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There is this older Toshiba laptop running Windows XP. It loads but I can not log in. It says it is loading the settings but then it logs off, the desktop never loads. I tried safemode but AVG is hard to use in safe mode. There may be a virus but why would it do this? I think AVG may have quarantined a file the computer actually needs or something. Does anyone have a clue?

Update for Microsoft XML Core Services 4.0 Service Pack 2 (KB973688)Size: 5.4 MB Install this update to prevent applications from sending too many HTTP requests while a well-known Document Type Definition (DTD) is included. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer. Once you have installed this item, it cannot be removed.

I am running Windows XP tablet edition and cannot connect to my wireless network. I have been to help and support and it tells me to go to Open Network Connections, Click the wireless network connection icon, and then, under Network Tasks, click View available wireless networks. The problem is I don't have a "Wireless Network Connection Icon" in the Network Connection area. I had to format my hard drive and load everything back onto it with the setup disks and after getting everything back on this is the only problem I am having. I can connect to the wireless...

Yes, Windows 7 didn't even hit the market until Thursday. But that hasn't stopped a fog of myths from enveloping the newest version of the much loved--and much hated--PC operating system from Microsoft. [Slide Show: The Best of What's New in Windows 7.] The software giant hoped that wide exposure to Windows 7 would help smooth its entry. Microsoft let millions of consumers and professionals download test versions of the operating system. And by a wide margin, testers have found the new system to be the best yet from Microsoft. Version 7 is leaner, more useful, and prettier than past...

When Windows 7 is released on Thursday, many who'll rush out to buy it will be users of Windows XP. Unfortunately, Microsoft has not made it easy for XP users to move to Win7. You won't be able to run the upgrade disk and have the newer operating system install on top of XP, leaving your data and programs in place. Instead, you have two options: 1. You can do a Clean install, in which you wipe the hard drive clean and install a virgin copy of Windows 7, then reinstall your software and copy your data back to the...

XP's long reign over the hearts and minds of corporates will end on October 22 when Windows 7 is launched, predicts analysts Forester. Soothsayers in Forester's tarot reading division have pulled the Death card for Windows XP on the corporate desktop. Forrester’s Benjamin Gray said that businesses needed refresh aging IT infrastructure. There was also a predicted end to XP support and getting copies of the operating system was becoming trickier. Windows 7 had an XP mode which means that most of the software that businesses have will run on the new operating system. This will improve the OS's chance...

Need some techie help pls . fellow Freepers. I have an XP Media HP laptop 2006 1.6 GB 2006. The laptop keeps attempting to boot up, the power is on but it wont just go to the XP /os start up,,,(the past 20 minutes now) the solution pls especially how to access the laptop drive because it looks like I will have to reboot this laptop completely with the recovery disks BUT I dont want to unless neccessary. And there's some info that I need to get to especially the hard drive. Expert and intermediate suggestions and solutions pls..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNqPTOb31S8 "and the last thing Bernard saw was not the BLUE sea but the Bl..."

  Windows 7 might be getting all the attention lately, but Windows XP is having a quiet little renaissance of its own -- not only have sales of the venerable OS been extended until 2010, Microsoft is selling an ultra-secure version to the Air Force. The custom build ships with over 600 settings bolted down, and a security patch turnaround of just 72 hours compared to the standard edition's 57 days -- all because Steve Ballmer personally stepped in and approved the project at the Air Force's request. The effort's to standardize and preconfigure the OS has paid off:...

April 25, 2009 (Computerworld) Microsoft Corp. will unveil an add-on to Windows 7 that lets users run applications designed for Windows XP in a virtual machine, the company confirmed Friday -- the first time Microsoft has relied on virtualization to provide backward compatibility.

New data shows that the vast majority of corporate IT departments won't touch Microsoft's next OS until at least 2011. Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) may need to keep its Windows XP operating system around a little longer -- at least for its deep-pocketed corporate customers.... The survey, of more than 1,100 IT professionals, is one of the first extensive looks at Windows 7's early sales prospects. It found that a whopping 83% of enterprises plan to skip the OS in its first year. While the business market typically tends toward caution when it comes to new products, the figure is nonetheless...

After a flurry of blog activity over the weekend, leading into today, concerning the extended availability of Windows XP, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to Betanews early this evening that general Windows 7 users will be given the option of downgrading right over Vista to Windows XP.

For fun, I repair and upgrade old arcade machines using donated computer hardware, and it has finally happened...people are starting to give me XP machines to be recycled. I have always used Win98SE, so I am learning a lot.

About two weeks ago, it seems after a windows update, my internet download speed slowed to a crawl. Speakeasy speed tests show me only in the 100-150 kbs download speed range although upload speeds are generally 2000-3000 kbs - high-speed cable connection. When I'm not on the web, just doing spreadsheet work or disk burning, for example, I'm fine but web browsing is like purgatory. I've tried everything I can think of including going back and forth between IE 6 and IE 7, reformating and reloading my hard drive, deleting and repeating windows updates, but nothing seems to work. My...

The software maker is warning customers that tools designed to prevent automatic installation of service packs are nearing expiration. Microsoft wants users of its Windows operating systems to move to upgraded versions of the software, so it's killing a tool that prevents upgrades from automatically self-installing. "I have some important information for those of you who have installed the Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows XP or Windows Vista," wrote Brandon LeBlanc, Microsoft's in-house Windows blogger, in a Friday post. "The Service Pack Blocker Tool temporarily prevents the installation of a service pack through Windows Update, typically for one year...

Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) is extending the deadline for making its supposedly retired Windows XP operating system available to custom PC builders. Under the plan, system builders will be allowed to take delivery of XP licenses and media through May 30. Previously, Microsoft had announced a Jan. 31 XP cutoff date for system builders, which are typically smaller, build-to-order vendors. The news was first reported Friday by InformationWeek.com sister site ChannelWeb.

Many have said they’re not interested in Windows Vista, that Windows XP is just fine for them. And in fact, you could go so far as to say some of them actually hate the OS. Still, a new OS, Mojave, may just be the key to a new marketing campaign. Last week Microsoft told a focus group in San Francisco they were being shown a new version of Windows, codenamed Mojave. Feedback was quite positive; more than 90% gave positive feedback. Afterwards they were told that Mojave was actually Windows Vista.

Business PC buyers are still overwhelmingly opting for XP, computer giant HP has revealed. HP's revelation, made at the launch of a new range of business notebooks, flies in the face of Microsoft's persistent PR claims that Vista has sold tens of millions of copies — and is selling at a faster rate than XP ever did. However, HP explained how Microsoft is coming up with these "Vista" sales figures. "From the 30th of June, we have no longer been able to ship a PC with a XP licence," said Jane Bradburn, Market Development Manager, Commercial Notebooks for HP Australia....

When you buy a new PC today, unless you hunt down a Linux system or you buy a Mac, you're pretty much stuck with Vista. Sad, but true. So, when I had to get a new PC in a hurry, after one of my PCs went to the big bit-ranch in the sky with a fried motherboard, the one I bought, a Dell Inspiron 530S from my local Best Buy came pre-infected with Vista Home Premium. Big deal. It took me less than an hour to install Linux Mint 5 Elyssa R1 on it. As expected, everything on this 2.4GHz...

The solution to what is apparently a common problem ("Wizard Was Interrupted Before [program name] could be installed") seems to involve "Impersonate a client after authentication" The following worked for us, although we are not computer professionals and results are not guaranteed. You need ntrights.exe (downloadable from Microsoft as part of the Windows tools resource kit). ntrights.exe -u ADMINISTRATOR +r SeImpersonatePrivilege ntrights.exe -u ADMINISTRATORS +r SeImpersonatePrivilege ntrights.exe -u Everyone +r SeImpersonatePrivilege You must restart your computer for the changes to take effect. Then the installation should work. (We don’t know which of the above three did it, we enabled all...

We are investigating the issue with the MS update KB951748. For the time being we suggest you uninstall KB951748 until the issue has been resolved. We will post when we have more information Best regards, Forum Moderator

Excerpt - Redmond, WA (AHN) - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is pulling the XP operating system from its product line come Monday. The move comes 18 months after the company launched the Vista operating system. Although Microsoft will not sell the XP program any longer, they will still generate revenue from providing support for the software as it will no longer be free. Microsoft will offer extended support packages for XP until at least 2014. ~ snip ~

Et Tu, Intel? Chip Giant Won’t Embrace Microsoft’s Windows Vista By Steve Lohr Intel, the giant chip maker and longtime partner of Microsoft, has decided against upgrading the computers of its own 80,000 employees to Microsoft’s Vista operating system, a person with direct knowledge of the company’s plans said. The person, who has been briefed on the situation but requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of Intel’s relationship with Microsoft, said the company made its decision after a lengthy analysis by its internal technology staff of the costs and potential benefits of moving to Windows Vista, which has drawn fire...

Microsoft has given another lease of life to Windows XP only days before PC makers have to stop selling it. Windows XP reaches its end of life on 30 June but Microsoft has now said it can continue being sold until June 2010 but only on cheap desktops. The decision follows one made in April to extend the life of XP on low cost laptops until the same date. It comes as Dell, HP and Lenovo exploit loopholes in Microsoft's licensing terms to keep putting XP on machines. Growing market In an announcement at the Computex trade show in...

Comments by Steve Ballmer at a press conference in Europe today have led to speculation that Microsoft is reconsidering its June 30 deadline to stop selling most new Windows XP licenses. A spokeswoman from Microsoft's public relations firm said Thursday that there is no plan for a change in deadline, however. "Our plan for Windows XP availability is unchanged. We're confident that's the right thing to do based on the feedback we've heard from our customers and partners," the spokeswoman said, reading from a Microsoft statement. Ballmer's comments at a press conference at Louvain-la-Neuve University in Belgium led to a...

Microsoft Pulls XP SP3, Delays Release Indefinitely Jason Mick (Blog) - April 29, 2008 5:12 PM Bad news for those looking to get the latest XP service pack DailyTech reported earlier today that Windows XP's third service pack was ready for full deployment via Windows Update, as promised by Microsoft. However, in an eleventh hour move sure to draw criticism, the service pack was yanked by Microsoft and will not be released on April 29th as previously promised. The pack was pulled because it breaks or otherwise compromises the Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS). The RMS application is relatively...

If you didn’t have your calendar marked this day (04/29/2008) is an important day; the third service pack for Windows XP has been released to Windows Update today. It may not be trickling down just yet but several sites have already posted manual updates that can be downloaded. DailyTech reports that Microsoft hasn’t yet posted an official download for SP3 but BetaNews does have a download link that goes straight back to Windows Update. Windows XP SP3 is more than just a regular Service Pack including more than 1,100 hotfixes/patches which has new features such as Network Access Protection and...

Microsoft Corp. chief executive Steve Ballmer on Thursday offered a glimmer of hope to fans of the company's XP operating system, saying customer demand may see the company reconsider a decision to stop selling XP in June. But Ballmer was adamant that "most people who buy PCs today buy them with Vista." "That's the statistical truth," he told reporters at a press conference at Louvain-La-Neuve university. "If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter," he said. Fans of the six-year-old operating system set to be pulled off store shelves by June 30 have papered the Internet with blog...

Microsoft Corp.'s operating systems run most personal computers around the globe and are a cash cow for the world's largest software maker. But you'd never confuse a Windows user with the passionate fans of Mac OS X or even the free Linux operating system. Unless it's someone running Windows XP, a version Microsoft wants to retire. Fans of the six-year-old operating system set to be pulled off store shelves in June have papered the Internet with blog posts, cartoons and petitions recently. They trumpet its superiority to Windows Vista, Microsoft's latest PC operating system, whose consumer launch last January was...

With the market preparing for the next -- and final -- phase of the life of Windows XP with the forthcoming general availability of Service Pack 3, the old operating system continues to show itself to be a spry performer. In head-to-head tests between Windows XP Service Pack 3 Beta (Release Candidate 2) against Windows Vista Service Pack 1, it's clear that XP still holds a measurable performance advantage overMicrosoft (NSDQ: MSFT)'s next-generation desktop operating system. Our CRN Test Center conducted a faceoff-type of performance evaluation. Testing was done on two identical desktops: HP (NYSE:HPQ)'s rp5700 model with a single...

Journal written by symbolset (646467) and posted by ScuttleMonkey on Saturday April 05, @07:21AM from the also-duke-nukem-forever dept. Microsoft's efforts to get businesses to adopt Vista may come to a screeching halt now that Bill Gates has announced "Sometime in the next year or so we will have a new version", referring to Windows 7, the next expected version of the company's flagship desktop operating system.With a new version available soon, many organizations may decide to wait and see if they can avoid the pain of a Vista rollout altogether.

Microsoft said today it will continue to sell Windows XP Home beyond its scheduled June 30 kill-date for the emerging class of "ultra-low-cost PCs," or ULCPCs. The operating system has been granted a reprieve until mid-2010, but only for the diminutive laptops such as the Asus Eee PC and Intel Classmate PC which lack the hardware necessary to run Windows Vista adequately. The cut-off date for XP licenses in mainstream boxes remains the end of June, 2008. Free live support and warranty-based technical support will dry up next April. After that, customers need to pay for phone support until April...

Okay…I give up. I’ve got to ask for some help. Freepers have given me great advice on holsters, guns, etc., but now I need computer help. I recently re-installed XP Media Center on my Dell Dimension E310. Now, whenever I re-start I have no sound. And when I go the Control Panel, I get the “No Audio Device” with all of the selections grayed-out. And I mean all of them: The Volume section, the Sounds section, the Audio section…all of them. When I troubleshoot the hardware it says the device is working properly. I’ve searched the web (and lots of...

Symantec, Windows users beset by Vista SP1 flaws By Tom Espiner, ZDNet UK Monday, March 24, 2008 10:56 AM Security vendor Symantec has said that updated drivers to replace those adversely affected by Windows Vista Service Pack 1 are not yet available. The company said users will have to wait for the updated drivers, which will be available "in the coming weeks". The drivers in question are for Endpoint Protection and Network Access Control, two of Symantec's flagship enterprise security products. Microsoft released Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) to Windows Update on Tuesday. However, in the Vista team blog, Vista...

According to Microsoft's timeline, XP is on its way to becoming an ex-operating system. The approaching death of Windows XP may upset you, but it shouldn't come as a surprise. Microsoft Corp.'s product life-cycle guidelines have foretold the fate of XP since 2001. In fact, Microsoft has been killing off one version of a product as it is replaced with another for years now. But this time around, the approaching demise of XP is getting more attention than, say, the final passing of Windows 2000. Why? For a couple of reasons: XP is the most widely used operating system on...

"They Criticized Vista. And They Should Know. By RANDALL STROSS ONE year after the birth of Windows Vista, why do so many Windows XP users still decline to “upgrade”? Microsoft says high prices have been the deterrent. Last month, the company trimmed prices on retail packages of Vista, trying to entice consumers to overcome their reluctance. In the United States, an XP user can now buy Vista Home Premium for $129.95, instead of $159.95. An alternative theory, however, is that Vista’s reputation precedes it. XP users have heard too many chilling stories from relatives and friends about Vista upgrades that...

Just spent my weekend dealing with new computers for the kids that have Vista installed. I found this short video that I think that all of you who have experienced Vista will appreciate. http://blip.tv/file/340692/

Goodbye, Windows XP. Microsoft, which released its latest operating system, Vista, last year, plans to stop selling Windows XP in stores and through its PC partners on June 30.

Keep Windows XP until 2009, analysts tell Microsoft Galen Gruman 2 hours, 48 minutes ago Microsoft should keep Windows XP available until at least 2009, not end the majority of sales on June 30 as currently planned, said analysts at Gartner and The Burton Group. ???A good rule of thumb in any OS transition is that you have to have the original and new products available for at least two years to handle customer [migration] needs,??? said Richard Jones, a Burton Group vice president and service director. But Microsoft gave customers just 11 months in its original plan, in which...

Microsoft released Windows Vista to the world one year ago with ads likening the new PC operating system to such awe-inspiring moments as the first American spaceflight and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Charles Walling just wants it to work with his printer. The retired Seattle warehouseman has spent hours on the Dell tech support line, installed all the drivers and, yes, double-checked all the cords and plugs. No luck. The cause of the problem isn't clear, but Walling knows one thing: The same printer worked with Windows Vista's predecessor, Windows XP. "You can see the frustration," Walling said...

My Windows xp crashed, again. It continually reboots even in safe mode.The blue screen of death flashes only for a split second so i cannot read the error code. Tried Recovery, it accepted the FIXBOOT command and rejected both \i386\NTLDR C: and \i386\NTDETECT.COM C: I`m certain a virus damaged the boot sector. What options do I have now so repair and save the xp?

Windows Vista, One Bad Year Later A year since the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft is cringing at the poor sales of the new operating system. It was initially touted as a landmark new development to reinvigorate the IT industry, prompting expectations of wide-ranging “Vista effects.” Instead, Apple’s new operating system, which now also works on PCs, is stealing the thunder. Microsoft has hurriedly responded by developing a new version of the old XP. ◆ Windows Vista flops According to market researcher Net Applications, Apple is enjoying the largest-ever share in the global operating system market with Leopard, the...

As is my wont, I'm going to do another of my periodic updates on the usage of Firefox by PCWorld.com visitors, as shown in our Web analytics numbers. And since 2007 is practically over, I'll expand my report to look at some other notable numbers, too. First, let's look at browsers... 2007 has seen the first full year of competition between Internet Explorer 7--Microsoft's first sorta-modern browser--and the upstart known as Firefox. IE7 has steadily grown in usage over the year, going from around 24 percent usage to 37 percent today. But despite some predictions that it would strike a...

It’s official, manufacturers are starting to dump Windows XP support entirely and some new models won’t even have Windows XP drivers or any kind of support available, anywhere. One reader, “Mark” contacted us regarding installing Windows XP on his HP V6610 (AU) laptop which is the V6620 in the US. “Mark” said when he went to the HP driver/downloads section that very few Windows XP drivers were available for it and he was right, there were almost no useful drivers for the laptop there. His call to HP support didn’t get very far as “HP is no longer supporting Windows...

Anybody know? Walmart? Circuit City? Ain't got the patience for Vista.

There were apparently some problems with at least one of the updates released last week as part of Microsoft's Patch Tuesday update for the month of December. The problem shows up with IE 6 and IE 7 and affects both XP and Vista. The issue surfaces slightly more than half the time upon firing up Internet Explorer. A dialog pops up with the message that "Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and must close." It is still possible to use Internet Explorer, though it normally takes restarting Internet Explorer a few times before it opens successfully. Customized homepages appear to...

I have finally decided to take the plunge. Last night I upgraded my Vista desktop machine to Windows XP, and this afternoon I will be doing the same to my laptop. Look & Feel Windows XP has quite a cartoony look and feel compared to the slick look of Aero Glass, this is mostly offset by the lack of strange screen artifacts caused by malfunctioning graphics code. You know, almost like static on the screen. This was a once or twice monthly occurance on my laptop, and happened on my desktop whenever I logged in, and also whenever I played...

This may be a crazy question but is it possible to dual boot windows XP and Mac Leopard OS?I have an empty partition on my AMD PC which I built and would like to try Leopard if this is possible.

The software maker wants OLPC to redesign its XO low-cost PC for children in developing nations. Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) has asked the designers of a low-cost Linux laptop intended for children in developing nations to redesign the system so it can accommodate its Windows XP operating system. In a move sure to provoke controversy, Microsoft wants the designers of the XO laptop, available through a non-profit initiative called One Laptop Per Child, to add a port through which the storage capacity required by Windows XP can be added to the system. The XO currently runs on a Red Hat Linux...

SEATTLE (AP) - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is pulling back from a system that disables programs on users' computers if it suspects the software is pirated, opting instead for a gentler approach based on nagging alerts. Microsoft said late Monday it will roll out the new version of Windows Genuine Advantage with the first "service pack" for Windows Vista, due in the first quarter of 2008. When computer users activate a copy of Windows Vista or try to download certain software from Microsoft's Web site, the Windows Genuine Advantage system scans their PCs for signs of pirated software. Today, if the...