Microsoft has released Windows Defender Offline, an offline antivirus tool, for PCs that are badly infected by malicious and other potentially unwanted software, including rootkits, to even get full access to the Internet.

The offline antivirus tool basically allows a user to boot their infected Windows computer system from a CD, DVD or USB flash drive. It uses the most recent definition update available to scan the PC for malicious and other potentially unwanted software. It then helps the user to disinfect the PC from the hard to detect threats.

This tool is particularly useful to remove certain kinds of malware that prevents the user from visiting any security or antivirus website. Many malicious programs uses methods to prevent users from accessing those websites to prevent detection and cleaning. Sometimes, they corrupt Windows files to prevent any kind of network access.

Wile announcing the release of Windows Defender Offline beta, Microsoft said, “Windows Defender Offline Beta can help remove such hard to find malicious and potentially unwanted programs using definitions that recognize threats.”

How to use Windows Defender Offline beta?

Follow the steps below to download and use Windows Defender Offline:

1. First, Download Windows Defender Offline Beta to create the CD, DVD, or USB flash drive on a PC that isn’t infected with malware.
2. You will need a blank CD, DVD, or USB flash drive with at least 250 MB of free space, run the downloaded tool, it will help you create the removable media.
3. Now, boot your infected PC using the Windows Defender Offline Beta media.
4. Scan your PC for malicious and other potentially unwanted software.
5. Remove any malware that is found by this tool from your infected PC.
6. Here’s a FAQ created by Microsoft for your help in using the tool. Complete system requirements is available here.

Earlier, we’ve covered Kaspersky Rescue Disk which helps you disinfect severely infected machines. These bootable tools are extremely useful for disinfecting the toughest to clean malicious or unwanted programs from the PC. But, keeping these tools updated is a very tedious task.

Windows operating system comes with a built-in firewall to protect the system. Windows Firewall like all other software firewalls available out there, protects your Windows system from unauthorized access while allowing legit network to pass through. Unfortunately, configuring the firewall settings is a daunting task for most users.

For all users who are looking for the ease of use in configuring Windows Firewall should check out Windows Firewall Notifier.

Windows Firewall Notifier is a freeware portable application for managing Windows Firewall rules in Windows 7 and Vista. Using this small portable application, configuring both inbound and outbound firewall rules is very easy.

After you have downloaded Windows Firewall Notifier and extracted it to your preferred location, launch it. It will enable the Windows Firewall, if not already enabled. It then blocks all inbound and outbound network connections for which no rules exist. Then it enables inbound connection notifications and outbound connections logging, if disabled. It will then show a notification balloon allowing or disabling incoming and outgoing connections, just like you see in many advanced commercial and freeware firewalls. From these prompts, you can choose to allow (temporarily or permanently) or block connections from being established by applications.

Upon clicking on the notification, you will see the following prompt on the screen with options to: temporarily allow the application, create a rule for the application, block the application once only, always block the application.

As you can see, the prompt also displays more information such as the application name, system path and target IP or hostname.

The application is intelligently built and creates a task in the Windows Task Scheduler. This task is basically linked to the firewall event log entries. Thus, whenever any network activity occurs for which no firewall rule exists, this task will automatically launch Windows Firewall Notifier. Thus this application will not even run in the background and hog any system resource.

If you ever felt that you do not need Windows Firewall Notifier anymore, you can be easily disable it by launching the executable file of the program again and selecting Yes. The program will also provided the option to disable the firewall and revert back the settings to default.

Windows Firewall Notifier is a must have application for Windows Vista and Windows 7 (compatible with both 32-bit and 64-bit edition) users who rely on the built-in firewall. It is available as a free download from the developer’s website.

Windows Firewall is a built-in, host-based, stateful firewall that is included in Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows XP with Service Pack 2 and later, and Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 and later. Windows Firewall drops incoming traffic that does not correspond to either traffic sent in response to a request of the computer (solicited traffic) or unsolicited traffic that has been specified as allowed (excepted traffic). Windows Firewall helps provide protection from malicious users and programs that rely on unsolicited incoming traffic to attack computers. In Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, Windows Firewall can also drop outgoing traffic and is configured using the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security snap-in, which integrates rules for both firewall behavior and traffic protection with Internet Protocol security (IPsec).
Microsoft Technet

Microsoft releases new themes for Windows 7 users occasionally. Up until now, Microsoft has already released 140+ themes in 9 different categories. The categories includes (in alphabetical order): Animals, Art, Automotive, Branded, Games, Holidays and Seasons, Movies, Nature, Places and Landscapes. Before downloading, you can preview themepacks for Windows 7 using Bing Visual Search. Windows 7 themes can only be used in Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate editions.

We are starting a new “Hive-Five Friday” series, where we will pick the best five of anything related to tech or everyday computing and write about it. For this week, we have selected the best 5 themepacks for Windows 7 which will keep your desktop lively.

Below you will find the themepacks, some overview of them, links including the preview of the theme pack, download, etc.

1. Angry Birds Windows 7 Themepack

They have no wings. Their eggs have been stolen by pigs. So, yeah, they’re pretty angry. Contemplate their mood at length with our free Angry Birds theme for Windows 7.

Angry Birds Theme for all fans of the most popular game available to almost all platforms!

Details | Preview | Download

2. Naruto Shippuden 5 Windows 7 Themepack

Naruto in prison? The manga and anime star finds himself incarcerated and at the mercy of the master criminal Mui in Naruto Shippūden 5: Blood Prison. This free theme for Windows 7 features a series of wallpapers from the movie. A must for the discerning Naruto superfan!

For all Naruto fans out there, official Naruto Shippuden 5 theme pack!

Details | Preview | Download

3. Transformers 3 Windows 7 Themepack

A mysterious event from the past erupting into the present. A war so big it threatens the entire Earth. This time, the Transformers alone won’t be able to save us. Celebrate the release of Michael Bay’s new Paramount Pictures release Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon in 3D—starring Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky—with this free theme for Windows 7.

Transformers 3 official theme pack for Windows users!

Details | Preview | Download

4. Echoes of the Past Windows 7 Themepack

Time-travel back to the Age of Steam with a treasure-trove of antique images bathed in a golden Victorian light. A free theme for Windows 7.

One of the best theme pack and one of our favorites too!

Details | Preview | Download

5. GTGraphics Windows 7 Themepack

Send your desktop to the furthest reaches of the universe with these fantastic photorealistic images of distant planets and outer space events by GTGraphics in this free Windows 7 theme.

For satisfying your Sci-Fi thirst!

Details | Preview | Download

That’s all for this weeks Hive-Five Friday! We hope you will enjoy these themepacks as much as we do. Share your favorite themepacks with us below and tell us how much you like these.

P.S. What do you want to see in the next Hive-Five Friday? Share with us below and let us know. We will love to write about it.

Microsoft’s upcoming operating system Windows 8 is coming with a unique feature called “System Reset“. System Reset will let users restore Windows 8 to factory defaults. This feature will save a lot of time for system administrators and users alike, and will save you from having to reinstall Windows.

RefreshPC is a free program developed for Windows that offers similar system reset option to current Microsoft Windows operating systems. Though this freeware application will not restore the operating system like Windows 8′s “System Reset” feature, but it will restore only a few sections of the operating system.

RefreshPC will be handy for users, who love to experimenting with Windows Registry settings and system services. Another example would be users who have used Windows system optimizer and have caused more harm to the system than good. Malicious virus, spyware, trojan attack that changed critical system settings can also be restored back to default after cleaning it using your favorite antivirus.

After you have downloaded RefreshPC, you need to install the program and create a System Restore point (recommended). The program than detects your operating system and version, and displays the information. You will find only a single button that will let you restore the settings to their factory defaults when clicked on.

RefreshPC will do the following:

The freeware application is compatible with all 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows operating system, from Windows XP to Windows 7.

Download RefreshPC for refreshing your Windows back to defaults.

Microsoft released Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) in February 2011. Now, Microsoft has made available Windows 7 ISO images integrated with SP1.

Earlier, we have provided official DigitalRiver direct download links of Windows 7. But, you had to download and run Service Pack 1 separately (or through Windows Updates) to update your Windows 7. If you want to slipstream SP1 into Windows 7 installation DVD, so that when you reinstall Windows 7, you don’t need to again download SP1 separately, you can now stop searching. You can now download Official Windows 7 SP1 integrated ISO images directly from Digital River Servers, who are the official partners of Microsoft for distributing Windows 7.

Downloading the files from Digital River is absolutely legal and free as Microsoft uses them as an official download channel. However, without obtaining a legally obtained product key, you will be able to run Windows 7 installation for 30 days. After 30 days, Windows 7 needs to be activated, or the evaluation grace period be reset. If you already own a key, you can activate the ISO you will download from Digital River.

You can very easily be convert the downloaded ISO image into universal Windows 7 editions installation media. FYI, the x86 is the 32-bit edition and the x64 is the 64-bit edition. All the links below are English (USA) language.

Download Windows 7 Integrated SP1 ISO Images

Windows 7 Home Premium x86 SP1 ISO

X17-24208.iso (bootable)

Windows 7 Home Premium x64 SP1 ISO

X17-24209.iso (bootable)

Windows 7 Professional x86 SP1 ISO

X17-24280.iso (bootable)

Windows 7 Professional x64 SP1 ISO

X17-24281.iso (bootable)

Windows 7 Ultimate x86 SP1 ISO

X17-24394.iso (bootable)

Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1 ISO

X17-24395.iso (bootable)

After you have downloaded the ISO, you can burn it to DVD using any DVD writing software that supports writing disc images or double-click on the image if you are running Windows 7 already. [via]

Two years back on June 14th, 2009, we posted our very first welcome message here. We officially started our journey as a technology website, with our commitment to bring the most benefits for our readers, subscribers, fans, followers, sponsors and everyone involved on July 1st, 2009.

Since, then almost two years have passed and we have enjoyed every single moment of being with you all. As we are getting ready to start another new term of My Technology Guide, we bring to you the most anticipated giveaway of all times in the history of My Technology Guide. And on this auspicious time, what more can we think of giving away except a genuine license of Windows 7 Ultimate to one of our most valued and loyal reader.

With WinSpark Networks collaboration, we bring to you all, Windows 7 Ultimate License and Be Genuine Giveaway. Through this giveaway, you can win yourself a genuine license of Windows 7 Ultimate edition.

Before we talk about the rules for entering this giveaway, let us give a brief description of WinSpark. The website is exclusively devoted to tech thoughts on various Microsoft technology products, software reviews, how to’s and troubleshooting tips. Do visit them, you will definitely like the website and its great content.

Overview of Windows 7 Ultimate

Windows 7 Ultimate is designed for people who want it all. It gives you everything Home Premium and Professional offers, plus added security features and the flexibility to work in multiple languages. Create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. You can even watch TV programs for free, whenever and wherever you want.

How to enter Windows 7 Ultimate Exclusive Giveaway?

The rules are simple. Gain as much points as you can by performing any of the steps below, fill up the giveaway form and comment here.

Required Step, will earn you 200 points:

Subscribe for our email updates and don’t forget to confirm the subscription (served via Google FeedBurner)

Gain Points and Maximize your chances of Winning by performing the following steps:

Plus One us on Google. (10 points)

If you are on Facebook, Like our official Facebook page. (10 points)

Share this giveaway with your Facebook buddies and gain extra 10 points.

If you are on Twitter, Follow us and Retweet the following snippet. (20 points)

Get yourself a free #Windows 7 Ultimate License and Be Genuine : http://goo.gl/uGMih via @manekari @mytechguide

Answer this simple question and get 100 points:

Which windows 7 feature you loved the most?

Additionally, you can share about this giveaway with your buddies using the Share buttons below to gain extra 10 points for each action.

Update (22 June, 2011): You can increase your points by sharing on a daily basis, with one condition that you can share to respective services only once in 24 hours time span. For example, you can tweet about the giveaway only once in 24 hours.

The more points that you accumulate, better are your chances for winning!

Did we mention that if you are not into social networking that much, you can still take part and try your luck by simply being our email subscriber? Simply fill up the entry form below and don’t forget to answer the question.

Update (11 July 2011): We have disabled the entry form. We are not accepting any new entries. We will now validate the entries and will count the points. If you have shared about this in different channels but you have not commented about the shares in the comment section below. You can do so now. The winner will be announced after a week or so. We need at least this much time for all the validation of the huge number of entries. Best of luck to all the participants.

General Giveaway Terms and Conditions

Updated

1. No purchase necessary.

2. This contest is open worldwide.
3. Kindly use your genuine email id (used to subscribe to our email subscription) and full name for participating in this giveaway.
4. All entries must be made using the form on the giveaway page.
5. No responsibility can be accepted for entries that are lost, or which are not received for any technical reason.

6. The closing date for the giveaway is 10^th July, 2011.
7. If you win, we will notify you by e-mail.
8. If we do not get a response to the email within two weeks, the prize will be offered to a runner-up.
9. 
The prize is not exchangeable for cash or any other prize.

10. If, for any reason, an advertised prize is not available, we reserve the right to offer an alternative prize of equal or greater value.

11. Incorrectly completed entries will be disqualified. An entry which doesn’t follow the terms and conditions and our comments policy will be disqualified.
12. All federal, state, local, and other taxes on items won are the sole responsibility of the applicable winner.
13. Void where prohibited by law.
14. By entering, entrants certify that they meet all eligibility requirements.
15. By entering, winners also agree to all Terms and Conditions of MyTechGuide.org.
16. My Technology Guide holds the complete rights to change the Terms and Conditions without prior notice.
17. Our decision will be final, and no correspondence will be entered.

Play Fair and Be Genuine! Good Luck!

Microsoft through Connect has released a beta version of Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper. It is basically a system recovery software disguised as a recovery CD or USB application that Windows users can use to remove malware from a system. It can start an infected PC and performing offline scan to help find and remove rootkits and other advanced malware.

The security application can effectively remove viruses, trojans, rootkits and other forms of malware. In addition, the security application can be used if you cannot install or start an antivirus solution on your PC, or if the installed solution can’t detect or remove malware on your PC.

System Sweeper is available as a free download for both Windows 32-bit or 64-bit version users. Users will need an active Internet connection and CD or DVD to burn all contents, or a USB stick with at least 250 MB of space.

Download and run the application, it will help you to create the bootable media required to run the software on your PC.

Select the media you want to use for creating the System Sweeper recovery bootable disk.

After the bootable media is ready, to use it, users need to boot from the CD/DVD disc or USB device. Ordinarily, the bootable media is created on a computer that is not infected.

After booting, the tool will load and will offer options to scan the PC and recover it. It will load the Windows Preinstall Environment to run the Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper application for scanning and removing virus and malware from the infected system.

The security program requires Windows XP SP3 to Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit editions to work properly. If you have a 32-bit operating system, which is infected, then you need to download and install the 32-bit version. If your system is a 64-bit operating system, that’s infected, you need to download the 64-bit version of the recovery software.

Interested users can download Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper from the official project website.

Note: The standalone tool is not a replacement for an antivirus solution providing real-time protection; it’s meant to be used in situations where you cannot start your PC due to a virus or other malware infection. For free real-time antivirus protection against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software, download Microsoft Security Essentials or AVG or Avast.

Comodo Internet Security is a free, multi-layered computer security suite that keeps malware and hackers at bay while protecting your computer and private information. Comodo guarantees protection against viruses and malware by focusing on prevention not simply detection.

Comodo Internet Security Pro 2011 offers real-time protection against Viruses, Trojans, Adware, Spyware and other Malware threats. Other Antivirus products depend on signature updates alone but Auto Sandbox Technology means you’re protected from even unknown threats.

Features:

Firewall: Comodo’s Firewall consistently ranks among the highest in industry tests.

Defense+ Technology: Proactive protection to automatically isolate threats from suspicious files so they can’t cause harm actually preventing infections not just detecting them. Cloud based whitelisting of trusted publisher easily identifies a safe file and vendor.

Auto Sandbox Technology: To reduce interruption to the user, unknown files can only run in a secure virtual environment where they can’t damage Windows, its registry, or important user data.

Minimal Interruptions: Comodo Internet Security Pro 2011 relieves you of the responsibility of deciding whether to block or allow untrusted files – it makes the decisions for you. Game Mode suppresses operations that could interfere with a user’s gaming experience such as alerts, virus database updates or scheduled scans.

Spyware Scanning: Spyware Scanner detects and cleans malware infections in PC registry and disks.

Cloud based Antivirus: Cloud based antivirus scanning detects malicious file even if a user does not have up-to-date virus definitions.

Unlimited GeekBuddy Support: Expert support offering 24/7 live chat service to assist with everything from setup to virus removal and Windows issues at no additional charge.

Compatibility: Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP (32-bit and 64 bit versions available).

Normally, Comodo Internet Security Pro is priced at $49.99 for 1-year license. But now, Comodo is running a promotional giveaway program for all. Interested users can download a pre-activated full version of Comodo Internet Security Pro, valid for 1 year from the date of install, free of charge.

To grab 1-year FREE trial copy of the Comodo Internet Security Pro, simply click on the direct download link of the special setup installer:

cispro_1year_installer.exe (32/64 bit combined installer, 60 MB)

cispro_1year_installer_x86.exe (32-bit installer, 35 MB)

cispro_1year_installer_x64.exe (64-bit installer, 37 MB)

After downloading, install the security suite, you will find it to be valid for 365 days.

Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott has discovered a new feature in Windows 8, Aero Auto-Colorization. Microsoft Windows 7 users must have seen the new Personalization interface, which allows users to customize their desktops as they wished to. In Windows 8, the software giant has gone a few steps further by letting users customize the Aero elements to the fullest. Rafael and Paul found out that Windows 8 has a new ability to automatically configure the color of Aero elements, like the Start Menu, Windows Explorer windows, and the taskbar based on the desktop wallpaper which is set.

What this means is that whenever the desktop wallpaper changes, the Aero elements change their color to match it. This is a great feature as users will now see different colors as soon as the desktop wallpaper changes thus removing the monotonic look of only one color for the Aero elements all the time.

The ability to automatically color Aero based on the underlying wallpaper.

To make this change in Windows 8, users have to visit the Personalization interface, which basically is unchanged since Windows 7, and then click on Window Color. As you can see in the screenshot below, there’s a new option in the grid of window color swatches: Automatic. Click on this swatch and then click on the Save changes button.

Now, as soon as you rotate through different wallpapers, the window color will automatically change to match the color of the wallpaper (but do keep in mind that this effect only occurs in Aero mode only).

See some examples below (images credit: Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott)

Before this, they also revealed that Windows 8 will apparently be including its own PDF reader to be known as Modern Reader and the app utilizes the new AppX application package type.

modern reader - side by side

Now, before concluding this article, here’s something that Windows 7 users will love! A tiny app called Aura is available that lets Windows 7 users get Windows 8′s featured adaptive Aero colorization (Aero Auto-Colorization).

When the program is run, it sits in the system tray and automatically adjusts your Aero window borders to compliment your wallpaper.

In our earlier articles related to Windows 8, we have posted a number of leaked screenshots. In one of those earliest Windows 8 images, we saw Windows Live integration on the taskbar. In the far right corner, there’s a user tile displayed. Now, if you’d like to enjoy the same feature on Windows 7, simply download Taskbar User Tile from DeviantArt user AngelWZR.

Once you have installed Taskbar User Tile, your current picture will appear on the taskbar. Click on your profile picture, and a menu appears which allows you to log off, switch users, and access the control panel.

Note: This is an alpha release and it contains some bugs. Right now, the mod only works if your taskbar is displayed on the bottom of your Windows desktop.

Download Taskbar User Tile

BleachBit is an open source cross-platform system clean-up and privacy application for Windows and Linux operating system. Windows users do have the option of CCleaner, which recently got updated to support Internet Explorer 9 and Firefox 4. But what about Linux users who need to clean their Linux machine? Well, that’s where BleachBit comes in to fill the void. And the good thing about it is, it’s also available for Windows users alike.

BleachBit has added several new features to its latest version that make it an even better utility for removing unneeded/unnecessary files from your computer. On Linux systems, BleachBit can now remove swap files (in addition to swap devices). The Windows version has added the option to remove Windows Update uninstaller including hot fixes and Internet Explorer patches. It’s well worth checking out the full list of features.

Latest features introduced are as follows:

• Add command line option --preset which selects all the cleaners previously selected in the GUI.
• Specific to Linux
  • Support Thunderbird on openSUSE 11.3 thanks to Manfred Schwarb (LP#668231)
  • Fix wrong button label when adding folders for overwrite disk space and for whitelist (pointed out by jtarin)
  • When cleaning localizations, show warning to point user to configuration
  • Packagers: BleachBit will try to use the built-in json module on Python 2.6+ instead of simplejson, which is still required on Python 2.5.
• Specific to Windows
  • Import winapp2.ini files: the CCleaner community maintains winapp2.ini files with about 450 cleaner definitions. Just download a winapp2.ini file and place it in one of the BleachBit cleaner directories.
  • Internet Explorer: delete autocomplete passwords
  • Support registry keys in the HKCR (HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT) hive

Use BleachBit to:

• Free disk space
• Reduce the size of backups and the time to create them by removing unnecessary files
• Maintain privacy
• Improve system performance (by vacuuming the Firefox database, for example)
• Prepare whole disk images for compression (common for “ghost” backups and virtual machines) by wiping free disk space

How to use BleachBit to clean up the system?

Ubuntu users can simply click here to install it. Other Linux systems users can easily find BleachBit in their respective repostories, or download specific version made for your Linux distribution available at the official BleachBit’s website. Windows users can download standard installer version or portable version from here.

Ubuntu users will find it in their applications menu under “System“.

By default only the programs installed in the system will show up. You can now check the things you’re interested in deleting. BleachBit will inform you about the consequences of everything as you check items for cleanup. Once you’ve selected everything, click on “Preview” to see how much disk space you can save.

After being satisfied with the result, do check settings one last time before clicking on “Delete“.

So, in a sentence: read the descriptions, check the boxes you want, click preview, and click delete.

Advanced cleaning options provided are:

• Clear the memory and swap on Linux
• Delete broken shortcuts on Linux
• Delete the Firefox version 3 URL history without deleting the whole file–with optional shredding
• Delete Linux localizations: delete languages you don’t use.
• Clean APT for Debian, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and Linux Mint
• Find widely-scatted junk such as Thumbs.db and .DS_Store files.
• Execute yum clean for CentOS, Fedora, and Red Hat to remove cached package data
• Delete Windows registry keys–often where MRU (most recently used) lists are stored
• Delete the OpenOffice.org recent documents list without deleting the whole Common.xcu file
• Overwrite free disk space to hide previously files
• Vacuum Firefox, Google, Liferea, Thunderbird, and Yum databases: shrink files without removing data to save space and improve speed
• Surgically remove private information from .ini and JSON configuration files with deleting the whole file

BleachBit is a program that can save you a lot of hard disk space quickly, but be sure you know what you’re doing.

Do you have any tips for using this program more effectively or use any other app with similar or better functionality? Share them using comments below with us!

Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) has finally been officially released by Microsoft as scheduled beforehand. The RTW (Release to Web) version of IE9 is the final and stable RTM version, build 9.00.8112.16421.110308-0330. The build number indicates that IE9 is compiled, finalized and signed off on March 8, 2011.

You can download final stable version of IE9 from the official IE site, BeautyOfTheWeb.com.

Internet Explorer 9 adds many major features and includes many enhancements. These features are primarily divided into three major categories, viz., Fast, Clean and Trusted.

• Fast
  • Hardware acceleration to speed up graphics-heavy tasks like video streaming or online gaming.
• Clean
  • Streamlined design with compact user interface.
  • Pinned Sites for accessing frequently visited web pages directly from the taskbar on Windows 7 desktop.
  • Enhanced tabs browsing with ability to tear-off tabs out of Internet Explorer to open the tab’s webpage in a new window, and snap tabs for side-by-side viewing.
  • New Tab page with listing of most often and frequently visited webpages.
  • Search in the address bar with search suggestions support.
  • Notification Bar appears at the bottom of Internet Explorer.
• Trusted
  • Download Manager with ability to pause and restart a download.
  • Add-on Performance Advisor
  • Tracking Protection to limit the browser’s communication with certain websites to help keep information private.
  • ActiveX Filtering.

IE9 is not supported on Windows XP. Installing IE9 will automatically replace and remove the existing installation of Internet Explorer. Uninstalling IE9 should automatically rollback to the earlier version that was installed. IE9 is available for Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 (SP1 optional), Windows Server 2008 SP2 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (SP1 optional).

You can also directly download Internet Explorer 9 from the links given below.

Direct Download Internet Explorer 9 (32-bit and 64-bit IE9) Offline Setup Installers

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2: IE9-Windows7-x86-enu.exe (x86 English Full Installer)
Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2: IE9-Windows7-x64-enu.exe (x64 English Full Installer)

Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008: IE9-WindowsVista-x86-enu.exe (x86 English Full Installer)
Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008: IE9-WindowsVista-x64-enu.exe (x64 English Full Installer)

Microsoft’s February Patch Tuesday was very critical with 12 updates fixing 22 vulnerabilities, out of which three are 0-day vulnerabilities. The bulletins address issues in Windows, Internet Explorer, Office, Visual Studio and IIS. March in comparison with last month is fairly quiet month for Patch Tuesday patches. This month’s Patch Tuesday will have just three bulletins going out, two for Windows operating system and one for Groove 2007 users. These three bulletins are going to patch a total of four vulnerabilities.

Out of the two bulletins for Windows, one bulletin rated critical; the Groove bulletin and the other Windows bulletin rated as important. All three bulletins “may” need a restart after installation.

As ever, Microsoft has issued no information about which publicly disclosed vulnerabilities–if any–will be included in the patches. The critical rated bulletin will fix a flaw in Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 systems. The second bulletin, rated important, will fix a flaw in all supported versions of Windows, including Server products. The third bulletin affects Microsoft Groove 2007 SP2 product. All three bulletins marked as Remote Code Execution exploits. However, confirmation of this is not possible until the patches are released next week.

Microsoft seems to have missed to patch Internet Explorer ahead of next week’s Pwn2Own hacker contest. It’s not yet clear whether Microsoft has failed to patch the MHTML vulnerability before the Pwn2Own hacker contest, which kicks off next week in Vancouver, Canada. The Register reports that both IE browser rivals Mozilla and Google patched Firefox and Chrome earlier this week in preparation of the event. The MHTML vulnerability affects Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and all supported Windows Server releases. The vulnerability exists due to the way MHTML interprets MIME-formatted requests for content blocks within a document. It is possible for this vulnerability to allow an attacker to run script in the wrong security context. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could inject a client-side script in the user’s Internet Explorer instance.

The bulletins will be released on Tuesday at 10:00am PST. Microsoft will as usual host a webcast to address customer questions on the security bulletins on March 9, 2011, at 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada). You can get more information at Microsoft Security Bulletin.

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) is an important update that includes previously released security, performance, and stability updates for Windows 7. Installing SP1 helps keep Windows 7 up to date, but if you encounter a problem with hardware or a program after installing the service pack, you might want to temporarily uninstall it to troubleshoot the problem.

In this article, we will show you how to uninstall Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1). The process is simple and you can do it by using the Programs and Features or using the Command Prompt.

Uninstall SP1 using Programs and Features

1. Click the Start button, next click Control Panel, click Programs, and then click Programs and Features.

2. Click View installed updates link present in the left hand side.

3. Click “Service Pack for Microsoft Windows (KB 976932),” and then click Uninstall.

   

4. It’ll ask for confirmation, click on “Yes” button.

Note: If you don’t see Service Pack for Microsoft Windows (KB 976932) in the list of installed updates, your computer likely came with SP1 already installed, and you can’t uninstall the service pack. If the service pack is listed but grayed out, you can’t uninstall the service pack.

Uninstalling SP1 using the Command Prompt

1. Click the Start button, and then, in the search box, type Command Prompt or cmd. In the list of results, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

2. Type the following: wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:976932

   

3. Press the Enter key.

Note: If you’ve used Disk Cleanup since installing SP1, the backup files needed to uninstall the service pack might have been deleted from your computer. To remove the service pack, you’ll need to reinstall Windows 7. If you installed SP1 yourself, you can uninstall it. However, if your computer came with SP1 already installed, it can’t be uninstalled. [source]

But, If you still is brave enough and want to delete the backup files read here.

Microsoft has made Service Pack 1 RTM publicly available to all Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 users. It was already announced earlier that the public downloads of SP1, Build 7601.17514.101119-1850 will go live on February 22nd, 2011.

This is the first service pack upgrade for both Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, but the changes that SP1 brings to both the platforms is quite different. SP1 is considered just a minor upgrade to the Windows 7 client, with no new features being added, and the focus being placed on introducing hotfixes, optimizations and patches. While, SP1 for Windows Server 2008 R2 is bringing in two new features: Dynamic Memory and RemoteFX, about which we have already discussed in our early posts.

MSDN and TechNet subscribers, as well as business customers with Volume License agreements have already received access to the SP1 build since last week. And the week before that, Microsoft announced the release to manufacturing (RTM) of the service pack as well as the fact that OEMs had started receiving it.

As always, Microsoft will make available Windows 7 SP1 RTM for download through the Download Center. From where, users can easily download SP1 and upgrade their copies of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 manually. SP1 will also be made available through the Windows Update, which is the best way for end users to upgrade to SP1. When users upgrade their copies of Windows through Windows Update, the service pack downloaded and deployed is tailored specifically for their machine and the existing copy of Windows. Also, when you are downloading the standalone installers (or Network Installation Packages), they are generally much larger in size when compared to the Windows Update packages.

Download Link Windows 7 SP1/Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (via Microsoft Download Center)

Direct Download Links to Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) RTM

Direct Download Link: 7601.17514.101119-1850_Update_Sp_Wave1-GRMSP1.1_DVD.iso (1.9 GB)

Direct Download Link: windows6.1-KB976932-X86.exe (32-bit) (538 MB)

Direct Download Link: windows6.1-KB976932-X64.exe (64-bit) (865 MB)

Do not click download if you are updating just one computer: A smaller, more appropriate download is now available on Windows Update. If Windows Update is not offering you the option to install the service pack, see KB 2498452. If you are encountering a problem when installing the service pack from Windows update, see Troubleshoot problems installing a service pack for Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2.

Steps to take before installing Windows 7 Service Pack 1 from the Microsoft Download Center
If you choose to install Windows 7 SP1 from the Microsoft Download Center Web site, there are steps that you can take to make sure that you have a good experience when you install the service pack. This article, KB 2505743, provides some suggestions to improve your experience when you install Windows 7 SP1 from the Microsoft Download Center Web site.

In order to download and install Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 you must currently have a Release to Manufacturing (RTM) version of Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 already installed.

If you have previously installed a pre-release version of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 on your machine, you must uninstall that version before installing SP1.

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 is available for installation in the same languages made available at original launch of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Windows 7 SP1 is now available through Windows Update:

It is recommended that you install Service Pack 1 through Windows Update. The download size is less when compared to the executable or ISO files (linked above) and the service pack is tailored according to your PC. In our case, WU just downloaded 60 MB to install SP1.

Microsoft provides help on installing service pack using the different methods here.

Symantec has released version 5.0 of its Norton 360 suite. Symantec calls Norton 360 v5, “the industry’s fastest, most effective all-in-one security suite.” Norton 360 includes backup and tune-up features along with security, which makes it a complete-suite.

The user interface of Norton 360 is different from that of Norton Internet Security 2011 but it offers all the same protective technologies offered in NIS 2011. Norton 360 version 5 features: Insight, which uses anonymous software adoption patterns of Symantec users to automatically identify and block new malicious software; SONAR 3, which monitors running applications for suspicious behavior to identify new attacks, crimeware and other threats designed to evade traditional detection; and Norton Power Eraser and Norton Bootable Recovery Tool, which offer detection and repair technology that enables consumers to clean up previously infected computers.

One of the additions in Norton 360 v5 is the Norton Control Center. This part is already seen in Norton Internet Security 2011 and Norton AntiVirus 2011 which offers a direct view into Norton Safe Web, Norton Online Family, and the new Norton Cybercrime Index. The index uses statistical modeling based on information gathered from Symantec and other sources.

Another impressive feature is Norton Safe Web Social Media Scanner which lets you check your Facebook Wall and News Feed for bad links and other threats from within your Norton Control Center.

Norton 360 version 5.0 is available directly from Symantec and from major online and offline retailers. Its $79.99 price includes three licenses and 2GB of online storage. For $99.99 users can upgrade to the premium edition, which features 25GB of online storage (up from 10GB with version 4). All users with a current Norton 360 license are eligible for a free upgrade.

If are a new user and want to test Norton 360 v5 before buying, Symantec is providing free 3 months (90 days) trial license. To download Norton 360 v5 with 90 days free trial subscription, visit the promotion page here.

Click on the button, Try FREE 90 days and download the setup which is pre-activated with free 3 months subscription.
You can also download the setup by using the direct download link below:

Download Norton 360 v5: N360_5.0.0.125_MS_LOEM_MRF1441_5671.exe

If you want to try Norton Antivirus 2011 for 90 days instead of Norton 360 v5, you can get it from the same promo page above or use the direct download link below:
NAV_18.1.0.37_MS_LOEM_MRF1325A_5452.exe

Windows and Mac users know WinZip for their compression utility. WinZip Computing, a Corel company is expanding its product portfolio beyond compression and encryption with the debut of the WinZip System Utilities Suite. A complete collection of easy-to-use and affordable PC utilities that helps keep computers stable and running at peak performance.

WinZip System Utilities Suite offers powerful system tools to fix common problems, improve system stability and rev up your computer’s speed. Designed for easy, automated operation, and it provides everything you need to restore the zip to your PC. It automatically performs regular maintenance, reducing the likelihood of common problems like crashes, system errors and reduced speed.

WinZip System Utilities Suite is composed of about 20 different system utilities to improve computer performance. Just like the earlier system utility reviewed by us, TuneUp Utilities 2011, WinZip System Utilities Suite’s different tools are nicely organized into one single “launcher UI.” You can even access these tools separately from not just the menu options within the “launcher UI” but from its own separate Start Menu entry, which is again nicely organized. Each utility is having its own individual user interface thus you can directly open only the utility which you want to.

Even though with 20 different system utilities, WinZip System Utilities Suite may seem very complex for novice users but it isn’t at all. Thanks to the master launcher UI, which offers you one big button “Start Smart PC Care” to optimize your computer system. The idea behind this single click optimization is that this would be the first thing new users would run, and once that’s done, they could simply use the separate tools as needed to further optimize specific aspects of their Windows PC.

Smart PC Care is a general PC health tool that performs the following vital system jobs with one simple click:

• Clean junk data and free up disk space
• Defrag your hard disk for optimized performance
• Clean hidden privacy-exposing traces
• Scan for outdated or missing drivers
• Clean registry errors
• Optimize your registry for better performance

Click on the screenshots below for an overview of how Smart PC Care works in our test run on our computer and how it optimized our system:

Other utilities included are:

• Registry Cleaner – Scan for and clean registry errors
• Registry Optimizer – Organize your registry for better performance and a faster computer
• System Cleaner – Remove junk data and free up disk space
• Disk Optimizer – Defrag your hard disk for optimized performance
• Disk Tools – Check your hard drives for file system and disk errors
• Disk Explorer – Review disk usage by files and folders
• Memory Optimizer – Free unused allocated memory for better system performance
• Driver Updater – Automatically download and install the latest drivers required by your system
• Game Optimizer – Optimize for game play to reduce freezing, crashing or interruptions
• Privacy Protector – Clean hidden privacy-exposing traces
• Secure Delete – Permanently delete confidential data so that it cannot be retrieved
• Secure Encryptor – Password-protect your personal files from unauthorized access
• Undelete – Recover accidently deleted data
• Backup Manager - Back up your important files and documents
• System Files Backup and Restore System Files – Back up and restore important system files
• PC Fixer - Fix common problems instantly
• System and Security Advisor – Fine tune your system settings
• Duplicate Files Remover - Remove unneeded duplicate files
• Startup Manager – Remove unnecessary programs to improve the speed of system startup
• Uninstall Manager - Remove unnecessary programs and free up disk space

Designed for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, WinZip System Utilities Suite is available for $39.95(USD) for a single license. For a free scan, users can download the WinZip System Utilities Suite to identify issues that may be affecting the performance and reliability of their PC.

10-license giveaway of WinZip System Utilities Suite exclusively for My Technology Guide readers is coming up in our next update.

Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 9 RC (Release Candidate) which you can download using the offline direct download links given at the end of this article. The Release Candidate of Internet Explorer 9 is available now at www.BeautyOfTheWeb.com in 40 languages. There does not seem to be a need to uninstall a beta version before installing the release candidate.

Below, you can see what’s new in the RC since Beta:

Microsoft’s main change in Internet Explorer 9 RC is the addition of Tracking Protection. The new privacy feature that allows consumers to address their concerns about being tracked on the web. Internet Explorer 9 RC offers users a new opt-in mechanism to identify and block many forms of undesired tracking such as cookies, web beacons, advertisements and trackers. Tracking protection works by allowing users to create lists of sites that are protected from being tracked by other sites via cookies and other means. The first set of Tracking Protection Lists created by trusted organizations are now available on the Web. The ability for a site to determine that the user has expressed a wish to not be tracked (by turning the feature on) is inherent in the design of Tracking Protection.

Microsoft’s second security enhancement is the ability to block ActiveX controls. Internet Explorer 9 RC includes an opt-in “ActiveX filter” option. Microsoft has made it easy to “turn off ActiveX” for all sites and then re-enable it, site by site, as you see fit, furthering Microsoft’s commitment to security within its browser. The filter in RC is basic and doesn’t appear to allow for a per-site setting, just on or off.

Microsoft is expected to reveal the final version of Internet Explorer 9 at MIX 11 in April.

The official release notes are available, you can also read more about Internet Explorer 9 RC release here.

It’s available for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 and supports both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

Offline Direct Download Links of Internet Explorer 9 RC

• For Windows 7 (x86):

  http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/A/5/2A50895F-4BF1-4A68-837B-506AE8301E9D/IE9-Windows7-x86-enu.exe

• For Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (x64):

  http://download.microsoft.com/download/C/1/5/C154F0CF-4BC8-454D-A4E8-314682963937/IE9-Windows7-x64-enu.exe

• For Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 (x86):

  http://download.microsoft.com/download/C/1/7/C1754A31-1B2B-44F6-A51F-E7B2BB2E750E/IE9-WindowsVista-x86-enu.exe

• For Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 (x64):

  http://download.microsoft.com/download/3/7/7/377E5AD2-756A-4FFF-982F-78D5B411EC74/IE9-WindowsVista-x64-enu.exe

Change the language code, for instance from enu to esn for Spanish, ptb for Portuguese or deu for German, to download the browser in a different language or you can also download IE9 RC in other languages using following link:

Download IE9 RC in other languages

Microsoft said on Wednesday that Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 will be generally available for download on February 22. Microsoft blogger, Brandon LeBlanc, in a statement on Wednesday has confirmed this through Windows Team Blog.

Microsoft has officially handed off the final release (RTM) of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) to its OEM partners. MSDN and TechNet customers will receive SP1 on February 16, followed by a general web release (RTW) on February 22. The confirmed final build number of SP1 is 7601.17514.101119-1850 the same build that was leaked last month to file sharing websites.

Today we officially handed off the final release (RTM) of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) to our OEM partners. On February 16th Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 will be available for MSDN and TechNet Subscribers as well as Volume License customers. On February 22nd, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 will become generally available for folks to download via the Microsoft Download Center and available on Windows Update.

Service Pack 1 will include RemoteFX, which provides rich 3-D graphical experience for remote users. The service pack will also include a series of incremental updates, previously released on Windows Update for both Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1.

Two new features in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Dynamic Memory and RemoteFX, will enable advanced desktop virtualization capabilities. These features build on the comprehensive virtualization functionality already included in the Windows Server operating system.

Dynamic Memory, takes Windows Server’s Hyper-V feature to a whole new level. Dynamic Memory lets you increase virtual machine density with the resources you already have–without sacrificing performance or scalability. This increased density does not come at the expense of security, as is the case with other offerings in the industry. Dynamic Memory preserves Windows 7 security without compromising density.

RemoteFX is an exciting technology that lets you virtualize the Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) on the server-side and deliver next-generation rich media and 3D user experiences for VDI. RemoteFX is also enabling new low-cost ultra-thin client devices to enter the market. Together, these technologies will drive down the end-point cost and reduce endpoint power consumption to as little as a few watts.

Opera Software has released Opera 11.01 final version, which is an update of Opera 11. The latest updates fixes many security issues and improves overall stability of Opera, one of the popular web browser. This final version of Opera has come up after many snapshot releases and two RC (release candidates) updates. Opera 11.01 is a highly recommended update for every Opera 11 user.

The full change logs for Windows, Mac and Linux and FreeBSD are linked from the blog post announcing about the new version release.

The security issues fixed in Opera 11.01:

• Removed support for “javascript:” URLs in CSS -o-link values, to make it easier for sites to filter untrusted CSS.
• Fixed an issue where large form inputs could allow execution of arbitrary code.
• Fixed an issue which made it possible to carry out clickjacking attacks against internal opera: URLs.
• Fixed issues which allowed web pages to gain limited access to files on the user’s computer.
• Fixed an issue where email passwords were not immediately deleted when deleting private data.
• Fixed an issue which could cause the wrong executable to be used to display a downloaded file in its folder.

Users can update to the latest version of Opera web browser directly by clicking on Help > Menu > Check for Updates.

Users can also download the latest version of Opera directly from Opera Software.