The official Windows 7 thread.

Will you upgrade to Windows 7?

  • Hell yeah!

    Votes: 39 76.5%
  • Nope, I am happy with XP/Vista

    Votes: 4 7.8%
  • I am not a Windows user

    Votes: 4 7.8%
  • Haven't decided yet

    Votes: 4 7.8%

  • Total voters
    51

soumya

In the zone
There will be a lot of news regarding Windows 7 in the coming months and it will be cool to keep all the information in a single thread. Starting Now!


Windows 7 RC coming to MSDN/Technet soon, public May 5

A page over at Microsoft Partners has been updated to show that Windows 7 RC will be publically released on May 5, and should be available for MSDN and Technet subscribers now. However, clicking through the download link will only get you the beta, right now.

This would seem to jive with an earlier leak on a Microsoft page saying that the RC would be available in May, but that was taken down soon after it was reported.

Well see how long this page stays updated with the Windows 7 RC information, or how long it'll take before RC does actually hit MSDN and Technet.

*www.neowin.net/images/uploaded/partner.png

Source
 
OP
soumya

soumya

In the zone
Windows 7 to natively support HD 4890 and HD4770

*images.tweaktown.com/imagebank/News_ati-radeon-cpu.jpg​

Some good news about Windows 7 for ATi fans, AMD/ATi has managed to get the drivers for the HD 4890 and the 4770 integrated into the Windows 7 DVD.

Source
 
OP
soumya

soumya

In the zone
Windows 7 security features

User account control (UAC), a feature that debuted with Vista, is been tuned to generate fewer invasive pop-ups.

BitLocker encryption will be extended to cover USB drives, a feature described as BitLocker To Go. A remote access feature, called DirectAccess, will be included that makes setting up secure remote access far easier than was previously possible. The same feature will allow sys admins to patch remotely-connected devices. Network Access Protection, a separate feature, can be used to restrict access to corporate networks to only fully-patched PCs.

Another feature, AppLocker, will give sys admins the ability to control what applications can run on corporate systems, including the ability to remotely purge disavowed applications.

Full Story@The Register
 
OP
soumya

soumya

In the zone
Windows 7 RC completed, build 7100

*www.neowin.net/images/news/newlogos/ms_win7.gif​

Company insiders and Wzor have confirmed that 7100 is the official Windows 7 RC build.

7100.0.winmain_win7rc.090421-1700 was compiled on Tuesday and has reportedly been handed out to OEM partners and TAP gold customers. Earlier this month we reported that build 7077 had leaked online and that Microsoft
were pushing towards a 7100 RC release.

Microsoft recently published details about a public RC due for May 5th. We expect MSDN/TechNet customers to receive the bits within the next week if the company is still targeting May 5th.

According to reports, 7115.0.winmain.090421-1650 is the latest build internally at the time of writing.

Neowin
 

topgear

Super Moderator
Staff member
Windows 7 Can Be Hacked, No Fix

Earlier today at the Hack In The box Security Conference, security researchers showed how easy it is to hack into Windows 7. Ouch.

The question to ask first is this: can't every piece of software be hacked in some fashion? Quite frankly, yes. However, Microsoft (unfortunately) deals with hackers on a daily basis, patching security holes in the Windows operating system, Internet Explorer, and various programs in the Office suite. In some ways, hackers bring job stability to those who specialize in thwarting security intrusions, those who fill holes where perpetrators like to sneak in. But what if the problem can't be fixed? What if the window is wide open and there's not one thing Microsoft or any other company can do to shut it closed?

Earlier today, researchers Vipin Kumar and Nitin Kumar of NVlabs demonstrated how they could take control of a Windows 7 virtual machine using proof-of-concept code they developed called Vbootkit 2.0. The 3 KB program allows the "attacker" to take control of the computer by making changes to the operating system's files loading into the system memory during the boot process. According to Kumar and Kumar, Windows 7 cannot detect the malicious program because no files are changed on the hard disk.

"Basically, we follow a very simple algorithm for Vbootkit," the team explained during the demonstration, "Hook INT 13 for disk reads, keep patching files as they load, hook onto the next stage, and repeat the above process [until] we reach the kernel, then sit and watch the system carefully."

With that said, there's a positive and negative side to this kind of attack. The good news is that the hacker must by physically present to take control of the PC, making the threat somewhat minimal. Additionally, once the computer reboots, Vbootkit 2.0 will no longer have control since the data stored in memory is no longer available. The negative aspect is that, according to Vipin Kumar, the problem stems from Windows 7's assumption that the boot process is immune from attacks. He said that not only is there no current fix for the problem, but that it cannot ever be fixed.

The security researchers demonstrated the ability to take control of Windows 7 at the Hack in The Box Security Conference held in Dubai. The duo merely wanted to demonstrate how they could get Windows 7 (x64) running normally after implementing changes to the kernel. The demonstration was also meant to show how Vbootkit 2.0 could pass through all of the security features implemented in the kernel without being detected, and without leaving a footprint on the hard drive.

In addition to hacking into the kernel, Vbootkit 2.0 allows the attacker to control the victim's computer by remote after this initial physical invasion. The attacker can then increase the user privileges to the highest level, and remove the current user's password, allowing the attacker to gain access to all files stored on the PC. Once finished, the attacker can use Vbootkit 2.0 to restore the original password, and exit the system undetected.

So what does this mean for Windows 7? Can the problem be fixed? According to Kumar, no. However, perhaps Microsoft will take notice and figure out a workaround before the operating system eventually ships this year.

*www.tomshardware.com/news/Windows-7-Hacked-controlled,7619.html

I think M$ will fix all these security related issues in final release :p
 
OP
soumya

soumya

In the zone
Windows 7 to have an 'XP mode'

*www.winsupersite.com/images/win7/vxp_01.jpg


*www.winsupersite.com/images/win7/vxp_17.jpg​

Microsoft is trying to make it easier to sway users of Windows XP onto the latest version of its operating system.

For some time now, the company has been quietly building a "Windows XP mode" that uses virtualization to allow Windows 7 to easily run applications designed for Windows XP. According to sources familiar with the product, the application compatibility mode is built on the Virtual PC technology that Microsoft acquired in 2003, when it scooped up the assets of Connectix.

By adding the compatibility mode, Microsoft is aiming to address one of the key shortcomings of Windows Vista: its compatibility issues with software designed for Windows XP and earlier versions of the operating system.

Details of the Windows XP mode, previously known as Virtual Windows XP, were first published earlier Friday by the Windows SuperSite blog.

The technology has not been part of the beta version of Windows 7 or previously disclosed by Microsoft, but is expected to be released alongside the upcoming release candidate version. Microsoft said on Friday that it will release it to developers next week and publicly starting May 5.

Screenshots

Article
 

comp@ddict

EXIT: DATA Junkyard
Windows 7 doomed from beginning - unfixable hack?
During the currently running Hack in the Box security conference in Dubai on Thursday, researchers Vipin Kumar and Nitin Kumar have said that they have created a method of hacking Windows 7 that is unfixable by the folks over in Redmond.

According to the report by Electronista, VBootkit 2.0 was used to show how Windows 7 could be compromised during boot up. The exploit is said to be suited only to the upcoming Microsoft operating system and according to the makers, probably won't be fixable.





The program is said to be just 3KB big and it allows hackers to change important system files which are loading into memory during the boot up process. Since no data is alerted on the hard drive itself, it is hard to detect and of course even harder to remove. Once the system has been rebooted, the security thread is removed, since it is only stored in dynamic system memory, which does not retain data on power loss or reboot.

*images.tweaktown.com/imagebank/news_windows7hack-01a_full.png

Via the software, hackers can remotely control the targeted computer and change their access level to the highest possible. Passwords can also be removed, letting hackers access a victim's files. What's more, the password is restored, so victims are unaware their security was breached.

As the name implies, VBootkit 2.0 is the second such program developed by Vipin and Nitin, as the original was demonstrated back in 2007 and exposed a vulnerability in Windows Vista.

Microsoft hasn't commented on the exploit.

*www.tweaktown.com/news/11984/windows_7_doomed_from_beginning_unfixable_hack/index.html
 

Liverpool_fan

Sami Hyypiä, LFC legend
Re: Windows 7 to have an 'XP mode'

*www.winsupersite.com/images/win7/vxp_01.jpg


*www.winsupersite.com/images/win7/vxp_17.jpg​

Microsoft is trying to make it easier to sway users of Windows XP onto the latest version of its operating system.

For some time now, the company has been quietly building a "Windows XP mode" that uses virtualization to allow Windows 7 to easily run applications designed for Windows XP. According to sources familiar with the product, the application compatibility mode is built on the Virtual PC technology that Microsoft acquired in 2003, when it scooped up the assets of Connectix.

By adding the compatibility mode, Microsoft is aiming to address one of the key shortcomings of Windows Vista: its compatibility issues with software designed for Windows XP and earlier versions of the operating system.

Details of the Windows XP mode, previously known as Virtual Windows XP, were first published earlier Friday by the Windows SuperSite blog.

The technology has not been part of the beta version of Windows 7 or previously disclosed by Microsoft, but is expected to be released alongside the upcoming release candidate version. Microsoft said on Friday that it will release it to developers next week and publicly starting May 5.

Screenshots

Article
Seems cool. I guess this seamless virtualization of XP which could be so easily set up will guarantee legacy applications will work for Enterprises and make migration path easier.
However is there a Linux mode as well? That would be great...

And I think they must bundle the XP with window decoration theme similar to 7 such that it does not look gaudy.
 
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suhas.msh

Right off the assembly line
That Xp compatibility mode is what i've been waiting for all this time. I surely wuldnt hesitate to switch to windows 7 if it has xp compatiability...
 

abhadi

Broken In
hey guys,
It seems that windows 7 RC has been out..... i.e build 7100 in the torrents. .
snip
snip
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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