Windows News, Friday the 13th Edition

WoW! Pro Photo Tools Are Not Just for 32-bit Windows Anymore

32-bit Windows XP and Vista photo fans have been enjoying Pro Photo Tools' combination of metadata editing, mapping and GPS support since early May, but now, thanks to WoW64 (Windows on Windows 64, which enables 32-bit Windows apps to run on 64-bit Windows), 64-bit users can use it too, as reported by the MSDN Pro Photo Community Blog.

Hotmail Gets Faster, Adds More Features

If you're a Hotmail user, you're not just imagining greater speed. As reported by the Windows Live Mailcall blog, Hotmail's classic mode is now much faster and no longer reloads the entire page when the screen updates. If you have a paid version of Hotmail, you can now use its "Add an email account" feature to add many POP3 accounts, even if you don't know your POP email server settings.

CastleCops' Loss is Microsoft's Gain

I first encountered CastleCops, one of the most effective antiphishing websites, while writing my book, Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed. Wednesday, InfoWorld reported that CastleCops founder Paul Laudanski has become a Microsoftie, and will be working as part of Microsoft's Internet Safety Investigator for the Live Consumer Services team. Laudanski's new job started May 16th, but CastleCops is still on duty.

Still looking for a PC with Windows XP? The 'Last Chance' Is Coming

InfoWorld reports that HP, Acer, and Lenovo will be accepting orders for systems with Windows XP installed all the way through June 30, while Dell has announced its "last chance" date is this coming Wednesday, June 18th. Check with vendors to see what models offer Windows XP (hint: you'll probably need to order from the "Small Business" menu).

There's no need to panic, though, if you want an XP-based PC from a major vendor but don't want to order it until the second half of the year. What you'll need to do then is to use the "downgrade to XP" option when you order a system with Windows Vista. The details of the downgrade option vary by vendor, though, so make sure the model you want offers the option, and don't wait too long to make your order.