Infoworld has released an article on how to restore backup files from Windows XP to Windows Vista.

First, the user has to go to a download page to download a utility which processes the restoration of the files. Next, a validation event occurs to ensure that the user is using a genuine version of Windows Vista. Then, you will be able to download the utility. The article writer for Infoworld encountered a problem on what to do next concerning about turning on the Removable Storage Management

He included a link in his article that him helped solved his problem.

Apple has posted a document on their website that every product that they had made for a Windows environment have not been updated to support Microsoft’s latest operating system, Vista.

The list of the softwares are:

- iTunes
- QuickTime
- Airport For Windows
- Bonjour For Windows
- iDisk utility
- AppleWorks for Windows

All of the above applications are compatible with Windows XP and older versions of Windows. Therefore, if you have Vista, do not use these programs at the moment. There are reports that programs such as the video and audio player, Quicktime, crashed Vista. If you have iTunes as your default audio player, change the default setting to switch to a different audio player.

Source: Dabcc

An event happened yesterday in which hackers had made an attack on thirteen root servers.

A botnet, which are computers that had been compromised, launched these attacks on the servers. John Crain who is the chief technical officer at ICANN said, “Two of the root servers suffered badly, although they did not completely crash; some of the others also saw heavy traffic.”

The root servers that he is talking about are maintained by the U.S. Department of Defense and ICANN. Crain added that, “It was a small attack, but it was focused and targeted at the roots.”

The attack only lasted for approximately 5 hours.

Source: Computerworld

Memtest86+ is a bootable, DOS based tool which thoroughly tests the RAM of your PC for any errors. If you computer occasionally hangs, reboots or keeps getting Windows stop errors (aka BSOD or blue screen of death errors) then give this a tool a shot to test your RAM. Once downloaded, just run the executable and it will create a bootable floppy disk with Memtest which will run whenever you boot the computer with the disk inserted.
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A test made by Virus Bulletin, which is an independent security certification body, shows that Microsoft’s OneCare does not detect or cannot stop thirty seven malicious programs. Among those programs are viruses, file infectors, and polymorphic malware. Fifteen security suites were tested against a set of malware.

John Hawes who is a technical consultant at Virus Bulletin notes “The tests conducted in our secure labs were against the most significant viruses and worms affecting real-world users. In these days of hourly updates, it’s always a surprise and a disappointment to see major products missing them.”

Microsoft had not yet made a reply about this test.

When you started out as a freelance, I bet you had all sorts of good ideas about how your customers would be able to reach you. Just in case that was a while ago, follow our reminder guide on how to ensure you are able to be contacted by your ever increasing client base, and what to do when you’re not actually going to be available.
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A software has been released to the public which lets people use the Wii Remote controller for the Nintendo Wii to be used on PCs with Bluetooth capability.

The cursor can be moved by tilting the Wiimote and a user can also turn on an infra-red function to increase their accuracy. The analog stick in the Wii Nunchuk can also be used if the user want a better control.

The force feedback on the Wiimote also works when it touches some hotspots.

With this program, users may use the Wiimote for activities such as playing point and click games and showing presentations,

Users can download the program here.

TGDaily has compiled a report about feedbacks from users who have upgraded their operating system to Windows Vista.

Below are brief summaries for some of the feedbacks

Installation - users reported that their computer seems to hang during the process of installing Vista.
Video Card Issues - one person reported that he had to remove his external video card since he sees black screen after a minute into the installation.
RAM Issues - many users reported that using Vista on their computer which has a 2GB RAM and a Core2Extreme processor are having slowdown issues. One person reported that the Aero interface almost takes all of the 1 GB of RAM in his friend’s PC.

Users who upgraded their Windows operating system to the new Windows Vista may experience compatibility issues according to a note which was posted on Apple’s website.

Some issues are:

- Purchases from the iTunes store may not work.
- When using the “Safely Remove Hardware” function, it may corrupt the iPod after a user removes the iPod.
- The contacts and calendars features may not sync with the iPod.

An update for the iTunes software which is expected to fix these issues will be released in a few weeks.

Visit Apple’s site for instructions on installing iTunes for Vista.

A report has been released that there is a flaw on the speech recognition function of Windows Vista.

“Shout hacking,” the term given to the flaw, lets an attacker run malicious programs on Vista by playing prerecorded commands. It is the first flaw of Vista since it’s public launch a few days ago.

The flaw is not dangerous unless a user plays a malicious audio recording through their desktop or laptop computers.

Microsoft recommend users to close media players if they noticed that it playing voice commands.