs. Since our latest 'major' update several new patches have been listed for the different OS covered.

Who says Winbeta is just about sharing betas with the world? They present to you definitive proof that they actually do use this software. Covering everything from the differences between 2003 and Windows 2000 Servers, to an overview of the new features included in Windows 2003.

Just saw this over @ Flexbeta: Microsoft officials say they are again considering shipping a server version of the Longhorn operating system after announcing late last year that it would be released for the desktop only. In addition, the company also is again considering a desktop version of Blackcomb, the follow-on release to Longhorn, after saying that version of the OS would be a server-only release. Versions of both operating systems, which will follow Windows Server 2003 slated to ship April 24, are now being re-evaluated, says Brian Valentine, senior vice president of the Windows division at Microsoft.

The Windows Script Engine provides Windows operating systems with the ability to execute script code. Script code can be used to add functionality to web pages, or to automate tasks within the operating system or within a program. Script code can be written in several different scripting languages, such as Visual Basic Script, or JScript. A flaw exists in the way by which the Windows Script Engine for JScript processes information. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a web page that, when visited by the user, would execute code of the attacker?s choice with the user?s privileges. The web page could be hosted on a web site, or sent directly to the user in email. Although Microsoft has supplied a patch for this vulnerability and recommends all affected customers install the patch immediately, additional preventive measures have been provided that customers can use to help block the exploitation of this vulnerability while they are assessing the impact and compatibility of the patch. These temporary workarounds are discussed in the ?Workarounds? section in the FAQ below.

Thanks to Neobond @ Neowin.net for sending this our way.

We posted this back in January when DirectX 9 had just been released, but for some reason a debug version was used (I only noticed this yesterday while playing with DXDiag) so I downloaded the SDK and extracted the retail version of the Control Panel for everyone.

Neowin.net reports the WMA Lossless to WAV Converter Tool is a simple command line tool that performs the following functions:

Converts any WMA Lossless file (audio only, wma file) back to uncompressed PCM in wav format. Allows the user to select default or wave format-extensible output formats.

A guy over @ PC Advisor's Forum has strip down windows 9X to just 40MB! wow

Yes, it's that man again, and yes, it's yet another operating system, but this time I'm really going to blow your mind! Don't believe me? Try these few facts, and I think you'll agree that the name I've given it, Strewth!, is no exaggeration.

Total size of the operating system and it's programs, 74.6 mb, and that decimal point IS in the right place. Number of files total, programs and system, 1339. The equivalent 98SE uses 9318.

Microsoft Windows 2000 supports the World Wide Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) protocol. WebDAV, defined in RFC 2518, is a set of extensions to the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) that provide a standard for editing and file management between computers on the Internet. A security vulnerability is present in a Windows component used by WebDAV, and results because the component contains an unchecked buffer.

814995: Recommended Update

This update addresses the "Some Application Compatibility Fixes Stop Working After You Install the 328310 Update" issue in Windows XP, and is discussed in Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) Article 814995. Download now to update application compatibility fixes. After installing this update, you may have to restart your computer. Read more...

Microsoft.com have updated their guide to Securing Windows 2000 Server. The guide is delivered in eleven chapters, plus a Test Guide, a Delivery Guide, and a Support Readiness Guide, each with applicable job aids, script files, and test cases...

New from ieXbeta If you missed Microsoft Office System Beta 2 Kit 2003 registration or were not chosen for Beta 2 testing, dont worry. You have still got a chance!

This kit is available worldwide and offered at no charge, but a charge of $19.95 US for shipping and handling does apply. Additional charges may also apply for worldwide or express delivery, and for any applicable sales tax.

Neowin.net reports that while Office 2003 Beta 2 kits have yet to be received by official beta testers, Microsoft has issued a set of 7 patch files meant to address various bugs and build updates discovered since Beta 2 was announced. The updates should cut down on redundant bug reports filed and improve the overall experience of the Office 2003 Beta 2.

As you can read on Winformant.com, Microsoft Corp. renamed the new Office 2003 software suite to Office 2003 Systems.

Spotted this over @Flexbeta: This update addresses a potential problem when using MUI language packs on Windows XP Embedded with Service Pack 1 runtimes, where extra files are copied as part of the Service Pack 1 MUI language pack build process. These extra files contribute to larger footprints and in rare cases can cause functional problems on the runtime. Download here.

Thanks to Neowin.net for the update:

This is Microsoft's DirectX 9.0 Software Development Kit (SDK) Update - "March 2003 Preview". This preview release only contains updated D3DX associated files (headers, libs, and D3DX debug dll), High-Level Shader Language Manual, and additional animations for Tiny. The next pre-release will include the Full DirectX 9.0 SDK Update files.