Windows OS & Internet Information Server (IIS) versions

Windows OS & Internet Information Server (IIS) versions

Version	Obtained from	Operating System
1.0	Included with Windows NT 3.51 SP 3 (or as a self-contained download).	Windows NT Server 3.51
2.0	Included with Windows NT Server 4.0.	Windows NT Server 4.0
3.0	Included with Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 3 (Internet Information Server 2.0 is automatically upgraded to Internet Information Server 3.0 during the install of SP3).	Windows NT Server 4.0
4.0	Self-contained download from www.microsoft.com or the Windows NT Option Pack compact disc.	Windows NT Server 4.0 SP3 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01
5.0	Built-in component of Windows 2000.	Windows 2000
5.1	Built-in component of Windows XP Professional.	Windows XP Professional
6.0	Built-in component of Windows Server 2003.	WIndows Server 2003
7.0	Built-in component of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.	Windows Vista and WIndows Server 2008
7.5	Built-in component of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.	Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2
8.0	Built-in component of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.	Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012

- From here

- wong chee tat :)

Operating Systems

- http://xkcd.com/1508/

- wong chee tat :)

"dirty" drive in xp machine

Encountered an old win xp machine having "dirty" drive and then the said machine simply crashed.

How do you resolve?

Method 1:

First, check whether if the machine can be booted in windows or not.

If the machine is able to boot in windows, then perform a scandisk or chkdsk by invoking in the command prompt or simply use the windows check disk / scandisk.

If unable to boot in windows, then we need to check for the error messages and work on from there.

Then restart the machine and see if there any more problems.

There is also another method to do too:

Method 2:

Power on the machine, then go to F8 to go to Advanced startup options.

Select safe mode with command prompt. You will see the display of the windows system files being loaded.

After a short while, you will encounter a command prompt. Invoke this: chkdsk c: (if you have d drive, then chkdsk d: )

chkdsk or simply check disk is a system tool to verify the file system integrity on hard drives, etc and fixes logical file system errors.

And let the chkdsk tool run and if it needs to fix, then run chkdsk /f

Then restart your machine to see if there are any problems.


- wong chee tat :)

Broken Windows, Broken Wireless

Someone came to me with an interesting problem:

The laptop has a problem with the wireless. Whenever anyone tries to connect to wireless, Windows 7 simply eeks out and produces Blue Screen of death (BSOD or simply the dread Blue Screen). Connecting to lan cable works. How to resolve that? And what is the problem?

Let us do this way:

On and off the wireless button. We can see that the laptop can detect the wifi signals - that is good.

Test that out: I'm using my phone as a hotspot and tries to connect to the laptop. Once it got my password or passphase, and before it even connects, the dread Blue Screen comes.

What does that info from Blue Screen says?
STOP 0x0000007F ( 0x0000... ....)

Googling provide some hints:
• Low-level hardware corruption, such as corrupt memory (RAM)
• Mismatched memory modules
• A malfunctioning motherboard

Other links point to problematic software programs.

Suspecting driver issue, but reinstalling the correct driver doesn't help. It crashes again with the same Blue Screen. So what is next? What options do we have?
Lets us zoom in....

So, is it a hardware or software problem?
Suddenly, I though of an idea. Why don't we test Linux out and there is no harm (and fun) testing ? Pump in Linux live cd and then connect to my hotspot. If it is able to detect and connect to my hotspot, then we know that there could be problem with Windows and the probably some corrupted software drivers. If it is a hardware issue, then connecting via Linux would likely fail as well. Then we can get the hardware replaced. That would simplify matters. Tested and able to get connected.

Format it and reinstall Windows 7 and start from scratch. Tested if is able to connect to wifi. It does! Cheers!

References:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/137539
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822789


- wong chee tat :)

I want my XP!!!!

Happened to look at my old drafts in blogger and I came across this draft which was written and dated on Jan 9th 2010. Wow! That was some 4 years ago draft! Kind of ancient by today's time....

What was so interesting about this 4 year old draft? Let us see:

"Some days ago, I encountered one guy who said that his laptop running Windows 2000 and it run very slowly during boot up and when using applications. He asked if is possible to upgrade to Windows XP.

The first thing is to check the laptop hardware specifications. The laptop is a typical laptop having Intel P4 CPU but with only 256Mb of ram! Can it run Windows XP?

Yes, since it met the minimum requirements.

Use the some of the physical hard drive space as a virtual ram seems good at least temporarily. But if that laptop can be added more physically ram, of course it will run faster. There are also other ways to make it run faster.

And changing to a faster hard drive as well as checking what kind of programs that are being loaded in the background (it consumes memory too) and check that can those programs can be disabled to allow Windows to load faster?

Also, periodically defragging the hard drive will have a slightly better performance too!
 
Finally, I will also recommend him to try some linux distros such as Ubuntu and others of Damn Small Linux if he is interested too. Well, for fun, adventure and it does not really consume lots of memory."

That was 4 years ago! Looking back and I realized there were many changes from that time till now like ssd (sloid state drive), Windows XP / Vista OS era changed to Windows 7 and now Windows 8 and many others that I am simply would not be able to fill up in this post here.

Looking forward in 2014 and maybe beyond, there are some hardware that I would like to get my hands on:

- new hard drives (3TB and higher) for the file servers
- workstation or high end laptop for testing and development
- maybe a giga switch
- maybe a high end router which I will be flashing open sourced firmware like dd wrt and / or others and of course I will be using the firmware to make more changes too

Hopefully my dear readers can help me to get my hands on the stuff I mentioned above!

- wong chee tat :)
 

When Windows XP Dies, So Does Its 'Microsoft Security Essentials'

• By David Murphy
• January 11, 2014 02:01pm EST

Bad news for those still planning to cling to their legacy Windows XP systems after the operating system's official "death" on April 8, 2014: While the OS will certainly work come April 9, you're going to start heading into the wild, wild West of viruses, exploits, and other unfriendly computer hijinks.
Not only is support for the operating system ending, but you will also lose your ability to benefit from Microsoft's free antivirus and anti-malware app, Microsoft Security Essentials.
Microsoft's official, end-of-support date for Windows XP shouldn't come as news for anyone who has touched a computer in the past five years or so. In fact, we can recall a pledge the company made back in 2008 that it would support Windows XP all the way through 2014.
Well, almost all the way. April 8 is the official cutoff, which means that Microsoft will publish a grand total of zero automatic updates for the operating system after the fact. You'll still be able to activate your version of Windows XP, you just won't receive any new patches – and likely won't be able to find any updated drivers – for your operating system. Companies will still be able to pay Microsoft for additional support after-the-fact; normal users will almost certainly be out of luck.
Worse, Microsoft Security Essentials is going away as well. And we don't just mean that Microsoft won't be updating the app with any new virus definitions or signatures. According to Microsoft's official "end of support" site for Windows XP, it will no longer provide Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows XP.
"If you continue to use Windows XP after support ends, your computer will still work but it might become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Also, as more software and hardware manufacturers continue to optimize for more recent versions of Windows, you can expect to encounter greater numbers of apps and devices that do not work with Windows XP," reads Microsoft's description.
A quick trip over to Net Applications reveals that Windows XP is still the second most-used operating system among all visitors to the more than 40,000 sites the company tracks worldwide (around 160 million unique visits per month). Its share of just under 30% or so stomps that of Windows 8, at just under 7%; Windows 8.1, at just under 4%; but falls short of the approximately 47% share enjoyed by Windows 7.
Still, it's pretty clear that there are a wee more than a handful of users still clinging to Windows XP with but a few months to go in the operating system's official lifecycle. While companies like Google and Mozilla have pledged to continue to support the OS after Microsoft's cutoff — and, yes, you can still get an antivirus app for XP that isn't Microsoft's (for now) — it's anyone's guess as to how long Windows XP will hold up after April.


- wong chee tat :)

Channel NewsAsia app set to extend reach with Windows 8

Channel NewsAsia app set to extend reach with Windows 8
By Leong Wai Kit | Posted: 25 October 2012 2339 hrs
 
SINGAPORE: Channel NewsAsia is set to extend its reach with Microsoft's new operating system Windows 8, which was launched on October 26.

Microsoft, which is targeting 400 million customers worldwide, is hoping to meld the fun and convenience of a tablet with the power and productivity of a PC.

One of the features of Windows 8 is its touch-screen navigation.

It also allows users to tap specific spots of a photo to unlock the device.

More than 50 devices will be available at over 120 IT stores in Singapore. The devices include tablets, laptops and computers known as "all-in-ones".

Those using Windows XP, Vista or 7 can download Windows 8 for about S$50.

Applications, or apps will be a large part of Windows 8's features.

Microsoft is working with about 4,000 developers to create apps for its users.

But it declined to list the number of apps available.

Microsoft's director for marketing and operations, John Fernandes, said: "We've often been directed to think that the number of apps available for download is a benchmark of standard, but we focus on the user experience. Numbers are great, but quality is more important."

And Channel NewsAsia's app is one of those available at Microsoft's new app store.

"Within Channel NewsAsia's business environment, your business users can internally use Windows 8 to really drive productivity," said Mr Fernandes.

"But also, there's the fun part. If you like using the tablet, if you like using the touch, rather than the keyboard and the mouse, you as a user has the flexibility, you have a choice. On the one hand, it gives the business more reach to broader audiences, and on the other hand, it drives internal productivity," he added.

Microsoft said it worked with over 100 countries to collect user feedback. Some 16 million customers have already downloaded the pre-release versions of Windows 8.

Microsoft said it is confident the launch will keep existing Windows customers and attract new ones.

Mr Fernandes said: "For non-Windows customers, we want them as our customers. When you think about the great applications, the great devices, a rich, dynamic computing environment on these great multitude of different devices that allow you to work and play and do the things you want to do in your own way, we're very confident that customers will come and see Windows 8 and buy Windows 8."

Singapore is one of 15 countries in the world, and the only country in Southeast Asia to host the launch event.

- CNA/fa


- wong chee tat :)

Light load for May's Patch Tuesday

Light load for May's Patch Tuesday

By Peter Bright | 

 

Just two bulletins are being issued for Patch Tuesday this month, one each for Windows and Office, addressing one vulnerability in the operating system and two in the productivity suite. The Windows bulletin has a critical security rating; the Office bulletin has only an important rating. Both patches solve remote code execution flaws in the affected software.

Many people will be able to get away without patching at all. The Windows patch only applies to server operating systems, leaving Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 untouched, and the Office patch doesn't apply to the latest Office 2010 and Office 2011 for Mac versions. Systems which do need the bulletins may need rebooting.

#	Rating	Impact	Affected software
1	Critical	Remote Code Execution	Windows Server 2003/Server 2008/Server 2008 R2
2	Important	Remote Code Execution	PowerPoint 2002 (Office XP)/PowerPoint 2003/PowerPoint 2007/Office 2004 for Mac/Office 2008 for Mac/Open XML File Format Converter for Mac/Office Compatibility Pack

The bulletins will be released on Tuesday at 10:00am PDT, and there will be the usual webcast the following day at 11:00am PDT to address customer questions.


- wong chee tat :)

Microsoft says Windows 7 is ready for PC companies

Microsoft says Windows 7 is ready for PC companies

July 22nd, 2009 By JESSICA MINTZ , AP Technology Writer

(AP) -- Microsoft Corp. says Windows 7 is complete.

The software maker sent the final code for its next computer operating system to manufacturers Wednesday, and said it's still on track for an Oct. 22 launch.

Mike Angiulo, a general manager in the Windows group, said in an interview that getting up and running on a Windows computer will be "a lot smoother" than it was when Windows Vista launched in 2007.

At the time, Microsoft boasted about the number of programs and devices that would work with Vista, but many PC users found their existing software, printers, scanners, cameras and other hardware didn't function after the switch.

Microsoft said one reason Windows 7 should be an easier launch is that at its core, the new version is a lot like Vista. If a company updated a product to work with Vista in the last few years, it should also work with Windows 7.

Windows 7 has also progressed in an orderly way, which means outside companies have had more time to make sure their products will work. Vista was plagued by changes to Microsoft's plans, leaving partner companies scrambling to keep up.

The new operating system will launch into a much tougher climate than Vista did. PC shipments are expected to fall this year for the first time since 2001, as the economic crisis has forced businesses to slash technology spending. Microsoft built in a way for companies to run older, Windows XP programs in Windows 7, in an attempt to avoid losing those corporate customers that skipped Vista altogether because critical software wasn't compatible.

Companies that have long-term agreements to buy Microsoft software in bulk will be able to download and start installing Windows 7 in a few weeks, Microsoft said.

Then starting Oct. 22, Windows 7 will come on new PCs, and will be available for people to buy separately and install on their existing machines.

©2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

- wong chee tat :)

New Windows virus attacks PHP, HTML, and ASP scripts

New Windows virus attacks PHP, HTML, and ASP scripts
 
Virus gets around

By Dan Goodin in San Francisco  

Posted in Security, 12th February 2009  

Researchers have identified a new strain of malware that can spread rapidly from machine to machine using a variety of infection techniques, including the poisoning of webservers, which then go on to contaminate visitors.

The malware is a variation of a rapidly mutating virus alternately known as Virut and Virux (And here too ). It has long proved adept at injecting itself into executable files, which are then able to attack uninfected machines through network drives and USB sticks.

The variant, which Microsoft is calling Virus:Win32/Virus.BM, is also able to infect web scripts based on languages such as PHP, ASP, and HTML. Servers that become infected include an iframe in webpages that attempt to spread malware to visitors.

"This catapults the possibility of spreading even farther," Trend Micro researchers warn. "If the script files happen to be uploaded to a publicly accessible website, any visitor to the affected sites will be led to the URL embedded in the iframe code."

The iframe surreptitiously directs visitors to zief.pl (don't visit it unless you're a security professional), which attempts to exploit a variety of vulnerabilities based on the browser and other applications the user has installed, Microsoft researchers say. Once installed, the virus injects its code into various system processes such as explorer.exe and winlogon.exe and hooks low-level Windows APIs to ensure it stays in memory.

The virus has also picked up some new polymorphic tricks designed to make it harder for anti-virus programs to detect. Among other things, it uses more than one layer of encryption, allowing its binary fingerprint to change but to preserve its malicious payload.

Infected machines will have an IRC backdoor installed that tries to connect to several servers using port 80. ®

- http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=PE_VIRUX.A

- http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/12/new_virut_strain/

- http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2006-051402-1930-99

- wong chee tat :)

How to re-create the Show desktop icon on the Quick Launch toolbar in Windows XP

How to re-create the Show desktop icon on the Quick Launch toolbar in Windows XP

To re-create the Show desktop icon yourself, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type notepad in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Carefully copy and then paste the following text into the Notepad window:
[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop
3. On the File menu, click Save As, and then save the file to your desktop as "Show desktop.scf". The Show desktop icon is created on your desktop.
4. Click and then drag the Show desktop icon to your Quick Launch toolbar.

- wong chee tat :)