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18th January 1999
Banshee - Celeron - Chats - IE5
- Intel
plans to build encryption into future generations of chips
20:59 GMT Source: MSNBC
Intel Corp. plans to build encryption capabilities into future
computer chips, a move that could accelerate the spread of the
government-controlled technology. The Santa Clara, Calif.,
company, the world’s biggest chip maker, is expected to discuss
encryption and other information-security issues at an industry
conference that begins Monday in San Jose, Calif. [More]
- Internet Explorer 5 Coming To Final Stages
20:43 GMT Source: Microsoft
The Internet Explorer 5 beta is heading into its final stages
of testing. Testers will get a new build of the upcoming Microsoft
browser tonight and are expected to move to release candidate
stages in the next few weeks.
- A
Gamers Guide To DirectSound3D
20:39 GMT Source: 3DSoundSurge/Hardware One
3DSoundSurge has posted a guide
for those who still don't have a clue to what DS3D does and how it
differs from A3D. Here is a snippet:
Microsoft
provides DirectSound3D (DS3D from now on) as one of the
components in the DirectX family, just like the more famous D3D
which is used for 3D graphics. One thing that DS3D allows that
D3D doesn't, is extensions such as Creative's EAX. The lack of
extensions is one major reason why some developers prefer OpenGL
over D3D.
DS3D is
basically a bunch of commands (API) that help game developers
define where the sound should be placed in the 3D space and how
loud it should be. The location where each sound should be
placed is then passed on to your DS3D capable soundcard which
uses some clever algorithms to place the sound in 3D space
- Sega
Dreamcast Review
20:34 GMT Source: Hardware One
Hardware One has posted their review
of Sega's new Dreamcast. Here is a piece from the review:
After a year of speculation and hype, Sega
delivered their latest console on late November 1997. Their new
console system was touted to be revolutionary, powerful and
fast, its name? The Dreamcast. Never mind the Japanese way of
giving funny English names, although by now its already become
all to familiar to every avid gamer. With a Hitachi SH-4 RISC
processor, a PowerVRNG graphic chip and Yamaha sound system,
even the Saturn had to take its final bow. Hardware-One is proud
to bring you Singapore's 1st review on the Dreamcast!
- Warning:
Outlook Express Can Damage Your Postcards
16:09 GMT Source: The
Register
Lost count of the number of court actions Microsoft is involved
in? Well, in yet another one, a Californian judge has found that
the company failed to comply with an earlier ruling he made on
email filtering software. [More]
- New
Wicked 3D Drivers
14:55 GMT Source: Voodoo Extreme
Metabyte has released some new drivers for their Voodoo 2
powered Wicked 3D card.
Version
3.10 NON-CD Drivers - 4.02MB
Version 3.10
CD Drivers - 4.08MB
eyeSCREAM
v1.1 - 4.19MB
- Mobile
Celerons Soon To Arrive
14:55 GMT Source: The
Register
Intel will introduce its mobile Celeron platform on the 25th of
this month as part of its move to capture the low-end notebook
market. [More]
- ActiveWindows
Chat Date
13:42 GMT Source: Byron Hinson
We have set our next chat date.
It has been a while since we ran one, but now with our new IRC
server we think its worth a try this time around.
- Microsoft
Earnings Expected To Soar
13:18 GMT Source: Wired
Microsoft's financial success appears untouched by its legal
battle, with quarterly earnings expected to be up more than 40
percent from last year.
- Microsoft
Launches Encarta Africana
13:11 GMT Source: Press Release
Microsoft and leading African-American scholars bring black
history and culture to life through multimedia technology. [More]
- Site Feedback And News
02:18 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
At last - Our comments
form is finally back up and running. So you can now send your
comments in via that instead of e-mail. Next up is the search
form, we are creating a proper full search engine that can handle
the massive amount of info that has been posted on our site.
You have asked us to post more information about various
hardware reviews that other sites post on the internet, starting
from today onwards we are happy to oblige.
- Creative
Banshee Review
02:18 GMT Source: FrontLine
Frontline has posted a review of Creative's
Banshee card. Here's a short piece from the review:
There is
no way that the Banshee can do AGP texturing, only 2X AGP
capable cards have this capability. But fear not, as both
side-banding and pipeling are supported. No doubt the AGP
version may have 16MB of SGRAMs, but all in all, its still a
"PCI" riding on a AGP 66Mhz highway. Video playback is
pretty smooth and silky, and by far the best video playback I
have seen. With the 128bit core for 2D applications, it does
give life to those who play "flat plane" 2D games. If
the idea of overclocking is in the mind, keep in mind that the
Banshee is already on the burning zone with the default
clockspeed. The ABit BH6 Bios temperature showed 34°C, after
installation and operating for 2 hours... it rises to 40°C!
There're still hope for da overclocking urge, but will require
lots of seriously cooling. Personally, I would choose
reliability over speed any day.
17th January 1999
Site News - CuteFTP - Themes
- Slot
One Gone For Celeron?
23:58 GMT Source: The Register
A US distributor is claiming that Intel has already
discontinued Slot One designs for the Celeron 300A. [More]
- Program
Tips Updated
16:14 GMT Source: Luis
Added new Office 97 tips and a new section for Quicken users in
our Program Tips
area.
- Articles
Section Updated
15:20 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
The Articles section
has had its weekly update. This section now includes the articles
that have been posted on our site over the past week or so.
- Themes
Updated
14:31 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
We have updated the themes
section of ActiveWindows. There are a large number of new
additions to the pages so check through them all.
- CuteFTP
2.8 Build 3 Beta 1
13:17 GMT Source: BetaBites
CuteFTP
has released Build 3 of CuteFTP 2.8 Beta 1. You can get the new
CuteFTP 2.8 Beta 1 Build 3 (1040 KB) here!
Release
Build 3 Notes:
-
"Error" files in queue now stay put and won't try to
resume.
- Fixed stability when opening directory with over 5000 files or
directories.
- Confirm Filename prompt now displays for uploads and downloads
when toggle is set.
- Overwrite confirmation now honors Prompts dialog box settings.
- Up Dir arrow in remote pane crash fixed.
- View text files in My Documents folder now works.
- Problems with repeated icons in toolbar fixed.
- Site News
03:21 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
On the way this week: New reviews of SoundBlaster Live! Value,
Dark Side Of The Moon, Pinky and the Brain, Encarta DVD, XingDVD
2.0.3, ATI DVD 1.2, PowerDVD 1.22a, Big Red Racing Pinball.
Because our articles section has become so popular we are set
to bring in a couple more people to write for us, this means even
more articles on your favorite news site. This week will also see
the return of our weekly chat, this will now be based on our own
IRC server. We will post more details early next week.
16th January 1999
Win OSR - Iomega - Site News
- Chat Info
Updated
23:21 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
We have updated the information on our chat page. We now have
our own IRC server setup - so whenever you are online - pop into
#activewin on irc.activewin.com.
- DirectX 6.1 Released
20:12 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
DirectX 6.1 for Windows 98 can now be officially downloaded
direct from Microsoft. Please note that it is not yet available on
Windows update. You can download it at the following places. Conxion1
Conxion2
Conxion3
- SBLive!
Vs MX300
19:40 GMT Source: Gamecenter/CoolInfo
GameCenter has posted a SBLive!
Vs MX300 article. Here is a snippet:
The Live's
better performance in CPU utilization makes it a good choice for
users with slower PCs. The Live is also a much more mature product
than the MX300. Because the card has been out on the market for
several months, Creative has had a lot of time to improve its
drivers and performance. Creative has also garnered a lot of
support for EAX. The MX300's newness means you should expect some
driver glitches and limited support for A3D 2.0--at least for now.
- Hardware
Week In Review - 16th January 1999
11:26 GMT Source: BetaBites
Yeppers! It is coming on Saturday, and that means another
Hardware Week in Review. There has been tons of hardware news,
reviews, previews, and tweaks...[More]
- Presarios Can Lock-Up On Win 95, OSR1/OSR2
11:23 GMT Source: BetaBites/BugNet
Almost every model Compaq Presario may lock up during start-up
if it has exactly 64 MB of RAM and is running Windows 95 OSR1 or
OSR2. The problem is due to a Windows 95 protection error in
NTKERN during system start-up and, according to Compaq, is more
likely to occur on faster processors and may not occur on slower
processors.
As a fix, install SoftPaq 7491 from Compaq. You can get it here.
- Streaming
Towards The Future
03:12 GMT Source: Wired
At Home and RealNetworks are building a new streaming platform
for fat pipes. The system promises new content that is at once
clear, compelling ... and costly.
- Site News and Updates
02:55 GMT Source: Bob Stein, Cliff
Palmer, Luis, Alex Harris
At last a day in which we don't have to complain about the
server speed. We have updated a few areas on the site, nothing
major - but the About Us
section has had a few additions (Including a few photos of us
after you asked). Yes Byron does
look 14/15 but he's asleep and cannot stop us from writing
this now mahahaaa.
Now onto more important site news. Byron, Cliff and Alex have
been hard at work writing a new sub-section of ActiveWindows based
around DVD and DVD-ROM technology. This area will have DVD News,
reviews and the very best in tips that you have come to expect
from us over the past few months. We expect this new section to be
up later in the week.
- Iomega
Feels Pressure To Modernize
02:48 GMT Source: Techweb
New technological advances in the removable-storage market
could soon spell trouble for market leader Iomega. Smaller compact
flash-format drives from IBM and the shift to higher-capacity
magneto-resistive (MR) head technology drives are threatening
Iomega's hegemony. Iomega has sold more than 20 million Zip
drives, and sells more external storage devices than any other
company, according to PC Data, in Reston, Va. But Iomega's Zip and
Jaz drives are based on older, inductive head technology, while
competitors are rushing to market with MR products. [More]
- Windows 98 OSR News
00:24 GMT Source: Microsoft
Windows 98 OSR testers are set to get a new build later today.
No news yet on how close they are to getting to Beta 2.
15th January 1999
MS Still Favs - XML - IE4 SP2 - Win 2000
- Online Chat
23:55 GMT Source: Byron Hinson
By the way - we forgot to mention that we are currently having
a chat from Jan 15 9:00PM EST(-6GMT) on the following server
server:
irc.webmaster.com
channel: #activepc
- Site News (Update 2)
23:08 GMT Source: Byron Hinson
The source of the speed and connection problems we have been
having this past week has been cut off and the site should now be
up and running at it's usual speed.
- Windows
2000 Release To Slip To Second Half Of '99
20:18 GMT Source: ZDNet
If you were among those expecting Microsoft Corp. to ship
Windows 2000 by mid-1999, don't hold your breath. Beta 3 of the
long-awaited operating system is now not expected to reach testers
until April, Microsoft officials have confirmed. And Microsoft
itself, in a tacit acknowledgment that Windows 2000 won't be a
first-half 1999 product, told resellers this week it is extending
its Windows NT Server 4.0 upgrade promotion through June 30. [More]
- Microsoft
Leaks Merced Details
16:15 GMT Source: The Register
An unholy row is set to break out between Intel and Microsoft
after the software company revealed details of the up-and-coming
Merced architecture. [More]
- New
Graphic Card Drivers
14:48 GMT Source: Diamond
Diamond has released new
drivers for their Monster 3D 2 card. You can check out the readme
right here.
- Pentium
III 500MHz Review
14:46 GMT Source: 3DNews/Firing Squad
Firing Squad has published a review
of the yet-unreleased Pentium III (Katmai) 500 MHz processor from
Intel. In their review, they cover the depth of the impact of the
new "KNI" chipset, with interviews and quotes from
prominent multimedia and game development companies, such as
Outrage, Infogrames, and John Carmack of id Software. Also covered
are performance benefits over the current Pentium II line of
processors, and up-and-coming competition from the likes of the
AMD K6-3 and K7.
- Site News (Update)
14:44 GMT Source: Byron Hinson
I've finally woken up and yet I still discover a load of
e-mails complaining about the server speed, although I don't mind
- It really has nothing to do with me - if anyone would like to
complain - feel free to e-mail bobstein@activeie.com
and he will forward the mail on to the appropriate person. Thanks
for understanding, I get so much e-mail I really couldn't deal
with all that as well<g>.
- Site News
12:52 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
Well it looks like we are back after our half a day away from
you all. Hopefully our connections will be a little bit better
this time round.
- Internet Explorer 4.01 SP2 Stuff
01:37 GMT Source: Microsoft
Well to everyone who thought that Internet Explorer 4.01 SP2
had been scrapped, Microsoft have told us that they released a new
beta build to testers the other day...so it looks as if it will
see the light of day after all.
- XML
Takes Another Step
00:59 GMT Source: Wired News
The World Wide Web Consortium has placed another finishing
touch on a next-generation markup language that one day may usurp
HTML as the scaffolding of the Web. The Web standards body on
Thursday issued the Namespaces in XML specification as a W3C
Recommendation -- the equivalent of a Web standard. [More]
- Poll:
Microsoft Still Favorite
00:48 GMT Source: C/Net
Three months after the software giant's antitrust trial began,
more than two-thirds of Americans hold favorable feelings about
the company, according to one poll.
14th January 1999
Crypto - AMD Earnings
- ATI
Has Strongest Sales Ever
20:49 GMT Source: C/Net
Graphics chip leader ATI reported strong earnings and its
strongest sales ever as it continues to maintain a commanding
position in this important PC chip market. [More]
- Recording,
Lower Prices Coming To DVD
20:29 GMT Source: C/Net
Although the technological standards still aren't set,
variations on the DVD player as well as lower prices are coming to
market. Consumer electronics companies are working on delivering
home players with the ability to record disks while also hashing
out plans for new audio formats that incorporate multichannel
surround sound for more lifelike music reproduction. The
availability of recordable DVD discs is seen as one of the keys to
tapping into a potentially huge consumer DVD market, analysts say.
An estimated 1.2 million DVD home players were sold worldwide in
1998, double the figure from the previous year, according to
InfoTech Research. This is in addition to the hundreds of
thousands of drives that have shipped with home PCs to date. [More]
- Graphics
Drivers Updated
13:16 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
Updated the graphic
card drivers section and added the beta 2 driver for the
Pure3D II. Which now includes Glide 3 and DirectX 6 support.
- NT
Fails US Government Crypto Tests
13:09 GMT Source: The
Register
Shortcomings in the CryptoAPIs, so brace yourself for Service
Pack 5...[More]
- Site Speed News
13:07 GMT Source: Byron Hinson
As we said - we are trying to get the speed and connection
problems fixed as soon as possible, they are out of our hands at
the moment, here is what the server guy had to say on the matter.
I am sorry
about the trouble, but right now it is out of our hands. We are
working on changing to a more reliable provider, but that can't
happen immediately
We are just as much annoyed at all of this as you are.
- AMD
Fall Short Again In Forth Quarter
13:05 GMT Source: ZDNet
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. reverted to disappointing form
again Wednesday when it missed analysts' estimates by 4 cents a
share in its fourth quarter. The chip maker earned $22.3 million,
or 15 cents a share, on sales of $788.8 million. [More]
13th January 1999
2001 Bug - DVD - DX 6.1 Gold
- New
Drivers
23:45 GMT Source: Dennis
[E-mail]
Diamond has release new drivers for their Viper V550 card. You
can grab them here.
- PCI-X
Gang Of Three Challenges Intel With Future I/O
21:25 GMT Source: The Register
The PCI-X gang of three has recruited Adaptec to
the fold, and announced a "Future I/O alliance" intended
to build a high-performance I/O standard to replace PCI/PCI-X. In
September (Earlier
story) Compaq, HP and IBM peeled away from Intel to push the
PCI-X. Intel gave the new standard a guarded welcome, but muttered
through its teeth that PCI-X would have to be the last iteration
of the old bus standard, and that a "fundamentally new
architecture" would be needed for the future. By fortunate
happenstance, Intel has a number of candidates for just such a new
architecture in the labs. [More]
- Upgrade
To Pentium III Should Be A Breeze
19:51 GMT Source: C/Net
Consumers and personal computer makers wanting to improve
Pentium II systems by adding Pentium III processors should find it
easy going because the chips share design features. [More]
- Firbys Could Be Threat To National Security
19:49 GMT Source: ICQ
Warning: "Furbys" could be a threat to national
security. The National Security Agency has banned the wildly
popular mechanical pets from its headquarters, apparently because
they can repeat some of what they hear — and that could end up
being top secret.
- DirectX 6.1 Goes Gold
19:48 GMT Source: Microsoft
We have been informed that DirectX 6.1 has now gone gold, the
final release is build 426. There is a possibility that it could
be up on Microsoft.com before the end of the month.
- Microsoft
Windows NT Server Outpaces UNIX and NetWare in 1998
16:29 GMT Source: Press Release
In December 1998 International Data Corp. (IDC) released
preliminary statistics confirming the continuing customer
acceptance for the Microsoft® Windows NT® Server operating
system, again recognizing it as the fastest-growing, commercially
marketed server operating system in the industry. According to
IDC, Microsoft shipped 1.56 million new server software licenses
in 1998, which is nearly 50 percent more licenses than Novell
NetWare and twice as many as the combined versions of UNIX.
[More]
- DVD
Group Pushes For Common Format
13:21 GMT Source: ZDNet UK
A newly discovered bug may result in many Windows-based
applications registering the wrong time for at least a week in the
year 2001, Microsoft has confirmed. The bug was discovered by
Richard Smith, of Phar Lap Software, who last week reported the
problem to Microsoft and the BugTraq security mailing list,
according to Microsoft. This bug affects the local time function
during the daylight savings time change on Windows-based systems.
Computers running Windows 95, 98, or NT 4 will delay the one hour
time change for a week in 2001, from April 1 to April 8. The
problem has already been fixed for the upcoming Windows 2000
operating system. [More]
- Microsoft
Confirms Time Bug
13:18 GMT Source: C/Net
A newly discovered bug may result in many Windows-based
applications registering the wrong time for at least a week in the
year 2001, Microsoft has confirmed. The bug was discovered by
Richard Smith, of Phar Lap Software, who last week reported the
problem to Microsoft and the BugTraq security mailing list,
according to Microsoft. This bug affects the local time function
during the daylight savings time change on Windows-based systems.
Computers running Windows 95, 98, or NT 4 will delay the one hour
time change for a week in 2001, from April 1 to April 8. The
problem has already been fixed for the upcoming Windows 2000
operating system. [More]
12th January 1999
Site News - Drivers - DVD Increase
- How
Healthy Is Your Hard Drive?
23:16 GMT Source: PC World
Belarc's free browser plug-in offers SMART ways to check your
drive. Virtually all PC hard drives made in the past few years
come with SMART (Smart Monitoring Analysis and Reporting
Technology) software, which continuously monitors drive parameters
such as performance and error rates. SMART uses a technology known
as predictive failure analysis to sound the alarm if a drive
failure is imminent. [More]
- Win
98: 5 Horror Stories With Happy Endings
19:32 GMT Source: CNet
Windows 98 really can be a nightmare, and we've got five horror
stories to prove it. As we work our way through each disturbing
episode, you may feel as though you're reliving a half-remembered
nightmare. But don't panic. Just as most Twilight Zone
episodes wrapped up tidily in half an hour, you
can extricate yourself from Windows 98 nightmares, too. We'll show
you how. [More]
- DVD Production Continues To Increase
19:28 GMT Source: Avault
Digital Video Systems has announced its monthly production of
DVD-ROM drives increased at an average rate in excess of 10,000
units per month for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 1998. The company
has been and is continuing to work on expanding its supplier
relationships to meet the increasing demand for various electronic
components used in the DVD-ROM drive. DVS is currently producing
its 5.2X DVD-ROM drive for the rapidly growing Personal Computer
OEM market.
In a separate event, the company stated it is nearing
completion of arrangements to double its production capacity of
DVD-ROM drives to 200,000 units per month during the first half of
the current calendar year. DVS' current DVD-ROM drive production
capacity is 100,000 units per month. The worldwide DVD-ROM market
has been projected by International Data to reach more than 35
million units in calendar 1999.
- New
Drivers
15:38 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
Updated the drivers section, the newest drivers on offer are
for the Savage
3D board - they were released yesterday.
- Y2K,
How Will It Affect The Daily Consumer
15:33 GMT Source: Press Release
Computers coordinate many aspects of our daily lives, both
behind the scenes and in plain view throughout the day. Computers
enable us to take money from the ATM machine. They coordinate the
inventory in grocery stores and the delivery schedules of staples
that for generations have been available on demand. Society is
gradually moving toward a paperless environment. So what about
Y2K? What is it and how might it affect us? [More]
- Microsoft
Announces BackOffice Server 4.5
14:24 GMT Source: Press Release
Microsoft Corp. today announced Microsoft®
BackOffice® Server 4.5, an integrated server suite,
optimized for the Windows NT® Server operating system,
that simplifies the deployment, management and development of
powerful solutions for branch offices, departments and midsize
organizations. BackOffice Server 4.5, currently in beta testing,
introduces new features for deploying a consistent branch office
or departmental infrastructure, and a set of targeted BackOffice
Server Manager consoles for common administrative tasks.
BackOffice Server 4.5 delivers and integrates setup of the latest
BackOffice family components and service packs, including
Microsoft SQL Server™ 7.0, Systems Management Server 2.0 and
Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 4. [More]
- Microsoft
Catches Up With Counterfeit Software
13:31 GMT Source: The Register
The continuing popularity of the Great Satan of
Software – and its products -- kept British police busy over the
Christmas holiday. The latest in a long line
of anti-piracy raids brought in the biggest haul of counterfeit
Microsoft Office 97 CDs to date.
- Site News
13:22 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
We are yet again having speed and connection problems on the
server (As you have probably noticed). We hope they are not
spoiling your viewing of the website too much, and we are trying
to get it fixed as soon as possible.
11th January 1999
Links - That Trial - Articles
- ATI
Announces The RAGE XL(TM) And The RAGE XC(TM) Graphics Card
22:57 GMT Source: Press Release
ATI Technologies Inc. today announced the RAGE XL™ and RAGE
XC™ general purpose graphic accelerator chips. The two new .25
micron graphics chips will provide, at the lowest price-points on
the market, high-quality, full AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) 2X
acceleration, as well as industry-leading 2D, 3D and video
acceleration for corporate computing systems. [More]
- Official
Pentium III Press Release
21:08 GMT Source: Press Release
Many of you have asked us to post the official Pentium III
Press release from Intel - Well here it is. [More]
- Microsoft's
Portal Push Continues
19:50 GMT Source: C/Net
Advancing its efforts to become a dominant presence in the Web
portal space, Microsoft has launched a redesign of MSN.com that
gives the site a more streamlined look and feel. [More]
- OSTA
Group Aims For DVD-ROM Specification
19:31 GMT Source: CoolInfo/CRS
The Optical Storage Technology Association disrupted the battle
between DVD-RAM and DVD RW today when it reported plans to develop
specifications for a DVD-ROM drive that reads both formats. Wayne
Freeman, OSTA's facilitator, said a committee will meet later this
week to develop the specification, expected to be completed by the
end of 1999. The specification will allow manufacturers to produce
DVD-ROM drives that can read media produced by either DVD-RAM or
DVD RW drives in much the same manner as multi-read CD-ROM drives
can read discs made by CD-R and CD-RW drives, he said. [More]
- Microsoft
Doubles Rebates on Money 99 During Tax Season
16:27 GMT Source: Press Release
Microsoft Corp. today announced a double rebate promotion for
its Money 99 personal finance software. Between Jan. 1 and March
31, consumers who obtain Microsoft® Money 99 Basic, Money 99
Financial Suite or Money 99 Personal and Business along with
either Kiplinger's TaxCut or Intuit's TurboTax may double their
current Microsoft Money 99 rebate. With this tax-season rebate,
consumers can receive up to $50 off the cost of Money 99 and an
accompanying tax product. [More]
- Articles
Section Updated
14:39 GMT Source: Byron Hinson
I have updated the articles
section. There are a number of new articles now online that we
have previously posted over the last two weeks.
- Microsoft,
IBM Get XML To Users
14:06 GMT Source: ZDNet
IBM and Microsoft Corp. are working to extend
XML support to databases and through tools that simplify
development in the emerging technology for moving data in Web
applications. [More]
- Microsoft
Announces Beta Availability of Small Business Server 4.5
12:53 GMT Source: Press Release
Microsoft Corp. today announced beta
availability of Microsoft® BackOffice®
Small Business Server version 4.5, the latest version of the
company's industry-leading small business server suite. This new
release focuses on delivering a comprehensive set of tools that
give technology providers more flexibility and control over setup,
network management and Internet connectivity. Small Business
Server 4.5 includes the Windows NT® Server network
operating system 4.0 with Service Pack 4, Microsoft Exchange
Server version 5.5, Microsoft SQL Server™ version 7.0 and Proxy
Server version 2.0. Small Business Server 4.5 has been tested for
year 2000 compliance and offers an increased limit of 50
workstations and complete integration with Office 2000. The
version upgrade of Small Business Server 4.5 will be available for
a nominal shipping and handling fee to licensed users of Small
Business Server 4.0 when it is released. A special channel preview
version of Microsoft Small Business Server 4.5 can be ordered for
a limited time via the Web at http://www.microsoft.com/directaccess/.
[More]
- Microsoft
To Tell Its Side At Antitrust Trial
01:01 GMT Source: Press Release
Microsoft Corp. finally gets the opportunity to tell its side
of the story at its antitrust trial this week after 10 weeks of
criticism at the hands of government witnesses. The software giant
will seek to show that the business remains intensely competitive
and that the government analysis and the suit against Microsoft is
fundamentally flawed, lawyers for the company said. [More]
- Links Updated
00:49 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
We have made a few updates to the links
page. The update includes the removal of some older windows
sites that no longer exist and the addition of some new ones.
10th January 1999
DVD - Reviews
- No
More Fights Over The PC
18:50 GMT Source: CoolInfo/PC World
A new product lets two or more play multimedia games on the
same PC. Peace is at hand in wired households throughout America,
thanks to a new product unveiled by a small California company at
this week's Consumer Electronics Show. Concurrent Controls of
South San Francisco has announced the Applica Multimedia System,
which the company claims is the only home networking product
available that enables multiple people to run full-motion, 3D
multimedia applications on the same PC at the same time. [More]
- Site News
18:49 GMT Source: Byron Hinson
Sorry about the lack of news today - Alex and I have spent the
last 7 hours attempting to get a DVD Hardware Decoder card working
(We won't mention the name) and after a number of lock-ups, wrong
IRQ's and sound vanishing, we have finally given up, gone back to
using a Software Decoder and watched "The Game". This is
the first time we have ever had to give up on piece of hardware.
- Altec
Lansing ADA-70 USB Speakers Review
10:51 GMT Source: CoolInfo
HardwareCentral has posted a review
of the Altec Lansing ADA-70 USB speakers. Here is a snip:
While USB
has been around for a little while now, it seems that USB
peripherals have just suddenly started to flood the market.
Joysticks, scanners, portable media, and now speakers are enjoying
the use of this easy to use interface. This review will cover
Altec Lansing’s ADA-70 speakers. Many manufacturers advertise
their speakers as supporting USB, they usually refer to the
ability to control the volume, bass, and treble via software over
the USB bus. The ADA-70s are true USB speakers in that they do not
require a sound card. Instead, all signaling is handled via USB.
- Recordable
DVD, DVD-Audio Debut At CES
10:49 GMT Source: TechWeb
Amid the collection of black boxes in the Pioneer Electronics
booth here at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) were two shiny
gold prototypes of the future for Digital Versatile Disc (DVD).
Pioneer demonstrated working models of both recordable DVD video
and DVD-Audio. The recordable DVD prototype is based on a
specification not yet settled upon by the DVD Forum, the trade
body that designed the DVD specs. [More]
9th January 1999
MS and DVD - Site News - mIRC 5.5
- STB
Velocity 4400 AGP Review
22:35 GMT Source: Matt
Klosterman
Matt has posted his review
of STB's TNT powered Velocity 4400 AGP graphics card. Here is
a short piece from the review:
The
Velocity 4400 is by far the best 2D/3D card I've had the
opportunity to use so far. While not perfect, the card shows great
balance and has a reasonable price. However, if you need hardware
DVD decoding you may want to consider the ATI Rage128 based cards,
which seem to have very good performance.
- New
CEO Discusses Future of NeoPlanet
15:37 GMT Source: NetiGen
Web
Following the news about NeoPlanet
becoming its own company, Drew Cohen, the newly minted president
and CEO, has commented on the future of the up and coming
alternative browser.
Most notably, he stated his plans to use the newly acquired
capital to attract talented developers. That talent is needed to
work on the next versions of NeoPlanet. Version 3.0 is due out in
the next 30-60 days, and the company hopes to have a 4.0 version
ready by year's end.
- New
Office 97 Tips
15:03 GMT Source: Luis
We have added six new Office
97 tips, there are likely to be a few more later today.
- Consumer
Groups Say We Pay Too Much For Windows
11:28 GMT Source: MSNBC
A coalition of consumer groups on Friday said Microsoft Corp.
should return $10 billion to consumers for overcharging buyers of
its computer operating software over the past three years. An
analysis by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and other
organizations concluded the pricing abuse would only get worse
unless Microsoft was disciplined in the antitrust case brought
against the software group by the Justice Department and 19
states. [More]
- New
Graphic Drivers
11:22 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
We have updated the graphic
drivers section and added a few of the drivers released this
past week or so.
- Hardware
Week In Review - 9th January 1999
11:15 GMT Source: BetaBites
Well, it is that time again to bring you all the latest
hardware news, previews, reviews, etc. You will find the hardware
news listed under the website the news was found on...oh, by the
way, there is no particular order to who comes first. [More]
- mIRC
5.5 Released
04:35 GMT Source: E-Mail
Yes - It has been a while, but Kahled has released a new
version of the best IRC Chat client around - mIRC 5.5. Here is a
short piece of the blurb.
A great new
mIRC version has just been released. We are absolutely sure you'll
love it :-) In the past months we have been steadily working on
new features and better code and we performed a lot of testing. Of
course the new list of IRC servers is included, as well as a new
IRC Intro. We really recommend you to download
and try this new mIRC v5.5!
- Site News
01:14 GMT Source: Byron Hinson, Cliff
Palmer
I think it is about time we had some new site news. Our
upcoming DVD article is now being changed into a full DVD section
that will be part of ActiveWindows, this gives us the chance for
tips, reviews, news and advice on all the latest DVD hardware and
software.
We are still having some speed problems on the site, although
it is not as bad as it was - it isn't at its fastest. We would
also like to thank all our visitors for making the last week our
best ever...thanks....we really do appreciate not only your
visits, but also your e-mail and support.
- 1999 - Microsoft Say It's The Year Of DVD
01:05 GMT Source: CRW
DVD ROM is moving out of the early adopter phase and into the
mainstream, and it should experience a long awaited growth spurt
this year, a Microsoft executive said.
Chris Phillips, Microsoft director of business development for
multimedia, told a DVD forum at a Consumer Electronics Show that
the combined 2,300 DVD movie and DVD ROM titles available, and the
6 million to 8 million drives sold in PCs in 1998, suggest the
market is on a launch pad for major growth. He said he expects an
installed base of about 30 million DVD ROM drives by next
December.
"This is the start of real DVD volume shipments," he
said. "We're getting out of the early adopter phase and into
the leader phase."
Phillips said the Web has been crucial to DVD's success. He
said his own informal search for DVD related Web sites turned up
considerably more than a search for VHS tape related sites. He
predicted DVD ROM drive sales will increase to 1.6 million units a
month this year.
8th January 1999
MS Innovations - USB - FP2k - New
Intellimouse Drivers
- New
Intellimouse Drivers Version 2.2d
20:07 GMT Source: Byron Hinson
Microsoft has released some new Intellipoint
Drivers - these are version 2.2d and fix a number of problems
that showed up in the last release.
- Windows
95 Will Never Be Fully Y2K-Compliant - Official
16:17 GMT Source: The Register
Microsoft has announced - but not actually shipped - Year 2000
compliance testing tools, but at the same time it's emerging that
there's no guarantee that more than a narrow subset of company
products will actually get completely fixed. Windows 95, for
example, will remain as "compliant with minor issues"
forever - some minor issues have already been addressed, but
according to Microsoft, that's your lot, son. [More]
- U.S.
Unveils Toll-Free Y2K Info Line
13:54 GMT Source: News.com
The federal government yesterday unveiled a new toll-free
number for consumers about Year 2000 computer problems that offers
information on such areas as banking, government programs, the
power supply, telephones, and airlines. [More]
- MS
Confidential Updated
13:48 GMT Source: ICQ
It looks like Microsoft Confidential has been updated, they
have added a bunch of information on Excel 2000. [More]
- Inside
The Microsoft FrontPage 2000 Beta
13:46 GMT Source: ICQ
Some Microsoft® FrontPage® 2000 beta testers have given up
testing the soon-to-be-released product—they are already using
it to create and manage their personal Web sites, customer Web
sites, and maintain and update internal project and communications
intranets. [More]
- Microsoft
Introduces Universal Plug and Play Initiative To Help Consumers
02:03 GMT Source: Press Release
Today at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES),
Microsoft Corp. introduced Universal Plug and Play, an
initiative that allows a broad range of intelligent consumer
appliances and PCs to easily connect as peers and share resources
within the home. Universal Plug and Play - the next phase of the
Plug and Play initiative introduced by Intel Corp., Compaq
Computer Corp. and Microsoft in 1992 - is a cross-industry effort
to define a set of common interfaces that describe devices and
services, allow automatic discovery when a device is plugged into
a network, and allow other devices and people to use them without
complicated setup or configuration. Universal Plug and Play is a
key element in Microsoft's standards-based vision of simple
networking, where easy-to-configure intelligent appliances,
networked peripherals, PCs and the services they provide become
peers on networks in homes and businesses. [More]
- Microsoft
Unveils Electronics Innovations For Consumers At CES
02:02 GMT Source: Press Release
Visitors to the mammoth Consumer Electronics Show (CES) here in
Las Vegas are used to seeing the latest and greatest innovations
in consumer electronics products and appliances, and this year is
no exception. This week, Microsoft will show off the first-ever
satellite version of WebTV as well as additions to its popular
Microsoft Windows CE family-from devices that consumers hold in
their hands to products that keep them informed and entertained
while in their cars. [More]
Do You Have Any Windows Based News? Just e-mail
Us!
7th January 1999
Intel - Windows Shell - Y2K
- Wireless
Web Tablets Due This Year
22:55 GMT Source: CoolInfo
The WebPad design model is based on a version of Cyrix's
integrated MediaGX processor and has a 10.4-inch LCD touch screen.
The prototype has 16MB of RAM, 8MB of ROM, built-in speakers and
microphone, and dual Universal Serial Bus ports to connect a
keyboard or mouse. [More]
- Microsoft
Gets Down To Y2K Nitty-Gritty
20:48 GMT Source: ZDNet
Microsoft Corp. on Thursday will unveil plans to
help its customers deal with the year 2000. The
Redmond, Wash., company last
month discussed plans to provide tools, seminars, and support
for Y2K testing and compliance of its software. [More]
- Hasbro Does Windows CE
20:45 GMT Source: CGO
Hasbro Interactive announced today that they plan create
several game titles for the Windows CE operating system, beginning
with Monopoly and Scrabble. Both games will be available in March
for around $30 each. Future titles announced include Trivial
Pursuit and Slingo. Hasbro is the first company to create brand
name games for the operating system, excluding Microsoft.
- Intel
To Take Wraps Off Of The Pentium III
15:36 GMT Source: ZDNet
As we mentioned a few weeks ago, Intel are set to announce the
Katmai as the Pentium III (Shame, seeing it looks a meagre chip).
[More]
- Microsoft
Acquires FASA Interactive
14:23 GMT Source: Press Release
Strategic Acquisition Adds Top Talent and Popular MechWarrior
Franchise To Growing Games Portfolio. [More]
- Windows
Shell Runs Faster With Netscape (Follow Up)
14:06 GMT Source: The Register
The Register have finally posted a bit more
information about how you do this, and judging from the e-mails we
received, there are a lot of you who would like to know. [More]
- Intel
Tips Eight-Way Server Plans, More Katmai Details
13:58 GMT Source: EE Times
Elbowing its way into the high-margin world of
computer servers, Intel Corp. this week said it is designing
multiple chip sets for eight-way multiprocessing systems, the
first of which will appear before June. The CPU giant has also
developed undisclosed features and instructions in its upcoming
Katmai-generation processors that it hopes will give its Pentium
II microprocessors a leg up in some large database processing
jobs.
6th January 1999
Win 2000 - DVD-RAM - Virus
- Server Stuff
23:04 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
Just a note to everyone. We are currently having some speed
problems on our main server, this is causing slow downs across all
of our sites. We are hoping that this problem will be resolved as
soon as possible.
- CuteFTP
2.8 Beta Released
22:46 GMT Source: ICQ
CuteFTP 2.8 Beta has been released. Here are a few of the new
features and fixes:
-
Improved Interface and Navigation
Local and Remote panes now display files using the appropriate
system icons. Up directory box moved to top of Local/Remote
pane. Local drop down list now shows drives and folder paths.
New column headers added for Local and Remote long listing.
Column headers can sort and are re-sizeable. You can now hide
the queue window using the F10 Function key.
-
Minimize to Systray
Option added allowing CuteFTP to minimize to systray.
-
Firewall/Proxy and Host Fixes
Added new host support for VM/ESA. Support added to allow users
to login in PASV mode and use a specific firewall setting.
-
Macro Updates
Wild card support added to Macros.
-
Queue Fixes
Many queue fixes added. Move items up & down, move to top,
move to bottom, and more. Many queue bug fixes
-
Other Features Added
Advanced command added to allow Change User login. Overwrite
dialog now displays name of file to overwrite.
-
Bug Fixes
Various bug fixes made. Date display problem fixed, connection
retries fixes, description file crash fixed for long
descriptions, Local pane instability when current directory is
deleted in Windows explorer, local deltree works properly,
conserve local path on reconnect fixed, plus others.
- Picture.exe
Really A Trojan Horse
22:03 GMT Source: MSNBC
Here’s a computer virus story that’s not an urban legend.
If you receive an attachment in e-mail called “picture.exe,”
don’t open it. If you do, what happens next reads a bit like a
spy novel — this Trojan horse drops two more programs called
note.exe and manager.exe which will search through your internet
cache directory and, if you have one, the directory that holds
your America Online username and password. It then encrypts that
information, tries to establish an Internet connection, and sends
it all to an e-mail address in China.
- Windows CE Goes Color For Palm Sized PC's
20:12 GMT Source: Computer Resellers News
Microsoft said it plans to preview enhancements to its Windows
CE operating system for palm-sized PCs (P/PCs) at the upcoming
Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas. Although not a full
upgrade, the enhancements, code-named Wyvern, will bring color
display capabilities to the OS as well as development components
including Visual Basic, Active Development Objects, and Microsoft
Foundation Classes, Microsoft said.
Wyvern will support the same applications and setup as the
current P/PC OS, the software giant said. The color-enhanced
product, based on the CE 2.11 core OS, will probably be released
this spring, according to officials at the Redmond, Wash.-based
company.
Palm-sized PCs, like Casio Computer's Cassiopeia and Philips
Electronics' Nino, compete with 3Com's wildly successful
PalmPilot. Hewlett-Packard will be hosting the technology preview.
One source speculated the Palo Alto, Calif.-based vendor plans to
release a palm-sized PC in the United States, though HP declined
to comment. The vendor already announced in November that it would
release a palm-sized PC, the Jornada 428, in China this month.
- MicroNet Technology Unleashes DVD-RAM
20:10 GMT Source: CoolInfo
MicroNet Technology announced it will begin shipping the newest
addition to its family of storage products, DVD-RAM. DVD-RAM
allows direct overwrite of data and will be available as a
MicroNet DataDock module for its award-winning family of removable
and transportable storage solutions.
Ideal for multimedia producers, software developers and
corporate MIS managers, DVD-RAM will allow users to create, edit
and access discs at the fastest speeds available. DVD-RAM is also
an inexpensive storage solution for large graphics files and can
be used in archiving, backup, data transport and audio storage.
Offering a storage capacity of 5.2 Gigabytes, MicroNet's
DVD-RAM features writing data transfer rates up to 1.38MB per
second, access times of 210 ms for DVD or 150 ms for CD-ROM, a
buffer memory of 1MB and burst transfer rates up to 16.6MB per
second. MicroNet's DVD-RAM module is fully compatible with other
DVD formats such as DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-VIDEO as well as CD-ROM,
CD-AUDIO, CD-R and CD-RW. The DVD-RAM also features double-speed
data rates in DVD-ROM and DVD-R modes.
DVD-RAM is available now for an SRP of $899.
- Word 97 Spell check Bug
13:22 GMT Source: BetaBites
Small bug here for you spellcheck perfectionists...According to
Microsoft,
the Microsoft Word 97 for Windows spell checker does not indicate
that the following words are misspelled: histyory and continuos
(Continuos is the plural of continuo, which is a musical term for
a bass accompaniment.). Microsoft suggest creating an exclude
dictionary containing the words to be checked during a spelling
check. Article Q142100 in the Microsoft Knowledge Base tells you
how.
- New TweakIt Released
13:21 GMT Source: 3DFiles
BGR
Software has released an updated version of his popular
overclocking utility, TweakIt. The usual new stuff and fixes for
Voodoo 2, Banshee, etc. You can DOWNLOAD
it here- 817 Kb
- Two More Beta 3 Release Candidates For Win
2000 Coming?
02:22 GMT Source: Windows
98 Central
Windows 2000 Server lead product manager Jonathan Perera said
that Microsoft expects at least two more beta 3 release candidates
before the thing is ready for the kind of mass marketing beta that’s
become the norm. Perera said that the beta 3 schedule, or at least
Microsoft’s latest schedule, continues to call for the mass
release by the end of Q1. He wouldn’t discuss 5.0’s final
release dates
5th January 1999
Excel Problems - Intel - Drivers -
Office 2000
- HyperSnap
3.30.00 Final Released
21:26 GMT Source: Byron Hinson
Hyperionics has released HyperSnap
3.30.00 Final. Here are a few of the changes in this excellent
program.
Added
the ability to capture images from hardware overlays, which are
largely used in video software (e.g. DVD players). The limitation
is again, that the overlay must have been created and managed with
DirectX in the target program, otherwise we'll still capture only
the color rectangle (the overlay key color).
Good
news is a new way to snap DirectX screens, including games,
videos, DVD etc. It is no longer necessary to start HyperSnap-DX
and enable DirectX capture first, before the target program.
HyperSnap-DX can be started or stopped at any time, and it will
capture these screens correctly. DirectX and Glide capture is now
a lot more stable, should not cause game/computer crashes or
lock-ups.
Other
changes:
Added
new "Quick Crop and Scale" function to Capture menu.
Added "Toggle Cursor Capture" button to the toolbar.
Added
a setting to change picture resolution, in dots per inch (dpi).
This setting affects how images are printed or pasted into other
documents. Also added a "zoom" window for Region capture
and crop operations, which lets you to see the area around the
cursor under 3x or 4x magnification.
Fixed
a problem with color captures from 256 color applications using
entire system palette.
Fixed
the problem under Windows 98, where selecting Region capture from
the menu or when HS window was in front, did not permit you to use
keyboard to control region selection.
- New
Office 97 Tips Added
21:00 GMT Source: Luis
Escalante
We have added a bunch of new Office
97 tips, these will include Outlook, Excel, Access and Word
tips. You can expect this section to be updated all this week
until it is as full as possible.
- MSN
Hotmail Becomes First Web-Based E-Mail Delivering Free Virus
Detection Software From Network Associates
20:14 GMT Source: Press Release
World's Largest E-Mail Provider Leads the Way in Providing
Secure E-Mail Environment [More]
- Microsoft
Unveil Pricing For Office 2000
20:06 GMT Source: Infoworld
Microsoft has unveiled pricing and promotions for its Office
2000 suite of desktop applications, which is now slated to ship in
the second quarter of this year. [More]
- New
Drivers Added
15:46 GMT Source: Byron Hinson
I have updated the graphics
card drivers section and added a couple of new companies to
the list. There are also a bunch of new drivers added for the TNT
Asus range of cards.
- Microsoft's
Excel Has Web Security Problem
13:20 GMT Source: Bloomberg News
Microsoft's Excel spreadsheet software can make Internet users'
computers susceptible to "booby-trapped" Web sites that
download codes destroying data. [More]
- Intel's Slot 1 and Slot 2 To Give Way To
Sockets By 2000
13:13 GMT Source: CoolInfo
Philip Brown pointed out this editorial from MDRonline which
talks about the future of slot 1. Here is a clip:
The initial purpose of the Slot 1 module was to hold the
external L2 cache chips required by the Klamath and Deschutes
CPUs. Mendocino (see MPR 8/24/98, p. 1) doesn't need external
cache chips, as it is Intel's first processor to incorporate the
entire cache subsystem. To maintain compatibility with these
earlier processors, Mendocino is currently shipping in a Slot 1
module, despite the fact that, other than the CPU, the module
contains no active components and is nearly empty.
Mendocino will discard this vestigial module early next year,
instead appearing in a 370-pin plastic PGA that plugs into a
standard socket. Intel will continue to offer the Slot 1 version
as well, but we expect PC makers to convert to the so-called
Socket 370 over time, as it is smaller and less expensive than
Slot 1. By the end of 1999, the Celeron segment will be largely
converted to Socket 370, and future Celeron parts are likely to
appear only in a socketable form.
4th January 1999
IE5 - Celeron - UK Cable - Win 2000 -
Flatscreens
- New
ATI Rage Pro Beta Drivers
23:05 GMT Source: Byron Hinson
ATI has released some new Rage
Pro beta drivers - One is a release candidate the other a full
beta (This seems the latest file) - so make your own minds up on
which to download.
- Worlds
First Truly Flatscreen 22-Inch CRT Monitor Announced
22:50 GMT Source: Gamers Alliance
Mitsubishi
Display Products has announced the world's first truly
distortion-free, 22-inch (20-inch DVI) flat-faced desktop monitor,
the Diamond Pro 2020u.
- Judge
Finds Windows 2000 May Slip A Millennium
22:47 GMT Source: The
Register
Judge Janet Hall is of the opinion that NT 5.0 (aka Windows
2000) won't make it out of the door before the end of this year.
And with a bit of luck, it'll slip into the next millennium. The
Register believes this may be the first instance of a judge ruling
on the viability of Microsoft's rollout schedules. [More]
- Microsoft
SQL Server 7.0 Creates International Buzz
21:15 GMT Source: Press Release
When Microsoft officially launched SQL Server
7.0 at COMDEX/Fall '98 in Las Vegas in mid-November, it did so
with a roar. The new version of Microsoft's enterprise database
software application made its official debut at the brand new,
mega-luxurious Bellagio Hotel, where thousands of COMDEX attendees
juked and jived to the ultra-hip sounds of swing-revival band Big
Voodoo Daddy before filing in to hear Microsoft president Steve
Ballmer announce that SQL Server 7.0 would pass Oracle to become
the leading database product within 12 months. [More]
- AMD On The Verge Of Further K7 Desktop Wins
19:55 GMT Source: The Register
The Digital Anvil, AMD and Microsoft connection is to deliver
further desktops using the K7 platform in Q3 1999, we can reveal.
The source that told The Register last week of the copper
interconnect K7 in Y2K with a 400MHz bus, today revealed it has
several other customers interested in its products. He said:
"I don’t think [the Compaq Presario with K7] will be an
exclusive. We have other customer wins too."
AMD is pitching its PC OEMs with a joint Digital Anvil
convergent technology, but he refused to be drawn on whether
Microsoft was involved in the equation. He said Digital Anvil will
not exclusively work with AMD. "The market is too small for
that and companies like DA depend on volume, he added." That
means that small company Digital Anvil is being wooed by two of
the biggest x.86 based companies in the world. We understand other
platforms are interested in its technology as well.
- Microsoft
Eyes British Cable Companies
13:54 GMT Source: ZDNet
Microsoft will bid on two BT cable franchises, according to
London's Daily Telegraph. The European Commission is
forcing BT to shed its two biggest cable networks as a condition
of a planned joint venture with a satellite broadcaster. The
Telegraph suggests a successful bid by Microsoft would be viewed
as part of a "charm offensive" that began when Bill
Gates met Prime Minister Tony Blair in '97. It also suggests
Gates' zeal to bring fast Internet access to homes around the
world. Click
for more.
- Windows
CE On Your Desktop?
13:52 GMT Source: ZDNet
Will Microsoft allow Windows CE to become the successor to
Windows 98 -- scrapping Windows 2000 (NT 5.0) as the OS
of choice for low-end business desktops? Analysts including
Rob Enderle of Giga Information Group and Mary Jo Foley of Sm@rt
Reseller predict such a scenario. Jesse agrees, even though
Microsoft has said for years that Windows NT would be the
successor to Win98. The industry is moving rapidly to thin clients
and computing appliances. The oft-delayed Windows 2000 may be too
fat and too late. Click
for more.
- Intel
Launches 400mhz Celeron Chips
13:44 GMT Source: News.com
Intel will kick off the new year today by releasing two new and
faster Celeron processors, launching into a busy month.
January, and the first quarter in general, will be an active
time for processor makers and PC manufacturers. As Intel
rolls out 366-MHz and 400-MHz versions of its Celeron chip for
low-end PCs and cuts prices on existing processors, new consumer
systems will arrive from leading computer makers.
- Celeron
Article
01:08 GMT Source: Coolinfo/AnandTech
AnandTech has posted a new
article on the Celeron Processors. Here is a piece from the
article:
There are
some rare occasions in life when a confluence of events occurs
that serves to provide a sum benefit that far exceeds the total of
its components. Or, as a friend of mine is fond of saying:
Sometimes great ideas aren’t released, they escape!
This is the
case with Intel Celeron CPU. Intel is a giant company and, as
such, is sometimes a bit slow to react to emerging trends. Along
comes AMD, first out of the starting gate with a 233Mhz CPU (the
K6) and the knowledge that there was a huge untapped opportunity
in the sub-$1000 PC market.
But, simply
having a great product at a great price is not always enough. It
was the willingness of some of the big players, such as IBM, to
move to AMD’s product line that really got the ball rolling for
AMD. Suddenly, Intel woke up one morning to find that this upstart
(not really, AMD has been in business 30 years) had taken a big
bite out of the CPU market.
- 10
Things You Must Know About IE5
01:06 GMT Source: Windows Magazine
Blasé. That's how we felt the very first time we saw
Microsoft's Internet Explorer 5.0 Beta 2. After years of dramatic
leap-frog releases from Microsoft and Netscape, the browser duel
has come to a stand off. Perhaps, unrealistically, we expected
more from IE 5.0 than we got in Beta 2. The pace of change in both
the Netscape and Microsoft browsers has slowed since IE 4.0 was
introduced. But that's a good thing. Most of us don't need or want
any new features in our browsers. What we want most is to make Web
browsing a more satisfying experience. [More]
3rd January 1999
New Winamp
- Site News
18:00 GMT Source: Byron Hinson, Cliff Palmer, Luis
Well, hopefully we will see a load of new news hit the internet
this coming week now that the holidays are over. This means we
will go back to our full daily updates instead of our slower
service we have been using over the past week or so.
We will also be launching a new section to ActiveWindows -
although it will have nothing to do with technical information, it
will be a proper screenplays site from which you can download full
film scripts and read screenplays written by people on the
internet.
- Winamp
2.08 Released
15:07 GMT Source: Winamp
Wow - Two releases in one day. Here is what 2.08 fixes:
- New in 2.08: Justin stops smoking crack to fix
the high CPU consumption in 2.07.
- Winamp
2.07 Released
03:53 GMT Source: ICQ
Yes, those guys are very busy. Winamp
2.07 has been released, here are a few of the fixes:
- New in 2.07: Stupid VC++ 6 bugfix (caused
preferences crashes on some systems)
- Experimental Gapless Playback (a.k.a. continuous
playback) support via new output plug-in.
- Improved CDDB
support.
- New info-on-demand reading mode. Faster for HUGE
playlists.
- New bar analyzer mode for built-in
visualization. Rocks!
- Better directory and drive adding support (you
can add a whole audio CD by typing the drive letter, i.e. 'd:\')
- Added SHOUTcast
title reading to Nitrane.
- Improved HTTP streaming (non-blocking)
- Made http:// optional in URL location for you
lazies out there.
- Built with VisC++6, faster and smaller than
previous Winamps.
2nd January 1999
Driver Problems - Y2K - Reviews - FAQ
- Windows 98 FAQ
Updated
22:37 GMT Source: Byron Hinson
I have done another revision of the Windows
98 FAQ. Again I have corrected various bits and pieces as well
as adding a couple of new questions and answers.
- New Tips
Added
22:10 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
Added a couple of new tips - these ones are to help you shut
down or restart your computer faster, you can check them out via
our Tips section.
- Hardware
Week In Review - 2nd January 1999
21:24 GMT Source: CoolInfo/Firing Squad
The Firing Squad has posted a review
of the Labtec 4620 Speakers. Here is a snippet from the
review:
The
APX-4620, from the Labtec "Performance Series" straddles
their mid to high-end range, sitting comfortably below the $200
"sweet spot" at a suggested retail price of $149.99. The
4620s consist of two tall-standing satellites, and a dark,
monolithic subwoofer unit, measuring 11" x 11" x
13" - certainly bigger than a breadbox, and particularly
difficult to conceal. The specs are listed below:
- Hardware
Week In Review - 2nd January 1999
17:27 GMT Source: BetaBites
Well, got a late start on this weeks Hardware Week in Review.
Below you will find the websites where the hardware news,
previews, reviews, etc were found originally. [More]
- Wary
Americans Plan For Y2K Computer Glitches
01:38 GMT Source: Press Release
Nearly half of Americans surveyed in a new poll said they would
avoid traveling by plane on or around January 1, 2000, when
experts fear air traffic control could be snarled by major
computer failures.
- Toshiba
Driver Won't Work With Win 98
01:28 GMT Source: Bugnet
Windows 98 is not compatible with Toshiba Infinia 72xx laptop
computers with the Toshiba TV/FM version 2.13B2 device driver. IT
MAY SHOW UP with an exclamation point in a yellow circle in the
Windows 98 Device Manager, and the DVD/TV tuner will probably not
work correctly. Microsoft says to check with Toshiba to see if
there is a new driver.
1st January 1999
Happy New Year
- Win
98 Y2K Update May Not Update Io.sys File
22:40 GMT Source: E-mail
We just got this
URL via e-mail and thought we should pass it on to those of
you who have been having trouble with the update off of Windows
Update.
- Site News
22:20 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
All of the tips section
has now been updated with spelling and grammar corrections and
also various information fixes. The only section that has yet to
be completed is the Easter Eggs area, this will be done over the
weekend.
- Tips
Update
16:01 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
Added a new Windows
Update tip sent in by one of our readers.
- New
Winamp Released
15:54 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
A new version of Winamp
(2.06) has been released. Here are a number of the new
features and bug fixes, including better SHOUTcast support:
- Experimental Gapless Playback (a.k.a. continuous playback)
support via new output plug-in.
- Improved CDDB support.
- New info-on-demand reading mode. Faster for HUGE playlists.
- New bar analyzer mode for built-in visualization. Rocks!
- Better directory and drive adding support (you can add a whole
audio CD by typing the drive letter, i.e. 'd:\')
- Added SHOUTcast title reading to Nitrane.
- Improved HTTP streaming (non-blocking)
- Made http:// optional in URL location for you lazies out
there.
- Built with VisC++6, faster and smaller than previous Winamps.
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