Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) Beta Unleashes Many Surprises (Mostly Trying to Install It )

IE 8 looks to Win the Browser War  (If anyone can install it) 

As a self confessed MS Fan boy (and official beta tester/hobbyist
since Windows 3.1), I was delighted when my regular Vista update showed KB936330
last December and a further review of it showed it to be Vista SP1,  I jumped
at the chance to install it.

I had no problems before it (on my new quad core PC) and no
problems after it so I am not sure what the point was;  but hey I now had SP1

WHOOHOO !!

Equally very recently when IE8 Beta made itself available I
equally looked forward to this new browser prize so I could be the one the 1^st
to see what the hype was all about (not that there has been much actually).
Then I was ‘ blessed’ with my 1^st surprise.

IE8 will not install on your version of this operating system.

(the scooby doo Shaggy? question bubble then enters my mind).

I know I have Vista, I know I have SP1, so what is the deal.
A quick search on the ‘Internets’ and forum checks showed nothing too early I
was. Oh great I am special for me once again.

I started to see others with the same problem (misery enjoys
company).
But no one had the answer (not the REAL answer).

The IE8 issued then showed up as a a fault saying you
installed a too early version of SP1.

I spoke to Micorsoft and the conversation kindo f went like
this

MS: Did I SP1 via an automatic update or manually.
Me: Definitely an update though I do mine manually (remembering my surprise on
seeing it)
MS: Oh no problem just reinstall Vista and all will be solved. HAVE A NICE DAY anything
else I can help you with ??
Me: (why does any vista support call just about end with oh well you need to
reinstall vista that will solve the problem).
I then asked a dumb question Riddle me this Microsoft …… (How can I tell if my
copy of SP1 is too early a version e.g. pre RTM) and thus the answer to the
problem I am having ??)
I mentioned to Microsoft that SP1 update was carrying with it the KB of 936330,
meaning an update of KB936330 was Vista SP1, but surely they would not release
the same KB for both a pre-rtm and an up to date version witohut allowing
someow to update itself.  I would assume they would have a new KB as an update
to the previous one (this is the MS way after all).
MS: Yes
Me:  Yes?  I just asked you 37 different questions yes could no cover them all.

MS:   Silence… um.. when did you install it…. (checking my control panel
updates field I determined it was 17 December 2007. Oh SP1 was not released
then..
Me: (getting it) Hmm, I installed it then…
MS: No you didn’t.

Me: (Got it) Damn, I was caught time travelling again.

So it appears MS has released a pre-RTM and a full release
of SP1 months apart without differentiating between them (both are KB936330) or
allowing an upgrade path between them (not the 1^st time).  But a
pain none the less.  

Confused Yet ?

If you installed SP1 via an update prior to 18 march 2008
you might have too early a version of SP1 to work with IE8. You need to
uninstall it.

Then install IE8, then reinstall the new SP1 via the download
center at Microsoft.com (shortcut)
or google  KB936330, but make sure you download the new version, it is only a
little over 430mb. (gulp).

Then once installed you will need to install loads and loads
of updates and have to restart your machine about 12 times. Then eventually your
machine will be up to date.

Oh how is IE8??
It gives you the option of making IE8 look and run like IE 7 otherwise…
It looks and acts like IE7 for all I can tell.

Time will tell.

 

 

Analysis: An Open GPhone? Dream On

The gPhone is about Developers.. Developers.. Developers.. Developers..

As big a fan of John’s that I am I think he misses a few big points, but in all fairness, it typifies the understanding from the majority of folks.

The phone world doesn’t rotate around the U S of A. Sorry John, but thank god they have a bigger agenda. The ongoing crap around the I-phone, much more digestible in Europe and even better here in Aussie world in Q1 2K8, when/if it releases here, typifies that.

So if you were making a mobile phone (or phones) today the market you would make it for folks where you have the largest market. That today is outside the USA, the numbers prove that.

Mention the word HTC to most Phone fan boys (like me), and salivation soon follows, however most in the US have not heard the name. They are one of the world’s largest phone producers globally, and make the majority of the worlds phones and until recently usually branded it as someone else’s. The Palm Treo 750 is a good example. They know the brands they make phones for :

O2, T-2, Vodafone , CHT , i-mate , Dopod , NTT DoCoMo, Qtek , Cingular 8525, AT&T, Swisscom , Siemens, SoftBank and others.

This whole thing points to no real standards and too many OS’s for handsets, too many for good 3rd party apps, it doesn’t make sense to have all the VHSs and Betamaxs .. it is stupid an evitable that there would be some consolidation of ideas.

As Steve Ballmer screeched and monkey danced some time ago..it is developers… developers.. developers.. developers. For global development, distribution, creativity and common sense to to flurish in the eons to come, a massive (yet suttle) change needs to occur… open source apps for phones, but offering (eventually) consistency.

Why would Google want to bring out 1 more phone when they can work on developing many more… via a single (but modular app) for ALL phones. The money is not in hardware.

A New Age Dawns.

For the first time in history, people are seeing Google for the 1^st time not on a PC but on a phone.

If you consider that the flavour of mobile phones now fits into 2 groups (everything or nothing). Everything can be PDA/camera/consumer email, business email, 3G, 4G, wi-fi, Internet(s), blutooth, sexy UI or group 2 just a Phone.

Then an open source open app idea makes sense.

I once pushed a view in the old days of selling the internet as IP over everything, everything over IP.

Now and always it has been about eyeballs and now that the next generation of folks will see the Internet(s) for the 1^st time not on a PC but on a mobile device, whomever can control mobile content and thus mobile APIs or the catalyst for those apps wins a chance to offer the masses social networking, like myspace, yourspace, facebook, I-google etc.

So this won’t work in the USA WRONG but if it was right who cares move on. Let the USA catch up later. It is behind now the much of the mobile world any how .

 

 

The original John Dvorák Story

 

<blog author> This high profile semi-anonymous pretentious now often senile author is known to have worked professionally in the ISP/Telco Space in the USA, UK, Europe, and Australia, for over 20 years. He has introduced countless new Internet, and Mobile Phone Projects, for the world’s largest Telco’s, and continues to do the same today. Now an alien in every country he visits or lives, if you use a fixed internet connection in the UK or Europe he introduced ‘it’ the product. If you are pissed off at business always on internet (non-dsl) in the UK it is his fault. 

 

 

10 Steps in install vista upgrade as full version (THE EASY WAY)

1 March 2007
Story Courtesy of  Lib Setag

Oops Microsoft, I did it again. Installed vista upgrade like a full version.

Ok, Ok I know you had read about a complicated trick, where you install vista upgrade in a funny way and wow it works.
All you want is a clean install and hey you even own a licensed copy of xp..good man (or woman).
But I accidentally did this a different and easier way and wow it really works, I duplicated it 3 times on 3 different machines (with 3 different licenses Microsoft).

 I was bound to mess up my install but what I found was even better.

 Here goes:

1) Installed your vista install as a clean full install (you can wipe your drive 1st if you like) not upgrade and go through the entire install per normal. Make sure you unclick the activate now, and untick get update boxes. Do not install your license key  yet.

2) Let it do it’s thing, reboot when asked etc. 

3) Once completed 100% then try to activate your key (it should fail) go to activiation, put in your LEGAL code.
It says this is the wrong version for your key…oops..

 4) Best install it again… install it and keep in the SAME partition.. again do NOT install your key in this part of the activation.  Keep all boxes unticked as before go through the install and reboot ready for it to work. 

5) It will say that the old version of windows will be renamed window.old..cool thanks

6)  once done rebooted and ready to roll go back to activation ent. oops says it is installed already..reboot computer..
Again… says it is being a duplicate number (DO NOT REBOOT)…do it again.. .

7)  After doing twice by accident… it worked.

Reboot

9) Delete window.old.

10) Done

 PS I called MS to ask about this after it worked  3 times and asked what I should do (being a moral citizen and everything).
There suggestion format c: reinstall xp then reinstall vista….Hmmm …not

I then escalated it and was told…we have no idea…

 Thanks Bill

Regards, Lib Setag

Vista Retailing: All versions On 1 DVD: Color Coded

Vista Retailing: All versions On 1 DVD: Color Coded

As you may have heard there are going to be a “few” versions of Microsoft Vista when it is finally released. Redmond this week start to lift some of the details for retailers. Some interesting ones to note are that all versions of Vista will be on the same DVD. This will enable upgrading by customers (and I imagine reduce costs). All customers will do is buy the version they want then and then if needed buy an additional upgrade license as they will already have the DVD.

Due to the confusion already showing of what version is what, all versions of Vista will be color coded.

Light Green-  Home Basic-
Dark Green-  Home Premium
Blue-            Vista Business
Platinum-      Ultimate Version

Europe will get 2 extra versions Home N and Business N offering no media player per the 2004 legal ruling against Microsoft.

The much awaited aero glass makes its debut in the Home Premium Version, Business offers faxing and other features but NOT Media Center. Microsoft is targeting the premium version to have 50% saturation.

news-knut.net

 

Microsoft Giving $300+ Office 2007 Training Videos Away FREE

It says they are $30 each, 10 or 11 of them. Not bad for free.
Worth every penny at least.

read more |

Is Your PC ready for Vista?

One of the biggest areas of speculation about Windows Vista is whether your system will be able to cope with it. Most of us have, by now, a fairly good idea of the basic hardware requirements to get a decent Vista system, but there has not been much detail to play with..until now

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Microsoft ships “Vista Industrial Design Toolkit”

The toolkit, which is delivered free of charge, contains a whole host of suggestions about how to build a PC that will fit with the look and style of Windows Vista. From color palettes to suggestions about how the power and reset buttons should appear, the kit basically describes Microsoft’s vision of what a “Vista PC” should look like.

read more | digg story

Call of Duty 3 - Close Quarters Combat VIDEO

This is gameplay footage of the upcoming Call of Duty. The close combat features are going to rock.

read more | digg story

AJAX based CD Cover site now adds DVDs (Great site)

Just type the name of a CD/DVD or artist in the searchfield below and Albumart.org will find lots of high quality CD and DVD covers within seconds!
This was for cd’s only before.

read more | digg story

Microsoft Fails to Ease Vista Fears Stock Prices Hit

On Thursday Microsoft failed to quash fears that a new version of its Windows software system would be further delayed, stirring concerns that a new technology cycle tied to the upgrade could be put on hold.

read more | digg story