Last night I visited a friend who was experiencing a problem with Internet Explorer (IE) 7 on his Windows XP with Service Pack (SP) 2 computer, he had recently updated IE7 from the Microsoft update site and now every time he tried to view a web page he received the message “Webpage cannot be displayed”.

I reviewed his computer settings and all appeared to be OK, the problem was obviously associated with the IE7 update and the changes made to the file signatures. I remember reading a recent Microsoft knowledge base article about compatibility problems with older versions of antivirus and security software. Although his subscription was up to date he was still running an older version of his antivirus software.

From the knowledge base article this problem can occur with IE7 on Windows XP, Server 2003 and Windows Vista computers

To resolve the problem I decided to remove and reinstall a later updated version of his antivirus software after which IE7 opened and he was able to access web pages without a problem, the older version of the antivirus application was causing the conflict, it shows that you should not just subscribe and apply updates to your antivirus and security software, but should update the version as well if possible

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After downloading the Internet Explorer Cumulative Security Update for December 2007, some users running Internet Explorer (IE) 6 on Windows XP with Service Pack (SP) 2 have experienced an unexpected crash or hang up when trying to a visit a Web site giving the message “Internet Explorer has experienced a problem and needs to close”.

I personally have not experienced this problem first hand as I run both IE 7 and Firefox browsers, however if you have had this problem, visit the Windows Update site or download this patch. Once installed the problem should be resolved

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Happy holidays everyone. Several of you have recently asked where are our Windows Vista Courses and when will they be released.

I have been developing these courses for some time now, but have delayed their release in the hope that SP1 would be available, I have a few finishing touches that I want to undertake and expect both of them - The INTRO and MCTS course (which includes the INTRO course) - to be released late January 2008.

Unlike our previous courses, both will feature a downloadable PDF lab book with exercises. No written notes will be provided instead a more visual and detailed instructor led video simulation series will be available to assist with online self study, in responce to your feedback

Further courses covering Windows Server 2008 are also under development and should be available mid to late March 2008.

As soon as any new courses are available I will announce it here.

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Microsoft has now made available the Release Candidate (RC) of Windows XP SP3

Underlying Microsoft’s desire to push users away from XP towards Windows Vista , Microsoft said in a statement: “Windows XP SP3 does not bring significant portions of Windows Vista functionality to Windows XP.”

My understanding is that the latest XP update will come bundled with security fixes, some performance inprovements and will be compatible with the Network Access Protection (NAP) functionality of Windows Server 2008

Windows XP SP3 RC can be downloaded from here

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So you have installed the Windows Vista SP1 beta and now find that you have a watermark displayed in the bottom right hand corner of the screen stating “Evaluation Copy, Vista Build 6001”, you find it annoying and you want to remove this, then follow the steps shown below:

The first step is to set up Administrator permissions.

1. Open the folder : C:\Windows\System32\en-US and locate the file: user32.dll.mui.
2. Right click on the file and select Properties > Security Tab
3. Click on Advanced > Owner tab
4. Click on Edit and select and apply the owner of the file as the Administrators group then close the Properties window.
5. Now reopen the file Properties > Security tab
6. Select Advanced, double click the Administrators group and select “Allow” for “Full control” then apply and close the properties window.

The next step is to rename the existing user32.dll.mui file. This is to provide a backup copy (as the file will be replaced) should things go wrong

The final step is to download a “patched” version of the user32.dll.mui file and copy it to the same directory where the original file lived. The patched copy can be downloaded from the Keznews website. Once the file is downloaded and copied into its correct location – Reboot the computer.

On reboot the watermark will no longer be visible

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Following my previous post, Windows Vista SP1 Release Candidate (RC) is now available for public download from the Microsoft MSDN and TechNet Websites, this version of SP1 will no longer operate after 30 June 2008 and should be uninstalled prior to that date and replaced with the final version of Windows Vista SP1 when available (this should be in the early part of 2008).

If you would like more information about the service pack before trying it, Microsoft recently released a guide for IT professionals that lists the contents of Vista Service Pack 1, the document is 47 pages long! and includes more than 300 fixes, and Microsoft has stated that more may be added before the final release. You can download the document from here

Microsoft yesterday made available to TechNet and MSDN subscribers the Release Candidate (RC) of Windows Vista SP1. Vista Product Manager, Nick White wrote on the Microsoft Vista team blog that this will be available to the public next week via the Microsoft’s Download Center,

White stated “We also have information to share with IT professionals and system administrators regarding final plans for SP1: we’re on track to complete and release SP1 in the first quarter of 2008”.

SP1 is much-anticipated, as companies often wait until the first service pack is released, indicating that the product is believed to be stable before deploying the product on to the network.

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Windows Server 2008 release candidate one (RC1) is now available on the Microsoft Website for customers to download and evaluate.

The following links can be used to download a 30 day evaluation

• Windows Server 2008 Standard RC1 (x86 and x64)

• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise RC1 (x86 and x64)

• Windows Server 2008 Datacenter RC1 (x86 and x64)

• Windows Web Server 2008 RC1 (x86 and x64)

• Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems RC1

NOTE: Customers who register for a product key (using the Microsoft Website link above) or who already have a product key for Beta 2, Beta 3, or RC0 may use that product key to extend their 30-day trial of the Release Candidate software to the 30 June 2008.

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