From Dell: Questions about XP Availability?

Questions about XP Availability From Dell?

Windows Vista® Business offers new features designed to help you focus more on what’s important – your business. However, some businesses may not be ready to transition away from Windows® XP, and Dell can help ease the transition.

Below are answers to some Frequently Asked Questions on this topic.

Is there any way to get Windows XP after June 30th? Customers may continue to get Windows XP Professional by exercising Downgrade Rights that come with Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate licenses. Dell has the ability to exercise “Windows Vista downgrade rights” on your behalf in the factory if your business is still reliant upon Windows XP and you’d prefer to have Windows XP Professional preinstalled on your PCs.

So, what are Windows Vista “Downgrade Rights”? Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Ultimate have what Microsoft calls “Downgrade Rights.” Downgrade Rights means that anyone with a Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate operating system can downgrade to Windows XP Professional provided they have the media for Windows XP Professional. Customers may use one operating system at any single point in time (cannot run both operating systems simultaneously unless an additional license is purchased). For customers who decide to exercise Downgrade Rights on their own, however, please note that Dell will only support the factory-installed operating system. Windows Vista Home Basic and Windows Vista Home Premium do not have this option, as they are not capable of downgrading to Windows XP.
What does it mean for Dell to exercise “Downgrade Rights” for me? Where can I find this option? When you are configuring your system online or through the help of one of our sales experts, you will have the opportunity to select which operating system you would like on your PC. When selecting your operating system, you will see an option called “Genuine Windows® Vista Business BONUS” and “Genuine Windows® Vista Ultimate BONUS.” With these options, you may purchase the licensed rights to Windows Vista but have Dell factory install Windows XP Professional. You will also receive a backup media disc for Windows XP Professional as well as the media for Windows Vista so you can upgrade when you’re ready. Furthermore, with these options Dell will provide technical support for the factory-installed Windows XP Professional image and your licensed version of Windows Vista.

Can I downgrade on my own? Yes, you can as long as you have your own Windows XP Professional media (i.e. from a prior purchase). However, Dell’s standard policy is to provide technical support on the operating system that comes pre-installed on your PC. Dell does not encourage you to change your operating system on your own as this can be a complicated process.

So, if I choose to have Dell downgrade for me, does that mean I can only get technical support on Windows XP Professional since that is what will be pre-installed? No, with this option Dell will provide technical support on both Windows XP Professional and Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate (depending on which version you choose).

I don’t need Windows XP Professional, but I still want Windows XP Home Edition. Is there any way for me to get this from Dell? No, Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP MCE both End-of-Life (EOL) on June 30, 2008 and do not have the capability to transition to Windows Vista (i.e. these licenses do not include Downgrade Rights provisions). Microsoft created that capability only with Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Ultimate. Windows Vista Home Basic and Windows Vista Home Premium are unable to downgrade to Windows XP.

What do I do when I’m ready to upgrade my computer to Windows Vista? You will use the Windows Vista DVD provided to you to install Windows Vista on your computer. If you upgrade and then realize you’re not quite ready for Windows Vista yet, you also have the freedom to go back to Windows XP Professional using the Windows XP Professional CD provided with the downgrade service.

XP SP3 not generally available yet, after all

April 29th, 2008
XP SP3 not generally available yet, after all
Posted by Mary Jo Foley @ 10:21 am

Microsoft has decided not to release Windows XP Service Pack (SP) 3 to Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center as planned on April 29. The reason? A last-minute compatibility issue with a Microsoft application — Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS).

Here’s the latest from a company spokesperson:

“I wanted to update you on today’s planned release to web (RTW) (of XP SP3). In the last few days, we have uncovered a compatibility issue between Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) and Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1).
“In order to make sure customers have the best possible experience we have decided to delay releasing Windows XP SP3 to Windows Update and Microsoft Download Center.
“To help protect our customers, we plan to put filtering in place shortly to prevent Windows Update from offering both service packs to systems running Microsoft Dynamics RMS. Once filtering is in place, we expect to release Windows XP SP3 to Windows Update and Download Center.
“Until we have published a fix for this issue, we advise Microsoft Dynamics RMS customers to not install either service pack. Microsoft Dynamics RMS customers running Windows XP SP3 or Windows Vista SP1 should contact Microsoft Customer Support Services for additional information.
“The fix is currently in testing and will be available as soon as that process is complete.”

That’s all we know so far. No new date as to when Microsoft will release XP SP3 to the Web. Microsoft released to manufacturing XP SP3 last week — and after outcry for its paying TechNet and Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) subscribers — released the update to them shortly thereafter.

-----Posting from http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1368

Windows XP going off market in June - What it means

Windows XP going off market in June: What it means

Mon Apr 14, 2008 5:28PM EDT
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/25252

It was originally announced over a year ago that Windows XP would be going off the market in January 2008, and that was later given a brief stay of execution, to June 30, 2008. That time is fast approaching, which has led to much panicking from people who aren't quite sure what XP's "going off market" means, exactly.

A year later, people are still as confused as ever. So let's take a stab at clarifying, once again, what's going to happen by answering some frequently asked questions about XP's imminent disappearance.

Will Windows XP really no longer be on sale after June 30? Sorry for the double negative, but no. All this means is that Microsoft will stop selling the OS. Finding a computer with XP preinstalled will likely be very difficult, as well. However, you'll still be able to find copies online for the foreseeable future, and likely the unforeseeable one, too. See for yourself: You can find copies of just about any Microsoft product, including ancient versions of Windows and even MS-DOS, by simply searching for it online. But hang on to your current copy of Windows XP. You may need it down the road if you don't want to move to Vista.

Will I be forced to upgrade to Vista soon? No. It will get harder and harder not to, though, especially since new software and peripherals are likely to slowly stop working with XP. That could take years.

Will my XP machine stop working in June? No, but Microsoft will stop releasing non-security software updates to the masses on April 14, 2009. But let's be clear: XP will continue to "work" even after this point.

Will Microsoft shut off product activation for XP after June? No, that would be crazy. While no one has said if this will happen, it's conceivable that Windows could shut down product activation for XP at some point, but that would only happen after it reaches its end-of-support term (when all support plans expire). The good news for you: That happens on April 8, 2014, plenty of time to get the kinks worked out of Vista... or switch to a Mac, Linux, or anything else. Bottom line: Your copy of XP will work, totally legally, at least for six more years.

Complete posting.

Another reason for off-site backup

OK, the circumstances may not be your's... but you never know when you need off-site backup! From Washington, DC blogger princeofpetworth.com

Apple Updates for Multiple Vulnerabilities

From us-cert.gov. Standard release... software should be updated after testing.
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National Cyber Alert System Technical Cyber Security Alert TA08-094A

Apple Updates for Multiple Vulnerabilities

Original release date: April 3, 2008
Last revised: --Source: US-CERT

Systems Affected
Apple Mac OS X running versions of QuickTime prior to 7.4.5
Microsoft Windows running versions of QuickTime prior to 7.4.5

Overview
Apple QuickTime contains multiple vulnerabilities as described in the Apple Knowledgebase article HT1241. Exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial-of-service condition.

Next Photoshop will get 64-bit boost--on Windows only

Interesting announcement by Adobe...

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Next Photoshop will get 64-bit boost--on Windows only
Posted by Stephen Shankland 96 comments

Adobe Systems has shared the first scrap of information about its next version of Photoshop, CS4, and it's a doozy: there will be a 64-bit version of the photo-editing software, but only for Windows and not for Mac OS X.

Adobe generally keeps features in the Windows and Mac versions at a level of parity, but that wasn't possible this time around because of a change Apple made last year to the Mac's programming underpinnings, John Nack, Adobe's product manager for Photoshop, said in an interview.

"We're not going to ship 64-bit native for Mac with CS4," Nack said. "We respect Apple's need to balance their resources and make decisions right for that platform. But it does have an impact on developers."

(Read the "What derailed the 64-bit train?" section below if you want more details on why Adobe concluded it had to change plans.)

What does 64 bits get you, anyway? Chiefly, an easier way for a processor and software to use more than 4GB of memory. In addition, the 64-bit versions of Intel and AMD x86 chips incorporate more data storage slots called registers that can improve performance.
But Nack took pains to say that moving to 64 bits, while useful, isn't like flipping a switch that doubles performance.

Windows XP's final day still June 30, but low-cost PCs get two more years

Windows XP's final day still June 30, but low-cost PCs get two more years
By Tim Conneally, BetaNews
April 3, 2008, 3:54 PM

Confirming the rumors that devices such as Asus' Eee PC are prolonging the life of XP, Microsoft today announced that the previously-established June 30, 2008 cutoff date for OEM and retail Windows XP sales was final, except for the new class of what the company has termed ULCPCs: Ultra Low-Cost PCs.

The nebulously-named class of computers including UMPCs, MIDs, Origami devices, subnotebooks and even desktops that offer lower power have received the official Ultra Low Cost PC (ULCPC) moniker from Microsoft.

Companies making these devices have also received an extended 2-year period (or until Windows 7 comes out, whichever is latest) in which their machines can come equipped with Windows XP, but only the Home edition of the operating system.

Microsoft has said that the extension reflects the company's commitment to deliver "the right version of Windows for new device categories as they emerge."

The company said today, "[We] recognize that there is a growing class of hardware-constrained, lower cost PCs that would benefit from a different Windows based solution. While Windows Vista provides an easier and more secure user experience, Windows XP Home provides an effective solution on these devices from a performance and cost perspective."

In September, at the behest of both customers and partners, Microsoft pushed back the date for OEMs to cease preloading their "regular" systems with XP. As that June 30 date approaches, Microsoft has made it clear that there will be no more extensions, and mainstream technical support will be available only until April 2009. Extended support --for pay support and security fixes-- goes until April 2014.

Microsoft was not swayed by the "Save Windows XP" petition, which has been signed by over 100,000 people asking the company to continue sales of the now 6 and a half year old operating system.