This critical update for Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 enhances the stability and performance of Media Center Edition 2004 and resolves the following issues:

According to a reliable source, Windows XP Service Pack 2 has just been pushed back a bit further than originally expected. These delays will effect both the second Release Candidate along with the Release to Manufacturing/Release to Web.

The following are the new expected delivery dates:

Finally MSN Messenger 6.2 is out. There doesn't seem to be a change log yet, but you can download it from http://messenger.msn.com. When 6.1 was the latest, the version showed up on the above mentioned page, but not anymore.

A few screenshots and vidoes have been making rounds though the net announcing the leak of a build that is about two years old. What is so special about this release? This build carries the DCE, or Desktop Composition Engine, it is the DirectX, video-accelerated graphics engine in Longhorn. It will be a part of the Aero User Interface.

If you are interested in testing the new build of SP2, 2111, for Windows XP then read on.

You can add many different switches to the Boot.ini file that will modify the way that Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Server 2003 start.

Thanks to Bink.Nu

Thanks to Tim @ Majorgeeks.com for the Heads up! Microsoft has never released a service pack for Windows98 SE. But I made a Service Pack for Windows98 SE users. It contains all Windows98 SE updates from WindowsUpdate site and more.

After applying the hotfix referenced in KB article 828026, some URL script commands do not fire even though they would be expected to do so. In addition to the URL script command issues, this package addresses an issue with the installer that would cause 100% CPU utilization in certain scenarios.

Creamhackered @ neowin has posted screenshots of Windows Media Player 10. From neowin.net:-
"We've managed to snag an early copy of WMP10 for Windows XP. There are various new features with WMP10 including the following:
New Skins
Photo Devices Support
Schedule media description updates"

Thanks to NeoWin.net for the heads up!

Responding to enthusiastic feedback from OneNote (TM) users, Microsoft Corp. today announced the release of Microsoft® Office OneNote 2003 Service Pack 1 (OneNote SP1) Preview, a software update that delivers technical updates and feature enhancements requested by customers to help them better capture, organize and share their notes and information. Customer feedback from newsgroups, surveys, focus groups and customer visits directly impacted 90 percent of the new SP1 features, including increased integration with Microsoft Office 2003 Editions, the ability to copy notes from a Pocket PC into OneNote, and the ability to password-protect notes.

The Microsoft Visual C++ Toolkit 2003 includes the core tools developers need to compile and link C++-based applications for Windows and the .NET Common Language Runtime.

Want to weigh in on the features and functionality you want to see Microsoft deliver in future versions of Windows Server, including Longhorn Server and beyond? The Windows Server team is soliciting your online input.

Julio Franco at TechSpot sends word that their OS Updates Page has been updated with some of the most important additions over the last month.

As you are probably aware, yesterday Microsoft released a number of security patches, among them a new vulnerability and a cumulative security update for Outlook Express. We try to maintain updated at all times our "OS Updates" page which is a chronological record of critical updates for all major Windows OS, this may come as a very useful resource especially when you prefer to skip automatic updates and store patches in your HD or for applying to a whole network, etc.

Microsoft has released 8 new security updates for Windows XP 64 Bit, Windows Server 2003 64 Bit, Exchange 5.0, Windows NT Terminal Server, and Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack.

Quote:
To head off what some have described as a "perfect storm" Microsoft is paring down its next generation Windows release code-named Longhorn. Business Week is reporting that Microsoft will fall short of its aspirations to include the full scope of the Windows file-storage system (WinFS) in the operating system; instead, the software giant will focus on rolling out WinFS for the client - leaving network support to the dust.

Microsoft has never released a service pack for Windows98 SE. But I made a Service Pack for Windows98 SE users. It contains all Windows98 SE updates from WindowsUpdate site and more.

Some time ago I observed that the volume of downloads for updating Windows was large and impractical for any dial-up user. Microsoft should, I suggested, issue a CD with the updates, or put ISO images on their site for others to download and burn. You all agreed.

Just spotted this bit of Info over at Paul Thurrott's WinInfo.

I also found out yesterday that Microsoft doesn't plan to ship XP Reloaded as an interim OS release (see my original article, "Windows XP...Reloaded "). Instead, the company is still wrestling with how to market and package an OS that's changed dramatically in the 3 years since the company first released it.

Service Pack 6 for Visual Basic 6.0, Visual C++ 6.0 with Visual Source Safe 6.0d provides the latest updates to these products. It is recommended for all users of Visual Basic 6.0, Visual C++ 6.0 and Visual Source Safe 6.0.

Microsoft XNA is the catalyst for a new ecosystem of interchangeable, interoperable software tools and technologies from Microsoft, middleware and game development companies. By integrating software innovations across Microsoft platforms and across the industry, XNA forms a common environment that liberates developers from spending too much time writing mundane, repetitive boilerplate code. Instead, XNA frees game creators to spend their time where it matters most -on the creativity that differentiates their games.