Microsoft

Users of the latest 64-bit version of Microsoft's Windows XP Professional x64 Edition operating system will not have the option to install Norton or McAfee antivirus software, vnunet.com can reveal.

Users trying to install the Norton Internet Security 2005 security suite for consumers on the 64-bit version of Windows see an error message stating that the product can not be installed.

They are referred to a web page which states: "Symantec currently does not sell any consumer products that are certified to be compatible with 64-bit processors and operating systems."

After years of delays, Microsoft Corp. on Monday started selling new flavors of the Windows operating system that can address vastly more memory than previous versions yet can still run software designed for older computers.

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions operate on systems running 64-bit microprocessors from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Intel Corp. The new software costs the same as their 32-bit counterparts.

In a move that could rankle privacy advocates, Microsoft said Monday that it is adding the PC equivalent of a flight data recorder to the next version of Windows, in an effort to better understand and prevent computer crashes.

Microsoft plans to open a research center in France in conjunction with a French government research organization. An announcement could be made as early as Tuesday afternoon during a visit to Paris by Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer. The company announced plans in February to develop a network of research centers in partnership with public institutions across Europe. The first center, at the University of Trento in Italy, will focus on computational tools for biological research.

We've heard some great feedback on what web developers would like to see in IE7, both from the responses to my last post and from the resources I referred to. The rest of the team was cranking away while I was away on parental leave, and I wanted to share a few details about what they were doing: The first couple of things they've done are:

At Microsoft's Management Summit (MMS) in Las Vegas, the Longhorn floodgates opened, with executives from Steve Ballmer to Bill Gates talking about what users can expect from the new system.

Much of the focus has been on usability enhancements, with Ballmer claiming it would take 70 percent fewer reboots than previous Windows versions.

To date, Microsoft has been releasing details about its Longhorn product line ahead of anticipated release dates. The latest news is that Microsoft will ship 64-bit and 32-bit versions of Longhorn.

With spyware, worms, and viruses continuing to grow in number, questions have arisen whether Microsoft has been doing enough to protect their users from these threats. Whenever a security flaw is discovered or a new virus has been release into the - wild, some discussions on computer news forums and websites are usually geared toward blaming Microsoft for providing an insecure operating system. Windows XP users have the right to complain about the security issues that surround Windows XP, however it is not like Microsoft is not trying to improve the security situation in Windows XP.

Software engineers at Microsoft Corp.'s security research center on Thursday confirmed a potentially dangerous security hole in fully patched Windows 2000 systems that could put users at risk of malicious hacker attacks. The Redmond, Wash., software maker was forced to go public about the unpatched vulnerability after a private security research company posted details and proof-of-concept exploit code on the Internet.

You heard it here folks...MSN are currently developing a next generation version of their popular MSN Toolbar Suite that we exclusively revealed last November.

The updated version will include an implementation of tabbed browsing allowing users of IE6 without Windows XP SP2 (& IE7) to benefit from tabbed browsing in Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer 7 is set to debut in beta form this summer with various improvements including tabbed browsing, inbuilt MSN search and an RSS aggregator, however, IE7 will only be made available for customers using Windows XP with SP2.

British sources have confirmed that the next generation Xbox is indeed called Xbox 360, that the logo is a simple, round nexus, and that the console itself has a concave design - and a platinum white finish. Many rumours - some of them conflicting - have been circulating in the past months regarding Microsoft's next generation system, but speaking under conditions of strict anonymity, a British source who is privy to Microsoft's marketing documents for the console has now cleared up much of the speculation.