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"Fiji" Update for Windows Media Center RTMs, Exact Features Still a Mystery

Mark Edward Soper — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:02:50 -0500

For Windows Vista users who use Windows Media Center, there's good news and bad news:

The good news? The long-awaited "Fiji" update to WMC, officially known as the Windows Media Center TV Pack, was released to manufacturing last week. The bad news? Pick a pair: a) TV Pack is currently available only to OEMs. b) Nobody who knows exactly what TV Pack includes is telling, and the rest of us don't know.

Best Guesses About "Fiji"

A recent story at EndgadgetHD suggests that TV Pack adds the following new features:

16x9 thumbnails for HD video
HD recording preferences
favorite channels
support for more TV tuners
native QAM (aka "clear QAM") channel support (QAM is unencrypted digital cable TV signal)
support for various non-US TV tuners
Reassignment of broadcast channel numbers (useful for mapping four-digit ATSC digital broadcast channels to their familiar one or two-digit equivalents)
replacement of the MS-DVR TV recording format with a new format called WTV

Much of this speculation is based on leaked screenshots of a German version of the RC0 pre-release edition.

The Mystery Ends(?) September 3

According to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, non-OEM customers might get their hands on "Fiji" until the CEDIA Expo conference in early September. Last year, Microsoft rolled out extenders for Windows Vista Media Center during CEDIA.

Answers Wanted

If you know anything about Vista's new TV Pack, we'd love to hear from you.

Illustration courtesy of EndgadgetHD.

Tiny Island Nation of Fiji and Microsoft on War Path

Pulkit Chandna — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:04:36 -0500

The government of the small island nation of Fiji is not too pleased with Microsoft’s purported use of the country’s name for the upcoming revision of Windows Media Center. According to reports, Fiji’s government is still trying to convince Microsoft that it needs to seek official permission first – and impute more respect to the tiny country, before going ahead with its plans to launch Windows Fiji.

The country’s Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum wants the dispute to be resolved cordially. Interestingly, Microsoft’s annual turnover is many times Fiji’s GDP. But something could be more interesting then the economic disparity between the two: Microsoft’s possible obsession with the name Fiji, which might eventually cost it a few million dollars.

What Else is New in Windows Vista SP1?

Mark Soper — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:24:16 -0600

The big news about Windows Vista SP1, whose Release Candidate became public a couple of days ago, is its improved performance and reliability, thanks to over 400 hotfixes and updates. However, that's only part of the story.

New Hardware Support

Windows Vista SP1 includes

Support for GPUs supporting DirectX 10.1, which improves 3D rendering
A new exFAT file system supports large file storage in flash memory and consumer devices
SD Advanced DMA transfer for faster transfer between SD cards and the PC
Better support for Blu-Ray and HD DVD Drives
Support for new types of Media Center Extenders
Better support for Digital Cable Tuner hardware on Media Center systems

More Reliable Networking

With virtually every PC a part of some sort of network, Vista SP1's network features have also been beefed up:

Better IPSec VPN connections
Systems won't go to sleep until all packets are received or discarded
Better ad-hoc wireless networking
Better peer-to-peer connections for Windows Meeting Space or Remote Assistance, even behind firewalls
Network Diagnostics can now fix file sharing problems

Better Data Security

Vista SP1 works harder to keep your data safe with features such as:

Preventing data loss when NTFS-formatted removable media is ejected
File backup now backs up files encrypted with EFS
The Startup Repair Tool can now fix a wider range of problems
BitLocker (available in Enterprise and Ultimate editions) can now encrypt drives other than the system driv
Standard users can now run Complete PC Backup by providing administrator credentials

To learn more about these and many other improvements for both individual users and corporate types, see "Notable Changes in Windows Vista SP1 Release Candidate" at the Windows Vista SP1 Guides for IT Professionals website.

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Know a Windows Vista newbie? Help a new Vista user get up to speed with Mark's book Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed. It's a great introduction to what's new and different in Windows Vista, and it's available from Amazon.com and other fine bookstores.

Windows Vista SP1 By the Numbers, Part 2

Mark Soper — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:22:14 -0600

Update and Hotfix Overview

Windows Vista SP1 includes 17 security updates and 462 hotfixes. Of the hotfixes, 390 out of 462 were previously by request only.

Security Updates, All In One Place

Of the 17 security updates, eight deal with desktop technologies, one with data access components, three with Internet Explorer, and the rest with security, server technologies, Windows Media, data access components, and UNIX migration. All of these updates are already available via the Windows Download Center.

Hotfixes, Hot Off the Grill

72 of the hotfixes included in Windows Vista SP1 have previously been available via the Windows Download Center. What's a lot more interesting are the 390 that were previously available only by request. These hotfixes provide updates to virtually every major Windows subsystem:

.NET Framework (4)
Applications (4)
Base Technologies (72)
Computer Management (9)
Data services (3)
Desktop Shell (27)
Desktop Technologies (82)
Drivers (39)
Internet Explorer (6)
Kits (1)
Localization (1)
Multimedia (43)
Networking (25)
OS Deployment (11)
Printing and Imaging Technology (10)
Security (14)
Server Technologies (8)
Storage (17)
Tools (3)
Ultimate Extras/Language Packs (1)
Windows Portable Devices (3)

Fortunuately, one of the big improvements in Windows Vista SP1 is support for hotpatching, which enables Windows components to be updated without rebooting.

Hack Your Vista System and Get SP1 Beta - Today!

Mark 'Marcus Soperus' Soper — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 22:26:04 -0500

Officially, only a few thousand lucky Microsoft Windows beta testers have their hands on Windows Vista SP1 today. However, somebody leaked the script used by the beta testers to enable their systems to install Vista SP1, so now you can download it (or create it) and use it to get your own copy of Vista SP1 beta via Windows Update.

Overview of the Process

The process includes the following steps:

1. Download or create a script that adds two registry keys to your Windows Vista system. If you don't want to download the script, the folks at Softpedia provide the script code in plain text so you can see what it does. Copy the text and save it to a command file (.cmd) with Notepad or another text editor.
2. Open a command prompt with administrative privileges on a system you use for Windows Vista testing (remember, you're going to install a beta of a service pack, so be smart and don't risk breaking your everyday system). To do this, right-click the command prompt shortcut (by default, it's in Accessories), select Run as Administrator, and provide the needed credentials.
3. Run the script you downloaded or created in Step 1.
4. Run Windows Update and install the KB935509 update.
5. Reboot.
6. Run Windows Update again and install the KB937287 update.
7. Reboot.
8. Run Windows Update again and install the KB938371 update.
9. Reboot.
10. Run Windows Update again and install the Vista SP1 beta. Keep in mind that according to some users at My Digital Life, you might need to wait an hour or so before the Vista SP1 beta shows up in your list of available updates.

You Can Get Vista SP1 Beta Now, But Should You?

After working with (and being worked over by) Windows Vista betas during the writing of Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed and other Vista books I have contributed to, I'm not personally keen on spending time with another Windows Vista beta. Users around the web report wildly different impressions - some report better performance, but others report a mixed bag of results. As with any beta, your mileage may vary. And keep in mind that just in case you're tempted to forget you're running a beta, installing the SP1 beta puts a removable evaluation version number stamp on your desktop.

[edited steps to perform on 10-18-2007]