Items tagged with Windows
Lenovo has pulled the wraps off a pair of new workstation PCs that aim directly at the folks out there who need lots of power and performance to make it through their workday. The machines include the ThinkStation P920 and P720. The most powerful of the duo is the P290 and it is crammed full of hardware with options running dual Intel Xeon Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Bronze CPUs. Windows 10 Pro for Workstations is pre-loaded and the machine is also certified for use with Redhat Linux. If your workload requires you to render 3D models or perform other GPU-intensive workloads, the P920 can be fitted with up to three NVIDIA Quadro GP100 or P6000 GPUs. Lenovo will fit the machine with up to...
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It's not uncommon for us to write about security issues, but it's pretty rare when we write about one that's not going to be fixed, per the guilty party. In this case, that guilty party is Microsoft, and the bug is one that has been around ever since the launch of Windows 2000. Whether or not it's truly severe, we'll really have to wait and see. Or, at least we suppose, since it's existed for 17 years already. The bug is related to a Windows API hook called PsSetLoadImageNotifyRoutine, which lets the kernel know that a new module has been loaded. The problem, allegedly, is that invalid module names can be reported, ultimately tricking security software that rely on Windows' APIs into handling...
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While VR is the big thing for gaming, there is another similar tech that PC makers and software giant Microsoft really want to take off in a big way and that is mixed reality. VR and mixed reality are similar in that both have virtual constructs in them, but in VR everything that the user of the tech sees is virtual whereas mixed reality overlays virtual objects with your real world environment. Mixed reality has big potential to revolutionize industry with the ability to help train new workers and to bring gaming into your home in a new way. Microsoft writes, "A little over ten months ago our mixed reality journey took a leap forward when we announced that the world’s largest PC makers were...
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Back in June, a leak hinted that there would be new flavors of Windows 10 aimed specifically at workstation PCs. Fast forward a couple months and Microsoft has now officially announced Windows 10 Pro for Workstations and it is designed specifically to support server-grade PC hardware. Microsoft's Klaus Diaconu, Partner Group Program manager, Windows & Devices Group, wrote, "Today we are very excited to announce a new edition of Windows 10 Pro designed to meet the needs of our advanced users deploying their Workstation PCs in demanding and mission-critical scenarios. Windows 10 Pro for Workstations will be delivered as part of our Fall Creators Update, available this fall." The OS will...
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Microsoft has gone to great lengths to foster adoption of its Windows 10 operating system, and for good reason. In addition to it likely being one of the best iterations of the Windows OS in a long time--with better security, support for DX12 and host of other features--it’s clearly also a platform for MSFT to better track its customer base for myriad of reasons. Many, including our team here at HotHardware, have droned on about some of the privacy concerns with Windows 10 and we even showed you how to keep Redmond’s nose out of your private bits here as well. Further, even Microsoft has reacted, offering significantly more advanced privacy controls in the recent Windows 10 Creators Update. However,...
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Last Friday, we reported on a major cyberattack involving ransomeware that hit a large number of computers - including some belonging to the UK's National Health Service. At first, the malware's reach wasn't too clear, but as the weekend went on, we learned that the number of affected PCs reached at least 200,000 worldwide. Given the nature of this beast, that is downright terrifying. The big question right now is, "Who's at fault?" The blame could easily be shifted to Microsoft, as the bug that allowed this to happen was directly attributed to its own code. While the company is to be commended for releasing a rare Windows XP patch to help squash the bug, it comes a bit too late. Microsoft knew...
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Windows 95 is alive and well in the United States Pentagon. Daryl Haegley, program manager for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations and Environment reported at an event hosted by OSIsoft that 75% of the Department of Defense computers Windows XP or older (including Windows 98 and even Windows 95). This information was gathered from fifteen different defense sites within the United States.Image from: Wikimedia Commons, David B. GleasonMicrosoft ended support for Windows XP in 2014, but the Pentagon currently pays Microsoft to continue providing support for the outdated OS. The majority of the computers equipped with Windows XP or older are thankfully...
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We can't seem to go a single week without news of a severe vulnerability out there in the wild, and it looks like our streak isn't about to end. Not too long ago, a number of NSA-derived tools were released online, giving us an idea of how desperate the folks at one of the US government's leading intelligence agencies are to get inside targeted PCs. Now, we have to hope that IT managers and system owners alike take updating their OS seriously. This particular family of NSA exploits are being dubbed "DoublePulsar", and they're severe enough to warrant immediate attention to your Windows PCs. Last month, Microsoft released patches to remove the vulnerability, but as we all know too well, most people...
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Have the most recent Microsoft exploits been keeping you up at night? Microsoft recently remarked that almost all of the exploits have already been patched, while the remaining ones can not reproduced on supported platforms. On Friday, a hacking group referred to as the “Shadow Brokers” revealed a number of programs that could potentially be used to attack different versions of Windows operating systems. Microsoft maintains that the vast majority of these exploits have already been patched. “ETERNALCHAMPION”, a SMBv1 exploit, was patched by Windows updates CVE-2017-0146 & CVE-2017-0147. EnglishmanDentist”, “EsteemAudit”, and “ExplodingCan” have not been reproduced on supported platforms....
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Hardware enthusiasts that read HotHardware surely aren’t running a tired and busted operating system like Windows Vista, right? Besides the fact that the OS was widely panned following its release on January 30th 2007, Windows Vista is a decade-old operating system that is antiquated in today’s modern computing age. However, for those of you that are somehow still clinging to Windows Vista, Microsoft is making it clear that time is nearly up for the operating system. On April 11th, Microsoft is pulling the plug on support for Windows Vista, which means that that the company will end the practices of providing security updates and hotfixes. In addition, Microsoft will no longer provide...
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Last week, Microsoft made a surprise mention that it had been working with Qualcomm to bring Windows Server to ARM, a tidbit that no doubt sent many into a frenzy. At Intel, we wouldn't be surprised if a little bit of anxiety was felt. From a consumer or enterprise standpoint, Windows Server on ARM could sound like an interesting route to take. Well, as it happens, Microsoft didn't announce that Windows Server was going to become available for ARM. Instead, the company has been using WS on ARM internally, and as for now, that's not going to be changing. ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley verified this through a bit of prodding, with Microsoft explicitly stating that this interesting OS release is for...
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As if AMD’s new Ryzen processors weren’t enough to make Intel grab for a bottle of antacids, it looks as though Microsoft’s latest partnership could challenge the world’s dominant processor manufacturer in the lucrative server market (Intel commands well in excess of 90 percent of the server chip market according to IDC). No, we’re not talking about AMD’s Naples server chips, which also should give Intel pause, but Microsoft's efforts to ensure that Qualcomm ARM processors can run its Windows Server operating system. Microsoft says that it has already built a version of Windows Server that offers native support for ARM chips, and it is using this branch of the operating system for its own internal...
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It looks as though Google’s Android operating system is on the verge of making history. According to analytics firm StatCounter, the current trending shows Android quickly approaching parity with Windows as the world’s most popular operating system among all computing devices. What more striking, however, is the fact that Microsoft has been losing overall market share at a rapid pace since 2012. At that time, Microsoft was riding high with 82 percent share of all global OS traffic. But it has been a steady march downward, and today Microsoft’s Windows-based operating systems have a collective 38.6 percent share of the global OS market according to StatCounter.Image Source: JD Hancock/Flickr...
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The design of Windows Update in Microsoft's latest Windows 10 OS hasn't been the best-received solution the company has released over the product's life cycle thus far. The updated mechanics for WU is one of the major sticking-points for even wanting to upgrade to Redmond's latest platform (but thankfully, there are improvements coming). No one likes their PC rebooting on its own while they're away from it - and many have lost work because of it random reboots required in an update. Despite that, Microsoft does try to give users and IT managers useful tools from time-to-time, with this latest feature targeting Windows Update that's at least sure to save many an IT guy or girl some level...
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