Skinnalicious

Windows 7 release date

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:10:00 -0400

It appears that Windows 7 will be released October 22nd. That will be the first day that users can buy Windows 7. You will be able to choose from several versions. The most selected version probably will be the Windows 7 home Premium.
I wonder if the availablity will be worldwide and who will switch and who will wait.

Windows 7 RC1

Wed, 06 May 2009 02:20:00 -0400

Read all about it and download it for testing ..
( read all download instrutions carefully first ! )

here :http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/default.aspx

Conficker Variant Expected to Self-Destruct Soon

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:24:14 -0400

The evolution of the multi-faceted Conficker worm is expected to take another turn this May 5 when the latest version, Conficker.E, will simply self-destruct on infected machines, say a number of security researchers.

F-Secure, Trend Micro and SecureWorks are among those that believe Conficker.E -- first spotted just this April and probably created by the same attackers that since last fall let loose the Conficker.A through Conficker.C variants -- has been designed to simply self-detonate on May 5th.

"It will simply self-destruct," says Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at F-Secure, pointing out that researchers, who had been arguing over name for variants, agreed to skip past the name "Conficker.D" entirely to settle on the name "Conficker.E."

But even if Conficker.E does simply self-destruct as expected, that still leaves millions of Windows-based computers around the work infected with Conficker.C, which has become active this month in terms of beginning to try and lure victims to fake anti-virus sites--some dub it "fraudware"--to get victims to pay US$50 or so to get rid of Conficker.C.

"We're starting to see some revenue generation," said Phillip Porras, program director in the computer sciences laboratory at SRI International, in a presentation he gave today at the RSA Conference here concerning Conficker. "We're starting to see some business models come out of it."

Security researchers in industry and government are using various means to monitor Conficker.C behavior (which can block over 114 legitimate anti-virus sites and now works in conjunction with the botnet Waledec).

Porras said Conficker.C is involved in an elaborate process to sell fake anti-malware software. When it gets into infected machines, it can direct victims toward Web sites believed to be selling fraudware.

One of those sites appears to be registered in the Ukraine selling the SpywareProtect portfolio, associated with "Ukraine Bastion Trade Group," for example, he said. But Conficker was not necessarily created by this group and researchers are still in the dark about who originates and controls the complex Conficker command-and-control system.

Despite the efforts of the Conficker Working Group, a group which now has 300 experts from industry and government dedicated to do what they can to identity the source of Conficker and stop it, efforts so far have not been successful.

"They've gotten around blocks to shut it down," said Porras, noting the complexity of the Conficker effort suggests a gang, rather than one individual, sharing expertise.

As for the anticipated self-destruction of the Conficker.E variant, researchers say there are strange aspects of it.

"Conficker.E has two parts of it," says Joe Stewart, director of malware research at SecureWorks, describing it basically as breaking up what were earlier combined functions of scanning/spreading and getting downloads, such as through peer-to-peer rendezvous.

But Conficker.E, seen only since mid-April, never seemed to work that well--which was a surprise to researchers since the upgrade path so far for Conficker has been quite impressive technically.

"Some of the functionality in .E doesn't work," says Stewart. Conficker.E, he says, may be a new anti-malware attempt that simply wasn't good enough, or it may be a deliberate "distraction" by attackers to throw a little dust in the eyes of researchers. "They may be working on a more advanced version," says Stewart.

No one besides the Conficker attackers seems to know what will come next, but most researchers see financial gain to clearly be its use at present.

What Exactly Does System Restore Back Up?

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:19:19 -0400

Jack Maloney wants to know what files and folders are backed up when Windows creates a restore point, and what changes when you restore one.

That's an excellent question, and one that isn't all that easy to answer. Microsoft offers a very general description, but doesn't go into details. I'll do the best I can based on Microsoft's official description, my own years of experience, and some recent testing.

The quick, simple explanation is that System Restore backs up and restores the Registry, important Windows files, and the programs you've installed into Windows. It has no effect whatsoever on documents, photos, and so forth.

But that isn't quite accurate. If it was, you'd be able to reliably create a restore point, uninstall an application, restore the point, and have the application back. That might actually work in some cases, but it won't in most. That's because System Restore might not protect all of the files that the uninstall deletes.

System Restore chooses what to protect based on file type, not folder location. It backs up .exe files, .dlls, batch files, and shortcuts. I couldn't obtain a full list, so there may be others, but having just tested the XP and Vista versions of System Restore, I can verify those.

Many people assume that System Restore backs up everything in certain locations, such as Program Files and the Desktop, while leaving the Documents folder alone. (After all, you don't want that project you've been working on to revert to last Sunday's version just because Windows was misbehaving.) But that isn't the case. I deleted an program file and a .wav sound file from a folder within Program Files, then restored from a point created before the deletions. I got the program file back, but not the .wav. I got similar results with different file types on the desktop and in my Documents folder.

It's best to see System Restore as an imperfect system whose main advantage is that it's there and creates its backups automatically. When it works (and there's no guarantee of that), it does a pretty good job protecting Windows, a mediocre one on your applications, and leaves your data alone.

Microsoft names Windows 7 RC1 dates

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:00:00 -0400

Microsoft names Windows 7 RC1 dates

Free whitepaper Empowerment as a growth strategy
Stable and completed code for Windows 7 will be released to early adopters during the coming week, with mass availability planned for the following Tuesday.

The eagerly awaited Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 will be posted to members of Microsoft's Developer Network and TechNet for download on April 30. RC1 will be made generally available on May 5, Microsoft said late Friday.

Microsoft confirmed the dates after the RC leaked to four torrent sites, causing excitement and frustration that Microsoft didn't appear to be offering a date for release.

This is expected to be the last code cut before Windows 7 is delivered as final product, unless major bugs or faults are uncovered. Microsoft pointedly did not give a date for Windows 7's release to manufacturing when it announced the RC and has been clinging to a 2010 time frame.

The smart money, though, is on release to manufacturing and OEMs this year, as early as this summer. Consumers are expected to get Windows 7 on new PCs and as boxed product in time for the back-to-school shopping window starting in September and October or the holiday shopping season a little later.

Businesses on Microsoft's enterprise accounts are likely to get a slightly earlier lead-time on the new operating system.

Windows XP, the predecessor to Windows Vista, officially launched in October 2001 - in good time for the holiday shopping season - while Windows Vista was delivered to consumers in the fallow, post-holiday shopping period of a February - a fact that meant a disappointing start to sales.

Windows 7 has been pretty much completed from a usability perspective for a while, with people already using the operating system at work.

Windows Experience blogger Brandon LeBlanc said changes since January's beta included bug fixes and improvements to the overall "experience," He pointed to refinements in the new taskbar, the behavior of Aero Peek, Touch, and Windows Media Player.

Google Chrome fixes securityrisk

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 10:52:16 -0400

Google has released a new version of its Google Chrome browser. This update fixes an important security issue. The issue allowed cross-site scripting, which made it possible to hackers to execute code through which certain attacks could be launched.

If a user did install Chrome, a visit to certain sites with IE could make start up Chrome, several tabpages opened up and loads malicious scripts. Such an attack will only work though if Chrome is not yet running.

But that problem has been solved now with version 1.0.154.59. If you are using Google Chrome won't have to do anything: the browser is built in such a way that it can update itself without interaction with the user. As soon as Google Chrome is restarted the latest version will be activated.

The easiest way to get rich

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:20:00 -0400

Judging by their behavior, most people have an obsession with wealth. Politicians promise to create it, most popular magazines are filled with gossip about those who have it, and the average person spends much of their adult life trying to obtain it. We are creatures obsessed with money, partly for what it can buy, but also as a thing of value in itself.

But most people misunderstand money. They don't really know how to obtain it, or how to hold onto it once they have it.

If you're interested in getting rich, I'm going to give you the simplest formula for doing so. In fact, if you follow it you're virtually guaranteed to build enough wealth to get you into the top 5% of society. As the shampoo advertisement says: "It won't happen overnight, but it will happen".

The hardest way to get rich
Before I go into my formula, let me tell you about hard ways to get rich.

One of the hardest is to be born into it. Of course, if you happen to enter this world as a Hilton, a Gates or a Windsor, then life is sweet. But since 99.9999% of the population aren't that lucky, I'm assuming you didn't win that particular lottery.

And speaking of lotteries, gambling is another very difficult way to get rich. Sure, some people buy a lottery ticket and win big, but most don't. You can gamble your entire life and you'll most likely end up broke rather than wealthy.

When I was younger, I thought the easiest way to get rich was to become famous through some kind of creative act. Stephen King got rich writing horror novels, so why not me?

I'm now much wiser and realize that the vast majority of novelists never even get published. Of those who do, most wallow in obscurity. Only very few make it anywhere near the best-seller list, and only one in a million will achieve any kind of serious wealth.

The same fate awaits the majority of musicians, software company founders, sportspeople and website creator. For every Google that makes its owners billions, there are a million websites that lose money. Creativity is the most fun and rewarding way to get rich, but it's also a very difficult way.

The reason the media raves about and idolizes those who've built wealth through creativity is because they're so rare. You don't hear about the vast majority who wallow in obscurity and poor pay, because they're not interesting. "Young genius makes $1 billion from website" is a great headline "Ten thousand young geniuses make nothing from their hard work" isn't.

I'm not saying you shouldn't keep your dreams alive. It's one of the best parts of life. But this article isn't about the most fun way to try and get rich - it's about the easiest way.

Okay, here's the system.

Step 1: Get a well-paid job
This is a reasonable amount of work, and takes a few years, but it's a virtually guaranteed way to make a good income. If they're willing to put in the work, almost any intelligent person can get a job paying $100,000 or more within the space of a few years. While it's not easy, it is by far the easiest and most likely way to secure a good income. In fact, I've already written an entire article on how to get a job paying more than $100,000 a year for those who wish to pursue this avenue.

Step 2: Get good tax advice
However you make your money, your number one expense is likely to be funding the government. In most developed countries, the average worker pays around 30% of everything they earn straight into the taxman's pocket. If you've taken my job advice, you'll most likely pay even more than that.

While taxation is necessary to fund the good things governments provide, you don't do yourself any favors by paying more than your fair share. If you're serious about building wealth, get a good accountant who understands how to legally minimize your tax bill.

Step 3: Save 20% of everything you ever earn
As soon as you get paid, arrange to have 20% of your income removed into a savings account. Many banks can do this automatically for you. Keep your savings account separate from your spending account, and you'll barely miss this money.

There's a saying in economics "expenses rise to meet income". This means money that's easily available to you is certain to be spent. That's why most people's paychecks disappear before their next payday. They get used to having a certain amount to spend, and habitually run down their bank account.

Have your savings moved somewhere it's a hassle to get them out of to avoid this risk. Many high interest accounts require you to give them a few days notice, which is ideal for this purpose.

Step 4: Conservatively invest the funds that build up in your savings account
Once a month, go into your savings account and divide the money by investing it into the three core conservative assets: shares, property and cash. Open a mutual fund account for shares, a property fund for property, and a money market fund for cash. Look for share and property funds that invest in a broad range of assets and most importantly charge very low fees. An index fund is ideal for the shares. An index of property funds is ideal for property.

Put an equal amount into each account. This will diversify you against risk in any one particular asset. If you're younger, this rule is a little bit flexible, allowing you to take a little more risk and put more into shares and property if you like.

Step 5: Reinvest any income you get from your assets straight back into buying more assets
Mutual funds and property funds pay dividends. Money market accounts pay interest. Don't take this income into your spending account. Instead, select the option to have it reinvested into the fund that generated it.

Step 6: Never touch these funds and do your best to ignore them
The business press, like the mainstream press, loves a crisis. "Shares to skyrocket" or "Property to plummet" headlines will sell many more copies than "Things to continue steadily". All markets go up and down. Every day, some speculation will be published about some crisis or opportunity.

Ignore it all.

Just keep putting the 20% into your assets. Sometimes they'll go up and sometimes they'll go down in value. But over the long term, they'll almost certainly go up.

Step 7: Wait a decade
Do what I've outlined above and in a decade you'll be rich. Sure, you won't be Bill Gates, but you'll almost certainly be in the top 20% of wealth holders. Wait another decade and you'll be in the top 5% or higher.

That's the plan. It's not the most exciting or glamourous way to build wealth, but it's the easiest. Quite simply, this is how most rich people got there.

You too can join them, if you follow it.

List of billionaires (2009)

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:50:40 -0400

LINK : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_billionaires

Bill Gates Interesting Facts

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 10:13:45 -0400

These are some facts about Bill Gates have been sent to me by one of my friends. I don't know about the source of this information but now a days Windows users are sending this interesting information to each other through emails so there must be some truth in it.

1. Bill Gates earns US$250 every SECOND, that's about US$20 Million a DAY and US$7.8 Billion a YEAR!

2. If he drops a thousand dollars, he won't even bother to pick it up because during the 4 seconds he picks it, he would've already earned it back.

3. The US national debt is about 5.62 trillion dollars, if Bill Gates were to pay the debt by himself, he will finish it in less then 10 years.

4. He can donate US$15 to everyone on earth but still be left with US$ 5 Million for his pocket money.

5. Michael Jordan is the highest paid athlete in US. If he doesn't drink and eat, and keeps up his annual income i.e. US$30 Million, he'll have to wait for 277 years to become as rich as Bill Gates is now.

6. If Bill Gates was a country, he would be the 37th richest country on earth.

7. If you change all of Bill Gate's money to US$1 notes, you can make a road from the earth to moon, 14 times back and forth. But you have to make that road non-stop for 1,400 years, and use a total of 713 BOEING 747 planes to transport all the money.

8. Bill Gates is 40 this year. If we assume that he will live for another 35 years, he has to spend US$6.78 Million per day to finish all his money before he goes to heaven.

And the last one...

9. If Microsoft Windows' users can claim US$1 for every time their computers hang because of Microsoft Windows, Bill Gates will be bankrupt in 3 years..

Six Windows 7 Editions Revealed

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:15:50 -0400

Microsoft has announced that the upcoming Windows 7 will boast of six editions - Starter, Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise. But unlike Windows Vista, upgrading to a higher, more featured version will not result in loss of existing features from the lower version. Also Windows 7 is designed to be more hardware compatible and will run easily on small netbooks as well as power packed gaming desktops.

WINDOWS 7 EDITIONS

Windows Starter edition - offered pre-installed by an OEM, this edition is available only in the OEM channel on new PCs limited to specific types of hardware. Which means you cannot buy is directly from the market.

Windows 7 Home Basic edition - available only in emerging markets, for customers looking for an entry-point Windows experience on a full-size value PC. Which means you cannot buy it in the US.

Windows 7 Home Premium edition - Gives full-function PC experience and a visually rich environment in everything from the way they experience entertainment to the way they connect their devices. Recommended for all consumers, like you and me.

Windows 7 Professional edition - Recommended for small businesses and people who work at home but have to operate in an IT-managed or business environment where security and productivity are critical. Vista Business users will prefer this version.

Windows 7 Ultimate edition - designed for PC enthusiasts who want it all and customers who want the security features such as BitLocker found in Windows 7 Enterprise edition. This would really be loaded with features Windows7 will boast about.

Windows 7 Enterprise edition - Offers advanced data protection, lower cost compliance and IT tools to streamline PC management and help save costs, while enabling access to information from anywhere for business users. It will not be available at retail or by OEMs for preinstallation on a new PC. So you cannot buy it from stores.