The articles below are specific to the Beta release of Windows Vista Service Pack 2. You can use this information to evaluate and deploy Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Beta.
This document describes the notable changes made to Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista in Service Pack 2, which were focused on addressing specific reliability, performance, and compatibility issues, supporting new types of hardware, and adding support for several emerging standards, and lists all the hot fixes and security updates included in this service pack.
This guide includes technical information, procedures, and recommendations for deploying Windows Vista SP2 Beta in a business or corporate environment.
The OpenSolaris project has updated its web site to reflect the release of OpenSolaris 2008.11, the project's second stable release. The final live CD remains unchanged from the second release candidate (RC2), so users who have downloaded the RC2 don't need to re-download the final release. "The OpenSolaris 2008.11 operating system is a point of integration for the installation, desktop, and package management system projects on OpenSolaris.org. Today, the OpenSolaris 2008.11 live CD is available with the following feature updates: ZFS Time Slider and Songbird; suspend/resume and CPU power management; Distribution Constructor and Prototype Automated Installer; WebStack with 64-bit MySQL, CherryPy, and DTrace for Ruby; GNOME 2.24, OpenOffice.org 3.0, and Firefox 3; Many F/OSS applications added, including top, sudo and Emacs; 700 additional man pages and Package Manager online help." Visit the project's home page to read the release overview; the more detailed release notes are available here. Download: osol-0811.iso (687MB, torrent).
Nvidia releases its Geforce Powerpack which includes demos and levels for games that take advantage of PhysX. They released two new levels for Warmonger. new physx demos, a physx screensaver and a new PhysX driver 8.10.29 amongsts other things. Please note a Geforce 8 series gpu with a minimum of 256 mb (or higher) is required to use PhysX.
Nokia PC Suite is a package of Windows-based PC applications developed especially for use with Nokia phones. Depending on your phone model, Nokia PC Suite lets you edit, synchronize and back up many of your phone's files on a compatible PC through a cable or wireless connection.
Connection method compatible with your Nokia mobile phone: - Infrared (IrDA) port - Bluetooth via a supported stack: Digianswer Bluetooth Software Suite, - Microsoft Windows XP Bluetooth, or WIDCOMM Bluetooth for Windows 1.4 - Nokia Connectivity Cable DKU-2 (USB) or Nokia Connectivity Adapter Cable DKU-5 (serial)
Key features : · Automatic, secure data, information, pictures, and music transfer from phone to phone or phone to PC · Fast, easy connection to the Internet · Connect wirelessly or via cable · Connect by using your phone as a modem · Manage messages, contacts, images, and music · Synchronize your phone and PC calendars · Install Java™-based applications in your phone · Convert ringing tone formats · Play multimedia messages and videos · Send text messages from the PC · Back up and restore phone files · Over 30 languages
Requirements for Nokia PC Suite : Available hard disk space: 150 MB (file size approx. 25 MB)
Supported operating systems: * Windows Vista x32 and x64 editions * Windows XP Professional x64 edition * Windows XP (Professional or Home Edition) (Service Pack 1 or service Pack 2) * Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4)
Connection methods: USB cable, infrared, or Bluetooth
Supported Bluetooth stacks / software: * Windows Vista x32 and x64 editions: o Microsoft Windows Bluetooth * Windows XP x64: o Microsoft Windows Bluetooth * Windows XP: o Microsoft Windows Bluetooth (only in Service Pack 2) o Toshiba Bluetooth stack for Windows XP/2000, driver version 4.0 and 5.0 o WIDCOMM BTW 1.4, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 o IVT BlueSoleil Bluetooth stack for Windows XP/2000, driver version 1.6.1.4 and 2.x * Windows 2000: o Toshiba Bluetooth stack for Windows XP/2000, driver version 4.0 and 5.0 o WIDCOMM BTW 1.4, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 o IVT BlueSoleil Bluetooth stack for Windows XP/2000, driver version 1.6.1.4 and 2.x
Right-click the Bluetooth icon in the Windows tray and select Advanced Configuration. On the General tab you can see the version of the stack.
Windows Media Player 11 is required when using Windows built-in applications with Nokia phones.
ASTRA32 - Advanced System Information Tool is an ideal solution for providing comprehensive information about the configuration of your system. Not only does ASTRA32 provide a detailed analysis of your system it also offers diagnostics and comes with some powerful unique features such as a Drivers Troubleshooter and a quick HDD Health Status checker. You will appreciate the accuracy with which ASTRA32 acquires the information about the detected devices as it mostly refers directly to the hardware not to the Windows Registry. ASTRA32 uncovers even undocumented data. You can be sure that the obtained information about the computer hardware and device operational modes is precise irrespective of the installed drivers.
ASTRA32 has a unique feature (Drivers Troubleshooter) that allows searching for all physical devices and creates a list of all devices whose drivers are not properly installed or completely missing.
ASTRA32 will also test your hard drive for reliability and work out the diagnosis using a unique algorithm. With the quick HDD Health Status checker function, you will always know if your hard drive is OK or if it is time to create a backup. Be aware of all contingencies. ASTRA32 works even with hard drives plugged in to external UDMA/SATA/RAID controllers (including reads HDD SMART). The program also provides detailed information about all USB and SCSI devices.
Others features of the program include a built-in report wizard and an ability to work in a batch mode, which supports the use of report profiles and macros. The program can create reports in one of the following formats: TXT, INI, HTML, XML, CSV. With ASTRA32, you will quickly have complete information about your whole computer system. The benefits for PC repair technicians and system administrators are obvious.
Program Features: • detects 293 processor and coprocessor types from: Intel, AMD, Cyrix, VIA, Centaur/IDT, Rise, Transmeta, NexGen, UMC, IBM, Texas Instruments, C&T, IIT, ULSI, National Semiconductor, SiS • identifies processor frequency, CPU clock multiplier and FSB clock, detects expected (not-overclocked) processors frequency, processor number, socket (slot, socket) and package (Platform ID) processor type, identifies processor features (MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, Supplemental SSE3, SSE4, SSE5, 3DNow!, 3DNow! Extensions and others) and L1/L2/L3 processor cache size • a unique Drivers Troubleshooter function. It lists all problem physical devices whose drivers are not properly installed or completely missing • quick HDD Health Status checker (using an unique algorithm) • detailed drivers information (driver name, provider, version, date, status, etc.) for each physical device • identifies motherboard manufacturer and URL, identifies vendor, date and version of BIOS, identifies vendor and model of chipset • identifies models and size of ATA/ATAPI devices (HDD, CD/DVD drives, ZIP drives). Detects interface type (Parallel ATA, Serial ATA I, Serial ATA II). Detects PIO, DMA and Ultra DMA modes (including active modes of the configuration). Identifies ATA/ATAPI devices on external UDMA/SATA controllers. Detection of CD/DVD-drives' maximum and current read/write speeds • reading of HDD S.M.A.R.T. information (including drives using external UDMA/SATA/RAID controllers) and detection of HDD temperature • identifies SCSI devices (HDD, CD drives, scanners, tape drives). Detects device name, type, size, SCSI serial number, temperature, manufacture date, buffer size, HDD rotation speed and others • detects SPD memory modules (size, type, vendor, speed parameters and many others) • identifies PCI/AGP/PCI-X/PCI-E/PCMCIA, ISA/PnP devices and used resources. Program can detect over 10600 devices • identifies USB devices (vendor, model, serial number, version, speed and others). Program can detect over 11400 devices • identifies over 9200 monitor models, the viewable diagonal image size, modes supported by the monitor and other features • support of DMI/SMBIOS standard, including detection of system name, motherboard model, BIOS, CPU, cache, memory subsystem parameters, motherboard slots and ports information • identifies vendor and model of graphic controller, video memory size • identifies sound card type, modem, network card, LPT/PnP devices (printers, scanners) and many others • information about Windows and installed programs and hotfixes • creates a file report in plain text (see example), INI (see example), HTML (see example), XML (see example) and CSV (see example) format • able to run in batch mode • able to run without installation • ability to import reports into hardware inventory management software - Hardware Inspector
Platform: MS Windows NT4/2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista/server 2008/XP x64/server 2003 x64/ Vista x64/95/98/ME. DOS version also available.
Changes in Version 2.00 (July 31, 2008): - Added multilingual support. English and Russian languages are supported - Added reading of SPD information on SiS 662 chipset - Added detection of Intel Nehalem-EX, Intel Xeon MP (Dunnington), Intel Atom (Diamondville, Silverthorne), AMD Opteron (Shanghai), AMD Phenom (Deneb, Propus, Heka, Regor), AMD Phenom X3, AMD Athlon X2 (Brisbane), AMD Athlon 64 X2 (Lion), AMD Athlon 64 (Richmond), AMD Athlon (Orleans), AMD Sempron X2, AMD Sempron (Keene, Sable), AMD Mobile Sempron (Sherman), AMD Turion 64 X2 Ultra, AMD Turion 64 X2 (Lion) processors - Improved support of VIA C7 processor - Added detection of new processors features: FMA Instructions Set, AES Instructions Set, Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX), Dynamic Acceleration Technology, MOVBE Insruction Supported, PCLMULQDQ Instruction Supported, XSAVE Insructions Supported, OS Supports XSAVE Instructions - Added new command line switch /LL - load language file - Fixed program hang-up during ASPI detection on some configuration - Some minor bugs fixed - Updated program database
µTorrent is an efficient and feature rich BitTorrent client for Windows sporting a very small footprint. µTorrent was designed to use as little cpu, space and memory as possible while offering all the functionalites expected from advanced clients. With BitTorrent, you can download files faster and contribute by sharing files and bandwidth.
Most of the features present in other BitTorrent clients are present in µTorrent, including bandwidth prioritization, scheduling, RSS auto-downloading and Mainline DHT (compatible with BitComet). Additionally, µTorrent supports the Protocol Encryption joint specification (compatible with Azureus 2.4.0.0 and above, BitComet 0.63 and above) and peer exchange.
µTorrent was written with efficiency in mind. Unlike many torrent clients, it does not hog valuable system resources - typically using less than 6MB of memory, allowing you to use the computer as if it weren't there at all. Additionally, the program itself is contained within a single executable less than 260 KB in size.
Various icon, toolbar graphic and status icon replacements are available, and creating your own is very simple. µTorrent also has support for localization, and with a language file present, will automatically switch to your system language. If your language isn't available, you can easily add your own, or edit other existing translations to improve them!
The developer puts in a lot of time working on features and making things more user-friendly. Releases only come out when they're ready, with no schedule pressures, so the few bugs that appear are quickly addressed and fixed.
Features of "µTorrent": • Multiple simultaneous downloads • Smart bandwidth usage • File level priorities • Configurable bandwidth scheduling • Global and per-torrent speed limiting • Quickly resumes interrupted transfers • UPnP support (WinXP only) • Supports popular protocol extensions • Trackerless support (Mainline DHT) • Localized to different languages • Typical memory use less than 6 MB • Incredibly small: about 260 KB
Changes in Version 1.9 (build 13559), 2008-12-01: - Fix: TCP connection queue when using uTP (fixed trackers stuck in "updating...") - Fix: re-connecting too quickly to peers when using uTP - Fix: crash/corrupt text with Advanced button in Add Torrent dialog
The ALC882 series 7.1+2 Channel High Definition Audio codecs with UAA (Universal Audio Architecture), featuring five 24-bit stereo DACs and three 20-bit stereo ADCs, are designed for high performance multimedia PC systems. The ALC882 series incorporates proprietary converter technology to achieve over 100dB Signal-to-Noise ratio playback quality; easily meeting PC2001 requirements and also bringing PC sound quality closer to consumer electronic devices.
The ALC882 series provide 10 channels of DAC that simultaneously support 7.1 sound playback, plus 2 channels of independent stereo sound output (multiple streaming) through the Front-Out-Left and Front-Out-Right channels. Flexible mixing, mute, and fine gain control functions provide a complete integrated audio solution for next generation multimedia PCs.
Features of Realtek High Definition Audio Driver : - High-performance DACs with 103dB SNR are ideal for Dolby Master Studio - ADCs with 90dBA SNR - Meets performance requirements for audio on PC2001 systems - 10 DAC channels support 16/20/24-bit PCM format for 7.1 sound playback, plus 2 channels of independent stereo sound output (multiple streaming) through the - Front-Out-Left and Front-Out-Right channels - 3 stereo ADCs support 16/20-bit PCM format, two for microphone array, one for legacy mixer recording - All DACs support 44.1k/48k/96k/192kHz sample rate - All ADCs support 44.1k/48k/96kHz sample rate - Applicable for DVD-Audio solutions - 16/20/24-bit S/PDIF-OUT supports 44.1k/48k/96k/192kHz sample rate - 16/20/24-bit S/PDIF-IN supports 44.1k/48k/96k/192kHz sample rate - Up to four channels of microphone input are supported for AEC/BF application - High-quality analog differential CD input - Supports external PCBEEP input and built-in digital BEEP generator - Software selectable 2.5V/3.75V VREFOUT - Six VREFOUTs are supported by default, with additional four VREFOUTs available by sharing unused analog I/O pins - Two jack detection pins each designed to detect up to 4 jacks - Reserve analog mixer architecture for backward compatibility with AC'97 - Wide range (–80dB ~ +42dB) volume control with 1.5dB resolution of analog to analog mixer gain - All analog jacks are stereo input and output re-tasking for analog plug & play - Built-in headphone amplifiers for each re-tasking jack - Supports both analog DC volume control and GPI digital volume control - 2 GPIOs (General Purpose Input/Output) for customized applications - Optional EAPD (External Amplifier Power Down) is supported - Power support: Digital: 3.3V; Analog: 5.0V (Minimum AVDD is 3.6V) - Power management and enhanced power saving features - 48-pin LQFP lead (Pb)-free package - Meets Microsoft WHQL/WLP 2.0 audio requirements - EAX 1.0 & 2.0 compatible - Direct Sound 3D compatible - A3D compatible - I3DL2 compatible - HRTF 3D Positional Audio - Emulation of 26 sound environments to enhance gaming experience - 10 Software Equalizer Bands - Voice Cancellation and Key Shifting in Karaoke mode - Realtek Media Player - Enhanced Configuration Panel and device sensing wizard to improve user experience - Microphone Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC), Noise Suppression (NS) and Beam Forming (BF) technology for voice application - ALC882D features Dolby Digital Live output for consumer equipment - ALC882H features Dolby Home Theater software - ALC882M features Dolby Master Studio software
Changes in Driver Package R2.09: Realtek HD Audio Driver support all of Realtek HD Audio Codec in Vista/WinXP/Win2000/Win2003 . 1. Vista WHQL Supporting: ALC882, ALC883, ALC885, ALC888, ALC889, ALC861VD, ALC660, ALC662, ALC663, ALC260, ALC262,ALC267, ALC268, ALC269, ALC272, ALC273, ALC887 2. Windows 2000/XP WHQL Supporting: ALC880, ALC882, ALC883, ALC885, ALC888, ALC889, ALC861VC, ALC861VD, ALC660, ALC662, ALC663, ALC260, ALC262, ALC267,ALC268, ALC269, ALC272, ALC273, ALC887 3. HDMI Device WHQL Support: ATI HDMI Devices 4. OS Supporting: Microsoft WindowsXP, Widnows2000, Vista x86/x64 5. Pack with Microsoft High Definition Audio UAAV1.0a(5013) 6. Add/Fix 1.) Driver : 1. Customizations.
ASTRA32 - Advanced System 
