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There's been talk for a while that Microsoft was going to make some big changes to Internet Explorer in the Windows 10 time frame, making IE "Spartan" look and feel more like Chrome and Firefox. win10whatsnext.jpgIt turns out that what's actually happening is Microsoft is building a new browser, codenamed Spartan, which is not IE 12 -- at least according to a couple of sources of mine. Thomas Nigro, a Microsoft Student Partner lead and developer of the modern version of VLC, mentioned on Twitter earlier this month that he heard Microsoft was building a brand-new browser. Nigro said he heard talk of this during a December episode of the LiveTile podcast. Spartan is still going to use Microsoft's Chakra JavaScript engine and Microsoft's Trident rendering engine (not WebKit), sources say. As Neowin's Brad Sams reported back in September, the coming browser will look and feel more like Chrome and Firefox and will support extensions. Sams also reported on December 29 that Microsoft has two different versions of Trident in the works, which also seemingly supports the claim that the company has two different Trident-based browsers. However, if my sources are right, Spartan is not IE 12. Instead, Spartan is a new, light-weight browser Microsoft is building. Windows 10 (at least the desktop version) will ship with both Spartan and IE 11, my sources say. IE 11 will be there for backward-compatibility's sake. Spartan will be available for both desktop and mobile (phone/tablet) versions of Windows 10, sources say. Spartan is just a codename at this point. My sources don't know what Microsoft plans to call this new browser when it debuts. The IE team hinted during a Reddit Ask Me Anything earlier this year that the team had contemplated changing the name of IE to try to get users to realize the much more standards-compliant IE of today is very different from older, proprietary versions of IE. Microsoft may show off Spartan on January 21 when the company reveals its next set of Windows 10 features. But my sources also aren't sure if Spartan will be functional enough for inclusion in the Windows 10 January Technical Preview and mobile preview builds that are expected to be available to testers in early 2015. It may not show up in the test builds until some point later, they say. Will Microsoft end up porting the Spartan browser to Android, iOS and/or any other non-Windows operating systems? I'm not sure. The IE team said a few months back that Microsoft had no plans to port IE to any non-Windows operating systems. But Spartan isn't IE. And these days, Microsoft is porting much of its software and services to non-Windows variants. So I'd say there's a chance that this could happen somewhere down the line .... Via: ZDNet

http://www.msfn.org/2014/12/31/lizard-squad-launches-ddos-tool-lets-anyone-take-online-services/ via: venturebeat.com

http://www.msfn.org/2014/12/31/lizard-squad-launches-ddos-tool-lets-anyone-take-online-services/

We recovered from some kind of DDOS attack.

Users report that the latest Windows 10 Technical Preview bricks HDDs. On the Microsoft Forums users complain that their HDD becomes unresponsive when they’ve installed build 9879 of Windows 10. The system doesn’t boot into Windows and gives an error message. Another user reports, “I’ve updated Windows Technical Preview to the latest build, everything was fine. I shut down but I forgot to do something on the computer. Then I’ve decided to power-up the machine again and got “SMART command failed” and Windows refuses to boot and hangs on a blinking cursor.” The issue is confirmed by an Microsoft employee who reports the culprit is a change to the HDD drivers. Microsoft has added a command that turns on the Power-Up in Standby (PUIS) mode used by Hybrid Hard Drives (SSHDs). The feature should save energy because the drive doesn’t wake up when power is applied, but only when it receives a specific command from the BIOS. Unfortunately the behavior is caused by two issues not every BIOS is able to send this command to the drive and Windows 10 Technical Preview has a bug that enables the PUIS feature on regular HDDs where it shouldn’t. The systems with BIOSes that do not support the spin-up command are unable to identify the drive during boot and thus unable to start Windows. Other systems are unable to find the drive after resuming from standby, causing the PC to freeze. The issue is confirmed to appear on systems with a SATA HDD, with a drive supporting PUIS running Windows 10 Technical Preview build 9879 with the default SATA driver and a BIOS that does not send the PUIS command after the system is powered on or resumed from standby. Users that have issues when waking from standby should install an update to Windows 10 Technical Preview while making sure the system doesn’t get in standby. Those that are affected by the bug that prevents the system from booting are advised to follow steps described here (second post) to disable PUIS on the HDD. VIA: myce.com

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Sony released “The Interview” online starting at 1:00 PM Eastern today, Christmas Eve. The movie can be now viewed on Google Play, YouTube, Microsoft XBox Video and Sony’s special website, SeeTheInterview.com. In a statement, Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Entertainment, said, “It has always been Sony’s intention to have a national platform on which to release this film.” He added that Sony ”never stopped pursuing as wide a release as possible for The Interview,” and that “it was essential for our studio to release this movie, especially given the assault upon our business and our employees by those who wanted to stop free speech.” Sony had pulled the movie form wide scale theatrical release after threats of “911 style” attacks at movie theaters. In a press conference, President Obama called that decision ”a mistake” as did numerous Hollywood celebrities. Sony has also decided to release it in theaters on Christmas day, but so far, only about 300 theaters have agreed to show it, compared to the 2,000 to 3,000 that would have shown it had it not been for the threats. VIA: Forbes

Sony is getting serious about bringing PlayStation-powered gaming to HDTVs regardless of whether or not you actually have a PlayStation—and not just Sony-made HDTVs, either. Sony and Samsung recently announced that the PlayStation Now game streaming service will land on select Samsung smart TVs in early 2015 in the U.S. and Canada. There's no word on whether you'll need a 2015 Samsung TV or if earlier models will work with the new service. Samsung should provide more details in January when the company demonstrates PlayStation Now running on its TVs during the Consumer Electronics Show. Why this matters: Similar to smartphones, smart TV makers are always trying to expand the capabilities of their hardware and improve their app catalogs. Until now, most TV makers have had to rely on mobile games like Angry Birds, but PlayStation Now is an ideal platform for any TV set since PlayStation games were originally designed for the large screen. Samsung may be just the first TV maker to offer PlayStation Now streaming as Sony looks to expand the service beyond its own devices. Like other apps available on Samsung TVs, PS Now will be a download from the Smart Hub. The only other requirement is that TV owners will have to purchase a Dual Shock 4 controller to play the games. Via: PC World

Should Microsoft sometimes support its expired OS for the greater good? Microsoft this week faced the strongest test of its resolve to leave Windows XP unpatched. A serious flaw that has lain undiscovered in every version of Windows since 95 was fixed in all supported versions of Windows, but not Windows XP, which stubbornly remains the world’s second most used desktop operating system. This is no ordinary bug, no trivial flaw. Rated as Critical by Microsoft itself, and scoring 9.3 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), the hole is about as serious as they come. If exploited, the flaw could allow attackers to take control of the user’s machine, potentially turning the PC into part of a massive botnet, for instance. The flaw hasn’t been exploited yet, but the IBM researcher who discovered it said it was “only a matter of time”. Given that Microsoft will likely already have patched the bug for those enterprises paying for extended support for Windows XP, would it not make sense to nip the threat in the bud and release an update for all Windows XP PCs? Microsoft doesn’t think so. “Microsoft no longer provides security updates for this operating system,” came the stiff-upper-lip reply from Microsoft’s press office, when I asked whether it intended to patch the flaw in Windows XP. “Our advice to customers is to migrate to a modern OS, like Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.” VIA: PC PRO

Windows 10 is a personal computer operating system developed by Microsoft as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems. Unveiled on September 30, 2014 as a successor to Windows 8.1, it is scheduled to be released in 2015, and is currently in public beta testing. First presented in April 2014 at the Build Conference, Windows 10 aims to address shortcomings in the user interface introduced by Windows 8 by improving the user experience for non-touchscreen devices (such as desktop computers and laptops), including a revival of the desktop Start menu seen in Windows 7, a virtual desktop system, and the ability to run Windows Store apps within windows on the desktop as well as in full-screen mode. Windows 10 will also mark the culmination of a plan by Microsoft to unify the Windows, Windows Phone, and Windows Embedded product families around a common internal core. Windows Technical Preview may be substantially modified before it’s commercially released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here. Some product features and functionality may require additional hardware or software. Important: Remember, trying out an early build like this can be risky. That's why we recommend that you don't install the preview on your primary home or business PC. Unexpected PC crashes could damage or even delete your files, so you should back up everything. If you want to stop using Windows Technical Preview and return to your previous version of Windows, you'll need to reinstall your previous version from the recovery or installation media that came with your PC—typically a DVD. If you don't have recovery media, you might be able to create a USB recovery drive. After you install Windows Technical Preview, you won’t be able to use the recovery partition on your PC to go back to your previous version of Windows. Download: Windows 10 build 9879 (Technical Preview Update)

On behalf of all of the MSFN team we wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May 2015 bring you prosperity and welfare, successes and sincere joy. Thank you for being with us this year. We hope that the year 2014 was successful for you, and that our sites were helpful in your daily activities. Happy Holidays!

New in GeForce Game Ready Drivers. The latest GeForce Game Ready driver, release 347.09 WHQL, ensures you'll have the best possible gaming experience for Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Elite: Dangerous Best gaming experience for Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Elite: Dangerous Supported Cards: GeForce 900 Series: GeForce GTX 980, GeForce GTX 970 GeForce 700 Series: GeForce GTX TITAN Z, GeForce GTX TITAN Black, GeForce GTX TITAN, GeForce GTX 780 Ti, GeForce GTX 780, GeForce GTX 770, GeForce GTX 760, GeForce GTX 760 Ti (OEM), GeForce GTX 750 Ti, GeForce GTX 750, GeForce GTX 745, GeForce GT 740, GeForce GT 730, GeForce GT 720 GeForce 600 Series: GeForce GTX 690, GeForce GTX 680, GeForce GTX 670, GeForce GTX 660 Ti, GeForce GTX 660, GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST, GeForce GTX 650 Ti, GeForce GTX 650, GeForce GTX 645, GeForce GT 645, GeForce GT 640, GeForce GT 630, GeForce GT 620, GeForce GT 610, GeForce 605 GeForce 500 Series: GeForce GTX 590, GeForce GTX 580, GeForce GTX 570, GeForce GTX 560 Ti, GeForce GTX 560 SE, GeForce GTX 560, GeForce GTX 555, GeForce GTX 550 Ti, GeForce GT 545, GeForce GT 530, GeForce GT 520, GeForce 510 GeForce 400 Series: GeForce GTX 480, GeForce GTX 470, GeForce GTX 465, GeForce GTX 460 SE v2, GeForce GTX 460 SE, GeForce GTX 460, GeForce GTS 450, GeForce GT 440, GeForce GT 430, GeForce GT 420 Operating System: Windows 7 32-bit, Windows 8.1 32-bit, Windows 8 32-bit, Windows Vista 32-bit Download: NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready Driver 347.09 WHQL

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Issues fixed: Internet Explorer 11 Copy/Paste Issue Facebook Profile Photos Not Loading Incoming Email Piping throws an error Terms of use link on registration broken All security patches since last released are bundled in this version Updates to Facebook Connect integration to support API Version 2.1

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http://msfn.org/2014/12/12/windows-7-users-urged-to-uninstall-broken-update-that-wreaks-havoc-on-software/

http://msfn.org/2014/12/12/wd-black2-dual-drive-2-5-120-gb-ssd-1-tb-hdd-kit-save-190-00/

Mea Culpa

http://www.msfn.org/board/forum/180-aero-glass-for-windows-8/

I closed it because it's too big and have huge impact on server database. Second reason for closing it is that Aero Glass got it's own forum and will be easy to follow questions or suggestions. There was no other reason for closing it. I'm sorry to hear that my decision disappointed you.